Level-Up Apocalypse: Surviving With The Assimilation System
Chapter 176: Face The Calamity

After overcoming the First Order and obtaining newfound levels for himself, there was confidence instilled in him as he walked the same path that had led him to an unbeatable encounter before.

Again, he found himself staring up at that jagged peak, only wishing to earn himself proper, stress-free rest.

"Come on out, you half-baked dragon!" Finn commanded impatiently, readying his daggers.

Rumbling shook the ground as he witnessed the clouds swirl and contort around the sharp mountain ahead. That massive silhouette crawled out from behind the peak, revealing itself with that peculiar neck slithering like a serpent.

"You…again you approach me. Arrogant words spew from your mouth, little man—am I misremembering that you are the one that flees?"

["Sleuth Status"]

[...Assessing information about [???]...]

[BOSS Identified: "The Jabberwock"] [Level: 100]

Even facing it now at a much higher level, Finn felt the sheer size and ferocity of the creature oozing like a dense wind.

"The one that flees? That's a funny nickname to call someone," Finn responded as sweat dripped from his cheek.

["Abyssal Agent: Hades"] [Mana: -2000] [2400/4400]

Enveloping himself in the teal flames that shaped itself into armor around his body, strength surged through his body. Immediately with it, the coldness of the mystical blaze settled into his skin in tandem.

"—Oh? A new trick? Interesting, but futile nonetheless," the Jabberwock remarked as it quickly descended from the jagged peak.

The weight of the stone-skinned, draconic monster crashed onto the ashen ground as Finn felt its presence in front of him. Somehow, despite the overwhelming stature of the beast, little fear was felt by Finn.

'Compared to Sirius, it's not all that scary…That was worse—this can be managed,' he thought, squeezing the handles of his daggers.

Though he may steel his own resolve, the idea still sat in his head at the scale of the beast he faced against. As it stood on its hind legs as tall as a tower, commanding black clouds to swirl in the sky and violent thunder to shake the wind, it presented itself as a walking calamity.

"I have sought a meal that has some bite to it, as well. It makes it all the more delectable when I have to work for my supper—so, do not disappoint, small human," the Jabberwock welcomed the challenge as its tongue slithered from its mouth with a ravenous look in its eyes.

"I'm not planning on becoming a meal for anybody, so good luck with that–" Finn responded.

As he got the words out, he was forced to flip back as the beast's hand crashed down, carrying with it a spear of lightning that plunged into the burnt soil.

What felt like an overwhelming torrent of power before was no more than an unruly wind as Finn caught himself on his feet, witnessing the sparks dashing in each direction.

'In terms of lightning, this is nothing compared to Sirius…I can manage against this,' Finn assured himself.

The problem lay in getting close to the Jabberwock, as it continued to slam its hands down, bringing with it explosions of fiery, unstable power that erupted the charred landscape. A [Blink Slash] felt too dangerous–being in such close proximity at all to the unpredictable calamity felt like throwing his life away.

"The one that flees! The one that cowers! It is all but certain when facing the Jabberwock!" The great beast shouted, roaring into the sky as it slammed its hands into the soil, once more causing an eruption of brilliant flames all around it.

No matter how quick or swift he may be, Finn could only watch as pillars of fire rose to the sky, sweeping through the valley like burning tidal waves. None of his nimbleness mattered in the face of such wild, uncaring displays of power.

'This thing fights like a raging toddler. How the hell am I supposed to do anything when it's just spamming attacks like this is a damn fighting game?!' Finn thought.

All that consumed his vision was the sight of the overwhelming inferno, cultivating into crimson geysers that spun and were woven into majestic fireworks that ignited in the sky above. At the same time, the Jabberwock unleashed hellish laughter, parading in the destruction of its own causing, almost performing a dance amidst the cataclysmic fireworks on display.

It was the polar opposite to the God of Heroes in the assassin's mind; a beast that cared for nothing more than destruction.

Attempting to fight it was no different as trying to combat a natural disaster; shooting a gun at a tornado, or slashing a sword at a hurricane–it all felt equally futile and suicidal.

'How am I supposed to even fight something like this? Man, I just want a good night of sleep…Can't I just have a nice dream for once?' He wished.

Even staying in one spot was precarious as the soil boiled beneath his feet, forcing him to move. Steam exuded from the ground as he sprinted around, attempting to replace any sort of opening on the laughing beast.

It almost seemed like he wasn't the focus of the Jabberwock, instead only an excuse for it to relish in destruction once more. The trees around him were lit ablaze by the rain of fire on the desolate world, filling the sky with smoke and his nose with its scent of coal.

'I can try this one out–I haven't had the chance to use it, but it might work–if I'm quick enough, it might be possible to bypass its elements,' he planned.

Experience tales at m v|l e'-NovelFire.net

Readying himself, he tossed his dagger with all of his strength and precision, letting it soar right for the left arm of the grand creature. Just as the blade arrived near its forearm–

["Blade Warp"] [Mana: -100] [2300/4400]

He caught his dagger while setting his footing on the stone skin of the Jabberwock's limb. There was only a split-second before it'd notice him amidst its destructive trance, but that moment was more than enough–

["Supercharge"]

Upon activating the ability, he felt all of his muscles clench up momentarily as a feeling like a million volts running through his veins surfaced. Everything seemed to slow down; the hellfire that rained down trickled down like snowflakes halted by gravity.

Even the movements of the serpentine dragon seemed to be brought down to a slow pace. He began his sprint, moving with elevated speed as he ran along the length of the colossal limb with haste.

'It's like everything is in slow-motion, and I'm faster, but…I can't hold this for long–I already feel my body heating up like I'm in a damn oven,' he thought, pushing a steamed breath past his lips.

Even with the drawbacks, the sheer speed it provided couldn't be overstated. He ran along its body, dragging his blades along with the freezing blaze across the beast's stone skin.

Against the warped flames, even the hardened hide of the Jabberwock gave in; the small incision led the cold to birth into frost that dug into each wound.

A long trail of incisions were left before he reached its hand, priming his blades for its skull before—

"Grk!"

His entire body came to a halt amidst his swift trance, suffering a recoil from the prolonged overclock to his body. It felt like whiplash, nearly knocking him off the colossal body of the beast as he stumbled.

He caught himself just before slipping off of its head, though it was too late as it already began to thrash around wildly.

"You dare trample upon my head, little human?! I'll gobble you up and burn your bones to ash!" The Jabberwock roared.

The sudden movement brought Finn to try and catch his footing, but he was thrown off as the beast whipped its neck around.

'Shit—' Finn thought.

It wasn't just that he fell, he was violently thrown to the side as he rotated himself around in the air.

"—Replication!"

In that split-second before he could be tossed leagues away, a shadow-born copy of himself was created. The doppelgänger grabbed his arm, quickly spinning around and throwing him right back towards the beast.

"—!"

Before he could return to the Jabberwock, it swiped its hand towards him. That massive limb might as well have been a tower being swung for his body.

["Blink Slash"] [2:59]

He arrived once again at the snout of the hideous beast, slashing at its nose as it missed its swipe by a wide margin. It wasn't optimal for Finn; he wished to save the skill for a better use, though was forced into it.

Facing its nostrils that were larger than his body, he slashed his blades in an "X" cross–

["Ripper"] [Mana: -100] [2200/4400]

The evisceration was infused with the freezing flames, cleaving into the decayed nose of the beast. Though it seemed effective, the weird ripple to the Jabberwock's nostrils caused him alarm.

'What's it doing…?' He questioned.

Just as a realization came, he raised his arms to protect himself–

["Impervious"] [4:59]

"ACK…CHOOOOOOOOOO–!"