BXBX NOVEL Chapter 199: Tough Challenges, Freshened
[Stormshock Chart]
_Type: Talent.
_Description: A talent for harnessing thunderstorms and wind currents, allowing the wielder to control and manipulate the power of lightning and air in a seamless manner.
_Effect: If your attacks are a combination of wind and lightning elements, their damage is increased by 30%.
Wind and Lightning elements were something that could synergize with each other, and Rin was practically using them in her every attack, which was most likely the reason for this talent to awaken in her.
On the other hand, Erix got a Random Magic Skill.
[Wrathful Roar]
_Rank: Tier-3
_Type: Active skill
_Cost: 100 Spirit Force and 500 Mana.
_Effect: Channel a powerful roar from your mouth up to 100 - 500 meters distance. Every living being within the range will have their mana circulation slow down or disrupted, depending on the target\'s focus and the user\'s spirit stat.
Erix was disappointed because this skill didn\'t have much potential, but it could still be useful against a horde of enemies.
\'Whatever, better than nothing. I can just learn its formation and get more knowledge,\' Erix thought.
…
After Rin and Erix went to the 6th cave, Lily also joined them after she swiftly completed the 5th cave\'s howling tombs and got [Nothing] as her reward.
Although the trio defeated all enemies of 6th-level howling tombs without trouble, Rin and Erix both got [Nothing] while Lily got a Mystery Box, which gave her an assassin-type clothing armor set of Tier-4!
And since it was something from Mystery Box, it was a top-class Tier-4 clothing armor set.
"Let\'s go to the next one," Lily eagerly smiled. She wanted to check out the powers of her new armor set!
The trio went to the 7th cave and saw a group of four resting there, recovering their energies.
From the 7th cave onward, there was only a single Howling Tomb in each cave, and the reward model was also different.
The challenge was not just about simply fighting an enemy right after entering.
In this challenge, they appeared in a rather lively world with five different glowing pillars of light that were 50 kilometers away from each other.
Each pillar of light represented a challenge. One had to challenge them one by one, and killing one of them would increase the overall power of the rest by 10%.
Erix and Rin didn\'t plan anything before entering this level 7 tomb challenge, but they coincidentally chose the same method to tackle this!
Both of them first checked out all five enemies and determined the toughest enemy out of the five.
After choosing one of them as their toughest enemy, they started challenging others so that they would get to fight against the most challenging foe out of the five since the last remaining one would have the highest power!
They just wanted to push themselves to improve!
It took them several minutes to kill the first boss with determination to improve themselves.
8 - 10 minutes to kill the second boss. A brief meditation rest to recover their Spiritual Force.
14- 15 minutes to kill the third boss. A brief meditation rest…
20 minutes to kill the fourth boss. A brief…
And then they finally reached the last boss with their skill techniques also highly refined after all the battles.
Recovering their Spiritual Force with meditation and Mana with the potion, they individually challenged the last boss in their own challenge world, entering the huge crater where a five-meter giant draconic humanoid floated with its eyes closed.
The first to come out was Erix, but his right hand was missing, and he was injured.
The second to come out was Lily, just a few seconds after Erix. But she was not much injured as she looked mostly fine, and her vitality was around 90%.
"Eh? You shouldn\'t be that much injured," Lily exclaimed when she emerged and saw Erix\'s condition.
"Yeah, well…I played risky," Erix grinned. "I wanted to master a certain combat style, so I wasn\'t just focused on killing the last boss with safe means."
Lily creased her eyebrows in worry. "That\'s fine, but be careful. Only do this if you can really gauge your enemies\' power and increase your odds."
Lily spoke with expertise because of her experience. Not just recently, but since she was forcefully brainwashed to become an assassin. After all, an assassin had to increase the odds of success by carefully assessing their target\'s strength.
"That does make sense," Erix nodded with a smile. "I instinctively gauge their strength based on their aura, but Rin and I can still get a more transparent feel when we examine them using our Spiritual Mystic Eye."
"That Spiritual power you two have is an incredible boon," Lily wryly smiled.
Suddenly, both of them sensed another aura emerging, but it was unstable.
"Rin!" Erix and Lily quickly reached out to her.
Rin… was severely injured, and her consciousness was tethering.
"I-I…I am fine," Rin weakly muttered while bouts of pain assaulted her body. Her back was bubbling with corrosive acid-like power, eating away her skin and bones.
Her internals were also severely injured, with a small hole in the left part of her stomach. It was seething with dark green liquid while on flamy aura, but Rin\'s lightning was fighting against it, stopping it from further inducing this burning poison in her.
Erix didn\'t even waste a second and teleported away after touching Rin. Lily\'s hand was also touching Rin, so she also vanished with them.
….
Lilith healed Rin and also used a potion to remove harmful effects on her.
"She\'ll be fine after an hour," Lilith said as she gently patted Rin\'s forehead, using her Prana to help circulate the potion\'s effect faster.
Erix also was injured, so Lilith healed him after finishing with Rin.
Erix sat on her lap at his Serene Spot while Lilith cured harmful effects in him and recovered his missing limb.
"It seems that you two played a risky game this time," Lilith said as she glanced at Erix.
Erix sheepishly smiled, "It\'s not exciting otherwise. We could survive, and that\'s all we had to know to have fun and development. I improved a lot, and that\'s also true for Rin, haha."
Lilith jokingly rolled her eyes, "I know you two are sharp in that regard, but do keep it in limit."
After kissing him, Lilith smiled and got up, "Alright, now rest and get some sleep. When you both wake up, the food will be ready."
...
After waking up and having dinner that boosted their foundational stats to around 850, Erix and Rin held off challenging the 8th and 9th level of Howling Tombs and decided to take it easy for a bit and roam outside in the wilderness. Kelia wanted to tag along because there was also a magical pond in the wilderness, and she wanted to check it out in case it gave her some insight into Water Element.
The trio returned after two hours feeling refreshed.
"Reinala has recovered," Lilith said when he saw Erix, Klelia, and Rin returning, "Klelia should have too."
"Klelia is already empty," Rin chuckled. "We did go outside, and the pond was beautiful, so we decided to have some fun there."
Klelia\'s cheeks turned pink, her long bunny ears clamping together.
"Well, that also works," Lilith giggled. "Next time, we\'ll go together to a good scenic place and have fun there."
"Good idea," Erix grinned.
"Yep. Since you said it, then don\'t keep us waiting long," Rin said. She was already looking forward to it because she liked doing it in different places and styles with Erix.
"Erix, also bring these two inside with Reinala," Lilith said as she turned to Lynia and Maleina.
Rin nodded with a sharp smile, "Yeah, it\'s better if they watch it before experiencing it."
"You have to dump a few inside this time!" Reinala shouted with frustration.
Reinala\'s sudden shout startled Lynia and Maleina.
"Shut the fuck up, get inside," Erix rolled his eyes. "You two as well."
Reinala, Lynia, and Maleina went inside with different emotions in each of them.
"Where\'s Lily?" Erix asked seeing that Lily was missing.
"She is challenging 8th level tomb."
"Then I am going too. I\'ll return with Lily," Rin said before disappearing like lightning into the portal.
"I am also going outside, Erix," Lilith said as her demonically beautiful wings unfurled. "It\'s time to hunt for the next set of ingredients."
"Nooo...I wanted you to come inside with me this time," Erix pouted. "It\'s been a while!"
Lilith\'s lips stretched into a cute yet seductive smile, "I\'ll return shortly and help you dominate those two bitches."
"Great! Don\'t take too much time outside then."
"As you wish, my lord," Lilith disappeared into the portal with a pearly laughter.