Name: Corrupt Beastman
Race: Fiend; Monster
Level: 50
HP: 822; Magic: 927; Strength: 335; Agility: 1028
Skills: Evasion 9; Fang Arts 8; Fang Mastery 8; Presence Sense 9; Instant Regeneration 8; Blink 8; Magic Resistance 5; Enhanced Fur
Class Skill: Awaken
Lore: Unknown
This thing…had Awaken?
“Destroy it,” Lumina whispered. “Absorb its crystal…”
I knew it! She’d summoned this so Fran could evolve!
It had taken a lot out of her. The beast was costly to summon, even for a Dungeon Master. She was as white as paper, her cheeks were sunken, and her skin had dried up. That was how far she was willing to go to prepare this test for Fran. Fran knew it, too, and she steeled herself for the fight.
“I’m going in, Teacher!”
Go for it!
She started slashing.
“Raaaaargh!”
“Ungh!”
“Groar!”
“Urk!”
This thing was fast! And it could heal itself as fast as it could move, too! It easily weaved between Fran’s attacks and countered her perfectly.
“Aaaaargh!” The monster let out another terrifying roar as it grew in size. Its fangs and claws grew longer and its stats jumped upward.
“Hrmph.”
It Awakened!
“So fast…!”
I can’t track this thing!
The Corrupt Beastman moved so fast that it was practically invisible. We defended ourselves as best we could with Presence Sense, but it gave us no room to counterattack. As if that weren’t bad enough, it kicked into even higher gear. Claws clanged against steel as the creature scratched at Fran over and over.
“Urgh!”
Heal!
The beast was starting to wear her down. Fran couldn’t strike back, lest she be torn to shreds. None of our enemies had been this fast. I didn’t know how dangerous speed could be! Fran was still the superior swordsman, but the vast difference in speed made it impossible for her to respond.
We’re going nowhere fast! I’m warping us in for an ambush!
“Hm!”
I teleported us to the creature’s rear, but Presence Sense allowed it to react. It immediately moved in to exploit the gap in our defense. Hitting this thing with magic might be easier than melee. I didn’t think it would be that effective, considering its Magic Resistance, but we had to try.
Take this!
I launched an Inferno Burst at the monster as Fran ducked under one of its swipes. The spell caught the creature off guard. A circle of flames consumed it, but the creature soon leaped out, damaged but not dead. The spell worked better than fighting it head-on, but its vast health and Magic Resistance kept it alive. Instant Regeneration would soon recover whatever health it had lost.
“This thing’s dangerous.”
You can say that again. We have to kill it in one hit.
“Hm.”
A one-hit kill was the only way of nullifying its regeneration. We formed a plan. Jet and I would distract the creature as Fran prepared to attack at full force. She looked for an opening where she could counter the creature with a Pressurized Quickdraw. Jet clamped on to the thing’s ankle as it tried to dodge, and I held it in place with a fully charged Telekinesis.
We had to kill this thing in one strike, durability be damned! I put all of my mana into my skills, bowing under the weight of multiple Elemental Blades—Fran with her Thunder, and me with Flame and Storm.
Come ooooon!
“Tssshhh!”
“Graooooorgh!”
The beast tried to get away, but it was too late. I cut it in half, starting from the tip of its head down to its groin. I felt the sensation of slicing crystal as I slashed its heart in two.
“Gwaaaooo—”
Multiple Elemental Blades took their toll on me, knocking my durability down by a good eighty percent. Cracks spiderwebbed up my blade as it threatened to shatter.
But we held. The creature’s corpse lay on the ground, split in half. The fight had left us in tatters, but we’d won.
That didn’t matter as much as the skill we just got. I frantically looked for it in my Skill Memory.
Where is it…there!
Awaken. The signature skill of evolved beastmen. And it was right there in my skill list.
Fran…!
“How’d it go, Teacher?” Fran asked, worried.
I answered her, trying my best to maintain my calm. We got it.
“Hm…! Really?”
Yes, really.
We were ecstatic, but the anxiety was even greater. Had we really just obtained the Awaken skill? What would happen if Fran equipped it? Would she really evolve? Was it all that simple…?
“Teacher?”
Oh, sorry.
Only one way to find out. We certainly weren’t going to leave it in storage.
I’ll equip Awaken now.
“Please.” Fran gripped me tight in her right hand without consciously thinking about it. The scene looked like it was plucked right out of a fairy tale. I equipped Awaken, keeping watch.
It’s on now. Feel anything different? I asked, trying to control myself.
“Hm…I can use it. I know.”
I see.
What would happen to Fran when she used it…?
“Huff…hmm…” Fran closed her eyes and controlled her breathing, concentrating on the skill. I looked on quietly. “Hm! Here I go!” She opened her eyes and invoked the skill’s name. “Awaken!”
Here it comes!
I didn’t know what it was, but it sure was coming! An overwhelming amount of mana burst out of her. The overflow poured out, shooting upwards and creating a kind of pillar.
Whoa!
“Woof!”
Black lightning bolts ran throughout the room. We had to seek shelter from the storm. The bolts hit me and Jet, dealing a significant amount of damage. Was Fran okay in the middle of that thing?
Fran, are you all right?!
“Arf, arf!” Jet barked.
No response. Did she lose control?
Fortunately, my worries proved to be for naught. Fran’s ears and tail stood on end as the mana settled down. Her tail was striped now—black with a light gray. The pattern was subtle, highlighted by the glow of mana.
Fran?
“Ungh…” Fran was crying. Tears rolled freely down her face. Emotions and memories raced through her. The dream of her race had become a reality.
I floated over to Fran as she choked through her tears. I did what I could with Telekinesis to approximate a consoling stroke on her back. She fell on her knees, crying harder as she tightened her grip on my
