novelraw Chapter 104: Growing Power
Chapter 104: Growing Power
As they entered the long, dark alley, running without stopping, dozens of white eyes opened like flames from the walls. The group halted abruptly as those eyes leaped from wall to wall, wrapped in shapeless shadows that, in the next instant, stretched out their hands to grab anyone who passed by.
"It’d be easy to go over the rooftops, but..." Marco said.
Monar chuckled.
"Yeah, it would be easy."
Then both of them looked at Mitsuki, who was staring at the shadows, remembering the moment he chose to become the Herald. Maybe what loomed in this long alley wasn’t black sludge, but the hands emerging from the darkness were enough to remind him of it.
Then, he nodded.
"Let’s do it."
He needed to level up anyway. If he had to clear this entire city, then so be it—power was everything right now, and if he didn’t grow strong enough before reaching the castle, then all of this would be meaningless.
His desire not to die would drive him to destroy everything in his path, and these things would help him do it.
And so, they began advancing through the alley at a walk, but soon broke into a run, gripping their weapons.
The shadows trembled, as did the ground, and the alley became so overwhelmingly dark that it was hard to see the end. The shadows began leaping from wall to wall even faster.
Ash dust rose like a cloud, intent on turning the trio into ash statues—but a light arrow pierced through the darkness, revealing the true forms of the shadows.
They were two-dimensional beings made entirely of ash dust, clinging to the walls with their deformed humanoid silhouettes. They crawled across the bricks like spiders, and when they saw the light from the arrow embedded in the wall, they shrieked with deafening cries as they tried to hide again, scrambling across the surfaces with their limbs.
From above, Azel held a light arrow drawn on his bow.
"They say not to waste time, and here you are playing with shadows."
"We’ll get through quickly. You just keep tiring yourself out jumping across rooftops," Marco replied, tightening his grip on his sword. He looked toward the end of the alley with a serious expression. "We want to get stronger by killing monsters with ridiculous powers."
"Well... you’re the leader, you call the shots. Good luck."
After that, Azel moved off, leaping from rooftop to rooftop while Marco started running into the darkness. At that moment, Mitsuki glanced at his shotgun.
’This thing won’t work here. The walls will collapse on us if I fire.’
Then...
[ You have equipped "Viktor, the Shapeshifting Sword (Firearm Form)" ]
A short sword appeared in his hand amid swirling ash. This way, he could move forward without causing too much destruction.
’This is definitely better for situations like this. Besides, I couldn’t use it properly against the dragon.’
He’d figure out how to make the sword change forms eventually. For now, he’d use it as what it originally was—a blade.
They ran through the darkness as the shadows lunged to kill them. Mitsuki was lucky to stop just in time before one of them nearly tore his face off with its sharp claws.
He frowned seriously, focusing to the limit.
Activating his mobility skills, he positioned himself behind Marco. He glanced at Monar just in case, but the dark elf was focused on firing bolts at the shadows with his magical staff, which twisted and disintegrated into ash.
Meanwhile, Marco advanced swiftly, cutting down every shadow that crossed his path. The run didn’t seem like much of a challenge for him.
’Let’s see if I can do something similar.’
He extended his hand with the sword and began swinging it every time a shadow lunged at him. At first, he was terrified—the shadows were too fast, and their claws left a small cut on his face—but instead of letting his emotions take over, he gritted his teeth and struck.
One shadow was split in half. However, no defeat notification appeared.
’I didn’t kill it...’
Of course—physical attacks wouldn’t work on a creature made of ash. He needed to think fast.
’If I keep this up, I’ll lose XP. I need to make this sword work with magic.’
If the sword worked like the shotgun, then it should operate under the same principle: applying a spell to it. But when he tried using Fire Elemental Magic, the blade ignited briefly before the flames vanished a second later.
’It only lights up for an instant, but that’s enough for what I need.’
The weapon’s mechanics were still a mystery, but that didn’t matter now. Mitsuki had what he needed—and he would use it no matter what.
He accelerated with Ash Propulsion, then cut one of the shadows in half at the exact moment the blade ignited.
[ You have defeated an unnamed Rank B specter. ]
’Yes!’
He celebrated, and that victory pushed him forward. His melee-related skills activated accordingly, giving him the boost he needed to fight.
He ran faster and faster as the shadows attacked. One of them burst from the ground, but Mitsuki jumped and, with a quick spin, cut it down with flames.
’Hahaha! Now you’ll face the Master of Timing!’
This was too easy! The low difficulty excited Mitsuki, since until now he had been fighting creatures that completely overwhelmed him—but this was different.
He surged forward with ash, taking the lead of the group, which confused Marco. However, he was left speechless when he saw the Ashen Kid fighting. The same went for Monar, who was just one step away from not understanding what the hell was going on.
Mitsuki was smiling... He was smiling as he cut and killed without stopping. His attacks were clumsy and crude, but with every shadow that fell, his fighting style evolved.
A long, awkward slash turned into a sharp, sweeping strike. A ridiculous feint became a rapid succession of precise movements.
[ The skill "Martial Arts" has leveled up. ]
[ The skill "Weapon Mastery" has leveled up. ]
[ Other skills are preparing to level up. ]
From above, slightly ahead of the others, Azel watched Mitsuki with suspicion. That fighting style was wild, like a small rabbit that had gained the strength of a bear. Still, he soon smiled proudly.
’More! Come at me, you bastards! I can take all of you on my own! You don’t stand a chance!’
He had said those words before, in front of a screen—but now he was saying them to real enemies and... it was incredible.