Ivan found rhythm in his attacks. He became a raging monster, obliterating the undead with mighty swings of his switch axe. The battle against the undead creatures lasted for over thirty minutes.
Ivan rested his switch axe upright on the ground. His deltoids, biceps, and triceps ached from the constant swinging. Wanyama, Am_I_Me, and Sarah_Ze_Beauty, who had contributed the least to the battle, were still full of energy. They went about gathering loot drops. Like the previous level they had cleared, the most abundant loot drop was the Exp stones. The team slew two hundred and fifty undead skeletons, thus clearing the threat on Level Two of the Vate Prison Realm.
Apart from the Exp stones, the other loot items were useless to the adventurers. This was because the items were similar to those the skeletons had dropped in Level One; there was no discernible change in the durability of the helmets, swords, body armour, or gauntlets.
The adventurers shared the Exp rocks equally among themselves; every one of them received twenty-seven Exp rocks, and the leftover seven stones were given to SheCyclones, who received them with childish jubilation.
Another stairwell appeared, leading up to another level. The top of the stairs could not be seen because the stairwell seemed to stretch into the infinite expanse above.
Wanyama observed Ivan; the martial artist was obviously exhausted. SheCyclones, BlueBlack, and Alita_72 were also in a similar state. Wanyama declared that the team should rest for a while before they proceeded to the next level. No one objected to Wanyama's decree. Everyone sat down and rested.
The adventurers used this moment to discuss tactics for the next level and what to expect. Ivan had an idea; he wanted to create another weapon-based skill using his new skill, Straight Path Boomerang, as a template. Ivan informed his teammates that he possessed a skill that would grant them a significant advantage as soon as they arrived on Level Three. He told them that he would require Am_I_Me's cooperation to express the skill's potential to its maximum. Due to the formidable feat he had shown earlier, no one pressed him for the skill's intricate details. Everyone trusted him.
After thirty minutes of crucial rest, the adventurers set off for Level Three. From the moment of their arrival to setting off for Level Three, the adventurers had spent almost two arduous hours in the Vate Prison Realm.
The adventurers arrived at the summit of the stairwell. Ivan handed Am_I_Me a bone helmet which he had picked up at Level Two. Am_I_Me imbued it with her power of Deceit and quickly returned it to Ivan.
Ivan burst into a breakneck sprint, surprising everyone.
"What does he want to do?" Sarah_Ze_Beauty asked Wanyama, voicing everyone's unspoken question.
Wanyama didn't know either, and he replied to her with a shake of his head. "I don't know."
The helmet Ivan held in his left hand attracted the immediate attention of every undead skeleton in Level Three. This time, the reanimated creatures didn't stand and watch; they gave chase to Ivan because their inherent sense of unwelcome overcame the initial stun effect of Deceit. This development was precisely what Ivan wanted.
Ivan was surrounded from the front and both flanks, but behind him was still open. Ivan leapt high, gracefully jumping over the undead skeletons in front of him. He landed behind the skeletons, crushing to death one unfortunate undead creature that stood on his landing site.
The effect period of the Deceit power in the helmet ended. Ivan had been timing it meticulously. He smashed the helmet onto the skull of an undead skeleton that rushed in on him. Then he hacked the skeleton into halves with his switch axe.
Ivan held his weapon as if he wanted to perform a hammer throw. He spun around a central axis, akin to a hammer athlete. He operated based on the inherent instincts of the skill Straight Hammer Boomerang.
One might question if it was a judicious decision for Ivan to gamble on creating another skill, given that the Straight Path Boomerang was a skill developed under the intense emotion of anger. Ivan's justification and primary drive for taking this decision were that he was striving to harness and improve his proficiency as a martial artist. Martial arts was a skill that leveraged improvement based on the synergy of the body and mind. Ivan had been hesitant about pursuing significant improvements in martial arts. He wanted to take things slowly. But life wasn't waiting for anyone to operate at their own pace. Baka's death was another eye-opener. He wouldn't take things lightly again.
Ivan gained the desired momentum and released the switchaxe from his grip. The switch axe rotated rapidly around its axis as it travelled within a defined circumference, cleaving down the undead skeletons within that precise area.
Ivan's latest feat was a truly awe-inspiring spectacle to behold.
"He had this skill all the while, and he kept quiet." Troy_to_Me expressed her shock as she checked her rifle's cartridge.
>>>>
New Attack skill unlocked!
Skill name: Axe-man's Cyclone
Info: A skill born of the harmony of the body and mind. The mind is infused into your axe, hence guided to decimate targets within a defined circumference of fifty metres in diameter.
Description: An AOE skill that deals with targets within a circumference of fifty metres.
Cons: Ten minutes of cool down.
Damage: 40 points.
Grade: D-rank
>>>>
New Mission!
Mission: Upgrade your rank to Bronze rank.
Requirement for upgrade: Possess fifteen D-rank skills. Upgrade your physical attributes to the bronze rank (each attribute should not be less than 12 points). Accumulate a hundred thousand Exp points to be used for the ascension apotheosis.
Ivan quickly read the information that had popped up in his perception. He stood still while he read the information. His lack of movement prompted his teammates to cover him.
"Why the heck is he standing? Does he have a death wish?" Alita_72 barked in frustration as she notched up two arrows on her bow and subsequently fired at two skeletons rushing at Ivan.
Wanyama sprinted forward, gathering momentum, and launched a torso armour that he imbued with multiple explosive runes. The armour sailed towards a wave of undead skeletons that was rushing to surround Ivan. One of the undead skeletons caught sight of the incoming projectile. The skeleton leapt high and hacked the armour into two halves.
Wanyama grinned widely; the skeleton had made his work better.
"Go flame!" Wanyama detonated his runes with a mere thought.
Two simultaneous explosions shook this realm. Pieces of bone splattered everywhere. The current battle became the easiest among the three that the adventurers had fought today.
Ivan fought relentlessly, hacking away skeletons like a psychotic butcher. He was a touch careless in this battle and suffered some damages at the hands of the skeletons. Fortunately, the helmet and the armour he wore took the brunt of the damages.
Low Durability
Info: Your helmet and torso armour have suffered significant damage. Replace or abandon battle before it completely collapses.
Helmet durability: 2
Torso Armour durability: 1
Ivan couldn't read all the information at the moment, but he managed to get the main point. He became more cautious; he avoided getting surrounded, and he always put himself in a position where he could be assisted.