Forgotten Lands - Chapter 43 (Book 1)

The Tower of Nature’s difficulty increased starting from the 3rd Floor.

It was the halfway mark of the dungeon and determined whether the Players were ready to deal with the true terrors of the Tower of Nature, or not.

Sabertooth Hounds weren’t the only standard monsters they encountered starting from now. Herculean Wolves, monsters with tremendous strength, and Earthen Hound, a type of monster that had an innate earth affinity, appeared.

There were more types of monsters, such as Vinean Wolves, Common Demonic Treants, and Vile Pixies, but Zayn and his team didn’t encounter them often. Even if they encountered them, Zayn would slow them down before making enough space for Blake. She would bombard them with fireballs.

Zayn got to know that Blake had only two Cards. Advanced Fireball, an Uncommon Spell Card, and Enhanced Fire, a Spell Enhancement Card that increased the destructive power of all fire spells in Blake’s possession.

It was decent.

Blake could have linked more Cards to her Heart Deck, but she was adamant about becoming a great Pyromancer. She was a real Sorceress in love with Pyromancy.

Zayn didn’t have anything against that. It was good to focus on a few Cards to increase their Level rapidly. Blake’s fireball was powerful enough to easily blow apart monsters with high Vitality.

The only downsides of Blake’s combat style were her aim, that she had yet to reach a high level with Advanced Fireball, and that she relied on others’ protection.

She had no means to protect herself in close combat whenever Advanced Fireball missed the target.

Fortunately, Zayn and the others could solve Blake’s downsides rather easily at this point. They could protect her while she took her time aiming at the targets.

David paid the most attention to Natalia and Blake. He ensured that they were safe and sound all while clashing with some Sabertooth Hounds and Herculean Wolves. He protected the two women who aided him in battle in return.

Melanie was given a boost from Natalia’s Empower. That was enough for the young Leader of the group to survive against the onslaught of enemies. However, she sustained more injuries as the fights progressed.

The Earthen Hounds were the most problematic targets. Their intelligence wasn’t highly advanced but being able to control and manifest earth forcefully pushed their evolution toward higher Stars of Wisdom and Energy. Their Perception Foundation was not low either.

It was a good thing that their physical attributes were rather low. They gave up on high Stars of Agility, Strength, and Vitality to improve the Foundation Stars that strengthened their minor earth affinity. Zayn took advantage of that and appeared above the Earthen Hounds. A single use of Blink was enough to bypass the Earthen Hounds spikes and earthen walls and appear above them. Some Earthen Hounds tried to release earth spikes from the ground but their comrades’ bodies obstructed the path

Two Earthen Hounds attacked Zayn nonetheless. Their earth spikes tore through their allies’ stomachs as they burst out from the ground. Blood splattered through the surroundings but none of it was Zayn’s. He blocked the attacks by using Aegis Natura.

The weakest form of Aegis Natura manifested before Zayn to block both earth spikes. A moment later the Aegis dispersed and the Shanyt Axe cleaved down, slicing through the Earthen Hound’s neck.

Zayn used Blink right after his attack impacted. He appeared next to one of the Earthen Hounds that had just attacked him. A swift attack with great momentum was enough to behead the monster and disappear once again.

He moved around the battlefield quickly. His energy consumption increased slowly but he chose to slow done at some point. The Earthen Hounds had been removed from the battlefield, leaving enough space and opportunities for everyone to grow stronger. Meanwhile, Zayn focused on fighting the strongest enemies to collect more Uncommon Card Shards and Soul Essences. Dungeons were a great grinding spot, after all!

The Herculean Wolves sensed the danger coming from Zayn. They whirled around, ready to pounce at him, but Aegis Natura in its strongest form manifested in front of them. The Herculean Wolves managed to inflict cracks on the firm Aegis, however, it didn’t break. David appeared next to one of the Herculean Wolves and split its body in two.

A devilish grin formed on David’s face as he killed the mighty beast with one strike. He found himself addicted to the sensation of power.

Zayn could only grin inwardly. He had no idea what Cards David had, but they improved his physical strength. His Strength Foundation was on par with the Herculean Wolves, if not higher.

Now that his Strength improved further due to Natalia’s Empower, a single strike was all it took to obliterate his enemies.

The other Herculean Wolf was about to turn around to David and pounce but Zayn used Root Strike to control the roots around the monster’s legs. The roots shot upward and coiled around the Herculean Wolf. The Herculean Wolf broke out of the entanglement easily, but it was too slow to react as Zayn crashed hard on its back. A sliver of light crashed down from above, cracking the monster’s skull at once.

It was the Shanyt Axe, the Sharpness Enchantment fully triggered.

The blade stuck deep in the Herculean Wolf’s skull, killing the beast instantaneously.

Its body crashed to the ground and a notification rang through Zayn’s ears. However, he didn’t pay attention to the notifications and glanced to the right where David breathed rigorously. The Berserker was beyond exhausted, yet seeing how easily Zayn killed another monster ignited something within him.

He clutched the handle of his double-headed War Axe tightly and roared. His roar reverberated through the entire battlefield, attracting the attention of all monsters. Even the monsters engaged in battle turned their heads and changed their targets. All monsters began to charge at David.

‘Taunt, or Enrage?’ Zayn guessed, “We could have fought more efficiently if you told us about this Card a little bit earlier.”

His complaint was ignored by David, who charged at the incoming monsters like a madman. Several fireballs sizzled through the air and impacted the center of the monster surge. Several monsters died at once, whereas others were confused. They looked left and right as if trying to understand what had happened to them.

Melanie and Zayn took advantage of that. Zayn charged at the monsters, evaded their razor-sharp teeth and claws by a hair’s breadth, and attacked. He stopped using his Cards and focused on his technique.

More Cards were probably the easiest way to grow stronger, and they were essential to defeat powerful enemies, however, one’s technique and energy control were just as important.

Energy surged forth from his abdomen at Zayn’s will. He circulated it through his body, ignoring the narrow paths in his body’s network. Forcefully widening the paths was painful, but it was not dangerous at this level. He didn’t have enough energy to circulate through his body to potentially harm him. Even if his body hoarded enough energy, Zayn wouldn’t have a problem circulating the energy through his body. He had enough experience to ensure his safety.

The potential of his body surged forth as the cold energy within his body circulated through him. He circulated most energy through his legs and executed one of the most familiar basic techniques he’d learned in the past.

Thunder Step.

The technique’s full potential could only be unleashed if the practitioner had an Inferior – or stronger – Thunder Affinity. However, that didn’t mean it was impossible to use Thunder Step without a Thunder Affinity. It was just a little bit more complex without it.

The energy within him followed a precise pattern in his lower legs. His calves felt like they were set ablaze. His thighs trembled, and his feet sunk deep into the ground.

Zayn kicked the ground. He unleashed a portion of the energy that circulated through his legs through his feet explosively. Thunderous sounds reverberated through the vicinity and the ground underneath cracked as Zayn burst forth.

He turned into a flash and appeared next to the closest Herculean Wolf, his eyes narrowed to a slit. Zayn twisted his twist and made a subtle motion. All of a sudden, a large gash in the Herculean Wolf’s neck burst open.

A notification flashed up, notifying him about the monster’s death, but Zayn was more focused on his twitching legs. A bad cramp spread through his calves alongside his thighs.

‘Was that too early? Well, it does make sense. My Foundation Orbit is still rather weak.’

He retrieved a Healing Potion and swallowed the content before throwing the empty glass vial toward a charging Sabertooth Hound. The monster bit down on the bottle, the fragile glass vial shattering. Zayn’s mouth curled into a sly smile as the Sabertooth Hound yelped in pain.

The Shanyt Axe flashed in his hand and the Sabertooth Hound’s head slumped to the ground barely a second later.

Zayn had two more monsters to kill before the battle ended. Nobody died and most severe injuries were taken care of by Natalia.

However, everyone was exhausted. Zayn could continue to fight, but the tension in his body was at an all-time high. He overdid it a little bit with Thunder Step. His excitement got the worst of him.

5 Herculean Wolves have been slain +7 Soul Essences, +3 Uncommon Card Shards

7 Earthen Hounds have been slain +4 Soul Essences, +1 Uncommon Card

9 Sabertooth Hounds have been slain +2 Soul Essences, +1 Common Card

[Proficiency of Root Strike reached 100%. Level Up!]

[Proficiency of Root Strike reached 100%. Level Up!]

Everyone gained some Common Card Shards, Common Cards, or Uncommon Card Shards from the last fight. The gains were better than expected.

However, now it was time to rest and improve their equipment. At least, their Heard Deck should be upgraded a little!