The Rise of the Winter Wolf - Book 3 - Chapter 34 - Venom (Patreon)

                                                                                       Wolf

Okay, so I guess the theme isn’t going to be as simple and easy as I thought it would be…

                                                                 -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

System Favor: From now on, a new star ranked challenge will be added to the star ranked challenges every floor, and you must complete the one-star ranked challenge in order to challenge the two-star and complete the two-star ranked challenge to challenge the three-star. This pattern will repeat itself all the way to the final floor of the theme.

However, the mini bosses will be taken out of each challenge, with the exception of the newest challenge to each floor.

You may challenge the star ranked challenges back to back, or at entirely different times from each other.

                                                                  Good luck, favored one.

                                                       And may the moon guide your way.

                                                                  -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

I stare at the menu for a few seconds before it vanishes along with the one in between the two guardians.

At least the System is giving me a heads-up about what will be in the theme.

That said, this might get a little bit annoying.

Shaking my head slightly at the thought, I begin walking in between the guardians and into the arena. Just like on the last floor, the arena is filled to the brim with monsters, with many of them being the same ones as the ones on the last floor.

In fact, all of the monsters are the same except for one. Now, instead of desert warriors, there are a lot of one-and-a-half meter long lizards.

Lizards that are occasionally burping flames?

Are those…

                                                  _-| Unnamed – Salathrae – Level 455 |-_

…not salamanders?

Okay, considering how often the monsters in the dungeon seem to follow the naming sense of video games, I was pretty sure a fire-breathing lizard would be called a salamander…

Turning my attention away from the closest salathrae, I focus on the battle currently going on in the red-sand-encrusted pit.

“Oh?” I mutter with intrigue as I find a salathrae fighting with a fire jinn. “This might be interesting…”

A fight between two monsters that use fire-based powers.

The salathrae look like big, red lizards. They have four limbs, with a reptilian snout, sharp teeth, and a forked tongue. Meanwhile, the fire jinn looks just like the fire jinn on the previous floor.

I hope there aren’t very many more fire monsters on this theme…

My brows furrow at the thought before unfurrowing again.

Actually, considering the heat of the desert, it’s not all that much of a problem for me right now. Seeing as they are too weak to land a good hit in on me. Plus, all their fire means is that they can deal some extra damage and melt my ice if they are at my level or above.

I look around the arena bleachers for a second before noticing something.

Wait a minute… there are two tunnels – not including the entrance tunnel – this time?

My attention is drawn back to the center pit as the salathrae suddenly expels a short plume of fire from its mouth directly towards the jinn, only for the jinn to jerk to the left, leaving its own trail of flames behind and burning a charred path on the already red sand. After getting out of the plume of flame’s path, the jinn pulls its right arm up to its chest before swinging it at the salathrae, causing a blazing arc of flames to cut a quick path through the sand-infested air towards the salathrae, who is too slow to dodge out of the way like the jinn did.

I turn away as the salathrae lets out a loud cry of pain to head back towards the system guardians after a brief glance in the direction of the two tunnels.

The additional tunnel is probably where the star ranked enemies are for the two different star ranked challenges.

Anyways, it’s time to sign up for a default challenge.

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                                                                               Two hours later

The salathrae’s cry turns into a gurgle as my claws travel straight through its throat, tearing it out in the process along with a few streams of blood.

As soon as the creature’s body hits the ground, a notification appears in the center of my interface.

My eyes pass over the notification before I ignore it to look at Sapphire, who is already cleaning her legs of the desert scorpion’s blood.

After looking at her for a second, a grin stretches across my face.

I wonder if that’s a thing…

Sapphire looks up at me from her leg, as if sensing my thoughts, before I turn towards the system guardian right as it begins to lift its staff.

“I challenge the one-star star ranked challenge,” I declare before it can slam its staff down.

The guardian pauses before closing its eyes for a second and opening them again and nodding. It then slams its staff into the ground, causing everything in the arena to shake for a second.

After a few seconds of this, the shaking subsides, and a menu appears in front of me.

                                                                  -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

                             Your one-star star ranked challenge will begin in ten seconds.

The star ranked challenge consists of three waves, with the third and final wave containing a mini boss.

                                           Good luck, and may the moon guide your way.

                                                                  -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

The grin on my face stretches even wider before I transform into my wolf form. Thanks to all of my therapy lessons with the old man in the executive stream, I’ve been able to control myself well enough in this form. Due to this, I’ve realized that I am a lot faster in my wolf form than in either of my other two forms.

It might be a good way to avoid the fire powers if either of the star ranked challenges have salathrae or fire jinn in them.

It’s also nice that I can immediately do another challenge without having to wait for ten minutes.

As expected, a loud noise echoes from the direction of one of the two tunnels before three desert gladiators rush out over the bleachers and attempt to jump into the pit.

I look at the monsters before breaking into a sprint straight towards them as soon as they touch the ground, causing all of the red sand around me to be scattered by my sudden movement.

The closest of the three desert gladiators raises their blade to defend against me, only to stumble as I change my trajectory at the last moment to avoid the blade and instead headbutt the gladiator in the side. A loud crack echoes from the skeleton’s torso, beneath its armor, as it flies three meters straight into another desert gladiator.

Before either of them can get up, I rush forwards and sink my fangs into the armor on the downed gladiator’s right arm, digging straight through the metal plating into the bones beneath. I then jump backwards and turn my attention towards the third gladiator, who is only now managing to finish gathering its bearings from the surprise of my sudden attack.

Now I can see what my venom might do to an undead creature. It probably won’t do anything, but I still want to see what happens.

The third gladiator breaks out into a sprint towards me with its sword raised into the air, only for it to sweep down and strike the sandy floor, causing sand to fly up into the air from the impact. Meanwhile, I sprint around the creature and jump up towards its head before smacking it with my paw, sending it falling face-first into the ground. I then jump onto its back, wrapping my jaws around its skull, before biting down as hard as I can, crushing its skull into bits that I then proceed to spit out of my mouth.

Undead bones don’t taste good.

I turn back towards the two gladiators on the ground to find one of them half frozen, with the other one pinned underneath its body.

Huh?

Wait, does my venom freeze undead?

I stare at the two creatures for a second before jerking backwards in surprise as Sapphire suddenly rushes forwards and slams her leg through the skull of one of them, killing the one that isn’t being frozen alive. She then raises another leg to do the same to the other, only stopping as I give her a mental command to stop.

I move towards the downed gladiator before pausing right next to it to watch as its bones, and surprisingly even the armor above them, begin to slowly turn into a blackish-blue ice that matches the color of my venom to a tee.

Well, this is interesting…

After a few more minutes pass, the gladiator finally finishes freezing completely and a chime rings in my head signaling its death.

So my venom is deadly to undead as well?

It’s too bad that I can’t turn them, but at least I can still use my venom on them in some way.

Another loud noise draws my attention back towards the tunnel entrance before another wave of desert gladiators comes rushing out.

I turn towards Sapphire and nod my head whilst changing to my hunter form instead.

If the monsters aren’t using their fire powers, it would be better to just use my physically stronger form instead.

I can always just change back when a salathrae or fire jinn enters the ring. If one does.

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For those of you who can't see the image:

System Notification

Congratulations!

You are now level 468!

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