章 14: Glimmer of hope

Hans walked closer to his sister's bed before embracing her tightly, glad that she was completely safe.

"Tch, if it wasn't for this sh*tty illness," Hans muttered under his breath, frustration evident in his thoughts.

He was tired of it, being alone all the time felt horrible.

Even if there came a day when he wouldn't return home, there wasn't anyone who would care or notice. It was as if he simply didn't exist.

His gaze sharpened with determination as he activated his skill, "Let's see what you really are?"{Piercing Gaze}

{Name: Grant Richter (UNAWAKENED)

Age: 46

Strength: 1

Dexterity: 1

Endurance: 1

Wisdom: 6

Currently under the effect of a powerful curse.

(Curse Name: Perpetual Slumber

Normal people affected by this curse will be sucked dry of their stats and a small amount will be given to the caster.

Caster: ????

Dispel method: ????)

Evaluation: A harmless middle-aged man, currently conscious.}

Reading the last word almost made Hans jump in excitement, "C-conscious, does this mean that he-he can hear me?"

Tears welled up in his eyes but he tried to hold them back, not wanting to sadden his father.

With a shaky voice, Hans slowly said, "Don't- don't worry Dad, I promise I will find a way to get you back on your feet. Even mom, and sister will be back, I promise. But I need some more time, can you wait for me, just a little more?"

Hans tried his best to hold back his tears as he checked the statues of his sister and mother.

But after using his skill, Hans found out that it was only his father who was conscious, and as much as he wanted to stay by his side, the sight of his father in his current condition pained him.

With swollen eyes, he hurried straight to the association.

Though the question marks in his status window obstructed the information, the mere possibility that there was a way to break the curse meant that he could find it, and no matter what it took he would find its cure.

In these last few days, his skill {Piercing Gaze} had evolved many times, providing more detailed information about the inspected subjects, a development he attributed to either his level or wisdom.

And the fastest way to improve both wasn't unknown to him: Gates.

What he had previously concealed to avoid trouble now demanded disclosure.

He intended to reenter the association, retake the exam, and reveal his powers as a mage to the public.

However, his plan was thwarted before it began by one of the rules posed by the association. The rule stated that he couldn't undergo a rank evaluation until a month had passed since the last test, and since he had retaken one just recently, he couldn't take it again until a month later.

Yet, he refused to give up.

Using the association's app, he searched for an E-rank gate he could enter.

And soon enough, he found the perfect option.

{You have entered the Snakes' Den.}

Upon entering the space, Hans found himself in a humid and cold surrounding.

It was a large, circular cave, illuminated only by a single strand of white moonlight that penetrated from the middle of the ceiling.

Hand stood at the center, while the corners of the cave were cloaked by its shadows.

Slowly coming out of their hiding, countless snakes slithered on the gelid ground, hissing at the intruder.

Not wanting to waste any moment, Hans used {Piercing Gaze}.

{Race: Moon Snake

Name: None

Level: 32

Strength: 16

Dexterity: 38

Endurance: 29

Wisdom: 72

Skills:

{Moon bite (Tier-2)

Description: A moon snake's body is filled with cold mana and can inject a large amount of the mana with each bite.

Effect: The bite will poison the prey with cold mana, slowing down the prey's movement and causing extreme pain.

The lower the prey's wisdom, the faster the poison spreads.}

Evaluation: Worst enemy for a close-range fighter, Rank: E.}

But while there were many of those creatures, one stood out the most with its moon-clear white scales, blue eyes, and gigantic body.

{Boss Monster

Race: Moon Python

Name: None

Level: 51

Strength: 45

Dexterity: 62

Endurance: 61

Wisdom: 232

Skills:

{Moon Bite (Tier-2)

Description: A moon python's body overflows with cold mana, they will inject an enormous amount of it with every bite.

Effect: Their bite will poison the prey with cold mana, slowing down the prey's movement and causing it extreme pain.

The lower the prey's wisdom, the faster will be the rate of the poison spreading.}

{Blizzard (Tier-3)

Effect: Unleashes a powerful wave of ice, freezing everything in its wake.}

{Frozen Arena (Tier-3)

Description: The caster will release some of his cold mana into the surroundings, creating a field of ice.

Effects: While the target is in the field, the spells with ice properties will inflict more damage on it.}

{Blood Eyes (Tier-3) (Passive)

Every enemy crossing gaze with this skill's user will be cursed with the effect {Bleeding}.

Bleeding is a skill where the cursed person won't be able to stop the bleeding of their wound and existing wounds will bleed more.

The length and effect of the skill are based on the caster and the opponent's wisdom.}

Evaluation: A high-level boss monster with rare skills and incredibly high stats, seems to be greatly enraged.

Rank: Low Rank-C.}

"An arena gate?!"

"These kinds of gates have been deemed to be the most dangerous gates since the catastrophe eight years ago, and no one has ever proved this claim wrong."

In the so-called 'Arena Gates,' all monsters, including the boss emerge simultaneously, and the battle unfolds in an open space, leaving no room for the hunters to hide.

"Also…. WHAT THE HELL IS A C-RANK MONSTER DOING HERE?!"

Typically, the gate's boss was just one rank above the gate's level.

For instance, when Hans previously raided the F rank gate known as the {Centipede's Nest}, the boss there was ranked E.

This time, however… something abnormal had occurred. The boss's strength far exceeded his expectations, causing Hans some concern.

"I got caught up in the moment and rushed here but… Maybe I should've been a bit more careful!"

Hans thought as he dodged the other snakes that lunged at him.

"Well, not like I can do anything else at the moment?"

"Huuup"

"COME AT ME, YOU BASTARDS!!"

_____

One by one, the snakes burned and perished under Hans' fire spells while his mana remained abundant and his mind stayed clear.

But just when he least expected it, the python disappeared from his view.

The next moment, his chest throbbed like hell while his body was hurled several meters as the big snake's tail hit his torso.

Despite Hans' desperation, the boss showed no signs of relenting.

The ground froze and the air turned stinging.

{Frozen Arena}

Right after, a large amount of cold mana could be seen gathering around the boss snake's head and once it was condensed enough, it started to spread out again, freezing everything in its path and rapidly approaching the injured young man.

{Blizzard}

Just before the frost could engulf him, Hans thrust his right arm forward and conjured a {Fireball}.

A veil of vapor enveloped the field, shielding him briefly, and by the time it cleared, frost had covered his entire body.

Meanwhile, the snake had once again started gathering cold mana to unleash yet another attack.

At that moment, only Hans and the boss remained standing while the other snakes had been frozen by the blizzard.

"Another one…. I don't know if I can take this one. What should I do? Maybe, I can try that."

Hans created a fireball in his palm and then conjured a breeze with the other, causing them to collide.

In a matter of seconds, the small flame had transformed into a towering inferno.

[{Combine} has been activated]

[The spell's compatibility is extremely high.]

[A new spell has been created.]

{Greater Fireball (Tier-2)

Description: A higher-tiered fireball created by the perfect control and dosage of a fire and a wind spell.}

Hans pushed it against the new incoming attack, enveloping the field once again in vapor.

"Damn, huff…. huff… even if I managed to repel it, huff…huff… I still couldn't injure that beast?" he panted, frustration evident in his voice.

Meanwhile, the snake remained unmoved, as if reveling in its prey's last struggle.

Driven to madness by the sight, Hans went berserk,

"You know what? Pant… pant… Fuck it!"

{Fire Veil} and {Breeze}

{Combine}

[Attention!! The spell's affinity is too low to be fused.]

"Shit…. Aaaarghhh"

The spells he tried to conjure went out of control, burning a part of his arm, "F*ck, just blend…please"

[The spell's affinity isn't high enough. Your mastery over mana is currently holding the spells together.]

[The spells have been successfully combined, and the temporary spell { Fire Arena} has been created.]

{Fire Arena (Tier-2)

Description: A spell created by amplifying the flames of the {Fire Veil} with the wind spell {Breeze}.

Effect: Engulfs the area around the user in flames, inflicts burn damage over time, and increases the efficiency of fire-related spells by a great degree.}

As the fire ignited the area around him, the frozen ground started melting, accompanied by the snakes trapped in it.

[You have leveled up!]

[Your wisdom increased by ten points.]

[Due to the effect of {Almighty Knowledge}, you've gained 1 point to all of your other stats.]

With this tiny amount of renewed strength and mana after leveling up, Hans did his best to cast one final spell {Greater Fireball}, before pushing it with all the strength he could muster and dropping to the ground.

With depleted mana reserves and cursed by {Bleeding}, Hans would face certain death if the snake survived his last effort.

Just when Hans teetered on the brink of closing his eyes from fatigue, a message popped up.

[You have killed the gate's boss!]

[You have been awarded with the spell tome {Blizzard} (Tier-3)]

[You have leveled up!]

[You have…

Hans chuckled faintly before succumbing to fatigue.

"Haha, I… I did it-"