CHAPTER 49: FIERY APES

An intense sense of dread gripped Ray as he darted past trees.

This sensation was a warning, triggered by his racial trait. His sixth sense was picking up danger his other senses failed to detect.

"Where is the threat coming from?"

Determining that was crucial to stay alive without wasting the power of his turtle shell armor.

He quickly stopped and looked around with a scrutinizing gaze, taking in his surroundings as thoroughly as he could to catch any sign of danger. As a result, he saw what would have otherwise cost him dearly.

Whoosh!

A stone set ablaze hurtled through the air, leaving behind an eye-catching tail of fire. It whistled like a comet as it tore toward Ray.

’It’s temperature is comparable to my level 1 flames,’ Ray thought as the heat from the fiery stone struck his face before it stone even reached him, the air shimmering from its intensity.

He aimed to block it using his Wind Manipulation Skill as it would add to the requirement he needed to meet to upgrade it. To evolve it, he needed to overcome twenty attacks using wind only.

Worthy noting, before reaching the Slime Nest he wanted to be as prepared as possible. After all, in that place fiends awaited him. It wasn’t going to be easy to cut through them to get the treasure the Slime Nest had birthed.

With a thought, Ray summoned a powerful gust of wind.

Fwwoooosh!

The fiery stone was pushed away, veering sharply off course. It pierced through multiple trees, igniting them, before vanishing into the distance.

Ray looked in the direction where the fiery stone had come from, catching sight of a demonic beast not far away.

The body of this demonic beast was covered in crimson fur. A mane made of fire blazed around its head, and its golden eyes radiated pure hostility. It spotted sharp fangs.

It stood glaring at Ray with fangs bared, looking threatning and menacing.

As soon as he saw it, it became clear that he had crossed into the territory of the Mystical Fire Ape. He was now only one territory away from the Slime Nest, his ultimate goal, the destination he had risked so much to reach!

Ugugu!

The Mystical Fire Ape snarled, its fiery mane crackling like burning coal. It was enraged its lethal attack had been dodged.

Fwoom!

Another fiery stone materialized in its hand out of thin air. With a guttural roar that shook the branches, it hurled the fiery stone straight at Ray. It was determined to kill him. He was an intruder in its eyes, not knowing that to the original inhabitant of Earth, every demonic creature was an invader deserving of death.

The fiery stone didn’t burn its hand as it gripped it. The reason being, Mystical Fire Apes were immune to fire.

’No wonder they are considered the second strongest among iron rank demonic creatures. Their skillset is crazy,’ Ray thought as he used Wind Manipulation to block the fiery stone hurled toward him, pushing it another step closer to an upgrade.

He looked at it daringly, challenging it to continue attacking him in a familiar fashion so he could upgrade his Wind Manipulation skill.

However, the Mystical Fire Ape was so angered to see its magic not working against him that it decided to engage him in close combat.

Smoke curled from its nostrils and heat rippled off its frame like waves from an active forge before its body ignited with high temperature flames, threatening to burn anything that dared get too close.

Then, in that fierce state, it lunged towards Ray.

"Since you don’t want to be of help... You can die!"

Ray send it flying backwards it away with a wind blast. Then he threw out a volley of wind blades. The Mystical Fire Ape, caught by a bunch of wind blades, was sliced and diced into pieces, its blood splattering everywhere, steam rising as fire and blood clashed. The fire surrounding its body dissipated as it died.

♦️ You have slain a Peak Iron Rank Mystical Fire Ape! You have obtained +50 EXP.

♦️ You have blocked two attacks using only wind while fighting it. The Wind Manipulation Skill has taken a small step towards an upgrade.

"OOH-OH-OH!"

Countless shrieks erupted from the surroundings.

"Here comes more trouble."

Ray thought it was a good thing. The appearance of more enemies could help him upgrade his Wind Manipulation skill.

Following the shrieks, scores of Mystical Fire Apes with glowing golden eyes appeared and surrounded Ray, pelting him with fiery stones from all sides.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Dozens of fiery stones rained down on him like a storm of meteors.

Ray spun on his heel, raising both arms wide. Gusts of wind surged from his palms, spiraling outward in torrents. The winds joined together, whirling around him defensively. Seemingly, a rapidly spinning dome-shaped shield of air took form. In the very next moment, flames scattered as the dome of wind deflected the rain of fiery stones, sending them flying in every direction.

Several Mystical Fire Apes around him were pierced by their own fiery stones.

Flames couldn’t but them, but having their flesh pierced hurt them a lot, making them screech and wail in pain.

Some even had their chests and heads pierced. Those ones died instantly.

♦️ You have killed 4× Peak Iron Rank Mystical Fire Apes. You have gained +200 EXP.

♦️ You have blocked 20 attacks using Wind.

♦️ The requirement to upgrade the Wind Manipulation skill has been met.

♦️ Skill Unlocked: Azure Wind

♦️ Effects: Allows you to create Azure Winds. Azure Winds can be as harmless as a gentle breeze or sharper than a blade, cutting through steel like a hot knife through butter. They can be weightless, or they can be heavy. When you are creating them, your thoughts determine their properties. The cost is determined by the volume and properties of the Azure Winds you intend to create. The larger the volume and the more unique the Azure Wind, the heavier its cost.