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Chapter 36: Open World
🕑 Added 2025-02-02 09:09:23 +0000 UTC“That’s the boss, right?” Hiro gazed at the savanna before him, looking directly at the huge carnivorous-looking deer with rainbow crystals as its antlers.
[Yes, that is correct. That is a boss monster. If you defeat it, you may proceed to the next floor.]
“Didn’t expect you to answer that.” James raised an eyebrow when he heard the system give an honest answer. That happened rarely. James knew the system was constantly changing, so he wondered whether it would open up or hide more classified information in the future. If that were the case, then that meant there was a sentient being operating the system.
“What level is it? Can I take it on?”
[That information is classified.]
“Figures.” James blew fire on his rat meat for breakfast. He could eat meat raw with no problem thanks to his goblin stomach, but roasting the meat brought out its flavor more. And he felt his humanity returning when he did so. There was a lot of grass around, but he didn’t want to cause a bushfire, so he went about it just like he had previously.
“I am a dragon now!” James roared as fire blew out from his mouth. He could increase or decrease the intensity of the flame by how hard he expelled air from his lungs. Of course, his lungs were reinforced by mana. He wouldn't blow fire if he didn’t want to.
[Dragonkin have different types of scales. Some have either cycloid or placoid scales, unlike you, who have keeled scales.]
“It was just a figure of speech! Don’t mind it too much!” James shrugged off the system.
Another tiger came in as he pondered the blue sky and the vast expanse of the savanna. James quickly threw his damaged leather bag aside and faced it.
“Fire breathing technique! Fire breath!” James couldn’t help but shout out his delusion. The tigers could spit fire. However, they were not resistant to it. The tiger yelped as James’s fire reached it. James quickly followed up with a crossbow bolt to its body. The golden meteor pierced through, killing it.
Using his dagger, James carved out its meat and threw away his slightly rotten rat meat. Afterward, he washed it off with his water magic. The tiger meat was much more delicious than rat meat. It was firm, and as he tore through it, the meat juice flowed out. The thin fat on its leg meat gave a subtle flavor.
James gazed at the savanna from the mountain. The reason he didn't go there immediately was due to how the monsters in the savanna often formed groups. James was confident he could deal with mobs like ratmen or goblins, no matter how many there were. But these tigers and deer were clearly above them.
“Those antlers definitely have skills embedded in them.”
Nevertheless, James couldn't do anything by just staring at them. He had to act. So, he began with the tiger group. James thought he had an advantage over them. The tigers had a fire-breathing attack, and James’s scales were resistant to it. However, James knew that his scales were not perfect. The tigers could still wound him with their fangs and claws. His leather armor was useless against the tigers' flaming breath.
James decided to descend the mountain. As if designed by the gods above, the path split into two—east leading to the savanna where the tigers roamed, and west leading to the savanna where the deer resided.
James chose the east. Slinging up his damaged leather bag, he climbed down the mountain path. As expected, the tigers spotted him from a mile away. They stood up from their resting spots on the rocks and began approaching. The knee-deep savanna grass did little to conceal their figures. James realized they were much taller than he had thought, reaching up to his chest.
Throwing his leather bag into a corner, James prepared his crossbow. The wood on the handle and arms of the crossbow had chipped and blackened from the fire breath of the previous tiger, but it still functioned. James aimed at the nearest tiger. Before it came within his optimal range, the tigers turned away, keeping their distance.
“Are they smarter than they look?” James swept his gaze across the savanna. Their behavior reminded him of the wolves from the second floor of the dungeon trial. He shot at one of the tigers, but at such a distance, it effortlessly evaded the bolt.
James was wrong—they weren’t stalking him. They were waiting for their leader to arrive before flanking him. James brandished his axe and sword. The Tiger King stood three heads taller than the rest, with massive fangs jutting nearly a meter from its maw. James dubbed it the Tiger King.
James roared and took the initiative, breathing fire at the towering beast. Flames spewed from his mouth, bathing the Tiger King in an inferno. He didn’t stop there—James spread his flames around, lighting the surrounding savanna grass on fire. The tigers that had tried to surround him fled in terror—all except the king.
“Damn. I want that fur,” James muttered as he saw the king’s coat blazing. However, the Tiger King didn’t look to be in pain. The flames danced across its fur as if they originated from within. The king roared, retaliating with a fiery breath of its own.
James’s scales were immune to fire, but his eyes were not. He instinctively covered them as he withstood the baptism of flames.
Seeing that fire was ineffective, James conjured and hurled ice spears at the Tiger King. Despite its massive size, the beast was incredibly agile. It leaped like a cheetah from rock to rock, dodging the frozen projectiles with ease. Flames ignited with every step it took.
A golden glow enveloped James’s axe. With a lunge, a golden meteor shot toward the Tiger King. Animals shouldn’t be able to use weapon skills. As long as James could close in and unleash a weapon skill, he believed he could win.
How wrong he was.
The Tiger King caught the axe between its fangs. Though the sheer force of the skill sent it flying backward, the beast landed on its feet in the blink of an eye—like a true feline. It immediately launched itself at James again.
James swung his sword, aiming to strike mid-air. This time, the Tiger King didn’t try to block. Instead, its claws tore through James’s flank as they passed each other.
James felt a sharp pain in his flank. Blood gushed from his stomach as the beast’s claws tore past it. James' sword struck its back, carving a deep gash. Both beasts roared. A golden glow shone from James’ axe, but the beast was faster. It grappled James to the ground, its claws digging deep into his shoulder. The meteor-like light flickered and faded as James lost the posture necessary to activate his skill.
The beast’s maw opened wide, its two massive fangs threatening to sink into James’ shoulder. Instinct drove it to lunge—but the Tiger King wasn’t the only one with fangs. James had his own. He may have lost the initiative, but in the contest of strength, he was winning.
James sank his teeth into its throat as ice began to spread across his skin, creeping onto the beast’s flaming fur.
Fire and ice clashed. White vapor engulfed both combatants as they grappled for dominance. As the mist cleared, a single shadow stood firm.
James was victorious.
His body was riddled with wounds, but he had triumphed.
The Waterspout Dagger in his hand, once unused in battle, was now drenched in the Tiger King’s blood. James had finally used it for its intended purpose—to kill his enemy. With a decisive thrust, he stabbed the dagger into the beast’s carotid artery. The Tiger King struggled, clawing frantically at James, lacerating his flesh. But the fatal wound had already been dealt.
[Congratulations! You have leveled up to level 37!]
[Name: James]
Age: 35
Sex: Male
Level: 37
Coins: 800
Stats:
STR: 127 (↑2)
DEX: 120 (↑3)
MAGIC: 74 (↑3)
MANA: 800 (↑20)
Skills:
Novice Axe Mastery Level 4 (Powerstrike, V-slash)
Beginner Sword Mastery Level 7 (Hurricane)
Beginner Bow Mastery Level 7 (Quickshot)
Beginner Dagger Mastery Level 1 (New)
Magic:
Mind Flay
Mana Sonar
Unique Skill - Chimera:
Goblin Stomach (Iron Guts) (Stomach Slot)
Mana Core (Water Spells: Ice Spear, Water Manipulation, Magic +60, Mana +1000) (Extra Slot)
Orc’s Left Arm (STR +10%) (Arm Slot)
Eyes of Mana (Mana Sense) (Right Eye Slot)
Golem Arm of Valhalla (STR +30%, Physical Resistance +30%, Negative Trait: Repairable, Mana -200) (Right Arm Slot)
Ratking’s Legs (STR +25%) (Leg Slot)
Flaming Tiger’s Fire Lung (Fire Breathing Skill, Negative Trait: Mana -100, Magic -10) (Lung Slot)
Golem Core (Poison Resistance, Negative Trait: Mana -250, Magic -10, Repairable) (Heart Slot)
Orc’s Torso (Torso Slot)
Orc’s Head (Head Slot)
Shadow Snake Fang (Intermediate Life Leeching) (Mouth Slot) (New)
Jumping Spider’s Spinneret (Thread Creation) (Extra Slot 2)
Elder Komodo’s Scale (Physical Resistance +20%, Fire Resistance) (Skin Slot)
Equipment:
Leather Armor Set (+10 DEX) (Damaged)
War Axe
Longsword
Crossbow (Damaged)
Waterspout Dagger
Mask of Identity
Leather Bag (Damaged)
Sphere of Fethusiane
Cloak of Dark Night
James received his level-up notification, but his Chimera Skill did not activate. He quickly realized the reason.
The ten tigers that had fled earlier had returned—braving the flames of the savanna. Their singed fur smoldered from the fire, but their rage burned even hotter.
They had come for vengeance.
Recklessly, they charged straight at James.
“ARGHH! Come here, you pussycat!” James roared as he forcefully stopped the bleeding by freezing the wound. He then picked up his axe and sword from the ground. The spiderweb that had tied them to his body had burned to a crisp.
“DIE!” James spat out fire from his mouth, turning another tiger into a sizzling barbecue with his new breath attack. Ducking down, a golden glow shone on his sword. As the tigers charged at him, he spun around while leaping. The golden meteor traced an arc upward and around his body, sending four of them flying.
Blood gushed as his longsword tore through their fur. Four dead. Six more to go. James spewed another burst of fire breath. One advantage his fire breath had over his ice magic was its activation speed.
It wasn’t much, but he definitely felt that his ice spells had slowed down—from one second to three seconds lately. He had figured out the reason. Thanks to his golem heart, golem arm, and now his new lungs, his magic stat had been steadily decreasing. It didn’t appear on his status window, but he could definitely feel it.
James raged on. The tigers did everything they could, but with their flames being ineffective against his Komodo scales, they only had their fangs and claws left. Unlike the Tiger King, their fangs couldn’t even hold up against James' normal slashing attacks. One by one, they all fell.
James lay sprawled on the burned savanna. He was out of breath, and his body ached all over from the lacerations inflicted by those beasts. If there was one thing positive about his transformation, it was his guts. James was no longer a pushover. Even when surrounded by tigers as big as himself, he showed no fear and faced them all.
Rain soon poured from the sky, dousing the flames that had burned part of the savanna. As he considered buying health potions, his Chimera Skill finally appeared, signaling that he was no longer in combat.
The skill also displayed the Tiger King’s fur.
[Available Body Parts:]
Flaming Tiger Lord's Legs (DEX +40%) (Leg Slot)
Flaming Tiger Lord’s Fang (STR +20%) (Mouth Slot)
Flaming Tiger’s Claw (STR +10%) (Nail Slot)
Flaming Tiger Lord’s Firefur (Fire Cloak Skill, Fire Resistance, Physical Resistance +15%, Negative Trait: Mana -100, Magic -10) (Skin Slot)
[You have obtained 200 coins.]
