World Awakening: The Legendary Player-Chapter 105: Centipede

"You are out of stamina," she stated, a small, knowing smile on her face.

’This is my chance, I can show him I am not just someone who needs protecting.’

She walked over to him, her steps light and sure.

"You just rest here and catch your breath," she said, giving him a quick, playful wink. "It is my turn to fight now, so watch me closely."

Before he could protest, a loud, high-pitched screech echoed from deep within the dark chasm, the sound sharp and full of rage. A moment later, a massive, armored centipede began to crawl up the sheer rock face, its hundreds of sharp legs clicking on the stone as it pulled its bus-sized body onto the surface.

Nox just stared at the new monster, his mind trying to process what he was seeing. ’What is she planning? This is a bad idea.’

’Void Gaze.’

[Cavern Lurker (Corrupted Alpha)]

[Level: 48]

[HP: 4200/4200]

[MP: 800/800]

[A heavily armored insectoid alpha that uses its powerful pincers and venom to crush its prey.]

[Weakness: The joints connecting its armored plates are its only vulnerable point.]

The alpha pulled its entire body onto the ledge, its huge pincers dripping with a nasty-looking green venom as it charged at Serian. She did not back down, but instead moved with a grace that he had never seen up close before.

She dodged the pincer attack by a hair’s breadth and slid under the creature’s massive body, her sword flashing out to slice cleanly through the soft joints of its front legs. Several legs were severed in one smooth motion, and the giant creature stumbled, its charge broken as it screeched in pain.

Nox watched from his resting spot, he was completely captivated. ’She is so... precise, there are no wasted movements at all, she is like a dancer with a sword.’

The centipede thrashed in fury, its long tail whipping around and slamming against a nearby tree, shattering the trunk into splinters. She used another tree as a springboard, launching herself high into the air to avoid the attack without taking her eyes off the monster.

"Your size is your weakness, beast!"

She landed gracefully on the creature’s back. The Lurker thrashed wildly, trying to shake her off as it slammed its own body against the other trees, but she held on tight, her feet planted firmly between its armored plates.

She ran down the length of its back like it was a stone bridge, her sword stabbing down again and again into the vulnerable joints between its segments. With each strike, the creature’s movements became more frantic and less coordinated.

The monster thrashed its long body, its many legs scrambling for purchase on the uneven rock. Serian’s precise attacks on its joints did not cripple it, but only made it more furious. With a violent arch of its back, it flung her through the air like a discarded toy.

She hit the rocky ground hard, the impact knocking the air from her lungs in a sharp gasp. Pain shot up her side, but she ignored it, trying to scramble backward on her hands and heels. The Lurker was not finished with her. It reared its head back and slammed its armored face down right where she had been lying just a second ago.

The rock shattered under the force of the blow, sending sharp fragments flying through the air.

It was in a complete rage now, and it started smashing its head into the ground again and again, then into the nearby dead trees, destroying everything around it in a blind fury.

Nox watched it all happen, his body completely unresponsive, and a cold, familiar feeling of uselessness washed over him. He was lying on his side, his muscles screaming but empty, and his head was still spinning.

’Move, damn it! Just get up!’

He tried to push himself to his feet, tried to summon his power, but there was nothing there. His mana and stamina were completely gone. All he could do was watch as the elf was about to be crushed.

"Serian!" he screamed, his voice raw and full of a desperate, angry frustration.

The sound of his voice seemed to cut through her own shock. She pushed herself up from the ground, her face completely serious now. The playful smile she had before was gone, replaced by a look of cold, hard focus. She got to her feet and slammed her hand down on the rocky ground with all her strength.

"Grasping thorns!"

Dozens of huge, thick vines, black and twisted from the Rot, shot out of the chasm floor. They wrapped around the Lurker’s body, its legs, and its thrashing head, trapping it completely. The monster struggled and screeched, but the vines were incredibly strong and held it tight, its armor creaking under the pressure.

Serian stood there, her chest heaving as she caught her breath. she watched the trapped, struggling monster.

"That was too close," she said, her voice a little shaky. "If I had been a second slower with that spell, its next attack would have killed me."

It thrashed against the corrupted vines, its armor plates grinding together with a loud, scraping sound. It was trapped, but it was still very much alive and very angry.

"Hold still, you abomination!" she yelled.

She ran forward, her sword held high, and brought the blade down hard on one of the joints in its thick armor.

CLANG.

The sword bounced off with a shower of sparks, doing no real damage. The armor was much thicker near its head than it was on its legs.

’It’s no use,’ she thought. ’My sword isn’t strong enough to get through these main plates.’

Nox watched her attack fail. He was feeling a little better now that his head had stopped spinning, but his body still felt completely empty and weak.

’I need to end this, but I’ve got nothing left to give.’ He then remembered his inventory. ’Wait a minute, the gacha.’

He reached into his inventory and pulled out a small bottle that was glowing with a warm, golden light. It was the Ambrosia of the Gods.

Serian glanced back at him while keeping an eye on the struggling monster. "Nox, what is that?"

He didn’t answer her, he just pulled the cork and drank the entire thing in one go. A warm, powerful light covered his body for a second. The exhaustion and the dizziness completely vanished. His mana and stamina were back to one hundred percent, and he felt incredible.

He got to his feet and summoned the Brutalizer gauntlets back to his fists.

"My turn again."

He used Void Step.

In an instant, he vanished from his spot and reappeared right beside the monster’s head. The Lurker let out a high-pitched screech and tried to turn its head to bite him, but the vines held it fast. He saw the main joint connecting its head to its body.

’Right there.’

He pulled his fist back and punched the weak spot with all of his strength. The gauntlet smashed right through the softer joint with a sickening crunch, nearly tearing the creature’s head clean off its body.

The monster went limp, the red light in its many eyes fading to black. A series of blue screens filled Nox’s vision, showing a huge amount of EXP and new loot drops.

Serian just stared at him, her mouth slightly open in shock. "You... you were completely drained just a moment ago. How did you recover so fast?"

He just grinned at her, the dark smoke of his Primal Void skill curling from his lips. "I told you I had a sponsor."

"A sponsor, huh?" she said, her voice quiet. "They must be very powerful to grant such miracles."

’Yeah, a miracle called ’gacha luck’.’

"I told you they were a good investment."

The Brutalizer gauntlets vanished from his hands, and he walked over to the dead Cavern Lurker. Its massive body was already starting to dissolve into motes of light, leaving behind a few glowing items on the ground. He knelt down and picked up a large, dark piece of chitin.

[Item Acquired: Cavern Lurker’s Carapace (Alpha)]

[Description: A super-hard piece of armor from a corrupted alpha. It is very resistant to physical damage.]

He also grabbed a pulsating green sac and a weird, black gem that looked like a cloudy eye.

[Item Acquired: Venom Sac (Alpha) x2]

[Item Acquired: Eye of the Abyss (Unique Crafting Material)]

He stood up and looked at his status screen again. The five unallocated stat points were blinking at him.

’That spike attack was great, but it took everything I had. I need a bigger tank.’ He dumped all five points into Stamina.

[Stamina: 37 -> 42]

After checking his stats, he turned back to Serian. "Alright, I’m done here. Let’s go."

"We are just going to leave?" she asked, looking at the mess in the chasm. "What about the lesser ones?"

"They’ll die off when we kill the main Rot in this forest," he said, already walking toward the fallen tree they had used as a bridge. "No point wasting time on small fry."

She followed him, and they carefully made their way back across the log bridge. When they were back on the forest floor, he looked down, and the faint blue line reappeared, pointing them toward their next target.

"You know," She said from behind him, "for someone who claims to prefer being alone, you are very good at giving orders."

"Someone’s got to be in charge," he shot back without turning around.

"I am not complaining," she said, and he could hear the smile in her voice.

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