NOVEL WEB Chapter 121: Growth
After several more rounds of grinding in Extreme Mode, days passed. Ryuzen reached Level 29.
Venus: Level 26
Irina: Level 31
Felix: Level 28
Rudos: Level 27
Ryuzen's current stats were:
[ Status ]
Name: Ryuzen De Manus
Age: 6 Years
Race/Bloodline: Solarfrost Imperial Dragon (S), Abyssal Cursed Serpent (B)
Lifespan: 700 years
Level: 29
Attributes
Strength: 580 (+105)
Agility: 573 (+105)
Vitality: 610 (+110)
Mana: 4307 (+800)
Nether: 430 (+200)
Skills (Battle/Utility)
• Lightning Manipulation (D)
• Eclipse Cataclysmic Roar (D)
• Ice Guardian Armour (D)
• Solar Cryo Lance (D)
• Mist Phantom Steps (D)
• Crimson Apex Frenzy (D)
• Abyssal Grasp (D)
• Sun Dragon's Gaze (E)
• Half Dragonification (E)
Skill Tree
Manus (D)
Dark Abilities (Abyssal Cursed Serpent)
• Abyssal Cursed Serpent Transformation
• Cursed Tongue
• Petrification Eyes
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Ryu's level might be lower than Irina, but he was stronger her. He was slowly becoming a walking calamity.
And now it was time for the next trial:
The Junior Blood Legion stood once more at the entrance of the Chrysalis Forest. The air here was different than before—thicker, suffocating, as though the forest itself had grown aware of their intrusion and was prepared to swallow them whole. The shadows between the trees seemed to move with a life of their own. The vines were darker, slick with glistening sap that gave off a sickly-sweet, metallic scent.
They had now chosen Hell Mode.
No turning back.
The runic gate flared with crimson light as they stepped through, and the air behind them folded shut like the jaws of a predator. The instant their boots touched the soil, the sound of chittering surrounded them.
"Stay sharp, guys. We haven't fought hell mode before. So be careful. And Venus, no reckless move, " Ryuzen said, his voice low but firm, golden eyes scanning the blackened canopy above.
Venus pouted softly but nodded.
After all, he wasn't exaggerating. The Chrysalis Forest was no longer lush green—it was bathed in a perpetual twilight, the skies above swirling with murky clouds that occasionally flashed with blood-red lightning. Massive ant tunnels split the ground, steaming with sulfurous heat. The air itself was heavy, pressing on their lungs.
The chittering grew louder.
Then, the swarm came.
Dozens—no, hundreds—of massive ants poured from the tunnels and treetops, their mandibles clicking in unison like the snapping of bones. Their carapaces glowed faintly with eerie patterns, pulsing with elemental colors—fiery reds, icy blues, venomous greens. Each one carried elemental affinity, unlike the simpler drones they had faced before.
"Alright. In formation!" Ryuzen roared, stepping forward and unleashing Eclipse Cataclysmic Roar. A shockwave of burning light and shadow exploded from his chest, staggering the first wave of ants and scattering them momentarily.
But the swarm did not stop.
Venus twirled her gloves, fire bursting from its edge. "Here they come!" She leapt into the fray, carving a burning path through three at once, their bodies splitting apart in sizzling arcs.
Irina dozens of clones loosed arrow after arrow, each shot glowing with mana, piercing through armored joints. Her face was pale, but her hands were steady, every arrow guided by determination more than fear.
Felix darted in and out of the crowd, dual blood blades flashing. He fought like a whirlwind, his movements chaotic yet precise, severing antennae and gouging through glowing carapaces. But even he gritted his teeth as the swarm pressed closer.
"There's no end to them!"
"Argh!" A sudden scream from Venus. She staggered as an ant's mandibles tore across her thigh, crimson blood spraying the ground.
"Venus!" Ryuzen roared.
Before panic could set in, Rudos slammed his staff against the soil, summoning a pillar of shimmering green light. Healing Wave washed over Venus's wound, knitting flesh and pushing back the bleeding. "Stay in motion! If you falter, you'll be buried alive!"
The battle stretched on, every second feeling longer than the last. The ants were not mindless—they coordinated, some unleashing elemental bursts from their jaws, others tunneling beneath and erupting to bite at their legs.
Ryuzen tanked the brunt alone. His golden-slit eyes glowed with fury, claws carving arcs of destruction. Each swing of his arms split bodies apart, but for every one he felled, three more closed in.
"Solar Cryo Lance!"
He summomed, manifesting a massive spear of blazing frost-fire in his hand, hurling it into the thickest cluster.
"Boooom!"
It exploded, freezing and incinerating dozens at once, yet the swarm only screeched louder.
"Sizzle!"
The battle became a storm of fire, blood, and smoke.
Venus rose again and fought like a lioness, even with blood soaking her leg. Every strike of her glaive was fueled with raw willpower, the flames burning brighter as she screamed into the chaos.
Irina's quiver grew lighter, but her clones became sharper. They adapted quickly, no longer wasting shots. Each arrow went for an eye, a joint, a weak spot. The timid girl who once froze in fear now stood tall amidst hellfire, her bowstring snapping like thunder.
Felix was a blur of red, his blood blades drenched in ichor. He darted under legs, climbed onto carapaces, stabbed down into necks.
He was laughing now, manic but alive, as if he had finally found freedom in the chaos.
And Rudos—sweat poured down his face as he channeled spell after spell, healing torn flesh, reinforcing bones, even casting minor wards to deflect venom strikes. His hands shook, but he never stopped. "Move! Don't fall! Not here, not now!"
The swarm pressed harder.
Venus's armor was chipped. Felix had gashes running across his arms. Irina's breathing was ragged. Even Ryuzen bled from a dozen shallow cuts. But none of them broke. They kept pushing, their eyes burning with the fire of survival.
The ground was littered with carcasses. Crushed shells, steaming fluids, burning ichor stained the once-verdant soil black. The smell was nauseating, but it was also the scent of their growth.
Ryuzen leapt high, then crashed into the ground, unleashing Crimson Apex Frenzy, his claws tearing a circle of destruction around him.
"Keep fighting! Don't give them ground!"
And so they did.
Minutes blurred into an hour, the endless swarm grinding against their willpower. Injuries stacked, but so did their determination. Every scar hardened them, every drop of blood forged them stronger. They shouted for each other, fought for each other, bled for each other.
At one point, Felix was knocked down, mandibles closing around his shoulder. Before he could scream, Venus cleaved the ant in two, snarling, "Stand up, damn you!" And he did, grinning through blood, fighting harder than before.
Irina nearly collapsed from exhaustion, but Rudos grabbed her shoulder, flooding her body with mana. "Not yet! Not until we're out of here alive!" She nodded, eyes fierce, and loosed another volley that cut down a whole line of ants.
And Ryuzen—every breath was fire, every heartbeat thunder. He roared again and again, his dragon soul resonating with the flames and ice around him, guiding his allies through the storm.
Finally, at last, the swarm began to falter. The last of the massive ants collapsed, twitching, their glowing patterns dimming into lifeless husks.
Silence fell.
The team stood amidst mountains of carcasses, their bodies battered and bloodied, but their eyes alive with something new.
Growth.
Rudos collapsed to one knee, panting. "We… we actually survived Hell Mode…"
Venus dropped her glaive into the soil, chest heaving. "I feel like… my bones are broken in three places."
Felix spat blood, wiping his mouth with a bloody hand. "It was worth it."
Irina sat heavily on a stone, clutching her bow. She didn't speak—just smiled, faint but radiant.
And Ryuzen stood in the center, blood dripping from his claws, golden eyes blazing. He looked at them all.
"Don't be at ease. We have yet to beat the final Boss."