บท 7: Unfinished Business

Derrick stood tall on the small hill, looking from afar at the gigantic dragon-like creature.

"I've had to prove myself countless times to get here, and I've done all I can."

The map, previously filled with pulsating red dots, now only had one. Everything else had been hunted during these last few months, which tampered his body, abilities and fighting techniques.

In fact, the scary part of his current self was that he looked more Warrior than Necromancer, with some that'd probably say that he had evolved into an unrelenting, cold-blooded beast.

"System, show me my stats and equipment."

[Derrick Tarlin, 16 years old (Body) & 37 years old (Mind) — Human]

[Class: Necromancer]

[Strength: 9.7]

[Agility: 8.0]

[Endurance: 10.3]

[Vitality: 6.7]

[Magic Power: 15]

[Traits: Enhanced Body, Enhanced Vision, Death's Valet, Gluttony.]

[Skills: Superior Appraisal, Contract (1/2), Summoning (1/1), Master Craftsman.]

His journey had shown that he had been incredibly lucky with the spoils from the Dark Furcifer Pardalis, only managing to improve two skills since then, namely <Appraisal> and <Craftsman>.

<Gluttony>, despite its initial greatness, had also shown its limits, with his growth rapidly slowing down once the monsters' strength became closer to his own.

And then, <Contract>… The one ability he had constantly looked at, the one he had desperately hoped to see evolve. Just imagining an extra companion during his hellish time was nearly enough to drive him mad…

But fate had, it seemed, other plans.

With only 1 contract left and no idea about when he'd be able to earn another, he had thus saved it for this moment, for this abominably strong creature.

[Giant Polyxenida Armor]

[Grade: Unique]

[Defensive Power: 10]

[Abilities: Exoskeleton (When the life of its user is threatened, the armor will strengthen itself by five times its basic stats. Will be destroyed afterward).]

[Description: While killing this Polyxenida millipede, it desperately tried to protect its vulnerable areas, resulting in the evolution of its exoskeleton.]

[Corrupted Olm Sword]

[Grade: Unique]

[Attack Power: 12]

[Abilities: Blindness (When striking its opponents, it will temporarily blind them), Oppression (Emits a strong murderous sensation, making weaker enemies cower in fear).]

[Description: This bloodthirsty creature died filled with grievances, infusing its bones with killing intent and one of its skill.]

With the list of stats over, he was satisfied.

"These are the hardest monsters I've fought so far, which reflects the equipment's quality... And some of my scars..."

While madly chuckling, perhaps from these 'fond' encounters, he used <Superior Appraisal> on his opponent.

[Viper Varanus Komodoensis]

[Strength: 17]

[Agility: 14]

[Endurance: 13]

[Vitality: 13]

[Magic Power: 12]

[Trait: Cold Blood (Allows it to lower its temperature to survive in different climates), Vibration Sensor (Allows it to sense the proximity of opponents), Poisonous Tongue (Allows its tongue to ensnare its opponents, poisoning them to death).]

[Weakness: Temperature Changes, Scales.]

"I don't know why I thought <Superior Appraisal> would give me more details here when it still didn't during my other fights. Oh well, it gave me something to work with."

Derrick then sat on the ground and closed his eyes, visualizing his attack plan. While accumulating experience, he had learned to take his time to prevent any unnecessary injuries. From the way he moved to the way he swung his sword, his entire registry was now burned into his mind, allowing him to 'see' what he'd do.

This was, after all, his final battle, the one that could very well end up in his death.

Even the merits of his revenge would be judged here. Was he worthy? Did he even deserve the second chance he had been given?

Nothing could be left up to chance.

After a few hours, he brusquely opened his eyes, got up and rushed toward the dragon-like being.

His vision and plan, although more dangerous than any he had ever attempted before, was clear. It was time to finish this.

"Io, go and distract him! I need a couple of seconds to find its weak spot!"

*BANG*

As soon as he had barked his command, his shadow distorted while exploding, letting out a Nightmare Bat that zipped across the air like a bullet.

It was obvious that Derrick hadn't been the only one to grow during these last few months, his companion also the recipient of every meat scrap he had gotten his hands on.

*HISS*

When sensing and hearing the strange commotion, the Viper Varanus Komodoensis became enraged.

Were these puny creatures really invading its territory?!

Without waiting another instant, it charged in Io's direction before jumping to squash him, its agility and speed simply incomparable to what they had faced before.

But Io wasn't to be outdone so easily.

When realizing that he was in a precarious position, he suddenly plunged, narrowly avoiding the shining claws as they swiped through nothing but air, further enraging the beast. On top of being blatantly defied, it had just lost an opportunity to kill a weak invader.

It had seen enough.

In a bid to assert its uncontested dominance, it imposed its vicious and suffocating aura upon the entirety of the rocky plain, as if screaming that death was inevitable. It was time to take this seriously, and so it initiated a barrage of relentless strikes.

Io, who had initially taunted the beast following its miss, was now trying his best to avoid the ruthless attacks, although losing ground with each dodge. It was clear he'd be quashed in a few seconds if nothing else was done.

Seeing the situation quickly worsen, Derrick gathered all the information he could while filling the inevitable blanks of his plan.

And suddenly, his eyes shone.

"COME BACK IO!"

He hurled his command and attracted the attention of the Komodoensis, which lost its advantage.

Without delay, Io charged at his master before immediately hiding in his shadow, the two creatures' bout over.

But instead of continuing to run, Derrick now stood still, as if trying to stick out like a sore thumb.

It was time to put everything on the line.

"ARGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!"

He let out, out of nowhere, a war cry, one so loud it reverberated against every wall in the cave. This was how he had conditioned his body prior to fights, prompting adrenaline to be massively released in his bloodstream, and thus leading to his senses being heightened to the maximum. This was his peak, and while he knew that the blow-back would be heavy, he had no choice, especially if he wanted a chance, any chance, to win this contest.

Once certain that he had the reptile's complete attention, he swiftly took out the sword that was sheathed on his back before once again charging forward.

But this display, to the Komodoensis, was insult to injury, as it let out a deafening roar and charged as well, its mouth wide open and its purple tongue swirling.

From what Derrick could tell, he had successfully enraged it, which, in theory, meant that its decision-making was now clouded.

And as if on cue and right when it was near him, it spun around to crack its tail like a whip, its speed enough to destroy anything in its path.

But unfortunately for the Necromancer, this wasn't what he had anticipated, forcing him to jump and dodge the lethal move.

He was of course skilled enough to completely avoid it, but he couldn't also notice that the creature had never stopped its rotation, meaning that it was already right back in front of him while he was still airborne.

With its jaw now wide open and ready to snap in his direction, he felt like he was going to be crushed into a fine paste.

"As expected of a strong bastard like you... I guess things never really go according to plan!"

While gritting his teeth, he barely managed to dodge the incoming venomous tongue, although not before he could steer clear of the monster's jaws.

His scenarios had clearly not anticipated such intelligence and cleverness, his brain now racing through thousands of possibilities while trying to find the one where he triumphed.

Milliseconds went by, the foul and toxic smell becoming ever so pungent in his nostrils… Was there really no way out?

But just as he began to disappear behind the rows of sharp teeth, a slight smile could be seen on his face...