The Elemental Altar
Has the advanced class been triggered?
I never expected that I would trigger the Shadow Dancer's advanced class.
Soren glanced at the others, a hint of joy on his face, and slowly said, "I've broken through. I feel I've gained some insight into the techniques!"
The Halfling looked at him as if he were a monster.
Goria's expression was also quite strange. In just a few short minutes, Soren's combat skills had improved dramatically, which was quite astonishing even to the learned Witch. Only Vivian didn't care about anything, clapping her small, white hands and saying with sparkling eyes, "Brother is so amazing! He was just toying with the monster!"
Two Feat that increase Dodge ability.
While it couldn't compare to his former [Legendary Dodge], [Legendary Reflexes Dodge], and [Legendary Intuitive Evasion], it still allowed Soren to rediscover the ease and control he once possessed in battle. Even in perilous situations, he could find that composure, like dancing on a knife's edge. Feat are improved little by little; once you grasp the most basic Feat and possess the attribute requirements to Feat, further improvement is just a matter of time. With more and more battles, basic Feat will gradually advance into higher-level Feat.
Normal Dodge is a comprehensive ability, and it is Dodge technique that is derived from agile professions such as the Rogue.
Evasion is adjusted based on agility; the higher the agility, the faster the neural reflexes, and the stronger the ability to Dodge in unexpected situations. Finally, there's Intuitive Evasion Dodge, the most difficult and effective Dodge technique, requiring extremely strong perception to anticipate any dangerous attack. Monk are experts in Improved Intuitive Evasion. If ordinary Dodge is an improvement on basic skills, then Evasion is an instinctive reaction in unexpected situations, while Intuitive Evasion is the intuitive perception of impending danger before the enemy launches or prepares to attack.
[Intuitive Evasion] is one of the most difficult Feat to master. Apart from Monk and their advanced classes, other classes need to spend a considerable amount of time training it!
Furthermore, it requires a relatively high level of perception, and in the later stages, one needs to accumulate one's attributes to achieve Transcendent Wisdom.
Monk have many Dodge techniques, and can also develop Feat called [Deflect Arrows].
The Halfling stared at Soren with considerable astonishment, muttering, "Want another one?"
Soren shook his head slightly and said slowly, "That's it. I've almost reached my limit. To improve further, I'll probably need to accumulate more combat experience. I've been having some insights lately, but I only just found the opportunity to break through."
Being able to master two Feat in one go is already a testament to the culmination of years of hard work.
Soren wasn't naive enough to think he could improve again so quickly. His subsequent Dodge techniques had strict requirements; he had just barely reached the critical point of a breakthrough, and the Spell amplified the effect. These instinctive bodily reactions accumulate gradually. The more battles one fights, the stronger the instinctive reaction becomes, eventually leading to an unconscious ability to Dodge.
"Then let's speed things up."
Goria gave Soren a deep look, then said softly, "The Spell only has a dozen minutes left."
Soren nodded, picked up his Scimitar, and entered the canyon. The Halfling glanced at him enviously before gripping his short sword and following. This kind of breakthrough in battle truly required talent; perhaps only one in a hundred Rogue could achieve it on the spot. They needed a long time to accumulate experience. Inside the canyon, a large altar could be seen, surrounded by massive stone pillars about ten meters high on all four sides. The center was divided into nine steps, with a stone platform at the very center resembling a compass.
The Earth Elemental on the outer perimeter is relatively fine, but the Earth Elemental inside is noticeably different.
They are larger, have more rock-like structures all over their bodies, and even their appearance is more humanoid.
"Be careful," Soren said in Scimitar, gripping his scimitar. "These Earth Elemental might be advanced elites; some of them might have mastered the [Earth Throw] skill. If you see them pick up stones, get far away from them immediately."
Earth Throw.
A Spell- like ability, the Earth Elemental can gather energy to throw a giant rock. The damage can reach around 100 points.
Getting hit by it means instant death.
Most Elemental Life lack intelligence, even less than the Undead. Intelligent Elemental Life are Legendary beings, such as Djinni, Marid, and Dao; these are considered Divine Being. Many are born with Demigod- Divine Rank divine Elemental Life and can occasionally summon Greater Divinity Elemental Overdeity. A well-known Summoning Spell is the Legendary Tier [Wish. Elemental Genie will grant some of your wishes based on the principle of equivalent exchange, including even resurrecting the dead!
These are the oldest living beings, most of them slumbering in the Elemental Plane. Elemental Life that appear in the Material Plane are mostly of low intelligence, relying entirely on instinct to move around in certain areas, and occasionally responding to the call of Spellcaster to serve them. The Earth Elemental before us are like this; they have existed here for a very long time and basically do not leave the canyon area.
Soren made a gesture to the Halfling beside him.
The two joined forces again to draw the Earth Elemental's attention, the Halfling restraining the enemy while Soren seized the opportunity to deal damage. Goria glanced at the altar in the distance, her delicate brows furrowing slightly, a hint of unease in her expression. She looked up at the sky; it seemed a falcon was circling overhead, but due to the poor visibility in the canyon, she couldn't be sure if it was a wild falcon. Wizard are generally very vigilant, Goria cast another Abjuration Spell before approaching.
A pure Spellcaster will never use up all their Spell; they will always save a few Spell to deal with unexpected situations.
One, two, three.
When Soren faced the ninth Earth Elemental, the situation in the battle suddenly changed.
The much taller Earth Elemental waved its hand, and a massive rock, weighing about half a ton, flew automatically into its grasp. It then hurled the rock at the persistent little mouse. The enormous rock, accompanied by a whistling sound, fell like a dark shadow from the sky, instantly creating a deep crater in the ground.
"Aladdin!?" Soren shouted, slowing his attack by a fraction.
A voice, still shaken, came from behind the rock. The small, Halfling -like figure emerged from behind it, patting his chest. "That scared me to death! I was so close to becoming a meat patty!"
With the agility of Rogue, dodging is not difficult if one is prepared; however, it would be more troublesome for Warrior.
The Earth Elemental's Earth Throw can only be used once or twice a day, so Soren dared not be careless. At the same time, he activated the Shadow Assassination ability, which, while attacking the Advanced Earth Elemental, also inflicted an additional 6 points of Shadow Damage. Shadow energy can directly attack the Earth Elemental's energy core, and once it makes contact, it can erode the Elemental Energy it constitutes. The Halfling seemed to have been provoked by a hint of anger as well, and while attacking, he also launched a Shadow Assassination energy attack.
This is the most common Spell attack among Rogue Legendary rank!
The advanced Earth Elemental quickly fell to the ground. After Soren retrieved the Elemental Core, he rushed towards the altar. The nearby Earth Elemental had already been mostly killed.
Their Spell enhancements are also about to wear off.
Scattered Earth Elemental still roam the vicinity, maintaining a safe distance to avoid attracting their attention.
"Where's the treasure?" The Halfling approached the altar excitedly, whispering, "It's completely empty, there's nothing here at all!"
Soren cautiously surveyed his surroundings, then slowly said, "There should be a hidden compartment up there."
"Don't rush up yet, let me check if there are any traps nearby."
After speaking, he circled the altar briefly. There were still scattered Earth Elemental nearby, but dealing with them without Spell would be troublesome. Although Soren regretted wasting the Slaughter Experience, it was better not to kill them all. These places connected to Portal were special; things from Elemental Plane might come over. Killing them all would easily alert something like Spirit of the Earth. He had learned this the hard way before; after killing all the smaller ones, an older one would suddenly appear.
He subtly gestured behind him, Goria immediately prepared to cast a spell, while Vivian stood nervously beside her.
As he passed a stone pillar, Soren gently pressed it, and the altar immediately emitted a thunderous roar, revealing a hidden compartment to the others. Portal require energy to maintain, and the offerings to Elemental Life are mostly gems. These items are never exposed; they are usually located somewhere within the altar. He gestured to the Halfling beside him, who immediately walked over excitedly, carefully pulled out several gems, and quickly stuffed them into his pocket.
Soren walked slowly along the altar. He paused briefly, then plucked a yellowish-brown stone from the left corner of the altar and quickly put it in his pocket. It was an inconspicuous stone, without any obvious spiritual light; if one didn't look closely, one might mistake it for an ordinary rock. The stone was about the size of a pebble, with a rather smooth surface, but it felt heavy when picked up, weighing nearly three pounds.
I've received the item!
Soren immediately glanced at the Halfling and said in a deep voice, "Grab your things and leave quickly. The Portal here is malfunctioning and might alert the creatures of the Elemental Plane."
The altar emitted a deafening rumble.
It felt as if the ground had sank a little. The Halfling quickly filled their Bag of Holding with things. Fortunately, there weren't many Gold Daler; most of them were various kinds of gems.
Higher-level elements sometimes consume them directly, like chewing beans, one crunchy bite at a time.
Knock knock knock!
A dull thud came from beneath the altar. Soren, disregarding the remaining gems, grabbed the Halfling and ran towards the altar's exit. There was probably an elemental spirit sleeping beneath; hopefully, it wasn't something like Spirit of the Earth.
"Me!... My jewel!..."
The Halfling ' cries of agony still echoed when Goria swiftly cast a spell, and the four figures flew into the air.
--"Mass Fly!"
The altar trembled faster and faster, and its center even began to collapse. When Soren and the others flew to an altitude of about 300 meters, a huge rock arm suddenly emerged from the ground, followed by a Stone Giant about ten meters tall. It made a dull sound, which looked like a roar, but there was no trace of anyone nearby. The huge figure circled the canyon once, and then went back into the ground beneath the altar, which had now become a pile of gravel ruins.
"That was close!" The Halfling wiped away a cold sweat, looked at the enormous elemental monster, and muttered, "We can't handle this behemoth."
Soren maintained a calm expression, but inwardly he cursed, "I knew they were hiding something. How could Legendary- level mission be announced so easily? So there really are guardians below."
The more adventures you take, the more experience you gain.
Soren didn't really believe that Legendary- level quest would only involve some Earth Elemental guardians, which was why he had always arranged for Goria to stay behind, ready to use Fly to leave when necessary. The monster below was probably Stone Giant, an advanced branch of Earth Elemental, only slightly weaker than Elemental Elder, with CR of around 18-20.
This is not something they can handle.
Soren glanced at the canyon from afar, calculating in his mind what level of strength would be needed to safely take it down.
This guy must give an extremely high amount of Slaughter Experience!
...(To be continued~^~)