Extra's Descent

Seeing the golems easily overpower Amelia, Brandon muttered under his breath.

"Accelerated Cognition."

Tzz—

He blinked ahead, wrapping himself in a mixture of lightning and cursed flames.

Under the effects of [Accelerated Cognition], Brandon couldn't stop the smile creeping up on his features.

It had been a while since he had last used this skill in combat.

But at this moment, there was no need to hold back.

Place a handicap on himself, and he would undoubtedly die.

That much was certain.

With such thoughts, he muttered once again.

"Mana Burst."

All of a sudden, he felt his physical strength gradually rise. The sharp pain in his head continued agonizing him and the heat from within engulfed him.

But gritting his teeth, Brandon pushed forward. The mana around him lashed out and snow dust fluttered in the air.

All the adrenaline surge mitigated most of the pain he was feeling, except the sharp pains.

Instantly, he appeared in front of the golem and struck his fist forward.

Bang—!

His fist met the golem's crystalline armor, but despite that, he had dealt no damage at all.

This was going to be harder than he thought.

Thankfully, the golem's were sluggish. They followed up with a counter attack, but Brandon blinked backwards and dodged it with ease.

There was no point in using an ice sword since he knew it would instantly shatter on impact.

He had to use his fist.

Voosh—!

Black flames and blue lightning coalesced around him. Accelerate Cognition served to enhance his senses and reaction time as it came up with a thousand ways to counter the golems in a split second.

With his thoughts gathered he had come up with a strategy.

Tzz—

Blinking forward, Brandon gathered the flames and lightning in his fist and dealt a blow on the golem's armor. A certain booming sound echoed in the air.

But regardless, there was no damage.

The golem's fist struck down but he instantly dodged it. With [Aeolus Blessing], Brandon kicked the air and twisted his body.

Bang—!

Suspended mid air, flames and lightning surge on his legs and he struck the same spot with his feet.

…And there was still no damage, even when he was under the effects of [Mana Burst].

The golem's armor was tough. He had come to realize that it was even harder than Jin's crystal sword.

All of a sudden, a large fist appeared before him.

Bang!

But in that instant, a banging sound echoed and the golem staggered back. The attack didn't land and Brandon turned his head to the source of the attack.

There, he could see Amelia, crouched down as she held a railgun in her hands.

Nodding at her, Brandon returned his attention to the golem in front of him.

Boom—! Boom—! Boom——!

A barrage of heavy blows were sent out and the golem staggered in each attack.

Punch.

Kick.

Punch. Punch.

It was working.

Finally, a crack started to form. In all of his attacks, he had only targeted one spot. Specifically, the golem's chest.

Bang!

A shot fired, and the other golem continued to stagger back, unable to attack him.

It was the perfect strategy. With his speed, the golem in front of him was unable to land a single blow.

But it took all his focus just for one attack.

With Amelia's assistance, Brandon could focus all his attention on one golem.

…And he continued employing the same strategy.

Boom—! Boom—!

Each attack, the ground shook intensely. Brandon's mana lashed around, providing its own form of assistance as it struck the golem randomly.

Time passed, and cold sweat started trickling down his cheek.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Each strike resonated through the air, the sound of his fists meeting the golem's armor echoing across the battlefield.

The crack expanded with each successive hit.

Throughout the fight, several system notifications popped up.

[STR: +5%]

[STR: +5%]

[STR: +5%]

[STR: +5%]

His strength stat was rapidly increasing. It was for this reason he had realized the new stat distribution system.

Then…

If he took a blow, would the [DEF] stat increase?

He would never have thought of it if he wasn't under the influence of the [Curse] affinity.

But he was.

And…

BOOM—!

He took the attack head on and was sent hurling away.

"Brandon!"

Amelia called out to him, but Brandon paid no heed to her words.

"Haha."

[DEF: +5%]

He was right.

But regardless, due to how low his defense was, he felt like the bones in his arms cracked.

He was done experimenting.

There was still one more golem left, and looking at Amelia her complexions started to pale.

Most likely, the mana she used for her attacks was much more significant than his.

He had to finish this so she could rest.

Looking at the golem and seeing all the cracks, he surmised that one more major blow should finish the job.

With such thoughts, she stepped forward.

Step—

Massaging his neck, black flames engulfed his entire figure. His fur coat had already burnt down to smithereens.

The cold breeze washed over him, but Brandon paid no heed to it.

Tzz—

He blinked forward, as blue streaks and black flames left his trail.

The golem's large fist was raised up as it aimed to strike him. Gathering a substantial amount of magic power in his palms, the black flames gradually expanded and blue sparks coalesced.

The atmosphere became heavy, and the snow around them fluttered, revealing the rough patch of grass.

A large fist loomed over him, shading his entire figure.

But before it could reach him…

BOOM——!

His fist met the golem's chest as it staggered backwards. Immediately, the cracks expanded.

Cr… Cr… Crack…!

The golem's blue eyes flickered. Eventually, it faded and its entire figure dispersed. Sharp crystalline debris scattered in the air.

[You have slain a Crystal Golem!]

[+20% EXP]

The system notification popped up, but Brandon had no time to check.

Another fist loomed over him. But Brandon was quick to react as he blinked backwards, narrowly dodging the attack.

Boom—!

The ground shook as the other golem's fist struck down.

"Huu…"

There was one more golem.

One left.

But the thought of having to go through the same lengthy process made Brandon breathe heavily.

However, as he scanned the golem's figure, he realized there were several cracks in its armor.

It seemed like Amelia's relentless attacks had done its job.

"....!"

His alarm bells rang.

The crystal fragments from the previous golem started shaking.

Swoosh—!

All of a sudden, all the crystal fragments floated towards the other golem.

Thump! Thump! Thump!

The fragments engraved itself on the golem and its entire figure gradually expanded.

At first, it was only a bit taller than Brandon.

But as the fragments continued to mix with the golem, it stood at a towering height, way above the trees surrounding the forest.

"...."

Shit.

"....!"

Its eyes flickered, and as it glowed, it started to move.

Boom! Boom!

Each step it took, the ground shook intensely.

….There was no point in fighting this behemoth.