Chapter 15 ( the uncommon third stage)

The air is thick with tension as both sides

prepare to strike. Drake was confused

by the Fox King transformation. He

turned to Ben, his voice urgent.

"Ben, what just happened?" Ben, seeing

the seriousness and curiosity in Drake's

eyes.

"It's nothing new. Almost everyone

knows about the crimson rot. It all started

over five years ago, when mages and

ordinary people desperately sought to

increase their strengths. An illegal drug

called Bloodbane, from an unknown

source, began circulating through

merchants, sold at exorbitant prices to

those desperate in need; it quickly

hooked them, turning them into addicts.

This drug boosted their strengths even

without mana. Both the moments of bliss

were transient; the drug started ravaging

their flesh, leaving behind leathery,

crimson skin. Those without mana who

consumed it lost their sanity, while those

mages that consumed found their mana

rings degraded but retained their sanity

intact. As of now, only three levels of this

crimson rot have been discovered and only

two are widely known, especially to us

mercenaries."

"The initial stage is called 'The Infested'.

These are people without mana who

have succumbed to the effect of the

bloodbane poison and lost their sanity,

but are susceptible to ordinary weapons

and driven by their relentless and savage

instinct."

"The second stage is called 'The Blight',

which can only be found among mages

who have consumed bloodbane. At this

stage, their transformation is underway.

While they retained facades of their

formal selves, they're primarily driven by

their instincts, which are based on their

experience before transformation; they

can communicate both only acts based

on their previous experience. Their

senses are sharpened, which allows

them to detect the presence of livings

with unnatural acuity.They are much

stronger and more resilient to damage

than The Infested."

Drake, listening to Ben under

overwhelming tension, interrupted him.

"Based on what you have said, you are

all familiar with these two stages, so why

are you all scared."

Hearing this, Ben's eyes suddenly

widen; he exhales heavily, nods his head

repeatedly, and pats Drake's shoulder

with his cold hand.

"You have a good deduction." Ben

turned in the direction of the beast,

taking a cautionary step forward.

"That fox in front of us just broke through

to the uncommon third stage. Even

though it's just broken through, you

should also feel the unstable pressure

coming from it."

Drake, hearing this, turned pale, sweat

beading from his forehead as his

stomach churned.

"You all need to focus," Sam cautioned.

"As you have all seen. It just broke

through Rotwalker (the stage). We don't

know what sorts of strength it

possessed, so be careful." 

  Sam darts towards the crimson rot Fox

king, "Water aura: aqua piercer ocean's

fang (3 circle)." His sword arced through

the air, but the crimson Fox King

vanished into the air, leaving an

aftermath.

Before Sam could react, the crimson-rot

Fox King reappear beside him in midair,

about to maul with its triple-segmented

mouth. Sam, unable todefend, received

the attack with his left arm.

The Crimson Rot Fox king locks its jaws

onto Sam's left hand.Larry reacted

instantly and grabbed his shield by the

edge, arcing it at the crimson Fox King. "

Water aura: aqua resonance shield,

Maelstrom barrier (4 circle). A mid-circle

water aura appears on the shield's

surface, materializing Larry's water aura

around the shield, becoming denser,

resembling a spinning vortex, and

slammed it at the crimson Rot fox king.

A shockwave is amplified, sending a

powerful pulse of water energy,

launching the crimson Fox King back in

the air. The crimson Fox spins, landing

with its left flank wobbling, before

regaining its footing.

Sam feels slick, decaying movement

within his left arm, spreading to his

shoulder. He realized he must act fastly,

or the dark fluid will tint his entire body.

He served his arm in a swift, desperate

motion, cutting off the decayed arm

before spreading further.

The fox king (crimson rot), burning in a

malevolent glow, darts towards Sam,

giving him no time to react. Just as it's

about to strike, a dense, mana-coated

arrow pierced its neck, sending it

crashing to the ground.

The arrow, however, instantly

disintegrated into dust, and the wound

on the crimson rot Fox heals with an

astonished speed. Everyone was

shocked in disbelief.

"Is there really anyway to end this?" Lilly

cried out. "Captain has lost his left arm;

what will be our faith?" Her voice

trembled.

Binter gently patted her shoulder. "You

need to stay strong and calm. The

captain and Larry are doing their

best." 

Meanwhile, the Fox King (crimson rot),

driven by instinct, shifts its target.

Pretending to attack Sam, draw closer to

him, then abruptly changed its direction,

aiming at those behind them, catching

them all off guard.

Ben didn't have time to prepare another

shot. At the same time, Sam and Larry,

who were avoided by the crimson rot Fox

King, are also sprinting after it.

The fox king (crimson rot) leaps into the

air, towards Ben, drooling dark corrosive

fluid from its mouth.

The fluid was mere inches away from

Ben when a water mana barrier formed

around them. "Water mana: Aqua shield

(1 circle)." Drake materialized his mana

to form a protective barrier around them,

safeguarding them from the corrosive

fluid.