novelraw Chapter 56: Unexpected Surprise
Chapter 56: Unexpected Surprise
There was no surprise in the message. Each altar we lit didn’t just bring us closer to the objective—it also made the final battle increasingly difficult. Stronger enemies, stronger guardians, stronger everything. I had a strong hunch that if we lit all five altars, the scenario’s difficulty might actually shift upward.
“Two down, three altars to go,” Michelle said as she approached from behind.
“Let’s keep moving,” Boris added with a grin, flexing his muscles. “Hopefully, the next area has more enemies so I can really cut loose. Either way, we’ve got to finish this fast and activate all five altars before the sun goes down.”
I nodded. “It’d be ideal if we could locate the main altar early—just in case lighting more altars becomes too difficult later. That way we’d know where to go to finish the scenario.”
Although I said that out loud, inwardly, my resolve had already hardened.
Knowing the prerequisites for my class advancement, I had to light all five altars. I was almost certain the boss that would appear after five offerings would be at—or even above—level one hundred, fulfilling one of the key requirements. And if the scenario’s difficulty spiked because of it, that would check off another.
No matter how dangerous it became, this was a path I couldn’t afford to back down from.
And with that in mind, we pressed on into the woods that now felt even more alive than before. Moving cautiously, we weaved through the dense underbrush as the forest seemed to close in around us. The trees grew darker and more twisted the deeper we ventured, their trunks split with unnatural knots that pulsed faintly. The ground was soft beneath our boots, muffling our steps.
Then, I could feel movements ahead as Michelle raised her fist, signaling a halt.
Roughly two dozen meters ahead, several creatures loomed through the mist—wolf-like beasts that were almost bipedal. On second glance, there were five of them, and they were hunched and often shifted between four and two legs as they prowled the clearing. At first glance, they resembled hunched werewolves, but their red, patchy fur looked nasty, clumped together in places with blackened, matted ooze. Their eyes were shining green, and their claws shimmered with a venomous sheen. Luckily, they hadn’t noticed us yet.
[Corrupted Fangwolf – Lv.58]
Once proud predators of the deep woods, these almost-bipedal wolves have been twisted by corrupted mana. They rely on speed to overwhelm prey, with claws laced in paralytic venom. Their heightened senses allow them to detect even the faintest disturbances. However, this same venom prevents them from resting properly, paralyzing them during sleep. As a result, their eyes have turned an eerie green from prolonged sleep deprivation.
Oh great, now we have insomniac wolves to fight?
Michelle’s fingers were already on her quiver, while Boris had dropped into his battle stance, ready to charge at a moment’s notice.
I focused on the enemies, quickly forming a strategy to take them down. Obviously, it would be more advantageous not to drag this fight.
“Quick and spread out,” I whispered. “We’ll engage on my mark.”
Michelle hopped onto a nearby boulder without a sound, drawing a special arrow from her quiver. Boris cracked his knuckles, giving a nod. I circled wide to flank the nearest enemy, sword at the ready.
“Now!”
Michelle’s arrow struck the first almost-bipedal wolf before it could react, detonating in a burst of ice that froze half its torso. Boris slammed into the second with his signature skill active, pulverizing the monster’s bones with one punch. I dashed toward the third while activating Wind Rush to close the gap in a blink. It snarled and lunged at me, but I sidestepped and countered with Heavy Slash, my blade tearing into its side.
You have hunted [Corrupted Fangwolf Lv.58].
You have gained 68 EXP.
Watching them fight, I couldn’t help but notice that Boris and Michelle were improving rapidly. Unlike me, who had to assign stats manually, their attributes were auto-distributed with every level. They grew stronger with each battle, adapting to the increasing physical power on instinct alone. At this pace, if I didn’t distribute any attribute points, I might start to slow them down.
With that thought weighing on me, I opened my status screen and allocated sixty of my free attribute points, dividing them evenly among Strength, Dexterity, and Stamina.
Strength: 104 → 124
Dexterity: 105 → 125
Stamina: 71 → 91
Maximillian Anderson Lv. 40/40 (EXP 724)
HP: 100%
MP: 42/42
Rank: Bet [2]
Patron God: Istellia (Goddess of Imagination)
Class: Paradox Incarnate
Title: Grovedweller Hunter (3)
Status: Normal
Strength: 124 + 13 | Dexterity: 125 + 5 | Stamina: 91 + 8
Mind: 57 + 5 | Magic Power: 56 + 5 | Luck: 104
Plausibility: 633
Free Attributes: 229
Signature Skill(s): [@!$# Creation], [Fabled Vessel], [Grant Plausibility], [Scenario Manipulation]
Skill(s): [Basic Alchemy Lv.5], [Basic Hand-to-Hand Combat Lv.5], [Basic Neutral Magic Lv.3], [Basic Shield Mastery Lv.4], [Basic Spearmanship Lv.10], [Basic Swordsmanship Lv.10], [Desperate Willpower Lv.5], [Heavy Slash Lv.4], [Heavy Stab Lv.4], [Inspect Eye Lv.2], [Inventory], [Mana Manipulation Lv.3], [Mana Sense Lv.4], [Mental Tolerance Lv.4], [Negotiation Lv.4], [Night Vision], [Pain Tolerance Lv.4], [Poison Resistance Lv.1], [Projectile Defense Lv.1], [Predator’s Step Lv.2], [Wind Rush Lv.3]
Spell(s): {Mana Bullet}
The instant my attribute points were allocated, I could feel my limbs becoming stronger and lighter. The difference wasn’t drastic, but it was enough for the time being. I readied my sword, preparing to unleash my next attack on the remaining monsters, only to realize there were none left.
The last wolf collapsed under Boris’s feet while Michelle lowered her bow.
“You two sure are quick,” I commented, relaxing my stance.
Michelle tilted her head. “Am I? I can feel drawing my bow getting easier with each level up—and I just hit level forty.”
Boris chuckled at the praise. “Of course! Can’t afford to show any weakness in front of you two younglings.”
All of a sudden, a faint pulse of unfamiliar energy washed over me. It was corrupted and unnerving, almost sending a chill down my spine.
“Did you feel that?” Michelle asked, eyes narrowing.
I nodded. “It should be another altar, maybe even the main one.”
“Should we check it out?” she asked, glancing in the direction of the pulse.
I thought for a moment, then shook my head. “No. There’s a chance the boss could be triggered the moment we approach the altar. It’s better that we don’t take chances here.”
“A rational decision,” Boris said with a firm nod. “Let’s move on, then.”
We then continued our trek through the forest, making sure to avoid the area where the main altar was located. Along the way, we encountered more monsters—twisted beasts lurking among the trees or prowling in the underbrush. However, we either avoided them entirely or dispatched them swiftly, giving them no time to retaliate. Our coordination was perfect now, every encounter lasting seconds at most. Fortunately, nothing we’d faced so far had posed a serious threat.
After another twenty minutes of weaving through increasingly dense terrain, Michelle pointed at a clearing ahead.
“There,” she said.
I looked ahead, and sure enough, through a gap in the trees, I saw another altar. This one was smaller than the others and nestled at the base of a moss-covered cliff. Vines dangled over its sides like drapes, and the clearing around it was eerily silent. Too silent. Something felt off.
Boris squinted and muttered, “Doesn’t look like it’s guarded… but it seems too easy.”
My Mana Sense skill allowed me to detect the ambient mana in the air, including the flow within living creatures, but there were indeed no signs of any living beings nearby.
Michelle scanned the perimeter from a raised rock. “Strange. It’s completely clear… barely even a bird or two. It’s as if they are avoiding this place. Even the first altar wasn’t this quiet.”
I nodded in agreement. Something about the silence was too perfect. “Be on guard. There could be something lurking nearby.”
Carefully, we approached the altar. I activated Inspect Eye, hoping to pick up on hidden threats, but nothing registered in the surroundings. Still, I didn’t let my guard down. Reaching the stone basin, I retrieved the third stag head from my inventory and placed it onto the altar. The runes came alive again, glowing gold before darkening into deep violet once more.
You have activated Altar of the Grove (3/5).
The guardian stag senses your progress… and grows furious.
I stepped back, scanning all around me for any sign of the enemy and found nothing.
“Eh, I guess we were scared for not—”
Then, a second prompt flashed before my eyes:
A hidden guardian has awakened in response to the altar activating.
At that moment, the forest trembled. The ground beneath our feet shook, as if something massive had stirred. Birds scattered from the treetops, and the surrounding vines rustled despite the absence of wind. Then came a deep, grinding noise, like stone grating against stone.
“Wait… the cliff!” Michelle exclaimed, stepping back in alarm.
My eyes snapped to the moss-covered cliff behind the altar. What I had assumed to be an ordinary rock face suddenly began to move. Chunks of dirt and vines peeled away, cascading to the ground as two enormous stone arms broke free from the cliffside. The top of the cliff lifted slowly, revealing a weathered stone face with hollow eye sockets that were glowing with faint orange light.
[Ancient Grove Sentinel – Lv.65]
A forgotten guardian born of earth and divine authority, hidden for centuries beneath the forest. It awakens only when balance is threatened. Possesses overwhelming defense, resistance to magic, and the ability to manipulate terrain.
Threat Level: Very High
A Gimmel-rank monster!
“I take it back,” Boris muttered, cracking his knuckles. “This place is guarded, and now I’m fired up!”
The stone behemoth rose to its full height, standing at ten meters tall. As it stepped forward, the ground quaked beneath its weight. The altar behind us shook violently, and the runes pulsed in reaction to the creature’s presence.
“Brace yourselves!” I shouted, drawing my weapon.
This wasn’t going to be an easy fight.