Path of Dragons - A LitRPG Apocalypse (BOOK TWO STUBBING AUGUST 15)

Thor Gunderson knelt atop the hill, staring across the valley at the creature. The monster was huge, but then again, most of his prey had been of late. It was the only way to get any sort of challenge. The animal was a little bigger than an African elephant, with a long shaggy coat of soft fur that hung down to its ankles. Its head was similarly elephant-like, with a long, tapered trunk, great floppy ears, and a pair of massive tusks that Thor had seen disembowel lesser creatures.

But unlike an elephant, this monster was no quadruped. Instead, it stood on two feet like a man. It was intelligent, too, having shown the ability to utilize crude tools. At present, it wielded a giant tree-trunk like a club.

For his part, Thor carried a much less impressive weapon. At least on the surface, it appeared that way. But he didn’t need to look at his spear to know it was far from ordinary. The haft of the spear was made of bone, and it had been carved with fanciful designs that made it look like scrimshaw. The blade was like black glass, sharper than anything else Thor had ever seen, with blood red tassels tied just below its base.

Thor himself was far more overtly exceptional. Standing at almost seven feet tall, he had once been a champion power lifter. After the world had been transformed, he’d utilized his massive strength to his advantage, and in the years since, he’d used that brief head start to keep himself ahead of everyone else.

Or perhaps it was his taste for a great hunt that made him special. Since the very beginning, there had been no peak he didn’t try to climb, no monster – bestial or otherwise – he didn’t want to hunt. He’d spent the intervening years stalking and killing one powerful creature after another, and he’d reaped the rewards of success, climbing the power ladder until he’d found himself in the top five.

Yet he’d so far been unable to bridge the gap, even after using his talents to help various groups conquer multiple towers. He’d fought in rifts. He’d slaughtered Voxx. And he’d even worked a stint as a bounty hunter. Still, the top of the ladder remained as distant as ever, and Thor’s frustration had continued to mount.

The result was that he’d pushed himself into progressively more dangerous hunts, stalking prey that he should never have considered fighting. He’d even ventured into the deadly Frozen Wastes, where he’d hunted ice mammoths. He’d only skirted the edges – anything else would have killed even him – but he’d expected the lethality of the situation to work in his favor.

And it had.

Still, the gap between him and the people at the peak had remained just as wide as ever. Each time he gained a level, so did they. Sometimes, more than one. It was maddening.

Yet, Thor persisted. He knew they would slip up. Those ahead of him would make mistakes and end up dead. Or worse, their pace of improvement would slow. And then, he would pass them by. It was only a matter of time. So, with that in mind, Thor tracked his target with a steady gaze, waiting for the opportune moment to move in.

Meanwhile, the monster, which he’d identified as a tiyeto, meandered around, periodically snatching leaves from nearby trees. It was mostly carnivorous, but the creature would also eat flora if it was hungry enough. Thor decided to make his move, descending the slope on silent feet.

Before Earth had been touched by the World Tree, Thor hadn’t been much of a hunter. He’d been a few times growing up, but his training schedule hadn’t left much time for anything else. However, soon after the world had changed, he’d discovered the joy of stalking and killing prey. The more dangerous, the better.

Gradually, he covered the distance between to the tiyeto, only stopping when he was a little more than ten feet away. Then, he forced ethera into his most important ability, Bite of the Hunter, and his spear erupted into green light. Just before the blade pierced the tiyeto’s chest, the monster reacted, darting to the side. It only moved a few inches before Thor’s attack landed, ripping through its shoulder and sending chunks of meat and bone flying.

But it was enough to save the monster from a one-shot kill.

Annoyed, Thor landed with a roll that a man of his size never should’ve been capable of, then found his feet a moment before the tiyeto’s counterattack found him. He leaped backward, barely avoiding the monster’s sweeping tusks, then darted forward, using the butt of his spear to knock the natural weapons aside. Then, he dipped low, twirled his spear like a quarterstaff, then stabbed the monster through the trunk.

Or that was what he’d intended.

Instead, the blade skipped off the creature’s tough skin, barely leaving a scratch. That was the issue with hunting monsters that were a higher level then him. Without powerful abilities like Bite of the Hunter, his weapon was incapable of piercing through their defenses. Still, it wasn’t Thor’s first hunt, and he had a few more tricks up his sleeve. However, he had to be alive to play those cards, so the moment his attack failed, he used Survival of the Fittest to briefly enhance his physical attributes. The surge of Strength and Dexterity allowed Thor to dodge the tiyeto’s next attack, which came in the form of a sweeping tree trunk.

Then, he used Fury of the Stalker, and his spear took on a red sheen.

Enraged, the tiyeto trumpeted its anger before it leaped at him. Thor didn’t immediately react. Instead, he waited patiently. However, when the monster’s club descended, it found no resistance until slamming into the ground and sending an eruption of dirt and leaves into the air. That’s when Thor, having used Mirror Trap, attacked it from behind. This time, his spear, enhanced by Fury of the Stalker, bit deep into the monster’s torso, ripping through its organs and sending an explosion of ethera to do even more damage.

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The creature let out another trumpet of rage, but it quickly turned into agony. And finally, despair.

Thor stabbed it again, this time in the small of its back. Its legs went limp, and it fell to the ground. The once-mighty monster flopped around, swinging its club ineffectually as Thor watched from just out of range. It was pitiful, how easily it had fallen. Only thirty seconds, and it was all but dead.

He stood there for a long while, gazing upon the creature as it bled out. Finally, he tired of the show and stepped in, raking his spear across the tiyeto’s throat. It finally died thirty seconds later, giving Thor an influx of experience that pushed him to level sixty.

Then, he let out a roar of exultation as he thrust his spear to the sky. Once he did, he looked at the power rankings: