Reborn As a Pirate - Chapter 121

Chapter 121: Blood Claw Dragon!
Ryan stood his ground resolutely, maintaining his charged stance with the immovable determination of a lone ant defiantly facing a speeding train, perhaps a foolhardy comparison, but one born of courage rather than folly as compared to the beast he was but ant in size.

A gust of wind heralded the beast’s approach, whipping the hair at the base of Ryan’s helmet backward in a fierce dance. As the bone armor dragon barreled towards him, reducing the distance to a mere meter, Ryan exploded into action.

“Bang!”

With a forceful step forward, the earth beneath him splintered, webbing out into a network of cracks. Instead of evading, Ryan charged headlong towards the oncoming juggernaut, his actions fueled not by overconfidence but by a tactical deployment of his newly mastered [Special Sword Skill-Collision Attack].

“Boom!”

As he surged forward, the rush of adrenaline made his blood roar, his heartbeat thundering in his ears like war drums in the thick of battle. This visceral surge was the so-called “blood energy” his panel had hinted at but never fully explained. Through prior training, Ryan had come to understand this force as a tangible yet elusive essence of his physical vitality, unseen, unfelt, but undeniably potent.

Before acquiring his special sword skills, Ryan had sensed this “blood energy” within him but lacked the means to harness it. Now, armed with the right techniques, he could channel this raw power into formidable combat effectiveness.

“Bang!”

The collision was monumental. As Ryan met the rolling mass of bone and fury, a faint blood-colored film shimmered around him, a protective sheath of blood energy that absorbed the kinetic onslaught. As the bone armor dragon smashed into him, it was repelled as though it had struck a bastion of hardened steel. The impact sent the beast hurtling through the air to crash heavily against the cavern wall, rumbling down to the ground in a disoriented heap.

The dragon lay dazed, momentarily vulnerable, its soft underbelly exposed mere meters from Ryan. Seizing the opportunity, Ryan’s great sword sliced through the air, its blade wreathed in a chilling mist. The weapon cleaved through the unprotected abdomen, the sharp blade cutting deep and wide, unleashing a flood of blood as frost crept from the wound, crystallizing the gore.

Jolted back to consciousness by the grievous injury, the bone armor dragon lashed out in desperation. Its massive tail, studded with lethal spikes, swung wildly at Ryan in a last-ditch effort to repel the formidable human adversary.

In the past, facing such a brutal assault, Ryan would have had no choice but to fall back and evade. His mortal frame, though clad in scale armor, could not withstand the raw force of a blunt attack.

But today, Ryan was no longer bound by past constraints.

Confronting the monstrous hammer-like tail, Ryan squared his stance, big sword held steady before him as a faint glow of blood-light cloaked his form.

When the massive tail struck, the collision with the blood-light infused sword didn’t just block the attack, it unleashed a powerful recoil. The energy burst forth, repelling the bone armor dragon’s tail and channeling the spent blood energy back into Ryan, instantly priming him for another surge of power.

Further fueled by the special skill [Switch Defense to Attack lv.1], acquired from his last conquest over the mud dragon, Ryan’s body thrummed with unleashed potential.

“Ha!” Ryan’s shout echoed through the abyss as his sword, now aglow with renewed vigor, struck deep into the dragon’s already wounded abdomen. The blade’s impact caused the beast to seize up, its muscles locking in a brief moment of vulnerability.

Seizing the opening, Ryan unleashed his [High-spirited War Roar], a sonorous battle cry that stunned the great beast into a daze.

Charge after charge built up within him, culminating in a “Second Stage Charge” that enveloped his greatsword in a thick white aura of vibrating spiritual energy.

“Boom!”

With a final, forceful swing, the sword cleaved through flesh and bone, splitting the exposed heart of the bone armor dragon into two. The creature’s body convulsed under the fatal blow, twitching violently before succumbing to stillness.

As the dragon lay defeated, a dark-colored bone spur clattered to the ground, emitting a deep bronze glow. Ryan, his face a shade paler from exertion, steadied his breathing and sheathed his sword.

Though the dual sword skills had proven their devastating effectiveness, allowing him to counter and vanquish the formidable dragon, Ryan could not ignore the profound exhaustion that followed their use. His body ached, demanding a respite before he could call upon such power again.

After a moment to catch his breath, Ryan bent to retrieve the fallen bone spur, curious about its properties. But as he reached for the artifact, a sinister presence materialized before him.

A blood-red shadow darted through the fog, its sudden appearance catching Ryan off-guard. Before he could react, a sharp pain pierced his neck. As darkness encroached upon his vision, the last thing he saw was a chilling, bone-clawed appendage and the vague outline of a slender figure lurking in the mist [[Superior], Blood Claw Dragon!], a new and even deadlier challenge emerging from the abyss.

As the shroud of darkness lifted, light bathed the grandeur before him. Ryan blinked his eyes open, slowly adjusting to the radiance emanating from a colossal blood-colored gem nestled atop the temple’s magnificent dome. The gem cast a warm, inviting glow, contrasting starkly with the cold dread that had seized him moments earlier.

Instinctively, Ryan’s hand fluttered to his neck, fingers tracing over unmarred skin. Relief washed over him as he realized there was no wound, his breath escaping in a shaky exhale, eyes still wide with lingering terror.

“Blood Claw Dragon, that superior beast,” he muttered under his breath. The attack had been swift, a blur of blood-red claws that left him no room for defense. It was a close call, too close, especially since he had let his guard down after his recent victory over the Bone Armor Dragon.

“Another superior monster lurks here…” Ryan’s voice was a soft whisper to himself as he pieced together his thoughts. Loic, the deputy leader of the hunting group, had warned them of the dangers, but even his detailed notes hadn’t captured the ferocity of the Blood Claw Dragon that now haunted Ryan’s thoughts.

“I’ll be ready for you next time,” he vowed quietly, determination firming his jaw. It had been a long while since he had faced death so closely. This brush with the end, however fleeting, reignited a fire within him to become strong.

Regaining his composure after the tragic end to his travel, Ryan’s gaze drifted towards the Holy Blood Pool. There, under the shimmering surface, the dark blue witch, Freni, continued her ritual, drawing the sacred blood essence into herself. The pool’s waters, tinged with a subtle red, clunging to her form emitting a red glow, accentuating her ethereal figure beneath the soaked, light blue fabric of her dress.

His eyes lingered a moment on the striking silhouette she cast, then he turned away, focusing on the panel before him. His recent triumph over the Bone Armor Dragon had elevated his strength, a fact reflected clearly in his updated stats:

Traveling Avatar

– Level: 12 (0%)

– Spiritual Value: 52,635 → 72,635

– Spirituality: 6.0

– Physical Fitness: 45.81 → 58.80

Main Body

– Spirituality: 4.8

– Physical Fitness: 9.46 → 14.06

Thanks to the “Sacred Relic: Azure Medal,” his journey had not only tested his limits but pushed them, fortifying his physical prowess to a formidable new peak. If only the Blood Claw Dragon had faced him in a fair fight, Ryan mused, perhaps the outcome might have been different. Yet, he knew all too well that in the Rotting Miasma Abyss, survival seldom played fair.