Heaven's Greatest Professor

"Like that one?" Warden asked, pointing with his finger.

Jason lurched on his feet, his eyes darting where Warden pointed. "Fuck!" He cursed under his breath. There really was a huge boulder-like creature resting no more than 20 meters away. Its limbs and head were coiled together in such a way that it perfectly resembled a boulder, with rugged brown scales and a heavy build.

"That's probably a matriarch," Jason said, his voice coming in a whisper as he unsheathed his sword. Warden had learned from the guy that his class is [Knight], and somehow he did look like a one even with his ragtag armour. The sword was a fine one, which was something. "There could be other tricks around her."

"Let's not wait any more," Warden said. "Let's wake her up and go about our business." Which was, of course, to slay these creatures to gain essence.

He too brought out his sword, [The divider] and pushed his energy to trigger [Reaper's Edge]. The blade lengthened to double its size on both ends as Warden ran at the boulder-like creature.

However, before he was halfway there, countless smaller drakes came to the surface from under the matriach, they were not even a fifth the size of the matriarch, though still as huge as a champion stellion, more lizard-like with jagged scales which looked tough to penetrate. Worse, more were coming hearing their screeches from the near vicinity.

The drake matriarch stood up and was growling in their direction. She wasn't fast, but her offspring were terribly quick on their feet as they shot towards Warden and the others.

A light came from behind and absorbed into his body, empowering him almost instantly.

[You have received the intermediate Blessing of Kraskabar. For the next ten minutes, you'll get the benefit: + 20% strength, +20% stamina, +20% recovery power, +50% Curse Resistance.]

Warden thanked the healer inwardly as his sword flashed to cut off the limp of a creature. Hot red blood sprayed in the air along the blade. With the returning arc, he plunged the sword into the creature's head.

[You have slain an iron-grade Drake (Iron).]

[+1.3 strength]

[+0.2 Dexterity.]

Okay, they are definitely tougher than those cursed wolves, but not by a long margin, Warden thought. Of course, in the split second, he hadn't considered how much stronger he himself had grown.

"Remember your instructions," Jason screamed as he entered the fray. "Nina, your duty is only to protect the healer. Do not come to help us even if it looks like we are in need of it."

The woman grunted but did as she was asked. After all, she was paid for only that thing. She had been almost at the peak of iron for a while, killing a few drakes would do nothing to her attributes. She only wanted to get some of the loot for herself, that was all. As tough as drakes were to kill, they really compensated with the loot.

She came across and stood before the healer. "Stay behind me," she instructed.

"I'm not really that vulnerable, you know," Zim said, casting wards of shield around him. Even a couple of drakes would not have an easier time breaking through them. Jason had asked for the best healers, after all. Only those with experience who had been through dozens of dungeons in recent times.

Nina raised an eyebrow and then shrugged. She guessed this made the job easier for her. She turned to her employer. She thought the kid from the Forger family would do good, considering his lineage and upbringing. Even if Jason acted like a punk, he was trained by the best instructors money could afford. She was sure it would be a sight to behold.

But it was the grey-haired man who stole the show, who she thought to be just as reckless as Jason, if not more.

Jason was using more brute force in clashing with the drakes; his swordsmanship was surely a sight for sore eyes as he fended off the attacks of not one or two, but three drakes. Meanwhile, the grey-haired man used his sword peculiarly. The length of it didn't really make it look like a sword anymore, and even the way he was using it made her believe he was using a spear instead of a sword.

Of course, there was some awkwardness in his movement at the beginning, but as the fight went on, his moves became far more flashy and deadly. There was an intent laced with the weapon, which got through the jagged defence of the drakes like cutting through butter. Well, probably not butter, but it sure looked like he was facing normal creatures.

He was just about to finish his fourth target when a breath of fire was shot at him. Warden lurched on his feet, jumping up to dodge as the fire crashed into one of the matriarch's offspring. It squeezed in agony, though not dead.

Warden ended it immediately, flashing his long blade into its charred head.

Soon, a dark force-filled defence materialized surrounding him as he faced the lone drake in wild abandon. He shot towards the matriarch who had been firing fire at them non-stop while sticking to her spot. On his move, the drake matriarch finally moved from her spot.

Her huge feet thumped on the ground, making a clamour of a quake palpable enough to notice but not strong enough to disbalance his footing. The matriarch's defences were far harder to penetrate. He had to channel his energy to the limit and provide sharp follow-up intent to even scar her.

Thankfully, her movements were not fast enough, like the lesser drakes, and she could only shoot fire and empower her defence. Multiple cuts began to appear on her huge form, as she called her offspring to protect herself.

The drake matriarch was definitely intelligent enough compared to her minions, though there was no rescue from what clashed with her.

In her eyes, she could clearly see her fall on those terrible blades that emitted twisting blackened smoke.