CHAPTER 16: THAT POWER SHOULDN’T EXISTS

A couple seconds passed and then the sound of hurried footsteps and clicking gear echoed through the rocky clearing. I tensed up as I gripped my sword tighter but then I relaxed when I saw the familiar silhouettes emerging from the shadows.

Dasheen, Ketara and Jet burst I to the view with their eyes wide as they took in the surrounding.

"Was that the boss monster?" Jet blurted out, his voice cracked as he stared at the dissipating remains. His lanky frame froze mid step, as his goggles fogged up from the steam still rising from the ground. "No way that’s the boss monster..."

Ketara tossed her fiery red hair and crossed her arms, raising an eyebrow. "Valeria, you absolute snake! You took down a gate boss solo? I knew you had it in you, even with those baby hands of yours!" She grinned, punching the air like she was already celebrating.

Valeria’s eyes widened and she waved her hands frantically as her cheeks flushed red. "No, no, no! It wasn’t me! Levi did it!"

The squad fell silent and threw pairs of eyes swiveled to me, still slumped against a small boulder, looking like I’d been dragged through a volcano and a blizzard at the same time.

Their expressions were a mix of disbelief and admiration.

"Levi?" Jet’s jaw dropped so low I have sworn it hit the ground. His goggles slid down to his nose and he fumbled to push them back up. "You’re telling me noodle boy..."

Dasheen however, was calm, tilted his head and his dark eyes narrowed as he studied me. His massive broadsword rested on his shoulder and his quiet presence seemed to ground the tantrum. "Is that true Levi?"

Ketara wasn’t having it. Her hands flew to her hips, her voice rising like a gun. "Hold up! You’re saying Levi took down the boss monster? By himself? No offense, Valeria, but you were keeping him from bleeding out the whole time, right?"

Valeria nodded and a small smile tugged at her lips. "Yeah, but he’s the one who figured out how to make them cancel each other out... It was quite brilliant if you you guys were fast enough you would have witnessed it".

"What do you mean by... Cancel each other out?" Jet muttered.

I pushed myself off the boulder, ignoring the ache in my muscles, and stepped toward the still fading remains of the Elemental dogs. A faint glint caught my eye and it was the Anti-arcane stone from the creature. It was no bigger than my fist and it had a hexagonal shape with a whole in the middle. Next to it lay the Canine Blood Locket, I knelt down to pick both items as the rest of the squad watched me.

Ding!

~Congratulations, Task complete: Defeat the gate boss Elemental Dogs~

~Reward: Canine Blood Locket~

~Stat Points awarded~

~Experience points awarded and waiting for allocation~

"Alright..." I muttered to myself.

"Sorry guys," I said, this audibly so the rest could hear, and turning to face them. "I’m gonna have to take this stone for myself."

Just like I expected, the reaction was immediate and almost hilarious.

Jet’s goggles literally popped off his head as he choked on his saliva. "Wha... What!? You’re claiming the loot? The boss Anti-arcane stone?"

Ketara’s face turned as red as her hair and her fists balled I tight as she secured her club behind her back. "You can’t just take it, Levi! That magical stone is gonna be worth a lot— hundreds of Urns maybe thousands! You think you deserve it just because you got lucky and didn’t die? Valeria’s the reason you’re not a pile of ash or a stiff block of ice right now..."

Jet nodded furiously in agreement, pointing a gloved finger at me. "Yeah, what she said! Hand it over! We’re a team and the loot gets to be split fair and square!"

I raised an eyebrow, trying not to chuckle at their over the top reactions. Jet looked like a startled owl and Ketara was practically steaming like fire head of the Elemental dogs.

Dasheen, however was calm and tight when the other two tried to make a move, he raised a hand and his deep voice cut through the chaos like a blade.

"Enough..." He said, with a tone that was but calm and commanding. Ketara and jet fell silent, though they glare at him with mighty contempt.

Dasheen ’s eyes locked onto mine, his expression steady and unreadable. "Levi, what do you need the stone for? Explain yourself... Ketara and Jet are right, we are supposed to split the cake equally amongst ourselves..."

I took a deep breath, rolling the Anti-arcane stone in my hand and the locket in my pocket. It was refreshing to see that one of them at least wanted to know the reason behind my intended action, Dasheen had always been gentle when it came to me and I was counting on him to understand.

"Because," I said, meeting Dasheen’s gaze, "I’m about to show you my core talent. I can turn gate bosses into my personal Arcane pet."

The silence that followed was several decibels above deafening. Jet’s goggles slid down his nose again and this time he didn’t bother fixing them. Ketara’s mouth opened, then closed, then opened yet again, like a fish gasping for air. Even Dasheen’s calm expression cracked and his eyebrows shot up as he leaned forward slightly.

"Your... What?" Valeria spoke up from beside the boulder.

"You’re telling me you can tame fate bosses? They are made of Anti-arcane energy how can you tame them, they literally rip you to shreds!,"Ketara said.

Jet let out a nervous laugh, running a hand through his messy hair. "No way. No way. With that kind of power you’re definitely an S-Rank Awakened, A-Rank at least! You’re definitely pulling our legs right?"

Dasheen didn’t say anything, but his eyes flicked bro the Anti-arcane stone in my hand, then back to me. "That’s how you got the great serpent... It was originally a boss monster, but somehow you killed it and it was reborn but this time as pure Arcane energy allowing you to tame it..."

I nodded, my heart pounding softly. "It’s name is Naga..."

"So, if you can turn gate bosses into your personal Arcane pet... What kind of talent is that! I don’t think such thing should exist...!" Valeria yelled as she walked into view a few steps beside Ketara.

"Show us..." Dasheen intoned.

"Alright," I said, stepping back towards the center of the clearing. "Stand back. This might get messy."

Ding!

~Shadow Creature Elemental Dogs can be reborn using your reward item Canine Blood Locket~

~Do you wish to begin the rebirth process?~

~Yes~

~No~

~...~