NOVEL NEXT Chapter 67: Push Forward
Warlock Ch 67. Push Forward
'Grimclaw.' The name itself felt menacing, but the creature's appearance was enough to make Damian shudder. It was massive, muscles rippling under thick fur, each movement slow but powerful. The creature's claws glinted ominously, its breath coming out in thick clouds of mist.
'How am I supposed to beat that?' Damian thought, his mind racing. He wanted to shout, to complain, to tell Cassius that this was insane. But deep down, he knew it was useless. Complaining wouldn't help, and Cassius wasn't the type to take mercy. Damian knew exactly why Cassius was pushing him this hard—because in the real world, his enemies wouldn't hold back. He'd be left to face whatever came at him, no matter how terrifying or impossible it seemed.
'Alright then. No Fenrith, just me.'
Damian gritted his teeth, steeling himself as he focused on his Mana. He'd tried creating a new spell on the fly, but while facing a towering beast ready to rip him apart... That was another story. But he didn't have a choice. He had to push forward, to find his limits and break through them. Because if he didn't, this creature would destroy him.
The Grimclaw let out a deafening roar, its claws digging into the ground as it prepared to charge. Damian could feel the vibrations in the floor, the sheer force of its energy making the air hum.
'Think, Damian, think!' His mind raced, sifting through everything he knew about magic. He needed something strong, something powerful enough to at least hold the creature back. Lightning was the beast's weakness, and while he had [Arcane Bolt] and [Dark Bolt] in his arsenal, he knew they wouldn't be enough on their own.
The Grimclaw charged, its massive form barreling toward him with terrifying speed. Damian's instincts kicked in, and he dove to the side just as the beast's claws swiped past him, barely missing his shoulder. 'It's fast… way too fast.' He needed a moment to focus, to gather his Mana and maybe forge a new spell, but the Grimclaw wasn't giving him that time.
Without hesitation, Damian cast [Dark Chains], summoning shadowy tendrils that erupted from the floor, wrapping themselves around the beast's legs. The Grimclaw struggled, its muscles bulging as it fought against the bindings. But his chains only slowed it momentarily. With a furious roar, the Grimclaw flexed, shattering the chains and charging at him once again.
Damian's pulse raced as he leapt back, barely avoiding the beast's next swipe. 'It's relentless! If I don't do something, this thing's going to tear me apart.'
He dodged another swipe, his heart pounding as he struggled to keep up. Each movement felt… familiar. Just like before, his body already knew how to react, like some buried instinct was guiding him. It was more than just muscle memory—it was almost like he'd fought creatures like this a hundred times before. The realization was eerie but also gave him a strange sense of confidence. His body seemed to know what to do, even if his mind was still catching up.
But the Grimclaw wasn't backing down. It kept charging, forcing him to stay on the defensive. Damian gritted his teeth as he narrowly avoided another swipe, the creature's claws grazing his arm. A surge of pain shot through him, and he clenched his jaw, determined not to let it slow him down. 'This level gap is brutal,' he thought, glancing at the creature's stats again. Every move he made felt like it barely kept him a step ahead.
Out of the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of Cassius, who seemed… tense. For a moment, it looked like Cassius might step in, but he restrained himself, watching Damian with a focused intensity. Damian knew Cassius was testing him, waiting to see if he could pull this off on his own.
'Alright, Damian. Time to focus. You need something bigger—something that can bind it and attack at the same time.'
The Grimclaw roared, charging forward once again. Damian's mind raced as he pulled his Mana, drawing on every ounce of energy he could muster. He thought back to the fight with Malthus's shadows, to the way he had instinctively crafted the [Shadow Barrier]. Maybe he could do something similar now, combining elements of both his attack and binding spells.
The idea took form in his mind, and he could feel the Mana responding, coiling and building like a storm. The Grimclaw was almost upon him, its claws glinting as it lunged forward. But Damian was ready.
"Dark Dominion!" he shouted, unleashing the spell with all the Mana he could pour into it.
Shadowy chains erupted from the ground in a wide radius around him, each one infused with a dark, crackling energy that pulsed and flickered like lightning. They snaked toward the Grimclaw, latching onto its legs, arms, and torso, binding it in place. But this wasn't like [Dark Chains]. These bindings pulsed with a continuous, draining energy, siphoning the Grimclaw's strength and dealing damage over time.
[New Skill Unlocked!]
[Dark Dominion Lv. 1 : Creates an area of dark energy that binds all enemies within range and deals continuous damage over time.]
[Damage: +15% dark damage per second.]
[Range: 10-meter radius. ]
[Duration: 10 seconds.]
The Grimclaw roared in fury, struggling against the chains that held it in place. Each time it tried to break free, the dark energy surged, tightening around it and sending pulses of pain through its massive form. The creature's HP bar began to drop steadily, the damage accumulating as it fought against the bindings.
A series notification popped in front of him.
[Critical elemental hits!]
[Grimclaw] took 250 damage!
[Grimclaw] took 134 damage!
[Grimclaw] took 245 damage!
Damian could feel the strain of the spell, the Mana drain pulling at him, but he held firm. 'This is working. I just need to hold it a little longer.'
The Grimclaw thrashed, its claws swiping at the chains, but each strike only seemed to fuel the dark energy further. It was trapped, and Damian wasn't about to let it go. He poured more Mana into the spell, focusing on keeping the creature locked in place.