《The Military System》 -1 0 The Ones Who Never Existed "You can never create heaven, nor can you ever reach it, you can only look up to it from hell" -Anonymous For some, Hell has another name. War. Some define it as "A state of armed conflict between states, governments, societies and informal paramilitary groups, such as mercenaries, insurgents and militias. It is generally characterized by extreme violence, aggression, destruction, and mortality, using regular or irregular military forces." Some define it as a necessary Evil. However, one cannot understand war with these simple lines. The writers of these definitions are liars. They try to make it look like a fight between some buddies, but they never project the true face of war. The horrors of war can not be put into words. Only those who have lived in war, those who have seen it with their own eyes, know what it truly is. Hell would be an understatement for describing War. Deaths in millions, famine, starvation, destruction of environment, atrocious crimes.....and the list goes on. As a famous warlord once said "War is nothing but the epitome of human desire for power and wealth. It began with humanity and it will go on for as long as humanity exists" In the history of human civilization, not a millenium has gone by where wars have not been waged, and by war is not to be mistaken as small skirmishes between groups, but battles between nations which cost countless lives. The cause may have been anything, but the reasons were always the same. Power and Money. War began with tribes and communities fighting for territory and resources. Then came kingdoms and empires, the reasons for war remained the same, just the scale of death and destruction increased. As the world stepped into the machine age, wars also stepped into their golden age. Two world wars a few decades apart nearly burnt down the whole world. From the ashes, the Victors quoted "We will never allow this to be repeated again...." Yet.... The year 2190. A certain country in South Asia got its entire military in the hands of a Terrorist Organization. This country immediately, waged war on its neighbour, a large and rich country whose people were mostly peace loving and cowards. In less than two years some surrounding nations also got involved. The victim nation by its sheer financial abilities and human resources managed to push the attacker back, but the powerful nations of the world saw a great opportunity in this battle, whoever won the war would become a heavyweight in the region, so they began supporting the two nations behind the scenes which soon changed into active participation. What began as a war between two neighbours soon pulled in the whole world. Fortunately for humanity, the use of Nuclear weaponry had been banned a few years prior or all hell would break lose. As such the war turned into a battle of skill, resources and attrition, whose flames began burning across the globe. World War Three had begun. Year 2207 Two decades had passed since the third world war had started. It was a war the likes of which had never been seen before. Estimates showed, that even the two previous world wars put together caused only a minor fraction of deaths this one caused. Deaths were in the hundreds of millions. The city of Dresden, which was once a flourishing hub, now lay in ruins. Its beautiful buildings all burnt and razed to ground while its skyscrapers were now hugging the ground. "So this is how it ends¡­." A lone man muttered as he looked at the evening sky. At the horizon, a trail of lights could be seen fast approaching his location. These were JM-A62 missiles, known for their deadliness across the world, And currently they were aiming at him. The man was around 40 years old his once silver hair now mostly white, his face was wrinkled and full of wounds, yet his eyes showed a cold glint which could freeze the hearts of ordinary people. He was mortally wounded, his left arm was loosely hanging from his shoulder, his body had tens of bullet wound, one had even damaged his heart. He was on his last breaths. "Still, for them to send so many missiles just to kill me¡­.such an overkill¡­." He sighed and looked around. The corpses of his comrades and his enemies lay around. The comrades he spent over two decades with were now all dead bodies. Yet he didn''t feel any pain, no¡­he chose not to. The man looked up once again as he rested his broken body by a damaged tank. He reminisced his life from as early he could remember. The countless battles he bad been through, the various people he had seen and worked with. And lastly the faces of his comrades who died serving the motherland beside him. He still remembered everything. He coughed up blood as his injuries were taking their toll. He smiled. This mission really went downhill. His platoon of 15 was sent to retrieve a hard drive which stored critical data about the German army''s plans and tactical operations. It was onboard a fighter jet which was shot down by their enemies over Dresden which was an active war zone. The mission was top secret, and they would have no back up. It was supposed be another recovery mission but, they had no idea that the enemy had dispatched a whole company to obtain the same hard drive. After a brutal battle he and his comrades managed to secure the hard drive and send the data back to their base before destroying it. But they had paid a heavy price surrounded by enemies on all sides, they fought till the last man and the last round. All his comrades were dead and he too would soon join them. In his dying moments Add smiled. Add, that was the name of this man. He looked at the sky, the missiles were less than 5kms away now. "Well¡­.at least the setting sun is so beautiful¡­." Looking at the dead enemy troops he smirked "¡­too bad you bastards can''t see it¡­." And then all turned white. Months later Germany along with its allies would emerge victorious in this war. No one would know that the deaths of 15 men in Dresden that day laid the base of this victory, nor would they know of the many others like them who gave their lives before. No one would remember them, no one would know of Add, the man who led them. Because he like his comrades, never existed. "You will never see us, because we do not exist. You will never hear of us, because we never happened. You will never know the things we do, because we were never there. Our names will not be written in gold, Nor would our statues stand tall among men, Bards will not sing of our glories And Legends will not tell of our tales. Yet we did what no one could, We fought, we lived, where no one could, We burned in hell so that you could be in heaven, And as is and always will be, because we never existed You my countrymen, will be safe." -The words of those who never existed. 1 New Begining "Eh ? I''m not dead ?" That was the first thought which came into Add''s mind as he slowly opened his eyes. His body was aching as if he had been thrown down from a moving vehicle. His eyes took some time to adjust to the light, and when they did, he saw a bright blue sky above him, with beautiful clouds floating around. "When were the skies above Dresden this clear ?" he thought Years of intense warfare had turned the skies of most of the major cities of the world murky and full of dust and smoke. It had already been years since Add had seen such clear skies. He realized that he was lying on the ground and tried to get up when suddenly a massive pain assaulted his brain as if someone just hammered it. "Guh!" The pain was so intense that he, a veteran soldier fainted right on the spot. After about half an hour, he regained his senses. Struggling to get up he found himself beside a narrow river which was flowing slowly. He crawled towards it and looked at the water. Reflected in it was not the face of a 35 year old soldier, but that of a young boy in his early teens. He had silky black hair with some silver streaks here and there. His eyes were heterochromatic, the left one a crystal like blue, the right a crystaline red. His face was the same as that when he was young but much more refined, making him look attractive to both sexes. "So ...it really happened..." Add realized that something strange had happened to him. When the pain hit his head, a stream of memories not belonging to him flooded his mind. These were the memories of a young boy called Andrew who was an orphan. He grew up in an orphanage which sheltered him for as long as he could recall. It was a humble place but due to the donations of some people the orphans lived a more or less stable life. When Andrew became 15 years old he had to leave the orphanage as it was the rule for boys of 15 to leave. He had left the townand had turnedto the life of a hunter hunting small prey and selling them in a big city. However just a few months after he began, one day he was hunting in a forest when he saw a strange stone poking out of the face of a cliff. It was an oval stone which was black like obsidian yet had a strange shine to it, as if giving of light. When Andrew saw this stone he was captivated and decided to take it. Unfortunately for him, as soon as he had taken the stone his foot slipped and he fell from the cliff, although the cliff was only about 30 feet high he tumbled down and his head bashed against a tree and then all went black. As it appeared the shock ofimpact had caused a stroke killing the boy. But through some strange event, Add who had also died, his soul somehow took hold of this body right after the original owner''s soul had departed. Add was an atheist. Being a soldier he was taught practicality and science, and never to trust in stuff like the supernatural. However now, this seemed like the only possible scenario. From the memories of this body Add realized that he was in a very different world from Earth. This was a world of sword and Magic. Here science had stagnated and instead magic, which was thought to be a thing of fantasy was real. This was a world ruled by strength where the biggest fist always won. The law of the jungle prevailed here. Add didn''t find much from the memory, as Albert, had not been keen on learning new things. All he got to know were some basic information about this world. The world was called Istria by its residents. Aside from humans there were many other races here like Elves, Werebeasts, Demons, Dragons, Dwarves, Fairies etc. There were also beasts which posed a constant threat to humans and the other races. He was currently in a country called Reingleif. Its local language which was similar to English in many regards. The currency used here was divided into coins. It went as follows : 100 copper coins = 1 silver coin 100 silver coins = 1 gold coin 100 gold coins = 1 White gold coin Aloaf of bread cost around 5 copper coins, as such food here was quite cheap. After going through the memories Add got a brief gist of the world he was in. Although his head was still hurting a lot, Add endured it and cleared his face with the cool river water. He had already accepted the reality. He was a soldier who had been through hell and back many times, this with his training from a very young age had already made him very adaptable to his situations. He closed his eyes and wondered. "For me to have reincarnated in this world...is it a good thing or bad ?" Add from as long as he could remember was a soldier. He was trained from when he just began to walk, at the age of 15 he was inducted into the army. His life had only been mission after mission, killing people and watching his comrades die. Add didn''t have much emotions and the little he had were always under his control, yet he was but human. Years of bloodshed, the screams of his dying enemies, the faces of his dying comrades still remained fresh in his mind. He remembered the tens of children who were blown to bits by a bomb, he remembered the mothers who died protecting their children, the couples who were killed in each others arms. Those scenes became nightmares, dread dreams. Haunting him everyday. As such Add had long wanted to die. He was just too tired of all this. And when he finally thought he would have his rest, he found himself in a new body in a new world. Add shook his head and stood up. Since he was alive again he would live this life. He straightened his rough clothes which were torn here and there due to the fall and decided to head to the nearby city where the previous owner of this body sold his hunts. Checking his clothes Add found some copper coins barely enough for two meals. But then he found the small oval black stone the predecessor had died obtaining. He took it in his hand and examined it. It was small enough to fit in his palm and looked like an egg. For this piece of rock a person had needlessly died. Suddenly the rock began glowing as cracks appeared in it. It began giving off light so bright that add had to close his eyes. *Crack* The stone then shattered and the light died down. Add opened his eyes and saw that the shiny black stone had broken into many tiny pieces and the pieces had become dull grey. "Well that''s strange-" *Ding!* *Possible host detected* *Analysing host* *Compatibility 100%* *Identifying User* *User Add* *Selecting Format* *Booting System* *Preparing System launch* *System Now ready* *WELCOME HOST!* A series of lines suddenly appeared in his head Surprising him. At that time Add had no Idea, that this was the beginning of his story...that this was the story fate had picked for him, yet how he wrote it would be up to himself only. 2 With a ding sound, a Bluish transparent screenwhich reminded Add of some high end holographic projections, appeared in front of his eyes. The screen showed "WELCOME HOST" in bright white letters. Add tried to touch it but his hand passed through it. "What is this ?" As he was wondering, the words on the screen changed [Would you want to go to the tutorial ?] YesNo The two options were sparkling, it appeared to Add like some of those games back on earth. Intrigued by it he decided to click yes, but his hand would not be able to touch it so he wondered how he was supposed to do that. [To select an option the user just needs to accept it in his mind.] The alert, helped him and he selected yes in his mind, the screen changed again. [Welcome to The Military System. The System is a wonderful existence designed to help its used reach the peak of everything.] [Scan complete, Registering user Add.] [As a welcome gift, the system awards you 3 Lottery chances.] "What is all this ?" A mechanical voice which echoed in his mind alongside the text appearing on the screen making Add a bit confused. Then the screen showed a Menu in which various icons were glowing. [User, please inspect your status by clicking on the STATUS icon or saying ''Status''] Add selected the Status icon and a display appeared. Name : Add Level : 1 Profession : N/A Skills : [Calm Mind (Passive)] Credit Points : 0 ATTRIBUTES ¨C Vitality : 20/100 Strength : 0.7 Agility : 0.8 Endurance : 0.6 Intelligence : 2 Magic Aptitude : N/A (Locked) Magic Power : N/A (Locked) Stat Points : 2 Skill Points : 2 Evaluation : A fledge ling who has just stepped onto the road of greatness. However he is currently little better than trash. "Well that is unexpected....No wonder my body hurts so much, my vitality is just a fifth of what it should be..... Still what is with this evaluation, its too mean...." [Its your luckiest day user! The Military System is the Ultimate tool and the only tool for greatness in all the Multiverse! It is tailor made for you, and It can make you so strong that Gods will grovel at your feet and Devils will tremble at your name!] Add was quite unbelieving of this shameless boasting. "So what exactly do you do ?" [The Military System provides you a multitude of features which will help you achieve greatness. It can do anything that you wish, given that you have enough Credit Points!] "What are Credit Points ?" [Credit Points or CP is the currency used by the system. You may earn CP by completing quests given by the system and completing achievements. As long as you have Enough CP you can even become an immortal, and laugh at the heavens !] Disregarding the cringe lines, Add was quite interested. In his previous life all he did was killing people and fighting. This time since he had got a second chance he decided to live life to the fullest in his own way. [Ding! User has 3 unused Lottery chances! Would you like to use them ?] "Yes" [Ding! Spinning the Prize wheel!¡Á3] [Ding! User was won Basic Health Serum ¡Á5] [Ding! User has won KM777-C Combat Knife ¡Á1, Grade ¨C Normal, Rank ¨C Upper ] [Ding User has won Skill ¨C Imaginary Time, Grade ¨C Epic, Rank ¨C Lower] "System what are these Items ?" Add asked. The things were looking quite interesting to him. [Basic Health serum : It is a healing medicine which restores 50 points of HP on drinking it. KM777-C Combat Knife : A standard knife issued to Soldiers of a Distant world. Made of Titanium alloys, its quite durable. Attributes ¨C Damage ¨C 15 Durability ¨C 40 Skill : Imaginary Time (Lv.1, Grade ¨C Epic, Rank ¨C Lower) ¨C A skill which makes time appear slow for the user by boosting the processing speed of the brain and the reaction speed of the body. The higher the level of the skill, the greater is the time for which it lasts. Current Level duration ¨C 30 seconds Cool down ¨C 24 hours] "System give me one healing serum" A corked tube with reddish liquid appeared in his hand. Add removed the cork and drank it in one gulp. It tasted quite sweet. [Ding! You just used Basic Health Serum ¡Á1. You gained 50 Vitality. Current Vitality 70/100] After drinking the serum, Add felt the pains in his body disappear almost completely. Though he still felt sore, he had no serious injuries. [Do you have any more questions ? Yes/No] "How do skills work ?" [Skills allow the user to perform specific functions more easily and efficiently. For example the skill [Unarmed combat] allows the user to fight more efficiently when fighting without any weapons. As the level of the skill increases its effects also increase. Passive skills are always in effect or come into effect as soon as the conditions are met. Active skills need to be evoked. Skills are divided into four classes : Basic < Intermediate < Advanced < Master. The power and utility of a skill increases as the skill steps into the higher class. A skill can be strengthened by using skill points. ] "Oh what about the rank and grade of weapons ? The knife also has them." [The weapons and equipment are graded into 7 grades : Normal < Rare < Unique < Magic < Epic < Legendary < Mythical < Chaos. based on their attributes. The grades are further subdivided into three ranks : Low Tier < Middle Tier < High Tier. With each tier stronger that its predecessor. Weapons can be strenthened and evolves using the Alchemy and Forging skills] "Hmm so that is it. Its so much like a game, hard to believe its now reality for me..." [Does user have anymore questions ?] "Not at the moment..." [User, now that you have become familiar with the basics, you can obtain more detailed information at the Help section in the Menu.] [ Ding! The tutorial has been completed! The system rewards the user 1000 CP for successfully completing the tutorial! Returning to main menu!] Add looked at the descriptions and had his curiosity perked. The screen returned to the Menu section which showed many icons, some of them were glowing while others were dull. MENU CREDIT POINTS : 1000 SKILL TREES QUEST ACHEIVEMENTS INVENTORY SHOP LOTTERY HELP [To Dismiss the System say Dismiss in your Mind and to open the menu say system in your mind.] Add still had many questions which were not answered. He selected the Help icon and began asking questions to the system. After about an hour of questioning and answering Add had understood the basics of the system. So he asked what he had in his head for sometime now. "System, where did you come from? Who made you ?" [The Military System was made by and Higher Being. Any more details are unavailable. The system has travelled across the multiverse in search of suitable hosts for zillions of years , until it found you! The only one compatible with this System !] Add felt a bit strange as to why he in all the possible candidates was chosen, but the system just said that he was the only compatible host and refused to say anymore. He understood that he could not win over this strange fellow so he chose to ignore this question for now. Add then went to the Skill Tree. It unfolded the screen into a panoramic view. The skills were divided into 7 main classes. Offensive Skills, Defensive Skills, Enhancement Skills, Magic Skills, Healing Skills, Crafting Skills, Academic Skills. There were basic skills at the very top like [Unarmed Combat], [Physics Mastery] [Accelerated Healing] etc. From which many skills branched out in every direction, seemingly going on forever. Add even saw skills which could practically make him immortal down there, but they needed hundreds of billions of CP. It seemed the system was not joking when it said that as long as he had enough CP anything was possible. The Shop menu had everything up for sale. There were weapons, armours, Medicine, Machines,Buff items, Food, Furniture and almost everything. Add was surprised to see that there were modern machines as well as magical items too for sale. However the shop heavily tipped towards science rather than magic, as the Magic Section of the shop was locked. There were guns, Tanks, fighter jets, ships, and even Space ships! Which again cost astronomical amounts of CP. The system really lived up to its name. The Inventory Stored things in a separate space. It had 50 slots, and Add learnt that he could increase the slots by using CP. The healing serum and combat knife were stored there. Which could be take out through simple mental commands. The Quests showed missions he had accepted from the system which was currently empty while the Achievements were also blank. Add returned to the main Menu and Began wondering what to do with his 1000 CP. He had a rough idea from Andrew''s memories that this world was much more dangerous place than Earth, so he needed to spend his CP wisely and most effectively. "So ...what should I do now...?" 3 First Ques Add looked at his new body and soon realized that it was weak. Too weak. He as a soldier was of course not satisfied with it. But it could not be helped. In this world where life was never stable a poor boy like his predecessor had no means to buy some good nutritious food. The money he earned from hunting small animals was barely enough to eat bread and thin soup. As a result the body was malnourished. Add decided to buy some basic skills from the shop. After looking through the skill trees and taking the advice of the system, he decided on a few skills. [Unarmed Combat Mastery (Basic) (Passive) Lv.1/10] for 100 CP [Body Strengthening (Basic) (Passive) Lv.1/10] for 100 CP [Pistol Mastery (Basic) (Passive) Lv.1/10] for 200 CP [Knife Mastery (Basic) Lv.1/10 (Passive)] for 100 CP [Accelerated Healing (Basic) Lv.1/10 (Passive)] for 250 CP He wanted to buy a weapon, preferably a gun, having just a knife was nowhere enough to assure his safety, however he only had 250 points left and the cheapest pistol cost 1000 CP. So taking a gun had to wait for now. He decided to save this points for later. Then he saw that he had 2 Stat points and 2 Skill points. "System, What do I do with these Stat points and Skill points ?" [Host can use stat points to enhance your Attributes while Skill points can be used to enhance skills. Each time you level up, you will obtain 2 Stat points and 2 Skill points. Every ten levels you will get 5 stat points and 5 skill points] "How do I increase my level ?" [Experience (Exp.) is required to level up. Experience can be gained by killing living things and also by completing quests issued by the system. The quests will reward both CP and Exp.] "How very much like a game...." He allocated one Stat point to Strength and one to Endurance. His other attributes looked stable for now. Status Name : Add Level : 1 | Exp. Required : 0/50 Profession : N/A Equipment : KM777-C Alloy Combat Knife (Normal, Low tier) Skills : [Calm Mind (Passive)] [Unarmed Combat Mastery (Passive)] [Body Strengthening (Passive)] [Pistol Mastery (Passive)] [Knife Mastery (Passive)] [Accelerated Healing (Passive)] Credit Points : 250 ATTRIBUTES ¨C Vitality : 100/100 Strength : 0.8 Agility : 0.8 Endurance : 0.7 Intelligence : 2 Magic Aptitude : N/A (Locked) Magic Power : N/A (Locked) Stat Points : 2 Skill Points : 2 Evaluation : A fledge ling who has just stepped onto the road of greatness. However he is currently little better than trash. Although the system''s evaluation was still the same Add felt that he was in a better situation compared to before. He decided to head to the nearest city guided by Andrew''s residual memories. "But before that...." He took out the combat knife from his inventory. It had a Shiny Black appearance with the blade around 20 cm long and the rubberised grip was around 10 cm long. Add was quite familiar with this knife, as it was the standard for the German forces. The blade was very sharp and its materials and design made it very efficient in its job. He gripped the handle and twirled it about loosely, then he practiced some moves he was taught as a soldier. His years of using the knife in his previous life, plus the newly acquired skills, made his moves smooth like water. Add then found some large stones lying about the river bed and below the cliff. With some effort he piled up many stones to make a mound and on the biggest stone he carved "Andrew". This would serve as a grave for the predecessor. From now on the Individual named Andrew was no more, and Add had completely replaced him. Add saluted the grave and bowed showing his respect to the departed soul. "Now then, lets be on our way." Using Andrew''s memories he soon found a forest track. Andrew mostly hunted on the outskirts of this forest and never went deep, as dangerous beasts lurked there. The time was around the midday, Add reckoned that if he walked steadilythen he would be out of this forest by evening. For the current him, staying here after nightfall was akin to suicide. [Ding! New Quest Initiated!] [Quest : First Blood ¨C Score your first Kill with the system! The target must be as strong as the host or stronger. Weaker targets will not count! Time Limit ¨C 48 hours. Reward ¨C 100 Exp. 100 CP] The sudden prompt of the system stopped him in his tracks. "So this is a quest. For the first quest to be killing...well system how do I know which things are as strong as me or which are weaker ?" [User can identify a Creature''s level by using the [Appraisal] skill! Note : The skill can show the name and level of the target. Higher levels of the skill show more details. The skill cannot show the level of the target if it is more than five levels higher than the host.] Add searched the skill trees and found [Appraisal(Basic)] which cost 200 points. Although it pained him, with a heavy sigh he bought it, and now he was left with measly 50 points. He decided to test it. Looking at a tree he used the skill. [ Derko Tree Lv. 0 ] Disregarding the strange name, Add was pleasantly surprised at the information which directly appeared in his mind. Although it was not much, yet having some information about his target was always betted than having none. As he was not far from exiting the forest, he decided to try his luck on the outskirts to avoid any dangers. As per the quest hunting any level 1 creatures would suffice. So with the Knife in hand he began searching for his first prey. Soon he found some small tracks in the forest floor. As a soldier he had been taught to live of the land. To find food and water wherever he was. Tracking animals was one of the basics in this regard. The worlds may be different but the principles remained the same. Following those tracks for sometime he soon found his target. A rabbit the size of a large cat, was munching on fresh grass among the shrubbery. It had grey fur and red eyes. But what made it distinct was a horn on its head. Add walked as slowly as possible as he hid by a tree making no noise. His previous training helped him, yet he was nowhere as close to his abilities in his previous life. That would take some time. He then used the Appraisal on the Rabbit. [Horned Rabbit. Lv.1] "Just what I need." Add readied his dagger and approached the rabbit. Luckily the wind was blowing from the direction of the rabbit towards Add, so it would not get his smell anytime soon. Add walked minimising his steps. From Andrew''s memory he knew that Horned Rabbits were very fast and difficult to catch. They were not animals in the true sense but were called monsters. Their most annoying feature was that they liked to attack their enemy with their horns. Andrew had killed a few horned rabbits, but he used a bow and arrows. Add had no such bow but he had confidence that he could tackle one. When he was a few metres from the rabbit, he dashed with his knife aimed for the rabbit''s back. But it was faster than he imagined. As soon as he dashed, the rabbit jumped away making his attack a miss. But instead of running away, the rabbit was staring at him from a distance. Its red eyes appeared menacing. Add knew that he had lost the element of surprise and he would be unable to match its speed if it ran. But the rabbit did something entirely different. Instead of running away it pounced at Add with its pointed horn aimed at him. Add hurriedly dodged but he was nowhere as fast as the Horned Rabbit. The horn slashes across his left arm leaving a deep gash on his arm. Add bit his lips and rolled on the ground taking his distance from the rabbit which had no intention of letting him go. It once again charged at Add. Add''s mind suddenly got clear because of the pain and he shouted. "Imaginary Time!" Instantly, the world slowed down. Add''s vision turned grey but it became very clear. The Horned Rabbit now appeared slowly advancing towards him in air a few feet from him. This state would stay for only 10 seconds but that was enough for Add. He acted on his instincts and jumped towards the rabbit as he stabbed forward. The sharp knife immediately hit its target and pierced the rabbit''s eye going into its brain, killing it. The world returned to normal, the dead rabbit fell on the ground, with a knife in its head and Add rolled on the ground breaking the momentum of his jump. His entire body was aching as if he had been beaten by a group of people, and his head was paining like never before. The side effects of this skill were too severe. [Ding! Quest ¨C First Blood completed!] [Ding! Congratulations Host, you have killed a Lv. 1 horned rabbit. +10 CP] [Ding! Quest rewards : 100 Exp. And 100 CP granted!] [Ding you have levelled up! Lv.2 Exp. (50/150)] "Well that was easier than expected... Maybe next time i should start like that. But this world sure is a tough place....even rabbits areso dangerous....." he thought while catching his breath. He quickly picked up the rabbit and left the place and the smell of blood could attract other beasts. Add drank another healing serum to heal his wound. His head was still hurting albeit endurably. He slung the corpse of the rabbit by his shoulder and walked towards the exit of the forest. He could sell it for some coins in the town. His target was the town of Rigel, the town closest to him. 4 Town of Rigel After walking for around an hour, Add reached a road which went across the forest. It was a mud road barely three metres in width. Based on the predecessor''s memories, Rigel was a half an hour walk along this road. As he was walking, he looked at his status. He had levelled up once so he had 2 more stat points and 4 skill points since he didn''t use them earlier. Add thought for a while and decided to allot 2 points directly to strength. Now, back on Earth many gamers invested heavily on Agility in their early levels. The reason was simple. So that they could run away fast whenever they faced a stronger enemy than themselves. But Add was a soldier. He belonged to an elite unit which was trained for the sole purpose of being the reapers in the battlefield. Their sole job was to eliminate all enemies. It was hammered into him from a tender age that soldiers never run away, they fight. Not to mistake it as being a muscle head, but he as a soldier was taught to fight most efficiently in any and every circumstances, using anything to his aid, leveraging anything he could find to his benefit. As such, over time, an innate arrogance steeled itself in his mind, and he despised always running away from his enemies. Though, sometimes one had to retreat one step in order to advance two, that never meant one should always keep avoiding challenges. For the Skill points he used 1 Skill point each to upgrade [Unarmed Combat Mastery], to Level 2. As soon as he did so, he felt a surge of power run across his body, and he felt as if he had become a little stronger. He rechecked his stats Status : Name : Add Level : 2 | Experience Required : 20/90 Profession : N/A Equipment : KM777-C Alloy Combat Knife (Normal, Low tier) Skills : [(Basic) Unarmed Combat Mastery (Passive)Lv.2] [(Basic) Body Strengthening (Passive)Lv.2] [(Basic) Pistol Mastery (Passive)Lv.1] [(Basic) Knife Mastery (Passive)Lv.2] [(Basic) Accelerated Healing (Passive)Lv.2] Special Skills : [Calm Mind (Passive) (MAX)] [Imaginary Time Lv.1] Credit Points : 360 ATTRIBUTES ¨C Vitality : 100/100 Strength : 6 Agility : 1 Endurance : 2 Intelligence : 4 Magic Aptitude : N/A (Locked) Magic Power : N/A (Locked) Stat Points : 0 Skill Points : 0 Evaluation : A fledge ling who has stepped onto the road of greatness, though he still is the weakest of the weak, still he is progressing at a snails pace. It appeared that raising levels of [Body Strengthening] rose his strength stat as well. "At least the evaluation is bearable...." he sighed. But looking at the pathetic amount of CP he frowned. "System, what do I do to get more quests ?" [Host, the system issues quest in order to help the host get stronger. However, the system is fair and will not blindly give quests to the Hosts. Quests appear based on the Host''s circumstances, or some special occasions or when the System deems it necessary to issue quests in order to ensure the Host''s growth. The System encourages the host to achieve the most on his own while helping him in times of need .] [As such quest will appear in due time and when needed. The host is advised to work hard and not be overly dependent on the System.] Add was speechless hearing this. He thought it would be like an typical RPG where you just had to complete one quest after another. He remembered some of his comrades enjoyed reading fantasy novels and those novels would often contain almighty systems which turned a weak protagonist into an overlord as if making a cake. But that was not the case, with this Military System. "System, why do I feel scammed ?" The system refused to reply, making add Sigh. Ai! What a troublesome System it was. Soon the small forest road merged into a larger road. Here he was able to see many people walking to and fro, and every once in a while carriages drawn by horses and some times even by strange beasts passed through. Rigel was one of the many frontier towns of Reingleif, yet it was also a bustling hub of commerce in the locality. Being the only large town in the surrounding hundred kilometres, people from many small villages and many traders frequented it for trade and commerce. Add soon reached the town. It was surrounded by a five metre tall stone wall. There were gates on the wall each at the four main directions. As he neared the gate, he observed some strong looking men dressed in chainmail and light armour guarding the gate. These men were from the city guards appointed by the local administration. Their job was somewhat like the police back om earth, maintaining law and order. Recalling his memories, Add took out a copper coin and passed it to one of the guards who took a short look at him and let him pass. Any normal person entering Rigel had to pay one copper coin as tax. After entering the town, Add looked around himself. The main street was well paved with stone and quite wide while many small roads and alleys branched off here and there. The houses and buildings were mostly wooden, one could also observe some made of stone and clay bricks as well. The poor people were dressed in dull coarse clothes which lacked colour, while those who were well off, had linen clothes. Some rich people however wore high class clothes. As his predecessor was based in this town for a few months, Add was more or less familiar with most of the areas. He walked into the market region, where there were many stalls selling a variety of things, from food to jewellery. Add soon found what he was looking for, a few meat shops lined the two sides of the street. Pigs, cattle, chickens and many other animals'' meat was available here. Add walked into a smaller meat shop to sell his rabbit. "Excuse me, I would like to sell this horned rabbit" The burly butcher who was cutting up some animal which Add could not identify raised his eyes and looked at the rabbit. "10 coppers." He only said the price in a dull tone. Add handed over the rabbit and didn''t argue. Although horned rabbit meat was quite nice to eat, it only fetched good price if you sold many of them, as only the chest and leg meat of the rabbit was edible the meat at the other places was hard and dull tasting. Add took the coins and headed off. He now had around 25 copper coins, barely enough for a two day stay at a cheap inn. "No matter what world you are in, money still is the most basic need...." Add thought. When he was a soldier, he earned his bread by fighting for his nation. Although he knew many things, and was confident he could earn a decent living even if he retired from the army, but that was on Earth. Things were different here. At least for the current him who was quite weak and young, options were limited. "Well, I will think of this things later, for now, lets find a place to rest." Add roamed the streets as the evening turned to night. He finally found a cheap inn which cost 10 copper for a day and night stay. The room was very small with a small straw bed and one window. This was the summer season so Add had no worries about cold. In his previous life he had slept in the dirt, in dessert sands and even on ice, so having a bed was already more than enough for him. "Tomorrow I should get some information about this world. The previous owner knew too little." After deciding on a plan of action, he quickly fell asleep. Thus ended Add''s first day in this new world. 5 The Adventurerss Guild and becoming an Adventurer The next morning Add left the Inn and had some dry bread and meat soup at a roadside stall, which cost him 5 copper. He was now essentially broke. Add walked towards the central part of the town while keeping tabs of the surroundings. A habit from his past life. Though the streets appeared somewhat orderly and safe with the occasional patrols of the guards, the vast number of narrow alleys and roads were nowhere close to safe. After searching about for sometime he finally foundwhat he was looking for. Beside the main road, a three storey building made of reddish bricks and a wooden roof stood tall. In this world where modern day concrete was not available people had invented a cement similar to the Roman concrete which used a mix of volcanic ash and lime to bind rock fragments. The humans here used a similar blend of ash and some other substances to make primitive cement, however only the rich could afford it as making it was very time consuming and costly. The building had a large doorway 3metres tall and two metres wide above which was hung a symbol of a sword on a shield. This was the Adventurers'' Guild. From his predecessor''s memories Add knew that this place. As a standard of many fantasy novels, the Adventurers'' Guild was basically a mercenary type of organization, however they were different in the sense that they had strict work ethics. Unlike mercenaries who would do almost any job provided the benefits were worth it, the Adventurers had to follow rules established by the guild, like no partaking in criminal activities etc. Add had a rough knowledge as to how the Guild worked. It was also the easiest way to earn good amount of money fast, provided you had the skills and didn''t die. Add stepped into the building and saw a bustling scene. At one side of the entrance was a line of reception counters which catered to the dealings of the Adventurers. On the opposite side was a large bar like hall, where many people were drinking beer and making merry. The people here were almost all Adventures. They had all sorts of weapons like swords, daggers, maces, axes, bow and arrow, staffs, knuckles, shields etc. Some were wearing leather armours, some wore chainmail, some others wore light armour while some others also were covered in heavy armour. Some people were also dressed in thick robes while some were lightly dressed especially some females, showing of their sexy and agile bodies. A few Adventurers had expensive looking armours and weapons. When Add entered some people glanced at him and then returned to their own business. Everyday many newbies who aspired to become Adventurers came here so it was nothing noteworthy. Add walked to an empty counter whose receptionist was a middle aged lady. Looking at Add who approached her, she gave a business smile and asked "Hello, how may I help you ?" "Yes, I would like to register as an Adventurer." Hearing this the lady looked at him from head to toe. In her eyes was a young boy dressed in rough clothes with a thin and frail looking body. His only distinct feature would be his attractive looks but they too were neutralised by his cold deadpan expression. Being an Adventurer was not an easy job in anyway. In fact it was a very dangerous job with a high casualty rate. It was the job of the strong, the weak would just die early deaths. "Uh...are you sure you want to become an Adventurer ? It is a dangerous job you know? You should properly think about it." She kindly tried to persuade Add, but the later simply nodded. "But I still want to be an Adventurer." He said plainly. The lady sighed. This was not the first time she had seen young people like Add wanting to become Adventurers. Many youths were often blinded by the tales of glory of Adventurers and the profits of being an Adventurer, and became adventurers only to lose their lives in vain. Still the guild accepted anyone above the age of 15 so she could not stop Add if he wanted to become one. "Tell me your Name, Age, weapon you use and address" "Add, 15 years old, I normally use Knifes in close combat and as for address it is Germany." "Germany ? Is that a village? I have never heard of it. Is it far from here?" The lady looked questioningly at Add. " Yes you may say so. It is my home, but it is far away from here. Very far away." A trace of melancholy and nostalgia floated in his cold eyes. ("He must have had to leave home because of some circumstances. Poor kid") the lady thought. She quickly filled a form and handed over a pin and a small grey crystal to Add. "Here, please put a drop of your blood onto this crystal. It would serve as an identification for you in case of any problems arise." Add did as told pricking his finger with the pin he dropped his blood onto the crystal which quickly absorbed it and glowed faintly. "From now on, whenever you touch this crystal it will glow faintly but it will never glow with the touch of others." She then took the crystal back and asked him to wait as she went inside a room. Add was left pondering about the crystal. It seemed it worked with "Magic". In this world science had not progressed much, barely to the level of the middle ages of Europe. But in its place Magic had taken a dominant role. The crystal for example had some magic runes in it, which could recognise a person whose blood it had absorbed. It would absorb blood only once so, it was a very secure method of identification. After sometime the receptionist lady returned with a small metallic plate and handed it to Add. The card was made of some greyish alloy, on which his details were engraved along with the crystal which was somehow attached into the plate. Luckily for him, his predecessor had obtained some basic education about reading and writing at the orphanage otherwise he would be in a troublesome situation. Being illiterate is never a good thing. Add however, was quite surprised to see the uncanny resemblance of the language to archaic English of Earth. Though the letters and symbols were different, the sounds and grammar were very similar. He wondered if it was plain coincidence or something else. "Well then, with this you are officially an Adventurer. You will need to pay one silver coin as the registration fees." "Can I pay it later, you see I am a little tight on money right now." Add said. He was literally broke at the moment. To his relief the lady nodded. "Of course you can pay it later. But in that case you will have to pay 50 copper coins extra. The guild will give you a seven day gap starting from today to pay the sum. If you cannot pay within the given time, then your registration will be cancelled. And to re-register you will have to pay 2 silver coins." "Ok I understand." "The let me tell you the workings of the Adventurers'' Guild. This plate here is your Guild card, its the proof that you are an adventurer. If you lose it, then you will have to pay one gold coin to replace it, or start form scratch again." "Next is the ranking system. The Adventurer''s are divided into 7 ranks namely S, A, B, C, D, E, F, with F-rank being the lowest, while the S rank is the highest. All adventurers start with the F rank. Quests are similarly ranked as S, A, B, C, D, E, and F, based on the difficulty they pose. As a rule, an Adventurer can accept quests at his own rank or one rank higher, so that every Adventurer has a fair chance of obtaining quests suitable for them and also for their safety." "For being promoted to the E rank, you have to clear 50 quests of the F rank or 20 quests of the E rank. Similarly you can be promoted to D rank by completing 50 quests of the E rank or 20 quests of the D rank. But to be promoted to C rank and any rank above it, you have to pass a test conducted by the guild." Then she pointed to a large rectangular board hung on a wall. On it various pieces of paper and parchments were pinned. "Over there is the Request board. It has all the various requests the Guild receives. Most Quests have a time limit for completion, however occasionally some quests have no mentioned time limits as well. The time limits are set by Guild on the instruction of the Request makers. If an Adventurer is able to complete a quest in thegiven time, he/she will have to pay a fine. To accept a quest you have to bring the related notice to any of the receptionists and report to the same receptionist once you complete the quest. Sometimes, in cases of emergency the Guild itself gives some quests to the Adventurers. If the Guild lists thenames of any Adventurers in a quest, then they must participate." Her face suddenly became serious. "I must also inform you that any form of violence inside the Guild is prohibited. Also, killing fellow Adventurers is a crime, punishable by death in the worse case, unless it is in self defence. The last time a greedy guy murdered a fellow Adventurer for his wealth. The Guild master got to know of it and he chopped up his arms and legs and hung him above the door of the guild for 2 days and nights until that guy died. So keep that in mind." "Lastly, there are many benefits of being an Adventurer as well. You get free passage in and out of most of the towns and villages. The Guild is spread over many kingdoms so it help you to move around easily. We also purchase any materials like monster bodies, body parts, rare minerals etc., at a price a little more than the market. And we offer an extent of protection to our members. Unless you have done something really bad, the Guild will back you up." "So that was all, do you have any questions ?" Add listened to her explanations and lightly nodded. Becoming an Adventurer was not the simple thing as many books and novels mentioned. The death always loomed over them, especially the lower ranked and weaker ones. The Guild rules were acceptable and the system was pretty proper. "No, I do not have any questions for now. I should accept a quest now" Add lightly spoke and moved towards the Request Board. "Choose wisely young boy, don''t bite more than you can chew." The receptionist lady reminded him. Add walked over to the board and realised that the board was quite big at least 5 metres by 2 metres. Still requests were overflowing from it. Looking through the hundreds of papers and parchments he was a bit lost as to which quests he should take. But just then his eyes fell on a particular quest. "So be it...ill choose this." 6 Subjugation In a forest a few kilometres away from Rigel. The midday sun shone upon a dense growth of foliage, which consisted of mostly tall trees spreading their branches all aroundand dense shrubbery covering the forest floor, trying to get what little light passed through the dense canopies. Most of the sunlight was stopped by the tall trees, making the forest somewhat dark. The forest floor was littered with dead and rotting leaves, branches, fallen trees, these coupled with the light drizzle the previous night formed the unique smell of a forest. Amidst the thick undergrowth, on a small tree, a pair of heterochromatic eyes were looking over the surroundings with great concentration. The eyes belonged to a figure covered in mud and greenish paste, which covered every part of its body except the eyes. The figure vigilantly looked on, as many small animals scurried about in the undergrowth while occasionally a few large ones would also pass. The cacophony of the millions of insects gave life, to this otherwise quite forest. This figure was Add. He was siting upon the tree, in a way which almost blended him with the tree. He was here to complete the quest he had taken from the guild. As for why he was covered in mud and dirt, we will have to rewind the time to early morning when he accepted the quest. Add decided upon a quest after looking at the request board for sometime. He took off the parchment and headed over to the same receptionist lady who had registered him. "Oh, its you! So have you decided on your first quest?" Add nodded "Well then let me see.... Wait, this....." She took the parchment from his hands and was a bit startled. "Umm, are you sure you want to take this quest ?" She looked at him seriously to which Add disinterestedly nodded. The lady looked at the weak looking boy and once again checked the parchment. _ _ _ _ _ Quest : Goblin Subjugation | E ¨C Rank Issued by : Town Hall Details : The goblin Activity in the forests to the western region of Rigel have been increasing lately. They attack people and have abducted women. Cull the growing population of Goblins and bring back their right ears as proof. Estimated location provided in map supplied. Requirements : Kill at least 20 goblins, for every extra goblin killed 10 copper coins will be awarded. Rewards : 20 copper coins per goblin. Time limit : Seven Days. _ _ _ _ _ Goblin Subjugation, was a very common quest, yet not many Adventurers took it. There were two main reasons. Firstly the new and low ranked adventurers mostly worked solo or in group of two or three. For the newbies, who lacked experience, goblins were a dangerous target as they often overwhelmed the rookie adventurers with sheer numbers and dirty tricks. Oved time many young Adventurers had lost their lives like this and thus the Rookies avoided it. Only the desperate and overconfident ones generally accepted such quests. As for the stronger, higher rank adventurers, therewards for slaying goblins just didn''t make it worth. They used their time to do quests which paid better. As such the problem of goblins kept nagging the people. "*Sigh*... Fine then, but just to remind you Goblins are no easy pickings. You have to be very careful dealing with them." The lady again cautioned him "Actually, I am not very familiar with goblins, though I have heard of them, I know barely anything useful regarding their habits and such. Can you give me some information ?" Add half lied, half spoke the truth and asked the guild lady. Though he had heard of the term ''goblin'' it was pretty much one time occurrence when he was reading an eastern novel to pass time. The lady raised a brow but told him anyway. "Alright. Goblins are humanoid monsters and normally they are about half the size of a normal human. They normally hunt in groups of 3 to 10. Sometimes, though rarely they form large groups as well which may contain tens of goblins, leaded by a Goblin King, an evolved goblin. They are active mainly at dawn and dusk and spend most of the daytime in their caves or shady places. Although their eyesight is average, their sense of smell is very strong." Add began formulating some ideas to deal with these pests. Hunting humans was the speciality of his unit back on Earth. "Those scum love to abduct human women to produce offspring since the number of female goblins tends to be much lower than males. Who knows how many women have fallen prey to their vulgar lust!" The receptionist''s tone was filled with hatred as she said these words. Add felt that if she could she would burn all goblins in the pits of hell. "They use crude weapons like stone daggers, clubs, wooden spears, however some evolved goblins and experienced ones may also use weapons stolen from humans." "Ordinary goblins are only as strong as a ten year old child, however they are very agile and always attack in large groups of 10 to 15. Now there are many types of evolved goblins as well. Goblin archers, Goblin Swordsman, Goblin spearman are the common ones. The know some weapon skills and are troublesome if more in number. Then there are Goblin Champions and Hobgoblins. They both are taller than the average human and also much stronger. They know to use weapons efficiently and pose a high amount of danger." "Lastly, there are Goblin Kings. They are the strongest type of goblins, usually one appears among a thousand normal goblins. They are very big and pose strength equal to an A rank Adventurer if not a bit stronger. Spotting a goblin king means that a big attack is going to happen soon..." Add listened to her explanation attentively. He now had a basic understanding of his target. The receptionist gave him a map which showed the estimated location of the goblins, along with a large leather sack for bringing the goblin ears as proof. And thus add reached the forest a little time before midday. He started making his preparations. Preparations for a soldier was even more crucial than the actual mission. A soldier had to be prepared for any possible as well as impossible situations. He knew the goblins had good sense of smell, so he covered himself in mud and dirt, then tearing and mashing leaves of some trees and shrubs he made a paste which further helped in covering his smell. Then he silently searched the area for any tracks. He didn''t have to search for long and found what seemed to be a forest path which looked quite fresh. Add found a short tree which was pretty well hidden in shadows of the tall trees and hid in its branches, waiting for his prey. "It would be so nice if I had a sniper rifle...*Sigh*...." The cheapest pistol in the System''s shop was 1000 CP while the cheapest sniper rifle was 7500 CP, for Add who had only 360 CP, these were pipe dreams for now. "System, do you loan weapons ?" He asked with no hope "....." the system as usual remained silent. Add had to make do with the combat knife. "I have to be swift and attack their vitals. Hopefully, since they are humanoid, they should have the same weak points as humans." After over two hours of waiting, Add finally saw his target for the first time. Green skinned, short with bent posture and crooked noses, drooping pointy ears and a few coarse hair here and there on their body. They wore some rags which were probably animal skins and were covered in filth and dirt. Goblins. Add had seen them for the first time in both his lives , but he was already disgusted by their appearance. There were 3 goblins, two were holding wooden branches asclubs while one which appeared to be a bit stronger than the two was carrying a makeshift wooden spear. The goblins were holding some large rats, and walking along making ''gigigi'' noises, which was probably their means of communication. The group was less than ten metres form Add, but he didn''t move. He wanted to confirm if any more goblins were nearby. The 3 passed by his tree and as per plan, the mud and leaf paste covered Add''s scent. As soon as they advanced a few metres form him, and there were no signs of any more appearing, Add jumped into action. He held the knife in a reverse grip and landed with a thud. The goblins were shocked by the sudden appearance of him, and paused for a moment, exactly what add had wanted. He closed the distance between him and the goblin nearest to him and slashed at its throat. His new body was not the same as his old one yet, the years of experience as a soldier had not been to waste. The goblin tried to dodge but it was too late. The KM777-C with its sharp edge cleanly sliced its throat up to the bone. Add had not put much force and only sliced, so it didn''t cut into the bone. Add easily pulled back the knife and kicked the goblin away. It rolled on the ground holding its neck as murky black blood oozed out. By this time, the other two had snapped out of their confusion and seeing their dying companion their dull yellow eyes were full of hatred and rage. The larger goblin threw away the rats and charged with its spear towards Add, which he dodged easily by side stepping and kicked the other goblin that was trying to attack him using its club. His level two strength was enough to send it rolling. The other goblin shrieked with rage and again tried to attack swinging its spear. Add ducked and held the shaft of the spear with one hand barely managing to keep it within his grasp. It seemed that the goblin was a tad stronger than him. But this didn''t hinder him. He launched a kick onto the knee of the goblin making it stumble, and its grip on the spear loosened. Taking advantage of it he thrust his knife and stabbed the goblins chest with force, but suddenly his instincts alerted him and he jumped to the side abandoning his knife, narrowly avoiding the club of the third goblin which had sneaked up behind him. The large goblin was screaming as it tried to pull out the knife while the wound on its chest kept bleeding. It was done for. Add dashed towards the last goblin making it terrified, it tried to hit Add using the club but Add''s nimble movements made it impossible. He threw a punch into its solar plexus which broke thegoblin''s balance and its club dropped, giving Add the time to go behind it and chop at its neck which stunned it. Add didn''t give it any time and picking up the club he bashed the goblin''s head. He kept bashing for a number of times and finally stopped when the head was completely mangled. Add vigilantly looked all around him looking for signs of any danger. The larger goblin had stopped screaming and had probably died, but add didn''t take any chances. He picket its spear and thrustit into the head of the goblin. It convulsed lightly and then became still. Add pulled out the knife and stabbed the other two goblins in the head confirming their deaths. All this took less than a minute. As Add was cleaning his knife on a leaf, system prompts began ringing in his head. [Ding! You have killed 3 Goblins. You have obtained 80 Exp. and 30 CP!] [Ding! You have levelled up!] [Current Level 3. Experience required for next level : 5/100] Add quickly cut off the right ears of the goblins and put them into the sack. He then opened his status and after thinking briefly, he allocated 1 stat point each to Agility and Endurance, while he used the two skill points to level up [Body Strengthening] to Level 3 and [Unarmed Combat] to Level 3 Status Name : Add Level : 3 | Experience Required : 5/100 Profession : N/A Equipment : KM777-C Alloy Combat Knife (Normal, Low tier) Skills : [(Basic) Unarmed Combat Mastery (Passive)Lv.3] [(Basic) Body Strengthening (Passive)Lv.3] [(Basic) Pistol Mastery (Passive)Lv.1] [(Basic) Knife Mastery (Passive)Lv.2] [(Basic) Accelerated Healing (Passive)Lv.2] Special Skills : [Calm Mind (Passive) (Max)] [Imaginary Time (Passive) Lv.1] Credit Points : 390 ATTRIBUTES ¨C Vitality : 100/100 Strength : 7 Agility : 2 Endurance : 3 Intelligence : 4 Magic Aptitude : N/A (Locked) Magic Power : N/A (Locked) Stat Points : 0 Skill Points : 0 Evaluation : A fledge ling who has just stepped onto the road of greatness, though he still is the weakest of the weak. "Killing goblins gives good Exp. If I keep hunting them then gaining a few levels would notbe too hard." Add thought. Add looked in the direction the goblins were heading and decided to go deeper into the forest. He hid the corpses of the three goblins into the bushes and moved on for his next kill. 7 Hunting Goblins Is Profitable [Ding! You have Killed goblin x 7] [Ding! You have received 185 Exp. and 70 CP!] [Ding! You have levelled up to Level 4. Experience for Next level95/200] A series of notifications rang out as Add relaxed himself. After killing the three goblins at first Add went a little deeper into the forest following the tracks. He looked for some time and came across this group of 7 goblins. Though he managed to kill them all, he was slightly injured, because the goblins were very agile and outnumbered him. Still his level 3 strength was enough to finish them off. "I will need to fight with more goblins if I want to have an understanding of their movements and attacks. They are very different from humans in that aspect..." Add wiped the blood which had splashed onto him and checked his gains. He allocated 2 stats to his vitality and kept the skill points for later. "I should keep searching in this area and not go deeper, before I am strong enough, going too deep into enemy territory would be stupid." He searched for tracks and made sure he stayed on the outskirts of the forest. It was now nearing evening, and goblins became more active during this time. Add occasionally found one or two stray goblins and killed them immediately. He kept this one for a few hours and by the time night came, he had killed 22 goblins, fulfilling his quest requirements. He wanted to kill more goblins but decided to retreat, as staying after nightfall would be dangerous. He left the forest covered in mud, leaves and goblin blood, with a sack full of Goblin ears. "Once you reach a higher level, killing lower level creatures gets really easy huh..." After the initial 10, he had hunted 12 more. He earned another 520 Exp. and 120 CP, which increased his level to 5. With his level 5 strength, he could kill a regular goblin with a single punch at its throat. Once he was out of the forest he opened his status. He added one stat point to Agility and one to endurance and then upgraded [Knife Mastery] to level 5. From thereon, to level up the skill it would take 2 Skill points instead of 1. He then upgraded [Body Strengthening] to Level 4. _ _ _ _ _ Status Name : Add Level : 5 | Experience Required : 415/735 Profession : N/A Equipment : KM777-C Alloy Combat Knife (Normal, Low tier) Skills : [(Basic) Unarmed Combat Mastery (Passive)Lv.2] [(Basic) Body Strengthening (Passive)Lv.4] [(Basic) Pistol Mastery (Passive)Lv.1] [(Basic) Knife Mastery (Passive)Lv.5] [(Basic) Accelerated Healing (Passive)Lv.2] Special Skills : [Calm Mind (Passive) (Max)] [Imaginary Time (Passive) Lv.1] Credit Points : 580 ATTRIBUTES ¨C Vitality : 150/200 Strength : 8 Agility : 3 Endurance : 4 Intelligence : 4 Magic Aptitude : N/A (Locked) Magic Power : N/A (Locked) Stat Points : 0 Skill Points : 0 Evaluation : A fledge ling who has just stepped onto the road of greatness. He is still very weak. _ _ _ _ _ Add observed that the experience needed for levelling up had increased by a lot once he stepped into level 5. "System why did the required experience suddenly increase like this ?" [Host, you should know that the Military System, is in fact the most wondrous and, mystical object in existence! Its Host, that is you, has a huge advantage over all other creatures! While they have to train all their lives to get stronger, you can do so by simply levelling up! What few would be able to reach in their life times, you can reach that in months! So to balance this disparity, by the Law of ''Equivalent Exchange'', the System increases the required experience exponentially with each level. This also prevents the Host from becoming a Lazy slob who can become the strongest without giving any effort!] Add was speechless at the System''s rant as well as its usual boasting. However what it said made sense. For example taking the Knife Mastery skill, a veteran soldier would have to train for years, perhaps decades to reach its perfection, yet Add could bypass that time using Skill Points and the system. This was a huge benefit, and if normal people knew of this, then they would surely puke blood. Could mastering skills be this easy!? Add made a note in his mind to never let anyone know of his system. He knew the greed of people and in the face of sufficient benefits even the most intimate relations were worth less than trash. He walked into the town showing his Guild card to the city guards, who raised their brows at his appearance. But Add couldn''t help it, he had had no chance to clean himself of the mud and filth. He went to the Adventurer''s guild and many Adventurers laughed watching his appearance, which he ignored. He went to the receptionist, but had to line up because the counter was packed. After sometime his turn finally came. The usual lady greeted him and looking at his appearance she was shocked. "Well what happened to you boy ? Are you alright ?" " I am fine, just some downsides of the job. Anyway I have completed the quest." He placed the sack onto the counter, "please verify it." "Oh! You finished it already ?" The receptionist was a bit surprised. Killing 20 goblins was not a big deal, but when that is done by such a young and weak looking boy, and that too within a day, that is quite surprising. "Ah.. I got lucky..." Add vaguely answered. He could not say, "Of course it is a given ! I have an Almighty System after all !" could he ? The receptionist didn''t give much thought, and passed the sack to a worker. Soon the ears were counted and she brought the quest rewards. "So Add, you have killed a total of 22 goblins. As per the quest for the first 20 goblins you get 20 coppers each and for the other 2 you get 10 coppers each. So you total is 420 coppers, which is 4 silver and 20 copper coins." Considering that a humble family of three could pass a month on 10-12 silvers with some wealth to spare, earning 4 silver coins a day was surely better in terms of income. "Killing Goblins is sure profitable, I should hunt more of them if there are more quests." Add thought. However, the risk accompanying the money was also a lot. Add knew that since he could grow strong quickly with the help of The Military System, he managed to complete the quest fairly easily with light injuries. However for the normal rookie adventurersbeing surrounded by 10-15 goblins would surely be dire straits. "Oh, since you went to that, area did you notice anything amiss in the forest ?" the receptionist asked him. "Something amiss?.... Well if I had to say, there were a lot of goblins on the outskirts of the forest. I didn''t go too deep but was able to kill all these." The receptionist frowned hearing this " I see....then the reports of increasing goblin activities must be right, I will have to report this to the higher ups...thanks for the information." Add waved his hand lightly and asked the lady if she could refer him to an affordable inn. "If you are looking for a good and cheap place to stay, you can go to the ''Coach n Caravans'' inn. Although the boss is a bit rude, the rent is cheap and the rooms are quite comfortable, for the price. You should go left after leaving the guild and a few streets later you should see the inn by the main road." Add thanked her and left looking for the inn. On the way he brought two sets of clothes including shirt, trousers and underpants which cost him two silver.Following her directions he soon reached there. The inn was a two storey building that looked old, but was well maintained. Add entered and saw a bald muscular old man sitting by the reception. He was wearing a coarse shirt and smoking what looked like a tobacco pipe. His eyes were closed as he was taking deep puffs. Though the man had aged, his tanned skin which was covered in scars, a deep scar also graced his right cheek, and his disposition, gave Add the vibe of a seasoned warrior. "Looks like this guy is not just an ordinary inn keeper" he silently noted. "I would like to rent room please" The old man opened an eye looking at the boy before him for a few moments and then closed it again. "Twenty coppers per day. Payment upfront!" he replied in a deep grumpy voice. Add put forward a silver coin "Make my stay for five days." "Your name ?" the man asked "Add" The old man grumbled and wrote down some details in a register and then gave him a key. "Room 4. Its on the first floor. The second room from the left of the stairs. Meals are not included. And the toilet is on the ground floor at the back." "Is there a bathroom ?" The old man gazed at Add some more and then again leaned back into his chair. "There is a well behind the building. Help yourself." Add left the old man and cleaned himself at the well, the cold water helped reduce the tiredness of the day. He then cleaned his dirty clothes and wore the ones he had bought. He then went up to his room and was a bit impressed. The room was about 4 metres by four metres with a single bed a small cabinet and a table and chair. It had a single window with wooden shutters. Add checked the bed and it had a soft mattress of cotton like material and a bedsheet. "The receptionist lady said correct. This place is pretty neat for the price." Add went out to have some dinner and then returned and fell asleep. The next morning with daybreak he automatically woke up. A habit from his days as a soldier. Today he decided to go to the city library. He had seen it before while searching for the guild. "Today I should gather some information about this world." He thought, but as soon as he stepped into the library... [Ding! New quest initiated!] [Ding! Quest : Gather Information You have basically no information about the world you are in! Even a five year old kid has more information than you! You are worse than a country bumpkin now! Collect more information about the world and its workings. Rewards : 200 Exp. 100 CP] Add''s face darkened at these remarks, and for a moment he considered whether he should just throw away this system which seemed to love throwing insults at him. Still knowing it was futile he shook his head and went into the library. 8 Gathering Information The library was a large wooden building with rows of bookshelves. There were a few people and the librarian, an old man with a hunched stature. Add paid 20 copper coins for browsing the books. In this time where mass scale printing methods had not been invented, all books were written by hand, and were hence quite costly. As such, very few people were able to buy books, and most of them came to the library to read books paying a small fee. Add looked through the various sections and pulled out a book om the world''s history. He sat down on an empty bench and began reading. This world as he knew it, was called Iseria. Therewas a rough map drawn in the book and by the scale of it, Add estimated that this world was at least 10 times bigger than Earth. The landmass was divided into 9 continents, namely Midgard the land of the humans, ¨¢lfheim the land of the High Elves, Svart¨¢lfaheim, the land of the Dwarven, Vanaheim, the land of the fairies and Angels and Peace loving gods. Asgard, the land of the Warrior Gods, Jotunheim, the land of the Giants, Nilfheim a land of ice and snow, home to the snow tribes, Muspelheim, a land of fire and lava, home to the demons, and Hel, the Land of the undead and the cursed. The continents were separated by vast oceans which would make the ancient Panthalassa super ocean no more than a lake. There were also countless Islands, varying in size, from some which were no bigger than a few hundred metres to some which were as big as Russia on earth. Reading more he found that the history of this world as very similar to the Norse mythology back on earth. And according to the book, a huge war had taken place eons ago which nearly destroyed the world. It broke apart the landmass which were then a single super continent, forming the various continents seen today , the survivors of the war are what can be seen today.Add wondered if somehow the Norse Mythology back on Earth had anything to do with this world. Iseria had countless races, of them the most prominent were the Elves, Dwarves, Demons, Humans, Fairies and Werebeasts. Other legendary races like the Dragons and Gods also existed, however they tend to stay in distant reaches and wildernesses where no mortals can reach. Add next took a book which had the history of the human race in it. According to the book, humans along with many other races like the Werebeasts, came into existence millions of years ago, however, they were among the weakest of the races among that time, and lived in constant danger and fear of the monsters and other races. Then, about 5000years ago, 12 knights emerged from the Human race. They were the strongest of the humans and they led the entire race into unifying the continent of Midgard and today almost half of the continent is rules by the Human race. These 12 knights all established a kingdom each which are now known as ''The 12 Empires of Humanity". There names being, Argarnsen, Laggard, Solia, Rigas, Kanelos, Mellistania, Heldervlam, Schmerlit, Krijger, Kreigsman, Feonigin, and Reingleif. These 12 empires are ruled by the descendants of the 12 knights. Although the 12 empires act as a whole when faced with threats from other races, but they kept fighting internally. Reingleif, the empire Add was in, was the smallest of the 12, however it was by no means weak. It had managed to defend its borders successfully for the last 200 years. The Midgard continent was nearly elliptical in shape. With more than half of it covered by forests, desserts, snowy mountains and many other landforms. Reingleif was located on the eastern side of it, surrounded by the ocean in the east, by a huge forest called Waldesten in the north, in the south the empire of Solia and in the west by the empire of Krijger. Rigel, was one of the border towns which was on the outskirts of the great forest of Waldesten. It was tens of thousands of kilometres wide, and till today humans had only been able to explore a tiny fraction of it. Many other races like the Elves, Were beasts, Dwarves etc. Resided in the wildernesses of Midgard. They had poor relations with humans, as humans tend to attack them and make them slaves. The Elves were deeply rooted with nature, living mostly in forests in harmony with nature. They had very long life spans reaching well beyond thousands of years and were very proficient in magic. Dwarves were masters of mining and forging. The weapons and armour crafted by the dwarves were famous across the lands. Werebeasts were like humans except the fact that they had animal like features such as animal years, tails, fur etc. They boasted high physical strength and combat abilities. Demons were another major race, which consisted of many types of creatures like vampires, werewolves, succubi, and many more. These creatures were very proficient in dark magic, and were very strong as well, known for their bloodthirsty and violent natures. As for the other races like Dragons, Fairies, Gods, Angels, not much information was available about them, as they were barely seen or heard of. After gaining a basic understanding of his world, Add began looking at the thing which had most intrigued him most ever since he reincarnated. Magic. In this world magic existed, a strange power which was beyond the laws of science, seemingly making the impossible, possible. Mana, was a mysterious energy found in nature, which was the fuel for magic. It was everywhere, in the air, in water, in the ground, in plants, animals and even in humans. People who could manipulate mana, could use it to cast spells, which were the manifestations of imagination and knowledge. Spells were incantations which were mostly words spoken to give form to magic. Some common examples were [Fireball] which formed a ball of fire, [Heal] which could cure wounds etc. Almost anything could be done with magic, people could fight, fly, make water, light a fire, protect themselves and much more. As a result the need for science has become basically non existent and the society had stagnated in a feudal-middle age era. Of course not all people could use magic. Around 10 in a thousand had enough mana in them to be able to use it. And among those 10, only one could become a Mage. A Mage had a very high innate capacity for mana. They could cast powerful spells and were a very strong force. The ones who had mana, but not enough to be a mage, could still train and use it to strengthen their bodies and become strong warriors. Next, Add looked at the books on creatures called Monsters and Magical beasts. The monsters were a race of animal like creatures which were generally large in size and possessed tremendous strength. There were a huge variety of them, from large versions of animals to fantastical creatures like goblins, orcs, kobolds, werewolves etc. Magical beasts on the other hand were monsters which had gained access to mana and could use some form of magic. They were much more dangerous than normal monsters, since they could use magic and were more intelligent than them. Some high ranked monsters even gained sentience. Some mighty Magical beasts could even take humanoid form. After spending a few hours in the Library reading, the system suddenly issued a prompt. [Ding! Quest : Gather Information completed!] [Received 200 Exp. And 100 CP] He looked at his status and saw that he had 680 CP, he sighed looking at the pitiful amount of CP, which was not enough to buy anything of use. Since the quest had been completed and Add also felt that he had got enough knowledge for now. Anyway, the library in Rigel was quite small and didn''t have books which had detailed information. Add decided, to visit more libraries in bigger cities when he went there. He had spent, most of the money earned so he went to the Guild for a new quest. He went to the request board and searched around. F rank quests were mostly small jobs like herb gathering, labour jobs etc. Which were low paying. So add once again looked for E rank quests. These generally included, hunting weaker monsters, collecting materials from places, dangerous for normal people etc. "Hmm?" His eyes fell on another Goblin subjugation quest. It was similar to the one he had taken the other day and needed him to kill 20 goblins and also collect any relevant information about their activities if possible. Add quickly took it and went to a receptionist. It was quite profitable and also a good way to earn Exp. and CP. After accepting the quest Add headed back to the forest. It was still the same as yesterday. Add avoided the area which he had been to the previous day, as the goblins would be alert there, so he went in a different direction and began searching for goblins. Strangely, although he found goblin tracks, but, even after searching for almost an hour, he didn''t spot a single goblin. So he decided to go in deeper into the forest. And soon he found a group of five goblins. Add slowly approached them readied his knife, he attacked his prey. As a level 5, dealing with these goblins would be very easy for him. However, there is a saying which goes, "Man makes plans, and the heavens laugh"..... 9 Surrounded Today Add had not been draped in mud, and only applied the leaf and bark paste to hide his scent. He quickly dealt with the five goblins with little effort. His improved strength helped him kill them without taking any damage. [Ding! You have killed Goblin ¡Á 5] [Ding! You have received 135 Exp. and 50 CP!] Add cut off their years and went on further to search for more prey. "Something is amiss...the forest is quiet.....almost too quiet....." Add noted. His instincts were telling him that something was wrong, but he couldn''t exactly put his finger on what it was. As he was looking around for more goblins. "Hmm ? What''s that sound ?" Hearing some suspicious noises he took some twists and turns through the thick undergrowth, and reached a small forest path. It looked like an abandoned road which had never been used in years, the path was almost completely covered by bushes and grass and if not for the missing trees, Add would not have been able to recognise it. The sounds still continued and he followed it, the source of the sounds growing closer and closer.When he finally got to it, he saw a large group of goblins, around 20, moving about. It seemed it was a type of a camp. Add observed for sometime deliberating whether or not to attack them. Although it was a big, group, it was a few hours to evening, and Add didn''t want to waste time searching for smaller groups of goblins. He observed for a little while longer and silently approached within the cover of trees and bushes. When he was little over ten metres away from them. A goblins was moving towards him, without the slightest idea of his presence. Add waited till it was close and suddenly charged towards it. Before the goblin could shriek and alert its companions, Add had already slit its throat and it died gurgling on blood. Add then moved closer to the group but two goblins saw him. Add instantly crushed one goblins throat killing it and stabbed the other in its chest, but it began shouting wildly alerting the group. The other goblins immediately saw Add, and quickly gathered around him. By now Add had killed three goblins and the stench of blood was slowly filling the air. He looked at the critters. They were gazing at him with hatred and malice, their faces scrunched up in rage. Add looked at them, griping his knife and relaxing his body. The goblins already began charging at him from all sides. "Might as well end it quick..." A goblin charged at him with its makeshift spear, Add avoided it with ease sending the goblin rolling with a kick. Another one jumped at him with a dagger made of animal bone, but he caught its hand and pierced its eye with his knife killing it. He threw the body aside and dodged an incoming club, sending a roundhouse kick on the neck of a goblin snapping it. Add''s level 5 strength was more than enough to decimate the whole group. Soon almost all goblins were killed leaving only a few. [Ding! You have killed Goblin x 17] [Ding! You have received 450 Exp. And 170 CP] [Ding! You have levelled up!] As Add was going to finish them the goblins they suddenly ran in separate ways screaming very loudly, making him frown, but he decided not to chase them, as he had already killed over 20 goblins so he shook his head and began cutting off their ears. Add then viewed his status and increased his Endurance and Strength by one point each, and increased [Body Strengthening] to level 5 and [Unarmed Combat] to level 3. _ _ _ _ _ Status Name : Add Level : 6 | Experience Required : 465/930 Profession : N/A Equipment : KM777-C Alloy Combat Knife (Normal, Low tier) Skills : [(Basic) Unarmed Combat Mastery (Passive)Lv.3] [(Basic) Body Strengthening (Passive)Lv.5] [(Basic) Pistol Mastery (Passive)Lv.1] [(Basic) Knife Mastery (Passive)Lv.5] [(Basic) Accelerated Healing (Passive)Lv.2] Special Skills : [Calm Mind (Passive) (Max)] [Imaginary Time (Passive) Lv.1] Credit Points : 900 ATTRIBUTES ¨C Vitality : 200/200 Strength : 10 Agility : 3 Endurance : 5 Intelligence : 4 Magic Aptitude : N/A (Locked) Magic Power : N/A (Locked) Stat Points : 0 Skill Points : 0 Evaluation : A fledge ling who has just stepped onto the road of greatness. He is now a little stronger than mob characters. _ _ _ _ _ Add now had 900 CP, a hundred more and he would have enough to buy a gun. He finished his job and began moving out of the forest suddenly he felt something was off. He looked back, his gaze intensely scanning the undergrowth. Within moments tens of goblins flooded out of the surroundings. Looking closely there were some new types of goblins mixed in them. These were not the normal goblins. These had stronger bodies and held rusty weapons swords, daggers and spears, probably plundered from humans. Add scrunched his brows. This time they were a lot more than any group he had tackled before. "Its better I retreat for now....." Add picked up the sack of goblin ears and dashed away from the horde of goblins, he was roughly 2 kilometres into the forest so with his speed in a few minutes he would be out of here. But suddenly he had to stop. His face was cold as he looked before him. Another large group of goblins had blocked his path. He looked around, more and more goblins were appearing from the surrounding thickets. "Looks like I stirred the hornet''s nest this time...." Add regretted letting those screaming goblins run away. Their shouts must have alerted the other goblins. He understood that he had no way of getting out with out a fight, but his enemy numbers were well over 50. Fighting so many opponents in this narrow forest area was a futile effort. "I should just cut a way out, once I am out of the forest, I don''t believe they will be able to keep chasing me." Add made up a plan, and abandoning the sack, he ran towards the goblins before him. Although some goblins were stronger, most of them were still the normal ones. Add just had to clear a path and escape. He sliced a goblins face, kicked some away and stabbed others. With his upgraded skills and stats it was easy to insta-kill normal goblins. They went down like sticks before his deadly and fast attacks. A goblin with a short sword slashed at him but he parried it with little effort and punched its face in. In a few minutes he killed over ten goblins and was successful in opening a path among the horde. But as soon as he began running away from the horde his scalp tingled and he jumped backwards. The next moment many arrows hit the ground he was just on. "This day is getting better by the minute...." Add said with gritted teeth. He saw a few goblins holding bows and arrows sitting on trees some distance away from him. He tried to find another route but more arrows kept flying towards him making his speed slow. The horde of goblins took this chance and soon caught up to him. Add''s face was cold, he stood with his back to a tree. In his mind he was thinking of a way to get out of this siege. The sun had nearly set by now and the forest was drowned in the murky red hue of sunset. The goblins'' yellow eyes were bloodshot as they gazed at the human before him.*Gigigigi* *Gigigigi* *Gigigigi* they roared and attacked him. Add held his knife tightly and readied himself. In the silent forest, the dusk was not the only reason for red anymore. 10 Counter Attack "....Hah Hah Hah....." The young boy panted as he struggled to stay on his feet. His body lacerated with wounds, the flowing blood had already stained much of the ground under him. Add gazed at the goblins before him, his cold eyes devoid of emotions. Initially, the goblins haphazardly attacked Add, who taking advantage of their errors, killed off many of them. But because of the large number of enemies, he was also inevitably wounded by their weapons and claws. Add''s weapon, the Knife was also chipped here and there. Luckily the archers could not target him properly in the chaos and the arrows missed him by some margin. But then the goblins watching him slaughter his opponents were alarmed and stepped back, allowing the goblin archers to take clear shot. But Add had been waiting for this moment. [Ding! You have killed goblin x 15] [Ding! You have received 500 Exp. and 150 CP!] [Ding! You have levelled up!] Coupled with the previous few goblins he had killed while trying to escape, Add now had around 1100 CP. Although he could buy a gun, now, but in this situation a gun would be of little help. Add instantly made a plan, and dodging the arrows coming at him he ordered the system. "System I want to buy a smoke grenade! One with the largest effect radius!" [Ding! Type-K11 Smoke grenade. Price 150 CP.] [Proceed to Buy ? Yes/No] "Yes damn it!" The cylindrical grenade appeared in his hand just as an arrow scraped by his arm leaving a gash. Add was gradually feeling weaker due to the blood loss, but ignoring the pain he took a deep breath, pulled the pin and threw it at the goblins. Instantly dense grey smoke covered the area, in the little light of the dusk it made the visibility completely zero. The goblins were shocked from the sudden smoke, and lost their bearings, running around randomly within the smoke. The radius of effect of the K-11 was roughly 10 metres in all directions. The goblin archers on the trees were unable to see anything and as such their arrows had no targets. Add on the other hand had been in such situations, many times. He kept his eyes open just to the bare minimum, and keeping a low profile began killing any goblins close to him, their confused noises helping him estimate their position. [Ding! You have killed Goblin ¡Á 1!] [Ding! You have killed Goblin ¡Á 1!] [Ding! You have killed Goblin ¡Á 1!] [Ding! You have killed Goblin ¡Á 1!] [Ding! You have killed Goblin ¡Á 1!] [Ding! You have killed Goblin ¡Á 1!] [Ding! You have killed Goblin ¡Á 1!] . . . . By the time the goblins had got their minds straight and managed to rush out of the smoke, many of them had fallen to Add''s attacks. Add''s injuries, however had also been worsened by his forced efforts and the blind attacks of the goblins. He retreated to the cover of a tree and took out two health potions and drank them up in a go. His vitality which had plummeted dangerously low, somewhat stabilised and the wounds began healing. He kept the last health serum he had as reserve. The smoke was quickly dispersing, so he had little time, he looked at his CP and he had 1130 CP now. He quickly opened the system shop and went for the pistol section. Add had already decided which gun he wanted. His eyes quickly found what he had been looking for and he bought it for 1000 CP. The gun came with a single loaded magazine of 14 rounds. With another 100 CP he bought 4 extra magazines each and they were automatically stored in the inventory. He then looked at the gun in his hand. _ _ _ _ _ Item : M20-A Semiautomatic Pistol Description : This tactical backup pistol chambers the powerful .45 ACP round (11.5 mm). Its materials consist of modern heat resistant alloys with high tensile strength and along with high-durability graphene components, but its design is an upgrade of an age-old weapon, one of the very first semiautomatic pistols to be made. Damage : 40 Durability : 45/45 _ _ _ _ _ There was a particular reason why Add chose this particular weapon. This weapon had seen countless battles, and though there are more destructive pistols available, the M20 was the first choice for the armies of many nations on Earth. During his time as a soldier had had used many pistols, yet this one had left a long lasting impression on him. "Finally...now lets get out of this mess...." Add calmed his breath and waited for the remnant smoke to clear. He would have liked to buy a frag-grenade but sadly he was too poor to buy it. As the smoke cleared, the remaining goblins saw that more of their companions had been killed. This caused them to rage up even more. Add was slowly walking towards them his eyes cold and his face devoid of any emotion. The sun had set, and the last vestiges of light were now dying. Add''s silhouette looked lone some, yet to the goblins he somehow seemed.....dreadful , the goblin archers perching on the trees knocked their bows and prepared to shoot. *Bang* A light flashed in the dark forest, and a goblin archer''s head burst and it''s body dropped from the tree. Before the others could react, four more fell in a similar way. Goblin bodies had no notable defence and the force of a .45 bullet was too much. The other goblins seemed confused at the sudden and strange deaths, and they looked closely at Add. He was holding a strange object which was giving of smoke. "The power of the .45 surely is among the best....you know this gun has killed things a hundred times better than you vermin...I almost feel sorry to use it to kill you lowlifes ah!" Add sighed, but his voice was deadpan and cold. He was holding the gun in his left hand while his right held the combat knife, which had chipped at many places and was looking pretty brittle. Add was ambidextrous so he could do any work with both his hands with equal ease. The familiar feel of the trigger gave deep feeling of nostalgia. *Bang* *Bang* *Bang* In the darkness flashes of light accompanied shrieks and wails of goblins as they died like pigs for slaughter. Some chose to ran, but in close quarters, running from Add''s aim was nigh impossible. He killed any goblin that approached too close to him with his knife and dealt with the farther ones with the pistol. Add quickly reloaded a magazine from the inventory, while kicking away a goblin. "This darkness is a bit troubling...." He then remembered a skill he had seen in the shop. He had killed many more goblins by now and had barely enough CP to buy it. "System! I want to buy the skill [Night Vision] !" [Ding! Skill [Night Vision] (Passive). Cost : 200 CP] [Proceed with purchase ? Yes/No] Add chose yes and instantly his vision cleared, as if he was back in the day. He began killing the goblins again but by now most goblins were dead and rest were fleeing so he soon lost his targets. Add was about to relax when.... """"ROAR"""" Many angry roars resounded in the area, as new figures appeared before him. Add looked at the newcomers and his face couldn''t help but twitch. "Are you really Kidding me?" He almost lost it. 11 Controlling the Situation What Add was facing right now were goblins. But these were not your regular goblins. These were Hobgoblins. Being a larger, stronger, smarter and more menacing form of goblins. They are not as agile and swift as goblins, but better organized. Hobgoblins are humanoid creatures that stand nearly 2 metres tall on average. Their bodies were dull reddish green in colour and ripped with muscles, like a body builder on steroids, giving them strength much more than regular goblins. They are a mutated from of regular goblins. Add found their faces even more hideous than normal goblins. A group of 11 hobgoblins had been attracted by the noise and scent of blood. They looked at the many bodies of goblins lying all over the place, and became enraged. They spread apart and charged at Add aiming at him with large clubs easily weighing over 30 kilos in their hands. One smash from it was enough to kill Add. That is if he let them get close. Add aimed and pulled the trigger, his marksmanship was pretty good, the leading hobgoblin''s head was pierced by the bullet but it didn''t burst, proving how thick its head was. [Ding! You have killed Hobgoblin ¡Á 1 !] [Ding! You have received 50 Exp. and 15 CP!] The other Hobgoblins, however didn''t bat an eyelid watching their leader die. They kept charging at Add who fired a few more shots and then retreated. One hobgoblin''s shoulder was hit, another was shot in the leg and it fell howling. Although Add''s woundshad mostly healed, his body was fatigued. Thankfully, the M20-A''s firepower was enough to deal with the Hobgoblins. Add, took help of the forest terrain and his night vision, and killed all of the hobgoblins. [Ding! You have levelled up!] From them he earned a total of550 Exp. And 165 CP coupled with the other kills, he had got a lot of Exp. and CP. From this battle, Add had earned a lot and also levelled up twice. He levelled up [Pistol Mastery] to level 5, and put two stat points each into Agility and Endurance. He then looked at the combat knife which had been badly damaged during the battle, and decided to keep it in his inventory, although it was of no use, maybe it would come in handy. He bought 10 [Basic Healing Serum] for 50 CP and 10 [Basic Stamina Serum] for 50 CP. The Stamina serum when drunk helped him curb 25% of his fatigue. _ _ _ _ _ Status Name : Add Level : 8 | Experience Required : 443/1350 Profession : N/A Equipment : M20-A Semiautomatic Pistol (Grade ¨C Normal, Rank ¨C Middle Tier) Skills : [(Basic) Unarmed Combat Mastery (Passive)Lv.3] [(Basic) Body Strengthening (Passive)Lv.5] [(Basic) Pistol Mastery (Passive)Lv.5] [(Basic) Knife Mastery (Passive)Lv.5] [(Basic) Accelerated Healing (Passive)Lv.2] Special Skills : [Calm Mind (Passive) (Max)] [Imaginary Time (Passive) Lv.1] [Night Vision (Passive) (Max)] Credit Points : 200 ATTRIBUTES ¨C Vitality : 180/200 Strength : 10 Agility : 5 Endurance : 7 Intelligence : 4 Magic Aptitude : N/A (Locked) Magic Power : N/A (Locked) Stat Points : 0 Skill Points : 0 Evaluation : A young warrior who is learning the ways of the strong. His progress is good but there is a very long journey ahead of him. _ _ _ _ _ Add quickly cut off the ears of any goblin he could find and also of the hobgoblins, his sack which he had thrown away earlier was, fortunately still intact. There were a lot of goblin ears and soon it was filled to the brim and was quite heavy. Add, sadly had to leave many ears behind as he could not carry them anymore. He could not put the sack in his inventory. Only things bought from the system shop could be stored in the inventory, 99 of the same item per slot. He quickly left the forest and returned to the road, within an hour he was back in town. The city guards were a bit surprised to see the young boy whose body was stained in blood and gore, and carrying stuffed to the brim sack on his back. "Oh my!" A receptionist, whom Add went to complete his quest exclaimed as she saw the large number of goblin ears. She hurriedly called the higher ups. Add was hurriedly pulled into a private room and sometime later a few important members of the guild came to meet him. Leading them was a man in his fifties, whit a strong build. He had a square face with some scars and sparse ashen hair which betrayed his age. His eyes, however were very stern and still. The man sat on a chair facing Add while the others stood behind him. "Well hello there Mr....Add. I am Jim Kelleth, the guild master of this guild." The man introduced himself "En" Add slightly nodded in reply. A slight glint flashed in the eyes of the guild master Jim but continued in placid way. "So I hear you encountered a goblin horde ? And there were over 70 goblins ? Can you explain in details ?" Add nodded and gave a detailed explanation. Of course he didn''t talk of the gun and said that he killed them off using guerrilla tactics and such. The fact that the fired bullets, and the empty shells and empty magazines vanished by themselves after sometime was a great relief. The guild master patiently listened without any words. Finally when Add finished, he asked few other questions, and let him go. Add was handed a total of 9 silver coins. This included the rewards for the quest as well as bonus rewards for slaying hobgoblins and providing information. After Add left, the guild master along with five other people were seated in his office. His expression was very serious. "This is getting quite troubling. To think the goblins have amassed such numbers so close to our city! What are the adventurers doing !? Are you all meatheads!? Answer me damn it!" He roared furiously. The other people looked at each other, their faces were also tense. "Guild master that...." a woman tried to speak "Leave it! I know. The adventurer''s think that goblins are small fry, so they do not care for their subjugation quests." He sighed. "But look where that has got us to !" "Vlad! Take some men with you and check out that area the boy talked of! If what he said is true, which I think it is, then we have to act immediately!" "Yes Guild Master!" A burly tanned man named Vlad replied in a loud voice and stormed out of the room. "The rest of you, I want you all to gather information about goblin activity in the surrounding regions. I want to know if those filth are spawning in other places too!" """Yes!"""" three other men replied and went to do their work. The Guild Master then turned to the only woman left in the room. "Listen, I want you to collect all information about that adventurer named Add" "Eh? Guild Master you want me to spy on him ?" the woman asked "No. Not spy on him, but tell your sources to gather all information they can find on him" "But.....do we really need to go after him, I mean what could be wrong with him ?" ".....You see, I feel that the boy is not ordinary. Back then when I first saw him, his face was too calm for his situation, as if didn''t put us in his eyes. So I released some of my mana towards him, but he was unaffected by it...." "....that.....is to withstand the Guild Master''s mana without any reaction.....indeed...that is....." "Yes....I believe there is much more to this boy than what we can see. Furthermore he killed so many goblins and even hobgoblins which are D rank monsters by himself. He must me very strong, or have some secret..... " The woman nodded her head agreeing with the Guild Master. Now that he mentioned all this, indeed it was quite strange. She also saw the boy, but other than his good looks, he didn''t look very strong. "Oh yes....make sure he doesn''t get a wind of your actions.....or it may become troublesome." The woman bowed and left the room. Watching her leave the guild master sighed massaging his temples. He looked out of the window gazing at the stars and wondered. "What kind of troubles will show up in the coming days.....?" 12 Emergency Quest 1 While the Guild Master was having a serious meeting Add was back in the inn recollecting his thoughts on the previous battle. He realised he had made many mistakes during the battle which could have had disastrous consequences. His new body, was getting stronger but it was not adept at the various movements, and techniques he learnt as a soldier. When ever he tried to use them, he felt resistance from all over his body. This was a fatal flaw. If he was a bit weaker, or the goblins were a bit stronger in general, then he would not have gotten out with just minor wounds. He realized that he was pathetically weak now, and he could not accept it. Add never liked the idea of keeping his life up to fate. He had to become strong, so strong that he could ascertain his own safety and freedom, without having to care for others. Another problem was that, Add was able to use only a fraction of his combat skills. His memories of using the skills were perfect, but his body was not habituated in such skills. In simple analogy, think of a flamethrower made of plastic. All that power, all that fire, but if you try to use it, it will melt in your hands. Add had realised this right after waking up in this new body, for this reason he had bought the [Unarmed Combat Mastery] and [Pistol Mastery] skills. Having this skills helped him a lot but still it was not enough. Add asked the system for help as well, but it said that skills could not be carried by souls, and remained a feature of the physical body. Having no other way, he decided to do intensive daily training in order to accustom his body to the movements and techniques he honed in the decades as a soldier. Since he had earned some money, it was enough to last a month with ease, so he was in no hurry to go on other quest. He would have trained this body first, but since his predecessor was quite poor, Add had no choice to earn quick money before doing anything else. Hs looked at the night sky and sighed, what he had done today was bound to gather attention. Since he had no way to undo it, he decided to deal with the things as they came and went to sleep. Next day, with daybreak Add was already out of Rigel making a round of the city wall which was around 10 kms long. Even with his enhanced stats it was still a hefty task to do. It took him a little over an hour to do it. Next he returned to the inn. Back in his room he did Sit ups, Push Ups and Curl ups a 100 of each. This was his daily routine back in the special forces. By the time he was done with all this his body was twitching and numb all over, yet Add didn''t mind. He had to get in top condition, and slacking off was never an option. For the next few days he kept this routine. He rarely went out of the Inn except to have his meals. He only went to the guild once to deposit his registration fees which was due. Because of his intensive training he included more meat and vegetables in his diet, which increased his expenditure but it was necessary. After a week had passed Add looked at his stats. _ _ _ _ _ Status Name : Add Level : 8 | Experience Required : 443/1350 Profession : N/A Equipment : M20-A Semiautomatic Pistol (Grade ¨C Normal, Rank ¨C Middle Tier) Skills : [(Basic) Unarmed Combat Mastery (Passive)Lv.3] [(Basic) Body Strengthening (Passive)Lv.5] [(Basic) Pistol Mastery (Passive)Lv.5] [(Basic) Knife Mastery (Passive)Lv.5] [(Basic) Accelerated Healing (Passive)Lv.2] Special Skills : [Calm Mind (Passive) (Max)] [Imaginary Time (Passive) Lv.1] [Night Vision (Passive) (Max)] Credit Points : 200 ATTRIBUTES ¨C Vitality : 200/200 Strength : 11 Agility : 6 Endurance : 8 Intelligence : 4 Magic Aptitude : N/A (Locked) Magic Power : N/A (Locked) Stat Points : 0 Skill Points : 0 Evaluation : A young warrior who is learning the ways of the strong. His progress is good but there is a very long journey ahead of him _ _ _ _ _ The daily exercises for a week had enhanced his Strength, Agility and Endurance stats by 1 point each. Add nodded satisfactorily at the result. He figured he was not that weak anymore. He went to a weapons shop and bough a spare dagger for 3 silver coins. It was not wise to expose his gun to others, and he had to have a weapon to use. It was nowhere close to the combat knife, but it would have to suffice for now. Add then bought some cheap clothes and shoes plus a water bottle made of wood and leather. After a week had passed, he now wanted to take some more quests to quickly earn CP and level up. But entering the guild he felt a strange atmosphere. Many guild staff were running here and there, and most of the Adventurers had serious faces and were discussing among themselves. Add walked to the familiar receptionist who had registered him. "What is going on ? " "Oh its you boy... Well the Guild Master just issued a compulsory quest today. All Adventurers are required to take part in it. You can see the details on the quest board." Add went to the quest board, and looked at it. A big parchment was hung on it, dwarfing all other requests. _ _ _ _ _ EMERGENCY QUEST : GOBLIN SUBJUGATION A LARGE HORDE OF GOBLINS HAVE BEEN DETECTED IN THE SURROUNDING FORESTS OF RIGEL! THEIR NUMBERS ARE ESTIMATED TO BE IN THE HUNDREDS WITH HOBGOBLINS AND GOBLIN CHAMPIONS AS WELL. ACCORDING TO INFORMATION GATHERED BY THE SOURCES, THE GOBLINS HAVE MADE MANY LARGE CAMPS A FEW KILOMETRES INSIDE THE FOREST. LOOKING AT THE POSSIBLE DANGERS OF THIS SITUTAION, THE GUILD HAS DECIDED TO LAUNCH A LARGE SCALE RAID ON THE GOBLIN NESTS IN THE FORESTS. ALL ADVENTURERS ARE TO JOIN IN THE RAID AGAINST THE GOBLINS. REWARDS WILL BE GIVEN BASED ON INDIVIDUAL CONTRIBUTION. ALL ADVENTURERS ARE TO REPORT TO THE GUILD BY AFTERNOON. _ _ _ _ _ Add realized immediately, that this had to do with the horde of goblins he encountered. The guild must have sent some people to scout the forests. And they must have found traces of a large goblin Infestation. And the scale of this infestation, must be very alarming for the Guild to issue this quest. What worried Add was however the supposed presence of Goblin Champions. These were a special breed of the Goblin race. They grow large enough to even be seen as ogres in terms of strength. They often lack in intelligence, but are capable fighters that can give even veteran adventurers trouble. They are considered to be C rank monsters. These were very tough monsters to deal with. He had read in the library that even C rank Adventurers were sometimes killed facing them. The Adventurer''s Guild at Rigel had over a hundred Adventurers, of which 5 A ranked adventurers, 22 B ranked Adventurers 31 C ranked adventures and the rest were D to F ranked. Such a line up should be more than enough to deal with thegoblins. Add quietly stood among the adventurers waiting. This was a good opportunity to earn Exp. And CP. "Hmm ?" He suddenly felt that someone was watching him. He turned around but instantly the gaze he felt disappeared among the tens of Adventurers present in the Guild. "Looks like I''m being watched...." Add''s eyes narrowed as a tiny yet chilling smile crept up his face....." Interesting....very interesting....." 13 Emergency Quest 2 Add went to the guild bar and sat alone in a corner. The usual merry atmosphere was gone, instead a lot of adventurers could be heard complaining. "What a stupid quest! Why do I a C-rank has to go hunt goblins ? Just let the rookies do it!" "Right! Those small fry are a waste of time ! I could have done a better quest but now I have to do this useless work!" Many Adventurers were grumbling, but no one dared go and complain to the Guild Master, cause here his words were absolute. Add looked around and found a few mages here an there. Mages generally wore robes and some times had light bits of armour here and there, which provided little protection from attacks, but helped them stay light and move around easily. They used Wands, Staffs or books as medium to enhance their magical prowess. Add wondered if he could use magic someday. The system being a strange entity, the possibility was not nil. After a few hours Jim the Guild Master appeared before the Adventurers. He was dressed in simple clothes with light metal armour on him. There was a large broadsword on his back. Following him were 4 men and one woman. He looked at the group of Adventurers and nodded. Jim went to the Request Board and faced all the people present there. "*Ahem*...As you all have heard, today we are going to eradicate the Goblin Infestation in the surrounding forests. Many villages near Rigel already complained of increased goblin activity for the past few months. Initially we felt that it was a minor problem and some subjugation quests were enough to deal with it." "But recently we found some alarming information about the goblin infestation, which is that its much worse than we expected it to be. The goblins are numbering in the hundreds, probably around a thousand of those filthy critters are all around Rigel now. Presence of Hobgoblins and goblin champions has been confirmed as well! And there is also a possibility of a Goblin King leading them!"..... Many Adventurers went silent hearing that a Goblin king may be present. Goblin Kings were basically, Lords of the Goblin race; these goblins had gained intellect and ambition, allowing them to command hordes to great effectiveness. They were considered B-A ranked monsters and were a very commendable foe. Their ability to lead other goblins was very good, and they themselves were even stronger than Goblin Champions. The Guild watched the faces of Adventurers who were complaining, become ugly and sneered. A goblin Horde itself was not much of a threat, but a thousand goblins led by a King, was a very dangerous force. Many villages and towns had fallen to sudden attacks by Goblin kings and their minions over the years and no one wanted Rigel to be the same. He continued his speech... "I believe you all can understand the seriousness of this matter! To solve this situation we will divide our forces into four groups. The first group led by Me and Vlad, willhead north where the probability of the main nest of goblins being, is the highest. The next group led by Lee would head south, next group led by Hector would go to the east and the last group led byMason would go West." "Prepare yourselves, and don''t slack off. The guild will prepare food and water for you, just make sure you are present tomorrow at daybreak or you will face the consequences." Add looked at the 4 men beside the Guild Master. They along with the Guild Master himself, were the 5 A ranked Adventurers of Rigel. Add felt a sense of danger from those people. "Those five are much stronger than they look. For the current me....If I had to face them one on one, in a direct fight..... I would stand no chance...." He contemplated silently. Add had no plans to stay in Rigel forever. He only wanted to earn some quick money and travel around this world. But he knew that he was being watched and he had a rough idea that it was the Guild Master. The first time they met, he felt a sense of pressure from the Guild Master, which later disappeared. Although it was painful, his mental strength was enough to face off against it. Add was sure that this work of that man. After all a rookie Adventurers slaughtering a horde of goblins which even had hobgoblins was no little matter. He looked on as The Guild Master gave some minor instructions and left. He showed no signs of interest in Add at all. Soonthe Adventurers began dispersing to make their preparations. Add too decided to take the day off and go to the library. Just as he was exiting the guild bluishtransparent screens popped up before him [Ding! New Mission Issued : Cull the Goblin Infestation] [Quest details : Goblins have infested the surrounding forests of Rigel! Kill as many goblins as possible and find their leader and kill it to complete the quest. Killing goblins during this quest will give 2x bonus Exp. And CP rewards! Rewards : 10,000 Exp. 2000 CP Time Limit : None] Add''s eyes widened at the generous rewards shown. This sudden mission came quite unexpectedly and its rewards were many times higher than any previous quest. He moved out of the guild towards the library and on the way asked the system in his mind. "System why is the rewards so high this time ?" [Host, the system is a fair entity which provides rewards based on the difficulty of the Mission. The more difficult a Mission is, the better the rewards. The System advises the host to keep this in mind] Add nodded. The rewards being this high meant that the mission was going to be tough one. He wondered if the guild had a proper plan to deal with any unexpected situations. Add went to the library to collect more information on Goblins and their various races, their habits and any useful information he could find. Having total information about your enemy was always desirable. The next day the Adventurers all reported to the guild at daybreak. From there the four teams were divided by the staff. Add was assigned to the group under the A-ranked Mason. He was a tall man whose weapon of choice was a two handed longsword. The group had 40 people with 6 B ranked and 7 C ranked adventurers which consisted the main force. While the rest were low ranked adventurers including Add, and were to provide supportto the maim force. All Adventures were given a small bag of food and a sack to collect proof of their kills. Jim, the Guild master then addressed the groups explaining the plan once more. "All Adventurers will stick to your groups and try your best not to be lost! We will be going deep into the forest and goblins are not the only threat there! If you separate from the group you may die any time! Follow the orders of your leaders properly and try not to die! That is all! You go in that forest and you kill any goblin that you see! Do you fools understand?" """"Yes!!!""""" The adventurers roared in chorus "Louder you bastards !" """""Yes !!!!!!!!"""""" "Good! Then we will have a feast after we get back! Now move!" They all boarded carriages arranged by the guild and went out in their respective directions. Add who was sitting in the corner of a carriage, felt all this quite familiar. He remembered his commanders barking orders then being dispatched to missions along with his comrades. He sighed as he looked at his fellow adventurers chatting in excitement about the quest. "Some things never change..." 14 The Hunt 1 Within two hours the horse carriages carrying Add''s group reached the forest. They entered the forest and went a few kilometres in along a forest road, before stopping in the pre-determined area. The Adventurers left the carriages and Mason the A-rank Adventurer leading the group, did a head count. "Alright, we will follow the goblin trails from here on. Our scouts have already made a rough estimate of the goblin nests and hideouts! Stay in a group and don''t wander off....be careful in the jungle, those critters may jump out from anywhere." Leaving three Adventurers to watch over the carriage, the rest entered the dense forest. At the front, Mason and some other Adventurers were chopping away the vegetation with a large choppers while the rest followed. Add being a F rank was at the very last of the group. He kept his vigilance, as he checked his surroundings. The group soon found tracks of goblins, and headed deeper into the forest. "You know I bet that those stupid critters would be coming at us with their clubs waving hahaha" "hell! Those ain''t clubs they ain''t nothin but branches kekeke!" Some Adventurers were casually joking on the way. They had walked for an hour already. The dense jungle was making it harder for them to proceed. Some. Adventurers were complaining about the heat and humidity while others were irritated from not witnessing a single goblin yet. But after a few more minutes, the group reached a place which appeared somewhat strange. "This.....this looks like a camp ?" An Adventurer asked Mason who was also looking at the same thing. The place looked like a goblin camp. There were tracks of them everywhere on the ground, in some places, bones of animals were also lying about. Looking at this Mason frowned "Should be....but then where are those goblins ?" he murmured. They looked around for a bit more before deciding to delve deeper into the forest following other tracks which left the camp. Add felt something was wrong. They had not even seen the shadow of a single goblin since they entered the forest and now even this goblin camp looked like, it was abandoned recently. "Did they know we were coming ?" he thought. The group walked on following the tracks for sometime, the forest growing denser by the metre, when suddenly Mason who was in the front realised something was terribly wrong and shouted "Ambush!!!!" But he was a step too late. A hail of arrows sliced the air and rained at the group. Add who had also realised the situation ducked and hid behind a tree immediately. The others were not so lucky. Some were hit in their arms, some in their legs and a few were fatally injured. There were many goblin archers hiding in the trees around them. The Adventurers soon took cover dragging the injured with them and some adventurers who had bows began to shoot back at the goblins. Mason and some B ranked adventurers swiftly dashed towards the goblin archers dodging arrows but a horde of goblins suddenly appeared from the surroundings and blocked them. Though they were no better than cannon fodder for the A and B ranked adventurers they still slowed them down by their numbers. Add looked coldly at the few dead adventurers lying there. These guys were laughing making light of goblins earlier and now they were dead. He scanned his surroundings as all this happened, the other low ranked adventurers had also joined the fray as archers kept the goblin archers in check. When everyone was busy with the sudden ambush, no one noticed a boy quietly slip away from the group. With his stats Add had no problems in travelling fast in the forest terrain. He separated from the group and bypassed them. Within minutes he was far away from them. Add had two main reasons to separate from the group. First, he wanted to complete the mission issued by the System as fast as possible. Secondly, If he stayed with the group his gun would be exposed. Human greed was never to be underestimated, and a weapon like a gun was very enticing. Even though no one in this world should know about firearms, what if some fools decided to snatch his gun, it would be troublesome dealing with it. "Time to begin....." He spotted another goblin group moving towards the Adventurers'' group and attacked them. With his upgraded stats, it was easy facing off against normal goblins. He took his dagger and swiftly attacked an unsuspecting goblin. With a slash its throat was slit killing it. [Ding! You have killed goblin ¡Á1] [Ding! You have received 50 Exp. And 20 CP] "Twice the rewards indeed...." Add hummed The other goblins lunged at him but were quickly killed by him. Add opened the system shop and bought a silencer for 100 CP for his M20-B and equipped it. Having a loud fire arm was not a good idea here. He then bought the skill [Perception (Passive) Lv.1] from the system for 200 CP. This skill helped him sense any movement and presence in a 10 metre radius around him. It was not much but in a dense forest it was a critical privilege. Add soon encountered another group of goblins, this time there were some goblin swordsmen as well. He silently crept behind them and before they could react, he snapped the neck of their leader. The others were also killed in little time. Add didn''t use his gun on these small fry, he had two magazines left, and although they cost 25 CP each, using them on weak goblins was a waste. Add kept moving through the forest following any tracks he could see and with the help of his [Perception] skill. He faced a few more groups and killed all of them. The only little trouble he had was with a group of hobgoblins, but the .45 ACP solved it easily. Soon he had killed over 50 goblins and levelled up to Level 9 and earned quite an amount of CP. He levelled up [Accelerated Healing] to Level 4, and put 1 stat point in Intelligence and Strength each. _ _ _ _ _ Status Name : Add Level : 9 | Experience Required : 401/10,000 Profession : N/A Equipment : M20-A Semiautomatic Pistol (Grade ¨C Normal, Rank ¨C Middle Tier) Skills : [(Basic) Unarmed Combat Mastery (Passive)Lv.3] [(Basic) Body Strengthening (Passive)Lv.5] [(Basic) Pistol Mastery (Passive)Lv.5] [(Basic) Knife Mastery (Passive)Lv.5] [(Basic) Accelerated Healing (Passive)Lv.4] Special Skills : [Calm Mind (Passive) (Max)] [Imaginary Time (Passive) Lv.1] [Night Vision (Passive) (Max)] [Perception (Passive) Lv.1] Credit Points : 1050 ATTRIBUTES ¨C Vitality : 200/200 Strength : 12 Agility : 6 Endurance : 8 Intelligence : 5 Magic Aptitude : N/A (Locked) Magic Power : N/A (Locked) Stat Points : 0 Skill Points : 0 Evaluation : A young warrior who is learning the ways of the strong. His progress is good but there is a very long journey ahead of him _ _ _ _ _ He noticed that the Exp. Required to level up to Level 10 was very high as compared to the previous levels. He complained to the system about this and the response he got was.... [The system does everything fairly. Host please don''t be a nagging baby and faithfully complete the mission. The system will never cheat you!] Add''s forehead was full of black lines and he almost cursed this black hearted system. Calming himself he bought some more magazines with the CP and a smoke grenade and frag grenade. Add then continued his hunt, killing any goblins he could see. Under his hands tens of goblins died and their blood soaked the forest floor, and it was just the beginning. _ _ _ _ _ "What.....why...?" While Add was going on with his killing spree, a group of Adventurers was in peril. Hector one of the A ranked Adventurers who had gone in the east direction, stuttered as he saw the hellish scene before him. He was badly wounded, and the Adventurers with him were all dying. Their blood had dyed the forest floor red. Some were dead, their bodies cut up into pieces. Some were still alive, as they screamed while being chopped up alive. Some were trying to run away. Hector''s hands trembled as he looked at his companions being slaughtered like pigs. He stood rooted on the ground, when suddenly a hand grabbed his leg. Looking down he saw an adventurer stained in blood, whose legs were chopped off. The man had horror in his eyes, as he looked at Hector. "S....Save.....me...." he weakly said, but Hector felt dread overcome him. His two handed axed dropped from his trembling hands and he shook off the hand of the dying man and began running away. "No no no! I....I am an A ranked adventurer! ...I cannot die here! No I refuse to die.....No...." Hector was cursing his luck as he ran. Everything was going smoothly, his group encounteredmany goblins but they were killed easily. Even the few hobgoblins that showed up were dealt with. Just when everything was going perfectly....it all went hill. Hector''s leg stumbled upon the corpse of an Adventurer, and he fell down. "Damn it!!!!!!!" He shouted like a madman and got up again trying to escape when an arrow hit his leg, making him fall on the ground. He screamed in pain and began crawling when from behind a shadow loomed over him. Looking at the figure, Hector''s lost the last bit of sanity he had. The figure raised its weapon aiming at Hector, a disgusting grin etched on its face. "...How!? How can you !? You''re just a... No don''t kill me no....no... Ahhhhhhhhhhh....." And then there was silence in the forest. Only the dense scent of blood betrayed the otherwise tranquil atmosphere. 15 The Hunt 2 Mana. Although not many people could use it to cast magic, warriors who had good mana capacity and trained properly could inherently use it to strengthen their bodies. That is why some Adventurers could become A ranked and Even S ranked and go head to head with strong monsters. The five A ranked adventurers could all do this which was commonly called [Mana Equip]. They could even send mana into their weapons to make them deadlier. Although some people called Mana Practitioners and Magi could take this a whole new level and attain strength even greater than monsters, that is a separate thing in all. For the Adventurers in question, the goblins who couldn''t use mana and were not so intelligent, and were basically weak, were not much of a threat.....or at least that is what it should have been..... _ _ _ _ _ "This should be enough...." Add rested on a tree and gulped down a stamina potion. He threw down a rusted sword which was now covered in goblin gore. He had snatched it from a hobgoblin and used it to kill. Below him corpses of many goblins and hobgoblins were lying. It had been a few hours since he had started his hunt, and he had killed over a hundred goblins by now. Add now had over 3000 CP. He opened the system shop and searched for an assault rifle. A handgun was alright as a side arm, but having a main weapon was a must. He looked at the various models, and decided on a old legend which cost 2500 CP. _ _ _ _ _ Item : AK-47 Assault Rifle (Grade - Rare, Rank - High Tier) Description : Officially known as the Avtomat Kalashnikova model 1947, also known as the Kalashnikov or simply the AK. It is a legendary firearm developed in the Soviet Union by the ingenious weapons'' designer, Mikhail Kalashnikov. It is the originating firearm of the Kalashnikov Rifle or "AK" family which have proved their calibre throughout history. Made of metal and wood components, it is unanimously recognized as being simple to operate, rugged, reliable under varyingconditions, and amenable to mass production. Although its stability is its weak point, but its various advantages more than cover for it. Built around a 7.62-mm round, this weapon instils fear even in the toughest of men. Damage : 80 Durability : 100/100 _ _ _ _ _ Add chose the AK-47 for a variety of reasons. It was cheap, durable, easy to maintain and powerful. It came with a with ribbed stamped-steel box magazine which held 30, 7.62¡Á39mm rounds. It could also be equipped with a 100 round drum magazine. With a muzzle velocity of some 700 metres per second, it had a cyclic firing rate of 600 rounds per minute and was capable of both semiautomatic and automatic fire. Its effective range was around 350 metres with adjustable iron sights. In a world where the opponents had no firearms, the AK had no match in its class. Add had a very favourable impression of this weapon. It was a masterpiece among assault rifles, even after 260 years of its introduction, the model''s various derivatives and variants remained the most popular and widely used assault rifles in the world because of their substantial reliability under harsh conditions, low production costs compared to other modern weapons, availability in virtually every geographic region and ease of use. With the rifle in hand Add had a feeling of security. He purchased some box magazines for the AK with 30 CP each and then slung the rifle around his chest, while he bought a tactical thigh holster for the M20 pistol with 30 CP. With this he was again broke on CP but Add felt it all well spent. He then, again delved into the jungle searching for goblins. Soon, he found them, but instead of attacking them instantly, he decided to quietly follow them from a distance. He noticed that they were heading in the east direction. " Are they going to their nest ?", he wondered. _ _ _ _ _ "What the hell happened here !?" Mason''s face was serious as he looked over the massacre that had taken place. Goblins, tens of goblins which included goblin spearmen, swordsmen and even hobgoblins were lying dead here and there. Most appeared to be killed by a bladed weapon, while some had strange wounds like holes in their bodies. This was not the first time his group had seen such a scene. They had managed to defeat the ambush, but had lost five adventurers while a few had been separated during the battle. Mason sent the injured and the dead bodies back to the carriages and led his group deeper into the forest. But then instead of fighting hordes of goblins which he was expecting, they only encountered small groups of them. What was alarming was that many times they came across many dead goblins here and there. What was more shocking was that all goblins died similar deaths. It seemed that someone had singlehandedly killed them all. And by the style of the kills, it seemed familiar to him "What should we do Mason ? Do we follow the tracks more deeper into the forest ?" A companion asked him. Mason shook his head and decided to retreat. As per the plan, all the groups would return to the carriages before evening, where they would set camp. They had already swept a large area and other than some hob goblins, they saw no more threats. It would be unwise to keep going after nightfall so he told his group to return. On the way however his mind was busy thinking. "Those goblins.....they died just like the ones we had seen back then....was the one who killed all of these..." He frowned as a possibility came to his mind. _ _ _ _ _ Some time later, temporary Adventurer''s camp. "How is this possible !?" Guild Master Jim thundered as he looked at his companions. Mason, Lee and Vlad had serious faces while many other adventurers were pale. Sometime ago, the groups returned to the carriages, but Hector''s group which left towards the east never returned. Only a few terrified Adventurers managed to crawl back. Jim picked up a trembling man by the collar.... "Tell me what happened ! What the hell happened that an A ranked Adventurer and 5 B ranked Adventurers died !? To goblins !? That''s bullsh*t! Tell me what really happened you moron!" The man who was a D ranked adventurer in Hector''s group was trembling non stop. Hearing the threatening tone of the Guild Master, he somehow managed to speak. According to him everything was normal when they entered the forest. After sometime they began encountering groups of goblins, which were not hard to deal with, but then they began facing ambushes. Many low ranked adventurers had been injured, but they decided to move on suspecting that the goblin nest was near. As it turned out, it was the worst decision they could make. As they moved deeper into the forest, the goblins no longer attacked them, in fact, they didn''t even see a single goblin. They were thinking whether to return or not, when they came upon a nest of goblins. There were tens of goblins and even some hobgoblins loitering around. Thinking that they had found the nest, Hector led the group to attack on the nest. The goblins appeared shocked and stunned and by the time they retaliated, the adventurers had quickly killed many of them. But as time passed they felt something was very wrong. More and more goblins were flooding in from all around them. They kept killing goblins, but they kept coming one after the other. They had walked into a trap. Hector realized this and ordered the group to retreat but the number of goblins kept increasing, and then hobgoblins appeared, tens of them and the numbers kept growing. By this time the group was taking a lot of damage. They had killed over hundred of the goblins yet they didn''t stop coming. And then it got even worse. "Champions...Champions...there were many Goblin champions!...Ten...no...twenty...no... Hector and the B ranks tried.... to fight them....but but they...I somehow managed to escape....." "You bastard!" The Guild master''s face darkened. He dropped the trembling man and humped. But he felt cold in his heart. If what this man was saying was true, then... So many Goblin Champions would pose a grave threat even if they all were together, no wonder Hector''s Group was wiped out. But goblins usually didn''t apply such traps..... This made him think of the possibility he didn''t want to happen the most. Turning to the other he said grimly. "There is definitely a Goblin King here....." All the Adventurers became silent. By the number of goblins the groups encountered there were well over a thousand of them. A Goblin king leading so many goblins, perhaps in the past decades, this was the most severe crisis before them. _ _ _ _ _ In the Eastern direction of the forest. Add who was carrying on his slaughter of goblins crushed the throat of another goblin and threw it away. After tackling so many goblins he could now predict their movements to some extent.As he was preparing to move on, he sensed some new comers. "Ah...what an ugly bastard" What appeared before him was a group of 5 humanoids. At over 6 feet tall, with bulging muscles and a feral expression on their hideous faces the newcomers glared at Add, their eyes oozing with hatred. Goblin Champions. They looked like oversized hybrids of apes and goblins, and they stunk....a lot. After goblin kings, these were the strongest of the goblin race. One of them was holding a large axe which in its huge arms looked fitting. Ad recognised the weapon belonging to one of the A rank adventurers who led the group in the East direction. "So they have been killed....Should I say good job ?" The Goblin Champions ignored his words and charged at him the leader raising its newly found Axe. Add swiftly jumped back while holding his AK in position. "Click-clack* Add cocked the bolt carrier back loading the first bullet into chamber. The setting was put to semi-automaticand the AK 47 was ready to fire. "Congratulations you get to die by the first AK 47 in the world..... " Add said coldly and pulled the trigger. *RATATATA RATATATA* The distinct rattling of the weapon filled the surroundings as brass shells fell one after the other. The rifle rattled as it pumped lead into the goblins. Although its recoil was strong, with Add''s stats he had no trouble keeping his aim steady. Add kept retreating and firing. In less than a minute two magazines had been emptied and four goblin champions had died. The leader was hit multiple times by the bullets and died first. The others watching this tried to dodge, but Add''s aim was faster. Soon the last one died and staggeringly fell near Add''s feet. Add was physically, much weaker than a goblin champion, but who said he had to tackle them head on. At this range, they never stood a chance against the AK. [Ding! You have killed Goblin Champion ¡Á 5] [Ding! You have received 1000 Exp and 400 CP] "This thing sure is tough....It took over 12 rounds to die..." Add sighed in lament. If the Adventures heard him say this, they would puke blood in anger. [This Goblin Champion was a C ranked Monster! But It died in 12 bullets!] [Even seasoned Adventurers would face difficulty facing one] [And now you complain about them being tough when they died even before they reached you!] [Come one brother be fair!] Not aware of the stir he would cause should his actions be seen, Add moved towards the east. Now that even Goblin champions were showing up, he believed he was closed to the actual nest of the Goblins. 16 Sudden Battle Nightfall. Add decided to take a rest after killing the five goblin champions. He could easily go on for the night without sleeping, but decided not to. There was just no need to take unnecessary risks. He found a tall and sturdy looking tree and climbed onto it. He ate some dried meat jerky and bread which the guild had given him and then closed his eyes to rest. He slept lightly, holding the AK47 in his arms. His perception skill was always active if anything approached near him he would be ready to act. The night passed quite uneventfully except distant howls of beasts. Next morning Add woke up with daybreak and as a habit did his routine training. After finishing that he returned to hunting goblins. By his estimates he was well within 10 kilometres into the forest. And the goblin nest should not be far. Strangely he didn''t see a single goblin even after an hour of searching, even as he went more deeper into the forest, there were many tracks but no goblins. He decided to keep going deeper into the forest. _ _ _ _ _ On the other side just a few kilometres away. In the adventurer''s camp things were not so simple anymore. Guild Master Jim anxiously paced back and forth while occasionally keeping watch on the road. The other adventurers were resting and tending to their wounds. The last night Jim had sent all injured and dead adventurers back to Rigel, and wrote a letter and sent it to the mayor asking for support. Although it was a bit humiliating for him to do so, things were getting out of hand. If the threat was not culled soon, they might have to face disastrous losses. After sometime he saw dust rising on the road. Soon galloping of horses could be heard and he saw a group of people approaching them. These people were the city guards. Although Rigel was a small town, its position was a bit important as a connecting link in the region. As such a battalion of 400 guards was stationed under the command of the mayor of Rigel. After receiving the letter, the Mayor immediately dispatched a group of city guards. Although these were not proper soldiers, not even close, each guard was trained well and they were individually strong as a D or C ranked adventurer. But they worked as a single unit and the strength their teamwork, was a force to be reckoned with. They were equipped with chainmail and light plate armour and had decent weapons. As the group reached the camp, the leading guard got down from his horse and went to the Guild master. "Mr Jim. I am Dylan. The Mayor sent me to aid you as you requested." Jim looked at the number of guards that came and frowned. "I specifically asked the Mayor for a 100 city guards. Why are there only 50 ?" The man called Dylan smiled lightly. "Guild Master, You are getting to tensed. To deal with some goblins we are more than enough." "You do not understand! An A ranked adventurer died damn it! By the hands of goblins at that! He was no pushover yet he died! Do you have any Idea what that means !? Does the mayor want more people to die !?" Dylan frowned at the shouting of the guild master. His position was lower than Jim, but he like many of the City guards disdained the Adventurers. To them adventurers were no better than shabby mercenaries. Still he retained his calm face. "Well we are all you have.....like it or not, there is nothing more to be done." He stated and walked towards his group, "just tell us when you are ready to move" Vlad, looked at the arrogant city guards and grunted in displeasure. "These bastards, just because they are employed by the government, they act so high and mighty. Bunch of pretentious morons." The Guild master sighed and waved his hand signalling Vlad to stop. "Leave it, as it is, right now we need their help. Didthe scouts return with any news ?" "Yes. I believe we have located their nest this time. However...." Vlad''s expression became a bit troubled. The Guild master sighed and narrowed his eyes. "Gather all the men. We need to make a plan of action." _ _ _ _ _ A few more hours passed. It was now noon. The summer sun was beating down harshly and Add even with his enhanced stats was feeling the heat, which made his mood worse. He had only found few goblins and hob goblins after all this time, earning him some measly Exp. and CP. Right then he suddenly felt somethings approaching him. He quickly crouched with the AK in position, and flipped the Safety to semiautomatic. Following the rustling of dead leaves and branches few wolf like figures appeared before Add. He recognised them as Dire wolves. He had read about them in the library, these were a common species of monsters in these forests. These monsters were similar to the wolves found on earth but were about twice as large. They were much more vicious than a normal wolf and also more intelligent. Dire wolves tend to hunt in packs like there wolf relatives. They were D ranked monsters but a pack of them was as deadly as a C rank Monster. Add had intruded upon the territory of a group of dire wolves. There were around ten of them led by a alpha with black fur. They stopped a few metres from him and were cautiously looking at Add while surrounding him from all sides. He too was eyeing them tensely. Dire wolves were much more intelligent than goblins, they could gauge the strength of their enemies and apply complex tactics in their attacks. Both sides stood at a stalemate, as the wolves growled at Add, their large canines in clear view. After almost a minute passed, one wolf could not wait anymore and jumped at Add from the side. He immediately aimed at it, its belly in clear sight, and opened fire. The 7.62 mm rounds tore through its hide but its momentum remained same Add jumped back avoiding its large body when another wolf appeared right behind him its large jaws aiming for his neck. Add barely dodged but another wolf took this chance and sliced his back with its razor like claws. Deep wounds opened up on his back and blood began flowing. Add immediately dodged another claw as he rolled around ignoring the pain and opened fire again. Two more wolves were hit at close range and died but the others jumped at him. "Persistent bastards!" Add cursed. He swiftly took out his pistol with his left hand, and holding a gun in each hand opened fire. Many of his shots missed as the wolves were very swift, and he got scratched by them a few times. Soon his bullets ran out, but he had no time to reload. He had killed six of them by now and only four remained. He jumped back as he hit a wolf with the rifle''s but and began running. The four wolves began chasing him. Their speed was very fast and they instantly caught up with him, but the few seconds were enough for Add to reload his AK. He was about to turn back and fire when he felt a chill on his back and moved to the side. The next moment his left shoulder was bit down by the Alpha wolf. Under the tremendous bite force the bones in his shoulder immediately shattered. If he had been a moment late, his head would have been crushed. "Ahhhhhhh" Add could not help but cry out. The wolf shook its head tearing of meat from Add''s shoulder and threw him away. Add rolled on the ground and his blood flowed like a fountain. Although [Accelerated Healing Lv.4] increased his body''s healing speed by 11%, the damage was too severe. He rolled for a few metres and then stopped. The pistol fell from his grip as his left arm was now useless. Luckily Add had somewhat resistance to pain from his previous life. Under such dire conditions his mind become very calm. Mustering all his willpower he turned his body, the four wolves were a few feet from him, his right hand instinctively turned the selector lever to full auto. Just as the mouth of the Alpha came in for another bite, Add pressed the trigger. *RATATATATA RATATATATA RATATATATA* Instantly half a clip of bullets was emptied into the head of the Alpha. It didn''t even get to whimper and died. The other three remaining wolves, stopped in their tracks and looked at Add with fear. With their leader dead and most of their companions dead, they hesitated to attack Add but looking at the bloodied Add lying there, they slowly began to approach. His vision was darkening, and he felt all strength leave his body. Red warnings began glowing in front of him. [Warning! Host''s HP is at 20%! Condition critical!] [Warning! Please consume a Healing item!] Add''s mind was muddled. He felt death inching close once again. "Am I going to die here ?" "Killed by some damn wolves !?" Some lines appeared in his mind. [Dire wolves are very dangerous monsters to deal with. They hunt in groups and are very crafty] [It is not uncommon for lone Adventurers to fall victim to Dire wolves] [It is very common to die by the attacks of Dire Wolves] "As if Ill believe that !!!" "I died once! And I got another chance at life! As if Ill die like this!" Add screamed in his mind. [Ding! Due to the host''s undying will to live a new skill has been unlocked!] [Ding! New skill [Blood For Blood] acquired] [Special Skill [Blood For Blood] : When the desire for blood reaches its peak, no one will be spared. When HP is below 20%Host enters a berserk state and gains 50% boost to stats for 60 seconds in exchange of 5% HP. Cool down : 24 hours] The skill came as a life saver for him. His vision immediately cleared. With very fast movements he aimed at the wolves and emptied the remaining bullets into them. The 3 wolves were hit by the bullets and gave up any ideas of attacking Add and ran away. Before the effects of the skill wore off, Add quickly purchased a medium Healing serum for 50 CP which instantly recovered 200 HP. His HP which dropped below 30 became full immediately. The various scratches, gaping wounds on his back, and the mangled shoulder began healing immediately. In a few minutes all his wounds were healed but his body was very weak. Add picked up his guns and retreated from the area as the wolves could return with more of their kind. While walking he viewed the system messages. [Ding! You have killed Dire wolf ¡Á 7] [Ding! You have earned 600 Exp. And 350 CP] After walking for sometime, he sat under a tree and rested. He closed his eyes and began reflecting on his actions. "I was too careless till now..." "I took things to simply and slacked off. This world is not Earth. Even wolves here can easily kill me. If I had not levelled up, and if the system didn''t give that skill right at that moment....if the alpha hadn''t missed....I would have died many times already...." "I have to be even more careful from now on. There are many things here which can kill me like squashing a bug. I won''t be so lucky every time." The desire to grow stronger burned even more fiercely in his eyes. Add checked his status. _ _ _ _ _ Status Name : Add Level : 9 | Experience Required : 2950/10,000 Profession : N/A Equipment : Primary : AK-47 Assault Rifle (Grade - Rare, Rank - High Tier) Secondary : M20-A Semiautomatic Pistol (Grade ¨C Normal, Rank ¨C Middle Tier) Skills : [(Basic) Unarmed Combat Mastery (Passive)Lv.3] [(Basic) Body Strengthening (Passive)Lv.5] [(Basic) Pistol Mastery (Passive)Lv.5] [(Basic) Knife Mastery (Passive)Lv.5] [(Basic) Accelerated Healing (Passive)Lv.4] [Perception (Passive) Lv.1] Special Skills : [Calm Mind (Passive) (Max)] [Imaginary Time (Passive) Lv.1] [Night Vision (Passive) (Max)] [Blood For Blood] (Passive) (Max)] Credit Points : 800 ATTRIBUTES ¨C Vitality : 200/200 Strength : 12 Agility : 6 Endurance : 8 Intelligence : 5 Magic Aptitude : N/A (Locked) Magic Power : N/A (Locked) Stat Points : 0 Skill Points : 0 Evaluation : A young warrior who is learning the ways of the strong. His progress is good but there is a very long journey ahead of him _ _ _ _ _ He looked at the amount of Exp. Needed and sighed. He hadn''t even obtained a third of the required amount. "There is nothing I can do.... Lets take one step at a time." After an hour passed Add had regained some strength. It was nearing dusk and following his habit, he climbed a tree for safety. Just as he was resting he saw peculiar flashes of light in a part of the forest a few kilometres away from him. Add had a hunch aswhat was in that direction. Thinking for a while he decided to check it out. He got down from the tree and swiftly headed in the direction of those flashes of lights. 17 Finishing The Mission A few hours before Add noticed the flashes, the Adventurer camp was full of activity. Adventurers were preparing their weapons and armour and supplies, some were making torches as evening was approaching. Some others were doing light practice to prepare for the upcoming battle. Inside a carriage, the guild master along with a few other people were discussing the plan of action for the final time. Their faces were serious as they discussed all possible scenarios and ways to deal with them. Finally after a long discussion a plan was formed. "Then let me go over the plan for the last time." Jim the Guild master began "As our scouts have estimated the location of the goblin nest, we have a rough idea of their location and numbers which is around 500. This includes mostly regular goblins, and hobgoblins, and some 10-15 goblin champions as well. Sadly, due to many hobgoblins patrolling in the area, they weren''t able to get any closer ." "Considering our earlier battles, I believe, we have killed around half of their initial numbers. Even if there are more hiding around, they would mostly be some normal goblins or hobgoblins. But if they gather at the nest, it would be troublesome to deal with that, so we will attack right before dusk and take them by surprise." "The vanguard would be the A ranked and B ranked adventurers who excel in melee combat, and would constitute the main fighting force, supported by Mr. Dylan''s troop. The archers and mages would stay at the rear to provide long range support, while C rank and below adventurers will stay at the sides taking care of any stray goblins that may attack the rear." "Our main target is the goblin king, we have to kill it as soon as possible. After it dies, most of the goblins would disperse by themselves. At last, everybody must be very cautions, the goblins are acting quite craftily so watch out for any suspicious movements." Everyone nodded in approval. Jim dismissed them and told them to keep watch. They would attack tomorrow morning with daybreak culling all the goblins in one fell swoop. After the people left Jim''s calm face became worried. He had been an adventurer for almost three decades now, and such situations were very rare even for him. "The number of goblins is too many....How did they amass such large numbers and we didn''t even get a wind of it.....If not for that boy....speaking of which, Mason said that the boy was separated from their group in a Ambush and not seen again...but..." Jim felt suspicious. Initially when he heard that a rookie adventurer had killed a horde of goblins which even had hob goblins, by himself,he had not believed it completely and sent Vlad, his trusted subordinate to check. When Vlad returned and reported what he saw, Jim was shocked. There were a lot of dead goblins at the spot which the boy, Add, mentioned. What was more intriguing was the way the goblins had died. Most of them were sliced and cut apart, seemingly by a small but very sharp weapon, some were beaten to death with bare hands, some had their bodies mutilated and some had strange gaping holes in their bodies, the like of which they had never seen before. At first his thoughts were that some powerful warrior had encountered the goblins and killed them and the boy was just lucky to obtain the corpses.Since he had no proof, he could only observe the boy for the time being. But yesterday when Mason mentioned that the boy had gone missing after a goblin ambush, and that during their search, they had found many groups of goblins killed here and there in similar fashion, a thought emerged in his head.... "What if....it was the boy who killed them after all ?" But this seemed unlikely, as for such a young boy to posses such strength was uncommon. He had inquired about this rookie adventurer but all he got to know was that he recently appeared from nowhere, and he was supposed to be from a place called Germany, which Jim had never heard of. All of this was suspicious, but for the time being he put these thoughts aside and focused on the upcoming battle. _ _ _ _ _ Back to the present Add was hiding among the leaves of a tree looking coldly at what appeared to be the goblin nest. His eyes narrowed as he looked at the swarm of the critters moving about. Occasionally Goblin Champions appeared as well. There number was well over 200 and more were arriving every now and then. It seemed they were gathering their forces for an attack. This was jot strange after the adventurers launched their attack first. "If only I had a sniper rifle right now....." He lamented. As a soldier Add was adept the most at sniping. In fact he could boast being the best sniper in his battalion. But, right now he didn''t have the points needed to buy the rifle he wanted. The cheapest sniper rifle was at 5000 points, which was unaffordable to the current him. He carefully observed the movements of the goblins and wondered any possible strategies he could use. Right now almost all the goblins in the surroundings were gathered here. If he attacked directly, he would be overrun by the sheer number of goblins. Again, if he applied hit and run tactics, he would alert the horde, and before he could do any substantial damage, they would surround him. Add thought of some alternate measures. He now had 800 credit points. Suddenly he had an idea, it was kind of a gamble but it was also the most feasible plan which came to mind now. He quickly opened the shop and bought one smoke grenade and 3 high explosive (HE) grenades, which depleted his CP to 100 CP. Next His heart bleed but he had no other choice. With the remaining 100 CP he bought a standard 100 round drum magazine for the AK. He counted his ammunition, he had two 30 round box magazines for the AK, and three 14 round magazines for the M20-B pistol. He had 2 smoke grenades and four HE grenades now. Add swiftly retreated and approached from adirection where there were slightlyfewer goblins. Although the goblins were gathering here and there a few would often wander a bit away from the camp. Add hid in the shadows, his [Night Vision] skill helped him see clearly in the now dark forest. Add waited a while as a goblin passed by him. Add swiftly attacked and crushed its throat even before it could scream. He dragged the body into a bush and moved on. After sometime, the goblins realized something was amiss. Many of their companions suddenly disappeared. Add had killed over 17 goblins by now and earned 350 CP. He quickly bought another drum magazine for the AK and prepared for the next step of his plan. He waited and soon a group ofgoblins appeared near him, they were searching for their companions. Their eyes soon fell on a few dead bodies Add had purposely left in the open. The goblins immediately gathered there, giving Add who was lurking behind them a slick chance. He immediately attacked them and killed them with punches and kicks. The normal goblins were no match for him anymore. However they managed to shriek which attracted other goblins, but Add had already moved away from them. He continued this tactic at different places, killing tens of goblins more. He bought two more drum magazines for his AK and now he was ready for the final step of his plan. He slowly approached the nest, but this time without much attempt to hide himself. Add was calm, his gaze focused, coupled with his [Perception] skill, he could clearly gauge all threats around him. He pulled out the pistol and took aim, as soon as any goblins came within 50 metres from him, he opened fire. The M20 coupled with the silencer, was quite and deadly. With each supressed gunshot, a goblin fell. As Add moved closer to the nest more and more goblins appeared. Some attacked him directly, some tried to sabotage his sides, only to be shot dead. Add was earning a steady amount of CP as he kept killing goblins. He decided to directly use his gun to quickly deal with this critters as, in the long run the amount of CP spent was negligible to the amount he was earning. Anyway, it took one or two bullets to kill the normal goblins so it was not much of a waste. Soon he heard "gigigigi" noises from everywhere, the goblins had now completely understood that they were under attack. They swarmed from the camp towards Add. In the dark, it looked like a flood of horrendous creatures. Add returned the pistol to the holster and held the AK. "By my estimates, the camp is less than hundred metres away.....lets see if your cannon fodder runs out first or my bullets do." Goblins and Hobgoblins, charged at him from all sides Add increased his walking speed as he put the AK in a better position. He placed the trigger arm down and kept it pulled in tight to the body, to create a smaller target for the enemy and give greater maneuverability. His left hand grasped the fore-end from the side, to give more certain control over side-to-side movement of the muzzle during rapid fire and support. He slightly hunched forward putting more weight over the gun for better recoil control, and to reduce stumbling. While his head was straight, his cheeks pressing against the stock. This was the best tactical standing position to shoot while on the move. *Bang* *Bang* *Bang* The weapon slaughtered the goblins like pigs on a chopping board. Even before one could reach Add they all died. There were some goblin archers around but due to the darkness, they were unable to aim accurately, an arrow flew by Add exposing the location of an archer. After 3 shots a body dropped from the trees. He kept moving forward killing anything that came towards him, leaving behind only corpses. A hobgoblin lunged at him from the back but turned and blew its head off. After a few minutes ofbloodshed, Add finally reached near the nest. There were a few crude torches lit, and some bonfires giving the place a dim lighting. Before Add could there, arrows began raining on him. He quickly took cover behind a tree and looked around, soon he found goblins on trees shooting the arrows. He killed a few of them before the rest jumped down and retreated. Add stepped into the clearing and found over 20 goblin champions and many hobgoblins rushing towards him. They were shrieking loudly and their vicious teeth were on full display as if wantingto tear him to pieces. Add looked coldly at them and pulled the trigger. "Die" *RATATATATA* All the bravado displayed by the huge goblins shattered instantly vanished as they were filled with holes with holes, although the AK had poor accuracy, at less than 100 metres it was adequately accurate. The imposing goblin army had been mostly slaughtered. *GIIIIIIIIIIIII* Suddenly a loud shriek echoed in the area following which from all directions goblins swarmed towards Add, as if they were hell-bent of drinking his blood. He frowned at this, he crouched down on one knee and took a stable position. "No matter how many of you come, you still will die" He lightly said The rattle of the rifle echoed in the forest as goblin after goblin died. Brains splattered, some even had arms and legs were blown away, the murky blackish blood drenched the land. But their companions didn''t care about that, they stepped over the dead goblins and kept charging at Add. Even a tiger can be bitten to death by a thousand ants. Add despite his weapons and strength was being overwhelmed by the sheer numbers of the goblins. He clenched his teeth and pulled out a HE grenade from his inventory, which he could access with just a thought. *Clink* He pulled the pin pulled and threw it behind him, and threw another to the front. The ball like grenade rolled over to the horde of goblins charging at him from behind and front. *BOOM* *BOOM* The grenades exploded with such force that the goblins near it were blasted tobits while those a bit far were sent flying with their internal organs messed up. The Type-201 grenade Add used was made with the idea "to cause the greatest explosion within the smallest package". The two explosions killed off a lot of goblins, Add used this chance to reload his rifle, and bought a few more grenades and kept throwing them, while lying flat on the ground. The goblins were still swarming towards him without care. *BOOM* *BOOM* *BOOM* Explosion after explosion shook the area. The horde of goblins was mostly blown to bits, their body parts flying everywhere. Add stood up and shot the remaining few goblins. Seeing that no more goblins arrived Add began inspecting the area. Mutilated bodies were strewn all around, giving off the pungent smell of blood and gore, along with the stink of goblins, it would made one want to vomit. A few surviving goblins were so terrified that they ran away. "Where is the thing leading these ?.....Shouldn''t it be here...I am sure it was the one who was shrieking back then..." As he was walking he suddenly felt something big approach him very fast. He immediately jumped away narrowly dodging a large broadsword which cleaved into the ground he was standing on. After the fight with the wolves, Add had always kept his vigilance to the maximum, thanks to which he was able to dodge the attack in time. He looked at the sudden attacker and his expression became solemn. "....That is no Goblin King....." The Adventurers Guild thought that a Goblin king was leading the huge horde this time but they were wrong. "...Its a damn Goblin Lord..." A hulking figure was gazing cruelly at him, its hands holding the large broadsword that it had taken from an unfortunate adventurer, with ease. Goblin Lords. They were the most dangerous and powerful ofthe goblins. A Goblin King is only as smart as a wolf, able to lead other goblins by instinct. Goblin Lords are the most dangerous of the goblin race. They are Goblin Kings that have lived for many years and have become capable of independent thoughts. They are taller and larger than any normal goblins and far more muscular. They are even bigger then the Goblin Champions. Having lived and grown over many years, they are very intelligent and capable of formulating cunning strategies. These were A-ranked monsters. The Goblin Lord gave of a menacing aura. It was furious. A puny human had foiled all his plans. It had planned to raid the nearby human villages, abduct the women to spawn their numbers, and kill all the rest. It wanted to become the ruler of this forest. For that purpose it had planned for many years secretly gathering its forces, not letting the humans know. And just when it was a step away from starting its plans, all was wasted by this human. *GIIIIIIIIII* It roared, charging at Add, swinging its heavy sword at him.Add was astonished at its speed. Even it was so big, the Goblin lord was very fast. Add barely dodged the sword attack but was kicked by it and sent rolling. "Guh....*Cough* *Cough*...." Add struggled to take a breath. The strength behind that kick was fearsome. Add''s body which was now much stronger than a normal man was injured. Some of his ribs had cracked. He wiped the trickle of blood which was flowing from the corner of his Lips. The Goblin Lord Confident of its victory once again charged. Add smiled coldly and just as the large sword was going to reach him he quietly said... "Imaginary Time" Two words, and the world slowed down. The fast Goblin Lord suddenly became as fast as a tortoise. Add rolled over and pulled two grenades out before pulling the pins and throwing them some distance before its feet. By the time ten seconds ended, Add was many metres behind the Goblin Lord, and had loaded the last drum magazine into his AK. To the goblin Lord, the speed of the human suddenly became extremely fast, it dodged the sword and flew away. The Goblin Lord was a bit confused for a moment, and stayed on the same spot. *BOOM* The grenades blew together sending the unsuspecting Goblin lord flying over ten metres away. Add slowly approached it and found its appearance to be pitiful. Its legs had been blown from below the knees, and its body was badly injured as well, including its eyes, from which blood was flowing non stop. Still it was an A ranked monster, even this much was not enough to kill it. It tried to get up with the help of its arms but Add would give it no chance. "Just Die." *RATATATATATATA* He emptied half of the magazine into its head, the thick skull and muscle resisted for a few shots but soon gave in, and the head burst into a gory paste. Thus ended the life of an ambitious goblin lord. Add soon saw people with torches arriving at the distance. He quickly left the area. He didn''t want to be discovered by the adventurers. _ _ _ _ _ The Adventurers were resting when they suddenly heard strange sounds from the forest. It sounded like tiny muffled explosions. After sometime, many loud explosions also could be heard. They were alarmed and the Guild master decided to investigate it. A group of Adventurers and City guards left to check what was happening, they were worried as the sounds came from the place where they thought the nest of the goblins was. On the way the saw dozens of dead goblins lying around and when they reached the nest, they were all stunned speechless. 18 System Upgrade Add decided to return to the town as soon as possible. He was running at his maximum speed and had barely escaped a few kilometres towards the exit of the forest when his body gave in. He had been seriously injured by the strong kick of the Goblin Lord. Although his body had been strengthened it was still a body of flesh and bones. On top of that the backlash of using [Imaginary Time] his head was aching tremendously. Add realised he could not go on like this. He was now in the outer regions of the forest, and normally, no dangerous monsters came by here. So he decided to take a short restunder a tree. As if on cue, the systems notifications began flashing before his eyes. [Ding! Mission : Cull the Goblin Infestation has been completed!] [Ding! 10,000 Exp. And 2,000 CP have been rewarded!] [Ding! You have levelled up!] [Ding! You have levelled up!] [Ding! Conditions for System Upgrade met!] [Ding! The Military System Will now undergo an Upgrade! Time required for upgrade : 4 hours!] Addwas shocked at the sudden rush of messages. "Hey system what is happening ? System ?..." Add tried to call out to the system but it didn''t respond. He could not even use the inventory or any other option. Add could only sigh in defeat and he drank some water from his canteen, and closed his eyes to take a rest. Even though his entire body was paining, he was still mindful of his surroundings. After around 2 hours passed Add had regained some strength. He looked at the sky where a large moon was glowing in a bluish hue. "Its beautiful.... Heh...in all these days I have been here...I have never taken the time to appreciate it....how sad...." Add sighed. It seemed some old habits were too hard to let go. He continued to rest gripping his guns in case, any critter tried to approach him with not so well intentions. Luckily, only a few bats flew by him, and no creatures attacked him. Finally, another two hours passed. [Ding! System Upgrade Complete!] "At last..." he sighed [System Reboot Commencing in 3....2.....1....] [System Reboot complete!] [Loading System Version 2.0] [Congratulations ! The All-powerful MilitarySystem is now even more Awesome! Many new system features can now be accessed! The Host can, as usual count on the system to guide him through all storms and disasters to ultimate glory and power! Soon you will be so strong that you will Laugh at All heroes and look down on the heavens! With the system by your side, Gods and Deities will lick your feet and fairies and divine Goddesses will jump into your arms!] Add was very quite as he heard this. His face was dark beyond measure. "Cut the bullshit! I almost died and you are still talking shit! Quickly give me a intermediate healing serum!" Add''s face twitched violently. In fact he was trembling in rage. Here his body was in so much pain, and this system continued its shameless boasting! Truly infuriating. The system quietened down as if feeling wronged and a healing serum appeared in his hands. Add quickly drank it, and his wounds began healing. His outer wounds healed within minutes, but the internals would need some time to be completely healed. Feeling better now, Add decided to look at the various message screens blinking before his face. [Ding! You have levelled up to Level 10! 5 stat points and 5 skill points awarded!] [Ding! Hidden Mission : Trials of the Weak have been completed! Description : Hidden Mission ¨C Trials of the Weak : The weak have no rights in this world. Only by being strong will one be able to protect oneself and one''s beloved people. Absolute strength triumphs over all! Till the host reaches level 10, many features of the system will be temporarily hidden, so that the host receives the bare minimum help from the system. Reach level 10 with minimal help from the System. (The system will be in its most basic form) Rewards : Standard Combat Gear (Set) Time Limit : One month from system activation ] [Ding! The system congratulates the Host for completing the Hidden Mission! As a reward, Host has received the following rewards! Standard Combat Gear : Standard Combat Helmet : This helmet is made of ballistic Ultra-High-Molecular-Weight Polyethylene and carbon fibre mesh which offers superior protection while maintaining internal comfort. This helmet also has non-ballistic protective qualities, against threats such as concussive shockwaves from explosions. Durability : 500/500 Standard Combat Vest: This bulletproof jacket is made of superior grade bulletproof materials. Its base is made of graphene and Kevlar threads and strengthened by fiberglass and ceramic plate composites. It can block regular stabbing attacks and light firearms. Durability : 500/500 Standard Combat Armguards : Made of durable graphene and titanium alloys, these arm guards offer balanced protection and mobility. Durability : 500/500 Standard Combat Gloves : Made with Kevlar and Cotton fibres, this pair of gloves ensure a secure grip and protect the hands from and rough surfaces and pointy edges. Durability : 200/200 Standard Combat Shirt : Made of Cotton and carbon fibre complex, this shirt cannot stop bullets, but is a durable and reliant clothing which protects from the heat and cold. Durability : 200/200 Standard Combat Trousers : Made of Kevlar and Graphene, these pair of trousers are not very high on the defensive front, but they allow fluid mobility to the wearer. Durability : 300/300 Standard Combat Boots : Made of superior rubber compositesand titanium alloys, these boots provide ample protection to the feet. They also allow for stable and swift movement in any terrain. Durability : 500/500 Standard Combat Elbow and Knee pads : Made from highly density polyethylene and graphene mesh, these provide protection to the joints and allow smooth movements. Durability : 400/400 Standard Tactical Combat Belt : This belt does much more than holding up the pants. Its various pouches provide space for extra ammuniton storage allowing you to carry more rounds within arms reach. Its made of Kevlar and alloy wires making it very tough and durable. Durability : 300/300] Add was quite surprised at this generous rewards. The gear was automatically stored into his inventory and Add took a look at it. The various items were all black coloured, making it look like the gear of a special force operative. "I didn''t know that the system was so generous...." He said mockingly [Host, the system exists for your sake! How can you accuse it of being--] "Shut it!" He was too tired to argue with this black hearted system. He checked the remaining messages. [Ding! New Class : ''Firearms Master'' acquired ! Description : A class given to the people who are adept in the ways of using firearms. Effects : 20% Increase to weapon stability when using firearms 20% Increase to weapon accuracy when using firearms] [Ding! New Title ''Hunter'' acquired! Description : Adept in the ways of hunting and killing prey, hunters instil fear in the hearts of all beasts. Effect : 5% Increase in overall stats when hunting beasts or monsters] [Ding! New Skill [Contract] acquired!] [ Skill : [Contract (MAX)] ¨C This skill allows the holder to appoint sentient beings as subordinates through contracts. For a person or sentient being to become a subordinate, they must truly accept the holder as their master''s in both mind and heart. Once under a contract, the subordinate cannot harm the host in anyway even if it wants to. Due to unique circumstances of the host, for every Kill a subordinate makes, the host will receive all the CP he would have if he made the kill himself. Kills made by subordinates will offer no Exp. to the host.] [Ding! New feature unlocked! From Now on, practicing a skill for a certain number of times, with a certain efficiency will have a chance of the host truly aquiring the skill !] Add finally skimmed through the messages. He was a bit happy, at the various new things which had been unlocked after he levelled up to level 10. He had killed a lot of goblins and earned decent Exp. Coupled with the rewards from the Mission, he had advanced to level 11. But he was wondering what the things called ''Class'' and ''Title'' were. Just as he was going to open his status the system again began speaking. [Host, after the system''s upgrade, the status menu has also been upgraded to include more features.] "Hmm what new features ?" Add asked slightly curious. [The status Profession has been changed to Class. A class denotes the principle modus operandi of the host, depending on the jobs, the host does. The first class has been awarded by the system after evaluation of his activities and fighting style. More classes may be obtained after the host has achieved mastery over other jobs. Having a class gives certain bonuses to the host.] [New feature : Subclass : a second class can be selected as the subclass after host has obtained more than one classes.] Add nodded, so it was like the different types of soldiers in the army, some were snipers, some were infantry, some were mechanised infantry etc... "System, can I have more than one class active at a time ?" [No host, only one class and one subclass can be active at a time] "I see...well that''s a shame....Anything else that is new ?" [Yes host new attributes have been unlocked. Wisdom : Wisdom describes host''s willpower, common sense, perception, and intuition. While Intelligence represents one''s ability to analyse information, Wisdom represents being in tune with and aware of one''s surroundings. Higher the wisdom stat, higher is the host''s ability to solve difficult problems and make complex strategies and decisions. Stamina : As the name implies, this stat represents your stamina. Higher the stamina, greater is your ability to work or fight. Charm : This stat represents your attractiveness to other people. Higher your charm points, more favourable is the impression you give to others. After analysing host''s body and mind, a default of 5 points has been allocated in these new stats.] [HP : After the upgrade of the system, Health Points (HP) have been separated from vitality. HP denotes the health of the Host, if it reaches zero, you die. HP is directly related to Vitality stat. More the Vitality stat''s value, more is the HP] Add realised that before this, the system was in a type of demo version, only after completing the hidden mission, the system revealed its true form. "Wait....so I was given such a handicap ? After all that dangers I have been through....you blasted system!" The system remained silent as if it had nothing to do with his anger. Add calmed himself again, and decided to allot his stat and skill points. He had 7 of each, as he got 5 from level 10 and 2 from level 11. The Exp. hurdle after Level 10 had reduced as well. He levelled up [Body Strengthening] to level 6 using 2 skill points and [Accelerated Healing] to level 5 with another one. With the remaining 4 skill points he levelled up [Perception] to level 5, which increased the range of the skill to 50 metres. He invested 2 stat points into Vitality, 1 into strength, 2 into agility and 2 into endurance. _ _ _ _ _ Status Name : Add Race : Human HP : 300/300 MP : N/A (Locked) Level : 11 | Experience Required : 1350/4160 Class : Firearms Master Subclass : N/A Title : Hunter Equipment : AK - 47 Assault Rifle (Grade - Rare, Rank - High Tier) M20-A Semiautomatic Pistol (Grade ¨C Normal, Rank ¨C Middle Tier) Type 150 Smoke Grenade (x2) Skills : [(Basic) Unarmed Combat Mastery (Passive)Lv.3] [(Basic) Body Strengthening (Passive)Lv.6] [(Basic) Pistol Mastery (Passive)Lv.5] [(Basic) Knife Mastery (Passive)Lv.5] [(Basic) Accelerated Healing (Passive)Lv.5] [Perception (Passive) Lv.5] [Night Vision (Passive) (Max)] Special Skills : [Calm Mind (Passive) (Max)] [Imaginary Time (Passive) Lv.1] [Blood For Blood (Passive) (Max)] [Contract (Max)] Credit Points : 10,220 ATTRIBUTES- Vitality : 6 Strength : 14 Agility : 8 Endurance : 10 Intelligence : 5 Wisdom : 5 Stamina : 5 Charm :5 Magic Aptitude : N/A (Locked) Stat Points : 0 Skill Points : 0 Evaluation : A warrior who has proven himself in battle. He is growing stronger with time but is still a weak being. _ _ _ _ _ He was satisfied with his status for now, and even the evaluation of the system was somewhat promising. He also felt elated at the large amount of CP he had. Although, magic was still locked, he believed he would be able to use it someday. Having recovered from his wounds, he quickly dashed out of the forest. He knew that there were some things he had to deal with, so he rushed back towards the town. _ _ _ _ _ Back at the goblin nest. "What in the world happened here....." Vlad''s jaw dropped watching the scene before him Hordes of goblins had been turned into heaps of stinking bodies. Many bodies had been badly mangled, some had been blown to bits, while most were filled with holes. Blood and gore dyed the ground in a revolting blackish red colour. It was a massacre. For Add, it was fortunate that all magazines, bullet shells and bullets bought from the system would automatically disappear after sometime of being used which made it a bit hard to track his works. "From the looks, over 200 goblins and hobgoblins, maybe more died here. Not even the goblin champions were spared...what....who killed all of them...?" Lee asked in a low voice, but his shock was evident. Mason who stood beside him had a serious expression on his face and he turned to look at the Guild Master who was a bit farther away. But the Guild Master was currently looking at something which almost made his jaw drop. "...This...this thing....A goblin lord.....but why is one here....?" Having a rich experience as an Adventurer, he recognised the goblin lord immediately. Mason walked up to him and he was also stunned. A goblin lord was a fearsome creature. One on one even he had no confidence of defeating this thing. "Now...we know how, such a large horde of goblins amassed. They were being led by a lord after all....." But the Guild Master''s face was solemn. He turned to look at Mason. "Between this dead goblin lord....and the one who killed it....who do you think is more dangerous ?" Mason''s eyes widened and he looked at the carcass of the goblin lord. He saw the blown off legs, and the head which was turned to paste and shivered. He muttered... "This dead goblin lord, all those slaughtered goblins we saw on the way....if this was done by a group of people...they must be pretty strong.....if it was done by a single person then...." Guild Master Jim shook his head he already had an idea, and only needed to confirm it. He called over the others. "All of you gather all these bodies of goblins! Mages burn off all these bodies!" The Adventurers and city guards soon collected all the corpses. The mages were very few, only 5 in the town, which showed the rarity of mages. Between them two could use fire type spells. They quickly cast some spells and burned the heaps of bodies. Jim then instructed the Adventurers to search the nearby area for any hiding goblins. After all was settled they returned to the camp. All along the way, Jim''s face was very serious as he was stuck pondering on something. 19 Lets Talk The morning was a fairly cold one, although being a summer morning. The rays of the sun hadn''t yet reached down on Rigel, outside the window, a faint darkness still remained, as Add woke up feeling refreshed. It had been late at night midnight, when Add returned to the town. The guards at the gates, questioned him lightly and let him enter. The Inn had already closed down, so he had to climb into his room which was on the first floor, through the window. Removing his clothes which had been tattered by the attack of the wolves, he decided to sleep. His body was fine, but he felt tired mentally after a day full of battles. Waking up he went out to do his routine training. After finishing his training he took a bath with cold water to refresh himself. The innkeeper didn''t ask him anything about how he got to his room, seemingly uninterested. Add took out the [Standard Combat Gear], and looked at the various items. Among them the vest was the most exceptional. It was similar to the tactical bulletproof vests used by many armies of Earth. It also came with, neck, shoulder and groin protection. Its weight was around 15 kilograms, given the amount of armour it was having. The helmet came with attachment points for equipment like IR (Infra-Red) sights etc. The other items were quite normal for their types, except that the whole set of gear was black. The soldier in the young boy''s body quickly put it all on with ease. Dressed in full black combat gear, Add felt as if he had returned back in time. He used to wear similar gear back on Earth. "Well...at least it all fits me perfectly...." He moved around in his room trying out the gear and found it quite easy to move in. The entire gear weighed over 40 kilos, but to Add it was of little concern. He didn''t upgrade his endurance stat needlessly now did he? After familiarising himself with the gear for a few minutes, he took his AK-47 and M20-A pistol. He dismantled both guns one after the other and cleaned them with a cloth. "A soldier''s weapon was his lifeline, as such, you must always keep it clean and in operatable conditions" His instructors had thundered in their lessons. It had become one of those everyday habits which had long since been engraved in his mind. The guns had been used for a short time only so he didn''t need to do much work. The maintenance finished shortly afterwards. The rifle was hung in front of his body with a two point (quick adjust) sling, while the pistol went into his thigh holster. Add kept some additional magazines for both the AK and the M20, in his tactical belt. He then opened the system menu looking to buy something which he wanted for sometime now. "Lets see...system list out all the Sniper rifles under 10,000 CP...." He began looking through sniper rifles. Now that he had more than enough CP he wanted to have a long range weapon. New skills also came to his mind, but he prioritised having a long range weapon first. The system displayed s lot of rifles, including the well known, Soviet Dragunov, the AmericanM24, Steyr SSG 69, etc. After debating for sometime Add made his choice. _ _ _ _ _ Item : Accuracy International AX338 Long range, bolt-action rifle. (Grade ¨C Rare, Rank ¨C Middle Tier) Description : The Accuracy International AX338 Long Range Sniper Rifle is an advanced version of the battle proven, Accuracy International AWM (AI - Arctic Warfare Magnum) also known as the Arctic Warfare Super Magnum. It is a bolt-action sniper rifle manufactured by Accuracy International. It houses the magnum rifle .338 Lapua Magnum (8.58¡Á70mm) high-powered, long-range cartridge. As a manually-actuated bolt-action weapon, the AX338 is a true sniper rifle in every sense of the word. Its .338 Lapua Magnum cartridge is capable of anti-personnel function, and limited anti-material function. Based on the AW (Arctic Warfare) line of rifles, it follows the tried and proven design qualities of its predecessors. One of the finest designs, of its time, the AWM has dominated many battlefields and is a favourite of snipers. Damage : 250 Effective Firing Range : 1500 ¨C 1800 metres Durability : 200/200 _ _ _ _ _ [Purchase with 8,000 CP ? Yes/No] "Yes" The 1.2 metre long, 8 Kg rifle cost him a whooping 8,000 CP, it was 4 times more expensive than the AK47, bringing his CP to a pitiful 2,220. However in comparison, the AX338 was a devastating weapon of its class. Its bullets could even penetrate most bulletproof jackets of its time. In the hands of a skilled marksman, a human targeted by it was as good as dead. However, for Add he got the Scope and suppressor along with the weapon and didn''t have to buy it again. This rifle was one of the best sniper weapons of the 21st century. It had many advanced features like the Schmidt & Bender 5-25¡Á56 mm PM II LP/MILITARY MKII 5-25¡Á56 0.1 mil parallax, illumination, double turn telescopic sights. It also had high performance suppressors to reduce the flash and noise signature. It used a compact and reliable double stack 10-round magazine. Its power was commendable with softer recoil than its peers and it could be used almost anywhere on earth, from temperatures of ¨C 50¡ãC to + 70¡ãC. This rifle was a masterpiece of the English weapons designers. Looking at the black sleek weapon in his hands, a slight sense of excitement welled up in his heart. He stroked the rifle a few times and then nodded. "A good weapon indeed....Now then lets get to work." _ _ _ _ _ The cool morning had faded and the blazing sun of the summer had again taken hold in the skies above Rigel. A group of carriages trotted towards Rigel followed by a group of horsemen. The guards at the gates quickly let them pass. In these carriages, were none other than the Adventurers who had gone to exterminate the goblin infestation around Rigel. Most of them had departed in high spirits, but right now the mood was dull and silent. Over 50 adventures had lost their lives, most of them from the lower ranks. The death of a few high ranks including Hector was unforeseen. "Well then Mr. Jim, we will separate from here." After entering the town, Dylan the leader of the City Guard informed the Guild Master. He then led the other city guards and rode away. "That bastard must be rushing to report to the mayor about this incident." Vlad grunted. He didn''t like Dylan or any of the city guard for that matter. "He must be planning to take false credit for the subjugation....humph!" Mason felt annoyed. The city guards were always trying to present themselves as superior to the Adventurers after all. The Guild Master who was sitting beside them looked at the direction the city guards left in deep thought. "Let them be. We would have to have reported what happened there ever since I asked for support from the mayor, he paid for the job after all." He said to the two men, but on the inside he was feeling quite perplexed. "What if they don''t take credit for the subjugation and report exactly what happened. The mayor will surely be alarmed to know of such a group or individual who can cause such a massacre in such a small time and disappear without much of a trace." He thought. Soon they returned to the guild. The Adventurers guild. Most of the adventurers went to the bar to enjoy, while some returned homes and other went to see their injured and fallen comrades. The guild master along with Vlad, Mason, and Lee went towards his office. There they saw the Guild secretary, who was a middle aged lady, standing before his door nervously. "What is the matter Clara ? Why are you standing here like this and why do you look so tensed ?" Jim asked, he had seldom seen her nervous at work. The woman named Clara who was the Guild Secretary looked at the people who had just arrived and breathed a sigh of relief. "Oh! Guild Master you have finally returned! And Vlad and the others are back as well! Are you all fine ? You all are not injured are you ?" As soon as she saw them she started a barrage of questions, like a mother. The men smiled. Clara had been similar to a motherly figure for the guild. She had been the secretary for over 10 years now and in all this time, she took care of the Guild very well. The men smiled at her words. "Yes, yes, we are all fine! We are the strongest Adventurers od Rigel how can something happen to us ? Hahahaha" Vlad boasted Clara grew angry at his words and pulled his ear. "You big fool! You still boast shamelessly! Watch how I discipline you!" "Ow ow ow ow! Clara! I...I am sorry! Ow! Let go!" The others laughed at this display, the stress from the previous events lessened somewhat. After Vlad was almost to tears, Clara finally let his ear go. He expression became gloomy. "...Hector....that boy didn''t make it..." At the mention of Hector, the faces of the others fell. Although Hector was a bit arrogant and bossy, but he was a decent chap. He had been a member of the guild for many years and a part of the large family, that the guild was. Mason sighed. He was a little younger than Jim, and the second ranked in terms of seniority. "Sigh....that kid Hector...I still remember how much of a brat he was when he first joined. Humph always arrogant and snobbish! I cannot even count how many times he got his butt kicked because of his behaviour.....alas.....so many died this time....and even he too....we were really unlucky....." The Guild Master saw the mood getting more and more depressed and tried to divert the topic. "So Clara, you didn''t tell us why you were pacing around here ?" he asked. "Oh! Yes, I was a bit excited, pardon me. Well, the thing is....Umm there is someone who wants to see you. Well....You see....how should I put it....I told him to wait, since you all weren''t here but he...he directly went to your office....and said that he would wait inside..." Watching her talk like this, the men felt something was wrong. Who was so arrogant that he would step into the Guild Master''s office without invitation? Heck even the mayor had to give some face to the Guild Master! The Guild Master in question didn''t say anything. He directly opened the door and entered. A figure dressed in strange black clothes was sitting on a chair before his desk. Hearing the door open, the figure stood up to face the Guild Master. Jim saw the young man''s face and was surprised, then his eyes fell on the strange clothing and he was puzzled. He was wearing what appeared to be some kind of armour Jim had never seen before, and near his chest a strange pipe like object was hanging. "Mr. Guild Master we meet again." The Guild Master immediately recognised the young man in the strange getup. It was none other than Add. He greeted the Guild Master with his usual expressionless face. Add was equipped with the full combat gear and looked quite suited in it. On his way to the guild many people had given him strange looks, as such an armour was unknown in this world. He didn''t mind it. To him rather than trying to act cool, he preferred practicality. He always preferred to be completely prepared. "You....." Guild Master Jim was at a loss of words. Behind him, the others also entered and they were shocked as well. "Lets get straight to the point." Add continued in a straight manner, "I killed all of the Goblins, so I''m here to claim my reward. Give me my money." The faces of the people fell. [What the f*ck ? You come in here dressed so strangely and demand money!? Are you a bandit?] [This is why we were all in suspense !? This is cheating! F*ck you say you killed all the goblins ? Is this a joke !?] [Even if you did, does that mean you can demand money like a thug!? Without any explanation!?] [This is too arrogant!] Such thoughts ran amok in those peoples mind. Jim was the first to break away from such thoughts. "You...what are you saying?" Add raised a brow and said flatly. "As I said, I killed all the goblins, so I want the money I deserve ? Is it not understandable ? Or is your head not working old man ?" "You!!" Lee who heard these arrogant words, dashed towards Add aiming to punch him, and give him a lesson. His speed was very fast and in a blink, he was before Add. The latter didn''t move and merely extended his hand and grabbed the approaching fist lightly and stopped it midway. "Huh!?" Lee was dumbfounded. Although he was an archer whose strength was not their defining feature, he was pretty strong. He used only half of his strength, but Add blocked it with ease.. For a young boy to be able to block his punch even at half power was shocking. "Do you wish to fight ?" Add''s eyes turned cold. The room was suddenly filled with a dense killing intent. He normally restrained it but he could spontaneously release it as well. His other hand went for the pistol by his thigh and was about to take action. Lee who felt it first hand, had all colour drained from his face. "Stop!" Jim shouted, his mana stormed out as a formless pressure and countered Add''s killing intent. "What a horrible Killing intent!" Jim was terrified. Killing intent was not well defined. However some said that it was the aura of a person who had killed and killed a lot. Sensitive people could feel the danger oozing from such people. "For him to have such frightening aura....how many has he killed ?" Jim thought, he was sure the number was nowhere small. "Lets first sit down and talk." He said. Add looked at him with narrowed eyes, and let Lee go. The latter stumbled back. "Fine lets talk" he returned to his seat and sat down quietly. "You all get out!" The Guild Master chased the other people out and closed the door. Outside, Clara was supporting Lee who was still a bit stunned. Mason went to him hit him in the head with his fist. "Hey! Mason what are you doing!?" Clara shouted. "Teaching this idiot a lesson. This boy is still too reckless!" He berated Lee "But I...." Lee tried to protest but he was shushed with a glare from Mason "You are still too naive. That brat, I am sure....back inside, he really would have killed you if the guild master didn''t stop him in time. And honestly, I don''t know why, but I think....maybe only the Guild Master can match him, should it come to a life death battle" Clara gasped in shock while Lee trembled. 20 The Talk and the Tes "Boy, aren''t you too violent ? Trying to kill someone just over a small matter ?" The Guild master said as he took his seat. "Old man, If I was not strong enough, I would have been seriously hurt, by your subordinate''s attack. Given that he attacked me out of the blue, isn''t it logical that I will retaliate in kind ? Or is your old head unable to understand this simple logic ?" Add flatly rebutted. "Damn boy, you sure have guts! Trying to kill in my Guild, do you think you would remain safe if you killed here !?" Jim glared at him. This boy was too arrogant and violent. Add''s eyes narrowed and he said with a chilling tone. "You can try, but I assure you that Iwon''t be the only one getting hurt." Guild Master Jim didn''t speak anymore. He was in a dilemma. He looked carefully at the boy before him, sizing him up, as if trying to unlock some profound mystery. But sadly for the Guild Master, he was bound to be disappointed. Finally after few minutes of futile inspection, he sighed in defeat. He was unsure of what to do with this boy before him. At first glance he looked like a handsome pretty boy. But Jim knew, behind that face, was a ruthless person. He clearly knew that if he hadn''t stopped this boy, Lee would have died already. He looked at Add trying to figure his intentions but all he saw was the expressionless face with the chilling cold eyes. "Never mind that...back to the point, you say you were the one who killed all the goblins ?" He asked "En" Add nodded. "Including the Goblin Lord ?" he asked again, with doubt evident in his voice. "En" Add nodded again "Boy you better not be joking with me." The old Guild Master stared at him menacingly, trying to intimidate the boy. "Why would I joke with you ? Do I look like someone who needs to joke with an old fogey like you ? As if I have nothing better to do...." "Boy you....." Jim''s forehead had blacklines. This boy was too arrogant. No one had dared talk to him in such a manner in a long time. Still keeping his cool he asked... "Well, then can you show me any proof ?" "What proof do you want ? They''re dead, you didn''t kill them, I did. I don''t see what I need to prove anyway ? The Guild Master felt helpless. Even with his years of experience he couldn''t tell if the boy was lying or not. Or simply tying to swindle for money. "You see boy....I doesn''t work that way. Just you saying won''t prove anything." "Then what should I do to make you believe ?" Add asked, he was getting irritated on the inside. If not for he wanted the money, he would have left already. The Guild Master thought for sometime and then said... "First of all, assuming that you really did what you claim, how did you kill so many goblins in such short time ? Even an A rank adventurer such as me would take a few hours if not many, to deal with such a large horde..... And you, claim to have done it within such a short time ?" "Ah that....You see after I got separated from my group due to an ambush, I found myself wandering alone in the forest. And while wandering I chanced upon the nest of goblins. And then, well lets just say that they attacked me and I retaliated.....and killed them all somehow. As for how, I naturally have my ways, and I don''t see why I have to tell you that ?" Add said calmly. Jim''s eyes landed on the strange object hanging from the boy''s shoulder. He felt that it must be a weapon, since the boy kept it tightly on him, within arms reach. Just that if it was a weapon, it was one he had never seen before. Hearing Add''s evasive answers, he frowned. "Look boy, I get that you don''t want to expose your secrets, but this way won''t do. You have to give some evidence of your ability! We cannot have some random wannabe pretend to be a powerhouse now can we ?" The Guild Master was already being extremely lenient. If it were some other brat in Add''s place, he would have slapped him, broken his legs and thrown him out. But there were two reasons why he didn''t do so. First : Add definitely had some skills. He had stopped Lee''s attack with ease. Jim was sensitive to mana and so he knew that Add had little mana in his body and he had only used his pure physical strength to stop the punch. From this Jim figured that this boy was equal to Lee, if not stronger in terms of raw power. Secondly, from Add he felt a dangerous vibe. His aura was strange, at the same time it was quite familiar. His aura seemed to be a mixture of auras from people like battle hardened soldiers, and also deadly assassins who had reaped countless lives. Add had such an aura. And although he didn''t want to admit it, he felt what the boy was saying was true. But he had the dignity of a guild master, so he could not just accept the boy''s words now could he ? Add fell silent. He closed his eyes and didn''t anything for a long time. In his mind, he was weighing the options. On one hand he didn''t want to expose his abilities completely, as having a hidden factor, was always the best deterrent. While on the other hand he needed the money. He had decided to live in this world, and for that he would have to ensure that he wasn''t a poor person, he didn''t need a sea of gold, but at least a stable income was a must. As he was deliberating when a blue panel suddenly began flashing before him... [Ding! New Mission Initiated !] [Mission : Veteran Adventurer Description : Your strength is being questioned by the people! Prove your power to them and obtain reverence and respect! Objective : Become an A ¨C Ranked Adventurer! Time Limit ¨C 5 days Rewards : 5000 Exp. and 1000 CP Penalty : You will be chased out of Rigel] "Right on time huh? Are you always waiting for a correct time to post a mission, you blasted System ? And now there is a penalty as well ? How amusing" he thought sarcastically. [....] "Never mind, I''ll do it anyway." He then looked at the guild master and spoke, "Fine then. Since you want proof, Ill give you proof. If I have enough strength, it solves all troubles doesn''t it ?" "Naturally..." Jim wondered what he was going to do. "Well then, I want to take an A rank promotion Exam. That would suffice right ?" "What !?" Jim nearly fell down from his seat. "Are you serious !?" He asked with widened eyes to which Add nodded with hi usual "En" A promotion test, as it implied, was a test to qualify for a promotion, in this case for an increase in rank. Promotion of Adventurers had many criteria, and seldom were Adventurers directly promoted to higher ranks. In most cases, they had to work their way up, from the bottom ranks. "Boy....don''t be too full of yourself. First of all an F rank taking a A ¨C Rank promotion exam is against the rules of the guild. Secondly, the criteria for promotion is tough, you who have barely been here half a month, want to be and A - Rank ? Aren''t you taking this Guild too lightly ?" "Cut the bullshit, old man. I know you can arrange for the test with your authority, you are not a Guild Master for show right ? And as far as my ability is concerned I have full faith in myself." The Guild Master felt like punching this rude brat before him. From the start he had never given any respect to him. But even if he attacked the brat, he was not sure he would come out unhurt. Plus he was an elder, he could not bring himself down to fight with a junior now, could he ? Yes, the second reason was why he didn''t take action.....probably..... "Humph! You have too much confidence in yourself ! Fine I won''t stop you then! Let me tell you, since your situation is special, there are two ways for you to give this exam. First, you spar with me, one on one, and if I judge that you are strong enough, I will directly promote you to A ¨C Rank. Again, the second way is that you complete an A ¨C Rank quest by yourself, without any outside help. If you can complete it, You will be promoted." Add thought for a while. Sparring with the Guild master 1 on 1, would be disadvantageous for Add. He was confident on dealing with this old man in a Life or Death battle, but in sparring, he would probably loose. Also, he didn''t trust this old man. He looked quite scheming and cunning. "Ill choose, the second option then" "Are you sure ? A ¨C Rank quests are nothing like goblin subjugation, mind you." The Guild master warned him. ''Looks like this brat is very cautious, if he chose to spar with me, he would have to expose his skills. How shrewd '' he thought. "Yes, I am sure" The latter nodded. Jim rang a small bell kept by his table and after a sometime Clara entered the room. She avoided looking at the boy, and went beside the Guild Master. "Clara, bring me all of the A ¨C Rank quests which we have....." The woman looked at him questioningly, and went to fetch the papers. After a few minutes Jim was holding the various papers of A ¨C Rank quests in his hand. He skimmed through the quests, searching for a suitable quest. "Here you go brat this alight with you ?" _ _ _ _ _ Quest : Orc Subjugation | A ¨C Rank Details : A tribe of orcs is causing trouble in the surrounding regions. Many villages have been attacked by them recently. It is suspected that a tribe has formed a nest in the region. Requirements : Find the nest of the Orcs and eliminate all of them. Bring their right ears as proof. Rewards : 1 silver coin for every orc killed. Time limit : 7 days. _ _ _ _ _ Orcs were another humanoid type of monster, bearing close resemblance to hobgoblins, yet very different from them. They are usually as tall as humans, however often being taller than humans as well. They posses brutish strength and raw power, and had a humanoid shape. They were generally, broad shouldered with a slightly bent posture, flat-nosed, with wide mouths and slant eyes, long arms, dark skin, and large fangs. Their skin colour ranged from murky grey to bland shades of dull green. Most Orcs however had darker shades of black or brown skin. They had deformed faces which were a bit more similar to humans than goblins. They have a good sense of smell and hearing but their eyesight is average. But some orcs tend to have a more ''human'' shape and stronger than their peers. They have higher bloodlines than regular orcs and often lead their tribes. Orcs lived in tribes of a few dozens to hundreds, where the strongest one ruled. They had primitive ways in which the females stayed in the nests while the males went out to raid . They had their own coarse language and were more intelligent than goblins. Their tribes had various classes of orcs, some more deformed short and weak, which were of the lowest position, while others were strong and occupied the mid level in the hierarchy. The average Orc was a C ranked Monster while the stronger ones would be B ¨C ranked and their tribe leaders even reached A ¨C ranks. The leaders of the tribe were the strongest individuals. Orcs wereinherently, evil, cruel, wicked, hateful, black hearted creatures, and hated everybody and everything even their own kin, but particularly humans and other prosperous races However, despite their abominable nature and form, they are not dim-witted but clever and crafty. They primarily used weapons made of bone and wood, but could also use human weapons with ease. They were omnivores who ate almost anything, but preferred meat above all else. Especially Human meat. To them it was a delicacy. Orcs often raided settlements of other races pillaging and slaughtering, which earned them hatred from all other races. Many times they would be killed by the other races, yet their breeding abilities were second only to goblins, and coupled with their intelligence, they thrived in the dark forests and woods, while some tribes also preferred caves and tunnels as their homes. "No problems" "Then ill leave it to you, your time will start from tomorrow. Prepare what you need. I will send Vlad to take you to the place where the Orcs are frequently seen. Here are 100 copper coins. Use it to buy rations for your trip. If you successfully complete the promotion Exam, You will get 50 silver coins in total as reward for killing all the goblins ." The Guild Master then recorded the quest in his name. Add took the small pouch of money and stood up. "Fine then, I should leave now" Add stood up and walked to the door. Before leaving he turned to look at the Guild Master, "And to Inform you, I don''t like people following me. If I find anyone doing so....well it won''t be pleasing...." After he left the Guild Master slammed the desk in anger. "Damned Brat!" _ _ _ _ _ The next day, Add led by Vlad left Rigel. Their destination was around 30 kilometres away from Rigel. Luckily the Guild had given him a horse to travel. Add have never ridden a horse in his past life, but for 200 CP the skill [Basic Horse-riding] was his. He had purchased a 55L Tactical Rucksack with 200 CP and filled it with some spare clothes, bread and dried ham and chicken jerky. He also bought a 2 litre tactical water bottle for 50 CP. He now looked like a complete soldier. On the way Vlad looked at his clothes and armour strangely, but didn''t say much. After a few hours they reached the area. A road from Rigel passed through the forest here, and many Orcs had been sighted around here. He bid farewell to Vlad who returned to town and went into the forest. A group of 5 Dire wolves came in his way but he killed them immediately. After levelling up, keeping track of their movements was easy. He obtained 400 Exp. and 250 CP from them. When he reached, the estimated area where the orcs had been seen, he began surveying the surroundings. Add''s black combat gear blended well into the darkness of the forest and made him difficult to spot. After searching for sometime, he climbed up a tree to get a better look of the area. He purchased a pair of advanced binoculars from the system for 400 CP _ _ _ _ _ Item : Steiner 220 MM1080 Military 10¡Á50 Tactical Binoculars and Laser Finder. Description : Unbelievable toughness, exceptional clarity and consistent optical performance these are the traits of Steiner 210 MM1050 Military-Marine 10x50mm Tactical Binocular. This STEINER''s binocular also features Self-Calibrated-Auto-Focus system. It comes with a powerful class 1/eye safe laser for determining range to targets. No other binocular/rangefinder combo will deliver the image and ranging accuracy and reliability of this military veteran. It provides a clear image of objects from 20 metres to infinity. It also features a Carbon composite housing which is made of durable polycarbonate, high density polyethylene and NBR rubber armouring that can withstand 12 Gs of impact. Durability : 400/400 Effective range : 20 ¨C 2,000 metres _ _ _ _ _ He now had 1620 CP. He looked around and soon found what he was looking for. About two kilometres away from him, in a clearing in the forest, there were a few crude shacks made ofbranches, thin trunks of trees and leaves. Looking carefully, this was a small village of orcs. He could see many of them moving about and estimated that their numbers were over a hundred. After observing for some more time and he returned to the ground. "There sure are a lot of them....That old man surely gave, me a good one. Well, at least I can earn some Exp. and CP." He went around the village, surveying the area, avoiding a few orcs which were moving around. Add then made some preparations and returned to observing the orc village. After sometime he saw a large group of 44 orcs leave the village. Orcs usually hunted in groups, and almost half of the orcs had ventured out this time. Add had made a plan to lure out the orcs away from their nest. While he was surveying the area, he saw a few wild boars grazing around. These boars were not your ordinary boars, they were over 3 metres long and 2 metres tall at the shoulders. Their bodies were covered in thick layer of fat and thick rough fur like a lion, giving them the name [Mane Boar]. These also had very long and pointed tusks which were very dangerous. These were classified as D ¨C Rank monsters, known for their violent tendencies. However, before the AK-47 bullets, that was of little help. They were less than sitting ducks. Add killed three boars before the rest escaped. Orcs were known to be scavengers as well. They would never refuse free food. He then found a vantage point up a small cliff. There was enough shrubbery and bushes to hide his figure. Add adjusted his AX338 sniper rifle on its bipod after finding a proper position and lied down. His eyes glued to the scope. From his position, the orc group was about 2 kilometres away and slowly approaching. They had got the smell of the spilling blood and were approaching the dead boars. *Click ¨C Clack* The bullet was chambered. The Orcs came closer. The crosshair on the scope found itself onto an unsuspecting orc who was looking around for prey. *Pshh* Following the sound of the suppressor, the bullet left the muzzle. 21 Annihilating the Orcs The Orc Village was located a little over two kilometres away from Add''s position. There was a small cliff, which was one side of a small hill present in the forest. From here, It was easy to observe the village with Binoculars. He looked at the orcs and saw that they wore loincloths made of animal leather and some also wore leather and fur as cloth on their torso. The Orcs were gluttonous by nature, yet they were also very intelligent. Years of living in the wild had taught them that, there is no such thing as a ''free lunch''. They stopped and looked all around them in vigilance. They talked with each other in a primitive language which sounded more like grunts. After a few minutes of hesitation they, finally decided to proceed, they began inspecting the Mane Boar corpses. They were now little more than a 1000 metres from. Add. He targeted an orc at the very last of the group and fired. *Bang* The orc felt a sudden pain tearing through its chest. It clenched its chest and staggered back, its eyes widened and it looked around as if searching for the attacker, but his eyes didn''t find anything and lost their light. The lifeless body fell down with a thud, alarming the other orcs. They began shouting in their hoarse language. [Ding! You have killed Orc ¡Á 1! You received 100 Exp. and 50 CP] Add immediately took a general sitting position for sniping more effectively. He used the crossed ankle position as it was a favourite of snipers in the sitting variations. Both legs are out in front of the shooter, with the supporting side ankle placed on top of the firing side. This last bit is important, as it raises the front knee a bit and provides a better platform for the support elbow. The crossed ankle position puts more of the body weight lower to the ground and helps compensate for recoil and wind. This position was one most useful and versatile of all positions, in sniping. It offers the best combination of versatility, steadiness, and quickness of the lot. With mastery of this position along with a proper weapon, one could accuratelyshoot targets at maximal ranges. The Orcs watching one of their own, suddenly die, immediately began to search the surrounding area. The small cliff Add was on was covered with shrubbery and he had especially chosen an area with denser bushes to hide. As such it was quite hard to spot him. Without wasting any time he loaded the next round and again fired. *Click ¨C Clack* Shoot *Click ¨C Clack* Shoot . . . . . [Ding! You have Killed Orc ¡Á 9! You have received 900 Exp. and 450 CP] Within seconds he emptied the magazine, each bullet claiming an Orc''s life. The powerful .338 Lapua Magnum rounds, were strong enough to punch through sheets of steel, the body of the Orcs, by comparison was softer. Add mainly aimed at their chests, as the heads could not be targeted since he needed the ears as proof. If he hit the head with a 8.6¡Á70mm Full Metal Jacket round, it would probably enter as a finger and exit as a fist, bursting the head, not to mention the difficulty of aiming at the head which is much smaller than the chest. He quickly attached a new magazine of 10 rounds, which cost 50 CP, quite costly, but the price was understandable for the power of the round. By now 10 orcs had died and the remaining Orcs began scrambling in the cover of trees. However, sadly for them, thin trees did little to stop the powerful shots of the AX338. Another ten shots later, 6 more Orcs had died. By now the Orcs were scattered and running back towards their nest. Add stopped sniping as the trees prevented him from getting a clear shot. He changed his position and moved on to a tree he had selected before. From here the Orc village was in clear view. Hestayed and waited there for a few hours till it was dark. Orcs had less trouble in dark than humans as they were able to see roughly the same as in daylight. Add kept his eye on the scope and watched. He too had no trouble seeing at night thanks to his skill.The earlier events had made the Orc village very alert. A few orcs patrolled the village perimeter while most of them were huddled inside. He kept watch for a sometime more when many small groups of Orcs, each having 5-10 members, suddenly left the village and went in every direction. (They are probably searching for the killer....Its a good chance) Add thought. He waited for the groups to leave and then set his sights on the one closest to him. Some 300 metres from him a group of eight orcs was moving, they were checking every bush, and every crevice searching for their enemy. However they too were killed immediately by the hidden sniper. (Hmm...then lest move out...) After Add dealt with the 8 orcs, he put the AX338 into the inventory and took out his AK. Having a long rifle like the AX338 was a hindrance in jungle terrain. In the darkness of the night, he who was covered in black, blended with the darkness itself. He was in no rush, as he had five days to complete the Mission given by the system. He moved to a different location on the cliff, which was near the village but also well hidden. He didn''t light a fire, as it would give away his location. A meal consisting of salted smoked meat, served as his dinner and he spent the night there sleeping lightly. In the dark night, the grunts and shrieks of various beasts echoed in the forest. The forest at night was a beautiful place, however it was a dangerous place as well. A single mistake and you would become food for something. Add kept his vigilance even in his sleep. A trait he had picked up in his long years as a soldier. Occasionally the noise of Orcs searching the forest could also be heard. Thenext morning Add again returned to his sniping spot in the bushes. He used his binoculars to see what the orcs were doing. The orcs, after having many of their companions killed mysteriously, they were very cautious. They stayed within the village not venturing out, and strictly patrolled the surroundings of their village. (This is a bit problematic.....well when have snipers alone won a war.....?) Add decided to go with frontal assault. He opened the interface and saw that he had 2540 CP. Add purchased 5 ¡Á 100 - round Drum Magazines for the AK and 3 ¡Á Type 10 Stun Grenades for a total of 950 CP. There were also two smoke grenades from earlier. He figured that since the Orcs were also humanoid, they must have some weakness against stun grenades. He prepared himself and headed towards the orc village which was less than a 100 metres in diameter. As he approached, some of the patrolling Orcs saw him. Orcs hated humans a lot, as over hundreds of years, the human race had been their major nemesis. They began shouting and calling for their companions while attacking Add, but were killed by him shortly. (Hmm? These orcs.....they are quite sturdy....) The Orcs could take many hits from the AK before dying. If not shot in the vitals like the head, they could take over ten hits before dying. Their bodies were very strong. Although it was not much of a hassle, but if in s life or death situation, this would be very dangerous. Add manoeuvred himself dodging any incoming attacks while returning fire. An Orc shoved a bony spear towards him, which he dodged by shifting his weight to the side and shot the orc to death. The Orcs'' movements were quite fast, almost on par with his own. He saw more Orcs had began arriving from the distance and threw a flashbang at them. With his strength he was able to throw it over 50 metres. A stun grenade, also known as a flash grenade, flashbang, thunder flash or sound bomb, is an explosive device but ostensibly non-lethal. It is used to temporarily disorient an enemy''s senses. Itproduces a blinding flash of light of around 7 million candela (cd) and an intensely loud "bang" of greater than 170 decibels (dB). The flash momentarily activates all photoreceptor cells in the eye, blinding it for approximately five seconds. Afterwards, the victim sees an afterimage that impairs his or her aim. The loud blast temporarily deafens the victim and also disturbs the fluid in the ear, causing loss of balance. The concussive blast of the detonation can still injure if sufficiently close. *BANG!* The grenade detonated affecting a radius of 10 metres, instantly stunning the Orcs, making easy pickings for Add. Before they could regain their senses Add had killed them all. Add quickly entered the village, and more orcs swarmed towards him. He rolled on the ground shooting in all directions in short bursts. [Ding! You have levelled up! Exp. for next level 390 /4690] [Ding! Due to flawless use of guns, Host has acquired, new Class specific Skill [Firearms Mastery(MAX)] ! ] [Skill [Firearms Mastery] :Master ofthe ways of firearms, all guns become deadlier in your hands.When using guns, +25% Accuracy and +25% Stability] A notification screen displayed to Add. He had levelled up to level 12 and also gained a new skill. Combined with the class equip bonus, he now had a total of 45% Accuracy and Stability bonus. He immediately felt the difference, as controlling the AK became very easy. His killing efficiency increased, and he engaged the horde again. The Orcs soon realised that trying to fight directly with this human was futile, to they began throwing stones, bones and clubs towards him, some of which hit his body forcing him, to take cover behind a tree. Although the body armour protected him, he was not going to test his body as a punching bag. Add took out two smoke grenades, and threw them into the village. Dense white smoke filled the area confusing the Orcs. He made use of their confusion and opened his status. He added two stat points in Agility and used the skill points to level up his [Perception] to level 6. _ _ _ _ _ Status Name : Add Race : Human HP : 300/300 MP : N/A (Locked) Level : 12 | Experience Required : 1390/4690 Class : Firearms Master Subclass : N/A Title : Hunter Equipment : AK - 47 Assault Rifle (Grade - Normal, Rank ¨C High Tier) AI AX338 Long Range Bolt ¨C Action Rifle ( Grade ¨C Rare, Rank ¨C High Tier) M20-A Semiautomatic Pistol (Grade ¨C Normal, Rank ¨C Middle Tier) Type - 10 Stun Grenade ¡Á 2 Skills : [(Basic) Unarmed Combat Mastery (Passive)Lv.3] [(Basic) Body Strengthening (Passive)Lv.6] [(Basic) Pistol Mastery (Passive)Lv.5] [(Basic) Knife Mastery (Passive)Lv.5] [(Basic) Accelerated Healing (Passive)Lv.5] [Perception (Passive) Lv.6] [Night Vision (Passive) (Max)] [Firearms Mastery (Max)] Special Skills : [Calm Mind (Passive) (Max)] [Imaginary Time (Passive) Lv.1] [Blood For Blood (Passive) (Max)] [Contract (Max)] Credit Points : 2570 ATTRIBUTES - Vitality : 6 Strength : 14 Agility : 10 Endurance : 10 Intelligence : 5 Wisdom : 5 Stamina : 5 Charm :5 Magic Aptitude : N/A (Locked) Stat Points : 0 Skill Points : 0 Evaluation : A warrior who has proven himself in battle. He is now somewhat able at walking the road of the strong. _ _ _ _ _ His speed increased once again after this and his range of [Perception] increased up to 60 metres. He quickly closed the interface and attacked the orcs again. He killed more and more of them. However he made sure not to get too close to them, as he had an advantage at mid range combat. The Orcs confused by the smoke, died one after the other as Add used headshots frequently. *@#!?#/€$¡é¦Ð??!!!!!!!!* As Add was engaging the Orcs, he heard loud growls and grunts. From within the smoke, a large group of orcs was rushing towards him. These Orcs were more muscular than the average Orc and had lighter skins and were much more ferocious. They had large clubs and bone spears while a few had large scimitars, axes and other weapons, which they robbed from humans. Leading them was a large Orc over 2 metres tall. It had a large mace in its hand and a lot of tribal markings on its body and it also wore bone accessories. (So that is an Orc Chieftain....looks like I will have to change plans....) Orv Chieftains were generally the strongest of a tribe. They were variants of regular orcs who were over twice as strong than an average Orc. Once the Orc Chieftain appeared, the other Orcs quickly retreated, and began surrounding him. Add looked at his CP count and saw that he now had 3670. He hesitated and then decided not to buy any more grenades for now. He threw the remaining two flash grenades towards them andretreated. A few Orcs tried to stop him but were killed in turn. The Orc Chieftain was more intelligent than its peers, It immediately halted its tracks sensing danger. But the stun grenade was something he had never seen before. The two grenades detonated immobilising the horde, while Add''s ears were slightly abuzz, but he safely returned into the forest, away from the Orcs. His speed was much greater than the Orcs and they were stunned for tens of seconds so he left them behind easily. (The good old AK is loosing its power against those Orcs...) The AK was able to Kill Orcs but the damage it caused was not able to Insta ¨C kill them. This was a serious problem and right now Add few options. So he got up on a tree and again took out the AX338. Right now it was his best option. Of course he could engage them in melee combat, but Add was not sure if he would be able to win that way, as the orcs were still physically stronger than him. He looked through the scope and as he had expected he saw Orcs led by the Chieftain right on his track. Although Orcs were intelligent, their hatred for humans was enough to supress that. The Orcs were enraged at him, a human, who had killed their kin, and wanted to slaughter him. "You all may be stronger than me...but at this range that doesn''t matter anymore..." He aimed at the approaching Orcs and began firing. Although he was not hidden, but he didn''t care for that. All he had to do now was patiently wait. He wanted to target the Orc Chieftain, but it was smart and always stayed behind its underlings. *Click ¨C Clack* Shoot Round after round he fired, each taking a life. The Orcs soon got to know about his location, and tried to surround him, but under his sniping they kept dying like defenceless chickens. The Orc Chieftain not being able to supress its rage ordered its minions to sward the tree he was on. As if hypnotised by its roars and shrieks, tens of Orcs surrounded the tree. They began hitting and ramming the tree wanting to bring Add down. *Clink* *Clink* *Clink* Suddenly, three small round objects fell on their heads and then rolled on to the ground. An Orc looked at them with confusion and grunted. *BOOM* *BOOM* *BOOM* Three large explosions blew the horde apart, blowing smoke and dust into the air. The Type ¨C 201 HE grenades did their job beautifully. Some debris reached Add who was on a branch, about 10 metres above the ground, but his armour protected him. Although it caused his income to drop a bit, as the ears of many Orcs were lost in the explosion, but he didn''t mind much. As the orcs were huddling together, many died due to the blasts. A surge of Exp. rushed at Add. [Ding! You have levelled up! Exp. for next level 3900/5200] With this, he had levelled up twice during the fight. ( System quickly put the two stat points to strength!) [Yes Host] After the Upgrade, he could order the system to edit his status for him. It was like a voice control mechanism. Now he had 16 points in strength. The Orc Chieftain was dumbfounded at the sudden explosions. Watching its minions turned into mangled pieces of meat, it realised that this human was very dangerous. ''Run!'' Its brain told it. If it survived, it could make another tribe. It would gather an even stronger group of underlings next time and slaughter this human. From an young age this chieftain had been through many battles. It had cunningly killed its competitors and obtained a tribe for itself. He could surely do it again. Thinking all this it began running away, but unfortunately, it forgot something very important. That in doing so, it would expose its back to the AX338, and that Add''s [Perception] as locked on it for a long time. Little critter run away, Live to fight another day.....sadly for you, there will be no ''another day'' the sniper said lightly Shoot Four .338 Lapua magnum rounds drilled into its back and exploded out from the front. Even the strong body of an Orc which could withstand the AK 47 rounds was quite soft before this deadly rifle and its rounds. Its blood splattered and the innards began spilling from its body. With abstract fear and unwillingness in its wide eyes, it collapsed with a thud, never to rise again. [Ding! You have Killed Orc Chieftain ¡Á 1! You have Earned 400 Exp. And 200 CP!] (So, Killing a leader type monster gives a lot more rewards huh....well then, lets clear up all loose ends then) Add jumped down from the trees and began cutting the right ears of the orcs. Some of the orcs were still barely alive, which he killed swiftly. For the Orc Chieftain, Add cut its head off, as proof. Then he made his way towards the Orc Village to finish off any remaining Orcs. 22 A - Rank *Bang* The M20-A flashed as a baby Orc died. (That was the last one....) Add once again checked with his [Perception] and verified there was no Orcs left alive around him. After dealing with the Orc Champion, he returned to the Orc village to clear the remaining Orcs. There some female Orcs in the village. The Orc race seldom had females. Among a 100 Orcs there would only be about 10 ¨C 15 females, and only the chieftain had the right to copulate with them. The female orcs were bit weaker than their male counterparts and were dealt with swiftly by Add. He also found tens of orc offspring which he also killed. [Ding! You have levelled up! Exp for next level 1340/5810] With this he had levelled up thrice in a day. Add felt a little pleased at this. Afterwards, he collected all the ears he could find, and bought a large crude sack from the system shop to store the orc ears and Orc Chieftain''s head.He had killed over 150 Orcs which was quite the number. He now had a total of 7,500 CP, which was quite a lot. (Lets get some skills this time....) He opened the Skill menu and looked for any suitable skills he could use. There were hundreds of skills to choose from, but not many suited him. Finally he bought two skills for 500 CP each. Skill : [(Basic)Agility Enhancement Lv.1(Passive)] Description : Increases the movement speed of the host by 2%. Every level increase of the skill increases movement speed by 2%. Skill : [(Basic)Clear Vision Lv.1 (Passive)] Description : Allows the host to clearly observe every detail in a five metre radius. Every Increase in level increases range by 5 metres. With these two skills, he could now be faster and his observation ability would be boosted as well. Although the [Agility Enhancement] didn''t directly affect his [Agility] stat, it was still very useful. He looked at his AK, and as expected he could see its every detail. No, not like a microscope but much better than the naked eye. It would help him look out for any suspicious things in his vicinity. He then put one stat points to Endurance and Stamina each and levelled up [Body Strengthening] to level 7 and [Agility Enhancement ] to level 3 using the 4 skill points he had. He wanted to level up [Imaginary Time] as well but it needed 20 skill points, which was fair, given that it was a cheat - like skill. _ _ _ _ _ Status Name : Add Race : Human HP : 300/300 MP : N/A (Locked) Level : 14 | Experience Required : 1340/5810 Class : Firearms Master Subclass : N/A Title : Hunter Equipment : AK - 47 Assault Rifle (Grade - Normal, Rank ¨C High Tier) AI AX338 Long Range Bolt ¨C Action Rifle ( Grade ¨C Rare, Rank ¨C High Tier) M20-A Semiautomatic Pistol (Grade ¨C Normal, Rank ¨C Middle Tier) Skills : [(Basic) Unarmed Combat Mastery (Passive)Lv.3] [(Basic) Body Strengthening (Passive)Lv.7] [(Basic) Pistol Mastery (Passive)Lv.5] [(Basic) Knife Mastery (Passive)Lv.5] [(Basic) Accelerated Healing (Passive)Lv.5] [Perception (Passive) Lv.6] [Night Vision (Passive) (Max)] [Firearms Mastery (Max)] [(Basic)Agility Enhancement Lv.3 (Passive)] [(Basic) Clear Vision Lv.1 (Passive)] Special Skills : [Calm Mind (Passive) (Max)] [Imaginary Time (Passive) Lv.1] [Blood For Blood (Passive) (Max)] [Contract (Max)] Credit Points : 6500 ATTRIBUTES - Vitality : 6 Strength : 17 Agility : 10 Endurance : 11 Intelligence : 5 Wisdom : 5 Stamina : 6 Charm :5 Magic Aptitude : N/A (Locked) Stat Points : 0 Skill Points : 0 Evaluation : A warrior who has proven himself in battle. He is now somewhat able at walking the road of the strong. _ _ _ _ _ Ad no had 17 points in strength. He punched a tree with little force yet his fist left a deep imprint on the tree. However, there was not a single scratch on his fist. (My strength should now be on par with the guild master.... I should have no troubles facing those A ¨C Rank Adventurers anymore. At the worst, I am still confident of escaping.....) He then packed up his stuff and headed back towards the cliff. After resting there for the night he left for Rigel the next day. Add started at dawn after completing his daily training, and with his enhanced speed and stamina, it took him around 8 hours to return back which for a normal person would be over 12 hours. He went to the guild and headed straight for the Guild Master''s office. On the way many people including, Mason, Clara and Vlad saw him but didn''t try to stop him. This piece of trouble was the Guild Master''s . With a bang, Add kicked open the door and entered. The guild master Jim instantly began fuming and veins popped on his forehead. "How dare you! Who dares acts so brazenly in this-" He stopped midway as he saw who it was that entered. "You brat!!! back already !?" Jim was really shocked. It had barely been two days since the boy left for the quest and he was back already? What joke was this ? Add swiftly dropped the sack on the floor and a large round object rolled out along with a pile of spilling Orc ears which gave a pungent smell. The Guild Master''s eyes widened looking at the large pile of ears. He walked towards the round object and found that it was in fact a severed head. "Holly hell ! Isn''t this a Orc Chieftain! F*ck how did you manage to kill it !?" The Guild Master forgot his (non-existent) manners and swore loudly. Add looked at him expressionlessly as if looking at a fool. After a short while he spoke... "This enough to complete the quest ?" Jim broke away from his stupor and immediately called a few staff to take away the ears and the head. He wearily sat down and sighed. ''This damned brat....he is full of mysteries''. "Old man, answer me, is this enough to complete the quest ?" Add asked coldly. "Yes yes...wait a minute" Jim sighed and massaged his temple. He filled up some paperwork and instructed Clara to take away Add''s Guild card and issue a new one. Clara looked at the young boy in strange clothes with curiosity. Although she still felt wariness against him, she was also curious about this mysterious boy. After she left, Jim began talking.... "Well boy, I must say I am impressed. For someone so young to have this strength, I am sure a few in your generation would be able to best you. Itis indeed as they say ''heroes may come from anywhere, Ah" He exclaimed with some emotion. Though Rigel was but a spec of dust when compared to Reinglief which spanned over tens of thousands of kilometres across, he in his prime had travelled a lot, and seen many geniuses. Among them he found Add''s talent to be exceptional. Although he didn''t posses much mana, he definitely had skills. "Enough with the banter, where is my reward ?" Jim was speechless, this arrogant brat really didn''t put him into the eyes. In the next ins his face turned dead serious, as he launched a punch with full power towards Add. With a whoosh the punch appeared before Add''sface. His attack was many times faster than Lee, but like in case of Lee, the young boy effortlessly stopped the punch with one arm. "Old man, are you tired of living." Add was feeling irritated on the inside. First that Lee brat tried to attack him, then this old fogey did the same. Jim however gave a smile and retracted his arm. He had attacked with all of his physical force and even used [Mana equip] to strengthen it, still the boy had stopped it with ease. "Ah don''t worry brat, I was just testing you. Looks like you do have some strength to back up your arrogance heh! Fine, I officially promote you to an A ranked Adventurer from this moment forth. You can collect your new card and rewards from Clara downstairs." [Ding! Mission : Veteran Adventurer Completed!] [Mission Rewards : 5000 Exp. and 1000 CP Obtained!] [Ding! You have levelled up. Exp. for next level 530/6400] This quest was really quite benefitting for him, he had levelled up a total of four times during it. He lightly nodded to the Guild Master and stood up to leave. "Wait! What''s the rush ? Now that you are an important member of this guild, shouldn''t you share some more about yourself ? Lets have a small chat !" "No need" The boy denied flatly, "And now that I have proved my worth, I would expect you to stop sending people to follow me, otherwise I wont be lenient on them if I spot them again." He said and left. "Sigh....I know everyone has their secrets.....well K only hope your secret is not against the interests of the guild....other than that you can do as you please." The Guild Master said helplessly. Add who heard it didn''t stop and moved on. He went to the reception where Clara was waiting for him. As a reward for the goblin subjugation, he received50 sliver coins and another 150 for all the orcs he killed. Apparently, he could have received more but the guild had to give some money to the fallen Adventurers'' families and as such the rewards had to be thinned. Still he had enough money to last a long time now. He was also given a new guild card which was a golden plate, on which his details and Rank were engraved along with the small identification crystal. For the next few days he stayed back at the Inn, not taking any quests. He would be training by himself or spending time in the library. He got some more information about the surrounding geo-political regions. While continuing his daily training he noticed that after a certain while, his training didn''t add to his stats anymore. He asked the system about it to which it replied... [Host has already reached his physical limits and can only grow stronger using the stats. If you wish to further enhance your body and physique you can buy the special physique improving serums from the shop!] Add looked at those serums and his face darkened. The lowest one cost a million CP, while the most expensive ones went beyond the billions. This was daylight robbery! He sighed and decided to keep it aside for now. Right now, he could only strengthen himself, by levelling up. "Becoming strong is such a pain...." he sighed During the next month he took a few quests. He would have done more, but there were not many quest he could do as A ¨C Rank quests were quite few. These included hunting Dire wolves, dealing with more Orc villages, hunting goblins, etc. Over this time he levelled up to level 20 and his strength also increased a lot. Add also purchased a pair of new weapons. _ _ _ _ _ Item : Heckler & Koch HK417A2 Battle Rifle (Grade ¨C Rare, Rank ¨C High Tier) Description : The HK417 A2 is an enhanced development of the tried-and-tested and successful HK417 universal assault rifle, which chambers the powerful 7.62 mm x 51 NATO cartridge. It has a 40 mm interface for GLM/M320/HK269 add-on grenade launchers, and comes with G28 E2: Schmidt & Bender 3¨C20¡Á50 PM II sights. The design of the receiver, barrel interface, gas port and the bore axis alignment of the rifle have been further optimised to increase its accuracy and reliability. It has a rate of fire of 600 rounds per minute and comes with 20-round detachable box magazine. It can also fire armour piercing rounds which were much more deadly and dangerous, and could penetrate light armour. This weapon has seen some brutal battles. Damage : 100 (Normal Rounds), 160 (Armour Piercing Rounds) Durability : 200/200 Effective Firing Range : 200 ¨C 250 metres _ _ _ _ _ Item : Barrett M107A1 Long Range - Semiautomatic Sniper Rifle (Grade - Unique, Rank - Low Tier) Description : Combining over 35 years of research and development with feedback from the most demanding military end users, created this beast, the M107A1. While it may share the same iconic look and legendary reliability of legacy Barrett firearms, its firepower and lethality shadows all its predecessors. Everyone fears this deadly weapon. Chambering the beastly .50 BMG (12.7¡Á99mm NATO) in a 10 round steel magazine, and a muzzle velocity of around 900 metres per second, this rifle packs enough punch to penetrate hardened steel plates. It comes with an improved MIL-STD-1913 rail mounted sights, lightweight quick-detach adjustable bipod and Barrett QDL Suppressor. Damage : 500 (Normal Round), 750 (Armour Piercing Round) Durability : 400/400 Effective Firing Range : 1800 ¨C 2000 metres _ _ _ _ _ Technically speaking, the M107A1 was a recoil-operated, semi-automatic anti-materiel sniper system developed by the American Barrett Firearms Manufacturing company. Utilizing state of the art design, manufacturing, and materials, every component of the rifle has been engineered to be lighter and stronger than its predecessors. The M107A1 was optimized for use with a sound suppressor, providing a much-needed signature reduction capability to the sniper. Lighter, stronger, more accurate, and more capable; the M107A1 has truly been engineered for action. It is made of lightweight steel alloys and aluminium upper receiver with integral 23" (58.4 cm) 27 MOA M1913 optics rail which can mount the sights and covered with anti-corrosive coatings The HK417A2 was one of the best battle rifles ever built, while the Barrett M107A1 was a legendary beast among sniper rifles and it could also use Armour piercing bullets. With these two weapons, Add had gained a very deadly arsenal. He had stayed in Rigel for over 2 months, and now it was time to move on. He already had a new destination in mind. Little did he know that this decision would change the world forever. 23 Departure From Rigel After over two months of having the system, Add had levelled up to Lv. 20. He now had enough confidence to venture into the grand continent of Midgard. His plan was to travel around the kingdom for sometime, get familiar with the ways of this world and then explore the entirety of Iseria. In his past life, he had stayed almost cooped up in his dull life of only travelling from one battlefield to another. He spent the next month preparing and didn''t take any quests. He had already collected over 300 silver coins. Since he planned on leaving Rigel, so he began gathering information about the geo-political situation of the kingdom from various sources like the library, local people and the Guild. He had purchased the HK417A2 Battle rifle and the Barrett M107A1 sniper rifle because he wanted more power. The HK was much more powerful than the AK while the Barrett was perfect for penetrating hard armour, or thick skins and shells of monsters. He also purchased a new combat knife. As he levelled up to Lv. 20 the system unlocked new features. Firstly he could now directly take out things from his inventory with his thoughts. Also he could now use CP to buy Skill points. The conversion being 1000 CP for 1 Skill point. It didn''t seem too much but in the long run, if he had many skills, he would need to spend an astronomical amount of CP on this. That aside, his status had also improved a lot in this time. _ _ _ _ _ Status Name : Add Race : Human HP : 500/500 MP : N/A (Locked) Level : 20 | Experience Required : 1672/14435 Class : Firearms Master Subclass : N/A Title : Hunter Equipment : Alloy Katana (Grade ¨C Normal, Rank ¨C Low Tier) M20-A Semiautomatic Pistol (Grade ¨C Normal, Rank ¨C Middle Tier) Standard Combat Gear (Set) (Grade ¨C Rare, Rank ¨C Low Tier) KM777-XM Combat Knife (Grade ¨C Rare, Rank ¨C Low Tier) Skills : [(Basic) Unarmed Combat Mastery (Passive)Lv.3] [(Basic) Body Strengthening (Passive)Lv.7] [(Basic) Knife Mastery (Passive)Lv.5] [(Basic) Accelerated Healing (Passive)Lv.5] [Perception (Passive) Lv.6] [Night Vision (Passive) (Max)] [Firearms Mastery (Max)] [(Basic)Agility Enhancement Lv.7 (Passive)] [(Basic) Clear Vision Lv.4 (Passive)] [Basic Sword Skills Lv.5 (Passive)] [Basic Two-Handed Sword Mastery Lv.1] [Basic Katana Skills Lv.5 (Passive)] Special Skills : [Calm Mind (Passive) (Max)] [Imaginary Time (Passive) Lv.1] [Blood For Blood (Passive) (Max)] [Contract (Max)] Credit Points : 5020 ATTRIBUTES : Vitality : 10 Strength : 20 Agility : 10 Endurance : 12 Intelligence : 6 Wisdom : 7 Stamina : 10 Charm :5 Magic Aptitude : N/A (Locked) Stat Points : 0 Skill Points : 0 Evaluation : Although he is a young, he is as formidable a warrior, as is any other veteran. _ _ _ _ _ He mainly focused on strength and Stamina, and also put some in Wisdom and Intelligence to better use skills. As per the suggestion of the system [Basic Pistol Mastery] had been merged with [Firearms Mastery] and Add got his 4 skill points back as a refund which he used on other skills. Before he left Rigel, Add decided to have a cold weapon in his arsenal, as always using a firearm was not the best option. In this world, there was no shortage of strong people, and anyone would be tempted by the power and efficiency of a gun. Add dared be so open in Rigel as there were few people stronger than him present in that town. However, the continent of Midgard was huge, and there were people with such strength, that A ¨C Rank adventurers who were the strongest in this small frontier town, were but ants before them. Over the course of two months he had collected some information from the Guild and few merchants who regularly travelled across the kingdom of Reinglief. From them he got to know that the Capital of Reingleif called Alsdein, was over 15,000 kilometres from Rigel. The distance was so large that it took years to travel to the capital by foot or horse. Fortunately, there were many flying monsters which had been tamed by humans, facilitating their movements across the kingdom and the ever so gigantic continent. Also there were special magic formations called ''teleport gates'' which were owned by the royal family which could send large numbers of people and objects directly across long distances instantly, at the cost of tremendous amounts of mana. And in this huge kingdoms there were countless powerhouses who could kill the current him like swatting a fly. As such it was unwise to reveal his weapons before such people, and attract lethal attention. So he decided that he would only use the modern weapons like guns when he encountered critical situations, at least until he was strong enough to ensure his safety.So after going through the cold weapons like swords, spears, bows etc. available with the system shop, he decided on a sword. As it was the easiest weapon to master as well as quite flexible in usage. _ _ _ _ _ Item : Alloy Katana (Grade ¨C Normal, Rank ¨C Low Tier) Description : A common Katana made using various alloys and forged with traditional methods. It is more durable than a normal Katana forged with carbon steel, while also being slightly heavier. Damage : 70 Durability : 500/500 _ _ _ _ _ Add chose the Katana for many reasons. He had always been impressed with Japanese swords in his past life, the Katana in particular. He liked its distinctive appearance: a curved, slender, single-edged blade with a circular or squared guard and long grip to accommodate two hands. The edge had a wavy design which looked beautiful. The Katana was a blade specialized for fast & powerful slashing and stabbing. They were made from a specialized Japanese steel called ''Tamahagane'' which is created from a traditional smelting process that results in several, layered steels with different carbon concentrations, which increase the durability and damage of the blade. Although longswords were versatile with many angles of attack & defence, Add chose to use the heavier and harder to use Katana. The reason being that, when compared with a Katana of similar dimensions, it lacked in the damage out put and cutting power and speed. Its single, hardened, wedge-like edge was capable of extraordinary sharpness and a curved blade is mechanically superior to a straight one at delivering edge blows to produce injury. And due to its hardness, the single curving edge of the katana is very good at penetrating even hard materials with straight-on strikes. Although the longsword won in versatility, defensive ability and few other grounds, he decided to go with speed and damage. After choosing a sword, he then had to get some skills. For him who was a complete novice in terms of swords, sword related skills were a necessity. After going through the various skills, he picked three which were best suited for his weapon. _ _ _ _ _ Skill : [Basic Sword Skills Lv.1] Description : Gives the Host the ability to wield any weapon classified as a sword with better ease. As the skill level increases, the ease of defending, attack speed as well as damage dealt increases significantly. Skill : [Basic Two-Handed Sword Mastery Lv.1] Description : Increases ease of wielding 2-handed swords and damage dealt with 2-handed swords significantly. As the level of skill increases the effects also increase. Skill : [Basic Katana Skills Lv.1] Description : This skills allows the host to use [Katana] type weapons more efficiently. When using [Katana] type weapons, +2% attack speed and +1% damage for each level increase of the skill. _ _ _ _ _ In the backyard of the inn, Add took out the Katana from his inventory. The system was kind enough to provide a sheath for the blade. The Katana was around 1.5 metres in length including the hilt, and weighed more than 2 Kg. As soon as he held it in his hands Add felt as if he had used it for a long time. Such was the might of skills Ah! The hilt covered in cloth, along with the rectangular guard, provided a firm grip. Pulling out the weapon from its sheath, showed a slightly curved blade with a cold metalling sheen. It looked ready to kill. "So this is swords play huh ?" He swung the large blade around with some effort, and it sliced apart the air with ''whoosh'' sounds. And performed the basic moves of a Katana like ''Slash'', ''Stab'', Guard and parry many times. Although these were but the most basic of moves which he instinctively knew because of the skills, coupled with the passive bonuses of his other skills, he would able to deal substantial damage. For a few days he also began swinging his sword alongside his routine training. As a result, his body gradually got used to the weapon he was using for the first time. At the same time, he also familiarised himself with the various monsters and other threats he would encounter on his travels. The Guild had its own collection of detailed descriptions of such things which he could access thanks to his A ¨C Rank. After a month of preparing he was finally ready to depart. He decided his first destination to be the city of ''Helmsberg'' which was around 500 kilometres from Rigel. Helmsberg was the last city of Reinglief in the North, bordering the great forest of Waldesten and served as a important strategic location. Built on the banks of the great river of Floren, it was the largest fortress cityof the kingdom with an average radius of over 20 kilometres and housed 5 million people. The royal family had an army of 800,000 troops along with many powerful magicians stationed in this town to deal with the frequent monster attacks. Helmsberg alone defended the Northern frontier of Reingleif from powerful monsters while also providing a deterrent for the neighbouring kingdom ofSolia. "Boy, I heard you are leaving ?" One day the Guild Master suddenly asked him when he visited the guild to read some books. "En. In a few days old man...." ".....So where are you headed ?" Add looked at the Guild Master who was smiling lightly and said "Helmsberg" at which his expression changed and became serious. "That place ? But what do you want to do there ?" "I just want to see the world. It seems to be a good place to start from..." he said as he flipped through a book. The guild master was silent for sometime and then said in a grave tone. "Boy, as your senior let me give you an advice. That place is a gathering of all kinds of trouble. You better watch your back there. People like you, tend to die early in that place where all kinds of hidden tigers and crouching dragons are lurking." "Here, we A ¨C Ranked Adventurers are basically the strongest, but there even S ¨C Ranked Adventurers are the weakest. There are the formidable Mana Practitioners and the terrifying Wizards and Witches whose powers are hundreds of times greater than ours. Do not flaunt yourself there boy, or you will regret it. Take it as the words of a man who has seen the world more than you." Add quietly listened to his words and didn''t speak. However he took note of it in his mind. After saying all that Jim the Guild master left. He was sighing inwardly. Helmsberg was a nasty place, he knew about many dark things which happened there. Many young men and women went there to try their luck and become prosperous only to disappear forever. As for the brat, he was very arrogant, but not necessarily a bad person. He didn''t warn him out of kindness, he only felt that it would be a shame if such a strong warrior died too early. (Sigh....with this another A ¨C Rank Adventurer leaves Rigel...well not that we needed too many anyway....I should get some beer....) A few days later Add left Rigel. He wore the combat gear except the helmet and covered himself with a black cloak to look less conspicuous. He placed the dagger on the back of his utility belt and carried the Katana on the side of his utility belt. He had to make an attachment point for it by removing a magazine pocket from the belt. He also carried the M20-A at his thigh for emergencies. He had filled his rucksack with spare clothes, water and dried rations for the way and also some maps he collected. Standing outside the gates of Rigel he looked at it one last time. He had no particular connections with anyone in this town, still he felt a faint sense of attachment. This was after all the first place he had stayed in this world. He would only return here after a long time, but then things would be completely different. "So long Rigel...." With those words, Add the soldier reborn in another world began his travel. _ _ _ _ _ "Filthy Human I Will Kill You!" But ne didn''t expect that only a few days after he began his travel, he would encounter a scene straight out of a light novel. 24 Encounter 1 A week had passed since he left Rigel. Add was currently on his way to Helmsberg. It would take him about 3 more days to reach his destination. He could have moved faster, but he wanted to travel and he was in no hurry so he took his time watching the various new things. Along the way he passed many small villages. Life here was tough, along with the constant threat of monsters, the agricultural techniques were quite primitive and such most peasants and farmers were poor. Helmsberg was almost like a knife stabbed into the great forest of Waldesten. It was surrounded by the forest on three sides and Add had to pass through a part of this forest to reach the city. Although the distance was long, but there was a direct road joining Rigel and many other towns to Helmsberg so it was not hard, with a map in hand, to reach Helmsberg provided you could deal with the many monsters and bandits on the way. Although he had not encountered any bandits yet, many monsters had tried attacking him, which provided good chances of honing his swordplay. He had also levelled up to 22 thanks to the frequent attacks by the monsters. Late at noon, Add left the road following the map according to which, there was lake nearby in the forest, and he wanted to take some rest after hours of walking. He soon reached the lake which was around 200 metres wide. It was situated in a wide open area surrounded by a small meadow like grassland. He decided to rest for the night here. After dropping his rucksack aside he bent on the bank to clean his face with the lake water. Just after he had finished washing his face, his ears picked up some sounds coming from the forest. It appeared as if people were fighting. He picked up his rucksack and went to check the source of the sounds which came from within the forest. He quietly began walking in the direction keeping an eye on his surroundings. Although he doubted there was any monster which could be dangerous for him in this area, still always keeping caution was a soldiers first requirement. As he walked on the sounds increased. It seemed that people were indeed having a fight with weapons clanking. Add decided to stealthily approach the area while staying out of the eyes of any potential people present there. Soon he came across a large clearing in the forest. Hiding in the shadows of the thick undergrowth he watched the situation. Before him was a group of 15 men. And by first glance he understood what these people were. They wore shabby armour and had a variety of weapons. Some had swords some had spears while a few had maces and one even had a long bow. Their shabby clothes revealed that they weren''t adventurers. ''Bandits'' Add had not stumbled across this particular creed of people till now but he knew what they were. He couldn''t say he was overly fond of them. He focused as to what the bandits were up to and saw that a man which looked like the leader was having a sword duel with a young girl while the other bandits surrounded them. And though the two battled it was clear that the young girl was at a disadvantage. At some distance there was one more girl lying on the ground, being injured in a leg. And above all these two girls were beauties. The situation was simple. Suddenly he noticed something. (Elf ?) As it turned out the two girls were Elves were one of the oldest races of Iseria. They were humanoids who were known to be wiser and more beautiful than humans and most other humanoid races. They had innate sharper senses and perceptions as well. The Elven race was gifted in magic, and lovers of nature with which they lived in harmony. They were also well known as highly skilled archers, however they excelled in other forms of weaponry as well, but mostly light weapons. The most curious feature of Elves however was their long lifespan. An average Elf could live for well over a thousand years while some who could use magic to strengthen their bodies could live many times longer. He had little knowledge about this race and that too was only from a few books he read in the library and stories he heard from travellers while he was in Rigel. Elves were mostly reclusive and preferred to stay within forests, away from other races. A big reason for this behaviour was their hatred and loathing for humans. In Midgard continent, Humans had an overwhelming majority in terms of sheer size of population, they were in the hundreds of billions, spread far and wide all over the continent. The races such as Werebeasts, Elves, Dwarves and the like were subjects of discrimination by the human nearly everywhere on Midgard and they are commonly killed or captured as slaves by humans. Slavery was a cruel reality of this world. Due to special magic, ''Slaves'' could not defy their ''Masters'' and had to obey every command. They had no rights of their own, and their lives were no more than that of livestock. Add knew that these acts came from the innate fear of Humans. Fear of their potential and that one day, they''ll rise against humanity and take Midgard from their grasp. The Elves were proficient in al types magic, and some of the most terrifying Mages in history came from among the Elven race. Plus their natural beauty made them perfect for being sex slaves. The female Elves were said to be exceptionally beautiful at that. As such over the years humans had clashed with Elves, killing and enslaving them, and the Elves who lacked in numbers kept retreating. It is now the great forest of Waldesten that is the last dwelling of the Elves of Midgard. "Humans never change" Add sighed. It was the same on Earth as it was on Iseria.. Looking at the bandits this was even more evident. (men and their desires...tch) Add clicked his tongue. Once again he was reminded of the vile nature of the beings called ''Homo sapiens sapiens''. He already understood what these group was doing. For a group of bandits to find a treasure like these two beauties was a very rare occurrence. Just then Add saw the girl who had been till now fighting lose her sword trying to protect her injured companion. She was flung onto a tree and the match was decided. The man who had defeated her moved to claim his reward while licking his lips as his eyes glowed with lust. He didn''t have to mind all this. It was not his problem. Every day there were countless people being killed. Hundreds of girls being raped, children being abused and whatnot. It was such a world. The strong fed on the weak. That was the unspoken rule. Yet as he saw the gruff bandit stripping the pitiful girl, his eyes fell on her face. That face had lost all hope. Drowning in despair tears were overflowing her face. Looking at that he was reminded of a time past... "Its a mans duty to protect a girl hahahaha and the duty of the strong to protect the weak. Always remember that rookie..... If you cant do that no matter how much power you have, you will never be strong..." Words which were said to him by his superior. Someone who had long since turned to dust. (I am disgustingly soft hearted) he murmured within his mind. Yet the boy made his move. Taking the knife out of his belt, he silently approached the bandit closest to him, an archer who was busy watching the good show. Add''s steps were like a phantom. No sound no presence. As him he had became a shadow, a ghost. The archer never knew when a cold blade slit his throat. He couldn''t even scream. The last words he said were a few low gurgles. He didn''t use his gun, as that would be too easy. He needed to enjoy this.... [Ding! You have killed Bandit (Human) ¡Á 1! You received 100 Exp. and 50 CP] This was the first time he had killed a human in this world, the bandit gave same amount of rewards as an Orc. Before the body could drop to the ground, he had already dashed towards the bandit leader. And just when the man extended his hand to tear off the last pieces of clothing from the girls body Add caught his hand and flung him away. All this happened within seconds. Only when their leader was thrown away. Did the bandits break from their fantasies. The first thing they noticed was an unknown youth dressed in black standing in front of the elven girl and their leader some ten metres away from them lying on the ground. "What the-!?" The next instant one of the bandits heard a thud and turning towards the sound he saw one of his fellow bandit, the archer, dead on the ground with blood oozing from a clean cut on his throat. The dead man''s eyes still wide open in disbelief. "EEKKK!" The bandit shouted out. No matter how barbaric these bandits were still they were only human after all. Seeing one of their partners suddenly dead, the others were very shocked. "What the hell is going on!?" The bandit leader who by now had gotten up and found one of his men dead was furious. He instantly turned to face the boy who had just moments ago thrown him off. The only possible cause of the ''murder''. " Ya bastard di ya kill mav huh !?" The boy didn''t answer him and just kept looking at the bandits. The bandit leader got enraged. One moment he was about to enjoy the ''fruits'' of his efforts and now he was thrown away like a rag doll by some kid who came out suddenly, devil knows where from. He drew his sword again and looked closely at the boy. It was a young kid barely in his teens probably younger. He had silvery white hair, which was not something he had seen before. But when his gaze met the boy''s the burly man shivered and reflexively took a step back. The bandit leader had been in his humble occupation for around two decades now. He had seen many types of people. But he had never seen the look he saw in the boys eyes. His spine got cold. It was pure fear. He felt as if he looked into deaths eyes itself. Those beautiful blue and red eyes had no light of life. Still he shook his head. '' I must be seeing things'' He assured himself. There was no way a kid could frighten him. He saw the boy turn around and cover the elven girl with his robe, not even paying him and the other bandits any mind. After the robe was removed he saw that the boy wore a strange type of clothing, which looked like some type of armour. But next he noticed a strange sword sheathed and hung by the boys side. It was quite long and had a curved design. "Humans never change huh..." The boy talked for the first time in a ice cold tone. "The hell you all waiting for kill that brat !" The bandit leader ordered his men to kill the young boy. His voice was desperate. His fear had unconsciously dulled his judgement. Under normal circumstances he would not have hastily ordered his men to attack like this. But these weren''t normal conditions. But he didn''t know that. At his command a bulky man carrying a longsword charged at the boy. The blade was aimed at his throat. The boy however did not move. He only silently watched as his assaulter neared him. * * * "Watch out!"The girl who was just cried out, who had been looking at the mysterious boy all this while reflexively shouted out. He was her saviour after all. But her concern was not necessary. One of the two attackers swung his blade in a horizontal slash aiming at Add''s neck but to his surprise the boy ducked escaping the deadly bow with ease. Next he twisted the combat knife in his hand and stabbed the side of the bandit. The bandit cried out because of the unexpected blow but Add wasn''t done yet. With swift movements he pulled the knife tearing across the mans abdomen and then stabbed him again at the back. Using the knife as a foot hold he jumped over the bandit and arrived in a few metres in front of him. The big man collapsed instantly, dead. Then he dashed towards another bandit. The bandit desperately swung his sword but Add slid down on his knees and easily dodged the swing. Then using his right hand he hit the bandits hand with a strong chop making him drop his sword which he grabbed with his left hand and slit the mans belly open. The big man fell down gurgling his own blood and died. All of this happened in a matter of seconds. All present there were shocked. And the bandit leader was feeling as if he was looking at a demon. This boy was skilled. A glance at his swift precise movements said it all. For the first time in his life the bandit felt pure terror. Add swung his newly obtained sword shaking the blood off it. The sword was a good one if one followed standards. Must be an item looted from some victim. For him however this sword was worthless yet he decided to use it for the time being because the blood of these ''vermin'' would only dirty his own sword. These scum were just not worthy of being the target of his sword. As he was thinking this he didn''t even flash a look at the two men he had just killed. ''Yes humans never change....they still die so easily....'' He thought. Then he looked at the remaining bandits. Some twelve remained. ''Lets wrap it up...'' The next instant he vanished from where he was standing. No, he didn''t teleport or something. He just moved so fast that the people present there weren''t able to keep up with his movements. He had invested his recent stat points into Agility which made him much faster than the bandits. The massacre had begun. * * * * * *Huff huff huff* A lone man was running across the forest. He was running like a madman. His breath haggard his eyes bloodshot. One could see blood splattered all over him. Sadly to his terror it wasn''t his blood. The man continued running. He fell down. He got cut by the thorns and spines. He bumped into branches yet he kept on running. As if the hounds of hell were behind him. This man in fact was the bandit leader who not so long ago was dreaming of enjoying three beautiful elves in his bed. And now he was running for his life. Tears and snot making his scarred face even uglier. "Shit shit shit shit....." He kept cursing "What the hell is that kid....what the hell.....thats no kid....thats a monster.....ahhhaahh....monster.....shit shit...." A madman indeed. He kept running for dear life. If only he could survive today he would never returned to this cursed forest again. But just as he neared the road. Just as hope made a smile creep across his face.... "No...no...no....." Before him appeared the demon. The demon in the guise of a boy with dead cold eyes and a bone chilling aurs. He was looking at the bandit with his usual emotionless gaze. The man''s eyes darted across his surroundings but only despair filled his heart. Then his eyes fell on the sword the boy held loosely in one hand. Fresh blood was still dripping from the sword. The bandit leader once again saw the carnage which had happened right before his eyes. * * * "Lets wrap it up" Right after he said those words all hell broke loose. Well at least for the bandits. In a flash Add was in front of the bandit closest to him. Before that man could react a sword had impaled itself in his face. His body fell down limply. The other bandits now under sheer fear began to fight back. A few of them drew their weapons and charged at the boy. From all directions. Add too charged at one bandit who in turn tried to stab him with his spear. He avoided that by sidestepping and with a clean slash separated the man''s head from his torso. The body went down spitting blood out like a geyser. Another bandit who had snuck up behind him swung his axe down sure to hit the boy before him but....A pair of eyes which were like the bottomless abyss looked at him and the next moment his hands were no more. Add stabbed his sword in the mans throat and picked up the axe with his left hand. By now the other bandits had almost understood that this kid before them was no ordinary kid. "Aaaaaahhhh" One of the bandits gave in to fear and tried to run away but just as he turned around he saw the cursed boy right before him with one swing of the axe he was cleaved in half. Another bandit tried to take the injured girl hostage and ran towards her only to have the same axe hug his back in a cold embrace of death. Now the bandit leader who saw this was breaking down. Over half of his men had been killed in seconds. This boy was a monster. The primal urge to save himself overtook him and he turned back and ran into the forest. Hopefully his men could buy enough time for him to escape. He could always find other men but not another life. The bandits who saw their leader running away also tried to escape. But alas. The hunter wouldn''t let its prey get away. The last thing the bandit leader saw before entering the forest were fountains of blood spewing into the air and the heads and limbs of his men flying one after the other. The two girls who saw all this happen were terrified. Fear almost choked them as they heard the pained cries of the bandits. And then within a minute all was silent. Only the soft sound of the jungle breeze could be heard. And with it came the stench of blood and the putrid smell of the insides of humans. Bodies of the bandits were strewn all around. Most of them had their limbs missing. Some had their head sliced of. And a few had been cut in half. As if a mad demon had made this his playground. The girl who had been fighting with the bandits looked at this scene and her heart shivered as she remembered the young boy who had killed all these people so mercilessly in mere seconds. But what scared her more was that the way he killed them. His movements, his skills, his techniques all seemed almost....almost like.....a beautiful dance....the dance of death....and she shivered even more when she realized that she was captivated by that.... "Just who....no....what....what is he....?" No one answered her question. The boy too had disappeared in the forest and while her mind wished that she never had to cross paths with him again, unknown to her, a small part of her heart hoped that he would return. * * * The bandit leader, now a little more than a madman gave up on sanity and charged at Add with his sword, only to lose an arm and was sent flying with a kick to his abdomen. "Gaaaaaahhhh" He screamed holding the stump which once was his arm. The boy mercilessly walked towards him. His cold gaze drowning the grown man with despair. "..please ....please....stop...i...ill surrender...yes...ill surrender...give me to the soldiers.....yes....they have a reward on me...you will...get lots of money...please....i..ill give you all my plunder....please....just give me to the soldiers....." The boy stopped in his tracks and sighed. He threw away the sword in his hand. A smile formed on the bandit leader''s face. Yes who didn''t want money !? Now he would be saved. Although he would end up in prison but that would be better than losing his life...and who says he couldn''t escape. But....he saw the boy take out a large glass bottle from who knows where and walk towards him. When he was right above the grovelling man... "Men get taken in.... The boy coldly said ...dogs, get put down..." He broke the bottle on the mans head. The next moment the bandit felt as if he was on fire. The last thing he saw before his vision went black was his hand melting away. Add had purchased a bottle ofa certain ''substance'' from the system which was enough to melt steel on a human. The rest was history. Leaving the melting man whose screams turned to gurgles before gradually fading away and leaving only a large puddle of blackish red sludge he walked back into the forest. He wanted to continue his way to the dungeon but... "I forgot my robe..." He sighed once again as he made his way to where the elven girls were. * * * * * 25 Encounter 2 Add decided to return back to the place where the two Elves were. He had to return to the road vis that place anyway. 15 bandits had died and he hadn''t used any of his weapons except his knife. He didn''t use his guns this time for two reasons. First, he didn''t want to expose his weapons before the Elves and bandits. He was not going to expose his cards to random people he didn''t even know. Secondly, he wanted to test his combat skills, relying too much on guns was not a good choice in this world. There maybe many things and situations, which could not be dealt with guns. Further he didn''t feel like using guns on these trash. (But I wonder what those two elves are doing all the way out here ?) As far as he knew, Elves generally lived at secluded places and very rarely ventured out. According to his knowledge, there was no possibility of a Elven settlement nearby. For two Elves to venture out at this place, was quite suspicious. (Not that it matters to me.....) He wasn''t too concerned with their identities of backstories or why and what purpose they were here. He helped them only because he felt like it. Soon he reached back at the place. The corpses of the bandits were still there giving of putrid smell, chopped up, sliced up, and cleaved apart. It looked like a butcher''s work. The two Elves were currently resting against a tree, with one tending to the injured other. A lot had passed over them and they were totally exhausted both mentally and physically. With his [Clear Vision] Add could see her every detail vividly. She had smooth and silky long blond hair the colour of liquid gold, which was tied in a long ponytail. Her face was very beautiful as if sculpted by a master sculptor. The fair skin was milky whitewith faint blush and gave off an alluring vibe. Her deep green eyes complemented her fair looks. She had a tender, innocent face that made her very lovable. She seemed to be in her teens and her curviness was little covered by her short skirt and top. The half of her bare neck was pale and slender, and there was a hint of indescribable seductiveness. Her whole body was slightly wet with sweat and her skin was so smooth and clear that it looked like crystal. Add''s eyes stopped at her ears which were very long and pointed, almost needle like at the upper tips. The Elven beauty before him had a slim body, and her two breasts were just the right size, not too big, not too small. But this Elven girl, had such a pair of long legs that were breathtakingly gorgeous, and her figure was very tall. She was half a head taller than Add. Although she was tall, her lower half body was much longer than her upper half. Even with her amazing, eye-catching long legs, one wouldn''t find her body disproportionate. Thanks to her slim figure, one could see most part of her long legs through her short skirt. Her legs were not merely thin and straight like they were bony, but they were with attractive curves, implied with agility and energy, at the same time full of softness and flexibility. Her hips seemed to echo the beauty of her long legs, it didn''t look as modest as her breasts, her hip line was round and very perky, and its side was as curvy as a small-necked vase. With her long, slender legs, one could not move his eyes away from her. Her legs seem to be a masterpiece of God, not only their length, shape which were perfect, the skin was also very smooth. They also looked shiningly pale like they were coated with milk, this definitely meant a fatal attraction. Even Add who was quite dull in the emotional sense, could imagine that being on bed and wrapped by a pair of spectacular legs like hers, and her body which could be twisted into various angles at her wish, how wonderful it would feel. He hurriedly supressed such thoughts and looked at her again. (Such a high class girl....well she is an ''Elf'' after all.) The Elf in question was tending to her injured companion. She suddenly noticed him approaching and got scared. Though he had saved her and her friend, after seeing him slaughter the bandits like pigs, she felt fear and dread of this human boy. "You...What do you want ?" Her voice although filled with fear and caution was very tender and pleasing to hear, it sounded like a bird singing and flying out from a valley. She clutched her sword tightly. Add didn''t mind her actions. Humans were hostile to Elves, it was no surprise that she was wary of him. He then looked at the other Elf lying on the ground supported by a tree. This was a girl who looked to be twenty five or six. Her whole body emanated an enticing mature aura. Whether it was the proud, large and perky breasts underneath her smooth clothing or her full, round buttocks, her figure was the kind that a younger girl could only wish for and every woman dreamed of. But she still had the soft, smooth skin of a fifteen or sixteen-year-old girl, while her expressions and movements betrayed a timidity that only girls in their early teens possessed. She could enchant anyone who gazed upon her. Brows elegant as slender new moons, long silky golden hair was voluminous, skin as fair as powder, soft eyes, bright red lips¡­.Her face was also very exquisite, a perfect mixture of beauty, seductiveness and cuteness and her emerald green eyes would make one lost in them. She had the face of an Angel and the body of a devil. Add was quite surprised to see that this forest was hiding a soul-snatching beauty like this. "Thank....Thank you for saving us....." Noticing his gaze she politely replied, but her face was covered in sweat and the immense pain she was feeling was evident. Apparently an arrow had lodged itself in her left leg. Fortunately the wound was not fatal. Her voice was as soft and beautiful as her face, it sounded as if a Nightingale was cooing. She was wearing a large one-piece dress made of fine cloth, which covered almost all of her body and although she did not show a lot of her skin, every inch that was exposed looked so smooth and pale, it was almost as if you could look through her bones. With her slightly swaying chest, her slender legs, her elegant way of walking, the fullness of her body, it was impossible to move one''s eyes away from her. These two Elven girls were both high class beauties of different types. No wonder the bandits were so excited for them. His gaze again turned to the * * * The Elf with the ponytail was beginning to panic. Since a while the boy had been looking intensely at her and her friend. His cold emotionless gaze scanning all over her. She almost felt naked before him, it was that uncomfortable, as if her entire body was laying bare before him. Thinking such thoughts her ears and face became redder. And then suddenly the boy extended his hand towards her. She was frozen in fear now. Due to her recent trauma which the bandit leader had caused her in his ''attempted'' assault, all sorts of possible reasons came into her mind. ''what is he trying to do ?'' ''Does he want to take my body...?'' ''Did he only save us to enjoy us himself ?'' ''..All human men are like this ?'' ''No! I don''t want to! I don''t want to be....not like this.....'' ''But what can i do...i can not fight him.....no what about Flen and Mae....no will he...to those two as well...no no...please please...i don-'' "Can I please have my robe back ?" A low voice lacking emotion asked her, breaking her from her thoughts. She blinked her eyes as her mind suddenly went blank. ''Eh what is he saying''. Her friend who was lying on the ground however was not much scared of him. She somehow felt that this human meant them no harm, she struggled to carefully look at him. His face was beautiful. Yes she couldn''t call it handsome. The androgynous face was well formed with very pale skin. His glossy silvery white hair shined like silk complementing his pale white skin and his eyes which seemed to lack all emotion. He would be a heartthrob if not for the utter lack of expression and the cold feeling he gave, which made him look...dangerous. She also felt troubled that she couldn''t read any emotions on his face. And his eyes seemed hollow as if they were a dead person''s eyes. And yet....something....something unknown about this boy captivated her. Women are poor creatures after all. They tend to trust and like the person who protects them. And right now unknown to her, she was in such a situation. "My robe please..." The boy said again. A bit louder this time bringing back the attention of the pony tailed elf. She looked down at her body to find that indeed she was warped in a black robe, which she remembered this very boy had given her. ".Ah...ah...i see....ill return it..." She stuttered while undoing the warped cloak around her causing her alluring boy to come into view. Her clothes were as good as non-existent. Luckily her underwear saved her dignity yet it gave her an even sexier appearance than if she were without any clothes. Suddenly a cold hand held her own stopping her from completely undoing the cloak. It was Add. *BADUMP* Although she was a warrior-in-training who was pretty adept at fights, she was after all a maiden. The only males that had touched her were her father and grandfather. Her family had kept her too sheltered. And now for the first time im her life a man had touched her causing her heart to beat wildly. Feeling his touch which was cold yet strangely comfortable, her ears turned even redder. "Keep it. You need it more than me." He said slowly and released her hand. "Eh?" The elven maiden made a stupid sound and looked down at her. She had completely forgotten about the state of her clothes. And right now she was like a slut presenting her body to him. "!!???" She hurriedly warped the cloak around her furiously blushing. Add looked at the other girl and said "You should leave this place lest you want to be preyed by humans again." He once again looked around him making sure there were no immediate threats in the vicinity, it would make if efforts useless if these girls ran into trouble the second he left. Fortunately there were no presences so it was safe. "Well then, since I have prior engagements ill be leaving now. I wish a Good day to you ladies." The mysterious youth softly said with a light bow and began leaving. He didn''t like associating with people. He was a loner since he could remember and he preferred to be that way. The injured Elf jolted at those words, Her eyes had become like a scared child''s she hurriedly tried to get up from her position. The other elf immediately supported her. "Please stop!" She cried out with a mix of emotions. Add stopped in his tracks and sighed. ''What is it now...'' he thought. "Umm...my name is Lilliana Nostariel and my friend here is Annavel Autheil. I really thank you for saving me and my friend I will be in your debt! Is their anyway i can repay you!?" "You don''t have to, I did what I wanted to, so just forget it." He again began walking away. "Please at least tell me your name!" Lilliana cried out. For some reason she didn''t want him to leave. She wanted to talk to him more and know more about him. "....Its Add...." "Add.....alright! I will remember it. Someday. I will definitely repay you !" "....If fate allows us to meet again...now then..." But just as he was about to leave.... [Ding!] Looking at what the system suddenly gave him Add felt, a headache coming. (This damned system.....Now then..... how am I supposed to deal with this....) He thought while massaging his temples. The system really liked to annoy him to death. All the while the two girls looked at him with a confused expression. 26 The Circumstances of the two Elves [Ding! New Mandatory Mission Initiated !] [Mission : Plight of the Elves (1) Description : A group of Elves is in dire straights which will end in their doom! Save them from demise and ensure their safety! Part (1) : Escort The Elves Lilliana Nostariel and Annavel Autheil safely back to their dwellings! The Host cannot refuse this mission as failure to complete it would result in the mission to fail and host will be penalised. Rewards : 5,000 Exp. and 2,500 CP Final Reward : 20,000 Exp. and 10,000 CP Penalty : Failure to complete the mission A random 5 of Host''s items will be discarded automatically Time Limit : 24 hours ] (You damned.....black hearted system! Are you f***ing kidding me!?) Add cursed in his mind. This ridiculous mission suddenly appeared before him. Now he had to go save some Elves he had never known! Hell he had never seen them even! For him who didn''t usually do things unrelated to his interests, this was a pain. In response the familiar blue panels once again floated before his eyes. [Host, the system exists for your sake. It toils for your sake. It gives such lusciously rewarding missions for your sake! What ever it does, is ultimately for your benefit! Please do not curse at this innocent systemand dutifully complete the mission and you will be rewarded heavily.] Add was silent for sometime. (System.....where are the said Elves?) [Apologies Host, the system cannot tell you that. Please find out yourself.] He fell silent again, and spoke sometime later. (System...what do I need to save them from ?) [Apologies Host, the system cannot tell you that. Please find out yourself.] Add''s forehead was covered in black lines and a the corner of his lips was twitching violently. He fell silent again..... (My good system...?) He said in a caring tone [Yes Host ?] (You know...right now...I really, really wish, that you were a real person.....not just a screen....) His tone was still very caring, as if talking to a dear bosom friend. [Why Host ?] (So that I could cut you up and feed you to dogs you damned system!) And his caring tone turned into a raged murderous shout. [...] While Add was having his ''serious'' communication with the system, the two girls Lilliana and Annavel were looking at him curiously and s bit warily. The strange human boy who was leaving suddenly stopped and was standing quietly, and occasionally they could feel a cold killing intent radiating from him, causing them to tremble slightly. On the other hand the person in question was fed up with this whimsical system, however he could not refuse the mission, as the penalty was pretty harsh. _ _ _ _ _ Status : Name : Add Race : Human HP : 500/500 MP : N/A (Locked) Level : 22 | Experience Required : 4321/14435 Class : Firearms Master Subclass : N/A Title : Hunter Equipment : Alloy Katana (Grade ¨C Normal, Rank ¨C Low Tier) M20-A Semiautomatic Pistol (Grade ¨C Normal, Rank ¨C Middle Tier) Standard Combat Gear (Set) (Grade ¨C Rare, Rank ¨C Low Tier) KM777-XM Combat Knife (Grade ¨C Rare, Rank ¨C Low Tier) Skills : [(Basic) Unarmed Combat Mastery (Passive)Lv.3] [(Basic) Body Strengthening (Passive)Lv.9] [(Basic) Knife Mastery (Passive)Lv.5] [(Basic) Accelerated Healing (Passive)Lv.5] [Perception (Passive) Lv.6] [Night Vision (Passive) (Max)] [Firearms Mastery (Max)] [(Basic)Agility Enhancement Lv.7 (Passive)] [(Basic) Clear Vision Lv.4 (Passive)] [Basic Sword Skills Lv.5 (Passive)] [Basic Two-Handed Sword Mastery Lv.1] [Basic Katana Skills Lv.5 (Passive)] Special Skills : [Calm Mind (Passive) (Max)] [Imaginary Time (Passive) Lv.1] [Blood For Blood (Passive) (Max)] [Contract (Max)] Credit Points : 7162 ATTRIBUTES : Vitality : 10 Strength : 22 Agility : 14 Endurance : 12 Intelligence : 6 Wisdom : 7 Stamina : 10 Charm :5 Magic Aptitude : N/A (Locked) Stat Points : 0 Skill Points : 0 Evaluation : Although he is a young, he is as formidable a warrior, as is any other veteran. _ _ _ _ _ He checked his status and found that the rewards for the mission would be enough to level him up twice, maybe more. It was getting increasingly difficult to level up with each level, partly as there were not any strong monsters he could use to gain Exp. Even A ranked monsters which were the strongest creatures he had faced yet, gave 200~400 Exp. at best, so right now he was in a pinch as how to level up faster. He could go on a extended hunt killing monsters one after another, but that would take him hundreds of such monsters and A ¨C Ranks were not so abundant here. This was partly the reason, that he had chosen to leave for Helmsberg. Strong monsters and magical beasts were abundant around that city, and it would be easier for him to level up there. (*Sigh*...whatever...I will just do it....Not like I had an option even....) He turned around to look at the two girls. Lilliana had the arrow lodged in her leg removed, and the wound was roughly bandaged by a piece of cloth by Annavel, yet blood was still dripping from it. He looked around in his inventory and pulled out a basic healing serum and then turned back and walked up to the two girls. Watching him come closer Annavel readied her caution for any unexpected moves while Lilliana looked at him questioningly. "Here drink this...it will help with the wound....." Add said as he passed the bottle of healing serum to Lilliana. Now that he had to escort them to their home, which he had no idea as to where it was, bringing along such an injury was unacceptable. The Elf in question took the bottle and looked at it strangely. It was a cylindrical tube with a viscous red liquid inside, sealed by a cork. "This...." She was hesitant. "Its a healing....liquid. Drink it, your wound should recover more or less after that." (Add) "Like a healing potion ?" (Lilliana) ".....Yes something like that...." (Add) She felt a bit hesitant as she knew nothing about this drink. She of course had seen healing potions, but they were mostly translucent in appearance. She wondered if the boy before her was trying to trick her. "Lily.....I don''t think you should drink it ? What if its something bad?" Annavel whispered in her ear. Clearly she was not trusting of Add, a human. "But Anna, he saved us....and he is strong...I don''t think he would need to use underhanded means if he meant us harm....." (Lilliana) "Uhhh....but he is a human.....we cannot trust him!"(Annavel) Meanwhile Add was wondering, "Am I really so not trustable ? "Its fine.....if I wanted to harm you two, I could have done it many times already...its just a medicine...." Despite Annavel''s protests, Lilliana looked once again at Add and looking at his calm expression, she made up her mind. Her wound was painful and she had lost a lot of blood, if it was not treated quickly things could go downhill. She opened the cork and drunk the serum in one go, under the worried gaze of Annavel. It was sweet in taste and right after drinking it she felt a gentle warmth engulf her body. A burning sensation arose in her leg which was wounded which gradually turned into an itch and finally disappeared completely after sometime along with her pain. She quickly undid the bandaging and saw that her would had completely healed, and fresh skin had appeared where the deep wound previously was, just a little while ago. Even Annavel was at a loss of words. "...This.....is really miraculous! She exclaimed loudly. Although healing potions were not uncommon, they were usually nowhere close to this fast in action. Such a potion should be a very high grade one, she thought. (Who is this human ? He is so strong.....and he has such miraculous potions...this must be very precious....for him to give it out like its nothing.....just what is his back ground ?) Lilliana wondered. "So is your leg fine now ?" (Add) "Ah!" She broke out from her thoughts at his question. Swinging her leg a few times, Lilliana found that it was as good as it was never hurt. "Yes! Its perfectly fine now! I owe you another one Mr. Add!" Add waved his hand dismissing he concern. "Well then, if you ladies don''t mind why don''t we have a little chat ? I am quite interested in knowing about Elves you see....." He faked curiosity. He needed to get some useful information from them, if he wanted to complete the mission. But directly asking them things like "where is your home?" "take me there...." would have adverse effects, so he chose to take a slow approach. Annavel hesitated, but Lilliana readily nodded, dragging the former, who was still unconvinced, with her. She wanted to know more about this human, who looked very dangerous, yet at the same time gave a feeling of security. Led by Add, they left the area and went to the lakeside where they sat down opposite to each other. Lilliana began narrating her story. She started with some information about Elves. Elves believed that they were the children ofthe Goddess of Nature, Fj?rgyn (Fiorgin). They were divided into 3 sub races, the High Elves, The Wood Elves and the Dark Elves. It is believed that the High Elves were the direct descendants of Fj?rgyn and the progenitors of the other two races. All their races were long lived, living for thousands of years, but their reproductive abilities were modest, hence their numbers were quite few. She and Annavel belonged to the wood Elves who were adept in the ways of living in forests and using many types of magic. She was 250 years old and Annavel was 150 years old. They belonged to a small Elven village which had around a 100 residents. They originally lived in the depths of the forest, away from all human contact, much like many other Elven villages. Elves were solitary by nature and even among themselves. Their villages were often tens and sometimes even a few hundreds of kilometres away. She was the daughter of the village chief, and Annavel was her good friend. For hundreds of years they had lived at that place happily among themselves, in harmony with the forest, tending to their crops and passing life. Their village was protected by an illusion spell which could not be breached easily, as such for hundreds of years they lived in peace. Until one day, a group of human hunters who were hunting monsters in the forest found their village by chance. The Elves who knew how dangerous humans were tried to capture them all so that they could not reveal the location of their village to other humans, but those hunters managed to escape. As the Elves feared, soon hundreds of humans attacked their village wanting to capture them as slaves. They fought back, but before the large numbers of humans, they were doomed. Most of them died fighting including the Parents of the two girls. Only a few of them including the women and children managed to escape from the village. Having nowhere to go, they arrived in this area a few months back. They knew that this place was dangerous, as it was barely 200 kilometres from a large human city, but they had no choice. Homeless and hopeless, they had nowhere else to go. Today the two of them had been exploring the forest for herbs to make medicine when they were suddenly ambushed by bandits, and then Add saved them. While speaking, the two girls'' eyes often shed tears, some scars were very difficult to heal. Add sighed, he now knew the reason why these two girls were so wary of him. No wonder. If your family and friends were killed by a group you would naturally come to hate and loathe them. These girls had it really tough, if he had not been passing by here today, who knows what would happen to these two girls. It definitely would not have been anything good. "Umm Mr. Add now that you know about us.....why don''t you tell us something about yourself as well ?" Annavel asked slowly "Anna!" Lilliana rebuked her. But Add nodded anyway. He looked at the sky, his gaze melancholic and distant as if searching for something in the vast cosmos. After a few moments he shook his head lightly and said.... "I''m just a traveller. A traveller From An Endless Time And A Countless Distance. That''s all you need to know about me." The two girls had wide eyes hearing such a confusing introduction. Ignoring their confused gazes, he stood up. He took out his helmet from the inventory and put it on. With a snap of his fingers his Katana on the belt vanished and the HK417A2 appeared in his hands. *Click ¨C Clack* Turning off the safety and chambering the first bullet, he looked at the two who had their eyes widened in surprise and shock. "Well then Miss Lilliana and Miss Annavel, lets get moving shall we? I will escort you to your home. Come on lets go...." _ _ _ _ _ 27 Offering Help "That..." Lilliana was at a loss. She had not expected Add to suddenly want to accompany them to their home. She instinctively hesitated. Although Add had saved them, but this demand of his was, in mild terms, unacceptable. "You human! So that was your plan from the start!" Annavel immediately drew her sword and took a stance pointing her sword at Add and coming before Lilliana, to protect her. She knew that this human was very strong and dangerous, yet she had to take her stand. "Lily stand back! I knew this human had ill intentions! He definitely wants to go to our camp and capture us all !! I bet he hired those bandits just to gain our trust! This filthy humans are all the same!!!" Her tone was filled with hatred. Lilliana also didn''t speak. She didn''t want to think that Add had such intentions but Annavel''s words sounded convincing. The person in question looked dully at the duo. If not for the damn mission issued by the damned system, he wanted to just leave them and leave, but the rewards and the penalty held him back. The two girls looked at him with gr A sense of tension filled the atmosphere. "Say...." Just as he was about to speak, a faint sound like a whistle echoed in the forest. Add looked at the direction from where it came with a questioning gaze whereas, the expressions of the two girls changed abruptly. Their faces paled and terror filled their eyes. "It cannot be...." (Lilliana) "Oh no!!" (Annavel) Without saying a single word to Add, the two of them madly dashed into the forest ignoring him. "Is the sound perhaps related to them ? For them to become so desperate instantly...." He also decided to follow them, while maintaining a certain distance. As the girls desperately ran through the forest, they didn''t discover, or to say, they couldn''t care to discover the human who was following them some 50 metres behind of them. The whistle like sound they heard was actually an emergency warning used by the Elves. Something serious must have happened for the whistle to be blown. After around 15 minutes of intense running through the dense foliage, the two girls reached the temporary camp which the Elven survivors had made. There were around 30 Elves present there, and all of them had tense faces. "What happened !?" Lilliana who was, after the death of her parents, the leader of the survivors, went running towards the other Elves, followed by Annavel. Add who stopped after confirming that the two girls had reached their camp safely, retreated a few hundred metres from the camp. He stood on a tree branch and looked at the Elves with his binoculars. [Ding! Mission : Plight Of the Elves (1) Completed!] [Rewards of 5000 Exp. and 2,500 CP received!] The system faithfully rewarded him as expected. [Ding! Mission : Plight of the Elves (2) Initiated!] [ Part (2) : Help the Elves fend off the incoming human attack and ensure their survival! No more than 10 Elves should die or the mission will be considered a failure! Rewards : 7,000 Exp. and 3,500 CP.] (Hmm .....so humans are going to attack them.... No wonder the Elves look so fearful and despaired.....well turns out it is humans only....that''s still doable....) Add looked at his stats, he had a total of 9,662 CP now. He purchased some magazines for his HK417A2 and AX338 bringing his balance to 9,000. When up against humans, and when the other side had a numerical advantage, Add decided to take the traditional approach of guerrilla warfare. At the Elven Camp - "Oh Lilliana you are finally back!" A female elf shouted, and all eyes followed, landing on Lilliana. Instantly the Elves began gathering around her. Everyone had something to say, making the situation disorderly. "Everyone please calm down! Tell us what is wrong, who blew the whistle and why ?" Said Annavel coming beside Lilliana. Her loud voice caused the Elves to quieten down a lot. "It was me who blew the whistle...." A young looking Elven male said as he came forward. After the few Elves had escaped the attack on their village, most of the adults had perished or were injured, leaving the younger ones to take up the various chores and duties. The Elf in question was working as one of the few scouts and sentries keeping watch around the camp. Today as well he was doing his job like he had been doing the past few weeks when he discovered some activity inside the forest. When he went closer to see what exactly was going on, he was terrified and immediately ran back to inform the other Elves and blew the whistle. "There are humans! A lot of them, over a hundred! They have formed a camp around twenty t?r away." T?r was an Elven unit of distanceroughly equal to 800 metres. As such a large group of humans were gathered less than 16 kilometres from them was a really alarming news. The expressions of all Elves were dark. Mothers hugged their children tightly and few Elves who had seen the death of their friends and families by the hands of humans were traumatised and were trembling. Lilliana too was very worried. She asked for more details to the Elf and estimated that the humans had in fact come for them specifically. They had escaped from the village very hurriedly and desperately, so a lot of traces of their escape were left. Following them was not too difficult for experienced humans. She turned towards Annavel who also had a difficult expression on her face. "Anna....what do you think we should do...?" (Lilliana) "....I....I don''t know Lily.....If those humans attack us now, we will be slaughtered easily....I don''t know....maybe we should escape again...?" (Annavel) Lilliana shook her head. "Even if we try to escape....at this distance.....they will surely catch up with us..." "....But we cannot fight with them...we barely have anyone capable of fending against humans....not to mention over a hundred of them..." Annavel clenched her sword. Her heart was filled with unwillingness and helplessness. She knew her strength was no where enough to protect her people and she felt immense anger at her own weakness and even more hatred towards the humans. "Damn it all!" she stabbed her sword into the ground and cursed. The other Elves also had similar feelings. They had lost their homes, families and friends to the Humans and once again they were on the verge of being attacked by them. This caused despair to creep into everyone''s mind. Amidst the silence that had descended into the camp, gradually the sounds of footsteps appeared. Some Elves looked towards the source of the sound and their eyes widened. "H....human!" An Elf shouted, his finger tremblingly pointing towards someone. Immediately all the Elves broke from their thoughts and looked at the direction he was pointing. A single human boy dressed in all black was walking towards the elves. He was wearing some strange armour. The human kept walking toward the Elves, his boots producing sharp sounds with each step. "Are they all ready attacking!?" "Quick take the children and run!" "Oh goddess Fj?rgyn....save us!" The Elves began panicking as soon as Add showed up. While some braver ones took up their weapons and prepared to fight, most of them panicked and began running away. Annavel immediately realised that they had forgotten this particular human after hearing the whistle. (Damn it! This bastard human followed us! Did he plan all this from the start!?) She immediately ran towards him followed by some other Elves while Lilliana tried to calm down the panicked Elves. "Everyone please calm down!" She was shouting trying to pace the Elves. "You how dare you follow us!? What is your goal !?" Meanwhile Annavel pointed her sword towards Add and shouted, making him stop. The few Elves around her also surrounded him. He looked at her and then the other Elves near him briefly but ignored them and kept walking, and went past her. This made the already angry Annavel mad, but just as she was about to lash out with her sword, something cold suddenly touched her throat. Add''s sword was at her throat, the cold blade just touching her skin. The other Elves were also terrified. "You...." Annavel gulped. The cold of the steel was being felt from her skin. Death was just that much far away from her. "If you speak any more bullshit...." he said in a chilling voice, "I will just chop your head off right now.....do you believe me ?" His tone was so calm and cold that she felt that he really would do it. This boy who could slaughter men like he was butchering pigs, would indeed do it. She was also terrified at the speed with which he had drawn his weapon, her eyes had not been able to keep up with his movements. This was to be expected, after all, she was just a novice in sword arts who had been practicing for a few years while Add had a cheat like the system. His sword skills were already on par with the average swordsmen, and the katana skills were especially unknown to the Elves. "Mr Add!" Lilliana had just pacified the Elves somewhat by telling that Add saved her and Anna. Although she would have preferred that a human not appear here, but since Add had already arrived, she could only sigh. But she got scared when she saw Add''s sword on Anna''s neck, and hurriedly ran towards them, and Add too put his sword back into the sheath. Lilliana gave a sigh of relief and asked the other Elves to put down their weapons too, which they did unwillingly. Many other Elves were also looking at them from the distance. "Mr. Add why have you followed us here ? You see, we are in a troublesome situation here, so my people are very scared. We are not on good terms with humans so.....If---" But before she could complete her words. "Miss Lilliana.....I know that you have a problem...but what if I said.... I had just the solution for your problem" His words made all the surrounding Elves including Annavel and Lilliana shocked. _ _ _ _ _ "So that''s the situation...." Lilliana, or rather Lily, as she asked Add to call her, explained the details of the situation like the location of the group of humans, their numbers etc.to him. Although she didn''t know exactly what he wanted, he had saved her before and was quite strong. If he was working with the other humans, he had little reason to appear here and try to deceive them as the Elves were in no way able to defend themselves. There was simply no need for him to pretend if he wanted to harm them. Add listened intently and nodded. Although the Elves wanted to drive him away, since their leader had not done so, they could only wait and see. Annavel was much quieter now. She knew that she better not mess with this violent human. After thinking for a while he stood up. "Well Miss Lily, I would need someone to guide me to the location then." "Do you mean, you will take action right now !?" Lily asked in surprise to which Add nodded. "Rest assured as I said...I will deal with, more like I have to....." The last part was spoken silently, so no one heard him. Lily looked at him with a troubled expression. "Fine then...let me discuss with the others....." She called her followers and discussed the matter, while Add waited at the side cleaning his AX338, and HK417A2. He would be using them soon. "Lily can we really trust him ? Let aside the fact that he is a human, he is a dangerous person....I...I don''t think we should trust him...." Anna tried to convince Lily, "what if he betrays us....we cannot trust a human..." The other Elves also gave similar opinions, but Lily was clear headed. She was looking at their options, which honestly were very limited. Here, a strong person like Add was offering them help, which they desperately needed...further without any help they would surely be killed or enslaved by the humans, and even if he betrayed them, the result would he the same. In the rare chance that he did not betray them, still even for Add, she had little hope that he could take care of over s hundred strong humans. Finally after a few minutes of discussions she was able to make the others agree to taking help from Add. She bowed to him "Mr. Add we would all be very grateful for your help!" Add nodded lightly. It was decided that Annavel, the Elf who had first seen the humans and two other Elves would take Add to the location while the rest of the Elves would begin moving away from this camp. Although they had little hope of escaping, nobody wanted to sit and wait for death. And so Add, along with the group left towards the human camp. But none of them knew that what was going to happen today, would mark the beginning of a chain of events which would lead to a fate that no one in this world had ever thought of. 28 The Battle Begins Following the group of Elves Add reached the location in little over 30 minutes. Elves were quite nimble in the forest terrain, their race was most at home here, and they could move very fast and very easily through the dense forest. Anna and the other three Elves were leading while Add was following a little behind them. He didn''t use his full speed, but was still able to keep up with them. Anna (Annavel) had an Idea about Add''s abilities but the other three Elves did not. They were quite shocked that the human could keep up with them. After the short confrontation before, the five people didn''t not speak much and a stifling silence fell on the group. Although Lily (Lilliana) had managed to pacify the Elves, they could never trust a human that easily. All along the way the four of them were very cautious looking out for any signs of ambush by the human following them. Fortunately for them, Add may not be their friend but he really wasn''t their enemy. After about30 minutes of travel, they reached near the camp of the humans. The group slowed down and carefully moved forward. The humans had camped on the bank of a stream, which was around 15 metres wide. The side, the Elves and Add were, was a bit more elevated than the other, giving an advantage in observation. "We are here" The young Elf named Vorn, who had firstdiscovered the Humans, led them to a spot among the trees, just before the river bank, from where humans where visible, but it was hard to see the Elves themselves. They were over a kilometre away from the Human camp, going any further would put them at risk of being detected by human sentries. Elves naturally had very sharp senses so looking across such a distance was no problem to them, for Add, however that was not so easy, however he who had his cheat like system, had no need of it either. He moved a bit away from the group and found a better position to observe. The Elves looking at him strangely as if saying "hey what is this guy doing?". Paying them no mind, Add took his binoculars from the inventory and began observing the humans. The Steiner binoculars had a very powerful zoom capacity and Add could see all details of the humans on the other side, clearly. Where the Elves could just make out the rough numbers and status of the humans from this distance, Add could see every detail very clearly, as the range of his vision was enhanced over 10 times. "Hey....what is that ?" Annavel talked to him for the first time since their one sided confrontation, however, he tone was mild, no longer having the aggressiveness and anger. She looking at a strange object which Add had suddenly brought out from seemingly nowhere. Her question, though was met with only ignorance which made her irritated. "A total of 250 people....200 of them are dressed like soldiers with light armor....swordsmen...spear men....archers...A leader and four others have better armour.....remaining 50 people appear to be mercenaries...." As he suddenly began blurting all that, the Elves were confused about what he was speaking, but soon realized that he was talking about the humans group present there. They were once again shocked by him, as even they couldn''t see all that from this distance. Annavel, realised that it must be the strange object which he was placing before his eyes, that was helping him to see all that. The person in question was making notes of the situation in his mind, a thing every soldier is thought, in the battlefield no one had the luxury to always carry a pen and paper, a lot of things had to be done mentally. The analogue rangefinder which worked with a pair of crossing lines helped him estimate the distance. After mumbling for sometime, when he had finally confirmed that he had not neglected anything he stopped observing. Add then looked at Anna who was intensely staring at his binoculars and asked : "Want to have a look ?" "Huh ?" being suddenly asked something, Anna who was immersed in her thoughts, felt confused. She saw Add giving the strange object to her. "It is called a Binocular..." "Bi....no...cular...?" She could barely pronounce it. "Yeah, its a tool to see in the distance...go ahead place your two eyes behind it and have a look...." Add didn''t mind letting her use the Binoculars as he wanted her to know exactly what they were dealing with. Now that he was already entangled with the matters of the Elves, he could not always do things secretively, as it would waste too much time. Furthermore it was just lending a pair of binoculars, so he felt no problems. "Just place your eyes behind those small holes and you will see...well just try it...." Anna took the binoculars carefully, and as her hands touched it, she realised that it was made of metal and some materials she had never seen before. Add shifted away from his observation spot, and let her take the place. Mimicking Add she, placed the binoculars before her eyes, it took her a few attempts but she finally managed to adjust her eyes into the right position and what she saw immediately made her baffled. "What magic is this....." Anna had never seen or heard of such objects. She had heard that there were things called telescopes, pipe like objects which helped in viewing some distance across, but the thing Add was using . Was it a new human invention, or a magical artefact ? She did not know. However she was now completely sure of one thing, this human Add, he was no simple person. Clearing her random thoughts she focused on the group before her. She could see the group of humans clearly, as if she was standing right before them, although lines which worked as the rangefinder were a mystery to her and she had no idea what those were. However her excitement and shock soon turned to terror. Her eyes fell on a few flags and banners with had the symbol of two swords crossing each other before a red rose. "They....they are the Kingdom''s Soldiers..." This symbol was the emblem of the royal family of Reingleif, who shared the same surname. The presence of the kingdom''s soldiers here meant that the kingdom was actively attacking Elves. She also saw a few mercenaries who looked like they belong to the same group which raided their village a few months ago. Previously the Elves thought that it was just a mercenary group which had found them by chance, but now it was clear that the Kingdom was acting against Elves. Over 5,000 years ago, when humans were the weakest Elves and other Races were widespread across Midgard, and the Elves were also flourishing. However After the 12 human knights, rallied their forces and unified all humans under their banners, the other races despite their many advantages began falling behind. Over the past five millennia, the humans had waged countless wars against the other races in Midgard and gradually pushed them all back. The Elves who once spread far and wide in the forests of Midgard were now, barely left, the last of them hiding in Waldesten. Some had tried to sail across the great oceans to the continent of Alfheim, the holy land of Elves, but if they had made it through was never known. The oceans of Iseria housed terrifying beasts, even more monstrous and disastrous than the ones found on Midgard. However, this forest which was massive, tens of thousands of kilometres across, and covered nearly a fifth of Midgard, was full of many dangers and countless monsters and magical beasts, and many mighty creatures which could decimate kingdoms if they wanted. Elves lived mostly on the outskirts of this forest, not daring to go any deeper. The various races which were pushed back by the ever growing human race, were pushed into the remote and dangerous corners of the world, their numbers dwindling by the day. Now, it seemed that the humans had set their eyes on this last home of the Elves. She fell to her knees and the Binocular fell down her hands. Thankfully, it was designed for military use so a fall like this was nothing to it, its manufactures even boasted that "Its covers on, you could practically pop a grenade beside it and it would still work without a scratch...". Add picked it up and stored it back in the inventory. The other three Elves including Vorn had pale faces and they also were trembling. The Elven villages and towns were quite far from each other....If the humans kept attacking like this, they could easily destroy their race off midland with little losses. "We are doomed.....the Kingdom is finally making its move....we what can we do...our other villages...our towns, they will all perish.....Fj?rgyn have you abandoned us...." Annavel had lost all hope, even if they managed to escape today, which was highly unlikely, the kingdom would surely not stop until they eradicated all Elves or enslaved them. (So that''s what the system meant by "dire straights") Add thought as he looked at the despairing Elves. He also thought about the situation. If the Kingdom was indeed on way to destroy the Elves, then it surely would not be done with sending such little force. Even if he eradicated them, more would come. Helmsberg alone had a standing army of 800,000 which was already massive. The entire kingdom would then at least have 5 times the number. That would be over 2 million soldiers at the lowest. Facing such a large army would make anyone despair. Even if he could help the Elves now, he was not so optimistic to think that he could take on an Entire kingdom by himself, even if he had the system. However, he had a mission to complete and the clock was ticking....he had to make a decision. "....Whatever even if such a situation comes...like someone once said.... ''It''s a good day to die''...." He made his choice, a soldier lived for battle. Add''s soul was that of a true soldier, cowering away from s battle was not his style. Even if the situation turned for the worse and the system made him help the Elves till the end, he could just except the penalty and walk away, he had died once, he didn''t fear death, but he didn''t want to die in vain as well. He walked past Anna and placed his AX338 on its bipod, taking a lying down position between the bushes. Anna was still occupied in her depressing thoughts, but Vorn looked as he placed his strange weapon down. Despite the impending doom, the young Elf was curious at what this strange human was doing. Add removed the lens cap, aligned the reticle, which in his case, was a cross, and adjusted the eye relief. The bipod was designed to help keep the rifle steady, even during firing. With the mounting rings loose, he rotated the scope until the cross was right side up (like a plus sign). With that done, he adjusted the distance the lens of the scope will be from the eye to ensure it won''t hit him when the weapon recoiled. After that he began adjusting the knobs of elevation and windage to get a proper view of his targets. The windage knob is used to move the impact point horizontally and the elevation to adjust it vertically. Finally he adjusted the parallax knob. Once he was sure of his adjustments, he turned off the safety. *Click ¨C Clack* The bolt pulled the first bullet into the chamber and as expected ; *Bang* Despite the active suppressor, a muffled bang echoed though not very loudly scaring Anna, and a bullet sped towards its target. An unsuspecting soldier who was acting as a sentry a little bit further from the group was hit right in the chest. The half plate armour he was wearing, was not enough to stop the .338 bullet, in fact, it barely bumped. The soldier who was keeping an eye out for any intruders, never knew what hit him. He felt a sudden pain in his chest, and next moment his vision blackened forever. [Ding! You have Killed a Rank 1 mana practitioner (Human)! Received 500 Exp. And 250 CP!] Add was momentarily surprised at the description "Mana Practitioner" but chose to ignore it for the time being. There were more important things to be done. *Click ¨C Clack ; Bang!* *Click ¨C Clack ; Bang!* *Click ¨C Clack ; Bang!* He shot in rapid succession and gunned down soldiers one after the other. Before the soldiers reacted all ten bullets had killed their targets. All of them were Rank ¨C 1 Mana Practitioners, earning him 5,000 Exp. and 2,500 CP. Although all this happened within a minute, the other soldiers had realised that they were under attack. They grouped up, raising their shields, and looking all around searching for the attacker. Add however stopped shooting. He now had 12,162 CP. Add could now buy something which he wanted for sometime now. He quickly opened the shop and bought it. _ _ _ _ _ Item : PKP Pecheneg 6P41 ¨C NM , 7.62¡Á54 mmR general-purpose medium machine gun (Grade ¨C Unique, Rank ¨C Low Tier) Description : The PKP Pecheneg (Pulemyot Kalashnikova Pekhotny "Pecheneg")6P41 ¨C NM is a medium machine gun chambering the standard Russian 7.62¡Á54 mmR round. It is a modernised version of the PK machine gun developed by the Legendary Arms inventor Mikhail Timofeyevich Kalashnikov. It comes with a It comes with a Picatinny rail for night vision or telescopic sights, the standard being 1P89-3 unified optical sight and can also equip other optical sights. It also has an additional tactical handle below the barrel for the convenience when firing. The PKP is belt fed and accepts 100-, 200-, 250-round box magazines. It is intended for use from an integral bipod as a squad support weapon, however it can be used in a two handed carrying fashion as well, and is designed as an anti personnel weapon. It provides more sustained firepower than the PK and its other predecessors, and the 7.62¡Á54mmR cartridge offers a longer effective range and better penetration of light structures and improvised covers in most type of environments and battlefields While it does not perform exceptionally well in terms of accuracy, it is known for its superior performance in supressing enemies with a muzzle velocity of 900 m/s rate of over 700 rounds per minute and a barrel with improved heat dispersion. Made of titanium alloy, it is a durable, light-weight, and fairly easy to maintain machine gun, which can serve under extreme conditions without a hitch. Damage : 150 Durability : 400/400 Effective Firing Range : 1000 ¨C 1500 metres _ _ _ _ _ The PKP was a very good gun in its class. Its 7.62¡Á54 mmR rounds were very powerful and the damage they caused were even greater. Based on the Kalashnikov family of rifles it was a durable, easy to use and maintain weapon, which had stood the test of time. When engaging a large group of enemies alone, at medium range, a machine gun was the best choice. The gun had a preloaded 100 round box magazine and was ready to shoot. "What is....what are you.....?" Anna who was watching the humans falling dead one after the other could not help but ask. She was in awe and fear of the weapon Add was using while Vorn and the other two had their jaws dropped. She had heard from her parents that the Kingdom''s soldiers in general were physically stronger than the Elves. But they were dropping dead like flies before Add''s strange weapon, which was simply unheard of. She had lost track of how much shock this human boy had given her, in the little time she had known him. And then again, Add brought out a similar yet different weapon. "This Miss. Annavel...." Add looked into her eyes and gave a small smile which seemed to her as a devil''s smile.... "Is....how a true ''Soldier'' Fights..." He once again fixed his eye on the scope as he loaded a new magazine into the AX338. The battle had just begun. _ _ _ _ _ A/N : 1. As you may have seen, I tend to describe weapons and systems and how they work, in detail. I know that many people find it annoying, but that''s what I want to write. I wanted to make a fiction which would enclose how everything works and not just simple language like, ''this does that and that does this''. Rather I want to show ''how it is actually done''. 2. I also realise that many people are troubled with some complex terms I sometimes use. So from this chapter on, I will describe the meaning of any difficult terms I use in a chapter, at the end of the said chapter as a "Additional Information". 3. The Said Information would be collected from sources like books, and (mostly) the internet so I can only say that they are true to the best of my knowledge. Additional Information : Parts of a Rifle Scope :A rifle scope is usually comprised of a body, eye piece, objective lens, shoulder, and windage, elevation and parallax knobs. The eyepiece is the part of the scope you look through and the objective lens creates the magnification of the target. The shoulder of the scope is where the diameter increases to hold the objective lens. Windage and elevation knobs can move the reticle side to side and up and down. Parallax knobs are rarely adjusted and affect the movement of the reticle in relation to the target. Reticle : The reticle of a rifle scope is the image you see on the lens of the scope that indicates where the weapon is pointed. It is usually a cross, though there are many reticle variations that include circles, exes, and a number of others. Two types of scopes : A single lens scope provides one level of magnification, whereas a variable power scope has a ring that allows you to choose between different levels of magnification. Most rifle scopes are single powered, but if you''re unsure which your scope is, look for a power selector ring past the shoulder of the scope but before the objective lens. This adjustable ring will permit you to choose between different levels of magnification the scope can provide. Most military and professional snipers use Single lens scope due to its simplicity. Parallax : Some high end scopes allow you to adjust a third variable in the scope: the parallax. Parallax is the movement of the target as it relates to the reticle in your field of vision when you move your eye away from the centre of the eye piece. An issue with your parallax may cause the target and the reticle to appear to be on different optical planes. 29 The Massacre "System, what is this "Mana practitioner" thing?" Add had heard a little about them, but it was not in detail and only vague things like, they could use mana and were very strong. Hence he was quite curious as to what it exactly was. So he asked his good friend the system about it, while he kept shooting the soldiers. [Host, the system can answer this question for 500 CP.] The same as ever black heartedness of the system made his brows twitch. This system really was too cheap. So Add turned to Anna and asked her the same question. Luckily, Anna the elf beside him, knew about it and told him without asking for any price. Every person on Iseria was born with a set potential for harnessing and storing mana in their body. Although every living thing had some mana in them, few had appreciable amounts of it. Among humans, those who did, were called Mana Practitioners. Then again there were two divisions among Mana practitioners, warriors and mages. However only one in 10,000 had the potential to become a mage. Being a warrior was easier, and some high level warriors had tremendous amounts of mana in them. The warriors were people who had superior talent in controlling mana within their bodies, much like regular humans like the guild master who could use [Mana Equip], however their mana capacity was higher than the normal humans, but not as high as to become a mage. They focused on building their physical bodies as strong as possible and honing their martial techniques. They were many times stronger than normal humans and were divided into 10 ranks based on their strengths as Rank 1 Warrior, Rank 2 Warrior, Rank 3 Warrior, and so on. On the other hand mages were similar to Warriors, but they had enormous reserves of mana in their bodies. Not anyone could become a mage. Only those born with special meridians through which mana could smoothly flow like blood, and had sufficient talent for magic could become full-fledged mages. They chose the path of spells and the mystic rather than the sword and the shield. They used various kinds of spells as their weapons and their spells were usually very dangerous. They used mana which was a mysterious force and the very basis of magic. Magic itself could bend the laws of nature. No one knew where and where magic first appeared, but most believed that it was the gift of gods. Using chants made by ancient runic languages and combining ones imagination, a mage could use her/his innate mana to create spells, which were basically, manifestation of imaginations. Mages were also divided into ranks similar to the warriors. In general, it was a proven fact that in the one on one fights, a mage would be vastly superior to a warrior of the same rank in terms of attack power, provided they could keep the distance. But mages had weak physiques, and thus, in close quarter fights however warriors would mostly win. As such, since mages were much rarer than warriors, they were deemed more important. In wars or battles, they were positioned at the safest points protected by warriors. The warriors fought the melee battles while the mages usually supported from the protected places. Elves also had a similar system with their own warriors and mages. When compared one on one, an Elf beat a human in every field, be it Mana capacity, magic talent, or physical prowess as their innate high affinity for mana naturally strengthened their bodies. The only reason that Elves had reached such a sorry state was their low reproduction rate and as a result a very small population when compared to humans. "So it turns out that Rank 1 Mana Practitioners are only this much¡­.." Add had been thinking that the Mana Practitioners would pose more of a threat, but now it seemed that the AX338 was enough for them. By now he had already killed 30 soldiers, and the rest had begun taking cover behind trees while looking for the mysterious attacker, but could not see anything. He finally stopped shooting using the sniper as the soldiers were scattering. If he continued sniping, some of them would definitely escape. So he put away the AX338 and took up the PKP Pecheneg Medium Machine Gun. It looked ready to shed some blood. *Click-Clack* He loaded the 250 round box magazine and turned the safety off. He also prepared a few as reserves in his inventory. The 15 kg weapon to him was as light as a 1 kg one. "Wait here¡­" "What are you going to do?" Anna asked him with a shaky voice. She was terrified as how this mysterious human boy so easily killed so many human soldiers without even exposing himself. She was thankful that he was not their enemy¡­.yet. "Miss Anna, just sit back and watch¡­.I am going to deal with this situation, we can talk later¡­" He instructed the Elves and swiftly began moving towards the river. As he moved towards the human camp, he formulated his plan of action. Anna tried to speak to him but he was gone before she could do so. Add who was wearing his tactical combat gear blended well with the darkness of the forest, however if he went into the open he would be instantly drawing attention. But he didn''t think it was of any risk. Firstly, he had already killed the few archers that the soldiers had, secondly, this group had no mages in it, and lastly he had full faith in himself. (But let''s buy these just in case¡­..) By the time he arrived at the stream, he purchased a few things from the system, to ensure total success in what he was about to do. "What is he doing...?" wondered Anna who had also began following Add after he left, while the other 3 Elves also had no choice tofollow her as well. They watched in suspense as Add walked out into the open without any change in his deadpan expression and stood right on the bank of the stream. The soldiers saw him and became alert, but they didn''t see the Elves as they were hiding within the forest growth. The soldiers were shouting things like: "Who are you!?" "Where did you come from!?" Some soldiers moved away from their covers and approached him pointing their swords and spears at him, but Add only gave one response to them. "You all can now go die." And then it began. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Derek Brian was a company commander of the royal army of Reingleif. His company was one among the many stationed at Helmsberg, comprising of 200 men under him.Although he was the fourth son in his household, and had to leave his house at the age of 20, to avoid being targeted by his brothers, he still belonged to a lower viscount household and thus had some authority in the army, which he had used to get this position. Although he belonged to the lower rung of the army, he was satisfied with his position. "This damn forest...." In his tent, Derek smashed a mosquito which had been annoying him for some time now. His below handsome face was scrunched up due to the heat making him look quite ugly. The heat and humidity of the forest along with the ever so annoying bugs were making his life quite difficult. On his regular duty he would have been staying at his nice and cozy office while his subordinates did most of the work, but he had been ordered to come here instead, by his superiors. At first he was unwilling to come himself and only send his men to do the work, but when he heard that they were going to capture Elves, he heartily joined. Elves were well known for their superior looks and beauty. It was a common saying that a bedding a female lf was the blessing among blessing. Ever since 5000 years ago, humans had been constantly suppressing them by their numerical superiority. As such making slaves out of Elves was a common practice. An elven slave sold over 4000 gold coins on an average, while females themselves fetched even higher prices, especially as sex slaves for wealthy people, like rich merchants, nobles and the aristocracy. Derek knew that he had no chance to have an elf as his personal slave due to his social status. Actually the slave firm which was hunting this particular group of Elves had asked for some help from the army in capturing them, so Derek and his men had been sent to do the job. They were to assist some members of the slave firm. The slavers who first discovered the village of Elves had suffered major losses in trying to capture them by themselves. So this time, after they managed to track down the runaway Elves, they had decided to take help of the royal army. The army themselves would receive remunerations from the sale of the Elves while the majority of the profit would go to the slave traders. A major reason behind the army supporting the slavers was that the king of Reingleif had long been thinking of getting the the forest regions around Helmsberg as his own territory. The Elves were just unlucky to be living there. "Well at least I would get to have some fun with those elven beauties¡­he he he¡­." Normally someone like him would have no chance to have an elf for himself, however, since he was leading this attack, he had certain "privileges". They had confirmed that the Elves were only around 30 in number, rest had been killed or captured by the slavers before. Their group of 200 troops had 200 rank 1 warriors while Derek himself was a rank 2 Warrior. Further they even had a group of 50 mercenaries from the slavers'' side. Such a force was enough to flatten the 30 or so Elves, even twice that number would be little problem. They had tracked the Elves successfully and had set camp, a little distance away from the temporary camp of the Elves. The plan was to attack the Elves at night and catch them all in a single sweep. Even if the Elves tried to run, they would still be unable to escape from the grasp of so many soldiers. It was an easy victory for the humans, and a profitable one as well. However, man make plans, and the heavens laugh. Just as Derek was dreaming of having his way with the beautiful elves, suddenly a commotion broke out in the camp. He hurriedly picked up his sword and went out only to find that some mysterious attackers had attacked his soldiers. Before he could understand what was happening, 10 of his soldiers had been killed. They all had their heads or chests pierced by something, which only left holes in their bodies, while some heads even exploded. "We are under attack! Everyone take cover!" He shouted and ducked behind a thick tree. But his men were many in number and all of them rushed to hide, causing commotion. Some crawled behind trees, some jumped into bushes, and some just lied down behind their tents or whatever they could hide behind. In the chaos that ensured he saw his men dropping dead like flies. He gritted his teeth as he realized that all his archers had been killed. His group didn''t have many archers to begin with and now they all were dead. What annoyed him to no end was the fact that he could not see anyone, who could be doing the attacks. For someone to be able to kill in broad daylight, and that too without being detected was really dangerous. As the soldiers and mercenaries scrambled for cover, more kept dying, within a few minutes he had lost over 30 of his men. "Dam it! Which f***er is doing this!?" Derek was enraged. But he could do nothing other than telling his troops to keep hiding while they tried to find the attacker. But they still found no traces even when they looked all around them. But then suddenly the attacks stopped, nd after sometime, a boy dressed in strange black clothing appeared on the other side of the stream. He appeared to be in his mid-teens and was carrying a strange object in his hands. Derek immediately felt suspicious of this new arrival. He felt that this boy was probably not the killer but maybe an accomplice of the killers? "Who are you and what are you doing here!?" he shouted, but the boy gave no response only looking at the soldiers, his face expressionless. "You five! Go bring that brat over here! If he resists, kill him!" Derek wanted to take no chances. He ordered a few soldiers close to him, to go and bring the boy over to him. The soldiers looked at each other and gulped. Having seen many of their companions killed had clearly scared them. They didn''t immediately move which made Derek even angrier. "Dam it you bastards! Either you go, or I will kill you all right here!" The soldiers who knew how bad the temper of their commander was, hurriedly scrambled towards the strange boy. But just when they were about to cross the shallow stream, "You all can now go die." They heard the cold voice of the boy and a small round object came tumbling towards them and landed on the ground right before them. It was a small round object which looked like a ball, they looked at it confused and a soldier moved his hand to pick it. "What is this thi-------" *BOOM* The ball like thing was actually a Type-201 HE grenade, which could kill a group of hobgoblins. And though these soldiers were rank 1 warriors, they were apparently not enough before it. The unlucky fellow who was trying to pick up the grenade was hit at point blank and blown to pieces, while the other four were blasted away, not in much better conditions, and died. (The Type-201 works just fine¡­..if it didn''t, I would probably have to run away.) Add was testing the effectiveness of the grenade on these people. Though the effect was not as on normal humans, the bodies of these "Warriors", being, stronger, but it was more than enough. The Type-201 was made in the early 22nd century, and was still in service while Add lived. It was known as the "Mushy Masher", by the people who used it, as it literally made mush out of people. Here too it did its job pretty well. Derek was stunned at the sudden explosion and before he could breakout from his stupor, Add had made his move. In a flash he was across the stream and began throwing more of grenades. He had already estimated where large groups of soldiers were hiding. The other soldiers had also seen what those small ball like things could do, but they were so shocked that most of them reacted a second too late to evade what was coming. "Look out!" someone warned, but it was too late¡­. *BOOM..BOOM...BOOM..BOOM..* Series of explosions rang out followed by screams of the soldiers. There were body parts flying around and pained screams kept echoing. The whole area drowned in chaos. The mercenaries who were a bit farther from the soldiers began running away. They only fought for money, but they were not fools, and they put their lives before everything else, so seeing the horrifying power of the enemy they decided to run. Add then began walking towards the remaining soldiers who were trying to run and flipped his hand. *CLINK¡­CLINK¡­CLINK¡­* Around ten pins dropped on the ground, proof of how many grenades had been thrown. [Ding! You have leveled up!] Add ignored the message as he had more important things to do. This was not the end, before the enemy could react, he began his final attack. The PKPPecheneg was aimed at the escaping soldiers and he pulled the trigger. The shells dropped as the 7.62*54 mmR bullets, shot out at almost twice the speed of sound at the escaping soldiers and mercenaries. They who had ever faced a gun before, and could not see the bullets had no way of defending from them. Wherever the bullets passed through, they turned the humans full of holes. Add also chased the escaping humans as he gunned them down without any mercy. Some tried to attack him but were quickly filled with bullets before they could reach him. *RATATATA¡­RATATATA¡­RATATATA¡­* The melody of a machine gun echoed in the forest as more and more people dropped dead. "How nostalgic¡­this atmosphere¡­.the smell of blood gunpowder and iron¡­.this is what humanity is all about¡­." He spoke in a daze. For him who had spent t almost 3 decades in the battlefield, this was extremely familiar. The Elves who were still hiding in the forest, were dumbstruck, seeing all this. They couldn''t believe their eyes. The group of humans which was sure death for them was being slaughtered by this human so easily. With a peculiar glint in her beautiful eyes, Anna frowned slightly. She was filled with fear towards such power, and curiosity as well: "Just what kind of person is he¡­..to have such devastating strength¡­" Within few minutes, add had killed all of the soldiers and mercenaries, none had survived. Using his superior speed and [Perception] skill, he easily tracked and intercepted all escapees. The forest floor was dyed red in blood and gore, and the air was filled with the pungent smell of blood, gore and gunpowder. Add was used to such situations, so he was totally unaffected, but the elves were terrified of the manslaughter he just committed. [Ding! You have levelled up!] [Ding! You have levelled up!] [Ding! You have levelled up!] [Ding! You have levelled up!] [Ding! You have levelled up!] [Ding! You have levelled up!] [Ding! You have levelled up!] With this he leveled up for 8 times in a row. Just as he was reloading his gun, Add felt a chill and dodged by jumping aside. A sword stabbed where he was standing a moment ago. He had just felt the sword enter the range of [Perception] and next moment it was beside him. How fast it must have been thrown. He turned to look at the person who had thrown the sword. It was the leader of the human group. Derek Brian. Derek had carefully snuck away when the grenade explosions were happening. He had seen how terrifying the boy was, slaughtering his soldiers like pigs. Derek as not confident in facing the boy head on so he had been hiding, waiting for a chance to attack the boy and kill him. And he got that chance when Add was near him and stopped to reload. Derek took this chance and threw his sword using all of his strength towards Add, but he still dodged it. Right now, the two were over a hundred meters apart, and Derek realized that, he probably won''t be able to kill the boy anymore. So he decided to escape. He only had to bring some reinforcements from Helmsberg and then he would be able to deal with him easily. The power of a Rank 2 Warrior burst forth as he dashed madly away from Add. The later, narrowed his eyes at the speed of the escaping man. It was a bit faster than the current him, so he immediately took out his AX338 and gave chase. As soon as he had a clear shot, he fired. The .338 Lapua Magnum round tore through the air towards Derek, but to Add''s surprise, right before hitting Derek, it ricocheted away. "Barrier?" Add wondered as he was able to see a slight transparent force field like thing covering the man, protecting him. Actually, it was a barrier made by a spell. When he was leaving his house, Derek''s father had gifted him a small ring which had been enchanted by a Rank 3 wizard. It could form a barrier when under attack and protect from attacks of Rank 3 Warriors easily. When the .338 Lapua Magnum hit it, it didn''t have enough power to piece the barrier and bounced away. But he did feel like a hammer was hit on his back, as a trickle of blood leaked from his lips. "Just you wait you fucking brat! You dare kill soldiers of the Royal Army! You are done for! You are DEAD!" He shouted and smiled cruelly. Once he returned with powerful reinforcements, he would take his time torturing this boy. Derek, kept running in a zigzag manner making it difficult for Add to chase him. He had to stop Derek before he entered dense forest or else Add would lose him, because of his speed. He furrowed his brows and put away the AX338. While still chasing Derek, he took out the light fifty, the Barrett M107A1 50 caliber rifle. "Let''s see if it can block this¡­.." With a muffled *BANG*, an empty casing bounced away as the 12.7*99 mm NATO round pierced through the air and hit the barrier protecting Derek, whose smile froze on his face. The round pierced the barrier like a needle pierces a balloon and the ring on his finger shattered. The last thing Derek Brian saw before dying was a bloody hole in his chest as his eyes filed with unwillingness, and then lost their lights forever. Thus ended the lives of an entire company of soldiers. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 30 To Make A Choice Right after add killed the runaway commander of the enemies, the familiar blue notification screens appeared before his eyes. [Ding! Mandatory Mission :Plight of the Elves (2), Completed!] [Ding! Obtained 7,000 Exp. and 3,500 CP as mission rewards.] [Ding! Obtained 20,000 Exp. And 10,000CPas final rewards.] [Ding! You have levelled up!] Although it was not comparable to the bulk of Exp. he had obtained by killing the humans, it was still a lot. But before looking into it, he did a thorough inspection of the area ensuring he had not left any danger unchecked. Killing the Empire''s soldiers was no joke. The empire would surely get to know about the deaths of so many of its soldiers, and would surely send an even larger force in searchof the perpetrators. Although the Elves didn''t actually kill these soldiers, but the fact that they died in pursuit of Elves was undeniable. So the Elves'' problems would only continue to increase from henceforth. If possible Add would not have killed so many soldiers but evaded them, but the situation, didn''t allow him to do that. (¡­..Whatever, I will have to deal with things as they come¡­..for now¡­.) He cast one last look at the dead bodies and then returned to where Anna and the others were hiding. Once he got closer to them he saw all of them averting their gazes. Though she tried to hide it, but even Anna who was the most courageous, seemed scared, while the other three had pale faces. Vorn was trembling, having witnessed the one sided massacre this young human boy had caused. Add had shown no mercy and with his strange weapons and what looked like some strange magic, killed the human soldiers ruthlessly. He could still see arms, heads, innards, and mutilated bodies lying around. Elves were a peaceful race by nature and seeing all this almost made him puke. Add noticed their reactions easily. "It seems that you all do not approve of my ways¡­.." he suddenly spoke, putting the elves in a tough spot. "W-Well¡­.." Anna tried to say something but could not find the words. Add shook his head lightly and continued; "Well too bad, but this is reality, not some story where things like death and war appear clean. You have to finish your enemy in the fastest and most efficient way you can, needles honour and mercy would only cause your downfall." They had no words o refute with. Indeed if Add had not helped them, they would, at best be dead, or worse become slaves. His methods were bloody but they solved their immediate problems just fine. Anna now knew well just how terrifying he could be. She had seen him slaughter the bandits and now massacre these soldiers even more cruelly. She felt glad that he wasn''t their enemy or the Elves would be in for extinction. "What about those corpses¡­.?" Vorn asked in a quivering voice. "Just leave them be, we don''t have time to wasteon them¡­" Add replied dully, there was no need to take care of corpses. In Add''s eyes these people who were enslaving and killing the elves for their vile purposes, were not soldiers, but heathens. It was the duty of a soldier to honour dead soldiers, no matter which ever side they were from, but these people who were worse than animals, deserved no respect. It would be fitting for their remains to be eaten by stray animals. As a soldier Add had his own conscience different from normal people. He kept his job above anything else, and to him, a soldier was to be a patriot who protected his motherland, not a vigilante who did crimes on innocent people, and used his strength to fulfil his vile needs. As such he felt disgusted and hatred towards these humans which, to the Elves was clear despite his expressionless face. "Then let''s move on¡­.Lily and the others must be worried for us¡­.." Anna tried breaking the ice. Add nodded and began walking towards the Elves'' camp while the rest quietly followed. He took a look at his stats again. During these events he had levelled up a total of 7 times up to level 29, was just a little Exp. away from level 30. He now had 14 skill points and 14 stat points as well.On the way back to the elven camp, the atmosphere was eerily silent. The four elves were following Add who was busy checking for any skills he could use. This human had totally turned their common sense upside down. Though there were humans who were even capable of destructing entire cities, such people rarely visited such remote regions, and the ways of Add were a complete mystery to them. The boy, however was busy adjusting his stats. After looking at his status, Add could not help but feel somewhat regretful, that he didn''t level up to 30 this time around. Then he would have extra 5 skill and stat points to spare. (If only those useless soldiers gave some more Exp¡­..) He had such thoughts in his head. He added 2 points to vitality, 6 into agility, 2 into stamina, 2 in endurance, 1 in intelligence and the last in wisdom. As for his skillpoints, he raised [Body Strengthening], [Perception], [Accelerated Healing] and [Agility Enhancement]to lv. 10 each. These skills had reached the final level of basic rank, and to level them up into Intermediate Rank, it would take 2 skill points every level. Add invested the last remaining skill point into levelling [Basic Two Handed Sword Mastery] to lv. 2. He then looked into his CP, he had 68,500 cp now, which was a lot. He really had made a good profit this time. (Lets buy a defensive skill¡­.) He already had good offensive abilities, but his defence was not on par with thatyet, his standard combat gear could protect him from bullets, but it could not protect him from the dangerous monsters that roamed in this world, it was never designed for that purpose. So he needed something more defensive and more dependable. He considered buying some magical armours the shop had, however they were hundreds of thousands of CP, so he had to abandon that idea. The skills however were cheaper, but they had to be upgraded with skill points. But since he was tight on budget, Add decided to buy a defensive skill. After going through the skill trees, he found one to his liking. Skill : [Stone Body (Passive)] Description : increases the body`sdefence by a certain amount. The effect of the skill is proportional to its level and when maxed, the body has stone like defence. Price : 10,000 CP Although the skill was not very flashy, and had a very large price tag, given its functions, it was well worthy of the price. Further, it could evolved after it reached lv. 10 and then the defence of the body would also increase even more. It suited add who didn''t want to wear flashy armour or similar equipment.After that he bought some more grenades and ammunition for his guns to refill his stock, and left aside with 50,000 CP as a reserve. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Status : Name : Add Race : Human HP : 700/700 MP : N/A (Locked) Level : 29 | Experience Required : 11052/32863 Class : Firearms Master Subclass : N/A Title : Hunter Equipment : M20-A Semiautomatic Pistol (Grade ¨C Normal, Rank ¨C Middle Tier) Standard Combat Gear (Set) (Grade ¨C Rare, Rank ¨C Low Tier) KM777-XM Combat Knife (Grade ¨C Rare, Rank ¨C Low Tier) PKPPecheneg64P1 ¨C NM General Purpose Machine Gun (Grade ¨C Unique, Rank ¨CLow Tier) Skills : [Basic Unarmed Combat Mastery (Passive)Lv.3] [Basic Body Strengthening (Passive)Lv.10] [Basic Knife Mastery (Passive)Lv.5] [Basic Accelerated Healing (Passive) Lv.10] [Perception (Passive) Lv.10] [Night Vision (Passive) (Max)] [Firearms Mastery (Max)] [Basic Agility Enhancement Lv.10(Passive)] [Basic Clear Vision Lv.4 (Passive)] [Basic Sword Skills Lv.5 (Passive)] [Basic Two-Handed Sword Mastery Lv.2] [Basic Katana Skills Lv.5 (Passive)] Special Skills : [Calm Mind (Passive) (Max)] [Imaginary Time (Passive) Lv.1] [Blood For Blood (Passive) (Max)] [Contract (Max)] Credit Points : 50,000 ATTRIBUTES : Vitality : 12 Strength : 24 Agility : 20 Endurance : 14 Intelligence : 7 Wisdom : 8 Stamina : 12 Charm :5 Magic Aptitude : N/A (Locked) Stat Points : 0 Skill Points : 0 Evaluation :A warrior who doesn''t blink while taking lives. His cruelty knows no bounds. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Watching Add who was staying silent, Anna thought of talking to him, but could not exactly find any words to say, she was never the chatty type herself. To her Add seemed to be always in his own pace, and initiating a meaningful conversation with this strange human was too high a hurdle for her. So the group kept moving in silence. By the time the group reached the camp of the Elves, Lily(Lilliana) was waiting very anxiously for the past few hours. She was resting in her tent, waiting for Anna and the others to return. Although she had decided to trust Add, a human, a part of her heart was still worried. Questions like "What if it is a trap set by humans?", "What if Add hurt Anna and the others", "What if they were harmed by the humans before being able to do anything?"...kept appearing in her mind. Although Add was strong and he had said that he would take care of the matter, she didn''t believe that him alone would be able to deal with such a large group of humans. As her heart was beating wildly in tension she heard commotion from outside. "Have they already attacked!?" Fearing for the worst she ran out. * * * * * As soon as Add, Anna and the Elves reached back in the camp, the other Elves at the camp, who spotted them immediately surrounded the group. Although they were still wary of Add, they were more eager to know what happened to the humans. They began showering the group with questions, like "Are the humans coming?", "How many are they in number ?", "Where will we run?" etc, one after the other making Anna, Vorn and the other two Elves quite awkward, while the main perpetrator, a human boy, was as expressionless as ever. Add walked away from the crowd, finding a tree to sit under and began organizing his weapons and ammunition. "Anna you are back!?" A figure rushed towards Anna when she was trying to calm the panicked elves. Lily hugged Anna tightly, almost startling the latter.After a few moments, Lily let her go and worriedly gazed at her best friend who was like a family to her. Seeing Anna unhurtand safe, her violently beating heart was relieved, but the next instant, she began worrying about the attack by the humans. As if understanding her worries Anna gave a wry smile. Then turning to the other elves, she spoke;- "Everyone Please Listen! The humans will not be attacking anytime soon now! We are safe!" This caused gasps of aw and surprise among the Elves. "Miss Anna are you telling the truth ?" An Elven lady asked as she held her young boy close. Anna smiled and nodded; "It is true! The humans have been deal with! Mr Add here has dealt with the humans as he promised. Everyone can relax now, we are no longer in danger¡­." Even then many Elves were doubtful. They looked at Add who was busy fiddling with his guns, and felt conflicted. To trust a human, who had harmed the Elven Race so much was a very hard task. Only after Anna, Vorn and the others repeatedly assured them, did the crowd disperse. However , they did not speak about his methods as it would undoubtedly scare them. Vorn and the other two Elves also left to do their respective works, while Anna followed Lilly into her tent. Anna then began describing in detail what exactly the situation was. She told Lily, how the empire of Reinglief, was now actively hunting Elves, and that they had send over 200 soldiers this time. Lily''s gaze hardened as she heard the situation in detail. Things were very bad for the Elves now. With the massive empire directly against them, they were in serious trouble. Then Ana began speaking in detail, about how Add had saved them all this time. From his strange gimmicks and weapons, to their lethality and destructibility as well as how he massacred his fellow humans in cold blood like killing pigs, not batting an eye. "It was¡­.as if...as if he thought nothing of killing so many people¡­his face was expressionless all the time¡­.Lily¡­I I cannot explain this¡­..I have seen people kill people before, but¡­..Add¡­he scares me¡­it is as if he doesn''t care of life,¡­..I know the humans were here to kill us¡­.but¡­.i don''t know why ¡­.. Add gives the feeling of being much more dangerous¡­.." This left Lily wide eyed. When she heard how mangled and mutilated the bodies had become, a cold shiver ran down her spine.She was almost unable to believe all this. How could a human slaughter his own kin so cruelly, not leaving a single one alive, justfor a group of Elves he had met a little while back. Add had dealt with such a force all alone, and annihilated them all. Lily well understood The Elves didn''t use human standards ofhowever, ifcomparing, while using her [Mana Equip], Anna was almost as strong as a Rank 3 warrior, and most of the other Elves were as strong as Rank 2 warriors. This was because most of the Elves, including Lily herself used Nature and wind magic, and very few of them went to become a warrior. As such their Physical strength as a whole fell short of humans. Also most of the strong Elves of their village had died in the earlier attacks on them. Even if all of the thirty something, of them banded together fighting with no care for their lives, she didn''t think they could kill even 50 humans, much less 250. This clearly showed how strong and dangerous Add was, if he so decided to turn against them, they would be helpless, in fact she estimated that Add wouldn''t be afraid even if he faced off against a 1000 humans and and he would have no qualms, slaughtering them all. It was a miracle that such a person had chose to help them. "Anna¡­I want sometime alone¡­..I have to think what we should do from here on out¡­..ah and prepare a shelter for Mr. Add he has done such a big favour to us¡­ " She told her best friend and the later immediately understood. She patted her shoulder and smiled. "Don''t be too hard on yourself, Lily¡­.. alright take some rest, I will take care of the other matters...." After Anna left, Lily began seriously considering her options. She had few paths to take from here on out. Now that Reingleif was against them, they had no choice but to go deeper into the forest of Waldesten, if they wanted to avoid being killed by the royal army or enslaved. However if they went any deeper, the various deadly beasts that dwelled in the forests would kill them. These beasts were so strong and deadly, that the humans had left Waldesten to its own only because of the threat of these beasts. However, staying here was also not an option anymore andthough she knew of some large Elven towns nearby, which would definitely provide them shelter, getting to them was a challenge because o these beasts. "If only Mr. Add helped us reach¡­.." The closest town as per her knowledge was over200 T?r(over 160 kilometres), away from their current location. The path was filed with viscous beasts and dense forest terrain making it extremely dangerous to travel, especially for them who had no notable military force.themoment she had this thought, she shook her head. Add had already helped them a lot, without asking for anything. And the beasts living in the forest were much stronger than the humans he had defeated, and they were also countless in number. Asking him to risk his life for them was not only being shameless, but also ungrateful.She tried thinking of some other solution, but even after thinking a lot, she could not find any. Everywhere seemed to be a dead end for her... Finally, after hours of thinking, she decidedto bet her hopes on a gamble. For the safety of her people, she decided to do something which she would never have imagined she could do. "But this is the only way now¡­..we will die either way, I can only place my hopes on this.'' With a resolute heart, she proceeded to do what she had decided in her heart. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ On the other side, Add was still fiddling with his guns, although he had heard of, and seen these guns in his previous life, he hadn''t had much chance to operate them. So he decide to familiarize himself with those guns. He opened up the various guns starting from the AK 47 to the PKP Pecheneg, right down to their nuts and bolts and then reassembled them, doing this a few times helped him get acquainted with each gun and how each one worked. Some Elves watched his antics from a distance, not knowing what those weird things were. He then began counting and organizing the various types of ammo he had. From the .45 APC to the beastly .50 BMG, Add had amassed a varied arsenal, each suited for different jobs.He now had around 100 rounds for the M20-A,500 rounds for the AK, 200 for the AX338, 500 for the HK417A2, 100 for the Barrett M107A2 and 400 for the PKP. He also had ten Type-201 HE grenades. All in all, Add was sure that he was set for the coming days. Just as he was finishing his work, Vorn walked up to him. The Young Elf, had been waiting for him to finish whatever he was doing, while occasionally taking curious glances at the strange weapons, he had seen firsthand, how deadly this strange things were. After Add finished, Vorn led him to a small hut nearby. It was made of a frame of manytree branches and covered with leaves. The elves were experts at using natural materials to make their homes. Although the hut was small and crude, and it had a crude door made of branches and leaves, giving some privacy. Also,it had a cushion of leaves to sleep on and protected from wind and rain. Vorn apologised for the lack of hospitality but Add never minded such petty details. He had slept in rain, in mud, crawled in sewers and passed his days beside rotting corpses in trenches, a hut like this was more than enough. After showing him the hut, Vorn left, Anna also visited him later for some small talk and then left. Around midnight, when all the elves excepta few sentries were sleeping, there was a soft knocking on the door of his hut. Add who hadn''t slept and was busy wrestling with the system, raised a brow. "Who is it at this time?" As he went and opened the door, what grated him was an enchanting figure clad in a white silk dress. "Mr. Add¡­.that¡­..may I come in¡­.?" She asked shyly. "Huh?" And that was the only response he could utter. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 31 Night Of Love After thinking all possible ways for a long time, Lily had come to the conclusion that to ensure the survival of her remaining people, she had no other choice but to depend on Add. She had already lost her parents, most of her friends, and she couldn''t afford to lose anymore. It was clear that they had to go, the humans would be back any day, and they would keep coming. Staying here, would undoubtedly be a foolish choice, so they had to try and get to the larger Elven cities and settlements. But for that they needed a strong force to protect them from the dangers along the way, and the only available person who could help them was Add. She had seen his strength, and he was probably the only one who could help them now. He had already saved them from peril once and she was not so na?ve to think that he would help them without receiving any benefits. The question then came to that what could she offer r to him that he would take such a big risk as going deep into Waldesten. They had no money to give him, neither they had anything like treasures or precious items which they could offerhim. After deliberating some more, she realized that the only possible thing she could offer him was herself. The licentious nature of elves was not hidden from any Elf. Although in the short while he had known him, Add had never shown any signs of lust or desire towards the Elves,but in the end he was still human. Elves were naturally beautiful, and even among her race Lily was considered a top tier beauty, and she had enough confidence in her looks that she felt that if she offered herself, no human would possibly refuse. Thinking of what she had to do, her eyes filled with tears. She had always thought that she would marry a elf who would love her and care for her. They would have a happy little family, and would spent their lives together happily. Elves were a very prideful and honorable race and they despised such vile acts like selling oneself for profits, and it would be utterly humiliating for herself to try and seduce Add acting like a prostitute, but it was the only available way now. She was the Acting leader of her people and for their sake she had to do it.So with her goal decided she began preparations. She could not let Anna or the other Elves to find out about this or they would surely oppose her decision. So it all had to be done secretly. She waited for nightfall to begin her work. When Anna returned after managing all of her work, Lily greeted her normally. However being with her since when they were kids, Anna felt something was off with Lily but she thought that it was just stress and didn''t bother anymore. Lily felt bad for doing this without consulting her best friend, but she had to harden her heart and carry on. They had a little chat and then both went to sleep. She and Anna slept in the same hut, so Lily had to wait for Anna to fall asleep, before she quietly left the hut. Though sentries guarded the camp at night, they normally stayed a bit farther away from the huts so encountering them was of little concern. Lily went to a small spring nearby and hadbath, to make herself more presentable. Then she dressed herself in a simple white one piece dress, made of thin silk. It exposed alot of her skin and bared the voluptuousfigure which her normal clothes hid behind them. After dressing herself and fixing her hair, she made her way towards the hut Add was in, on the way she almost ran into two patrolling Elves, but managed to hide in time. After they left, she once again carefully went on her way. Thoughts of stopping came to her mind many times, she persisted solely through her determination and moved on. Soon the hut came into view, and her heart began beating faster and faster. Lily still had fears in her heart. What if Add rejected to help her, or what if, even after taking her body, he ran away leaving them to die? She felt scared thinking all this, but there was no way left other than this. After tonight it would be clear if she and her people would survive or not. _ _ _ _ _ Unaware of her ideas, Add was busy searching the system shop, for anything useful. Except the very basic skills, almost all other skills cost a lot. Their price depended manly on their utility and effects. The skills he had purchased earlier were among the cheapest ones available. As he moved down the skill trees, the prices increased exponentially. Add could only sigh as he closed the system shop. There were so many lucrative skills yet, they were well beyond the reach of his current CP amount. For example, the skill Iron body cost him 10,000 CP, yet it was the cheapest defensive ability possible. There was of course a skill [Defence Enhancement] which was cheaper at 1000 CP, butin the long run, its effects came nowhere near [Iron Body]. This was the innate disparity between cheap and costly skills. However he bought a few more things like a Analogue compass, a pocket watch and a Swiss-army-knife for a total of 2,000 CP. The system was kind enough to mention that the watch and compass would work just fine, as the duration of a day on Iseria was almost the same as back on earth that is, 24 hours and helped him adjust the time. The compass also worked just fine. As for weapons, he was pretty set, so unless he carried out another slaughter, he need not had to worry for buying more weapons. "System, can''t you offer some reduced prices for the skills? The good skills are all so costly." [Host, the system charges only reasonable prices for its items. You should keep in mind that in the whole universe only the system can allow you to obtain skills with such ease jut by paying CP. Where else will you find such cheat like this great system? Host should show some appreciation to the system as it provides you with such unique opportunities as such low prices! It is already doing so much for you what more can you ask for?] "Cheapskate¡­" Add mumbled dryly, hearing the usual shameless self boasting of the system¡­and gazed at the small oil lamp hanging from the roof. The Elves were kind enough to place one in his hut. [But the host still has to depend on this cheapskate system. Too bad for you¡­.] "This damn..." Add was left speechless by the retort of the system and decided not to engage in a debate with it, as he felt that he would suffer a loss if he did so. Now that he had completed the Mandatory mission, and the System had not issued any new missions, for the time being he had nothing to do. He considered resuming his journey to Helmsberg, but then he thought of the Elves. He had solved their imminent troubles, but the troubles would only keep coming after this. (I managed to stop the Humans this time, but hey surely will not stop...now that so many of their soldiers had mysteriously died, when they got news of this, the Imperial army of Reinglief will surely investigate it and the first target would be the Elves.) From what little he knew about the politics and the humans here, it was clear that they would not stop anytime soon, at least not until they successfully destroyed and enslaved the elves. And he had aggravated the situation by killing so many human soldiers, and this would surely cause a stir on their side¡­. (Sigh¡­..although it is not my problem, now that I am involved in it, I guess I will have to do something for the Elves¡­at least let them have a chance of survival....) *Knock-Knock* His thoughts were interrupted by a series of sudden knocks on the hut''s door. (Who is it at this time ? What could they need from me, so late in the night?" It was almost midnight, and normally no one should visit him at this time. Add kept himself on alert and went to open the door which was fastened by a simple wooden latch. What greeted him n opening the door, however was something he had not expected. Standing before him was a familiar Elf beauty. In the dim lighting of the moon, her whole body was emanating an enticing mature aura. As she just had had a bath, her body was still moist and the thin one piece stuck onto her body, enhancing the curves of her large and perky breasts , full round buttocks, and the narrow waist which could be held in one arm. She had a perfect hourglass figure. It was a body every man could only dream of and countless men would die for. However, her soft, smooth skin, which looked like milky white porcelain and had a healthy pinkish blush, seemed so tender and alluring that one could not help wanting to touch it, while the expression on her Angel-like face wasthat of an innocent maiden. Her long silky golden hair was still wet sticking to her body here and there. As tiny droplets of water slid along her jade like skin, they looked like little pearls. Her appearance was aperfect mixture of beauty and seductiveness. She had the face of an Angel and the body of a devil. With her slightly swaying chest, her slender legs, her elegant way of walking, the fullness of her body, it was impossible to move one''s eyes away from her. Add to was enamored by such an appearance, albeit for a short while only. This was none other than Lilliana Nostariel. "Mr. Add¡­..that, may I come in..?" "Huh?" He failed to understand why she would come looking for him so late at night in such a get up. As if realizing his thoughts, she Lilliana AKA Lily hurriedly explained; "I wanted to discuss some important things with you¡­." ''What could she need to discuss at this hour? And what with this appearance, looks like she has just had a bath¡­''He thought. Still thinking that it might be really important, he invited her in. "¡­..Well¡­.then come in¡­" The hut was small barely 10 square meters in area, and had only a bed made with leaves on the ground. Luckily the Elves had used certain leaves which repelled insects so there was not much risk of being bitten by spiders or scorpion while sleeping. Once inside he closed the door behind her and turned towards her. "So what did you want to talk about?" At his question Lily was at bit of a loss. She didn''t know how to say what she had planned to say. She looked at Add up and down, he was not dressed in that strange armour of his, rather he was wearing a black shirt and black pants, which showed his well balanced physique. His silky black hair with some silver hairs here and there, and androgynously handsome face made him look quite attractive if not for his lack of emotions and cold eyes. Lily felt, however, that his mismatched eyes, one red, one blue were very beautiful. He had an unique charm not possessed by any Elf she had seen. (At least he is a handsome man¡­.what am I thinking!) Shaking her head she composed herself. "I wanted to thank you for helping us this time Mr. Add¡­you have saved the lives of my people¡­I can never thank you enough¡­." She offered her heartfelt thanks. "Ah, you don''t have to, I did it for myself, just because I wanted to, so don''t be too serious on that.¡­" Hearing his words she smiled lightly and spoke; "You may have done it on a whim, and it may not be much of a matter to you, but we who were saved, to us this is really a great matter, you are our saviour Mr. Add, and that fact alone will not change¡­" He could not say anything in return. Elves were a noble race known for their sense of justice and righteousness. But what she said next was truly unimaginable to him. "On behalf of all my people I wanted to repay you¡­..but you see¡­.after thinking of how o repay you¡­.I could not come up with anything of value¡­.we have no money or treasures, or any other things of value that can work as a repayment¡­.and we would probably need your help in the future too¡­." "Uhh¡­Miss. Lily as I said, you don''t have to¡­" Watching her getting so worked up, Add wished that he could tell her that the System had already repaid him a lot. But that he could not do, and so Lily continued, her voice becoming lighter and lihter¡­ "So....after thinking for a long time...I realised that the only thing I could give you was myself¡­I have nothing else to offer you¡­.." "Eh?" She held his hands and brought them to her chest. Add was surprised and felt the softness momentarily before snatching his hands away. "Miss Lily what exactly are you implying¡­." His gaze hardened. But lily didn''tback down. "I mean what I said Mr. Add, I will be your woman, I will warm your bed, do whatever you want me to¡­.and in return I wish that you would help us¡­." She said seriously, making Add twitch a brow. "Listen... you are supposed to do these kind ofthings with someone you love Miss. Lily, and that someone cannot be me now can it? We have just met barely a day ago. You just cannot sell yourself like this¡­." But she was still adamant, "Is there some shortcoming in me? Is that why you are rejecting me? Then please tell me, I will work hard to reach your standards¡­." Add wanted to face palm. "No there is nothing wrong with you¡­In fact you are the most lovely girl I have seen¡­.." he sighed helplessly. "Then!" "But, it is just that¡­.you deserve a happy life miss lily, with a man who would love and treasure you. People like me¡­.we do not deserved to love orbe loved¡­our fate is to one day die alone, forgotten by the world¡­and burn in hell¡­you do not know Miss. Lily, the things I have done, there is a special place in hell for me¡­.." Add understood that she was doing this, because she had no other choice. To save her people, Lily this girl was ready to sacrifice herself. He could not help but respect her. Honestly, even if he was a cold and unfeeling soldier, Lily was so beautiful and she was also very kind, caring and devoted. Add would feel blessed to have her, to be loved by such a beautiful and kind woman, would be a wonderful thing, but that was if he deserved to be loved. He moved to the small window in the hut and looked towardsthe moon and then at his hands and smiled wryly. These weren''t the same hand he had killed hundreds of people with but the soul that did was still his. He still remembered, each and every innocent life he had taken while following orders. How he and his comrades had massacred children and women following "orders". How he had mercilessly dragged out elderly people and slaughtered them in cold blood, how he had killed a man while his wife howled and begged for his life. The crimes he had done would all be hidden in the guise of war causalities, but he still vividly remembered what he had done. He was a monster and he knew it. Those memories still came to him asnightmares even after he had been reincarnated. His eyes which were gazing the moon did not change, yet guilt, pain and self loathing filled in them. His back was facing Lily, but to her his wide back felt very desolate and lonely.Shaking his head to clear those thoughts he turned to face Lily again and game a small smile. "¡­Well that aside, I was already planning on helpingyou and your people, so you need not do this. Come on, let me send you back now and we will discuss the plans to deal with his situation tomorrow¡­" He moved toward the door gesturing her to follow but despite this, Lily didn''t move from her spot. His words kept echoing in her mind. What kind of man would reject such a direct proposal from a beautiful girl like herself, just because they didn''t love each other?Most human men would jump at the first chance, yet Add was rejecting her even after she tried so hard to seduce him. Although he agreed to help her, but he wasn''t willing to take any payments. This should have made her happy but for some reason she felt a sense of defeat. Women were poor creatures in this regard. If a man lusts after them then they would be disgusted and loath him. However if the same man rejected their advances then that would make them feel defeated, and they would think that they are losing out their value as a woman. Lily was feeling something similar. Furthermore Add had accepted to help them, without asking for any benefits for himself. She raised her face and looked towards the man she was holding. He was a human, she was an Elf, one was a hunter, other was a prey. Normally she should hate this person, for his kin had harmed countless of her kin, but for some reason she was unable to. In fact this human had helped them so much and would also help them more in the future,for their sake he had killed so many people from his own race and also saved her and her friend twice. She felt deeply indebted to him, and now that she offered the only thing that she could offer, he didn''t take it. Further he even said self depreciating things like he deserved to burn in hell. Lily who was looking down, raised her face and looked at the boy before her, and her eyes met his, women are naturally more sensitive to emotions and she was able to spot the pain hidden behind those cold eyes of his. Although his expressionless face hid those emotions very well, still they didn''t escape her eyes. She realised, that he too had a painful past, which he kept bottled up within him. After all, not many people can say such heavy words like "I deserve to burn in hell", accepting their sins. He was such a tragic person, yet also such an unfair person. Waves of emotions began surging in her heart, unknowingly a seed of emotions had been planted in her heart which began germinating. "I want to comfort him¡­" such feelings of care and concern filled her heart. Then again, girls often formed favourable impressions of a man who saved them in their most perilous moments, and Add had done this more than once. As if being mystified by such feelings, she didn''t think anymore and decided to follow her heart. Lily slowly walked up to Add who thoughtthat she had come to her senses but the next moment he was shocked. She suddenly hugged him tightly, pressing her soft body onto him. Her thin dress and his clothes weren''t able to hide the softness and warmth of her body. A sweet smell like wild flowers filled his nose as Add momentarily banked. In his two life times, this was probably the first time he was so closeto a woman, moreover, such a gorgeous beauty at that. Lily also got his smell, which to her, felt similar to that of wild grasses, mid but strangely refreshing. "Miss Lily what are you¡­." He tried to speak but his mouth was suddenly blocked as a pair of soft lips covered his, and like this his first ever kiss was taken. He froze, unable to push her away or respond. For a person like him who had close to no experience in romantic matters these were unchartered waters.. Lily who was closing her eyes, was also anovice at kissing, but she continued. Her small tongue made its way into Add''s mouth fumbling around as if trying to reach every nook and cranny. The boy helplessly stood still as the girl enjoyed her meal. Only after a tens of seconds had passed, did she let go of his lips, leaving a sweet taste in his mouth, and a string of saliva still joined them. Lily looked at him, her emerald eyes had turned misty and her face was blushing, making her look ever so erotic. "Add¡­.." She softly cooed in her voice which was as soft and beautiful as her face, and it send shivers down Add''s spine. Although his soul was that of a veteran soldier, his body was still of a boy in his teens. Till now he had been suppressing himself by sheer will, but that was no longer possible. Blood began rushing to his head, and he failed to retain his composure. This seductive Elf had completely breached through his thin defences, yet clinging onto reason he tried to push her away, he didn''t want her to make a mistake in the heat of the moment which she would regret all her life. "Do you hate me ?" Sensing his attempts Lily who was in a daze asked¡­ "No I don''t ¡­Lily listen to me¡­." Add tried to speak but noticed that her eyes were brimming with tears. His words froze midway seeing her like that. His cold heart which should be unfeeling, felt pain watching her cry like this because of him. "Then why do you push me away¡­am I really that unacceptable.....?" Tears rolled down her eyes as she looked at him. Add looked into her eyes and realized he had hurt her. After watching her like this the last line of defences in his heart broke. (Really¡­..what am I doing¡­..she used so much courage to reach out to me and¡­..I¡­..) Lilliane Nostariel was still a girl after all, having lost her family and friends, this brave girl had suffered so many disasters and hardships yet she bore so much responsibility on her shoulders. Even with Anna she could not show her weak side, as it would scare the latter. She was the support of the survivors, and had to be collected always.And suchgirl who had so few people to depend on, had come to him throwing aside her pride and shame and he was treating her like this¡­. (Fine then, I have already sinned a lot, guess I will do another¡­.) For the first time, Add slowly wrapped his arms around her soft body and brought his mouth beside her ear. "I will treasure you..." he said softly. "Mmmm" Lily nodded, resting her head on his shoulder as tears once again streamed from her eyes, but this time, they were tears of happiness. Lily did not know then, but in the future, she would be so happy that she had not hesitated and followed her heart on this night, and managed to bring down this cold yet caring man. As long as she lived, she would remember it as the best choice she ever made in her life. But that is the story for another day. The hut soon filled with a steamy atmosphere of warmth and desire. This was destined to be a long night, a long night of Love. _ _ _ _ _ _ _