novelraw Chapter 59: Lighting up All Five Altars
Chapter 59: Lighting up All Five Altars
However, I was prepared. My passive movement skill activated, and my body instinctively moved to the left just in time. The serpent’s fangs snapped shut where I had been an instant earlier, missing me by mere inches.
“Too slow.”
I countered with a quick jab of my spear, and it pierced the serpent’s jaw, causing it to recoil with a high-pitched shriek. But even so, the spearhead only pierced a few centimeters, which was nowhere near deep enough to deal meaningful damage. It felt like the serpent’s defense was much harder than even the scaled bear in the third scenario.
The black serpent quickly slithered around me, becoming even more aggressive than before. It hadn’t been that fast while cloaked in shadow—perhaps limited by its innate stealth ability—but now, out in the open, it was much faster.
It scurried to my left, then curved sharply to the right, circling me like a coiled predator preparing for the perfect strike. I pivoted with it, keeping my stance low and my spear pointed steadily at its shifting body. That’s when I noticed that mana was gathering in its throat. It was charging a magic attack.
Not letting it happen, I lunged at it with my spear, aimed for its midsection, but I was a fraction too late. The serpent’s jaws snapped open, and it fired a compact orb of black energy straight at me.
My instincts screamed.
The distance between us was only two meters—far too close for me to dodge, even with my movement skills. As the orb was about to strike me, my buckler moved on its own, dragging my arm with it as its passive attribute activated.
The orb collided and exploded on impact, sending waves of corrosive darkness spiraling across the ground. The shockwave flattened the grass, turning it to ash in an instant. My hand and shoulder flared with heat as part of the blast grazed me, searing through a portion of my armor and burning the skin beneath.
“Tch… that could’ve killed me.”
Unfortunately, the passive feature of the buckler could only activate once, meaning I couldn’t rely on it to protect me again anytime soon.
Gritting my teeth, I retaliated by thrusting my spear straight at the serpent’s eye. It jerked its head back at the last second, and the tip scraped across its scaled cheek, leaving a shallow cut just shy of its target. But at that very moment, a pair of arrows whistled through the air from above and pierced the serpent’s other eye cleanly, eliciting a shrill hiss of agony as the creature recoiled, thrashing its head in pain.
“Sorry for the late support! I was waiting for the right moment!” Michelle called out from her vantage point.
I gave a quick nod. Without pause, I activated Wind Rush and darted to the side, repositioning myself. The serpent tried to track me with what remained of its vision, but I was already mid-spin, redirecting my momentum and striking low toward its exposed underbelly. The tip of my spear grazed across the softer flesh beneath its scales, carving a deep line of black, sizzling blood. The serpent shrieked and lurched back, then countered immediately by sweeping its tail toward me like a whip.
In a split second, I raised my buckler and braced for impact. The blow landed hard, rattling my arms and nearly knocking me off balance, but I held firm and slid several meters backward from the force. My boots skidded across the dirt.
“Persistent bastard,” I muttered, regaining balance.
But I wasn’t about to stop with my attack and charged again. In a desperate move, the serpent suddenly opened its mouth and unleashed a stream of dark mist—corrosive energy that hissed violently as it melted everything it touched. Tch, how annoying.
I quickly backpedaled to avoid the brunt of the attack, then raised my free hand and gathered mana at my fingertip.
“{Mana Bullet}! {Mana Bullet}! {Mana Bullet}!” Three bolts of purple energy fired from my forefinger in rapid succession. The serpent zigzagged unpredictably, evading the first two, and the third struck, but it barely left a scorch. Its anti-magic resistance was as tough as I feared.
Regardless, it was time to end this with a single, decisive strike.
What I needed was more power, enough to pierce through even its hardened scales. Ideally, I’d have a better spear suited for this, but that wasn’t an option right now. So instead, I focused on solving what I could.
Determined, I opened my status screen mid-battle and quickly allocated forty of my remaining free attribute points into Strength.
Strength: 125 → 165
An immense strength coursed through my limbs like lightning. My grip tightened around the spear as I felt my body grow far stronger than it ever had been. Channeling every bit of energy I had, I leapt at the black serpent and drove the spear forward with all my might.
“Heavy Stab!”
The serpent sensed the killing intent and tried to blend into the shadows in an attempt to escape, but it was too late.
The spear struck it mid-fade, just below the base of its skull. A crack echoed through the ravine as the blade tore through its scales, piercing deep into flesh and bone. The serpent let out a distorted screech, thrashing violently as black blood gushed from the wound.
Its body spasmed, slamming into the earth before finally going still—half its head skewered to the ground beneath my weapon.
You have hunted [Black Venomfang Serpent Lv.65].
You have gained 125 EXP.
Your Magic Power has increased by 1.
Basic Shield Mastery has leveled up.
“Huff… all these fights sure are tiring…” I panted, adrenaline still coursing through my veins.
These serpents truly were worthy of their role as the guardians that prevent anyone from completing the fifth offering.
I turned my gaze to Boris’s side of the battlefield. Apparently, he was about done with his opponent as well. With Michelle supporting him from above, the white serpent didn’t stand a chance. None of its attacks had been able to break through his reinforced body. Its fangs scraped harmlessly off his metallic skin, and its coils failed to restrain him. It had relied on venom and speed, but neither worked against Boris’s raw durability and experience.
Still, I noticed Boris carefully dodging every stream of venom that the serpent spat his way. Even with his Iron Body skill, he wasn’t foolish enough to tank poison head-on.
It then lunged at him to take a bite, but Boris simply stepped to the side and slammed his fist into its snout, causing the serpent’s head to whip backward from the force.
Seeing that he didn’t need any help, I turned my attention back to the black serpent’s corpse. Considering how deadly its venom had been, I pulled out an empty potion vial and carefully collected a sample from one of its fangs. That was when I noticed a faint glow emanating from a small bulge on the serpent’s stomach.
“Huh?” I walked over, crouched down, and pressed my hand against the bulge. The texture was unnaturally firm; there was definitely something solid beneath the scales.
Without much thought, I took out my sword and carefully sliced open the section. As the flesh parted, a dim light spilled out from within. To my surprise, it was actually the last key fragment—a faintly glowing shard that looked like a polished crystal.
You have uncovered the key fragment.
So that’s where the last piece was hiding.
Before I could inspect it further, a roar rang out from the other side of the ravine.
“Just die already!” Boris bellowed.
I turned my head just in time to see him launch into the air with his fists raised high. He came crashing down in a crushing overhead slam, striking the serpent’s head and driving it into the earth with a thunderous slam. The force of the blow split the ground beneath it, sending cracks racing through the earth. The serpent’s body convulsed once… then fell completely motionless.
“Whew. That serpent sure was a good fighter,” Boris said, brushing dust off his shoulder. Despite the intense battle, he didn’t look particularly tired. He turned toward me and raised his eyebrows. “Not bad, Maxim. You’ve definitely grown stronger.”
I gave a casual shrug. “It was just compatibility. Without that—and Michelle’s support—it would’ve taken a lot more effort and a lot more time. I might have even got injured.”
“Hahaha! Modest as always,” Boris chuckled. “But still, I’ll admit it: You won the round this time.” He walked over with his usual confident gait and gave me a hearty slap on the back that nearly knocked the wind out of me.
“Easy…” I muttered, steadying myself. Even with my improved stats, Boris’s strength was still as monstrous as ever.
Michelle soon descended from the ridge, still holding her bow. “Are they both down?”
I nodded. “Yeah. They won’t be getting up again.”
She exhaled softly in relief. “Good. Then let’s finish this.”
With both guardians defeated, there was nothing left standing in our way. I reached into my inventory and pulled out the final stag’s head. Together, we made our way toward the altar. The area around the altar was stained from the previous battle, scattered with blood, chunks of stone, and traces of venom. But the altar itself was untouched—silent and ominous.
Stepping closer, I placed the final offering into the stone basin.
The runes etched into the altar ignited with violent intensity—first glowing gold, then darkening into a deep, ominous violet. A column of light rushed into the sky, illuminating the ravine and casting moving shadows across the ravine walls.
You have activated Altar of the Grove (5/5).
The guardian stag’s divine wrath has been fully awakened.
The final trial is upon you.
A low rumble echoed beneath our feet, and it felt as though the forest itself was holding its breath. Then, there was another System prompt that appeared before my eyes.
For having lit up five altars, the finale boss’s strength has exceeded the standard threshold.
The scenario’s difficulty has been adjusted accordingly.
Scenario #5 [The Trial of the Ancient Grove]
Deep within this ancient forest lies an ancient spirit long worshipped by the woodland tribes—a Divine Spirit Stag. Once a benevolent guardian, it has been corrupted by corrupted mana. To restore balance to the forest, you must challenge its power and face its rage and earn its blessings. Light the altars by offering stag heads with glowing antlers to gather its strength... or your own demise.
Mission Type: Subjugation
Difficulty: D
Main Objective: Eliminate the Divine Spirit Stag. (0/1)
Time Limit: 2 days 16 hours 50 minutes
Reward: 10,000 Soul Coins
Penalty for Failure: Death
Extra Conditions:
1. Light up 2 altars. (5/2)
Reward: Rare-Grade Armament Voucher.
2. Light up 3 altars. (5/3)
Reward: Two Rare-Grade Armament Vouchers.
3. Light up 4 altars. (5/4)
Reward: Unique-Grade Armament Voucher.
4. Light up 5 altars. (5/5)
Reward: Unique-Grade Armament Voucher & a Random Unique-Grade Skill Book.
5. Uncover the last key fragment and obtain the treasure. (1/1, Incomplete)
Reward: The treasure hidden inside the main altar.