In the middle of the night, the intense buzzing sounds of insect wings spread across the Figaro Gardens.
Diablo, Ishtar, and the other Skeletons, were sneakily moving towards the North using the darkness as cover. The Mosquitoes weren’t able to detect them because their bodies didn’t give off any heat, making them practically invisible in the former’s eyes.
As the elite Skeleton party neared their destination, they noticed that the Monster Nest was mostly empty. The robed-man had ordered the Mosquitoes to look for the traces of the Skeletons, and capture their summoner.
Fortunately, Diablo and his team had been using plenty of the underground tunnels the Ants had made to reach the Northern Regions, which allowed them to bypass the Mosquitoes that were looking for them.
Diablo gazed at Ishtar and the latter nodded her head. She then nocked an arrow on her bow and took aim. The Skeleton Grand Archers followed her lead and also prepared to shoot, only waiting for her signal to attack.
A few seconds later, a shower of arrows killed the Red-Striped Mosquitoes that were loitering around the entrance of the Monster Nest.
Since they were Common Monsters, they instantly died from the surprise attack that Ishtar and her Archers had unleashed. After making sure that no other Monsters were in sight, the group hurriedly entered the Nest.
Lux, who was watching everything through the eyes of Diablo, frowned. He thought that he and the Skeletons would be fighting their way through vast swarms of Mosquitoes, but after arriving at their destination, the Mosquitoes were nowhere to be found.
The Half-Elf wasn’t aware that the majority of them were currently sweeping the FIgaro Garden in search of Diablo and him.
As the skeletons traveled deeper inside the Nest, they arrived in what seemed to be a spacious cavern, where a four-meter-tall glowing cocoon lay at its center. Beside it was the robed person who was busy chanting incantations, as if reinforcing the cocoon and strengthening whatever was inside it.
Before Lux could even assess what was going on, a notification sounded and a series of text materialized in front of him.
——
< Birth Of An Abomination >
Mission Rating: S
– An unknown organization is conducting an experiment within the Beginners Area of the Gweliven Kingdom. Their goal is to create a monster that could potentially make them the Overlords of the Dwarf Kingdom to overturn the rule of the Royal Family.
– Their plans are still in the initial stages and it is up to you to stop them!
< Quest Objective >
– Kill the Abomination.
– No matter what happens, the creature must be killed at all cost.
– Gather information about the unknown organization and pass it to the Knights of Norria.
– Quest Duration: 1 Hour
– Quest will automatically fail if you fail to subjugate the Abomination within the allotted time.
< Rewards >
100 Free Stat Points
100 Skill Points
100 Body Constitution Points
500 Elysium Gold Coins
500 Riders of Norria Reputation Points
100 Kingdom Reputation Points (Exclusive to Kingdom of Gweliven)
2000 Leaf Village Reputation Points
—–
‘A Rank S Mission?!’ Lux gasped internally after reading the information that had suddenly flashed in front of him. ‘And I only have one hour to accomplish it?!’
After staying inside the Leaf Village for a few months, he found that there was not a single Rank S Mission available for people in the Beginner Zone. The highest mission available was the subjugation of the Field Boss, Forest Wolf King, but even that was only a Rank A Mission.
What did that mean? It meant that this Mission was harder than subjugating a Field Boss. It also meant that an Elite Party of Apostles was needed to finish such a task.
‘Fortunately, I upgraded Diablo, Ishtar, and my other skeleton summons,’ Lux thought as he observed the robed-person through Diablo’s eyes. ‘Perhaps they will be able to finish this mission, if things play out right.’ ᴡ ᴏᴠʟ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛʀs ᴀʀ ᴘᴜʙʟsʜᴅ ᴏ ovl(ꜰ)ir(e).nt
Right now, the robed person still hadn’t discovered that he was no longer alone inside the cavern. Lux assumed that the identity of the figure was a male dwarf, whose rank was unknown to him.
‘We have the element of surprise in our side,’ Lux mused as he used Diablo’s eyes to look at the cocoon that was pulsing like a human heart. ‘I bet he didn’t expect that someone would venture deep inside this Nest and discover his sinister plans.’
Lux decided to act quickly because he didn’t know when the Mosquito Swarm would return to their nest. Also, the timer was ticking and he had less than an hour to finish this task before the mission failed.
Ishtar planted her feet firmly on the ground as she activated her Siege Stance, which would increase all of her attacks by 100%.
The Skeleton Grand Archers also posed to fire a Crippling Volley to paralyze the robed figure, allowing Diablo to close the gap and deal with him.
Diablo and the Skeleton Fighters took a charging position in preparation for their united assault. After everyone had taken their position, Lux gave the order and Ishtar’s Piercing Arrow flew towards the robed figure, at the same time the Crippling Volley was activated.
As the whistling of the arrow echoed within the cavern, the robed figure moved his body to the side, barely evading the arrow that grazed the side of his cheek.
Ishtar had aimed for his head in order to deal a lethal blow, but her opponent was a veteran that had fought in the battlefield before joining the secret organization. The moment he heard the whistling wind, his body had unconsciously moved to the side, allowing him to barely escape Ishtar’s deadly attack.
When the rain of arrows, that were imbued with paralyzing effects, rained down on him, the dwarf raised a staff and created a barrier that repelled the attacks that were meant to incapacitate him.
“Who are you?!” the Dwarf shouted. “What faction do you belon–guh!”
The robed man was forced to stop his questioning when Ishtar’s second Piercing Arrow collided with his shield, breaking it apart. In desperation, he rolled to the ground to evade the arrow that held considerable power to threaten his life.
Unfortunately, after rolling to the side, the robed Dwarf came face to face with Diablo, who had used his Leap Attack to smash Blood Moon onto the robed Dwarf’s head.
“Protection!” the Dwarf shouted as another barrier appeared in front of him. He hoped that it would be enough to block the unusual attack of the Black Knight that was wielding a red sword in his hand.
What followed next was a scream of pain that made Lux breath a sigh of relief from inside the Ant Nest.
Diablo’s Heavy Slash managed to shatter the barrier, but it didn’t end there. The Dwarf had used a blink spell to escape, but Diablo’s Bone Spear had already materialized in the air. In one swift motion, the bone spear pierced the left arm of the robed figure, making the latter scream in pain.
Lux watched as the robe of the dwarf fell down on the ground, revealing his body.
The man’s scarred face, who seemed to be in his late thirties, appeared in Lux’s vision. The Dwarf’s hair was tied up in a braid, and there were ear piercings on his mouth, and nose, making him look intimidating.
Fortunately, Lux was not intimidated as he ordered Diablo to engage the Dwarf and knock him unconscious.
To his surprise, the Dwarf once again blinked away, and even summoned a Fireball that sent Diablo crashing to the wall of the cavern.
“Bastards!” the Dwarf shouted as he fired Fireball after Fireball at the Skeletons, who did their best to evade.
Although his left arm was seriously injured and couldn’t be used at this point in time, his tenacity gave the Skeletons a very difficult time.
‘At least Grade A Apostle,’ Lux thought with a grim expression on his face. ‘This won’t do. I need to change my tactics!’
Lux immediately gave his orders, which Diablo obeyed without fail. The Named Creature used its Leap and swung its sword at the cocoon at the center of the Cavern.
“Noooo!” the Dwarf shouted as he stopped hurling Fireballs at Ishtar and the Skeleton Grand Archers, who were using long ranged attacks against him.
Just like their leader, the Skeletal Fighters also started to hack the cocoon, using it as a shield to prevent the Wizard from firing Fireballs at him.
“Blasted Undead!” the Dwarf screamed as he tapped the butt of his staff on the ground thrice, activating a magic circle. He couldn’t possibly just watch as the mission that was entrusted to him was destroyed right in front of his eyes.
The Dwarf regretted sending all, but a few Mosquitos out to look for the Skeletons. Because of what he did, the Monster Nest was left unprotected, which allowed the Skeletons to sneak up on him.
‘Dammit!’ the Dwarf cursed internally. ‘Just one more day and everything would have gone according to plan. Why now?!’
Knowing that he was left with no other alternative, the Dwarf forcefully awoke the creature that was inside the cocoon. Although it was going to be a premature birth, it was better than dying at the hands of the Skeletons who were hacking its body like crazy.
“Rise and trample these fools!” the Dwarf commanded. “Come forth! Ash Wing!”
One of the Skeletons that were hacking the cocoon was blown away when a spiny leg emerged from the cocoon. Diablo hurriedly ordered the other Skeletons to back away as they observed the Beast that was emerging from its shell.
A four meter tall, ash-colored Mosquito with golden stripes appeared in everyone’s vision. Its golden eyes glowed brightly, as it glared hatefully at the Skeletons who had hurt its body. What made Lux shudder was the fact that the monster had three heads instead of one, which was something he didn’t expect from the mosquito.
Although the newly born beast looked powerful, it was still in a weakened state after forcefully breaking through its shell. Its wings were quite small, perhaps due to the fact that it was born prematurely, depriving it of its ability to fly, which made the Half-Elf feel thankful.
Just as Lux was about to recover from his shock, an arrow flew to the air and pierced the monster’s back, where its heart was located.
The Ash Wing screamed in pain, as it tried to move its body closer to the wall, in order to prevent it from getting hit from behind.
Diablo quickly made his move and used Heavy Slash repeatedly on one of its legs, cutting it in two. Another loud shriek echoed inside the cavern as the giant mosquito’s three heads screamed in unison. It then kicked Diablo away, sending him smashing towards the cave wall in order to stop him from continuing to hack at its remaining legs.
The other Skeletal Fighters immediately retreated because they knew that a single kick from the Mosquito would be enough to kill them. Although it was still in a weakened state, the fact still remained that it was similar to a Field Boss that was in the peak stage of Rank 3.