Re-Awakening: Cannon Fodder With Strongest Talent-Chapter 41: The First Wave (2)
Chapter 41: The First Wave (2)
On the wall above, a scout with enhanced vision noticed the anomaly first.
"Hey! Do you see that?" He pointed frantically, grabbing his commander’s arm. "One of the monsters is attacking the others!"
"Where?" The commander followed his gaze, jaw dropping at the sight below. "Oh, shit!"
A Razorback—larger than any they’d seen before was cutting through the beast tide like a scythe through wheat.
Not charging the wall. Not following the attack pattern of other monsters. It was deliberately targeting other Bronze-rank commanders.
"What in all hells?" The commander whispered. "Why would it...?"
Below, Ethan continued his rampage. A Low-Bronze Beetle reared up, acid spray preparing in its abdomen. Ethan dodged with preternatural agility, circling behind it faster than a boar should move. His tusks found the weak joint at the beetle’s thorax, severing its spine in one brutal thrust.
<You have killed Low-Bronze Black Beetle>
< +7 Vitality>
The nearby beasts had noticed him now. The coordinated attack on the wall faltered as confusion spread through their ranks. Some turned to face this new threat, sensing the anomaly in their midst.
Ethan welcomed them with iron tusks and intelligence that shouldn’t exist in a Razorback. Two more Bronze commanders fell before the horde began to organise against him.
On the wall, defenders watched in stunned disbelief as the monster civil war unfolded.
"Is it... helping us?" A young guard asked, arrow nocked but target uncertain.
"Don’t question it," the commander ordered. "Take advantage! Target the confused ones!"
A rain of arrows descended on the disorganised monsters, each shaft finding vulnerable flesh as the beasts’ formation collapsed into chaos.
Ethan charged through the heart of the swarm, striking with surgical precision at each Bronze-rank he encountered. Blood and ichor soaked his transformed hide, the scent of death thickening around him.
A particularly massive Low-Bronze Wolf circled him warily, intelligence gleaming in its yellow eyes.
It howled commands, rallying nearby beasts to surround the traitor.
Ethan found himself encircled by five Bronze-rank beasts, each watching him with unnerving awareness. Behind the five Low-Bronze beasts, there were several iron beasts too.
’This could be a problem,’ he thought, tusks lowered as he assessed his opponents.
The wolf lunged first, its jaws aiming for Ethan’s exposed flank. He pivoted, doing the attack, but the other four beasts attacked him at the same time.
Unable to dodge all the attacks in his current form, fangs raked across his side, drawing first blood.
Pain lanced through him, but he used the momentum to spin, catching another attacker with his tusks.
The wolf gurgled as iron-enhanced tusks ripped through its throat, hot blood spraying across the trampled earth.
<You have killed Low-Bronze Shadowfang Wolf>
<+5 Agility>
<You have evolved the talent: Enhanced Speed(F+ -> E-)>
The remaining four Bronze beasts circled him, moving with unsettling coordination.
"Look at that!" A guard captain shouted from the wall. "The boar’s fighting for us!"
The archer beside him lowered his bow in disbelief. "How is that possible?"
"Don’t question our luck! Help the boar!" The captain barked. "If it dies, we’ll have trouble fending them off!" freēwēbηovel.c૦m
Arrows rained down around Ethan, striking two of the circling beasts. Not killing blows, but enough to distract them, creating the opening he needed.
Ethan charged the shadowfang wolf. The wolf tried to dodge, but it was unable to get far due to the crowd of monsters. His tusks found home beneath the wolf’s jaw, driving upward into its brain.
<You have killed Low-Bronze Shadowfang Wolf>
Ethan devoured it immediately once again.
<+5 Agility>
The beast collapsed, but not before it tried to land one final attack with its claws. Ethan dodged the attack with relative ease.
More arrows descended from the wall, the defenders now actively supporting their mysterious monster ally. A Bronze-rank awakener joined the barrage, hurling fire bolts that set a charging bear’s fur ablaze.
Ethan used the distraction to pivot, driving his tusks into a beetle’s soft underbelly. Momentum carried him forward, disembowelling the creature in one savage thrust.
<You have killed Low-Bronze Black Beetle>
<You have levelled up!>
The remaining two Bronze beasts, a bear and boar hesitated, sensing the changing tide. A second later, they made their decision and they retreated into the larger horde.
Seeing that the monsters had decided to retreat, he charged away from the wall, breaking through the confused monster ranks until he reached a relatively clear area. Then, away from the view of the distant defenders, he released his boar transformation.
...
On the wall, absolute silence fell among the defenders.
"What was wrong with that boar?" A scout whispered, voice cracking.
The commander beside him couldn’t even form a response.
"Not sure. But whatever it is, it was a blessing to us."
...
Ethan took out the 8 low-bronze cores he had taken from the bodies of the monsters he had killed.
Without hesitation, he activated Devour on the first core.
< +7 Agility>
The second core dissolved into pure energy that flowed into his cells.
< +7 Agility>
< +5 Strength>
...
Core after core, his body absorbed their essence, each one strengthening him beyond what weeks of normal training could achieve.
...
The final core’s energy dissipated, and Ethan checked his status with wide eye
<Human: Ethan Brandon>
<Rank: High-Bronze>
<Talents: Enhanced Speed (E-), Protective Shield (F), Iron Enhancement (E-), Accuracy Enhancement (F+), Regeneration (F+), Dagger Wield (F-)>
<Transformations: Shadowfang Wolf(Low-Bronze), Razorback Boar(Mid-Bronze), Black Beetle(Mid-Bronze), Brown Bear (Mid-Bronze)>
<Level 3>
<Health Points: 920>
<Mana Points: 600>
<Strength: 100> <Agility: 101 > <Intelligence: 60> <Vitality: 92>
<Free Attributes: 10>
<Skills: Basic Footwork (Novice - 13%)>
"Wow," he whispered, flexing his fingers as new power coursed through him. "That was insanely profitable. Worth more than last week’s previous hunts combined."
His strength and agility had crossed the threshold into High-Bronze territory. His vitality wasn’t far behind. Even his Enhanced Speed talent had evolved to E-rank.
’Only my Intelligence is lagging,’ he thought, frowning slightly. ’Hard to find beasts with Intelligence as their primary attribute.’
He rolled his shoulders, feeling the difference in every muscle fiber, every tendon.
"With my current strength and talents, I could handle a Peak-Bronze human or monster," he calculated, hand on his chin. "But a Low-Silver would still be difficult."
Not impossible though.
