Free Web NovelChapter 13: Ferocious Flame Lion
"Celestial sword qi!"
Dan Moriarty, with a seemingly effortless motion that belied the immense power contained within, brought down the Thousand Heaven Rainfall Divine Sword.
Then, a wave of celestial sword energy shot forth, targeting the six flame lions that had dared to block his path just ahead. These creatures, all roaring infernos of muscle and claw, seemed formidable enough to any lesser warrior, but in the face of such an attack, they were merely obstacles awaiting destruction. The air itself seemed to crackle around the approaching energy, anticipating the inevitable impact.
The moment the sword energy closed in, a flicker of instinctual fear seemed to register in the lions’ eyes. They tried to react, a desperate lunge or an attempt to conjure a defensive flame, but it was all in vain.
Their movements, swift as they might have been in other circumstances, were utterly useless compared to the blinding speed of a celestial sword’s strike. There was no real struggle, the sheer, overwhelming force simply consumed them. Each beast, in a flash of brilliant light, was utterly annihilated, their burning forms collapsing into ash and fading heat before they even had a chance to understand what had truly befallen them. They simply ceased to be.
-750HP
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-750HP
-750HP
[You have slain Ferocious Flame Lion Lv.15. Experience Gained: +260.]
[You have slain Ferocious Flame Lion Lv.15. Experience Gained: +260.]
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[You have slain Ferocious Flame Lion Lv.15. Experience Gained: +260.]
[Ding! Level 11 Reached!]
[Level 11 (Experience Value: 280/1100 )]
Then, a stream of comments came in
[@DrunkenSwordImmortal: Hahaha! Not bad at all. Brat, if your next strike is just as clean, this immortal will reward you again.]
[@GoldenFeatherPrincess: As expected... someone with such appearance should at least possess some skill to match.]
[@PoopOnMyBalls: Hmph, I am rarely impressed, yet you managed to catch my eye. Take this as a reward.]
[@pooponmyballs gifted: 100 Spirit Stones.]
[Gift Received: 100 Spirit Stones.]
[Infinite Amplification Activated.]
[1,000× Amplification in progress...]
[New Reward Received: 100,000 Spirit Stones.]
Spirit Stones were used to restore depleted spirit power, and possessing one hundred thousand of them meant he could freely unleash skills and techniques without worrying about exhausting his spiritual energy. ƒrēewebnoѵёl.cσm
As everything was happening, the powerful surge of sword energy which truly did its job on the immediate threats, leaving nothing but faint wisps where the lions once stood. However, such was its potency that not all of its incredible force was spent in that singular, decisive blow. A significant fraction of its power continued unimpeded, an afterglow of destruction pushing deeper into the passage ahead.
It traveled relentlessly, a deadly current through the rock, until it met an unyielding, solid wall at a dead end within the mine’s winding tunnels. The impact was profound and immediate. As a deep, resonant thud echoed through the underground chambers, followed by a violent, sharp tremor that shook the very foundations of the earth around him. The unexpected jolt was powerful enough to make even Dan Moriarty, for all his awakened prowess and steady footing, momentarily waver and struggle to maintain his balance.
As the frantic trembling of the mine eventually subsided and the dust began to settle, Dan Moriarty wore a distinctly thoughtful expression, his gaze sweeping across the now quiet, albeit slightly damaged tunnel.
He hadn’t quite anticipated the sheer, lingering force of his sword energy, which usually dispersed more readily after engaging multiple targets. He mused that it was a stark contrast to his earlier use of the sword energy, particularly when dealing with the hordes of goblins in the beginner dungeon, where their sheer numbers, often stretching into the hundreds, served to fully absorb and dissipate his attacks.
Here, with only six flame lions, fewer targets meant less resistance for the sword energy. The collective mass and resistance of those monsters simply weren’t enough to fully quench the momentum of the sword strike, allowing the residual power to continue its destructive path forward until it struck the unyielding bedrock at the tunnel’s deepest point, causing the unsettling vibrations. It was a subtle but crucial difference in the dynamics of his combat power that he now had to acknowledge.
This situation, though seemingly minor to him, immediately presented a rather dreadful prospect. Should he unleash another sword energy attack, he would be gravely risking the stability of the entire mine, potentially triggering another, perhaps even more severe tremor. While such a collapse posed little to no direct threat to his own safety, his mind instantly drifted to the unknown number of potential miners who might still be toiling in the deeper reaches of the mine.
A further stronger quake would inevitably cause critical structural failures, sending tons of rock and debris crashing down, almost certainly crushing them. He couldn’t, under any circumstances, allow such a catastrophic event to unfold. His reputation in his instance of Resenia, would suffer a blow, and the full extent of which he couldn’t possibly predict.
Such a blot on his name could cripple future endeavors, and his very standing among the people. His imperative was clear: he needed to rescue any surviving miners alive, or at the very least, ensure their remains were in a presentable state for their families.
Of course, there remained the grim possibility that the flame lions had already devoured them—a dreadful but often unavoidable reality in these dangerous frontier mines.
That scenario, while tragic, would at least be understandable and explainable to the people of Resenia. Dying due to his own powerful, yet carelessly applied attack, however, was a completely different matter, an inexcusable oversight that would brand him as a reckless and irresponsible hero.
Considering these serious implications, Dan Moriarty quickly reached a firm conclusion. He would not repeat such an attack again. Instead, he would opt for a more direct, focused approach, utilizing the Thousand Heaven Rainfall Divine Sword in close-quarters combat.
This method, while demanding more direct engagement, would allow him to precisely control the impact and avoid any further collateral damage to the mine’s fragile structure. With his decision made and his course of action clear, he pushed forward without hesitation.
He refused to let his momentary thoughts and strategic adjustments impede his progress, knowing that time might be of the essence for those trapped deeper within the mine.
