A few moments ago.
“I should probably not mess with that thing,” Ludwig muttered, his eyes fixed on the massive creature stomping through the forest below. Its sheer size was enough to make even the bravest of souls reconsider their life choices.
“Yeah, I agree,” Thomas chimed in, his voice echoing in Ludwig’s mind. “I heard that thing took down half of the freshmen last year. You’re not exactly known for your subtlety, but even this seems like a stretch.”
[Sudden Quest!]
[Your Master Van Dijk is being questioned by his peers on your value as a disciple of his.]
Prove your worth to the world.
You will be rewarded depending on how incredible your achievements are.
Base Reward: Unlock one additional page of the Codex Necros.
Extra reward for achieving a great feat: [Improved Proficiency in All Necromantic Spells and Skills]
Ludwig’s brow rose as he read the prompt. “That’s… tempting,” he muttered under his breath. Though he was clearly annoyed at how Necros was ‘guiding’ and pushing him toward certain scenarios, he couldn’t help but follow along. Since in this case, the rewards were too tempting to pass up.
The base reward alone was enough to pique his interest. The Codex Necros, his most prized possession, currently only allowed him access to one page which he can actively use.
One page housed the Umbral Hound and that thing didn’t want to come out, another hosted the corpse of the Knight King, and the last held the decaying corpse of Tibari’s guard.
So Each new page was a treasure trove of potential. And since Ludwig’s ability to utilize the current ones was limited, unlocking another page would significantly expand his arsenal.
But the extra reward—improved proficiency in all necromantic spells and skills—was what truly caught his attention. It was the key to one of his goals: reviving the Knight King as a summonable undead. With that kind of power, he would have no limits to his growth. Not even Sebas and Evan could do a proper Necromantic summoning, he’s wondered how Van Dijk’s face would look if he were to snub them with that.
“Fine,” Ludwig said, a grin spreading across his face. “I wanted to try out the new spells anyway.”
He turned and grabbed one of the thick vines hanging from a nearby tree. With a sharp tug, he snapped it free and tied one end to a sturdy branch. The other end he tossed over the cliff, letting it unravel as it descended into the cliff drop below.
“What are you doing?” Thomas asked his tone a mix of curiosity and concern.
“What does it look like?” Ludwig replied, his grin widening as he gripped the vine tightly.
“THIS IS MADNESS!” Thomas shouted as Ludwig leaped off the cliff, the vine whipping through the air as he descended at breakneck speed.
“Madness? Nah, this is… ME!” Ludwig shouted, his hand burning from the friction of the vine as it slowed his descent. The wind roared in his ears, and the ground rushed up to meet him.
He reached the end of the vine and let go, landing squarely on the pile of Velkryn corpses that had cushioned his fall. The impact sent a jolt through his legs, but he quickly steadied himself, his eyes scanning the dense foliage ahead.
A loud, terrorizing howl echoed through the forest, shaking the ground beneath his feet.
[As an Undead, you resisted the Fear effect of {Beast Roar}.]
Ludwig smirked. “Guess being dead has its perks,” he muttered as he moved forward, pushing through the thick underbrush.
The T-rex loomed ahead, its massive form casting a shadow over the forest. Its yellow eyes locked onto Ludwig, and a low, rumbling growl escaped its throat.
[Inspect]
***
Name: Dreadjaw
Title: Apex Predator
Tier: ☠☠☠ (Epic)
Level: 65
HP: 65,000
Status Effects: -Illusionary Beast- -80% of its original power.
Abilities:
[Tyrant’s Roar] – (Active)
Unleashes a deafening, primal roar that instills sheer terror in all creatures within a 200-meter radius. Weak-willed foes faint or flee, while stronger opponents experience a temporary debuff to reaction speed and defense. Causes minor tremors in the environment. (Cooldown: 5 minutes)
[Apex Charge] – (Active)
Dreadjaw surges forward in a devastating charge, crushing anything in its path. Gains +50% movement speed for 5 seconds, and the first enemy hit suffers massive fracturing damage along with being thrown back. If the enemy collides with a solid object, the impact doubles the damage dealt. (Cooldown: 3 minutes)
[Ironhide Resilience] – (Passive)
Dreadjaw’s hide is reinforced with natural armor, reducing all physical damage by 40% and completely negating attacks below a certain threshold. Slashing and piercing attacks suffer 80% reduced effectiveness unless they hit a weak spot.
[Titanic Bite] – (Active)
Dreadjaw clamps down with unstoppable force, dealing massive damage and locking enemies in place. If the enemy is below 50% HP, they receive the [Maimed] debuff, reducing mobility and preventing proper healing. If the target is below 20% HP, Dreadjaw can instantly execute them. (Cooldown: 1 minute)
Lore:
Dreadjaw, an extinct creature that ruled over the prehistoric era of Ikos. If not for the intervention of the gods, it would have ended all human life before it could ever prosper. Though this is but an illusiory replica of the original, it is still a mighty foe for one person to handle alone.
***
“Whoa, that’s a lot of abilities,” Ludwig said, his eyes widening as he read the screen.
Almost immediately, the creature surged forward, its massive head tilting down as it charged. Despite its size, its speed was terrifying, and it closed the distance between them in seconds.
By sheer instinct, Ludwig threw himself to the side, narrowly avoiding the creature’s path of destruction. The ground shook as the Dreadjaw plowed through the trees, reducing them to splinters in its wake.
‘That was its charge,’ Ludwig thought, his heart pounding. If he had reacted even a fraction of a second slower, he would have been reduced to bone dust.
The creature spun around, its massive tail sweeping through the air and tearing apart anything in its path. It roared again, the sound reverberating through the forest as it locked its yellow eyes on Ludwig.
“Shit, I thought they had bad eyesight,” Ludwig cursed, realizing that the myths he’d heard about such creatures were just that—myths. The real thing was more than capable of tracking its prey with pinpoint accuracy.
“Bounds of Latvia!” Ludwig shouted, pointing his arm forward and grasping it with his other hand.
A massive circle appeared beneath the Dreadjaw, glowing with an eerie light as it wrapped around the creature’s legs. The binds tightened, causing the predator to spasm and shake as it struggled against the magical restraints.
But Ludwig quickly realized the flaw in his plan. While the binds were effective, the mana cost was skyrocketing. He couldn’t maintain the spell for long.
“This isn’t going to work,” he muttered, releasing the spell and letting the creature free.
The Dreadjaw roared in fury, its massive form barreling toward Ludwig once again. Its jaws opened wide, ready to crush him in a single bite.
Ludwig jumped back, his mind racing. “[Explosive Mines]!” he shouted, summoning two glowing orbs and hurling them into the creature’s open mouth.
He snapped his fingers just as he landed, and the orbs detonated with a deafening explosion.
[-2330 Critical!]
The Dreadjaw staggered, smoke rising from its mouth as it glared at Ludwig with renewed fury.
“I feel like you just pissed it off…” Thomas quipped.
“No shit, Sherlock,” Ludwig replied, already turning on his heel and sprinting away as fast as his undead legs could carry him.
