novelraw Chapter 83: Hexreaver
Chapter 83: Hexreaver
Left with no choice, Xen ejected himself from Ghostwire's body via his mouth and was forced to take the cursed mask with him.
Now free from the paralysis, he hastily conjured a slimy tendril and pulled the still stunned Ghostwire to the ground and behind the rocky outcrop—barely in time to save it from being disintegrated by the glob of molten magma from the level 32 Charstone Basilisk that sailed overhead and impacted the ground nearby, hissing as it spread.
Thankfully, they were fighting on a slope, so the magma flowed away from Ghostwire's body, but from the trembling ground, the Charstone Basilisk was about to be upon them.
Xen didn't have time to retake control of Ghostwire's body or shapeshift into another form. He felt naked and terrified as the Charstone Basilisk's titanic head peered over the rocky outcrop and spotted him.
"Eek," he squealed and desperately tried to roll out of the way. All his previous confidence was gone, and understandably so. His stats had dropped dramatically, along with the number of skills he had access to, and, worst of all, he was exposed. One hit, and he could die for real.
As a Hexreaver Slime, he looked like a murky black bowling ball and weighed around the same amount. He could increase his size to a few meters in diameter, but being larger wasn't going to intimidate the Charstone Basilisk, which was the size of a one-story building back in the Orc encampments. Staying small and mobile was for the best.
Seeing the shadow of a mighty foot looming over him, Xen pushed his body with a slimy tendril at the last moment and avoided being pulverized. The Charstone Basilisk glared at him.
[The Charstone Basilisk used Molten Gaze]
[You are immune]
"I'm immune?" Xen blurted out with disbelief. He didn't possess any passives or skills that should make him immune, as far as he knew.
[To be paralyzed by Moltern Gaze, the user has to meet their target's gaze for two full seconds. As you do not have eyes, the skill's conditions cannot be met]
Xen didn't pay much attention to the system's response, as he was busy trying to get distance from the Charstone Basilisk. Despite the beast clearly specializing in offensive and defensive power over mobility, it was still faster than Xen in his slime form. His stats in all aspects, besides magic, were that pathetic.
"Having Randy and the others here to save me would be really helpful right now," Xen cursed as he dodged again within an inch of his life, this time from another molten glob of magma that the Charstone Basilisk had hurled his way. "I'm going to die at this rate—system, tell me, what are my available mobility skills?"
Hexreaver Slime: Level 52 (B)
< [Devour (S)] - [Appraisal (C)] - [Geomantic Perception (B)] - [Shapeshift (E)] - [Soul Leech (D)] - [Withering Hex (C)] - [Perish (B)]>
< [Undeath Resonance] - [Blight Aura] - [Hex Catalyst]>
Free Skill Slots (10):
Slot 1: [Bloodmark Hunter (B)]
Slot 2: [Multilingual (B)]
Slot 3: [Appraisal (C)]
Slot 4: [Geomantic Perception (B)]
Slot 5: [Shapeshift (E)]
Slot 6: [Radiant Smite (E)]
Slot 7: [Cataclysm (A)]
Slot 8: [Orbs of Light (E)]
Slot 9: [Hellfire Howl (B)]
Slot 10: [Earthen Regeneration (B)]
"Not a single one?!"
Xen cursed his past self. He had gotten too used to the human form and the many valuable skills it possessed, including Ghostwire's movement skills. He had never considered a scenario in which he would be without a body to puppet.
"System, I don't care how much mana it costs. Replace slots three, four, and five with [Corruption Missile (B)], [Ghoststep (B)], and [Chains of the Damned (A)]."
The sudden drain of mana took the wind out of him, and a pounding headache that felt like someone was trying to axe their way out of his mind took hold.
[Warning: Extreme mana deprivation]
Xen tried his best to ignore the symptoms and activated Ghoststep.
[Ghoststep (B)]
At the cost of a lot of stamina, instantly blink several meters in any direction. Can be used up to three times in quick succession. Each use leaves behind a brief afterimage that may disorient attackers.
If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.
Since it didn't use mana and instead drained his stamina, he was able to activate it without passing out. Without hesitation, he used two of the charges instantly, putting a good thirty meters or so between himself and the basilisk, making sure to hide behind a rocky outcrop.
The monster threw a glob of magma at one of his afterimages and then seemed to lose track of him. It let out an enraged roar and began lumbering toward his second afterimage.
Xen kept tabs on the monster with Geomantic Perception. He still couldn't shapeshift, as it let off a foul smell and some steam that would attract attention. If the beast knew where he was, it could reach his location in a few steps. He had moments at best, before he had to get moving again, and he only had one remaining charge of Ghoststep left.
"I need to get mana," Xen said as he got rolling again. It was time to hunt those Emberling Swarmers. While they were impossible to eat, he could drain mana from them with Soul Leech.
[Soul Leech (D)]
Drain lifeforce from weakened enemies to regenerate mana and biomass over time.
Finding an Emberling Swarmer lurking in a nearby crack, Xen plunged a slime tendril into the hole. It burst into flames and singed his tendril, but a little biomass healed the charred slime in no time, and most importantly, he was able to absorb the mana it released on death with Soul Leech. "It's not much, but with enough, I can fight back," Xen muttered and kept rolling while keeping his mask facing upwards as a shield. Geomantic Perception made finding the hiding Emberling Swarmers easy, and he even found a nest. Yet, no matter how many he killed, no level-up came.
"I think I've killed enough now," Xen said ten minutes later. His mana reserves had been restored to around thirty percent. Not ideal, but it would let him cast a few spells at least.
He was also left with no choice, as before him was a river of magma that was uncrossable, even with the use of Ghoststep, and the Charstone Basilisk was heading his way. It had spotted him moments ago and was striding over, one hefty stomp at a time.
Show time, Xen thought and steeled his nerves. While his stats were lower than the level 32 Charstone Basilisk, he was still a level 52 Hexreaver Slime that was the master of curses and debuffs. With the Charstone Basilisk's Molten Gaze skill ineffective against him, he just had to keep his distance, stack as many debuffs as he could, and then finish the Charstone Basilisk off with his Perish skill.
[Perish (B)]
Target an enemy afflicted with 3+ debuffs. All active debuffs are violently amplified, dealing a burst of damage based on their cumulative strength. If the target dies while under this skill, nearby enemies receive a fear effect.
This skill was further empowered by the new passive he got from his Hexreaver Slime evolution.
[Hex Catalyst]
For every unique debuff on a target, your damage against them increases by 20%.
That's why he had put Corruption Missile and Chains of the Damned into his Free Skill Slots, as they both applied debuffs. Then, if he landed Withering Hex, that would be a total of three debuffs, which fulfilled the requirements for Perish. He could even go for a fourth with Hellfire Howl, which applied the burn and fear debuffs, though he wasn't hopeful it would work against the Charstone Basilisk, as it was literally made from fire.
Now, as for how he would apply these debuffs?
His plan was risky to say the least.
I need to get close as I'll be needing to apply my passive, Blight Aura, Xen mused as his eyes flickered to his open status screen and focused on the passive to bring up the description like he had with every other skill while mustering this plan.
[Blight Aura]
Enemies within 5 meters suffer a slowly stacking debuff that reduces healing, regeneration, and magic defense. Corruption-type effects last longer depending on the number of stacks a target is burdened with.
Yeah, as I thought, it requires me to stay within five meters, which sounds like a lot until one realizes the range is smaller than my foe's size. If I'm within five meters of that lumbering beast, it's also in range to stomp me.
Xen stood his ground and watched the beast approach. Its fearsome eyes glowed with molten power again.
[The Charstone Basilisk used Molten Gaze]
[You are immune]
"Didn't work last time, now did it?" Xen taunted the beast. It didn't reply like the Orcs had—which made sense. It clearly had rocks for brains and is what Randy would call mindless.
Xen remained still, and the dumb beast seemed convinced its paralysis had worked. Or it was just that confident as it lumbered towards him.
Not yet, Xen thought as it loomed nearer. Not yet... hold...
It came within five meters and bent down to devour him.
Now!
He used his final charge of Ghoststep to teleport on top of the beast's back.
"Chains of the Damned!"
True to the A-grade skill's description, it conjured semi-ethereal chains laced with corrupted mana and guided by malevolent will to seek out living targets and bind them in place. What Xen hadn't anticipated was that part of the skill's description that detailed that the chains would be made from whatever terrain he stood on when casting the skill.
Apparently, the Charstone Basilisk counted as terrain as far as the skill was concerned.
The beast let out a tortured howl as its flanks ruptured, and chains forged from its own obsidian armor, flesh, and molten blood burst free. They coiled around its six limbs and tail in a heartbeat, wrenching the massive creature forward and slamming it face-first into the ground. Xen had to hold on with slimy tendrils to avoid being thrown by the force of the great creature eating rocks.
It continued to struggle against the chains, only to suffer more pain as it tore itself apart.
Xen almost felt bad. Almost.
Okay, that was a lie. Xen felt literally on top of the world, and he wasn't done inflicting misery on this creature that had dared to look down on him for being a slime. Blight Aura was already stacking, shredding the beast's magic resistance, opening it up to even more pain.
"Corruption Missile," Xen said mercilessly, and twelve orbs of death orbited above him like a halo. He had never used the skill as a slime before, so it felt weird not having a finger to point. Luckily, he could mentally target the back of the beast's head and let them fly.
They punctured into the exposed neck of the beast, making it helplessly roar as the death mana got to work corrupting its flesh. Now for the final blow.
"Withering Hex."
A thin black beam shot from his body and struck the already corrupted flesh, inflicting the rotting debuff, which prevented any type of regeneration as it rotted the beast's flesh.
Xen used Appraisal.
[Charstone Basilisk (Level 32)]
Afflictions: Blight Aura (stacked), Rot, Corruption.
"This is goodbye," Xen said to the monster.
"Perish."
Mentally snapping his fingers, the monster unleashed a soul-wrenching howl as the debuffs violently intensified. An explosion rippled through the beast beneath him—and then there was silence.
A system message appeared before him.
You have killed an opponent.
[Hexreaver Slime] has leveled up: 52 -> 53.
[Use Devour on Charstone Basilisk?]
Xen let out a satisfied sigh as he felt the rush from the level-up.
Finally... he could eat his fill.