Chapter 40: Boss Level Salamander (1)
"Ice Spike!"
A glacial spike formed out of thin air dealt a finishing blow to the Fire Salamander ahead.
"Oh! Nice hit!" Av exclaimed.
"Hehe. Thanks, Av!"
After spending some nice time in the hunting ground, Av and Vi were pretty much become closer. They have formed some decent chemistry here.
"It's overkill isn't it, Ilya?" Ar was approaching Ilya. They had some distance to the other two.
"The hit? I don't think so. It's a nice kill, right?" Ilya was confused by the question and tilting her head.
"Ah, no-no. I mean, the four of us are overkill, aren't we? These two can deal with the salamander just fine."
"Hehe. Av is strong, right? Honestly, that is pretty much unexpected." While showing off her canine teeth, Ilya grinned widely.
"Haha yeah, I agree. I admit my sins." Ar bowed slightly to the elf. The gesture was like a royal knight that paid respect to his queen.
Ilya just responded with a giggle.
While the two had a nice talk, Av and Vi had gone to find another target.
A single salamander was a nice challenge for a party. They had some nice unexpected patterns with their respective element.
The fire salamander earlier able to throw a Fireball to the enemy in a distance and exhaled a Fire Breath to the closest enemy.
Unfortunately, that was not enough to beat these two hunters.
Av in close combat had top-notch footwork that able to make him able to move freely between dodging and attacking.
His spear had only little damage to it, but it was enough for distraction.
While Vi was pretty much had the natural advantage against the salamander.
These salamanders had a weakness against elemental damage and since Vi had three elemental skills included his wolf's skill, he able to dealt constants elemental damage within his cooldown range.
"Then, what will we do now?" Ilya asked Ar. Both of them were pretty much idle in the wasteland, watching their other friends immersed themself in the hunt.
"Well, I think we can just standby here and prepared to create more 2v1 situations for them. The Exp doesn't matter to you anyway, right?"
"That's true. But, how about you? We are unofficially a party but, without you on it, you won't get the shared Exp without participating at all."
What Ilya said was the fact about the party and shared Exp provided by [System].
From the beginning, they were not included their self in a party. Almost all the Exp went to Vi since he was the most active and the one that got the last hit.
Ar and Av have done it in the previous days to power leveled Ar into a Lv 10.
"Basically, I have my own circumstances to not leveling up that fast now," Ar said it with a solemn expression and went to another topic.
"Then, you just come here for the fun, Ilya?"
"Yes for one of the reasons. The other reason is of course because I can 'respawn' here."
Ilya answered with a relaxed giggle as usual, while Ar was flabbergasted. The concept of 'respawn' or the common terms in a game for reappear or came back alive after a character died left his mouth hanging open.
"What do you mean? You can die?"
"What is that? Of course, I can die. You will also die in your world, right? It's the same for me."
Ar who heard the response just had his eyes wide open. That was an obvious fact but...
"But, we can respawn here. I can't respawn at all if I died in my real world. That's it. Killed and it's over."
"Haha. Nah, you can. It's just that your world has a different kind of 'respawnn'. While here, all Level 1 City area and Dungeon Instance are assisted by [System] and make us able to respawn after paying the penalty."
Hearing the explanation, Ar's expression brightened.
'This. This little detail, they brought new detail to the game!'
He couldn't help but restrain his joy on his mind. He wasn't able to speak his mind out loud especially with an NPC beside him.
Regaining back his composure, he started with another talk.
"But still, you will not get that feature from [System] after leaving this area? That's pretty scary."
"Yes, every path has its own struggle. And died in which gone to the oblivion is still the scariest. Still, we have a belief in the [Path]."
Ilya had a solemn expression while still maintaining her brightness. Her forehead tightened but her smile still drawn.
'That's faith. The game wants to tell something about religious stuff I guess.'
Since the real world, specifically around him, has a thin atmosphere of faith and beliefs for the Gods and the like, he can feel respect towards Ilya. Though, Ilya was basically a different existence that he aware of. Programmed intelligence.
"Hey, Ar. I think we need to move."
Broke from his thought, he faced a familiar scenario.
"Help! Help!"
The two who had gone further from them were now running at full speed to Ar's direction.
Behind them, 3 salamanders chased wildly. 1 of them was unfamiliar to Ar.
"That size? Is that just bigger? or a different one?"
"It's different! Quick! Create a party! You don't want to miss it." Ilya shouted brightly while readying her stance.
Not so sure of what happened, but he could guess some circumstances like this salamander might be a jackpot or some sort. After all, its distinctive size made him didn't want to miss it.
He pronounced party requests while drawing the word 'req' in the air to the other 3 directions.
The other 3 also drawn the word 'acc' in the air and accepted the party request.
In the instant the 4 confirmed to has successfully formed the party, Ar went into his thought again.
'What's the benefit of the party apart from the Exp after all? Is that guy has much Exp to drop? I should not create it then.'
The answer came to him in a second. Ilya rushed to the Salamander's direction and got into the defensive stance after the other two passed her.
"Banner of Furgar! Knight's Domain!" Ilya shouted.
A black aura surrounded all the party members. For her, the aura moved like it was absorbed into the shield. The shield covered with a black aura around it now.
The upcoming salamander flinched a little and changed their aggro. They shot their ranged attack. A fireball and a boulder came in her direction without mercy.
"She wants to take it head-on? Really?" Av arrived beside Ar and expressing his surprise.
"What should we do? Attack?" Vi asked while restoring his HP and EP with potions.
Ar just shaking his head to answer it. He could not help but excited to see what will happen.
Brak Brak Brak.
Like the sturdiest wall of a kingdom. She blocked all the damage without budge an inch.
And without rest, another damage came from below her. An attack formed of the earth and shaped like a big needle directly hit her shield.
This time, she pushed for a few distances but still maintaining a firm stance.
"A fire and two earth, huh?" Ar assessed the situation calmly while Av and Vi had two different expressions. Av was amazed and left his mouth hanging open with his eyes shone brightly.
Vi on the other hand frowned and shut his eyes. He felt the cringe of the direct hit.
"Your turn guys! Switch, switch!"
Ilya ran in their direction while drinking red potions.
At that moment, they don't exactly realize but, some changes happen around them. The black aura now covered their weapons. Or at the least, for the two of them.
"Wow! The one who got the buffs are your eyes!? Cool!" Ilya shouted in surprise.
The other two focused on the one Ilya's eyes aimed at.
"Damn! Since our weapons got the buffs, is that means your weapons are your eyes?" Ar said, assessed the situation.
"Ah! But let's focus on those three first Brother!" Vi could not help but be distracted by the upcoming mobs.
On the other hand, the one on the center points all this time just standing there while staring blankly to the mobs' direction.
It's none other than Avia. He was not in a battle stance and only holding his spear beside him.
"Av?" Vi asked as the mobs were coming closer and closer.
"I think he got some new information or something. Let's split for now. I think the aggro is still strongly on Ilya."
Nodded as the response to his brother's judgment, Vi and Ar began to run away in each other's opposite direction.
Ar circling the area on the right and just ran along. Has no intention to attack at all.
Vi on the other side was maintaining his distance on the left side while summoning his wolf, Ensne.
"Come, En."
"The long-range attack might catch us without warning and defenseless, Vi." Said Ensne.
Since Ensne was basically his AI and personal assistance given to him back then in the character creation, it watched the situation all the time and able to give him some nice feedback.
"Yeah, we can only take the Fire one then."
Gifts
-- Gift
received Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone