Ex-Human Morphus [A Mutant Evolution Apocalypse LitRPG]
Chapter 243

Chapter 243

Having finally reached the towering island, Jake turned to look back. The final pillar he had jumped from was quickly breaking apart, crumbling into numerous fragments that plunged into the lava below. All the other pillars had already been reduced to nothing.

Jake scanned the horizon behind him, noting that the other islands lay more than three hundred meters away. With the pillars now destroyed, returning to them safely was impossible. Shifting his focus ahead, he studied the island, at the edge of which he stood.

The island towered about one hundred meters above the ocean of lava and stretched approximately three hundred meters in width. Aside from some rock outcroppings protruding from the ground here and there, the island was devoid of anything else. Yet the surface was flat enough to offer a solid footing.

As he made his way across the island, Jake couldn’t shake the feeling that it resembled an arena for a boss fight. Yet there were no enemies in sight. What purpose did this island serve? Just as he thought this, a roar erupted from above as if to answer his mental question. 

Jake looked up to see a winged creature soaring toward the island. It was enormous and resembled a dragon, but it was entirely made of bones. Such a creature shouldn’t have been able to fly, so it likely harnessed some form of magic that defied the laws of physics.

As the winged creature approached the island, it emitted another deafening roar. Since the bone dragon had no visible organs, it shouldn’t have been able to produce any sound either, yet it managed to do so. The dragon landed in the center of the island with a resounding thud that reverberated through the ground.

The enormous creature turned to face Jake but did not charge at him. Instead, it merely stared, as if waiting for him to make the first move. However, before launching an attack, Jake wanted to learn more about his opponent. With a thought, he summoned the bone dragon’s description.

Dragon Liche - Tormentor of the Dead - Level 145 (Elite)

Special abilities:

1. Buffeting Wings: The dragon liche beats its wings with intense ferocity, summoning a fierce storm that rages all around it. 
2. Ghost Summoning: The dragon liche possesses the ability to call upon the souls of valiant warriors it has killed in the past, summoning them to fight by its side. 
3. Freezing Breath: The dragon liche releases a frigid wave of cold air, inflicting Frost damage on those caught within it and slowing their movements. If they take enough damage, they can even be frozen solid.

The dragon liche was thirty-seven levels higher than him. While Jake knew from experience that this didn’t mean he couldn’t defeat this enemy, based on his past encounters with elite monsters that had outmatched him by many levels, he knew that the fight against the dragon liche would be anything but easy.

He also made use of his Enemy Appraisal perk to assess the dragon liche’s attributes and identify its weaknesses.

Body: 225

Mind: 75

Magick: 250

Elemental weaknesses: Explosive, Shock

Unfortunately, he still couldn’t deal any elemental damage other than Acid, so he would have to rely solely on his natural weapons in the impending battle against the dragon liche. Preparing his weapons, Jake charged at the elite enemy, and the battle began.

Just as he reached the dragon liche, it let out a thunderous snarl, showing rows of razor-sharp teeth. It lunged forward at him, jaws snapping with incredible speed. Jake dodged to the side just in time, feeling the rush of air as the dragon’s maw missed him by inches. Regaining his footing, he turned to face the dragon liche again and charged, positioning one hand, morphed into claws, for an attack.

With a swift motion, he lashed out at the dragon liche, aiming for its enormous head. His talons made contact but glanced off the tough skull of the creature, sending out a shower of sparks. The dragon hissed, pivoting with remarkable speed and lashing out with its skeletal tail like a whip. Jake narrowly evaded the attack, feeling the rush of wind as it sliced through the air, whirling past him.

Since his claws were ineffective against the dragon liche’s tough exterior, Jake morphed both his hands into large smashfists. Suddenly, the dragon liche took to the air, rising high above him. Jake stared up at the creature as its shadow enveloped him. Instinctively, he raised his smashfists to shield himself as the enormous skeletal creature began its dive.

He swiftly darted to the side just as the dragon liche landed nearby, causing the ground to tremble beneath its weight. The creature lashed out at him with its front claws. Jake narrowly avoided the attack, dashing aside and sensing the earth shake as the dragon liche advanced on him with powerful strides.

The monster lunged at him once more, its jaws snapping loudly shut with a clack, just missing him as he skillfully darted aside. After evading the creature’s bite, Jake swiftly countered with a punch to the side of its head using his smashfist. The dragon liche staggered back, shaking its head and hissing in outrage.

Jake noticed a web of cracks forming on the side of the creature’s skull where his punch had landed. Once again, his smashfists proved to be one of the most formidable weapons at his disposal. But he refused to let his mind wander. Instead, he concentrated on the creature’s movements, calculating his next move.

Just as Jake prepared to strike, the dragon liche lunged again, this time opening its jaws wider in an attempt to predict his next move. Reacting quickly, Jake sidestepped, and the massive jaws snapped shut on the empty space he had just vacated. Without hesitation, he followed up with another devastating blow to the creature’s skull.

The dragon liche roared in frustration, its tail slicing through the air again, but Jake was ready. He ducked low, rolling under the tail and coming up behind the bone beast. He unleashed three rapid and forceful strikes against its skeletal frame, shattering several bones, just before the dragon liche pivoted to face him once more.

Despite the damage it had sustained, the massive skeletal beast was brimming with energy. It lunged at Jake, but he quickly dodged its jaws and retaliated. His smashfist slammed into the side of the creature’s skull, creating additional cracks at the point of impact.

The beast’s roar turned into a horrific croak as it stumbled and swayed, retreating from Jake and shaking its head in frustration. However, Jake wasn’t willing to let it go. He dashed after the dragon liche, which recoiled as though expecting another punch. But Jake had something else in mind.

He grabbed the enormous creature by the nape of its skeletal neck and launched himself upward. Twisting in midair, he landed squarely on the neck of the dragon liche, straddling it like a rider. The creature clearly hadn’t expected this turn of events. As it bucked to throw him off, Jake anchored himself securely with his left hand, employing Adhesive Secretion to cling tightly to its form.

Jake unleashed a barrage of strikes against the skull with his right smashfist, delivering one powerful punch right after another. Each blow sent a series of cracks radiating outward from the point of impact. Jake kept punching the creature’s head, determined to end this fight sooner rather than later.

The dragon liche was not pleased by the situation. It thrashed violently, trying to rid itself of Jake, but he clung on. While the bone creature continued to twist and turn in desperate attempts to throw him off, Jake relentlessly hammered its head again and again. Just a few more punches, and the dragon liche’s skull would shatter into numerous fragments—he could feel it.

The creature must have realized it too, as it suddenly changed its tactic. With a powerful flap of its massive wings, it took to the air. Jake watched as the ground receded at an alarming pace, but just as he was about to leap, the creature made a sharp turn. In the blink of an eye, the solid ground beneath him was transformed into a bubbling sea of lava.

Jake ceased his assault on the creature and turned to glance over his shoulder. The towering hundred-meter island was shrinking into the distance as the dragon liche soared away. Jake quickly glanced around, but wherever he looked, all he could see was an endless expanse of bubbling lava.

Just a few more punches to the dragon liche’s head, and the skeletal creature would be done for. However, attacking it while flying over the ocean of lava beneath him wasn’t a wise choice. While Jake was confident he wouldn’t die instantly if he found himself engulfed in lava, he doubted he could hold on long enough to return to the islands he had left behind.

He couldn’t help but wonder where the dragon liche might be taking him. There was nothing but emptiness ahead. As it turned out, the creature’s intentions were entirely different. It suddenly swerved to one side, attempting to throw him off. Jake gripped the creature tightly with both hands, holding on for dear life.

The dragon liche suddenly swerved again, and Jake tightened his grip. It was obvious that the creature was trying to fling him into the churning lava below. Determined not to let that happen, Jake fought to maintain his hold, even as unease washed over him.

For several tense seconds, the winged creature bucked and swerved, but Jake maintained his grip, frantically trying to devise a way out of his dire situation. However, nothing came to mind. It seemed all he could do was hold on for dear life and hope that the dragon liche would eventually get tired of trying to shake him off.

The dragon liche was relentless, however. After realizing it couldn’t easily dislodge him, it decided to try another tactic. It started to fly vertically upward, climbing higher and higher. Then, without warning, it twisted in midair, angling toward the bubbling lava below and folding its wings. Gravity took hold, and the dragon liche plummeted downward like a stone, quickly picking up speed.

It seemed the beast was genuinely going to dive into the roiling sea of bubbling lava, and there was nothing Jake could do to prevent it!