Refusing My God’s Advances

"Idiot," I growled, and all three came for me at once, but I was ready now. 

Time dialed down as I focused, and then I threw Misty as softly as I could to Daryle. He, who was able to move much faster than me, caught Misty and cradled her in his arms. With her out of my arms, I put my hands up as three white fists sent me flying.

Even after knocking me off my feet, one rabbit got under me and tried to kick me up before I could land. I caught the foot, spun, and slammed the rabbit into the ground, changing my trajectory. A foot stomped down on my back, but I quickly rolled away, avoiding further damage. The third rabbit lunged at me, but I sidestepped its attack and countered with a swift kick to its side.

The rabbits, surprisingly agile and coordinated, continued their assault. Misty, still in Daryle's arms, watched with wide eyes as I dodged, blocked, and countered their attacks. Despite their appearance, these bunnies were no pushovers.

Daryle, holding Misty, shouted, "Why don't you use your daggers?"

I grunted as I fought off the rabbits. "I am trying to get warmed up! It would have been nice to be able to scan them first," I growled as I weaved out of the way of a kick to grab the foot and slap it into another oncoming rabbit. "They must have pretty good stamina and regeneration, but they can't be more than my level."

Feeling like I was warmed up enough, I summoned my Void Leech Daggers, and all three rabbits backed up panting.

"What is wrong, guys? I was just getting warmed up!"

Time slowed to the point that the rabbits hardly moved, and I rushed over and finished each of the rabbits off in a flash. I let my focus go, and the rabbits fell to the ground.

"Hey! Good man! You really are something! How did you get there so fast at the end?" Daryle asked, and I shrugged.

"You can change your speed much easier," I said as I walked over to the rabbits, and Daryle put Misty down.

"No, I am just stronger and can modulate my speed. You were going as pretty much max off the hop, but you kept moving faster. That isn't normal," Daryle nagged, and I shrugged again.

"I just watched how they move. The more time I have, the easier it is to match their speed. They also weren't that strong. It took three of them to knock me off my feet, but they were fast," I replied, not sure why what I did was weird.

Daryle scratched his head, still looking puzzled, but then shook it off. "Well, whatever it is, you handled it. Let's keep going."

As we delved deeper into the crystal cavern, we encountered more unique creatures, each with their own set of challenges. Some were elemental creatures made of crystal, while others were enchanted beings with magical abilities. Misty, after the initial encounter, began to adapt to the fighting style I suggested, and her magical lance proved effective against the magical creatures.

After a series of battles, Misty looked more confident, and even Daryle seemed impressed by her improvement. We took breaks to rest and strategize, and Misty took the opportunity to learn more about using her Magic Lance effectively.

As we ventured further, the crystals in the cavern changed colors again, shifting to a vibrant blue. Daryle explained that blue crystals were associated with water and ice magic. The creatures we encountered also reflected this change, with icy wolves and water nymphs becoming our new adversaries.

Our teamwork improved, and Misty's confidence continued to grow. She unleashed spells, freezing enemies in place or creating water barriers for defense. It was a stark contrast to the girl who was tied to a tree just hours ago.

Eventually, we reached a large chamber filled with sparkling blue crystals. At the center of the chamber was a massive crystal formation, radiating intense magical energy. Daryle's eyes widened as he recognized it, but so did I.

"That's an Iceheart Crystal! It's a Unique Rare type of Golem Crystal that enhances Ice magic. If we can harvest it, we could use it to create powerful enchanted items!" Daryle exclaimed.

This was the fifth room, and I had made so serious progress with my level. The Martial Emerald Monk Rabbits had been level 28, and I gained five levels just from that single battle. Since then I have increased my level by 24, making me now level 44. 

Misty had also made good progress and was now level 15. Her progress was slow, even with her efforts, she couldn't do much damage, so her experience gain wasn't overly high. Because of that, I turned to Daryle.

"Can you make sure she gets a few hits, and then keep her safe? I want to fight this guy on my own," I explained, and Daryle nodded, grabbing up Misty, who didn't struggle.

"I got her, go have fun," Daryle smiled, and I nodded, heading to the cave entrance. Once I was there, I focused on the big blue crystal poking out of the ground in the center of the cave, activating Identify.

Monster Name: (Rare Unique) Ice Heart Elite Golem

Level: 55

Physical Power: 920

Magical Power: 1140

Agility: 450

Resilience: 1460

Abilities :

1. (Rare)Frosted Fists: Physical attacks cause Ice damage.
2. (Rare)Ice Field(Passive): All enemies within the dungeon room are slowed by 30%
3. (Unique)Ice Shards: Launches sharp ice shards in all directions, dealing AoE damage.
4. (Unique)Frozen Fortress: Creates an ice barrier around the Golem, reducing incoming damage by 50% for a short duration.
5. (Unique)Glacial Surge: Channels ice magic to summon a surge of freezing water, dealing massive damage to all enemies in a straight line.

I took a deep breath as I assessed the situation. This Ice Heart Elite Golem was a boss-class monster if I had ever seen one, and its level was significantly higher than mine. However, with the new Void Leech Daggers and my improved combat skills, I felt fairly confident in taking it on.