BIOLOGICAL SUPERCOMPUTER SYSTEM-Chapter 1255: Rescue trip (11)
Erik burst into action. A fit of coughing from the acrid gas that filled the room gave him a slower start, but he started channeling his healing powers to fix any damage the creature's brain crystal power created.
[Are you alright?] the system asked. It knew his lungs were burning and that his eyes were watering, but the system also knew Erik was channeling mana as it was asking.
<Yeah, but that thing did a number on my lungs. Still having trouble getting a clean breath.>
[You should activate your healing power. Your respiratory system is damaged.]
<I'm already doing that.> Erik kept channeling mana through his neural links, focusing his brain crystal power on his lungs and eyes.
The soothing energy spread through his chest, repairing the burns left by the beast's corrosive gas. After a few seconds, his breathing returned to normal.
[How do you feel now?] The system asked.
<Much better.>
Erik then focused his attention back on the snake-like thaid.
<That thing is insanely fast.>
[I don't doubt you will still catch it.]
Yet, even though Erik healed himself, he still couldn't catch up to the monster, which smoothly slid its huge body through the building and got farther and farther from him.
Erik was losing it again, so he started channeling mana through his neural links as he prepared to unleash a wind blade.
It was a risky move that could damage the building's structure and potentially trap them inside, but with the creature getting away and no other options available, Erik felt he had to try something drastic.
[Wait!] The system stopped him before he could unleash his powers. [The building's structural integrity is already compromised as it is. A wind blade could bring the whole place down on us!]
Erik gritted his teeth, forcing the gathered mana to dissipate. The snake-like thaid was widening the gap between them.
<Fine. Let's try something else then.>
Erik channeled mana through his Absolute Castle neural links, but instead of forming armor, he concentrated on the power beneath his feet. That was the best part of Nathaniel's power.
Each step released a small concussive burst, propelling him forward and making him cover more ground.
Erik didn't try this earlier because he needed to assess the beast's capabilities first. He knew from experience that rushing in without knowing an opponent's strength could be fatal.
The creature might have hidden abilities or defenses that could catch him off guard. By observing its movements and attacks, he could come up with a strategy rather than risk everything on raw power alone.
The force waves cracked the floor tiles behind him, but the controlled bursts weren't strong enough to threaten the building's stability.
[Much better. The concussive bursts are giving you the speed you need without risking structural damage. Keep it up!]
<Thanks Captain Obvious!>
However, Erik didn't just do this. He also started channeling mana through Telekinesis's neural links. The force wrapped around the thaid's body, trying to slow it down.
The creature's muscles tensed against the psychic grip, its scales rippling as it fought the restraining power.
The thaid was massive and too strong, which made it harder for Erik to keep it closer to him. Besides, telekinesis depended on visual clues, so every time he lost sight of the creature, his grip on it disappeared.
While Erik's telekinesis tugged at its tail section, disrupting its movement, the creature's strength was enough to power through the tug. Yet the beast noticed what was happening and turned.
It didn't understand how the human was able to do all of that, but it didn't care. Its head whipped around, its jaws snapped open, releasing another spray of acid that cut through the air toward Erik's chest.
<Fuck!>
The acidic liquid splashed harmlessly against a shimmering barrier of mana that Erik created the instant he noticed the beast's head turning.
The barrier materialized just in time, positioned perfectly to intercept the spray of corrosive fluid before it could reach him.
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The liquid was unable to penetrate the barrier generated by Absolute Wall.
Thick white steam rose from the barrier where the acid made contact, hissing and curling upward in clouds of gas.
Erik's defenses held firm, and with the acid neutralized, he pushed forward through his barrier while creating a new one as he advanced.
That moment of counterattack cost the beast precious seconds, and it gave Erik the opening he needed and closed the remaining distance between them. The thaid realized its mistake too late, its body already coiling to resume its escape.
Erik channeled mana into his palm, condensing it into a blade of pure energy, a flyssa. That was one of the advantages of his Elemental Lord brain crystal power. It could not only control the elements, but also condense them into creating physical constructs. That resulted from the slime-making brain crystal power; he merged with all the brain crystal powers that concurred to create Elemental Lord. Of course, Erik had other options in case that wouldn't work.
Erik didn't waste a second and swung the blade mercilessly.
The mana blade got minimal resistance as it passed through the creature's neck. For a moment, nothing seemed to happen, but then the thaid's head toppled forward, separated from its body.
The snake thrashed for a second before going still, its concrete-colored scales already beginning to dull as life faded from the monster.
[Hostile creature killed: Mana absorbing process starting.]
[0%...1%....5%...30%...70%...100%]
[Mana successfully absorbed, starting conversion procedure.]
[3...2...1...0]
[Mana successfully absorbed into experience. 2,107,212,049.90 experience points and 21,072,120.50 DNA points were awarded to the host.]
Erik felt the surge of energy stream through his body, reaching the neural links, and last, his brain crystal.
However, he stepped back from the body, both because he didn't want to risk more surprises and also because he needed a little space to breathe.
[Damn, that thing was fast!] The system said.
<Yeah! I didn't realize!>
The system didn't miss Erik's sarcasm.
[Hey, at least we are done now. Hopefully, there won't be other monsters in this building. That thing was strong, so I guess anything that stumbled here must have died.]
Erik shivered because most of the time someone said words like that, the opposite happened. It was good for his friends, but that also meant there was potentially something else in that damn building.
Erik sighed.
<Well, the analysis said it. I wasn't going to get a lot of experience given the low energy points this thing had.>
[Two billion experience points and you're disappointed? Sometimes I wonder if anything makes you happy,] the system said.
<It's not that much considering how troublesome that thing was and how high its stats were. Well, aside from its energy attribute...>
The system did the equivalent of rolling its eyes. It was just that it didn't have eyes to begin with.
[Let me get this straight—you just took down a creature with strength and dexterity stats that would terrify most people, and that was on par with you, the strongest human being in the world, and you did it without breaking that much of a sweat.]
Erik tried to argue, but the system continued.
[You countered its ambush tactics, using one of your own to get the change to study its weakness, and defeated it using powers mostly used for their utility, rather than their might. No massive energy attacks, no desperate measures. Just smart combat application of your abilities, and you are complaining about the amount of experience it gave?]
Erik would have been able to hunt it earlier if he had used all his powers. However, since he started his journey through Mur, he preferred being cautious. Thaids here were not only stronger but also smarter, and this thing just gave him proof of that.
Before attacking it as he did now, it was better to read its status, which neither Erik nor the system had time to do earlier. Someone might have said that Erik's approach was too cautious, but he begged to differ.
Erik paused, considering the system's words. He had to admit; the fight had gone surprisingly well once he'd figured out the creature's strength, or better, when he realized he didn't actually need to be that cautious against it.
Fear was what prevented Erik from killing it earlier.
Getting stronger wasn't just a matter of experience points and mana, but also of battle experience and tactics.
Most importantly, in Erik's case, it was all about getting past the fear of the creatures here on Mur. Inside the forest close to the shores, where he had made his base, thaids were weaker than this.
Not that much, considering they all had around 450-590 strength points, and massive amounts of mana, but it was still lower than the amount of strength this creature had.
<I guess you have a point. I'm getting better at reading these situations.>
[Exactly. And more importantly, you're learning how to gauge the power scale here on Mur. That creature might have seemed weak compared to some of what we'll face, but it wasn't, and you handled it well. That's progress; that's learning.]
