Chapter 317 Trial Of Hydra (3)
Chapter 317 Trial Of Hydra (3)
'How... my perception skill isn't working?' Ashton thought while wiping dust off of himself.
Even though Hydra used most of his strength in that attack, the short tail did not do much damage. Thanks to [Blood Armour] skill.
[You thought the trial was going to be simple? The trials mess with your senses and technically, your Perception is a sense as well. As a result, it was compromised in this trial and possibly for the rest of them as well.]
'I really am a lazy bastard.' Ashton shook his head, 'How could I not notice it earlier? Thankfully, the tail did not break any bones or shit. But I should be careful regardless.'
Since [Perception] was the first skill Ashton had learned, therefore, he never had an opportunity to fight without it and he had subconsciously developed some sort of dependence on it. It was one of the important skills in Ashton's arsenal. Fighting without it was going to be a pain.
But the reality was a bit different since he had been fighting well with the hydra without realising it. Upon noticing that, Ashton became confident he could fight back. All he needed to do was keep the rest of his senses at their peak performance. Or... use a broken ability to aide him.
[You're deadset on killing the Hydra?]
'Nope. I'm still aiming for the time to run out. But until it does, I'm gonna have a bit of fun myself.'
[I know that smile... you reckless bastard, you are aiming for Hydra's skill!]
'It would be a waste not to.' Ashton's smile got even wider.
Whether it be the Hydra's regeneration speed or the poison ability, Ashton did not care as long as he could get his hands on one of those two skills. However, if he could choose one ability, he would go for the poison one.
After all, he already had quite an effective healing ability in the form of [Regeneration]. Not to mention, he had no interest in spouting dual limbs or heads like the Hydra. Having multiple heads might suit the monster, but it definitely wouldn't suit someone like him.
With these reasons in his mind, Ashton was leaning towards learning the poison skill more than Hydra's regen ability. As for the Hydra, maybe he sensed Ashton's ominous stare or maybe his reaction was from the pain of losing his head, but the creature immediately charged at his enemy.
Ashton saw the Hydra sprinting towards him, yet he did not move from the stop. Instead, he waited for the enraged creature to get closer. Patience was going to be the key to victory, reckless moves won't do him any good.
Even though he wasn't a Xyran or a Precursor, Ashton was still quite strong. Strong enough to hold his ground until the time ran out. The Hydra, on the other hand, wanted to end his opponent as soon as possible. Thus, was bound to make mistakes.
'Let's heat up your anger a bit more, Shall we?'
The relaxed expression on Ashton's face was an indicator of what was going to happen next. However, by the time Hydra realised something was wrong, it was already too late.
[Skill: <Heaven's Downfall> has been activated. Hellfire has been summoned.]
In a flash, the area within a fifteen-metre radius of Ashton was turned into a pit of raging black flames. The scales around Hydra might have been strong, and impenetrable, but the same wasn't true for the padding underneath Hydra's feet.
The scale should be strong enough to tolerate the heat of the flames. Also, Hydra's regeneration might heal the burn instantly. That's what Ashton thought before activating the skill.
However, Hellfire wasn't an ordinary fire. It would not allow the Hydra to heal the wounds because of their unique property of sticking to a target. It didn't matter whether the Hydra could heal the burn wounds or not because the fire underneath his feet would never stop.
Nevertheless, what happened next was completely out of Ashton's 'precise' calculations. When Ashton used normal fire to cauterise the severed head, nothing happened to the poison cloud around the Hydra.
But the moment Hellfire touched came in contact with the poisonous smoke, it resulted in a loud explosion. For a moment it felt as if the twin stars from above had descended on Euphoria, themselves. The light was blinding.
Ashton was forced to close his eyes as the shockwave from the explosion flung him far away. A moment later, the bright light faded away... leaving behind a gigantic crater of fire. It took a while for Ashton to get back on his feet, but when he did it almost felt as if he was standing in hell itself.
The crater, which was roughly a kilometre wide, had turned into a gateway to hell. In the middle of which was the Hydra. Parts of his body were still on fire as hundreds of scales had been torn off its back, exposing its soft flesh.
Hydra was injured, but the resilient bastard was still alive as well as 5 of its remaining 8 heads were still intact. Nevertheless, it was clear the fight was more or less... over.
"Fire immunity saved my ass." Ashton let out a sigh of relief, "Had it not been for that, I would probably have been advertised as 'Euphoria's Fried Tribrid' or something."
[Don't ever throw punchlines... I beg you. Either way, I'm afraid your suit didn't quite make it.]
Ashton looked down and sighed again. He wasn't naked, but he was barely clothed as his suit was in tatters. It was certainly a sight Celeste would have killed the Hydra to see.
"I knew something like this could happen," Ashton smiled while pulling another spacesuit out of the inventory, "that's why I came prepared."
Once in his new suit, Ashton headed inside the crater. Hellfire coupled with the poisonous smoke had done quite a number on the Hydra. While the creature's eyes were still as hateful as they had been before, there was no denying it was the hate that came after defeat.
"Shall we end this farce then?"
Ashton steadied Balmond to sever another head when a notification interrupted him.
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The trial has been concluded.
Official results: The Hydra is unable to fight anymore. The participant wins by default. Since an impossible feat has been achieved, additional rewards would be provided.
The participant will be teleported out of the trial zone in: 10 seconds.
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"What the hell!?" Ashton yelled, before lunging towards the nearest severed head.
He wasn't going to let his labour go to waste like this. Even if he couldn't finish the Hydra, he was at least taking some of the Hydra's flesh with him. At the last possible moment, he managed to store a severed head in his inventory before he was teleported away.
The following moment, he was back to where he had started. But the instant he was out of the Hydra trial zone, he was greeted by the sight of a curious and shocked mob.
The look in their eyes was enough to tell Ashton all he needed to know... none of them had expected to come out of there alive. Yet there he was, standing in front of them as if nothing had happened.
But Ashton's gaze immediately shifted towards the screen in front of him. He rubbed his eyes and looked at it again... but nothing changed.
'Is this for real?'
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Rewards for clearing the trial:
10 stats points increase in all stats.
1000 HP increase.
2000 Mana increase.
500 Dark aura increase.
Special Reward: (Title) [Hydra's Adversary]: Damage dealt to all mythical creatures increased by 12%. Damage dealt to all reptilian creatures increased by 24%. Armour increased by 20% when facing a mythical or a reptilian being.
Rewards for subduing [Hydra]:
Poison immunity.
[Hydra's scale Armour]
Hydra's Blood: 500 ml.
Rewards for being the first one to complete the trial in 10,000 years:
Unknown Creature's Egg.
5 level increase for all genes.
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