Solo Cultivation in The Apocalypse

The dark orange fire was flickering on the left side. A few flames of fire danced on the dry left side of the floor.

Kamiya turned his head and saw withered trees that were on fire on his right side.

The floor was turning into chaos. He knew what those fires were. Kamiya gulped and continued running.

He was searching for a cover to hide from his enemy Duergar when he spotted a thick bush at the entrance of a green forest.

Kamiya did not hesitate or think about what the forest would hold for him, but he rolled to the floor and found cover behind a dark bush.

Kazon the Duergar had not used its [Enlarge] skill yet so it was still a dwarf but that did not make Kamiya less scared of its silver hammer.

Kamiya heard a ding and the message tab popped in front of him. Kamiya was about to take a look when he sensed a strong blow of wind.

He glanced up and threw his head down to duck Kazon's hammer. But that still was not enough so Kamiya laid down on the wet, muddy ground.

The bush that covered Kamiya was torn apart by Kazon's hammer. It pulled the hammer back.

Kamiya crawled from Kazon's radius and got up on the other side of the muddy ground.

Duergar was not an intimidating creature and nor was a big and scary monster like an ogre or an orc but fear was turning Kamiya numb.

He still somehow managed to stand on his feet and pull his wand in front of him.

Kazon turned around and swung its hammer.

Kamiya chanted his spell at the instant, "Fireblast!" he swung his wand a few times and a few flames of fire engulfed Kazon.

A crackling and sputtering sound came from Kazon when Hitori stopped using fireblast.

But Hitori was not done yet. He chanted another spell, "water pulse!"

Water sickles clashed with Kazon's armor set. Kamiya thought the fire will heat the metal armor and then water sickles will damage the armor.

Then, "water splash!" Splashes of water will drip Kazon wet or at least cover it in water.

Kamiya gritted his teeth and pulled his wand above his head once again but before he could execute the last spell, he grunted and grabbed his chest, later bringing down the wand.

Kamiya clenched his chest tightly and grunted, "Mana…" He took only one glance at the red mana bar. "I… can still cast a spell."

Kamiya pushed against his knee and stood straight. The fire and dust from Kazon were slowly fading and its face was coming into view.

"Elec…." Kamiya took a pause and continued, "electrify!" he brought down a blue bolt of electricity on the Duergar.

He did not lift his wand till his mana was close to dropping at zero. When his mana bar declined and reached the remaining fifty points, Kamiya stopped his spell and pulled his wand down.

The smoke, water drops, and electric shock had covered Kazon from top to bottom. It took the dust whole seven seconds to fade.

Its helmet came into view than did its chest plate. Kazon stood still.

Then Kamiya's eyes fell on the shining silver hammer.

Kamiya grunted and lifted his wand once again. "Bakuhatsu!"

The hammer left the ground. Silver glint glowed in the dark.

The psychic energy damaged the hammer's corners and pushed Kazon a few feet back.

His feet scraped on the ground. Mud and grass piled around its ankles.

The spell could not even make Kazon fall on its back or even on its knees. Kazon let out an angry groan and pulled its hammer down.

Kazon's hammer banged on the muddy ground and almost got sucked inside. The ground did not rumble this time as the earth sucked down the force.

Kazon took a step forward in the mud. It lifted its hand and rubbed its burned beard, "your spells… would not work on us, you intruder."

Kamiya's eyes popped out, his mouth dropped open when the Duergar in front of him spoke!

Kamiya froze but Kazon continued walking, "these spells… useless." Kazon lifted its weapon.

Kamiya snapped out, he quickly equipped the magic dagger from the Hogosha dungeon and searched for an opening.

"And your weapons would not pierce through our armor set." When Kazon said that, Kamiya was shocked once again.

He lifted his eye and examined the armor while running towards the Duergar.

Kazon was right. The spells Kamiya had used could not create even a single scratch on the armor, forget about heating and melting it.

But Kamiya was not sure about the weapons though cause he wielded a magic dagger—

My god… Kamiya came to a sudden pause, he turned around and decided to enter the forest.

Kazon turned its head as Kamiya ran into the forest. It lifted the hammer and chased Kamiya.

"It is a 'magic' dagger at the end!" Kamiya clenched his weapon.

When he walked past the entrance of the forest, he received a notification.

[you have entered The Dreadful Retreat]

Kamiya ignored it and continued his search for a cover. But the forest he had entered was full of green trees and no rocks or bushes.

He heard chirping sounds, the sounds were similar to the crickets' chirps in the summer. When he advanced deeper, the sounds got closer to him.

Kamiya hesitated but took a step deeper into the forest. Suddenly, with a whizzing sound, a swarm of flies encountered him.

[you have encountered a swarm of Tsetse flies!]

Kamiya came to a stop, took a few steps back, and aimed his wand. He was not sure how harmful the Tsetse flies were but he did not want to risk it.

"Fireblast!" He took down the whole swarm in one attack.

But someone else had caught up with him, "but our hammers will surely crush your heads."

Kazon approached Kamiya from behind. Slowly but eventually caught up with Kamiya.

He panicked. He did. Kamiya jerked and turned around. His face was pale due to fear. The wand trembled in one hand as he clenched his dagger in the other hand.

Kamiya hesitantly turned his head to look into Kazon's dark red eyes.

A bright light glowed down on the forest but the thick trees made it impossible for the light to pass through.

So Kamiya was able to see in the forest's faint light. He clearly saw Kazon lifting its hammer.