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Chapter 284 Legion of Centurions
🕑 Added 2019-08-24 17:19:09 +0000 UTCAuthor's note August 24th: Hey all, hope you are having an alright weekend. New chapters up and more likely coming on Tuesday :).
Cheers and thanks for the support!
Chapter 284 Legion of Centurions
It had been barely an hour when Ilea and Terok came out of the dungeon again. Goldie was awake now, the veins on his head already trying to rip out as he paced, his glare landing on Ilea as soon as she appeared. Of course he even has golden eyes. She smiled. Sleep well?
He screamed and rushed at her but a barrier cut him off, the elf sinking to his knees before he started puking, blood seeping out of his nose and mouth. The hate in his eyes was palpable. Impressive. You didnt even level up? Ilea asked Elfie who was looking at the scene with a glint of annoyance.
I did not expect you so early. He said, the two other elves standing a little away from him, weapons in hand but relaxed.
Ilea nodded to Terok, We found something. I assume youre evaluating them? She asked, the elf giving her a short nod. Add him to your training, maybe find some critters to advance their levels. In two weeks they will face a Centurion together, the four of them. Well see how it goes and go from there.
Oh boy. Terok commented but surprisingly didnt complain.
Elfie considered before he shrugged, Whats in there and why would I care to train the dwarf?
Rolling her eyes, Ilea put a hand on Teroks shoulder, Hell tell you all about it. If they cant face at least one or two Centurions on their own, theyre useless in there.
Why did you not kill us?! She heard the groaning voice coming from the fuming elf, his claws digging into the barrier. She wondered if he couldnt teleport out or if he wasnt willing to.
Ilea glanced at him, Good energy. Maybe focus on being alive for now.
She blinked into the entrance and this time chose the right side of the hallway, the way leading deeper in according to Teroks ivy theory. Ten minutes of walking later, Ilea came into a small room with yet another elevator leading down. This one had neither Centurions nor anything else protecting it. Choosing the same way to go down, she let herself fall before spreading her wings to slow down. The elevator shaft was considerably shorter.
Coming out below, Ilea smiled broadly and crossed her arms, Well. Thats something. She whispered and sighed. Not a sigh of another long workday in front of her but one full of anticipation. She was standing on a square, a square carved out from within the mountain or perhaps carved from a naturally formed cave. Around her were buildings that would have once been stores, guilds, inns, shops with machinery still inside. If there had been any color at some point, it was long faded, only the dark stone remained, the ivy so prevalent in Taleen dungeons growing through it all. Some of the buildings were covered by it near completely, the green lights coming from not the ceiling but lampposts placed around the square, more of them bathing the connected streets and alleys in a dim green light.
A once scary atmosphere to Ilea, now full of possibilities. She knew there were Praetorians here, perhaps in this city or the factory but she knew they were there. After so many weird and powerful monsters she had met, it was interesting to think of challenging something that had previously filled her with dread. Something she could not overcome. Not a nest of mind magic animals or knights devoid of consciousness but machines hellbent on ripping her apart. If she grew strong enough here, if there were enough Centurions to get her to the levels needed, she knew she could fight them, knew she could win.
A shiver went down her back, the thought somehow freeing. Had the loss back then really been so important? Did they represent something in her subconscious? Ilea didnt know. What she knew was that she wanted to face that fear, face that monster from her past. She would prepare, would raise her levels and use every advantage she could work out for herself. The ceiling wasnt visible. It seemed like the whole mountain had been carved out and the city placed within. The streets all ended in more squares or near massive buildings, except one. Ilea couldnt see the end of it, green lights like fireflies forming a path for her to follow.
You could literally land a plane in here. The thought made her chuckle. Thinking of the flying machines she had seen in the Iz dungeon made her scan the skies. Well not exactly the skies but the darkness hanging over the ancient city. There was nothing there, no blinking lights or any floodlights looking for her. There would be enemies here, machines ready to defend what was long forgotten. Activating Hunters Sight, she checked the area. Stepping through the square, she found several signs pointing towards recent movement. Earth was scattered in places, some of the ivy damaged and loose.
Looking up, she saw what looked like a Taleen Guardian walking towards the square, its head moving around as the green eyes scanned the overgrown houses and street. A single one of them only, its bladed six arms at the ready. Ilea wasnt exactly concerned, continuing to look through the square. Something definitely moved through here and it wasnt a Taleen machine Ive seen before. When the Guardian entered the square, it spotted her immediately, fanning out its blades in challenge. Really now?
The answer was of course the machine rushing her, ready to strike. Ileas ashen limbs fanned out, the six blades stopping mid attack, each crashing into an ashen arm waiting for them. Ilea braced herself against the impact but found herself steady, the force coming from the machine light, trivial to handle even. It tried wrenching its arms free but Ileas ash extended, twirling around its metal blades and holding them in place. She stepped towards the helpless machine and looked at it, its glowing green eyes staring at her. Maybe Terok can take a look at one while I hold it like this.
[Taleen Guardian lvl 205]
To think she could handle a level two hundred creature so easily. With all her buffs deactivated and her ashen Veil down, it was likely still capable of injuring her but against a fully powered Ilea, this one guardian was like a mere ant trying to stand against a human. Her fist lashed out, the sound of the impact reverberating in a dull clang, the machine trying to recoil but held in place by her limbs. Another hit smashed into it, Destruction and Wave of Ember flaring through it before the light in its eyes went out, its legs giving out and the whole thing clattering down as if its strings had been cut.
An idea was growing in her mind as she stepped over the machine, her wings spreading before she ascended. Flying over the nearby streets, she tried to spot the Taleen, finding a bunch of guardians patrolling as well as ranged variants sitting on roofs. Either they werent looking up or she was simply not visible enough in the darkness above but the machines didnt spot her. Coming down behind one of the ranged guardians, she extended her limbs.
[Taleen Guardian lvl 150]
Her ash closed around it, destructive mana pushed into it as it struggled to move in the hardening black mist. A couple seconds later it was over, the machine falling down and Ilea receiving yet another notification. Both of the kills irrelevant to her current level. Could hunt some of them for Embered Body Heat and Hunters Sight ,
Seeing that the surrounding streets and nearby squares only held Guardians, Ilea went back to the elevator. This wasnt her place to clear out. Flying up through the shaft, she blinked out and crossed the length of the hallway, coming out on the railings overlooking the much busier production facility dug deep into the ground. How many places like this are there, hidden away in the North alone? Ilea wondered. There had to be places where all the machines Elfie talked about were coming from. This was certainly one of them.
Spreading her wings, Ilea jumped down and glided towards the first floor. At least not every one of them here held a different climate and different enemies. Just what seemed like an endless amount of Taleen Centurions as well as possibly more dangerous machines. The floor was metal, just like the support beams and thick cables holding everything together. Ilea wondered if she got credit for the kills were she to simply collapse the whole thing. Quick level three hundred for a metal mage like Terok. The ruckus would certainly gain a lot of attention. A Centurion might also just survive the collapse, stuck between the steel beams for eternity.
Cracking her knuckles, Ilea spread her ash and breathed in. The smell of fire and soot as well as iron filled her nose. Contrary to the city, this place was bathed in red light, not coming form any lamps but molten steel, forges as well as sparks flying off from the various tools in the vicinity. Smashing her ashen limbs into the floor produced little damage, mere scratches from her effort. The same was true for the cables going through to the next floor. Might consult Terok on that. Just have to make sure he doesnt steal all my experience ,
It was warm, Ilea noted. Warm enough for her to sweat which meant something. Possibly too hot for someone below level two hundred to traverse. Her heat resistance was at level three of the second tier but shed find a way to bath in some molten steel to raise it in the next weeks. The Queen with her Mist resistance is waiting as well. Now that she had so many enemies to fight and a reasonable way to level three hundred, she was starting to think on Teroks words, to get as much out of her possible evolutions as possible. Strength and Dexterity as well as third tier points into Body Enhancement and close combat abilities to avoid purely mage evolutions.
Trying to cut into the wires apparently was enough for one of the Centurions to come and check, the machine throwing its spear immediately, uncaring of any possible damage to the environment. Or trusting enough to know it would be irrelevant. Ilea thought, dodging the spear before she blinked into range, ashen limbs immediately crashing into the warrior as she checked her surroundings for additional foes. Spreading ash around, she would make sure there was enough on the ground for a quick distraction in case she needed to escape. All the machines, forges and massive robotic arms as well as tanks and supplies would make hiding rather simple.
She was pretty sure the Centurions werent some kind of trackers, just warriors, made to be efficient killers for the materials used. It was a riddle to her how they could be created at a level above three hundred but she was pretty sure they were considered monsters by the system governing life in Elos. Of course with Demons she had already met somewhat of an exception. Maybe the Taleen had just been that amazing at magical robotics. Her blows accelerated, Ilea pushing hard to make sure the fight didnt last a second longer than needed. The Centurion wasnt comparable to the Guardian she had fought previously. While easier to manage, both her speed and utility massively outclassing it, she didnt exactly want to get hit directly. Neither did she want to fight more of them as it would force her to navigate and fight in the unknown steel forest. The big open hall from earlier was a much preferred arena.
Getting in another two hits, she stepped to the left to avoid the spear thrusting at her head, three of her ashen limbs glancing off the steel armor. It managed to block two more attacks with its free hand, Ilea now behind it as she punched once again. The Centurion brought the spear around, Ilea blinking to keep the offense up. At least the packed and loud environment would make it harder for more of them to hear and come help. Right until it explodes. Ilea grinned, perhaps destroying this place wasnt out of the question. All she had to use was the bombs provided by the Taleen themselves.
Worth testing if the explosions actually damage any of the support structures. A couple minutes later Ileas mana was down a thousand points, her offense taxing with all her ashen limbs and excessive blinks as well as health sacrifice. Healing back to full, she finally managed to crack the core, the Centurion throwing its spear before it skidded off, the light shining through the cracks growing brighter while Ilea stood there, ash settling around her as she stared at the running machine with confusion. Ah makes sense. She thought, seeing it reach the opening leading out into the abyss before it jumped off.
The explosion overshadowed the surrounding noise of steam, metal hitting metal and gears turning but only for a second. Ilea was left standing between the machines, nothing other than ash indicating that anything had happened at all.
ding You have defeated [Taleen Centurion lvl 310] For defeating an enemy forty or more levels above your own, bonus experience is granted
At least I get the experience. So there is something programmed into them that prevents them from damaging the surroundings. Meaning the explosion could actually damage it. Ilea thought about it when she picked up the noise of metal legs on steel around her. Smiling, she let Meditation flow through her, breathing in deeply and closing her eyes.
When three Centurions entered her Hunter Sphere, her eyes opened, blue eyes in stark contrast to the fiery glow all around her. Ash spread out with as much force as she could manage, the Centurions expertly navigating around and even over some of the machinery as they engaged the threat they had been looking for.
The ensuing fight was considerably longer than her previous take down of a single Centurion. The machines definitely knew their way around and the crowded environment was more detriment to her than to them. It at least helped to have cover from their ranged attacks whenever needed. They were too quick for her to use her meditation frequently but at least more often than in an open hall.
Blinking past a thrown spear, Ilea landed the last needed fist on the core of a damaged warrior, the light of its soon to explode energy cell or implanted bomb had it turn around and seek the abyss. Two to go. A couple minutes later Ileas estimation proved to be false, two more Centurions having joined the fight. Either because she had encroached on their assigned territory during her battle or the one destroyed machine somehow made them come as well. Adding more of them didnt really change the fight, because of their somewhat predictable attacks as well as the cover around her.
Her already limiting damage was now spread among four of them and it was hard to tell which one she had hit already, the five of them moving around so quickly it was difficult to discern. Ilea once again thanked her sphere, without which she wouldve been pinned down and slaughtered like the invading parasite she was in their sprawling underground facility. A smirk came to her face when another Centurions core started glowing. The three remaining one ignored the fact, pinning her down before one of them actually managed to land a hit. Ilea hadnt blinked, misjudging the feint for what it was. The spear smashed through her Veil and crashed against her chest piece. Neither armor nor her bones gave in, Ilea stumbling back before she blinked away. Three times this time before she healed the bruises. The explosion from the damaged Centurion quickly came to her ears before her pursuers were upon her again. Checking her mana, she found to be below half.
ding You have defeated [Taleen Centurion lvl 310] For defeating an enemy forty or more levels above your own, bonus experience is granted
They eat it up like sponges , She wondered if a warrior class would have similar problems. She could of course focus on pure physical damage and whittle them down but it was definitely more efficient to just retreat and recover her mana before going in again. Even if they had some sort of ability to repair themselves. Normally shed doubt something like that but in a literal Taleen factory, perhaps it was possible. Why then throw yourself down the abyss when you can get repaired? If her experience on Earth was anything to go by then that it was probably easier to build a new Centurion than to repair a damaged one.
Spreading ash, she blinked and continued her work with a smile on her face. Each hit she landed powerful enough to create a tiny shock wave of air and heat upon impact, the force nearly enough to lift the machines off the ground, built for speed and dexterity more than anything else. While the Taleen metal wasnt anything special according to the smiths she had met, she still didnt manage to majorly dent it with each punch. Perhaps it was the way they forged it or something related to the machine itself. If her own body and ash was anything to go by then perhaps the metal was considered their body and only once their Vitality reached a certain threshold, it would get majorly damaged.
The specifics didnt matter much while she dodged their attacks, the three remaining machines more and more working as a team, trying to bait her with their defensive behavior. Ilea welcomed the change, their learning ignoring the fact that their inaction allowed her to recover mana at a quicker rate with Meditation. Still, she had to agree that it was probably their best bet to get actual damage in on her. She too changed to a more defensive way of fighting, every second bringing back a couple points of mana she could use again in a burst of attacks. The movements of yet again more Centurions joining the ongoing battle made her breathe out. Perhaps the defensive approach wouldnt be feasible after all.
Comments
j0ntsa
try ctrl+r then
ArturScott
F5 officially broken
ArturScott
hrrrrr, still nothing((( it's gonna be midnight again yeah?
ArturScott
i've been doing this since i woke up))) about 8 hours in row)))
Baka
F5 ' N real early today.
Zerith
Pillow fort, ready! Internet, Active! screen, on! Computer powered! Mor Chapterz are Go! *Dives into Fort Fluffles* Me Time~!
Seb
I think that she's only grinding her skills to tier 2/20. The tier 3 skills are going to take years (presumably) to max. She uses blink all of the time, and I'm pretty sure shes only at like 3/5 on it, even though it was the first tier3 skill she got
It's going to be a long skill grind to tier 3/20 in her skills that she has and is going to upgrade before 300.
Baka
TUESDAY! HELLO! ARE WE THERE YET?
Matthew Robinson
Thank you for the chapters. Can’t wait for more.
Atlas Dwarf
Well there are hundreds if not thousands of Centurions and more being made, so even 10 to 20 per lvl should be enough to get her to lvl 280 in Azarinth First Hunter at least. It really depends on how dangerous the black ones turn out to be. Personally more worried about her Embered Body Heat and Hunter's Sight not leveling enough here but there's always the Reaper hunting for that.
J H
It will be somewhat convenient for her to farm centurions here, but I'm really wondering how far she can level with them. She probably has to kill at least 10 for each level now and it will keep going up as she levels higher. Honestly I only see her getting the Ash class to 260 for the next 3rd tier skill point, then trying for the Praetorians or whatever those black ones are, since that will actually level her if she can kill them. Unless there are literally thousands of centurions, or many higher level machines that she can kill, she is not getting even to level 280 there. I think getting the power boost from the next 3rd tier ash skill and then fighting more blue reapers or going deeper in the descent are the way to level her to 280 or 300 honestly. One she makes it to 300 she should get a massive power boost, at least double her current strength from bonuses increasing, maybe triple when you account for her skills improving/evolving, plus the extra 3rd tier points. Maybe even more if there is something special you only get at level 300. That's basically what happened when she got the Ash wielder class, and again at level 200 for each class. Funny enough, her leveling ability and speed should only increase one she hits 300 even with the higher requirements because she will finally be able to beat a bunch of high level monsters that she struggles against right now.
Seb
Why do you think that? She has already shown that she is capable of killing the old-blooded things which I believe are around lvl 350, as well as the centurions, rose knights and the mind reapers which are all possible fodder to get to level 300 (albeit slower). At the very worst case, she hasn't even explored the next level of the descent, which may have better enemies for her, let alone the rest of the north. Also, have we actually heard anything about how long people live for? Ilea has only been in this world for a year or two (I think) and she has already surpassed what most of human civilization is capable of. I have no doubt that is 30 or 40 years Ilea will have found some way or elongating her life, if her healing powers and magic don't already do that for her. Not to mention, if the king and queen are still alive after 2000 years (regardless of how), why couldn't one of their friends also found a way to do it?
Corwin Amber
thanks for the chapters
Tetsuki
I am actually starting to doubt how anyone in the present human realm can reach lvl 300. First of all there don't seem to be no convinient monsters to hunt for that lvl range. Then you would need a whole group of fighting meniacs like the Mc... And how is that guy still alive after 2000 years? All clues indicate that your live Spann does not increase by lvling up.
Lomie0
probably only to 280, most of them are only right around the 300 range
Jonathan Walker
So this is how she level grinds to lvl 300 with ease and time sweet
Kevin Mendoza
It hasn’t been shown that you can ignore the options indefinitely and keep leveling, it would take the consequences of working on certain skills and stats over others away
Baba Vader
Thanks for the chapters!
Torbjørn Nilsen
Ty for the chapters :)
Maximilian Hübner
So I can't really remember if that was mentioned before, but are the class evolutions fixed once you unlock them?
I dont even really remember anymore how it works what class evolutions you get. Can Ilea choose from a pool of options or is that automatic?
Soooo basically Infinite amount of lvl > 300 machines + farming fanatic = Lots of grinding time to max out all the skills
Keifru
Meanwhile, back at the entrance with Elfie & Co. four days and one violent earthquake later, Ilea's blood-and-ashed mostly-naked self flops out of the doorway to the ground. "Allright...so, I can explain. First off, Elfie made me do it."
Jonathan
There's also the tactic of throwing the one about to explode into the crowd of other Centurions.
Jonathan
The one thing she must not do is venture in too far. She may be able to handle three, four, or five centurions as she is now, but having hundreds of them between her and escape should she wake up one or more Praetors...
Arkeus
Hey, defensive approach is totally feasible if they go defensive. They don't regen and she does, she regains mana, and more of them don't actually make them more dangerous, as there is a limit to how many can fight her at once and she is more than able to get all of them at that limit. They also die incredibly fast, though, so being more offensive works fine too. It would be different if the maximum number of them at once could actually be a threat, but even in that case they can't grapple her and they don't fly, so it would at most be an annoyance even if they could hurt her.
