Chương 18: Between A Snake And A Hard Place
*BOOOOOOOM!*
" So, be a good boy and die."
It was too fast.
Even with his newfound reflexes, Adam was helpless when facing this attack.
Though, for some reason, he felt as though there was something else in play other than just speed.
" ADAM!"
Rumi, still standing behind Zoro, couldn't help but scream out his name, disregarding the much-needed secrecy which Adam asked her to keep.
Zoro remained silent, though his right hand never left one of his three katanas.
'Did I make the wrong call?'
He believed in Adam's capabilities. But an A-Rank boss wasn't to be underestimated.
They were existences at the brink of becoming an S-Rank. This one in specific could reach that realm anytime now, which would officially place this dungeon as an A-Ranked one.
Once a Boss increased their rank, the Dungeon itself would evolve to support that change, and ultimately even the random mobs would become stronger.
When they died, the bosses would revive after a few minutes, hours if the dungeon was higher ranked. This constant exposure to battle and the experience they acquired from perishing over and over, would help them greatly to reach a breakthrough.
In a sense, dungeon riding was a double-edged sword.
The more a dungeon was raided, the higher were the chances for it to evolve, but it was not as if they could just leave them be either, since that would result in a dungeon break.
This is the main reason why SSS-Rank Hunters were so important.
Adam wasn't aware of the implications that killing a Boss for good would bring in the past.
Mobs would spam endlessly, but what about Bosses?
Would the dungeon disappear?
What happened to the original boss from the first Dungeon he raided?
These were questions that naturally surfaced in Adam's mind at some point in his still short hunter career.
As it turns out, a new boss would be reborn.
Not revived, but reborn.
No memories, no experience.
They would simply be replaced by a new being that resembled them.
If done correctly, he could infinitely reset a Dungeon's Boss, provided that he could kill them.
Adam, inadvertently, was the key to stop the so called 'Dungeon Evolution'.
Since, when he kills something, it dies forever, condemning eternal servitude to them as their only choice.
This knowledge, however, was clearly not known by Zoro, so his worries were well founded.
'I have to report this once we are out. A new A-Rank dungeon will soon be born.'
In the not so far future, this train of thought would put a smile on his face. As he didn't take into account the greatest variable there was at the time.
Adam.
" T-that hurt you oversized lizard!"
As soon as the curtain of sand that was created as a consequence of getting his ass kicked dissipated, everyone could see Adam in his full splendor.
He was perfectly fine.
His attire? Not much so.
His black hooded robe was in tatters, and the white t-shirt he wore underneath it had a huge diagonal cut in the front, which exposed his chiseled chest and abdomen partially.
The mask that was hiding his face, remained in place against all odds.
Losing part of his robe exposed his hair, and he wasn't too happy about that.
" Now I have to get a new robe! You know how expensive this shit was!?"
But then he remembered he was rich, and his annoyance decreased by a few notches.
'I really liked it though~'
Not only his teammates, even the Boss was looking at Adam as if he grew a second head.
The devastation behind that tail swipe was no small deal.
Yet, he took the attack head on, and only his clothes received apparent damage.
"" You, what are you?""
Looking up from his now ruined outfit, Adam assessed his current circumstances.
Could he beat such a superior opponent?
He had experience being a 'David' in the face of a merciless 'Goliath', but even Ragnar posed a lesser threat when he fought him.
The reason?
Ragnar was dumb.
.....
(Dungeon of Isis, South.)
"Achoooo!!"
A dark giant that was carelessly massacring some creatures that resembled Jackals, along with a horde of shadow monsters, had to momentarily stop his recurring attack.
For the first time in its life, a sneeze escaped his nostrils, alerting the entire battlefield.
" Uh?"
Ragnar had a fleeting irritation as soon as this strange event took place.
' Why do I feel as though my honour is being questioned?'
.....
"" You, what are you?""
After his assessment came to an end, he responded.
"A normal human being. And your future master."
There was no need to be afraid.
What if his opponent was stronger than him?
There was someone targeting him already, and that someone had to be leagues above this A-Rank creature.
To manipulate dungeons was unheard of, and extremely dangerous.
The strength he was aiming to reach was very far from his grasp. This encounter would be one of the many he needed to face in order to get there.
The giant snake glared dangerously at the defiant human who dared to humiliate it.
It did not like his declaration at all.
'ME!? A HUMAN'S PET?!'
Yet, its exterior remained tranquil and serene.
"" I would like to see you try.""
" Hehe~ I would love to-"
Once again, Adam felt a slashing pain, this time in his back.
But, before he could be sent flying too far, he regained his posture mid-air and teleported his way out of that area.
In a second the wound healed. But what remained of his robe was pulverized.
'Fucking lizard!'
No one was there to correct his definition of a lizard and he wouldn't care either way.
'I will work you to the bone once I'm done with-'
Once he looked back at the beast, his eyes almost left his sockets.
The boss never left the place it was standing at, instead, its tail seemed to have made its way under the dessert's sand, which resulted in a back-stab sort of attack that caught Adam off guard.
'So that's why I'm getting hit so frequently. It can elongate its body, that's annoying.'
Adam knew that Zoro could provide information about the boss, and this specific piece of intel would've saved him two painful assaults.
'Meh, that wouldn't have been fun.'
But he wouldn't do that.
This was his prey, no one else could interfere.
Sensing danger once again, Adam did not wait and jumped as high as he could, even going as far as using his pyrokinesis to boost this action.
As expected, a second later the same tail he was looking at moments before came rushing from beneath where he was standing.
"Tch! Stretchy bitc-"
Sadly, for Adam it seemed as though his opponent wasn't one to just play around from afar.
"Shit!"
Before he could complain about the boss's stretchiness any further, a fully opened mandible with two protruding upper fangs entered his field of vision.
Right as it was about to swallow him whole, he did what any normal person who could teleport would do and blinked out of space.
" You are one hell of a monster."
The creature frowned animalistically when it heard the pest's voice coming from above its head.
"" And you are one hell of a slippery human.""
God knows he wanted to counter her accusation, having the last word in a debate always felt nice, but this snake wasn't having any of that.
From the spot in its head where Adam was standing at, dozens of spikes came out.
The creature's skin was insanely tough, more than anything he had ever seen, so he was sure that whatever this witchery was, it would hurt.
With quick foot work and his space jump he managed to miss them, but as soon as he reappeared in a new location a new threat would come.
Be it its jaw, tail, or the spikes when he attempted to make contact with its skin, the giant snake would always predict his next movements as if it already knew where he would land beforehand.
' Is this fucking lizard an observation Haki user or some shit?!'
Needless to say, he was pretty pissed.
' This shitty human is so annoying!'
Probably as pissed as the monster itself was.
But then, Adam took a look at the snake's eyes and realization hit him.
'Wait, those eyes...'
Since the moment he took a look at the boss for the first time, he felt a strange sensation every time those eyes fell on him.
It was as if, the being in front of him, could see beyond what others would.
' So, it's something like Haki after all...'
Now, the question arises.
How can you deal with a being that can literally see the future to a certain extent?
Well, you can't.
Some may go around the scenario saying things like:
"Well, you could make them see a future that you want them to see."
Or:
" Limit your mind so that not even you know your future moves, then they can't be read."
Yeah, no.
You are still getting your ass kicked.
The only reason he didn't die already was that the monster couldn't keep up with his instant teleportation. (Plus, his regeneration.)
But its eyes would always read his future moves as soon as it spotted him...
'!'
With this passing though, and idea came into fruition.
' This is not Haki.'
"" Don't you get tired of running away? This needless mouse and cat play is starting to irritate me. That green haired bastard could've end me in a few exchanges, yet you are stubbornly trying to eat more than you can chew. Pathetic.""
Adam could clearly feel the snake's annoyance, but more than that...
Hope?
Was it hoping for Zoro to intervene and cut her down?
The more Adam listened to it, the less monstrous this creature seemed.
'I can solve this enigma once it becomes my shadow soldier. I have an agenda to fulfill.'
It felt wrong.
The vulnerability this monster has been unconsciously showing since the begging was unsettling for him.
'It's not the time for this.'
For the first time since the one-sided bout started, Adam refrained from speaking.
Seconds before Adam did what he was planning, the boss's eyes shined subtly, and an alarmed expression found its place in its reptilian face.
'You little-'
The snake winced at the possible future its vision just foreshadowed.
Adam wasted no time and stomped hardly on the ground.
Utilizing his strength stat to the max.
Then, applying over 40% of his overall EP, he casted hundreds of explosions all around the area where he and the creature were.
The amount of sand that arose as a consequence was enough to block anyone's vision, and this majestic beast did not seem to be an exception.
....
(Outside of the sandstorm.)
" Will this be alright?"
Rumi was more nervous that even she could expect. This wasn't like her at all.
Instead of answering right away, Zoro unsheathed one katana from his waistband.
" His hunch was right, but just partially so. Stay put Rumi, and don't engage."
This only aggravated her worries, but she would trust her guildmate.
....
From within the sandstorm created by Adam's pyrokinesis and brute strength, the giant snake hissed around.
*Swoosh*
Sensing movement behind it, it did not wait long to turn and maw down on its adversary.
And so, it did.
Or, so it thought.
'Eh? A hobgoblin?'
In those few seconds of confusion, a fiery fist that seemingly appeared out of nowhere stroked mercilessly on the beast's left eye. Since it was already distracted by the sudden appearance of an attacking hobgoblin which came out of nowhere, the attack proved to be effective.
*BOOOOOOM!*
""HIIIIIIIIIISSSSSS!!!""
A distorted hiss came out of the boss's shivering tongue in sign of excruciating pain.
"" YOU DAMN HUMAN!!""
Since it couldn't see the human unless he got close enough for its eyes to distinguish him, it did the next best thing it could.
It grew.
It grew so much to the point where its head surpassed the altitude limit of the sandstorm.
What followed, was pure devastation.
Its jaws expanded even further than it did before, and a collection of green essence accumulated in its mouth's entrance.
.....
(Outside of the sandstorm.)
The energy within this essence sent shivers down Rumi's spine, who could still feel its morbidity even from hundreds of meters away.
" I have to get him out, I was too careless."
As Zoro was about to rush to Adam's aid, a hand stopped him in place.
The hand was rough and robust, so it wasn't Rumi who stopped him.
" Don't go, Master's orders."
Looking behind him, he saw a hobgoblin enveloped in shadows. No matter how many times he saw these creatures he would always feel a suppressing energy from them, even if minuscule.
" Your master will die if I don't go save his ass."
A creepy smile the likes of which Zoro had never seen appeared in the goblin's face.
It was a mocking smile, one full of unadulterated amusement.
" Master can't die."
"What are you bastard sayi-"
*BOOOOOOOOOOOM!*
.....
The essence condensed to the point where a mini sun sized orb of green energy was formed.
'Please die...'
*BOOOOOOOOOOOM!*
The devastation was unprecedented.
But, it was to be expected.
If one could distinguish this beast's current rank, they would see a fluctuation between A+ and S.
This back and forth was slowly but surely allowing the boss to evolve, and it was just about to do so.
Whatever happened next would probably mark the birth of a new A-Rank dungeon.
The green pillar of pure venomous energy descended like divine retribution.
It pierced through the sandstorm effortlessly, dispersing it in the process.
On the receiving end of the attack, Adam stood in place, unmoving.
He could teleport, it would take him zero effort, but running away was not giving him any result so far.
"Plan B it is."
*BOOOOOOOOM!*
The boss's attack hit its target.
.
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.
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Next chap in a few days.... I think.
If you are reading this have a great day!
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