《Dimensional Paradise》 Prologue I Nobody really cared when the announcement first appeared. Though many were surprised when every electronic device able to transmit information began to play a strange video in different idioms, with nothing happening after many days and the governments denying the rumours, almost everybody choose to ignore it. A very skilled hacker did it, many said. Aliens were sending a message, others joked. Is it the apocalypse? A few announced.Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. But, when thousands of people began to disappear suddenly from different parts of the world, it was impossible to continue ignoring what was happening. Pitifully, it was impossible to change what was destined to happen. ¡°To all of earth¡¯s inhabitants: According to the law 1513 of the United Dimensional Planes regarding the discovery of new inhabited planes, we are pleased to announce the beginning of earth¡¯s manation project, together with the selection of adequate earthlings to participate in the project L427, titled ¡®Dimensional Paradise¡¯. We thank your complete collaboration and ask the existing governments to begin the preparations for the project. Any question will be answered for a supervisor. A supervisor will be selected and sent promptly. Thanks for your understating. UDP, year 135 from the United Dimensions Agreement.¡± Prologue II Prologue II Awakening abruptly, Aleen opened his eyes, feeling the light stinging against his sight. Unable to remember anything, he tried to adapt his sight to the light strongly shining against him, looking around to know where he was. It didn¡¯t take long to notice the strangeness of the place. Around him, everything, from the walls to the floor and ceiling, was white. Aleen was disconcerted and tried to move his body. But at that moment he finally noticed a problem. He was unable to move. His body was tied with a straightjacket-like object, making him unable to stand from the place where he was lying. Terrified, he struggled desperately, but it was useless. ¡°Help!¡± Aleen cried without an answer. Memories of many horror movies like Saw appeared in his mind, making him struggle with greater strength. But he was unable to move the object in the slightest. At that moment, Aleen felt a strong pain in his head. It was worse than anything he felt before. As if something was trying to invade his mind. For a moment, he thought that he was going to die, and the pain made him struggle and cry with all his strength. Luckily, the bindings hold strong, preventing him from hurting himself.Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. After a few seconds that felt like an eternity, the pain began to subside a little. At that moment, something strange happened. A great number of symbols appeared suddenly inside his mind, changing constantly. Aleen began to struggle again, but before he could understand what was happening, the symbols transformed into English, showing a series of words. ¡®Initializing procedure¡­ Waiting¡­ Confirming vital signs¡­ No anomalies detected. Confirming the state of the body¡­ No anomalies detected. Checking for others anomalies¡­ No anomalies detected. Status confirmed. Detected race in database. Determined as human. Checking for laws¡­ No laws detected. Checking for mana¡­ No mana detected. Classifying information and searching for relevant data, please wait¡­ Relevant data detected. Following procedure thirteen of law 1513 UDP¡­ Proceeding¡­ Detected compatible wave of mana. Confirming body compatibility. Compatibility confirmed to 65%. Beginning procedure¡­ Appreciated user, we remind you that the following procedure has a 9.8% chance of failure. Thanks for your understating.¡¯ ¡°Wait wait! What is the mean¡­ ing of¡­¡± However, before he could understand, a pain even stronger than before attacked his entire body. Fortunately, or unfortunately, he fainted after a few seconds. ¡®Procedure completed. Confirming vital signs¡­ No anomalies detected. Confirming participation requirement¡­ Confirmed. Congratulations host. You will be sent to Dimensional Paradise. According to your status, you must follow the following rules.
  1. You must move actively towards the completion of the mission.
  2. You must end the game with a positive score.
Failure to follow any of the rules will be punished with death. Welcome to Dimensional Paradise.¡¯ Chapter 1 – Death Game (1) ''Welcome to Dimensional Paradise! Loading relevant information¡­ Game type: Flag. Team characteristics: Five men teams (Main). Number of participant teams: Two. Winning conditions: Get the enemy flag. Location: Lost city. Location''s degree of danger: Level II Description: Lost city was once a powerful settlement belonging to an ancient civilization. Now however, it''s no more than ruins brimming with unknown dangers. You are in team blue. Authority level: I (Pawn). UDP coins: 0.'' "Stand up! The game is going to begin!" A man''s voice woke up Aleen from his sleep. He noticed that he was lying on the ground. Many others were lying down around like him, surrounding a flag at the center. Around them, Aleen only saw walls. He tried to remember where he was, but a strong pain immediately attacked his head, making him vomit everything in his stomach after remembering the terrible pain he suffered in the white room. Like a chain reaction, others began to vomit around him, some people entered in panic while others began to cry. A fearful atmosphere spread in the place. Apparently, nobody had any idea about the place where they are. "Hey! What are you doing!?" The same voice from before spoke. "Don''t fill the place with your filth!" "Let them, John. It''s normal for novices to vomit on their first call. Though it''s strange for so many of them vomit at once." "Damn, did we receive a group full of rookies then?" A man and a woman strangely dressed appeared before them. The man was wearing a kind of armor over his chest and arms with a sword on his shoulder. The woman, on the other hand, only had a blue robe and a small gray breastplate on her chest. The first thought that came to Aleen when he saw them was that they were doing cosplay. Looking around, Aleen noticed that though the people lying around were dressed normally, everybody had a breastplate in them. Immediately, he looked downwards only to see an identical breastplate on his chest. The breastplate was apparently made from steel; but different from the woman''s, his was painted blue and much less sophisticated. It was obvious that his was a ''mass-produced'' version. "Who are you!?" A girl cried. "Where we are?" Another asked. With it as the signal, many people began to ask and shout. Aleen was going to do it too, but then he noticed something in a corner of his eyes. Strangely, some words were floating there. When he tried to gaze towards it, the words moved with his vision. Surprised, he tried concentrating on them. Immediately, the words expanded and he saw his name written in blue together with many more strange words. When he saw it, Aleen remembered the words that he heard before awakening.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. ... What in the hell is it!? "Shut up!" The strange man shouted with such pressure that everything around Aleen fell silent. "We don''t have time so I will be fast. To the ones that don''t know, this is the dimensional battlefield. You were summoned here to fight. If you want to survive, stick together, follow our orders, and try to kill everything else. Are you clear!? Very well. Now, stand up and follow me. The game is going to begin." "¡­ Wait!" A well-dressed man cried while walking forward. "What do you mean for following your orders!? Who are you!? Explain it!" "I don''t have any more to say. It''s your choice to believe me or not." The man said indifferently before exiting the room together with the woman. Though he didn''t know what was happening, Aleen remembered reading something like this before on someplace; so, he immediately stood and tried to follow the man despite his confusion and nausea. Seeing it, some people looked toward him strangely, but he ignored them. He was not the only one with such an idea though, because a few walked outside with him. Aleen wasn''t sure about the man words, but at least he was sure that the man knew where they were. And if he wasn''t in a nightmare, then it probably was safer besides him. The first thing that Aleen saw when he came out was ruins. Fallen skyscrapers, destroyed buildings, ruined streets and plants growing everywhere. Strangely, the place seemed to lack a human touch. Aleen had the sensation that whatever lived here before wasn''t human, or at least, from any civilization he knows. Three men and three women were waiting for them outside the room; each one dressed equally strange. Three were carrying swords, one an ax, one a strange gun-like thing and the woman with John was unarmed. "It''s time." The first man, John, said while facing the others. "As I''m the one with the greatest score, I will be the one in charge of this game. Any objections?" Nobody refuted the man, but neither they paid special attention to him. He took it as consent though, because immediately he began to give orders. "You are Ron, right?" He said signaling a tall man with an ax. "You said before that you were specialized in defense, so you will stay here to guard the base. There are some pawns inside the base; you can use them as you see fit. They will not be of much use in this kind of game but perhaps they can help with something. Little Amelia will come with me to clear the surroundings from any beast, though I don''t think that anything too dangerous will appear in a danger zone of level II. As for the others, search for the enemy base and report the location through the COM. If any of you find an enemy, kill them. If you cannot, run towards the others. Don''t lose a life meaninglessly." The group nodded to John''s words and each took a different direction. Strangely, nobody cared about Aleen and the others what came from inside the base. Seeing it, Aleen decided to speak. "Hey! What about us?" The six strangely dressed people looked towards him at that moment. Aleen felt a strange kind of pressure from their gazes, but he tried to endure it. "What do you want to do boy?" The blue dressed woman said, apparently she was called Amelia. "Can you at leasttell me where I am?" Looking at him, the man called John thought for a moment before turning to the others. "Any of you want to take him with you? I think that the pawns will not be of use in this game, but if any of you want, you can take the boy." Nobody spoke. After a few seconds, one of them left the place, and the others followed suit. John shook his head and left too. Without knowing what to do, Aleen could only look at how they left the place. He didn''t dare to walk close to them without their permission; something about the six of them was intimidating. But when he thought that nobody was going to call him, one of them spoke. "You, come with me." It was a woman. She was wearing silver armor on her entire body; her hair was pure black without blemish and her eyes of a very striking black. Aleen could swear that he felt his body freezing when she looked towards him. A greatsword was resting in her back, giving her a very heroic appearance. And her ice-cold face made it clear that she wasn''t going to accept a ''No'' foran answer. "Take a weapon." She said, signaling a pile of weapons in a corner. "Though I only need someone to carry the flag, it''s better if you at least have something to defend yourself." Aleen hurriedly walked towards the weapons on the ground hearing her words. There were many of them and of many kinds. Unable to choose, he selected the simplest one, a spear. He remembered hearing about spears being the easiest weapon to use. Grabbing it, he ran towards the woman. Though he didn''t understand what was happening, he instinctively thought that it was safer with her. "Will he even be useful?" He heard the tall red-haired man wielding the ax say after seeing them leave. Turning around, he looked towards the base. Then, with a sharp gaze, he fixed his sight in the other peoples that exited with him. Looking behind him, Aleen noticed that some were looking hesitantly towards him. But after a few seconds, none of them said anything. Aleen wasn''t sure if his choice was the right one. However, if there was danger in this place, he thought that it was safer with someone protecting him alone that with a man guarding a few tens of them. He could only pray that the woman was kind enough to protect him when the time comes. Chapter 2 – Death Game (2) ¡®Damn! How can she be so fast!?¡¯ Twenty minutes after leaving, Aleen was already sweating bullets. Normally, twenty minutes of walking wouldn¡¯t mean anything to Aleen; after all, though not a top athlete, he was at least confident in his physique. However, when you have to walk carrying a breastplate weighting ten pounds plus a spear weighing another ten, it makes it a bit harder. Aleen is able to endure it, however. The bigger problem though is the speed of the woman. Aleen could not help but wonder how someone can be so fast just by walking. It was without looking to the heavy-looking armor and sword she was carrying. The woman was so fast that Aleen was practically running to catch with her. Fortunately, his body seemed to be in top condition. Aleen wasn¡¯t sure about being able to endure for so long normally. Despite it, however, Aleen body was completely exhausted after twenty minutes. If it was not because he was afraid of offending the ice-cold woman, he would have already asked for a second to catch his breath. ¡°H-Hey, how long are we going to run?¡± The woman ignored him, again. Aleen was not sure if it was the woman¡¯s normal personality or if she was especially cold towards him. It was already the sixth time he asked something without receiving an answer. Resigned, he simply sighed and continue trying to keep the woman¡¯s pace. Looking around, he observed the surroundings. What kind of place is it? Twenty minutes of observing were enough for Aleen to do a few guesses about the place. First, this place was apparently a city, though abandoned. Aleen seemed to remember someone saying something about it, but he wasn¡¯t sure if it was his imagination or not. He was not even sure if this place was part of his imagination. Second, the place was definitively not constructed by humans. After all, not human edification has doors with five meters of height; or gigantic windows. The shape of the houses was strangely large, and the style of the city seemed foreigner. Aleen was sure that such a place doesn''t exist on earth. Lastly, the place was strange, in the bad sense of the word. If Aleen had to describe it, he would call it grim. Either the dried blood on the ground or the claw marks on the walls, everything about the place was terribly wrong. Aleen had the sensation that something was observing him from someplace, but no matter how he looked, he could not find anything. The truth was, if it was not because the ice-cold woman was with him, he would have been too terrified to take another step in this place. ¡°H-Hey, are we not there yet?¡± With another failed intent to establish a conversation, Aleen took another look to the woman, only to see something strange at a corner of his sight.The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. A strange ''thing'' was looking towards them from a house. ¡°H-Hey! S-Something is there!¡± Shouting, Aleen signaled towards the place where the thing was, but the woman continued ignoring him. ¡°H-Hey!¡± He called again before stopping to look the monster, but he only received a cold shoulder from the woman. When he looked again at the place where he saw the thing, it wasn¡¯t there. ¡­ Damn! Am I imagining things!? Looking around, he was unable to detect something outside buildings and strange plants. Aleen could not help but feel terrified for a moment. It was definitively a monster!! Looking vigilantly to his surroundings, Aleen resumed running towards the woman. Because he stopped, the woman was already relatively far from him. But when he just began to run, something jumped towards him from one of the houses at great speed. Instinctively, Aleen moved the spear on his hand to try defending himself; but it wasn¡¯t very useful. The monster weight impacted his body, throwing him with such strength that the spear on his hand deformed visibly. His body left briefly the ground, before flying two meters from the place where he was due to the impact. Only then was Aleen able to observe the attacker. The monster was some kind of quadrupedal deformity of frightening appearance. With a height of 1.8 meters and a length of 2 meters, it seemed like a hyena without fur nor eyes, an oversized human head and skin completely wrinkled. The deformity-like beast looked towards the place where Aleen fell (Though it doesn¡¯t have eyes) And expanded its mouth menacingly. Immediately, it pounced again. With strength that he didn¡¯t know he had, Aleen moved the spear again to try to stop the monster. He didn¡¯t have time to think how the last attack didn¡¯t cause a fracture, or from where came the strength to move his body. At that moment, the only thought in his mind was to survive. ¡°Help!!¡± Giving a cry trying to attract the woman¡¯s attention, Aleen positioned his body to endure the attack of the beast. It, however, was smarter than he thought. Instead of charging towards Aleen like before, it used its claw to hit the spear, trying to take it out from his hands. Luckily, Aleen was able to hold it, but because of the strength of the blow, he flew for another meter. With his mind fuzzy, Aleen waved his spear crazily in a try to hit the monster, but he was unable to touch it. Instead, he felt something hitting his chest heavily. His entire body hit the ground creating a crater around him and deforming the breastplate on his chest. A sweet flavor filled his mouth, and the heavy smell of iron invaded his nose. Opening his eyes with the last bit of strength in his body, Aleen saw the jaws of the beast closing on his head furiously. At that moment, only the revolting smell of death filled his head. The surroundings seemed to move slowly and the fast-moving jaws of the beast felt like the slow-moving scenes of a terror movie. Aleen tried to react, to move his body, to search for a solution; but his body was unable to answer to the orders of his accelerated brain. His only hope, the beautiful ice-cold woman, was too far from him to reach in time. ¡®I¡¯m going to die!!¡¯ Was the only thought that appeared in his mind. However, an incredible scene happened next. The beast¡¯s jaws, closing to Aleen¡¯s head, stopped a few centimeters from him, unable to advance anymore. And the beast¡¯s body, filled with imposing strength¨C ¨Cwas pierced for the blade of a sword. A woman, dressed in beautiful silver armor, and holding the greatsword with only a hand, was standing there calmly as if the beast were no more than an insect not worth of mentioning. At that moment, despite the body of the beast falling on him and the sweet taste of blood filling his mouth, only a thought appeared in Aleen¡¯s mind. ¡­ So beautiful¡­ In all his life, this scene would never fade from his memories. Chapter 3 – Death Game (3) ¡°First rule.¡± The woman said after drawing out the sword from the beast¡¯s body. ¡°Never to leave my side for more than a hundred meters. ¡°Second rule, no speaking. It¡¯s bothersome. ¡°Third rule, always be vigilant of your surroundings. If you want to live longer in this place, you must never lower your guard, no matter where you are or who is with you. ¡°Fourth rule, my words are the law. You must obey my words without question, no matter the order. Believe me, you are not important enough for me to plot against you. ¡°Do you understand?¡± Aleen nodded his head seriously. He never thought that the firsts words he heard from the woman would be a group of rules. Well, at least it¡¯s better than before. It would have been better without my body hurting so much though. Strangely, despite the attack of the monster, none of his bones was broken. Aleen was sure that such attack was enough to leave him in a wheelchair at least, but his body only had a few bruises (though it was painful enough). At least Aleen could confirm that his body was different than before. Though his greater stamina could be explained like an effect of the increased adrenaline to cope with the circumstances, Aleen was sure that adrenaline was not able to stop bones from breaking. Furthermore, though he was not sure, Aleen seemed to remember something moving inside his body when the beast attacked. He wasn¡¯t sure what it was, but he had the feeling that it was the reason for his body strangeness. Aleen thought of asking the ice-cold woman about it, but after remembering her second rule, he discarded the idea. Now, he was even surer that it was better not to offend this woman. The more beautiful the rose, the bigger the thorn huh¡­ Looking at it now, he could understand why none of the strangely-dressed people was interested in taking him with them. ¡­ Nobody wants to carry a burden with them. With these thoughts in his mind, Aleen tried to stand. The woman, seeing it, began to walk again. ¡°Hurry up, though you are a complete weakling, your modified body is enough to endure such level of injuries. A Level I cannot kill you so easily.¡± ¡°¡­ Modified body? Level I?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t know?¡± The woman asked with a strange expression on his face. ¡°From what remote corner are you to do not know such a basic thing.¡± Aleen could only smile wryly in his mind. C¡¯mon, I don''t think that London is a remote corner, right? Shaking his head briefly, he spoke. ¡°I don¡¯t even know where is it¡­ Or why I¡¯m here¡­¡±Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. ¡°Is it so? You don¡¯t know about the Dimensional Battlefield?¡± ¡°First time hearing about it.¡± ¡°¡­ I see. I guess I can explain a bit to you on the way.¡± Putting a serious expression on her face, the ice-cold woman moved her gaze to the front while she explained to Aleen. ¡°The dimensional battlefield, or Dimensional Paradise, is an interdimensional event that picks individuals from many different dimensions to fight inside an arena. This is something like a game. People that participate can earn great rewards after winning the game. Of course, you carry the risk of dying inside.¡± Dimensions!? What the hell is this!? Aleen tried to process the woman¡¯s words, but the woman continued speaking before he could end. ¡°All kind of people from many different species and cultures participate in this game. The problem is, most skill-less people are unable to contend against the least dangerous things inside this place. Because of this, the administration provides the most basic enhancement to them for free. It enhances their body strength and amount of mana. If you circulate your mana you can notice that¨C¡± ¡°Wait wait wait! Mana!? Like magic!?¡± Aleen interrupted surprised. The woman directed a frigid gaze to him after being interrupted. Then, with an expression of annoyance, answered. ¡°Yes, mana. What? You don¡¯t know about it?¡± Aleen¡¯s expression was a mix of shame and astonishment. He only was able to shake his head after trying to process the information unsuccessfully. ¡°Hmm. I guess I know what is happening now.¡± The woman said with an expression of understating. ¡°Tell me, do your world knows about other dimensions.¡± Aleen shook his head briefly. ¡°I see. Your situation is pretty bad then. Your world probably is located in a recently discovered dimension. It means that it¡¯s subject to the interdimensional laws of newly discovered civilizations.¡± ¡°¡­ And what does it mean?¡± ¡°It means that the game had the freedom to choose from your world¡¯s citizens for participants to the game. And if your world is unable to produce a level VI in ten years, it probably will be subjected to slavery or something like that.¡± ¡°¡­ Slavery!?¡± ¡°You know, like serving to someone against your will.¡± Answered the woman indifferently. Aleen could not believe what he was hearing. Slavery? It was probably the craziest thing he heard today, and he sure heard a lot of crazy things.¡± ¡°¡­ What is a Level VI?¡± He asked after a bit of hesitation. ¡°Heh.¡± The woman smirked. ¡°You better don¡¯t think about it. Not even I am Level VI yet; you better think about how to survive today''s game.¡± Aleen could not help but lower his head when he heard it. The woman said that the terrifying monster that attacked him was only Level I. how strong was a Level VI then? Shaking his head, Aleen eliminated those thoughts of his head. The woman was right, his current problem was how to survive. He could worry about the end of the world later. Besides, it was not like his world can be conquered so easily right? All that weapons surely are of some use. Though he wasn¡¯t sure about how effective were earth''s weapons against an organization able to perform interdimensional travels. Aleen continued advancing with the woman while keeping a look in his surroundings. The pair met with another pair of monsters in the way, but the woman killed them instantly. Aleen was unable to see her movements. She simply moved her sword and the monsters were gone. Aleen wasn¡¯t sure if he was amazed or terrified after seeing it. Probably a mix of both. ¡°Stop.¡± The woman said. ¡°There is trouble.¡± She held her ear carefully as if hearing something. Then, she looked towards the way they were coming before shaking her head. ¡°It looks like the base is being attacked.¡± She spoke with an indifferent tone. ¡°... Should we go back?¡± ¡°No.¡± She answered. ¡°It¡¯s only an enemy so he''s probably only probing our defenses. It¡¯s better is we find their base quickly.¡± Aleen nodded quickly with a troubled expression before following after her. The woman, probably noticing his expression, looked towards him and asked. ¡°What? Worried for the other humans?¡± Aleen hesitated momently before nodding. It wasn¡¯t something to be ashamed. ¡°Heh, you better worry for yourself. You are probably in more danger than them.¡± ¡°But you are here with me, no?¡± ¡°Me? I¡¯m only protecting because you can make things easier later. But at the same time, I¡¯m taking you to the most dangerous place of all.¡± Aleen could not understand the woman¡¯s words. But when he was going to answer, the woman paused briefly before accelerating. ¡°Let¡¯s go, someone found the base.¡± Chapter 4 – Death Game (4) ¡°Take your weapons, kids.¡± Said the red-haired man while grabbing his axe softly. ¡°Someone is coming.¡± Holding her katana firmly, Yuuko thought about the things that happened after waking in this place. Though she would have liked to take it as a bad dream, she didn¡¯t have more option than accept it as reality. After all, dreams do not feel so real. Being a woman of action, Yuuko immediately moved after calming her feelings. Firstly, she left the base where she woke up and tried to reunite information. There, she heard the conversation between the group of strangely dressed people, noticing many strange things. First, strangely everybody was speaking in Japanese. Strange, because she only noticed a few people with Asian features from the moment when she woke up until now. Second, the place was apparently dangerous. You only needed to see the strangely dressed people and the ruined buildings to know that this place was not peaceful. Third, judging from the strangers¡¯ conversation, they were here for some kind of mission. Knowing that they had more information about the place, Yuuko was tempted to speak and volunteer herself when she was a man leaving with one of the strangers. But thinking about it, it was probably safer to stay here in the base.After all, there is safety in numbers. Besides, one of the strangely-dressed people was going to stay behind to guard the place. She could ask him. If there was danger in this place, it was probably safer with more people. Such na?ve thought only lasted a few minutes. Because when the axe-wielding man decided that it was not good for the people inside the base remain without doing anything,hell broke loose. Do you want to know how to force a group to do your bidding? Easy, kill a few of them. It was only at that moment that she understood the true terror of this place. ¡­ She learned that numbers do not mean anything against certain monsters. From then, the axe-wielding man¡¯s words became the law of the base. So, when he told them to choose a weapon, everybody chose one; and when he told them that they were going to fight against enemies, each one agreed fearfully. Yuuko was waiting nervously for the enemy. Holding her katana, she tried to search comfort in the familiar weapon. ¡°He is there.¡± The red-haired man said. Raising her head, Yuuko tried to search for the enemy. Then, she sawit. A green monstrosity appeared in her sight.If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. The creature, of two meters of height, was of humanoid appearance with green skin and a body filled with muscles. Over its body, a black armor shined with an ominous glow; and its hand was holding a gigantic axe. If there is a word to describe the creature, it was probably ¡®Orc¡¯. The orc was standing fifty meters away from the base, looking to them with a sinister grin. Then, opening its mouth, it spoke. ¡°Make it fun.¡± Its strong voice resounded. Then, it disappeared. When Yuuko saw it again, it was lowering its axe towards the red-haired man. She was unable to react at all, but the red-haired man did. With a cry, his entire body glowed red and his arm received the axe''s blow. At the same time, his other hand brandished his own axe towards the orc¡¯s body. Immediately, a fight beyond the limits of human¡¯s reaction unfolded before Yuuko¡¯s eyes. The strength of the blows resounded through the place, and the shockwaves of their attacks obliterated the surroundings. The ones closest to them ended like nothing more than blood staining the ground, and the others a bit farther were grievously injured. Even Yuuka, twenty meters far from the epicenter, ended flying for close to five meters before finally landing heavily. However, their nightmare was just beginning. The two monsters didn''t care about their lives. Instead, they concentrated on their fight, moving insanely fast from a place to another while trying to overpower their enemy. With each step they took, a human died. Yuuko could only look while her fellow humans were being massacred unjustly. They were completely unable to participate in something at this level. But at that moment, she heard the red-haired man speak. ¡°Shot!¡± He shouted. ¡°Use the crossbows and don¡¯t care about me!¡± It was then that Yuuko remembered about the crossbows. There were ten crossbows between the weapons they could choose, but Yuuko doesn¡¯t choose any of them. She remembered that most of them were chosen for some women. But, how can someone shoot a weapon accurately without any experience? When the man shouted, most of the women were unable to shoot, too terrified to hear the man words. And the few that shot, did it without any accuracy. One even shot dead a man beside her. ¡°Hahahaha! What useless babies!¡± The orc laughed. ¡°Useless fools!¡± The red-haired man shouted enraged after seeing it. Holding her katana, Yuuko used it to stand from the place she fell while looking to the fight with an astonished expression. The fight, overthrowing all her knowledge about individual power, left her without breath. But after looking for a few seconds, she finally noticed something. The red-haired man... wasdefinitivelylosing. Though she could not capture most of their movements, her experience as a swordwoman allowed her to notice that the red-haired man was losing ground constantly. No! It cannot continue! If the red-haired man dies, we will die too! The only thing separating them from death was the red-haired resistance. The orc continued attacking with its axe; using it savagely to strike the red-haired man. Yuuka could see him struggling to endure the barrage of attacks. At that instant, a strange calm took over her. Holding her sword in her hands, she looked towards the place where the fight was occurring and concentrated her vision. She could feel it. She could feel that her sword could reach the enemy. It was a strange certainty, but she knew it was true. It was something hard to explain. Then, at the instant when the orc was about to end the fight, she moved. It was definitively the fastest she moved in her life. She could feel the wind impulse her movements. Then, swinging her sword, she attacked. ¡°Haaaaaaaa!!¡± Putting all her strength in that attack, she cut towards the orc''s abdomen. ... But when the sword touched its abdomen,it broke. Then, she felt the monster arm throwing her body far away. Blood flowed through her mouth, and her bones broke in many places. She could feel something inside her body trying futilely mend her wounds. An intense feeling of pain filled her mind, stronger than anything she felt before. Holding on the last remains of her consciousness, she looked towards the place where the two monsters were fighting. The last thing she saw, was a pillar of light piercing the orc. Chapter 5 – Death Game (5) ¡°It looks like the enemy escaped.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°The one attacking our base. He escaped after receiving some injuries.¡± The ice-cold woman said briefly. Aleen nodded after hearing the woman. The truth was, he was unable to feel any joy after hearing it. After all, everything felt too surreal to him yet. At most, he was a bit worried about the wellbeing of the other humans that came with him. After walking for another two minutes, the pair finally reached their goal. Aleen could see the enemy base¡¯s shape two hundred meters away. During the way, Aleen discovered that not only were his muscles enhanced; his other senses like hearing or eyesight were enhanced too. Currently, he was able to see some details from far away after concentrating slightly. Because of it, he was able to see the situation in the enemy¡¯s base. Immediately, he noticed something odd with the enemy group. They¡­ They are not human! Actually, the enemy¡¯s pawns were not humans. Instead, they were a kind of tall green-skinned humanoid creatures. Aleen was unable to identify what race they were. However, it was apparent that the woman knew about them. ¡°Orcs.¡± ¡°Orcs? They exist?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± The woman answered. ¡°Orcs are one of the common races between dimensions. Though they don¡¯t qualify to be a first-rate race, they can be considered a pretty good one between the second-rate races.¡± ¡°First-rate?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t need to know about it now.¡± The woman replied. ¡°it''s enough if you know that humans are considered a first-rate race though.¡± Aleen though that it sounded cool, though he was unable to understand what it means. ¡°It looks like you are here.¡± A voice said suddenly from a side. Aleen turned his head to see a man and a woman appear before them. He recognized immediately the pair like the ones that wake him up. The man was called John and the woman¡­ Amelia? ¡°How is everything going?¡± The Ice-cold woman asked curtly after the pair appeared. ¡°Ron and Knila are chasing the orc that attacked the base. Psim found an enemy on his way here and is fighting against him; and us three¡­ four, are here. Two Level Five enemies are in the base and the other two are fighting the others. I don¡¯t know where the last enemy is though.¡± John said.Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. Aleen supposed that Knila and Psim were the names of the other two. ¡°Is it so?¡± The woman answered. ¡°Do you have a plan?¡± John thought briefly before pointing to the woman beside him. ¡°Though she is just Level three, Amelia is pretty good with AEO attacks. She will be ideal to attack first and create chaos in the enemy lines. We can rush immediately after while she supports us with suppressive attacks. We take the flag, kill some orcs and return. What do you think?¡± ¡°Simple enough.¡± ¡°Very well, we¡¯ll do it. Amelia, you can start. Make sure of not being noticed before beginning the attack.¡± ¡°Understood teacher.¡± The blue dressed woman answered seriously before raising her hands and closing her eyes. ¡°W-Wait! What am I going to do?¡± Aleen asked nervously. John looked towards him briefly before looking to the ice-cold woman in doubtfully. She only looked coldly towards Aleen and spoke. ¡°You wait here while hiding. I will shout if I need you to do something.¡± ¡°U-Understood.¡± "I don''t understand why you brought the boy with you. What use can he have in this situation?" Asked John. "I have an idea I want to try if things don''t go well. Maybe he can be of help then." Aleen felt a bit useless after hearing her words. Though after thinking about it again, their indications seemed pretty safe, so he didn¡¯t say anything else. While they were speaking, Amelia continued with her eyes closed and hands raised. After a few seconds, Aleen noticed something odd happening around her. It felt a bit like the energy inside his body but different at the same time. Different than the energy inside his body it felthot, like if the space around them were being burned. Aleen could not help but feel something intimidated before the situation. ¡°W-What is happening?¡± ¡°Huh? You can feel it?¡± John asked. ¡°Not bad, youngster. It looks like you have a bit of talent after all. To think that you were able to feel the movement of her mana.¡± Examining Aleen expression, the man smiled briefly before explaining. ¡°It is one of Amelia skills. It creates a space filled with heat around a target. Pretty good skill for a Level three. A shame that she is unable to control it correctly and need a long time to cast it; otherwise, it would be a great skill.¡± ¡°¡­ Skill?¡± ¡°¡­ You don¡¯t know about skills?¡± John asked with a surprised tone. ¡°The boy comes from a recently discovered dimension. A manaless one from what I can see.¡± The ice-cold woman said. ¡°I see. I think I heard about a plane being discovered recently. I guess that is the reason because this group of pawns was so useless.¡± Aleen could not help but feel like a strange animal after hearing the pair comments. He could not blame anyone but his common sense for it, though. ¡°I¡¯m ready.¡± Finally, Amelia opened her eyes after half a minute. Aleen felt the sensation of heat around her intensifying. He felt like if a flame were burning by his side. ¡°Very well.¡± John answered. ¡°Try to block the enemy Level five¡¯s sights and kill all the pawns you can. Even though they are weak, they can become a bother when too many are reunited.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± Immediately, Amelia closed her eyes and pointed with her hand towards the enemy¡¯s base. Then, Aleen witnessed the most incredible scene he saw in his life until now. In the middle of the enemy camp, a gigantic flame appeared suddenly; burning everything on its way. Aleen could see the orcs¡¯ bodies burning brightly amidst the flames while they cried from the pain. The scene was so beautiful as it was terrifying. For a moment, strong nausea filled him. But then, two strong roars resounded. ¡°ROAR!!!¡± Immediately, John and the woman took their swords. ¡°Let¡¯s go! Amelia, stay behind me!¡± ¡°Yes, teacher!¡± Then, John and the Ice-cold woman rushed towards the enemy camp. Their speed was so fast that Aleen was only able to notice them after they moved fifty meters. On the other hand, two gigantic orcs rushed from the enemy''s side. A second later, the two groups met each other. Chapter 6 – Lightning Strikes (1) ¡°FIGHT!¡± An orc roared while charging towards the two humans. Raising an enormous hammer over its head, the orc swung it with enough strength that all the ash created by the flames was pushed away. With an enormous shockwave, the hammer created a crater in the ground. At the same time, the shockwave advanced to the place where John and the ice-cold woman were. John seemed to have expected something like this though; because before the shockwave could impact them, he waved his two-handed sword, cutting the shockwave in two. Immediately after, he accelerated with his sword pointing forward, trying to stab the hammer-wielding orc, but it used the handle of its hammer to block the attack. At the same time, the second orc used a hand to attack with a gigantic orcish axe. The heavy-looking weapon of two meters in length advanced towards John while creating sparks due to the friction of the weapon with the air. It, however, was intercepted by the ice-cold woman¡¯s heavy sword. At the same time, she activated one of her skills. Immediately, sword intent flowed through her body, strengthening her strength and speed for at least five times. Then, putting strength in her hands, she pushed the sword forward, parrying the orcish axe and cutting towards the enemy¡¯s body. But the enemy wasn¡¯t so easy to defeat. An instant before the sword could cut the Orc, a fiery red shockwave appeared with it at the center, pushing the sword away and forcing the Ice-cold woman to defend. Through the dimensions, the most common path towards strength for the intelligent races was called¡®Enlightenment¡¯.Enlightenment consists of understating the universe laws and using it in the form of abilities. Until Level Five, every ability represents a level; because of it, a Level Five needs to create four abilities to be able to reach to that level. And in this battlefield, with the exception of Aleen and Amelia, everybody else was a Level five. The skill used by the orc to defend against the ice-cold woman attack was called ¡®Heat Wave¡¯. It made use of extreme temperatures to create a shockwave and use it to defend and attack the enemy. The attack was so powerful and hot that it was impossible for a normal human to defend against it without being burned to ashes. But the ice-cold woman was not a normal human. Moving her sword horizontally, she filled it with mana; increasing its sharpness and offensive power exponentially. At the same time, the sword intent inside her flowed to the surroundings, filling the place with a sharp sword qi able to strengthen her attacks and suppress her enemy''s at the same time. Together with her first ability, ¡®Sword Body¡¯, her second and third ability were called ¡®Sword Killing¡¯ and ¡®Sword Domain¡¯ respectively. The three were semi-passive skills whose only goal was to strengthen the power of every sword attack to the greatest extent possible. Immediately, the axe-wielding orc felt the pressure over him increase exponentially. It tried to use its axe to receive the woman¡¯s attacks, only to notice its strength falling short. ¡°Arrgrrrr!¡± With a loud cry, the orc moved all the mana flowing inside its body to defend against the woman attacks. At the same time, it called forth two of its skills creating a ¡®Heat Wave¡¯ in the point of impact between the sword and the axe. At the same time, burning sparks appeared in the path of the axe, creating a line of fire going straight towards the ice-cold woman body. It was its second ability: ¡®Fire Condemnation¡¯.Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. Different from the woman, the orc¡¯s skills could be considered as¡®active skills¡¯unable to be maintained constantly. However, the orc was someone with the talent to reach Level Five. Using its abundant battle experience, it activated its abilities in the exact moment when their weapons collided. Because of it, it was able to barely fight against the woman. However, the woman was clearly stronger; and after a few clashes, the orc began to lose ground. The other battlefield, however, was more equal. Though John tried to make use of his ¡®Wind Waves¡¯ to cut the orc, it made use of its outstanding defense to counter him. Because of it, none was able to take the higher ground in their fight. Unfortunately for the orc, the human was not alone. While the hammer-wielding orc was defending against John¡¯s attacks, a pillar of fire fell over its body forcing him to use one of its skills to defend. Taking advantage of the situation, John accelerated towards the orc creating a high-pressure wind blade over the sword and using it to stab the orc. ¡°Honorless human! Using numbers at your advantage!¡± With a cry of anger, the orc urged the mana inside its body and created a powerful shockwave using one of his skills. Different from the other orc''s skill, this skill relied purely on kinetic energy to impact the surroundings. John swung his sword to cut the shockwave, but that instant was more than enough for the orc to retreat. ¡°This is not a duel, stupid orc!¡± John answered while chasing after the orc with his sword. John companion, Amelia, was the one responsible for the pillar of fire. Being a Level Three, she was someone with two different skills. This pillar of fire was the first one. Together with her circle of fire, it made the two skills she comprehended. Losing the advantage of a surprise attack, Amelia tried to disrupt the orc rhythm with her fire attacks and create an advantage to John. But though her attacks were certainly dangerous, they were unable to be more than a nuisance to the experienced orc once it discovered her presence. The fight intensified even more when the orc used another skill, ¡®Battle Roar¡¯. For a moment, John was unable to cope with the orc¡äs roar, causing him to lose his concentration for an instant. Unfortunately, an instant was more than enough in a fight of this kind. ¡°Damn it!¡± Gritting his teeth,John recovered his posture quickly and positioned his sword to receive the orc¡¯s attack. The orc, however, was not going to lose this opportunity. Activating his last skill, it strengthened its body at the limit before using its hammer to hit John crazily. ¡°Die human!¡± Putting all his existing mana in the sword, John tried to defend against the attack. ¡°Ahhhh!¡± When the hammer hit John¡¯s sword, he felt as if a mountain was falling over him. Giving a powerful shout, John barely parried the enemy hit. But before he could recover from the attack, a second one came over him. At that moment, Amelia tried to use her pillar of fire to force the orc to retreat, or at least to pause. It, however, used its body to receive the attack directly without hesitation. Then, moving all its muscles, it attacked again. But before he could hit John, something crashed against him from a side. ¡­ From the other battlefield, an orc came flying with blood flying from its lips. Holding its axe with a hand, the orc was gravely injured, with various signs of cuts all around its body and one arm hanging powerlessly. It was obvious that its injuries were not small. Seeing the woman chasing after its companion, the hammer-wielding orc immediately understood the situation. ¡°That human woman, too strong.¡± The injured orc said weakly. Apparently, the woman came victorious in their duel. With no other option, the hammer-wielding orc used its ¡®Battle Roar¡¯ to stop the woman charge. ¡°ROAR!!!¡± Seeing it, the ice-cold woman paused momentarily before looking towards John coldly. ¡°Are you fine?¡± ¡°I am.¡± John replied while smiling wryly. ¡°Thanks to you.¡± Nodding expressionlessly, the woman turned toward Amelia before ordering. ¡°Go for the flag. We are going to end it here.¡± "Y-Yes!" Unable to go against her, Amelia only nodded before rushing to the enemy base. ¡°Now then.¡± The ice-cold woman spoke. ¡°Let¡¯s get this over.¡± Chapter 7 – Lightning Strikes (2) ¡°Die!!!¡± An orc shouted running towards Amelia. Without stopping, Amelia raised a hand towards the orc and willed her mana to act. The orc was immediately wrapped in flames, burning completely in seconds. Amelia had already lost the count of the number of orcs she killed while searching for the flag. Currently, she could feel her mana reserves beginning to falter. It was uncertain how long she could last with her current rate of using mana. Amelia could be considered as someone with outstanding firepower for a level three, being able of killing tens of level one easily under certain circumstances. But likewise, her weakness was clear. Her mana reserves were unable to keep with her great firepower and her abilities at close-ranged combat were at most a bit higher than a level one orc. In a skirmish, she could be easily killed by enemies attacking in waves. Fortunately, her first attack killed most of the level one orcs, reducing the number of enemies she has to deal with drastically. After killing another orc, Amelia finally found the enemy flag. Grabbing it, she rushed out from the enemy base to the place where the group of four level five were fighting. ¡°I have the flag!¡± She shouted. ¡°Well done, Amelia! This game is ours!¡± John answered happily while fighting the orcs. ¡°Argh!!!¡± An orc cried in a desperate intent to attack. The situation, however, was disadvantageous for them. Before he could attack, a greatsword parried it deftly before counterattacking. In the time while Amelia took the flag, the level five¡¯s fight took a drastic turn. Under the ice-cold woman¡¯s attacks, the orcs were unable to retaliate. Fighting beside her, John was the clearest about the woman¡¯s strength. ¡®She is a monster.¡¯ John was sure that the woman was able to win the fight even without his assistance. She was strong enough to fight two level five for herself. For her, the level five orcs were nothing more than walking targets waiting for her attacks. ¡°Ha!¡± Waving her sword, the woman attacked the orcs continually, forcing them to defend without the opportunity to attack. At that moment, one of the orcs finally showed an opening in its defense. Seeing it, the ice-cold woman increased the mana running through her sword and willed her sword intent to attack. Then, with a shout, she stabbed the enemy.This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. The orc tried to use a shockwave to defend, but the sword attack was too sharp. It cut through the orc¡¯s skill without difficulty and continued without hesitation toward its body. But at that moment, the orc smiled. A curtain of mana appeared around the orc, stopping the sword attack. It was one of its skills, ''Wild Protection''.Then, the orc grabbed the sword with a hand and pulled it, destroying the woman¡¯s balance. Using this opportunity, the second orc attacked while using a skill with its axe, trying to kill the woman with a hit. The axe glowed in a burning red and cut towards her furiously. ¡°Careful!¡± John cried and tried to use his sword to parry the attack. However, his attack was unable to reach. A sword, pierced through his chest. ¡°¡­ Uh?¡± ¡°Teacher!¡± Amelia shouted seeing the shortsword cutting through her teacher. But before she could help him, a dagger cut through her heart. Two figures appeared behind the pair, both dressed in black. One was holding a shortsword while the other a pair of daggers. Strangely, nobody was able to detect them beforehand. ¡°You¡­¡± John spoke gritting his teeth. Blood flowed from his mouth, but the enemy ignored it. Then, taking his sword out, the enemy man indifferently glanced forward, and with a wave of his hand, he cut John¡¯s head. ¡°Rest in peace.¡± At the same time, the dagger-wielding man killed the blue-dressed woman, Amelia, cleanly. In her face, an expression of consternation could be seen. Nodding towards him, the man turned towards the place where the orcs and the woman were fighting. There, he saw the woman standing indifferently with a sword in her hands and the two orcs covered in wounds. She looked to the bodies of John and Amelia without changing her expression, completely indifferent. ¡°Stupids orcs, you were unable to kill even a woman.¡± The man with the shortsword said. ¡°Human woman, very strong.¡± An orc growled weakly. The woman confirmed the situation in the surroundings before furrowing her brows. Even for her, four enemies were too much. Fortunately, only one of the newcomers appeared to be a level five. If she was not mistaken, the other was level two or three. Someone at that level was at most a nuisance for her. Looking at the two newcomers, the woman grabbed her greatsword firmly and asked. ¡°¡­ Humans?¡± ¡°As you can see.¡± The man answered. ¡°The system assigned me to this team of orcs for the game, though I don¡¯t care very much about it. Unfortunately, they apparently are a bit weak. Even until now, they were unable to cause you any injury.¡± The woman did not answer and continued checking her surroundings. ¡°Why don¡¯t you give up?¡± The man asked nonchalantly. ¡°You don¡¯t have any opportunity against us.¡± ¡°¡­ Is it so? But I don¡¯t think you will allow me to live.¡± ¡°Of course, after all, you represent at least ten thousand coins. But it will make your death less painful.¡± ¡°Do you think so?¡± The woman asked, a smile on her face. ¡°But I think I can kill you all. Why I have to give up then?¡± ¡°Hahaha, a great joke.¡± ¡°Yeah, I don¡¯t think so¡­¡± Instantly, the terrifying sword intent from ¡®Sword Domain¡¯ filled the surroundings, suppressing the four enemies around her. Then, she moved. Activating her first skill, ¡®Sword Body¡¯, with the greatest output possible, she accelerated towards the location of the second black-dressed man. The man was unable to react fast unable and only could use his daggers to stop the attack. However, his level three body was unable to endure the attack and the man was sent flying. Fortunately, the woman goal wasn¡¯t to kill him; instead, she grabbed the flag that Amelia brought. ¡°Trying to run with the banner? I don¡¯t think it¡¯s possible.¡± The man with the shortsword said while blocking her. ¡°Haha, but I¡¯m not the one running.¡± Then, under the surprised face of the man, she threw the flag to the place where Aleen was hiding. ¡°Hey boy, it¡¯s time to do your part!¡± With an astonished expression, Aleen saw the flag falling beside him. Chapter 8 – Lightning Strikes (3) Feelings of terror filled Aleen¡¯s body when the flag fell beside him. His body refused to move despite hearing the woman''s voice. The fear of seeing someone that just a moment ago was speaking to him dying suddenly after being pierced by a sword was enough to shut all the senses of his body. Inside his head, the images of John and Amelia dying appeared repeatedly without stopping. The impact was different than when the monster attacked him. This time, two humans were dead. ¡°Hurry up, boy!¡± The woman shouted strongly. ¡°This is not the time to be daydreaming. Take the flag and run to the base.¡± ¡°B-But¡­ You¡­¡± ¡°Stand up!¡± She shouted again, finally taking Aleen out of his trance. ¡°Don¡¯t you want to return alive? Then bring the flag to the base! Now!¡± Gritting his teeth, Aleen grabbed the flag and began to run, leaving the woman behind. He was not sure if she could survive against them, but he could see that she was strong. Furthermore, he was unable to help her to fight, but if he was fast enough, perhaps he could reach the base before the ice-cold woman dies. Looking to the scene, the shortsword-wielding man sneered before speaking. ¡°A level one? Hahaha, what a joke. Will, kill the bug and bring the flag back. Be fast!¡± ¡°Understood, teacher!¡± The dagger-wielding man answered after standing up. Apparently, the ice-cold woman attack was not enough to kill him. But when he tried to go running after Aleen, the woman spoke. ¡°Do you think that I will allow you!?¡± With a shout, the ¡®Sword Domain¡¯ extended from her, covering completely the surroundings with sword intent. Then, taking a step forward, she moved at super high speed towards the dagger-wielding man, trying to finish him with one attack. At that moment, one of the orcs moved to stop her. Wielding its axe, it blocked the woman''s attack saving the man. Unfortunately, the pressure of the blow was enough to stop the dagger-wielding man from advancing. Instantly, the other orc attacked together with the shortsword-wielding man, but the woman made use of the rebound from the axe to avoid the pair''s attack. Then, raising her sword high, she used her fourth skill. ¡°Descend, ¡®Calamity Sword¡¯!¡± Together with her words, an overwhelming amount of sword intent filled the greatsword. Then, with a furious cry, the sword descended¡­ ¡­ And for an instant, every sound disappeared. Aleen was running desperately through the streets of the ruined city. Carrying the enemy flag on a hand and holding his spear with the other, Aleen did his best to remember the path they took before, but his mind continued to bring forth the scenes of John and Amelia dying. Though Aleen did not know them very well, simply the fact of witnessing the death of someone he knows was a blow to him.The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. Shaking his head, Aleen tried to erase that scene from his mind. He had to concentrate on returning to his base if he wanted to survive. Aleen knew that his life was hanging from a thread. The attack of a monster was enough to kill him; besides, it was possible for the enemy to send someone to chase after him. For a moment, the thought of throwing the flag away and searching for a place to hide appeared in his mind. However, it disappeared after remembering the determined face of the ice-cold woman. Besides, the flag only made things a bit more dangerous. For Aleen, someone that did not know anything about this place, the simple idea of finding a safe place to hide was something extravagant. At that moment, Aleen saw something at a corner of his sight. It was the figure of a monster moving. ¡°Shit!¡± A feeling of danger and desperation overwhelmed Aleen¡¯s mind. The sight of the monster was like a prophet foreseeing the time of his death. Gritting his teeth. Aleen continued running, trying to leave the monster behind. Unfortunately, the beast was faster than him. After thirty seconds, the beast was just ten meters from him. An expression of fear appeared on his face. Aleen could feel the beast¡¯s breath impacting his body. The stench of rotting meat filled his nose. The beast continued chasing after him, measuring the distance between it and its prey. And finally, it was unable to endure the hunger. With a leap, it attacked. Aleen rolled desperately aside to evade the attack. The beast¡¯s claws cut through the place where he was an instant before. But though Aleen survived the attack, the claws of the beast grazed his body, creating a wound on his waist. Aleen did his best to ignore the pain coming from his wound and stood quickly. Then, throwing the flag aside, he grabbed his spear with both hands and faced the beast. It, however, was smarter than he thought. Glancing towards him, the furless monstrosity began to circle around him searching for an opportunity to tear apart the prey before it. Fear of death filled Aleen¡¯s mind and the blood flowing from his wound made it hard for him to concentrate. Aleen did his best to keep his mind focused on the beast, but before long, his vision began to falter. At that moment, Aleen discovered the beast¡¯s goal. It was not in a hurry to attack. The beast was waiting for him to weaken from the blood loss. A feeling of terror invaded Aleen. Cunning monster! Aleen knew that his only opportunity was to attack. The beast was fine with the stalemate, but he was not. If he continues waiting, the blood loss will weaken him enough for the beast to kill him easily. Taking a deep breath, Aleen put strength in the spear on his hands. It''s all or nothing. Then, giving a shout, he charged. ¡°Ahhhhhh!!!¡± Putting all his strength in the charge, Aleen stabbed with the spear towards the beast. Unfortunately, the beast was prepared for the desperate attack of its dying prey. With a fast jump, it evaded the attack before using a claw to hit Aleen in his chest. The attack sent Aleen flying to the ground. Thanks to the breastplate, he wasn¡¯t killed, but he was sure that a few of his ribs were broken. ''It''s painful...'' Aleen cried in his mind. He wanted used the last bit of his strength to stand up, but his body didn¡¯t answer him. With his blurry vision, Aleen saw the beast walking slowly towards him. The putrid stench of death filled his nose and his mind was paralyzed from fear. At that moment, a blurry image appeared in his head. I don¡¯t want to die¡­ His sister, worried at home about his whereabouts. Asking if someone knows where he is. I don¡¯t want to die¡­ The image of her in a bed, dying slowly from an unknown sickness, without someone around to support her. I don¡¯t want to die¡­ Her radiant smile, trying to hide her bitterness due to being a burden to his brother. ¡°I DON¡¯T WANT TO DIE!!!¡± Then, the mana inside his body answered. Images of electricity running through his body appeared in his mind, and lightning flowed through his veins, filling his body with newfound strength. His hands grabbed the spear lying on the ground, and his body stood up clumsily. The beast seemed to feel something because its steps paused. Then, with a whimper of fear, it retreated. But it was too late. Aleen took a step. ¡­ And his body advanced at terrifying speed. An instant later, the spear pierced the beast''s body. Chapter 9 – Lightning Strikes (4) ¡°Descend, ¡®Calamity Sword¡¯¡± An ice-cold voice resounded through the place. Powerful sword intent wrapped the greatsword on the woman¡¯s hands, pressuring the space in the surroundings and making the enemies in the surroundings to have difficulty to breathe. ¡°Damn it! What kind of monster is she!?¡± With an expression of terror, the shortsword-wielding man grabbed his disciple¡¯s arm before retreating quickly. However, it was too late to retreat from the woman¡¯s attack range. Before he could run far, the woman¡¯s sword was swung. Instantly, a destructive storm of energy filled the place. The surroundings were filled with sword energy and everything around was completely destroyed. It took nearly one minute before the effects of the attack subsided. The surroundings were completely destroyed, and a crater more than a hundred meters of diameter appeared in the place where the sword impacted. ¡°I¡¯m unable to control it yet.¡± The ice-cold voice of the woman sounded. ¡°That is the reason because you are not dead yet.¡± From the clouds of dust, four figures appeared; two belonging to orcs and two belonging to humans. None of them was dead, but injuries of every size could be seen in their bodies. One of the orcs had its left arm destroyed, apparently because he received the brunt of the attack in a try to protect its team. ¡°¡­ You¡­ How can you be so strong!?¡± The shortsword-wielding man asked, but the woman simply ignored him. For a few seconds, none of them said anything, and only the frightened deep breaths of the weaker level three human could be heard. ¡°Will, leave this place. Go get the flag.¡± The shortsword-wielding man said softly to his disciple. ¡°B-But teacher, the woman¨C¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I will distract her long enough for you to go. If you continue being here, you will end dead before long.¡± ¡°... I understand, master.¡± ¡°Orcs, help me to keep the woman busy. I don¡¯t think she is strong enough to take three level five for herself.¡± ¡°Very well, human. We will help you.¡± The hammer-wielding orc, whose arm had been injured, answered with a growl. Apparently, even a warmonger orc could understand that it was impossible to take the woman in a one to one. ¡°Now, go!¡± Immediately, the level three human ran towards the way that Aleen took.This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. ¡°I will not let you!¡± The woman shouted before attacking with her sword, but one of the orcs used its axe to block the attack. The woman increased the output of her ¡®Sword Body¡¯, throwing the orc away; but when she tried to chase after the disciple again, she was blocked by the two other enemies. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I cannot allow you to go after my disciple.¡± The human said after blocking one of the woman¡¯s attacks. ¡°Do you think that you can stop me?¡± She asked coldly. ¡°To be honest, I¡¯m not confident about being your match. Unfortunately for you, I¡¯m not alone here.¡± ¡°Bah!¡± She sneered. ¡°You will need more than it to kill me!¡± ¡°Is it so? I think that we are more than enough. After all, though you are strong, I don¡¯t think you can use that skill repeatedly. Maybe it¡¯s different in the main dimensions, but in this dimensional paradise, the suppression over our mana makes it hard for the strongest skills to be used continuously, am I wrong?¡± The man said with a smile. Furrowing her brows, she didn¡¯t deny it. Instead, she simply grabbed her greatsword with all her strength; then, unleashing the ¡®Sword Body¡¯, ¡®Sword Killing¡¯ and ¡®Sword Domain¡¯ skills, she charged bravely to fight the enemy team. Immediately, another battle ensued. For an instant, Aleen felt every cell inside his body moving, working together to accomplish a goal. It was a strange sensation, but at the same time, it was something pleasant. Aleen never felt anything so pleasant before. It was as if his entire body entered a state of relaxation. His body reacted for itself. The instincts of survival engraved deep in his genes generated the most appropriated answer against the dangerous situation he was facing. Then, lightning filled his veins, and the world slowed around him. Taking a step forward, his body accelerated at impossible speeds, then, his spear pierced the monster. Aleen did not know about it, but his current state was the most common method of strengthening known through the multiple dimensions; a process that is known as ¡®Enlightenment¡¯. It was a state that allowed him to witness the most fundamental truths about the universe. The source of any ability or skill. Because of it, Aleen was able to connect to the universe¡¯s laws, learning from it his first skill and allowing to his body to move at super high speeds. Aleen panted heavily with his body resting against the body of the beast. Though he was able to kill the animal, his situation was far from good. His body was filled with injuries, and once the effects of the enlightenment were gone, the pain in his body multiplied many times. Releasing the spear, Aleen body fell to the ground, too exhausted to move and with his vision blurry due to the blood loss. Fortunately, the moment of enlightenment stopped the blood loss from the injury on his waist; otherwise, his body would have rested together with the beast''s. Taking a deep breath, Aleen forced his body to move. Around a minute later, he was able to stand again. Grabbing the spear, he walked towards the place where the flag fell. But when he was going to grab it, he saw a shoe appearing above the flag. A human was standing before him, using a foot to step over it. Surprised, Aleen jumped backward trying to distance himself from the enemy. But before he could retreat, he felt a strong pain impacting his abdomen. ¡°Gah!¡± His body flew backward at high speeds, hitting the walls of a building and causing him even more pain. The pain was so strong that his consciousness disappeared for a second. When his mind finally got a bit of clarity, he heard the voice of his attacker. ¡°As expected from a level one, to suffer such injuries facing such weak beast.¡± Looking towards the origin of the voice, Aleen saw a black-dressed man wielding two daggers in his hands. Chapter 10 – Lightning Strikes (5) ¡°I don¡¯t understand why someone so powerful brought a normal human with her. Are you two family? I think it¡¯s the only reasonable explanation.¡± Aleen was unable to answer the man''s words. The pain in his body was enough to make him want to faint. To be honest, the only reason he was able to endure until now was purely due to willpower. Aleen tried to stand weakly despite the pain in his body. He was certain that the moment when he chooses not to stand anymore is going to be the moment of his death. Because of it, Aleen stood once more. Holding the spear in his hands, he looked to the black-dressed man and pointed the weapon towards him. The man, however, ignored his movements and simply grabbed the flag. It was obvious that he didn¡¯t consider Aleen as someone dangerous. ¡°¡­ What happened to the woman?¡± Aleen asked in a low voice with a mix of hope and fear. Fortunately, the man''s enhanced senses picked up his words. ¡°The woman? She is fighting my teacher and the two level five orcs. I must say, she is crazy strong. What is her origin? She is not one of the famous warriors of the game, but her abilities are incredible.¡± ¡°¡­ So she is fine.¡± ¡°What? Are you worried about her?¡± The man sneered. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me that you think that she will come to your rescue? Hah, she cannot save herself currently, how can she care for a useless level one as you now? Or perhaps, are you in love with her? Though I don¡¯t think that a level one has the right to love a level five.¡± Aleen simply ignored the man¡¯s words. When he heard that the woman wasn¡¯t dead, he felt a bit relieved in his heart. It wasn¡¯t that Aleen fell in love with her or something like that; instead, he felt grateful to the woman for saving his life. Aleen was sure that the only reason because he was alive yet, was thanks to her. It was not hard to make the association. If his team killed hundreds of level one in the enemy base when they attacked, how many humans can be alive in his team base after it suffered an enemy attack? Besides, though the man laughed to it, Aleen had the hope that the woman could come and save him. However, he knew that it was practically impossible. If he wanted to continue living, his only choice was relying on himself. Because of it, Aleen pointed the spear towards his enemy. He didn¡¯t know about his enemy¡¯s strength, but maybe he had a possibility of winning if he usesit. But before he could think about how to use the attack that he used before, the enemy moved. Aleen only felt the enemy disappear from his sight, then, an instant later, he felt an impact hitting his waist. His body flew through the ruined city, but before he could land, another impact hit his chest. Then, his body crashed against the ground. ¡°Gah!¡± He cried while spitting a mouthful of blood. ¡°So weak.¡± The man said. ¡°Can you do something special? A secret move? No? I thought so.¡±Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author. Receiving another kick, Aleen felt all the strength leaving his body. But at the same time, he found a ray of hope. Inside his mind, he felt something. It was a strange kind of rune inside his head, standing in the middle of his mind. Aleen was unable to see it, but somehow, he could feel that it was there. When Aleen tried to move the rune, he immediately understood. That thing was the origin of his power. It was his only hope of leaving this place alive. Aleen suppressed his desire to use it immediately. It was obvious that the black-dressed man didn¡¯t see him using it against the beast he killed. Because of it, Aleen knew that his best shot was using it when the man is not expecting an attack. Holding his chest with a hand, Aleen used the other hand to hold the spear tightly, afraid of dropping it. Then, kneeling because of the pain, he looked towards the man. Playing with a dagger in his right hand, the man closed to Aleen slowly; wishing to see the despair on his face. Aleen, however, tried to keep calm in the situation. He knew that he only had a shot at it. If he fails, he definitively was going to die. ¡°Hmm. You are not fun. I guess that I will kill you then. Goodbye, weakling.¡± With an indifferent tone, the man raised his dagger ready to pierce his heart. At that moment, Aleen knew that he had to use his attack. It was his last opportunity. Even though the man was on guard, he could not wait anymore. He willed the rune in his mind to work, and it emitted a brief shine. The little mana remaining in his body moved in response, and the skill that he just acquired was activated. But before he could use it, something in a corner of his sight attracted his attraction. A beast, bigger, uglier and faster than the ones he saw before, was charging towards the black-dressed man¡¯s back. Surprised, Aleen stopped his ability from activating. At the same time, the man noticed the abnormality and turned his head to see the beast¡¯s mouth centimeters from his face. An expression of terror appeared on his face, and his daggers moved reflexively to block the attack. Immediately after, his daggers shined with a bright light and attacked the monster, cutting one of its extremities. But despite it, the weight of the beast caused the man to take a few steps backward. ¡°Damn monster!¡± With a shout of rage, the man attacked with the other dagger, cutting the level two beast¡¯s head. But because of it, he forgot the presence of Aleen behind him. ¡°Now!¡± Aleen roared, using the shout to unleash all the remaining strength in his body. Immediately, lightning coursed through his body, slowing his perception of the surroundings and granting him extreme speed for an instant. Aleen pointed his spear to the man¡¯s neck, and then, his body moved. A streak of lightning illuminated the surroundings, and Aleen body crossed twenty meters in an instant. Then, with a thud, his body hit the ground. *Crash* For an instant, only silence filled the place. Then, Aleen began to laugh. ¡°Ha¡­ Hahahaha¡­!¡± With a smile on his face, Aleen laughed happily.I did it! I killed him! But when he was celebrating, the reaper''s voice sounded. ¡°So, was it the trump card you were hiding?¡± It was frightening, filled with hatred, shame, and bloodlust. Immediately, the expression of happiness froze on Aleen''s face and a feeling of despair appeared inside him. From the smoke, the figure of the man appeared. Holding a dagger in his hand and using the other to hold his neck, the man walked towards Aleen. Blood was flowing from his neck in great quantities, but though the wound seemed threatening, it was not enough to kill him. On the other hand, Aleen could not move his body anymore. After the last attack, the little remaining strength he had, was used. ¡°Do you think that something like that can kill me? I must admit though, you almost got me there. If I would have reacted a bit later, I would be dead.¡± Hearing the man words, a smile of resignation appeared in Aleen¡¯s face. How can someone react to an attack like that? ... I guess my luck was not enough, huh¡­ Closing his eyes, Aleen heard the man steps closing to him. Deep inside of him, he was not resigned to this result. He didn¡¯t want to die. A strong desire to survive bubbled in his chest. But there was nothing he could do. ¡°Any last words? No? Then, die!¡± Raising his dagger, the man swung it to Aleen¡¯s heart. But then, a second miracle occurred. Before the dagger could hit, a sword appeared. Then, an ice-cold voice sounded. ¡°I don¡¯t think so.¡± An instant later, a greatsword pierced the man¡¯s heart. Chapter 11 – Flag Finale (1) Seeing the sword piercing his chest, an expression of dread appeared on the dagger-wielding man''s face. He tried to turn his head to see the one responsible for his death, but before he could, the sword was retired from his body, widening the injury. Finally, he fell, breathing his last. Aleen looked to the scene with an expression of astonishment. He recognized the owner of that voice. It was the ice-cold woman that told him to bring the flag. A sigh of relief unknowingly escaped Aleen¡¯s lips. He relaxed his body, lying on the blood-stained floor. But before he could begin to rest, the woman spoke. ¡°Stand up. We must return to the base.¡± Aleen''s body automatically tried to stand up when he heard the woman¡¯s voice, but his muscles complained immediately. The pain coming from his multiple injuries and the fatigue from the fights against the monster and the black-dressed man made his body impossible to move. Seeing it, the woman frowned slightly before speaking in a commanding tone. ¡°Circulate your mana. It will help you to move your body and recover from the fatigue faster.¡± ¡°¡­ How do I circulate my mana?¡± ¡°You felt it when you used your skill.¡± She answered. ¡°Remember the sensation from then; but instead of activating your skill, try to move your mana around your body.¡± Aleen tried to do as the woman said. It was hard at the beginning, but because he had the experience of using his skill, he got the hang of it quickly. ¡°How odd.¡± He said after feeling his body recuperate noticeably. ¡°Though circulating is not enough to recover your injuries completely, it will help you to suppress them until you receive proper medical care.¡± ¡°¡­ Is there medical care in this place?¡± ¡°No.¡± The woman said. ¡°You must wait until the end of the game.¡± After saying it, the woman began to run forward carrying the flag in her hands.Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. Aleen followed after her, though his body was still hurting a bit. Fortunately, he noticed that it was easier to run now that he was circulating; otherwise, it would have been impossible for him to keep with the woman¡¯s speed. ¡°By the way, congratulations on your awakening. From today, you are level two.¡± Aleen showed a surprised expression after hearing the woman¡¯s words. He was accustomed to only hear her voice when she needs to give a command or explain something to him. Hearing she congratulating him was kind of new to him; though her ice-cold tone was the same. ¡°Thanks¡­ Level two, What it means?¡± ¡°Right.¡± She said exasperatedly. ¡°I forgot that you don¡¯t know anything about it.¡± Pausing briefly, the woman organized her thoughts before speaking. ¡°Levels are the method used to classify the power of an individual. The greater the level, the stronger you are. Level one is the equivalent to a normal human without skills and only a general knowledge about mana. When you acquire a skill, you increase your level. It continues until you reach level five. There are six levels known, but becoming level six is different than the levels before, though you don¡¯t need to know about it. ¡°Of course, levels are at most a general classification created to estimate the power of an individual. To be honest, there are many exceptions to that rule; and even between levels, there are instances of a lower level winning easily against someone at a higher level.¡± ¡°¡­ Do you mean that I became level two because I can use that thing that makes me move superfast?¡± ¡°A skill, yeah.¡± She replied indifferently. Aleen nodded slightly after hearing it. The pair continued running silently after it. But after a time, Aleen found the silence a bit awkward. It was fine before because they had not initiated a normal conversation. But after speaking normally, Aleen found unnerving to continue keeping the silence. While searching for a topic of conversation, he finally noticed the traces of blood in the woman¡¯s clothes. Then, he remembered that the woman was fighting against three people before. ¡°¡­ You killed them?¡± Aleen asked. ¡°Only one orc.¡± The woman answered, understating his question. ¡°The human and the other orc escaped. The human used a skill to disappear from the place and brought the remaining orc with him. Probably some kind of teleportation.¡± Aleen thought that it was incredible. He heard that the orcs were level five, and the man that killed John was a level five too. How strong was the woman to fight against three of them and win? While Aleen was lost in his thoughts, the woman stopped suddenly. Frowning slightly, she looked towards a side of the ruined city before continuing to run; this time faster than before. ¡°We must hurry. The human ambushed and killed one of the two level five chasing after the orc that attacked our base. He is fighting against the other with the help of the orcs. She probably will be unable to endure for long.¡± Aleen face changed color after hearing it, but he recovered immediately before asking something. ¡°Are them going to kill the remaining members of our team?¡± ¡°Probably. If he wants to kill me his only option is to reunite the remaining level five in his team and attack me with them. He probably will try to intercept me before reaching to the base.¡± Aleen panicked for a moment, but his expression calmed after seeing the expressionless face of the woman. After all, he was not going to be the one fighting the enemies. And if she was unable to fight them, then it was useless for him to worry. Chapter 12 – Flag Finale (2) Aleen and the woman continued running to the base. Along the way, he learned that you could communicate with the members of your team if you upgrade the AI chip in your brain. It is the method that she was using to receive information about the team¡¯s situation. Apparently, every competitor in the game receive the implantation of an AI as a free service, but it had functions limited to a universal translator, pseudo health check, and connection to the game information. It was possible to upgrade the AI chip to get new functions such as a dimensional communicator to literally made calls through dimensions; but the price was, following the words of the woman, very expensive for a normal person. On the other hand, Aleen finally discovered that he and the woman were speaking a completely different language. According to her, the AI was able to translate their conversations in real-time reading the brain waves transmitted from a chip to the other. The chips were connected to a database containing all the languages known through the dimensions. Aleen thought that it was great stuff, but not so incredible like getting superpowers. After running for another two minutes, the woman came to a stop again. Then, with a grave expression, she spoke to Aleen. ¡°The remaining level five in the team were killed. Fortunately, one level five orc died too, but the enemy has three level five remaining.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°The human definitively has a teleportation-like skill, though it probably has certain restrictions. Otherwise, he would have taken our flag to his base directly.¡± The woman continued without waiting for an answer from Aleen. ¡°If my guess is right, the skill is restricted to a certain distance, number of uses and the number of people he can carry with him. Besides, the flag probably has an anti-teleportation enchantment, so he cannot transport it.¡± Aleen was unable to understand half of the thing that the woman said, but despite it, he noticed something strange. ¡°But if he can teleport, why did he not go after the flag from the beginning? Even if he cannot teleport the flag, he could bring someone with him to get it and then return to their base, winning the game easily.¡± The woman thought for a moment before answering. ¡°His goal probably was to get the points and coins from our deaths. That skill is very suited for assassinations, so he probably thought of killing the enemy team completely to win the game automatically. Of course, he didn¡¯t expect to fail to kill me after facing me in a three against one.¡±This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. Glancing to the direction of the base, the woman hesitated briefly before speaking to Aleen. ¡°Boy, I think that it¡¯s better if we separate.¡± ¡°¡­ What do you mean?¡± Aleen asked. ¡°The enemy probably is waiting for us ahead. Our best option is that I go to face them. Once the fight begins, you will take another path and run to the base. The game will end when you bring the flag to our base.¡± ¡°¡­ Are you confident about going against them?¡± The woman shook her head slightly and looked forward. ¡°I¡¯m not. The fight before left me injured, and I¡¯m not sure about the enemy¡¯s skills. If one of their skills restraints me, then I probably will lose.¡± ¡°Then¨C ¡± ¡°But I will be able to endure until you reach to the base. Can you do it?¡± Aleen hesitated slightly, but after a few seconds, he put a determined expression. ¡°Yes, I can.¡± ¡°Very well, then let¡¯s go.¡± ¡°They are ahead.¡± Aleen nodded to the woman¡¯s words. ¡°You know what to do. Wait until after the fight begins and run to the base. Don¡¯t go too close to the place where we are going to fight. If any of the enemies find where you are, they will try to kill you during the fight.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± ¡°Then, I¡¯m going.¡± The woman accelerated immediately after speaking to Aleen. In a second, she left Aleen¡¯s sight. After thirty seconds, he heard the battle beginning. ¡°¡­ I never asked her name.¡± With a sight, Aleen made his way to the base¡¯s location, an expression of determination on his face. After leaving Aleen, the woman accelerated quickly towards the enemies¡¯ position. ¡°Now I think about it, I don¡¯t know the boy¡¯s name.¡± Shaking her head, the woman got rid of that thought and concentrated completely in the coming fight. As she said to Aleen, she was not confident of her odds against the enemy. Though she won the fight before, it was mainly because the enemy wasn¡¯t expecting her combat strength. Now that they were prepared, she was sure that things were going to be harder. A few seconds later, she finally saw the enemy. ¡°You are finally here.¡± The human spoke. The woman looked around to confirm the enemies. Besides the human, the other two enemies were one orc that fought against her before and another female orc. ¡°There isn¡¯t a reason to leave the flag behind.¡± The man frowned after examining the ice-cold woman. Then, he spoke to the two orcs. ¡°My disciple probably was unable to kill the boy so she left the flag with him. She probably plans to fight us while the boy brings the flag. It complicates things.¡± ¡°What do you mean, human!?¡± The male orc growled. ¡°The boy is probably going to bring the flag to their base while we are fighting. It means that we have to kill her fast or we are going to lose.¡± ¡°One can go after human.¡± The female orc said. ¡°No.¡± The man said. ¡°Two of us are unable to fight against her. If we go after the boy, she will kill the ones behind and go after the other after. Our only option is to kill her before the boy reaches the base.¡± Looking at the ice-cold woman¡¯s expressionless face, the man grabbed his shortsword firmly. ¡°Can I ask your name, beautiful woman?¡± The woman kept silent after hearing the question. When the man thought that she wasn¡¯t going to speak, she opened her mouth. ¡°My name is D¡¯Vina. But you don¡¯t need to tell me yours.¡± With these words, the woman accelerated towards the enemies. Chapter 13 – Flag Finale (3) Aleen could felt the shockwaves from the battle a kilometer away. The clash of swords and the sound of explosions painted a scene of destruction in his mind. Following the woman¡¯s words, Aleen tried to distance himself from the place of the fight before making his way to the base. Knowing that both of their lives were at risk, he tried to move as fast as possible. Aleen considered using his skill to move faster, but in the end, he decided against it. He didn¡¯t know what kind of danger he would find before reaching the base. Besides, he probably could only use his skill safely once more. Beyond it, even if he was able to use the skill again, it probably would cause damage to his body. When he asked the woman about it, she answered that his body was not used to use mana so aggressively. Because of it, he will be unable to use the skill freely before his body is adapted to the increase of level. And even after it, the usage of his skill probably would be limited. After a few minutes, Aleen finally came to the surroundings of the base. Fortunately, he could still hear the sound of battle, so he knew that the woman was alive yet. But before he could sigh in relief, the scene before his eyes eliminated any happiness he could have had. Tens of bodies were lying grotesquely around the base. A bloody scene of bodies, heads, and limbs lying in the ground appeared before Aleen. A strong feeling of nausea and fear filled him. He recognized them. They were the people that appeared in this place with him. The man with a business suit, the schoolgirl, the punk, the Japanese girl; many of them left an impression in Aleen. But that was not the most frightening thing. The most terrifying part of the scene was the group of monsters eating the human bodies savagely. Aleen saw many beasts like the ones that almost killed him twice. Tens of them, some so big that others seemed children compared to them. They were using their claws and jaws to feast on the bodies, taking chunks of flesh with every bite and drinking human blood happily. Aleen suppressed the instinctive scream that almost left his mouth, but it was useless. Some monsters had noticed his movement.The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. *ROAR!!!* A beast roared. Immediately, the group of beasts raised their heads, looking towards the place where Aleen was together. The pressure of tens of monster looking to him suffocated Aleen, and he had to concentrate to stop his body from shaking. Then, after a few seconds of silence, the first beast took a step forward. Then, the second beast moved. An instant later, the entire group of beasts ran towards Aleen. Aleen took instinctively a step backward. Then, when the beasts began to run toward him, he turned and ran away quickly. The mana inside his body circulated quickly, sending energy to his legs and accelerating his movement, but the beasts were even faster. With their savagery ignited by the bloody smell, the beasts used their legs to step in the walls, roofs, trees or any other thing in the surroundings, using it at their advantage to gain ground. Before long, the first beast was at striking distance. Aleen did his best and evaded the first attack, but the beasts continued attacking. With their instincts as predators, they chose the best moment to pounce, disturbing Aleen¡¯s steps and forcing him to evade constantly. Before long, the pack of beasts began to surround him. Desperation began to fill his mind, and his breathing became erratic. The wounds from before combined with the new injuries began to sap his strength. His struggle only served to ignite the beasts'' desire for flesh blood. Finally, a beast lost its patience and attacked Aleen with the intent to kill him. Gritting his teeth, Aleen used the flag as a bat and hit the beast¡¯s mouth, throwing it away. But because of it, his body had not more option but stop. Immediately, more beasts began to pounce towards his body. Aleen used the spear on his other hand to block some attacks, but he was not fast enough to block everything. One of the beasts used its claw to hit his back, destroying his balance. Then, another beast attacked using that opportunity. The beast¡¯s jaws appeared before his eyes and the fetid smell of blood impacted his face. But before the beast could kill him, Aleen¡¯s eyes flashed. Immediately, lightning coursed through his body, and the movements in the surroundings seemed to stop. Aleen willed his body to move, and time resumed its march. His body accelerated powerfully, and the lance in his hand cut through the beasts before him. In a second, Aleen ran a distance of fifty meters, leaving the beasts¡¯ encirclement behind. Then, he continued to run. That was virtually his last use of his skill. Though he could force his body to use it again, he would be unable to move after it. Even now, a strong feeling of fatigue filled his muscles. Aleen continued running. But though he did not look back, he could hear the sound of the beast coming after him. His skill at most bought a few seconds of time. Before long, the situation from before was going to repeat. I have to think about something. A method to escape from the current crisis. It was useless to hope for someone saving him again. Aleen was certain that life and death hanged in his own shoulders. Then, his sight moved at the flag in his left hand. The woman said that the game would end when a team''s flag reaches to the enemy base. The question is, how long after it? Looking to the flag again, Aleen took a mouthful of air, then, he made his mind. ¡°Lady luck, if you exist, please bless me.¡± Hearing the roars of the beasts behind him, Aleen changed his direction. Searching for an opportunity to survive. Chapter 14 – Flag Finale (4) Roars of beasts filled the streets of the ruined city. A figure was running quickly followed by a group of bloodthirsty monsters. With a body ridden of injuries, Aleen continued running towards the base desperately. Currently, his only hope was to reach the base before the beasts catch up; but such hope was becoming smaller with every second. The distance between him and the base was closing quickly, but the beasts¡¯ speed was even quicker. In a short time, they were again a few meters behind him. Aleen could only run while doing his best to ignore the breath of death touching his back. The desire to live burned fiercely in his chest. Blood continually flowed through his veins, bringing mana to every part of his body. His body entered in a strange state, and small sparks of lightning coursed through his limbs; creating an image that was as beautiful as terrifying at the same time. His mind focused completely on his goal and everything else faded away. He even forgot the reason because he was running. The only thing remaining in his mind was the strong desire to survive. Like a miracle, his speed continued to increase constantly. If the woman, D¡¯Vina, was here, she would have identified it as his ''aspect'' manifesting. As a result of the immense danger he was experimenting, his body subconsciously tried to move the mana according to the mana path of his skill. It wasn¡¯t enough to activate the skill though; but it was enough to awaken the ¡®aspect¡¯ of his mana, lightning, and help to speed up his body. Every living being, from the smallest insect to the biggest mammal, is born with the capacity to manipulate mana, but most never discover it. However, when a living being manages to manipulate mana for the first time, it produces an individual mana frequency. And as with every person, every mana frequency is different. ¡®Aspect¡¯ is something born from that difference. Each aspect represents the potential of an individual to use the ¡®laws¡¯, and grant an attribute to the mana. If the aspect is fire, then it¡¯s easier for the individual to learn skills based on fire, and at the same time, his mana can acquire the fire attribute. For Aleen, his aspect was lightning. And the greatest advantage of lightning is speed. Because of it, when Aleen activated his aspect, his speed naturally increased. Thanks to it, he was able to keep the distance with the beasts from decreasing. Aleen continued running, and after a few seconds, he finally captured sight of the base. The remaining mana in his body flowed even faster now that his goal was at sight, and his speed increased even more.You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. But fate likes to make a joke of people. Because when Aleen was just a few meters from the base, a beast appeared from the human remains scattered on the ground. *Roar!!!* The beast was small, smaller than the beasts chasing after him. A cub. Probably it was the reason because it stayed behind. Normally, such a beast wasn¡¯t enough to bring danger to Aleen. Even in his current condition, he was confident in killing it with easy. But in the current circumstances, it became the nail that broke the camel¡¯s back. When he finally noticed the beast, it was already pouncing towards him. Aleen used his spear to hit the beast away, but the impact of it coupled with his speed was enough to destroy his balance. Aleen staggered slightly, and his speed fell. Three seconds. It was the time that Aleen took to regain his balance. But by then, it was too late. The group of beasts chasing after him took advantage of that time to catch with him. And when Aleen tried to run again, a beast was already ready to jump towards him. The beast attacked, and Aleen tried his best to avoid the attack, but the beasts made use of his movement to complete the encirclement. In an instant, the ray of hope vanished completely. A beast after another jumped towards him, and Aleen did his best to fight them. Sometimes evading, sometimes using his weapon to block. But before long, another injury appeared in his body. Aleen could felt death closing to him every second. The entrance to the base was just before him, just a few meters away. But that few meters felt like thousands kilometers. Waving the flag, Aleen used it to hit a beast away. Then, using his spear, he pierced towards another beast, hitting it in its chest and killing the monster immediately. But before he could retract his arm, another beast moved. It used its mouth to bit the spear, making it impossible for Aleen to recover it quickly. Aleen put strength on his arm to recover it back, but the other beasts made use of this opportunity to attack him. Pouncing towards him, a beast bit the arm holding the spear, then, it tore it away. An instant later, Aleen felt a strong wave of pain. Looking towards the place where his arm was located, he only saw blood flowing. ¡°AHHHHHHHHHGGGGG!!!¡± With a cry of pain, Aleen saw a pair of beasts biting his arm, fighting for the ownership of it and tearing it in pieces. Then, another beast bit his left leg. And another beast jumped to his back. Aleen fell to the ground, and the group of beasts pounced towards him like piranhas seeing blood. The despair and the feeling of being eaten alive filled Aleen¡¯s mind, and another cry of horror escaped his lips. But then, a roar resounded. *ROAR* Immediately, every beast stopped. With his blurry sight, Aleen saw a beast walking slowly towards him. The beast was bigger than any other, and its body was filled with scars. *ROAR* it roared again, and every beast retreated in submission. Then, it walked until the place where Aleen was lying. Aleen tried to move his body, using his remaining arm, that was holding the flag, to pull his body towards the base. But as if the beast were laughing to him, the gigantic beast¡¯s claw fell in his back. Tears fell from his eyes, and cries of help left his mouth. But nobody heard him. With a last roar of victory, the beast mouth opened to eat his head. Then, at that instant, Aleen¡¯s skill activated once again. It was an instinctive reaction of his body. The last struggle of a soul before its death. But this struggle created a miracle. Lightning filled his body, and his remaining leg exploded. But it created enough strength to push Aleen towards the entrance of the base. His back, pressed down by the beast¡¯s claw, was torn due to the strength of the skill. It was a mortal wound, but Aleen¡¯s body rushed towards the base despite it. His arm, holding the flag, extended forwards, and the flag fell inside the base. Then, his cosciousness blanked. An instant later, his body disappeared from the place. Chapter 15 – Gamemaster (1) In another part of the ruined city, a scene of destruction could be seen. Two humans were standing in the middle of a battlefield, surrounded by debris. One of them was a black-haired woman; her body was filled with injuries, but her expression was proud and ice-cold, giving a feeling of distance to everybody that saw her. The other, a man, had his body covered completely by a cloak. He was holding a shortsword, and the tip of it was piercing the woman¡¯s right arm. But currently, none of them was moving. Inside their eyes, two words appeared. ¡®Game Over¡¯. ¡°Ha¡­!¡± The woman laughed. ¡°The boy made it, huh!¡± With an expression of surprise on his face, the man pulled the sword from the woman¡¯s arm, then, he put it inside his clothes. ¡°You are lucky. A few seconds more and you are dead.¡± ¡°You are right, but this time was my victory.¡± ¡°What can I say? Being honest, you deserve it. A monster like you is not someone that low scorers as us can compete with.¡± The woman did not say anything. Instead, she sheathed her greatsword and straightened her posture. Then, she looked towards the direction of the base. To be honest, when she noticed the beasts chasing after the boy, she thought that he was not going to do it. Unfortunately, her enemies made it impossible for her to help. So, when she received the notification of their victory, she was more than a bit surprised. Closing her eyes, she opened her mouth towards her enemy. ¡°Goodbye. It was a great fight.¡± Around her, two orcs were lying dead, expressions of disbelief in their faces. An instant later, her body was engulfed by a ray of light. ''I guess I owe one to the boy.'' With that thought, the woman disappeared from that place. ¡®Congratulations. Your team has won the game. Calculating your rewards¡­¡¯ When Aleen woke up, those words appeared immediately in his mind. He was in a dark place, without signs of light. He tried to move, but it was impossible to feel his body. Before he could understand what was happening, more words appeared in his mind. ¡®Monsters killed: 12 Level one monsters:12 points Achievements: Leveling:10 points (Points corresponding to Level two) Participation:10 points (Points corresponding to Level two)If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. Flag acquired:100 points Game results: Victory:10 points (Points corresponding to Level two) Total score: 142 points Reward: 142 UDP coins Your battlefield score has increased from 0 to 1.1 ¡®Please wait a moment¡­¡¯ Aleen tried to remember where he was, and the images of the monster tearing his body appeared in his mind. For some reason, his mind felt calm despite it. The feeling of fear that he felt inside the battlefield disappeared completely. ¡®We have detected injuries in your body. Do you wish to use your coins to heal them?¡¯ Aleen remembered that his body was very injured when the game ended. Though he wasn¡¯t sure how serious were the injuries, he knew that it was enough to kill him a few times. To be honest, he was not sure of the reason because he was alive. So, without hesitating too much, he said yes. ¡®A moment please¡­¡¯ ¡®The cost of healing your injuries is 71 UDP coins. Do you wish to continue?¡¯ Aleen selected yes again. ¡®Understood. We are going to begin the procedure.¡¯ Before Aleen could react to the words that appeared in his mind, his mind blanked again. ¡®Procedure complete. Please wait¡­¡¯ ¡®As a level two, you will be sent to the game lobby.¡¯ ¡®Initiating transference in three, two, one¡­¡¯ When Aleen woke up again, he was lying on the ground of a hall. Holding his head, he tried to stand up, but his body fell once more. Before he could try again, the memories from the game rushed to his mind. Immediately after it, vomit flowed from Aleen''s mouth, and an expression of terror appeared on his face. His face contorted and the smell of iron filled his nose. But before he could scream, a hand touched his shoulder. ¡°Easy boy, you are safe now.¡± A voice said. Aleen recognized that voice. It was the voice of the woman that helped him during the game. Hearing her, he calmed slightly. Then, he finally examined the surroundings. Surprise filled his face when he gave a look to the place where he was. It was a kind of circular hall, but it didn¡¯t have a roof or walls. Instead, a scenery of stars, planets and a sun shining brightly far away surrounded the place. The hall was located in space. But it was not the thing that surprised Aleen the most. Two things were even more surprising. The first was that his body was completely free of injuries. Even his lost limbs were back. The second was that four more people were in the hall besides Aleen and the woman. They were the remaining level five of the team. ¡°Man, I cannot believe that we won the game.¡± The other level five woman said. ¡°Neither can I. I was stunned when the AI announced that my team won the game.¡± One of the men spoke. ¡°What happened after I died?¡± John asked. ¡°I¡¯m not sure. I died soon after you.¡± Looking at the people speaking normally, Aleen wore an astonished expression. ¡°Y-You¡­ How are you alive!?¡± ¡°Oh? The level one boy woke up?¡± John smiled before looking towards Aleen. ¡°I cannot believe that you are alive.¡± ¡°W-Why are you here? I saw you die.¡± ¡°Oh, that. Well, I paid the price of my resurrection. Twenty thousand coins to resurrect. I feel hurt every time a heard the amount.¡± ¡°T-Then, the others¡­ Can they return too? What happened with the girl, Amelia!?¡± John looked towards Aleen with a strange expression before shaking his head. ¡°They are dead.¡± ¡°¡­ But they can revive, right?¡± John opened his mouth, but before he could speak, an ice-cold voice interrupted him. ¡°They cannot. The cost of resurrection is too expensive for someone below level five to afford it. Of course, it¡¯s different if you belong to an eminent family; but most families will not spend such price for a particular member if his position is not important enough.¡± Aleen looked towards the ice-cold woman unable to hide his disappointment. Though he did not know any of those people before today, it was depressing to know that so many people died so easily in front of him. Aleen lowered his head and bit his lips. When he saw the four level five alive, he was excited, thinking that perhaps everything was a nightmare. But now he knew that everything was real. The dead were dead. And he could have died too. ¡°¡­ I don¡¯t understand. Why they have to die?¡± Hearing Aleen¡¯s voice, the woman tried to say something. But before she could speak, another level five interrupted. ¡°Silence, boy! This is not a place for you to cry and search for answers. If you want to complain, do it later when the gamemaster comes. This is not a place to answer your questions. The ice-cold woman frowned when she heard the man words, but at the end stayed silent. At that moment, another figure entered to the place. ¡°Oh my, can you stop fighting? You should be celebrating! Welcome, everybody! And congratulations on your victory!¡± A chubby man with pink skin, dressed in strangely luxurious clothes and giving a sensation of pure authority. Aleen didn¡¯t have to ask to know the identity of the man. The gamemaster was here. Chapter 16 – Gamemaster (2) ¡°Truly an unexpected surprise. Your odds of victory were 1:4; many people did bet in your defeat. They probably are cursing miss D¡¯Vina and our little friend now.¡± The gamemaster said. The first thing that Aleen thought about the gamemaster was that he lookedodd. Though he seemed human, something about him wasnon-human.Of course, besides his pink skin, his strangely jovial expression, or his weird chubby body. The second thing that appeared in his mind, wasfear. It was a fear coming from deep inside him, like the fear he felt when he saw the beasts of the game for the first time, but more primal, moreinstinctive. For some reason, Aleen could not shake the feeling that something about themanwas wrong, that he was an existence fundamentally different from him; an existenceabovehim. However, he apparently was not the only one with that feeling. Aleen noticed that the level five were strangely silent, every one of them wearing serious expressions as if facing a terrifying enemy. But before he could understand what was happening, the strange feeling disappeared. When Aleen came back to his senses and looked to the gamemaster again, the sense of wrongness had disappeared. Aleen exhaled the air that he was holding unknowingly and the level five around him seemed to relax too. ¡°Well, any of you have something to say? If not, I will announce the results of your game.¡± Though Aleen wanted to ask some things, he decided to wait after seeing the group''s serious expression. ¡°Firstly, congratulations to miss D¡¯vina Slew¡¯nid Had¡¯ning for her fifth consecutive victory. You had been in a streak from the moment after becoming level five. I have great hopes for your future. ¡°Second, congratulations to Aleen Hamill for surviving his first game and becoming a level two. You are the 132nd person in your world that becomes level two, and the fifth that learned a skill from the day when the manation process began. ¡°Thirdly, though many of you died during the game, the earnings we got through the broadcast were higher than anticipated; so you will get a bonus as stipulated in your contracts. Miss D¡¯vina will get an especially large bonus. I hope that you find it useful.¡± Everybody but Aleen, that was unable to understand the man¡¯s words, nodded towards the gamemaster. Seeing it, the man spoke again. ¡°Very well, any of you want to say something?¡± Aleen waited for a moment, but nobody seemed intent to speak, so, he raised hesitantly his hand. But before he could speak, the gamemaster interrupted his words.Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator. ¡°Not you, mister Aleen. Someone will answer your questions later.¡± ¡°But¨C¡± ¡°Silence.¡± The chubby man said firmly, and Aleen instinctively swallowed the words he wanted to say. He had the feeling that it was better not to enrage the chubby man. ¡°Nobody else has something to say? Very well, you can return to y¨C¡± ¡°Wait a moment.¡± The ice-cold woman interrupted. ¡°I want to take the boy like my assistant.¡± For a moment, everybody put an expression of astonishment. Then, the chubby man asked. ¡°Are you sure, miss D¡¯vina? You know the implications of choosing an assistant, right?¡± ¡°I know.¡± The woman nodded firmly. Hearing it, the gamemaster smiled mischievously and spoke. ¡°Mmm, we don¡¯t know if mister Aleen is going to continue participating in the games from today onwards, but we can get mister Aleen¡¯s opinion meanwhile. Mister Aleen, what do you think about becoming miss D¡¯vina¡¯s assistant?¡± Aleen put a doubtful expression while the group looked towards him. He obviously did not have an idea about the meaning of becoming someone¡¯s assistant. But before he could ask, he heard John¡¯s words. ¡°Agree to it, boy. It¡¯s something good.¡± Hearing it, Aleen hesitated slightly before agreeing. Aleen knew that the only reason he survived was that the ice-cold woman, D¡¯vina, helped him. He was sure that the woman could have killed him easily if she wanted. Besides, he doesn¡¯t have anything valuable enough for the woman to scheme against him. Besides, the impression that he got from the woman after interacting with her during the game was of someone trustworthy and righteous. ¡°Very well. We will link mister Aleen¡¯s account to miss D¡¯vina¡¯s once mister Aleen agrees to continue participating in the game. If mister Aleen chooses to stop participating, then we will inform miss D¡¯vina of his decision.¡± After saying it, the gamemaster looked to the people in the hall once more before speaking. ¡°If nobody else is going to speak, I will give for concluded this game. You will be sent to your place of origin soon. Mister Aleen, someone will speak with you later. You can make your questions then.¡± Then, the gamemaster bowed slightly before disappearing from the place. Aleen put a surprised expression seeing the man disappear mysteriously. But before he could say something, he heard the voice of the ice-cold woman. ¡°Your name is Aleen, right?¡± Aleen nodded and the woman continued speaking. ¡°Pay attention to my instructions. If you decide to continue participating in the game, you will be assigned to be my assistant. Now, tell me, how much coins you have?¡± Aleen put a doubtful expression before remembering the explanation of the woman about the AI in his mind. He thought about seeing his personal information; then, the words appeared again. ¡®Name: Aleen Hamill. Level two human male. Age: 18 years old (The age is calculated following the interdimensional calendar). Skills: 1. ¡®Unnamed¡¯ Money: 71 UDP Coins¡¯ Aleen read the information in his mind and noticed the number of coins. ¡°Hurry up, tell me how much money you have.¡± The woman asked again. ¡°It says 71 UDP Coins. What can I do with it?¡± ¡°Only 71? I thought that you would have more. Whatever, I think that it¡¯s enough.¡± Looking towards Aleen, she put a serious expression before speaking. ¡°Someone will speak to you later. When it happens, you will ask that person about the things you can buy with the coins. He will show you a list and you must buy the things that I say. Remember you must buy everything.¡± Aleen nodded when he heard her tone. Then, the woman continued. ¡°You must buy the basics about mana manipulation, the basic information about ¡®Dimensional Paradise¡¯ and a sword. Buy the most expensive sword you can buy with the remaining money because it will help to protect your life later. Though the game provides free weapons, they are not so good as the weapons you can buy. Do you understand?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°Very well. I hope I can see you next time.¡± Once the woman said it, a pillar of light engulfed her. Then, she disappeared from the hall. Before Aleen could say something, the same light engulfed him. Then, he was transported to another place. Chapter 17 – Questions and Answers When Aleen recovered his sight, he was not in the hall anymore. Instead, he was transported to a futuristic-looking room. Aleen deduced that It was an office based on the objects he could see in the room. While he was observing the place, a metallic noise came from behind him. Aleen turned around and saw a beautiful woman entering from an automatic sliding door. The woman was human, but her clothes were different than the clothes normally found on earth. Though she was wearing a shirt coupled with a skirt, the style of her clothes seemed futuristic and the colors a bit metallic. Aleen could not help but admit that it went well with her dark skin and beautiful grey short hair and eyes. ¡°Nice to meet you.¡± The woman said cordially. ¡°My name is Leona, and I been chosen as your temporary representative. Please sit.¡± Though surprised, Aleen did as the woman said and sat, ready to ask many things. But before he could, the woman spoke again. ¡°Do you wish something to drink? We have every kind of drink here. From the ones you can find in your world until some that you probably don¡¯t know that exists.¡± ¡°No, thanks.¡± Aleen said while shaking his head. ¡°I would prefer if you answer some of my questions.¡± ¡°Very well.¡± The woman nodded before sitting in front of Aleen. ¡°Tell me, mister Aleen. What do you wish to know?¡± Aleen organized his thoughts briefly before beginning. ¡°I want to know where am I and why did you bring me here.¡± ¡°¡­ I will try to explain briefly your situation, but it will take a bit of time. Do you mind?¡± Aleen shook his head slightly. Seeing it, the woman began to speak. ¡°You currently are in the headquarters of ¡®Dimensional Paradise¡¯. Dimensional Paradise is the greatest entertainment company through all the dimensions that are part of the United Dimensional Planes. Your planet, earth, had been recently connected to another dimension; and because of it, added to the list of planets that belong to the UDP. ¡°As part of the UDP, planet earth must obey certain rules that are written in the United Dimensions Agreement. Between those, there is one specifying that each planet must have at least a level six representative before the UDP; but regrettably, planet earth doesn¡¯t have someone of that level between its inhabitants. ¡°It automatically activates the third clause of the law 1513 of the United Dimensions Agreement, that among other things, says that earth must offer a total of 1500 random inhabitants to participate every time that the games are held. ¡°It will continue for ten years or until earth produces a level six. If after ten years planet earth is unable to produce a level six, then, the planet''s administration will be assigned to a level six belonging to the UDP. ¡°Unfortunately, mister Aleen, you were selected this time. It¡¯s the reason because you are here.¡± Aleen took a moment to process the words of the woman. He felt mixed emotions while the woman was speaking; astonishment, doubt, rage, and other emotions. But he suppressed they all. He had the feeling that it was going to be impossible to leave this place if he let his emotions to take control. So, after suppressing the desire to hit the woman for all the deaths the game caused, he asked again. ¡°¡­ Was my group the first to participate?¡± ¡°No. It was the second.¡± ¡°¡­ How many have died until now?¡± ¡°¡­ 2954 people. To be honest, even we find this number overwhelming. Apparently, the people of your world are not good when it comes to surviving.¡± The number was astonishing. The death rate was bigger than any war Aleen knew. Aleen had the desire to shout, to criticize the monster that created such a horrifying game. But he knew that he was impossible. The things that Aleen saw during the last few hours were enough to make clear the power of the organization behind Dimensional Paradise. He knew that he was impossible for him to seek justice. Probably not even someone like D¡¯vina could do something before this situation.Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. So, the only thing that Aleen could do is to continue asking. ¡°¡­ What is the purpose of this? Are things the same in other dimensions?¡± ¡°Yes. Every dimension that lacks a level six must go through the process that your world is going. Some dimensions go through worse things. As for the purpose of the game? I fear that you are not qualified to know. At least, I¡¯m not authorized to speak about it.¡± ¡°I see. Then, what should I do to be qualified?¡± Aleen asked sarcastically. ¡°Become stronger. At least level four. I can only say you that, though the game and the rules are not completely noble, their purpose is something necessary to guarantee the wellbeing of all the dimensions.¡± Aleen shook his head hearing it. What kind of purpose requires the death of thousands to be accomplished. How can something like that be noble? The woman made a forced smile when she noticed Aleen thoughts, but she didn¡¯t try to change his mind. He would understand someday if he becomes strong enough. ¡°... Nobody on earth knows about the game?¡± ¡°We sent a message to all the people of planet earth four months ago. Besides it, we contacted every government individually; but apparently, nobody took it seriously.¡± ¡°¡­ Now that I think about it, something like that happened. I thought that it was a joke.¡± ¡°It was not.¡± The woman said after hearing Aleen¡¯s words. ¡°Do you have another question?¡± ¡°Yes." Aleen nodded after hesitating for a moment. "What it means to be an assistant?¡± ¡°Assistant?¡± The woman asked with a doubtful tone. ¡°How do you know about it? Let me see...¡± Touching her wrist, a holographic projection appeared before her. She then proceeded to read it. Aleen found that technology astonishing, but it was not the most incredible thing he saw today. To be honest, a holographic projection is not surprising anymore after you see superpowers and teleportation. ¡°I see. It looks that you were assigned to miss D¡¯vina as her assistant. I understand, let me explain. ¡°Assistants are people level four or below that support level five figures through the games and at the same time receive their protection. As miss D¡¯vina assistant, you must accompany her through all her games. In exchange, she can help you to train and will grant you a certain degree of protection during the games. ¡°To be honest, I''m surprised that she chose you as her assistant. Few level five have an assistant below level three at least that the person in question is related to them in any way. Your skill is not very special either¡­ Mmm, you are pretty fortunate. Are you going to continue participating in the games?¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°As you already participated in a game, it¡¯s unnecessary to participate again. But you are a level two, so you can continue participating if you wish so.¡± Aleen put an expression of astonishment, but it morphed quickly in a burst of enraged laughter. ¡°Hahahaha, continue participating? Of course not! I don¡¯t want to return to this place again!¡± ¡°¡­ Are you sure?¡± The woman asked with a mysterious expression. ¡°As I said before, the future of your world is at risk if nobody breaks through level six in ten years; and the easiest method to advance in levels is inside the game.¡± Aleen hesitated slightly but shook his head immediately after. Save the world? What a joke. He has more important things to worry about. ¡°Is it all? If not, I want to go back home.¡± ¡°Mmm, give me a moment¡­¡± The woman said while reading the information in the hologram. ¡°You have a sister, right? Don¡¯t you want to cure her illness? You can do it if you continue in the game you know?¡± ¡°You¡­¡± Immediately, Aleen expression changed. Then, with a furious gaze, he spoke to the woman. ¡°You know something. Tell me! What do you know about my sister!?¡± ¡°Calm down, mister Aleen. I only know that she is sick and that your world¡¯s medicine is unable to find a cure. Are you not interested in curing her?¡± Aleen looked towards the woman furiously, but she did not change her expression in the slightest. Then, after a moment, he sighed. ¡°Tell me. What I have to do?¡± ¡°Though your sister¡¯s illness is rare, it¡¯s nothing strange before the knowledge of thousands of civilizations. There is an adequate treatment, but it¡¯s very expensive. Of course, you can get the money participating in the game.¡± ¡°Do you mean the coins that I got? Are they valuable? How much I need?¡± The woman nodded slightly. ¡°They are more valuable than you think, you will understand soon. As for the price, you need at least ninethousand UDP coins for the preliminary treatment.¡± Aleen made a smile of resignation when he heard it. He only got 71 coins after almost dying three times. Now he has to get more than ten times that amount? Smiling wryly, Aleen shook his head and spoke resignedly. ¡°I agree, where I have to sign?¡± Ten minutes later, Aleen was before a kind of interdimensional portal. According to the woman, Leona, going through this portal will take him back home. Aleen hesitated for a moment, but in the end, he walked forward. A sensation of vertigo invaded his body immediately after. Aleen felt as if tens of waves were hitting his body at the same time, but the sensation disappeared quickly. A few minutes later, Aleen fell down from the portal. Dizzy because of the travel, Aleen tried to stand up. But before he could, someone spoke. ¡°Who is there!?¡± From the direction of the voice, a beautiful girl appeared. She was not very tall, around 1.7 meters, with black hair and a sickly appearance. Her eyes were beautiful and strangely reddish, adding to her beauty. Aleen recognized her immediately. ¡°Brother? Is it you?¡± Immediately after, the girl ran and jumped towards Aleen¡¯ arms. ¡°Brother! Where did you go!? I was worried about you! *Sob* Brother!¡± ¡°Calm down, Claire. Everything is fine. Calm down.¡± Hugging his crying sister, Aleen smiled slightly. Finally, he was back. For a moment, Aleen hoped that everything was a nightmare. But in the end, he knew that it was real. And eventually, he must return to the game. Chapter 18 – Interlude: The hatred of a puppet princess A beautiful woman was walking through the corridors of a castle. Her beautiful black hair waved with the slight breeze blowing in the corridor. Her eyes, as black as the night, were looking fixedly forward, keeping an ice-cold expression on her face that was enough to pressure most people. Her name was D¡¯vina Slew¡¯nid Had¡¯ning. She was the princess of the Slew¡¯nid empire, and at the same time, the only heir to the throne. She was currently walking through the corridors of the royal palace to attend a meeting with the empire¡¯s council. It was one of her obligations as a member of the royal family. Before long, she reached to the chamber where the council reunites. Without waiting for the guard to announce her arrival, she pushed the doors of the council open and walked forward. ¡°Princess D¡¯vina Slew¡¯nid Had¡¯ning is here to hear the words of the council.¡± She announced in an ice-cold tone Immediately, every eye in the place was fixed on her. As a level five, it was easy for D¡¯vina to identify the emotions in the council¡¯s members. Fear, greed, lust, hatred. But she was accustomed to it. Inside this place, everybody was her enemy. ¡°How rude of you, princess.¡± One of the elders seated inside the council said. ¡°Were you not taught to announce yourself before entering to a place?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t consider such etiquette as something necessary.¡± D¡¯vina answered coldly. The council was the place where the most important people of the empire reunites. Every person present inside this chamber was a leader in charge of different areas of the government; from the economy, until the military. Every one of them was present in this place. With the exception of one person. D¡¯vina father, the emperor.This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it Six years ago, this world¡¯s only level six, disappeared during a mission. In the beginning, nobody paid attention when the emperor didn¡¯t return at the specified date. After all, it was not uncommon for a level six to be delayed during a mission, considering the usual difficulty of such missions. But when the emperor failed to return after four months, D¡¯vina nightmare began. The empire''s higher-ups fell in chaos, the greedy minister made a move, foreign influences tried to influence the government, among other things. And now, despite being a princess, D''vina was not more than a prisoner constantly in fear of being killed. ¡°Why are you here, princess?¡± Another elder asked without hiding his hostility. ¡°Did you forget? I participated in the game today. I came to report my victory.¡± ¡°Oh right! I forgot to congratulate your majesty for your stunning display! Three level five died to your hand, bringing pride to the inhabitants of this world. Now, let me see¡­¡± Glancing to a device in his hand, the elder read the information about D¡¯vina¡¯s game. Then, he spoke casually. ¡°Hmm, a little beyond forty thousand coins. I must admit that your highness¡¯s ability to earn money is as surprising as always. As accorded, we will take thirty-five thousand coins for the war effort, is it alright? Surely, the people of the empire will praise your highness generosity.¡± With a mocking laugh, the elder spoke to the princess. Unfortunately, besides biting her teeth, D¡¯vina could not do anything else. In the end, she transferred the money away reluctantly. ¡°Very well. You can go, princess. We have work to do." Waving his hand as if shooing a dog, the elder ignored the expression of the princess and closed his eyes. Suppressing her rage, D¡¯vina exited the place. When the emperor disappeared, the empire ended in the council hands. And her, despite being the legitimate heir, was nothing else than a puppet. Not even the money earned with her life in the line was hers to keep. Fortunately, not even the corrupt council dares to kill the heir of a level six so easily. After all, the council''s power is far from enough to violate the rights that the United Dimensional Planes granted to each level six and their families. Unfortunately, though it stopped the council of killing D''vina directly, it was not enough to stop them from plotting other methods to get rid of her. Because of it, they found a reason to force her to participate in ¡®Dimensional Paradise¡¯. And because of it, certain circumstances forced the princess to not have more option but ¡®donate¡¯ most of her earnings to the empire¡¯s treasury. For a normal level five, ¡®Dimensional Paradise¡¯ was an opportunity to become stronger; to understand better their skills without the risk of death. After all, almost every level five has the capacity to pay the resurrection cost. But D¡¯vina was different. For her, every game was a test of life and death. So, she can only continue becoming stronger. Surviving each fight with all her might. And then, surely, one day she will have her revenge. Chapter 19 – Interlude: The invasion of Lars island Lars island is a small rocky island less than 0.4 km long which lies in the South Atlantic Ocean. Normally, nobody would care for such small uninhabited island. But from two months ago, the situation changed. Satellites belonging to different countries detected an enormous spike in the levels of radiation of the region. Because of it, numerous countries showed interest in the cause of the strange phenomena. Despite the island being officially part of the Bouvet islands and dependent on the kingdom of Norway, when the radiation activity intensified even more, the Norway government found hard to stop other countries from interfering. However, things were worse than everybody thought. During two months, more and more radiation began to accumulate in the small island, making many scientific teams wonder about its origin. And finally, two weeks ago, the radiation stopped increasing. Then, in the middle of the island, a kind of portal as the ones from sci-fi movies appeared. The appearance of the portal raised the alertness of every country. Immediately, armed fleets carrying different flags were ordered to move near the island and await orders. The nervousness coming from the world¡¯s governments reached a never seen peak. Even some countries that normally don¡¯t see each other to the eye chose to ignore their differences temporally. And today, finally, the wait ended.Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. The radiation levels coming from the portal increased exponentially and sparks filled the 0.4 kilometers of land. Then, a hand appeared. Followed by a person. And behind him, more people together with strange vehicles appeared. It was not right call them humans, because their skin was light blue. Though their appearance was humanoid, they were a completely different species; coming from a different dimension to accomplish a mission. Then, the first man that appeared, spoke. ¡°Humans!¡± His voice reached to every ship and person in the surroundings 200 kilometers. It was clear, and strangely, every person was able to understand it in their native language. Then, the man raised his hand. But before he could continue speaking, the fleets reacted. The blue-skinned people and their vehicles were declared immediately as a hostile force, and the fleets were ordered to fire. After all, earth¡¯s history shows that when two different civilizations meet each other for the first time, the stronger try to conquer the weaker. It was history, and history is normally bound to repeat. And if earth''s humans are not as strong as the enemy, at least they will have the advantage of attacking first. But contrary to their expectations, their weapons were useless. From the man¡¯s hand, a force field extended; stopping every projectile fired to the island, and at the same time, destroying each weapon inside the fleets. Then, his voice was heard again. ¡°Hear me, humans, because I bring the United Dimensions¡¯ orders. ¡°I, Kdon Srive, a proud Level 6 from the Dran race, had been chosen as the temporary administrator of this planet during the next ten years or until this planet produces a level 6. ¡°Following the general procedure, the surrounding territory will be designed as part of the United Dimensions, and every hostile force must retreat or face the consequences. ¡°From today onwards, planet earth is officially part of the United Dimensional Planes.¡± With these words, the firsts interdimensional lifeform arrived on earth. Unfortunately, this information was not made public until much later. Chapter 20 – Back to Home (1) ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Mrs. Claudia.¡± Aleen said while scratching his head slightly. ¡°I forgot to tell my sister that I was going to leave, so she ended worrying and troubled you.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t need to apologize. It¡¯s normal to worry; even more when you two only have each other. But you must pay attention next time you leave and try not to worry your sister. At least, carry your cellphone with you; it would be bad if your sister¡¯s illness worsens and she cannot contact you.¡± ¡°I know, I will pay attention next time.¡± Smiling wryly, Aleen bid farewell to his neighbor and returned home. That was the seventh apology he gave from the moment he returned from the game. Apparently, his sister worried when he suddenly disappeared and asked the neighbors about him. Fortunately, she only said that he left and didn¡¯t say anything about disappearing suddenly. Apparently, She knew that nobody would believe something like that, so she simply said that he left without informing her and had not returned, so she was worried. After all, it would not help if everybody thought that she was crazy; so, she simply asked the neighbors for help and waited near the place where he disappeared. If after one day he didn¡¯t return, she would have informed the police. Aleen thought that his sister''s decision was very smart. He was sure that his reaction wouldn¡¯t have been so calm in that situation. If it was not because of her sickness, her future surely would be brilliant. Entering home, he noticed his sister waiting for him in the living room. She was seated on the sofa, and his eyes were still red from crying before. When she saw him entering, she stood up. ¡°You are finally back, brother.¡± ¡°Yeah. It took a bit longer than expected to inform our neighbors that I was back. Some of them lectured me for a bit. ¡°*Giggle* It means that they were worried about you, brother. After all, you disappeared for six hours.¡± ¡°Sorry about it¡­¡± Aleen smiled wryly. When Aleen returned to earth, it had been six hours from the moment when he left. His sister, Claire, was obviously very worried when she saw him disappear. Besides, because she could not explain the reason because he disappeared, she found it difficult to do something. In the end, she only could inform the neighbors and wait 24 hours to call the police. Fortunately, Aleen returned six hours later.The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. Aleen was surprised when he learned that six hours passed on earth. After all, the time he was in the game was two hours at most counting the talks with the gamemaster and Leona. But when he remembered the number of times that he was unconscious, he thought that maybe the difference in time made sense. Claire put a worried expression when she saw Aleen¡¯s smile. Furrowing her brows, she signaled Aleen to sit beside her and asked. ¡°Brother, will you tell me now what happened?¡± Aleen kept silent for a moment; then, he exhaled deeply before closing his eyes. ¡°Can you describe to me what you see when I disappeared?¡± Claire thought for a moment before replying. ¡°I¡¯m not sure. It was as if a portal appeared and swallowed you. I was very scared and thought that you something bad happened to you. After it, I calmed myself and asked the neighbors for help. But before I could think about something else, you were back.¡± ¡°I see, so it was what happened.¡± Looking to Claire¡¯s worried expression, Aleen smiled slightly before patting her head. ¡°Don¡¯t worry Claire, I¡¯m fine. It¡¯s only that it¡¯s difficult to speak about it.¡± ¡°Brother, if you don¡¯t want¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine, I will tell you.¡± Taking a deep breath, Aleen organized his thoughts before telling her about the things he experienced. He spoke about everything except for the conversation with Leona. At the end of the story, Claire was looking towards him with an expression of nervousness. Seeing it, Aleen could not help but chuckle. ¡°As I said, I¡¯m fine. Though I was scared back then, apparently, my capacity to adapt is greater than I thought. To be honest, besides a bit of fear and disgust, I also felt a bit of excitement back then. After all, it was like everything was taken from a movie.¡± ¡°But brother! You could have died! If something went wrong, then you¡­¡± ¡°Calm down Claire, I¡¯m fine.¡± Hugging Claire slightly, Aleen did his best to calm her. For a few minutes, the pair remained in that position. Finally, Claire spoke between sobs. ¡°Brother, if you die then I¡­¡± Aleen simply hugged her with more strength. He could understand her worry. After all, Aleen was her only remaining family. For Claire, Aleen was her everything. And for Aleen, Claire was the same. Despite not being related by blood, Aleen and Claire have been together from the moment they have memory. Besides their parents, Aleen always was Claire only family. He was the big brother; she was the little sister. When their parents died three years ago, their already close relationship became even closer. Back then, Aleen was only fifteen, and Claire just became fourteen. Because of their parents¡¯ deaths, the pair of siblings had to go through many difficulties. Fortunately, their parents left enough money to last for at least ten years, but money was only the first of their problems. When the government tried to separate them, the pair depended on each other to surmount the difficulties of living without a guardian. But in the end, with the help of some friends of their parents, they were allowed to continue living together. From then, Aleen took charge of everything related to the home. Using the money left from their parents¡¯ deaths, he paid the college for both of them. His sister had a few troubles going to college due to her illness, but he tried his best to help her every time. In the end, three years passed like that. And now, Aleen became Claire only support. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, little girl. I always will be with you.¡± ¡°You promise?¡± ¡°¡­ Yes, I promise.¡± Aleen said after hesitating for a moment. ¡°Okay brother, I believe you. Besides¡­¡± ¡°Besides?¡± ¡°Nothing, it doesn¡¯t matter.¡± Even If you die¡­ I will die with you... Chapter 21 – Back to Home (2) The pair of siblings finally calmed after a few minutes. Claire blushed slightly after her emotions calmed down, but at the end, she continued hugging Aleen. Such level of skinship was common between them. And though she was slightly embarrassed, she endured the embarrassment happily. But after a time, she put a worried expression once more. ¡°Brother, that game, do you have to go again?¡± Aleen hesitated slightly before answering with a nod. ¡°Unfortunately, I have. I must satisfy certain requirements if I want to leave.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Claire made a doubtful expression before nodding with a concerned expression. It was obvious that she was worried about Aleen wellbeing. ¡°Then, when is the next game?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know the exact date, but it¡¯s around ten days later. I was told that I will receive a message two days before the game begins.¡± Seeing Claire¡¯s distressed expression, Aleen smiled slightly before comforting her. ¡°Don¡¯t worry so much, I will be fine. After all, I have to look after you. Besides, not everything is bad. I was told that it¡¯s possible to receive rewards after every game. Did you see the sword I brought? I got it as my reward for winning this time. I even was told that it¡¯s possible to get a cure for your sickness! Can you believe it!? We finally can cure your sickness.¡± Aleen stroked Claire and continued speaking excitedly. But when she heard it, the expression of Claire changed immediately. Her expression changed to one of wrath and pain; but before Aleen could notice something wrong, she calmed down. ¡°¡­ Brother, you are probably hungry, right? I will prepare something to eat.¡± Aleen nodded slightly, curious from Claire¡¯s lack of reaction to the news that she could be cured.If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. Claire stood up and walked towards the kitchen; but before leaving the living room, she stopped. Without looking back, Claire asked hesitantly. ¡°Brother, do you truly have to go to that place again?¡± ¡°I told you, I will be fine.¡± Aleen smiled slightly. ¡°That was not my question, brother!¡± Said Claire before asking again, this time more certain of her conjecture. ¡°Are you truly forced to participate in that game again!?¡± For a moment, Aleen was unable to answer. But finally, he nodded with a serious expression. Seeing it, Claire made a depressed face before leaving the living room. But before leaving, the last sentence she said reached to Aleen¡¯s ears. ¡°Do you know, brother? You are a terrible liar.¡± Once outside the living room, a tear left Claire¡¯s eyes. She had been beside Aleen all her life. Because of it, she knew him completely, at the point that sometimes she was able to notice when he was lying. When Aleen said that he was obliged to go back to the game, she noticed something strange, but she ignored it at the moment. But when he spoke about curing her sickness, she immediately understood. Her brother, surely, chose voluntarily to continue in the game. And the reason was surely her. ¡®Brother, you¡­¡¯ Tightening her fists, Claire continued crying silently while walking to the kitchen. She knew that it was better if Aleen doesn''t see her tears. She knew, no matter what she says, he was not going to change his choice. Because that was the Aleen that she knew. So, if she cannot change his choice, then at least, she must smile before him. She definitively cannot let his brother see her tears. Seeing the back of his sister leaving, Aleen made a troubled expression before sighing deeply. ¡®As expected of Claire, I was unable to fool her¡­¡¯ Making a wry smile, Aleen remembered that his sister was always sharp in situations like this. Yes, she was always smart. ¡®But her illness¡­¡¯ Unfortunately, Claire was afflicted with a strange disease from childhood. This disease was unknown before her. After visiting many doctors their parents were unable to find a treatment. At most, she received medication to reduce the illness¡¯ symptoms. The behavior of this illness is very strange, and only manifest from time in time, but its symptoms are very dangerous. When it attacks, Claire¡¯s body temperature increases crazily until dangerous levels, forcing her to receive treatment immediately. Sometimes, she had to be hospitalized According to the doctors, it¡¯s impossible to cure and the most they can do is help Claire to live her life as normal as possible; but even with it, it will be hard for her to live beyond thirty. ¡®Sudden Fever¡¯. It was the name given for the doctors. Though Claire behaves like a normal girl normally, the frequency of her symptoms has increased lately. Aleen fears that before long, she will be forced to stay in a bed permanently. That was the reason because he decided to continue in the game. Claire is Aleen¡¯s only family. And if there is a method to save her, Aleen will do it. Even if there is a possibility of dying in the attempt. Chapter 22 – Back to Home (3) The next day, Aleen woke up very early in the morning. Immediately, he felt the weight of his sister in his chest. Smiling wryly, he stood up while doing his best to not wake Claire up. Then, he tiptoed towards the bathroom. Because of the things that happened the day before, Claire asked Aleen if they could sleep together. Honestly, Aleen thought that it was not appropriate; but knowing how his sister was feeling, he decided to accommodate her. ¡®It had been long from the last time we slept in the same bed huh¡­¡¯ Shaking his head slightly, Aleen cleaned his face before preparing breakfast. Then, he sat on the sofa and began to read the information that he bought from Leona. Obviously, the information didn¡¯t come written in books. Instead, he received a bracelet like the one that Leona used. Apparently, it had many functions besides storing information. According to Leona description, it artifact was like earth¡¯s smartphone but much more advanced. Aleen had to admit that he felt very excited after receiving it. The first thing that he read was the information about Dimensional Paradise. It was mostly basic information, but Aleen learned many things from it. Mainly about levels, skills and the different dimensions and races. Aleen finished reading the information at seven in the morning. Then, he began to read the second document, basics about mana. Different from the first document, it was many times more interesting, and many times more expensive. Aleen had the impulse to try many of the things mentioned, but he suppressed it and decided to finish reading the document completely. Besides the basics of mana, the document also had information about the main paths towards level six. According to it, there were four main paths to advance to level six. The first one was called ¡®Enlighten¡¯ and was the most commonly used path because anybody could be successful with it, regardless of status, money, and birth. The only downside was that it was heavily dependent on luck; but even with it, it has the greatest number of level six. The second one was ¡®Magic¡¯. The document did not explain it in detail, only saying that it required intelligence, talent, and resources to be successful in it. Different from the ¡®Enlightened¡¯, Mages¡¯ abilities were called ¡®Spells¡¯ instead of ¡®Skills¡¯. The third one was ¡®Cultivation¡¯, and different from ¡®Magic¡¯ and ¡®Enlighten¡¯, it lacked spells and skills. Instead, cultivators learned to manipulate mana at its extreme. Nobody was better manipulating mana than a cultivator. The fourth path, ¡®Nature¡¯, was almost impossible to use, at least for the intelligent races. Animals and beast, on the other hand, normally used it. The main advantage of this path was its strong body, but it also has many disadvantages. Additionally, it was impossible to change your path, at least before level six. The document warned that trying to change it brings heavy consequences. Aleen obviously belonged to the first path. While he was immersed reading, Claire finally awoke. She ate the breakfast that Aleen prepared before looking to the hologram her brother was reading. Immediately, she put a curious expression. ¡°What is that, brother?¡± ¡°This? Oh, I received it from the game. This is apparently a kind of super-advanced cellphone. I¡¯m using it to read some information about the game.¡±Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. ¡°Oh! Is it touch?¡± Claire used her finger to touch the projection, and the screen reacted. Immediately, she made a surprised expression. ¡°How intriguing¡­ I wonder how it works¡­¡± ¡°No puppy eyes, Claire. I will not lend it to you.¡± ¡°Tch. Bad brother.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, little girl.¡± Aleen laughed. ¡°I will try to get you one. later¡± ¡°You promised!¡± Claire immediately said with an excited smile on her face. Then, she looked curiously to the text on the screen. ¡°What are you reading?¡± ¡°Information about how to use mana. D¡¯vina, the woman that I mentioned before, asked me to learn it.¡± ¡°Is it so¡­? It looks interesting, can I learn too?¡± Aleen made a troubled expression before willing the screen to expand. Then, he signaled to Claire to sit beside him. ¡°You can try, but I don¡¯t know if you can learn it. To be honest, I only learned a bit after acquiring my skill.¡± Claire made a small smile and moved beside Aleen. The pair then began to read together. After a pair of hours, the siblings finally ended the document. Aleen stood up and stretched his body. Then, he spoke to Claire. ¡°I will try to practice in the courtyard. Do you want to come?¡± ¡°Yeah, I think that I understand a bit¡­¡± ¡°Sure sure, you can show me outside.¡± The pair then went to the courtyard and began to try the things written in the document. Aleen had a bit of trouble, but after a few minutes, he finally was able to move the mana through all his body. Unfortunately, he was unable to do it freely. Apparently, he needed a bit of practice. But before he could rejoice, he heard his sister shouting. ¡°I did it!¡± Turning his head, Aleen saw Claire using her hand to manifest mana outside her body. It seemed like small flames burning slightly in her palm. ¡°You¡­ How did you do it!?¡± Aleen asked with an astonished expression. "Haha, it was not very difficult. First, I tried feeling the mana and then I willed it to move around my body. After it, I did as the document said and tried to extend it outside my body, then, this happened.¡± ¡°You¡­¡± Aleen could not help but show an astonished expression. But then, he smiled wryly and shook his head. ¡°Well, you always were pretty talented in everything; but this already is in another level.¡± ¡°Uh? Can you not do the same, brother?¡± Aleen simply smiled in resignation. He still had trouble moving mana quickly inside his body, much less manifesting it outside. Aleen could only envy his sister''s talent with mana. Claire understood Aleen situation and smiled embarrassedly. Then, she patted his shoulder briefly and consoled him. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, brother. I can teach you.¡± ¡°Get lost.¡± Claire simply laughed happily and hugged him. After playing for a few minutes, the pair calmed down and continued trying to manipulate the mana. But after a time, Claire began to find the process boring. Then, she remembered something. ¡°Right, brother. I have not seen your superpower¡­ Can you show it to me?¡± ¡°*Sigh*¡­ Okay, give me a second.¡± Walking to the center of the courtyard, Aleen tried activating his skill. Immediately, lightning began to course through his body. Aleen felt the familiar sensation of everything moving slowly, then, his body accelerated. In an instant, his body ran until the end of the courtyard. An exhilarating sensation filled Aleen''s mind, and he felt as if he could move to anywhere in a second. But before he could enjoy the sensation, he saw a wall before him. Surprised, Aleen tried to stop, but the skill did not answer. Aleen entered in panic and tried to change his direction, but he felt resistance coming from his skill. Before he could think of another thing, his body crashed with the wall. "*Crash*!" ¡°Brother!¡± Claire ran towards the wall and saw it partially destroyed. Aleen was lying in the ground filled with dust with his face hurting. ¡°Ouch¡­ What happened?¡± ¡°Brother! Are you fine!?¡± ¡°Ouch, I¡¯m fine, but my body hurts like hell.¡± Claire checked Aleen¡¯s body carefully with a nervous expression, but when she did not see any injury, she could not stop her laughter. ¡°Hahahaha, you crashed with the wall! What kind of superhero crash with the wall!?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t laugh, it was painful.¡± ¡°Hahahaha, I¡¯m sorry, I cannot avoid it. It was very funny¡­¡± It took a long time before Claire calmed down. Aleen finally recovered slightly from the pain and thought about the crash. Immediately, he understood what happened. ¡°It appears that I cannot control it yet¡­ Mmm, I probably need practice with it.¡± ¡°Haha, Yeah, you better practice. But not in the house, you will destroy it, pff.¡± ¡°*Sigh* Claire.¡± ¡°Sorry sorry, I will not laugh anymore. By the way, did your skill has a name?¡± ¡°Not yet.¡± Aleen shook his head. ¡°Mmm, then let me think about one¡­ What do you think of ¡®Superspeed¡¯!¡± ¡°Too normal.¡± ¡°Rushing thunder?¡± ¡°Too chunny.¡± ¡°The flash?¡± ¡°Copyright.¡± ¡°Brother, you are too picky.¡± ¡°Another name, please.¡± In the end, the siblings spend all the morning thinking of a name for Aleen¡¯s skill. Chapter 23 – Back to Home (4) Finally, Aleen and Claire decided a name for the skill; ''Lightning Rush''. To be honest, Aleen was not completely happy with the name, but in the end, he could not think of something better so he simply decided to make his sister happy. The pair also decided to find a place where Aleen can practice his skill freely, without fear of being seen. Aleen was not sure about how the government was going to approach this situation, but to avoid troubles, it was better if nobody else knows about his abilities. The siblings thought that a private place far from prying eyes that is at least seventy meters long was required as the place to practice. It was because Aleen''s skill had a range of around fifty meters, so the place needed to be longer than it. The only trouble was that finding a place like that was not going to be ease. Aleen could think of two or three places that fulfilled those standards, but none of them was a place that the pair could access easily. In the end, they decided that the best option was to practice near the forest. Fortunately, Aleen already got his driving license, and their house was not far from the forest, so the pair could go to the forest daily. After resolving the issue of the place to practice, Aleen and Claire spent the rest of the morning practicing the use of mana. Different from Aleen''s skill, the practice of mana was pretty silent, so nobody would notice something as long as the pair don''t provoke a commotion. After the pair finished the mana training, it was already noon. The two went outside to eat lunch before going to the supermarket to buy the ingredients for dinner. Fortunately, the pair did not have college on Saturdays, so the pair did their best to enjoy the day. After all, though Aleen tried to behave normal, the stress of the dead game was still present; Claire, on the other hand, understood that her brother needed to relax, so she simply accompanied him during the day.The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. After the pair finished shopping, they were going to leave the supermarket. But before they could, something on the television caught Aleen''s attention. ''¡­ Apparently, a crocodile approximately 20 meters long escaped from the swamps of Florida. The authorities are unable to determine how the beast grew up to that size and the reason because it left the swamps. Until now, the number of confirmed victims is of 12 deaths and 36 injuries. Fortunately, the police responded quickly, avoiding greater damage.'' ''It''s the second case of animals attacking human settlements in the last week. Four days ago, a berserk gigantic boa killed seven people in Lima, the capital city of Peru. The experts affirm that the attacks are an outcome of the extremes climate changes recently experimented¡­'' "Brother, is it related to the thing with the dimensions?" Claire asked softly after hearing the news. "I''m not sure, but I read that animals change with mana. I will ask the next time. Anyway, we better are careful when going to practice in the forest." "¡­ So it''s the mana." Claire signaled. "¡­" "Yes, it must be related. You told me that the so-called United Dimensional Planes increased the amount of mana on earth, right? How was it called¡­? Yeah, manation. The strange incidents with animals began not long ago; same with the manation, so it must be because the animals have began to be influenced by mana." "¡­ To be honest, I''m can see how you reached that conclusion." "Think about it, brother. If mana can help humans to become stronger and get superpowers, why can it not help animals too? If I remember, the document about mana said that it''s possible for animals to become stronger by following the path of ''Nature'', right?" Claire''s words made sense, but Aleen didn''t want to think that they were true. If her words were true, then there were more things to worry about. What would happen if a gigantic beast attacks Claire when he is not around? Even worse, what if a human with powers decides to attack his sister? For the first time from when he returned to earth, Aleen finally realized that the world he knew was changing. A new era was beginning. Unfortunately, he was not sure if the changes brought for this era were for the better. The pair returned home while thinking about the changes happening around it, but they left it aside once dinner began. Like that, Aleen and Claire spend the following days together, only separating to attend to their respective classes. But after four days, the dreaded notice finally came. The date for the next game had been decided. Chapter 24 – Back to Home (5) It was very early in the morning, but Aleen was already training in the courtyard. Currently, he was the only one outside. Claire was still asleep due to staying up late the previous day. Apparently, she was too worried to sleep easily and the only reason because she was able to fell asleep, was because Aleen was beside her. Ten days had passed from the day he participated in the game and today was time to participate again. The game was scheduled to begin around 5pm, so Aleen decided to use the time left to increase his possibilities of surviving as much as possible. The previous day, he asked for a leave from his college. Fortunately, the teachers knew about Claire¡¯s situation, so they misunderstood it as a problem with her illness and allowed the leave easily. Aleen considered the possibility of dropping college temporally, at least until resolving the situation with the game; but at the end, Claire convinced him of continuing it. She said that it could help him to relax and forget about the game, even if limitedly. He could not use his skill at home, so Aleen dedicated more of his training during the ten days to manipulate mana and left training his skill to the moments when he went to the forest with Claire. After ten days, his mastery of mana was much greater than before. He was already able to reinforce his body completely and move mana outside his body. It took Aleen ten days to raise his standard to an acceptable level. On the other hand, Claire¡¯s mana manipulation was already at an incredible level. Aleen even saw her making figures of animals with her mana. But today, Aleen was planning to do something different. So, after moving the mana around his body a pair of times, he took the sword he bought in the game and began to swing it. With a meter of length, a two-edged blade, and without any decorations; the sword seemed the typical weapon of a knight of old. The only difference was probably its weight, it weighed around fifty kilograms. Aleen remembered Leona saying that the sword was created using material-compressing technology, thus its great weight. At the same time, it made the sword harder and sharper than normal. According to Leona, this sword can cut steel easily if the wielder possessed enough strength. Aleen doubted that he was capable of cutting steel, though. He was only able to lift it thanks to his increased strength and the mana inside his body. Activating the bracelet on his wrist, Aleen used it to search videos about how to use swords on the internet. Yeah, the bracelet was able to use wi-fi. When Aleen asked jokingly if it could, Leona disdainfully said that such primitive technology was so old that nobody used it anymore before configuring the bracelet to be able of receiving it. Browsing through the different options, Aleen finally selected a video that seemed useful. It spoke about the basic moves and stances of the sword and showed how to use a sword to hack. Aleen analyzed the man¡¯s posture carefully and tried to imitate it while hacking with the sword; but after practicing for half an hour he could not find the advantage of using those movements, so he stopped practicing.This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work. ¡®Though this posture makes it easier to hack with the sword, it requires that the wielder stays still. It probably will not be useful for the next game¡­¡¯ Scratching his head, Aleen decided to see other videos about swords, but even after seeing five others, he was unable to find a satisfactory one. All the videos were about using postures to wield a sword, and though Aleen thought that they seemed useful, they were unable to help him at short term. While he was practicing, Claire finally woke up. She washed her face and ate breakfast before coming to the courtyard. She was already used to do morning training with her brother, so she directly came here. But when she saw Aleen waving a sword around, she could not help but tilt her head. ¡°Brother, what are you doing?¡± She asked. Aleen smiled wryly before showing the videos at his sister. ¡°I¡¯m trying to see if I can learn something about swords before going to the game. My mana manipulation will probably not improve any more in the near future, so I thought about learning to use the sword and see if it can increase my possibilities to survive.¡± ¡°Is it so?¡± Claire said while lookingat the videos briefly. ¡°It¡¯s a good idea. What are you going to learn?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Aleen shook his head. ¡°Though some videos seemed useful, the movements depicted in it are not suitable to use in the game; but I cannot find something better so I don¡¯t know if learn them or search for another thing.¡± Claire furrowed her brows after hearing Aleen¡¯s words and thought for a moment. Then, she took her cellphone out and began to type something. A moment later, she raised her head and showed the screen to Aleen. It was a site describing each sword movement detailedly. Claire was signaling a specific stance; ¡®Thrusting¡¯. ¡°I think that you should practice this stance, brother. Your skill allows you to move very fast, so you can use the weight behind the charge to thrust the sword. I think that it¡¯s the strategy more suitable for you now.¡± Aleen analyzed his sister¡¯s words for a moment before agreeing to it. Claire was very clever, so she immediately thought about associating the sword moves with his skill to bring the best of both things. Quickly, he and Claire saw some videos about thrusting with a sword and Aleen tried to use them to practice. He quickly got the hang of using the sword to thrust with Claire¡¯s help, so after an hour, his thrusts already seemed a bit decent. But Aleen quickly noticed a problem; the sword''s weight was a bit bigger than he needed. Though it was not a problem when carrying it, Aleen got tired easily when using the sword to thrust. Fortunately, his stamina recovers quickly thanks to the enhancement he received in the game, making the situation better. The pair continued practicing the sword until noon and then they went to eat lunch. Aleen wanted to continue practicing after lunch, but Claire said that it was better if he uses the last five hours to relax, so he decided to see a movie with his sister. After it, the siblings continued speaking about different topics while seeing the movie; Claire tried to avoid speaking about the game, but Aleen could notice that she was worried. Finally, when the clock was ten minutes before reaching five, Claire could not endure anymore and began to cry. Aleen simply hugged her without speaking. ¡°Brother¡­ please, don¡¯t go¡­*sob*¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m afraid, brother¡­ What if something happens¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, little girl. I¡¯m going to be fine. Besides, I don''t have a choice, I must go.¡± ¡°Liar! I know that you are going because of me! Please brother, don¡¯t go.¡± ¡°Claire¡­¡± ¡°Please, please *sob*¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°Uahhhh*sob*!!¡± Aleen continued holding Claire in his arms until the clock hit five. Then, he stood up and walked to the center of the living room. Claire tried to grab him, but he evaded her hand. Before leaving, he smiled at her briefly and spoke. ¡°I¡¯ll be back.¡± Finally, an interdimensional portal appeared behind Aleen and swallowed him. The game was going to begin again. Chapter 25 – Raid (1) ¡®Dimensional Movement Completed. Confirming vital sings¡­ Confirmed. Confirming participation requirements¡­ Confirmed. Confirming authority¡­ Level two confirmed. According to your status, you must follow the following rules:
  1. You must end the game with a positive score.
Failure to follow any rule will be punished with death. Welcome to Dimensional Paradise¡¯ ¡®Loading relevant information¡­ Game type: Raid. Team characteristics: Cooperative (Four people). Number of participating teams: Not apply. Winning conditions: Destroy the monsters¡¯ nest. Location: Arimunium (Seventh sector). Degree of danger: Level V. Description: A group of monsters had invaded the town and you have been selected to exterminate them. Authority level: II (Assistant). UDP Coins: 7.¡¯ Different from the first time, this time Aleen appeared inside the game directly from the portal. Shaking his head, Aleen tried to eliminate the dizzy feeling from traveling through the dimensional portal when he heard an ice-cold voice. ¡°You are here, boy.¡± ¡°Miss D¡¯vina.¡± Aleen greeted her while smiling slightly. ¡°Come with me.¡±She said while furrowing her brows. ¡°And don¡¯t call me miss, I don''t like it. D¡¯vina is enough.¡± ¡°O-Okay.¡± Aleen observed the surroundings while walking with D¡¯vina. As in the last game, the place appearance was not very earth-like; instead, the surroundings were filled with strange plants. The plants, trees and even the grass was reddish, and their forms reminded Aleen of some movies he saw in his childhood. It did not take long for the pair to see a village-like settlement where the remaining participants were waiting. Immediately, Aleen noticed something different from last game. Of the four people, only two were human, a pair of women. The other two were obviously non-human. ¡°You are here.¡± The first human spoke, a woman wearing a white robe and with a mask covering part of her face. ¡°We can begin with the introductions then. I¡¯m Caira, a human mage; and this is my assistant, Elvila, a level three elf.¡± Signaled her to the other woman. Aleen immediately noticed her pointed ears and understood that she was not human.This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. Following her, the second member introduced himself with a growling voice. ¡°I¡¯m Wulf, a wolfkin.¡± Aleen only could describe Wulf like a big talking wolf. He was at least two meters tall and was wearing a savage-looking armor in his body. Aleen noticed that he was bending his back a bit but he abstained of asking the reason. ¡°My name is Cir, a kinal.¡± The third main member said with a muffled voice. Different from Wulf, he was humanoid in appearance with the exception of his gray skin and the gas mask he was wearing. Aleen guessed that the man was unable to breathe oxygen. ¡°My name is D¡¯vina, and he is my assistant, Aleen, a level two.¡± D¡¯vina finally said. The human woman furrowed her brows when she heard Aleen¡¯s level. It was not normal to have a leveltwo as assistant, so she found it strange. But in the end, she abstained of asking. ¡°Now that we are done with the introductions, let¡¯s begin.¡± The human woman spoke before turning to the elf ¡°Elvila, go and bring the cannon fodder here. They can be a bit useful in this kind of game.¡± When Aleen heard it, he immediately understood that the woman was speaking about the humans that were abducted. He was about to ask to go with the woman, but D¡¯vina stopped him. Before he could ask the reason, he heard an ice-cold voice in his mind. ¡°Stay put. As my assistant, you must follow my orders. I don¡¯t remember telling you to go with her.¡± Aleen tried to refute, but a glare from D¡¯vina shut him up. He knew that she was right, but he could not help but want to see the other humans. Aleen understood the cruelty of this place; and because of this, he knew that most of those people were going to be killed. And though he could not save them, Aleen thought that at least he could help them by explaining the situation. D¡¯vina obviously did not care about it. Different from Aleen, she was accustomed to seeing people die. Though she could understand Aleen thoughts, she could not allow him to do everything he wants. This was a dead game, and you could only depend on yourself if you wanted to survive. ¡°According to the rules, the one with the biggest score has the right to be the leader. As the one with it, I will take the role.¡± The mage woman said while looking to the rest of the team. When she saw that nobody had an objection, she continued. ¡°Let me explain the situation. This game is a raid and the goal is to destroy a nest of monsters. We can deduce of it that the monster leader is a level five and it¡¯s probably surrounded by monsters of a lesser level. Besides it, we know that the level five monsters in the game are not suppressed unlike us, so we are probably not its match in a one to one. ¡°As the winning conditions are ¡®exterminate¡¯ we probably need to kill each monster in the nest, so the best strategy is to separate and kill the monsters while we search the nest. If someone finds the nest, that person will inform the location through the team¡¯s COM. Any opinion?¡± ¡°Wolfkins have a great sense of smell, so I can find the enemies more easily. I think that it¡¯s better if you follow me while I follow the monsters smell until the nest.¡± Wulf said. Caira hesitated slightly before shaking her head. ¡°I don¡¯t think it''s good. Even if you can follow the smell until the nest, some monsters probably are outside searching for food. It will take longer to hunt each monster if everybody moves together.¡± The wolf nodded slightly. ¡°You are right. Then I will try to find the nest while you kill the monsters in the surroundings, what do you think?¡± This time, everybody nodded. While they were speaking, the elf returned with the group of level one with a frown on her face. Aleen noticed that though most of them were humans, some wolfkins and kinals were between them. At the same time, Aleen saw that, though the humans were visibly nervous and scared at the point of breakdown, the levels one of the other races seemed prepared for this situation. ¡°You are back, Elvila. What happened? Why are you frowning?¡± ¡°The pawns of this time are of very bad quality. Most of them didn¡¯t know why they are here. Look, the administration even sent a fat guy among them.¡± The elf replied visibly displeased. Aleen wanted to speak, but a look of D¡¯vina shut him up. ¡°Damn it! Could it be that we got the useless batch?¡± Caira said with an expression of wrath. ¡°The useless batch?¡± Aleen asked instinctively. D¡¯vina frowned visibly, but at the end did not say anything. ¡°You don¡¯t know?¡± The elf girl asked. ¡°Apparently some teams received a group of useless humans as pawns lately. It was reported to the administration of the game as unjust conditions, but they were ignored.¡± ¡°It sometimes happens when a new dimension is discovered.¡± Cir spoke with a muffled voice. "But I heard this time is the worst case in a few years.¡± Aleen was going to refute their words when a hand pressed his shoulder. ¡°Enough.¡± D¡¯vina said coldly. ¡°That did not concern you.¡± ¡°But¨C¡± ¡°I said enough!¡± Aleen immediately closed his mouth. He knew that she was right and it was not a good idea to defend the humans. But in the end, he also was a human from the same planet. He could not stomach hearing them speaking badly about its race. Aleen tightened his fists and lowered his head. The others noticed the situation, but they did not pay it much attention. Finally, a visibly displeased Caira pointed towards the level one and spoke. ¡°We will have to do with them. Each one will take twenty five and go.¡± Chapter 26 – Raid (2) ¡°I''m only going to take my race''s fifteen level one. The humans will only be a hindrance when tracing the monsters.¡± Wulf said before taking fifteen level one and departing, all wolfkin. ¡°Me too.¡± Cir gestured with his hand to the group of level one and fifteen kinals walked towards him. Once he organized them, he departed. ¡°I will use the COM if I see something strange.¡± Around seventy level one remained, all humans. Caira observed them before sighing in resignation. ¡°Such bad luck. Well, we can take thirty five each. What do you say?¡± ¡°No need.¡± D¡¯vina answered. ¡°I will only take fifteen. You are a mage, so you need them more than me.¡± ¡°Heh¡­ Very well, I will not reject your offer. You all! Fifty five of you will come with me! Now, hurry up!¡± The humans were still nervous facing this situation, but when they heard Caira, one of them quickly protested. ¡°And who are you to order us!? You better send me back home now or my family will kill you!¡± ¡°Oh? Elvila, did you explain to them the situation?¡± ¡°I did teacher, but it¡¯s obvious that some of them are too foolish to understand that I¡¯m not lying.¡± She replied aphetically. ¡°Is it so? You see, I have the perfect method to make them understand.¡± After saying it, Caira waved his hand. ¡°Do you hear me!?¡± The young man shouted angrily. ¡°My family will search for me and they will find you! You better se¨C AaAAAaaaaaaahhhhhh!!!!!!¡± Pure white flames wrapped the young man¡¯s body making him cry in pain. The humans on the surroundings cried in fear and smell of ammonia spread in the surroundings. Some girls began to cry and shout frantically, but then, the level five woman shouted. ¡°Shut up!¡± Immediately, each human closed their mouths. Some girls made an effort to suppress their sobs while carrying expressions of fear. In a few seconds, the young man became ashes. Aleen saw all it with an expression of astonishment. He wanted to shout, to stop the woman; but the pressure coming from D¡¯vina stopped him. He could only see the scene without doing anything. ¡°Anyone else has an objection!?¡± The woman asked with a slight sadistic smile. ¡°If not then hurry up! I need fifty five of you, now! Oh, I forgot, it''s fifty four now; the other is dead.¡± Fifty five people quickly ran towards Caira. She simply looked towards the scene coldly, and when they were complete, she turned and ordered. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± The humans quickly began to walk following the woman. While she was leaving, Caira turned briefly towards D¡¯vina and waved her hand.Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. ¡°I¡¯m going miss D¡¯vina, I will communicate through the COM if something comes up. By the way, you better train your assistant more. I hate when someone looks to me like that.¡± D¡¯vina simply grunted in answer. When Caira was gone D¡¯vina released the pressure in Aleen and spoke coldly. ¡°Did you remember my rules, boy?¡± ¡°¡­ Yes.¡± He answered depressedly. ¡°Then tell me, what was my fourth rule!?¡± she asked again, this time clearly enraged. Aleen thought for a moment before answering. ¡°... Your words are the law and I must obey your orders without question.¡± ¡°Is it so? But I remember giving you two orders! I told you to stay put and I signaled you to shut up! What were you going to do if I don¡¯t suppress your movements?!¡± ¡°¡­ Sorry.¡± Aleen knew that she was right, but he was not able to control his emotions back then. When he saw the woman burning the young man mercilessly, he felt rage. But in the end, D¡¯vina was right. If he attacks the woman, he probably would have ended just like the young man, dead. D¡¯vina sighed seeing the expression on Aleen¡¯s face but continued regardless. ¡°I can understand you, Aleen; but you must understand that as my assistant, your actions are my actions. This world is a cruel one, and you cannot do anything to change it. Your better concentrate in following my orders and surviving and don¡¯t make me regret the decision of choosing you as my assistant.¡± Aleen clenched his teeth before nodding his head. D¡¯vina then looked towards the remaining humans trembling in fear and ordered coldly. ¡°Let¡¯s go. We already lost too much time here.¡± With these words, the group of seventeen departed. Twenty minutes later, the group of seventeen was running through the reddish forest. D¡¯vina had reduced her pace to accommodate the fifteen level one, but most of them were already tired. Because of it, she decided to stop briefly. ¡°You have one minute.¡± The humans quickly collapsed and tried to recover their stamina the most possible. Meanwhile, D¡¯vina walked towards Aleen. Aleen was wearing a dark expression from the moment the group departed, but he tried to smile when he saw D¡¯vina walking towards him. She simply sighed and motioned him to come over and sit beside her. ¡°Are you still thinking about it?¡± Aleen simply nodded his head slightly. ¡°I understand, but you better forget about it. Hear me, Aleen, you can''t protect each earthling in this game, so you better spend your energy trying to help me and protecting yourself. As for them, you can at most lend a hand; the rest depends on themselves.¡± Aleen hesitated slightly before nodding. Then, he looked towards D¡¯vina and opened his mouth. ¡°Can I make a question?¡± D¡¯vina nodded briefly. ¡°Why did you help me? It¡¯s probably not so simple to get an assistant, right? But you helped me making me your assistant. I cannot understand the reason though.¡± ¡°it¡¯s simple.¡± D¡¯vina answered while making a rare smile. ¡°I avoided death in the last game thanks to you. I¡¯m simply repaying it.¡± Aleen made a surprised expression before shaking his head. ¡°I was only helping myself. Besides, you would have revived even if you died.¡± ¡°It did not matter. Besides, though getting an assistant has certain disadvantages, I can bear them easily.¡± Aleen simply nodded hearing it. Then, he muttered something softly. ¡°Thanks.¡± D¡¯vina simply smiled before nodding. ¡°You are welcome.¡± While the group was resting, a creature was observing them hungrily. It was a scorpion-like monster but without the pincers and the tail. It had a strong-looking carapace and three pairs of scythe-like claws. Its body was two meters long and filled with small needles below the carapace. It was crouching silently, observing the humans and waiting for the best opportunity to catch a meal. Then, it noticed that a human separated from the group. It was a young woman, around twenty years old. She left the group briefly to relieve herself without knowing that a monster was observing her. While she was crouching, the creature closed the distance silently. It was pretty fast despite the lack of noise, and ten seconds later, it was just behind the girl. The girl, however, seemed to feel something at that moment; because just before the beast could pounce, she turned around and saw the monster opening its mouth. Then, she left out a scream. ¡°Ahhhhhh!¡± And blood flowed from her body. Chapter 27 – Raid (3) ¡°Ahhhhhh!¡± The scream of a woman interrupted the short rest of the group. Aleen and D¡¯vina immediately stood up from where they were seated and directed their gazes in directions of the scream. ¡°What happened!?¡± D¡¯vina asked. ¡°it was a girl!¡± A young girl said with an expression of nervousness. ¡°She said that she needed to pee and went to the forest alone!¡± ¡°That fool!¡± Aleen exclaimed. ¡°Did she think that everything is a joke?!¡± Aleen was going to search for her, but D¡¯vina stopped him. ¡°Stop. She is already dead.¡± Looking towards the group, D¡¯vina raised her voice. ¡°Everybody, stay around me. We have visitors." With a serious expression, D¡¯vina organized the humans around her and unsheathed her sword. Aleen also grabbed his sword and looked to the surroundings, but he only could see the nervous humans grabbing their weapons with trembling hands. ¡°Do you know what is it?¡± Aleen asked worriedly. D¡¯vina thought for a moment before answering. ¡°It was probably one of the monsters. Not too strong, perhaps level two or level three. I can feel it around us but I cannot pinpoint its location.¡± Aleen sighed in relief when he heard D¡¯vina answer. After all, she was able to take care of a level two easily. D¡¯vina probably noticed his thoughts because immediately, she warned him. ¡°Don¡¯t lower your guard, boy. Do you know what is the reason why the administrators bring level one humans to a battle of level five?¡± Aleen made a surprised expression when he heard the question. Now that he thought about it, he could not find any reason to bring so many level one humans in a fight of this level. ¡°You don¡¯t know, right? Let me say you the answer then. Some level one participants have the opportunity to increase their level inside the game, but most of them are brought to use as meat shields.¡± ¡°¡­ Meat shields?¡± ¡°Yeah. You see, Dimensional Paradise is a perfect place to train level five warriors, but it puts a restriction in our abilities. To be more exact, this place limits our mana to the minimum possible for a level five to encourage the participants to use their skills more skillfully. Because of it, each level five has to be careful when using his abilities to avoid using all his mana up.¡±Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website. Gazing vigilantly to the surrounding forest, D¡¯vina continued. ¡°In my planet, I can kill hundreds of level two easily; but with the restrictions on my mana, it¡¯s different here. If hundreds of monsters attack me continuously, I would not have more option than run.¡± ¡°Then, the people abducted¡­¡± ¡°They are meat shields. Their purpose is to attract the monsters¡¯ attention and allow us to kill the monster without wasting too much mana. Of course, you can use them to do other things besides it, as I used you in the last game, but most level five only treat level one as cannon fodder.¡± Aleen put an expression of disgust and fear after hearing it. He could not believe that so many people were sacrificed for such reason. ¡°Them, the ones with us¡­?¡± ¡°¡­ I will try to keep them with life though it will mostly to depend on themselves.¡± D¡¯vina said after keeping silent for a second. ¡°But I will sacrifice them if I think it¡¯s necessary." Aleen put a struggling expression, but in the end, he could only nod reluctantly. ¡°¡­ D¡¯vina, can you tell me the reason why people are forced to participate in this game?¡± D¡¯vina hesitated slightly before shaking her head. ¡°I can¡¯t. But boy, though the games are cruel, they are a necessary evil. That is the reason because they had the support of the United Dimensional Planes and the thousands of worlds that are part of it.¡± Aleen simply nodded his head and remained silent. He did not want to discuss this topic with her. The pair kept vigilant while speaking. They knew that the monster was waiting for an opportunity. The silence increased the terror in the people remaining. Some of them were even trembling from terror, but none dared to lower their guards. Though they had doubts, the deaths of two people were enough for them to understand that this place was not simply a game. Then, while they were waiting, the monster appeared. It jumped from a tree and accelerated quickly towards a man. When the people finally noticed the monster, it already had a claw over the man¡¯s head. But before it could kill him, the glow of a sword appeared before its eyes. The monster noticed the danger, but it was unable to react before the greatsword speed. It could not even make a cry of pain when the sword cut its head. An expression of astonishment appeared in the man that was attacked. Then, he cried in terror before falling over his butt. D¡¯vina ignored the man and observed carefully the monster¡¯s body. Before long, she furrowed her brows. ¡°Damn.¡± ¡°What is wrong?¡± Aleen asked noticing her expression. ¡°Brooders, they are wrong. I can¡¯t believe that the administrators assigned this monster as the enemy.¡± ¡°Are they powerful?¡± ¡°Powerful? No, most of them are level two or three. The problem is their numbers. Brooders are considered as a dangerous plague through the multiverse and they must be exterminated completely once discovered. This kind of monsters only knows how to kill and reproduce. I heard that they once killed all the life in half planet in just one month.¡± Looking to the surroundings, a helpless expression appeared in her face. ¡°I fear that the number of monsters we have to kill is slightly greater than we thought.¡± ¡°¡­ How much greater?¡± Aleen inquired nervously. ¡°Ten thousand. Perhaps more.¡± Cold sweat descended in Aleen¡¯s back when he heard it. Apparently, this game was harder than he thought. Looking to the surroundings, Aleen felt asif thousands of eyes were looking in his direction. For an instant, Aleen was unable to suppress the terror in his mind. Chapter 28 – Raid (4) ¡°Let¡¯s go, that was the only monster around here." D¡¯vina ordered with an ice-cold expression. The people in the surrounding reacted immediately after hearing D¡¯vina¡¯s voice. Though they were worried about the monster, they knew that if they did not follow her orders, she would leave them behind, or even worse, would kill them herself. Looking to the group of humans doing their best to hide their panic, D¡¯vina patted Aleen¡¯s shoulder and continued. ¡°Let¡¯s go, I already communicated our findings to the rest of the team. They will know what to do.¡± ¡°Are you not worried?¡± Aleen asked doubtfully. ¡°Of course not. Though the mission is harder than I thought, it¡¯s not impossible. Of course, you must be careful; after all, I will be unable to guarantee your safety completely.¡± Aleen simply nodded to her words and the group resumed running. D¡¯vina paid attention to her speed, so the group of humans was able to keep with her despite their tiredness. ¡°What are we going to do now?¡± ¡°We will continue searching for the nest and killing the monsters in the way. If someone else finds it, then we will go to the place where the nest is.¡± While they were running, a girl came close to Aleen. ¡°H-Hey, can you tell me where we are?¡± Aleen looked to the girl curiously and noticed that it was the same girl that answered back then when the monster attacked. She was around 18 years old and had short auburn hair. Aleen noticed that her eyes were bright despite the panic in her voice. The girl was like him in the last game. "*Sigh*, let me explain you..." Aleen sighed slightly and explained what he could while running. He tried to raise his voice so everybody could hear. D¡¯vina noticed it, but she did nothing to stop him. Something like this was in her acceptable limit. When he finished his explanations, the expressions of the majority was contorted in fear. Even the girl that asked had an expression of terror, but immediately, it was replaced for one of determination. ¡°Tell me, what I have to do if I want to survive?¡± Aleen felt admiration towards the girl, but he was reminded of D''vina''s words. After all, he could not even guarantee his safety, how can he be a hero then?If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I don¡¯t know. I can only advise you to remain near us and try your best to not die. To be honest, even I¡¯m not sure if I can be alive when the day ends.¡± An expression of disappointment appeared in the girl¡¯s face. She then tried to ask D¡¯vina, but Aleen stopped her. When she inquired for the reason, he simply shook his head. Aleen already had an idea of D¡¯vina personality; she was cold and rarely talked with others. She only began to speak a bit more with Aleen after he became his assistant; but even so, their conversations were normally short and direct. With the exception of when she consoled him a moment ago, her expression always remained cold. ¡°Simply follow us and don¡¯t leave the group. If something happens later, try to survive.¡± After saying it, Aleen ignored the girl and increased his pace. Seeing it, D¡¯vina patted his shoulder slightly. Then, in a slightly warmer tone, she spoke. ¡°Don¡¯t be sad. You already helped them enough.¡± Aleen simply nodded and continued running. The group continued running for five minutes without encountering an incident and the remaining people began to tire. Fortunately, Aleen¡¯s body had been becoming steadily stronger from advancing to level two and was able to keep the pace without difficulty. When the group advanced for another minute, D¡¯vina finally stopped. But before they could sigh in relief, she signaled to remain silent. Then, while looking at the surroundings, she smiled slightly and asked Aleen. ¡°Hey, boy. Did you read the things that I asked you to buy?¡± Aleen made a slightly surprised expression before nodding. D¡¯vina made a thoughtful expression hearing it and asked again. ¡°How much you learned?¡± ¡°I can use my mana better than last time to reinforce my body, I also learned to move mana outside my body, but I cannot reinforce my weapon yet. Besides, I practiced using my skill and tried to learn how to use a sword.¡± ¡°The sword? What you practiced?¡± Aleen hesitated slightly before answering with a bit of embarrassment. ¡°¡­ I only learned a bit about stabbing.¡± ¡°Stabbing is it¡­? Mm, that stance is a good match with your skill. Very well, why don¡¯t you show me what you learned?¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± D¡¯vina looked towards the surroundings before answering. ¡°I failed to feel them before, but now that I prepared I can feel that there are two other monstersobserving us, both are about strong as the one I killed before, probably level two. "Tell me, what do you think about killing one of them.¡± Aleen immediately made a surprised expression. ¡°B-But I don¡¯t know where they are.¡± ¡°That is not a problem, you simply have to wait until they attack and you will know where they are. Don¡¯t worry, I will block the first one, so you only have to concentrate on the second monster.¡± Aleen gulped when he heard it, but after a moment, he put a determined expression and nodded. The reason because Aleen returned to this place was to get the coins for his sister¡¯s illness. And to get them, he must kill enemies. Grabbing the hilt of his sword, Aleen unsheathed it and prepared himself. Seeing it, D¡¯vina nodded slightly and looked to the people around her. ¡°You better prepare yourself. I will only block a monster, so if the other attacks you, you better make sure of being able to endure until Aleen comes.¡± The people in the surroundings quickly held their weapons in fear and looked to the surroundings vigilantly. Before long, the group heard slight noises coming from the plants in the surroundings. Fear filled their faces and some could not endure and began to cry, D¡¯vina frowned when she saw, but she did not say anything. At that moment, the first monster attacked. Chapter 29 – Raid (5) When the nervous humans finally reacted, the monster was already before them. Probably thanks to its instinct, the beast attacked the human farthest from D¡¯vina. In an instant, the beast was before him ready to tear his body in pieces. But when the brooder tried to use its claws to tear the human in pieces, D¡¯vina greatsword intercepted the attack. In a swift move, she repelled the monster and used her sword to pressure it while being careful of not killing it and scaring the other monster away. Aleen and the rest of humans relaxed briefly when they saw D¡¯vina intercepting the creature, but that proved to be fatal. Taking advantage of their inattentiveness, the second monster chose its prey. Using the same strategy that before, the second monster attacked the human farthest from D¡¯vina''s position. The humans¡¯ brief carelessness meant that they were unable to react. Even Aleen, that knew that he was responsible for the second monster, only noticed the monster when it was about to kill a human girl. The girl instinctively moved the shield she received in the village and tried to stop the monster¡¯s charge, but a level two''s strength was not something she could stop. The blow sent the girl flying away while the monster chased after her. But at that moment, Aleen finally reacted. ¡°Ahhhhhhh!¡± Activating instinctively his skill, he accelerated furiously towards the beast. The feeling of time stopping returned to Aleen and he took advantage of it to form a stabbing stance awkwardly. In an instant, Aleen''s sword was before the brooder. But different than the beast he killed in the last game, this monster was of a level higher. Feeling the danger, the beast tried to twist its body outside the sword''s path. Despite it, however, the beast speed was unable to compare with Aleen¡¯s. Before it could leave the sword¡¯s path completely, Aleen reached its position. Befitting of a weapon sold by the game''s administration, the weapon was very sharp despite its simple appearance. It, together with the strength produced by Aleen¡¯s weight moving at such incredible speed, made the sword cut the body of the monster cleanly. When Aleen¡¯s body passed the beast, two of its legs were cut. ¡°*Screchhh*!¡± With a cry of pain, the beast jumped back and looked fearfully towards Aleen. Aleen turned immediately after seeing that the beast was still alive, but when he tried to activate his skill again, a slight pain attacked his body. It was Aleen¡¯s first time trying to activate his skill twice continually, and he immediately felt his body complaining in pain for it. Unable to understand the situation, he made a fast choice and instead reinforced his body with mana and ran towards the beast.Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. Seeing it, the beast jumped again and retreated to the place the other humans were. It was obvious that Aleen''s attack left it frightened. At that moment, one of the humans could not endure the tension anymore and rushed towards the beast with his sword. ¡°Die!!!¡± ¡°Watch out!¡± Aleen¡¯s face paled when he saw it, but before his warning could reach to the man, the scythe-like claw of the monster cut through the man¡¯s torso, dividing his body into two parts. """AHHHHHHHHH!!!""" Cries of terror sounded from the surroundings, and the people near the man began to run away, but it seemed to provoke the savage nature of the monster because it jumped among the humans and began to chase them. ¡°Damn it!¡± Aleen swore while chasing after the monster, but it did not have any intention of fighting him. In a few seconds, the monster¡¯s claws killed another three people. Aleen tried repeatedly to activate his skill, but his body continued negating the attempts. In desperation, he tried to move the mana for himself. Quickly, mana flowed through Aleen¡¯s veins following the skill''s path; but instead activating the skill, Aleen noticed his mana transforming into something else. His mana seemed to take the form of lightning. Unconsciously, Aleen activated his aspect again. His speed increased noticeably, but it still was many times slower than his skill. Despite it, the increase in speed helped Aleen to catch with the beast. Aleen attacked with his sword forgetting about the things he saw in the videos. Instead, he used his instincts to fight, but the beast was able to see through his moves easily, evading the disorderly swings. ¡°*Screeeccchhhh*!!!¡± Shouting in glee, the brooder proceeded to attack another human; Aleen immediately recognized the girl, she was the one that asked about the game before. ¡°Damn you!¡± Screaming to the monster, Aleen attacked again to prevent the monster from killing the girl, but it evaded his attack easily once again. Aleen swore that he could see a look of pleasure in the monster''s eyes. Instinctively, the girl swung the sword in her hand, but such an attack was too slow to inflict damage to the monster. When it saw the sword attacking, it swung one of its claws, separating the sword from the girl¡¯s hand together with two of her fingers. An expression of terror appeared in her face, and before she could react, a second scythe-like claw came for her neck. A strong feeling of rage filled Aleen¡¯s body, and the lightning inside his body moved faster than ever. Finally, the rune inside his mind illuminated again and the skill he had been trying to activate desperately answered. Then, Aleen''s body accelerated. And his sword cut the monster. Before the monster¡¯s claw could kill the girl, Aleen¡¯s attack threw the monster away and bisected its body. With a flash of lightning, Aleen¡¯s body continued accelerating and crashed against the obstacles in its path. Then, after approximately fifty meters, he stopped. The remaining people alive were unable to react to the unexpected change in the situation. The girl, that just a moment before was about to die, fell in her butt. At that moment, Aleen stood from the monster¡¯s the body; he was covered with thick blue monster''s blood, his clothes were filled with scratches. Then, he began to vomit. Seeing it, many of the people in the surroundings began to vomit too. When they finally calmed down, D¡¯vina¡¯s voice sounded. ¡°It was worse than I thought but well done.¡± Hearing it, they turned towards her only to see her black hair waving with the hair and her sword sheathed once more. Behind her, the first monster¡¯s body lay beheaded. Chapter 30 – Game or Hell (1) ¡°Different from monsters and beasts, we, the intelligent races, have wisdom and we don''t fight using just our instinct. That is the reason because we normally have the advantage when battling monsters, do you understand?¡± Aleen mind was still in the fight against the monster, so he didn¡¯t hear D¡¯vina¡¯s voice clearly, but he nodded regardless. D¡¯vina continued speaking when she sawAleen nod. ¡°However, you fight against the monster was completely messy. If not because you first attack connected hence scaring the monster then you probably would have been the one in the losing end. ¡°Where was the swordsmanship that you supposedly practiced?¡± She asked. ¡°Besides the first attack that had a very slight trace of swordsmanship, the rest of your movements were messy! The monster practically was playing with you! To be honest, the only reason because you won was your skill and that you were lucky! And even with it, four people died and two more are injured!¡± D¡¯vina¡¯s scolding finally woke up Aleen from his reverie. He had to admit that he committed many mistakes during the fight. From the moment when his skill failed, Aleen was too nervous to face the fight calmly. Four people died and Aleen could not avoid thinking that he was responsible for it. If he kills the monster with the first attack, then none of them would be dead. Besides it, it was a big oversight to not confirm how often he could use his skill continually. Though he trained using his skill on earth, he only concentrated on how many times he could use it and normally rested after using it once. If not because of this fight, Aleen wouldn''t know that he was unable to use his skill continuously. Looking towards D¡¯vina, he decided to ask her about it. ¡°Why did the skill not work when I tried to use it the second time?¡± ¡°¡­ So that was what happened? I was wondering why you seemed so out of it.¡± D¡¯vina replied. ¡°It¡¯s common sense that it¡¯s hard to use skills continuously when you just acquire it. This is something called ¡®Cooldown¡¯ and happens because your body is unable to endure the burden of using the skill continuously. One of the main goals that every skill user chases to become stronger is being able to use their skills at will, but you clearly not only have an issue with the cooldown but also with the number of times you can use your skill.¡± Aleen lowered his head when he heard it. To be honest, he thought that he was someone incredible after acquiring a skill, but only after this fight, he noticed that he had many shortcomings. He was not even sure of being able to win against the level two monster if he has to fight it again. D¡¯vina shook her head seeing it and gave him a piece of advice. ¡°Skills are the most important things for the enlightened, boy; as spells are the most important thing for mages. Though it¡¯s alright to dedicate part of your focus to other things as mana and swordsmanship, the most important thing must always be your skill. Of course, my situation is a bit different; the origin of my skills is the sword, so the sword is as important as the skills for me.¡±Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author. ¡°¡­ I understand.¡± Aleen nodded. ¡°Make sure to understand every detail of your skill from now onwards, boy. You must learn your skill¡¯s limitations and train to eliminate it. The more versatile your skill is, the easier it will be to advance towards the next level.¡± Aleen memorized D¡¯vina¡¯s words seriously. It was obvious that he had to search for a place to practice his skills without fear. Using the forest was not a long-term solution, and the risk of being discovered was too great. If he would have trained on his skill more, he would have discovered the cooldown and maybe reacted better when the first attack failed to kill the monster. Seeing that Aleen took her words seriously, D¡¯vina then turned towards the others. ¡°You all, stop crying! I can¡¯t believe that none of you was able to stop the monster for a second. If not because the girl reacted fast enough, five would have died instead of four.¡± The people in the surroundings looked towards D¡¯vina while trembling in fear. It was obvious that they were too shocked after seeing four people die before their eyes. D¡¯vina¡¯s ice-cold expression showed a brief moment of irritation before signaling a to a man between them. ¡°You, go and check the condition of the girl that the monster attacked first. Though I can feel that she is alive, I don¡¯t know if she can continue with the game.¡± Then, she looked to the girl that Aleen saved a moment ago. ¡°You too, stop spacing out. Search something to stop the bleeding in your hand before it¡¯s too late.¡± ¡°¡­ M-My h-hand¡­ m-my hand¡­¡± The girl ignored D''vine and wept while holding her hand. ¡°Stop crying!¡± D¡¯vina repeated, stopping the girl¡¯s weeping with a shout. ¡°Stop your bleeding if you want to live and stop crying if you don''t want to attract another monster here!¡± The girl finally regained her senses and tried to stop her bleeding, but she began to cry again when she could not find something to bandage her wound. Aleen stepped forward before D¡¯vina could speak again. Coming before the girl, he ripped part of his shirt and used it to stop the bleeding. ¡°Calm down, calm down. It¡¯s alright.¡± He said soothingly, unsure if he was trying to calm the girl or calm himself. After a few seconds, Aleen managed to stop the bleeding. The girl held her hand with tears running from her eyes. With a small voice, she spoke. ¡°T-Thanks¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡± He smiled forcedly before patting the girl''s shoulder. ¡°But it¡¯s better if you stop crying and think about how to survive in this place." The girl looked towards Aleen briefly and nodded her head. She then used her hand to clean the tears in her check and put a determinate expression. ¡°Y-You are right! Something like this is not enough to take me down!¡± Aleen smiled and helped her to stand. Then, the pair walked towards the place where the man brought the other injured girl. D¡¯vina was frowning briefly while looking to her. When she saw that Aleen came, she shook her head and spoke coldly. ¡°She is too injured to continue. The best option is to kill her and ger her out of her misery.¡± ¡°Y-You cannot!¡± The girl that came with Aleen shouted after hearing D''vina. ¡°She is still alive; how can you kill her!?¡± Aleen also made an astonished expression. D¡¯vina saw it and furrowed her brows, with an ice-cold expression, she said. ¡°This place is filled with monsters, if we don''t kill her, then the monsters will do it and she will suffer more then.¡± ¡°W-We can take her with us!¡± The girl said while suppressing her fear of D¡¯vina. ¡°One of us can carry her!¡± ¡°Who will carry her then?¡± D¡¯vina said with an interested expression as if looking to an idiot. Aleen was going to raise his hand, but D¡¯vina stopped him with a glance. With a frosty tone, she scolded him. ¡°I forbid you from doing it. You are my assistant, and I will not allow you to carry a dead weight that only will make it impossible for you to fight.¡± Chapter 31 – Game or Hell (2) When Aleen wasabout to raise his hand and suggest carrying the girl, D¡¯vina frosty glare stopped him. ¡°I forbid you from doing it. You are my assistant, and I will not allow you to carry a death weigh that only will make it impossible for you to fight.¡± ¡°B-But¨C¡± ¡°What I told you just a moment ago!?¡± Aleen shut his mouth when he noticed D¡¯vina expression. Aleen felt guilty betraying D¡¯vina expectations again, but he could not help it. They were like him, from the same planet and in the same situation he was a few days before. How can he ignore them? D''vina was there to help him, but they did not have someone like her. Noticing his thoughts, D¡¯vina spoke again forcefully. ¡°I told you before, boy. Your only responsibility is to help me and protect your life. Them, besides being from your world, are nothing more than strangers that you just met today. It¡¯s enough help explaining the situation and allowing them to come with us; but if you put your life and my interests in risk for a stranger, then it¡¯s not kindness, it¡¯s folly.¡± Aleen lowered his head ashamedly when he heard it. Though he did not agree with D¡¯vina¡¯s words, he could understand the truth in her words. He hardly could protect himself; how can he protect anyone else then? Seeing the situation, the girl raised her hand. ¡°I will do it!¡± D¡¯vina stared to the girl for a moment, then turned around and began to walk. ¡°Do it then, but I will leave you behind if you are unable to keep the pace.¡± Pausing slightly, she continued speaking, this time with a slightly melancholy tone. ¡°You will soon understand. In this world, you can only do your best to protect the people around you.If you tried to protect too many people, the weigh of such responsibility ends crushing you.¡± Unfortunately, nobody noticed the desolate expression on her face. ¡°Thanks for before.¡± The girl said while carrying the injured girl in her back. ¡°And sorry if I caused you trouble.¡± Aleen smiled wryly. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, it¡¯s not your fault. Besides, I did what I thought was right.¡± The girl smiled thinly hearing it. Then, with a cheerful tone that made you doubt that she was about to die just a moment ago, she signaled to herself. ¡°My name is Ana, by the way, I am a college student. Well, I was. I don¡¯t know if I can continue being one now.¡± ¡°Aleen.¡± He answered softly. ¡°I¡¯m also a college student, so I can assure that you can continue being one after it ends. You only need to concentrate on surviving.¡± Aleen then looked to the girl she was carrying in her back. ¡°Are you fine carrying her by yourself? Why don¡¯t you ask someone to help you for a time?¡±Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. Ana shook her head. ¡°She is a bit heavy but fortunately I can carry her. For some reason, I feel that my body is stronger than before.¡± ¡°That is because your body was enhanced before entering the game. It happened when you were in the white room.¡± ¡°I see.¡± She smiled wryly. ¡°It explains it, I guess.¡± Looking to the back of D¡¯vina that was running ahead of them, Ana hesitated slightly before deciding to ask something. She spoke very softly to prevent D''vina from hearing. ¡°Why is she like this? It¡¯s too cruel of her to kill someone simply because she is injured! Besides, if she would have helped us when the monster attacked us, then nobody would have died!¡± Aleen frowned immediately and looked towards the place where D¡¯vina was. Then, with a slightly stern tone, he spoke. ¡°Please, don¡¯t speak badly of her before me. Though I don¡¯t think that what she said is right either, I know that she is someone with a righteous personality. She saved my life, and even if I don¡¯t agree with her point of view, I will not speak badly of her.¡± ¡°Sorry.¡± Ana made a surprised expression hearing Aleen¡¯s words before apologizing softly. When she looked towards Aleen again, her gaze had a bit more of respect than before. ¡°Can I ask you another thing? How can you move so fast? And why there was, you know, electricity in your body?¡± Aleen smiled at her words before telling her about skills and some other things he learned about ¡®Dimensional Paradise¡¯. Like before, he made sure of raising his voice enough so the other people could hear him too. He expected that it increases their chances of survival. D¡¯vina, walking ahead of him, had a complicated expression while hearing Aleen. Aleen didn¡¯t know, but she was able to hear his conversation with Ana clearly. It was impossible for a conversation to escape her ears in a certain distance despite how low it¡¯s made. Because of it, though she did not have any intention of spying their conversation, she heard it inadvertently. Five minutes later, Aleen finished explaining everything he knew to the group. Many of them have expressions of incredulity mixed with astonishment, but most were still terrified. No matter how alluring the thought of acquiring superpowers or earning a price after the game was, it was not enough to eliminate the terror of finding yourself in a situation where you could die anytime. D¡¯vina ignored the commotion in the surroundings and focused on searching for the monsters¡¯ nest; but after the last two monsters, she did not find more traces of monsters. D¡¯vina continued searching and finally found something strange about the situation. Without her noticing, the forest had become completely silent. D¡¯vina furrowed her brows and focused on her senses to find anything abnormal, but she detected nothing. But when she wasabout to retract her senses, her face changed. Someone or something was definitively spying on her. And it was definitively more than one individual. Though she already had felt it before, D¡¯vina felt surprised before the level of stealth that the monsters were able. A monster able to hide its presence to such level is at least level four. And I can feel more than one¡­ Though the others are slightly weaker. With a serious expression, D¡¯vina signaled for the group to stop and unsheathed her sword. Aleen immediately understood the situation and also took his sword out. The rest of the group, on the other hand, did not react immediately. While they were confused about the situation, D¡¯vina¡¯s freezing voice entered their ears. ¡°We have trouble.¡± Then, while the group processed the meaning of her sentence, she directed her sight towards the deeps of the forest. There, the breaths of a group of monsters filled the place with a bloody smell. Chapter 32 – Game or Hell (3) Through the multiple dimensions, brooders were considered a plague; a plague that must be annihilated regardless of the consequences. And like every plague, they reproduce very fast. In two months, a queen brooder can give birth to thousands of soldiers and workers, creating an army of monsters able to destroy a country. And if the queen is at level five, then the situation is worse, at the point that a level six or teams of at least 10 level five are sent to clean them. Unfortunately, the final boss of this game was precisely a level five queen brooder. The only reason because Aleen¡¯s group only met three individuals until now was that they were outside the swarm¡¯s region of influence, but with the group continuos advance, the situation was bound to escalate sooner or later. And now, a level four brooder was commanding a group of monsters to attack them. Different from the monsters that attacked before, this one was a bit smarter. It realized that D¡¯vina was strong and that attacking the group directly was bound to cause heavy loses. Due to it, it ordered the monsters to hide and wait for the perfect opportunity to ambush their prey. However, the monster underestimated D¡¯vina¡¯s perception. When the monster realized that they were discovered, it knew that it had two options, to retreat or to attack. But despite being smarter than lower-leveled monsters, the level four brooder was in essence, a monster; and as a monster, it was unable to hold its savagery in check. So, after hesitating for a moment, it decided to ignore the sense of danger and ordered the monsters to attack. Instantly, tens of level two and level three brooders rushed from the woods and attacked the group. The group of humans immediately entered in panic when they noticed the monsters. The brooders could smell their fear and weakness from the distance, instead of people, they only saw a great amount of easy food delivered to their doorsteps. But despite it, the level four brooder did not lose its mind. Instead of attacking directly, it sent four level three monsters to hinder D¡¯vina and concentrated its remaining troops in killing the weaker humans first. ¡°Take your weapons if you want to live!¡± D¡¯vina shouted before beheading a level three with a swing of her greatsword. She tried to kill the greatest threat first, but the level four monster was cunning enough to avoid her blow and she was unable to chase it due to the attacks of the other monsters. The remaining humans held their weapons with shaking hands and Ana held the body of the injured girl with more strength; but before long, someone was unable to endure the pressure. ¡°Ahhhhhhhhhhh!¡± A man cried and began to run away. The rest of the humans changed their expressions seeing it, and as a trigger, more people began to escape. ¡°Run!!!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t wanna die¡­. *sob*¡± ¡°Run run¡­¡± ¡°Oh god!¡±If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°Don¡¯t run!¡± Aleen shouted. ¡°You will die if you separate from the group!¡± But they did not pay attention to his words. In a few seconds, five people left the group. ¡°Damn it! They think that she can outrun the monsters!?¡± Aleen said enraged, but before he could continue, the first monster was before him. ¡°Be careful everyone!¡± He warned before thrusting his sword towards the monster. The beast has evaded the attack deftly, but Aleen quickly corrected the sword movement and cut a leg. Unfortunately, it was not enough to stop the beast. With a jump, it attacked one of the humans. The girl the monster attacked was unable to react to the attack, and her head flew with the movement of the monster¡¯s limbs. The other humans paled quickly and their expressions distorted in fear. Some of them lost the strength in their limbs, drooping involuntarily their weapons. ¡°Come closer to me if you want to live!¡± D¡¯vina shouted. ¡°I will be able to stop most of the attacks if you are near!¡± ¡°Okay! Let¡¯s go! Don¡¯t let the monsters come near!¡± The humans ran towards D¡¯vina position. Aleen used his sword to stop a pair of attacks, but his swordsmanship was far from enough to defend completely. A scythe-like claw was able to pass through Aleen¡¯s defense cutting his arm slightly. Aleen hurriedly defended, moving his sword instinctively to push the monster away, but a monster took advantage of that opportunity to attack another man. ¡°Wuaahhhh!¡± The man shouted in fear while swinging the sword crazily, but the monster agilely moved behind him and bisected his body with a swing of its limb. Blood flowed from the man¡¯s body, splashing the humans and monsters the same. Aleen looked towards the man in shock and saw a gaze of terror directed towards him. He could see the man¡¯s mouth moving with difficulty, trying to speak. ¡°¡­ H-hel¡­ hel¡­ p¡­ plea¡­ please¡­¡± ¡°Ahhhhhhh!¡± Another man cried. A monster jumped from the trees and attacked him, but fortunately, Aleen was able to stop the attack. ¡°Hurry! Go towards D¡¯vina!¡± he shouted trying his best to ignore the bisected man¡¯s pleas. The other humans got out from their stupor and continued running towards D¡¯vina. Aleen, on the other hand, was able to endure the scene despite the terror he was feeling. After all, he saw as the beast devoured the human¡¯s corpses in the previous game. That scene was many times more gruesome than this. The group reached to D¡¯vina under the monsters¡¯ constant attacks. At that moment, the level four brooder finally attacked. With a jump, it moved towards the last human with astounding speed, but before its claws could touch the human, D¡¯vina''s sword intercepted the monster even faster. The sword was so fast that the monster was unable to avoid it. The sword moved to bisect the monster, but when it was about to cut it, the monster''s body glowed with mana and the carapaces protecting it made a metallic sound. D¡¯vina¡¯s greatsword collided with the carapace but was unexpectedly unable to cut it. Monsters followed the path of ¡®Nature¡¯ to advance their levels; it basically consisted in using mana to evolve their bodies, making it stronger, faster, studier and more lethal, according to their needs. it was an evolution that followed nature guidance to made themselves stronger in the areas that were considered necessary. This path, however, had two glaring weakness; the first one being that most monsters did not evolve their intelligence during the process of level up, and the second weakness was that it was hard for them to get a skill during their evolutions. This level four brooder, however, was fortunate enough to acquire one. And the only purpose of this skill was to defend. It was a defense almost absolute and from the moment the monster acquired it, the skill never had been breached. But when the monster was going to screech in excitement, D¡¯vina''s body glowed. Circulating the mana through her body, she activated two skills at the same time; ¡®Sword Body¡¯ and ¡®Sword Killing''. In an instant, the power and sharpness behind the sword increased exponentially. An expression of panic appeared in the monster¡¯s face; it tried to retreat immediately, but D¡¯vina¡¯s sword was faster. It cut through its belly wounding the monster heavily. ¡°*Screeeeech*¡± The monster cried in pain. Unfortunately, the sword was unable to kill the monster. D¡¯vina tried to follow behind the monster and kill it, but more monsters jumped towards her and the people behind her, hindering her. ¡°Tch!¡± Clicking her tongue, D¡¯vina changed the direction of her attack and cut the monsters attacking. The level four monster made use of that opportunity to escape and screeched again to signal the other monsters to continue attacking. At that moment, the group heard human cries coming from the forest. Turning their heads to the origin of the cries, they saw a wounded man running towards them from the forest; it was one of the people that left the group before. But before he could run ten meters, a giant shadow jumped towards him and bit his neck, tearing his head from the body. The remaining newbies paled even more seeing it. They knew that the people that ran were all dead. From the fifteen level one humans that came with D¡¯vina originally, ten were dead and one was unconscious. As for the other four, nobody knew how long they were going to last. Chapter 33 – Game or Hell (4) D¡¯vina¡¯s face was dead serious while facing the swarm of monsters. Tens of monsters were lying around her in pieces, killed by her sword. Mana circulated through her body activating her skills when necessary. Unfortunately, she was forced to save as much mana as possible; after all, the final goal of this game was probably a level five queen brooder, so she could not use all her mana before facing it. Despite it, her attacks were equally deadly. With the exception of the level four, no other monster was able to take one of her attacks and continue alive. The situation, however, was worsening quickly. The number of monsters attacking increased with every second and the danger they were facing grew with it. Of course, for someone at D¡¯vina¡¯s level, the danger was minimum. She was confident about killing all the monsters given enough time. Unfortunately, her skills were not suited to defense, and though she could guarantee her safety, she could not do the same for the people around her. The only thing she could do was to kill more monsters and hope that Aleen and the others can survive if she let one pass her defense. Normal creatures would have escaped after seeing so many of their kin killed, but brooders were different. For brooders, dying wasn''t a problem. Their only mission in life was to serve their queen, without caring about life or death, the queen was able to give birth more subordinates easily after all. Because of it, the monsters continued attacking crazily, without fear of being killed by D¡¯vina sword. The number of corpses grew quickly. But with the increasing number of monsters, the safety zone around D¡¯vina continued reducing. Four minutes later, the monsters¡¯ attacks began to graze the people being protected and Aleen was forced to help to defend. ¡°Damn it!¡± Aleen cursed while enduring the pain on his thigh. With the increase in the number of monsters he had to fend, more wounds began to appear on his body. Though the wounds were small, Aleen knew that each new wound will take a toll on his stamina. The most troublesome thing though, was that Aleen discovered that his skill was practically useless in this situation. After all, ¡®Lightning Rush¡¯ was a skill that worked accelerating the user¡¯s speed manifold in a straight line. But in the current situation, using the skill means leaving D¡¯vina protection and rushing to the middle of the swarm, and Aleen knew that he would be unable to endure the attacks of tens of monsters for a second if he does it.Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. Due to it, Aleen was forced to forget about using the skill. Aleen could not help but think that his skill was more useless than he thought. Shaking his head, he forced these thoughts outside his mind and concentrated on fending the monsters. Lowering his stance, he thrust his sword towards a monster¡¯s claw and pushed it away. His skills thrusting with the sword had increased slightly thanks to using it repeatedly. Aleen felt less awkward using it with every passing second. At that moment, Aleen felt goosebumps through his body. A gaze filled with bloodlust was directed towards him making he felt as if all the blood in his body was frozen. ¡°Careful!¡± D¡¯vina shouted immediately. An enormous beast, bigger than the others, jumped suddenly towards Aleen. It had been hiding between its comrades while it closed slowly to the group. Then, when it found a perfect opportunity, the monster attacked. ¡°Damn cunning beast!¡± D¡¯vina said with rage while increasing the mana output of her skills, but the monster had chosen the perfect moment to attack. Many level three brooders jumped at the same time towards D¡¯vina and the rest of the group and hindered her from helping Aleen. ¡°Haaaa!¡± With a shout, the skill ¡®Sword Killing¡¯ was activated to the maximum. The greatsword on her hand shined with powerful sword intent, and the beasts surrounding her were bisected with a swing of her sword. Turning her body posture quickly, she adjusted the course of the sword towards the level four monster attacking Aleen, but more monsters jumped towards the path of the sword, delaying the attack slightly with their lives. Even with monsters using their bodies to stop the attack, they only were able to delay it for a fraction of second, but it was enough. The level four¡¯s claws made use of this brief fraction to attack Aleen. D¡¯vina¡¯s expression changed, and Aleen tried to move his body desperately. The mana moved crazily inside his body trying to awaken the frozen blood. Though the level four¡¯s intelligence was inferior to a human, it was cunning enough to notice that besides D¡¯vina, Aleen was the second most powerful man in the group. Seeing Aleen defending the attacks that passed D¡¯vina¡¯s defense, it quickly came to the conclusion that if it killed Aleen, then the other four weaker humans could be killed quickly. After killing them, then the monsters could concentrate all its attention on killing the strong human woman. The claws closed towards Aleen so quickly that he was almost unable to react. From the moment when the monster directed its killing intent until the moment when the claw reached Aleen, less than half-second passed. ¡°Ahhhhhhhhhhh!¡± Circulating all the mana inside his body, Aleen roared with strength and resorted to his last option to survive, his skill. Lightning coursed through his veins, and time seemed to stop. Aleen saw the claw closing slowly towards him. At that moment, Aleen first reaction was not accelerating to escape. Instead, his body concentrated completely in blocking the attack. Making use of the slowed time to move his sword, he put it before the claws of the beast and hacked with all his strength, then, time recovered its movement. The sword and the claw clashed, but unfortunately, ¡®Lightning Rush¡¯ was not a skill that boosted strength, so Aleen¡¯s attack was unable to stop the claw. Fortunately, it stopped the beast from cutting his body into two parts. Chapter 34 – Game or Hell (5) Aleen¡¯s body flew forty meters before stopping in the middle of the swarms of monsters. His body was hurting terribly, and his sight blackened for an instant; the power behind the level four¡¯s blow was way beyond Aleen''s league. Fortunately, he was able to block it with the sword, therefore avoiding death, but his situation was far from good. Before Aleen could recover from the attack, the monsters surrounding him began to act. With a swing of its scythe-like claw, a level two monster attacked Aleen¡¯s back while screeching. Aleen could only do his best to defend against the attack despite his condition. Moving the sword that had been deformed from the last clash, towards his back, he blocked awkwardly the attack. However, the monster immediately used another claw to continue attacking. This time, Aleen could not defend anymore and his only option was to jump back to evade. But bad things never come alone. Before he could recover his balance, Aleen heard the sound of wind being cut coming from beside him. Thrusting his instincts, he threw his body to the ground hurriedly an instant before the claw of another brooder sliced the place where his neck was just before. Cold sweat flowed from his back, and his limbs turned ice-cold. Increasing the strength in the sword, he swung it wildly towards the monster above him. ¡°AHHHHH!!!¡± With a strong shout, the deformed sword sliced the monster¡¯s belly, making its bowels fall from the wound and killing the monster instantly. But that monster was only one of the many he was facing. ¡®Damn it, damn it!¡¯ Cursing in his head, Aleen put all his attention on sensing the attacks of the monsters. Lightning-attributed mana flowed through his body, making his muscles twenty percent stronger, and clearing his mind from distracting thoughts. In his mind, the rune representing his only skill was flashing from the moment when he received the attack from the level four monster. Aleen had the sensation that he could use it regardless of the cooldown, probably because he only used it partially when defending against the level four monster. But even with it, Aleen could not see any solution to his current situation. Monsters were surrounding him from each direction, and Aleen could see a few level three between them. In such a situation, using his skill only means charging towards their claws. If there was a good thing in all of it, it was that the level four was too busy evading D¡¯vina attacks to attack him again.If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. Aleen desperately continued searching for a solution to his predicament while facing the monsters¡¯ attacks. Wounds began to accumulate in his body and Aleen began to feel the effects of the blood loss. He could feel his body¡¯s strength decreasing slowly. Once again, Aleen felt the threat of death approaching. Looking towards D¡¯vina, he saw her coming quickly towards him, but tens of monsters intercepted her, sacrificing their lives to delay she from coming to his rescue. At the same time, the level four continued screeching to order the brooders to stop her. Her sword was constantly moving, leaving numerous bisected bodies behind with each swing and creating a path of death towards the place where Aleen was. But both she and Aleen knew that she was not going to reach him in time. From the moment when the level four first attacked Aleen, not even two seconds had passed, but Aleen was already unable to cope with the attacks. At that moment, a monster¡¯s claw cut Aleen¡¯s back. The wound was not lethal, but it was deep enough to hinder Aleen¡¯s movements. Aleen knew that it was a critical moment and his life and death depended on his next action. So, he decided to gamble. Activating his skill, he accelerated towards D¡¯vina direction. Lightning surrounded his body, and sparks appeared in his eyes. Through the slowed time, he could see the tens of monster blocking his path towards salvation, but he gritted his teeth and bet all in his skill. Using the stance to thrust, his body moved at great speed and the sword stabbed the first monster, cutting through it and opening a path for Aleen to pass. Then, the sword stabbed a second time. And then, the third time. When the sword pierced the fourth monster, Aleen felt his skill losing strength. Unwillingness appeared in his face; he could not die here, he wasn''t going to die here! ¡°AHHHHHHH!!!!¡± Shouting with all his strength, he infused mana in his legs and forced his body to change directions. His body cried on pain, and the muscles of his legs strained to the maximum; Aleen felt the rune in his mind resisting his actions. But he did not pay attention. Through the slowed time, he attempted to move his body through the gaps between the monsters; his right foot stepped strongly on the ground and twisting his waist painfully, he forcibly changed the direction of the charge. The fourth monster was left behind, but another monster was already before him. Aleen repeated his actions and evaded it again. But when he tried to evade for the third time, he failed. His body was too strained due to the extreme movements and was unable to bear the pressure of another turn. Gritting his teeth, Aleen pierced through another monster and continued feeding mana to his skill. Even a more meter he could traverse could save his life. But finally, he was unable to continue. His skill stopped twenty meters from D¡¯vina, and more monsters were there to block him. Suppressing the tears that wanted to leave his eyes, he swung his sword again to stop an attack. Aleen tried to circulate mana through his body to strengthen it, but he noticed that it was almost drained. With an expression of unwillingness, he stopped another attack. But he was not going to be able to stop the next. D¡¯vina, twenty meters from there, had an expression of struggle and hesitation looking to the scene, but before long, her gaze changed to one of determination. She looked to the monsters around her, to the level four hiding behind lines of its subordinates while plotting how to kill her, and then she looked towards Aleen. At that moment, she raised her sword. Mana and sword intent flowed crazily from her body to the greatsword making it glow with a sharp silver light, and pressuring all the monster in the surroundings. Fear filled the level four¡¯s face, and dread invaded the rest of the swarm when they saw it, but before they could retreat, it was already too late. The sword was swung, and D¡¯vina ice-cold voice resounded. ¡°Descent, ¡®Calamity Sword¡¯!¡± Then a pure white blinded the eyes of every creature in the surroundings. An instant later, the bodies of tens of monsters were cut into pieces. Chapter 35 – Game or Hell (6) Blinding light filled the place, a great amount of mana was released in the surroundings together with the swing of the sword. The sharp sword intent assaulted all creatures around. Even Aleen and the other humans felt it, despite the sword intent not being directed towards them; on the other hand, the monsters were killed instantly with the release of the skill. Their bodies were cut in hundreds of small pieces in a second while their carapaces, gifted with strong defenses, were unable to protect them for even a second. Even the level four was unable to endure in the slightest. In a moment, it had a frightened expression, and in the next, not even its head could be seen. When the light finally receded, a gruesome scene of destruction and blood appeared before Aleen. Pieces of flesh and destroyed organs filled the place, and blood from the monsters splashed from their remains dyeing the ground, trees and people still alive completely in red. Only D¡¯vina was unblemished, holding her greatsword down like an angel delivering judgment to the sinners. ¡®Beautiful¡­¡¯ Aleen thought while calming down his beating heart, he was unable to decide if the image was beautiful or terrifying. Aleen suppressed the desire to throw up and looked to the surrounding, observing the bodies of dead monsters and the twenty meters of circumference hole created after D¡¯vina¡¯s attack. For the first time, Aleen truly saw the destructive power that a level five is able to produce. Until now, Aleen had found a level five¡¯s strength underwhelming; after all, the document he read about mana said that a level five was equivalent to a tactical weapon and that even a technological advanced army would have trouble stopping one. But though the fight between level five he saw last game was incredible, it was far from being at the level of a tactical weapon. Even when D¡¯vina told him that a level five''s mana was suppressed inside the game, he continued underestimating their power. But now, seeing the destruction that D¡¯vina was able to cause with one attack, Aleen finally understood why level five are considered tactical weapons. ¡®If she is already so strong with her mana suppressed, how strong is she normally?¡± Aleen suppressed the sense of astonishment and looked to the figure of D¡¯vina that was walking towards him while sheathing her greatsword calmly. ¡°Are you fine?¡± ¡°I am, thanks¡­¡± D¡¯vina looked to his wounds and hesitated slightly before extending her hand. Helping him to stand up, D¡¯vina spoke. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, it¡¯s my fault.¡±A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. ¡°No no.¡± Aleen shook his head frantically. ¡°Nobody could have expected that the level four monster would hide between the weaker monsters.¡± ¡°You are mistaken.¡± D¡¯vina said while giving a soft sigh. ¡°One of my skills can be used to feel the surroundings, but I did not use it until now to save mana. Even using it with the minimum output and without any attack power can help me to understand completely the situation twenty meters around me, but because I thought that it was impossible for a monster below level five to ambush me, I decided to not use it and save the mana for the moment I have to face the queen, unexpectedly, it ended almost causing your death.¡± Aleen didn¡¯t know what to say hearing D¡¯vina¡¯s words. Certainly, he was a bit upset about D¡¯vina negligence, but thinking about it, D¡¯vina technically did not have any obligation to help him and despite it, she apologized when she could have kept silent about it. Making a wry smile he simply waved his hand. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it, besides, you ended saving me, don¡¯t you?¡± ¡°You are right, but I used around twenty percent of my mana in that attack. I don¡¯t know how strong the queen is, but I will have trouble if the battle becomes a battle of attrition.¡± Aleen tilted his head with an expression of doubt. ¡°Can you not recover your mana before facing it? I also wasted all my mana but I feel I can recover it on forty minutes.¡± D¡¯vina smiled wryly and shook her head. ¡°Even while suppressed by the game, my mana is hundreds of times greater than you. Recovering even ten percent will take me around eight hours and it¡¯s only because my mana recovery speed is much faster than yours.¡± Aleen made an expression of surprise hearing it. If her mana was hundreds of times greater than his, doesn¡¯t it mean that she was at least hundreds of times stronger than him? D¡¯vina noticed his expression and shook her head slightly. ¡°A level five is much stronger than you think, equivalent to weapons of mass destruction, and enough to change slightly the political situation of a world.¡± Aleen nodded silently, then, after a few seconds, he asked. ¡°¡­ What about level six then?¡± ¡°Level six? Tell me, what is the strongest weapon in your world?¡± ¡°¡­ Nuclear weapons, I think.¡± ¡°Is it so? Well, a level six probably can receive it head-on and continue living after.¡± ¡°!!!¡± Aleen could not hide his astonishment hearing it. Enduring the explosion of a nuclear weapon head-on? How strong must someone be to do something like that? ¡°Don¡¯t be so surprised.¡± D¡¯vina said with an even tone. ¡°Perhaps you have not noticed, but the changes brought by leveling up are more than you think. Your world probably uses projectiles as main weapons right? Well, a level two like you can easily receive a few projectiles head-on without feeling anything beyond a bit of pain.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Aleen asked even more surprised. ¡°Of course.¡± D¡¯vina answered. ¡°Otherwise, you wouldn''t have ended just with small injuries after being attacked by so many monsters.¡± Seeing Aleen uncertain expression, D¡¯vina hit Aleen¡¯s chest slightly while explaining. ¡°You see, mana is even more incredible than you think. It not only can be manipulated to strengthen your body or to activate skills, but a part of it assimilates with your body automatically every time that your mana or the strength of your body increases. That mana is very difficult to manipulate consciously and it cannot be used to activate skills, but instead, it increases your physical capabilities and creates an invisible force field that automatically protects every cell of your body when you receive an attack. Of course, that force field weakens every time that you receive an attack until disappearing, but with the time, it recovers just like mana. ¡°That mana is known as vital energy or ki, and is the main element on the path of cultivation. On the other hand, mages did not possess ki. You just advanced to level two, so your mana, body strength and ki are still growing. In around four months, your attributes will reach to its best condition.¡± Aleen made an expression of understating. Now that he thought about, he felt his body growing stronger lately, but he thought that it was he imagining it or a result of the operation inside the white room. Looking to his body, he examined his wounds and noticed that they were healing slowly. Sighing in relief, he asked. ¡°How are the others?¡± D¡¯vina stayed silent for a moment before speaking. ¡°¡­ Now that you ask, I think that I forget about them.¡± ¡­ ¡­ ¡­ ¡°What!?¡± Chapter 36 – A Step From Death Ana followed behind Aleen from the moment when the monsters attacked. Different from the others, she was unable to defend herself due to the unconscious female she was carrying on her back. For a moment, she thought about dropping the woman down, but she eliminated that thought of her mind quickly. In the end, she was the one that insisted on bringing her along, so she could not bring herself to retract her words and leave the woman behind. Instead, she made sure of following closely behind Aleen. Aleen, on the other hand, tried his best to defend her from any attack. Initially, the situation was under control with D¡¯vina blocking the monsters, but later, it began to become increasingly dangerous. Before long, Aleen was forced to defend them from the monsters that occasionally slipped in, and the space the group had to move was shrinking slowly. Ana knew that at some point, she and the other humans would have to defend against the attacks personally. But in the middle of that misfortune, she noticed that Aleen was paying special attention to her. Maybe because of the injured woman she was carrying, Aleen made sure to keep Ana just beside him, so he could defend she more easily. Ana smiled in her mind when she saw it and her impression of Aleen improved. To be honest, she was grateful for the things that he had done for them until now. Even now, he was braving danger while defending her. But while she was thinking about it, disaster struck. She heard D¡¯vina shouting and saw something jumping towards Aleen. A gigantic monster, even bigger than the others, attacked suddenly, throwing him away. Ana¡¯s mind paralyzed seeing that scene. She was unable to process what was happening and her body did not answer to her orders. For a moment, she thought that time stopped. But before she could react to the situation, the tragedy began. D¡¯vina, that was their only remaining defense, went to save Aleen.The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. Before Ana could react, one of the men beside her shouted tragically. ¡°Ahhhhhhhhhhh!¡± With it as the signal, time resumed running. Ana looked to the man that was shouting and saw the claw of a monster piercing his stomach, then, another monster tore part of his chest with its mouth. ¡°Hiii!¡± Fear filled her face, and her limbs became ice-cold. Looking around, she saw tens of beast rushing towards them. ¡°DIE MONSTER!!!¡± The remaining man began to shout hysterically, slashing crazily with his sword. He waved his sword around trying to save his life, but the mucus running from his nose showed his mental state. Unfortunately, the man was not able to connect an attack even once before the claws of the beasts tore his body into pieces. At that moment, Ana noticed that the remaining monsters were looking toward her. Their eyes showed savagery, and she could feel the hunger they were experiencing; before she noticed, the creatures were pouncing towards her. ¡®I don¡¯t want to die¡­¡¯ She thought. She was a normal girl, with a caring family and friends waiting at home for her. How could she die like this? ¡®I don¡¯t want to die¡­¡¯ The image of his parents, asking in the streets for her while worried about her whereabouts came to her mind. ¡®I don¡¯t want to die¡­¡¯ She had dreams, plans for the future. Would they be buried here? ¡®I DON¡¯T WANT TO DIE!!!!¡¯ At that moment, something snapped inside her. Seeing the monsters jumping towards her, she defended with all her strength. Not caring about the unconscious girl on her back, she threw her to the monsters before running towards D¡¯vina. A monster jumped, tearing the injured girl apart with its mouth, but Ana did not care about it. All she wanted was to survive; to survive this nightmare and return to her daily life. But her trick only gained her a fraction of second. Before she could run two steps, the next monster was already behind her. Ana felt the monster¡¯s claws piercing her shoulder, tearing the flesh in her back. Her body fell to the ground, unable to withstand the weight of the monster; but miraculously, she did not die. Tears fell from her eyes, and the pain of the wound intensified even more. But at that moment, something appeared in her mind. ¡°I DON¡¯T WANT TO DIE!!!!¡± With a strong shout, a powerful shockwave spread from her body, throwing the monster above her away. For an instant, clarity returned to her eyes, but then, she saw the other monsters coming. Desperately, Ana tried to stand, but she did not have enough strength. She could only see how death was coming towards her slowly. But suddenly, the entire world turned white. A sharp sensation prickled her skin, and the monsters around she shouted in agony. When she recovered her sight, she saw D¡¯vina holding her sword and a scene of carnage around her. Then, her consciousness slowly disappeared. In her dreams, she heard a gentle voice speaking to her while a pair of strong arms held her body. Finally, she heard the ice-cold voice belonging to D''vina speaking with a bit of astonishment. ¡°Unexpectedly, she leveled up just now.¡± Chapter 37 – Before the Boss Raid (1) Following D¡¯vina suggestion, Aleen carried Ana five hundred meters away and the group rested for a moment to recover from the fight. Actually, D¡¯vina¡¯s ¡®Calamity Sword¡¯ did not kill all the monsters that ambushed the group. A few monsters were far enough to survive the wave of sword intent, but fortunately, the death of a level four and hundreds of level two and level three scared them away. It gave the group enough time to rest, but D¡¯vina knew that more monsters would come after them before long, so the best they could do was recover the most they can before the next attack. Ana regained her consciousness five minutes later. Looking around, she saw D¡¯vina seated away, crosslegged and with her eyes closed while Aleen cleaned her (Ana) wounds using a piece of cloth he took from his t-shirt. With her head groggy, she tried to sit up. Aleen saw it and helped her carefully. Ana smiled slightly before looking to her wounded hand that lacked two fingers. ¡°¡­ So it was not a dream huh¡­¡± ¡°Nothing we can do about it.¡± Ana smiled self deprecatorily and shook her head hearing it. ¡°I thought I wasn''t going to survive back then.¡± ¡°¡­ I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°Anyone else survived?¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°I see.¡± She sighed while looking downwards. Her mind brought back the images of the others dying, torn apart by the beasts¡¯ claws. She felt afraid, afraid that the monsters would come back to kill her, but more than anything, she felt disgusted. She felt disgusted with herself to the point of almost throwing up. Tears welled in her eyes, and her expression distorted; clenching her hands with strength, she began to cry. Aleen sighed seeing it and simply patted her back. He could understand a bit how she was feeling now. ¡°What did I do to deserve it?¡± She asked between sobs. ¡°Tell me Aleen, why did they bring me here!?¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to be in this place, I want to see my parents! Tell me, why did it happen to me!?¡±The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°¡­¡± Seeing that Aleen did not reply, she used her hands to clean her tears and continued looking to the ground while speaking softly. ¡°I killed her¡­ When the monsters attacked, I threw her towards the monsters so I could live¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± Aleen did not know what to say hearing her words. ¡°How ironic, right? I said that it was wrong to leave her behind but I didn¡¯t hesitate to sacrifice her to save my life¡­ I''m truly disgusting¡­¡± Aleen didn''t witness what happened when the monsters attacked the other humans, but hearing Ana, he could imagine it. He could imagine how when the monsters were attacking, Ana sacrificed the woman she was carrying to save herself. To be honest, for a moment Aleen felt repulsed when he heard it; but he was unable to criticize her actions. After all, in this damn game, he could not be sure that he will never do the same. If one day, he has to sacrifice someone to save Claire or his own life, will he hesitate? Aleen knew that perhaps he would do it without hesitation. He shook his head and steeled his heart. Then, patting Ana''s head like he often did to Claire, he tried to console her. ¡°¡­ I can¡¯t say that what you did was alright, but at least you are still alive, right?¡± Ana did not reply. ¡°You see, this game is fucked up, but we must do our best to survive. Though I don¡¯t agree with your actions, I don¡¯t think that it makes you evil. So, if you feel guilty about it, survive first and then find a method to atone for it.¡± Holding her hand, Aleen looked to her eyes firmly. ¡°At least, I¡¯m glad that you are alive.¡± Ana bit her lips and before bursting in tears and hugging Aleen strongly. ¡°Wahhhhhh!¡± Aleen simply continued holding her without saying anything. After a minute, she finally calmed down. ¡°Thanks.¡± Ana said softly while releasing the hug. Standing up, she cleaned her tears and blushed slightly before turning around. Apparently, she did not want to let Aleen continue seeing her like that. Aleen smiled briefly and shook his head, then he walked towards D¡¯vina. D¡¯vina was still resting with her eyes closed, but when she heard Aleen coming she opened her eyes and a rare smile appeared on her ice-cold face. ¡°I didn¡¯t know that you were such a lady killer, boy.¡± Aleen blushed slightly and shook his head. ¡°Don¡¯t tease me, please. I simply have experience consoling my sister when she is sad. Though it was more effective than I thought.¡± ¡°Is it so? But that girl probably is smitten for you now, boy. Well, that is not my problem.¡± Grabbing her greatsword, D¡¯vina stood up and returned to her serious expression. ¡°It¡¯s time to go or more monsters will come following the smell of blood. Tell the girl that we must continue.¡± Aleen nodded. At another place in the forest, a level five wolfkin was observing a hill with a serious expression. Behind him, six other level one wolfkins stood nervously while looking to the surroundings. ¡°So this is the nest huh.¡± Wulf, the level five wolfkin, said while observing the nest and the monsters going in and out of it. ¡®It¡¯s bigger than I thought¡¯ Furrowing his brows, Wulf estimated the population of the nest and could not help but put a concerned expression. ¡°This mission looks harder than expected¡­¡± Shaking his head, the wolfkin gazed to the remaining members of his race and sighed deeply. ¡®Most of them probably will not survive¡­¡¯ He could not help but feel sad while thinking about it. After all, wolfkins were a rare race, and their numbers were small through the many dimensions. But in the end, it was an unavoidable sacrifice. ¡®Everything is to reach level six...¡¯ Making his mind, he sent a message through the COM. ¡°Come to my location, I found the nest.¡± Yes, everything was to become level six. Chapter 38 – Before the Boss Raid (2) Not long later, the first group arrived at Wulf¡¯s coordinates. It was the group of D¡¯vina, Aleen and Ana. They were relatively near when Wulf¡¯s message arrived so it didn¡¯t take them long to come to his position. Fortunately, the group did not face another attack after the ambush led by the level four brooder, but D¡¯vina said that some monsters were keeping track of them, so they could be attacked at any moment. Aleen noticed that the group of wolfkins had reduced from fifteen to six, but when compared with the fourteen deaths on his group, their losses were noticeably lighter. ¡°You are here.¡± The level five wolfkin said. ¡°It took you less than I thought.¡± ¡°We were pretty near when the message came.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Wulf moved his sight from D¡¯vina to Aleen and Ana and asked with a raised eyebrow. ¡°You look like you had trouble.¡± D¡¯vina ice-cold expression did not change while she replied. ¡°We were ambushed for a group of monsters. They weren''t much trouble for me, but unfortunately, most of the level one died.¡± ¡°Hahaha, we also faced something similar, but some of my boys managed to survive. Way better than your group.¡± D¡¯vina frowned hearing the wolfkin''s joke but ultimately chose to ignore his words and sat down to recover more of her mana. ¡°Better use this time to recover your mana and adjust your condition, boy.¡± D¡¯vina said to Aleen. ¡°You will have better odds of survival then." Aleen also changed his expression when he heard the level five''s words, but this time he obeyed D¡¯vina¡¯s words without complaint and chose to ignore him. Sitting down, he crossed his legs and circulated the mana through his body while trying to absorb the mana in the air. It was a technique he learned and practiced during the time he was on earth. According to D¡¯vina, it was nothing great, but at least covered the basics. Ana imitated Aleen when she saw it. Aleen already explained her the basics about mana while they were walking to this place, and she was able to learn a few things. Though it was not enough to make her an expert, it was better than nothing. Like that, half an hour passed and Aleen finally recovered all his mana. He also felt that the amount of mana he has increased slightly, but he could not be sure. During this time, the mage woman, Caira, also reached to the point of encounter; and her losses were as tragic as D¡¯vina¡¯s. Aside from her and the elf girl, only twelve of the fifty four humans remained, and every one of them had tragic expressions, though Aleen noticed a few with determined expressions among them.Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. Seeing that the last level five was not here yet and his mana was recovered, Aleen decided to take advantage of the time to check something. He remembered D¡¯vina saying that skills were the most important weapon to an enlightened and he must understand them completely and train to eliminate their limitations. His only skill was ¡®Lightning Rush¡¯, but Aleen knew almost nothing about it. He determined that the cooldown of the skill was fifteen seconds, and knew the range of the acceleration, but anything beyond it was unknown. Fortunately, he noticed something in the last fight. When the level four attacked, Aleen recalled using the skill for just an instant before it was forcibly stopped by the monster¡¯s blow. But the interruption of the skill caused it to remain in a ¡®semi-activated¡¯ state, allowing Aleen to use it again without waiting for the cooldown. Though Aleen was not sure, he had the feeling that he could do the same thing willingly. Like that, he could activate the skill only to move the necessary distance before pausing it and using the remaining ¡®charge¡¯ on the next move. Putting his thoughts in action, he activated the skill carefully and prepared to stop it. The feeling of stopping time returned to Aleen and lightning coursed through his body. Aleen thoughts accelerated and the surroundings paused momentarily. He then moved. Different from before, he tried to take just a step before stopping; so, taking advantage of his heightened senses, he ordered his body to stop after taking a step; and it obeyed. For an instant, Aleen¡¯s body stopped in the middle of his skill; but unfortunately, only his body stopped but the skill continued. The strength of the lightning continued pushing his body despite his will, and the rune inside his mind pulsed strongly; Aleen¡¯s body charged forwards quickly without his control and advanced fifty meters in an instant before stopping. The people in the surroundings instinctively looked towards the commotion, only to see Aleen falling embarrassedly to the ground; even D¡¯vina stopped her meditation surprised. For an instant, nobody said anything. Then, someone laughed. ¡°Hahahahaha, is that boy crazy!? Hahahaha.¡± Aleen blushed deeply hearing the level five wolfkin''s laughter and stood up awkwardly. On the other hand, the level five mage furrowed her brows. ¡°What are you doing!? Do you want to attract all the monsters here!?¡± Aleen looked towards the ground embarrassed. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°You are sorry!? Did your guide not teach you anything!? Miss D¡¯vina! What is the problem with your assistant!? I don¡¯t understand why you chose someone like him!?¡± Hearing Caira words, D¡¯vina furrowed her brows deeply. ¡°Enough. Though my assistant is in the wrong, he already apologized, and you don¡¯t have any right to scold him.¡± ¡°You!!!¡± D''vina ignored her and gestured to Aleen. ¡°Boy, come and sit beside me.¡± Aleen walked towards D¡¯vina and sat ashamedly. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°Though your idea was good, this is not the place to experiment with your skills.¡± D¡¯vina first nodded in praise before reprimanding him slightly. ¡°You understand what I was trying to do?¡± ¡°You were trying to pause in the middle of your skill, right? It¡¯s a good idea, but you will need more practice if you want to succeed. Now, recover the mana you wasted with your previous stunt and wait here; the final battle will begin soon.¡± ¡°I understand.¡± Aleen nodded briefly and closed his eyes to meditate. Caira tsked seeing it, but at the end closed her mouth. D¡¯vina simply ignored her. While Aleen was meditating to recover his mana, the last level five finally reached, accompanied by his group of level one. Chapter 39 – Queen Brooder (1) ¡°It looks like everybody is here.¡± Cir said with a muffled voice after seeing the other three groups. ¡°What is the situation?¡± ¡°The entrance to the nest is on that hill, now that everybody is here, we can decide how to exterminate them.¡± Wulf answered. D¡¯vina stood up and grabbed her sword while Aleen and Ana followed behind her. Caira and the elf, Elvila, also stood up. ¡°Are we going to attack the nest directly?¡± D¡¯vina asked. The group thought for a moment and Wulf answered. ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s a good idea. The queen definitively will not leave the nest easily, so we first must find a method to get her out.¡± ¡°You are right.¡± D¡¯vina nodded. ¡°I can feel some monsters watching us from before we came here, so the queen probably is aware of our presence but chose not to leave the nest. If we attack directly then the queen simply will turtle inside and send monsters to tire us out.¡± ¡°We are probably missing something.¡± The level five kinal, Cir, said. ¡°This mission has as the goal ¡®exterminate the monsters''; do the gamemasters want for us to kill more than ten thousand monsters one by one? It will take us forever to kill each monster before we can complete this mission.¡± Caira shook her head at that moment. ¡°No, we don¡¯t need to kill the monsters one by one.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± Cir asked curiously. Caira looked to the three level five before raising her head in pride. ¡°You know that I¡¯m a mage, right? But you don¡¯t know that my specialty is widespread destruction. Don¡¯t worry, I have a method to get the queen out of the nest.¡± ¡°Is it so?¡± D¡¯vina, Cir, and Wulf nodded hearing it. It was unnecessary to lie in this situation, so they immediately believed her words. Besides, as Cir said, the gamemasters will not make them kill ten thousand lower leveled monsters one by one, so Caira''s spells being useful to kill lots of enemies explains the situation. ¡°I will explain the plan then.¡± Caira said after seeing the others nodding. ¡°I will use my spell to make the queen brooder come out from the nest and then we will kill it. D¡¯vina and Wulf are close-range combatants, so they will attract the queen¡¯s attention and receive the brunt of the attack. Me and Cir, on the other hand, are more suited to long-range combat, so we will support and attack from behind.¡± Everybody nodded hearing it. Caira then looked towards the elf. ¡°Elvila, stay near me and use your skill when the queen comes out.¡±If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. Elvila nodded. Once Caira finished speaking, D¡¯vina came close to Aleen and Ana and spoke to them. ¡°You two will not be useful in the fight against the level five, so stay behind the mage during the fight.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± Aleen replied firmly. ¡°Don¡¯t lower your guard, boy.¡± D¡¯vina warned Aleen seriously. ¡°We have to concentrate on fighting the level five queen, so we cannot take care of you while the fight is going. The other monsters will definitively attack together with the queen, and many will try to kill you.¡± Aleen nodded seriously hearing it before smiling and reassuring Ana beside him. The group then walked towards the nest and stopped two hundred meters away from it. Once there, Caira walked forward and raised her hand before speaking. ¡°I''m going to begin.¡± With that as the signal, Caira¡¯s mana began to circulate, and the third spell rune inside her consciousness activated. Mages must construct a spell inside their consciousness every time they want to advance; such spells are called ¡®Primary Spells¡¯ and they are the most important weapon of a mage. Caira¡¯s third primary spell was called ¡®Heat Zone¡¯, and its workings were very simple. Its only function was to increase the temperature inside a specified area or target. But its simplicity made it harder to defend against it. In an instant, the temperature around the nest increased crazily. To force the queen out, Caira specified the area until two hundred meters underground as the target of her spell, making the monsters inside the nest targets of her attack. In five seconds, the temperature surpassed 100¡ãC and continued increasing. Aleen began to hear the monsters inside the nest to cry due to the high temperature, and before long, the first monster escaped from the nest before rushing to the group berserkly, but Wulf killed it with a movement of his claws. Soon, more monsters escaped and rushed towards the group but none passed Wulf¡¯s claws. However, the number continued increasing. At the same time, Caira added more mana to her spell, continuing to increase the temperature. Aleen saw the stones inside the area of Caira¡¯s spell melting due to high temperatures and the monsters that escaped from the nest were more injured with every second that passed. Some escaped the nest only to die once they reached outside. But when the monsters'' bodies surpassed twenty, it happened. *ROARRRRRR!!!* A cry of rage resounded from the nest and caused a small earthquake. *ROARRRRRR!!!* The monster roared again, this time with even more strength. Once the second roar sounded, hundreds of brooders left the nest at the same time before rushing to the attackers. At the same time, more monsters appeared from the surroundings and attacked the group. ¡°It¡¯s beginning.¡± D¡¯vina muttered. Finally, a third roar was heard. *ROARRRRRRR!!!* The earth quaked much stronger than with the two previous roars before and cracks formed around the nest¡¯s entrance. Then, an explosion sounded. A gigantic monster more than twenty meters long jumped out while destroying the entrance. An intimidating pressure surged, engulfing Aleen and the others. Many level one fell to the ground unable to endure the pressure, and even Aleen, who was level two, had to circulate his mana furiously to prevent his body from faltering. When he was finding hard to endure the pressure, the four level five on his side finally acted. Their presences surged, clashing against the monster''s aura and alleviating Aleen and the others'' predicament. D¡¯vina adjusted her sword, Wulf bared his claws and Cir took a strange gun from inside his armor. When the level five monster saw it, it roared again and charged to the group. Chapter 40 – Queen Brooder (2) It was the biggest creature Aleen had seen in his entire life. The queen brooder was at least twenty meters long and three meters tall. Its body was covered with scales and carapaces that protected its vital parts, and it had six lethal scythe-like claws to help it to move. Besides being bigger, the queen appearance was the same as any other brooder; the only difference being a pointed tail that moved together with its body. Aleen never felt such strong pressure from any other enemy; not even any of the level five he met before had a pressure near its level. To be honest, Aleen thought that he was going to lose consciousness due to it. Fortunately, the four level five in his camp unleashed their presences to go against the monster¡¯s, but even with it, Aleen felt that he could not breathe properly. ¡°You are finally here.¡± Caira smiled fearlessly seeing the monster appear and stopped her spell. The other level five took their positions to face the monster while wearing serious expressions. ¡°It¡¯s smaller than I thought.¡± Cir said furrowing his eyebrows while he observed the monster. ¡°From the size of the nest, I was expectinga bigger monster.¡± ¡°It didn¡¯t matter.¡± Caira answered. ¡°We only need to kill it regardless of its size.¡± ¡°You are right, but it¡¯s not wrong to be cautious.¡± D¡¯vina nodded hearing Cir and walked towards the monster while speaking to Aleen. ¡°Be careful, boy. Don¡¯t die while I¡¯m busy.¡± ¡°You too.¡± Aleen replied with a small smile. D¡¯vina nodded and stared at the monster. She then wielded her sword and stepped hard on the ground. ¡°Let¡¯s end it, beast.¡± *ROAAAAAR!!!* Understating the provocation, the queen gave another roar and charged towards D¡¯vina. At the same time, the monsters in the surroundings roared in answer and rushed to attack the group. ¡°Stay near me.¡± Aleen said softly to Ana and walked behind the mage; she frowned briefly but did not say anything. Instead, she gestured to Elvila. ¡°Do it.¡± ¡°I understand.¡± A white glow appeared on Elvila¡¯s hand. She then quickly extended her hand and pointed to Caira, then, the glow engulfed her body. Immediately, the mana in the surroundings rushed to Caira aggressively and began to circulate through her body without stop. She smiled fearlessly feeling the abundant mana and intoxicating power, and activated a spell, creating a gigantic fireball that flew towards the monster. The white glow was Elvila¡¯s second skill, ¡®Mana Blessing¡¯. It attracted the mana in the surroundings towards the target of the skill, increasing the amount of mana the target could use and strengthening the power of any skill or spell used during this time.The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. This skill was the reason because Caira took Elvila as her assistant; and thanks to it, she had won many battles that otherwise she would have lost. After all, every time Elvila use her skill means making Caira at least fifty percent stronger for around a minute. The others also attacked the queen. Wulf activated two of his skills and used his claws to cut the monster¡¯s side, and Cir used his gun to shot burning projectiles towards the monster. At the same time, D¡¯vina activated her ¡®Sword Body¡¯ and ¡®Sword Killing¡¯ and attacked one of the monster¡¯s claws. But the queen was worthy of being a level five. Before the five attacks could land, it activated a skill and a mana barrier surrounded it, blocking the attacks. It then used its tail to parry D¡¯vina¡¯s sword before using a claw to try to grab her. Fortunately, the boost of ¡®Sword Body¡¯ increased D¡¯vina speed and reaction time at least five times, giving her enough time to evade the attack and counter with her greatsword. Aleen was unable to follow the flow of the battle from where he was. Their speed was incredibly fast, and Aleen feared that he was a bit slower than the current D''vina even when using his skill. The gap between level five and level two was too great. But he was unable to continue spectating the battle. The monsters attracted by the queen''s roar were already before them. Hundreds of monsters answered the queen call and rushed towards the group without fear. The amount was so great that Aleen was unable to see the end of them. Grabbing his sword strongly, he fixed his sight to the monsters and prepared to the battle. At the same time, the remaining survivors from the other groups also prepared to defend against the attacks. Aleen even saw some humans taking their weapons ready to face the monsters. ¡°I will use a big one to kill most of them.¡± Caira spoke to them seriously while raising her hand. ¡°But you will have to take care of the monsters that survive because I need to put most of my attention to the level five. Elvila, barrier.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± With a nod, Elvila activated her first skill, ¡®Mana Barrier¡¯. A barrier extended from her and covered all the people around her, including the other survivors. Then, Caira activated her fourth spell. ¡®Heavens¡¯ Fall¡¯. With a gesture, thousands and thousands of balls of fire appeared in the sky, painting it with a burning red. The brooders attacking the group entered in panic seeing the terrifying scene, but Caira simply smiled savagely before moving her hand down, she then shouted excitedly. ¡°Fall!¡± Instantly, the fireballs descended. With an enormous roar, the area one kilometer around Caira exploded. The fire burned almost all the creatures nearby, and the lucky few that survived were gravely injured. Fortunately, Caira made sure to adjust the attack so it didn¡¯t hurt her allies, but even with it, Aleen felt a strong wave of heat burning his face slightly. *ROARRRR!!!* The queen roared tragically seeing its children being burned to cinders and tried rush towards Caira, but Wulf charged to it at that moment, launching a skill against the level five monster. The queen could only face Wulf¡¯s attack while mourning for its dead children. At the same time, the gun held on Cir¡¯s hand shined brightly. He then activated his fourth skill, ¡®Solar Laser¡¯. A ray of plasma super compressed was shot towards the monster to light speed. The queen was unable to avoid it, so instead, it strengthened its defenses with all its might, but despite it, the attack injured the queen gravely. *RAARRRGGG!!!* With a tragic cry, the queen jumped back and circulated its mana, trying desperately to heal the wound, but the group of level five were not planning to leave the monster rest. D¡¯vina jumped at great speed towards the monster while filling her greatsword with mana. Once above it, she sent mana to her right foot and used it to step in the air. Then, twisting her body sharply, she sliced down with her sword. ¡°Haaa!¡± *SCREEECH!!!* The queen tried desperately to stop her attack with one of its claws, but the weight and sharpness behind the sword were too great for the hasty defense to be effective. With an acute sound, one of the queen¡¯s legs was cut from its body. Blue blood flowed aggressively from the wound, but not a single drop fell on D¡¯vina¡¯s body. With a quick movement, she turned her body and was ready to kill the monster with her next attack. Chapter 41 – Queen Brooder (3) The queen, however, was not resigned to die like this. With an angry screech, it directed its gaze to D¡¯vina and activated its second skill, ¡®Intimidation¡¯. Light shined in its eyes, and D¡¯vina¡¯s body suddenly froze. ¡°Crap!¡± Alarmed, D¡¯vina circulated her mana aggressively to escape from the monster''s skill, but the brief instant she stopped was enough for it to counter-attack. The queen used its tail to attack D¡¯vina, trying to cut her body into two. D¡¯vina used her greatsword to defend hurriedly, but the monster strength was greater than she expected. With a grunt of pain, she was sent flying away. The monster tried to pursue the attack, but Caira next spell was already ready. It was a variant spell created by mixing her first spell, ¡®Fireball¡¯, with her third spell, ¡®Heat Zone¡¯. ¡®Detonate¡¯. The ball of fire exploded on the monster¡¯s face, forcing it to protect itself from the explosion. Before long, Cir and Wulf attacks were already before it. The monster continued to defend awkwardly while crying in pain, but the injuries on its body were increasing little by little. It was obvious that it was going to die before long. The four level five could not hide the expressions of excitement on their faces while the monster continued to retreat. Meanwhile, Aleen and the others were defending against the monsters that survived Caira¡¯s attack. The lower leveled brooders were attacking the group furiously, trying to help their queen. Occasionally, some of them were killed by one of the level five warriors, but most of them attacked the group of level one behind the mage. Aleen slashed with his sword while circulating the mana inside his body. His attack beheaded a level two monster, but one of the monster¡¯s claws got to hit him before he could kill the beast. Fortunately, Elvila¡¯s shield protected him from the attack, so he was uninjured. Quickly, Aleen used his sword to defend against another attack and kicked away a beast trying to kill Ana; but another beast used its claws to crush one of the remaining wolfkins, killing it instantly. The group of survivors had been halved from the moment when the fight began. To be honest, the only reason that so many were still alive was thanks to Elvila¡¯s skill, ¡®Mana Barrier¡¯. Different from Aleen, Elvila had perfected her first skill greatly, allowing her to create until four barriers at the same time and to change the size and shape of them according to the situation. Though the barriers were unable to endure the attack of a level five, they were more than enough against level two and level three monsters. Even a level four would have trouble trying to break it in one attack. Due to it, Aleen could attack the monster without worrying about being injured. Using the thrusting stance, he stabbed with his sword skillfully, killing various monster from the beginning of the fight. And when a level four monster attacked, Caira would use a spell to kill it quickly before it could cause any damage. To be honest, Aleen found that the battle was safer than he expected despite the number of monsters attacking. Even now, he could not feel the threat of death thanks to the protection of the barrier and Caira¡¯s sporadic spells. But even with these favorable conditions, the number of deaths on his side continued to increase. Every second another level one would die below a monster¡¯s claw, showing Aleen the true terror of this place.Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. It was something cruel, but it showed Aleen the truth about D¡¯vina words. In this place, you can only depend on yourself. So, he fought. Waving his sword, he slashed and stabbed monster after monster while using his skill and circulating the mana inside his body furiously. He made sure to control the amount of mana remaining inside him, but besides it, he only concentrated on killing more monsters. Soon, his surroundings were filled with corpses and dead monsters. Aleen did not notice, but Elvila, Ana, and even Caira, were looking towards him with a change in their expressions. Aleen current state was like a bolt of lightning, cutting everything in his path without stopping before nothing. His aspect of lightning was activated, and Aleen seemed to understand a bit more about how to use his skill after every use. His breathing became ragged, and sweat flowed down from his forehead, but his legs never stopped advancing, and his hands never ceased to attack. At some point, even the monsters seemed to fear to go near him. Of course, a great part of the reason behind it was that no attack was able to break Elvila¡¯s barrier; and even when her barrier was broken, another one appeared almost instantly. While the monsters continued attacking and Aleen continued fighting, the group of level five finally cornered the monster. The queen''s body was covered with injuries and two of its claws were gone. It was already near its last breath and its strength was almost spent. But the price the group paid to reach to this point was not small. During the fight, Wulf¡¯s body was impacted by one claw, almost torn apart. He only survived thanks to the defense of one of his skills, ¡®Steel body¡¯, but despite it, three claw marks could be seen on his back. D¡¯vina and Caira, on the other hand, were almost out of mana. The one with the best condition of them was Cir, that only attacked when the queen showed an opening. But despite it, his mana was reduced by at least half. *ROARRRRR!!!* The queen received another blow from Wulf¡¯s claws and cried in pain. But when it tried to counterattack, Wulf jumped back. At that moment, a projectile of burning plasma attacked its side, forcing the queen to defend quickly. The power behind the attack made the queen stagger briefly. Unfortunately for the queen, D¡¯vina was already behind it, waiting for this opportunity. At the instant when the queen staggered, D¡¯vina raised her sword and activated her ¡®Sword Domain¡¯. Then, she compressed all the sword intent around in her sword and activated her fourth skill. A silver glow illuminated the surroundings, and the sharp sword intent prickled the monster skin. With a cry of fear, the queen brooder activated its defensive skill with all its strength. It, however, did nothing to stop D¡¯vina. With a cry, D''vina determined the queen''s judgment. ¡°Descend, ¡®Calamity Sword¡¯!¡± And the sword descended. In a second, the storm of sword intent swallowed the monster whole and a cloud of dust blinded the four level five¡¯s sights. Seeing the destruction caused by the skill, the other three showed astonished expressions. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect you had something like that.¡± Wulf growled after witnessing the skill. D¡¯vina panted heavily without answering while trying to recover a bit of her mana. After a few seconds, the dust cleared and the queen brooder appeared again. It was still alive, but barely. Its body was filled with cuts, and only two of its claws were intact. It was lying on the ground, whimpering softly in pain. ¡°It was easier than I thought.¡± Caira said with a grin while observing the damage caused by D¡¯vina¡¯s attack. Cir also came closer at that moment. Looking to the gravely injured monster, he asked. ¡°Who is going to kill it?¡± ¡°Is it not obvious?¡± Caira answered. ¡°I¡¯m the leader and I got the monster out of the nest, so I deserve the points.¡± Cir and Wulf frowned when they heard her. It was obvious that they also were interested in the points they could get with the death of a level five. ¡°I disagree.¡± Wulf growled. ¡°I was the only one that suffered injuries during the fight. I think that it¡¯s better if the monster goes to me.¡± ¡°Injuries? Something like that can be healed without a problem. I think that it¡¯s better if I kill the monster.¡± The three people frowned at the same time. Killing the monster was sometimes a problem in this kind of missions, mainly when the participants were not familiar with each other. It was normal for everybody to want to get the points. With an expression of discontent, Caira looked D¡¯vina. ¡°What do you say, sword lady?¡± ¡°¡­ I don¡¯t need it.¡± She said with an ice-cold expression. The other three put surprised expressions, but D¡¯vina dimply closed her eyes and sat in the ground to recover her spent mana while ignoring their gazes. But at that moment, something unexpected happened. The monster, lying on the ground, suddenly roared. *ROAAAAAAR!!!* It was a cry of pain, of anger and a cry of help. A cry expecting for something to come to his rescue. And underground, something answered. With a deep roar, the earth shook once again. Chapter 42 – Queen Brooder (4) *ROARRRRRR!!!* A cry of rage answered from underground. Aleen could not help but stop fighting when he felt the ground shake. Caira, Cir, and Wulf made astonished expressions and D¡¯vina opened her eyes with a grave expression. ¡°Dammit!¡± Cir cursed while looking to the ground. ¡°It wasn¡¯t the only one!?¡± *Screech!!!* The first queen brooder moaned painfully, calling to its companion. Seeing it, Wulf jumped towards the injured queen and raised his claws. But before he could kill it, a fireball coming from Caira stopped him. ¡°What do you think you are doing, mutt!?¡± ¡°You¡­!!!¡± Growling in rage, the level five wolfkin circulated his mana furiously while glaring angrily to Caira. ¡°Damn woman, what are you doing!?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t think you can get the kill for yourself!¡± ¡°Dammit! Can you not hear the other one coming!?¡± Cir frowned hearing them and aimed his gun to the monster before shooting a plasma bullet, but now it was Wulf the one who used his ''Steel Body'' to stop the attack from hitting the queen. ¡°This one is mine, kinal! You can get the other if you want!¡± ¡°And who do you think you are to decide who will kill the queen?¡± Cir growled with his muffled voice. At that moment, another roar came from underground. When she heard it, D¡¯vina clicked her tongue and unsheathed her sword. She then stepped softly on the ground and without warning, accelerated towards the monster. The other three made surprised expressions, but because they were wary and guarding against each other, they were unable to stop D''vina''s attack. With a swing of her sword, the already injured level five monster was killed. ¡°You¡­!!!¡± Wulf growled seeing it with an expression of rage. ¡°Are you idiots?¡± D¡¯vina, however, ignored it and scolded them coldly. ¡°This is not the moment to fight for the rights to kill the monster!¡± ¡°Damn woman! Do you think I don¡¯t dare to burn you to ashes! I was already getting tired of you from before!¡± D¡¯vina frowned when she heard Caira and her expression turned to one of annoyance and coldness. Her hand tightened the grab on her greatsword and the mana inside her began to move. At that moment, Cir shook his head and spoke with a sigh. ¡°Enough, she is right. This is not the time to be fighting between us. However, miss swordwoman, you said that you were uninterested on the queen, didn¡¯t you? It¡¯s not good if you go back to your words like that.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not interested, and the rewards for killing it are not more than an annoyance to me.¡± D¡¯vina said without changing her expression. ¡°But it¡¯s better than hearing you three fighting like children.¡± Cir frowned hearing it, and Wulf made a displeased growl. Caira, on the other hand, looked daggers towards D¡¯vina. ¡°Bastard.¡± She said with a murderous expression. D¡¯vina simply turned around while ignoring her. Aleen was observing the situation from afar while paying attention to the remaining monsters. For some reason, they retreated when the first roar sounded, but Aleen still could see them away, waiting for an opportunity to attack again.Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. Elvila came close to him while he was observing the level five¡¯s argument. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, that is something pretty common when strangers fight together in this game.¡± ¡°Is it so?¡± ¡°Yes. You see, my guide, Caira, once told me that the amount of points and coins you get when you kill a level five monster is tempting even for a level five. Because of it, it¡¯s normal to fight for the opportunity to kill one.¡± ¡°¡­ But D¡¯vina didn¡¯t seem eager to kill it though.¡± ¡°She probably has her circumstances, I think. But believe me when I told you that her attitude is not the normal one in this kind of situation.¡± ¡°Is it so? I understand.¡± Aleen nodded. Elvila was about to continue speaking, but another roar sounded from below; this time clearly more anxious than before. Elvila frowned deeply and asked Aleen. ¡°How is your mana? The brooders will probably attack again when the other level five appears.¡± Aleen checked his mana and put a grave expression. ¡°I only have around a third remaining.¡± ¡°I see.¡± With a nod, she extended her hand and touched Aleen¡¯s shoulder. A white glow appeared then on her hand before entering to Aleen¡¯s body swiftly. Aleen immediately felt the mana around him rushing towards his body and recovering his reserves of mana quickly; at the same time, a sensation of strength filled him. With a surprised expression, he looked towards the elf. ¡°It¡¯s one of my skills, ¡®Mana Blessing¡¯. I used a weaker version in you, but it¡¯s enough to recover your spent mana and boost your strength slightly.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you need to save it for your guide?¡± Aleen asked with a curious expression. ¡°I saw you using it on her before.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡± She smiled. ¡°As I told you, I only used a weakened version of the skill in you. I can use it again easily. Now get ready, the monster is coming.¡± Once she finished speaking, Aleen felt the earth shaking again, this time with more strength than before. The small earthquake continued for five seconds before stopping abruptly. At that moment, everybody felt it, the pressure coming from below them. Aleen exclaimed astonished when he felt the pressure and Ana beside him shook slightly. Even though the monster was not here yet, Aleen had the sensation that this one was stronger than the dead queen. D¡¯vina put a grave expression when she felt the monster¡¯s aura. She could tell that this one was at least twice as strong as the queen they just killed. Them, on the other hand, were not in their top conditions after fighting the queen. D¡¯vina¡¯s current mana was at most about fifteen percent her normal amount. Gritting her teeth, she put a determined expression and tightened the hand grabbing her sword. She then looked towards Aleen before nodding briefly with a look of encouragement. She was not going to die here. At that moment, something impacted the ground below them. It hit the ground once, twice, and thrice. Then, the ground cracked once again. And finally, the second monster jumped out of the nest. It was another queen, bigger and stronger than the former. Its scales were darker and shining with an ominous glow, and its scythe-like claws had the appearance of the reaper¡¯s weapon, created to take the soul of its unfortunate victims. ¡°Twin queens huh.¡± Cir mumbled with a grave expression. ¡°The administrators sure know how to have fun.¡± ¡°Why did it only appear now?¡± ¡°It probably stayed below to protect their offspring while the other queen defended the nest, but it didn¡¯t expect that we were able to kill its companion.¡± While they were speaking, the monster walked towards the first queen. It walked slowly and growled softly trying to communicate with it, but the dead queen did not answer. Seeing it, the second queen used one of its claws to try to move its companion¡¯s body, but it was impossible for the already ice-cold body to move. *Screech!!!* The queen brooder cried sadly, mourning the death of its companion and then, it looked towards the group that invaded its nest with a look of hatred. Aleen could swear that he saw an expression of rage appearing on the monster¡¯s face, but he was unable to ponder further about it. Because at the next instant, the second queen roared. *ROARRRRRRRR!!!* It was a cry filled with rage and killing intent that spread to the surroundings instantly, impacting every person around. Aleen felt his thoughts stopping briefly when he heard the roar; it was the same sensation he felt when the level four attacked him, but this time, many times stronger. His body stopped answering his orders, and his vision blurred from the pressure. Aleen was able to see Elvila and Ana beside him in the same situation; and though he did not pay attention to the remaining level one around him, he knew that their situation was only worse than his. At that moment, he heard D¡¯vina and Caira¡¯s warnings. ¡°Careful!¡± From a corner of his sight, he saw the queen brooder hit the ground with one of its claws. Then, after a thunderous sound, the ground around them began to crack. ¡°Jump away!¡± He heard D¡¯vina shouting, but he was unable to move his body. With an expression of terror, he could only to stare how the ground below him crumbled, taking him, Elvila, Ana, and the few level one remaining, down. The last thing he saw before falling, was D¡¯vina¡¯s slightly worried expression. Chapter 43 – Inside the Nest (1) *Cough cough* Darkness. It was the only thing Aleen could see when he opened his eyes. Aleen coughed briefly while trying to differentiate his surroundings. The sound of rocks falling and people moaning could be heard in the background. If he didn''t know that he was inside the game, he would have thought that this place was hell. Though, in a sense, it really was hell. ¡°Ugh.¡± Aleen used his hands to grab a rock wall beside him and stand up. He then noticed that one of his legs was slightly injured. Fortunately, it just was slightly strained due to the fall, so it would get better after circulating his mana for a while. Aleen could not help but marvel seeing the toughness of his current body. At that moment, Aleen heard a voice coming from behind him. ¡°H-Hel¡­ Help¡­¡± The voice was very weak and listless. Aleen first thought that he was imagining it, but then he heard the voice again. Turning around, Aleen searched for the origin of the sound, but he was unable to see anything due to the darkness. Aleen directed a bit of his mana towards his eyes. It was a trick he learned from ¡®The Basics of Mana¡¯; and according to the book, it could help him to see better in the darkness. In a few seconds, his sight gradually adjusted to the darkness, and he was able to see a bit. But because the place was too dark, the enhancement on his sight only allowed him to see slightly less than five meters ahead. Frowning briefly, Aleen searched again for the origin of the voice, and this time he found it. Around him, bodies of humans, wolfkins, and kinals laid bent in unnatural forms. And near him, a wolfkin was gasping for breath while a gigantic and heavy-looking rock crushed the lower part of his body. ¡°H-Help¡­ Help¡­¡± Aleen heard the wolfkin moaning softly in pain again. Aleen made an astonished expression seeing it, but he quickly recovered and ran to the wolfkin to try to lift the rock. ¡°Uppppp!¡± Aleen shouted and tried to lift the rock while strengthening his body with mana, but the rock was too heavy for him to lift. Putting a serious expression, he spoke to the wolfkin while looking to the surroundings for something useful to rescue him.Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I will find a method to help you.¡± Aleen comforted him softly and the wolfkin nodded with a weak look. Aleen searched around for something to help him to lift the rock, but after a few seconds, he noticed that he could not hear the wolfkin''s breathing anymore. Turning around, he found that the wolfkin was already dead. Aleen made a sour expression and looked away from the scene. It was not the first time he saw someone die and he was already becoming used to it, but it still was something unpleasant. Shaking his head, he began to search between the corpses for more survivors, but he was unable to find any. Aleen, however, sighed relieved when he did not see the bodies of Ana or the elf between the dead. A few minutes later, Aleen found his sword while looking for survivors. It was being crushed by a big rock, though smaller than the one that crushed the wolfkin. Aleen used his strengthened body to lift the rock and take it back, but it damaged badly due to the fall. His sword already had been bent slightly when he defended against the attack of the level four, but its current state was just a step away of becoming unusable. Aleen smiled wryly thinking that he had to buy a new sword later. ¡®So unfortunate¡­ this sword only lasted a game¡­¡¯ Thinking about how expensive was to buy another sword, Aleen could not help but become slightly depressed. Getting these thoughts out of his mind, Aleen continued his search. A bit later, he noticed a light coming from the path ahead of him. Hurrying his steps, Aleen walked towards the light. When he was a few meters away from it, he heard someone asking something. ¡°Human, is it you?¡± Aleen sighed in relief hearing that voice. It was the elf that came with Caira, Elvila. ¡°It¡¯s me.¡± He shouted and ran towards her. When he finally reached to the origin of the light, he noticed that Elvila was accompanied by Ana. The source of light was a small metallic ball floating above Elvila. Aleen was curious about it, but he temporally got rid of his curiosity and observed the pair. ¡°Are you fine?¡± Ana came close to him quickly and asked with a worried expression. Aleen simply smiled and shook his head. ¡°I¡¯m fine, don¡¯t worry.¡± Immediately, Aleen noticed something unnatural about Ana. Her left arm was hanging down uselessly. ¡°What happened?¡± He asked with a frown. ¡°The girl was lucky.¡± Elvila said wryly while she shook her head. ¡°The rock only hit her arm. Otherwise, she could have died.¡± Aleen made a grave expression when he heard it and looked towards Ana worriedly. ¡°Are you fine?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a bit painful, but I can endure it.¡± Ana smiled slightly before Aleen¡¯s concern and shook her head. ¡°At least I¡¯m alive.¡± Aleen frowned deeply but at the end, left a tired sigh. ¡°Anyone else survived?¡± ¡°I doubt it.¡± Elvila said with a sad tone. ¡°We only survived thanks to our enhanced bodies granted by the levels up. The others, however, were just level one. I doubt their bodies can endure such fall.¡± ¡°¡­ I see.¡± Aleen sighed again. He directed his sight towards the roof of the cave and asked in a worried tone. ¡°Do you know what happened?¡± The elf thought for a moment before answering. ¡°The queen probably used a powerful skill that destroyed the ground. Because of it, the surface caved down and we fell to the tunnels below.¡± ¡°In other words, it¡¯s like I thought.¡± ¡°You are right.¡± Elvila nodded with a grave expression. ¡°We are currently inside the brooders¡¯ nest.¡± Chapter 44 – Inside the Nest (2) After discussing for a brief moment, the group decided to search for an exit. Elvila argued that it was better to stay inside the cave until the game ends, but Aleen disagreed. He said that they were not sure about the dangers inside the nest; however, they knew that the group of level five was fighting the queen brooder outside, so if they were careful and keep a distance from the fight, they would be mostly safe. After thinking for a moment, Elvila agreed to Aleen¡¯s words. The next question, then, was how to find the exit. Fortunately, Elvila had a solution. She took an artifact from a very small bag in her belt. Aleen could not help but wonder how such a small bag could contain an artifact that was bigger than it. ¡°What is that?¡± Aleen asked pointing to the artifact. ¡°Something I bought from the game. It can feel the currents of wind and use it to guide us until a possible exit.¡± ¡°You bought it from your representative?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Elvila answered. ¡°You can buy many things from them, so, many people buy things that can be useful inside the games. Just like this small ball above me.¡± She continued while pointing to the glowing metallic ball that they were using to light their surroundings. ¡°It¡¯s a small robot, but its only functions are to shine and to follow the owner. It¡¯s very convenient, so I bought it for missions in dark places. ¡°By the way, this little bag on my belt is a space storage pouch. It was very expensive.¡± Ana and Aleen made astonished faces hearing the function of the storage pouch. Elvila laughed gently seeing Aleen and Ana¡¯s astonished faces. Ana could not understand what they were speaking about. Aleen, on the other hand, smiled slightly and shook his head seeing Elvila laughter. He had to admit that she was exactly like elves were depicted in many stories; kind, gentle and caring. Aleen could not understand the reason though. Knowing that beings he considered fictional were real was already astonishing. Moreover, such beings having the same behavior humans imagined was even more incredible. Aleen wondered if there is a reason for it. Shaking his head to send those thoughts to a corner of his mind, Aleen asked something that was bothering him from the moment he saw Elvila. ¡°Miss Elvila, you don¡¯t use any weapon? I didn¡¯t see you using one before.¡± Elvila smiled wryly and shrugged her shoulders. ¡°You saw it before, right? My skills are not suited to combat, so I¡¯m more like a supporter-kind of super.Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. ¡°Of course, I have a weapon.¡± She smiled while taking a small gun-like object form her bag. ¡°This child uses the user mana to shot mana bullets. Very handy, but I think that it''s better to use my mana making sure that my skills can be used when necessary; so I did not use it often.¡± Aleen and Ana observed the weapon curiously. Ana then tilted her head and commented. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect for this place to allow guns. Why nobody else uses them then?¡± ¡°Guns? They are called like that on your planet? You can bring any weapon that requires of the user effort to be used correctly. My gun needs a constant supply of mana from the user to be used; but if it were able to work without using my mana, then it would have been forbidden.¡± ¡°¡­ Then we can¡¯t use the gunpower-powered guns of my world?¡± Aleen asked. ¡°Your world weapons are at that level huh?" Elvila made a curious expression. "No, you cannot use that kind of weapon. One of this game''s goals is to train its participants and make them stronger, and weapons like that are not adequate for it. Of course, even if you can use them, they at most will help you to kill one or two level two monsters.¡± Aleen nodded after hearing her words. Now that he thought about it, the level five kinal used a kind of gun too. Though it probably worked similar to Elvila¡¯s gun. The group continued speaking while searching they walked. Fortunately, they didn¡¯t encounter any monster on the way for a time. Finally, though, they noticed a change. While the group was advancing, Elvila suddenly stopped before frowning. ¡°What happened?¡± Aleen asked. Elvila furrowed her brows and hesitated for a moment. She then looked towards Aleen and Ana. ¡°Have you not noticed? The temperature has been increasing the more we advance.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Aleen and Ana put surprised faces. Then, Aleen changed his expression. ¡°Now that you said it, I have been sweating from a moment ago.¡± Ana nodded hearing Aleen words. Elvila put a pensive face and closed her eyes briefly. Then, she looked to Aleen and Ana gravely. ¡°Prepare yourself. I¡¯m sure that there is something ahead, and it is probably something dangerous.¡± Aleen also put a serious when he heard Elvila words. Without hesitation, he grabbed his sword tightly and walked in front of the girls. ¡°I think it¡¯s better if I walk ahead. Miss Elvila is not suited for combat and Ana is injured, so I think I''m the best for this position.¡± Ana put a guilty expression seeing it. Elvila, however, nodded seriously. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Aleen. I will keep my skill prepared to create a barrier when you need it.¡± Aleen nodded and began to walk with the two girls behind him. The temperature continued increasing steadily and even they began to feel discomfort despite their strong bodies product of their levels. They walked warily for another five minutes, and finally, they saw something. It was an entrance leading to a dim-illuminated room. Aleen could feel a comfortable and warm energy coming from the dim orange light, so he made an expression of surprise. Soft screeches of pain and hunger were coming from the room. Aleen put a serious expression and prepared to fight the monsters. However, contrary to his thoughts, the breathing of Elvila became rushed when she saw the dim orange light and heard the sounds coming from the room. With an excited face, she stared fixedly towards the room and spoke. ¡°We probably hit the jackpot.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± Ana asked before Aleen could speak. Elvila looked towards the entrance with shining eyes and took the small gun-like weapon from the spatial pouch before explaining to the pair. ¡°If I¡¯m not mistaken, this place is where the queens lay their eggs.¡± Chapter 45 – Inside the Nest (3) After saying it, Elvila began to run towards the nest. ¡°Hey wait!¡± Aleen shouted, but Elvila ignored him. She cast a ¡®Mana Barrier¡¯ on herself and entered the room without explaining anything. Aleen and Ana could not understand the reason because she was so excited, but they knew that it had to be something good, so after hesitating for a second, the two of them ran after Elvila. Once inside, Aleen immediately understood the reason. Inside the room, hundreds of eggs laid unprotected. Aleen saw Elvila using her gun-like weapon to destroy the eggs quickly. A few brooders attacked her, but they were too small to be dangerous. Aleen came to the conclusion that they were newborn, at most a few days old. Aleen cursed Elvila in his mind for running without explaining anything, but he knew that her intention was to destroy the greatest number of eggs possible to get more points. So he swallowed his words and began to destroy eggs with the sword. ¡°Hurry up!¡± He said to Ana. ¡°Destroy all the eggs you can.¡± Ana wanted to ask the reason, but she stopped when she saw Aleen andElvila destroying the eggs and killing the few newborns brooders crazily. She realized that whatever was their reason to do it, it was something good. So, she followed their lead and began to destroy the eggs. Before long, though, she noticed that because she only could use one arm, her speed of destroying eggs was slower than Aleen and Elvila. Due to it, she thought of an idea. Quickly, she walked towards a place with a great number of eggs and took a deep breath. Then, she activated her skill. *Boom!!!* A powerful shockwave spread with her as the center. The shockwave destroyed all the eggs five meters around her. Ana put an excited expression and ran towards another group of eggs and tried to do the same, but she noticed that she could not activate her skill. Aleen and Elvila saw Ana¡¯s actions and made surprised expressions. Elvila thought deeply for a moment and then gestured with her hands. With a thought, five mana barriers appeared around her and were sent against the walls, destroying the eggs in the middle. Such a method to use her barrier was useless against someone with even a bit of strength to resist, but it was very useful to destroy the eggs. Elvila smiled excitedly when she saw the results of her skill and continued using it. Immediately, her speed destroying eggs rose drastically. Aleen, on the other hand, thought about using his skill but decided against it at the end. After all, they were in an unknown place, and he was not sure about when they were going to face danger. He thought that it would be bad if after using his skill, a monster suddenly attacks. If something like that happens, then he will not have a method to protect himself.Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. Elvila, however, didn¡¯t have such limitations. After all, ¡®Mana Barrier¡¯ was her first skill, and she already mastered it at the point of using it at will, with the only limitation being her amount of mana. While they were destroying the eggs, they heard an enraged screech. The group turned around only to see a level two brooder coming from outside and baring its fangs after seeing their actions. ¡°Kill it quickly!¡± Elvila shouted. Aleen did not hesitate and use his skill immediately, moving instantly towards the monster and using his damaged sword to kill it with one attack. Once the monster was dead, Elvila sighed in relief. Turning towards Aleen and Ana, she warned with a serious expression. ¡°If the brooders know that we destroyed their eggs, they will disregard everything and come to kill us crazily. So, keep vigilant and attack immediately if you see an enemy. Don''t allow it to alert the others¡± Aleen and Ana nodded in understating. Elvila and Ana returned to kill the monsters, but Aleen on the other hand paused and stopped to think. When he used his skill just now, he seemed to understand something about it. ¡®So, the reason because I failed back then was that I didn¡¯t use the right method!¡¯ Just now, when he attacked the monster, he was able to stop the skill after the monster was killed, without running the fifty meters the skill lasted. Aleen then noticed that the most important point to control the skill ''Lightning Rush'' wasn''t the movement of his body, but the rune inside his mind. Aleen thought deeply about it and seemed to understand something, but the answer continued eluding his mind. When he noticed that he could not arrive at the answer, he sighed and continued destroying the eggs. After all, they were free points, and points were the thing Aleen needed the most currently. Just like that, the group continued destroying the eggs inside the room. Another two brooders appeared while they were destroying the eggs, but Aleen was able to kill them before they could warn the other brooders. Finally, all the eggs inside the room were destroyed. Once they finished, Aleen walked towards the object that was emitting the dim light. It was a rock the size of a ball of soccer. It was emitting a warm orange light. Aleen thought that it seemed valuable and asked to Elvila about it. ¡°It¡¯s a mana stone.¡± She said after giving a glance to the rock. ¡°It emits mana to the surroundings and is very useful as a source of energy. People also use it to increase the rate of training the body and mana, though it¡¯s not very useful to us.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± Aleen asked. ¡°Only mages and cultivators need to train their mana and bodies. Enlightened, on the other hand, get a boost in their mana and body strength every time they comprehend a new skill. Of course, it takes time for our bodies to reach their greatest potential, but you can buy enhancements inside the game to accelerate this process, so this mana stone is at most useful to help us to relax.¡± ¡°So, we don¡¯t have to train our mana?¡± Aleen asked curiously. ¡°You truly don¡¯t know anything huh.¡± Elvila giggled slightly. ¡°You can train your mana if you want, but it¡¯s better if you concentrate on understanding your skill instead. Your mana and body will become stronger if you level up.¡± Aleen agreed with a nod but still took the stone with him after hesitating for a moment. His sister, Claire, had taken a liking to train her mana, and different from him, she didn¡¯t have skills; so Aleen thought that it would make a great present. Elvila shook her head seeing Aleen pocket the stone but did not say anything. Taking a look around, she spoke. ¡°It¡¯s better if we leave this place quickly. Sooner or later, a brooder will come here and notice that we destroyed the eggs, and believe me when I tell you that you will not want to be near this place when that happens. Fortunately, most of the monsters left the nest to fight outside, so this place is mostly empty now.¡± Aleen and Ana agreed to her words and hurriedly searched for the exit to the room. When they left the place, they continued following Elvila¡¯s artifact to find the entrance of the nest; but at that moment, something happened. Chapter 46 – Deadly Queen (1) On the surface, a tough battle was being fought. After the second queen appeared, it immediately utilized two powerful skills; one to stun its enemies and another to destroy the ground below them. D¡¯vina and the others level five were able to avoid the attack without much difficulty, but it was different for the ones accompanying them. ¡°Careful!¡± D¡¯vina shouted panicked towards Aleen, but he had been stunned by the queen¡¯s cry and was unable to avoid the crumbling ground. So he, together with the other low level individuals, fell towards the deeps of the nest. D¡¯vina immediately rushed towards the gigantic crack on the ground, but an attack from the queen forced her to move to a side. Because of it, when she finally reached to the crack, the rocks in the surroundings had fallen and sealed the entrance already. ¡°Tsk!¡± D¡¯vina clicked her tongue worried about Aleen¡¯s wellbeing. Though she didn¡¯t know the boy for long, she considered him her responsibility. She thought that it was her duty to do her best to keep him safe. It was the unspoken rule between guides and assistants. Assistants help the guides with their skills and the guides try to protect them and give them guidance through the games. Of course, not every guide followed such rules, but D¡¯vina did. Though she didn¡¯t care about the lives of the pawns summoned to ¡®Dimensional Paradise¡¯, she could not allow herself to see her assistant die without she doing something. Perhaps, such thoughts weren¡¯t more than her remaining stubbornness towards fairness and justice. D¡¯vina shook her head and concentrated in the battle against the level five. She knew that she could not help Aleen now, so her best option was to kill the level five queen as soon as possible and search for him after that. Looking at her surroundings, she noticed that the second queen¡¯s skill caused more destruction than she thought. All the trees one hundred meters around the nest had been destroyed and the ground seemed like a place where a bomb exploded. D¡¯vina thought that she would not be able to defend against such attack if it hits her directly. Around her, the other level five supers also appeared. Every one of them wearing ugly expressions. After all, the queen¡¯s skills took down all the people they brought with them; and though none of the people that fell inside the nest was particularly powerful, the fact that it was able to do it so easily was a testament of its strength.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website. Them, on the other hand, weren¡¯t on their top condition to face the monster. ¡°¡­ Can we retreat temporally?¡± Cir asked while adjusting his breathing mask. Caira shook her head. ¡°Impossible. Even if we retreat, the monster will not stop its pursuit. We can try separating, but one of us will probably end dying, making the situation even worse than now. Our best bet is to use our remaining strength to kill it.¡± D¡¯vina nodded gravely and held her sword. ¡°Our reserves of mana are low, so it¡¯s better if we kill it quickly.¡± The others also nodded. At that moment, the queen roared again. The four level five immediately circulated their mana to negate the effects of the skill contained in the cry. D¡¯vina suspected that it was something like ¡®Battle Cry¡¯, and its effect was to stun the enemy briefly. Fortunately, the skill was not very effective against another level five, but they were unable to negate their effects instantly. Though they recovered from the stun in an instant, the monster only needed a fraction of second to carry out its attack. With a swift jump, the queen moved quickly towards Caira. The monster used its scythe-like claw to slice towards the human mage. Caira was unable to react properly towards the attack, but fortunately, one of her spells activated automatically at that moment. Caira¡¯s second spell, ¡®Heat Shield¡¯. A transparent barrier of super-compressed heat stopped the claw and burned the monster flesh slightly. *SCREECH!!!* The monster cried in pain, but it increased the strength behind its attack despite it. Caira¡¯s shield was unable to endure the attack, but the time it bought her was enough. While the first shield was destroyed, Caira deployed a second shield around her and detonated a fireball between her and the monster. *BOOM!!!* The shockwaves of the explosion injured slightly the monster, but more important, pushed Caira away from the queen, helping her to avoid its follow-up attack. Sighing in relief, she prepared another spell and attacked the monster while the rest of the team came to support her. The main weakness of mages was that they were unable to create vital energy or ki like enlightened or cultivators. Due to it, their bodies normally were at most a bit stronger than normal humans, but far from the level of others supers at the same level, making them very easy to kill when unprotected. Because of it, mages received the nickname of ¡®Glass Cannons¡¯. The mages, of course, knew of this weakness, so after many years, they designed a countermeasure. It came in the form of passive defensive spells. Every mage engraved a defensive spell when they advanced to level two or level three. This spell was designed to activate automatically every time the mage is attacked and is able to endure a certain amount of damage. Once it¡¯s destroyed, however, the mage must wait for a while before its passive characteristic can be used again. Of course, the mage also can cast the spell manually if it¡¯s necessary. The queen brooder was enraged when Caira escaped its attack, but it was unable to continue attacking due to the other three¡¯s attacks. Plasma bullets were shot from Cir¡¯s gun and D¡¯vina¡¯s sword attacked from the side. Wulf, on the other hand, made use of his powerful claws to try to crush the monster tail. Unfortunately, the queen was stronger than they expected. A dim black light surged around it, protecting the level five monster from their attacks and helping it to avoid grave injuries. Chapter 47 – Deadly Queen (2) Enraged, the queen turned around and used its tail to hit Wulf. Fortunately, the wolfkin perceived the attack through the skill ¡®Beastly Instincts¡¯ and barely evaded it. However, the queen¡¯s tail began to glow at that moment. When Wulf evaded the queen¡¯s attack, he prepared to counterattack using a skill against the beast. But at that moment, a strong sense of danger filled him. The warning from coming from ¡®Beastly Instincts¡¯ caused his expression to change; with a terrified face, he moved all his mana towards his legs and jumped away from the queen with all his strength. And then, the tail that he evaded just a second ago, hit the ground. With a bright glow, the skill in the queen¡¯s tail activated. The space around the point of impact shook briefly, and an instant later, a powerful explosion occurred. Despite the warning of his skill, Wulf was unable to escape completely the area of effect of the queen¡¯s attack. At last, he resorted to activate the skill ¡®Steel Body¡¯ at maximum output to protect his body, but even it was not enough to avoid being seriously injured. To be honest, Wulf could not be considered outstanding between other level five. His skills were pretty average and his combat techniques lacked finesse. He was unable to compare with a mage like Caira or an irregular like D¡¯vina when it came to combat power. Actually, the only reason that he survived until becoming a level five was the skill ¡®Beastly Instincts¡¯. ¡®Beastly Instincts¡¯ was a powerful skill, only a level below the skill ¡®Precognition¡¯, one of the most valuable skills known. But even a skill as powerful as that was unable to close completely the gap between him and the queen. So, when the queen used a skill that he was unable to evade despite knowing about it beforehand, Wulf could only make his best to endure the attack. When the skill¡¯s effects finally stopped, one of Wulf¡¯s front limbs had been crippled, and his entire body was filled with injuries. *SCREEEEECH!!!* The Queen Brooder cried in glee before jumping towards the injured level five to finish him. When the other three members of his team saw it, they tried to stop the monster, but it simply strengthened its defenses and ignored their attacks before continuing with its attack. Wulf growled painfully, but he was someone that reached level five after all. He did not panic despite facing the beast''s attack, and instead, used all his mana to activate his third skill, ¡®Wolf Pride¡¯. Different from ¡®Steel Body¡¯, this skill ignored defense in exchange for a powerful boost to his strength and speed. Wulf knew that he was unable to endure another attack from the monster, so he decided to discard any form of defense and concentrate completely in evading the beast long enough for the other three to come at his rescue. However, Wulf underestimated the queen¡¯s strength. If the first queen could be considered young and inexperienced, the second one was powerful, old and wise. It knew that it had to decrease the number of enemies quickly if it wanted to survive the fight. So, now that it had a great opportunity to kill an enemy, it wasn¡¯t going to waste it. At the moment when Wulf tried to avoid the queen, it activated the skill ¡®Intimidation¡¯. To be honest, this kind of skill wasn¡¯t very useful in fights against beings of the same level. After all, the mana and ki inside a super¡¯s body would move automatically when it detects something affecting the body, eliminating any adverse effect towards the host. Because of it, ¡®debuffs¡¯ are not useful when the difference in strength between the user and the victim is not large enough. Wulf¡¯s body reacted at the instant when the skill was unleashed, and the mana inside his body moved quickly, helping him to recover from the skill almost immediately. Despite it, however, the queen¡¯s skill was able to stop Wulf for a very brief instant.Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. And that brief instant was all it needed to kill its enemy. When Wulf recovered his movement, the scythe-like claw of the queen was already before him. He tried to use his remaining claw to stop the attack, but the queen¡¯s attack cut through his limb as if it was butter. Wulf made a surprised expression when he saw it. In a last attempt to survive, he tried to move his body aside to avoid the attack, but strangely, his body refused to answer. When he moved his sight to see what was wrong, he found his body falling backward powerlessly while blood flowed non stop from the place where his head was supposed to be placed. ¡®Fuck.¡¯ With that thought, the first level five from the group died. ¡°Bastard!¡± Caira swore when she saw it. She knew that the situation was spiraling out of their control. If things continued like this, every one of them would end dead. D¡¯vina also furrowed her brows when Wulf died. She did not expect the queen to be so decisive. It chose to endure the attacks coming from the three of them before leaving Wulf escape. With an excited cry, the queen turned towards the other three. It had been injured in the process of killing Wulf; and though none of its injuries was fatal, they were enough to decrease its combat power. That did not decreased its bloodlust however. Before the other three could process the death of their companion, it lowered its stance and jumped towards the next enemy. ¡°Damn it!¡± Cir cursed when he saw the monster rushing towards him with great speed. His specialty was ranged combat, so though he was not completely useless at close range, he knew that he would be unable to endure long under the queen¡¯s frightening attacks. D¡¯vina quickly rushed to stop the queen. Using her greatsword, she blocked the queen¡¯s path and allowed Cir to retreat, but despite it, the situation continued worsening. ¡°We have to do something!¡± Cir shouted with a grave expression. ¡°At this rate, we all will end like insect¡¯s food!¡± Caira frowned deeply while completing the incantation of a spell and attacking the queen with it. D¡¯vina took advantage of the queen defending against the spell to retreat towards the other two. ¡°It¡¯s hard.¡± D¡¯vina said. ¡°Our attacks are unable to break through its defense. It would be different if I can use ¡®Calamity Sword¡¯ again, but with my current reserves of mana I will be unable to break through its defenses and cut the beast.¡± ¡°Damn it!¡± Caira muttered while gritting her teeth. ¡°Is the administration crazy!? This mission''s difficulty if too high!¡± Cir looked towards the monster with a thoughtful expression; But then, he shook his head and sighed briefly. ¡°We can only do our best and wait for an opportunity.¡± D¡¯vina frowned when she heard it and increased the strength in the hand grabbing her greatsword while trying to think of a way to change this situation. Unfortunately, the queen was not going to wait for them to think of something. With another roar, it charged towards the group once more. D¡¯vina gritted her teeth and walked forward to confront it with her sword. She knew that she could not allow the beast to attack the others, lets them be killed by it. So, her only option was personally to stop the beast from advancing. The remaining mana inside her circulated furiously, increasing the physical boost brought by the skill ¡®Sword Body¡¯. She held the sword before her and looked fixedly towards the monster rushing quickly towards them. But when the beast was about to reach them, it suddenly stopped. D¡¯vina was stunned when she saw an expression of panic appear in the queen¡¯s face. It hurriedly glanced towards the entrance of the nest and wailed panicked. Then, it ignored the group and ran towards the nest. The group of three put stupified faces when they saw it. But instantly, one of them shouted. ¡°Stop it!¡± Cir yelled quickly from behind D¡¯vina, waking her from her stupor. With a shout, she did not hesitate and jumped towards the monster swinging her sword to attack. The queen, however, ignored the attack and continued rushing towards the nest. Cir knew that they could not allow it to reach the nest and used one of his skills to prevent the queen from advancing. ¡°Don¡¯t allow it to return!¡± Cir shouted excitedly. ¡°Something definitively happened or it wouldn¡¯t be so hurried to return to the nest!¡± D¡¯vina immediately thought about Aleen when she heard Cir¡¯s words. Quickly, she pressed the attack and blocked the queen''s path. The queen screeched angered but continued trying to return to the nest despite the interference of the group. Aleen didn¡¯t know, but the magic stone he took had a trace of the queen¡¯s mana; so when he took it, the queen immediately knew that something wrong had happened to its offspring. The queen continued trying to return to its nest, but D¡¯vina, Cir, and Caira obstructed it. Without more option, the queen could only raise its head up and roar. *ROARRRRRR!!!!* The roar traveled through the wind, towards all the brooders still alive. It was an order, telling them that something happened to its offspring. The brooders heard the queen¡¯s cries and roared in answer. In an instant, tens of roars answered the call of their queen. Then, they rushed to the deeps of the nest, to find the intruders that dared to attack their brothers. When they saw it, the three level five confirmed that something happened inside the nest and increased the pressure of their attacks. They immediately linked the situation to the group that fell when the queen made the ground cave and they understood that they could not let go of this chance. At that moment, Caira seemed to think of something. Hesitating for a moment, she spoke. ¡°I think that I have an idea.¡± Chapter 48 – Inside the Nest (4) It happened a few seconds after Aleen, Elvila, and Ana left the room with the now destroyed eggs. *ROARRRRR!!!* While they were preparing to continue towards the entrance, a roar came from the surface. It was a roar of anger and rage, mixed with a bit of panic and fear. The group instinctively stopped when they heard the roar. But the roar was only the beginning of their nightmare. An instant after it, another roar answered the cry of the queen. Then, another roar sounded. When Aleen finally returned to his senses, tens of monster had answered the queen brooder''s call. ¡°Run!!!¡± Elvila shouted panicked without bothering to lower her voice. Before the others could understand what was happening, she began to run towards the direction pointed by her device. Aleen changed his expression when he saw it. Almost immediately, he grabbed Ana¡¯s hand and began to run behind Elvila. ¡°Dammit!¡± ¡°What is happening!?¡± Ana asked worriedly when she saw Aleen and Elvila¡¯s reactions. Aleen continued running despite hearing her questions. Instead, it was Elvila who replied. ¡°I don¡¯t know how, but for some reason, the queen discovered that we attacked the nest and destroyed its eggs! The roar you heard just now was it asking to its subordinates to kill us!¡± ¡°How it learned about it!?¡± Aleen asked with a grave tone of voice. Elvila did not reply immediately. She thought deeply about the reason before shaking her head. ¡°I don¡¯t know. From what I can remember, the queen is unable to feel if something happens to the eggs. We probably touched something that warned it of our presence. The most important thing now is run as far as we can before the brooders find us!¡± Aleen nodded with a grave expression when he heard it. After speaking to Aleen, Elvila increased her speed. As a level three, Elvila''s speed was greater than Aleen and Ana; so it didn¡¯t take long for the distance between them to begin to increase. Aleen frowned briefly and thought for a moment before activating his aspect, increasing his speed near Elvila''s level despite his lower level. Ana, on the other hand, was unable to keep with them. When Aleen noticed it, he grabbed her hand and helped her to run. With the support of Aleen, Ana was barely able to maintain with Elvila, but Aleen¡¯s rate of using his mana increased sharply. Elvila frowned briefly when she saw it, but in the end, she did not say anything. Despite it, however, she did not decrease her speed. Different from Aleen and Ana, Elvila had more experience inside ¡®Dimensional Paradise¡¯. She knew that in moments like this, she could not afford to consider if the others could keep with her pace. After all, if the swarm of brooders catches to them, then it will not matter if there are one or three people in the group. At most, more people will mean more food for the insects. The group continued running and the roars around of them increased with the time. An ugly expression appeared on Elvila¡¯s face. Aleen, on the other hand, tried to keep a calm face to reassure Ana. At that moment, the group found that the path forward was split into two. ¡°This way!¡± Shouted Elvila quickly while signaling to the path in the right. But when the group took the right path, three brooders appeared before them.Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. *Screech!!!* They were not very strong, at most level two, but it was more than enough to change the situation they were facing. ¡°Damn it!¡± Elvila stopped and cursed with a pale expression. ¡°Are we going to fight them?¡± Aleen asked quickly when he saw the three brooders. Elvila, however, shook her head and created a barrier blocking the monsters¡¯ path. ¡°Take the other path! We can¡¯t lose time here fighting them or we will be surrounded!¡± Without hesitation, the group retreated and took the path on the left. Unfortunately, the barrier Elvila created was unable to stop the monsters for long. Quickly, they destroyed it and began to chase after the group while screeching loudly. The expression on their faces worsened when they heard the brooders screeching. It was obvious that they were calling their companions towards them and before long, more brooders would join to the chase. ¡°We cannot continue like this!¡± Aleen shouted with a grim expression. ¡°We have to kill them or all the nest will be behind us in a few minutes!¡± Elvila frowned deeply with a grave expression. ¡°We must be quick if we are going to kill them. If more monsters came while we are fighting then the situation will only become worse!¡± Aleen agreed with a nod and spoke while looking towards Ana. ¡°I have an idea, but it depends on if Ana can take the risk.¡± Aleen then explained quickly his plan to the two girls. Elvila agreed once she heard Aleen. ¡°It¡¯s feasible, but only if the girl''s skill can stop them. What do you think?¡± Ana hesitated for a moment before putting a resolute expression and nodding. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I will do it!¡± Elvila nodded briefly and then prepared her skill. ¡°Very well then. On the count of three, we begin¡­ One, two, three!¡± When Elvila said three, the group immediately stopped running. Without hesitation, Ana twisted her body and turned around to face the three charging beasts. *Roarrrr!!!* Facing the monsters coming towards her, an expression of panic briefly appeared on Ana¡¯s face, but it immediately transformed into one of determination. Taking a deep breath, Ana looked deeply towards the beasts and circulated her mana. The monsters did not hesitate when they saw their prey stopping. Its eyes were blood red and their expressions full of fury. Quickly, they advanced towards Ana and pounced to her. Ana tried to keep her calm when she saw the monsters charging towards her. She knew that she could not cower now. If she wanted for everybody to survive, she had to be brave. The claws of the monsters extended to torn her frail body into pieces, but before they could, a barrier of light appeared before Ana. It was Elvila¡¯s first skill, ¡®Mana Barrier¡¯. The mana barrier could at most endure three seconds under the furious attacks of the brooders, but it was more than enough. ¡°Now!¡± Aleen shouted. Then, Ana opened her mouth. ¡°Ahhhhhhhhh!!!¡± With a cry, her recently gotten skill was activated, and a shockwave impacted the monsters ruthlessly. Unfortunately, the shockwave was not strong enough to kill the monsters. At most, it stunned them briefly. But it was more than enough. Because at that moment, Aleen moved. ¡°Dieeeeeeeee!¡± With a furious cry, lightning enveloped Aleen¡¯s body. His perception of time slowed down, and the speed of his body increased crazily. Aleen had the sensation that he could reach to any place in just an instant. But that sensation of omnipotence did not blind him. He knew what he had to do, and in an instant, Aleen was before the first monster. ¡°Hah!¡± With a thrust of his sword, Aleen impaled the monsters through his head, killing instantly before the monster could understand what was happening. But it was not everything. Instead of continuing forward, Aleen twisted his body and willed the rune inside his mind to change the direction of his skill. It was something that he noticed recently while he was fighting, and the first clue he had to master his first skill. With the support of the rune inside his mind, the direction of his charge changed suddenly, turning towards the second stunned monster. It was a flawless move, without straining his body or wasting more mana than necessary. Just like a bolt of lightning that moves unimpeded inside the storm. Then, his sword moved again. And the head of the second monster flew. But it was not enough. Aleen knew that he had to do more than it if he wanted to kill the three monsters quickly. So, without hesitating, he willed the rune inside his mind to change of direction again and twisted his body towards the third monster. Different from the last attack, Aleen noticed a bit of resistance coming from the rune this time; but he ignored it. Pushing more mana towards his skill to force it to change direction, Aleen stabbed with his sword for the third time. Unlike from the last two monsters, this one managed to react after seeing the deaths of its two brothers. With a frightened expression, it tried to twist its body out from the path of the sword. Unfortunately, its movements could not escape from Aleen¡¯s slowed vision. Changing slightly the direction of his sword, Aleen slashed with his sword towards the neck of the monster at full speed; then, with a flash of lightning, the third head fell. Aleen continued forward after killing the monsters and tried to stop his skill. It was hard, but in the end, he was able to stop after running another ten meters. Panting slightly, Aleen stopped the mana running through his body and lowered slowly his sword. Behind him, the bodies of three monsters fell to the ground. Chapter 49 – Between Hope and Despair (1) Aleen felt an exhilarating feeling once his skill stopped. It was a sensation of ecstasy, the joy of feeling his abilities increasing and his power growing. For a moment, he felt that he could do anything. Though it was not his first time killing a monster, it was the first time that Aleen felt powerful while killing not only one, but three of them. Feeling his sword cutting through the brooders¡¯ flesh brought Aleen a strange feeling of accomplishment. Unfortunately, he couldn''t bask in that sensation for long. ¡°Hurry up!¡± Elvila said gravely while turning around to run. ¡°We must leave this place quickly before the commotion attracts more monsters!¡± Aleen exited from his reverie when he heard Elvila¡¯s voice. Quickly, he turned around and caught up with the two girls that were already running. ¡°Well done, you two.¡± Elvila said with a slight smile and created a small ball of light in her hands. ¡°Try to recover your mana while we are running. We must try to keep ourselves in our best condition if we want to escape alive.¡± Waving her hand, the small ball of light flew towards Aleen and entered his body. Immediately, the mana in the surroundings rushed towards him. Elvila ignored it and created another ball of light in her hand. It was smaller than the last, but she didn¡¯t care for it and throw it towards Ana before creating another one and absorbing it herself. ¡°It¡¯s a weaker version of my second skill, but it will be enough to recover our spent mana. Unfortunately, I cannot use it again in the next five minutes, so try not to use up your mana until then.¡± Aleen and Ana nodded briefly and continued running. The roars of the beast could be heard from around them, and Aleen felt that the monsters were closing to them despite their speed. Aleen knew that it would not be long before the next monster appears. At that moment, the cave where they were running shook. *RUMBLE!!!* A strong explosion was heard from the surface. Aleen understood that it was not only the cave where they were running but the entire nest what shook. Aleen could not imagine the intensity of the battle in the surface if it could be felt from where they were. With a serious expression, the group ignored the shaking of the nest and continued to try to escape. Elvila¡¯s device continued guiding the group towards the exit following the flow of wind.This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. The group faced another two attacks while they were advancing, but they finished the monster quickly making use of the same strategy. Aleen sighed in relief when he saw it, but he did not lower his guard. He knew that they were in danger yet and that it was only necessary a mistake for them to perish inside this nest. A few minutes later, they finally exited the pathway where they were running. A gigantic clearing appeared before them. It was a gigantic dome-shaped room. Aleen could see countless entrances, like the one from where they came, inside the room. Each entrance led to a different cave, and Aleen could see at least hundreds of entrances everywhere, even in the walls. Looking up, Aleen noticed that light was entering to the dome from a hole in the roof. The hole was partially destroyed, and countless cracks extended from the hole to the walls holding the dome. Instantly, Aleen knew that it was the entrance to the nest and the exit to the surface. However, instead of happiness, an ugly expression appeared on his face. Similarly, Elvira and Ana¡¯s expression changed for the worse. The entrance of the nest was at least one hundred meters away from them. If they wanted to escape, the group had to climb the dome until reach to the exit. That, however, was not the problem. The problem, instead, was the tens of brooders around them, that could be seen climbing down the walls and exiting from the caves in the surroundings. Instantly, the group was surrounded by tens of monsters. Elvila¡¯s expression fell, and Ana put a despairing face before this situation. Aleen expression also turned ugly for a moment. At the next instant, however, he put a resolute face. Grabbing his bent sword firmly, he looked towards the monsters in the surroundings and spoke in what he thought was a joking tone. ¡°It looks that it will not be easy.¡± Elvila nodded gravely and took the gun-like weapon from her storage pouch. Then, she activated her first skill and three mana barriers appeared surrounding every one of them. ¡°We must kill them if we want to survive; or at least, endure until the level five supers kill the queen. If we endure until then, I¡¯m sure that they will come here searching for us.¡± Aleen nodded briefly to Elvila''s words and readied his sword. When Ana saw it, she erased her expression of fear and looked towards Aleen boldly. ¡°What do I have to do?¡± Aleen frowned briefly and looked towards her crippled arm. She would not be of any help fighting with just an arm, but they need all the help possible if they wanted to survive. Thinking briefly, he spoke to her. ¡°Keep your skill ready and pay attention to the fight. If one of us is in trouble, you must use it immediately and attack the monsters that are attacking us.¡± Ana nodded with a determined expression when she heard it. Taking a deep breath, she looked towards the monsters surrounding them and exhaled. She knew what she had to do. Ana tried her utmost to concentrate on the monsters around them. Aleen had helped her until now, and his help was the main reason because she was still alive. So, if she wanted to live; If she wanted for Aleen to live, now was the moment to be brave and show the monsters what she could do. Looking at the face of Aleen for a last time, Ana resolved herself to survive this game and then, return to her daily life. Chapter 50 – Between Hope and Despair (2) The eyes of the brooders surrounding them were blood red due to the rage. Aleen could felt the killing intent coming from the group of monsters; It felt as if his skin was being punctured by thousands of needles at the same time. Around him, Aleen could see the monsters walking slowly, searching for an opening to attack them. Aleen smartly chose a corner to resist the monsters, limiting the directions of their attacks to the front. Unfortunately, it had the disadvantage of allowing the monsters coming from above to attack them. Elvila said that she could put a barrier above them to stop the attacks coming from the walls, but it only improved their situation a bit. Before long, Elvila¡¯s mana would be used up and the situation would worsen. Aleen decided to take the front. After all, despite not being the one with the highest level, he was the one with the greatest attack power of the group. Fortunately, Elvila¡¯s barriers could protect him from the monsters¡¯ attacks, so he only had to concentrate on attacking. Taking a deep breath, he did not hesitate to activate his aspect. Lightning-attributed mana coursed through his veins, boosting his strength and speed greatly. Unfortunately, Aleen could not use his skill freely. The cooldown of the skill was too long to be useful in a fight of attrition like this, so Aleen saved it to use as a trump card when needed. The monsters around him growled threateningly while more monsters entered the room from the caves in the surroundings. Aleen did his best to not let the number of monsters affect his concentration. He knew that if he wanted to have a possibility of surviving, he had to give his everything in the next fight. At that moment, the first monster decided to attack. With a powerful jump, a level two brooder jumped towards the group of three pointing its claws forward. It opened its mouth and let a wrathful screech while imagining the scene of Aleen¡¯s body cut into pieces. Aleen did not hesitate when the monster attacked. With a grunt, he took a step forward and thrust his sword towards the monster''s mouth. Aleen did not even bother avoiding the attack, concentrating simply in killing the monster as fast as possible and thrusting that Elvila¡¯s barrier will block the attack.Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. And she did not betray his expectations. A transparent barrier stopped the monster¡¯s limbs two centimeters before Aleen''s face. On the other hand, Aleen¡¯s sword continued unimpeded towards the monster¡¯s head. The level two brooder tried to avoid the sword desperately when it saw its attack falling, but unfortunately, its speed was far slower than Aleen whose main strength was speed. With a disgusting noise, the sword went through the monster¡¯s mouth until the back of its head. Aleen then waved his sword slightly, cutting the head of the monster and leaving the body fall to the ground. Unfortunately, it was just the beginning. ********SCREEEECHHHH!!!!********* Taking the death of their brother as a signal, the remaining brooders cried in fury and rushed towards the group fearlessly. In an instant, tens of monsters jumped to attack them. Thanks to the place where the group ubicated, no more than three monsters were able to attack them to the same time, but it only made things a bit easier. Without stopping, monster after monster waved their limbs and attacked with their claws trying to tear the three of them apart. Aleen concentrated on killing the monsters attacking them. Ignoring completely his defense and thrusting that Elvila will protect him from the monsters¡¯ attacks, Aleen simply thrust, slashed and sliced with his sword while making sure to not leave any monster pass. The monsters, however, were not intimidated by his attacks. They continued attacking in a frenzy, stepping in the bodies of their dead brothers and using them to reach until their enemies. Little by little, Aleen began to feel overwhelmed by the attacks. At that moment, Elvila began to attack. Using her gun-like weapon, she shot mana bullets towards the monsters attacking Aleen. Their shots were not lethal, but they were effective. For a moment, Aleen could not help but admire the precision and skill of Elvila¡¯s shots. Every bullet hit an enemy, and every bullet accomplished its purpose. Despite being unable to kill the monsters with her weapon, Elvila made use of the power behind the attack to destroy the rhythm and balance of the monsters she attacked. With each shot, a monster would lose its balance and run into one of its companions, reducing like that the pressure that Aleen was enduring. Sighing in relief, Aleen made use of Elvila¡¯s shots to kill another two level two monsters. But when Aleen was going to kill the third monster, a claw stopped his sword. With an expression of astonishment, Aleen looked towards his sword only to see another monster, this time a level three, stopping his attack with a claw. Chapter 51 – Between Hope and Despair (3) Aleen felt a shiver running through his back when he saw the monster. Aleen had already fought against a level three brooder before in the surface, but back then it was gravely injured by Caira¡¯s spell. This one, however, was completely fine, and Aleen did not have any doubt that it was stronger than him. He, however, was confident. Without hesitation, he retracted his sword and twisted his body slightly, parrying the attack from the level three brooder. Then, he put more mana into his sword and slashed again towards it. But when the sword was about to hit the monster, the brooder moved another claw and blocked the attack easily. Then, it thrust another claw towards Aleen¡¯s chest. The attack was too sudden for Aleen to react, but fortunately, Elvila¡¯s barrier defended him from harm. The monster, however, did not give up after its attack was stopped. Giving a growl of fury, it swung two more of its claws towards the barrier defending Aleen. The barrier was unable to endure the wave of attacks, and broke quickly under Aleen¡¯s stupefied look; but before the monster could cry in glee, Elvila moved her hand and created another barrier while shooting the level three monster with her gun. When it saw a new barrier appearing, the brooder screamed in fury and increased the rate of his attacks. Aleen tried to attack it while it was attacking, but the monster was able to parry each of his attacks easily. Meanwhile, more monsters began to close to the group taking advantage of the level three¡¯s attacks. Aleen could not help but bit his lips seeing it. He looked towards Ana briefly and saw her hesitating about using her skill. Aleen frowned his brows and shook his head slightly, indicating that it was not the moment. Ana¡¯s skill was very useful towards groups of enemies, so they could not afford to waste it against just a monster. Aleen, however, knew that they could not allow the level three¡¯s attacks to continue. Making his mind at that moment, Aleen concentrated in the rune inside his mind. With a thought, he willed his skill to activate. Lightning immediately coursed through his body furiously. Feeling the surroundings slow down, Aleen fixed his sight in the level three before him. Without hesitation, he twisted his sword slightly and avoided the monster¡¯s claws. Then, he stabbed towards the monster¡¯s face. At that moment, however, Aleen noticed something wrong. Through the slowed time, Aleen saw the eyes of the monster following the path of the sword. Aleen made an expression of astonishment, but gritted his teeth and continued with the attack despite it.If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. But when the sword was about to reach to the monster, it moved its body slightly. It was a small movement; slight enough that in normal circumstances, it would not have affected the outcome of the attack. But in this situation, this slight movement was enough to change completely the situation. *Clank* A metallic noise sounded. When the sword impacted the monster, instead of hitting its face, the attack ended impacting against the monster¡¯s carapace, creating small sparks due to the strength of the impact. Aleen felt his sword stopping completely when it hit the monster¡¯s defenses, unable to advance anymore. The monster faltered slightly due to the strength of the attack, but was otherwise uninjured. Aleen put an expression of surprise and stopped briefly due to the astonishment; but immediately recovered his composure and gritted his teeth again. Pumping more mana towards his skill, Aleen stepped slightly to a side and recovered his stance before thrusting once more with his sword. He made use of his slowed perception to aim the sword towards the place where the brooder¡¯s carapace was unable to reach; but unfortunately, the monster was already prepared against Aleen¡¯s incredible speed after the first attack; so, it extended a claw quickly towards the place where the sword was going to reach. *Clank* Another metallic noise sounded, and the sword was stopped once more. Aleen felt his thoughts stopping when he saw it. From the moment when he first acquired his skill, it was the first time he felt it was completely useless before an enemy. Even the level three super he faced in the first game was gravely injured when Aleen used the skill against him; but now, Aleen could not hurt the monster in the slightest despite attacking twice with the skill. Aleen felt his right hand trembling due to the impact of his sword, and he could see the mocking expression on the monster¡¯s face. His mind ran quickly searching for a solution, and his slowed thoughts tried to find a weakness he could exploit. Unfortunately, ¡®Lightning Rush¡¯ was a skill with a limited time of effect, and despite his perception of time being slowed, Aleen could not find an answer so quickly. Without more option, he gritted his teeth and decided to attack the monster''s face again. His body twisted slightly, and his sword once more was thrust forward. The monster noticed the high-speed attack, and despite its much slower speed, it made use of its stronger body to forcibly move another claw before its face and stop the attack. When Aleen saw it, he knew that his sword would be stopped again. He tried to change the path of his sword at the last moment, but his control over his skill wasn¡¯t good enough to make his sword bypass the monster¡¯s defense. Aleen¡¯s expression could not help but turn ugly. In this situation, the group could not afford to waste any of their skills. Moreover, if Aleen was unable to kill the level three brooder, their situation would turn worse, forcing Ana to use her skill to stun the enemy so they can kill it. But if she uses her skill now, then they will become unable to respond effectively against the attack of another high-level monster until their skills come out of cooldown. Without more option, Aleen put all his weight behind the attack and tried to force the sword through the monster¡¯s claw, while giving a furious cry. ¡°Haaaaah!¡± But at that moment, someone else acted. Concentrating her mana into her gun-like weapon, Elvila shot a mana bullet towards the claw blocking Aleen¡¯s sword. Elvila knew that such an attack would not hurt the monster, but she never intended to do it. When the bullet hit the claw, the strength behind the attack pushed it away from the path of the sword, leaving the monster undefended before Aleen¡¯s attack. Aleen was unable to react to the changes in the situation, but he did not need. His sword cut unimpeded towards the monster¡¯s face with extreme speed. An expression of fear appeared in the brooder¡¯s face, and it tried to move its head away from the path of the sword. Unfortunately, it was already too late. With an unpleasant noise, the sword went through the monster¡¯s eye and cut its brain, killing it instantly. When Aleen saw it, he put an expression of relief and exhaled softly. Chapter 52 – Between Hope and Despair (4) With a soft thud, the body of the level three brooder fell to the ground. Aleen felt the effects of his skill finishing and quickly jumped back towards the girls before more monsters could attack him. A brief headache and a feeling of exhaustion caused him to stagger slightly, but thanks to Elvila¡¯s barriers, the monsters were unable to exploit it to attack. Aleen quickly circulated his mana through his body to recover from the fight against the level three. Then, he looked again to the monsters attacking and sighed deeply. Despite not being injured during the fight, this was the most difficult battle that Aleen had until now. When he was fighting the level three, Aleen gave his all to kill it, and despite it, he was close to failing. If Elvila did not attack the monster when she did, Aleen was sure that his attack would have been unable to hurt the monster. ¡°You have to be more careful, Mr. Aleen.¡± He heard Elvila speaking from behind him. ¡°Never underestimate the monsters, even more, if their level is higher than you.¡± With a brief movement, she replaced the damaged barriers and made sure of keeping the monster at bay. She then moved her sight towards Aleen and continued speaking. ¡°Though your skill is very incredible, it¡¯s not almighty. A level two would find difficult to escape from it, but a level three is different. They are able to react to your incredible speed only through their enhanced senses; and even if they cannot evade the attack, they probably can find another method to block it. Besides, your skill has a very clear weakness.¡± Aleen turned serious when he heard it and looked towards Elvila with an expression of doubt. Seeing it, she shook his head and pointed to his sword. ¡°Your skill makes you very fast, but I noticed that it doesn¡¯t increase your attack power directly. The only reason because it was so effective until now is thanks to the kinetic force created by the speed of your body when the skill is active; but if a level three has enough time to defend against your attack, you will be unable to break through his defenses. ¡°Because of it, you must be careful when you use your skill; mainly against a level three. Every time that you use your skill, you must make sure that your enemy is unable to defend against it or that your attack power is enough to break through his defenses. Only like that can you make the greatest use of your skill.¡±If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. Aleen kept silent when he heard it, before nodding slightly. Now that he thought about it, Elvila was right. There was a reason because the strength was measured in levels through the dimensions; so, it was normal for a level three to be stronger than a level two. Until now, Aleen only fought level two monsters, or an injured level three; because it, Aleen had a mistaken idea about the strength of a level three. Fortunately, he was able to notice it now. Otherwise, such na?ve thought could have caused his death. Aleen shivered slightly when he thought about facing a level three without enough preparations and increased the strength on the hand holding his sword to calm down. Looking towards the monsters attacking Elvila¡¯s barriers, Aleen took a step forward and asked curiously. ¡°Miss Elvila, can you follow my movements when I use my skill?¡± Elvila smiled. ¡°I can follow them slightly, but I¡¯m unable to keep with your speed. Of course, if I want to defend against your attacks, I only need to create a barrier.¡± Aleen smiled wryly when he heard it and shook his head. Then, he began to fight again against the monsters. Behind him, Ana put a pondering expression when she heard their words. Different from Elvila, she was unable to perceive what happened when Aleen used his skill. To her, Aleen first became a bolt of lightning and then, the monster was already dead. Despite it, however, she understood that the fight against the level three was not so simple as she thought. With a worried expression, she concentrated in Aleen and did her best to follow the battles. Aleen continued parrying the attacks coming from the brooders while doing his best to prevent any monster from passing through him. At the same time, Elvila continued creating barriers around them; creating a new one every time that one was destroyed. But despite it, the space where they could move began to decrease. Aleen noticed that the rate at which the barriers were being destroyed began to catch up with the rate which Elvila created new ones. A grave expression appeared on his face when he noticed it. They had killed around ten monsters from the moment when the battle began, including one level three; but despite it, Aleen felt that the numbers of monster around them did not decrease in the slightest. Frowning deeply, he began to think about a way to get out from this situation. At that moment, Aleen saw another pair of monsters coming towards him. ¡°Two level three, huh?¡± Feeling the pressure coming from them, Aleen smiled resignedly and prepared to face the new danger. The two level three did not hesitate to jump towards Aleen and use their claws to destroy the mana barriers protecting him. Aleen felt the barrier shake for a moment due to the strength of the monsters. Without hesitation, he took a step forward and began to face them. Using his sword, Aleen stabbed towards the belly of a brooder. The monster used a claw to stop the attack while attacking Aleen with another, but Aleen ignored the monster¡¯s attack and put all his attention in attacking. With the recent experience, Aleen knew that a level three was a few times stronger than him; so, if he wanted to have an opportunity to win, he could only leave his defense to Elvila while he did his best to hurt the monsters. Chapter 53 – Between Hope and Despair (5) Despite his efforts, though, Aleen¡¯s attacks were useless against the two level three. He, on the other hand, continued receiving attacks nonstop without being able to evade them. At that moment, another level two jumped from behind the two level three and attacked him. Aleen was unable to defend against the attack, but Elvila¡¯s barrier stopped it again before finally shattering. ¡°Urgh¡­¡± With a grunt, Aleen tried to attack the level two, but one of the level three stopped the attack in its place before attacking towards the destroyed barrier. Elvila quickly deployed another one, but her expression began to turn a bit pale. ¡°I don¡¯t think I can endure much longer.¡± She said worriedly. ¡°Miss Ana, use your skill now!¡± ¡°Wait!¡± Shouted Aleen. ¡°My skill isn¡¯t out of cooldown. I need a few seconds more!¡± ¡°Hurry up!¡± Aleen gritted his teeth and continued attacking the monsters, but his attacks were every time less effective. Not just it, some level two began to make use of the level three as cover to launch their attacks. At that moment, Aleen got the feeling that his body could use his skill again. Immediately, he cried. ¡°Now!¡± Without hesitation, Ana took a step forward a appeared in front of Aleen. She looked to the monsters deeply and took a deep breath. An instant later, she screamed. ¡°GET LOST!¡± Immediately, a shockwave spread with her like the center. It impacted the two level three head-on and hit a few of the level two in the surroundings. Then, Aleen moved. Having used the same strategy before, Aleen moved exactly when Ana launched her skill. Taking a step forward, he made use of the slowed time to attack the monsters. Knowing that he could not allow the two level three to recover, Aleen immediately trusted his sword towards the head of the first one. With a step, he was already before the monster. And at the next instant, he was behind it. Without waiting for the second level three to react, Aleen put strength in his right foot and spun towards the second monster. Then, making use of the centrifuge force behind his movement, he slashed the second monster. At the next instant, the second level three brooder was beheaded. An exhilarating feeling filled Aleen¡¯s body, but he knew that he could not stop now. Knowing that he had to exploit this opportunity at the maximum, Aleen twisted his body once again and killed a third monster, and then a fourth. When the skill finished, five bodies laid behind him. A smile of satisfaction appeared on Aleen¡¯s face. This time, he felt that it was smoother when he tried to change of direction compared with before. Turning around, he looked towards Ana and Elvila and nodded briefly towards them. At that moment, however, he noticed an expression of panic on Elvila¡¯s face. But before he could understand the reason, he felt an impact on his back. ¡°Aleen!!!¡± Screamed Ana. His body flew back for a few meters, before crashing heavily against the wall.The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. Blood flowed from his mouth, and a strong feeling of pain filled him. Coughing a mouthful of blood, Aleen tried to move his eyes to see what attacked him. But when he saw it, a feeling of fear filled him. Aleen remembered seeing another monster like that. Yes, a monster that almost caused his death when he was traveling with D¡¯vina. A level four. With a body almost two meters tall, the level four stood imposingly while raising a claw to finish the bugs that attacked its nest. All the monsters in the surroundings retreated, paying respect towards one of the most powerful creatures inside the nest. The bloodlust coming from the level four filled the room, causing a sensation of dread in Aleen. Feeling the blood flowing from his back, Aleen understood that the only reason because he was alive was that Elvila¡¯s barrier took most of the impact. But despite it, Aleen was gravely injured. Elvila quickly created another barrier to replace the one that the monster destroyed, but it only took a swipe of the monster''s claw to destroy it. Without hesitation, Elvila recalled the barriers around her and Ana and deployed three barriers before the monster one after another, finally stopping its advance briefly. But it was only for a brief moment. Because at the next instant, the monster began to swing another claw, and another, and another. One by one, Elvila¡¯s barriers continued to be destroyed. At that moment, Ana ran towards Aleen with a tear-filled face. Quickly, she helped Aleen to stand up again while using her shirt to clean clumsily his wounds. Aleen inhaled deeply in pain and closed his eyes briefly. Then, he looked towards the monster destroying the barriers deployed by Elvila. Only five seconds had passed from the moment when the monster attacked, but Aleen could see that Elvila was not going to endure for much longer. ¡°Damn it, such bad luck.¡± With an ugly smile, Aleen picked up his sword from the ground and stood up shakily. ¡°Aleen! What are you doing!?¡± Looking up towards the exit, Aleen shook Ana¡¯s hand from his body and walked towards the place where Elvila and the level four were fighting. ¡°Stay behind.¡± He said softly to Ana without stopping his steps. ¡°And if you find a chance, run away.¡± Raising his sword, he slowly came close to the place where the barriers were being destroyed and looked to the level four deeply. The level four continued destroying the barriers, ignoring completely Aleen¡¯s presence. It, like Aleen, knew that he would be unable to change something. But despite it, Aleen moved his sword. Aleen tried to activate his skill again, but his body was unable to bear the strength of it. Aleen felt his body crying, and the rune in his mind resisting the activation of the skill. But Aleen insisted. He used all his willpower to activate the skill again, notwithstanding that it probably would be useless in this situation. Despite it, however, he insisted. Aleen was not prepared to give up; not now. ¡°HAHHHHHH!!!¡± With a cry of fury, Aleen jumped towards the level four and slashed with his sword. The monster, however, ignored his attack and continued concentrating on destroying the barriers. Aleen¡¯s sword hit the monster¡¯s skin, but it was unable to hurt the monster beyond leaving a small white mark. Aleen, however, continued waving his sword. Before long, though, the monster seemed to find Aleen an annoyance; because it used one of its claws to attack him. Fortunately, he was under the protection of Elvila¡¯s barrier. Noticing it, the monster growled furiously and continued destroying the barriers that Elvila created, faster than she could create a new one. Sweat flowed from Elvila¡¯s forehead and her expression turned pale. She could feel her mana diminishing slowly, but she was unable to activate her second skill to recuperate. She knew that if she stops paying attention to the barriers, even for an instant, the monster will break them and kill them all. So, without more option, she only could continue creating barriers. Her concentration began to fade, and she could feel that deploying new barriers was becoming harder and harder with every second, but she could not give up. At that moment, however, the monster cried. *Screeeeeech!!!!* With a cry of fury, a dim black light appeared in the monster¡¯s claws, and then, the monster swung its claws against the barriers. Instantly, the remaining barriers were destroyed. Elvila put an expression on astonishment but quickly tried to create another barrier. Unfortunately, when she mobilized her mana, a strong headache impacted. ¡°Urgh¡­¡± Elvila grabbed her head and tried to ignore the pain, but that moment was enough to the monster. In an instant, the monster was already before Elvila. Without hesitation, it raised its claw and was about to kill her; but then, Aleen sword appeared before it. ¡°DIE!!!!¡± With a cry of despair, Aleen used his sword to try to stop the monster attack and earn enough time for Elvila to recover. Unfortunately, he was too weak to stop an attack from a level four. With a wave of its claws, the monster clashed against Aleen¡¯s sword and threw him to the ground. Then, the monster raised its claw once again; only that this time, to finish Aleen. ¡®I¡¯m going to die¡­¡¯ With that thought, Aleen closed his eyes and waited for the pain to come. But after one second, the pain did not come. Opening his eyes, he looked towards the monster and saw its scythe-like claw impaling the body of a girl. Chapter 54 – Between Hope and Despair (6) ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± Aleen heard the girl speak. With a weak voice and tears in her eyes, Aleen saw how the girl used her, still useful, hand to grab the scythe-like claw of the monster. Aleen could not understand. Why did she stop the attack in his place? Why did she sacrifice her life for him? Seeing the tearful face of the girl, Aleen felt a strong pain in his heart, and his face contorted. But before he could speak, the monster retracted its claw. The girl, however, did not let go of it. Due to it, her body was brought together with the claw towards the monster''s mouth. Turning towards Aleen briefly, she smiled sadly and then looked to the monster again. Its face was big and ugly, and its jaws were opened like a spider, waiting to devour her. But before it could eat her body, she opened her mouth. Then, she screamed. And her skill was activated for the last time. Many things happened at that instant. Firstly, the monster was stunned briefly by Ana¡¯s skill. Despite being of a level much higher than her, the monster could not resist completely the stun when it received Ana¡¯s shout at point-blank. Secondly, the entrance of the nest was destroyed, and D¡¯vina, Caira, and Cir fell from the roof towards the center of the room together with the level five queen. Despite it, they were unable to reach them before the level four monster gets rid of the stun and kills Aleen and Elvila. And lastly, lightning appeared around Aleen. Maybe it was because Aleen had been trying to activate his skill desperately all this time, but it came out of cooldown a bit earlier than normal. When Elvila noticed it, she made one last bet and activated her second skill. At that moment, Aleen felt a great amount of mana flowing towards him, but he ignored it. He ignored the four level five falling from the entrance of the nest, and even the lightning coursing through his body.Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. At that moment, he only wanted to do something. ¡­ He wanted to kill this monster. So, when he saw Ana activating his skill, he instinctively took a step forward. ¡°Ahhhhhhhhhh!!!¡± His body moved a great speed, and he appeared before the monster in an instant. With all his strength, Aleen sent all the mana in his body and the surroundings inside his sword and thrust it forward. But at that moment, he saw the monster moving. Despite suffering from Ana¡¯s stun, the monster was able to react when facing Aleen¡¯s extreme speed. It was not enough to activate a skill or move its body away, but it could at least to use its mana to defend against Aleen''s attack. But despite it, Aleen continued thrusting his sword. He ignored everything, and his mind stopped thinking. The only thing in his mind was how to kill the monster before him. And the lighting inside him gave him the answer. At the instant when the sword touched the monster¡¯s eye, a thin barrier of mana appeared, but it only stopped the sword for an instant. Because at the next moment, all the lightning inside Aleen¡¯s body rushed towards the sword. Like a railgun, the great amount of lightning accelerated the sword to an impossible speed, creating a blinding light that illuminated the surroundings. It was a crude use of his skill, only possible due to the immense amount of mana granted to him by Elvila¡¯s second skill. But in this situation, it was more than enough. Before the monster could react, the sword of lightning went through its eye, and destroyed its brain, killing it instantly. A second later, the sound of thunder filled the room. When the light from the skill finally disappeared, Aleen stood before the monster with his hand extended. His face was expressionless, but filled with sadness, and the sword in his hand had disappeared. Before the people on the surroundings could understand what happened, the level four monster fell to the ground. Aleen finally reacted when he heard the sound of the monster collapsing. Quickly, he ran towards the claw that was impaling Ana. His body stumbled due to the lack of strength, but he ignored it and continued running. There, he saw her smiling softly. With blood flowing from her lips, Ana looked towards Aleen and opened her mouth. ¡°It was a beautiful light.¡± She said, so softly that Aleen found hard to heard her voice. Aleen only smiled back sadly. Looking to her body, he knew that she did not have any possibilities of surviving. The monster had crushed her heart completely and destroyed many of her internal organs. The only reason that she was still alive was thanks to her willpower. But even it was becoming to fade. Aleen came near her and lowered his body. Kneeling before her, he grabbed softly her hand and asked with a sad tone. ¡°¡­ Why did you do it?¡± Ana simply closed her eyes when she heard his question. Then, with the most beautiful smile that Aleen had always seen in his life, she looked towards the light coming from the destroyed entrance and spoke. ¡°You know, it feels like crap when you abandon someone¡­ I don¡¯t want to feel like that again¡­ I don''t want to leave behind the man that saved my life...¡± Aleen closed his eyes and bit his lips when he heard it. When he opened his eyes again, he heard Ana speak for the last time. ¡°... You know, I wanted to see my parents again¡­¡± And then, she fell silent forever. Ana was Aleen¡¯s first friend inside Dimensional Paradise. And she also was the first one that he saw die. During the entire time, Aleen did not shed even a tear. Chapter 55 – Between Hope and Despair (7) While Aleen was speaking with Ana, the combat against the level five was also coming to its end. Ciara¡¯s plan was pretty simple, but it depended on if they were able to find Elvila''s location. Fortunately, D¡¯vina noticed the sounds of battle coming from underground and told the group about it. Immediately, the three of them came to the conclusion that their assistants were fighting below the entrance, so they stopped preventing the level five queen from going to the nest and instead were after her, jumping inside the entrance to the place where Aleen and the others were fighting. And when they entered, they immediately saw Aleen¡¯s attack. Expressions of surprise appeared in their faces, but they immediately suppressed their curiosity and concentrated on facing the queen. Caira, meanwhile, called to Elvila with a shout. ¡°Elvila, I need that you use the blessing now!¡± Elvila was still astonished by the scene of Ana dying and Aleen killing the level four, but she recovered quickly when she heard Caira¡¯s voice. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, it¡¯s in cooldown!¡± ¡°How long you need to use it again!¡± Elvila hesitated slightly before speaking. ¡°Around five minutes!¡± ¡°Dammit!¡± With a displeased expression, Caira cursed softly and shouted towards the other two. ¡°Guys, we need to endure for another five minutes!¡± D¡¯vina frowned briefly when she heard it; then, she grabbed her greatsword and advanced towards the queen. ¡°Mr. Cir, help me to distract it. And miss mage, kill the remaining bugs in the room and take care of my assistant.¡± Caira furrowed her brows hearing D¡¯vina giving orders, but in the end, she nodded and created many small fireballs before throwing them towards the brooders still alive. Then, she looked towards Aleen who was kneeling before Ana¡¯s corpse and clicked her tongue. Meanwhile, D¡¯vina and Cir did their best to distract the queen and try to survive its attacks. Different from before, they concentrated completely in defending and dragging the time, but the queen was not smart enough to notice it. Instead, it continued attacking while trying to advance towards Aleen with an expression of fury.The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. Like that, five minutes passed. When Elvila finally was able to use her skill again, she shouted. ¡°It¡¯s ready!¡± ¡°What are you waiting then!?¡± Caira answered back. ¡°Use it on me!¡± The elf activated the skill on Caira without hesitation. A white glow appeared around her, and all the mana in the surroundings rushed to her body. For an instant, Caira felt a sensation of omnipotence. But as an experienced level five, she knew what she had to do. Immediately, she activated three spells at the same time. Her first, third and four spells were activated simultaneously. Immediately, the room was painted in a burning red. Hundred of fireballs appeared at the same time; but different from when she used the spell ''Heavens'' Fall'', this time, the fireballs did not fall to the ground. Instead, they combined in a gigantic ball of fire; then, all the heat inside the ball of fire was condensed and released in a ray of burning plasma. Combined Spell, ¡®Sun Rage¡¯. It was Caira¡¯s strongest attack and a spell that she only could use when boosted with Elvila¡¯s blessing and with a few seconds of preparation. When D¡¯vina and Cir saw the ray of fire descending, they quickly retreated. The queen, on the other hand, also tried to retreat; but unfortunately for it, Caira was not going to allow it. In an instant, it was consumed by the burning ray of fire. Desperately, the queen used all its mana to activate its defensive skill; but it only helped it to endure the attack for a few seconds more. Before long, the fire swallowed the queen completely. When the fire finally receded, the queen was lying in the ground powerlessly; gazing sadly to the bodies of its children that laid dead in the destroyed nest. Then, with a cry of sadness, it gave its last breath. A few minutes after the fight ended, D¡¯vina walked towards Aleen. After the death of Ana, Aleen stood kneeling beside her body for a few minutes. Then, he stood up and walked towards a rock in a corner and sat down. Currently, Caira, Cir, and Elvila were chasing after the remaining stragglers to complete the mission. Aleen chose not to go with them because he was too tired physically and mentally, and D¡¯vina decided to stay to accompany him. Sitting beside him, she put her greatsword on the ground and looked towards him. Then, with a sigh, she asked. ¡°How do you feel?¡± ¡°... Terrible.¡± Aleen answered with a weak smile. D¡¯vina only shook her head and looked up. Then, with a tone a bit warmer than normal, she began to ask. ¡°Now you understand my words? This was the reason because I was against you helping them.¡± Aleen kept silent. D¡¯vina closed her eyes and concentrated in feeling the slight wind blowing underground. ¡°This place is very cruel, boy; and you must understand it. Even I, a level five powerhouse, am unable to guarantee completely the safety of my assistant. It¡¯s normal if you are unable to protect someone. ¡°What is important, is that you never forget what you are feeling now. Remember the feeling of powerlessness you felt back then and struggle to leave the weak you behind. Train to become stronger, and so, when the time comes and you have to protect someone once again, you will be strong enough to not feel this powerlessness once more.¡± For a few seconds, Aleen did not answer to D¡¯vina¡¯s words. Despite it, however, D¡¯vina remained beside him silently. But when the AI inside his mind gave the notification that the game had ended and they were going to leave this place, he finally opened his mouth. ¡°¡­ Will you teach me?¡± D¡¯vina made a surprised expression for a moment; but then, she smiled thinly. ¡°I will.¡± ¡°Thank you, teacher.¡± Chapter 56 – The Raid Ends ¡®Congratulations on winning the game. Calculating your rewards¡­¡¯ ¡®Monsters killed: 184 Level one: 184 Points 28 Level two: 280 Points 4 Level three: 400 Points 1 Level four: 1000 Points Achievements: Participation: 10 Points (Points corresponding to level two) Killing a monster two levels higher: 100 Points Game results: Victory: 10 Points (Points corresponding to level two) Total Score: 1884 Points Reward: 1884 UDP Coins Your battlefield score has increased from 1.1 to 7.7¡¯ ¡®Please wait a moment¡­¡¯ When Aleen reacted again, he was in a dark place receiving the evaluation of his last game. Aleen remembered it from the last time, so he wasn¡¯t surprised. ¡®We have detected injuries in your body. Do you wish to use your coins to heal them? Yes. ¡®A moment please¡­¡¯ ¡®The cost of healing your injuries is 12 UDP coins. Do you wish to continue?¡¯ Yes. ¡®Understood. We are going to begin the procedure¡­¡¯ Immediately after it, he blanked again. ¡®Procedure complete. Please wait¡­¡¯ ¡®You will be sent to the game lobby.¡¯ ¡®Initiating transference in three, two, one¡­¡¯ Aleen felt his body floating briefly before hitting the ground. Opening his eyes, he was in the game hall. Different from the last time, his body did not feel sick after waking up, probably because he was a bit used to the feeling of teleportation. Aleen looked to the surroundings briefly after standing up. The familiar scenery of stars, planets and the sun appeared before him. Aleen could not hide his astonishment despite it being his second time seeing it.Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. Around him, he could see the four level five that participated in the mission, together with the level three elf, Elvila. Apparently, they woke up before him. Unfortunately, their presences did little to lift his mood. Aleen could not help but sigh sadly when he thought about all the humans and members of the races that died during the game. Shaking his head briefly, he got these thoughts out of his mind and looked to the information that the AI was showing in his mind. ¡®Name: Aleen Hamill. Level two human male. Age: 18 years old (Age calculated following the interdimensional calendar). Skills: 1. ¡®Lightning Rush¡¯. Money: 1872 UDP Coins.¡¯ Despite having seen the information during the evaluation, Aleen could not help but put a surprised and happy expression when he saw the amount of money he earned. ¡®At this rate, I will easily get the money that my sister needs.¡¯ But when he remembered the difficulties he went through to get this money, the expression of happiness faded from his face. After all, more than half of the money was gotten due to killing the level four, and Aleen knew that he was unable to repeat something like that. They only were able to kill the level four due to luck; and even with that, Ana ended sacrificing herself. Thinking about it, Aleen¡¯s expression turned gloomy. Smiling forcedly, Aleen shook his head to try to force these thoughts out of his head. With a small sigh, he walked towards D¡¯vina. ¡°Teacher.¡± He said softly. D¡¯vina opened her eyes slightly and looked towards him while speaking in her ice-cold tone. ¡°How much money you got, boy?¡± Aleen answered without hesitation. ¡°1872 Coins.¡± D¡¯vina was slightly impressed when she heard the amount. ¡°Pretty impressive for a level two. Very well, I will tell you the things that you will buy later.¡± Aleen put an expression of hesitation when heard D''vina''s words. He was planning to save the money for his sister''s cure, so he made his mind to tell her about it. ¡°There is something that I have to tell you, teacher.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± Quickly, he explained his circumstances and how he was thinking about saving the money. D¡¯vina furrowed her brows when she heard it. With a thoughtful expression, she asked Aleen. ¡°How much you need for your sister?¡± ¡°¡­ Around 9000 coins.¡± ¡°¡­ That is much money.¡± D¡¯vina¡¯s indifferent expression crumbled briefly when she heard Aleen¡¯s words. Shaking her head, she immediately refused Aleen''s opinion. ¡°I advise you against it, boy. It would be different if you only need three thousand or fewer coins, because you are already close to get that amount. But nine thousand... It''s not an amount that you can get easily. ¡°Though you got close to two thousand coins this time, it was mostly due to luck, and you almost lost your life. It¡¯s unwise to hope that you will count with the same luck next time. ¡°I think that it¡¯s better if you use the money to strengthen yourself as much as you can so you have better chances of surviving and leveling up. Once you become level three or level four, collecting nine thousand coins will not be something hard.¡± Aleen thought briefly about D¡¯vina suggestion and nodded his head. He couldn¡¯t deny that D¡¯vina¡¯s words were right; it was mostly due to luck that his rewards were so good this time. However, luck is something that changes quickly, and Aleen could not guarantee that he will continue being so lucky. ¡°What must I do then?¡± He asked with a serious expression. D¡¯vina nodded in approval when she saw that Aleen agreed to her words. Quickly, she named the things that Aleen needed to buy. ¡°You only need to pay attention to four things. Firstly, the body-enhancement drug for level two to increase the stats of your body; secondly, a storage device, it did not matter if it¡¯s small and cheap for now; and lastly, a sword and armor. I advise you to buy the most expensive sword and armor you can afford, but be careful of not buying something that you will find hard to use.¡± Aleen repeated the things that D¡¯vina mentioned in his mind briefly to remember them, he then nodded. ¡°I understand, teacher.¡± ¡°Very well. Now, give me your hand.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± With a confused expression, Aleen extended his right hand. D¡¯vina then extended hers and touched the bracelet on his wrist with her bracelet. At that moment, a window appeared in D¡¯vina¡¯s bracelet and some information was transferred from Aleen''s bracelet to hers. D¡¯vina nodded briefly when she saw it and explained to Aleen. ¡°I saved your dimensional code in my communicator. With it, I can contact you when we aren¡¯t in the games and I will be able to guide you with your training.¡± Aleen was surprised for a moment but quickly nodded in understating. He already knew that the bracelet in his wrist could communicate through dimensions, so he did not find it too surprising when he heard D¡¯vina¡¯s explanation. ¡°By the way.¡± D¡¯vina¡¯s slightly irritated voice sounded at that moment. ¡°Stop calling me teacher. It makes me feel old.¡± Aleen put a stupefied expression when he heard it. But quickly, he smiled. ¡°Then you stop calling me boy. I feel like a kid when you do.¡± D''vina smiled briefly and said. ¡°It¡¯s a deal.¡± Aleen could not help but think that a smile suited D¡¯vina very much. Chapter 57 – Information A few minutes later, Aleen appeared in a futuristic-looking office. When the gamemaster appeared, he did a short summary about what happened in the game and quickly sent Aleen and the others away. Aleen then was engulfed by a pillar of light and teleported to this place. Quickly, he looked to the surroundings and confirmed that he was sent to the same place as last time. Before he could continue observing, the metallic door behind him slid open and a beautiful woman entered the room. She was a dark-skinned human with short gray hair and gray eyes; Aleen remembered that she was called Leona. ¡°Congratulations on your victory, Mr. Aleen. You gave an excellent performance this time.¡± Aleen ignored her words and sat in the chair. Leone was not offended by his attitude and sat in front of him. ¡°Is there something that you want to ask?¡± Aleen put a pensive face for a moment before looking to Leona with a serious expression. ¡°Can I resuscitate someone that died inside a game?¡± Leona seemed to know that he was going to ask about it, because she did not hesitate to give an answer. ¡°The conditions for resurrection are very stringent. Firstly, the person you want resuscitate must have a strong enough soul, the equivalent to a level two super or higher; someone below it will be unable to endure the corrosion of the exterior world. ¡°Secondly, only someone who died recently can be resurrected, though it depends on how strong the dead is. A level five can endure for a day before his soul is unable to endure the corrosion, but a level two can endure at most one hour. ¡°Lastly, currently we can only resurrect people that died inside Dimensional Paradise. Dimensional Paradise was created using hundreds of different kinds of magic and technology, and tens of level six took part in its construction. It¡¯s able to collect the souls of the people that are killed inside and create an identical new body for them using cloning techniques, but it¡¯s only limited to inside it. Unfortunately, it is unable to do anything about the ones that die outside Dimensional Paradise.¡±This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. Aleen made a sad expression when he heard Leona¡¯s words. He understood that he could not resuscitate Ana. ¡°Do you want to know anything else?¡± She asked. Aleen shook his head slightly. ¡°Just show me the things that I can buy and send me home.¡± Leona nodded. ¡°I understand. But before that, there is a piece of information that I must give you.¡± Aleen only gestured her with his hands and urge her to continue while wearing a worn-out expression. ¡°The date for your first official game has been established. It¡¯s in a standard dimensional week, or around six days according to the calendar of your world.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± Aleen put a serious expression when he heard Leona¡¯s words. ¡°My first game? Why is it faster than last time?¡± ¡°You were a level one in your first game, and in the second you were miss D¡¯vina¡¯s assistant, so it could not be considered ¡®your¡¯ own game. The next game, however, will be prepared according to the capabilities that you have shown until now; so it can be considered your first ''official'' game. ¡°You can think of it like the first two games being part of the professional league and the next one being part of the junior league. Do you understand now?¡± Aleen processed Leona¡¯s words for a moment before nodding. ¡°As for the date of the game, it has been chosen based in miss D¡¯vina¡¯s schedule. The administration made sure of giving you enough time to rest between your game and miss D¡¯vina¡¯s next game.¡± Aleen put a confused expression when he heard it. ¡°I don¡¯t understand. If there are games designed to my level, why do I have to participate with D¡¯vina?¡± Leona organized her thoughts briefly before explaining. ¡°It¡¯s because you are miss D¡¯vina¡¯s assistant. Don¡¯t underestimate it; being the assistant of a level five is something that many people dream about. You were unlucky this time, but most assistants are pretty safe when they accompany their guides; it¡¯s because the guides generally made sure of protecting their assistants properly during the games. Moreover, many guides think of their assistants as a kind of apprentice, so they teach them many tricks and techniques, so their assistants can increase their strength and level more easily.¡± ¡°¡­ I see.¡± Aleen nodded after understating the meaning of Leona''s words. ¡°Very well, returning to the topic of your next game, I have a bit of bad news for you.¡± ¡°What happened?¡± Aleen put a wary expression when he heard Leona. Leona, on the other hand, hesitated slightly when she saw Aleen''s expression; but at the end, she explained with a business-like tone. ¡°¡­ You see, the degree of difficulty of the games is dependent on your score. It was designed like that so the participants can feel pressured constantly, and display their greatest potential. Unfortunately for you, you ended killing a level four monster this time, so your score increased a bit more than expected.¡± ¡°¡­ What do you mean?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, your score is still in the range of a level two; but it¡¯s near the standard of a level three; so, your mission this time will probably be a bit hard.¡± Aleen didn¡¯t know what expression to make when he heard Leona''s explanation. In the end, he simply sighed tiredly and indicated that he understood. Leona nodded when she saw it, and then she showed Aleen the catalog of products available. A few minutes later, Aleen finally left the room. Chapter 58 – Interlude: Meeting with a Level Six Inside a luxurious hall, a slightly overweight man was seated respectfully. The hall was enormous, filled with strange decorations and painted with a light metallic blue, giving to the place a pressuring feeling. Strangely, it seemed slightly off according to human esthetics; but it was normal considering the people inhabiting this place. Unfortunately, the man seated waiting wasn¡¯t in the mood to admire the beauty of the hall. He was too busy thinking about the words that he was going to speak later. At that moment, a blue-skinned man appeared. Though humanoid in appearance, he clearly was not human. Compared to humans, the man was around two meters tall and his face was squarer. A normal man would be frightened after seeing someone like that, but the overweight man waiting in the hall was already used to the aliens¡¯ appearance. So, when the blue-skinned man entered the hall, he simply stood up. ¡°Mr. Smith, His Supremacy has agreed to see you. Please follow me.¡± ¡°I understand.¡± Giving a respectful nod, Arnold Smith indicated his understanding and proceeded to follow the blue-skinned man. Currently, they were in Lars Island, a small island located in the South Atlantic Ocean. Not long ago, this island was territory of the Norway kingdom; but ten days ago, after the apparition of an interdimensional portal, this place became the territory of a group belonging to an interdimensional civilization. In the beginning, the governments around the world tried to use force to respond to the aliens¡¯ arrival; but it didn¡¯t take long for them to understand that earth''s power was way less than its invaders. Fortunately, the self-proclaimed Dran race did nothing to retaliate against the humans¡¯ attack. Instead, they sent a warning to the different governments of the world, explaining the reason for their arrival and their purpose in this place. Now, ten days later, Arnold Smith was here to speak with the leader of this foreigner race. Arnold followed the blue-skinned man for two minutes through a long corridor, before reaching to a gigantic door. The blue-skinned man then knocked on the door twice and spoke. ¡°His Supremacy, I¡¯m here with the guest.¡± ¡°Come in.¡± A voice answered from inside. Opening the door, the dran man made a gesture to Arnold, indicating him to continue in. ¡°His supremacy is waiting for you.¡± Then, when Arnold entered, he closed the door behind him. Arnold proceeded to walk inside and looked to the man in the center of the room.This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. Then, his breath stopped. A powerful pressure, incomparable to anything that he felt before, attacked him. He felt his body becoming heavy. Desperately, he tried to move, but each one of his nerves refused to answer; his body stood petrified in the middle of the room. For an instant, he wanted to scream, to run from this place and hide far away. But at the next moment, the pressure disappeared. Arnold panted heavily once the pressure vanished. His body was filled with sweat and his lips were bleeding slightly. For a moment, he was unable to understand what happened. But when he looked towards the man again, he understood that ¡®He¡¯ was definitively the origin. ¡®So, it was true¡­¡¯ Suppressing the fear inside him, Arnold took a breath and continued walking towards the man before bowing slightly. ¡°My name is Arnold Smith, and I¡¯m here as the representative of the ONU, to speak with the leader of the Dran race.¡± The man inside the room stayed silent after Arnold spoke. Like any other dran, this one was tall and blue-skinned; but different from the others, his body emitted a certain kind of pressure that was impossible to hide. Using his red eyes to look toward Arnold, the male dran used a dignified tone to speak. ¡°Speak, what do you want, human?¡± Arnold hesitated slightly and opened his mouth. ¡°We want to know the reason because you are here.¡± The man frowned deeply and answered with a displeased tone. ¡°Don¡¯t waste my time, human. We already explained the situation to each government. If you are here for it, then get lost.¡± ¡°You are right, Mr. Srive; but you must understand that there are many things that we are unable to understand. We are mainly worried about the things related to the level six.¡± At that moment, the powerful pressure from before returned. Arnold was unable to breath when the pressure reappeared. He looked towards the dran only to see him with an expression as if looking to an insect. Then, he heard him speaking with an ice-cold tone. ¡°Don¡¯t take me for a fool, human. I¡¯m sure that you have gotten information about Dimensional Paradise and the different levels already. ¡°Do you think that I will follow your customs only because I¡¯m on your planet? Or you think that because we did not retaliate against your attacks, you can take advantage of us?¡± Then, the pressure disappeared. Arnold coughed heavily when the level six dran retreated his pressure. Looking towards the man before him, he was unable to hide the expression of fear than appeared in his face. But in the end, Arnold was someone with enough capabilities as to be chosen to this task; so, after a few seconds, he calmed down. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Mr. Srive.¡± The blue-skinned man remained silent. Pausing for a moment, Arnold Smith took a breath a began to speak again. ¡°I have another question. Why are you kidnapping 1500 humans every week?¡± ¡°You also know the answer to it.¡± Arnold nodded briefly and continued speaking. "You are right. We learned that they are taken to a place that you call Dimensional Paradise, but my question is, how long are you going to continue doing it." "For ten years more or until a level six appears in your race." The level six answered calmly. This time, the expression in Arnold''s face faltered. Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath and made his mind to make the next question. "¡­ Do you know how many humans will die during the next ten years then? Around one million humans will perish if this situation continues during ten years!" Hearing it, the dran man took a deep look at the human before him and exhaled deeply. Then, with a merciless tone, he spoke. ¡°You probably did not understand, human. If your world is unable to produce a level six during the next ten years, then your people will become unable to decide how they are going to die. When that happens, the people that are still alive will wish to be dead.¡± When he heard it, a grave expression appeared in Arnold¡¯s face. Then, with a resigned tone, he asked. ¡°Then¡­ what do we have to do?¡± ¡°Do you want to hear my advice? Do everything in your power to create a level six before ten years.¡± Chapter 59 – Interlude: The Dream of a Trapped Bird Alice had a dream. Inside her dream, the world was crying. Thousand of lives died daily, and disasters hit on different parts of the earth. A monster, wearing blue skin, manipulated the strings of the world, laughing to the destruction he caused. A fiend made an expression of greed, wishing to devour all the life. A young man, of Asiatic descent, wielded a sword to banish hundreds of monsters that attacked the humans. A young woman, wearing a Buddhist kasaya, closed her eyes and used her mind to find the root of all evil; before commanding her brothers and sisters to vanquish it. A little boy used his body to stop a crumbling building, protecting the people inside and receiving the praises of everybody. A bolt of lightning protected the phoenix from foreigner invaders, and the phoenix gave him her heart, using her fires to consume everything that wants to do him harm. A girl and her cat ran through the streets of a city, escaping from their pursuers and searching comfort in the company of each other. The demon laughed while killing the heroes of men. The greedy man tried to manipulate the hero to do his bidding. And destruction befell to the world. When the dream finally finished, only the cries of the world could be heard. This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. When Alice opened her eyes, a white room appeared in her sight, Her sickly body was lying down in a clean bed with many intravenous needles to help her body to continue living. She had long blond hair, but it had lost its luster due to all the suffering she had lived through the years. At that moment, two men entered the room. The first one was a typical doctor, wearing a white coat and round glasses. He walked towards the devices showing Alice¡¯s state and began to write some things in his book. When he finished, he signaled the man behind him to enter. Different from the first man, the second one was wearing a black suit while putting a grave expression on his face. With a nod of understanding towards the doctor, he came before Alice and opened his mouth. ¡°How did it go, 1040? Were you successful?¡± Alice frowned when she heard how the man called her. ¡°I¡¯m not a number, Mr. Supervisor. My name is Alice.¡± ¡°We don¡¯t have time for it, 1040. Tell me what you saw.¡± The man said with a grave expression. Alice shook her head while wearing a smirking expression. Her green eyes seemed to rejoice in the man''s misfortune ¡°Unfortunately, I didn¡¯t. For some reason, I cannot see the fates of the people that acquired superpowers or the invaders in Lars Island.¡± When the man heard it, he fixed his gaze on Alice and deepened the tone of his voice. ¡°Are you sure, 1040? I think that you simply don¡¯t want to tell us what you saw in your visions.¡± Alice smirked. ¡°And why would I do something like that? At least when I speak, I can get a better treatment for a while. But if I lie, you will make me suffer more.¡± The man simply looked deeply to her for a few seconds; then, he turned around and walked out of the room followed by the doctor. ¡°I hope so, 1040. You will not earn anything from lying to us.¡± Alice simply smirked before coughing weakly. For a while, the room stayed silent. Then, after a few minutes, when she was sure that nobody was close, she spoke very softly. ¡°Finally, I can see the sun again.¡± Her green eyes twinkled of anticipation. Then, she closed her eyes with a smile on her face. The man and the doctor walked through the installations where Alice was held captive, after exiting the room. For a few seconds, neither of them said anything; instead, they wore thoughtful expressions and considered Alice¡¯s words. But then, the man who was called Mr. Supervisor by Alice, finally broke the silence. ¡°Keep an eye on her. I have the feeling that something is wrong.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡± Said the doctor with an expressionless face. ¡°If she knows something, I¡¯m sure that a few sessions of ¡®instruction¡¯ will be enough to get her to speak.¡± ¡°I hope so.¡± Said the supervisor with a brief nod. ¡°1040¡¯s predictions will be very useful in the current situation.¡± Chapter 60 – Interlude: The Birth of a Hero Okawa was a small rural town in Japan. As a small town famous for its farms and the quiet and peaceful environment, it was normal for the days to pass without anything interesting happening. Here, news about a theft could be a topic of conversation for weeks. It was so peaceful, that some of its inhabitants hoped for something to happen; so they can find something to distract themselves from their ordinary daily lives. Precisely because of it, the students from class 2-D of Okawa High School found it strange when two of their classmates failed to come to class. When the teacher at charge learned about it, he asked some of his students to visit the two siblings after class and lend them the notes about the day¡¯s lessons. So, when the bell ringed signaling the end of classes, most of the students belonging to 2-D decided to go together to visit the siblings and ask them about the reason for their absence. Tekoa Kei was between the students that went to visit the siblings. Between jokes and games, the group took around twenty minutes to reach the place where the siblings lived. It was a small farm, filled mainly with vegetables and some tubercles. It was located a bit away from the town, and not many people lived near here. The closest house was at least half a kilometer away. When the group of students reached the farm, they noticed something strange. ¡­ There wasn''t anyone around the farm. Normally, at this time of the day, it was normal for the siblings¡¯ parents to be outside the house, tending the farm and checking if something was wrong with the vegetables. ¡­ But they could not see any of them. Despite finding it strange, the group did not pay it much attention. They might have been inside the house due to some reason after all, or maybe they went to the town to buy something. So, the group simply decided to go inside and knock the door. But while they were walking, Tekoa Kei stopped walking suddenly while wearing a strange expression. Kazuki, one of his classmates and his best friend, saw it and walked towards him. In a concerned tone, he asked. ¡°Is anything wrong?¡± Kei did not answer immediately. He put a pensive expression and shook his head while smiling wryly. ¡°Nothing, I thought that I heard someone speaking to me. I¡¯m probably imagining things.¡± ¡°Is it so? What it said?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure.¡± He answered hesitantly. ¡°The voice was strange, as if coming from everywhere... If I''m not wrong, it said ''run''."A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. ¡°Run...? Pfff... Hahaha¡­ What is it? A horror movie!? Hahaha...¡± His friend laughed. Kei made a forced smile and shook his head. ¡°Don¡¯t laugh at me, I told you that it was just my imagination.¡± ¡°Hahahaha! I think that it¡¯s better if you stop seeing so much anime!¡± Kei ignored his friend and sighed tiredly. He then shook his head and ran briefly to catch up with the rest of his classmates. When they reached the door, one of the classmates extended his hand ready to knock it. But at that moment, the door opened alone. ¡°Huh? Is it open?¡± He said. ¡°What happened?¡± One of his classmates asked. ¡°I don¡¯t know. It was open when I tried to knock.¡± Kei frowned seeing it and gave a shout. ¡°Rei! Nana! Are you there!? We came to visit you!¡± But nobody answered. ¡°How strange¡­¡± Whispered a girl. The students finally noticed that something was wrong, and serious expressions appeared on their faces. Kei furrowed his brows and looked towards the interior of the house. ¡°Are we going inside?¡± Asked a male classmate. Kei hesitated briefly and signaled to his best friend before answering. ¡°Kazuki and I will go. The rest of you stay here in case something happens.¡± Seeing the other students agreeing, Kei signaled to his friend to follow him and walked inside the house. Slowly, they walked towards the living room while calling for the siblings. But when they advanced a few meters more, a strong smell assaulted them. The pair immediately changed their expressions. Though they were not experts in crimes, they knew that something was very wrong when the noticed the strong smell of blood coming from the living room. And when they entered the living room, their thoughts were confirmed. ¡­ Because the entire place was dyed in blood. The walls and floor were covered in blood, and human parts could be seen lying around. The place seemed like a scene from a horror movie. ¡°Ugh!¡± Frightened, the two friends suppressed their desire to throw up and left quickly. But before they could recover, they heard a cry. ¡°Ahhhhhhhhh!¡± The cry came from outside the house. The expression of the two turned ugly, but before they could go out and ask what was happening, more cries came from outside. ¡°AHhhhhhhhh!¡± ¡°RUN!!!¡± ¡°Help!!!¡± When they heard it, Kei and Kazuki were stunned in place. A feeling of fear-filled them and the scene inside the living room appeared in their minds again. Kei quickly suppressed the terror inside him and began to run outside to see what was happening. But at that moment, a voice sounded in his mind. ¡®RUN!¡¯ It was a strange voice, different from any voice he heard before. Kei got the feeling that the voice embodied the feelings of all the living beings around him. Shaking his head, he ignored it and continued running. Currently, he could not afford to think about it. Without hesitation, he opened the door and came outside the house. There, he saw it. A strange fox, at least two meters tall, was eating a human arm while stepping in the body of one of his classmates. And around it, three bodies more laid dead. An expression of fear appeared on his face. He could see some of his companions running away while others did his best to stay out of the fox¡¯s sight. Cries of help and sobs of pain filled his ears. Before he could react to the situation, the fox looked towards him. Kei then saw it. The pleasure in the beast¡¯s eyes, the hunger behind its gaze, the desire to entertain itself using the lives of his classmates. And at the next instant, the beast was before him. Kei instinctively jumped aside. Maybe due to good luck, he was able to evade the fox''s claws. The claws destroyed the place where he stood a second ago, and created a hole in the ground with the attack. Kei quickly stood up after evading the fox and grabbed a stick lying around. He then tried to run away from it. The beast, however, laughed to his clumsy attempt. With a growl of pleasure, it jumped again towards Kei. But at that moment, something changed. When Kei was about to give up and resigned himself to die, the voice from before returned. But this time, he understood clearly what was the source of it. The trees, plants and small animals around him were whispering. And he understood their words. ¡®Take our power¡­¡¯ They said. Kei felt the power of the world flowing through his body. A refreshing sensation filled him, and he got the feeling that the monster attacking him was not as strong as he thought before. So, following his instinct, he swung his stick. And then, a wave of light illuminated the surroundings. Chapter 61 – Interlude: The Girl and Her Cat ¡°Catch the thief! Don¡¯t let her go!¡± A girl ran through the streets of London. Her long silver hair waved with the wind while she did his best to escape from her pursuers. She was barefooted and wore tattered but clean clothes. It was obvious with just a glance that the girl did not have a place to call home. Her body was short, at most 1.65 meters tall, but it only helped her to leave behind the people chasing after her more easily. Her blue eyes did not show panic despite the shouts coming from the people in the surroundings; instead, she seemed sure and confident that she was going to escape. And her confidence was not unfounded. As if she were a cat, she moved deftly through the streets; making use of alleys, obstacles and the people around her to lose the people chasing after her. Moreover, she was fast. Her petite body moved at great speed, and quickly, she left the men chasing after her far behind. ¡°Damn! How is she so fast!¡± ¡°It¡¯s not the first time that she steals something! We have to catch her this time!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t let her escape! Hurry up!¡± Hearing the shouts of rage coming from behind her, she let out a brief smile before her face returned to one of indifference. Then, after running for five minutes, she finally came to her hideout. It was an abandoned building, located on the outskirts of the city. Long ago, this place was filled with beggars and homeless people, but they all were chased out by the police fiercely and from then, nobody else dared to come here. Fortunately, the girl was smart enough to escape when she noticed something wrong and waited until the moment when the cops left to return. She thought that the beggars would return a few days after the cops left; but to her surprise, they failed to return. From then, she had been living here alone. The girl, however, did not care about living alone. Instead, she found it convenient. After all, the first thing that she learned when she left the orphanage, is that you can¡¯t trust anyone on the streets. For her, being alone was better.If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡­ Or almost alone. ¡°Lily? I brought food!¡± With a soft voice, the girl shouted to the surroundings and called the companion that had been with her from the day when she left the orphanage. But nobody answered. Worried, she began to search around the building. ¡°Lily? Where are you, Lily?¡± Walking through the old corridors, the girl searched for her partner carefully despite the lack of light. At that moment, she heard a sound behind her. ¡°Meow!¡± ¡°Ack!¡± With a cry of surprise, the girl spun around quickly and found a beautiful silver cat seated behind while it licked its paw. ¡°Lily! Don¡¯t scare me!¡± ¡°Meow!¡± ¡°I¡¯m not easy to surprise! It¡¯s you who is hard to find!¡± ¡°Meow?¡± ¡°No. It¡¯s not because I¡¯m a human and you are a cat¡­¡± ¡°Meow? Meow!¡± ¡°Sigh¡­ No, humans are not stupid¡­¡± Shaking her head, she grabbed the silver cat on her arms and carried it towards her room. ¡°I was lucky this time Lily. Look all the things I got... bread, milk, fruits, cat food¡­ Yes, it¡¯s the one that you like. I was lucky that the shop owner was distracted for a moment.¡± ¡°Meow!¡± ¡°Yeah, you can eat all that you want.¡± With a small smile, she took a plate from an old cabinet and cleaned it with a bit of water that she got in the city. Then, she opened the bag of cat food and filled the plate with it. Then, without waiting for the cat to begin eating, she took a piece of bread from the things she stole and put it in her mouth. When the girl escaped from the orphanage, she found that living alone was not so easy as she thought. Many people carried bad intentions towards her, and if not because she always was wary towards strangers, she would have been buried long ago. Back then, the lack of food made her think about returning to the orphanage, but she didn¡¯t want to return to that accursed place. Without any idea about what to do, she began to cry. And while she was crying, Lily appeared. Lily was just a small cat when the girl first saw it. It had been abandoned by its mother recently and had spent one day without eating anything. So, when the little cat heard someone crying, it instinctively was attracted towards the sound. There, it saw a girl. In the beginning, the girl did not take notice of the cat, but when it let a soft meow, she moved her gaze towards it. With her eyes filled with tears, she gazed to the small ball of silver fur fixedly. Then, with a soft movement, she took it in her arms. ¡°You also were abandoned, little thing?¡± Perhaps because the color of its fur was the same as her hair, the young girl took a liking to the cat from the first time when she saw it. So, she decided to raise it. It was hard at the beginning, and the girl sometimes was unable to find food for herself or the cat; but despite it, she insisted. The cat was her only friend, and she made sure that it had always something to eat. She made her best to protect it, even when a beggar tried to kill it to make a soup. And now, four years later, it continued being her only friend. The kitty from back then became a beautiful cat, and the little crybaby became a strong young woman. Looking towards the cat, she finished eating her bread quickly and stretched out her body to relax her muscles. Then, she walked towards an old couch in a corner of the room and lied down with a yawn. When the silver cat saw it, it ran quickly and jumped on the couch. Lying down beside the girl, it meowed softly and closed its eyes. ¡°Goodnight, Lily.¡± The girl said gently. ¡°Meow¡­¡± Closing her eyes, the girl patted Lily''s head twice and put a small smile. In her chest, a small heart-shaped pendant shone softly. In it, something was carved. A&A. Aya, it was the girl¡¯s name. Chapter 62 – Interlude: Eternal Flame (1) The Nevado Del Ruiz, located in Colombia, is considered one of the most dangerous active volcanos on the world, being responsible for some of the worst tragedies caused by volcanos through history. Because of its active state, the access to the mountain is restricted to only authorized personal, and it¡¯s constantly monitored to avoid the repetition of a tragedy. Today, however, a group of unexpected visitors was standing before the peak of the mountain nonchalantly. It was a group of blue-skinned people, each around two meters tall, dressed in strange futuristic clothes. They were observing the volcano using some strange devices to analyze something in it. While a group of drans tried to analyze the information showed by the devices, another two of them were standing at the crater of the volcano, speaking with serious expressions. ¡°Are you sure about it, Lnio?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure, his supremacy. The data shows that there is at least an eighty percent of certainty that something is living inside the volcano.¡± ¡°Hmm, Interesting¡­ What do you think it is?¡± The dran in charge of this mission, Lnio, thought for a moment before answering to the level six. ¡°There are various possibilities, the most possible being a kind of unknown creature that feeds of thermic energy, so I cannot be sure about the source of the signals. However, I have a theory about it¡­¡± ¡°Oh?¡± ¡°Sir, if my guess is right, then the thing living inside the volcano is probably an ¡®Eternal Element¡¯.¡± Immediately, a serious expression appeared on the level six¡¯s face. ¡°Are you sure?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not, sir.¡± Lnio shook his head. ¡°But the behavior of the creature inside is the same as some records about ¡®Eternal Flames¡¯.¡± The level six dran, Kdon Srive, put a thoughtful expression when he heard it while using a hand to scratch his chin. ¡°I see¡­ Certainly, the possibility of finding an eternal element is more than enough for me to come here. Who would have expected that a world completely lacking in mana like this would give birth to something like that?¡± Directing his gaze towards the lava below, the level six took a step forward.If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. ¡°It¡¯s better if I investigate it as soon as possible. Lnio, make sure that nobody else learns about it!¡± ¡°I understand, his supremacy.¡± Kdon gave a brief nod of approval; then, he jumped towards the lava without hesitation. His body fell directly in the pool of burning magma; but before the lava could touch his skin, a small forcefield enveloped his body completely, isolating him from the extreme temperatures outside. Once his body fell in the lava, he did not hesitate and began to swing downwards, using his frightening amount of mana to move his body quickly. His vision was completely dyed in a burning read, and Kdon was unable to use his eyes to acquire information from around him, but it did little to hinder the powerful senses of a level six. With a thought, waves of mana spread out with him as the center and analyzed the surroundings, before returning to the level six bringing the information back. Like that, he continued advancing through while searching for the location where his subordinates found the anomaly. Before long, he reached the place where the life signal was detected. The level six stopped when he reached this place and closed his eyes. He tried to use his powerful senses to find a source of mana in the lava. His subordinates were able to use mana detectors to find the creature from the surface, so it should not be too hard to find it through his senses now that he is close to it. Like that, the level six kept quiet for five minutes. Suddenly, he opened his eyes. ¡°I found you.¡± With an expression of excitement, the man moved his sight towards a place not far from his position and resumed advancing. Quickly, a creature appeared before him. It was a very beautiful being of fire, shaped like a bird, and with very small size; at most thirty centimeters. Kdon could not hide his surprise and astonishment when he saw the beautiful creature. ¡°Sigh¡­ Nobody can beat mother nature when it comes to creating beautiful things." ¡°Chirp?¡± The burning bird made a curious sound when it noticed the man. Then, it began to chirp excitedly. It was its first time seeing another living being besides itself; so the bird could not help but began to cry happily when it saw the man. The little bird of fire began to sing and swim around the man happily. Feeling the enormous amount of energy inside the bird, the man sighed once more. Then, an expression of excitement appeared on his face. Extending his hand, he sent a wave of mana gently towards the bird. ¡°Come here, little thing.¡± ¡°Chirp!¡± The little bird of fire cried excitedly and moved its wings. It swam towards the hand of the level six, but before he could grab it, it quickly flew away. ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Chirp!¡± Kdon frowned briefly when it saw the bird running away happily. Quickly, he sent another wave of mana, hoping to attract the bird to his hand and catch it easily. ¡°Come here, come here¡­¡± However, the bird ignored him. Instead, it began to swim around while singing and chirping without stop. Sometimes, it swam near Kdon, but always that he tried to grab it, it would fly away without hesitation. Evidently, the bird''s excitement wasn''t enough to eliminate its wariness towards the unknown creature. It could feel that the level six was very powerful, so it would not risk its life allowing itself to be grabbed. Kdon frowned when he saw It; but quickly, he shook his head in resignation. ¡°It looks like you will not come for yourself huh¡­ Well, I don¡¯t mind if I have to catch you!¡± And with that as the signal, he created a powerful forcefield. Chapter 63 – Interlude: Eternal Flame (2) The firebird immediately noticed that something was wrong. With a flap of its wings, it quickly tried to fly away. Its body moved through the flames freely like a fish on the water, but when it was about to escape from the level six, its body crashed against something. ¡°Chirp!?¡± The firebird cried in shock before the unexpected situation. It then tried to escape again from another direction, but its body crashed against something once more. ¡°Do you think you can escape from me, little bird?¡± The level six smiled confidently while looking towards the bird of fire. He then raised his right hand and snapped his fingers softly. *Snap* Immediately, a transformation occurred in the sea of lava. All the lava around the man began to flow outside. In a few seconds, the lava five kilometers around the man disappeared, creating a zone free of burning fire. An expression of astonishment appeared on the bird¡¯s face when it saw it. As an eternal element, born from the burning magma flowing out from the earth¡¯s core, it was the first time that it saw a place without fire. The bird instinctively tried to return to the sea of fire, but he crashed against something every time he tried to escape. Unable to understand, it looked towards the other creature nearby. The man looked towards the bird with a teasing smile and explained. ¡°Nice skill, right? I call it ¡®Divine Territory: Force¡¯. It allows me to create a forcefield where I can impose my own rules. Of course, I cannot create something outrageous like a sure-death zone or anything too powerful; but there is no problem if I just want to get the lava out of my domain.¡± The bird tilted its head unable to understand his words. Despite it, however, it understood that the man was the cause of this situation; so it charged towards him without hesitation. ¡°Chirpppppp!¡± With a cry of rage, a sea of fire was unleashed with it as the center. The temperature inside the force field rose beyond 5000¡ãC, and the flames flew towards the blue-skinned man fiercely. ¡°Hou¡­¡± The man continued to smile confidently and raised his hand. Instantly. Another forcefield appeared before him, stopping the bird¡¯s attack easily. ¡°Such high temperatures¡­ How expected from an eternal flame.¡± Raising the corners of his mouth upwards, the man then waved his hand, throwing the flames towards the lava outside. The bird made a surprised expression when it saw the man blocking his attack easily, but it continued attacking regardless of it. With another flap of its wings, more flames were created around the bird. A great amount of energy was liberated from the bird and feed to the flames. The flames increased in temperature even more than before, surpassing quickly the 7000¡ãC and taking a whitish color. Unfortunately, it was not enough to hurt the man. Simply waving his hand, forcefield after forcefield appeared, negating each attack from the bird and cornering it little by little. Before long, the bird noticed that the space where it could move was being drastically reduced.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. ¡°Chirp!!!¡± With a cry of rage, it tried to call the flames in the surroundings to attack the man; however, the lava was being kept far from the bird for a forcefield. At that moment, the bird finally understood that it was in trouble. It gave another cry of fury and attacked again the forcefield hindering its escape, but it only shook slightly without showing a sign of collapsing. Despair began to appear on the bird¡¯s face. Its movements became more frantic and it attacked crazily the surroundings searching for a way out from this situation. Unfortunately, none of its attacks were successful. The level six simply looked to the situation with a smile without doing anything beyond moving his hands. He seemed confident that the bird would be unable to escape. ¡°How incredible¡­¡± He said with an expression of amazement. ¡°To think that its attacks can attain the bare minimum standard of a level six. Fortunately, my skills are very suited to fight against it; otherwise, even I would have trouble capturing it.¡± The man clicked his tongue when he thought about the possibility of being defeated by a bird. Shaking his head, he concentrated on keeping the bird trapped and waiting for it to waste more of its energy. Before long, the bird¡¯s attacks began to weaken, and the power of its flames slowly fell. The bird became even more frantic when it noticed it. It began to cry in sadness and despair while looking to the level six as if begging for him to leave it to escape. But it was impossible for the level six to let the bird go. When he noticed that the power behind the bird¡¯s attacks decreased, he extended one of his hands slowly and clenched it. Immediately, a small forcefield appeared around the bird. The bird tried to escape from the entrapment, but the man''s skill was faster. He manipulates his mana and willed the forcefield to reduce its size. Then, he used his mind to pull the bird towards him. But when he was going to grab the bird, something happened. *RUMBLE!!!* Without warning, a powerful earthquake happened. The lava around the forcefield began to move with ferocity, and some rocks crashed against heavily the barrier. Before the man could react to the situation, a gigantic rock was shot from the deeps of the sea of burning magma at great speed. The rock flew right towards the forcefield, crashing against it and destroying the barrier instantly. ¡°Dammit!¡± The man cursed in irritation and tried to create another force field. But at that moment, the lava in the surroundings flowed furiously towards him. At the same time, the rock that crashed against the forcefield exploded in thousands of pieces. And casually, a fragment from the rock destroyed the forcefield trapping the bird. *Chirp!!!* With a cry of happiness, the bird quickly expanded its wings and flew from the forcefield towards the deeps of the lava. ¡°Oh no! You will not escape!¡± With a cry of rage, the man created a forcefield in the path of the bird, obstructing its way. The bird reacted immediately and changed its course in the opposite direction. The level six tried to create another forcefield, but an explosion of lava forced him to defend, allowing the bird enough time to escape upwards. ¡°Dammit!¡± Enraged, the man tried to chase after the bird, but more eruptions of lava and explosions of rocks blocked him. When it finally ended, the bird already was gone. Unresigned, he quickly chased after the bird. In a few minutes, he flew outside the volcano. When he reached to the surface, he found the Nevado Del Ruiz covered in lava and ashes. Before he could understand what was happening, his subordinate, Lnio, flew towards him using a strange vehicle. ¡°His supremacy, what happened!? I saw a bird of flame flying out from the volcano!¡± Kdon Sriva put an unsightly expression and replied. ¡°It was the eternal element! It escaped when I was trying to catch it!¡± An astonished expression appeared on his subordinate''s face. ¡°Impossible! It was able to escape from his supremacy!?¡± ¡°It was the will of the world!¡± Kdon said grinding his teeth. ¡°It interfered when I was about to catch it!¡± ¡°The will of the world!? Do you mean¡­¡± ¡°Yes, I didn¡¯t expect that this world was able to form a will. I felt it clearly when I was trying to catch the bird.¡± A serious expression appeared on Lnio¡¯s face. Closing his eyes, he thought about the implications of his leader''s words. ¡°But if this world has a will, then¡­ Will a hero appear?¡± The level six fell silent when he thought about it. Giving a sigh, he shook his head and replied. ¡°This is not the moment to think about it... Lnio! I need that you use all our capabilities to find where the eternal flame is! Once you find it, tell me its location immediately! We cannot allow it to get a host!¡± ¡°I understand, master¡­ But what happens if it gets a host?¡± ¡°Then, we think of a method to eliminate him.¡± Chapter 64 – Unexpected Visitors (1) ¡°Wake up, brother! You have college in the afternoon!¡± ¡°Mmm¡­¡± Stifling a yawn, Aleen struggled to wake up and stretched his body slowly. He stood up and did a circulation with his mana to eliminate his sleepiness; he learned while training that circulating his mana not only helps to relieve fatigue, but also is good to increase his concentration and remove sleepiness. Cleaning his mouth quickly, he wore a shirt and went down to the first floor. There, he found Claire lying on a sofa while playing with a bracelet on her wrist. ¡°I prepared breakfast.¡± She said, without moving his gaze from the device Aleen bought her. Aleen shook his head when he saw it before smiling and going to the kitchen. ¡°How long have you been playing with it, Claire?¡± ¡°Uh? Oh¡­ I think I did not sleep last night.¡± *Clang!* ¡°Mmm? Something happened, brother?¡± ¡°Nothing.¡± Aleen sighed exasperatedly while picking up the spoon that fell to the floor. ¡°Now, stop playing with that thing already!¡± ¡°Sorry sorry¡­ It¡¯s just that it is very amazing. I cannot believe that something like this exists...¡± ¡°Yeah, but that is not a reason to not go to bed¡­¡± With another tired sigh, he carried his breakfast to a table and sat to eat. Claire obeyed Aleen and stopped playing with her bracelet. She then stood up from the sofa and walked towards the table where Aleen was seated before sitting down beside him. Putting a serious expression, she asked. ¡°Are you going to tell me what happened in the game now?¡± Aleen fell silent momentarily before nodding briefly. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I will tell you.¡± When Aleen returned yesterday, it had been eight hours from the moment when he left to the game. Aleen did not found it strange, because he felt that this game lasted longer than the first; Claire, however, entered on panic when six hours passed and her brother was not back yet, and thought that something happened to him. So, when he finally returned, she found it hard to stop her tears from flowing while hugging him. Aleen simply hugged her back and patted her head softly to console her. But when she asked him about the things that happened during the game, Aleen simply shook his head and told her that he was going to rest first. He then slept deeply until ten o¡¯clock in the morning when Claire woke him up. Aleen could felt that his mind was much clearer after sleeping through the night. After all, despite being completely healed when the game finished, and being able to relive his fatigue through the circulation of mana, he couldn¡¯t do anything about his mental fatigue.Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. Now that he slept, he found easier to tell Claire about the things he went through this time. Organizing his thoughts, he spoke to her about everything without hiding anything, only pausing to eat or remember some details. Claire did not interrupt him through the story, but the different expressions on her face gave away her thoughts. When Aleen finished speaking, she could not find words to speak to him. In the end, she simply stood up from her chair and walked towards Aleen before hugging him strongly. ¡°It must have been hard.¡± Aleen smiled wryly and patted her head. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Claire. I¡¯m not so weak as to need the comfort of a little girl." ¡°I¡¯m not little, stupid brother.¡± With a small pout, she pinched Aleen¡¯s waist strongly and returned to her seat. Aleen simply laughed to it; after all, his enhanced body could not feel pain before such ¡®low-level attack¡¯. Of course, Aleen did not say it to his sister; let she finds a more effective method to show her displeasure. Shaking his head to his sister antics, he finished his breakfast and went to wash the dishes. ¡°What are you going to do now, brother?¡± Claire asked. ¡°¡­ I¡¯m not sure.¡± Replied Aleen after thinking for a moment. ¡°For now, I will concentrate on training my skills. I also acquired some other books about mana, skills, and general knowledge across the dimensions; I will read them when I had free time. ¡°Unfortunately, I didn¡¯t have a place to practice my skills freely. I can continue practicing in the forest, but I risk being discovered sooner or later if I continue doing it.¡± ¡°Mm. You are right. It¡¯s better if we find another place soon.¡± Aleen nodded in acknowledgment. He then looked down to his hands cleaning the dishes and hesitated for a moment before speaking to Claire again. ¡°¡­ There is something that I have to tell you, Claire.¡± ¡°¡­ What is it?¡± Aleen did not answer immediately. Instead, he finished cleaning the dishes and turned around, looking towards Claire seriously. ¡°I thought about it and decided that it¡¯s better if I stop going to college.¡± ¡°Wha!!?? But brother! Your degree¨C ¡± ¡°I made my mind.¡± Aleen interrupted her firmly. ¡°I¡¯m going to submit my resignation letter in the afternoon.¡± Claire opened and closed her mouth repeatedly when she heard his words, unable to find anything to say. Aleen sighed when he saw it and explained the reason behind his choice. ¡°It¡¯s obvious that the times are changing, Claire; and I¡¯m in the middle of the changes. To be honest, I¡¯m not confident of surviving for long without putting everything at stake to become stronger.¡± Looking up, he observed the light coming out from the light bulb and continued speaking. ¡°You see, from the moment when the last game ended, I cannot shake the feeling that if I would''ve been able to endure for another twenty seconds, no, ten seconds; everything would have been different and Ana still would be alive.¡± Claire was unable to speak when she heard those words. Though she heard the story from Aleen and knew about the things that happened in the game, Claire understood that the death of Ana changed something on Aleen; something that she was unable to understand. For a moment, a feeling of fear invaded her. She got the sensation that, despite her brother standing here, before her, he was in a place far, far away. Will their relationship be the same after five games? What about ten games later? Claire was very smart, and she figured out quickly that the games were going to become a barrier that will separate the two siblings slowly. Unfortunately, there was nothing that she could do stop the games. Biting his lips, she lowered her gaze to the ground. An instant later, she looked up to her brother once more, this time with a small, and a bit forced, smile on her face. ¡°Very well, brother! If you think that it¡¯s the right choice, then I will support you!¡± So, the only thing that she could do, was to support Aleen completely and heal his soul every time that he comes back. With a relieved smile, Aleen patted Claire''s head. ¡°Thanks.¡± At that moment, the doorbell of the house rang. ¡°Huh? Were we expecting someone?¡± Aleen asked Claire. She tilted her head slightly. ¡°Not that I remember.¡± Suppressing his curiosity, Aleen walked towards the door and opened it slightly. ¡°Yes, how can I help you?¡± A pair of men were standing before the slightly opened door. They were wearing black coats, and their expressions were grave. With a firm tone, one of them spoke. ¡°Is Mr. Aleen here? We are from national security, and we need toask you some questions.¡± Chapter 65 – Unexpected Visitors (2) ¡°Mr. Aleen? We are from National Security, and we need to ask you some questions.¡± Aleen made a surprised expression when he heard the man''s words, but he quickly calmed down. ¡°Something happened?¡± He asked while frowning. ¡°We are investigating a case, and need to ask you some things. Can we go in?¡± The first man replied. Aleen hesitated slightly before opening the door. The only thing he had to hide was the information relevant to Dimensional Paradise, but they could not know about it, so he did not fear to be asked something. But when the two men were going to enter, he stopped them and extended his hand. ¡°How do I know if you truly are from the government? Can I see your IDs?¡± ¡°There is no problem.¡± Smiled one of the men. ¡°Here, take it. It¡¯s my ID and it¡¯s my badge.¡± Aleen took the badge and observed it detailed. It looks real, Aleen thought before returning it to the man. ¡°I¡¯m sorry about it. I heard that some people lie, saying that they are from the government, to enter someone¡¯s home and then rob them, so I must be careful.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, it¡¯s good that you are so wary.¡± Aleen nodded and allowed them to go in. Once inside, he pointed to the sofa and spoke. ¡°Sit down, please. I¡¯m going to get you something to drink.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay, we don¡¯t need it. We are just going to ask some questions and leave quickly, so you don¡¯t need to bother.¡± ¡°Very well.¡± Aleen nodded and sat in front of the two agents. At that moment, Claire came out from the kitchen and looked towards the two men curiously. ¡°Who are them, brother?¡± ¡°From national security. They said that they are going to ask some questions.¡± The expression of Claire turned to one of doubt. ¡°Something happened?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, young miss.¡± Interrupted one of the men. ¡°We only need to know some information and then we will leave.¡± ¡°That is good.¡± Claire sighed in relief. ¡°Why don¡¯t you sit beside your brother, miss? You can help us to corroborate some things after all.¡± Claire put a surprised expression but quickly nodded and sat beside Aleen. Seeing it, the man took a notebook and opened it. With a serious tone, he introduced himself. ¡°My name is Alexander Wilson and he is my partner, Charles Willian. We are here to investigate a case, and there is the possibility of Mr. Aleen being related.¡± Aleen expression turned serious. ¡°A case? I don¡¯t remember being involved in anything strange lately.¡±Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. The agent Wilson smiled reassuringly to Aleen. ¡°We are not accusing you from anything, Mr. Aleen. We only need to get some information from you.¡± Taking a pen from a pocket inside his coat, he began. ¡°Where were you in the morning eleven days ago?¡± When Aleen heard the question, he immediately confirmed that the men were investigating about Dimensional Paradise. Aleen could not help but become surprised by seeing the government''s speed of reaction. To think that they, not only began to investigate about Dimensional Paradise so quickly, but also narrowed him as one of the suspects of participating in the game. From the man¡¯s question, it was obvious that they took him as a suspect due to his disappearance eleven days ago. Aleen remembered that, back then, Claire asked the neighbors if they knew something about his whereabouts. What frightened Aleen, though, was that Claire never reported it to the police. How did the government learn about his disappearance then? Fortunately, Aleen already suspected that something was wrong from the moment when he learned that they were from National Security, so he already had an answer prepared. ¡°Eleven days ago? I think that I was in the forest at the outskirts of the city that day. Why?¡± ¡°The forest?¡± The two agents made obvious expressions of doubt. ¡°What were you doing there, Mr. Aleen?¡± Aleen feigned an awkward expression and replied. ¡°I was planning to take my sister on a picnic, so I was searching for a good place to go.¡± Agent Wilson frowned deeply. ¡°¡­ Is there someone that can testify to your words.¡± Aleen put a thoughtful expression and remained silent for a moment. After a few seconds, he replied. ¡°¡­ I don¡¯t remember seeing anyone I know when I was going to the forest the first time; but our neighbor, Mrs. Claudia, saw us when we went to the picnic a week ago.¡± The two agents looked at each other when they heard it. Agent Wilson then looked towards Claire and asked. ¡°Is that right, miss Claire?¡± ¡°Yeah, Mr. officer. Brother told me that he went to a search for a place for the picnic and took me there a week ago. I can confirm it.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± The agent put a thoughtful expression and wrote something in his notebook. He then sighed and stood up from his seat, followed by his companion. ¡°Very well, Mr. Aleen, miss Claire. Many thanks for your time.¡± ¡°Is it all?¡± Aleen asked. ¡°Can I ask what is the case I was questioned for?¡± Agent Wilson put a complicated expression and shook his head. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Mr. Aleen. It¡¯s classified information. Now, we have to go. We will contact you if there is something new.¡± Aleen nodded with a fake expression of relief. ¡°I''ll accompany you to the door.¡± The two men agreed and quickly walked towards the door. But when they were about to leave, the second agent stopped suddenly and looked fixedly towards Aleen. ¡°Can I make you one last question, young man. Do you know what ¡®Dimensional Paradise¡¯ is?¡± Aleen did his best to prevent his expression from changing to one of surprise. Instead, he feigned a look of curiosity. ¡°Dimensional Paradise? It sounds like a game.¡± The agent looked to Aleen for a few seconds, making him think that maybe he exposed something. But finally, the agent nodded slightly and opened the door. ¡°It¡¯s nothing, don¡¯t worry.¡± Then, the two men walked towards a car parked in front of the siblings¡¯ home and left. When Aleen saw the agents leave, he sighed in relief. ¡°Dammit, that last question caught me unprepared. I almost left the cat out the bag.¡± Shaking his head, he closed the door and returned inside. Inside a black car, the two men kept quiet while wearing pensive expressions. Seeing a red light ahead, agent Wilson stopped the car and waited for it to turn green. Meanwhile, he looked towards his companion and asked. ¡°Did you notice anything wrong?¡± ¡°He seemed like a normal lad to me. And though his excuse was a bit farfetched, his neighbor confirmed that he went to the forest with his sister seven days ago.¡± ¡°Then, is he no related to it?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure, but at least he didn''t look like one.¡± Agent Wilson furrowed his brows deeply when he heard it. ¡°How many people had we found that entered the game?¡± ¡°Only two between the three thousand suspects until now, but none with powers. We found someone with superpowers not long ago, but he didn''t get them in the game.¡± ¡°Is it so?¡± With a sigh, Alexander Wilson resumed driving when the light turned green. He could not help put a worried expression when he thought about the many incredible things that he learned about a week ago. ¡°This world sure is crazy, huh¡­¡± Chapter 66 – Body-Enhancement Drug (1) At night, Aleen was sleeping deeply in his bed. It was around 3:00 am, and no noise could be heard around the house. Claire had fallen asleep early inside her room, tired due to pulling an all-nighter last night. At this moment, the bracelet on Aleen¡¯s wrist began to ring. *RingRingRingRingRing* Aleen woke up groggily and searched for the source of the sound, but when he took a look at his cellphone, he noticed that it wasn¡¯t the one ringing. ¡°Huh?¡± Surprised, he looked around the room until he noticed the bracelet on his wrist flashing dimly. Curious, Aleen used his finger to touch it and a screen expanded before him. ¡°A call?¡± Still groggy, Aleen tried to understand what was happening. Seeing a message flashing ¡®Call Incoming¡¯, he pressed ¡®Agree¡¯ instinctively. Immediately, the image on the screen changed to show a room. It was a very luxurious room, with many kinds of decorations and a big bed in the middle of it. Strangely, the room gave a feeling of order and discipline. Despite it being lavishly decorated, the room seemed to show the swordsman soul of the person living inside it. However, Aleen paid little attention to any of it. Instead, his gaze was fixed on the person in the middle of the room. A beautiful black-haired girl was seated cross-legged on the bed. Her long hair fell freely to her shoulders, making her ice-cold expression stand out even more, and drops of water could be seen through her body; Aleen wasn¡¯t sure if it was water or sweat. She was using a sleeveless shirt, with short pants focused more on the ease of the wearer¡¯s movement than in covering the body. Aleen had seen D''vina''s beauty before, but he could not help but fall mesmerized after seeing her current appearance. ¡°You finally pick up?¡± An icy voice sounded from the bracelet. When Aleen heard her words, the spell on him immediately disappeared and he finally reacted. ¡°D-D¡¯vina! W-Why are you calling me now?¡± ¡°I told you I was going to call you, don¡¯t I?¡± ¡°Y-Yeah, you are right¡­¡± Aleen took a deep breath and calmed down. ¡°But you could have chosen a different moment than in the middle of the night¡­¡±You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. ¡°Oh? Is it already night in your world? Here is still afternoon.¡± Aleen put a perplexed expression and remembered that it was normal for the time between the two worlds to be different. Sighing slightly, he stretched his body and stood up from his bed. ¡°Wait for a moment, I¡¯m going to wash my face.¡± ¡°Hurry up. The faster we begin the training, the better.¡± Aleen nodded and went to the bathroom to wash his face. Using cold water to clean his face, he looked to the mirror and saw his deep blue eyes and slightly messy black hair. Sighing briefly, he hit his cheeks twice and left the bathroom. He then went down the stairs and walked out to the courtyard. ¡°I¡¯m ready.¡± D¡¯vina nodded curtly and asked something. ¡°You bought the things I told you?¡± ¡°I did.¡± Aleen replied. ¡°I have them in my storage.¡± ¡°Very well. Today, we only are going to use the body-enhancement drug. Do you know how to use it?¡± Aleen thought for a moment before answering. ¡°I was told how by my representative, but I would like if you explain it to me again.¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter.¡± D¡¯vina nodded without changing her ice-cold expression. ¡°I¡¯m going to explain it to you once more, so pay attention.¡± After thinking for a moment, she opened her mouth. ¡°Body-enhancement drugs are an artificial method to enhance the body of a super. It works by infusing a special liquid that accelerates the rate at which your cells absorb mana. Once your cells are filled with mana, it destroys them and stimulates the creation of new and stronger cells, and then the process repeats again. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, the process is very safe, if you use the drug corresponding to your level of course; though it¡¯s very painful. The only thing that you have to take care of not to stop the circulation of your mana during the process.¡± ¡°I understand.¡± Aleen nodded. It was the same explanation that Leona told him, so Aleen didn¡¯t have any doubt. ¡°Very well, let¡¯s begin then. Take out the drug.¡± Aleen sent a bit of mana to a ring on his finger and took out the body-enhancement drug. The ring was one of the things he bought from Leona. It was a magical storage tool with a bit less of a cubic meter of space; it was the second most expensive thing he bought, with a price of five hundred coins. For the record, the body-enhancement drug only was worth three hundred coins. The drug was inside a cylindrical glass container. It was a metallic blue liquid and Aleen could not help but think that it looked a bit like the T-virus of Resident Evil. ¡°Okay. Now, take off your shirt and inject it when you are ready.¡± ¡°My shirt?¡± ¡°Yeah,unless you want to ruin it.¡± Aleen did not understand D¡¯vina¡¯s words, but he chose to obey her despite it. Taking a pair of deep breaths, he took off his shirt and looked to the container on his hand. Then, he injected it into his arm without hesitation. Immediately, he felt a cooling sensation running through his arm. Aleen put a surprised expression when he did not feel the pain he was expecting; but before he could relax, D¡¯vina voice came from the bracelet in his arm. ¡°Now, circulate your mana! Hurry up!¡± Aleen immediately began to circulate his mana following the method taught to him by D¡¯vina. In the beginning, he did not feel anything different; but after a few seconds, a painful feeling began to spread through his body. ¡°Urgh!¡± Aleen grunted. ¡°Sit down and calm your breathing!¡± D¡¯vina reminded him with a calm tone. ¡°Now, you only need to endure the pain and concentrate on circulating your mana.¡± Aleen simply nodded. With a grave expression, he tried to suppress the pain he was feeling. Unfortunately, the feeling of pain did not go away despite his efforts. On the contrary, it continued increasing crazily. Before long, Aleen became unable to pay attention to his surroundings. And a bit later, he stopped being able to suppress his cries of pain. ¡°URG!!!¡± Aleen clenched his teeth and grunted painfully. Blood and sweat began to flow out from his pores, and his breath grew ragged. D¡¯vina, however, kept a cool expression when she saw it. At that moment, Claire walked out of the house attracted by Aleen''s sounds. When she saw the scene of Aleen bleeding and grunting in pain, she screamed. ¡°Brother!!!¡± Chapter 67 – Body-Enhancement Drug (2) ¡°Brother!!! What is happening!?¡± When Claire came out of the house, the first thing she saw was Aleen bleeding through all his body while grunting in pain. Claire did not hesitate to run towards Aleen; however, a voice stopped her before she could reach him. ¡°Stop there, girl!¡± Claire¡¯s body stopped in place instinctively. She made an expression of surprise and worry and moved her sight towards the place where the voice was coming from. Immediately, she saw the floating screen coming from Aleen¡¯s wrist. Claire knew that it was coming from the bracelet on his wrist, so she wasn¡¯t surprised by it; what surprised her, though, was the woman on the screen. ¡°Who are you!? What is happening to my brother!?¡± She asked in a hostile tone. D¡¯vina frowned briefly and replied in her ice-cold tone. ¡°I¡¯m D¡¯vina, your brother¡¯s teacher. He is currently using a drug to enhance his body, so it¡¯s better if you don¡¯t interrupt him.¡± Claire¡¯s expression eased slightly, but she did not lower her guard completely. She had heard her brother speak about D¡¯vina, but he never told her anything about using something so dangerous. ¡°Why is brother like this?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, it¡¯s normal.¡± D¡¯vina replied while using her pitch-black eyes to observe Claire curiously. ¡°His body is eliminating the destroyed cells to produce new and stronger ones. Everything will be alright if you don¡¯t interrupt him.¡± Though Claire was not certain about D¡¯vina¡¯s words, she decided to believe them for now. After all, it didn¡¯t seem as if he was forced to use it; besides, she could not afford to do something that could put her brother¡¯s life at risk. At that moment, Aleen began to cough heavily. ¡°*Cough Cough*!!!¡± At the same time, he threw up a bit of flesh and organs mixed with black blood. When Claire saw it, her expression turned to one of fear. She suppressed her desire to run towards her brother and looked towards D¡¯vina. ¡°I-Is it also normal?¡± D¡¯vina furrowed her brows deeply. ¡°His reaction is stronger than I thought, but it¡¯s still in the safe parameters. Don¡¯t worry, girl; your brother will be alright.¡± Claire could only nod hearing her words. Currently, Aleen was in an endless sea of pain. A bit after he began to circulate his mana, he began to feel a sensation of pain through his entire body.Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. In the beginning, he was able to endure it easily; but with the time, the pain became worse and worse, and after a few minutes, he had to put all his attention on suppressing the pain. Aleen used all his willpower to keep his mana circulating. He remembered D¡¯vina saying that he had to keep it circulating during the entire process, but he never thought that it would be so hard. Aleen felt as his internal organs were being cut by a million knives, while his body was submerged in a pool of acid. The pain was even worse than the one he suffered when he first entered the game. But despite it, Aleen concentrated on keeping his mana circulating. He tried to ignore the pain, but the sensation of his organs being destroyed brought the pain back each time. He felt his consciousness becoming heavy, and a desire to sleep filled his mind; his body wanted to be free from this pain. But each time he was about to faint, Aleen remembered Ana¡¯s death and D¡¯vina¡¯s words. If he didn¡¯t want to go through something like Ana¡¯s death again, if he wanted to become stronger, then he must persist. Aleen didn¡¯t know it, but it was something normal to faint during the process of enhancing the body. The body-enhancement drug was a product refined through many generations in many dimensions. It was so safe that, as long as you use the drug corresponding to your level, you could use it even when slept. However, though it wasn''t dangerous if you faint in the middle of the enhancement, enduring the pain while conscious was one of the requirements to get the greatest enhancement possible when using the drug. Very few people were able to endure the pain; and to be honest, not even D¡¯vina thought that Aleen would be able to endure it. So, when she saw Aleen keep circulating his mana without fainting despite the pain, a rare smile of approval appeared on her face. The process of enhancement continued for another fifteen minutes under the worried gaze of Claire and the concentrated look of D¡¯vina. Finally, after Aleen¡¯s body expulsed almost five liters of blood, the pain began to subside. Aleen sighed in relief when he felt it, and accelerated the speed of his circulation. Another two circulations later, the sensation of pain disappeared almost completely. ¡°Congratulations.¡± He heard D¡¯vina¡¯s voice the moment when the process finished; Aleen noticed that her voice sounded more cheerful than normal, but he thought that it was just his imagination. Opening his eyes, the first thing that he saw was his sister standing not far from him with a worried expression. Aleen smiled calmly to reassure her and stood up to feel the changes on his body. But contrary to his expectations, his body did not feel light or filled with strength. Instead, he felt completely drained. ¡°It looks like it was successful.¡± D¡¯vina smiled approvingly. ¡°Is it so? Why do I feel so tired then¡­¡± Aleen asked with a confused tone. ¡°That is normal. Your body went through a complete transformation, so you will feel tired after the process. It¡¯s better if you rest during the next day and focus on circulating your mana to get used to your new body. I will call you again tomorrow to begin with the training.¡± Aleen nodded signaling that he understood. Then, with an expression of doubt, he asked. ¡°Teacher, are days in your world the same as here?¡± ¡°... I forgot to consider it¡­ Wait a moment¡­¡± Without waiting for Aleen¡¯s reply, she began to fiddle with her bracelet. Before long, she nodded and replied to Aleen. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, though the days are a bit shorter in your world, their length is almost the same as here.¡± Aleen could not help but think that it was too much of a coincidence. D¡¯vina apparently noticed his thoughts, because she explained the reason at the next instant. ¡°That is pretty normal between different dimensions, Aleen. All dimensions could be considered as branches of the same tree, so they share many similarities. Though it is not always the same, time is normally one of the most common features shared.¡± Aleen nodded in understanding. Seeing it, D¡¯vina waved her hand. ¡°I¡¯m going then. See you again tomorrow.¡± Then, without waiting for Aleen to reply, she ended the call. Aleen could not help but smile wryly seeing it. Chapter 68 – Beginning of the Training The next day. D¡¯vina called Aleen again as she promised; this time at 5:00 am. Aleen spent the last 24 hours recovering from the aftereffects of the body-enhancement drug. Fortunately, after 24 hours of rest, most of the fatigue left his body. Now, he was standing in the courtyard while waiting for D¡¯vina to begin her instructions. For the record, Claire was beside him hearing the lessons. Aleen asked D¡¯vina if she was fine with it, but she said that she didn¡¯t care. ¡°Let¡¯s begin then.¡± D¡¯vina said. ¡°Take out the sword you bought.¡± Aleen nodded and took a sword from his storage ring. It was a beautiful black sword of a meter of length, and with a sharp and slender blade. The sword was worth seven hundred coins, and it was the most expensive of the things Aleen bought. Aleen also bought a silver cuirass and two forearm guards that came together with the sword as a set for a price of three hundred coins. According to Leona, the sword was made of a special alloy that gave it greater hardness and resistance while boosting its capacity to receive mana. The armor, on the other hand, could absorb the user¡¯s mana to generate a barrier able to stop weak attacks. The name of the sword was ¡®Dark Night¡¯. Aleen could not help but think that the name was a bit chunni, but he liked it despite it. When D¡¯vina saw the sword and heard Aleen¡¯s description, she nodded with an expression of satisfaction. ¡°That is a good sword, suited even for a level three. Mm, you can use it for a while.¡± She then grabbed her greatsword and stood up at the other side of the screen. ¡°Today, I will teach you mainly two things, beginning with the basic offensive sword moves. Look carefully, first is the horizontal slash.¡± Taking a step back with her left leg, she slashed with her sword to her right. ¡°Next is the vertical slash.¡± Now, she recovered her posture and took a step forward, before slashing fiercely towards the ground. Without stopping, she retracted her sword and thrust it forwards at great speed, before moving the sword back and using it to stab an imaginary enemy. ¡°It¡¯s called thrust and this other is called stab. Lastly, there is the upward slash.¡± Taking a deep breath, she swung the sword upwards and stopped it when it reached a certain height. ¡°Do you understand?¡± Aleen was able to follow her movements thanks to D¡¯vina slowing down deliberately; but even with it, he could not understand it completely. ¡°A little bit.¡± He said while grabbing his sword with a hand. ¡°Let me try.¡± Taking a deep breath, he did his best to remember D¡¯vina movements and slashed various times. ¡°Horizontal slash, vertical slash, thrust, stab, upward slash.¡±This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. D¡¯vina frowned deeply when she saw Aleen performing the movements. Once he finished, she let a deep sigh and spoke. ¡°Okay, we better begin with the horizontal slash. Look carefully again.¡± D¡¯vina slashed to the right once more; this time slowing even more and explaining to Aleen every one of her movements. When Aleen then performed the horizontal slash, she corrected his mistakes carefully. When she finished with the horizontal slash, she continued with the vertical slash. Like that, the pair spent one hour simply perfecting the basic offensive sword moves. In the end, Aleen was able to get a basic grasp on how to perform the moves correctly. ¡°Have you memorized them?¡± D¡¯vina asked. Aleen nodded softly and showed the movements once for her to see. D¡¯vina nodded briefly when she saw them. ¡°Well, we''ll have to do with it for now. Now, I will teach you the second thing. Tell me, Aleen, what do you think is your greatest weakness?¡± Aleen thought for a moment and remembered Elvila''s words. ¡°Is it my attacks?¡± He said. ¡°You are right.¡± D¡¯vina nodded, slightly surprised that Aleen found the answer for himself. ¡°Though you also have troubles with your defenses, at least you can make use of your skill to escape if it''s necessary. Your attacks, however, are almost useless against an enemy with a slightly strong defense.¡± Aleen agreed. He remembered what happened when he faced the two level three and his attacks were unable to hurt them. D''vina continued speaking when she saw Aleen agreeing. ¡°Of course, it¡¯s different if you can use again the attack you used against the level four; but if I¡¯m not wrong, you are unable to use it again, right?¡± ¡°Yes...¡± Aleen smiled thoughtfully. ¡°I tried to use it again later, but I was unable to.¡± ¡°I suspected so. Actually, that attack used too much mana, so you probably will be unable to use it again before reaching level four, at least you comprehend it as a separate skill.¡± Seeing Aleen deep in thoughts, D¡¯vina shook her head and interrupted him. ¡°There¡¯s no point in worrying about it now; instead, let me teach you something that can help you. ¡°The style of swordsmanship I use is called ¡®Supreme Sword of Bringing Calamity¡¯, and it was created by my father. The move that I¡¯m going to teach you is part of it. ¡°Of course, though it¡¯s part of my father¡¯s swordsmanship, this move is actually a method to manipulate mana. My father called it ¡®Sharp Blade¡¯.¡± Before Aleen could process D¡¯vina¡¯s words completely, the sword on her hand was filled with mana. Immediately, a white glow filled the weapon and it began to hum with a sharp sound. Aleen got the impression that the weapon was ready to cut him at that moment. ¡°Did you see? It¡¯s ¡®Sharp Blade¡¯. Now, follow my instructions¡­¡± Aleen did not hesitate to follow D''vina¡¯s words. Aleen had to admit that D¡¯vina was pretty good as a teacher, because, after ten minutes, he was able to get the catch of the move. To be honest, ¡®Sharp Blade¡¯ could be considered a variant from ¡®Weapon Reinforcement¡¯. The only difference was that, instead of filling the weapon with mana, the goal of ¡®Sharp Blade¡¯ was to use the mana to increase the vibrations of the blade; and like that, increase the sharpness behind the attack. In ten minutes, Aleen was able to reach the point of making the sword vibrate ten times per second. D¡¯vina nodded in approval when she saw it, but she then told him that if he wanted for the technique to be useful, then he had to produce at least one hundred vibrations each second; and apparently, producing another vibration became harder the more you advanced with the technique Aleen¡¯s excitement faded away when he heard it. Once D¡¯vina finished explaining the technique to Aleen. She put her sword in the ground. After it, she crossed her arms and put a serious expression. ¡°Now that you finished learning what I wanted to teach you, it¡¯s time to speak about the other thing I wanted to speak about. Aleen, how much have you advanced with your skill?¡± Prologue 69 – Regarding Skills and Training ¡°How much have you learned about your skill, Aleen?¡± Aleen thought for a moment hearing D¡¯vina questions. ¡°I have understood some things, and I¡¯m able to use it more freely.¡± Aleen then explained to her about how he used his skill during the battle inside the nest, and the things he learned when using it. When D¡¯vina heard him, she fell deep in thoughts while Aleen remained silent waiting for her words. A few seconds later, she spoke. ¡°You probably have a misunderstanding about your skill, Aleen. If I¡¯m not wrong, the correct use of your skill is different than you think.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°You think that the most important part of your skill is its speed, but as I see it, it¡¯s better if you focus more on the accelerated perception that the skills grants you.¡± Aleen put a thoughtful expression when he heard it. ¡°I don''t understand. Is it not better if I''m able to move faster?¡± He asked. ¡°That is where you are wrong, speed without control is almost useless. It would be different if your skill is a simple rush, but if you want to control your movements freely while using your skill, then it''s better if you focus on your heightened perception. Think about it, if you can stay always in the state of heightened perception, then you can perceive faster the attacks and movements of any enemies and activate the skill only in the instant when it''s necessary.¡± ¡°!!!¡± ¡°It looks like you understand.¡± D¡¯vina said when she saw Aleen¡¯s surprised expression. ¡°I think so¡­ In other words, I must work towards keeping my heightened perception always active, and then make use of it to control my movements.¡± ¡°Yeah, something like that. To be honest, I think that the name ¡®Lightning Rush¡¯ is not suitable for your skill; instead, it¡¯s more appropriate to call it ¡®Lightning Acceleration¡¯ or ¡®Lightning Speed¡¯... ''Lightning Steps'' also is fine.¡± Aleen nodded briefly to D¡¯vina¡¯s words. ¡°Very well, now that we know in what direction we are going to develop your skill, now is time to speak about how we are going to attain this goal.¡± D¡¯vina continued while Aleen listened attentively to her words.Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel. ¡°I will begin speaking a bit about how to strengthen skills. Skills are divided into two kinds; active and passive. Most skills are of the active kind, and can only be activated for a limited duration before having to wait to use it again. ¡°Passive skills, on the other hand, are always active. They didn¡¯t need the consent of the user to work. Skills like this are very rare, but they generally tend to be very powerful. All my skills, like yours, are of the active kind; so we¡¯ll not speak about the passive ones for now. ¡°I told you before that for an ¡®Enlightened¡¯, the focus of his training must be the understanding of his skills, right? Well, that is not completely right. Actually, there are another three things that you must train. They are; mana input, mana output, and mana-body synchronization. ¡°Mana input refers to how much mana you can absorb from the surroundings every second; a higher mana input means a faster mana regeneration and a higher speed of recovery when you are injured. ¡°Mana output is the amount of mana that you can release at the same time. If your mana output is higher, then your skills will be stronger and last longer. With a low mana output, even someone with 100 mana will only be able to release an attack with a power of three. ¡°Lastly, mana-body synchronization¡­ As you know, mana is a kind of energy but with gentle properties; making it easy for a living organism to absorb it. But, though mana is relatively gentle, it is at the end, a kind of energy; because of this, the body is unable to endure easily when great amounts of mana circulate through it. Mana-body synchronization is the capacity of your body to endure mana without hurting your body; it helps to reduce the cooldown of skills and increases your capacity to release stronger attacks in a shorter amount of time.¡± ¡°Do you understand?¡± D¡¯vina paused waiting for Aleen''s answer. Aleen did his best to follow D¡¯vina¡¯ words and was able to get a general meaning of what she wanted to say; so he indicated that he understood. D¡¯vina nodded slightly. ¡°Very well, I will teach you now a method of circulation that will help you to train those three points.¡± D¡¯vina spent an hour teaching Aleen a new method to circulate his mana. Aleen didn¡¯t know, but D¡¯vina¡¯s method was something very hard to get under normal circumstances. In terms of money, it would have been worth at least thirty thousand USP coins to get a method of circulation of this level. Once Aleen finished learning it, D¡¯vina continued speaking. ¡°From now, you must train with this method at least five hours each day; besides, you must train the sword moves I taught you for at least three hours and the ¡®Sharp Blade¡¯ for at least two hours. Don¡¯t forget to train your skill for another three hours at least, focusing on your perception.¡± Aleen''s mouth fell open when he heard it. ¡°B-But that are thirteen hours. If I sleep for another seven hours, I will only have four hours to do anything else.¡± ¡°Seven hours of sleep? That is too much. Reduce it to three hours.¡± D¡¯vina said without changing her expression. Aleen didn¡¯t know what else to say at this moment. D¡¯vina only shook her head when she saw Aleen''s doubt. ¡°Circulating helps to restore your stamina, so three hours of sleep each day are more than enough. I only sleep eight hours each week and I do not have any problem.¡± Aleen could only smile wryly when he heard it. After it, D¡¯vina explained a few more things that Aleen didn''t understand and finished the call. Aleen sighed and began to train. For the next few hours, Aleen did his best to memorize completely everything that D''vina taught him. Chapter 70 – News Aleen trained all the afternoon and only stopped when the sky began to darken. He panted slightly due to the fatigue caused by swinging the sword for so long. Fortunately, he could use mana circulation to relieve his fatigue, otherwise, he would have ended unable to move his body after such harsh training. Normally, training with a sword wouldn''t have been so tiring, even if he continued for two more hours; moreover, with his enhanced physique, Aleen could endure easily ten times more training. His current training, however, was different. D¡¯vina requirements were for each swing to be realized at full strength, without stopping during the three hours to rest, so, despite Aleen¡¯s stronger physique, he could not help but begin to feel tired after a while. Besides it, Aleen decided to apply the technique for ¡®Sharp Blade¡¯ to his sword training. Aleen thought that if he could do both of them at the same time, then he could dedicate more of his time to train other things. But because of it, Aleen had to put part of his concentration on making sure that the mana was being used correctly, contributing even more to his tiredness. Stretching out his body, Aleen sighed on satisfaction when he felt his muscles moving. He then retrieved his sword and put it inside the ring before walking inside the house. Once inside, he found his sister playing with small birds made of mana. Aleen could not help but be surprised to the extent of his sister mana¡¯s manipulation. Even D¡¯vina admitted that Claire¡¯s talent for mana was rarely seen and said that if she could practice magic, she would have great hopes of advancing at least to level three. When Claire noticed Aleen, she dispersed the translucid birds around her and walked towards him. ¡°Did you finish your training, brother?¡± ¡°For now.¡± Answered Aleen. ¡°I will do the mana circulation once before going to sleep. What were you doing?¡± ¡°I was training my mana output, and seeing if I can use my birds of fire to attack.¡± ¡°Huh? You don¡¯t have any skill, though.¡± ¡°You are right, but I figured that I can begin training from now to be prepared for when I get a skill.¡± Aleen felt uncomfortable when he heard that Claire planned to acquire a skill, but he quickly smiled wryly so his sister doesn''t notice it. He could understand her desire to get powers and accompany him in the games, but to be honest, Aleen would prefer if she keeps away from it. Aleen, however, could more or less understand Claire¡¯s thoughts. He knew that she always hated being protected; and though her illness sometimes forced her to not have more option but to receive Aleen¡¯s help, she made sure to help with any chore when she is healthy.If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. It was the same with the games. Aleen remained in the games to get Claire¡¯s cure; and despite she not saying anything about it, he knew that she was uncomfortable with the idea of Aleen risking his life for her sake. Hiding his thoughts from Claire, Aleen smiled gently. ¡°Are you using the technique that D¡¯vina taught me?¡± ¡°Yes, I paid attention when miss D¡¯vina was telling you about the circulation method, and tried to use it myself. It was more effective than I thought. Look.¡± With a wave of her hand, Claire created a small bird of mana and threw it towards the courtyard. The bird of mana flew quickly leaving behind a red path. Then, it hit a small bush. *Poof!* With a small explosion, a few leaves were burned slowly and then, the fire disappeared. ¡°Wow!¡± Exclaimed Aleen while feigning an expression of astonishment. ¡°It was so¡­ disappointing? What was it? A lighter?¡± Claire pouted slightly. ¡°Come on, brother. At least it destroyed a few leaves. I was unable to cause any damage before it.¡± Aleen snickered when he heard Claire. Like that, the pair went to the kitchen and prepared a simple meal for two. They then ate and cleaned the dishes before going to the living room. The siblings sat on the sofa, with Aleen taking the remote control and turning the television on. Claire, on the other hand, began to play with her high-technology bracelet. ¡°Brother, I want to go tomorrow to the shopping mall; will you go with me?¡± ¡°Do you need anything?¡± Asked Aleen curious. ¡°Nothing important, only something I saw on the internet. Besides¡­¡± Claire hesitated slightly and looked to Aleen timidly. ¡°I think it¡¯s good if you relax a bit now that you finished a game, so I thought that it would be good if we spend the morning tomorrow relaxing in the mall.¡± Aleen smiled slightly and stroked Claire¡¯s head. ¡°Of course, I don¡¯t mind.¡± Claire blushed slightly and turned around to escape her brother¡¯s gaze. She then began to browse through the internet using the bracelet on her wrist. Aleen¡¯s lips curved up when he saw it. Shaking his head, he turned his gaze towards the tv to see the news. Before the long, though, Aleen began to frown. It was because he could see news about, disasters caused by enraged animals, strange killings and crazy people in different parts of the world. ¡®Have the changes on earth reached to this point? Strange, is the government not going to suppress the news related to Dimensional Paradise and the changes the earth is going through? But then, why don¡¯t they explain everything to the citizens directly?¡¯ ¡°Look at this brother.¡± Claire spoke at that moment while showing to Aleen the webpage she was reading. ¡°This page was posted one day ago, and many people have reposted it from then.¡± Inside the image projected by Claire¡¯s bracelet, Aleen could see a post titled ¡®The Truth About the Recent Incidents Around the World?¡¯ Frowning his brows, Aleen read the post carefully. It was a very conspirative post, speaking mainly about the great number of monsters appearing around the world while also mentioning the sightings of people with superpowers around the world. However, it only mentioned Dimensional Paradise in the last paragraph. The writer wrote ¡®In my investigations, I discovered the frequent mention of something called ¡®Dimensional Paradise¡¯ and something about ''levels''; but I was unable to find anything else...'' Aleen¡¯s expression turned serious when he finished reading it. ¡°It¡¯s strange, no government around the world have published any information about Dimensional Paradise, but they aren¡¯t making any effort to hide it either¡­ What are they planning?¡± Claire used her right hand to hold her chin and fell deep in thoughts. ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­ Maybe they want to familiarize the population with the strange incidents before telling them the truth...? I cannot think of anything else.¡± Aleen thought for a moment about Claire¡¯s words, but in the end, he shook his head. ¡°Forget it, it doesn¡¯t have anything to do with us. To be honest, I don¡¯t care while it doesn¡¯t end affecting us.¡± Claire simply smiled when she heard his word. ¡°Okay, brother.¡± Chapter 71 – A Fated Meeting (1) The next morning, Aleen was finishing his daily meditation when he heard a scream coming from the courtyard. ¡°Kyaaa!!!¡± ¡°Claire!?¡± Quickly, he stopped meditating and went running to the courtyard. When Aleen reached there, half of it was on fire. Claire was standing before the fire in a daze. Aleen pulled her away from the fire and asked in an angry tone. ¡°What happened!?¡± Claire only looked at her hands without answering. Aleen tsked when he saw it and opened a water tap hurriedly to extinguish the fire. Quickly, the fire was extinguished thanks to the water. Aleen sighed in relief and wiped a drop sweat from his forehead. He then turned towards Claire. ¡°Will you explain me now what happened?¡± With an expression of doubt, Claire continued looking to her hands dazed. Aleen sighed when he saw it, but before he could ask again, the doorbell ringed. Aleen frowned and went to the door only to find his neighbors there asking about what happened. Aleen quickly apologized and explained that nothing had happened; seeing that everything seemed alright, the neighbors suppressed their curiosity and returned while reminding to Aleen to be careful. Aleen closed the door with a tired expression. He then returned to the courtyard and found that Claire finally exited her dazed state. Walking towards her, Aleen put a serious expression. ¡°Can you tell me what happened just now?¡± Claire put an expression of doubt and looked to her hands again; then, she shook her head slightly. ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t know?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t¡­ I was training my mana normally on the courtyard when something touched me; then, my mana suddenly went out of control and the birds exploded creating the fire you saw just now.¡± Aleen frowned when he heard it. ¡°Your mana went out of control? Are you injured?¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine, just a bit surprised.¡± Aleen frown deepened when he heard it. No matter how you see it; it wasn¡¯t normal to lose control of your mana without any reason. Moreover, it was obvious that the power of the explosions was greater than what Claire showed yesterday.The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. ¡°Do you feel something different? Maybe you awakened a skill?¡± Claire thought for a moment before shaking her head. ¡°I don¡¯t think so. I feel the same like before.¡± Aleen sighed relieved when he heard it. Despite it, however, he could not shake the feeling that something could be wrong; so, after hesitating for a moment, he suggested something. ¡°Claire, what do you think about going to the mall another day? I think it¡¯s better if we make sure that nothing is wrong.¡± ¡°Uh? No no, I¡¯m alright, brother¡­ That probably was just an accident. Don¡¯t worry about it.¡± Shaking her head, she smiled thinly indicating that she was fine. ¡°Besides, I want to go out with you today and buy something I saw on internet.¡± Seeing his sister pleading expression, Aleen suppressed his worry and nodded after hesitating for a moment. ¡°Very well, go and get dressed. I will take a bath quickly and then we leave.¡± Claire nodded happily and ran up to her room to get dressed. Aleen smiled when he saw it and went to take a bath. A few minutes later, the pair of siblings departed to visit the mall. The mall that the siblings were going was called Westfield, a relatively popular one. Aleen thought about going to one closer to their home, but Claire refused; apparently, she learned that a store was selling a limited-edition royal teddy bear and wanted to buy it. Aleen relented after Claire insisted for a while, so, without wasting more time, they took a cab to the mall. It took the cab around fifteen minutes to reach the mall, and it was already nine in the morning when they finally arrived. Claire excitedly grabbed Aleen''s arm and pulled him towards the store where the teddy bear was being sold. Aleen could only shake his head helplessly with a smile when he saw his sister¡¯s excitement. Unfortunately, his smile only lasted until they reached the store. Because once there, they saw a waiting line at least fifty meters long. Aleen expression turned bitter when he thought about waiting all that time only to buy a teddy bear. ¡®Are teddy bears so popular?¡¯ Aleen said to himself seeing the long line of girls waiting to buy the limited-edition toy. In the end, he could only look while his sister dragged him towards the line. At the same time, some streets away from the mall, two men were in a car observing a jewelry store across the street. ¡°Are you sure about this?¡± One of them asked with a nervous expression. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I confirmed that they are doing maintenance to the security system today, so they are unable to activate the alarm. We only need to enter, grab the jewels, and escape before the police come. Easy peasy.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know, I have a bad feeling about it¡­¡± ¡°What are you scared for? Are you not my brother? It¡¯s not the first time we do something like this anyway.¡± ¡°... I guess so.¡± ¡°Very well, get ready then.¡± ¡°Mm.¡± On another street near the shopping mall, a silver-haired girl was walking through the streets with a silver cat in her arms. The girl¡¯s clothes were a bit tattered, but they seemed pretty clean. She was going around the stores asking if there was something that she could do to work. Unfortunately, nobody paid attention to her; and the few who did, only furrowed their brows and gestured her to leave. ¡°What are we going to do, Lily?¡± The girl said to the silver cat on her arms depressed. ¡°I don¡¯t want to steal again¡­¡± ¡°Meow? Meow!¡± The silver cat meowed while it licked its paw. ¡°It¡¯s all your fault! I told you yesterday to eat less, but you ignored me and finished all the food when I was sleeping!¡± ¡°Meow?¡± ¡°Haa¡­ It doesn¡¯t matter.¡± With a tired sigh, the silver-haired girl continued walking and arrived near the mall. Once there, she looked towards a store selling crepes and gulped slightly before putting a resolute expression. ¡°One day, I will buy every kind of crepe and eat them all!¡± ¡°Meow? Meow!¡± ¡°Yes yes, you too¡­¡± With a small smile, the girl continued observing. Chapter 72 – A Fated Meeting (2) One of the most boring and tiring things in the world, is waiting in a line. Aleen confirmed it again while waiting to buy a limited-edition royal teddy bear for his sister. It had been fifteen minutes from when Aleen and Claire began to wait in the line, and they only advanced twenty meters during all that time. A worried expression appeared on Claire¡¯s face while looking to the remaining people. ¡°And now what is wrong?¡± Aleen asked when he saw Claire¡¯s nervous expression. ¡°Brother, what if the bears are finished when it¡¯s our turn?¡± ¡°That will not happen.¡± Aleen shook his head with an exasperated expression. ¡°I can see a mountain of bears from here.¡± ¡°¡­ You are right.¡± Claire sighed slightly and looked apologetically towards Aleen. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, brother. I told you that we were coming to relax and I ended making you wait here with me.¡± Aleen smiled slightly and stroked her head. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it, it¡¯s not so bad after all.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°No, thinking again, it¡¯s really bad. But don¡¯t mind it, I can wait for a bit more.¡± Claire pouted slightly but at the end let out a small smile. ¡°Thank you, brother.¡± Aleen only smiled. ¡°You know, waiting here is making me hungry. Why don¡¯t we eat some snacks after we buy the bear?¡± Aleen suggested. ¡°I know, brother! A friend told me that outside this mall there is a store that sells some very delicious crepes. If you want, I can buy some while you wait here.¡± Aleen frowned slightly when he heard it. ¡°Are you sure? What if your illness acts while you are alone?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it, brother. You have noticed that I have been healthy lately; besides, if I begin to feel sick, I¡¯ll call you immediately to tell you.¡± Aleen relaxed his brows hearing it before agreeing helplessly. ¡°Very well, but be careful.¡± ¡°Okay!¡± Before Aleen could say anything else, Claire was already running to buy the crepes. Aleen shook his head amused, but when he looked again towards the line he sighed tiredly and made his mind to never accompany his sister shopping again. Aleen was unable to remember how many times he had done the same promise until now.Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. Claire didn¡¯t take long before reaching to the crepe¡¯s store. With a smile on her face, she walked to the store and lined up to buy a pair of crepes for her and her brother. Thinking about the exasperated expression of her brother while lining to buy the teddy bear, Claire could not help but smile mischievously. ¡®Hmph! It will teach you to not make more decisions for yourself!¡¯ The crepe¡¯s store was pretty popular, so there were some people in the line before Claire. Fortunately, it didn¡¯t take long before it was her turn. But when Claire was about to order two crepes, she saw a girl looking towards the store from the corner of her eye. The girl was very beautiful, with a petite body and lustrous silver hair. Claire noticed that her clothes were a bit tattered, but they weren¡¯t as dirty as you¡¯d expected from a street girl. The girl was using her blue eyes to look fixedly towards the store, but her face sported an indifferent expression. Strangely though, Claire saw the girl speaking to her cat softly. ¡°Welcome to FreshCrep! What do you wish to order?¡± The sweet voice from the store¡¯s clerk reminded Claire of her purpose here. She quickly turned around and spoke. ¡°I want two strawberry crepes¡­ No, better give me three strawberry crepes.¡± ¡°Okay, wait a moment please.¡± The clerk quickly prepared three crepes and packed them carefully. Claire then took out the money and grabbed the crepes. Once she had the crepes on her hand, she looked towards the place where the silver-haired girl was and walked towards her. When Claire reached to the silver-haired girl, she found the girl looking at her with an expressionless face. Claire smiled amicably and extended her hand while holding a crepe on it. ¡°Take it, little girl.¡± A surprised expression appeared on the girl¡¯s face, but it disappeared before Claire could confirm that it was there. The girl hesitated for a moment but didn¡¯t grab the bag. Claire wanted to say something, but when she was going to speak, the cat on the girl¡¯s hand extended its pawn. ¡°Meow!¡± With an excited cry, it hit the paper bag softly. Unfortunately, though, it made Claire drop the paper bag. ¡°Careful!¡± Said the girl with a very soft tone and extended her hand to grab the bag before it could fall to the ground. She then tried to pass the bag back to Claire. ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­ Lily is very mischievous.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it.¡± Claire smiled but didn¡¯t take the bag. ¡°I bought it for you anyway.¡± The girl stayed silent for a few seconds when she heard it, and in the end, she retracted her hand and muttered something softly. ¡°Thanks.¡± Claire only smiled happily and while indicating that it was nothing. Then, she closed her beautiful red eyes and waved her hand. ¡°I have to go; brother is waiting for me!¡± Without waiting for the girl to answer, she turned around and ran back to the shopping mall. However, something happened then. *Bang!* With the sound of a gunshot, a commotion spread outside the shopping mall. A man was driving a car at high speed, while another man used a gun to shot to a police car chasing behind them. ¡°THIS IS THE POLICE OF LONDON! PLEASE STOP THE CAR AT THIS INSTANT AND CEASE ALL RESISTANCE!¡± A threatening voice came from the police car ¡°As if I will!¡± The man that was shooting said. ¡°Dammit!¡± Shouted the driver of the car being chased. ¡°How can we be so unlucky that a police car passed by the jewelry store precisely when we are robbing it?!¡± ¡°It didn¡¯t matter now! Hurry up and drive!¡± ¡°I¡¯m on it!!!¡± At that moment, a policeman shot from behind and hit one of the car¡¯s tires. ¡°Dammit dammit!¡± The driver of the vehicle cursed when he noticed it, and tried to control the car frantically. Unfortunately, the car was moving too fast, making it impossible to control. The man tried to brake the car desperately, but it made the car turn upside down instead, and it flew crazily towards a store nearby. And Claire, who was carrying the bag with the crepes, was in the path of the car. Unable to react, she could only look while the car fell towards her. An instant later, the car crashed against the store. Chapter 73 – A Fated Meeting (3) ¡°Huh?¡± Aleen frowned deeply while lining up to get the teddy bear. A grave expression appeared on his face. He was sure that he heard something strange just now. The sound was strange, and he only heard it faintly. If he was not wrong, it seemed like the sound of a gunshot. He immediately circulated a small amount of mana around his body to enhance his senses, and at that moment, he heard another gunshot. This time, the sound was much clearer. And the direction from where it was coming was¡­ ¡°Claire!¡± Aleen¡¯s body shook when he confirmed that it was the direction where Claire was. Amidst the astonished glances of the surroundings, Aleen left the line quickly and ran towards the direction of Claire. Aleen suppressed the impulse to use his skill, and instead reinforced his body with mana. He knew that if he loses his calm in a situation like this, he could end causing something worse, so he took a deep breath and made sure that nobody would notice anything strange with him. Of course, some people noticed that he was a bit too fast, but they at most thought that he was a very fast boy and not that his speed was that of a superhuman. At his current speed, he could leave the mall in at most two minutes. But before Aleen could run for long, a thunderous crashing noise came from outside. All the blood drained from his face and an uneasy feeling filled him. Shaking his head, he suppressed once more the impulse to use his skill and continued running, but this time a bit faster than before. Meanwhile, he prayed that nothing happens to his sister. Claire was unable to react when the car flew towards her. However, someone else reacted instead. When Claire turned around to return to the shopping mall, Aya heard the commotion coming from the two cars. Her first reaction was to escape from there, but when she saw the back of Claire, she hesitated. Then, she saw how the car was turned upside down. And then, she saw the car fleeing towards Claire.Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. Before her mind could react, her body moved instinctively. It leaned forward in an instant, and her right foot stepped hard on the floor, propelling her body forward at superhuman speed. As if knowing what its owner was planning, the silver cat jumped down from her arms calmly, taking the bag with the crepe with it. Now with her hands free, the silver-haired girl opened her arms and pounced towards Claire, hugging her body and taking her out of the car''s path. An instant later, the car crashed against the store. *Crash!* The two girls rolled on the ground for a few meters before stopping. Instinctively, Claire closed her eyes when she felt something impacting against her. In the beginning, she thought that she had been hit by the car, but an instant later, she discovered that someone was hugging her. Surprised, she opened her red eyes widely and discovered a pair of blue eyes looking towards her with a pained expression. ¡°You¡­¡± ¡°Get up!¡± Interrupted the silver-haired girl while helping Claire to stand up. ¡°Come, follow me.¡± Grabbing her hand, the silver-haired girl pulled Claire towards an alley. ¡°Ouch!¡± Claire groaned in pain while walking. Apparently, she had strained her ankle during the fall. The silver-haired girl frowned briefly, but she didn¡¯t stop. She could see a person coming out from the crashed car; and if he was armed, then it could be dangerous if they continued there. Claire also knew that the situation was still dangerous, so she didn¡¯t let out a sound after the first groan of pain. Instead, she forced her body to follow the silver-haired girl. With her black hair filled with dust, her clothes tattered in some parts and small injuries in her elbow and knees, Claire followed the silver-haired girl until the alley and hid in it with her. At that moment, the man finally pulled his body out from the destroyed car. He didn¡¯t check his injuries immediately; instead, he dragged his body towards his brother who was still trapped inside the car. ¡°Brother! Hurry up, we have to get out of here now!¡± Kneeling before the car, he tried to call his brother. However, his brother didn¡¯t answer. The man made a perplexed face when he saw his brother don''t answer, but quickly, it turned to an expression of despair. ¡°Brother? Brother!?¡± Frantically, the man shook out his brother¡¯s body and tried to wake him up, but his brother remained quiet. His breath had stopped. When the man realized it, tears fell from his eyes. At that moment, two policemen came down from the police car that had stopped ten meters before the man. Pointing their weapons towards the kneeling man, they shouted threateningly. ¡°You are trapped! Put your hands where we can see them!¡± ¡°You¡­ You killed him¡­¡± ¡°I told you, raise your hands!¡± ¡°You killed my brother¡­¡± ¡°Hurry up or we are going to shot!¡± ¡°YOU! KILLED! MY BROTHER!!!¡± With a voice filled with rage and hatred, the man roared. And his roar shook the surroundings. Before the two policemen could understand what was happening, the windows in the surroundings broke. At the same time, Claire and the silver-haired girl who were nearby covered their ears painfully. ¡°Dammit! Shot shot!¡± With frightened expressions, the two policemen pressed the trigger of their weapons. *BANG!* BANG!* *BANG!* But to their surprise, the man slowly stood up despite the bullets impacting his body. His eyes were bloodshot and his body was covered with injuries, but strangely, he seemed alright. Moreover, a strange current of wind was revolving around his body. The two policemen couldn¡¯t possibly know what was happening, but currently, the mana on the surroundings was rushing towards the man. It was a phenomenon that sometimes occurs when someone levels up. With blood flowing from the wounds caused by the bullets, the man looked to the policemen with eyes filled with hatred, and took a step forward. Then, he rushed towards one of them. Frightened, the policeman shot the man once more with his gun, but though the bullet hit his body, the man continued advancing as if he were unable to feel pain. And before the policeman could shot again, the man was already before him. And at the next instant, his body was torn apart. Chapter 74 – A Fated Meeting (4) The policeman saw the robber ignore the bullet and tried to shot again, but the robber was already before him. Before the policeman could react, the robber grabbed his shoulders firmly, then, with a growl of rage, he tore him apart into two. ¡°Kyaaaaa!!!¡± Some people, looking at the situation from afar, shrieked in fear seeing the blood and organs splattering out in the surroundings. ¡°Mart!¡± Shouted the other policeman when he saw his partner being killed. His face was filled with anger and fear, and his hands were shaking. When he saw the robber standing before the two parts of the body and bathing in his partner''s blood, he could not suppress the impulse to shot his gun. ¡°AHHHHHHH!¡± *BANG!* *BANG!* *BANG!* However, it would have been better if he doesn¡¯t shoot. Because when the crazed robber heard the gunshots, his gaze turned frigidly towards the policeman. ¡°YOUUUUUUUUUUUU!!!!¡± He then dropped the torn corpse and charged towards the second policeman. The policeman paled when he saw it, and continued shooting the gun desperately, but the bullets seemed useless against the robber. Instead of slowing him down, he became even faster and crazier with every wound. Actually, any other level two would have fallen dead after receiving so many bullets; the robber¡¯s skill, however, was special. If someone has to give the skill a name, it would be ¡®Berserk¡¯. It granted an enormous vitality and reduced the robber''s sensation of pain, in exchange for his rationality; moreover, the more crazed the robber is, the stronger he will be. Seeing the policeman continue shooting, the robber¡¯s expression turned angrier and crazier. He protected his face using his arms and continued charging; when he finally was close the policeman, the robber lunged and grabbed the policeman¡¯s head, then with a look of rage, he crushed it against the floor. Bits and pieces of brain flew to the surroundings at the next instant. ¡°AAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGG!!!¡± The robber roared crazily when he saw the policeman''s destroyed head. He then kicked the body away and turned around searching for a new prey.Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. From the moment when he activated the skill until now, less than ten seconds had passed. He moved his gaze around searching for another person, but everybody was hidden or had run away during the commotion. Despite it, however, the robber was able to find someone. Amidst the despairing silence, he could hear the fearful and hushed whimpers of a woman. His gaze turned in direction of the sound, and in the next instant, he rushed towards the place where the woman was hiding. With loud steps, he went to a car parked on the street and looked behind it. The woman behind the car opened her eyes wide, and the hands covering her mouth to suppress the whimpers of fear, turned white. Before she could scream, a punch from the robber crushed her chest. The woman¡¯s face turned to one of despair, but the wound on her chest made her unable to make any sound. An instant later, she died. But it did not take long for the crazed man to find his next prey. Because the car where the woman was hiding, was in front of the alley where Claire and Aya hid. When Aya noticed the man looking towards them, she grabbed Claire¡¯s hand and shouted. ¡°Run!¡± The two girls turned around to run and escape from the man, but the man wasn''t planning to leave them to go. With heavy steps, he ran quickly towards the girls while growling in fury. It took only five seconds for the man to catch up with the girls. With a roar, he swung his right arm, intending to crush them against the wall. Fortunately, Aya was able to catch with his movements. Quickly, she threw Claire away and ducked down to avoid the attack. The man roared again when his attack was avoided, and tried to use his foot to step on Aya, but she rolled to evade it and grabbed a stick lying nearby. With a jump, she used her feet to step on the wall and swung the stick towards the man¡¯s head. The man was unable to react to her erratic movements, but he didn¡¯t need. The stick just made him bleed a little before breaking into two. Seeing it, Aya retreated quickly, avoiding another punch of the man. Unfortunately, her movements were a bit slower than him. With another swing of his arm, he used a quick movement to hit Aya''s chest. Opening her eyes wide, she put her arms before her chest to defend against the attack. At the same time, she jumped back to reduce the impact of the attack. "Arg!" With an expression of pain, she flew back while coughing a bit of blood. ¡°RAAA!¡± The man growled in pleasure seeing the girl being hit. He then began to walk towards the two girls lying on the ground. But before he could reach them, a silver cat appeared in his path. ¡°Meow!!!¡± Strangely, the berserk man stopped when he saw the cat. ¡°Lily!¡± Cried the silver-haired girl. The cat bared its teeth and growled angrily when it saw its owner injured. The berserk man seemed to take it as a provocation, because at the next instant, he roared in fury and charged towards the cat. The cat lowered its posture and prepared to pounce, but at that moment, a bolt of lightning flashed. *Swinnnnnng!* A sharp sound resounded briefly. And an instant later, someone else appeared in the alley. ¡°Claire!¡± With an expression of rage and worry, Aleen kneeled before his sister and helped her to stand up. Then, before she could say anything, he hugged her strongly. ¡°I¡¯m glad that you are fine¡­¡± Sighing in relief, Aleen held his sister firmly on his arms. Claire immediately broke down and began to cry. Before the other girl and the cat could understand the situation, the head of the robber fell down. At that moment, they finally noticed a black sword lying on the ground beside Aleen. Chapter 75 – A Fated Meeting (5) ¡°Are you fine?¡± With a worried expression, Aleen asked Claire while examining her. When he noticed the wounds on her body, his expression turned enraged, but he suppressed it knowing that the one responsible was already dead. Claire held her brother arm with a hand while sobbing softly; at the same time, she used her other hand to wipe away her tears. ¡°Brother¡­ brother¡­¡± Aleen patted her head when he saw it, and tried to calm her down. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, it¡¯s alright now!¡± Claire only nodded and continued sobbing. At that moment, the silver-haired girl stood up suddenly and held the cat in her arms; she then looked briefly towards Aleen and Claire before running away. Aleen finally remembered that there was someone else in the alley when he saw the girl run. Claire also stopped sobbing when she heard the noise of the silver-haired girl running and looked towards her. Extending her hand, she shouted. ¡°Hey, wait¡­!¡± But the silver-haired girl continued running. ¡°Hey!¡± Claire called again with another shout, but the girl didn¡¯t stop. Seeing, it, she gave up and lowered her hand depressed. ¡°I didn¡¯t thank her¡­.¡± ¡°Who was her?¡± Asked Aleen curiously. ¡°She saved my life¡­¡± Claire replied softly. ¡°But I don¡¯t know who she is.¡± Aleen nodded briefly when he heard it. ¡°I see. We also have to go; the police will be here soon.¡± He then grabbed the sword on the ground and put it in his ring. Claire nodded and tried to walk, but she immediately fell down. Aleen extended his hands and caught her. ¡°What happened?¡± ¡°I injured my foot.¡± Aleen looked down and saw that her ankle was swollen. Apparently, the injury in her ankle worsened when she was running away from the robber. Aleen frowned briefly before shaking his head. Before she could react, he lifted her and carried her body on his arms. Claire made a soft cry of surprise, but she didn¡¯t stop him. Aleen smiled briefly and then began to run. Three minutes later, the police finally reached the place. Quickly, they cordoned off the place and began to ask the people in the surroundings about what happened.The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. A bit later, two men in black coats stepped down from a car. If Aleen would have been here, he would have recognized them as the two agents that came to his house to ask some questions. The two men showed their badges to the policemen cordoning off the area and entered the crime scene. They advanced directly towards the body of the crazed robber. When they saw the beheaded body lying on the ground, both furrowed their brows. ¡°What happened here?¡± Agent Wilson asked a policeman nearby. ¡°We don¡¯t know, sir.¡± The policeman replied. ¡°We found the corpse when we came, but we cannot find the one responsible or the weapon used to kill the man.¡± The two agents frowned deeply. ¡°Nobody saw anything?¡± ¡°Unfortunately, no. Everybody was hiding when the man was killed and nobody saw who killed him.¡± A thoughtful expression appeared on agent Wilson¡¯s face. ¡°It doesn''t make sense. Interrogate every person nearby again and look into the nearby security cameras to check if they caught something¡­ Also, check if any of our suspects was nearby when it happened. ¡°Yes sir.¡± Agent Wilson dismissed the policeman and continued observing the corpse carefully. Thinking about all the damage caused by just one superhuman out of control, he could not help but worry about the future. ¡°Fortunately, it was nothing serious.¡± A male nurse said while checking Claire¡¯s ankle. ¡°You only need to apply a bit of this ointment on your injury and rest for a few days and everything will be alright.¡± Aleen sighed in relief hearing it. ¡°Thank you, doctor.¡± ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡± He replied while pushing his glasses up. ¡°It must have been hard for you to be involved in an incident like this.¡± Aleen and Claire only smiled tiredly. ¡°I¡¯ll be going then, there are other patients to treat.¡± Aleen and Claire thanked him again and the nurse left the room. Currently, Aleen and Claire were inside the infirmary of the shopping mall. After rescuing Claire and killing the crazy man, Aleen took Claire here quickly and the nurse attended her immediately. A few minutes later, a policeman entered the infirmary and explained what happened, asking the nurse to accompany him to treat the injured. When the nurse left, Aleen sighed again before frowning worriedly. ¡°Is anything wrong, brother?¡± Claire asked. Aleen thought for a moment before replying in a grave tone. ¡°We probably are in trouble this time.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°... I used my skill when killing that man. I fear that someone will come soon to ask me about it.¡± Claire¡¯s expression changed immediately. ¡°Someone saw when you used it?¡± Aleen shook his head slightly. ¡°Nobody was near beside the girl that helped you, but there are many security cameras around here¡­ And even if I was not caught in a camera, it¡¯ll be bad if the girl speaks with the police.¡± Claire frowned when she heard it. ¡°Do you have a plan?¡± ¡°None.¡± Aleen replied while shaking his head. ¡°I can only face it how it comes.¡± At that moment, another policeman entered the infirmary and spoke to them. ¡°Are you alright? Can you answer some questions?¡± Aleen and Claire looked at each other and nodded at the same time. ¡°Very well, can you explain to me what did you see?¡± Aleen nodded and told the policeman the things that Claire told him. Of course, he lied about Claire being chased by the man or him killing the man, and only said that her wounds were due to avoiding the car. The policeman wrote his declaration and thanked him before leaving the infirmary. Once the policeman was gone, Aleen sighed in worry. Now, he could only pray that the silver-haired girl doesn¡¯t be found by the police, and hope that he wasn''t caught in a camera when using his skill. Shaking his head, he sent those thoughts to a corner of his mind and looked to Claire. ¡°Do you want to go home?¡± Claire hesitated for a moment and nodded with a slightly depressed expression. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, brother. You were unable to relax because of me¡­¡± Aleen smiled softly. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it, though it¡¯s a shame that we didn¡¯t get the bear.¡± Claire¡¯s lips curved up when she heard it. She then spoke in a very soft tone. ¡°Idiot.¡± Chapter 76 – Like a Translucent Fairy Aleen and Claire returned to home after noon. Probably because she was tired after going through such a terrifying event, Claire fell asleep once they reached home. Aleen only smiled wryly and decided to train the sword while she was sleeping. He spent three hours training in the courtyard before stopping, but when he was back inside, he found that Claire was surprisingly still asleep. Aleen gave a sigh of helplessness and shook his head briefly. He could only hope that his sister doesn¡¯t end with a trauma due to the events today. Seeing that Claire didn¡¯t seem like she was going to wake up soon, Aleen decided to prepare dinner. They had eaten a bit after leaving the infirmary, but Aleen was hungry after all the training he did. Thinking about it, Aleen noticed that his appetite had increased from the first game. He wondered if it was a side-effect of having a stronger body. Shaking those thoughts out of his mind, Aleen took a quick bath and then went to prepare dinner. Humming a song softly, he grabbed some ingredients from the fridge and took a knife to cut them. At that moment, however, he heard a soft and melodious voice coming from behind him. ¡°Mm mm, A man is very charming when he is cooking after all¡­¡± Aleen immediately turned around and took out the sword, Dark Night, from the ring. ¡°Who are you!? How did you enter my house!?¡± He asked with a guarded expression. The girl behind him gave a very charming and peaceful smile that almost reduced Aleen''s guard, and brought a finger to her lips. ¡°Shh, don¡¯t shout, Mr. Lightning, we don¡¯t want to wake your sister.¡± Aleen expression turned to one of surprise when he heard how the girl called him. Immediately, he furrowed his brows and took a prepared stance with his sword. ¡°C¡¯mon, don¡¯t be so tense.¡± She said with a pout. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I don¡¯t have bad intentions.¡± Aleen didn¡¯t relax despite the girl¡¯s words. ¡°You have not answered my questions, who are you and how did you enter my house?¡± ¡°*Giggle* Okay okay, calm down. My name is Alice, Alice Rayne; and you can call me Miss Seer. ¡°Oh right, I¡¯m what you call, a level three.¡± She said with a relaxed expression. Aleen muscles tensed when he heard the girl¡¯s last words, and at the same time, he got ready to activate his skill anytime. He had seen how strong a level three could be, and he didn¡¯t dare to underestimate someone like that. Though the girl said that she didn¡¯t have any bad intention, Aleen could not find a good reason for a level three to enter his home stealthily. At the same time, he searched for a way to take the fight away from here. Aleen knew that a fight inside the house could put Claire''s life at risk.This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. Alice seemed to notice his intentions, because she quickly waved her hands frantically. ¡°Hey! I told you to calm down! I''m indeed a level three, but I¡¯m completely useless in combat! Look! I come in peace! Hey!¡± Aleen finally relaxed a bit when he saw the girl''s frantic behavior. ¡°How did you enter?¡± A proud look appeared in the girl¡¯s face. ¡°It¡¯s my second skill, ¡®Astral Body¡¯! Cool, right? It allows me to project my thoughts to almost anywhere in the world! Unfortunately, I cannot touch or eat anything in this state¡­¡± The girl lowered her shoulders depressed. Aleen finally paid attention to her appearance at that moment. He noticed that she was not only really beautiful, but also a bit translucent, as if she were a projected image and not a human being. It, however, only made her beauty more mystical and ethereal. Her blond hair and green eyes, combined with her petite body only 1.65 meters tall, gave her the appearance of a mischievous fairy. Aleen thought that if not because she was potentially dangerous, he would have been enchanted by her appearance. According to her words, she appeared here through the use of her skill; and if her words were true, then she was not dangerous in her current state. Aleen, of course, didn''t fully believe her words. But now that he knew how she entered the house; he only had a question remaining. ¡°Do you need anything? I don¡¯t remember a reason to you visit me.¡± The girl¡¯s depressed expression disappeared in a flash and she returned to her innocent smile. ¡°I¡¯m here to give you a greeting, and to tell you to not worry about using your skill today. I have a good friend who helped me to erase your presence from the security cameras, so nobody will know that you were the one who killed the robber!¡± Aleen expression turned grave. ¡°How do you know?¡± ¡°I told you, don¡¯t I? I¡¯m a seer, my first skill allows me to see things that already happened and predict things that will happen. Very useful, don¡¯t you think so?¡± Aleen frowned deeply when he heard it. At the same time, a certain thought appeared involuntarily in his mind. ¡®She is the perfect voyeur, right?¡¯ ¡°Hey, that is rude!¡± ¡°Huh? You also can read minds?¡± ¡°Of course not! Your expression told me what you were thinking!¡± Aleen could not help but cough briefly to hide his awkwardness. ¡°¡­ Anyway, why are you telling me this?¡± ¡°I told you, it¡¯s a greeting! Consider it a gift for our first meeting, and my hopes so we can have a good cooperation in the future.¡± ¡°Cooperation? What do you mean?¡± ¡°You will know soon, Mr. Lightning; I need to do a few preparations yet. When everything is ready, I will tell you.¡± Aleen fell deep in thoughts. A few seconds later, he relaxed his stance, but continued holding the sword in his hand. ¡°¡­ About the cameras, thanks.¡± ¡°Haha, no problem. As I told you, it was a greeting gift.¡± Aleen shook his head. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter what your intention is, I have to thank you at least. By the way, I can¡¯t believe that there is a level three so fast. Dimensional Paradise began just a month ago.¡± Alice tilted her head. ¡°Huh? But I never have gone to Dimensional Paradise. I can use my first skill from when I have memory, and I acquired the second a few days ago.¡± ¡°Impossible! The manatization process only began around four months ago, and you are at least fourteen years old.¡± ¡°Hey, I¡¯m 18!¡± Alice said with a pout. ¡°Besides, people could acquire skills from long ago, it¡¯s just that we could not use them properly. I, for example, could see visions from when I was small, but I could only see vague things from time in time. Around three months ago, I felt a strange kind of energy around me and my skill was strengthened drastically; I even learned a new skill later.¡± Aleen furrowed his brows hearing it. ¡°Then, how is it possible that nobody knows about skills until now.¡± ¡°Because very few people could awaken them before, and they were normally useless or hidden purposely. I know about a boy that could attract small metallic things, but now he could attract and repel metal at will. Also, there is a woman who could see souls and now she can interact with them and borrow their strength.¡± Aleen nodded in surprise. Now that he thought about it, he remembered hearing stories like that; he never expected that they were people with skills. ¡°How do you know about it?¡± Aleen asked in doubt. ¡°I¡¯m a seer, I know many things.¡± Aleen looked towards her doubtfully. Alice smiled sheepishly and waved her hand. ¡°Okay, I have to go; my skill is about to end. See you soon, Mr. Lightning; I wish you good luck in your next game.¡± Before Aleen could answer, he saw the mysterious girl dissipate slowly from the kitchen. Once she was gone, Aleen kept his sword back in the ring and massaged his temple slowly. He had the presentment that this girl would mean trouble. Chapter 77 – The Girl Under the Rain (1) At the next day, Aleen finished his training and wiped his sweat using a towel. Despite only having trained during a few days, his improvement was obvious; mainly in his swordsmanship and the ¡®Sharp Blade¡¯ technique, which he improved to thirty vibrations each second. His skill, on the other hand, didn¡¯t show much improvement. It was because even if he changes the direction of the skill midway, the courtyard continued being too small to practice in it. Besides, he had to be careful of not making a big commotion and alerting his neighbors, so Aleen ended using most of the time meditating or practicing with the sword. Aleen made his mind to find a place to practice his skill freely soon. With a sigh, he thought about the only improvement that his skill saw in the last few days; he called it ¡®Dynamic Sight¡¯. Following D¡¯vina advise, he tried only to accelerate his thoughts without accelerating his body, and after a few days of tries, he achieved a bit of success. He could only keep this state for ten seconds, but he only needed rest for ten seconds to use it again. Besides, he could activate and deactivate it at will, making it even more useful. The only trouble was that it shared the cooldown of ¡®Lightning Acceleration¡¯, so he had to be careful when using it, to not find himself in a state where he could not use his skill when it was necessary. On the other hand, the cooldown of his skill reduced, to 17 seconds. He wasn¡¯t sure if it was thanks to the body-enhancement drug or the meditation he has done lately, but Aleen was happy with the progress. Honestly, he felt way stronger than in the last game. At least, it gave him a bit of confidence to face the incoming game. Aleen sighed briefly and looked up. The afternoon sky was very cloudy, so he wondered if it was going to rain tonight. Shaking his head, he returned his sword to the ring and entered back to the house. Claire was making dinner, so Aleen didn¡¯t interrupt her and went to take a bath directly. After taking a quick bath, he wore fresh clothes and sat in the living room. Seeing that Claire was still making dinner, he turned on the bracelet in his wrist and used it to browse the internet. Not long later, he noticed a particular article that was trending. Aleen immediately frowned when he read the title. ¡®More about the recent incidents around the world.¡¯This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. It was from the same author than the article Claire showed him days ago, Clicking it, Aleen found that it had way more information than before, including some things that even he didn¡¯t know. For example, it spoke about an island belonging to the Norway Kingdom being surrounded by aircraft carriers of different countries without any explanation, he also said that some people claimed that ¡®Dimensional Paradise¡¯ was an interdimensional version of the Roman Coliseum; there were also news about more animals'' attacks, and even what happened a day ago near Westfield Shopping Mall. Aleen was surprised, not only because the writer of this article was able to get so much information, but also because his webpage was still on the internet despite all the things he had revealed. And though most readers took the article as a bunch of conspiracy theories, there also were some that commented confirming some of the things in it. ¡®Something is strange, if the government wants to make the situation public, they won¡¯t do it this way, and if they won''t keep it secret, why didn¡¯t they close the page?¡¯ ¡®Or perhaps, they want to close it but they can¡¯t¡¯ Aleen could not find the answer don''t matter how long he thought about it. At that moment, Claire brought the dishes and put them on the dining table. ¡°Brother, it¡¯s ready!¡± ¡°Finally, I was starving!¡± ¡°Haha, but I assure you that the wait was worth it!¡± ¡°Of course, after all, you made it.¡± Claire blushed slightly hearing her brother¡¯s commentary. At that moment, sounds of pitter-patter came from the roof. ¡°It¡¯s raining, huh¡­¡± Aleen mumbled softly. Claire nodded softly and sat in the table. Aleen sat after her. But when he was going to start eating, Claire stood up abruptly with a panicked expression. ¡°Oh no! I left my clothes outside!¡± And before Aleen could say anything, she ran towards the courtyard. Aleen smiled wryly and started eating. He thought about waiting for Claire, but the training left him too hungry to wait anymore. Aleen was sure that Claire would forgive him with just a slight pout. But when she came back, it was different than he thought. Instead of scolding Aleen for starting without her, she had a nervous expression. ¡°Brother, there is someone outside.¡± Aleen frowned immediately. ¡°Is someone bothering us with this climate?¡± Claire shook her head. ¡°No, I think that person is using our roof to avoid the rain.¡± ¡°Do you recognize him?¡± Claire shook her head. Aleen fell in thoughts but at the end decided to take a look. Though he didn¡¯t mind allowing someone to use his roof to take refuge from the rain, he at least had to confirm that the one taking refuge wasn¡¯t suspicious. Aleen walked to a window together with Claire and opened the curtain to take a look outside. Immediately, he saw the refugee. The rain was strong, and the strong winds make it hard to see anything more than that person¡¯s figure. However, Aleen¡¯s enhanced vision allowed him to identify her. The silver hair, drenched clothes, and petite body were easy to identify after all. ¡°¡­ The girl from the shopping mall.¡± Claire made a surprised expression when she heard her brother¡¯s words. ¡°Uh? What girl?¡± ¡°The one that saved you.¡± Aleen said hesitantly. ¡°I¡¯m sure it¡¯s her, she is even carrying her cat.¡± Claire¡¯s expression froze when she heard it. Taking a look, she confirmed that the figure resembled the girl from back then. Beautiful and strong, and at the same time, slightly desolate. Though she wasn¡¯t completely sure if it was the same girl, Claire didn¡¯t doubt her brother judgment. For a moment, none of them said anything. Claire bit her lips with a struggling expression, and before long, she moved her gaze towards Aleen. ¡°¡­ Brother, can we help her?¡± Aleen took a few seconds to answer. ¡°Are you sure about it?¡± ¡°Only tonight, please¡­¡± Aleen didn¡¯t speak for a few seconds, but before long, he sighed. ¡°You know that the game begins tomorrow at dawn, right?¡± Claire only looked towards Aleen with a pleading expression. Finally, Aleen raised his hands signaling that he gave up. ¡°Okay, it¡¯s your choice.¡± Chapter 78 – The Girl Under the Rain (2) Aya was crouching down while hugging her pet cat. The heavy rain made it hard to see beyond a few meters, and the cold wind felt very uncomfortable against the skin. Her clothes were completely drenched, and her hands were trembling slightly. Aya didn¡¯t have more option but hug Lily tightly to share the little bit of heat between them. ¡°It¡¯s your fault, Lily.¡± Aya mumbled softly with her face on Lily¡¯s fur. ¡°I told you that it was going to rain, but you insisted on searching for more food¡­¡± The silver cat moved its ears slightly to catch its owner¡¯s voice among the pitter-patter noises, and meowed listlessly in answer. ¡°¡­ Yeah, I¡¯m also hungry.¡± For a moment, Aya wondered if the world hated her. She was abandoned by her parents, the caretakers in the orphanage did beat her, and the people in the streets always treated her like a plague, or tried to take advantage of her. Of course, she would find a kind soul from time in time, but it wasn¡¯t as if she could depend on them. They at most made her life a bit easier for a while. And now, she was cold, drenched and hungry. She even had to fight to suppress her tears. ¡°At least you are with me¡­¡± "Meow..." Lily meowed softly in answer. At that moment, Aya heard the door of the house, where she was hiding from the rain, opening. Her first thought was that someone came to kick her out. It was not the first time that something like that happened after all. However, a calm and firm male voice spoke instead. ¡°Hey girl, do you want to come inside?¡± Aya put a surprised expression. Nobody in this time and age invites a stranger to his house under normal circumstances; so Aya first thought was that the youth had wicked intentions with his proposal. ¡°Hurry up.¡± He sighed again. ¡°It¡¯s cold here.¡± Strangely, though, she noticed that, though the youth wasn¡¯t shouting, she could hear his voice clearly, and she found that his voice was a little familiar. She briefly wondered if it was a result of her imagination.The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. However, she didn¡¯t dwell on it for long; instead, she considered if it was better to go to another place. Though Aya grew in the streets, she knew that she was beautiful. Though she wasn¡¯t stunning and her body was a bit undeveloped, her silver hair and blue eyes easily attracted the attention of the opposite sex. It had caused a fair share of troubles in her life, so she didn¡¯t think that it was a good idea to enter inside a stranger¡¯s house. Who could know what was the youth¡¯s intentions inviting her in? He, however, seemed to notice her hesitation, because when he spoke again, he sounded a bit irritated. ¡°Are you coming or not? I don¡¯t plan to catch a cold while waiting for¨C ¡± ¡°Brother!¡± A sweet, and a little angry, voice came from inside the house. ¡°That is not the correct way to invite a guest!¡± Aya¡¯s expression turned to one of surprise when she heard the girl¡¯s voice. ¡°Hey!!!¡± Shouted the girl so Aya could hear. ¡°Do you remember me!? I¡¯m the girl of the crepe!¡± ¡°Meow?¡± Lily ears immediately perked up when she heard that. Aya recognized her, she was the kind girl who gave her a crepe a day ago. She remembered that they were chased by a crazed man and then rescued by her brother who appeared suddenly. Claire immediately waved her hand once she felt that the girl recognized her. ¡°Hurry up! You will catch a cold like that!¡± Aya hesitated slightly about entering, but when she saw the girl¡¯s encouraging expression and the youth¡¯s helpless face, she finally conceded. Hugging Lily tightly, she ran towards the door and entered inside. Aleen immediately closed the door behind her. Seeing the girl completely drenched, he sighed softly. ¡°What a mess¡­ Claire, get some clean clothes for our guest, it would be bad if she falls sick due to the cold. I will show her the bathroom.¡± ¡°Okay!¡± Claire went up to her room quickly with a small smile. Aleen shook his head helplessly and spoke to the silver-haired girl. ¡°Come with me, it¡¯s better if you take a bath.¡± Aya hesitated with a nervous expression and hugged the cat tighter. Aleen noticed it, though; so he smiled and distanced himself a bit to relieve her. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, we are not going to kill you or something like that. Consider it as our thanks for saving Claire¡¯s life yesterday.¡± ¡°¡­ I understand.¡± Aya nodded and replied softly. Aleen only smiled and walked towards the bath, with the girl walking behind him. Once there, Aleen extended his hand and gestured for her to enter. ¡°You can use the warm water, and leave the cat behind if you want, I will get him something to eat." Aya brought the silver cat closer to her and shook her head repeatedly, so Aleen could only raise his hands and give up. He explained some things to Aya about the bath and indicated her to enter; Aya nodded without answering and made sure that the door was completely closed. When she was sure that he wasn¡¯t going to try to enter the bath, she leaned her back against the wall and gave a big sigh. Looking at all the things inside the bath, she put a confused expression and spoke Lily. ¡°¡­ Am I supposed to use the bathtub? How do we use it¡­ Lily, have you taken a bath in a bathtub?¡± ¡°Meow?¡± The cat tilted its head confused. ¡°Is it so¡­?¡± With another sigh, she struggled to fill the bathtub with warm water and used the soap. She then entered while hugging Lily. Lily struggled a little at the beginning, but because Aya bathed it each time she could, Lily calmed down quickly. Once inside, she put her chin over Lily¡¯s head and thought about the siblings outside. ¡°¡­ They don¡¯t seem bad people, huh¡­¡± Chapter 79 – The Girl Under the Rain (3) ¡°The clothes sure suit you.¡± Claire smiled sweetly while looking to Aya and putting a downcast expression. ¡°Unfortunately, they are a bit large for you; but I don¡¯t have smaller clothes.¡± Though Claire was just 1.7 meters tall, Aya was even smaller, at 1.65 meters. The difference wasn¡¯t big, but the clothes seemed a bit big for Aya, and it was more noticeable in the chest. Claire couldn¡¯t be considered big breasted, but her chest wasn¡¯t small either. Aya, on the other hand, practically lacked anything you could consider chest. Fortunately, she never paid attention to it, until now. After taking a bath, Aya found Claire waiting for her in the door and received a set of clothes and a towel. Claire told her that she could use it to wipe the cat too. Though Aya wanted to refuse, her clothes were completely drenched, so she finally agreed with a nod and wore the clothes. When she exited the bathroom, Aya found Claire still waiting for her and was taken to the dining table. Of course, Lily came with her. ¡°By the way, I never thanked you yesterday!¡± Claire smiled while looking to her. ¡°I would¡¯ve died if not for you.¡± ¡°¡­ You are welcome.¡± The silver-haired girl replied with an indifferent expression. To be honest, Aya herself didn¡¯t know why she helped Claire. Back then, her body moved by itself when she saw the car falling towards Claire. If there was a reason, it was that she didn¡¯t want to see hurt someone who was kind to her. Maybe it was because very few people have shown kindness towards her, but Aya didn¡¯t want to see any of them hurt. Claire smile turned brighter, and she continued speaking with the silver-haired girl. ¡°Can I know your name?¡± ¡°¡­ Aya.¡± Replied the silver-haired girl after hesitating for a moment. ¡°And she is Lily.¡± She signaled to the cat. ¡°I know, you told me yesterday. It¡¯s such a cute cat!¡± ¡°Meow!¡± Lily waved her paw softly. ¡°And it¡¯s so smart! Right, my name is Claire, and my brother is Aleen. He looks a bit serious sometimes, but he is very kind, so you don¡¯t have to worry.¡± Aya nodded silently. Claire saw that she didn¡¯t want to speak and smiled again. She then continued walking to the dining table. Aleen was there watching tv while waiting for them. When he noticed Claire and Aya, he gave a slight nod and signaled them to sit. ¡°Brother, she is Aya, and the cat is called Lily. Don¡¯t you think that Lily is cute?¡± Aleen could not help but give a small smile. ¡°She is. I served food for Aya, but I think I forgot about the cat. Wait a moment, I will get something from the fridge.¡± Before Aya could reply, Aleen stood up and went to the kitchen. He returned quickly, bringing a can of tuna in his hand. To be honest, it was the only thing in the fridge that he found appropriate. Apparently, Lily found its smell delicious, because she jumped down from Aya¡¯s arms and began to run Aleen¡¯s legs immediately. ¡°Okay okay, take it.¡± Aleen smiled and opened up the can. Meanwhile, Aya seemed a bit betrayed when Lily jumped away.This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. ¡°We better also start, the food will become cold otherwise.¡± Aleen nodded to Claire¡¯s words and sat in his seat. Seeing it, Aya could only sit beside them and start to eat. Aya was eating slowly at the start, but before long, she could not endure the nice smell of the food and began to devour it quickly. When she finished, she finally remembered where she was, and looked towards the two siblings with a slight blush in her indifferent face. Aleen was a bit surprised at the beginning, but in the end, he only smiled. Before Aya could say something, he grabbed her plate and went to the kitchen to refill it. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, you can eat more if you want.¡± For a moment, Aya didn¡¯t know what to say. Though it was not the first time that someone showed a bit of kindness towards her, she felt that thesiblings were different than others. Aya was very good reading other people, at the point where she could feel a bit of the thoughts that others have towards her, but she could not sense the slightest trace of disgust or superiority in the siblings'' eyes. At most, she could see a bit of wariness in Aleen, but nothing else. So, when Aleen put the dish before her again, she could not help but say something. ¡°¡­ Thanks.¡± Her voice was very soft, but despite it, she had to do a great effort to not sob while speaking. When they finally finished eating, Aya wasn¡¯t sure about what to do. Claire took the dishes and went to clean them. Meanwhile, Aleen looked fixedly towards Aya. Aya moved her eyes restlessly to avoid his gaze, but she could feel Aleen still looking to her. Seconds later, she heard him speaking. ¡°Did you tell something to the police yesterday?¡± Aya tilted her head slightly, before understating the question. ¡°¡­ No, I ran away before they reached.¡± Aleen frowned briefly and finally sighed. ¡°Anyways, thanks for helping my sister; I don¡¯t know what I would have done if something happens to her.¡± Aya only nodded without changing her expression. At that moment, the cat, Lily, jumped back to Aya¡¯s thighs. Aya immediately took it on her arms. Aleen smiled briefly. ¡°It¡¯s a beautiful cat. I had a dog before, but it died a few years ago.¡± Aya nodded again without speaking. Seeing it, Aleen stood up and went towards the kitchen. ¡°You can sleep on the sofa tonight. I have to leave tomorrow early, so Claire will see you off.¡± Aya hesitated slightly when she heard it, but Aleen cut her firmly before she could speak. ¡°It¡¯s raining heavily, so it¡¯s better if you spend the night here. Don¡¯t try to refuse, it¡¯s the least we can do for saving Claire''s life.¡± Aya looked to the ground briefly, and finally agreed. Aleen then nodded and entered the kitchen. ¡°Sleep well, it was nice to meet you.¡± A few minutes later, the siblings went to sleep and turned off the lights. Aya lied in the comfy sofa, hugging Lily and looking towards the roof with a complicated expression. Finally, she closed her eyes and fell slept. Despite it, however, she was ready to wake up at the moment she feels something wrong. The next day, Aleen waked up very early and prepared himself to enter the game. He circulated his mana briefly and took a quick bath; before going to the kitchen. There, he found Claire preparing a light breakfast. ¡°You are awake.¡± He said. Claire shook slightly and finished a sandwich before gazing to Aleen. ¡°You are going soon, brother?¡± ¡°A bit after 4:00 am.¡± Claire fell silent when she heard it. Finally, she ran towards Aleen and hugged him tightly. ¡°Be careful, brother.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡± He smiled while brushing her beautiful dark hair. ¡°I¡¯ll be fine.¡± The two continued like that for a few seconds more, but eventually, Aleen softly knocked her head. ¡°It¡¯s enough, crybaby; I have to go soon.¡± Claire could only let go. Aleen smiled and ate breakfast before packing some things inside his ring; nothing too valuable, just a bit of supply, a lantern, a lighter and some clothes. Aleen even took some first aid stuff, though he wasn¡¯t sure if it would be useful. Before long, the time for the start of the game was near. Aleen hugged Claire for a last time and said her a few things. ¡°The girl, Aya, looks like a good girl; however, be careful either way. Don''t hesitate to use your mana if something is wrong, okay?¡± ¡°Mm.¡± Claire nodded softly. ¡°Very well, it¡¯s time to go.¡± At that moment, an interdimensional portal appeared behind Aleen. With a last smile towards Claire, Aleen stepped inside it. However, he missed a few things. First, he didn¡¯t know that Aya was awake from the moment when Claire went down the stairs to prepare the breakfast. Second, she noticed the strange behavior of Aleen and Claire when they were in the kitchen. And third, that she instinctively would try to help him. So, when Aya jumped out and grabbed Aleen¡¯s arm, he was unable to react. Unfortunately, Aya''s intervention was far from enough to stop the teleportation. So, instead of rescuing Aleen, she ended falling inside it with him. And a second before the portal closed, Lily jumped behind them. When the portal finally closed, Claire, the only one remaining in the kitchen, stood there dumbfounded. Extra 1 – Average of Supers Year 75 of the United Dimensions Agreement. By the council suggestion, was approved a dimensional census to learn the average of supers with respect to the population of the different intelligent species through the dimensions. The following is the average number of humans necessary to produce a super. 100 Humans - 1 Lvl.2If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. 1000 Humans - 10 Lvl.2 - 1 Lvl.3 100000 Humans - 1000 Lvl.2 - 100 Lvl.3 - 1 Lvl.4 100 Million Humans - 1 Million Lvl.2 - 100000 Lvl.3 - 1000 Lvl.4 - 1 Lvl.5 70 Billion Human - 700 Million Lvl. 2 - 70 Million Lvl.3 - 700000 Lvl.4 - 700 Lvl.5 - 1 Lvl.6 In average, one Level Six appears every 70 Billion humans. Note: This numbers can vary depending on the level of magic, technology, and development of a world. Note 2: A world with low population can produce one Level Six, only that it¡¯s less probable. Note 3: A population big enough doesn¡¯t guarantee the birth of one Level Six. Note 4: External factors can contribute to the apparition of one Level Six. Extra 2 – How Are Dimensions Connected The following document corresponds to Mr. Luin¡¯s theory about dimensional creation. According to different observations and data gathered through more than 5000 different dimensions, we came to the conclusion that all dimensions are deeply related to each other. We found that the different dimensions share many similar features, such as the stellar maps, planets, ecology, species, time, etc. Of course, there are not two identical dimensions, but the similitudes are big enough to consider the different dimensions as ¡®Sisters¡¯. We call this phenomenon, ¡®Distorted Mirror¡¯, because the similitudes are big enough to make the dimensions alike, but small enough to make each dimension greatly different. Based on it, we developed the theory of ¡®Semi-Parallels Dimensions¡¯. According to it, many dimensions were identical when they first were created, but very small changes and differences surged through the cosmic time and were magnified through the billions of years. Because of it, some dimensions developed different solar systems, different species, different civilizations, and even different galaxies.The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. Despite it, however, we believe that the different dimensions continue sharing information between them. We have discovered that some people, despite lacking any knowledge about dimensions, are able to illustrate and describe species belonging to different dimensions through stories and art. We believe that the ties between dimensions are sometimes caught by the subconscious of some individuals, and they portray it in their creations as a product of their imagination. Besides, we found evidence that some dimensions create natural portals to other dimensions under unknown circumstances, causing to individuals to disappear and be ¡®summoned¡¯ to different worlds. Lastly, we estimated that there is a number almost infinite of dimensions out there, and that new dimensions are being created and destroyed every second by natural causes. Chapter 80 – Zombies (1) ¡®Dimensional Movement Completed. Confirming vital signs¡­ Confirmed. Confirming participation requirements¡­ Confirmed. Confirming authority¡­ Level two confirmed. According to your status, you must follow the following rules:
  1. You must end the game with a positive score.
Failure to follow any rule will be punished with death. Welcome to Dimensional Paradise¡¯ ¡®Loading relevant information¡­ Game type: Escape. Team characteristics: Individual¡­ Another Level two detected, changing mode to cooperative (Two men). Number of participating teams: Not apply. Winning conditions: Escape the city before it¡¯s too late. Location: Collis City. Degree of danger: Level III... Degree of danger increased due to the participation of an extra Level two. Description: A powerful epidemic has appeared in Collis City, infecting most of its inhabitants. You and a group of survivors are trapped inside an abandoned school, surrounded by infected; but there is an interdimensional portal in the central tower that you can use to escape. Help the survivors to reach the central tower and escape the city. Note 1: The interdimensional portal will only work for another four hours. You must reach it before it¡¯s too late or the mission will be considered a failure, and the correspondent amount of points will be taken away. Note 2: The number of final survivors will influence your final reward. Authority level: II (Main participant) The following functions have been made available: COM (Only to communicate with the other main participants). Map of Collis City. UDP Coins: 0.¡¯ The familiar dizzy feeling hit Aleen after leaving the portal. He shook his head and read the information in his head before frowning and looking to the surroundings. ¡®Another level two? Could it be¡­?¡¯ Aleen didn¡¯t need search for long to find the figure he was searching for. In a corner of the room, a petite silver-haired girl was holding her head in pain while a silver cat touched her thigh with its paw.This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. ¡°You¡­ You are a level two!? And how did you enter the portal with me!?¡± Aya, still holding her head, looked up to Aleen and tilted her head. ¡°Huh?¡± She then grabbed the cat in her arms and carried it to her chest. Looking around, she noticed the strangeness of the place. Before Aleen could say something, she used her emotionless voice to speak. ¡°¡­ Where is it?¡± Aleen expression turned to surprise. ¡°You don¡¯t know?¡± Aya shook her head. Aleen put a contemplating expression and spoke to himself. ¡°¡­ Are you not the other level two then? No, the others are still sleeping, so you must be the one. Then, have you never been here before? Did you acquire your skill on earth?¡± Aya only tilted her head in confusion. Seeing it, Aleen sighed slightly waved his hand. ¡°Wait a moment, I will explain everything after I wake up the others.¡± Besides Aleen and Aya, another seven people were lying asleep on the ground. Two of them were women and the other five were men. Two of the men attracted Aleen¡¯s attention; they were around two meters tall, and both of them were dressed in black. Aleen thought that they seemed like bodyguards. The other three men, however, were pretty average. Among the women, one seemed like a white-collar worker, and the other like a college student. Aleen did not dwell on their appearances and went to wake them up. It was Aleen¡¯s first time doing it, so he wasn¡¯t sure about how to do it. Finally, he decided to use the method John used on him when he first entered the game. Taking a deep breath, he infused a bit of mana in his shout. ¡°Stand up, the game already began!¡± Immediately, all the seven people lying on the ground opened their eyes in surprise; but before they could react properly, the two women and a man wearing glasses began to vomit. Aleen frowned when he saw it, but he remembered that he was also like this in his first game. Thinking about it, that memory seemed pretty far away now. Unfortunately, now was not a good time to remember the past. Giving a quick look at the eight people around him (Including Aya), Aleen sighed in his mind and thought about what he would do now. He found the answer faster than he thought. ¡°Welcome, you all. You were unlucky enough to be chosen to participate in dimensional paradise. There isn''t time to lose, so I¡¯ll be quick.¡± Pausing for a brief moment, he stared to the eight people to gauge their reactions and then continued. ¡°This place is hell, and you were brought here to die. Now, there is a very small probability of surviving, but most of you will probably not do it.¡± Aleen continued without giving them time to interrupt, explaining briefly about Dimensional Paradise and the games. The eight people made astonished expressions hearing his story, but Aleen ignored it. ¡°I will go to complete the mission, and you can decide if you want to stay here or come with me. I will say it from now, though; I won¡¯t guarantee your safety if you follow me. Of course, I will help you if I see you in danger, but if the situation is too dangerous or you don¡¯t follow my orders, I will leave you behind.¡± Without waiting for them to answer, Aleen walked towards the door of the room. But before exiting the room, he hesitated slightly and then turned to the silver-haired girl. ¡°Aya, take a weapon and come with me.¡± The silver-haired girl hesitated slightly, but at the end grabbed a short spear and followed after Aleen with Lily on her arms. Aleen frowned briefly, but in the end, he didn¡¯t say anything. The remaining seven people stayed on the room with pale and astonished expressions. At that moment, however, one of the two bodyguard-like men whispered something to the college girl. The girl then nodded and the three of them followed after Aleen. Seeing it, the other four people hesitated slightly and finally decided to go too. Aleen noticed it, but he remained expressionless. Two games taught Aleen that it¡¯s impossible to save everybody; the best he could do is give them a helping hand and increase their possibilities to survive, but if they show the sightless intention of causing trouble, Aleen wouldn''t hesitate to leave them behind. Outside the room was a long corridor. The place seemed recently abandoned, and Aleen noticed traces of blood and scratches on the walls. Putting a serious expression, he took the sword, Dark Night, out of the ring and held it firmly in his hand. He had worn the armor before being summoned to the game. Fortunately, there wasn¡¯t anything dangerous in the corridor, but when he reached to a window, a gasp of astonishment escaped his lips. Outside, it was filled with people. No, they weren¡¯t people. Their eyes were white, and their bodies were filled with blood; Aleen could see countless injuries in their bodies. A word appeared immediately on his mind. ¡°¡­ Zombies.¡± Chapter 81 – Zombies (2) Though Aleen was surprised when he saw the zombies, he quickly calmed down. To be honest, Aleen thought that zombies were less terrifying than giant carnivorous insects. The problem was, how was he going to pass through them and exit the building? Aleen glanced to the map of the city in his mind and confirmed the direction of the central tower. It was around five kilometers away from here, and they obviously had to go through this group of monsters if they wanted to reach there. Fortunately, Aleen noticed that most of the zombies looked like they were level one; so, though they could be a bit troublesome, Aleen thought that he could pass them easily. The problem, though, were the others with him. The truth was, Aleen probably would not die even if he fails the mission. With his current score, losing a single game was not enough to fall in negative. But if it was possible, Aleen wanted to win. ''Besides¡­'' Aleen looked to Aya who was beside him observing the zombies. Aya¡­ If she fails the mission, she will die. It was the same with the other seven. At difference from him, they could not afford to fail this mission. Aleen thought deeply about the best way to complete the mission. Looking at the expressionless look on Aya¡¯s face, he asked something. ¡°Aya, what is your skill?¡± ¡°¡­ Skill?¡± ¡°You are a level two, right? What ability you got?¡± Aya fell silent for a few seconds before finally replying. ¡°¡­ I don¡¯t know.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°The thing in my head says that I¡¯m level two, but I don¡¯t know what my skill is.¡± Aleen was unable to process Aya¡¯s words immediately. ¡°Impossible! You never noticed something strange? Something that only you can do and nobody else can.¡± Aya thought deeply for a moment and signaled to the silver cat on her arms. ¡°¡­ I can speak with Lily.¡± ¡°Meow!¡± Aleen expression turned strange when he heard it.This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. Was it her skill? Speaking with animals? Aleen hoped that it wasn¡¯t. With a sigh, he suppressed his disappointment and decided to teach her the basic circulation method. At least, she could help him to fight the weaker zombies with her level two body. At the same time, he tried to teach the circulation method to the others. Unfortunately, besides the college girl and one of the bodyguard-like men, nobody else was able to learn it; and even the two that learned it barely could circulate their mana. Aleen found it strange; after all, he learned to circulate with relative ease, and he did not consider himself a genius when it comes to mana. Aya, on the other hand, learned in her first try. Aleen wondered if it was because she was talented or simply because she was a level two already. In the end, Aleen allowed them to try for another fifteen minutes but nobody else succeeded; so Aleen told them to stop. They only had four hours to complete the mission, so they could not afford to waste much time. It was obvious that learning to use mana wasn''t so easy as he thought. Hiding the disappointment from showing on his face, Aleen began to speak. ¡°As you can see, this place is surrounded by zombies, but we have to go through them if we want to survive. Any of you have a plan?¡± None of them spoke. Aleen frowned when he saw it. Probably, none of them would survive going through that group of monsters outside, and even if they are able to pass them, they probably will be injured, even if only slightly; and Aleen didn¡¯t want to test if a zombie''s bite would transform a human into a zombie. Without more option, he suggested something. ¡°We will form groups and search around to see if we can find a safer method to leave the building. If after half an hour, we don¡¯t find anything, we will take the risk and rush out. Besides, if you notice something wrong, don¡¯t hesitate to shout.¡± The others nodded hesitantly. ¡°Aya will come with me.¡± Aleen continued. ¡°You can form the other groups as you want.¡± Quickly, another two groups were formed. The first was the college girl with the two bodyguard-like men, and the other was formed by the remaining four people. Aleen gestured them to start and went with Aya to search for another exit. But five minutes after they separated, Aleen heard footsteps coming from behind him. Turning around, he saw the group of the girl and the bodyguards stop near him. One of the bodyguards stepped forward and walked towards Aleen. ¡°Mr. Aleen, can we speak with you? We want to make you a proposal.¡± Aleen frowned but nodded, signaling him to continue. ¡°We want to ask you to help us to protect our young miss. In exchange, we can pay you a considerable sum of money once we leave this place.¡± Aleen sighed, confirming his suspicions. He already noticed that something was wrong with them from before, but it confirmed his thoughts. ¡°Can I ask how did you end here?¡± The bodyguard hesitated for a moment before answering. ¡°We were beside our young miss when a portal appeared behind her. Our duty as her bodyguards is to protect her from any harm, so we immediately ran and tried to protect her, but it was already too late, and all of us ended here.¡± ¡®¡­ It was the same that happened with Aya, huh¡­¡¯ Aleen was sure that the administration knew about this situation, so he wondered why it was like this... Or maybe it was a mistake? Unfortunately, he failed to find a reason. Looking towards the bodyguard, Aleen put a serious expression and replied. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I can¡¯t do it.¡± ¡°¡­ Is there a reason?¡± Asked the bodyguard after staying silent for a second. ¡°Though I don¡¯t mind helping you, my safety is first, and Aya¡¯s is second. The rest of you, I will help if it¡¯s possible, but I will not risk my life for you. Besides, even if you promise to give money on earth, I wouldn¡¯t dare to take it.¡± The bodyguard smiled wryly understating his meaning. ¡°Then, is there something we can do?¡± ¡°Follow my orders and don''t die.¡± Aleen replied. ¡°I will try to take you out from here, but to be honest, I can¡¯t guarantee my own safety, much less yours.¡± The bodyguard nodded. He then returned to the college girl and muttered something in her ear, to which she nodded gently. Staring towards Aleen, she gestured something to her two bodyguards and turned around to continue with the search. At that moment, however, a shout came from the other side of the building. Aleen immediately recognized the voice as the woman in the other group. Chapter 82 – Zombies (3) ¡°AHHHHHH!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Aleen shouted and ran towards the source of the sound. The second group had gone pretty far while searching for an exit, but with Aleen¡¯s speed, it took him less than twenty seconds to reach there. However, when he came, the situation had already ended. ¡°Is everybody alright!?¡± Aleen asked with an alert expression while looking to the scene inside the room. A zombie was lying dead on the ground with half of his head cut, while three members of the group were looking with grave expressions to the remaining member, a glasses-wearing man. When the glasses-wearing man saw Aleen, his expression turned to one of relief, worry, and fear; and he showed his arm. His arm had been bitten by the zombie, and a large chunk of flesh was missing. ¡°Will I die?¡± The man asked with an almost pleading expression. Aleen wanted to say no, but the words couldn''t leave his mouth. In the end, he could only shake his head with a bitter expression. ¡°I don¡¯t know, but¡­¡± The glasses-wearing man didn¡¯t have to hear the rest of the sentence to understand. Immediately, tears began to flow from his eyes. At the same time, the expressions of the remaining three turned pale. Aleen could even hear the white-collar woman mumbling ¡°I don¡¯t want to die, I don¡¯t want to die¡± repeatedly. At that moment, Aya and the other group finally came to the room. They immediately noticed the depressing atmosphere and saw the blood flowing from the glasses-wearing man. The college girl, who was being protected by the two bodyguards, asked seeing the situation. ¡°What happened?¡± Aleen had to admit that her voice, like her short brown hair, was pretty nice; contrasting to her high-handed attitude. Were all the rich girls so prideful like that? The one who answered was a tall and slender man, with a bit of stubble on his face; he signaled to the zombie on the ground. ¡°I¡¯m not sure¡­ We entered this room and everything was alright, but suddenly, this zombie appeared from nowhere and attacked. Fortunately, Charles¨C¡± The stubble guy pointed to the glasses-wearing man. ¡°Reacted quickly and killed it with his axe, be the zombie bit him before he could kill it.¡± Aleen sighed to the situation. Though the man reacted quickly, his life could be considered finished now. Seeing his despairing a resigned expression, Aleen thought about something and tried to console him.The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, you still have hope even if you are infected. When you finish the game, the administration will proportionate one healing; and I¡¯m almost 100% sure that it can cure the virus too. You only need to survive until we reach the central tower.¡± The group¡¯s expression brightened when they heard it, and even glasses¡¯ face glowed hopefully, however, his expression dimmed immediately after it. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter¡­ I deserve to die after all¡­ After all, I...¡± For a moment, Aleen glimpsed an expression of regret on his face. ''So, he has a story huh...'' He simply urged the group to continue searching for an exit. After twenty minutes, they finally got a result. The window of a classroom on the third floor was connected to another building by a bridge-like metallic pipe. The pipe was five meters long, and the other end was connected to the roof of a store-like building; the only problem was that the pipe was very narrow (around thirty centimeters wide), and falling from this height would mean your death; and even if you survive, the zombies below will not waste a free meal. ¡°Are we seriously doing it?¡± The man with the stubble asked with a pale face. ¡°None of you saw terror movies before? This is practically suicide!¡± ¡°It¡¯s this, or rushing through the sea of zombies.¡± Replied the college girl sarcastically. ¡°You can try if you want.¡± The man showed an irritated expression, but quickly turned to Aleen waiting for his answer. Aleen thought for a moment, but he didn¡¯t found a better option; besides, they already had lost much time. ¡°I¡¯ll go first.¡± He finally said, and before the others could react, he began to walk on the pipe. His steps were stable, almost as if he was walking on firm ground. He quickly reached to the middle of the pipe and turned to the group with a small smile. ¡°It¡¯s pretty safe if you are able to keep your balance. Who is next?¡± None of them answered. The eight individuals looked to each other to see if anyone had the intention to cross. At that moment, someone took the initiative. Aya, carrying Lily in one arm and a short spear in the other, began to walk. Aleen frowned seeing it. ¡°Aya, why don¡¯t you put the cat on the ground? It¡¯ll be easier that way.¡± Aleen could swear that after saying those words, it was the first time that he saw such a clear expression on Aya¡¯s face. It was anger? Despise? Disappointment? Unfortunately, the expression disappeared too quickly from Aya¡¯s face and Aleen couldn''t decipher it; her face returned to her usual expressionless look. ¡°¡­ I¡¯ll not leave Lily behind, never.¡± Aleen could only nod before the pressure of her gaze. However, contrary to his fears, Aya¡¯s steps were as firm as his; she walked like a proud cat, without fear or doubt. Aleen could only sigh in admiration and accept that any level two was incredible in his own way. After them, the remaining seven crossed the pipe. The rich brown-haired girl had to be supported all the way by her two bodyguards; and the white-collar woman trembled all the time when she was crossing, almost falling down a pair of times; but in the end, no incident occurred¡­ Until the last man crossed the pipe. The glasses-wearing man walked halfway, and then stopped. Looking towards the eight people on the other end, he shook his head and muttered in despair. ¡°I should have died back then.¡± And before the others could react, he took a step towards the air. ¡°Wait for me, my little baby¡­¡± With an ugly and distorted smile, he fell down. *Thud!* His body made a sickening sound and his head exploded when it hit the ground. Only until then, the others finally reacted. ¡°Uhgmmmm!¡± The white-collar worker woman covered her mouth to suppress her desire to throw out, and even the rich girl¡¯s face paled; Only the two bodyguards, Aya, and Aleen remained relatively calm. Aleen never thought that the first death in this game would be like this. Suppressing a sigh, he closed his eyes briefly and called to the others. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± The other seven finally broke out from their reverie and quickly followed after Aleen. However, none of them could forget the despair they saw on the man''s face. Chapter 83 – Zombies (4) Aleen peeked through a hole in the wall to identify the situation ahead. ¡°One two three¡­ Seven.¡± He counted in a low voice and returned to the group when he confirmed the number of zombies. They currently were a block away from the school where they appeared. After the glasses-wearing man committed suicide, the group continued in a tense silence. Fortunately, the roof of the store-like building was connected to other buildings, so the group was able to continue without being detected by the zombies. Unfortunately, though, the block could only be so long. After going through seven or eight buildings, the group finally reached the end of the street, and if they wanted to continue, they had to cross the street. However, the street wasn¡¯t precisely empty. Once he saw the other seven people traveling with him, he communicated his findings in low voice. ¡°There are seven zombies in the street.¡± The group¡¯s expressions tensed immediately; Aleen, however, continued as if he didn¡¯t see it. ¡°To be honest, I can kill that number of zombies easily, but I don¡¯t want to take an unnecessary risk. We are still too close to the horde of zombies surrounding the hospital, and if for some reason, they are alerted of our presence, then our situation will turn ugly.¡± ¡°T-Then¡­ W-What are we going to do?¡± The last person of the group, a slightly chubby man in his late twenties, asked while stuttering nervously. Aleen remained silent for a moment and organized his thoughts. ¡°We don¡¯t know if the zombies have a method to communicate between them, so It¡¯s best if the zombies didn¡¯t discover us. Fortunately, there are some abandoned vehicles that we can use as cover.¡± The group could only accept his suggestion without complaining. They then followed Aleen towards the place where the abandoned vehicles were located and gulped down nervously.The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. Though Aleen called them vehicles, they were a bit different than the ones on earth; and had a very alien felt to them. Despite it, though, Aleen was sure that they were a kind of vehicle when he saw the wheels. Aleen breathed deeply and looked to the group firmly before speaking. ¡°I¡¯m going first. Remember, don¡¯t make noise and try not to be discovered.¡± The others nodded nervously. Taking a mouthful of air, Aleen circulated a small amount of mana through his body to enhance his senses and without thinking twice, rushed towards the first car. Though he didn¡¯t use his skill, his movements were absurdly fast, at least twice as fast as the fastest man on earth; but despite it, his steps were light, and his breathing was almost silent. In an instant, he was behind the first vehicle. The white-collar woman covered her mouth in panic when Aleen moved, but the zombies didn¡¯t react; it was clear that Aleen''s movements went completely undetected. With his confidence boosted, he rushed to the next car, and then to the next. Aleen noticed that the zombies were less alert than he thought, making the process easier than expected. From what he could see, the zombies probably would not react unless they feel a strong external stimulus. So, if the group was careful, they probably could cross undetected. After he crossed the street, he hid inside a building and signaled the rest of the group to start. The one who took the initiative was again Aya. She followed Aleen¡¯s example and made her steps light before jumping towards the vehicles. To be honest, Aleen got the impression that she crossed the street even smoother than him. Was it related to her skill, or was it simply talent? Aleen could not understand, but he could see that, despite carrying the silver cat on her arms, Aya¡¯s movements were fast, silent, and stealthy. Once she finished crossing the street, he left out the breath he was holding. To be honest, he had to admit that he was a bit nervous. After it, the rest of the group crossed the street without any incident. As Aleen thought, the zombies didn¡¯t find anything strange despite having eight people cross the street. Aleen was sure that, if the other party would have been human, they definitively would have noticed something strange. ¡®It¡¯s as if they are sleeping¡­¡¯ Aleen could see the expressions of relief on the faces of the group. Even the white-collar woman, who had been trembling nervously from the start of the game, recovered a bit of color. ¡°Thanks to God, thanks to God.¡± She repeated softly. However, as Murphy¡¯s law says, anything that can go wrong, will go wrong. Though they could not see it from their position, a zombie was hiding inside the building where they hid. Like the zombies outside, this zombie was in a hibernating-like state; so, it didn¡¯t detect when the group first entered the building. However, when the woman spoke, it immediately opened its eyes wide. Rotten blood flowed through its veins, activating its dormant body when it heard the sound of its prey. Then, before the group could notice anything, it opened its mouth. And with a shrill sound, it screamed. ¡°EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEERRRRRRRRGGGGGGHHHHHHHH!!!¡± Then, it rushed to the group. Chapter 84 – Zombies (5) ] ¡°EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEERRRRRRRRGGGGGGHHHHHHHH!!!¡± The entire group made surprised expressions when they heard the shrill-like scream. Immediately after it, Aleen saw a zombie rushing towards their position from a corridor nearby and his expression contorted in rage. ¡°Dammit!¡± Without waiting for the rest of the group to react, he rushed towards the zombie at high speed and slashed with his sword, beheading it in a single movement. However, the harm was already done. Aleen could hear the noises made by the zombies outside rushing towards this building. The rest of the group finally understood what had happened, and their faces filled with panic. Aleen, however, shouted hurriedly. ¡°Hurry and leave the building! We cannot get trapped here or everybody will die!¡± Then, without waiting for them to answer, he rushed to the entrance. A zombie that was entering the building at that moment opened its mouth to scream when it saw the living beings inside, but Aleen pierced it with his sword before it could let out a sound. But before he could relax, he saw more zombies behind it. And even more zombies behind them. Aleen knew that there was nothing that they could do to avoid being discovered by the horde of zombies now. However, if he could earn even a few seconds more of time, it would be useful. So, he pounced towards the monsters and sliced, slashed and pierced with his sword, stopping the nearby zombies from screaming. The zombies behind looked to Aleen with disturbing expressions of hunger, and rushed towards him crazily, but what waited for them was the blade of Dark Night. In seconds, Aleen killed at least nine zombies. When the rest of the group left the building, they only saw the rotten bodies beheaded and sliced in half, with no sign of life remaining. However, they didn¡¯t have time to be surprised. Because though Aleen prevented the zombies nearby from screaming, the ones farther away noticed the commotion. Then, another scream resounded. ¡°EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEERRRRRRRRGGGGGGHHHHHHHH!!!¡± Followed by the screams of more zombies. ¡°AAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRGGGGGGHHHHHHHH!!!¡± ¡°UUUUUOOOOORRRRRKKKKKKK!!!¡± ¡°AIEEEEERRRRRRRRGGGGGGGG!!!¡±This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. ¡°Dammit, dammit! Hurry up, we need to leave this place as fast as possible!¡± Aleen shouted. The group¡¯s faces were pale, but they didn¡¯t hesitate to follow Aleen¡¯s order. They ran with all their strength away from the zombies. Aleen guided the group in the direction of the central building, but more and more zombies were joining the chase. Sometimes, zombies appeared in front of them and Aleen had to kill them quickly before they slow the group. ¡®Dammit! At this rate, we¡¯ll be surrounded!¡¯ For a moment, Aleen entertained the thought of using his skill and leave the group behind. He was sure that he could escape alone with the help of his skill and the rest of the group distracting the zombies. But in the end, he decided to not do it. After all, though the situation was grave, it was not completely hopeless yet. Besides, from a certain point of view, this situation was due to Aleen¡¯s mistake. When he entered the building, the first thing he should have done was ensure that there weren¡¯t more zombies inside. However, because he paid too much attention to the group crossing the street, it escaped his mind completely. Yeah, it was a great example of inexperience. Aleen suppressed those thoughts and concentrated his mind on the current situation. It was not the time to dwell on his mistakes after all. But he made his mind. If he saw that the situation was hopeless and he could do nothing to help them, he would use his skill and leave them behind. Aleen cut another zombie with his sword and observed the condition of the group. Fortunately, all of them had been enhanced before entering the game, so their speed was pretty fast and their stamina wasn¡¯t going to run out soon. However, Aleen knew that it was only a matter of time. If they continued running like this for another ten or fifteen minutes, they will eventually get tired and slow down. Yes, running was not the solution. He had to find a way to leave the zombies behind, and it had to be soon, or all the monsters in the city will be attracted here. Aleen looked to the surroundings frantically, but he could not think of anything. ¡®Think, think¡­¡¯ Suddenly, Aleen saw something from a corner of his sight. Stairs. The stairs went directly until the fifth floor of a building; but most importantly, it had a tall fence preventing the access to it. Aleen immediately ran towards it. ¡°Hurry up, towards the stairs!¡± He shouted. The others made startled expressions, but they didn¡¯t hesitate and followed him. Aleen then turned around and shouted hurriedly while killing the zombies near them. ¡°Climb to the other side! Quickly!¡± Expressions of understating appeared on their faces, and they immediately began to climb. The first to climb was a bodyguard, followed by the scion girl and the second bodyguard; the rest continued after them. At that moment, Aleen saw a small shadow rushing towards them from a building on the other side of the street. The shadow was fast and nimble, and in just one second, it was already before him. ¡°A dog!?¡± Aleen exclaimed surprised, before slashing towards it with his sword. The animal, however, avoided the slash narrowly and distanced itself from Aleen, baring its fangs threateningly. Aleen finally got a good look at its appearance. It seemed like a dog, but not from any race he knew. Aleen wasn¡¯t sure if it was because the dog had been infected, or because it was from a race that didn¡¯t exist on earth. The beast was covered in dried blood, and one of its eyes was destroyed. Aleen, however, noticed that it was very fast despite just being a level one. While he was observing it, the beast jumped again towards Aleen. But though it was fast, it was nothing compared to Aleen, a level two focused in speed. Aleen circulated a bit of mana through his body and took a step forward. With a smooth movement, he slashed with his sword from the right and drew a line on the beast¡¯s neck. The dog¡¯s continued forward despite it, but Aleen stepped aside skillfully and evaded its attack. When the dog touched the ground, its head flew away automatically, and a fountain of rotten blood flowed from its neck. Aya and the others, who were observing the situation from the stairs, could not hide their expressions of awe after seeing such an incredible scene. Aleen didn¡¯t remain there after he killed the dog. Once he confirmed that everybody was on the other side, he gave a jump, grabbed the top of the fence, and impulsed himself to the other side. Without waiting for the others to react, he shouted. ¡°What are you waiting here for!? This will not stop them for long!¡± They nodded hurriedly and went up to the fifth floor. Chapter 85 – Zombies (6) ¡°Huff Huff¡­ W-What are we going to do now?¡± The slightly overweight man asked while panting. Aleen shook his head and looked to the map in his head to find a safe route until the central tower. Currently, they were on the roof of the five-floor building. The group of zombies had destroyed the fence protecting the stairs and chased after them, but fortunately, Aleen predicted it and asked the group to climb at the roof; so when the zombies came, they were already in a safe place. Unfortunately, though the zombies weren¡¯t chasing after them anymore, the commotion had alerted all the zombies in the surroundings of the presence of living beings, so the streets around them were overflowing with walking dead. So, though they were currently safe, they would have to face the horde of zombies when they decide to resume the travel. ¡°It¡¯s harder than I thought, huh¡­¡± Aleen muttered so softly that nobody heard him. To be honest, Aleen thought that this mission would be easier than the first two; the only problem, though, was protecting the others until the central tower. Aleen had the confidence of reaching to the tower in the determined time without a problem; after all, his skill was a speed-type. On the other hand, his skill was almost useless when it came to protecting others. Aleen looked to the group and thought about his options. Though he could abandon them without it weighting in his mind, Aleen at least wanted to help Aya if it was possible; after all, he could be considered the reason because she was here. Besides, the reward would be bigger if more people survive. No... Aleen could not fool himself. He wanted for them to survive. Even if he knew that he could leave them behind, Aleen was not coldhearted enough to leave them to die without a reason. Am I too softhearted? Aleen smiled wryly in his mind. Shaking his head, he let out a long sigh to calm his mind. ¡°We cannot stay here. Though the zombies can¡¯t reach here currently, it''ll be bad if they find a way to come up. Besides, we lost too much time already, and I fear that the time we have left is just enough to reach the central tower.¡± The others remained silent. ¡°¡­ Do you have a plan?¡± Finally asked one of them, the stubble guy. Aleen looked towards him and nodded his head firmly.This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. ¡°I have.¡± The expressions of the group turned for the better. Aleen¡¯s next words, however, froze them. ¡°It¡¯s pretty simple. I will lure the zombies away and you will take advantage of the opportunity to run away.¡± ¡°Wait wait!¡± The college girl interrupted at that moment. ¡°Do you mean like, attracting all the zombies for yourself!¡± Aleen only nodded silently. ¡°That is not a good idea.¡± The stubble guy said with a frown on his face. ¡°Though I know that you are strong, so many zombies are probably too much even for you.¡± Aleen shook his head. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, though I probably can¡¯t kill all those zombies, they can¡¯t stop me if I want to escape.¡± The others remained silent when they heard it. Aleen looked towards them to ask if anyone had an objection, and prepared himself to go. But at that moment, one of them raised his hand. ¡°B-B-But w-what happens i-if we are c-chased by other z-zombies?¡± Who spoke, with a nervous voice, was the slightly overweight guy. Aleen immediately frowned when he heard his question. Looking around, he noticed that some others had guilty expression on their faces. Apparently, they also thought the same. Aleen did his best to suppress his irritation and spoke with a dark expression. ¡°I¡¯m not your nanny. If you are unable to survive even after I lure most of the zombies away, then you are better dead. At least, you will not become a burden to the others.¡± Everybody but Aya, the rich college girl, and the two bodyguards, lowered their heads in shame. ¡°All of you have weapons.¡± Aleen continued. ¡°A few zombies wouldn¡¯t be a problem if you work together and are careful.¡± The others could only nod silently. Aleen then explained the plan and drew an ugly map on the roof with the sword, signaling the place where they were going to meet. Then, he stood up and walked towards the edge of the roof. But before he could jump down, someone grabbed his sleeve. Turning around, he found the silver-haired girl looking towards him with an expressionless look. ¡°I¡¯ll go with you.¡± Aleen made a startled expression before shaking his head firmly. ¡°No. I¡¯m confident of escaping from the zombies alone, but it¡¯s different if anyone is with me. To be honest, you will only slow me down.¡± Aya furrowed her brows a little bit, but finally, let go of Aleen and turned around. Then, she said something softly. ¡°Don¡¯t die.¡± Aleen was startled again, but then he smiled a little and shook his head. ¡°Of course.¡± Without turning to look at the others, he jumped down. Though his body was enhanced twice, Aleen didn¡¯t want to know if it could endure a fall from the roof of a five-floors building. So, instead of falling directly to the ground, he used some objects as footholds and descended until the street. The place was filled with zombies, and a rotten stench invaded Aleen''s nose once he touched the ground, but he didn¡¯t let it disturb him. Aleen was, after all, someone who survived two games, with stronger and more frightening enemies. Mere zombies were not enough to intimidate him. So, when the zombies began to rush towards him, he held his sword calmly and took a step forward. With a thought, all his mana circulated through his body. He didn¡¯t activate his skill, but the current him didn¡¯t need it to deal with mindless level one zombies. His aspect was activated, and smalls currents of lightning surrounded his body; then, he slashed with his sword. Behind him, a zombie slowly fell. But before its body could touch the floor, the sword flashed again. And the killing began. Chapter 86 – The Cat’s Fight (1) Aya was looking down at the street where Aleen was fighting. She could see flashes of lightning and human parts scattered around. Each second, one or two zombies would fall dead while Aleen continued slashing with his sword indifferently. To be honest, Aya never liked violence, but she had to admit that the image of Aleen jumping down to lure the zombies was very cool. And she wasn¡¯t the only one that thought so. The rest of the group also was looking down towards Aleen in admiration and fear. It reminded her of when she first met Aleen. Back then, she was in a hopeless situation, and a crazy man was about to kill her; but then, he appeared with a flash of lightning, killing the robber in one move. She had to admit that she was a bit captivated back then. Even if the reason because he appeared wasn¡¯t her. The group continued observing Aleen until he left the street. He was going in the opposite direction of their meeting place and making a big commotion to attract the greater number of zombies possible. When she could not see Aleen anymore, she turned around to look at the rest of the group. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± She said without changing her expressionless look. She saw some of them frowning to her words, but she ignored it. Instead, she put Lily on the ground and grabbed her short spear with both hands. ¡°Follow after me.¡± She muttered softly to her cat. Lily answered with a soft meow. Without waiting for the others, she went towards the stairs and jumped down. Most of the zombies had chased after Aleen, but a few remained on the stairs. Aya, however, didn¡¯t hesitate and attacked them quickly with her spear. As Aleen said, he had lured most of the zombies already, how could she cower just because of a few monsters? With a swift movement, she stabbed her spear forward, skewering a zombie through its head. She then retracted her spear and stabbed towards the ground, killing a zombie that was lying on the ground; probably crushed by the others zombies when they were attacking the group. Aya never learned how to fight, but she had fought a few times while living on the streets. Of course, that wasn¡¯t enough to make her a martial arts expert. But strangely, she was confident that she could kill those zombies easily. And true enough, she killed them. Her movements were strange. They weren¡¯t the most efficient moves, but she could always use them to kill a zombie effectively.Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator. It was as if something in her mind was telling her how she must move next. If she had to describe it with a word, she would call it ¡®instinct¡¯. Now that she thought about it, the same happened when she fought the robber. Though back then, it wasn¡¯t so clear as now. Yes, from the moment when she appeared in this game, she could feel this instinct clearly. How to move, how to run, how to hide, how to attack. Was it the skill mentioned by Aleen? She didn¡¯t know, but it wasn¡¯t important now. If it could help her to survive this nightmare, it was enough. When she reached the end of the stairs, a path of corpses had been left behind her. ¡°Hurry up.¡± She said coldly to the others who were astonished on the roof. ¡°It would be bad if we are noticed by the zombies.¡± The others finally reacted and followed after her. Meanwhile, she looked down at her feet. There, Lily was standing while looking vigilantly to the surroundings. Aya could not help but let out a small smile. ¡°Help me to watch over the surroundings, and tell me if you notice something strange.¡± ¡°Meow!¡± Lily mewed happily and moved her head as if nodding. When the others finally came down, Aya nodded softly and proceeded to advance. As in the stairs, not all the zombies had been lured by Aleen. A few stragglers were left behind, wandering on the streets. They immediately turned to the group when they heard their steps, and without hesitation, screamed and rushed to attack them. ¡°We cannot stay here much longer.¡± The guy with the stubble said. ¡°We¡¯ll be in trouble if the zombies who chased after Aleen are attracted by the commotion here.¡± Aya didn¡¯t say anything, but she knew it was true; so, before the zombies could reach them, she sprinted forward and meet them in the middle of the street. Using her spear as a club, she bashed the first zombie in the head and crushed the neck of another; then, she spun slightly and used the spearpoint to pierce the eye of a zombie coming from the right. The others followed her example and started running. The two bodyguards and the stubble guy took the front and used their weapons to kill a few zombies; they were way worse than Aya, but at least, they could help to reduce her burden. To be honest, the zombies were not very strong, and even a slightly strong adult could kill one if he had a weapon. What makes zombies frightening, was their great number and that they only need to injure you and everything was finished. So, though it was a bit dangerous, now that most of the zombies had been attracted by Aleen, they could advance quickly towards their meeting point. At that moment, a dog-like zombie jumped from a corner. Aya heard Lily meowing and reacted instantly, trying to stab it with her spear, but this zombie was nimbler than the others. It quickly jumped aside evading the attack, before pouncing again towards Aya. Aya didn¡¯t panicked. Instead, she spun slightly to the right and used the shaft to hit a side of the dog. The dog received the hit fully and flew a few meters to the right, but it quickly stood up again as nothing happened, and growled deeply to Aya. Aya retracted her spear and rushed towards the dog, intending to kill it before it recovers from the blow, but at that moment, Lily, who was behind her, growled in warning. ¡°Meow!¡± Aya reacted immediately, and looked towards the direction where Lily was growling. It was another animal zombie, but if the one she was fighting now was a dog, this one seemed more like a cat. The zombie cat leaped from a roof and attacked the rest of the group. ¡°Careful!¡± Aya cried, alerting to the others of the enemy. Aya wanted to go to stop it, but the dog zombie was attacking at the same time. She cursed in her mind and concentrated on dealing with the dog. She could only hope that the others could manage to defend against the cat zombie. The cat zombie, however, was very agile. Before they could react, it had attacked one member of the group already. Its movements were almost ghostly, and the surprised man only reacted when he saw the monster near his face. Frightened, the slightly overweight man waved the machete in his hands frantically, but the cat mocked his poor excuse of attack with a slight movement and then, jumped towards his face. The man only felt a brief something to touch his neck and then, he saw the cat retreated. For an instant, the man was unable to understand what happened. But when he saw the expressions of terror in the other¡¯s eyes, he looked down. A river of blood was flowing from his neck. ¡­ I died? With it as his last thought, his consciousness darkened. Then, his body fell forward. Chapter 87 – The Cat’s Fight (2) The remaining six people could only look while the slightly overweight man bleeds to death. The white-collar woman and college girl¡¯s expressions turned completely pale; and Aya, who was fighting the zombie dog, gritted her teeth and tried to kill the zombie faster. But though the zombie dog was just a level one, and she could kill it given enough time; the current her, who was unable to use her skill correctly, was unable to kill it quickly. The zombie cat was not satisfied with killing only one of them though. As living dead, zombies had an innate desire to eat and kill any living being, and in this situation, this zombie wasn¡¯t planning to leave its prey to escape. So, after it confirmed that the slightly overweight man was dead, it immediately moved its gaze to the other five. The zombie cat then crouched down and bared its teeth. The two bodyguards and the stubble man quickly stepped forward to protect the two girls, but their expressions were nervous. After all, they weren¡¯t confident about killing the zombie cat. Though in this situation, it was to kill it or to be killed. The next second, the cat jumped towards them. Maybe it felt that the stubble guy was the weakest of the three, because it attacked him. The stubble guy opened his eyes widely in fear, but he didn¡¯t hesitate to swing the bat-like weapon he grabbed before. His attack lacked any kind of skill, but fortunately, he had a good aim, so the attack hit the cat in a leg. The zombie cat growled and fell a few meters away, making the stubble guy sigh in relief. However, zombies could not feel pain; so, in the next instant, it was before him again. This time, the stubble guy was unable to react. Fortunately, one of the bodyguards intervened just when he was about to be killed, using a baton to obstruct the cat. The zombie growled in rage, and its eyes turned redder. With a swift movement, it used its claws to grab the baton and threw himself towards the bodyguard. Astonished, the man could only raise his right arm to protect his face. The next instant, the claws cut through his clothes and severed a piece of flesh from his arm. ¡°Argh!¡± He cried in pain while his companion tried to hit the cat away with his weapon. However, the cat was too agile. It jumped away while taking a piece of flesh in its claws and continued staring the group with hunger in its eyes. It then circled the group slowly while looking for an opening to attack again. ¡°Are you alright!?¡± The second bodyguard asked the one who was hurt. He only nodded while keeping his sigh fixed on the cat zombie. ¡°It¡¯s alright. I¡¯ll not die soon at least.¡±You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. His partner tried to open his mouth to speak, but in the end, he sighed and concentrated on the cat zombie. He knew that his companion was probably done for, now that he was injured. If he wanted to help him, then he had to kill this monster as fast as possible and try to reach the central tower quickly. After all, the mysterious youth who helped them said that once they finish the game, they could be cured even of the zombie infection. The stubble guy opened his mouth at that moment. ¡°It¡¯s smart.¡± He said while looking at the cat zombie. ¡°It¡¯s waiting for an opportunity.¡± The others agreed with a nod. Behind them, the white-collar woman was trembling in fright and the college girl was grabbing an axe with so much strength that her hands turned white. At that moment, a change occurred on Aya¡¯s fight against the zombie dog. The zombie dog, that until now had been attacking Aya furiously, turned towards the group and rushed toward them. Aya reacted almost immediately and tried to stab it with her spear, but the dog evaded the attack with a quick movement and continued rushing towards them. ¡°Crap!¡± Aya knew that things were turning bad and quickly chased after the zombie dog, The commotion attracted the attention of the others, who panicked seeing another zombie charging towards them, but when they were wondering about what to do, the situation changed suddenly. The zombie dog, who was just a few meters away from the group, stopped suddenly and turned around to face Aya. And the zombie cat, who had been gazing the group with a hungry look, charged suddenly towards Aya''s position. When the humans finally reacted, the two animals were already attacking Aya. ¡®Oh no!¡¯ They thought in fear. Aya paled when she noticed the situation, and she knew that she was in trouble, but she tried not to panic. When the two monsters attacked, she used the shaft of the spear to swat the dog away and instinctively moved to evade the cat¡¯s attack frantically. However, it left her open to the zombie cat¡¯s second attack. Before she could recover her balance, the zombie cat extended its claws and jumped to her neck. Aya could only look with a gaze of despair how the cat lunged to her neck, unable to evade the attack. However, Lily moved at that moment. Following her owner¡¯s orders, she had followed behind Aya from the beginning, never leaving her side. She didn¡¯t intervene until now because she believed that her owner could deal with all the dangers for herself. But when her owner was in danger, Lily didn¡¯t hesitate to show her power. The mana Lily had accumulated until now surged from her body and moved to her claws, filling them with a deep dark glow. And with a movement even faster than the zombie cat, she pounced. Neither Aya nor the zombie cat, were able to follow Lily¡¯s movements; they only saw a silvery black glow flashing briefly and then, everything was over. Under Aya and the others¡¯ astonished gaze, the zombie cat''s head flew away. Lily didn¡¯t pay attention to their reactions. As a proud cat, she preferred to stay back leisurely while the stupid humans do all the work, but now that she was forced to intervene, she decided to finish with the other nuisance too. So, before the others could process the zombie cat¡¯s death, she pounced towards the zombie dog, leaving behind a silvery black trail. The dog tried to evade the attack, but it was too slow compared to Lily. So, a second later, it was beheaded too. None of the people looking to the scene could believe it. To think that, the zombies that they found so hard to kill, were beheaded so easily by an innocent-looking cat. Lily, however, ignored their astonishment and walked towards Aya before tilting her head. ¡°Meow?¡± ¡°Lily, you¡­¡± ¡°Meow.¡± Seeing the indifferent look on Lily¡¯s face, as if wondering why she was surprised for something so obvious, Aya didn¡¯t know where laugh or cry. ¡®I don¡¯t think that cats are supposed to be like that!¡¯ But when the rest of the group came and looked at Lily with astonished gazes, Aya resumed her expressionless look. ¡°Your cat sure is incredible, miss Aya.¡± The stubble guy said with a sigh of admiration. For a moment, she had no idea about how to answer. So, in the end, she only nodded indifferently. ¡°¡­ Mm. I know.¡± While the others continued to wonder where they could get a cat like that, Aya signaled for them to continue. Meanwhile, she wondered how long had Lily been able to do something like that. Chapter 88 – Alone Against the Zombies Zombies, zombies, zombies¡­ Not matter where Aleen looked, he could only see zombies. But despite it, his heart was beating excitedly. With every step he took, a zombie fell to his sword, and with every second, three zombies were felled by his attacks. Despite being surrounded by zombies, none of them could do as much as touching the corner of his clothes. They were too slow. Even when a slightly faster zombie or an animal zombie attacked, they were still too slow. And they were too fragile. ¡­ Or maybe, his sword was too sharp. Aleen felt that he didn¡¯t have to put much strength on his blows to kill the enemies. Instead, just by slightly waving his hand, the zombies would fall dead. He didn¡¯t have to coat his sword with mana, or use ¡®Sharp Blade¡¯. It was enough using his strength and the sword¡¯s sharpness to kill them. Not even his skill, or the variant of the skill he had created not long ago, were necessary. The zombies were just too weak. Aleen wondered if it was what D¡¯vina felt when killing the hordes of brooders. The feeling of excitement, of knowing that anything your enemy does will be unable to hurt you. It was like his sword could cut anything. If it wasn¡¯t because Aleen had experienced the terror of high-level monsters before, he would drown in this sensation. But fortunately, he knew that it was nothing more than an illusion caused due to fighting weak enemies. So instead of losing himself to this addictive feeling of omnipotence, he kept his guard up in case of finding a strong enemy. And his carefulness ended saving his life. When Aleen first saw the zombie, it seemed like the others; mindless, slow and weak. It had the same blank eyes found on any other zombie. But when it was one meter away from Aleen, its presence changed drastically. From a mindless monster, it transformed into a terrifying predator. The change was so fast that if Aleen''s aspect wouldn¡¯t have been speed-related, he would have been unable to react. In an instant, it jumped towards Aleen, using the bodies of the others zombies as shields, and extended its bloody claws towards Aleen¡¯s chest. Aleen immediately knew that something was wrong. Without hesitation, he retreated and extended his right arm, using the armguard to defend against the claw attack. The claw hit the armguard and Aleen immediately felt the terrible strength of the zombie. It was on a completely different level from the mindless zombies; Aleen¡¯s right arm feel a bit of pain despite the protection of the armguard, and his body was thrown back due to the strength of the attack.You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. The zombie tried to attack again, but Aleen was already recovered from his astonishment. Quickly, he used his right foot to push his body aside and evade the blow, at the same time, he tried to attack with the sword. But this zombie was faster and agiler than other zombies. It used its claws to stop the blade, then, it jumped back to make some distance from Aleen. Aleen put a surprised expression seeing it. This zombie, despite using his flesh to block the sword, only received a slight wound. Aleen felt as if he was cutting through a very tough bone when the sword cut his claws. His expression turned serious immediately. He could already guess the identity of this enemy. ¡®A level two zombie.¡¯ Faster, stronger, smarter, and more resilient than the other zombies. Aleen was sure that only a level two zombie could be like that. Taking a deep breath, he put all his concentration on this fight. From the confrontation just now, Aleen realized that this zombie¡¯s strength was the same as his; not, perhaps it was a bit stronger. But Aleen was faster and better equipped. Aleen thought about using his skill, but he opted against it. He wanted to know if his training until now was enough to face a level two monster without using his skill. At the next instant, mana surged through his body. Taking a step forward, he cut the head of a zombie attacking him from the right and raised the sword over his head. It was the stance of the most basic sword move, vertical slash. At the same time, he activated ¡®Sharp Blade¡¯. Though currently, he was unable to master the lowest level of this technique, his thirty vibrations per second were enough to increase the sharpness of his blade by fifteen percent. Then, he charged forward. The zombie could feel the power behind the attack, but its speed wasn¡¯t fast enough to evade it completely. Instead, it raised its claws trying to stop the slash. Aleen¡¯s expression didn¡¯t change despite the zombie movement. He slashed with all his strength trying to cut the zombie into two with one attack. But as a level two monster, the zombie was stronger than Aleen expected. The sword clashed against the claw but only cut midway before stopping. Aleen was surprised, but he didn¡¯t lose his calm. Instead, he pulled the sword and prepared to attack again. But the zombie was not going to allow it. When Aleen tried to pull the sword back, it used its hurt claw to grab the sword and pull it towards itself. That took Aleen by surprise. Aleen didn¡¯t think that it would ignore the wound and try to pull Aleen regardless. Aleen had forgotten that most zombies could not feel pain. When Aleen hesitated about releasing the sword or not, the zombie made its next move. With its other claw, it pounced fiercely towards Aleen''s chest, ignoring completely its wound. Aleen noticed that things were going wrong and tried to retreat, but he could not pull the sword from the zombie¡¯s grasp; so, without more options, he used its armguard once more to defend against the claw. The impact was very strong, and Aleen grunted in pain, but he used the strength behind the attack to pull the sword free and finally release it from the zombie''s grasp. But the zombie was already attacking again. It used its claws to attack Aleen fiercely, not giving him an opportunity to counterattack. Aleen tried to retaliate, but though the zombie was a bit slower than him, it ignored his attacks completely and only concentrated on attacking. Aleen, however, could not ignore his injuries like the zombie, so he was forced to defend against the zombie¡¯s fierce attacks. At that moment, Aleen noticed that more zombies were coming from behind. Aleen knew that if he was surrounded in this situation, he very well could end dead. So, he reluctantly activated his skill. ¡°I ended using it, huh¡­¡± But instead of charging against the zombie, only his thoughts were accelerated. It was the variant skill of ''Lightning Movement'', ¡®Dynamic Sight¡¯. Aleen felt the movements in the surroundings slow down, and his thoughts were accelerated to an incredible degree. Even the attacks of the level two zombie, that until now seemed frightening, became slow and full of flaws. When the zombie attacked again, Aleen decided to parry the attack instead of defending. D¡¯vina never taught him how to parry, but Aleen managed to do it forcefully using his slowed perception. With a small movement, he used the sword''s edge to push a claw away, then, he lowered his head to evade the other claw. The zombie made a surprised expression when Aleen blocked its attack, but Aleen didn¡¯t allow it the opportunity to react. Passing by the zombie''s side, he spun swiftly and slashed with his sword from below. One of the most basic sword moves, upwards slash. The dark sword flashed briefly and cut through the zombie body. Aleen didn¡¯t look behind after slashing, and instead, he continued advancing. He turned off ¡®Dynamic Sight¡¯ and moved to the next zombie, killing it with one move. Behind him the level two zombie was already dead. The upper half of his body had fallen down. It had been cut into two cleanly. Chapter 89 – Tower of Nightmares (1) ¡®Lightning Movement¡¯! Aleen killed a few other zombies that were hindering him and escaped from the horde of zombies. Making use of his high-speed movement, he disappeared from the zombies'' sight and hid on the roof of a building. He had been fighting the zombies for a full fifteen minutes; it should be enough for the others to escape. Despite only using his skill twice during the all this time, Aleen¡¯s mana was reduced by forty percent; besides, he was beginning to feel mentally tired. After all, fighting wasn¡¯t the same as training. Aleen had to be alert constantly, to avoid being ambushed by another level two; and that was very tiring. Aleen estimated that he could only maintain this state for around twenty minutes more before he begins to commit mistakes. Taking a deep breath to relax his nerves, Aleen wondered how the others were doing. But then, he remembered that he could use the COM to communicate with Aya. The COM was only available in cooperative games, and only the main participants could use it. Aleen never used it before, because he participated only in D¡¯vina¡¯s games until now; but according to her, you only have to think about the people you want to communicate with and the AI on your brain will connect you with them if they also have the function available. ¡°Let me see¡­ I have to think about the person I want to speak with huh¡­¡± Aleen concentrated and tried to send his thoughts to Aya. ¡®Can you hear me?¡¯ He asked. For a while, he didn¡¯t get a response, so he thought that he was doing it wrong. He tried again to be sure, and this time, he heard something. ¡®Huh? Aleen? Am I imagining things?¡¯ ¡®No no! You are not imagining anything! I¡¯m using a function of our AIs to speak with you. Try to send me your thoughts to answer.¡¯ He sent his thoughts and explained quickly how the COM works. Aya¡¯s side was silent for a while until Aleen heard her again. ¡®Like this?¡¯This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. ¡®Yes.¡¯ Aleen sighed in relief. ¡®How are things on your side?¡¯ ¡®¡­ We escaped already, but someone died.¡¯ ¡®¡­ Who?¡¯ Aleen asked after being silent a few seconds. ¡®I don¡¯t know his name, but it was the slightly overweight guy. Besides, one of the bodyguards was injured by a zombie. I fear he is infected.¡¯ Aleen stayed silent. Finally, he sighed. Now wasn¡¯t the time to think about them. ¡®Do you think you can reach the meeting point?¡¯ He asked. ¡®¡­ Yes.¡¯ She answered. ¡®We aren¡¯t far from there.¡¯ Aleen sighed in relief. ¡®Very well, wait for me there.¡¯ Aleen heard Aya humming in agreement and then cut the call. He grabbed his sword and peeked out from his hideout to see how many zombies were nearby. The street was still full of zombies, but their number was slightly less than before; probably because some zombies wandered around searching for him. He carefully stood up and thought about his next action. His basic speed was faster than the zombies, so he could escape easily if he was careful. Aleen adjusted his mental state and took a deep breath before departing. It took him only a few minutes to leave the zombies behind. He was forced to kill some zombies and used his skill a few times before finally escaping their chase. When he made sure that the zombies no longer were chasing after him, he then headed to the meeting point. The meeting point they chose was a strange building a bit away from the central tower. The building was also a tower, and it was easily noticeable, so Aleen thought that it was perfect as the meeting point. This tower was spiral-shaped and it was the tallest building after the central tower. Aleen thought that it probably was the headquarters of some kind of organization. He thought about meeting them in the central tower, but something like the final boss could be there, so Aleen finally chose the second-best option. Aleen examined the map briefly and chose a path that seemed easier towards the spiral tower. He received a message from Aya telling him that they reached the building; so Aleen once more asked her to wait for him. But five minutes later, he received another message from Aya. ¡®¡­ Aleen, we have a bit of trouble here.¡¯ Aleen immediately had a bad premonition. ¡®What happened?¡¯ ¡®We are being attacked by zombies. In the beginning, they were just a few, but the number continued increasing and now we are starting to have trouble killing them.¡¯ Aleen fell deep in thoughts when he heard it. He tried to think about the best course of action, and a few seconds later, he came with a suggestion. ¡®Get out from there. We can use the COM to communicate, so you only need to tell me where to go and I¡¯ll find you.¡¯ Aya didn¡¯t answer immediately. A few seconds later, a slightly distressed voice sounded in Aleen''s mind. ¡®¡­ We can¡¯t leave.¡¯ ¡®What do you mean?¡¯ Aleen frowned. ¡®If we leave now, some of us will be injured or die. There are too many zombies here.¡¯ Aleen went silent immediately. ¡®¡­ What are you going to do then?¡¯ He asked after a few seconds. ¡®We are going to enter the building and try to find another exit. I¡¯ll call you if something happens.¡¯ Aleen could only nod. ¡®Very well, I¡¯ll be there soon. Try to not die.¡¯ Aya hummed in agreement and cut the call. Aleen increased the mana coursing through him and sped up. Chapter 90 – Tower of Nightmares (2) ¡°It¡¯s here¡­¡± Aleen muttered to himself when he reached the building where the others were hiding. As Aya said, the place was surrounded by zombies, but the amount was lesser than he thought. Aleen counted around forty zombies in total, all level one. Aleen could kill this number of zombies with a bit of effort, without suffering any injuries; but it was not the same for the others. Even if they could kill a few of them, the moment they are surrounded will mean that at least one of them will be scratched, and it will be the end. After all, only the two bodyguards looked like they have some kind of fighting experience and Aya, who was a level two, could perhaps help a bit. Aleen used the COM to ask Aya how were they doing, and she answered that they went up to the third floor while escaping from the zombies and blocked the stairs. Aleen nodded and cut the communication after telling her to make sure that the zombies can¡¯t reach where they are hiding. He then held his sword with both hands and walked towards the building. Like before, he didn¡¯t activate his skill and relied only on his sword skills and enhanced body to kill the zombies that attacked him. To be honest, Aleen realized that fighting without relying on his skill was a very good idea. In the beginning, he did it to save his skill for when it''s necessary; however, he noticed that using his sword skills continuously in real battle quickly improved his mastery of it. Aleen could feel his sword mastery and fighting ability growing with each zombie he killed. It was a different kind of improvement than increasing his mana or polishing his skill, but it was improvement nonetheless. Less than one minute later, Aleen reached the entrance to the building. What greeted him was a gigantic lobby. Aleen got the feeling that the lobby was a very elegant and fancy place in the past, but now, it was nothing more than a slaughterhouse-like place. Aleen could see the destroyed furniture, torn pieces of clothing, and bloodstains everywhere; besides it, five zombies were wandering around. Aleen killed them quickly and searched for the stairs. At that moment, the voice of Aya sounded in his head. ¡®Aleen! Y-You have to come here quickly! Something attacked us!¡¯ Different from her normal indifferent tone of voice, she sounded desperate and filled with urgency this time. Aleen found it hard to relate the normal Aya to the one speaking with him now.If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. ¡®W-We are keeping it busy for now, but we aren¡¯t going to endure for long!¡¯ Aleen tensed immediately and increased the rate of circulation of his mana. ¡®Wait for me!¡¯ he shouted in his mind and accelerated. It only took him five seconds to ascend the stairs until the second floor, but he found more zombies there blocking the path to the stairs to the third floor. The number of zombies was higher here than in the lobby, probably because they came here after chasing Aya and the others. Aleen could hear the sounds of battle coming from the third floor, so he tried to kill them as fast as possible, but without using his skill. Aleen deduced that the monster that was attacking them was probably a level two zombie; after all, it¡¯s impossible for a level one to cause the six of them trouble. And Aleen was not 100% confident in killing the level two zombie without using his skill. Though he probably could fight it until his skill comes out of cooldown, Aleen didn¡¯t want to risk it. After all, he wasn¡¯t sure if the zombie had some kind of dangerous skill. His sword traced an arc on the air and beheaded two zombies. Aleen didn¡¯t stop and killed another zombie after it. Aleen used fifteen seconds to kill the twelve zombies on the second floor. He immediately saw the stairs to the third floor. A huge cabinet was blocking the entrance to the second floor, but Aleen cut it into two with a swing of Dark Night. The situation on the third floor entered in his sight then. Aya was fighting against a huge and fat zombie using her short spear, and for some reason, her cat was fighting too. At the same time, the two bodyguards were doing their best to help her, but at most, they were distracting it a bit, and if not because Aya attracted the zombie¡¯s attention constantly, they would have been killed long ago. The stubble guy and the college girl were helping the white-collar woman, who was lying on the ground with a big gash on her stomach. They were trying to stop the bleeding hurriedly, but the injury was too big and they didn¡¯t have knowledge about how to treat something like that. He saw the cat jump towards the monster and use its claws to attack its belly, while Aya stabbed it with her spear; but the zombie¡¯s fat stopped the attacks easily. Then, the zombie tried to hug Aya using its two huge arms. Aleen didn¡¯t hesitate to activate his skill. ¡®Lightning Movement¡¯. Electricity coursed through his body, and his surroundings slowed down as usual. Aleen adjusted his sword for a thrust and pressed his right foot against the floor. In the next instant, he was already before the zombie. His sword, enhanced by Sharp Blade, cut towards the monster¡¯s neck at breakneck speed. The monster was completely unable to react, and the sword was buried on its neck. But, maybe because the fat absorbed most of the attack, the sword failed to behead it. Black blood flowed from its neck, and the monster staggered a few steps. Aleen could see something like surprise on its blank eyes. The monster, however, refused to fall so easily. Looking around, it saw two weak humans and jumped towards the two bodyguards with the intent to use its last breath to take them with him. Aleen reacted quickly and raised his sword to give it the final blow. However, someone moved before him. No, it wasn¡¯t someone, it was something. The silver cat pounced furiously leaving behind a silvery-black trail, and used its claws to finally behead the level two zombie in a smooth movement. Under Aleen''s astonished gaze, the now headless zombie walked another two steps and fell down. ¡®What the hell!?¡¯ Aleen thought surprised. But before he could ask Aya about it, he heard the stubble guy desperate voice coming from behind him. ¡°Mr. Aleen, Laura is dying!¡± Chapter 91 – Tower of Nightmares (3) ¡°Mr. Aleen, Laura is dying!¡± Aleen was reminded that things were not over after killing the level two zombie. He ran immediately towards where the white-collar woman was and examined her state. The big gash on her abdomen was frightening, and she was bleeding nonstop. She was going to die soon at this rate. The stubble guy and the college girl had tried to stop the bleeding using their clothes and other objects they found on the third floor, but it was mostly useless. She obviously needed urgent treatment. Aleen remembered that he brought some first aid stuff in his ring, so he took it out quickly. ¡°Use it!¡± He said while passing it to the college girl. She, however, looked to the objects with a lost expression. Fortunately, one of the bodyguards knew what was happening and helped her. ¡°I know how to proportionate first aid.¡± With trained movements, he tore a bandage apart and wrapped it around the injury after disinfecting it. Around a minute later, the bleeding finally stopped. The white-collar woman¡¯s expression was pale white, almost like a corpse. Aleen was uncertain about her possibilities of survival. After all, you could endure only so much with an enhanced body. The bodyguard gave a sigh of relief and looked to his partner. He then took a piece of gauze and bandaged the wounds on him. Aleen furrowed his brows. ¡°How was he injured?¡± ¡°He was attacked in the arm by a zombie cat when we were escaping towards here, and the huge zombie caused the other injury just now." Aleen''s expression turned slightly unsightly. If the zombie plague was so infectious as he thought, then it means that the bodyguard and the white-collar woman were basically dead. Aleen looked towards the white-collar woman and noticed that her eyes seemed sleepy. He slapped her cheek softly, but the woman didn¡¯t react. Aleen frowned and tried to feel her breathing. It had stopped. ¡°She is dead.¡± He said with a deadpan voice. The others were startled when they heard his words. ¡°Quickly, CPR!¡± Shouted the college girl, but neither Aleen nor her bodyguards moved.If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. ¡°¡­ It¡¯s useless.¡± One of them said. ¡°She lost too much blood. Even if we bring her back, she will die shortly after it. If we can get enough blood, then perhaps¡­¡± The bodyguard did not continue. They all knew, there was no way to get blood in this place. And even if one of them was compatible with her, it was impossible to transfuse the blood in a place like this. A heavy silence filled the surroundings. After a few seconds, someone finally spoke. ¡°¡­ Are you sure that there is an exit in the central tower?¡± The stubble guy asked with uncertainty. Aleen could feel the fear and hesitation in the man¡¯s voice. ¡°I am.¡± Aleen replied firmly. ¡°¡­ Are we going to survive if we go there.¡± Aleen wanted to say yes, but he couldn¡¯t bring himself to say it. Instead, he shook his head slightly. ¡°You will die for sure if you stay here; but if you go to the tower, then perhaps you can survive.¡± The stubble guy tried to open his mouth, but in the end, he stayed silent. Aleen glanced at him briefly before looking to the rest of the group. ¡°Rest for five minutes. I want to see if the corpse revives.¡± The others nodded and sat on the ground. Aleen hesitated slightly but at the end took out some rations from his ring and gave a little to each one. The two bodyguards only rested briefly before standing and looking around the building to see if they could find something useful. Aleen just gave them a glimpse and concentrated on recovering his mana and observing the state of the woman¡¯s corpse. Two minutes later, the two bodyguards returned. ¡°Mr. Aleen, look at this.¡± Aleen exited his meditation and took a look at the object the bodyguards brought. It was a piece of paper filled with information. A map. Aleen gave it a curious glance and found that it was a map from the building. The map was very detailed, and it showed everything, even the escape routes. Aleen even saw two underground levels and a tunnel connecting them to the surface, near the central tower. He felt a bit of curiosity about the purpose of the underground levels, but he extinguished it quickly. Underground, tunnels, and zombies were definitively a bad combination. ¡°Why are you showing me this?¡± He asked curiously. ¡°Look here.¡± One of them signaled to a part of the map. ¡°It looks like an infirmary. Maybe we can find something useful there.¡± Aleen looked to the bandages on one of the bodyguards and understood their intention. ¡°If he is infected, I doubt you can find the cure there.¡± And even if the cure was there, how were they going to identify it? Aleen doubted that the cure would have the words ¡®It¡¯s the cure¡¯, written on it. The other two fell silent. They could understand it too, but they at least wanted to try. ¡°*Sigh* Very well, we will give it a quick look before going.¡± The two bodyguards nodded appreciatively. At that moment, the woman¡¯s body twitched. Aleen reacted immediately and grabbed his sword. He walked warily towards the woman and observed her detailedly to confirm if it was just an illusion or not. But a few seconds later, her arm twitched again. Then, she opened her eyes. They were blank, like the other zombies. Before the others could process the change, the woman jumped. She¡­ No, it, opened its mouth and shrieked loudly while trying to bite Aleen. But Aleen just shook his head. With a wave of his hand, the sword cut through her neck and beheaded her. Maybe because she lost too much blood before dying, almost no blood flowed from her neck; but despite it, most of the group turned pale. ¡°It¡¯s infectious after all huh¡­ And the virus took less than three minutes to turn her into a zombie after she died.¡± Aleem mumbled softly and looked towards the injured bodyguard. The bodyguard felt his gaze and looked to him, then, he nodded. Aleen was not sure if it meant that he was alright, or if it was a nod of resignation. Nodding back, he looked to the rest of the group and spoke. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± The others nodded. Chapter 92 – Tower of Nightmares (4) Aleen followed the two bodyguards¡¯ suggestions and guided the group to the infirmary-like place shown on the map. The group had to ascend two floors to reach there, but it wasn¡¯t a problem with the help of Aleen. Though they faced some zombies, Aleen dispatched them quickly. Unfortunately, they didn¡¯t find anything useful there. Aleen was already expecting something like that, so he wasn¡¯t disappointed. But though the two bodyguards didn¡¯t show it on their expressions, Aleen could feel their disappointment. Even the college girl seemed a bit disappointed. With a sigh, Aleen broke the silence and spoke. ¡°We have to go, there is not much time remaining.¡± The others nodded and followed after him. They descended quickly to the third floor without a problem, but when they reached the stairs towards the second floor, Aya stopped abruptly. ¡°¡­ Do you hear something strange?¡± She asked. The group looked towards her with startled expressions and shook their heads. ¡°¡­ Are you sure?¡± She asked again. ¡°I can hear something¡­ It¡¯s like¡­ insects?¡± ¡°Meow!¡± The silver cat, Lily, looked as though it was nodding too. Aleen frowned deeply. His last experience with insects wasn¡¯t the best. He pondered for a moment and circulated his mana to enhance his senses. Initially, he didn¡¯t hear anything; but after a few seconds, his ears finally caught a soft and irritating noise. It was like insects running. Many insects running. Aleen''s expression changed almost immediately. ¡°Run!¡± He shouted frantically and charged forward without confirming if the others were following after him or not. In ten seconds, he was already in the lobby, but the irritating noise of insects became louder and louder. Aleen looked behind him to confirm that the others were following him, but he saw more than just five people and a cat. A spider-like creature, as big as a bulldog, was crawling on the walls of the stairs. Though it was spider-like, it was similar only in the number of legs and the shape of its body. Its color, on the other hand, was a revolting red; and its mouth seemed like the jaws of a shark. It was as if someone fused a spider with an angler fish. When Aleen saw it, the creature was already jumping towards a member of the group. It was the injured bodyguard. The man was still running, ignoring the danger that was about to befall him.This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. Aleen reacted instantly, and reflexively kicked something that was lying on the ground near him. Luckily, Aleen was pretty good at football, and the object flew straight to the creature. The bodyguard instinctively moved aside and looked behind him. When he saw the spider-like creature crushed in the wall, his expression turned frightened. ¡°Don¡¯t stop!¡± Aleen shouted. ¡°We must get out of here now!¡± The bodyguard stumbled briefly and continued running. A few seconds later, Aleen saw more spiders chasing after them. ¡°I can see the exit!¡± The stubble guy shouted excitedly, but then, he felt someone grabbing him by the collar and throwing him behind. He then saw Aleen slashing with his sword towards the ceiling. A spider had jumped from the ventilation duct and attacked them. Aleen killed it with one slash, but more spiders jumped down immediately after the first. Aleen dispatched three more in one second, but even more spiders were falling. Aleen counted at least twenty of them. ¡°Ha!¡± Behind him, one of the bodyguards used a baton to crush a spider, but Aleen knew that it wasn¡¯t the only spider chasing after them. The exit had been blocked by the spiders coming from the ventilation duct, and a swarm of spiders was coming from the stairs. At this rate, they were going to be surrounded in around ten seconds. Aleen went through his options quickly, even activating ¡®Dynamic Sight¡¯ only to get more time to think; but he could not think of anything to salvage this situation. ¡®Must I leave them behind?¡¯ Aleen could not help but consider it seriously. But at that moment, he remembered the map that the bodyguards showed him. However, he wasn¡¯t sure if the passage on the map was safe. For a moment, he struggled to make a choice. ¡®I can escape easily if I use my skill now, but the others¡­¡¯ If he uses his skill now, he can escape easily, but the others will be devoured by the swarm of spiders. But if he escaped with the others through the secret passage, and something unexpected happens, then maybe everybody, he included, will end dead. After all, the danger of this game was level III. That means that there was at least one level three monster inside this game. And if the level three monster was inside the escape route, then Aleen would be caught between a swarm of spider-like creatures and one level three monster. By then, his probabilities of surviving would be very small. ¡®Dammit! I''m doing more than I supposed to do!¡¯ With an unsightly expression, Aleen shouted to the group. ¡°Follow me!¡± He slashed another two spiders with his sword and ran towards a corridor. Aleen was not sure about the exact location of the stairs leading underground, but he had a general idea. The group ran through the corridors and finally found a door leading to the stairs underground. Aleen opened the door and hurried the group, before closing it and using one of the batons that the bodyguards brought with them to block the door. Immediately after it, one spider crashed against the door. Though the spiders were big, they were nothing much when it comes to strength. To be honest, even one fifteen years old youth could kill one of them easily. The problem, though, was their number. There were hundreds, maybe thousands of them; and though they were weaker than the brooders from the last game, for Aleen and the others, they were equally as lethal. The group continued running, but they could hear the spiders crashing crazily against the door. It seemed as they were not going to rest until destroying it. The group quickly came across a pair of gigantic doors. Aleen tried to open them, but they were firmly closed. ¡°Hurry up!¡± Shouted the college girl. ¡°They are coming!¡± ¡°They are closed! I can open them!¡± ¡°Dammit dammit!¡± ¡°Here!¡± One of the bodyguards shouted, holding a card in his hand that he found around. ¡°Use it!¡± Aleen grabbed the card and searched around the door. He quickly found something that seemed like a scanner and put the card below it. Immediately, a green light appeared on the scanner-like thing. ¡®Access granted¡¯ Aleen heard a voice coming from the door. The doors began to open slowly, but before the group could celebrate, the door holding the spiders out crashed down. ¡°Inside! Now!¡± The group didn¡¯t hesitate and rushed inside. Aleen entered last and used the card to close the door. And at that moment, the first spider caught up with them. The spider rushed crazily towards the door and pounced fiercely towards Aleen, but he killed it easily. However, more spiders were coming behind it. ¡°Dammit! Close down quickly!¡± Aleen screamed at the door, but it continued closing slowly. More spiders rushed inside and Aleen and the others killed them hurriedly. Finally, the door closed, crushing one last spider. Aleen and the others sighed in relief and fell seated on the ground. ¡°It was close¡­¡± The stubble guy said with an expression of fear. Aleen only managed to force a nod. After panting for a few seconds, he finally stood up and looked to the surroundings. ¡°Where is it?¡± He muttered to himself. Chapter 93 – Tower of Nightmares (5) ¡°Where is it?¡± Aleen asked himself while looking at his surroundings. The place after the two gigantic doors was a metallic corridor. It extended far away in a straight line. Unfortunately, the place was completely dark, so the group could not see how long it was. The only place with a bit of light was after the gigantic doors, but it only illuminated a few meters ahead. Aleen frowned and took a lantern from his ring. It was a normal lantern he bought back on earth, but it was good enough in this situation. Aleen tried to illuminate the dark tunnel, but the lantern was far from enough. He, however, wasn¡¯t too disappointed about it. With a thought, he took another lantern from the ring and gave one to the college girl and another to the stubble guy. They accepted them with startled expressions while Aleen explained to them the situation. ¡°We are in the underground levels of the building. The two bodyguards found a map before that showed another exit through an escape passage connected to the underground levels. We don¡¯t have more choice but use it.¡± The others nodded in understating. ¡°I will take the front and Aya will go behind me. You two,¡± Aleen gestured to the stubble guy and the brown-haired college girl. ¡°You will carry the lanterns, and the two bodyguards will take the rear. Any questions?¡± They shook their heads. ¡°Very well, we need to hurry. It would be bad if the spiders find another way to come here.¡± Aleen then began to walk. He walked pretty quickly despite being able to see only a few meters ahead. The walk through the dark corridor was completely silent and wrapped in nervousness. Aleen was a bit used to dark places after the experience on the brooders¡¯ nest, but the others, especially the college girl and the stubble guy, were visibly nervous. Strangely, though, Aya was pretty calm. From the fight against the huge zombie, Aleen had realized that Aya wasn¡¯t so simple as he thought. After all, she was able to fight face to face against the level two zombie and endure for a while. Of course, she counted with the help of the two bodyguards; but Aleen knew that they were mostly useless in that situation.This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. But even more surprising was the cat. Aleen was astonished when he found that the silver cat helped them to kill zombies on the way to the tower, and it also gave the last blow to the level two zombie. ¡®Is it because of her skill¡­? But then, why are her senses so sharp¡­¡¯ Aleen estimated that Aya¡¯s hearing and reflexes were a bit higher than his; however, his body had been enhanced twice. How could her reflexes be higher than his? Aleen thought that it was due to her skill, but now he wasn¡¯t so sure. Unfortunately, not even Aya was sure about the true effects of her skill. While he was lost in his thoughts, he felt Aya pulling the corner of his shirt. ¡°Aleen, Lily and I heard noises ahead¡­¡± She said softly. ¡°Hm?¡± Aleen frowned. ¡°Guys, stop!¡± Everybody stopped immediately. Aleen looked towards Aya and asked. ¡°Do you know what it is?¡± Aya hesitated for a moment before answering. ¡°It sounds like human steps, but I¡¯m not sure.¡± ¡®A zombie?¡¯ Aleen thought while using a hand to hold his chin. ¡°How far?¡± He asked. ¡°¡­ Fifty meters, maybe.¡± She said after thinking for a moment. Aleen nodded and fell into thoughts briefly. ¡°We are going to advance slowly. Big guys, walk behind me. If something happens, try to protect the others.¡± The two bodyguards nodded and stood behind Aleen and Aya. Aleen thought about sending Aya to the back, but when he thought about her performance until now, he decided that she could be more useful with him. The group advanced slowly, trying to make the least noise possible. They didn¡¯t want to alert the monster ahead of them. Fortunately, it didn¡¯t seem to notice them. After walking around thirty meters, the light of the lanterns finally illuminated the creature making the noises. As they thought, it was a zombie. But Aleen quickly noticed that it wasn¡¯t a normal zombie. ¡®A child?¡¯ Aleen thought surprised. Until now, all the zombies Aleen had seen were adults. Aleen didn¡¯t know if it was because the administrators didn¡¯t want to use children in the games, but none of the zombies had been a child. This one, however, was clearly a child. The zombie was completely naked, and most of its flesh was rotten, but Aleen could identify the corpse as an eight or nine years old child. ¡°Why is a child here?¡± One of the bodyguards asked. Aleen didn¡¯t answer and simply killed it with one blow. The group continued advancing. But they meet more zombies after the child. Some zombies were dead adults, but most were children or youths. However, Aleen noticed that all the zombies they meet on the corridor were naked. When Aleen thought about the reason behind it, a chill ran through his back. ¡®It could not be that, right?¡¯ If his thoughts were right, then the path ahead will be filled with difficulties. Aleen shook his head and concentrated on the current task. After walking another two minutes, they finally reached the end of the tunnel. A door made of glass appeared before them, but it was mostly broken. Aleen used his sword to break it completely so they could pass. Aleen felt the texture of the ground to change once they went through the door, but he could not see anything due to the darkness. When he was going to indicate the group to be careful, the stubble guy said something. ¡°¡­ It¡¯s a switch, right?¡± Before Aleen could speak, he pressed on it. Instantly, all the lights in the underground level were turned on. Chapter 94 – Pandemonium (1) The entire place was lit up. Aleen made a surprised expression and grabbed his sword with both hands, looking to the surroundings vigilantly. Fortunately, besides white walls and empty corridors, he didn¡¯t see anything else. The others also looked around, but before they could finish observing the place, Aleen moved. He stepped towards the stubble guy and grabbed him by the collar before pushing him against the wall. ¡°What do you think you are doing!?¡± ¡°I-I-I¡¯m¡­¡± ¡°What do you think would have happened if there was a zombie or some other monster in this place!? What if that switch activates the security system or some kind of alarm!? You would have put all of us in danger!¡± ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± Aleen sighed deeply and calmed his emotions. He then let go of the stubble guy and walked ahead under the frightened gazes of the stubble guy and the college girl. ¡°The next time you do something that puts the group at risk, you will have to continue alone. I just hope that the lights don¡¯t alert anything of our presence." But then, he heard a noise at the next instant. *Screech!!!* Aleen immediately frowned. ¡°Bad luck huh¡­¡± Fortunately, the noise sounded pretty far, so they were safe, at least for now. The others were a bit frightened due to the sound, but they followed after Aleen. Only the stubble guy followed at the end with his head lowered. Aleen tried to follow the route signaled by the map to find the escape tunnel; but while they were walking, his frown became deeper and deeper. ¡°This looks like a laboratory, or a medical facility¡­¡± He spoke softly under his breath. The entire place was filled with white rooms, cabinets, strange vials, broken walls of glass, and other strange objects. But mainly, there was blood.The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. Dried blood was staining the floor, the walls, and even the roofs. Aleen could imagine the scene of the zombies chasing after the people inside, back when the infection began. Strangely, though, they didn¡¯t see any zombie from the moment they exited the metallic tunnel. Aleen felt even more nervous when he noticed it. With all the blood they could see, this place should be filled with zombies; but they could see none. Instead, they could hear roars and screeches from time in time. ¡°I had a bad feeling about this place.¡± Said the college girl. Aleen agreed with her, but he didn¡¯t show it in his face. Instead, he continued searching for the escape tunnel. But while they were walking, they came across a strange room. It seemed like an observation room, but the doors were destroyed, as if something would have hit them fiercely while trying to escape. Besides it, the place was completely covered in dried blood. The amount of blood around the observation room was more than all the blood they have seen until now. Aleen even saw some objects that seemed as destroyed weapons lying on the floor. Tens of them, as if a group tried to fight something in this place, only to fail. At that moment, a message appeared on his mind. ¡®Side mission unlocked: Patient Zero. The Gloan Organization was experimenting with a dangerous virus found in the space, and after hundreds of observations, they decided to experiment on living beings. Unfortunately, the virus went out of control. One of the humans injected with the virus during the experiments suffered a wicked mutation and transformed into a monster never seen before. It killed all the scientists in the room and escaped its confinement, killing most of the people inside the installations and freeing some of the monstrosities locked inside, before fleeing outside. Unfortunately, it brought the zombie virus with him. The scientists believe that they can find the vaccine against the virus if they get a sample of that patient zero. Find the patient zero and get a sample of its tissue to get a reward from them. Note: The patient zero¡¯s strength is estimated as level three.¡¯ ¡°M-Mr. Aleen, w-what is it?¡± The college girl asked. ¡°Looks like a kind of mission. It¡¯s the first time I find something like this though.¡± ¡°¡­ Are we going to do it?¡± Aleen shook his head firmly. ¡°No. I¡¯m not confident in killing it.¡± The others put grim expressions when they heard it. After a few seconds, the girl summoned her courage to make another question. ¡°¡­ But, what if we meet with it?¡± ¡°We fight.¡± Aleen answered without hesitation. ¡°Or we die.¡± The girl swallowed hard hearing his answer. Aleen, meanwhile, thought seriously about the mission. ¡®¡­ Can we reach the central tower without facing the level-three?¡¯ Aleen shook his head and got rid of that thought. He would think about it if he meets it. They continued walking for another twenty minutes. Aleen estimated that they were near the escape tunnel, so he hurried the rest of the group. But at that moment, Lily¡¯s fur stood up. And at the same time, Aya stopped and held her short spear with both hands. ¡°Something is here.¡± The group stopped in their place immediately. Aleen circulated the mana in his body and put his sword before him. ¡°Where is it?¡± ¡°¡­ I don¡¯t know. They are moving too quickly¡­¡± ¡°They?¡± Aleen asked gravely. ¡°At least two¡­ Not, three.¡± ¡°Damn it. Everybody, grab your weapons and stand back to back. Aya, stay near me.¡± ¡°Mm.¡± She nodded softly. Aleen could only hope that whatever was coming is not the level-three. Chapter 95 – Pandemonium (2) ¡°God¡­¡± The stubble guy unconsciously said when he saw the first zombie. It was humanoid, but its humanoid shape was the only remaining proof that it was human once. It stopped near the group, and used its four limbs and claws to crawl through the roof slowly, waiting for the remaining monsters to come. The creature didn¡¯t have eyes, and its ears were enormous. It also was completely hairless, with disgusting red skin. Aleen could felt a disturbing smell of blood coming from the monster. ¡°Is it a licker?¡± A bodyguard asked. Aleen also associated the creature with the iconic monster of the famous videogame, but it lacked the long tongue of the lickers. It also looked more ¡®human¡¯ and did not have an oversized brain. Maybe crawler was a better name. Aleen decided to call them crawlers for convenience. Of course, that wasn¡¯t important now. The important point, was the level of the monster. Aleen could feel it, it was at least as strong as him. It was a level-two. While the group was observing the crawler, another two came from different directions. Aleen heard the people behind him gulping nervously while the crawlers circled around the group, searching for a moment of weakness to attack. With a deep breath, he observed the situation carefully. Using his skill could help him to kill at least one of them instantly, but the problem was the other two. He was unable to take two level-two monsters for himself without the help of his skill. The best option was to kill two creatures when he uses his skill, but Aleen knew that it was going to be difficult. And if it fails, the others will have to endure against one monster while he kills the other. Aleen noticed that the crawlers were becoming impatient. They probably thought that the group of humans couldn''t defend against three of them. Aleen made his mind. ¡°You¡¯ll take one of them. Endure until I kill the others. Can you do it?¡± The group¡¯s expressions paled. ¡°M-Mr. Aleen? That¡¯s impo¨C¡± ¡°I¡¯ll do it!¡± Aya interrupted the stubble guy and replied firmly. ¡°M-Miss Aya!?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about this side, Aleen. I¡¯ll take care of it.¡±This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it. Aleen put a startled expression when he saw the firm expression on Aya¡¯s face; but one second later, he smiled. ¡°Very well, I leave it to you.¡± ¡°Count us in.¡± The two bodyguards took a step forward and stood beside Aya. ¡°We¡¯ll help you miss Aya. Boy,¡± One of them looked towards the stubble guy. ¡°Protect our young miss meanwhile. I¡¯ll kill you if something happens to her.¡± The stubble guy nodded frantically. ¡°I-I understand.¡± ¡°George, Carlos, be careful.¡± Their young miss said with a worried tone. Seeing that everybody was ready, Aleen prepared himself to use his skill. He observed the crawlers circling around the group and waited for an opportunity where two crawlers were near each other. But the beasts were planning another thing. Before Aleen could find the perfect opportunity, one of the beasts was unable to continue waiting and jumped towards him. ¡®Dammit!¡¯ Aleen cursed in his mind, but he knew that he could not hesitate anymore. When the beast was still in the air, he activated his skill. ¡®Lightning Movement¡¯. Feeling the lightning coursing through his body, Aleen pointed the tip of his sword towards the creature¡¯s head and took a step forward. Time slowed down, and he used it to evade a claw from the monster and used his right armguard to deflect the other claw; then, he pierced with his sword. The crawler was completely unable to evade the blow. Aleen didn¡¯t reserve his mana, and coated his sword using Sharp Blade; The tip of the sword entered where the beast¡¯s right eye was supposed to be and exited by the back of his head. In an instant, Aleen was already behind it. But he had not time to celebrate. His skill was still ongoing, and he had to kill at least another level two to ensure the safety of the team. So, Aleen searched by his next victim. Under his accelerated perception, he looked around and observed the state of the surroundings. The remaining two crawlers took the attack of the first as signal, and were preparing to pounce forward. At the same time, Aya was holding her short spear firmly while looking to one of the crawlers. So, Aleen chose the other. He used his left foot as a pivot and willed the rune in his mind to change the direction of his acceleration. It was a flawless movement, as if he would have practiced it thousands of times before. Everything happened in just an instant. However, that instant was more than enough for the crawler. It felt the incoming danger, and instinctively, jumped aside. Aleen sword passed where it was just an instant ago, and left a cut in his chest. The creature, however, managed to survive. Aleen gritted his teeth when he saw it, but he didn¡¯t give up. His skill was not finished yet; so, when the beast jumped aside, he forced himself to change of direction again. ¡®It¡¯s now or never!¡¯ ¡°AHHHH!¡± And this time, the sword pierced through its heart. Aleen¡¯s body continued forward, cutting a chunk of flesh from the monster¡¯s chest; and the skill finished. Time returned to its normal speed. Aleen stood behind the second crawler, keeping his thrusting stance, and then, two explosions happened. The first one destroyed the head of the crawler that attacked first, and the second one, destroyed the heart of the other. Silence enveloped the place and everybody looked to the scene with astonished expressions. Even the last crawler, who just a moment ago was about to attack, stopped abruptly. Nobody could believe the scene before their eyes. However, when they thought that the two crawlers were dead, the second one stood up. It looked to the hole in its chest and used its tongue to lick the blood flowing from the wound. Then, it turned towards Aleen furiously. Yes, Aleen knew it; the last attack was unable to kill the crawler. He suspected that crawlers, as a kind of zombie, could survive without their hearts, but Aleen had the hope of killing it with the last blow. When he realized that he would be unable to cut the crawler''s head, he aimed for the second-best option, its heart. Apparently, though, he failed to kill it. Enraged, the crawler bared its teeth to Aleen and gave a roar of fury. ¡°*ROOAAAARRRRRRRGGGG!!!*¡± Then, as if the wound on its chest was fake, it attacked him. The second round between Aleen and the crawler began. Chapter 96 – Pandemonium (3) When Aya saw the two crawlers falling to the ground, she sighed in relief in his mind. Likewise, when one of the crawlers stood up again, she tensed up. Aya had not much information about Aleen¡¯s skill, but she knew that he couldn¡¯t use it freely; otherwise, he would use it more often. So, though it was very powerful, he probably couldn¡¯t use it again for the time being. Of course, Aya doubted it would be a problem for Aleen. He probably could face the creature while waiting to use his skill again and kill it¡­ Maybe, he could even kill the creature without using his skill. But while Aleen could take care of himself, Aya knew that he could not help them while he was fighting. So, they had to face the last level-two for themselves. Aya had experience fighting a level-two. When she was facing the huge zombie, she could feel how much stronger it was compared with normal zombies. To be honest, even when she had the help of Lily and the two bodyguards, she wasn¡¯t sure of being able to kill it. If it wasn¡¯t because Aleen appeared just in time, perhaps some of them would have died. And now, they had to face another creature like that, and Aleen could not help them. Aya knew that this fight would be dangerous. But though she was afraid, she was not cowering. Growing without parents as an orphan, and then living in the streets, taught her to be strong. She never trusted someone to help her, and always used her own capabilities to resolve her troubles. This time, it was the same. Even if she didn¡¯t know what her skill was, she was a level-two too. And if Aleen could face a level-two without help, how could she fear another level-two when she had the help of Lily and the two bodyguards? So, when the creature jumped towards her, she didn¡¯t cower. She never learned to use a spear, but she knew how to swing a stick. So, she put all her strength on her arms, and swung the stick down in the direction of the creature.If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. However, it avoided the attack easily. The creature moved at great speed and twisted its body while extending a claw to tear Aya apart. Aya instinctively ducked down, evading the claw. However, it gave the crawler enough time to close the remaining distance between them and open its mouth to attack her. Aya was unable to avoid it; the attack was too fast and unpredictable. She could only stare while the rotten mouth of the creature advanced towards her neck. Fortunately, Lily moved at that moment. She extended her two front paws and pounced against the crawler¡¯s face. The creature detected the attack, and unwillingly, avoided it jumping towards a wall, giving Aya enough time to recover her stance. But before she could breathe a sigh of relief, the crawler jumped towards them again. This time, it attacked one of the bodyguards. The man instinctively protected his body using the baton he was wielding, but the strength of the creature was greater than his expectations. The creature threw his body against the ground and created an enormous gash in his shoulder while it tried to bit his face, but his partner attacked with the axe that the college girl had been using until now. The crawler used a claw to deflect the axe easily; with so much strength that the weapon flew from the bodyguard¡¯s hands. But the time that the bodyguard bought with that attack was enough for Aya to reach them and attack the creature with her spear, forcing it to retreat again. Panting heavily, she looked at how the creature crawled through the walls preparing for its next attack. Aya knew that the situation was bad. She thought that this creature would be like the level two zombie they faced on the third floor, but she never expected it to be so much stronger. No, it wasn¡¯t stronger. It was faster. If the huge zombie was a heavy unit, this one was a light one. It moved so quickly that, even with her instincts, Aya had trouble reacting in time. It was worse for the others. The two bodyguards could hardly react to the creature¡¯s attacks; much less think of attacking it. Five seconds. Only five seconds had passed from the beginning of the fight, and two of them almost died already. They had to do something or one of them was going to die before long... Before Aleen could come to help them. ¡®How is he doing? is he winning?¡¯ Aya wondered briefly about it, but she hadn¡¯t the freedom to leave her thoughts wander. The crawler attacked once more. ¡­ And Aya noticed that it was attacking the bodyguards again. More precisely, it was attacking the same bodyguard as before. That bodyguard had been injured three times already, and his state was far from good. Aya reacted immediately when she noticed the crawler¡¯s intentions, but though she also was a level-two, she was too slow. She was not going to reach him on time. She could see the expression of panic on the bodyguard''s face, and could see the jaws of the crawler opening to bit his neck. She could see the expressions of despair in the rest of the group. But her body was too slow. Aya closed her eyes in despair. She was weak, too weak¡­ too slow. So, she asked for help. She never did it before, but instinctively, she felt that it was possible. Through the link in his mind, she communicated her desire to her best friend. ¡®I want to save him.¡¯ She said. ¡­ And she answered. Lily¡¯s silver paws were dyed black, and her body flew towards the crawler at great speed, leaving behind a silvery black trace. At the next instant, the crawler let out a cry of pain. Chapter 97 – Pandemonium (4) *Clang!* A metallic noise resounded underground. Making use of the rebound of the clash between the sword and the claw, Aleen retreated from the crawler. But the crawler moved faster. Before Aleen could get a stable footing, the crawler was already attacking from the right side. Without more options, Aleen could only use his sword to block the attack again. While his sword was busy defending, the crawler attacked again with his leg. Helplessly, Aleen used his armguard to defend and took a few steps back due to the impact of the kick. As if waiting for that opportunity, the crawler crouched down and used all its body to pounce against Aleen before he could recover his footing. However, Aleen was also waiting for an opportunity. When the crawler body left the ground, Aleen used his left foot to forcibly stop his retreat and twist his body, avoiding the attack and slashing the belly of the creature with his sword. Unfortunately, the crawler was able to twist its body in the air and used its right leg to kick Aleen from an unexpected direction, forcing him to change the direction of his attack and use the sword to defend against the kick. Both of them retreated and observed each other carefully. ¡®Just five seconds more¡­¡¯ Aleen thought in his mind while calculating the time left before the activation of his skill. Though Aleen could see the situation of the other group, there was nothing he could do. The crawler he was facing was stronger than he expected, and the only reason he was still uninjured was his new gear. Crawlers were fast, and their movements were unpredictable. They were faster than Aleen without using his skill, and because they could step on the walls and the roof, and attack from there, they had more maneuverability. Fortunately, Aleen was stronger and his sword was much sharper than its claws. Besides, though Aleen¡¯s swordsmanship wasn¡¯t first class, it was enough to overwhelm the crawler when they clashed, so it could only use its strange movements to try to kill Aleen. And to be honest, it almost succeeded. In its first attack, the crawler used its two claws to hold Aleen¡¯s sword while it used its legs to grapple Aleen''s lower body. When Aleen noticed it, he retreated frantically, but the monster took advantage of it to deflect its sword and attack his chest. Aleen only survived because his protective gear blocked the monster¡¯s attacks. But his cuirass was unable to stop the impact behind the attack, so he ended slightly injured.Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. Fortunately, Aleen''s wariness was higher from then, so the monster was unable to find another opportunity to hit him. But if he would''ve been using the gear he wore one game ago, he probably would be dead for now. While Aleen was observing the crawler, something happened. Aleen heard the crawler fighting against the others crying in pain. When he turned his head to look at there, he saw Aya¡¯s cat taking a chunk of meat from the creature¡¯s side. At the same time, Aya used her short spear to pin its leg against the ground. ¡®What¡­!?¡± Aleen made a startled expression; but before he could comprehend what was happening, the crawler that was fighting against him moved. But instead of jumping towards Aleen, it ran towards the others. ¡°Careful!¡± Aleen alerted them from the attack and chased after the crawler, but the beast ignored him and jumped towards the group. The others finally reacted and one of the bodyguards used his body to block the attack. He used the axe he was wielding to protect his body and received the creature¡¯s charge. The beast clashed against the axe and deflected it easily. But before the claws could bisect the man, Lily attacked the creature, cutting one of its legs with her claws. ¡°Screeeeeeechhhh!!!¡± The creature screamed in pain and jumped back, but Aleen was waiting behind it and didn¡¯t hesitate to swing his sword. ''Sharp Blade!'' Aleen activated the technique and coated the sword with mana, then, he bisected the monster in half. The entrails of the monster fell on the ground while it cried in pain, but Aleen didn¡¯t stop. This time, he thrust his sword towards the crawler¡¯s head and pierced its brain, killing the monster of once and for all. But while they were focused on Aleen¡¯s crawler, the crawler that had been pinned on the ground by Aya¡¯s spear roared. "ROAAAAARRRRRRRR!" It pulled fiercely the leg that Aya had pinned on the ground, and tore it apart, destroying its leg completely, but at the same time escaping and jumping away. Unfortunately, its speed slowed down drastically with one useless leg. Aya quickly pulled the spear back and stabbed towards the crawler, but though the creature was slower than before, it still managed to avoid the attack. However, it failed to evade Aleen¡¯s follow up attack. His sword cut upwards at great speed from the bisected corpse of the recently killed crawler, slicing half of the head of the crawler trying to escape. Unexpectedly though, it didn''t die after receiving that attack. With a cry of pain, it jumped again and tried to run away. But before it could run more than five meters, its body lost all its strength and fell to the ground. The creature, however, continued dragging its body away. It whimpered in pain while using its claws to pull its body through the ground. Aleen panted softly and sighed in relief when he saw it. Somehow, they managed to beat the three level-two crawlers without losing anyone. Relaxing his muscles, he walked slowly towards the struggling creature with his sword in hand. But when he took his second step forward, Aya and Lily shivered. ¡°¡­ They are here.¡± Aya said fearfully. Aleen stopped abruptly when he heard it. "... Who?" At that moment, something fell from the ventilation conduct above the crawler. ¡°¡­ I¡¯m sorry. I was too focused on the battle that I forgot about them.¡± Aya said while shivering slightly. The creature didn¡¯t pay attention to the group. Instead, it used its eight legs to walk towards the crawler and then, used its jaws to tear apart its flesh and devour its blood. The group could only observe the scene with disturbed expressions. And then, the second creature fell from the duct. ¡°¡­ Damned game!¡± Aleen cursed under its breath the sick bastards that created this nightmare. And the third creature fell. The group retreated slowly, trying not to attract their attention. But when the fourth creature fell, it didn''t walk towards the crawler''s body and competed against its brothers for food. Instead, it moved its eyes towards the remaining, unclaimed, and fresh food. Aleen felt shivers in his back. When the fifth spider fell from the ventilation duct, Aleen finally shouted. ¡°Run!¡± Chapter 98 – Pandemonium (5) ¡°Run!¡± With that word as the signal, the entire group turned around and ran. Like before, Aleen took the lead and guided the group using the vague memories he had about the map he saw before. When the spiders saw the group running away, they immediately chased them. More and more spiders fell from the ventilation duct, and though a few of them stayed behind to devour the crawler¡¯s corpse, most spiders didn¡¯t bother with it and preferred chase after the humans. Aleen chose not to think about the spiders behind and concentrated all his mind on finding the right path. ¡®Where is it¡­¡¯ At that moment, he saw a door leading to the right. ¡°This way!¡± He shouted and ran towards the door. The door was locked, but Aleen didn¡¯t bother finding a way to open it. Instead, he pumped a great amount of mana into his sword and activated Sharp Blade, slashing the lock and kicking the door open. But when the group entered, a great number of spiders fell from a ventilation duct ahead of them. ¡®Dammit!¡¯ Aleen cursed in his mind but did not stop running. ¡°Don¡¯t stop! We are going to kill them!¡± ¡®Seven of them!¡¯ Aleen counted quickly in his head and activated the derived version of his skill Dynamic Sight! With his thoughts accelerated, he observed the position of each spider and planned the best course of action in his head, then, he accelerated. Though he did not activate ¡®Lightning Movement¡¯, Aleen¡¯s speed was faster than normal, perhaps because his body showed its maximum potential in this situation of extreme danger. In a quick movement, his sword drew a faint line across the air and cut through the bodies of five spiders, killing them instantly. He was going to kill the remaining two spiders with his next attack, but Lily was faster than him. With a silvery-dark glow, she used her claws to crush the two spiders¡¯ heads. Another spider fell from the duct at that moment, but Aya killed it with her spear before it could touch the ground. Aleen looked at her briefly and nodded in acknowledgment. She answered with a small nod in her usual expressionless look and continued advancing. The other four chased after them with pale faces. From a while ago, the situation had become Aleen and Aya¡¯s stage. Though, to be honest, Aleen was happy if they didn¡¯t slow him down.Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. Actually, only the two bodyguards had been of help during the game. As for the young miss and the stubble guy, they killed a few normal zombies at most. Of course, Aleen was not going to leave them behind because of it. Though he thought that they were useless, he knew that he was expecting too much of them if he wanted to see them face terrifying monsters bravely. At least, they were better than the white-collar woman who only knew how to cry and tremble in fear. The swarm of spiders was chasing closely after the group and screeching frighteningly. Some spiders caught with the group from time in time, but they were quickly repelled by the two bodyguards, who were taking the rear. They continued running through the underground corridors towards the escape tunnel. Occasionally, groups of spiders would appear ahead of them using the ventilation ducts, but Aleen and Aya killed them quickly without giving them the opportunity to slow the group. The chase continued for another two minutes and Aleen finally saw the door leading to the escape tunnel ahead. He sighed in relief in his mind. To be honest, he was beginning to think that he led the group in the wrong way. ¡°We are here!¡± He shouted to the group and accelerated towards the metallic door. The faces of them lit up in hope when they heard his words. The door was closed, but fortunately for the group, it was not locked. Aleen quickly grabbed the handle and turned it to open the door. But when he opened the door, a creature suddenly jumped towards him. ¡®Crap!¡¯ Aleen opened his eyes wide and retreated instinctively, narrowly avoiding the claw of the creature. ¡®A crawler!¡¯ Aleen identified it immediately. Behind him, the others stopped abruptly and paled when they saw the crawler. At that moment, their hope turned into despair. But Aleen was not prepared to give up. With a thought, he activated his skill. Lightning Movement! Aleen¡¯s only skill and trump card. Strangely, Aleen felt as though he could control his body perfectly when he activated the skill this time. He could move his body at will, stopping when he wants and changing his direction with just one thought. For the first time from the day he acquired this skill, he felt that he was in complete control of it. Feeling the lightning coursing through his body, Aleen took a step forward and disappeared from the crawler¡¯s sight. The creature was unable to react before the unexpected change, and at the next instant, its head flew from its body. Aleen appeared behind it and smiled excitedly before turning off the skill. It was the first time he was able to stop the skill midway. Aleen relished in the feeling of controlling the skill completely and engraved it in his memory. But then, he heard someone screaming behind him. ¡°Argh!¡± Turning around, he saw one of the bodyguards grabbing a spider from his body and throwing it away; but another spider then jumped towards him and bit his leg. Aya and the other bodyguard were beside him, but the number of spiders was too great and they could not help him. The spiders had caught with the group in the brief moment when Aleen fought the crawler and now they could only endure while Aleen killed it. ¡°Get in!¡± He shouted and charged towards the rear, killing the spider that bit the bodyguard and buying time for the group. The others quickly reacted and ran towards the door. Aya and Aleen remained behind and killed another few spiders while the others went in. When everybody else was inside, they entered and closed the doors. The spiders clashed against the door trying to open it, but fortunately, it was made of metal and could endure for a while. ¡°Hurry up!¡± Aleen shouted without stopping to rest. ¡°Find the stairs that go to the escape tunnel. They must be somewhere around here.¡± The others nodded and began to search around the room. Quickly, the college girl found a door hidden behind a cabinet. ¡°Mr. Aleen, here!¡± Aleen pushed the cabinet away and observed the door. Without hesitation, he grabbed his sword cut the door open. The stairs were behind it. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± He said to the group. They nodded and walked towards the stairs. But at that moment, the injured bodyguard fell to the ground. ¡°Carlos!¡± The college girl shouted. Chapter 99 – Pandemonium (6) ¡°Cough Cough!¡± The injured bodyguard kneeled on the ground and coughed blood heavily. ¡°Carlos!¡± The college girl shouted and ran towards the bodyguard. The other bodyguard also ran towards his partner. ¡°What happened!?¡± But the bodyguard couldn¡¯t answer. Instead, he continued coughing great amounts of blood. Aleen frowned and walked towards the bodyguard. He could see the bodyguard sweating and panting heavily. The other bodyguard examined the condition of his partner and frowned deeply. ¡°His temperature is very high, and his pulse is slowing down¡­ He needs treatment immediately!¡± ¡°¡­ It¡¯s not, cough cough¡­ It¡¯s not necessary.¡± The injured bodyguard spoke between coughs. ¡°What are you saying, Carlos!?¡± The college girl shouted frantically. ¡°You can¡¯t continue like this! You have to receive treatment immediately!¡± The bodyguard smiled wryly and shook his head. ¡°I¡¯m sorry miss.¡± The college girl paled and took a step back. ¡°What do you mean¡­ Hey, Carlos! What do you mean!?¡± The bodyguard coughed again and smiled briefly. He then looked to his partner and nodded encouragingly. ¡°I leave the miss in your care, George.¡± The other bodyguard closed his eyes for a few seconds and tightened his fist, but then, he stood up and grabbed the college girl. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll make sure that she returns safely. Also, I¡¯ll take care of your family... You can go without worries.¡± The two meters tall man smiled and nodded. Then, he looked at Aleen. ¡°I¡¯ll try to gain a bit of time for you. So, if it¡¯s possible, take care of the young miss in the way.¡± Aleen looked closely at the bodyguard. He had four injuries in his body, and, maybe due to the virus, his flesh had begun to rot. However, he didn¡¯t seem to fear death, and instead, he was more worried about the wellbeing of his young miss. Aleen could only nod seeing his determination. ¡°I¡¯ll try.¡± ¡°That is enough.¡± The bodyguard said while standing up and coughing blood. He then grabbed the axe and put it in his shoulder. ¡°Now, go. You can¡¯t lose more time here.¡± Aleen nodded for one last time to the bodyguard and walked to the stairs. He then spoke firmly. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Aya and the stubble guy nodded and followed after him. The other bodyguard hesitated slightly, but then grabbed the college girl and followed after them.The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°Hey wait! George, I order you to stop! George! Stop now!¡± The college girl hit the other bodyguard in the arm and screamed frantically while crying, but George didn¡¯t obey. Instead, he held the college girl firmly and chased after the group. After a few seconds, they were already far away, and the college girl¡¯s voice couldn¡¯t be heard anymore. Besides the sound of the spiders hitting the door, the room was completely silent. The injured bodyguard, Carlos, fell to the ground when he made sure that everybody was gone. His body was hot, and his mind felt heavy. To be honest, he wasn¡¯t sure about how he managed to stand up before. Holding the axe in his hand, he sat on the ground and waited for the spiders. He could hear the spiders screeching loudly and using their claws to attack the metallic door, trying to break it. A few seconds later, the door finally bent a little. Then, the door bent a bit more. After another two minutes, the door began to show signs of being unable to endure. Carlos forced his body to stand up and grabbed the axe with his uninjured arm. Looking towards the door, he thought about his family waiting for him at home, about his partner who accompanied him during many years, and about the young miss that he protected from when she was small. ¡®Goodbye¡­¡¯ He muttered softly in his mind and looked forward. Finally, the door was unable to endure. Then, the swarm of spiders rushed hungrily inside the room. Seeing it, Carlos raised his axe, and hacked down. But when he killed the first spider, he was drowned by tens of spiders more. Until the end, he never let out a cry of pain. After the group descended the stairs, they saw a tunnel. Aleen knew that it was the escape route. He led the group inside without hesitation, but unfortunately, the tunnel was completely dark. Aleen didn¡¯t want to trigger anything strange, so he took out the lanterns again and gave them to the stubble guy and the college girl. The college girl was still shocked by the bodyguard¡¯s death, but Aleen had not time to pay attention to her. Instead, he forced the group to continue running despite the lack of light. Aleen knew that it was dangerous, but the door wasn¡¯t going to keep the spiders busy for long, so he simply decided to take the risk. Fortunately, besides a pair of normal zombies, the group didn¡¯t meet any danger. So, after running for two minutes, they finally reached the exit. Aleen opened the door leading to the exit and searched the surroundings for any danger before indicating to the group that everything was fine. Once everybody was outside, Aleen closed the door again. With a bit of luck, it could keep the spiders busy for a while or make them give up chasing the group. The place where the group exited was a kind of sewer. Aleen looked around briefly and found an exit leading outside on the roof of the sewers. He used a bit of strength to open it, and quickly jumped outside. The noise attracted a pair of nearby zombies, but Aleen killed them before they could attract more zombies. Once the entire group was outside, Aleen searched for the central tower. Fortunately for them, the tower was pretty near to the exit of the escape tunnel. Aleen was about to signal the group to continue when he saw Aya looking in a certain direction. Instinctively, he followed Aya¡¯s gaze. Then, he saw spiders. For some reason, a group of spiders was in the walls of a building nearby. The spiders looked at the group and charged towards them while screeching loudly. Aleen was about to shout at the group to run, but at that moment, he heard a roar. ¡°ROAAAAARRRRR!!!¡± Immediately, the spiders stopped. Before Aleen could understand what was happening, the spiders screamed frightened and tried to retreat frantically. But then, the roar sounded again. Chapter 100 – Patient Zero (1) When the roar sounded again, the spiders stopped abruptly. Aleen could hear the spiders screeching frightened, and some of them were even shaking, but for some reason, they didn¡¯t dare to move. At the same time, he noticed that Aya and the cat, Lily, were shaking too. If Aleen was unable to realize that something was wrong after seeing it, then he was a fool. But even if he knew, he could do nothing to stop ¡®It¡¯ from coming. Because ¡®It¡¯ was already there. It walked slowly from a building, looking curiously towards Aleen and the others as a child finding a new toy. But Aleen felt a chill running through his body when ¡®It¡¯ looked towards him. The pressure coming from that creature was greater than any other zombie, and its eyes shone with wisdom. Aleen immediately estimated the strength of the creature before him. ¡®Level-three!!!¡¯ And with that information, he understood its identity. ¡®Patient zero!¡¯ Yes, it could only be the patient zero indicated in the side mission. Different from the other zombies, the patient zero carried a strange kind of charm with him. Its head was bald, and its skin very pale, like a corpse; but it was strangely beautiful in an androgynous way. It was completely naked, but Aleen could not say if it was a man or a woman before becoming a zombie. The creature closed slowly the distance between them, as if it was not worried about them running away. But to be honest, Aleen was not confident in escaping from the creature even with his skill. After all, ¡®Lightning Movement¡¯ only allows him to move around fifty meters with every activation, but Aleen had the feeling that this creature could reduce that distance before he could use the skill again. At that moment, one of the spiders tried to run away from the creature. The patient zero frowned displeased when it saw it. It moved its gaze to the spider and roared softly. The spider immediately stopped and began to tremble in fear. But the patient zero wasn¡¯t conformed with it. It deepened its frown and extended its hand towards the spider. Then, it clenched its hand slowly. The spider began to scream in pain, but the patient zero didn¡¯t stop. It continued clenching its hand and put a smile of pleasure. Then, its hand was clenched completely. Immediately, the spider exploded.The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. The others spider screeched loudly when they saw it, but none of them dared to move. The patient zero curved its lips in a smile so innocent as it was sick. Then, it clenched its hand again. Immediately, more than thirty spiders exploded in a rain of blood and monster¡¯s flesh. Only one spider remained alive, but it began to walk slowly towards the creature. The spider struggled and screamed in fear, but it seemed as though its limbs were not under its control. Under the terrified gaze of the group, the spider walked slowly until where the patient zero was, and stopped. The patient zero then extended its hand and stabbed it through the head; then, it grabbed the brain of the spider and brought it to its mouth. The patient zero ate the brain slowly and smiled at the group. Aleen¡¯s chills intensified at that moment. His instincts screamed that something was wrong, and ¡®Lightning Movement¡¯ activated without his consent. Then, he saw the monster move. Even when everything in his surroundings was slowed down, the patient zero was still moving. Its movement was slow, but it was clear under the stillness of the surroundings. Aleen endured the desire to charge towards the monster immediately. He knew that he only had one opportunity to injure the creature. Once it was wary of his speed, it was going to be many times harder to hurt it. So Aleen waited. The creature ran towards the group and extended its hand forward. With its first step, it was ten meters away, with its second step, it was five meters away, and with its third step, it was before Aleen. At that moment, Aleen released all the mana inside him. Lightning surged through his body, and his sword was coated in a thick layer of mana. Even the amount of vibrations per second produced by Sharp Blade increased drastically under the pressure of the patient zero; it increased directly from thirty to fifty. The patient zero immediately noticed that something was wrong. But unfortunately, it was too close to Aleen to evade the attack. Aleen didn¡¯t hesitate. He took a step forward and slashed towards the monster¡¯s chest. Aleen knew that it was impossible to kill the level three with just this one attack, even if it was caught by surprise, so he aimed to hurt the patient zero as much as possible. As Aleen expected, the level-three zombie was able to react despite its surprise. Though it could not avoid the sword completely, it twisted its body to reduce the damage done by the sword. If Aleen would have attacked the head, it probably would have evaded the attack completely. At the same time, it extended its left arm to block the attack. But it underestimated the sharpness of Aleen¡¯s sword. Though Aleen didn¡¯t have any attack skill, Dark Night¡¯s sharpness was first-rate even between level-three weapons; besides, it was enhanced by Sharp Blade with fifty vibrations per second. On the other hand, though the patient zero was a level-three, it was not a monster specialized in defense. So, when the sword met the arm, the result was already decided. In an instant, the sword cut through the patient zero¡¯s arm and severed it completely, then, it continued in its path and cut into the monster''s chest, leaving a gigantic gash on it. But Aleen wasn¡¯t finished yet. Once he passed the monster, he pressed his right foot on the ground and spun around quickly, attacking the zombie again. Unfortunately, the level-three was already prepared this time. It screamed furiously and jumped aside to avoid the sword, but Aleen¡¯s speed was faster. Though he was unable to hurt the monster gravely, the sword cut into its right leg and almost severed it completely. When Aleen saw it, he sighed in pity. If he could cut one arm and one leg of the patient zero, then he would be more confident about fighting it; but now that he managed to cut only an arm, and it was wary of his speed, then the fight would be more bitter. Fortunately, Aleen injured its right leg, so it probably could not move as fast as before. Aleen turned off his skill and looked towards the monster that had retreated to its initial position. It was bleeding from its left arm, chest and right leg; and its appearance was miserable, but Aleen didn¡¯t dare to underestimate it. The patient zero looked towards Aleen with hatred, and its vicious smile turned into an expression of rage. Its bloodshot eyes observed the group calmly, and then it roared. ¡°ROAAAAAAAARRRRRR!!!¡± Chapter 101 – Patient Zero (2) ¡°ROAARRRRRRR!!!¡± The roar of the patient zero spread to the surroundings as a shockwave, forcing the bodyguard, the college girl, and the stubble guy to step backward. Only Aleen and Aya endured the roar without retreating. The roar wasn¡¯t a skill, but despite it, it filled the group with fear. Actually, only Aya and Lily managed to perceive the brief combat between Aleen and the level-three zombie; the other three only felt a gust of wind and then, they saw the level-three zombie injured. The stubble guy and the college girl sighed in relief when they saw the patient zero injured. They were frightened by the patient zero¡¯s apparition, but when it was injured in its clash against Aleen, they mistakenly thought that it wasn¡¯t so dangerous. However, the bodyguard realized that things were not so simple. He had seen Aleen use its skill twice before it, and each time, he had killed one zombie at least; but this time, though the zombie was injured, it wasn''t dead. Besides, he could see that despite the zombie''s injuries, Aleen and Aya¡¯s expressions were grave. At that moment, Aya shouted. ¡°Look out!¡± The bodyguard followed Aya¡¯s gaze and saw a frightening scene. The arm of the zombie that had been cut, was running towards them! His face paled immediately. He wielded the baton he was holding and tried to crush it, but the hand endured the attack easily and jumped towards his face. Frightened, the man tried to retreat to avoid it, but the hand was faster than he thought. It flew towards its face and extended its claw-like nails to pierce his eyes. At that moment, Lily jumped from below Aya¡¯s leg. She followed Aya¡¯s orders and extended her claws to cut the arm into two, but it twisted strangely in the air and used its claw-like nails to receive the attack. The severed arm flew away due to the impact, but it suffered only a slight injury.The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. Aleen had noticed the arm, but he could not afford to be distracted now. He had the feeling that if he moves his gaze away, the zombie will jump and crush his head in an instant. On the other hand, he was surprised that the arm could do something like that. He and the zombie continued observing each other. Aleen thought that the patient zero was waiting for an opportunity to attack, but after a few seconds, he noticed that something was wrong. The zombie¡¯s wounds¡­ They seemed smaller than before. ¡°Damnit, it can regenerate its wounds!¡± Aleen shouted while cursing his luck in his mind. Now, he had to take the initiative to attack. After all, if the zombie regenerates completely, then the situation will become irreversible. ¡°Aya, support me! The rest of you, take care of the arm!¡± The group nodded briefly and Aleen accelerated towards the zombie. At the same time, Aya ordered Lily to attack it and followed after her. The level-three zombie growled in rage and charged towards them. As a bloodthirsty creature, it didn¡¯t feel fear despite being injured by Aleen before. Instead, its desire for blood became greater and stronger. With two steps, it appeared before Aleen. Aleen struggled to keep with its speed, and barely managed to block the attack. Its speed was at least twice as fast as Aleen despite being injured on its right leg, and its strength was also a few times higher. Despite only having one arm, it forced Aleen to retreat a few steps back with its attack. But before it could follow up with the next attack, Lily jumped from the right and tried to cut its neck. Unfortunately, it used its remaining arm to swat Lily away. Aya tried to stab it with her spear at that moment, but it avoided her attack easily. Fortunately, though, they bought enough time for Aleen to recover. Without hesitation, he activated Sharp Sword and slashed towards the zombie¡¯s neck, but it moved its head back and counterattacked with a swing of its right arm; Aleen could only use his armguard to block the attack, but the strength of the blow knocked him a few meters away. Meanwhile, the remaining three members were facing the arm that Aleen cut. It was moving quickly and jumping around like an animal, trying to use its nails to stab them. But the bodyguard and the stubble guy were using their weapons to hit it away. Unfortunately, no matter how they hit the arm, it remained uninjured. The movements of the arm were erratic, and sometimes it attacked the wrong place, but it did not make the situation any easier. Besides, because the bodyguard had to pay attention to the college girl¡¯s safety, he could only defend passively. At that moment, the arm jumped again and tried to stab the bodyguard leg, but he reacted quickly and used the baton to throw it away. However, he ended throwing the arm towards the stubble guy. The stubble guy swung his bat-like weapon to try to repel the arm, but it grabbed the weapon and used it to jump towards his chest. Frightened, the stubble guy waved the bat-like weapon crazily, but it failed to hit the arm. Then, the arm extended its claw-like nails and pierced its right shoulder. ¡°Arghhh!¡± The stubble guy screamed in pain. Chapter 102 – Patient Zero (3) ¡°Arrrgghhh!!!¡± The stubble guy screamed loudly in pain. The zombie¡¯s arm used its nails to dig into his shoulder, trying to destroy it. With a twisted expression, he grabbed the arm with both hands and tried to pull it out, but the strength of the arm was too great and it didn¡¯t want to let go. It was trying to grab his heart from the shoulder and crush it to kill him, but the stubble guy struggled and pulled with all his strength while screaming in pain. The bodyguard came to help at that moment. He grabbed the arm firmly and helped the stubble guy to pull. With his help, the zombie¡¯s arm was pulled out and thrown away; but the stubble guy lost a huge chunk of flesh. The wound on his shoulder was so big that his bones could be seen. Panting heavily, the bodyguard and the stubble guy looked in the direction where they threw the arm and grabbed their weapons again to prepare against its next attack; but to their surprise, it didn¡¯t charge towards them. Instead, the arm crawled quickly towards Aleen and Aya¡¯s fight. ¡°Careful!¡± The bodyguard shouted. Aleen saw the arm running towards him and instinctively avoided it. But unexpectedly, the arm did not bother with him. It continued running towards the level-three zombie. Aleen immediately understood its intention. ¡°Aya! Stop the arm!¡± Aya reacted quickly and commanded Lily. ¡°Lily, go!¡± Lily meowed in assent and pounced towards the arm. Arms, after all, are not made to run, so though it was part of a level-three creature, it could not compare with Lily when it comes to speed. But when the zombie saw Lily stopping the arm, it roared in fury and charged towards her. Aleen knew that he could not allow the zombie to reach the arm. If the zombie reconnects the arm, the fight will become more hopeless than now; so, Aleen took a step forward and blocked the zombie¡¯s path. The zombie growled in rage and use its arm to attack Aleen. Aleen gritted its teeth and endure the blow, but he took a few steps back due to the great strength of the zombie. With difficulty, he kept his balance and blocked the next attack of the zombie. It swung its arm crazily and tried to crush Aleen, but he put all his concentration in blocking the attacks.Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. Meanwhile, Aya and Lily attacked the arm crazily. In a few seconds, the arm was cut into pieces. The zombie roared in fury when its arm was destroyed. It opened its mouth and tried to bite Aleen, but Aleen defended with his armguard. But then, the zombie used its remaining arm to hit Aleen once, twice, thrice... The crazy attacks continued without stopping, as if the zombie was trying to hammer Aleen against the ground. Aleen almost let go of his sword a pair of times, but he gritted his teeth and endured the attacks by sheer will; when he finally was about to lose the grip of the sword, Aya and Lily¡¯s help came and they distracted the zombie. Aleen coughed a mouthful of blood and took a deep breath before charging towards the zombie again. After all, though Aya and Lily were distracting it momentarily, they could not keep it busy for long. Though Aya was a level-two, her strength and speed were at least one level below Aleen, so she could not take the level-three zombie¡¯s blows head-on. Her only option was to use her extraordinary instincts to attack and retreat before it had the opportunity to counterattack. Lily, on the other hand, only attacked when she was sure that the zombie was not paying attention to her. Aleen could not help but think that Aya and Lily¡¯s styles of battle were very alike, only that one was human, and the other was a cat. Together, the three of them fought against the zombie without losing ground, but Aleen knew that the situation wasn¡¯t good. Though they were managing to cope with the level-three monster, their nerves and stamina were at their limits; besides, Aleen felt that his mana was also beginning to falter. They had been running and fighting without stopping for almost one hour now, and before that, the only time they rested was the brief rest on the second floor of the building, so they were beginning to feel fatigued. Fortunately, his skill was out of cooldown again. Despite it, however, Aleen didn¡¯t rush to use it. The patient zero had seen his skill before, and it surely was prepared against it. So, Aleen had to wait for the right opportunity to launch the attack. After all, he was not sure if his mana was enough to use his skill again if he fails this time. While they were fighting, the bodyguard came to support them. The stubble guy had been injured gravely by the arm, so he was being treated by the college girl. She was using the bandages that Aleen brought from earth to stop the bleeding. Unfortunately, the bodyguard was too weak to participate in this kind of fight. He could hardly follow the zombie¡¯s movements, so he could only stay behind them and wait for an opportunity to intervene. When the fight had gone for one minute, Aleen realized that the zombie¡¯s wounds had become noticeably smaller, and its movements were becoming faster. Aleen estimated that its leg¡¯s wound would heal completely in around two minutes more, and by then, their fate would be sealed. But no matter how they tried, Aleen could not find an opportunity to attack. Little by little, a feeling of desperation began to invade him. After a while, Aleen finally decided to risk it and use his skill. He knew that he would be unable to cause a mortal injury if he attacked now, but at least, he could slow its movements again for a while. Though Aleen knew that it was just delaying the inevitable, he was out of options now. But at that moment, something unexpected happened. Aya, who was attacking the monster from the back, stumbled briefly and lost her balance due to the fatigue. And the patient zero was not going to let pass that opportunity. Aya opened her eyes wide. In the next second, the unpleasant sound of flesh and bones being pierced filled the place. Chapter 103 – Patient Zero (4) Aya opened her eyes wide when the zombie attacked. She tried to twist her body out of the zombie¡¯s range, but she was too close to the zombie to avoid its attack. The zombie opened its jaws and extended its hand towards her heart. Aya felt the time slow down at that moment. She saw her life flashing before her eyes, and her expressionless face was filled with unwillingness. At that moment, Lily moved. She had been hiding out of the zombie¡¯s sight, waiting for an opportunity to attack; but when she saw its master being attacked, Lily didn¡¯t hesitate to extend her claws and pounce towards its back. However, the zombie was not going to let this opportunity pass. It ignored completely Lily¡¯s attack and continued charging towards Aya. But when the claw was about to pierce Aya¡¯s chest, Aleen appeared. He forced his body to move as fast as possible without using his skill, and reached just in time to stop the attack with his sword. But because he rushed to protect Aya, he was unable to keep his balance after receiving the attack. His body trembled slightly due to the impact. Aleen tried to resist the strength of the attack, but his arms began to bent back slowly, and his feet yielded to the pressure and failed to endure the impact. At the next instant, Aleen''s body was sent flying and crashed against the ground. Aleen felt all the air leaving his lungs, but he struggled to keep his eyes open and did not move his sight away from the zombie. Aya recovered her footing in that brief instant, and jumped back, but the zombie wasn¡¯t interested in her anymore. It knew that Aleen was the most dangerous of them and was wary against his high-speed movement; so, it charged right away towards him when it saw the chance to kill Aleen. Aleen could see the level-three zombie closing with his claw-like nails outstretched. It was looking directly towards him with bloodshot eyes and smiling in delight. Aleen''s thoughts accelerated unconsciously; he activated the technique that he created using his first skill. ¡®Dynamic Sight¡¯. Aleen felt his surroundings slowing down under this technique, but despite it, he could see the threat of death closing slowly. Aleen looked around frantically, searching for a way out of this situation; but he saw nothing that he could use. Helpless, he could only opt for using his skill to escape from the attack.If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. But when he was about to activate it, someone appeared before him. It was the bodyguard. Aleen had fallen near the bodyguard when he received the zombie¡¯s attack. And when the bodyguard saw that Aleen was about to be killed, he used his own body as a shield. The bodyguard knew that if Aleen died, none of them could stop the creature, so he suppressed his instinctual fear towards death and put his body in front of Aleen. And in the next second, the unpleasant sound of flesh and bones being pierced reached Aleen¡¯s ears. Aleen looked consternated as the zombie¡¯s arm pierced the bodyguard. It entered from his back and exited through his chest. Aleen could see in slow motion how the bodyguard''s blood, flesh, and bones flew towards the surroundings. Under the effects of ¡®Dynamic Sight¡¯, the scene was reflected clearly in his eyes, frame by frame. But when he thought that it was the end of the bodyguard, he saw a smile. Taking advantage of the moment when the zombie¡¯s arm pierced his chest, the bodyguard squeezed all his potential and grabbed its arm, then, he performed an awkward movement of judo and used the zombie¡¯s impulse against it. ¡°Haaaaah!!!¡± The zombie didn¡¯t think that the prey would struggle after receiving such an attack, and it never faced a technique like that before, so, for slightly less than a second, it was pressed against the ground. It was just an instant, and the zombie recovered immediately after it, tearing off the bodyguard¡¯s arm in fury; but that second was the opportunity that Aleen was waiting for. So, without hesitation, he activated his skill. ¡®Lightning Movement!!!¡¯ His body, that was again in the air after crashing against the ground, was filled with lightning. Aleen pressed his right hand against the ground and used it to impulse his body towards the zombie, and with his left hand, he slashed with his sword. His body groaned in pain, but he gritted his teeth and endured it. He put all his remaining mana into his sword and activated Sharp Blade while aiming for the zombie¡¯s neck. The sword hummed sharply, and advanced in direction of the zombie while leaving behind beautiful silver sparks. But the zombie was worthy of being a level three. It tried to twist its head to the side to avoid the blade; unfortunately, Aleen was not going to miss this attack. ¡°Dieeeee!!!¡± The sword flashed with a mix between silver and dark, and then, it cut through the zombie¡¯s neck. Aleen was unable to stop his body after using that attack and continued forward while leaving a trail of silver lightning behind. A second later, he crashed against a wall twenty meters away. At the same time, the zombie¡¯s body flew three meters away and crashed against the ground after receiving that attack. Aleen forced his body to look into the zombie¡¯s direction and finally sighed in relief. His body was completely drained of energy after the last attack. Aleen struggled to keep his consciousness awake and forced his heavy eyelids to open. But then, his face turned pale. The zombie... stood up slowly. His neck was mostly cut, and his head was hanging from a thread of rotten flesh. It moved its body wobblily and waved its hand around trying to search for them. Aleen tried to stand up again, but his body did not respond. When he was about to shout at the others, she moved. Lily charged towards the zombie while leaving a silvery-dark trail behind, then, she used her claws to finally cut the zombie¡¯s head. When the head fell to the ground, Lily looked towards it with a look of disgust, and then, crushed it with her paw. Waving her paw to shake off the blood, she raised her head and meowed arrogantly. ¡°Meow!¡± Chapter 104 – Rotten Blood and Flesh (1) ¡°Meow!¡± With Lily¡¯s meow, the battle came to an end. Aleen gave a sigh of relief and closed his eyes. His entire body hurt, and his left arm was bent in a strange way; Aleen suspected that it was broken. He took a deep breath and tried to circulate his mana, but it was completely empty. He used it up with the last attack. Despite it, however, Aleen smiled. Inside him, he felt a strange feeling of satisfaction. This time, he faced an overwhelming enemy, and he won. Though he would have preferred if the game was less dangerous, he could not deny the sense of accomplishment he felt after facing a dangerous trial. It was¡­ refreshing? Aleen smiled wryly and shook those thoughts out of his mind. He urged his body to absorb mana from the surroundings and began to circulate, trying to recover his condition. He could hear the cries and screams of the others, mainly the college girl, coming from the location of the bodyguard, but he ignored it. Either way, he couldn¡¯t do anything if another zombie, even a level-one, attacks now. One minute later, he heard the sound of steps approaching softly. Opening his eyes, he raised his head and saw Aya coming towards him while carrying Lily in her arms. ¡°Are you fine?¡± She asked in her expressionless tone of voice, but laced with a bit of worry. Aleen smiled wryly. ¡°As fine as someone can be with a few broken bones.¡± Aya smiled softly but quickly returned to her usual expression. She then let go of Lily and extended her hand. ¡°Let me help you.¡± Aleen accepted her hand and stood up. He could see Lily looking towards him with animosity. Was she angry because Aya released her to grab his hand? Aleen wondered about it briefly while holding Aya¡¯s soft palm. Once he stood up, he examined his body. One of his legs hurt slightly when he uses too much strength, and his chest felt a little painful. After confirming the state of his body, he looked at Aya. ¡°How are the others?¡± ¡°¡­ George survived, but he lost an arm. The stubble guy is also injured but nothing too serious.¡± Aleen nodded and walked towards them. As Aya said, the bodyguard fortunately survived; apparently, the zombie missed his heart when it attacked. The stubble guy suffered an injury in his shoulder, and he could not feel his right arm. Aleen noticed that it was pale white, and showed signs of rotting; and wondered if it was better to cut the arm, but the stubble guy refused. Aleen only shrugged his shoulders. Even if the virus was infectious, it probably could not transform him in a zombie before they reach the central tower.This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. After all, they were pretty close already, and the biggest danger was already dead. Thinking about the patient zero, Aleen grabbed his sword with his right hand and walked towards its corpse; then, under the dumbfounded gazes of the others, he cut it into pieces. ¡°It would be bad if the body can move without its head.¡± Aleen explained and pointed to the arm that moved alone after it was cut from the zombie¡¯s body. The others nodded in understating. Aleen then took four pieces of the zombie and put them inside his ring. He explained to them that it was to complete the sub-mission and that he was going to give one piece to each one when they are about to leave the game. Once he finished with it, they departed towards the central tower. Behind them, the pieces of the zombie were still twitching. The group took twenty minutes to reach the central tower. They could have reached faster, but Aleen suggested going slower to not aggravate their injuries. Fortunately, the zone was almost free of zombies. They probably had been scared off by the level-three and left this zone. After all, when the spiders felt the presence of the level-three, they tried to run away. Obviously, the level-three zombie was the top predator inside this game, and the other zombies tried to avoid it. Aleen remembered that the underground laboratory was also mostly empty, and came to the conclusion that it was because of the level-three too. It probably ate most of the corpses when it escaped and it was the reason because the walls were stained with blood but he could not see any corpse. Of course, it was also possible that he was thinking too much and the reason that the underground was like that was that the administration simply wanted to do it like that. Aleen smiled wryly in his mind and decided to not think more about the topic. When they reached the central tower, the group found a map posted on a wall that indicated the location of the interdimensional portal. Aleen praised the thoughtfulness of the administrators in his mind and followed the indications on the map. The interdimensional portal was on the twentieth floor, so the group had to climb all the way until there (Aleen saw some elevator-like objects, but they were not working). In the way, they ran into some zombies, but Lily killed them easily. Even when they ran into one level-two, Aleen had recovered enough mana to use his skill once and killed it. When they finally reached the twentieth floor, the entire group sighed in relief. Aleen looked at the counter in his mind and found that they still had a bit more than thirty minutes to complete the mission. They quickly found the interdimensional portal. It was very noticeable, and its appearance was like the portals that brought them to the games, but a bit bigger. When they saw the portal, the entire group fell silent. ¡°¡­ Who is going first?¡± Aleen asked after a moment. The college girl took a step forward after hesitating for a moment. ¡°We¡¯ll go.¡± She then looked towards Aleen with a complicated expression. ¡°Mr. Aleen, many thanks for your help. If you want, you can contact me in the real world. My name is Christine Beckett, and my phone is xxx xxxx in the US. My family can help you if you have any problem.¡± Aleen just nodded politely and gave her one piece of the level-three. Actually, Aleen didn¡¯t have any intention to call her at all. After all, it wouldn¡¯t be good if too many people know about his powers. Christine understood the meaning behind his nod and was going to speak again, but in the end, she only shook her head softly. ¡°¡­ I hope we can meet again someday.¡± Then, she stared Aleen with her black eyes and turned around to enter the portal. Her short brown hair waved softly in the wind, and then, she disappeared. The portal could only be used once each thirty seconds, so the others could only wait for a while. Once it was ready again, the bodyguard nodded gratefully to Aleen and Aya and entered the portal too. Aleen wondered if he was going to see them again someday, but in the end, he shook his head. Their paths were different after all. When the bodyguard and Christine were gone, Aleen looked to the stubble guy. He nodded gratefully and walked forward. When he was close to Aleen, the stubble guy extended his hand for a handshake; Aleen hesitated slightly but in the end, extended his hand. ¡°My name is Willian.¡± The stubble guy said. ¡°I won¡¯t forget your help today.¡± Aleen nodded silently. The stubble guy, Willian, understood his gesture and smiled awkwardly. He then raised his right arm. And stabbed Aleen¡¯s abdomen. Chapter 105 – Rotten Blood and Flesh (2) His right hand pierced Aleen¡¯s abdomen. Aleen opened his eyes wide. His reaction was immediate. When he noticed that something was amiss, he moved back to try to avoid the attack. Unfortunately, he was very close to the stubble guy, and the attack was completely unexpected. Maybe, if the stubble guy would have attacked his head, Aleen would have been able to react with the help of ¡®Dynamic Vision¡¯; but because he attacked his abdomen, Aleen only reacted when he felt the pain. ¡°You¡­¡± Aleen opened his mouth and looked towards the stubble guy in astonishment. But when he gazed at him, he saw an expression of incredulity on his face. ¡°Aleen!¡± Aya shouted and hit Willian with the shaft of her spear, throwing him away. Aleen stumbled and used his hand to stop the bleeding. The attack had punctured his stomach; but because his body was stronger than a normal human, the wound was not mortal. Aya worriedly help him and examined his wound. When she saw the hole on his stomach, she stared furiously towards the stubble guy. ¡°Why did you do it!?¡± ¡°I-It wasn¡¯t me!¡± The stubble guy shouted with a frightened expression. Aya was about to ask what did he mean, but then, the stubble guy''s arm moved. His right arm, that had been injured by the level-three zombie¡¯s arm, moved strangely and then, stabbed his own heart. The stubble-guy opened his eyes wide with an expression of fear. Then, his right arm pulled out his heart from his chest. Aleen and Aya looked to the scene with fearful expressions. The stubble guy tried to say something, but the blood flowing from his mouth stopped him. Aleen, however, understood his last word. It was ¡®help¡¯. Aleen looked towards the body of the stubble guy and vomited a mouthful of blood. At that moment, Lily screamed in fear. ¡°Meow!!!¡± One second later, they heard a roar. ¡°ROAAAAAARRRRRRR!!!¡± Aleen and Aya looked to each other frightened. ¡°¡°The patient zero!¡±¡± The two screamed at the same time. At the same time, something jumped inside the twentieth floor.Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. It was a nightmarish monster. The monster was almost three meters tall, and its body was like a huge ball of flesh. It was made of limbs and organs glued together haphazardly, and blood and gore fell from its body from time in time, before crawling towards the abomination again. Aleen saw corpses of spiders and parts of zombies inside the huge mass of flesh. Its head was made of three spiders¡¯ heads and the deformed head of the level-three that Lily crushed. The heads made expressions of pain, fury and huger and let horrifying cries that made Aleen shiver. Aleen and Aya stared in fear while the monster roared again. ¡°ROAAAAAARRRRRRR¡± When the monster entered to the twentieth floor, the stubble guy¡¯s right hand moved creepily and dragged his corpse towards the monster. Then, the abomination extended its oversized arm and grabbed the body. An instant later, the stubble guy¡¯s body began to fuse with the abomination. Aleen struggled to suppress his vomit. The body fused quickly with the abomination; and in less than five seconds, one new face had been added to the abomination¡¯s body. Then, it turned towards Aleen and Aya. Under their stupefied looks, the abomination jumped towards them. ¡°Run!¡± Aleen shouted and jumped aside to avoid the attack. Aya and Lily jumped to the other side. An instant later, the abomination¡¯s arm crushed the floor where they just stood. Pieces of flesh splashed from the abomination¡¯s body towards the walls and the floor; but immediately, they crawled towards the abomination again as though they were living beings. Seeing that Aleen and Aya avoided the attack, the abomination roared in fury and charged towards Aya, making the floor tremble with each step. Aya¡¯s face was pale, and she tried to avoid the attacks desperately, but the abomination continued chasing after her without regard. Aleen took advantage that the abomination was fixated on her and attacked its back, but it reacted immediately and swung its arm backward. Aleen barely managed to react and block with his sword, but the strength of the hit sent him flying against the wall. ¡°Cough Cough!¡± Aleen coughed one mouthful of blood and jumped aside to avoid the abomination¡¯s next attack, but it roared in fury and continued sending a flurry of punches and hits with any part of its body. Aleen could only run unsightly while doing his best to not be caught by the abomination. Fortunately, Aleen noticed that, though the abomination was much stronger than before, it also was slower; so Aleen could barely keep with its speed despite his injury. At that moment, Aya charged from the back and stabbed the spear into the abomination¡¯s side, but it shrugged the attack easily and waved its arm to swat Aya away. Aya noticed the attack beforehand and jumped back an instant before the attack could reach her. At the same time, Lily jumped from another side and extended its paws to cut its tendon. The abomination was caught unprepared and was cut, losing its balance and falling to the ground. But before Aleen and Aya could rejoice, the pieces of flesh that were cut crawled towards it and regenerated its injuries almost immediately. ¡°Dammit!¡± Aleen cursed fiercely. ¡°How are we supposed to kill something like that!?¡± While Aleen and Aya were struggling to kill the abomination, thirty seconds finally passed, and Aleen saw it the portal lit up signaling that it was ready to be used again. Aleen shouted immediately. ¡°Aya!¡± Aya understood his meaning, but she hesitated for a brief moment. After all, she knew that Aleen would have to face the abomination for himself if she is gone. But Aleen seemed to know her thoughts, because he spoke again. ¡°It¡¯s impossible for us to kill it! So, go now! The faster you go, the faster I can escape!¡± Aya finally nodded and rushed towards the portal while grabbing Lily in her arms. But when she was about to enter the portal, the abomination jumped towards her. ¡°Look out!¡± She heard Aleen shouting. Aya instinctively rolled aside, and the abomination fell where she was just a moment ago. It then looked towards Aya and roared furiously. But when they thought that it was going to chase after Aya, the abomination raised its fist, and then, it attacked the portal. Chapter 106 – Rotten Blood and Flesh (3) ¡°What happened!?¡± Leone shouted to the people supervising the game. She was inside a futuristic-looking hall. The place was filled with every kind of technology available through the dimensions and countless screens were being projected on a wall. Inside, many people of different races were fighting to the death against monsters or other individuals. Currently, Leona was looking to one screen in particular. The screen showed one human male and one human female fighting desperately against a frightening monster made of corpses, flesh, and bones. Around her, people of the races were analyzing the situation and searching for an answer to the unexpected change. Finally, one of them spoke. ¡°I got it. Apparently, the subject Z-094563995 went through an unexpected mutation, increasing its powers and giving it the ability to absorb organic matter and use it to regenerate its wounds. Though it did not become a level-four, it could be considered as one of the strongest level-three creatures now.¡± ¡°What are the probabilities of the participants killing it?¡± ¡°¡­ Lesser than one percent.¡± Replied a woman after analyzing the data inside a screen. ¡°What do we do, supervisor?¡± A man asked and looked towards Leona. Leona fell deep in thoughts before making her decision; but before she could speak, a voice filled with authority filled the hall. ¡°We continue the game.¡± ¡°But gamemaster!¡± Leona objected. ¡°That monster is way above their level!¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter.¡± The pink and chubby gamemaster replied coldly. ¡°Dimensional Paradise has never stopped a game, no matter what happens inside; and we are not going to break that rule just for a pair of kids.¡± Leona closed her mouth with an expression of unwillingness.Stolen novel; please report. The gamemaster looked towards her and shook his head in disappointment. ¡°You are new to this, and the boy inside the game is one of your firsts clients, so I will forgive your mistake this time. But you must remember, your first priority must always be the game. As for the two kids, they simply were unlucky.¡± Leona bit her lips but nodded at the end. The gamemaster gazed to her briefly before turning around and leaving the hall. When he reached the door, he stopped and said something. ¡°Make your preparations, we will send you in a mission after this round finish.¡± Then, he left. Leona frowned deeply and looked towards the screen where Aleen and Aya were fighting. In the end, she simply let out a sigh. The abomination roared in fury and attacked the portal, but a translucid barrier-like thing appeared and blocked the attacks. Aleen and Aya paled and attacked the abomination quickly, but it only roared in fury again and continued swinging its arms towards the barrier. Fortunately, the barrier did not break. But when Aleen and Aya were about to sigh in relief, the abomination changed its target. This time, it did not attack the barrier. Instead, it began to destroy everything around the portal. The abomination used its huge arms to hit the floor, the roof and the walls around the portal. ¡®It¡¯s bad!¡¯ Aleen shouted in his mind and attacked the abomination to attract its attention, but it continued destroying the room regardless of Aleen and Aya¡¯s attacks. Moreover, even when the abomination did not defend against their attacks, Aleen and Aya were unable to kill it; and the abomination would regenerate its injuries an instant after they were made. Aleen quickly came to the conclusion that their attacks were completely useless. At that moment, the abomination roared and punched the roof. ¡°ROAAAAAARRRRR!!!¡± Immediately after it, the roof above the portal collapsed. Then, the abomination swung its fist downwards and destroyed the floor. *Rumble!!!* A thunderous sound resounded. Aleen and Aya paled and ran away frantically to escape from the destruction that ensued on their surroundings. The walls around the portal began to collapse, and the destruction spread until the walls on the floor above. Everything in a radius of ten meters crashed down. Aleen and Aya opened their eyes wide seeing the destruction caused by the abomination. Then, their faces paled. The portal¡­ had disappeared. It had been buried and destroyed by the walls and the roof. In its place, they could see only debris. ¡°Aleen, what are we going to do now?¡± Aya asked with an expression of urgency. Aleen held his head with a hand and went through his thoughts quickly. In a few seconds, he came to a decision. ¡°First, we must get out of here!¡± Aya nodded without hesitation. But then, a roar sounded from below the debris. ¡°ROAAAAARRRRRRR!!!¡± And Aleen and Aya heard an explosion-like sound. The abomination used its body to sent the debris that buried it flying, and jumped out. It then looked towards Aleen and Aya with a furious expression. Chapter 107 – Rotten Blood and Flesh (4) ¡°ROAAAAARRRRRR!!!¡± With a roar, all the debris around the abomination flew away. Aleen and Aya looked to the scene with fear and awe. They could not believe the destruction caused by the abomination. It was as if a bomb would have exploded inside the twentieth floor, destroying part of the nineteenth, twentieth and twenty-first floor. Not just it, the destruction also ended closing the portal. Under Aleen and Aya¡¯s gazes of astonishment, the abomination jumped towards them. Aleen reacted immediately and grabbed Aya¡¯s arm before running away from there with Lily following after them. One second later, the abomination fell in the place where they were just a moment ago, but Aleen and Aya had already escaped from there. Enraged, the abomination grabbed a piece of debris from the ground and threw it towards them; fortunately, the pair avoided it easily without stopping their escape. Unfortunately, their speed was not greater than the abomination, so they could not shake off its pursuit; moreover, it continued throwing things in their path, slowing them down even more. Aleen¡¯s skill allowed them to escape the pursuit of the abomination briefly, but it caught up with them again not long after it. It simply broke the floor and fell to the floor below while Aleen and Aya used the stairs. When the abomination saw that it made it easier to catch them, it stopped chasing after Aleen and Aya; instead, when they were going to use the stairs, it destroyed the floor again and fell in front of them, blocking their path. Aleen and Aya paled immediately. Without hesitation, they stopped their steps and climbed back the stairs, returning to the previous floor. The abomination roared again and chased after them. ¡°It will not do!¡± Aleen shouted while running. ¡°We are going to be exhausted before shaking it off. We need to think of something!¡± Aya just nodded with a grave expression. Aleen put his mind to work. He looked around while searching for a way to improve their situation. The portal had been destroyed, so they could not accomplish the mission anymore. Fortunately, Aleen was confident that the number of points he got in the last two games were enough to survive despite failing the mission. However, any amount of points would be useless if he is killed by the abomination.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. Furthermore, Aya''s points were not going to be enough to survive. Aleen was not sure about how much points you acquire after killing one monster, but he knew that the higher the level of the monster, the more points you acquire after killing it. Following that idea, the best way to avoid Aya¡¯s death is to kill the level-three abomination, but Aleen had 0% confidence in killing it. So, her only option was to kill as many zombies as possible before the time ends. However, they had to get rid of the abomination¡¯s pursuit before thinking about killing more zombies. ¡°Meow!¡± Aleen heard Lily¡¯s warning and jumped aside to avoid one piece of debris threw by the abomination. The piece of debris flew through the place where he was just a moment ago and broke a window, falling to the ground from the fifteenth floor. Aleen then adjusted his posture and continued running with Aya beside him. At that moment, however, an idea came to his mind. Aleen looked to the window destroyed by the abomination just a moment ago and cursed in his mind. ¡®It¡¯s crazy!!!¡¯ However, it was possible¡­ Aleen looked to Aya once he organized his thoughts. ¡°I have an idea. But it¡¯s very crazy, and you need to trust me completely.¡± Aya didn¡¯t hesitate and nodded immediately. Seeing it, Aleen also nodded and explained the idea quickly. When Aya heard about it, her expressionless look changed greatly, but in the end, she agreed. ¡°Okay, let¡¯s do it!¡± Aleen shouted and grabbed Aya¡¯s hand. At the same time, Aya used her link with Lily and told her to jump into her arms. Then, when Aleen felt that his skill was ready, the three jumped towards a window and broke it. Immediately, a feeling of weightlessness assaulted them. But before they could process that feeling, their bodies began to fall down quickly. Aleen hugged Aya firmly and activated ¡®Dynamic Sight¡¯. Under the slowed time, he could see the ground becoming closer and closer slowly. Aleen knew that falling from the fifteenth floor would mean death, even with their enhanced bodies; but if they want to shake off the pursuit of the abomination quickly, it was the only way that he could think. But when he was about to put his plan into action, he heard a roar coming from above them. Unexpectedly, the abomination had jumped after them. ''Damn it!!!'' Aleen''s face changed drastically. He did not think that the abomination¡¯s determination to catch them would be so strong. However, they could not change the plan now. So, without hesitation, Aleen stabbed his sword into the wall. The sword cut the wall easily, but because it was too sharp, it did not stop their fall and continued cutting downwards while they were falling. However, it slowed the speed of the fall greatly. Aleen felt an enormous amount the pain in his right arm, but he did not let go of the sword. He knew that it was their only chance to escape from this situation with their lives. But because the sword slowed their fall, the abomination caught up with them in an instant. In the middle of the fall, it raised its claw and swung it down. Aleen knew that their life and death was going to be decided in that second. So, he gritted his teeth and circulated all his mana fiercely. His slowed vision helped him to find the perfect moment, and then, he activated his skill. ¡®Lightning Movement!!!¡¯ Immediately, electricity coursed through his veins. Aleen''s feet stepped on the wall, and then, he kicked it fiercely. His body twisted in the air and he used the wall to move aside. It was a small movement, but it was enough to avoid the abomination¡¯s arm. Once he avoided the abomination¡¯s attack, he turned off the skill. Then, they continued falling. The abomination roared in fury when it saw that its claw did not crush the pair, but it could do nothing to stop its fall. Aleen, on the other hand, continued using the sword to slow down their speed. One second later, they crashed against the ground. Chapter 108 – Rotten Blood and Flesh (5) *THUD!!!* With a heavy sound, the abomination crashed against the ground and was crushed into meat paste. Pieces of its body flew to the surroundings. *Thud!* Aleen and Aya fell half a second later. When Aleen and Aya touched the ground, they rolled aside to try to reduce the impact of the fall. Despite it, both of them felt as though their bones were being crushed. Fortunately, Aleen¡¯s sword helped to reduce their speed greatly, so they did not suffer any major injury despite the pain. At most, Aleen strained his right arm, that was holding the sword, and his right ankle, that took most of the impact of the fall; but such injuries could be healed after circulating his mana a few times. On the other hand, the injury in his stomach was more serious. After he was stabbed by the stubble guy¡¯s arm, Aleen had to face the abomination without treating the injury; and after it, he jumped from a fifteen-floors height. Due to it, the injury had widened greatly, and if not because Aleen was using his mana to stop the bleeding, he could have bled to death long ago. After five seconds, the pair finally stood up slowly. Lily had been standing from the moment they reached the ground; apparently, she suffered the least during the fall. ¡°¡­ Are you fine?¡± Aleen asked while examining the condition of his body. ¡°¡­ Mm. Thanks to you.¡± Aya nodded slowly. Aleen put on a wry smile and shook his head. He then looked towards the place where the abomination fell. ¡°Let¡¯s see how it is¡­¡± Aya nodded and followed after him. The abomination had been completely crushed after it fell down. Its heavy body had been broken into pieces with some parts flying until fifteen meters away. It even created a small crater in the place where it fell. But when Aleen saw it, his expression turned heavy. Because though it was in such a disastrous state, it was still alive. Aleen could see some pieces of flesh twitching and moving creepily while trying to reconstruct the level-three monster. ¡°¡­ Is this thing immortal?¡± He asked involuntarily. Aya also looked to the scene with a grave expression. Though they were able to survive against the abomination this time, none of them was confident in escaping from it again. Fortunately, it did not seem like it was able to reconstruct its body soon. ¡°¡­ What are we going to do now? The portal was destroyed.¡± Aya asked with a slightly worried tone. Aleen closed his eyes and thought for a moment. ¡°The game will end in another twenty minutes; however, our score will reduce because we failed the mission. That is not a problem for me, but I¡¯m not sure about you.¡±This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. ¡°¡­What do you mean?¡± ¡°If your battlefield score is negative when the game ends, you will die.¡± Aya¡¯s expressionless look hardened immediately. After a few seconds, she recovered and asked again. ¡°How do I know if my score is enough?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Aleen shook his head helplessly. ¡°However, I think that it¡¯s better if you kill as many monsters as possible to increase your probabilities.¡± ¡°¡­ Do you have any idea?¡± Aleen thought for one second before answering. ¡°It would be great if you can kill the level-three abomination, but unfortunately, I don¡¯t think we can do it unless we burn it to ashes or something like that; so we¡¯ll have to take the second option: To kill the greatest number of weak monsters possible.¡± Aya fell silent for a moment before opening her eyes wide and looking towards Aleen in astonishment. ¡°Do you mean¡­¡± Aleen nodded helplessly. ¡°It¡¯s your only option now. The horde of level-one zombies is too far away and the time is not enough to go there, so, if you want to kill many monsters, the spiders are the best option.¡± Aya gulped nervously, but in the end, she nodded. ¡°You are right.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll go with you.¡± Aleen consoled her. ¡°Besides, though the spiders are dangerous, we probably can endure for a while if we fight them in the correct place. If we take into account the time we''ll use to reach them, we only need to endure for around ten minutes, and then, the administrators will take us away.¡± Aya nodded in understating. The two humans and one cat then decided to return towards the place where they faced the spiders. Because they were short of time, they ran at full speed despite the pain caused by the fall. After ten minutes, they entered the sewers and reached to the door leading to the escape tunnel. The door was still closed, and the spiders had not opened it yet, but Aleen could hear the occasional noise of spiders¡¯ legs scratching against the door. Aleen observed the surroundings and gave a sigh of relief. ¡°This is a good place to face the spiders. They have to go through the door to attack us, and only two or three of them will be able to pass at the same time.¡± Aya nodded in understating. ¡°I¡¯ll open the door then.¡± Aleen put a serious expression and held his sword firmly. ¡°Remember, you must try to kill as many spiders as possible.¡± ¡°¡­ Okay.¡± Aya grabbed her short-spear and put a serious expression. ¡°Very well. One, two, and three!¡± With that as the signal, the door was opened. Immediately, many spiders rushed towards them. Ten minutes later, Aleen and Aya were panting while killing spiders nonstop. Their surroundings were filled with blood and corpses. The number of spiders they had killed during the last ten minutes could be counted in the hundreds, with Aleen killing most of them and Aya killing the rest. They, however, were not completely uninjured after facing the spiders for so long. Both Aleen, Aya, and even the cat Lily, were covered in injuries. Lily had an enormous gash going from her stomach until her neck, and if not because she was fast enough to move away when she received that injury, she would have died. Aya, on the other hand, was enduring solely thanks to her willpower; but even so, her consciousness was already very fussy and the loss of blood was beginning to affect her. Of them, Aleen was is the best condition, but even he was beginning to show signs of fatigue. Fortunately, though, the spiders could attack only from the direction of the door, so the group could barely cope with the attacks. At that moment, Aleen cut another spider with his sword. The spider screeched in pain and tried to bite his hand, but Aleen moved back and hit it in the head. But another spider jumped from behind it and attacked his leg. Aleen tried to avoid the attack, but he had to defend against another spider attacking his chest and it slowed down his movements. Then, the first spider tore a huge chunk of flesh from his leg. ¡°Argggg!!!¡± Aleen cried in pain and kicked the spider away, then, he swung his sword forward and cut it into two. At the same time, he looked in Aya''s direction and saw that she was having trouble facing the spiders. In his mind, the timer was already nearing zero. ¡®Ten seconds more¡­!¡¯ Shouting in his mind, he jumped towards Aya and cut the spiders attacking her, then, he pushed her away and faced another two spiders coming from the tunnel by himself. Cut, cut, cut, cut, cut¡­ His sword continued moving frantically. Five, four, three, two, one¡­ Finally, the timer reached zero. The AI inside Aleen¡¯s head informed him that the game was over, but he was too tired to pay attention to it. Aleen gave a last glance to Aya and Lily and hoped that this many spiders killed would be enough to save her. Finally, the game came to an end. Under the spiders¡¯ relentless attacks, Aleen, Aya, and Lily disappeared from the sewers. Chapter 109 – Aya’s Choice (1) ¡®You have failed to accomplish the mission...¡¯ ¡®Calculating your rewards¡­¡¯ ¡®Monsters killed: 325 Level-one: 325 Points 5 Level-two: 50 Points Achievements: Two survivors rescued: 20 Points (Points corresponding to level two) Side mission: 30 Points Game results: Defeat: 0 Points Total Score: 425 Points Reward: 425 UDP Coins Your battlefield score has fallen from 7.7 to 7.1¡¯ ¡®Please wait a moment¡­¡¯ Aleen woke up in the dark place where the results of the games are announced. He heard the AI in his mind informing him about his performance. When he finished processing the information, the AI spoke again. ¡®We have detected injuries in your body. Do you wish to use your coins to heal them?¡¯ Yes. ¡®A moment please¡­¡¯ ¡®The cost of healing your injuries is 21 UDP coins. Do you wish to continue?¡¯ Yes. ¡®Understood. We also detected signs of a foreign organism inside your body, do you wish to use your coins to eliminate them?¡¯ Aleen chose yes while wondering if the foreign organism was the zombie virus. ¡®The cost of eliminating the foreign organism is 35 UDP coins. Do you wish to continue?¡¯ Yes ¡®Understood, we are going to begin the procedure¡­¡¯This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. Once he heard those words, he blanked again. ¡®Procedure complete. Please wait¡­¡¯ ¡®You will be sent to your representative''s office.¡¯ ¡®Initiating transference in three, two, one¡­¡¯ Aleen woke up again not long later. Different from last time, this time he didn¡¯t wake up in the game lobby, instead, he was transferred directly to Leona¡¯s office. Aleen examined his surroundings curiously and realized that he was not alone. Inside the office, there were another two women. One was Leona, his representative; and the other was unexpectedly Aya. Furthermore, Lily was with her. Just like him, Aya was looking to the surroundings of the office; when she noticed Aleen, she walked close to him. Aleen gave her a nod of reassurance and looked towards Leona. Leona was reading something in a screen coming from her bracelet, but when she noticed that Aleen and Aya were awake, she closed the screen and stared at them. ¡°Congratulations on surviving again, Mr. Aleen, and welcome to Dimensional Paradise, Miss Aya.¡± Aleen was already used to this place, so he walked directly towards Leona and sat in a chair in front of her. Aya followed his example and sat beside him. ¡°I know that you said that this game was going to be hard, but did it have to be so hard?¡± Aleen asked in a sarcastic tone. ¡°The games are designed according to the score of the participants; though this time, the difficulty was increased due to Miss Aya''s presence. Besides¡­¡± ¡°Besides?¡± Aleen asked when Leona stopped her words. ¡°No, Nothing.¡± She said while shaking her head. ¡°Anyway, though this game was hard, it was not impossible. After all, you were close to finishing once, right? Unfortunately, though, you were unlucky.¡± Aleen could not refute Leona''s words. Leona, however, did not continue speaking about that topic. Instead, she looked to Aya. ¡°I must say that you were pretty lucky, miss Aya. Very few people survive when they lose their first game. Fortunately, though, you acquired extra points due to killing many zombies, completing the sub-mission, and being a level two; otherwise, you would have died.¡± Aya¡¯s expressionless look hardened briefly before returning to normal. Aleen, however, furrowed his brows. ¡°Speaking about the sub-mission, how did we complete it? Only the bodyguard, George, and the girl he was protecting, Christine, took the patient zero''s tissue through the portal.¡± Leona smiled softly. ¡°Well, this mission could be completed with just one piece of tissue; so, though only the two of them brought the tissue of the patient zero out, all of you were considered having completed the mission.¡± Aleen nodded in understating. Before he could ask another question, though, Leona extended her hand and stopped him. Then, she looked towards Aya. ¡°Now, Miss Aya; before answering Mr. Aleen''s questions, I want to ask you if you are going to continue participating in the games or not. I¡¯m sure that Mr. Aleen already explained to you the basics of the games, but if you have questions, you can ask me and I¡¯ll do my best to answer you.¡± Aya remained silent after hearing Leona¡¯s question. She patted the fur of Lily softly while thinking, and after a few seconds, she looked up towards Leona. ¡°Can you explain to me again about it?¡± Leona smiled and gave Aya a quick explanation about Dimensional Paradise and how it works. Aya heard silently and did not interrupt her, then, when Leona finished, she looked down and stared at Lily with a serious expression. Then, she looked briefly towards Aleen before moving her gaze towards Leona again. ¡°¡­ Then, I can become powerful here, right?¡± ¡°You can, if you survive long enough. So, do you agree?¡± Leona asked again in a calm tone. Aya tightened her hands and hugged Lily firmly. She thought about all the things she had lived through her life, about the days on the orphanage, about the times when the pain and the hunger accompanied her in the streets, and about the times when others tried to take advantage of her. She wanted to be powerful, she wanted to be strong, she wanted to live her life with pride. So, for her, there was only an option. ¡°I agree.¡± Her determined voice resounded in the office. For the first time from when he met her, Aleen thought that Aya was truly beautiful. Chapter 110 – Aya’s Choice (2) ¡°I agree.¡± Aya¡¯s voice resounded in the office. Aleen looked at her with a complicated expression, but remained silent. After all, though he hates the games, he is aware that they can allow you to get things that you can¡¯t get anywhere else. Leona, on the other hand, nodded expressionlessly. ¡°A good choice, miss Aya.¡± She then waved her hand and a contract appeared on the table. Aya read the contract carefully, and finally signed it and dropped a drop of blood into it. At the same time, Leona tapped Aya''s forehead and sent a thread of mana inside her head; according to her, it was to get her soul signature. It was something necessary to validate the contract. After all, cloning technology was very advanced across the dimensions, and it was possible to duplicate the DNA; but even until now, nobody has been able to duplicate a soul. ¡°Congratulations miss Aya, you are officially a player from today onwards.¡± Leona said once she confirmed that everything was alright. Aya simply snorted and remained silent. Leona grabbed the contract and put it into a drawer. She then looked at them again and nodded with a business-like expression. ¡°Now that we took care of miss Aya¡¯s contract, it¡¯s time to speak about the other business. Do you have something to ask, or are you going to buy something from the catalog?¡± Aleen frowned and put a serious expression. ¡°I have only one question today, miss Leona. It¡¯s about Aya. Why was she transported to the game together with me? Can I bring other people with me to the games?¡± ¡°Oh? Certainly, you must be curious about it... The truth is, Miss Aya¡¯s situation is very common, and it¡¯s a well-known loophole of Dimensional Paradise.¡± Leona paused when she reached this part. She looked towards Aleen and Aya and confirmed that they were hearing her words carefully, and then, she continued. ¡°As you know, Dimensional Paradise chooses its participants randomly. Due to it, when the game began, there were many cases of important people or their relatives being brought into the game against their will. ¡°Though I said ¡®important people¡¯, their authority was mostly limited to their birthplace, and they were unable to affect the operation of the game. After all, someone powerful enough to affect the operation of the game can easily make it so that their relatives are not brought into it in the first place. ¡°So, though the administration and the dimensional council received countless complaints about the situation, they ignored it. ¡°But, though the influence of those ¡®important people¡¯ was not enough to affect Dimensional Paradise, they could cause havoc on their dimensions. So, during the first twenty years after the creation of Dimensional Paradise, many dimensions rebelled and demanded a change in the selection process. ¡°Of course, their rebellions were nothing more than a joke in the eyes of the administration and the dimensional council. In the beginning, they used force to subjugate all the dimensions that showed signs of rebellion; but with the time, they noticed that the situation did not improve, and instead, became worse. "More and more dimensions rebelled, and the complaints against Dimensional Paradise increased exponentially. It reached the point where some governments did everything in their power to hinder the games.A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. ¡°So, finally, the administration took a step back. They did not change the process of selection, but left a loophole in the portal that selects the participants. They made it so that the portal can transport another two people of the same level of the participant, or someone one level higher than him. The extra people can then work together with the participant and protect him if he is in danger; improving his chances to survive. ¡°Of course, that rule is limited to level-three participants and below. It''s an open secret between the participants.¡± Leona then looked at Aya. ¡°Miss Aya''s was transported due to this reason. Though she is not exactly your bodyguard, as she is a level-two, the portal automatically concluded that she was going with you and transported her too.¡± Aleen and Aya nodded in understating. ¡°Do you have another question?¡± Leona looked at the pair. This time, Aya raised her hand. ¡°¡­ My skill. Do you know how it works?¡± Leona stared at Aya briefly and then nodded. She then touched the bracelet on her wrist and it projected a screen containing information about Aya. ¡°I must admit that I was surprised when I first learned about your skill, miss Aya. After all, although taming skills are not uncommon, one so special as yours is rarely seen.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± Aleen asked curiously. Leona tapped a part of the screen and showed it to Aleen and Aya. The information on it had turned into English characters at some point. ¡°Actually, miss Aya¡¯s skill can¡¯t be considered as ¡®taming¡¯. Instead, it¡¯s a kind of contract that binds the souls of two beings. ¡°Normally, taming skills subjugate a creature that later fights for the user; but in miss Aya¡¯s case, she did not subjugate her cat. Instead, she bound her soul with the cat¡¯s and at the same time, created a connection that allows her to use her mind to communicate with it. However, the bond is not limited to communication only, but also gives the two of them a part of the other¡¯s abilities. Miss Aya acquired the cat¡¯s fighting instinct, and the cat acquired part of miss Aya¡¯s intelligence.¡± Aleen and Aya widened their eyes when they heard that. ¡°¡­ Incredible.¡± Aya muttered softly with an expression of astonishment. ¡°It¡¯s more incredible than you think.¡± Leona said with a sigh while looking at Aya and the cat in her lap. ¡°We believe that these are not the only functions of the bond. It¡¯s possible that the bond can allow you to share your comprehension of laws! In other words, you will be able to use the cat¡¯s skills and she will be able to use yours. At the same time, when one of you increases your level, the other will follow shortly after.¡± Aleen could not hide his astonishment when he heard that. No matter how he looks to it, Aya¡¯s skill seemed a bit too overpowered. It seemed that Leona also thought the same, because her business-like expression crumbled briefly while explaining Aya¡¯s skill. Once she finished explaining that, Leona asked them if they had any other questions. The pair shook their heads and Leona then showed them the catalog and asked if they were going to buy something. Aleen had 369 USD coins after healing the injuries he received during the game. He used 300 coins to buy a pair of greaves for his legs and saved the others 69 coins. He had not finished reading the books he bought last time, so he did not buy any book this time. Aya, on the other hand, did not have as many coins as Aleen, but she had around 250. Following Leona¡¯s suggestion, she bought a metallic claw for her right hand that was worth 220 coins. Leona said that, because of the bond with Lily, she was very suited to this kind of weapon. Finally, they were ready to return to earth. But before they left, Leona said something to them. ¡°I recommend that you two form a team if you are close and trust each other. As a team, you will increase your survival capabilities inside the games, and you also will have someone to guard your back.¡± Aleen and Aya fell silent when they heard it. ¡°We will think about it.¡± Aleen looked at Aya and indicated to Leona that she could send them back. Leona nodded and waved her hand, then, a portal appeared inside the office and swallowed them. Aleen and Aya returned to earth after exiting the portal. They appeared back in the kitchen, and Aleen immediately searched for Claire¡¯s figure; but unexpectedly, she wasn¡¯t around. ¡°Claire! I¡¯m back!¡± Aleen shouted with a small smile, but nobody answered. ¡®Uh?¡¯ Aleen tilted his head and put on an odd expression. Then, his face paled. Without explaining anything to Aya, he ran out of the kitchen and shouted again. ¡°Claire! Are you fine!?¡± But when he came to the living room, his expression turned ashen. Claire was lying unconscious on the floor of the living room. Chapter 111 – Interlude: Voice Somewhere, in an unknown dimension, a hooded man walked inside a dark room. The man was wearing a dark cape that covered all his body, making it impossible to determine his features; but his respectful demeanor could be felt from a single glance. Once he entered the room, he lowered his head and kneeled down in a knee. ¡°Subordinate is here to bring news to the master.¡± ¡°Speak, what happened.¡± An indifferent voice answered from the darkness. Nobody else could be seen inside the room, but the kneeling man seemed used to that situation and did not change his expression. ¡°We received news from our people in Dimensional Paradise. The experiment was successful.¡± ¡°Oh? Did they notice anything?¡± The voice spoke again, this time clearly more interested. Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.¡°They didn¡¯t. Our people made sure that they think that it¡¯s the result of a mutation, and nobody noticed that something infiltrated into a game.¡± The subordinate answered with a respectful tone. ¡°¡­ Very well.¡± The voice said after staying silent for a brief moment. ¡°This means that we can begin the next phase of the plan.¡± Then, the owner of the voice looked to the kneeling man and ordered in a cold tone. ¡°You are dismissed. I¡¯ll call you if I need anything.¡± ¡°Yes, master!¡± The man stood up and left the room quickly, but he did not dare to lift his head until he was outside the room. Once the subordinate left, the dark room remained silent for a long time. Then, a voice laced with might and greed resounded. ¡°Soon, soon, the Alliance will fall soon.¡± And the room went silent again. Chapter 112 – Interlude: NEET Girl Phoenix, the capital of Arizona, is a beautiful place filled with cactus and beautiful people. As in any city in Arizona, Phoenix¡¯s citizens had to live with hot days and a brilliant sun during most of the year, but they were already used to it and it didn''t hinder them during their daily lives. But currently, a girl was sweating profusely while cursing the extreme heat. Inside a small and cramped apartment, the girl was seated in front of a computer, typing the keyboard quickly with an expression of anger. She was around nineteen years old, a bit chubby, and wore a pair of glasses. Her long black hair was a bit messy and she was dressed carelessly in a big white sweater on her upper body and blue shorts covering her thigs. Dark circles had formed below her eyes, and her skin was dry due to the long exposure to the LED screen. Besides, the apartment where she was living was completely covered in trash, making it obvious that she did not clean it in a long time. If there was a word to describe her image, then it was ¡®NEET¡¯. However, the girl never worried about that. She had more important things to do. Currently, she was using the superpower she obtained not long ago to ¡®show the truth to the masses¡¯. Yes, the girl, Veronica, was a self-proclaimed messenger of justice. Of course, she could not use her superpower to catch criminals on the streets, but she could use it to show others the truth that the government tries to conceal. Unfortunately, her efforts did not show great results. ¡°Argh! Damn idiots!¡± Veronica hit the keyboard angrily and cursed the people on the other side of the screen for insulting her post and calling it a conspiracy theory. At that moment, a voice sounded from behind her. ¡°Are you still playing like that?¡± ¡°Eeeeeck!¡± Veronica jumped in fear and fell to the ground with the chair where she was seated. ¡°*Giggle* Still as coward as always, I see.¡± The owner of the voice, a fairy-like blond girl wearing a blue dress, laughed mischievously.Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. ¡°Alice!¡± Veronica exclaimed angrily. ¡°I told you that I don¡¯t like it when you appear suddenly behind me!¡± ¡°Huh? But it''s fun when I do it.¡± Alice tilted her head and grinned cheerfully. Seeing her expression, Veronica sighed deeply and shook her head. ¡°It does not matter. Tell me, why are you here?¡± ¡°What? Can I not come to visit a friend?¡± ¡°Who is your friend!?¡± ¡°You, of course. So, I came to see how were you doing, to remind you to take a bath, eat lunch, and tell you that it¡¯s time to clean the apartment¡­ Though now that I think about it, I think it¡¯s not necessary to clean the apartment anymore¡­.¡± ¡°¡­ What do you mean?¡± Veronica asked with a wary expression. ¡°Yeah, after all, it will be destroyed tonight.¡± Veronica''s expression froze up. She then stood up from the ground stiffly, dusted up her shirt, and glanced at Alice with a serious expression. ¡°Did you foresee something?¡± Alice also turned serious. She looked at the computer on the table and furrowed her brows. ¡°I had a vision yesterday and learned that the government already found your location and is going to begin an operation to catch you. The local police have already been notified, and the first policeman will reach here in ten minutes to keep an eye on you.¡± ¡°Impossible!¡± Veronica exclaimed. ¡°I used my skill to create the page and post the articles! Nobody can trace it!¡± ¡°You are right, but you forgot to use your skill when you commented. Though you used a different ID and changed your IP, the investigators determined that you were the writer of the articles when they compared the style of the comments with the style of the posts.¡± Veronica¡¯s face paled. Alice shook her head helplessly. ¡°I know that you are excited with your messenger-of-justice thing, and your skill is incredible, but I think that anybody would notice that something is wrong if you react like that every time that someone criticizes your posts.¡± Veronica blushed hearing Alice''s words. "It''s my fault. I can only use my skill twice each day, but I could not endure when they began to call me a liar..." ¡°Sigh¡­ Well, now is not the time to speak about it. Hurry up and change your clothes to something more suitable, I¡¯ll give you some instructions so you can escape. Fortunately, you don''t have a family to worry...¡± Veronica nodded and changed her clothes quickly. She wore a white t-shirt and blue jeans; moreover, she put on a cap and lowered it to hide her face. ¡°By the way, thanks for last time.¡± Alice said suddenly. ¡°Uh? Oh, that! Don¡¯t worry about it, I just altered the images of some security cameras, a piece of cake with my skill.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Anyway, why were you so interested in helping that guy?¡± ¡°I told you, don¡¯t I? He is part of my plans.¡± ¡°Are you speaking about the superhero thing? I thought it was a joke.¡± ¡°It was not.¡± Alice said with a small smile on her face. ¡°You will help me, right?¡± ¡°Hahaha, if you truly create a team of superheroes, I¡¯ll help you.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll do it. Moreover, I already found someone that can help us with the money.¡± ¡°¡­ Is it so? Did someone agree to support your crazy plan?¡± Veronica asked sarcastically while she packed some things inside a bag. "It was a girl. She survived a game and was interested in my proposal after I contacted her..." Veronica shrugged and finished packing. ¡°I¡¯m ready, tell me where I have to go!¡± Alice smiled and opened her mouth; she then explained her escape plan carefully. Meanwhile, she thought about the next step of her plan. The next step towards freedom. Chapter 113 – Interlude: Chief of National Security ¡°Agent Wilson? The chief is waiting for you.¡± A young secretary spoke respectfully to the serious-looking man seated in the hall. ¡°I understand.¡± Agent Wilson nodded and followed after the secretary. Currently, he was inside the Ministry of Defense''s main building, Whitehall, located in London; to attend a meeting with the chief of National Security. Alexander Wilson was wearing a formal-looking black suit and a white tie, that, together with his serious-looking face, was supposed to give him an elegant bearing. Unfortunately, it was ruined by his haggard face, his slightly messy hair and the bags below his eyes; showing the fatigue he had accumulated in the last few days of work. He was holding a folder in his hand, that contained the information necessary for this meeting; but to be honest, the information was far from enough. The secretary guided him until a wooden door that she knocked twice. ¡°Chief, Agent Wilson is here.¡± ¡°Come in.¡± An aged voice answered from behind the door. The secretary nodded and signaled to Wilson to enter. With a small nod, Alexander Wilson took a deep breath and opened the door. ¡°Chief.¡± He said in a respectful tone and saluted to the man seated behind a desk. It was not the first time that Alexander entered this office, but he could not help but be surprised by it despite it. The office did not have many decorations, but the few things inside it, combined with the warm color of the walls and the noble style of the chairs and the desk, gave to the place a feeling of elegance and authority. The man seated behind the desk stared at Alexander briefly and nodded, then, he pointed to a chair and spoke. ¡°Sit.¡± Wilson nodded and let out a breath that he had been holding involuntarily. The chief of National Security, Edgard Fords, was an old man around fifty years old. He had a square face and lush white hair that was combed elegantly. Despite his age, his eyes seemed young and filled with vigor, and his voice exuded authority. Alexander could not help but recognize that the man¡¯s bearing was full of authority and might, like someone used to determine the fate of many people. After all, though the chief of National Security was not the highest position in the Ministry of Defense, it was pretty high on the line. When Alexander Wilson sat, the chief tapped the desk twice with a finger and spoke gravely. ¡°How are you, Alexander? I trust that you have gotten results in your task.¡±The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. Alexander Wilson gulped a mouthful of saliva and adjusted his mental state, then, he spoke. ¡°Unfortunately, we have not gotten mayor results despite our investigation. Until now, we have found only two people that have awakened superpowers, but none of them was a participant in the so-called ¡®Dimensional Paradise¡¯.¡± ¡°Is it so? Then, you don¡¯t have any clue, is it right? I thought that you would have better results after more than one week of work.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry about it, sir.¡± Alexander Wilson lowered his head in shame. To be honest, the lack of results was not completely his fault; after all, superpowers, monsters, and dimensions, were something new to the world, and the information he could use was not much. However, he knew that the chief will not accept that as an excuse. After all, he did not care about excuses, he only cared about results. Edgard Fords, the chief of National Security, sighed in disappointment and shook his head. ¡°What about the incident on Westfield Street? Any information about the man that killed the robber?¡± Alexander shook his head. ¡°Nothing helpful. We don¡¯t have any information about him, or the reasons behind the attack. In the beginning, we suspected that the person responsible could be one of our targets of observation that was nearby that day, but in the end, we concluded that he was innocent.¡± ¡°Oh? Tell me more about it.¡± Alexander nodded and opened the folder he brought with him. He passed some pages before reaching a page that contained information about a young man. The information was very detailed, including his date of birth, his behavior at school, and even an image of his face. The youth in the image was very handsome, with medium black hair, blue eyes, and a chiseled face. His face was sporting a gentle smile, and his eyes were looking fondly towards the right, as if someone dear to him was there when the picture was taken. ¡°Aleen Hamill.¡± Alexander spoke with a serious-looking tone. ¡°18 years old, orphan and living with his stepsister. The police received information from a neighbor that he disappeared for a few hours around two weeks ago. Of course, disappearing for a few hours is something very common, but because someone reported it to the police and there was a small probability that it could be related to ''Dimensional Paradise'', we decide to investigate him. Unfortunately, we didn¡¯t find anything wrong. ¡°The day of the Westfield incident, he accompanied his sister to the mall, and she was near the place where the robber turned mad. We thought that he could have killed the robber to protect his sister, but the cameras showed that he was not nearby when the incident occurred.¡± The chief fell deep into thoughts when he heard the information. After a few seconds, he spoke. ¡°Continue investigating. Besides, pay attention to the youth. Though the cameras show that he was not around, we cannot discard the possibility completely. After all, he might have a superpower that can fool the cameras.¡± Alexander Wilson put on an expression of surprise when he heard it. ¡°Do you mean¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure, but it¡¯s a possibility that you can¡¯t overlook. After all, we still did not know enough about skills and superpowers.¡± Alexander Wilson nodded in understating. ¡°Another thing.¡± The chief said with a serious expression. ¡°The government came to a decision about the confidentiality of the recent events.¡± ¡°¡­ What do you mean?¡± ¡°¡­ They will make public the information about superpowers.¡± The chief said after a pause. Alexander widened his eyes in astonishment. ¡°B-But¡­¡± ¡°I know what you want to say.¡± The chief sighed helplessly and continued. ¡°But it¡¯s the best course of action. Some information has already been filtered, and people will notice that something is wrong sooner or later; so, it¡¯s better if they learn it through the government. Besides, we can try to control the effects of this information if we spread the news wisely. Many other countries have agreed to this.¡± Agent Wilson remained silent for a while when he heard the chief''s words. ¡°¡­ When will the information be made public?¡± ¡°The date has not been decided, but it¡¯s in the next few days.¡± Alexander could not help but sigh powerlessly. ¡°Are we ready for the changes it will bring?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± The chief replied after thinking for a moment. ¡°We can only do our best.¡± Chapter 114 – Interlude: Leona’s Mission Lars Island, South Atlantic Ocean. Today, many people were standing in front of the interdimensional portal, waiting for the arrival of a group of people. From the day when the dran race invaded Lars Island, the portal had not been used again; but today, the people from the dran race received the news that a delegation from the UDP council was coming to earth. Due to it, all the people with a relatively important position had come to welcome them. And the person leading the group, was the Level-Six dran, Kdon Srive. After waiting for five minutes, the interdimensional portal lit up and a group of five people came from it. The group was led by a dark-skinned human woman. She had short grey hay, gray eyes, and was dressed in a futuristic style. Aleen would have recognized the woman as Leona, his representative in the games. The other four humans were walking respectfully behind her, and each one of them was dressed similarly to Leona; besides it, each one of them had a badge symbolizing the United Dimensional Planes on their chests. Once the group exited the portal, they walked directly towards the Level-six dran. Leone then gave a respectful bow and spoke. ¡°Nice to meet you, Mr. Srive. My name is Leona Acarina, an executive from Dimensional Paradise, and I¡¯m here by the order of the council.¡± ¡°Mm, I was informed that the council was going to send someone today. Come with me, Miss Leona; I have prepared a suitable welcome for you.¡± Kdon Srive replied in a warm tone. Leona, however, shook her head. ¡°It¡¯s not necessary. I would like to start with my mission as soon as possible.¡± Kdon frowned deeply when he heard it. ¡°If I can ask, why did the council send a delegation to this planet?¡±You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. Leona did not answer immediately. Instead, she looked to the level-six with an intense expression for a few seconds. Finally, she opened her mouth. ¡°The council received information that an Eternal Flame appeared in this world, so I was sent to investigate if that information is true. Do you know something about that, Mr. Srive?¡± Kdon face changed immediately, but he controlled his expression quickly and shook his head at the next instant. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Miss Leona. It¡¯s the first time that I heard something like that.¡± ¡°Is it so? A shame. After all, Eternal Flames are very valuable.¡± Leona said sarcastically. Kdon Srive grunted but did not say anything. ¡°I¡¯ll take my leave then.¡± Leona said. ¡°I don¡¯t want to delay the orders of the council.¡± She then nodded at Kdon and walked pass him. When the group of humans left, Kdon growled an order. ¡°Lnio, come here!¡± ¡°Your supremacy!¡± Lnio, the assistant of Kdon, came beside him and bowed. ¡°How is the search for the Eternal Flame going?¡± Kdon asked. ¡°We already found it.¡± Lnio answered in a respectful tone. ¡°Thirty minutes ago, one of our men discovered that the Eternal Flame took a host and is hiding inside a human girl. Do you want to send our men to bring the girl here?¡± Kdon frowned. ¡°No. Now that the council sent someone, it means that they are paying attention to each one of our movements. If we send someone to recover the flame now, then they will find out immediately and take the flame for themselves.¡± ¡°But sir, the leader of the delegation is just a level-five. You can kill her easily.¡± ¡°Idiot!¡± Kdon scolded his assistant harshly. ¡°Although that girl is just a level-five, she is a member of Dimensional Paradise. If we lay our hands on her, then we will make that group of monsters our enemies!¡± ¡°¡­ Then, what does your supremacy suggest? Are we going to give up like this?¡± Kdon put his hand behind his back and began to think. With the council here, it means that his movements are limited; and if him or one of his men gets the flame, it will not escape the council¡¯s sight. On the other hand, if he did not act quickly, then the council will discover the position of the flame in five days at most. ¡°We are not going to give up on it. After all, an Eternal Element means the possibility of producing another level-six. However, if we want to obtain it, then I must make sure that the council did not suspect anything, or at least, they must not get proof that I got the flame.¡± He then touched the bracelet on his wrist, searched for the name of a friend, and made a call. A few seconds later, the face of an old man was projected by the bracelet. ¡°It has been a long time since the last time you called me, Kdon.¡± ¡°I need a favor, old man. And it cannot be linked to me.¡± The old man on the other side of the screen put on a serious expression briefly before giving a sigh. ¡°I owe you one, Kdon; so, I¡¯ll help you this time. But it will be the last time. Tell me, what do you need my help with?¡± Kdon looked deeply to the old man, and then, in an ice-cold tone, he spoke. ¡°Help me to manipulate a game.¡± Chapter 115 – Claire’s Illness (1) London, 12:01 pm. Aleen was seated in the waiting room of a hospital. It had been ten minutes from the moment when Claire was admitted to the hospital after she was brought in by an ambulance. She was immediately brought into the emergency room, and a middle-aged doctor began to check her situation. But Aleen did not hear anything else about her from then. Currently, he was waiting to hear the doctor¡¯s diagnostic. Due to her illness, Claire had been hospitalized more than once when she was a child; and sometimes, she had to spend many days inside the hospital. However, her situation had improved in the last few years. With the help of medical treatment, the doctors had reduced the symptoms and allowed her to live a normal daily life. So, though she was still ill, and the symptoms sometimes returned, the last time that she fainted was a few years ago. This was the first time she fainted in a long time. While Aleen was worried waiting for news about Claire, someone touched his shoulder. ¡°¡­ Are you alright?¡± Aleen moved his gaze and saw that Aya had appeared beside him without him noticing. ¡°¡­ How come you are here?¡± He asked with a bit of surprise on his voice. ¡°I heard someone in the ambulance saying that they were going to bring Claire to this hospital, so I came here. Lily is waiting outside.¡± Aleen nodded briefly. He noticed that Aya¡¯s clothes were slightly tattered. Aleen changed his clothes while waiting for the ambulance to come, but Aya continued using the clothes that Claire lent her yesterday; the same clothes she used in the game. ¡°¡­ Claire... Is she alright?¡± She asked concerned.This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. Aleen shook his head with a worried expression. ¡°I don¡¯t know. The doctor has not said anything.¡± At that moment, the middle-aged doctor that attended Claire came out from the emergency room. ¡°Doctor, what happened?¡± Aleen stood up instantly and walked towards him. ¡°You are the familiar of Claire Kane, right?¡± He said while looking at Aleen. ¡°I must say that the situation was a bit dangerous when she came, but fortunately, she already is out of danger.¡± Aleen sighed in relief. The doctor then continued. ¡°Your sister is a special case, and our hospital has access to her medical record. We hydrated her and used 2mm of Tylenol to decrease her fever, but her situation is still delicate. Though she is out of danger, we still need to observe her a bit more.¡± Aleen nodded in understating. The middle-aged doctor stared at Aleen and sighed. ¡°To be honest, miss Claire was very lucky this time. She had fainted for more than one hour when she was brought here; twenty minutes later and her life and death would have been in the hands of God. If I can ask, why did you take so long to call the ambulance?¡± Aleen put on a complicated expression and shook his head slightly. ¡°I was not at home when she fainted. When I reached home and realized the situation, I called to the hospital immediately.¡± ¡°I must say that it was a negligence of your part!¡± The doctor frowned and spoke harshly. ¡°Your sister suffers from a dangerous and strange illness, and she cannot be left alone for long periods of time. How can you be so careless to leave her alone while you go out? At least, ask your neighbor to keep an eye on her!¡± Aleen wanted to say something, but he realized that there was no way that he could explain the reason because he was out, so he simply nodded guiltily. ¡°It''s my fault, I''ll be more careful next time.¡± ¡°It¡¯s good if you understand. Currently, she is still unconscious and under observation, so you cannot see her; but when she wakes up, we will call you.¡± ¡°I understand. Thank you, doctor.¡± The doctor nodded and dismissed himself. Aleen then took a deep breath and calmed his mind. ¡°It¡¯s good that she is fine.¡± He muttered. He then turned around and saw that Aya was behind him. She had heard the doctor¡¯s words and despite her expressionless look, Aleen could see that she was visibly relieved. Aleen looked at her tattered clothes and tired face and felt a bit guilty. Aya had entered the game early in the morning with him; there, she fought and ran constantly for four hours straight and afterward, she followed him to the hospital. Until now, Aya had not eaten breakfast, and though Aleen gave her a few snacks during the game, he knew that she must be hungry and tired after going through all of that. But despite it, and though she was not very familiar with Aleen and Claire, she came to the hospital to accompany him. ¡°Do you want to eat something?¡± He asked with a tired smile. Aya was briefly surprised. ¡°¡­ Are you not going to wait until Claire wakes up?¡± ¡°The doctor said that she is fine and I don''t think she will wake up soon. Besides, I¡¯m sure that you are tired and hungry after the game. Don¡¯t worry, it¡¯s not a bother.¡± Aya hesitated slightly, but in the end, she nodded. ¡°Thank you¡­¡± She said softly. Aleen just smiled and walked with her towards the cafeteria. Chapter 116 – Claire’s Illness (2) Inside the white corridors of the hospital, two figures were walking. A nurse was guiding a young man to a room, to see a patient that had been interned earlier in the day. The young man was, of course, Aleen; and the patient he was going to visit was Claire. After he and Aya ate lunch, the pair returned to the waiting room. They waited for two hours and finally, a nurse came and told them that Claire was awake. Aleen immediately asked to see her. The nurse nodded, but unfortunately, the hospital allowed only one person visiting at a time, so Aleen apologized to Aya and followed the nurse. It did not take long for Aleen and the nurse to reach Claire¡¯s room. ¡°You can enter.¡± The nurse said. ¡°But you can stay at most thirty minutes.¡± Aleen nodded and opened the door. Inside the room, Claire was lying on a bed with the eyes closed. When Aleen entered, she instantly opened her eyes. ¡°Bro¡­¡± She said weakly and tried to sit. Aleen quickly went to help her, but Claire shook her head and rejected his help. ¡°I¡¯m not a cripple yet¡­¡± She said with a wry smile. Aleen frowned when he heard her words, but in the end, he sighed helplessly. Moving a chair beside the bed, he sat and grabbed Claire¡¯s hand. ¡°How are you feeling?¡± He asked with a concerned expression. ¡°A bit weak, But I already felt better.¡± Aleen smiled softly and used his hand to comb her hair. He could see that her expression was pale, and her red eyes were dimmer than normal. Compared to the lively girl he saw before going to the game, the current Claire seemed like someone completely different.Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. Aleen felt his heart to ache after seeing her current state. After all, Claire was his only remaining family, even if they were not related by blood. To be honest, he was not sure if he could continue living normally if something happens to her. ¡®I need to get 9000 coins soon!¡¯ Aleen resolved himself to get the method to cure Claire, no matter how hard it is. Meanwhile, though, he did his best to not show his worry to her. ¡°¡­ How did you faint?¡± He asked after confirming that she was not feeling pain anywhere. Claire put on a confused expression and touched her head. ¡°I¡¯m not sure. I began to feel a bit weak and decided to rest on the couch, but before I could reach there, a wave of heat suddenly came out from my chest and the next thing I remember, I was already here.¡± Aleen furrowed his brows when he heard it. ¡°Fortunately, you are alright.¡± Claire smiled and rested her head on his shoulder. ¡°¡­ How is Aya?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, she is fine.¡± Aleen said. ¡°She was very helpful in today¡¯s game, you know. To be honest, I¡¯m not sure if I would have survived if she would not have come with me¡­ Well, the game difficulty would have been lesser if she did not enter, so maybe it would have been the same¡­¡± ¡°Is it so? What did she do?¡± Aleen explained everything that happened inside the game, highlighting Aya¡¯s skill and Lily¡¯s strength. He did not hide anything, but tried not to speak about the deaths too much. When Aleen finished speaking, Claire giggled softly. ¡°I was astonished when Aya and her cat were swallowed by the portal, but I¡¯m glad that they are fine and were of help. Is she in the waiting room?¡± Aleen nodded. ¡°I see¡­ Hey, about miss Leona¡¯s proposal. Have you thought about it?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­" Aleen replied after hesitating slightly. "Aya is pretty reliable, and after cooperating with her, I have the feeling that she is someone trustworthy; but, I¡¯m not sure if making a team with her is the right choice¡­ ¡°Though, to be honest, I would like to team with her.¡± ¡°Is it so¡­¡± Claire muttered softly and lowered her head. For an instant, an expression of sadness appeared on her face. ¡®¡­ I want to help brother too.¡¯ She said in her mind, but her mouth said something completely different. ¡°She looks like a good girl.¡± Aleen nodded, unaware of his sister¡¯s thoughts. ¡°¡­ When are we going to go home?¡± Claire asked after staying silent for a while. Aleen patted her head gently. ¡°The nurse told me that they were going to carry out some exams and if everything looks good, you will be discharged tonight.¡± Claire nodded and closed her eyes while resting on Aleen¡¯s shoulder. Like that, the pair of siblings continued conversing until the nurse came to remind Aleen that his time was up. Aleen then hugged Claire gently and left the room. Once Aleen was gone, Claire touched her chest and lied in the bed. With a desolate expression, she raised a hand and looked at the light bulb illuminating the room. ¡°Maybe, you would be better without me.¡± Nobody was there to hear the girl¡¯s soft whisper. Chapter 117 – Conversation in the Night (1) A few hours later, the doctor authorized Claire¡¯s discharge. Apparently, he confirmed that the most dangerous moment had passed, though he told them that they had to pay attention to her state during the following days. However, Claire was still feeling weak and she was attacked by short bursts of headache from time and time. Moreover, sometimes she felt something strange beating on her chest. The doctor said that it was something normal after a sudden increase in the body¡¯s temperature. Due to it, Aleen had to take Claire out of the hospital in a wheelchair. They then took a cab until their home. Aleen invited Aya over when they were taking the cab, and although she initially tried to reject him, she ended giving in before the siblings'' insistence. Like that, the three of them returned to Aleen¡¯s home. It was already late, so Aleen ordered takeover for dinner. He would¡¯ve liked to cook something for Claire, but they were too hungry to wait. They conversed about different topics while eating, but it mainly was Aleen and Claire talking. Aya, on the other hand, simply ate silently while hearing the siblings¡¯ conversation. Once they finished eating, Aya raised her face and looked at the siblings with an ashamed expression while holding Lily on her chest. ¡°I think it¡¯s better if I go now¡­¡± Aleen and Claire put on surprised expression but quickly understood Aya¡¯s worries. ¡°No, Aya¡­ You can stay here tonight.¡± Claire said gently, but Aya shook her head. ¡°¡­ I don¡¯t want to inconvenience you anymore.¡± Aleen looked deeply at Aya¡¯s blue eyes and sighed. ¡°It¡¯s not an inconvenience¡­ Besides, you helped me during the game and I want to thank you for it.¡± ¡°You helped me too; besides, you already did more than enough.¡± Aleen shook his head with a firm expression. ¡°Anyway, I want to thank you. Why don¡¯t you stay here tonight and leave tomorrow after breakfast?¡± Aya hesitated slightly, but after Lily meowed something softly, she agreed. Aleen sighed in relief. ¡°Let me know if you find the couch uncomfortable, I think I can find something better if I search for a bit.¡± ¡°No¡± Aya shook her head expressionlessly. ¡°It¡¯s more than enough.¡± Aleen nodded and did not insist more on the topic. After all, he could see that Aya was beginning to feel uncomfortable. The group continued speaking, but after a while, Claire said that she was feeling tired. Aleen nodded and helped her until her bedroom. At the same time, he got a new set of clothes for Aya. The clothes that Claire gave her before were dusty and tattered after the game, so Aleen simply decided to get her new ones.If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. When Aleen made sure that Claire was asleep, he left the room and went to the courtyard. From the day when D¡¯vina taught him the basics of swordsmanship, mana, and circulation; Aleen formed a habit of training every day following D¡¯vina¡¯s schedule. Unfortunately, he had been unable to train today because of the game and later because of Claire¡¯s illness. Aya was already sleeping on the sofa, so Aleen tried to be careful while training to not disturb her rest. He began his training swinging the sword tens of times in each stance. But when he was in the middle of training, the bracelet on his wrist ringed. ¡°Uh?¡± Aleen gazed at it and realized that it was a call from D¡¯vina. He answered the call without hesitation and a screen was projected from the bracelet instantly. ¡°It has been a while, Aleen.¡± D¡¯vina appeared on the screen and nodded to Aleen with her usual cold expression. She was seated cross-legged in her bed, wearing tight casual clothes and with her pitch-black hair wet due to taking a bath not long ago. Aleen smiled awkwardly when he saw her ¡®daring¡¯ appearance. ¡°How are you?¡± He asked. ¡°I¡¯m fine. I saw your game today, and you did a good job. A shame, though, you deserved a win.¡± Aleen smiled wryly and nodded to D¡¯vina¡¯s words. ¡°Thank you, it was due to your guidance.¡± ¡°It was not. Although I admit that I contributed to your improvement, it¡¯s mostly due to your own efforts.¡± Aleen smiled embarrassedly due to D''vina''s uncommon praise. Aleen and D¡¯vina had been communicating regularly through the intergalactic communicator from the day he used the Body Enhancement Drug. Every time they talked, D¡¯vina would instruct him in his training and pointed out his mistakes. Aleen was very grateful to her due to that and had come to trust her from the bottom of his heart. So, he was understandably a bit happy when he heard her praise. ¡°It¡¯s the truth.¡± D¡¯vina said again seeing Aleen¡¯s embarrassed expression and showed a rare smile on her face. ¡°Your improvement when it comes to your skill had been astounding, and if not because I was there when you first acquired your skill, I would have thought that you have trained it for half a year, at least.¡± Aleen nodded to her words, but before he could rejoice, D¡¯vina¡¯s next words cooled his happiness. ¡°Unfortunately, your swordsmanship is not improving as fast.¡± She said Aleen''s shoulders fell when he heard that. It was true. Though his improvement with his skill could be considered very smooth, his swordsmanship''s training was much rockier. He did improve, but not as fast as D¡¯vina expected. D¡¯vina said that for someone that improved his skill so quickly, it was strange to improve slower when it comes to swordsmanship or mana manipulation. ¡°Anyway, you need to train your sword more.¡± D''vina said helplessly. Aleen could only nod. D¡¯vina then continued lecturing Aleen for a while, mentioning the mistakes he committed in the game and telling him about how he could have done better. She praised ¡®Dynamic Sight¡¯, saying that it was something that he was not supposed to be able to do yet, at least, not after only half a month of acquiring his skill. Aleen listened seriously and analyzed D¡¯vina¡¯s words carefully. He had noticed during their chats that, though D¡¯vina¡¯s expression was pretty cold, she was very kind inside, and she always made sure that Aleen understood her words before continuing. After a while, she finished speaking. Aleen then asked her about some doubts he had regarding his training. D¡¯vina answered them and told him that it was time to finish their chat. But when she was about to cut the communication, she seemed to remember something. ¡°¡­ Aleen, are you going to team up with the cat girl?¡± Aleen was startled by the question, but after hesitating for a moment, he answered honestly. ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± ¡°Is it so? I think it¡¯s a good idea.¡± Aleen put a surprised expression before nodding. ¡°Think about it, goodnight.¡± With these words, D¡¯vina disappeared from the screen. Aleen stood on the courtyard thinking carefully about D¡¯vina¡¯s words. As he said at Claire, he had a good impression about Aya, however, he was not completely sure if he wanted to team up with her. Besides, he did not know what she thought about it. Maybe it was possible that she was not interested. While Aleen was lost in his thoughts, he heard a muffled sound of footsteps. The sound was very soft, and Aleen heard it thanks to his enhanced senses. He immediately entered the house to check the sound. Then, he saw Aya opening the door and trying to leave secretly with Lily on her arms. Chapter 118 – Conversation in the Night (2) ¡°Where are you going?¡± Aleen asked. Aya put on a surprised expression and gazed at Aleen. She then looked down and hugged Lily on her chest. ¡°¡­ I¡¯m going home.¡± Aleen frowned after hearing Aya¡¯s words. Afterward, he sighed. ¡°Were you going to leave without telling us?¡± Aya bit her lips with an ashamed expression. Aleen could not help but shake his head. ¡°Is it so hard for you to accept our help? Or do you dislike us?¡± Aya shook her head. ¡°¡­. It¡¯s not it. I just don¡¯t want to depend on the pity of others.¡± Aleen fell silent when he heard it. To be honest, he had to admit that part of the reason that he helped Aya so much was due to pity, but it was just a small part. As he said before, the main reason was that he was grateful. But Aya, on the other hand, did not think so. She could accept the siblings¡¯ help the first time when they found her in the rain because it could be considered as they repaying her for saving Claire¡¯s life. But now, if she continues accepting their help, it would feel as though she is accepting their pity. After all, although Aleen said that she helped him during the game, for Aya, it was Aleen who helped her to survive. Aya liked the siblings very much, and if it was possible, she truly wanted to become their friend. But for the same reason, she did not want to accept their pity. Moreover, they belonged to different worlds. Aleen and Claire were respectable people. Although they were orphans, they had a good life, with friends and neighbors that liked them. But she... She was nothing more than a beggar; a beggar and a thief. Someone like her was not appropriate to be friends with the siblings. Aleen was not a genius when it comes to feelings, but he more or less could understand Aya¡¯s thoughts. With another sigh, he pointed to the couch. ¡°Why don¡¯t you sit down. We can talk for a bit.¡± Aya furrowed her brows, but after a moment of hesitation, she nodded. She and Aleen sat on the couch. When they sat, Lily jumped from Aya¡¯s arms to Aleen¡¯s lap.Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. Aleen made a startled expression before smiling and combing her silver fur with his hand. ¡°¡­ She likes you.¡± Aya said with an expressionless look after a while. Aleen nodded softly with a smile. ¡°I can see it.¡± ¡°¡­ She normally is not close to other people besides me, but she likes you very much. Claire too.¡± ¡°Is it so?¡± ¡°Yes¡­ She says that she likes your aura.¡± Aya looked calmly at Aleen with her deep blue eyes. Aleen did not know how to respond to those words and could only smile wryly. After petting Lily for a while, he turned to Aya and asked with a curious expression. ¡°Do you live close?¡± Aya hesitated for a moment before answering. ¡°¡­ I live in the outskirts of the city.¡± Aleen frowned immediately. According to his knowledge, the outskirts were the place where homeless people live. In London, the number of homeless people was very few. It was because the government makes sure of taking action to keep the number of homeless and beggars low. They created programs to rehabilitate homeless people and help them to return to society. Unfortunately, it¡¯s impossible to eliminate beggars completely; and it¡¯s an open secret that the outskirts of the city are the place where they reunite. Therefore, when Aleen heard Aya¡¯s words, combined with the clothes she was wearing when Aleen first met her, he could to deduce Aya''s situation. But anyway, he had to confirm it. He fell silent for a moment while he organized his next words. ¡°I see. Do you have a job?¡± Aya raised his face and stared at Aleen. She then shook her head. Aleen nodded slightly. ¡°Do you remember miss Leona¡¯s advice?¡± Aya put on a startled expression and recalled the conversation with Leona. After a few seconds, she nodded her head. ¡°What do you think about it?¡± Aleen asked. Aya did not answer Aleen immediately and instead thought deeply. Her silver hair waved softly with the night wind and her blue eyes gazed at the ground. Aleen did not hurry her. He waited patiently for her answer. After a few seconds, she gazed at Aleen and Lily. ¡°¡­ I¡¯m not sure.¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯m not sure either.¡± Aleen replied with a smile. ¡°But I think it¡¯s worth a try.¡± Aleen then patted Lily¡¯s fur softly and looked at Aya. ¡°As you saw today, the games are very hard, and it¡¯s easy to die in them. At any time, you can suffer an injury and fall into danger while completing a mission, so, if you have someone you can trust, it can help to save your life in a dangerous situation.¡± Aya understood his meaning. ¡°¡­ I know that you cannot make a decision so suddenly.¡± Aleen continued. ¡°So, why don¡¯t you think about it tonight and you give me your answer?¡± Aya hesitated slightly when she heard Aleen. She knew that it was mostly an excuse to convince her to stay the night, but she could not deny that Aleen''s words were right. Furthermore, for some reason, though she did not want to accept more of the siblings¡¯ goodwill, she did not want to leave them. So, if she could continue seeing them after today, it would be great. Looking at Aleen that was waiting for her answer, Aya finally agreed. Aleen sighed in relief and smiled. ¡°It¡¯s good.¡± He wanted to continue talking to Aya, but he realized that he could not find something to say to her. Aya, on the other hand, simply remained silent. After a brief and awkward silence, Aleen stood up and returned Lily to Aya. He then pointed to the courtyard. ¡°I¡¯ll continue training then. Goodnight.¡± Aya put on a curious expression when Aleen mentioned training, but in the end, she decided not to ask. She had too many things to think about tonight. Chapter 119 – Fire Stroke The next morning. After Aleen woke up and did his morning training, he cooked breakfast for Claire and Aya. Claire wanted to cook breakfast, but Aleen scolded her and told her that she was not completely healed yet, so she had to rest. After a night of rest, Claire¡¯s condition got better, but she was still a bit weak; moreover, Aleen noticed that her temperature was a bit higher than normal, so he forced her to rest and forbid her from helping with the chores. Although Claire was a bit displeased, she relented in the end. After all, she knew that Aleen was doing it for her own wellbeing. Aleen noticed that Aya had been lost in thoughts from the moment she woke up. During breakfast, she did not say a word and spent all the time thinking silently. Aleen thought about speaking to her, but in the end, he decided to give her time to think. He knew that she was thinking about the conversation they had last night, and when she reaches to an answer, she was going to tell him. After they finished breakfast, he went back to the courtyard to continue his training and Claire followed after him. Unexpectedly, Aya also followed them. Aleen was surprised when he saw her crouched in a corner with Lily on her arms, observing his training; but she was not bothering him, so he nodded at her and continued swinging his sword calmly. A few minutes later, Claire approached Aleen while he was honing his swordsmanship. ¡°Bro- Aleen, I want to train too.¡± Aleen was startled by Claire¡¯s words. ¡®Wait a moment, she called me by my name? How strange¡­¡¯ Aleen wondered briefly about the reason for the change but quickly moved his thoughts towards her request. ¡°¡­ I think it¡¯s better if you wait a bit longer before training again. It would be bad if the training affects your health.¡± Aleen said with a concerned expression. Claire pouted displeased. ¡°But I¡¯m bored, and you don¡¯t let me do anything. Furthermore, mana is good for the body, so it perhaps will help me to recover faster.¡± Aleen fell silent hearing that. Although he thought that it was not a good idea for Claire to train so soon after she was discharged from the hospital, he had to admit that Claire¡¯s words had a bit of truth. Moreover, he could notice that Claire seemed awfully determined to train for some reason; so, if he did not allow it, she probably will find an opportunity to train secretly without his knowledge.Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel. So, after reflecting for a few seconds, he finally agreed. ¡°Very well, but if I think that something is wrong, you must stop immediately!¡± Aleen said with a serious expression. ¡°Yay, I love you, Aleen!¡± Claire jumped towards Aleen and hugged him. Aleen¡¯s heart jumped a bit when he heard Claire''s words. Though it was not the first time that she said that she loves him, for some reason, he thought that it carried a different meaning this time¡­ Maybe, it was because she used his name instead of calling him brother. Aleen instantly shook off those thoughts out of his mind and patted her head with a smile. Claire excitedly began with her training. As always, she created small red birds of mana around her and made them follow her will and attack the trees nearby. But quickly, the birds began to change. First, they became faster, then, they became livelier, and finally, they began to grow bigger. Both Aleen and Aya were spellbound by the spectacle. They got the impression that Claire was the empress of flames, governing over fire and birds¡­ That a wave of her hand was enough to bring an ocean the flame to Earth. Compared to Aleen¡¯s training, Claire¡¯s was many times more beautiful; like a fairy dancing in the mortal world with birds descending from the skies to protect her. But when they were lost in the beauty of the spectacle, Aleen realized that something was wrong. At some point, Claire¡¯s hair began to turn crimson. At the same time, her reddish eyes began to glow like fire, and her body began to turn hot. ¡°Claire, stop!¡± Aleen instantly shouted. But it was too late. At the next instant, Claire suddenly fell to the ground. ¡°Arrrggghhhhhhhh!¡± Claire grabbed her chest and gave a cry of pain. Her face turned pale, and the birds around her disappeared in a rain of fire. ¡°Claire!¡± Aleen and Aya rushed toward her frantically. The temperature of the surroundings began to increase crazily, and her black hair turned more and more crimson slowly. ¡°Arrrrgggghhhhh!!!¡± Claire continued screaming in pain while grabbing her chest. She ignored Aleen and Aya¡¯s voices and twisted her body on the ground in desperation. Aleen tried to grab her, but her body was incredibly hot. ¡°Water!¡± He shouted to Aya, who quickly brought a pot filled with water. But when she was going to give it to Claire, it happened. Behind Claire¡­ A portal opened. Aleen¡¯s expression turned pale. But in the next instant, his gaze turned determined. Without caring if he was burned by Claire¡¯s high temperature, he hugged her firmly and glared at the portal. At the next instant, the portal swallowed them. But before the portal closed, a hand grabbed his arm. Aleen glanced back with a shocked expression and saw Aya looking firmly towards him. With a nod, she hugged Lily with her other hand and was swallowed by the portal too. Aleen¡¯s expression turned complicated, but in the end, he nodded gratefully. One day after finishing his last game, Aleen began his next trial. Inside a secret room in Lars island, Kdon Srive was talking with an old man through the screen of his bracelet. ¡°It¡¯s done, I sent the girl you told me at the game. But I have to remind you that I cannot make the manipulation too obvious, so she was sent to a level-three game.¡± ¡°It¡¯s enough.¡± Kdon said with an ice-cold tone. ¡°Two of the best level-three of my race were sent to that game. They will take care of the rest.¡± The old man looked at Kdon with a suspicious gaze, but after a while, he simply sighed. ¡°I don¡¯t know why do you want to kill that girl so badly, and I¡¯ll not ask. But I hope that it doesn''t bring me any trouble, okay?¡­ Anyway, I made sure of sending your two level-three near the girl, so they will find her quickly.¡± ¡°Thanks, old man. You were of great help.¡± Kdon nodded in gratitude. ¡°Don¡¯t thank me. With it, my debt has been repaid. I hope never to see you again.¡± The old man snorted. Kdon nodded again and an instant later, the communication was turned off. Looking at another screen that was showing the details of a game that was about to begin, Kdon smiled cruelly. ¡°Soon, a new level-six will be born in our race.¡± Chapter 120 – Ancient Battlefield (1) ¡®Dimensional Movement Completed. Confirming vital signs¡­ Confirmed. Confirming participation requirements¡­ You have not been found in the participation list, searching relevant information¡­ Not relevant information found, processing¡­ Your participation has been authorized as individual E64778498¡¯s partner. Confirming authority¡­ Level-two confirmed. According to your status, you must follow the following rules:
  1. You must end the game with a positive score.
Failure to follow any rule will be punished with death. Welcome to Dimensional Paradise¡¯ ¡®Loading relevant information¡­ Game type: Survival. Team characteristics: Individual (This game did not allow cooperative mode, but you can team up with other participants during the game). Number of participating teams: Not apply. Winning conditions: Survive until the end of the game. Location: Aurus¡¯s cluster battlefield. Degree of danger: Level III... This game did not allow cooperative mode, so the difficulty will not be increased despite the participation of two extra level-two. Description: You have suddenly appeared in an ancient battlefield filled with bones and destroyed weapons. Unfortunately, this place is far from safe. Survive and kill the monsters inhabiting the battlefield, but be careful, others like you are also in the battlefield, and they did not have good intentions. Note 1: You must survive for four hours, after which, you will be teleported away. Note 2: Killing other participants is allowed and will be rewarded with coins and points. Authority level: II (Companion (Main) participant) The following functions have been made available: COM (Only to communicate with other main participants). UDP Coins: 69.¡¯ The first thing Aleen did when he awoke was finding Claire.The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. Fortunately, she and Aya spawned beside him. He feared that Claire would appear away from him due to the AI saying that this game could not be cooperative, but apparently, the game recognized Aleen and Aya as Claire¡¯s companions and spawned the three of them together. Aleen then put on his armor and waited for the others to wake up. Aya and Lily awoke a few seconds after Aleen. Aya managed to get her metallic claw before rushing to the portal, so she wore it in her right hand. But even after one minute passed, Claire did not wake up. Aleen¡¯s expression turned worried. Although Claire experienced something strange before being swallowed by the portal, Aleen knew that the game heals and enhances all the participants before entering the game, so he supposed that Claire would get back to normal. But from the looks of it, things were not so simple. From Aleen¡¯s experience, all the participants should be awake already. Furthermore, Aleen suspected that Claire was a level-two, so she should wake up faster. Aleen tried to touch Claire to wake her up, but when his hand was about to touch her cheek, he felt an incredibly high temperature burning his skin. Aleen¡¯s expression changed. ¡°Claire!¡± Aleen shouted and tried to touch her again. He enveloped his hand in a layer to mana to isolate the heat, but it was almost useless. However, it was enough for Aleen. Despite feeling as though his skin was burning, Aleen grabbed Claire and held her in his arms. Aya quickly approached when she saw that something was wrong, but when she was about to touch Claire, her instincts shouted her to stop. At the same time, Lily¡¯s fur stood erect and she growled in Claire''s direction. Strangely, Aya could not feel Claire¡¯s high temperature from where she was. The temperature could be felt only in her skin and her surroundings were almost unaffected despite the heat. ¡°Claire, wake up!¡± Aleen desperately tried to wake Claire up, but she did not react. It was as though her illness acted again. However, the temperature was many times higher than when the illness acted before. Aleen¡¯s thoughts fell into disarray, but he could not find a solution to her state. But before he could despair completely, the situation changed. Suddenly, Claire¡¯s temperature fell drastically and returned to almost normal levels. Although it was still a bit higher than normal, it was many times better than before. A second later, she opened her eyes. ¡°Claire!¡± Aleen instantly shouted her name. Claire was unable to understand the situation she was. When she opened her eyes, she looked at Aleen and then looked at the surroundings before looking back at Aleen again. ¡°Bro- Aleen, where are we?¡± She asked softly. Aleen sighed in relief when she spoke. ¡°Do you feel something strange in your body?¡± He asked, ignoring Claire¡¯s question. Claire put on a doubtful expression and closed her eyes. A few seconds later, she opened them again and furrowed her brows. ¡°I feel hot and tired¡­ Besides, there is a flame in my heart.¡± She said weakly. Aleen frowned hearing it. ¡®A flame in the heart? But skills are supposed to appear in the mind, not the heart!¡¯ Aleen shook his head and sent that question at the back of his mind. Now was not the time for it. ¡°Can you stand?¡± He asked. Claire nodded and stood up weakly. Aleen¡¯s expression turned dark when he saw her state. The participants of the game are supposed to be enhanced after entering the game, but Claire seemed even weaker than before. Once she stood up, Aleen quickly explained the situation to her. Claire¡¯s expression turned serious when she heard that they were inside Dimensional Paradise. But Aleen noticed that her face was pale white. It was obvious that her situation was not normal. ¡°Do you know what did happen when you were training?¡± Aleen asked concerned. Claire thought back to the time when she was training her mana and shook her head. ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­ I just felt my heart beating wildly and then, it felt as though my body was enveloped on fire. Well, I still feel as though my body is on fire, but now it feels weaker than before.¡± Aleen fell silent when he heard it. ¡®Was it due to Claire awakening her skill? But skills are not supposed to produce pain¡­ What is it then?¡¯ At that moment, Aya opened her mouth. ¡°There is something inside her.¡± Aleen and Claire were startled and turned towards her. ¡°What do you mean?¡± Aleen asked. ¡°Something is living inside her¡­ Lily told me that it¡¯s very strong and it is causing all the heat¡­¡± Chapter 121 – Ancient Battlefield (2) ¡°Something is living inside her¡­ it¡¯s very strong, and it¡¯s causing the heat¡­¡± Aya spoke expressionlessly. The siblings made startled expressions, but in the next instant, they turned pale. ¡°Are you saying that there is a creature living inside Claire? Like a parasite?¡± Aleen asked quickly. Aya fell silent for a second before shaking her head. ¡°It¡¯s not a parasite¡­ From what Lily and I can feel, it¡¯s something more majestic, like a ruler or an emperor. I feel goosebumps simply by standing near it.¡± ¡°But you never had a problem standing close to Claire before.¡± Aleen inquired confused. ¡°¡­ You are right.¡± Aya said. ¡°I only felt it when I tried to touch her just now, but I think that it was inside her from before¡­ It probably is the reason because she fainted yesterday.¡± Aleen expression hardened hearing it and Claire fell into deep thoughts. Knowing that a creature was living inside the body his sister, Aleen could not help but become frightened and angry. In movies such as Al*en, such a situation is synonymous with death. Besides, he also learned that this creature is the cause of his sister¡¯s recent problems. Maybe, it was also the reason for Clare¡¯s illness all those years. For an instant, an intense killing intent surged from Aleen¡¯s body. Probably noticing Aleen¡¯s thoughts, Aya spoke again. ¡°¡­ It¡¯s just the feeling I¡¯m getting from it, but I think that the creature inside is friendly.¡± ¡°¡­ What do you mean?¡± Aleen asked while trying to calm down his emotions. Aya thought for a moment before answering. ¡°... I¡¯m not sure, but I think that the creature is something similar to Lily. It has a kind of bond with Claire and is trying to help her.¡± Aleen frowned when he heard it. While Aleen was debating about what to do about the creature, Claire finally spoke. ¡°¡­ I think Aya is right. I can feel kind intentions coming from the flames: so, I believe it¡¯s better if we leave the creature aside for now and concentrate on the game." Aleen looked at Claire fixedly and finally sighed. ¡°You are right. It¡¯s not as though we can get it out of your body in the current situation. We also can ask Leona about it once we leave the game.¡± Claire and Aya nodded in understating. ¡°Let¡¯s focus on the game then. Claire, what is your level?¡± Aleen asked while looking at Claire. Claire put on a startled expression and quickly revised her level in her mind. Aleen already had told her many things about Dimensional Paradise, so she was not as clueless as other newbies. Quickly, Claire¡¯s face showed an astonished look. ¡°Huh? I¡¯m level-two?¡±The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. ¡°I thought so.¡± Aleen nodded. Leona had told Aleen that someone brought into the games could bring someone one level higher of two people of the same level to act as bodyguards. And when Claire was brought into the game, the portal allowed Aleen and Aya¡¯s entrance, two level-two. It means that Claire was already a level-two then. If Aleen was not mistaken, Claire¡¯s current situation was probably a side-effect of her level up. As for the reason that her level-up was different than others, Aleen attributed it to the creature inside her. ¡°Do you know what is your skill?¡± Claire pondered for a while before shaking her head. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m not completely sure¡­ It¡¯s related to fire, but I can¡¯t use it for some reason.¡± Aleen nodded in understating. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. You will learn about it sooner or later.¡± Aleen then began to think about the mission. Different from normal missions, this one had as objective simply to survive, making it look easier than Aleen¡¯s previous missions. But when Aleen read that killing between participants was allowed, his expression turned ugly. Simply this condition would mean increasing the danger to an incredibly high degree. Aleen didn¡¯t know how many supers were brought into this game, but if the number was around ten, it means that there were at least ten other people, as or more dangerous than Aleen, nearby; and they easily could become enemies. Even Aya, who was beside them, could be an enemy too. Of course, Aleen knew that something like that was almost impossible. Aya risked her life to help Aleen during the previous game, and not long ago, she risked her life again and chose to enter the game together with Aleen and Claire. If after all that, she decides to betray them for coins, then this world was more fucked up than Aleen thought. Aleen quickly explained his deductions to the girls and suggested a course of action. ¡°I think that our best option is to find a place to hide.¡± Aya tilted her head and Claire nodded in agreement. ¡°Claire¡¯s state means that she will be a burden during a fight," Aleen continued. "We will have to protect her while fighting. Moreover, we will win this game if we survive long enough, so I don¡¯t see a reason to risk our lives pointlessly.¡± The two girls agreed. ¡°Can you walk?¡± Aleen then asked Claire. Claire moved her body around and nodded after a while. ¡°I can. Don¡¯t worry, although I feel a bit weak, I think I can endure for a while.¡± Aleen nodded and gestured for the group to advance. They then proceeded to explore the surroundings of the place where they spawned to find a place to hide. Aleen did not pay it attention before, but now that he confirmed that Claire was safe, he noticed the peculiarities of this place. Different from the previous games, this one gave Aleen a desolate feeling. The entire place was dimly lit, and the surroundings were covered with a thick fog. Aleen could not see anything beyond a few meters despite his enhance sight. The ground was covered with short grass, and a few trees could be seen around. But from time in time, they would find some broken and rusted weapons on the way. Instead of modern weapons, the group found swords, spears, axes, knives, armors, and every kind of cold weapon. As the description said, it seemed like some kind of ancient battlefield. After walking around five minutes, Aya indicated Aleen that she heard the sound of water running. Aleen hesitated slightly and decided to go there. Because he did not think that he had to participate in another game so soon, he had not replenished the supplies in his ring. Besides a few portions of water and food, it was mostly empty. So, after considering that water could be necessary in case of an emergency, they followed the sound of water. They found the source of the noise quickly. It was a small creek of clean water. Aleen even saw a few fishes swimming inside the creek. But when they looked around the creek, they stopped abruptly. A voluptuous woman was crouching beside the creek, using her hand to bring a bit of water to her mouth. She was dressed in ancient clothes and was barefooted, but for some reason, Aleen felt that she was rather odd and¡­ bizarre. The woman turned her head towards them after hearing their footsteps. She then gazed at the group with a curious and enchanting expression. ¡°Ara, I have visitors.¡± She said in a sweet and enticing voice. But when her voice sounded, Lily¡¯s fur stood up, and Aya readied her stance with a pale expression. Before Aleen could understand the cause of reactions, the woman turned around, looked at them, and smiled sweetly. ¡°By chance, have you seen my left arm?¡± Chapter 122 – Woman Wraith "By chance, do you know where is my left arm?¡± The woman smiled sweetly. The group¡¯s expressions turned pale white. Now that the woman turned towards them, they realized that half of her body was rotting, and her left shoulder was bleeding black blood from the place where her left arm should have been. The beautiful woman from before had transformed into a terrifying monster, but she seemed as though she did not notice anything wrong with herself. She was looking at the group with a casual expression and a sweet smile, making the scene even more frightening. Claire and Aya took a step back involuntarily. Aleen suppressed his impulse to retreat and looked at the woman with an astonished face. ¡°Huh? Is something wrong? Could it be that you have seen my arm?¡± The woman tilted her head cutely to a side seeing the reaction of the group. ¡°N-No, we didn¡¯t see your arm.¡± Aleen gulped down and answered nervously while taking a defensive stance. But at that moment, the woman growled. ¡°You are lying! You saw my arm, right? RIGHT!?¡± Her face turned monstrous, and her tone of voice changed completely and became demonic. Aleen involuntarily pointed his sword towards her. ¡°No, you are mistaken, we d-¡± ¡°LIES! WhY ARe YoU sO neRVoUS TheN!!!!??? ReTURn mY AAAAARRRRRRRMMMMMMM!!!¡± The woman, now a wraith, opened her mouth hideously and rushed towards them. Her body turned translucent, and the little beauty remaining on her body turned into rotten flesh. She charged towards them while floating a few centimeters above the ground. But despite her scary appearance, Aleen did not slow his reaction. When he saw the specter woman charging towards them, he took a step forward and slashed with his sword. The sword left black afterimages behind and cut into the woman in an instant. It was so fast that the woman was unable to react against the attack. However, the next scene took Aleen by surprise. Despite receiving Aleen¡¯s attack, the woman continued advancing as though nothing happened. She passed through the sword and extended her claws towards Aleen ghastly. ¡°mY AAAARrrrMMmmmm!!!¡± She screamed. Nevertheless, Aleen was not the newbie of three games ago. When he saw that his attack was ineffective, he took a step back instinctively and evaded the woman¡¯s attack. ¡°Careful! Something is wrong with that thing! My attack was useless!¡± He shouted to the others ¡°WhERe iS MY AaaaaARRRrrrMMmmmMMMMM!!!¡± The woman continued screaming in a creepy voice and attacked Aleen again. She was fast, faster than any level-one, but a bit slower than Aleen. She was probably a level-two.Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! Aya and Lily attacked the woman from the right. Aya used her metallic claw while Lily rushed forward and extended her claws leaving behind silvery-black afterimages, but the attacks were useless. Lily¡¯s attack caused a bit of damage, but it was almost negligible. ¡°Attack with mana!¡± Aleen quickly realized the secret behind the monster and instructed the others. Aya nodded and reinforced her claw with mana. She learned mana reinforcement not long ago and was still bad at it, but it was better than nothing. At the same time, Aleen used ¡®Sharp Blade¡¯ and infused mana into his weapon. Dark Night glowed with a silvery light and small sparks of lightning surged around it. Aleen then evaded a claw from the wraith and pierced her heart. ¡°AAAAaaaaaAARrrrGGGGG!!!¡± The woman screamed in pain and retreated frantically. An enormous hole appeared on her chest, but it quickly closed again. Nevertheless, Aleen noticed that her figure was a bit more transparent than before. ¡°It works!¡± He shouted and attacked again with his sword. The woman seemed to realize that Aleen was a hard opponent, because she changed her target to Aya. But though Aya was slower than the wraith, she was not someone easy to defeat. With the help of Lily, she attacked the woman resolutely and used her metallic claw to tear apart her translucid body. If the woman would have more time, maybe one of her attacks would have connected and she would have hope of defeating Aya. Unfortunately, she never had the opportunity. Because Aleen quickly supported Aya from behind and cut into the woman''s body with his lightning-filled sword. The woman screamed in pain repeatedly and desperately tried to kill them, but she was becoming slower and weaker with each passing second. Finally, she was pierced by Aleen in the head and began to fade away with a shrill scream. While fading, the specter retreated away and turned into a woman again. She then looked at the group and began to cry. ¡°I¡­ I just wanted it¡­ I just wanted my arm¡­ my arm... mY AAAAARRRRRRRRMMMMMMM!!!¡± And she screamed. But this scream was different from the previous ones. Aleen felt a strong pain impacting his head. The wraith did not miss this opportunity. Without hesitation, she turned into a blur and charged towards the group. But instead of attacking Aleen or Aya, she attacked the weakest member, Claire. Aleen paled instantly. He tried to move his body desperately, but the pain in his head made it impossible to move, much less to activate his skill. But at that moment, something incredible happened. Before the ghastly face of the woman could touch Claire, a firebird materialized in front of her and flew toward the wraith. This firebird was different from the ones that Claire created before. Although the shape was the same, it was bigger and hotter. It also was more beautiful and seemed more lifelike than before. The woman was unable to avoid the firebird and crashed against it head-on. She then began to scream in anguish, and in seconds, she disappeared completely. Aleen looked at the scene with a half-astonished half-relieved expression. But in the next instant, Claire grabbed her chest again and kneeled in the ground while coughing a mouthful of blood. ¡°Urgh!¡± ¡°Claire!¡± Aleen shouted and ran instantly towards her. He noticed that her expression was even paler than before. ¡°¡­ I¡¯m fine, just a little pain.¡± Claire said after breathing heavily for a few seconds. ¡°Br- Aleen, what do you think about my skill?¡± Aleen looked worriedly at Claire before forcing a smile. ¡°It was pretty cool.¡± He then cleaned a bit of blood that remained in her lips. Claire smiled too and nodded. ¡°Hmm!¡± She then stood up with the help of Aleen and nodded towards Aya. A few seconds later, the group continued advancing. Aleen wanted to let Claire rest a bit more, but he knew that the fight could have attracted the attention of more enemies, so they didn¡¯t have more options but leave. A few minutes later, two dran males reached the place where the fight occurred. They observed the traces of the battle and looked at each other with serious expressions. ¡°Do you think it was our objective?¡± One of them said. ¡°Maybe.¡± The other answered. ¡°We better confirm it.¡± The first one nodded. He then looked at his fellow dran and smiled playfully. ¡°Hey, do you dare to bet with me?¡± ¡°¡­ What do you propose?¡± ¡°What do you think about this¡­ The one that completes His Supremacy¡¯s assignment gets ten thousand coins from the other.¡± The second man looked at the first one fixedly before smiling savagely. ¡°I¡¯m in.¡± They then separated to chase after their objective. Chapter 123 – Fog and Trees (1) After leaving the creek, the group continued advancing. They did their best to not make noise and avoid drawing the attention of enemies. After the experience with the woman, Aleen and the girls came to the conclusion that the type of monsters in this game was some kind of ghost. Unfortunately, it did nothing to alleviate their nervousness. Although zombies, giant insects, and mutants, were terrifying in their own way, Aleen feared them less than ghosts. After all, movies depict ghost and vengeful spirits as scary beings with many kinds of abilities, from going through walls, until possessing people and killing them in unexpected ways. The number of abilities that ghosts possess in movies is uncountable. They even confirmed two of those abilities on the wraith they just killed. Just the ability to disregard physical attacks made the wraith a formidable foe. Aleen could imagine their fate if they face two or three wraiths like the woman at the same time. And this was a level-three game. That means that the stronger monster was at level-three. The thought of a monster like that sent chills to Aleen¡¯s back. While they were walking, they noticed that the number of rusted and destroyed weapons lying on the ground was increasing. Besides it, they began to find remains of dead people scattered around. The remains consisted mainly of bones wearing strange clothes, but many of the bones were clearly non-human. Aleen even saw the skeleton of some kind of giant. When the bones began to appear, the eerie atmosphere filling the place turned even creepier. Aleen got the feeling that the bones were waiting for them to turn around to stand up and stab them with their weapons. But each time Aleen thought that something was behind him, it ended being his imagination. Moreover, at some point in time, Aya and Lily began to look nervously at their surroundings. ¡°¡­ Something is wrong here, Aleen. I don¡¯t like this place.¡± Aya said with an uneasy expression.This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work. ¡°Aya is right.¡± Claire added. ¡°I think it¡¯s better if we change our direction.¡± Aleen thought briefly before agreeing with them. ¡°Okay, let¡¯s change our route.¡± However, just five minutes after they changed their route, they noticed that something was wrong. ¡°The fog has become thicker.¡± Aya said. Aleen nodded with a heavy expression. If before, they could see a few meters away, now they could see only two meters ahead. Furthermore, for some reason, he had the feeling that the fog was livelier than before. At that moment, Lily snarled fiercely and bared her fangs to the fog. ¡°Meow!!!¡± ¡°Uh? What happened Lily?!¡± Aya asked when she saw Lily¡¯s behavior. But before she could understand Lily¡¯s actions, Claire grunted in pain. ¡°Urghhh!!!¡± Then, a surge of flames jumped from her body. ¡°Claire!¡± Aleen ran towards Claire immediately, but the flames attacked him. Surprised, he could only stop abruptly. But when he was about to attack the flames to reach Claire, something surprising happened. ¡°iIiiiIItttHHhhHuuUuUrRRRRrTtttRSss!!!¡± A shrill scream of pain sounded from the surroundings. At the same time, the fog surrounding the group receded at a frantic pace. Under Aleen''s startled gaze, many deformed faces appeared inside the fog and began to scream fearfully towards the flame surrounding Claire. ¡°¡°¡°NoOoooUUuuuuoooOO!!!¡±¡±¡± There were faces of men, women, elders, children, humans, and monsters. The number of faces could be counted in the hundreds. The fire surrounding Claire grew enraged after hearing the screams. It transformed into a gigantic bird of fire filled with power and majesty. Then, it attacked the fog with overwhelming power. In an instant, all the fog in twenty meters was burned thoroughly. The fire screeched in pride and looked at the fog further away with an expression of disdain. It then turned towards Aleen and Aya and glared them fixedly before moving its gaze away and returning to Claire¡¯s body. Instantly, the flames surrounding Claire began to disappear. When the flames disappeared completely, Claire fell to the ground unconscious. Aleen and Aya quickly ran towards her and realized that she burning due to the fever. ¡°Damn it!¡± Aleen cursed angrily and punched the ground. ¡°¡­ What do we do?¡± Aya asked while looking vigilantly at the fog that was slowly filling the space burned by the flames. Aleen thought for a moment and stared at Claire. He then gritted his teeth and lifted her. ¡°I¡¯ll carry Claire on my back, we¡¯ll continue searching for a safe place.¡± ¡°¡­ I fear there is not a safe place in this game.¡± ¡°I know, but we must try.¡± ¡°Mm.¡± Aya nodded. They departed immediately and continued searching for a cave or something they could use as a refuge, but after walking for five minutes, they found a place where the ground and the grass had been burnt due to a fierce fire. Aleen looked at the ground with a surprised expression. ¡°Run!¡± He immediately shouted at Aya and ran in another direction. But after running for another minute, they saw the burnt ground once more. Aleen¡¯s expression turned pale. However, he quickly realized that it was not the only thing that was wrong. The trees, they seemed closer than before. Aleen hurriedly looked around to confirm his guess, but then, he discovered something even more frightening. At some point in time, the place had been completely surrounded by trees. Chapter 124 – Fog and Trees (2) At some point in time, the place had been surrounded by trees. Aleen could not understand how he failed to notice that they were surrounded. It was as though the trees appeared suddenly around them. Besides one remaining path that was in front of them, everything else was filled with trees. Suddenly, an eerie chilly gust of wind touched his neck. Aleen felt all the hairs in his body standing up. Immediately, one of the trees moved a branch. ¡°Careful!¡± Aya shouted. The branch extended creepily and pierced towards Aleen. Aleen quickly jumped aside and evaded the branch, but more branches attacked from the other trees, sealing all his paths of escape. ¡°Damn it!¡± Aleen cursed angrily and send his mind into the storage ring. He then held Claire with one hand and used the other to brandish his sword. With a quick spin, he cut some of the branches attacking him and created a gap between the attacks. He then used the gap to avoid the remaining branches. Fortunately, the branches were pretty fragile. Aleen noticed that they weren''t tougher than a normal branch. But their numbers were frightening. Aleen was sure that even with his level-two body¡¯s toughness and defenses, the trees could make use of the overwhelming number of attacks to finally kill him. Aya and Lily were also being attacked by the trees, but they were faring much better than Aleen. After all, Aleen was carrying Claire, so he could not attack with all his strength. ¡°We must leave this place immediately!¡± Aleen shouted at Aya while cutting another branch. ¡°¡­ Any idea?¡± He asked. Aya shook his head with a frown. Aleen bit his lips and looked around frantically. He knew they were unable to endure long under so many attacks. But he quickly realized that, besides the path in front of them, there was not another exit. Gritting his teeth, he made up his mind. ¡°Let¡¯s go there!¡± He pointed towards the only remaining path. He knew that the reason because this path remained behind was probably something bad, but they did not have more options now. Aya nodded. The pair, together with Lily, joined strengths to break through the attacks of the trees and charge towards the exit.This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. Aleen circulated his mana at the limit and filled his muscles with lightning. With a cry of rage, he cut through the branches and reached the exit after brandishing his sword repeatedly. Without hesitation, Aleen and Aya used the opportunity to escape from the trees. In an instant, they left the trees behind. But when Aleen turned around to observe the situation, he realized that the trees were not chasing after them. They were quiet, as though they had completed their mission. Aleen put on an expression of surprise, but before he could understand what was happening, a strong sense of danger filled him. He jumped aside without hesitation. An instant later, he felt something cutting the place where he was just a moment ago. When he moved his gaze to see what was happening, he saw a man standing there. The man was taller than Aleen, with a slender body and a handsome face. He was wearing medieval noble clothes and his skin was completely pale, as a dead body. When he felt Aleen¡¯s gaze, he smiled. ¡°Impressive. Not many can evade my attack.¡± Instantly, Aleen felt a strong pressure crashing against him. His body chilled completely. It was as though a predator was looking at him with a hungry expression. He was certain that with the slightest movement, he would end dead. The man curved upward his mouth leisurely. He then looked at Aya and Lily, and finally, he moved his gaze towards Claire. When he saw Claire, he frowned. ¡°Hm? Is she the source of the power that drew me here? How strange, she looks like a normal human, but there is something powerful inside her.¡± He then grabbed his chin and fell deep in thoughts. Aleen stood protectively before Claire and pointed his sword forward. At the same time, Aya and Lily moved beside him. ¡°Who are you?¡± Aleen asked. The man looked again at Aleen and smiled gently. ¡°Oh, I forgot that you also were here. Allow me to introduce myself, I¡¯m Baron Leo Von Atlarmar. By the way, I¡¯m sorry if my children frightened you, I just asked them to keep you here, but sometimes they are a bit heavy-handed.¡± He said pointing to the trees. ¡°It was you¡­¡± Aleen said with a heavy expression. Leo Von Atlarmar made a sadistic grin. ¡°I never thought that I would see three level-two in this game. How weird, I don¡¯t understand what is the administration thinking to send you here.¡± Aleen fought against the pressure being emitted by the man and tightened the hand holding his sword. He put on a serious expression and readied his stance. Even if he knew that he could not win against him, he was ready to fight until the end. However, Leo seemed to find his determination entertaining, because he licked his lips and walked around them slowly while thinking about the best way to play with them. Then, he spoke. ¡°You see, I think I¡¯m a good person, so I will not bully you with my strength. You can leave.¡± Aleen''s expression turned dark. He gripped the sword with so much strength that his hand turned white. If he could not understand that something was wrong with the man''s words, then he was a fool. Even so, he asked. ¡°¡­ Do you truly mean it?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± The man replied. ¡°You only need to leave the girl behind and I promise you that I will not chase after you.¡± Aleen struggled to suppress his rage. ¡°Of course, I¡¯ll not force you.¡± The man continued. ¡°You can also fight me if you don¡¯t like my proposal. ¡°You too, girl.¡± He then pointed at Aya and smiled. ¡°I can allow you to leave, but the other girl must stay. If you bring her to me, I can let you go.¡± Aleen''s expression turned unsightly. He turned towards Aya, but she was looking at the man with her usual deadpan expression. ¡°¡­ I¡¯m sorry, I cannot do it.¡± She said. ¡°Is it so? Such a shame. I never thought that your bond would be so strong. What about you, boy.¡± Aleen did not hesitate to answer. ¡°I¡¯ll not leave her behind!¡± He said firmly. ¡°I see, I see.¡± The man smiled gently, then, the pressure coming from him intensified tremendously, and a powerful wave of mana spread into the surroundings. Aleen and Aya felt the air around them becoming heavier before hearing the man speak in a bloodthirsty tone. ¡°I guess that I have to kill you then, right? Well, it¡¯s fun in its own way.¡± But when the man was about to attack them, a cold voice sounded from the direction of the trees. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but you will have to wait for your turn. They are mine.¡± Chapter 125 – Fog and Trees (3) ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but you will have to wait for your turn. They are mine.¡± A cold voice came from the trees. Aleen and the others turned towards the direction of the voice in surprise. They then saw a blue-skinned man walking towards them calmly while the trees around him were cut into pieces. The man was wearing a black cape that covered all his body. He was very tall, a bit taller than two meters, and his face was filled with vigor. He looked briefly towards Aleen and the others before fixing his gaze on the strange gentleman. ¡°¡­ A vampire?¡± He asked in doubt. ¡°Hou. You are pretty knowledgeable. How did I give my identity away?¡± The blue-skinned did not answer. He observed carefully the vampire''s clothes and noticed that he could not see any weapon. It made the blue-skinned man frown. He could not identify the enemy¡¯s style of battle from his clothes. ¡°Are you not going to answer me?¡± Leo, the vampire, playfully asked before shaking his head. ¡°Well, it doesn¡¯t matter. Are you here for them too?¡± ¡°I just want the girl. The others did not matter.¡± ¡°Oh? It looks like you know why she is so special. It makes me curious.¡± Leo¡¯s eyes shined with a strange light. The dran¡¯s expression turned dangerous and he moved his hand towards his cape. ¡°I don¡¯t want to kill you, vampire. So, you better don¡¯t interfere in my affairs. I¡¯ll take the girl and leave. You can do as you like with the others.¡± ¡°Is it so? You look awfully confident of your victory¡­ I don¡¯t like it.¡± Instantly, the suffocating pressure from before returned. Only, it was directed at the dran this time. The dran, however, remained unfazed. He stood there calmly and confronted the pressure with a deadpan expression. ¡°I will repeat my words one last time. Get lost, or die!¡± ¡°¡­ I think that your words are different than before.¡± ¡°It looks like you are not planning to leave. Then die!¡± Without a warning, the blue-skinned man attacked. Tens of blades surged from below his clothes and flew towards the vampire.If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. The vampire jumped backward and waved his hand. Instantly, all the trees in the surroundings attacked, filling the place with spear-like branches. However, the blades were better than the branches. They cut easily through the branches and continued advancing at great speed in the direction of the vampire. But although the branches did not stop the blades, they slowed them down long enough for the vampire to ready his counterattack. The vampire took advantage of that brief moment to complete an incantation, he then waved his hand towards the trees, and the trees answered. Hundreds of branches joined together and formed a gigantic spear. The spear then began to rotate at great speed and pierced towards the blue-skinned man. But before the spear could reach near the dran, it was intercepted by the flying blades under his control. They moved seamlessly and cut the spear into pieces. ¡°A mage?¡± The blue-skinned man asked in surprise. ¡°Why? Are you scared now?¡± ¡°Hmph!¡± The blue-skinned man snorted in disdain and waved his hand again. In the next second, all the blades under his control were filled with a sharp glow. Aleen could felt a slight sting in his body despite the distance between him and the blades. But the vampire simply smiled and snapped his fingers. With it as the signal, hundreds of wood spears, like the one before, were created in an instant. Then, the two men waved their hands. In the next instant, the two groups of weapons clashed against each other. The blades cut the branches, and the branches tried to entwine the blades. In a second, tens of clashes happened at the same time. Both the swords and the spears moved at incredible speed. Aleen hardly could follow them with his eyes and had to use ¡®Dynamic Sight¡¯ to follow the weapons'' movements. The two men tried to overpower each other¡¯s moves, but their control over the skill and spell was on the same level. None of them was able to gain an advantage over the other in the clash. But at that moment, Aleen made his move. ¡°Now!¡± He shouted. Aleen knew that he had to escape from here if he wanted to protect Claire. It was obvious that both the vampire and the blue-skinned man had bad intentions, and no matter who wins, the situation will be equally dire for them. So, he decided to take advantage of the moment when the two level-three were fighting to escape. When the fight was in his most intense point, they charged away without hesitation. Aleen knew that he could not escape easily, but he had to try. Staying here would mean death. ¡°Do you think you can escape?¡± The vampire laughed mockingly and waved his hand. The gesture activated the branches around them and they extended to chase after Aleen and Aya. The vampire did not send the branches to kill them, instead, he wanted to stop them long enough and afterward, trap them so they can¡¯t escape. Aleen knew that they could not afford to be delayed, even for a second. Fortunately, the branches were weak. Aleen was sure that he could cut them with a slash. The point was, he had to cut them fast enough. Nevertheless, speed was Aleen¡¯s strong point. Holding his sword tightly, he looked at the branches rushing towards them and activated his derivate skill. ''Dynamic Sight''! In the next instant, the branches slowed before Aleen¡¯s eyes. Aleen filled his right arm with mana and strengthened it so it can move as fast as possible, and then, he attacked. Dark Night drew a beautiful arc in the air and created a line that connected the branches. Aleen felt his arm straining due to the excessive speed of his movement, but he ignored the pain and rushed forward. When the surroundings¡¯ speed returned to normal, the branches were cut into pieces. Then, Aleen and Aya continued running. Chapter 126 – Pursuit (1) ¡°Huh?¡± The vampire made a surprised expression and tried to send more branches towards them, but that brief moment of distraction allowed the blue-skinned man to take the advantage in their fight. ¡°Kuh!¡± The vampire was forced to evade a flying blade and hurriedly created a wooden spear to stop another attack, but the blue-skinned man was planning to make use of his current advantage to kill him. ¡°Damn you! Are you planning to let them escape?!¡± The vampire shouted at the dran man, but he ignored it and continued attacking. His blades pressed forward and cornered the vampire little by little. Before long, the vampire noticed that he did not have much space to evade. ¡°You are crazy!¡± The vampire cursed angrily and chanted a new incantation. Once the incantation was finished, the fog around him trembled slightly and then, it surged forward. The fog created a gigantic whirlpool and rushed towards the blue-skinned man. The blue-skinned man was then forced to retreat and distance himself from the vampire. ¡°You¡­ Don¡¯t you care about the girl?! They are gone!¡± The vampire asked fiercely. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. I can find them again easily, but you will be a bother if you don¡¯t die here.¡± ¡°You-¡± ¡°I have to admit that you are pretty strong.¡± The blue-skinned man interrupted the vampire. ¡°But it¡¯s the end now.¡± With his words, the blades glowed even brighter than before. A sharp blade intent spread in the surroundings and pressed against the vampire. ¡°Do you think you can kill me so easily?¡± The vampire asked. ¡°Yes, I do.¡± With that as the signal, the fight reached the climax. Aleen and Aya escaped at full speed without turning back. After running for more than five kilometers, they finally stopped to rest. The two of them panted heavily and did their best to catch their breath. Actually, they were completely spent a few minutes ago, but they were able to endure the fatigue by sheer willpower. ¡°¡­ They did not chase after us¡­¡± Aya commented when she recovered her breath. Aleen nodded while putting Claire on the ground. ¡°I don¡¯t know why they didn¡¯t chase us, but it¡¯s good for us. Furthermore, I did not use my skill when escaping, so they don¡¯t know about it.¡± Aya nodded in consent. She then stroked softly Lily¡¯s fur and wrinkled her brows. ¡°Do you think they will come after us?¡±If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. ¡°¡­ Probably.¡± Aleen answered with a dark expression. ¡°They did not chase us before because they were fighting each other, but once the fight ends, the winner will come.¡± Aya fell silent hearing it. Aleen stared fixedly at her with a complicated expression. He hesitated for a moment unable to make up his mind, but once he thought about the dangers they were facing, he resolved himself. ¡°Aya, I think it¡¯s better if we separate here.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Aya put on a startled face when she heard Aleen. ¡°They are chasing after Claire, so it¡¯s not related to you. Although it will be dangerous to travel alone, I think it¡¯s safer than if you come with us.¡± ¡°¡­ I don¡¯t want to leave.¡± Aya said with a firm expression. Aleen¡¯s expression turned complicated. He sighed and shook his head firmly. ¡°No, you must leave. Claire is my responsibility, not yours. You don¡¯t need to risk your life for her. Moreover, I can¡¯t use my skill to escape with you around. If I¡¯m alone with Claire, I can use the skill without fearing for your safety.¡± Aya¡¯s face hardened. Her blue eyes flashed quickly while an expression of struggle appeared on her face. Finally, she agreed reluctantly. Aleen gave a sigh of relief. He then lifted Claire again and put her on his back. He looked at Aya deeply and nodded in acknowledgment. ¡°I wish you good luck.¡± He said. ¡°¡­ You too.¡± Aleen gave Aya a last glance and afterward, he left. Aya stared at his back fixedly and patted Lily¡¯s silver fur. Lily raised her head and looked at Aya for a moment, then, she nodded. Aya did not hesitate anymore and departed. Aleen carried Claire on his back while running through the forest. Maybe it was because he was lucky, but they did not find any monster on their path. Strangely, Aleen noticed that the fog became thinner. He realized that the change began from the moment when the giant bird of fire attacked the fog. It was as though the fog was fearful of the bird of fire and tried to keep a respectful distance from it. At that moment, Aleen felt Claire moving on his back. Aleen made a startled expression and stopped instantly. He then held Claire in his arms and called her name. ¡°Claire! Are you alright?!¡± Claire opened slowly her eyes and looked at Aleen with a sad gaze. ¡°¡­ Sorry, it¡¯s my fault.¡± She whispered softly with a look of guilt on her face. Although she was unconscious, she was more or less aware of the things that happened. Aleen smiled gently tapped her forehead. ¡°Silly girl, it¡¯s not your fault. Besides, it¡¯s an older brother''s duty to take care of his little sister.¡± Claire suppressed her tears when she heard those words. She could see that Aleen was looking at her with a gaze filled with worry, affection, and care. There was not even a trace of blame or hesitation on his gaze. Under Aleen''s gaze, Claire tried to curve up her lips, but due to it, she was unable to suppress her tears anymore. She then sobbed softly and nodded at Aleen. ¡°Mm.¡± Aleen smiled and put Claire again on his back. He then resumed running. But when he began to run, Claire extended her finger in another direction. ¡°Brother, the monster that controls the fog is in that direction.¡± Aleen fell silent for a moment before nodding. ¡°I understand.¡± Aleen then changed directions. In the place where the blue-skinned man and the vampire were fighting, the fight was coming to an end. At this moment, the vampire was kneeling on the ground. He was using a hand to hold a wound on his stomach and bleeding from the mouth. The blue-skinned man, on the other hand, was standing leisurely before him. ¡°¡­ How is it possible?¡± The vampire asked with a despairing expression. The blue-skinned man did not bother to answer. He wielded a blade with his right hand and looked at the vampire indifferently. Then, he swung the blade down. In the next second, the vampire¡¯s head rolled in the ground. The blue-skinned man returned his blade below his cape and turned around. He then looked in the direction where Aleen escaped and smiled softly. ¡°Now then, it¡¯s time to hunt some puppies.¡± Chapter 127 – Pursuit (2) ¡°Are you sure it¡¯s the direction?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure. It¡¯s right ahead.¡± Claire answered weakly. Aleen frowned briefly. He was not sure if their plan was a good one, but it was worth trying. Moreover, they did not have many options. When Claire woke up, she told Aleen that she knew where the only level-three monster in this game was. Moreover, according to her, they would not be attacked by any monster during the rest of the game, including the level-three. Aleen was curious about the source of her confidence, but he had the feeling that it had to do with the bird that attacked the fog. After all, they had not been attacked by monsters from then. When he asked Claire, she told him that the bird was the creature that was living inside her. Apparently, it had intimidated the fog and most of the other monsters when it attacked, so the monsters did not dare to come near it. Aleen thought that it was incredible, but he did not want to trust the effects of the intimidation too much. After all, maybe there was a monster that did not fear the bird. Unfortunately, he had to bet their lives on the intimidation being as useful as Claire said. ¡°is it not better if you make the bird appear again? If it¡¯s so strong as to intimidate a level-three monster easily, then it¡¯s probably strong enough to kill one too, right?¡± Aleen asked. ¡°This¡­¡± Claire hesitated for a while and fell deep in thoughts. It seemed as though she was speaking with someone. Aleen knew it was probably the bird. ¡°It can, but according to it, my body cannot resist too much of its power. At most, it can attack once at 20% of its strength, but I¡¯ll be gravely injured after it.¡± Aleen fell silent hearing it. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I granted you a bit of the bird¡¯s aura, so you probably will be safe later. Besides, I can use the bird¡¯s true power in case of an emergency.¡± Claire smiled softly. Aleen nodded in understating. He then concentrated on the path ahead and continued advancing. He also kept a watch of their surroundings to knows instantly if one of the level-three catches up with them.Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator. Finally, after running another kilometer, they reached their destination. ¡°Is it here?¡± Asked Aleen. ¡°Yes.¡± Claire answered without hesitation. ¡°Their core is here. It¡¯s also the place where it¡¯s at its strongest.¡± Aleen nodded in consent. He then put Claire down and sat in the ground to meditate and recover his mana. ¡°I hope the plan works.¡± ¡°It will.¡± Claire declared confidently and too sat cross-legged to adjust her condition. They had to be in their strongest state if they wanted to beat their pursuers. Aleen and Claire did their best to get their bodies in optimal condition and prepared for the coming battle. They knew that their odds of victory were low, but precisely because of it, they had to give their all. Finally, after resting for ten minutes, they heard the sound of footsteps. A blue-skinned man wearing a long robe walked out the fog and looked at them with an indifferent. ¡°Are you not going to continue running?¡± Aleen opened his eyes and looked firmly at the man. ¡°What is the use of running? We know you will catch up with us sooner or later, so it¡¯s better if we prepare ourselves to fight a decisive battle and search for a path of survival amidst the danger.¡± ¡°A wise choice.¡± The dran replied. ¡°But unfortunately useless. I¡¯m sorry, but you two had zero hopes of surviving past today. Of course, if the girl agrees to go with me, I¡¯ll let you go, what do you think?¡± The dran stared at Aleen seriously. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I will not sacrifice my sister.¡± Aleen replied without hesitation. ¡°I see. A shame.¡± The dran shook his head with a look of pity and let out a sigh. Aleen then stood up and grabbed his sword. He circulated all his mana around his body and lowered his stance. Aleen seemed like a calm beast about to attack its enemy. The dran, on the other hand, continued looking at them leisurely. ¡°Can I ask you a question?¡± Aleen opened his mouth. There was something that was making him curious, and he wanted to know the answer if it was possible. ¡°Why are you so interested in Claire? Is it due to the creature inside her?¡± The dran made a strange expression and looked at Aleen as though he was someone ignorant. He then looked a Claire and a brief greedy light passed through his eyes. ¡°I guess there is no harm in telling you¡­ You are right. The creature inside her is something very valuable for anyone. Unfortunately, you are unable to keep it, so it¡¯s normal if other people tried to grab it for themselves.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°¡­ An Eternal Flame. You don¡¯t need to know what an Eternal Flame is, but I can tell you that it can create one level-six with enough luck.¡± Aleen opened his eyes wide when he heard it. Level-six was the true pinnacle through the dimensions. Only a planet with a level-six had the right to maintain its independence. Even until now, Aleen never has seen a level-six. Of course, there is the possibility that the gamemaster is one, but Aleen was not sure. So, hearing that the flame inside Claire could create a level-six, the astonishment inside Aleen''s mind was not small. ¡°Now that you understand the reason of your death, it¡¯s time for me to start.¡± Instantly, tens of blades flew from below the man¡¯s robe. Aleen gripped his blade tightly and took a step forward. Chapter 128 – Pursuit (3) Tens of blades flew from below the man¡¯s robe and circled around him. Aleen tensed up and gripped his blade with a focused expression. Behind him, Claire waved her hand and created a bird of fire. However, the situation was discouraging. A level-three super was different from a level-three monster. Any level-three super has honed his skills through training and life and death situations continually. Furthermore, they are not so easy to fool as monsters. To be honest, Aleen had underestimated the strength of a level-three. After all, he had survived two games where he faced level-three and level-four monsters and he had seen the abilities of Elvila, a level-three elf. But when he felt the pressure brought by the vampire and the man before them, he understood that he had been na?ve. It was impossible for him to be the only genius in the world. There are many dimensions out there, and the number of level-three supers in them is staggering. Surely, some of them are exceptional individuals. Unfortunately, he had to face one of those exceptional individuals now. At that moment, the blades moved. With a wave of the dran¡¯s hand, four blades flew towards Aleen from different directions. They left a trail of mana behind and sealed Aleen¡¯s movements completely. Instantly, Aleen opened his eyes wide. A spark of lightning circled his eyes and his thoughts sped up drastically. It was as though time had stopped only for him. Lightning Movement¡¯s derivate skill, Dynamic Sight! Aleen saw the four blades advancing slowly towards him, aiming to his heart, eye, neck, and legs. His thoughts surged as he processed the best course of action in this situation. Then, his sword was wrapped in lightning. Sharp Blade! Sixty vibrations per second created a silvery glow that filled the black sword; and then, Aleen wielded it in direction of the blades. With an upward slash, Aleen first stopped the blade coming for his eye. A clang resounded in the slowed time, but the sword was already near the second blade. Twisting his wrist, he parried the second blade away before using his right armguard to stop the third blade. As for the fourth, a downward slash took care of it.This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. When time resumed running normally, the four blades had been repelled. The blue-skinned man showed a brief expression of surprise. ¡°Huh? To think that a level-two was able to stop my attack. Was it your skill?¡± Aleen did not answer and instead looked fixedly at the man. He knew that he could not lose focus even for an instant in this fight. ¡°Well, It doesn¡¯t matter.¡± The dran man shrugged his shoulder. ¡°At most, I will have to use more blades.¡± Instantly, the remaining blades vibrated excitedly. Then, the man extended his hand forward. ¡°Fuu!¡± Aleen took a breath and exhale deeply. Although he knew that he was weaker than the enemy, he would not give up. Besides, he was not completely defenseless. Actually, he had a new trick under his sleeve. When the giant bird of fire surged out from Claire¡¯s body and attacked the fog, Aleen thought about something. Claire could create small birds of fire without a problem, but when the big one appeared, she fell unconscious and her body was forced to rest. Just like a cooldown. Then, if he uses a weaker version of his skill, could he use it for a longer time? The answer was yes. Though it was less efficient. So, Aleen activated his skill. ¡®Lightning Movement!¡¯ He made sure of controlling his speed carefully. Instead of moving fifty meters in an instant, he moved at a 1/15 of his maximum speed. He then used his accelerated thoughts to estimate the trajectory of each blade and moved his sword. Ten seconds, it was the amount of time he could last under this state. But it was more than enough. The sword clashed repeatedly against the blades creating numerous metallic clangs. A rain of spark appeared with Aleen as the center, and then, he stepped forward. Aleen did not try to stop all the blades. Instead, he opened a path between him and the blue-skinned man. The blades tried to stop his advance frantically, but a quick swing of his sword would block them and allow Aleen to take another step forward. When all the blades between the enemy and him had been knocked away, Aleen accelerated. His speed shot up from 1/15 of his maximum speed to the normal speed of his skill. In an instant, he closed the distance between the man and him. An expression of astonishment appeared in the man¡¯s face, but when Aleen¡¯s sword was just ten centimeters away from his face, it stopped abruptly. Aleen opened his eyes in surprise. He tried to push his sword forward with all his strength, but it felt as though the sword was grabbed by an invisible hand. The blue-skinned man then looked at Aleen with a calm expression and muttered a word. ¡°Impressive.¡± His expression was deadpan, as someone congratulating a child for doing something that any adult can do. It was as though Aleen¡¯s efforts were nothing more than something slightly more interesting in the man''s eyes. However, Aleen smiled. From the beginning, he never thought that he could kill the man with this attack. He knew his limits. With the blue-skinned man''s strength, simply injuring him was already a hard task. No, he only needed to distract him long enough so he can¡¯t stop Claire. And at that moment, Claire released the firebird she created before. She did not aim it towards the blue-skinned man. Instead, it flew towards the thickest part of the fog. Then, it exploded. Instantly, a loud scream of pain resounded in all the forest. ¡°UuuOooorghhhhthtt!!!¡± Hundreds of faces appeared in the fog around them. The faces belonged to children, adults, men, women, humans, and non-humans. Fog creatures of all the shapes and forms screamed at the same time. Then, the ghosts surged toward them. Chapter 129 – Pursuit (4) When the giant bird of fire attacked the fog, the monster controlling it understood that the bird was way stronger than it, and stopped all the creatures in the forest from attacking Aleen and his group. It kept a distance and observed Claire from afar. It wanted to avoid fighting the bird and risk being killed. But when Claire took the initiative to attack its main body, it was completely enraged. Although it feared the bird¡¯s strength, it did not mean that it will let Claire kill it without resisting. So, it suppressed its instinctive fear of the firebird¡¯s aura and attacked with all its strength. Countless wraiths and ghosts were formed by the fog and attacked the group. They screamed creepily and extended their translucid claws to grab the bodies of Aleen and the others. This was the true form of the only monster in this game, Resentment Core. A monster formed by the accumulation of a great number of souls, that feeds and grows by eating more and more souls. Its body was the fog in the forest, and its main core was located in the place where the firebird exploded. It was a gigantic level-three monster made of countless level-one and level-two souls. Actually, the wraith that Aleen and the others fought before was just one of the many souls that make up the monster. It was sent out by the resentment core to find new souls to feed it. When the wraith was killed by Claire, it disappeared completely and weakened slightly the resentment core. But the resentment core owned many souls like that. And it did not hesitate to use them now. Aleen and the blue-skinned man¡¯s expressions changed. None of them thought that the monster of this game would be so terrifying. If not because Claire told him about the true identity of the monster, Aleen would have ignored that they were inside such a terrifying creature. And now that it decided to fight against the bird, it used all its strength. Almost all the fog in the forest cleared completely and transformed into wraiths and ghosts. They then attacked Aleen, Claire, and the blue-skinned man. But when the creatures were just a few meters away from Aleen and the others, a bird¡¯s chirp resounded from Claire¡¯s body.This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. ¡°Chirp!!!¡± The chirp was filled with authority. It froze all the ghosts in their steps and warned them about attacking its host. At the same time, the presence of the bird surged from Aleen and Claire¡¯s bodies. It was part of the set up that Aleen and Claire had planned before. Claire had left a bit of the bird¡¯s aura inside Aleen¡¯s body for this moment. The Resentment Core was completely enraged. The bird attacked it first and then told it that if it attacked its host, it would retaliate with all its strength. It was obvious bullying! But when it felt the bird¡¯s aura coming from Aleen and Claire, it did not dare to attack them. After all, it truly feared a fight against the bird. It had the feeling that the bird could kill it easily. It was a fear engraved in the deeps of its soul. So, it redirected all its rage to the only being nearby that was not enveloped by the bird¡¯s aura. The blue-skinned man. The Resentment Core did not realize that it was being used by Aleen and Claire. Its limited intelligence did not allow it to think until there. However, when the blue-skinned man felt the aura coming from Aleen and Claire¡¯s bodies, it knew that something was wrong. ¡°Bastards!¡± He cursed with a dark expression and tried to attack Aleen, but Aleen used the last bit of his skill to retreat instantly. Seeing the ghosts ignoring Aleen and Claire, and rushing towards him ferociously, his expression turned unsightly. He controlled his flying blades to attack the ghosts, but the attacks went through their bodies causing only a bit of damage. The ghosts flooded towards the blue-skinned man crazily. He could only do his best to stop their attacks and kill as many ghosts as possible. But the ghosts were endless. For each ghost that he killed, another three would take its place. He tried to escape from the ghosts¡¯ encirclement, but the resentment core was determined to bury him here. It sent more ghosts to block his way and stop him from running away. Therefore, the blue-skinned man could only go all out. Unfortunately, his skills were ill-suited to deal with the ghosts. The flying blades were almost useless against them, so he had to coat them with mana and blade intent to made them more effective. His other skill, on the other hand, was a bit more useful. It created an invisible hand of mana that crushed the ghosts constantly and protected his body against any attack. But despite facing the endless attacks from the ghosts, the man held his ground without suffering any injury. Aleen could not help but sigh in amazement. If it would have been him facing the ghosts instead of the man, he would have been gravely injured for now. The fact that the man could hold his ground calmly under this situation was evidence of his monstrous strength. However, at the end of the day, the blue-skinned man was not almighty. A few minutes after being surrounded, he began to show signs of fatigue. Then, he finally showed an opening. A ghost¡¯s attack penetrated his defenses and hit his body. The dran man quickly killed the ghost, but it was clear that his situation was worsening. Little by little, his expression turned heavy. Before long, more ghosts penetrated his defenses. And Aleen, who was observing the fight from a distance, took a deep breath. At the current rate, it was possible for the man to kill all the ghosts before the ghosts can kill him. So, it was time for Aleen to make his move. He held his sword firmly in his right hand and focused his gaze. Aleen waited for the perfect chance to heavily wound the man. And at this moment, the chance appeared. Chapter 130 – Turned Into Lightning (1) One of the ghosts opened his mouth widely and bit at the blue-skinned man. However, the blue-skinned man''s reactions were very fast. He stared at the ghost and his mana hand crushed it into pieces. But while his mana hand was busy killing that ghost, two more level-two ghosts appeared behind him and stabbed at him with their claws while screaming madly. All of the blue-skinned man¡¯s blades were busy stopping other ghosts, so he could not use them. He could only move aside flustered to avoid the ghosts¡¯ attacks. Unfortunately, he lost his balance for an instant after evading the attacks. It was not the first time the blue-skinned man showed an opening during the fight, but Aleen did not act before this and waited until the moment when he was sure he could injure him gravely. And this was the moment. Before the man could recover his balance, Aleen stepped forward and activated his skill. Lightning Movement! Different from last time, Aleen did not restrict the skill¡¯s and instead, tried to move as fast as possible. His body was covered in lightning, and everything around him slowed down. His eyes flashed with a silver arc and his body charged forth. Aleen was sure that this was his fastest attack ever. He felt as though his body was released from the shackles restricting it and finally showed his true power. In an instant, he was already before the blue-skinned man. His sword was filled with mana, and sixty-two layers of vibrations gave it an incredible level of sharpness. Aleen put on a determined expression and slashed down with all his strength. The sword moved an incredible speed and cut towards the blue-skinned man¡¯s neck. At this distance, the attack was unavoidable. But when the sword was about to cut his neck, the blue-skinned man¡¯s eyes glinted. Then, one last blade flew from below his robes and fell into his hand. The man wielded the blade with extremely smooth movements. He filled it with mana and put it between his neck and Aleen¡¯s sword. *Clang!* With a sharp sound, the two weapons clashed. For a brief moment, both weapons kept a stalemate. The man''s strength was greater, but Aleen¡¯s speed added enough power to his attack to draw a tie with him.Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel. Aleen was surprised. He could not believe that the blue-skinned man was holding back before even under such a dangerous situation. Furthermore, he was wielding the blade with great familiarity. Aleen was certain that his close-ranged skills were not much weaker than his long-ranged attacks. Until now, he had used only ranged attacks and gave Aleen the mistaken impression that he was a long-ranged combatant. But at this moment, he showed his trump card. The man smirked at Aleen¡¯s surprised expression. He then waved his free hand and controlled the other flying blades to attack Aleen. But Aleen¡¯s surprised expression quickly turned back to normal. Actually, he expected something like this when he realized the attack. The blue-skinned man was Aleen¡¯s strongest enemy until now, so Aleen did not dare to underestimate him. He had thought about the worst-case scenery from before realizing the attack, and though he was surprised by the blue-skinned man¡¯s close combat skills, he was not completely helpless. Still under the effects of ¡®Lightning Movement¡¯, Aleen raised his left leg and kicked towards the blue-skinned man¡¯s waist. The man smirked in ridicule. Although Aleen¡¯s kick could hurt him slightly, it could not change the current situation. But at the next instant, his expression changed to one of astonishment. Aleen¡¯s left greave turned silver. It began to vibrate at great speed and sparks of lightning surrounded it. Sharp Blade ¨C Leg version. Aleen was not sure about the power of this move, but he knew that the blue-skinned man could not afford to receive it. Even if this attack could not kill him, it could hurt him gravely enough that he would be unable to cope with the ghosts'' attacks. And the man¡¯s next reaction proved his guess. The blue-skinned man jumped back to evade the attack, but it allowed Aleen to avoid the blades coming towards him. Using the great speed of Lightning Movement, Aleen flashed at the right and thrusted his sword forward. The man blocked hurriedly with his sword, but the sword thrust made him step back again. At this moment, the ghosts nearby attacked him crazily. When the man controlled the blades to attack Aleen he left a hole in his defenses. It would not have been a problem if he dispatched Aleen quickly and then controlled the blades to stop the ghosts again, but because he failed to kill Aleen, it created a dangerous situation. In front, he had Aleen¡¯s sword, and behind, he had the ghosts¡¯ attacks. For the first time from the beginning of the fight, the man felt the threat of death. Aleen adjusted his position and attacked again. He made use of his accelerated thoughts to calculate the best method of attack and sent his blade in that position. The man controlled the blades frantically and barely stopped the ghosts. At the same time, he wielded the blade in his hand to parry Aleen¡¯s sword. But Aleen slightly twisted his wrist and changed the movement of the sword. The blue-skinned man''s eyes opened wide. He could see the sword approaching slowly towards his neck at incredible speed. But when the sword was about to pierce his neck, he shouted. His eyes turned white, and the mana hand stopping the ghosts¡¯ attacks grew in size. It extended until the man¡¯s neck and stopped the sword completely. Aleen felt something invisible stopping his sword. Although the sword was a millimeter away from beheading his enemy, he felt that it was very far away. Aleen¡¯s eyes turned fierce. He sent his remaining mana into the sword and gritted his teeth. Blood began to flow from his lips, but he did not give up. The sword turned completely silver. Lightning surged from it and Sharp Blade grew stronger, but despite it, the sword could not advance anymore. But Aleen was not resigned to die here. He was determined to kill the enemy with this attack, no matter the cost. ¡°HAHHHHHHHH!!!!¡± With a cry of rage, he took a step forward. And then, something changed in the sword. Sharp Blade stopped abruptly, and the lightning surrounding the sword disappeared. Then, the sword itself transformed into lightning... ... And pierced the man¡¯s neck. Chapter 131 – Turned into Lightning (2) According to Einstein, the energy of an object is equivalent to E=mc2. It means that in 1 mg there is the equivalent to 900 billion newtons of energy approximately. That amount of energy is comparable to the energy released in an atomic bomb. So, when Aleen¡¯s sword turned into energy, the amount of power behind the attack could not be estimated. Of course, Aleen is far from being able to turn the sword completely into energy, but even the small amount of mass he transformed turned his sword into a lethal weapon. The blue-skinned man opened his eyes wide in surprise. He could not believe that his prey cornered him to this degree, moreover, he pierced his neck. Aleen, on the other hand, was looking at his sword with a blank expression. He could feel something inside his mind changing. Lightning runes began to take shape into his mind, and his understating of his skill grew at an astonishing degree. Aleen felt as though a sea of knowledge flooded his mind. He could feel inexhaustible strength filling his body. His sword was shuddering in delight, and his mana was circulating quickly in his body, swallowing the mana around of him and making it his own. Lightning rays were born with his sword as the origin. They exploded outwards and attacked everything around Aleen. Many ghosts screamed in fear and tried to run away, but the rays of lightning swallowed them at the next instant. Even the resentment core, a true level-three monster, strengthened its defenses in fear when it saw the spectacle created by Aleen¡¯s sword. ¡°I-Impossible¡­¡± The blue-skinned man forced that word out of his mouth, but Aleen was unable to hear him. He was completely immersed in the indescribable sensation he was living now. However, the dran man was a level-three powerhouse. He desperately tried to activate his skills to escape this predicament, but he was unable to mobilize his mana under these circumstances. It was as though a stronger force was holding his mana in place and hindering his control over his skills. There was only a phenomenon that could cause something like this. Breakthrough.Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. But the dran man could not understand what kind of breakthrough would create such a scene. He was sure that a level-four breakthrough towards level-five was not so incredible as it. The skill produced through this breakthrough¡­ How incredible would it be!? He did not dare to think about it. Looking at Aleen, who was surrounded by lightning and mana, an unresigned feeling filled the blue-skinned man. He was not resigned to die like this. He had a bright future, filled with splendor and glory. How could he die here? But no matter how he struggled, everything was useless. Under the power of the universe rules, his strength was insignificant. Aleen continued immersed in that indescribable state. The new rune in his mind was quickly being formed. It was growing and taking shape without stop, becoming more perfect with each passing second. It was the second time Aleen felt like this, but this time was many times better than the first time. When he acquired his first skill, it was a fleeting moment, like an insight that appears and disappears before you can understand it completely. But now, it was more like a baptism than an insight. Aleen did not know it, but the skill he was comprehending was, in fact, something exceptional. If skills can be measured by grades, then D¡¯vina¡¯s Sword Body was grade C, Elvila¡¯s Mana Shield could be considered as B, and Aya¡¯s Bond, Claire¡¯s Blazing Firebird, and Aleen¡¯s Lightning Movement were A. But the skill he was comprehending now, it was at least SSS-. Across history, only a few in each generation could comprehend skills like this before reaching Level-five. Unfortunately, it was not so easy to create a skill like this. When Aleen was in the most important part of the rune, his body twitched. An instant later, an intense pain invaded all his body. Aleen felt as though all his body was being bitten by ants. The pain was a few times worse than when he used the Body-Enhancement Drug. Then, the rune of his second skill went out of control. The mana being used to create the rune became berserk and attacked Aleen¡¯s mind. Aleen could not help but groan in pain. At that moment, a small part of the rune broke. Instantly, Aleen felt that his lightning sword became impossible to control. He tried to hold it with more strength, but the sword began to shudder with so violently that his enhanced arm began to hurt. Finally, the mana being sent into the sword was cut out completely. Aleen knew that something was wrong immediately. Without hesitation, he released the sword and jumped back with all his strength. The blue-skinned man stared at Aleen with his eyes opened in fear and desperation. He tried for the last time to escape from the sword. If he escaped, he had a small probability of relying on his strong vitality to heal the wound and survive. Unfortunately, it was already too late. Before Aleen could escape more than ten meters, all the mana in the surroundings quietened down. Aleen instinctively circulated his mana towards his skin. He increased his defenses at the higher level possible and gritted his teeth. In the next second, the energy in the sword exploded. A ball of plasma and lightning burned everything in a twenty-meters radius. Chapter 132 – Explosion *BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMM!!!* The powerful explosion resounded in the entire forest. Even the participants far away could detect it. Their faces changed completely. As level-three, they could feel the power behind that explosion, and none of them could be sure they could endure something like that. ¡®To think that there is someone so strong inside this game.¡¯ They thought. Most of the participants instantly moved away from the place of the explosion. None of them wanted to face the one responsible for the attack. Only a pair of people remained around. As for their intentions, nobody could know them. Everything in a twenty-meters radius was burned down by the explosion. Many ghosts were unable to scream before being turned into ashes, and nothing remained from the blue-skinned man''s corpse. But the enemies were not the only ones affected by the explosion. Unfortunately for Aleen, when the explosion happened, he was inside the most dangerous area. Though he shielded his body with a layer of mana, the explosion of lightning was terrifying. If not because Aleen received a temporary boost in his mana due to the failed breakthrough, he would have been unable to endure the attack. Claire, on the other hand, was in a much better situation. She was pretty far from the epicenter of the explosion when it happened, and although she was impacted by the shockwaves, a layer of flames appeared automatically on her skin and resisted most of the impact. When the dust finally cleared, Claire immediately searched for Aleen. ¡°Brother! Brother!¡± Claire did not realize that she reverted at her former way of calling Aleen, but she would not care about it even if she realized. After all, she was too worried about Aleen¡¯s wellbeing to mind it. Fortunately, she heard a groan of pain coming from a few meters away one second later.This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. ¡°Urgh!¡± ¡°Brother!¡± She called happily. Claire instantly ran towards the source of the sound and helped Aleen up. She stared at Aleen with a concerned expression and noticed the numerous injuries on his skin. ¡°Cough cough!¡± Aleen coughed intensely and vomited a mouthful of blood. He then groaned in pain once more and tried to circulate his mana to alleviate his injuries. His body was filled with burns everywhere. Aleen could hardly breathe without feeling a bout of pain due to them. Miraculously, though, his limbs were complete. Aleen thought that he would lose at least an arm or leg after that explosion, but besides a few dangerous looking burns, he was mostly alright. It happened because his body was still filled with energy when the explosion happened and said energy protected him from the plasma and lightning. But Aleen did not know it. He just thought he was very lucky. ¡°Are you alright, Aleen?¡± Claire asked looking worried at Aleen. Her way of calling him returned to Aleen instead of brother. Aleen nodded silently and forced a smile on his face. He then sat cross-legged and proceeded to treat his injuries. After one minute, he finished the basic treatment. Aleen would have liked to spend a bit more time treating his injuries, but he knew they were not out of danger yet. Aleen opened his eyes and gazed and the place destroyed by the lightning. He could not believe that it was caused by him. Aleen then gazed at Claire and put on a serious expression. ¡°He is dead, but I think it¡¯s better if we get away from here.¡± Claire nodded. ¡°Hmm. If someone came here following the explosion, then we¡¯ll be in danger again. It¡¯s better if we did not take more risks.¡± Aleen agreed with her. ¡°Is your body better now?¡± He asked noticing that her expression was glossier. Claire smiled softly. ¡°Yeah. I¡¯m feeling a bit better now, but my body is still a bit weak.¡± ¡°It¡¯s good.¡± Aleen sighed in relief. Afterward, Aleen looked around for his sword. He found it quickly. The sword had been deformed by the strength and heat of the explosion, but it had not been destroyed completely. Aleen sighed in admiration and guarded it in his ring. Although it was a bit damaged, Aleen could not afford another weapon currently, and it was better than nothing. But when they were about to leave the place, they were forced to stop in their tracks. Because their worst fears became true. Without they realizing, a man had appeared on the crater of the explosion. He was crouching in the ground, holding one of the blue-skinned man¡¯s blades with his back against Aleen and Claire. But despite his back being full of openings, Aleen and Claire did not dare to move. The man examined the blade quietly, and then looked at the surroundings with a curious expression. Finally, he turned his gaze towards Aleen and Claire. ¡°I can''t believe you managed to kill Smildor. How did you do it?¡± Aleen and Claire did not reply. They put on serious expressions as though they were facing their greatest enemy and grabbed their weapons. The deformed Dark Night returned to Aleen¡¯s hand, and another bird of fire took shape in front of Claire. They were ready to fight to the death. But their enemy only gave them a casual glance and frowned irritated. ¡°How useless. To think that he would die while facing two level-two trashes. I¡¯m ashamed of being his partner for this mission. Well, it doesn¡¯t matter. I¡¯ll correct his mistake now.¡± Instantly, a powerful killing intent attacked Aleen and Claire. Aleen¡¯s face could not help but turn ugly. Chapter 133 – Power (1) Powerful killing intent filled the place. Aleen felt as though his body was submerged in a pool of freezing water. The killing intent was greater than anything he felt before. Aleen was sure that the new enemy was related to the one they just killed. After all, both of them were blue-skinned men, and their clothes were alike. Even their faces resembled each other. Aleen even suspected they were brothers. But if the one they killed before seemed like a mysterious and elegant man, this one was purely strong. His enormous muscles were bulging, and his apparently relaxed posture could show unimaginable power in just an instant. Aleen could felt an intangible pressure coming from him. It was as though his mere presence were trying to suppress him completely. ¡°Come on, little birds. I promise you that I¡¯ll be gentle if you don¡¯t resist.¡± The man spoke in a malicious tone. They could not escape. No matter how fast Lightning Movement is, Aleen¡¯s mana was not infinite, so he could not rely on it to escape from a level-three forever. Moreover, there were two more hours remaining until the end of the game. Aleen was not confident in playing cat and mouse with a level-three enemy for so long. So, their only option was to fight. Aleen held Dark Night on his hands and prepared himself to activate his skill. ¡°Stay away, Claire. I¡¯ll face him.¡± ¡°¡­ Be careful.¡± Claire replied with a concerned tone and retreated while looking at the man warily. The man simply smiled and let Claire retreat without making a move. But at that moment, he exclaimed in surprise and moved his sight to a place a bit away from them. ¡°How interesting. I thought you two were the only ones here.¡± He then walked towards there leisurely and grabbed something from the air. Aleen saw a small translucid ball taking shape above his hand. The ball tried to struggle and escape from the man, but it seemed as something was keeping it in place. It was the Resentment Core, or what remained from it. ¡°Was it what helped you to kill my kin? It looks like a level-three, but it¡¯s not far from death now.¡± Aleen¡¯s expression hardened. He had the feeling that the man could know everything that happened here with just a look. ¡°Well, it also helped to kill my kin, so it deserves to die. Don¡¯t you think so?¡± He then squeezed the ball strongly and grinned in delight. The Resentment Core tried to struggle desperately, but it had been gravely injured after the fight against the level-three dran. Moreover, it also received a great part of the explosion afterward. All the ghosts and wraiths nearby had been killed, and it could not make use of them to fight anymore. ¡°Eeekkk! Eeekk!¡± The resentment Core cried pitifully for a few seconds, then, Aleen heard a crack sound, and the cries stopped.Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. The man then released the translucid ball and turned toward Aleen and Aya. The ball transformed into dust at the next instant, and then, it disappeared. ¡°It¡¯s your turn now.¡± The man smiled again. Aleen grunted calmly and circulated his mana through his body. Currently, Aleen could feel an enormous amount of mana running through his mana circuits. Even although the breakthrough failed, Aleen did earn something of it. Not only his mana increased drastically, but his body felt stronger despite the injuries, and his skill felt easier to use than before. He felt as though the limits holding his skill back were broken, and its entire power was released. Therefore, although he did fear the level-three dran before them, he was confident that he could endure for a while. Of course, he knew it was not enough. He needed to do more than endure if he wanted to protect Claire¡¯s and his life on this game. Aleen did fear death, but he was not a coward. Just like before, he could risk his life to find the opportunity to reverse the situation. And now, it was the moment to risk his life again. The level-three dran took a step forward, and Aleen''s eyes flashed with silver light. Time slowed down around him, and the surrounding objects began to move sluggishly. Even the level-three in front of him was moving in an apparent slow pace. Lightning Movement¡¯s derived skill, Dynamic Sight! Different, from before, Dynamic Sight was not limited in time anymore. Aleen got the feeling that he could keep the skill activated for as long as he has mana. Moreover, the effects of the skill were even better than before. Under the slowed time, the level-three dran pressed his right foot down against the ground and leaned forward. The next instant, an explosion occurred in the place where his foot was. His body shot forward at great speed, and his hand tightened into a punch that aimed directly at Aleen¡¯s head. All of the man¡¯s movements were clear before Aleen¡¯s eyes. Aleen knew exactly how the man was going to move, where his foot was going to land, and how his muscles were going to act. Everything was clearly reflected in his eyes. So, he made his move. A feigned expression of surprise appeared on Aleen¡¯s face. The expression was so real than the level-three dran smirked secretly in his mind and thought that Aleen was astonished seeing his speed. But when his punch was about to crush Aleen¡¯s head, Aleen disappeared. At the next instant, a sword was attacking the man from the left. Lightning Movement! The man put on a startled expression. He reflexively raised his arm to block the attack, but the sword moved again and this time pierced towards his leg. More than one hundred vibrations per second made the sword shudder sharply. The level-three dran felt his skin pricking even before the sword could touch his leg. Supreme Sword of Bringing Calamity¡¯s Sword technique, Sharp Blade! Thanks to the insights he acquired during his failed breakthrough and the abundant mana on his body, Aleen finally achieved initial mastery of this technique. Although the current power of the technique could not be compared to a skill, it was not far from it. This attack was more than enough to hurt seriously a level-three. But the one they were facing now was not a normal level-three. When the sword was about to pierce his leg, a layer of light surrounded the level-three dran¡¯s body and stopped the blade completely. Aleen felt as though a metal wall was blocking his sword. No matter how he tried to pierce forward, the sword remained immobile. Then, he felt an incredible strength crushing at him from above. Aleen obeyed his instincts and moved away instantly. The next second, an enormous explosion occurred where he was just an instant ago. A cloud of dust formed in the place where the explosion occurred, and a deafening sound impacted Aleen. Once the cloud disappeared, Aleen could see the man staring at him with an excited expression. His punch was touching the ground, and a crater of two meters of radius had been created in the place of the explosion. Just a punch caused so much damage. Aleen could not help but feel cold sweat running through his back when he imagined that punch hitting his body. The man stood up slowly and looked at Aleen happily. ¡°How fast! Is it lightning? Were you the one that created the explosion? Yes, the girl is a fire type, but I can feel traces of lightning in the explosion.¡± Aleen narrowed his eyes and refused to answer. ¡°Unfortunately, it looks like you can¡¯t use again, right? You would have used it just now otherwise.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Are you not going to answer? How boring. Well, it doesn¡¯t matter. Now that I saw your lightning, allow me to teach you the strength of my aspect, ¡®Power¡¯.¡± Chapter 134 – Power (2) Aspects are the manifestation of an individual attunement to the laws. They grant certain boosts to the user and help to strengthen the body. But it¡¯s not their most important function. Their most important function is to determine the kind of skills someone can get. Aleen¡¯s aspect is lightning, so besides a small boost to speed, it¡¯s easier for him to acquire skills related to lightning. Even if he acquires skills of other aspects, like space or time, it will a few times harder and less compatible that lightning-related ones. The level-three dran, on the other hand, possessed a completely different aspect. ¡®Power¡¯. It¡¯s a very rare aspect, with very few people being born with it in each generation, but it¡¯s as powerful as it¡¯s rare. This aspect only has a characteristic, overpower. But just this characteristic makes it frightening. If taken at the limit, it can crush and destroy everything. Unfortunately, the level-three dran was very far from that level. Of course, his current level was frightening enough. The level-three dran looked at Aleen in excitement and took a boxing stance. He then curved his lips upwards and moved. His movements could be described as explosive. If Aleen was fast and sharp, then he was heavy and overwhelming. With each step he took, a crater was left on the ground and his body was shot forward. When he was just a few meters away from Aleen, he swung his punch. But Aleen avoided the attack skillfully. He used Dynamic Sight and Lightning Movement at the same time and moved at the perfect moment. His level of control over Lightning Movement was incredible. He used it only when it was necessary, and turned it off when he did not need it. Like that, he could save mana and wait for the perfect opportunity. But it only made his enemy more excited. The level-three dran grinned in delight and continued chasing after Aleen, throwing punches left and right and trying to corner him. Aleen could only move constantly to avoid the attacks. Although he had the advantage in speed, all his remaining specs were far below his enemy. He was sure that he could not endure even a blow from him, and his attacks could not go through his defense. A tank, it was as Aleen saw the level-three dran. Twisting his body, Aleen evaded another punch. He circled behind the man and stabbed towards his chest, but the same layer of light appeared and stopped the attack. At the same time, a kick came from below and aimed at Aleen''s chest.The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. Aleen stepped backward and stabbed again, this time towards the head. The level-three moved his head aside and used his shoulder to try to ram Aleen. Feeling the strength behind that attack, Aleen cursed under his breath and moved back again. In seconds, he appeared a few meters away from the level-three dran. A layer of sweat had formed on Aleen¡¯s forehead. He could feel that the injuries he suffered before were beginning to take his toll. At the current rate, he did not know how long he could endure. The level-three dran looked in direction of Aleen and frowned briefly. ¡°You are pretty good at running, huh¡­¡± ¡°¡­ Well, I would like to kill you directly, but unfortunately, my strength doesn¡¯t leave me with another option.¡± ¡°Hahaha. How funny! Hey kid, if you are so good evading, why don¡¯t you try to evade this?!¡± With a confident gaze, the level-three dran charged towards Aleen fiercely. Aleen remained calm and made use of Dynamic Sight to observe the man''s movements. There surely was a reason why the level-three dran was so confident this time, so Aleen did not dare to be negligent. He was prepared to escape at the first sign that something was wrong. But when the man was halfway of reaching Aleen, he clenched his hand. Aleen¡¯s expression changed immediately. He felt the air tightening around him, and his movements slowed down. Without hesitation, he circulated all the mana inside his body and tried to escape from there. However, the level-three dran¡¯s attack was already in the way. While Aleen was struggling to escape from the cage of air, the level-three dran swung his punch and grinned sadistically. But suddenly, a bird of fire came flying from Claire¡¯s direction. The bird of fire did not try to stop the level-three man¡¯s attack. Instead, it crashed against Aleen¡¯s back and exploded fiercely. The flames enveloped Aleen and began to burn everything nearby. Strangely, though, the fire did not burn Aleen. It only burned the cage holding Aleen down and disappeared. Aleen did not hesitate to go all out. He filled his sword with mana and slashed the burn cage before jumping out. He then activated Lightning Movement to run away from the enemy¡¯s punch. But although Claire acted quickly and Aleen was able to escape the cage, he was unable to evade the attack completely. Seeing the attack coming towards him, he held the sword in front of his body and blocked the punch. The next instant, Aleen felt an incredible power invading him. Aleen¡¯s bones groaned due to the strength of the attack. A sweet taste filled his mouth, and his vision blanked for an instant. Dynamic Sight and Lightning Movement were still active, so Aleen made use of them to adjust his body into the best position to receive the blow. He then used the strength behind the attack and pushed himself away. ¡°Cough!¡± Aleen vomited a mouthful of blood and wiped his lips. He stared at the level-three dran with an expression of surprise. To think that despite only receiving a small portion of the attack, Aleen still was heavily injuries. ¡°Oh? You survived? I thought you would be done after this attack.¡± The level-three dran taunted. Aleen kept calm despite hearing him. He could not afford to commit even one mistake now, so he needed to think every movement carefully. However, the level-three dran was already bored of this game. ¡°You know, you are a hard-to-catch rat. But I got a great idea to catch you. You see kid, you can escape all you want. But, can she escape too?¡± Then, the level-three dran pointed at Claire. "Don''t you dare!" Aleen opened his eyes wide, but before he could move, the level-three dran sent an attack in direction of Claire. Aleen reacted instantly. He activated Lightning Movement and rushed towards her. He was confident about saving her before the attack hits. Unfortunately, the level-three dran was waiting for this moment. So, when Aleen was about to grab Claire, the dran punched again. Chapter 135 – Power (3) When Aleen was about to grab Claire, the dran punched again. If the first punch was the bait to force Aleen to save Claire, then the second punch was the killer blow. The level-three dran aimed at the place where Aleen had to pass to rescue Claire. Aleen¡¯s expression changed, but in the next second, he put on a determined face. Even if he knew that it was a trap, he could not see at Claire in danger without doing anything. Lightning surged from Aleen¡¯s body and flowed into his veins. Aleen decided to risk it all. If he could not rescue Claire, then he would die in the try. But when he was about to face the punch, he saw something from the corner of his eyes. Aleen put on a startled expression and hesitated slightly, but he finally decided to bet on her. So, he stopped. The level-three dran was surprised when he saw Aleen¡¯s actions. He was sure that Aleen would try to rescue Claire at any cost, and he looked determined to save her just a moment ago. Why did he suddenly stop then? But at the next instant, someone answered his question. It was impossible for Claire to evade the level-three dran¡¯s punch. She was too slow and her body was too weak to move away in time. Precisely because he knew it, the level-three dran slowed down the speed of the attack. It was to give Aleen the chance to react and bait him successfully, and also because he could not afford to kill Claire. After all, his main goal here was related to her. But precisely because of it, he created an opportunity for a certain someone. When the punch was about to strike Claire, a silver-haired girl appeared suddenly and rushed towards her. She moved quickly. In an instant, she appeared beside Claire and pushed her away. The level-three dran was surprised. He could not believe that he did not notice that someone was hiding nearby despite his higher level. ¡®A stealth skill?¡¯ He wondered briefly, but in the next instant, he responded to the girl¡¯s sudden appearance. With a snort, he threw another punch towards the new girl.Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. However, Aleen was not going to allow it. Lightning flashed and he appeared in front of the dran. His sword glowed in silver and an enormous amount of mana made it vibrate at great speed. ¡°Die!¡± Aleen shouted powerfully and thrusted the sword towards the dran¡¯s eyes. The level-three dran reacted instinctively and retracted his punch to block the sword. He could not risk having his eye pierced even if he was confident in his defense, so he decisively gave up on the girls and concentrated on defending against Alee. Claire and Aya took advantage of Aleen¡¯s distraction to retreat. Aleen sighed in relief when he saw it. The sword hit the level-three¡¯s arm, but it was stopped by the defensive layer of light. Aleen was not discouraged though. After all, he was expecting that result. Instead, he intensified his attacks to draw the dran¡¯s attention away from Claire and Aya. But the level-three saw through his intention. He then ignored Aleen¡¯s attacks and chased after the girls. He only defended proactively when Aleen attacked a dangerous part, as the eyes or the neck. But Aleen could not attack those parts repeatedly or he risked being caught by the level-three dran. The level-three dran caught up with Claire and Aya quickly. He clenched his fist and attacked them. The fist compressed the space surrounding the girls and forced them to face it head-on. Claire created a bird of fire and threw it against the level-three dran, but it could only stop the fist briefly before being destroyed. The fist then continued descending towards Claire and Aya without losing its momentum. At that instant, Lily jumped from a bush nearby and attacked the level-three dran. Her silver claws shined with a dark glow and stabbed directly at the dran¡¯s neck. The dran was surprised when he was Lily. He could not believe that he failed again to detect a living being hiding nearby. However, he recovered his composure instantly. He was confident in his defense, so he decided to ignore Lily¡¯s attack and focus on the girls. Although he could not kill Claire carelessly, there was no problem if he crippled her and killed Aya. But unexpectedly, his defense was unable to stop Lily. Although the layer of light was still there, Lily¡¯s claws passed through it without triggering its defensive properties. It was as though the layer of light was non-existent. Lily¡¯s claws stabbed the level-three dran¡¯s neck, wounding the powerful enemy for the first time. The level-three dran¡¯s expression changed instantly. With a frightened expression, he twisted his neck and jumped back, evading the rest of Lily¡¯s attack. Despite it, however, a dangerous-looking gash appeared on his neck. The level-three dran quickly circulated his mana and put his hand on the wound to stop the blood loss. He then looked at Lily and put on a serious expression. ¡°Shadow aspect? It ignores defense?¡± Lily just bared her fangs and retreated beside Aya. Aleen was surprised seeing that Lily was able to wound the level-three, but the explanation of the dran cleared his doubts. It was apparent that it was a property of Lily¡¯s skill. He was prepared to use his body to stop the dran¡¯s attack, but fortunately, it was not necessary. Furthermore, now that they had a way to hurt the level-three dran, their situation turned a bit better. The level-three dran stared fixedly at the cat and touched his neck. He looked at the blood that flowed from the wound and grinned. ¡°A bit interesting. Unfortunately, you failed to kill me with that blow.¡± Chapter 136 – Power (4) ¡°Was it your trump card?¡± The level-three dran asked while looking at Aleen. ¡°I noticed that you had a plan hidden, but I never thought it would be so effective. A magic pet that is able to ignore defenses and is good at concealing itself. To be honest, if not because I was wary of your trump card, I would have fallen for it.¡± Aleen was confused inside his mind, but he did not show it. Actually, he did not even know that Aya and Lily were nearby. But the level-three dran was certain that it was Aleen¡¯s plan. Although he was one level higher than Aleen and the others, he was a bit wary of them. After all, his level-three companion died while facing them. But now that he knew their trump card, the level-three dran was completely confident about killing them. ¡°Unfortunately, that trick will not work again.¡± The dran shook his head and took a deep breath. His presence surged against Aleen and the others froze the mana in the surroundings. ¡°Now that I know the cat''s attacks can ignore defenses, it will be unable to touch me.¡± Then, he clenched his fist. Instantly, Aleen felt the space around them changing. A powerful pressure pressed Aleen and the others. Aleen found hard to move his body, much less escape from there. It was the same technique he used before, but on a bigger scale. It was probably a variation of his first skill but focused on suppressing the enemy instead of attacking them. While Aleen and the others were struggling to move their bodies, the level-three dran took a step forward. His right hand formed a fist, and a translucid glow surrounded it. Aleen was sure that this attack would be stronger than the ones before. Under Aleen and the others¡¯ grave gazes, the level-three dran swung his punch down. Claire desperately created another bird of fire to burn the pressure surrounding them, but when it was burnt, it was already too late for Claire and Aya to escape. Helpless, Aleen could only take a defensive stance and get ready to receive the blow and shiel them. Lily tried to attack the level-three again, but the dran was ready for it. He simply sneered and kicked her away. He did not stop the fist and looked at them with a complacent expression. ¡°Lily!¡± Cried Aya, but Lily did not answer. Aya''s face turned pale, but she could only look as Lily was fell unconscious.If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. In the next instant, the punch impacted Aleen¡¯s sword. Dark Night cracked up. It stopped the punch briefly before breaking into tens of pieces that flew away. Then, the punch continued its path. Finally, it reached Aleen. But at that moment, a glint flashed on Aleen''s eyes. Lightning Movement was activated, but Aleen did not use it to move away. If he moved away, then Claire and Aya had to suffer the brunt of the attack. Instead, he sidestepped the blow and hugged the level-three dran''s body. The level-three dran put on an expression of surprise. Although this move of Aleen would allow him to evade the attack and protect the girls¡¯ lives, it was the same as sealing his fate. The next attack surely would be his end. At most, it would gain Aleen half a second of time. However, half a second was more than enough for him. ¡°Finally, you are close enough¡­¡± Aleen muttered with a smile. The level-three dran¡¯s face changed. But before he could understand Aleen¡¯s goal, an intense heat suddenly appeared. With Claire as the center, a wave of flames filled the surroundings. The flames burned fiercely and reflected a fiery red glow on Claire¡¯s eyes. Then, an incredible transformation occurred in the flames. The wave of flames converged into Claire¡¯s body, and a pair of fiery wings took shape behind her. The wings extended majestically and aroused the flames in the surroundings. Then, a giant bird of fire came out of Claire''s body. ¡°Chirp!!!¡± The bird chirped pridefully and stared at the level-three dran with its crimson red eyes. It showed an expression of disdain as though that powerful enemy was not worthy enough of standing before it. Then, it flapped its wings. The temperature in the surroundings increased for more than one thousand degrees, but strangely, it did not hurt Aleen and Aya. The level-three dran, on the other hand, was forced to activate his defensive skill to protect himself from the strong temperatures. However, the power of an eternal flame was not something that a weak level-three could bear. The next instant, the bird of fire flew towards him. The level-three dran tried to evade the attack, but Aleen was holding him in place. Although he managed to move a bit, it was not enough to escape away from the attack. ¡°Damn it!¡± The level-three cursed and punched Aleen in the stomach. Aleen¡¯s body flew away and crashed against the floor while vomiting a great amount of blood. But although he was seriously injured, he managed to earn enough time for the bird of fire to reach the level-three dran. Out of options, the dran could only try to confront the giant bird of fire head-on. He sent all his mana towards his hand and punched the bird with all his strength. His muscled bulged up, and the laws of power filled his punch. It created a powerful glow that crushed everything in its path. In this life and death situation, the level-three dran¡¯s skill had a breakthrough and became even stronger. But everything was useless facing the supreme fire belonging to an eternal flame. The laws filling the punch were burned into cinders, followed by the dran¡¯s hand, then his arm, and finally his body. ¡°Ahhhhh!!!¡± The level-three dran screamed in pain, but nobody could stop the flames created by the bird of fire. In seconds, not even ashes remained from the level-three''s body. ¡°Chiiiiiiirrrrrppppppp!!!¡± The bird of fire roared in pride and spread his wings arrogantly. Its eyes looked at Aleen and Aya fixedly, and then, it returned to Claire¡¯s body. No sound could be heard in the entire forest. Chapter 137 – Dream The entire forest fell silent after the firebird screeched. All the people in the forest could feel the majesty of the ruler of flames. They looked in the direction of the bird with admiration and fear, but nobody dared to come close. A few seconds later, the bird stopped. It gave a last glance to Aleen and Aya and returned to Claire¡¯s body. Instantly, Claire fell on the ground unconscious. Aleen tried to stand up and caught Claire, but a strong pain assaulted him. A mouthful of blood escaped his lips, and his body gave in. Finally, he fell on the ground while extending his hand towards Claire¡¯s unconscious body. In the next instant, his vision turned dark. With his last thought, he prayed that Claire would be fine. In the end, only Aya remained standing. A trace of panic flashed in her eyes, but she composed herself quickly. She walked towards Aleen and put him beside Claire. Afterward, she ran towards Lily and lifted her with a pained expression. She sighed in relief when she realized that Lily was alright. But when checked Aleen and Claire¡¯s condition, her expression turned somber. Claire¡¯s temperature was incredibly high, and Aleen''s wounds seemed very serious. She was not sure if they could survive until the end of the game. Claire had recovered from the extreme fever before, so Aya decided to leave her alone and hope that she would turn better with the time. But Aleen¡¯s situation was different. He was vomiting blood constantly and his skin had turned purple and swollen in some parts. Aya suspected he was bleeding internally, but she could do nothing to stop it. In the end, she decided to circulate her mana inside his body and hope that the regenerative properties of mana help him to endure until the end of the game. Actually, her response was the best one in that situation. Aya remained guarding Aleen, Claire, and Lily until the end of the game. Fortunately, none of the level-three remaining dared to come close to their location due to the commotion caused by the lightning explosion and the giant bird of fire. Two hours later, the game came to an end.If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. Followed by a blinding ray of light, the group disappeared from the forest. Aleen had a dream. Inside the dream, he was outside his former school together with Claire. They were talking and laughing happily while waiting for their parents. Claire in his dream was younger than now. She was wearing a beautiful red dress and looking fondly at Aleen. Her expression was lively and warm. But no matter how long they waited, their parents never came. Soon, the day became night, and the wait turned into worry. Aleen tried to contact their parents several times through his phone, but none of them answered. When they were wondering what could have happened, a police car stopped near them. A policeman exited the car and looked at the pair of siblings with an expression of pity. He then walked towards them and asked something. Aleen could not hear the policeman¡¯s words inside the dream, but he understood what he was asking. He asked if their names were Aleen Hamill and Claire Kane. When Aleen nodded, the policeman sighed and continued speaking while patting their shoulders. Then, their faces turned pale white. Claire fell on the ground with a despairing expression. She began to cry and bawl without stop, calling their parents¡¯ names repeatedly. Aleen simply stood there, petrified. After a while, the policeman apologized and left. Leaving behind the two despairing siblings. But when the policeman was gone, Aleen''s expression changed to one of resolve. He looked at his sister who was crying continually and hugged her tightly. That day, Aleen understood that he was the only one that could protect Claire. That day, Aleen promised always to protect her. That day, the siblings¡¯ lives changed forever. ¡®¡­ It has been long from the last time I had that dream, huh¡­¡¯ Aleen thought briefly when he woke up. ¡®Thinking about it, it has been three years from then¡­¡¯ Aleen could not help but remember that day three years ago. When their parents died, Aleen was forced to take responsibility for both of their lives. Back then, he had to struggle so the government agreed to not separate the siblings and send them to live with distant relatives. Now, three years later, he was fighting to protect their lives. ¡®¡­ I wonder if Claire is alright.¡¯ Aleen could not help but worry when he remembered Claire falling to the ground before he fainted. When Aleen and Claire escaped from the blue-skinned man and the vampire, they created two plans to face them. The first plan was to made use of the level-three monster to kill a level-three pursuer. And the second plan was to use the bird living inside Claire to kill another level-three. Both options were risky, but Aleen was more inclined to use the first. After all, he had an idea about the consequences of using it. Aleen feared that Claire¡¯s condition would become far worse if she used that power repeatedly. Unfortunately, they were forced to rely on it in the end. ¡®Well, we killed two level-three at least.¡¯ Aleen consoled himself with that thought. Actually, Aleen was surprised that he was still alive. When he fainted, he thought he was a goner. Aleen could more or less understand the condition of his body, and he knew it was very bad. ¡®It was Aya, huh¡­¡¯ Although he was not sure about how she did it, Aleen was pretty sure that she was the one that helped him to survive. After all, Aya was the only one that did not faint after the fight. ¡®I guess I owe her one¡­¡¯ Aleen felt his heart beating a bit faster when he thought about the silver-haired girl. He had to admit that Aya was incredible. he did not expect that she would follow them secretly and help when they were in a hard situation Shaking his head, he stopped thinking about it and concentrated in the words before his eyes. The statistics of the last game had appeared in his mind. Chapter 138 – Game End ¡®Congratulations on winning the game. Calculating your rewards¡­¡¯ ¡®Enemies killed: 1 Level-three: 100 Points Achievements: Survival: 100 Points (Points corresponding to a level-tree game) Game results: Victory: 10 Points (Points corresponding to level-two) Total Score: 210 Points Reward: 210 UDP Coins Your battlefield score has increased from 7.1 to 7.9¡¯ ¡®Please wait a moment¡­¡¯ ¡®We have detected injuries in your body. Do you wish to use your coins to heal them?'' Yes. ¡®A moment please¡­¡¯ ¡®The cost of healing your injuries is 156 UDP coins. Do you wish to continue?¡¯ Yes. ¡®Understood. We are going to begin the procedure¡­¡¯ Immediately after it, Aleen blanked out. ¡®Procedure complete. Please wait¡­¡¯ ¡®You will be sent to your representative¡¯s office.¡¯ ¡®Initiating transference in three, two, one¡­¡¯ Aleen appeared on Leona¡¯s futuristic-looking office once more. The first thing Aleen did when he recovered consciousness was to confirm that Claire was fine. Fortunately, he saw her standing beside him. Claire¡¯s expression was a bit pale, and more of her hair had turned crimson. Aleen also could feel a bit of heat emanating from her. With a concerned expression, he grabbed her hand. ¡°Are you alright?¡±Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. Claire looked at him and nodded tiredly. Aleen could not help but felt pained when he saw his usually lively sister like that. Aya and Lily were also inside the office. Aya¡¯s usual deadpan expression was unusually expressive. She was looking at Lily worriedly and asking if she was fine. Lily simply meowed a few times in answer. Aleen¡¯s expression loosened when he saw that scene. Aya felt Aleen¡¯s gaze and tilted her head curiously. Aleen nodded at her gratefully and opened his lips. ¡°I owe you one.¡± Aya¡¯s lips curved up briefly but she quickly recovered her usual expressionless look and nodded back. Aleen could not help but be a bit stunned seeing her rare smile. At that moment, they heard the voice of the owner of this office. ¡°Congratulations, you survived another game.¡± Aleen tuned his gaze in direction of the voice and saw the familiar short, gray hair belonging the futuristic-looking dark-skinned girl. ¡°Thanks. I¡¯m becoming used to seeing this place.¡± Aleen replied shortly and sat in front of Leona. Claire and Aya followed behind him and sat too. At that moment, though, Aleen noticed something strange. Leona was looking at Claire with a strange expression. Aleen¡¯s expression turned serious. ¡°Is something wrong?¡± He asked. Leona kept looking at Claire for a few seconds before moving her gaze towards Aleen. ¡°So she is the sister you wanted to save huh. I did not imagine that she would be the wielder of the Eternal Flame.¡± Aleen wrinkled his brows. It was the second time he heard that term. To be honest, he was full of doubts currently. However, Leona did not seem ready to answer his questions. Instead, she dropped a bomb. ¡°Actually, I must apologize. None of you was supposed to participate in that game.¡± ¡°¡­ What?¡± Aleen did not understand the meaning of Leona¡¯s words immediately. But Leona did not bother to explain it to him. She simply looked at Claire and continued in a business-like tone. ¡°I can¡¯t explain it to you now, but I promise you that we¡¯ll give you an explanation soon enough. For now, it¡¯s better if you return to your home. A staff of Dimensional Paradise will visit you in the following days. Any question?¡± The three humans and a cat remained silent. They could not adapt to the suddenness of this situation. Moreover, Aleen found hard to believe that Leona was apologizing. After all, she did not bat an eye when she spoke about the death of millions caused by the game. For a moment, Aleen thought that he still was dreaming. But it was obvious that Leona did not plan to give them time to think. ¡°Very well. Then, I¡¯ll send you back. ¡°Wait! What is happ¨C¡± In the next second, a portal opened and swallowed the group. Leona remained seated while looking at where the group was seated just a moment ago. Finally, after a few seconds, she sighed tiredly. To be honest, she herself did not finish processing today''s events. Not only she saw the host of an Eternal Element, but she also witnessed a level-two enlightened gaining enlightenment about a pseudo-divine skill. You must know that level-six skills, also known as divine skills, are one of the requirements to become a level-six. Without comprehending a divine skill, it was impossible to become a level-six. On the other hand, with a divine skill, it¡¯s almost guaranteed to reach that level. Even if it was only a pseudo-divine skill, and Aleen failed to form it in the end, the fact that he managed to begin to form it in itself is astonishing enough. ¡°¡­ Are they irregulars too? But, how is it possible for so many irregulars to appear on the same planet?¡± Leona could not help but wonder about it in her mind. In the end, she closed her eyes and exhaled deeply. She was going to be busy for a while. ¡®Name: Aleen Hamill. Level-two Human male (Enlightened). Age: 18 years old (The age is calculated following the interdimensional calendar). Skills: 1. ¡®Lightning Movement¡¯ ¨C Derived skill: ¡®Dynamic Sight¡¯
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Money: 123 UDP Coins¡¯ Chapter 139 – Forming a Team ¡°¡­ Is Claire alright?¡± Aya asked when she saw Aleen descending the stairs. Aleen shook his head with a concerned expression. ¡°She is not. Her temperature doesn''t want to decrease and her body is still very weak. To be honest, I¡¯m very worried.¡± Aya wrinkled her brows. She was completely helpless before Claire¡¯s strange situation. Aya suggested taking Claire to the hospital, but Aleen refused vehemently. He didn¡¯t know when Claire¡¯s abilities will go out of control and burn everything in the surroundings. If something like that happens in the hospital, then Claire surely will end in some secret laboratory. ¡°Actually, I was thinking of asking miss Leona for a solution, but she sent us back before I could ask her.¡± Aleen sighed with a heavy expression. ¡°Fortunately, she said that someone from Dimensional Paradise will visit us soon. Maybe he will know about what is happening to Claire. I can also try asking my teacher. Maybe she knows something about this Eternal Flame thing.¡± Aya nodded silently. She hugged Lily in her arms and covered her mouth with Lily''s body. Aleen looked at her silently and forced a smile. ¡°By the way, Aya. Thanks for helping us against that level-three. You saved us back then.¡± ¡°¡­ Mm.¡± Aya hummed indifferently, but Aleen noticed a hint of a blush spreading on her cheeks. Aleen felt his lips curving up involuntarily. In the short span time he had spent with Aya, he discovered that contrary to her usual expressionless look, Aya was very expressive. It was hard to notice normally, but if you paid her attention closely, you would notice small signs, as her lips curving up slightly or her face loosening up. They were small details, but Aleen though that they made Aya very cute. For a moment, Aleen wondered how Aya would react if he tells her about it. In the end, though, he suppressed that dark desire. For much he wanted to see Aya¡¯s embarrassed expression, he did not want to made her feel uncomfortable. But what Aleen did not know was that Aya was already very embarrassed after feeling that he was staring at her fixedly. ¡°By the way, Aya.¡± Aleen spoke again. ¡°Have you thought about what miss Leona suggested?¡± Aya put on a doubtful expression, but she instantly was reminded of her conversation with Aleen yesterday at night. However, to be honest, she still was unable to come to a decision. She could not decide if she wanted to form a team with Aleen. She liked him, but she did not know if making a team was the right choice. ¡°¡­ Do you want to make team with me?¡± Aya asked suddenly.This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. Aleen was startled, but at the next second, he put on a serious expression. ¡°Yes.¡± Aya opened her eyes wide hearing Aleen¡¯s immediate answer. She looked into Aleen¡¯s eyes with an expression of surprise. But Aleen did not move his gaze away. He kept his eyes fixed into Aya¡¯s and continued. ¡°I don¡¯t think I can find someone more trustworthy than you. You risked your life twice to save Claire, even when I told you that it was not necessary. ¡°Moreover, you and Lily are pretty incredible and cute too, and your skill is very cool. To be honest, I can¡¯t find a reason to not agree to you being my companion. We can form a team, with Claire, you, and me.¡± Aya was unable to answer when Aleen finished speaking. Quickly, her eyes turned moist, and her face blushed deeply. She hugged Lily tightly and turned around, giving her back to Aleen. Tears threatened to escape her eyes, but she stopped them forcefully. She did not want to cry in front of Aleen. Aya then bit her lips firmly and put on a determined expression. Finally, she turned back. ¡°¡­ Me too.¡± Those were the only words she said. But Aleen could feel the great weight behind them. He smiled widely and stared into her eyes. ¡°Then, welcome abroad.¡± Leona walked fiercely through the corridors of the level-six residence located in Lars Island. She was sporting an ice-cold face and did not bother paying attention to the drans trying to block her path. She quickly reached where the level-six was staying. Leona did not bother to notify him about her arrival and walked inside without the slightest trace of courtesy. She simply pushed the door open and entered. The level-six dran, Kdon Srive, frowned displeasedly when he saw the impolite behavior of Leona, but he quickly controlled his expression and greeted her cordially. ¡°Miss Leona, what brings you here? Do you want a cup of tea?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t play the fool, Mr. Srive. Did you think that we would not discover your plot?¡± Kdon Srive feigned surprised. ¡°I don¡¯t know what you are speaking about, miss Leona. I don¡¯t remember plotting anything recently.¡± ¡°Is it so? How do you explain the game where two members of your race died today then?¡± Leona sneered with a mocking expression. ¡°A girl from this planet hosting the Eternal Flame appeared in the game and was chased by two level-three of your race. Fortunately, the girl survived, but she was not scheduled to appear on the game in the first place.¡± ¡°Is it so? To think that something so astonishing happened today. I must admit that it¡¯s a wonderful coincidence.¡± ¡°Coincidence, huh?¡± Leona stared at the level-six coldly. ¡°Mr. Srive, allow me to remind you that this planet is not yours yet. Not until after ten years. Meanwhile, everything on this planet is under the administration of the council, and you are nothing more than someone they sent to supervise their property. Moreover, interfering with the games is a serious offense, penalized with death!¡± ¡°Mmm. I''m still unable to understand miss Leona¡¯s meaning.¡± The level-six sipped a mouthful of tea while speaking indifferently. Leona¡¯s expression turned colder. ¡°The council will decide about your punishment in the following days. Furthermore, you are forbidden from interfering with the host of the Eternal Flame. I hope you don''t challenge the authority of the council again!¡± She then stood up and walked away. Kdon Srive continued looking at her without changing his expression. When Leona finally was gone, Kdon finally opened his mouth. ¡°Lnio!¡± Instantly, a middle-aged dran entered the room. He bowed deeply with a respectful expression. ¡°Your supremacy.¡± ¡°Is the shadow here already?¡± ¡°She arrived yesterday, your supremacy, but she is just at level-three. The people of the council would have noticed if we brought someone stronger in. We already send her to the human countries.¡± ¡°Very well, make sure that she takes care of the special individuals on this planet. She must do her best to kill them as soon as possible.¡± ¡°I understand. What about the Eternal Flame.¡± "... Ignore it for now. Someone higher up will think about something." The middle-aged dran nodded. ¡°Pay attention to this task. This planet is more valuable than we thought. We already lost an Eternal Flame, we can¡¯t afford to lose anything else.¡± Chapter 140 – A Treasure, A Calamity The next day. Aleen woke up early to train. He grabbed a training sword he bought before and began to train his swordsmanship on the courtyard. Claire¡¯s body was still weak, so she was sleeping in her room. Aya, on the other hand, woke up when she felt Aleen¡¯s presence and followed him to train. Aleen did not found it strange, after all, they were now teammates. He even taught Aya some stuff about mana, but he neither taught her his mana circulation technique nor Sharp Blade. These two techniques were taught to him by D¡¯vina, and although he did not know how valuable they were, he wanted to ask D¡¯vina for permission before teaching them to Aya. Aleen had to admit that Aya¡¯s talent for mana was better than his. Although it could not be compared with Claire¡¯s speed, Aya learned most of Aleen¡¯s teachings very quickly. She only needed to hear Aleen¡¯s explanation once, then practice it a pair of times, and afterward, she could use it. Aleen could not help but sigh. People with talent were truly different. While Aleen and Aya¡¯s were training, Aleen¡¯s bracelet ringed. ¡°Huh?¡± Aleen looked at his bracelet doubtfully, but his expression quickly turned to one of excitement. Only one person called Al<