Chapter One-Hundred and Forty-Five: Dattebayo!
<span style="font-weight:400">“That should be enough….” Drake said, looking back through the cracked entrance the enormous Guardian Ant broke through.
<span style="font-weight:400">“<em><span style="font-weight:400">I do not believe that this is a good idea. Are you not expending too much mana?”</em><span style="font-weight:400"> Natto asked.
<span style="font-weight:400">“I have to make sure it falls, remember this is a marathon to the end not a sprint,” Drake said looking over his shoulder into the dark of the hive tunnel, “I don’t like the feeling I get from this ce too…”
<span style="font-weight:400">“<em><span style="font-weight:400">Afraid are we? That is a first,”</em><span style="font-weight:400"> Natto replied surprised.
<span style="font-weight:400">“It’s something else… The hair on the back of my head is standing on end. But I can’t sense anything from my skills or aura.”
<span style="font-weight:400">Drake gave a quick shake to remove the feeling from himself, walking past therge balls of fire he had ced all over the entrance of the Hive.
<span style="font-weight:400">“I’m not going to like this. Whenever I hit empty it feels like I haven’t eaten in weeks and have vertigo,” Drake sighed, pulling a blue colored potion into one hand, the other raised looking back at the entrance he had just exited.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Time to make it shy!” Drake smirked, popping the cork of the mana potion, his tattoo rings disappearing into his inventory as Morning Glory materialized above his hand.
<span style="font-weight:400">Drake twirled the staff dramatically before mming the bottom into the ground, the sound of the sea of Ants behind him chittering to a new high as they tried to rush him from below the hill.
<span style="font-weight:400">“<em><span style="font-weight:400">The power of the sun within my hands, burn bright, illuminating the unworthy sphemers that stand before you! Roar in your cacophony of great expanse!”</em><span style="font-weight:400"> Drake chanted swinging his hand as if orchestrating and pulled his staff from the ground as he finished with thest word<em><span style="font-weight:400">, </em><span style="font-weight:400">pointing it directly at the hive.
<span style="font-weight:400">“<em><span style="font-weight:400">Explosion!!”</em>
<span style="font-weight:400">Drake roared the final word the sound of multiple thunderous explosions going off within the hive as cracks began to splinter all over the outside of the towering structure.
<span style="font-weight:400">He turned to face the sea of monsters closing in on him, not bothering to look at the handiwork he knew he had seeded in producing. Downing the blue potion in his hand in one go, he threw the bottle to the side, his staff disappearing into his inventory.
<span style="font-weight:400">Drake’s Tattoo Rings then materialized in front of him, as he spun around equipping both in one smooth motion, the Hive crashing down in mes behind him as debris and wind pushed his clothes whipping back and forth in it.
<span style="font-weight:400">His tattoo’s red to life, cascading up his arm as he pushed mana into them, his hair and tattoos shimmering once more into a brilliant yellow as he changed to his lightning endowment.
<span style="font-weight:400">“<em><span style="font-weight:400">Impressed with yourself?</em><span style="font-weight:400">” Natto sighed.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Come on you got to admit that was a cool equip scene. The fire, the spinning, the wless execution! Then the changing forms?” Drake said, trying not to smile.
<span style="font-weight:400">“<em><span style="font-weight:400">Please just kill the ants. That is if they have not keeled over from the amount of cringe they have just witnessed,”</em><span style="font-weight:400"> Natto said, fake gagging.
<span style="font-weight:400">Drake smiled, happy to still be able to have some fun with Natto despite the foreboding feeling he hade across looking down into the tunnel of the entrance.
<span style="font-weight:400">But he quickly switched to a more serious demeanor, the ants bing too close forfort.
<span style="font-weight:400">“I have to store these right? Think I have enough space?” Drake said, pointing to the ants.
<span style="font-weight:400">“<em><span style="font-weight:400">Yes, that would be what I suggest. I would not worry about space, you have an absurd amount as it stands. I do not think you could fill it even if you tried…” </em><span style="font-weight:400">Natto advised.
<span style="font-weight:400">Drake nodded, her exnation good enough for him, and if he filled up he could just hand them over to someone else for a bit. He had given out quite a lot of inventory bags to everyone.
<span style="font-weight:400">The first of the Ants had finally reached Drake as he nodded to Natto’s exnation.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Time to put a dent in the poption of the ants here then!” Drakeughed, his arms ring with blue and red mana, his open palmed hand extending to meet the ant.
<span style="font-weight:400">The ant chittered loudly as it charged at him, but was stopped abruptly.
<span style="font-weight:400">Drake smiled at the seemingly confused ant as it continued to try to push forward, its mandibles snapping angrily at Drake, the rest of the ants closing in around him from all directions.
<span style="font-weight:400">“<em><span style="font-weight:400">Has your mother not told you not to y with your food…?”</em><span style="font-weight:400"> Natto chided.
<span style="font-weight:400">“All the time,” Drakeughed, picking up the monster with one arm, his fingers embedded into the chitin armor of its head, small beads of green ichor spilling down its red outside.
<span style="font-weight:400">Drake deftly spun, using the monster as a club, mming it into the surrounding Ants, eventually the force of the spinunching the rest of the body from both its head and Drake''s head.
<span style="font-weight:400">He looked at the still moring head in his grip in disgust, “Ugh I forgot insects did that…”, he said grimacing as he summoned small balls of water around him.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Almost summoned fireballs out of habit..” Drake said nervously looking at the Tyrant oil not only around him, but still sticking to his clothes and body, “Just going to have to get more creative than destructive.”
<span style="font-weight:400">Drake willed the five balls of water to tten and begin spinning. The water disks sun slowly picking up speed until a low hum was steadily heard from them.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Now for another coboration,” Drake smiled, “<em><span style="font-weight:400">Destructo Disk! Plus Spirit ball!”</em>
<span style="font-weight:400">Drake stowed the bodies of the fallen ants around him, picking up both corpses and skill stones as the disks shout out, passing through Ants left and right with ease.
<span style="font-weight:400">Rushing forward Drake followed his spiraling disks of death, getting close enough to the ants they passed through to ce them into his inventory.
<span style="font-weight:400">“So handy!” Drakeughed keeping pace, “And reusable! I should use my water magic more often!”
<span style="font-weight:400">Drake was making good time through the sea of Ants killing hundreds into thousands with minimal effort and expense of mana. Therge army of Tyrant Ants slowly reaped like grain from a field.
<span style="font-weight:400">The resupply of Ants did not falter but thanks to Drake destroying the Hive entrance, there was a forced direction of the supply. His surroundings slowly began to clear, save the insect blood and dismembered parts here and there.
<span style="font-weight:400">He was slowly but surely pushing back the tide of the Ants, clearing out a good section around the remains of the Hive entrance behind him.
<span style="font-weight:400">Drake looked up noticing a small flying object.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Oh looks like Hudson is keeping track of us. He really is a good guy despite how he talks,” Drake smirked, pausing his onught for a moment as he pulled a crystal from his pant’s pocket, “Can you hear me?” Drake asked.
<span style="font-weight:400">“<em><span style="font-weight:400">Loud and clearer than I’d like. Looks like you been busy there pup,”</em><span style="font-weight:400"> Hudson answered through the crystal.
<span style="font-weight:400">“You and the rest of the group can start moving forward. Tell Bear to be on his toes, and have Theo, Harley, and Chelsea keep their ears and eyes open for stragglers,” Drake directed.
<span style="font-weight:400">“<em><span style="font-weight:400">Sounds good Boss man. I’ll let the big guy know,”</em><span style="font-weight:400"> Hudson replied, the drone in the air, zipping off in the direction of the group.
<span style="font-weight:400">Drake stashed away the crystal back into his pocket, looking up at the sea of monsters still before him.
<strong>[Tyrant Ant Reaper Level 27]</strong>
<span style="font-weight:400">He looked over the line of monsters speeding forward past the rest, their front legs reced with scythes, and their chitin skeletons darkened to a navy blue sheen.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Oh, don’t they look dangerous… I was wondering what they looked like when their quest showed up,” Drake thought aloud.
<span style="font-weight:400">Drake casually held his hand up, his water disks ceasing to spin and converged into arge ball of water in front of Drake as he ced his Tattoo Rings into his inventory. Once again switching them out for Morning Glory.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Time for a little experimenting now that we have some time,” Drake mused.
<span style="font-weight:400">“<em><span style="font-weight:400">Heretical Attunement! Water!”</em><span style="font-weight:400"> he shouted, the water spell coalescing around the staff forming arge double edged scythe.
<span style="font-weight:400">Drake grinned passed his mask, as he gripped the staff with both hands.
<span style="font-weight:400">“<em><span style="font-weight:400">Witch Hunter’s Crescent!”</em><span style="font-weight:400"> he said with glee, shooting forward with the scythe in hand, right to the uing Reapers.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Let’s see what this baby can do!”
<span style="font-weight:400">Drake began swinging therge scythe wildly, using itsrge reach topensate for hisck of technique. The de of water connected with the forearms of the first few Reapers who had rushed ahead of the others.
<span style="font-weight:400">The spell passed through the monsters in what could hardly be called a contest, the sharpness of the water unmatchable by the beasts.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Wow, that’s sharper than I thought…” Drake said his eyes widening as the monsters instantly fell to pieces in front of him.
<span style="font-weight:400">But Drake didn’t have time to admire his work as he was swarmed by other Ants in moments.
<span style="font-weight:400">Swinging his staff-turned-scythe like he was a spinning top, he used the momentum to bisect the surrounding Ants, their bodies hitting the floor in squirming halves.
<span style="font-weight:400">After a few more full turns of swiping his scythe, Drake nted his foot embedding it into the ground, as he shook his head.
<span style="font-weight:400">“I’ll have to practice that one. Interesting concept though. I do wonder if my weapon of choice skill applies to magically made ones. Naw… that would be broken right…?” Drake hummed.
<span style="font-weight:400">Canceling the attunement and endowment, Drake reformed his disks this time with wind.
<span style="font-weight:400">Wanting to diversify his options, he changed his Endowment to Water, wanting to continue to use his spells while he helped clear out a section for his group to set up on.
<span style="font-weight:400">“I don’t need to overextend myself anymore,” Drake said aloud, taking a nce over his shoulder, seeing a good portion already cleared out around the copsed entrance, “Now let''s just take it slow, and get some good ol’ practice in.”
<span style="font-weight:400">Biding his time and stacking up kills for his weapon’s unique buff for wind magic, Drake continued to clear out the surroundings. Checking every now and again over his shoulder to make sure nothing was getting past him.
<span style="font-weight:400">He moved methodically through the open area whipping out every ant that moved too close, picking up and storing the bodies as he went.
<em><span style="font-weight:400">I can just let everyone else pick up the skill stones at this point. I need to focus on making more room for now.</em>
<span style="font-weight:400">Drake had been going for several hours in total at this point, surprising even himself with his tenacity. And also once again thanking his overblown stats. Before he felt people or things enter his sphere of aura perception behind him.
<span style="font-weight:400">Taking a brief look back he saw a familiar redheaded giant leading the way, followed by the sound of gunfire from above as Hudson let his drones let loose hell on the ants below.
<span style="font-weight:400">Drake began solidifying his position and doubled his disks from five to ten, right as a notification appeared in his periphery.
<strong>[100th Wind Kill Stacked]</strong>
<span style="font-weight:400">Drake pulled his disks back, raising his staff high above his head as they moved to his will lining up parallel to the weapon.
<span style="font-weight:400">He pushed more mana into the disks expending all of them until they became turbulent spinning des of death that covered a significant amount of the area.
<span style="font-weight:400">“<em><span style="font-weight:400">Futon! Rasen Shuriken!”</em><span style="font-weight:400"> Drake roared, wheeling his staff arm in a circle, the des of wind increasing in speed until their sound overtook the chittering of the ants.
<span style="font-weight:400">Drake threw his arm forward, the des responding and snapping forward, cutting down thousands of ants in their wake.
<span style="font-weight:400">In only a few seconds Drake had cleared out hundreds of feet of opennd thanks to his staff''s effect.
<span style="font-weight:400">He threw his fist forward as another notification passed his eyes.
<strong>[Congrattions, you have increased to Elemental Miller Level 21] [40 Free Stat Points have been Awarded.]</strong>
<span style="font-weight:400">“Hell yeah! Believe it!” Drake whooped.
<span style="font-weight:400">“<em><span style="font-weight:400">Ughhhhhh…..”</em><span style="font-weight:400"> Natto screamed, grimacing all the while.