A Soulsborne's Traveler System
Chapter 43: Darkroot Garden 2: Electric Boogaloo.

I had been quite busy over the last few days. Mainly focusing on evolving my miracles which went quite smoothly. I also leveled up some of my other miracles. And at this point, I was quite satisfied with my miracle screen for now.

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(Miracles)(-)

[ Great Heal lv.1 ], [Homeward lv.5], [Seek Guaindance lv.5], [Wrath of the Gods lv.1], [Lighning Spear lv.10], [Sunlight Blade lv.7], [Gravelord Greatsword Dance lv.3],[Magic Barrier lv.2]

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Wrath of the Gods was just a stronger version of force that dealt actual damage alongside the launching effect. Great Heal was just a heal spell with higher power and focus requirement.

Magic barrier was the highlight, when I cast it, it forms a barrier around me that reduces the effect of any spell that hits me. The only problem was, there weren't many magic users in lordran. So leveling this up would be a pain.

Something to note was that Rhea just left without so much as a word after I finished my degree in Theology. While concerning, her life was hers and I sure as hell wasn't going to butt my head in her business.

Regardless now that miracles have been crossed off of my checklist, I should move on to my next objective: Darkroot garden 2: Electric Boogaloo.

I packed up my shit and headed down and passed by Andre's to the Darkroot garden's first section. After turning a few bushlings into cinders I finally got the door of Artorias. I got rid of my weapons since I wanted to test something.

What I wanted to know was for far I could get by only relying on my body and skills. After all the time I spend grinding sorceries miracles and pyromancies I really wanted to test them out in an actual battle without being able to rely on my conventional weapons.

<You have received the Quest:{Challenge: Forest Hunters}.>

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<Challenge: Forest Hunters>

Conditions: Survive and kill the forest hunter who will ambush you without using weapons.

Rewards: 20,000souls, 10 Humanity, Ring of the Sharpshooter.

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I think I have cracked the code with the challenges that the system enjoys handing out to me. And why in some cases I get them and in some cases, I don't.

The challenges that I get seem to be somewhat linked with my intentions and desires. As seen how I didn't get anything against the moonlight butter yet I got it now. It was because I had the intent to challenge myself. Though I still have no idea where the rewards come from.

To prepare for this fight I shed my armor(minus the helmet) for a less restricting shirt and pants.

Anyway, I pushed open the door and entered the new area. Which honestly just looked like more Darkroot garden with a few more ruins and more flowe-

And just as he walked 5 steps.

*Whooosh!* *Grab*

Relying on his beast-like instincts and reflexes he barely managed to snatch an arrow aimed at his eye midair. With an irritated expression, he crushed the arrow in his hands and chucked it away.

"Whelp, I guess there goes the peaceful option."

John didn't slow his stride even with the arrow incident. He sensed a soul arrow coming in his direction, so the moment it was about it hit him he used wrath of the gods to scatter the spell. He stood still for a moment and gazed at the inconspicuous foliage.

And out came a few warriors from the in between the foliage. Some in knight armor and some in bandit armor. Significantly more people than he remembered.

John just stood in a relaxed position as he watched them approach him with weapons raised. Occasionally dodging the arrows flying at him, he used inspect on his foes.

'Their levels average around 90 with a hard focus on physical combat, making them around the same strength as me. This will be troubling.'

"RAAAaargh!" *Whoosh!*

A warrior charged at him ahead of the other and tried hitting John with his battleaxe. But John kept his composure and relaxed posture, stepping to the side and then throwing a quick jab at the warrior's exposed jaw.

*whack*

John then quickly withdrew his left and landed a strong uppercut on the dazed warrior with his right hand. Putting the warrior temporarily out of commission. But just to make sure he raised his leg.

'{Blaze Kick}!'

*BOOM!*

He kicked fn the unconscious warrior that was in the middle of falling down, and as he did so he used combustion. Sending the warrior flying away and hitting a tree heavily and dropping like a sack of wet flour.

'Duck!'

*Woosh*

Another knight took up the previous one's spot and swung at my head. I manages to duck it but the archer took that opportunity to land a shot in my leg. Wincing from the stinging sensation I saw yet another sword slash aiming at my midsection.

*Clash!*

Deciding to be bold I used {Ironflesh} mitigating most of the damage as the sword released sparks when it hit my metallic body. Although my body felt like it was weighed down by a car, I could still manage. I grabbed the hand of the warrior who just swung at me and pulled to me.

*Crash!*

I used my other hand to punch the helmet of the warrior and thanks to my increased weight coupled with my strength and metallic skin, the helmet bent under the pressure as the warrior's head jerked back violently and he crumpled to the ground. I released him and he fell like a sack of rocks.

*Boom!* ''Urgh!''

While I was dealing with that warrior I got tagged in the side of the head by a soul arrow. As I winced from that another hunter came up behind me and slammed a mace to my side, which actually hurt quite a bit since blunt damage was one of the weaknesses of {Iron Flesh}.

*Stab!* ''Arrrgh!''

Just as I turned to reduce the warrior who clubbed my side to ash I was hit by an arrow straight through the eye. And since my eye wasn't covered by iron flesh it nearly punctured my brain. I gave a strong kick to the warrior, sending him flying as I turned to the archer and ripped the arrow from my eye. And glared at them with a hateful expression.

I immediately started dashing to their location, since the distance was too long to simply cover by using dash, and using Deadman Style in an endurance fight was suicide. I turned off iron flesh to go faster. Sᴇaʀch* Thᴇ NʘvᴇlFɪre.ɴet website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of nøvels early and in the highest quality.

*Bump!*

But as I was closing in on the archer a knight in heavy armor blocked my way. And due to the lack of difference between our physical stats, I couldn't overwhelm him as he stabbed at me with his rapier. I held out my hand and released a combustion but he managed to raise his shield in time to not be significantly injured by the attack, and just as I was about to release another I felt two sharp pains in my ankles and felt my legs give out.

Just as I fell I managed to grasp the figure of an assassin obscured from view as he was half transparent. He had slashed my ankles, slicing my Achilles. And now I was mad.

'{Dreadnought}'

The invisible force pulled my tendons together and forced them to work once more.

'{Form Shift}'

Muscles rearranged themselves to be more efficient, and his skeletal structure changed to a shape designed more for combat. His nails and teeth got sharper.

'{Iron Flesh}'

These new changes got further reinforced by iron flesh, making his body into an armor. His nails turned from simple nails to sharp metallic daggers. His body had turned into a living weapon.

'{Power Within}'

His blood boiled as lifeforce turned into raw energy, supercharging his body as it released extreme heat. The power given to him by the new surge of power outclassed the weight penalty of iron flesh. The adrenaline from the power within and the pain suppression from dreadnought as well as everything else turned him into a complete weapon.

*STOMP!* *Splat!*

He stomped with all of his power on the assassin still at knee height. Completely crumpling the assassin's body and splattering their blood everywhere. But before the knight before had any chance to react he twisted his body and delivered a heavy kick to the knight's midsection.

*Crack* *Bend*

The knight was sent flying by the kick. And immediately after the knight got launched John bent his body like a bow and started sprinting, and nothing could stop him while he did so thanks to the combination of his weight and speed.

*CRASH!!!*

With speeds faster than the fastest Olympic athlete he tackled the archer who had been bugging him and sent them flying as they spit blood from numerous orifices. When they hit the tree John had received the kill notification.

More and more hunters kept piling on him but none of them could stop him. They could wound him, even chop off limbs but he wouldn't stop. He didn't even wince as swords went through his body.

Wherever he went blood spilled.

His whips of flame severed limbs and threw people like projectiles.

When too many people surrounded him he released giant firestorms. Releasing a series of scorching explosions leaving people screaming in agony as their flesh charred.

His claws ripped through armor and flesh alike with ruthless indifference.

When the hunters stayed at a distance he let loose great fireballs that set everything around them on fire.

His fists crushed shields and weapons. A few people managed to take off his limbs but he'd simply reattached them. His entire body looked like it had been mangled but yet his beastlike figure performed at peak performance.

Whenever he let loose one of his great combustions limbs flew. There wasn't a warrior among them who could take a point-blank combustion and get out without their body mangled.

His focus seemed never ending as whenever he got near a corpse he would rip out their humanity and consume it, restoring his focus and health.

It was like a war. But by the time he started running out of steam so were the forest hunters. But even when met with his figure that was barely standing up straight, they all only had one look in their eyes.

Dread.

What little remained of the forest hunter fled in fear. And thus John found yet another title attached to himself.

'The Beast in Red'

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