NOVPUBAs they walked deeper and deeper, the awful smells somehow vanished. But then again, he knew that the real danger was ahead.
So something is distorting the smell... I can't say I like this... Neraxis thought with a sigh, turning to Evangeline.
"How are you holding up?"
Evangeline tilted her head. "You're asking as if we've been in a fight. The only thing we've done for the last 20 or so minutes is descend.. But yeah, I'm bored."
"Good." Neraxis nodded as he slowly pulled out his sword. "You won't be bored for long since we have enemies incoming."
The moment he finished those words, dark creatures emerged from the darkness. Their eyes shone with a white light, exuding an ominous presence.
But despite that, Neraxis focused and inspected them.
—Shadow Lurker (Level 44)
"Only one?" Neraxis tilted his head. "He can clone himself. Be careful."
"I know, I'm always careful," Evangeline replied with a smirk, and in the next moment, summoned a giant blood javelin.
Instead of throwing it at the shadows like a normal person, however, Evangeline rammed it into the ground, causing a distorted explosion to ring out.
To his surprise, that explosion began sending vibrations through his body, and as he gazed toward the monster, he realized that only a single shadow was vibrating.
That meant the others surrounding him were all fakes.
Therefore, Neraxis didn't waste any time as he took one giant step forward, his sword extended beyond his head.
Then he performed a simple yet effective stab.
[MP -500 820/1320 (Atomic Stab)]
The air distorted slightly, giving way to the Atomic Stab Neraxis performed as it finally reached its target.
But to his surprise, the attack went right past the shadow, causing him to embed his sword into the wall.
"It's immune to physical attacks!" Neraxis announced with a frown as he desummoned his sword, avoiding an attack from the shadow.
He couldn't tell what kind of attack it was, just that if he were to take it head-on, he'd be killed on the spot.
The damage and HP difference between levels must be quite big the higher level you are... Neraxis pondered as he finally landed right beside Evangeline.
"That's what you get for being a show-off," Evangeline remarked with a giggle. "Let me show you how it's done."
She rolled up her sleeves and once again summoned a single blood javelin. In this case, however, it was much smaller than the one previously.
But this time, she threw it like a normal person at a surprisingly high speed.
It landed square on the shadow's chest, but then again, another not-so-surprising thing happened.
The shadow merely shrugged off her attack and turned its gaze back onto Neraxis.
"Motherfucker... I think it's immune to magic too," Evangeline muttered with a frown.
Neraxis chuckled. "Not exactly. Your level is just very low. I don't think you're doing much damage yet."
"Huh? Is that really how it works here?" Evangeline asked, pausing briefly as she fell in thought.
"But... how are we supposed to kill that thing then?"
Neraxis shrugged, turning to Jane who had absentmindedly been sitting in the backlines, rocking her legs on a rock she had found.
"Mind helping?" Neraxis asked, and she simply shook her head.
"I need to conserve my mana and strength," she replied flatly. "If I help you with menial monsters such as these, then I won't be able to revive anyone. This entire expedition will be a dud."
"So you're just planning on being a spectator until we're dead?" Neraxis asked in disbelief.
Jane scoffed. "Look here... I told you the deal before we left. I want your help, and until then, I won't help you directly... but what I can tell you is that if you two were to combine your powers, then maybe you can do it. You know, like a blood infusion on your sword? It would give it an Aura-like effect. It's close to magic, I'd say."
The moment her words fell, Evangeline's gaze darted to his sword. She reached for it and brushed her hand along the blade, drawing blood.
The blood was immediately absorbed into the blade, causing it to attain a red hue.
That was when he felt it. There was a certain power coursing through the sword, and since he was a vampire himself, even if he didn't have his vampiric skills, he could still clearly feel the effects.
Therefore, he swiftly turned back around, facing the shadow who slowly began nearing him. But just as it was about to attack, Neraxis swung his sword down.
It was a simple downward swing, but because of Evangeline's blood infusion, it simply cut the shadow in two.
There was no sound, but once the shadow's corporeal body fell to the ground, Neraxis realized it had died.
After all, not even a few moments later, it began disintegrating into particles, and then, the pop-up he was waiting for appeared.
<DING!>
<You have slain: Shadow Lurker [Level 44]: Major Experience increase. Bonus experience earned for killing an enemy highly above your level!> 𝔫𝖔𝔳𝔭𝔲𝔟.𝖈𝔬𝔪
<You have leveled up!>
<Level 25→ 33>
<+31 Free Stat Points Obtained!>
"Oh?" Evangeline gasped from the side. "I just leveled up to level 19!"
"...What? In one go?" Neraxis asked, shocked. "Are you serious?"
"That's what happens when we kill monsters above our level, I guess," Evangeline snickered, and began tapping the air, likely adjusting her stats.
As for him, he glanced back at Jane who clapped twice, almost as if she was proud.
"Nice. You've managed to kill it. It was much easier than you expected, right?" Jane remarked, twirling her black hair. "That's how it is in The Chasm. All monsters seem strong on the surface, but with the right methods, you can kill them pretty easily... except a few."
"A few?" Neraxis caught onto the last part. "So are they the reason you've brought us here?"
She stared at him for a few moments, then slowly nodded.
"That's right... but before I tell you about them, adjust your stats. Preferably... put some into stamina."
His brow rose, but despite that, he opened his status screen and began adjusting his stats.
