—-


    Zelliolx’s expression changed rapidly as he noticed the changes in Kieran’s posture and the way his body was positioned. This position indicated the wake of a rtively dangerous attack. However, rather than retreat in fear, the excitement present in Zelliolx’s eyes zed like raging mes.


    Large bursts of a wild auraparable to feral animals found in the forest inrge bursts radiated from Zelliolx as he stepped forth, which abruptly turned into a rampant rush. Zelliolx held not a single care for the already damaged tform. Each step burrowed a deep footprint on its surface.


    Bang!


    The two attacks met, causing another fierce shockwave. The wild winds that arose from this collision caused manycerations on Zelliolx’s bare green chest while minuscule damage values simultaneously appeared before Keiran’s vision, alerting him about the gradual decline in the Imperfect Blood Armor’s durability.


    Fortunately, it wasn’t to an extent capable of warranting his concern.


    “Not bad. This is more like it. Show me more of this power that you have hidden. Give me an amazing show,” Zelliolx eximed with a mirthful grin. Although he was ted, his gruesome expression made it hard for the face to be associated with happiness.


    “Sadly, I’m not here to provide your amusement or enjoyment. I have a task, and you are impeding its progress. Therefore, you are something that needs to disappear,” Kieran retorted.


    Immediately after, Kieran slipped away from their stalemate collision and shed his sword upward. Usually, Savage Break would be executed with a downward stroke so gravity could assist in its unbridled power, but Kieran couldn’t be bothered with thebat minutiae.


    As long as Kieran’s Strength was high enough, it would suffice to regrly perform his skills without following their precise directives. Not even a secondter, the Scarlet Steel Greatsword’s anterior edge gained an increasingly savage aura as Kieran’s eyes adopted a menacing bloody glint.


    Though it appeared that this small change originated from the Ancient Crimson Aegis, that wasn’t the case. Instead, the culprit of Kieran’s negatively impacted emotions was the fuel the Aegis consumed. The byproduct was something that Kieran had yet to stumble across. Thus, he had no method of utilizing, discharging, or neutralizing it.


    Luckily enough, it seemed to only cloud his mind when using skills centered around savagery._-.


    BOOM!


    Kieran’s Savage Break connected with Zelliolx’s shoddily prepared counterattack. This extensive impact forced Zelliolx roughly 2 meters into the air before Kieran jumped and delivered a sudden Heavy sh.


    Bang!


    Zelliolx’s heavy body collided with the tform, creating even more rming cracks that spread at a frightening rate. Once that happened, Kieran moved back and positioned himself so that his back was against arge rock protrusion.


    While Kieran dealt upwards of 19,000 damage with hisbination of Force sh, Savage Break, and Heavy sh, he wasn’t contented. For one, Zelliolx was Boss, so he possessed the ability to recover by default.


    Secondly, aside from Tempest Strikes, those three skills were the only ones in his arsenal that could determine the tide of this battle. Kieran was in for a genuinely intense struggle if they only dealt less than 10% of Zelliolx’s Health when strung together!


    To make matters worse, Kieran estimated that Zelliolx recovered twice that of typical Rare Bosses, given his identity as a Variant. In other words, Kieran was convinced that Zelliolx recovered 1% of his Health every minute.


    Despite its seemingly insignificant amount, it would effectively neutralize one-tenth of Kieran’s leading damage rotation. Given his current circumstances, like the limited skill duration, Kieran understood that it wouldn’t be in his favor to allow Zelliolx to recover.


    Therefore, he tightened his grasp around the Scarlet Steel Greatsword before brandishing it rapidly. The dust was cut apart by his sharp and rapid shes, revealing Zelliolx standing in arge crater with a delighted smile.


    “Great!”


    Bang!


    Zelliolx exploded with a frightening force strong enough to propel him right before Kieran in the blink of an eye. A sense of danger washed over Kieran’s left side, prompting him to dodge with a quick roll.


    Zelliolx’srge serrated chain de ripped halfway through the dense rock before pausing. He squinted with a tinge of annoyance present in his eyes. “Troublesome pest.”


    Afterward, Zelliolx added even more pressure on his chain de’s grip, tearing the rock apart with rtive ease. However, this ordeal made Kieran notice something important.


    ‘Although he is stronger than the Goblin Chieftain I’m familiar with, the rocks still hinder its attack pattern. I was right to test out my deductions,’ Kieran thought with an imperceptible nod.


    He couldn’t let this battle carry on for too long because he was beginning to feel an indescribable ache that didn’te from his in-game character. ‘Is this having an effect on me in general? What type of ss would have the ability to do that?’ Kieran wondered.


    Sadly, he didn’t have the answers because Hidden sses were of minimal quality. Aside from the legacies of the Mythical Heroes, there were a few sses that were rumored to have inconquerable abilities. Whether or not these rumors were true was unknown to Kieran.


    Even though the game had almost 10 years of history,