《Change: New World》 Prologue: Summer Cicadas *Edited as of May 17, 2016* Prologue: Summer Cicadas The cicadas chirped from outside the classroom window. They lazily clung to the trees, playing their intrinsic, yet undoubtedly annoying summertime songs. But no matter how hard they tried, no matter how hard they screeched, shrilled or squeaked, they couldn¡¯t break through the chaos and noise that engulfed this classroom. I sighed dejectedly, the obvious annoyance rising from deep within my throat. While I originally wanted to zone out using their particularly persistent insect anthem, it was becoming clearer and clearer that the noise this damn class made was overpowering their quiet melody. Well, although I complain, it was natural to be this noisy, after all, it was currently a free period, more so, it was the last class of the day, or rather, the last class of the school year. It was quite normal for there to be so much excitement and anticipation looming within a room filled with high schoolers. It was just that...I was seriously regretting the fact that I forgot my headphones today. Normally, on days like today or in my case, every day, I¡¯d sit back, at the rear of the classroom, on that one spot in the corner between the back wall and the windows, and wait out the time, hiding my excitement through a stoic facade. I wouldn¡¯t pay attention to anybody around me, and fortunately, the rest of the class would comply, ignoring my existence like I ignored theirs. It¡¯s not like I was bullied or anything, actually, I liked this particular arrangement. I was the type that stayed out of everyone¡¯s way. The shadow at the back of the room. I was the background character to a protagonist¡¯s story. If you said such remarks, they wouldn¡¯t necessarily be false. After all, my own story isn¡¯t really anything to write home about. I was a normal, boring, utterly boring person. And I was okay with that. Well, usually. Right now, I can¡¯t help but chide myself for my lack of friends. I had to spend the rest of the class - a whole 45 minutes - alone, with nothing to do but twiddle my thumbs in idle boredom. The alone part I was fine with, it was the boredom that was killing me. I would have tried sleeping if it wasn¡¯t for the fact that every noise that exited everyone¡¯s orifices, from their talking, farting, to their loud nose breathing, reverberated through the room like a deafening orchestra. I could hear everything, and that seriously annoyed me. Also, truth be told, I was as excited as any other high schooler at the prospects of the coming summer. As the clock continually counted down the seconds and minutes until the bell rang, the tension that sprouted in my stomach increasingly intensified. At this point, it would be next to impossible to knock myself unconscious in my current overly hyped state of mind. Once again I seriously regretted forgetting my precious equipment. Usually, I brought headphones to school. I had particularly sensitive ears, so I often used them to block out much of the constant noise that flitted throughout the room. Today, I couldn¡¯t do that, and naturally, my ears drifted to the most rambunctious space of the classroom. To the group of friends who made the most noise, and frankly, to the individuals who annoyed me the most. At the center, was Kido. I never knew his last name, I didn¡¯t think it was important. Actually, the only reason I remembered his first name, was because he was a seriously annoying guy. A seriously annoying guy indeed¡­ ¡­.whoops. Without noticing, I unconsciously began scowling. I can¡¯t just let my anger (jealousy) control me that easily. Restraint was important, especially during times of peace. In actuality, I doubt he was a bad guy, it¡¯s just that... ...If I was a background character, then undoubtedly, Kido was the protagonist of this story. A guy with average grades, average physical fitness¡­ above average face¡­ well, to make things short, he was average, so average it was almost unbearable. I hate to say this, but he was kind of a lot like me. What made this guy special though was the type of company he hanged around with. Rather than friends, I¡¯d say this annoying type of fellow hanged out with what could easily be labeled as a ¡®harem¡¯. Actually, right now he was with his harem. A group of three girls, all who flocked towards Kido like lost sheep while he acted as their shepherd. One of the girls was a childhood friend type of character. A woman with indiscriminately large breasts and a model like figure. She always had on a rather loveable expression on her beautiful face and always doted on Kido like an overprotective mother. So archetype one check. The other girls were quite the characters as well. One of them was a bad mouthing, bipolar type of person, who could best be labeled as shy and volatile all at the same time. She was pretty childish, and by childish, I mean her appearance. A rather flat chested and petite person who gave off a cute and cuddly vibe. Archetype two check. And lastly, there was the transfer student. Ever since she transferred here 2 months ago, she gave off a sort of ¡®mysterious¡¯ vibe, which I interpreted as someone trying a bit too hard. But despite that, she was just as beautiful (and popular) as the other girls. She had long locks of black hair, and was somewhat intelligent. Archetype three check. ¡­.Really, this guy. He had all three of these girls firmly within his grasps, and I was pretty sure that the new female teacher from across the hall had the hots for him too¡­ they all just naturally flocked to him like cats to catnip. Really, just how the hell does he do it? ¡°Ne, ne, ne, Kido! Kido!¡± While I was thinking such thoughts, the childish looking girl next to Kido suddenly blurted out with an annoyingly loud voice. ¡°Hmm? What is it Ami?¡± Kido nonchalantly asked, his mouth forming a slight smile as his eyes gently narrowed. [Hoo~, so her name was Ami], I casually nodded to myself as I silently noted. ¡°What are you doing during the break?¡± She asked, looking up at him with anxious eyes. The slight flush in her cheeks did not go unnoticed. Before he could reply, the transfer student who sat idly on the desk suddenly chimed in while simultaneously groping Kido¡¯s innocent arm. ¡°Obviously Kido¡¯s going to hang out with me. ...Isn¡¯t that right, Kido~?¡± She asked in sultry voice uncommon in regular high schoolers. ¡°A-ah, S-Saya, your c-ch-che¡­.¡± Kido¡¯s cheeks were flushed red as he apathetically struggled in her grasps. His lips frantically trembled while the words he wanted to say refused to properly form a coherent sentence. All the while Saya (apparently that was her name) continued to press her breasts rather obscenely against his arm, oblivious of the other party¡¯s apparent distress. ¡°Hmm~? What was that, K-I-D-O~?¡± She whispered into his ear, emphasizing each letter of his name. Seeing this, the childish girl, er-- Ami, pouted, as she desperately struggled to match her competition. She grabbed Kido¡¯s other arm, imitating the transfer student -- I mean, Saya -- as she began pressing his arm against her own chest. Unfortunately, this course of action didn¡¯t have as much of an impact, especially since her chest was rather lacking, more so when compared with her overly developed competition. A rather lofty giggle escaped from Transfer student (ah, whatever) as Childish girl looked on with a mix of jealousy and embarrassment. Kido, who stood there dumbstruck, like he always does, did nothing, although, I bet he was secretly enjoying the female contact, that scum, trash, piece of-- oops, control, control. Anyway, before things could escalate any further, his Childhood friend stepped in and stopped everyone. Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. She silently hugged Kido from behind while ruffling his head with a delicate looking hand. She had on a contented smile, as she knowingly or unknowingly pressed her mounds against the back of his neck. ¡°Now, now, girls~¡± She gently spoke. From the way she started her conversation to the way she took command of the whole situation, it seemed as if she was used to this type of commotion. Her slim neck tilted slightly to the side as she turned her narrowed eyes over to the other girls. With such a domineering presence, it was clear that she was here to remedy the argument. ¡°There¡¯s no need to fight, after all, I¡¯m afraid Kido¡¯s going to be spending his entire summer with me~.¡± Oops, I spoke too soon. She stuck out her tongue, riling up the other girls even further. ¡°O-oi, Mindy!¡± ¡°I won¡¯t lose to you and your monster breasts!¡± The other two girls retorted as their eyes blazed with unnatural passion. Like this, this particular group of people enjoyed their lives like they always did, carefree and with no regard to the others around them. The girls began horsing around, playfully squabbling over various topics, mostly revolving around Kido, while the man in question himself, being the guy he was, stood there with a weary smile and watched on as they continued to make even more noise. Things escalated even more when Transfer student suddenly pulled out a crumpled envelope from within Childish girl¡¯s bag. ¡°Oho~ What¡¯s this~?¡± She playfully goaded as she flapped the envelope around the air. ¡°...Uuuu¡­.¡± Childish girl¡¯s face turned beet red, while her two scrunched up eyes glared reproachfully at both the envelope and Transfer student. ¡°Ami, you...oh my¡­.¡± Childhood friend gasped, fully understanding the situation. The envelope was crumpled, and heavily stained with pencil scratches and eraser marks. What made it stand out the most was the pink heart sticker that sealed the letter tightly closed. In short, it was a love letter. ¡°G-g-give it back¡­¡± Childish girl stated weakly while her voice cracked numerous times. ¡°....¡± Transfer student stopped and thought for a moment. She shifted her eyes from Childish girl to the letter in her hand. Looking at the letter, it was obvious that it was written fairly long ago, indicating that either Childish girl had no intention of ever giving it to the person she liked, or she lacked the confidence to do such a bold deed. Realizing this, an impish smile formed on Transfer student¡¯s face.. She lightly touched the crease of the letter, showing Childish girl that she had the power to open it at any time she wanted. Childish girl¡¯s eyes opened in understanding before she bolted forward and ran towards Transfer student. Transfer student laughed heartily, as she too ran around the classroom, leading Childish girl in a chaotic chase around the cramped room. Unfortunately for me, this brought the pair near where I sat. Childish girl, who was apparently winded from that thirty second marathon, didn¡¯t have as good a control on her limbs as usual, and accidentally bumped into my desk. The impact caused the only thing I had on my table, an old mechanical pencil, to drop. I promptly picked it up, while a slight hint of annoyance flashed across my face. ¡°Oh..¡± Childish girl, who was the owner of the butt that knocked my desk around turned with an apologetic expression. ¡°S-sorry about that!¡± She declared while humbly bowing down. Her twin tailed hair bobbed up and down as her face flushed red, and whether that was from overexertion or embarrassment, I had no way of knowing. ¡°Um..um¡­¡± She struggled as she made a complicated face towards my direction. The transfer student who noticed the commotion (and was actually the one that pushed Childish girl onto my desk), walked over, and began whispering ¡®discreetly¡¯ with Childish girl, all the while she directed inconspicuous glances towards me. ¡°What¡¯s the matter Ami?¡± She whispered. ¡°U-um, I accidentally bumped into his desk, so I wanted to apologize.¡± Childish girl replied, also whispering. ¡°Then apologize, I don¡¯t get what¡¯s the problem.¡± ¡°I-I was going to apologize but¡­¡± She shot a glance in my direction. ¡°But what?¡± ¡°I-I don¡¯t know his name¡­.¡± She whispered at an even more hushed volume, probably thinking I couldn¡¯t hear her. Unfortunately I could, and no matter how cynical I was, it was still a bit embarrassing to find out a classmate didn''t know your name, especially after a whole school year together¡­ although granted, I hardly knew anyone else¡¯s name myself, but still... ¡°EH~, What¡¯s with that?¡± The transfer student¡¯s tone of voice returned to its usual octave. She turned to me, while speaking, ¡°That¡¯s easy, this is...um, this is¡­.uh...¡± Hearing her stumbling words, my face unconsciously cramped. When she looked at my face, she made an equally as awkward expression. It seemed like she didn¡¯t know who I was either... [Damn it, this exchange is just so¡­] I could feel my face visibly flush. No matter how hard I fought it, my face couldn¡¯t help but flush at the end of their awkward stares. I wanted so bad to just lay my head down and ignore these two, but I had an inkling that that would just be even more embarrassing. Before my face could get any redder, Both Kido and his childhood friend walked over. The childhood friend strutted to the front of my desk, while chiding the other two girls. ¡°What¡¯s with you guys, you¡¯re acting rude. You¡¯re embarrassing--¡± She turned to look at me before her face turned rigid.. [Don¡¯t tell me¡­.] Childhood friend turned to look over at her other two companions, who shared a knowing nod. While this silent exchange was happening, Kido approached and apologized earnestly. ¡°S-sorry about that Hide...these girls can be¡­¡± He looked over to his harem- group of friends, who all bowed their heads down in apology. Really, rather than how embarrassing this whole situation was, especially considering the fact that they drew everyone else¡¯s attention, I was more pissed off at the fact that Kido was the only one who knew my name. Seriously, that was quite a blow to my almost non-existent self esteem. And it only confirmed my growing theory that I wasn¡¯t really all that popular with women... Anyways, after a few minutes of them ardently apologizing, and me just casting awkward downward glances, they finally left, back to their usual spot in the front of the room. I sighed and formed a relieved smile. Short term relief washed over me. ¡°¡°¡°.....¡±¡±¡± ¡°....¡± Cold sweat dripped down my back. Although the situation had ended, I could still feel the heat of everyone¡¯s penetrating stares. Under the pressure of their constant glares, and together with my overactive imagination, my stoic face which I tried my damndest to maintain began to crumble and twitch. Despite this, I fought the urge to run away or put my head down, or anything that remotely showed signs of defeat. [I-it completely doesn¡¯t matter that they don¡¯t know my name...] I struggled against the growing urge of embarrassment while I stared long and hard at the empty whiteboard in front of me. My face was a stiff as a board, while inside my head, a silent mantra repeated. [It doesn¡¯t matter, it doesn¡¯t matter, it doesn¡¯t matter¡­] ¡°¡°¡°......¡±¡±¡± ¡°...¡± ¡°¡°¡°....¡±¡±¡± ¡°...¡± Unfortunately, my fragile hormone induced psyche wasn¡¯t as steadfast as I imagined. I got up as quietly as possible, and while trying to not attract any more unwanted attention, I made my way to the doorway, hall pass in hand and with the restroom as my destination. Chapter 1: Hand to Toilet Combat Hand to Toilet Combat I half sprinted across the empty hallway, making a beeline to the restroom. Contrary to my haste, I really didn¡¯t need to use the bathroom, it was just¡­ I needed an escape. Back there, that was a seriously embarrassing moment, and I wouldn¡¯t doubt I made it even worse by running way. I sighed dejectedly as I turned the next corner. Shortly after, I arrived at the nearest restroom, a place located on the western edge of the third floor of the older section of the school building. It was a rarely used restroom, and more so now during class, when the majority of the students were all stuck in their respective classrooms, all anticipating the last remaining minutes of the school year. Honestly, I considered myself to be a lot more excited than many other people. While most had plans revolving their social lives, hanging out with friends or family, maybe going on a trip... I made the quick decision, all the way back in winter, that I would spend the whole summer alone, away from people. Unlike the others, who could all meet and hang out with each other all year long, I really only had this one break to spend my time in absolute isolation. To me, this time was more precious than anything else. If something were to happen before I could enjoy my time in solitude, well, let¡¯s just hope that doesn¡¯t happen. I thought such useless things as I quickly entered the restroom. The place was empty, void of any life save for my own. I shifted my gaze from left to right, briefly noting the two stalls with their doors closed and the row of urinals that stood beside them along the wall. Opposite of them, was a row of sinks situated across the tiled room. I moved over to the farthest urinal from the doorway and took care of what I needed to do in a rather slow manner. I wasn¡¯t really rushing, rather, I wanted to postpone my return to class as long as possible. After I finished, I walked across the room and leisurely looked at myself in one of the bathroom mirrors. I made a brief attempt to fix my messy, black hair, creasing it this way, or that, in a vain attempt to make myself look somewhat presentable. Eventually, I gave up with a loud and frustrated sigh. I lamented over my rather disheveled hair, and at the dark circles around my eyes, which indicated my lack of sleep. I gave off a rather glum and tired atmosphere, which I didn¡¯t really think was all bad, but probably wasn¡¯t any good either. [Well, at least, I¡¯m not completely pathetic looking] I commented inwardly in a half self deprecating tone. I took martial arts as a kid, and while I¡¯ve forgotten most of everything, I did still retain some of the movements that years of training ingrained in me. With some prior, almost all faded remnants of knowledge, I also retain a good, well, somewhat decent physique. I wasn¡¯t overly muscular, just, I wasn¡¯t fat or skinny either. I guess the best word to describe it would be¡­ normal? Breaking my stare, which had quickly grown into a glare, with the mirror, I washed my hands rather half heartedly and began to make my way out of the room. I was in a much better mood than before, the embarrassment from prior almost all gone now, when an unexpected flushing noise reverberated within the room. I flinched, rising a good centimeter or two above the air, before I slowly turned towards the noise. The restroom was deathly quiet, showing no indication that the noise from before even existed. Yet, despite that, I couldn¡¯t help but shiver as a sense of uneases slowly settled within me. Maybe it was the fact that I was currently alone right now, or maybe it was the fact that I had such an overactive imagination, who knows. But right now, I felt...scared. I gulped. Before I noticed, the room had developed quite an ominous atmosphere as I briefly noted that there was nobody in here besides myself. I squatted down, hoping to see a pair of feet from within the stalls, unfortunately, like I said earlier, there was nobody in here besides myself. ¡°M-maybe that was just my imagination.¡± I tried reasoning with my imaginative mind. Struggling with my growing fear and with my innate human curiosity, I stood on the same spot rather rigidly, conflicted as to whether I should go and investigate the stalls or run like hell out of the restroom. I contemplated such things when I heard a second wet squelching sound plop onto the tiled floor. [O-okay¡­ now I definitely know I wasn¡¯t hearing things¡­] The fear winning out, I slowly shuffled to the back of the restroom, maximizing as much distance as possible between me and the stalls. Unfortunately, this particular restroom was rather small in size, so I¡¯m afraid there wasn¡¯t much of a place to run to. Squelch Squelch The spine tingling noise continued, and before long, I could make out what looked to be feet on the tile floors. Unfortunately, these weren¡¯t the mind relieving pair of sneakers common in most teenage males. There were a few things that were a bit unusual about this particular pair of feet; they weren¡¯t here before, they were very small, and they were green. The annoying noise continued before another flushing sound rang out from the same stall. Shortly after, the door squeaked open.
Goblin (???)
A vibrantly green tiny person came out. Er, that might not have been much of an accurate description, but it was the first thing that popped into my mind when I saw the little abomination. It was green, and had the body of a small child, except its muscles were all thin and wirey. An ugly smirk and a fresh set of canines adnored the creature¡¯s face. For clothing, the thing had a thin piece of loincloth which loosely wrapped itself around the creatures groin. Unfortunately, the loincloth was rather...wet, so it stuck closely to things I would have rather not seen. Despite its out of this world appearance, the oddest thing that immediately caught my attention though was the pale blue rectangle that floated freely above the creature¡¯s head. It resembled the status screens you¡¯d usually see in an rpg. Conveniently it also displayed similar information. Although this time around, it was a bit lacking, as it only showed me the name of the creature. ¡°G-goblin¡­.¡± I unconsciously whispered as I read aloud the contents of the status screen. The Goblin¡¯s ears immediately perked up as the word escaped through the cracks of my lips. Drawn by the sound, it hastily turned its head towards me, before its smirk turned into a full blown crescent grin, revealing its frighteningly terrifying canines. ¡°AH, AH!¡± It uttered, as it reached around its back, and brandished a short sword. Well, a goblin sized short sword. If it were used by a human, then it would have been at most a dagger. Nevertheless, the appearance of such a dangerous object immediately turned on the warning signs in my brain. I vaguely remembered a lesson on fighting an armed opponent back when I practiced martial arts, although I doubt they anticipated my opponent to be a .5 meter tall savage. The goblin reared the sword in front of him, pointing it threateningly at me as it walked closer, its steps emphasized by the familiar squelching noise. [Come to think of it, did this thing come out of the toilet?] A pointless question popped into my head just as the Goblin lunged forward with an unexpected speed. Its sword narrowly missed me, as I reflexively lunged to the left. I¡¯d later realize this, but just now, I had narrowly avoided the jaws of death. The sword struck a mirror behind me, shattering the glass. In my haste, I accidentally put too much pressure into my dodge, and banged my head against an inconveniently placed wall. My legs buckled from the impact, and I fell onto the tiled surface. The goblin quickly reared its head towards me, its sword at the ready. The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. Before it could strike out though, I reflexively kicked out, hitting the creature directly in its jugular. My kick was angled up into the air, and whether it be due to the surprising amount of power my strike had or because the goblin was just so light, the kick sent him flying a good 2 meters up into the air. As it fell down, it landed heavily with a thud onto the sink, inadvertently activating the motion sensor faucets.
-15 hp
Another blue status screen emerged from above the Goblin¡¯s head before it quickly faded away. I would have taken more notice had I not been struggling to crawl out of this wretched bathroom. I crawled along the floor, panic overtaking my rational mind. My goal was the exit, and I desperately made my great escape, fully aware of the threat that loomed behind me. I casted a quick glance backwards, only to see the green creature, dripping wet, and angry. Somehow, during our brief encounter, it had lost that flimsy piece of loincloth. I¡¯d rather not comment on the dangling pair of somethings though¡­ It (the goblin, not the goblin¡¯s balls) glared reproachfully at me before it jumped of the sink, only to land on a puddle on the tile floor and slip.
-3 hp
It crashed down onto the ground, and amazingly lost some hp. [Is it an idiot or something?] I couldn¡¯t help but comment in my head. Although, the goblin quickly got up on its feet and began a careful stride in my direction. While its speed was slower than before, mostly since it was now aware of the danger of wet floors, it was still progressing at me faster than I could crawl away. It brandished its sword threateningly up in the air, and for an instant I thought the thing was going to through it or something. I was right. SWISH! The blade whistled through the air, before its movement was abruptly stopped by my left leg. The sword lodged itself deep into my thigh, as a piercing scream leaked out of my throat. ¡°Gihihihi!¡± The goblin in return smirked at the sight of my suffering, before it gleefully began hopping carelessly in my direction.
-2 hp
I couldn¡¯t even properly enjoy seeing the stupid shit slip and fall. The pain was currently wrecking my nervous system with dols of torture I was not accustomed to. While I was still wriggling, and after it had recovered, the creature continued to approach closer and closer. When it reached my foot, it sunk sharp claws into my ankle, opting instead to use its natural weapons seeing as it had discarded its original. The claws ushered in another round of screaming from me. The Goblin once again laughed gleefully at my reaction. Mr. Goblin over here seemed to rather enjoy the torture he was currently giving me. From his happily twisted expression, he loved playing with his food (which I quickly came to believe was my position). For some reason I felt annoyed by this thing¡¯s enjoyment. I wasn¡¯t really about to get KIA (Killed in Action) by some short, fantasy-styled midget, was I? That really didn¡¯t make much sense, especially in a civilized world like this. Goblins don¡¯t exist, so my death won¡¯t exist either! With weird determination swelling up within me, my left hand flashed towards the embedded blade on my thigh. Gripping the small handle with as much strength as I could muster, I yanked the beast out, as if it symbolized my will to survive. In retrospect, such an action would have been disastrous. Had that sword struck a major artery or something, I¡¯d be dying, bleeding out on this dirty restroom floor. But right now the excess dopamine running through my system both clouded my judgement, and increased my will to survive. Imitating what the goblin had done, I threw the blade towards his direction, infusing the object with as much will and desperate determination as I could muster. Unfortunately, determination doesn¡¯t really work in the real world. The tiny short sword sailed past his head, a good 5 centimeters off. The creature reflexively trailed the blade with its eyes, before it turned to me with a smirk. I had completely missed and the Goblin knew it! Too bad for the green abomination, the throw was merely a distraction! ...Actually, that was a lie, I really wanted that thing to die through my fantastic knife throwing skills...But luckily, I was unexpectedly fast on my feet. In the next instant, its yellow eyes widened in surprise as the life began to fade from its face.
Critical Hit! Due to landing a fatal blow, the effect [instant death] has been activated. [Instant Death] = Loss of all remaining HP.
I grimaced, at my now bloody hand, as I watched the goblin writhe and spasm. I dazedly looked at my injured hand while recounting what just happened: At the moment the goblin looked away to follow the blade with its eyes, my body moved into gear. My other hand rocketed forward, groping at the large pieces of glass fragments that scattered the floor. Finding a good enough size, my hand grasped it without hesitation. I ignored the wound it opened up on my palm, as I desperately stabbed the jagged edge into the most vulnerable spot I could see; its neck. The goblin¡¯s neck, like much of its body, was unnaturally thin, so when the glass pierced itself into the goblin¡¯s neck, it didn¡¯t just cut skin. It tore through some veins, arteries, and maybe even bone. In the end, I left the glass fragment embedded in the creature¡¯s neck, opting to cradle my injured palm with the other hand as I looked at my bloody handiwork. Really, it was quite a lucky win. Had that bastard been more careful and hadn''t underestimated me, I would be the one lifeless and laying fish eyed on the floor. Luckily, everything ended up like this, and he was the one dead, and not me. A million thoughts filled my head while I absentmindedly stated at the gruesome scene. They jumbled up, mixing my curiosity, fear, anxiety, and dissipating excitement into one cohesive ball of confusion. [What the heck was that?] [It smelled like shit!] [Why did it attack me!] [What were those blue screens on top of its head?] [It smelled like shit!] [Will I get infected if I get goblin blood in my open wound? Goblin AIDs?!] I caressed my open wound rather carefully, as thoughts like that roamed my mind, but before I could verbally express any of these thoughts, a ding reverberated in my skull. A moment later, another blue screen conveniently popped itself up right in front of me. ding!
Conquest! : Special Kill Confirmed. Calculating bonuses¡­¡­¡­¡­...
¡°......¡± ¡°....The hell is this?¡± I stared with narrow eyes, as I waited for my ¡°bonuses¡± to calculate. Next Chapter Chapter 2: Status Chapter 2: Status
Conquest! : Special Kill Confirmed. Calculating bonuses¡­¡­¡­¡­...
¡°.....*yawn*¡± It was taking an exceedingly long time for the calculations to calculate. I sat there, dumbly, on the blood soaked bathroom floor, waiting, half expecting something to happen. I had calmed down considerably, and now I was back to my normal state of mind. I fully realized this situation was pretty insane. Not only did this floating panel symbolize that I might be half crazy, the constant corpse of the goblin that lay a mere centimeters from me reminded me that I was very much sane and that I had quite a frightening brush with death quite recently. It reminded me of how close I was to getting killed and eaten, and how likely that thing would have enjoyed eating me¡­ but I pushed such depressing thoughts away, and looked from a new perspective. Going by what had happened recently, it was clear that these floating blue screens were important. They acted as information boxes, like the type I¡¯m familiar with in mmorpgs and the like. They displayed various bits of information, ranging in quality, and quantity. But the most important part was that it wasn¡¯t normal. Like the goblin that attacked me, the existence of such a novel like mechanism was out of the ordinary, and were grounds for worry and concern. While I contemplated such things, my train of thought was interrupted by another ding. ding!
Calculations Confirmed! Now displaying reward bonuses:
Despite the obvious oddity of the situation, I couldn¡¯t help but fester a bit of anticipation. I mean, after all, the goblin did just try to kill me, and it took quite a great deal of effort on my part to subdue it! I think I have the right to some form of compensation. ¡°Now, Let¡¯s see¡­¡± I spoke earnestly as I waited with bated breath.
Congratulations! You have defeated [Goblin Scout] Lv. 6
ding!
Level Up!
ding!
Achievement: You are the first person to slay a monster! Reward(s): Unique Skill: [Equip] *Unique Skills: One of a kind skills obtainable by completing varying tasks or quests.*
ding!
New title earned! Pioneer You are the first person to experience the new change that has yet to come, may you pave a path for others to follow. Effects: +10 all stats New stat created: Leadership
I silently read the boxes of information as they popped up in front of me. I confirmed a few things while doing so; One, the status screen that had floated above the goblin¡¯s head previously was definitely lacking information. Unlike this current pop up, it hadn¡¯t displayed it¡¯s level, and only gave a vague description as [goblin], and not [goblin scout]. Now, I didn¡¯t know whether this discrepancy in information was on purpose, or whether there were means of increasing the amount of info I could see, but I at least believed in the simple equation that, more information = good. Also, there was another thing I confirmed, this whole situation was exceedingly similar to a game. From the fantasy like monster, to the pop up telling me I leveled up¡­ there¡¯s even a thing here about skills. It really was a bit overwhelming. Speaking of skills¡­ I leaned in closer to stare at the most recent panel in front of me. [Unique skills¡­] Reading the little tidbit about Unique skills, I had the impression that they were...amazing. If I weren¡¯t so goddamn confused, and if this was an actual video game instead of reality, I¡¯d be whooping for joy right now. Unfortunately, this was reality, and I did just kill an UMA (unidentified mysterious animal), so I was a bit apprehensive to the whole situation. But still... the unique skill caught my interest. ¡°Equip, huh...?¡± I unconsciously stated the name, while thinking of the newly acquired skill out loud to myself. ding! Suddenly, as if reacting to my voice, another blue panel popped up.
Skill Name:Skill Rank:Skill Level:Skill Experience:
EquipUniqueBeginner Level 10.00%
Effects: Enables user to equip items. (???) (???) Available Sub-skills: (???) Demerits: You cannot use mana.
¡°Does it react through my voice..?¡± I muttered as I read through the new panel. It was supposed to display information regarding my new ability, but, like before, the information was severely lacking. Question marks dominated the spots where relevant info was supposed to be at. I sighed dejectedly. The effects section was very vague too, so I was lost as to what exactly it all meant. ¡°What does it mean by equipping items?¡± As I continued to scan through the panel, my eyes focused in on the last line under demerits. ¡°¡®You cannot use mana?¡¯¡± I read it aloud as if in a daze. [Mana? As in magic? That type of mana?] It wasn¡¯t hard to believe magic might exist, especially after seeing a real goblin in action. But if it did mean mana existed, didn¡¯t that also mean I couldn¡¯t use it? This realization only caused my shoulders to droop lower in disappointment. I was in a rut, but the section on mana did give me slight hope. Usually, if something has that major of a demerit, it means the rewards would be even greater. Maybe this [Equip] skill was better than I first thought? Lost in thought as to the possibilities of my new skill, I stared absentmindedly at the glowing blue panel in front of me. It reminded me of the status screens found in almost every rpg. The type which displayed a player¡¯s information like their stats, levels, etc. ¡°Wait a minute¡­.¡± I muttered to myself. [If this whole situation is just like a game, then maybe it¡¯s like that too¡­.] With haste, and a bit of excitement mixed within my hoarse throat, I excitedly yelled, ¡°Status!¡± My voice resonated within the room, reminding me just how good the acoustics in this restroom really was. ¡­ Actually, it makes me wonder how my previous screams haven¡¯t attracted any attention so far. Not a second later, just like I had assumed another blue panel appeared in front of me.
Status Window
NameHide Mayo
Age17RaceHuman
Level2GenderMale
TitlesPioneer
Health67/110(10)Health Regen.0.005 / Sec
Mana This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.(unavailable)110(10)Mana Regen.0.01 / Sec
Stamina100(10)Stamina Regen.0.05 / Sec
-
Strength8(10)Agility12(10)
Vitality7(10)Dexterity10(10)
Intelligence11(10)Wisdom11(10)
Leadership0(10)Luck0(10)
-
Skills
Equip (Active)
Current Status Effect(s)Bleeding
Bleeding Stops health regeneration while active. Eventual decline of health, until wound is remedied. Current health decline rate: 0.01 per second.
Unallocated Points5
By looking at the panel in front of me, I discovered my current level was level 2. And, from my experience with rpg¡¯s, Aside from the title bonus, I had what you¡¯d call an average stat distribution for a starting player, albeit with a good boost in agility, but a demerit in vitality and strength. Also, there was a label below the mana column which only confirmed the information I found on [Equip]. While I still had the points, it seems like I wouldn¡¯t be able to properly use them. Brushing aside this disheartening fact, I quickly scanned through the rest of the panel. ¡°I¡¯m guessing I got these extra points from leveling up just now¡­¡± I came across the near bottom section of the panel, and quick to realize the connection between my gaming experience with the reality in front of me, I came to this logical conclusion. As a casual gamer, I would have liked to distribute the unallocated points, but there was the issue of how. Rather, could I even interact with the blue panels? I tried touching the panel with my free hand, but unsurprisingly, my hand passed through the air, completely ignoring the panels. ¡°hmm¡­ 2 points to agility!¡± I called out, hoping that, just like earlier, the thing would comply with my voice. Unfortunately, it didn¡¯t do anything, and I was left looking at an unchanging panel which displayed my ¡°stats¡¯. ¡°....¡± I crossed my arms, and thought for a moment. [If it wasn¡¯t activated by voice...then maybe¡­] ¡°...¡± [2 points to agility!] I thought outloud in my mind. Pleasantly, the information on screen complied with my request, and quickly, the displayed information showed my agility at 14, while my unallocated points at 3. Satisfied with my little experiment, I quickly distributed the rest of the points to agility, and attempted to close the panel with my mind. [Close!] ding! The status screen closed just like I expected, and I was left to look at the previous blue panel which I had almost forgotten about.
New title earned! Pioneer You are the first person to experience the new change that has yet to come, may you pave a path for others to follow. Effects: +10 all stats New stat created: Leadership
It glowed menacingly, lighting up the dimly lit bathroom floor. ¡°...¡± The title sounded innocent enough, but the information it gave...it had a foreboding ring to it. I couldn¡¯t help but get cold shivers after rereading the whole panel. [New change...it¡¯s definitely talking about these panels¡­ or¡­] Rather, than the panels, maybe it meant the goblins? Maybe there were other monsters besides goblins? If were, talking about monsters, there¡¯s a bunch, like trolls, slimes, ogres, dragons¡­ I shuddered thinking a dragon might really exist. Unlike a tiny goblin, my death was more than guaranteed. Also, wasn¡¯t the goblin I killed labeled as a scout? If it¡¯s a scout, that implies there¡¯s more of them, more than one of those abominations¡­. I shook away those thoughts, thinking about things that I couldn¡¯t do anything about wouldn¡¯t do me any good, rather, it would just cause me more problems. To get rid of this worry, I forcibly closed the remaining boxes with a thought. ding! With a ring, the blue panel blinked out of existence, and I was left alone, in the blood soaked bathroom floor once more with nothing but the corpse of a dead goblin scout to keep me company. ¡°....¡± With nothing else to do in here, I absentmindedly looked at the corpse for a while before deciding to finally get up. I brushed myself up, and as I prepared to leave, I saw the disheveled appearance that stared back at me from an unbroken mirror. My hair was relatively the same, but the rest of me wasn¡¯t. I was caked in blood, mostly congregated on my still bleeding hand, as well as on my thigh. Now that I recall, the status did say something about a bleeding effect. I looked down at my leg and was finally fully aware of the rhythmic thump thump, that I felt from the wound. I grimaced as I pulled up my shorts to view the open injury in all its glory. While it was too early for the thing to start getting infected, which was good, the wound itself looked pretty gruesome¡­ although that may have just been due to the abnormally large blood flowing out of it. In actuality it didn¡¯t hurt as much as I first thought. ¡°...According to my status, I¡¯ll eventually lose hp if I keep this untreated thanks to that bleeding effect...what happens when I lose all my hp?¡± I thought out loud before I reflexively shuddered at the unknown possibility. I didn¡¯t want to test the limits as to how game like this situation was, whether I simply respawned or died for good¡­ I sincerely hoped such a time never comes. Fueled by such a sense of foreboding, I quickly brought my injured leg onto the sink, and allowed the natural flow of water to wash away much of the blood. After enduring through the stinging pain, I ripped up a bit of my sleeve, and did a quick, impromptu bandage onto the open wound. I¡¯d get the injury checked out at the infirmary after I figure out what to do about my appearance. Right now, I was currently a disheveled mess, with blood all over myself, and frantic eyes that occupied my face. If I didn¡¯t know any better, I¡¯d assume I was a serial killer. I can¡¯t have people thinking I¡¯m a serial killer. As I was thinking such thoughts, another panel popped up in front of me, giving me quite a fright. I assumed this panel was a bit special, considering unlike before, the panel wasn¡¯t blue, but an ominous black with white letters texted onto it. And while the wording was a bit happy go lucky, for someone like, who¡¯s already experienced some of what the message had to offer, well, it was more than just worrisome.
Welcome! The fun is upon us! Rejoice, as your normal lives comes to a crumble! Don¡¯t despair though, because what replaces such a boring thing will be a game filled with excitement, and more excitement! Are you ready? ... Smile, cause it doesn¡¯t matter if you aren''t.
Countdown until something extremely fun happens: 005:46 minutes.
Next Chapter Chapter 3: Countdown Countdown In a haze of dreary confusion and utter anxiety, I stared, glaze eyed at the new pop up that flashed in front of me. ¡°5:45...5:44...5:43¡­..¡± I counted out loud in sync with the timer. What the end of this timer entailed¡­ made me very nervous. I broke my glare with the panel and willed it to disappear like I had with the others. To my disappointment, the panel did disappear, but the timer remained. It counted down rather ceremoniously, making me even more jittery and anxious. 5:37¡­36...35... Every second that passed by only made my condition worse, and the constant reminder didn¡¯t really help. It was like whatever did this, wanted me to feel every second of my ordinary life vanish away. [Well, it¡¯s not like my time on earth was anything great] I lamented, getting a bit whimsical I reminisced about my life up until this point. You know, things weren''t always like this. I wasn¡¯t always the background character whom nobody noticed. Believe it or not, I did have a point in my life where I was a little bit popular; Elementary school. Well, to be honest, it¡¯s hard to stay isolated in Elementary. I mean, back then, everyone¡¯s just a bit more friendly and open. Everyone was everyone¡¯s friend. I guess for me, that time was what you could call a pseudo springtime of youth. I lived as rambunctiously as any other kid. And...I probably enjoyed such a life style. I was when I got to middle school when everything change and things got worse. I was someone who constantly moved and transferred schools often due to the whim of my parents, who really couldn¡¯t settle in one place for two long. Eventually, whether it was through my own actions or something, when my family did eventually settle down, I had developed this isolationist type personality. It¡¯s not like I hated it, having this type of weird disposition¡­ but at the same time, I don¡¯t particularly like it. In fact, if were talking all truths now, being lonely¡­ isn¡¯t nice. Sometimes¡­ S-sometimes, I wish I had a friend. Unexpectedly, tears began to gather in my eyes. I know, I know, its a bit lame, especially since at this point, I¡¯m basically crying at nothing. I mean, aside from the panels and the goblin that tried to kill me, nothing really tear worthy happened, right? The realization that I might die is just something I conjured up in my mind right? I mean, surely things won¡¯t be that bad. I¡¯m just overreacting. Rather, its just stress. That¡¯s right, it¡¯s just stress that¡¯s causing me to feel all these uncomfortable feelings and causing me to sweat out of my eyelids¡­ ...Right? Well, despite all that arduous self-convincing, I couldn¡¯t help it, and no matter how hard I sniffled, renegade droplets still managed to squeeze themselves out of my tear ducts. Mixed with my coming hysteria and the prospect that maybe more of the goblins, or even worse creatures, might start pouring in about 5 minutes, shook me to the point of tears. Not really manly, but I can live with that. *sniff* Surprisingly, the tears that fell across my face somewhat helped me to calm down. It was as if a little bit of my anxiety was mixed into those flecks of liquid. After what felt like hours I snapped myself back into shape. I slapped my face a couple times, flaring up my tear stained cheeks in exchange for a little bit of focus. I once again checked the on screen countdown to get a grasp on the current situation. 2:45...2:44¡­ 2:43¡­ Unexpectedly, I wasted a lot of precious time feeling sorry for myself, and crying, and being just a general pussy. I couldn¡¯t afford to do that anymore. Whatever¡¯s about to happen, will happen, and I need to be prepared for that. If it¡¯s anything like the goblin, then it won¡¯t be a simple walk in the park. I dashed out the doorway, unexpected determination welling up inside me. I tried running, but I had forgotten about my currently injured thigh, so at best I could maintain a somewhat fast hobble. I didn¡¯t really have a plan, I mean, I was a bit too nervous, and I¡¯m not exactly a super human who can recover from near emotional and mental break down in the span of 2 minutes¡­ but I atleast wanted to do something. Right now, I determined I would at least warn somebody. Really, anybody would do; A passerby student, a teacher, the principal, heck even Kido and his onboard harem would suffice. I moved through the hallway, no particular destination in mind, but still vigilant for anybody I could call out to. Unsurprisingly, I didn¡¯t meet anybody for a long time. This didn¡¯t come as much of a shock, considering this part of the building was old, and many of the classes were held in the newer sections of the school. My class was just unfortunate enough to find itself situated here, away from almost everyone else. Wait...my class? ¡°My class!¡± I chided myself for completely forgetting. If I was going to warn somebody, I might as well warn my class. They were the closest group of people to my current location, and, even if my warning might not do much, I would still make an effort. That way, if I die, I can safely pat myself in the back while saying congratulatory words such as ¡°good job!¡± or ¡°you sure did try your hardest, didn¡¯t you?¡± With any luck, I could pass the pearly gates with flying colors. I stopped in the middle of the long stretch of hallway, before I turned around, and ran off once more, this time, in the direction of my classroom. [I¡¯m going to warn them!] [Whatever happens, I¡¯ll get to that room and warn them!] [Warn them!] I pumped myself up as I continued to hobble, closing my distance as fast as possible. When I got to the familiar corner which would bring me in front of the classroom, I briefly checked the countdown to see how much I had left. ...1:39...38¡­..36¡­. ¡°Tch!¡± I grimaced and realized how close I was cutting it. I began to worry that I might not make it in time, when I finally realized something odd was happening. ...why wasn¡¯t anybody else outside, like I don¡¯t know, panicking? I mean, shouldn¡¯t they be at least somewhat curious? Plus, I was screaming particularly loudly back in the bathroom. Even if it is so far from anybody else, you¡¯d think at least one person would notice. Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author. Dread crept into my still fragile psyche. Maybe I was the only one who saw the floating panel? My frantic hobbles unwinded. [Maybe I was the only one who saw these things¡­ Maybe I was just hallucinating¡­ M-maybe, none of this was real¡­ ] As thoughts of self doubt ensnared my mind, I finally bumped into someone. It was a teacher, one I often saw passing the hallways but never really interacted to. She was walking down, from the opposite end of the hallway, with a haggard look on her face. Her face was sweaty, and she oozed tiredness. She was looking down as she walked to it took a while for her to notice me. When she finally got closer, and looked up, she raised her eyes in surprise. ¡°What are you doing out of class?!¡± She asked as if the question was merely reflex. I looked at her hollow eyed, the possibility that I might be insane took a huge toll on my mental state. After 5 seconds, I managed to utter out a weak, ¡°...count down¡­¡± The teacher was going for my collar, obviously ready to take me to the principal¡¯s office, when she stops me and looks at me weird. ¡°You¡­¡± She hesitates for a moment. ¡°...Y-you see it too?¡± ¡°?...!¡± I widened my eyes in realization. He was referring to the timer! The floating blue panel that was the origin of my anxiety. ¡°Wait, it¡¯s not surprising you can see it too.¡± The teacher chided herself. ¡°Everyone in class can see the countdown too, so it makes sense that you could see it too.¡± How I translated those slew of words; ¡®I wasn¡¯t the only one who sees it!¡¯ Vigor and relief filled my once fish eyed eyes. It was a serious weight of my shoulder to find out I wasn¡¯t insane. ¡°What are you doing here...what¡¯s that all over your shirt?¡± The teacher whom I didn¡¯t know began to question with a hint of shock and gentleness in her voice. ¡°I-I¡­¡± I choked up as a wave of bitter relief washed over me. Seeing a role model like figure in the middle of my current breakdown was a huge lifesaver. My face began to cramp out a smile as my legs buckled from sheer joy. [Wait! It¡¯s not time for that!] I controlled myself before another full blown mental breakdown could occur. There were more pressing issues at the moment. My mind jumbled and anxious, finally managed to spit out after much deliberation. ¡°T-teacher, the time- no, why isn¡¯t anybody else outside?¡± I asked, curiosity winning out in my scatterbrain train of thought. ¡°Why? Well¡­¡± The teacher sighed as she scratched the crease in her hairline. ¡°Well, I guess, they''re all a bit hung up on what¡¯s going on outside.¡± ¡°Huh? Outside?¡± I asked, confused. ¡°Yeah outside. The sky.¡± ¡°?¡± I tilted my head in confusion. ¡°You don¡¯t know? My...where exactly have you been these last few minutes¡­¡± She chided me as she led me to an empty classroom with windows. In the bathroom and at the hallway, there were no windows, well, no windows low enough for me to peer out on, so I was completely lost when she referred to the outside. I did not fully grasp the unknown element that was the outside. I followed her anxiously, fully aware that time was ticking downwards. Right now, it was down to less than 30¡­In comparison to this, the teacher was unexpectedly calm. I guess you could call this the charm of age? When we finally arrived, and I finally had a full view, I momentarily forgot all that worry and anxiety, and merely gasped in both utter fear and utter amazement. The sky right now was¡­ it was a mess. The sky was scarlet red and the clouds lost their original white sheen only to be replaced by a menacing black. Scattered across the sky and the clouds, were various cracks that glowed a faint white light. The cloud themselves, covered by said cracks, were swirling around in one epicenter. It looked like somewhat familiar to a hurricane, or a tornado, well, with the exception of looking a lot more frightening. At the center, the eye of this raging black and red storm, was a light. Unlike the white cracks, it pulsated a hue of green, as it rhythmically synced itself with the air that was physically vibrating. I was mesmerized by this scene, as if it had induced a trance like state on my psyche. I was finally brought back to cold reality by a faint beeping noise, which signaled that the countdown had finally entered the ten second mark. 10¡­ ...9¡­ I quickly turned to the teacher, who was currently silently looking at me. I filled my voice with as much desperation and worried bravado as I could muster. ¡°M-more importantly! T-the timer! It¡¯s drawing closer!¡± ¡°?¡± She tilted her head, confused. I was also confused; why was she confused? ¡°What¡¯s wrong with the countdown?¡± She asked innocently. ¡­.5.. ...4¡­ ¡°What do you mean what¡¯s wrong! It¡¯s all wrong!¡± ...3¡­ She laughed, which I found really annoying, especially during a time like this. ¡°There¡¯s nothing to worry about. I mean, it¡¯s just a count down.¡± ...2¡­ ...1¡­ ¡°What are you expecting? An apocalypse?¡± ...0... Ding!
Hello, Hello again! Unfortunately, preparation time¡¯s over, so you all better have prepared yourself, since, after all, what comes next is a simple apocalypse.
With this new panel, came a roaring crash, as my ears filled with screeching screams, and my vision was blocked by a giant shadow. I felt a huge force lift me off my feet. I soared and crashed against a pile of stacked chairs. ¡°....¡± ¡°....¡± It would take me a few minutes to realize I had passed out, and the teacher I had been talking to, was dead, half eaten by a giant Minotaur. Next Chapter Chapter 4: Dungeon Dungeon I groggily regained consciousness. I was vaguely aware of the metallic taste in my mouth as well as the pressure which pinned me down. Eyes still closed, I felt my way around my surroundings with shaky hands. I met fierce resistance, as a weight kept me down on the ground and my body hardly able to move. After a bit of elbow grease though, I properly felt the structures around me, and I could now vaguely make out the familiar anatomy of a chair. Actually, scratch that, there were several chairs, and a few desks mixed in. I was stuck under a pile of chairs. How very inconvenient. I finally opened my eyes, and the first thing they met was once again another pop up, surprisingly this time, it revealed very useful information. Although, it was mostly bad news, but still, it was valuable information.
New Dungeon Discovered! You are among the first to discover the new dungeon, [OakWood High School]. Experience gain will be doubled for a period of one week.
You have entered the Dungeon - OakWood High School! OakWood High School An old highschool with a long history. Currently, it is monster infested. Dungeon Specific Effects Experience gain is 1.25 times greater than normal. Monsters drop rate is 75% lower. All players in the dungeon are temporarily registered as monsters. Killing a player gives a temporary buff to a random stat for a duration of one hour. Player kills earn three times the exp. While in this dungeon, parties cannot be formed.
[Dungeon?] In typical rpgs, dungeons are usually more dangerous and filled with far stronger monsters than regular areas.... Did this just say my school is a dungeon? Well, while it''s true that sometimes school did feel like a place of torture, but still, actually labeling it a dungeon? I doubt even this hellhole is bad enough to warrant such a dangerous tag¡­ Ingesting this new, information, I payed particular attention to the last bit under ¡°Dungeon Specific Effects¡±. ¡°....¡± Reading it over, there seems to be a lot of emphasis on pvp action. Rather, it seems like this [system] is trying to goad players into killing each other¡­. With such rewards, anybody who had an inkling on what¡¯s going on, and realized how important levels are would probably be more than just inclined to kill a couple people¡­ ...Of course I¡¯d never do that. I mean, no matter how messed up this situation might seem, I doubt I¡¯d have the guts to kill a person. Actually, this just meant more bad news for me. Not only will I have to worry about the monsters, but now other people have more than just an incentive to hunt me down¡­ Really, quite a troublesome situation, but for now I can¡¯t focus on that. That issue can be dealt with in the future, for now, I need to look at the immediate situation. Through the various cracks formed by the oddly placed chairs strewn on top of me, I could see a bit of the room, albeit with much obstruction. What I saw was a gruesome scene. The carefree teacher who I had been talking to only a few minutes ago was dead. Her corpse lay cold and unmoving on the classroom floor. Blood flowed in various directions, covering up half the classroom floor in a foreboding shade of red. If that wasn¡¯t bad enough, the teacher in question was half eaten. While her arms and limbs were bent in odd positions, indicating that something with an amazing strength had knocked her around, huge bite marks and gashes riddled her body. The marks didn¡¯t sink into her flesh, like a carnivore¡¯s, but rather, they crushed and mangled her muscle and much of her bone. Something a herbivore might do, well, except herbivores don¡¯t really eat meat or people for that matter. Forcing myself to look away, I examined the rest of the room. Unpleasantly, aside from the corpse, there were other large bodies of flesh in the area. A huge hulking creature, probably about 2 meters in height stood on a pair of hooved hind legs. It had the physique of a well worked lumberjack, even sporting a rustic axe to match. This thing could have passed of perfectly for a friendly tree cutter, had he not have the face he had. The face was, in short, a cow¡¯s. Or would calling it a bull be more accurate? Well, either way, the creature had two protruding horns, and a snout face that looked like it was stuck in a perpetual scowl. And if that wasn¡¯t bad enough, there were two of these creatures. I focused in on one of them, and noticed the blue screen that was also present on top of their heads. While, it was a bit far, I endeavored to read the information.
Minotaur - Level 15
I sighed dejectedly. Like its appearance suggested, it really was a Minotaur...what''s more, it was level 15! That¡¯s a whooping 13 levels higher than me! And what makes that worse is there¡¯s two of them! Two level 15 monsters¡­ I barely survived fighting a tiny goblin, what can I possibly do against two minotaurs. While I began to despair, I noticed an odd event taking place. In the middle of the wrecked classroom, what I can only describe as a slight distortion in space occurred. The air rippled, as the space ripped itself apart, and a moment later, another hulking beast blinked into life. It was another minotaur. [What just¡­.] I grew anxious, the beast just appeared out of nowhere! It was like this whole room birthed a monster before my eyes! I continued observing before another odd thing occured. Once the new minotaur appeared, the other two roared (well, more mooo than anything else), before they, along with the new one in tow, left the classroom rather excitedly. I lay there stock still. My feelings were very mixed. At first there was the obvious set of confusion. Why did they leave this place? How did that minotaur suddenly appear? After that, came a sense of realization. Right now I was alone, with no minotaurs guarding the room. If there were any better time to escape, it would be now! Filled with excitement at this reasoning, I began to shake and shimmy the structure in front of me, all in a vain attempt to knock the chairs out from above me. I ignored much of the muscle fatigue I felt and the throbbing pain in my thigh and mustered as much strength as I could manage. The loose structure gave some leeway, as a bundle of chairs loosened and clattered on to the floor. The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.As I was about to continue this course of actions with a renewed vigor, something interrupted me. The room once again distorted, and in an instant a new minotaur stood imposingly in the center of the room. Its eyes darted back and forth, as if looking for its opponents or allies. Seeing none, its tense muscles loosened as it went to stand in a corner opposite to me. I stopped anymore reckless actions after that, afraid that the creature might notice. Instead, I decided to just sit and wait and go back to quietly observing the room. Truth be told, the current events gave off a hint as to what was happening in this particular room. I just needed to confirm it. A few minutes later, another minotaur blinked into life. It roared at its waiting companion and moved over into another corner of the room. Shortly after the second one¡¯s sudden appearance, a third minotaur came. It roared mightily at its two predecessors. Before I could finish my incomplete thoughts, the minotaurs moved. Much like the first group, they left the classroom in droves of three. And once again, I was left alone in a quiet classroom. Unlike last time, I decided to wait, counting out silently each second that past by. Once I reached the one minute and thirty second mark, another minotaur blinked into life. From here on out, I observed the situation quietly from my hiding spot. I kept track of all my findings within my head and came to the conclusion that, there was indeed a pattern. Minotaurs would blink into life within this room, and once three had gathered, they¡¯d all set out into the hallways together, leaving the room empty for a short period of time. This time span was about 1 minute 30 seconds (give or take). Once the allotted time passed, another minotaur would be blinked into life. In short, I could call this room a spawn point, an area where monsters typically come to life. In a typical rpg dungeon, spawn points aren¡¯t all that rare, rather, it makes sense to have spawn points. While the whole concept of a creature just appearing into existence was weird, it kinda fit the whole context of the situation. It was at least very rpg-esque if that¡¯s any consolation. Probably, the bathroom I was previously in was also a spawn point. One for goblins instead of minotaurs. Actually, if you think about it, I might have been lucky that the restroom spawned goblins. If it pooped something as huge and dangerous as a minotaur, I¡¯d be undoubtedly screwed. Another thing to, was the movement of the minotaurs. They either moved in groups of three due to an order from a higher up or it¡¯s just in their nature. I¡¯m not really too sure, but for me, this was actually an advantage. I had 1 minute and 30 second intervals to do what I pleased and I would make sure to utilize that time appropriately. There was no way I was going to die in a place like this. Like that, my pseudo plan moved into gear. At each time when there would be nobody but me in the room, I did my damnedest to thin the stack of chairs that pinned me to the ground. Luckily the structure was already very unstable, so it only took about 5 intervals to thin the mound considerably. Although I did stop after the 5th interval, since I was afraid that any less and I¡¯d be visible to the creatures. Still, while I toiled, and inbetween the dreaded period of waiting, where I sat anxiously, I lamented over how unlucky this situation was. To find myself in a spawn point¡­ in an rpg, that would have certainly spelled doom. Actually, I did have the misfortune of finding myself in two spawn points¡­ are those ten points in luck even working? rather, how useful will the luck stat be anyway? My thoughts idled, as I sat there and waited. I had decided to move into action during the next interval. and I needed to utilize all my time wisely. Laying here for long extended periods of time had caused the adrenaline in my system to wear off. I could now feel each throbbing pulse of pain in my leg, and I had to fight through every moment to not scream out in agony. On the plus side though, the bleeding status did end, so I wasn¡¯t continuously losing health anymore. Rather, I was actually gaining some, which is a good thing since I was down to 12 hit points after I was sent flying by that first minotaur. During the 7th interval is when I finally decided to move. With preplanned haste, I pushed off the flimsy layer of chairs and desks from above me, and finally freed myself. It was a relief not having that weight pin me down anymore, but I couldn¡¯t really enjoy it right now. First, I moved through the window. When I got there, my face turned pale at the site before me. The view outside was a city of flames. Smoking and fire rose from the streets and people were screaming out. It really was a horrid scene, but I kind of figured it was better than staying in this building. I banged, and banged on the thin glass, desperation leaking through everyone of my blows. I almost broke through when something annoying stopped me. ding!
Stop! Oakwood High School is a special dungeon. Leaving through incorrect means will result in severe penalties. These penalties include but are not limited to: Death Go the proper way. Players are only allowed to leave once they find the correct exit and slay the boss of the dungeon.
¡°Tch!¡± Seeing this, I swelled up with frustration and anger. I held in bitter tears as I turned around from this false hope. Grimacing through the pain, I hobbled to the doorway. I counted down each second as it passed, right now I was down to 45 seconds. When I reached the smashed doorway, I halted. I was at 36 seconds. Grunting, I managed to peer out into the hallway, carefully making sure that the minotaurs hadn¡¯t stayed near their spawn point, after all, if they did all just congregate in the hallway, my plan would have failed. Fortunately, they weren¡¯t here. Rather the hallway was pretty empty, save for a random corpse here and there. The sight was disgusting but I couldn¡¯t really nit pick on those unpleasantries. Right now I was at 15 seconds. I hobbled off into the hallway, turning right, I moved as fast as one can move with an injured thigh. 8 seconds. I half ran, passing the restroom I was at before. 3 seconds. I didn¡¯t know where I was going, just, the fear of a minotaur was pushing me farther and farther away from this place. 1.5 seconds I was almost there just turn this upcoming corner and-- BAM! 0 seconds. I could now hear the roars of the new minotaur as I toppled over somebody¡­ or something. Next Chapter Chapter 5: Person Person --I bumped into someone just as I was making my escape. The initial impact caused a small joint of pain to rocket up my wound. Luckily, I was able to grit through the pain and just barely control my voice from leaking out. As I wobbly tried to stop myself from falling, I looked on at the thing I had bumped into. It was a girl. Probably a student from this school, although, no surprise, I didn¡¯t recognize her. She was rather plain looking, with normal proportions, or at least that¡¯s what I first thought. Truth be told, I couldn¡¯t really tell, much of her face was covered by a haggard amount of hair, and she was wearing an exceptionally large sweater, which hid most of her figure. I looked through her curtain of hair, and saw the initial surprise on her face. She didn¡¯t look scared, rather startled, and from the expression she was showing, it looked as if she was about to scream out due to pure reflex. I was fully aware that the bull nosed giant in the previous room was well within earshot. Although it might not have noticed me yet, a scream would definitely attract its attention. Not to mention there was also the possibility that any sudden noise might attract other monsters. Going by how things have turned out so far, it was a safe bet to assume there was more than just minotaurs and goblins that roamed these hallways. Frantically, I covered the girl¡¯s mouth. I ignored the spit that touched my hand, as I kept it in place, blocking out any sound that may or may not come out. I put my free hand up to my own, making a ¡®shh¡¯ gesture. Naturally, she struggled at first, but soon calmed down. She briefly expressed a knowing glance, before her attention shifted and her eyes vigilantly began to scan from left to right. It looked like she had enough experience with monsters to know their real danger. Her alertness was a good feature. I slowly removed my hand from her mouth, and nodded. She nodded back, and motioned to a nearby stairwell, indicating her original goal. Without words, I understood her intention, which I found odd at first. I¡¯ve never really been this in sync with someone. Maybe it was the situation? Who knows, but this feeling of connectedness was pretty¡­ nice. I glanced over, before I made a worried expression. I looked down at my thigh, it was still as bruised and painful as ever. I don¡¯t really think I could go down a flight of stairs without reflexively screaming out in pain. With a hint of bitter regret, I shook my head. Motioning fruitlessly to my injured thigh. The girl followed my indication, and grimaced at the injury. She thought long and hard, a mask of indecision overtaking her face. After some forethought, it seems like she finally came to a decision. She nodded once more to me, and this time indicated at the corner from which she just came from. Wordlessly, without waiting for a response, she moved on. I more than eagerly followed, fully aware that we might have spent a bit too much time out in the open. She led me to a nearby classroom. Next to the classroom, were a pile of dead corpses. They looked fresh, and most of them were students. I shivered at the scene. Although I had several brushes with death since this whole mess started, it was my first time being so up close. It was rather unnerving. Sparing only a quick glance at the mound, the girl didn¡¯t quite have such an impactful response as I did. She entered the classroom, making sure to open the door as noiselessly as possible. I followed her in, closing the door just as quietly as she had opened it. Once I got in, the first thing I noticed was the destruction. From the looks of things, this room was once an art classroom. Broken canvases littered the walls, while chairs and tables were frantically strewn around everywhere. What was odd was that, despite the condition of the room, it had no corpses. I¡¯d expect that if something rampaged in here, there¡¯d be at least a body or two. Unless¡­. [Ah...now it makes sense¡­] I had a brief moment of insight. Somebody had moved all the bodies outside the classroom. That would explain the dead that guarded the door outside. But as to why someone would do such a fruitless thing, I don¡¯t know. I mean, it was pretty meaningless, not like a corpse-less room would save anyone in this situation. After I finished looking around, I turned back to the person who led me here. Now that I was away from the oppressing sense of danger I faced out in the hallway, I more leisurely took a closer look at the girl. Night black hair curtained her face so I really couldn¡¯t get a good luck at her. Actually, a lot of her was covered up by either hair or baggy clothing. What was left exposed were pieces of pale white skin which looked as frail as a newborn. She was the type of girl who you couldn¡¯t help but think she¡¯d break under her own weight. She also had a naturally slouched posture, which she maintained as she looked out through a window that opened up into the hallway. After she had confirmed we were relatively safe for the time being, she turned back to face the room. I half expected her to start talking, but contrary to my belief, she wordlessly moved deeper into the room. It may have just been my imagination, but I felt that her movements had a pretty depression gait to it. She walked over and reached the area behind the teacher¡¯s desk. The desk itself was half destroyed, littered by giant holes on its surface. It was propped over, blocking the view of whatever lay behind it. After a second of hesitation, I followed her. ¡°hah,hah,hah¡­¡± As I drew closer I was now keenly aware of the heavy panting noise that came from behind. As I got within eyesight, I first thought I was looking at another corpse. Luckily, the slight rise and fall of the chest revealed otherwise. The body that lay broken and injured, was that of a female¡¯s. From her figure, and her relatively clean, albeit pale, face, she was probably really pretty. Probably, she was one of the popular types. Rather than her cute face, what shocked me most was the amount of blood that pooled beside her. For now, the blood showed no indication of growing, but her body, littered in various scratches and wounds, was more than just a cause for concern. I looked silently at her, a dark expression masking my face. [She looks like she¡¯s dying¡­.] The girl who brought me here, kneeled down, and caressed the bleeding girl¡¯s forehead. Although the girl showed no signs of being conscious, her face did visibly loosen up upon the contact of flesh. I waited a while, but the only noise in the room was the soft groans of the dying girl who laid in a pool of blood.. Breaking the long silence, I decided to talk first. ¡°What happened to her?¡± I asked. After a minute of no response, she finally talked back. Her voice was frail, and soft, barely audible. ¡°...I don¡¯t know.¡± She looked up, and seeing the expression on my face, she began to explain further. ¡°This isn¡¯t my classroom.¡± She looked around the room as if to indicate. ¡°I was a few halls down, when¡­ you know, the countdown went zero. I managed to survive when the first monsters did come to my classroom. I hide in a supply closet, and...and I waited until everyone was dead and the monsters had left.¡± A look of deep regret was plastered on her otherwise stoic face. She quickly shook that expression off though, and continued to explain. ¡°After it left, I went out and came here¡­ for her.¡± She looked down gently onto the poor girl. ¡°She¡¯s my sister.¡± Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. She spoke simply, as if such an explanation was enough. I nodded, I got her situation. Family bonds were pretty strong I guess, even in a time like this. Although, I couldn¡¯t help but quirp in a hint of bitter reality to her one sided conversation. ¡°She¡¯d dying.¡± I said. Hearing these words, she bit down on her own lip, before slowly nodding. It seems like she realizes it as well. ¡°....¡± ¡°....¡± In this silence, I had an idea, but I was afraid to speak out. I was afraid that I might be wrong. There were too many variable I didn¡¯t know about, and the mechanics to this crazy reality were still knew to me, so I hesitated to voice out my opinion. If I, on some of chance, ended up being wrong, that would only bring more grief to the person in front of me. ¡°...¡± After some time, I decided to screw it. I¡¯ll trust in my instincts for the time being. ¡°...She¡­ she might not die.¡± The girl looked up at me. She was startled at my sudden declaration, but her eyes glowed with a bit of faint hope. I scratched my head, trying to gather my thoughts for what I was about to say next. ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve realized this but¡­ the world has changed.¡± Remembering the floating countdown from earlier, the girl nodded with eager eyes. I nodded in response as well. ¡°...then, I¡¯m not sure if you realized this or not, but, I,no, probably we¡­ we have changed as well.¡± Hearing this, the girl flashed a confused and doubtful frown. Seeing this expression, I thought for a moment before I said, ¡°..Try saying ¡°status¡± out loud while thinking of...um, yourself.¡± It was better to show her than to explain such a ridiculous thing. She looked blankly at me for a second before she opened her mouth. She hesitated for a moment, only gaping with her mouth slightly open but with no sound coming out. Eventually, she finally did speak ¡°Status.¡± What came next was that the girl jumped in surprise. Her eyes widened as she looked at what I presumed was her own status screen. Of course, like I half expected, I couldn¡¯t see her status window. It seems like things like that are personal. After a minute of quietly looking, she turned back to me, and spoke, a tone of astonishment still lingering in her voice. ¡°It¡­ it says here I¡¯m level 1.¡± I nodded. ¡°Hm, I¡¯m level 2.¡± ¡°How?¡± ¡°Well, somethings happened.¡± I answered awkwardly before I scratched my head. Her eyes moved over to the injury in my leg, before she nodded. ¡°So, what was that about saving her?¡± She spoke, her voice now louder and filled with more hope than before. [I never said I could save her¡­] Ah well, what¡¯s done is done. I began to explain the gist of my logic. ¡°Ah, you know how in things like rpgs and mmos, your life is determined by your HP, right?¡± She nodded. Such information was common sense after all. ¡°Then¡­ if we just bring her hp backup, I don¡¯t think she¡¯ll die.¡± It was simple. Logic based on rpg experience. Even the most grievous of wounds could be healed by a simple healing spell. As long as the hp never reached zero, then it was basically impossible to die. And if it ever did reach zero, then I guess you¡¯d need to look into revive spells and such¡­ although, I have my doubts as to their existence¡­ Upon hearing this, the girl frowned. It looked like she wasn¡¯t convinced by such simple logic. As if to word out her doubt, she asked, ¡°But what about her wounds?¡± I accepted this question a little too eagerly. In fact, it was something related to this that I actually came to my conclusion in the first place. In response I pointed to my leg. ¡°Actually¡­¡± I began to explain. In short, my leg was healing. I didn¡¯t notice while trapped in that classroom, but once I started moving about through the hallway, I noticed that my leg didn¡¯t hurt as much. It became easier to move, and the pain lessened considerably. It was healing considerably faster than normal. I connected this to my hp, which was also now steadily regenerating health. As long as there was no detrimental effects like [bleeding status] in place, I was convinced that I could basically heal from almost any injury, given the right amount of time. After my explanation, the girl was still frowning, but now her eyes glowed with a bit of understanding. ¡°Of course, we could always test this theory.¡± I said. ¡°We simply have to wait until my hp bar reaches max. At that time, it¡¯ll be obvious whether I¡¯m right or not.¡± Although from how slow my health regeneration was, it would take at most a few hours for me to completely heal. The girl was quiet for a moment. She looked down, and from the quiet mumblings (which were a little creepy) that leaked out, I assumed she was deep in thought. After a while, she looked back up. ¡°It makes sense.¡± She affirmed. ¡°Although, I¡¯d like to test it out, just to be sure.¡± ¡°That¡¯s why I said we should just wait until I fully recover, it might take a while but--¡± She interrupted me with a shake of her head and said. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. There¡¯s no need to wait.¡± Without a shred of hesitation, she took a pencil from on top of the desk, and jabbed it deep into her arm. ¡°Tch!¡± With a wince, the leaded weapon sunk deeper into her flesh, and with another wince, she pulled it out just as easily as she had stabbed it in. ¡°...!¡± I stood there, aghast, not knowing how to respond. The girl also did nothing. She dropped the pencil and watched it roll through the floor as she just quietly sat there, with a deep look of concentration on her face. ¡°....¡± ¡°....¡± ¡°...¡± ¡°... I lost 5 hit points.¡± She broke the silence and stated. ¡°D-did you check your status window?¡± I asked. ¡°Yes. and since I have an hp regeneration of 0.005 per second¡­¡± After a bit of mental calculating she said, ¡°...We¡¯ll only need to wait 17 minutes for my hp to fill back up.¡± ¡°Ah, um, okay.¡± I spoke dumbly, still a bit shocked that she had just stabbed her hand for such a reason. And so we waited. Our attention completely focused on the bleeding wound on her left hand. As time passed by, it was a pleasant discovery to know that my theory was correct. Slowly, ever so slowly, the wound closed up, and at 16.666 whatever minutes, her hand was as good as new. She moved her hand around cautiously. She flexed it left and right, opened and closer her palm, she did all sorts of things in order to confirm how her hand had healed. After a minute or so of doing this, in a tone of wonderment, she awed, ¡°Y-you were right¡­¡± I smiled a bit at her words. ¡°Well, this is good then.¡± I replied. She nodded. ¡°If¡­ If it¡¯s like this, then my sister can be¡­¡± Her words choked up in the middle, as tears quietly rolled down her hair matted cheeks. She hiccuped and sniveled while trying to restrain her budding emotions. For a while, she just sat there, whimpering as tears continued to gather in a pool before her. After five minutes or so, she finally stopped. She rubbed her reddened eyes, while looking at me through a familiar curtain of hair. ¡°M-my name¡¯s Cielle¡­¡± It was a little late for introduction, but at least I could stop referencing her as ¡®girl¡¯ now. ¡°Ah, I¡¯m Hide.¡± With a small bow, I likewise, introduced myself to Cielle. Next Chapter Chapter 6: Idle Idle After confirming that our physical body was linked very closely with our HP, I helped Cielle move her sister onto a cleared away table. Except for an initial groan of pain, Cielle''s sister didn¡¯t really react much. She just continued to heavily pant and groan. Oh right, apparently, Cielle¡¯s sister is named Hina. I¡¯m not really good at names so I wonder if I can memorize that... Cielle went and checked over her sister¡¯s injury. She had done this earlier when she first came into the room, but now, filled with renewed hope, she checked more earnestly. She was looking for anything that might indicate an abnormal effect, somthing similar to [bleeding status]. It was important to check for these, since abnormal effects can stop or halt hp regeneration. Unfortunately, we had no way of looking at her sister¡¯s status window, so the only thing we could do was diagnose her with our amateur opinion. Of course we couldn¡¯t really make a proper diagnosis, considering we¡¯re just high school students with little medical experience, but at least it was better than doing nothing. After some deliberation, we concluded that she had suffered a heavy loss of blood. We didn¡¯t know whether or not she had any internal bleeding, or whether there was anything else wrong with her, but it was the best we could do. After finding a first aid kit tucked away behind the teacher¡¯s desk, Cielle went and treated the external injuries of her sister. While she was doing this, I had some time to think. I casually limped over to the backpacks strewn across the room, and looted-- I mean, checked if there was any food. My mind wandered as I continued this monotonous task. I once again focused on the absurdity of this event. Before long, my mind shifted towards my recent discovery. If hp had such an effect on a person, then it wouldn¡¯t be wrong to think the stats like agility, and strength acted the same. Maybe mana was like that too, but since it was something that really didn¡¯t exist in the previous world, I still had my doubts. Although not that it mattered. I already knew I couldn¡¯t use any mana thanks to that ability of mine. Speaking of that abilities, what exactly was it suppose to do? According to the screen, it said something along the lines of ¡°equipping items¡±. That really didn¡¯t make much sense. If it were something more orthodox like super strength or telekinesis, then I could have immediately confirmed, but [Equip] was a bit too vague. How exactly was I suppose to equip items? I didn¡¯t really see one of those equipment menus in my status window, so that brought even more confusion to my situation. While I was thinking such thoughts, Cielle called me over with that trademark soft voice of hers which I had already began to attribute with her rather ¡®soft¡¯ personality. ¡°What is it Cielle?¡± I asked while walking over. I had a granola bar in hand which I found while looking through the bags. I unwrapped it and handed half to Cielle while she began to talk. ¡°Um¡­ what should we do next?¡± She said something rather vague, but I kinda understood she was referring to her sister. Hina was now wrapped up in gauze and bandages. Her breath was a lot more even than before, but still, her face was unnaturally pale. If this was any normal situation, I would have been at a lose as for what to do next. But luckily, this situation wasn¡¯t normal, and the rpg-esque scenario gave me some semblance of familiarity. I sat on the table and thought for a moment. We really didn¡¯t have many options. I didn¡¯t quite know for sure, but there was a high chance that a status effect was disrupting Hina¡¯s hp regeneration. If this was the case, then we were really left with only two options. One, was to remedy and fix the status effect. I knew this was possible, going by how a quick bandage made [bleeding effect] on my leg disappear. On the other hand, we didn¡¯t know what type of status effect she had, or if she had one in the first place. The second option was to forcibly rise her hp. If she couldn¡¯t do it herself, then we would do it for her. Although a big issue to this was I didn¡¯t really know how to do that. In rpg¡¯s, a simple potion or healing spell could do such an easy task, but as to whether these two things existed, well, that was still up for debate. And if they did exist, I didn¡¯t have a way to aquire them. ¡°....¡± Although, maybe if we¡¯re lucky, a potion or something could fall as loot from a defeated monster. Since exp could be gained from killing one, it wouldn¡¯t be a stretch to assume that their would be item drops. But this brings up a whole ¡®nother slew of problems. Would monster¡¯s even drop potions? How exactly were we going to kill a monsters? How high is our level gap? I sighed. It was tough coming up with an on the spot solution like this. I looked over at Cielle. Her head was bowed down, and her hair covered her face, but I could kind of tell she was earnestly worrying about her sister. Seeing her like this was a bit refreshing for my heart, but the expectations she had developed was kind of a major burden. I sighed once more, which attracted Cielle¡¯s attention. ¡°Have you thought of anything yet?¡± She asked. I awkwardly scratched my head while playing with my words. ¡°Um¡­ I don¡¯t have anything concrete, but I atleast know what we¡¯re going to do.¡± ¡°Oh!¡± Her face brightened, and the octave in her voice rose. ¡°Y-yeah, for now, we¡¯ll heal your sister.¡± I declared with false bravado. ¡°Oooh.. *sniff*....¡± Cielle started to whimper, and for a moment, I thought she was going to break down and cry again. Luckily, she was able to regain her demeanor, as she nodded with conviction towards my direction. ¡°Then, what are we going to do?¡± She asked. ¡°Hmm¡­ for now, we¡¯ll have to go over to the infirmary. I don¡¯t think the first aid kit will be enough for your sister¡­ and it would be good if the school nurse managed to survive¡­¡± I smiled bitterly as I looked down. I didn¡¯t really know the nurse, actually, I never ever visited the school infirmary, but having her in this situation would be much more helpful and reassuring. Cielle responded to my words with an enthusiastic nod while she spoke. The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings. ¡°Actually, before I stumbled into you, Hide, I was planning on going to the infirmary to see if anyone could help my sister¡­. Although I was a bit reluctant to leave her alone¡­¡± I nodded at this. ¡°It would be bad to leave Hina alone, so one of us has to stay behind while the other looks for help¡­¡± ¡°I-I see¡­¡± She had a troubled expression after hearing my words. ¡°Ah, no, I¡¯ll be the one who goes out to look for help, so you don¡¯t need to worry.¡± I confirmed. Sometime¡¯s being a man means you have to stand up when people are in trouble. Volunteering like this might have been unusual for the normal me, but situation changes people. ¡°Ah, no, I didn¡¯t mean to¡­¡± While Cielle was earnestly trying to deny this, a micro expression of relief couldn¡¯t help but show itself on her face. ¡°Well, don¡¯t worry about it. I¡¯ll make go once my leg fully heals so¡­.. in about 1 hours and thirty minutes.¡± It was troublesome that the health regeneration was so slow, but I guess it can¡¯t be helped. Besides, I¡¯m sure there are ways to boost it up in the future. After confirming our pseudo plan, I went about the room in an effort to waste that 1 hour and thirty minutes. Cielle was currently looking after Hina, while I was back to looting the backpacks and checking the cabinets. This time, I was looking for a weapon of sorts. It was pretty dangerous out in the halls so I needed something to protect myself. Plus, the infirmary was pretty far from here, and I doubted I could make it there without stumbling into a monster. No, I had another plan. I was going to bet on the flimsy gamble that monsters might really drop loot, and that if I was lucky, they would drop a potion or two. And in order to hunt down monsters, I was going to need a weapon. After a while, I found a box cutter in one of the cabinets. It didn¡¯t really look intimidating, and its effectiveness was questionable, but one thing did bring me comfort; it¡¯s stats.
Boxcutter A tool used for cutting paper and cardboard. It¡¯s not much of a weapon. Damage: 4 -10 +3 strength +2 Agility Durability: 7/9
Surprisingly, this thing gave bonuses and effects like any other weapon in an rpg or mmo. I expected something like this to happen, but I only thought really weapons, like swords, or maybe even guns would be affected. It¡¯s weird seeing a status screen for a flimsy boxcutter. Nevertheless, a weapon was a weapon, and stats were stats. I pocketed the object, and rummaged around the cabinets some more. I managed to find another boxcutter, but its stats were a bit different than the original. This one had a damage of 5-8, while it gave 1+ to strength and 2+ to agility. To be short, it was of lower quality than the first one. After procuring these objects, I moved back towards Cielle and handed her the second boxcutter. ¡°Huh?¡± She looked questioningly at the mini knife in her hands. ¡°You need a weapon while I¡¯m gone. Hopefully it doesn¡¯t happen, but a monster might come here or something.¡± Hearing these words, Cielle shivered in fear. After she calmed down, I continued explaining. ¡°It might not look much, but at least the stats are decent.¡± I flashed what I thought would be a reassuring smile as I finished explaining. This smile was returned by another questioning look. ¡°Stats? what are you talking about?¡± She asked. ¡°Huh? The stats on the boxcutter. This one gives a boost in strength and agility.¡± I explained. ¡°And I¡¯m asking what stats? I don¡¯t see any stats.¡± As if to prove her point, she moved the boxcutter around and looked at it from numerous perspectives. In the end she shook her head as if to say, ¡°it¡¯s hopeless¡±. ¡°You can¡¯t see it?¡± I asked in a tone of disbelief. ¡°I guess not?¡± She stated while tilting her head to the side. ¡°I see¡­ well, I¡¯m going to see if I can find another weapon then, one that¡¯s a little more reliable than a small boxcutter.¡± I left the second boxcutter with Cielle as I moved back over to the cabinets and backpack. I rummaged around while my head was lost in thought. Why couldn¡¯t Cielle see the stats? They were there as plainly as my own stats were. She should have been able to see them like me¡­ Maybe she was lying? No, I doubt that¡¯s the case. She genuinely looked like she had no clue what I was talking about. Then why? Why couldn¡¯t she see it? Maybe it wasn¡¯t her.. maybe it was me? Maybe I''m the one who¡¯s odd. Maybe I¡¯m the only one who could see the boxcutter¡¯s status screen...but why? I mean, we both should have been able to see it, our situation¡¯s practically all the same. The only thing that sets me apart from Cielle is...my¡­. ¡­. ability. Ding! As if to confirm, a ringing sound vibrated through my mind as a new window opened up in front of me.
Congratulations! Do to further understanding of your skill, [Equip], new information has been unlocked.
Followed by this, [Equip]¡¯s status screen flashed in front of me, but this time, there were noticeable changes.
[Equip] (Active) Skill Type: Unique Skill Rank: Beginner Skill Level: 1 Skill Experience: 5.43% Effects: Enables user to equip items. Items are granted stat bonuses. Weapon bonuses are only applicable to the skill owner. Consumable items may vary. (???) (???) Available Sub-skills: Identification Demerits: You cannot use mana.
Next Chapter Chapter 7: Plan in Motion Plan in Motion
[Equip] (Active) Skill Type: Unique Skill Rank: Beginner Skill Level: 1 Skill Experience: 5.43% Effects: Enables user to equip items. Items are granted stat bonuses. Weapon bonuses are only applicable to the skill owner. Consumable items may vary. (???) (???) Available Sub-skills: Identification Demerits: You cannot use mana.
After looking over at the new status screen for my skill, I focused in on the sub-skills section. I was surprised to find I had gained a new sub skill to this troublesome Unique skill. Going by it¡¯s name, I could fairly guess as to what its capabilities were, but just to be sure, I checked the new skill¡¯s status. [Identification!] I called out in my mind. ding! In the next instant a new screen blinked into life in front of me.
[Identification] (Active) Skill Type: Rare Skill Rank: Beginner Skill Level: 1 Skill Experience: 10.30% Effects: Enables the user to view relevant information on the target.
It was a simple skill, one I don¡¯t necessarily run into too often in real mmos, but I figured such a skill when applied in this situation would be a life saver. Right now, everything was basically a giant question mark. I was in a cave with no light, left to wander in the darkness. This ability would be sort of like a small match. It might not have a lot of impact, but nevertheless, [Identification] sounded useful. I figured this ability ties closely with [Equip] as it lets me view the status screens of objects like that boxcutter. I closed the blue screen with a thought and moved towards the back of the room. I decided that for the remainder of the the 1 hour and 30 minutes, I would use and play with my new sub-skill. While Cielle continued to watch over her sister, I carefully inspected all the miscellaneous objects I could find. It was surprisingly easy to use my new skill. Just like how status works, I merely had to think [identify!] or [identification!] and the relevant information would pop up in front of me. I continued to do this for a while as I looked over the various windows of information that popped up.
Mechanical Pencil A tool used for writing. Damage: 1-4 +2 wisdom +1 strength Special Effects: (???) Durability: 7/8
Backpack An old, worn out bag. It can be used to store objects. +2 hp -4 Agility Special Effects: (???) Durability: 2/10
Granola Bar Food for the weary. Recovers 20 stamina.
I identified all the various objects I could find. I was surprised to find that there was also a status screen for granola bars, although I quickly connected this to the bit about consumables that was written down on the [Equip]¡¯s status. Also since Granola Bars restored 20 stamina, this brought an idea to my mind. If food could restore stamina, maybe there was something out there that could restore hp. Maybe I didn''t need to find potions and the like. Maybe simple medicine could have effects similar to this granola bar. I was both excited and depressed at this new theory. If I was right, then there was hope for Cielle¡¯s sister, but on the other hand, this just made getting to the infirmary even more important. As I looked over the information, one thing that caught my eye was the label under special effects. While the special effects portion was riddled in question marks, the section itself was new. There had been no special effects section when I found the boxcutters. I could only guess and ponder as to what might be under those question marks, but I figured with more practice, and when I unlocked more information regarding my skill, they would reveal themselves in time. So I didn¡¯t really worry about it too much. Like this, I continued to identify various items in the room. After I had identified a majority of the objects in the room, I brought up [identification]¡¯s status screen once more.
[Identification] (Active) Skill Type: Rare Skill Rank: Beginner Skill Level: 1 Skill Experience: 64.98% Effects: Enables the user to view relevant information on the target.
I smiled delightfully. Like I inferred, identifying all those items did increase my skill experience. Although the growth was a bit too slow for my taste, but no matter, that just meant I had to identify even more items. Time passed by and before I knew it, my leg was as good as knew. I cautiously moved it around, and once I was satisfied with the healing, I said goodbye to Cielle and the sleeping Hina and prepared to set off. I brought with me a granola bar, and the boxcutter. The granola bar was incase I ran out of stamina, and the boxcutter was for protection. I would have liked a better weapon, but there really wasn¡¯t anything with a stronger damage than that flimsy knife. Before I left, I did try to find some sort of armour, like, maybe clothing or the like, but there wasn¡¯t anything like that. Although I did find something nice.
Worn out Sneakers An old pair of used footwear. It emits a mysterious smell. +6 (2) Agility +2 (2) Dexterity Familiarity: 2 Special Effects: (???) Durability: 4/12
These were the sneakers I had on me. I was surprised to find that my old shoes gave off such bonuses, since I didn¡¯t feel anything substantially different when I had them on earlier. Although I later attributed this to the fact that they weren¡¯t identified then. I figured I had to identify the item for me to reap its bonuses. And as if to test this theory, I wore my sneakers once more, this time after they were properly identified. Immediately I felt a bit lighter on my feet. I did some practice kicks, feeding off my old knowledge of martial arts. My kicks were good, and much faster than anything I could perform in the past 3 years. I smiled to myself. It felt nice to be able to kick well again. My body had almost forgotten that sensation of familiar movement. This was only possible thanks to the stat bonuses. I could feel more power in my kicks, which I attributed to the +3 in strength thanks to the boxcutter. It seems like the bonuses applied to my whole body, and not just the hand holding onto the boxcutter. Similarly, the agility bonuses I could feel in my faster movement speed. While all these bonuses weren¡¯t substantially significant, it still felt good to have. Before doing anything else, I brought up my status screen to check my stats.
Status Window
NameHide Mayo
Age17RaceHuman
Level2GenderMale
TitlesPioneer
Health110/110(10)Health Regen.0.005 / Sec
Mana (unavailable)110(10)Mana Regen.0.01 / Sec
Stamina100(10)Stamina Regen.0.05 / Sec
-
Strength8(13)Agility12(20)
Vitality7(10)Dexterity10(14)
Intelligence11(10)Wisdom11(10)
Leadership0(10)Luck0(10)
-
Skills
Equip (Active) The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.Identification (Active)
Current Status Effect(s)n/a
Unallocated Points0
I smiled at myself again. The added bonuses from both the boxcutter and the sneakers had added themselves nicely to my stat distribution. After a bit more practice, I finally refocused myself. First, I identified the other articles of clothing on me, but disappointingly, they didn''t give any stat bonuses. Next, since I¡¯ve already confirmed the effects of these stat bonuses, I pondered a bit about the Familiarity portion of the status screen. Earlier, [Equip] didn¡¯t say anything about familiarity, but after looking at it a bit, I figured familiarity was a good thing. It added extra points to the stats that the object upgraded, so I was happy with that. Although I was left to question what familiarity depended on, but that was for another time; now I needed to get going. After saying my final goodbyes, I cautiously left the room. I opened and closed the door as quietly as I could, and stood alone in the hallway. I looked left and then right, nobody was insight, although that didn¡¯t cause me to become reckless. I knelt down besides the pile of corpses and waited a for a few more minutes. Once I was satisfied that no monsters were secretly roaming the halls, I proceeded to walk down the hallway. Right now i had two options; to go down to the infirmary or to go hunt monsters. I wasn¡¯t nearly stupid nor confident enough to think that I could survive what lay ahead of me. I¡¯d be an idiot to think I¡¯d make it to the infirmary safely, especially with all the monsters roaming around. For all I know, something scarier than a minotaur could be guarding the place. If a midboss type monster was down there¡­ I shook away these needless worries. Bottom line, I wasn¡¯t ready to explore the school. The level gap between me and the monsters were too great, and their were too many unknowns. I should at least try to increase my level before I try anything stupid. And to do that, I was planning on monopolizing the first spawn point I had come across. In most rpgs, goblins were considered weak monsters, so I hoped that logic applied here. I¡¯d increase my level by slaying a few goblins. The plan was simple, but it still posed some danger. Plus I still had a bit of trauma from my first encounter¡­ but I¡¯ll set aside those things for now. What¡¯s important is for me to get stronger. After 15 minutes of quiet tiptoeing, I finally arrived at the restrooms. Luckily, this particular section of the school was pretty far away from the rest of the building, so I can hope that nothing else wanders through here while I was busy dealing with the goblins. I gulped, and knelt down besides the corner of a wall. For now, I had to observe. I wasn¡¯t the reckless type of guy who just randomly leapt at the face of danger. I was a wimp. I firmly gripped the boxcutter in my hand while I made sure my shoelaces were properly tied. In contrast to the rest of the hallway, the men¡¯s bathroom was really rowdy. You could here reverberating laughter and inhuman squeals coming from behind the door. From all the various noises and voices coming through, I could guess that there were at least 10 goblins congregating in that cramped restroom. Although why they didn¡¯t exactly leave like the minotaurs, I didn¡¯t really know. Maybe they were the type to attack in waves, since they were pretty small and weak, it would make sense to capitalize on their numbers. While I continued to observe, a small green goblin left the restroom. It was ugly, and vigilant. It had a dagger sized sword in its hand. I squinted hard at the creature. It wasn¡¯t that I could see it, but I wanted to see the small status screen that floated above its head.
Goblin Scout - Lv. 6 Hp: 30/30
Surprisingly, the information that floated above its head displayed more facts than my first encounter. It showed the level and its hp! I connected this to [identification]. Identification probably boosted the type of info I could perceive from monsters. If it was like this, then this just brought up [identification]¡¯s standing even more. I guess it isn¡¯t a rare skill for nothing¡­ Well, that aside, if I could now see more in depth information about a monster, it wouldn¡¯t be a stretch to assume I could do the same thing to players. Especially while I¡¯m in this dungeon, since players were technically treated as any other monster. I brought my attention back to the ugly green thing that was currently wandering the hallway. Given that it was a scout, I could venture to assume it was going to walk in my direction. It would have been pointless otherwise to keep a scout constrained to such a small location. As the goblin got closer to my location, I tucked myself behind the wall. I breathed in and out, and tried my best to calm my restless mind. I noticed that my left arm was shaking and that the once injured leg was throbbing, despite the injury having healed already. I calmed down, and focused in on the squelching noise the goblin made. I could hear the monster getting closer and closer. I resolved myself to my sneak attack. I would strike first, kicking the goblin off its feet and slitting its throat clean open before it could attract any help. I waited for what felt like eternity until I finally saw the goblin¡¯s large nose from behind the wall. Immediately, I monopolized the extra boost in agility I had, and leapt into action. Before the goblin could react, I kicked it¡¯s feet from underneath, and watched it topple to the floor, stomach faced towards the ceiling. I was careless, as it shot out with its sword while it fell. The blade grazed my arm, but other than that I was fine. I ignored the pain and continued onward. Following up, I immediately jumped down on it and pinned the thing down. I made sure to restrain its restless arms with my two knees while my hand rocketed out and slashed at its throat. The boxcutter met slight resistance, but with a bit of effort, it cut through the collection of veins and muscle. The creature could only manage a weak ugyaa, before it lost its ability to speak. Unfortunately though, it wasn¡¯t dead yet. I flashed a brief glance at its status screen, and frowned when I discovered it still had seven health points left. I was disappointed that no fatal blow like last time, had landed on the creature. The goblin struggled for a bit, before I resolved myself for what was to come next. Gripping the boxcutter firmly in hand, I gulped down my morals and plunged the bladed edge deep within its eye socket. I made sure to twist and prod at what I assumed was its brain. A bit of blood squirted out due to my twisting. The creature wriggled fiercely for a moment before it eventually stopped moving altogether. It lay limp, with my bloody boxcutter firmly wedged in its eye socket. I sighed out a shaky laughter, before I moved my self away from the new corpse and slumped down on the tiled floor. After recollecting myself, I checked my status screen and was disappointed to find I was still level two, although I did expect that. I figured it wasn¡¯t going to be easy to rise in level. Once I had calmed myself down, I pocketed the goblin¡¯s short sword. I used [identify] to check its stats.
Goblin Short Sword A weapon made for goblins. It has a short reach and is incompatible with humans. Damage: 12-16 +5 Agility +3 strength +1 Dexterity Durability: 9-15
I smiled. It was definitely better than the boxcutter I was using right now. While it may have been a little short on reach, it still had better potential than that box cutter. I quickly grabbed the weapon, and immediately, I could feel my body getting lighter. The +5 in agility was really useful. I swung around the sword a bit, testing the waters. I never had any experience with swords and the like, so I could only picture how lame I looked slashing around with this sword. After getting somewhat used to the weapon, I knelt down behind the wall once more. I prepped myself and focused. Right now, it was time to farm. Author''s note: Well, since this is a new story, there are still a bunch of what ifs and things I haven''t completely thought out yet. One of those things is the name T.T For some reason, I don''t like it... maybe that''s just me though. If any of you have suggestions on a new name or anything else about the story, please tell me, I''m open to anything. And if you like the story so far, comment, favorite, follow, rate, etc. This is new, so it needs a little boost right now. Thanks. Next Chapter Chapter 8: Farming Farming I set about to raise my level. It was a very tedious process. I wasn¡¯t stupid enough to go running into that restroom and hoping for the best. There were probably at least 10 or so goblins in there, and I didn¡¯t really fancy being ganked by a mob of ugly green midgets today. Instead, I chose to play it safe. I would wait, from behind my little corner in the wall, and eliminate the occasional goblin scout that left to venture solo. As time went by, and as I killed more goblin scouts, everything got easier. Not only did I gain more combat experience (and real experience), but the whole thing desensitized me to killing. Normally that would be bad. I¡¯d be labeled a psycho in the ¡°Old World¡±. But now, when everything¡¯s gone to hell, being a little crazy can be helpful. So I continued my meticulous process of goblin farming. It was slow going, of course. A goblin scout left the restroom every 5 minutes, so most of my time was spent waiting. At most, I had less than a minute of combat between each 5 minute interval. I wouldn¡¯t say it was a very exciting process, but it was necessary. While I hunted, I also collected all the weapons they used. In the process, I also identified all the goblin short swords that my grubby hands could get. And while doing so, I noticed that, like with the boxcutters, they varied in quality. The best quality sword I ran into was one that did 13-17 damage, and added +6 to agility, +3 to strength, and +4 to dexterity. Doing the obvious thing, this was the sword that I was currently using. I also noticed that all this physical activity sapped stamina from me. Luckily, the 5 minute intervals were enough time for me to recover that lost stamina, so I didn¡¯t need to use the granola bar just yet. Also, as I was killing the goblins, I noticed that in fact, they did drop loot. Now, before I go any further, let me just say, the short sword I acquired from the monsters wouldn¡¯t be counted as monster drops. No, they were just things I scavenged from their dead bodies. ¡°Real¡± loot, were the things that randomly blinked into existence once I slayed a monster. For example, the only thing that has dropped so far; Goblin Ring.
Goblin Ring A very ugly ring carved by an amateur goblin jeweler. +3 strength *Equip Skill Bonus* +3 Vitality +2 Dexterity -3 luck
Normally, the goblin ring wouldn¡¯t have helped all that much. I mean, sure, it¡¯s nice to have a boost in strength, but its not like +3 is anything fantastic. What made this a good item were the added effects given by my [Equip] skill. At first, seeing these effects really did surprise me, I didn¡¯t expect that I¡¯d get such a boost, but after thinking about it for a bit, I understood why. I deduced that the goblin ring was an item that any other player could use. It wasn¡¯t like the boxcutters, or the granola bar which only had beneficial effects due to my special skill. If any other player were to get this item, I¡¯m sure that they would have gotten the +3 in strength. But in my case, that¡¯s different. I received an additional +3 in vitality and +2 in dexterity (also a -3 in luck, but hey, what has luck really done for me at this point?) thanks to my skill. I was happy for the boost of course, I predict that if I ever acquired a higher grade drop, then the inherent skill bonus would be greater as well, which would be good news for the future me. What I was wary about was whether the effects of this skill outweighed the demerit of being denied the fantasmical ability to use magic. ¡°...It probably doesn¡¯t.¡± I lamented to myself. I mean, its not a matter about efficiency, but about whimsy. It¡¯s always been a dream of mine, or for this matter, a dream of any imaginative person, to be able to use magic. The idea that I was left out of this possibility was...saddening. But if I delve too deep into this growing bitter feeling, then I might end up getting myself killed, so I brushed it aside for now and went back to hunting goblins. When I slayed my 16th Goblin scout, I reached level 5. I don¡¯t know whether my leveling up speed was high or not, but considering the fact that I was getting double the exp for a week, I think I¡¯m going at a decent pace. When I reached level 5, I acquired 15 unallocated stat points. I pondered how to distribute them for a while, but in the end, I choose to allocate them in either dexterity, strength, or agility. So as follows; 5 went to dex, 3 went to str, and 7 went to agi. I put a lot more points into agility since, in most mmorpgs that I¡¯ve played, I always went for rogue builds, or any type of character which emphasized speed. For now, I choose to ignore my wisdom and intelligence stats. I knew that from experience that wisdom and intelligence rises mana capacity and magic damage. But seeing as how [Equip] stopped me from using mana, I thought it was unnecessary to waste points on these stats. Of course, the possibility existed that wis and int boosted some other portion of me, like my memory or processing speed, but for now, this was a field which I couldn¡¯t really investigate too deeply. Once I got out of the immediate danger (i.e. this dungeon), then I¡¯d investigate to what extent those two stats affect me. After I allocated the rest of the points, I went back to quietly waiting for my next victim-- er, goblin. This time around though, instead of the one, two goblin scouts left the restroom. I bet they got suspicious that none of their scouts were coming back. They scanned the empty hallway vigilantly, as they moved slowly, back to back. One of the goblins held the usual short sword, but the other one had a bow that was too big for its size. I smirked upon seeing the bow. It went above the green abomination¡¯s height and was obviously quite a burden for the thing to drag around. Luckily for me though, that sort of thing was the perfect size for a human, and by extension, it was a perfect size for me. I contemplated whether it was safe for me to fight two of them at once, but in the end, I recounted how all my encounters wouldn¡¯t necessarily constitute as ¡°safe¡±. It was kind of stupid to be worrying about safety right now. Plus, I reasoned that they don¡¯t pose that much of a danger to the current me. As long as I got rid of the goblin with the bow first, I could handle the sword wielding goblin like I did with the rest. Before the goblins could get any closer to my current position, I made my move first. As inconspicuously as possible, I threw the boxcutter which I still had at a window adjacent to me. Even though my normal throwing strength wasn¡¯t that great, with the added bonuses to my strength, I managed. The boxcutter hit the window pane with a pang, attracting the attention of the two goblins for a split second. They turned towards the noise in a way that there backs were now facing my direction. Of course, I contemplated the risk of making so much noise, but considering the lack of other monsters in the vicinity, I thought it was safe enough. Once the goblins¡¯ attention was preoccupied, I dashed forward. Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. I monopolized on my agility and dexterity to strike first. From my position, the goblin with the sword was closer, but I didn¡¯t care. Although it would have been great to kill the bow wielding goblin first, I couldn¡¯t just dash past the goblin with the sword. It would surely notice me while I was getting rid of its companion. To remedy the situation, I chose to disable the sword wielding goblin first, before I jumped at the second one. Once I killed the second goblin, I could finish off the other goblin rather easily. With the boosted hand eye coordination I received from dexterity, I slashed out at the achilles heel of the first goblin while I dashed forward. Without stopping to see the results of my attack, I continued to run at the bow wielding goblin, who was just now beginning to notice the commotion. I heard the other goblin fall to the ground, as I jumped at the goblin in front of me. It frantically cocked its arrow as it saw my approach, but it was a bit too slow. With an amateur horizontal slash, I sliced of one of its bony hands. It screeched in pain. I grimaced at this noise. I hadn¡¯t anticipated this, as I had previously dispatched the other goblins before they could scream out or make any other sound. Surely the screaming now would attract attention. Before it could scream any louder, I sliced out at its throat, landing a fatal blow, and instantly killing the monster in the process. Although that was done, I didn¡¯t have time to relax. I frantically turned towards the goblin behind me. It was currently crawling on the floor, screeching for its comrades. Since I bisected its achilles tendons before hand, it lost the ability to walk, thus it was pathetically crawling towards my direction with a look of seething anger plastered on its face. I wasn¡¯t particularly worried about this goblin. What I was worried about was all the noise it was making. I wasn¡¯t that far away from the restroom, so any loud noise could potentially be my downfall. With quick movements, I ended the crawling goblin¡¯s life with a stab in the back. Afterwards, I picked up the weapons they were using, which were a sword, a bow, and a couple of arrows, before I made a quick scan of the surroundings for any dropped loot. Seeing none, I frantically ran for cover behind my trusted wall. I was afraid that the goblins¡¯ earlier yelling really had attracted its friends, so for now, I sat and waited. A budding anxiety was welling up inside me as time seeped away in silence. As if to prove my fears, a random goblin exited from the restroom. I knew something was up, this goblin wasn¡¯t a scout, like the usual ones. It had a leaner body, and was kind off taller by like an inch or two. To my comfort, I was glad to see it was just as ugly if not more so, than the others.
Goblin Warrior - Lv. 8 50/50
The goblin in question surveyed the hall in front of him and gasped in surprise. Its eyes fixed on the two corpses I had recently slain. Unlike my previous encounters, where I took the time to hide the goblin scout bodies so that the new one wouldn¡¯t notice, I didn¡¯t exactly have the luxury to be so meticulous this time around. It squealed in anger upon seeing its slain comrades before it returned to the restroom. A moment later, it came back out, this time, followed by a few of its friends. The mob of monsters consisted of 5 goblin warriors and another monster that looked to be the boss. I squinted at the blue panel above its head and gasped at the information it displayed.
Goblin Commander - Lv 20 (???)
Level 20! That was even higher than those huge minotaurs from earlier! I determined myself to stay hidden as this party of monsters investigated the case of their slain comrades. Although I said that, I still prepared the bow in my hand just in case. Although I didn¡¯t identify it, so I wouldn¡¯t get any bonuses, it would make do for now as a long ranged weapon. I quietly observed the scene in front of me. The Goblin Commander barked orders as the goblin warriors moved about in the hallway. Two of the warriors approached the bodies, while the rest fanned out into the hallway. As one approached my location, I could now clearly see that they were fashioned with a broadsword. Well, a goblin sized broad sword. The Goblin commander, on the other hand, was weaponless, as it approached the dead bodies of its fallen subordinated. It looked down at them for a moment, as if lamenting their loss, before it scowled and stepped on their faces. Its foot had enough strength behind it to completely cave in the goblin skull with one stomp. I inadvertently flinched at the crunching noise such an action produced. Luckily, nobody noticed me. The goblin commander returned shortly to their hideout, while the rest of the goblin warriors remained to stand guard. While this situation produced a conundrum for me, seeing as how the steady flow of goblin scouts had come to an abrupt end, this situation could also be looked at from another perspective. Now, I had the chance to fight stronger monsters, and by extension, I had the chance to gain greater blobs of experience. First though, before I set about hunting, I identified the items I recently aquired. The sword was just like any other sword I had collected, so there was nothing spectacular about it, but the bow and arrows were different.
Goblin Bow A long ranged weapon made for goblin use. It is poorly crafted, as it is too big for a regular goblin to use efficiently. Damage: 7-19 +7 Dexterity +5 Agility
I smiled at its stats. They were pretty good, and since I reasoned that like any mmorpg, dexterity would affect long ranged damage, my earlier boosts in dexterity would greatly increase my attack potential. The down side though was that I only had 4 arrows, so I was limited to four hits. If I was lucky, I could probably kill 1 or 2 with just this bow, but that left 3 more warriors who could all potentially kill me. I moved into a nearby room, away from the present danger, and quietly devised a plan to collect my expe-- kill the goblins. *** Author''s note: Well, since this is a new story, there are still a bunch of what ifs and things I haven''t completely thought out yet. One of those things is the name T.T For some reason, I don''t like it... maybe that''s just me though. If any of you have suggestions on a new name or anything else about the story, please tell me, I''m open to anything. And if you like the story so far, comment, favorite, follow, rate, etc. This is new, so it needs a little boost right now. Thanks. Next Chapter Chapter 9: A Meticulous Hunt A Meticulous Hunt ¡°Now, let¡¯s see¡­ what to do, what to do¡­¡± I inwardly mumbled to myself as I squatted down in an empty classroom. I ignored all the mangled furniture and corpses while I racked my mind for a sensible battle plan. ¡°....¡± Like I half expected, I couldn¡¯t come up with anything. I wasn¡¯t a genius who could think up an intricate battle strategy while screaming, ¡°Just as Planned!¡± No, rather, I¡¯d say tactics and the like are probably my biggest weakness. Giving up, I sighed despondently. Since I didn¡¯t really have anything decent after 10 minutes of thinking, and I can¡¯t necessarily keep the girls waiting (I¡¯ve already spent almost 2 hours farming), I decided to just wing it. Of course, even if I didn¡¯t have a battle plan, I wouldn¡¯t just necessarily run up there willy nilly, with my sword in the air. I¡¯ll take them out one at a time using a familiar strategy often used in mmorpgs. Kiting. I¡¯d lure one goblin warrior away from its group, and I¡¯d go solo against it. After I¡¯ve defeated that one, I¡¯ll repeat the process. Of course I can¡¯t assume that this plan will allow me to finish of all 5 of the goblins. No, I¡¯m sure after like the 2nd or 3rd goblin goes missing, the others will notice that something odd is going on. At that point, I¡¯d have no choice but to attack them head on, but at least by then, there¡¯d be less goblins to fight. And I might be a bit too presumptuous, but I think I can at least handle 3 goblin warriors at once. ¡°Ok! Let¡¯s do this!¡± With a restrained yelp, I psyched myself up. I stood upright and made my way towards the hallway. It was time to initiate battle strategy; Bad Idea. **** I moved silently through out the hallway. I noticed this beforehand, but I was getting really good at those ninja walks where you glide through the floor and avoid making noise. I¡¯m sure one of my stats has something to do with that. It was probably agility or dexterity. Anyways, I rounded the corner and crouched down besides the wall I had quickly grown familiar with. Carefully, I popped my head into the hallway and observed the scene with a detail oriented eye. In front of me were 4 goblin warriors. One of them was near the door to the restroom, while two stood guard besides the fallen corpses. I¡¯m not sure why they bothered though, it¡¯s not like those dead goblin scouts were any useful. The 4th goblin was very close to me. A mere 10 meters in distance. It was so close that I could see the ugly scowl that masked its ugly face. While I was observing, I frowned. Earlier, I¡¯m sure I had counted 5 goblins. But now there were only 4. I quickly scanned the adjacent rooms besides the hallway. While nothing else seemed off at first, I quickly noted that one of the doors which led to a Chemistry classroom was ajar. If it was like that, then it would be safe to assume that the other goblin was scouting out the area. It was probably going from classroom to classroom, investigating whatever killed its friends. And that was good news for me. Since it meant I had found my first prey. I quietly moved across the perpendicular hallway and quickly entered a nearby classroom. Many of the rooms next to each other were usually connected by a doorway within the classroom. So it was possible to travel between two rooms without having to go through the open hall. Of course, I couldn¡¯t keep out of the hallway entirely. There were rooms which didn¡¯t connect with any other room, and in those cases I¡¯d have to enter through the hallway. But still, this system made traveling inconspicuously much easier. Using the maze of interconnecting classrooms, I quickly made my way to my destination, and in a short time I had arrived in the room next to the Chemistry classroom. I peered out from one of the windows and quietly looked into the decrepit room. Like I expected, there was a short green goblin warrior inside. It was nonchalantly looking through various things, and from the expression it made, I¡¯m sure it didn¡¯t understand any of what it was looking at. I smiled upon seeing the ugly creature. Right now, it was isolated from the rest of its friends, and there was no better chance to thin their herd than now. I moved quietly to kneel at the edge of the doorway that connected to the chemistry classroom, as I carefully placed an arrow within the nook of the bow and slowly cocked back the string. I had tested this weapon earlier within the other classroom, and delightfully found that I was pretty accurate, although I attributed that accuracy with my increased dexterity. As long as my target was within 15 meters, its safe to say I could hit it. Although the amount of damage I¡¯d be able to do was still questionable, but I brushed that aside for now. I aimed for the goblin warrior¡¯s throat. I wasn¡¯t going to make the same mistake as last time, I¡¯d make sure the creature couldn¡¯t scream out for help before anything else. That¡¯s why, instead of immediately shooting, I waited. Although I was accurate from up to 15 meters, the target needed to be closer for me to be able to successfully hit as small a target as a throat. At most, it needed to be at least 5 meters close to me. I waited for a painfully long amount of time. The creature was slow going. Although it didn¡¯t understand half of what it was looking at, it still endeavored to inspect everything, which quickly started to annoy me. Eventually though, it got within agreeable distance. Right now, it had its back turned to me, and its throat wasn¡¯t visible. I wasn¡¯t going to spare any more time waiting for the goblin to turned around so instead I made the first move. I lightly kicked at the wall. It caused a dull thud sound to reverberate within the room, which quickly brought the creature to look in my direction. Having seen me, it¡¯s eyes widened in initial surprise, but before it could utter anything out, the bow within my hands fired off the long awaited arrow. It flew across the stale air and successfully lodged itself deep within the goblin¡¯s throat. At the same time, I could hear the ring that indicated a critical hit. The creature readily lost a third of its hp. Not one to ignore an opening, I rushed at the creature. I quickly bolted through the doorway and dashed into the room, closing the distance between me and the gurgling beast. Although it had an arrow lodged in its throat, it wasn¡¯t a pushover. It still had the remnants of life within its eyes as it desperately slashed out against me. I was barely able to dodge by throwing my entire weight to the left. I choose not to parry, since I feared that the initial impact between swords would produce loud enough sounds that could attract other goblins. I dodged another slash by rolling across the floor. While I was crouched down, I shot out a ground kick aimed at the creature¡¯s tiny chest. The kick was successful as it gurgled upon impact and bent over in reflex. Capitalizing this opportunity, in one motion, I stood up, and slashed upwards, aiming directly at the goblin¡¯s exposed neck. In the next instant, a severed head flew across the room and harmlessly bounced off the wall. A little bit later, a fatal blow status appeared above the decapitated goblin¡¯s body. While I had successfully defeated it, my sword strike managed to break the arrow that was still lodged in the creature¡¯s throat. Now I was down to 5 arrows. I stood there for a second, before I moved to pick up the weapon it was using. I identified it, but was disappointed to find that it was the same goblin short sword that I was already using. I had assumed it would have been a different type of weapon, considering it had a different design and was also noticeably larger. Although, I still chose to equip this weapon, since it was easier to handle, had a larger reach, and actually gave of better stat bonuses than my old sword. Shortly after, I bent down to check for any monster drops. My earlier despondent expression quickly did a 180 as I saw an inconspicuous vial filled with red liquid nestled near the corpse. With restrained excitement, I quickly picked it up and set about to identifying it. [Identify!] ding!
Basic Health Potion A vial of red liquid that can be used to heal hp. Recovers 20 hp. [Equip] Skill Bonus When directly applied by the skill owner, additionally recovers 20 hp. When directly applied and used on the skill owner, recovers additional 40 hp.
I smiled. If I can find some more of these, then I won¡¯t have to visit the infirmary. Tucking away the vial securely within my pants pocket, I quickly made my way out the room, and back to my original position behind the wall that overlooked the hallway. A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. I looked on and smiled once more. The other goblin warriors hadn¡¯t noticed a thing, and they were all still just standing around cluelessly. I quickly resumed my hunt. This time, I¡¯d go after the one that was closest to me. Using the same sound tactic, I lightly kicked at the wall, producing a soft thudding sound which was only audible to that one goblin. I watched it widened its eyes upon hearing the noise. It looked towards my direction, before looking back at its comrades. As if agonizing over something, it looked back and forth, before coming to the decision of inspecting the noise. As it neared, I hid behind the wall, and waited. When it got close enough to the point where the wall hid it from its friends, I striked. I leapt out from the wall, and slashed out towards its throat. The creature managed a short ugyaa, before it lost its ability to speak. After that, we ended up in a short sword fight which lasted a minute or two. I suffered two light scratches on my left arm and right leg, but other than that, I was relatively unharmed. In fact, the only reason I got injured was because I was pretty adamant on not parrying. I dispatched the creature quickly with a thrust to its eye, and a vertical slash across its chest. I then collected its sword and looked around for any monster drops. Disappointed, I moved away from the new corpse and prepared to strike at the other three goblins. It wasn¡¯t possible for me to completely soundlessly assassinate the remaining goblins like I did with the other two. At most, all I could do was quickly dispatch them with as little noise as possible. I abandoned my earlier kiting tactic and decided on a new plan. This time around, I planned on blitzkrieging the group. I was going to consecutively slash out towards their throats before they had the chance to strike back. Doing so would get rid of their ability to scream for help. Luckily, the two goblins which guarded the corpses were well within 15 meters, so I could aim for an early advantage and use my arrows. I cocked an arrow and waited. Once I was fully prepared I shot out my first arrow. It missed. But I wasn¡¯t one to be discouraged so quickly. Before they could react, I had already fired off three more arrows. All but one missed. Luckily, the one that did landed, had lodged itself deep within a goblin¡¯s throat. Giving up on my bow and arrow skills, I dropped the remaining arrow and picked up my sword. This time, instead of long ranged, I chose close combat. I dash forward and rocketed out with a surprising amount of speed. Earlier, through killing the first and second goblin warrior, I had reached level 6. I used my points from then to spam agility, so I was a bit faster than earlier. I reached the pair goblins in a little less than 3 seconds, and with a horizontal slash, I left a huge gash on the unharmed goblin¡¯s throat. I didn¡¯t bother following up just yet. I turned around and continued sprinting towards the goblin that guarded the doorway. It had just now noticed the commotion and was frantically unsheathing its bladed weapon. One thing, I noticed while fighting these things, were that goblins had slow reaction time, which made this sort of tactic easier for me. I got in range and slashed out. Unfortunately, the goblin readily blocked it and parried. I gritted my teeth, and let go of my sword. Not expecting such an action, the goblin¡¯s sword soared past and he lost balance as a result. I gripped at the short sword (which was more of a dagger) I hid earlier behind my back, and slashed out again. The goblin who had lost its balance couldn¡¯t react fast enough, and its throat was successfully cut open. Of course these blows were too superficial, and while all three goblins did lose their ability to scream, they still retained onto their life with a majority of their hp intact. I quickly kicked out at the goblin closest to me, since I had noticed it was desperately trying to enter the restroom to call for its friends. It flew a few meters before it slid across the tiled floor. It hastily got on its feet, and looked at me with seething anger. The goblin gripped its throat with one hand to stop the bleeding and proceeded to charge. Meanwhile, the other two creatures had regained their senses and were also charging while gripping both their throats and swords. I threw the expandable short sword at the lead goblin, which harmlessly bounced off its shoulder. I grimaced and picked up the sword I had dropped earlier and prepared to fight. Right now, I was entering a 3 vs 1, and I was severely disadvantaged. Once the lead goblin reached me, I made a preemptive strike and kicked it back again. My leg was longer than its arm and sword combined so it helplessly flew back a few meters out into the hallway. I dealt with the two goblins while the first one was recovering. With a diagonal slash, I managed to land a good blow on the goblin to my right while I dodged a sword thrust from the goblin to my left. I hastily pulled out my sword, and slid back a few inches, narrowly dodging the right goblin¡¯s retaliation. While its blade was extended outward, I used this chance, and performed a vertical slash downwards. It made a satisfying, yet disgusting sound as the blade of my sword cut through tendon and bone and lodged itself within its shoulder. With a yank, I brought the sword and goblin closer to me, before I dislodged my blade with a kick to the goblin¡¯s face. It rolled back, giving me an opportunity to solo the left goblin. This goblin was by no means simply idling about as I was attacking its comrade. No, infact, it had been desperately slashing out at me the whole time. As a result, I suffered one or two superficial cuts on my leg and torso. Now that I was alone with it though, I could successfully exchanged blows with the creature. Our swords made several clanking noises as we desperately lashed out attacks one after another. Eventually, I saw an opening when it reflexively raised its arms to steady its blade. The hand that was constantly gripping the bleeding throat had left, and I monopolized on this, slashing out at the exposed wound. A moment later, a fatal blow status dinged above the creature¡¯s head as it toppled to the floor lifeless. Before I could sigh out a relieved sigh, I turned my attention towards the remaining two, who were now quickly closing their distance. I picked up the sword from the newest dead goblin and chucked it out towards the closest incoming danger. Unlike last time, the sword successfully hit, and lodged itself into the monster¡¯s thigh, causing it to stumble and trip. Given this opportunity, I dashed past the fallen goblin and thrusted my sword towards the farthest monster. Surprised at my sudden charge, it was unprepared for the blade which smoothly slid into its eye socket. I would have aimed for its stomach, but it was a bit too short. It wanted to scream out in pain, but could only manage a gurgling noise. Like I had done twice now, I kicked out at it again while it was trying to scream. The goblin slid back another 3 meters, giving me time to handle the goblin on the floor. I bitterly smiled as I looked down on the goblin writhing on the ground. With its wounded leg and desperate look in its eyes, it reminded me of the me who first fought of the goblin scout. The me who was unprepared and disadvantaged. I quickly killed of this goblin, not giving it the opportunity to retaliate. Once it died, I noticed another red vial had dropped. I snatched it up as I moved over to the still remaining goblin. Luckily it was still writhing out in pain. It had dropped its sword and was now desperately griping at its eye and throat. It only took me three seconds to kill this one. Seeing the job complete. I let loose a relieved sigh, as I turned to pick up the goblin¡¯s sword. I didn¡¯t exactly get to successfully do this though, as I heard a creaking noise from behind me. Turning around slowly, I made eye contact with the writhe, and lean figure of another goblin. It wore a perpetual scowl as it stood imposingly at me from the restroom entrance. This one was weaponless, but its status which harmlessly floated above him was enough to grip my heart in fear It was the Goblin Commander. *** Author''s Note: If any of you have suggestions on a new name or anything else about the story, please tell me, I''m open to anything. And if you like the story so far, comment, favorite, follow, rate, etc. This is new, so it needs a little boost right now. Thanks. Next Chapter Chapter 10: Goblin Commander Goblin Commander As I stared into the eyes of what may very well be my own demise, I lamented over my previous actions. I really shouldn¡¯t have gotten too cocky. I could have just as easily escaped after I dispatched the first two Goblin warriors. In fact, that would have been the perfect time to leave, considering I already found a health potion that may very well save Hina¡¯s life¡­ Maybe it was the fact that I had naively assumed that I could spend as much time here to farm as I wanted, seeing how Hina¡¯s condition was pretty stable (by that, I mean she wasn¡¯t dying anytime soon). I had no sense of urgency. Or maybe it was because my level up speed caused me to gain too much confidence. I had grown complacent fighting these ¡°low leveled¡± goblins that I completely forgotten about their boss. I continued to stare, not daring to move an inch. In fact, I was still in mid crouch from when I motioned to pick up the goblin sword. The Goblin Commander stood stock still. It heavily breathed in and out as it snorted while surveying the scene in front of him. His eyes briefly glanced over the corpses of his subordinates. It scowled upon seeing their dead bodies, but other than that, he made no move to avenge them. It glared silently at me. I returned its glare with my own, partly since the fear prevented me from looking away. The importance of levels was solidly etched into my mind, due mostly to my experience with games and the fear of the unkown. I didn¡¯t know how much of a gap in ability something more than ten levels above me would have. In fact, I only recklessly challenged the other goblins since our level difference was less than 5. I figured with that gap, and their height disadvantage, I could somehow manage. I didn¡¯t dare to apply the same logic to this creature. As if to snap me back into reality, the restroom stall once again opened. It creaked rather forebodingly as 4 additional goblins entered the scene. They were all goblin warriors, and while two sported the broad sword I had seen several times before, the others had spear like weaponry. Their savage faces shifted into shock upon seeing their fellow comrades cold and lifeless on the tiled floor. Although that shock was readily replaced by an even uglier scowl as they shifted their hatred towards me. The Goblin Commander, who watched its subordinates silently, suddenly made a grunting noise as it pointed to one of the goblins wielding a sword. The two Goblins exchanged grunts before the warrior stepped up towards the empty hall. It moved rather threateningly towards my direction while the Goblin Commander stepped backwards and watched behind the backs of its other subordinates. Confused, I stayed still, not knowing what to expect. I had thought that with the addition of the four goblins, plus the Goblin Commander himself, they would have all ganged up on me. This sudden turn of events was rather¡­ unusual. From the looks of things, it seems like the Boss Goblin had sent a lone subordinate to face me. I didn¡¯t understand why though. It could have easily disposed of me with the help of its subordinates. Was¡­ was it testing me? I¡¯m sure that around the world, some aboriginal tribes would show respect, and sometimes even reverence to opponents they deemed strong. Was this situation similar? If this was the case, then I¡¯d have to reevaluate my view on goblins. They weren¡¯t just some mindless mob produced by a system trying to savagely kill me and the rest of humanity. Well, thinking about such things right now was pointless. I glanced at the goblin commander and his complacent subordinates. It didn¡¯t look like they were going to be attacking any time soon. The only real danger now was the goblin in front of me. Of course, I¡¯ve already fought this type of monster 5 times, and at this point, soloing one of them is pretty easy. If that level 20 monster wasn¡¯t going to attack me, then I¡¯d use this chance effectively. I psyched myself up for the coming fight as I picked up the broad sword. I had two weapons in hand right now. I could feel the boost in stats from dual wielding, but I wasn¡¯t stupid enough to fight using two swords. No, contrary to how it looks in certain anime or manga, dual wielding swords is a difficult thing to accomplish. Especially for an amateur like myself. If I were to give up sword control over stats, that would spell my doom. The way I see it, dual wielding puts me more at a disadvantage than wielding a single sword, despite the stat bonuses it might give. Instead, I was going to go with the familiar tactic that I had used during my earlier fight. As the goblin warrior drew near, it suddenly broke out into a sprint. I braced myself and got into a stance as I waited for the perfect time. 5...4...3...2¡­.1. When it got within 1 meter of me, that¡¯s when I decided to throw the sword. It soared past the air, and while it may not have penetrated its skin, it did manage to make the creature stumble. The thrown sword hit its knee as the creature¡¯s speed suddenly slowed as it fought gravity to stay upright. I monopolized on this opportunity. I rushed at the goblin. Sword bent above my head. With one vertical slash, I lodge the weapon deep within its shoulder blade. It lost 20% of its hp from that slash. When I viciously yanked the blad free, it lost another 10%. The goblin screamed in agony, as I observed a sword approach my abdomen through my peripheral vision. Fully expecting the move, instead of stepping back, I moved closer. I was now too close for the sword to efficiently damage me. Instead of receiving a fatal hit, I knead the creature in the stomach, lifting it off the ground a good half a meter or two. The attack shaved of 7% of its hp. As it flew back, I began to run as I followed its trajectory. Once I reached it falling creature, I slashed out again this time towards its eyes. My blow caught the goblin off guard, as the blade swept past its retinas. The impact caused a faint ring to occur while the critical hit icon flashed on top of its head. The Goblin warrior lost another 50% of its hp. It grasped at its eyes. It was pretty obvious that the creature had lost its ability to see. I finished off the remaining 13% of its hp with a horizontal slash to its stomach. Its lifeless corpse fell on the floor with thud. This time around, I didn¡¯t motion to pick up its sword, due to my fear of somehow offending the Goblin Commander who just silently watched one of its subordinates die. Instead, I did a vague scan with my eyes for any dropped loot. Unfortunately there wasn¡¯t any. I stood there silently as I shifted my attention once more towards the goblin commander. After looking down at the new corpse with disdain, It then motioned for two of the goblins to step forward. One Of the goblins held a sword while the other had the spear like weapon I had seen earlier. With a grunt from its commander, the two goblins bolted forward, as I got into a stance of my own. This subsequent fight no doubt took longer, considering I had to fight two, but just like my previous fight, I readily came out on top. If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. I killed both goblins with a slash to their throats. Seemingly satisfied by this outcome, the Goblin Commander grunted. I could only stare helplessly at this imposing creature. The monster in question received my stare with unflinching eyes at it motioned for its remaining subordinate to move forward. Additionally, he grunted some sort of command. A few moments later, a horde of about 8 goblins appeared from the restroom. I could only imagine this crowd made up the whole of the goblin tribe residing within that restroom. These goblins weren¡¯t all warriors. Rather, they were a coalition of scouts and warriors. ¡°Ha..hahh¡­¡± I laughed dryly at this scene. 8 + 2¡­ that was 10 goblins! I wasn¡¯t ready to face off against ten goblins! If I stuck around any longer and go through more of this crazy goblin¡¯s arena style death matches, I¡¯d surely be the next corpse to flop down on the floor. Plus, my stamina was running out, if I continued with this, it wouldn¡¯t be a stretch for me to drop mid battle. Without waiting for the Goblin Commander to issue anymore orders, I immediately ran backwards. I turned the corner, sword in hand, as I heard the angry roars of the goblin commander and the seething shrieks of the rest of the goblins. I could also hear the marching of feet, and I immediately knew that the goblins were chasing me. Right now, I needed speed. With one sword in hand, I reached behind me and pulled out the larger than a regular dagger sized short sword I had kept. I dual wielded both weapons and immediately felt the slight boost in agility take its effect. Normally, I wouldn¡¯t used two swords in combat, but for now, two swords helped my fleeing speed. Rather, I contemplated holding an additional sword in my mouth like a certain anime character, but in the end, I decided against it. First, I didn¡¯t know whether I would actually get the boost or not, and second, I could only imagine how ridiculous I would look. I dove into a nearby classroom. I frantically locked the door behind me, and as I was about to move a desk to block the entrance, I decided against it. There were windows in this room, and I could only imagine the scene where goblins bursted through that flimsy see through material and proceeded to flood the room with their tiny green bodies. Instead, I choose to continue running. As I leapt through the doorway of the connecting room, I could hear the frantic pounding of tiny goblin fists against the wooden doorframe. A moment later, I heard the shattering of window pane. I continued to run, leading this haggard group of tiny killers across a maze of interconnecting classrooms. Every now and then, I¡¯d lock a door, or shove a nearby desk or chair in their way, but nevertheless, I continued running. Eventually I knew I was gaining ground, but the foreboding sense of danger still lingered. Of course, I was just basically circling around the nearby classrooms. I didn¡¯t dare to go back to where Cielle and Hina were waiting. I wasn¡¯t about to subject them to a fate as gruesome as goblin chow. As I racked my head for an idea while I ran, my face darkened. A ridiculous idea suddenly popped into my stupid head. I knew it was stupid¡­ but I couldn¡¯t think of anything else that would stop this hoard from killing me. ¡°...Let¡¯s do it¡­¡± I muttered through haggard breath. I continued to run, now fully intent on leading these goblins through a wild goose chase with the hopes of confusing them. A little while later, after I was somewhat satisfied with the results, I slammed a classroom door shut while I ran out into the hallway. This hallway was the same one I had spent so much time in. The place where I fought several Goblin scouts and warriors. As for why I was here, well, that was part of my stupid idea. Like I expected, save for the original corpses I slew, the hall was empty. The goblins were a pretty stupid bunch. To leave such a precious area so close to their base unguarded, tsk, tsk. They used all their manpower to track down an intruder without even realising my full intent. I ran quickly, fully aware that they could burst through that locked door at any time. I sprinted past the goblin corpses, the dropped swords, everything as I looked at my destination with determined eyes. I heard the goblins spill out into the hallway, and as I strained my ears, I could hear the Goblin Commander¡¯s once imposing voice turn frantic. I ignored all this and continued by dead sprint ahead. I ran and ran and ran until eventually¡­ I reached a familiar door. Without an ounce of hesitation, I opened the door, entered the restroom, and locked it shut. This school was weird. Their restroom doors were the type that could withstand bullets (well, maybe that¡¯s an exaggeration). Anyways, they were pretty sturdy. I doubt a group writhe midgets could get through that type of industrial grade doorframe. Breathing out a sigh of relief, I quickly turned around and surveyed the room I locked myself inside. The restroom. For me, the place where it all began. Unsurprisingly, it was empty. I had gambled on the Goblin Commander¡¯s stupidity, and I had won. He really did send out all of his troops to chase after me. He completely left his base defenseless. I sighed out in relief once more. The only reason I ran into this place with bad memories was that the restroom was the only location I could think of with a sturdy enough door and no windows. I could hole up here for a while. BAM! I jumped in fright. I could now hear the angry grunts and screeches from the goblins behind that door. I shivered at the idea that they could overturn my expectations and power their way through here. But, like I expected, the door was too much for those writhe midgets to handle. After three minutes of desperate banging, they couldn¡¯t muster the force to break through this ¡°fortress¡±. I laughed maniacally. For now, I had survived and in retrospect, this opportunity might have been a godsend. I looked past the stall and towards the toilet which had spawned the first goblin. I paused for a moment, waiting for the thing I was expecting to happen. A minute or two passed before the familiar sound of flushing and squelching could be heard. My lips curved upwards in a sinister smirk as the words, ¡°How about a little camping?¡± escaped my throat. **** Author''s Note: Seeing the polls from last chapter, I was surprised to see how close the actual results were. "Change: New World" just barely won over the rest of the competition, but that doesn''t mean you all still can''t recommend some new name ideas. The story''s till within its infancy, so I''m open to all suggestions, be it name changes, plot device, heck maybe even character ideas you guys might have. And if you like the story so far, comment, favorite, follow, rate, etc. This is new, so it needs a little boost right now. Thanks. Next Chapter Chapter 11: Making the Best of a Bad Situation Making the Best of a Bad Situation A short, green, sword-wielding monster blinked into existence directly above the toilet seat. It fell down with a resounding splash, and began its struggle to lift itself out from the orifice of the toilet. Before it even had the chance to touch the tiled surface of the restroom, a sword pierced its eye socket with tremendous speed. The goblin howled in agony as the bladed object was quickly yanked out, and used to slash at the creature. In a little less than 15 seconds, the goblin had died, and I reached level 7. I wiped my brow, and congratulated myself for the rather bloody accomplishment. I decided to move the corpse over to a corner in the cramped restroom. After all, it would only disadvantage me if it remained there while the next goblin spawned. As I began to move the goblin, my mind naturally wandered and I thought about my current situation. Right now, it was painfully clear that I was trapped. There was no exit aside from the doorway I came through, and from there, I could still hear the angry howls and subsequent pounding on the otherside. The pack of angry goblins were still very much present and persistent, and I doubt that they were inclined to give up on me anytime soon. Which was natural. After all, I had invaded their sanctuary. Their base of operations, their home, I had invaded their spawn point. While this was the perfect time for me to collect some easy experience, I still had other things to consider. For one, I¡¯d eventually run out of food/stamina if I remained locked in this place. Second, I still don¡¯t have any semblance of a plan to escape this situation. And third, I had two girls waiting for me, and one of them was dying. I left Hina and Cielle roughly two hours ago, and while I was positive Hina was in a stable enough condition at least to the point where she wasn¡¯t constantly losing hp, the possibility of¡­ complications still existed. I only continued to expand their risk the more I extended the time I was away from them. I slumped down with a sigh. As I wiped the goblin blood off from my shirt, I wondered how exactly I ended up with so much responsibility. The weight of person¡¯s life wasn¡¯t an easy thing to bear, yet somehow or another, I was the sole beacon of light for a dying girl and her sister. ¡°Next time, I seriously need to think before I go and help someone out¡­¡± I couldn¡¯t help but utter such self conceited words as I lamented once more. ¡°Well, it¡¯s not like anything will change the more I worry about it.¡± For now, I¡¯ll do the only thing I can do, level up. It wasn¡¯t any good to dwell in things I had no power over, rather, let¡¯s level up quickly so I can leave this place sooner! Thus, I waited patiently besides the stall which I knew spawned out goblins. In a little over 7 minutes, another goblin blinked into life. This one was another goblin scout, which led me to wonder whether goblin warriors spawned elsewhere or whether it was all just random. Anyways, while worrying about such leisure things, I killed of this goblin in about 20 seconds. It was important to keep track of how long I was in combat for since that determined how much stamina my actions would consume. I haven¡¯t faced a situation yet where I did completely exhaust my stamina, and right now, I wasn¡¯t inclined to the new experience. I made it a point to always pay attention to this particular stat. After I moved the newest goblin corpse over to where its friend rested, I went and checked my current status. Well, before I checked, I removed all the items that gave me stat boosts in order to see where my real strength lied. Once I had unequipped almost everything, that¡¯s when I called froth that familiar blue screen. [Status!]
Status Window
NameHide Mayo
Age17RaceHuman
Level7GenderMale
TitlesPioneer
Health104/160(10)Health Regen.0.005 / Sec
Mana (unavailable)160(10)Mana Regen.0.01 / Sec
Stamina37/160(10)Stamina Regen.0.05 / Sec
-
Strength11(10)Agility24(10)
Vitality7(10)Dexterity15(10)
Intelligence11(10)Wisdom11(10)
Leadership0(10)Luck0(10)
-
Skills
Equip (Active) Identification (Active)
Current Status Effect(s)n/a
Unallocated Points10
I hadn¡¯t allocated any of my points since I leveled up to 5, so I had about 10 extra. I didn¡¯t distribute this though, since I wanted to use it for a little experiment in order to confirm the exact effects of stats like strength, vitality, dexterity, and agility. I continued to scan the window, and while I did lose some hp from my encounters with the goblins, what drew my attention was the stamina column. Depressingly, I noticed I had only about 37 out of 170 in stamina. I probably expended all or most of it while I was running away from the goblins. Surprisingly, fleeing consumed more of my stamina than fighting did. And right now, I could feel the negative effects of low stamina taking its toll on my body. I felt the familiar shortness of breath associated with rigorous exercise, and my limbs lacked their usual boisterousness. I grimaced, this really wasn¡¯t a good situation. To have such low stamina¡­ I deliberated whether to eat the only source of stamina recovery I had (the granola bar). Although after much internal debate, I stubbornly decided against it. It was pretty gross eating in a restroom, and more importantly, after calmly analyzing everything, I determined that I really wasn¡¯t in need of such a boost. After the first two encounters with the goblin scouts, I determined that like the minotaur, they spawned at a certain interval. This interval should be 7 minutes, and seven minutes was enough to recover some of my stamina while I waited for the next goblin to spawn. Unless something unexpected happened, I really shouldn¡¯t need to fret over such an issue. Confident in my logic, I calmly waited for the next spawn while my stamina regenerated.\ Surprisingly, once the 7 minute period passed, a goblin did not pop out. I frowned. The system wasn¡¯t doing what I expected, and that left me a bit anxious. Helpless, and worried, I continued to quietly wait, not knowing what to expect and powerless to change anything. ..8...9..10¡­ Once a total of 14 minutes passed, I was jolted into concentration by the abrupt noise of something heavy falling into the toilet. I bolted up and went to peer at the stall. There, a goblin stood, holding a broad sword while its lower regions were wet with toilet water. From its appearance (and from the status bar above its head) I could tell immediately that the creature was a goblin warrior. Despite my initial shock at the sudden spawn, I quickly and efficiently took it out within 20 seconds. I stabbed it in its left eye socket and followed up with a slash to its throat. I collected its sword and set it gently aside. I then moved the corpse to another corner of the room, where the first goblin corpse sat. My mind was preoccupied during the whole battle, but while I moved the corpse, I finally reasoned that the goblin warrior had respawned so late because it was essentially a goblin warrior and not a scout. Goblin scouts probably took about 7 minutes for the system to produce while goblin warriors took at most 14 minutes. It was a logical conclusion I came up with using intuition and past experience. And as if to prove this theory, 7 minutes later, this time, a goblin scout spawned. I took care of it just as quickly as the rest. Like this, this sort of pattern continued for a good period of time. I continued to wrack up experience and collect loot while I steadily regained both my hp and stamina. I made sure to avoid all goblin attacks, while minimizing my battle time all in order to maximize my total recovery. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website. Suffice to say, in 2 short (well, agonizingly long actually) hours, I was back in tip top shape. Although I did start to feel anxious as I felt each minute slip by. While I desperately wanted to return to the girls, I¡¯m afraid to say, the constant fear of the level 20 goblin commander behind the metal door won out, and kept me locked in this stupid room. Thus, with no other option left, I greedily killed each goblin and collected their drops. After the 2 hours passed, I killed a total of 7 goblin scouts and 5 goblin warriors. In this process, I leveled up a total of 3 times, bringing me up to a nice and even level 10. I also collected all their swords, but none of them were pretty impressive. Although an unexpected surprise did grace me with its presence. Through this process of spawn killing, the goblins had dropped 4 more additional health potions and 1 mana potion. I smiled as I looked on at my growing number of loot. Adding these additional 4, with the two I had acquired from killing the goblins outside, I had 6 basic health potions and an additional mana potion. While the mana potion was pretty useless for me, the 6 health potions would prove beneficial. Not only would it bring back Hina from the near grave (although, considering she¡¯s probably at level 1, I only needed about 3 to do the job, the surplus of potions could also help prevent any future tragedies. Now the only thing I needed to do was figure out a way to leave this restroom. Another goblin scout spawned as I pondered this predicament. I slayed it while I racked my brain for a solution. First of all, I was somewhat satisfied with my level of growth. I was finally in the double digits, and I felt comfortable enough fighting against these ¡°low leveled¡± goblins. Although the issue of taking on 10 goblins at the same time was a whole ¡®nother problem. Plus to add to that, the goblin commander still existed. While I concluded that 10 goblins at once could be something I might be able to manage, when you add the commander to the equation, my whole outlook quickly worsened. While I knew that the items I equipped as well as my title bonus from [Pioneer] elevated my current stats above my level, I was left to wonder whether it was enough to surpass the level gap between me and the goblin commander. I scrunched up my face while I attempted to think harder. My eyes glazed over the collection of swords I had gathered. Right now, there were about 10 dagger sized swords. While I knew I could gain more stats by double wielding weapons, I doubt that boost was enough to surpass my current enemy. Plus I knew that I was terrible at dual wielding. While I could utilize the weapons effectively by throwing, I didn¡¯t have the current ability to properly attack with two weapons at once. I sighed. Before i knew it, another 7 minutes had passed and another Goblin scout had respawned. I quickly dispatched of it in about 14 seconds. Afterwards, when the goblin was dead and lifeless, I couldn''t help but frown at the scene. Right now, the monotonous action of hunting had become merely tiresome. Unfortunately, while I was here, there was nothing I could really do about it. Well, instead of worrying, for now, I decided to bring up my status window once again.
Status Window
NameHide Mayo
Age17RaceHuman
Level10GenderMale
TitlesPioneer
Health140/190(10)Health Regen.0.005 / Sec
Mana (unavailable)190(10)Mana Regen.0.01 / Sec
Stamina190(10)Stamina Regen.0.05 / Sec
-
Strength11(10)Agility24(10)
Vitality7(10)Dexterity15(10)
Intelligence11(10)Wisdom11(10)
Leadership0(10)Luck0(10)
-
Skills
Equip (Active) Identification (Active)
Current Status Effect(s)n/a
Unallocated Points25
Looking at all my unallocated points, I felt that it was time to perform my little experiment. Before anything, I closed the panel once again, and grabbed a knife sized short sword from my growing pile. I gripped its edge firmly, while I swung it around haphazardly. After a couple of swings, I then readied myself, before I slashed out at one of the wooden stall walls. Hearing the relaxing noise of metal cutting through wood, I made a tight smile. Taking a bit of my time, I then walked over to the farthest left wall and carved a decent looking circle. I drew a few more circles inside it, making a rough target. Finally, I walked over near the metal door and faced the farthest wall, where my makeshift target resided. While trying to retain the most accuracy, I threw the sword with all my might. I watched as the sword harmlessly bounced off the wall. Nodding to myself, I pulled up my status screen again and distributed 5 points to dexterity. I then repeated all of the things I had just done (well, save for the target carving bit). After that, I distributed 5 more to agility and repeated the process. Then finally, I finished off with strength. I did all this in order to determine the exact effects of each of what I considered, my most ¡°useful¡± battle stats. While I did feel their immediate effects during battle, it was hard to determine what exactly affected what when my distribution was all over the place. While I could garner what roughly enhanced what part of my physical ability, it was still comfortable to know that I had a full understanding of this system. So after, killing another goblin that spawned in the middle of my trials, I gathered my thoughts after the end of my experiment. In the end I determined the following things; Strength affected, as it indicated, strength. It made my slashes stronger, while it made my throws much harder. Agility was also the same in this regard. It somewhat affected my attack speed. Dexterity is what I would call the odd one out. It made me¡­ nimbler with my hands. While it had an effect on my attack speed (although it was considerably less than agility), it also affected my accuracy in both throwing and slashing. An increase in dexterity made it possible to strike out at smaller vital points while I wielded the blade and it also made me capable of performing more accurate throws even from a greater distance. With this new information, I conceived a plan. The first step to this new plan was to invest all of my remaining points into dexterity. Doing so made all my throws a lot more accurate¡­ and deadly, which would definitely help when I confronted the goblins. For the next step, I looked helplessly over at the pile of corpses littered on the floor. Steeling myself, I walked over with heavy steps, all the while muttering something along the lines of,¡°Operation: Fear...commence.¡± Rather cheesy, but hey, its not like anyone heard. **** Author''s Note: About the name of this fic, I''m either thinking about sticking with Change: New World, or going with one of the ones you guys suggested. I''m not too sure yet. I might do a final poll next chapter to decide. If you like the story so far, comment, favorite, follow, rate, etc. This is new, so it needs a little boost right now. Thanks. Also, open to all new ideas. Next Chapter Chapter 12: Operation:Fear Operation:Fear Operation: Fear was the plan that I haphazardly devised on the spur of the moment. It was mainly conceived due in part to my past experience and the inherent benefit I garnered by allotting certain points into one particular stat. As the name implies, I was planning on using fear to get myself out of this situation. For that, I needed the corpses. The plan was to use the corpses of the dead goblins in order to illicit fear into the hearts of my foes. Although, at their current state, I doubt they could arise any fear, rather, they might have a better chance of raising conviction and anger towards me. No, I needed to cement my figure as an unstoppable, ruthless, killing machine to these green skinned monsters. At first, this might seem like a stupid tactic. Who would ever think of scaring monsters? But regardless, I believed that these creatures were capable of displaying several emotions. For one, the constant anger they displayed towards my presence was no joke. And if they could feel anger, then the most probable scenario was that fear also existed. But to rose such an instinctive emotion, I needed to be a force so fierce, that they cower at my very presence. To do that, I planned on desecrating the corpses. After all, I needed them to believe that I wasn¡¯t a guy who would simply kill their comrades. I wanted them to know that they weren¡¯t safe even after death. I wanted them to know their corpses were next on my list. I wanted them to fear. So with that in mind, the first step in my ¡°fear tactic¡± strategy commenced. With deliberate footsteps, I quietly walked over to the pile of corpses and began my meticulous work. First, I grabbed one of the older goblin scout corpses, which I had killed with two slices to the jugular. I dragged it along the tiled surface, placed it roughly on the center of the room, and knelt down besides it. In one fierce motion, I took my dagger sized knife and plunged its bladed edge deep within its abdomen. I slowly began to gut this child sized creature. Surprisingly, gutting was somewhat easier than I expected. I cut through the relatively thick outer skin, and carved my way down its intestines. I tried following the winding path of organs, but got bored relatively quickly, so I decided to just haphazardly cut away. In a matter of seconds, I had fully desecrated this corpse. Of course I didn¡¯t stop there. I stabbed at its lifeless eyeballs and twisted its ridged appendages this way and that. Moving the corpse was a little harder, due to the setting of rigor mortis, but nevertheless, I powered through. Eventually, the corps looked defiled enough for my goals. As I stood up and admired (more inspected really) my gruesome work, I wondered whether this was enough to produce fear. My aim was to use simple wartime tactics. Back then, enemy bodies, decapitated heads, etc. were used by armies in order to lower moral and curb enemy ambition. A good example of this was Vlad the impaler. His famed ¡°head on a stake¡± tactic was enough to drive even the greatest of forces off his territory. With tactics like that, It was even possible to win battles without any fighting. Of course, I didn¡¯t want to go so far as to cause them all to instinctually flee, since after all, I still wanted the exp from the 10 goblins waiting outside. I just needed their fear to be strong enough to paralyze. With that in mind, I set aside the recently disfigured corpse, and began to work on another. This routine continued, and the eventual mindless snipping and gashing of bodies eventually turned into curious prodding. I slowly began to examine every organ, before I removed and gashed it up. I observed as I cut open a vein from its arm and followed it through the interwinding paths circulating its body. Doing this helped me discover that a goblin was very similar to humans. They were just smaller, and more writhe. Now, if someone were to see a pale faced, raccoon eyed youth, silently poking and prodding and dissecting at a tiny green corpse, then obvious remarks about his sanity would arise. But right now, I didn¡¯t worry about that. Aside from my initial goal of creating gruesome enough bodies that incited fear even in the nastiest of creatures, my mind and focus was enamoured by the fascinating intricacies that is goblin anatomy. Every now and then, a fresh-- er, new goblin would spawn while I was busy. Of course, I¡¯d take the time to slay it such a thing did happen. Doing so only added to the growing amount of corpses I could desecrate. Eventually though, after I had dissected my 8th goblin, and a new Goblin was currently being spawned, I hatched an idea. My initial course of actions was to disfigure all the corpses first, then find a way to spread them around throughout the hallway. If I couldn¡¯t manage that, then I thought that letting all the goblins in and allowing them to see what I did to their friends would be a good enough alternative. But with my sudden burst of inspiration brought forth by the 20 minutes or so of silent dissection, Operation: Fear could get a considerable head start, Thus, as the next goblin spawned, I quietly waited for it to exit the stall. Right now I was hiding behind the wall, dagger in hand, while I greatly anticipated what was to come next. Step, Step, Step I could hear the tiny pitter patter of small feet as my prey-- er, the new goblin stepped closer. After it finally did move into sight, I acted. I dashed forward knife in hand. This time around, I wasn¡¯t going for an instant kill, but rather, I wanted the creature to be an example. With pre-planned steps, I moved close, and hacked away at one of the goblin¡¯s feet. As the right leg quickly became a stump, it toppled over onto the tiled floor. It uttered a shriek of bewildered surprise as it turned to look at its assailant. Upon seeing me, it made quite a scared expression, but that was probably since it saw what I was doing with his fellow friends. This was made apparent, when its eyes darted back and forth between me and what was behind me. It feebly attempted to raise its sword up to strike, but with one slash from my own, I amputated its arm clean off. It cried in agony, but unfortunately, I wasn¡¯t going to stop there. I hacked away at the remaining limbs, and before long, the green monster had become a quadruple amputee. Nothing but a torso and a head. It weeped in agony, its voice constantly shifting from utter fear and helpless anger. I quietly dragged the helpless mass over towards the metal door, where its fellow goblins continued to bang and screech out in anger. I rattled the door a few time with my dagger in order to get their attention. Maybe it was due to the surprise that I had finally responded, but there was a brief silence from the other side. Not letting this opportunity go to waste, I set about doing what I came here to do. With the help of my dagger, I began to torture the goblin. I stuck the blade into its eyeball, not too deep as to kill him, but deep enough to cause immense pain. It cried and I could only imagine that the rest of the goblins on the other side were listening in, since they kept quiet throughout all this. ¡°....¡± I silently watched, looking down on the creature as it struggle helplessly. It began an attempt at escape, crawling feebly with the power of its torso. Of course, such an action was useless. I simply kicked it back into place, where I continued the torture. I yanked the knife away from its eye socket, and then stuck it towards the other eyeball. It might just be me, but I think it screamed louder this time around. This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. This time, I kept the knife lodged in there, as I grabbed one of the spares and began the physical torture. I did many things. I experimented with which method would hurt the most, and I tried everything my imagination could think up and everything my brain could recall. From stabbing at its open wounds, gutting it while it was alive, carving weird letters or numbers on its skin, I tried everything. Of course, I stuck to the ones that produced the most sound -- cries. While I was doing this, the group on the other side remained deathly quiet. I couldn¡¯t tell if they had left, or simply sat down and listened, but nevertheless, I continued. Unfortunately, I couldn¡¯t go on indefinitely. The goblin had a set amount of hp, and everyone of my torture methods shaved some of its life away. Eventually, when its hp reached zero, it stopped making noise. After the goblin had died, I stopped moving and quietly listened for the reaction from the other side. At first, it was silent, deathly quiet even. Eventually, murmurs and goblin chatter could be heard, but even this, I could tell my actions had played an impact. The noise they made was now more relatively toned down, as if the creatures deliberately did not want me to hear. The effect was obvious. I smiled with a rather grim expression. Although the task was bloody, and I didn¡¯t particularly like doing it, it was still nice to see my actions bear fruit. The goblins were obviously feeling something from hearing the helpless and pained cries of their comrade. Now I didn¡¯t know whether these creatures could feel compassion, but at the very least I hoped they felt fear. Fear that it might be them next to scream. I got up and dragged the almost unrecognizable corpse to the back of the room and piled it up with the rest. There I began a disturbing routine. I¡¯d hack and slash and dissect the corpses until another goblin spawned. Once a new goblin spawned, I¡¯d drag it over next to the metal door, and I¡¯d thus begin its torture. Although, before I did so, I made sure to tap on the metal door with my dagger three times. I wanted them to associate these three taps with my presence, and the subsequent cries of their comrades. After torture ended (and by that I mean after the goblin finally died), I¡¯d continue with the dissection of the corpses. This repeated for a good hour or so. Dissection, torture, dissection, torture, dissection, torture¡­. Every so often, while I was torturing, I¡¯d hear whimpers or angry screeching from the other side. The whimpers were obviously from within the group of scouts or warriors, but the screeches were very distinct. They sounded gruff and animalistic. Way different from the usual child like high pitch voice I came to associate the regular goblins with. This roar was obviously from the commander. I didn¡¯t really know what type of emotional turmoil that level 20 monster was going through right now. Maybe it felt fear, maybe it felt anger. I hoped though, that it felt helplessness. I hoped it knew it was helpless. So helpless that it couldn¡¯t save its subordinates from this cycle of pain and death I was currently the envoy of. Anyways, I ignored these noises and continued with my routine. Unsurprisingly, I continued to gain experience from the torture. This was an obvious outcome since, even though I did take a roundabout way of doing so, I still killed them off. After I had tortured the 10th goblin, I had amassed a fortune of scavenged swords and even 3 more health potions. I was also steadily leveling up as well. Now I was level 12. Only a small level gap of 8 remained between me and the goblin commander. At around the same time I tortured the 10th goblin, I also finished up with disfiguring the corpses. Now, the bathroom floor was littered in various monster parts. There was no one sense of cohesion, rather, it was a hodgepodge of bloody entrails and severed limbs. I shuddered at this seen. Even though I was the one who made all this destruction, I was still surprised at my¡­ my capacity. My capacity for mindless chaos at the face of desperation. While I glanced at the scene in front of me, to my surprise, two new status windows greeted me. Ding!
New Title Earned! Psychopath You have displayed physical and/or mental actions which constitute one to question your mental stability. These actions include, but are not limited to; mindless torture, corpse disfigurement. Effects: -2 in leadership and luck +6 in all other stats. 50% resistance to fear. *Doing subsequent actions that correlate with the given title will produce an boost in its effects.*
New Skill Earned!
Dissection (Active) Through constant experimentation and trial, you have gained the foundation into understanding anatomy. Skill Type: Regular Skill Rank: Beginner Skill Level: 1 Skill Experience: 0% Effects: Grasp monster weak points more easily. Previously dissecting a species can allow for better understanding of anatomy. When used in combat, the given effects will result (may vary): Laceration - Severe form of bleeding effect Amputation - Better chance at severing an appendage. Use consumes 5 stamina. No cooldown time.
I frowned awkwardly upon seeing these two panels. While the [Dissection] skill was something that might prove useful, especially considering its effects in battle, I was a little bit conflicted by the new title. I sighed. ¡°To be called a psychopath, even by this shitty system¡­.¡± I didn¡¯t quite know how to feel about that. Well, for now, let¡¯s delete the title. Or at the very least, disable it. I brought up status with a single thought and then proceed to attempt to delete this rather embarrassing title. After constant effort and various confusion though, I eventually gave up on this notion. Because I hadn¡¯t tried it with the [Pioneer] title, I soon found out that the titles couldn¡¯t be removed or disabled. Rather, from how it looks, these things were rather permanent. Also, there effects stacked with the other titles, and there was no indication that they could be deleted. I guess, in a sense, they¡¯re permanent labels glued onto a player due to his subsequent actions. I sighed. I guess for now, I¡¯d have to live with such a title. For now, I chose to ignore the existence of such a title. After having closed up the new status windows, I steadily rose to my feet. I turned towards the metal door and sighed. I determined that it was now or never. With the arrival of my new skill and title, I decided that I was done waiting. It was now time to launch my counterattack. **** Author''s note: Well, this chapter was unexpectedly darker than usual... but I hope it was atleast still entertaining to read. Anyways, rate,follow, favorite, etc. to show support. This fic is still new, so it needs all the help it can get. Thanks. Next Chapter Chapter 13: Goblin Hunt Goblin Hunt I walked to the front of the room. I gazed blankly at the stained metal door while I confirmed my equipment. Right now, I was level twelve. With the added bonuses from [Pioneer] and my newest title, [Psychopath], as well as the equip bonuses I received from my shoes and the short sword I held in my hand, it wouldn¡¯t be a stretch to say my stats were greatly inflated. Aside from that, I stored several goblin swords behind my back. They were small enough to the point where I could effectively hold 3 of the weapons behind the folds of my uniform without them falling off. Additionally, I also carried two vials of basic health potions within my pants pocket as a precaution. Of course, I left the rest of the potions (a total of 7) behind, where they were carelessly placed in the corner of the restroom. I didn¡¯t want to carry them with me and worry about the possibility of the vials breaking while I was in mid battle. Besides, in the end, this arrangement all worked out, since I had the fullest intention of returning for the items. Now, with my equipment all checked and my stats all confirmed, I was ready. In fact, I felt I was more than ready to commence my own counterattack. I took a deep breath, and reached for the handle. At this moment, before I even had the chance to put any force into turning the knob, a rush of thoughts and emotions overwhelmed me. Fear. Like the fear I created within the goblins, a primal sense of danger also welt up inside me, as if warning me that the very next thing I do might determine my life and death. Excitement. I would be lying if I said I didn¡¯t anticipate the coming fight. This world, no my new world was like a game. And being the person I am, I couldn¡¯t help but wonder how far I could get within this game. Apprehension. It might not be clear, but I did have some uneasiness about what I had just done. I mean, it isn¡¯t easy to torture and disfigure something that looks like a kid, let alone, do it several times over. I did regret having to do what I did for Operation:Fear. But among these spiraling emotions, the one that overpowered all this, was determination. I was, in short determined. Determined to test to what extent the fruit of my labors would take me. Determined to escape this shitty situation I had found myself in. And determined to save someone¡¯s life. Swallowing all these thoughts and ideas, I buried this chaotic feeling deep within my heart. I took a step forward, and turned the handle. In front of me, stood a group of 10 goblins, each with varying facial expressions. From unease, worry, fear, anger, anticipation, it was as if these goblins were a palat to describe the turmoil inside my own mind. Near the far back of the group, was the level 20 Goblin Commander. His facial expression was locked into his usual scowl, but his eyes raged with anger. I stepped forward, making sure to rattle the metal door with my knife on my way out the room. The noise caused a fair amount of goblins to jolt upright. I smirked at this scene. The goblins, as if mesmerized, all just stood and watched, not knowing what to really do. It was comforting to know that the fear was already showing itself even before the battle. Before I completely left the restroom, I stopped. It would have been pointless to just leave, I mean, what good would all my hard work at desecration be, if I just started a fight out in the hall. I needed the goblins to see exactly what I did to their friends. Taunting, I raised the knife up to face level, and wiggled the tip. I then took deliberate steps backwards. I re entered the restroom, this time, I made sure to keep the door wide open. I walked over to the center of the restroom. Currently, I was standing in the only spot not littered in goblin remains. Next to me, was the gathered swords I scavenged from all the corpses I created. It was a comforting sight really, if I counted there were at least 20 dagger sized short swords. I then proceeded to wait. I bided my time, fully expecting the 10 Goblins to follow. After a minute of silence from the outside, an angry roar suddenly reverberated. The Goblin Commander fiercely ordered the pack, snapping them back from their daze while forcing them to enter the den I had claimed. As the goblins flooded in one by one, they all bore the same mask of atrocious shock as they saw what littered the floor. Honestly, they were forced to step over their brethren, as they fearfully looked from the floor, to me, then back down. Their once brandished short swords began falling, as it now limply dangled on shaking limbs. I smiled. While they looked on with shock at the scene before them, it seems like they have all but forgotten my presence. None of them acknowledged me, as they were too busy gawking at the massacre. Well, that is save for one. The goblin commander glanced briefly at the room, and scowled before he focused his complete attention on me. Rather, right now, this creature was evaluating me with squinted eyes. I could have taken advantage of this situation. I could have easily thrown one of my spare swords towards a goblin, but before I initiated attack, I needed to remind him that I was still here. I was very much present and currently, ready to kill. Taking my knife, I knelt down, and tapped the floor beneath me three times. While it wasn¡¯t the same as with the metal door, it would still have the same effect. Upon hearing this quiet rattling, the goblins simultaneously turned towards me, their faces were now masked with a mixture of fear and surprise. The earlier uneasiness from seeing what littered the floor was now gone as the goblins all instinctively took a step back. I quickly grabbed a short sword that was lying close to me. Once my grip tightened, and the effects of the second weapon began to set in, the final battle started. Darting forward, I cocked my right hand and threw a sword, hurtling it towards one of the closest goblins. I caught the goblin off guard, and the dagger sunk deep within his shoulder blade. He screamed out as the blow forced him to back up a couple of steps, causing him to trip over a spare goblin torso near one of the stalls.. If it wasn¡¯t for all his wriggling around, I would have been hard pressed to differentiate between him and the corpses. Shifting my attention, I glared at another goblin, the one to my far right who was still staring blankly at what just happened. The surprise and fear had all coalesced within him, causing his innately slow reaction to get even slower. I ran forward, hoping along entrails as I reached down and picked up another sword from the ground. I felt the boost immediately, as my pace quickened and in no time, I sunk the two daggers in my hands onto his chest. He screamed out, we both fell together onto the stained bathroom floor. By this point, I noticed through my peripheral vision that the goblins had recovered from their initial fear and had started moving towards me. While they still had a bit of jerkiness to their movement, I knew that once sourounded, I would be hardpressed to survive. I lifted myself up, while simultaneously yanking the daggers out from the goblin¡¯s chest. Since it was the perfect opportunity, I took the chance to slit the injured goblin¡¯s throat, earning me my first kill in this death battle. Now, it was 1 down and 9 more to go. I threw one of my daggers towards an approaching goblin. The blade pierced itself deep within an eye socket, colliding with a sickening wet slush. It were times like these were my investment in dexterity really shined. Since I wanted to avoid being surrounded, I needed a method to fight while simultaneously keeping my distance. knife throws were perfect for that, considering I had quite a surplus of bladed weaponry within this restroom. The goblins¡¯ movement speed were relatively slow, and despite the urging of the Goblin Commander (who chose to angrily command from outside the restroom), the goblins couldn¡¯t help but instinctively try and avoid all that littered the floor. I moved over to the pile of daggers on the floor, and began to systematically throw my surplus towards the incoming targets. Generally, I stuck to aiming for their chest, since that was considerably easier to hit, but on the occasion that the goblin did get too close, I¡¯d begin aiming for its legs. On more than one occasion, a hit to the knee or thigh would cause the goblin to trip over and fall flat on its face. If I was lucky, it would splat down next to one of the decapitated head, warranting a scream of terror to exist its vocal chords. Once my surplus was back down to just the blade in my hand and the three behind my back, I stopped throwing. By this point, I was quite lucky that my knife throwing had killed two of them, while most were injured. Honestly, it was more than what I had expected. Speaking of injured, I quickly moved over next to the one who I had attacked first and attempted to finish him off. This time, I used my only attacking skill, [dissect], in order to try and directly observe the special status effects it caused, mainly, lacerate and amputation. Unfortunately, maybe it was since I aimed for its neck, but the creature received quite a fatal blow. I accidentally killed the goblin before I could give it lacerate or amputation. Oh well, this brought my total kills to 4. Only 6 more to go. Unfortunately, it was at this point that the Goblin Commander started participating in battle. It took direct charge, and together with its troops, he made a mad dash towards my direction. I grimaced. These tiny midgets were gaining in on me, and in a matter of seconds they would be all over. The only saving grace I had were the disfigured corpses. They caused moving within here to be quite a trial. ¡°Oh!¡± I received a moment of insight, and the next thing I knew, I was kicking a decapitated goblin corpse towards the mob. I sent a headless corpse hurtling towards one of the goblin scouts like it was a soccer ball. The respective goblin widened its eyes in surprise as it could do nothing but look on as he made impact with the corpse. The blow hurtled him downwards, giving me the opportunity I needed. I went and grabbed one of the daggers loosely attached to my back, and once the stat boosts took their effect, I immediately ran forward. Due to my relative size, jumping and stepping over the corpses was generally easier for me, so my speed wasn¡¯t even comparable to these tiny midgets. I utilized the space I created within their goblin formation and ran in between them, with my final goal being the hallway up ahead. Right now, battling with these goblins in a tight space would be quite inconvenient. It was better to attack out in the open, where I at least had a slight advantage. Before I could reach the door though, a sudden impact pushed me forward. While this impact actually helped me in escaping the restroom, it did cause me to hit my shoulder against the frame of the doorway. This, coupled with the impact itself, shaved off quite a decent amount of my hp. I was sent rolling across the hallway, and when I finally came to and got the opportunity to turn around and see what exactly had hit me, I met eyes with a scowling Goblin Commander. It roared, before it ran straight at me. Unlike the other goblins, the corpses posed no hazard for him as he barrelled through, displaying an abnormal amount of agility and strength for a creature his size. I guess it wasn¡¯t a commander for nothing. The lucky thing here was that at least the 5 other goblins were still within the restroom, although, I garner to think it might have been easier to fight the five than deal with this one. You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. Hastily, I got up while simultaneously throwing one of my daggers. The blade sunk into his forearm, but was shaken off quite easily as the beast continued running with no signs of stopping. Bracing myself, I recieved his tackle with the hilt of my sword. I minimized some of the damage by leaping back in correlation with his timing, but that¡¯s not say I came back safe. In fact, the impact alone brought my total hp down to less than 40%. Once I regained myself, I scowled while reprimanding my past self for not investing in any vitality. If I continued receiving hits like this, then I¡¯d be dead in no time. The Goblin Commander once again charged at me, although this time, I was a bit more composed. I bided my time while I quickly observed his trajectory. Once he got within 2 feet of me, I immediately jumped to the side. I desperately slashed outward at the same time, activating [dissect] in the process. As the creature reared back, a brief notification alert blinked above him, telling me that the Goblin Commander now suffered under the effects of [laceration] which gave him a status similar to [bleeding], only a lot more severe. For now this was good, but in the long run, it wouldn¡¯t help all that much. While laceration slowly sucked away his life, with the amount of hp he still had left, I was more likely to die first then this monster losing even a 10th of his hit points. What I needed was to inflict an [amputate] effect on the creature, but I was a bit reluctant since using dissect consumed my precious stamina. I had to pick the right time and not just haphazardly slash out with [dissect]. The Goblin commander looked briefly at his new injury before he scowled. He turned around and came at me once more, this time instead of charging, he sent a flurry of kicks and punches my way. I desperately dodged, all the while I attempted to counterattack in the process. I landed a few good hits, a slash to its forearm, a thrust at his side, but in the end, the Goblin Commander was immensely superior. Its abnormal strength and agility coupled with his small size made him a hard target to hit, while at the same time, made him a heavy hitter. Before long, my hp was brought down to under 10%. I leapt back, and tried to reassess my situation. I quickly downed a health potion while I desperately avoided the Goblin Commander. My health was back up 40% but my mind was in complete disarray. I now saw the Goblin through the tinted haze of fear. The possibility of dying flashed before my eyes numerous times, and it only made me even more anxious. My movements became limited, as I began to instinctually reel back and prioritize aversion rather than attacking. At this rate, there was no chance of me making a comeback. I leapt back a bit more, creating some distance between us, although the Goblin commander was making short work of this distance. Looking at the scene before me, I tried to reel in my beating heart as I grimaced and bit down on my lip. While this action caused a sliver of my own hp to dwindle, the pain and metallic taste of blood snapped me out of my stupor. I stopped running around, and kicked out at the goblin as it entered my range. My leg rocketed out and it followed through with the motions for a simple back kick. Not expecting such an attack, the blow landed solidly on the Goblin¡¯s chest, sending him back a good meter or two. This was one of the problems my agitated mind had caused. It made me too reliant on my weaponry, and as a result, I disregarded my physical superiority. While the thing may have beens stronger and faster, my body was a lot larger. I had more mobility while at the same time, I held more range. With this new found mindset, I began my counterattack. I ran up to him and sent a flurry of kicks, which was avoided mostly due to the goblin¡¯s surprisingly dexterous footwork, but a lucky blow would land every now and then. Like this, I diminished his hp by about 15%. Although I didn¡¯t exactly get to celebrate this occasion, since the 5 other goblins which I had almost forgotten about began to spill out of the restroom. Wait¡­ no, scratch that, there¡¯s six of them now. ¡°Damn¡­¡± I grimaced. It seems like an extra goblin spawned during my fight with the boss. As I was lost in thought, a stray punch hit solidly on my solar plexus, crumbling me to the ground in an instant. My hp was back down to 15% while the Goblin Commander loomed over me with obvious arrogance written all over its smirking face. Tch! His uncanny human like expression pissed me off, so I slashed out desperately at his right leg, activating [Dissection] at the same time. Maybe it was due to his arrogance or new found confidence, but surprisingly the attack landed. [Amputation!] A gift from above came in the form of a convenient notification alert that flashed over the goblin¡¯s surprised face. Slowly, it began to fall to the ground as its right leg lost the power to support itself. Utilizing this second opportunity, I recovered from my recent impact and swallowed the pain with a grunt, and, while my back was pressed to the floor, I shot my legs straight outward, aiming for the small target directly above the creatures neck and below his face; his throat. The blow connected with a satisfying snap and sent him back flying a good meter or so while a critical hit notification flashed above his soaring head. It sent him past his subordinates, who all froze mid sprint from the sudden blow back to their commander. I got up and spat out a little bit of the blood that began to collect within my mouth. I was forced to down another hp potion, while I assessed the scene before me. Amputation was successfully activated on the Goblin Commander. In theory (and in actuality), this should have greatly limited the monster¡¯s movement speed, and at the same time, I could use this opportunity to take out the small fry. With that in mind, I made a dash towards the nearest goblin. This one was a goblin scout with only 30% of its hp remaining. A good blow would end its life quite easily. Without even stopping, I threw a dagger directly at its head. The goblin promptly dropped to the ground while I continued to run past its dead body. I was now down to my last remaining blade, but that didn¡¯t stop me. With precise movements, I ran in between two more goblins. I slit one of their throats while I used the momentum from the slash to spin around mid air and lash out at the other goblin¡¯s face. The one with its throat slit instantly died due to a fatal blow, while the other one howled in agony as its life was brought below 5%. I landed down on the ground, and my body smoothly flowed into a crouching position. I quickly finished the below 5% goblin with an upwards strike. I then pocketed the the dropped swords from the new corpses while I looked at the remaining adversaries before me. The Goblin Commander howled in anger as it attempted to rise, but unfortunately, it would always topple over due to its new lack of balance. I smiled at this scene. Amputating an enemy was as I expected, very effective. This way, I was quite satisfied at acquiring [Dissection]. It¡¯s allowed for a better success rate of severing an enemy''s limbs with a slash. Not just now, but I could see [Dissection] being a major arsenal in the future. Satisfied that the goblin commander currently lacked the strength and balance in order to properly fight, I shifted my attention towards the remaining goblins. There were three left. two goblin warriors and a goblin scout. I stared at them blankly for a moment, watching their little exchange as their gazes shifted from each other, to me, and to their commander. After a while, I could hear the simultaneous gulps as the creatures, having seemingly made peace with their lives, dashed forward, a hint of mad desperation written on their ugly faces. I met these creatures readily. Using the one dagger, I made short work of them. I avoided utilizing [dissect] again since I didn¡¯t want to feel the uncomfortable fatigue that came with low stamina. In less than a minute, the three desperate goblins died in vein. Afterwards, whilst wiping the goblin blood away from my blade, I turned to look back at the Goblin Commander. To my surprise, the remaining goblin was desperately crawling away. For a high ranking official, it sure showed such a shameful behavior. What had happened to all its previous anger and desperation? Maybe with out anymore of its subordinates to hide behind, it finally realized its situation? ¡°...¡± I looked at it blankly, wondering what exactly it was trying to do. Did it really think I was going to let it escape? Is it stupid? Maybe goblins are just inherently stupid. As I slowly walked over to the creature, the fatigue from the fight began to catch up to me as my adrenaline raddled mind was slowly replaced by an unnervingly cool rationality. I continued to look at the goblin. It would, at times, look back at me. There was something I saw within its eyes that I recognized on its subordinates, but never really saw within this particular Goblin¡¯s eyes. It was fear. For the first time, this 8 level higher than me monster was afraid. Well, maybe it always was afraid, but truthfully, this was the first time I caught its fear with my own eyes. I didn¡¯t smirk or jeer at this thought. After all, it was natural to be afraid. If I was in its situation, I would be afraid. It¡¯s just a bit unfortunate for the goblin, but the situation was reversed. I was the one with the sword. It was the one currently running away. Right now, the creature was justified for fear. Since after all, it was about to die. Not taking any risks, I haphazardly collected all the littered swords on the floor and began lobbing them towards the Goblin. This method of execution was probably one of the most painful, but I couldn¡¯t help it. I didn¡¯t want to risk getting surprise attacked. If I got anywhere near its range, the possibility of my death would always persist. After I had wasted almost all of the daggers, the Goblin Commander¡¯s hp was down to less than 1%. I now only had one bladed weapon left, and with that, I stepped forward, now a mere 2 feet away from its bleeding corpse. I stood there for a minute, taking in what just happened. I lamented over my growth, and I also lamented over how close I had come to dying on several occasions. I almost thought to give a sort of parting speech. After all, this creature did cause me a lot of trouble, while at the same time, it gave me valuable hp. I thought it over but in the end, only one thing escaped my mouth. ¡°Haaa~¡± With one final sigh of relief, I threw my last dagger directly at its head. From this proximity, the dagger managed to lodge itself deep within its skull, completely ending the monster¡¯s reign. Like that, I killed the level 20 Goblin Commander. **** Author''s notes: This chapter was a bit longer than the rest since , well, it ended up that way. I debated over cutting the chapter in half, but ultimately decided to just go for it. I mean, the battle would lose all its tension if it got interrupted mid way, right? Anyways, rate,follow, favorite, etc. to show support. This fic is still new, so it needs all the help it can get. I''d greatly appreciate it. Next Chapter Chapter 14: On the Way Back On The Way Back
Achievement: You have slain an elite monster. The elite monster: [Goblin Commander] was a species leader. For defeating a species leader, goblins will no longer spawn within the dungeon. Reward(s): +2000 exp +20 unallocated points
I stared blankly at the new panel scream that popped up immediately after I dealt the final blow to the goblin commander. I had an inkling that I¡¯d earn something from beating that level 20 monster, but I didn¡¯t expect another achievement panel to appear. Like before, I had only ever seen an achievement panel when I first killed a goblin, back when the countdown hadn¡¯t reached zero. This time around, the panel congratulated me for killing its superior, the goblin commander. I mused over its contents while I lazily stared at the panel. Apparently, this creature was what you¡¯d consider an elite monster. Now, usually, elite monsters were a tier above regular monsters, most commonly followed by either a mid boss, or skipping straight ahead to boss level monsters. Really, the power structure largely depends on the type of rpg one plays. But anyways, that wasn¡¯t really what caught my attention. It was already dead obvious that the Goblin Commander was a bit more special than a regular mob. What was interesting was the title that the system gave to the monster; ¡°Species Leader.¡± While it was readily apparent that the Goblin Commander held some sort of rank within goblins, to think killing it meant that those green buggers would no longer spawn¡­ this was a conclusion outside my original expectations. Honestly, I didn¡¯t know whether that particular detail was good or bad. On one side, there were no more goblins. On the other side, I would lose my source of what I had began to consider ¡°easy experience.¡± ¡°...¡± Well, there was no point dwelling over the matter. What¡¯s done is done. Rather, I¡¯ll focus on something a bit more positive. Like the rewards. Added with the 2000 exp from this achievement, as well as the accumulated exp I recently received from killing all the goblins, I rose by a whooping 3 levels, bringing me up to level 15. If compared objectively, then I was on even grounds with the minotaurs that had scared me half to death a while ago. On top of it all, the 20 free points basically gave me extra stats that, usually, I¡¯d need 4 additional levels to achieve. This was indeed a very generous reward¡­ In fact, I played with the thought of attacking the minotaur spawn point just because of these bonuses. If stopping goblins from spawning got me such a great boost, I could only imagine what sort of rewards I¡¯d get from doing the same thing with the minotaues.... I thought about it, but, for now, I¡¯ll save such a thing for later. Fully satisfied, I mentally closed the panel, and immediately brought up my status window. [Status!]
Status Window
NameHide Mayo
Age17RaceHuman
Level15GenderMale
TitlesPioneer, Pyschopath
Health230/250(16)Health Regen.0.005 / Sec
Mana (unavailable)250(16)Mana Regen.0.01 / Sec
Stamina250(16)Stamina Regen.0.05 / Sec
-
Strength16(10)Agility29(16)
Vitality7(16)Dexterity30(16)
Intelligence11(16)Wisdom11(16)
Leadership0(8)Luck0(8)
-
Skills
Equip (Active) Identification (Active) Dissection(Active)
Current Status Effect(s)n/a
Unallocated Points45
I briefly looked at my current stats. I lamented over the new boost I recieved from my [Psychopath] title. As expected, even if the boosts were surprisingly beneficial, I was still a bit apprehensive over being called mentally unstable. I continued to examine my status, and the section labeled ¡®unallocated points¡¯ brought a tight smile to my face. I hadn¡¯t distributed any points since I reached level 10, and with the +20 I recently received, well, suffice to say, I had accumulated quite a lot. For a brief moment, I lamented on dumping all these points in agility. After all, it would have been interesting to observe how such a great boost affected my current speed. In the end though, I decided I wasn¡¯t quite that stupid, and instead choose to distribute my accumulated points rather smartly. I placed most of the points on strength, vitality, agility, and dexterity. Like always, I avoided intelligence and wisdom, since I really didn¡¯t find any point in adding stats in that particular field. I also decided to forgo rising my luck and leadership. As expected, I really couldn¡¯t put my trust in an arbitrary thing like luck, and leadership, in my eyes, was a pointlessly unnecessary stat. I disliked crowds (and people in general), so it¡¯d be quite odd for a loner like me to have any investment in leadership. In the end, I placed 15 in both dexterity and agility, 10 in strength, and 5 in vitality. Actually, I was a bit apprehensive about the vitality stat. Previously, I had never distributed any of my points in this particular stat, so I was still blind as to what it affected. Now usually, vitality is something that affects the hp or stamina bar in most rpgs. An increase in vitality would subsequently increase either stamina or hp. This wasn¡¯t the case for me. After I allocated the appropriate points into vitality, there wasn¡¯t an increase in my maximum hp or maximum stamina. Similarly, my hp regeneration and stamina regeneration didn¡¯t increase as well. This led me to one conclusion; vitality affected something else entirely. The most likely affect it had was probably on my defense capabilities. Something like making me more impervious to attacks wouldn¡¯t be far off. Anyways, after I finished distributing my stats appropriately, I gleaned over them one more time.
Status Window
NameHide Mayo
Age17RaceHuman
Level15GenderMale
TitlesPioneer, Pyschopath
Health230/250(16)Health Regen.0.005 / Sec
Mana (unavailable)250(16)Mana Regen.0.01 / Sec
Stamina250(16)Stamina Regen.0.05 / Sec
-
Strength26(10)Agility44(16)
Vitality12(16)Dexterity45(16)
Intelligence11(16)Wisdom11(16)
Leadership0(8)Luck0(8)
-
Skills
Equip (Active) Identification (Active) Dissection(Active)
Current Status Effect(s)n/a
Unallocated Points0
I smiled whilst nodding to myself. I felt satisfied with this level of growth. While I didn¡¯t have anybody to compare my stats with, I at least thought I was somewhat decent. Not one to get to stuck up on past achievements, I quickly closed my status window with a thought. Next, I scanned the corpse and its immediate area. I was looking for some sort of item. I mean, its natural logic to think I¡¯d get some sort of special drop after defeating an elite monster. After a few minutes, my assumption was proven true as my eyes caught hint of something thin and jagged that poked out from underneath the goblin commander¡¯s body. Using the end of my sneaker, I roughly pushed the corpse aside and looked down at the new item. It was a weapon. A short, and sharp looking dagger with a monotone hilt. The blade itself was rather unique. It was an immensely dark shade of black. The blade let out no reflection, it was the very definition of incarnation of darkness. I quickly picked it up and used [identify] on the new object. ding!
Efhermet Dagger A dagger crafted by the famed goblin blacksmith, ¡°Efhermet the Odd¡± using meteoric iron ore. It holds a mysterious sheen to it and appears to be finely crafted. The weapon looks to be crafted especially for human usage. Damage: 75 - 95 Critical hit rate increase by 20% +25 strength + 35 agility +17 dexterity [Equip] Skill Bonus +35 strength +5 luck (????) Level Requirement: 25
My jaw gaped open as I stared dizzily at the blue status screen in front of me. ¡°T-these stats¡­.¡± I could only muster to say while my eyes fixedly stared down the numbers that hung luminescently to the faint blue box. Suffice to say, this weapon was incredible. No, rather, this was a godsend. The stats were insane, and the brief description left a lot to be pondered. For one, it mentioned the maker of the weapon, a goblin blacksmith named Efhermet. Now, usually this wouldn¡¯t be that big of a deal, but in my current situation, it was amazing news. It meant that there was someone on the other side. And by other side, I meant the other side of the spawn point. The goblins didn¡¯t just spawn from non-existence, rather, they seem to be teleported here. And the existence known as Efhermet just proves that there¡¯s another world past my own. Efhermet was someone who, more than likely, lived and crafted this dagger in that "other" world. Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. Through some stroke of luck, Efhermet''s dagger winded up in this world. As loot. As loot for me who killed a Goblin Commander. It was a lot to handle, but it wasn¡¯t something I hadn¡¯t thought of before. I mean, I¡¯ve had a few theories as to where the monsters came from, so ¡°Efhermet¡± not only brought a bit of light to my situation, but also gave me numerous questions. It was an issue I¡¯d seriously like to investigate someday, but for now, I¡¯ll put it to the side. I once more drooled over these amazing stats. Plus aside from the stats, there was also a (???). I could only anticipate what type of bonus my [Equip] would give me. While I was ecstatic at receiving the new dagger, what instantly poured water on my parade was the level requirement. I had to be at least level 25 or above for this weapon! This was fairly depressing news, considering it would take a bit more time if I wanted to use that. But in retrospect, the issue about the level requirement also brought up a few questions of mine. A level up requirement hadn¡¯t appeared before¡­ but then again, I guess this was the only time I ever acquired a ¡®system¡¯ weapon. Plus, my main concern was what ¡°requirement¡± entailed. In a sense, I obviously could weild it, since right now, I was holding the dagger quite firmly in one hand. Would this requirement label show its effects during mid battle? Maybe something bad will happen if I fight with a weapon I¡¯m not high level enough to use? While I thought this, funneled by curiousity, I brought up my status window again. There was something I wanted to confirm. I gripped the dagger comfortably in my left hand and checked my status. Like I half-expected, the given bonus like +25 in strength, or the +30 in agility didn¡¯t take their effects on me. ¡°So this is what level restrictions mean in this world¡­¡± I sighed. While this was disappointing, it at least confirmed what the level requirement did for me. It didn¡¯t stop me from wielding the weapon, but merely stopped me from taking in its added effects, which, for me, was probably the most important aspect in this whole weapons system. Although, in my case, there was still some viability in using the Efhermet dagger in combat. For one, despite the original weapon bonuses not taking effect, the bonuses I received from [Equip] strangely still applied. And since it gave such an amazing boost to my strength with just the [Equip] bonus, I had decided from here on out, that the Efhermet Dagger was my premiere weapon of choice. Satisfied with that decision, I gripped the dagger once more in my hand before I proceeded into the restroom. I went and promptly picked up the health potions that I haphazardly left behind. I also checked the new corpses, both inside the restroom and out in the hallway, to see if they dropped anything important. Luckily, out of the 10 corpses, two dropped basic health potions, so I was quite satisfied for now. Not including the two I had to use during the battle, I had 9 health potions left and 1 mana potion. While I checked for any loot, I also scavenged a few short swords as well, since I¡¯ve completely realized how important my throwing capabilities can get in a fight. An extra short sword not only gave additional boosts, but with my throwing, I could easily turn a short ranged, close quarters fight, into a mid ranged battle. Besides, it was always important to have a surplus of weapons, especially for someone like me, who relied on [Equip]. I collected some of the better swords that the goblins left behind and in no time, I found my way back to the Goblin Commander¡¯s body. I looked briefly at the monster before I bent down, and yanked out the last dagger, which was still embedded onto the Goblin Commander¡¯s cranium. After I pulled the blade out, a short squirt of blood stained my uniform as I looked solemnly at the creature one last time. I glared at it rather intently, mulling over a mental debate I was currently having. I thought for a moment before I finally used [identification] on the goblin corpse. ¡°....¡± Like I thought, after 5 seconds nothing happen-- Ding! A blue screen floated from up above the corpse.
Goblin Corpse A corpse recently killed. The quality of the body is acceptable. RANK C++ Necromancy ingredient
Simple information decorated by two words. ¡°Necromancy..?¡± My mind hung up on this one phrase. So even something like that was possible huh? I lamented over this. The body was useless to me, who couldn¡¯t even use magic, let alone necromancy. But anyways, its not like I¡¯d ever want to bring back the dead even if that were possible...its just that¡­ it worries even me that someone would be capable of that. Bringing the dead back to life was a novel idea that, unfortunately, usually had several setbacks, both for the necromancer, and the people around him. I can¡¯t count how many stories I¡¯ve read where a willfull necromancer either turned evil, or died in vain. I frowned at the thought that something like that would bound to exist in this new world. I glanced briefly once more at the body before I turned around and began to make my way back. I had collected the health potions necessary to heal Hina, the next step now was to go and give it to her. While I thought such, I couldn¡¯t help but lament over how I kept them waiting for more than 5 hours. Rather, if I looked at the bigger picture here, this whole thing started about 8 hours ago. That amount of time was both long and short. That amount of time was also enough to make someone like me starve. I hadn¡¯t had a proper meal in so long. My stomach reflexively growled as my mind began to mentally complain. Aside from that granola bar I had earlier, I didn¡¯t have anything else. And honestly, granola bars aren¡¯t very filling. I contemplated for a brief moment whether or not I should take a detour on my way back to the art room to go scavenge some food. It wouldn¡¯t take long, just a brief in and out of a few classrooms. ¡°....¡± No, doing something unnecessary like that is uncalled for. Honestly, just the fact that I kept the girls waiting for 5 hours should be enough of a motivator for me to make haste on my way back. I mean, 5 hours is a long time. It wouldn¡¯t be surprising, really, if they ended up thinking I had died or something. That would only be a natural outcome anybody that anybody would guess. But its not like I could have helped it, I was a bit caught up. I chided myself, but I continued forward. I had kept them long enough, it would be even worse if I delayed any longer. I continued onward, faintly hoping nothing bad had happened to them while I was away. *** While I walked down the decrepit old hallway, I couldn¡¯t help but notice all the corpses. Now, this particular area of the school was pretty secluded. At most, during pre-apocalypse, there were probably around 100 students who had class here when the countdown striked. From the looks of it, the majority of that 100 were dead. What exactly was capable of doing such an amazing feat¡­ I could only shudder at the thought. It obviously weren¡¯t the goblins, since I¡¯ve fought them, and I fully understand the extent of their strength. And, while I hadn¡¯t seen any minotaurs (mostly since I avoided the hall they spawned around) recently, I doubt it was them. While it''s true that those bull headed beasts were strong, and no doubt they at least managed to wipe out a classroom or two, I had to bring my attention to the corpses in the hallway. From their posture, and look of fear, the bodies around here had died while in mid run. What was capable of something like that¡­ well, suffice to say, it wasn¡¯t a minotaur. A minotaur would have trampled and smashed the bodies, like what they had done with that carefree teacher from earlier. The scene before me¡­ it was unnatural. Also, there was a strange lack of, well, a strange lack of monsters. The only monster¡¯s I¡¯ve come across were the goblins, which by now, would never respawn ever again (well, at least in this dungeon) and the minotaurs, who moved the opposite direction going directly towards the main building. Aside from them, the West wing 2nd floor was completely devoid of anything else. This realization brought a shiver down my spine. How ever you looked at it, this situation, was unnatural. It was an unnatural situation within in an already unattural situation. ¡°....¡± With the same attitude I used to get through most of my mental trauma, I pushed the concern back. There was no use being bogged down by depressing thoughts like that. At the very least, everyone¡¯s killer doesn¡¯t seem to be around anymore, so that¡¯s a bit comforting for someone like me. For now, I won¡¯t worry about it, but I¡¯ll keep the concern alive, while I try to live through the rest of the day. **** Halfway through my return, I came across a hallway with windows. The windows overlooked the courtyard, and from across the school grounds, it was possible to see the newer, more improved Eastern wing of the school. I walked nonchalantly through the hall, my eyes briefly glancing outside. ¡°!¡± My mouth gaped at the scene I saw through the transparent material. In short, the East wing was currently on fire. Plumes of smoke rose from the rooftop and the transparent glass resisted the licks of fire red and orange flames as they continued to ravage both room and hallway. It was a pretty amazing scene. The flames danced wildly, quite beautifully too, if you looked at it from another perspective. But nevertheless, it was still quite a worrisome view. I briefly pondered whether the flames would burn the whole school down, but that was a stupid conclusion. If you looked closely, it was possible to observe that the flames, while they looked like they were endlessly growing and eating its way through the school, in fact, they stopped around near the border of what connects the main building with the east wing. Now, I don¡¯t know what exactly stopped the fire from spreading, but for now, it had my thanks. After all, I didn¡¯t necessarily want to burn to death in this decrepit high school. The flames were quite eye catching, even to the point where they sucked up all my visual attention and I completely looked over something equally as amazing yet equally as frightening. Down below on the courtyard, lazily sat an enormous creature. It was somewhat chimera like, with parts of different animals all congregated and mashed up into one incohesive ball of confusion. A donkey¡¯s tail here, eagle like talons, panda eyes, crocodile mouth, a turtle shell that sprouted wings from its back¡­ really, it was quite odd looking. While looking at the creature, I also marveled its size. It was around 3 times bigger than one of the minotaurs I saw, and from the looks of its composed sleeping face, I deemed it probably had a level to match its size. If you told me this creature was the final boss, then I¡¯d think that¡¯s a valid assumption. Although, after thinking about it for a while, I doubted that was the reality. The chimera was outside the school, and since we couldn¡¯t leave the building until the boss was dead, it would be rather unreasonable to have the final boss be outside, where it was out of reach from the players. At most, this chimera like monster which guarded the courtyard was probably like a secret boss, or something extra the system put in there after it decided it hadn¡¯t fucked with you enough yet. *** I continue walking along the hallway, and in a little less than 10 minutes, after I rounded one last corner, I made it back to the art room. The pile of corpses that sat besides the door was almost a bit nostalgic for me. Its kind of weird. Its almost a bit comforting to see them piled up here, unchanging from when I first saw them. I gave an odd mental hello to the layers of dead, before I reached for the door. With one twist and a gentle push, I entered the art room. ***** Author''s Note: Sorry for the delay, I was sick. Rate,follow, favorite, etc. to show support if you enjoy this fiction. This fic is still "relatively" new, so it needs all the help it can get. I''d greatly appreciate it. Next Chapter Chapter 15: Recovery Recovery I silently opened the door and entered the art-room. I saw the familiar cabinets, the strewn about chairs and tables, even the wrapper from the granola bar I ate earlier. It all brought weird sense of familiarity. A feeling of familiarity that I had began to unconsciously cherish. In a world were familiar things were changing and familiar logic was being overturned, I clung to such concepts desperately, as if some semblance of familiarity was a treasure greater than the heavens. Now, the only thing missing were the girls. I did a double take of my surroundings once more, as if to affirm the essential thing missing in this familiar scene. At first glance, it was relatively obvious that right now, I was the only person in the room. My eyes focused on the now empty table. This table was the one I helped place Hina on. The fresh bloodstains were all still visible even now. This brought a bitter smile to my face. The possibility of them leaving was even greater than me surviving my harrowing brushes with death. It was within my range of expectations for the girls to not be here when and if I ever returned. Although I thought like this, the sight of the empty room still brought surprise to my haggard mind. I regretted the fact that I didn''t get here in time. I regretted all the hard work that, now, seemed all but pointless. But most of all, I regretted not being able to save the first person who relied on. Thoughts like these, and many more, swirled my mind But before my spiral of chaos got even deeper, my eyes caught sight of the blood on the table. More specifically, the blood trail it formed and where it led. Taking a closer look, I noticed that the blood weren''t just random splatters, rather, they were a carelessly forgotten leftovers, indicating someone had moved Hina... or Hina''s body. At first, I followed the blood trail with my eyes before my body naturally moved towards the trail. I silently walked, making sure to keep my steps as light and subtle as possible. I was taking maximum precaution. While there existed a possibility that what lay at the end of this trail were merely Hina and Cielle, there also existed a possibility that something... else waited. Leading my follow with my eyes, I discovered that the trail led to a very familiar place. Of to the corner of the room was a semi barricaded area. The familiar teacher''s desk was positioned in such a way that it blocked the view of what lay behind. Various other pieces of school furniture adorned the surrounding area, making quite an effective blockade. As I moved closer to the barricade, my sensitive ears began to pick up subtle nuances I had not heard prior to my entry. The faint pitter patter of breathing, an indistinguishable shuffling, which, in my honest opinion, was poorly hidden. All these sounds and noise were picked up now that I was standing less than a meter from their source. Hesitantly, I peered inside. Like, I half-expected, I was now staring directly at a girl, who also stared back, albeit through a curtain of thin, silky, dark, black hair. Next to her, was another girl. This one was sleeping with a emotionless expression. Her skin was pale, and her larger than average chest was rising up and down, in-sync with her faint breathing. It was Cielle and Hina. I breathed out a sigh of relief. It was good to know that these two weren''t in any immediate danger, and frankly, it was kind of smart in Cielle¡¯s part to form a barricade such as this. It hid there bodies fairly well, and unless scrutinized real closely, it was hard to tell that the barricade was, well a barricade, and not merely a jumbled collection of strewn about furniture. Although the blood trail made it rather easy for someone to discern her location, but that¡¯s besides the point. Cielle, who heard my exasperation and had exchanged glances briefly with me, spoke up. Her voice soft and faint, barely a sliver above silence. ¡°H-Hide..?¡± She widened her eyes for the first time. Going by her expression, I¡¯m guessing this is the first time she noticed that someone other than the two of them had entered the room. I smiled faintly upon hearing her voice. It was a sharp contrast from the wailing screams of the goblins, and the slight fluctuation in her voice was somehow¡­ pleasing to my ears. ¡°Yes.¡± I answered simply. Without another word, I quietly began dismantling the barricade. I moved and re positioned the chairs carefully, taking care so that the structure wouldn''t collapse in on itself. Cielle, was a bit startled at first, but quickly, she too began dismantling her impromptu barricade from the inside. After about 5 minutes have passed, I could now clearly see the two girls. Cielle was sitting with her knees bent as she caressed Hina¡¯s head, who slept listlessly. ¡°...I didn¡¯t think you would comeback.¡± She spoke gloomily. Although her words were simple, and if viewed onesidedly, one would think she was merely concerned for my well being, but there was an underlying meaning to her words, which I quickly understood. Her voice had a hint of apprehension to it, as if she was chiding herself for how accusatory her sentence came off. But it¡¯s not like I blamed her. In a situation like this humans are quick to abandon, so its no surprise that the possibility that I left drifted into her mind. Heck, even I don¡¯t know why I returned. I could have just as easily walked out on my promise. So, instead of refuting, I simply nodded. ¡°I¡¯m sorry I kept you waiting then.¡± I said, as if that was enough. Due to our height difference, Cielle ended up looking up towards me upon hearing my voice. She stared for a moment, not knowing what to do. In the end, she just nodded. Something I returned with another nod. ¡°....¡± ¡°....¡± ¡°Um¡­ Did you..?¡± Cielle broke the quickly forming awkward silence as she posed a question that quickly trailed off. She hesitated, as if to say the full expression of her inquiry would warrant the worst outcome to occur. I nodded with a slight bob. Just from that action, her face lit up like an enchanting Christmas tree. The locks of hair that covered her face magically seemed to part ways, revealing a cute and lively smile. Before Cielle¡¯s expression could blossom into the full blown joy it was quickly turning into, I interrupted her. ¡°Help me move Hina back to the table.¡± I spoke while I bent down to carefully grasp Hina¡¯s slender legs. They were pale, much like her face, and her skin was cold to the touch. If I hadn¡¯t known any better, these were the legs of a corpse. Cielle, who was still in a bit of a daze after hearing the good news, squeaked out a soft Ah, before her body promptly moved into action. With determined readiness, she grasped onto Hina¡¯s head and back and moved her with finely controlled finesse. As Cielle¡¯s butt lifted off the ground and her overgrown sweater fluttered down to her thighs, her body made way to reveal the small first aid kit which stood near the corner. The supplies were haphazardly strewn about, and much of the gauze, bandages, and basic medical supplies had been exhausted. To me, it was as if her determination was revealed in that small corner. I broke my stare with the first aid kit and focused in on the immediate task. In a short while, with the help of both of our combined power, we lifted the fatally injured girl onto the cleared away table. Cielle and I stood back, and just looked at Hina¡¯s cold body. Cielle¡¯s eyes darted back and forth, to me then back to Hina. Her expression contorted into uncertainty. Although I had confirmed successful accomplishment of my task for her, Cielle was still unsure as to what my nod meant. I ignored the feverish girl, and focused in on Hina. I didn¡¯t get the opportunity to do this 5 hours ago, but now there was something I wanted both to try and to confirm. [identify!] I used my rare skill on Hina¡¯s quiet frame. Like I originally assumed, not a moment later, a pale blue window popped up above HIna¡¯s undisturbed face.
Hina Nayer - Level 1 Hp: 006/100* *Afflicted with a status effect*
The new status window displayed Hina¡¯s relevant information. Like I thought, [identify] could be used not only with items and monster, but also with other players. Really, this skill of mine just keeps getting better and better. I silently read Hina¡¯s information and confirmed its contents. The immediate detail that caught my eye was that Hina¡¯s hp was drastically low. A moment too late, and I doubt Hina would have survived. Also, while her status window displayed that she was indeed afflicted by a status effect, it didn¡¯t explicitly tell what type of status, or what effect it had. Regardless, I think the only reason Hina was able to last this long in the first place, despite her ever dwindling hp, was due to Cielle¡¯s presence. I don¡¯t know how she did it, but she somehow managed to delay or weaken the status. It just goes to show the determination of a loved one can have massive effects. While I was collecting my thoughts, Hina¡¯s Hp suddenly dropped by one bringing her ever closer to death. My face reflexively contorted into a look of shock and agony. ¡°W-what¡¯s wrong?!¡± Cielle, who noticed the immediate dismay in my facial expression worriedly asked me, as she peered down Hina¡¯s sickly white face. ¡°No¡­ nothing.¡± I managed to grunt out a reply as I steadied my face once more. I turned back to look at Hina. It was now or never. I¡¯ve kept both Hina and her sister waiting long enough. I pulled out one of the red vials of potion I kept in my pocket and uncorked its lid. Hina who saw this, instantly frowned in confusion. Noticing her awkward face, I turned around and raised the vial to eye level. ¡°Ah, this is an hp potion I found outside.¡± I spoke bluntly with not much information. I didn¡¯t really have any time for any long drawn out explanations so I didn¡¯t bother. Cielle¡¯s face shifted from confusion to uncertainty. Certainly, I myself would be a bit dubious if some stranger pulled out red liquid and told me it was a potion that held the power to save my sister¡¯s life. I defintely wouldn¡¯t trust such a shady fellow. But right now, I fully realized how little time we had. How little time Hina had. I didn¡¯t have the luxury of explaining to Cielle in the hopes of convincing her about the authenticity of the potion I held in my hand. I needed to move wit haste and certainty. Before Cielle could stop me, My body moved forward. Using my boosted attributes, I moved at a far faster rate than Cielle as I forcibly shoved the opening of the vial into Hina¡¯s mouth and forced the magical red liquid down. Cielle, who¡¯s face showed shock, motioned to stop me until her movements abruptly halted. While Cielle couldn¡¯t see Hina¡¯s hp visibly rise, she still awed at the site of her sister¡¯s once pale face flushing with a somewhat healthy glow. I looked at Hina¡¯s status again.
Hina Nayer - Level 1 Hp: 45/100 *Afflicted by a status effect*
The potion immediately took its effect and Hina¡¯s hp left the immediate danger zone. Added with the orignal 20 recovery plus an additional 20 due to the fact that I was the one who applied the potion, Hina¡¯s hp rose by 40. Her skin visibly brightened and some of the external wounds that covered her body either healed completely or they shrank a considerable size. I inwardly admired the effects of the potion. True to my original theory, once Hina¡¯s hp rose ], much of the injuries she succumbed healed. Although unfortunately, the status effect still remained. Will it dissapear if Hina¡¯s health goes back up to 100? Cielle who saw such a marvel whimpered through the curtain that covered her face. I couldn¡¯t really tell, but I¡¯m certain a portion of her bangs go a bit wet. Some form of salty water perhaps. Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. While I looked on at the scene with the crying sister, and the ¡°not-so-dead¡± other sister, something unexpected happened. With a loud and audible ding another blue pop up blinked in to life in front of me.
Achievement! You are the [9th] person to forcibly raise another person¡¯s HP using unworldly methods. Reward(s): Unique Magic Skill: [All Heal]
¡°Hmmm?¡± I unconsciously raised my voice upon seeing the new panel. My lips twitched excitedly upon rereading the information. Apparently, I managed to get a new skill due to healing Hina. It was an unexpected bonus, although the little bit of detail regarding this ¡°magic¡± label on the skill brought my high spirits back down. Seeing my rapidly changing facial expressions, Cielle¡¯s ecstatic expression contorted and frowned somewhat curiously towards my direction. ¡°What is it now?¡± As if angry I ruined her happy moment, Cielle tiredly questioned. ¡°Ahh, no its nothing¡­¡± I absentmindedly replied as I continued to look at this new Achievement Panel. Skills. Skills are unique things to this world -- this new world. From what I¡¯ve gathered, there are several ranks of skill. So far I¡¯ve seen Unique, Rare, Basic, and going by this new one, Unique Magic. In all likelihood there are probably more, but as of yet, I haven¡¯t come across them. Although, going by the familiar pattern, I could guess that skill ranks such as ¡°Epic¡± or ¡°Legendary¡± also exist. Now, speaking of this new skill, [All Heal], it seems like its a unique skill too, like [Equip]... A goofy grin floats to my face at the fact that, right now, I have two unique skills. Either unique skills aren¡¯t really all that unique, or I¡¯m one damn lucky son of a bitch. Really, maybe the lady luck really does love me, hehehe... ...Ah-- No, I can¡¯t get too conceited now. Conceit leads to accidents, and accidents lead to tragedies. I¡¯d seriously dislike it if my unfolding tale ended up as a tragedy. I shook away the bloating self confidence and bursting despair growing within in me and refocused on my new skill. I could afford to ignore Hina for a short time now since her condition has stabilized somewhat, so, with a thought, I opened up the window panel for my new skill. ding!
[All Heal] (Active) Skill Type: Unique Magic Skill Rank: Beginner Skill Level: 1 Skill Experience: 10.30% Effects: Allows access to all Healing based skills outside [Unique] rank with no limit. Although the possibility to learn all healing skills exist, there are several restriction and set conditions in order to acquire more skills. Ways to get more Healing skills; Raise the Skill level of [All Heal], other outside means. Currently Known Skills: Basic Heal Spell - Heal¡¯s a set amount of health based on the Skill owner¡¯s proportionate Intelligence and Wisdom. Int and Wis can be switched out if the Skill owner has the holy stat. Basic heal affects one directed target. Mana Cost: 20 mp
I frowned at the information presented. While all heal was definitely a good skill, no, rather it might be something as useful as [Equip], I did still have my immediate concerns. [All Heal]¡¯s true value shines, especially when you consider how important survivability is in this New world. The ability to raise such a vital stat such as hp is very important. Although, in regards to my situation, there¡¯s just one problem. Magic. Or more specifically, the fact that I can¡¯t use magic. While I got such a good Unique Skill, my previous Unique Skill is blocking its use. I don¡¯t know whether to laugh or cry because this. [All Heal], according to the window panel, is a Unique magic skill. Meaning, in all likelihood, I needed the ability to use magic/mana in order to fully utilize this skill. And Equip stopped be from using magic. This train of thought filled my head while I blankly stared at the screen. My eyes were almost in tears thinking about this shitty situation, but I wasn¡¯t one to be discouraged. I shook of the negative thoughts and looked from a new perspective. Who knows, maybe the existence of another Unique Skill will block out the demerits of [Equip]. Maybe it was a lie that I could never use magic. Maybe [All Heal] won¡¯t become a skill I conveniently have that just rots in the back all because of [Equip]. With such foolishly ambitious ideas, I went to confirm whether or not I could use [All Heal]. I closed the status window and redirected my eyes back on to Hina. The big breasted girl was still unconscious, but the new, vibrant light to her skin complemented her already dazzling silky blonde hair. She looked better, but she could go for some more healing. With an anxious gulp, I tried using [Basic Heal]. I inwardly shouted the name of the skill within my mind. [Heal!] ¡°....¡± As expected nothing happens. A-although that doesn¡¯t necessarily mean I can completely say that magic based skills are unavailable to me. Despite doing basically the same thing I did when I used [Dissect] or [Identify], [Basic Heal] did not activate on Hina. But I wouldn¡¯t give up simply because of one setback. Maybe my early failure just means that there was a different way to use magic based skills compared to my other skills. Maybe I had to actually say the skill out loud or something, a particular action I see a lot of magicians or wizards do in movies whenever they use their spells. With this thought, my eyes naturally darted over Cielle, who was intently looking at me. While I wanted to test out the possibility, it would be embarrassing if I randomly yelled out [Heal!] and nothing happened. It might be an apocalypse but that doesn¡¯t mean regular, normal, human concepts such as reservation and embarrassment would completely dissapear. Glancing back and forth between Cielle and Hina, I swallowed my weird pride and yelled with all my might; [HEAL!]. ¡°...¡± Although I say, that wasn¡¯t quite the reality. *cough* ¡°H-heal¡­¡± *cough* cough* Disguised in several random coughs, I discretely whispered the skill as low as possible. My face was reddening like an apple. Was it weird that I found saying a healing skill out loud to be embarrassing? What¡¯s wrong with me? Where did the stoicness I displayed during my fight with the goblins go? I really need my stoicness back! ¡°...¡± ¡°...¡± I coughed once more, as if to further disguise my earlier actions. ¡°...¡± Like I expected, this rather embarrassing action was pointless. The Unique skill didn¡¯t activate and Hina¡¯s hp didn¡¯t increase. Rather, the only thing I got was a weird stare from Cielle. I sighed dejectedly. I knew I was escaping from reality. No matter what I do, [All Heal] would probably be out of my range due to the sole existence of [Equip]... I would probably never be able to use [All heal] as long as I had [Equip]... Although [Equip] may be useful...but... really, sometimes I hate that skill¡­ I sighed once more as if to exasperate all my sadness away. I moved on from this disappointing period in my apocalyptic new life, and decided to finish healing Hina first before I fully wallowed in sadness. I began to uncork another HP potion, when a brief idea flashed across my mind. ¡°...¡± I turned a furtive glance over to Cielle. The girl in question, who had been intently focused on the new HP potion I pulled out noticed my stare and looked up. Our eyes met, and I exchanged a brief nod to her (although that was mostly to myself). Cielle tilted her head in question. She probably thought I was weird at this point. Since I stared at people for far too long¡­ well, the good thing is she doesn¡¯t voice out her thoughts. That at least save¡¯s me some face. Putting my idea into motion, I handed Cielle the hp potion. ¡°Here.¡± I said simply. ¡°Huh???¡± She recieved the vial with blood stained hands (the blood was most likely from Hina), and looked at me with questioning eyes. I nonchalantly explained as I turned my attention back to Hina. ¡°Like I said before, this is a Healing Potion. Now that you know it works, I think it might be better if you¡¯re the one who heals your sister.¡± I lied. Thinking about it logically, of course I would be the best choice when it comes to healing Hina, or anybody in that regard, considering my Equip bonus granted additional hp. But, if I¡¯m right, then Cielle just might¡­. ¡°Just try it.¡± I flashed a tired smile as I continued to urge her on. Cielle looked down in thought. He hands paled as her hand formed a fist and clenched tightly. She was deliberating over something. I don¡¯t exactly know why though, considering something as simple as getting someone to drink liquid wasn¡¯t exactly a tough debatable topic. After a while, Cielle looked back up and solemnly nodded. I returned that nod with my own nod, except more ridgid and awkward. Taking the vial in one hand, the Cielle who reluctantly agreed turned to face her sister with determined eyes. While she was still a bit unsure as to why I wanted her to be the one who heals Hina, nevertheless Cielle was more than eager to see her sister back and healthy. With surprisingly stable arms, Cielle rested the Vial¡¯s opening up against Hina¡¯s mouth and allowed the red liquid to slowly seep into Hina¡¯s soft lips and down her throat. I watched all this transpire and observed as Hina¡¯s HP gauge rose by 20 hp. It was about half of what I healed, but still, it brought Hina¡¯s HP up to a total of 65. While this was proceeding, I focused my attention mainly on Cielle¡¯s facial expression. Since after all, my new idea mainly involved Cielle. After Hina was successfully healed, Her skin once again returned color and some of the wounds closed and healed. Cielle, who had an originally satisfied smile plastered on her face upon healing her sister, suddenly jerked up in surprise as her eyes widened in astonishment. Her face twitched a little as I saw her small lips curve upwards through her curtain of hair. I smiled as well upon seeing this scene. It seems like my idea was a success. ¡°So, anything interesting happen?¡± I asked nonchalantly, pulling Cielle back from her distant imagination and back into reality. Cielle absentmindedly turned towards me, and, as if realizing my intent, dazedly nodded. ¡°I-I gained a new skill.¡± She spoke. ¡°That¡¯s good.¡± I complemented. After a brief pause, she nodded with a faint, mhmm. Without me having to prompt her, she began reading out loud the information on her panel. Although going by her separated tone, it seems like she was mostly talking to herself, rather than explaining to me. ¡°... It says here¡­ that I¡¯m ¡®the [10th] person to forcibly raise another person¡¯s HP using unworldly methods.¡¯¡± ¡°Hmm, I was the 9th.¡± I spoke, not meaning to brag, but rather, just a means of confirming. Cielle nodded as she continued reading. ¡°My new skill is a Unique Magic Skill.¡± Cielle squinted at air, as if trying to confirm what she was seeing. ¡°It¡¯s called¡­G-gemini¡­[Gemini Blue].¡± *** Author''s Note: This Chapter came out unexpectedly long...well, it''s not like that''s a bad thing so, meh. Rate, follow, favorite, and comment if you enjoyed this story/fic. I''d greatly appreciate it. Next Chapter Chapter 16: Unique Magic Skill A Unique Magic Skill ¡°Gemini Blue?¡± I audibly repeated the skill name with a hint of curiosity in my voice. It was an odd sounding skill that¡¯s to be sure, but I didn¡¯t voice that opinion out loud, considering it might hurt Cielle¡¯s feelings otherwise. Although I doubt she¡¯s that sensitive. Off to my side, I saw Cielle nod her head while her eyes visibly went from left to right. Looking closely, I could tell she was still busily reading over the new information on her skill. After a while, Her eye¡¯s refocused back on me. ¡°So, what does it do?¡± I asked nonchalantly, not really expecting an answer. By this point, the two of us were still strangers, and although I might have gone out of my way to help Hina, since its common human courtesy, I didn¡¯t necessarily trust the two girls in front of me. This logic was fortified by my years of constant isolationism. When you¡¯ve never had anybody close you could trust, its kind of hard to start now. Besides, I already had a general guess as to what it could do. Well, no, that statement¡¯s not accurate. The only thing I knew was it had something to do with healing. Following the trend with my own unique skill, [All Heal], then the common conclusion would be that [Gemini Blue] was also a skill somehow related to healing. But it seems like Cielle is a bit more open and less cautious than the paranoid me. She opened her mouth as if to speak, but no sound came out. Her expression indicated that it wasn¡¯t that she didn¡¯t want to explain, but rather she didn¡¯t know how. She closed her mouth into a tight frown, squinted, and tilted her head in a thinking position. After a while, she finally spoke up. ¡°Well, it can heal¡­ sort of.¡± It was my turn to frown. What did she mean by sort of? Seeing my facial expression, Cielle frowned as well, her originally haggard mess of silky black hair drooped down to cover her whole face as she looked down, and crossed her arms. Seemingly having come up with no solution, Cielle just sighed. ¡°It¡­ it might be faster if I just show you.¡± She stated simply while her body moved into an awkward position in front of her sister. By the way, it seems to me that Hina had become our sort of pseudo guinea pig for all things healing related, from hp potions to healing skills¡­ I won¡¯t say anything to Cielle about it though, since I don¡¯t think she¡¯s realized we¡¯ve started using her injured sister like that¡­ For now I¡¯ll let it continue, mostly since its convenient. Cielle moved her hands awkwardly towards her sister. Her hands palmed out, almost touching the clothes on her sister¡¯s body. Through the mat of hair blocking her face, I could see that her expression was also a bit awkward, as if wondering whether such a pose was truly necessary. In a low, and soft voice, two words leaked out from her lips, ¡°Gemini Blue¡­¡± In the next instant something blue and transparent emerged from her outstretched palms. It was also rather viscose and was shaped like a misshapen bubble. It had a pale glow to it, much like the color and vibrancy of the status windows. The blue-bubble-blob congregated at the center between her palms to form one big cohesive bubble. Small flickers of light could be seen dancing around freely in this blue universe. Once the bubbles had joined together, they then extended out slowly and began to spread onto Hina. Cielle¡¯s expression showed a bit of apprehension at this point. From the looks of things, it seems like she didn¡¯t quite trust her ability, which was only natural. Although after a bit, her stance got¡­ steadier, as if to show her own conviction. She continued on with her weird skill. The bubble blob seemed to thin as it seeped into Hina¡¯s clothes then onto her flesh. In a little under 10 seconds, every trace of [Gemini Blue], from the pale blue bubble to the tiny sparkles, were now gone. They had completely entered Hina¡¯s body doing whatever it was they were meant to do. We waited in silence. I wasn¡¯t quite sure what was happening and Cielle looked just as confused as me. After 30 seconds of silence, the blue began to seep out from every pour of Hina¡¯s skin. I heard Cielle let out a relieved sigh. She swiped the cold sweat on her forehead and continued to glare at what was happening. What seeped out this time wasn¡¯t the original viscose liquid bubble but rather a fine mist of light blue. The blue floated along, as if waiting for the rest of it to leave Hina¡¯s body before it began to congregate above her. The mist slowly patched together and swirled into conformed unison. Slowly, its shifty form changed and once again the familiar viscose bubble liquid was now harmlessly floating in mid air. Although there were some noticeable differences. For one, the once pale blue was no darker, more harsher and less pleasing to the eyes. The specks of light which danced around before were now nowhere to be seen, instead what replaced them were masses of dark black. Black so dark that they even stood out from the dark blue of the bubble. ¡°Whew~...¡± Cielle breathed out a sigh of relief after confirming her first use of her new ability resulted in a success. Although, I was still a bit confused, seeing Cielle¡¯s relieved face, I somewhat understood that at least her ability hadn¡¯t failed. Thinking this type of skill was hp related, I immediately went and checked Hina¡¯s status once again.
Hina Nayer - Level 1 HP: 95/100
The immediate thing I noticed was that Hina¡¯s status effect had gone away. Although I had no means of confirming whether this was due to her hp rising above a certain level or due to Cielle¡¯s unique skill. ¡°... It seems like Hina¡¯s almost fully healed.¡± I noted, informing Cielle of her success. Cielle, who by now had also come to the same conclusion nodded enthusiastically as she gazed upon the blob of dark liquid she produced. I tilted my head to the side. What was this weird gelatinous object? It contrasted the original bubble of liquid Cielle had produced and even after the successful heal of its target, it remained. I cautiously moved closer. My face inched into the blob in order to discern it better. Due to my curiosity , I ended up using identify on it, but I was simply met with a panel of question marks. Completely useless. I continued to stare when the blue bubble began bobbing back and forth. It¡¯s gelatinous form jiggled weirdly as a faint sloshing sound could be heard through the quiet of the room. [Should I touch it? I really want to touch it...Maybe I¡¯ll touch it.] Ridiculous thoughts like this filled my mind as I continued to stare at the blob with perturbed eyes. It was quite a sight to see. The dark blue mass was both similar yet different to the earlier blob of light blue. I wondered whether touching it will have the same effects as the light blue from before. Maybe the reason it changed color was because of the healing that just took place. I was curious, yet at the same time I was still cautious. I imagined what it would feel like, touching the blob. watching it jiggle like jello¡­ But all the same, I couldn¡¯t even begin to picture all the consequences such an unknown element could have... So tentatively, I made a compromise. I pulled out Efhermet and placed the tip of the blade a mere inches apart from the blob. With one cautious bend of the wrist, I touched the cold metal onto the gelatinous form. ¡°....¡± ¡°Ah¡­:¡± Cielle¡¯s voice let out a surprised leak, not because something had happened, but rather she just now noticed I was messing around with her new skill. While nothing happened at first, slowly the blobs squirmed and as if moved, they began to trickle in my direction. The blue blobs traveled down the spine of the blade, approaching my outstretched hand. I didn¡¯t do anything at first, my innate curiosity momentarily shutting out the danger compass I kept lodge in the back of my mind. I looked closely as the first dark blue eventually made its way onto the flesh of my hand. Instantly, a jolt of pain wracked my extended body part. My arm reflexively tensed, as I gritted through my teeth. My hand didn¡¯t move at first, which gave opportunity for more pieces of blob to touch my skin, which caused even more agony. An audible ringing in my ears dulled out the gasp of surprise that exasperated out of Cielle¡¯s voice. She made a motion with her hands, as if to recall or move the blob, but she was a bit too slow. Through cold sweat and ragged breathing, my body began to move in automatic. I ignored the coming pain, and instead, my hand that came in contact with the blob moved down at increased speeds. The bladed edge sunk down deeper and deeper into the bubble until eventually, it split. With an audible pop, the once congregated mass of dark blue now floated aimlessly in two separate pieces, setting free both my hand and dagger from its gelatinous clutches. I quickly pulled back my hand while the pain subsided due to the loss of contact with anymore of the blue. ¡°That bubble is dangerous¡­¡± I sighed out while caressing my hand. I looked up at my own status, and, like I already guessed, my hp had trickled down by 5. The pain correlated with hp loss, but to me, it seemed like I received more pain than loss of hp. I looked back down at my hand and was surprised to see that, despite the immense pain, there were no outside injury to my hand. I sighed again. What I just did was pretty stupid. Cielle, who saw all this happening made an apologetic face. Going by how her expression contorted, I¡¯d say she knew something along the lines of what just happened was bound to happen. I turned towards her, and just as I was about to tell her not to worry about what just happened and that it was all my fault to begin with, something unexpected happen. Ding! An information panel popped up at the wrong time.
Due to the successful use of [Dissect], your skill level has gone up. New information regarding the newly dissected material is available.
While I knew that examining various species using dissect allowed me to learn various things about their anatomy and their weak points, I never quite expected [Dissect]¡¯s special attributes applied to non-living things. Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. From the looks of it, my quiet observation and hasty knife swing out of desperation caused [Dissect]¡¯s passive attribute to activate. ¡°Umm¡­.¡± I heard Cielle¡¯s soft voice speak out while I examined the new information panel. I turned towards the girl while I closed the panel. I looked at her for a second, before I apologized. ¡°Sorry for touching your skill.¡± I said. ¡° I didn¡¯t expect something like that to happen.¡± She nodded. ¡°No, i-its my fault for not warning you¡­.¡± She inwardly closed in on herself, as if chiding her earlier mistake. I observed her weird action and looked closely at the girl I ran into for the first time. Going by how she presented herself, I¡¯d say she was quite a shy person. Or at least someone not used to social interaction. I was the same in that regard, but instead of acting shy and reserved, I was more apathetic to people. ¡°It was my fault, sorry¡­¡± She once again remarked while looking down guiltily. I found such an action cute and endearing, but I didn¡¯t say that outloud. Instead of ogling the girl infront of me, what I wanted to know more about was her skill. While it did cause me injury, it also fanned the flames of curiosity rooted deep within me. ¡°Then, can you explain now?¡± I prompted, making sure my tone of voice come off as if I wanted to know why I got injured. Going by how she acted, I assumed a more forceful approach would be best used on Cielle. If I continued to just apologize alongside her, I wasn¡¯t going to get my answers. Since this girl wasn¡¯t used to taking initiative, then I¡¯d do it for her. And while, stirring the conversation to get her to explain her new skill did make me feel bad, I was overcome with curiosity. After all, this was the first real ¡°magic¡± that I¡¯ve seen. Despite all the weirdness that has happened today, seeing what even the system labels as genuine ¡°magic¡± was somewhat novel, and I really did want to find out more.While I was a bit jealous, especially since I wasn¡¯t able to use such a fanciful ability, my natural inquiring nature won out. So with a not-so-heavy heart, I chose to manipulate the shy girl¡¯s personality in order to satiate my own curiosity. ¡°Um¡­¡± Cielle hesitated for a bit. ¡°Its the least you could do.¡± I said, a hint of mock sadness in my voice. ¡°Even after I went through all the trouble of acquiring these hp potions¡­¡± My voice trailed off, as if implying she owed me a favor for such hard work. ¡°uuuu¡­¡± Cielle¡¯s body curled inwardly into herself. Her face pointed downwards, overcome with a sense of shame and guilt. Yet she still maintained silence. Maybe, just like me, she realized it was smarter not to willfully explain your skills to strangers. But such common sense wasn¡¯t going to stop me. ¡°To not say anything, even after I got injured¡­.even though you said it was your own fault¡­.¡± ¡°uuu¡­.¡± ¡°I had to fight several monsters in order to just get even one potion¡­¡± I gripped my shoulder and winced in false injury. ¡°...uuuu¡­..¡± ¡°I fought long and hard...five hours straight¡­¡± ¡°uuu¡­¡± ¡°And I didn¡¯t even get a thank you¡­¡± I hammered the final nail in the figurative coffin with this last sentence. [I¡¯m sorry Cielle, but your skill¡­ its just too interesting!} I inwardly apologized as I observed Cielle with a forced frown on my face. Guilt was a strong tool. Especially against moral minded regular people. Using it now, especially after I did substantial effort on my part in healing her sister, mixed her guilt with a sense of obligation. The effects were satisfactory. Cielle, almost driven to tears, began to willfully explain. While she was unwilling at first, probably since, like me, she realized the importance of both secrecy and skills and how it was never a smart idea to reveal your hand even to the closest of friends (which we were not), eventually though, as Cielle went on explaining, she somewhat became more willing. The information flowed into my ears as I satiated my curiosity. In short, [Gemini Blue] was a Unique Magic Skill that didn¡¯t heal per say, but rather, it pushed out the painful stuff and injuries. Rather than forcibly rising the hp like traditional methods (i.e. the hp potion), which resulted in the eventual self regeneration of the body, Cielle¡¯s ability did the reverse. It forced regeneration to occur within the body. And since hp and the physical body have a direct relationship, when the body healed, hp would undoubtedly rise as well. This was completely different from how regular heals worked. Rather, this method of healing was actually better than regular healing, like say, with an hp potion. Status effects remained active even when hp potions were used, but when [Gemini Blue] was used, the body heals first, and inadvertently, the injury causing the status effect heals as a result. When I asked as to whether her skill could heal wounds like amputation or long term paralysis, she answered that she doesn¡¯t know. Which was natural, since she just received her skill not long ago. Cielle then went on to explain the other aspect of her new skill. The aspect I was most curious about. Like the name implied - [Gemini Blue] had a second side. The twin side of her skill. Once the body healed, according to Cielle, the manifestation of injury would leak out and coalesce into another bubble. This bubble converted the injury from before into heightened, pure, unadulterated pain. The dark bubble¡¯s concentrated pain could result in an hp loss either greater than the original hp healed or less. Really, it depended on how sensitive one was too pain. This darker, more violent side of [Gemini Blue] allowed for a means of offense. As I listened in on her explanation, I used identify on the floating blobs that still resided aimlessly above Hina¡¯s body [Identify!]
Dark Gemini A mysterious liquid bubble produced by the unique magic skill; [Gemini Blue]. Touching it will hurt.
Thanks to [Dissect]¡¯s effects earlier, the question marks were replaced with information, but nothing on it was anything that Cielle hadn¡¯t already told me about. After Cielle had finished explaining, I asked a question. ¡°Does the blob disappear?¡± I pointed to the dark blue object while I spoke. Although ten minutes had passed earlier, the blob showed no indication of disappearing. Cielle opened her mouth as if to speak before abruptly stopping. She then frowned. ¡°I-I don¡¯t know, that wasn¡¯t on the status window¡­¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± ¡°....¡± ¡°Well, um¡­ can you try to force it to disappear. Like with a thought or something.¡± I presented. ¡°I-I¡¯ll try¡­¡± Momentarily, Cielle scrunched up her face and looked hard at the blob. A few minutes later, she breathed out an exasperated sigh. It seems like it was a failure. We both stared at the mass for a while, not knowing what to do. While I could already tell that this skill would be great in mid battle, when it could be used to convert ally injury into attack, it seems that in a situation where no enemy was present, the residue of Cielle¡¯s skill is quite¡­ troublesome. ¡°Can you move it?¡± I asked. ¡°Ah um¡­¡± Cielle then stared quietly at the blob for a moment. Eventually, the blob twitched. Then it began swaying back and forth before it started to circle Cielle¡¯s soft frame. ¡°Yes I can.¡± She confirmed while the bubble moved. [Hmm¡­ then I guess for now, since we can¡¯t get rid of it, we''ll put it away.] I moved over to the back of the art room. While Cielle tilted her head and stared at me questioningly from the back, I ignored her and continued rummaging around. After a few minutes, I eventually found what I was looking for. I carried an empty transparent plastic container. Earlier, this was used to house old canvases that the art students drew on. I removed all that unnecessary stuff and brought back the plastic container with me. I placed it down next to the table Hina was still sleeping on. Speaking of which, while Hina¡¯s hp was almost fully healed, and she could probably heal herself back up to 100 just with her own power, she was still unconscious. Even though her status effect disappeared, she still rested comfortably on that cold metal table. I attributed this fact to mental fatigue. I don¡¯t know how someone¡¯s mind might react from being so close to death and then being brought abruptly back to full recovery in the span of a few hours. Moving on, I pulled the lid open, and pointed with my finger. ¡°Since we can¡¯t get rid of it, for now we¡¯ll put it in here so that nobody gets hurt.¡± I stated. Cielle, who in the time I was gone was seemingly playing around with her new skill, moving the dark mass of pain this way and that, nodded as she readily agreed to storing her own ¡®residue¡¯. She maneuvered the mass into the container and I closed it once everything had gone inside. The blob sloshed inside the container as I moved it away from us. It would have been bad if an accident happened and we inadvertently caused some of the contents to spill onto us. I made extra precautions, even when the lid was on. Once that was done, I inwardly smiled to myself. I walked back over to Hina and Cielle when I heard an unexpected grumbling noise. Like a monster¡¯s rumbling growl, I tensed my body up, before I abruptly released it. I chided myself. That wasn¡¯t an enemy, rather.... I looked up at the direction of the noise, and made eye contact with a red faced girl who desperately covered her face with a curtain of black hair. ¡°...¡± I stared at her quietly. ¡°...¡± She stared back. ¡°....¡± ¡°...¡± ¡°...¡± ¡°I-I¡¯m hungry¡­.¡± She finally spoke in a quiet and embarrassed voice after a brief spite of awkward eye contact and long silence. **** Author''s Note: Rate, Follow, Comment, Favorite, if you like and/or enjoy the story. It helps me keep going. Next Chapter Chapter 17: When the Night Comes When the Night Comes I smiled helplessly at the blushing girl who probably chided her stomach at this current moment. My smile though, only caused Cielle to redden even more. In a way, it was kind of amazing. To be able to worry about such trivialities when death, ruin and whatever else may come lay behind the single layer door frame of this room. I don¡¯t know whether to praise Cielle for her steadfastness or worry about her mental health. In an attempt to calm Cielle down, who by now, had started fidgeting restlessly, I spoke out. ¡°Now that you mention it, I am a bit hungry too¡­¡± I gripped at my own stomach, feeling the unusual hollowness that indicated I hadn¡¯t eaten in a while. Cielle, upon hearing this, nodded firmly. ¡°Then¡­¡± I trailed off as my hands entered my pants pocket. Not a moment later, I pulled out the granola bar that I had saved from before. I had planned on using this during my ¡°farming¡± but I guess such an opportunity never came. I bought the package of rolled oat to eye level and looked between it and the people around me. Cielle and I were hungry, and if you add in Hina who, in all likelihood would wake up sooner or later, we had a total of three mouths to feed. There was no way that one measly piece of food would be enough. We had to get more. I looked around the strewn about backpacks. Most, if not all of them were open, their contents flayed about on the dirty, stained floor. ¡°...I¡¯m guessing you¡¯ve already checked all the bags?¡± I asked while my eyes lazily scanned the ground. Truth be told, I also checked the bags earlier before I left, so it wouldn¡¯t come as a surprise had Cielle done the same thing in my absence. ¡°Y-yeah, you were gone for so long¡­ and I needed something to do¡­¡± Cielle muttered under her breath as she informed me that she raided everything within this room due to boredom. I nodded absentmindedly at this. ¡°Then, did you find any food?¡± I asked. ¡°....I...I did.¡± Cielle hesitated for a moment before she confirmed. Oddly enough, what portion of her face showed through the curtain of hair was dyed an even brighter red. ¡°...What happened to the food?¡± I asked her. I didn¡¯t see anything resembling snacks, candy, or food upon entering the room, so it left me wondering. Wait¡­ no, that was wrong. I did see something. I didn¡¯t notice before, but behind the teacher¡¯s desk, placed meticulously next to the first aid kit against the wall¡­ was an endless supply of wrappers. From Kit kats to protein bars, all sorts of remnants remained, all but eaten. ¡°I ate all of it¡­.¡± Cielle guiltily spoke, while her eyes seemed to bore a hole into the ground. ¡°...And you still want more food?¡± I questioned as impassively as I could. ¡°.....¡± Cielle said nothing as she strained her neck to avoid eye contact. ¡°...¡± ¡°...¡± ¡°How can you eat so much in a situation like this?¡± I sighed out, not really serious in my reprimand. Sort of teasing. Although I did have an ulterior motive to condition Cielle to the guilt I was currently administering. She was about to protest when-- ¡°Uuuu¡­¡± Her abdomen made another rumbling noise. She blushed furiously, probably guilt and shame once again dyed her mind as she gripped her stomach strongly, in a vain attempt to hold back the noise. ¡°...Damn, that¡¯s noisy... What if a monster heard that outside...¡± ¡°S-sorry¡­¡± She hung her head down in defeat, letting her arms fall to the side. The sound of continuous stomach rumbling created the background music for her apology. ¡°How can you be such a glutton when your frame is so small¡­¡± I noted while I took in exactly how small the girl was. She was about a head shorter than me and although I couldn¡¯t exactly tell due to her baggy clothing, she had a small enough frame to where I could imagine that carrying her wasn¡¯t any different from carrying a baby. ¡°... Sorry¡­¡± She apologized again. ¡°That¡¯s not necessarily a bad thing though¡­¡± I absentmindedly stated while I went to go pick up what looked like a granola bar off the floor. Turned out it was just a wrapper. ¡°Eh?¡± Her voice let out an audible noise while she looked up for a moment. Her face was brighter than ever. ¡°I don¡¯t think monsters would want to eat such a small person.¡± I further explained. ¡°O-oh¡­.¡± She looked back down again, her blush somewhat diminished. I sighed out once more. [Well, enough messing around with her. It might be fun but it¡¯s wasting time. Plus, I wouldn¡¯t want her to always be so¡­ glum. It leaves a bad aftertaste in my mouth.] Changing the subject, I stated, ¡°Let¡¯s go look for some food then¡­ It can¡¯t be helped that you¡¯ve already eaten everything.¡± I stated simply to which I got a firm uuu! reply. Cielle was a bit fired up, probably fueled by the feelings of guilt she¡¯s produced. I scanned the room one more time before I walked over towards the left side of the room. There wasn¡¯t a traditional wall, rather, there was a wide window and a single doorway that connected this room and a small teacher¡¯s lounge for the art teachers together. I peered into the window and on the other side of the teacher¡¯s lounge, was another door which connected to an adjacent art room. The door had been left unopened, mostly since neither of us ever entered this interconnected room. Nobody knew what lay on the other side, and at the time, it was much safer keeping the door closed and sealed off rather than opened and connected. I opened the door for the first time, letting in a puff of stale air enter our current classroom. I poked my head inside and did a brief overview before I signaled for Cielle to follow. She reluctantly left Hina¡¯s side and followed. ¡°You haven¡¯t entered the teacher¡¯s lounge, have you?¡± I asked as she walked closer. Although I already knew the answer to this question. She shook her head, causing her hair to sway left and right. She reached my current location and confirmed once more with an affirmative, yet somewhat prideful, ¡°No, I haven¡¯t.¡± I nodded. ¡°Good, then find some food around here while I check out the other artroom.¡± I stated as I walked across the teacher¡¯s lounge and opened the other door.The familiar scent of death entered my system when I did so. ¡°Don¡¯t eat everything this time, okay~¡± I spoke a passing remark, which promoted a grunt of protest, as I entered the adjacent art room. The structure and overall equipment of this adjacent room was practically identical to the one Hina was currently in. The placement of cabinets, the large, wall sized window that overlooked into the burning city, even the way the teacher¡¯s desk sat at the front of the classroom. They were all very similar. Of course, there was one major change. The bodies. Unlike the other room, this corpse ridden place didn¡¯t have their own version of Cielle to remove all the dead bodies. The smell had fostered quite terribly, but luckily, it wasn¡¯t all that bad. I didn¡¯t notice through the teacher¡¯s lounge, but there was a gaping hole where the door to the hallway should have been. The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. This hole allowed for some of the stale air to waft out, which allowed the place to be somewhat less disgusting. The hole prompted caution in me, as I grasped Efhermet and gripped its handle tightly. While the outside was quiet and showed no signs of movement, one could never be too careful. Still retaining that caution, I immediately began inspecting the bags and started scavenging for supplies. My somewhat helpless expression I had when I conversed with Cielle faded, only to be replaced by the impassive mask I currently used to view my surroundings. I moved over to the closest one and inspected it. Of course, I used [identify] both on all the bags and their contents. Mainly, I did this to see if I could find anything useful, also, doing this was good experience for my skill. Most of the bags were fairly close to the corpses that scattered the room, so it was kind of a chore inspecting them. A little over 10 minutes passed when a noticeable change occurred; The room shifted into darkness. At first, this change filled me with a heavy sense of dread and despair. I was reminded of what happened during the countdown. Was something similar about to occur? Now of all times? My grip on Efhermet got tighter, causing my knuckles to whiten. I stopped scavenging for a moment as I scanned the area. ¡°.....¡± My eyes were still vigilant, and except for the dark, I couldn¡¯t find anything remotely suspicious. I couldn¡¯t find anything, that is, until my eyes met the window panel that overlooked the outside. ¡°....¡± I sighed out, somewhat relieved. The reason the room had gotten darker was because the clouds from outside were dissipating. You see, I hadn¡¯t noticed before but the current time should be around 1 am. Now usually, when its about an hour past midnight, everything gets a bit, no, everything gets noticeably darker. In this regard, I lost my sense of time mostly because of the view from outside. Ominous clouds spiraled against the backdrop. It filled the whole sky, blocking out any of the twilight black most people had grown accustomed too.The clouds themselves, strangely enough, produced a sort of luminescent red, leaving the impression that it was still daylight outside. Coupled with the still beating glow from the epicenter of the cyclone of clouds, it was hard to tell the current time from the sky alone. Now though, these clouds began to part. They eventually revealed the quiet backdrop of the milky way. Actually, I¡¯d say tonight would be a good time to stargaze, seeing as how there¡¯s a huge possibility that due to all the chaos, more than just a number of lights would be out in the city. Once I had calmed down, I immediately set out to work once more. I checked and scavenged every knook and cranny of this room, even going so far as to inspect the clothing of the dead for anything useful. My pace was much more quickened. I wanted to monopolize the glow of the red clouds before they completely vanished. In as short as 15 minutes, I finished scavenging. I had found nothing interesting using [identify] but I did manage to find some food. From a scavenged backpack, I filled it with all the edible bits I could find. A sandwich, sealed in a paper bag that was left uneaten during lunch, a couple of granola bars, some pack of chips, even leftover casserole that I found on the teacher¡¯s desk. By the looks of it, this casserole was the uneaten lunch of the dead teacher in question. With the total amount of food I found, I -- I mean, the three of us should be good for about 2 days. It¡¯s after those two days which worries me¡­ By then, we¡¯ll have to go down to the cafeteria, but by some strange coincidence, there¡¯s no food there, then we¡¯ll be in serious trouble. Seeing as we can¡¯t escape this place¡­ starvation rather than death by monster would be the biggest concern¡­ when, and if that time ever comes. Also, there¡¯s the issue about water, but luckily that¡¯s not a drastic concern. You¡¯d be surprised how many students bring along water bottles to class. I also stuffed a few jackets and sweaters that I removed from the dead bodies. I mean, it gets cold and night, so¡­. although it was kind of hard finding these jackets, considering how warm it gets during summer, not many students brought them. As I prepared to make my way back, I briefly glanced over the dead bodies. I played with the thought of using [dissect] on the corpses. If I did, I could gleam more than just a few tidbits of information. I¡¯d know their weaknesses, and in general I could learn a bit more about the human body by extension. Desecrating these already dead students has numerous advantages. Plus, when I came across some crazy ¡°players¡±, which I no doubt know it will happen, I¡¯d have a small lead if a fight broke off. I contemplated this, but in the end, I brushed such a gruesome thought aside. I wasn¡¯t comfortable with that thought. I was still human after all, and while I may be able to do the same with goblins, it really was a whole ¡®nother thing to do such a brutal task on to real human bodies. It was a sort of ethical and moral dilemma that struggled inside, as if my subconscious was trying to retain as much normal social etiquette at possible despite the situation. So, as decided, I left the bodies alone. If I ever did get desperate enough, I¡¯d probably use [dissect] on people, but for now, it can wait. As I lost myself thinking about such things, my mind was immediately brought back to reality by a rather haunting sound. It was low. A low pitched growl of sorts. The noise resonated from out into the hall, and due to the hole in the wall, this noise not only resonated, but echoed within the artroom. My keen ears instantly picked this noise up, prompting me to peer out into the hallway. By now, night had fully set. This room was only lit by the faint light of the stars from out the window, and the hallway looked menacing from my perspective. An eternal darkness. That¡¯s what it was. As I peered into the hallway, I saw a place so dark that one would think it was void of everything. From life, commotion and noise. One wouldn¡¯t think either of these things existed in this eternal darkness. Too bad I was wrong. I had definitely heard a low, primal growl earlier. There was no mistake, my above average hearing heard it, despite what my brain wanted to believe. And just now, I heard it again. ***** Rate, Follow, Comment, Favorite, if you like and/or enjoy the story. It helps me keep going. Next Chapter Chapter 18: What Lies in the Dark What Lies in the Dark The continuous growling perceeded as I stared fixedly on the darkness in the hallway. It eventually got louder and louder and louder, until I could finally hear faint scratch marks on the tiled floors of the school. It was the same type of sound a dog¡¯s paw causes when it tries walking along a waxed surface. I gulped. I don¡¯t know whether it was because of a human¡¯s natural fear of the darkness or the quiet yet bone shivering noise that this new monster seemed to just barely make, but I truly felt fear. This wasn''t the same tension as when I was battling the goblins. This was something else entirely. Luckily though, for some reason, it wasn''t as overwhelming as I fir thought. If it was the past me, no doubt I''d be frozen from fear, crying, maybe even pissing my pants a bit. I think that might have been the 50% resistance to fear I received from my title. Regardless, the overwhelming fear of the unknown, was something I could just barely stomach through. I gripped Efhermet tightly, moving into a familiar pose. I contemplated making a break for it and rushing back to the door that connected the teacher¡¯s lounge, but right now I was across the room on the opposite side. I didn¡¯t have the cocky confidence to think I could make it there in time before whatever thing outside came and killed me. Plus, if I ran away into the adjacent room, that would basically be like bringing death to Cielle and Hina. And it would be pretty pointless if Hina died after all the trouble I went through. For now, I stood my ground. The growling continued on until a silhouette of a 2 meter figure appeared from in front of the gaping hole in the wall. It was hunched over, its abdomen thin, while its broad shoulders sprouted thick arms. Its body was standing on hind legs, upright, although its hunched back suggested the creature wasn¡¯t originally meant for human postures. The most jarring thing about this creature though, was its head. In short, it had a canine face. Its razor sharp teeth poking out of a too-large snout, while its face, as well as the rest of its body was covered from its pointy wolf-like ears down all the way to its equally as wolf-like feet with a thick mat of fur. Once it came into view, I could finally read its status window, although it only confirmed what I had already guessed.
Werewolf Scout - Level 23 200/200 [Darkness Attribute in effect] - 25% in stats
I inwardly groaned upon seeing its stats. Not only was 8 levels above me, even higher than the Goblin Commander, but it also had a stupid thing like darkness attribute. Wasn¡¯t this thing strong enough as is? Why add such an overpowered boost? Although I would have wondered why I could see something like the Darkness attribute on this monster¡¯s status window¡­ but it wasn¡¯t the time for that. Right now, I was in a seriously disadvantaged position. It head swerved from left to right until for a brief instant, its eyes met with mine. Although that was only for an instant before it continued to gaze over the rest of the room. It took a tentative step forward, while sniffing the air continuously. ¡°....¡± I observed it, even through the darkness. It was hard at first, mostly since its black fur melded in with the natural shadows the lack of light created, but you know what, humans are pretty amazing creatures. My eyes naturally adapted, allowing me to atleast see a portion of its silhouette move about in the room. I slowly crouched down, careful not to make a noise. From the looks of things, this creature had pretty bad eyesight. Or more accurately, it was probably blind. Its eyes continued to look left and right, but it was as if they never received any visual stimula. Although its nose and ears would twitch constantly, using both its hearing and smell to guide the massive creature around the room. I saw the wolf twitch its nose on more than one occasion as it would continuously bump into the tables and backpacks. At first, I wondered why such a agile looking beast was moving in such a manner before I put two and two together. Wolves or any canines for that matter were creatures who relied primarily on their enhanced sense of smell. In this regard, the Werewolf scout wasn¡¯t any different, but there was something blocking its sense of smell; The corpses. Its been over 10 hours since these things had died, so its no surprise such a strong smell was being emitted. Even someone like me, who has an average sense of smell couldn¡¯t take much of the stench. I could only imagine what extent the terrible stench has on impairing the Wolve¡¯s senses. I secretly thanked this unexpected godsend while I stayed quiet. By the twitching of its ears, I could tell it probably had just as good hearing as its smell, so it was even more important that I stayed silent. 5 minutes passed, and the creature was still continuously moving around haphazardly throughout the room. Somehow or another, in those 5 minutes, I successfully made my way to lay next to a dead corpse. I was hoping its stench would mask my own. Although the creature was moving around aimlessly, there was one thing that caused me to fear; it was moving in my direction. No matter how clumsy it may have seemed, from my perspective it was still clawing its way over, inch by inch. For a brief moment, I pondered whether I should attack it while I still had the element of surprise on my side, but I brushed that idiotic thought aside. For one, this thing was numerously stronger than me, even if it had trouble smelling me out right now, once battle started, it would most likely switch to its sense of hearing to hunt me down. Also, wolves are pack creatures. There was a more than likely a chance that this creature was part of a larger group as well. Even if I did managed to kill this first scout, which is an impossibility all in itself, the commotion from such an action would undoubtedly lead the others to my location. So instead I stayed silent, waiting, hoping it wouldn¡¯t find me. It almost did though. Almost. It got within inches of my location. Its hind legs were directly in front of me. From such a distance, it would have been mere child¡¯s play on my part to sever its achilles tendon. Such an opportunity caused me to briefly overturn my original notion of avoidance. If I could impair its movements, which, in many cases, were werewolves¡¯ biggest advantage (at least in most games), then killing it became a possibility. I was so close to actually going through with this plan, when a howling from the distance stopped me abruptly in my tracks. I stayed riggedly silent, Efhermet gripped, almost poised near the Wolf scout¡¯s hind legs. I listened in for the howling, as the Werewolf did the same. It came again, loud, resonating throughout the hallway, and into this room. It wouldn¡¯t come as a shock to me if the howl resonated throughout the entirety of the West wing as well. The howling, which went on for an indefinite amount of time, abruptly stopped. There was silence for 5 seconds before a series of separate howls seemingly replied back to the first howl. This round of noise was much louder in volume than the original. The wolf in my vicinity did the same as well. It faced the direction of the original howling, before it replied back with its own gut wrenching cry. Its head was poised upwards, leaving its neck visibly vulnerable. My eyes fixed on that body part for the briefest moment before my body moved into action. Although I spouted things about precaution, my natural instincts -- more specifically, my will to get stronger-- kicked in and wouldn¡¯t let myself waste such an opportunity. I rocketed upwards with my feet. The force of the sudden action propelled me forward, towards the creature¡¯s neck. The Wolf¡¯s own howling blocked out any noise I might have made during this course of actions. With a deep, and well aimed thrust, I plunged Efhermet into where I imagined its vocal chords would be. At first, the knife met fierce resistance, both from the mat of fur guarding its neck, and the surprisingly taut muscles which supported it. It was a completely different feeling from stabbing a tiny goblin. Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.This was the difference in both monster and level. The surprising resistance didn¡¯t stop me for long though, as my blade continued onwards, regardless of the difficulty. I thanked the investment I had in strength as the dagger finally sunk into the creature¡¯s throat, severing its vocal chords. Its howl was stopped by an abrupt yip, as its clawed hands moved to reflexively cover its throat. Not one to miss an opportunity, I dropped down back onto the ground and entered a crouching position. Now I was face to knee with the creature. Its eyes gazed down, as if it had seen me, which all together, I doubted. It continued to stare in a daze while my attention focused in on its knee. My sudden attack left the scout wide open, and I wasn¡¯t going to give it any leeway either. I rushed forward once more, towards its exposed knee. Monopolizing on my speed and accuracy obtained from my inflated agility and dexterity stats, I used a well aimed [dissect] directly to the space between the creature¡¯s kneecaps and his radius. My dagger sunk in nicely and I continued to apply more force. In less than a second, the bladed edge reached the other side and [amputation] was successfully activated. The creature feebly dropped to the ground as I moved back a great distance. It glared in my general direction with its beading red eyes but I could tell it was agitated. Not only the smell, but the continuous howling of the others from outside caused its most reliable senses to worsen. Right now, this thing was as blind as a mole. I walked out of its reach leisurely as it slashed out with a delayed claw. Right now, the thing was crouched down on the floor. It would need time to adjust to its missing leg. And that was time I would put into good use. I walked around the creature slowly. I didn¡¯t care much about all the noise I made, since the howlings blocked out much of anything, really. Every now and then, I¡¯d kick a couple of corpses towards its general direction. The aim was to further block out its sense of smell with the proximity of rotting carcasses. And from the looks of things, it was working. The beast struggled as its nose twitched non stop. Its face was contorted into both pain and anger. I knew about Wolves who could walk on three legs, so I predicted I¡¯d be in a fair bit of trouble had this thing decided to move around on all fours (well, I guess in his case, on all threes), so my next goal was to sever the other leg. I finally made my way to behind the creature. The howlings still persisted but with less intensity as before. Now, it seemed like the creatures were purely trying to extend the noise. The wolf in my vicinity though, was still looking towards the front of the art room. It had lost track of my movements a while ago, so all it could do was stare steadfast out into the dark. Now that I was in position, I patiently waited behind the creature for the howls to completely die down. In order to acquire the right opportunity, I needed the noise to be non existent. I was going to use its sense of hearing to my own advantage. Finally, when the howling had stopped and the only thing I could here where the creature¡¯s struggle to stay upright, I smiled faintly. My trap was now set. In the darkness, the creature let out wet mouth noises, as if imitating the howlings of its comrade. I found this rather annoying, so with haste I set about my goal. I pulled out a spare goblin short sword that I carried with me. Its blade gleamed in the faint moonlight as I threw it to the left of the creature. The darkness messed with my accuracy, but in my case, that didn¡¯t really matter since my target was relatively large. The knife shaped object sailed past the wolf before it hit one of the metal tables in the art room. Even if the table wasn¡¯t metal, the impact itself would have produced sufficient sound. In this case, metal on metal, was extra effective, as the creature reared its head in reflex towards the noise. Once its attention was occupied, I immediately rushed into action. I had one goal, and only one. My eyes locked with the back of the creature¡¯s ankle that was still connected with the rest of its leg. It rested on the cold hard floor, and was rather defenseless. In one quick motion, I activated [dissect] and lunged at the exposed body part. Unfortunately, [amputation] didn¡¯t set in, but luckily, I managed to sever its achilles heel upon contact with a [lacerate] in effect. The leg, while still connected, was otherwise dead. The wolf¡¯s face scrunched up in agony. It would have howled out in pain, had his vocal chords remained intact. My face remained impassive as I watched it shiver in pain. I moved back, and circled around the creature some more. It heard my footsteps (mostly since I wasn¡¯t trying to hide it), and kept track of me with its hearing. Its expression displayed frustration as it glared at me. Since it was basically invalid from the waist down, it would occasionally try to desperately claw its way forwards with its arms, but every time that happened, I¡¯d either throw a spare short sword in its way, or I¡¯d kick it hard back into place. Eventually, the creature stopped attempting to move all together and just watched with apprehensive eyes. I briefly checked its status while encircling the creature. A bright smile adorned my face when I noticed it had about 80 hp left. It wouldn¡¯t take much effort to finish this thing off. As I circled it, I¡¯d tap the surrounding desks every so often three times, in order to gain its attention. Whenever I did this, I¡¯d throw a dagger its way, directly aimed at its head. Soon, like I expected, the creature began to associate the three taps with a dagger throw. Every time I tapped the desks, the creature would curl up in a ball, guarding its face and chest with its arms, seeing as how that area was the one I aimed for the most. It got to the extent where it was now pointless to throw the daggers. But this was fine with me, since I ran out of daggers in the first place. [Well, enough playing around.] I chided myself, who knew when a fellow Werewolf, would make its way over here to investigate that one of their comrades were missing. I could handle a half dead monster, but if I directly went head to head with a creature 8 levels higher than me, I¡¯d be dead for sure. Although, despite the time it took, through this course of actions, I had managed to whittle down the creature¡¯s hp to 15%. I would only need either a few critical hits, or several regular hits to put it out of its misery. Or, I could aim for a fatal blow. That would work too. I tapped another desk three times, which prompted the creature to curl up and tense itself. While this made throwing sharp objects at him exceedingly difficult, it did also leave him open for several different types of attacks. Its current posture restricted its own movements, and it would have a hard time reacting to much of anything. When he reflexively curled up to the noise I produced, I immediately bolted forward. Efhermet was poised in front of me, as I lunged out, aiming specifically for its ear. I sank the blade deep within the orifice of its auditory canal, driving it deeper and deeper until it met fierce resistance from its skull. A critical hit panel flashed out briefly, but I didn¡¯t pay much attention. I needed to finish the thing off. Instead of pulling the blade out, I chose to just twist and prod at the new wound with my still wedged dagger. It continually lost its hp due to this, and in as little as 30 seconds, I had slain my first Werewolf scout. I wiped the sweat from my brow, as I vainly tried to examine the surrounding floor for any dropped loot. Disappointingly, in this darkness, I couldn¡¯t find any. I got up, and briefly looked at the creature. I had managed to kill it, but leaving the corpse here might attract its friends over, so with heavy reluctance, I dragged the carcass over to the teacher¡¯s lounge and chose to indefinitely keep it there until morning. When Cielle saw me dragging a dead werewolf, she gasped out in surprise. Although a moment later she managed to retain her original facade and then merely asked if I was injured. To which I responded with a, ¡°No, I made sure to be careful.¡± ***** Rate, Follow, Comment, Favorite, if you like and/or enjoy the story. It helps me keep going. Next Chapter Chapter 19: Reminiscing Author''s Note: Just like with my other fic, Monster with No Magic, changes in perspective are indicated by italicized text. Reminiscing ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± She asked curiously. From the howls earlier, I¡¯m sure Cielle could already guess what I was dragging into the room, but merely asked out of obligation. ¡°It¡¯s a Werewolf.¡± Regardless I answered. ¡°It was part of the group that was howling just now. I dragged it in because I feared that leaving a dead body of a monster out there would attract the others this way.¡± I further explained while I finished moving the creature to the teacher¡¯s lounge. I shut the door behind me and twisted the lock. I then maneuvered the body meticulously on the floor, just so that it would lie to the right of the doorway. Afterwards, I wiped my brow in an exaggerated manner, and stood up. I turned towards Cielle. ¡°As long as we don¡¯t make any excessive noise, I¡¯m sure we¡¯ll be safe for the night. The creature¡¯s have sensitive noses, but that pile of corpses you gathered in front had an unexpected benefit. The smell they produce should be strong enough to deter them away. So just make sure not to make any excessive sounds, since their hearing is just as good as their smell. Also, a little light is okay, but I still think we should keep it down to the maximum capabilities. While I¡¯m sure those things are closer blind then they are visually able, its best to take several precautions-- Hey, are you listening?¡± I pointedly spoke to Cielle. She was in a daze from before, absentmindedly looking down at the corpse I just dragged in. Once I called out to her, she jerked up and looked towards my direction with an apologetic expression. I could make out a faint blush on her face, even through this darkness and through the curtain of her hair. I outwardly sighed. ¡°You really should fix that scatterbrain of yours.¡± I spoke ¡°Y-yeah, sorry¡­¡± She apologized, true regret plastered on her face. ¡°Well¡­ its not really a big deal, just that¡­ its dangerous to be like that in a place like this¡­¡± I trailed off and implied many things with the end of my sentence. From the look of her expression, she fully understood what I left unspoken. Now that Cielle was paying attention, I reiterated what I had previously explained about the werewolves This time around I got an attentive nod in return. Afterwards, I informed Cielle of what I found in the other room. I grabbed the backpack I previously filled with provisions and handed it to her. At first, her fragile looking arms unwillingly lowered at the weight of the whole thing, but steadily she grasped onto it as if it were her very lifeline. ¡°In here, I found some food -- Things like a sandwich, some more granola bars, candy-- don¡¯t eat all of it this time.¡± I added the last part with a pointed stare towards the girl in question. I got back an awkward laughter, which sort of surprised me. How long had it been since I heard laughing? Back then, I found such a noise so annoying, but now¡­ [No, now¡¯s not the time.] I shook of my wandering thoughts and further explained. ¡°I also...acquired some coats and jackets. It¡¯s probably going to be pretty cold here tonight, so its just a precaution...now what else¡­Did you manage to find anything in here?¡± I directed a question towards Cielle. The straight faced girl, who had just been vigilantly listening looked up when I prompted. She paused for 5 seconds before she spoke in her usual, faint- almost indistinguishable voice. If it hadn¡¯t been the me with good ears who she was talking to, I doubt anybody else could have heard her. ¡°Ah, um, I found a few protein bars, and a couple of frozen foods in the refrigerator¡­¡± Upon hearing the term, ¡°refrigerator¡±, my eyes instantly scanned the lounge. Just like Cielle said, off to the corner of the room, was a black cube. It was a mini fridge. Above that, hanging from a nook within the cabinets, was a high edge microwave. Seeing all this, I couldn¡¯t help but sigh out. Teacher¡¯s sure do have it made¡­ ¡°Hmm, that¡¯s a good find.¡± I redirected my attention to Cielle and noted. Cielle nodded in agreement. I briefly looked around the room, and my eyes landed on the corpse¡­ I looked back up towards Cielle, and noticed another round of awkward silence was about to ensue. Just before that could happen, I talked, almost impassively. ¡°Go take the food and bring it into the other room. Watch over your sister while you¡¯re there. She could wake up at any moment and its important that you keep her quiet. I¡¯ll look around here some more, maybe there a few more useful items you missed.¡± I insisted that she leave the room. At first, I was met with low resistance, she didn¡¯t seem willing to part with me, but it was as if she was afraid to speak this opinion out. Eventually though, she complied and I saw her out the door. I continued staring until she was a good distance away before I moved to close the door. Now I was alone. I looked around the room once more before I locked eyes with the lightless pupils of the Werewolf scout. In the dark, its lifeless red eyes stood out even more than usual. ¡°I didn¡¯t really want Cielle to see what I¡¯m about to do¡­¡± I half muttered to myself as I bent down next to the corpse. Efhermet was already firmly in my hand. ¡°It¡¯s not a pretty normal thing to do after all.¡± I placed the tip of the blade to where I assumed the sternum would be. ¡°But, its alway useful to know your enemy¡­¡± I moved the bladed edge downwards until I stopped feeling the harder surface of bone. ¡°...both inside, and out.¡± I plunged the dagger deep into its chest cavity and with that, I began using [dissect] on the new corpse. It wouldn¡¯t take a while though. At most, 20 minutes. ***** Cielle moved out into the art room. The same one she had spent close to 5 hours in. To her, that was 5 hours too many. At the time, it was a very boring task to do. She had nothing to do in here but watch over her injured sister. All the while this boredom consumed her, she was filled with turmoiling emotions of fear, anxiety, and uncertainty. It wasn¡¯t really a mix of emotions anybody would want to have. As a result, she ended up scavenging and eating all the food she could find within the room. Cielle did that often. Stress eat. It was her own way of coping with difficult situations, and there was nothing more difficult than the current situation. Luckily for her, Cielle had a naturally fast metabolism. No matter how much she ate, she wouldn¡¯t gain any weight. In fact, she had twice the appetite of a normal person, and that inadvertently led to the fact that it took twice as much food to fill her up. She chided herself for having this once praiseworthy characteristic. She was reminded of the words the mysterious youth-- Hide, had spoken. He had criticized her about her appetite, and had reprimanded her about eating all the food. When she recounted this, it only caused Cielle¡¯s head to bow down in shame. It was a natural thing for girls to feel bad when someone comments on their eating habits. In this regard, Cielle was no different. Especially when the one rebuking you is¡­ Speaking of the Hide, Cielle¡¯s mind naturally began to wander. She continued to walk over to her sister, backpack in hand, as she recounted the day¡¯s events. The thing that stuck out the most out of the day wasn¡¯t the apocalypse-like situation, nor was it the weird gaming interface or the monsters that threatened her life. No, to Cielle, it wasn¡¯t any of these ¡°trivial¡± aspects of the day, but rather, it was the inconspicuous youth that she had luckily or unluckily bumped into in the hallway, that she pointedly remember the most. Hide. She didn¡¯t know his last name, he never told her. But nevertheless, something about him made her gravitate towards the boy. At first glance, Hide seemed unreliable. Rather, that was the first impression Cielle had on the youth. An unreliable, shifty eyed teenager who, just like her, managed to escape from whatever situation he had found himself in, barely by the skin of his neck. Back then Cielle wasn¡¯t looking down on Hide, rather, she felt sympathy for him. She knew what he probably went through and he understood the physical and mental pain that causes. So, upon her first encounter with Hide, she didn¡¯t really expect anything. Rather, she presumed that the shifty eyed youth would hold her back. So, it was due to this prior first impression, that Hide¡¯s consequent actions shined out even more. For one, it came as quite a surprise to her when Hide had introduced the concept of [status]. She had a vague inkling of the fact that everything was so¡­ so game like now, but still, it didn¡¯t really sink in, per say, how fucked up her situation had truly been. When Hide had told her about how she had her own ¡®stats,¡¯ she didn¡¯t know whether to laugh or to cry. The situation now felt surreal, and with the fact that her sister was on death¡¯s door with no hope for recovery, her very existence felt very much like a dream. No, rather, she hoped it was a nightmare. A terrible nightmare she would eventually wake up from. Although she knew it was reality. In fact, when Hide had told her there was a way to save her dying sister, that was what had brought her back and forced her to face the current situation head on. Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.His reason was strange, almost unbelievable, but for some reason, she pinned her hopes on it. She found a strange logic in the way he explained the method to save her. She clung on to this new found hope, all the while, a sort of strange reverence had seeded within her towards the mysterious youth. Cielle was snapped back into real time and out of her recollection, when she noticed her sister twitch. It wasn¡¯t much, just a slight movement of her brow, that would have barely gone noticed, but to her it was something praiseworthy. She would have yelped for joy had Hide not explicitly warned her about making noise. Instead, she gingerly sat on the table next to her sister¡¯s head and stroked away the slight strands of blonde platinum hair that fell on her sleeping face. This was a significant moment, especially since her sister hadn¡¯t moved at all ever since the first time she saw her back when Hide wasn¡¯t around. In fact, it was this characteristic that had caused her great anxiety when Hide volunteered to visit the infirmary. Her sister was in a comatose like state through the whole time. She wasn¡¯t any medical professional, so she didn¡¯t exactly know how to keep her alive, but nevertheless she tried. She pinned her hopes on the youth, while she took care of her dying sister. When two hours passed, a heavy feeling washed over her, but she didn¡¯t despair. She still had hopes for a brighter future. Hide would surely come. When three hours passed, her hands were shivering with fear. Thoughts like, ¡°have I been abandoned?¡± or ¡°Did he die?¡± welled up inside her, but a strange stubbornness persisted, especially whenever she looked down at her pale faced sister. When the 4th hour passed, she began to accept. She began to whole heartedly believe the fact that Hide had infact, either died or abandoned her with a dying girl that she regretted taking care of. Actually, it was at this time that a strange hatred bloomed within her. She regretted having such an emotional attachment with her beloved sister. It wasn¡¯t that she wanted Hina dead, rather, it was the first time a thought like ¡°It would have been better off had you not existed¡± surfaced through her mind. A fictitious reality enveloped within her fragile mind about how her current situation would have been different had she not willingly went to check on Hina. She began to wholeheartedly wish she was the type of person who could abandon someone on a whim. Of course, when Cielle realized what type of thoughts she was beginning to have, she reprimanded herself. The subsequent guilt and shame from these thoughts caused her to persevere even more. As if Hina had known what sinister feelings and intentions her own flesh and blood had directed towards her. Cielle frantically pampered her sister¡¯s dying body. Washing down the splotches of dried blood with water from a scavenged bottle, routinely changing the wet and bloodied gauze, even when her supply was steadily running out, naively inspecting every single scratch and wound on the pale body despite her lack of medical knowledge. This and much more were just among the things Cielle had done on her own road to ¡°redemption¡±. In fact, it was this crazy persistence that earned her a special skill, even before Cielle acquired [Gemini Blue].
New Skill Earned! Nursing (Active) Through constant devotion and persistence, you have acquired the nurturing heart of a caregiver Skill Type: Regular Skill Rank: Beginner Skill Level: 1 Skill Experience: 0% Effects: Lowers the effects of detrimental status effects on allies and yourself. Depending on [Nursing]¡¯s skill level, it will grant a boost in all healing based skills. Less prone to mental status effects.
Of course, she was shocked at first, she hadn¡¯t expected something like this to happen. She never even assumed such a thing like skills existed, even within this messed up new world. A stray thought such as, ¡°Does Hide know about this?¡± floated to her mind when she saw this, but quickly shook it off. The existence of this new skill was a godsend to her. It filled her up with a new hope. A hope that death wasn¡¯t the outcome for Hina. With renewed vigor she furiously set about taking care of her sister. A bright smile filled her haggard face when Hina¡¯s complexion brightened ever so slightly. After 5 hours had passed, Cielle¡¯s once bubbly enthusiasm had all but disappeared. Even with her new skill, Hina¡¯s condition was worsening. At most, all she could do was prolong the inevitable, and it frustrated her to know that that was all she was capable of. Earlier in the hour, she had moved her sister back behind the desk and created a semi barricade around her. She knew that there was no way she alone could stand up against what waited outside. She sat there, alone with her sister and what little medical supplies she had left. By this point, she had given up. She didn¡¯t even know why she had made the barricade in the first place. It would have been much simpler to just wait for death out in the open than making it a bit more complicated in this ¡°prison¡± she had built. She accepted that all her efforts were in vain. Her sister was going to die, she was going to die, and there was no chance for survival. It was at this time, that something unexpected had happened. A hope she had given up on. Something she truly did not consider a possibility. Hide-- ¡°Cielle.¡± A voice rang out from the back of the classroom, abruptly pulling Cielle back into reality. She looked on at the figure in front of her. He was standing by the doorway to the teacher¡¯s lounge. He had a rather refreshed smile, which didn¡¯t quite agree with his usual impassive expression. For some strange reason, the boy, Hide, was holding onto his night encrusted dagger on one hand. He absentmindedly walked over, putting the knife away behind him in an accustomed manner. ¡°Did you eat all the food?¡± He questioned, half serious. [Jeeze, Hide is such a meanie~ Even I wouldn¡¯t do something like that!] Cielle commented inwards, but on the outside, she simply quietly shook her head in denial. Hide replied with a simple nod and an ¡°I see¡­¡± He looked briefly over at Cielle, which made her scrunch up within herself, before he turned his attention to Hina. At this time, Cielle also quietly observed the stoic young man who had saved her sister¡¯s, and her own life. He looked as he was when she first bumped into him His mannerisms and atmosphere remained relatively intact but his demeanor had somewhat changed. He still carried himself the same way, shifty eyed, and as if lacking confidence, but at times, he expressed an almost impassive and cold, ice-like personality. One that was blunt, crude and straight to the point. While Cielle sent brief glances over his way, she noticed fresh new blood stains splattered on his uniform. She was vaguely sure that she hadn¡¯t seen these earlier in the teacher¡¯s lounge, when he had returned with the corpse, but she wasn¡¯t quite sure. After all, it was pretty dark. After a while, Hide turned back to her, and nodded. He took a granola bar from the backpack and moved to a corner in the room. Cielle noticed that like her, Hide wasn¡¯t one of many words. As she watched his silhouette darken in the shadows, she quietly reminisced about all the things that had happened after Hide had returned. From the health potion, to the new skill he ¡°gave¡± her, even to the most recent event when he dragged the corpse of a rather strong looking monster into the teacher¡¯s lounge. Hide had done so many amazing things, and all Cielle wanted to do was ask about all of them. The adventure he had outside the classroom, his battle with the werewolf, how he had gotten his previous injury on his thigh, what he was doing before the apocalypse, his favorite color, what type of shampoo he used on his hair, the type of foods he hated, whether he liked summer or winter more, what he liked to do on the weekends, whether he had a girlfriend, whether he would like a girlfriend, where he was born, if he had any siblings, what type of friends he had, his favorite tv show, his most precious childhood memory, whether he wanted a girlfriend, whether he wanted a girlfriend, whether he wanted a girlfriend, whether he wanted a girlfriend¡­. All these things, and many, many, many more were questions Cielle wanted to ask. But she didn¡¯t. She didn¡¯t bother Hide with such trivialities. It wouldn¡¯t be any good if he started to think she was annoying. She had already messed up when exchanging conversation with him, so, in her eyes, she was walking on very thin ice. She hadn¡¯t had the chance to thank him, which made her want to kill herself. She also hadn¡¯t believed in him wholeheartedly when he left, which also made her want to kill herself. She wanted to do right. She wanted to be on Hide¡¯s bright side. She wanted to fix her prior mistakes. After all, She didn¡¯t want Hide to hate her. ***** Author''s Note: For some strange reason, I had fun writing this chapter.... Comment, Follow, Favorite, and Rate to show support if you enjoyed reading this. Little things like that keep me going. Next Chapter Criticisms, Suggestions, and Skill Ideas This Should be renamed to DATABANK of SKILLS, seeing as how I''ve got all these skill ideas to choose from. This isn''t a bad thing, infact, keep them coming guys. The only problem I have now is how in the world I''d introduce so many fascinating skills into the story... Not a new chapter but just, you know, one of those pages. I''ll be checking this page often, so here you can post any skill ideas that you may have come up with that you think might fit well with the context of the story. If you have any suggestions regarding anything from, plot, stats, character interaction, anything, then you can also suggest them here. If I like what I see, then I may or may not add them into the story. Of course, I''ll mention the contributor of the idea when and if I do use it in the story. While I still have a few ideas regarding future skills for both Hide and the rest of the future cast, it would be nice to know what type of skills the community can come up with. And if you have any questions regarding the story, I will answer them to the best of my ability. If any of the answers are considered spoiler, I''ll put the answer in the spoiler tag. Also for Future Reference, the rankings of the skills go like this: Spoiler : Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.Regular Rare Legendary Epic World Class Unique Magic Unique skills aren''t necessarily the strongest but rather they are skills where only 1 can exist at any given time. A Unique Skill can also be as strong and OP as World Class Skills (Which by the way are the strongest) or as basic as a Regular Skill (Like Dissect). Also, Magic Skills are, as it sounds, skills entirely based on magic. Oh, and just to clarify, there can be skills which require mana that aren''t necessarily labeled as a Magic Skill. The label Magic is usually added to the rest of the rank names (e.i. Regular Magic Skill, Unique Magic Skill) Also, I''ll be dumping some concept art for the story that I might draw out in my free time. The first of the art is the cover art I drew for the Fic. Do let me know what you think. I''ll put in as the cover page in a little while. Spoiler : Chapter 20: Awake Awake The next morning, Hina had woken up. What happened was that we heard some faint rustling early in the morning. My body at the time, was still groggy and sore from yesterday¡¯s experience. I guess even if your hp and stamina get maxed, you still feel the soreness and ache from everything. As I struggled to get up, from the corner of my eyes, I could see the sleepy eyed Cielle bolt up right from her originally slouched seating position. She had stayed up all night last night upon her own volition. She was saying something about how we needed to have a look out at all times, especially when it was dark. I agreed with this idea, but I proposed that we took turns, so both of us could get equal amounts of rest. To my surprise, Cielle insisted that her by herself was good enough. She also said something else, but I¡¯m not too sure, since she mumbled the rest of her sentences so indistinguishably, that they might as well had been gibberish. It was something like, ¡°You need to¡­..¡± or was it ¡°To...pay back¡­¡± ...I¡¯m not sure. Anyways, that explains the red eyed and haggard appearance of Cielle. Normally a person would be dead tired had they pulled an all nighter, especially after the events that happened, but right now she was absolutely brimming with excitement. And there was one easy explanation for that; Hina. As I groggily rubbed away the sleepiness from my eyes, I saw through my peripheral vision that Hina was moving about in her slumber. Or rather, she looked like a person who was about to awaken. I finally sat up right as I stared at the scene, half dazed. Hina was still entrapped within the cot of jackets that Cielle and I prepared for her last night. Her figure, a voluptuous figure too curvy for a high schooler, was half covered in cloth, while her short-ish skirt began riding up her leg. Through that gap of flesh, I could see that her skin wasn¡¯t as pale as it was last night. In fact, it gave off a healthy glow, the type that you wouldn¡¯t find odd on a swimsuit model or actress or something. Cielle rushes over to Hina. In contrast, Cielle was the one who looked like she just came out of death¡¯s door. Panda eyes that rivaled mine, her usually unkempt hair was even more ragged than usual. It stuck up and sideways, making her head resemble a bird¡¯s nest rather than actual hair. She also wasn¡¯t wearing her usual sweater. Right now she sported the typical summer styled, short sleeved uniform for this school. While on most girls, it was rather form fitting (much like it was on her sister) but on Cielle, it hanged loose and flappy. I noticed it now in particular since she wasn¡¯t wearing baggy clothes anymore, but Cielle was a particularly¡­ small person. I wouldn¡¯t say child sized, but somewhere in between a regular teenage girl and a kid¡­. Petite! That¡¯s what she had; a petite figure. As Cielle ran towards her sister with an ecstatic smile that did not suit her current appearance, all of a sudden, Hina¡¯s figure bolted up right as an inhuman shriek escaped from her dry legs. At first, I winced at this sudden noise, but my expression suddenly darkened. My body suddenly went on high alert as I grabbed Efhermet from next to where I was sleeping and I jumped up onto the balls of my feet. My eyes instinctively moved over to the closed door of the art room as I yelled out to Cielle. ¡°Cielle!¡± My voice strained to be heard through the noise that filled the room. Cielle, whose expression showed great shock, instantly turned towards me, and nodded vigorously. She then sprinted a full run directly towards her screaming sister, who by now was vigorously sweating while her eyes were clamped close. Cielle frantically crashed down next to her sister and in an effort to keep her quiet, blocked her mouth with an open palm, causing muffled erratic to leak through Cielle¡¯s fingertips. Satisfied that at least some effort was put into restraining Hina¡¯s screaming, I swiveled my head towards the door. I bent my knees down and entered into a fighting stance. I keenly fixated my gaze at the still undisturbed doorway, while I positioned Efhermet in front of me. From behind, I could hear Hina¡¯s muffled screams subsiding as, from what I could guess, was her waking up from her nightmare. The struggling of bodies, and the rustling of jackets preceded before an eerie calm fell within the room. Hina had stopped screaming and there was practically no noise, besides my frantic, unsteady breathing, but I still stared daringly at the door. I waited, and waited. Anticipating, hoping that the recent noise hadn¡¯t attracted any monsters. From behind me, I couldn¡¯t hear nor see anything, so I could only guess as to what was going on. Maybe Hina had gone back to sleep? Maybe that¡¯s why she wasn¡¯t screaming anymore? Or maybe Cielle had done something¡­ Thoughts like this filled my head and in no time, 15 minutes passed. By this point, while I was still on edge, I dropped my arms and sighed out in relief. While keeping a firm grasp on Efhermet, in case something unexpected were to occur, I slowly turned around to look at the girls. There I saw their two silhouettes looking straight at me, one of them had a look of calm reassurance, while the other¡¯s face was filled with unease and a tinge of fear. I walked briskly to their location. Before any of the girls could say anything, I instantly reprimanded the once comatose highschooler. ¡°Oi! You know how dangerous that was! You¡¯re sudden screaming could have gotten all of us killed! I knew you were having a nightmare, but, sheesh!¡± Under my barrage of rebukes, Hina, the girl whom I¡¯ve never exchanged so much as a word with, drew back into Cielle with a cute but frightened ¡°Hiii!¡± Despite her voluptuous appearance, from this brief interaction, I could tell she was as meek as a small woodland creature. Well at least that was my first impression. I continued to reprimand Hina regardless. I wanted to engrave the danger of this world right from the moment she woke up. Even though my 50% reduction in fear was working quite fine even now, to be put in such a tense situation so early in the morning¡­. rather than fear, I felt my lethargic body grow wearier. After I calmed down to some degree, I stopped my pseudo-yelling to catch my breath. Using this opportunity, the one who took the blunt of my pseudo-yelling finally spoke up, directing her conversation to Cielle. ¡°Sis-- Who is this smelly panda?!¡± She asked while glaring from behind her sister. [How rude¡­] I inwardly commented, but otherwise stayed silent. Cielle let out a weak and awkward laugh, trying her best to stay neutral throughout this whole conversation. Unfortunately Hina wouldn¡¯t let that. ¡°Sis! I don¡¯t know who this loud mouthed panda barbarian is, but I say we should stay away from hi-- Sis! What happened to you!¡± As if for the first time, Hina looked over at her sister and noticed her haggard appearance. ¡°Uwaaaaa, Sis, you look like a mess¡­ what happened to your hair, there¡¯s red dirt stains on your face, what happened to your favorite jacket¡­¡± Hina, as if forgetting my complete existence, and subsequently my earlier reprimanding, turned her full attention towards Cielle, as she began to continually fuss over her. Cielle, who could do nothing but endure this barrage of sisterly love, merely smiled crookedly as she shot awkward down casted glances my way. All the while this was happening, Cielle¡¯s voice tried in vain to break through Hina¡¯s louder than normal prattling. She spoke gently with words like, ¡°Iyaa~ Stop it¡­¡± or ¡°Y-you¡¯re embarrassing me¡­¡± I watched this awkward (from the perspective of an outside viewer) exchange persist for a while, before I fake coughed in order to get their attention. This brought Hina¡¯s attention, while Cielle, who had always been attentive, finally breathed out a relieved sigh as her sister stopped bothering her and turned my way. ¡°Ah~ You''re still here, Panda eyes?¡± She stated droopily with a seriously bothersome expression. Even though she was being rude, I couldn¡¯t help but notice the highlights on her skin produced by the natural light that beamed in from the outside windows. It was vexing, but she was attractive. While I stared with drooped eyelids, I noticed from the corner of my eyes that Cielle was¡­ unhappy? I don¡¯t know why but I could picture her pouting even though her mat of hair that blocked much of her face. I ignored Cielle¡¯s unhappy mood as well as Hina¡¯s rude comment and merely stated, ¡°There are a lot of things we need to talk about¡­¡± I let my words trail off as I got up and walked towards the teacher¡¯s lounge. ¡°Cielle, you check Hina if she¡¯s properly healed. Tell her a little bit about the situation, while I go microwave some of the frozen foods we found yesterday. I think the electricity is still working¡­¡± Upon hearing my commands, Cielle nodded enthusiastically while her spine shot up straight. I walked on over and before I turned the knob of the door, I stopped and turned back. I addressed Cielle but otherwise my eyes fixed on Hina, as if what I wanted to say was actually meant for her. ¡°Oh, and also, watch out for monsters. Who knows how many heard Hina scream just now.¡± This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work. I turned back and entered the room, but not before I caught a brief glance of the micro expression of fear which contorted Hina¡¯s face. *** I closed the door behind me and sighed out in relief. I checked the analog clock that hung from the wall in the teacher¡¯s lounge and noted that it was 10:00 AM. Usually, this was about the same time I woke up on during weekends. I moved over, absentmindedly towards the mini fridge. As I pulled out two packages of frozen food, my eyes gleamed over the floor to where my ¡°midnight project¡± laid, severely abused. Last night, I had properly used ¡°dissect¡± on the werewolf scout carcass and collected as much information as I could possibly get from it. By the end of it all, the body wasn¡¯t even a body anymore. Actually, this was one of the main reasons why I wanted to be the one to prepare food. It gave me an excuse to enter this room and clean up the ¡°leftovers¡±. I placed the frozen packages in the microwave, and turned it on as I pushed the corpse out and into the adjacent art room with the big hole. I deemed it safe enough to keep the corpse outside right now since I assumed that the werewolves only roamed free at night. I mean, if I were them, it would only be logical to wander around when you have a 25% power boost applied on, and not when your weakened. In all likelihood, they had a base of operations. Probably they¡¯re spawn point, where they rested and waited until night fell. I shivered at the thought of being in the middle of a pack of level 23 werewolves. Even with my 50% fear reduction, this was enough to develop a cold sweat on my back. With a ding, the microwave ended the cooking process. I hastily pushed out the rest of the corpse haphazardly while I used a bit of bottled water to clean my hands before I went to grab the food. In a short while, I made it back to where the girls were waiting. ¡°There¡¯s only two?¡± Hina noted as my figure entered her vision. ¡°Are you not eating?¡± She asked rather innocently. ¡°Of course not idiot.¡± I responded bitterly. ¡°We¡¯re splitting these two amongst the three of us. For now, we have to conserve. -- One of us can¡¯t go eating all of our food supply while the other two starve.¡± I reiterated the last sentence while I shot a sidelong glance towards Cielle. Cielle in response slightly jerked up, which brought a smile to my face. It might be mean, but teasing her gave some measure of stress relief for me. I sat down and placed the two plastic plates down on the table. ¡°How much have you explained to her?¡± I asked Cielle while I began placing about a third of the food on one plate onto the other. I took the smaller portion for myself while I moved the larger portion over in front of the girls, implying for them to share. ¡°Ah, um, I haven¡¯t gotten far yet¡­¡± Cielle stuttered as she unconsciously began grabbing for the plate with the fork I gave her. ¡°I see¡­¡± I chewed down a single bite before I swallowed and looked at Hina. *gulp* ¡°Oh kay¡­ where to begin¡­¡± I muttered to myself before I shrugged and addressed the platinum blonde female in front of me. ¡°Well, a lot of things happened here and there, but I guess the most important part of everything for you here is that, you almost died yesterday.¡± I spoke nonchalantly, looking at Hina¡¯s face for any sort of reaction. She met my eyes with her own, as she nodded. From the looks of things, she had a vague recollection, more flashes and glimpses really, of what happened to her. So she fully understood how close she had gotten near death¡¯s door. ¡°P-please explain the situation.¡± She spoke bluntly towards me, her demeanor from before now gone, only to reveal a one third frightened, one third confused, and one third determined girl. I looked at her for a second before I sighed. I leaned back on my chair and began a long winded explanation of yesterday¡¯s events. From the initial start. How there was a countdown, and then everything else went to hell. How everyone now has these things I¡¯ve labeled as ¡°statuses¡± and about the stats. I went over extra detail regarding the monsters and their danger. Also about Hina herself. How Cielle found her half dead, and how I had to endeavor to acquire health potions in order to heal her back up. From the start to now, I explained with as much detail as possible. Of course, I left out much information regarding my own skills and involvement. I only left a vague impression that I had somehow played a major role in reviving her. Every now and then, Cielle would interject, talking about information from her own point of view. As my explanation ended, Hina¡¯s once steadfast mask had quickly crumbled down. Now, she had a look of both despair and disbelief plastered on her face. At the end of it all, there was a moment of silence. Nobody bothered to speak as Hina ingested all this information. I on the other hand continued to broodily eat my meal. After a while, Hina¡¯s voice, which I hadn¡¯t heard for over 20 minutes, finally spoke up with a single question. ¡°So-- You saved my life?¡± She looked at me with too-serious eyes, as if trying to convey her...seriousness(?) with this one intense gaze. From my perspective, it was more of a glare as I reflexively reared back. After a moment, I awkwardly scratched my head as I replied. ¡°W-well, I helped somewhat¡­ it was really a team effort.¡± I indicated towards Cielle, who nodded in response with a face full of food. It wasn¡¯t that I was trying to be modest, it¡¯s just that I¡¯m not used to such a straightforward question. ¡°Regardless,¡± Hina persisted, ¡°You -- and Sis -- saved my life?¡± ¡°...Ah-¡± ¡°Was I really that close to dying?¡± All of a sudden, before I could interject, Hina continued talking. And she continued and continued, as if the words just kept leaking out of her mouth, with no indication of stopping. ¡°I could have been dead had you not saved me...Would I have been eaten by a monster? Maybe I¡¯d just be trampled by one of the big ones that I saw¡­ What if they had just played with my dead body...I-I-I¡­ I really could have died?¡± Her words trailed off into one last sentence, as if her own mind resisted confirming this one absolute truth. I looked at her, and answered, ¡°Yes. You could have died.¡± ¡°Then¡­ did you really save me?¡± She asked again. This time, I had no intention of denying. I felt that, in this situation, it was best to meet her all too serious personality with a bit of seriousness on my part. ¡°Yes, I saved you.¡± After the words left my mouth, the room entered a silence. Even Cielle, who was midway through eating, stopped, out of courtesy. Eventually, through a wave of restrained sobs, one single phrase leaked out from Hina¡¯s sore throat, ¡°Thank you¡­¡± This time I didn¡¯t say anything, but just solemnly nodded. Whether she saw the slight bob in my head wasn¡¯t any concern to me, as I readily fixed myself on eating my meal. After a while, all I could hear where the hiccuping sobs of restrained crying. From the sounds of things, it seems like she fully understood the importance of silence in this room. One loud noise could be the end of us all. Although her earnest restraint did bring a slight frown to my face. I was the type of person who believed that sometimes, it was best to cry out your problems. That way, you won¡¯t be burdened with saddening emotions. It relieves stress, at least for me. I was glad Hina showed restraint, but at the same time, I felt bad that this girl who just came back from near death and discovered the world she once knew had drastically changed, couldn¡¯t express her grief/joy through an outburst of tears. After a while, the sniffling resided, and Hina proposed a question, one I had been mulling over for the entirety of the morning. ¡°W-what do we do now?¡± I stayed silent for a minute, as if contemplating the question, when in fact, I was just enjoying my meal. The girls though, all looked up at me. From their expression, they were expecting something great to burst forth from my mouth. Although, the only thing bursting would be this disgusting casserole I was chewing on... I don¡¯t know how, but I guess I became the unspoken leader in our little trio. Finishing the last vestiges of my still cold, frozen packaged breakfast, I swallowed the last bite and looked at both girls simultaneously. With a hint of a smile, I said in the most impassive voice I could muster, ¡°How would you like to level up?¡± ***** Author''s Note: Thanks for such a receptive response on the suggestions page I created. I never imagined I''d get so many people to respond. Anyways, I knew that some of you were rather disappointing about not having a new chapter when I pulled out that Suggestions page, so here you go. I hope you enjoy. Also, comment, follow, favorite, and rate if you enjoy this fic. It might not be much, but it keeps me going. Next Chapter Chapter 21: Proposal Proposal I let the question hang in the air while I peered at the girls with droopy, impassive eyes. I expected some sort of reaction, a response. A mostly negative feedback was what I expected, but to my surprise, they readily agreed with more determination than I could possibly imagine. Cielle furiously nodded her head, making her long black hair sway in frantic movement. Hina on the other hand, pumped up her fist in a rather unlady like manner while yelling, ¡°Oooh! I¡¯m ready!¡± I was taken aback by their enthusiasm, and couldn¡¯t help but ask a question. ¡°W-why are you two so excited? I was pretty sure you¡¯d have refused or at least resisted¡­¡± The two sisters, in response to my question, turned towards each other. They stared at each other, before, as if in sync, they both nodded and turned back to me. ¡°I want to get stronger, obviously. I don¡¯t want to die after all.¡± Hina stated bluntly. Her reason was sound and logical, the same type I applied to myself. ¡°......¡± Cielle on the other hand, mumbled something I couldn¡¯t quite comprehend. Hina, seeing this, tried goading her sister into taking louder, but in the end, it only made Cielle¡¯s mumbling even less pronounced. Well, I accepted both their reasons nonetheless. Hina¡¯s was for survival, and Cielle¡­ for something else, but no matter. I should see this as a lucky break. If they were a bit determined, then it would make leveling them up easier, but first, I should warn them. Like the terms and agreements section in a new purchase, I poured down the bad news for these girls, although, judging from their prior experience, I already assumed they knew full well what they were getting into. But I at least wanted them to not believe in a fantasy where everything was safe and easy. ¡°You know, you¡¯re going to end up fighting monsters?¡± Hearing this, Hina didn¡¯t show a face of surprise. Rather, her expression got grim, as she clenched her fists and I could hear the grinding of molars. ¡°I-I know¡­ but I still want to get stronger.¡± She looked like she literally forced those words out of her mouth while her eyes were squinted in determination. Cielle, seeing this display, said nothing but merely grasped Hina¡¯s clenched hand with her own. Hina turned towards Cielle, and in a choked up voice, she uttered, ¡°S-sis¡­.¡± I imagined Cielle was smiling back through her veil of hair. Well, back to me. From an outsider¡¯s perspective, this was a very mushy scene of familial love, and while it brought forth bitter feelings of my own family, and whether they were still alive, I said nothing and simply let them have their moment. While this scene was good and all, if she really wanted strength, then¡­. ¡°Hina.¡± I called out, interrupting their little family love. ¡°W-what?¡± She asked, startled by my sudden outburst. ¡°You want to get stronger, right?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± She responded immediately. Hearing this, I nodded and sighed, while I fished around my pants pocket for a few items. In a little while, I pulled out two vials. One was red, the other was blue. Obviously, the two vials were respectively a health potion and a mana potion. I silently passed the two objects along to Hina, who received them with a tilt of her head and a confused expression. Sitting next to her, Cielle widened her eyes from behind her hair and nodded in understanding. [Well.... it¡¯s already been a whole day since everything started, I wonder whether she¡¯ll still get a reward¡­] Although I was the one who came up with this, I still had my doubts about its success. By my conclusion, I guessed that certain achievements were met by being the first or one of the first to do a specific task. This same logic applied to how Hina and I aquired our Unique healing skills. What I was concerned about was whether Hina can will still be able to get an achievement. After all, almost a whole day had passed, and a lot can happen that I¡¯m not aware of. ¡°What¡¯re these?¡± She asked while scrutinizingly examining the red and blue vials. ¡°They''re potions. The red one is health, the blue one is mana.¡± ¡°Mana?¡± She asked, as if the concept was somewhat familiar yet vaguely foreign. ¡°Ah, that¡¯s right, I haven¡¯t told you about it yet have I?¡± ¡°?¡± With that, I began a separate explanation about the various intricacies of stats. I had Hina bring up her own status window, which warranted a gasp of surprise. After that, I began explaining each stat with what little information I had gathered and or concluded. ¡°Okay, I understand now, but why are you giving me this?¡± She asked after my explanation. ¡°Eh¡­ it¡¯ll take too long to properly explain¡­ let¡¯s just say, I¡¯m going to give you power.¡± ¡°????¡± This riddling remark only left more questions in Hina¡¯s mind. ¡°Ah, whatever, for now, just go with it! Cielle, use [Gemini Blue]!¡± I ordered the quiet girl, who readily responded with a firm bob of her head. Instead of going into that pose of hers from last time, she merely sat motionless. At first I frowned and wondered why wasn¡¯t she doing anything, but my doubts were refuted shortly after. As if seeping out of her pores, the light blue sparkling blob bubble leaked out from Cielle¡¯s skin. In little time, a blob of blue was floating in the center of the triangle that currently made up Hina, Cielle, and I. Hina, who saw all this for the first time, looked on in awe. It was as if her eyes were sparkling at the new wonder before her. ¡°S-s-sis¡­ H-how did you¡­?¡± Her words trailed off as the luminescent blue took hold of her attention. Seeing her sister¡¯s positive reaction, Cielle smiled (or at least I imagined she smiled) from behind her veil of hair. ¡°It¡¯s magic¡­¡± Cielle spoke as she mentally controlled the ball to move and contort which every which way she willed it to. I raised my eyebrows at this. Cielle¡¯s control was¡­ amazing to say the least. Was she practicing while I was sleeping? Eventually, after amazing her sister with such finesse magic control, she smiled ruefully while saying, ¡°... It¡¯s cool, ne?¡± Hina could only nod absentmindedly, while her eyes remained fixated on the blob. After a while, Hina spoke with an uncharacteristically timid voice, ¡°I¡­ I can do that too, right?¡± It was at this point that I interjected. ¡°Well, not exactly the same as your sister¡¯s but something similar.... probably.¡± ¡°Then, I-I want to learn.¡± Hina replied whimsically. I nodded. I understood her enthusiasm. If it wasn¡¯t for this troublesome skill of mine, even I¡¯d¡­ ¡°Okay then. Cielle, put away [Gemini Blue] before you expend any more of your mana.¡± I guessed that it required both a fixed amount of mp for Cielle to move and create [Gemini Blue]. Upon my prompting, Cielle let out a soft, ¡°Ah--¡± sound and shook her head. Although she hadn¡¯t said anything, I kind of understood what she meant just through her body language. In short, it seems like she can¡¯t will [Gemini Blue] to go away. I frowned. Why could she not do it? Was the light blue, the thing I¡¯ve mentally started labeling, ¡°Light Gemini¡± the same as Dark Gemini in that it wouldn¡¯t properly disappear if it remained unused? After coming to this conclusion, numerous theories and ideas filled my head. What would happen if I mixed Gemini Light with Gemini Dark? Would they cancel each other out? And what would happen if someone fully healed were to have Gemini Light used on them? What would happen if Gemini Dark were to be used on something completely dead? ¡­ Really, I was reminded once more of exactly how interesting this Unique Magic skill was. I sighed out. It¡¯s unfortunate that we don¡¯t have much time for that right now though. I stood up and went out to the back of the room. The girls¡¯ eyes followed me but otherwise stayed seated. After a while, I pulled out a clear plastic water bottle which had been once filled with, well, water. Luckily, something of this size was enough since the bubble blob Cielle produced was relatively small. I moved over close to the blob, as it drifted over to my direction, indicating that Cielle was putting in her own assistance. ¡°Stop-- I want to test something.¡± I interfered, while prompting Cielle to stop manipulating the blob. I walked over, and tentatively ran my hand through the bubble. Surprisingly, my hand touched firmly onto the blob. A smooth and nice sensation overflowed within the area where skin touched blue. This feeling was completely opposite of Gemin Dark¡¯s affect. Oh, while I¡¯m at it, I used identify on the ¡°Gemini Light¡±. Like with Gemini Dark, a window panel floated into existence.
Light Gemini A mysterious liquid bubble produced by the unique magic skill; [Gemini Blue]. It has a healing touch..
While I looked over the information, I confirmed that [Dissect]¡¯s additional information effect applied to Light Gemini from when I slashed Gemini Dark last night. Seeing this, I nodded to myself as I began to manually shove [Gemini Blue] into the small opening of the water bottle. I discovered that this task was extremely hard. Without Cielle¡¯s interference, the blob acted as if it were water submerged in zero g, making it much harder to manipulate. I warranted that Gemini Dark worked the same way as well. After gruelling effort, I managed to shove all of the concoction into the water bottle. I lamented over how I just recieved a free health potion while I questioned Cielle. ¡°Cielle, is there no problem keeping this like this?¡± I asked, indicating at the blob. She nodded after some hesitation and followed up with her gentle voice, ¡°Ah, although I can keep it like that, my mana won¡¯t go up after a certain amount¡­ The same thing happened with Gemini Dark.¡± Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. Upon hearing her explanation I nodded. The penalty for [Gemini Blue] was that it permanently consumed a portion of Cielle¡¯s mana capacity, well at least until the thing got used. It made sense, otherwise, if she could just infinitely produce that mysterious substance, then it would be one hell of a broken skill. I placed the bottle on the table and turned towards Hina. ¡°You want this power don¡¯t you? Then, are you ready?¡± I asked impassively. ¡°Y-yes! What do I do?¡± ¡°Simple. Feed your sister with this blue liquid.¡± Hina at first, showed an expression of disbelief, but otherwise complied with my command. After a while, I saw a scene where the more voluptuous sister fed the smaller, yet equally as cute other sister. This was made more¡­ interesting to watch, by the smaller sister, who was putting up slight resistance. The scene was cute and all, maybe even a bit risque if viewed at from another perspective but it looked more like something between mother and daughter rather than between sisters. When Hina finished, she abruptly moved her head back in surprise. She squinted at the air, which I presumed was her looking over the status window that popped up. Cielle and I waited in anticipation. While I did have some selfish desire in me to hog whatever achievement came with being the first to administer a mana potion, my innate¡­ humanity? Well, something in me convinced my callous self to give the rare opportunity to the girl who came close to dying. But nevertheless, that doesn¡¯t mean I still wasn¡¯t interested in the ability Hina might receive. Rather, I found all these various skills interesting. From my [Equip] to [Dissect], all the way up to Hina¡¯s [Gemini Blue], they were all truly amazing, and I couldn¡¯t help but want to learn more¡­ Although, if I kept this up, I¡¯ll probably turn into a full fledged ¡®Skill Otaku.¡¯ ¡°Hina, what did you get..?¡± Her anticipation winning over her patience, Cielle asked her sister who was still absentmindedly reading her panel. ¡°Oh, ah, I got-- er, it says here¡­¡± Hina once again squinted her eyes as she read aloud the contents of the status. ¡° ¡®You are the 4th person to forcibly raise another person¡¯s Mana using unworldly methods.¡¯¡± Upon hearing this, I raised my brow in surprise. While it was a risky gamble, I never would have expected that she¡¯d get something so¡­ so high up. I mean 4th?! That meant that only three other people were able to meet the requirements for what I presumed were Unique Magic Skills. But then again, I guess finding a mana potion and having the means to deplete your mana is still a pretty rare thing, especially considering how recent this whole thing started. I doubt not many people are capable of accomplishing both conditions. ¡°What skill did you get?¡± I asked bluntly, also pretty eager to know ¡°Ah, let¡¯s see¡­ I got a Unique Magic Skill called [Full Element].¡± Hearing this, I frowned. That vague name had many indications as to the abilities true worth. ¡°What does it do?¡± I asked. ¡°I, um.. how do I...?¡± Hina asked confusedly as she peered in my direction. ¡°Just think about your skill in your mind.¡± I instructed, and not a moment later, Hina quietly gasped before she went silent and began reading. After a while, she said, ¡°Ah, um, according to this, I have full control over 4 elements; Wind, Fire, Water, Earth¡­I also unlocked basic sub skills like [amatuer wind spell], [amatuer fire spell], and so forth...¡± Hina¡¯s voice had a particularly odd inflection. It was as if there was still a lingering doubt within her about whether this was all real or not, but at the same time, there was a part that held great anticipation and excitement. I nodded upon hearing this news. It kind of made sense. It was a little detail, but Hina ended up the 4th person to receive the mana boost, and she gained the power to control 4 elements. It made sense in my head. What was odd to me though was that, it was so¡­ ordinary. I mean, controlling elements is such a novel type of skill, completely different from ¡°weird¡± and ¡°unusual¡± skills like [Gemini Blue] or [Equip]. But I guess, skills like that exist too. The novel and fantastical ones that everybody''s yearned for. I nodded again. ¡°While I¡¯d like to test out your skills and to what extent [Full Element] is capable of, I¡¯m afraid we can¡¯t do that. We don¡¯t have a convenient way of raising depleted mp yet, so it would be a waste to use it recklessly.¡± I paused for a moment, drawing in the curious attention of both girls. ¡°We¡¯re just going to have to do the trial runs mid battle.¡± I spoke impassively, which warranted a look of apprehension to flash across Hina¡¯s face. Ignoring her mix of surprise and fear, I continued on. ¡°Next, your going to use that.¡± I pointed at the remaining vial in Hina¡¯s hand. This time we were going to try the health potion. After Cielle voluntarily injured herself (which I agreed to with some slight hesitation) by cutting open a small wound with one of my goblin short swords, Hina once again fed Cielle, this time pouring the red liquid directly into her sister¡¯s lips. Disappointingly, the health potion did not result in another Unique Magic Skill. Hina had received the 18th rank and as a consolation prize, she received a rare magic skill called [Lesser Healing]. It wasn¡¯t an impressive skill, rather, it was something I could have learned with [All Heal] (albeit it would still remain useless), but I guess it was better than nothing. At the very least, it allowed Hina to rely on herself if there ever came a situation where we got separated from each other. After the experimentation was wrapped up and done, we began talk about exploration, or rather, leveling up. I quickly informed them that we would be heading on out into the hallway and looking for monsters to fight. Upon seeing their worried yet equally as determined expressions. I reassured them as well, stating that I¡¯d take the brunt of the damage while they could learn either through mimicry or observation. Hearing this sudden declaration, Hina expressed a doubtful expression. ¡°Are you sure you¡¯re¡­ up to it?¡± She asked dubiously. ¡°What? You don¡¯t trust me?¡± I asked, not really serious. ¡°Erm¡­¡± Hina politely choose to stay silent. Before Cielle could rebuke (she looked like she was about to), my mouth curved upwards upon hearing her unconvinced tone. ¡°I might not look like it, but I¡¯m actually level 15, you know?¡± Seeing the even more doubtful expression cloud Hina¡¯s mask, I couldn¡¯t help but laugh. I then abruptly got up and stated in an pleasant voice that indicated my good mood, ¡°Get ready, in 5 minutes, we¡¯re¡­ going hunting.¡± I walked off into the direction where I slept last night to grab my spare short swords. In the meanwhile, I contemplated. If they were going to treat me as the pseudo-leader, which they had, then I might as well make the most of it. **** A little while later, we were walking down the hallway. I told them to stay vigilant, which they readily agreed too, while I once again noted off our supplies in my head. We didn¡¯t bring much. Just my daggers, some food, incase we couldn¡¯t make it back to the art room, and I also instructed them to bring the container of Dark Gemini. It was going to be useful in fighting and would also mean I wouldn¡¯t be the only one doing damage. Although the heavy set container warranted a few complaints, especially from the one whom I ¡®tasked¡¯ into carrying it. From behind me, I could hear heavy breathing mixed in with some equally as heavy profanity. ¡°H-Hide¡­ *pant* W-why do I have to¡­*pant* carry this¡­?¡± Hina strained to speak as she lumbered on. Cielle was behind her, giving off rays of moral support but otherwise made no move to physically help. ¡°Eh~? Isn¡¯t it obvious?¡± I stated while looking ahead. ¡°N-nooo!¡± She grunted through gritted teeth. ¡°You have to earn your keep. Cielle and I worked extra hard so you wouldn¡¯t die, so you have to do the same. I¡¯m not running a charity here.¡± I impassively stated, which caused grunts of slight protest to arise from Hina. ¡°B-but, don¡¯t you think this is a bit too heavy for me? E-especially since I don¡¯t have much strength¡­ in fact, my strength stat is only at 4!¡± [Damn, that¡¯s low¡­.] I inwardly thought to myself while shrugging. ¡°Not my fault.¡± I stated, before I followed up with, ¡°Quit complaining, its like that saying, you know, ¡°If you don¡¯t work, you don''t eat!¡±¡± I reiterated which only caused Hina to grumble even more. Eventually, I blocked out her ceaseless complaining as we continued walking in the otherwise silent hallway. Contrary to my belief, there weren¡¯t many monsters roaming the halls, which actually brought up an even bigger issue; What would they fight in order to level up? While I did plan on stopping by the restroom where the goblins once spawned, (since, like me, Hina and Cielle needed ¡°relief¡± and they needed it fast) they couldn¡¯t necessarily level up there, considering I stopped Goblins from spawning. While racking my thoughts for a solution, I eventually sighed disparagingly. I guess there was no other option. We¡¯re going to have to visit the other spawn point I ran into. This time, instead of hunting goblins, we were going for a more¡­ robust prey; Minotaurs. **** Answer the polls guys, while it won''t influence (at least to a large extent) the direction the story will go, I find it interesting to see the varying opinions of my readers. In the future, I''ll probably do more of these fun polls just because. Comments, follow, favorite, and rate if you find this story entertaining. It''s not much but it keeps me going. Next Chapter Chapter 22: Trial Run Author''s Note: So today, I came and checked royal road like I always do and, I came upon a rather pleasant surprise. "Change: New World" got within this week''s Top Weekly Fiction list! Oh, you don''t know how excited I was. In fact, I was so excited, I couldn''t resist writing a new chapter, so now, here we are. Trial Run Before we ventured directly towards the classroom that spawned the minotaurs, we took this opportunity to take a detour towards the restrooms. Now, this might not seem like much in any normal circumstance, but when you haven¡¯t peed or relieved yourself in 12+ hours, things can get pretty bad. When we got there, both Hina and Cielle gasped out in surprise. I had forgotten, but the corpses of ten or so goblins were still visible from out in the hallway, or rather, the very hallway was scattered with the remnants of my battle from yesterday. My eyes scanned the surroundings lethargically as the girls, began to chatter on about what they saw. ¡°Wh-what happened here¡­?¡± Hina¡¯s voice rang out. ¡°These short green things are all¡­.¡± Her tone was a mix of disgust and sympathy. It was as if she felt grossed out by all the blood and geen corpses while feeling sympathy for the fact that they had died. ¡°W-what do you think did this¡­?¡± Cielle¡¯s voiced in wonderment. ¡°I can only begin to wonder¡­¡± Hina responded, ¡°... but I think it might have been a monster of some sort¡­¡± Hearing this, I reflexively shook my head. ¡°No, it wasn¡¯t a monster.¡± I spoke up for the first time ever since we arrived at the hallway. ¡°Huh? I-it wasn¡¯t? Then what? Or rather, how would you even know?¡± Hina asked a barrage of questions, which I promptly answered with a single phrase. ¡°It¡¯s simple; I¡¯m the one who did this.¡± ¡°Eh?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Hina and Cielle uttered their disbelief, which I met readily with an impassive face. ¡°How do you think I got all these swords?¡± I indicated to the 4 or so goblin short swords I strapped to my back prior to leaving the art room. Hina and Cielle¡¯s eyes trailed downwards to look at the swords as their expression only further clouded in astonishment. I let them gawk for a bit more, savoring the somewhat superior feeling I was receiving before I immediately moved over to the men¡¯s restroom. As I walked into the familiar area, I called out nonchalantly. ¡°Oi, you two better hurry up. We don¡¯t have all day, you know.¡± I chuckled ruefully to myself. Despite saying that, I saw the two girls remain fixed on their positions, absentmindedly looking over at me as I entered the room and closed the metal door behind me. Once I was inside and alone, my light, almost boisterous expression instantly darkened. My eyes were immediately drawn to the carnage of the bathroom. Like how I left it after the Goblin Commander¡¯s defeat, the corpses, or at least what remained of them, were still littered half hazardly on the floor and smeared on the walls. ¡°....¡± I looked blankly at this scene. This was one thing I definitely did not want the girls to see. Brushing of the feeling of both, shame, and unease, I quickly took care of my business. A passing thought such as, ¡°How exactly do I fight a minotaur¡­¡± drifted through my head, as I took a long and worthwhile piss. **** After our quick side trip, we immediately set forth towards our current destination. The other two were now noticeably tenser. I don¡¯t know whether it was because of the scene of dead goblins that they saw, or because we were getting closer to actual ¡°living¡± monsters, but their tension was good. It would make them react faster and get their systems ready for action. In no time, we reached an intersection within the hallways. The hall that went to the left was the same hallway which housed the Minotaurs¡¯ spawn point. I signaled the girls to stop by raising my open palm in the air. As we halted, Cielle¡¯s voice perked up from the back, ¡°Isn¡¯t this the place¡­¡± Her voice trailed off, leaking a bit of weird nostalgia in the process. Hearing her, I nodded in response. ¡°Yeah, this was where I first bumped into you-- but now¡¯s not the time for reminiscing, it¡¯s dangerous out here¡­¡± Upon my command, we then circled back and hid in one of the classrooms close to our actual goal. There, I chose this opportunity to further elaborate on my plan. ¡°It¡¯s simple really, we kill some minotaurs, get the experience, and collect any loot that may drop in the process.¡± ¡°Uh... Can you further elaborate on that?¡± Hina asked, somewhat annoyed by the lax tone I had in my voice. ¡°Well¡­ at this current moment, I can¡¯t.¡± I spoke simply. ¡°Eh?! What do you mean you can¡¯t?¡± ¡°Well¡­ suffice to say, I don¡¯t have a current plan.¡± I spoke bluntly, not bothering to hide this tidbit of information. ¡°W-what do you mean you don¡¯t have a current plan?¡± ¡°Well, you see¡­. I know next to nothing about these creatures¡­ so I can¡¯t really formulate my plan without any information.¡± I responded while scratching the bird¡¯s nest I called my hair. Hina¡¯s face absolutely went pale green upon hearing this. ¡°O-oi...h-h-ha ha ha¡­.You mean to tell me, we¡¯re basically about to start fighting blind against a giant half man, half bull.?!¡± Hina¡¯s voice rose an inflection, which quickly prompted a round of sushing from Cielle. ¡°No, we¡¯re not going in there blind. I am.¡± I corrected. ¡°W-wait, what? What do you mean?¡± Hina continually asked questions, which I would answer, albeit with a heavy sigh in between. ¡°You all do know that you¡¯re all just level 1, right?¡± I stated this obvious fact. ¡°Y-yeah¡­but why are you bringing this up now?¡± ¡°Well, because,¡± I passed to look at them both. ¡°Minotaurs are at most, level 15 monsters.¡± I stated another simple fact. ¡°L-l-l-level 15?!¡± A shocked cry escaped Hina¡¯s voice. Of to the side, I could see Cielle pale upon hearing my words. I sighed once more, ¡°Ah, geeze~ Don¡¯t yell so loud, you¡¯ll draw the minotaurs our way¡­.¡± Hina¡¯s hands instantly clamped down on her still gaping mouth. Even Cielle, who was usually quiet, and even now hadn¡¯t uttered so much as a word, had her hands firmly clasped onto her petite lips. It seems like that little scare tactic worked wonders. It¡¯s good to let these two know about the dangers of this world, and there¡¯s no better way to do that then to expose them to an almost insurmountable force (well, at their current level). That way, they learn that at their current strength, they are no more than easy pickings for these types of monsters. Well, this method of ¡°encouragement¡± is actually quite a double edged sword. Either they become motivated to triumph over this unfairness (much like me), or they end up in a spiraling staircase of despair and depression, only going deeper and deeper until it becomes almost impossible to crawl your way back out. Hopefully, its the former, but you never know. After all, human beings are quite fickle creatures. ¡°Look, I¡¯m also level 15, so give or take, I should stand at about equal ground with one of these creatures.¡± I went on explaining, now deciding to ignore the two girls who still wore shocked/scared faces. ¡°I¡¯ll go in first. Test out the waters, per say. I¡¯ll engage in combat with one of them to, you know, analyze their movements, find out if they have any weak points, etc. After that I¡¯ll return and together, we¡¯ll develop a way so that you guys can farm experience from these high leveled monsters. Sound like a plan?¡± They looked at me blankly. From their expressions, they didn¡¯t even need to tell me in order for me to guess what they were thinking; they thought it was impossible. Too risky, too dangerous, I don¡¯t know, but they didn¡¯t believe I was capable of doing it. Which is an understandable conclusion. I¡¯m just a lanky teenager, and if someone were to pit me against a minotaur in a no holds barred death match, it would be an even greater understatement to call me the underdog. Even though I could see where they were coming from, still¡­ [These ladies sure do underestimate me, don¡¯t they?] I wearily shook my head as I let out a helpless sigh. ¡°Listen, don¡¯t worry about me, I¡¯ll be back in no time. In the meanwhile, you two get ready. Remember, it¡¯s very possible that I could drop dead while fighting, or that another monster might wander through here.¡± I warned them, lowering my voice into an ominous octave. ¡°I need you two to be ready, incase anything bad were to happen¡­¡± I let my voice trail off, implying several things yet not verbally stating them. The message was received well enough though, as both Cielle and Hina frantically nodded, a slight fire of determination welling up within their irises. I solemnly nodded as I turned around and quietly exited the door; It was time to hunt once more. ***** I walked briskly to the corner of the hallway. My steps were silent, amateurish, but silent. As I arrived, I crouched near the wall, and peered out into the hall. From my prior experience with minotaurs, they spawned every 1 minute and 30 seconds, and when their troops built up to three, the group would then venture forth, deeper into the eastern hallway, where they probably caused all sorts of hell. Now, a minute and thirty isn¡¯t necessarily a large span of time. In fact, this interval was much shorter than when I fought the level 6 goblins. Just thinking about fighting a minotaur in such a short time frame¡­ well, I thought it was pretty impossible of a task. As for my method of attack, I can either 1) rush out at a minotaur when it¡¯s all alone, and perform a blitzkrieg, hoping I can kill it before its friends spawn or 2) I can attempt to lure one out of the classroom while its alone. Now there are complications to both methods. For 1, the task of killing something that large and high level within that little of a time frame is next to impossible and will require nothing short of a physical phenomena. And there¡¯s always the lingering concern that I won¡¯t make it in time, and as a result, I¡¯ll get double teamed by two minotaurs, further upping the danger level. As for plan number 2, well, I haven¡¯t observed what a minotaur will exactly do after it spots someone. If that individual leaves the room, will the monster follow? What if it just stays there? Even worse, what if it waits for its friends to spawn, then goes about tracking me down with the brute strength of three minotaurs combined? Basically, this was a dilemma over imminent death versus the unknown. Racking my brain for a solution, as stupid as it might seem, I chose to go with plan number 1. In this regard, I had the advantage of surprise in my hand. If I do things correctly, and use consecutive [dissects] on the opponents legs, I can probably deal with a minotaur relatively quickly. Of course, I could always just be overestimating myself, which was probably true as well. But hey, self confidence is important too. With most of my crudely thought up plan all organized and in order, I set about my ¡°hunt¡±. I waited patiently, counting out the intervals in my head, until I finally saw a group of three minotaurs, leave the classroom excitedly as they made their way down the eastern hallway. Once they turned the corner and were now safely out of sight, that was when I bolted out from my hiding spot. Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.With hastened movements, I immediately ran through the doorway and entered the spawn point. I looked around warily, verbally counting out the limited time I had left before the next minotaur spawned. I was currently searching for a hiding spot. The simple plan was to find a place not too far from where the monster would spawn in order to successfully launch a surprise attack from the moment they blinked into life. My eyes hastily looked through every nook and cranny of the room. All the areas I found where either too far away, or I simply deemed as an inconvenient place to attack from. With only about 30 seconds left, I was disheartened, and in frustration, looked up above, as if I were venting out my frustrations towards the ceiling. [Wait, that¡¯s it!] My eyes widened at the sudden insight. If I nestled myself within the rafters of the ceiling, then I could very much land a successful surprise attack. Rather than aiming for an [amputate] towards its legs, I can whittle away its health by obstructing and attacking the most important part of a body; the brain. Imitating what I saw in movies and various sports shows, I leaped up with a running start and kicked out against the wall. My body was instantly reminded of a past action I used to so often perform; a running jump side kick. While the intention behind my current act and my memory were different, the movements were relatively the same, allowing for little to no error. Normally, doing something similar to parkour would have been next to impossible for the past me, but I figured with my added stats, especially my inflated stats to agility, I could somehow manage this well established human feat. As I kicked out at the wall, my hands instantly reached for the top of the window frame. Using my arm strength plus the initial inertia I recieved from my leap I swung myself over and jumped upwards, reaching the top of an almost 2.5 meter cabinet. I looked above and measured the distance I had left. The height of the ceiling was well over 7 meters tall, not an easy task to climb up against, but surprisingly, my agility, or maybe it was my strength, but regardless, my boost in stats allowed me to jump higher and reach further. With a leap of faith, bounded upwards. My initial jump elevated me over 1 meter upwards. I then performed another kick out towards the wall. This time, my kick pushed me upwards by another 1.5 meters and redirected me to a lowered rafter, which was one I could safely reach. I swung myself forward, using the initial inertia to stand above the rafter. Like I¡¯ve said before, this part of the school was old, so it didn¡¯t come as much of a surprise that the ceilings had visible rafters sprawled along side the intertwining ventilation shafts. Like a tight wire, I steadily made my way using rafter after rafter until I was directly below where I assumed the newest minotaur would spawn. Luckily, I had exactly 10 seconds left. I inwardly counted out the time, as I braced myself for the coming battle. 10...9...8¡­ My hand reached to the back of my uniform as I pulled out efhermet. It gleamed within the absence of light. ¡­.7¡­.6¡­.5 I crouched down and used a free hand to steady myself. ¡­.4¡­.3¡­.2¡­. My legs were poised and ready, my mind was completely in a state of heightened concentration. ¡­.1¡­. Almost. ¡­..0¡­. Now! Woosh! Not a second after the rippling in the air began, I fell from the rafters. Or rather, I pushed myself down, accelerating with a far greater velocity than normal. The lumbering giant blinked into life just as I slammed down against its back with a tremendous force. The monster¡¯s shoulders drooped downwards from the impact. I didn¡¯t even have time to check its status as it began to recover from its initial state of confusion. I had purposely landed on the creature with an outstretched knee, hoping to buy me some form of time. My knee had hit the beast directly on the space between the back of the head and its neck, yet despite that, it was already steadily getting back up. Damn, what a formidable monster. The minotaur roared. It seemed more annoyed then angered that someone was trying to kill him. It shook its upper human half, all in a vain attempt to shake me off. Before I could slip off though, I twirled my hips so that they hugged down on the creature¡¯s massive neck. With my free hand I gripped one of its horns tightly, steadying myself from falling. Not being able to shake me off, the beast¡¯s movements became even more erratic, as it vented its frustration and anger out on the poor school walls. I stubbornly held my ground, like a cockroach, refusing to die! With one single thrust, I stabbed Efhermet deep into the monster¡¯s eye socket whilst activating [Dissect]. While this move wasn¡¯t going to trigger any [amputation] status effect, it would at the very least trigger a [Lacerate]. Plus, the actual use of this skill would result in more damage given than normal. Upon my thrust, a [critical hit] flashed above the minotaur¡¯s head as it cried out an inhumane wail of agony. As the dagger lodged itself even deeper into the eye socket. I wriggled and twisted the blade, endeavoring to reach the vulnerable part of the head though its only opening. While I did this, the creature continued screaming. The pain got so much so that the minotaur¡¯s movements abruptly stopped, as it stood down and fell on its knee, its screams of agony complementing its drop in height. Once I was satisfied with my initial stab, I pulled out the dagger with a single yank and proceeded to stick the sharp edge into the other eye socket. Of course, I activated [Dissect] at the same time, which prompted both a [critical hit] to appear from above its head, as well as a [lacerate] effect to trigger. The beast¡¯s shrill shrieks now numbed my eardrums, yet I didn¡¯t care. I continually stabbed at the creature¡¯s eye sockets, frantic to bring it down within the next 30 seconds. While killing it this way wouldn¡¯t let me attain the ¡°goals¡± I told Hina and Cielle about regarding this fight, truth be told, I had another reason for confronting a minotaur alone, rather than with the girls. I needed a body. It was simple enough; I wanted to kill a creature to attain a dead corpse so I could thoroughly examine it. For that, I told a half lie about wanting to find their weak points in battle, while the truth was, I really just wanted their body to acquire their weak points outside of battle. With such twisted reasoning and even more twisted determination, I continually stabbed at the eye sockets, alternating between left and right. After its hp dropped down to half, I abruptly stopped.. Killing it here would warrant another set of problems, for instance, there was no way I could properly [dissect] something while another minotaur loomed over my shoulder. That¡¯s why it became readily important for me and this half dead bull head, to be out of this room before the next interval came. With a large yank, I pulled out the still embedded knife from its eye socket. I held the handle of ethernet by my teeth as I now gripped both of its horns with both of my hands. I ignored the metallic spray of blood that colored my cheeks and face. With a mighty pull, one that capitalized on my increased strength, I jerked the beast back up to its feet. Readily, the monster¡¯s lumbering body reflexively moved, unable to resist my current actions. With clumsy and inexperienced movements, I led the bull by the horns towards the door frame. Several times, I came close to falling over or being struck by a poorly placed wall, but regardless held my ground. Every Time it fell to its knees or resisted, I¡¯d yank its head upwards, forcing it to bend to my commands. In no time, I reached the doorway and forced myself through along with the giant beast I currently rode. The doorframe was mangled and half destroyed by the time I successfully drove the bull out of the room and into the hallway. I glanced around the hall. By now, 50 seconds had passed, and I couldn¡¯t afford anymore wasted time moving the bull further and further away from the spawn point. This would have to do for now. Once again, I was now gripping the bull by a single horn while I grabbed a spare goblin short sword from my back. With one quick thrust, I lodged the blade into its eye socket, before I promptly released the handle. I then reached over close to where my mouth was and took hold of Efhermet once more. I stabbed my favorite dagger into its unoccupied eye socket. Both respective stabs warranted a round of [critical hits] as well as sorrowful cries towards the Minotaur. As I gripped Efhermet, this time, I was more determined to see it through the end. With a timed exhale, I plunged the dagger deeper than ever before. I had to actually reach around and stick some of my hand into its eye socket since the blade was a bit too short, but readily I continued onwards until another pop up, this one labeled as [Fatal Blow] emerged from the creature¡¯s head. The beast promptly slumped over as it fell with a staggering crash. I quickly reacted and leaped off its back before it could crush me under all its dead weight. As the beast lay motionless, I barely had a second to congratulate myself before I fully noticed I had about 15 seconds left. In that short time span, I needed to drag the corpse over behind the corner so I could properly [dissect] it undisturbed. Looking at it momentarily, I had no choice but to waste 5 precious seconds on amputating one of its legs and one of its arms. The beast was simply to heavy to carry intact, and while it was regrettable that I couldn¡¯t fully dissect both pairs of appendages, for my current situation, one of each would suffice. After words, I dragged the body as quickly as I could. It was at this time I seriously regretted not investing more points in strength as I struggled with both the weight and lack of traction from the tiled floors. I counted out the seconds remaining as I slowly neared the corner. ¡­.7¡­.6¡­.5 I finally got past the classroom windows. ¡­..4¡­.3...2.. I¡¯m almost there, just 2 more meters. ...1...0¡­. I finished dragging the body behind the wall, as I heard the whoosh of air and the roar of a bull, signaling the newest Minotaur blinking into life. But for now, that was none of my business. I had accomplished my task and received a suitable body. My lips curved upwards in a weary smile. [Later, once I get into a spare classroom, I¡¯ll begin dissecting. Like, that, I¡¯ll learn all of this cow¡¯s weak points, and by the time my first team battle starts, I¡¯ll be fully prepared¡­] With wandering thoughts, I sighed whilst I hunkered down and proceeded to further drag the massive body down and away from the spawn point. **** Author''s Note: With this chapter, I will also be posting a separate thread later that will show all the current skills introduced in the story. Word of caution, skills that haven''t been fully explained yet, such as [Gemini Blue] or [Full Element] might come of as a little bit spoilerish when you read their skill window in this separate post. This list will be continually updated as the story progresses. Follow, favorite, comment, and rate if you found this story entertaining. It''s a little thing, but it keeps me going. Next Chapter Skill List Due to popular demand, I made this thread. This thread will be used to list out and explain some of the skills introduced in the story. This will also be continually updated as the story further progresses Be Forewarned - Some of the skills listed may not have had their full capabilities/abilities explained within the story. Tread with caution, as some may be considered spoilerish. Skills are the main proponent of the "System" introduced in "Change: New World". There are no classes, but rather only various skills which people can acquire in order to build their own custom "character". While some may choose to gear their skills towards a specific build or class, there are also others who randomly collect skills and use them with no correlation. Skills are classified into 5 main rankings. They go from "weakest" to "strongest" as so - Regular - Rare - Legendary - Epic - World Class. Additionally, there also exists Unique and Magic Rankings. Unique skills aren''t necessarily the strongest but rather they are skills where only 1 can exist at any given time. A Unique Skill can be as strong and OP as World Class Skills or as basic as a Regular Skill (Like Dissect). Magic Skills are, as it sounds, skills entirely based on magic. The label Magic is usually added to the rest of the rank names (e.i. Regular Magic Skill, Unique Magic Skill). To clarify, There can be skills which require mana that aren''t necessarily labeled as a Magic Skill Hide''s Status Window, as of Chapter 33.
Status Window
NameHide Mayo
Age17RaceHuman
Level24GenderMale
TitlesPioneer, Pyschopath
Health100/340(31)Health Regen.0.005 / Sec
Mana (unavailable)340(16)Mana Regen.0.01 / Sec
Stamina24/340(16)Stamina Regen.0.05 / Sec
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Strength45(16)Agility60(16)
Vitality17(16)Dexterity60(16)
Intelligence26(16)Wisdom17(16)
Leadership0(8)Luck0(8)
Defense0(10)
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Skills
Equip (Active) Identification (Active) Dissection(Active) Sensory Remapping + (Active)
Current Status Effect(s)n/a
Unallocated Points0
Hide Mayo - Current Equipment Spoiler :
Efhermet Dagger A dagger crafted by the famed goblin blacksmith, ¡°Efhermet the Odd¡± using meteoric iron ore. It holds a mysterious sheen to it and appears to be finely crafted. The weapon looks to be crafted especially for human usage. Damage: 75 - 95 Critical hit rate increase by 20% +25 strength + 35 agility +17 dexterity [Equip] Skill Bonus +35 strength +5 luck (????) Level Requirement: 25
Cyclops Club [Heavily Customized] A traditional weapon used by Cyclops. Due to heavy customization by an amateur crafstman, the weapon has been modified for human use. Damage: 80 - 90 +25(50) Strength + 5(50) Defense Durability: 60/100 [Equip] Skill Bonus +45 Strength +10 Agility + 15 Intelligence (???) Familiarity: 50+ Level Requirement: 18 [Crafter Exempted]
Grey Backpack An old, worn out backpack. It can be used to store objects. +10 (+9) HP -5 (+9) Agility Familiarity: 9 Special Effects: (???) Durability: 16/30
Hooded Jacket An article of clothing. It is heavily used. +10 (+5) HP +5 (+5) Defense Familiarity: 5 Durability: 10/25
Headphones A tool used for listening to audio signals, such as music. Familiarity: 20 Durability: 5/6
Tennis Shoes Footwear. The grime and dirt indicates that it has been heavily used. +10 (+2) Agility Familiarity: 2 Special Effects: (???) Durability: 6/12
Hide Mayo - Skills Spoiler : Hard Scale - Rank: Beginner, Level: 1
[Equip] (Active) Skill Type: Unique Skill Rank: Beginner Skill Level: 3 Skill Experience: 35% Effects: Enables user to equip items. Items are granted stat bonuses. Weapon bonuses are only applicable to the skill owner. Consumable items may vary. Familiarity attribute gives certain stat boosts and special effects depending on its value. (???) (???) Available Sub-skills: Identify All-Purpose Crafting Demerits: You cannot use mana.
[Identification] (Active) Skill Type: Rare Skill Rank: Beginner Skill Level: 5 Skill Experience: 0.00% Effects: Enables the user to view relevant information on the target.
Dissection (Active) Through constant experimentation and trial, you have gained the foundation into understanding anatomy. Skill Type: Regular Skill Rank: Beginner Skill Level: 8 Skill Experience: 0% Effects: Grasp monster weak points more easily. Previously dissecting a species can allow for better understanding of anatomy. When used in combat, the given effects will result (may vary): Laceration - Severe form of bleeding effect Amputation - Better chance at severing an appendage. Use consumes 5 stamina. No cooldown time.
[All Heal] (Active) Skill Type: Unique Magic Skill Rank: Beginner Skill Level: 1 Skill Experience: 0.00% Effects: Allows access to all Healing based skills outside [Unique] rank with no limit. Although the possibility to learn all healing skills exist, there are several restriction and set conditions in order to aquire more skills. Ways to get more Healing skills; Raise the Skill level of [All Heal], other outside means. Currently Known Skills: Basic Heal Spell - Heal¡¯s a set amount of health based on the Skill owner¡¯s proprtionate Intelligence and Wisdom. Int and Wis can be switched out if the Skill owner has the holy stat. Basic heal affects one directed target. Mana Cost: 20 mp
The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.Sensory Re-mapping + You have experienced the absence of your primary sense, and have lived to regain it. Skill Type: Rare Skill Rank: Beginner Skill Level: 3 Skill Experience: 0.00% Effects: -In exchange for the temporary loss or decrease of a given ¡°sense¡±, one or more may be augmented. -Sense loss decreases as Skill Level increases -Sensory augmentation increases as Skill level increases -[Exchange rate for augmentation has been changed into the ratio of 2:1, where in exchange for the loss of a sense, the original augmentation of a skill has been increased by a factor of 2.] -[Passive Effect of Heightened sense of hearing, and smell.]
New Sub-skill for [Dissect] learned! Butcher [Active] With the basics of anatomy as your foundation, you have gained the ability to slaughter and cut up for food. Skill Type: Regular Skill Rank: Beginner Skill Level: 1 Skill Experience: 0% Effects: Increased efficiency when processing dead corpses for materials. Materials include but are not limited to: Bone, organ, muscle, fat, and/or skin. Current Specialization: Monster: Boar Animal: Pig, Boar Human: n/a
All-Purpose Crafting Skill Type: Rare Skill Rank: Beginner Skill Level: 1 Skill Experience: 0% Effects: A rare subtype skill that falls under the crafting specialization. It allows access to most, non-unique and non-legendary crafting skills. Ways to acquire more skills: Tutelage, direct experience, leveling up [All-Purpose Crafting] Currently Known Skills: Weapon Crafting- Allows for the crafting of weapons with innate attributes (i.e. stats, damage, durability, etc.) Weapon Customization - Customize pre-existing weapons, be it for better or for worse. repair dismantle
Hide Mayo - TitlesSpoiler :
Pioneer You are the first person to experience the new change that has yet to come, may you pave a path for others to follow. Effects: +10 all stats New stat created: Leadership
Psychopath You have displayed physical and/or mental actions which constitute one to question your mental stability. These actions include, but are not limited to; mindless torture, corpse disfigurement. Effects: -2 in leadership and luck +6 in all other stats. 50% resistance to fear. *Doing subsequent actions that correlate with the given title will produce an boost in its effects.*
Cielle Spoiler :
Nursing (Active) Through constant devotion and persistence, you have acquired the nurturing heart of a caregiver Skill Type: Regular Skill Rank: Beginner Skill Level: 1 Skill Experience: 0% Effects: Lowers the effects of detrimental status effects on allies and yourself. Depending on [Nursing]¡¯s skill level, it will grant a boost in all healing based skills. Less prone to mental status effects.
[Gemini Blue] (Active) Skill Type: Unique Magic Skill Rank: Beginner Skill Level: 1 Skill Experience: 0.00% Effects: Creation of [Light Gemini] and [Dark Gemini] [Light Gemini] - Directly heal a person¡¯s physical wounds and injuries. Healing physical wounds will subsequenltly cause the hp bar to regenerate. [Dark Gemini] - The leftover residue after the healing process. It is a concentrated mass of pure pain. While it won¡¯t cause physical injuries to occur, it will result in loss of hp. Mana capacity will lower until all residue is used up. (????) Mana Cost: Creation - 50 mp per liter Manipulation - 5 mp per second
Hina Spoiler :
[Full Element] (Active) Skill Type: Unique Magic Skill Rank: Beginner Skill Level: 1 Skill Experience: 0.00% Effects: Allows access to all Elemental based skills relating to the following attributes; Fire, Water, Wind, Earth. Ways to get more Elemental skills; Raise the Skill level of [Full Element], other outside means. It is possible to add a different Elemental branch through special means. (???) Currently Known Skills: Basic Fire Spell - Deals a set amount of fire attribute damage based on the Skill owner¡¯s proprtionate Intelligence and Wisdom. Basic Fire affects one directed target. Mana Cost: 20 mp Basic Water Spell - Deals a set amount of water attribute damage based on the Skill owner¡¯s proprtionate Intelligence and Wisdom. Basic Water affects one directed target. Mana Cost: 20 mp Basic Wind Spell - Deals a set amount of wind attribute damage based on the Skill owner¡¯s proprtionate Intelligence and Wisdom. Basic Wind affects one directed target. Mana Cost: 20 mp Basic Earth Spell - Deals a set amount of earth attribute damage based on the Skill owner¡¯s proprtionate Intelligence and Wisdom. Basic Earth affects one directed target. Mana Cost: 20 mp Fury (Fire) - Buff up the user¡¯s or an ally¡¯s base attack and base attack speed. Mana Cost: 30 mp Albative Heal (Water) - Creates a water shield around the user or an ally that continually heals and increases based defense for up to 45 seconds. Mana Cost: 30 mp Haste (Wind) - Buff up the user¡¯s or an ally¡¯s base movement speed, and attack speed. Mana Cost: 30 mp Defense (Earth) - Buff up the user¡¯s or an ally''s base defense and vitality. Mana Cost: 30 mp
Lesser Heal Skill Type: Rare Magic Skill Rank: Beginner Skill Level: 1 Skill Experience: 0.00% Effects: Heal¡¯s a set amount of health based on the Skill owner¡¯s proportionate Intelligence and Wisdom. Int and Wis can be switched out if the Skill owner has the holy stat. Basic heal affects one directed target. Cost: 40 mp
New Skill Earned! Lesser Pyrokinesis(Active) Through the constant manipulation of prior existing fire, you have gained an increased ability to control fire.. Skill Type: Rare Skill Rank: Beginner Skill Level: 1 Skill Experience: 0% Effects: -Increased manipulation of fire, and heat. Prior knowledge to the inner workings of fire may help facilitate the control. -Cannot create fire, but may control prior existing flames. -Augmented fire damage. Use consumes varying amount of either mana or stamina. Consumption rate depends on time the skill is active and the quantity of fire currently manipulated. No cooldown time. Synchronicity - Due to the affinity with the prior existing skill, [Basic Fire Spell], the effects of [Lesser Pyrokinesis] have been increased. Additionally, mana and stamina consumption for the skill has also been reduced. Similar effects have been applied to [Basic Fire Spell].
Hydrokenisis While I will endeavor to answer any and all questions you may post on this thread, please keep all skill suggestions in the separate suggestions thread. While you can still put skill suggestions on here, I will more likely read it on the other thread. Chapter 23: Perspective Author''s Note: Sorry for the delay, I got preoccupied yesterday. Perspective In one of the decrepit classrooms adjacent to the Eastern hallway, Hina and Cielle waited anxiously. They exchanged few words, mostly about their previous life, some mention of their parents, although that topic had already become taboo (I mean, what¡¯s good about having such a heavy topic in mind when you can¡¯t do anything about it), but mostly, the room was submerged in a miasma of silence and heavy tension. In Hina¡¯s case, there remained lingering doubt as to whether Hide could accomplish the task he had proposed. Although she knew Hide was credited with saving her life before, she simply found it hard to believe in the youth¡¯s¡­ abilities, especially basing from how he presented himself. Hina had not known the true value levels had, so when Hide made the passing remark about his level, Hina didn¡¯t quite appreciate it. While she had a vague notion Hide¡¯s feat was amazing in a sense, but it didn¡¯t quite hit home for the still clueless little girl. The solemn girl looked over at her sister. The usual haggard black hair donned over Cielle¡¯s face, covering much of her expression. Although her face was well hidden, Hina, having grown up with the eccentric girl, had learned how to discern most of Cielle¡¯s varying emotional states through body language alone. Right now, she had a feeling that Cielle was¡­ a bit awkward. Hina couldn¡¯t quite put it, since Cielle¡¯s particular state was something Hina hadn¡¯t previously seen before. In Cielle¡¯s case, she was idly letting her thoughts wander as her gaze remained fixated on the door in front of her. The very door that Hide had exited from and left her with a task. A task the young girl was motivated and determined to accomplish. This task was to wait patiently until Hide came back. He had told her previously not to worry about him, and while Cielle had decided even before hand to wholeheartedly believe in Hide, she couldn¡¯t help but hold in an anxious sort of feeling within her . Whether the odds were overwhelmingly in his favor, or astronomically against him, she would throw out any and all logic thinking and trust in Hide Mayo no matter what. But despite this rather twisted viewpoint, Cielle couldn¡¯t help but worry, she couldn¡¯t help but think something bad might happen, she couldn¡¯t help but fear for Hide¡¯s own life. After all, it was only natural to worry about those you love. The two sat quietly on some propped up chairs, hardly exchanging a word between each other. The original tenseness from when Hide had left still remained and persisted. They were nervous after all, this was their first time alone and not within the confines of the art room. Reminiscing, a lot of first times happened for the two girls throughout the span of yesterday until today. The first life or death experience, the first time Cielle acted so¡­ weird, and the first time they had met such an odd fellow like Hide. As they waited, a trembling roar vibrated throughout the hallway. Hina¡¯s head swiveled towards the noise¡¯s direction as Cielle¡¯s eyes widened in surprise under her curtain of matted hair. Their faces were strained, as if they both made the effort to hear and block out the noise at the same time. For the next 1 minute and a half, their ears filled with wails. From their distance, it wasn¡¯t clear whether these wails were one of anger, or pain, but at this point, for the two girls, it mattered not. As abruptly as the screams started, they suddenly stopped and for a while, there was a long silence. A silence that completely complemented the eerie feeling that had befallen the decrepit classroom. The girls looked between each other, as if the sudden quiet had broken them out of their stupor. They stared at each other for a moment, not knowing what to say. They could only begin to ponder as to the origin of that noise, but they had a feeling, no, they were certain that it somehow involved the black haired, panda eyed youth that they had seen off not a mere 20 minutes ago. ¡°W-what do you think¡­..¡± Hina¡¯s voice broke the abrupt silence but suddenly trailed off. ¡°Hide¡­¡± Cielle responded, her voice an eerie hollow to its original soft undertone. Hina nodded subconsciously to this one name. They didn¡¯¡¯t know how, but Hide had definitely produced that scream, but now the question on both their minds was; was he okay? They pondered this thought, this frightening question, this unwanted reality. They pondered the possibility that Hide had gone and died back then, but they did not voice it out. After 3 minutes or so, the screaming once again started. It wasn¡¯t human, rather, it was very much like the first round of screams; a deep, and guttural, animalistic roar(Mooooo!?), one embedded with rage and agony. Another 2 minutes passed before the screams halted. This time, the girls were more accustomed to it, so they only merely frowned, while Hina covered her ears loosely with a pair of delicate hands. The noise once again abruptly stopped as it had began. For what felt like hours, silence was once again prevalent. Merely the accelerated beating of rampant heart beats adorned the classroom. The girl¡¯s developed cold sweats as they unconsciously began to pray for Hide¡¯s safety. Hina¡¯s thoughts wandered. For some reason, it was at this time that she started remembering tid bits of random events from her previous life. Although in this case, previous merely meant the life she had lived up until now. The time she forgot to brush her teeth, when she fixed Cielle¡¯s hair, the happy days she spent with her parents. Weird little snippets of life. Moments she had taken for granted now felt so surreal in the face of the current events. The fact that death and its friends now accompanied what she would consider ¡°daily life¡± was quite a stupendous change for her. And for Hina, it embittered her that she could do nothing but wait. So she waited. Then, from a distance, an audible noise entered her ears. It was faint, but nonetheless, it existed. Unlike the previous events, this time they heard a faint pitter patter. Soft, rhythmic sounds that seemingly increased every second. The girls briefly looked at each other before they turned to the door. By now, they could definitely tell that this round of noise were feet running on tiled floors, and what¡¯s more, they were coming closer and closer to their current location. Their faces masked in concentration and anxiety as they continued to glare. They recalled Hide¡¯s parting words; ¡°Remember, it¡¯s very possible that I could drop dead while fighting, or that another monster might wander through here.¡± They shivered at this. The very thought that a person they had talked to mere minutes ago might now be lying dead filled their chilled bones to the icy core. The girls began to reflexively move to the back of the room. Cielle grabbed a nearby ruler as a pseudo weapon while Hina hastily raised her hand up in front of her, prepared to fire off a magic spell she had no prior experience with. As they waited anxiously, and as the steps grew louder, the door suddenly bursted open with increased vigor. A sweaty and tired looking Hide greeted them. In his left hand was the familiar night clad dagger that the two of them had seen on several occasion. What was in his right though, surprised them. It was a metallic axe with several blood and rust stains that indicated its heavy usage. The axe¡¯s wooden handle was gripped by Hide¡¯s right hand and seemingly dwarfed his small hand. Yet, despite this, he held it just as easily as the small bladed weapon in his other hand. Hide stared at the two for a moment and frowned. He entered the room without a word, placed the giant axe propped up to the side of the table while muttering, ¡°This thing is too inconvenient to use,¡± and directly went to the container filled with dark gemini. He lifted it up, and made his way back to the doorway. He turned back, and while his frown still persisted, he quickly shifted his expression back to an impassive mask and readily spoke to them. ¡°Hurry up, and follow me.¡± With those simple words, the youth left just as abruptly as he entered, although this time, he had prompted the two girls to follow. Hina and Cielle looked at each other for a moment, before they followed. Cielle ran up front while Hina followed. As they ran hastily through the halls, going wherever Hide would guide them to, Hina couldn¡¯t help but utter her current confusion. ¡°H-hey! What¡¯s happening?! What were those screams earlier?¡± Hide briefly glanced back before he turned back and continued running while he began explaining. ¡°Like I said before, I went to go test out the waters. I fought one and defeated it, but another one followed me when I ran away. It was unfortunate that I had to waste time taking care of an extra, but this is a good opportunity too. A third one right now should be out there, wandering, looking for me, and I expect many more to follow. In a little while, I¡¯m sure these halls will be filled with minotaurs, mostly since I disrupted their spawn pattern. This is a good opportunity for us though, since we can fight one alone without having to worry about the spawn point.¡± As he explained, Cielle nodded earnestly, not exactly understanding, but realizing Hide had done what he had promised to earlier. On the other hand, Hina¡¯s jaw dropped as she tried to comprehend the information. It felt a bit surreal, talking to a teenager about killing real monsters and the like. It definitely wasn¡¯t the type of situation Hina¡¯s memories had recalled. Hide didn¡¯t realize the girls¡¯ various reactions, so he blissfully continued to explain as he ran. ¡°Since we won¡¯t have to worry too much about fighting in the spawn point, we can set up a trap and make our fights easier. Rather than fighting on crunched time, we can take our time and get you two comfortable to the system...¡± With those words, Hide came to a dwindling stop in front of another old classroom. This room was just one among the myriad of other random classrooms within the Western building. He led them into the classroom and positioned them directly against the wall with them facing the door they had just entered. Once there, the two girls once again uneasily looked at each other, while Hide placed the container of black Gemini on the floor and breathed out a sigh of relief. Hide then pulled out two of the goblin short swords he always seemed to keep behind his back and gently handed them over, one to each girl. ¡°Now, I don¡¯t expect you two to use those, but it¡¯s a¡­ precaution.¡± He finished freeing the lid open, and turned back to the girls. ¡°Okay, here¡¯s the plan: I¡¯ll go lure the minotaur while you guy¡¯s wait here and set a trap.¡± Hide then turns abruptly towards Cielle. ¡°Cielle, I need you to set up a trap with dark gemini. Make it float above the entrance way, and when you see both me and the minotaur enter the room, force it down as fast as you can. The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement. Considering your level, this won¡¯t do much, but damage isn¡¯t what I¡¯m looking for, rather, I need you to create an opening with your powers.¡± He then paused for a second to look at Cielle. ¡°Do you understand?¡± Hide asked, to which Cielle determinedly nodded. Once he had confirmed this, he nodded in response, and then turned to Hina. ¡°As for you, get ready to use your spells...do you know anything else besides attack magic?¡± Startled for a moment, after some hesitation, Hina nodded and explained, ¡°I have a few, er, buffs, but I don¡¯t¡­¡± Hide abruptly cut her off with an ¡°Just like I thought¡­¡± Before he resumed explaining, ¡°I¡¯ll hear about the details later, for now, stick to attack magic. Just get ready to use them, DON¡¯T actually use them until I say so.¡± Not waiting for a response. Hide¡¯s eyes briefly examined the room, muttering following his frantic eye movement, before he began to make his way to the door. With a final goodbye, and a last confirmation, of ¡°Be prepared,¡± he set off to do his part of this rather rushed-plan. The two girls looked blankly at the now empty doorway. Hide¡¯s instructions had been so precise, and quick, that there wasn¡¯t much room to but in an opinion, leaving the girls to only helplessly sigh. Cielle immediately set about to levitate the mass of dark gemini residing in the container. It floated helplessly as it drifted above the doorway, exactly where Hide indicated. Hina, who saw this with a helpless state, could do nothing but raise her arms above her in preparation. Of course, the lingering doubt as to both Hide¡¯s skill, and to her own safety still persisted, but for now she said nothing. After all, Hide had voluntarily helped them in leveling up so that they could survive this new world. Plus, although Hina¡¯s mind refused to believe, it really does seem as if the minotaurs all fell to Hide¡¯s sword-er, dagger. With nothing else to do but idly ponder, Hina anxiously waited for the fight to start. This was going to be her first fight, so of course she was nervous. Rather, right now felt a bit surreal. As if this wasn¡¯t her hands directly in front of her, and it wasn¡¯t her skin perspirating to a huge extent. She felt out of it, loopy, nervous, terribly nervous. Yet she forged on, ready to take whatever was to come by the horns. Cielle on the other hand, shared the same nervous anxiousness of her sister. She had glanced briefly at her sister, and determined that as an older sister, she had to do something to protect her. While of course, she inwardly sighed in relief upon knowing Hide was there, all the same, she had endeavored to risk her life for the ones she loved. And right now that count was two; Hide and Hina. [Ah, I hope Hide is safe¡­] Cielle. [W-will this really be okay¡­.] Hina worriedly asked herself. The two girls, whose actions were identical, yet the content was different, continued pondering useless trivialities as they waited. Suddenly, snapping both girl¡¯s from their thoughts, a lumbering roar shaked the atmosphere. In an instant Hide bursted through the doorway, dagger in hand. Somehow its orichalum black edge was smeared in a vicious red, which glinted of the sun light. Hide ran and with one glance at Cielle, indicated for her to activate the trap. Nervous, excited, scared, very scared, yet devoted nonetheless, Cielle did her part and pushed down the currently levitating Dark gemini directly below the beast that shortly entered the room. Like Hide had said, Dark gemini hadn¡¯t killed the minotaur, which was obvious considering how low a level Cielle was. But it¡¯s not like it was completely useless. Despite its level, the blackish substance was capable of exerting out watts of electrifying pain. This pain was so great that upon contact, it left the giant of a bull helplessly screaming out in pain. Using this opportunity, Cielle saw Hide pivot of from his spot, and directly rush back towards the beast. His hands seemed to fly forward as it quickly lobbed of a leg¡­ then another. In no time the beast was a double amputee and was left helpless in a state of constant agony. Seeing this, Hide stopped for a moment. From Cielle¡¯s perspective he seemed to be looking something while he muttered quietly to himself. Then, without a moment¡¯s hesitation, he stepped towards the creature and stabbed down directly into its eye, eliciting a round of agonized screams. He stepped back, seemingly satisfied, before he turned back towards Hina. ¡°Hina, I dealt a few major blow towards the thing. It should have at most 2% of its hp left. Use your attack magic in succession with what I call out. Got it?¡± ¡°Ah.. um¡­¡± Hina hesitated for a moment. The idea that she was about to kill something that looked vaguely human flashed across her mind. Her subconscious was still a bit receptive upon the new rules of this new world, but before any doubt could trickle its way into her mind, Hide immediately said, ¡°Fire!¡± The chill of Hide¡¯s permissive and ice like tone cause shivers to run down Hina¡¯s spine as her body unconsciously began going through the motions of a Basic Fire spell. Reddish orange flames shot forth out of Hina¡¯s hands and directly spiraled into the Minotaur¡¯s chest. The searing blast caused a round of roars to burst forth from the creature¡¯s orifice. From the back, Cielle slowly began to lower her still outstretched arms, noticing that her assistance was no longer needed. Rather than looking at her sister, whose face turned frantic upon the impact of the skill onto the monster, she quietly observed Hide, who, to her interest, was sporting a deathly handsome expression as he stared intently at the dying beast. With keen eyes and even keener ears, she heard the youth, mutter out ¡°1.3% damage¡­.¡± In an instant, Hide¡¯s muttering grew louder until he was once again issuing commands. ¡°Hmm... another, ¡®Wind.¡¯¡± Hina¡¯s body once again moved into motion and in no time, a round of razor sharp gusts rocketed out and impacted the dying minotaur. While the magic that left her hands battered the beast relentlessly, her expression was less forceful. A more frantic, and somewhat unstable facade masked her face as she steadily lost the conscious will to move it as she pleased. It¡¯s already critical state once lowered once more, as Hide¡¯s indifferent voice, rang out so quietly that Cielle could barely hear the subdued, ¡°.5%...¡± ¡°Water.¡± Hide called out once more, prompting Hina to attack. A torrent of jet like water blasted at the minotaur. It let out a dying grown before its body went limp and died. Seeing this, Hina let out a shaky laugh as she attempted to hug herself. Consoling mutters emitted from her now deathly fragile voice. Things like ¡°I-I killed it..¡± and ¡°Magic sure is strong¡­¡± were constantly heard in the deathly quiet room. Cielle watched this with fascinated eyes, well, watched Hide mostly, who nodded understandingly. Hide turned towards Hina, and, as if in an attempt to shake of Hina¡¯s post kill stupor, he spoke, ¡°Hina. I want you to use fire spells this time around. They work more effectively against this type of monster.¡± Hide stopped speaking for a moment and looked at the unresponsive Hina. At first, she seemed lost, not paying attention nor showing any indication that she was listening. Then, after a couple of seconds she silently nodded. ¡°Then, Hina, I want you to check out your stats. See if you leveled up or not.¡± Hide¡¯s voice advised. Hina once again silently nodded, as she inwardly thought to herself. [Status¡­] She looked briefly at her stats. She noted that her strength was still as low as ever (4), while the rest remained intact. Her eyes scanned the mana, stamina, and hp section only to widen in surprise as she soon discovered that they had risen by 30 each. She looked at her current level, and as if to confirm it with herself as well as inform Hide, said ¡°I¡¯m level 3.¡± With that simple sentence Hide nodded. ¡°Distribute your points as you like. They might not seem much, but in the long run, they¡¯ll help. Also¡­.¡± Hide¡¯s voice trailed off as he walked over closer to the two girls. ¡°I also want you to take turns attacking with Cielle.¡± He continued, and briefly looked out into space. After confirming something, he took out his black dagger before he performed a severe gash on his own arm. The blade seemed to sink into bone as Hide only groaned out an uncomfortable noise. He then looked back at Cielle. His gaze, which met Cielle¡¯s own seemed to make the fragile young girl¡¯s heart skip a beat. Impervious to the complicated intricacies of a young maiden¡¯s heart, Hide quickly spoke. ¡°Cielle come heal my wound.¡± Without a moment¡¯s hesitation, the sparkling blue quickly left Cielle¡¯s palm as it entered Hide¡¯s body. A few seconds later, a rather large mass of Bluish black was freed itself from Hide and floated carelessly in the air. Hide promptly moved over and with the container from earlier, captured much of the liquid. He gently sat it down next to the black haired girl, as he moved backwards. ¡°Cielle, use this for attacking. We won¡¯t go with the earlier plan from last time. I want you two to not do anything until I say so. For the next round, Hina, just stand there. Then after that, it¡¯ll be Hina¡¯s turn to attack while Cielle waits and recovers her mana. This will be the system we will use. You two each taking turns as I continue to draw in the minotaurs. You two must make sure to get the final blow, otherwise, you won¡¯t get any experience. I¡¯ve already confirmed this. The last fight, although I did the brunt of the work, I didn¡¯t receive anything. It must have something to do with the no party system in this dungeon. In the future, I think that parties and the like may become available, but for now that¡¯s out of our reach. The system said that¡­.¡± Hide noticed that he had unconsciously started rambling so he abruptly stopped himself. With a cough, he regained his composure to look at both Hina and Cielle. He noticed that upon hearing his consecutive barrage of orders, the two girls nodded. Right now they weren¡¯t in control, they had totally fallen into Hide¡¯s manipulative hand. Hide nodded as well, before moving back over to the door. With a few parting words, and an affirmation of ¡°I¡¯m going to go draw in the next minotaur, you two stay safe.¡± He left, leaving the two girls alone, once again in the silence. And with that Hide and co.¡¯s farming had only just begun. ***** Author''s Note: Tried a different perspective to emphasize both Cielle''s and Hina''s train of thought for this chapter. If you like this story, please, follow, favorite, comment, and/or rate. It helps me keep going. Next Chapter Chapter 24: A Meticulous Hunt Pt. 2 Author''s Note: Although I took a while to post this chapter, at least this one''s considerably longer than the others... A Meticulous Hunt A week passed since the three of us started our grinding. The double experience bonus ended yesterday, and as expected, leveling up has become much slower. Although, relatively speaking, even with the double experience in effect, I¡¯d say leveling up was relatively slow to begin with. In the end, I could only rise up 7 levels, while Cielle and Hina are both respectively level 16 and 15. This was all due to the meticulous hunting and effort we all poured into those valuable 7 days¡­. ***** For the majority of the time that the double experience was in effect, I pushed and strained hard in order to get the two girls¡¯ levels up. At first it was a very trying task. We had decided before hand to stay within the confines of the west wing, 2nd floor. Everything beyond that was unknown, and the girls weren¡¯t quite comfortable with venturing any further into territory we knew nothing about. Of course, in the future, we planned on exploring the school, or at the very least, venturing downstairs or to the main building. After all, it would do no good to stay confined to this area. A condition that we had to defeat the Dungeon boss in order to leave was in place, and it was readily obvious that such an existence wasn¡¯t here. We would leave, but not after getting stronger. That¡¯s why it was necessary to grind. Grinding makes you stronger. Early on, we implemented a system which prioritized safety over efficiency. This worked well for the girls, seeing as they had no experience with actual combat. The method was simple; Lure a wandering minotaur into a secluded room, where the girls were waiting, and ambush the beast with our combined strength. I would aggro the beast while I whittled down its hp until either Cielle or Hina could deliver the final blow. This method was much safer than spawn camping, considering it was exceedingly difficult to kill a minotaur within the span of 1 minute and 30 seconds. Plus, even if we could manage the feet, things like stamina need to be put into consideration¡­ Also, this plan was the only possible one for us since the minotaurs now freely wandered the halls of the western building. Apparently, I disrupted their movement pattern when I killed the first minotaur and attracted the subsequent ones attention. Now they guard the halls, wandering, as their numbers only continue to swell. If we hunted out in the open, considering the two girls; level and experience, getting jumped or attacked by multitudes of monsters would guarantee all but death. So in the end, the luring and baiting of the minotaur system was implemented. Of course, this method was repetitive and¡­ tiresome. The constant hesitation of the two girls, particularly Hina, over killing the monsters was a bit annoying (although I completely understood why), and the actual growth speed of the two girls were less than satisfactory. This was mostly accredited to the fact that the ¡°setting up a trap¡± method was extremely slow, plus the girls only received exp every other minotaur, mostly since they faithfully switched turns attacking. Actually, rather than blaming the girls, I¡¯d much rather blame the specific dungeon rule that didn¡¯t allow for parties. While right now, I may not know what benefit parties get, I can at least assume that they have a sort of exp share feature, much like in other rpgs. This was a huge disadvantage for us, since I had to whittle down every minotaurs hp up to an amount where Cielle¡¯s Gemini dark, or Hina¡¯s Basic fire spell, could finish it off. Anyways, this task was tedious and very detail specific. All in all, this method took about 20 minutes for each kill. A very slow leveling up speed, which resulted in them reaching only level 8 in as much as 4 days. By then, I had decided to forgo hunting so carefully, and instead instilled a system of systematic genocide on the minotaurs. While now that the two girls levels were barely acceptable, at the very least each of their attacks could shave off 5-15 % of a minotaur¡¯s hp, it would be a perfect opportunity to start ¡°actual¡± combat training. Plus, it would be good to start thinning out the horde of minotaurs that the hallways were currently swamped in. Since the Minotaurs stopped leaving off into the eastern hallway, they congregated here. This not only made general movement harder, but also blocked the spawn point with several ¡°guards¡± Actually, a [minotaur guard] is an actual monster here, whose levels is 2 more than a regular minotaur. In the end, I want to reach the spawn point and do some grinding there, mostly because at our current level we could handle something like that. Anyways, while I did say that the area was swamped with minotaurs, that¡¯s not to say I didn¡¯t do anything about them. In fact, while I was out luring monsters, I¡¯d slash and kill as much minotaurs as I possible. This was mostly to limit their population from swelling up too greatly (a gesture that failed), but was also because I needed to level up as well. I couldn''t just let those two grow while I remained stagnant. So I strived to slay as much as I could while helping out the girls simultaneously. In the end, I reached level 18 through this method, and also gained a level in dissection (mostly since every opportunity I got, I¡¯d dissect the minotaur corpse). Dissection now gave off a vague glow towards areas purported to be weak, although this might as well had not been there, seeing as how I already figured out most of a minotaur¡¯s weak points through constant dissection and¡­ um, experimentation. While I did enjoy my own leveling up speed, I still held a deep dissatisfaction for the girls, who were compartively much slower than me. This troubled me, because in all sense of the word, the girls were ¡°investments.¡± To be exact, they were short term investments. While part humanistic emotion led me to give away a mana potion and a health potion to Hina and Cielle, the most important reason was for my own benefit. While of course, I could have hogged all the potions, especially the mana potion, since it held a high chance of giving me a unique magic skill, albeit one I probably couldn¡¯t use, but a skill nonetheless, I choose not to, simply because at my current state, I was worried about my own safety far more than the missed opportunity I gave away. If it wasn¡¯t obvious enough, there was no way I could live through this dungeon alone. I needed allies. No, I didn¡¯t need just allies, I needed strong allies. In the near future, fire power and manpower would be needed in order to take down the school boss. I doubted my own ability to handle such a feat, so, let me reiterate, I needed strong allies. And since there was no one around that fit my criteria, I decided to create them myself. That¡¯s the primary reason why I gave Hina the mana potion. So she could gain a strong enough skill to back me up. Although the slight tinge of greed crept into my heart upon the idea of monopolizing unique skills, I came to a rational conclusion that, this in fact, was a stupid idea and a notion that would have gotten me killed. While I could have always monopolized the mana potion and received the skill for myself, it would have most likely been a magic based skill, and I couldn''t use magic based skills. Of course, there was always the possibility that I could somehow use magic in the future, there also lied my problem, ¡°future.¡± If I died here because I was greedy and didn¡¯t have any allies, what good would a future skill be to the dead me. That¡¯s why this current event was what I called a short term over a long term investment. Hina, and to a larger extent, Cielle, where my investments as ¡°comrades¡±. Although to cash in on those investments, first I needed to make them stronger, both mentally and physically, to properly support me. So with that sort of motivation, I entered into the next phase of our grinding; Systematic Genocide. On the 5th day, I brought the girls out from their usual hiding spot (the room where they waited) and explained today¡¯s plan. Thanks to my rigorous ¡°training¡± they readily answered me with as much bravado as they could muster. Speaking of my training¡­. For the majority of the four days they spent waiting and hunting in that cramped room, I tried helping them in other ways than just leveling up. One of these ways was resilient training. I wanted to give them a crash course study session on what they needed in order to survive. I detailed and explained all the various game mechanics I had discovered, from item drops to levels, all the way up to individual stats. Actually, during this brief intermittent of learning, I also learned a few things myself. For one, when Hina distributed her stats to wisdom and intelligence, I achieved a rough idea as to what those particular stats pertained. After plenty of prodding on my part, I discovered that intelligence improved actual reaction time, computational skill and increases magic attack speed, while wisdom increased memorization skills and increased magical attack power. Like I had already assumed the stat distributions had no effect to usual stat derived stats like mana capacity or health. In most games, rise in wis would subsequently rise the max mana of a player. This same logic applied to increasing vitality in order to increase health or stamina. In this system, it seems like that wasn¡¯t the case. Rather, the individual stats of health, stamina, and max mana weren¡¯t directly connected with the other stats. I had first assumed this when I raised my vitality and neither my health or stamina rose. This theory was confirmed by the new information I gathered from Hina. As for the stats themselves¡­ I determined that intelligence was like magical agility while wisdom was like magical strength. Seeing as how intelligence increased perception and reaction time, I decided to prioritize this over wisdom, although I did still have plans on looking into wisdom myself, if not just to sate my own curiosity. Anyways, once I taught the two the basics, it was time for actual combat and real experience. Well, although I say combat, during those four days, they never really ¡°fought¡± per say. I always aggroed the minotaurs while the girls merely exp stealed with the final blow. Basically, they were like experience babies. What they did learn, was mental fortitude¡­ Well, at least that was the plan. During combat, is when I shined the most, and apparently, its where my rather ¡°severe¡± training also showed its prowess. In order to teach them the rules of this world, and in a looser sense, get them more comfortable with killing (seeing as how some of these monsters were vaguely human like), I relied heavily on old military training tactics, a topic I faintly recalled learning about during a late night binge watch of the discovery channel. The result of this haphazard training I implemented was actually somewhat successful. Boot camp like tactics, such as deliberately letting a monster come close to attacking the girls, only to momentarily save them later. This helped instill both the concept that I was a friendly and trustworthy figure in their hearts, while also embedding the reality that the monsters were dangerous and were more than willing to kill you. In some cases, when the girls got strong enough to actually tank a hit or two, I¡¯d deliberately let the minotaur knock them around a bit, in order to connect actual pain with the creature¡¯s existence. Of course this was a cruel tactic, even by my standards and it embittered my heart implementing it, but this was as much good for the girls as it was for me. They needed to throw away silly notions such as ¡°killing is wrong¡± or ¡°what I¡¯m doing is bad¡±. They needed to be taught that the only thing this new world revolved around was the age old concept of ¡°survival of the fittest¡±, and right now, I was in the process of making them, by extension of the word, the ¡°fittest¡±. I also implemented scare, guilt and anger tactics. Words like, ¡°THIS IS THE MONSTER THAT ALMOST KILLED YOU!¡± or ¡°You¡¯ve already killed one, what¡¯s one more?!¡± were yelled out by me in the heat of battle, when endorphins are the highest and when the mind is the most susceptible. Kind of like reverse ptsd. For Hina, this worked wonders, seeing as how she already developed her own mental trauma about almost dying, I merely had to siphon of that in order to teach her. This was especially callous of me to do, but once I firmly rooted the mind set that this was actually helping them, I threw away my petty qualms. As for Cielle¡­ my actions didn;t seem to show any profound effects. Her mindset¡­ didn¡¯t seem to change much over the course of 4 days. Rather, she stayed pretty stable¡­ I guess, in a sense, she might have been the strongest one amongst us all... Anyways, by the end of the crash course training, they had risen up in level and their mental toughness grew. They now showed little apprehension to killing... well at least killing minotaurs. I¡¯m sure that against humanoid monsters, or even actual people, they would show the same reservations they showed in the beginning. This was a good thing actually. While I did attempt to train their mental fortitude, I didn¡¯t aim to completely destroy their humanity. I¡¯m not that cruel, after all. **** And this brings us back to the situation three days prior, when we had at most, 2 days of double experience left, involving me, Cielle, Hina, and a hallway full of brawny minotaurs. ¡°Hina, Cielle, get ready¡­¡± I spoke quietly, as the hooving clops and raging roars got louder. The girls who stood behind me, nodded in affirmation. Hina, who wore the same clothes I had found her in, had tied back her hair in a messy ponytail and readied her hands in front of her. While after some experimentation, we discovered that hand movement was not necessary to incite a spell, it helped Hina with her attacks, so it had grown into quite a habit for her. At her current level (8), I could pretty much rely on her now. While I didn¡¯t want her to waste too much of her mana, her attacks were indeed invaluable. Now she was capable of taking off 15 to 20 % of a minotaur¡¯s hp with a single [Basic Fire Spell]. This was probably attributed to her uneven distribution in wisdom. She had basically spammed that slot, increasing her attack power exponentially, although I did encourage her to invest in other stats, primarily vitality, if only to preserve her own life. While she was indeed reliable, especially after the 4 days in what the girls quickly labeled ¡°Hell¡¯s Classroom¡±, I did have some qualms about her fighting. Of course, this wasn¡¯t due to any petty feelings like, ¡°I can¡¯t believe I¡¯m making such a fragile girl fight.¡± But rather, questions on efficiency. I worried she would run out of mana with all her demanding spells. Luckily though, this worry was squashed a day ago, when she unexpectedly told me she acquired a new title. This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. ¡°Grand Magus¡±, was what she called it. Apparently it was a tier above the ¡°magus¡± title, and gave her some pretty amazing boosts. It had the effect of doubling her current mana pool, while halving her mana consumption... also, it had the added effects of increasing her wisdom and mana by double her current level (so basically she received a +16 at level 8).... ¡­. It was truly an OP title¡­ compared to ¡°Grand Magus¡±, my ¡°Pioneer¡± ability seems a bit lacking¡­. I wonder if it can get stronger¡­? I brushed aside my thoughts, and briefly glanced back at the other person standing besides Hina. Cielle on the other hand, had wheeled in a tray cart she had found crashed along a classroom cabinet. On top of the cart, and below it, were two containers filled to the brim with black, vicious, globs of darkened blue. Of course, this was gemini dark and was Cielle¡¯s primary method of attack. Cielle¡¯s face was as always, covered in a thick of matted hair while her clothes drooped down on her, showing off how illfit the size of her sweater was. She began undoing the lids, and prepared, for the rush of minotaurs to come. In the end, Cielle didn¡¯t have a title like ¡°Grand Magus¡±, rather she had what I came to consider, a very ordinary title of ¡°Healer¡±. It was an obvious outcome, considering she was our primary go to in case of injuries, since we didn¡¯t want to lose any of the valuable hp potions we had. In fact, we only found 3 hp potions throughout the prior 4 days, and no mana potions. Anyways, from both ¡°Grand Magus¡± and ¡°Healer¡±, I assumed that titles that vaguely resembled classes, were a common thing in this system. In the end, I subdivided the concept of titles into two. One was what I considered ordinary titles, like [Pioneer] or [Psychotic]. The other, this new type introduced by [Grand Magus] and [Healer]¡¯s existences, were what I labeled, ¡°Class titles¡±. Instead of an ordinary class system, it seems like in this new world, classes might not be available. Instead, something like class titles were granted. They were things that gave slight boosts towards a specific build. In Cielle¡¯s case her [Healer] title upped her recovery and lowered mana consumption. The added effects weren¡¯t as great as actual classes used in some rpgs, rather, they were tools used to emphasize that to survive in this world, one had to be smart. You couldn¡¯t just haphazardly collect skills and hope for the best. Also, it seems like in order to gain a new class title, one had to either do repetitive action or trigger certain requisites. For Cielle and Hina, this was probably due to their constant usage of their skills. Of course, with this new revelation it brought up numerous more questions. For one, was it possible to stack class titles? Could someone like Hina, who has both a magic and a healing skill, possible acquire [Healer] along side her [Grand Magus]? In the first place, why was Hina given such an op title? What type of conditions did she trigger??? And while I was a little bit peeved because of that, it also brought to question why I hadn¡¯t recieved my own class title. Going by my current actions, something like a rogue title or assassin would fit, yet I didn¡¯t receive such a thing. Maybe I¡¯ve already triggered a few other conditions that are leading up to a specific class title, one I wasn¡¯t yet aware of? Anyways, I can¡¯t be bogged down too much by such distracting thoughts. Brushing aside my mental pondering, I refocused on the situation. We were situated in a dead end facing the window, so we only had to worry about attacks from one direction. This was an ideal spot. As the fighting continued, and the inevitable noise attracted more monsters, it would be significantly easier to deal with them when they came from one direction, instead of surrounding us and overwhelming us with their forces. Squinting, of in the distance, I could see three figures looming closer. Their hooved feet dashed forward as there horns seemingly pointed directly towards us. Hina and Cielle looked nervously at the beasts before I could feel their needy gazes fall upon me. In the span of time I spent with the two, Hina and Cielle had developed a sort of unconscious reliance towards me. While this brought a slight smile to my face, this dependency would be quite hindering in the future, although for my purposes today, it was actually a good thing. Their dependency made them more recipient to my commands, thus making battle with these two inexperienced people slightly easier. Of course, I knew I needed to develop their own individual battle sense, but that can wait till later¡­ I stared calmly down at the first monster before me. My eyes briefly glanced over their feet as I was quickly reminded of one of the minotaur¡¯s primary weakness; their lower body. Not only was a minotaur¡¯s knee cap unusually soft and spoingant, its hooved feet were a cause for unbalance, especially on smooth surfaces like tiled floors, since they lacked any traction that common hooved animals relied on. At this instant, I could have monopolized [Full Element]¡¯s versatility by asking Hina to use some earth magic in conjunction with water magic in hopes of causing the beasts to lose their already unstable balance, but in the end, I decided against that. After all, I was pretty much capable of doing such an easy task myself. With this mindset, I rushed out, readily meeting the creatures running start. The girls followed but kept their distance as I began to deal with the one before me. This particular minotaur was ahead of the others, so for a span of 3 seconds or so, it was 1v1. Meeting the creature, I immediately tilted my body lower, pulling out efhermet as I continued running towards him. My eyes were steadily locked onto its right kneecap. The minotaur let out a bellowing roar as it swung its axe downward mid sprint. Twisting my body drastically to the right, I narrowly avoided the swing, as I sent out my own. My slash was directly aimed at the creature¡¯s patella (knee cap). Through [dissection], I learned that a minotaur¡¯s patella, the gap between its knees, was exceptionally larger than normal, making it quite an easy target for early amputation. With my single swing, I dislodged its lower right leg away from its main body. The creature readily lost 30% of its health, as I followed through. After my attack, I ended up behind the minotaur, and with a bit of a slide, abruptly stopped my forward momentum, as I leapt forward. My blade zoomed upwards, as the familiar ¡°swish¡± of metal to flesh penetrated my ears. The blow was aimed towards the small space between the back of its neck and its head. This attack, as well as the earlier [dissect] happened within the span of 2.5 seconds, and were both classified as [critical hits], leaving the beast with 50 % of its health remaining. ¡°Hina, Cielle!¡± I called back as I continued forward, facing the other two monsters that made up the bulk of its companions. ¡°Got it! F-fire!¡± With a yell, a I felt a wave of heat embrace my back, as the residue temperature affected even me. The minotaur, who was the full brunt of this blast was severely burned and as a result readily lost 20% hp. ¡°Gemini¡­¡± Cielle called out next, as a torrent of black flames directly impacted on the newly created burn mark. The minotaurs screamed an even louder scream as its remaining 30% hp slowly dwindled down. In short, I left the 50% hp minotaur to the two girls while I aggroed the remaining beasts. They were experienced enough for this, plus, not to mention the fact that the minotaur was hardly capable of moving thanks to my earlier [amputate]. For long ranged fighters like them, an enemy at this state was mere child¡¯s play for them. I aggroed the other two, while the girls finished of the half dead minotaur. ¡°Hide!¡± About a minute later, an affirmative call from behind me confirmed that the girls had suceeded. I immediately jumped back before letting out a last slice towards one of the creature¡¯s. In that span of a minute, I managed to reduce their hp to less than 50%, while giving an [amputate] affect on a minotaur missing an arm and a [lacerate] on the other. ¡°I leisurely retreated back towards the girls, as the beasts looked threateningly towards us. ¡°So, who managed to kill the first one.¡± I asked nonchalantly as my eyes remained fixated on the monsters ahead. ¡°I did. I killed it with a critical hit towards its head.¡± Hina answered with an almost impassive tone. The past her would have been shocked to hear those same words coming from herself. I nodded at this, while I motioned towards Cielle. ¡°Then, Cielle, you handle these two.¡± Upon hearing this, she rolled forward her tray cart while nodding shyly. The minotaurs dashed forward as the liquid black shot out towards the them. Looking at the imposing scene before me, I briefly noted how much better she was at controlling her skill. Unlike Hina, who was granted the [Grand Mags] title, Ciele compensated her lack of damage output, with her fantastic control. The blobs of liquid immediately spread and split into numerous orbs of black. They shot forward, each aiming at a prior injury. While dark gemini caused no outward physical injury, but merely pain, through experimentation and practice, Cielle found that directly attacking an area with an open wound caused dark gemini¡¯s effects to double, sometimes triple, depending on the prior injury. This knowledge, forged with constant practice, was amazing, and its usefulness fully showed themselves in this battle¡­. well, its more accurate to call this scene a slaughter. The subsequent orbs crawled and seeped their way into the wounds I created, causing roars of pure agony, one I would be hard pressed replicating. From my position, I quietly watched as their hp bars steadily decreased. The pain was so great that it caused them to jerk to a standstill as their legs crumpled to the floor due to the massive amounts of pain running through their nervous system. In no time, the remaining Minotaurs were dead, and Cielle had used up about a fourth of one container to do the job. Both Hina and I let out our collective sighs as Cielle turned back around to face us. Hina smiled innocently enough while saying, ¡°Congratulations Sis! You killed two of them so fast, how amazing¡­¡± Hina sighed once more as she lamented over her own abilities. Cielle nodded in appreciation as she softly replied with a, ¡°T-thanks¡­¡± ¡°Still, Sis, your ability sure is convenient. Healing and Damage¡­¡± Hina praised. ¡°N-no, its Hina¡¯s that¡¯s amazing. Fire, water, earth, and wind¡­ it¡¯s like you''re the avatar¡­¡±. Cielle replied back, which warranted a round of laughter from her sister. ¡°Well, although, I guess [Full Element] is a bit cool, it really can¡¯t be compared with your ability¡­ I can¡¯t kill monsters nearly as fast as you.¡± ¡°Even I¡­ have trouble killing several monsters at once.¡± They continued exchanging light hearted conversation like this, all the while I watched with a somewhat awkward, yet refreshed smile. It was weird, seeing something so ordinary as this conversation (well, mind the topics), in such a scenario. Eventually, I noticed, through her thicket of hair, Cielle was looking on at me with somewhat awkward eyes. Seeing this, I sighed. I instantly guessed what she wanted. Without saying a word, I stepped up and rubbed her head. Contrary to its appearance, Cielle¡¯s hair was rather soft and luscious, like its been well maintained, even with the 5 days of apocalypse she was going through. Cielle said nothing in return, but merely bent her head down as her body slowly gravitated towards me. I sighed again. This had all started 3 days ago. I didn¡¯t mean to do it, it was merely a subconscious reflex, but after Cielle had done a somewhat good job with finishing off a minotaur back then, since she was so close to me, I instinctively patted her head in a congratulatory gesture. I didn¡¯t mean to do it, and I had no intention of continuing the action, but somehow or another, it became a habit, both for her and me. As I continued to rub her head, I lamented. While this was a pretty weird thing to be doing to a girl you met 5 days ago, I did have to admit it was a somehow useful habit. For Cielle, who didn¡¯t quite respond as effectively as Hina to my ¡°training¡±, I guess a vague rewards system like this was a good way to motivate her. ¡°Good job.¡± I said simply, while continuing to pat her head with jerky motion. Hina who saw all this wore a bemused smile, while her sister in question, remained downcast. I really couldn¡¯t tell what type of expression she was making through that veil of hair of hers, despite my own curiosity. This rather flowery scene was quickly broken by thunderous vibration and subsequent roars, which affirmed that the next set of ¡°prey¡± had successfully followed the noise produced from earlier. I hid my inward smirk with a passive face as I turned to face the open hallway. I lifted my hand off from Cielle¡¯s hair, which caused a small ¡°ah¡­¡± to escape her mouth, as I turned around towards the noise. ¡°You guys ready?¡± I asked nonchalantly as I brandished Efhermet once more. It was time to thin out the pack. ***** The meticulous hunting which began on that day, and lasted for two whole days, persisted until the West wing building¡¯s 2nd floor hallways became as clear and empty once more. By this point, we lacked prey, and our levels had risen. It was good timing too, since the dungeon bonus of double experience just so happened to end today. At the end of the double experience week, I was now level 22, Cielle was level 16 and Hina was level 15. The repetitive grinding process had payed off. **** Author''s Note. Let me just say, sorry for any grammar mistakes during this chapter. I kind of did a haphazard proof read before I posted... I didn''t want to do what I did during the goblin grind chapters, that took too long, so I decided to condense it all down into one chapter. Next chap will be about exploring the school. Hide finally visits his old classroom, maybe picks up a few interesting items along the way... Follow, Comment, Favorite, and Rate. It''s not much , but it keeps me going. Next Chapter Chapter 25: Exploration- Start Author''s Note: Here''s the newest chapter... Also shout out to Kyren for proof reading this chapter. Exploration - Start Today, we decided to explore the west wing¡¯s 2nd floor. This was the general area we confined ourselves to this past week. It was in the old school building, and as expected, the structure and make up of the whole thing was rather outdated. In fact, if you looked at it objectively, you¡¯d come to find that the whole of the building resembled more of a gothic styled cathedral rather than an actual school. This became more evident, especially with the hanging rafters and high ceilings. The 2nd floor was a place of sparse population. Even before the apocalypse, at most, only about 100 students had classes here. 100 may seem a lot at first, but not when its put into context. Oak Wood Highschool was a huge school, with a large land space and a large student body. At most, there were 6,500 students. That¡¯s not even to include the 200 or so teachers and janitorial staff. In short, the 2nd floor was a big place with few people. And while we did spend the majority of our time here, we never really got a chance to explore it in earnest. We were too busy focusing on surviving and grinding. The only other times we went of to venture into other classrooms were to scavenge for food and necessities. Speaking of food, we¡¯ve been living of granola bars, old sandwiches, and whatever else the 100 or so students decided to bring to school on that particular day. It was hard going, and by now, we¡¯ve limited our consumption to 1 meal a day. This rule is especially hard on Cielle, who unexpectedly and despite her appearance,is quite the glutton. In fact, I worry about our food supply. Its been slowly running out and I fear the day we eat our last granola bar. I¡¯ve thought about supplementing our food with¡°monster meat¡±, but as expected even I¡¯m a little hesitant on that. I can¡¯t help but imagine cannibalism when I look at the half human part of a minotaur. Also, food isn¡¯t our only limited resource. For one, I have hardly gained anymore hp potions or mana potions, despite the number of monsters we¡¯ve killed. This situation was unlike the time with the goblins. Comparatively, the drop rate of items was much higher with the little green midgets than the minotaurs. Although I might attribute this to the type of monster. Maybe varying species just have varying drop rates, and Minotaurs just so happen to be the type that don¡¯t drop too many items. While this is somewhat troubling for me, I don¡¯t worry too much about it. Mostly since I can always rely on Cielle¡¯s [Gemini Blue] or to some extent, Hina¡¯s [Lesser Heal]. The real issue is food. But hopefully, we can either find more food or get out of here before the situation truly becomes so desperate. At least on the bright side, we don¡¯t have to worry too much about water, seeing as how the water fountains are still in operation. Although I don¡¯t know how long that¡¯ll last, so I¡¯ve started storing them in a few containers from the art room. But¡­ despite the water, truth be told, the situation isn¡¯t as¡­ amicable as I make it out to be. For one, we haven¡¯t taken a bath since, well since forever. Things, and people especially are starting to smell. Of course, I don¡¯t voice this opinion out loud, mostly since its a mere trivial problem and I¡¯m a bit hesitant on offending the girls. I might not have that much experience but I¡¯m sure commenting on personal hygiene isn¡¯t going to make females happy. The dirt and grim has gathered and stained both my body and clothes. The blood is especially noticeable. And, while I¡¯m not too sure as of yet, I think the filth and constant use is wearing down on the durability of my items. I don¡¯t have a method to solve this solution (mostly I don¡¯t want to do laundry) so for now, I can only pray that my items will last for a little while longer. Anyway back to the topic at hand, we decided to explore the west wing 2nd floor today. Afterwards, we plan on either going downstairs, or moving towards the eastern hallway, where the minotaurs original movement pattern led to. The latter option interests me the most, mostly because of this past week¡¯s situation. Although we¡¯ve fought minotaurs for over a week, a mini boss type monster similar to the goblin commander hasn¡¯t shown up. At first, I assumed such a creature would be resting or hiding out at the spawn point, but for minotaurs, it seems like that wasn¡¯t quite the case. The minotaurs had haphazardly left their important gateway alone, after all. So, considering the circumstance, I hypothesized that if there did exist a minotaur mini boss, then it would most likely be down the eastern hallway. It would make sense, since that¡¯s where most of the other minotaurs went to. In all likelihood, they had their ¡°base¡± within the deep recesses of the eastern hallway, or in my case, uncharted territory. That once familiar area became a chasm of unknown, causing hesitation in my stride. I¡¯ll head there eventually, but for now, I¡¯ll fully explore this place that I¡¯ve called home for the past week. **** We exited the art room, and walked down the hallway. Unlike prior, where we moved in the direction of the minotaur base, we went the opposite way, taking the original route that Cielle used to get to Hina¡¯s classroom. Today I had a few goals in mind. There wasn¡¯t any possible way to search through all of the rooms. Even for me, that would be ridiculous, plus, the usefulness of ordinary classrooms in a survival setting is questionable to begin with. No, rather, we planned on visiting the essential areas that I deemed of some importance located within the west wing. Well, although I said essential places, there¡¯s not much I can think of that would be any useful. At most, maybe the old chemistry lab. They might have some useful chemicals or something. After all, I am quite curious to see what effects they¡¯ll have on fantasy monsters. But aside from that, our actual primary goal is to visit our old classrooms. Since we¡¯ve basically spent the whole week in Hina¡¯s, today¡¯s primary focus will be to visit Cielle¡¯s and mine. Of course, there isn¡¯t much necessity in this action, but rather¡­. it holds some form of sentimental value for us. Sort of like a relic, a relic from a world that had already ended. First, we were going to visit Cielle¡¯s old classroom. A decrepit old room, near the farthest wall. According to Cielle, it was primarily a foregin languages room. Spanish, or maybe german. As we walked, idle chatter floated pleasantly between the two girls. They were much more lax than one week ago. This was probably due to them sort of ¡°getting used to¡± our current situation. ¡°Sis, when do you think we can take a bath?¡± Hina spoke a rather off topic question. ¡°¡®... I don¡¯t know.¡± Hina sighed at this apathetic response. I noticed, that between the dynamic of the two sisters, Hina was the more outgoing one while Cielle was somewhat reserved. Yet despite this, Hina seemed to dote on her sister, more so than what would be considered normal. Of course, this love doesn¡¯t go unnoticed. Cielle has her own odd way of reciprocating affection. ¡°Sis, I seriously think you should start considering things from a much broader perspective. I mean, you are a girl after all. It would be a waste to see your cuteness deteriorate due to lack of hygiene¡­.¡± Hina concernedly said as she fluffed her older sister¡¯s hair around. [What is this idiot thinking¡­.] I couldn¡¯t help but inwardly sigh. It was a bit odd seeing Hina adjust so well to the situation at hand. To worry about such meaningless dribble, even in a situation like this¡­ I don¡¯t know whether her adaptability is praise worthy or not¡­ Actually, in the first place, she shouldn¡¯t be spouting words like that. It¡¯s not like Hina was any cleaner than the rest of us¡­. ¡°Nnnn¡­..¡± Cielle, didn¡¯t bother answering, but rather just absentmindedly nodded, a thing I noticed that she does quite often when faced with a topic she doesn¡¯t particularly care for. ¡°Geeze! You¡¯re not listening properly¡­.¡± Hina obviously noticed the little, minute, intricacies to her sister¡¯s personality. ¡°...Sorry¡­¡± Cielle looked up, as she bowed her head slightly down. ¡°... Why don¡¯t you use some of the water¡­ or your magic to clean yourself..?¡± Upon hearing her response, Hina despondently sighed as her eyes briefly glanced in my direction. I pretended not to notice as I continued walked down the hall. ¡°Mmmm¡­ It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t want to, but rather, using such a thing would be wasteful. Who knows when our water supply will run out, and it would be bad if I just used my magic willy nilly like that. What would I do if an emergency comes along and I lacked any mana?¡± Hina promptly listed out the faults to this, as her eyes made short brief glance towards me. I unconsciously nodded, upon hearing all this. It seems like my training wasn¡¯t entirely wasteful. At least they fully understood the concept of danger in this world. ¡°Anyways, none of that matters!¡± Hina continued. ¡°The issue here isn¡¯t about me, but you, Sis!¡± ¡°Uuu¡­.¡± Cielle responded, rather unexcitedly, to her sister¡¯s enthusiasm. ¡°... You know sis¡­. Hygiene is especially important for girls...especially when¡­¡± Hina¡¯s gaze once again discreetly fell upon me. I ignored the rather obvious piercing stare though. After a while, Hina finally continued on, this time in a more subdued tone. ¡°You know sis¡­. guys don¡¯t like smelly girls¡­.¡± Her voice was faint, obviously meant for only one person, but nevertheless, my abnormally good hearing, picked up on the subtle nuisance of her faint words. Hearing this, Cielle¡¯s once hunched back, shot straight up, and I could hear a sharp intake of breath from her direction. She turned rather ominously towards her sister, her face as pale as the first time I saw her. ¡°I-is that true?¡± She asked in a hauntingly shallow voice. Hina, whose eyes widened in mild surprise, ultimately nodded her head decisively. ¡°Uuuu¡­.¡± Cielle let out a worried moan. ¡°W-what should I do then¡­.Do I really smell that badly¡­?¡± Upon eavesdropping to this point in their ridiculous conversation, I sighed out in exasperation. I decided to ignore the the two for the rest of the short way there. With that, we laxly walked down the hallway, the sound of eased laughter and conversation filling the dead hallway around us. **** When we reached the end of the hall, we turned to face a rather broken down sliding door. By Cielle¡¯s reaction and ever shifting facial expression, this was the right place. I waited quietly, observing the slight increase in breathing and small shakes of nervousness coming from Cielle¡¯s body. From what Cielle had told me previously, she had roughly managed to survive an earlier monster attack by simply hiding out in plain sight. She waited out, under the dying screams of those around her until the carnage had subsided. I could only imagine what kind of emotion and trauma that sort of experience might bring forth, so I did the common human courtesy of waiting for her to rein in her restless emotions. ¡°.....¡± ¡°....¡± ¡°.....¡± After a while, Cielle finally managed a nod, and a firm ¡°mmm!¡± of determination leaked out from her mouth. Seeing this, I solemnly nodded as well, and began opening the door. The first thing that hit me, was the smell. A rancid, disgusting, fermented smell of death had collected within this room, and now that I¡¯ve opened the door, all this accumulated disgust seeped out, hitting us full force with its smell. If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. I unconsciously reeled back, while Hina¡¯s hands instantly moved to cover her mouth and nose. She briefly gagged while her eyes reflexively scanned the open door. Her face immediately paled, regretting her decision. I followed suit and glanced around the room, and I completely understood as to why she was making such a pale green face. Around, was destruction. More so than in the art room, and more so than any other place I¡¯ve seen so far, save for a couple of locations. What made this seen even worse, was that amidst the scattered school equipment and destroyed desks were mounds of corpses. Haphazardly strewn on the floor were decaying corpses. Splattered on the walls were blood stains and unrecognizable mush. Slumped over the teachers desk, was a relatively intact body, save for its missing head. It was evident by the spray of blood, that the once poor teacher had enjoyed the pleasure of having his head caved and smashed in by whatever created this mess. Truly, it was destruction on the highest caliber. Unperturbed was Cielle, whose face was blanketed by an eerie calm. Unlike the two of us, whose natural human response was to reel away from such carnage, Cielle stared outwardly into the room. Her face was void of any emotion as she stepped through the threshold, as if embracing the very scene she had scraped out of. After a moment¡¯s pass I followed briskly while Hina did so as well, albeit with plenty of hesitation. We stood quietly to the side. My eyes briefly scanned over the room, looking for any salvageable parts. As expected, this was just like any other classroom we¡¯ve visited, so there wasn¡¯t much use found here. Whatever food might have been around would, in all likely of scenarios, have rotted down by now, so it was useless to look for anything substantial. The only place I could think of that might hold any use, was maybe within the pockets of the dead, but even I¡¯m hesitant to loot a dead body. It wasn¡¯t an issue of humanity, but rather, I didn¡¯t want to take any further risk with infection or disease. It was bad enough I stepped into this hellhole of a room, I wasn¡¯t about to mingle with its demons. Cielle quietly walked to the front of the room, and surveyed the whole scene, slowly turning around as she observed every nook and cranny of the location. ¡°... I couldn¡¯t see it all as clearly as this¡­¡± Her voice cracked open. Uncharacteristically, it was much louder, more audible, and filled with more purpose than usual. She continued talking as she continued looking at the carnage. ¡°I-I hid there.¡± Cielle pointed to a knocked over metal locker, filled with broken brooms and tarnished rags. ¡°The locker was turned over on its back¡­ so I couldn¡¯t see anything.¡± She paused for a moment, as she walked over. She gently ran her finger around the outer frame of the rusted handle. ¡°I could only hear¡­.¡± Hina and I were silent. We knew, we instinctively knew that Cielle wasn¡¯t really talking to us. She was more consoling herself. Describing this disaster she first handedly witnessed through an impartial lense. ¡°When- when they left, I got out, and that was the first time I saw- I saw all this.¡± She motioned vaguely towards the content of the room. Her face was covered in her usual mop of hair, but strangely, I felt that she had a vaguely sad expression on her face. After letting out an audible sigh, she let her arms fall to her side, as she solemnly looked down on at the floor. ¡°....¡± ¡°... I was sad when I found out everyone died¡­ I was sad, but-¡± She gulped. ¡°More than anything, I was happy.¡± Her head suddenly flared up, to look in our direction. Her hands grabbed at the lock of black night covering her face, as they pushed it upwards. For the first time, she revealed her face, a cute, yet pale, a charming, yet haggard face, that, in other circumstances, I would have found attractive. Yet right now, a look of pure pain shrouded that heavenly appearance. Her eyes drooped sadly, as her lips formed a self mocking scowl. Tears welled up, in her eyes, but I didn¡¯t really notice. ¡°I was happy.¡± She repeated once more. ¡°Happy, happy, happy, happy, happy, so very happy that it was them that died. I was ecstatic that the monsters were satisfied with only killing my classmates. I was overjoyed that the teacher was the one whose skull got caved in.¡± Her voice ran ragged, as her speech suddenly cracked. A whimper of remorse abruptly cut off what was quickly turning into frantic yelling. After a while, of half pained whimpers, she looked up. Her gaze focused on me, as her eyes curved upwards, as if smiling. she looked directly at me, and the repeated words once again filled the air; ¡°I was happy¡­.¡± Her voice trailed off as her body began to shake. Immediately after the final words escaped Cielle¡¯s mouth , a figure darted forward in front of me. Hina rushed to Cielle¡¯s crumbling side, as she took her in for a hug. Surprisingly, Hina¡¯s face was covered in tears, as she gently caressed Cielle¡¯s face on her chest. The two of them didn¡¯t do anything but hug, in the middle of this room, surrounded by several corpses. The sounds of hiccuping sobs filled the deathly quiet. At this point, I wasn¡¯t shocked to know that the sobbing was from Hina. Cielle¡¯s face hung down as she silently reciprocated her sister¡¯s contact. ¡°....¡± Amidst this scene, all I could do was sigh out, while awkwardly scratching my head. Not willing to break up the scene before me, I remained standing, and I waited. ***** After a while, Cielle regained much of her composure, and she quickly reverted back to her usual demeanor. The two girls separated, and before we left the classroom, Cielle moved over to one of the broken desks across the room. She bent down and picked up the backpack that lay underneath all the rubble. With an inquiring look, I asked the obvious, ¡°Is that your backpack?¡± She looked up at me, and nodded. Cielle gently placed the scratched bag on a propped desk, as she opened it wordlessly. In quick time, she pulled out a black cased smartphone. ¡°...¡± For a moment, I blankly stared at the foreign object she held loosely in her hand. ¡°Oh, sis, so that¡¯s where you had your phone.¡± Hina chimed up amidst my silence. Cielle nodded, as she pressed the power button on the side. As if coming to life, the once black screen flashed a luminescent light as it faintly illuminated Cielle¡¯s hovering face. ¡°Ohoo~, its too bad I forgot my phone at home last week¡­¡± Hina lamented as she outwardly sighed. [Uuuu¡­.] I made a painful mental groan as I facepalmed myself. ¡°Agh, dammit, I¡¯m such an idiot¡­.¡± After seeing the simple scene before me, I couldn¡¯t help but mutter a quiet remark over my stupidity. In short, I had completely forgotten that phones existed. For this past week, I was too caught up in the...the surrealism of this new experience. Some once common items like mobile smartphones and the like were just among of the several existences my preoccupied mind had bypassed. I was too caught up in the notion of a ¡®fantasy¡¯ that the apocalypse had introduced, that my idiotic mind had completely forgotten that this wasn¡¯t just fantasy. This was the cold, and hard reality which I dealt with. Of course things like phones and the internet still existed, despite everything. [Idiot, idiot, idiot¡­] I continually chided myself for such a stupid, elementary mistake. Rather, if I had remembered sooner, my situation might have been different from how it was right now. While, I had forgotten my own smart phone, along with my headphones, during that fated day, I could have easily looted a working smartphone from any one of the several dead corpses I passed through almost daily. I sighed once more, before finally deciding to let go of the situation. What¡¯s done is done, and I can¡¯t keep worrying over spilt milk. For now, I¡¯d look onwards, with as much positivity as I can muster. ¡°Can you make a call?¡± My voice suddenly chimed in, causing the two girls to jump slightly in surprise. ¡°Ah, um, wait and let me check¡­.¡± Cielle rattled on as she quickly turned her attention towards the glowing screen. With a few light taps, she waited for a while as her eyes glared downwards. After a while, she despondently sighed out. From her reaction just now, I couldn¡¯t help but sigh out as well. ¡°My phone can¡¯t connect to anything¡­.¡± She confirmed my earlier suspicion. ¡°Then¡­ did you at least try the internet?¡± I asked, a tone of mock hope filling my voice. ¡°Nmm¡­ The internet doesn¡¯t work either¡­ at the very least, the school¡¯s wifi and my 3g is down.¡± Cielle sighed despondently. I glumly sighed out as I turned to look out the overlooking window. There, I saw a scene which had always greeted me throughout this week; a city on fire. More than anything, I wanted to know what the situation was like outside these walls. What was it like in the city? What was it like around the world? These questions, and more, were ones I desperately wanted answered. Well, of course, I also worried about my parents, but¡­. I brushed aside this thought, as I walked over to the doorway. As I was motioning for the girls to follow, my body jerked into an abrupt stop. [If its that¡­ then maybe¡­.] ¡°Hide¡­?¡± Hina¡¯s voice worriedly resonated from behind, but my excited mind didn¡¯t listen to her faint voice. My lips curved into an upwards smile, as I propelled my body forward. I stood at the door way and motioned the girls to quickly follow. They exchanged glances, seemingly worried about my sudden excitement, before they reluctantly followed. Satisfied, without a word I moved down the halls, each and every step filled with new found purpose. ¡°H-hey, Hide! Slow down, why are you in such a rush? Where are we going?¡± Hina asked, but otherwise continued to follow. I couldn¡¯t help but awkwardly grin, as I looked back behind my shoulders. ¡°We¡¯re going to visit the computer lab from across the hall, it shouldn¡¯t take long, its fairly close from our current distance.¡± ¡°Eh? The lab? But didn¡¯t Sis just say that the internet was down? What¡¯s the point in doing that?¡± Hearing this, my head turned back to face the front as I couldn¡¯t help but widen my smile. I shook my head as I answered. ¡°No, that¡¯s not it. Cielle said the wifi was down, not the internet. The computer lab in the west wing is fairly old, like the rest of this building. Alot of their computers are still hooked up directly, by ethernet cable. The chances are slim, but not nonexistent.¡± I couldn¡¯t help but blurt out a chuckle as I saw Hina¡¯s, as well as Cielle¡¯s eyes widen in realization through my peripheral vision Not wanting to stop, I continued on my voice now overcome with an audible excitement,. ¡°It¡¯s only been a week since this all started, its not entirely out of the question. Let¡¯s go see if the internet still works.¡± ***** Author''s Note: Hope you enjoyed that, and as you can see, it was Hide who forgot about cellphones, and not the author... Comment, follow, favorite, and rate/review if you enjoyed this fic so far. It''s not much, but it keeps me going. Next Chapter Chapter 26; An Unexpected Complication An Unexpected Complication I ran through the hallway, my excitement barely contained, as I made my way to the computer lab. I knew that the only computer room within the old building was in an old, secluded area tucked away in a corner on the 2nd floor. Back before all this had happened, I hardly ever visited the location, so it took a while for me to remember it existed. Well, it doesn¡¯t matter now, the only thing I really cared about right now was the possibility of the internet, which caused my budding excitement to swell. It wouldn¡¯t be a stretch to call me an internet addict back pre-apocalypse. As it might already be obvious, I gave of the impression of someone who spent long hours of solitude in front of a luminescent computer screen, and that isn¡¯t necessarily wrong. So you might be able to understand why I¡¯m so excited in the first place. Using all this excitement as fuel, I hurriedly moved along the hallway. I was excited, too excited in fact, that it took me a while to notice the unconscious feeling of¡­ strangeness that was beginning to form within my mind. [Something is wrong¡­.] That was the impression I got, but I couldn¡¯t really pinpoint as to why I was feeling such apprehension. My eyes began to frantically look left to right. I didn¡¯t know what I was looking for, but I knew there was something wrong. I came to an abrupt stop, as my eyes scanned the surroundings. Hina and Cielle followed suit, and upon noticing my strange behavior, they readily entered into amateur stances and began looking over at their surroundings as well. [Same, old, same old¡­.] The areas along these walls, at first glance, looked basically the same as the rest of the 2nd floor. The floors were banged up, blood was splattered everywhere, really, to me it looked like the same type of destruction I had so often observed in my one week of time here. ¡°....¡± No, that was wrong. It was the same, yet different. While it was true that this adjacent hallway was still just as ¡°monster damaged¡± as the rest of the school, there was one significant difference; the type of monster that caused the damage. Unlike the rest of the floor, which was usually adorned in heavy hoof prints and smashed lockers, this particular hall was covered more by scuff marks along the tiled floor, and claw marks riddling the locker doors. But the most important, the most distinct feature that I only now came to notice, was the presence of fur. Rather, shedded fur. ¡°....¡± I sighed out despondently. There was really only one monster I ever encountered so far that had any resemblance of the type of fur found here. It was black and course, unlike the minotaur¡¯s brown and surprisingly soft hide. It was, obviously, werewolf fur. ¡°Be careful. Keep as quiet as possible.¡± I instructed briskly to the people behind me. Hina and Cielle saw the look of concern shrouding my face, and readily nodded in compliance. I moved slowly, following the trail of canine destruction while attempting my best imitation of ninja steps. I had already brandished Efhermet, while I thought over the current situation. There was an unexpected complication. For some reason the monster species which spread havoc ceaselessly throughout the night, was somehow close by. I didn¡¯t know whether this was a stroke of luck or misfortune. I followed the trail, until it led me to a pair of double sliding door. The door was readily scratched and clawed out more so than the rest of the hall, but nevertheless, it stayed tightly shut. I took in bated breath, as my hands cautiously moved to the handle. I gently tried pushing the door open, and surprisingly, it gave way rather easily. I quickly closed the door once more though. Even if it was open, there was no reason to just haphazardly enter a potentially dangerous location. Instead, I opted to peak out of the small window that framed itself on the upper half of the door. Wiping off some of the crusted blood on the window sill, I carefully peered into the room. It was dark, much more so than usual. From the looks of it, the windows were blocked by a heavy pair of curtains. I gave my eyes a minute to adjust, while my ears unexpectedly perked up. I could hear the rhythmic exhales of whatever lay inside. No, scratch that, what I heard wasn¡¯t a whatever, rather it was several dozen whatevers. Looking carefully, I could finally make out the hides of glistening black fur that covered the monsters currently resting. Werewolves. A rough estimate would bring me around 40 to 60 heads. That was a hell of a lot of wolves. They all congregated at the center of the room, where they rested rather quietly. If I didn¡¯t know any better, I would say that they looked more like cuddly puppies, than vicious, night pouncing monsters. My body unconsciously shivered at this scene. While the 50% reduction in fear from my [Psychopath] title kept the fear from mentally taking over, I guess I couldn¡¯t just easily brush aside the effects it had on my physical body. I took a deep breath, and attempted to quiet my quickly beating heart. I looked deeper into the room, and almost let out an audible groan. [Damn it¡­. of all my luck¡­.] I cursed mentally, as I went to confirm what it was that depressed me so quickly. The room, the classroom these beasts had decided to call home, was the place I was so excitedly looking forward to visiting. The Computer Lab. Along the walls, covering three sides of the room, were rows of several computers. From what I could make out, none of them were turned on, but it also didn¡¯t look too damaged from here. Rather, the insides were pretty¡­ neat. Well, at least when compared to the rest of the school. While my eyes scanned through all of the computers and wolves, I verified that almost all of the computers were reliant on a physical ethernet cable. This was quite a stroke of luck for me, since a physical cable was exactly what I was looking for. Although unfortunately, my luck was quickly doused by misfortune. My eyes continued scanning through the room until they came to rest on the one hulking beast that stood out from the rest of the pack. A large, greyish-black body rested off to the side of the room. It¡¯s massive jaw haphazardly placed on top of an equally as massive paw. It was twice as big as the others, and from the looks of it, was, in all likeliness, the leader of this particular pack. Gulping down the growing worry, I forcibly calmed my mind, and used identify on the beast. [Identify!]
Alpha Werewolf - Level 37 600/600 hp [Darkness Attribute in effect] - 15% reduction in status during the daytime.
I gulped upon seeing this. The Alpha werewolf was over 10 levels higher than the scout I fought last week. Fighting something like this face on was going to be one ridiculously difficult challenge. ¡­ Although it wasn¡¯t like the situation was all bad. At least it received a 15% reduction. I guess its only natural to receive something like that, especially with that overpowered 20% boost during the night. I inwardly sighed and looked at the scene one last time, before I slowly cautioned myself away from the Computer Lab. Taking deliberately slow steps, I made my way back to where the girls waited, before I sighed, confirming before hand that I was well out of earshot. ¡°W-well?¡± Hina brought up upon seeing my despondent expression. I looked briefly at her, before I shook my head helplessly. ¡°Its the werewolves.¡± I began to explain. ¡°Or to be more precise, its a whole pack of them. Plus an elite ranked monster at their side.¡± ¡°Uwaah¡­ that sounds bad¡­.¡± Hina¡¯s face unconsciously frowned. I nodded solemnly at this. ¡°The level difference is too wide, plus what makes it worse is that they decided to choose the Computer Lab, of all places, as their base of operations¡­ this puts us in a tight spot.¡± I muttered indignantly. Although I felt that the situation was extremely unfair, it wasn¡¯t like I was going to give up just because of something like this. ¡°I really want to get on a computer to check whether the internet still works¡­. but to do that¡­..¡± My voice lapsed into quiet silence, as my brain rattled with probably one of the toughest decisions I would make throughout this apocalypse. Hina and Cielle waited quietly, although I could tell that just with the little bits of information I managed to give, they were already quite frightened. While these two had grown used to fighting minotaurs, they had grown complacent, especially with their lack of experience against other types of monsters. Sighing out once more, I looked back up at the girls. I had decided our next course of actions. ¡°We¡¯re going to fight them.¡± I stated simply, my face quickly turning impassive. ¡°F-fight? There¡¯s no way we can drive off an a-a-army of monsters with just the three of us?!¡± Hina reflexively raised her voice, to which I quickly replied with a ¡°shh¡± gesture. She clamped her hands down onto her mouth, as I said, ¡°Drive them off? Who said anything about that?¡± ¡°Eh?¡± ¡°We¡¯re going to hunt them all down, obviously.¡± ¡°H-hunt? H-how many of those things did you say there were?¡± Her eyes widened in both fear and surprise as she shakingly asked. ¡°Oh, about 40¡­ maybe 60¡­.¡± ¡°Sixty¡­¡± Hina¡¯s face paled as she could only blankly stare at my own. ¡°Don¡¯t worry so much,¡± I chided, ¡°The situation doesn¡¯t seem as bad as it looks. For one, all the monsters are asleep right now. And considering they were mainly active in the night, we can assume that Werewolves are a nocturnal type of monster. Hina, what time is it?¡± I asked abruptly. ¡°Erm, um¡­¡± Hina looked around dazedly. I completely forgot, but the girl had no watch. ¡°.... It¡¯s 11 am.¡± From off to the side, a faint voice replied back. I turned to look at Cielle, who was looking fixedly at the luminescent screen of her smartphone. I nodded a thank you for the response, and continued talking, ¡°See? its only 11 am and going by previous encounters, they don¡¯t start moving until its completely dark out. So, considering the fact that its summer right now¡­ I¡¯d say we¡¯ve got until 8 pm. That¡¯s like what, 9 whole hours?¡± ¡°....But still, what could we possibly do against a pack of high level monsters? The last time you talked about werewolves, you told us that the one you fought was at level 23. They not only outnumber us, but also out level us¡­¡± Hina was still unconvinced, and presented her worries flatly. It¡¯s not that I didn¡¯t understand, in fact, I was probably the one most aware of how dangerous facing off against them would be, but this was an opportunity we couldn¡¯t miss. This wasn¡¯t just about the internet anymore, no, I was thinking big picture now. Not only were they sleeping, making it a perfect chance for a surprise attack, the wolves were also bombarded by a stat reduction. There was probably no better opportunity than now to eliminate these creatures all in one fell swoop. The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. So, with that in mind, I expressed my own logic. ¡°Look, there¡¯s no better chance than now. These wolves are under heavy stat reduction, mostly since its still day out. With that, it might just be possible for us to kill them all.¡± After I explained, Hina still frowned, but beside her, Cielle was reluctantly nodding her head. Hina, glancing back at her sister, and sighed tiredly. ¡°You too, Sis? You¡¯re on board with what this idiot¡¯s planning?¡± Cielle returned her sister¡¯s gaze, before redirecting it to me. After a moment¡¯s hesitation, she nodded solemnly once more. ¡°.... I see¡­ Well, I would be lying if I said I saw no merit in this¡­ It would be a perfect opportunity to gain some exp¡­.¡± My mindset seemed to rub off properly on Hina, as she lamented over what I considered the ¡°practical¡± bonuses of my plan. After a minute or so, Hina finally sighed and agreed. ¡°Agh! Fine, fine, fine... I¡¯ll comply for now, but Hide¡­ what exactly are we going to do¡­..¡± Upon this question I paused briefly. Carefully choosing my words, I sighed out and said, ¡°... I¡¯ll think of something¡­ for now, let¡¯s stay away from this particular location. Let¡¯s collect some supplies and brainstorm a few ideas.¡± With that, we moved cautiously away from the computer lab. Our past happy go lucky atmosphere had mostly disappeared, as a mood of seriousness overwhelmed us. We seriously pondered how to exterminate the pack of wolves sleeping comfortably in that computer lab. As we pondered, we decided to go through a bit of the nearby classrooms, in hopes of finding anything useful. Unfortunately, nothing comes to mind. Literally everything was useless. Even any would be improvised weapons seemed pointless at the face of those creatures. As for items, well, like I said before, most of the ones I found were useless. Even after [Identify] was used on them, they weren¡¯t anymore useful.
Broom[b] A ragged tool once used for cleaning. The end has been snapped off, leaving it with a jagged edge. +3 agility +2 attack Durability: 4/7
[b]Backpack An old, worn out bag. It can be used to store objects. +4 hp -5 agility -3 dexterity Special Effects: (???) Durability: 6/10
Door Piece (Improvised Weapon) This piece of wood was once part of a solid oak door. Now it has been separated and turned into an impromptu shield. +7 hp -7 agility -3 stamina Special Effects: Resistance to physical damage: 3% Durability: 3/15
As we scoured the nearby rooms, things like that were the general types of items I came across. For my particular preference, these were useless. And while the door piece did seem like a good shield, it wasn¡¯t for me. For one, it lowered my speed, which was crucial to me. I pondered whether I should give it to the girls, but in the end, I decided against it. The stat boosts only applied to me after all, and at most, the door frame would be an impromptu shield that would, in the end, only hinder the girls. They had invested more towards speed, much like me, so something that slowed them down would not be a welcomed item. And the shield would definitely slow them down. While they weren¡¯t subjected to the stat penalties, the weight of the whole thing was enough. In the end, it really was just a useless item. No different from the rest. We continued looking though, and eventually we made our way to one of the places I had planned on visiting in the first place; the chemistry lab. This room doubled as both the physics and chemistry classroom, and in my opinion, those two classes were probably one of the only studies that dealt with things that were dangerous. If I was going to find anything useful, it would be here. ¡°Okay, this room is a bit more special than the rest. Hopefully, we can find something useful.¡± I spoke to the group, a hint of enthusiastic hopefulness leaking into my tone, as I instructed them to fan out and search. We moved along haphazardly through the room. It wasn¡¯t as destroyed as the others, but still, obvious signs of monster presence was evident; scratch marks, destroyed beakers, a corpse of an old teacher that was already rotting¡­ I ignored all that and began inspecting the contents of the room. I opened cabinets, checked drawers, even pushed aside the dead teacher in order to gain access to the half destroyed teacher¡¯s desk. In the end, it wasn¡¯t very fruitful, and items like these were the only things I managed to find;
Safety Goggles A pair of goggles that are often used in laboratory experiments. +2 hp +4 intelligence +4 wisdom +3 dexterity Special Effects: (???) Durability: 8/9
Erlenmeyer Flask A tool used for measuring various liquids and chemicals. +2 attack +2 wisdom Durability: 1/2
Magnet A piece of iron that can attract various metals, albeit with a weak force. Durability: 3/3
In the end, everything was a bit too useless, although I did ultimately decide to put on the safety goggles. I might end up looking ridiculous with these things on, but hey, stats were stats. And on the eve of mounting such a risky plan, I could use all the stats I could find. I ended my search through the basic layout of the chemistry lab, and instead, decided to move towards the back and enter the storage room that connected another classroom with the chemistry lab. I guessed that all the ¡°dangerous¡± and ¡°harmful¡± chemicals were all stored away and kept out of reach from the students¡¯ hands. In my case, all the useful items should be located within this storeroom. Opening the door, I briefly looked around the room, before a smile on my face formed. Of to the side, blocked by one single pane of glass, were rows upon rows of commonly used school chemicals. Things like sodium, potassium, rubbing alcohol, etc. While for the majority of the chemicals I knew nothing about, mostly since I decided to take physics instead of chemistry this year, I at least had some common sense to identify the readily useful chemicals. For one, I¡¯m pretty sure rubbing alcohol was flammable¡­ so if I ever needed to set a monster on fire¡­. I went about [identifying] each and every type of chemical I saw. Surprisingly, [identify] provided basic information about the chemicals. Although this was already well within my range of predictions.
Isopropyl Alcohol Isopropyl alcohol is a chemical compound with the molecular formula C?H?O or C?H?OH or CH?CHOHCH?. It is a colorless, flammable chemical compound with a strong odor.
Abscisic Acid A plant hormone. Abscisic acid usually functions in plant developmental processes, including bud dormancy. Can Cause serious eye irritation, skin irritation, and respiratory irritation. When applied by [Equip] skill owner, following effects will be amplified.
Hydrogen Sulfide Water A chemical compound with the formula H2S. It is a colorless gas with the characteristic foul odor of rotten eggs; it is heavier than air, very poisonous, corrosive, flammable, and explosive. Fatal if consumed. Effects may vary depending on species.
This was just a mere sample of the collection of chemicals I managed to find. I pondered various ways I could possibly use all these chemicals. Maybe throwing acid at a monster¡¯s eyes¡­ I could sprinkle some over open wounds¡­. was it possible to make a bomb out of all these? In the end, I sighed. If it wasn¡¯t readily obvious, I didn¡¯t have any in depth knowledge on chemicals, and as such, I was going to be rather hard pressed finding an effective use for this essential ¡°arsenal¡± of acids I found. But its not like I¡¯ll be discouraged just because of that. I¡¯ll think up something¡­ sooner or later¡­ I¡¯ll definitely come up with something¡­ As I pondered this, my eyes slowly drifted over to a small corner in the storage room. Of to the side, blocked by empty boxes, and covered with old papers, was a freezer. The electricity was still running, so the metal white box made a soft humming noise, indicating it was still in use. Overcome by curiosity, I moved over to the metal container and cautiously opened it. Rather ominously, a soft white fog escaped the cracked hatch, and as I quickly separated the white fog with a free hand, my eyes came to rest on stacks upon stacks of¡­ of white. It took me a moment to recognize, but this was clearly dry ice. They were emitting a thing, white smoke, that showed exactly how dangerous this solidified liquid was to touch. Looking over at the dry ice, my mind vaguely remembered what one particular Physics teacher had informed the class; ¡°Since today is the last day of school, it would be pointless to do any real work. Instead, we¡¯re going to do ¡°fun¡± sciency experiments!¡± ¡°...¡± Apparently, those experiments involved dry ice. Tons of dry ice. But, its not like I¡¯m complaining. There were several kilos of this solidified carbon dioxide, and I could only think this was a positive thing for me. My mind instantly geared into action, as several uses of this substance floated through my train of thought. ¡­. Primarily though, the ways I¡¯d use this ice mainly involved¡­ explosions¡­lots of explosions. A slight smile formed on my face as the inner workings of a plan began to formulate within my mind. ***** Author''s Note: Did you guys think that using internet in an apocalypse was easy? I''m afraid not my fellow readers. The battle will start (and hopefully end) next chapter. Get hyped? I don''t know. Follow, favorite, comment, and rate/review if you find this story enjoyable. It might not be much, but it keeps me going. Chapter 27: Frozen Heat - Initiate Author''s Note: I wanted to post earlier today, but the site was down >_<. Well, none of that matter now though, so... Also, Shout out to those who helped me PR. Mostly Kyren. *** Frozen Heat - Initiate I was smiling mischievously with my head full of the carnage and destruction I could cause with dry ice bombs. . I admit, It was a childish thing, and even in a time like this, I couldn¡¯t help but yearn for something...cool. I mean, explosions are pretty damn cool, right? While I was thinking such things, a knock from behind brought me back to reality. I turned around, just in time to see Cielle and Hina walk into the storage room. Hina sighed while saying, ¡°We couldn¡¯t find anything useful, how about-- what¡¯s that?¡± Her words suddenly cut off as her eyes became fixated on the white mist seeping out of the open freezer. I smiled and answered, turning my head back towards the container. ¡°It¡¯s dry ice. Lots of dry ice.¡± It was true, at most, there was about 5 pounds of ice in this single container. I¡¯m not too sure, but I¡¯d venture a guess to say that that was a lot. ¡°Ooh¡­¡± Hina remarked, wide eyed, as she moved closer to look at the material. I nodded while I secretly used [Identify] In no time, a blue panel of information popped up in front of me.
Dry Ice Solid carbon dioxide. It is cold to the touch and may cause immediate frostburn.
There wasn¡¯t as much information as the other chemicals I identified, rather, it was quick and straight to the point. Although it wasn¡¯t like I needed information. I knew enough of the basics of dry ice to know that I could manipulate it to produce destructive results. In the wrong hands, it would be dangerous and rather harmful to people. In our current situation, it could prove quite useful. From the corner of my eye I could see Hina and Cielle nod to each other, while a look of relief floated to their faces. Seeing this, I couldn¡¯t help but smile. I¡¯m glad to see that I¡¯m not the only one who sees merit in this find. ¡°It¡¯s a good discovery right? I¡¯m sure there will be plenty of uses¡­ primarily, explosive uses¡­¡± My words let out a hint of my true excitement towards the end. Going by my tone, it was readily obvious that some child like mindset had set in, urging me ever closer to the path of destruction and dry ice bombs. ¡°Explosive? You want to create dry ice bombs?¡± Hina¡¯s voice asked dubiously while she turned to look at me with squinted eyes. The way she spoke dampened my original excitement. I lowered my head slightly, while a hand went to my head and scratched awkwardly. A nervous habit that I developed during middle school. ¡°Er, um, yeah. I-I thought it might be a good idea¡­ why?¡± Hina sighed. ¡°No, there¡¯s nothing wrong, but rather¡­ I think that might be a bit of a waste and frankly¡­¡± She hesitated for a moment, but continued talking regardless. ¡°Well, dry ice bombs might not be as effective as they seem.¡± ¡°Eh? What do you mean?¡± My voice rose an octave, while in the back of my mind, a sense of danger regarding the fulfillment of my new dream (making dry ice bombs) suddenly became evident. ¡°For one, there¡¯s a better way to use the dry ice.¡± ¡°....¡± Hearing my silent protest, Hina continued with a bit more bravado than usual. ¡°Dry ice is essentially solid carbon dioxide. It continually emits Co2 and if we use it properly we can effectively take out the werewolves without much effort. If we place the dry ice inside the room, Co2 will eventually flood the place, forcing the oxygen upwards- er, let me rephrase that - since Co2 is heavier than oxygen, the air will essentially be displaced upwards. Anyways, in this process hypercapnia will set in. Eventually though, the symptoms will continue until the were-wolves eventually suffocate from lack of air, or more specifically, lack of oxygen. As long as the ventilations are near the ceiling,which they are, this should allow for enough Co2 to build up until eventually all the wolves die. Thus, we just need to seal the door closed until then. This shouldn¡¯t be too hard of a task, considering all the wolves are asleep. Dry ice is essentially an odorless material, so its highly unlikely that the wolves can sniff it out.¡± I stayed silent for a while, before a defeated voice rang out from my throat. ¡°You- you¡¯re surprisingly well educated¡­.¡± Hearing my sardonic compliment, Hina¡¯s eyes widened for a minute before she shyly laughed. ¡°Well, I¡¯m a bit good at chemistry¡­¡± she modestly responded. ¡°Nnn¡­ Hina¡¯s class rank is number 3¡­¡± Cielle silently added from the back. ¡°Ooo~ I feel so relieved being with such a dependable person.¡± I laughed dryly as a bit of resentment seeped out of me. It wasn¡¯t that Hina''s plan was wrong but¡­ with such a plan, I wouldn¡¯t be able to make dry ice bombs. It was a childish thing, even I admit that, but I couldn¡¯t really help it. After spending a week trapped here, with nothing but repetitive hunting to entertain me, frankly, I was growing quite bored. Even if it was childish, I wanted to see an explosion or two. ¡°.....Incidentally, I¡¯m also ranked third within our class¡­.¡± Cielle spoke up once more, a hint of pride in her voice. ¡°Is that so¡­.¡± I answered, almost half mechanically. This apparently wasn¡¯t the type of response she had hoped for, as she pouted behind her mess of hair. I ignored this though, and further lamented. I sighed again, which prompted Hina to talk once more. She began explaining the risks, and dangers dry ice bombs would bring, as if to hammer in the final nail in the figurative coffin of my dry ice bomb dream. ¡°Dry ice bombs might not be enough to handle them. First, the wolf hide seems to be thick, and the blast might not even penetrate through. Despite the noise it produces, dry ice bombs are surprisingly weak. To humans, they can cause a lot of damage, but to such a fanciful creature, I doubt any serious damage will result. Plus, any big explosions we might decide to create by piling together more dry ice in a bigger container may result in damage towards the computers. That would defeat our true purpose.¡± I couldn¡¯t take much more of her explanation, and sighed out. Defeated, I conceded and abandoned my short lived dream. ¡°Fine, fine, no dry ice bombs. I get it.¡± Hina nodded satisfactorily. Pushing the regret deep into my heart, I steeled myself as I began issuing orders out to the two girls. Our half concrete plan was already devised, so it was about time for the actual action to begin. ¡°Since you¡¯re the one who came up with the suffocation idea, get everything ready. Cielle help move the dry ice onto that cart of yours. I¡¯ll be a bit busy preparing. Although the original plan for now, is to avoid conflict and kill the wolves as quietly and with as less action as possible, we can at least take precautionary measures in case something goes wrong.¡± I nodded affirmatively towards the two girls as I turned my back to them and walked over to the chemical cabinet. Before the silent attack, I needed to prepare. **** We walked back over to the computer lab. Hina and Cielle were both wearing protective gloves, a small measure to fight off the hot burning sensation of the dry ice. Hina and Cielle worked together to push a heavy set cart across the blood stained, and half destroyed, hallway. Unlike before, instead of being filled only by Cielle¡¯s rather lightweight [Dark Gemini], the cart was filled to the brim, holding two containers filled with 5-9 pounds of dry ice, alongside the ever present container of [Dark Gemini]. As we quietly walked, Hina¡¯s voice cut through the air, as she directed a question my way. ¡°...What¡¯s up with the bottle?¡± Her eyes fixated on the plastic water bottle I had in my hand. Inside it was water that filled half of the bottle, as well as various nails, screws, magnets, and whatever other small metal object I had managed to find. My voice cramped as I replied back, ¡°Er, i-its a precaution. Don¡¯t mind it.¡± I developed a cold sweat as Hina¡¯s unconvinced eyes prodded my silent back. I walked further ahead, ignoring Hina as she whispered, half to herself, more to me, ¡°As long as you don¡¯t do anything stupid¡­¡± **** 10 minutes later, we arrived in front of the Computer Lab. I peered through the stained door window and smiled. The wolves were in the same state we had left them in. The darkish gray furred leader slept soundlessly towards the back, while all the other subordinate wolves quietly congregated in the middle. Seeing this perfect scene, I lamented over how we could have just as easily, set down a giant dry ice bomb directly in the middle of such a group. Ah, I could only whimsically sigh out, thinking about all the destruction it would have caused. I shook my head, and returned to where the girls waited; 5 meters away from the computer lab, behind a wall, in a perpendicular hallway. I relayed my recent scouting¡¯s, ¡°The wolves are still asleep. Going by the time, we have about 5 hours left before it gets completely dark.¡± Hina nodded at this. ¡°That¡¯s good. We have plenty of time then, since at most it¡¯ll only take about 10 to 20 minutes to completely suffocate them. As long as they stay asleep for a good majority of the time, by the time they notice the lack of air within the room, they should be too sluggish to do anything about it.¡± Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. Hina smiled to herself, from the looks of things, she seemed satisfied with how things were developing. Despite my own apprehensions, I chose to stay silent. For one, I was still a bit depressed over the lack of ice bombs within this plan. Also, a more important issue, was the concept of experience distribution. Although, essentially, all three of us would work towards completing this plan, I knew that only one person would receive the experience. The question here is, who does the experience go to? The person who puts the ice into the room? The one who shuts the door closed? Would we even receive experience in the first place? It was a simple question which brought up a much more complicated concept that I still knew little about. How the game mechanics worked in reality was quite an unknown, even to me. So I was left only to ponder away without any real conclusion. But for now, I chose to swallow down such complaints, and listen in as Hina seemingly took charge. Truth be told, I couldn¡¯t see much error in her plan, and seeing as she knew more about chemistry than me, it would be better to let her be the one who comes up with the ideas, well, for now anyways. Interrupting my train of thought, Cielle chirped up quietly with a question of her own. ¡°How will we get the dry ice into the room?¡± For a moment, both Hina and I paused. This was indeed a good question. While they may be asleep for now, there still remained an inexplicable danger towards getting anywhere near the wolves. From my side, I could hear Hina sigh as she said, ¡°... I guess we have no other way, one of us will have to manually enter the room and put the ice-¡± ¡°Wait.¡± Before she could finish, my voice interrupted her, prompting Hina to stop midway in her explanation. ¡°I have an idea¡­¡± As I spoke, I immediately leaned over towards Cielle, which prompted a few round of cute ¡®eeps¡¯, which I subsequently ignored, as I whispered my idea towards the shy, face-covered girl. At this time, Hina simply sat back and watched. Her expression seemed peeved, but I ignored that as well, while I continued to relay my idea towards Cielle. After a while, I moved my head back and asked, ¡°Do you think you can do it?¡± Cielle readily nodded a determined bob of her head as she whispered softly, ¡°Leave it to me!¡± Being left out in the dark, Hina couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°Eh~, what¡¯s up with all the secrecy guys? Let me in on the fun too! Tell me what you two were talking about!¡± Hearing this, I simply smiled. ¡°Well, there¡¯s really no need to explain.¡± I spoke, ¡°If all works out like I think it will, then Cielle here is about to show you.¡± I nodded firmly towards Cielle, prompting an affirmative, ¡°Nmm!¡± A moment later, the contents within the container holding the dark blue translucent semi-liquid began to writhe and jiggle. A portion of [Dark Gemini] cut itself off from the majority and floated harmlessly towards Cielle. Of course it didn¡¯t stop there. The blob changed its direction as it darted forward, towards the other container holding the solidified Carbon Dioxide. The blob directly maneuvered into the open container, and a moment later it floated back up. On top of the [Dark Gemini] being supported by the translucent black goo, was a piece of dry ice. I smiled as my eyes turned from the container over towards Hina, scanning for her reaction. At first she seemed confused, but not a moment later, her eyes widened in understanding and her face also morphed into a grin. ¡°We can move the dry ice into the room like that! This is perfect, its both quiet and we don¡¯t have to risk anyone going inside that death hole! How did you come up with such an idea?¡± She praised, and directed a question towards me. Under normal circumstances, the one she¡¯d praise would be Cielle, but it was readily obvious that I was the mastermind behind the new scheme. I answered with downcast eyes while I fiddled a bit with the other container of dry ice. ¡°Well, I figured something like this was possible. [Dark Gemini] doesn¡¯t go through physical objects, apart from people and monsters, and since Cielle knows how to control it, I thought something like indirect telekinesis could be done.¡± ¡°Indirect telekinesis¡­¡± She mumbled the phrase quietly to herself. I turned back towards Cielle, and asked. ¡°Anyways, Cielle, do you think you can move all of the ice over to the room?¡± Cielle nodded in response. She posed another question while I unfastened the lid off of the other dry ice container. ¡°W-where do you want me to move them to?¡± ¡°...Just spread the dry ice around the wolves. Make sure you don¡¯t get any of it onto the actual monster though. Who knows how they might react to the cold.¡± Cielle nodded as she prepared herself. The container filled with [Dark Gemini] once again moved, but this time, instead of just a portion of the matter floating, all of it was being manipulated. I turned towards the computer lab door and silently opened it. While doing so, I motioned for the girls to be quiet while I prompted Cielle to begin moving the ice. Cielle instantly went to work, pieces of ice began making their way into the computer lab. While this was going on, I stepped back a good distance and prompted Hina to follow me. As she began to make her way over to me, my eyes unconsciously fixated on Cielle¡¯s small back. I thought about how good she was getting lately on controlling her new skill. [She must be practicing¡­.] A spare thought like that floated towards my head as Hina stopped in front of me, and waited for me to speak. Turning back to the person I had called over, I shifted my attention and said, ¡°Hina, I¡¯m going to go check on the progress of the hunt. I want you to stay here with Cielle.¡± Hina¡¯s eye narrowed as she asked, ¡°Check the progress? Can¡¯t you just do that from here?¡± I shook my head. ¡°No, it would be better to do it somewhere else. I need a place with a better vantage point after all.¡± ¡°Then where will you--¡± I instantly cut her off, as I pointed to the ceiling. ¡°The ventilation ducts. One of them probably leads towards the Computer Lab, so I¡¯ll check the progress as well as how the wolves react to the dry ice from up there. If I¡¯m that high up, I should be safe enough from the carbon dioxide.¡± Hina paused for a moment, as if digesting the information, before she nodded. Seeing her nod, I also bobbed my head. ¡°Then I¡¯ll set off, you two be careful. Also¡­ if things go south, quickly initiate the contingency plan we thought up. Don¡¯t hesitate, got it?¡± I spoke as my eyes turned cold and my face went impassive. I looked dead on at Hina. I tried to convey, with as much fiber of determination as I could muster, about how truly dangerous this task was. Although in the end, I guess it just ended up becoming a rather sinister looking glare. I saw her shiver for a moment, before she recollected herself. Hina then nodded vigorously while she held up a thumbs up and smirked. ¡°Who do you think I am, Mr. Mayonnaise? Your week long boot camp from hell was enough to toughen up little ol¡¯ me. I doubt anything can shock me at this point.¡± Hearing such a surprisingly lively response, I sighed out. ¡°Jeeze, ¡®Mayonnaise¡¯? That¡¯s such a bad nickname, I don¡¯t even know what to say... Only because my last name is Mayo¡­¡± Hina quietly giggled upon my response. The earlier tension from before had inexplicably vanished as I turned to look down at the hallway floor. ¡°The ¡°trap¡± should be set properly by now¡­ but if anything happened¡­¡± I mumbled to myself while my eyes scanned the surroundings. Seeing this, Hina sighed, crudely imitating my earlier display. ¡°You worry too much Hide. It might be an apocalypse, but if you''re always so tense, you¡¯ll sooner die from stress, rather than an actual monster¡­ ¡­ Actually, considering how strong you are, that might actually hold true¡­ Anyways, don¡¯t worry. Cielle and I will be fine, besides, I rate the success of this mission to be very high, so don¡¯t worry.¡± She once again gave me a thumbs up, as if to reassure me, but I couldn¡¯t help but harbor a bit of doubt in my mind. Maybe, since I wasn¡¯t the one who thought up the bulk of the plan, I felt nervous. But regardless, this uncomfortable feeling of impending danger was very hard to ignore. But still, I managed to bottle up such dark feelings, as I pushed aside my fear and apprehension, and began walking back down the hallway to where I saw an opening earlier to the ventilation ducts above. As I left, I glanced back at the two girls, while I whispered hoarsely to myself. ¡°...Don¡¯t die.¡± **** Thanks for reading, and action comes next chapter. I''m the type of guy who likes building up tension through varying chapters, so... hahaha. Anyways, if you liked my story, follow, favorite, Rate or review, to help me out. Its the little things like that that keep me going. Also, to the fans of my other work, sorry for the lack of updates recently. >_< I have major testing going on like all through next week, so I''ve got to study for that. At most I can only update one fic, and I''m currently involved with Change, so bare with it for a while. Also again, someone drew out some of the characters (mainly Hide, Cielle and Hina) as fan art. I enjoyed it myself, so I thought I might as well share it with you guys. Fan Art Next Chapter Chapter 28: Frozen Heat - Attack Frozen Heat - Attack I managed to crawl my way into the ventilation shafts. It was a tight fit, barely enough room for me to crawl through. Honestly, if a monster came and attacked me at this instant, regardless of level, I would probably die. Plus, to add to that, the heat was already killing me. My back was already drenched in sweat as the heat and humidity amplified through this cramped metallic tunnel. Damn summer. I moved painstakingly along the heated surface. It took a great big deal of effort; exaggerated wriggling, and hopeless crawling were among the several things I did, but eventually, I reached a small opening within the ducts. It was a mesh like opening, held in place by four corner screws that, overlooked a room down below. Cool air flowed from the bottom, and as I moved closer to look down below, I saw the familiar scene of sleeping Werewolf scouts. The crisp breeze, which cut through the thick summertime humidity, teased my enflared cheeks as I brought my face closer to the edges of the opening. I was so close, yet so far from escaping this oven like compartment that was currently roasting me from the outside in. Nevertheless, I held back my rising complaints, and quietly looked down, peering at the scene though the gaps of the wirey mesh. As expected, the room below was dark, void from any light. The curtains had successfully fulfilled their intended jobs as almost all forms of light were blocked from illuminating the room. In the end, this greatly impaired my vision, as I struggled to make out the finer details of the darkened silhouettes that I saw. Luckily, humans are surprisingly adept. In a little less than 2 minutes, my eyes adjusted and as I adapted to the darkened surroundings. I looked at the room with renewed purpose. The primary reason why I had decided to make my way here in the first place, was to observe, after all, I wanted to see and confirm with my own eyes, the instant the wolves die. It was a measure of reassurance, in a sense. I didn¡¯t want any lingering survivors to jump out and attack our group the instant we let down our guard. Although a secondary reason did exist, on that I kept close attention to in the back of my mind. In short, I was concerned. I was worried that the plan may boil down to failure, and If it was from up here, through the ventilation ducts where I currently looked down from, I could react fast enough to any¡­ unexpected complications that may arise. If inevitably, the plan were to fail, I needed to be at the right time, and at the right place to ensure our survivability rate remains high. I gripped the half empty water bottle I had brought along with me. I felt its heated plastic surface with the palm of my hand, as i struggled to refrain from shaking the clear container. The contents of the bottle, which ranged from an odd medley of bolts, magnets, and screws, held the risk of making noise. I want to keep the room quiet. Although I said that, a faint, sort of hissing sound was produced from the growing amount of dry ice in the room below. Luckily, it was a rather soft, and it didn¡¯t seem like even the wolve¡¯s sensitive ears could pick up on the baily audible noise. But in regards to the bottle¡¯s contents, the situation would be different. I knew well enough that shaking a bottle full of metal scraps in a place like the ventilation ducts was akin to playing death metal in a nursing home. A bad idea. At this point, I don¡¯t really know why I brought this bottle along with me. It was nothing more than a placeholder for a failed dream. Something easily likened to a charm. It had no purpose save for a few flimsy sentimental reasons. From my vantage point, I observed Cielle¡¯s slow process of moving the dry ice into the quiet ice. She maneuvered the tiny, broken up bits and pieces of solidified carbon dioxide through the small gap created by the slightly opened door. Pieces of [Dark Gemini] kept the ice elevated during this process, until Cielle gently released her skill, placing the ice softly and inaudibly on the carpeted floor. She scattered the ice around the pack of wolves, just like I instructed, and in no time, almost half of the original dry ice was now scattered across the room. This process was currently ongoing for 10 minutes, and at this point, things were barely halfway done. I wondered whether Cielle had a large enough mana capacity to follow through with this, but I brushed aside such a worry. Surprisingly, [Gemini Blue] was a unique magic skill which wasn¡¯t too demanding mana wise. In addition with Cielle¡¯s [Healer] title, the mana consumption was reduced to a great enough extent where my worries turned ceaseless. Although in hindsight, Cielle¡¯s magic control was pretty amazing. Observing, I marveled at her fluid control, as she maneuvered, mainly through intuition and feeling. Since most of her vision, was blocked out by the room¡¯s wall, and it was pretty much impossible to see through the gap that the door created, Cielle had to rely mainly on her prior knowledge of the room¡¯s layout as well as my previous assessment of the werewolves¡¯ positions. Naturally, this was an extremely difficult task to manage, but somehow or another, she remedied these problems with her precision control. It was a dangerous game of guess and prediction, but Cielle¡¯s fore knowledge more than made up for that risk. This left me some bit of comfort. Seeing Cielle¡¯s control, I wasn¡¯t as worried as before. My previous anxiety concerning this topic quickly dissipated as I repositioned myself to look back down at the monsters below. At first, I seriously did start to believe that a quiet victory was well within our grasps. The wolves were still quietly sleeping, and the ice was slowly accumulating, as well as the subsequent white mist and carbon dioxide. But that sort of hopeful thinking was quickly questioned, as from what I observed, I quickly came to the conclusion that such a conveniently easy victory will happen. In the computer lab below, I could see¡­ slight movement among the pack of wolves. It wasn¡¯t anything major or anything, in fact, I doubted what I saw was real or not in the first place, but after a bit of squinting and glaring, I confirmed what that the ¡°slight movement¡± wasn¡¯t some form of visual illusion, but was indeed reality. The wolves were¡­ moving. Small, almost imperceptible motion, like a slight twitch in their leg, or a shake of their hides. I don¡¯t know whether such gestures were common symptoms to carbon monoxide poisoning or that thing Hina had said - Hypercapnia- but I seriously doubted they¡¯d¡­ react so soon. Wasn¡¯t it a bit too early? The room wasn¡¯t even filled all the way yet, and not to mention the door wasn¡¯t sealed. And while the carbon dioxide did start to build up, I had some serious doubts as to whether or not it was enough to arouse such symptoms. As I continued to monitor the scene below with an ever growing frown, my eyes were instantly drawn towards an even greater source of motion. A rough shaking, and a slight turn of the head brought my full attention. This leap in movement came none other from the back of the room. There, the Alpha Wolf, nestled alongside well placed broken computers, and ravaged office chairs, moved its head with more than a slight twitch. It¡¯s mouth almost unconsciously snarled as its face contorted in discomfort. Its eyes were still closed, but unsurprisingly, its nose wriggled annoyingly. Rather, the noses of several wolves were currently moving about frantically. I broke out into a cold sweat. The annoying heat from earlier instantly forgotten, as a shiver of anxiety buzzed through my system, bringing my senses into full alert. This anxiety was only made worse by my foggy understanding of the situation. All I knew was that the monsters were reacting to the dry ice earlier than expected and this concerned me. I didn¡¯t exactly know why though. The ice was supposedly odorless and Cielle had cautioned herself to not make any excessive noise during the transfer. What exactly where the wolves reacting to?! I unscrewed the mesh like opening of the ventilation duct with the tip of Efhermet¡¯s blade. Once it came loose, I quickly caught it before it fell to the floor below, and moved it aside as I poked my head out from the confines of the shafts. Instantly, a wave of cool air greeted my sweat streaked face, as I silently gasped out in joy. I squinted through the darkness, and from my new vantage point, strained to get a better grasp on the situation. I sniffed the air cautiously, only to leave me even more perturbed. The room smelled the same as when I first cracked the door open; a mix of dried blood and wet dog. It wasn¡¯t a pleasant stench, but still, I thoroughly inhaled the room. I was looking for something¡­ out of the ordinary. Something more artificial. Chemically. Anything that indicated that dry ice was emitting some sort of odor. As I did so, stray conjecture floated across my mind; maybe the ice wasn¡¯t as pure as I first thought. Maybe some other chemical or substance was emitting a stench as the ice slowly melted. But this conclusion was quickly refuted. There wasn¡¯t anything that my average-sensitivity nose could pick up. To me, it was just a mess of wet dog and rotting blood. ¡­. [But that didn¡¯t mean these wolves smelled the same thing I did..] Such a thought was the first thing that jolted my attention back towards the Alpha Wolf. My eyes instantly darted towards the blackened snout of the alpha wolf. Through the haze of darkness and quickly gathering white mist, I could make out the ever growing frantic wriggling of that black bulb that adorned its ferocious face. [... it can¡¯t be¡­] After hard gazed scrutinizing, I came to a rather terrible conclusion, one I would have much rather refuted. Somehow or another, these dog like creatures could sniff out the odorless stench of solidified carbon dioxide. It wasn¡¯t really all that surprising, canines in particular had pretty well developed sense of smell. That¡¯s why dogs were often utilized by police to sniff out drugs and such. It was an obvious thing, but... I¡­ I hadn¡¯t considered that. [Damn it.] I grounded my teeth as I lamented. I wasn¡¯t even sure whether solidified Carbon Dioxide emitted an odor. I wasn¡¯t even sure that regular dogs or wolves could sniff out Dry ice. But none of that mattered. I was too grounded in reality. I was too grounded in reality, that I completely forgot that these creatures were anything but. They weren¡¯t restricted to the rules of my reality. These fanciful creatures may have been capable of sniffing out what was normally considered odorless. Their noses may have been several times more sensitive than what I was normally accustomed to. For all I knew, these monsters were something capable of other worldly things with enough ease and comfortability that it would even shock the most deranged of fanatics. My current world was one of both fantasy and reality. Unless I fully grasped this concept, I¡¯d truly be in a disadvantage. I lamented over this misfortunate miscalculation, as the Alpha Wolf, and some of the other Werewolf Scouts, began to visibly rustle in their sleep. Their noses continually twitched with ever increasing severity. At this point, for all I knew, apart from the "odorless" odor of dry ice, they were probably now sniffing me out as well. After all, I had accumulated quite the perspiration and stench in this dingy metal coffin. I gulped down, willing myself to bury the piling anxiety. I glared at them with intensity, almost hoping that they would stay asleep, but alas, this reality isn¡¯t so agreeable. In a little less than 30 seconds, the Alpha wolf¡¯s eyes were now half open, still sleepy, yet unmistakably alert by now. I hesitated for a moment, before I moved into action. The original plan was now an utter failure. The wolves would all wake up in no time, and would instantly take action. We had already lost the luxury of a quiet victory. I gripped the edge of the opening, and slowly dangled my body into the room. My feet pointed downwards, directly below the middle of the pile of groggy Werewolves. As I pushed my body out from the opening, the empty bottle of water fell harmlessly downwards. Despite the subsequent noise it made upon impact, it rolled harmlessly away from the congregated pack. I held in bated breath, while I waited. After a while, I let loose an almost audible sigh of relief upon realizing that the clanging of metal scraps hadn¡¯t woken up the wolves. [Although, not like it matters at this point¡­] If these creatures were going to wake up soon anyways, I might as well throw in a surprise attack while I¡¯m at it. I glared at the Alpha that rested further ways back, and inwardly, I decided that the creature would serve as my personal way point. Slowly but with deliberate motion, a rocked my lower body forward. Starting with my feet, my body swung towards the Alpha. Like that, my body continued rocking back and forth; forward, backward, forward, backward. I repeated this set of actions until I deemed it sufficient, where, at this point, I finally let loose my grip. I used my body¡¯s generated momentum to move me across the room, aiming directly towards the half groggy Alpha wolf, who, luckily, still hadn¡¯t noticed me. With a determined glare, I looked down at the massive wolf, as my body quickly gained speed due to the effects of gravity. At my current rate, I would land directly on top of the beast. I¡¯d have exactly one opportunity to land a surprise blow. I gritted my teeth as, in the briefest instant of time, I deliberated my options. [Should I use dissect? Where do I aim? Its foreleg? Do I aim to reduce its speed with an early amputation? Maybe it would be best to go for the head? Can I penetrate through its skull? Damn it which one should I do?] Caught in a brief spite of indecision, my overthinking left me no room for a rational hit. [Screw it! Just hit wherever!] With such a thought, I gripped Efhermet with both of my sweat laden hands as I aimed randomly at the Wolf¡¯s main body. In the end, I drove the end of my sharpened blade deep into the monster¡¯s side, directly below its right armpit. As the blade sunk deeper and deeper due to the added force of my inertia, the Alpha male let out a blood curdling screech of pain. I quickly yanked the blade out from the new wound and leapt back away from the wolf.
[Laceration] in effect.
My downward slash was embedded with [Dissection], and while [Amputate] didn¡¯t activate, the secondary effect of [Lacerate] did. Such a blow instantly depleted 20% of the monster¡¯s health. This was a lucky outcome for me, but as if the cruel gods above despised my luck, misfortune quickly blanketed my situation. The Alpha Wolf¡¯s screech had unfortunately jolted the rather sensitive wolf pack into alertness. Through the fog of guttural screaming, I contented with my own, as I shouted, ¡°The plan failed!¡± I yelled out into the room, almost wishing it was loud enough to cut through the wolf¡¯s yelp. My true recipients of my shout were none other than Cielle and Hina, who currently waited outside of the room. I hoped that the girls were close enough to hear my desperate scream, but I couldn¡¯t dwell too far into that concern. After all, I had my own set of worries to deal with. Right now, I was face to face with a seriously angry Level 37 Alpha Werewolf. White mist drifted through the floor, giving the already tense atmosphere a rather mysterious and worrisome ambience. I took a quick cautionary step back as I fashioned Efhermet in front of me. The Alpha growled menacingly at me as his subordinates slowly began encircling me. I stood there quietly, one hand holding Efhermet loosely, while the other reached back and grabbed a spare dagger from behind. I silently glared back at the Alpha as its eyes darted from me and back towards the entrance. With a guttural yip, about 40 of the wolves left the room and flooded the hallway upon the Alpha''s urging. The sudden stream of bodies caused the door to fly shut as the last willing werewolf left the computer lab. This left me alone with about 15 Werewolf scouts as well as in the company of the more menacing Alpha. While this was, by no means, a pleasant situation, unfortunately, this also left Cielle and Hina to face forty wolves who ran outside. Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. Although luckily, this was where the contingency plan showed its prowess. My voice cut through the thick miasma of silence, as I yelled furiously, ¡°Activate plan B now! Sea of Fire!¡± My sudden shout caused a few wolves to jerk back in reflex, as I hoped that my desperate shouts were loud enough for the girls to hear. Luckily, almost immediately, I felt a huge rush of heat, that emanated quickly from the hallway. Even through the closed door, I could feel every bit of its intensity. I smiled helplessly. The expected fire that I had just prompted into life was way more potent than I expected. Even from this distance, I could already feel the resonating heatwaves trickle along the cold sweat my back had accumulated. Satisfied, I turned back my attention towards the Alpha, who eyed the sea of fire with a furious glare. Its nose sniffed cautiously in the air, before its face once again contorted into a fierce mask of fury. I returned the glare with one of my own, as I prepared myself. My grip on Efhermet tightened almost immediately as I bolted forward. There was no need for hesitation when I was already in such a screwed up situation. Besides, recklessness may yield unexpected results. The rising mist swirled around me as my body rocketed forward. Unfortunately, the mist, covered with the dark ambience of the room made it difficult to make out the wolves. In actuality, the dry ice that we had hoped to use against the wolves acted against me, as the white mist it created impeded my already impaired vision. This only affected me negatively, as from my prior fight, I knew full well the wolves weren¡¯t quite adept at using their eye sight in the first place. Instead, they relied on heightened smell and hearing to ¡°see¡±. In this case, I was in a serious disadvantage. Due to the many blind spots this situation created, a stray wolf scout managed to slip past me as it attacked, impacting me square on my side, and shaving of 10% of my total hp as well as shoving me forward towards a pair of waiting scouts. The two in front of me jumped forward, fangs bared in anger and resentment. I reacted immediately, turning my body sideways while my toros almost hugged the carpeted floor. In a this short interval of time, my right hand reached back and gripped one of the spare daggers I conveniently kept with me. With a silent grunt, my body continued turning sideways as I threw the blade directly towards the leftern most wolf. The blade left my hand as it pierced a shallow wound on the creature¡¯s front hind. Due to the terrible launching position I was in, the throw held almost no power, as a result the werewolf was left virtually harmless, save for a small flesh wound. Not losing hope, I followed through. I continued my vertical twirl mid air, as I slashed out with my left hand. This time, Efhermet sunk deep into the right wolf¡¯s front leg. [Dissect] took effect and shortly after, its leg came cleanly off with a quick spurt of blood. I continued to roll past the two wolves I recently attacked, until I met resistance from the an adjacent wall. My head pivoted towards the waiting pack and Alpha just in time for me to see the right Werewolf scout tumble forwards due to its lack of balance. I crouched down, Efhermet held aloft in front of me, as I watched the scene cautiously. This position was rather favorable for me, considering the wall blocked off any surprise attacks aimed at my back, but I really couldn¡¯t escape the gravity of the situation with just that sort of advantage. While I was spared from surprise attacks, that just left me to face off against 15 + 1 Werewolves head on. I glared silently at the pack, while they slowly encircled me, the quickly rising white mist impaired my already terrible range of vision, while the slowly increasing CO2 in the air made it that much harder to breathe. The Alpha wolf stepped back in response, displaying a rather annoying haughty attitude, despite the damage I just incurred towards its subordinates. It did nothing, while the rest of the wolves stepped forward, fully intent on surrounding me and closing off any sort of escape I may have had. As I watched, I pulled out another goblin short sword from behind me, and readied myself. Through the gravity of this situation, the only thought that idled through my mind was, [We seriously messed up...] **** Cielle and Hina moved back 15 meters away from the Computer lab¡¯s entrance. Their face visibly paled, as they each frantically wiped away the increasing sweat that dampened their foreheads. Currently, the hallway was, in all sense of things; A sea of fire. After they heard Hide¡¯s frantic shout and interpreted his message, they immediately moved towards Hide¡¯s ¡°contingency plan¡±. It was a simple plan really; set the hallway on fire. This was effectively done with a single [Basic Fire] spell from Hina¡¯s arsenal of elemental attacks. Since before hand, the three had endeavored to spread the floor, and the surrounding walls with a mix of highly flammable chemicals such as rubbing alcohol and acetaldehyde. Of course, this was done with the help of Hina¡¯s basic understanding of chemistry. The chemicals were mixed in such a way that no subsequent negative repercussion occurred. In short, they set the hall on fire with the help of magic and science. While, the fire was originally purely intended for defense, as a way to ward of the Werewolves, it did a surprising amount of damage. Some unlucky scouts were caught in the original fire, and thus were left deep in the trenches of this new fiery hell. In fact, almost every single wolf was entrapped within the flames, mainly due to the lucky timing which Hina lit up the hallway. She had set the place on fire just as the last of the wolves left the room, leaving almost everyone of them vulnerable and positioned perfectly. As a result, they could do nothing, as they lay entrapped within the hellfire. Some of the wolves, which were currently burning alive, frantically rolled around the ground, only to further mix the chemicals and flames into their fur. Their existence disrupted the already perturbed pack of 40 or so wolves. The flaming wolves ran frantically around, setting fire to some of their comrades in the process. The ones left alive, were suffering from numerous second to third degree burns,as well as various levels of chemical poisoning. They could do nothing in the face of the wall of flame, but sit idly around, entrapped. All in all, a good 7 or so promptly died due to the initial activation of the plan. It would be accurate to say that the two girls were in a much more favorable situation than Hide. Hina and Cielle exchanged glance as they prepared their own set of skills. ¡°I¡¯m guessing the plan failed huh¡­¡± Hina stated the obvious while she readied a volley of spells. Cielle responded simply, with a solitary nod of her head, while saying something along the lines of, ¡°Mnnn¡­¡± As the two sisters exchanged brief conversation, Cielle promptly healed a 2nd degree burn that Hina had unwillingly received after she got caught up in the initial flames. Hina audibly thank her, before the two of them fell silent, now fully concentrated on the still energetic wolf pack. With the resulting [Dark Gemini] from her healing, Cielle used the black glop to strike out at the closest wolf. This scout, one ladden in singed fur, and numerous burn marks, was weakly limping across the fire towards their position. It had given up on screaming, seemingly as the flames had damaged its vocal chords to a great extent. It was half delirious, and almost all dead, it jerked forward with a mechanical lurch. Cielle only assisted in its death, with a strike towards its 3rd degree burn located on its abdomen. The wolf howled painfully as it slumped forward and died, more from Gemini Blue¡¯s pain than the actual injuries. Not ending her assault there, she continued to flaunt her skill all over the heated battle field, as the globs of dark blue weaved in and out between flames, striking out at whatever wolf had unluckily gotten in her way. Through out all this, Cielle efficiently killed off about 10 werewolves, while depleting her maximum mana pool to about a third of its total. She also learned a substantial fact about her skill in the process. [Dark Gemini] was seemingly unaffected by the flames. It merely passed through, unperturbed, as it entered and left the wolves¡¯ pain filled bodies. In fact, Dark Gemini caused so much pain and damage that she unwillingly had to use the healing portion of her skill in order to accumulate more of that dark luminous blob. Luckily, the current situation was a bit favorable for her, as every time she healed, the flames would seep away at the health of the wolves, making such healing next to obsolete. Cielle breathed heavily as she felt a growing throbbing pain in the back of her head. At this point, the matted haired girl would not associate her depleting mana with such pain, but mentally, she felt great fatigue from her constant use of her skills. Despite this though, she was trapped in a rather terrible situation, and was forced nonetheless to continually use her powers, despite its side effects. On the other hand, Hina also did her part in battle. The blonde haired, buxom female avoided using wind, earth, or water spells, in fear of putting out the flames she had painstakingly helped to create. In the end, she relied strictly on her fire power. Actually, with the help of Hide¡¯s almost instinctive appraisal, Hina was able to discover that fire was the most destructive of her elemental skills, well at least at her current level. In fact, going by skill level alone, Fire was currently ahead, mostly since its what she had used during her battle with the minotaurs. This time was no exception. At first, she only mainly sent out balls of flame towards the wolves, in particular, those ones which had managed to avoid the fiery hell; the ones huddled in corners or non inflamed spots on the floor. She facilitated their pain with an almost impassive face as she drove her own, self generated flames towards their already singed bodies. At first, this was her main tactic. But in the end, she found an even more effective means of damage. She ended up using the already generated flames surrounding the wolves. In the beginning, this was a hard going task. She didn¡¯t exactly have quite an appropriate grasp on the concept of controlling other flames asides from her own, so she struggled a bit. But once she applied the same basic principle she had used when manipulating her [Basic Fire] skill, she quickly adjusted. She bent the surroundings flames to her own will, slowly at first, but then with more practiced accuracy and efficiency. She drove the enraged fire over to her enemies, effectively blocking off the once safe spots. She also extended the range of the flames to cover more ground in order to stop the retreating wolves who held the idiotic idea of escape. Through this continuous process of fire, her mp depleted towards less than half of its original amount, while she helped facilitate the death of approximately 15 wolves. Her kill count was much higher than her sisters primarily due to the advantage she received from the pre made battlefield. Additionally, her mana depleted much slower as well, mostly since her class title, [Grand Magus], decreased the necessary amount of mana needed for each subsequent fire attack. Plus, she wasn¡¯t burdened with the task of moving the dry ice pellets into the computer lab, unlike Cielle. Nevertheless, she also began to suffer from a growing migraine. She rubbed flicked some of the sweat dampened hair away from her forehead, as she prepared for another round of fire attacks. At this time, an unexpected window popped up in front of her. Her eyes widened, as she quickly scanned through the contents before dismissing the screen with a single thought.
New Skill Earned! Lesser Pyrokinesis(Active) Through the constant manipulation of prior existing fire, you have gained an increased ability to control fire.. Skill Type: Rare Skill Rank: Beginner Skill Level: 1 Skill Experience: 0% Effects: -Increased manipulation of fire, and heat. Prior knowledge to the inner workings of fire may help facilitate the control. -Cannot create fire, but may control prior existing flames. -Augmented fire damage. Use consumes varying amount of either mana or stamina. Consumption rate depends on time the skill is active and the quantity of fire currently manipulated. No cooldown time. Synchronicity - Due to the affinity with the prior existing skill, [Basic Fire Spell], the effects of [Lesser Pyrokinesis] have been increased. Additionally, mana and stamina consumption for the skill has also been reduced. Similar effects have been applied to [Basic Fire Spell].
Hina¡¯s eyes widened excessively for a moment as she both simultaneously digested the information on her new skill as well as assessed the condition of the battle field. From her prior experience with Hide, a moment¡¯s lapse in concentration could lead to death, so she endeavored to maintain focus despite the skill¡¯s sudden appearance. In the end, with little hesitation, she switched her attack method. Instead of spamming half effective [Basic Fire Spells], she switched to [Lesser Pyrokinesis]. Hina thrusted her arms open, fingers outstretched, as she grasped for the fire. With the skill¡¯s activation, it was an almost instinctive feeling in the pit of her stomach was suddenly switched on, as she wielded the flames almost like a third arm. With lesser pyrokinesis, manipulating and controlling the fire was much easier.The flames bent to her wills more effectively as her control emanated fluidity and precision. She used the surrounding flames, to encircle and ¡°devour¡± the rather helpless wolves. In addition to lesser pyrokinesis¡¯ increased fire damage, as well as the werewolves¡¯ 15% stat reduction during daytime, the creatures were mere fodder. ¡°I¡¯ll manage for now, sis! You rest a little.¡± Hina ardently yelled back, as she observed with her peripheral vision, her sister¡¯s worsening condition. Truth be told, Cielle wasn¡¯t well suited for such a drawn out match with an increased amount of mobs. It was merely a matter of incompatibility. Despite this, she continually pushed herself, up to the point where she now only had about 10% of her original mana left. Cielle now held a constant grimace as she fought through the increasing migraine. As the rather determined girl was about to feebly shake her head in protest, Hina quickly continued on, as if to push her sister into stopping. ¡°I said rest! Besides, it¡¯s not as if you¡¯re the only one benefitting from such an action. We need you to conserve some of your mana incase either Hide or I get injured¡­ I¡¯m especially concerned about Hide¡­.¡± Hina¡¯s face maintained her stoicness, as her thoughts darkened. She fully realized that, despite the fact that the two had to face more enemies comparatively, that Hide was in a worser situation than the two of them. For one, he was alone, and two, he was faced not only with 10 or more non-impeded werewolves, but also had the misfortune of being in the company of the Alpha Wolf. ¡°....¡± Cielle¡¯s face contorted in a mixture of fear and anxiety as she was quickly reminded of Hide¡¯s currently worsening situation. She unwillingly let her hands drop to her sides, as she heeded her younger sister¡¯s worries, and ceased her continuing attacks. She took a couple steps back, as if to hid behind Hina as she knelt down and exhaled a built up sigh. She watched the fire capped battlefield with a sweat laden face and beady eyes as she inwardly thought out one single name with a hint of depressed desperation. [Hide¡­] ***** Thanks for waiting for the chapter! Rate, review, favorite, or follow, if you enjoyed my story. Next Chapter Chapter 29: Frozen Heat - Dark Room Frozen Heat - Dark Room I solemnly stood there, my back cornered against the wall while 15 Werewolf scouts slowly encircled me. Even through all the rising mist and darkness, I could clearly make out the apparent bloodlust held deep within their beady, pale eyes. I gulped audibly, breaking the ensuing silence. As if in response, the prowling pack growled with ferocity, bits and drops of saliva spreading everywhere in the process. In all sense of the term, I was utterly screwed. My mind was already racing, the gears in my head turning intensely as I desperately tried thinking of a way out of this messy situation. ¡°Tch...¡± I reflexively spat out while sighing. In the end, I wasn¡¯t such a capable person, and my cornered, half razzled mind jumbled up my steadily decelerating train of thought. I couldn¡¯t think of a plan to overturn this situation. Not like it mattered either way though, since the wolves had already jumped into action. Three wolves, completely different from the ones I had exchanged brief blows with, rushed at me with practiced unison. Their teeth fully bared to reveal a set of blood stained canines as they sprinted my direction. At this point, faced with such a situation, well thought out, cleverly contrived master plans were pointless. Rather, what I needed to do was take action. I needed to start moving, and my own body knew that better than anyone else. As they drew nearer, I didn¡¯t let myself stay idle. I also motioned into my own counteroffensive. Instead of meeting them head on, I took a tentative step forward, before I completely 180¡¯d and started a desperate run backwards, my full intent focused on the wall now in front of me. One, two, on my third step forward, my foot planted itself firmly on the wall¡¯s flat surface. Not letting my generated momentum diminish, I planted another step on the wall. With a total of three steps, I ran along the wall, moving sideways to my left before I leapt up, and jumped boldly on top of one of the rushing wolves. As I drew nearer, the wolf¡¯s eyes widened in surprise, while an audible, ¡°yip¡± escaped its snarling jaws. My body rocketed forward, and with one well aimed strike, I jabbed Efhermet firmly into the beast¡¯s left flank while I landed on top of the Wolf¡¯s back. This time around, I didn¡¯t bother activating [Dissect] since more than anything, my current situation would be greatly dependent on how long my stamina can last. After all, it wouldn¡¯t be good to run out of steam halfway through battle. Despite the fact that the thrust had merely been a regular attack, the thrust itself did considerable damage. Maybe it was due to my inflated stats, or maybe its was due to the 15% reduction that the wolves suffered, but no matter, the subsequent Scout¡¯s hp dropped by approximately 20% with that single jab. With no time to rest, I yanked the blade out with a well timed grunt as I planned to continue my onslaught. Meanwhile, my brief strike, which lasted no more than 2 seconds, had already drawn the attention of the wolf¡¯s fellow attackers - the other two wolves who had shaken off their initial stupor from my surprise rush had already decided to come at me once more. They now poised themselves and sprinted forward, within them contained renewed vigor. On top of that, another 4 scouts decided to join in, as they too rushed desperately at the me who still clung onto the injured wolf¡¯s back. Ignoring the bared fangs, I once again attacked the injured wolf. With a single slash, I cut of one of its pointed ears. Considering the fact that such a body part was rather flimsy, [Dissect]¡¯s bonus effects wasn¡¯t required to sever the important protrusion from the head. Continuing onwards, I encircled my free arm around the wolf¡¯s neck to get better traction as my blade once again moved and flew over its head. The dagger sliced through air, fur, and flesh as I successfully cut off the other ear, which prompted a series of deranged cries. Satisfied, a small smile floated to my face, before it quickly dissapeared. From the corner of my eyes, through the dimly lit room, I could somewhat see that the remaining wolves were already in close proximity. [Damn it¡­ I¡¯ve got to somehow do something¡­.] With a grunt, I reached over with both of my hands, and fully wrapped my body around the earless wolf¡¯s back. As the others drew nearer, I forcibly twisted the full weight of my body to the left. My generated momentum transfered over to the wolf, as it followed my trajectory, and spun sideways. It was sort of like how a crocodile drowned its prey using its patented ¡°death roll¡±, except in my case, I was the crocodile, and the wolf was my prey. As our bodies turned horizontal with the floor, I immediately kicked out at the wolf squarely on its back. The generated force, sent the scout slightly forward, while it propelled me to the floor. I cushioned my impact with a roll, as I moved away from the ensuing chaos. My back was once again against the wall while I looked on at the scene I created. The wolves that had rushed at me couldn¡¯t slow down their built up momentum; they crashed hard against the earless scout. The earlier deathroll I performed was meant to expose the earless wolf¡¯s maximum body area, to better act as a pseudo shield against the rushing wolves. By the looks of the results, I¡¯d say my plan worked quite well. The deafening noise created by the impact of multiple bodies caused even I to jerk back in slight surprise. Although such a course of actions held an even greater effect on the pack itself. The collision of bodies sent the once well organized group of canine monsters into disarray, as the other beasts scrambled to avoid the earless wolf. With such chaos, a small, slight, ever so slight, miniscule gap was created amongst their formation. One which I took full advantage off. This time I jumped up onto the tables propped up against the wall as I began to run on elevated ground. I sacrificed a few unfortunate PCs in my wake, stepping over keyboards and loose mice while I sprinted forwards. I circled around the pack, confronting an idle wolf scout who, before now, had stood laxidly on the sidelines with what I can only presume as a severe lack of motivation. I slashed out at this idle wolf with Efhermet. My strike this time around wasn¡¯t random, but delibrate. Carrying with it a tremendous amount of force and speed, my blade zoomed forward, directly towards the idle wolf¡¯s face. I aimed for the top of its maw, were its most important organ sat; its snout. I slashed horizontally at his nose. The momentum of my slice, not only completely shaved off the top half of its night black nose, but also spun me once over, giving me the opportunity to readjust myself in mid air, before I crouched down once more and leapt forward. My blade once again slashed horizontally, this time, chipping away at the pointed ears framed on top of the wolf¡¯s head. I managed to fully sever one ear off, while grazing at a portion of its right ear lobe. The two quick successive attacks landed ideally, causing the idle wolf to bleed from the newly wounded orifices. Unfortunately it howled rather loudly in response, prompting the attention of the other beasts. As if in retaliation to his troublesome roars, I didn¡¯t let up my earlier combo as I slashed out twice more, both aimed at his exposed chest, before I kicked the wolf backwards. With keen eyes, I watched him stumble before the ensuing pack that was once again sprinting forward. His flailing body blocked off most of the wolves¡¯ rushing attack. Much like the other wolf I traded blows with, this earless-noseless wolf caused the others to circle around in an attempt to get to me. Although, obviously, I didn¡¯y just stand idle while I wasted such an opportunity. I followed the idle wolf¡¯s flailing body closely. I ran up to him, this time, while brandishing two daggers; Efhermet and another one of my spare blades. I planned and monopolized on the quick added agility effects of [Equip]¡¯s bonus while I approached the Noseless wolf¡¯s body. I jumped up, lifting my legs off the ground by a full meter or so, as I stepped down on his shoulder. I used the howling creature much like a stepping stone, jumping once more and leaping as high as possible; my eyes solely fixated on a single opening within the ventilation shafts. The same one I had come down from. My right hand quickly parted with the spare dagger as it reached out. I forcibly stretched myself as far as possible while my fingers remained outstretched, grasping at that one, seemingly endless hole in the wall. [Almost, almost, so close¡­!] Just as my hand almost clasped the opening, an impact that originated from my right suddenly hit me full force, and sent me sprawling back down into bitter reality. My body torpedoed to the ground head first as I crash landed among a pile of badly broken computers and half chewed metal chairs. Crash! For a moment, I felt disconnected. As if I was dead. No, rather, is this what being dead feels like? The impact was pretty strong after all¡­.It wouldn¡¯t be a stretch to say that that hit could have very much killed me. I was then quickly reminded that I was very much alive, by the jolt of pain that rapidly spread throughout my system. ¡°Guuh¡­.¡± I mumbled awkwardly, as I slowly regained some semblance of my scattered senses. In a daze, I attempted to quickly get up, ignoring the bitter pain that now pulsated at the back of my head. My groggy condition, impaired much of my vision, while a ringing noise seemingly vibrated through out my ears. Feeling something a bit off with my nose, I sniffed at the air cautiously, before a wincing pain quickly prompted me to stop. I¡¯m not too sure, but I think my nose might be broken. That would explain the nosebleed at least. In such a state, with my face aching and my body in twice as much pain, I barely acknowledged the fact that I had managed to lose a good 25% of my hp to that one impact alone. I knelt down on one knee, as I strained to look out at the room. At first haze. Then blurry images, before my vision once again switched to haze. The white mist which seemingly blended into the natural darkness. I couldn¡¯t really see anything. I tried reaching out at my eyes, where I finally noticed my new injury. An increased amount of blood gushed out from an open wound above the right ridge of my eyebrow. The blood which mixed itself with my right eye impaired my already broken vision to an even greater extent. At this point, it wouldn¡¯t be a stretch to say I was now fighting blind. Well, at least that¡¯s how it felt. Nervous. Anxiety. A hint of fear as well. Those were the reckless concoction of emotions which I currently felt. In such utter darkness, save for the faint illuminating fire that I could barely make out through the door window which saw out into the inflamed hall, I was completely blind. Well, at least that¡¯s how it felt. My left arm shook, in part due to the earlier crash from earlier, and a bigger part due to the¡­ anxiety. The anxiety of being in the dark. The anxiety of knowing that I wasn¡¯t alone in the dark. The anxiety of fully comprehending that what was with me in the dark was currently trying to kill me. And I had no semblance as to where the ones who wanted to kill me were in this unnavigable mist of darkness. Of course, that all changed. A ferocious roar vibrated throughout the room, illuminating the area with sound. My head, almost on reflex, instantly turned towards the noise. I couldn¡¯t really tell, but I had a gut feeling that what roared just now was the Alpha Wolf. I also had a deeper feeling that the one who had hit me earlier was the Alpha Wolf. I breathed in, and breathed out, calming my rising breath. First, I knew that the wolves were coming closer. Despite everything, they had a tendency to slowly encircle their prey, much like actual wolves in the wild. Although they had numerous opportunities to land a counter aggressive against me, they had chosen not to. Instead they¡­ planned¡­ waited, like they were the predators hunting, and I was the prey. Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. From a different perspective though, this was good opportunity for me. In my half blind, full battered state, I could take a brief, yet albeit greatly needed breather. And most importantly, time to gather my thoughts. The wolves could attack any moment now but they didn¡¯t. Like I said before, they were a hunting type of monster, one that liked to take precaution no matter the circumstance. That¡¯s why they simply encircled. Another thing too, while they did sometimes attack in groups, they never went all out with their full might. Now, a part of me thinks this is due to the fact that it would be a bit detrimental rather than helpful to attack all at the same time, what with all the conflicting bodies and all, but another part of me believes it was due in part to given orders from the Alpha. Much like the Goblin Commander, the Alpha didn¡¯t readily attack me on his own, only when I was making my escape. While it didn¡¯t want to let me go, it had no enthusiasm to attack me full on either. This showed that the Alpha was the most cautious out of all the Werewolves. Now, I had a theory to this. The Alpha, and much like any other elite monster on par with the Goblin Commander, were especially careful due to the importance their roles played. Elite monsters, the ¡°Guardian types,¡± most likely fully realized that without them, I mean - if they die, then the respawn point¡­ no, the spawn portal, dies with them. Somehow or another, their fates are intertwined, and for the good of the pack, the Alpha chose to play it safe. The Elite monster was either planning on letting the rest of the wolves handle me, or at the very least, wait until I was severely weakened before it struck out to deal the finishing blow. Really, it was a dirty tactic, but not one I would have been completely against, were it me be the one using it. Through the darkness, I imagined the beast glaring at me. Another solitary howl reverberated throughout the room, as if confirming my suspicion. This time around, instead of silence, what followed was the sound of pitter pattering paws. Rather than standing here idly and waiting for the beasts to attack, I recklessly dove to the right. I didn¡¯t know what good such actions would have done but in any case, my body moved automatically. Still lost in the dark, I could hear angry howls from where I just ran from. Despite the gaining pack, In my own wake, I held back a yelp of pain, as I bumped into a nearby wall, toppling some of the computers in front of me, which I hadn¡¯t noticed until now. Relying on my previous knowledge of the room, I ran towards the back, aiming for where the heavy set curtain was supposed to be. The first thing I needed to fix was the light. In such a dark situation, I was the one with the severe disadvantage. Or rather, my natural instincts yearned for light. Rather than thinking of advantage or disadvantage, I was merely driven by the human fear of the dark. Moving recklessly through the room, I dashed forward, one hand constantly brushing at the wall, while my other hand, the one which held Efhermet, flailed frantically, hoping to hit any creature that came close. As I ran, my vision also grew darker. I¡¯m not too sure, but something has been wrong with my eyes since a while back. It wasn¡¯t just the blood seeping down from below my eyebrow, but something much more¡­.well, something much worse. In either case, I could probably get it fixed by Cielle later, well that is, if I somehow managed to make it out alive. With my wonky vision, I continued to run forward until I eventually stopped, and turned around. For one, with such terrible eyesight, I doubt added light would help, rather it might make the situation worse. Wasn¡¯t it that with eye related injuries, sudden brightness is detrimental? It might have been a mistake in the first place to move in this direction, and my indecisive personality prompted my change in decision. Anyways, I turned around and sprinted full force. The me who relied so recklessly on my dexterity was now gone, rather, in such a situation where my vision has been effectively ¡°robbed¡±, the dexterity stat seemed all but pointless. Right now, I was being reckless once again. I pulled out a second dagger, as I held that, as well as Efhermet, outsteched, in front of me. I knew that there was a werewolf following close behind due to the quiet, almost soft noises its feet made whenever it ran. My guess was only confirmed by the slick sound of my blades piercing meat in the darkness. From the height and resistance, I guessed it was a Werewolf scouts chest or something. It let out a howl of both pain and sound as I continued running forward, driving the weapon deeper and deeper into its chest cavity. At this point, my vision was completely black by now, and all I could do was rely on the rest of my other senses. Not letting this one get away, I determined myself to acquire my first Werewolf scout kill of the day, as I quickly moved my left hand and grasped out at its shoulder. I ignored the oncoming wolves that I knew were inevitable as I placed my full focus on my current opponent. I yanked out Efhermet, as I raised my right leg upwards. Using the still inlodged blade on its chest, I propped up my right foot on top of it, as I used its hilt as a make shift spring board. With one decisive jump upwards, I rose above the current Scout, while I twisted my body and used the right hand which still held on firmly to the beast¡¯s shoulder to maneuver myself to face the opposite direction. Once my upward momentum rapidly began to diminish, I forcefully landed ontop of the beast¡¯s back. My right hand once again groped at the monster¡¯s fur in an effort to gain some sort of traction, as my armed left hand, began its assault. At first, I furiously thrusted the bladed weapon deep into its throat. I aimed specifically for where I presumed its carotid artery was. The dagger rapidly sunk deep into its neck, prompting the wolf to let loose a sever howl of pain. ding! A confirmation sound blared through my ears, but unlike usual, where a blue panel appeared, a rather mechanical voice whispered softly into my ear instead. ¡°[Critical Hit.]¡± Although this sort of unexpected occurrence did surprise me, I didn¡¯t have any leisure to worry about it.I knew full well that the Wolves were practically on top of me, in fact, I could hear the fervent yapping, as the slowly began to encircle me. Doing my best to ignore them, I steeled myself once more, as I stabbed back down on the beast. Then another, another, another, and even more, another. I repeatedly stabbed back and forth, until a steaming hot sensation sprayed my face and chest. [Blood¡­] I inwardly thought out as I gritted my teeth, and stabbed back down. The wolf in response howled in pain. Its cries prompted an unexpected attack from one of its fellow teammates. A fellow scout ran up and clawed at my back. I winced through the pain, as I imagined the blood oozing out from my new wound ¡°Damn, stupid mutt¡­.¡± I cursed to myself while I jabbed Efhermet deep into the quickly dying wolf¡¯s back. I imagined that the one who had previously scratched my back had run away, as I heard the hurried footsteps of something rather large backing away. A little bit of childish anger and irritation welled up within me, while I inwardly chided the wolf for its hit and run tactic. Keeping Efhermet in lodged into the wolf¡¯s back, I groped around for another dagger with my left hand. After firmly grasping the blade (my second to last spare dagger), I threw it out into the darkness. Of course, I was, for the better sense of the word, ¡°blinded¡±, but nevertheless, I threw the blade in the general direction of where I imagined the beast had fled, going by the receding sounds its paws had made. After I confirmed my hit had landed with an pained yelp of surprise, I resumed my feverent attacks at the beast whose back I currently clung to. Maybe it was the fact that I was currently in such close proximity to one of their comrades, but other than the previous wolf, no other scout attempted to retaliate. Maybe they feared injuring their fellow comrade¡­ it made sense in a way, considering wolves are mostly creatures with strong familial bonds or comraderie. In either case, it worked to my advantage. Ignoring thier hesitation, I grabbed Efhermet¡¯s hilt once more, as I jabbed it back down, this time, I repositioned my blow. Instead of the side of its throat, like I primarily aimed for, this time around, I striked out at the back of its neck, close to where its spinal column connected and a place where a major artery laid. Just as expected, another wave of fresh heated liquid splashed over me. I smiled viciously, one in a mix of satisfaction and accomplishment, as I stabbed back down. I primarily aimed for the blood spray, mostly as a desperate, last ditch effort to grasp out for any sort of advantage in such an unfavorable situation. I¡¯m not too sure how effective the outcome might be, but if I¡¯m lucky, the fresh, odor filled blood might somewhat disguise my own stench. I mean, after all, these Werewolves were monsters which relied on their sense of smell and sense of hearing, and I could at least make an effort to hide one of these senses. The blood continued to gush out haphazardly as I also continued to repeatedly work away at his neck muscles. The subsequent howlings of pain lost most of their vigor by this point, as I began to imagine the wolf dying with every stab I performed. Eventually, it collapsed on the floor with a sickening thud, but not before voicing out a final yip of frustration and pain. ¡°.....*sigh*¡± The room once again filled with silence, well, save for my over excited gasps of adrenaline and breathlessness. My skin tingled, as I felt the sensation of the Wolf¡¯s now lifeless corpse that I still laid on top of. Its weird, even though its dead, its fur is still as soft as when it was alive. Wasn¡¯t this weird? After all, it was dead. Shouldn¡¯t something change. I¡¯m pretty sure something needed to change. ¡°Odd¡­. everything¡¯s odd¡­¡± In the darkness, I muttered to myself. My voice reverberating maybe a bit too loudly. I imagined the 14 or so remaining wolves encircling me, drawn ever closer to the words. In the darkness around, I couldn¡¯t tell what they were planning, nor where exactly they were moving from. Only black. Black, black, black, black, black, black, black, black, black, black¡­ A pitch black that seemed to engulf my fragile, miniscule frame. This was a terribly bad situation indeed. Not only was I currently blind, but I was also surrounded. In any normal condition, there would have been no way I could possible escape, let alone come out alive. Not to mention, on top of my stacked high disadvantages, breathing was getting progressively getting more and more difficult. Of course, I had no one to blame for this problem but myself, considering the choked up air was probably due to the numerous pieces of dry ice that littered the floor and covered the room in CO2. Out of breath, outnumbered, and blind¡­Really, what exactly should I do now¡­ in such an especially shitty situation¡­ wasn¡¯t I effectively screwed? Well, all the bad things aside, I need to look on the bright side. I successfully killed a Werewolf scout. And if were thinking positively here, that just meant I needed 14 more to go before I faced of against the final boss. Really, maybe I was being overly pessimistic about everything. Surely, things can¡¯t be all that bad. Next Chapter Chapter 30: Frozen Heat - Fighting Blind Author''s Note: Thanks to Kyren for Proofreading. **** Frozen Heat - Fighting Blind Stuck in the darkness. Admittedly, that¡¯s probably one of humanity¡¯s greatest fears. We surround ourselves with luminescence and light almost everyday. After all, when all that vibrance disappears¡­ ¡­ You''re left with nothing. That was me right now. I sat there in the murky darkness, laying beside the scout I killed, while the monsters drew nearer. The darkness expanded infinitely while it, paradoxically, confined me. Briefly assessing the situation, I determined that I, somehow, had injured my occipital lobe; the part of the brain needed in order to process vision. Most likely, it was during my fall. Although, of course, I could be wrong. Maybe it was just carbon monoxide poisoning, but the painful throbbing in the back of my head seemed to tell me otherwise. Ironically, I was very much like the Werewolves. They were practically blind themselves. Although they had improved hearing and a sense of smell to compensate, whereas, I did not. They also had several more allies with them. Whereas, again, I did not. My own allies, Cielle and Hina, were currently preoccupied. Or rather, they might be facing an even worse situation than me. After all, they were up against 40 instead of my 16- wait, that¡¯s 15 if you don¡¯t count this corpse next to me. Anyways, I can¡¯t just selfishly ask for their help while they were currently stuck in their own battles. Besides, its not like I could if I wanted to. After all, the hallway was currently on fire. I wanted, no I needed, to resolve this fight by myself¡­. **** With a roar that broke the tranquility of darkness, black chaos once again erupted. From all around me I could clearly hear each and every pitter patter of moving paws. As if each subsequent noise reverberated fiercely into my cerebrum. Even without the noise, I could clearly tell that they were on the attack once more. Thinking that the wolves would be upon me soon enough, I moved into action. Rather than running away, I stayed confined next to the corpse- or rather, with slight effort, I raised the lifeless body slightly above the floor, in order to create a big enough gap for me to squeeze under. Like that, I tucked myself under the corpse, using it as a makeshift shield, as the wolves descended. They desperately slashed and bit. I could hear their growing frustration as the body of their former comrades kept me safe, and relatively unharmed; well, almost unharmed. Of course, every now and then, a protruding body part, my left leg, right elbow, etc, would get assaulted with a brief exchange of claws. But still, the corpse worked well as an effective shield. With impaired vision I gripped Efhermet and lunged it forward, towards wherever I heard growling or any sort of noise. Most of the time I came out lucky, my haphazard strikes landing on a few scouts, but, honestly, it was quite a bad situation This situation was unfortunately made even worse, when my shield got taken away. With the combined effort of three Werewolf scouts, they lifted and tossed aside the helpful corpse, revealing me in all my exposed glory. Once I felt the weight of the lifeless meat disappear, I instinctively scrambled. Still on all fours, I rushed forward. With the wolf¡¯s anatomy ingrained in my mind, I knew full well that they had rather long legs, as well as having quite a gap between those legs whenever they stood. I scrambled between those legs, haphazardly bumping into fur covered feet in the process. As I weaved in and out of this forest of fur, I attacked simultaneously. I slashed out at every given opportunity. Through my haphazard attacks, I managed to sever the achilles tendon of one creature as well as stabbed another¡¯s pelvis. I heard a roaring screech of agony due to my subsequent attack, prompting an idea to sprout within me. For one, right now, they probably couldn¡¯t distinguish me any differently from the rest of the wolf pack considering I deliberately sprayed myself in wolf blood. What I figured out was a way to hide the noise I was making. It was really simple actually, what else could possibly hide noise? Even louder noise. And that even louder noise presented itself as a wolf¡¯s cry of pain. With renewed vigor, I set about my counterattack, all the while I ran desperately away from the beasts. Sticking close to the ground, I weaved in and out of their legs, causing subsequent chaos, as my masked smell, further impaired their hunting ability. Additionally, the random hits I aimed toward exposed areas, such as the achilles tendon and nether regions, caused a flurry of screeches and screams, masking my own desperate gasps for air. Their earlier scramble towards me had already worked effectively against them. Right now, they were even blinder than me. I continued my relentless, and haphazard, assault by kicking and stabbing at whatever claws or jaws that came close to my vicinity. And, of course, while I did relatively more damage to them, I still got injured, which was to be expected, considering everything. Eventually though, the bystanding Alpha noticed this failing situation, and howled fiercely through the darkness. In an attempt to quell the situation and regain control of his pack, I imagine that he is currently trying to recall the scouts back to his side. Of course, by then it was all too late. In my chaotic wake I had already severed the achilles tendon of approximately 7 werewolves. Those 7 crawled desperately on the floor, feebly attempting to escape with all their might. With an impassive face, I followed a particularly noisy scout that tried to claw its way out of my range. Groping through the darkness on all floors, I came upon the familiar sensation of matted fur, and with one fierce strike with my spare dagger, I pinned the creature¡¯s left leg onto the ground. The blade pierced both muscle and carpeted floor, effectively holding the monster in place. I continued to crawl forward on the floor, until I eventually came to a stop where the wolf¡¯s head rested. It, annoyingly, yapped and yapped; wailing. I¡¯m sure if I could see right now, droplets of tears would have been clearly visible on this pathetic monster¡¯s face. I moved to pin the creature down, sitting on top of its back, I propped Efhermet into the cavity where the back of its head and its neck connected. With a well timed grunt, I pierced the bladed edge deep into its neck. I imagined the blade piercing through the spine, nerves, and tendons as the sickening sound of metal cutting through wet meat filled the room. Like before, an eerie mechanical voice whispered melancholically, this time its words were slightly different; ¡°[Fatal Blow....]¡± Hearing this, I unconsciously smiled. That was the beauty of anatomy. Even with all these game like statistics, a sure kill hit will surely kill. Not giving myself time to rest, while the rest of the pack were still initiating their retreat, or should I say tactical surrender, I dislodged the spare dagger and lunged forward, towards another crawling wolf. Systematically, I killed off most of the stragglers. In the end, about 2 ¡°crawlers¡± managed to successfully escape my scythe of death. But still, that brought my total kill count to 5, leaving me with 11 more to go. Things were looking up ,that is, if I ignore the rising CO2 in the air. I turned my head towards the back of the room, where I knew the wolves had congregated. I stayed silent as I focused in on my hearing. I blocked out my own restless heart beat, heavy panting, and any other useless noise, until I could hear the faint growling of 10 or so Werewolf Scouts. I could tell they were getting restless. Much like me, they didn¡¯t remain unaffected by the CO2. This battle was drawing nearer to its finale. As if in response, I heard the deliberately heavy steps of the Alpha. Through the darkness, I heard it grow closer, most likely ready to finally start participating. [Did it finally decide I was weak enough¡­?] I imagined that, up until this point, the Alpha had assigned its pack to either kill me or, if that didn¡¯t work, weaken me to an extent where I no longer posed a threat to him. Currently I was blind, and had little over 50% of my HP remaining. I¡¯d say I was plenty weakened. I felt around in my pockets until I came across the single vial of red that I brought with me as a precaution. This was my only potion, and despite how badly my position was, I had decided to save this for the boss. Plus, the reason why I didn¡¯t purposely use this earlier, when my vision started fading, was that I didn¡¯t know whether it would heal my eyesight in the first place. I¡¯m not going to waste such an important item on only ¡°possibility¡±. But it''s not like it matters now. This was a final stand. The last assault. The conclusion to this long drawn out battle. With a solemn face, I drank the potion vigorously. Instantly I could feel some of my injuries already fading as my body started aching less. By the end of it all, I had recovered ? of my total hp. As expected, it wasn¡¯t enough to recover my vision. I sighed once, before I looked up again. [Well¡­ its not like it mattered.] Even without my vision, I will surely live. The situation isn¡¯t all that bad anyways. I will surely live, no, I will not die. I won¡¯t die. I obviously won¡¯t die. With a roar, violence once again rioted throughout the dark room. I heard the menacing, terribly loud noise of stomping paws as they drew nearer. This time around, I didn¡¯t run away. I took a tentative step forward, and then another, then another, before I also sprinted forward, both hands holding Efhermet and a spare dagger respectively. I¡¯d already given up on the fancy battle plans and the other, rather pathetic, ways of survival I had implemented. I was tired of it all, and sometimes, you just feel like duking it out head on. That¡¯s what I decided. The monsters roared fiercely. And shortly after, since it was just a large to medium sized room and not a complete battlefield, the pack and I clashed. My right hand remained outstretched, testing the waters. Right now I was still blind, and fighting in the dark. Necessary sacrifices needed to be made. Almost in an instant, something chomped down on my hand, making me wince. Fortunately for me, that wince quickly turned into a smile. I planted my foot hard on the ground as I stopped my forward momentum. I then proceeded to stab Efhermet into the cheek of the Wolf that currently bit my hand. With a yelp, its jaw loosened, but that wasn¡¯t really my goal. Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. With my right hand free, and its mouth opened, I retracted the spare dagger for a brief moment, before I let it loose and rocketed it towards the beasts slack jawed mouth. It pierced the back of its throat, causing a subsequent gurgling sound to be let loose. With both blades firmly against the wolf¡¯s head, I propped the beast onto my own shoulder, before I let loose a well executed throw. Bringing the wolf over head I, like a judo practitioner, slammed it down besides the carpeted floor. The generated impact drove the spare dagger deeper into the throat of the beast. Quickly, I yanked away the blades, before I set about my own attack. I placed one knee against its chest before I started my assault. I slashed out at its nose, throat, ears, and eyes Really, I aimed at only where its most vulnerable body parts were. This overly complicated exchange lasted for about 3 seconds, enough time for another beast to approach. As I heard the growling to my right, I quickly dismounted the now wailing wolf, before I moved forward. I ran recklessly while I held my blades outstretched. A moment later, they pierced a wolf¡¯s chest cavity, and I attacked once more. One, two, three¡­.9 slashes. I desperately continued attacking before another wolf bit me in the shoulder. [Damn, this mutt¡­.] With a grunt, I dislodged Efhermet away from the nearby wolf, and I stabbed at the head of the wolf currently biting me. After 5 or so stabs, mostly to its nose and eyes, it finally let go with a pained wail. Unfortunately, another one bit down on my leg. I stabbed at where its eye might be, only for my blade to glance of its cheek bone. Frustrated, I prepared to stab back down once more, before another wolf bit my right hand. I winced through the pain as I repositioned the spare dagger in my hand so that the bladed edge faced my direction, before I fiercely yanked my arm back. The blade chipped and dislodged a row of its teeth, prompting the beast to let go. I then quickly brought down both daggers onto the wolf that was biting my leg. In this darkness, I could only hear the wailing screams, and feel the spurt of fresh blood as it covered my leg. It finally let go after it died. In this process, I had lost 20% of my hp. Despite that, despite the fact that one of their own died, they immediately resumed their attack. But that was fine with me. No matter what they do, I won¡¯t die. I slashed out at a wolf who roared fiercely to my side. I won¡¯t die. Two beasts lunged forward in unison. Their combined weight pushed me to the ground. They would have almost pinned me down, had I not rolled away in time. I then quickly retaliated with several frantic stabs at both their faces. I won¡¯t die. As I continued stabbing, another wolf bit down on my shoulder. It bit my previously injured shoulder, causing me to wail in pain. I won¡¯t die. I lodged my blades into its eye socket in retaliation. It wailed even louder than me. I won¡¯t die. The Alpha¡¯s sudden roar brought my attention, and my face turned desperately towards the noise. I won¡¯t die. Damnit I won¡¯t die. I sprinted forward, flailing my daggers at whatever nipped and prodded at me during my assault. I could hear the Alpha howl once more as I drew nearer. I won¡¯t die. I won¡¯t die. I won¡¯t die. I won¡¯t die. I won¡¯t die. I won¡¯t die. I won¡¯t die. ¡°I WON¡¯T DIE!¡± My yell matched the Alpha¡¯s own in every aspect of desperation and bravado. My right hand stretched outward, as if in an attempt to stab at the beast. Unfortunately, from my hand all the way up to my elbow, an even eerier darkness consumed it, and a jolt of pain rocketed my system. I could feel the hot blood ooze out of my hand, as something, many somethings, pierced my arm. The fucker bit me. But that was fine. All within expected calculations. I wasn¡¯t dead yet. Luckily my arm wasn¡¯t completely bitten off, rather, my hand was currently within the monster¡¯s mouth. Twisting the spare dagger inside its mouth, I repositioned it, before I stabbed down on its tongue. Not stopping there, I flailed my right hand around, activating [Dissect] in the process. A little while later, its jaw opened loosely, as a river of new blood dripped out from its now severed tongue. The Alpha spat out, and I heard the wet thump of its tongue as it hit the carpet; the gushing of blood followed. Of course I didn¡¯t stop there. While it spat out its tongue, Efhermet proceeded to stab down at the side of its neck. The blade met resistance from its thick hide of fur, but I didn¡¯t care. I placed more strength into the blade, forcing it to go deeper and deeper, gouging out an even worse injury. The alpha attempted to howl, only for a gurgling sound to come forth. It had already started bleeding. The blood congregated greatly in its slack jawed mouth. I won¡¯t die. No, rather, I¡¯ll make sure this thing dies. With my motive set, and my determination practically overflowing, I clambered on top of the Alpha¡¯s back. Every step of my way, I stabbed Efhermet and the spare dagger haphazardly into the Monster¡¯s back, riddling his body with numerous punctures and holes. [I won¡¯t fucking die!] It gurgled desperately, as it clawed at me with its hands. I parried, blocked, and dodged. I did everything in order to stay aloft. I maintained this position since below me, a stream of angry, injured, and furious Werewolf Scouts waited. On its legs, the Alpha stood twice as tall as the rest of them, giving me enough leverage to be effectively out of their range. The Alpha was rapidly losing blood, and, as it lost more and more, it became even more rattled and frantic. Its arms now desperately groped and prodded at its back in a vain attempt to get at me. Unfortunately, I was quite agile. Like a pesky cockroach, I moved and avoided, until eventually, I reached the top of its head. I then proceeded to stab both my daggers down onto its ears. With the new injury, another wave of gurgling resounded from the Alpha¡¯s throat. Of course, I didn¡¯t stop there either. Using the half severed ears as a sort of piloting system, I twisted and maneuvered them in order to warrant a range of actions from the Alpha. Much like I did with my first minotaur encounter, by applying force into my yank, I was able to move the Alpha whichever way I wanted. And move it I did. I twisted his earlobes, prompting him to move forward. I had one goal. I wanted the Alpha to move where I felt the rush of cold air blast through as I heard the metallic tang of the howling tunnel. Eventually I was able to successfully maneuver the Alpha directly under the ventilation opening from which I came from. Well, at least I think we were under it. With this, I surely won¡¯t die. On unsteady, shaking feet, I slowly stood up on top of the Alpha¡¯s back. This was a particularly difficult task to do, considering how shaky and unstable my footing was. I looked up, hopefully, at what I expected to be the ceiling. Like before, all I saw was darkness, but in my mind¡¯s eye, I pictured the rough, rusted, square like opening in the ceiling. I was planning to jump. From this height, I could make the leap rather easily. What concerned me was the fact that I couldn¡¯t see the opening. The only thing I could rely on was subsequently fresh air it blasted out, as well as the hollow howls of the shaft- well that and my own gut feeling. This was an important gamble, one I was willing to make in order to crawl out of this canine hell hole. Panting heavily, I crouched down, grasping firmly at the Alpha¡¯s fur in order to steady myself. Before I jumped though, I propped the spare dagger onto the small gap between the Alpha¡¯s neck and the back of its head. I placed my right foot on top of the hilt, careful not to add too much force or too little. With that, I readied myself. One¡­ The beast restlessly flailed, as it gurgled in anger. Two¡­ The wolfpack below me was now furiously yapping away. I¡¯m sure some had already started clambering on top of their boss in order to get to me. Three¡­ [...I won¡¯t die. At least¡­ not today.] With that final thought racing through my mind, I jumped up while I, simultaneously applied force onto my right leg. The generated momentum drove the spare dagger deep into the Alpha¡¯s neck. Unlike before, it only prompted a critical hit, which I was fine with, after all it would eventually die of blood loss. I made sure of that with the injury on its tongue. In turn, I also propelled myself upwards. My hands outstretched, ready to receive whatever came closer, be it the ceiling or the opening. With luck I would either survive, or fall back down into the endless darkness. I could feel the rush of oxygen, as I instinctively took my first breath of oxygenated air. I could hear the metallic echo as my head passed through the opening. I could feel the rusty scrape of metal as my hand grabbed and held tightly onto the ventilation shaft¡¯s surface. ¡­. ¡­ For a moment, my feet dangled in mid air. A feeling of relief quickly washed over me, but I buried that down as I began climbing up into the shafts. Once I was safely within, I sighed, and for a moment, I just laid there motionless, my head touching the cool metallic surface of the ducts. Fresh air whirled around me. The Co2 hadn¡¯t collected enough to reach the top of the ceiling yet, so oxygenated air still circulated. I monopolized on this opportunity as I took greedy gulps of air. I knew that, eventually, I would have to crawl my way out of the shafts, but for now, I just laid here. I ignored the angry howls below me, the uncomfortable aching throbbing at the back of my head, even the fact that I had started to lose feeling in my right arm. I ignored all that and just sat idle. I enjoyed this brief moment of victory. **** After the following poll last chapter, it seems like the majority of reader''s are fine w/ the current length of the fight scenes. Although, I will strive to improve, maybe shortening the fights, to the extent where I remove any unnecessary excessive detail, but still keep it as detail filled as in the past. Like a mix of both worlds you know. Anyways, Follow, favorite, rate and review if you like this my fic in general. Next Chapter Chapter 31: A Futile Effort...? A Futile Effort¡­? The metallic howls echoed fiercely in this confined tunnel. The wolves below me were just as loud, but I felt a bit of comfort knowing they couldn¡¯t reach me. Before anything else though, I briefly checked my current status. Maybe it was because I was currently blind, but when I called out my status, the familiar blue panel did not pop up. Rather, like before, an eerie and mechanical voice whispered in my ear. It briefly told me the same gist of information I¡¯d usually garner from a normal information panel. Well, in short, I leveled up by 1. This was good news, especially considering I¡¯ve been stagnant ever since the double exp. bonus ended. Unfortunately, good news wasn¡¯t the only thing I received. My hp was borderline, about 6% remaining, while my body was also riddled in several abnormal status effects. Most noticeable was the fact that several [Bleeding status] effects were stacked, causing their initial effects to augment. I don¡¯t know how much time I had left, but it wasn¡¯t a lot, and the fact that my body felt excessively sluggish was also a bad sign. I¡¯ve never experienced it before, but I¡¯m guessing the sluggish feeling was the effect of letting the stamina bar get too low. After retrospecting a bit about my current situation, I finally picked myself up and proceeded to leave this narrow space. I backtracked and followed my original path, snaking my way around the ventilation shaft. My current goal was to reach the ¡°meeting spot¡± the girls and I had set up earlier. Although I said meeting spot, really, it was just the area behind the wall that we used for cover. Going off the cognitive map I had from earlier, I eventually lowered myself out of the ventilation shafts. I landed with a thud in what I hoped was a familiar hallway. Of course, I couldn¡¯t see it, so instead, I cautiously grabbed at the wall as I sniffed the air. Honestly, I had no idea what I was doing, but in the absence of vision, I thought it might have been smart to start using my other senses. Sniffing at the air, the tangy smell of highschool acid and singed fur eventually reached my nose. I wrinkled my nozzle reflexively as my head turned to face the direction of the odor. More than likely, the stench was caused by the battle that took place in the hallway. It was also my destination, but I couldn¡¯t just walk straight there unabashedly. Even if I was close to death, it was pointless if I just went and died due to recklessness. I started moving. Going off the memorized mental map I had of the 2nd floor, I snaked my way around corridors and classrooms, until I eventually reached my destination. From my current location, merely a couple meters down the hallway where the girls should have been, I could already hear the roaring of fire, as well as the heavy panting of two human individuals. I was close...but... ...unfortunately, that was when I finally ran out of stamina. Taking a shaky step forward, I tried fighting the fatigue as I proceeded forward. Too bad though, since after my 2nd step, my legs gave way, and I collapsed hard on the tiled floor. With an annoyed spit, I ejected the gathered grime and dirt in my mouth as I weakly called out to the girls. What came out of my mouth though, weren¡¯t words, but rather, a pathetic sounding groan of both fatigue and pain. I don¡¯t know whether they could hear me or not, mostly since my hearing was getting pretty bad as well, but a moment later, a rather¡­ delicate sensation enveloped me. It wasn¡¯t healing magic or anything, but rather human contact. My head seemingly rested on a pair of warm marshmallows as something soft brushed my injured face. I attempted to look up, as if trying to meet eye to eye with whatever or whoever held me, but as expected, all I saw was black. ¡°....¡± ¡°...¡± ¡°Hide?¡± A familiar voice suddenly spoke up through the crackling of the nearby flames. The voice was soft, feminine, and for some strange reason, brought me a quiet comfort. ¡°Ugh¡­ is that Hina? Hina?¡± I asked, unsure as to the owner of the voice. ¡°Y-yes, it¡¯s me, but more importantly what happened?!¡± She let out a horrified gasp as I imagined her doing a once over of my beaten and bloodied body. ¡°Er¡­ well, that¡¯s not important right now, I *cough* I-I really need a heal. I-is Cielle around?¡± I hastily replied. My HP was slowly draining, at most I had 0.08% left. I was seriously cutting it close. My head absentmindedly swept from side to side, in a vain attempt at looking around my surroundings. ¡°Cielle?¡± Hina asked dubiously. ¡°Cielle¡¯s been right here this whole time¡­ Hide, don¡¯t tell me¡­ you can¡¯t see?!¡± Upon hearing Hina¡¯s evaluation, a horrified and surprised voice suddenly gasped next to me. [Ah¡­ there¡¯s Cielle.] ¡°Well, like I said-¡± Before I could reiterate, Hina once again interrupted. ¡°What exactly happened to you Hide! Why can¡¯t you see?! Why is there so much blood everywhere?!¡± ¡°J-just calm down Hina!¡± I tried retorting through her growing hysteria. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about the blood, not all of it¡¯s mine, more importantly-¡± ¡°Why did you suddenly appear down this hallway??? I thought for sure you were in the computer lab fighting?¡± ¡°I was, I was-jeez, just listen to me for a second! I¡¯m seriously going to die!¡± I sighed out exasperatedly. ¡°Muu¡­ fine, fine, I can¡¯t argue with you there, you really do look like you''re about to walk through the pearly gates¡­ but after you''re all fixed and well, you better explain, got it?¡± Hina replied back, her tone had a modest undertone, but was fashioned to be severely reprimanding, like a mother scolding her reckless child. ¡°Okay, sure, but right now that¡¯s not important, Cielle heal me! Heal me right now!¡± My voice broke off in frantic desperation. No matter how much bravado I seemingly had, as expected, even I was afraid of death. I urged Cielle to heal me. I urged her even more to save me. As if in compliance, a familiar, soothing warmth enveloped me. I recognized this blissful sensation as [Gemini Blue]. It washed over me, and while the fatigue still remained, I could feel the pain slowly disappear. For a moment, I just laid there, fully appreciating [Gemini Blue]¡¯s usefulness, as my severe injuries began to all but fade away. The warm, yet somewhat cool sensation enveloped my entirety, snaking its way down from my legs, to my right hand, all the way eventually to meet the throbbing pain in the back of my head. I could feel, even in my head, as something was¡­ rearranged. It was a weird sensation, one not easily described, but I at least knew that I was getting better. Eventually, with much trepidation and after the soothing sensation had begun to fade, I slowly opened my eyes; I was greeted by the first rays of light that I had seen in what felt like a long time. I looked up earnestly at a tear streaked girl¡¯s face. Cielle¡¯s lips were curved in a quiver, mere inches away from my own. Her own hair enveloped me, creating a small curtain that seemingly enclosed both of us in our own private world, away from all the danger and death that existed. At first, my eyes widened upon her close proximity, but eventually they softened as my own lips curved into a slight smile. I had many things floating through my mind at this current moment. Several words and phrases I wanted to say, but for now, I satisfied myself with a slight gesture of appreciation. ¡°Thank you.¡± With those words, it was now Cielle¡¯s turn to widen her eyes, as for a moment she stared transfixed. Eventually though, this moment, this seemingly timeless moment was broken, as she quickly backed away, and turned towards the flames that still raged. As she got up from me, I too attempted to sit upright. The fatigue was worse than ever now, as the original adrenaline rush I fueled myself off of had already vanished. I strained to look around, until my eyes met with Hina¡¯s, who stood besides the flames while her hands maneuvered in front of her. After handing me off to Cielle, it seems like she had gone back to whatever she was doing before, as she currently looked out over the mflaes. Noticing my gaze, she stared back, her face donned with a tired smile. Going by her expression, I knew she wanted answers as to what happened, but that could wait for later. Right now, we still had a bit of unfinished business to take care of. First thing though, was I needed to replenish was some bit of stamina. I looked over at Cielle and asked, ¡°Do you have any granola bars left?¡± Prompted by my question, she fished around her pockets and came up with an old worn out protein bar. It was all mushed and beaten, but at the very least, the wrapper seemed to remain relatively unbroken. I quickly checked its stats, and was satisfied to find that the blue panels had returned. Also, the piece of calorie was just what I needed; with equip¡¯s effects active, it could restore a little bit of my stamina. I took the bar and slowly chewed. As I did, I checked my hp. I found that Gemini Blue had healed over 75% of my total, which, in retrospect, was quite amazing, considering how a mere 10 minutes ago, I was on death¡¯s door. As I marveled, I finally noticed the giant blob of darkness that floated harmlessly besides Cielle. The glob was massive, probably the biggest I¡¯ve ever seen so far. It was truly an amazing thing to consider that this mass was the representation of almost all the pain and injury I received. As I absentmindedly continued eating, from my side, Cielle spoke up. Her tone was still clearly worried, but it had somewhat calmed down. ¡°C-can you see now, H-Hide?¡± Upon her question, I paused for a moment. I hesitated before I nodded in affirmation. Truth be told, I could see, but thing¡¯s were somewhat¡­ blurry. Although I figured things would go back to normal pretty soon, so I paid it no heed for now. But¡­ it wouldn¡¯t hurt to work my eyes around a bit. With that thought, I did a few basic eyesight exercises, like looking at objects from a distance, or looking at something extremely close up, you know, simple things. As I did this though, I was honestly surprised when a ding! sound resounded in my head. A moment later, a new blue information panel popped up.
New Skill Earned! [Name Pending] You have experienced the absence of your primary sense, and have lived to regain it. Skill Type: Rare Skill Rank: Beginner Skill Level: 1 Skill Experience: 0.00% Effects: -In exchange for the temporary loss or decrease of a given ¡°sense¡±, one or more may be augmented. -Sense loss decreases as Skill Level increases -Sensory augmentation increases as Skill level increases
(*Author¡¯s Note* - Try as I might I could not think of the skill name¡­ if I come up with anything, I will ammend this chapter and/or tell you about it in a later chapter¡­ for now, if anyone has suggestions¡­) My eyes widened for a second, before they turned hollow and I let loose a bitter smile. [A new skill huh¡­ it¡¯s a good enough reward, considering the things I went through.] I didn¡¯t know how helpful this skill would be in the future, considering it was kind of a more balanced skill that both had negatives and positives to it, but nevertheless, its at least a good reassurance to know I have a couple more tricks up my sleeve. After I completely downed the protein bar, I could feel new found energy surging through my body, albeit miniscule. I was still unsteady on my feet and generally, my movement¡¯s were still sluggish. But I couldn¡¯t wait here all day. I attempted to rise to my feet, only to tumble backwards and fall flat on my own butt. I tried again, but the results ended up the same. My legs were still too weak, and my body was still too fatigued. On my third try, Cielle wordlessly supported me by lending me her shoulder. I looked briefly at her, but otherwise I remained quiet. With Cielle¡¯s help, I moved over to where Hina was currently standing. As I looked at her, hard at work, I noticed the perspiration sprawled over her face and exposed skin. She seemingly glistened, illuminated by the slight flicker of fire light the flames provided. Weirdly enough, despite all the sweat and grime, she had an otherwise refreshed smile plastered on her face. At first I was quite confused as to why she donned such an expression, but after my eyes swept through the inflamed hallway, I quickly understood why. In short, the two of them; Cielle and Hina, had dominated. Contrary to my own experience, the Werewolf scouts that ventured out into the hall had all but been destroyed. No rather, they were roasted. The wolves were all gone, dead and burned alive. At this point, Hina was now furiously working to quell the flames she had helped produce. From my perspective, it didn¡¯t seem like she was using water magic to put the flames out, but rather, she controlled the fire directly. As I stared absentmindedly at this, a question floated to my head. ¡°Did that basic fire spell ever give you this much control over fire?¡± I asked. I knew a few things about everyone¡¯s skills, and Hina¡¯s basic fire spell should have only given her the ability to create fire as well as a small semblance of control. It was nothing of the level she was currently displaying. Upon hearing my question, she briefly broke eye contact with the flames as she turned towards me. She flashed a toothy grin before answering. ¡°Well, a few things happened¡­¡± She answered as vaguely as I did, which kind of irritated me, but seeing as I basically did the same thing when she asked her questions, I let it slide¡­ Seeing my unsatisfied expression, her smile beamed even brighter, before she further elaborated. ¡°Actually, when we were fighting, I happened to learn a new skill¡­¡± She answered simply, which I received with a nod. ¡°Hmm¡­ tell me more later.¡± I responded. Hina nodded her head enthusiastically, further saying, ¡°Sure, but you have to tell me your side of the story in return!¡± I nodded vaguely to her, as I went quiet. I waited until a majority of the flames were put out, before I proceeded forward. A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. Without pause, I began moving towards the Computer Lab, dragging Cielle along. Hina, who quickly noticed, soon trailed behind. As I reached the front of the still closed, and highly heated door, I motioned to turn the knob. ¡°Ah-¡± As Cielle was about to raise her voice in protest, my hand made contact with the knob. The searing pain of heat rocketed through my hand, but I gritted through it. Not caring for the damage it caused, I solemnly turned the knob and opened the door. As the room revealed itself, a wave of white mist quickly seeped out of the open doorway. I meekly waved my hand to disperse some of the mist, as I stepped forward. Upon seeing the room once more, I paused. [....] It was all so¡­ small. In the darkness, this place seemed infinite. A neverending chamber which lacked light, and held only unspeakable danger. But now¡­ it was all so miniscule. I fully comprehended how small the room was, and how my rattled, lightless mind had over exaggerated my perception. In a way, it was a refreshing scene, but mostly, it only served as a grim reminder. I entered the room, as Cielle and Hina shortly followed. When their eyes adjusted to the dim light, they both let out brief gasps of shock and surprise. Most likely they were taken aback by what the room currently looked like; A blood soaked place littered with dying wolves and corpses. Although, fortunately, the two quickly regained their wits as their faces turned pseudo-impassive and they bravely stepped into the room. I walked further ahead, paying no heed to the 4 or so wolves that growled menacingly at me as they drew closer. They were the remnants of the pack that I battled. The rest of the wolves had long died, either from blood loss or suffocation, and these 4 weren¡¯t in any better shape either. These creatures were delirious from the carbon monoxide poisoning and at this stage, due to the numerous injuries I had imparted on them, they were practically half dead. I motioned to Cielle and Hina, as they quickly went and dispatched of the wolves. Hina used a quick succession of her increased fire attacks to swiftly deal with two of them, while Cielle monopolized on the large mass of [Dark Gemini] she acquired from healing me to finish of the rest. Now, all that¡¯s left was the one I wanted to finish off personally. I stared solemnly into the room, and right directly at the center, was a hulking lump of meat and fur. At first, I had presumed it dead; died from all the injuries I gave, but that theory was quickly refuted as my eyes focused and noticed the haggard rise and fall of its chest. ¡°What a stubborn beast¡­.¡± I spat out, while I walked closer. The Alpha Wolf was¡­ practically dead. Even though its eyes had swerved to look at me, it made no indication of reacting- or rather it couldn¡¯t. It could barely keep itself alive at this point. I approached absentmindedly, and before I noticed, my feet had stepped on blood soaked carpet. I briefly looked down, noticing the splotches of red which covered the floor. A mix of my own blood and the blood of the wolves. I grimaced slightly, before my eyes fell on a familiar object. What was once a clear plastic bottle, had now been soaked from the top to its bottom in red. The insides on the other hand, had been preserved almost perfectly. ¡°....¡± Without a word, I bent down to pick it up. With more effort than necessary, I lifted the bottle up as I unscrewed the lid. Through the small opening, I saw the mix of bolts and magnets slosh within the clear water I had placed them in. ¡°Hina, can you pick up a few pieces of dry ice for me?¡± I motioned over to the floor, where solidified Co2 still remained, albeit a bit smaller than usual. With a dubious look, Hina nevertheless complied as she motioned to pick up some of the solidified dry ice using a piece of cloth she acquired. After she gathered a sufficient amount, she moved over to give them to me. In response, I opened my exposed hand, waiting for the ice. She hesitated for a moment, looking at my hand solemnly, before she carefully placed each piece onto my palm. I ignored the stinging pain of immediate frostburn, as I impassively began placing the ice individually into the bottle. The water hissed as more and more ice compiled into the tiny container. Once I had filled the bottle with enough ice, to the point where the circular opening was now letting out white mist, I immediately closed the bottle again. Almost immediately, the bottle began expanding. I wasted no time to do what I came here to do. Walking directly to the front of the Alpha, I bent down with a grunt, and placed the bottle next to its head, while I forcibly opened the Alpha¡¯s jaw. I met slight resistance, but otherwise the Alpha was too battered to do anything substantial. Its jaw quickly opened, simultaneously letting out a stream of collected blood. With no hesitation, I reached for the bottle, and placed it gingerly inside the beast¡¯s mouth, right alongside where its tongue would have went, had I not severed it. The beast¡¯s eyes widened for a moment, before it blinked tiredly. In my eyes, the creature was asking to die. It looked miserable, fully realizing its life was all but over¡­ As the enemy who put it in that state, I had the obligation to finish it off, and right now, with my lack of strength, this was the only method that came readily to mind. Once the ice bomb was placed inside its mouth, I carefully closed its jaw, before I got up and nonchalantly dusted myself off. I motioned the girls to step back, while I moved my left leg to stomp down on the beast¡¯s nose, holding the jaw in place. I kept its mouth securely shut, although I doubt it would have resisted either way. With that, I maintained eye contact with the Alpha, all the while I counted down. 10...9¡­.8¡­.7¡­...6¡­¡­..5¡­¡­. 4¡­..3¡­..2¡­..1¡­.. After 5 seconds of passing the one second mark, a resounding BOOM! blared through the room. My foot which stepped on the beast¡¯s jaw, jerked up for a moment, before I stepped down in fierce resistance. Most of the blast was contained within the monster¡¯s mouth, although a few pieces of bolts and magnets did pierce through and chip away at some of the fangs that adorned the beast¡¯s jaw. After the buzzing in my ear had vanished, I looked into the Alpha¡¯s eyes once more. They were now lifeless, husks, remnants of something that was once something more than just a corpse. I broke eye contact, as my head naturally floated upwards to look at the opened ventilation shaft. I silently looked at that ephemeral hole for a moment, before, in a quiet whisper, I muttered to myself, ¡°I feel better now.¡± ***** After disposing of the Alpha Wolf, I gained a similar notification stating that I killed an Elite Monster. Like I had guessed before, the Alpha was also a [Species Leader], and its death led to the stop of Werewolf spawns, as well as an additional bonus of 3000 exp and +30 unallocated points. The bonuses were much more substantial than when I disposed of the Goblin Commander, but I guess that was natural, considering the Alpha Werewolf was a much stronger monster. Not even mentioning how beneficial those +30 points were, the 3000 exp was enough to cause my level to jump up by one. After reveling in my added bonuses for a minute, I plopped myself down on a rollable Office chair, as I gingerly asked Cielle to wheel me around the room. After a bit of convincing, she readily agreed, as the three of us began searching through the computers for a workable pc that survived my battle. After 10 or so minutes, we found a relatively undamaged Computer that was tucked away around the eastern corner of the room. After confirming it was okay, Hina booted it up, and we waited anxiously. A few seconds later, the eerie blank screen blinked into life. The three of us exchanged weary, but satisfied glances before we refocused on the screen. Hina did much of the moving, as Cielle and I watched from over her shoulder. She quickly logged on with her student verified account, and clicked on one of the several internet icons on the taskbar. After a couple moments, what greeted us was not the familiar page of the school¡¯s website, but rather, the blank x icon that indicated the internet wasn¡¯t connected. Seeing this, I sighed despondently. Hina, not one to give up quite so easily, clicked on the several other available internet browsers only to be met with disappointment. After a moment of silence, Hina bitterly spoke, ¡°It seems like it isn¡¯t working¡­¡± I nodded, equally as bitter. ¡°Yeah...I had thought there might still be a chance, considering the electricity¡¯s still running, but I guess I was wrong¡­.¡± I sighed, as Hina turned to me with another one of her dubious expressions. ¡°Well¡­ the electricity¡¯s not really running you know¡­.¡± ¡°?¡± ¡°To be more accurate, I doubt the nation, no, I doubt the city still has any of their electricity grids running¡­ It would actually be safe to say that most of the city is probably in the dark at this point.¡± Hearing this sudden blurb of information, my face scrunched up. ¡°If what you''re saying is true¡­ then why is¡­¡± I motioned to the clearly running computer screen. After seeing what I indicated to, Hina continued her explanation. ¡°That¡¯s probably due to the school¡¯s own generator. As you may have noticed, this school wasn¡¯t meant to be a school in the first place. In its earlier years, it was suppose to be some fancy cathedral, built by a missionary, but after a couple of years, a few individuals turned it into a government owned Bomb shelter. It wasn¡¯t after 50 years later that the government sold the property and some rich entrepreneur turned it into the school it once was. ¡°But while that may have happened, in its brief 50 years as a government owned facility, it had a few upgrades added in. One of these upgrades was the built in generator. The things were designed to last for quite a long time actually. They activate automatically, and if kept running indefinitely, they could last for about 3 weeks. Now, if someone were to redirect the electricity as to work only in one area of the school¡­.¡± Hina continued rambling, as I solemnly sighed and continued looking at the luminescent computer screen that symbolized false hope. In the end, it seems like my flimsy basis that electricity throughout the city was refuted by information I had no knowledge on. I sighed once more, absentminded in my own despair. [I guess there really is no more internet¡­ and at this point¡­ I can¡¯t really do anything¡­.] My mental fatigue seemingly multiplied as I came to this heavy realization. I blinked twice, solemnly looking at this piece of equipment. This useless object, this unhelpful item...wait¡­. [Item?] A hint of an idea formed at the tip of my tongue as I quickly went and confirmed whether it could be feasible or not. Without a hint of hesitation, I inwardly spoke to myself. [Identify!] I held bated breath, expecting, half wishing for one of the familiar information panels to pop up once more. As if in response, a single ding! reverberated in my skull, as my lips curved upwards in an expectant smile. I quickly scanned over the information.
Personal Computer A school mandated piece of technology usually used to access the internet. Although it might not be in mint condition, it is at least still usable. Special Effects: (???)
¡°....¡± Those question marks left me a bitter sense of defeat. They were still a mystery to me and honestly, at this point, their constant appearance frustrated me. They were obviously a result of [Equip], but at this point, they remained a treasure, one which I did not have the keys to. My expectant smile quickly faded and returned back into its original bitter scowl. If only I could view what those special effects were¡­ at this point, I could only guess as to what they entailed, but surely¡­ I had a gut feeling that they would have helped my current situation. I chided myself. I don¡¯t know up to what level [Equip] needed to be for me to finally be able to view those damned question marks, but I quickly came to the realization that leveling up [Equip] was growing increasingly important. Not only was it my primary skill, at its current stage, I had less than half of [Equip]¡¯s potential unlocked and readily available to me. I sighed once more, before I finally broke eye contact with the damnable computer screen. I turned to look at the equally as depressed girls. Meeting each others eyes, we sighed in unison. ¡°....What do we do now?¡± Cielle asked. ¡°...I don¡¯t know¡­ just, I¡¯m very tired right now.¡± Hina replied while rubbing her temples in bitter frustration. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell me about the generator?¡± I tiredly asked Hina. ¡°Eh? Well, you never asked¡­¡± She replied. ¡°It¡¯s not like it matters now though¡­¡± Cielle added with downcast eyes. I nodded as well, prompting our trio to grow silent. ¡°...¡± ¡°...¡± ¡°...¡± After a while, I stretched myself, sighing a I spoke up again. ¡°Well, for now, why don¡¯t we see if there are any monster drops, and after that¡­ we¡¯ll call it a day?¡± Hearing my suggestion, the two girls nodded tiredly. Hina shuffled out of the room shortly, off to go see if any of the Scouts from outside dropped anything. As she left, she left a passing remark, stating, ¡°I really want a shower right now¡­.¡± As she left, I looked down on myself and sniffed gingerly. I sighed, replying to Hina¡¯s statement, while mainly talking to myself. ¡°As do I¡­ as do I¡­.¡± ***** Author''s Note: As I stated above, I could not think of a proper title for Hide''s new skill. At first, I thought something along the lines of [synesthesia] might work, but it doesn''t really fit... Anyways, if anyone has suggestions, I am open. Follow, Favorite, Comment, Rate, and Review, if you like my fic. Thanks. Next Chapter:Chapter 32 Chapter 32: Skill Book *Author¡¯s Note - Yo guys, I''m back. Sorry for my absence lately, as some of you may have guessed I was mistakenly banned but no need to worry, after all, I''m back now. I''ve kept you guys waiting for more than two weeks, so I come bearing a new chapter. Also, for the skill name, I went with PRESSit¡¯s suggestion of [Sensory Re-mapping]. It was the one I liked the most out of all the suggestions ^.^ Skill Book I ushered the girls out of the room and instructed them to collect all the dropped loot that scattered the hallway. As I saw them out through the door, I breathed out an exasperated sigh once they finally left. I more or less collapsed down onto a table while my eyes naturally floated towards the giant pool of blood that had collected in the center of the room. Subsequently, I looked down at myself. My clothes, skin, all the way up to my face - the same tinted red shadowed me. I wiped solemnly at my face, a vain attempt of fixing myself, although it did little good. At this point, I fully realized how tempting Hina¡¯s earlier comment about showers was. A human can only go so long being covered from head to toe in monster blood before he finally snaps. With no other option left, I sighed again as I fished out another granola bar, with the intentions of filling my still dangerously low stamina bar. I chewed on a flavorless bar of grain for a minute or two, before I got up with a disgruntled grunt, and began my own inspection of the room. The girls were currently searching through the hallway outside, so I might as well contribute too. I pushed aside most of the corpses, and thoroughly groped at the floor. My hands reddened with blood, but my efforts did not result in vein. This room, after all, proved to be quite a treasure trove of items. About 5 vials, 4 red and 1 green resulted from my tireless searching. While 5 may not seem much, when compared to the fact that these 5 resulted from 15 or so Wolves, it indicated that the loot drop rate was somewhere around 30%. That was a lot more generous than what the minotaurs had to offer. I carefully inspected the items I found. The red vials were something I was quite familiar with - a health potion. It wasn¡¯t really anything surprising and I quickly confirmed its contents with a quick [Identify]. The green vial though, was something new. Before I dove straight in and used another [Identify] on the object, I carefully inspected the bottle with a scrutinizing eye. The vial itself was tinted green, complimenting the emerald glow that reflected from the bottle¡¯s surface. Aside from the color, it looked pretty much the same as any other health or mana potion. Without a second thought, I used identify. A familiar blue panel popped up.
Basic Stamina Potion A vial of green liquid that can be used to fill a person¡¯s stamina. Recovers 20 stamina. [Equip] Skill Bonus When directly applied by the skill owner, additionally recovers 20 stamina. When directly applied and used on the skill owner, recovers additional 40 stamina.
After reading through the information, I quickly confirmed that the gist of this green vial was basically just a stamina version of the hp potion. Nothing really impressive. I was tempted to just straight up gulp the vial down, but I stopped myself. Primarily, I¡¯d like to show the vial to the girls. It wouldn¡¯t feel quite fair if I was the only one who knew about its existence. Besides, ever since I met the two, I¡¯ve been hiding a bit too much about myself. For one thing, I¡¯ve kept the existence of my primary skills a secret. Everytime they asked about skills, I¡¯d brush the question aside, or change the topic. While I know a fair bit of paranoia is in play here, and while I do think a bit of secrecy is still important, I-I¡¯ve been getting this sort of uncomfortable tingle in my chest at the prospect of hiding something from them. And this sort of feeling only increased ever since Cielle practically saved my life. I quickly brushed aside my wandering thoughts and pocketed the 5 vials, while I continued searching. I was already through inspecting the scout bodies and now the only thing left was the Alpha¡¯s. I expected a fair bit of compensation, especially when I put the Goblin Commander¡¯s reward into play. Something equally as useful as Efhermet should pop up. With a solid shove from my leg, I pushed aside corpse and wadded through the pool of blood with poorly restrained eagerness. After a few seconds of this, my hand quickly brushed aside something that was both hard and soggy. I lifted it off the pool of blood and began earnestly wiping the object clean with my equally as blood soaked shirt. I made slow progress, but after a while, the clear depiction of a hardcover book was in full sight. The cover was a bit too stained with blood for me to properly read, but flipping through the pages real quick, I sighed out in relief knowing that the actual contents weren¡¯t too damaged. I pulled it close to my face and briefly looked over it before I used [Identify].
Skill Book - Heightened Senses An old archaic record depicting the ability of the damned monster raise known as the Werewolf. This book allows one person to learn the Werewolf passive skill [Heightened Senses]. Along with it, is a brief description of the Werewolf tribes damned existence. Effects- New Skill - Heightened Senses. Equip Skill Bonus - Synchronicity with existing skill [Sensory - Remapping]. 50% effectiveness boost.
The aspect that caught me off guard the most was the fact that [Equip]¡¯s bonuses worked on even items like skill books. While I expected something like skill book¡¯s to exist, for them to even fall under Equip¡¯s sphere of influence was something I didn¡¯t even think to guess. Anyways, as for the skill itself, it was definitely something that would prove useful in the near future, and something that would suite my style of fighting. The synchronicity aspect of [Equip]¡¯s bonus interested me too, but I had a vaguely rough idea as to what it implied. With slight hesitation, I mulled over whether or not I should share the skill book with the girls. I did have a spew about the troubles of secrecy, but then again, skill books are rare finds and this skill really did suit someone like me. In the end, I reasoned that keeping it to myself would be the best course of actions. For one thing, this book¡¯s existence might cause a point of conflict between us. Despite the girls¡¯ agreeable personalities thus far, in this sort of post apocalypse like world, something ¡°valuable¡± like new skills would be more than enough to incite greed and jealousy among a certain slew of people - of course, this was probably just the paranoid side of me talking, but nonetheless, it wasn¡¯t like that strain of logic didn¡¯t have it¡¯s own ring of truth to it. And another point to, is that I technically killed the Alpha, so this loot is technically mine. So it should be fine to selfishly use it for myself. Yeah, it¡¯s fine if I hog it. Besides, if this skill can make me stronger, in the end, I would only be increasing our chances of survival¡­ A little selfishness is fine sometimes. With that sort of logic I quickly ¡°consumed¡± the book, although in actuality, all I really did was read through its pages. Before I began, I quickly noted that the pages were transcribed in poorly written english. The book itself was rather thin. Despite its hard cover, its contents were only about 15 single sided pages of text. It was a short read, made even shorter by the fact that the first two pages was primarily just - as the blue panel had said - a brief description of the Werewolf species¡¯s history. As I read through these two pages though, A tight knot in my stomach formed and a sense of uncomfortable foreboding welled up in me. The Werewolf tribe was truly a damned existence. Werewolves were originally named Lycans. Although it wouldn¡¯t be too much of a stretch in logic to say that Lycans and Werewolves were completely different strains of existence. Lycans were beast like humanoids with the ability to freely transform between Wolf and Man. They weren¡¯t necessarily the friendliest of species, but rather, just part of the heterogeneous mix of races that lived and thrived in what the book describes as Alterworl. Alterworl was apparently the name of the world in which the Lycans inhabited, and like the earth of today, it was a vastly diverse place, filled with both peace and conflict. In this world, the Lycans were generally regarded as a more battle ready species, and their very race thrived in the conflict ridden areas of Alterworl. It wouldn¡¯t be uncommon for a Lycan mercenary or two to pop up in the wars that sprouted across the globe. Despite their tendency for violence, and their innately gifted physical advantage, Lycans weren¡¯t that super obsessed with war. They too, like many of the races, had their own culture, language, and tradition. Really, they were a bit like humanity. Unfortunately, something rather disastrous happened which forever affected the Lycan¡¯s existence. Something described only as ¡°the Collapse¡± happened. Rather than a Lycan exclusive event, ¡°The Collapse¡± was regarded as a world changing phenomena which brought disaster and ruin to all aspects of Alterworl. The Lycans were just among the few races to be directly affected. In the process of this event, for better or for worse, the Lycans lost their humanity. They had only one aspect of their existences taken away, but it was more than enough to bring the once thriving race to a grinding halt. After all, what they lost was their most defining feature. The aspect of their lives that had set them apart from much of the rest of the world. The thing that made them special. The thing that had made them unique. They lost their ability to transform. The Lycans were prevented from shifting from man to wolf, no, rather, they lost their chance to be either. They found themselves stuck. Stuck between the forms of both man and beast. In such a purgatory like state, the savage mindset of beast quickly deteriorated their human rationalization. This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. In exchange for their ability to transform and their humanity, they were gifted with increased physical ability and an augmented hostility towards anything that breathed or moved. For all intents and purposes, they had become a race of monsters. What made this even worse was the fact that Lycan babies, birthed from these monsters, would originally be born as a regular looking human baby. This appearance would last for a fraction of a second before the change would began. It was as if they were brought into this world with a faint glimmer of hope, only for it to be taken away and mercilessly trampled on. It was at this point that the Lycans lost the name Lycan. The world had begun to describe them only as monsters. They had forgotten the race they had once coexisted with. That knowledge had been quickly replaced by the fear they developed. Fear of the danger which these monsters brought. The name of the Werewolf subsequently rang out in Alterworl. A name that was quickly associated with both danger and fear. The history portion of the book ended at this point and I absentmindedly read through the rest of the pages. Although my eyes scanned the pages, it was quite evident that my mind wasn¡¯t processing any of it. It was too bogged down by what I had just read. The Werewolves, no, the Lycans¡­ ¡°....¡± I lifted my gaze off from the pages, and glanced over at the Alpha¡¯s corpse at my feet. It jaw hung loosely, and its eyes were pale and hollow. The eyes, although hard to tell at first, were definitely...human. But that didn¡¯t matter now. Dead. It was dead. The Alpha was just a corpse, lifeless and hollow. I had killed it after all, so its only natural that it was dead. I killed it. It was probably human at some point, but I had killed it. I wonder if under all that mat of fur, and savagery¡­ I wonder if somewhere deep inside¡­ I wonder if a bit of humanity survived. But whether it was human or not, that didn¡¯t matter, since I killed it. Shoved an ice bomb down its throat¡­ I killed it. It died because of me. I killed it. I killed quite a bit of them. I killed it. Slashed its legs of, cut open their throats, gouged their eyes out. I killed them all. I breathed out a sigh as I broke my gaze with the corpse. Killing monsters was one thing, but knowing that these creatures were once¡­ human, that killed me. It was the same type of guilt I first faced when I fought against the goblins, but this was much, much greater. Instead of speculation, instead of thinking something along the lines of ¡°They look human, but they¡¯re not¡±, I knew that these things weren¡¯t just ¡°something that looks vaguely human¡±. They had been human. Maybe they were still human, under all that fur. Knowing I killed them. Knowing I killed something that was once human, something that may have been still human, that¡­ I¡­ ¡°Hide?¡± A voice rang out from behind me. I turned around, only to see Hina and Cielle enter the room, their arms full with vials of red and the occasional blue. ¡°Hide?¡± Hina said again. I finally noticed I had been staring absentmindedly at the pair, and Hina¡¯s voice prompted me to shake my head, in a vain attempt to clear out all the uncomfortable emotions welling up in me. I shifted my eyes over at the vials, quickly counting 14 in total. 10 red, 4 blue, no green. It was a good haul, and such an excess would prove beneficial in the future. Before I could compliment the two, Hina¡¯s eyes had focused in on the book I carried. She stared at it for a second, before she asked, ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± I looked down at the book and then looked back up at her. ¡°A book.¡± This reply prompted Hina to roll her eyes tiredly at me. ¡° I can see that it''s a book. I¡¯m asking why do you have it. Or rather, why are you reading it?¡± ¡°This is¡­¡± Before I answered properly, my eyes gazed back down at the last of the pages, as they scanned through the last sentence of the book. Once I had finished, the book glowed a slight tinge of red, before it floated helplessly in the air. I silently followed the book with my eyes, as it reached its maximum altitude before it promptly started to disintegrate. After 5 seconds, the book was gone, the only remnants of it remained deep within the chasms of my mind. Hina who viewed the whole scene with slack jawed surprise, once again asked. ¡°W-what just happened?¡± Hearing her voice, I broke my gaze with the ceiling as I turned towards her. For a moment I just started, taking slight amusement in her bemused expression. ¡°This is- That was a skill book.¡± A familiar ding rang out in the back of my mind as a blue information panel popped up. ¡° - and I just finished learning a new skill.¡± I followed up as I began to read through the faintly glowing box of text.
Due to Skill Synchronicity, you were unable to learn [Heightened Senses]. Instead, appropriate changes have been made to your prior existing skill.
Sensory Re-mapping + You have experienced the absence of your primary sense, and have lived to regain it. Skill Type: Rare Skill Rank: Beginner Skill Level: 1 Skill Experience: 0.00% Effects: -In exchange for the temporary loss or decrease of a given ¡°sense¡±, one or more may be augmented. -Sense loss decreases as Skill Level increases -Sensory augmentation increases as Skill level increases -[Exchange rate for augmentation has been changed into the ratio of 2:1, where in exchange for the loss of a sense, the original augmentation of a skill has been increased by a factor of 2.] -[Passive Effect of Heightened sense of hearing, and smell.]
Looking over at the new panels, I was a bit disappointed to find that I didn¡¯t acquire [Heightened Senses], like I had expected. Instead, a few new additions were added to [Sensory Re-mapping]. Although I was primarily disappointed at not receiving a new skill, I quickly got over my initial sadness upon reading over [Sensory Re-mapping]¡¯s new information panel. Suffice to say, it had gotten stronger. As I read through the panel again, Hina¡¯s voice interrupted my train of thought once more. ¡°You got a new skill?! A skill book¡­ That¡¯s a bit unfair, don¡¯t you think Hide?¡± Despite the despondent tone of her voice, looking up at her face revealed she wasn¡¯t really all that mad that I hadn¡¯t told her about the skill book before I had used it on myself. Her lips curved upwards, her expression was rather playful, as she said again, ¡°If you acquired something great like a new skill book, you should have at least told us about it, right Cielle?¡± The girl nudged her big sister, which prompted a series of ¡°Ah, um, uh¡­¡± to resound out into the hall. Hearing this exchange, I formed a slight smile, as I started reading the panel once more while I replied. ¡°The Skill Book was something that dropped from the Alpha, which I killed, so I thought it was fair. Plus, the ability wasn¡¯t useful for both of you anyways.¡± ¡°Hmmm¡­.¡± Hina drawled out, as her tone indicated she was not convinced. ¡°... Well, I do feel slightly bad for not consulting with you two before hand.¡± I continued. ¡°Next time, I¡¯ll tell you guys properly about any item drops.¡± ¡°Promise?¡± Unexpectedly, Cielle was the one who spoke up this time. I looked over at her briefly, before my smile widened, and I replied. ¡°Promise.¡± I quickly closed the panel in front of me as I motioned for the two girls to bring the vials they were carrying over onto the table. We piled up their vials with the ones I had gathered. Taking a step back to observe her hard earned efforts, Hina sighed out as she said, ¡°We sure did gather a lot didn¡¯t we...¡± Cielle and I replied with a nod. ¡°There¡¯s about ten health potions here, although we don¡¯t really need that much with Cielle and I¡¯s healing skills, it''s good to have a lot. There¡¯s also a few mana potions within the mix. Hide, do you think if you and Cielle use some, you¡¯ll get another skill like [Full Element?]¡± ¡°Hmm, its hard to say. Although I doubt so, considering it''s already been about a week since the Apocalypse, so any achievement bonuses might already be taken.¡± I absentmindedly replied back as my vision fixed on a particular health potion. ¡°Oh that¡¯s too bad¡­¡± She replied a bit downtrodden. ¡° Oh?! Is that a green vial? I¡¯ve never seen a green vial before, I wonder what it does¡­.¡± As Hina continued to excitedly talk and commentate one sidedly on our loot, I took a step back, and slightly smiled. [It¡¯s better this way¡­] It¡¯s better that the two of them don¡¯t know the truth about the Werewolves- The Lycans. Sometimes its better to keep people in the dark. [This is the correct decision, after all, those two¡­] ¡°Hey Hide!¡± My train of thought was once again interrupted by a rather enthusiastic voice that originated from Hina. ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°Were you not listening?¡± She asked. ¡°Geeze, Hide you¡¯re pretty absentminded today. Anyways as I was saying, what do you think of-¡± Before she could continue, I interrupted her. ¡°Hina, Cielle. There¡¯s something I¡¯d like to say.¡± ¡°Ah, um, go ahead.¡± Upon hearing my sudden declaration, Hina¡¯s original eagerness fizzled out as she awkwardly responded. Cielle on the other hand, simply turned towards me in silence as she fixated her glance at my face. ¡°...¡± ¡°There¡¯s¡­¡± I hesitated for a moment. Lost. I tried to grasp at the exact words I wanted to speak out. Staring at the two girls before me, I swallowed down my uncertainty as I pressed forward. ¡°... Although we did agree to call it a day after we collected the loot¡­ if you guys are fine with it, there¡¯s- there¡¯s one place I¡¯d like to visit before night falls.¡± **** As I''ve said before, sorry for the delay. Hopefully, with only about a week of school left for me before summer break, I can churn out more chapters in the near future. Thanks for your continued support despite my absence. Next Chapter: Chapter 33: Familiarity Familiarity We walked down the empty hallway and amidst all the scar stained walls, and blood soaked floors, I quietly reminisced. It really is quite amazing, how familiar, yet all the same, how foreign these halls are. It brought on a sense of nostalgia, a sort of quiet whisper in the back of my mind that kept saying; ¡°It¡¯s all so familiar!¡± Although that might just be me getting too sentimental. As we continued walking, we passed by many of the familiar halls and classrooms - though at this point, it would be more appropriate to call them ¡°battlefields¡± rather than places of learning. The walls were thick with marks and the lockers, riddled in violence- really, it was quite a scene, and if I wasn¡¯t already so desensitized, I would have surely gasped out in surprise, among other things. Although in retrospect, it was only natural to see so much destruction, after all, rather than the helpless deaths that many of my classmates were subjected too, we actually fought back, resulting in these lasting impressions spread out all over the place. Speaking of battles, the week old enemies which we fervently faced don¡¯t seem to be here. Not one, not a single Minotaur could be seen. This struck me as odd, considering how fever pitched the three of us had to be in order to keep up with the rapid paced spawn rate those bipedal bulls had. In comparison, today lacked that normal sense of danger. Rather, it makes one wonder- did they stop spawning? Has someone else already killed the big boss Minotaur somewhere else? Either way, it¡¯s not really of concern to me, it might be a good thing actually, a few less monsters for me to worry about. While comforted by the fact that no harm would come my way as we made our way to our destination, I monopolized on this opportunity, and took this time to check my stats. Truth be told, ever since the week long double experience ended, I haven¡¯t really opened up my window panel. I was quite preoccupied, not to mention I was also quite frustrated at the bottleneck I was facing. Without the bonus, it was a difficult task to increase my level any further. Now was the perfect chance to check on my progress, as well as distribute the unallocated/bonus points I acquired from the Werewolf raid. With a simple thought, I brought up the familiar status window, and after briefly glancing over the contents, I then proceeded to make the appropriate changes. Before I fully dismissed it, I went over the window with a scrutinizing eye. In the end, it ended up as such;
Status Window
NameHide Mayo
Age17RaceHuman
Level24GenderMale
TitlesPioneer, Pyschopath
Health100/340(16)Health Regen.0.005 / Sec
Mana (unavailable)340(16)Mana Regen.0.01 / Sec
Stamina24/340(16)Stamina Regen.0.05 / Sec
-
Strength45(16)Agility60(16)
Vitality17(16)Dexterity60(16)
Intelligence26(16)Wisdom17(16)
Leadership0(8)Luck0(8)
-
Skills
Equip (Active) Identification (Active) Dissection(Active) Sensory Remapping + (Active)
Current Status Effect(s)n/a
Unallocated Points0
I went with my usual distribution, putting more points into what I considered the most necessary stats; strength, agility, and dexterity. They proved useful as of now and I wasn¡¯t quite ready to make any drastic change to my current build. Although I did do one thing that slightly veered from my normal course of actions. Considering the fact that the intelligence stat did augment reaction time, as well as the fact that my current character was one that valued that sort of thing, I invested more than a few points towards here too. I also put in a few in vitality and wisdom, since I didn¡¯t feel quite comfortable leaving these two stats so low in numerical value. I noted, with mild satisfaction, that I was only one level away from reaching the level requirements for my Efhermet Dagger. The dagger itself gave amazing boosts, so this was something I was excited about. After one final nod of approval, I quickly closed the panel, as I once again focused on the path ahead of me. My foot steps heavy from fatigue, I pressed forward. **** A few more minutes of silent walking took place before we finally arrived at our destination. The familiar door frame, now decorated in blood and splinters greeted me. Maybe it was due to my new found skill, but the bitter scent of blood was more vivid than usual. I smiled vaguely as I took the handle with outstretched hands and entered my old classroom. Like with the hallway, the familiarity was an unmistakable emotion that welled up inside me. From the arrangement of chairs, to the still present paint stain on the ceiling, everything reminded me of those days I spent in dreary solitude. A time I would rather not recall, but all the same, something I missed. I took a firm step forward, as the quiet mumbling from behind me finally broke the ensuing silence. ¡°This is what your old classroom looked like, huh Hide¡­.¡± Hina spoke, with all too curious eyes. ¡°Hide...2nd year¡­¡± Cielle muttered while her gaze stayed transfixed to the sign above the doorway. I responded to their mumbling with only a silent nod as I proceeded forward. I was a bit too transfixed to pay the two any heed at this point. For sentimental reasons, I took this opportunity to take a slow turn around, as if to properly view the classroom in all its entirety. This small, rectangular room which I¡¯ve spent the worse part of a year locked up in¡­ It looked strangely nostalgic, yet undeniably alien. Although, no matter how much nostalgia leaked out, it was indisputable that the once familiar classroom setting was replaced by what could only be described as pure, unadulterated carnage. Broken desks, blood stains, and even the ever present corpses. So many corpses. The scene before me was quite familiar actually, something that wouldn¡¯t be out of place anywhere else in the school - probably - but for some reason, these corpses were¡­ different. They left a stronger, more lasting impression on me. They were, for all intents and purposes, a much more impactful sight to behold. Of course, the reason was quite obvious, after all, there was one fundamental difference that these corpses had that the others, the ones I had grown complacent of, lacked. That was - familiarity. I knew the people that died in this room. Despite my rather, solitary position, nonetheless, the people whose corpses riddled this very classroom, were the same people I saw on a day to day basis. For example, Shizuku, a loud and rather obnoxious girl whom I never paid any particular heed to before. She was someone who decorated herself with gaudy accessories and heavy makeup. The type of female who wouldn¡¯t seem out of place around the arms of a wannabee gangster, Currently, her corpse was before my feet; legs ripped out, and her usual heavy makeup smeared by dry tears and blood. Her hollow eyes were quite a contrast to the usual scorning look that used to flash her face. Another corpse, towards my right and under a pile of splintered chairs - A man named Rinage. He had a brawny physique for a Highschooler, although that didn¡¯t come as much of a surprise, considering he was an avid rugby player. While he was apparently a good enough guy, he had a rather unremarkable face, even now I could hardly make out the expression he - ah, oops. He doesn¡¯t have a head anymore. For some reason or another, it''s missing. As my eyes kept spanning throughout the room, I saw more and more corpses. Inadu, a delinquent boy with blonde hair, Liliana, a person who was probably pretty, Tristen, Mina, Yuzuki, Fuuka, Rin - the names kept flashing through my head as my eyes swerved and gleamed over each and every one of their corpses. On normal occasions, I wouldn¡¯t have an inkling as to what to call these ¡®classmates¡¯ of mine. I wasn¡¯t particularly good with names after all, but¡­ but seeing them in such a state¡­ .... Well, for one, it''s a very depressing scene. After the wave of initial nostalgia came and went, I began examining the room with a little more scrutinizing glare. From what I could tell, I¡¯d say a minotaur or to be more precise, more than just a few minotaurs came barrelling through this room. This doesn¡¯t surprise me all that much though, considering the initial spawn point for minotaurs wasn¡¯t all that far from here. In fact, this was one of the reason¡¯s why I hesitated going here before, but conveniently enough, the minotaurs stopped spawning, so it all worked out. Despite the obvious signs of minotaur destruction - from the glaring hole marks, to the embedded hoof prints on the floor, one thing did concern me. Some of the injuries on the bodies¡­ they were different. They weren¡¯t the usual ripped limbs or pierced abdomens that was more common on the corpses outside this room. Rather, the best words to describe them with would be gashed, or slashed. Something you¡¯d more likely to see from a knife wound rather than a giant half-man half-bull creature. It left quite an uncomfortable feeling of concern and paranoia to well up inside me, but for now, I managed to push it aside. While those types of wounds did hint to something a bit more sinister than your common, everyday Minotaur scout, I didn¡¯t want to dwell in such things right now. My mind was a bit too tired for any serious concern, plus, truth be told, I had one other goal in mind which I wanted to put my utmost focus in. Rather than coming here to sightsee at the familiar corpses, this goal was a bit more practical, and hopefully, a bunch more useful than just moping around and lamenting in front of the dead. With thoughts such as these, I cut my focus away from the bodies, as I sidestepped over the corpses and made my way through the classroom. I fixed my gaze on a familiar desk, one I had grown attached to over the three months I¡¯ve spent on it - as evident by my idle doodling on its surface. Luckily enough, my old desk escaped much of the destruction that seemed to be quite prevalent throughout this room. Maybe that was due to the fact that it was isolated from the rest, located towards the corner of the room and near the windows, but nonetheless, this type of outcome might be considered lucky. Although it didn¡¯t really matter, what I wanted wasn¡¯t the desk, but rather, what laid beside it. Besides the desk was my old backpack. A worn down and overused piece of grey baggage which accompanied me throughout school. Before anything else, I quickly opened it up and checked its contents. Considering the fact that school had been practically over, the pouch contained none of the familiar books or folders, although the items which I did expect were still present. I carefully took out the contents, and laid them bare on top of my desk. I couldn¡¯t help but flash a rather triumphant smile as I glanced over at this assortment of knick knacks. Items. To me, these were more than just simple, useful tools. They tied to the very reality of my most prevalent Skill, and I figured it was about time to monopolize on this fact. One key thing I wanted to abuse was the ¡°familiarity¡± feature of my skill. It only ever showed up on one of the items, but nonetheless it was more than just useful, considering the fact that it gave various extra stat boosts. And going by the all too obvious name, I¡¯d say the best chances of getting ¡°familiar¡± items was with stuff I owned. This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience. Alongside my backpack, an old jacket, a pair of spare headphones (although I lacked the actual music player), as well as some tennis shoes (a spare I kept for gym class) riddled the table. With poorly restrained enthusiasm, I began identifying each and everyone of the objects in front of me. [Identify!] ding! One after another, blue window panels opened up in front of my eyes.
Grey Backpack An old, worn out backpack. It can be used to store objects. +10 (+9) HP -5 (+9) Agility Familiarity: 9 Special Effects: (???) Durability: 16/30
Hooded Jacket An article of clothing. It is heavily used. +10 (+5) HP +5 (+5) Defense Familiarity: 5 Durability: 10/25
Headphones A tool used for listening to audio signals, such as music. Familiarity: 20 Durability: 5/6
Tennis Shoes Footwear. The grime and dirt indicates that it has been heavily used. +10 (+2) Agility Familiarity: 2 Special Effects: (???) Durability: 6/12
I looked over each and every panel carefully, making sure to fully comprehend all the information it outlined. The backpack was a useful item. Not only could I store items inside it, I could also carry it into battle without fear of any combat demerits. This was made possible due to the item¡¯s familiarity being so high. Not only did it cancel out the -5 in agility, it completely turned that demerit around, resulting in a slight boost in agility. As if to test this theory, I immediately donned on the bag, and quickly felt the slight boost in agility take effect. The lightness in my step confirmed these effects. Satisfied, I then turned my attention to the jacket and the pair of headphones. While it was quite disappointing that the headphones didn¡¯t provide any actual stat boost, I was too intrigued by what the jacket had to offer to really care. The jacket had a decent familiarity score, but what drew my attention was the stat boosts, or rather, a certain stat that I have never seen before; defense. Defense was a stat that was easy enough to guess as to what its effects were, but the key point here was that it was something I don¡¯t have. I stopped and thought for moment. While I may not have the specific stat, maybe if I¡­. Without a second¡¯s hesitation, I removed the backpack from my back, and immediately wore the old jacket with the peculiar bonus. The familiarity of its woolen interior was something I missed, but other than that, I didn¡¯t feel any different. I nodded to myself before I inwardly spoke out, [status!]
Status Window
NameHide Mayo
Age17RaceHuman
Level24GenderMale
TitlesPioneer, Pyschopath
Health100/340(31)Health Regen.0.005 / Sec
Mana (unavailable)340(16)Mana Regen.0.01 / Sec
Stamina24/340(16)Stamina Regen.0.05 / Sec
-
Strength45(16)Agility60(16)
Vitality17(16)Dexterity60(16)
Intelligence26(16)Wisdom17(16)
Leadership0(8)Luck0(8)
Defense0(26)
-
Skills
Equip (Active) Identification (Active) Dissection(Active) Sensory Remapping + (Active)
Current Status Effect(s)n/a
Unallocated Points0
My eyes quickly scanned over the text, until I came to rest on the one thing that had change. Like I expected, a new stat has appeared. I grinned at myself as I admired it in all of its glory. Aside from the bonus given by the jacket itself, the Defense stat was marked down with a gloomy zero points, but right now, that didn¡¯t matter, I¡¯ll make sure to properly invest a few bonus points into that stat later. After confirming the jacket¡¯s effects, I removed it once more, in order to confirm something else. After removing the jacket, I checked my window panel once again, and smiled to myself. Despite not currently equipping the jacket, the Defense stat remained, meaning this type of stat was definitely here to stay. Aside from the jacket, both the backpack and the tennis shoes were good finds, so after placing the pair of headphones within the backpack, I immediately wore my new (well, more old) items. Satisfied, I nodded to myself as a voice from behind called out. ¡°You¡¯re looking pretty cool right now, Hide.¡± I jumped at the sudden sound. I was a bit too preoccupied, but I had completely forgotten about the two people I was with. Turning around, I saw Hina flashing me with an aloof smirk while Cielle squirmed around. ¡°Your face looks like you completely forgot about us.¡± She continued I opened my mouth as if to reply, but instantly closed it. I thought for a moment. I wanted to say something back. A witty comeback or something, but ultimately I ended up responding with a simple, ¡°Let¡¯s go. I¡¯ve finished my business here.¡± Hearing my reply, Hina looked at me for a second, before she shrugged and made her way out the room. Cielle in contrast, looked like she was about to say something in response, but seemingly gave up on it, as she moved into the hallway as well. After the two had left, I sighed, and motioned to follow them. As I moved through the room, my eyes couldn¡¯t help but scan over the classroom once more. They made their way through the broken chairs, through the stained floor, through the dead bodies, through my dead classmates. Really, I was once again reminded how depraved of a scene it was, and by extension, how depraved of a situation I was stuck in. Although, outside from the usual despair, something¡­ felt off about this room, no, more specifically, something felt off about the bodies. After looking through the corpses a few more times, I finally came to realize why I felt something wrong. Amongst the corpses, a few bodies - a few classmates were missing. Kido and his archetype harem weren¡¯t among the dead. After thinking about this fact for a bit, I unintentionally let out a slight smile. As expected of a protagonist. He somehow managed to escape, and with his harem in tact no doubt. It was weird. I certainly didn¡¯t like him, he was my polar opposite after all, but knowing that someone else other than Cielle, Hina, and I may have managed to survive¡­ Well, it was good news. The last thing this school needed was more dead bodies. With those last thoughts, I left my old classroom and followed the two girls down the hallway. **** Night had fallen. Instead of going back to the art room, which was located on the other side of the halls, we decided to camp out at another room. One closer to my old classroom. This one was a spare room that the literature club had been using as their clubroom. As expected of a culture club, the room¡¯s walls were lined with shelves that were stacked with numerous books. There were also two rectangular tables, joined together, as they supported pages of poetry and amateur novels. Surprisingly, this room was left virtually untouched. Apparently, since nobody was actually present here during the apocalypse, the Minotaurs hadn''t bothered destroying the place up like they did with the rest of the old school wing. It was quite refreshing. Instead of the constant smell of decaying corpses wafting throughout the place, this sanctuary had a nostalgic scent of crisp pages, and bitter coffee. I guess the literature club members had a fondness for caffeine. Currently, the two girls had huddled themselves up in a corner of the room, snugly between two adjacent book shelves. They were using a wool blanket we had found inside the room, and had already drifted off to sleep. I on the other hand, laid awake, staring apathetically at the unmoving ceiling fan. We discovered this only recently after we left my old classroom, but it seems like the electricity finally stopped working. Hina seemed quite surprised by this. She was sure that this school¡¯s generators were enough to light every nook and cranny of this building for at least 4 weeks, but it hasn¡¯t even been two and it already stopped working. Although truth be told, I didn¡¯t really care. I was too preoccupied with thoughts about our plans for tomorrow. Earlier, we had decided before hand that it was finally time to move on. We were finally going to leave the old building. While it is true that all three of us share the same bitterness about being confined to one place for so long, each of us had different objectives. Hina for one, wanted to search the school for survivors, while Cielle was content with just following both of us around. In that regard, I also had my own reasons. The minotaurs were gone now, so I needed a new hunting ground. It¡¯s the same train of thought as leaving the newbie area in a game and venturing off into the higher level areas. I didn¡¯t want to stagnate my growth. In the end, we decided we were going to go downstairs and stop by the infirmary, before venturing deeper into the main building. And if we were lucky, tomorrow, we might meet new people¡­ or at the very least, new monsters. I continued to stare at the ceiling as I thought about this. There were too many unaccounted variables, too many possibilities for danger, but most importantly the element of the unknown scared me, which was funny, considering the psychopath title supposedly negated my fear. ¡°....¡± Well, for now, there¡¯s no use thinking to hard about things. What happens, happens. I can¡¯t do much of anything but just adjust to the events to come. With that, I finally broke eye contact with the fan, as I shut my eyes closed. That night, we slept, without the background chorus of howling to comfort us. Chapter 34: People I made a mistake in the previous chapter, Hide did not find headphones. I forgot that I had pointed that out in the prologue :p People *Locations/cities/etc. may not correspond with actual real life locations.* Oakwood high school was generally regarded as a larger than average academy. Actually, saying something like that may be a bit of an understatement. In truth, Oakwood was the largest school, both student population wise, as well as land space within the international port city of Setoha. Setoha was a city of the coast of Okinawa, and as such, not only housed an American military base, but also plenty of foreign embassies. As a gesture of foreign friendship, many international diplomats would lay root within Setoha, and Oakwood was the usual benefactor for the children of said diplomats. This influx in foreign exchange students was only one of several reasons for the prestige of the school... With three separate main buildings, interconnected by a series of extending skyways, the school boasted as much as 400 separate classrooms, 5 indoor gymnasiums, 2 swimming pools, an observatory, as well as one of the largest tracks in the nation. Currently within this gigantic excuse of a school, I was at the central building, one of the newer construction, and the mainstay of the academy. The central building housed many important facilities, most notably the Cafeteria, the main office, and the infirmary. After crossing the skyway that connected the old school building and the central building together with Cielle and Hina, we were on our way downstairs, to where the infirmary was located. My vague recollection of the school¡¯s layout guided our way as we pushed onwards. With tensed footsteps, we made our way through the empty hall that led to the nearest flight of stairs. As we moved forward, I observed the scenery before me, the same scenery I¡¯ve been greeted with for the better part of two years. As expected of the newest addition to the school, the floors were lined with Vinyl tiles, while the walls were decorated in new, pale blue lockers. This was quite a sharp contrast to the Old building, which had rotted floorboards, and lacked actual lockers, instead opting for the more traditional shelving within the classrooms. Of course, one thing that stayed constant was the blood. Even here, the destruction and carnage had claimed its victims, staining the floors red, while denting many of the lockers. Although one key difference here was that there were less bodies- corpses. In fact, there were none. None at all, although I could see the occasional red drag marks that indicated someone had moved the bodies. It was refreshing in a sense. After being surrounded by death 24/7 for more than a week, a place as wide and open as this hallway to lack any actual corpses¡­ it was refreshing. But that¡¯s not to say it stopped me from tensing up. After all, blood, no matter the context, is still blood, and in all likelihood, they indicated that a monster had been through here. That was enough reason for me to be on guard. This ¡°unexplored territory¡± deserved our utmost attention and focus. Even the girls understood that. Hina, who, lately, has been getting quite talkative, hasn¡¯t uttered a single word from the moment we crossed the skyway, instead opting to put her focus into her surroundings. Her eyes would dart back and forth, stealing glances at the windows that peered into many of the empty classrooms and at the blood splatters that stained the hallway. The blood seemed to act as an enforcer, which made her develop a rather peculiar habit as we ventured further into the building. Every Step of the way, she held her hands up, away from her body. Her fingers were also outstretched, pointed in front of her, ready to cast magic on anything that seemed out of place. Cielle on the other hand, was a bit more composed¡­ or should I say, she was acting the same as ever. Her unkempt hair still cascaded over her eyes as she held a small backpack within her arms. The bag was filled with at least a gallon of [Dark Gemini], and acted as Cielle¡¯s last wall of defense, in case we ever ran into something dangerous. Since we couldn¡¯t continue carrying around a container as large as the one within the art room, we had to improvise, and a backpack was what we came up with. Cielle held that bag tightly within her grasps as she followed me with her usual small strides. I was similarly on edge. Ever since we set off for the infirmary, I¡¯ve been experimenting with my new skill, [Sensory Remapping +]. The skill itself was easy enough to use, wherein, its effects activated with merely a thought, kind like the window panels. After a couple of tries, I learned how to mess around with my senses. As we walked, I ¡°switched off¡± my sense of taste, all the while, enhancing my sense of hearing. It¡¯s quite an amazing experience. My range of hearing expanded, while the lack of taste in my mouth boggled me. Did you know that saliva actually has a taste? It was a bit difficult at first, adjusting to the suddenly missing constant which I had grown accustomed to all my life, but in the end, the trade off was worth it. My boosted hearing was well suited for these quiet halls, as any trace of noise could be instantly detected. Currently, this new skill was molding out to be quite amazing, and more than just useful. Although, if I had one complaint, it would be my own mastery. Unlike what the skill panel had indicated, I could not adjust the level of sensory loss. In my case it was either use it or lose it. Hopefully, as the skill¡¯s own level grows, my flexibility with it will as well, but for now, I can satisfy myself with this amount of adequacy. After a few minutes, we arrived at the infirmary. Along the way, we somehow managed to avoid any unwelcomed encounters¡­. although to me, it was more like this hall lacked any actual monsters, which had struck me as odd. The fact that we hadn¡¯t encountered anything, despite the traces of monster and battle all over the halls set all three of us on edge. We didn¡¯t know what could be lurking around the corner at this very moment, and that uncertainty scared us. With such dark thoughts, I willed myself to focus on the goal in front of me. The infirmary was guarded by a flimsy set of sliding doors whose surfaces were stained with splotches of red and yellow. It was a foreign scene. Truth be told, I¡¯ve never once set foot into the infirmary, so, in a sense, this would be a first for me. I took a moment to collect myself, before my hand moved and grasped onto the bloodied knob. I ignored the unnerving feel of dried blood as I turned towards the girls behind me and whispered in a low voice, ¡°Ready?¡± The two girls nodded in understanding as they prepared themselves. Hina¡¯s hands remained held high, this time pointing at the door, while Cielle silently unzipped the backpack in her arms. Sparks of red danced around Hina¡¯s hands as bits and pieces of black liquid floated within Cielle¡¯s vicinity. This would be our first time actually entering a classroom within the Central building, so this level of caution was necessary. What lies behind this door, could either be death, salvation, or nothing, and truthfully, I¡¯d prefer it not to be anything unpleasant. My free hand gripped at Efhermet¡¯s handle from underneath my jacket, as I abruptly opened the door with excess vigor. ¡°....¡± ¡°....¡± ¡°....¡± After being greeted by an empty room, I eased my grip on the dagger while simultaneous rounds of relieved sighs resonated from behind me. With reassured step, I entered the room. As expected, the infirmary was empty. Looking around the room, I could see clear signs of struggle - the broken cabinets, strewn about beds, a computer that was flung all the way to the other side of the room. It was clear that there had been some violence here, but whether it was monster or human¡­ I had my doubts. While I was looking around the room, the girls had entered. Once she got into the room, Hina went straight for the cupboards, probably where they kept all the medication. ¡°Hina, do you go here often? You seem to be familiar with the room.¡± The earlier tension had somewhat diminished, so I decided to banter a bit with Hina as I also began looking through the room. ¡°Ah, yeah. I used to be a student aid for the nurse here¡­ She taught me a few things¡­¡± She replied, somewhat distracted. ¡°I see¡­¡± I answered awkwardly while I jiggled the knob of a locked cabinet drawer. Seeing my struggle, Cielle, who had been staring at me for quite some time now, moved forward. She rummaged through the teacher¡¯s desk located near the back wall, before moving over to me. In her hands was a copper colored key. ¡°Here¡­¡± She mumbled while handing over the object. ¡°Ah, thanks¡­¡± I replied and promptly opened the drawer. To my disappointment, it was filled only with papers and old medical records. Sighing, I dejectedly moved on and continued with my search. It might be obvious, but we were looking for medical supplies. While Cielle¡¯s [Gemini Blue], and to a lesser extent, Hina¡¯s healing spell, could fix any injury, we were still powerless towards illness or infection. And, in a dirty place like this, rather than monsters, infection might be our number one enemy¡­ I rummaged through a few more of the compartments near the back wall. Cielle moved over to stand besides me. She helped with my search, all the while sending constant, ¡°discreet¡± glances my way. For some reason, this sent shivers down my spine. If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. After a couple of minutes, I dragged myself over to one of the spare beds and sat myself down while sighing. In the end, I couldn¡¯t find a single thing. ¡°Did you find anything?¡± Hina spoke from the front of the room. She didn¡¯t bother turning towards me, as she continued to search through the numerous cabinets. ¡°No¡­¡± I replied with a sigh. ¡°Cielle and I couldn¡¯t find anything¡­ I was hoping you had better luck¡­¡± She awkwardly laughed while turning towards me and shrugging. She raised her arms up, exposing her empty hands.¡°It¡¯s odd¡­.¡± She stated while looking a bit puzzled. ¡°I¡¯m sure they should be over here but it¡¯s empty. It¡¯s all empty.¡± Cielle and I moved over to where she stood, and we both looked at the empty cupboards. Like she said, it was empty. In fact, it wasn¡¯t just that cupboard that was empty. After extensive riffling through the infirmary, we soon discovered that most of the medical supplies had been taken. Except for three rolls of bandages, and a box of waterproof band aids, the infirmary was empty. ¡°... Someone took them.¡± Cielle voiced out my thoughts. ¡°A person¡­¡± ¡°Un¡­¡± I solemnly grunted while I nodded my head in agreement. Monsters had no need for medicine. From what I could gather through our previous encounters, monsters, at best, had sub par intelligence. Maybe something a bit higher than your ordinary animal, but they definitely weren¡¯t a race of Einstein''s, that¡¯s for sure. If something like goblins came through here - a more humanoid monster, then I could see them taking the supplies, but I doubt that. In all likelihood, it was more plausible that another human came and took them. ¡°Hey, hey, if¡­ if a person really did take all the medicine, that means there are others right?¡± Hina suddenly spoke out, her voice a little choked. ¡°S-survivors. There are others right?¡± She repeated, her tone had a sense of newfound hope, one I¡¯ve only ever heard once, back when we brought her back from death¡¯s door. ¡°....¡± I replied with silence. There wasn¡¯t much I could say. A lot of people probably died, but it wouldn¡¯t be an impossibility if a few survived. The school was a big place, and had plenty of students. Anything could happen. As we sat in silence, thinking over the possibility of survivors, something caught my attention. It was a slight, quiet sound. The sound of shuffling. Shuffling foot steps from out the hallway. Normally I wouldn¡¯t have been able to notice such a quiet sound, but my ears had picked up on it due to my new skill. I could tell that the sound came from a couple of meters away, and that there were probably more than one cause for the noise. The noise grew louder and louder as what ever caused it drew closer and closer. Without another word, I crouched down beneath the window that looked out into the hallway while I indicated for the girls to follow. They complied, but not without shooting questioning glares in my direction. I replied only with a ¡°shh¡± gesture, while I carefully leaned my head to peer through the window. I made sure to be as discreet as possible, hoping that whatever came wouldn¡¯t be able to see me. Soon, 4 figures came into view. 3 male, one female. From the looks of their tattered school uniforms, they were students - survivors. Hina, who by this point, had also decided to look out the window, couldn¡¯t help but cover her mouth as she muffled a gasp. I didn¡¯t blame her though, even I was fairly surprised to see actual people. I quieted down while I continued to observe the group. All 4 of them were armed. Two of the boys carried metal bats, the girl had a pair of sharpened scissors in each hand while the last one held what looked like a black short sword. The sword brought my attention the most. From what I could tell, it was glaringly obvious that it was a monster drop. The group was tense and obviously distressed. The boys had bitter, scowling looks on their faces while the girl was doing her best to hold back her tears. Every now and then, she¡¯d whimper and hiccup, to which one of the guys would always reply with a stern ¡°shut up!¡±. As they approached closer and closer towards us, the girl abruptly stopped. Now that they were closer, I could clearly see the girl¡¯s face. It was dirtied and smeared, both with blood and tears. She had a giant gash on her forehead, which looked like it hurt. The girl exchanged worried glances with the trio, to which they replied by bitterly biting their lips as they hung their head down. Silence persisted for a good while, before the girl¡¯s squeaky voice spoke out. ¡°W-w-what do we do¡­.?¡± Her voice was weak, squeaky, and interlayered heavily with worry. It was the type of voice that would annoy anyone. ¡°What do you mean, ¡®what do we do¡¯... there¡¯s nothing we can do! Those bastards already¡­.¡± A bald guy with a large build replied back. His face was covered in dirt, which kind of complimented the self deprecating glare he had on. From my perspective, he looked a bit too old to be a student. ¡°Uwaa¡­ The BOSS is gonna be really pissed¡­.¡± Another guy, the one with slanted eyes and a mop of messy hair, replied back as he looked up at the ceiling and sighed. He gave off a carefree attitude, but even from here, it was obvious that he too was worried. ¡°Man, I seriously don¡¯t want to go back...¡± The last guy spoke out. This one was the one who held the black short sword. He had a rather plain face below his mop of dyed brown hair. ¡°... The last time someone messed up this badly¡­.¡± ¡°Agh! Don¡¯t remind me of that, poor Takeda¡­¡± The bald guy sighed with a look of pity on his face. ¡°Hahaha¡­ The BOSS does have a tendency to PK¡­.¡± Brown hair replied while bitterly laughing to himself. Hearing the conversation in front of her, The girl broke down and sobbed. Her legs gave out as she desperately hugged herself. She mumbled, ¡°I don¡¯t want to die, I don¡¯t want to die, I don¡¯t want to die¡± as her face was once again stained in tears. The trio in front of her couldn¡¯t help but scratch their heads at this spectacle. If you looked closely at their faces, the same look of worry also consumed them. ¡°Ah~, We¡¯re seriously going to die¡­.~¡± ¡°Fuck¡­¡± ¡°....¡± After a minute of deranged sobbing, the girl abruptly shot up as her hands gripped fiercely on the scissors. They visibly began to bleed as her face contorted into an ugly expression. ¡°Damn it, shit, fuck! If only those bastards from the cafeteria hadn¡¯t jumped us¡­¡± While tears pooled in her eyes, her face twisted into a vicious snarl. ¡°We should just raid the cafeteria again! Nobody fucking steals from us!¡± ¡°Well, didn¡¯t we originally steal from them?¡± Slanted eyes weakly replied. ¡°Ugh, Shut up! It doesn¡¯t matter anymore! Nobody steals from us!¡± The three guys attempted to calm her down, which only resulted in an angry reception as the girl lashed out with her scissors. ¡°Let¡¯s just steal it back! We can just get the food back from the cafeteria!¡± She yelled, a heavy hint of desperation in her voice. ¡°Are you an idiot? There¡¯s like 50 students there. After we raided the place 4 days ago with the others, they¡¯d kill us if we showed our faces!¡± The bald guy tiredly retorted. ¡°But¡­¡± ¡°-Plus, they have that one guy there.¡± The brown haired kid interrupted. ¡° I heard he could do the same thing as BOSS¡­¡± After the mention of ¡®BOSS¡¯, the group abruptly stopped talking. A heavy miasma of despair took hold of them as they clenched their fists tightly and looked dejectedly down. From their reactions and conversation, I got a vague idea of what was going on. In short, these 4 were what could be best described as underlings, and apparently, the guy they worked for was a pretty scary fellow. The 4 in front of me looked pretty pathetic at the moment, so much so that even I couldn¡¯t help but feel a bit of pity for them. I momentarily shifted my focus as I casted a quick glance at the two besides me, hoping to gauge their own reactions at the scene before us. Cielle was the same as always, an impassive look plastered on her face, while Hina sported a rather strange expression. Her eyebrows scrunched up as if she was deep in thought. Her head swayed from side to side, as if she was mulling over an important decision. It was a rather amusing sight, especially seeing the numerous facial expressions that flashed across her face. While she was interesting to look at, unfortunately, she was too deep in thought. Without realizing, her face was completely visible. If one the guys so much as glances in our direction, they¡¯d be greeted by this idiot¡¯s face staring directly at them. ¡°Ah- You idiot!¡± I cursed under my breath, before hastily pulling Hina¡¯s head down. She replied with a small ¡°eep!¡± as her face bumped the wall, but I ignored her as I inwardly cursed again. The bump had produced a small thud sound, and I silently bit my lip in anxiety. After a good minute, I warily poked my head up again as I looked cautiously out the window. I was hoping they didn¡¯t see us, but by this point it was too late. My eyes exchanged glances with the Bald guy¡¯s, and for a second, we just stood there, silently staring at each other. After the moment passed, the Bald guy abruptly blinked as he began to walk over towards our direction, a certain hostility evident in his gait. Chapter 35: Abrupt Encounter Abrupt Encounter The Baldie moved forward. His rather hard to look at face grew cold and impassive, while the glare in his eyes intensified. He raised the metal bat up to his shoulders, gripped the handle tightly, and made a rather threatening pose. I inwardly cursed as I quickly ducked down and gripped Efhermet at the ready. The people next to the Baldie noticed his abrupt change in atmosphere. They each shot quizzical glances towards one another, before finally, one of the others - the Brown haired kid, spoke out, ¡°Oi, Ryuuji, what¡¯s wrong?¡± Baldie - Ryuuji didn¡¯t bother answering, instead opting to point at the infirmary by jutting out his chin. This motion shifted the other three¡¯s attention over to our current hideout. Glancing at the infirmary window, then at themselves, it might be due to fear or experience, but they quickly caught on. They gripped their weapons, as each of them moved to follow the Baldie. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°A monster?¡± ¡°Was it those Bastards from the cafeteria!?¡± As they muttered amongst themselves, I shifted my focus towards the two next to me. ¡°Fuu¡­.¡± Cielle had a barely noticeable, one second scowl flash before her face as she turned to me. She didn¡¯t say anything, but her eyes were clearly saying, ¡®What do we do?¡¯ As if to voice out her sister¡¯s thoughts, Hina whispered, ¡°What do we do?¡± After thinking for a bit, I replied back. ¡°For now¡­. we¡¯ll wait and see what they do. We won¡¯t make the first move, but if they attack¡­ If they attack¡­¡± I let my words trail off, implying that we would obviously retaliate, if it ever came to that. The sisters correctly interpreted my intentions as the both tensely gulped. ¡°M-maybe we can talk things out with them?¡± Hina quickly suggested. From her facial expression, I guess it was a bit more discerning to have actual people as our enemies, rather than monsters. Plus, considering Hina¡¯s own earlier eagerness about survivors, this situation might be a bit too much for her. Before I could reply, unexpectedly, it was Cielle who responded. She took a quick breath, before saying, ¡°...Enemies...there dangerous¡­ probably¡­.¡± Her speech sounded choppy and broken, mostly because she spoke in such a soft and quiet voice that even with my increased hearing, it was hard to make out. Despite that, Both Hina and I fully understood what she meant. ¡°Just like Cielle said, it¡¯s best to be cautious¡­ plus, I don¡¯t think those four are the most friendly of people.¡± Hina unconsciously nodded at my assessment, but her face still showed signs of hesitation. Before I could say any words of encouragement, an abrupt voice from out the hallway suddenly called out. ¡°Oi! You in there! Bastard, there¡¯s no use hiding, I saw you!¡± The heavy set voice indicated it was Ryuuji, the Bald guy with the large build. The hostility in his voice was clearly evident, but at the same time, I could make out a feeling of anxiety interlayered between his words. Without bothering to respond, I turned back towards the girls. ¡°From what I can tell, it seems like he only saw me, so for now, you two stay here. Prepare your magic just in case, but unless it looks like my life is in danger, don¡¯t use it. You might -¡± I abruptly cut off my quick set of orders at this point. What I was about to say was something along the lines of, ¡°You might accidentally kill them,¡± but for some reason the words caught on my throat. ¡°We might what?¡± Hina asked worriedly, her eyebrows knitted together. ¡°... No, it¡¯s nothing¡­ For now, just stay still, wait for my orders.¡± After parting with those words, I abruptly shot out from underneath the window, and glared at the four of them from within the room. My sudden appearance caused their eyes to bulge out in surprise. Even Ryuuji, who knew I was in here, couldn¡¯t help but stagger back in slight astonishment.. I took a moment to appreciate their reactions. From what I could tell, the four in front of me seemed to have had a bad day. Their faces were hagard, their skin rather red in anger, and their eyes had the bloodshot glare of a cornered animal. Rather than a bad day¡­ it would have been more accurate to say these four had a bad week¡­ After regaining their senses, the group quickly donned on their previous ¡°intimidating¡± glares, as they resumed the earlier atmosphere from before. The Baldie scowled, clearly angry with himself, before once again gripping his metal bat and shooting a glare at me. Although the man was naturally ugly and had a face that would scare any child to tears, he contorted his already ugly face to make an expression that truly brought out his hideous aesthetics. He swaggered closer, taking two steps forward, he yelled, ¡°Oi, get out here!¡± I didn¡¯t move at first. It wasn¡¯t like this person scared me. His intimidation wasn¡¯t all that intimidating, in fact, I played with the thought of just staying in here, purely as a means of annoying him. In the end, I decided against that. I quietly moving across the room, I kept my eyes firmly on the four outside as I opened the door and took a step out into the hallway. I wasn¡¯t really complying to the Baldie¡¯s demands, but more that I wanted to keep Cielle and Hina concealed. In the case that the mob in front of me ended up being stronger than expected, surprise attacks would be rather convenient. Closing the infirmary door behind me, I took a small step forward. My left hand was firmly held behind me, grasping Efhermet tightly. The four of them began to encircle me, their weapons raised and pointed. The hostility was quite evident, and not at all one sided. I exchanged hostile glares with each of them. After a moment of silent intimidation, The group of four were the first to break the quiet. ¡°You, what the hell are you doing here? You Cafeteria trash should know that this whole area is BOSS¡¯s territory!¡± Ryuuji glared menacingly. Next to him, the Brown haired kid tilted his head in suspicion. ¡°Oi, Ryuuji, I don¡¯t recognize this guy¡­¡± Upon saying that he glared at me aswell, and took another step forward, as if to get a better look. Ryuuji also stepped forward. ¡°...You¡¯re right.. I didn¡¯t see anybody that looked like this guy 4 days ago¡­.¡± ¡°Agh! Who gives a fuck! He¡¯s obviously with the Cafeteria Bastards!¡± The girl with the scissors shrieked. From up close, I could fully see how erratic the girl was. Her bloodshot eyes twitched randomly, and her shoulders constantly shook. She didn¡¯t even seem to notice the blood that had collected on her hands. ¡°Ah, oi Cher¡­¡± Ryuuji cautioned at the girl, attempting to keep her calm. ¡°Why are you here?¡± The Slanted eyed student asked, ignoring the commotion between the other two. He was the furthest one back, and from my perspective, was probably the most cautious of the bunch. He had one leg pointed towards a corridor to the left, ready to sprint away at a moment¡¯s notice. I didn¡¯t bother answering, instead I discreetly used [Identify] on the four of them. In between glares, 4 blue window panels floated up from over their heads.
Ryuuji Nakamura - Level 6 HP : 140/160
Cher Greenley - Level 4 HP: 90/140
Bentley Rhodes - Level 8 HP: 180/180
Kenta Katsu - Level 6 HP: 130/160
I inwardly chuckled to myself. The level difference between them and I was quite large, enough so that it took away most of my earlier tension. But, despite that, knowing that the four of them aren¡¯t level one showed that they at least had experience in killing¡­ be that monster or otherwise...After calming down, I looked at their status panels once more. [Identify] barely gave out any information, but nonetheless, it was helpful. Normally I wouldn¡¯t have been able to see another person¡¯s status or level, at the very least, this gave me a vague idea as to how strong they were. Like I half expected, the Brown Haired kid with the short sword was the highest level, although compared to me, he was still lacking¡­. ¡°Oi, what¡¯re ya grinning for, you bastard!¡± I must have made a weird face, since when I looked at Ryuuji''s expression, he was snarling quite fiercely at me. I didn¡¯t bother answering, instead I remained quiet. While my earlier tension had diminished, it wasn¡¯t like I could completely let my guard down, after all, cornered animals are the most dangerous beings a person can encounter. The silence that persisted between the five of us, caused sweat to trickle down the group¡¯s faces. The girl was the one most affected by it, seeing as how she looked like she would attack at any moment. Finally, as if cutting the silence like a hot knife on butter, I spoke, ¡°... Can the boss use magic?¡± It was a simple question, one that nonetheless put the four of them on edge. Their shoulders stiffened, and their breath caught short as they were once again reminded of the being they apparently feared. Since they didn¡¯t answer me, I proceeded once again with another question, ¡°The monsters here¡­ what happened to them?¡± This time I asked a question that had been bugging me. It was glaringly obvious that something had passed through here, evident from all the blood plastered all over the walls, but so far, I hadn¡¯t seen a single one. Hearing my words, a look of understanding apparently passed through the Baldie¡¯s face, as if he just remembered something important. The moment passed however, and he countered my interrogation with another question of his own. For a while now, the four of them had been scanning me quietly with their eyes, no doubt they noticed all the peculiarities to my appearance, such as the hand I had behind my back, so it didn¡¯t come as a surprise that the next thing he asked concerned my appearance. ¡°Th-that backpack¡­ what¡¯s inside?¡± Greed quickly passed through his eyes, but unlike before, it stayed, masking his ugly face in a shade of green. Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. Since I was getting relatively bored of the one sided questions both parties had been asking, this time, I answered. With a slight smile on my face, I said, ¡°food.¡± Hearing the single word, their eyes bulged out in surprise as drool almost salivated down from their agape mouths. From their conversation earlier, I could get a gist of the situation. Apparently, food was becoming quite scarce, which wasn¡¯t really a surprise. Even back in the old school building, when there were just three of us, we had a bit of trouble regarding food. I don¡¯t doubt the situation here in the main building was much more severe. Although in hindsight, provocating them might have been a bad idea, but¡­ it would be easier to ask questions once they knew our difference in strength. Plus, truth be told, I was also a bit arrogant, considering the level difference between us. The first to react to my words was the girl with scissors. She took a shaking step forward, as her eyes grew larger and her pupils dilated. She constantly muttered choppy words such as, ¡°F-food...food...give¡­¡± as she moved forward ever so slowly. The three others weren¡¯t any different though. They exchanged looks between each other, before a cold glint surfaced in their eyes. Wordlessly, as if in sync, they each drew closer. ¡°If we can take that backpack...maybe BOSS won¡¯t kill us¡­¡± The Slanty eyed one muttered to himself with a widening smile. ¡°In the process, I don¡¯t think the BOSS¡¯ll notice if we take a bit or two though¡­.¡± The Brown haired kid spoke, while constantly rubbing his stomach. As they approached slowly, they repeatedly muttered similar lines, as their minds filled with possibility, completely forgoing the fact that they might not be able to take my backpack in the first place. In an instant, the girl was the first to move into action. She bolted forward, and with a growl, rushed towards me. Her scissors reflected the light as she made an arc in my direction. It was an easy enough move to dodge, and frankly, when compared to the Wolves from last time, a bit too slow of an attack. Taking a quick step to the side, I avoided the bladed edge by a hair¡¯s breadth. As I avoided, the girl, with a look of surprise flashing across her face, instantly stopped her momentum. She turned and glared towards me. Her teeth gnashed, saliva splattered everywhere, and her eyes bulged in anger, as she once again picked up speed and attacked. Just the same, I easily avoided, this time by taking a quick leap to the side. My one jump quickly expanded the distance between us by a good meter or so. The other three, by this point, also decided to enter the fray; their bodies moved forward, a bit slower than the girl. I quietly looked at them with a passing glance. Truth be told, these four were such low level, that it was a bit difficult to tell the finer details, such as how they distributed their stats, and so forth. It would be like fighting the goblins all over again. Pushing that needless comment to the back of my mind, I quickly ducked left, as the Baldie¡¯s metal bat whizzed over my head, hitting nothing but air. The sword wielding kid also initiated an attack, swinging his sword down with tremendous force. Although, I didn¡¯t give him much of an opportunity to attack. I readily stopped his downward slash by rushing forward. My sudden action, caused his eyes to widen in initial surprise. Those eyes got wider, and he reflexively uttered a shocked, ¡°Wha..!¡±, as I stopped his attack by gripping the hilt of the sword. With his initial attack neutralized, the brown haired kid¡¯s eyes flared in anger as he tried yanking the sword free. My arm didn¡¯t budge of course, and quickly, our difference in strength became apparent. His muscles tensed, and his breath grew heavy as he put in added force to free his weapon, although the results stayed the same. ¡°You little¡­!¡± He grimaced and cursed under his breath as he threw an angry glare my way, which I met with an indifferent glance. With one hand still firmly grasped onto the hilt, I quickly sent a kick towards the middle of his abdomen. With a deafening *thwack*, the force of my kick sent him flying a good meter or so, as his hands limply parted from the black sword. I apparently kicked him a bit too hard though, since the moment he stopped rolling on the floor, his back instantly hunched down, and with his hands and knees on the floor, puked out what little he had in his stomach. He keeled over shortly, a trail of vomit running down his chin. The remaining three were rather shocked upon seeing the spectacle before their eyes take place, although the girl was the quickest to recover. Be it recklessness, or the driving force of fear, but she instantly rushed at me once more, this time with much more added vigor in her stride. Her metal scissors whizzed past my face repeatedly, all in an attempt to gouge out my eyes and cut up my face. I dodged each successive swing carefully, all by a hair¡¯s breadth away. Growing frustrated, the girl threw one of her scissors my way. Unfortunately, it whizzed lamely past my face, not an ounce of accuracy in her attempt to injure me. With one of her weapons gone, I took this opportunity to move forward. In two quick, and short steps, I was directly in front of her. The rage and bloodlust in her face went over my head as I hit her right between the ribcage, directly at her solar plexus. Using the hilt of my newly acquired sword, I added in a sufficient amount of force as a dull satisfying sound entered my ears. With a *thump* and a successive *thud*, the girl fell to the floor, groaning out in pain. The other two, who had remained motionless as I quickly took down two of their friends, were quick to regain their bearings after I sent a glare their way. With shaky footsteps, they hesitated attacking, involuntarily taking a step backwards. Not one to waste an opportunity, I moved forward towards the closest one, the baldie with the ugly face. The newly acquired sword drawn out, I rushed forward with a speed incomparable to the girl before. My sudden momentum caused an involuntary, ¡°hiii!¡± to escape the man¡¯s throat. He weakly swung his metal bat in a reflexive manner. Contrary to the man¡¯s expectations, his eyes bulged, as the bat impacted me directly between my shoulder and neck, right at the crook of my shoulder blade. Normally, I could have dodged such an obvious hit, but this time, I decided to take it, as a means of confirming something. The man¡¯s already bulged eyes widened even more so, as something even more outlandish took place. The metal bat, which he had thought would have surely caved in my shoulder, was the one to take damage. It bent awkwardly, as I shot a cold glare of indifference towards the paling Baldie. With growing fear in his eyes, and palpable tension scrawled across his face, the Baldie let loose a cornered howl as he repeatedly assaulted me with his bat, hitting me desperately, he aimed everywhere, from my stomach, arm, head, anything he saw, he tried to hit. Such actions only served to increase the Baldie¡¯s fear, as each successive strike with the bat only contributed to deforming the metal weapon. The cause of the bat bending was due to my new skill, [Hard Scale]. [Hard Scale] was a regular type skill that momentarily augmented the hardness and defense of my skin. In short, it was a temporary armor. It was the skill I acquired after consuming the stamina potion, prior before we left. Since a whole week had gone by since the start of the apocalypse, it was expected that my newest skill wasn¡¯t anything unique. As of now, the skill could only augment a certain part of my skin, so I had to successively activate it with each strike of the bat. Despite that though, it was surprisingly useful. The strikes from the bat felt more like slaps, and left me unfazed. It was certainly convenient, and would nonetheless, allow me to survive many blunt hits, but as expected, it consumed way too much stamina. At my current level, each use of [Hard Scale] consumed a considerable fraction of my stamina, in fact, after using it for such a short amount of time, already, about 1/3rd of my total stamina was gone. The consumption rate was too much for this new skill to be practically used. With one last strike, the Baldie finally gave up as his hands, all the while shaking, lost their grip on the bat. It fell to the floor with a *ding*, as he took a fearful step back. Satisfied with the earlier test, I once again focused on the enemy before me. I glared menacingly at the baldie before taking a quick step forward and letting loose a quick punch to his jaw. [Hard Scale] could also be used offensively, as I imbued my approaching fist with its power, quickly enforcing the skin to the texture and durability of metal. The hit was well timed and perfectly executed, and alongside [Hard Scale]¡¯s effects it was like smashing a cinder block onto Baldie¡¯s jaw line. His body quickly grew limp and he fell to the floor with another *thud*. I smiled to myself, obviously satisfied, while I psyched myself up for the last underling. I turned around, ready to face the last of the quartet, but surprisingly, there was no one there. ¡°....huh?¡± With a rather blank expression, I stood there, looking at an empty corridor amidst three passed out delinquents. After processing what happened, I sighed while awkwardly scratching my head. ¡°I was a bit too careless¡­¡± I muttered quietly to myself. Now that the situation had been resolved, I could see from the corner of my eye that both Hina and Cielle were preparing to exit the infirmary. ¡°Why are there only three?¡± Hina was the first to notice, as she looked quizzically at the other three sprawled along the floor. With an awkward laugh, I lamely explained the situation to her. In the end, I knocked out three out of the four, and let the last one escape due to my carelessness. I had been too focused on testing out [Hard Scale], that I didn¡¯t even notice that the slanty eyed one escaped while I was busy. With a resounding sigh, I looked solemnly at the three new ¡°survivors¡±. By this point, Hina and Cielle had helped me round the three up and tie their hands together using pieces of clothing we had found. We dragged the trio into the infirmary, and as I looked at them once more, a tired sigh couldn¡¯t help but escape my throat. ¡°Well¡­ it¡¯s not like one more person makes that much of a difference when it comes to interrogation¡­.¡± With those words, I attempted to reassure myself as we waited for the three of them to regain consciousness. Chapter 36: Calm Before the Storm Chapter 36: Calm Before the Storm Solemnly glancing at the three people currently unconscious in front of us, I thought for a moment. While aimlessly swinging the newly acquired sword around, I thought about our next course of actions. After a moment, a single voice broke my growing train of thought. ¡°What should we do?¡± Like a small child looking up at their parent for guidance, Hina directed that question my way, a look of mild anxiety masking her normally pensive face. Ignoring her for a second, I wordlessly used [identify] on the black sword in an attempt to straighten my thoughts out. Ding! Instantly, the familiar layout of blue once again appeared in front of me.
Metallic Ore Long Sword A beginner sword often used by beginners. Contrary to its appearance, it isn¡¯t all that remarkable. Damage: 24 - 30 +5 strength +5 Agility [Equip] Skill Bonus +15 Agility Level Requirement: 8
The bonuses and stats on the object were decent enough. Rather, as the only other weapon that I¡¯ve run into besides Efhermet with a level requirement, these types of stats were barely adequate. In actuality, [Equip]¡¯s skill bonus gave better increases than the actual weapon itself, which left an even worse impression for me. Although if I had to say something, I¡¯m feeling a bit of pity. Not pity for myself, but rather, pity for that brown haired kid who I stole this sword from. Just imagining that guy¡¯s excitement upon reaching the level requirement for this thing¡­ and then to ultimately have it taken away¡­ I lamented over that guy¡¯s misfortune, but in the end, I still had no intention of giving this black sword back. While it may not be as good as Efhermet, fighting with a sword is undeniably much safer. If you factor in the range aspect, a sword has the definite advantage. After thinking things over like this, Hina¡¯s voice once again brought me back to reality. As I turned to glance at her, her expression had a look of mild irritation added to her earlier anxiety. ¡°Well¡­ considering the fact that I messed up earlier and let the slanty eyed kid escape, we¡¯ll have to change locations before we can start asking questions¡­¡± Eventually I gave my delayed answer. Upon my suggestion, Hina seemed to agree whole heartedly, all the while adding, ¡°Yeah¡­ I think that¡¯s the safest option¡­ for all we know, the other boy might have already ran back to their Boss¡­¡± I subconsciously nodded. The possibility that Slanty eyes went back and reported me to his boss¡­ it wasn¡¯t impossible, rather, it was definite. Factoring in the fact that we knew next to nothing about the fighting potential the boss and the rest of his supposed underlings have, sticking around any longer would just be detrimental. Jeez¡­ all this trouble just because I got a bit too cocky¡­ I inwardly sighed. ¡°Hide, how strong do you think the Boss is?¡± Hina asked with a worried expression on her face. I silently looked over her for a minute before I redirected my expression to the ceiling. Mulling over my words, I stayed silent for a while before responding with, ¡°I¡¯m not too sure¡­ I can¡¯t give out a definite answer, but considering how these guys were so scared of him, I¡¯d say he¡¯s at least at a higher level than the people I fought¡­ but¡­¡± I hesitated for a bit, trying to decide the proper words. ¡°... what¡¯s important right now isn¡¯t level, but¡­¡± Before I could finish, Hina interjected. Her voice was hurried, and showed no signs of trying to mask her anxiety. ¡°Skills right? They were talking about that earlier, how the Boss had a sort of¡­ something¡­ They could only be talking about skills, right? I mean what else is there?¡± I nodded at her words. ¡°Yeah, more than likely, this Boss guy has a skill or two. There¡¯s also the other group, the ones in the cafeteria. It seems like they¡¯ve got a guy with a skill as well¡­¡± Hina nodded twice. Her anxiety ridden face was quickly replaced by a more serious expression as she knitted her eyebrows in concentration. ¡°We don¡¯t really know alot about them, but from what I¡¯ve gathered earlier¡­ There are two groups. Each group has at least one person with a skill. The first group has a base within the cafeteria and has at least 50 people. As to whether they are friendly or not¡­ The second group has an unspecified base somewhere with an unspecified number of people. All we do know is their being ruled by a guy they call Boss and they are definitely not friendly¡­¡± As Hina lapsed into silence, I took this chance to add, ¡°... the two groups are in conflict. The reason is food, which doesn¡¯t really surprise me. Even when it was just the three of us in the old school building, food was still a struggle to find. If we expand our circumstance to 50 + people¡­¡± My words trailed off as Hina nodded in agreement. I continued on, ¡°... but, levels, skills, circumstance, that¡¯s not really important. Everyone¡¯s starving, and between the three of us, we¡¯ve all got skills and we¡¯re all generally high level. What matters most right now is mentality¡­¡± Looking a bit confused Hina shot a look at me. ¡°What are you saying? Skills and levels are obviously-¡± ¡°He¡¯s killed people.¡± Interrupting her, that simple, three word sentence was enough to clamp Hina¡¯s mouth shut. Her expression went rigid, and despite the summer heat, her body shivered. ¡°You heard what they said right? The Boss doesn¡¯t hesitate to kill people¡­ That sort of mentality¡­ that sort of mentality might be best for this type of situation¡­.¡± As the words escaped my throat, I couldn¡¯t help but hang my head down. I was honestly a bit ashamed of my own words, yet undeniably, I was certain to their validity. Killing without hesitation, being able to domineer someone in adverse situations, take control through fear¡­ those were the type of things I was capable of when my opponents were mere monsters. In that regard, the Boss and I were similar, except Boss¡¯s monsters were people¡­ While my eyes stayed fixated on the floor, I didn¡¯t need to look up to tell that my words had an impact on Hina. Thanks to my sensory enhancing skill, I could tell her breath was ragged, that her heart was beating much more rapidly. I could hear the shock as she tried to stutter out a response¡­ yet no words came out. ¡°Anyways, for now, let¡¯s switch locations and as for these three¡­¡± Trying to change the rather dark mood that had formed, I quickly changed the subject as I sent a glance towards the trio. ¡°we¡¯ll bring at least one of them with us¡­ for interrogation purposes¡­¡± After reaching that sort of conclusion, I brushed past the still silent Hina as I immediately moved towards the group with the intention of carrying one towards our new location. I bent down and reached for one of our ¡°captives¡±; the psychotic female who was frantically waving a pair of scissors just minutes ago I managed to grab her limp arm, but before I could successfully sling her over my shoulder, a tugging on my left sleeve stopped me. Towards my side was Cielle. Her arm firmly grasping onto my shirt, while her head had a somewhat dissatisfied look on her face. At least, that¡¯s the type of feeling I got from her. I couldn¡¯t really tell. While she did look like she was pouting, the cascade of jet black hair that hid her eyes and most of her face made it a bit difficult to tell, even from this close of a range. While her obliviousness towards the dark conversation Hina and I had somewhat relaxed me, causing me to breath out a sigh of relief, her current attitude and actions did somewhat left my mind reeling. I reflexively tilted my head to the side in confusion. Cielle who interpreted my confusion properly, hesitated for a bit, before, with great difficulty, managed to muster out the words, ¡°W-what¡­ do you think you''re doing?¡± Through the curtain of hair, I could make out a rather dark glint in her eyes. Did I not properly explain the situation? Thinking that the usually quiet Cielle may have been a bit confused with my earlier explanation, I went on to clarify. ¡°After all this trouble, it would be advantageous to leave with at least one of these guys, you know.. for interrogation purposes. If things continue as they are now, we might be entering in what could be most comparable to a ¡°turf war¡±. If something like that does happen¡­ it¡¯s best to be at least somewhat informed about our enemies¡­.¡± Looking over at Cielle after I finished my explanation, my face somewhat cramped after seeing her unchanging expression. ¡°..But, w-why are you¡­ grabbing the girl?¡± she asked¡­ a hint of malice(?) in her voice. Seeing her out of character expression, I subconsciously took a step back. I tensely gulped and proceeded to explain with a bit of haste. ¡°W-well, because we can¡¯t possibly carry all three of them, right?.¡± ¡°....¡± ¡°T-the bald guy¡¯s a bit too big. Although with my strength stat, it¡¯s not impossible for me to carry him, moving while lugging someone like that around would be very difficult. As for the brown haired kid.... he¡¯s kind of got vomit on his face and shirt so¡­. A-anyways, the girl is the lightest one out of the three, so she¡¯ll be easier to carry.¡± After stating this, Cielle continued to fixedly stare at me, but otherwise remained silent. After what felt like a good amount of time under her scrutinizing glare, she eventually, albeit with reluctance, released my sleeve. Although her face was still expressing major disagreeability, she obediently moved over. A bit confused but assured that the situation was resolved, I inwardly sighed before I reached for the unconscious girl once more. As my arm reached around her waist, I could hear an anxious gulp from behind me, but as to why such a noise was produced, I don¡¯t know. I then quickly hoisted her over my shoulder without much delicacy. Although my treatment may have been a bit harsh, I couldn¡¯t really be bothered by such things. This was the easiest method for me, despite how poor the treatment may be. Afterwards, I turned back around to look at the sisters. Hina had a somewhat tired expression on her face while she sported a wry smile, while Cielle, still somewhat filled with malice, had puffed up her chest while a smug expression plastered her face. She seemed a bit happy and occasionally sneered at the girl next to me. I¡¯m not too sure, but maybe Cielle had a grudge towards this girl prior to the apocalypse? Anyways, pushing aside needless thoughts, I quickly moved back into the hallway, this time with an unconscious girl over my shoulders and Cielle and Hina close on my trail. ***** (Perspective Change) Run. Run. Run. Run. Run. Run. Run. Run. Run. Run. Run. Run. That single word defiantly repeated in Kenta¡¯s still reeling mind. They overpowered anything else that might have crossed through his mind, like the guilt from leaving behind the other three, or the calm rationality he usually had. These worthless thoughts were easily overpowered as a more primal urge pushed him; the urge to survive. Run. Or more specifically, the fear of death. Kenta had seen what the mysterious black haired youth had done to his friends. He had just stood there, as the pale youth donned on an indifferent mask and completely dominated the other three. The boy had easily dispatched of Bentley, who, despite his flaky attitude, was undeniably the strongest out of the four of them. The boy had met Cher¡¯s psychotic ravings and desperate rushes with a cold rationale. That same boy had sent fear shivering down both his and Ryuuji¡¯s spine as they watched him take bone breaking blows one after another without so much as flinching. ¡°F-fuck!¡± Kenta exhaled as he ran with all his might, ignoring the aching in his legs and the water that trickled down. ¡°W-what the fuck!? Why did the bat break instead?! What the fuck?! What the fuck was that shit?! Damn it!¡± He expelled his frustrations through inward cursings. In Kenta¡¯s mind, the boy was an anomaly. Someone on par with the monsters that roamed the school buildings and often kept the slanty eyed kid up all night. Someone who was undoubtedly a product of that count down from a week ago. An absurdly strong person who sent shivers down his spine and caused him to piss his pants. Replaying it over and over again in his mind, what stuck to him most was the cold eyes in which he glared with. Those eyes.... cold, almost lifeless¡­ completely different from the crazed and fear driven eyes that he often saw within Cher¡­ different from his own fox like eyes which saw nothing but himself¡­. they were definitely worlds apart from the BOSS¡¯s own¡­ different from those anger driven eyes filled with pure malice. If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. As he repeatedly cursed, and cursed, his legs carried him further and further down a more familiar path. Before he realized, Kenta had already ran back towards his old Hideout, where the imposing BOSS resided. He already forgot about his original anxiety over losing the BOSS¡¯s last scrap of food from the secret stash that their group had collected earlier. Overcome with a newer more vibrant fear of the unknown, the fear towards his imposing leader had lessened¡­ although that¡¯s not to say, it had completely gone away¡­ It didn¡¯t take him long. After turning two lefts, crossing a completely red hallway and finally entering one of the newly built classrooms, Kenta finally arrived. His legs didn¡¯t stop though as they ran right past the door and unexpectedly tumbled. He tripped and rolled a few meters or two until he found himself dead center within the now quiet room. He three quick, furtive glances around him. A group of more than 20 people, who had been talking so casually prior to his sudden appearance now all clamped their mouths shut as they shot curious glares his direction. The rough, grizzled expressions on their faces didn¡¯t even register in Kenta¡¯s mind. Over the course of the week, he had grown used to it. Grown used to the scowls, and the glaring. In fact, he often made those same scowls and glares. To him, those expressions were as familiar as his mom¡¯s home cooked meals. If it was the normal Kenta though, he would have found the current silence, which didn¡¯t match the crowd¡¯s delinquent expressions, to be unnatural-unnerving. But right now, all that he could hear was the rough panting of his own breath and the constant ringing in his ears. The hushed mutterings from around him were completely irrelevant. ¡°Oi, Kenta.¡± A single voice, one seemingly both deep and soft, the voice from someone in the gripes of puberty. A single voice that cut through everything and made their way to Kenta¡¯s rattled mind. With both fear and shock mixed in his face, Kenta swiveled his head towards the direction of the voice while keeping his head down. His restless eyes landed on a pair of bloodstained shoes. His eyes moved up , seemingly naturally, as they scanned the figure whom those blood stained shoes belonged to. A boy. A boy with almost stick like legs, and an equally as stick like body. In his right hand was a game console that was currently emitting the familiar theme of an old M*nster Hunter game. Leaning on his left side was a sword. A silver sword with a brown hilt that resembled the Black Sword from earlier, except this one was much longer, and considerably thinner in comparison. As Kenta¡¯s eyes continued to travel upward, they finally came to land on the man¡¯s face. A skinny, pale face that was almost completely covered by a mass of night black hair that came all the way to the boy¡¯s shoulders. If you looked closely enough, you could tell that the boy was wearing a pair of rectangular glasses, a pair that caught the glare of light so perfectly, that it further hid the boy¡¯s almost crimson eyes from sight. To Kenta, this face was someone he was most familiar with. It was of course, the BOSS. ¡°Oi Kenta¡­¡± The boy repeated, this time, his thin lips turning into a frown as a tone of irritation seeped through his voice. ¡°Hii!¡± Reflexively, a sudden noise escaped Kenta¡¯s throat as his body moved automatically and he crawled a few paces away from the boy. Seemingly annoyed by such a reception, with a look of irritation plastered on his face, the boy didn¡¯t hesitate to kick Kenta¡¯s exposed face. With considerable amount of force, the kick sent Kenta¡¯s thin body flying as he crashed into an abandoned pile of desks that had once been neatly arranged in a small spot in the corner. The boy walked slowly over to Kenta¡¯s sprawled out body as he once again repeated, this time with a sneer on his face, ¡°Oi, Kenta¡­.¡± To everyone¡¯s ears, the words that escaped the boy¡¯s throat were rather soft, almost indistinguishable, but to Kenta, those words were like nails on a chalkboard, sending uncontrollable shivers down his spine. Kenta¡¯s normally slit shaped eyes widened in fear, as his body started to uncontrollably shake. In contrast, the boy¡¯s indifferent attitude further unnerved Kenta. Eventually, the boy¡¯s gaze fell onto the yellow stain on Kenta¡¯s pants, and as a result, he couldn¡¯t help but chuckle to himself. It was a soft laugh, and just like his voice, almost indistinguishable. Eventually, as if he got bored with the joke, the boy sighed dejectedly, as he aimlessly sent another kick towards Kenta¡¯s body. Kenta grunted on impact, but otherwise remained silent. ¡°Kenta, where¡¯s the other three?¡± The boy asked. The boy wasn¡¯t stupid. He completely realized the fact that Kenta¡¯s current attitude was definitely not normal. Without a doubt something had happened. ¡°A-ah, Boss!¡± Kenta spoke with a cough, a heavy hint of desperation in his tone. ¡°The truth is- actually¡­¡± Kenta went on to explain about his encounter with the black haired youth with the backpack. Of course, Kenta¡¯s tale wasn¡¯t exactly truthful, as he left out the part about them losing the food to the people from the cafeteria. Instead he pinned the blame on his encounter with the youth, telling the boy about how the youth had stolen their food after beating the other three up. ¡°... I-I barely managed to get out alive! The guy was crazy strong!¡± ¡°...I see¡­¡± The boy narrowed his eyes as he looked pensively at Kenta¡¯s kneeling figure. He remained silent for a while, and exuded an atmosphere as if he was thinking deeply about the current circumstance. The boy¡¯s silence not only unnerved Kenta, but also everyone else in the room. They knew full well about the boy¡¯s habits. The boy wasn¡¯t one to stay quiet for long. Always making noise, always yelling, talking, whispering. If they didn¡¯t fear the boy so much, they would have all outright admitted that the boy was someone quite annoying. Silence, for everyone in the room, wasn¡¯t good. It was always after the silence that the boy¡­ ¡°Aah~ That¡¯s no good¡­¡± The boy suddenly groaned, breaking the silence and with it, the unnerving atmosphere that was beginning to develop. ¡°Damn~ So you did lose all the food¡­¡± The boy went on, oblivious to Kenta¡¯s ever changing facial expressions. ¡°I really was hungry, man¡­¡± The boy paces around the room, all the while gripping his empty stomach in silent complaint. Eventually, the boy found himself back where he originally started, before Kenta had ceremoniously barged into the room earlier. He stood there, and prattled on as he repeatedly thudded down on the floor with the edge of his long sword. ¡°Damn, damn, damn it, Kenta¡­ you know that was the last of the food we had left¡­¡± The boy sent a short, one second scowl towards the still shivering Kenta. ¡°B-but, BOSS, th-that guy-¡± ¡°Ah-ah-ah. I don¡¯t want to hear your excuses.¡± The boy interrupted. ¡°It¡¯s always the same thing with you people. ¡®There was this¡¯ or ¡®something happened¡¯, ¡®It¡¯s not my fault!¡¯¡± The boy imitated, whilst swinging the bladed weapon around without a care in the world. ¡°All your damn excuses-! There.So. Damn. Irritating!¡± He suddenly looked at the ceiling and yelled, his voice mixed with every bit of anger and frustration he was feeling. ¡°Every single one of you, even that damn Takeda was like that!¡± Upon the mention of the classmate who had met a terrible fate just a few days ago, Kenta reflexively gulped down. For some inexplicable reason, cold sweat began trickling down his face as a terrible premonition took hold of him. ¡°Damn, damn, damn it!¡± As the boy repeatedly cursed, his footsteps drew nearer towards Kenta¡¯s now shivering figure. The tip of his blade rattled along the floor every so often, each strike sending shivers down Kenta¡¯s spine. Knowing what was to come next, the surrounding audience looked away. Some wanted to avoid seeing another ¡®tragedy¡¯ from occurring, others sent apologetic looks towards Kenta, seemingly saying something along the lines of ¡°Sorry about this dude, but you know how it is¡±. Eventually, the boy stopped in front of Kenta, his torso leaning over while his face stared directly at Kenta¡¯s own. The blade in his hands was now held in two hands and used as a prop in order to keep the boy¡¯s body from tipping over. With a mocking face, and cold, almost dead eyes, the boy¡¯s eery voice escaped from his half parted lips, ¡°You disappoint me, Kenta.¡± With those words as a trigger, Kenta¡¯s body propelled itself forward, making a beeline towards the opened door. Like previously, his mind repeated the single phrase, ¡°Run, run, run, run, run¡± but- ¡°Ah..¡± As if delirious, Kenta¡¯s body suddenly gave out, and in the next instant, he found himself once more on the floor. He looked confusedly around him. What had happened? Why had he fallen? He wondered such thoughts until eventually, his gaze landed on his left foot. They were a meter away, and were definitely not attached to his ankle. ¡°A-a-aaahh!!¡± A shrill voice escaped Kenta¡¯s throat as his slit eyes once again widened in shock and pain. He glared past the tears that had formed and focused in on his leg, the leg that had been severed. The amputation wasn¡¯t clean, nor was it overly messy. In fact, it looked as if the stump had been melted off, rather than cut. The point of separation was covered excessively with a clear, almost purplish liquid. Kenta continued to scream. He continued to scream as from the corner of his eye, he could see the boy coming closer, leisurely tapping the tip of his sword on the floor, seemingly without a care in the world. Kenta¡¯s body once again moved, his arms gripped for traction on the smooth surface of the floor as he attempted to crawl towards the only entrance in the room. Such actions warranted a look of disgust from the boy, as he once again brought the sword down and- Swish ¡°Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!¡± Another limp flew off. This time his right arm. Similar to the left leg, the stump created from this new wound was likewise covered in a clear, almost purplish liquid. The liquid itself was neither thin like water, nor thick like syrup. It was a somewhat nice consistency. By this point Kenta had stopped yelling, merely able to produce a small whimpering sound as he crawled along the floor, like a worm, still attempting to escape. Still trying to avoid the inevitable death to come. Having grown bored of this farce, the boy wielding the sword, momentarily looked away from Kenta as his eyes drifted towards the game console in his right hand. He was in the middle of an important quest, and having to take some of his precious gaming time in order to clean up the trash really irritated the boy. With one final slash, the boy ended the existence known as Kenta Katsu. Moments later, a fish eyed head rolled casually along the tiled floor, its expression locked in utter agony. For a minute, the room was silent. It was always like this. After the boy PK¡¯d, the room would always grow silent. Well, although it may be silent, that¡¯s not to say the room was completely devoid of noise. For one, the familiar theme of M*nster Hunter and the otherworld bubbling of a certain liquid filled the room. Like the chirping of cicadas, to the people in this room, that familiar theme and that familiar bubbling were just another part of their summer which they had grown accustomed to. After a while though, these familiar sounds were overpowered by the quiet, almost imperceptible voice of a certain boy with a silver sword. ¡°Well¡­¡± He muttered. ¡°Why don¡¯t we all take a trip outside? It¡¯s nice to have a change of scenery every now and then. Plus, who knows¡­ we might find someone¡­ unexpected along the way¡­¡± With his words, the room once again fell silent. **** Author''s Note: I didn''t really get a chance to do a preliminary read through, nor did I properly do a PR before I posted this so mind the grammar errors... Also, if I can, I will try to get back on to regular updates like I used to. I will make an effort, but I hold no promises. Chapter 37: A Question Better Left Unasked A Question Better Left Unasked After we decided to change locations, the three of us (plus our captive) found ourselves back within the confines of the old school building. The reason being was quite simple, currently, if you take into account our current predicament, the old school building was the safest location available to us. Up until a week ago, this portion of the school was left undisturbed by most of the students that took up space within the main building, so I figured they¡¯d be somewhat apprehensive about venturing into this location. And as an after thought, even if they did approach our location, and we were somehow dragged into a fight, we would have the undeniable advantage, considering the fact that our group was much more familiar with the location. ¡°...¡± Currently, we were in an old chemistry lab that was located near the skyway that connected the old and main buildings together. This chemistry lab was rundown, and broken. With the desks trashed, the blood splattered and the corpses ever present, it was just like every other room in within this half destroyed edifice. As I thought about our current situation while surveying this gruesome room, I couldn¡¯t help but outwardly mutter, ¡°If that slanty eyed kid really did go and report us to his boss¡­ then by now, they should probably be searching the hallways for us.¡± ¡°....¡± ¡°They¡¯ll probably start by looking for us around the place where we ran into the others...¡± ¡°....¡± ¡° If they keep searching, then in all likelihoods-¡± ¡°Hey, Hide?¡± My self indulgent muttering was abruptly stopped by a sudden voice towards my left. ¡°Huh?¡± I turned my head towards the noise, only to see Hina. She was looking down with an absent minded face that could not mask the worries she had. She was sitting on the floor, her knees brought close to her chest as she stared directly at the ground. Without turning to face me, she once again spoke, ¡°Hide¡­¡± She muttered. Her face was a bit colder than usual. Truthfully, the gap between her usual facade and the current her was quite a sight to see. I couldn''t help but stare at her, waiting for her to continue speaking. After a quick intake of breath and a slight pause, Hina finally spoke and said, ¡°¡±Hide¡­ are you prepared¡­.¡± I looked at her questioningly. ¡°Prepared?¡± ¡°No, I mean-¡± For the first time in a while, she turned to look at me. ¡°-Can you kill people?¡± I wordlessly looked at her for a moment before I broke eye contact and my gaze naturally floated up onto the ceiling. One second quickly turned to one minute, one turned to two, and so on. After quite some time had passed, I outwardly sighed. While my gaze still fixated on that one splotch of red above me, I replied back, ¡°I¡¯m not sure¡­¡± The question she asked was rather¡­ difficult. At least it wasn¡¯t something that I could just answer carelessly. ¡°Killing people is¡­ Killing people is something I haven¡¯t put a lot of thought into.¡± That was a lie. Killing people is something I¡¯ve thought greatly about. Morals and such, the things our society has ingrained into us since birth¡­ the taboos of killing- of murder¡­ it¡¯s obvious I¡¯d have some hesitation, yet, in my current situation, the possibility where I might have to end a life- not a monster¡¯s life, but an actual human¡¯s¡­ Since I didn¡¯t want to lapse into silence again, I continued speaking. While giving of a bitter smile, I turned back to look at Hina. Her face was stern, while her eyes stared directly back at me. For a moment I hesitated. For a moment, I thought about not replying, about just brushing off this whole conversation, but as expected¡­ after seeing the type of expression she was making¡­ ¡°While I haven¡¯t thought about it¡­ there¡¯s no use brooding too much.¡± I wanted to give her an answer that would comfort her. Not the truth to my real thoughts. ¡°If however¡­ if however a time came where I- no, what I mean to say is¡­ I¡¯ll cross that bridge when I get to it.¡± My response was kind of weak and vague. Nevertheless, my words had some layer of truth to it. The only time when I¡¯m certain I can kill a person, is when it actually happens. Other than that, they were just worries and trouble which I would rather not distract myself with. Even after I said my peace, Hina still stared at me. Her eyes still fixated on my own, as if she wanted to ascertain the validity of my words. After a while, in a somewhat downcasted voice, she finally spoke. ¡°If you can help it¡­ I hope you don¡¯t kill anyone.¡± ¡°....¡± ¡°I-it¡¯s not that I don¡¯t understand, I mean with the current situation, a time where you- where we will ha-have to kill is¡­¡± She bit down on her lip, enough so that it caused a trickle of blood to flow down her small lips, travel along her pale chin and stain the floor below. ¡°I understand, I understand, really I do, but it¡¯s just¡­¡± I somewhat understand too. The meaning behind Hina¡¯s words, her troubles. I understand a bit of what she wanted to convey. I nodded, somewhat halfheartedly, ¡°Yeah, I kind of get it¡­.¡± Upon my vague response, Hina helplessly shook her head. As if she was trying to say ¡®You don¡¯t understand at all¡¯, the corners of her mouth creased until they formed a frown. ¡°No, it¡¯s not about understanding, I just- I feel that¡­ if you really do kill, if a time really does come where you¡¯ll have to kill someone¡­ I feel that¡­. I feel that you¡¯ll lose something¡­ something important.¡± She paused for a minute, and in doing so, broke of the eye contact she had maintained. As an after thought to her previous words, she spoke again, this time in a quiet, almost imperceptible voice, ¡°... at least that¡¯s what I think¡­¡± -I¡¯ll lose something important huh? I couldn¡¯t help but sigh upon hearing those words. I gave of another bittersmile, my only response to Hina¡¯s heartfelt worries, as my mind mulled over her words. -In the end¡­ maybe it might be better of if I do lose that something¡­ if its for the sake of surviving¡­ In truth, I felt that, for a while now, life had lost a lot of what made it special. After seeing so many corpses, imagining how quickly those corpses -those people lost their lives, life¡¯s radiance¡­ or something similar to that¡­ isn¡¯t it a bit tainted at this point? Surely, taking another person¡¯s life at this point¡­ isn¡¯t something so important¡­at least, not anymore. While Hina once again turned silent and her gaze drifted off towards the floor once more, and while her receding thoughts caused the gears in my mind to start turning, an unexpected person suddenly interjected. ¡°...n.¡± It was quiet. A quiet, faint, almost imperceptible voice. So soft it was next to impossible to make out what she had said. Although, such a thing was natural by this point, after all the speaker was someone with such a habit. I turned towards the source of the ¡°whisper¡±. The jet black mess of hair was a familiar sight, but the determination in her eyes that laid behind that mess of hair was somewhat surprising. At first, her words had been so soft that it was almost as if she hadn¡¯t spoken at all, but Cielle¡¯s voice unexpectedly grew as they repeated themselves and once again spoke. ¡°I will¡­¡± Her words were incomplete, but obviously conveyed something important. Even Hina knew this, although from the frown in her face, it looked as if she didn¡¯t acknowledge the weight behind those simple words. As if testing her own sister, in a somewhat grave tone, Hina asked, ¡° You will what?¡± It was a challenging sort of voice, as if it goaded Cielle not to respond. But in the end, Cielle didn¡¯t back down. While looking directly into Hina¡¯s own eyes, from under that curtain of black hair, Cielle solemnly stated 4 words that conveyed more meaning than it should. ¡°I will kill people.¡± ¡°...¡± ¡°...¡± Hearing such a declaration, of course anyone would be shocked. Such heavy weighted words to come from such a small figure. The proportionate weight on her back would be comparable to Atlas carrying the Earth. Hina in this regard was probably the most shocked. Despite the fact that she might have already interpreted Cielle¡¯s earlier implications, to have them idealized in such a resolved speech¡­ The little sister could only stare wide eyed at the determined older sister in front of her. While maintaining that same eye contact, Cielle abruptly broke it after 2 seconds, before she shot a brief glance in my direction. It was only for an instant, only for a time frame of less than one second, but something in her eyes were¡­breath taking... Before I could think about what those eyes were trying to convey, Cielle had already turned back around to look at Hina. In a louder than usual voice that gave of the simultaneous feeling of wanting to be heard, yet at the same time, wanting to be ignored, she spoke out once more. ¡°If¡­ If it¡¯s for the sake of living¡­¡± She paused, and in an even quieter voice continued, ¡°... or for protecting¡­¡± Her tone once again picked up, and in a voice incomparable to her usual self, she stated almost defiantly, ¡°... then I can kill.¡± ¡°....¡± As if to convince herself, she repeated, ¡°I can kill.¡± As if to convince her sister, she repeated, ¡°I can kill¡±. As if to convince the very people she was prepared to kill, she once again repeated, ¡°I can kill.¡± ¡°....¡± I helplessly sighed. Except for a rather awkward smile, I couldn¡¯t really respond to such a declaration. Before my mind could think about it any further, something quickly brought my attention towards the supply closet located towards the back of the classroom. For a moment, I just stared at that beaten door frame before I lethargically stood up. While dusting of the dirt and grime that had collected on my pants, I said, ¡° We can talk about all this later¡­ but for now, it seems like our guest is waking up.¡± **** (Perspective Change) ¡°Ugh¡­.¡± An involuntary groan escaped from the throat of a single girl. That girl was of course, Cher. At first she felt groggy. A similar feeling to that of jet lag, the feeling of lethargy consumed every ounce of muscle in her body. Additionally, her head was a bit fuzzy, but not because she just woke up. No, this feeling was immensely different from the same type of grogginess one feels upon waking up from an afternoon nap. It stems purely from the fact that she hadn¡¯t eaten anything at all in 3 days. The fuzziness of starvation. As the girl slowly regained consciousness, the first thing she noticed was the feeling of slight pain in her abdomen. In the face of such pain, she couldn¡¯t do much but simply grunt through it until she quickly realized that it was a bit a bit hard for her to breath. Panic at first consumed her, before she eventually calmed down. Although it was difficult, something like dying from lack of air was currently impossible. Not minding the pain and obvious discomfort, with hazy eyes, she looked around the room and frowned. -Where is this?- That¡¯s the first thing that flashed through her mind as she further inspected the room. A room filled to the brim with equipment she was once familiar with. From flasks, beakers, a small heater, Cher quickly recognized and identified each and every piece of equipment that entered her gaze. From the ones stacked on the shelves, to the ones that poked out of discarded boxes, the sense of familiarity she felt was indistinguishable. This was an obvious feeling that stemmed from the fact that Cher used to be an avid Chemistry student. It wouldn¡¯t be a stretch to say Chemistry was her best subject. This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work. As she looked around the room, her attention was drawn by one familiar looking object to her right. It¡¯s a flask, one that had been left unused even before the apocalypse. A small, yet visible crack was apparent on the see through container. The crack ran down from the top end of the flask and traveled all the way down its neck. Seeing this crack, Cher¡¯s dry lips parted into a small smile. This crack was something she made¡­ she was certain of it. At the time, a similar break had occurred... It was a small incident, but she was quickly reminded of a certain day in a certain class where she had dropped a certain object, causing a certain crack to occur. While it was a distant, and fading memory, her body moved almost automatically, as she couldn¡¯t help but lean over in an attempt to better inspect the solitary flask. thud Unfortunately, as she leaned closer towards the flask on the shelf, her body naturally lost balance and her chin landed squarely on the tiled floor, causing the bitter taste of blood to spread through out the inside of her mouth. It was then that she finally noticed she was currently restrained. More specifically, Cher¡¯s hands were tied behind her back. From what it felt like, the restraints used were probably old strips of cloth, which, albeit weak, was enough to fully restrain her weakened self. In addition, her legs were also tied together, probably by the same type of cloth her hands were restrained with. Whether it be a stroke of good luck, or whether it was intentional, her captor had left her mouth unrestrained, although it wasn¡¯t like she had the strength to yell. And even if she did, it''s not like anyone would come save her. As such an idle thought passed through her mind, Cher couldn¡¯t help but crack a self deprecating smile. She sighed and stared aimlessly at the ground. By this point, some bit of time had passed since she regained consciousness, and slowly, the memories of what transpired earlier in the day came back. The first thing she can recall was the matter for her earlier distress. It was a faint memory of her BOSS. The image of the black haired, seemingly harmless looking youth as he ceremoniously devoured the last bit of food their group had for himself. When she saw such selfish actions transpire, the rage and frustration she felt at the time wasn¡¯t a joke. But in the face of the youth¡¯s unchallenged strength and his equally as frightening lack of regard for life, Cher could only grit her teeth and rub her stomach as the youth consumed the last morsels of nutrition. If that already wasn¡¯t bad enough, she along with the other three, had been ordered to retrieve the stashed food that their group had hidden away earlier. Really, it was such a sudden declaration, that she didn¡¯t even have time to protest before they were kicked out of the base. In the end, for Cher, it was the same old thing. Being ordered around, trampled on, being treated as nothing more than a gopher¡­ such treatment was the norm for her, ever since the countdown ended¡­ No, saying such a thing would be a lie. In truth, her terrible life style of a good for nothing gopher had truly started the moment she joined with BOSS. Back before there were two groups within the main building, originally, there had been only one, giant group which took up stock within the cafeteria. After a major skirmish occurred, a faction of the students broke off from the original group. This group was of course, led by BOSS, and before they completely separated, they had taken the opportunity to steal more than 2/3rds of the original food supply that the cafeteria had. At the time, Cher, who was stuck in the middle of the crossfire, had decided to part with the original group as well, and join up with the BOSS. Lamenting over it now, that may have been the worst decision she made in her entire life. But at the time, it couldn¡¯t really be helped. After all, the temptations were too great. The BOSS¡¯s group only consisted of at most, 20 people, while the Cafeteria had close to 50. Normally, it would have been much more favorable to join up with the much larger group, after all, there is safety in numbers. But the factor that tipped the scale was food. After the skirmish, the BOSS had managed to secure close to 2/3rds of the total reserves with in the cafeteria. Naturally, anyone remotely intelligent would see the immediate benefits in joining up with the smaller group. Although, in the end, the results were¡­ less than favorable. For one thing, the Boss was terrible at pacing. Although their group was smaller, their consumption rate was a bit too high. In addition, the Boss himself was a terrible example of a human. It was common fact within their group that the Boss hogged most of the food for himself, and threatened anyone who opposed. Although in truth, to Cher and to many of the people in her group, the Boss¡¯s actions just gave him a reason to attack others. After all, the Boss loved to kill. Whether it be monsters or humans, he loved to killing anything and everything. As these dark memories encircled Cher¡¯s thoughts, translucent droplets of liquid began forming near her eyes. Just thinking about everything was too much for her, and she couldn¡¯t help but sniffle at her miserable life. If only she had been brave enough to steal from the boss, she wouldn¡¯t be so hungry. If only she had even a tiny bit of courage, she wouldn¡¯t be so miserable. Despite that though, there really was no helping it. Cher was a cowardly woman. The type to grovel and lick another person¡¯s feet if it meant living for another day. The type to abandon their pride and purity for survival. She would have never been able to pull of something such as betraying the boss or stealing the food for herself. After all, every time she even began to harbor such thoughts, the mental image of the Boss- of the long haired, glasses wearing youth, who killed people in such a nonchalant matter would surface, and she couldn¡¯t help but quake in fear. She reluctantly sighed, and inwardly whispered, ¡°In the end, this is the type of situation I end up in¡­¡± Taking captive by a frightening, ¡°monster¡±. Normally, she¡¯d be a damsel in distress, and there would undeniably be a prince to come rescue her. But unfortunately, her life wasn¡¯t so smooth. Giving of a bitter laugh, she lamented. Now that she had time to think, she wasn¡¯t so scatter brained (crazy) anymore. Back then, intense fear and constant gnawing hunger had driven her close to the breaking point, but after her little nap, much of her rationale had come back, resurfaced like the shoreline after a high tide. In the end, despite how she interpreted it, this was still quite a bad situation for her. Having been captured by some unknown person whom she had never ever seen before¡­ Cher dejectedly sighed, but despite her darkening thoughts, tried to look at the bright side of things. ¡°At the very least, its not BOSS¡­¡± While these almost comforting words escaped her throat, at the same time, she began reevaluating her earlier thinking. -Come to think of it, the one who attacked us¡­ he was pretty strong too... Before anymore dark thoughts about her captor could surface, the slight rattling of a doorknob consumed her attention. Within the next second, the door casually opened and a boy- the same boy whom she was just thinking about, walked into the room. Cher couldn¡¯t help but gulp as she focused in on the new person. In the boy¡¯s right hand was a paint bucket, which contained a liquid that sloshed with each step he took. Although it was hard to tell, but the liquid was black. -Black paint? As to why the boy would bring along a bucket of black paint, she didn¡¯t know, but before she could think any deeper on the matter, the object in the boy¡¯s other hand drew her attention. A black, almost glistening long sword with a rather thin handle. It was undeniably her friend¡¯s cherished long sword, which he had gotten after a monster had coincidentally dropped it. She frowned at its appearance, but she wasn¡¯t stupid enough to bring the topic up. Watching his every step, Cher observed the youth approach, until he was directly in front of her. The boy looked down with an ice cold, indifferent expression. For a moment, he just stood there and stared at her. Cher did the same, maintaining eye contact as every second passed. Truth be told, the reason why Cher managed to hold the youth¡¯s stare wasn¡¯t due to some false bravado, but rather, she was simply too frightened to look away. Frozen in fear, like a deer in the headlights, she couldn¡¯t do anything but stare. FInally, after a while, the boy broke his glare first, as he then carefully placed the liquid down in front of her. From this distance, she could fully see the contents of the bucket. She stared directly into its depths and¡­ shivered. The shiver in her spine, the tingling in her feet, even the goosebumps that had formed wasn¡¯t due to fear, but rather, because they somehow reminded her of the night sky. A mass of pure black with dots and specs of the occasional white. Truly it was as if the contents of the bucket itself were the sky. -Its been awhile since I properly looked at the night sky¡­ As such a thought floated harmlessly through her head, the youth suddenly pulled out a metallic object from behind him. Upon closer inspection, the object was a sort of ladle like item. Cher recognized that item. It was something she was quite familiar with. The ladle was something similar to what her Chemistry class had used during one chemistry lab. The event had happened about three weeks ago, but to the current her, it seemed like a lifetime ago. As the boy carefully dipped the ladle into the bucket, Cher instinctively squirmed back. She pushed against the tiled floor and backed away until her spine collided with the cold surface of the wall. The reason why she moved wasn¡¯t because of the youth¡¯s sudden action, but because of his face. In an instant, a smiling face occupied the boy¡¯s own, but from Cher¡¯s perspective, that face was frightening. The eyes which he looked at her with were lifeless, empty, almost devoid of emotion. Without uttering a single word, the boy slowly pulled the ladle out from the black bucket, carrying with it, a portion of its contents. The smaller portion jiggled from atop the spoon. Although it was hard to tell, the liquid wasn¡¯t as smooth flowing as water, rather, it had a consistency akin to syrup¡­ or jello. Slowly, carefully, the boy raised the ladle up until it was directly over her exposed thigh. The ladle hanged ominously until her captor slowly tilted the ladle over, causing the mass of black to slowly drip down. As the darkness approached her exposed flesh, Cher could do nothing but stare, wondering what exactly the dark liquid was. Slowly, ever so slowly, it approached, it drew closer and closer, until... -She entered a world of pain. **** Author''s Note: Hopefully, things are picking up at this point, and a big conclusion towards the whole school arc will come sometime in the near future. I plan on wrapping up this "1st Book" pretty soon, so just heads up. Also, please comment, follow, favorite, rate, and review, if you like this story. Thanks, as an author, its one of the driving things that push me, that and of course, the pure urge to write this story. >_< Chapter 38: A Bit of a Disappointment A Bit of a Disappointment A rippling scream resonated within the compact air space of the supply closet. The source of this banshee like screech- the person in question, hunched herself over, fresh tears streaming down her face like a cascade of water down a waterfall. Her expression was twisted and contorted, displaying the delivered suffering clear and for all to view. As expected, [Dark Gemini] was effective. Just a tiny drop was enough to incite such an explosive reaction. While I stared at [Dark Gemini]¡¯s first human victim with cold, almost indifferent eyes, I lamented and reminded myself not to overdo it. Although Cielle¡¯s skill didn¡¯t cause any specific physical injury, it still reduced hp. In addition, the hp lost was proportionate to the pain recieved. In other words, the more sensitive to pain a person was, the more effective [Gemini Dark] would be. I tested this theory sometime ago, but right now, I could fully see its effects. The reason I ¡°demonstrated¡± [Dark Gemini] was because I knew that, while this particular substance was effective, it also had drawbacks in that it also reduced hp. If I overdid it, the target would die. So I figured, if I used it right off the bat, she¡¯d be less inclined to go against me, thus leading to less usage of [Dark Gemini]. In fact, the first drop was merely the prelude. A quick display of power prior to the start of the real ¡°interrogation¡±. In actuality, I didn¡¯t plan on using [Dark Gemini] that excessively. There were plenty of¡­ more traditional ways to incite information. I already used [identify] on this girl a while ago, so I had full view of her exposed window panel. I watched her hp dwindle done by a staggering amount as she continued to scream. In addition to her hp bar, there was also something like a ¡°Hunger¡± status effect, that hinted at what type of condition she had been exposed to throughout this week. Now, it would be bad if she accidentally died from the first usage of [Dark Gemini], I mean, it did take out quite a bit of her hp, but I couldn¡¯t really do much of anything but just wait it out while hoping she wouldn¡¯t outright keel over. Thankfully, after a minute or so, her feverish screaming finally receded, until she was left panting and heaving heavily on the floor. Her eyes were still squinted shut, while a line of drool was running down her face and collecting on the floor. I made sure to maintain a passive expression as I watched all this with cold indifference. It was always important for an interrogator to keep a good facade. Once she regained the ability to speak, she began mumbling incoherently, ¡°hurts, hurts, hurts, it hurts¡­¡± Eventually though, she pried her eyes open and with collected tears and a bit of haziness in her vision, she looked towards her exposed calf, where I ceremoniously dotted that piece of flesh with the dark substance. As expected, [Dark Gemini] did not leave any residue or external injury, only the receding pain which even now, still lingered. While she remained focused on her calf, her face dotted with a confused expression, I took this chance to squat down and approach the bucket. My sudden actions were quickly noticed. The girl¡¯s eyes darted towards me, as she involnutarily let loose a frightened squeal. I looked at her solemnly, and without breaking eye contact, I slowly dipped my free hand into the black substance. ¡°...¡± Without flinching, I began moving my finger through the sludge like liquid. I played with the dark water, skimming my exposed ring finger through the water¡¯s surface, while occasionally causing ripples to form. Right now, this was an act to show force, or control. To show I was in full control of the situation, and to show that I was unaffected by the black substance which had caused so much of her pain. If I was lucky, the girl would end up presuming that [Dark Gemini] was something close to my own personal skill. Of course, normally, I would be equally as affected by Cielle¡¯s unique skill, but my current disposition was thanks to the countermeasure my new skill [Sensory Remapping +] gave. In short, I shut off my sense of pain. [Dark Gemini] was an ability that directly attacked the pain sensors in a person¡¯s body, subsequently stimulating injury and lowering hp. If a person could not feel pain, then Cielle¡¯s skill would be useless. For my current situation right now, this was an effective loop hole, but for Cielle¡¯s survivability, this was a terrible realization. Her skill, which she relied on greatly, would be next to ineffective against anything that couldn¡¯t feel pain or anybody with an ability similar to mine. If things such as golems or undead exist in this world, then Cielle would better off avoiding such existances. This was also the reason why Cielle had to find another way of defending herself, be that through weaponry, or another skill. Anyways, the reaction I recieved from my captive was more than satisfactory. Her eyes widened, while her motuh lay agape. Those same eyes fixated on my submerged hand, as if fearing that that same hand would lash out at any second. After an exaggeratedly long silence, in which I nonchalantly played with the liquid while the girl tensely stared at me, I finally decided to speak. ¡°... I have a couple of questions to ask.¡± A simple statement which brought on a surprisingly grand reaction. The girl¡¯s shoulders grew rigid, while her eye twitched uncontrollably. While I could already tell that the girl had no intention of resisiting, to solidify her obedience, I quickly added, ¡°If you aren¡¯t cooperative, or if you give me falsified information I will know, and at that time¡­.¡± I flicked the black liquid towards the girl. Although the liquid only landed beside her feet, not making any direct contact, just the proximity of [Dark Gemini] was enough to draw out a rattled scream from her. The girl responded with a repetitive nod, as she feverishly bowed her head. Her eyes darted back and forth across the room, as if unwilling to meet eye to eye with my own. I stared blankly at her for a second. I wasn¡¯t really responding, despite the girl¡¯s response. Noticing the growing silence between us, the girl eventually looked up. I saw her eyes flash with a familiar instability. She tensley swallowed down a mouthful of saliva, and began speaking. Her words were like a machine gun, rapid, and without pause. ¡°I-I¡¯ll talk, I¡¯ll definitely talk! So there¡¯s no need to hurt me anymore, rather, please don¡¯t hurt me. I¡¯ll tell you anything, so please! Ah, i-if you¡¯re not satisfied with that, I-I can do other things, l-like¡­ this and that, s-so just don¡¯t-¡± ¡°I got it already so calm down.¡± I responded coldly, throwing in a glare for good measure. My words cut of her fervent speech as she once again fell silent. Although, despite the cold demeanor I currently put on, I kind of felt like sighing on the inside. This girl was really... While I expected a similar response of obedience, the reaction was rather¡­ wasn¡¯t it a bit too easy? I mean, if she complies to willingly, I won¡¯t get the chance to test out some of the new torture- interrogation methods I thought up. In the guise of interrogation, I had planned on using this opportunity to do a bit of experimenting. Truth be told, I could care less for the situation regarding the boss. While, he does seem to pose some danger. If I really wanted, I could probably kill- or at the very least, incapacitate him without much trouble. Mostly long ranged attacks might get the job done, or better yet, rogue-like assassinations might work. At the very least, between Cielle, Hina and I, taking on the Boss and the rest of his colleagues wouldn¡¯t be a problem. Of course, that¡¯s presuming I get over my current hesitation towards killing¡­ But really, there were a bit too many things I wanted to try out that specifically required a lab rat. Research on skills, like whether [Gemini Dark]¡¯s effects would augment if the flesh exposed was more sensitive, or if it was exposed to an open wound. Other things too, like whether healing magic can repair gouged out chunks of meat, or whether a separate human limb can classify as an [item] in the eyes of my own skill, [Equip]. I mean, I recall at one point a goblin corpse was classified as something along the lines of a necromancy ingredient, so maybe a severed limb could work the same way. If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. I had a lot of plans prepared, and while under the guise of extensive interrogation, I wanted to fulfill some of those plans. At the very least, Hina and Cielle won¡¯t grow suspicious if they suddenly heard a retching scream from across the room. Despite that though, if the girl readily agrees so¡­ so easily, even I¡¯d feel bad. If she resisted, I¡¯d at least have an excuse. -Was my scare tactic a bit too effective?- While I lamented, the growing creases on my brow and the frown that had encapsulated my face caused a bit of worry to surface on my captive¡¯s face. I sighed deeply. A look of forlorn took over as I absentmindedly muttered to myself, ¡°I really wanted to test some things out¡­ but¡­ if only she put up more of a fight, otherwise, I can¡¯t exactly¡­¡± ¡°Eh?¡± The girl blinked twice and looked at me with an expression that perfectly blended confusion and fear. ¡°No, it¡¯s nothing.¡± I sighed again. ¡°Anyway, about those questions I wanted to ask¡­.¡± Upon stating, I immediately sat on the floor across from her while my shoulders drooped down. Currently, I doubt I looked intimidating, but with this type of coward as my captive, I doubt it really mattered at this point. The first questions I asked pertained towards information regarding this ¡°Boss¡± character and his group. Of course, seeing as how I¡¯ve already seen through this girl¡¯s demeanor, her cowardice was spot on. She quickly answered most of my information, from the Boss¡¯s mental state, the location of his base, even about the incident regarding the two groups splitting and how the boss stole a large collection of food. Of course, things like the Boss¡¯s current level, and other, more secretive information was left unanswered. This I expected as much. I doubt anyone would be stupid enough to reveal such life threatening information to people they viewed as inferior. After the girl informed me about the whole cafeteria incident, I nodded my head understandingly. ¡°I¡¯m guessing the Cafeteria group is in an even worse situation than you? I mean, food wise?¡± I asked, stifling a yawn. She nodded. According to her, the cafeteria group, had ran out of food about 2 days ago. In actuality, to last a little less than a week when there¡¯s over 50 mouths to feed is an amazing feat in of itself, but it still didn¡¯t change their impending situation. Anyways, since they had cleared out most of the monsters in the main building, this 50 or so group of people were left with nothing to do but twiddle their thumbs and sit around, aimlessly staring at the ceiling. From what I can tell, despite their numbers, they had no intention of visiting the third building of the school, or confronting the boss. As to why, I could only begin to guess. Their dire situation would have caused anyone to kick into action¡­ the only real reason I can think of would either be some sort of group trauma occurred¡­ or their levels were comparatively low, enough so to chose starvation rather than fighting. While, I wondered about their situation, at the mention of monsters, my ears perked up. I hadn¡¯t scene what type of creatures had roamed the main building before, so I was quite curious. In the end, I couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°What type of monsters were in the main building?¡± Cher paused and thought for a moment. I imagine the past few days seemed a bit like a lifetime ago for her, so it took her a while but eventually, she shrugged and said, ¡°While I heard about the minotaurs and those hippo looking things from the students that came from the old and west school buildings, as for the main building, there was only ever one type of monster...¡± She described it as a sort of RPG-slime like monster. If it weren¡¯t for its almost transparent like body and jello like consistency, she would have described it more as a slug or snail. The monster was slime of sorts, greenish-brown in color with a snail shell attached to its back. According to her, the slimes were only around level 2 to 3. Compared to the minotaurs, heck, even when compared to the goblins I first fought, they were exceedingly weak monsters, but their numbers, coupled with their acidic properties was what resulted in the death of the majority of the students during the first day after the count down. Despite that though, after the initial group of survivors banded together, it became a relatively easy task to push the slimes back. In the end, the main building had it the easiest. The only reason so many people died was due to the initial confusion of the apocalypse. If we were to objectively view Oak Wood as a real dungeon, then the main building would be akin to the first floor, where all the weaker monsters reside. ¡°You guys had it easy, huh¡­¡± I inadvertently mumbled to myself while half lost in thought. ¡°What was that?¡± ¡°No, I didn¡¯t say anything.¡± But still, if those guys really did confine themselves to an area with such weak monsters, then my theory regarding the cafeteria group¡¯s overall level is further solidified. I asked the girl a few more trivial questions, and discovered a few more trivial information. For example, the cafeteria was able to last for so long (food wise) because they were eating the canned goods that the donation drive from about 2 weeks ago had gathered. I also learned that a few important people were with the cafeteria group, like the student council president, or the head teacher for the 2nd years. I was a bit curious whether or not Kido and his harem were among the many faces of the 50 or so group of survivors, but all I got was an apathetic reply from my captive, saying something along the lines of, ¡°I can¡¯t really remember everybody, y¡¯know?¡± I also couldn¡¯t get any information about the rumored skill user within the cafeteria group. According to my captive, the skill user was someone who came from the west building, someone who joined after the original group had already split up. Although just hearing the fact that the skill user came from the west building is valuable enough information. I was instantly reminded of the fire I saw during the first day of the apocalypse. It might not be much of a hypothesis, more of a guess really, but I had a feeling that fire was connected to that person¡¯s particular skill. Anyways, after asking a few more questions and after a bit of hesitation and forethought, I finally asked, ¡°Does the boss value your life enough to actually go looking for you?¡± I stared unblinkingly at the girl, gauging her reaction. She widened her eyes for a split second before they instantly narrowed. Those same eyes turned dark, as a hate filled, self deprecating smile floated across her face, ¡°No, obviously not. The Boss doesn¡¯t value anybody¡¯s life, probably not even his, and I don¡¯t really have friends, so nobody would come looking for me.¡± She spoke all this in one breath, not a beat out of place and not a fluctuation in her tone. As if the very words she spoke, the very ideas those words represented were all thought out and rehearsed thoroughly within the dark crevices of her mind. She paused for a minute, tilted her head, and after some consideration, she turned back towards me. Her eyes had changed once again. They weren¡¯t the same feverish eyes she often flashed, but rather, cold, like an oracle¡¯s as if foretelling the future yet to come. ¡°While the Boss doesn¡¯t value life, he hates people with a passion. He especially hates those who irritate, anger, or get in his way¡­ More than likely, he¡¯s probably pinned the blame for our loss towards you. He might go searching for you with the intent of killing you, in fact, he¡¯s probably out there now. The Boss can be pretty proactive when it comes to killing.¡± Chapter 39: Planning Planning After I finished interrogating the girl with the deranged eyes, I immediately planned to report back to the others. Although prior to that, I decided to at least give her some food, seeing as how she hadn¡¯t eaten for the past 3 days or so. ¡°Here,¡± I solemnly said while I reached over and threw a half melted chocolate bar towards her feet. It wasn¡¯t much, and honestly, it wouldn¡¯t be very filling either, but at the very least, it was food. ¡°Ah-¡± The girl¡¯s eyes locked on to the bar of chocolate before she immediately leaped towards it. With frantic hands, she tore through the flimsy wrapper before devouring it fiercely. In the process, she resembled a feral animal; the way she gnawed and tore through the bar without a hint of shame nor decency. As I silently stared down at her, I nonchalantly shifted my gaze towards the floating status window above her head. Back when the apocalypse first started, when I used my [identify] skill on Hina, things like status effects weren¡¯t readily visible to me. I don¡¯t know whether it¡¯s because I leveled up my skin recently or something other contributing factor, but now, the status effect, [Near-starvation], was clear as day, plastered on the faint, transparent blue of her window panel. I locked my gaze at that small window panel, ignoring the ravenous girl below it. The girl in question made short work of the small peice of chocolate that I gave her. I observed that, despite her eating, the [Near-Starvation] effect still hadn¡¯t disappeared. As expected, something like that wasn¡¯t enough to satiate the system. Maybe if I gave her more food? Would a granola bar work? Maybe some week old rice? Either way, despite my curiousity, I wasn¡¯t willing to give her anymore. After asking a few more questions that happened to float across my mind, I quickly left the supply closet. While I had a few worries as to whether or not the girl might attempt an escape, it didn¡¯t particularly cause me panic. I banked on her own fear of the ¡°Boss¡±. If she tried to escape and make her way back toward her group, while it might cause a few complications for me and the girls, it would certainly spell certain death for her. Here¡¯s hoping she came to the same conclusion. **** After leaving the old science labroom, I made a beeline towards an adjacent classroom in the hall. ¡® This particular room wasn¡¯t anything outstanding, rather, it blended in with most of its souroudnings. Together with its crimson stained door and a few human, as well as minotaur, corpses here and there, it looked quite common place within the current old school building. Inside the room were the pair of sisters whom I¡¯ve kept waiting. ¡°Yo,¡± With a nonchalant greeting, I stepped past a few splintered chairs and broken glass and made my way towards them. ¡°Ah, welcome back Hide.¡± Hina greeted while of to the side, Cielle gave me a comforting nod. ¡°How did the, you know¡­. how did it go?¡± ¡°Well, it went as well as you might expect.¡± I then explained and retold the information that our hostess had generously given us. Of course, I informed them not to take what I regurgitated at face value. While unlikely, there still existed the possibility that the hostage might be lying. Although given her lack of loyalty, I doubt she lied. I told them near everything. About the Boss, about the slime monsters, about the cafeteria group, and some of the people there. I told them everything, including some of the conclusions I myself came to after hearing the information. When I glossed over the information regarding the Cafeteria group, Hina¡¯s eyes shined breifly as an almost unnoticable gasp of surprise escaped her throat. At first, I thought she was just excited about the prospect of knowing that there existed a group of survivors somewhere, but the expression on her face was¡­ somewhat different. A hint of what can be called, familiarity was present. ¡°Hmm? Something wrong, Hina?¡± I asked, a bit curious. ¡°Ah, no¡­ well¡­¡± Hina tilted her head down as she awkwardly began scratching her head. ¡°Truth be told, I know a few people there¡­ actually, I¡¯m quite surprised that they survived, although in retrospect, if its them, then it might be all the more possible...¡± Overcome with curiousity, a dangerous gleam flashed across my eyes, as I asked, ¡°Who?¡± She then told me about the student council president. He was indeed one of the people whom Cher recognized back when she was still part of the cafeteria group, and in truth, he seemed to be Cher¡¯s close friend. A sort of childhood friend like existance would be the best way to describe him. A person that¡¯s been stuck with Hina for as long as she can remember. She had a pretty good impression of the guy, although hearing her girly talk about the man¡¯s personality, his habits, school accomplishments, etc. was pretty boring, so I didn¡¯t pay any particular attention to that. ¡°If it¡¯s him¡­ if it¡¯s him, then we can definetely trust him!¡± Hina pumped her arms up as a resolute smile flashed across her face. The expression she made was quite¡­ dazzling. One filled with hope, and relief¡­ frankly, it was an expression that I¡¯ve never seen before. I couldn¡¯t help but feel jealousy towards the guy whom that expression was directed at. Although such an emotion quickly passed, as I nodded and flashed a wry smile towards Hina. This was a good thing. Knowing that someone you once knew managed to survive.... While I may not have that many friends, even I could understand the sentiment of such a revelation. Anyways, I quickly changed the subject and retold the rest of the information to the duo. Eventually, after 5 more minutes of explaining, we came to the last topic of our conversation; Hunger. Or the be more specific, the dire situation regarding food. While it may be true that both the Boss group and the cafeteria group faced a similar situation in that they now lack food, our trio didn¡¯t have the same problem. Being alone in a large building gave us the opportunity to monopolize much of the scavengable food products. Although looking at our current supply, it would last at most a week, that is, if we only stuck to the scavengable goods. Eating monster meat had flashed across my mind a couple of times, but as expected it''s impossible. This isn¡¯t about physiological barriers though, but rather, in this environment, with the seeping heat of summer permeating throughout the building, most of the dead bodies have started rotting. Since our group didn¡¯t particularly clear away the corpses like in the main building, the corpses have been left to rot all along the halls, and classrooms of the building. The heat may be bad enough, but the risk of disease and infection only increases when the ¡°monster meat¡± is scattered amongst the human corpses. At the very least, there¡¯s no possible chance of eating the monsters within the old school building. At most, we had a week¡¯s worth of food for the three of us, although¡­ there is another problem. ¡°Actually, I think there¡¯s something you guys should know¡­¡± I began explaining my recent conclusion, one I came to after directly questioning Cher. In truth, even before we stumbled across Cher and her party, I already had vague assumptions regarding this theory. I only confirmed it after I questioned Cher. ¡°Regarding our food problem, no, regarding our own physiology¡­.¡± In short, human physiology has changed. It changed to better accomodate the changes brought by the system. While this much is obvious, otherwise how else could I get stronger after leveling up, there actually existed more subtle nuances of this change. One of these changes tied together with human metabolism and the stamina bar. These two factors were definitely linked together. This connection between metabolism and stamina was first hinted to me all the way back when I first viewed the status window for a granola bar. The fact that food could increase stamina wasn¡¯t just some random effect. Eventually, through observation, I noticed that the lower the stamina, the hungrier a person gets in response. I experienced these same waves of hunger when my stamina bar was dangerously low after the Werewolf battle. This realization isn¡¯t really that important though, what¡¯s important is that in response to this connection, the human metabolism seems to have accelerated. In short, our appetites changed and we get hungrier more and more often. Even when the stamina bar is kept at max, hunger comes more quickly than it did in the past. To add to that, if our hunger continously increases, inversely, the stamina regeneration decreases as well. I confirmed this with Cher when I asked her whether her stamina regeneration had slown down recently, which she replied with an affirmative yes. Not only would hunger affect us physically, but it held disastrous effects ¡°in-game¡± too. After I explained this to the girls, Hina nodded darkly, expressing her understanding with a grim frown. ¡°If what you said is true, then that explains why the cafeteria group ran out of food so quickly.¡± She explained, ¡°I mean, if you take into account that we recently had a food drive, as well as the fact that this used to be a military base, so there¡¯s bound to be food preserves near by, it would be next to impossible for less than 50 people to eat through all that within a week or so.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll be facing the same circumstance soon.¡± I added. ¡°In normal situations we have about a week¡¯s worth of food left, but if our bodies end up forcing us to eat more and more often then¡­¡± My gaze inexplicably fell towards Cielle. This girl was a prime example of my theory. She ate more than the average person, despite the apocalypse like situation¡­ although that could also be just because she¡¯s a glutton, but I¡¯d like to believe otherwise¡­ Upon noticing my gaze, Cielle tilted her head to the side, looking up at me questioningly. After heaving out a heavy sigh, I turned back towards Hina. ¡°No matter how much we food we have now, it still won¡¯t be enough. Unless we find ¡°another¡± source of food within the School, then...Honestly the best thing to do would be to escape this dungeon as quickly as possible...¡± After hearing all this, Hina finally let loose her own dejected sigh. She turned towards me, and with a tired expression, she asked, ¡°So, what do we do, ¡°Leader¡±?¡± I squinted tersley before turning away. She recently started calling me ¡°leader¡± since sometime ago, and it kind of made me uncomfortable¡­. although my minor concerns aren¡¯t really important right now. To some up our situation, we have three major problems; The Boss, Food, and the dungeon itself. I mulled over the situation for a bit, tightly shutting my eyes while I rocked my head back and forth in an effort to think. Eventually, I let loose my own sigh, while stating, ¡°For now, let¡¯s focus on the more pressing problem at the time, which is to say, let¡¯s first deal with the Boss and his hostility.¡± The food problem can be pushed back as far as a week, while the dungeon and our hopes of escape will have to be dealt with in the future. Together, we brainstormed various ideas and methods to deal with the Boss and his loosely contructed raid of students. Things like waiting out within the Old School Building, launching a frontal assualt before he attacked us, etc. were thrown into the hodgepodge of ideas we came up with. Ultimately these ideas were shut down. For one, they had more than a few problems. We couldn¡¯t exactly wait out the storm for an indefinite period of time, seeing as we had a timer in the form of our food supply. Plus to add to that, it¡¯s unhealthy to stay in a place surrounded by corpses. Neither could we just recklessly attack, there were too many unaccounted variables in play for that. I turned towards Hina, hoping her above average IQ might be able to come up with something decent. I saw a flash of recognition fly through her face before her expression instantly darkened and she scratched her head listlessly. ¡°Did you come up with something?¡± I asked. ¡°Well, I did but¡­¡± She hesitated briefly, before giving up and sighing. She looked up at me rather shyly before she began explaining. ¡°I did come up with something but it might be a bit risky.¡± Hina proposed that we should meet up with the 50+ people within the Cafeteria. Of course, she awknowledged the risks that came with such a reckless action. For one, we could instantly get ganged up on or we could get mistaken for members of Boss¡¯s group. Getting backstabbed or killed wouldn¡¯t be quite surprising either. Hina¡¯s argument was that there was safety in numbers. If we had the backing of 50+ people, alongside with our own abilities/skills, we could avoid any serious injury from the Boss. Although it was pretty obvious that her main motivation was to meet up with the President. As expected, the allure of a friend in an apocaylpse was too great. Hina probably expected me to shoot her idea down. It was fairly obvious, going by her hopeless expression. In the end, I sighed, and stated, ¡°That¡¯s a good idea, it would be better this way, given our current circumstance.¡± ¡°Eh?¡± Hina widened her eyes in shock. ¡°Hmm? What¡¯s wrong? Weren¡¯t you the one who thought of this idea up?¡± I lightly teased. ¡°I-I did think it up, b-but I honestly expected you to say no, Hide¡­.¡± I floated a wry smile before I turned away to stare out the window. ¡°There¡¯s no reason to refuse though. True, this plan might hold a bit of risk, but our current situation demands such risks. And like you said, there is safety in numbers.¡± To add to that, I also had another motivation. While we could temporarily escape danger from the Boss by sticking with the Cafeteria group, I was thinking a bit more long term. In the near future, we would need help in order to beat the Dungeon Boss Monster and escape the Dungeon. What could be better help than a group of 50 or more people? Plus the existance of the skill user within their ranks would definetely be useful against a future Boss Monster. For the sake of escaping, it was necessary to build good relations. After we came to a unanimous consensus, we instantly began planning our next move. **** (Pov Change) Within the hallways of the main school buidling, a group of more than a dozen people were spread out. Their vigilant eyes scanned every nook and cranny of the building as their feral-like teeth gritted in desperation. Like Hide had presumed earlier, the Boss had mobolized his men to search the souroundings all in order to flush out Hide¡¯s existance. They scored most of the main building, outside of the cafeteria. Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author. After hours of fruitless searching, they still could not locate the mysterious youth. Although in consoltation, they did happen to stumble upon two familiar faces. These faces were currently covered in dirt and grime, all the while passed out. A bespectacled youth who waved around a silver sword rather carelessly, slowly entered the abandoned class room where one of his lackeys had found the two. After entering the room, he was immediately met with the rather irritating unconscious faces of two people he hadn¡¯t seen all day. Seeing the thin line of drool slide down the bald one¡¯s face, while the brown haired one¡¯s eyes rolled back into his skull irritated the youth. Their sorry state caused bubbles to form within his starving stomach, as the violently strong urge to kill the two before him pulsated throughout his very being. Of course, he restrained such a reckless emotion. For the sake of restraint, he took a deep, hollow breath and exhaled slowly. He had learned from before. He wouldn¡¯t make the same mistake twice. Last time, when he ceremoniously killed Kenta, he had lost a valuable source of information, all due to his lack of control. If Kenta had been kept alive, things like knowing the youth¡¯s appearance, or how he fought could have been discovered. Back then, he had been careless enough to not even ask about such simple things. He had regretted that, and as such, he determined to not make the same mistake twice. At the very least, he would only kill one of them. He would definitely, definitely keep another alive. He walked briskly towards the two, and without much dialogue, sent a vicious foot directly towards each of their abdomen. thud! With a resounding bam, the heel of his shoe drove itself deep within the duo¡¯s stomachs, causing a series of painful spasms to rocket through their system. This in turn elicited agony filled groans to surface. With a heavy feeling of fatigue, Ryuuji and Bentley woked up with a start. Their eyes floated lazily across the room until finally, they came to rest onto the solemn figure before them. Without waiting for the two¡¯s responses to form, the youth immediately spoke. A hint of irritation and annoyance seeped into his very words, but nonetheless he continued talking. ¡°Oi, you two, play rock paper scissors,¡± He commanded, ¡°Do it now.¡± Hearing this sudden demand, the two could do nothing but stare blankly at the youth¡¯s face. Their brains didn¡¯t even get the opportunity to proccess what just happened before the youth¡¯s scowling expression intensified. ¡°Ah, ah, ah, you useless piece of shits!¡± His brow furrowed in displeasure as he cursed loudly. ¡°Fuck it, never mind¡­ instead of rock paper scissors, why not a game of thumb war?¡± The youth¡¯s incessance towards playing a game only served to further confuse Ryuuji and baffled Bentley. In the end, while holding in this seed of doubt, the two wordlessly began playing. After a brief 20 seconds, Bentley came out on top. Honestly, this was a natural occurrence, since he had a pretty strong thumb. Bentley flashed a small smile, an act of quiet celebration. While he didn¡¯t know why he was forced to play the game, he still felt the small joy from winning. Amidst this celebration, the youth stood, silently observing. Without a second¡¯s pause, he wordlessly drew back his sword and plunged its tip deep into Ryuuji¡¯s shoulder. ¡°A-aah¡­¡± Before the man could utter anything, the youth just as nonchalantly removed the sword. The small, 5 inch gouge in Ryuuji¡¯s shoulder quickly began to bubble, making a series of popping sounds at the same time. Ryuuji screamed out in terror. He pawed at his shoulder, but that only served to increase the pain he felt. In the end, he could do nothing but look on as the hole in his body grew. It bubbled and popped, like someone had doused his body with corrosive acid, his shoulder melted until eventually, the hole grew so large that his left arm downwards eventually separated from the rest of his body. ¡°Hah...hah...hah¡­.¡± Ryuuji exhaled roughly. The pain was immense, but what made it even worse was the quiet realization that he could do nothing to stop this pain. He knew that he was powerless. That he had no other choice but to sit still and weight for the silent embrace of death. Unfortunately, the youth in front of him had other plans. Without saying much, the youth once again plunged his sword into Ryuuji¡¯s body, this time, he aimed its tip at the man¡¯s right knee cap. This additional incision caused another resounding scream to reverberate within the classroom, although the youth payed it no heed. He quietly repeated this process. Stabbing, then pulling back. Stabbing, then pulling back. The youth pierced a series of random body parts rather casually. He watched with almost deadpan eyes as he whistled a certain theme song to himself. Almost instantly, various holes, in various different locations from the right hand, left pelvis, eye socket, neck, and so on, filled Ryuuji¡¯s body. In truth, Ryuuji¡¯s had been dead for quite some time now, but the youth seemingly didn¡¯t notice and kept on stabbing, completely focused on his work. After some time had passed, and Ryuuji had now been left in a state resembling a puddle, the youth casually flicked his sword while grumbling, ¡°Damn, I still haven¡¯t leveled up although I worked so hard recently...¡± Bentley,throughout all this had stared wide eyed, and in shock. Rather than feeling pity for his friend, he secretly rejoiced in the fact that he had won their earlier game. After expressing his displeasure, the youth let loose an irritated sigh as he turned and stared fixedly at Bentley. Casually, he propped the sword against his shoulders before asking airily, ¡°What happened to that weapon of yours?¡± Caught off guard by the random question, Bentley gulped down the feeling of ever increasing fear, before he replied, ¡°I, uh, I lost it.¡± The youth nodded understandingly. ¡°I see, that¡¯s unfortunate. Don¡¯t let it happen again.¡± ¡°Y-yes!¡± The youth turned his back towards Bentley, this time he used his sword as a makeshift cane, causing a series of thundering thuds to resound with every step he took. He lazily left the room, but not before he turned a crooked eye back at Bentley. ¡°You better work hard, you piece of shit. After all, we still have a few more rats to catch.¡± ***** In the end, we choose to wait out the initial fervor within the old school building. We camped out here for 2 days. Our current food supply would only last us at most for 3 days. Things wouldn¡¯t be this bad normally, but since Hina insisted that we feed the girl I kidnapped, I was left with no choice but to share. Today was the day we decided to go back to the main building. Our destination was the School Cafeteria, a large location that took up about 1/10th of the main building¡¯s total land space. Before hand, we decided that we would go around the Boss¡¯s initial ¡°territory¡±. We would circle around, traveling through the third floor, before we entered the library. This school¡¯s library was rather large. It spanned three floors of the main building, and was conveniently connected to the Cafeteria. Instead of directly traveling to our location, we would use the library in order to get there. If it was like this, then our chances of encounter would drastically be reduced. One more situation we faced though, was in regards with our hostage- Cher. I was against bringing her along, but Hina was once again ardent in that we couldn¡¯t possibly leave her alone in this place. Cher had kept herself confined within the supply closet, never once leaving, so it was most likely that she had no clue as to the state of her surroundings. If we left her in a place covered in corpses¡­ well, I don¡¯t think that would play out very favorably for her psyche. In the end, I was reluctant, but we decided to bring her along with us. On the day we decided to finally head out, I introduced Cher to my companions. Of course, as I had expected, she was surprised. After all, throughout these two days, I was the only person allowed to check up on her. Cher probably assumed I was alone, which is natural. Or rather, I give off the loner vibe. Anyways, after a series of tense introductions we finally began to leave. We didn¡¯t exchange any words as we traveled through the old school building, making our way to the third floor and towards the connecting skyway. Watching Cher¡¯s reactions to the corpses around the building was rather amusing. She would gulp, gasp, and make the occasional gagging noise. It¡¯s fortunate that she didn¡¯t throw up, after all, that would be a waste of food. Her various, ever changing facial expressions kept me from getting bored until we finally reached the skyway. Once we passed through the skyway and entered the main building, I cautioned the rest to keep quiet. I made an extra point to Cher, telling her that if the Boss found her, she would probably get killed. This elicited a fearful nod, as she covered her mouth with both her hands rather hastily. Those same hands tightly clenched her face as a trickle of cold sweat flowed down her brow. Her eyes bulged fearfully as she looked at my bemused expression with indescribable emotion. Let me reiterate, but Cher¡¯s reactions were indeed pretty funny. I focused back on my surroundings. I used [Sensory Remapping] in order to enhance my sense of hearing. I shut off numerous other senses, like my sense of smell, sense of taste, and sense of pain. I even went as far as removing other senses such as my sense of temperature. Like with my sense of pain, I discovered that I could manipulate senses outside the traditional 5 senses of smell, touch, hearing, taste, and sight. Right now, my sense of hearing was about 6 times greater than normal. This opened up a whole world of possibilities, enough so to make me wonder whether I could train this into something akin to echolocation. But I¡¯ll leave that for another time, for now, I¡¯ll focus on enemy detection. Like this, we traveled through the third floor. Hina guided our way to where the library entrance was located, while I stood beside her and acted as an early warning system. Cielle and Cher stayed a couple spaces behind us. Like we expected, we didn¡¯t run into any monsters, but we did encounter a few complications. We ran into 2 people along the way. My hearing caught sight of them before they could pass us, so in order to stay undetected, we hid in an empty classroom. As the duo passed, Cher identified them as people from her group. We quietly watched them walk, until eventually they passed by our location and turned a corner. After waiting a couple more minutes, we proceeded forward once more. Without anymore trouble, we eventually arrived at the entrance to the school library. I¡¯ve been here a couple times in the past. The library was a big place. One filled to the brim with books. I was reminded of this fact the moment we entered. The first thing I noticed was the absolute quiet. Even in normal circumstances, the library was a place that was quieter than usual, but now, devoid of life, it was absolutely silent. Even with my enhanced hearing, aside from our strained breathing, I couldn¡¯t hear much of anything. Normally, I might make out the smell of crisp paper, or the cooler than average temperature of this dimly lit space, but right now, all I could feel was the silent atmosphere. Taking a few seconds to enjoy this rather serene moment, afterwards, I immediately began moving. Once again, Hina guided us downwards. The goal was to make it all the way to the first floor, where the library connected with the cafeteria. As we traveled through shelves and made our way past several books, I kept vigilant. I constantly strained my hearing for anything that might remotely constitute as noise, in the end, I was met with silence. That is, until we reached the second floor. At that moment, a resounding noise filled my ears. The slight sound of a door opening within the third floor. Normally, it was so quiet that one wouldn¡¯t notice. In fact, aside from me, nobody else in our party noticed. I paused my step and listened. The small footsteps seemingly echoed throughout the library, making my heart thump with every crunch of wrinkled carpet that they made. Of course, only I could hear this noise, but still. After a few seconds of listening, I noticed that these steps were made by more than just one person, and that they were moving in the direction of the staircase which connected the 3rd and 2nd floor. In response to this realization, I instantly moved. I looked listlessly around the space until my eyes came to rest on a partitioned section of the library. This place was enclosed or by imposing shelves that reached far above a person¡¯s height. I maneouvered our group to this section of the library and waited. I told them briefly about what I heard, about how they could be part of the Boss¡¯s group of scouts that were currently looking for us. We held bated breath as we focused our stares towards the staircase. Second after second, minute after minute, eventually the resounding footsteps that only I could hear amplified to the extent that even the rest of my part could make out the noise. We watched as the figures of 5 individuals entered our line of sight. It was too far for me to use [identify], but the group constituted of 3 guys and 2 girls. One of the guys looked to be the leader type, quietly leading the way for his comrades. They briefly glanced around the room, and seemingly satisfied, they continued forward. They walked through the library heading towards- -us. It wasn¡¯t that they had seen us, but rather, we were conveniently placed near the staircase that connected the 1st and 2nd floors together. If they had bothered to go from 3rd to 2nd floor, then it would only be natural that their goal be the 1st floor. The group approached our location, bringing them closer and closer. From my current distance, I could make out a bit more of their features. Of course, despite this, I stayed quiet. I was debating whether to confront them or let them pass, when a small gasp came from one of the people next to me. I briefly glanced to my side. This slight vibration of air came none other from¡­. Hina. Through her eyes, I could see the faint expression of familiarity fill her face. Chapter 40: Bitter Determination Bitter Determination Hina¡¯s slight gasp rang through my ears. I threw furtive glance her way. The girl who crouched down besides me, who was leaning against a Oaken shelf of books had her eyes solely fixed on the group in front of us. Her breath quickened while I could see a slight tremble in her lip. Reading human expressions isn¡¯t really all that hard, but it isn¡¯t so easy either. But even someone like me understood the significance of the face Hina was currently making. After throwing another glance behind me, to see what the other two members in our party were currently doing, I cautiously placed a free hand on Hina¡¯s shoulder. I could feel her light trembling shaking her body like a autumn leaf. I added more force into my grip, as if to call her back from whatever delusion she was heading into. With a small shake, Hina finally noticed, and broke her gaze. She turned to look at me. Her expression showed a bit of longing, one I couldn¡¯t directly look at. ¡°Hina, don¡¯t be reckless¡­¡± I warned with a whisper. ¡°Yes¡­ I-I know.¡± She replied back, somewhat half heartedly. ¡°Don¡¯t worry Hide, I¡¯m not an idiot.¡± Although such a response was uttered, her overall demeanor didn¡¯t serve to convince me in the slightest. Brushing away my lingering worries though, I refocused in on the group in front of us. By now, they had gotten very close to our current location. At most, they were less than 30 feet from where we were. With such proximity, the vague, blurry outlines turned a bit more detailed. The group consisted of 5 people, 2 girls and 3 guys. Two of them were most likely foreigners, transfer students from a western country like England or France, going by their golden blonde hair color. These two were respectively both guy and girl, and looked similar enough to be siblings. They were situated at the back of the group, and were unarmed, although given the fact that they both had one hand constantly behind them, a hidden weapon wasn¡¯t out of the question. The rest were most likely Japanese. One guy had an aged face and a somewhat broad shouldered body. He was considerably older than the rest of the party. Appearance wise, he was probably a teacher or a staff member, that would explain why I felt an odd sort of familiarity upon looking at his somewhat sunken in cheeks. A dark brown haired girl was next to him. This person was probably pretty, I mean, even I could tell her sharp eyes and ¡°sculpted¡¯ face held some charm, despite the dirt and grime that covered it. Both of them each held a wooden bat in their hands. And finally, their was their leader, or at least, what looked like their leader. He was of average height, and had a pair of rectangular spectacles adorning his face. His short hair was a bit messy looking, and his right cheek had a bandage on it, but it was clear he was good looking. Another one of those archetype pretty boys. He was the only one with an actual weapon. An all black clad short sword, one that resembled the item I acquired from my earlier encounter. The group all held vigilant expressions, one dyed every inch with caution and experience. Without an exchange of words, the bespectacled youth motioned with his free hand, and in response, the rest of the group all began surveying their surroundings, each of the four inspecting a different direction. They all surveyed the 2nd floor library vigilantly and with obvious purpose. From how I interpreted it, it wasn¡¯t just an action spurred by caution, but rather one made with expectation. It was as if the group knew something was amiss. As if to further confirm with my rambling thoughts, the spectacled youth¡¯s voice abruptly rang out. A voice with a hint of masculinity and pubescent vigor reverberated in this silent sanctuary. ¡°I know you¡¯re in here. There¡¯s no use hiding.¡± Although that was what he said, he didn¡¯t particularly direct his words towards a specific location. More so, despite how close he was to us, it wasn¡¯t like he was looking directly at us. In fact, he was more or less turned away from us. -He knows someone¡¯s here, but he¡¯s not sure where? It was that sort of situation. He was certain that they were not alone, but nonetheless, he still remained unaware as to our existence. Ideas and various reasons began to sprang forth in my mind. Could it be a weird detection skill? If so, then it¡¯s a severely lacking type of detection skill? I remained calm, forcing myself to swallow down the slight anxiety that his sudden declaration caused. I threw a quick glance towards the rest of my party, a bit worried as to how they would react. Cielle, who was positioned the furthest back was her usual quiet self. I couldn¡¯t make out the expression on her face thanks to her typical cascade of black hair, but from the time I¡¯ve spent with her, I¡¯ve began to be able to somewhat interpret her body language. For instance, her raised shoulders, and the biting of her lip indicated she interpreted a similar tension from the surroundings. Fortunately, her reaction was ideal, The pack in her hands had already been opened, and a small portion of [Black Gemini] had already began flowing out. Hina, who was positioned closest to me, showed a blank expression, although the expression of familiarity never left her face. In fact, she had on a wry smile as if to say, ¡°As expected of him¡±. Really, this type of childhood familiarity was something I was unaccustomed to. Although what strikes me as odd was the lack of reaction from Cielle¡¯s part. If my assumption is correct, and this spectacled youth was indeed the student council president whom Hina shared a ¡°childhood friend¡± type of relationship with, then shouldn¡¯t Cielle also be acquainted with him? Maybe it was the sort of relationship where Hina met him in secret or something. I¡¯m not sure. Despite the gnawing worry I had from seeing Hina¡¯s current expression, seeing as how she made no move to act, I sighed in relief. What was worrying though, was the last member of our group. For a while now, I¡¯ve heard a constant rattling of teeth from behind me. The noise was slight enough that it was even hard for my enhanced hearing to pick up, so their was no possible way the bespectacled youth could have heard it, but nevertheless it was quite a worrying sound. I turned to face our past hostage, and the sight before me was just as I expected. A nervous wreck of a girl who had bulging wide eyes that swerved frantically in all directions. At this point, she now gnawed on her fingernails instead of gnashing her teeth, all the while a constant stream of cold sweat trickled down her face. It was understandable, her nervousness that is. After all, she did steal from them not to long ago, and probably caused some unneeded animosity between both parties. I could imagine that the feeling was something similar to a criminal who''s been put on trial. I stared at her fixedly, not willing to speak out loud in fear of them hearing us. My enhanced hearing has made me extra cautious about making any unnecessary noise, after all I¡¯ve lost my reference point for what a person¡¯s regular hearing is. I hoped that my rigid stare was enough to calm her down, although usually, things don¡¯t work that well for me. She ignored my stare, or rather, she stared past me and towards the still vigilant group in front. Cielle, who noticed my distress after a single glance, put a somewhat reassuring (?) hand on top of Cher. I¡¯m not sure whether it was enough, but for now, I¡¯ll leave her in Cielle''s care. I focused my attention back onto the other party just in time, as their leader once again spoke. This time his voice was a noticeable octave higher. ¡°Oi! I already know you¡¯re in there! If you¡¯re planning some sort of surprise attack, then forget about it!¡± -Rather vigilant, are we? I floated a wry smile. Seeing another person¡¯s caution to this extent, reminded me of myself. From the guy¡¯s perspective, he guessed that we knew about his current location, which all the more put his part in a disadvantageous situation, since they knew we were here, but not where our exact location was. ¡°Come out already!¡± He screamed again. In an attempt to even the playing field, he¡¯s trying to coax us out. But still, this leaves the question of how exactly did he figure out we were here? As I thought, was it really a detection skill? Well, despite his intentions, I remained stoic and stood at my current position. I internally debated whether to confront him, or further wait, when something unexpected happened. ¡°Hii!¡± With a shout, a figure that originated from behind me bolted forward. In her wake she knocked down a couple hardcover textbooks which warranted a pain filled ¡°Uuuu...¡± to groan out of Cielle. This person, this person whose face was twisted into an ugly expression, whose cheeks were smeared with blood and tears, whose trembling figure shook like an autumn leaf¡­ This person was obviously Cher. I internally sighed while placing a frustrated hand in front of my face. It seems like even Cielle wasn¡¯t capable of calming down this type of half broken crazy. I shot a glance behind to see Cielle, rubbing her head pitifully as she locked eyes with me. Her normally covered hair was partitioned due to the impact of the books. She showed me a rare expression, one that seemed to say, ¡°Sorry.¡± Since I¡¯ve already made sure she was okay, I turned my attention back towards the commotion, and threw a slit between my fingers, I quietly observed. ¡°O-oi, this girl!¡± One of the blonde students, the male one instantly cautioned as one of his arms grabbed onto something behind his student blazer. His eyes instantly flashed in recognition, and his face twisted into a scowl. As if to speak out his thoughts, the blonde girl next to him spoke, ¡°It¡¯s one of Satou¡¯s people! I recognize her face!¡± -Well, that pitiful expression of Cher¡¯s is pretty hard to forget¡­ While such a useless thought popped up into my mind, the opposing group had already entered into a fighting stance. The spectacled youth stood in front of Cher, his sword raised at the ready. The rest of his team began to expand out, forming a half circle around the still shaking girl. Knowing that her spur-of-the-moment dash wasn¡¯t going the way she thought it would (whatever way that was), she helplessly raised her arms out in futile effort. If she had a white flag right now, she would surely be waving it. ¡°I-I-I..!¡± Although she tried saying something, seeing the weapons all pointed at her, caused her speech to buckle in nervousness, resulting in a series of pitiful stuttering. ¡°You¡­ what did you come here for?¡± Amidst Cher¡¯s stuttering, the President initiated conversation. ¡°Satou should already know full well by now that we don¡¯t have any more food!¡± ¡°And if you¡¯re here to get the food we ¡°retrieved¡± from three days ago, then don¡¯t bother!¡± The brown haired girl added. ¡°You guys stole it in the first place, we were just taking back what¡¯s ours!¡± This girl directed a particularly hate filled glare at Cher, which only caused her to shrivel up even more. ¡°¡±N-no! That¡¯s not why I¡¯m here!¡± Cher¡¯s frantic pleading was displayed for all to see. It really wouldn¡¯t be surprising if she started groveling at this instant. ¡°Then what?¡± The President continued, ignoring Cher¡¯s current mental stability, ¡° If you¡¯re not here for that then why are you here? Did Satou send you? Are you alone?¡± A barrage of questions, none of which Cher answered. Instead she threw indiscreet glances towards our direction. Seeing her current expression, I could only think that the face of regret really matched her. ¡°Answer!¡± ¡°Hiii!!¡± The atmosphere was obviously deteriorating at this point. Cher took several steps back, only to be followed by the encircling group in front of her. It wasn¡¯t long till Cher¡¯s backwards motion stopped, blocked by a brown oak shelf. From our side, I could see from the corner of my eye, Hina''s worrying expression. Although I tried to ignore it, the stabbing glance of hers was quite nerve wracking. As if to say, ¡°You have to do something,¡± she continuously shifted her gaze between me and the situation in front of her. This situation was indeed bad, and only worsening as every second passed by. The clear animosity and Cher¡¯s own ineptness at answering only further fueled this situation. Their leader, while doing a commendable job at restraining the others, was obviously slipping in power. The hate, which I can only imagine has been constantly fueled by bad mouthing and the past events that occurred, only further unhinged the rest of them. This was especially noticeable within the teacher and the brown haired girl¡¯s faces. Imitating a tightly pulled string finally snapping, the brown haired girl couldn¡¯t take anymore of it, and finally dashed forward. She quickly closed the gap, moving a bit too fast for the rest of her party members to react. The wooden bat in her hand held high and just as it smashed down onto Cher¡¯s already smeared face- BAM A crunching noise reverberated throughout the room. The wooden bat, which should have hit Cher was currently blocked by the hilt of my long sword. The Brown haired girl¡¯s shocked expression momentarily registered in my mind before I put a bit of force into my arms and pushed her back. The girl in turn staggered backwards, but her expression quickly turned cold as she once again gripped her bat in a battle position. -This is somewhat troublesome¡­. I inwardly sighed. This time around, like last time, I cautioned Cielle and Hina not to move into action unless things get seriously bad. While I thought about what to do, I threw a quick glance towards Cher. Her face was more shocked than the brown haired girl¡¯s. Really? Was it really that surprising that I¡¯d come and save her? After all, I am human. Even I have a bit of altruism in me, plus I can¡¯t just watch a girl die so casually like that. While internally sighing once more, I whispered softly at Cher, ¡°Step back. You¡¯ll get in the way.¡± After seeing her comply and move away from the corner of my eye, I redirected all my focus on the group in front of me. I looked over everyone of them first. Almost all the members sported shocked expressions. All of them that is, except the President. He had a bold smile plastered on his pretty boy face. His expression seemed to say, ¡°The unexpected visitor finally showed himself, huh?¡± ¡°The unexpected visitor finally showed himself, huh?¡± The President worded out my interpretation, as he raised his sword high. ¡°...¡± I continued staring at them while I raised my own sword up in response. Although it looked like I was just staring, in truth, I monopolized on this stalemate, and used [identify] in an attempt to grasp the power of the people in front of me. -[Identify]!
Virgil Bernard - Level 9 HP: 150/190
Kathy Bernard - Level 9 HP: 167/190
Kikkawa Ieyasu - Level 10 HP: 180/ 200
Kasahara Emiko - Level 12 HP: 140/ 220
Kaibara Hokusei - Level 15 HP: 250/250
-Hoh¡­ On average, it seems like this party is comparatively stronger than Cher¡¯s previous group. The two blondies, like I had assumed, were related. The teacher, Kikkawa, was someone whom I¡¯ve met before. His face was familiar, and he definitely taught me once, but I couldn¡¯t quite remember what subject. The brown haired girl was the second strongest, only behind the president. His level was high. He was actually close to Cielle and Hina¡¯s level, who, after the battle with the werewolves, were now both respectively Level 17 and Level 19. Kaibara Hokusei was someone I shouldn¡¯t take lightly. The atmosphere was tense. After my sudden intervention, not a single person had moved, although Hokusei still maintained that bold smirk of his. Honestly, it was quite annoying, but I was a bit more curious than I was irritated. ¡°How did you know we were here?¡± I asked, breaking the ensuing silence. My question only further incited Hokusei, as his smirk grew. ¡°Oh? Are you curious? I don¡¯t know, how exactly did I do it?¡± His casual tone seemed out of place with the tension in his body. ¡°...Was it a skill?¡± I couldn¡¯t help but ask. ¡°A skill?¡± His eyes bulged in surprise. As if thinking for a moment, he squinted them momentarily, before he opened them once more and nodded in understanding. ¡°So, skills like that did exist too, huh? So it wasn¡¯t just limited to magic¡­¡± Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. He smirked again, causing me to inwardly sigh. ¡°... So you didn¡¯t know?¡± I dejectedly spat out. My choice of words were a mistake on my part. ¡°Nope~ Thanks for the information~¡± ¡°... It won¡¯t happen a second time.¡± ¡°Hahaha!¡± His laugh really was quite irritating, but like before I forced myself to endure it. ¡°So then, if it wasn¡¯t a skill then how?¡± In response, he raised an eyebrow. ¡°How do you know I don¡¯t just have habit of yelling out loud at random?¡± ¡°... I don¡¯t think so.¡± I coldly responded. His actions, his commands, the group¡¯s vigilance¡­ they were two precise for that sort of reasoning. ¡°Tell me,¡± I continued to urge. Hokusei stayed silent for a while, as if mulling it over, before he finally shrugged. ¡°Fine, since you¡¯ve already told me something interesting, I guess I¡¯ll return a little bit of that information.¡± He paused, as if to catch his breath, when in reality he only used this slight pause to grin once more. ¡°It¡¯s really simple actually; I set a trap.¡± -A trap? My face contorted into confusion. A trap? If he really did set a trap, I¡¯d have noticed. Exactly what sort of trap¡­ Seeing my current expression, Hokusei¡¯s grin reached even his eyes. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s natural that you didn¡¯t notice. After all, it was such a discrete trap that unless one knew before hand, it would be impossible to catch. Trap was set at the doorway that connected the library with the third floor.¡± He explained. ¡° It really was a simple trap, its almost comedic how effective it is, but anyways¡­. the trap was set before we left the library. I placed a strip of see through tape between the cracks that divided the double doors. Not only was the tape see through, but I specifically placed it near the bottom of the doors, so its only natural that you didn¡¯t see. When we returned, and I noticed that the tape had been damaged, then it was obvious enough that someone was here, or at the very least, someone had attempted to enter the library. If that was the situation, then it would have just been a case of me randomly yelling in a wide area such as this.¡± He motioned with his hands while his grin parted into an abrupt chuckled. ¡°Truth be told, such traps were placed along all the entrances of the library before hand. It really was luck that you happened to enter through the third floor, and we just so happened to arrive through the third floor.¡± ¡°...That¡¯s pretty clever.¡± I honestly complemented. ¡°Kukuku, isn¡¯t it?¡± Hokusei¡¯s ensuing laugh reverberated throughout the room, further irritating me. After his laugh subsided, his arms once again tensed. His eyes turned sharp, as his mouth pursed in concentration. Seeing his expression¡­ I couldn¡¯t help but sigh. -Although I wanted to settle this peacefully for the sake of the future, and avoid a situation like last time¡­ While outwardly sighing I inwardly prepared myself. I deactivated [Sensory Remapping]¡¯s effects. At my current stage with that skill, using it in combat was going to be a bit disorientating, so for now, it would be best to keep it off. After all, I was sure we were about to enter combat. Despite my wish of peaceful negotiation... His eyes spoke differently. It was a bit vague, but those eyes were familiar. They held clear bloodlust and intent. Eyes that wanted to kill. The same type of eyes that the monsters I¡¯ve fought possessed. Eyes that wanted to kill. Eyes that were capable of killing. ¡°Sorry, about this,¡± He suddenly spoke, the earlier cheery and boasting tone now gone, ¡°While it may be the duty of the student council president to listen and help with all a student¡¯s problems, in this situation¡­¡± He seemingly shrugged, gesturing at nothing in particular. ¡°Well, I can¡¯t lend a helping hand to a would-be raider.¡± He threw a glance behind me, towards Cher, who meekly watched from a distance. Although he said that, although he made a point to label me as another ¡°raider¡±, his tone wasn¡¯t as convincing. As if he himself didn¡¯t believe in such conviction. He raised his sword high over his head. The rest of his party, as if reacting, also readied their weapons, preparing to strike. [Author''s Note:From this point onward, I added a few lines, to make everything a bit more clear] ¡°Hey, hey, if you¡¯re planning to start something dangerous, let me just say first, I¡¯m not here to fight you.¡± I quickly rebuked, realizing that the situation was taking a less than satisfactory turn. ¡°Hoh¡­¡± Hokusei¡¯s eyebrow arched up in curiosity. ¡°I¡¯m not a raider or anything.¡± I continued. ¡° Actually, I¡¯d like to-¡± ¡°Stop¡± Abruptly cutting me off, the bespectacled youth suddenly held his arm up infront of him, indicating his intention. ¡°I don¡¯t really want to hear it.¡± ¡°But-¡± ¡°Like, I¡¯ve said before hand, I don¡¯t want to hear it.¡± His eyes turned cold, and his tone lowered. ¡°If you continued, I might end up being swayed or something, and I can¡¯t have that.¡± He held his bated breath, and nonchalantly whispered in a tone not meant for others to hear, ¡°After all, it¡¯s too bad, but I can¡¯t afford to feed another mouth.¡± If it weren¡¯t for my enhanced hearing, I would have certainly missed what he had uttered a moment ago. -Negotiations have failed, I guess¡­.maybe I would have had better luck, had I brought Hina along...- Although I lamely contemplated such nonsense, by this time, it was already too late. As those whispered words left his parted lips, and materialized into the stagnant air, his feet had already bolted forward. His blade cut through air as he began his attack. [Edit end] His strike was faster than I expected. I dodged by a hairsbreadth only because I managed to throw my whole weight to my right side. I rolled safely out of harm¡¯s way, in a similar fashion to a certain video game character with a giant key. Before I could recover though, the Brown haired girl had unexpectedly already closed the distance. She entered a batter¡¯s pose before swinging the bat in her hand with all her might. If I didn¡¯t know any better, I¡¯m sure she was part of the school¡¯s softball club before the countdown ended. My position, plus the speed of her bat, were too much. I didn¡¯t have time to dodge, or block with my blade, so I ended up taking the brunt of the impact with my left shoulder. Luckily, I was able to minimize the damage using [Hard Scale], but unexpectedly, I didn¡¯t come off completely unscathed. A slight throbbing pulsated in my shoulder, as I staggered back. Gaining more distance, with a leap back, I narrowly avoided another hit from a baseball, as this time, the teacher in their party swung down at me. His hit was aimed directly at the back of my neck, a blow that would surely kill or incapacitate in normal circumstances, but by the time it came down, I was already well out of reach. The remaining members of their party, the blonde siblings kept their distance. Instead, their arms, which snaked all the way behind them, each pulled out what resembled a homemade slingshot. In the next instant, their hands dugged deep into their pockets, pulled out something a bit difficult to make out, and then proceeded to shoot at me. I managed to barely dodge, by constantly running. Each ¡°pellet¡± That they fired was surprisingly accurate. They either invested all their stat points in dexterity, or they had prior experience. Probably both. As I frantically dodged, I made the conscious decision to further increase the distance between the bat wielding dou. They chased me, all the while, paying no heed to the constant flying pellets that hit barely a foot away from them. ¡°Damn it,¡± I cursed while I winced at a pellet that hit me square on the neck. It left a red welt, and diminished a bit of my health, but before i could lament over that, another pellet whizzed past my face. This was honestly a bad situation. If I focused completely on dodging, then I¡¯d be left open for the duo with the bats to attack, and vice versa, if I focused completely on the people chasing me, then I¡¯d be easy pickings for those pellets. I tried to recollect my thoughts as I frantically avoided. After deciding that I needed to catch my breath and recollect myself, I swiftly changed directions and ran towards the nearest Book shelf. If it''s within a library this large, then getting lost within these shelves is easy, much less escaping from the long range attacks of those siblings. As I was about to reach my destination, an obstructing body came and blocked my path. With a swift vertical slash aimed directly at my chest, Hokusei prevented me from escaping. His confident smirk briefly entered my line of sight before I was forced to dive to the side. I breathed out, and refocused. Just as another slash came down towards me, I easily dodged by kicking out from underneath me. I leaped back a few meters away from Hokusei, who, after seeing me dodge, quickly followed. Right now, I constantly moved back as Hokusei chased me feverently with his blade. From the corner of my eye, I could see that behind me, the duo with the bats were still persistent, as they too drew ever closer. It was a pincer attack, and to top it off, a constant hail of pellets rained down me. While I avoided most of the pellets, the few that did land, stung, and constantly shaved off a bit of my experience every time. -If that¡¯s the case¡­ I leaped back once more, and this time, landed with both my hands and feet on the ground. Before the rest of the others could catch up, I quickly grabbed one of my expendable daggers which I kept on my back, and underneath my jacket. With a decisive throw, a bladed edge zoomed past the stale library air, as it quickly approached its target and sunk itself into the male sibling¡¯s foot. ¡°Agh!¡± A pained groan escaped from his lips, as he inadvertently dropped his slingshot as a result. Whether it be shock or surprise that I had such a method of retaliation, the hail of pellets momentarily halted. The one who had his foot pierced crouched down and groaned, as the other stared, wide eyed and in surprise. I took this opportunity to continue attacking. Just as Hokusei and the others converged at my location, I bolted forward, directly towards where their long ranged students were. With short, and rapid trots, my speed was incomparable to any they had displayed before. I quickly closed the gap, making short work of the 15 meters that had separated us. In my field of vision, I could see the hunched over figure of the male sibling, as he looked up, noticing my approach for the first time. The one next to him, his sister I presumed, frantically tried reloading. Her flustered movements caused a few of the pellets to slip out of her hands and hit the floor. The raining thuds they produced reverberated in my ears, as not long after, I finally reached them. The hilt of my sword came zooming forward, and following my initial momentum, it met its target in the form of the girl¡¯s solar plexus. She grunted once, before keeling over, her body now wrapped in a series of restless spasms. As expected from a long distance build, her body strength was weaker than average. Following that, I sent a quick kick, directed at the still recovering male sibling¡¯s jaw. My foot, which was angled downwards, swiftly met its target, and he slumped down on the floor, a bit of drool streaming down his chin. Just as I bent over and pulled out the expendable Goblin dagger from the youth¡¯s foot, the remaining three, were quickly approaching. Using the same tactic as previously, I once again threw the dagger towards my incoming enemies. This time, the dagger was specifically aimed at the exposed calf of the remaining female student. As the blade quickly met its mark, a disgruntled yelp escaped from her throat, and she stumbled in mid run, before ultimately tripping over herself and falling flat on the floor. Momentarily, it had become two vs one, and with a steeled resolution, I dashed forward. The sword in my hand blurred, as it made first contact with the weapon of the nearest combatant in front of me; the teacher. The wooden bat splintered in the teacher¡¯s hands, but my attack did not relent there. Following that, my right foot kicked out towards his left knee cap, causing him to lose strength in his legs and shifted his position to kneel in front of me. Before I could knock him unconscious with another swift kick to the face, an all black short sword, slashed in front of my line of sight, stopping me in my tracks. It slashed in front of me again, causing me to leap back a few paces. The sword, and its owner in question did not stop there though, as they continued charging forward. Clang Clang Clang Without the bother of the constant pellets, I met Hokusei¡¯s charge with my own. His vertical slash, was deflected by my horizontal slash, my stab was parried, his thrust was decisively blocked. Like this, we exchanged brief blows before I ultimately pushed him back with my stat advantage. Hokusei leapt back, increasing our distance as he used this chance to catch his breath. He glared at me, while readying his sword once more. He entered a stance, keeping his blade directly pointed at me. For a brief instant, he remained motionless, still, like the stagnant air of the library. Of course this moment only lasted for a second, before his figure rocketed forward. It was his feet that moved forward first. Well trained movements, a practiced attack, it was this type of assault that I frantically blocked. His steps proceeded forward, swinging the sword simultaneously as I was forced to move back. A horizontal slash, a vertical slash, consecutive diagonal slashes. The glare in his eyes constantly fixated on me, all the while that blade of his sword blurred. Clang, Clang, Clang A horizontal strike was barely dodged by moving myself back. Although as a result, I lost my footing, and that same horizontal strike instantly morphed into a mid section thrust, one I barely blocked with the base of my sword. I gritted my teeth as I was inevitably forced further back. There was an obvious difference. A difference that was more impactful than my own stat advantage. That difference was- -training. After exchanging a few blows with him, it was obvious enough that Hokusei took some form of martial arts. Maybe Kendo or something.And going from the weight of each of his strikes, it was also obvious that he was undeniably good at it. In pure swordsmanship, I was undeniably beat. Each of his strikes were clearly more refined, more practiced, more decisive than mine. I knew this, I knew this, but¡­ but it wasn¡¯t like I¡¯d keel over just like that though. Up until this point, I¡¯ve survived with my own power. Up until this point and into the future, I¡¯d continue to do the same. This situation wasn¡¯t any different, I¡¯d make it out, no, I¡¯d triumph. With such a resolution, I took another leap backwards, this time, increasing our distance by more than double of what it had been. Like expected, Hokusei was quick to approach. Soon, he¡¯d close our gap, but the time interval before then- -was something I¡¯d take full advantage of. As he approached, as my vision quickly filled with the black blade of his sword, an expendable dagger flew out of my hands and straight towards Hokusei''s approaching figure. The blade was deflected with a well aimed block, but that wasn¡¯t all I had. Besides Efhermet, I had a total of 4 expendable goblin daggers behind my back at all times. I quickly threw the remaining two at my oncoming enemy. Both blades flew threw the air, one of them aimed at his right thigh, while the other aimed at his left arm. Hokusei was able to block the one aimed at his thigh, but as a result, the remaining blade sunk deep into his left shoulder. He grunted in frustration as his face morphed into a pain filled scowl. Although, more than anything, more than that new injury, my real goal was the opening it created. With such an opportunity present, I instantly moved. I dashed forward, relying on my stat boosted speed. My blade zoomed fiercely behind me. Closing the gap in an instant, I stopped directly in front of him, and swung. Whistling thru the air, just as it landed- ¡°Stop!¡± -A sudden outbursts halted me in my tracks. My blade likewise halted, just mere inches from Hokusei¡¯s body. Just the same, Hokusei, who was preparing his own counterattack, also stopped, his face showed a complex expression, upon hearing that frantic yell. An instant recognition. We both turned towards the source of the noise, and amidst a pile of crumbled books and torn pages- ¡°Hina?!¡± Was what escaped Hokusei¡¯s cracked lips. *** Author''s Note:I hope you liked this chapter. Please support the author (me)) by rating (or better yet, reviewing) my story, if you haven''t already. Chapter 41: A ____ Reunion Part 1 A ____ Reunion Part 1 ¡°Stop!¡± A single voice resonated throughout the room. It rocketed through the stale, bitter air of the library as it drew everyone¡¯s attention. Without so much as a glance, I already knew full well this voice belonged to Hina. The kind of bubbly, yet slightly annoying tone was one I¡¯ve grown accustomed to throughout the times I¡¯ve spent with her. So In short, I wasn¡¯t all to surprised by the sudden outburst. From an emotional person like herself, I actually expected something like this would happen. Rather than me, the glasses-wearing youth who I was just trading blows with showed quite an amazingly shocked expression. ¡°H-Hina?!¡± A somewhat hollow, yet all the same, stunned voice leaked out. As if to mimic the President¡¯s own internal dismay, his rectangular framed glasses askewed, while his mouth hanged agape. The face he made was pretty amusing. I reflexively followed his pinpoint gaze, only to see a familiar face with an unfamiliar expression. There, a few paces away from us, stood Hina, out of breath and panting, as if that single yell took away all of her remaining strength. Torn books and loose pages fluttered around her figure as she leaned on a nearby oak shelf for support. Her usually messy ponytail was more disarrayed than usual, while a loose strand of hair fluttered in front of her face. Looking past that strand, her gaze fixated on us beneath scrunched eyebrows. Ah, no, that wasn¡¯t quite right. Rather than staring at us, she was staring at the President. A stare that was met with the president¡¯s own. Seeing their ¡°passionate¡± gazes connect, even I felt like an intruding third party. ¡°...¡± ¡°....¡± Well, despite the de-escalating situation, I didn¡¯t quite let my guard down just then. Excluding the President, I could still feel the heat of animosity in the glares sent by the remaining members of the party. Taking a furtive step back, I choose to quietly observe what was to come next, while keeping a vigilant eye on everybody else. The brown haired girl still had a dagger embedded in her thigh, so she wasn¡¯t going anywhere soon, and from my brief contact with the teacher from before, I figured he wasn¡¯t really an agility oriented character, so slipping away from him would be relatively easy. The remaining two were unconscious, so there wasn¡¯t really anything to worry about, but it doesn¡¯t hurt to be careful. Right now was probably the best opportunity to patch up this shaky situation. If things go well, then future negotiations won¡¯t be out of the question. I walked casually over towards the still cowering Cher, while keeping one eye on my enemies, and keeping the other on the ¡°prime-time¡± drama-like commotion that was currently brewing between Hina and the President. ¡°H-Hoku.. *sniffle*¡± Hina¡¯s voice came out a bit weak and frail. Her body seemingly moved automatically as she took a tentative step forward. ¡°H-Hina? Really, Hina? Is that really you? Is that really Hina?¡± Delirious phrases like that spilled forth from the President¡¯s open mouth. He was seemingly unfazed by the dagger in his arm, as he too took a step towards Hina.The earlier fight to the death type atmosphere had already vacated from his mindset. He even went so far as dropping his night black sword, all the while keeping his gaze fixated on Hina¡¯s own. Really, both their tear filled faces was quite a sight to see. It was amusing, yet I couldn¡¯t help shake the¡­ the cringe I felt from observing such a sappy reunion. Anyways, forcefully removing my mind out of the gutter, I refocused back towards the duo. The two exchanged silent stares. They didn¡¯t say anything at all for over a minute or two, but I¡¯m guessing it was the type of ¡°wordless¡± conversation that was rumored to occur between people with intimate-friendly relations. Of course, I wouldn¡¯t really know though, I wasn¡¯t that close with anybody in the past. After the silence persisted for a while, the President was the first person to break. ¡°Hina, y-you¡¯re alive? How? No, that¡¯s not- where have you been all this time? What happened? Were you together with him? What-¡± Suddenly halting the President¡¯s barrage of incoherent questioning, as if without a care in the world, Hina ran straight towards him, before finally enclosing him in an embrace. With a soft poof, Hina¡¯s body collided with the president¡¯s own, as her arms naturally encircled him. This action deflated much of the President¡¯s words as he stood there, a rather dumb expression overtaking his face. ¡°...¡± Such a tranquil scene only lasted for a moment though, as a pain filled yelp escaped from the President¡¯s parted lips. ¡°O-ow, ow, ow!¡± He grimaced lamely, while his eyes suddenly darted towards his left arm, which still had a deeply imbedded dagger inside. As if both parties just noticed, their gazes shifted towards that dagger. They quickly parted away from each other. Hina¡¯s face scrunched up, as she mumbled softly, ¡°S-sorry¡­¡± before she slowly took hold of the hilt and- ¡°A-ah? Hina, oi, what are you-¡± -With an uncomfortable squelching sound, Hina mercilessly yanked the blade free from his arm, sending a splatter of blood and muscle flying through the air. ¡°GAHHHH!¡± A screech like that leaked out from the President, while he tried vainly to keep the accumulated tears from rolling down. Hina showed of an uncharacteristically relieved smile while nonchalantly apologizing. As if to worsen the situation, she vigorously patted the man¡¯s injured arm, causing him to turn pale while a silent scream expressed itself in his deadpan eyes. Despite Hina¡¯s nonchalant display, a sniffle or two could be heard every now and then, revealing the emotional turmoil she currently went through. ¡°You know Hoku, you should stop that bad habit of yours.¡± ¡°Ah? Where¡¯s this coming from all of the sudden?¡± ¡°Picking fights with people all the time, you idiot! Talking things out would have been a much better solution! I don¡¯t even know how you became president...¡± ¡°Ugh, you¡¯re annoying personality is leaking out again.¡± ¡°Guh- T-that¡¯s a rude thing to say! Are those seriously the type of words you want to say during our reunion?!¡± ¡°Hah! Like you¡¯re one to talk! Suddenly chastising someone as a conversation starter, this is why you don¡¯t have a boyfriend!¡± ¡°Y-you, bastard, I just haven¡¯t met the right one yet¡­!¡± ¡°By then, he¡¯d be long dead, you granny!¡± Suddenly, the tranquil scene from before was utterly obliterated. A conversation, a rather childish conversation suddenly started. Both parties were yelling at each other, each getting more and more heated up as time went by. It got to a point where I worried whether Hina would start throwing fireballs around or not. Constant bickering may have been a norm for these two though, as even an outsider like me felt a strange sort of nostalgia from watching the scene. Of course I wasn¡¯t the only one watching this strange turn of events. From the corner of my eye, I could see the teacher finally rising to his feet. Seeing as how he stayed oblivious to the fluffy scene a little bit away from him while displaying a hate filled scowl, I naturally responded by maintaining a firm grip on Efhermet behind me. Just as there conversation was about to reach a climax, Hina¡¯s voice suddenly cracked, which caused resulted in a rather awkward expression to appear on the President¡¯s face. A bit flustered, he looked at Hina who was now looking down at her feet. Her trembling became visible, while President¡¯s feet shuffled around, unsure what to do when- ¡°Ah-¡± That sort of gasp escaped from the President¡¯s mouth, just as Hina suddenly pressed her tear stricken face in the nape of his neck. For a moment, he just stood there with a flustered expression that reminded me a bit like a certain classmate, while Hina stifled sobs transformed to outright crying. I could imagine that the president¡¯s blood smeared shirt was now smeared with a different type of liquid. Eventually, as if finally accepting Hina¡¯s existence, and survival, he placed a hand gently on top of her head, and while serenely stroking it as if she were some type of small woodland mammal, he whispered, ¡°I was worried, you know,¡± Hina made a small muffled noise as she nodded her head. ¡°I thought you had died.¡± Another muffled nod. ¡°I was seriously depressed, you know,¡± Another muffled nod. The president lapsed into a brief silence before ultimately, he sighed. One that didn¡¯t really express tiredness, but rather.... of relief. A relieved sigh as if expelling a large portion of his current worries. As if all his worries, as if all the danger this new world had to offer disappeared at that current moment; he looked on at her with gentle, kind eyes, expressing that catharsis. ¡°I¡¯m just glad you¡¯re safe.¡± He said a cool guy type of line like that before he forcibly separated from Hina. Grabbing her shoulders firmly, he extracted the mass of sweat and tears and looked at her face with fondness. From the sidelines, I nodded to myself. This type of outcome was good. Rather, the current string of developments was ideal. In the first place, I didn¡¯t come here to fight, but rather to gain allies (pawns). Seeing Hina and the President together like that, my own objective didn¡¯t seem so far out of reach anymore. Plus, it¡¯s a good thing too¡­ reuniting people, that is. With self centered thoughts like that swirling around inside me, I continued observing the scene. Since I maintained a firm view on them from my current position, there was no way I missed that sudden change. The president¡¯s face, one which was staring fixedly on Hina¡¯s with a strong sense of longing, suddenly stiffened up. ¡°?¡± A bit confused, I continued to watch as that same face, the one that had been serenely smiling a mere moment ago, began overflowing with cold sweat. In particular, his eyes were bulging out. They had shifted focus from what lay in front of him, to a little ways behind Hina. I followed that beady gaze to a little crook between book the shelves. A place with books and pages scattered about, with the adorning piece being Cielle. Her usual silent demeanor was displayed as she slowly came to view, following the earlier commotion her sister created. Cielle shot a quick glance at the two people who were practically clinging to one another. She stared quietly at them for the briefest moment before those eyes once again darted around the room, until ultimately they came to stop in front of me. We shared a glance with each other before the President moved. ¡°Ah, um¡­¡± He snapped back into reality, frantically surveying the scene around him. As if realizing what he had done, he coughed awkwardly, before stepping back to pick up his fallen weapon. Aside from a slight wince due to his left arm¡¯s new injury, he proceeded forward as if nothing was out of place. While doing so, he attempted a casual conversation, which didn¡¯t quite mask his awkwardness from before. ¡°S-so, Hina, why are you here?¡± He coughed once more. ¡°Y-you¡¯re even here with Cielle, I¡¯m actually quite surprised that the two of you managed to survive.¡± ¡°Ah, yeah¡­¡± Hina answered, a bit confused at his sudden change in demeanor but still, clearly oblivious as to the cause. ¡°It¡¯s all since Hide, helped us.¡± ¡°Hide? Ah, you mean that fellow¡­¡± He turned towards me while expressing a different sort of awkward expression. I returned his stare with a glare of my own, before wordlessly walking towards a certain direction. By this point, everyone¡¯s eyes fixated on me, but I payed it no heed, as I continued solemnly forward. -A bit of intimidation would be good about now¡­ With that in mind, I quickly walked over towards one of the few people still on the ground, the brown haired girl whose eyes locked on to me with a suspicious glare. Looking closely, her own face wasn¡¯t half bad, although it paled in comparison with Hina, but that wasn¡¯t really important. While keeping an indifferent expression on my face, I slowly leaned down over her. My sudden action caused the girl¡¯s shoulders to stiffen, and her face cramped. Although she was still sprawled along the floor in an upright position, her hands quickly went towards her bat. Of course, I easily stopped that with a single foot, which held the wooden bat firmly in place. She struggle in response, but no matter how hard she tried, the bat wouldn¡¯t budge. ¡°Don¡¯t be so scared.¡± I suddenly spoke, causing her to jerk up in surprise while her attention shifted from the bat over to me. While maintaining a deadpan eye contact, I continued speaking, ¡°I won¡¯t hurt you, if you couldn¡¯t tell, the fighting¡¯s already over.¡± In response, an effeminate voice, which was interlaced with slight fear came out, ¡°T-then what are you-¡± ¡°I¡¯m just here to get something that¡¯s mine.¡± With my last remaining words, the girls head tilted slightly as her face masked in confusion. That face of confusion though quickly darkened as her eyes followed my next action. Silently, wordlessly, I moved my hand over towards her lower body. Her already shortened skirt (girls and their fashion) had ridden up due to her awkward seating position, causing a large portion of exposed thigh to reveal itself. My gaze nonchalantly scanned over those thighs. They were well proportioned thighs, the result of obvious vigorous exercise. Those same thighs, were a bit milky weight, and despite the grime and occasional blood that stained it, I could tell, with a good rinse, they¡¯d be something most guys would oogle over. My hand was currently hovering over those thighs. ¡°H-hey, d-don¡¯t tell me¡­ Hey, you, stop¡­. Hey,¡± Ignoring her please, my hand continued approaching, slowly and slowly, now mere inches away from what I desired. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. ¡°Hey, I said stop. Listen to me damn it! Listen, stop already!¡± The girl¡¯s voice rang besides me ear while her face paled, although as expected, I fully ignored her. Without paying her any heed, I stretched my calloused palm over, and- ¡°AAAGH!¡± A pain filled screech escaped from the brown haired girl¡¯s parted lips, as the dagger that had lodged itself into her thigh was quickly freed by me. The tears that had welled up before were now openly leaking, as soft, ¡°u-uuu¡­¡± could be occasionally heard. With my dagger retrieved, I stood back up, a refreshed smile plastered on my face. I had gotten what I came here for, all while adding a bit of intimidation to the negotiation table. All in all, it was a good haul. ¡°Y-your friend¡¯s kind of¡­¡± ¡°Hahaha¡­ Well, he¡¯s like that sometimes¡­.¡± I could hear voices from behind me, but I ignored them while I simply cleaned the blood off of the blade of my dagger using the sleeve of my jacket. ***** After the siblings regained consciousness, and the President and the Brown haired girl¡¯s injuries were tended to with last minute bandaging, we sorted out most of our hostility, and decided that for the current time being, we would cease all conflict. Currently, We were seated in one of the many rectangular tables within the 2nd floor of the library. Although a bit dusty from neglect, it was still fairly usable. On one side of the table sat the President¡¯s group, with the lineup being the teacher, the brown haired student, the president, then the siblings (naturally the president was in the middle). On our side, I sat in the middle, with Hina on my right (directly in front of the president), and Cielle to my left. Cher was besides Cielle, cowering next to her due to the reproachful glares that emanated from the others. After we had all settled down, the President took this chance to start the conversation. ¡°Well, since we¡¯re all seated here like this, I¡¯d like to serve a bit of tea but the current situation doesn¡¯t really allow for that¡­¡± ¡°¡°....¡±¡± After five seconds passed, and nobody responded to his opening banter, the President sighed dejectedly before proceeding forward, ¡°I take it that you guys didn¡¯t simply come here on a whim. Especially when you have her in tow.¡± His glance brushed over Cher for a moment before they returned to normal. With an awkward chuckle, Hina said something along the lines of ¡°Still the same as always,¡± before she began to speak. She relayed our current predicament regarding the Boss and his group. Although the topic was a bit dark, the demeanor did not match as she maintained the same excitement from when the president and her reunited. In contrast, the President had a somewhat troubled face while he nodded throughout Hina¡¯s explanation. Afterwards, he sighed. Waving his uninjured arm around, he leaned back against his chair while he spoke, ¡°I get the jist of what happened, but still¡­ that damn Satou, causing trouble again and again when now should be the time we all worked together¡­!¡± A bit of a hypocritical statement, considering he just tried to kill me only moments ago, but nonetheless, I kept quiet about it. ¡°Satou¡¯s been causing trouble ever since this whole apocalypse started. While he did participate in the initial subjugation of the slimes, to think his true nature was¡­¡± As if overcome by anger and malice, with the President¡¯s words, hate filled glares were enticed within his fellow comrades. They held incredible contempt towards this person named Satou. After taking a deep breath to calm himself down, the President leaned his body forward on the table. With his arms crossed, he stared directly at our group (ignoring Cher), before he solemnly asked, ¡°How much do you know about Satou?¡± I exchanged a brief glance between Cielle and Hina, before Hina, as our representative, answered. ¡°Well¡­ aside from the fact that he stole a portion of the cafeteria¡¯s food, and the fact that he currently controls a small group within the school¡­ not much else.¡± The fact that she didn¡¯t mention that we knew about his skill didn¡¯t completely fly over me, but I ignored it as the President resumed speaking. ¡°Ah, I see¡­ so you really don¡¯t know alot, huh¡­¡± After mumbling to himself, he sighed once more, before proceeding forward. ¡° In actuality, Satou was once part of our group. Back when the countdown first ended, the main building was overrun with Slime like monsters- you know those beginner mobs in rpgs?- anyways, due to the initial confusion, and the Slime¡¯s own acidic nature, a lot of people died. Most of the people who were the main school building in fact. Although death was inevitable, it didn¡¯t take long for the survivors to rally together. The first major surviving group gathered in the cafeteria, where the Slimes were least frequent. They were led by the Captain of the Soccer Club, a third year named Tanimura.¡± Upon the mention of his name, the president, as well as the rest of his party, had melancholic eyes coupled by a faint, yet somehow saddening smile. ¡°Tanimura was a good guy. A great guy in fact. If it weren¡¯t for him, we wouldn¡¯t have had as much survivors as we do now. He was charismatic, reliable, and trustworthy, but most importantly, he was a good leader. While everyone ran around and panicked, Tanimura fought and gathered the first group of 10 within the Cafeteria. Satou and I were part of the initial group. Together, we went around the first floor and saved as much people as we could. By the, time we finished, we had gathered about 30 survivors. We took refuge in the Cafeteria, during the first night.¡± Recounting his story, the President had a strangely melancholic expression. One that conveyed a few emotions, none of which I could properly identify. ¡°While Tanimura was the leader, Satou was the first person to notice how¡­ how ¡°gamey¡± everything was. Back then, I didn¡¯t know him very well, but he seemed like a quiet, reclusive type of guy. The type who played and immersed himself in his hobbies but was nonetheless harmless. Anyways, he told everyone about his suspicion, and together we began trying to figure out how the system worked. Upon Satou¡¯s suggestion, we formed party-like formations, as we distributed our stats to correspond with various classes, like DPS, and Ranged. With that, fighting became immensely easier. With our new formation, we were able to clear out the 1st floor by the end of the 2nd day. About 15 people fought, while the remaining people huddled themselves in the Cafeteria. On the 3rd day, we began tackling the 2nd and 3rd floors. In the process, our numbers swelled to a total of over 150 people. About a third of that number chose to stay within the cafeteria. These people¡­ those people firmly held onto the belief that we would soon be rescued¡­ hahaha¡­ thinking back, they-no, we were naive¡­¡± He bitterly laughed, while his eyes turned hollow. Hina, who had been engrossed in the story so far, frowned upon seeing the sudden change in her childhood friend¡¯s expression. But as if that change never happened, he quickly returned to normal as he talked once more. ¡°By the 3rd day, we had all known that the school had already turned into a dungeon. That escaping without killing the boss would result in death. We had know knowledge as to the fate of those within the Old School and New School Buildings. Hardly any survivors showed up, and those that did, only described their experience as utter hell. For the next 2 days, we did nothing but fight. Fight through never ending hordes of slimes, that continuously spilled forth. Even when we cleared the first floor, more would show up. The same type of situation occurred in the 2nd and 3rd floors. We were all at our wits end, even Tanimura. His smile, which had always given everyone around him inspiration and sense of safety, showed signs of cracking. We would have stumbled into despair had not one of the survivors we managed to save told us about a¡­ peculiarity. Do you know? About the existence of Elite Monsters?¡± This was the first time he addressed us directly, ever since he started telling his little tale. For a moment, we didn¡¯t answer. In the face of his solemn, yet overpowering stare, we couldn¡¯t. Eventually though, before the girls could answer, I was the first to speak. ¡°No, we¡¯ve never ran into that type of monster. Why, is it special?¡± I lied while keeping my signature facade on. Hearing my reply, the President stared at me for a good second or two, before he resumed back with his story. ¡°It¡¯s not surprising that you¡¯ve never heard of it. Elite Monsters are¡­ well, as their names imply their monsters that are stronger that the regular mobs you run into. Their much rarer than the others, and if you kill a certain Elite Monster of a certain monster type then, at least within this dungeon, the mob monsters of the same type will stop ¡°spawning¡±. We found an Elite ¡°Slime¡± within the 3rd floor. At the time, we didn¡¯t know that its death would cause the rest of the mobs to stop spawning, but by that point, we were desperate enough to try anything. The sudden appearance of a ¡°different¡± monster spurred our resolve. We then gathered a group of roughly about 30 students, and with Tanimura as the lead, we set off to attack the Elite monster. As expected, it was a difficult battle. The Slime was levels ahead of our own, and to add to that, mob slimes infinitely spewed forth from the giant Slime. The battle lasted over 2 hours, but luckily none of us died. At the end of the battle, when we had cornered the Giant Slime and brought its hp to less than 1%.... He¡­ he¡­ that fucking Satou, he¡­¡± As if recounting the memories, the President¡¯s expression twisted into a malicious scowl. The rest of his part members also shared the same expression as they seethe in the memory of it all. After a quick pause, the President once again resumed, this time, his voice took on an air of coldness, one detached from the experience. ¡°When we were about to bring it down, Satou betrayed us. The first thing he did was back stab Tanimura. Satou, who had told us how to distribute our stat points, had acted as a ranged attacker, or at the very least, that¡¯s what he told everyone else. In actuality, he had lied to everyone about his stats and created a build similar to Tanimura¡¯s a DPS- main attacker type. As to why he lied, I don¡¯t know, but posing as a ranged attacker gave him the opportunity to stand behind Tanimura without any suspicion. Tanimura, who was severely weakened due to the earlier battle, could only feebly die at the hands of Satou. Before anyone could react to the sudden betrayal, Satou had already gone on ahead. With a maniacal smile on his face, he quickly stole Tanimura¡¯s weapon - a rusty long sword a mob happened to drop- and stole the Elite Monster kill for himself. As a result, he acquired a skill as well as a new weapon. After that, the room went silent. Nobody moved except for Satou, who strode confidently towards Tanimura¡¯s corpse and started stabbing it, repeatedly. Not long after, the vice president who happened to be Tanimura¡¯s best friend rushed at Satou. The results were¡­ less than spectacular. In the end, it was a short battle, ending with a demonstration of Satou¡¯s new skill. The Vice Prez¡­ or at least his corpse¡­ part of it was melted off. A puddle of acid and blood congregated beneath his lifeless husk of a body. With the Vice Prez¡¯s death, the room erupted into chaos. At first, I thought we could have overpowered Satou. After all it was 1 vs 28. In the end, I was wrong. What actually happened was a 20 vs 10 dog fight. Satou commanded the 20, while the remaining ten, without their leader, could only be pushed back. I don¡¯t know how Satou was able to gather so many under his wing, but the outcome resulted in 5 of the 10 dead. We are the remaining five that survived.¡± He waved his hand rather grandly at his part members. Their faces were all coated in melancholy as they could only stare down with clenched fists and shut lips. ¡°After Satou overpowered us, his group immediately ran back towards the cafeteria¡­ By the time we got their, it was already too late. Satou was gone. He had stolen about 60% of the food, and, and he had killed more people. the 120 people that remained¡­ by the time we got their, that number had been reduced to less than 50. From what I heard afterwards, Satou was solely responsible for the majority of those deaths. He had killed of approximately 70 people in his made descent into lunacy.¡± ¡°¡°¡°....¡±¡±¡± By the end of the President¡¯s story, we could do nothing but stay silent. I shot a glance towards the rest of my group, to gauge their own reactions. Hina was shocked. Her hands covered her lips as her eyes widened like saucers. Cielle, who stood the opposite side of me, was equally silent. I couldn¡¯t quite read her expression due to that mass of familiar hair, but I could see the tightly clenched fist under the table. Cher, a person who was part of the responsible party, didn¡¯t say anything. For the first time, her usual pitiful expression left her, as a grim sort of face overtook it. She bit down on her lip while she stared directly down at her own clenched fists. After a long, after what felt like an impossibly long silence, the president once again spoke. ¡°As you¡¯ve heard the story, I¡¯m sure you can understand, but to keep this short, we can¡¯t take you guys in with us.¡± While shaking his head feebly, as if to further emphasis, he added, ¡°Given the current circumstances, it''s simply impossible.¡± ***** Author''s Note: In this chapter, a bit of the past is revealed, and Hina is like always, being Hina. If you like, this chapter or this fiction in general, please leave a review or at the very least a rating. It helps me out. Chapter 42: A ____ Reunion Part 2 A ____ Reunion Part 2 ¡°I-Impossible?¡± Hina¡¯s mouth slightly parted, and her eyes widened. Her gaze was fixed onto the President¡¯s troubled expression. ¡°Hmm.... If it was just Hina, then maybe¡­. ah, no, that still won¡¯t work.¡± He mumbled, mostly to himself, before finally sighing dejectedly. ¡°In the end, no matter how I look at it, it¡¯s impossible.¡± ¡°A-are you sure Hoku?¡± Hina asked with a face of worry. Interlayered with those words, I¡¯m sure the thought of separating from her just reunited childhood friend caused most of her dismay, although I¡¯d like to think she at least kept our original plan within the back of her mind. ¡°Maybe if you try-¡± ¡°Hina, no matter what, right now I¡¯m the acting leader for the group. I can¡¯t decide things based on personal feelings.¡± Hina¡¯s plea were cut off by the President¡¯s abrupt interruption. The president¡¯s solemn expression more than expressed his resolution. ¡°.....¡± Hina could do nothing but bite her trembling lips and stare dejectedly at her own clenched fists. ¡°Petty words like ¡°staying together¡± and ¡°power in numbers¡±, that doesn¡¯t apply when we lack the necessary provisions to feed anybody else.¡± His eyes grew cold under the gaze of Hina¡¯s downcast demeanor. ¡°We don¡¯t have anymore food. As it is now, as it is now we can¡¯t dare to stretch out what little resources we have remaining. If-If I were to just casually invite people in¡­ then-then¡­.¡± I caught the slight tremble in his hands. The way his fists clenched tightly, all the while shivering in, in¡­ was it anger? fear? guilt? I¡¯m not sure, but I¡¯m certain I saw the faintest glimpse of blood in that shivering fist of his. ¡°If-If it¡¯s just Hina then¡­¡± The president¡¯s somewhat hopeful voice unraveled as he lapsed into silence. What ever he may have wanted to say, what ever he may have wanted to express, those ideas remained unspoken. His current expression was one of forlorn. Of regret and displeasure. Displeasure from the rules he himself established and regret from what ever actions he did to enforce those rules. That troubled expression didn¡¯t last long though. Just as quickly as it had appeared, that rare, pitying facade of his disappeared, only to be replaced by the president¡¯s usual, nonchalant expression. He sighed and shook his head once more. His brow knitted while his lips formed a mock frown. ¡°It¡¯s not really just about a matter of provisions at this point.¡± The president further explained, doing his best to ignore Hina¡¯s worsening mood. He set his slightly droopy eyes over to look at me while sporting an apologetic expression. ¡°I¡¯m afraid we simply can¡¯t take in any more outsiders. I don¡¯t know what sort of impression you had about us prior to coming here, but whatever they may have been, we are struggling just as much as anybody else, if not more so. Despite how we look, we¡¯re not in the best situation ourselves after all.¡±, the sarcasm interlaced in his speech was evident. ¡°Also there are too many things¡­ not so ideal about your group¡­ For one thing, there¡¯s that girl.¡± He pointed fixedly at the girl who cowered next to Cielle. The one whose clenched knuckles turned white as she sat through our conversation, Cher¡¯s eyes widened from being called out, while she reflexively hid behind Cielle¡¯s tiny stature. ¡°Her existence itself is inconvenient. This might be harsh to say, but we hate her. For the things she¡¯s done for that damn Satou, we hate her. For stealing our precious food, sometimes harassing our group, it wouldn¡¯t be a stretch to say we hate everyone in the raider group. And that goes without saying, but the rest of the Cafeteria feel the same way, if not more strongly.¡± I looked down at my own hands without saying much of anything. My vision filled with tightly gripped fists, fists with knuckles that had long since turned white. I could understand his sentiment. Satou¡¯s very existence, for these people, isn¡¯t something so light. For what he¡¯s done, I¡¯m sure a boiling sense of hatred interlayered with fear is all that remains for these people. ¡°I-I didn¡¯t¡­¡± A quiet murmur escaped from Cher¡¯s slightly parted lips. Her voice was soft, and her usually pitiful expression morphed into a regretful one. Guilt was something that was evidently clear from her tight lips and downcast eyes. The others, save for Cielle, didn¡¯t seem to hear though, as they focused in on our current topic. The president once again resumed talking, this time he addressed me directly. ¡°Even without that girl, the situation still wouldn¡¯t change. As things are right now, the cafeteria group is very¡­ vigilant towards outsiders. After the raid, any newcomers would be suspected of being someone with ties to Satou¡¯s group. This fact won¡¯t change no matter how flimsy the evidence is. For them, for the people in the cafeteria, they need an outlet for all their negative emotions. If you really did stay with us, I¡¯m afraid you¡¯d more sooner be in danger with them, then out there.¡± ¡°R-really¡­.¡± Upon hearing all this, Hina¡¯s shoulders further drooped down as her head remained fixated on the floor. Ignoring her dejected atmosphere, I ventured to ask a question of my own. ¡°Since the raid, have you taken in any other people?¡± The president¡¯s eyes widened slightly, before they once again narrowed. His lips twisted into a wry smile before he responded. ¡°Well, yes. We had 5 newcomers since prior to the raid, but the way the others treat them is¡­ It¡¯s not something as simple as ostracization, but rather, constant bullying and prejudice would be more accurate. Things haven¡¯t escalated physically mostly since one of the newcomers is rather¡­ skillful, but I¡¯m afraid they''re under constant emotional and verbal abuse. It¡¯s gotten to a point where the only thing we can do to help is separate them from the others. In your case though, your treatment would be undoubtedly much worse. People will definitely recognize her,¡± He once again motions to Cher. ¡°Once they know about her, I¡¯m sure things won¡¯t just stop with a few petty words.¡± In the end, the President¡¯s refusal was just a roundabout way to look out for Hina. I¡¯m not sure whether she knew this or not, but the President didn¡¯t want her to experience that same type of treatment that those ¡°newcomers¡± were currently experiencing. Altough I couldn¡¯t shake of the lingering expression that between the President¡¯s cleverly constructed words, lay a deeper, a more darker intention. After I realized this, I could do nothing else but sigh and nod in understanding. The president, who¡¯s been keeping a close eye on me ever since we started conversing, smiled weakly upon my nod. ¡°It¡¯s good that you understand. While I can¡¯t dare share our food with you all, you guys can at the very least stay in the library. Occasionally a few people from the cafeteria will enter the library, but they never venture past the first floor. In addition, Satou¡¯s group usually avoids this place, so your safety is guaranteed.¡± As if to symbolize the end of the topic, the President brought his hands together and clapped decisively, almost shaking the stale air of the library into vibrancy. From the corner of my eye I could still see Hina¡¯s downcasted look. Her appearance somewhat resembled Cielle¡¯s as a mess of blonde hair covered her face, and hid whatever expression she was making. The president, who wanted to shift the conversation over to a new topic, crossed his hands together as he leaned back onto his chair. ¡°Well, enough about us, what I¡¯d really like to know is how you all managed to survive for this long.¡± The glint in his eyes was something I did not miss. ¡°If memory serves, then Hina¡¯s last class that day should have been located in the old school building. From what I¡¯ve heard, the old school building had it much worse than any of the others. Didn¡¯t they have pretty high level monsters?¡± ¡°¡°¡°...¡±¡±¡± Nobody from our side bothered answering. Usually, it would be Hina who responded, but her current mood wasn¡¯t the type to be overly chatty right now. Cielle was quiet by nature and Cher wasn¡¯t really ¡°part¡± of our group, so they didn¡¯t bother replying. In the end, after a few seconds of excruciating silence, I stepped up to respond. ¡°I protected them.¡± ¡°Ohoo~.¡± The president¡¯s voice leaked out a tone of admiration as he continued looking at us with somewhat sharp eyes. ¡°From our previous ¡°exchange¡±, I can already tell that Hide is a very strong individual. But still, wouldn¡¯t it be rather difficult, protecting the three of them all by yourself?¡± ¡°Well, I managed.¡± I awkwardly scratched my head while trying my best to maintain eye contact. ¡°So you fought this past week all by yourself?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°All alone?¡± ¡°Naturally, I fought alone. After all, Hina and Cielle aren¡¯t suited for combat.¡± Of course I didn¡¯t mention the fact that I basically trained the two how to fight, but this and that, are another issue. ¡°....¡± He ponders for a moment while his eyes nonchalantly gazed over the girls. After a while, he focuses back on me. ¡°That is indeed pretty admirable. I didn¡¯t take you for the ¡°white knight¡± type of guy. A real ¡°hero¡±, aren¡¯t you?¡± Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. He chuckled to himself, but the joke went over my head. I responded simply by nodding and saying, ¡°Well, looks can be a bit deceiving.¡± After that, the conversation shifted into a sort of exchange of information between both parties. Of course, things like info about our stats or skills were kept hidden, or falsified to the best of my abilities. Seeing as how neither Cielle nor Hina attempted to rebuke or counter any of my lies, I inwardly exhaled, a small sense of relief sprouting in the back of my heart. In the end, I only told the president about things regarding the Minotaurs, while I somehow managed to convince him that Cielle and Hina were powerless and that I was the only one capable of fighting within our group. In return, the president further explained about their situation. I don¡¯t know how much of what he told me was fake, but at the very least, it was better than nothing. His current group of five were the only people that actively explored the school. While the ¡°newcomers¡± in their group acted as a sort of frontline defense if Satou ever attacked, the rest of the group just stayed stagnant. The more the president talked about them, the more my impression worsened. It was kind of pathetic actually. While the ache from constant fear and hunger enveloped them, they were too scared to do anything about it. In actuality, the Cafeteria was just a den of cowards. As for the exploration group, they acted as a sort of scout, trying to probe their way around the school. They encountered a few monsters along the way, but he explained that during the majority of these skirmishes, the only thing his group was capable of doing was running away. Apparently, they lacked the strength to fight any of the higher leveled monsters. He explained a bit more about the type of monsters and were each of them were located. Through out all that, he talked about the only type of monster weak enough for them to confront head on; A gas type monster with a floating core in its center. It was located near the indoor gymnasiums. It was about level 15, but it was generally weaker than your average monster. It¡¯s only form of attack was a type of nauseous gas that had the power to knock a person out. Constant exposure slowly shaves of hp. While that sort of monster may seem pretty formidable at first, the president explained that simply covering their mouth and nose with a piece of cloth was enough of a counter to withstand that sort of attack. The gas they produced was invisible and odorless, so if one isn¡¯t expecting it, then death was an all to likely possibility. But once a person realizes, blocking becomes relatively simple. After that, it was simply a matter of breaking the core. After the conversation shifted to talk about the various monsters within the dungeon, I took this opportunity to ask a question that had been bugging me up to this point. ¡°Have¡­ Have you tried eating the monsters? You know, as a sort of solution toward the food problem.¡± In response, the president makes an awkward expression. His cheeks cramped while his eyes seemingly floated around restlessly. ¡° Back when we had plenty of food¡­ there was a time when a couple of guys tried eating them. Those idiots were messing around with one of the slimes. After a slime dies, it leaves a corpse with a jelly like consistency. They were playing around with one of those corpses, and, one way or another, one of the idiots tried eating a part of the corpse after his friends goaded him into it¡­. At first, everything went fine, but... after 5 minutes, he started complaining about a stomach ache. After 6 minutes, he crumbled to the floor while sweating profusely. After 7 minutes, he started incoherently screaming, ¡°it hurts, it hurts¡±... After 8 minutes he died. Of course, the slimes we fought were originally acidic, so it wasn¡¯t like we outright labeled all monsters weren¡¯t suitable for consumption¡­ but as that sort of thing happened in the middle of the cafeteria, everyone¡¯s been a bit¡­ traumatized.¡± He sighed out again, dejectedly. ¡°Nobody has the guts to try eating monster meat¡­ although it''s not like we could even if we wanted to. Aside from the slimes, and those gas monsters, we haven¡¯t really been able to hunt down any other type of monsters¡­¡± There was something a bit iffy about his statement. Unless his group constantly grinded on these gas type monsters he kept talking about, then it would be hard to believe that his level has risen to that extent. If I didn¡¯t have [identify], then I probably would have believed him, but his level seemed simply to high¡­ if he didn¡¯t hunt monsters, then maybe he hunted something else¡­. ¡°Like I¡¯ve explained before. we¡¯ve been scouting out the school, salvaging what little food we can find, and taking tabs on all the various monsters. We¡¯ve explored almost everywhere, that is except the old school building and anything below the 3rd floor of the third building. Anything below the 3rd floor are monsters that are a bit too strong for us to face. The only potential food source we may have found is regarding a type of monster on the 3rd floor. a cow like animal with goat horns. Its level is only around 13 to 16. If it was only one, we may be able to take it down, but the problem is that their pack animals. When there¡¯s one, there¡¯s about 50 close by. We haven¡¯t been able to hunt one no matter how hard we tried.¡± The president once again sighs. While his expression was somewhat vague, he turned towards me with a little glimmer in his eyes. ¡°Although with your help we might-¡± His words abruptly cut off upon seeing my impression. A scowl. Or at the very least, I think I scowled. While I wanted to negotiate with him, honestly, his group had little to offer. And for some reason, in the back of my mind, I had a¡­ an aversion towards this type of character. It might be a bit hypocritical of me to say this, but the President was hiding something, something that didn¡¯t quite sit right with me. Seeing my scowl, the president nonchalantly returned it with a smirk. Before he could resume speaking though, I interjected. ¡°Let me say this before hand, there will only be one occasion that I will be willing to help your group out.¡± The president¡¯s smirk widened, as his eyes narrowed. ¡°Hmm¡­ and what type of occasion is that?¡± After a brief pause, I leaned back and said, ¡°The Boss fight.¡± For a moment, the president¡¯s usual facade crumbled. His eyes bulged out, while his mouth hung loosely. ¡®W-what..?¡± ¡°I¡¯m saying that I¡¯ll help out when the time comes.¡± ¡°...¡± ¡°Getting out of this dungeon¡­ escaping this school will need more than my power alone. If any of us even has the slightest hope of escaping, then when the time comes, we will all need to pitch in and work together to beat the boss. I¡¯m sure you can at least agree with that, right?¡± The topic caused even the people next to the president to react. They squirmed around uncomfortably in their seats, as if the very idea of escaping never once crossed their minds. After what felt like an eternity of the President just silently glaring at me, he finally loosened his jaw and sighed. ¡°Yes, yes¡­ I see you¡¯re point. Truthfully, us alone, we are no where near capable enough of fighting against something like a Boss class monster. It¡¯s just like as you say¡­ when the time comes, we will need to work together.¡± Hearing his words, I unconsciously nodded to myself. People may not be willing to help others out for free, but when it comes to a mutual problem, humanity can be very¡­ atruistic. ¡°Good, then till then, we will keep out of each other''s way.¡± I solemnly spoke to which the President responded with a wry smile. ¡°Of course,¡± he said. ¡°If you¡¯re group runs into any sort of complication¡­ then we won¡¯t help. I¡¯m sure you have the same intentions.¡± ¡°Naturally.¡± He laughed at my brusque response but didn¡¯t rebuke it. Although his expression quickly turned serious once more. ¡°While our gorup may not be willing to help out.. if the issue concerns Hina¡­ then at the very least, even by myself, I¡¯ll¡­.¡± His words quickly receded just as he uttered them before he all together stopped and shrugged. His expression glided over Cielle until it came to land on Hina. After a bit of consideration, he finally looked away while sighing. ¡°Then, if that¡¯s all¡­¡± He stood up, and stretched his arms out like he had just gotten out of a long car ride. Cracking his neck once, he turned to look at Hina one last time before turning and making his way to the stairs. The rest of his companions did the same, although in their cases, they threw a couple of hateful glares towards Cher before wordlessly leaving. In the end, I simply watched their receding figures as they slowly faded from my view and traveled down towards the 1st floor. It took a while, but after 5 minutes, I finally heard the sound of a door opening before it quickly slammed shut. Chapter 43: From Now On Author''s Note: Sorry for the inactivity lately, I was on a vacation, and had little to no access to the internet. But now I''m back. From Now On With the president¡¯s abrupt departure and brief parting words, a despondent atmosphere permeated throughout the library. Everyone remained silent, most with our heads down, shoulders drooped, and with our own varying thoughts circulating through our minds, while the library¡¯s stale air seemingly stagnated. An atmosphere so depressing it was almost suffocating. While each and everyone of us had our own dilemmas, our own wandering thoughts and our own circumstances, a major source of the seeping depression was Hina. I may be a bit inexperienced when it comes to human relationships, but the way the President treated her¡­ it may have been a bit too cold. Things like the rationale behind his actions or his motive for rejecting his precious childhood friend were all subject to speculation, but the emotional toll it left on Hina was clearly evident. The shock from the president¡¯s callous words were what caused the current blank faced and quivering lipped expression Hina sported. Even after 5 minutes passed, Hina remained motionless. While the rest of us squirmed around and restlessly moved, Hina stayed complacent, an unchanging hollow expression masking her face while her body lay limp on that one spot, not a trace of force or power, save for her constantly clenched fist. While the silence persisted and Hina¡¯s condition showed no signs of alleviating, staying like this would serve none of us any good. Anymore time for these guys to dwell on whatever thoughts they have may prove detrimental in the future, so at the very least, a distraction might be good. With that thought in mind, I was the first to rise from my seat. My body¡¯s aching joints cracked and popped in the process, while a dust of stale air fluttered from underneath me. ¡°I think the first thing we need to decide on is what we¡¯ll be doing from now on.¡± I stated while I nonchalantly looked around the room. The library, which was once subjected to a fierce battle not moments ago showed little signs of destruction. Aside from the occasional tossed up paper, and scattered paperbacks, nothing else seemed out of place, as if this sole location was untouched from the rest of the carnage that transpired these past two weeks. With my lazy eyes fluttering freely, I moved my gaze over to the people I was currently collaborating with. Three individuals. Ironically enough, they were all girls. If it had been the me prior, such a situation would have been rather joyous, but now¡­ As I half expected nobody answered back. Even when I lost myself in thought, nobody else bothered to break the ensuing silence. Usually, in this situation, Hina would quirp in with her own opinion, but given her current state of mind... With in the quiet atmosphere, a tired sigh escaped from my throat. My own motivation dissipated, and with not a shred of drive to be seen, I lost myself in thought. Specifically, over what little information the President had revealed. The first thing my mind had categorized as ¡°valuable information¡± were the things regarding what the President told us about the various monsters throughout the school. Aside from the Old school Building and anything below the 3rd floor of the East Building, the president and his scouting group investigated almost all of the entirety of the school. From this information alone, I could deduce that the Dungeon Boss was either in the unexplored depths of the East building or within the underground floors of the academy. I don¡¯t particularly have a lot of information regarding the school¡¯s infrastructure, so whether or not this place had an actual basement was still unknown to me. I guess I¡¯ll ask Hina about it later¡­ Of course, the possibility that the Boss of the dungeon wasn¡¯t actually underground still existed. The actual situation might be opposite of my original conjecture. The Boss¡¯s lair may actually be the roof of the building or something¡­ but that again leaves the question as to whether or not the roof is accessible or not. Is the roof part of the outside world or is it just another layer to this twisted dungeon? As I pondered this, and many other wandering thoughts, a slight tug on my shirt sleeve brought my attention back to reality. I turned around to see Cielle¡¯s upturned expression. Most of her face was still covered by a mess of hair, but I could see her almond shaped eyes looking at me through the curtain of black. ¡°What is it?¡± I asked, subconsciously whispering. After a brief lapse of silence(a rather natural thing for Cielle), she asked, "Are... are we staying here?" ¡°....¡± I paused. My eyes naturally floated towards my surroundings as I pondered over Cielle¡¯s words. The expanse of books and oaken shelves in front of me filled my vision. The library. It was a quiet place, then and now. A place devoid of all the dangers, all the monsters, all the students¡­ A literal sanctuary to the hell inside this school. A place like this was the ideal location for a safe zone, or a base¡­ Parting from it would probably be¡­ for the best. As I thought this, I unconsciously nodded to myself, a soft mutter escaping my throat. ¡°Well, it can¡¯t be helped¡­¡± I sighed, this time, not because of the usual fatigue though, but because I felt that leaving the library would be the best decision in this situation. ¡°...nn.¡± A quiet nod was the only response from the girl who originally asked that question. I refocused my gaze back on Cielle. While I could see the slight smile that painted her face as she looked down towards the ground. Seeing this, I couldn¡¯t help but smile wryly. The motive behind her question¡­ I felt that I slightly understood it. Behind that quiet facade of hers, Cielle was worried about her sister. She might be a bit clumsy with words, the type of person who had trouble expressing her real intentions¡­ but nonetheless, she is still a big sister. Seeing Hina¡¯s current state would naturally cause her to worry. So in the end, she came to the same conclusion I did. Before I realized it myself, my hand had wound itself on top of Cielle¡¯s head. it absentmindedly stroked that soft mess of hair, seemingly detached from my own state of consciousness. ¡°...¡± ¡°...ah...¡± Cielle softly sighed. Her eyes widened slightly, before they gradually closed to form content crescents. Her mouth slightly quivered as another sigh escaped from that pair of rosy pale lips. As I continued to stroke Cielle¡¯s head, I began to speak, mostly to myself but in a loud enough voice so that the others could hear as well. ¡°It would be the best option if we left the library. Although the President told us it was okay for us to take refuge here, its best to avoid unnecessary contact with the others. They seem to be a rather hostile group.¡± -And their uses are rather limited as well¡­- From how the President described it, the cafeteria group was composed mostly of cowards and refugees who, until now, refused to fight. It would be a reasonable assumption to conclude that most of them are low level individuals with no combat prowess whatsoever. Much less help, a group like that would only end up being a burden during the final fight. If that was the case, then it''s best to revise my original goal and cut all ties with them as quickly as possible. After all, I have no intention of shouldering the burden of 50+ people. ...Rather than the cafeteria group as a whole, it would be better to have the president¡¯s scouting party on my side. They at least show some measure of potential. If I found a way to get secure the cooperation of the President¡¯s scouting party while the responsibility for the Cafeteria group remained with the President... There¡¯s also the matter of the Cafeteria group¡¯s instability. While they may be incompetent, an unhinged group like there¡¯s could prove to be dangerous. Having a group of about 50 people with reasonable intelligence that may be hostile so close to me is a scary thought. If they do attack, then I¡¯d be put at a disadvantage. After all, I¡¯m still unsure whether or not I can kill ¡°people¡± yet. ¡°Taking into account all the dangers, and the risk potential, than staying here wouldn¡¯t really benefit us.¡± I spoke again, while I firmly patted Cielle¡¯s head, producing a soft *pomf¡± sound. ¡°All in favor?¡± Naturally, Cielle nodded in affirmation. Her response was expected, considering things. What surprised me was Hina¡¯s instant reply. ¡°I think¡­ that¡¯s a good idea too¡­¡± She replied in a melancholic voice. I stared at her blankly for a second before I nodded. ¡°Then with that-¡± ¡°I-I agree too¡­¡± An unexpected voice resounded throughout the library. It¡¯s echo, followed by my ensuing silence caused the source of the voice to panic. Under the duress of my blank stare, the source of the voice let loose a tirade of awkward, ¡°Eh? Eh?¡± sounds while she nervously looked from side to side. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. ¡°What are you talking about?¡± I blankly said. ¡°Eh? W-what am I talking¡­¡± Cher mumbled to herself, her brow creasing downwards as her face morphed into a frown. ¡°Naturally, you¡¯re not coming with us.¡± I bluntly responded. ¡°-Eh?¡± Her face froze. Her mouth cramped into an awkward smile while a trickle of cold sweat began dripping down her forehead. ¡°Eh?!?!¡± Ignoring her ever shifting facial expressions and the annoying noise coming out of her throat, I continued. ¡°In the first place, if I remember correctly, you were our hostage, isn¡¯t that right?¡± ¡°E-even still¡­.¡± ¡°Why exactly would I bring you along? You¡¯re nothing but a burden, and I¡¯m not kind enough to let something like a burden weigh me down.¡± ¡°I-I¡­. I can¡­¡± In all honesty, I came to the library with the full intentions of leaving Cher behind, with maybe a day¡¯s worth of food at most. I wasn¡¯t going to drag this dead weight around forever, but I had no intention of leaving her back at the old school building. When I brought her along with the intention of leaving her with the Cafeteria group, I forgot to take into account their past conflicts. ¡°I¡¯m not taking you with me.¡± I firmly affirmed once more. ¡°B-but why?!¡± She yelled. At this point, her knees had given out on her, while the accumulated tears on her eyes burst forth, like an uncontrollable stream of water. Snot dripped down her nose while those same tear stricken eyes, rolled in panicked fervor. Even with that sort of pitiful expression, my heart was unmoved. After all a burden¡¯s still a burden. ¡°You¡¯re obviously a useless fellow, whose only real use would be as bait.¡± ¡°T-then let me be bait!¡± She groveled. Unexpected force erupted out from her, as her legs bolted forward. She flung her body in my direction, before landing besides my feet. Like a snake hunting its prey, her grime covered arms coiled around my leg as she continually begged. I reflexively recoiled backwards, but since she was firmly grasping onto my leg with the determination of a death row inmate, I inadvertently tripped backwards. As I fumbled down to the ground, Cielle was slightly pushed to the side, although luckily she remained upright, while I was brought to eye level with the crazed girl in front of me. ¡°Geh-¡± I recoiled. ¡°You know, this pitiful side of you isn¡¯t really all that convincing, rather, it¡¯s off putting.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care! J-just don¡¯t leave me!¡± She sniffled. ¡°If you leave, I¡¯ll die, I¡¯ll definitely die! The people from the cafeteria will kill me! And even if they don¡¯t the BO-Satou, Satou will d-defiently kill me!¡± She continually begged, while her face pressed down against my ankle. Whether or not she noticed it herself, but she was continually getting closer and closer to me. Anymore and her face would reach my- ¡°Take me with you! Please, please, please! I-I¡¯ll do anything I swear, j-just don¡¯t¡­¡± I outwardly sighed. My eyes turned cold, as my leg entrapped leg, rocketed forward, shaking the desperate girl off of me. As she sprawled backwards, I quickly dusted myself off and stood up. While I coldly looked down at her, my indifferent voice rang out, reverberating throughout the room.¡°You reap what you sow. Next time, pick a better side to ally yourself with.¡± Hearing my cold words, Cher¡¯s expression continually morphed into despair. Her lips quivered unceasingly as she crawled towards me. ¡°P-please...uuu¡­ you can¡¯t leave me, don¡¯t leave me, they¡¯ll definitely¡­ definitely¡­.¡± Her words quickly became incomprehensible, as she was reduced to a blathering mess of snot and tears. ¡°Uuu¡­ a-anything, I-I¡¯ll do anything, so, so¡­¡± Although her situation was understandable. The cafeteria group hated her, and I doubt Satou- the Boss would be any kinder either. Truly, she was stuck between a rock and a hard place, and from her perspective, I was her only salvation. ¡°I already said, I won¡¯t-¡± Before I could continue to reject her pitiful, a small tug from behind me halted my words in their place. Throwing a quick glance backwards, I saw Cielle. Her face had a peeved expression on it for some reason, but nonetheless, there was also a strange glint in her eyes. ¡°I think¡­ she can be useful¡­¡± Her quiet whisper reached my ears, causing me to double back and tilt my head in confusion. ¡°What are you saying¡­¡± The normally silent girl that I knew suddenly spoke out like this¡­ it was indeed unusual, but upon seeing that weird glint in her eyes that, even under the scrutiny of my suspicious gaze did not vanish, only cause me more confusion. -Geh, don¡¯t tell me, she got attached to the hostage? What is this, reverse stockholm syndrome? While such a thought flashed through my head, causing me to inadvertently frown, Cielle ignored all that. Instead, she quietly walked past me, before directly standing in front of Cher. ¡°... Eh?¡± After noticing Ciel''s sudden appearance, Cher head tilted upwards as they exchanged a brief but silent stare. After a while, Cielle bent downwards, before she stroked Cher¡¯s matted hair with a sleeve covered hand. Her patting motions were quite familiar, it took a while for me to notice that she was imitating my very own patting technique. ¡°There, there¡­¡± Cielle quietly whispered while continually stroking Cher¡¯s head. Cher, who looked up at Cielle as if she were a goddess had sparkling eyes. The tears on her face flowed out for a completely different reason, while her body shivered. ¡°C-Cielle¡­ no, M-mistress¡­¡± Cher¡¯s incoherent mutters persisted, but this time, its contents had greatly changed. I blankly stared at this surreal scene. Not knowing what to say, all I could do was blink while my eyes stayed glued onto Cielle¡¯s comforting figure. ¡°What exactly is going on¡­¡± In the end, after looking over such a spectacle, I couldn¡¯t help but concede. With a weary face, I sighed tiredly while I waved my hand in an annoyed gesture. ¡°Fine, fine, we¡¯ll bring you along.¡± I bitterly spoke, hoping to emphasize my dislike. ¡°Eh?¡± Cher¡¯s attention once again focused back on me, and both her and Cielle turned to face their heads in my direction with expectant gazes. ¡°R-really? Really, really? Y-you¡¯re not lying right?¡± ¡°Yes, yes, I¡¯m telling the truth. While I don¡¯t know why Cielle is so persistent about you¡­¡± I shot a quick glance at Cielle, causing her to hurriedly turn away while her eyes seemingly focused on the stack of paper backs on the floor. ¡°Since she doesn¡¯t usually show so much¡­ force, I guess for now I¡¯ll concede.¡± ¡°...Uuuu¡­.¡± Upon hearing my words, Cher¡¯s shoulders shuddered, before she jumped up on the balls of her feet with overflowing vigor. ¡°Yes! Yes, yes, yes!¡± Tears haphazardly flowed out while snot splashed everywhere. Really, even her happy/relieved expression looked pretty pitiful. ¡°Pitiful¡± might just be my new nickname for her. Seeing such a scene, I flashed a bitter smile. ¡°Oi, don¡¯t get too excited yet ¡°Pitiful¡±, it''s not like your safety is guaranteed or anything.¡± ¡°Eh, did you just say Pitiful?¡± She asked dumbly while pointing at herself. I ignored her, and continued talking. ¡°Listen, starting today you are now a slave.¡± ¡°Eh?¡± Since I hate freeloaders after all, of course I¡¯m going to work this girl to the brink of her death and back. ¡°You¡¯ll do everything and anything I say. If you become disobedient, lie, steal, whatever, I won¡¯t hesitate to abandon you.¡± For a while, after I spoke, Miss Pitiful remained silent. Her head remained downcasted while I could see a slight tremble in her shoulders. After a bit more shaking, she finally looked up and- ¡°Geh-¡± I instinctively recoiled upon seeing the type of expression she was making. With strangely flushed cheeks, swirling eyes, and a slight trace of drool trickling down her chin, Cher let loose a series of panting noises, while she continually mumbled to herself. ¡°S-slave¡­ you say¡­ But I can¡¯t possibly be- Ah, no¡­. but, if I want to¡­. as a slave¡­¡± Her incoherentness steadily increased as the slight panting intensified, causing me to real back. Even Cielle, who just a moment ago, was patting Cher¡¯s head rather affectionately distanced herself from her, while her face was hidden in a mask of blank indifference. That expression conveyed more meaning than words ever could. ¡°S-slave¡­. slave, I¡¯m a slave now¡­ but¡­.ah~¡± With an expression that was pitiful in a different sense, Cher readily agreed to my conditions and with that, our usual party of three expanded to include one more member, but not before a heavy, somewhat regrettable sigh escaped my throat. Chapter 44: Building A Home Building A Home After a bit of walking, we arrived at an open hall within the 3rd floor of the East Building. The hallway itself was rather empty, and barren, but even from here, I could hear the faint noise of animalistic grunts and inhumane roars coming from further down the building, although that may have been primarily due to the fact that I still had [Sensory-Remapping]¡¯s effects activated. ¡°Uuuu¡­ I¡¯m so hungry¡­.¡± I heard a grumbling complaint from besides me. I turned my head to see the familiar face of Miss Pitiful scrunched up as she plopped herself onto the floor. The bags, bags which I forced her to carry as her first act as a ¡°slave¡±, crashed to the floor with a resounding clatter. Its contents spilled out, revealing clusters upon clusters of miscellaneous books and notes, which I thought may prove helpful. Things like survival books, chemistry textbooks, and a copy of ¡°The Art of War,¡± were just some among the many things I brought from the library. All in all, the total amount of books accumulated into an incredible amount and into an equally as incredible weight. A lone figure sidestepped and avoided through the strewn about books on the floor as she approached. As if it was the most natural thing in the world, Cielle who had been following close behind up until this point, walked and came to a stop in between Miss Pitiful and I. Wordlessly and with the fluidity of a tranquil stream, she placed an open palm directly on top of Miss Pitiful¡¯s chestnut red hair. While she scratched Miss Pitiful¡¯s head absentmindedly, Cielle mimicked what I was doing and surveyed the hall before us. In the mean time, Hina looked on blankly into space with almost dead fish eyes. An unchanging expression occupying her face. As to why we were here... **** Reversing time a bit, after we decided to take in the newest addition to our group, we began deliberating where we would head to from now on. It was an obvious fact that staying within the library was not an option. Considering its close proximity from the Cafeteria Group, the imminent danger and threat level were just too big of a risk for me to take. In fact, with that type of logic we needed a place away from both- the Cafeteria and Satou¡¯s groups. The initial goal was to find a place we could call ¡°home¡± for the remainder of the time we spent in school. A base if you will. The location had to be an area away from the rest of the other opposing forces, and a place safe enough that the wandering monsters wouldn¡¯t become a regular nuisance. With that in mind, the main building was out of the option, since that meant sharing air space with both the Cafeteria and Satou¡¯s group. The old school building would have fit both those factors, but considering all the bodies, and hypothesized death and disease lingering around, that too wasn¡¯t an option. All that¡¯s left then is the East Building. While a majority of it was monster infested, according to the President, a fair bit of the place was left untouched. According to him, for some reason or another, monsters usually confined themselves within a specific location, or part of the school. They rarely ventured out or expanded their territory, as if some animalistic, more primal force kept them at constant bay. I confirmed that theory with the current scenery before me. A rather empty space of land. This hallway looked a fair bit abandoned, only highlighted by the occasional blood splatter, and runaway corpse. Although a corpse here and there could still be seen, it didn¡¯t nearly compare to the carnage in the Old school building. After confirming with my hearing that the monster noises I heard were a good distance away from us, I signaled for us to begin searching. As we walked into each individual classroom, making sure to stick together, I was a fair bit relaxed. The convenient boost in my hearing allowed me some measure of comfort that nobody aside from us was at this hallway. Each individual classroom we entered was like a carbon copy of each other. The same basic set up, a black board and a row of desks occupying the center. Occasionally, you could see traces of panic and chaos in the form of a random blood splatter, broken furniture, or strewn about desks, but all in all, it was a very¡­ repetitive search. The rooms themselves were smaller than the ones within the old school building, but many of them still retained the interconnecting system. A door which connected to the adjacent room could be seen frequently as we weaved through each and every classroom. After we went through each room, I haphazardly picked a fairly untouched English classroom located near the far back of the hallway as the ¡°base of operations¡±. This room was unnaturally clean, and originally the door that connected the room to the hall had been kept locked. We only managed to enter the room through an interconnecting entrance that connected through an adjacent room. Going by the room¡¯s barren outlook, and the neatly stacked rows of desks to the side, I wondered whether or not this room had been in use during the last day of school. It looked fairly untouched enough that no recent trace of both student or monster could be seen. ¡°So, what do you think about this room?¡± I directed towards the people next to me, to the girls who had been following me ever since I began my search. ¡°Uuu¡­ isn¡¯t it fine? Can I please put these books down now? They¡¯re really heavy~...¡± Instead of an appropriate response, all I got was a weak complaint from the girl who was currently carrying the bulk of our things. ¡°For a slave, you sure complain a lot¡­¡± I coldly stated while still fixing my gaze onto the others. ¡°uuu¡­¡± A weak moan replied back before I saw a nod of affirmation from Cielle. ¡°It¡¯s¡­ good?¡± She vaguely whispered while tilting her head to the side. -Why a question though? As I inwardly thought to myself, an unexpected reply came from the last girl. The dead eyed Hina spoke in a quiet voice that rivaled her sister¡¯s. ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± She solemnly spoke while carrying the little baggage she had, a mix of medical supplies and food, onto a spare desk. With a ¡°pomf¡± she placed her bag gently to the side, while she moved over to the room wide window that spanned the majority of one wall. The window overlooked the once populous city, or at least its remnants. Occasionally, I could see snippets of the chaos outside, and right now this wasn¡¯t an exception. This particular room overlooked the view of the suburban neighborhood that laid directly across from the school. Off in the distance, away from that neighborhood, I could see the remainder of the city¡¯s urban aspect. Much of the infrastructure was painted with scorched markings. A few of the high rising skyscrapers we¡¯re greatly damaged and the air was filled with various flying objects. From this distance, it was quite difficult to make out what those objects-things-creatures were, but that made it all the more menacing. In contrast, within the foreground, the neighborhood looked¡­ untouched. Its streets were clean, the buildings seemingly untouched, as if this particular part of the world was spared from the hell on earth brought down by that red sky and countdown. Well, at least that was the first thought that passed through my mind before I saw a glimpse of a hunched back, green monster strolling casually through the neighborhood¡¯s streets. I shifted my attention back to Hina, only to see her testing the locks on the window frame with an absent minded look on her face. After a while of fruitless effort, she seemingly gave up and refocused her attention on the scenery outside as she wordlessly gazed. After staring at her for a while, I shifted my attention back to the room. On the other side of the Classroom, was another set of windows, this time overlooking out into the hallway. ¡°If we¡¯re going to set up shop at a place like this, I¡¯d like a bit more privacy¡­.¡± I quietly muttered as I stared at the windows with a troubled look on my face. In the end, after some deliberating, I decided to cover up the windows with some spare cardboard I found locked in an untouched corner of the room. The cardboard was probably leftover material from the recent school wide event we had, so it was reasonably thick and sturdy. I instructed Cher to set up the cardboard to cover the row of windows that overlooked the hallway. Using Packing tape (found next to the cardboard) and with a bit of Cielle¡¯s help, she worked hard to show off her usefulness as she began covering the windows. Upon my instruction, I informed her to set the cardboard up in a rather uneven and more chaotic fashion. In the meanwhile, I moved back out into the hallway. I looked at her deliberately sloppy piece of work and nodded, a vague sense of satisfaction welling up in me. The windows weren¡¯t really properly sealed, as evident by the numerous open spaces present, but that was fine with me. The look of deliberate chaos matched the rest of the school, but in the end, a solitary room covered up by cardboard would look a fair bit suspicious. After Cher finished packing up the windows of the English Classroom, I ordered her to do the same to the rest of the adjacent and parallel rooms within the hallway. Since I found a bit more cardboard in the other rooms, we weren¡¯t lacking on that department, although she will need to preserve the packing tape, as that was the only one I found. It was at this point that Cielle gave up helping, seemingly bored or tired of the tedious endeavor, leaving Miss Pitiful to suffer in her lonesome. In the mean time, I revisited all the other rooms, casually identifying all the miscellaneous objects strewn about in an effort to increase the skill level of [Identify]. I identified every individual desk, each scrap of paper, and each occasional corpse, everything in a desperate way to curb both boredom and increase my skill level. By the time I finished doing the same process throughout each of the rooms, I managed to raise Identify to Beginner level 5. The grinding aspect of the skill system really bothered me mostly because of how tedious and long winded it was. raising the level of each skill took a fair bit of effort, so it was a bit frustrating seeing the slow progress of it all. In the meanwhile, I also checked the rest of the growth level of my other skills. As expected, my unused [All heal] remained level 1. Due to the constant use of [Sensory Remapping +], its level had risen to Beginner Level 3, and my [Dissect] skill which didn¡¯t experience quite as much activity recently was stuck at Beginner Level 4. [Hard Scale] was still Beginner Level 1, and my most taxing skill, [Equip] was only at Level 2. Despite being my most used skill, [Equip]¡¯s level growth was undoubtedly the slowest out of all of my skills. In a sense, it wouldn¡¯t be a lie to say [Equip] was perpetually active due to the stat boosts granted by my current set of clothing, yet despite that, it only rose by 1 level. Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. This fact left me both sunk in deep despair, yet elated in unabated enthusiasm for the future potential of [Equip]. After I checked through all my skills, and noticed that there were no noticeable changes within each of their text, I proceeded back into the hallway. Twenty minutes had passed since Miss Pitiful started bordering up the windows, and by this point, she was almost done, with only about 1/5th of the hall left. She was a surprisingly quick worker and due to her efforts, the hall itself was now significantly darker, thanks to the cardboard blocking out the sun. An occasional ray of light would slip through the cracks of sloppy cardboard though, keeping the place fairly illuminated. Keeping this place from turning into eternal darkness was actually the main reason why I instructed Cher to set up the carboards in such a disorganized manner. I took a step back and admired the view. Now, instead of just a sole room looking out of place, the whole hallway was particularly noticeable, although not to a ridiculous extent since, surprisingly, the cardboard sort of blended into the chaos and destruction present prior to my arrival. While this hall would certainly attract some attention, at the very least it wasn¡¯t like our living quarters were narrowed down. With this method, our English Classroom now perfectly blended with the rest of the hall. It would be a much harder task to attack us if they didn¡¯t know the exact specifics of our room. -If I were to set up a few contingency traps that would allow me to detect enemies entering the hall beforehand then¡­. With that in mind, I began formulating a plan and I went over to consult Cielle about this particular matter. After explaining my intentions a bit, she readily agreed with a firm nod as she pumped her fists up close to her chest, showing off the new found determination. We discussed a bit (well, more like one sided conversation while Cielle nodded and vaguely mumbled) about how to properly utilize her skill. At first, I proposed to keep [Dark Gemini] floating in mid air while we positioned it directly in front of the doorway. This plan was ultimately rejected though, as Cielle needed to constantly pay attention/focus in order to manipulate the black sludge. Without Cielle¡¯s attention, [Dark Gemini] would lose its ability to levitate in mid air. Many more similar ideas were proposed and rejected. This cycle continued until we finally came to a proper conclusion that was surprisingly simple. The plan was to set up a trap involving Cielle¡¯s [Dark Gemini]. It really was a simple trap, a trap that greatly resembled your everyday high school prank. A bucket or something similar would be placed on top of an askewed/ barely open door way. The moment anyone tries to enter without prior knowledge, then a whole slew of [Dark Gemini] would come spewing forth onto the perpetrators head and face. Unless they had crazy strong pain tolerance, than an uncontrollable yelp would be inevitable. And even if the bucket did miss its intended target, it would still effectively hit the floor, and with my enhanced hearing, the noise would definitely be loud enough for someone like me to notice. I planned to set up these types of traps within every doorway in this hallway, a bit excessive, but a necessary deed. Of course, doing all this would momentarily reduce Cielle¡¯s total mana capacity, since the more [Dark Gemini] she accumulated the less her mana capacity became, but since her mana reserves were higher than average, and since the ratio between mana and [Dark Gemini] was pretty high, this proved little worry other than a slight annoyance. After we gather enough buckets, vases, and any other container shaped object, we immediately got to work. First, we poured all of the black sludge Cielle kept within her backpack onto the containers. Unfortunately, it was only enough to fill about 3 vases. In the end, we needed a bit more [Dark Gemini] in order to appropriately continue with this plan. As I prepared to make the necessary sacrifice, and readied a dagger up to my exposed arm, Cielle stopped me with a rather frantic jitter of movement. She gripped my dagger wielding hand back as she shook her head desperately. I tilted my head and asked in a rather indifferent voice, ¡°Why¡¯d you stop me? We obviously need more [Dark Gemini], you know?¡± In response, Cielle only vigorously shook her head, as she got up and rose from her seating position with firm determination. With a sort of huff, she quickly left the room and ventured into the hallway. ¡°?¡± As I sat there in confusion, a moment later, Cielle hurriedly re entered the English classroom, this time with a familiar person in tow. The person in question sported a rather confused face, her mess of chestnut red hair swaying with each pull as she was forcibly dragged by the scruff of her collar and led into the room. Miss Pitiful repeatedly uttered, ¡°Eh? Eh? What¡¯s going on? Mistress? Eh?¡± as she looked restlessly around her. Observing her slightly, her hands were covered in a few paper cuts, showcasing her own hard work while an empty roll of packing tape told me that she had properly finished the task I gave her. Cielle quickly led Miss Pitiful in front of me, and presented her with a firm puff of her small chest. With a visible smirk on her face, Cielle pointed at Miss Pitiful while declaring, ¡°...Like I said¡­ a useful person¡­¡± ¡°Useful?¡± Cher tilted her head upon Cielle¡¯s sudden declaration, obviously a bit taken aback by the ¡°praise¡±. ¡°W-well¡­ I guess I did complete the task properly..¡± She suddenly started fidgeting while making a poor attempt at covering her paper cut hands. ¡°After all it¡¯s only natural¡­s-since I am a s-s-s-slave after all¡­¡± She mumbled a bit incoherently while her face flushed red. It was apparent that this type of pitiful person had greatly misunderstood something, but after Cielle¡¯s ¡°useful person¡± reminder, I finally put two and two together and understood her intentions. ¡°Ah¡­¡± I muttered. ¡°So that¡¯s how it is¡­ mmm¡­¡± I nodded vaguely to myself, while I crossed my arms understandably, causing Miss Pitiful to tilt her head in further confusion. Seeing her perpetual confusion amidst that blushed face of hers, I couldn¡¯t help but utter a bitter smile. ¡°Ah...um¡­ Hide¡­ Mistress, w-what¡¯s going on here?¡± She finally asked while interchanging glances between both Cielle and I. ¡°Well¡­¡± I awkwardly scratched my head while I casually reached for a spare dagger behind my back. ¡°This might be a bit sudden and all, but¡­¡± I flashed the dagger in front of me in what I thought was a friendly gesture, although it had a bit of an opposite effect as Cher¡¯s eyes turned a bit cold and her skin paled. ¡°Um¡­ I-I don¡¯t particularly like where this is going¡­ so can I leave for a bit¡­¡± Her eyes swam with a small hint of fear while the earlier redness which had covered the majority of her face receded from sight. With a small sigh I, shook my head while I flashed a small smile. I then repeated, ¡°This might be a bit sudden, but I¡¯m going to hurt you for a bit okay?¡± I drew closer to her while I held the dagger in front of me. ¡°W-wait! Why are you suddenly- stop! Please, at least let me prepare my hear-mphf?!¡± Cher¡¯s round of panicked and incomprehensible spew was quickly cut short as something blocked and covered her mouth. Behind her, a single silhouette produced a gag made out of old clothes and gingerly covered Cher¡¯s open mouth. Cher¡¯s eyes span around listlessly behind her only to see the stoic faced Cielle firmly holding onto the gag as she pressed down on Cher¡¯s shoulders. ¡°Mmmphf! Mmm! MpgH?!¡± Muffled noises escaped her throat as she somewhat struggled against Cielle¡¯s grip, but in the end, it proved to be fruitless. Cielle, while maintaining that indifferent expression of hers simply replied to Cher¡¯s panic with a, ¡°...Shhhhh¡­¡± ¡°Mmphh! Mpgf! Mmmphf!¡± ¡°....¡± Although she made an honest effort to escape, strangely enough that twinge of red on her cheeks that had disappeared earlier had returned, this time in full swing. Miss Pitiful¡¯s continued muffling also slowly morphed into noises resembling panting. Seeing this scene before me, I could only sigh tiredly again as I brandished the dagger once more. ¡°Well, at the very least, I¡¯ll try to make it as quick as possible¡­¡± **** It took a bit more effort than I expected, but in the end, we managed to produce enough [Dark Gemini] to fill the remainder of the containers we had. There was even enough to spare to replace the black sludge that had originally been in Cielle¡¯s emergency pack. The rest was a simple matter of setting up the buckets on top of the doorways, which was handled by Cielle and I. Normally, I would have forced Miss Pitiful to do all this, but seeing her¡­ current state, I decided to deal with the matter myself. After a short while, I quickly finished setting up the bucket traps. I also added in a sort of trip wire around a few of the rooms and doorways using some spare rope I found in a classroom. The rope may be a bit too outlandish during day time, but at night, I¡¯m sure it will prove to be all the more effective. With the acquisition of a new room, and the finished completion of my impromptu traps, I finished with a tired smile on my face. My temporary home was complete. **** Author''s Note: Thank you for reading. While I did take a recent break from writing, in that span of time, I was able to make an outline detailing the rest of the School Arc, so fingers crossed for faster updates. If you enjoy this story, then please rate or review. It makes a world of difference for me. Chapter 45: The Importance of Comfort The Importance of Comfort After we finished constructing the basic setup for the traps of our new base, I pondered what to do next. Currently I was in the English Classroom. Since the desks and chairs had all been moved before hand, the place had a rather ambient, yet barren atmosphere to it. Inside the room with me, were the others. Cher, still slumped to the floor with a reddened face that gave me shivers, stood a few feet away from me. Cielle, who stood directly at the center of the room, was looking out towards the window overlooking the city¡­ or at least that¡¯s what it first looked like. In actuality she was staring at her dead eyed sister, who remained unmoving ever since she entered the room. ¡°...¡± While her current mental stability was a bit of a troubling problem, I was lost as to how to fix it. I was a person who lacked any real social experience, so fixing someone¡¯s mood, or comforting them was out of the question. If I did something carelessly, it might backfire and worsen her already fragile disposition. If it was something less¡­ less emotional¡­ like fighting a monster, or collecting supplies¡­ then maybe I could have handled things, but this type of problem was clearly not within my area of expertise. For now, the only thing I could do, was give Hina some space, and hope she relieves her own issues by herself¡­. With that in mind, after looking at the empty classroom, I had a spark of an idea. ¡°Miss Pitiful, come with me for a bit.¡± I quickly stated while making my way to the door that connected to the hallway. This entrance way was the only one not rigged with a bucket of [Dark Gemini]. Instead, it was a door which I planned to keep locked at all times. It had a counter to lockpickers in the form of an extended rope that extended out from the door¡¯s knob. Since the door opened outwards, if anyone tried to recklessly pull on it, they would be met with resistance from the rope, which was tied to a table on the other side of the room. As an extension, I also propped a bucket to titter on the edge of the table, so if anyone yanked on the door knob with enough excessive force to move even the table, then the bucket would topple over and alert us of any would be intruders. It was during the setup of this particular trap that I forgoed setting up barricades or the like. In all honesty, while I called this place a ¡°base¡±, it never changed the fact that it was only temporary. If worse comes to worse, it was more convenient for there to be no obstructing objects in our way. I¡¯d rather be able to escape with ease then keep my enemies temporarily at bay. I dismantled the trap with ease while I heared the outright complaints of the person behind me. ¡°Eh, wait a minute... Where are we¡­¡± ¡°Geez, for a slave, you sure are slow.¡± I interrupted while making my way into the hallway. My semi-hostile tone of voice caused Cher to panic before she hurriedly followed behind me. When I turned to look at her, I saw someone¡¯s silhouette quietly following, as if it were the most natural thing to do in the world. Cielle had an oblivious expression as she walked behind the panicking Cher. ¡°....¡± ¡°... Cielle, sorry about this, but I¡¯m going to need you to stay here for a bit.¡± I said. Cielle¡¯s reaction was unexpected. She showcased a dumbfounded face as she widened her eyes in my direction. ¡°W-why¡­.¡± She cautiously asked. I awkwardly scratched my head at her inquiry. ¡°Well, for now, I need you to stay put. This Miss Pitiful is enough for what I have planned.¡± Upon my words, a wave of expressions flashed onto her face, while a slight tremble could be seen on her shoulders. In the end, she settled for a vicious glare directed at Cher as she stood by the doorway. This glare only caused Cher to shrink back before me, inadvertently causing Cielle¡¯s own glare to intensify. Seeing this, I let loose a tired sigh. In actuality, I was planning on going out for a bit, so I needed someone reliable to guard the newly established base while I was away. Hina was obviously a no go, so the only person I could rely on was Cielle. ¡°Anyways,¡± I started. ¡° I¡¯ll be gone for a bit, so Cielle stay in the room with Hina. Watch out and see if anybody regularly patrols around this area. It¡¯ll be troublesome if they do.¡± In the face of my earnest request, Cielle reluctantly nodded while she kept a cold eye firmly on Cher. ¡°Before we leave, Pitiful, go and grab a few strings of rope.¡± ¡°R-rope¡­¡± She whimsically muttered to herself as she brought her open hands to her cheeks while her face began flushing in a familiar shade of red. ¡°Oi, don¡¯t get the wrong idea, pervert. Just, go get the rope already.¡± I bitterly retorted, a fair bit of annoyance inlayed in my words. Like that, with a pervert in tow, I left the Eastern building and made my way down the barren hallway. **** Currently, we we¡¯re back within the main building, on our way towards a familiar location. In my quiet trek, I thought about a few things. I thought about the school. I thought about this dungeon. I thought about the monsters, thought about the food problem, thought about the survivors, thought about the new world¡­ I thought about everything that had happened to me so far. Analyzing and categorizing my own experiences, I narrowed down my current situation to three main obstacles. Food shortage, hostile survivors, and escape. These were the three present obstacles standing in my way. I racked my brain for a solution to these problems. Escape and dealing with the hostile survivors would undoubtedly bring me into conflict, thus, I needed to get stronger. The lack of food¡­ well, in actuality, it wasn¡¯t that tough of a problem. The president even hinted at a solution; monsters. If I wanted food, then I¡¯d just needed to hunt it myself. I¡¯m sure a few of the monsters within this dungeon we¡¯re edible. As long as I avoided those vaguely resembling humans, since it gave off a semi-cannibalism vibe, and as long as I stayed clear away from anything with a poisonous or acidic attribute, then I¡¯m sure everything will work out. While the President did say something troubling about how difficult it was to hunt, I¡¯m sure I can find someway around it, after all I- ¡°H-Hide, why are we heading towards the infirmary again?¡± A voice from behind me interrupted my train of thought, and pulled me back into reality. From the shivering in her words, it was easy to tell she was quite scared. I smiled wryly at her needless worry. ¡°What¡¯s wrong, scared?¡± I nonchalantly asked as I continued down the open hall. ¡°N-no, that¡¯s not it, I-I¡¯m sure with Hide here then¡­.¡± she mumbled a bit while tripping over her own words. ¡°I-it¡¯s just that¡­ that¡­.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry so much. All your shaking¡¯s going to attract attention. Didn¡¯t you say it yourself, Satou¡¯s range of movement doesn¡¯t encompass the infirmary?¡± ¡°Uuu¡­ Y-yes¡­ the only reason I was there in the first place was because we were running away¡­¡± She dejectedly mumbled while her head remained downcast. Even with the reassurance from Cher that Satou wouldn¡¯t be here, I had a backup in the form of my [Sensory Remapping]. Enhanced hearing was quite a useful tool, especially in this echo inducing hall. ¡°B-but still¡­ why are we going there now? All the medical supplies have already been taken.¡± She pressed forth. By now, it was obvious enough that being anywhere remotely close to Satou was enough to cause her to quake in fear. ¡°That may be true, but there is one thing that they left unattended¡­¡± I said, a hint of excitement in my voice. ¡°T-that is?¡± With an uncharacteristic grin, I turned towards her and said, ¡°Obviously, it¡¯s the beds.¡± For the past few weeks, I¡¯ve slept on tables, and on the floor continuously. This may have been a decision made on a whim, but since I¡¯ve determined myself to stay within this school and see things through the end, then I want some measure of comfort. With that type of childish reasoning, we arrived at the infirmary. In the end, the trip here was an uneventful experience. Although we did come close to running into a couple of Satou¡¯s stooges, we managed avoid detection easily enough. The rather dull duo simply passed by us as we hid in an abandoned classroom. At the infirmary, the familiar scene of blood and empty cabinets filled my vision. Paying closer attention, there we¡¯re three separate beds, virtually left untouched by the chaos within the room. My objective here were the mattresses and a few of the pillows. Cher was brought along so that she could drag everything back while I stood on guard. After all, it¡¯s the duty of a slave to handle all the menial labor. As we entered the room, my trepid footsteps landed into a sort of reddish puddle. With a soft splash, my unexpecting shoe was dyed a deep shade of murky red. I looked down, only to see a red puddle with varying lumps mixed in. A few white spots bubbled out from within the red puddle while it lay spread across the center of the infirmary. ¡°What the¡­ this wasn¡¯t here the last time I visited¡­.¡± I quietly murmured as I scrunched my brow in confusion. Cher, who was behind me all this time, also noticed the puddle. Unlike my confused reaction, she showed an expression of dismay, one intermixed with heavy doses of despair,fear, and familiarity. ¡°T-t-that¡­.¡± She stuttered uncontrollably as she took two quick steps backwards. Eventually, she hit the bed frame, causing her to topple over into the mattress. From how she acted, I knew she was fairly familiar with the gooey mess on the floor. I also had a fair bit of an idea as to it¡¯s origin, but overcome with curiosity I used [identify] on the lump of red. The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. ding
Human Leftovers Corroded remains of a human body.With the power of an unknown force, it has been thoroughly melted and turned into something with a consistency reminiscent of syrup or honey. The corrosive acid has long since lost its effects. Rank F Alchemy Material. Rank C- Necromancy Material.
Quietly reading through the display panel, I confirmed my original theory. ¡°So it¡¯s that huh¡­¡± I quietly muttered. ¡°That guy¡­ Satou, the Boss, he¡¯s been here¡­¡± I bent over to inspect the mass of blood and guts with a closer eye. Upon closer inspection, the white lumps that floated in the soap of red we¡¯re pieces of protruding bone, while the reddish lumps we¡¯re leftover remains of this poor guy¡¯s intestines. From what the information panel told me, the acid the Boss used has already lost its effects, but still, I couldn¡¯t help but gawk at its destructive power. Cher already informed me before hand about what type of effects Satou¡¯s skill had, but seeing it before me was simply baffling. In all honestly, I had the vague impression that Satou¡¯s skill was extremely broken. Something with this much destructive power and danger shouldn¡¯t have resulted from a simple Elite Monster kill. Closely inspecting the lump, I noticed that even the surrounding concrete below it exhibited signs of mild corrosion. As if the mass of flesh had been acid, the floor melted off, only to come to a stop about 3 feet away from its original epicenter. Luckily enough though, much of the acid has since simply dissipated and lost its effects. ¡°....¡± Seeing all this, my expression darkened. This skill had a huge destructive potential. It was truly a cheat like ability. One scratch, one injury could result in permanent damage, or in more extreme cases, death. Would a lucky hit to the head kill me? If it pierced my arm, can I save myself with an amputation? As I pondered these thoughts, I made a solemn expression as I wordlessly looked over the mass of blood and guts. Eventually, I snapped myself out of my darkened whimsy and refocused in on my original objective. While I stood to the side, I instructed the still shaken Miss Pitiful to gather the mattresses together. She stacked them up on top of each and then fastened them all together using the rope I asked her to bring. Afterwards, I gathered the sheets and the pillows and placed them on top of the stack of mattresses. In total, Miss Pitiful and I returned to the East Building with a stack of three mattresses in our care. On the way back, we were lucky enough to avoid running into anybody, but we did come close during several occasions¡­. **** After we returned to the English classroom, I set up the beds alongside the walls. Two of the mattresses were joined together as if to form a giant bed and pushed towards the right of the room, while the other one was placed towards the left and away from the others. It was obvious, but the left matress was for me, while the remaining two were for the girls. As I took a step back to admire my work, a weary wave of fatigue swept past me. I tiredly sighed, and stretched out my arms. -then, with this¡­. In the end, after all the effort into setting up my new base, the total time elapsed was a little over three hours. I felt a wave of gratification sweeping past me, and as a result, I decided it was time for a change of pace¡­ in other words, a bath. Now was the perfect time to indulge in something I never once experienced these past two weeks. While this wasn¡¯t anywhere near the showers of the gymnasium, it was still a perfect location. This small section of the East building, this section away from all the other survivors and monsters, had completely fallen into my protection. It was the safest place (in my opinion) from any of the dangers this school had to offer. Back in the old school building, I never really got the chance to relax, due to the constant danger present. But right now, it was a different story. With that in mind, within an adjacent restroom, and with the assistance of Hina¡¯s convenient water magic, the girls were the first to clean their bodies. Naturally, I stood guard. Even if this place was safe, an unexpected development was still viable, so it was always necessary to stay vigilant. With such intentions, my [Sensory-Remapping] was revved up and my hearing was boosted to the max. Not only any outside force could be detected within a span of about several dozen yards, but the inexplicable sounds and noises from the rest room could be easily heard. My hearing was boosted to such an extent that all sound within my vicinity was as loud as a roaring freight train. Even if I didn¡¯t want to, I ended up listening in on them. Rather than the familiar sound of running water, the noise of thunderous splashing, and vigorous scrubbing were present. Of course, I resisted to form any mental image of the scene that currently played on without my knowledge. Through the flimsy wooden door, I heard the content sighs interlayered with small ¡°Hyaa~¡± and ¡°Kyaa~¡±s. I could differentiate those sighs by the different tone and octave of their voices. The majority of it was from Cher, whom I imagined had remained dirt and grime covered ever since the apocalypse started. Cielle and even the depressed Hina also sighed gently as I pictured them washing their tired and sore bodies clean with freshly produced magic water. I made an awkward, cramped smile as all this took place. I was honestly thankful that they remained silent, and didn¡¯t bother with the legendary, ¡°girl¡¯s talk¡± that I¡¯ve heard only in legends. If such a spectacle were to take place, then I fear that my sanity may very well be compromised... In the end, their bathing time lasted about 20 minutes, a bit longer than I would have liked, but nonetheless, a well deserved bath. As they exited the restroom, I momentarily deactivated [Sensory Remapping]. The inexplicable scent of blood and grime which I had grown familiar of, had dampened, only to be replaced by the somewhat soft, and strangely flowery scent of adolescent females. The three of them had a wavy smile on their expressions and their skin glistened cleanly while trickles of water remained stuck on their supple flesh. All three of their moods obviously improved. The sulking Cielle had a smile on her face. The pitiful Cher was grinning from ear to ear, while the still absentminded and depressed Hina had a somewhat vague expression on. Since they didn¡¯t have a towel with them, they were obviously still wet when they wore their usual clothing. Normally, wet cloth resulted in accentuating figures¡­ in this case, it wasn¡¯t any different. The normal attire of a summer uniform now clinged closely to their developing bodies. Here and there, the uniform donned on a transparent sheen as I saw through the flimsy fabric towards what lay poorly hidden underneath. Cher¡¯s own outfit, consisting of a simply navy skirt and uniform, was sloppily worn. The dampened cloth she wore revealed a surprisingly buxom figure, one normally hidden by layers upon layers of dry cloth. Hina was much the same. The trickle of water which ran down her cheek traveled down all the way to her neck and collarbone, leading to the dampened fabric she wore. It accentuated her normally¡­ impactful body line, reminding me again that this type of person was definitely popular with the opposite sex. Although all this was slightly worsened by the dead eyed expression she maintained. Cielle¡¯s case was a little different. Her one-size-too-large sweater was still fairly dry, absorbing much of the runaway moistures. But nonetheless, she had a soft glow to her. Her smile fit perfectly with Cielle¡¯s slightly reddened cheeks. Along with the slow trickle of a bead of water then ran down her forehead, her normal curtain of dark black hair, was bobbed up for a change, revealing a pair of almond shaped eyes which softly narrowed into satisfied crescents. While their refreshing figures and fluttery expressions were, in of itself, an enrapturing scene to behold, the remaining dirt and grim still present on their uniforms sort of ruined the whole scene. -Maybe next time, we could wash our clothes as well¡­ As I pondered this, I struggled to maintain an indifferent expression on my face as I nodded towards them. ¡°We¡¯re done now~¡± Cher happily stated with drooped shoulders as she continued walking. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± I nodded again, keeping up a stiff poker face. Cielle walked over and stopped in front of me. The soft fragrance she emitted floated listlessly to my nose as she looked up at me. ¡°Nnn¡­ Don¡¯t worry¡­ I will stand guard while¡­ Hide cleans up¡­¡± She stated with a certain hint of determination that couldn¡¯t mask what I felt was a sort of hidden motive in her words. ¡°Ah, um, okay then¡­¡± I uttered while I mechanically moved forward. Wordlessly, I took a bucket prefilled with water produced by Hina¡¯s magic and entered the male restroom, leaving the act of surveillance for the girls to handle. Like that, I too washed myself. Taking care to get rid of the putrid stench of dried blood that had permeated around me ever since the start of this whole mess. I washed away all the collected grime and blood, while I stayed oblivious to the small open crack of the restroom door, and the peering eyes that stood beside it. ***** Author''s Note:If you liked this chapter or this story in general, please review or rate. I appreciate it. Chapter 46: Luring and Baiting Luring and Baiting After bathing, our stress levels were significantly lowered at this point. It was at this time, that I decided to resolve the food problem. The food shortage was an issue that flanked the whole school. It enveloped all of the survivors, and was the direct cause of more than a few conflicts. Even my group, which had pushed the issue back up until this point was also subjective to such a base need. This was made all the more apparent now, since our own supply had dwindled down in the past two days, especially with the newest addition to the group. Although like all problems, this too had a solution. With that in mind, I led the group deeper down the hallway. We passed through all the cardboard covered windows, until finally, we turned a corner, into where the animalistic grunts which my enhanced hearing picked up originated. By this point, Cielle¡¯s experience these past two weeks kicked in. Her caution visibly increased, as she looked discreetly throughout the hall, quietly peering into the exposed windows and opened doorways with the utmost care. The bag which she clung to, was now open, spewing forth a collection of black sludge as tiny balls of darkness floated freely around her. Hina, likewise, reacted the same way. While not with the same level of caution as her sister, she visibly tensed as her dead eyes scanned the horizon. The only real lacking party member was Cher, although she at least noticed the change in everyone¡¯s atmosphere. While flustered and somewhat panicked, she remained silent as her nervous eyes swiveled quickly from side to side. Cher¡¯s own lack of experience would be something I needed to tackle in the future, but for now, I myself needed to focus. After all, despite the President¡¯s prior information, this was still technically unexplored territory for me. With trepid and cautious steps we proceeded deeper into the hallway. The animalistic noises- grunts vaguely resembling a strange mix between a bull and a pig¡¯s could be heard. This was not only limited to me. As we drew closer, those same noises, reverberated loudly into the echo inducing hall, loud enough for even the rest of my party members to hear. I was the first to turn the corner, fulfilling my self assigned role as the scout of the group. Before my eyes, some great distance away, I saw an impossible spectacle. In that cramped and compact hallway that was barely 5 arm¡¯s width wide, were dozens of gigantic, fur covered beasts. Their heavy masses, which was akin to the size of a small smart car, congregated along the halls, not leaving even an inch of space free. At my current distance, it was a bit difficult for me to make out their specific traits or exact numbers. For the current me, the space before me looked purely like a sea of husk brown. With that problem in mind, I immediately reallocated my senses using [Sensory Remapping]. I focused in on my eyesight, and with a few seconds of effort, my vision greatly improved. It was like a sniper¡¯s scope had been placed directly in front of my retina, allowing me to pear at further distances with the same effectiveness of a hawk. With my enhanced vision, I could now clearly see the individual monsters which made up this sea of fur. Upon closer inspection, the monsters we¡¯re indeed quite feral looking. With robust, fur covered bodies, they towered a good 7 feet tall, while they were just as wide. Their hide, which ranged from a mix of dirty brown to night black, did a considerable job in hiding the swelling muscle and blubberous fat those things more than likely possessed. Aside from their size, the creatures resembled a lot like a wild pig. With a rose colored snout, and beady eyes, if you we¡¯re to look only at those characteristics, then you would probably also come to the same conclusion. What set this creature aside from your everyday pig we¡¯re the protrusions that stuck out from it. A single pair of ivory tusks adorned their jawline. Those same tusks we¡¯re about 2 feet long and looked more than capable enough of piercing a normal human stomach. There was also a set of porcelain white horns that protruded out from its fur covered skull. Those horns were reminiscent of a rams, and looked sturdy enough to crush a brick wall into pieces. All these contrasting, yet complimenting characteristics all came together to create one massive beast. And that massive beast, was accompanied by 50 or so of its brethren, and that was only the ones I could see. It was a wonder in itself that the floor hadn¡¯t given out at this point. With my eyesight enhanced, I wondered whether or not [Identify] would work from this distance. Usually, I needed to be within a certain range to activate that skill, but lately, I¡¯ve began attributing this fact to vision. If I could see the object to a great enough extent, would [Identify] activate? Was [Identify]¡¯s limit based on vision or distance? This question left me wondering, but I never really got a chance to test it, what with the recent events that took place. Now would be a good opportunity though. With that in mind, in my mind¡¯s eye, I solemnly yelled out the skill¡¯s name with as much vigor as I could muster. -Identify! ¡­. ¡­ ¡­ I waited for the miraculous blue panel to appear in front of me, but unsurprisingly, nothing came out. With a heavy sigh, I confirmed that [Identify] needed a certain proximity for the skill to work, and refocused in on the current predicament. As I looked over their staggering numbers, I signaled for the rest of the group to follow. The four of us quickly retreated to a nearby classroom, while along the way, I slowly devised a plan, one that would ensure not only the killing of one of these massive beasts, but also the acquisition of its corpse. From the information I confirmed with my own eyes, as well as from the President¡¯s off handed information, I concluded that there were two issues that blocked the successful hunting of the horned boar monster. One, was actually hunting the monster. Currently, I didn¡¯t know the current extent of an individual boar¡¯s strength. Whether or not it rivaled my own level was up for debate, but if it we¡¯re at the very least within a 5 level range of my own, then I was confident enough that I could kill one. Add to that support fire from both Hina and Cielle, then my chances of victory would proportionately increase. The issue here was the sheer number of beasts. If I hypothetically killed one, then another would replace it. This type of cycle would continually repeat until our party exhausts itself. The second issue was with retrieval. Even if I did successfully kill one, my actual goal may not be fulfilled. Before I would have the opportunity to retrieve the corpse, a whole slew of its brethren would be one top of it, and obstructing my path. Again, this links back to the sheer amount of monsters currently present. In actuality, these two issues mainly stemmed from the number of boars present. Rather than their own hypothetical ability or individual strength, their greatest fail safe was their numbers. Their herd mentality was their greatest defense. If I could find a way to separate one individual from the rest, then the problem becomes much more simpler.... With that sort of issue on my mind, I slowly rattled my mind, as the first hints of a plan began devising itself within me. **** ¡°T-t-t-this might be a really bad idea¡­.¡± I could hear the nervous complaints coming from Miss Pitiful as she proceeded forward with each shivering step. Currently, I was crouching down within the shadows, on top of a raised locker 12 feet above ground, as I overlooked the scene in front of me. I could see Cher slowly approaching the herd of monsters 300 feet away from me. The reason why her words came loud and clear as if she were directly whispering into my ear was because I redistributed my senses again. This time, a perfect half and half was formed with my sense of hearing and my sense of sight. My skill had risen to a level where such sense manipulation became possible, but sadly, this was the limit of my current abilities. Well, pushing aside my own worries, I quietly observed the beginning phases of my poorly devised, ¡°Monster Hunting¡± plan. Cher continually complained, but nonetheless, her feet never stopped moving forward. She continued down the wider than average hallway towards the sea of fur. Her goal was towards one of the Boars that stood at the edge of the herd. Well, although I said edge, this particular boar was only a mere 3 feet away from its closest brethren, so the difference wasn¡¯t all that outstanding. Nonetheless, it was the most separated boar, and thus, it gained the honor of being our first target. If it wasn¡¯t obvious enough at this point, Cher¡¯s role in this plan was as bait. In order to successfully lure in the prey, Cher needed to attract this particular boar¡¯s attention. But this came at quite a difficulty. In order for the success of this plan, this particular boat has to notice Cher before any of the others do. It needed to give chase to Cher before the others even begin to notice Cher¡¯s precosious existence. With that particular goal in mind, I gave her specific instructions on how to do that. From my raised vantage point, I quietly observed with cold, serious eyes as Cher set about on what she was assigned to do. She clung to the shadows produced by the mid afternoon light. Slowly, ever so slowly, she finally arrived at the edge of the pack while holding in a long bated breath. She was currently a mere 10 feet away, a dangerously close distance. If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. While shivering feverently, she reached down into her pocket and pulled out a couple of marbles which were the remnants of my fight with the President¡¯s group. The plan was to continually throw marbles at the separated boar until it noticed. It was a simple, and frankly, rather stupid plan, but aside from me, Cher was the person most fit for this. This was mostly because she was the fastest out of the girls. While Cielle and Hina both mainly put points into their intelligence or wisdom, Cher had specked herself with an agility build. This was apparently due to her background with the track and field club, but I only learned this recently. With that in mind, Cher began throwing her marbles at the boar. I expected it to take a couple of attempts, seeing as how thick its hide looked, but whether through a stroke of dumb luck, or incredible coincidence, Cher¡¯s first marble hit the boar squarely in its right eye. SQUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUEEEEEEEEEEEEEE A deafening shriek escaped its feral lungs, as it swiveled its head towards Cher¡¯s direction. While squinting its right eye, the horned boar glared menacingly at her while it puffed a gust of air through its rose colored snout. In the face of its primal glare, Cher¡¯s whole body froze in place. While I could only see the back of her head from my angle, I imagined tears trickling down her face, as she made a pitiful expression. Before any of the other boars could react, in a fit of anger and primal rage, the boar instantly rocketed forward. With heavy stomps that shook the very foundation of the third floor, the beast began closing the distance between it and Cher. Almost simultaneously, Cher was also on her feet as she sprinted down the hallway towards my direction. Her legs pulsed as they propelled her forward, driven by her most prevalent emotion of fear. She shot me a pleading look from my view point. Like I had presumed, tears were currently streaking down her face as they fluttered behind her, left in the dust due to Cher¡¯s own velocity. A few seconds later, that single pair of thundering foot steps transformed into the sound of a blood thirsty stampede. While separated by a distance of 20 feet, the rest of the herd followed behind the lead boar in their attempts to chase down the single pitiful girl. Cher, in response to the noise, shot a quick glance over her shoulder. This subsequent action only caused her to pale even further. Unexpectedly, her already fast legs grew faster as the distance between her and I shortened. ¡°Hah¡­ hahh...hahh¡­¡± She greedily panted in thick gulps of air as she ran. Her eyes we¡¯re swirling as she began yelling at the top of her throat. ¡°D-Do it! Do it already! Their coming damn it!¡± Pleading to what appeared to be no one in particular, she continually screamed while her legs kept moving forward. As if in response to her desperate words, a pillar of flames instantly shot out from behind the lead boar, completely separating it and the rest of the pack. As Cher and the boar continually ran, shrinking the distance towards me, more pillars of fire rose from the ground behind them. At this point a pillar of flame appeared every 7 feet, cordoning off the halls, into sections until there were a total of four pillars of fire. From ontop of the raised locker, I quietly observed this scene with indifferent eyes. I nodded softly to myself upon seeing the successful execution of the plan. The Pillars of flame were the result of a pre laid trap and Hina¡¯s own efforts. Before she was currently being chased, 200 feet away from the boars, while Cher walked over towards the herd, I instructed her to spray a line of alcohol (leftovers from the fiasco with the wolves) so that it encompassed the whole width of the hall. She did this 4 times, each separated by a distance of 7 feet. Hina¡¯s role in this case was to remotely fire off some fire magic towards the lines of alcohol. She did this by hiding within a classroom directly adjacent to the hall and next to those lines of alcohol. There were no concerns of Hina being trapped in a lone classroom, while a sea of boars surrounded her, since, in the first place Hina arrived at that classroom through the air ducts, reminiscent of my own mode of travel during my fight with the werewolves. After she had fulfilled her role, Hina would then quickly leave through the ducts before any of the remaining boars noticed her. Now, normally, the fire produced and sustained by alcohol lacked force, but with the help of Hina¡¯s [Pyrokinesis] skill, she was able to fan that pre-existing flame, and turn it into a raging inferno. The first pillar of flame was the largest, and acted as the initial border that separated the rest of the herd from Cher and the Boar. Now, Boars are animalistic creatures, and hold a fear of the unknown, or in this case, fire. While these were monsters, from my previous encounters, monsters also held primal animalistic behavior of their own, so a pillar of raging flames that towered above their heads may halt them in their tracts. The remaining pillar of flames were a precaution. Insurance, in case a few straggler boars got ahead of themselves and recklessly crossed the flames. So far the plan was working perfectly. Cher and the lead boar were successfully separated from the others, and the rest of herd was still behind the 1st wall of flame. ¡°Hmmm¡­ it¡¯s going well enough but that Boar, it''s getting pretty close to her, huh¡­¡± I offhandedly stated while I observed the lead boar rapidly closing in on Cher. Right now, the Boar was less than two feet away from Miss Pitiful. Anymore, and Cher would probably be dead, pierced by one of those tusks of his or maybe rammed by the horns. This was particularly troubling since she was still about 13 yards away from me. Too far for us to initiate the next phase of our plan. While thinking this, I nonchalantly shrugged. ¡°Well, she¡¯s almost on top of it, so there¡¯s no need to worry much¡­¡± As I casually said that, Cher¡¯s panic stricken face grew closer before she arrived at an expanse of darkness that covered about a square area of 5 feet by 5 feet of the hallway¡¯s grime covered floor. Without so much as a flicker of recognition, Cher ran through that puddle of darkness, sending out the occasional splash as she went through. The Boar, who, in its current rage completely focused in on Cher, ignored the puddle of darkness and followed Cher on her current, straight forward path. Be it recklessness or over confidence, it also ran through the puddle of darkness. Unlike Cher though, the Boar exhibited a completely different reaction. It gurgled out in a shriek of pain, as its legs momentarily buckled. It wasn¡¯t enough to completely stop the boar in its tracks, but it did buy Cher some distance and time. Specifically, by the time it had recovered, there were 20 feet of space now separating them. It was obvious, but the Boar experienced firsthand the pain caused by Cielle¡¯s [Dark Gemini]. Cielle herself wasn¡¯t at the location, rather she waited at a sort of checkpoint for Cher. the [Dark Gemini] had been laid out before hand, demonstrating once again its versatile function. As to why Cher was able to continually run even after she traversed over the substance, it was simple really, [Dark Gemini] never made contact with her skin. Currently, Cher was wearing a pair of dark-black men¡¯s pants. A pair that we picked up from an old corpse in the hall. At first she was against wearing something so¡­ unsanitary (and morally questionable), but in that brief moment, it proved to be a lifesaving pair of pants. With the help of some rope, and left over packing tape, we sealed the ends of her pants securely enough so that no outside substance could penetrate through. With the advantage given from the Boar¡¯s trip up, Cher was able to continue sprinting, panting heavily along the way. Although the unexpected pain the boar received seemingly backfired as its running speed increased, driven by an incredible sense of rage. It once again rapidly began closing their gap. Thankfully, the next stage of the plan was about to start. 12¡­ 10¡­. 6¡­.. 3¡­. 2¡­.0 feet. With that, Cher, and her chestnut red hair fluttered freely through the air as she finally passed my current location. She spared a sidelong glance upwards at my current position before she wordlessly continued running. As if on cue, the Boar followed behind, the distance between him and I now only 5 feet away. I cracked my neck once, as I gripped the edge of the locker. With a feral smile plastered on my face, I looked down at the boar that steamrolled its way down the hall. ¡°With this, it¡¯s my turn.¡± I commented dryly just as the beast ran underneath me. With its position in consideration, I boldly jumped off, barrelling straight towards its back. In the briefest split second that I was in mid air, time seemingly stopped. It was as if everything paused. Like this instant, this current instant during this current time was something that engraved itself deep into the recesses of my memory. Of course, all this whimsy vanished in the next instant as I firmly landed on the boar¡¯s hide covered back with a resounding thud. ***** Author''s Note: If you enjoyed this chapter or the story in general, please take some time out of your day to rate or review. I appreciate the feedback. Chapter 47: Hunting and Processing Hunting and Processing The moment of contact was the most important. It was this brief instance of time, that required an incredible amount of sheer timing, determination, and luck. If I messed up this one singular moment, if I lacked any single one of those important characteristics, then I¡¯d be in for a world of hurt. It seriously wouldn¡¯t be funny. With that said, nothing bad like that happened. I landed onto the boar¡¯s back with no trouble. Following behind my decent, the black sword which I strapped onto my back using a makeshift sheath made out of rope hit me behind with a dull thud. The small, miniscule impact almost sent me teetering off of my unsteady footing. The moment I landed on top of the boar, my knuckles instantly paled, as my hands gripped for dear life onto the Boar¡¯s corse external hide. Its sharp bristles of fur poked and annoyed my skin, but I fought back the rising irritation as I managed to maintain my position. The boar itself, which still chased Miss Pitiful with exuberant enthusiasm, now slowed, primarily due to the added weight and sudden impact of my arrival. While it couldn¡¯t see me, it more than likely knew I was here. A pest that currently clung to its back like an annoying mosquito. This was made all the more apparent, the minute its body movement became more erratic. Instead of the usual straight forward sprint it used to do, the boar squealed loudly as it began zigzagging. Its feet stampeded recklessly throughout the hall, while it tried desperately to shake its body in an attempt to dislodge me off its back. Unfortunately for it, I was quite persistent. I resisted with all my might as its movements grew more reckless and dangerous. As I resisted, I could see the floating status panel above its head. It flew through the air, keeping perfect stride with the Boar¡¯s own explosive motion, without a care in the world, unaware of the current situation its owner was currently caught up in.
Lesser Tusk Boar - Level 25 HP: 600/600
As I quietly assessed its status while biting my lip down, I made a slight nod in satisfaction. Its level was within my range, although it did have an abnormally large amount of hp. Rather, it had about the same amount of hp as that Alpha Werewolf I fought, and that thing back then had been level 37 or so. Whittling it down shouldn¡¯t pose too much of a problem for me though, given my current abilities. My main issue was keeping my grip onto this erratic boar. Maintaining this type of unsteady hold while it did such crazy motions wouldn¡¯t allow me to last long, so with that in mind, I took a risk, and reached over with my left hand behind me. The brief instance where I had only one hand grasping onto its back, almost sent me flying off, but be it through luck or grit, I stayed atop. In the folds of my pocket, I firmly gripped onto my familiar dagger- Efhermet-¡¯s handle. ¡°Then-¡± With quick, deliberate motion, I stabbed the dagger fiercely into its hide, cutting through both air, fur and fat. The blade sunk 6 inches deep, while the boar let loose a small squeal that showcased more irritation rather than actual pain. Using the dagger as support, I managed to stay upright while I slowly scooted forward. With trepid movements, I peered over the boar¡¯s body and in between its two massive horns. Through that small gap, I could see Cher approaching a four way intersection in the hall. By this point in time, Cher¡¯s speed was slowly going down as her stamina steadily decreased. The erratic panting of hers matched in sync with the sluggish swing of her arms in such a fashion that I can¡¯t help but reiterate - ¡®she looks really pitiful right now...¡¯. If it wasn¡¯t for my sudden interruption, then she would have surely been caught by now. With that in mind, seeing the intersection, I couldn¡¯t resist as a small smile appeared on my face. The next part of the plan-my part, was about to begin¡­ Cher, who had been running nonstop in a straight line all this time, suddenly turned sharply towards the left hall. Her legs wobbled slightly as she almost slipped and face planted, but in the end, she maintained an upright position while continually running down this new route of hers. From down the left hall, I caught a brief sight of a mess of black hair as it peered out from a slightly opened doorway. The boar, who by now, also reached the intersection, planned to give chase. It was apparent by its shortened steps that it prepared itself to turn left as well. Before it had the opportunity to do so though, with one hand on the boar¡¯s right horn, and the other onto a dagger that lodged itself near the base of its skull, I yanked with all my might towards the opposite direction. SQUUUUUUUUUUUUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE It squealed as I jiggled the enlodged dagger slightly while I used all my force and combined weight to steer it into one direction. Either my own strength was lacking, or the Boar¡¯s spindly feet lacked enough dexterity, but its sudden turn didn¡¯t go quite as smoothly. As its head swerved towards the right, its forward momentum remained. Just as it made the turn, that hunkering body of his which propelled him forward came crashing towards the corner, smashing up rows of locker as well as loosening up the poorly constructed plaster on the walls. As the beast attempted to regain its footing, it dashed forward (into the right hallway) and crashed into another pair of lockers located on the opposite side of the hall. This reckless set of actions continued indefinitely, zig zagging along the hallway, and crashing continuously against the walls. The impact from each successive contact made me buckle, and almost dislodged me off of the beast, but nonetheless I continued forward. Repositioning myself, I hugged the beast with my legs as I held a strong grasp onto the boar¡¯s body. With better traction, I managed to stay firmly in place, even in spite of the monster¡¯s own reckless movements. Now the goal was to keep the monster moving, and drive it away from the main herd. After all, that pillar of flame isn¡¯t indefinite. Without Hina¡¯s constant assistance, the fire will last but a moment and afterwards, the possibility that the rest of the herd will give chase exists. It was my job until then to separate this boar from the remainder of the group. Leading it around, I struggled to stir the boar forward. After several minutes of this rodeo farce, and after I stirred it through several turns along this absurdly large school and into a pre-planned location, my grip slackened as I prepared to dismount the boar. With a deftly kick downwards, I propelled myself to the side, landing with a roll before I crash- came to stop by the lockers. Now that its original prey disappeared, the boar squealed aggressively before it came to a running stop after having noticed that the parasite on its back was no more. It turned its beading red eyes towards me as it kicked the ground. A steam of rancid air came out from that rosy pink snout of his before he flashed his rows of canines in mock derision. Seeing this display of power, I replied in turn. I rose to my feet, before I grabbed at the black sword behind me. I gripped the sword deftly in one hand, and unsheathed the blade, as I sized the beast up. Killing it all in one go would be difficult, but not impossible. Rather, if I fought using the same type of dirty tricks I normally fought with, I was confident I would win. But, right now¡­ I didn¡¯t want to do that. It¡¯s been awhile since I fought an actual monster, so maybe ¡°playing¡± with it might be a good change of pace¡­. Well, although I said ¡°playing¡±, what I really meant was sort of analyzing the way this monster fought. The way it moves, its attack patterns, the tiny miniscule habits it has, getting to know what type of opponent this monster was would be good experience for me. After all, I doubt this would be the last boar type monster I¡¯d face off against in this new world. As I played with such idle thoughts, the boar reared its head towards me and dashed forward with the vigor and velocity rivaling a freight train. I watched it calmly, my face quickly turning indifferent as it drew ever closer. My enhanced vision also affected my Kinetic vision, allowing me to fully grasp the forward motion of the raging Boar. At the very last second, right when the beast was sure to hit, I jumped side ways, pinning myself against the locker wall in the process. In that short instance, I created a gap of about 4 feet between the monster and I. As I flew away from it, I could see its beady eye focus in on me as it helplessly continued forward before it came to a running stop once more. It walked around in a full circle before finally facing me again. Its eyes had a certain hostility in them, the same hostile eyes which I grew accustomed to back within the old school building. I brandished my sword once more, holding it out in front of me in a mock attempt to judge the distance between the boar and myself. Just as I did so, it rocketed forward once more, this time, its head slightly bent downwards as it led with the tip of its ram-like horns. Like before, I jumped to the side, avoiding a would be fatal blow, which instead of crushing my rib cage, crushed a pair of lockers. This pattern continued for a while. The boar dashing forward while I simply avoided with a simple side step. By this point, I had understood a lot about the creatures method of attack and its subsequent limitations. For one, it could only rush forward. While such an attack did hold great amount of power, in truth this was the only thing it could do. Its body type limited it from making any sharp turns, and it seemed to me like it could neither walk backwards properly. There was also one other thing; when it wanted to ram someone with its horns, it would lower its head, temporarily blocking its vision. Indeed, it was a monster with great rushing speed, and power but with a terrible sense for battle. Its greatest strength lay in its speed, a speed that not many people could react to, but once you take away that advantage... As the beast recklessly charged forward, I gave it a few light nicks here and there. The intent behind my strikes wasn¡¯t to deal damage, but rather to test the waters. One thing I discovered was that its hide was abnormally thick, and underneath that hide was another layer of fat which acted as a last line of defense. As such, short bladed weapons like a dagger would do little damage. Even if I could penetrate the blade through its body, the hide and fat combination stopped the blade from going any deeper. As such, I had to rely on the black sword which I wasn¡¯t all that proficient in. Of course, I could always just throw the daggers at its vital spots, like say, the eye or its nose¡­. Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. By the time I felt satisfied with ¡°playing¡± with it, the boar¡¯s hp had dwindled down to less than half, and due to its numerous efforts at charging towards me, it currently panted heavily, rows of white rancid steam continuously flowed out of its agape jaw. In contrast, I was left unharmed. I repositioned myself directly in the middle of the open hallway as I faced of against the boar once more. With the fresh red on my black sword, I raised it deftly like a matador at a bullfight. The boar, despite its growing fatigue, roared fiercely before it dashed forward. Like all my previous encounters, I followed the boar¡¯s movements with a quick side step. But unlike prior, instead of jumping to the side with 2 feet strides, I remained close with the bore, before I ultimately raised my blade high and- [Dissect]! The black blade in my hand whistled forward before it made contact with the Boar¡¯s left front leg. At the exact space where the kneecap formed, my blade cut through sinew, and bone like it was made out of butter. A moment later, with the upcoming spray of blood, a single leg flew through the air. The beast squealed in agony before it came to a crash on the floor. Taking light, and steady steps, I walked around the beast, taking note of its heavy panting and vain attempts at rising again. I circled around it before I came to a stop at its other front leg. With one swing of my blade and with the activation of my skill, I once again removed its limb. It squealed in agony once more, its vocal orchestra in tone with the deduction of hp in its status window. I repeated this process with its remaining legs. While cutting off the two front appendages would have been enough, I wanted to take extra precautions. After all, you can never be too careful. By the time it became a legless stump, only about 10 % of its remaining hp remained. I could have killed it then and there, but instead I slowly waited for it to bleed out. After all, I don¡¯t really want to damage any of the good muscle and meat it had in its main body. Standing just a couple feet away from it, I quietly waited with an imposing stance and an indifferent expression on my face. Its constant squealing had grown quiet, resulting in only a heavy pant to escape every now and then. While I did wait, it really was taking a while. Even though 10 minutes had passed, it still retained 6% of its hp. Truly, this was quite a stubborn monster. Even in its final death throes, it was causing me numerous trouble and grief. Growing bored, I decided to occupy my free time with a bit of ¡°harvesting¡±. Well, while I planned to do this after it had finally died, my boredom and impatience slightly tweaked that original intention. With soft and light footsteps I came closer to the beast. It reacted slightly, but otherwise remained silent. I grabbed the boar¡¯s protruding tusk and examined it closely. The boar tried moving its jaw as I did so, but I reacted by stabbing its cheek with my dagger. Every time it moved, I stabbed its cheek. Eventually, it learned, and thus remained unmoving despite my proximity. I felt the rough texture of the tusk. It felt hard, yet at the same time hollow. A hollow tooth- was the best way to describe it. I yanked at it timidly, testing its sturdiness. Every time I moved the tusk, the boar¡¯s head would follow. If I yanked it upwards, the boar would tilt its neck up. If I yanked it down, it would tilt its head down, and vise versa. Doing something like this was a bit fun in its own right, but right now I needed to focus. Removing my mind out from the gutter, I once again properly looked at the tusk. Without a moment¡¯s hesitation I brought [Efhermet] close to the base before I- SQUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE It roared painfully. It might have been just me, but I could have sworn there were tears in its eyes. Never the less I continued. Ignoring its pained wails, I continued hacking at the tusk with the blade of my dagger. As expected, it wasn¡¯t an easy feat. The boar still moved around recklessly, causing a bit of difficulty in my aim, plus a dagger wasn¡¯t really the ideal tool for severing a tusk. Fortunately, I found that with the use of [Dissect], I could supplement for the disadvantages given in my current situation. After 5 [Dissect] hacks, the tusk cleanly separated from the boar¡¯s main body. As it parted, the boar let loose its last death cry, dying just as I finished. It seemed as if it''s constant thrashing had accelerated the bleeding effect, causing it to die sooner rather than later. Seeing this spectacle, I simply shrugged nonchalantly before I rose from my spot and took a step backwards. With my hands on my hips, I examined its carcass from afar. After a minute of silently staring, I decided to get on with what I had planned to do from the start. With this, it was time to properly ¡°harvest¡±. While I had no prior knowledge nor experience concerning how to properly process an animal carcass, at the very least, I could try. If worse comes to worse, I can always hunt down another boar. The first thing I did was separate the skin from its main torso. As I did so, it took quite a bit of effort. Its hide was indeed thick and a lot of elbow grease was put just into finding the right angle which to cut at the skin with. After a couple minutes, I managed to properly peel away the fur, careful not to damage both the hide and the meat. Currently, aside from the boar¡¯s head, its body was completely hairless, well aside from the occasional rough spot here and there. There was a book about pelts and how to properly clean and manufacture them within the pile of books I brought from the library. I would look at that later, but for now, I set the fur to the side as I got to work on the remainder of the body. The first thing I did was extract the meat. Following the lines and contours of the muscle, I cut up the beast carefully, making sure to cut up separate pieces like the loin, and hind leg. This took quite a considerable amount of time, but after 20 minutes I managed to get a decent pile going. The finished products we¡¯re put to the side carefully, on top of the hide. Afterwards, I stepped back to admire my work. Blood had trickled onto my face, making me a fair bit peeved, since I had just recently taken bath, but nonetheless, a sense of pride welled up inside me upon seeing my finished work. Currently, the boar had a large portion of its bone exposed. To the side, was a whole slew of guts and organs which I did not know what to do with. Despite the mess, I felt somewhat satisfied with my current rate of progress. Now I just had to wait for the others. Normally, we planned on meeting up after I successfully led the lead boar away from the others. Judging by the situation, it seemed as if I separated a bit too far. With nothing to do but simply sit and wait, I decided not to just idle around like this. I resumed ¡°harvesting¡± but this time, due to completely different intentions. The first thing I did, was scooping out the boar¡¯s eyeballs using the tip of my dagger. I did this carefully and on a whim, paying particularly close attention to its lifeless iris, and the extending vein that connected the eye to the brain. Next I separated its tongue. You know, after all beef tongue is considered to be quite a delicacy. Maybe boar tongue will taste the same. With greedy and gluttonous intentions, I set the tongue aside alongside the rest of the meats. Next up was its teeth. From the protruding canines, it was obvious enough that this type of boar was carnivorous. Pulling out the teeth was exceptionally difficult to do, so after I hacked off the remaining tusk, I forgoed the idea, and simply separated its whole jaw. I continued this series of actions for some time. I payed close attention to its face- playing and separating methodically with its horns, ears, nose, etc. I don¡¯t know whether it was due to my constant use of [Dissect] in the process, but through my lax actions, I gained a new skill.
New Sub-skill for [Dissect] learned! Butcher [Active] With the basics of anatomy as your foundation, you have gained the ability to slaughter and cut up for food. Skill Type: Regular Skill Rank: Beginner Skill Level: 1 Skill Experience: 0% Effects: Increased efficiency when processing dead corpses for materials. Materials include but are not limited to: Bone, organ, muscle, fat, and/or skin. Current Specialization: Monster: Boar Animal: Pig, Boar Human: n/a
Looking closely at the window panel, I knew full well that the [Butcher] skill was a non combative skill, something purely designed for after a battle. On that note, up until this point, I¡¯ve had the vague assumption that learning new skills was something extremely difficult to do. After all, my only skill which I properly learned- Dissect- was something I acquired after slaughtering several dozens of goblins. This was quite a contrast from how quickly I learned the [Butcher] skill, only taking one corpse for its acquirement. In the end, I simply attributed this to my already existing skill [Dissect]. The two skills were greatly related, and it wouldn¡¯t be a stretch of logic to assume that [Dissect] facilitated in the faster acquirement of [Butcher]. Satisfied with the results, I once again waited patiently for the arrival of the girls. With nothing else to do, I haphazardly used [identify] on all the various body parts which I sloppily processed. Each part registered as a separate item, having a description of something miscellaneous like ¡°The tusk of a Lesser Tusk Boar, C+ Crafting material.¡± or ¡°The eyeball of a Lesser Tusk Boar, E- Alchemy material¡±. No information whether the Boar was actually eatable or not exposed itself. Whether monster meat is poisonous or not, I¡¯ll have to find out through experimentation and trial. Nothing interesting or noteworthy happened as I continued doing petty identifications. A few minutes after I identified the last body part, the three girls arrived, all while brandishing several differing expressions. **** Author''s Note:If you liked this chapter or story in general, please rate or revie. I appreciate the feedback. Chapter 48: A Taste Long Forgotten A Taste Long Forgotten ¡°Ah, there you guys are¡­¡± I nonchalantly spoke, while waving over at the three girls who came from down the hall. ¡°A-ah, Hide¡­¡± Miss Pitiful was the first to speak as they reached me. For some reason, she had a tired look in her eyes while her expression was shaped into a cramped smile. The two beside her also followed. Cielle had a somewhat bored expression on while Hina¡¯s eyes slightly widened while surveying the scene. ¡°So, I take it everything worked out fine?¡± I asked. While they had arrived somewhat later than expected, seeing their unharmed figures in front of me reassured me that nothing terrible had occurred. Before any of them could answer, Cielle walked up, and looked down at me. Ah, before anything else, I¡¯d like to mention I was currently sitting crosslegged besides the newly excavated carcass. From my lowered perspective, she pumped her fists up close to her chest before she gave me an energetic thumbs up while flashing a somewhat smug smile on her face. ¡°...¡± I blinked once at that small thumb wiggling in the air. ¡°Hahaha, that¡¯s good to hear, that¡¯s good to hear,¡± I smiled an uncharacteristically large grin, while my eyes squinted into happy crescents. I don¡¯t really know why, but for some reason, I¡¯m feeling a bit happy right now. Like a whole load of my shoulders just suddenly disappeared. It probably had nothing to do with the corpse besides me. While I laughed mostly to myself, I noticed the girls looking around the hall. Since I was preoccupied before they got here, I hadn¡¯t realized that currently, my surroundings could be best described as a ¡°sea of blood¡±. Somehow or the other, during my confrontation with the boar, the floor had gotten soaked red with its scarlet remains. This was due to a combination of it bleeding out on the floor and the fact that each sword strike that bit through its flesh sprayed a haphazard amount of blood all over the place. Even now, I only just realized that there was a red splotch adorning my cheek. As I nonchalantly wiped at it while I softly smiled, Hina spoke up. ¡°Hide¡­ did you do all this?¡± Her voice had a strange hollowness to it, but her prior dead eyes had sort of enlivened a bit. I don¡¯t know what happened between that small interval we were seperated, but it seems like her mood has improved. ¡°Ah, this?¡± I laxly looked around the hall. ¡°Yeah, well, I couldn¡¯t really wait for you guys to return so after it died, I went ahead and processed the materials.¡± At my words, the trio looked around the hall. For the first time, they noticed the pile of red meat that lay atop a blood soaked fur hide. They hadn¡¯t noticed before since the carcass blocked its view, but now, upon seeing it for the first time, there eyes widened. While they admired(?), I noticed one girl whose shoulders were slightly shuddering. I turned to look at her just as she began speaking in a somewhat shaky voice, ¡°H-ha...hahaha, that scary monster that chased me around the halls and almost killed me¡­. to think that Hide killed it by himself¡­¡± She had a hollow laugh as she repeatedly looked from the carcass then over to me. Ignoring Cher¡¯s sudden change, Cielle just went right along and said, in a somewhat soft whisper, ¡°As expected¡­ Hide¡­. so strong¡­¡± Not sure what to do, all I could do was awkwardly scratch my head. In the process, the fresh blood that stained my hands accidentally contaminated my hair, giving my black pelt a scarlet sheen. ¡°Well, enough about that-¡± I clapped my hands, drawing their attention back over to me, ¡° For now let¡¯s change locations and then we¡¯ll decide what to do next,¡± At my behest we began to move. In order to move the meat, I got a table from one of the classrooms and broke of its legs. Then I flipped it on its side, so that the broken legs stuck up to the sky, before I tied a rope around two of the legs. I then transferred the meat over to the table, making sure that the fur hide remained underneath all the spoils. Like this, it became possible to drag the meat around the school. In addition, since the table kept the meat off the ground, no blood trail would be produced when we moved around. At first, I gave the job of dragging it to Cher, unfortunately, she lacked the necessary strength to do it by herself. After all, the total amount of meat probably weighed close to 200 pounds. I could have gotten more from the carcass, but unfortunately I ruined most of the meat with my careless and inexperienced butchering. Anyways, since she couldn¡¯t do it by herself, I helped out. After I instructed Hina to burn the remaining remains into ash, we set off. Together, with a rope in each of our hands, we dragged the meat, walking in stride with both Cielle and Hina, who stayed vigilant and acted as our look out. Along the way, maybe due to the good news, but Cher attempted to start a conversation. In truth, the fact that she had such energy, even though she was currently heaving and panting as if her life depended on it, impressed even me. Nonetheless, despite her fatigue, she continued talking. ¡°A-anyways...hah¡­¡± She began while pulling on the taut rope, ¡°I-I was surprised¡­ hah¡­. to find out that Hina could use m-magic¡­ hah¡­ like that.¡± Hina gave a slight nod of acknowledgement to the compliment. While her eyes weren¡¯t as hazy or brooding as before, she was still seemingly lost in thought. Although she did still manage to pay attention to her surroundings. ¡°How did you learn it? ¡­ hah¡­ your skill I mean,¡± Cher questioned. After a brief lapse of silence, Hina put her index finger to her chin, before she tilted her head and said, ¡°Ah¡­ I guess, if I had to say, it was because of Hide then,¡± ¡°H-Hide?¡± Cher¡¯s eyes widened slightly as she glanced over in my direction. In response, I only shrugged while I continued pulling on the rope. ¡°R-really¡­.¡± She managed, ¡°T-then how about you, mistress?¡± This time, she turned towards Cielle. ¡°You have that weird healing skill, don¡¯t you? How did you learn it?¡± Cher had experience Cielle¡¯s own power first hand back when we were setting up the traps. The power to both heal and inflict pain, [Blue Gemini]. From her location up ahead of us, Cielle turned around and stared at Cher. At first, she held that gaze before quickly turning to me. After a brief second of looking, she turned back around to face the front before replying with a, ¡°...It was Hide¡­ too¡­¡± ¡°Hide again?!¡± She yelled in shock. Her eyes widened like saucers as she turned to me once more. ¡°W-what are you¡­ a god?!¡± She managed, while a strange look in her eyes persisted. Seeing this, I sighed helplessly. ¡°It¡¯s not like that¡­ you¡¯re misunderstanding¡­¡± For a while that strange look which made me uncomfortable persisted, before, as if a spark connected in her head, her eyes widened and her mouth formed an ¡®O¡¯ shape. ¡°Ah, could it be¡­ If I stick around Hide, he¡¯ll grant me a skill too?!¡± ¡°W-wait, that¡¯s not exactly how-¡± Before I could protest any further, Cher pumped herself up as she turned to me. Her eyes sparkled as she stared with earnest emotion. This time, that expression of hers changed into one as if they were looking at a toy store. Like I held within me some strange new toy for her to play with. I sighed tiredly¡­ ¡°That¡¯s not-you know what? Nevermind, believe what you want to believe¡­¡± I turned back around to face the front, with a weary expression on my face. ¡°Yes sir, yes!¡± Cher spouted. ¡°I¡¯ll earnestly wait until I get my own skill!¡± While having to deal with Miss Pitiful¡¯s sparkly eyes and obnoxious expression, we continued moving forward, as the last rays of the afternoon passed and moonlight began seeping through the night sky. **** We didn¡¯t go back to the base. Instead, we arrived at a half decimated culinary classroom. This particular room, was decked in second hand kitchen appliances, and usually hosted classes for the seniors before the apocalypse. Cielle flicked on the nearby light switch, but unfortunately, the room stayed dark. By this point in the night, we could only rely on the faint moonlight that seeped through the windows to guard our way through. Well, that is until Hina activated her fire magic, and produced a small flickering flame that produced no smoke and illuminated the dim room to a considerable extent. As we lugged the meat with us through the door, Cher¡¯s legs wobbled as they gave out on her and she stumbled to the floor. While, heavily panting, beads of sweat trickled down her pale face as she stared listlessly at the ceiling above. ¡°W-w-why¡­ did we¡­ hah...hah¡­ h-have to go¡­ hah¡­ all the way¡­ over here¡­.¡± Out of breath and with her stamina bar reaching dangerously low levels from lugging around close to 200 pounds, she managed to push the question out using every bit of effort left in her shivering body. I somewhat ignored her, while I casually surveyed the room. -As expected, they took all the food¡­ the knives are gone too¡­ I checked through the cabinets while I replied, ¡°Isn¡¯t it obvious?¡± ¡°O-obvious?¡­ hah¡­ hah¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you want to eat food?¡± ¡°W-well, yeah¡­¡± Cher began steadily regaining her breath. She took a large gulp of air before asking, ¡°But can¡¯t we just do that back at the base? Having to go all the way here¡­ hah¡­. at the opposite end of the building¡­¡± Hearing her complaints, I chuckled softly, while I searched through the room, opening cabinets and kitchen drawers as I went. ¡°You don¡¯t want to eat the meat raw, now do you?¡± ¡°N-no¡­¡± ¡°Then it¡¯s obvious that we need a place to cook.¡± ¡°... But can¡¯t we just do that back at the base?¡± I shook my head once and replied,¡°The culinary classroom is a much better location than our base. This place has a ventilation system, so smoke won¡¯t congregate the halls, but more importantly- we won¡¯t attract anything¡­ troublesome to our home.¡± I spoke as I continued rifling through the room. Just, as Cher was about to interject, I suddenly jumped to my feet ¡°-Ah, Cielle, bring me that frying pan!¡± I called out to Cielle, who had been imitating me this whole time. I pointed directly at the frying pan that wound its way in her arms. ¡°A-attract you say¡­¡± Cher spoke with dubious eyes just as I examined the pan. ¡°Well, yeah, the smell might attract other survivors or monsters. And if it does, its best to misdirect them away from our base.¡± I stated simply while nonchalantly swung the pan. ¡°Even now, all the way here, the risk still exists¡­¡± ¡°...Isn¡¯t Hide a bit too cautious? It¡¯s like you''re worried about everything¡­¡± Cher pointed out, finally getting into an upright position as she recovered her breath. I, in turn, scoffed at her words. ¡°Nonsense, in this world, a moment¡¯s slip up could mean death.¡± ¡°D-death¡­¡± She shuddered at the mere utterance of the word. ¡°Yes, yes, that¡¯s right, death.¡± I elaborated. ¡°Take heed, those corpses out there could be you the very next day...¡± Hearing this, Cher couldn¡¯t help but gulp nervously as she shuddered feverently. I continued searching through the room, having finally dealt with Cher¡¯s incessant questioning. Unfortunately, the only thing I could find was a container filled with pepper, not really the most extravagant of spices. With all the ingredients gathered we set about to cooking. Hina, uncharacteristically volunteered to be the cook. Seeing as how I wasn¡¯t a very spectacular cook in my own right, and how the rest of the girls weren¡¯t any better, we allowed Hina to take the reign. She ordered me to cut up the meat into thin slices while she created a small flame with her magic. Using [Pyrokinesis] she directed the flame over onto the stove. While the gas did not work, she simply allowed her self created flame to heat up the iron on the stove before placing the frying pan over it. Like that, she began pan cooking the slices of meat to the best of her abilities. I didn¡¯t really know what she was doing. Every now and then, she¡¯d splash some water onto the pan, flip the slabs of meat, and sprinkle some pepper on it. It was series of actions that looked both natural and well executed. The single bead of sweat that trickled down her forehead as she concentrated starkly on the task at hand was quite a sight to see. Halfway through, she slightly widened her eyes as her eyebrows arched upwards. Although it was clear something had happened, she didn¡¯t elaborate any further. As for me, I guessed that it had something to do with this world¡¯s system interface. Maybe she had received a new skill¡­ or maybe a title¡­ I could only begin to speculate. Not long after, the aroma of cooked meat- a scent I haven¡¯t had the pleasure of smelling in a long time- filled the room just as she produced a towering plate of finely cooked slices of boar. The slabs of cooked meat, somewhat resembled pork, but gave off a beef-like smell. Every now and then trickles of cooked fat oozed out from their pores as a faint sizzling could be heard, signifying its ¡°fresh-of-the-grill¡± quality. All four of us deftly stared at the plate with swirling eyes. We gulped in anticipation as we attempted to control our dripping saliva. Well, although we were eager at the prospect of eating fresh food, I wasn¡¯t idiotic enough to instantly munch down on something potentially dangerous. While the boar did indeed look very much like a pig, and while the fragrant aroma that Hina¡¯s cooking did indeed smell very much like beef, the source of the meat was still labeled as a ¡°monster¡± by the system. And whether or not monster meat was actually eatable was still up for questioning, and unless one of us took one for the team and test it before hand, then all we could do was stand here idly and twiddle our thumbs. Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. On a whim, I used [identify] on the food. Unfortunately, only rows upon rows of question marks greeted me. This strange occurrence put me at a loss, as I helplessly stared, unsure what to do. As if she understood my intentions, Cher was the first to take a step forward. In her eyes, I could see past memories of regret and fear swirling within her. The idea of starving again¡­ was what probably drived her. An experience she would honestly rather not have to go through again, if this potential food source turned out to be a bust¡­ ¡­ Even I¡¯d be heartbroken. If such an ending were to result then I can only think that recklessly speed running the rest of this dungeon was the only other option left before we all collapsed from starvation. ¡°I-I¡¯ll test it!¡± She said, a heavy hint of nervousness and fear interlaced in her words. She, as well as anyone, knew how potentially dangerous monster meat consumption was, after all, she also bore witness to that tragic event involving a couple of idiots and a dead slime. She took another step forward, and ripped a piece of the finely cut slabs of meat using a fork, before she put it up to her slightly parted lips. The meat oozed with fat, while her lips wettened with saliva, creating for a fairly mesmerising comparison. She hesitated for a moment. I don¡¯t really know what she was waiting for, but her nose wriggled slightly as she shot each of us a glance. Whether she was expecting any of us to stop her or not¡­ I don¡¯t know. Just that, none of us were willing. Be it death through food poisoning or death through starvation, we would all die if this meat ended up being indigestible for the regular person. She trepidly tasted the food, chewing it thoroughly, while rolling it around her mouth. We all watched deftly, waiting, hoping. Eventually, we heard a faint gulping sound, as Cher parted her lips in satisfaction. ¡°....¡± ¡°....¡± ¡°....¡± We all stared at her. Cher¡¯s still half closed eyes showed no notice of us. After a while, Hina was the first to speak up, ¡°How is it?¡± ¡°Um¡­ it tastes sort of like pork¡­ or maybe beef?¡± She spoke while listlessly staring at the plate of food, exposing her hunger for more. ¡°No, that¡¯s not what I mean¡­¡± Hina tiredly replied. ¡°Do you feel¡­ anything strange?¡± Cher tilted her expression to the side. After a moment of consideration she shook her head. ¡°Did a status panel pop up?¡± I posed a question as well. ¡°Maybe you got a new skill, or a title?¡± ¡°Nope, nothing really happened¡­¡± She blankly replied. ¡°I see¡­¡± I nodded. I thought some more before saying, ¡°Then, have you checked your status window? Do you have any abnormal status effects in play?¡± ¡°Ah, not yet¡­ wait- let me check¡­¡± As she spoke, she squinted her eyes slightly. From the motion of her scanning irises, it was clear that she was reading through her panel. I also used [identify] on Cher. While my skill level was high enough to check for a few abnormal status effects, it did not register everything. Currently, it was like [identify] gave me only a tiny piece of the complete puzzle. After a moment passed, Cher once again perked up. She smiled blithfully. ¡°Nope! Nothing, I¡¯m completely fine- rather, can I have some more?¡± Hearing that, I exhaled a breath I did not even realize I was keeping. There was a good reason too. In this world, the status panel was integral. While it had many uses, one of its most important features was the ability to highlight a person¡¯s abnormal status effects. It did what a trip to the doctor¡¯s office did instantaneously. Seeing her careless expression, most likely produced by the first taste of cooked meat since forever, the rest of us relaxed. Cielle, Hina and I all exchanged a brief glance. ¡°Then¡­¡± Hina began. ¡°With this, it should be¡­¡± I also stated, trailing my words off as I glanced back over the slices of meat. Cielle, nodded vigorously, her eyes swirling with little caricatures of cooked steak. By this point, she made no attempt to hide the saliva that dripped down her chin. With one final push from the first guinea pig, ¡°Let¡¯s Eat!¡±, the rest of us began devouring our first taste of cooked meat ever since the start of the countdown. Like Cher said, the food tasted a fair bit like pork and beef. Rather, it was sort of a combination of the two different animals. While, I could tell that it was cooked rather hastily, my stomach was more than just satisfied. In fact, in a moment of blithe, I haphazardly used [Sensory-Remapping +] to augment my sense of taste, bringing this already joyous experience into new heights. Comparatively, the one who showed the most enthusiasm was Cielle. While I already knew she was quite the ravenous eater, her current display was simply something else. She ate almost double the amount I had. Her puffed up cheeks and constantly moving mouth resembled a chipmunk, giving of a sort of soothing atmosphere. While Cielle was indeed eating like there was no tomorrow, there was one person who rivaled her in both enthusiasm and amount. Cher, maybe due to her prior experience with starvation, ate as if her stomach was a black hole. Although, when compared with the way Cielle ate- with her slobbering expression and with all the little pieces of meat stuck to her cheeks¡­ Miss Pitiful looked pretty pitiful. Hina, halfway through our meal, had began cooking once more. Due to the endless pits known as Cielle and Cher, Hina frantically cooked, with a somewhat happy expression on her face. Occasionally, she¡¯d stop every now and then to eat her own share as well. All in all, with the combination of a fresh shower and a hot meal, today shaped up to be a good day that filled all of us with renewed hope and vigor. *** About two hours later, we were walking back in the darkness towards our newly formed base. Although travel through the night was considerably dangerous, the risk of staying at the culinary room was too great. For one, the ventilation system which I had hoped would filter out all the smoke and smell, was pathetically broken. It took quite a while to notice, but the permeating smell of freshly cooked meat floated freely throughout the room and into the adjacent halls. Frankly speaking, the eastern building could be best considered ¡°monster territory¡±. Populated by dozens- if not hundreds of monsters, it wouldn¡¯t be a surprise to find the culinary room ransacked in the morning. Like that, we walked quietly, extra vigilant of the change the darkness brought to our surroundings. Cielle and I had experienced first hand the ¡°exclusive¡± monsters that came out at night, and we knew full well of their danger. The table which Cher and I dragged produced a rough scraping sound, although not as bad as when we first started. Prior to our departure, We wrapped the uncooked meat with several layers of plastic film and placed the remainder in a collection of ziploc bags which we found in the culinary room. Since all of us we¡¯re unsure how to properly preserve meat, we simply hoped for the best. Before we left, Hina also cooked a fair amount of the meat, as a sort of counter measure against the meat from spoiling. Currently, we filled two pots full of pan cooked pork-beef. She would have cooked some more had I not stopped her. I mostly worried she¡¯d deplete the rest of her mana in the process. As we silently walked, I pondered over what to do. In truth, while there was a book about curing meat back at the base, whether or not I could successfully replicate it was still up for grabs. The necessary tools might not be available or I might just lack the skill at this particular activity... On top of that, despite our earlier joy about the recent solution to the hunger problem, we still had many issues. Mainly, two important issues which the current me had trouble handling. One was preservation. Finding a way to preserve the meat was important, otherwise, the majority of our spoils would rot even before a day passes thanks to the summer heat. The other, was cooking. Like I told Cher, carelessly cooking the food could very much attract monsters as well as survivors. The smell would permeate and bring those with mixed feelings of hunger, and wrath towards our door steps. That was something I needed to avoid. Of course, there was actually a simple solution to this problem. One I came to realize a while ago, but had tried desperately to ignore. And that was- the cafeteria. They had all the necessities we currently needed. A walk-in freezer to preserve the meat, as well as a reasonable place to cook. Earlier, when I interrogated Cher, she had confirmed that the cafeteria did indeed still have electricity. Somehow or another, they had managed to redirect the rest of the school¡¯s power supply over towards the cafeteria. This information was later confirmed by the president whom we recently spoke too. Apparently, someone from the school faculty was responsible for it. While the merit of properly preserved and properly cooked meat was enticing, honestly, there was one additional factor- a factor that may prove more beneficial for us in the end. That was- misdirection. After this precedent, the smell of cooked meat is impossible to hide. When rumor starts spreading that someone managed to acquire food, then there¡¯s no question that Satou will immediately take action. Of course, we could always eat the meat raw in order to avoid the smell, but that was an unreasonable leap in logic. Whether we liked it or not, Satou will definitely involve himself. If that were to happen, it would be better if he developed the misunderstanding that the Cafeteria group was the one responsible for the food, and not me. That way, the two groups can duke it out to their hearts content while leaving me out of all that troublesome stuff. Of course, I¡¯d need a middleman in order to accomplish that. In order to safely supply them the food, and receive the cooked food in return, without being found out. Let¡¯s see¡­ someone like the President would be good. While I¡¯d dislike it if more people came to rely on me, if I somehow managed to put the brunt of that responsibility over towards the president, while at the same tying securing a sort of favor from him¡­ The weak and unreliable ones would cling to the President, while the ones with reasonable war potential (i.a. the scouting group) would be under my debt. The benefits were piling themselves on top of one another the more I thought about it. After all, it wouldn¡¯t be very favorable for me if the cafeteria group starved to death. After all, they both acted as an intermediary for Satou¡¯s wrath as well as a potential fighting force for the boss battle, no matter how weak they may seem. Having them die off now would just plummet my own future fighting potential. Despite all this, there was still one problem¡­ Hina. Hina was integral into our monster hunting method. Her ability was what allowed us to separate the boar from its herd in the first place. It wouldn¡¯t be a stretch to say her presence alone could secure a steady food supply. Currently that type of important girl had a quiet, downtrodden expression on her face. I don¡¯t know whether she wanted to return to the president or not, but¡­ that possibility¡­ I can¡¯t let that happen. It wasn¡¯t a conclusion based on intimacy, but rather, necessity. We needed Hina. Or to be more blunt, we needed her ability. Whether or not she¡¯d reject my proposal, or whether she¡¯d use my proposal as an opportunity to run back to the President¡­ that was a risk I was afraid to take. As I pondered all this, lost in my own thoughts, from up ahead of me, I heard a quiet voice call out. ¡°Hide,¡± It was Hina. She glanced over her shoulder with one eye while holding a delicate expression on her face. An indescribable look which I could only tilt my head at. ¡°Yeah?¡± I replied nonchalantly, masking my earlier thoughts and concerns to the best of my ability. ¡°Let¡¯s¡­¡± She hesitated for a moment, before resuming once more, ¡°Let¡¯s give some of the meat to the Cafeteria.¡± ¡°...¡± I solemnly stared at her. For a while now, Hina had been lost in thought. Whether her current proposal was one with intentions which matched my own, or whether driven by personal feeling¡­ it was difficult to tell. That indecipherable, delicate look on her face left me boggled. In the end, after a few seconds of silence, and with me repeatedly weighing the pros and cons, I replied back. ¡°Yeah, okay. Let¡¯s head out the first thing, tomorrow.¡± At the behest of my reply, Hina nodded curtly. She murmured a quiet thanks before she turned back around and continued walking down the night trodden hall. **** Author''s Note: If you liked this chapter, or this story in general, please rate or review. I appreciate the feedback. Also I added in a poll this chapter, since it''s been a while, and I''m bored. Chapter 49: One Sided Negotiations Author''s Note: The land slide victory for Cielle in last chapter''s poll was something... I expected. Apparently, everyone just loves crazy... I wonder what would happen if I made a, "Which girl do you hate the most?" poll... One Sided Negotiations Early in the morning, just as the first rays of sunlight began leaking into the windows, I got up and prepared to leave. I had decided yesterday to make a sort of ¡°deal¡± with the cafeteria group. While eating some of the leftover food from last night, the first thing I did was move over towards the raw meat and inspect that damage from last night. It had been sitting out here, for over 9 hours, so I feared a bit whether that was enough time for meat to spoil. I confirmed that a slight odor permeated from it, but otherwise, the meat looked fine. A nice, red-pinkish tone was present while the raw muscle gleamed in the morning sun. Be it a combination of the night¡¯s cold weather, or the fact that monster meat lasts longer, but the promised food was still in good condition. I nodded in satisfaction to myself just as I caught sight of some stirring from the corner of my eye. Turning around, I noticed that my earlier, trepid movements awoke the others. Glancing at the corner of room with the two beds pulled close to each other, I could see all three girls groaning as they lifted themselves up into an upright seating position. The tiredness and usual morning fatigue was present in their sluggish movements. Cielle, whose messy hair now stood up on ends, glanced around the room. Her gaze momentarily paused on me before the landed onto the pot of pan cooked meat. Without a hint of hesitation, she immediately walked over towards that pot, an orchestra of grumbling stomach following her wake. Cher also soon arrived at the pot momentarily after Cielle did. ¡°Are you preparing to leave?¡± Hina asked, still in bed, while rubbing one eye in an attempt to shoo away the sleepiness. Her clothes were wrinkled and messy, revealing a fair amount of skin which she didn¡¯t seem to notice in her stupor. ¡°Ah, yeah.¡± I replied. ¡°If we wait any longer, the meat might spoil.¡± Hearing this, Hina paused, before she nodded slowly. An affirmative murmur followed as she slowly raised from her position. The first thing I noticed was that Hina wasn¡¯t wearing any pants, nor a skirt. I found this odd, considering last night in particular was pretty cold, and wearing nothing but panties isn¡¯t really going to help that. Although in retrospect, a skirt over panties doesn¡¯t really make much of a difference when it comes to conserving body heat. Anyways, despite her embarrassing attire, Hina didn¡¯t seem to notice as she too walked over to where her sister and Cher were currently at. Eating peacefully alongside the others, Hina was unaware that she was exposing a fair amount of skin for me to see. Well, it wasn¡¯t like I purposely looked, but neither did I go out of my way to avoid seeing it either. The first to point it out was Cher. While chewing on a piece of meat, she nonchalantly looked out before stating in mild surprise, ¡°Ah, Hina, what happened to your skirt?¡± ¡°Skirt?¡± Hina tilted her head while maintaining sleep induced droopy eyes. As the word ¡°skirt¡± registered in her mind, she blankly looked down, only to later express a face of confusion before that ultimately shifted into one of late understanding. Hina realized what was going on, and just as quickly as her mind was snapped into alertness, her face reddened with haste. She shot a glance my way, while simultaneously covering her midriff with her hands. In response, I simply shrugged, and floated a question towards everybody present. ¡°I¡¯m going to need help bringing the meat to the library. Anybody willing to come along?¡± I posed this question, because I needed a look out while I lugged the supplies around. Stray survivors or wandering monsters would prove problematic if they discovered what I had to offer. In the face of my question, both Cielle and Cher exchanged quick glances. Hina, who had a complicated expression due to my lack of reaction, walked over towards the beds in order to retrieve her skirt. As she dressed herself, I directly asked her, ¡°Hina? How about you? Do you want to come with me?¡± Hina¡¯s current mood lately has been rather complicated. How she felt of the current situation, whether she wanted to run back into the open arms of the president¡­ I wasn¡¯t sure. While I stayed unassuming regarding the human condition, at the very least, I presumed that Hina wanted to at least see that guy again. In response, she paused momentarily. She mulled my question over while looking squarely at the door, before she replied in a way I hadn¡¯t expected. ¡°No¡­I don¡¯t think- I think it might be better if I didn¡¯t go¡­¡± She had on another indecipherable expression which held many emotions. Most of those emotions I could not interpret, but I at least recognized the longing that was present. Upon my rejection, I merely shrugged nonchalantly and turned back over to the other two. ¡°Then¡­ maybe Cielle?¡± I said while I shot a quick glance towards the raven haired girl, making brief eye contact with her. As she held my gaze, she chewed on her lower lip. An agonized expression took hold, as if she was torn between what to do. In the end, having apparently given up, she let loose an uncharacteristic sigh. ¡°No can do¡­¡± She regretfully said. ¡°... I wanted to go with Hide¡­ but¡­ no¡­¡± Her shoulders dropped and she made pouted rather cutely. While maintaining that same expression, she lethargically continued to eat. ¡°Well, if that¡¯s the case, then there¡¯s no other choice, I guess¡­¡± I laxly spoke, while gripping the ropes which connected to the makeshift sleigh/table. ¡°Let¡¯s go Cher.¡± ¡°Ah, um¡­ I-I also don¡¯t want to go.¡± She quietly uttered while maintaining a rather cramped smile. ¡°Eh, what are you saying?¡± I dubiously asked while my eyes widened. ¡°You don¡¯t have a choice.¡± ¡°Wait-what¡¯s with that¡­¡± She spoke dejectedly. ¡°Everyone else got to choose¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s just the way it works. Hurry up.¡± I urged nonchalantly, while I began to move, pulling the table along the tiled floor. ¡°W-what¡¯s with this feeling of inferiority¡­¡± She mumbled sadly. ¡°This is definitely preferential treatment! Preferential treatment, I tell you!¡± ¡°Geh- for a slave, you sure complain a lot¡­ Enough, just hurry up.¡± I ordered with a rather irritated voice as I left the classroom, a still weary and dejected Cher behind me. *** We arrived at the library entrance 45 minutes later. In truth, the walk over from the english classroom, to the library wasn¡¯t all that long, but lugging around a 200 something pound pile of meat slowed us down. Currently, we were in the library, in an archive room next to the 2nd floor set of stairs that connected to the 1st floor. The lump of meat was currently masked by white sheet, which, unsurprisingly, was stained by a mixture of red splotches. Cher sat next to me. From the expression on her face, it was easy to tell that she was bored. Right now, we were waiting. I knew full well that the president used the library as an intermediary whenever he left the cafeteria. Seeing as how I couldn¡¯t easily just walk in there, all I could do was simply sit and wait for the other party to stumble along. I waited which such blithe hope for another 30 minutes before I finally heard the 1st floor door open. After such a long time, even I couldn¡¯t help but jump to my feet in mild excitement. ¡°He¡¯s here¡­¡± I quietly hissed under my breath. This warranted a reaction from Cher, who has almost fallen asleep in the midst of waiting. She bolted upright, as her face began perspiring with sweat. It seemed as if the trauma and nervousness from our past meeting still affected her. Wordlessly, I motioned for Cher to follow me out the room. We left the archive room, and stood a couple feet away from the stairs. Our positions were that I stood in front while Cher timidly kept her distance from behind. I quietly waited, listening on each individual footstep they made as they drew closer. The sound of foot against stairs filled my ear, and soon enough, the top of the President¡¯s head came into vision as he climbed upwards. Soon, he too noticed my solemn figure, standing- almost blocking his way further. He widened his eyes in mild surprise before squinting them back. Below him, the rest of the scouting party also followed close behind. In a somewhat lax voice, he questioned, ¡°I checked back yesterday to find you guys gone¡­ and now I see you''re back again?¡± His tone held a bit of mock derision in it, but it was clear to see he had other intentions. For one, his eyes restlessly scanned the vicinity, as if looking for someone. ¡°If you¡¯re looking for the other two, then I¡¯m sorry to disappoint but they¡¯re not here right now.¡± I said, as if reading his mind. His eyes widened once more, before his face switched over into a friendly smile. ¡°I see¡­¡± Meanwhile, the rest of his party which by now, had all caught up, were all redirecting interchanging glares between Cher and I. ¡°What do you want then?¡± His ¡°friendly¡± smile vanished, just as he donned on a mask of indifference. Behind that mask, it was clear that a somewhat heavy sense of hostility was present. Hearing him ask, I couldn¡¯t help but part my lips in a soft smile. ¡°What do I want?¡± I repeated, mostly to myself. ¡°I just want to make a deal?¡± **** We sat at the same table as last time. This time around, only Cher sat besides me, holding a small backpack tightly in her arms. On the other side, was the usual set up involving the President¡¯s scouting party. Whether its because the other two members of my respective party were missing or not, but it seemed as if the scouting party were much more hostile than before. Even their leader, while maintaining a smiling poker face, had somewhat less enthusiasm than yesterday. It was almost as if he were in a bad mood. ¡°So what¡¯s the deal about?¡± He was the first to speak. Cutting aside all trivialities, he jumped right to the point. ¡°Food.¡± I lightly responded. The single word, brought on a series of reactions from the opposing group. The most prevalent reaction though was them grasping at their stomachs as their faces irked in both desire and despair. Only the president was unfazed, blithfully laughing. ¡°Food, you say? Did you happen to stumble upon some sort of underground bomb shelter or something? We¡¯ve already scoured the majority of the school, there¡¯s no way you have-¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t find it.¡± I quickly interrupted. ¡°I hunted it. You know, you told me last time, the thing about the boars.¡± I flashed a light smile, which contrasted to the President¡¯s crumbling expression. At the mention of the boars, he grew silent. As if pondering over it, he remained his silence. Eventually, he spoke simply, a mix of assurance and confident bravado in his words. ¡°You¡¯re lying.¡± The rest of his party, all murmured in agreement, as if the very idea of hunting down a boar was a simple pipe dream to the them. An understandable conclusion. If I had been a normal person without any teammates, upon seeing that herd of smart car sized monstrosities, I too would have buckled under their sheer presence. Upon his denial, my smile grew only wider. ¡°I am not lying¡± I reassured. ¡°It was quite a pain, you know, hunting down one of those things¡­ to call all my efforts a mere lie, that makes me sad.¡± Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! My reassuring words only further increased the president¡¯s squint. ¡°There¡¯s no way you could have- Even we couldn¡¯t-¡± ¡°Cher.¡± I called out, interrupting him once more. In response, the silent girl who sat besides me, reached for her bag. With slightly shaky arms she unzipped the bag, and, following through with the motions we rehearsed, dumped the bag¡¯s contents onto the table. What resulted was a simple mess. The contents of the bag spilled over. Slabs of cooked meat, oozing with slightly heated fat. The scene was rather messy, but to the eyes of the starving, this was a picturesque scene straight from a dream. The opposing group had expected answers. Their eyes locked onto the contents on the floor, while a small trickle of saliva began oozing out from their agape mouths. Even the Prez, who had tried earnestly to maintain a stern and serious expression was reacting with widened eyes of disbelief. After a while, he spoke out once more. Amidst the murmurs of his fellow friends, the President stated, ¡°You¡­ are you trying to poison us?¡± Like a douse of cold water, the scouting party reacted to those words. I could only imagine that they were recalling the event with the slime, as their faces cooled and they recovered from their over excitement. I laughed sarcastically at his words. It was rather ironic actually, he had the same worries I shared last night. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, it¡¯s not poisonous. After all, I¡¯ve already tried it out myself. If you want an example, then- Cher.¡± I nudged at the girl besides me, who reacted with a small jump in her seat. Catching herself, she began ripping off a piece of the meat with her hands as she slowly and deliberately placed the sole piece into her mouth and chewed. This set of actions caused a simultaneous gulp to resound from within the group. They all stared listlessly as that piece of meat floated through the air and enter Cher¡¯s soft lips. As if further inciting them, I made a grandiose motion, and said, ¡°Try them. A little heads up- they taste sort of like pork and beef.¡± Like a key to a locked cage, at my words their inhibitions unhinged, as they jumped at the meal before their eyes. Devouring it like crazed hyenas, they stuffed every last piece of meat down their fat guzzling throats. Things like poise and manners were out of the question right now, as they practically inhaled what I offered to them. Even the president, who showed mild resistance at first, was in on the carnage. After seeing his fellow teammates greedily eating, something stirred within him as he too joined the fray. I watched this scene with cold and calculating eyes. A somewhat dark smile plastered on my face, as I remained seating. Besides me, Cher was taken aback at their sudden change. She had a rather cramped expression on as she reeled back onto her chair. Just as the last piece of meat entered their throats, I chose this time to interject once more. ¡°Now, I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve confirmed the authenticity to what I have to offer.¡± The president bit back his lip, as if he had just realized what he had just done at the spur of the moment. He had on a small scowl, as he held back his tongue. On the contrary, the attitude of his team mates had 180¡¯d. They nodded vigorously, ecstatically bobbing their heads up and down. It was easy to tell that they were eager for more. And more I had. ¡°You know, there¡¯s more where that came from.¡± A resounding gulp came in response to my words. A round of murmurs from their group reassured me of the current power which I held. Finally, the President spoke up once more. ¡°You¡­ Hide, you don¡¯t exactly seem like the good natured type of guy who shares¡­ Why exactly do you¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t get me wrong now. This isn¡¯t a freebie.¡± I coldly spoke, glaring at each and every one of them, which in turn, caused them to shrink back into their chairs. ¡°Think of it as equivalent exchange. I get something, you get something.¡± ¡°...¡± A wordless respond at first, before the President apparently attained his second wind and spoke up once more. ¡°what do you want?¡± I shrugged nonchalantly. ¡°Well, for one thing, I need a freezer. Killing just one of those things nets me at least about 200 pounds. Preserving that much meat is quite troublesome¡­¡± My light words were met with heavy shock. From the teacher next to the President, I could hear him take in a brief intake of oxygen. ¡°2-200 pounds¡­ th-that much is just¡­¡± Once again the President¡¯s eyes widened. He had on a somewhat dark expression which masked a fair bit amount of negativity, before he tiredly shook his head as if he couldn¡¯t believe what was going on. ¡°How exactly did you hunt down such a thing¡­¡± In response, I simply smiled. While wagging my index finger in front of me, I replied. ¡°Ah, ah, ah- That¡¯s on a need to know basis only, and I¡¯m afraid you don¡¯t need to know.¡± Hearing this, the President broke off into an awkward laugh. Those next to him exchanged glances, before the President¡¯s expression once again shifted, turning dark and foreboding in an instant. The small bubble of hostility from before seemingly exploded as he glared daggers at me. ¡°And what makes you think we won¡¯t just take it by force.¡± He threatened. ¡°With our combined strength-¡± ¡°Stop.¡± I interrupted. Crossing my arms, as I leaned back onto my chair, the President followed my every movement. Just as tension rose to unapproachable levels, I continued to speak. ¡°First of all, let me just say this once so you don¡¯t develop any misunderstandings, but I am stronger than all of you.¡± A cold, indifferent glare reassured them that I held absolute confidence in my statement. ¡°And second, and probably the most important reason for you all- Even if it''s 200 pounds, for a group as big as yours, you won¡¯t last long.¡± As if doused in cold water, the scouting party hung their heads at this sudden realization. Even the president bit down on his lip harsh enough for it to start bleeding. I continued. ¡°The important thing here is, I can hunt, and you guys can¡¯t. I can provide an indefinite amount of food, and you guys can¡¯t.¡± I allowed my words to sink in, almost forcing the library into a natural stillness. For a while, for a long while, nobody talked. The scouting group sat motionless, their eyes firmly rooted to the ground. Their leader, held on a darker expression. Oddly enough, his expression did not express anger or desire but rather unexpectedly- regret. A regretful expression during such a great offer¡­ it was weird indeed. As if finally having given up, the President breathed out a long bated breath. He looked up at me with weary- aged eyes. His smile was twisted into self mockery as he spoke. ¡°Very well then. I would be lying if I were to say your offer wasn¡¯t¡­ tantalizing. Then, since you be so willing, let these blood stained hands of mine accept your generosity¡­¡± While his statement was sort of worded weirdly, I payed it no particular heed. Although as expected, the President was one to catch on quick, as he further elaborated. ¡°Although, you¡¯re giving us such a valuable commodity, to think the only thing you desire is refrigeration¡­ While we can certainly do that, I doubt that¡¯s all you want in return.¡± Hearing this, I smiled slightly. Seeing my smile, the President, while maintaining that same, bitter, regretful expression, lightly smiled. ¡°Enough playing around. State your conditions already.¡± ¡°Okay then¡­¡± I began. ¡°Simple really, I have only a few things I want in return. First, there shall be absolutely no mention of my existence to the rest of your group. Not a word is to be spoken about me, even when the others ask you how you managed to get the food. Lie if you must, but leave my name out of it. Second, I want cooked food. While, I may have brought fully cooked meat with me today, I¡¯m afraid that won¡¯t continue to become a regular pattern. After all, cooking itself is troublesome, so in exchange for my cooperation, I expect about 10 or so pounds of cooked meat ready for us each and every morning. Third, the assured cooperation of the Cafeteria group during the final boss dungeon raid. Any sort of interaction before such an event is prohibited. Lastly, potions. Any type of potions- be they health, mana, or stamina potions, I would like to have them. I will bring freshly hunted meat once every 2 to 3 days, most likely in the mornings. In exchange, I want the complete obedience of all the agreed upon conditions. Sounds good?¡± I left the additional goal of misdirection out of my initial demands for obvious reasons. That type of subterfuge was not something you openly declared to those you wished to deceive. At the end of my demands, I heard a heavy sigh coming from the president. With a sort of tired expression on his face, he dejectedly replied back. ¡°It¡¯s not like we have much of a choice, now do we?¡± Hearing this, my smile widened. ¡°No, no you don¡¯t. Although I may have said I came to you because I needed the functional freezer your group has, truthfully, finding a way to preserve the food is easy. In this regard, I hold full control of the negotiations.¡± Hearing my final words, the President once again let loose a tired sigh. He lowered his head, and muttered incoherently to himself, occasionally he¡¯d shoot a pleading glance back at his friends, but in the end, they all shared equally defeated expressions. The president was a naturally cautious man. Normally, I could tell that he was the type who would bargain and argue until he reached favorable conclusions. But when I held practically all the pieces in my hand, the natural course of actions would be to concede Finally, with a heavy sense of loss floating above his head, he nodded unwillingly. ¡°You know, if you only came sooner, then maybe I wouldn¡¯t have-¡± He started, but quickly cut himself off with a shake of his head. With another regretful expression, he looked back up at me. ¡°I agree to your conditions. As long as you supply the meat, we will listen.¡± As if in response to his words, the rest of the scouting party, all nodded their heads. ¡°While the first three conditions are easy to meet, as for the last one¡­¡± He muttered. ¡°Truthfully, I¡¯ve never once seen a potion before. Considering the whole rpg-esque scenario of this whole apocalypse, I had an inkling as to their existence, but I haven¡¯t personally gotten the pleasure to find one.¡± Hearing these, words, all I could do was nod. ¡°Well, if you find any make sure to bring it to me. As for our deal, I¡¯ll hold up my end as long as you keep yours. The moment you break it, not only will our deal end, but at that time, you will earn a new enemy¡­¡± I nonchalantly threatened while I began rising to my feet. Cher, who had been quiet this whole time, had a strangely flushed face as she too began to rise. I looked over the president and his scouting group once more, before I began walking away. ¡°The rest of the meat is in that archive room, over there.¡± As I pointed at the room we had secretly hidden in earlier, I began walking away while Cher followed close behind. I left the library with those simple parting words, leaving behind a group of expressionless survivors in my wake. **** Author''s Note:Thanks for reading. If you liked this chapter, or this story in general, please rate or review. I really appreciate the feed back. Chapter 50: A Contract with the Devil A Contract with the Devil It was after the moment we left the library, that I realized I had forgotten about the table/sleigh we used to move the meat around. I tiredly sighed, while scratching my head awkwardly. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Cher asked upon noticing my sudden change. ¡°Ah-well, it¡¯s nothing really, its just we forgot about¡­¡± I trailed off, briefly pausing as I mulled things over. ¡°You know what, nevermind. We can just find something else to carry the things around with. Maybe a wheelbarrow, or one of those carts they have.¡± ¡°Ah, um, okay?¡±Cher tilted her head while her face scrunched up in confusion. Currently, the atmosphere was light and at ease. For Cher, this was due to the fact that we finally left the library. She was a weak willed person, and more than likely, spending any time anywhere near that place caused her some form of enmity. I was excited for a different reason. The One-sided negotiations had proceeded well beyond my original expectations. I myself couldn¡¯t help but break into the occasional smirk or smile at the prospect of how well things went. Well, although the more I thought things over, the darker my thoughts turned. For one thing, I needed to decide what to do. Truthfully speaking, I never really liked this school. It was ridiculously big, and filled with alot of annoying people. Now that it has turned into a literal hell hole¡­ my dislike had turned to hate. I¡¯ve already spent two weeks, trapped in this shitty place. Even for me, spending anymore time here is quite taxing. I want to leave. The simple matter is I want to leave. Also, I am somewhat curious as to the condition of the outside world. From my little glimpses through the window, the city isn¡¯t faring so well. Buildings burned down, fire almost every other night, and most likely monsters. A whole slew of monsters. I was curious about these things, but rather than just the city, I was curious about everything else. What about the rest of the world? I sure as hell don¡¯t believe this living hell happened only in this particular place alone. How were things coping across the seas? Have governments fallen already? Maybe whole countries were wiped out in the face of a ridiculously overpowered monster. Did the military react? Do military weapons even work? Thinking about all these things, only further fanned my curiosity. The need- the want to break through this dungeon was growing, pushing me forward. And to do that, I needed to kill the boss. **** [Perspective Change] Back within the confines of the library, the atmosphere took on a rather dreary tone. The source of this despair can be traced back to the Cafeteria¡¯s scouting group, who, although received a virtually life saving offer, felt as if they had contracted with the devil himself. After a while, after they were certain that the man named Hide had left the library, the President- Hokusei stood up. His expression was awkward, one that held both despair and hope. Upon his rise, slowly, the others mimicked. They all wordlessly walked over towards the indicated Archive room, all holding their breaths. Hesitancy and doubt were just among the myriad of emotions they currently felt. Within those emotions, was a heavy sense of regret which passed unknowingly to everyone apart from Hokusei. As they reached the room with the slightly opened doorway, a girl with almost platinum blonde hair peaked through, timid in her actions. Her brother, a boy with almost identical features and with the same pelt of blonde hair, followed suit. Hokusei though, ignored their trepid motions and simply pushed on through, almost flinging the door wide open as he guided the rest of his party inside. Before them, was the usual archive room, one that the brown haired girl named Emiko was quite familiar with. After all, she had been part of the Library Committee before the apocalypse happened. She was the first to notice the oddness of the room. For one, it reeked of blood- but not the one she familiarized herself with. Rather, the blood- the freshness of a meat market- that type of smell permeated throughout the room. Also, there was a particular object in the center of the room. A lump. A massive pile of- something, covered by a white sheet stained with scarlet. The others were also quick to notice, and with synchronized trepidity, they moved towards it. In the quiet, almost silent room, the first to speak up was the former teacher. He had a rather shy-subordinate like personality. Even back then, he was often found being led around and ordered by his superiors. It didn¡¯t take long for this type of man to fall quickly in line. He spoke up, breaking the stagnating silence. ¡°T-this is it¡­?¡± The others all held the same awe and doubt which he conveyed with his simple words. After all, they had seen the herd. They had tried fighting it, they had failed miserably, losing one of their comrades in the process. They knew the herd¡¯s strength, and knew about the difficulty hunting one possessed. That¡¯s why the authenticity to Hide¡¯s promise was still questioned, even after the display of cooked food. Hokusei nudged the male sibling, a boy with blonde hair and delicate features, over towards the pile, motioning for him to unveil its contents. Timidly, the boy acquiesced, walking slowly over towards the white sheet. In one swift motion, he unveiled its contents, revealing the slabs of deep red meat that lay underneath. ¡°...¡± For a moment, the group was left speechless. Looking closely, the meat was cut up in awkward slices. To a professional butcher, this would have been a disgraceful lump, a pile of meat they wouldn¡¯t dare serving to their customers. But to them, this was salvation. Something worth killing for, something that would keep them alive and sustained. Just knowing the fact that this was only the tip of the iceberg, that their benefactor, a mysterious boy who had enough strength to hunt what they thought impossible, knowing that that type of guy was going to willingly provide them with more food in regular intervals¡­ Hokusei breathed out a heavy sigh in the midst of his companions¡¯ excitement. He lamented over the past. Over his own weakness, both mentally and physically. Questions like, ¡°Why now?¡± or ¡°Maybe if-¡± circulated through his mind, but he could do nothing but express all that into a heavy sigh. ¡°It¡¯s really real, huh¡­¡± He mumbled to himself, following a single streak of blood that trailed across the floor with his eyes. After silently staring for a while, he finally dropped his shoulders. ¡°Well, there¡¯s no use lamenting over the past.¡± He muttered to himself, not even attempting to hide the bitter regret in his voice. ¡°After all, you can¡¯t really change what¡¯s already happened¡­¡± Hokusei quickly regained his composure and once again donned on the smiling mask which he so often showed to the others. Without a moment¡¯s waste, he quickly ordered the others to retrieve the meat, as they once again returned to the cafeteria, this time, earlier than usual. **** [Still changed Perspective] The well established dreariness of the cafeteria was something its residents had long grown used too. With nothing else to look forward to other than death and starvation, most of the survivors- teachers and students alike- all curled themselves up into various corners of the room. The cafeteria itself looked like a mess. The usually neatly ordered rows of tables were used for other purposes. Propped onto its side, the tables cordoned of various areas in the cafeteria, separating, and dividing them into various ¡°rooms¡± which the survivors spread themselves out into. As Hokusei opened the Library¡¯s heavier than normal double doors, and entered the cafeteria, the first thing he took note of was the dreary atmosphere. Many of the survivors who sat idly near the Library, raised their head in acknowledgment. While it was unusual for Hokusei to arrive so early, not many people paid it any heed, simply since thinking became something that wasted energy and calories. With a deftly sigh, he proceeded to walk into the Cafeteria. He had came earlier than his companions, leaving it to them to carry the meat downstairs while he prepared the freezer. The first to greet him was a lone figure. It was a girl with a somewhat blank expression on her face. The girl herself was unlike the others, healthy, and not as malnourished. She was pretty, short and petite, but definitely pretty. With shoulder length black hair, and a small stature, she looked like a middle schooler, but her facial aesthetics rivaled that of a model¡¯s. For some reason, she was wearing a wizard¡¯s hat. It wasn¡¯t anything special like a monster drop or something. In fact, Hokusei recognized the hat from something he had seen during last winter¡¯s theatre production. In short, it was just a prop. But the girl whose head fit snuggly into the hat, didn¡¯t seem to care. In a somewhat hostile voice, the girl asked, ¡°Why are you here so early?¡± Her expression was dark, obviously filled with enmity. Of course, Hokusei understood why. In fact, it wouldn¡¯t be a stretch to believe her hostile remarks were all due to his precedent actions. In truth, the girl before him was one of the survivors that joined up with the cafeteria group after Satou¡¯s betrayal. She had joined before a time when he had started rejecting outsiders. In fact, if it weren¡¯t for the fact that this girl was a skill possessor, then Hokusei would have kicked her out by now. Her usefulness was what kept her around. And likewise, it was the cafeteria¡¯s ¡°provisions¡± which kept her confined to this place. Although, right now, those ¡°provisions¡± had since long run dry. This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience. With a heavy voice, Hokusei replied back, ¡°Get ¡®those guys¡¯ out of the freezer, I hav-¡± ¡°What?!¡± Before, he could properly explain, the girl¡¯s voice flared up. She sent a glare towards Hokusei, forcing him to take a cautious step backwards. ¡°What do you plan to do with them, no- with him!? If you hurt him, if you so much as-¡± ¡°No, no, stop, its not like that¡­¡± Hokusei sighed once more. He had noticed that lately, the wizard hat-girl had developed a rather weird relationship with one of the people who lived in the freezer. Well, in retrospect, Hokusei could understand the girl¡¯s reactions. After all, as ¡°outsiders¡± from the cafeteria, the girl and the others shared that trait incommon. But lately, something else aside from comraderie was clearly evident in the girl¡¯s seething rage. ¡°Ugh, enough already, where is Mr. Tei?¡± Hokusei snapped, irritation almost taking over. At the mention of his name, an old, oriental man with haggard features stood up from amongst a crowd of survivors. His eyes held deep and dark patches, while his sunken cheeks indicated his hunger. His voice was thin, almost raspy, a frail sort of voice that seemed as if it would blow away with the wind. The act of speaking a mere challenge, the man struggled to form words. ¡°Welcome back Hokusei, what do you need this old man for?¡± Mr. Tei was an electrical engineer. Hired directly out of college in the past, and since then, has worked all his life for the school. Under Hokusei¡¯''s instructions, he was the man responsible for redirecting the school¡¯s electrical generators over to the cafeteria. Hokusei¡¯s tired eyes slightly eased upon seeing the old man approach. Ignoring the still slightly peeved wizard hat girl, he walked over to him, and spoke. ¡°Mr. Tei, I¡¯d like you to turn on the Walk-In freezer.¡± Mr. Tei¡¯s brow scrunched up in response. ¡°The freezer? Well, I know its summer, and it''s been rather hot lately, but to turn on the freezer? You know how much electricity that consumes?¡± Truth be told, the Cafeteria¡¯s electrical source was not infinite. They did not know how long it would last, but little by little, each successive use, from maintaining the lights to keeping the fans working sucked up more and more electricity. ¡°I know, I know, but just hear me out. We won¡¯t be using it for something so petty as an air conditioner. Soon, that old hunk of junk will become a sort of life saver for us.¡± He flashed a faint smile, hoping to reassure the old man. While still dubious, Mr. Tei readily agreed, putting his utmost faith into the youth who was more than twice as young as him. *** Followed by the Mr. Tei and the Wizard-hat girl, Hokusei approached the freezer.The freezer was located within the back of the Cafeteria¡¯s expansive kitchen. It was larger than your average sized freezer, and would approximately fit 7 people with room to spare. Truthfully, the freezer¡¯s power had been cut, but it had another function these past few days. The freezer was were ¡°those guys¡± lived in. Those guys were a group of late survivors who joined up with the cafeteria group after Hokusei changed his mind regarding his outsider policy. Under normal conditions, he would have rejected the group, but since they entered the cafeteria through the main entrance, he could not stop them in time.. Indeed, he had the fullest intention of kicking the newcomers out, in fact he even had the backing of the rest of the cafeteria group in his decision, but was unfortunately stopped by the Wizard-hat girl. Under her protection, the newcomers holed themselves up within the freezer, away from the misdirected anger, suspicion, and hostility of the others. As he approached the freezer, he noticed that its metal door was slightly ajar, held open by a wooden box. Out of habit, he knocked on the door, sending out a reverberating rattle throughout its insides. After a slight pause, a feminine voice replied back. ¡°Who is it?¡± It was soft voice, but held no fragility in them. It distorted under the guise of the door blocking its way, but its intentions were heard loud and clear. Without a slight pause, the wizard-hat girl replied back. ¡°I¡¯m coming in.¡± She nonchalantly opened the door and entered the room. Her movements were fluid, natural, as if she were accustomed to such easy going actions. ¡°Mi-miki?!¡± Another voice from within yelped at the Wizard-hat¡¯s sudden entry. This time, the voice had a soft squeak to it, as if its owner of the voice was that of a child. ¡°Yo,¡± The wizard-hat girl- Miki, replied back as she continued deeper into the Freezer¡¯s depths. With a heavy sigh, Hokusei entered the room. Mr. Tei, who had waited outside, was now gone, off somewhere to a different location in order to turn the freezer on. He was rather ecstatic for a weary old man, slightly skipping in his step as he moved away. This was probably due to the unexpected good news he had received, but Hokusei paid no mind to the old man¡¯s change in mood. In fact, Hokusei had practically ignored the rest of the cafeteria¡¯s excitment and uproar upon hearing the good news. To him, the news was both good and bad. Something to regret, and something to be excited for. As Hokusei entered the room, he saw four figures, with the addition of Miki, playfully bickering within the freezer. They were seemingly arguing over something and things were getting quite heated up, but the mood still retained its easy going nature. Due to the obstruction of the shadows, he could not properly see into the freezer¡¯s depths. As a result, the lone figure, the figure of the one directly at the center of the turmoil stayed masked, unassuming even. ¡°Ah- you can¡¯t do that!¡± Another voice spoke out. The voice this time around was the owner of the first voice that Hokusei heard through the door. ¡°It¡¯s my turn to play with him! Isn¡¯t that right, Ki-¡± ¡°Che, move over, you saggy tits monster.¡± Miki rudely remarked as she glomped onto the arm of the single figure. That set of actions caused the owner of the arm to fluster, as he struggled with no real intention of shaking her off. ¡°Saggy ti-, you¡¯re just angry that your flat, Miss washboard!¡± The owner of the wavy voice replied back. ¡°Washboard¡­ uuu¡­¡± As if she had been the one insulted, the owner of the childish voice- a slightly small, petite female with a childish stature, groaned while she despondently placed her arms over her chests. ¡°Rude¡­ He obviously likes them like this.¡± Miki replied back, a look of absolute confidence on her face. She puffed up her nonexistent chest while smirking slightly. She then turned one eye over towards the center of her attention, and in a semi-sultry voice, spoke, ¡°Isn¡¯t that right, Ki-¡± ¡°Ararara¡± Another voice interrupted, this time from a female with a pretty dynamic figure. She squinted her pristine eyes while she hugged the figure from behind. ¡°It¡¯s not nice to fight, you know.¡± She then tilted her head to face the one she was currently hugging. ¡°You don¡¯t like fighting do you, Ki-¡± ¡°¡°Butt out, you vixen!¡±¡¯ In almost perfect unison, Miki and the other one, yelled, a sort of fire lit up in their eyes. It was easy to tell, but these two apparently saw this new female on a much higher threat level than the other. Someone who held an absolute advantage over them regarding the concepts of love and romance. ¡°ah ha ha¡­¡± A weak and awkward laugh escaped from within the room. The owner of the laugh was from the man who held the center of all this attention. ¡°Well, let¡¯s try not to fight too much, okay girls? Moving around wastes a lot of energy¡­¡± He tiredly remarked while gesturing to his stomach. ¡°Ah, you don¡¯t have to worry about that anymore!¡± Miki suddenly stated, as she drew closer to the man and cooed slightly. ¡°I have good news! Ah, although it may be good news, it means that you''ll have to leave the freezer... but don''t worry, Miki will protect, I promise! After all I"m...¡± Miki rattled on like an overexcited little kid, not even aware that her conversation partner had long stopped listening. ¡°Good news?¡± The man repeated, tilting his head, and accidentally butting heads with the one who hugged him from the back. At this time, Hokusei choose to step forward. As he drew closer, he saw the man¡¯s face for the first time in a while. The face of a normal person with slightly above average looks came to view. He was an awkward looking guy who had no real merits- at least in Hokusei¡¯s eyes, but somehow or the other, had several females around him. An inexplicable situation which Hokusei had no answer to. ¡°Ah, Hokusei,¡± The man bowed his slightly as he greeted Hokusei. ¡°It''s been a while. How are you? And what did Miki mean when she said ¡®good news¡¯?¡± Preparing himself to explain the current situation, Hokusei let loose all his tension with a single sigh. The man in front of him was by no means intimidating, rather from seeing how he was constantly swayed by the surrounding females, the man seemed like a rather weak willed individual. But even with all that into play, Hokusei couldn¡¯t help but feel apprehensive. As if somewhere deep inside those almost puppy dog eyes, was a sort of hidden intention. A feeling which Hokusei himself could not explain, but undeniably still felt. After a brief pause, Hokusei began. ¡°Kido,¡± He uttered as he lightly greeted the still smiling young man. **** Author''s Note: If you liked this chapter, or this story in general, please rate or review. I really appreciate the feedback, it always helps. Chapter 51: The Start of a Long Process. The Start of a Long Process After we left the library, we returned to our base. Joining up with the others, I quickly explained the current circumstances to Hina and Cielle. Their reactions varied slightly. Hina, showing a slight interest when the President¡¯s name was mentioned, but otherwise gave a weak reaction to the rest of my report. Cielle was much the same, maintaining an impassive expression as if none of it really mattered to her. Afterwards, we sat down and decided what to do next. Talking briefly, we came to the unanimous decision that getting stronger was the most important thing we needed to focus on. After all, with mobs being close to 30, and probably stronger, the boss itself would be considerably stronger. Surprisingly, the one who was most adamant about this was Cher. Maybe it was due to a growing inferiority complex, or maybe she had some trauma about being regarded as ¡°weak¡±, but she showed more eagerness in leveling herself up than the others. Out of curiosity though, she asked, ¡°What level are all of you guys? I-I know Hide is pretty strong, plus Hina and Mistress both have skills so¡­.¡± In response, the three of us exchanged glances. While there wasn¡¯t any reason to hide something like my level to Cher, after all, we¡¯re practically team mates at this point, I never really had the chance to properly explain it either. After some brief consideration, I answered, ¡°I¡¯m level 24.¡± ¡°2-24?!¡± Her eyes bulged out in obvious shock as she realed back from my unexpected answer. ¡°T-that¡¯s so¡­¡± Cher bulged out while a look of both awe and jealousy was plainly written on her pitiful face. Not one to lose, Hina quickly followed, stating, ¡°I¡¯m level 19¡­ although I think I¡¯m close to reaching 20¡­¡± ¡°19!? While it isn¡¯t as much as Hide¡¯s own level, in the end, isn¡¯t that too high?!¡± Quietly observing Cher¡¯s outlandish reactions, Cielle expression was slightly souring. As Cher turned around, and asked Cielle about her level, with a pout on her face, she muttered, ¡°...17¡­¡± Understandably, Miss Pitiful¡¯s reaction this time around wasn¡¯t as over exaggerated, only confirming with a soft, yet awed, ¡°Oh¡­¡±. This type of response seemingly irritated Cielle, as her pout quickly turned into a scowl, and a sharp, ¡°tsk!¡± escaped her throat. Seeing Cielle¡¯s worsening mood, Cher¡¯s face cramped into an awkward smile, as she tried comforting her, ¡°Ah, it¡¯s okay Mistress¡­ while your level isn¡¯t as high as both Hide¡¯s or Hina¡¯s, it¡¯s still pretty amazing!¡± Despite such sweet flattery, Cielle¡¯s mood did not improve, rather she lashed out in a more¡­ indirect way. In a quiet, but obviously irritated voice, she asked, ¡°Level¡­ what level are you?¡± Hearing this, Cher¡¯s face froze. Averting her eyes slightly, in a timid voice she forced out, ¡°4-4¡­.¡± Cielle puffed up her chest, and retorted, ¡°...44?¡± ¡°Uuuu...4-4¡­¡± ¡°..14?¡± Cielle asked again, a smug expression plastered on her face. ¡°Agh, I said 4! 4, 4, 4, damn it¡­. uuu¡­¡± Cher huffed out, while dejectedly sighing . A smile that conveyed absolute victory flashed across Cielle¡¯s expression. ¡°Damn it¡­ if I were as strong as the rest of you, I wouldn¡¯t be bullied so much¡­¡± She stated such a ridiculous thing like that. Obviously, that assumption was wrong. Whether 4 or 400, Miss Pitiful will always be Pitiful. ¡°A-anyways¡­¡± Cher continued, ¡°How did all of you get so strong in the first place?¡± Hearing this, for some odd reason, Cielle and Hina both exchanged glances. After a silent conversation done only through the eyes, Cielle chirped up. While slightly tilting her head, she said, ¡°...Hell?¡± ¡°Hell?¡± Cher repeated in a somewhat confused voice. ¡°W-what does that mean?¡± ¡°No, rather than hell¡­¡± This time, Hina followed, ¡°Hide¡¯s training was pretty¡­ brutal? Would Hell even be enough to describe what happened¡­¡± ¡°Training? Brutal?¡± Cher¡¯s eyes squinted slightly as her stare landed on me. In response, I simply shrugged. Hina though, wasn¡¯t quite done elaborating. ¡°Well, you know¡­ things like nonstop grinding against monsters 10 levels higher than us¡­¡± ¡°10 levels?!¡± ¡°Yeah, rather it wasn¡¯t all that bad until Hide did quite a nasty trick on us¡­¡± Hina squinted at me while maintaining a somewhat hostile look, while I only responded with an indifferent expression. After her deathly stare persisted for a while, she continued, ¡°Well¡­ Hide would purposely let a couple monsters slip past him, subjecting the two of us to hell, and almost practically killing us on numerous occasions. After a while, he¡¯d suddenly come back, saving us at the very brink of death¡­¡± -Ah, they noticed that? Seriously¡­. Hearing her vocalisation, I briefly recalled our initial training days. Truly, I do recall using that sort of tactic¡­ but to think they remembered, or rather, noticing something like that in the heat of battle¡­ As Cher heard this, her eyes slightly bulged. She turned towards me with a slightly fear filled expression, one which did not match the growing redness on her face. ¡°I-is that true Hide?¡± Feigning ignorance, I briefly replied, ¡°No, of course not.¡± My response only caused Hina¡¯s eyes to squint further. ¡°Hu¡­ still playing innocent¡­¡± Cielle, also commented, ¡°Hide¡­ sneaky¡­¡± Although truthfully, she didn¡¯t seem all that angry in the first place. ¡°Agh, enough about this,¡± I finally interjected. ¡°Although you guys keep complaining, it¡¯s not like it didn¡¯t all work out in the end, right?¡± I mean they survived, and got stronger, what else could you ask for? ¡°Well, true but¡­¡± Hina agreed, but had a somewhat troubled expression. ¡°Besides, there¡¯s no use complaining now,¡± I went on. ¡°It¡¯s not like we won¡¯t be doing that sort of training again.¡± Hearing my rather ominous words, Hina¡¯s eyes slightly scrunched up as she asked, ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°Well, since our goal is to get stronger, going monster hunting is a given.¡± I replied. ¡°Actually, in fact, with Cher being so weak, the timing¡¯s just right¡­¡± ¡°Eh?¡± A short response escaped from Miss Pitiful¡¯s parted lips. In one ¡°In short, let¡¯s go dungeon grinding once more.¡± **** We were currently traveling through the air ducts. I was situated in the front, leading the way, while Hina was the one behind me. She would occasionally help direct me, since she had a blueprint of the school¡¯s interior, a useful tool we procured within the archive room of the library. Following her, Cher came next, followed by Cielle, who was tasked with guarding our rear, in case anything unexpected happened. Our goal was to bypass the sea of tusk boars and find an alternative route to the 2nd floor of the east building. Normally, a sky way would connect all three floors with the main building, but for some inexplicable reason, both the 2nd and 1st floor skyways were destroyed. We confirmed it a while ago, but the skyway was charred and flamed, as if a huge fire or a considerable explosion took place there. The only other way to get to the east building became the 3rd floor skyway, but unfortunately any further travel downwards towards the east building was impossible. This was primarily due to the tusk boars who hoarded around the closest staircase. It was impossible to go through their herd using shear force alone due to their overwhelming numbers, so finding a way around that became our only option. In fact, I was reminded of this fact right now, what with the countless snorting I heard coming from below me. Right now, finding a way to the 2nd floor was our goal. With the intention of exploration as well as training on the side, I wanted to hunt around the east building, actively avoiding the main building for the time being. With the introduction of cooked meat, it won¡¯t take long for conflict to arise, mainly because of Satou. When that happens, I¡¯d like to not be anywhere near such a troublesome matter. While I said that, there was also one other reason why I wanted to explore the 2nd floor and the rest of the east building. That was confirmation. With much of the main building explored, the location of the Boss¡¯s final lair became narrower. There was a huge chance he was in the East building, so I wanted to confirm it. At least, getting all the way to the sub floor of the building was my current goal. Our progress was slow. Surprisingly the air ducts were pretty long winding and complex. Coupled with its narrowness and the effect of the summer heat on industrial metal, travel using this method was extremely taxing. Our stamina was constantly decreasing at a faster rate than usual. This unexpected difficulty might be the reason why the President and his group didn¡¯t travel like this. This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. The only reason why we were able to keep going was thanks to Hina¡¯s magic. Using air magic to keep the stagnant air circulating, as well as water magic to occasionally refresh us, we further made our way down. We occasionally had to move back due to a wrong turn, which caused us a whole new set of difficulties. In the end, we¡¯d take constant breaks in abandoned classrooms. Hina, who practically became our navigator, used this opportunity to fix the map, cross referencing the room we were in with what she had scribbled down onto that flimsy piece of blue paper. Eventually, with tired reluctance, we would crawl back into the vents, and continue our travels. Passing numerous rooms, and moving above close to 300+ tusk boars, this sort of pattern continued for about 2 hours. Fortunately, the herd quickly thinned down as we almost reached the easternmost portion of the building. We passed the 2 sets of stairs which led down to the 2nd floor a while ago, but unfortunately, that type pathway was left unavailable for us. The congregating horde of boars was simply too numerous, or rather, it felt like there were more boars besides the stairs than anywhere else. Despite that though, an unexpected miracle came in the form of a giant hole in the floor. We were lucky enough to find it, as it led directly down to the 2nd floor. Exiting the air ducts through an opening in an a partially destroyed classroom, we moved out into the hallway to more closely observe the scene of destruction. As we arrived, an involuntary gasp escaped from Cher¡¯s throat. It was understandable, I was quite shocked too. In plainer terms, the floor had been blasted through. I noticed that the marks left behind resembled the same type of destruction which blockaded the 1st and 2nd skyways. A scene filled with numerous burn marks, and charred concrete. Like a mini napalm had gone off in this particular scene. In fact, it had enough power to completely destroy the surrounding walls and floor. Looking over this scene, I was instantly reminded of a small memory. It was during the first day of the apocalypse, after I defeated the Goblin Commander. At the time, I looked out the window over towards the Eastern building, and noticed a fire had erupted. At the time, black smoke had risen to the sky, while the fire had raged on. Although strangely, the fire had been rather¡­ contained. That sort of scene¡­ when looking at the current damage, I couldn¡¯t help but connect the two incidents together. While maintaining a cautious atmosphere, I approached the hole in the floor with the girls behind me. I peered underneath the hole and into the 2nd floor, looking for anything potentially dangerous to pop up. What I saw was an empty hallway with nothing around. Like with this hole, much of the surroundings were scarred with burn marks and charred like the remains of a small time village hit by napalm. Although with my vision alone, I could not find anything hostile, focusing in on my hearing revealed noise coming from further down the floor. Confirming that there wasn¡¯t anything dangerous near by, I dropped down onto the 2nd floor, landing nimbly with a soft, almost silent, thud. Since the girls themselves weren¡¯t properly specced for physical activity, I signaled for them to jump down as I prepared to catch them. As Cielle and Hina each successively came down, I instructed Cher to tie a rope beforehand, so that we would have a method of escape for when we decided to return. Soon, we were all joined together within the 2nd floor. Coincidentally, the noises I previously heard grew louder. Whether it was due to the noise we made, or our very presence simply alerted them, it was plain to see that they were approaching. I signaled to the girls that something was approaching. We all prepared for battle. My grip on my black long sword tightened, while Cielle unzipped her backpack, letting fly a whole slew of [Dark Gemini]. Like wise, Hina entered a semi fighting stance, her arms raised at the ready and pointed at towards the direction I aimed at. While we were all understandably tense, the only one who showed obvious fear was Cher. She was shaking almost uncontrollably while a pale face showcased an expression of pure fear. She struggled to maintain the make shift shield aloft as she peered tersely at the approaching foot steps. The shield itself was something fashioned from things we had lying around at the base. Using the surface of a wooden desk for the base of it, I poked a few holes and wound two sections of rope as the handle. The rope themselves were interwoven, to create a stronger material that, hopefully, wouldn''t fly off at the moment of impact. I had hoped from creating something like a makeshift shield, I¡¯d gain a sort of crafting skill, but so far, nothing like that happened. It could just be crafting skills don¡¯t exist, or maybe I had to craft more in quantity and quality in order to trigger the skill requirements, but there was nothing I could do about it right now. Anyways, despite her fear, I positioned Cher upfront. Although she had opposed, stating things like ¡°I¡¯m specialised for speed¡± or something, I planned to mold her into something akin to a tank. At the very least, that was what our party lacked. While maybe an attack-defense type character might be too much to ask for, at the very least, with her original agility in play, she could hope to become a mobile fighter. The problem here was, that originally, ¡°players¡± or in this context, survivors, didn¡¯t start off with any good defense based stats. While stamina and hp might have been an option, unfortunately, we couldn¡¯t distribute any stats there, as they grew naturally the higher level one became. Although from first hand experience, I knew there was a method to acquire different stats. Defense based stats, like ¡°defense¡± (the one I gained through an item) existed, but currently, the method to gaining them was unknown. Like wise, she couldn¡¯t use the same method I did to acquire my ¡°defense¡± stat since it fundamentally needed the [Equip] skill. While it may have been a troubling problem at first glance, I had a¡­ method I thought up that might help Cher gain, not skills, but stats. For this method, it was necessary for her to stand up front, despite her weak level and annoyingly high amount of fear. As I pondered these things over, the first visage of the monster came to view. The noise had originally came from a bend in the corner, so as it turned towards us, we were able to view the monstrosity in all its glory.
Lesser Cyclops - Level 20 HP: 300/300
A hunched back, humanoid figure came into view. With a portly belly, and veiny, muscular arms, the sight of it was grotesque. It wore a severely torn loincloth, which looked ill fitting on its body. True to its name, it had one, blood shot eye, which glared menacingly towards us. Fortunately, it wasn¡¯t as large as the minotaur we fought, rather, it was looked to be about the size of a tall, overweight man. In actuality, there were two of them that rounded the corner. One was empty handed, while the other held a makeshift club that matched the monster¡¯s large body in size. The appearance of the pair sent a round of cold sweat throughout the group. While Cher shivered in fear, Hina and Cielle simply watched, their eyes tensed to the point of glaring. I simply, stared. While I wasn¡¯t to concerned, mostly since they were under my current level, I still kept cautious. One mistake could end my life. Lately, that had became my mantra. As their beady eye(s) focused in on us, we likewise glared back. With a sudden stomp, the club wielding monster rushed forward, signaling the start of our battle, and likewise, the start of this round¡¯s grinding session. *** Author''s Note: If you liked this chapter, or this story in general, please rate or review. I always appreciate the feedback. Chapter 52: An Unexpected Gain An Unexpected Gain The one eyed monsters rushed at us with a surprising amount of speed. The weaponless one directly ran straight towards Cher, as if it instinctively knew which one of us was weaker. ¡°Cher, raise the shield up!¡± I shouted just as an orb of water shot out from besides me. It was Hina, she had used water magic to hit the floor in front of the Cyclops wielding the club. Its forward momentum, followed by the unexpected loss of traction caused by the water, created a perfect opening for me as the monster slipped and fell over. As if adding insult to injury, Cielle fired of an almost pin point accurate shot towards the Cyclops¡¯ open eye. It wailed dramatically, gripping its eye as it blinked away the forming tears. In that same instant, I was already besides Cher. I could have honestly attacked it at this point, but I allowed the Cyclops to slip through, merely as an opportunity to showcase the danger involved in this type of hunt to Cher. The Cyclops reared its tree-trunk like arm back before it rocketed forward, directly aiming at Cher¡¯s upper body. Cher reacted just in time guarding with the makeshift shield. Although due to taking the attack head on, a splintering sound resounded in the air just before the shield broke into two and Cher was sent flying. She stopped just as her back crashed against a plaster wall. Using this opportunity, I quickly moved my blade, cutting off the Cyclops¡¯ extended arm with a bit of resistance. This time around, instead of using [Dissect], I used my own strength. As expected, the resistance my swing met was greater than usual. [Dissect] was the type of skill that increased the proportionate slashing attack as well as increased the opportunity to sever things. While I could still manage the same basic motions and end result without relying on the skill, in the end, it made things a lot easier. As I thought this over, I simultaneously heard the screeching roar from the one eyed monster, just as I shot a quick glance back at Cielle. The attack shaved off a majority of her health,leaving her with almost 1/5th of her total hp. Luckily, before I even had the chance to call out, a floating blob with a blue hue, flew through the air and directly entered Cher¡¯s still parted lips. One thing Cielle noticed when experimenting with her unusual skill, was that direct contact increased its effects. Be it [Blue Gemini] or [Dark Gemini], if the substance somehow managed to get inside you, then you''re either in for bliss or in for a world of hurt. I made a slight nod, as I focused back on the Cyclops in front of me. I quickly lobbed off one of its legs just as it reared a fist my way. Just as it was about to topple over, I used this chance to cut of its remaining arm, using the force of its downward acceleration to assist my swing. In no time flat, it dropped to the floor with a heavy thud, sending bits of broken gravel rattling with it. Just for good measure, I lobbed off the remaining leg, causing its continuous wail to heighten to a new extreme. At almost the exact same time I finished, the girls had also handled the remaining Cyclops. They had continually thrown a barrage of magic based attacks at their prey while it laid prone to the ground. It didn¡¯t even get the chance to stand back up under the fire of spells. In the end, apparently Cielle was the one to deal the finishing blow, sending a stream of [Dark Gemini] guzzling down its throat, much in the same way she had healed Cher. With their own respective Cyclops handled, the two girls turned their attention to mine. The weaponless Cyclops was still wriggling on the floor, much like a worm. Its constant movements sent a splatter of blood everywhere, forcing me to pin it to the ground with a direct stab to its shoulder. ¡°Uwaa¡­. Hide¡¯s methods are just as cruel as always¡­¡± An unexpectedly rude comment flowed out from Hina¡¯s mouth. Following behind, Cielle unconsciously nodded besides her. ¡°Cher, can you stand up?¡± I ignored the two and looked over at Cher. Her health had been brought back to almost the max, so there were no visible wounds left on her body. Although that may be the case, the person herself looked pretty pitiful. Her eyes were bloodshot, tears clearly evident, while her face and much of her skin took on a pale complexion. The close brush of death had served well in giving her a taste of death. As if the two other girls noticed my intentions, they began to chirp up. ¡°Wow.... he really used it again¡­ that sort of cruel technique¡­¡± Hina commented while shivering, most likely briefly remembering when I allowed a monster to almost half kill her. Cielle likewise reacted the same way, while not saying anything, but only grasping at her own shoulders as she shivered. Again, I ignored the two, and called out to Cher again. This time she reacted, hastily getting up while she held the broken shield in both her hands. Her breathing was rough, uneven, as if the adrenaline from earlier still flowed through her veins. I waved for her to come closer, which she acquiesced, after a bit of trepidity. As she neared me, I pulled out one of my spare daggers from my back pocket. ¡°Here, deal the finishing blow.¡± The Cyclops had about 10% of its health left. While it may take a while for Cher to kill it, what with the huge level difference, and lack of basic attack from Cher, she should be able to do fine, as long as she aimed at the weak points. Receiving the dagger with shaking hands, she gulped tersely as she approached. As if reading my intentions, she walked over so that she stood directly next to its head. Seeing Cher¡¯s current actions, and the weapon she wielded, the Cyclops reacted violently, trying to wiggle its powerless body around in a vain attempt to escape. I got annoyed, so I lightly knicked at an important vein that buldged out besides its neck. The blood flowed freely, causing the Cyclops to lapse into silence as it almost choked on its own pool of blood. ¡°Aim for the eye,¡± I called out. ¡°Thanks to the cut I gave it, if you don¡¯t hurry, it might die before you can kill it.¡± Hearing my words snapped Cher out of the trance like state she had entered just as the Cyclops had began resisting. She looked at me briefly before turning back her attention towards the body. While gripping the dagger with both hands, she knelt down and stabbed at the base of its eye. It squealed (more gurgled), before Cher did it again. She did it numerous times, her breathing getting shakier and shakier with each successive stab. The Cyclops died a while ago, but Cher kept stabbing. After a while though, she seemingly lost strength in her arms, as she toppled backwards with a heavy sigh. Seeing this, I turned back around to Cielle and Hina, just as I removed the end of my long sword from the dead Cyclops¡¯ shoulder. I lightly called back towards the other two, and asked, ¡°Did anything drop?¡± After a brief look, they all wearily shook their heads, although Cielle could be seen dragging a club that was almost double her size over to me. ¡°...Can Hide use this¡­.¡± She asked, as she made a strained face before dropping the club at my feet. While I never explicitly told Cielle what my skill was, she already had the vague presumption that it somehow involved weapons, or items in general. I didn¡¯t particularly mind though, sometime, in occasion, her knowing about my skill was useful. ¡°Let¡¯s see¡­¡± I lightly spoke just as I bent down to pick up the weapon. It was surprisingly heavy, but with my current strength, it was manageable enough. One end of the club, presumably the handle, was thinner, and wrapped in a rough leather that chafed the skin. As it traveled down, the width of the weapon widened, until ultimately it ended at a blunt end. The majority of the weapon was seemingly made out of an unknown wood. It was thicker and much more dense than regular wood. I briefly pondered what type of tree from the ¡°other world¡± this type of material came from. Swinging the club around took an incredible toll on my arms, and after a few swings I was already pretty tired. While currently, the weapon was too heavy and unuseable, with [Equip]¡¯s effects in play, that situation might just change. And to activate [Equip], I first had to use [identify]. With that in mind, I briefly screamed the skill¡¯s name in my head, and following that, a new blue information panel exposed itself.
Cyclops Club A traditional weapon used by Cyclops. It has a thick end at its base, perfect for heavy, melee attacks. Damage: 90 - 110 +40 Strength + 10 Defense -60 Agility Durability: 85/100
This weapon was¡­. Looking over its stats left me absolutely dumbfounded. While the damage was insane, higher than even the unlocked damage of [Efhermet], and even the boosted stats were pretty amazing as well - a 40 in strength, as well as a boost in defense, a stat which so far, has only been effected by a grey back pack, simply put, its demerit was too extreme. A minus in the agility department¡­ what¡¯s more 60! For a better perspective, my base agility stat, one which isn¡¯t boosted by weapons, was 60. If I were to equip this weapon¡­ wouldn¡¯t that bring me down to 0? Would I not move or something?! I wondered whether the Cyclops had to deal with this type of ridiculous stat distribution, or whether or not this was just the effects of my skill. ¡°?¡± Cielle, who watched my ever changing expression, worriedly tilted her hilt. ¡°What¡¯s wrong¡­?¡± Seeing this, I let loose a heavy sigh while stating, ¡°Nothing¡­ let¡¯s go check up on Cher¡­¡± I placed the weapon gently down on the floor. While currently, the weapon was useless¡­ I had a brief hint of inspiration from it, so I wouldn¡¯t just readily abandon it just yet. Walking over, I see that by now, Cher had mostly recovered, and was now sitting upright. Although her hands were still visibly shaking. Nodding in her direction, I lightly called out, ¡°Did you gain a level?¡± From my sudden voice, Cher jumped in her seat before turning to me. ¡°Ah- wait, let me check¡­¡± After a brief pause, her face instantly brightened as she wordlessly nodded to me. It was an expected conclusion. After all, the level difference between the two was amazing. And also, it was generally easier to level up the lower your level. As you grew stronger and stronger, the hurdle proportionately increased. Seeing this, I returned the nod, with my own. ¡°Good. For now, you¡¯ll be gaining a lot of levels, but there¡¯s one condition¡­¡± Upon stating that, Cher¡¯s expression morphed from instantly happy to confusion. ¡°Conditions?¡± ¡°Yes, that is, regarding your stat distribution, follow my every orders. Distribute it how I instruct you.¡± I continued with a colder-than-usual voice. Cher¡¯s face turned to dismay. She was obviously against such a condition, after all, one¡¯s own stats determined their very self in this new world. ¡°B-but¡­ I- I¡­¡± She tried to argue with me but I shot her down with a cold glare. ¡°Did you already forget? While you may have been treated kindly up to this point, you are technically a slave, correct? I also haven¡¯t forgotten what transpired the first time we met. If I recall correctly, you tried to kill me, right?¡± Hearing my tyrad, Cher¡¯s face paled. The other two, remained silent. While they had a complicated expression on, they at least didn¡¯t interrupt. ¡°Anyways,¡± I continued. ¡°Just listen to what I have to say, otherwise I might kick you out, or worse¡­¡± I ended my words with a rather dark implication, which further seemed to add to Cher¡¯s dismay. ¡°Ah- although I haven¡¯t mentioned this now, I have the [Identify] skill.¡± I began explaining, as if I just remembered about it. ¡°The skill allows me to look at another person¡¯s stats, so if you try to lie to me, I¡¯ll know.¡± I mixed in a lie, which Cher didn¡¯t seem to realize. Rather, from this person¡¯s current viewpoint of me, I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if she were to believe me if I said I was an immortal or something. As if to prove the point, I further stated, ¡°If you want an example of my skill, then let me just tell you now, the way you distributed your stats- mostly agility- won¡¯t help you out.¡± Hearing my words, Cher¡¯s eyes bulged in shock. Rather, due to the current atmosphere, the fact that she had told me before hand how she distributed her stats didn¡¯t even register in her rattled mind. ¡°Is that clear?¡± I confirmed to which Cher reluctantly nodded. ¡°Good,¡± I nodded. ¡°Then for now, only distribute two points into agility. The rest¡­ save them for now. I have something planned for them. While she had wanted to argue over adding her stats into strength, saying something like it would help with carrying things, I instantly shot down her suggestion. Cher¡¯s face was a mask of confusion and despair, as she nodded rather pitifully. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about the strength stat for now. I¡¯ll be feeding you easy kills for the majority of this grinding session, so for now- at the very least, you will grow stronger.¡± The truth was, I planned to build Cher into an agility/defense type tank who could both block, move, and taunt. And as such, I didn¡¯t plan on distributing any of her bonus points into strength. At least, that was the initial setting. In truth, I didn¡¯t quite trust Cher just yet. While she may have joined up with us due to impending circumstances, she could just as easily betray us due to those same circumstances. Either way, by making her focus on something other than strength, then her danger potential decreased. When the time comes, I¡¯ll make Cher focus her points into something akin to the defense stat, but for now, limiting her actual potential was a good measure of security. At least, it won¡¯t impede actual battle. With the current level of opponents, Cielle, Hina and I more than suffice. After wrapping things up here, we decided to move away from the current area, and rest for a while, if only to recuperate and gather our thoughts. **** We crashed in an old classroom half destroyed by the same type of explosion that created that hole in the floor. The created concrete debris blocked much of the view into the room from the outside, so it was relatively safe. While I did say rest and recuperate, this was mainly so that Cher could regain her mental state. Her first kill, as well as my sudden declaration seemingly startled her, so a quick rest would do as some good. Also, I had to make a new shield for Cher, as well as do something about the Cyclops Club. It was an undeniably good weapon, too good to just up and abandon even with its demerits. After fashioning a new shield, which greatly resembled Cher¡¯s old one, I instantly focused on the Cyclops Club before me. The hilt of the weapon which was covered in leather, was extremely thin, unimaginably so. It was almost as thin and had about the same width as the width of my long sword. The only difference was that it was a lot longer and had no guard. The whole of the weapon was about a little over 6 feet long, shaft and all. It was definitely taller than my actual height. An incredible weapon that something without the sufficient strength would not be able to wield. If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. I didn¡¯t have that strength, but I wanted to wield it. With that in mind, I carefully placed the club on the floor, secured it with some tape, took out my long sword and- swish! I lobbed off the base of the club, reducing the initial height to under 5 feet. Of course, I had to use [Dissect], since the material made to construct the club would be too dense for me to cut otherwise. The good thing about [Dissect] was that it could also sever non living things, just like that time I sliced at Cielle¡¯s [Dark Gemini]. Although, I unfortunately haven¡¯t tried this in actual combat on actual weapons¡­. maybe next time? Anyways, refocusing back to the weapon, now the end of the Club was as smooth as a table although it had a slight slant, similar to the edge of a katana. That was made on purpose. Next up, I put away my long sword and took out Efhermet. I twiddled the dagger briefly in my hand before I repositioned it. Currently, I wasn¡¯t holding the dagger like I normally did during battle, but using the whole of my hand while the thumb stuck out all the way to its hilt. Wordlessly, and with the utmost concentration, I knelt down and began to work. I began to craft. I whittled the base of the club down vigorously. Each successive strike was dealt while [Dissect] was in full effect. Truth be told, this was infinitely harder than actual combat. Occasionally, my stamina would run dry, and I¡¯d have to rest and eat for a bit, only to continue again. It¡¯s kind of funny actually, doing this increased [Dissect]¡¯s skill level all the way up to 8. A true testament to how continuously I had to rely on this skill in order to mold the weapon to my liking.This sort of pattern with short intervals repeated for about 2 hours, until finally I rose up from my kneeling position and looked over my work. Somehow, without me noticing, the girls had also joined in to view my current actions. ¡°¡°¡°Oooohh¡­.¡±¡±¡± They all exclaimed while gazing at my semi-finished product with awe. ¡°...¡± As for me, contrary to their reactions, I was a bit¡­ underwhelmed. As expected, being the creator himself, I am more inclined to find the flaws rather than the benefits. Despite that, despite my inward complaints, without a doubt, this was the finished product, or at least, it was the extent to my current mediocre abilities. The club, which used to fit snuggly in the giant hands of a cyclops, now lost most of its bulk. Its main body, was as thin as its hilt, while the tip slightly curved, similar to an actual katana. the edges themselves, weren¡¯t smooth, rather they were rough. Some might say unfinished. I could probably smooth it out with some sandpaper, if I managed to make it all the way to the woodworking classroom deeper down the east building, but currently, this was enough. All in all, it greatly resembled a boken, a japanese wooden practice sword. Amazingly enough, it retained a lot of its weight, while the club retained its density. I chalked this phenomenon up to the weapon¡¯s material. It was an amazingly sturdy piece of wood, one which might be able to rival most metals. While the finished product looked fit for human hands, in the end, what really determined everything was its stats. With both a heavy feeling in my heart, and a slight tremble in my sweat soaked hands, I activated [Identify].
Cyclops Club [Heavily Customized] A traditional weapon used by Cyclops. Due to heavy customization by an amateur crafstman, the weapon has been modified for human use. Damage: 80 - 90 +25(50) Strength + 5(50) Defense Durability: 60/100 [Equip] Skill Bonus +45 Strength +10 Agility + 15 Intelligence (???) Familiarity: 50+ Level Requirement: 18 [Crafter Exempted]
¡°...¡± Much like the first time I used [identify], I was left speechless. -The difference is way too amazing?! The demerit was completely wiped out, and while at first glance, the weapon¡¯s stats seemed to have gone down, in actuality, with [Equip]¡¯s bonuses in effect, as well as the crazy familiarity amount of 50¡­ the stats were beyond ridiculous. And another thing too, the [Equip] bonus and Familiarity. The individual [Equip] skill bonus ever only came out to already acknowledged weapons. Weapons that give boosts to every other player, without the necessity for something like an [Equip] skill. Did this mean that this weapon could give ordinary stat boosts to other players besides me? Is that also why something like a level requirement was suddenly added in? Was this Club actually acknowledged by the system as a ¡°game¡± weapon? And Familiarity was another thing too. The max familiarity I¡¯ve come across since prior was 9. To think this Club registered at a whooping 50¡­ could it be because I was the one who created it? As I pondered the absurdity and wonder of all this, an unexpected ding broke my train of thought.
Congratulations! Do to further understanding of your skill, [Equip], new information has been unlocked.
Followed by this, [Equip]¡¯s status panel flashed across my eyes. Much like the first time this happened, there were a few changes.
[Equip] (Active) Skill Type: Unique Skill Rank: Beginner Skill Level: 3 Skill Experience: 35% Effects: Enables user to equip items. Items are granted stat bonuses. Weapon bonuses are only applicable to the skill owner. Consumable items may vary. Familiarity attribute gives certain stat boosts and special effects depending on its value. (???) (???) Available Sub-skills: Identify All-Purpose Crafting Demerits: You cannot use mana.
One notable change was that [Equip] reached beginner level 3, jumping up from its previous level 2. There was also a little snippet about Familiarity added into the skill¡¯s description. Unfortunately, it was already something I figured out by myself. The most important, eye catching change though, was undeniably, the addition of a new skill, [All-Purpose Crafting]. With poorly controlled excitement, I quickly brought up its information before me. Ding!
All-Purpose Crafting Skill Type: Rare Skill Rank: Beginner Skill Level: 1 Skill Experience: 0% Effects: A rare subtype skill that falls under the crafting specialization. It allows access to most, non-unique and non-legendary crafting skills. Ways to acquire more skills: Tutelage, direct experience, leveling up [All-Purpose Crafting] Currently Known Skills: Weapon Crafting- Allows for the crafting of weapons with innate attributes (i.e. stats, damage, durability, etc.) Weapon Customization - Customize pre-existing weapons, be it for better or for worse.
As expected, for a subclass of that troublesome skill, [All-Purpose Crafting] was also a rare skill, one which was already shaping out to be infinitely useful. Looking over its window panel, I instantly connected the Cyclops Club¡¯s added attributes with this skill. From my point of view, the customization or crafting of a weapon was a prerequisite for the acquisition of an [Equip] sub-skill, much like how I had to independently identify an item so that I could unlock [Identify]. It was probably also the reason why the Cyclops Club acquired actual weapon stats, unlike my shoddy shields. Being the catalyst for the skill, it was obvious that it would be the first to feel the effects of my newly attained crafting skill. In order to reaffirm something I already concluded, I picked up the Cyclops Club, henceforth now nicknamed, Cyclub. It was heavier than it looked, probably about 30 pounds in total, although with its added effects and my current stats, it felt no different from my long sword. To test it out, I handed the weapon over to Hina, the only one other than me who met its level requirement. Hina looked at it dubiously, before her eyes widened in surprise. ¡°H-Hide¡­ these stats are¡­¡± I confirmed that she could see the weapon¡¯s individual stats window. Usually, this was something that only system recognized weapons experienced. My [Equip] skill + [Identify] combo was something that allowed my to view the panels of outside weaponry. Seeing Hina¡¯s surprised reaction, I couldn¡¯t help but smile, as I urged her to test the weapon out. She swung it a couple times, making a few amateur poses here and there. She commented over how she felt the difference the stat boosts gave her, but further elaborated that it using it drained a lot of her stamina. -Was this due to incompatibility? While I made a light comment like that inside my head, I pondered how unbalanced life was. Hina was obviously more suited to be something like a mage, even without her current stat distribution and skill put into consideration. It was like how some people were better at drawing than others. A sort of innate talent, and apparently, Hina did not have the talent for close combat. After confirming it, I took back the weapon and tested it out myself. Of course, the difference in strength was undeniable. The added weight of the club allowed me to perform stronger attacks while the weapon¡¯s stat boost was simply another spectacle in itself. While I wanted to play around with it more, I had to refocus back on our original goal, grinding. To better improve that, I set about to recrafting another shield for Cher. What I did was simply pushed aside the original shield, and remade a new one based off the same design. Using a whole new desk top at its base, while adding some of the leftover wood from the club¡¯s original form over on top of the face of the shield, I was able to craft an ugly wooden shield that had surprisingly decent stats.
Wooden Desk Shield This item was crafted with terrible materials. An emergency weapon built for an emergency situation. +5(50) strength + 7(50) Defense +10(50) HP Durability: 9/10 [Equip] Skill Bonus +10 Strength +10 Defense Familiarity: 50+ Level Requirement: 8 [Crafter Exempted]
As expected of the innate familiarity, even though the item itself was pretty shoddy, and originally did not give a good effect, its performance instantly improved by leaps and bounds, that is, if I were the one to wield it. Unfortunately, Cher was too low of a level to wield it, so the question of whether she¡¯ll gain the defense stat upon using this like me, was still up in the air. Luckily, if she couldn¡¯t get the stat through such a direct method, then I had another means of acquirement¡­ rather, even if she did get the defense stat, I would have probably still utilized the method I had in mind. While I pondered over this, unexpectedly the shield disappeared from my hands. At first I panicked, but after calming down and turning, I noticed that Cielle had taken hold of the weapon. ¡°Ah¡­¡± Upon looking over its status panel (at least, that¡¯s what I guessed), Cielle¡¯s eyes widened. Wordlessly, she looped her arm onto the Shield¡¯s rope brace, and cautiously swung it around. Much like her sister with the sword, she entered several fighting positions, straining (with two arms) to hold the unexpectedly heavy shield aloft in the air. That only persisted for less than a minute though, before she gave it back to me with a tired huff. If I looked closely enough, I could see the slight tremble in her tired arms. As expected, like her sister, Cielle was also not suited for close combat. ¡°Hey, Cielle, did the defense stat kick in?¡± I began asking, overcome with curiosity and slight bitterness that I hadn¡¯t thought this up before Cielle butted in. With a firm nod, Cielle confirmed what I hoped to hear. Afterwards, she added, ¡°Hide is¡­ very talented¡­¡± Laughing ruefully at her comment, I asked another question. ¡°Even now, do you still have the defense stat? Is it permanent?¡± After a brief moment of silence, and what I hoped was Cielle scrolling through her window panel, she shook her head. ¡°I see¡­¡± I lamented. ¡®So it wasn¡¯t permanent¡¯¡­ was my initial reaction, but after thinking things over a bit more, I reached the conclusion that that might not be so. If someone were to allocate a bonus point into the defense stat while they had the shield equipped, then things might change. I still held onto that single hope as we began getting ready to head out, having fully recovered. While I would have created more makeshift shields for Cielle and Hina, we faced a problem regarding material. We lacked rope, and currently, there was no suitable substitute in sight. In addition, the current shield was to high level for Cher to equip, so for now, I held onto it, looping the braced around my shoulder much like a backpack, while Cher was stuck using the inferior shield that did not qualify as an actual weapon. Like this, our party finished resting. Having had our fill, and Cher having calmed down somewhat after her first battle, we headed out once more, into the halls and for more grinding. **** Author''s Note: I really had fun writing this chapter. It''s been a while since I did a chapter that contained this much panels, haha. Anyways, if you liked this chapter, or this story in general, please rate or review. I really appreciate the feedback. Chapter 53: The Unexpected Grace of a Genius The Unexpected Grace of a Genius After we left the abandoned classroom, we once again entered the halls. This time, we proceeded forward, in the direction where the previous cyclops originated. It didn¡¯t take long, maybe a few minutes walk, before we once again ran into a couple of combat ready monsters. Like our previous encounter, they were also Cyclops. Three this time. None of them wielded the familiar wooden club, instead, one was unarmed, while the rest used broken down steel pipes as makeshift weapons. The pipes were rather large, and looked to have been part of the school¡¯s water filtration system. Upon combat, we first confirmed our positions. Hina and Cielle were positioned at the back, as long range support, while I stood as vanguard alongside Cher. As expected, Cher still hadn¡¯t gotten used to monster hunting. Her shoulders still trembled while her face was masked with a rather pitiful expression. As the monstes saw and approached us, we readied ourselves. I didn¡¯t wait for them to get any closer though, rather, I dashed forward, somewhat eager to test out my newly crafted weapon. With a sweeping slash, I aimed at a startled Cyclops¡¯ arm. As expected, despite the club¡¯s sword like appearance, its functionality was more akin to its original form, acting like a blunt weapon rather than anything else. Upon contact, the arm did not detach cleanly, rather, it was crushed with an unimaginably strong force. The steel pipe it carried dropped to the floor as an unruly, primal wail of pain erupted forth from its mouth. The initial force of my swing and its unexpected power sent my teetering off balance as I took two clumsy steps forward. As expected, even I was caught off guard by my sudden increase in strength. I leaped back, just in time as the monster¡¯s remaining arm sweeped my initial location. ¡°Ah¡­ the power was¡­ greater than I expected¡­¡± I muttered to myself while I gleefully glanced down at the boken like club. This newly designed weapon, despite its ametaur appearance, had tremendous capabilities. This club alone was comparable to jumping 20+ levels all at the same time. What¡¯s more, a majority of those levels were solely focused on strength. While normally, I possessed an agility build, this weapon overturned that, forcing me to adjust to more straight forward- strength based fighting. Shaking my head helplessly, I once again focused in on the injured Cyclops. It held its broken hand rather pitifully, as it trudged forward, a look of malice simmering beneath its eyes. As it moved, so did I. This time around, I decided to forgo my usual fighting style, and instead, strike randomly. With a single step, I quickly closed our distance, and bombarded the monster with a flurry of unaimed overhead strikes. To the chest, neck, shoulder, collarbone, rib cage, armpit, elbow, forehead, anything, I aimed randomly, overwhelming him with my newly attained strength. This way, I could get a feel for my new stats, while adjusting-if need be- to this new weapon¡¯s peculiarities. After a brief 10 seconds, I was able to reduce the Cyclops to a beaten pulp. It¡¯s legs were broken, arms battered, while a majority of its ribcage was fractured. It only retained a sliver of its life, thanks to my grace, and the fact that Cher needed to to be the one to kill it. Confirming that everything had been dealt with on my side, I turned towards the others. As expected, it was utter chaos. Pitiful screams -from both my side and the enemies- as well as a bombardment of various magic filled the space next to me. Cher was at the frontlines. Her makeshift shield had been bashed and beaten, but unexpectedly held up. This was probably as per my instructions. Instead of taking hits directly, due to the shield¡¯s innate weakness, I instructed Cher to deflect the oncoming blows at an angle, lessening the burden on the shield itself. While she did an admirable job following through with what I instructed, her own constitution wasn¡¯t so formidable. Her face had an expression as if she was ready to run at any given moment, which was understandable, given her current circumstance. Cher was currently sandwiched between two cyclops. Even if she ran, she couldn¡¯t. These monsters were endlessly beating on her, one with its fists, while the other with a badly deformed steel club. The shield, which blocked most of these attacks was severely chipped and dented, and as expected, it could not block everything. Every now and then, a pained yelp would escape from Cher, which further cemented how pitiful her situation truly was. With battered arms, and a tear stricken face, she tried her hardest to cling to the very scrap of her life. Normally, Cher would have died. Normally, Cher would have died ten times over, but due to our healer¡¯s peculiar skill, she was still standing, albeit unwillingly. Cielle, was constantly healing our vanguard. Rather than continuously shooting a steady supply of [Blue Gemini], on every exposed piece of skin, a bluish layer of slime covered her. Steadily, as the fighting extended, the slime would evaporate into Cher¡¯s constantly attacked body, only to be replaced soon after. Like this, Cher was both constantly taking damage, and constantly recovering hp. Of course, normally this wouldn¡¯t be enough, seeing as how the damage dealt was greater than the damage recovered. The several blobs of black that rised out from Cher¡¯s body, floated freely around her, keeping the Cyclops at bay, and lessening the constant blows. In addition, Hina¡¯s own support fire helped divert most of the oncoming attacks. A continuous mix of water magic flowed freely through the battlefield. Hina, upon her own discretion, wanted to experiment with her current arsenal of magic. As such, she chose to mainly focus on water type magic this time around, instead of relying on the more damaging fire magic. In addition, Hina also casted one of her buff spells which she never really implemented up until now. A [Defense-Earth] kept Cher from outright croaking, despite her originally weak constitution. As I watched this scene from the sidelines, I decided to finally take action. If we delayed anymore time onto a mere three cyclops, then our grinding session wouldn¡¯t progress any further. With that in mind, I sneaked around the fight, carefully positioning myself behind them. Using two brief, but well aimed striked, I aimed behind its knees and crushed the weaponless Cyclops¡¯ legs. Its legs buckled before it tumbled to the floor with a look of brief confusion on its face. Following through, before the other one could react, I moved past the sprawled out cyclops and towards the other one. With a strike almost indiscernible to the human eye, I sent a quick jab towards the monster¡¯s weapon-gripping hand. The instant the tip of my club impacted its hand, a sickening crunching sound filled the room, as a steel pipe hit the floor with a resounding thud. Following through, I then retracted the club, before jabbing at the Cyclops once more, this time aiming for its exposed throat. The blow wasn¡¯t enough to kill it, but it was enough to incapacitate. Its throat almost caved inwards, as the monster made varying gurgling noises, a vain struggle to breath, just before it fell to the floor. I quickly crushed its limbs, fully incapacitating it. In the meanwhile, Hina had managed to knock the other one out by drowning it. Using her water magic, she used a steady stream of liquid to flood its nose and mouth, a feat that looked quite difficult to manage. Before it could wake up, I walked over to it before I crushed its remaining limbs. As the fight neared its end, the scene of three badly bruised and crippled Cyclops filled our vision. Afterwards, Cher was tasked with dealing the final blow. She was complacent of course, more than eager to strengthen herself, but her anxiety and nervousness was readily obvious. Whether or not she still had trouble adjusting to ¡°killing¡± in general or the fact that these particular monsters greatly resembled humans, Cher was hesitant and showed signs of brief remorse as she repeatedly stabbed the first Cyclops in its large beady eye. After her 2nd kill though, her nervousness did sort of mellow down, killing the remaining Cyclops just as effortlessly as breathing. Cher was indeed a person who adjusted fast. Like that, she gained another level, bringing her closer to the target 8. **** This sort of pattern continued as we proceeded forward. We would encounter mobs of Cyclops every so often. Their numbers ranged from 2 to 3 with every encounter, although on occasion, there would be a lone cyclops that wandered the halls. The largest mob we encountered was a group of 5, but at this point, dealing with them became just as easy as dealing with 1. Our battle strategy was a simple one. I would hold off one of the monsters (two, if the situations needs it), while the rest worked as a trio and held back the rest. After I incapacitated my prey, making sure not to kill it, I would then quickly deal a couple sneak attacks on the remaining monsters, ending the battle rather unceremoniously. Afterwards, it was a simple matter of Cher dealing the final blow. In each encounter, I forced Cher to fight in the frontlines. This sort of action, despite her unwillingness was greatly beneficial. For one, it allowed her to get used to fighting. Cher¡¯s current fighting style involved repeatedly taking hits, while wailing around pitifully. This was obviously not ideal, as her build was specced for agility (at least right now). In the future, I wanted Cher to take up a fighting style which utilized both agility and defense. A person who could effortlessly fly through the air, all the while deflecting oncoming hits and drawing aggro. While it was obvious that such an ideal was still far into the future, at the very least, getting her familiar with taking hits was something worthwhile. One other benefit included a sort of experiment. It was a common pattern that repetitive action spawned new skills. For instance, my experience with dissect and butcher resulted from repetitive action. This was also the method to increase skill level. In the end, I simply extended that logic over onto stats. Things like repetitive running, or repetitive weight lifting might directly increase one¡¯s agility or strength. Of course, I haven¡¯t witnessed that phenomenon myself, then again, I¡¯ve merely focused on surviving, taking shortcuts rather than outright training my body. If such a logic did apply to this game world, then acquiring a defense stat or something similar would be a reasonable extension to repeatedly guarding (taking) hits. At least, that was what I hoped for as I glanced over at Cher¡¯s tossed around figure. While this was persisting, the others as well, were trying their hardest. Unfortunately for the rest of us, most of the exp was going to Cher, all in an effort to speed raise her level. If we were a normal party, then things like equal stat distribution would occur. Whether or not such a system did exist was still questionable, but thanks to this dungeon¡¯s special feature, we could only rely on this crude method to level her up. That¡¯s why, despite not rising in actual level, Cielle and Hina both trained in different ways. Hina for example endeavored to grasp a better understanding of her magic skills, and magic/mana in general. Her skill, [Full-Element] was something which gave her access to all elemental based magic. Unfortunately, as to expanding her own arsenal outside the original fire, water, wind, and earth, she was lost. In the end, just like that time with her [Pyrokinesis] skill, Hina experimented. With a gloomier than average expression, she stuck to using water magic, hoping to gain a hydrokinesis skill or something similar. As expected, large waves and water shots lack the same destructive force as fire magic. Instead, Hina approached the situation differently. In her fights, as rear support, she would target vital spots. Eyes, ears, nose, mouth, even open wounds, she would send a blast of water directly towards such openings. Lately, her favorite method of attack was pseudo-drowning the Cyclops in mid combat by filling their throats and lungs with a torrent of water. Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. This method was unexpectedly effective, disorienting, or sometime out right knocking them out. Although as expected, such a difficult attack required pinpoint hand eye accuracy and magic accuracy. This was also why Hina acquired something unexpected in the midst of her training; A new stat, and two to boot. A stat rightfully labeled [Accuracy] and [Magic Accuracy]. Something with obvious enough names, that even a four year old would be able to guess as to their functions. Nonetheless, for Hina, who specialized in long distance attack, this was essential. Purely on conjecture, accuracy and dexterity seemed pretty close, and should have a sort of synergistic effect to them. Although in any case, it seemed a bit unfair. After all, my stats are kind of dexterity oriented, but something like [Accuracy] hasn¡¯t flashed in front of me. While it would be a given not to acquire [Magic Accuracy], something like [Accuracy] should be available right? As I thought about it more and more, I drew several conclusions. For one, stats themselves might be different regarding each individual. This was a reasonable theory, considering how, at the start of the apocalypse, the stats were arranged to match a person¡¯s prior physical condition. It might just be that stats themselves, much like an individual¡¯s constitution, come easier for some than others. For others, things like raising their stats outside usual leveling up, was somewhat easier. Similar to how a few people had a faster metabolism, or generally greater fluid intelligence. Truly, even with the ¡°game system¡± implemented, people are still born unequal. The system of leveling was just a small step in bridging that inequality, but in the end, you can¡¯t change the very basis of nature. And if this were the case, then Hina herself might be qualified as a genius, being able to acquire such stats with relative ease¡­ If I recall, she also acquired some grandiose title like [Grand Magician] a while back¡­ There was also another theory. Magic itself might be a harder element to control, so the system might just reward such actions greater than when I whimsically throw my daggers around. Also, regarding magic itself, it might also be something that facilitates outside stat growth. An unimaginably important feature, which I have no right to. I could only pray the latter wasn¡¯t the case, since if it was, then [Equip]¡¯s demerit, has an even greater effect than what I was first led to believe. In addition to those new stats, Hina quickly learned [Hydrokinesis] with relative ease, once again cementing the idea that Hina was an unexpected genius when it came to magic. Cielle also somewhat mimicked Hina¡¯s actions. Several tiny dots of darkness darted across the battlefield, directly homing in on the open wounds that I inflicted. Like with Hina¡¯s case, such a feat was harder than it first looked. First of all, Cielle was positioned several yards away from the monsters. Hitting such small space from so far away required either extreme luck or skill, maybe both. In no time at all, just like her sister, Cielle also gained the [Magic Accuracy] stat. Although unlike Hina, the [Accuracy] stat remained out of reach. One thing she did gain though was [Magic Endurance]. Magic endurance was a stat which lowered mana consumption, as to how she was able to acquire such a thing¡­ it might have been due to Cielle¡¯s continuous healing, and equally as continuous attacking. Since I neither had magical competency nor the ability to use mana, I had no idea what limitations or setbacks came with continuous, non stop usage. Merely speculations and theories, but in the end, wasn¡¯t something like gaining a new stat pretty hard to do? Once again, I was reminded of my earlier theory, which caused an uncontrollable sigh to leak out. -These two sisters, despite how they look¡­ Whether genius or not, such unexpected stat growth was outside my current limits. For now, all I could do was rely on the items I painstakingly created by myself. At the very least, it comforted me that Cher herself wasn¡¯t a genius, unlike the other two. Although, she did undergo a drastic change¡­ or at the very least, her mind set did. While the first half of our nonstop grinding showcased her pitiful self, a series of terribly annoying and slightly ungraceful expressions as she took hit after hit, something changed halfway through. That terribly pained expression loosened up. Those pale, sweating cheeks reddened as they flushed. Her annoying wailing and screaming, lessened, replaced by heavy¡­ panting. It was indeed a bit creepy, but in the end, it resulted in Cher gaining a stat called [Physical Resistance]. Physical resistance was similar to defense, in that it lessened oncoming damage. The difference was, that while defense lessened both magic and physical damage, Physical Resistance only affected physical attacks. I could have probably acquired [Physical Resistance] as well, but stretching out Cielle¡¯s already thin healing capablities was too much at our current pace. When Cher¡¯s level finally reached 8, her newly acquired points, as well as her saved points, where all equally distributed to Defense and Physical Resistance. Just as I expected, when Cher added points into Defense while the desk shield was equipped, it turned the defense stat into a permanent addition. The addition of the defense stat and physical resistance stat allowed her to effectively tank more hits. In addition, being able to use an actual shield (one that was qualified as an in-game weapon) greatly boosted Cher¡¯s own defensive capabilities. Although, much to her chagrin, the Physical resistance had an unexpected effect of lessening pain. Like this we continued to progress forward. Along the way, none of the Cyclops dropped actual item drops, but they did leave behind a few clubs. These clubs were valuable in that they were perfect raw material for my crafting skill. During one of our rare breaks, I utilized the given time to either create, or enhance our current arsenal. I repaired Cher¡¯s shield with using some of the wood from the Cyclops Club. Since the shield was poorly constructed, and durability was easily reduced, repair became vital. By replacing, or covering the splintered portions of the shield¡¯s surface, I was able to either restore durability or add to its maximum value. In the process, I gained the sub-skill, [Repair].
All-Purpose Crafting Skill Type: Rare Skill Rank: Beginner Skill Level: 1 Skill Experience: 50% Effects: A rare subtype skill that falls under the crafting specialization. It allows access to most, non-unique and non-legendary crafting skills. Ways to acquire more skills: Tutelage, direct experience, leveling up [All-Purpose Crafting] Currently Known Skills: Weapon Crafting- Allows for the crafting of weapons with innate attributes (i.e. stats, damage, durability, etc.) Weapon Customization - Customize pre-existing weapons, be it for better or for worse. Repair - Restore weapons, or various items. Increases durability, and prolong a weapon¡¯s life.
[Repair] was useful, since it allowed me to restore some of the lost durability on my heavily used weapons. After all, it would have been a terrible joke had Efhermet broken down before I was able to properly use it. While producing things like armor, and the like were still beyond me, I was able to craft something like a bo staff. Its performance was less than my boken like club, but still qualified as a weapon. In the end, I gave it to Hina, since she was the only one who met the level requirements (level 18). Like with the boken, it increased attack, but was more centered on speed rather than defense. For a magic caster like Hina, the strength boost might be irrelevant, but at the very least, the speed boost makes running away easier. If I stuck something like a magic stone, or something¡­ I could probably produce one of those magical staffs you often see in fantasy settings, but unfotunately, I had nothing like that. I made something similar for Cielle aswell, although due to her level, she could not properly equip it yet. As for Cher, I refrained from giving her a weapon. Normally, something like the long sword (now that she fit the level requirements) would be handed down to her, but I chose not to do that. For one, an unexpected backstab would be bad, and there was also the fact that she was unexpectedly clumsy with the sword. Wielding both a shield and a sword in both her hands only slowed her down and made her clumsy movements more so. Rather than looking like a knight, with her shield and sword combo, she came off more as a giant target. In the end, she herself was complacent with sticking to a shield. Commenting about how she was better at taking hits rather than giving them. *** On occasion, I would sneak out into the hallway by myself, with the pretense of scouting. Since this was something I usually did, nobody found it odd. In actuality, I was doing research. Or more specifically, I was dissecting. Cyclops corpses resembled human anatomy. Of course, with the exception of its palm sized eye, and flat nose, these things could have passed as burly construction workers. I knelt besides a corpse. Its fresh blood flowed freely through the floor, giving off a metallic scent to the air. The first thing I did was scoop out its larger than average eyeball. As expected, when you think of cyclops, you instantly think of its giant eye, right? I pulled it out from its head, and examined it under the passing sunlight. It was oblong in shape, and sort of resembled an egg. It had the consistency of glass, which was rather unexpected. I severed the connecting tissue, with the tip of my dagger, just as I gently placed the oblong eyeball to the side. Using the opening provided from the hole in its head, I excavated its brain out. It was difficult, seeing as how the passage connecting the eye and the brain was rather narrow, but in the end, I managed to remove chunks of it by not focusing on the whole, but rather its parts. As expected, it looked like a sponge. A wrinkly, pink mass which resembled all the pictures of a human brain that I¡¯ve seen. As I dug the brain out, I noticed that towards the back, where the brain stem probably connected, was a sort of purplish mass. It was obviously still part of the brain, but looked rather unnatural. A discoloration in that otherwise mass of pink. After digging out most of what its head had to offer, I moved on to the rest of the body. Methodical, precise, well aimed. I continued my usual routine, desensitized to its human like appearance. What its body had to offer was nothing I hadn¡¯t already figured out. Its bone structure, resembled a goblin¡¯s although larger. The bones themselves were somewhat brittle, more so than I expected from a monster of its size. As if to make up for that, its muscle mass was great. Denser than even the tusk boar¡¯s. After I finished, I identified the individual body parts that I severed, before I dragged its body out into an abandoned room, making sure to hide my work from the girls. Like that, our progress with level grinding continued, and I was able to keep my dark secret hidden, beneath the pretenses of leadership and caution. **** Author''s Note: If you liked this chapter, or this story in general, please rate or review. The feedback is always appreciated. Chapter 54: Team Work Author''s Note: There is a poll this chapter, but please only participate after you have finished reading this chapter. Thank you. Team Work ¡°This is¡­¡± Cher trailed off while wiping the sweat away from her forehead. She had a tired look in her eye, understandable, considering she wavered on the brink of death for the last 5 hours. After walking a vast expanse of land without coming into contact with anymore Cyclops, we arrived at a set of innocuous stairs that led to the first floor. Along the way, we had killed all the monster we came into contact with. Close to about 35 met their end. The collected wooden clubs were currently stored away in the last classroom we rested in. In the end, Cher was able to reach level 12. We glanced at the set of seemingly harmless stairs. The railings were stained with various splotches of blood, while the steps themselves, looked chipped and trampled on. If you looked closely enough, you could distinguish individual hoof prints which vaguely resembled a boar¡¯s. ¡°Then¡­¡± I uttered a single word, which conveyed hidden intention. While I didn¡¯t say it out loud, the rest of the group fully comprehended what I meant, as they simultaneously tensed up. I raised the boken over my head, just as Cher moved to the front. As the tank of the group, it was obvious that she would play the role of vanguard. As she began treading down the steps, I followed closely, standing more beside rather than behind. Cielle and Hina quickly followed, the overly tall bo staffs looking incredibly out of place in their tense hands. As we reached the bottom of the steps, an incredibly eerie silence filled the hall. Not a sound was heard, with the exception of our own individual heart beats. Several doors were opened, while some of them were completely ripped out of their hinges and destroyed. With trepidation interlaced in everyone of our steps, we moved forward, towards the east. Our goal was the Observatory which was connected to the East Building through a small skyway. The Observatory was a small, circular building which had state of the art technology. On Top of the possibility of a working radio, there was also the chance that a telescope might still be functioning. Such an instrument would definitely prove beneficial when it came to gathering information on the outside world. We traveled deeper and deeper, more intrigued rather than scared at the lack of monsters. Even the normal sight of human corpses was nowhere to be seen, although on occasion, I could see blood trails, as if somebody had dragged something particularly red away. These trails of blood all led to one place, and coincidentally, that place was the one we were headed too. As we followed the trail of blood, we quickly reached a small skyway. Ceremoniously, besides the entrance to the skyway, were a row of steel pipes, stacked up into various formations along the walls. It looked intentional, a sort of ceremonious appearance, although the occasional rust ruined its gruesome affect. Peering out into the skyway, we could see the tightly shut double doors that led to the Observatory. Those doors were also stained with blood, much like everything else that we saw as we got closer and closer. While the others couldn¡¯t hear it, I could hear a low grumbling sound, similar to the sort of noise those Cyclops made, although this one was distinguishably more feral. ¡°Okay¡­¡± I breathed out a heavy sigh. ¡°This is it guys, that thing¡­ the Elite is probably there.¡± Upon my words, they all nodded tensely, a shade of white dotting their faces. They all probably came to the same conclusion, but my words sort of confirmed their fears. Actually, before we even arrived here, as we were walking through the first floor halls, a strange¡­ feeling overtook us. It wasn¡¯t some effect of a special skill or something, but rather, the eeriness of it all. The whole first floor¡­ the fact that no other monster was here, its unexpected cleanliness¡­ it was as if the whole first floor was being treated as someone¡¯s house. The other cyclops had been moved to the 2nd floor, while this whole expanse of land was being hogged and ruled over by what lay beneath those blood stained double doors. Aside from me, the others have never really encountered an Elite Monster. There was that time with the Werewolf Alpha, but in the end, only I experienced the pleasure of actual combat with it. Their anxiousness was understandable. After one last word of caution, we proceeded forward. Each step we took, the shorter our distance became, the more and more vocal those grunts became. To me, to the others, it was readily obvious that something big¡­ that something monstrous lurked beneath. We stopped directly in front of the doors. Judging by the unchanging sound of low grunting, our presence had not been detected yet. I signaled to Cher, and pointed at the double doors. At first, her head tilted to the side in confusion, before her face instantly paled and she helplessly shook her head. Although she was clearly unwilling, she did not dare utter a single voice, for fear of what lurked behind. Getting frustrated, I glared menacingly at her before lightly japping her in the side with the tip of my boken. As a result, she lurched forward before unwillingly trudging towards the door. With deep, almost shaky breaths, she pressed the surface of the shield on one door, while pressing her open palm on the other. On my signal, we all tensed up, just as those blood stained doors were pushed open, revealing a rather gruesome scene that superseded all our expectations. Directly at the center of the room, stood a hulking beast. It was a one-eyed half giant that resembled an overly muscular body builder. Its disgustingly large muscles flexed and veins erupted forth from almost every layer of exposed skin. Its upper body was covered in what looked like crude armor. Plates of metal lustered as they were fastened together by flimsy rope. Instead of traditional weapons, it had a pair of gauntlets. Gauntlets that looked overly large, even to this hulking giant. I had the impression that just from that pair alone, I could probably reforge that down to at least 3 human sized gauntlets. While its very presence itself was quite overwhelming, what adds to its pressure was its very surroundings. A scene straight from hell itself. Well, rather than hell, the scene reminded me briefly of my time in a certain bathroom filled with certain green midgets. The bodies were literally littered with rotting corpses. The blood was smeared all over the windows a long time ago, giving the light that flowed freely through the room a reddish hue. Some of those corpses either lay sprawled along the floor, or hanged onto the varying telescopes, like some kind of human laundry. What was most shocking, out of all these corpses, was the one that was directly behind the giant cyclops. A corpse that was obviously not human. An animal whose gut had been plundered, and whose body had been mostly devoured, the only trace of its existence being the occasional white fur that remained and its exposed ribcage. After spending a bit of time dissecting one of them, I could instantly tell that carcass was from a boar. Moreover, the size of its rib cage was undeniably larger than the others, at least twice as big. It wouldn¡¯t surprise me if that desecrated corpse ended up being the Elite of the tusk boars. A low growl brought me back to reality, as I glanced up at the hulking giant before me. It was currently sitting crisscrossed, in the middle of the room, while a rotting corpse was crushed under its hands. Its crunched its mouth twice over before I realized it had been chewing on a decayed arm. Named Monster: Lesser Cyclops: Gunther the Desecrator - Level 43 HP: 1000/1000 -Eh? A named monster? I had expected a regular elite, not something different like what stood before me. Licking my lips intense agitation, I confirmed what was clearly written on the blue panel above the giant. Named Monster. A new term which I¡¯ve only seen now. Something that might¡­ something that was probably stronger than an elite. On top of that, it looked as if this thing also killed the Elite Tusk Boar, so, if monsters worked the same as humans, then this thing was probably stronger than when it first arrived on earth. The others also probably glanced over its panel, as they too stiffened up and took an instinctive step back. While the monster continued to wordlessly stare at us while it continually chewed on its meal, Cher¡¯s shaky voice whispered desperately besides me. ¡°T-that¡­ it says ¡®Named Monster¡¯... isn¡¯t that a little different from what you said?¡± She directed the question my way while shooting a quick glance in my direction. I paused briefly, thinking over her words, before I unconsciously nodded. ¡°Hah¡­¡± I sighed out. ¡°That- yes, it is a bit different. In fact, I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever encountered a named monster¡­¡± ¡°Then isn¡¯t this situation really dangerous?¡± Hina asked from behind, all the while a small mist rose from around her. She kept a vigilant eye on the giant, cringing every time it chewed. ¡°...Yeah¡­¡± I agreed. ¡°At the very least, I don¡¯t think Cher will survive a single on of its hits.¡± ¡°Eh?!¡± Upon my sound evaluation, Cher instantly paled. Her flushed cheeks were nowhere to be found, as she shivered in primal fear. Although her sudden outburst drew a raised eyebrow from the Cyclops, it made no intention of attacking as it leisurely continued chewing. I heard a tense gulp from the back, right before a small whisper spoke out and said, ¡°D-don¡¯t worry¡­ Hide is¡­ strong¡­¡± While Cielle¡¯s whole hearted confidence in my abilities was refreshing, it was still quite a fearsome thought, fighting against something like this. Cher¡¯s involvement would probably be miniscule at best. While I could rely on the others for help, and there was also the fact that the boken in my hands probably brought me close to the giant¡¯s level, the fact that it was a named monster, still caused trepidation in my stride. It was always important to be cautious, especially during unforeseen circumstances. As I thought things over, I heard another gulp. This time, this gulp was a bit more vocal, and it originated not from behind me, but from in front. I looked over at the monster. Its ear to ear grin was directed directly towards us at it eagerly rose from its position. With a bellowing roar, the battle had already begun. *** The first thing the creature did was throw two nearby corpses at our direction. I managed to dodge the one directed at me with a quick sidestep, but the Cher took a corpse full frontal, sending her tumbling backwards with a loud thud. In an instant, the Cyclops ran with unexpected speed directly towards us. That constant grin of his only widened as it licked its lips in future prospects. ¡°Tch! It¡¯s coming,¡± I grimaced, while I bent my knees and leaned slightly forward. ¡°Scatter!¡± I yelled as I ran forward, hoping to intercept it. Behind me, I could hear a flurry of foot steps moving to the side, while I jabbed the boken towards the monster¡¯s exposed stomach. The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. The monster was a bit too slow to block, as my initial strike stopped him in its tracks. I heard a low grunt of pain escape from its throat as it took a staggering step backwards. Its playful grin soon disappeared, as a look of slight confusion filled its face. It prodded slowly at the spot I hit with an open hand before its face quickly morphed into anger. Its primal growl filled the room as it once again rushed forward. This time around, I did not confront it directly, instead jumping backwards. The fist that was initially aimed at me flew helplessly through the air, while the giant itself staggered forward due to its excess momentum. Before it could recover, two distinct shots flew threw the air. One of them was a lick of red, which soared past and burned into the giant¡¯s single retina. The other was an arrow shaped black liquid which flew through the decayed air and landed directly next to its exposed earlobe, missing its target by only a couple of millimeters. These two attacks hit simultaneously, causing a primal wail of agony to erupt forth from its vocal chords. Not one to miss an opportunity, I ran to its back, and jumped forward. With a single arm gripped onto its fur like back hair, I latched on, while simultaneously dealing blunt attacks onto the back of its neck. Each successive strike diminished a portion of its hp, but it wasn¡¯t nearly enough. I would have used [Dissect] at this point, but it was less effective without a bladed edge. In fact, my initial attack¡¯s power would go down if I carelessly used it during the wrong circumstance. I continued to attack, each hint sent the Cyclops''s head rocking forward, as the low growl in its voice quickly escalated. Its arms tried to grasp at me, but due to a combination of rapid movement on my part, and continuous flurries of attack magic from the girls, I was able to stay on. Unexpectedly, a single figure dashed forward. Shooting a quick glance downwards, I could see Cher approach the giant¡¯s legs while a pale expression filled her face. If I looked closely enough, I could see a line of yellowish liquid trickling down the side of her thigh. Despite her obvious fear, Cher still ran forward, determined at what ever endeavor she wanted to do. With a running jump, she bashed the monster¡¯s left knee cap with the base of her shield. While the blow itself wasn¡¯t all that powerful, it had enough momentum, to buckle the creature''s knees. With my added weight forcing the giant to lean forward, the monster tumbled to the floor face first. Cher rolled helplessly to the side, her body sprawled along the floor like another one of the corpses. The giant that fell, crushed many of the corpses underneath its weight. A few splintering bones punctured its skin, causing an additional unruly tremor to escape from its lungs. As it continued wailing, I stood up, and winded the boken in my hand behind me. With a synchronized breath, Let loose a hard strike aimed at the base of the back of its head. The blow sent the creature¡¯s head shooting forward and into the ground, further muffling its cries with a dead corpse. By this point, more than half its hp was gone, but our subsequent actions only seemed to further anger it. With unexpected strength, it rose to its feet with a fearsome roar, sending the unprepared me, sprawling across the ground. As it got up, it swiveled its head helplessly in all directions. Its large eye was red and inflamed, and clearly now nonfunctioning. Taking trepid, anger filled steps forward, it scanned the room helplessly, relying more on its sense of sound and smell, now that its eyesight had left him. Thanks to the permeating smell of corpses, it could not detect us through smell, and as a counter to the sound, we remained stock still and quiet. From the corner of my eye, I could see Cher had feigned death. She laid on the floor, perfectly fitting in with the rest of the corpses. I didn¡¯t chide her on this too much, since with her current strength, she¡¯d be nothing more than a burden. In fact, her previous actions were more than enough assistance. As I continued silently looking across the room, I saw that both Hina and Cielle had simultaneously moved. They were slowly encircling the room, sometimes exchanging glances with each other, while other times shooting a glare my way. Looking over where they were headed, and at the expressions on their face, I soon understood their intentions. Given that, I also prepared myself. Positioned directly in front of the Cyclops, I held the boken with my right hand, while I took hold of Efhermet¡¯s handle with my dominant hand. I could feel the flow of synergistic power in me as my body grew lighter and the stat boosts took their effect. I knelt down, one hand on the floor, like at the start of a marathon, and waited, ready to attack once the given opportunity presents itself. Slowly, Cielle and Hina continued circling the room, taking caution not to make any noise. Eventually, they were directly in front of each with the Cyclops in between them. The Cyclops was faced away from them, its face a complete 90 degree angle from Hina and Cielle¡¯s current position. With almost eerie synchronicity, the two fired off simultaneous magic attacks directly aimed at its head. A arrow shaped blob of dark liquid flew towards its right ear lobe, while a flaming lick of fire darted towards its left ear. At the same time, both spells hit their mark. A loud wail escaped its throat, at it unintentionally hunched forward, while it gripped at its ears helplessly. -Now! At the instant their attacks landed, my feet were already moving. I quickly dashed forward to cut our distance, with my dagger held before me. The boken swayed helplessly to the side, my grip on it the only thing keeping it from flying across the room. I was an amateur at dual wielding, but I needed the strength boost from the boken, thus I chose to hold on to it, rather than discard it to the side. As I neared two feet, with a single foot, I propelled myself upwards, directly moving towards its exposed throat. -[Dissect]! With a horizontal slash aimed at a particularly large vein that buldged out from its neck, I used [Dissect] on the giant. A critical hit landed, and while I did not sever its neck completely, I was able to manage a [laceration] effect. The blade itself, lodged into the Monster¡¯s neck, keeping me from completely falling to the ground. As it wriggled in pain, I hoisted myself over its shoulders before I removed the dagger. With the dagger¡¯s departure, a spray of blood shot out from its new wound, cascading my face in red. Following up, a sudden shot of dark liquid surprised even me, as it hit the newly formed wound, causing another round of wailing. Just as the liquid completely seeped into the giant, another shot of magic erupted from my left. A palm sized fireball quickly landed, and cauterized the wound. With each successive critical hit after another, the monster''s total hp was dwindled down to barely 10%. With the monster on the brink of death, Cielle and Hina continued to bombard it with magic, hoping to secure the kill for themselves. Not one to lose in both greed and determination, I also endeavored to be the first to kill it. I used a continuous set of [Dissects] on the newly cauterized wound. My attacks carved out a good chunk of its neck, but I still continued to persist. Eventually, after what felt almost like an eternity, I managed to cut through half its neck, before its hp dropped to zero and it toppled forward. In the end, within our race to kill, I was the one who managed to land the finishing blow. A new window panel flashed before my eyes as if confirming it. Achievement: You have slain a named monster. The named monster: Cyclops Gunther the Desecrator was a species leader. No more new Cyclops will spawn within this dungeon. Reward(s): 10,000 exp +35 Unallocated Points Breathing out a tired sigh, I plopped myself onto the ground. The additional experience was enough to boost me up to level 25, making me strong enough to fully utilize Efhermet¡¯s bonuses. The 35 unallocated points, would go well in further disproportionating my stats from my actual level. Despite that, what was more important was- ¡°Hina, Cielle, look for anything that dropped.¡± I called out while I stood up and dusted myself off. They quickly followed my instructions, and the three of us were now busily searching around the corpses for anything that might look out of place. It took a couple of minutes, but Cielle found something peculiar. By this point, Cher had recovered, and walked over to us. All four of us peering curiously at the object in her hand, a sense of poorly hidden enthusiasm welling up within us. The item was a familiar looking book. It was something that resembled the skill book I received from the Werewolf Alpha a while back. Skill Book - Magic Reinforcement An old archaic record depicting the ability of the damned monster race known as the Cyclops. This book allows one person to learn the Cyclops active skill [Magic Reinforcement]. Despite appearances, Cyclops were creatures with innate talent for magic. In fact, due to their weird physiology, they relied on a constant flow of magic in order to live and move their larger than average bodies. Along with it, is a brief description of the Cyclops tribes damned existence. Effects- New Skill - Magic Reinforcement Equip Skill Bonus - 10 strength upon learning 10 defense upon learning 100 HP upon learning ¡°Uwaa¡­. this is the first time I¡¯ve ever seen a skill book before¡­¡± Cher awed while her eyes slightly sparkled. ¡°So¡­ what Hide learned previously¡­ it was something like this?¡± Hina tilted her head while she redirected her gaze up at me. ¡°Cool¡­¡± Cielle simply said as she maintained her fixated gaze in her open hands. ¡°Damn, it¡¯s a magic skill¡­¡± And finally, I dejectedly muttered while rereading over the skill¡¯s name with depressed eyes. ¡°¡°¡®¡°....¡±¡±¡± We continued to silently stare at the skill book with curious eyes, each of us relishing in the previous victory and unexpected pleasure from an amazing item drop. After a few more seconds of silence passed, I was the first to break it. In this stagnant room, filled with numerous corpses, with a dejected sigh, I asked, ¡°So¡­ who¡¯s going to learn it?¡± **** Author''s Note: I decided to add in a poll this chapter as well, mostly due to boredom and curiosity. Please only participate in the poll after you have finished reading the chapter. Also, let me be clear on this, I''ve already decided who the skill will go to, but I was also curious as to what every one else preferred. The results of the poll will not change my decision. As always, thank you for reading. If you liked this chapter, or like this story in general, please take some time to rate and review. I appreciate the feedback. Chapter 55: Trust and Truth Trust and Truth **Typo on last chapter: Magic Enforcement => Magic Reinforcement** ¡°So¡­ who¡¯s going to learn it?¡± As my question resonated through the quiet room, an almost tense silence filled the air. The girls all held startled expressions as they looked at my face, scrutinizing it, as if looking for an answer. To me, I didn¡¯t really care much for this skill. For one, the singular word, ¡°Magic¡± already told me that I was incompatible with this skill. To put it simply, it would be a waste for me to learn it. And in a place like this, where valuable resources are limited as is, wasting anything valuable was definitely a bad idea. In the stagnant room, the first to break the silence was Cielle. In a quieter voice than usual, she spoke. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t¡­ shouldn¡¯t Hide be the one to decide?¡± Just as quickly, Hina muttered in agreement as she slightly dipped her head forward. ¡°That¡¯s right. After all, Hide was the one who killed it.¡± The logic that ownership belonged to the winner, was a novel idea which was often used in MMOs and such. Considering the context, it very much fit our current situation. After glancing repeatedly at Hina and Cielle, Cher hastily nodded as well. ¡°Th-that¡¯s right, Hide deserves it¡­ I- I don¡¯t even have the right to decide, I mean, it¡¯s not like I helped very much this time around.¡± Although she tried to hide her true emotions with a wide smile, the look in her eyes pretty much gave away whatever emotion she tried to conceal. A look of dejection¡­ was it due to her own inability? A deep sadness because she was ultimately weak? Or maybe despair at the fact that she might not get the skill? I wasn¡¯t certain, but one thing I did now was, at the very least, Cher wasn¡¯t as useless as I first presumed. Even if she is weak, even if her precedent actions barely contributed much in the long run, she still acted. Rushing forward despite the risk of death is not an easy thing to do. I glanced down. I could still see the yellow stream running down the inside of her thigh. Her oblivious face pointed out the fact that she still hadn¡¯t noticed. In normal situations, such a sight would indeed be considered pitiful, but right now, I didn¡¯t see it like that. I looked back up at every body. My eyes quickly gazed over every one of their faces before I sighed out deeply. I crossed my arms and looked up at the dome shaped ceiling, considering my options carefully. After a while, I uncrossed my arms, and made a move towards the skill book in Cielle¡¯s arms. She easily acquiesced, as I brought it close to me. I briefly looked at it before I turned back to face everyone else. ¡°I¡¯ve decided. This skill book will go to-¡± I pushed the book forward into a certain girl¡¯s hands. ¡°Eh? Me?¡± A surprised voice leaked out from a certain red headed girl. Her expression looked a bit pitiful, but it could not mask her surprised joy. ¡°A-are you sure about this?¡± Cher timidly asked while her opened hands gravitated towards the book. ¡°Well, I¡¯ve thought about it.¡± I answered. ¡°You can think of this as both a reward and a loan.¡± ¡°A loan?¡± She tilted her head, her excitement slightly dampened by confusion. ¡°Yeah¡­ I mean, don¡¯t get me wrong, this isn¡¯t a freebie or anything. I just thought that, you¡¯ve been doing pretty well lately, as a slave. I mean, you¡¯ve been working hard lately, following all my instructions¡­ and your level¡¯s been rising pretty steadily as well.¡± I stammered on. It might be obvious at this point, but I wasn¡¯t very good at thinly veiled compliments. ¡°A-anyways... What I¡¯m trying to say is, continue working hard to pay of this debt (skill book). Don¡¯t let my trust go to waste.¡± I said those simple words while I looked squarely at her eyes. For a moment she just stood there, transfixed. She made no motion of receiving the book, nor of replying back. After a while though, she seemingly broke out of her self induced daze, as she received the book warmly. Her head slightly tilted down, as it gazed over at the skill book¡¯s indecipherable paperback cover. In a quiet, almost imperceptible voice, she whispered, ¡°Trust, huh¡­¡± As if to confirm my decision, I looked over at the other two once more. ¡°No objections?¡± Hina nodded in agreement, while Cielle walked over towards Cher. Positioning herself behind her, Cielle lightly patted her back while congratulating, ¡°Good job¡­¡± Hearing this, Cher muttered something about ¡°mistress¡± before a happy smile plastered itself on her face. Seeing this scene unfold, I couldn¡¯t help but crack a smile myself. While I did mutter something about ¡°trust¡±, and while that was indeed true, that was only half of my motivation. For one thing, if this battle is any indication, then our party will need a capable vanguard that can actually take hits. While I might be able to fill that role for now, in the future I would like to completely switch to offense. Cher¡¯s current capabilities are lacking. To boost her defensive capabilities despite her low level¡­ Something like a skill would be perfect. Going by the context of the panel, that skill book was definitely defense oriented, probably something similar to my [Hard Scale]. So with that in mind, who better to learn a defense skill than our designated tank? There was also one other thing too. A defensive skill won¡¯t be that dangerous when it''s pointed my direction. I can at least assure myself that my decision won¡¯t instantly backfire on me. Although, I doubt Cher has the courage or intention to do something like that. Pulling my mind out of the gutter, I looked back at Cher just in time to hear her mutter, ¡°It really is true¡­ being with Hide¡­ If you''re around him, then you will get a skill too¡­¡± For some odd reason, her eyes were sparkling while her mouth curved in a pitiful smile. ¡°Gah, that¡¯s enough about that.¡± I finally interrupted. ¡°Quickly learn your new skill. If you¡¯re going to be any useful, then you need to master it fast!¡± ¡°Y-yes!¡± In an excited voice, she began reading the book. After a few minutes of silent reading, her expression soured while she tilted her head to the side. ¡°Is this really a skill book? This is more like a fantasy novel¡­ or history text than anything else.¡± ¡°Just read it all the way until the end.¡± I reassured. I had pretty much the same experience when I learned my new skill. ¡°O-okay¡­¡± She hesitantly said. ¡°Although, this story¡­ it¡¯s pretty interesting, you know¡­ Should I read it out loud for you guys as well?¡± She turned excitedly towards Hina and Cielle, who quickly nodded their heads. After all, it was a story from another world, who wouldn¡¯t be interested. Just as I was about to speak up, a tiny memory in me resurfaced, jogged by the recent events. It was about the time I read my first skill book, and about the ¡°secret¡± it revealed. ¡°Oi, Cher, before you-¡± But it was too late. Enamored by the story¡¯s contents, without even realizing it herself, Cher had began reading the book out loud. Even though I wanted to stop her, there was nothing I could do, Cher continued reading while she narrated the contents of the book, revealing everything it had to offer. In basic summary, the Cyclops were a similar existence to the werewolves. A race that originated from a human variant species possessing a singular eye, called Monoeyes, Cyclops were the portion of the race which was negatively affected by the particular phenomenon known only as ¡°the Collapse¡±. Like with the werewolves, they came from a world known as Alterworl. A familiar tale of lost humanity, and descent into madness. the Cyclops lost almost all of their reasoning, as they mutated and became an existence feared as monsters. The actual fact that they still had enough intelligence to use things such as armor and weapons symbolizes the little bit of humanity that might still remain¡­ or the remnants of something irretrievable. After Cher finished reading the last page of the book, the skill book itself glowed faintly, before it seemingly disintegrated, not a trace of it to be seen. ¡°....¡± A heavy silence descended on the room. Thanks to Cher¡¯s narration, we knew full well what our constant Cyclops killing symbolized. In the end, we had killed something that used to be human. Something that might still have been human. It was the same type of secret I tried hiding back when I read the skill book depicting the werewolves. As if vocalizing my own internal worries, a quiet voice abruptly began speaking. ¡°In the end¡­ what have we been doing all this time¡­?¡± Hina voiced out, as she spoke solemnly to no one in particular. ¡°Surviving.¡± I responded back. I hadn¡¯t even thought about the answer, and merely answered, almost on instinct. ¡°We killed to survive. No- that¡¯s a lie actually¡­ We killed to get stronger. And in the end, getting stronger means surviving.¡± My words, even to me, were hollow. When you''re raised in a peaceful society, a society that valued face and social connections the most, a society which inhibited one¡¯s darkest, most inhumane desires in order to coalesce with everybody else¡­ even when it''s logical, it''s still a difficult concept to grasp. But in the end, down to our very core, humans want to live. Life is what justifies our actions. Life is what justifies death. Be that death our or someone else¡¯s. Our situation is no different. Reassuring her dead eyed sister, Cielle put a comforting hand around her shoulder. The expression on her face, the words that she whispered into her ears, I could did not recognize any of them. If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. A long stretch of time passed with no one uttering a single word. Lost in whatever thoughts, what ever reasoning they formed, not a single one of us dared to break the silence, that is until- ¡°Killing people in this world is normal.¡± A sudden declaration came from Cher, who until now, had kept quiet all this time. Her expression had a hint of longing, but was nonetheless curved into determination. ¡°I-I¡¯ve seen people kill before. I¡¯ve seen people die too¡­ In the end, I couldn¡¯t do anything about that¡­ simply- I was simply swept up in the pace.¡± Regret¡­ was something not visible on her face. Rather, a willingness to survive might be an accurate interpretation. ¡°The reason I joined up with Satou was because I was afraid of dying. The reason I stuck around him was because I was afraid of being killed. It¡¯s the same thing¡­ when I begged Hide to take me¡­ I was simply afraid of being killed.¡± Her words sent a tremor through her own body. Those small, deceptively small balled up fists lightly shook as she kept looking down, and continued speaking. As if she wanted to release all the pent up emotion she had been saving up until now, her slightly parted lips kept moving. ¡°But now¡­ I feel that I¡¯ve changed. Rather than fighting to not be killed¡­ I feel like I¡¯m fighting to live. I- I don¡¯t really know how to explain it.¡± She stammered ¡°I-It¡¯s a weird feeling. I-I, back then, I thought that, even if I don¡¯t get killed now, I¡¯ll simply die later, but now¡­ It¡¯s a minor change, I think. Fighting to not die versus fighting to live. They¡¯re practically the same thing, but worded differently¡­. but still...but still... At the very least, I think- I think I can kill.¡± I didn¡¯t really understand. Honestly, like Cher said, fighting to not die, and fighting to live are the same basic concept. Isn¡¯t that just sophism? Although that¡¯s what I kept a seed of doubt deep within me, I still took her words at face value. The expression she made was¡­ it was slightly less pitiful. ¡°...¡± Once again nobody spoke. Whatever type of emotion Cher¡¯s speech had festered in us, we kept it to ourselves. Eventually though, Cher spoke up once again. She aimlessly talked about her new skill, a poor attempt at changing the subject. Magic Reinforcement was both a semi-active and semi-passive skill, sort of similar to my [Sensory Remapping]. It passively increased the defense stat by a proportionate amount of the total mana the skill owner had. In its early stages, the increase was insignificant, but as one¡¯s level grew higher and as [Magic Reinforcement]¡¯s skill level increased, it gave a noticeable change. The active portion of the skill was as a temporary boost in defense in exchange for mana. In short, it was a buff, a useful buff for any prospective tank. ¡°I see¡­ it¡¯s a useful skill for Cher, isn¡¯t it?¡± Hina unexpectedly replied back. Her expression had lightened somewhat, as she smiled directly at the redheaded girl. Cielle also agreed, bobbing her head up and down. ¡°...¡± Cher looked blankly at them for a second. She was at a loss for words, before she blinked once, and faintly smiled. ¡°It really is a good skill.¡± **** Afterwards, I pushed the girls out of the room. Our original goal for visiting the Observatory wasn¡¯t too kill the Cyclops leader, but rather, to pick up a telescope. Despite that, I felt that letting the girls stay in this sort of room was detrimental in more ways than one. Besides, I planned on dissecting the Cyclops corpse, and following my usual pattern, I wanted to hide my less than questionable actions. On the pretense that I didn¡¯t want them to see something more gruesome than these corpses, I firmly insisted that they leave the rest to me. With an excuse like, ¡°Killing might be manageable, but at the very least, leave the dirty work to me, alright?¡± I was left alone in this circular, corpse filled room. Before anything, I walked over to the Cyclops corpse. It lay face down on the ground, with its legs sprawled along the floor. The first thing I did was remove its gauntlets, and the plate armor it wore. These were fashioned for a giant, but I was confident I could refurbish them into something suitable for human use. Putting that to the side, I began my normal routine. Rather, than getting myself lost in the intricacies of this foreign body, my mind was a bit preoccupied, both by the current events and what awaited in the near future. In short, I lamented. Lost in my own thoughts and worries, before I even realized, I had sculpted out most of the corpse. The only thing remaining was its untouched head. With a bit of effort, I was able to flip the body topside, as I stared directly at its giant, hollow eye. The Eye itself was about the size of a fist, and it was completely dyed in red. Blood apparently seeped into the eyeball during our battle. Looking closely, I could see the damage Hina¡¯s fireball had caused. At that time, this giant, sensitive sensory organ had merely been a target for that girl. With careful, well practiced movements, I excavated the sphere out from its crevice before quickly severing the tissue that connected it to the rest of the head. I brought the orb up to the light, and watched its translucent surface catch a faint glimmer of sunlight. Without hesitation, I used [Identify].
Magic Eye of Gunther The sole eye of Gunther the Lesser Cyclops. Due to how its original owner lived its life, a bit of magical power has stored itself into the eye, although since it has been damaged, it will be hard to harness.
A rather vague description, but if I felt like it might be a somewhat useful item. Although I currently didn¡¯t know how, making something like a staff or wand might be possible in the future. For now, I¡¯ll just set it aside. With that out of the way, I moved away from the corpse, and began looking around the room. I was currently on the look out for anything that might prove useful, be it a working radio or something similar. I also wanted to grab a telescope. There were several telescopes in the observatory. When I used [Identify] on each of them, they gave practically the same description. In the end, I picked the one that had vaguely better descriptions than the rest. This telescope was a practically undamaged piece of machinery that had been used as a sort of hanger for corpses prior to my arrival. While it had numerous blood stains all over its frame, the silver metallic body of it was still clearly visible. Afterwards, I began searching the room, looking for anything that might remotely be useful. While most of the machinery within the room had already been broken, probably even before we had arrived, I did find an unused first aid kit, which was tucked away in a corner of the room and saved for emergencies. As I searched the room, I also grew curious regarding the boar corpse near the back of the observatory. Much like a lot of the corpses in this room, it had been chewed up and eaten. Only remnants of bone and fur remained. I later confirmed that it was indeed the Species leader for the tusk boars, a creature that went by the title ¡°Albino¡±, probably a name derived from its white fur. Unfortunately, too much time had already passed, and nothing salvageable remained of its corpse. As I haphazardly searched its body, I discovered something. Stuck between the blood stained tiles of the observatory floor, and its hunkering corpse, was a small paperback book. It was a familiar object, and upon closer inspection, revealed itself to be none other than a skill book. Most likely, it was a monster drop from when the tusk boar was defeated. Luckily for me, the Cyclops either did not realize it was here in the first place or had no clue how to use it. Either, way it was a rare bonus. Quickly, inspecting it, I used [Identify].
Rushing Dash An old record that details the special ability that is most associated with boar type monster. This book allows one person to learn the active skill [Rushing Dash]. Effects: New Skill - Rushing Dash Equip Bonus + 10 Agility
When compared with the previous skills books I¡¯ve encountered, this one seemed a bit lackluster. Nothing impressive really, but nonetheless, a skill is a skill, and beggars can¡¯t be choosers. Obviously, I myself wanted to learn this skill. For an agility oriented person like me, a dash skill was perfect. Rather, it was essential. Of course, before I learned it though, I d have to consult with the others, it seemed only fair to do so. Although I had a fair bit of confidence that they would easily acquiesce to handing this skill over to me. First of, Cher recently got a new skill, so she should be satisfied. And Cielle and Hina aren¡¯t really close combat builds, so they¡¯d probably be okay with giving this skill up. With somewhat greedy intentions, I took the newly acquired skill book, gathered the rest of my collected loot, and left the death ridden observatory. Chapter 56: Once More, Crafting Once More, Crafting I thought about not writing a chapter today, but in the end, I ended up writing one. *Sometimes I overlook things when I write, and when a few people point that out in the comments, I feel compelled to fix it later on. The fix/change is that Hide harvested the Albino boar tusks. I¡¯ll go back and fix this in the previous chapter later.* *** I left the observatory while carrying the items I procured with me in open arms. Considering the sheer quantity and size of it all, it was a difficult struggle, but the urge to quickly leave this room propelled me forward. Pushing my way through the doors, I left thee Observatory. Outside, across from the double door entrances, were the others. They sat, most of them cross legged, on the floor as they waited patiently. I noticed that they were also enjoying a midday snack consisting of last night¡¯s grilled boar meat, once again demonstrating the increased hunger the system unwittingly brought. The first to spot me was Cher, who looked up just as she was reaching for another piece of meat. Our eyes met right and she waved enthusiastically with flailing arms. Through experience, once she saw what I was carrying, Cher immediately stood up, even before the others even had the time to react. She walked over towards me, outstretching her hands in the process. It was a clear sign of her desire to help. Prompted by my unresponsive stare, she further urged, nudging with her palms, while an unusually bright smile flashed across her face. Eventually, I conceded, and together, with the loot split between us, we walked back over to the other two. ¡°Welcome back¡­¡± Cielle greeted. ¡°Ah, I¡¯m back¡­¡± I returned the greeting almost on reflex. ¡°Did you bring back a telescope?¡± Hina asked, glancing over as she chewed through cooked tendon. ¡°Yeah, over there.¡± I motioned to Cher¡¯s arms just as bent down to place the objects in my hand on the ground. ¡°I also brought back a first aid kit, some the Cyclop¡¯s plate armor, it¡¯s gauntlets¡­¡± I began listing each item I brought, pointing towards it for better reference. ¡°Y-you¡­ you even brought back the Cyclop¡¯s eye¡­¡± Hina spoke, in a somewhat awed/shocked voice. My glance hovered towards the eye. Like before, it was still red, and the burn marks caused by Hina¡¯s magic was still clearly visible. I shrugged nonchalantly. ¡°Well, it seemed useful. Who knows, maybe I can make something like a staff¡­ or a wand out of it.¡± Although I spoke such things nonchalantly, I had no idea even where to start when it came to crafting magical items. ¡°I see¡­¡± She gave the eye one last look before her eyes drifted towards the ivory white tusks I brought back. ¡°And that?¡± ¡°Ah- that¡¯s¡­Those are the tusks from the boar corpse in the room.¡± I explained. ¡°Truthfully, I thought about just leaving it there, but in the end, I went back for it. The corpse itself was from the Elite boar monster- something called an ¡®Albino¡¯. It seems pretty sturdy, so who knows, they might have a use¡­¡± Hina¡¯s brow frowned upon my words. ¡°You said it came from the Elite boar? Isn¡¯t that pretty bad? According to you, if the elite is dead, no more monsters of the same type will come out?¡± Hina¡¯s words hinted at a bigger problem; our food source. Cher, who had been listening in on our conversation, quickly realized what Hina implied, as her face turned hard. She had first hand experience with starving, so she knew just how bad of a situation we¡¯d be in if our food supply suddenly ran out. ¡°Ah, no need to worry about that.¡± I comforted. ¡°There¡¯s more than 100 of those things wandering the halls right now. Since just one of them can provide food for close to a weak, we pretty have more than a year¡¯s worth of food left. And by that time, we¡¯ll be out of this damn school.- Anyways, I also stumbled on this¡­¡± Quickly changing the subject, I took out the skill book in my hand, and passed it around to the girls. They each examined it with careful diligence, taking extra care to read the window panel that displayed above the book¡¯s cover. ¡°That book¡­¡± Hina began. ¡°...It¡¯s kind of¡­¡± Cher also spoke. ¡°... isn¡¯t it perfect for Hide?¡± Cielle finished just as she gazed up at me. The others all nodded in unison as they looked at me. ¡°A-ah, really?¡± Caught of guard, I awkwardly looked away while heedlessly scratching my head. ¡°I¡¯ve seen how you fight up until now, Hide.¡± Hina elaborated. ¡°You prefer to strike fast, and aim at vitals.¡± ¡°A ruthless person who doesn¡¯t hesitate to fight dirty.¡± Cher followed up, her expression a bit careless while she continued flashing that pitifully contented smile of hers. ¡°Something like that- a movement skill like that suits Hide the best.¡± Hina finished up just as Cielle handed back the skill book over to me. ¡°...Well, if that¡¯s what you guys really think¡­.¡± In truth, I also wanted this skill, but at the time, I thought that I¡¯d need to do some convincing before hand. ¡°Actually¡­ I also thought that this skill suited me¡­ since you guys are in agreement then this makes it much easier¡­¡± With a round of encouraging nods, I quickly learned the skill with little hesitation.
Rushing Dash (Active) Skill Type: Normal Skill Rank: Beginner Skill Level: 1 Skill Experience: 0% Effects A movement skill, that allows for accelerated movement towards a singular direction. When the skill is active, changing trajectory is impossible. 1 second charge before skill activates. Use consumes 10 stamina points. Cooldown of 60 seconds. Consumption and Cool down rate lowers as skill level increases.
It was a simple skill that was truly derived from the boars¡¯ simple movements. It had plenty of combat potential, but the cooldown as well as the 1 second charge time was a bit troublesome. ¡°Are we going to go back now?¡± Cher suddenly asked, looking around at the empty hallway before her. ¡°Hmm¡­ no, not yet.¡± I said. ¡°Look we¡¯ve collected all this stuff, but at the current moment, they''re all basically useless.... Actually, this is the perfect opportunity¡­¡± As my words trailed off, the girls¡¯ all simultaneously tilted their heads in confusion. ¡°Let¡¯s go find the Woodshop classroom.¡± **** After going back to upstairs to pick up the collected Cyclops clubs, we proceeded back down stairs to look for our current destination. Along the way, the atmosphere around us was noticeably more lax, and less cautious. Part of this was due to our reassurance that no more cyclops monsters existed within this dungeon. A small, small haven had been created within the East Building, and realizing this brought a sense of comfort. Although it was completely possible that with the Cyclops all gone, the Boars might flood back into the 2nd and 1st floors. Either way, we found the Woodshop room a while later, in an area close to the collapsed 1st floor skyway. There, I proceeded inside, along with all the potential crafting material, while the girls chose to wait idly by in an adjacent classroom. As I looked around the room, I confirmed my surroundings. With the scent of sawdust, the Wood Shop was filled to the bream with various machinery and traditional tools. Along side the walls, and in the corners, were collections of different types of wood, with plywood being the most common. While not as bountiful as the assorted planks, there was also a fair bit of metal lying around, which only further expanded my range of possibilities. The machinery, as expected, were all nonfunctional. The lack of electricity played a big part in that. Thankfully though, the few traditional tools lying around was more than useable. Things like saws, welding torches, even a few screws and nails were just among the things within this room. Even if I could not make anything, the various objects lying around more than sufficed for impromptu weapons. I set the collected items down on a nearby table, as I prepared to get down to work. The first thing I did was fix/ repair my Boken. In the short time, I¡¯ve had it, it had already been used extensively. Bashing skulls, crushing kneecaps, violent things like that were well within this club¡¯s experience. Fortunately though, due to the material¡¯s innate durability and denseness, it hadn¡¯t been damaged that extensively. I used repair on the boken, bringing its durability back up to near maximum. Afterwards, I began sanding down the wooden stick with some sandpaper lying around. Shortly after, its uneven grooves and poorly constructed ridges smoothed out, only to be replaced by a semi-smooth and straight edge. While not perfect, it was indeed a much better improvement to what it had been a few minutes ago. Hardly a visible groove in sight. I quickly checked its status, wondering what type of changes my needless customization procured.
Cyclops Club [Heavily Customized] A traditional weapon used by Cyclops. Due to heavy customization by an amateur crafstman, the weapon has been modified for human use. Damage: 80 - 90 +30(60) Strength + 5(60) Defense Durability: 89/100 [Equip] Skill Bonus +45 Strength +25 Agility + 15 Intelligence (???) Familiarity: 60 Level Requirement: 18 [Crafter Exempted]
I noticed that its bonus towards strength increased slightly, while the equip bonus to speed also increased by an increment of 10. While these were great, the most eye catching change was of course the increase in familiarity. From 50 to 60, it was a useful change, although in the end, I don¡¯t know whether that change was brought out by my ¡°repair¡± of it or by the actual combat experience I went through with it. In the most likely case, it was a combination of both. With nothing else to do with the Boken, I turned my eyes towards the collection of loot. The next thing I decided to do was work on some actual armor. Of course, as both the base, and frame of reference, I used the looted plate armor and gauntlets I acquired from the Cyclops. Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. I looked over the gauntlet carefully. It was massive, too large for my hand to feet properly, but at the very least, it looked similar to the ones normal sized humans would wear. Plates of unknown metal, as well as wood acted as the guard, while a simple brace and leather glove kept the material in place. Basing my initial design plan off of its shape, I began working on human sized gauntlets. As a replacement for the leather glove, I used a pair of welding gloves that happened to be lying around. It was on the small size, a pair especially purchased for the female students of the class. This suited me fine, considering the fact that there was a high chance the finished gauntlets would go to one of the girls. The first thing I did was deconstruct the right glove, both as a means of pseudo-reverse engineering, and as a way to get material for my own gauntlet. In the process, I managed to add the [Dismantle] sub skill to All-Purpose Crafting. The gauntlet itself was composed of mainly metal plates that covered the hand. A series of plates were loosely connected, staring at the back of the glove and going down to the arm. The way they were assembled - with a series of screws and bolts- allowed for wrist movement. The finger section themselves did not cover everything, only going so far as covering the thumb and a portion of the finger. With plans to replicate such a design, I reused the material from the giant gauntlet. I used [dissect] in order to cut out each individual plate from the collection of dismantled metal. Unlike the original, these metal plates were smaller, more fit for human use. It was difficult at first. My initial attempts resulted in quickly deteriorating durability (which caused me to use repair repeatedly on my daggers), and a bunch of failed products, but in the end I somehow managed. The next part was fitting them all onto a glove. Using the same pattern and method utilized in the original gauntlet, I mimicked its design. Thankfully, there was a battery powered drill lying around that still worked, so with its help, I was able to screw a couple of holes in the plates, which I used to secure the plates onto the glove. I carefully assembled each individual piece onto the glove, making sure secure it fixedly with either thin, durable rope, or with screws. In the end, after I finished, I examined the lone ¡°gauntlet¡± with a scrutinizing eye. It looked rough. Really rough. Awkwardly cut out metal, sometimes with mismatched sizes, as well as the thick leather welding glove at its foundation- it really wasn¡¯t a pretty sight. I placed a hand inside, and tested its mobility. The wrist, as well as my fingers moved were able to properly move, albeit with a bit of resistance. The welding glove¡¯s original constitution made it difficult to do any complex or intricate hand movements, but in the end, its thickness was also a selling point. After all, that meant more defense. I tried using [Identify] on the lone gauntlet, but in the end it was unsuccessful. From what the contents of its panel stated, I needed to create the matching pair before it would fully register as a weapon/armor. After a certain span of time passed, I was able to create the matching pair. Its overall quality was a bit similar to my first gauntlet, if not a bit better. I used [Identify], and just as quickly, a new window panel popped up before me.
Welder¡¯s Gauntlet A prototype gauntlet designed by an amateur craftsmen. The materials used suggest it was created in a time of dire emergency. +15 (50) defense +10 (50) strength -20(50) dexterity Durability: 30/30 Equip Bonus +10 strength +5 defense Familiarity: 50 Level Requirement: 10 [Crafter Exempted]
Looking over its window panel caused a cramped smile to float to my face. Like always, the familiarity stat was giving me crazy high values for each item I hand crafted. Unfortunately, their initial values weren¡¯t as wonderous. While the defense and strength stat were decent, a boost befitting a level 10 item, its demerits more than downplayed its advantage. Although, ironically enough, the familiarity stat turned that -20 in dexterity into a +30, although that was a special case, a bonus only allotted to me. Other people who used this would certainly face trouble. Fortunately though, this was still useful for someone like Cher, who had no need for the dexterity stat. It was a bit of a shame though, Cielle and Hina, who relied on some semblance of accuracy for their long ranged magic attacks couldn¡¯t where this. If their dexterity stat lowers too greatly, then the effectiveness of their spells would decrease as well. In the end, I crafted another set of ¡°Welder¡¯s Gauntlets,¡± this time, a personal pair for me. Although I did make it, in the end, I figured I wouldn¡¯t be using it very often, mostly since the grip on the glove made it a bit difficult to swing a dagger around. A sword with a long enough handle or a shield would be a different matter, but something with as small a handle as a dagger was simply too difficult to properly utilize. Next up, I decided to make some armor. The original armor itself was a rather simple design, consisting merely of a chest piece and shoulder pads. It sort of resembled ancient chinese armor, with all the individual plates joined together. It was mostly wooden and each plate was strung up using a sort of leather rope. Replicating this was simpler than with the gauntlet. I merely dismantled the armor, and using the rope, I created set of armor, this time making it smaller, and utilizing less plates. I did this for both the chest piece as well as the back piece. As for the giant shoulder pad, I ended up scraping it. After all, it was simply too big, and a bit cumbersome. Not to mention its size alone limited range of movement. After the armor was done, I used identify on it.
Cyclops Replica Torso Armor An amateur replica of Gunther the Desecrator¡¯s beloved armor. It has been modified for human usage. +20 (50) Defense Durability: 20/20 Equip Skill Bonus +10 Defense Familiarity: 50 Level Requirement: 16 [Crafter Exempted]
It was a surprisingly decent piece of equipment with good stats. Although I expected something like a speed demerit or something to be present, nothing like that was visible on the window panel, though its level was a little on the high side. Satisfied, I went back to work. Using the remainder of the original armor¡¯s plates and leather straps, I was able to create 1 more torso armor. I would have used the scrap metal lying around to create more, but it was a bit too thick for my [Dissect] skill to cut through. In addition, none of the wood available was ideal for the type of armor crafting I was doing. I decided that the two torso armor I was able to produce would go to Cher and either one of the sisters. Cher was an ideal choice, seeing as how she was our designated tanker, while the sisters simply needed the defense. It was a bit unfortunate that I could not make three pieces of armor, but in the end, that was the limit to my current skill. I turned my attention towards the remaining loot. A collection of clubs, a pair of tusks, and a red cyclops eyeball. ¡°...¡± After carefully looking them over, I came to the conclusion that the eyeball would be worthless, at least for now. It definitely looked like something meant for a magic item, but in the end, I was clueless as to how to make a magic item. In the first place, could I even produce such a tool, what with my Equip demerit and all. Just haphazardly gluing the orb onto a stick wouldn¡¯t work, so for now, I set the eyeball aside for future use. As for the tusks¡­ they sort of resembled ivory (but a lot denser), so going off the little world knowledge I possessed on ivory made objects¡­ they were mainly used as novelties. When looked at from a weaponry point of view, they were most often used as handles. It¡¯s too bad that I didn¡¯t particularly need weapon handles... In the end, I was just a highschooler. Although I took them in the moment, I did not know what to do with the tusks. I wasn¡¯t all mighty, what I did not know remained a mystery. Truthfully, there could have been a really simple solution to this, one I probably overlooked, due to my accumulated stress and fatigue from nonstop hunting and farming. Whether that sort of simple solution existed, my fizzed out mind, could not think of one. Maybe later. Maybe when I''ve recollected myself and thought about it some more, but for now, those tusks remained unused. Thus, I moved on, a faint, bitter feeling of defeat welling up in my heart. The clubs themselves¡­ truthfully, there were many things I could do with them. Due to the wood¡¯s special properties, things like blunt weaponry and other such things became easy to make. Also, if I had the necessary materials, I could probably make something like a bow, although that in itself might not be as effective as it first seems. While long distance weaponry was certainly an enchanting prospect, the trouble with ammunition was present. The clubs themselves were not ideal for making arrows out of, and I could not think of anything suitable as a replacement. What I ended up doing with the wooden clubs.... I used the majority of them to make various blunt weapons. While I had my own personal weapon, these ones were designed with the future in mind. More specifically, special equipment crafted for the cafeteria group. Our chances of success would proportionately increase during the final boss fight if the others were properly equipped¡­ with that sort of logic in mind, I made a variety of boken and bo staffs. In addition I also crafted a few more table shields out of the material in the Woodshop room. As I busily worked, wasting no time, save to recover my stamina with a quick meal, in no time at all, the day had ended, and night had fallen. **** Thank you for reading. If you liked this chapter, or like this story in general, please rate or review. I appreciate the feedback. Chapter 57: Descent into the Darkness Descent into the Darkness Opening the door to the adjacent classroom that the girls had holed themselves up in, I quietly peered inside. ¡°Ah, Hide.¡± Upon noticing my arrival, a slightly drowsy voice seeped out from Hina, who looked up at the newly opened entrance. ¡°Welcome back. Are you done yet?¡± She was sitting on the floor, besides the opposite wall of the room, with her knees brought close together, and her arms wrapped around her. The bo staff that I had given her leaned besides the wall while Hina focused in on my appearance. Her eyes were slightly drooped low and a little hazy, as if she had just recently woken up from a nap. ¡°Yeah¡­ I did my very best and crafted a few useful tools.¡± I commented while rubbing a bit of sawdust away from my own slightly droopy eyes. ¡°I see everyone got tired of waiting, huh?¡± Besides her, were the other two, who were currently lying down on the floor, their eyes closed and their minds effectively shut down. A soft mumbling could be faintly heard from the sleeping Cielle, while Cher in contrast, was in a pseudo-fetal position as she silently slept. For some odd reason, Cher¡¯s face was a bit flustered while her cheeks curved into a rather pitiful smile. ¡°Uun..¡± Hina affirmed. ¡°Everyone got tired of waiting, so they decided to sleep in order to restore some stamina. Ah, but it''s not like everyone just went to bed all at once. We properly took turns keeping guard- I just woke up about 5 minutes ago, so it was my turn to be on lookout so...¡± She drowsily explained with a slightly faint smile while looking up at me from her current position. ¡°Anyways- is that it? The things you made?¡± She focused her gaze on the stuff I brought back from the Wood shop. I nodded. ¡°Wake the others up. I made a few things for everyone.¡± Hina complied and without so much as a hint of hesitation, she used her water magic in order to splash a spray of newly formed liquid all over the two sleeping beauty¡¯s faces. They awoke with a startle. Their eyes widened in shock, while their faces frowned in both confusion and irritation. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Cher groaned, while earnestly looking up around the room. ¡°To be woken up like this¡­ you know I just started sleeping a few minutes ago right?¡± Cielle in comparison looked a lot more refresh to the panda eyed Cher, who expressed her innate frustration in a series of self indulgent mumbling. While Cielle¡¯s hair was more tussled that usual, her cheeks had a soft shade of pink which conveyed the effects of her nap. After looking around the room, she landed her stare over at me. ¡°Good morning.¡± I answered nonchalantly while I took a seat across from the girls. I set the crafted items in my hand, gently onto the floor. Like a fat bearded man in a red suit, I presented my newly created items to the girls. By this point, everyone focused their gazes over to the things I displayed. Their eyes were slightly peeled open, conveying their awe, as the sleepy atmosphere dissipated. ¡°So these are the items that Hide went to make¡­¡± Cher spoke, her irritation slowly disappearing with time. ¡°It really is convenient, that crafting skill of yours.¡± A one sided compliment from Hina came out as she too looked over the various objects at hand. Of to her side, Cielle was nodding to herself, inwardly agreeing with Hina¡¯s offhanded words. I distributed the various items I crafted to the girls, all while making side commentary about their design, and what materials I used. ¡°The gauntlets go to Cher, while Hina and Cielle can use the armor plates I made¡­ in truth, I wanted to make three for each of you, but I didn¡¯t have enough material.¡± The original plan was to equip Cher with the plate armor and gloves, but at her current level, the plate armor would have been wasted on her. In the future, I planned on taking back one of the armor pieces that I gave to the girls so that Cher can use them, but for now, this sort of distribution was more ideal. The girls all received the equipment with open arms. They eagerly tried them on while making off handed comments as they stared at each other. ¡°Isn¡¯t the chest area a little too tight?¡± Hina uttered as she tried re-adjusting the torso piece. It was true, for Hina¡¯s body type, the armor may have been too constricting. After all, I based it off my own chest, which was obviously noticeably flatter than Hina¡¯s. ¡°It fits fine¡­¡± A rather dejected voice replied back from besides Hina, who was still wriggling uncomfortably in her armour. The voice in response, was Cielle. The armour was rather loose fitting on the petite bodied Cielle, but held tightly enough to not inhibit movement. Despite that though, she had a dissatisfied expression as she mumbled incoherently while gazing over at her younger sister. I ignored the grumbling duo, and turned to face Cher. ¡°How are the gauntlets?¡± She laughed shyly at my inquiry, while flexing her hands from inside the welder¡¯s gloves. ¡°It¡¯s a bit rough, moving my fingers and all, but if I¡¯m only using the shield, then I think I can manage.¡± She lightly smiled, and took hold of the nearby shield with one of her hands. She waved the shield around, almost as if reassuring me that their was no problem when it came to mobility. ¡°I see¡­ that¡¯s good. I was a bit concerned about the gripping problem, but from what you showed me, it seems to work fine so that¡¯s reassuring.¡± I lightly commented, while reaching back and grabbing something in particular from the collection of assorted items on the floor. ¡°Here- this is another shield I made.¡± I handed her a small oblong shaped shield. This was the last item I crafted, a weapon dubbed ¡°Edge Shield¡± by the system. What set this shield apart from the others, was the fact that, unlike ordinary shields, the Edge shield had a damage stat to it, making it effectively, a shield that could retaliate- an attack shield. The new shield was noticeably smaller than Cher¡¯s other shield.With its odd oblong shape, the shield effectively covered up to Hina¡¯s elbow and extended past her outstretched hand. Rather than a shield, it more resembled an attachment to the Welder¡¯s gauntlet she wore. Although despite, its relatively small size, it was almost as heavy as Cher¡¯s other shield. This was mainly due to the unique material it used. The foundation of the shield was a cut out piece of plywood, but what gave it its true defense, was the wood that reinforced it. The shield itself relied on flat strips of wood from the clubs in order to make it more sturdy, but it also incorporated the foreign element of metal. Along the sides of the weapon, the shield was reinforced with various pieces of scrap metal, which all uniformly aligned along its borders. The tip of the shield which jutted out in front of Cher¡¯s hand was shaped into a tip, sort of like a wider version of the tip of a long sword. Along with the tip, and running all the way down to the shield¡¯s edges, the metal which decorated it had all been sharpened to a tee, using some of the equipment from the wood shop. The sharp edge of the shield was what most likely gained the shield its name- Edge shield. Due to the weapon¡¯s unique design, piercing attacks became possible. With a feeling of eager anticipation, Cher complied, and tried the new shield on. She strapped the reinforced belt straps (made with real belts) onto her forearm. This new design would keep the shield in place, no matter how erratically she defended (or attacked) with the shield. At the base of the shield, near the hand, was a grip that fitted rather comfortably in Cher¡¯s own palm. The grip made lunging and piercing attacks much easier to perform. She swung it around a couple of times, making both defensive positions while testedly slashing and lunging. ¡°I-it¡¯s a bit difficult at first¡­¡± She spoke up after a few minutes of silent practice, ¡°but, I think I can get used to it with a little bit of practice and time.¡± Seeing her satisfied smile, the edges of my own mouth slightly curved upwards as I gave a content smile. The second shield was something I created when I pondered over how to make a weapon that would both increase our tank¡¯s defense, as well as give her the ability to fight back. What was birthed from that idea was the Edge Shield. The Edge Shield not only boosted Cher¡¯s own defense stat, but also opened up the path for retaliation. This weapon gave a boost in defense that was almost comparable to the desk shield¡¯s, while also giving a slight boost in the strength stat. With the combination of the rectangular ¡°defense shield¡± and the oblong ¡°attack shield¡±, Cher resembled a boxer with mismatched gloves. After the girls had all been outfitted with their own respective weapons, we quickly packed up the remainder of our stuff and proceeded outside. In the murky darkness, illuminated faintly by the flicker of a flashlight, Cielle posed a question as she walked alongside me. ¡°Are we going home now?¡± She emphasized the word ¡°home¡± rather naturally as she gazed pass over the walls and into the direction of our base. In response to her question I shook my head. ¡°No, not yet. It¡¯s a good thing you all took a nap, because we have a bit more exploring to do?¡± Hina blinked in slight confusion. From the corner of my eye, I could see her tilt her head slightly while her face cramped in consternation. ¡°Didn¡¯t we already explore all of the east building? There should be no more monsters, aside from the boars on the 3rd floor.¡± I once again shook my head in response. ¡°Nope, you¡¯re forgetting one other place.¡± While pointing directly towards the ground, I answered, ¡°The basement.¡± Hearing my response, a nervous stuttering erupted from the side. Cher ran up towards me while worriedly asking, ¡°I-isn¡¯t it night out right now? A-a-are you really sure we should be exploring?¡± ¡°What are you saying?¡± I replied, taking on a mock tone of disbelief. ¡°There¡¯s no better time to go explore the basement than right now.¡± ¡°Eh?¡± ¡°In the first place, the basement is underground, so even if it was light outside, that won¡¯t change the fact that it¡¯ll be dark once we descend down. Rather than wasting time waiting for morning to come, we should just make do with what we have, and explore the basement.¡± Finding no words to refute my argument, Cher backed down with a regretful ¡°Uuu¡­.¡± as she wordlessly followed me, all the while donning on an expression of extreme worry. Besides her, the girls all shared similarly worried faces, as we continued forward, with the full intent of further exploration. ***** The entrance to the basement was located in an inconspicuous corner of the building. It was sort of near the Observatory, but one would be hard pressed to find it if they weren¡¯t actively looking for it. From prior knowledge, the basement was the only incomplete section of the school. It was a location that was supposed to be furnished during the coming summer break, but with the untimely interruption of an apocalypse, that sort of thing was left unfinished. I tried opening the door, but that only caused a useless jiggling of the door knob. In a fit of frustration, I bashed down onto the knob using the boken I was carrying. The handle broke pathetically with a low thud as it dropped to the floor and rolled a couple ways back. In the process, the door slightly opened, releasing with it, a faint squeaking sound. I gave it a push, widening the gap of darkness that seemingly leaked out. We started heedlessly at the expanse of black.. At the spot where the moon¡¯s faint rays of light could not touch, the endless darkness seemingly went on forever. A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. Hina shined one of the reinforced flashlights over into the space, revealing a single set of stairs that traveled all the way downwards, as if a direct shortcut to hell. Considering the fact that the door had been firmly locked prior to our arrival, in all likelihood, we would be the first ones to step into the basement floor. I took a careful step into the platform on the stairs, and grabbed around the wall for a lightswitch. Although I did find one, sad to say, it didn¡¯t work. The redirected electricity did not reach the east building, so as expected the basement would remain dark and unlit. I led the way, going down deeper into the darkness. My only source of light was the flashlight¡¯s luminescent beam from behind me. Cielle and Hina, our long ranged fighters shined the light ever so often around their surroundings as we descended. Finishing up the formation, Cher stood on guard behind them, as a precaution for anything that might attempt a sneak attack from the back. As we finally landed onto the basement floor, I took out the schematic blue print of the incomplete library. I motioned for Cielle to step towards me. She complied as she predicted my intentions, and shined the flashlight over onto the piece of paper. Although incomplete, the basement¡¯s individual rooms were already established. What was now needed, was only the installation of various doors, paint, and air conditioning. The basement infrastructure was designed rather simply. There was a collection of small rooms alongside the east wall of the basement, while the rest of the subterranean floor was designed with the original purpose of a shelter. From various forces of nature to unexpected bombing, a giant room that encompassed about half of the basement acted as a precaution to disasters both manmade and natural. As for bathrooms, there was a sort of showering room within the shelter. Considering the fact that this basement was designed to be a shelter, food provisions meant to accommodate the majority of the student population should be located nearby. At the very least, that filled me with some measure of expectation. Confirming our current location, we proceeded forward. Since our goal was exploration (and training), then our first destination would be the assortment of small rooms alongside the east wall, before we would then proceed towards the shelter. We walked further down the corridor. The impending darkness made the space much wider than it seemed, only fueling our agitation and nerves to an even greater extent. I was fine, due to the innate fear resistance given by my [Psychopath] title, but the others didn¡¯t fare so well, especially Cielle. She- she was unexpectedly weak to this sort of thing. While Cielle tried to keep her light fixed onto the front, whether intentional or not, she was currently grasping onto the hem of my shirt while she stuck increasingly closer and closer to me. Normally I would complain, but through that single connection, I could feel her body trembling, with what I could only presume to be fear and agitation. A little bit behind her, Hina was constantly shifting the ray of light she produced. She was moving it around irregularly, with the intention of lighting up the walls and corridor. Like her sister, the darkness was getting to her. An expression of agitation and fear morphed her face. Normally, the dark wouldn¡¯t be all that daunting. Even for someone with the innate fear of the dark, the confirmation that nothing will pop out and eat you was a great relief. Unfortunately, we didn¡¯t have that luxury. In this world- in this school teeming with otherworldly monsters- monsters lurking in the dark were very much a possibility. In the still darkness, where the only sound that resonated throughout the corridor was the shuffling of our footsteps, it didn¡¯t take even 5 minutes to confirm we were not alone. A shadow- no, it would be more accurate to describe it as a pitch black entity ran past the section of the corridor that Cielle¡¯s light exposed. Its sudden, almost silent appearance caused the ray of light to jitter uncontrollably, as its wielder jumped in quick fright. Cielle tried hard to maintain her composure, but going by how ever so slightly the light continued to shake, it was clear that Cielle was far from composed. ¡°D-d-did you see that¡­¡± She whispered frantically besides me. By this point, her faces was almost half buried into the sleeve of my jacket. I tensely nodded, staying silent as I brought my boken up in front of me. In my other hand, Efhermet was raised to the side. My inexperience for double weidling was pushed to the side, as I greedily monopolized the stats these two weapons gave me. From behind us, Hina had noticed the commotion, and wordlessly turned the light over next to the spot where Cielle¡¯s light was. She looked around the corridor with her light, but in the end, it was a fruitless effort that only revealed an empty hall. Cher at this point, was guarding our back. Surprisingly enough, she was unexpectedly good at dealing with things like the dark and such. Out of the four of us, she was the most calm and composed. Although that calm was instantly shattered by her own ear piercing screech. I frantically turned, just as Hina shined her flashlight behind us. Cher was on the ground, and shook slightly with a hint of agitation. From her current position, she looked as if she was just pushed back. Her words later confirmed that assumption. ¡°S-something pushed me¡­¡± She spoke, her voice a clearly shaken while her eyes darted through the darkness. ¡°Did you see what it looked like? Did you catch its level?¡± Hina asked while she frantically shined her light behind us. Cher unhesitatingly shook her head, just as she got back up onto her feet. I also tried searching, upping my sense of hearing to the max, although that too was a fruitless effort. My hearing only revealed the frantic heaving and shaking of the others besides me. We stayed in that one spot. I formed a pseudo outer circle with Cher and I, while Cielle and Hina stayed in between us. They had long since prepared their magic, and were currently shining their lights around us, trying to spot just what exactly lurked in the darkness. In a heavy, almost grave voice, I whispered to Hina, ¡°Shoot out a small fireball into the corridor. That¡¯ll give us a better range than these flashlights.¡± Complying with a nod, Hina unhesitantly shot a fireball in the direction we came. It flew through the air in a perfect line. It kept going, by passing the light¡¯s range, and slightly illuminating the space around it. After it traveled a considerable, distance, a distance where the flashlight¡¯s own light could not reach, the fireball began sputtering out, but not before it revealed a vague ominous shape of a jetblack figure. The sputtering fireball, quickly disappeared, just as that ominous figure jumped back into the silent darkness. ¡°...¡± We stood there in the darkness, half doubting what we had just seen. The figure was a bit too difficult to make out, having only seen its rough features with the light of a dying flame, but one thing was certain, it was pitch black. A monster completely adept at hiding in the darkness. Cielle struggled not to scream out as she continually pushed the sleeve of my jacket to her face. In response, I began leading the others further down the corridor. With our initial entrance sealed off, the only thing we could do was move further down. Although in retrospect, that might have been just as equally dangerous as turning back around. ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± I spoke simply while I turned around and continued walking, the girls complied, and we delved deeper and deeper into the corridor, our minds constantly reminding ourselves of the pitch black monster that roamed the dark. With no break, or sighting of anything else, we arrived at a turn. The eastward straight path came to an abrupt end, as it turned to the left. The light quickly revealed that off into the distance of this new corridor, a few small, unoccupied rooms lurked. Cielle shined the light a couple of times into this new corridor, before we proceeded forward. Our backs were unimaginably tense as we continued further. Every now and then, Hina would shoot out a fireball, only to reveal an empty hallway. In the end, I cautioned her not to overdo it, since it would be troublesome if she ran out of mana before we even confronted what was in here. Unfortunately though, as we walked further and further down, a series of low growls became audible. It came from all around us. We were unsure as to where the sound originated. The noise came from several directions, and to top it off, the echoes in this corridor made it exceedingly difficult to track its origin. The noise continued growing louder and louder, even though the lights revealed nothing. This type of mental attack worked effectively on the others. They began losing their nerves as the noise prevailed. Every now and then, a random magic attack would disappear into the darkness, only to leave an unsatisfying lack of response. I cautioned Cielle (the main perpetrator), not to be so reckless, but my warning was of little use. In truth her careless attacks were unintentional. Even if she did not try to, the bundled up nerves caused her to fire off sporadically, as if she had an uncontrollable sneeze. The noise was unbearably loud by the time we were 10 feet from the first room. A low growl that resonated irritatingly close, yet there was nothing in our current vicinity. The low growl had long since reached its highest octave. Now it just drilled into our ears, causing a bit of nausea as it continued its repetitive growling. In the end, I had to return my hearing back to normal thanks to the frequency of the growl. As the noise persisted, I pondered. It had to be somewhere close by. That was practically a given, considering the volume of the noise it produced. A monster that was close by but still managed to avoid detection. A place that was close by, but was overlooked, a place we haven¡¯t checked yet¡­ somewhere like that¡­ there could only be one¡­ location- ¡°Shine the light up!¡± I frantically yelled, upon coming to the sudden conclusion. Not a moment later, Cielle¡¯s light redirected itself upwards, towards the Ceiling. There, clinging onto the overhanging vents and rafters, was a pitch black monster. Just as Cielle¡¯s light shined up at that singular monster, the resonating sounds that had filled the room quickly dyed out, drowning the corridor in an eerie silence. The monster itself was something vaguely resembling a Xenomorph. A monster with an overall reptilian appearance, it had a night black carapace made with a collection of interlocking plates that covered its whole body, down to its flicking tail. An elongated tongue flickered freely between its slightly parted lipless mouth. It was unresponsive to the light that gleamed off of its eyeless head. After a quiet silence persisted, it once again slowly flicked its tongue around the air, before it widened its pincers like mouth, and made a slight hissing sound- a sound different from the usual low growling from before. A tense silence filled the room. We didn¡¯t dare move, as that thing directed its flicking tongue in our direction. We stayed quiet, unmoving for a period of time before- With absolutely no preamble, the alien-like monster fell from the ceiling with a vicious hiss and descended below, where chaos was soon to start. *** Author''s Note:Thank you for reading. If you liked this chapter, or like the story in general, please rate and review. Always appreciate the feedback. Chapter 58: The Things That Lurk in the Dark The Things That Lurk in the Dark The jet black monster fell with a tremendously fast velocity. It¡¯s tail had boosted its initial falling speed by pushing off against the ceiling. It headed directly towards us, its pincers reared back while mucus green liquid coated the inside of its mouth. In response, I prepared to take the predicted hit. I raised my boken above me while my knees slightly bent, in preparation for intercepting the creature. Unfortunately, that was my miscalculation. The night clad beast completely overlooked my presence as it landed directly down on Hina. They fell down together onto the floor with a deafening thud. Hina, who was caught off guard and with fear running through her veins, instinctively screamed- a scream loud enough to cause me to cringe. Hina struggled against the beast¡¯s abnormal strength, flailing about while she tried to desperately kick off with her legs. Due to their proximity, Hina could not retaliate fast enough with her fire magic, unless she wanted to damage herself in the process. In contrast, the xenomorph-rip off was undeterred by Hina¡¯s fruitless struggle, as it once again flashed its pincer directly in front of her face while that 5 feet long tail of his flicked across the floor. Just as I was about to help Hina out, from both sides of the corridor, a series of threatening hissing sounds began to reverberate. As Cielle frantically waved her light around the corridor, hints and brief flashed of those night clad monsters could be briefly seen. They were hunched over, their tails flicking off into the distance while they slowly approached. ¡°Tsk!¡± I chided myself, frustrated at the current situation. Having made up my mind, I quickly approached Hina, instructing myself that the first thing I needed to do was get rid of the monster that broke through our ranks. I retracted back the wooden club in my hand, and briefly entered into a batting position. ¡°Get off of her, damn it!¡± A low growl escaped my throat as I focused a glare onto the creature¡¯s back. With a shout, the oak brown edge of my club almost blurred as it zoomed through the darkness, only to hit the monster square in its carapace covered stomach. Their was a bit of initial resistance at first, as the monster¡¯s claws almost drilled through the basement floor, before its body was sent flying to the side. Unfortunately, it didn¡¯t remain on the floor for long. It quickly regained its footing, balancing itself with the assistance of its overly long tail, before it scampered about as it fled back into the darkness once again. I helped Hina up, while I glared at the pitch black darkness before us. By this point, the hissing had grown tremendously in volume, hinting that either more of those things had gathered or that they were getting closer and closer¡­ probably both. ¡°Guh¡­¡± I scrunched up my face as I briefly deliberated within my mind. ¡°Tsk, it can¡¯t be helped- Everyone, get into the first room to your right!¡± I practically screamed at the others, just as another one of those things zoomed through the corridor. I was able to dodge by hairsbreadth, just as it went over my head, bearing its pincers and claws in full hostility. It landed back over onto the other side of the corridor, lost within the dark. We desperately ran forward. Hina was endlessly bombarding the front with fire magic. The light radiating from her spells illuminated the room briefly, showing me brief glimpses as the monsters either dodged or took the brunt of the force with their tail. There were about 4 of them in front of us, two were crawling across the ceiling while the rest tiptoed forward. Cher, who was desperately guarding the firecover assistance from Cielle¡¯s skill, confirmed more than 10 behind us. With no other option but to fight, we forced back the ones in front, until we reached the unpainted door of the first classroom. With desperate franticness, I pushed open the door, only to reveal, another one of monsters guarding the entrance. It hissed low, before it striked out with its carapace tail. I barely dodged the blow by twisting my neck to the side, before I retaliated with a heavy strike to its neck. It¡¯s legs sort of wobbled as an unearthly squeal escaped its throat. Unfortunately, even with all my might, it did not go down with my initial blow, confirming that these things were much stronger than the cyclops. Right now, with these creature directly in front of me, I was able to catch a quick glimpse of its erratically flashing window panel.
Black Plated Gila - Lv 32 HP: 370/500
It reared its head back once more before hissing out. The hiss was low pitched, and conveyed all its hostility. Its tongue flicked back and forth restlessly, as if tasting the air. As if brought forth by this monster¡¯s pitch, from within the darkness, the various noise made by the others quickly increased in volume. It got so loud that it was practically impossible for me to hear the others. I attacked the Gila once more, this time, with a horizontal slash aimed at its temple. A blow put forth with all my weight, I heard a distinct cracking sound even amidst the constant buzzing. The Gila flew head first, to the side of the hallway where it ultimately disappeared within the darkness. I called out for the others once more, but after noticing that my voice was barely audible amidst all the yelling, I quickly nudged at the girls to enter the room. While there was a distinct possibility that there were more Gilas within this room, being surrounded out here in the murky darkness was an even worse situation. With Cielle first, then Hina following, the two entered the room, as Cher guarded against an impatient Gila who had started attacking. As expected, due to their level difference, Cher was easily overpowered, the only reason why she wasn¡¯t completely dead was due to her defense focused stat, as well as her continuous usage of her new skill. Just as the Gila she was confronting reared its tail in preparation to strike, I immediately grabbed the collar of Cher¡¯s shirt, before yanking her back into the room. The tail grazed her cheek slightly before it helplessly continued through the darkness. With its prey gone, the Gila reared its eyeless face over towards me, just as its comrades started approaching. Through the dimly lit hall, illuminated by the faint ray of light from the flashlight, I could see numerous monsters. Their tongues continually flickered while their snoutless faces all scowled in my direction. On instinct, I immediately backed up into the classroom. I locked the door shut, just as I felt the force jumping force of a Gila that had tried knocking down the door. I hastily looked around the room, my eyes landing on a heavy set cabinet made out of metal. With no hesitation, I knocked the cabinet over, using its main body to barricade the door closed. The continuous hissing from outside by now was deafening, making it difficult to even think. From within the room, I could see Cher heavily panting as she focused a gaze onto the newly barricaded door. Every now and then, something would try to ram into it, but luckily it stayed shut. The monsters themselves must have low strength, considering how the door managed to hold. Cielle and Hina were shining the flashlight throughout the room, most likely checking if their were any more Gila with us. I tried calling them over the animalistic hissing that borderlined buzzing, but they couldn¡¯t hear me. With no other option, I walked over towards Cielle. I lightly tapped her shoulder, causing her to jump up in shock before she ultimately calmed down after turning around and seeing my face. I placed the dagger in my hand behind me before I took the flashlight in Cielle¡¯s hand. I pointed towards, Cher whose health was down to about 30% from the previous encounter. She nodded, while her mouth slightly parted as if to say something. Unfortunately, the buzzing was too loud for me to make out what she said. Without another word, she walked over towards Cher and began healing. I in turn, began flashing the light across the room, mimicking Hina as we searched everywhere. We found nothing until our light landed on a rather inconspicuous corner of the ceiling. There, a Gila was quietly clinging, maintaining its silence as its tongue tasted the air. Even with the light pointed directly at him, it did not react, only silently staring. From this I gathered that it couldn¡¯t see, or rather, it lacked eyes. It was only after Hina shot out a fireball that it moved. As if instinctively knowing about the burning mass of flames zooming towards him, the Gila flinged itself onto the ground. I followed it with my flashlight as it ran all over the room. It made a zigzagging pattern, weaving in and out of the sparse amount of desks already set up in the room. The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings. Hina in response continually shot fire balls. While it dodged a few, Hina¡¯s indiscriminate barrage landed most of the time, although as a side effect, she did sort of set fire to a couple of desks. Unfortunately, her strikes weren¡¯t as effective. Their level difference, combined with its thick shell allowed the Gila to survive the majority of her hits. It was at this time, that I entered the fray. Hidden within Hina¡¯s oncoming barrage, I dashed straight at the beast. I activated [Running Dash], while simultaneously maintaining [Hard Scale], as I tackled the Gila. Upon contact, we continued moving forward until we ultimately hit an adjacent wall. Together we crashed down onto the floor, but I maintained a firm hold of it. Its frantically wailed while shaking its whole body around in an attempt to escape. Its tail flew endlessly, knocking over burning desks without discrimination. I pinned down its neck using the edge of my boken. I secured the wooden club underneath my left armpit, as I held it against the Gila¡¯s neck using my right hand. Following that, I groped around behind me for Efhermet using my left hand, before I ultimately stabbed down onto its neck. As expected, its carapace was thick. Efhermet bounced off harmlessly, although a considerable scratch did leave itself behind. Following that, I continued to run my blade onto its thin neck, feeling my way around until ultimately I found the chink within its armor. I pressed into that chink, sinking my blade deeper and deeper into its carefully protected neck. At first it wriggled around while a thin spurt of green blood flew from its wound. Ultimately, after I continued to sink my blade into its neck until I felt the resistance of the carapace on the other side, did it finally die. For a few seconds, I remained in that position- head locking the creature with my dagger firmly embedded into its neck, while I exhaled heavily. After a while though, I proceeded to stand up while I removed Efhermet from its neck. Confirming it¡¯s death, I turned back around to the others. They were all staring at me in anticipation. Hina and Cielle, while readying magic, had maintained their distance, in fear of accidentally hitting me. Cher, who glanced back behind her, was pushing against the barricaded door. I tried calling out once more, but again the buzzing made my voice next to in audible. I returned the other¡¯s stare with my own. Although the glare of Hina¡¯s flashlight made it slightly difficult to make them out, I could still see their vague outlines. I stayed like that for a while, the adrenaline keeping me in place as well as kept my heart pumping. As I prepared to stand back up, suddenly, without warning, a single figure close to the doorway bolted in my direction. As she approached, I instantly recognized Cielle¡¯s frantic expression getting larger and larger as she continually approached. She mouthed something out, but due to the buzzing I could not understand. Without warning she instantly jumped on top of me. Our combined weight brought me toppling to the floor. ¡°Wait-what are you doing?!¡± I tried calling out, but as expected, Cielle did not hear my desperate plea. Having seemingly given up on verbal communication, Cielle wrestled for my jacket. She frantically tugged at it repeatedly, trying with all her might to pull it off. Of course, given the oddity of this situation, I naturally resisted at first. I honestly didn¡¯t know what was going on, but as Cielle¡¯s face flashed in the dark, illuminated by the ray of light behind her, I felt something was increasingly out of place. Her expression was scared, frantic, but not for herself¡­ She continued tugging at the jacket, before she re-focused her attention on its zipper. With a surprising amount of force, she yanked the zipper down before finally pulling the jacket off of me. I stood there helpless as Cielle hastily threw the jacket onto the floor next to us. Once she had accomplished this, she breathed out a heavy sigh, as she seemingly lost all her power and leaned against my chest. The thin blood soaked red undershirt was the only thing separating me from her. Hina¡¯s flashlight suddenly swerved to redirect its light over onto the newly removed jacket. It was at this time that I noticed a green liquid sprayed all over it. The green liquid seemingly seeped into the fabric, and as if like acid, my favorite jacket began melting. It started melting around where the green liquid was splattered onto the jacket, but eventually, the acid continued spreading. It kept going and going, melting the majority of the fabric before it finally came to a halt after about half of the back and a majority of the front side of the cloth was now nonexistent. ¡°...¡± I stared at the object in shock. Due to the flowing adrenalin in my blood, as well as the rather distracting buzzing that kept going on, I hadn¡¯t even noticed that a trickle of that creature¡¯s green blood had gotten on me. If it wasn¡¯t for Cielle¡­ there was a possibility that I might have died. I leaned back onto the floor, while I heaved out a heavy, yet relieved sigh. Cielle was still unknowingly clinging onto my chest. Dues to our current position, she was currently lying on top of me, an indecipherable expression on her face. As I stayed like that for quite sometime, I noticed that Hina had been actively working to put out the fire she had accidentally started. Using her water magic, once the room was fire free, she immediately began walking to the front of the room, where a black board was recently added on. Taking a white piece of chalk, she began writing on the board, until eventually, the message, ¡®What do we do now?¡¯ Appeared. I looked at it for a second, before I got up- gently pushing Cielle of to the side for a second- and walked over towards the black board. Since verbal communication was currently impossible, what with the continuous buzzing going on, I replied in turn to Hina using the black board. ¡®We have to find another way to leave this room. The gila¡¯s are all congregating outside the door.¡¯ ¡®How? There¡¯s only one door.¡¯ Upon reading that reply, I turned to look around the room. A new classroom with sparsely decorated desks, and no paint job. As I looked around for any method of exit, I ultimately landed my gaze over onto the wall. ¡°... That might work¡­¡± I spoke out loud, although no one heard. I wordlessly walked up to the wall. Looking closely, I confirmed that it had been just recently plastered. It still wasn¡¯t reinforced, and was probably still relatively weak. I knocked on the wall, only to sense the feeling of a hollow surface. Satisfied, I nodded to myself before I walked back over to the blackboard. ¡®We can break down the wall that leads to the next room. We should be able to run away before they notice since their currently centered around the door.¡¯ Hina considered this for a while, before she nodded to herself. She materialized her agreement by writing, ¡®Okay. That sounds good. Let¡¯s go¡¯ In response to her eagerness, I shook my head. ¡®First, we need to find a weak point.¡¯ As Hina read what I wrote down out loud, she tilted her head to the side, expressing her full on confusion. A simple word came back in response. ¡®How.¡¯ Prompted by her inquiry, I walked away from the board and once again stood besides the monster¡¯s corpse. The green liquid that seeped through the gap on its neck pulled over onto the floor, making a faint sizzling sound. I hesitated for a moment. What I was about to do was no different than what I usually did, but I still hesitated. The obvious reason for my hesitation were the people behind me. The girls. My companions. People that I¡¯ve tried hard to keep this side of me a secret. In truth, the secrecy wasn¡¯t for them. I didn¡¯t care whether they found my¡­ habits to be disturbing or if they would come to bear disgust for me. I hid- I kept it a secret because I wanted to be a bit normal. It was a stupid thing, really. I felt that, if my secret was exposed onto others¡­ when it was exposed, I would ultimately stop being normal. Although in retrospect, considering what I normally do, I doubt dissecting corpses was ever normal. It¡¯s just I clinged onto that ideal of normalcy. It was something I connected with the past. The normal me who kept to himself. The normal me who, despite having normal habits, still hid them as normal secrets. If I lost that little bit of normalcy I clinged to¡­ Well, it wasn¡¯t really the time to think hard about these types of things. Right now, was a life and death situation brought about by my own hubris and ill preparedness. To fix my mistakes, I was willing to sacrifice anything to survive. Even the ¡°normal me¡±. With hesitation nowhere in sight, I plunged Efhermet¡¯s sharpened tip onto the gap in its carapace, as I once again dissected. For the sake of survival, I dissected. **** Thanks for reading. Rate or Review if you enjoyed this chapter, or story. I appreciate the feed back. Chapter 59: Progressing Forward Author''s Note: Sorry for the delay. I''ve been a bit preoccupied with school. I''ve actually stared my college applications and scholarship hunting, so that''s taking up a bit of my time. Being a senior can be a bit hectic at times, but thanks to everyone who were concerned. And also, to those who PM''d me, don''t worry, I don''t plan on dropping this story anytime soon. Now here''s a long awaited chapter after an almost month long hiatus. Progressing Forward From underneath my slightly stained shirt, I took out a spare dagger. It''s rusted metallic hue gleamed with the faint illumination of the transient light produced by the flash light. Brandishing the blade in front of me, I quickly knelt down and lightly touched its tip onto the corpse¡¯s carapace. I knocked on it a few times, testing it¡¯s density. In response, I felt a dull resistance, a sign that the shell itself wasn¡¯t too thick. I repeated this set of actions a couple of times, all at different locations on its body. Of course, my pace was hurried, spurred by the urgency brought about by the constant screeches. In the end, I discovered that the armor itself wasn¡¯t as uniform as I first assumed. The shell was sometimes thick, and sometimes thin. The thinnest portions of the plated carapace was located on its limbs, most notably along the space where the joints connected with the main body. It was easy enough to tell that the shell¡¯s thinness was designed for mobility. In contrast, the portions covering its chest and the helmet like dome on its head were the thickest. In addition, from the way its body was oriented, the Gilas looked a bit bipedal, it¡¯s legs more closely resembling a chicken¡¯s rather than a lizard or insect. The sharp, somewhat stout protrusions at the end of its arms where its hands should have been were designed for climbing up against walls or on ceilings. Their hook shape ensured that, but from my point of view, they looked a bit unreliable for attacking. After my initial inspection, which lasted at most, for 45 seconds, I prepared for dissection. Using the tip of my spare dagger, I pressed its edge along the crevice in its neck, the same spot I had opened up a while ago. Previously, due to my lack of prior knowledge, I had used Efhermet rather recklessly. As a result, a good amount of its acidic blood slathered itself onto the blade. Thankfully, whether through some stroke of luck or crass coincidence, the blade did not melt away, unlike my jacket. Now, I don¡¯t know whether this is due to the fact that Efhermet was made out of metal, or because of its ¡°weapon¡± status, but I was lucky Although I did have some relief of mind regarding my weapon¡¯s safety, it was still a good idea to practice maximum caution. I couldn¡¯t just outright go and use my favorite weapon, especially when there¡¯s such a high risk for corrosion involved. For that reason, I planned to use the substitute dagger for dissection. Applying a little bit of strength into the dagger, the blade sunk in nicely with a satisfying squelch. A bit of green blood sprayed upwards as a result, but due to the angle of insertion, the blood splattered away from me. With my free hand, I grasped the Gila¡¯s chest plate for traction while I began the hurried, yet careful process of beheading. I made absolutely certain that the green acid only flowed to one side during the process. Surprisingly enough, something like a neck bone wasn¡¯t present. Throughout the process, my blade sliced smoothly through, unhindered by nothing except terse muscle. From this, I figured that the Gilas were more insect than lizard. Since insects were invertebrates, I figured this was a reasonable assumption, although truthfully speaking, I lacked enough prior knowledge to make such a conclusion. Once it¡¯s head completely separated, it rolled helplessly on the floor, creating a trail of acid, which subsequently melted a thin layer of the tiled floor. I checked my spare dagger. While its metal blade showed no signs of damage, the hilt, which had a few drops of acid splattered on its surface, had started melting. Consequently, its durability dropped significantly. Fortunately though, the weapon itself was still usable, since only a miniscule amount of the acid actually touched the hilt. Like this, I confirmed that the acid was ineffective against metal. In actuality, this was the main reason why I decided to behead the creature. I wanted to test out exactly how strong the acidity of its blood was, and if there was any convenient way to take and store a bit of it. In the end, after testing it a bit with a few of the materials lying around the room, I discovered that the acid was effective against almost everything, with the exception of metal. Weapons also had a much more, subdued corrosion rate, especially when compared with other items. I theorized that this might have been due to the inherent effects given to the [System] of this world. The durability stat wasn¡¯t just for show. Making sure to stay away from the continually dripping acid that flowed freely from its severed neck, I lifted its headless body up in a nostalgic princess carry, before I laid it down onto a couple of connected tables. Surprisingly enough, the Gila wasn¡¯t all that heavy. It possessed a weight unfit for a creature of its size. On the raised surface, the monster¡¯s tail hanged out from one end of the table, while its severed neck was at the other. It¡¯s green blood continually flowed down onto the ground in the process. I tried placing a paint bucket (which I found within the room) directly below its neck, in order to catch the dripping blood/acid, but as expected, the acid merely corroded through the plastic container. Unfortunately, there wasn¡¯t anything metal conveniently lying around that could catch and collect the dripping acid. I took a careful step back and observed the headless creature. I ignored the constant buzzing and the penetrating gazes while I looked at it with clearly observant eyes. After a while, I lifted the dagger rather ceremoniously up in the air before- Ching! The dagger cut through the stagnant night air, before its tip slightly chipped upon the impact. I had stabbed the thing directly in its chest plate, but like I expected, the resistance I met was great. Next, I tried again, this time utilizing [Dissect] with my next stab. The results were marginally the same, although with the use of my skill, a little bit more of its exoskeleton did chip away. I continued attacking its chest armour with my dagger, each time utilizing various stabbing attacks, slashing, and all types of tactics. Sometimes, I switched to Efhermet, in order to strike a bit harder. Other times, I directly used [Dissect]. It was a short process, that yielded practically the same results; this thing had some sort of resistance to bladed weaponry. After I confirmed this, I then took out my boken, and raised it high over the air, directly in front of the body. Now that I¡¯ve confirmed its resistance to piercing attacks, next was blunt damage. With that sort of mindset in place, I solemnly struck downwards like a butcher with a meat cleaver towards its left chest piece. Crack! Upon collision, its chest plate cracked, while a few loose pieces flew off from the impact. A fair bit of green blood oozed out from those cracks, showing that it not only damaged the armor, it also damaged the main body below. Like this, I confirmed its lack of resistance against blunt damage. I performed several tests like this, all while under the constraints of time. In the end, I discovered that, generally speaking, the armor was surprisingly delicate. Blunt impact was its main weakness. With only a bit of force, the night black carapace would readily break. In contrast, its resistance against bladed weaponry was on a whole ¡®nother level. From what I gathered, the external carapace was also quite air tight. Apart from the mouth, I couldn¡¯t find any other opening. This was probably due to the constitution of its body. If one were to remove the shell, they¡¯d find a fleshy corpse with unnaturally large sweat glands. That is to say, underneath the armor, was a body covered in acid. The shell acted as a casing, keeping the acid inside, while keeping danger out. With that sort of body, I reasoned that skill¡¯s like Cielle¡¯s [Gemini Blue] were useless. The shell had no pain receptors, nor any breaks in their armor, so aside from its mouth, Cielle¡¯s magic would be useless in this situation. That is unless I managed to create enough cracks in it armor, of course. After its carapace was now noticeably dented, a few of its pieces practically breaking apart, I delved deeper into its body, finally getting to the insides. Carefully, using the tip of my dagger, I picked up the pieces of cracked shell, only to reveal the slime covered body underneath. It looked quite grotesque, even for me. Its body was like a skinless, boneless human, revealing only muscle and the occasional tendon that stood out. In contrast to its human like muscular frame, the body was green, and covered by acid. It took away almost half my concentration just to prevent any wayward acid from spilling over onto me. I removed a few plates of armor, but in the end, I restrained myself. I only revealed its chest cavity, and some of its arm. I also grabbed the rolling head, and removed the helmet like thing covering it, revealing a soft scalp that had the vague wrinkles that resembled an exposed brain. As expected, it had no eyes, nor nose, only a thing, super elongated tongue. Of course, I figured that fully dissecting this creature, like I did with most of my victims, would prove useless and time consuming. Despite my boiling desire, I did not have time to completely lose myself in the intricacies of its alien body. I satisfied myself with my current findings, which included; 1) The armor¡¯s thickness was unbalanced. Its limbs were covered with thinner armor, while its chest and head were the thickest. There was also a soft, taut, yet flexible portion of its shell located where its tail and main body connected. I figured that it would be relatively easy to sever its tail apart from its main body. 2) The armor was weak against blunt impact, but strong against piercing, or slashing attacks. 3) Without damage to its external shell, the carapace was practically air tight. Cielle¡¯s magic would be useless against it, unless she aimed for the brief instance when its mouth was open. As for other magic, like fireball, I don¡¯t know. I don¡¯t think it¡¯s particularly heat resistant though... 4) It¡¯s acidic blood covered every inch of its body, underneath the shell. This same blood was ineffective against metal. In addition, from our earlier encounters, I gathered that its main senses were sound and ¡°taste¡±. Sound, was an obvious enough method. Something akin to echo location was in use. They even went as far as using sound as a means of hunting, like what they were doing now. Disorienting, confusing, and sending its prey into chaos using a constant bombardment of sound. As for taste, I came to this conclusion after watching its reactions towards Hina¡¯s fireballs. Like a snake, the Gilas ¡°tasted¡± the air, or to be more precise the temperature. After I came to this conclusion, I moved away from the corpse, and in what felt like a long time (although in actuality, it had only been a mere 5 minutes), I turned back around to look at the others. Surprisingly enough, the girls¡¯ reactions were a lot more subdued than I first predicted. Cielle looked at me the same way as she usually does. Her expression was so unchanging in fact, that it gave off the faint hint that she knew about my habits all along. Hina and Cher were a bit more ordinary. A mixture of shock, disgust, yet a clear understanding. In the faint transient light, there expressions gave of a feeling of resignation towards my rather¡­ pragmatic actions. Since they weren¡¯t raising a particular fuss about it, I decided not to mind it either. I walked back over towards the blackboard, and with quick well timed strokes, I quickly wrote down the gathered information on the board in as few words as possible. With the light shining behind me, it took less than 1 minute to transcribe everything. After the last stroke of chalk, I moved backwards, so that the others could see. I stepped back, over towards the hastily barricaded door, where I quietly observed the others. In the process, I decided to play with [Sensory Remapping]. My reliance on my hearing was quite a demerit during this particular situation. Despite that though, my other options were pretty scarce. Stolen novel; please report. Hearing was a no go, and eyesight wouldn¡¯t be particularly helpful in this situation either. If I could somehow adjust my eyesight to see night vision, or something along those lines, that would be helpful, but at my current ability, that¡¯s a particularly difficult task to accomplish. Allocating my senses over into touch or taste wouldn¡¯t really benefit me either, after all, a human being¡¯s sense of touch and taste are innately restricted. I doubt I could do something like ¡°tasting¡± the temperature like a snake. In the end, my sense of smell was the only other option. I completely deprived my sense of taste, touch, and sound, while dimming down my eyesight to the bare minimum. In exchange, all the scents, odors, and fragrances that entered my nostrils were amplified to extreme degrees. To my pleasant surprise, the acidic smell of sulfur was quite shocking. It drifted continuously from the corpse a few feet away from me. I hadn¡¯t noticed this distinct smell before hand since prior, my sense of smell had been deprived, but now, it''s rancid odor caused my nose to wrinkle in distaste. If I concentrated, I could make out the vague scent of the others- the Gilas from the other side of the door, although as expected, their sulfuric odor wasn¡¯t as overbearing as the corpse in the room. As I was messing around, the others had finished reading the small wall of text adorned with hastily scribbled pictures on the board and promptly turned to me. They nodded in understanding just as I felt a surge of power through the barricade I leaned on. As expected, the door wouldn¡¯t hold for long. It won¡¯t take long for those things to force their way in here. In addition, for quite a while now, the slight smell of sulfur was also wafting above us. The Gilas were also within the air vents. Spurred forth by a growing sense of urgency, I nodded back towards the others, while indicating towards a newly plastered wall. The smell of sulfur was noticeably lacking here, proving that the Gilas were either currently congregating outside the door or trying to circumvent their way into the room through the air ducts. Through a series of vague hand gestures (and sometimes written instruction with the use of the blackboard), I managed to get my message across- We would bust down the wall, and run across the opposite hall that connected towards the wide expanse that made up the bomb shelter. From there, we could circle all the way back to the staircase, all the while avoiding our original route. This was of course a crude, hastily constructed plan, but it was all we had. After a series of vague nods, I took a careful step back, before I lunged my body forward. Applying [hard scale] in tune with [Rushing Dash], I barrelled my way through the wall as if it were made of rice paper. Pieces of dried plaster clung to my already stained shirt as I came to a skidding stop. Throwing a quick glance back, I could see the others making their way through the hole with Ciele at the forefront and Cher guarding the rear. I quickly looked around my surroundings, only to discover ourselves within another room. A classroom which stood directly besides the previous one, now connected by an unseemly hole in the wall. Just as quickly as I came to this conclusion, I noticed a shift in smell. The congregated sulfuric scent that, previously was all concentrated at the entrance, was now moving. It was obvious enough, but the putrid smell was getting closer and closer. I ushered everyone out into the hallway, just as the Gilas neared. With a clammer, they quickly approached us. Some slowly striding across the hall, while others crawled through the ceiling or walls, like malnourished cockroaches. With Cher leading the front, the girls quickly ran down in the opposite direction of the monsters, just as I received the first one with the base of my boken. I struck out furiously, aiming directly at its encased head. With a satisfying thud, itf feet lifted off from the ground as it spun twice in mid air before it came crashing down into a Gila on the wall. Putrid acid leaked out from its cracked surface, but I paid it no heed as another one approached. This time, one jumped down from the ceiling. Relying solely on the distinct scent it gave off, I took a giant leap back, bringing in my boken in the process. With a soundless yelp, I immediately thrusted the wooden sword forward. The tip of my weapon homed in on the unexpecting Gila¡¯s chest cavity, directly where its sternum would be. The impact sent the creature tumbling backwards, where it crashed into a few of it''s quickly approaching comrades. In this fashion, I held back the approaching Gilas, as the Girls continued to increase their distance. Truth be told, I would have preferred it if they helped, but honestly, considering the level difference, as well as how these things were built, I couldn¡¯t risk it. Seriously, monsters that conveniently reacted well to heat and had almost no pain receptors outside their bodies was simply a bad matchup for Hina and Cielle¡¯s matchup. Not to mention, Cher herself was too unreliable when it came group combat. While I thought of such things, I continued attacking. Utilizing the knowledge acquired from the earlier, I aimed at their weak spots. From the soft connection on their tails, to their rather flimsy joints, I was a fair bit merciless. In the end though, I primarily focused on crippling the Gilas¡¯ legs. I made sure to batter a leg per Gila as I slowly inched myself backwards. My goal wasn¡¯t to outright hunt them down, but rather, to slow their pursuing speed. After all, I had to maintain a suitable distance so that I wouldn¡¯t get crowded on. In fact, it was because I was so cautious and played such a dangerous, yet careful game of hit-and-run, that I could last so long against so many monsters. After exchanging a few more blows, I instantly turned around and sprinted towards the girls. I activated [Rushing Dash], forcing my body to accelerate forward. The lingering, pubescent scent of palpable fear that oozed out from the others quickly got stronger and stronger as I continued on. Unfortunately, another scent also intensified. The scent of characteristic sulfur, one originating from within the vents. This was what prompted me forward. While I held back the majority of the Gilas (crippling almost a third of them), the ones that opted to avoid me, were quickly closing the distance between the girls. These were the ones that moved about in the vents, and their crawling speed was noticeably faster than the girls. What made this worse was that I could distinguish at least 5 of them. 4 were within the vents, while the fifth lingered directly in front of the others, seemingly blocking their way. This was what probably stopped the girls¡¯ advance. In a little less than 20 seconds, I reached them. I batted away a Gila that just scampered out from a hole in the metallic vents, just as I approached them. Cielle was the first to notice me. Without so much as a word or indication, a mass of transparent blue zoomed towards me, healing whatever minor scratches and injuries I had accumulated. The others in contrast, were a bit too busy. A series of seemingly infinite balls of fire shot further down the hallway. These flames licked and rocked forward, as if they had a mind of their own. Hina¡¯s [Lesser Pyrokinesis] was working in over time, as she directed the newly created balls of fire directly towards her opponent. Unfortunately, the matchup was just unfavorable for her. Coupled with its high mobility and increased perception against heat, the lone Gila so far managed to avoid most of Hina¡¯s flames. The few licks of fire that did land shaved off a decent bit of hp, but unfortunately, it simply wasn¡¯t enough. If it wasn¡¯t for Cher, who was desperately acting as vanguard, then Hina would have been overpowered and killed a long time ago. Cher herself, desperately guarded against the Gila. It¡¯s a bit unfortunate to say this, but Cher¡¯s defensive techniques, which centered around mobility and re-direction, was especially ineffective against this type of opponent. Against a creature who moved faster, and struck harder than her, what little advantage Cher had was quickly obliterated. She only managed to last so long thanks to the constant stream of [Blue Gemini] coming her way. As for me, I would have liked to quickly step in and help the struggling duo, but the creatures that quickly emerged from within the small opening in the ventilation shafts kept me occupied. Alongside the one I had previously knocked down, their were currently 4 Gilas that reared their heads my way. Their overly putrid, sulfuric stench was quite overbearing as they continually flicked their tongues into the air. In addition to these four, I could make out the smell of the other Gilas that I left behind, quickly making their way closer. I faced off against them, tense, unmoving. I knew full well that the moment I moved, the fighting would start. I shot a short, almost imperceptible glance behind me. Coincidentally, I locked eyes with Hina, who also chose this exact instant to assess the situation. Through my slightly darkened vision, I caught the faint glimmer that sparked in her eyes. In the next instant, the aggregated flames that flickered in front of her immediately shot backwards. A columbine of flame came together, and roared past me. It seared the ground that separated me from the 4 Gilas. Following that, a pillar- no, a wall of fire rose from the ground, and for a brief moment, a curtain of flame separated us from the rest of the hall. In the short gap of time it took that wall of flame to form, my body rocketed forward. With [Rushing Dash] activated, I shot past the girls like a dying comet, and continued forward towards the lone Gila that blocked our way. My club blurred as it repeatedly came crashing down on the ill prepared creature¡¯s body. A strike to its leg, shoulder, other leg - a rain of quick, yet heavy blows continued to land on all of its assessed weak points, all within the span of 5 seconds. It¡¯s HP was quickly reduced to less than half, while a new status effect, [Cripple] greeted my darkened eyes. Not even bothering to deal the finishing blow, I turned back around to assess the situation. The wall of flame continued to flicker, but noticeably weaker now. Fortunately, the four Gilas still hadn¡¯t attacked. Either they were afraid of the fire, or the generated heat muddled their senses enough to keep them at bay. Just as the crack of a smile almost adorned my face, my expression instantly darkened. I saw Hina¡¯s upright figure unsteadily sway backwards, as if her body had just lost all of its strength. My body moved automatically in that next instant. I dashed forward, just in time to catch Hina¡¯s falling figure. Observing closely, her eyes were almost glazed over, while her skin was noticeably pale. Through the faint illumination of dying flame and artificial light, I could make out the word, ¡°Mana¡± that escaped from Hina¡¯s slightly parted lips. I nodded once, immediately understanding the situation. Her constant, never ending generation of fireballs, had rapidly used up her mana pool. Unlike with our previous encounters with the Werewolves or with the Boars, Hina had used her own magic in order to create the fire, instead of using naturally created flames. This reckless course of actions quickly drained her remaining mana. The last act of [Pyrokinesis] was the last wisps of magic that Hina could perform before completely emptying herself out. I quickly carried the half-conscious girl over onto my shoulders, while I glanced over at the other two. Their expressions looked worried, while their glances interchanged between the dying wisps of flame behind us and Hina¡¯s own pale faced, somber expression. I gave the two a quick tap on the shoulders, prompting them to move. With only a slight tinge of hesitation, and with the light of the flashlight as their only guide into the darkness, they leaped over the crippled Gila and continued further into the seemingly infinite hall. I quickly followed suit, shooting a quick glance back just as the last whiskers of flame died out. I could make out the vague outlines of quickly approaching monsters (which I already confirmed with my sense of smell), but I paid it no heed, as I turned back around and continued running. We progressed further ahead. The Gilas were constantly on our tail, but fortunately, nothing else obstructed our way. After a few minutes, before we even realized, we had reached the bomb shelter. Chapter 60: Bomb Shelter Bomb Shelter While carrying a half conscious, overly exhausted Hina on my shoulders, I led the group further into the hallway. As we half walked, half sprinted in silence, I took this chance to use [Identify] on the pale faced girl. It turns out that Hina was currently suffering from an abnormal status effect known simply as [Mana Exhaustion]. It was an obvious enough demerit that should more than likely disappear the moment she recovers a bit of her mana pool. I briefly contemplated whether or not to feed her one of our spare mana potions, but in the end, I decided against it. We were currently out of danger for the current moment, so we could afford a bit of laxness. After telling Cielle to heal Hina (since she received a few 2nd degree burns from her own fire magic), I pushed the thought aside and continued ahead. We walked further ahead for little less than 7 minutes before we arrived at a pair of hinged, metal doors. Purely appearance wise, the doors looked sturdy enough to block a minotaur¡¯s charging rampage. A somewhat stained steel hue adorning its surface glistened rather menacingly as the light of the flashlight shined over it. ¡°The bomb shelter, huh¡­¡± I unconsciously spoke out as I looked over it once more. Of course, despite the noise that escaped my lips, I couldn¡¯t hear a single thing. Even now, my sense of sound was still completely deprived. Just as those words, which reverberated in my head alone, escaped my throat, I noticed that Cielle had looked over towards me, as if reacting to my noiseless words. I locked eyes with her for a moment, before she began mouthing something out. I stood there, a bit confused, while she continued to actively flap her gums. It took me a while before I finally realized she was trying to talk to me. Apparently, the loss of sound had left me somewhat disoriented and askewed my own sense of normality¡­ I deactivated [Sensory Remapping], and my scattered senses finally reorganized themselves. My hearing, sight, taste, smell, all of these varying sensations finally returned to normal, a feat I hadn¡¯t enjoyed in a surprisingly long amount of time. ¡°- ..should we go in?¡± The first thing I heard was the indistinctly soft patter of Cielle¡¯s voice. Her head was slightly turned towards my direction, while the rest of her body continued to face forward, towards the door. ¡°...¡± I opened my mouth to respond, but after realizing something, the words remained stuck in my throat. I quietly stood for a second, unmoving, as I focused. ¡°... they stopped buzzing¡­¡± the somewhat hoarse tone of my own voice surprised me as I once again worded out my obvious observations. ¡°Yeah,¡± Cher suddenly responded from besides my left shoulder. ¡°You hadn¡¯t noticed? They stopped after we neared the bomb shelter.¡± I vaguely nodded my head as I turned to stare back at the abyss of darkness we had walked out of. The receding hallway was lightless, and, for an ephemeral moment, lifeless. A void of darkness that no living thing could exist in¡­ of course, I knew better than this. First hand experience was enough of a reminder as to what type of creature lurked behind those shadows. ¡°They stopped following us¡­¡± I quietly spoke. ¡°Nnn.¡± Cielle quietly murmured as she bobbed her head up and down. ¡®Why did they stop following us?¡¯ This question was one which silently fostered within me, but ultimately remained unspoken. After all, just thinking about it a little would lead you to a reasonable enough conclusion. I turned my attention back towards the doors in front of me and focused. Briefly, I amped up each of my varying senses, before diverting them towards the room that lay hidden behind those doors. After a while, I once again disabled [Sensory Remapping]. Suffice to say, whether it be sound, smell, even temperature, I did not get a reaction from within the bomb shelter. If my word was any credible, then the room before us was empty. I turned around to meet everyone else¡¯s stares, before nodding in confirmation. I quietly handed Hina over towards Cher¡¯s receiving arms. Cher shouldered the majority of her weight, while Hina tried to remain upright on wobbly legs. Hina never really passed out, just that, [mana exhaustion] made her too tired to talk, much less walk. I then slowly placed my hand onto the door¡¯s cool surface, before I applied a fair bit of pressure and pushed. Contrary to my expectations, my hand did not meet any resistance. In the contrast, the door deftly swung open, revealing an open room encased in familiar darkness. I could hear the tense gulping sounds from behind me. For a moment, while staring off into the room, I played with the idea of turning back around. The recent experience with the Gilas somewhat cooled my rather hotheaded self. It once again reminded me that caution, before anything, came first, and the room before me was definitely more than just a little suspicious. In the end though, I dismissed the idea all together. You can¡¯t make any real progress if you¡¯re always tucking your tail between your legs and running away. Besides, I¡¯ve already confirmed that the room was empty, and if any type of monster capable of hiding from each of my varying enhanced senses existed, then we¡¯d have been dead the moment the door opened. With that sort of reaffirmation in place, I boldly took the lead and stepped forward. I was bathed in momentary darkness, before a ray of light pierced the path ahead. From the farthest wall back, I could now see a somewhat dusty and neglected shelf, one stocked to the brim with canned preservatives. From behind, the others soon followed, taking tentative steps into the room. Cielle was the one who held onto the flashlight. She kept pace with me as we delved deeper into the shelter, while Cher and Hina followed shortly behind. As Cielle¡¯s light revealed more and more of the room, we discovered that it was unexpectedly large. A sort of open hall with its walls covered with shelves containing varying emergency supplies. The varying supplies were all haphazardly strewn about in the room, with a large majority of them located along the shelves that lined the walls. The most plentiful of these supplies was undoubtedly food. From canned goods, dried milk, and even several bags of rice¡­ Ah¡­ rice¡­ a luxury I haven¡¯t enjoyed in close to a month. To have that sort of thing for a meal would simply be¡­ I got it. I¡¯ve decided. The next time I eat rice, I¡¯ll make sure to max out my taste. To fully enjoy it¡¯s pleasant flavor¡­ hehe, I can¡¯t wait¡­ Ah, no, I got sidetracked. I pulled myself together, and forcibly walked away from the stacked bags of rice located in a rather nondescript corner of the room. With a will as strong as steel, I began taking inventory of the rations within the room. An assortment of products. Canned fruits, canned meats, several dozens of bags of flour, beans, rice, potatoes, dried fruits, preserved meats, dehydrated milk, there was even a collection of MRIs, all with varying flavors. For me, who only ate scavenged granola bars and monster meat, this diverse collection of food is just¡­ especially the rice¡­. Ah, focus. Aside from the food, there were other things mixed in here as well. Close to a dozen 200 gallon water tanks, all filled to the brim with water, were lined up against the left wall. Next to it were several empty 5 gallon buckets. Other things too, like clothing, sleeping bags, non-prescription drugs, first aid kits, bandages, varying medical supplies, bleach, plastic trash bags, light sticks, portable toilets, fire extinguishers, rope, a whole collection of items were stockpiled within this shelter. Naturally, I [identified] every single one of them. It was a good way to level up my skill after all. Among the objects within the room, a one thing in particular caught my attention. Off to the side, in a corner blocked by shelves of canned goods, was a simple generator. It wasn¡¯t particularly big, probably only had enough juice to power up the room, but still, it caught my attention. More specifically, the object next to it did- It was a radio. I¡¯m not particularly very good with radios, but from what little knowledge I had, I came to the conclusion that it was a HAM radio. The radio was propped up against a wooden table next to the generator, and was adorned with varying cables, microphones, headsets, and an inoperable lamp. My first instinct was to mess with the contraption, but luckily, I was able to restrain myself. I didn¡¯t have any particular experience with radios, so I was a bit fearful that my reckless touching might somehow damage the whole thing. In a worst case scenario, the radio might break. That was obviously something I¡¯d like to avoid. Letting out a quiet sigh that only I could hear, I prepared to turn around, just as something else caught my eye. There, hidden underneath all the jangled up cables, was something extremely valuable. Something so useful, that I¡¯d trade half the kids in the cafeteria for it. I almost missed it too, if it weren¡¯t for the slight glare its screen reflected when Cielle shined the flashlight down onto the table. That precious object was a walkie talkie. Scratch that, 3 walkie talkies. In a situation where we can¡¯t readily communicate long distance, something compact that was capable of transmitting and receiving signals without the need for internet or radio stations was undeniably valuable. What¡¯s more, they were relatively simple enough to use that even an amateaur wouldn¡¯t have any trouble. Without a moment¡¯s hesitation, I quickly gathered the three walkie talkies and distributed them amongst the group. In the end, Cielle, Hina, and I received one. It would have been better had there been 4, but unfortunately, being the latest member of our group, Cher was left out this time around. She looked a bit dejected at this, but it couldn¡¯t be helped. I guess in the future, she¡¯ll have to stick with one other person, but like I said, that can¡¯t be helped. More importantly, with these walkie talkies, our range of activities have expanded. We can do things like solo, or maybe even split our group up, if the situation calls for it. Although, honestly speaking, I already do a lot of ¡°solo¡± missions, but let¡¯s overlook that. Among other things, finding separated team members has became easier. In the future, my scouting range has also grown. The value of the walkie talkie is truly amazing. Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. Shortly after everyone (everyone except Cher that is) received a walkie talkie, we began fiddling with it, in hopes of getting it to work. Luckily enough, when we turned it on, it had plenty of battery life left. Although even if it didn¡¯t, there were a few spare batteries amongst the pile of emergency supplies within the room. [zzz...Hello¡­?..zz.] [Is it working?] [.....zzz¡­] [Ah, it worked.] After a few minutes of idle button pushing and knob turning, we finally got it to work. My own voice, along with Hina¡¯s and Cielle¡¯s clearly transmitted through those small dotted speakers. I unconsciously jumped in excitement at the sudden success. Of course, I wasn¡¯t the only one. Hina with a happy, but tired smile, Cielle with a clear change in her usually neutral expression, even Cher showed a bit of joy in our success. As expected, Walkie talkies are well received. *** We decided to set up camp here for a while, so that everyone can get some rest, and for Hina to recover from her [mana exhaustion]. Cher found a few Kerosene lamps lying around, so we were currently using that for light. As expected, the lights don¡¯t really work down here, and the generator isn¡¯t set up properly. Kerosene lamps were a good alternative. We also ate some of the food we found in the room. It goes without saying, but I ate rice. Rice with leftover boar strips¡­it was delicious. No-, it was more than just delicious. It was truly a heavenly experience. I had on a contented smile, as I took on the first rotation. Beforehand, I arbitrarily decided that we would sleep in shifts for a couple of hours. While, at this point, it was certain that the Gilas were keeping their distance from the shelter, it was always good to be extra cautious. That¡¯s why we were sleeping in shifts. The first rotation consisted of Cielle and I, while Cher and Hina took on the 2nd shift. Don¡¯t ask me how the groups were decided, that sort of thing was out of my control. Like that, we were finally able to take a break. Lit by the faint illumination of flickering flame, the somewhat tense atmosphere from before slowly wafted away, although the undeniable chill of danger still remained. **** A few hours later, we prepared to leave the basement. At least, that was the original plan, until¡­ ¡°Are you sure it¡¯s here?¡± I asked, with a somewhat tired voice. ¡°Y-yes! Like I¡¯ve told you before, the wall over here looks weird¡­¡± Cher¡¯s let out a strangely squeaky voice. A tone that almost indicated that she herself was dubious to her own claims. ¡°Ugh¡­ So tired¡­¡± Cielle groaned, but dutifully continued working. She was moving the various canned goods, and packaged supplies out from the shelf on the wall and moving them over to the side. This was all in order to clear out the shelf and hopefully, prevent any of the precious supplies from damaging. Having recovered from [mana exhaustion], Hina was also clearing out the shelf alongside her sister. Meanwhile, my eyes were directed between the small, slight gap in between the shelves that were currently aligned along the westernmost wall. Upon further inspection, I came to a similar conclusion Cher held. ¡°It¡¯s true¡­ something about this wall looks¡­ odd¡­¡± I quietly mumbled to myself as my eyes once again scanned the almost indistinguishable wall. It was hard to make out, even with the assistance of the flashlight, but a section of the wall was discolored. A shade of pale white that varied slightly from the rest of the walls surrounding the room. It was so slight of a difference, that even if you were purposely looking for it, you¡¯d still be hard pressed to actually find it. It was an amazing coincidence that Cher noticed the slight discoloration when she was rummaging around the shelves for something to eat. While I was intently observing the wall, the girls finally finished emptying out the shelves. Making use of my enhanced stats and the boken¡¯s inherent boost, I moved the metallic shelf. It was a bit difficult at first, mostly because there was next to no traction on the shelf¡¯s surface, but after a couple of seconds, I noticed a few indentations along its surface. It was unusual, like someone had chipped the shelf¡¯s exterior with a cutting knife, but nonetheless, the indentations created allowed me a firm grip on the shelf. A spine tingling squeak resounded as the shelf scraped alongside the tiled floor, but nonetheless, with a little bit of effort and grunting, I was able to clear away the obstructing piece of furniture, revealing the wall behind it. Without the shelf blocking the way, the slight discoloration on the wall was now much more obvious. What¡¯s more, there were obvious ridges on the wall, as if someone had hastily painted over it, and ignored the obvious discrepancies present. ¡°This¡­ isn¡¯t this a door?¡± Hina was the first to make this assumption, as she leaned over onto the shelf. Now, that she mentioned it, the bumps and ridges on the wall did somewhat resemble metallic screws, much like the screws that dotted the outline of the bomb shelter¡¯s door. I cautiously felt the surface of the wall. I confirmed that the ridges were indeed just painted over screws. What¡¯s more, despite the overcoat of white paint, the unmistakable texture of cool steel was still present. When I felt around the wall some more, I could make out a familiar rectangular outline. Without a doubt this is a- ¡°Door. It really is a door.¡± My voice rang out, as if to confirm what everyone (myself included) was currently thinking. ¡°Why would there be a door here?¡± Hina¡¯s question was left unanswered as we continued to wordlessly stare at the discoloration on the wall. I could make out what looked to be the start of rust along side the edges of the door¡¯s outline, although the paint made it a bit difficult to precisely tell. Upon closer inspection, the paint that camouflaged the door was chipped, and fading. In fact, some sections of it looked clawed out, but that type of thing was more like a vague resemblance at most. ¡°Should we try opening it?¡± Cher¡¯s sudden proposition once again broke the stagnant air that had began to form in the air. ¡°¡°¡°... ¡±¡±¡± It would be a lie to say I didn¡¯t hesitate. In fact, all of us hesitated. The mystery of this door, where it exactly led to, what type of thing waited behind it¡­ those types of things were dangerous. The type of mysteries that incited the human curiosity¡­ A part of me wanted to investigate, despite the dangers which came with it. The others were the same. Hesitation, built on by tonight¡¯s experience was obviously present, but stronger still, a burning desire to know the truth. Something like that pushed us forward. After I did a preliminary search of what lay behind the door using a combination of enhanced hearing, and smell, I confirmed that I couldn¡¯t ¡®feel¡¯ anything, and we began our earnest search for a handle of sorts. It took a while, infact, 15 minutes, before one of us found a small indentation within the wall. It was more of a grip that concaved inwards, as opposed to traditionally jutting out. The search was somewhat delayed since the handle itself was covered over by a layer of plaster and paint, making it hard to distinguish from the rest of the door. After I scooped out a fair bit of the plaster, I was finally able to get a good enough grip on the handle. Obviously, I expected some form of resistance. After all, what type of secret passage would be kept unlocked. Despite my initial expectations, the door itself, with a simple tug, was pulled open rather casually, revealing a somewhat narrow corridor that disappeared further into the darkness. As the metallic door squeaked open, I reflexively gulped down. From behind me, I could hear similar noises as we held back the growing tension. With the door out of the way, I once again used [Sensory Remapping] to do a quick scan of the corridor. Be it sound, smell, temperature, or eyesight, I once again confirmed that the corridor was, for all intents and purposes, empty. After I confirmed the lack of danger, the growing sense of curiosity swelled within me, my body moving automatically, I couldn¡¯t help but take a step forward. My first step into the corridor was met with the nostalgic crunch of dried dirt and loose pebbles. Seeing me move, the girls quickly followed. In no time, although the door was wide open, with a mere 2 feet separating us, we could say, without a shadow of a doubt, that we were firmly [inside] the corridor. I once again couldn¡¯t help but use [Sensory Remapping]. Once again, it confirmed that nothing else besides us was inside this corridor. ¡°Then¡­¡± A hopeful voice from an unusually optimistic Cher. ¡°Yeah¡­¡± The curious glance that Hina sported was plainly written on her face as well. ¡°Nnn¡­¡± A slight bob of the head flicked away a few strands of loose hair from Cielle¡¯s face, revealing an out of character expression. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± And with me rounding things up, I took another decisive step forward, leading the way for this corridor expedition. It was unfortunate, that only later did I realize that I had overlooked something vital. The desperate scratches on the wall, masked in darkness and metallic rust that had escaped my vision, the unnaturally messy setup of the shelter that, in the dim of light, became next to impossible to make out, even the strange coincidence that the doors, both the bomb shelter¡¯s and the corridors, were strangely open¡­ it would only be later that I noticed how truly out of place all of this was. ***** Author''s Note: Thanks for reading. Although I can''t promise as frequent chapter releases like in August, I will try to post a bit more frequently, after all, I''m sure the month long hiatus was painful. If you liked this chapter, or this story in general, please try to rate or review if you can, I appreciate that sort of thing. Chapter 61: Secret of the Passage Secret of the Passage The further we traveled, the darker the surroundings seemed to get. The air, which was already stale to begin with, seemed to suffocate you with every breath you take, its dry tendrils snaking its way around around us, causing our throats to quiver while our lips cracked. Each step was as loud as thunder, enhanced only by the contrasting silence around us. The echoing of our breathing too, sounded a lot like demons howling in the night, ready to jump out and attack at a moment¡¯s notice. Of course, in all likelihood, these varying sensations were merely figments of our overactive imagination. Fantasies molded through the tension and ensuing caution we currently draped ourselves with. No realer than the cartoons on a television screen. Well, the other possibility that these sensations were in fact real and concrete was quite possible too, but I pushed such a depressing thought out of my mind even before we entered the passageway. Like I¡¯ve confirmed before hand, there were no living things within the passage. The deeper we went, the more I ascertained this conclusion. [Sensory Remapping], my all purpose detection skill, did not catch anything, save for our own breathing and thumping heartbeats. Unfortunately, this sort of conclusion only served to further enhance my paranoia, rather than relax it. To me, there was no such thing as a place with no monsters within this school. If there weren¡¯t any monsters, then either one, they all died already, or two, you simply weren¡¯t looking hard enough. I kept this thought mainly to myself, as we progressed further. For 5, maybe 10 minutes, we¡¯ve walked non stop, never stopping our light tread deeper into the ¡®tunnel¡¯. Along the way, I noticed a few things. One, the path was uniform. A 6 feet wide, 8 feet tall passageway that never sloped downwards, nor ascended upwards. Always straight, and in one direction with no signs of ever shifting. If you were to ask what direction, then I¡¯d answer back with west. From the looks of it, this passageway was traversing all across the school, possibly with the old school building, or maybe beyond that as its final destination. The other thing I noticed, were the support beams. They started appearing after we reached the 500 feet mark of our travel. Long, wooden beams that were embedded and spanned the entire length of the dirt covered walls and its ceilings, all each spaced out about 10 feet away from each other. Looking at it from a passerby¡¯s point of view, these beams could easily be mistaken for the support beams found in an abandoned mine cave. For all I know, these beams were from an abandoned mine cave. This whole passage way could very well be the entrance to an abandoned mine cave. Of course, I had no way of either confirming or denying this possibility. Aside from these support beams, no sign of life, monster or otherwise, was present. At least it stayed that way for a majority of our trip. As we continued walking, I heard a faint intake of breath from behind me. I turned back around, only to see Hina¡¯s expression shift. Her eyes slightly widened, as her face twisted into that of realization. From behind her, Cielle and Cher had also noticed, as they too stared directly at her, Cielle going so far as to shine the beam of light from the flashlight onto Hina¡¯s face. Noticing all the attention directed at her, she scrunched up her face in a show of awkwardness, before she arbitrarily coughed. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± I was quick to question, as I halted my footsteps in mid stride. ¡°Ah, no, nothing¡¯s wrong it¡¯s just that¡­ I finally realized what this place was.¡± She replied back, a hint of pride etched in her voice. Upon hearing her, I reflexively raised a brow as I spoke. ¡°Really? Then what is this place?¡± Coughing once more, she immediately replied. ¡°Well, if my guesses hold true, then this passageway should lead directly towards the old bomb shelter located in the old school building.¡± ¡°The bomb shelter?¡± This time, it was Cher who mimicked, seemingly having caught interest in our conversation. ¡°Umu.¡± Hina nodded. ¡°Look at these support beams.¡± She pointed to a nearby wooden pole that directly stood besides the dirt wall. Almost immediately after, a ray of light shined over onto the indicated pole, completely exposing that one spot on the wall in all its splendor. ¡°If you look closely, the beams over here are still fairly new. No sign of decay or rot, which indicates that this tunnel was newly created. And this coincides with the fact that the new bomb shelter was just recently built as well. Too add to that, the direction this passageway is heading towards, plus the level of elevation the passageway is at, honestly this is the only conclusion I can think off.¡± As I heard her words, I subconsciously nodded. In fact, I never once played with the possibility that this passageway connected with another bomb shelter. Truth be told, aside from the floor I contained myself in, I¡¯ve only ever briefly explored the lower sections of the old school building. In actuality, I had forgotten about the existence of the old school building¡¯s bomb shelter. ¡°Why would they build a passageway that connects with the old bomb shelter?¡± I asked. Hina casually shrugged in the process. ¡°Plenty of reasons¡­ Most likely to accommodate the amount of students in case of an emergency. One shelter simply isn¡¯t enough to keep hold of thousands of kids plus staff. They were probably planning on remodeling the old bomb shelter, and it would be rather inconvenient if the bomb shelters were separated with no access between either one of them. Although, going by how shoddy the work on this tunnel is, I don¡¯t think they ever really finished. They must have ran out of funding along the process¡­ which isn¡¯t really all that surprising, considering how many new renovations the school had recently, like the new swimming pools, and the observatory...¡± Hina was quite informative regarding this matter. Although I could guess that most of her information came from her childhood friend. After all, a person on the student council would obviously have access to the budgets and purchases made by the school. ¡°Anyways, they probably abandoned the project halfway through and decided instead to cover up the passageway with a door and some terrible paint job.¡± She continued while sighing in exasperation. ¡°...¡± I contemplated this information for a moment. If what she said was true, then sooner or later, we¡¯d end up underneath the old school building once again. As this thought entered my mind, I couldn¡¯t help but gaze off into the darkness, still uneasy at what lay at the other end. From behind me, the sound of shuffling footsteps could be heard. Hina had once again resumed her trod forward, seemingly having closed the subject on her own accord. ¡°Well, in the end, we won¡¯t know for sure until we check things out with our own eyes¡­¡± With those receding words, I turned back around to stare at the passage in front of me. Before I had even noticed, my legs once again moved, propelling me forward into the darkness. **** After minutes of nonstop walking, something finally changed. The musky atmosphere created by my restless imagination, seemingly came to life. I was certain, positive, that the temperature had inexplicably increased. It wasn¡¯t to the extent where it became unbearable, but to the level where a dry sweat was starting to form on my forehead. My throat this time really did quiver from thirst, and my lips really did crack from the heat though. It was like being in a oven on low heat. A temperature hot enough to cause an unpleasant sweat to form. I was the first to notice this, since I regularly shifted my perception using [Sensory Remapping]. I was using this method of shifting senses as an early warning detection system in case something dangerous were to pop out. When I inexplicably augmented my sense of temperature, the first thing I noticed was the gust of heat. The others still hadn¡¯t noticed, but they had already begun to unconsciously sweat. After warning the others about my discovery, we proceeded forward, this time with excess caution in our stride. It wasn¡¯t long before something else interrupted us.I was once again the first to notice, since, after all, I was the one at the front and I was also the first one to see ¡®it¡¯. As I looked downwards, towards the barren dirt floor, a voice from behind interrupted my silent brooding. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± It was Hina again. Her face was scrunched in slight worry as she looked towards me. ¡°Why did you sto-¡± She peered over my shoulders, only to quickly halt her own words. As she looked onward at the same thing that had caught my attention, her eyes widened from surprise while she too locked eyes with the oddity on the floor. While the two of us marveled at the object beneath our feet, the others had already gathered and were now also staring at ¡®it¡¯ with the same level of fascination. ¡°That¡¯s a¡­¡± ¡°There¡¯s nothing else quite as similar¡­.¡± ¡°Yeah, without a doubt¡­¡± ¡°...It¡¯s a Gila headpiece.¡± I finally managed to choke out the words as my eyes persisted its silent stare down. Before us, was an ominous looking piece of obsidian. It resembled the head gear that adorned the Gila¡¯s faces, but this one was twice as big, with protrusions sticking out at the side of the head. There were traces of dried green blood on its outer edges, while the floor beneath had obvious signs of corrosion. Additionally, a few sections of the headgear looked as if it had been corroded or maybe melted off. On top of that, behind the head, on the floor that led deeper into the passage, were drag marks. They were a little faint due to the collected dust, but they were quite distinct in their own right. From the looks of things, the owner of the head piece definitely put up some form of resistance. Without a doubt, it was from a Gila. ¡°[Identify!]¡±
Gila Hive Matriarch Carapace A portion of the carapace left behind by the corpse of the Gila Hive Matriarch that resides within the Oakwood High School Dungeon. It is severely damaged and won¡¯t be suitable for crafting.
I quickly confirmed my hypothesis. What¡¯s more, I also discovered that this thing wasn¡¯t just any other Gila, it was a matriarch, probably the elite monster of the Gilas. I numbly relayed my discovery onto the others, although my head was already preoccupied. The main question that floated into my mind was, what exactly killed it? It wasn¡¯t the first time that we¡¯ve run into a monster killing another monster, but the Gilas themselves were the highest level monsters we¡¯ve come across up to date. It would stand to reason that the elite monster of such a high level creature would be equally as high leveled. A monster that I probably couldn¡¯t defeat at my current level. If so, what exactly did kill it? Was it a player? If not, what type of crazy strong monster could kill the Matriarch? While we were all a bit taken aback from the recent discovery, strangely enough, nobody had proposed going back, despite the look of fear on a few of their faces. It might have been due to the fact that we got a bit caught up in the atmosphere, or maybe due to the troublesome thing called human curiosity, but we wanted to progress forward. If this were a horror movie, then this would be the part where the audience screams at us to turn back. Of course, we¡¯d be the stubborn cast that dumbly proceeded forward. But more importantly, having something that strong lurking around, with no clue as to what it exactly is didn¡¯t sit well with me. Whether the results of our further inquiry will bring fortune or regret, well, that¡¯s still up for grabs. ¡­ It didn¡¯t take even a minute of walking before we regretted our decision. In the middle of my stride, a window panel suddenly popped up. It came so fast and so sudden that I inadvertently jumped back in surprise. The first thing I noticed about this window panel was that, unlike the others, it wasn¡¯t blue. Much like how that initial panel during the start of the apocalypse was black, this panel was also of a different color. One of a vibrant yellow that seemed as if it would illuminate the whole of the passage. And if the color wasn¡¯t foreboding enough, then the contents definitely were.
Danger! You have now entered the territory of the Dungeon Boss - Reeflech, the [cursed] Subterranean. Due to one of the features present in the [Oak Wood High School Dungeon], both parties have been made aware of each other¡¯s presence. Entrance the Dungeon Boss Territory gives the automatic mental debuff, [Fear]. Within the Dungeon Boss Territory, Reeflech¡¯s abilities have been enhanced by a factor of 1.25 times. Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. Danger!
¡°No way¡­¡± I inwardly groaned as my eyes scanned through the panel. The first thought to flash my mind as I saw this was that, if Hina¡¯s conclusion held true, then the Dungeon Boss should be located within the Bomb Shelter in the Old school building. I was quick to realize this, but the depression from not noticing that the boss was directly underneath me the whole time was quite an impact. While I wallowed, the others, who had just crossed the threshold into Boss Territory, also showed varying degrees of shock, as their eyes widened and they inadvertently jumped back. Quickly though, that shock was replaced by a wave of fear. Their faces paled and their eyes dilated. I could catch the faint quaking in their body, as well as their quickening heartbeats. Without exception, Hina, Cielle, and Cher were afraid, no- they were fearing for their very lives. The area wide debuff was quite effective. I was unaffected though. Most likely because of the effects given by the [Psychopath] title. ¡°Oi, guys, get a hold of yourselves!¡± I yelled fiercely, snapping them out of their temporary haze. Those doe like eyes all simultaneously turned towards me. Their expressions looked lost, and frightened. ¡°Just take a step backwards, considering how we suddenly entered the Boss¡¯s territory, we should be right on the edge, so¡­¡± As I instructed, the trio quickly followed with due haste. In no time, the rest of them had scurried back. I confirmed that they had left the dungeon Boss¡¯s territory after their expressions visibly brightened while they exhaled a huge breath of air. Unfortunately, despite their new found relief, not even a moment passed before a new danger suddenly turned our way. A wave of heat. A wave of intense heat was currently drawing towards us from deep within the Dungeon Boss¡¯s Territory. With my enhanced sense of temperature, I was the first one to notice this. ¡°Tch- Quick, get out of the way!¡± With no time to give a proper warning, I instantly moved my body. I rushed towards the startled girls, utilizing [Running Dash]¡¯s effects to close our distance. Ignoring the squeaks of yelps of surprise and pain, I quickly tackled them onto the ground. We ended up in a small crevice, created by the chipping walls that were eroding away due to the furnace like atmosphere of the passage. Without a moment¡¯s delay, that original torrent of heat I first felt, quickly became a searing beam of fire. It rocketed past us, a mere 6 inches away from my crouched figure. The sensation was unbearably painful. As if my back were being licked and prodded at by magma. A pain strong enough to piss your pants over. I managed through only because I managed to shut off my sense of pain. Unexpectedly, while I half wallowed in agony, from out of nowhere, a mist of cool water surrounded us. ¡°[Water Shield!]¡± It was Hina. She had been quick to react, and by the time the torrent of flame had reached us, a thin, half inch film of water surrounded our backs, making slight contact with the flames. It somewhat lessened the heat, but as expected, it simply wasn¡¯t enough. As the film of water made contact witht eh torrent of flame, instantaneously, the water was quickly converted to steam. As the flames finally sputtered out, our vision was now temporarily obstructed by a thick layer of white. Although that didn¡¯t quite stop me, as I immediately began ushering the other girls back the way we came. They crawled with desperate vigor, while I began following them. Hina was constantly firing off water spells in order to cool our overheated bodies while Cielle had dowsed my back in a fair amount of [Blue Gemini], since I was the closest one to the flames, and, despite not making any actual contact, I had lost quite a bit of hp. ¡°Run! Run back the way we-¡± Before I could even give out complete instructions, my [Sensory Remapping] once again picked up on an abnormally high temperature. This time, it wasn¡¯t quite like that torrent of flame. This time, it was a bit thin, but moved rapidly. It also did not travel in a straight line, but rather¡­. Smash! A mass of red slammed down on the spot where I had just been crawling. Luckily, I managed to fling my body towards the center of the room, avoiding the blow by a hairsbreadth. It was unfortunate though, that the floor now seared my flesh in 2nd degree burns, but at the very least, I was still alive. I turned around to look at what had attacked me, only to see a wriggling tentacle, emerging out from the steam as it danced playfully around the air. Its reckless movements blew the gathered mist away, revealing a red appendage that illuminated off the firelight created by the burning support beams.
Reeflech - [Cursed] Subterranean
With an identify, I was quick to confirm that the tentacle was indeed part of the boss. Although unfortunately, the usual information, such as the level, or its hp, were not available. Regarding this, I blamed it on distance. I was simply too far away to confirm any of the valuable information. The tentacle pulsed. It swelled, more enflamed really, to an amazing size, before it quickly regained its sleek outline, as it rocketed in my direction once again. I dodged by a hairsbreadth by throwing myself up against the wall. In the meantime, a mass of gelatinous black that seemed to blend in with the darkness of the passage, shot forward towards the tentacle. It hit successfully, right in the center of its trunk, causing the tentacle to shiver a bit. I had no clue whether or not the actual monster lost HP from that, but that didn¡¯t particularly matter at the current moment. Using the opportunity created by Cielle¡¯s quick thinking, my body rocketed forward. A diagonal slash with my Efhermet Dagger rocketed out from my hand. At the same time, the tentacle twisted, revealing a black metal plate that was embedded into the tentacle. My Dagger clashed with that metal plate, as I jumped back to gain some distance. ¡°RUN!¡± A single word escaped my dry, horse lips just as the tentacle resumed its attack. A machine gun like attack was initiated. The tentacle frantically stabbed at me with blistering speed. I managed to avoid most of them, but a few grazed me on my left cheek and legs. Each time I so much as touched the tentacle, a searing pain, as if a heated metal spoon had slapped me across the face filled every nerve of my body. I slowly retreated as the attacks persisted, unfortunately, the attacks never stopped. Even after I made it out of the Boss¡¯s Territory, the tentacles still attacked. Most likely, these things had a reach as far as the Gila Carapace that we ran into before. Probably more. During my one sided dodging, Cielle was able to fire off a few balls of [Dark Gemini]. One landed, giving me enough time to successfully use [Dissect]. The tentacle that I cut off fell flatly onto the floor, forcing a few particles of dust to rise from the impact. The severed tentacle wriggled in pain, but even before I could celebrate, another tentacle rocketed out from the darkness. This one managed to pierce my left shoulder with its drill like end, before I forcibly separated by jumping backwards. I held my bleeding shoulder with my right hand while the familiar, comforting sensation of [Blue Gemini] quickly began to spread. The new tentacle once again rocketed forward. This time, I switched over to my club, as I prepared to intercept it. SMASH! I was barely able to deflect the incoming blow. The force behind it was enough to make one¡¯s knees buckles, but I managed to hold on somehow. Unfortunately, I noticed that despite successfully blocking it, my HP still decreased by a bit. The indirect force behind it was that strong. I once again instructed everyone to run backwards, while I one sidedly defended against this single piece of the boss. My nimble footsteps, coupled with Hina¡¯s buff spells, and Cielle¡¯s constant healing was enough for me to not outright die on the spot. The tentacle which repeatedly flew past my face over and over again, they came so close that I began to notice the tiny bristles of hair on the appendage that quivered and danced each time it whizzed through the heated air. Slowly but surely, we were making our way back. Shooting a glance behind me, I could see the rest of the girls doing their part. Cielle and Hina were the farthest back, giving off much needed support even from that far away. Cher was the only one who didn¡¯t play an active role during this process. She stood as middle guard, in front of the sisters, but otherwise stayed away from the ensuing battle. She fully realized the emmense gap in current abilities. Even if she were to help, she¡¯d die in a moment¡¯s heartbeat. This one sided struggle continued for quite some time. On my side, I was quickly losing steam. The act of just dodging was quickly consuming my stamina, while on the other side, the tentacle showed no signs of having a limit. How long this thing could stretch, and how far it would go in pursuing us was all a mystery. And as if to make the situation worse, another tentacle quickly emerged from the darkness, bringing the difficulty level up by a staggering amount. Just as I was positive that this stalemate would break, only to be followed by a one sided slaughter, a sudden shout from behind reached my strained ears. The voice was clearly Hina¡¯s but unfortunately, I couldn¡¯t quite catch what she had said. Despite that, my body naturally flung itself backwards, bracing myself for whatever magic Hina had prepared. With a slight rumbling noise, in the next instant, a wall of earth was forcibly pulled up from the ground. The earth wall separated us from the tentacle. Not even waiting for a response from the other side, my body was already sprinting backwards. I ran towards Hina, who once again stood wobbly on her feet, looking as if she¡¯d pass out at any given moment. She had used up all of her mana once again, the effects of [mana exhaustion] were now activated for the second time tonight. I shouldered her fragile body as I continued running. From upahead of me, I could see that the other two were already sprinting backwards with all their might. Not even 5 seconds after I started running, I could hear a distinct cracking sound, followed by the subsequent noise of blocks of earth falling onto the ground. I ignored that sound. I ignored the sound of a destroyed earth wall as I continued to run. The only thing going through my mind was run. Run, run, run, run, and even more- run. I don¡¯t know how much time passed before I realized that the tentacle had stopped pursuing us. By that point, my legs were crying. My chest was heaving up and down. My throat croaked with obvious sign of dehydration. The others were the same, well, except for Hina. She had passed out sometime during our escape. After our narrow escape, we headed back towards the bombshelter, a feeling of emptiness howled within us during the process. **** Afterwards, we traveled back to our base. I carried a few ziplocs of rice, some canned goods, and MREs in a backpack, and left the Bomb shelter. Hina (who had recovered after I gave her a mana potion), Cielle, and Cher had similar equipment, as we moved towards the stairs. We took the shortest route back to the stair case. No Gilas pursued or attacked us. This didn¡¯t seem like much of a surprise, considering this time around, we didn¡¯t quite enter the Gilas¡¯ ¡®territory¡¯, which consisted of the east wing of the basement. The Gilas, who seemed to have developed a fear for the bomb shelter, did not attack us. We passed without incident, and retraced our steps back to our base. The travel back was much slower this time around, mainly due to the added supplies we carried, which mainly consisted of the Bomb Shelter Supplies, and the few clubs and weapons I crafted during our trip here. Despite that though, nobody voiced any complaints. Along the way back, we hunted down another boar using the same hunting method as before. It was an incredibly risky move as always, but in the end, we did it without much incident. I managed to properly skin it this time, after I emulated the things I learned from the guide books from the library. It was about 6 am in the morning when we finally arrived back to our base. After confirming that nothing had been touched or tampered with, I settled down for some sleep. I had the second shift in ¡°nightwatch¡± (although it wasn¡¯t really night anymore), so I had about 3 hours of uninterrupted sleep before then. In the meanwhile, I fully planned on taking advantage of the next 3 hours. After all, last night was particularly taxing. Chapter 62: Daily Life in a Dungeon Part 1 Daily Life in a Dungeon Part 1 After the incident regarding the Boss, we managed to return back to our base without much incident, although the mental turmoil I got from the experience was by no means light. From the incident, I¡¯ve been left with several things to think over. For one, the actions I did and the decisions I made- no matter how I look at it, they were overly rash and stupidly reckless. Each and every step was riddled with danger and the possibility of death was constantly present. It wouldn¡¯t be surprising if I had died then and there. In retrospect, I guess I¡¯ve always been somewhat reckless, more so ever since the apocalypse started. Although I try to be rational, by nature, I¡¯m a headstrong type of individual. Jumping into danger and getting myself into disadvantageous situations just come naturally for me. Take for example, the things I managed to accomplish - battling a whole pack of goblins, locking myself into a room full of werewolves, risking the life of someone I just met in order to acquire some boar meat - they aren¡¯t as calculated as I first made them out to be. In the future, it might be better to be a bit more cautious, you know, rely more on my brain rather than instinct. I mean, every one of those incidents possessed a high chance of failure. The only real reason I¡¯ve survived up until this point is because of some stupid dumb luck that isn¡¯t reflected in my [Luck Stat]... Honestly speaking though, Despite my intentions for the future, I can¡¯t promise myself that I¡¯ll never commit any heedless actions like before, but at the very least¡­ I¡¯ll try and think things through more thoroughly ¡­ The next subject that I¡¯ve been racking my brain around involves the Boss. It is strong. Crazily so. I completely underestimated its strength. I mean, if that thing is already that bothersome with only a part of its body, then fighting the real thing¡­. no, I can¡¯t. I simply can¡¯t imagine it. Isn¡¯t that thing on par with the monster that sleeps in the School¡¯s front gates? The thing I saw from out the window on the first day was something I couldn¡¯t even imagine beating at my current state¡­ the Dungeon Boss might be something on par with such a ridiculous creature, if not stronger¡­ Thinking about the vast gap in strength, I could only grimace in annoyance. I knew that without a doubt that at my current level, I¡¯d be nothing more than cannon fodder for that thing¡­ if so, then why am I even trying anymore? Isn¡¯t the difficulty setting of this game way too high? Maybe I should just give up. No. That¡¯s not like me. That type of talk is uncharacteristic. I decisively shook my head. If the Boss really is that strong¡­ if that¡¯s the case, then my prior plans will need to undergo drastic change. The original plan which consisted of using the Cafeteria group for assistance has become unviable. The level difference between them and the Boss is simply too great. One of the Boss¡¯s flamethrower attacks could possibly wipe out the majority of those guys in a heartbeat¡­ Having a higher death count isn¡¯t going to be much help¡­ although the President and his party might be useful though¡­ but that is if they get stronger. The original plan of non-intervention isn¡¯t going to work. If I don¡¯t actively step in, then forget about beating the boss, we¡¯ll probably end up starving in here the moment we run out of Boars to hunt. While I can¡¯t do much, at the very least, furnishing them with weapons will undoubtedly improve their current situation. It will also accelerate their grinding speed. And I¡¯ll also need to ask about the skill user that they have in the cafeteria¡­ they might end up having a conveniently useful skill against that Dungeon Boss¡­ In addition to that, strengthening my own group comes as a priority as well. Cher, Hina, and Cielle. They all have useful skills. Cielle¡¯s [Dark Gemini] was effective against that tentacle, and Hina¡­ undoubtedly against a fire type like the Boss, her water based magic will be extremely useful. As for Cher¡­ Her role as a vanguard and tank needs to be solidified, due to the level difference last time, she could not do anything against it, but that needs to change. I need to strengthen all three of them in order to stand a chance against the Dungeon Boss. There are two ways to do this: Level grinding and Skill grinding. There¡¯s also the possibility of raising a person¡¯s stats outside of leveling up or defeating Elites, but I¡¯ve never personally experienced such a phenomenon so I don¡¯t know if that method even exists. As for the girls, I¡¯ve never really asked whether their stats grow outside of leveling, so I¡¯ll need to confirm this later. Like with new stat acquisition, It might be the case where everybody¡¯s stat growth is different. If that¡¯s the case, then the me whose stats have never increased outside of leveling up or defeating Elites... Well, let¡¯s not think about it. Otherwise, I¡¯ll get depressed. There¡¯s also another possibility, which is for me to rely on my Crafting skill. Even in normal rpgs, weapons and equipment are essential. Creating weapons, crafting armor, these things are indispensable, after all, a good piece of equipment can bridge the gap created by levels and stats. While weapons and armor can help out my teammates, as for me personally¡­ honestly speaking, there are a lot of options available. Most of these options are due to the synergistic effect of [Equip] and [All-Purpose Crafting]. Weapon bonuses and the familiarity stat are my greatest advantage in this world. I¡¯ll also need to get into leatherworking or tailoring. If I can somehow wear several layers of clothing all with that severely overpowered [Familiarity] bonus¡­ And there¡¯s also the need to dabble in some Alchemy. While I don¡¯t have any real experience, I have readily available ingredients in the form of monster corpses. For now, my immediate goal is to acquire the strength in order to beat the Boss. To do that, I¡¯ll need to; Strengthen the President and his group Increase my skill mastery and level Grind my crafting skills and create new equipment ¡°...¡± Thinking things over, the end goal seems quite far away, but still, it¡¯s a bit too early to give up. As I mulled these things over in my mind, I finally decided to open my previously shut eyes. The first thing I noticed was that it was dark. Looking out the window, I could see the night sky, with its innumerable amount of stars and jade like moon looming in the horizon. ¡°It¡¯s still night, huh¡­¡± I went to sleep around 3 AM after we returned. Then, I woke up at 7 AM in order to take up my shift on watch duty, before someone else took over and I fell back to sleep at around 11 am. Ever since then, I¡¯ve been asleep. I¡¯ve been asleep for a whole day, and while my stamina bar reached max a while ago, the mental fatigue from last night was still running strong. Finally waking up and looking out at the sky, I had no clue what time it was. Just that, it was once again night. I groggily got up, trying to make as little noise as possible. While my bed was still separated a fair distance away from the girls¡¯, I was still cautions. I didn¡¯t want to wake the others, considering they were probably equally as tired, if not more so than me. Getting into a sitting position in bed, I quickly surveyed the room. My gaze landed on a silent silhouette who sat at a chair. From her position, she had clear view of both me and the door. That girl was obviously Cielle. Without much hesitation, I got up and walked over. I moved over towards the table next to her in order to get at the pan of day old meat that stood on its surface. ¡°Sorry, did I wake you?¡± I idly spoke in a low whisper while I grabbed a piece and quietly chewed. She looked up at me for a second before she replied, shaking her head. ¡°...No, not really... I was on watch duty, so I was already awake¡­¡± Like usual, her voice was uttered in a soft murmur, but maybe due to the quiet atmosphere around us, her voice reverberated louder than usual. ¡°I see¡­¡± I replied back. My eyes which had been nonchalantly scanning the room, eventually fell down towards the raven haired girl before me. I looked over at her upturned face, our eyes connecting. For a few seconds, we simply just wordlessly stared at her. From my perspective, I had nothing to really say, so I kept my mouth shut. As for Cielle, well¡­ unless prompted, she was usually quiet, so this was natural for her. This exchange only lasted for but a moment, before I finally broke contact, spurred on by an indescribably force to look away. My eyes once again swept past the room, until they found themselves staring out at the window once more. In me, was a faint sort of longing to leave this place. It seemed all so easy. Just open the window, or smash through the wall, and I¡¯d be outside, but I knew, that this dungeon wasn¡¯t that simple. That ominous warning¡­ If I don¡¯t defeat the Boss before hand, leaving becomes impossible. Even if I were to try, the risk of immediate death existed, and in this world where ridiculous gaming mechanics existed, not following the rules was far too dangerous. My ¡°conversation¡± with Cielle abruptly ended, seeing as how both us stopped talking. In the end, after minutes of ensuing silence where the only auditory noise was the sound of my subdued chewing, I finally spoke up. ¡°... You can go back to sleep now. I¡¯ll take up night watch.¡± ¡°But, it¡¯s still my-¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s fine. I¡¯m not tired anymore so¡­¡± I quickly interrupted her protests and further urged her off to bed. While Cielle had a seemingly eternal expression of tiredness, being around her these past few weeks has given me the ability to distinguish between her lackluster facial expressions. Like right now, while she didn¡¯t show it, she was indeed very tired. She was strangely incessant over staying up though, but after I coaxed her with a few words, she finally reluctantly gave in, and hopped off to bed next to her sister who was still sleeping soundly. Like this, from late in the night until the morning, I maintained a vigilant watch, although as expected, nothing, be it person or monster, came to disturb us. **** In the morning, I went with Cher to once again drop off the newly acquired boar meat. Not surprisingly, the president and his party were there by the library entrance, waiting for us. ¡°Yo,¡± I lightly greeted, ¡°How¡¯d they like the meat?¡± The president, who had on a strangely worried look, immediately brightened the moment I called out to him. He glanced over and saw us approaching, before he took the initiative and walked a few paces forward in order to meet us. ¡°Hide,¡± He began in an urgent, yet strangely relieved tone of voice. ¡°You weren¡¯t here yesterday, so I was worried whether or not¡­¡± Hearing that, I connected two and two together, and figured out why he was so relieved. ¡°Ah¡­ well, a few things happened, but don¡¯t worry. It¡¯s not like I¡¯ll just stop giving you food. More importantly, I have something I need to talk to you about.¡± While his expression momentarily brightened upon my assurance, his expression immediately furrowed upon hearing the rest of my words. His neck creaked to the side while he asked, ¡°Something important?¡± I nodded brusquely, ¡°Yeah. I¡¯ll cut to the chase, it¡¯s regarding the Dungeon Boss.¡± His eyes widened, but before he could interrupt, I continued. ¡°I made a miscalculation. The Boss was stronger than I expected. At our current rate¡­ escape will be impossible.¡± My monotonous tone brought a heavy sense of dread to the atmosphere. The people behind the President all uncomfortably writhed in their spot while Cher¡¯s expression, upon reminder, instantly darkened while a mocking smile floated to her face. The silence persisted for a while before the President spoke up once more. ¡°The Boss¡­ Did- did you meet him?¡± Hearing this, I gave a vague nod. ¡°Well, something like that. It was strong. Terribly strong. And before you ask, I never got the chance to read its level, only the name - Reeflech.¡± ¡°...¡± The President fell into silence as he quietly pondered. From behind him, I could hear the worried murmurs of his party as they glanced at one another. Not waiting for him to respond, I immediately continued. ¡°That¡¯s why, at the very least, your ¡°group¡± needs to get stronger.¡± I indicated towards the President and the cohorts behind them, which caused them to jump back a bit in surprise. ¡°You know, the rest of the cafeteria is already a lost cause at this point, but I¡¯m a pragmatic type of guy. My fighting force is limited, but you guys¡­ well, you wouldn¡¯t be my first pick, but at least you have potential. ¡°I¡¯ll supply you with some weapons and maybe some armor later, but start hunting stronger monsters. And if possible, I¡¯d like to go leveling with your group. Before we actually confront the Boss, building up teamwork will be vital.¡± In my string of words, the President¡¯s face shifted between varying emotions. Quiet murmurs and hushed comments like ¡°Weapons?¡± or ¡°Teaming up with you?¡±, escaped his and the others¡¯ throats as I continued to speak. Eventually, after my tirade, the President managed to interject as he asked, ¡°Didn¡¯t you propose non intervention the last time you were here? Could the Boss really be so strong that he changed your mind upon first contact?¡± I nodded without hesitation. ¡°Fighting alone is impossible. You guys¡­ I¡¯ll be honest, I had no real expectations from you all, at most, maybe as movable meat shields, but now¡­ Meat Shields are useless if the boss can blow them away along with everyone behind them in a single blast.¡± Hearing this, the President''s expression twisted into a bitter smile. ¡°Meat Shields huh¡­ I expected that you never saw us as much use before, but¡­ ha ha ha..¡± Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. He self-mockingly laughed for a while before he finally managed to regain control of himself. He once again looked up at me, a hint of resignation in his troubled irises. ¡°Well, at this point in time, I have no more real control, so it''s not like I can object... Plus, I would never turn down free weapons or help.¡± ¡°So, I¡¯ll take that as an agreement?¡± He looked back over at the people behind them. Each and every one of them had a troubled look, each masked thinly with worry and insecurity. As if finding the answer in their quiet exchange, the President turned back towards and said, ¡°Yes. Let¡¯s survive and get along from now on.¡± He bowed respectfully before extending out a hand. Instead of receiving the handshake, I ignored it and instead handed him the reigns to the meat sled I brought. ¡°Good,¡± I continued. ¡°Then, firstly, I¡¯ll need information¡­¡± Before I returned, I asked the president about the condition of the Cafeteria group and also about the Skill User, which I had forgotten about the last time I came here. He explained thoroughly, going into as much detail as he could remember. The cafeteria group was, as expected, useless. Although they were seemingly a bit more energetic than before, now that they received some food, in the end, they held no desire to get stronger. Apparently, in their hearts, they¡¯ve either given up, or have resigned themselves into believing that someone else will save them. Whether that someone be the President, or someone from the outside, it matters not for people who show no sign of adjusting to this new world. In the future battle against the Dungeon Boss, they wouldn¡¯t be able nor willing to assist, so I erased all thoughts of enlisting them into the future fighting force. As for the skill user, well, that was a bit more complicated. He was a bit vague, and had on a cramped smile as he began to talk about them. The Skill user was apparently a 1st year female high schooler who somehow acquired a rather dangerous skill. To keep things short, her skill fell in line with combustion or more accurately, explosions. The president only ever saw the girl use her skill once, so he wasn¡¯t quite as positive, but it was definitely a dangerous skill. That one time she used it left a considerable impact on him. Hearing the basic nature of her skill, I was instantly reminded of the damage that existed within the East Wing Building. The traces of obvious destruction that lingered there, like the giant hole in the floor, or the crumbling walls¡­ it was an easy enough task to connect the dots. Aside from her skill, the person in question was also quite a troublesome individual. She didn¡¯t really listen to him, nor did she contribute when it came to scavenging and defeating the monsters. At most, she acted as a last line of defense against Satou, but her skill itself is double edged. If she were to use it, then it wouldn¡¯t be a surprise if both sides suffered casualties. Luckily, Satou was around when she did use skill, so he knew the dangers. Her very presence was a deterrent. While I listened, I realized that something in regarding the girl bugged me.. If she really did come from the East Building, as evident by the rampant destruction left behind, then how did she acquire her skill? Going by how none of the monsters on the East building had any sort of ¡°explosive¡± characteristics, she more than likely acquired her skill outside of monster drops. Plus, the explosion I saw on the first day¡­ that was definitely the result of her skill, but how in the world did she acquire it so easily? If she managed to acquire her skill like how I acquired [Equip], by meeting a few special conditions established by the system, then I could understand, but¡­ for some reason, I had my doubts. Regardless, her skill will undoubtedly be useful. If she were to be added to our initial fighting force, then it would greatly increase our chances against the Boss. In addition to the information he shared, I also asked about the current situation regarding Satou, but he only shook his head. ¡°Satou, he¡¯s been quiet lately. No doubts he noticed the smell of the cooked meat, but he hasn¡¯t made a move¡­ I don¡¯t really know what¡¯s quite going on with him.¡± After the President finished talking, with no other business at hand, I prepared to leave, but as I made my exit, he abruptly stopped me. He looked over at me with a serious expression before he asked in a somewhat low voice, ¡°I¡­ I know what you said last time, about how Hina and Cielle weren¡¯t combat ready¡­ but¡­. but that¡¯s a lie right?¡± ¡°...¡± I met his inquiry with a quiet stare. Regardless of my nonresponsive behavior, he pressed further. ¡°Considering what type of guy you are Hide, I doubt you¡¯d keep useless individuals around. Hina and Cielle¡­ probably even that girl over there too¡­ they can fight, right?¡± ¡°....Haven¡¯t I told you before, looks can be quite deceiving. Hina and Cielle, they-¡± ¡°I know you¡¯re lying, so stop before you say anything else.¡± ¡°But I¡¯m not. Hina and Cielle, their fighting potential is not-¡± ¡°Enough bullshit.¡± He interjected, his voice turning cold, as he glared at me. ¡°If we¡¯re going to be working together, then at the very least, answer my damn question.¡± ¡°If you¡¯re going to go that far, then tell me, what have you been doing, President?¡± In the face of my question, he blinked once, while his head tilted to the side. ¡°What do you¡­What have I been doing¡­?... I don¡¯t- I¡¯ve been-¡± As he stammered, I gave off a dry laugh, while I moved to lean against the wall. ¡°You know, Prez, you¡¯re a bit too secretive of an individual. That¡¯s not a necessarily bad thing, after all, I like keeping secrets too, but if you expect me to tell you my secret, then at the very least, tell me yours.¡± ¡°....¡± He stared fixedly at me. His hands clenched tightly while his teeth bit down harshly onto his lower lip. After a few seconds of ensuing silence, he let loose a tired sigh. ¡°Damn it¡­ all I wanted to know was whether or not¡­. *sigh* Fine, I hated keeping secrets anyways, so ask away. What do you want to know?¡± Hearing this, I immediately asked, ¡°Then, first off, how many people have you killed? No, was that too straightforward? But, going by your reaction, it seems like I was right though.¡± ¡°Guh¡­.¡± He grimaced, while the people behind him casted their gazes downwards. Noticing this, my eyes widened. ¡°Oh? What¡¯s this, did those guys also kill-¡± ¡°No.¡± He immediately spoke. ¡°No, they didn¡¯t it was only me. Only I¡­.¡± His hands shook, while his voice trembled. The current president, with his skin pale, and his shoulders shaking, looked somewhat vulnerable. Despite that though, his eyes bore directly into mine, unyielding, as if he wanted to spill out all the varying emotions and secrets he kept up until this point. After a bit more silence, he finally spoke up again. ¡°I¡¯ll tell you¡­ but¡­ please,¡± He shot a quick glance over to Cher, before turning back to me. ¡°D-don¡¯t tell Hina¡­ please¡­¡± Not even waiting for a response, the President immediately began to talk. Once he started, there was no stopping him. He rambled, on and on. Somehow, he began recounting the events he experienced ever since the start of the apocalypse. From when they first formed the cafeteria group, to when they hunted the slimes, when Satou betrayed him, he was a constant flow of information, with no signs of stopping anytime soon. Eventually though, he got to the part that really mattered. The reason why he was so secretive. The reason why he was so regretful. ¡°After Satou stole our food and killed dozens of people, everyone¡­ a lot of us fell into despair. There were two things I did that I regret. One of them was¡­ mercy killing. In a world like this, in a dungeon where the hopes of escape are practically zero, a world where the people you love could be dead on the otherside of these walls¡­ a lot of people just gave up¡­ No, it was more than that. They wanted to die. They wanted to run away, to hide, to leave this twisted world filled with death and even more death. So what I did was simple. In order to get stronger, in order to protect everyone here, I killed the ones who wanted to die. At first, I comforted myself with the fact that the ones I killed were willing. They wanted to die¡­ it was a sort of euthanasia¡­ a twisted, fucked up version, but still¡­ I was fine for the most part when I did it, but¡­ that¡¯s when I¡­ that¡¯s when the second thing I regret happened. My party and I, we regularly look for supplies within the school. Sometimes, we¡¯d be lucky, you know, a granola bar hidden away in a person¡¯s backpack, or a bag of candy a teacher stashed away¡­ we¡¯d be lucky sometimes, but¡­ a few times, we¡¯d meet survivors. People who survived by hiding out in lockers, cowering in desks, too afraid to move. There were only a few of those, but still, they existed. When I met them, they¡¯d usually show joy filled expressions. After all, I¡¯m the Student Council President. The person that everybody relies on. People are supposed to respect me. to look up at me. When I thought about this, when I thought about the possibility of expanding the Cafeteria group¡­ It was after Miki- the Skill User joined when I realized how truly dire our situation was. One thing led to another and, well¡­ the ones we met, the ones who had happy expressions when they saw us, even the ones who almost stumbled into the cafeteria¡­ they died. I killed them.¡± ¡°....¡± Sometime during his story, the President legs had buckled, and now he was on the floor, his legs bent underneath him, while his head looked downward, a forlorn expression on his face. From behind, his friend all held equally as depressed looks. Quiet murmurs such as ¡°Even though I knew it was bad, even though¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m a teacher, I¡¯m a teacher, yet,¡± or ¡°I should have¡­ we could have¡­¡± ran rampant. They didn¡¯t voice it out loud outright, but I knew that they felt equally as guilty as the President. Cher, who was also a witness to the President''s story, had a somewhat complicated expression on her face. She looked vaguely shocked, but aside from that¡­ an expression of understanding, of a pitying understanding was written on her face. ¡°....¡± Meanwhile, I stayed silent, not bothering to respond, just simply, looking down at the President¡¯s slumped posture. This sort of scene persisted for a while. Nobody bothered moving, as we all stood, transfixed onto the floor. After a while though, this transient silence was broken, interrupted by the man who caused this. ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t really care what you think.¡± The President went on. ¡°I don¡¯t care, heh, after all, I already feel bad enough, but, now that I¡¯ve told you my portion, then it¡¯s your turn to answer my question.¡± Without missing a beat, I immediately replied. ¡°Yes. Cielle, Hina, even Cher over there, they can fight. In a sense, I trained them to fight.¡± ¡°Trained?¡± ¡°Well, it was the only way to survive.¡± ¡°...¡± ¡°....¡± ¡°Does that mean, that, those two- Hina, everyday, they¡¯ve been¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s right, everyday, they risk their lives, fighting against the monsters in this dungeon.¡± ¡°You¡­ you know how dangerous that sort of thing is?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± In a cold voice, I nodded simply while I stared back. ¡°...¡± ¡°....¡± ¡°They¡­ there¡¯s no risk of Hina dying, is there?¡± He asked, in a somewhat hopeful tone. ¡°What are you saying? Of course there¡¯s a risk. There¡¯s always risk¡± ¡®Just last night, we almost lost our lives.¡¯ I wanted to add this part in, but I let the additional commentary die down in my head. For a minute, the President stayed silent. He continued looking down at his slightly opened palms, while his shoulders drooped downward. Eventually, he gnashed his teeth, and bolted upright. In a flash, that once lifeless husk was filled with vigor, as he stood up, and stalked over towards me. His throat leaked out a somewhat threatening, yet all too obviously desperate voice, ¡°If¡­ I-if Hina Dies because you¡­. If she dies because of you, I¡¯ll-¡± ¡°Stop.¡± I quickly interrupted. With equally as cold eyes, I stared down at the man in front of me. ¡°In order to survive, in order to have a chance at escaping, then risking your life is natural. It¡¯s not like I¡¯m forcing her (at least, I don¡¯t think), Hina fights on her own accord. Your worry is unnecessary, especially when she¡¯s much stronger than you.¡± He blinked once, and looked at me with an absent minded expression. ¡°Hina¡­ that childish Hina is¡­?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll only repeat this once, but at your current level, Hina is much stronger than you. While you were over here, worrying and stagnating, Hina was leveling, getting stronger, killing monsters. Both mentally and physically, Hina is stronger.¡± ¡°....¡± The president¡¯s shoulders once again drooped as his once clenched fists quickly lost their strength. He stared absentmindedly for a while, and did not respond. This silence persisted, his eyes, in an almost half glazed state, continued to unblinkingly stare. He ignored his gathered friends, who had all began to group up around him. Their worried stares were left ignored, all the while he stared at me, an indescribable emotion welling up beneath that expression of his. Eventually, I left. Taking Cher along, we began walking away, leaving behind the still brooding President, along with the his part members, who watched our receding figures from a distance. As we left, I turned back around once more, before I abruptly continued walking, leaving behind the parting words, ¡°Get stronger, Hokusei.¡± Chapter 63: Daily Life in a Dungeon Part 2 Daily Life in a Dungeon Part 2 It¡¯s been about 2 weeks since last time, and about 4 weeks since the start of the apocalypse. Throughout this time, I¡¯ve devoted myself to getting stronger. Suffice to say, my daily life has become somewhat repetitive and monotonous. **** My day starts of at about 2 AM. While I do wake up this early in the morning, truth be told, I don¡¯t do anything for 4 more hours except sit there and watch the door. You see, I have watch duty. Rotating who gets to sleep and who stays up has become sort of routine at this point. It¡¯s not like I have a problem with it, after all, in a hellhole like this dungeon, safety is an immediate priority, but I¡¯d like to atleast be able to complain about my time frame. Anyways, after 4 hours pass by uneventfully, and the first wisps of light start seeping through, that¡¯s when my real day begins. My first task of the day is to wake the others up. This sounds like a relatively simple task at first glance, but when you put into consideration , who I¡¯m trying to wake up, then the task becomes that much more difficult. Honestly speaking, all three of these girls are really heavy sleepers. While some days are better than most, a few times I had to resort to using Cielle¡¯s [Dark Gemini] in order to wake them. Fun fact, Cielle suffers the effects of her skill just like everybody else if she¡¯s careless and unaware. Today seems to be a particularly difficult morning. Despite my incessant shaking, shaking hard enough to rustle their clothing and expose a fair amound of skin, they still did not wake up. A floaty expression floated upon each of their faces as they mumbled nothings and incoherences. Their shut eyes and terrible posterior expressed just how deeply asleep these girls were. Looking over at their peaceful faces, I couldn¡¯t help but let out a tired sigh. ¡­ Well, it''s not like I don¡¯t understand though. Lately, Cher, Hina, and Cielle each spend their days either monster hunting, or ¡°stat¡± training, so it¡¯s understandable why they¡¯d value what little sleep they actually get these days... Having a schedule busier than during their school days must be tough indeed¡­ On another note, I confirmed earlier that it was possible to train stats outside of leveling up. Similar to how new stats, such as [Resistance] or [Accuracy], can be acquired by doing certain things, stats can also increase through repetitive action. Apparently, Hina and the others all increased their stats either during battle or when they were practicing their mana. The rate at which a person¡¯s stats grow differs, depending on either the individual themselves and on the specific stat. It¡¯s sort of like an afinity. While one person can increase intelligence faster than another, their growth in agility might be relatively slow. It¡¯s that sort of thing- you know, talent. Hina¡¯s intelligence, wisdom, and magical accuracy all increase pretty rapidly. The same can be said about Cielle, with the exception that her [magical endurance] has the greatest growth rate out of all her stats. Cher¡¯s growth is a bit below theirs - or should I say, she¡¯s a bit normal. I have a feeling that those sisters are a bit too abnormal when it comes to growth rate. At either rate, Cher¡¯s agility, defense, and physical resistance stat have all experienced growth. She also acquired [Magic resistance] sometime last week after a bit of training with Cielle and Hina. Like that, my companions are getting stronger as the days go by. And if you¡¯re curious, no, not once have my stats increased outside of leveling up and Elite Monster subjugation. It¡¯s a bit abnormal, and truthfully, it made me a bit nervous. I mean, if we¡¯re talking about pure physical activity, then I do way more than Cher, but in the end, only her stats are rising, while mine stay the same. What¡¯s with this level of treatment? Isn¡¯t the system treating me a bit unfairly? I even went out of my way to do pure physical exercise, like sprinting, or lifting makeshift weights, but in the end, not a single stat rose. I inwardly complained and outwardly cursed the system after I discovered this. Well, I despaired for a few days, but I eventually got over it. Besides, it¡¯s useless to just mope around. If I can¡¯t increase my stats like the others, then I¡¯ll just find some other method. There are plenty of monsters for me to kill in this dungeon, after all. After everyone wakes up, we eat a simple breakfast. The importance of food is important in this new world. Not only does the body regularly need energy in order to maintain physical activity, through the influence of the system, our digestion and metabolism can¡¯t even compare to what they were before the apocalypse. That¡¯s why it¡¯s important to start the day off with a full stomach. Usually, our meals consisted of either canned goods or fried meat. Despie the limited ingredients, it¡¯s a surprisingly delicious meal, especially with the addition of one magic ingredient: Rice. After all, breakfast is best enjoyed with rice. Thanks to that magic ingredient, everyday, I eat it with excess vigor. Today too, there is no change in my appetite. After the meal comes the time when we usually split up. Unlike before, my schedule isn¡¯t the same as the girls anymore. In order to maximize our individual growth, we each do different things throughout the day. Although once every three days, we do go and spend the morning together hunting down boars to increase our food supply, but suffice to say, it isn¡¯t one of those days today. Today, I head out first. While the others are going off to go increase their level, I¡¯m going somewhere else. It takes me about 45 minutes - walking through deserted hallways, and crawling through musky ventilation shafts, but eventually I get there. Before my eyes is a familiar room. The woodshop located in the interior 1st floor of the East building. This is where I make weapons, and experiment with my crafting skill. At first, I could only produce whittled down bokens made from the collected Cyclops¡¯ club, but after 2 weeks of nonstop experimentin and crafting, it''s natural that I¡¯d get better at it. Even my skill, [All Purpose Crafting] which grew to beginner level 5, reflects that. Now I can create shin guards, shields, and gauntlets. Naturally, all of these are made out of wood from the Cyclops club. I worry that I¡¯ll eventually run out of wood, but I can¡¯t really afford to be stingy. Throughout these 2 weeks, I¡¯ve also experimented with crafting other items, mainly, accessories. Things like rings, jewelry, bracelets, the typical things one would expect to find in an RPG. Surprisingly enough though, I was unable to do that. Apparently, it isn¡¯t just the simple process of carving out something that had a vaguely ¡°ring¡± - like shape and attaching some miscellaneous trinket to it. In the end, I wasn¡¯t able to create a single useful accessory. I believe this is due to how low-level my crafting skill is, so, for now, it might just be something to look forward to in the future. While there were failures, there were also some successes. Mainly, I learned how to create armor and clothing. Of course, it''s just leather armor, working with metal and steel is still beyond me, but still, it was an incredibly difficult process, especially for some newbielike me. First, I had to learn how to properly skin and tan the hides of the boars through instructional books I found in the library. After that, the process of learning how to properly create leather armor was a trial whose difficulty was on a whole ¡®nother level. As one would expect, there were a lot of failures, and it was a road paved with blood, tears, and sweat, but somehow or another, I managed. As a result, I gained the sub skill [Leatherworking]. As for clothing, the [Tailoring] skill was surprisingly easy to acquire. Using a sewing kit I found in a clubroom close by, it was a simple matter of dismantling and restitching the fabric into useable pieces of clothing. I also tried adding some Boar leather into my stitching but that merely turned it into some downgraded leather armor. Since it had worse stats than the regular leather armor I could craft, it ended up being useless and was labeled as a ¡°failure¡±. This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. Apart from the failed Boar leather clothig, the successfully created cloth was just an ordinary piece of cloth with minor stat bonuses such as +2 strength, or +1 defense. The low value bonuses weren¡¯t much of an issue though, due to the existence of [familiarity]. Although, strangely enough, the familiarity bonus only went up to +10 when it came to clothing, but still, it was beneficial for me. For the first week, I created clothing like crazy. As a result, I ended up making an excess amount before I even noticed what happened. Of course, I created the several clothes with the original intention of increasing my stats. ¡°Cheat¡±-like actions such as wearing several T-shirts at the same time in order to stack the stat boosts were considerably tempting after all. In the end though, that wasn¡¯t possible. Only 1 bonus from the same article of clothing would apply. This crushed my hopes of stacked benefits, but it was still possible to attain several stat boosts if I wore different pieces of clothing at the same time. The bonuses from my pants, t-shirt, jacket, socks, even underwear, by wearing a full set of newly tailored clothes, my stats greatly increased. And naturally, if I wore leather armor or other armaments like shin guards and gauntlets, then their effects will activate as well. I also learned later that the bonuses given by the created clothes only applied to me, so unfortunately, mass producing t-shirts and linen pants was a useless waste of energy. Today I plan on making leather armor. Using the leather I previously skinned off of the boars, I began working. A combination of [Leatherworking] and [Tailoring] is needed in order to create a successful piece of armor. After 4 hours, I was able to make 2 decent pieces of leather chest guards.
Boar Leather Armor Leather armor crafted by an amateur craftsman using the hide of a Lesser Tusk Boar. +10 (50)Defense +5 (50) Agility Durability: 20/20 Equip Skill Bonus +10 Defense Familiarity: 50 Level Requirement: 10 [Crafter Exempted]
Looking over it, I confirmed that this leather piece of equipment was identical to the ones I created before. From an aethetic perspective, the armor was ugly. While the armor itself looked a bit funky, with holes everywhere, and loose string attached at the seams, giving it an almost incomplete appearance, the status window itself already confirmed its usefulness. To another person, it was a good piece of equipment that boosted both Defense and Agility, but to me, it was something completely broken. A superior piece of equipment that a person at my level shouldn¡¯t be able to acquire. All of this was thanks to the Familiarity aspect of my skill though. After successfully creating the armor, I began to carefully scrutinize it with an expeirenced glare. While in general, the Boar Leather Armor wasn¡¯t as good as the previous Cyclops Replica Torso Armor I crafted before, it was perfect for me, considering it also boosted my agility stat. Throughout these 2 weeks, I¡¯ve already equipped Cielle with leather armor, while the other two had the Cyclops Replica Torso Armors I gave them a while back. In addition, with these two newly crafted pieces of equipment, I would finally be able to equip armor onto all of the President¡¯s party. Previously, out of their party of 5, three of them were currently wearing Leather armor. The addition of the two pieces of leather before me would complete the set. In addition to the armor, I also gave them weapons, which included 2 sets of Customized Cyclops Clubs (for that brown haired girl and the teacher, 2 pieces of poorly fashioned Cyclops wood slingshots (for the twins), as well as a Customized Cyclops Club with a sharpened edge for the President. After receiving weapons with actual stat bonuses¡­ well, you can imagine their reaction. Next time, I plan on making shields for their vanguards. While their reactions this time around will probably be less surprised, I still can¡¯t help but hold a faint bit of eagerness for the future to come. After I stuffed the leather piece of armor into my backpack, I began heading back. The current time was about 10:30 AM, and I still had a whole day ahead of me. *** Right now, I¡¯m currently in a familiar Chemistry Classroom within the Old School Building. As for why I¡¯m here, it''s obviously to experiment. On the black surface of a clattered lab table, a collection of varying ingredients were spread about. A few of these ingredients were common chemicals and acids normally available within a High School Chemistry Classroom. In contrast, the rest of the ingredients were a bit more¡­ outlandish. To sum it up, they were corpses, or at least, parts of corpses. Things like the large intestine of a werewolf, the heart of a boar, decayed goblin muscle, they were an amalgamation of the body parts that the monsters I¡¯ve hunted thus far possessed. Most of them were old and started to smell, but there was nothing I could really do about it but suck up the putrid stench of decaying bodies. It was a necessary sacrifice for the future after all. Also, aside from the monster corpses, There were also pieces of human corpses gathered on the table. These were acquired from the several dead bodies found in the halls. ¡°...¡± Staring at all this with a tired expression, I couldn¡¯t help but sigh out. With well accustomed motions, I once again began ¡°experimenting¡±. ¡­ Approximately 1 hour and 30 minutes later, the end result was failure. There wasn¡¯t any outlandish explosion, nor a wisp of discolored smoke, rather, the plain and simple thing was, nothing happened. Like always, today too, I did not acquire the [Alchemy] sub-skill. Throughout these 2 weeks, I¡¯ve been mixing all these varying ingredients, all the while looking out for any sort of reaction. Each time I combined a set of ingredients, I¡¯d make sure to use [identify] to see whether or not it had any effect. In the end though, it all resulted in failure. There was no reaction from my skill, nor any physical changes. Making regular chemical reactions also did not result in a sub skill, so that was a pointless act. I could probably create something useful purely out of the dwindling chemicals available to me, but as expected, I don¡¯t have enough prior knowledge in the subject. After all, I took Biology and not Chemistry, this was completely outside of my area of expertise. In the end, the day was once again a failure among failures. At this point, I¡¯ve probably tried an endless combination of ingredients, all to no avail¡­ As expected, I probably need something like a recipe book in order to successfully do Alchemy. For now though, such a thing was unavailable to me, so with a heavy sigh I quickly began cleaning up the mess I created and prepared to leave. Now that I¡¯ve dealt with the work heavy matters on my to-do list, the rest of the day was relatively straightforward. From now up until night, it would be simple level grinding. Three ways I did this. First, I party with the President¡¯s group, then I¡¯d party with Hina and the others, and lastly, I¡¯d go hunting alone. There were varying reasons why I repeated the same task three times, but in the end, I didn¡¯t think much about it right now. After all, I¡¯ve been doing the same thing for close to two weeks now, so there really wasn¡¯t that much to think about. I casually rolled my shoulders around, as I made my way towards the Library. With the time still barely past noon, and my day still fully ahead of me, I could merely let out a long drawn out sigh as I tiredly gazed out the window, my feet moving forward throughout the whole process . **** Author''s Note: Thank you for reading, if you enjoyed this chapter, or like this story in general, please rate and review. It motivates me. Chapter 64: Monster Subjugation Monster Subjugation At around 1 PM, I arrived at the 2nd floor entrance to the library. Like usual, the President along with the rest of his party were there waiting for me. ¡°Did you wait long?¡± I give a nonchalant greeting like always. ¡°You smell like sulfur again.¡± The president ignored my greetings and once again complained at me while he wrinkled his nose in disgust. ¡°Where do you even find sulfur in this goddamn place?¡± I merely shrugged at his reaction. It was the usual sort of complaint he uttered ever since I began my experiments. At this point, rather than genuine annoyance, the Prez¡¯s words had merely become routine. With light footsteps, I proceeded to march forward, down into a particular hallway. Shortly after, the others followed in step. ¡°Where are we going today?¡± I asked, shooting a sidelong glance towards the group behind me. Since this was technically their training, they had the right to decide. ¡°Hmmm¡­.¡± The president placed a hand towards his chin as he thought for a while. ¡°I was thinking of heading towards the literature department today.¡± ¡°The literature department?¡± My footsteps stopped as I recalled my hazy memories. ¡°If I¡¯m not mistaken, then that¡¯s where the Dwarflings took up base, isn¡¯t it? Are you sure about that? Aren¡¯t they a bit too high leveled? At least for you guys, that is.¡± Dwarflings were one of the monsters that lived within the main building. They took up home somewhere near the back of the building, where most of the Cultural club rooms were situated. As for the monsters themselves, they were as short as a goblin but as stout as a tree trunk. They were somewhere around level 20, and were one of the strongest monsters out of the six that lived in the Main building. What made them a real annoyance to fight though, was their particular fighting technique. ¡°No, it should be fine.¡± The president replied back. ¡°We recently leveled up when we went grinding this morning, and besides, the equipment you gave us helps to close the gap between levels¡­ Also, I recently learned a new skill, so I¡¯d like to test it out.¡± He muttered a spew or reasons as he looked over at me with that same complacent smile of his. The others behind him all nodded their heads vigorously. Hearing the words ¡°New skill¡± my ears instantly perked up. ¡°What type of skill did you learn?¡± After some slight hesitation, the President responded. ¡°... Body Maneuvering¡±. [Body Maneuvering] was a skill that increases a person¡¯s movements during combat. In short, it was a passive evasion skill. It''s a skill that¡¯s usually learned in the midst of combat. Dodging, weaving, parrying attacks, all forms of extreme body movement contribute to the acquisition of this skill. I know this because I learned the same skill some time about a week ago. ¡°Body Maneuvering is it¡­ that skill suits you Prez. It matches your fighting style.¡± ¡°Haha, tell me about it. Alongside [Sword Mastery], with [Body Maneuvering], I should be a whole lot stronger than I was before.¡± He answered somewhat jovially while scratching the tip of his nose. ¡°Well, if that¡¯s the case, then let¡¯s go. It¡¯ll be good experience for you guys.¡± ¡°¡°Yes! ¡±¡± Like this, we continued the light hearted conversation as we headed further into the school building. **** The Main building was the largest out of the three buildings that made up the whole of the school. It was approximately 2.5 times as large as the East Building, and housed most of the major athletic facilities of the school. For reference¡¯s sake, the Library and the Cafeteria were situated near the front of the school, close to where the teacher¡¯s lounge was located. My base was located towards the eastern front of the building, close to where the East building connects with the main building. Satou¡¯s space was generally towards the back, on the west half of the building. There was enough distance between all three locations where it wouldn¡¯t be odd to not run into each other. This was partly the reason why none of us has seen Satou or his party recently. As for the facilities themselves, there were a few notable ones within the building. The 3 indoor gymnasiums, the School indoor swimming pool, the amphitheater, and the wing that housed most of the cultural clubrooms. Naturally, spread about within these facilities, as well as within other locations in the building, were monsters. We already confirmed that there were at least six species of monsters that took up root, and that the weakest of these were the Wisps, gas like entities with a core that floated freely in the air. As for the Wisps themselves, for us, they were a generally weak monster with no other means of attack except a gas type neurotoxin that slowly weakened a person. An easy enough counter for this was to cover your mouth and nose with a piece of cloth or fabric. While Wisps were weak from a human perspective, to monsters, they were a dangerous existence. Due to their indirect attack and ability to spread about an almost untraceable gas, a single Wisp could possibly incapacitate a whole pack of monsters. To slowly die while not knowing the cause of your own demise¡­ that was the ability of the monster known as the Whisp. This was also the reason why the Wisps, although in the bottom of the totem pole, were generally untouched by the other monsters. A convenient aspect of the Wisp is that it''s a rather complacent monster. While it will continue to produce gas, it''s possible to take and move its main core, although the core will have a tendency to float aimlessly about. It was a monster with little to no intelligence and was also a perfect tool for monster subjugation. By leaving a Wisp core in a well hidden place, then its gases can slowly lower the targeted monster¡¯s ability without directly confronting it. The scary aspect of this is that they generally won¡¯t notice the effects of the gas until its too late. By then, they¡¯ll be too groggy and diminutive to be much of a threat. Basically, there combat potential will be lowered by more than half. In worse case scenarios, they¡¯ll pass out without knowing anything. Of course, despite their convenience, we tend to not use them in combat. The primary reason for this was training. Always fighting an opponent whose power is halved will have a negative effect on a person¡¯s growth. In addition, apparently, the more intense a battle, the more likely the stat will rise during combat. I say apparently because I¡¯ve never witnessed this phenomenon first hand, but I¡¯m not dull enough to understand what this means. Fighting, or rather, more strenuous situations will increase stat growth. I played with this idea once, when I decided to hunt monsters while equipped only with a simple goblin dagger and unidentified clothing. The result was that my stats did not grow, although in return, due to all the desperate dodging and exaggerated motions I performed, I managed to acquire [Body Maneuver]. As for the other monsters within the dungeon, they included the surviving Minotaurs who migrated to the main building, Horseheads, Amphibious humanoid frog monsters, a bird type monster, and finally, the Dwarflings. Usually, the President and his group grinds using these Bird type monsters. Due to the nature of the monster, it''s easy to increase their agility stat while fighting. It¡¯s to the extent where they even gained a stat called [Evasion]. Naturally, I was jealous, but that¡¯s besides the point. For our express goals for the day, we headed towards the Literature clubrooms, where the Dwarflings resided. Getting there was a simple task. We merely walked through Whisp infested halls while keeping our faces covered. No other monsters attacked us, and the Wisps themselves weren¡¯t aggressive. Like I¡¯ve said before, they are convenient. Eventually, we reached the Cultural Department located on the third floor of the main building. The Literature Clubroom was a little ways down the hall, but we didn¡¯t need to go that far. The halls were already infested with Dwarflings. Short humanoid monsters with dark obsidian skin and a face that rivaled the ugliness of a goblin. In addition to that, they wore a tattered loincloth while on their backs were quill like hairs. The annoying aspect of these creatures is that after their hp passes a certain threshold, they¡¯ll immediately begin curling up into a ball, much like an armadillo. While this was annoying in itself, the dangerous part came when they started rolling towards you. While glancing at the monsters with a scrutinizing gaze, I called out to the President in a quiet whisper. ¡°... So, did these thing increase in number since last time you were here?¡± After counting a bit, the President shook his head. ¡°No¡­ it¡¯s still the same as always.¡± ¡°I see¡­.¡± I asked this every time, before we engaged in any combat. This was all in order to confirm whether additional monsters were continuing to spawn or not. From what I¡¯ve gathered, the conditions for monster spawning were not all identical to the goblins. For example, take the Dwarflings. Although their Elite Monster was still alive, they already stopped spawning. In contrast to this, the Bird type monsters, whose Elite had died quite a while ago, still increased in numbers. At this point, second to the Whisp (whose Elite was the most elusive of them all), they were the most numerous within the dungeon. Well, from my perspective, this was a natural thing. If the monsters really did come from a world known as Alterworl, then it would be safe to presume that the monsters there aren¡¯t infinite. They aren¡¯t just created from simple nothingness. They will naturally eventually run out. I reckon that the Bird type monsters too, despite their numbers, will eventually stop spawning as well. Throughout these two weeks, I¡¯ve discovered that the only monsters that still continually spawned were the Wisps and the Birds. After confirming the Dwarflings position, we immediately engaged. First up, to draw aggro, the blonde twins who used slingshots attacked a couple of monster from a distance. I also assisted using a third slingshot I made personally for myself. The twins¡¯ aim was impressive, mostly since they acquired [Accuracy] sometime last week, but it''s not like I lagged behind or anything. My [Dexterity] stat was abnormally high after all, plus the slingshot I created has an [Accuracy] boost. This was also how I managed to acquire the long coveted [Accuracy] stat. Much like what I did for the [Defense] stat, I simply added a few unallocated points into accuracy while I had the slingshot equipped. This was how the me who could not naturally gain stats acquired new stats. At this point, I¡¯m actively trying to create armor or weapons with unique stats like [Evasion]. Once the monsters drew closer, I quickly put away my slingshot and left the rear guard to the twins. I moved to the front in order to join the other three. This time around, I decided not to use one of my personally crafted weapons, but instead, the black sword I stole from that one guy. About ten days ago, I acquired the [Dagger Mastery] skill, and around the same time the President acquired his [Sword Mastery] skill, I also acquired [Blunt Weapon Mastery]. This time, I aimed for [Sword Mastery]. So, since I wanted to gain the [Sword Mastery] skill, despite my inexperience, I decided to use the sword. When the monsters rushed, the President was the first to move. He stepped forward slightly, his body nimble and experienced from all the added effects of stat growth and leveling. With forward slash, he quickly severed a thick arm and engaged one of the Dwarflings. The other two vanguards quickly participated, engaging in combat with some of the nearby Dwarflings. I also fought, but it was to the extent where I did not actively kill any of the monsters. At this point in time, due to how high my level was, leveling up through these mob monsters became somewhat difficult. Plus, there were now a limited supply of monsters, so pointlessly killing them was somewhat bad. Rather than me taking useless experience, it was better to leave it for the ones who could actually benefit from it, both actual experience and combat experience wise. ¡°Emiko, to the right! Kathy, Virgil, support Kikkawa sensei!¡± Like a real leader, the President began issuing out commands without any hesitation. His friends all acted in turn, following his instructions with faithful determination. It was impressive enough that it wouldn¡¯t be a surprise if the President gained a Leadership skill or something. Well, despite their organization¡­ BAM! I blocked and deflected a Dwarfling who had been rolling forward towards the brown haired girl. Using the base of my sword, I forced the ball of quills back to the point where it tumbled into a few of the monsters standing behind him. ¡°Oi,¡± I called out to the profusely sweating girl. ¡°Watch your sides. Don¡¯t just blindly listen to the Prez¡¯s instructions, you have to also pay attention to your surroundings.¡± Emio, I think her name was, nodded nervously towards me, as her grip on her crafted boken increased. ¡°Y-yes!¡± Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. Like that, we continued engaging the horde of monsters that seemingly continued to stream further into the hall. Luckily, there was no risk of getting overrun like with the Tusk Boars. The dwarflings were slow creatures to begin with, so they can¡¯t properly chase. Meaning, it''s only dangerous when a person gets surrounded. In addition, they couldn¡¯t simply just overrun their opponent through sheer numbers either. This was since grouping up together in this narrow hallway will have detrimental effects for them. The exposed quills on their body hurt both friend or foe alike. As we fought, I wondered whether or not it was time to let the President and his group fight alongside Hina and the others. Obviously, some group combat experience between them would be necessary, but up until now, I kept them separated. Of course, it''s not like I didn¡¯t bring up the matter to the others. When I asked the President about teaming up with Hina, he unexpectedly declined. Hina also did the same when I asked her. Well, they both have personal issues which I don¡¯t really want to meddle in, but as the leader, I have the ultimate say in things The issue now is just dependent on my own judgement. I thought about this matter as I lightly parried an incoming Dwarfling. -Well, it¡¯ll work out in the future, I guess¡­ The battle lasted for about 2 hours. We (or rather, they) killed about 30 Dwarflings, and each of them managed to rise in level a few times. We would have continued, but we they were running out of stamina. For now, we went back to the library to rest. This was the point where we separated for the day. Although we weren¡¯t partying up anymore for the day, it''s not like we stopped monster hunting. For me, I was about to team up with the girls, and as for the Prez and his group, they¡¯d immediately head out to train after they recovered enough stamina. Since our goal is to get stronger, naturally we had to put in the effort. After assuring the President that I¡¯d bring in some fresh boar meat tomorrow, I left the library and headed back in the direction of the east building. Next up was training with the girls. ***** Approximately 1 hour later, I was back at the cultural department wing. This time around, with me were the familiar faces of Hina, Cielle, and Cher. Since I had already been here today, there was no need to do any sort of scouting. The moment we stepped into the Cultural Department wing, was when the battle began. ¡°Hina, your magic.¡± I lightly spoke while I brandished a familiar black sword towards an incoming Dwarfling. Using the base of the sword rather than the edge, I hit the Dwarfling square in the torso, much like how a golfer swings at a ball. The blow lifted the monster up into the air, and sent him soaring towards my left, incidentally, where Cher stood. She saw the incoming monster, and with practiced efficiency, she lowered her knees, while raising the shield up in the trajectory of the flying monster. The instant the two connected, Cher¡¯s body moved. Her knees straightened, and the angle of her circular shield slightly shifted. The barrelling Dwarfling was redirected like a rubber ball and sent flying towards the front of her, where two Dwarflings currently stalked. When the three of them collided, a chorus of pain filled shrieks filled the room, but was left ultimately ignored. Rather, utilizing the opening provided, everyone attacked. Cher stepped forward, and using the tip of her Edge Shield, stabbed out at the closest sprawled Dwarfling. Hina, who was currently training her Water magic, sent a hydrokinetic blast of pressurized water directly into the Dwarfling¡¯s exposed eye. As for Cielle, she simply flooded the remaining Dwarfling with a torrent of [Dark Gemini]. Like this, three Dwarflings instantly lost there lives in the span of less than 5 seconds. We continued as if nothing significant happened, and faced off against the incoming horde. Magic, shrieks, and the clang of metal filled the narrow hallway as we progressed. We inched ourselves deeper into the Cultural Department hallway, directly moving in a linear line towards the Literature Clubroom located in the back of the room. In our wake, a slew of dead corpses remained. I planned on skinning a few of these Dwarflings later, to see if I can make some sort of weapon out of their course and quill like hairs. Although I had such intentions, I pushed the thought aside for now. Getting distracted in battle wasn¡¯t any good. Subjectively speaking, our team work, when compared with the Prez and his group, was undeniably much more coordinated. We exchanged fewer words, but made even fewer mistakes. Our synchronized combat sense, honed and tempered through life risking battles, truly shined in the face of our enemies. Hina with her rear guard support. She fired of water spells while occasionally giving Defensive and Offensive buff to the frontliner, Cher. Cher in comparison, was faithfully guarding the front. Her heavy shield blocked the incoming monsters, while her smaller, Edge Shield parried, deflected, and retaliated. Since she was the closest, she usually received more kills, but that worked out fine considering she was still the lowest level amongst the four of us. Cielle¡¯s role was naturally the support. She healed both Cher and I with timed efficiency, and occasionally, she would use her [Dark Gemini]. Her attacks which came unexpectedly from time to time created numerous openings for the vanguards to attack. In addition, she made a habit of creating a thin layer of of [Dark Gemini] that floated freely in front of her and her sister. This acted as a countermeasure on the off chance that any monster manages to break through our defense. After we managed to kill approximately 40 Dwarflings, earning the girls a few levels, that was when it appeared. A figure that was about twice as tall and twice as wide as the ordinary Dwarflings. It had a menacing scowl on its quill covered face, while the hairs on its back stood up, acting as a deterrent for unexpected attacks. Its arms were also covered in quill like hairs and could act as a weapon, given the opportunity. This was the Elite monster amongst the Dwarflings. A creature known simply as [Dwarfling Menace]. It¡¯s level was 37. Since the Dwarflings already stopped spawning a while ago, there was no particular downside to killing this one. In fact, against a strong enemy like this, it only made my blood boil. Naturally, all Elite monsters will die at my hand. This was a pre-established rule that the four of us made together. While I was quite appreciative of this rule, I wasn¡¯t the one who made it up. The girls were. They knew about my condition or rather, my inability to increase my stats outside of leveling up, so as if to placate this, they told me to monopolize the Elite monsters. The pitying expression on their faces made it hard for me to refuse. Killing an Elite Monster gave free unallocated points, so this was one of the ways for me to offset my natural disadvantage. Right now, the sudden appearance of this Elite monster was a good chance for me to get stronger. Although I said that though, it wasn¡¯t like I engaged in combat first. In order to further train the others, I would take up a supporting role in this battle. I¡¯d only be tasked with emergency situations and with dealing the final blow. I did not move, but Cher did. She rushed to the frontlines just as the monster brought down a quill filled fist. The impact between forearm and shield made Cher¡¯s knees buckle from the strain, but she managed to keep her ground. The unfortunate thing though, was that a few of the quills were dislodged from the blow, and pierced Cher¡¯s exposed legs. She grimaced in pain while slowly backing away. Cher couldn¡¯t receive any healing from Cielle at the current moment due to the unlodged quills. As Cher kneeled down to pluck out the quilles on her legs, Hina and Cielle kept the monster occupied. A barrage of [Dark Gemini] and pressurized water struck out at the Elite, causing it to shriek out in pain. Lately, the two of them had been experimenting with synchronized attacks, so their timing and precision had greatly improved. While the Elite was being bombarded with constant magic, it finally snapped. It got angry, and in its fit of rage, began grabbing out at its subordinates. Reaching out to the escaping dwarflings, it ignored the pain on its palms when its giant hands encircled around their backs, and with a crazy amount of strength, began lobbing the monsters towards us. Luckily, Cher had already recovered by this point, and rushed forward to intercept the incoming dwarflings. After activating her own skill, [Magic Reinforcement], she deflected and blocked most of the flying monsters, while Hina and Cielle moved to left to stand directly behind her. The instant the barrage of indiscriminate flying monsters stopped, that was when the girls¡¯ counterattack began. Cher¡¯s body instantly rocketed forward as she leapt towards the Elite. Besides her, a torrent of dark matter streamed past her left, while a blast of pressurized water whizzed past her right. The two separate streams converged into one amalgamation directly in front of Cher. This was a technique that Cielle and Hina had develop. A sort of fusion magic. By forcibly mixing both water from Hina¡¯s magic, and Cielle¡¯s [Dark Gemini] it was possible to create a stronger magic. While [Dark Gemini]¡¯s potency would dilute from the added water, in return it gave both girls control over a single magic. As a result, the duo was able to simultaneously infuse twice as much mana into the same attack, causing the magic to have twice as much force and speed as any of their previous attacks. This amalgamation of magic came rushing towards the Elite. A tsunami of dark liquid impacted the monster on every exposed piece of flesh and hair. The creature¡¯s vocal chords immediately went into overdrive. A moment later, Cher¡¯s moving body, finally met its target. With the heavy shield raised in front of her, she kicked off the ground once more, as she plunged into the monster¡¯s exposed stomach. ¡°[Shield Bash]!¡± A particularly new skill that Cher recently learned. Her shield faintly glowed with traces of mana as she hit the monster square in its fast protected stomach. The impact alone sent the monster flying back by a couple of feet, while also applying the status effect, [stun] on it. For three seconds the monster would be unable to retaliate. Not one to waste, the trio immediately jumped on their prey with the ferocity of starving cheetahs. Cher, with her constant stabbing, Hina and her water magic, and finally, Cielle with [Dark Gemini]. By the time three seconds was up, the Elite monster was down to a sliver of its health. After that, it was as simple as me going in for the killing blow. I dashed forward, shortening our distance in the blink of an eye, before I thrusted out with my sword. My aim was directly towards its exposed chest, and not a moment sooner, my blade sunk directly into the monster¡¯s chest cavity, instantly killing it.
Achievement: You have slain an elite monster. The elite monster: [Dwarfling Menace] was a species leader. For defeating a species leader, Dwarfling will no longer spawn within the dungeon. Reward(s): +2000 exp +25 unallocated points
I glanced briefly at the blue window panel before I dismissed it. I looked down to inspect what the drops. Disappointingly, the Dwarfling Menace only dropped two vials of green liquid - Stamina Potions. With a dejected sigh, I bent down to pick up the two vials. After putting them away, I reached into my backpack before producing a thick, knotted rope. I tied one end of the rope onto the leg of the Dwarfling Menace Corpse. ¡°I need to bring back the corpse for dissection later. Also, I might be able to craft something out of its quills, so can you three protect my back while I drag the thing back?¡± I called out to the girls, who were currently engaged with the remaining Dwarflings. While their leader died, there were still about 150 of those things lying around, so it wasn¡¯t safe to just stick around. ¡°Leave it to me, Hide!¡± ¡°Nnn¡­¡± ¡°Got it¡­¡± The trio answered me almost simultaneously as the braced themselves for more combat. Like that, after 4+ hours of fighting, we left the Cultural Department. Today¡¯s session of training with the girls ended with good results, and the sun had began sinking. It was about 7 pm, but my day had not ended yet. After training the others, it''s important to spend time with myself. From now onward, it was my time to hunt. ***** Author''s Note: Thank you for reading. If you liked this chapter, or like this story in general, please rate or review. I appreciate it. Chapter 65: Monster Subjugation Part 2 Monster Subjugation Part 2 We eventually managed to drag the Dwarfling Menace¡¯s corpse back to our base. It was a grueling, and painstakingly backbreaking task, but after much sweat and effort, we finally did it. Although as a consolation, the sun had long since set. Looking at the barely functioning clock on the wall, I confirmed that it was half past 7. The icy summer wind howled within the desolate hallway, complementing the scene which I had long grown accustomed to. The barren corridors, with its blood stained walls and dirt ridden tiles, was eerie and mysterious, giving off a faint resemblance to that of an Old haunted house. In a sense, this dungeon - which inspired fear, and the constant palpitation of a person¡¯s heart - was the same. Although as an afterthought, instead of imagined specters and fantasy ghouls, monsters as real and vivid as the sweat on my back thrived within the confines of this building. I paused and thought for a while. I weighed in my options for tonight while my eyes naturally drifted towards the other people in the room. Cher, whose face was practically drenched in sweat cooled herself off with a bucket of lukewarm water. In the process of her absent minded pseudo bath, I fought an urge that growled in the pit of my stomach. Ignoring the glistening adolescent skin that gleamed with water and sweat, I looked over at Cielle and Hina. Meanwhile, these two sat around a table, enjoying a simple meal of canned peaches and heated strips of meat. I watched all this complacently while my face remained stoic and contemplative. Eventually though, I broke my gaze and finally decided. Although it was a little later than usual, it wasn¡¯t that much of an issue. Rather, the darkness brought about by the night would help improve my training speed, so it was sort of welcomed. After all, although everyone else got the chance to, I didn¡¯t. Even if I¡¯m relatively strong now, I still have to train. I decided to do some solo hunting just before bedtime. After my mind was set, I quickly said my farewells to the others. Like usual, their faces shifted to unease whenever I mentioned my intention to level grind by myself. Fortunately, since such a pattern had already repeated for close to two weeks, this time around, they didn¡¯t put as fierce of a resistance. I assured them with a few light hearted words of advice before I finally set off. The dagger that I had unknowingly pulled out, gleamed with faint transient moonlight, expressing its own eagerness in full force. **** The school Amphitheatre was a big place. Its size was about double that of the school¡¯s largest gym, and the seats numbered close to 5,000. Apparently, the designers of the amphitheatre held the naive ambition of being able to hold in all of the school¡¯s staff and students in one sitting. Obviously, this goal was left unfulfilled. The reason why I was currently heading towards the school amphitheatre was to, of course, hunt. For the past two weeks, in order to get stronger and bridge the gap between me and the Dungeon Boss, I¡¯ve been constantly level grinding. But, recently, my leveling up speed has greatly slowed, so instead of grinding regularly, I''ve decided to take up an alternative solution. Elites. Elite Monsters were existences within this dungeon that boasted the title of strongest. They were creature¡¯s with the ability to control the other, usually mindless monsters, and they often held strength enough to complement their control. It is due to this reason that they are regarded as one of this dungeon¡¯s most feared existences. And also, due to their inherent bonuses, they are also regarded as this dungeon¡¯s most desired luxury. I¡¯ve been hunting Elites for their exp and bonus points. Occasionally, the rare skill drop also greatly benefits me. Like this, with a heart of greed, I managed to somehow kill the Elite Bird type monster, as well as the Elite Amphibious Monster. And today too, I stumbled upon the Dwarfling Elite, and managed to kill it. Aren¡¯t I on quite a lucky streak? Of course, the real process wasn¡¯t as simple and happy go lucky as I made it sound. My own personal effort needs to be considered as well. Careful planning was necessary. The type of planning that took 3 to 4 days to achieve. And that was only for a single target. Although fortunately, in the meantime, in between espionage missions and data gathering, I killed their subordinates rather leisurely, so my level didn¡¯t stagnate that much. The first to fall to my blade was the Bird type monster. It¡¯s official name was [Avian Helix Prodigy]. As with the naming sense, the Bird type monsters were all collectively known as [Avian Helix]. Anyways, the Prodigy was a rather troublesome monster to beat not because of its individual strength, but because of all the comrades that fought together with him. It was too such an extent where I wondered whether it was the protagonist to a shounen manga. In addition to that, its blistering speed that overshadowed mine was annoying. Having your strongest stat trumped was quite a mental blow, but somehow or the other, I managed to win. It was a tough battle, filled with constant evasion, and subterfuge, but I still won. Also, I learned [Body Maneuver], so it was more profitable than I first expected. The next Elite I hunted was the Amphibian Monster. A mix between half man and half frog, although it did look more frog than human. It¡¯s was named [Wetlander Chieftain], and was also a troublesome opponent to fight, although for completely different reasons. The Wetlander was not built for speed, nor did it rely on the power of its comrades, rather, it had the strange habit of isolating itself within the school¡¯s indoor swimming pool, leaving its subordinates to wander the halls and nearby locker rooms. What made this Elite a pain to deal with, was the fact that it never once left the water. Always submerged, always playfully frolicking around within the pool¡­ it was to the extent where the water had long turned a murky green. In the end, I had to force it out of the water in order to kill it. That was a whole ¡®nother issue which involved a noose and human bait, but that¡¯s besides the point. In the end, I managed to kill it. It died easily after it left the water, so there was no sense of tension. And as if to reflect that lack of tension, it dropped a useless skill. A skill to breathe underwater - [Amphibian]. Contrary to its name, it did not help me with underwater movement, but merely gave me the ability to breathe underwater. Considering the fact that most amphibians don¡¯t even breathe underwater after maturity, it was a name that brought on many misunderstandings. Although at least it was better than what the Prodigy dropped, which was a mere 3 health potions. I ended up acquiring it without complaint though, mostly because its skill book had an equip bonus of added stamina immediately upon use. And just recently, I killed off the Dwarfling Menace, rounding up my total Elite kill count to 6. Now, all that¡¯s left are the other two, not counting the Wisp Elite of course. And as luck would have it, both the Minotaur Elite, and the Horse head - officially named as Ipotane -were currently caught up in a rather favorable situation for me. It¡¯s that, you know, that. Territorial Dispute. For an indefinite amount of time the monster tribes known as the minotaurs and the Ipotane have been in constant conflict. This was probably the reason why the Minotaur Chief parted with its spawn point early on in the Apocalypse. Either way, due to their constant conflict, it has led to the death and over all depopulation of both the Minotaurs and the Ipotane. Although unfortunately, their constant fighting has also strengthened them, increasing in both level and fighting experience. For about a week now, I¡¯ve been carefully observing both sides of the war, and finally, if my predictions are correct, then the culmination of all the violence will burst tonight within the Ampitheatre. With greedy thoughts in mind, I headed towards the fabled battlefield. **** Currently, I was sitting on top of the rafters, directly above the amphitheatre. Due to the particular design of the domed enclosure, the ceilings were pretty far up from the ground. It was to the extent where a normal person would probably break most of their bones if they were to drop from this height. Although for me, whose stats are abnormally high to begin with, falling from this height won¡¯t kill me. Looking down, I once again confirmed the surroundings. Violence. Blood. Mooing and Neighing. In simple words, a chaotic battle was currently rampaging. Cow headed monsters were barrelling through the room, sending various chairs and other obstacles flying. Their bipedal legs, which were adorned by a rather jagged hoof, had long since worn out the prestigious floor of the room. For some reason or the other, a few of these minotaurs were spitting out fireballs, which kept the Amphitheatre relatively lit up. Although looking closely, most of the ones with the fireball ability were all leveled 25 or higher, so it might have been a race specific skill only acquired at higher stages. On the other side of the spectrum, the Ipotane were putting up a fierce counter attack. Their overall physiology was pretty similar to that of the minotaur. They had a humanoid upper body, a horse head, and also possessed bipedal legs. If I were to point out a particular trait of theirs that made them stand out, then it would be their exaggeratedly long arms, which gave them an overall lanky feeling compared to the brawny minotaur. Unlike the minotaurs, who possessed a fire type ability, the Ipotane had no long range potential. Instead, they wielded makeshift weapons - things collected and gathered from within the school, and swung those around recklessly. Although it looked ineffective, compared to the weaponless minotaurs, then it was definitely an advantage. At the pinnacle of this territorial dispute, were the respective leaders, who, coincidentally, were duking it out on top of the raised stage. [Minotaur Chieftain - Level 41] [Ipotane Tribal Leader - Level 40] For Elite monsters, there levels were higher than usual. With the exception of the Cyclops Elite, who was a named monster, these two currently dwarfed every other elite I¡¯ve come across. No doubt, there strength was forged through ongoing battle. And currently, such an ongoing battle was taking place in front of me. Fire flying about everywhere, and the sound of the surrounding breaking in the face of a giant improvised pole arm, it was quite a frightening scene. Although for me, who currently saw these two as precious exp, rather than their actual battle, I was simply enthusiastically watching their hp diminish. For now, I¡¯ll let those two weaken each other. In the mean time, I¡¯ll placate myself with their subordinates. I gazed at the battlefield with unblinking eyes. Constantly scanning for the perfect opportunity, I waited and observed, waited and observed, until- -There! A level 24 minotaur. Its health had dropped down into critical levels, and was currently grimacing while it placed a oversized hand on top of an open wound. It''s bruised and desperate form was truly perfect. Without hesitation, I immediately began to take action. Brandishing Efhermet in my hand, I held it by the tip of its bladed edge, before I pulled back and- Swish In an instant, the dagger left my hands and whistled through the blood stenched air. Immediately after, the level 24 minotaur had died, a knife lodged into its carotid artery. I unconsciously smiled while my right hand instantly jerked back. Not a moment later, the dagger dislodged itself from its neck with a plop, before it flew back and landed in my left hand. ¡°As I thought¡­ this level of hunting is really too easy.¡± I mumbled quietly to myself as I stared in awe at the objects in my hand. Efhermet on my left, and a thin piece of durable rope in the other. By tying a long piece of rope onto the hilt of my dagger, I was able to create a retractable throwing weapon. While it was convenient to hunt from a distance, the downside was that the rope kind of interfered with the dagger¡¯s flight pattern, resulting in less accurate throws. Fortunately though, my dexterity stat was enough to overcome this difficulty. Like this, I enjoyed a disgustingly simple hunting session. Each time a monster¡¯s health dropped to critical levels, in a flash, my dagger would instantly be lodged either into its neck or eye socket. I showed no discrimination between races, and hunted both Ipotane and Minotaur alike. It was to the extent where all the monsters that died were done in by me and converted into convenient experience. Occasionally, they¡¯d drop a potion or two, but the drop rate was irritatingly low, so I didn¡¯t hold much expectations. Although tears did fall from my eyes whenever I saw a vial being trampled and destroyed in the wake of the confusion. After a while, I managed to kill of approximately 20 monsters. Out of the 50 or so that remained, the 20 I killed was a huge percentage. Unfortunately, after the 21st death, I noticed a grave error. If I continued to hunt like this, my skill levels won¡¯t increase. Skills, as expected, were things that increased the more frequently they were used. If I hunted from the rafters like a vulture, then my skills won¡¯t receive any experience. I was worried and concerned. As such, since I wanted to increase my skill level, then there was no other choice but to participate. Having made up my mind, I instantly jumped down, my trajectory was heading directly towards the middle of the conflict. Instead of landing on the ground, I landed on an unsuspecting Ipotane. The impact from my drop caused the Ipotane¡¯s legs to buckle, but it wasn¡¯t enough to topple it down. As expected of a horse, it''s got good legs. Without any hesitation, I immediately pulled out Efhermet, and from behind him, I snaked my arm around its neck before my dagger slashed across its exposed throat. Since the Horse had already lost a lot of its hp beforehand, and since the blow was a critical hit, the monster instantly died. It was after its death that I remembered that I had wanted to acquire the [Sword Mastery] skill. With a regretful sigh, I put away my dagger and drew out the black short sword from behind me. All around me, the monsters on both sides were looking at me with astonished expressions on their animal faces. I didn¡¯t give them time to recover though, and in an instant, my body rocketed towards the closest monster, a minotaur about 50 feet away from me. In less than 3 seconds, I closed the gap between us, and my sword flashed towards its arm. Without even using [Dissect], its arm immediately flew off, while a howl of pain escaped from its throat. The nearby Minotaurs, who saw one of their own being assaulted, instantly flared up in rage. Immediately after, several cow headed monsters dashed towards me while a flurry of fireballs flew directly towards my location. I didn¡¯t immediately dodge, and instead focused. In order to properly train my skills, it was obvious that I had to use them. And currently, one of my skills [Sensory Remapping], was currently working in overdrive. I closed my eyes and waited. For a moment, it seemed as if time stopped, but that moment lasted less than a second before my body instantly jerked to the left, dodging a searing ball of fire that lit up a nearby chair. This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. In a similar fashion, I dodged all the oncoming fireballs with as little of a margin of error as possible. The blasts of flame were all close enough to burn me with a mere graze, but I did not feel it. Rather, it would be more appropriate to say I did not feel anything. My sense of touch was currently turned off. In return, my sense of taste was increased to impossible levels. The reason for this was because of a particular feature I recently learned from my [Sensory Remapping]. I could now taste temperature. Much like a snake who sensed bodied of heat through their tongue, I now possessed the same ability. This was all possible after I synthesized [Sensory Remapping +] into Intermediate Level 1. As expected, since it was one of my most used skills, it was also the first to reach the intermediate level. After reaching the intermediate level, I was now able to do things that would normally be impossible. By allocating a certain amount into a particular sense, I was able to generate an added effect. For taste, it was tasting temperature. For hearing - echolocation, for sight - night vision. I was still unable to do anything else with the other senses, and my current skill with echolocation and night vision were a little bit lacking, but it was still an amazing effect. I fully showed of its usefulness by flamboyantly dodging all of the incoming flames. As I did so, my body moved towards a few nearby bodies of heat. An Ipotane that had been standing by, watching my current predicament enthusiastically was immediately cut down by a wave of my sword. Like the Minotaur from before, one of its arms was sent flying. To follow up, I instantaneously shortened the gap between the Ipotane and I with a quick burst of [Rushing Dash]. As my body approached, so to did my sword, and in an instant, 1 metre and a half of cold metal stabbed itself deep into the Ipotane¡¯s abdomen, quickly bringing an end to its life. A nearby Ipotane was angered by the sudden death of its comrade, and flew into a rage as it charged at me. I nimbly dodged, making full use of the added effects of the passive skill, [Body Maneuver]. From behind me, an incoming Minotaur rushed, whether its true aim was at me, or the Ipotane in front of me was unknown. Regardless, I instantly, rolled to the side, and just as it ran passed me, the Dagger attached to a rope in my right hand instantly blurred. I threw the dagger towards the Minotaurs legs, but instead of directly stabbing into it, the knife encircled the leg like a grappling hook, before my arm instantly pulled back. The Minotaur toppled to the ground with a thud, and before any of the Ipotane could steal my kill, I rushed towards it. From atop its back, I constantly stabbed it with a flurry of sword strikes. In less than 3 seconds, it had died. Like this, I continued to fight the two groups. I made full use of their obvious enmity for each other, and merely dodged and avoided their gigantic bodies, while occasionally dealing out a hit of my own. But while I dodged the majority of their attacks, as expected, it was impossible to avoid all of the. It actually became somewhat troublesome every time an attacked landed and it would go unnoticed due to my lack of touch/pain. I decided to reactivate my sense of touch midway during the fight. Other than that, things progressed smoothly. After I killed the 30th one, leaving 20 behind, I quickly grew bored, and my eyes swept towards the stage. The two hulking elites were masses of blood and rage. They had stayed completely unsuspecting at their subordinates¡¯ demise, and were completely locking eyes with each other. This wasn¡¯t your romantic eye contact though. This was one filled with rage, anger, and the hard to miss killing intent. What was a bit unfortunate though, was that the Minotaur¡¯s health had drastically gone down- it¡¯s hp now at a critical level. What made this even worse was that the Ipotane was currently rushing towards it, all of its intentions plainly written on its animalistic face. ¡°Ah, crap¡­ at this rate¡­¡± As I dodged an incoming fireball, I grimaced to myself and cursed. This was bad. This was really bad. At this rate¡­ -At this rate, my prey will be killed! With a desperate sense of urgency taking over me, my body instantly jumped and rocketed towards the stage. I made full use of [Rushing Dash] to greatly increase my speed as I made a move to intercept the Ipotane Tribal leader. Swoosh! With barely any room, for comfort, I made it just in time to deflect the incoming pole arm with the edge of my sword. Unfortunately, the impact between pole arm and sword instantly drained the sword¡¯s durability, causing it to crack and break in two. ¡°Agh! Damn it, I still haven¡¯t acquired Sword mastery!¡± I cursed while the Ipotane glared at me with seething anger. It''s deflected pole arm was instantly brought down towards the direction of my head. I moved with by a hairsbreadth, barely dodging the pole arm by a fraction of an inch. Immediately following, my foot stepped forward, as I dashed towards the Ipotane. The gap created by the monster¡¯s pole arm was instantly shortened as I reared my right fist back. -If I can¡¯t acquire Sword mastery, then I might as well aim for unarmed mastery! Ignoring the fact that I was currently weaponless, my right fist blurred as it found its mark deep into the monster¡¯s stomach. Since I was wearing my improvised gauntlets, it did more damage than a regular fist. The punch was enough to cause the Ipotane¡¯s body to lurch backwards, but it immediately regained its composure and glared menacingly at me. From behind, while the Ipotane and I exchanged a brief set of blows, the Minotaur Chieftain had been preparing his attack. I quickly shot a glance behind me while I dodged another incoming Pole arm.
Greater Fireball
A notification panel instantly popped up above the collection of fire that gathered at the Minotaur¡¯s snout. Since I had also already increased Identify to Intermediate level 1 during these two weeks, it was now possible to find out the name of an opponent¡¯s skill at the moment of activation. Incidentally, all the other minotaur¡¯s had been using a Lesser Fire Ball, so it was easy to tell that the degree of power that the Minotaur¡¯s skill possessed was on a whole ¡®nother level. And such a skill was directly aimed at me! Well, to be more specific, aimed at the Ipotane Tribal Leader behind me, but I was currently in its flight path, which was just as worse. As the massive fireball shot towards me, I immediately dove to the side. I didn¡¯t even need to taste the temperature to know how to dodge, as I frantically rolled to the side. I accidentally rolled into the draped curtains on the stage, but at the very least, I managed to avoid that massive fireball. The Ipotane in the other hand, rather than dodging, it confronted the fireball directly. Its pole arm was lifted high over its head, before it came smacking down on the approaching fire ball. The Ipotane¡¯s hands and its pole arm shone faintly with a transparent blue hue.
Deflection
Another skill. This time, activated by the Ipotane Tribal Leader. The searing ball of flame that looked large enough to engulf the 2.5 meter Tribal leader, was cut in half. A portion of the fire was redirected to the sides, greatly minimizing the total damage potential. Despite minimizing though, it did not neutralize. A bit of the flames, licked the Ipotane¡¯s sweltering body, causing it much anger and its hp to drop. In the midst of the confusion, my body was already moving. I ran with desperate intention. I ran towards the critically injured Minotaur, who looked as if it had used all of its mana. At the same time, the Ipotane was also closing in on the Minotaur, its Pole arm raised in front of it like a lance. It was a desperate race to kill. The Dying Minotaur was the prize, and I was on of the contestants. Luckily though, I was the first to reach it. I jumped to its side, and with enthusiasm, I shot a left punch directly towards its side. The spot I aimed for was a discolored purplish area right in between where its ribs were. My fist that sunk into bruised flesh and muscle, produced a satisfying cracking noise. Obviously, the thing that cracked was its ribs, and not my hand. This was quickly confirmed by the sudden [Critical Hit] icon that flashed, before the Minotaur immediately lost its life and slumped over onto the floor. While this was good since I finally confirmed a kill, this was also bad, since i was currently in mid air and defenseless. The Ipotane, who had watched as I unceremoniously stole its kill, now redirected all of its killing intent onto me. It Pole arm, which had once been aimed at the center of the Minotaur¡¯s chest, was now fully directed at me. I couldn¡¯t move in time, and took the brunt of the damage to my left thigh. I felt something dislocate as my body was sent flying towards the curtains. I felt the incoming surge of pain right after my body hit the floor. As expected of a level 40 something Elite Monster. It¡¯s strength was crazy strong. I desperately rolled while swallowing down the pain in my left thigh just as a pole arm descended down onto the spot I was at. The waxed floor that was unfortunate enough to receive that impact was immediately turned into a small crater. Yet, the Ipotane did not stop. Another strike came down. Then another, and another. An endless wave of pole arm strikes came towards me, while I desperately dodged. My leg felt numb and bruised, and the resulting injury had greatly affected my speed. Once again swallowing the pain, I watched as a Pole arm descended down towards me. Just right before the moment of impact, I immediately threw myself backwards. My body which lurched with the sudden motion, hit the curtains behind me. Unlike prior, I did not stop at the curtains, instead I continued to soar backwards, eventually entering the backstage. The obscuring curtains masked my position from the Ipotane, as it roared and neighed in anger. Not a moment sooner, a massive polearm came flying from the other side of the curtains before it immediately hit the far away wall behind me. Despite that though, its vision was still obscured, and I used this opportunity to my advantage. With [Sensory Remapping], I quickly shot off my sense of pain, before I fiercely stomped onto the floor with my left leg. I could hear something pop into place, but it hardly registered into my mind before my body was once again rushing forward. Despite the slight limp in my step, my movement speed was still far greater than an ordinary person¡¯s and soon, I bursted forth from behind the curtains, once again bringing me back to the stage. The Ipotane had barely any time to turn towards me before I made a 90 degree turn and rushed at it. A flurry of punches. Right fist, left hook, an occasional palm strike, my ametuer moves found their target as the Ipotane was caught off guard. Without its Pole arm, it could do nothing but feebly block with its arms. And yet, for the me whose stats rivaled that of this Elite Monster, each of my punches still reduced its HP, whether it was blocked or not. I continued to punch, while at the same time, I dodged the Ipotane¡¯s attempt at retaliation. In no time, its HP, which had been floating around at about 25% after its fight with the minotaur, was now brought down to less than 2%, putting it in a critical state much similar to the Minotaur before. It neighed in agony, as its arms dropped to its sides. If you looked closely, those arms were purple and oozed down blood. Apparently, it lacked any more strength to block, as it helplessly glared at me while a billow of white steam oozed out from its slack jawed mouth. It expression of hatred flashed briefly before my mind, just as my body moved forward. In the heat of the moment, I didn¡¯t even notice that I was now using my once injured left leg to deal a back kick towards the creature¡¯s exposed sternum. Since I could not feel anything, I did not know whether or not my final kick with an injured leg had any reciprocal effects, but the resounding crack from the Ipotane¡¯s chest at least reassured me that the blow was successful. Like with the Minotaur, a [Critical Hit] icon flashed above its head, just before it slumped down on the ground, dead. Once this was accomplished, I immediately let loose a sigh of relief before I fell back on my back and onto the floor. I shot a glance below me, towards the seating area, only to discover that, at the moment of both Elites¡¯ death, their subordinates had immediately ran off. Even now, I could still hear the frantic clop of hooves as they all vacated the Ampitheatre. I stared at the open doors for a moment, before I let loose a sigh. Immediately after, in order to assess how much damage was actually done to my left leg, I reactivated my sense of pain. Suddenly, a surge of pain rocketed my system. The pain cause of this was my left thigh, which felt as if it were thumping and beating along with said waves of pain. I grimaced and moaned for a moment, before I finally gave up and cut off my sense of pain. Breathing out a sigh, I quickly checked myself, only to discover a massive [Bruised] status effect affecting me. I briefly contemplated whether or not to use an emergency health potion, as my eyes began scanning across the stage. If you were to ask me what I was looking for, then I would obviously reply with loot! It took me a moment to find but I my eyes quickly landed on a few items sprawled next to both of the Elites¡¯ corpses. As I looked eagerly at those items, my heart immediately sanked. The reason was simple; they were not skill books. Instead, from both the Minotaur and Ipote respectively, I acquired a giant ax and a giant pole arm. ¡°....¡± I sighed tiredly. -Even if I am a person who specializes in items, I can¡¯t use more than a few weapons at the same time! While lamenting over the undesired loot before me, I glanced absentmindedly at the tattered and destroyed amphitheatre. Since the time I left the base, about 4 hours had passed. At approximately 11:30 PM, my day in a dungeon finally came to a close. ***** Author''s Note:Thanks for reading. If you enjoyed this chapter, or this story in general, please review. I like to know what my readers think about the story. Also, since alot of people have been asking for it, I will post Status Windows sometime this weekend, when I have more time. It will either be displayed with the next chapter, or on a separate post. The Status Windows will belong to Hide, Cielle, Cher, Hina, and the Prez. Chapter 66: Daily Life in a Dungeon Part 3 Daily Life in a Dungeon Part 3 Rewinding the clock back a bit, it was 6 in the morning when the first rays of sunshine beamed into the overly cluttered classroom. In a decrepit corner of the room, were two, slightly stained mattresses. These mattresses were placed directly besides one another, all in order to make room for the three adolescent bodies which currently rested on their surface. The faint trace of drool which slithered down a certain redheaded girl¡¯s face was hardly noticeable within the mass of developing legs, scattered strand of hair and sweat covered backs. From the content expressions on each of their faces, it was an obvious enough observation that these three were currently in deep sleep. The slow and steady rising of their chests, the quiet breathing sounds that escaped from their slightly parted lips, and those crestfallen shut eyes, decorated by a plethora of tiny hairs - it was an overly peaceful scene that looked a bit out of place in a half destroyed classroom. Unbeknownst to the peacefully sleeping girls, a single figure slowly loomed over the beds. He glanced down at them for a moment, his eyes slowly drifting away before he seemingly regained his composure and shook his head restlessly. And then, with a somewhat tired sigh, he left for a moment before coming back with a metallic bucket. Its contents sloshed noiselessly inside. The man glanced down at the girls once again before his gaze returned back to the bucket. With another tired sigh, he psyched himself up before- ¡°¡°¡°AAGHHH!¡±¡±¡± A chorus of shrieks shattered the transient morning atmosphere as three bodies immediately shot up from their original positions. The last traces of drowsiness seemingly evaporated away, as their eyes scanned their surroundings restlessly. Eventually, all three of their gazes landed on the figure in front of them. The one who held a pale metallic bucket- whose contents had been emptied - in one hand while his face was etched with an expression of tiredness. ¡°Good Morning.¡± He suddenly spoke nonchalantly, causing a wave of groans to escape from the girls¡¯ throats. ¡°Ugh¡­ Hide, I wished you¡¯d stop waking us up like that¡­¡± A redheaded girl warily spoke back as she began to stretch out her surprisingly stiff limbs. ¡°Well, maybe next time you should wake up when I first call you.¡± The youth replied back. ¡°Did you even attempt to wake us up this morning?¡± Another girl, one with a pelt of dirty blonde hair cascading over her face, warily asked, her tone filled with an obvious sense of suspicion. ¡°... Of course I did.¡± There was a slight pause, but it went unnoticed. ¡°Uuuu¡­.¡± The last girl, the small one with black messy bedhead which did not look out of place, groaned out as she held her head between her small palms. ¡°...Even though it''s my skill, why..? It''s not supposed to hurt, so why?... Uuuu¡­¡± The youth ignored their senseless talk as he turned around and headed towards the table. He quickly picked a seat from around the table and sat down. After a slight pause, he turned back around towards the girls and lightly said, ¡°Cielle, Hina, Cher, hurry up, it¡¯s time to eat.¡± **** The group started off the day like usual, with a light meal of preserved goods and cooked meat. Throughout the morning, an easy going and pleasant atmosphere wafted throughout the room. There wasn¡¯t much conversation - as the majority of the people present weren¡¯t really morning people, but still, a morning filled with ease completely betrayed the reality around them. After eating, the three girls saw Hide off as he began walking in a familiar direction. They knew where he was going and what he intended to do, so they didn¡¯t worry much. Rather, in their minds, the thought that anything within this dungeon could kill the man completely passed through their heads. In their eyes, the image of his receding back was one that conveyed strength and trust. When Hide¡¯s receding figure finally vanished from their eyes, disappearing off into a corner of the hall, the girls refocused themselves. ¡°Well, I guess, it¡¯s our time to go too.¡± Hina spoke lightly as she began to don on the set of equipment Hide had specially made for them. ¡°Un.¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± The other two replied with a complacent nod as they too followed suit. When they first received the equipment from Hide, they were surprised at how much protection it provided. The armor provided a few useful stat boosts that would have normally taken a few dozens of levels to bridge. With just a simple set of chestplates, knee and elbow pads, and some gauntlets, they instantly gained stats easily worth several levels. For the girls, this was an amazing thing. After having fully immersed themselves in the blood and gore that so often frequented the dungeon, they knew full well how important stats were. Especially for the two whose builds closely resembled that of magician and healer. To Hina and Cielle, the armor had long since become something as valuable as life itself. After everyone was all set and ready to go, they quickly left the base and headed off into the hallway. They glanced briefly around the sparse corridor, before their feet took them towards the opposite direction Hide had traveled to. Currently, their goal was the ¡°Amphibious zone¡± or more commonly known as the indoor swimming pools. Of course, this was all in order to hunt the monsters that resided there. The Frogs. Their official names were ¡°Wetlanders¡±, but to the girls, they much rather preferred to call them simply as frogs, a name that was befitting of their appearance. The Frogs themselves were relatively strong when compared with the rest of the dungeon monsters. They were a little bit stronger than the dwarflings, but the most troublesome or rather, the most unique part about them though, was that there were a lot of them. Although their Elite had died a week ago, and they were certain that the Frogs had stopped spawning as well, the truth of the matter is, their numbers still hadn¡¯t decreased. The reason for this was simple: Eggs. Apparently, the Elite monster, before it had died, had laid thousands of eggs, all dispersed between the 3 indoor pools within the main building. Once these eggs hatched, more and more monsters would be born as a result. Of course, the primary reason why so many of the eggs were allowed to hatch was that the girls didn¡¯t go out of their way to destroy the eggs before they hatched. This was because the amount of monsters they could level grind on was becoming limited, so rather than destroying potential exp, it was better to wait for it to reach fruition. As they neared the closest swimming pool, they passed a horde of Wisps that congregated in the hallways and corridors. The scene had become rather commonplace for the girls, and with experienced motion, they instantly covered their exposed faces with a piece of cloth or fabric. They peacefully walked forward, not minding the floating cores that gathered within the clouds of colorless smoke. ¡°I can sense a flow of mana from them¡­¡± Hina mumbled absentmindedly as she stared at a nearby core. ¡°Flow of mana?¡± Cher asked questioningly as she tilted her head to the side. Cher wasn¡¯t a magician, nor had she any real experience with manipulating mana with the exception of her skill [Magic Reinforcement], so she was left clueless as to what Hina was talking about. ¡°Unn.¡± Hina nodded. ¡°I can sort of feel it¡­ a weird feeling that makes your skin tingle and the pit of your stomach turn¡­. It¡¯s weird to describe, Sis, you can feel it too, right?¡± ¡°Yeah...¡±Cielle responded as her head bobbed up and down. ¡°I can feel it¡­ due to the magic perception stat¡­¡± ¡°Ah, yeah, there was that too.¡± Hina lightly responded as she opened her eyes slightly and nodded to herself. ¡°What magic perception stat?¡± Cher asked once again, her eyes perking up with a sort of mild amusement. ¡°Ah, it¡¯s a new stat we recently acquired. If I remember correctly, it was about the same time I got the Meditation skill. Sis has it too.¡± ¡°Uoh? Hina and Mistress are starting to sound like real magicians!¡± They lightly conversed while they passed through the halls. Eventually, the familiar set of oaken double doors greeted their eyes. Having arrived at the doorway, Cher timidly peaked through the cracked glass window, and inexplicably shuddered. This shudder wasn¡¯t due to fear or anything extreme like that, but rather, was due to a memory. ¡°Ugh¡­. do we really need to hunt in the pools today?¡± Cher complained as her eyes slightly darkened from her recollection. ¡°I have a few¡­ bad memories of this place¡­¡± Hearing this, the other two girls exchanged quick glances, before they broke off into a rather awkward laugh. As they scratched their heads aimlessly, the two looked away, barely avoiding eye contact with the currently downtrodden Cher. A recollection of the events that dated back about a week ago surfaced in their minds. **** ¡°I need you.¡± A sudden and rather shocking declaration escaped from Hide¡¯s lips that day. His usually pasty eyes were now glued tightly to Cher¡¯s own. As expected, the others were as equally surprised as the recipient of that gaze was - especially a particularly messy haired individual who leaked a sort of menacing aura as she stared at the two figures before her. In contrast to Cielle¡¯s rather cold gaze, Cher¡¯s reaction was quite a stark difference. The most noticeable trait was the growing redness that dotted Cher¡¯s rosy cheeks. After some reluctance accompanied with embarrassing glances, Cher finally managed to spit out, ¡°M-me? What do you- I mean, w-why?¡± In the face of Cher¡¯s poorly stuttered words, Hide paused for a moment. His gaze briefly glanced over to Cielle and Hina who stood at the back of the room. Hina, who had been busy at the time, did not notice, but Cielle surely did. Her eyes grew wide, and as she was about to take a step forward, Hide¡¯s attention once again refocused on Cher. His hands grasped onto Cher¡¯s shoulders, causing a slight squeak to escape from her throat. ¡°I need you.¡± He once again stated, this time more resolutely than last time. ¡°There¡¯s something very important that I need you to do for me¡­ and I¡¯m afraid that you¡¯re the only person I can ask.¡± Under Hide¡¯s resolute, and somewhat determined expression, Cher felt as if her knees were weakening. She wanted to sit down and cover her peach red face, but Hide¡¯s firm, yet soft grip held her in place. Hide¡¯s constant gaze was also another issue which Cher had to deal with. ¡°Please¡± Hide once again spoke. ¡° I need you, Cher.¡± Overhearing those words, Cielle psyche seemingly shattered as she fell from shock. Her sister, who just now noticed the state her sister was in, was instantly surprised, letting out a confused ¡°Eh, Sis?! What¡¯s Wrong?!¡± Meanwhile, Cher fiddled awkwardly with her fingers as she inadvertently looked down. Her face heated to the extent where she felt as if her whole body was letting out smoke. Her eyes would occasionally shoot upwards, sending a few sly glances over to Hide¡¯s unchanging face. All the while, she mumbled incoherently under her breath. After a while, Cher finally managed to properly form words and she replied with a bashful expression, ¡°Ah..um¡­ O-okay¡­¡± She went on, looking up slowly at Hide¡¯s face. ¡°I-I may be inexperienced but please take care of me¡­.¡± Hearing those words, Hide¡¯s face brightened almost instantly as he replied back with a firm, ¡°Good! Then, let¡¯s go!¡± **** A little while after that exchange, the situation had divulged into a way that Cher, or anybody else for that matter, had not expected. Currently, the redheaded girl found herself tied to a rope by her waist. Her legs dangled freely in the air, while her arms were resting limply besides her. In one of her hands was a loosely knotted rope that connected upwards. Directly below her was a murky green pool of water. ¡°H-how did this happen¡­?¡± Cher¡¯s exasperated voice leaked out from her lips, as her gaze traveled above her. There, from the origin of the rope that she currently dangled from, was an opened portion of the ventilation shafts. Cher could clearly see Hide and the others¡¯ faces as they poked out to watch Cher¡¯s pathetic figure. Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. She could feel her eyes slightly wetten, but at the same time, for reasons unknown, her face was starting to redden. The uncomfortable irritation produced by the tightly constricting rope¡­ wasn¡¯t so uncomfortable anymore. Cher¡¯s gaze once again traveled below her. There, almost camouflaged within the water, was a Giant frog-like monster. It swam around leisurely, propelling itself through the pool with thick, and well muscled hind limbs. Within the pool, Cher could also make out several clumps of black and white that seemed to endlessly swim about within the pool. ¡°See those black and white dots in the water?¡± From up above her, Cher could hear Hide¡¯s voice as he lightly conversed with Cielle besides him. ¡°Those things over there are tadpole eggs.¡± ¡°Ah, now that you mention it, they do somewhat resemble tadpole eggs, albeit the color is a bit off and they¡¯re slightly larger than regular eggs.¡± Hina chimed in and joined in on their conversation. ¡°Doesn¡¯t it?¡± Hide ruefully laughed as he once again continued to explain various things he discovered about the creature. Hearing this light hearted conversation, a feeling of neglect welled up in Cher, but strangely enough, her face was now redder than when they were at the Base. Before Cher could calm herself down, her body instantly fell. She let loose a quick yell of surprise before her words suddenly garbled, and she found herself underwater. Cher who was still as confused as ever, waved around a frantically, the noose in her hand swaying with the murky water. From atop the safety of the ventilation shafts, Cielle watched this all with a complicated expression on her face. The previous jealousy that had welled up in Cielle¡¯s heart had all but dissipated. As she glanced back at Hide¡¯s eager expression as he began pulling in the rope, and as she looked back over at Cher¡¯s figure, which couldn¡¯t even be seen at all due to the discoloration of the pool, that feeling of jealousy was quickly replaced by a feeling of pity. Cielle clasped her hands together in a sort of prayer just as Cher¡¯s exhausted face popped up from the water. Looking at that sickly green expression again, Cielle completely confirmed, that without a shadow of a doubt, Cher was currently human bait. **** Cher, who remembered the events of that tragic day, stomped angrily at the tiled floor. She glanced into the window once more before she pumped herself up with a huff. ¡°Agh, Damn it! Let¡¯s just get this over already!¡± With that sort of resigned determination, Cher bursted into the room, and their hunt began. Naturally, the other two, who gave of complicated expressions, followed suit, as they too started. For the girls, their day had just begun. **** ¡°Yay! I leveled up again today!¡± Cher floated a happy expression, while she quickly evaluated her current stats. The prior anger and dejection she had felt earlier had naturally vanished after 3 hours of nonstop level grinding. ¡°Oh, good job Cher.¡± ¡°... Congrats¡­¡± The other two, who stood side by side behind Cher as they walked into the hall, spoke light congratulatory words. Their expressions as well, were somewhat content, their lips curving into slight smiles as they looked on at the overly excited redheaded girl who skipped ahead of them. ¡°Yeah!¡± She spoke happily with a toothy grin. ¡°I think it might be due to my new skill, Shield Bash. Ever since then, my leveling speed has greatly increased! If I keep this pace up, then it won¡¯t be long until I catch up with you guys!¡± ¡°That¡¯s good to hear. I remember how long it took you to get that skill¡­¡± Hina replied back as she remembered a scene from 2 days ago. ¡°Yeah¡­ anyways, are we meeting back up with Hide now? What¡¯s the schedule for today?¡± Cher asked in a joyful tone of voice, her earlier excitement still present. ¡°Um¡­ Let me think¡­ I think Hide¡¯s should still be out. I remember him saying we¡¯d meet up a little after 1 pm.¡± Hina answered complacently as she placed a finger on top of her chin. ¡°I guess for now, we¡¯ll level by ourselves until the appointed time.... but¡­¡± Hina¡¯s gaze shifted towards Cielle. Cielle noticed, and after a while, she nodded, as her gaze shifted to Cher. Cher reciprocated this gaze with another nod, as her eyes then moved back over to Hina. Hina smiled lightly, as she finally spoke out, ¡°Then, for now, let¡¯s take a break.¡± ***** After they took a 1 hour break in order to restore their stamina, the girls once again resumed leveling. Time flew by, and it was now time for their meeting with Hide. Like usual, the girls hunted with the youth, displaying and practicing their team work to the utmost of their ability. During the particular hunt, they stumbled upon an Elite, which, with the power of the trio, was quickly brought down to submission. It¡¯s been some time since then. Right now, the girls were back at the base. Hide had gone off to solo by himself. This habit of his to go off alone greatly troubled the girls. They knew he was strong, stronger than the three of them, that¡¯s for sure, but they still couldn¡¯t help but worry. Despite their immense faith and trust in Hide, it was still natural to worry when they knew that the man was currently knowingly placing himself in danger. The three of them tried to push these worrying thoughts away from their minds as they settled down for the night. They had dinner, washed up with a little help from Hina¡¯s water magic, and were currently relaxing in the cluttered classroom. Well, at least Cher was. Cielle and Hina, who sat cross legged on the mattresses were currently ¡°training¡±. Hina, was on one side of the room, her back pressed up against the wall, as she closed her eyes and concentrated. Cielle, for some reason, was on the other side of the room. She sat cross legged on Hide¡¯s mattress, and while her expression was as serene and concentrated as her sister¡¯s the audible sound of vigorous sniffing was hard to miss. The two of them were currently using their new skill, [Meditation]. [Meditation] was a magic based skill that the two of them acquired simultaneous to acquiring the [Magic Perception] stat. This skill was fostered through repeated attempts at trying to ¡°feel¡± or sense the new found energy around them. For the two, who possessed the titles [Healer] and [Grand Magus], the skill was learned fairly easily without much fanfare. [Meditation] had the effects of increasing mana recovery. While this was a convenient effect in itself, its true merit came in the form of facilitating the permanent increase in their mana capacity. Mana, like health or stamina, was usually a skill that couldn¡¯t be increased through unallocated stat point distribution. With the help of this skill, they could permanently increase their mana, allowing them to last longer in the heat of battle. As the two currently immersed themselves in training, Cher sat lazily to the side. Her back leaned against a chair as her fingers twiddled idly. There was really nothing Cher could do, save for practice training, at this time of the night. While sporting a bored and lethargic expression, she was left with the task of night watch, while Hide hunted and the girls trained. The night was going smoothly, like usual, when a set of soft footsteps suddenly registered in Cher¡¯s ears from a distance. Cher¡¯s figure instantly shot up on the chair, as her ears perked up. She concentrated, and once again heard the soft trodding of steps, this time though, she could hear the steps growing louder and louder as they neared her location. ¡°That¡­ it''s too early to be Hide¡­¡± After coming to this conclusion, Cher was immediately on guard. She bolted out from her chair as she ran to pick up her Edge shield. Since the other two were currently concentrating and using [Meditation], they had a dimmed awareness of their surroundings. As such, Cher immediately ran over to break the duo from their stupor. ¡°Hey, Hina, there¡¯s something -¡± BAM! In the middle of waking Hina up, the classroom sliding door was suddenly opened with excess excitement. The resounding bang was loud enough to jerk both Cielle and Hina up from the depths of their concentration. Before those two could even turn around to look at the sudden intruder, a bucket that had been propped on top of the door, like some sort of childish school prank, had toppled onto the intruder¡¯s head. The mass of gelatinous black poured down on the unsuspecting person¡¯s head, completely enveloping their faces in the bucket¡¯s contents. ¡°AAAAAAAAHHHHH!¡± A piercing screech of pure pain bursted forth from the intruder¡¯s lungs. The scalding black quickly invaded into their pores, causing their pain to elongate. Unbeknownst to the victim, their health was also steadily decreasing. Using the momentary confusion as an opportunity, the trio instantly entered into a battle formation. Cher moved to the front, guarding Hina behind her, while Hina herself began gathering mana and prepping her magic. From the other side of the room, Cielle¡¯s crouching figure was already encircled by a ring of black matter. After several more seconds of screaming, the intruder¡¯s legs gave out from the shock, as they toppled to the floor. The bucket on their face rolled helplessly to the ground, revealing an expression of contorted agony. The girls, who were all preparing for attack, saw the intruder¡¯s expression for the first time. Their battle ready stances awkwardly tumbled as they recognized the face of contorted agony. ¡°You¡­ what are you doing here?¡± A faint voice, one filled with obvious confusion, escaped from Hina¡¯s lips. It was one of the people from the President¡¯s group. A chestnut haired girl named Emiko. Former member of the Library committee. Hearing Emiko¡¯s continued groans of agony, the trio exchanged awkward glances. After a while, Hina casted a lesser heal on her, while softly mumbling a ¡°sorry for that¡±. Since Cielle¡¯s Gemini blue won¡¯t work on Emiko due to the fact that she had no actual physical injuries, Hina was left with the task of healing her. Due to the fact that Hina¡¯s own lesser heal wasn¡¯t often used, it took a considerably long time for Emiko¡¯s health to reach max once again. After the successful healing, the girl who was still curled up on the ground in a fetal position, finally looked up. In her face, other than that previous expression of pain, was a kaleidoscope of different emotions. Panic. Fear. Anger. To Hina, Cher, and Cielle, who each interpreted her expression differently, they at least all came to the same conclusion that something bad had happened. After all, Emiko wasn¡¯t exactly a usual guest to their base. ¡°W-what was that black- you know what, never mind. More importantly¡­¡± Emiko, whose expression was morphed into ceaseless urgency shook her head, as if to clear away her thoughts. ¡°More importantly, Where¡¯s Hide?!¡± Emiko suddenly asked while her eyes restlessly scanned the surrounding room. ¡°Umm¡­ Hide¡¯s currently out right now¡­¡± Cher replied back, somewhat softly as she fidgeted in her spot. ¡°...Hide¡¯s not here¡­¡± Cielle followed up. ¡°W-what?! Emiko¡¯s voice rose in volume. It was now more noticeably panicked than before. She fretted back and forth, as she began to stand unsteadily to her feet. The former library committee member paced awkwardly in the room while subdued cursing and swearing could be heard from under her breath. Hina, who had a bad premonition looming over her mind, finally couldn¡¯t take it anymore, and asked, ¡°What¡­ What¡¯s wrong?¡± Emiko immediately stopped, and shot a pale faced stare over at the girl. She hesitated for a moment. Biting her lip strongly enough to cause a streak of blood to stream down her face, Emiko weighed in her thoughts, her actions, and her options, before she tensely gulped and nodded to herself. Her eyes connected with the others in the room, before, in a horse, all too desperate voice, she spoke. ¡°It-It¡¯s bad. Really bad. Satou, he¡­ he finally attacked.¡± ***** Author''s Note: Thanks for reading. If you liked the chapter or story in general, please rate or review. I appreciate it. Character Status Window Update 1 Like I promised, here are the updated stats to some of the characters in the story. Currently, the stats displayed are for Hide, Cielle, Hina, Cher, and Hokusei. If you have any questions regarding the stat distribution, then ask me. If you think I might have made a mistake, or if I left out something (like say, a skill or a title), then comment and tell me about it.
Status Window
NameMayo Hide
Age17RaceHuman
Level35GenderMale
TitlesPioneer, Pyschopath
Health440 (31)Health Regen.0.005 / Sec
Mana (unavailable)440 (16)Mana Regen.0.01 / Sec
Stamina440 (16)Stamina Regen.0.05 / Sec
-
Strength91 (16)Agility132 (16)
Vitality40 (16)Dexterity119 (16)
Intelligence26 (16)Wisdom42 (16)
Leadership0 (8)Luck0 (8)
Defense20 (16)Accuracy20 (16)
-
Skills
Equip (Active) Identification (Active) All Heal (Active) Dissection(Active) Sensory Remapping + (Active) Hard Scale (Active) All Purpose Crafting (Active) Butcher (Active) Rushing Dash (Active) Amphibian (Active) Body Maneuver (Passive) Dagger Mastery (Passive) Blunt Weapon Mastery (Passive)
Current Status Effect(s)n/a
Unallocated Points0
Status Window
NameCielle Nayer
Age17RaceHuman
Level28GenderFemale
TitlesHealer
Health370Health Regen.0.005 / Sec
Mana500 (195)Mana Regen.0.025 / Sec
Stamina370Stamina Regen.0.05 / Sec
-
Strength5Agility12
Vitality6Dexterity9
Intelligence77 (28)Wisdom98 (28)
Accuracy18Luck11
Defense5Magic Accuracy29
Magic Endurance51Faith5 (28)
Magic Perception15
-
Skills
Nursing (Active) Gemini Blue (active) Meditation (Active)
Current Status Effect(s)n/a
Unallocated Points0
Status Window
NameHina Nayer
Age16RaceHuman
Level29GenderFemale
TitlesGrand Magus, Monster Cook
Health380Health Regen.0.005 / Sec
Mana500 (500)Mana Regen.0.05 / Sec
Stamina380 (20)Stamina Regen.0.075 / Sec
-
Strength4Agility9
Vitality7 (20)Dexterity10
Intelligence106 (54.5)Wisdom68 (54.5)
Accuracy23Luck10
Defense7Magic Accuracy54
Magic Endurance17Magic Perception35
-
Skills
Full Element (Active) The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.Lesser Heal (Active) Lesser Pyrokinesis (Active) Lesser Hydrokinesis (Active) Lesser Terrakinesis (Active) Meditation (Active)
Current Status Effect(s)n/a
Unallocated Points0
Status Window
NameCher Greenley
Age18RaceHuman
Level21GenderFemale
Titlesn/a
Health300Health Regen.0.005 / Sec
Mana300Mana Regen.0.01 / Sec
Stamina300Stamina Regen.0.05 / Sec
-
Strength21Agility55
Vitality30Dexterity4
Intelligence10Wisdom10
Accuracy1Luck2
Defense61Evasion23
Physical Resistance21Magic Resistance15
Endurance18
-
Skills
Magic Reinforcement (Active) Shield Bash (Active)
Current Status Effect(s)n/a
Unallocated Points0
Status Window
NameKaibara Hokusei
Age17RaceHuman
Level23GenderMale
Titlesn/a
Health320Health Regen.0.005 / Sec
Mana320Mana Regen.0.01 / Sec
Stamina320Stamina Regen.0.05 / Sec
-
Strength74Agility37
Vitality22Dexterity5
Intelligence11Wisdom10
Accuracy1Luck11
Defense15Evasion50
Physical Resistance17Flexibility16
-
Skills
Sword Mastery (Passive) Body Maneuver (Passive)
Current Status Effect(s)n/a
Unallocated Points0
Chapter 67: Blood Spills in the Dead of the Night Blood Spills in the Dead of the Night I ran. Past deserted hallways, and blood stained walls, I ran into the night, a certain urgency in my stride. My mind was racing. My heart was palpitating. After 2 weeks, he finally made a move. I knew it was coming, I knew eventually something would happen, but still, when it actually does happen, it still caught me off guard. Earlier, when I was leisurely making my way back, I recieved a message from the girls. Through the walkie talkies, they told me about what had happened back at the base. The situation with Emiko. I didn¡¯t ask how she had known where we were. I never told them, but I guessed that they had already known a long time ago. Either way, an attack by Satou- that crazy deranged pyscho, finally happened. Emiko didn¡¯t know much, mostly because they sent her away the moment they realized what was happening. The only information she could provide was that Satou had attacked, and that the situation was dire. As expected, in the face of such a situation, the girls wanted to help. I felt that that was a natural reaction. The altruistic nature that most humans possess, even in a situation like an apocalypse, that sort of thing won¡¯t easily crumble. In truth, I also wanted to help. After all, it would leave a bad aftertaste if 50 or so people were to die and I didn¡¯t do anything to prevent it. Still though, despite my own feelings, caution was still important. I told the girls to wait for my return, but they insisted on rushing ahead. The urgency and the fear of not making it in time was something understandable, so I eventually conceded. That¡¯s why I¡¯m rushing there now. To the cafeteria, to the battlefield. I compromised and told them I¡¯d meet them there. My legs propelled me forward. There was a slight limp in my step, caused by the weird dissonance in my left thigh. I couldn¡¯t feel anything, but the limp still persisted. It made my overall speed much slower, and ate up more of my time. ¡°Damn leg,¡± I cursed for the nth time as I took out a pale red vial from my pocket. After some slight hesitation, I downed the vial in mid stride before I powered through. While staring at the darkness ahead of me, a low mutter escaped my throat. A hushed jumble of words that I inwardly spoke to myself conveyed the swelling emotion and intentions that boiled around in my heart. ¡°Wait for me.¡± Grounding my teeth, and feeling the effects of the health potion kicking in, I once again ran. ***** Pov Change In the dim of the night, the cafeteria was illuminated by the faint traces of florsecent lighting while all around, a chaotic chorus of painfilled groans filled the room. Within a partioned of section of the open space, Hokusei stood. His body felt sluggish, while his mind buzzed unevenly. He could hardly think straight in his current condition, but he knew that something bad was happening. He had just woken up after what felt like an eternity of restless sleep. When he awoke, he was greeted by the chorus of pain that resonated all around the cafeteria. What was even more surprising was the condition his own body was in. Sluggish, slow, uneven, an uncomfortable feeling of lethargy had spread all throughout his body. He wanted to sleep, to just lie down, close his eyes, and quell the painful buzzing in his head. He almost did so, if it wasn¡¯t for the persisting wails that surrounded him. Hokusei pushed the desire away from his mind, and glanced around the space. Around him, were 3 out of the 4 people he usually fought with. Their figures leaned heavily against the wall while their throats let loose a series of haggard panting. The pale hue of their skin gave off a sickly feeling. The other one, the former library committee member named Emiko had left a short while ago, sent off to call for back up the moment Hokusei felt the impending preminition of danger. Honestly speaking, he would have felt more comfortable having the 5 of them here together, but sending anybody else wasn¡¯t possible. This was due to a two reasons. For one, nobody else in the cafeteria knew the way to Hide¡¯s base. And two, there was nobody else in the cafeteria, aside from the rest of Hokusei¡¯s group that were physically capable enough to move- let alone make the trip. In truth, despite the sickly faces of everyone present - Hokusei included, they were among the better of the Cafeteria group. Everyone else was either unconcious, or moaning in pain while stuck in a semi-concious state. Even that brat with the witch hat, alongside the group she hanged around with, were all unconscious. Right now, their sweat drenched bodies were propped up against a certain corner of the room, within a partitioned space especially created for them. Feeling the sluggish state of his body once more, Hokusei had a dim understanding of his current condition. In truth, it wasn¡¯t all that foreign of a sensation. In fact, it felt familiar in a sense. It was the same type of sluggish feeling he got when he had cluelessly encountered the Wisps for the first time. Back then, the deterimental effects which did not show themselves on the status window had caused his body to ache and dull. He had luckily escaped before anything bad or serious happened, but the physical memory still lingered in his mind. Now, he was feeling those same effects all over again. No- these effects were more severe. The dull ache in his muscles were more vivid, the buzzing in his head was more pronounced, even the lethargic feeling was more overpowering than before. Back then, he had only been exposed to the Wisps with no prior protection for close to 30 minutes. If this effect really was due to the wisps, then he had no clue as to how long he had actually been exposed to. What made this even worse was that he did not see any Wisps around the Cafeteria. Rather, those things should have been confined back near the corridors leading up to the gymnasiums. Under normal circumstances, the current situation should be impossible. While covering his face with a nearby by piece of cloth, he called out to the three in front of him. Hearing his voice, the three craned their necks in his directions, their heavily bagged eyes conveyed the unatural fatigue they were currently feeling. A feeling akin to wearing winter clothes in the middle of a flowing river. The weight that constantly dragged them down as the current swept them away, with no rhyme nor reason. ¡°Something¡¯s bad¡¯s about to happen.¡± Hokusei muttered slowly. His instinctive gut feeling stemmed from the unnaturalness of this situation. ¡®The Wisps aren¡¯t supposed to be here!¡¯ No matter how long he wanted to scream this fact out loud, it did not change the situation. ¡°We¡¯re the only one¡¯s that can move right now - probably either due to our higher level or higher vitality. Maybe both. So, I¡¯d like to-¡± As he spoke, suddenly, from outside the partioned space, he heard a noise. From among the cries of pain and low moaning that filled the room, a heavy thud and the sound of opening doors could be heard. Hokusei, along with the rest of his party, staggered into the open space, both driven by curiosity, and the need to protect the others within the Cafeteria. There, a few meters away from them, was a familiar silhouette who brazenly walked into the cafeteria with ridiculing smirk plastered on his face. The figure had entered from the Library, and was currently willfully swinging around a night black sword as if he had not a single care in the world. Behind the figure, about 8 or so people followed behind. What was the most striking out of these 8 people, were there stick like figures, which went rather well with their hollowed out cheeks and bloodshot eyes. Their expressions were savage, and carnal, as if the last specks of humanity in them was on the verge of collapsing. Hokusei turned his attention back to the one who lead the group of 8. The man with the ridiculing smirk. The man with the droopy eyelids and the long mess of unwashed black hair. The man he had instantly recognized. ¡°Satou¡­¡± He reflexively grimaced the moment the name leaked out from his lips. Truthfully, he had guessed Satou was the one behind this incident. In fact, he had sent Emiko away on the premise that Satou was attacking the base. Now, after confirming that his guess had been spot on, he wished he had been wrong. Having noticed his name being called, Satou turned around to look over at Hokusei. The instant he did, Hokusei noticed that the man had the same sunken cheeks and red shot eyes as the group behind him. Although, despite their similarity, he felt as if Satou was just a bit more¡­ excitable. Even now, those red eyes gleamed mischievously, as if it had found an interesting long lost toy to play with. ¡°Oho~ If it isn¡¯t the Prez! How long has it been?¡± Satou lightly remarked as he walked slowly to the center of the room, ignoring the crying shrieks around him. His lackeys followed suit, keeping a respectable distance away from their leader. In response, Hokusei merely glared. He didn¡¯t bother asking why he was here, nor did he bother asking him to leave. He felt that deep down, nothing he said would make a difference. Satou ignored the glare, and instead continued lightly trotting towards the cafeteria. Each one of his strides were filled with vigor, with unhinged excitement. Satou looked as if he had more energy now than when he had last seen him. As the youth got closer, Hokusei was able to more clearly see those red eyes. Eyes filled with scarlet blood that seemingly glowed in the darkness. In addition, Hokusei saw traces of black wisp emanating off of Satou¡¯s body. He questioned whether or not those strands of smoke were real, or whether it was just a figment of his overactive imagination. ¡°Ara? What¡¯s this?¡± Satou suddenly uttered as his advance came to an abrupt stop. His eyes slowly glared at Hokusei and the others.¡°Haven¡¯t your numbers decreased a bit? I was pretty sure you had 4 underlings, Prez. Did one of them die?¡± Satou uttered the last line with a widening smile, revealing a set of yellow canines. He was truly relishing off the possibility of their death. Hokusei brusquely laughed. In response, he sardonically replied, ¡°I should be the one asking you that. What¡¯s with that amount of people? Weren¡¯t there twenty or so of you guys? Now there¡¯s less than half.¡± Satou laughed. He laughed so hard, little traces of water leaked out from his slit eyes. ¡°Aha~ Well, you know, things weren¡¯t going the best for our little group.¡± He once again laughed, as if the distant memory was somehow amusing. ¡° We had a seriously shitty time you know. No food, dirty water, even my game console ran out of battery. It was a seriously shitty time. Isn¡¯t that right guys?¡± From behind the man, a rustling could be heard. The eight other people all shuffled forward in response, except none of them actually replied back. Instead, an increased inhalation could be heard, as if they were greedily sucking on the contaminated air around them. ¡°Man, it¡¯s annoying when these idiots don¡¯t respond back. I feel like I¡¯m always talking to myself lately¡­ Well, no matter. Anyways, like I was saying, the only thing we¡¯ve ran across these past few weeks were these damn smoke monsters.¡± As if to emphasize, Satou thrusted his hand around him, indicating to the whole of the Cafeteria. This confirmed Hokusei¡¯s earlier guesses as to the involvement of the Wisps, but before he could say anything, Satou was once again talking. ¡°With no food, we were on the verge of starving to death. I played around with the idea of attacking you before hand, but I wasn¡¯t ready yet. In the end, I- we had no choice.¡± He shot a glance behind him and smirked, as if sharing in a little personal secret with the others. ¡°Well, you know, we did that, you know, that - Cannibalism~¡± ¡°W-wha-!¡± Hokusei¡¯s expression shifted into shocked disgust, but before he could dwell any further on that emotion, the throbbing in his head worsened. He wanted to stop, curl up in a ball and go to sleep, and hearing about what Satou had done did not help at all, but he had to stay conscious. He had to keep the youth in front of him occupied long enough for reinforcements to come. This seemed relatively easy enough though, as Satou himself was in a rather talkative mood. And as if on cue, Satou once again spoke. ¡°It was a seriously unfortunate experience. The meat tasted disgusting and if you started eating while they were still alive, they make a hell of a lot of annoying noise¡­ Man, just remembering it makes me want to¡­¡± Satou shivered slightly, his expression morphing into a look of disgust. But just as quickly as that expression appeared, it once again changed, this time turning into one of complacent delight. ¡°Well, even though it was a seriously serious shitty experience, I did gain a few good things. For instance, this new title of mine, [Cannibal].¡± He laughed slightly as he stared off seemingly into nothing. His eyes refocused a second or so later after having seemingly regained himself and turned back around to face Hokusei. ¡°Oh right, I forgot, you can¡¯t see my window panel. Well, let me see¡­ What it basically does is-¡± Satou abruptly stopped himself. His gaze shifted to the right while a mad glint entered his eyes. He was looking over at a partitioned section of the Cafeteria, where 10 or so people currently slept. ¡°Oi, you there,¡± He motioned to one of his lackeys closest to the partitioned section. ¡°Knock down that annoying thing over there and bring me one of the people currently ¡®napping¡¯¡± The indicated man promptly did as he was told, and not a second later, the wall, created using stacked chairs and tables was instantly deconstructed and destroyed. The man who did the destruction had seemingly abnormal strength, as the construction toppled rather effortlessly. A few of the knocked down chairs and tables pinned down a couple people, prompting another round of wails, but the man ignored that and grabbed a slightly conscious girl by the hair before he dragged her towards Satou¡¯s waiting figure. Hokusei wanted to move, he wanted to rush ahead to stop him, but the energy in his body was simply not there. In addition, Satou, who had noticed the President¡¯s intentions, playfully wagged his sword, while mouthing, ¡°That¡¯s a bad idea, y¡¯know~¡± In less than 20 seconds, The girl who was incapable of resisting from the very start, was brought forth and tossed on the floor directly in front of Satou. Shortly after, the man who had dragged her, returned to his original spot, all the while the vacant expression on his face never changing. Satou lightly stepped on the fragile neck of the girl, who only replied back with a glassy gaze. He raised an open palm towards the blade of his sword, and whispered a noiseless incantation, before the sword wielding hand instantly blurred. Shortly after, the severed head of the slightly conscious girl rolled helplessly away from its main body. There was a slightly acidic smell that wafted through the air, while the newly created wound on the girl''s neck slightly bubbled. ¡°Wha-!¡± Hokusei¡¯s eyes widened as his haggard body momentarily stiffened in shock. The sequence of events had happened so fast, that nobody- not even the girl who was killed- could react. A maniacal cackle broke Hokusei and the others back from their stupor. ¡°Hahaha! Did you see that, did you see how easily she died?! When I¡¯m up against a human, my stats increase by 1.5 times the max. In addition, I gain triple experience from killing humans, so even though this bitch was probably hardly level 3, I still gained plenty of experience. And if that wasn¡¯t enough, killing humans regains a fair bit of my stamina as well. Seriously, this deprived title of mine is a bit too overpowered, don¡¯t ya think?¡± Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. Satou continued to gloat and laugh as he freely swung the sword in his hand. Every now and then, the sword would pierce or cut at the dead girl¡¯s body, but nobody could do anything about it. Hokusei and the others simply glared while their faces contorted into anger. After a few more seconds of cackling, Satou finally regained himself, and after taking a deep breath, he once again resumed, ¡°Well, it¡¯s not like everything about this title is beneficial. Like the fact that regular food tastes like shit to me now, or this stupid voice in my head,¡± he playfully tapped the base of his skull with the edge of his sword. ¡°It¡¯s a convenient title, but the demerits are pretty annoying. Agh, really, so annoying, so annoying! It''s so annoying it makes me want to pull out my hair, rip open my stomach, and do all kinds of nasty shit! Well, I can¡¯t really do anything like that without dying, so I¡¯ll settle for killing again.¡± Out of nowhere, Satou¡¯s figure suddenly turned around. Without so much as a warning, his sword pierced the nearest lackey¡¯s abdomen. The man went down with a groan, but he did not instantly die. Instead, he helplessly looked up at the his boss, only to be met with a cold and psychotic glance. In less than a second, the man¡¯s head cleanly separated from his neck, bringing an end to his life. The rest of Satou¡¯s lackeys did not even so much as blink at the spectacle, instead, they did something rather forthcoming. The seven remaining lackeys instantly jumped on the man¡¯s corpse the instant Satou turned back around to face the President. The new sounds of chewing and the ripping of flesh masked the precedent sounds of pain filled wails. Satou ignored all this, and calmly conversed with the wide eyed Hokusei. ¡°Ahh~, that felt better.¡± Satou lightly sighed, before his content expression shifted slightly into a frown. ¡°Although killing in general feels good, and helps placate my hunger, as expected, killing those crazy bastards isn¡¯t nearly as satisfying. Plus, it just puts me in the mood for more killing. Oi, you guys,¡± He once again turned towards the hunger crazed cannibals behind him. ¡°Enough messing around, go bring me a couple more people. Let¡¯s see, I want at least two girls. Cutting female flesh always feels the best.¡± After lightly shooting off commands in such a brusque fashion, the cannibals instantly reacted. They shot off into the area with broken tables and scattered chairs as they began dragging more people towards Satou. They moved fast, and with a certain sense of urgency, as if the faster they moved, the sooner they could eat again. ¡°S-s-stop it! You bastard, I said stop!¡± Hokusei¡¯s desperate screaming was met with a ridiculing smirk. That expression only further angered Hokusei as he took a step forward, his body radiating with killing intent, and with the sole intention of cutting down Satou buzzing in his mind. Before he could get any further though, he staggered and helplessly fell to his knees. His continuingly dwindling strength was obvious by now, as he could barely stand upright with the help of his sword. ¡°Damn it! Fuck!¡± He cursed while his blood continued to boil. ¡°My body¡¯s feeling more and more sluggish! The damn gas is everywhere, and I can¡¯t move properly! Damn it, move!¡± No matter how badly he wanted to will himself, he could only helplessly stare as a massacre unfolded in front of him. Satou¡¯s lackeys had gathered the 9 other people that had been present when the Partition wall collapsed. Most of these people were unconscious, while a few were in a similar half-conscious state like the girl from earlier. Satou looked over the group with greedy eyes. His eyes scanned and examined them all thoroughly, although they did linger more on the females present. Finally, after what felt like an excruciatingly long amount of time, Satou let loose a helpless sigh. ¡°Ah Ahh~ Although it would be better if they were to put up resistance, I guess this sort of thing will have to do.¡± Simultaneous to his unsatisfied remark, the black sword in his hand blurred once again. A noiseless massacre. The people before him were all cut down with no exception. Blood splashed everywhere, while the satric smell of acid continued to intensify. After a minute or so of resistanceless slaughter, Satou finally looked up from his life¡¯s work. His face was red with blood, yet he sported a child like expression of glee. Those bloodshot eyes as red as the blood on his face curved into slim crescents. He sighed contently, while he licked the corner of his lip. ¡°Man~ I haven¡¯t had a slaughter like that in a while. How refreshing, how really refreshing!¡± As he stared dazedly at the ceiling above, he finally turned his gaze back over to Hokusei. ¡°Ara? What¡¯s with that expression, Prez? You look seriously scary, dude. Are you angry? You can¡¯t seriously be angry man, lighten up dude. Why¡¯re are you so angry? I mean, you watched me kill all these people, but didn¡¯t even move to stop me. Aren¡¯t you partly responsible for their deaths?¡± Satou''s spoke with a deliberately clueless expression on his face while he prodded the dead bodies around him with absentminded motion. ¡°Y-you¡­¡± Hokusei gritted his teeth as the glare in his eyes intensified. In contrast to the raging emotions he felt, his body only continued to lose strength. At this point, he could not even move, let alone stand. [If only this damn gas wasn¡¯t here, I¡¯d have already killed that guy¡­] As if reading his mind, Satou playfully grinned, as he spoke, ¡°Ah? Are you thinking about those Gas monsters? Aren¡¯t they convenient? Just a little bit of exposure, and look what happens. Truthfully, I¡¯m kind of surprised that you haven¡¯t passed out yet. If I remember correctly, I snuck those things in the ventilation shafts around 9 PM, so it¡¯s been about 3 hours already, huh? 3 hours and you¡¯re still conscious¡­ how high is your damn level Prez?¡± Satou sighed in mock admiration, as he walked lightly towards Hokusei¡¯s fallen figure. In contrast to the President, Satou¡¯s own body seemingly radiated exuberance and energy, a phenomenon that greatly confused Hokusei. ¡°Well, you look pretty pathetic right now Prez. You have the same expression as that one guy I killed, what was his name again? Ah, I already forgot. You were there too Prez, so you probably remember.¡± The face of Tanimura, Satou¡¯s first victim, flashed before Hokusei¡¯s eyes, and filled him with uncontrollable rage. ¡°You bastard!¡± In response to this, Satou merely breathed out another exasperated sigh, before a sudden kick was sent flying towards Hokusei¡¯s fallen figure. The base of Satou¡¯s foot sunk deep within the Prez¡¯s rib cage, causing a painful cracking sound to resonate while the Prez¡¯s body was sent flying back a good 5 meters or so. Hokusei came to a stop after his sliding body hit the base of a table. He spat out a mouthful of blood, while his mind momentarily blanked out for a second. ¡°You see Prez, I am different from you.¡± Satou coldly spoke while he brandished his sword in the air. ¡°Unlike you, who has struggled and will continue to struggle in this new world, I will rise. I will flourish. Evident of that is this gas here.¡± He once again thursted his hands out to indicate at the room around him. ¡°This gas, does not hurt me. It was a shitty experience getting used to it, but in the end, I managed to turn this demerit into my strength. Can you believe that? Aren¡¯t I amazing?¡± As he lightly spoke he breathed in deeply, his eyes momentarily glazed over from pure euphoria. In an instant that euphoric expression of his disappeared and his face once again morphed into a ridiculing smirk. ¡°Let me teach you something else, Prez.¡± Satou continued as he walked, his body getting closer and closer to a member of Hokusei¡¯s party - the male twin who used slingshots. By this point, the twin - Virgil Bernard - had lost consciousness, the gas overtaking his system. ¡°You see Prez, I actually have two titles. My second one¡¯s kind of a shitty sounding title, but it''s pretty useful if you know how to use it.¡± He squatted down besides Virgil¡¯s unmoving body. The tip of his sword was now directly besides the twin¡¯s exposed neck. From somewhere close by, the sound of hysterical sobbing and desperate plea could be heard. It was Virgil¡¯s sister. ¡°[Addict]. Like the name implies, it¡¯s something that has made me rather dependent on this gas. I probably couldn¡¯t live past a day without it. Its also the reason why my skin is so pale and my eyes are always red. Despite that though, like I said, it¡¯s pretty convenient in its own right.¡± Without much fanfare, Satou suddenly severed the man¡¯s head. He watched it roll about helplessly with lifeless eyes, prodding and poking as if he were kindling a fire. The girl¡¯s hysteric scream instantly rose in volume, as she began spouting curses and threats. In the end though, Satou ignored all that and continued to one sidedly talk. ¡° The convenient thing about it, is that it curbs hunger to a certain extent. It''s what allowed me to survive this long on minimal food. In addition, the best part about it is that it also doubles my stats whenever I take in the thing I¡¯m addicted to. Of course, my stats shrink down to a fourth of their original if I don¡¯t have any of it for more than 12 hours, but that¡¯s a different issue.¡± Satou stood back up, and marched complacently back to the center of the cafeteria. For a moment, he stood there in the center of the pile of recently killed corpses, his eyes slightly glazed over, while his lungs constantly inflated to take in the foreign substance around him. That transient moment lasted for less than a second, before Satou suddenly laughed. While maintaining eye contact with Hokusei, he suddenly took out a red iridescent ore from his bulging pocket. ¡°The reason why I was able to turn this gas into a title, is because of this baby right here.¡± The ore emitted a black smoke as dark as the night itself. Satou, with no hesitation whatsoever, immediately inhaled those wisps of black smoke, before he sighed complacently once more. He held the core obsessively in his hand, slightly trembling at the mere presence of it. Around Satou, his underlings also showed reaction, there legs shaking while their once absent minded nature disappeared, only to be replaced by a mess of hollering and pleading. ¡°Boss, Boss, let me take a wiff of it, Boss!¡± ¡°Just a little bit Boss, I¡¯ll do anything! Boss!¡± ¡°Agh, I really need it, Boss! I¡¯m dying here!¡± Shout upon shout, desperate plea upon desperate plea, Satou ignored all this as he continued talking in a soft whisper. Hokusei had to strain his ears in order to hear what he was saying. ¡°This thing is the Elite Wisp monster. Unlike regular Wisps, the gas it emits is black, and several times more potent. When I first found it, it almost killed me in less than 5 minutes.¡± He laughed nostalgically at the memory. ¡°In order to get used to it though, I had to take it in little by little. Eventually, after 1 and a half weeks, I gained the title, [Addict].¡± He flashed an ugly smile as purple bulging veins began to appear underneath his eyelids and all around his cheek. Those cracked, yellow teeth of his beamed brilliantly as he pronounced each and every letter with implicated importance. A-d-d-i-c-t. Satou then gently placed the ore carefully back in his pocket before he once again, strode across the hallway, this time, he was moving in the direction of the other twin. The girl who was lying prone on the ground, in a puddle of snot and tears. ¡°Well, I¡¯m telling you all this, but it''s not like, it¡¯ll matter. I kind of just wanted to gloat a little while you guys were still alive. You know, you guys won¡¯t be alive for long. After all, even if I don¡¯t kill you, the gas surely will. Ahh! I can¡¯t let you die like that though, after all, I still need the experience.¡± Satou¡¯s march abruptly stopped in front of the remaining twin, who hardly showed a reaction in her state of distress. Hokusei, who watched all this with half closed eyes could barely remain conscious. He wanted to yell, to stop the crazy junkie and end his killing spree, but his body simply refused to move. Satou raised the sword in his hand rather ceremoniously, his eyes glinting with unhinged greed. He was about to strike, he was about to kill when suddenly, a searing ball of flame shot out towards him from deep within an adjacent hallway. Satou was able to barely dodge, by craning his neck to the side, before immediately, he jumped back, covering a distance of 3 meters in his leap. ¡°Who the fuck-¡± Satou¡¯s words were left unfinished, as the fireball that he thought he had dodged instantly swerved and changed directions. It flew towards him, with unmatched accuracy. Satou, in response sidestepped, and leaped out of harm¡¯s way, but no matter what he did, the searing ball of flame continued to follow, like a homing missile intent on its target. Eventually, Satou grumbled in dissatisfaction, before he landed near a set of corpses. As the ball of flame approached him, Satou immediately bent down, picked up a nearby corpse, and used it as a shield. Shortly after, the fire bursted upon impact, and Satou once again threw the inflamed body onto a pool of blood by his feet. The blood was enough to dampen and kill the fire before it could continue to rage any further. ¡°Fucking hell, what the fuck was that?¡± Satou cursed and grimaced as he turned to glare at the hallway from which the ball of fire had originated. Instead of the pitch black darkness he had seen before, there now stood 4 girls, panting heavily while beads of sweat trickled down their faces. In front of their mouths and noses, was a layer of cloth that acted as a pseudo filter to the gas around the room. Satou briefly squinted his eyes as he glared at the newcomers. He recognized two of the four people. One was the President¡¯s underling - Emiko. The other one¡­ the other one was someone Satou vaguely remembered. ¡°Oho~ Is that you Cher?¡± Upon being called out, the redheaded newcomer¡¯s shoulders instantly stiffened as she took a reflexive step back. She avoided the man¡¯s stare and instead focused in on his blood stained feet. ¡°What¡¯s wrong Cher? Why are you here? Actually, don¡¯t tell me, let me guess¡­. You didn¡¯t come to stop me, now did you?¡± Satou¡¯s questioning expression instantly morphed into a wicked smile as he licked his lips in delight. Cher did not reply, instead, opting to just stand stock still in front of the other girls, the two distinctly different shields in her hand held alot and in front of her. Cher gulped once, before steeling herself, and meeting eyes with the man she had once feared. The fear itself hadn¡¯t diminished, what had changed though, was Cher herself. She had lived through 4 weeks of hell, and had met both despair and hope. She had met friends she could rely on, friends who had helped her. And now, she confronted what had led her down the path of destruction before. To Cher, and also to the others behind her, Satou¡¯s cold smile as he stepped forward towards them, had signaled the start of the night¡¯s battle. ***** Author''s Note: With the start of this scene, we are now nearing the end of the First Arc. Buckle down and get ready folks, from now on, it''ll be a vertical drop down this figurative roller coaster. If you liked this chapter, or this story in general, rate or review, it motivates me. Chapter 68: A Fight with your Life on the Line Part 1 A Fight with your Life on the Line Part 1 A permeating stench of blood and saltrick acid filled the room. For the briefest moment, the Cafeteria was silent. Not a single sound, be it the rough breathing of those in pain, or the callous laugh of the madman that caused all that pain, could be heard. It was a transient silence as fragile as a sheet of glass, yet as sturdy as a diamond. Of course, that singular moment only lasted for less than a fraction of a second before time flowed once more. ¡°Be careful, Cher.¡± Hina¡¯s voice called out from behind a certain red-headed girl¡¯s body. Cold sweat dripped down from her brow as she stared directly past a pair of narrow shoulders with vigilant eyes. The bloodstained man who stood no more than 10 meters in front of them, sauntered over, his gaunt and demeanor portraying a carefree attitude, while a look of murder and killing intent masked his grinning face. His steps were light, and painfully slow. The tension rose with each step he took, and the look of pale caution on everybody else''s face reflected that. ¡°Y-yeah, I know. Don¡¯t worry, I-I¡¯ll definitely protect you.¡± A shaky voice affirmed from in front of Hina. It was Cher. Contrary to her rather reassuring words, her shivering frame, cracking voice, and the flowing cold sweat that soaked her back gave away her real emotions. Cher¡¯s grip on her two shields tightened while her half-buckling legs parted slightly into a pseudo-horse stance. As the acting vanguard, it was Cher¡¯s responsibility to defend and block. Whatever attacks and dangers the opponent had, Cher would be the first one to confront it. In other words, in a world filled with danger and fatal blows as numerous as the stars in the sky, she was the one closest to death. Despite that, she had played this role numerous times. Rather, it wouldn¡¯t be an exaggeration to call this type of thing her speciality by this point. Unfortunately, the current situation was different. Her enemy, her mindset, even the fear she currently felt was different. It wasn¡¯t the instinctual fear of death, nor the primal fear of monsters. It was something different. Something much more human. A fear that grew and festered with time. It was the type of fear that was learned. The type of fear that was acquired from experience. It was the fear of knowing she would be confronting the man who had tormented and oppressed her all those times before. Despite hiding behind the protection of her two shields, they did very little to comfort the growing anxiety in her mind. Noticing that Cher had no intention of attacking, Satou¡¯s brow furrowed as he abruptly stopped his march forward. ¡°What¡¯s this? What¡¯s wrong, Cher? Aren¡¯t you going to attack? Even though you¡¯ve only got shields, it¡¯s not like you can¡¯t hit someone with those, you know?¡± He taunted while haphazardly swinging around his sword. The feeling of absolute confidence was painfully obvious on his smirking face. He would have continued too, after all, berating and laughing at others had long become his favorite past time since the apocalypse started, if not for a certain sudden interruption. In the middle of Satou¡¯s provocation, a sudden ball of flame surged forward, flying past Cher''s unaware figure, and directly towards the taunting man. In response, Satou¡¯s eyes narrowed while his smirking face momentarily shifted into a grimace. He leapt to the side, barely avoiding the searing congregation of heat. ¡°Concentrate Cher.¡± Hina¡¯s voice called out sternly. ¡°Don¡¯t think about who you¡¯re fighting. Just imagine a monster. Like always, like what we''ve been fighting these past two weeks. A simple monster... No, rather, that man over there can¡¯t even be called a human any more. It is just a monster.¡± She hadn¡¯t heard Satou¡¯s early remarks regarding his fall from humanity (i.e. Cannibalism, addiction), but rather, she had an instinctual gut feeling. Looking into those bloodshot eyes, eyes devoid of life or compassion, she felt her first impression of the man had not been wrong. Satou, the youth with unkempt hair going down past his shoulders, the man who wore a perpetual smile, the man with bloodshot eyes, had long stopped being human. Cher nodded nervously to Hina¡¯s words, but Hina had neither the focus nor attention to reciprocate. Her concentration had already moved on. Instead, she once again focused back on Satou¡¯s wary figure. She willed the previous flying ball to shift directions with [Pyrokinesis], and aimed it squarely for the men''s open back. Satou glared coldly at Hina¡¯s concentrating figure before he shifted his focus and casted a glance behind him. Like he had experienced earlier, the fireball was once again flying directly towards him. With each inch it zoomed closer, he could feel the subsequent increase in heat it provided. He pondered briefly for a moment, noticing the sudden surge of irritation he felt from the heat. Once again, he glanced at the approaching flame, before he came to a decision. His smile widened as he began to move. Instead of confronting the fireball, Satou dashed forward, heading directly towards Cher¡¯s shell shocked figure. The cold grin on his face never once left as he made short work of the 10 meter distance, the obsidian sword in his hand dangling lightly by his side. Through the slits in her shield, she watched nervously as Satou approached. The familiar face of carnage that had once tormented her all those weeks past caused her mind to blank out briefly while her shoulders uncontrollably trembled.This state of being would have persisted if it weren¡¯t for her body, which, driven by practice and experience, moved automatically into action. Her knees briefly bent, before she erupted forth and lept forward. Her larger shield glowed faintly, as the skill, [Shield Bash], activated. Satou, who had anticipated this- or rather, who had hoped for this, flashed his growing smile once again. At less than half a meter away from Cher¡¯s rushing figure, his body suddenly turned and bolted to the left. Hina, who could not react in time, could do nothing as the mass of congregated heat and the front of Cher¡¯s approaching shield collided. The magic flame instantly exploded, and wisps of fire spread out upon impact. The brunt of the force was absorbed by the waiting shield, causing the overall piece of equipment to heat- both inside and out. Unfortunately, a few lines of fire subsequently scraped and scratched Cher¡¯s exposed legs and face, shaving off a fraction of her HP. Cher, who did not expect the sudden impact, grimaced slightly. She had taken numerous hits from Hina¡¯s magic plenty of times in the past, but this was the first time she had been hit so squarely with that much amount of force. The impact alone pushed her a couple of steps back, but luckily her stance did not crumble. Barely recovering, through the slit of her squinting eyes, she glared daggers at Satou. Once again, the man had changed directions mid sprint. This time, his aim was the newly created gap between the other girls and Cher. Cher would not make it in time. She knew this, but still, she sprinted after him. As Satou approached, his smile only grew wider. Reflected only in his eyes was Hina¡¯s exposed figure. In his mad frenzy, he did not even register the other two girls besides her. Unfortunately for him, this was a fatal mistake. Intercepting Satou¡¯s approach, someone else stepped forward. It was neither a fireball nor magic, instead, it was a poorly crafted wooden sword that suddenly swung forward. The former library committee- Emiko¡¯s strike aimed directly at Satou¡¯s exposed neck. In other words, it was a strike with the full intention of murder. The wooden sword briefly flashed before Satou¡¯s eyes just as another micro-emotion of annoyance flashed across his face. ¡°DON¡¯T GET IN MY WAY!¡± A sudden yell sprouted from his throat. His feet came to a sliding stop, just as he twisted his body to the side, forcing the once dangling sword by his waist into action. It sliced cleanly through the dark night before forcibly colliding with the approaching boken. ¡°Guh-¡± A groan of pain followed the numbing sensation in Emiko¡¯s arms just as her figure was blown back by about 5 meters in distance. As she staggered to get her bearings, it would only be after some time that she realized that the attack just now had completely severed the base of her wooden sword. From where it had hit, melted wood and the smell of saltric acid wafted forth. Seeing this, Emiko¡¯s face paled as she unconsciously imagined herself being at the brunt end of that slash. ¡°Damn, woman,¡± Satou growled in a low voice as he fixed his bent posture. ¡°You think a crap toy like that can withstand my intermediate level skill?¡± He mockingly questioned, just a he turned his attention once more to his original prey. Unfortunately for him though, the brief distraction caused by Emiko¡¯s interference was more than enough for the other girls. A torrent of attacks. Tactics and formations forged through weeks¡¯ worth of practice and perseverance all aimed towards Satou¡¯s unaware and exposed figure. The first was a torrent of magic- a wall of darkness that surged towards him. He could do little but cover his arms in a vain attempt to block. His eyes widened slightly as the force from the pseudo-water swept him off his feet and pushed him back a good meter or two towards Cher¡¯s rushing figure. Cher, who by this point, was cloaked in a thin layer of [Blue Gemini], rushed towards Satou. Satou casted a brief sideways glance towards her, but could do little in the face of the dark matter that covered his entire body. Cher once again activated [Shield Bash], and with no hesitation whatsoever, dove directly into the darkness, and impacted Satou squarely in his chest. The onset of [Dark Gemini] was canceled out by the thin layer of [Blue Gemini] cloaking Cher¡¯s figure. It lasted long enough for Cher to push herself out from the other side of the wall of black gelatinous fluid. As a result though, the [Blue Gemini] that previously cloaked her body had all but evaporated, canceled out by its dark counterpart. On the receiving end of her attack, Satou¡¯s figure was hurled once more into the air. He flew a good 6 meters or so, before he came tumbling to a stop by the feet of a fellow underling. The annoyed grimace on his face from previously had full on morphed into one of seething rage and absolute blood lust, but before he could redirect all this aggression, another attack flew towards him. A familiar ball of fire. Satou desperately rolled to the left, but the fire, like previously, changed directions and chased him like a homing missile. He continued to haphazardly dodge while rolling on the floor. He did not even have the moment¡¯s luxury of standing up. He fared fairly well for a few seconds, weaving in and out of harm¡¯s way with overactive movements, before another ball of fire flew towards him. Then another. and another. In total, 6 fireballs pursued him with utmost accuracy. The magic flew at him from all sides, seemingly trapping him in place. He was only able to escape by rolling behind a nearby underling and using his drooly mouthed figure as a meat shield. The six balls of heat all hit the man at the same time. Instantaneously, several 3rd degree burns scarred themselves onto his pale skin. Those red shot, vague and lifeless eyes momentarily squinted, as his diminutive mind barely registered what just happened. Without so much a scream of pain or an agonized grimace, the cannibal limply fell to the floor, leaving behind a resounding thud which filled the room deafeningly. Of course the man wasn¡¯t dead. Although his situation was indeed critical, with numerous life threatening burns all over his body, the cannibal had somehow managed to retain his life, albeit painfully. Whether this was due to pure chance or by the grace of the caster, that remains to be seen. Satou coldly looked down at the half dead man before his instantly sword blurred. In an instant, the man¡¯s head rolled helplessly on the floor, while an absentminded mutter escaped from Satou¡¯s throat. ¡°... I can¡¯t just let the experience fly away now, can I?¡± Seeing this gruesome sight, the girls recoiled backwards in disgust and a slight sense of fear. Hina once again reaffirmed her original thought that Satou had long since stopped being human while Cher was reminded of what she had narrowly escaped from. In contrast to the other two¡¯s expressions, Cielle¡¯s face was masked in slight confusion. Her mind had been caught on a particular instant from a few moment¡¯s prior. A scene that kept replaying in her mind over and over again. A scene she had previously believed to be impossible. She could not wait any longer, and, spurred by curiosity, she shot a ball of [Black Gemini] towards Satou once again. The attack came so suddenly, and so quickly, that Satou could not even put up his hands in weak resistance, let alone dodge. The ball of gelatinous darkness hit him squarely in the face, reflexively causing him to shut his eyes in surprise. ¡°...¡± ¡°....¡± After a few seconds of silence, Satou cautiously opened his previously shut eyes. He glared questioningly at the source of the sudden attack before saying, ¡°What the hell was that?¡± Stolen novel; please report. Glancing over at Satou¡¯s unharmed figure, Cielle let loose a bitter frown as she confirmed her previous theory. Somehow or the other, [Black Gemini] did not work on the mad man. Satou himself shrugged nonchalantly as he once again began to saunter over. His mouth was still curved into a slight frown, as he could not help but ask, ¡°That previous attack¡­ it kind of irritated, but what the hell was it supposed to do?¡± Cielle did not bother asking, instead she exchanged a glance with Hina and Cher, who both fully understood the implications of what just took place. Unbeknownst to the three of them, the poisonous effects of long exposure from the Elite Wisp had long since deteriorated Satou¡¯s sense of pain. In addition to that, such things as hearing, eyesight, as well as taste were now well below the average person¡¯s capacity. For the current Satou, even if he were to survive this night, a life of numb sensation and repressed emotion was all that awaited him. Hina and Cher corrected their posture once again, their eyes never once leaving Satou. Cielle did the same, although this time, she stood considerably away from the other two, and was now slightly closer to the President and his group¡¯s half conscious figures. Satou, who''s had already began marching forward was still hell bent on attacking. Although unfortunately, he had learned his lesson, and with an authoritative voice, yelled, ¡°Oi! You Bastards!¡± He was not screaming at the girls in front of him, but rather at the remaining underlings behind him, who, up until now, had merely stood there, with half comatose expressions on their faces. ¡°Stop standing around and attack!¡± At first, the bloodshot men and women did not react to his words. Seeing this, Satou let loose an irritated sigh, before restating, ¡°I¡¯ll give whoever does the best a wiff of the or-¡± ¡°¡°¡°OOOOOOOHHHHH!¡±¡±¡± Without even being able to finish his remark, the people behind him instantly roared into life. Those once lifeless eyes flashed with unnatural desire as their bodies flew forward. Satou, in response flashed a bloodthirsty smirk as he waited calmly behind the suddenly attacking 6 underlings. He even had the leisure to let loose a carefree remark such as, ¡°Don¡¯t kill them though~ I still want the experience¡­¡± Upon the sight of rushing bodies, Cher was the first to pale. She was fairly confident that she could block one, two, maybe three half crazed cannibals, but against a total of six, the job was considerably more difficult. Although those ghoul like expressions did not indicate it, the six people before her still had a semblance of human intellect, making the upcoming fight much more difficult than dealing with a herd of monsters. It would be an easy enough thing for three to four of them to keep her occupied while the remaining enemies slipt passed her and rushed onto Hina and Cielle behind. She gulped tensely, before Cher received the closest Cannibal with the brunt of her shield. She pushed the pale faced man with a thrust of her large shield, just in time as another bloodshot cannibal replaced him. Cher slightly eased on the grip on her shield, momentarily pulling the buckle closer to her body, before she immediately pushed back. The sudden action caused the receiving cannibal to fly off a good meter or so, hitting two of the remaining Cannibals behind. She took a shaky breathe to reassess her situation, just as a barrage of fireballs flew from behind her and rushed the horde of people. 12 balls of searing heat, aimed and hit the 6 Cannibals. The subsequent impact alone was enough to blow most of them another 3 meters back. Cher watched this with nervous eyes. Although the scene of a dozen balls of light and heat flying in the sky was both majestic and terrifying, she was one of the people most familiar with Hina¡¯s limit. At Hina¡¯s current level, she could conjure up a total of 50 fireballs. Due to her constant usage of [Pyrokinesis], that amount is considerably reduced. Probably around 25 to 30 were Hina¡¯s current limit, and so far, she had already launched 20 fireballs. The constant concern for her ally¡¯s remaining mana filled Cher¡¯s mind even as she watched the state of carnage before her. But just as suddenly as this thought popped presented itself, it quickly vanished at the sight of the six charred bodies rising up to their feet as if nothing had happened. Six pairs of bloodthirsty eyes glowed menacingly at her as the began to march over once more. Their bodies so dry and covered with burns that their was not enough liquid in their bodies to drool, still continued moving. A few of them limped, scraping a blood knee or roasted foot across the Cafeteria floor, while the others had skins as dark as the night sky. They looked to be dead, but as expected, they were not dead. Even during such a situation, Hina had still hesitated to kill, leaving behind critical injuries that would normally require months of medical treatment. Nevertheless, ignoring their levels of injury, the obsessed men and women kept moving forward. Only a singular desire filled their thoughts, and that was to further spur on their growing addiction. From behind those roasted bodies, Satou coldly grinned. His hands entered his pocket to feel the cold surface of the long desired addiction while he watched on as his subordinates mindlessly began their attack once more. From the spot reserved only for the commander of a battle, he surveyed the battlefield with a nonchalant expression on his face. Cher, the surprisingly resilient girl, was holding back the zombie-like pieces of charcoal, while the other girl- the one who conjured fire, had been constantly moving backwards, increasing the total distance between her and the Cannibals. Occasionally, she would shoot out another ball of fire, as both a warning and retaliation. Satou counted a total of four. She had fired off four more of her special magic since that dozen ball attack from previously. As Satou continued to survey the scene, he noticed that the other girl, the one who controlled the rather useless magic was gone. Somehow, she had slipt away from the other two in the middle of the confusion. While her sudden disappearance did cause him to worry slightly, that worry just as quickly dissipated as he remembered her previous display of magic. It was useless. A completely useless attack that did absolutely nothing to him. The last one too, the President¡¯s underling, was out of sight as well. Considering how weak she had been when they exchanged blows, he did not worry in the slightest. To him, he did not even acknowledge the girl¡¯s existence. Satou had half convinced himself that the other girls- the ones who disappeared from the battlefield- were not a threat as he turned his attention back onto the battlefield. He saw Cher¡¯s figure being overrun by a mob of 4. The sight of her pale and panicked face brought delight to Satou. It was at this time that he decided to take action. He placed a hand in a pocket- a different pocket than the one that held the Elite Wisp- as he began to sprint forward. His words parted softly to wordlessly spell out the phrase, ¡°Magic Clad¡±, while his figure weaved in between the mess of charcoaled limbs and desperate drooling faces. His grip on whatever he had in his pocket tightened, as he reached the front of the battle in no time. ¡°Yo!¡± He suddenly yelled loudly from in front of Cher¡¯s large shield. Cher jumped slightly at the unexpected noise. Her eyes paled at the sight of him, just as Satou¡¯s sword blurred and came crashing down at the base of her shield. The sword skimmed the surface of the shield, leaving behind an indention, which quickly began to boil and fester as Satou¡¯s magic instantly began to activate. Satou smirked inwardly upon seeing the familiar sight. The skill that had been his constant companion throughout the mess had once again shown its prowess.The familiar smell of saltric acid filled his nose, just as he prepared to strike again. With one hand still in his pocket, and the other still fiercely gripping his sword handle, he slashed out once more. The similar indentation produced by the 2nd slash was already boiling and festering, causing Cher¡¯s expression to instantly darken. Seeing its effects, she was wrought with indecision as to whether to abandon her shield or not. Satou¡¯s smirk only continued to grow wider as he began to rain down blow after blow of acidic slashes. [Magic Clad: Acid]. This was the name of the skill that Satou treasured the most. As it name implies, the skill envelopes his weapon in a magical layer of acid, producing the dangerous and deadly effect of corrosion. Satou, who had risen the skill level to intermediate level 3 held a weapon that could destroy almost anything with a single strike. To this day, he had not met anything that he could not corrode with his acid, and he once again reaffirmed that sense of superiority during this current exchange. ¡°HAhahAhaHa!¡± He cackled maniacally in between his strikes. ¡°Oi, oi, What¡¯s wrong Cher? You can¡¯t possibly be done with just this much! Struggle some more! Fight back! Laugh! Cry! SCREAM!¡± He pulled his sword behind his body, before unleashing another strike, this one was filled with the energy of his rotating hips and funnelled by the power of centrifugal force. The strike slashed out from the bottom and curved upwards, shaving off the top half of Cher¡¯s already badly damaged shield, and exposing Cher¡¯s frightened expression and tear struck eyes, much to Satou¡¯s delight. He once again slashed out, this time, fully aiming at Cher¡¯s exposed neck. Luckily, Cher was able to dodge, jumping back immediately the moment a part of her shield had been slashed off. She panted heavily, as she glanced fearfully at the sauntering man. The pack of Cannibals, that had been barely distracted with Hina¡¯s use of [Pyrokinesis] were slowly, but surely approaching. Cher¡¯s face was contorted into a despair filled grimace as her eyes darted briefly behind her. In her pale eyes, Hina¡¯s equally as vexed expression seared themselves into her retina, before she turned back around to face Satou. For the briefest moment, she hesitated. She thought about giving up. About groveling at his feet and surrendering. About asking for mercy, begging for her life. She thought about throwing away her pride, just like in the past. [If it¡¯s to survive, then I can do anything] That type of thought filled her head, but was quickly replaced by another, more gruesome picture. The image of her dying at the hands of Satou¡¯s skill. This image prompted the thought of suicide. Killing herself before the man could get her hands on her. Dying painlessly rather than dying a cruel and pain filled death at the hands of slow corrosive acid. Self inflicted death would surely be more pleasant than death throw melting flesh, she reasoned. She thought about all these things, but the sudden flash of a certain person¡¯s face across her panicked mind instantly brought her back from her growing despair. She breathed out a frightened, but determined sigh, before she threw the corroding shield at her feet. At this point, that wooden piece of defense had long become riddled with holes and its durability reaching near zero. Using it any further would only risk contaminating herself with the acid. Bringing her remaining shield in front of her, she felt more exposed than ever. What made it even worse was that her remaining shield- Edge Shield, was one designed for attack. It was light and small, and in the face of Satou¡¯s sword and skill combo, it would not last long. Cher assessed her situation, which instantly brought her determination back down near depression. The approaching Cannibals, Satou¡¯s slow gaunt, and the defenseless Hina behind her. Suffice to say, the situation was not good. Rather, it was near impossible. Just as Cher¡¯s mind risked falling into despair once more, a sudden development occurred. From the side, a figure suddenly came dashing forward. Swoosh! With a singular strike, a Cannibal was instantly killed. The hollow faced man¡¯s HP drained immediately to zero, leaving behind a set of hollow eyes and a newly formed sword wound. The sudden interruption brought a brief lull in Satou¡¯s overflowing bloodlust, causing the madman to turn slightly to face the new intruder. ¡°Satou! You Bastard!¡± A rough and growling voice resonated from the figure¡¯s throat, just as he sent Satou a look of murder. The new figure, panting and wielding an obsidian sword as black as the night approached, killing intent practically surging out from him with every step he took. An expression of determination and finality. A look that conveyed his everybit of intention in killing the man he so desperately wanted to kill. That man¡¯s identity was Kaibara Hokusei. The student council president. **** Author''s Note: If you liked this chapter, or this story in general, please rate or review. I appreciate it. Chapter 69: A Fight with your Life on the Line Part 2 A Fight with your Life on the Line Part 2 Hokusei¡¯s throat screamed horsely in bitter resentment. He yanked roughly on his newly stained sword, freeing it from the lifeless corpse that toppled beneath his feet. His gaze swept past the 5 remaining Cannibals, before he stared directly towards Satou. The disgustingly familiar face was about 30 feet away from him. Those bloodstained eyes were curved into sinister crescents, while the mouth that had been sullied with human blood sported a carefree smirk. Urged by Hokusei¡¯s recent cry, Satou threw a momentary glance towards the desperate man. The two of them briefly met eyes. Upon contact, Hokusei growled a primal roar, his eyes surging with rage. In contrast, Satou looked on coldly, his expression displaying a sense of callous indifference, although under that guise was a twinkling insanity that festered on the madness around him. Satou smirked coldly before he broke the fleeting moment of transparency. He turned back around to face his current opponent- a wide eyed, and all too obviously fear filled redheaded girl. In his eyes, the girl¡¯s remaining shield posed little threat, but he found it fascinating- Cher was perfect in his eyes. Ripping up, tearing, crushing, and finally killing people was fun, but in order to truly enhance the experience, one needed the perfect¡­ prey. Cher was the perfect prey. Without so much as another parting glance, Satou completely blocked out Hokusei¡¯s existence within his mind. In the face of this display of callous disregard, Hokusei¡¯s blood boiled. His eyes seethed red in rage while he prepared to charge at the smirking man. Unfortunately, his intent was not realized. The remaining cannibals, whether it be in response to their dead comrade, or the obvious shift in their Boss¡¯s mood, all focused their current attention to him. Their eyes glowed red in blood lust, as they sauntered over. Their canines were bared wide in hunger and sharpened with killing intent. Hokusei bitterly grimaced. His previous running start, had come to an abrupt screeching halt. He looked on bitterly at the approaching enemies, fully aware of his body¡¯s current condition. He braced for the coming assault, just as the first Cannibal lunged at him. *** As if an unspoken command had been uttered, throughout the whole battlefield - the fighting had split into two main group. One group was Satou and Cher. They flitted around and danced wildly in the open space, a dangerous game of cat and mouse in the process. At first glance, it looked like an even battle- both sides exchanging glances while at the same time, counterattacking. In truth, it was a one sided assault. Rather than battle, it was more like Satou was playing with Cher. His sword danced wildly, seemingly without direction, but close enough to warrant danger to Cher. Her shield occasionally struck metal, but most of her attention was focused on dodging. Without even realizing it, her body was being controlled and maneuvered, like a puppet, whose strings danced to the whim of its puppeteer. Their battle carried them all the way over to the other side of the room, to an open space close to where the Library entrance was located. On the other side of the room, was a sole figure resisting fiercely under the brunt of the combined strength of 5 delirious and crazed Cannibals. Hokusei weaved in and out of clawing arms and chopping teeth as he struggled both to maintain his strength and prevent his lethargic body from toppling over due to collected fatigue. His body grew continually weaker and weaker, the effects of a certain magic skill already wearing off. Under the thin piece of fabric that poorly masked his face and mouth, Satou gritted his teeth, determination his only stepping stone in this life threatening battle. In between the Cannibal group and Satou, Hina stood in the middle, both unable and undecided. Her current mana supply limited her attack potential, while at the same time, she was mentally torn over the clearly struggling and physically fatigued President and Cher- who could only frantically dodge in fear under the pressure of Satou¡¯s mad attacks. Her inability caused her much anguish as she resentfully bit her lip while her eyes scanned both battles simultaneously. After much hesitation all within the span of 3 seconds, she dashed off, towards the sound of hungry moans and the grinding of burnt flesh. **** Staggering back, Hokusei barely dodged an open set of canines that had been aimed towards his throat. Even before he could breath out in relief though, another Cannibal lunged at him, this time, its hands held open in claw formation, revealing a set of badly maintained nails that had been sharpened to a dangerous point. He clumsily sidestepped out of harm''s way, just as his sword blurred, and he launched a desperate counterattack. Swoosh! The sound of flesh against metal confirmed his success. His slash severed the left wrist of a cannibal, but the half-monster, half-man barely registered the pain, and instead merely continued its endless string of attacks. A swipe here, a lunge there, a set of bleeding gums in front, claws at the back, an oddly bent kick at the side- slowly but surely the lone Hokusei was being overwhelmed under their combined might. Without their primal sense of preservation guiding their minds, the cannibals were able to focus all out in attack, much to the anguish of the President. He struggled desperately, fighting through the ever growing sluggish feeling in his body while his eyes scanned tersely for any opportunity. His decreasing stamina, the growing feeling of lethargy, even the onset of blurry vision that had begun to overtake him¡­ he did not want to face reality, but he knew that Cielle¡¯s earlier magic skill had begun to wear off. While it was an unfortunate realization, he could not help but recall the incident from a few moments ago. The incident, and the individual who had restored his strength in the first place. About the familiar girl who had given him the chance to fight. **** While Cher and Hina fought, Cielle ran through the cafeteria, past moaning cubicles and half conscious students, she ran until she saw a familiar face from childhood. Brief memories surfaced, the type she would have rather forgotten, but she forced those all down as she focused on her current situation. Her moving feet came to an abrupt stop as she reached the familiar face. The barely conscious figure of a bespectacled youth lay sprawled along the floor. Besides him were other people- a collection of 2 individuals who showed no further signs of movement. Hokusei¡¯s hazy mind barely acknowledged the new presence besides him. Through slit eyes and a screen of haze, he made out the familiar face of a stoic girl, whose reddened cheeks and panting expression felt out of place with the images in his memory. It was Cielle. Her sudden appearance had brought on confusion, but also a lingering sense of relief. The first thing that popped in his mind was an apology. Images from his past surfaced. Memories, more fragments really. Of a boy, of two girls. An old elementary school, friends, enemies, childhood stupidity. Bits and pieces that filled his heart with regret and unabashed shame. At first, Hokusei wanted to talk to her. He wanted to apologize, to say a greeting, to make conversation. He wanted to do trivial things, but almost instantly, his mind refocused on the current situation. The fire that loomed in the darkness in front of him brought on an onslaught of different questions. What was the current situation like? Who was fighting right now? Was Hide here? Was Hina here? Was Hina in danger? He wanted to ask, but couldn¡¯t. His body simply refused to obey. His mouth simply refused to move. He could only lie there, in a pool of his own delusion and angst as he struggled to sort out his own feelings and talk. Instead, he opted to listen. With barely functioning ears, he tried to make out the words Cielle was currently mumbling. ¡°... trouble¡­. Won¡¯t last long¡­. help¡­¡± The softer than snow voice came off as broken and choppy in Hokusei¡¯s hazed mind. He could only wonder as to what her real intent was. ¡°..ue.. mini¡­ eal¡­¡± Cielle¡¯s soft exchange of words continued for a while before they abruptly faded into the darkness. Instead, taking their place was a blob of blue that suddenly floated out from Cielle¡¯s opened palm. The magic lingered there for a moment, floating freely in the air besides her, before it darted forward. The light blue mass of semi-liquid flew and enveloped the whole of Hokusei¡¯s body. Cielle waited expectantly for the familiar process to start. For the mass of blue to melt into his body and fix whatever illness was bothering him. Instead, Cielle¡¯s hopeful expression was eventually crushed, as the mass of blue stayed stubbornly ontop of him, like a layer of dead skin that simply refused to fall off. In a fit of frustration, Cielle recalled the mass of blue back besides her. Cielle¡¯s expression which morphed into an unsatisfied pout, quickly disappeared just as the magic before her slowly dissipated into the air around her. She then pondered for a while, recalling and thinking what to do. The brief thought of, ¡°What would Hide do?¡± popped into her mind, before it was instantly replaced by a sudden twinge of memory and the slight touch of inspiration. She knelt down besides Hokusei¡¯s prone body. The brief instant of hesitation was painfully obvious, but she acted as if nothing had happened as she stretched her open palms out towards his chest, like a priest getting ready to give his blessing. Hokusei watched the following process. After a few seconds of agonizingly long silence, a faint white light illuminated his body. He felt strength return to his veins. It was slow at first, merely a trickle of power in an ocean of helplessness, but slowly and surely, his strength flowed with increasing vigor. The process was unexpectedly tiresome to Cielle, and took a fair bit amount of time (almost over a minute). She reasoned that this was due to the neglect of this particularly forgotten skill, but nonetheless, it was the only arsenal available in her pocket. Before long, Hokusei regained enough strength to sit up without much difficulty. His skin retained a healthier shade of pale scarlet, while his once blurry vision had lightened. Despite these improvements though, he had not made a full recovery. Obvious signs of the Wisp¡¯s effects were still present, but his condition was noticeably better than before. A fraction- maybe about half of his total strength had recovered. Regardless of the drawbacks, he was nonetheless immensely thankful. The person before him was like a benevolent angel who had given him the strength to fight. A magnificent sage who had restored his body and will. He looked up at Cielle with widened eyes. His first instinct was to thank the girl, but under the pressure of her unchanging- almost hypnotic stare, any such intentions quickly crumbled and he reflexively looked away. After a brief moment¡¯s hesitation, he was able to straighten himself out and observe the current situation. Reinforcements had shown up, but the situation had taken a dire turn of events. Hide was nowhere to be seen, a shield wielding girl- one whom he easily recognized, was currently fighting Satou, and all around them, spires of flame floated endlessly, while 6 or so charred black monstrosities roamed and attacked. Glancing around, he was shocked to discover that Hina was also there, near the back and had a look of extreme concentration plastered on her face. The scene before him prompted him to immediately stand and filled his mind with the intention to help. The moment he steadied himself on his two feet though, his knees instantly buckled, and he was once again brought down to the ground. He grimaced scornfully, directing unhinged anger at his own weakness. Although Cielle had healed him, he fully understood, with both his mind and body, that he hadn¡¯t fully recovered. Yet, that did not stop him. He once again stood, this time steadily supporting himself with the base of his sword. As Hokusei rewrapped a piece of thin fabric around his face, he glanced down at his friends. One of them had unfortunately died, but the remaining two were still alive- albeit in a state of physical deterioration. He glanced back up at Cielle, wondering whether or not she could heal them. When he did, it was only then that he noticed that Cielle wasn¡¯t alone. Besides her, Emiko stood with a piece of fabric over her thinly expression. He exchanged glances with her, momentarily overcome with joy that she was still alive before he refocused, and glanced back down on Cielle. After a moment¡¯s hesitation, he finally asked, ¡°Um¡­ Cielle, could you heal these guys as well?¡± He indicated at his fallen party members. Cielle looked at them for a moment, before she brusquely nodded. Seeing her agreement, Hokusei¡¯s tight expression sighed in relief. Immediately afterwards, he began a one sided conversation. ¡°Things aren¡¯t looking to well out there.¡± He said, glancing out into the battle. ¡° That girl and Hina will eventually be overwhelmed if things keep progressing like this. That¡¯s why, I¡¯ll go to help. But, um, if it¡¯s not too much of a bother¡­ Cielle, can I also ask you to heal an additional person?¡± Cielle looked up from her current process of healing, and stared directly at Hokusei. After a moment¡¯s silence which lasted not even a fraction of a second, she finally nodded, agreeing. Hokusei¡¯s expression lightened once more, as he continued. He pointed to a certain corner of the cafeteria and said, ¡°Over there should be where Miki- our group¡¯s skill possessor is. She¡¯s probably knocked out right now, but we might need her power, so it would be good if you healed her, I mean, um¡­ if that¡¯s alright with you¡­¡± Without another word, Cielle once again nodded before she turned back around and continued healing healing Hokusei¡¯s friends. Her turned shoulder and obvious disregard for him was clearly obvious from her current mannerisms. ¡°Then,¡± Hokusei turned towards Emiko. ¡°Emiko, you stay with her and protect her. It would be bad if anything happens.¡± ¡°Y-yes! Leave it to me, President!¡± Emiko spouted out clumsily, her cheeks flaring up as she stared directly into the youth¡¯s serious expression. Sensing what Hokusei was about to do, Emiko then added, rather shyly, ¡°And¡­ um, P-President¡­¡± ¡°Yes?¡± He questioned gently, his back already turned back around to face the rest of the cafeteria. ¡°... Please be careful.¡± Hokusei momentarily turned to look over at Emiko, but did not say anything. After a brief moment, he refocused on the scene before him with a sigh. His breath still caught in his throat, his legs still wobbled, and his vision was still hazy, but he did not care. With a forced smile, Hokusei practically threw his body forward, and with a running start, entered the fray of flayed limbs and frenzied mouths. **** Back in real time, Hokusei was still locked in a battle with the cannibals. He had been battered, bit, and scratched at. The damage he had taken was not light at all, and as if to prove it, the crafted armor he wore was scratched and torn all over, with varying levels of blood stain across its plate. Fortunately though, not everything was bad. He had just managed to strike down another cannibal, just as 2 new shadows approached his back. At first, his tension rose as he began to expect the worst, but it quickly disappeared upon realizing who those two individuals were. His friends, people from his group. It was the teacher and the remaining twin. Although their conditions weren¡¯t optimal, and the twin - Kathy Bernard- was suffering from emotional damage, it was still a huge relief to receive additional support. Hokusei¡¯s pale countenance which spoke much about his current condition, but seeing his friends joining in on the battle, new vigor and determination filled his spirit. In addition, he found a familiar face smudged up against the wall. Looking closely, a wash of mixed emotions overwhelmed him as he instantly recognized Hina¡¯s sweat plastered face. She looked over towards him, before a column of fire gushed out and practically incinerated a leg off a cannibal. Unfortunately, the cannibal shrugged it off and continued limping forward, but there was a new found sense of security in Hokusei, knowing that there was a strong ( and familiar) force behind his back. Hokusei¡¯s fight was smoothly progressing and his efforts were bearing fruit. On the other side of the room, a fierce battle was raging on. A single minded assault. A flurry of continues attacks. And endless torrent of bombardments confronted Cher as she twisted and turned, dodged and rolled. She expended her body to its fullest capabilities, all in the sole effort to avoid serious injury from Satou¡¯s blade. Her desperation intermingled with fear pushed her body beyond its normal limits. It was to the extent where she gained two new stats, [Flexibility], and [Kinesthesis]. Of course, she did not have time to enjoy this small pleasure since a moment¡¯s hesitation would lead to a stab to the side, or a jap to the eye. With Satou¡¯s full attention focused solely on her, and with no further assistance available from Hina, Cher¡¯s situation was not at all a light one. She knew her job well, as well as her current limits. She was incapable of killing him. It wasn¡¯t a matter of emotion or hesitation- if given the opportunity, Cher would have killed Satou twice over- it was a matter of physical limitations. She was simply overwhelmed by his ferocity and raw physical strength. She did not know what level Satou was at, but going by stats alone, his was greater by a wide margin. As such, her current job was to stall time. To survive long enough, until Hina and the rest finished off the cannibals, and together, they would bring an end to the mad man. She held this faint glimmer of hope, as she dodged and avoided every single attack. Throughout this battle, Cher had not suffered a single injury. In return though, her stamina was practically evaporating away, as she expended more and more limited energy. On the other side of this assault, Satou¡¯s confidence only continued to soar. Going into the battle, he was already fairly certain of his victory, but the longer and longer this battle dragged on, the greater his ego inflated. His strikes became bolder, more grandiose, as his mood eventually shifted from bloodthirsty battle to an amusing pastime. That¡¯s right, to Satou, this battle had turned into nothing more than a way to kill time. He slashed a wide arc in front of him, and just as he expected, Cher jumped far back, like a swerving toad. With a smirk, he removed a hand from his pocket, bringing out a collection of small tiny marbles. A bemused smile plastered on his face, he threw the marbles towards Cher¡¯s direction. His dexterity stat wasn¡¯t high, actually, it had barely increased from when he was level 1, but his goal was not accuracy nor precision, but simply chaos. A haphazard throw in her general direction sent the marbles sprawling across the sky and the floor. Cher¡¯s eyes widened in short surprise before she immediately jumped back and away from harm¡¯s way. In doing so, she allowed the thrown marbles to thunk uselessly on the floor. With narrow eyes, she watched as those same marbles melted the floor they landed on. A bitter grimace colors Cher¡¯s face as the image of her own melting body floats to her consciousness. From far ahead, Satou gloats triumphantly, as he fishes out another collection of marbles from his pocket. ¡°My skill¡¯s pretty great isn¡¯t it? It can even do convenient stuff like this~¡± He tosses the marbles once more. This time, Che fully anticipates the action, and side steps more than five feet away from her original position. The sweat on her face flies freely in the air as momentum and air whisks it away. ¡°Oi, oi, Stop dodgin¡¯! I won¡¯t be able to hear any screaming if none of these hit you!¡± He grabs another handful of marbles and dashes forward. His blade leads the charge, making the strike an easy enough attack for Cher to deflect or counter with her shield, but she does not do so. The fear of melting away her only weapon is too great of a feeling. Instead, she jumps uselessly out of the way, but Satou is relentless. ¡°[Magic Clad]!¡± He chants a short prayer before tossing the collection of marbles towards Cher¡¯s face. The distance between them, and Cher¡¯s current momentum is too great for her to dodge. As the marbles whistle through the air and towards her face, she makes a desperate ploy, and yanks the fabric clamped to her face upon instinct. She blocks the aimed marbles with the thin veil of cotton, before she drops the whole thing on to the floor with due haste. Just as quickly, the fabric melts away in a pool of acidic yellow. Beneath it, the floor also melts. She watches as the fabric corrodes away with vacant eyes. Strangely enough, while everything else around it melts, the marble itself is completely intact. Not a scratch upon its glistening surface. ¡°HaHAHAhA!¡± Satou¡¯s sharp cackle brings Cher¡¯s attention back to reality. She glances up at the distorted face, with its crescent eyes and ugly twisted scowl. ¡°Oi, what¡¯s wrong, what¡¯s wrong, Cher? Why haven¡¯t you been attacking?¡± Another slash. Cher barely avoids. Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. ¡°Come on, put some more damn spirit into this! You could die if you¡¯re not careful, you know?¡± Satou lunges out with his sword, while Cher, in response, twists her neck at an impossible angle and dodges by a hairsbreadth. Following up, Satou¡¯s empty palm rushes towards her face. The fear of melting, of her face falling off and corroding in a bubble of acid, moves Cher¡¯s body to react. Her neck cranes once again at an impossible angle, just as her feet kick out from underneath her, and hit Satou squarely in his chest, causing the man to stumble helplessly back. ¡°Guh-¡± A micro expression of a scowl surfaces on his face, just before it disappears, only to be replaced by that overconfident smirk of his. ¡°That¡¯s right, that¡¯s right. Make this interesting for me. It won¡¯t be fun if you don¡¯t struggle!¡± Cher tries to ignore him. She tries to block out his taunts, his jeers, his constant berating. Hearing his voice alone brings a cold shiver of fear in her mind. His voice reminds her too much of the past. Of her times spent in dreary starvation, in a classroom that smelled like piss, sweat, and blood. Dozens of marbles- wave upon wave fly endlessly in the air. The brief question of where does he fit all those marbles pops up in her mind, only to be subdued by the instinctual need to dodge. So that¡¯s what Cher does. She dodges. She dodges each marble, each sword thrust, even the occasional leg kick (for fear that Satou¡¯s shoes also held the ability to corrode concrete and melt flesh). She dodges with irate desperation. Of course, not everything is dodgeable. The constant flow of varied attacks and the strain on her mind play a big toll on Cher¡¯s ability. In the end, she can¡¯t help but block a stray sword slash, or an incoming marble. Slowly but surely, her shield corrodes away, worn down and destroyed by Satou¡¯s broken skill. Of course, it starts small at first. Hide¡¯s designed shield, as well as its system characteristics as a real weapon cause the corrosion to lessen, to slow almost to a crawl. But one strike, eventually becomes two. two becomes four, and four becomes eight. Each strike builds up and build upon the damage from the previous strike. Eventually, after blocking what felt like the 100th attack, Cher is forced to throw down her weapon. Now, she truly was defenseless. In the face of Satou¡¯s confident smirk she can only pale in fear. She noticed she has stopped sweating a while ago. She might have lost too much water, or the fluid she needed to sweat all congregated in her tear brimmed eyes. Cher did not know. She was too busy to think about useless things like that. For one, her attention never left Satou. A swirling darkness of bitter emotion, this time, the most palpable of them fear. The manifestation of all these dark and swirling thoughts was Satou. A man who confidently sauntered forward. Cher could do nothing but press her back against the wall. She did not even notice up until now that she had long since been cornered. ¡°Oi, oi, what¡¯s wrong Cher?¡± Another question. Another maniacal smirk. ¡°Are you already done? Are you already out of options?¡± Cher¡¯s eyes scan the cafeteria. From the distance, she could see Hina still battling it out with the remaining cannibals. There were still three of them left. She wondered why was it taking them so long? Why couldn¡¯t they hurry? The passing thought of how long had she been fighting flashed through her mind, only to be followed by a bitter realization. It had been less than 2 minutes. Cher could not stall for enough time. Cher had failed her job. ¡°You know Cher,¡± Satou lightly spoke, his face temporarily morphing into a thoughtful smile. ¡°In truth, I¡¯m actually quite surprised at your growth. Who knew you could get so¡­ so good in as less than 3 weeks. It¡¯s really quite surprising.¡± The mock compliment did not go to deaf ears, but for some reason, it only made Cher¡¯s growing anxiety increase. ¡°You¡¯ve gotten so strong, and I¡¯m happy. After all, if you¡¯re strong, that means you¡¯re somewhat of a high level right? I can¡¯t wait, your experience will be very delicious to devour. HAhahaAHha!¡± Satou licked his lips perversely as he stared at the end of his sword. He imagined an invisible dew drop falling off its tip and melting the floor beneath it. ¡°For a coward like you, this was quite a valiant effort.¡± Cher¡¯s eyes shake, he was only 5 paces away from her. ¡°For a weakling like you, this was quite an enviable struggle.¡± Her knees wobble, he was down to 3 paces. ¡°For your pathetic existence, death by me is a luxury y¡¯know?¡± Her shoulders tremble, he was at 2 paces. At 1 pace away from Cher, Satou¡¯s march abruptly stops. His smile morphs into a hideous smirk. ¡°For a backstabber like you, dying for your ¡°friends¡± is pretty hilarious, y¡¯know.¡± Her ears ring. Her eyes dilate. ¡°Betrayal is in your blood. The cafeteria, then my group, I¡¯m wondering whether or not given the opportunity, would you betray your current group as well?¡± ¡°....¡± ¡°Hahaha, I guess the issue with you though, isn¡¯t if, but rather when, am I right?¡± ¡°....¡± ¡°It¡¯s an interesting thing to think about. Someone like you, you¡¯d probably stab your friends if it meant you could live, right?¡± ¡°....¡± ¡°Afterall, that¡¯s what you are.¡± ¡°...p¡­¡± ¡°A backstabber.¡± ¡°...op¡­¡± ¡°A traitor.¡± ¡°...stop¡­¡± ¡°A betrayer.¡± ¡°STOP!¡± Cher¡¯s body suddenly bolts forward. Her eyes were not masked by the tinge of fear from before, instead, a blood red anger overcomes her. Her feet barely touched the ground before she was on top of him. Satou let out a surprised groan during the impact, just as his feet left the ground and he is hurled 5 feet into the air, before he crashed down on the tiled floor with a back breaking crack. He does not even have the opportunity to recover. His outstretched arms are held in place to the ground. A pair of dirt stained thighs pressing down on them, not allowing for any motion or resistance. Cher sits on top of his chest, a look of absolute rage masks her usual expression. She glowered menacingly at the person below her. The smirk that barely registers in her mind, sends her in a fit of fury. THUMP A fist comes crashing down. A crack resonates in her ears. Blood gushes out from a broken nose. The body below her jolts from the impact. ¡°Gufu-¡± Before he could let out a another word, another fist lands down. He feels a row of teeth shake and loosen. The metalic taste of blood so vibrant it makes him hungry. Another fist. This one opens up a cut directly below his right eye. A fist follows that one, opening up a bloody cut above his left eye. A mix of shame and unhindered fury overtake Cher¡¯s mind. Her hands move without her knowledge. Before long, they are stained red with blood- her own and his, but she does not stop. Continue. More, more, more. She was in constant motion, fist after fist, bone crunching sound after bone crunching sound. She did not stop. After a while, her barrage halted. She pants hard, and lowers her hands to look down at the person in front of her. Satou¡¯s battered face, barely recognizable through the thick veil of blood is smiling. One eye is so battered and bruised, he cannot see out of it, but he squints with the other. The hazy figure of the redhead above her only widens that smile. A set of canines, most of his teeth were missing, but he did not care. He continued to smile. After a while, a torrent of blood, wrenches out from Satou¡¯s parted mouth, it stains the floor beneath his head, and the blood slowly trickles outward, reaching all the way to his open palms. ¡°Haha¡­¡± A soft chuckle, as if he had heard a quiet joke at the library. ¡°HAhahahaHAHA¡± The soft chuckle turns into manic cackling. He continues to laugh, causing his whole body to vibrate. This only worsens the wounds on his face, but Satou does not care. The taste of his own blood exhilarates his mind. The laugh is annoying. The laugh is irritating. The laugh pisses Cher off. Her anger once again resurfaces, and before long, she finds herself punching him relentlessly. But the laughter does not stop. The torrent of cackling which completely dwarfs the pain filled moans and even the sound of her own heavy panting, is relentless and ever present. Even the usual squelching of battered flesh and cracking of broken bones does not register in her mind. Only the sensation. Only the sensation that whatever it was she beat on, was undoubtedly breaking. Yet, why does the laughter not stop? Cher keeps punching. Over and over. Over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over again. Her fists do not stop. They start to hurt, the knuckles bloated and bled, but she does not stop. Her wrists started to hurt, a soft stinging sensation indicating she was punching incorrectly, but still, they do not stop. Always, left, and right, left and right, a monotonous action filled with raw emotion. The anger that overtook her slowly makes way for a new type of emotion. As the laughter only grows louder, a sense of unease wells up within her. An uncertainty. Was she really killing this man? How long would it take? Why was he not dead yet? An unease, uncertainty, weariness, fear. These swirling emotions take control of her heart, and culminate in an abrupt silence. The laughter finally stopped. Yet Cher¡¯s fists do not. They keep moving. They keep hitting. Thud, thud, thud, squelch, thud. Broken bones and face matter. She is pretty sure splinters of bone are now stuck in her raw knuckles, but still those arms kept moving. Was he dead? Cher did not know, but something compelled her to keep hitting. Thud, thud, thud, thud, squelch, thud, thud, crack, thud, thud. Endless repetition, after what seemed like an eternity, her fists finally lift off. She glances down at the mess of red beneath her. She does not recognize it, but she confirms one thing as she continues to stare; He was still alive. A raspy noise echoes in his flared nostrils. A slightly parted mouth that oozes out blood breaths unsteadily in and out. It was amazing in a sense. This person, whose face does not look like a face, was still alive. It was an amazing display of human perseverance, but it only served to send a chill down Cher¡¯s spine. ¡°Uu-¡± A low rumble escapes from those barely recognizable lips. It causes Cher¡¯s shoulders to stiffen while her expression morphs into horrified shock. ¡°...ic¡­ ad¡± She could not make out the words it had spoken, but an unearthly premonition of primal fear takes over. In the next instant, an open palm grabs her right arm, sending a cold chill down her back. The hand that seizes her is stained and covered with blood, blood that oozed down from the Not-a-face¡¯s face and stained the floor underneath him. The same face makes a barely recognizable smirk, as it repeats, this time, in a much more audible voice, ¡°[Magic Clad],¡± Instantly, a piercing pain jolts throughout Cher¡¯s body. She screams, but the noise does not register in her ears. She knows, her body instinctively knows, her nervous system that¡¯s constantly overworking her pain receptors know- her arm is melting. She tries to free herself, jerking her arm up, but that only makes the pain worse. It only causes the blood- the acid to spread further out. She can¡¯t help but scream once more. Amidst that screaming, the laughter resumes. This time, a familiar cackle. One that doesn¡¯t even register in Cher¡¯s overloaded ears. Satou¡¯s grip on her arm tightens. It was then that Cher noticed that the acid had already eaten away the first layer of skin. It was now corroding her arm muscles. Satou¡¯s upper body jerks upward. He sits upright, while Cher feebly crumples at his lap, her arm spasming constantly. It pains her to realize, but she could no longer feel the fingers on her right hand. While all this is happening, Satou never once loosens his grip. Instead, he nonchalantly riffles through his pocket using his free hand, before pulling out a red vial. He downs the vial in an instant. The bloating in his face lessens, and he regained vision in his other eye. But he does not stop there. He pulls out another red vial. He gulps that down as well, his face now recognizable, albeit through a heavy veil of blood- his own and Cher¡¯s. Eventually, Satou pulls himself up and stands. He hauls Cher with him, pulling her up by the strands of flesh and muscle on her melting arm. He noticed that the corrosion is slow going. Despite taking a time that would have killed a normal person by now, the acid had only eaten away at half her upper arm. Satou shrugs this fact off. It did not matter how long it took. In the end, the result will still be the same. He incircles Cher¡¯s neck with his free arm, all the while maintaining the grip in his other hand. He begins to limp towards the center of the room. His gaze scans the cafeteria in an instant. He discovers that all of his underlings are dead. This irritates Satou- not because he cared for them, but because his exp was stolen. They were rightfully his. He had raised them, but someone else had taken them. It was so annoying, that he could not help but tighten his grip on her arm. By this point, he had reached bone. ¡°You should have killed me¡­¡± A raspy chuckle escapes his horse throat, only for it to whisper in Cher¡¯s ears. Despite that, he does not think for a second she heard him. Her screaming was simply too loud. A little further ahead, Hina, the President, and the others, were still a fair distance away, but they were making short work of that gap. Soon, they would be upon them. Satou had no choice but to use Cher as a hostage. In fact, that was his original plan. ¡°You should have killed me¡­¡± He repeats once more, this time for his own amusement. ¡°Why were you so weak? Those punches did not even hurt? Why did you not kill me?¡± He endlessly questions, but he knew he was not going to receive an answer. He knew, but he asked anyway. He was bored. Those punches from before felt like light taps. The only exhilaration he felt was the fresh taste of his own blood, but that too had faded. The acid is climbing up her arm now. In a little while, it will pass the elbow, and move further up to devour the rest of her body. Satou laughs dryly upon discovering this, but his limp forward does not stop. He soon sees Hina- that annoying flame conjuring girl. He sees her prepping her magic with a desperate look on her face. Satou reacts by tightening his grip on her neck, indicating full well the consequences of her actions. Hina hesitates. The person besides her - The President, also hesitates. ¡®I¡¯ll kill that girl¡¯ Satou thinks. ¡®I¡¯ll kill the fire magic girl first, then I¡¯ll kill the president. Afterwards, I can kill Cher, then everybody else in this room can follow.¡¯ He continues to step forward. The numbness in his body is clearly defined now. He can¡¯t even feel the floor beneath him. Yet, he does not stop. He shuffles his feet forward, intent on his goal. From the corner of his eye, he could see others. A group of six, arriving from the corner of the room. One of them was the other intruder- a girl with long black hair that covered most of her face. The other was the library committee member. He does not recognize the others, except for the girl with the wizard hat. That one was trouble. ¡°I¡¯ll kill them later,¡± He mumbles softly to himself. His throat was too tired to laugh, and his mouth hurt to smile. He continues walking, one step at a time, over towards Hina. He does not know how long these last few steps took him, and he does not care. There was no sense of urgency, only a feeling of eventuality. He looks up at the girl¡¯s expression once more, only to be surprised when he sees a set of saucer sized eyes. Her expression looked surprised. Why? Was she shocked to see how close I was to her? So close she was to her own death? Just then, he heard a quick set of taps- almost like footsteps- except they were getting louder and louder. He wanted to turn around to check, and that¡¯s what he attempted, but even before he could twist his neck, the distinct sound of metal against flesh filled his ears. **** Swoosh! ¡°... Eh?¡± A dumb sound leaked out from Satou¡¯s agape mouth just before the first lines of blood made themselves visible on his neck. In no time, those faint lines grew and surged forth, finally culminating in a flowing river of blood that seemingly gushed endlessly as the top half of Satou¡¯s neck began sliding to the left. Even without the confirmation given from the [Fatal Blow] window panel that appeared in front of my eyes, I could already tell that Satou¡¯s life, in this moment, at this instant, caused by my own direct actions, had ended. I did not feel regret, nor the burden of taking a life. It was all a physical experience. The act of moving my arm, the act of my dagger slashing through flesh, the act of [dissect] activating at that instant, it was as if the turmoil and mental anguish that I¡¯ve carried for these past few weeks were all for nothing. Killing was easy. Finally, after what felt like an excruciatingly long amount of time, his head toppled to the floor, leaving behind faint traces of blood upon impact. It rolled helplessly to the side, almost at the same instant when Satou¡¯s rigid, upright figure finally toppled forward, landing chest first into a pool of his own congregated blood. My body continued to move forward though, and I caught the falling Cher with outstretched hands. I made sure to avoid her melting arm though. The corrosion had already excelled to the point where bone was visible, and it only continued to spread. It had already reached her hand, and was now making its way up her right forearm. Eventually, it will pass the elbow and proceed to the main body. This scared me. I do not know what limit Satou¡¯s ability had. Will it continue to progress until it corroded everything? Will it actually ever stop? Does it even have a limit? These questions popped up in my head, and without hesitation, I took out a red vial from my back pocket. I set Cher¡¯s whimpering figure onto the cafeteria floor, just as I funneled the entire vial into her slightly parted lips. ¡°... It¡¯s no good¡­¡± After a while, I let out a dejected sigh. The potion only arbitrarily brought up her hp, but it did not stop the corrosion. In fact, as the corrosion continued, Cher¡¯s hp steadily decreased. I do not know what will kill her first, hp loss, or the corrosion. I pulled out another potion, this time, instead of oral intake, I directly spread the red substance onto her open wound. It did not work. A hissing sound resonated in my ears, as the red liquid evaporates upon contact with the acid. By the time I confirmed this second failure, Cielle reached my current location. Glancing up, I saw a heavily panting girl with flushed cheeks and messy, obsidian hair. Even before I could say anything, she had already conjured up a blob of [Blue Gemini], and soon after, it enclosed in on Cher¡¯s growing wound. It worked for a while. The corroded parts of her arm heal and repair for a short while, but in the end, it was a futile effort. The healed parts slowly damage again, and even blue gemini starts melting. The acid melted away Cielle¡¯s skill and we were once again back to square one. Cielle¡¯s expression paled horribly, while the person behind her- her sister, Hina - had tears running down her cheeks. Hina tried her own magic, [Lesser Heal], but in the end, it was even less effective than [Blue Gemini]. Our only option was gone. We could not rely on magic. As long as the acid remained, Cher would undoubtedly die. Honestly, the only reason why Cher wasn¡¯t dead yet was because of her high stats in resistance. That resistance was slowly crumbling. Soon the acid would eat up her entire arm, then her shoulders, eventually reaching her heart. Cher will die. If I do not do something, Cher will die. Then, in my mind, there was only one option left. Only one option available to us. Only one option I could think off. The dagger in my hand. Efhermet¡¯s Dagger. It was a tool meant for combat, but for now, it will do. I raised the blade slowly, its obsidian husk catching the light of the fluorescent bulbs. I stare at Cher for a moment. Her face was pale, her sweat glistened, and her expression contorted in pain. She was not screaming, she was only whimpering. Soft, almost imperceptible sounds that resembled that of a dying puppy. Without anymore hesitation, My blade dropped, [Dissect] activated, and Cher¡¯s arm severed at the elbow. Not even a scream came out of her mouth. Just a sad, soft, pain filled whimper. A whimper that died out within the darkness of this sparsely lit room. **** Author''s Note: Probably the longest chapter for this fic so far, hoped you guys liked it. If you liked the chapter, or this story in general, please rate/review. I appreciate it. Chapter 70: Aftermath Author''s Note: New chapter is out + in response to a majority of the comments from last chapter, out of fun, I made a poll. **** Aftermath I gazed down darkly at the redheaded girl in my arms. After the impromptu amputation, Cher had passed out- most likely from shock. Her face was as pale as a sheet of paper, and her forehead dripped down a dirty collection of grime, dirt, and sweat. Looking at her once more, I confirmed her new injury. The cut I made was clean slice, about 2 to 3 inches below her elbow. An overwhelming sea of red, around it, a vortex of white that threatened to consume everything around it. The bone had been so cleanly severed, that it was difficult at first glance to completely ascertain its original form. Aside from that, the 2nd most striking aspect of Cher¡¯s condition was the blood. Blood as red as the scarlet on a rose. A vibrant and vivid, heart pulsing sight that served as a stark contrast to the rust hued stains I long familiarized myself with. The red liquid was a constant flow. A red waterfall that dripped and dripped with precious life energy. As if in direct correlation, the more fluid escaped, the paler and weaker Cher¡¯s constitution appeared. Not even 30 seconds after my initial [Dissection], the very real fear of death by blood loss had already reared its fangs. My body was moving before I even had time to think. I tore free a long strip of fabric from my school uniform, and quickly made an impromptu tourniquet. I tied the piece of flimsy fabric so tightly to her thin arm that for a second, I could almost imagine her whole limb (or at least, what was left of it) going purple. The bleeding somewhat slowed down, but did not stop immediately. Fortunately, it was to the extent where I could now more clearly inspect the open wound without fear of obstruction. The wound itself was red and pulsed vibrantly with life. In this type of environment, something so fresh, so vulnerable, so utterly alive was an easy target for infection and disease. While injuries and wounds were somewhat manageable, disease was beyond me. Infection was truly a monster we were graced not to encounter. My first thought was cauterization. It might not be a pleasant experience for Cher, but a smallburn was in no way comparable to the risk of death. While my mind played with this rather gruesome idea, it was then that I finally took notice of the looming figures that had gathered besides me. the stress, and excess concern flooded my mind, it was then that I noticed the looming figures next to me.. A slight tap on my shoulder. My head hastily swiveled sideways, and my attention was brought to the solemn eyed and dark haired girl behind me. CIelle¡¯s look of palpable concern was the first thing I noticed. I looked blankly at her for a second, before the realization dawned on me.Cielle was a healer. In my haste to get here, I had fought through a swarm of belligerent and strangler monsters. With no rhyme nor reason, my mad dash, which had accumulated a myriad of victims, also greatly fatigued me. What¡¯s more, the combination of budding stress, gnawing concern, and mind numbing anxiety sort of left my mind a bit rattled. Forgetting such a crucial and innately familiar fact was proof of this. I chided myself briefly, before I asked, ¡°Cielle, can you-¡± Before I could even finish, Cielle was already nodding away as her magic activated. A pale blob of [Blue Gemini] activated, and soon it bobbed directly towards Cher¡¯s arm. I waited expectantly. A part of me believed that Cielle¡¯s ability might be able to regenerate a new arm, but a greater part of rejected that idea. Nothing in this life ever came easy, and it sure as hell wasn¡¯t going to start now. I waited, 5 seconds- 10 seconds, 20, 30, soon it passed one minute, but no new arm conveniently grew out from Cher¡¯s open wound. Instead, a different sort of ¡°healing¡± took place. over her stump, a new layer of skin, one with a hue of pinkish pale white, like the skin off of a newborn¡¯s exposed head, covered her open wound. Cher¡¯s hp quickly maxed out, and the pale new layer of skin stood as a testament, to the apparent ¡°success¡± of the healing magic. Unconsciously, I began tentatively touching her new skin. The flesh was soft, yet rather firm. At the same time, it felt undeniably delicate. As if a blade of grass could sever the whole thing in half. At the same time, I threw cautious glances over towards Cher¡¯s unconscious face. She showed no signs of reaction to my light prodding, which both worried and comforted me. The concern that she hadn¡¯t woken up, even after her hp was brought back from the brink of extermination worried my briefly, but after confirming my memory of the first day of the apocalypse with this current event, those worries quickly vanished. I believed that eventually, Cher would wake up. For now though, she needed the rest. On another account, I wondered why Cielle¡¯s skill hadn¡¯t regenerated a new arm. After some pondering, I came to the simple conclusion that it was a problem of limitation. Like how the human body can¡¯t regrow missing arms, [Blue Gemini] held a similar limit. The demand for such a feat was simply too much of a burden, either for the body, or for the skill, possibly both. It was an unfortunate discovery, but nonetheless, useful. At the very least, we discovered the extent of [Blue Gemini]¡¯s capabilities.. I forced myself to pry my eyes away from her stump, and briefly checked her status once more. I confirmed the status effects, [Shock] and [Anemia] were activated, but luckily, there weren''t¡¯ any, more life dangering ailments currently in effect. The important part was that Cher survived. Although I said that, glancing over at the pale faced girl whose lips were a delicate blue and whose eyelids fluttered in uncomfortable ache, well, my reassurances weren¡¯t so reassuring. I wanted to move Cher off of the dirty cafeteria floor, but an irrational fear overwhelmed me. What if I moved her too roughly and something wrong happened? I panicked at the thought, and instead, I settled with resting her head on my thighs. It was sort of like a lap pillow. No, actually, it was a lap pillow. It was an odd feeling, having a girl¡¯s delicate headrest, exposed on my lap. It was an odd feeling indeed, but strangely enough, I did not hate it. The reversed gender roles did not go unnoticed by the way. Cher¡¯s face somewhat softened after her head touched lap. Seeing that contorted forehead unclench, I couldn¡¯t help but let out a sigh of mild relief. After minutes of severe, teeth clenching tension, it was as if a wave of fatigue overloaded my body. My shoulders sagged, my eyelids dropped, and for the first time, I finally noticed the ache of my own body. The wounds- light scratches and small bruises- I incurred on my haste to get here throbbed in dull pain. it was unpleasant, but still somewhat bearable, in spite of things. It was during this brief respite that my vision wandered for the first time. The first person I noticed was Cielle. She was standing up, looking slightly over me. Her expression was unreadable, the pale panic from before had faded away some time ago, but still, she stood by, like a mother hen vigilantly protecting her chicks. Her eyes were constantly glued to Cher¡¯s worthless expression. They stared, almost glared, fiercely, a look of dubious consternation was evident in that monotone expression of hers. It made me slightly jubail to see Cielle so worried about our injured teammate. A few paces away from her, I also noticed her sister. Hina stood stock still, like a faintly vibrating statue. Her shoulders were visibly trembling, as if a massive cold front had suddenly swept across the room, and chilled her very core to ice. Her expression was also a sight for sore eyes. Thin, pale, and ghastly, I could make out her slightly redenned eyes behind the pair of porcelain white fingers which covered most of her face. I was out of earshot, but I heard a quiet, almost mournful murmuring coming from her. I wasn¡¯t here for the majority of the part, so I don¡¯t quite know the details, but seeing her current state filled me with a sense of odd unease. I vowed deep in my head to bring the topic up once the situation was all cleared and danger was confirmed to be suppressed. After a quick evaluation of Hina¡¯s disheartening demeanor, my gaze once again shifted. Unexpectedly, I saw an oddly familiar silhouette. Kido. The guy with a harem, Kido what¡¯s-his-name was currently limping over towards our direction. He was accompanied by a party which consisted of himself, the other, vaguely familiar girls from his ¡®harem¡¯ and another female, presumably a new addition to his growing collection. God can only wonder how this guy managed to snag another girl in this type of situation, but that wasn¡¯t really important right now. The new girl, was someone of rather medium stature. Her eyes were slightly slanted, and as expected, she could be classified as ¡°cute¡±. What was striking about her, aside from her semi-erotic painting, was the wizard hat that adorned her head. Before I could say or do anything regarding the approaching party, a blood stained, and sweat drenched shirt obscured my vision. For a dull moment, I stared blankly at the new person¡¯s flat chest, a canvas of dirt white, before my eyes shifted upwards, and I glanced up at the President¡¯s face. ¡°H-...How is it?¡± He asked, a hint of timidness in his voice. ¡°... It could have been worse.¡± I replied back in a soft whisper. I was almost afraid of waking Cher up. ¡°At least¡­ I was able to stop the acid from spreading too far up her arm¡­ yeah, it could have been worse. Much worse.¡± He nodded, before sighing in a terribly exaggerated manner. The ache in his eyes hurt me.¡°Damn¡­I¡¯m sorry.¡± He spoke as if it were directly his fault. ¡°She- you, the both of you look like Hell.¡± ¡°Both?¡± I asked, my voice rising in a confused tenor. ¡°Yeah¡­Although you don¡¯t look as bad as her¡± - he indicated to Cher - ¡°You¡­ you look like shit.¡± His voice was like a dull ringing that floated endlessly somewhere in my stream of consciousness. It took me a while to register what he had actually spoken, before unexpectedly, a dry chuckle escaped my horse throat. My eyes swept across the room. In one fleeting gaze, the blood along the floor, the dead corpses, the destroyed partitions, the anguished victims, grieving survivors, all of it, I took in. The conclusion of tonight¡¯s battle was a toll heavier than anything I¡¯ve witnessed since the start of the apocalypse. ¡°Ha~¡± I sighed. My eyes found themselves staring back up at the president once more. ¡° I¡¯m pretty sure we all look terrible right now.¡± I had noticed beforehand that, like the rest of the cafeteria group, the president was struggling just to maintain an upright position. ¡°... How many people did we lose?¡± He bitterly bit his lower lip as his head hung down. His eyes stared down at a reflection created by a pool of crimson red beneath his feet. A pool of blood created by Satou¡¯s own body. ¡°We¡­ about 10 people give or take. Also¡­¡± His gaze swept over to one of his friends, one of the twins. ¡°Virgil was killed in the process¡­¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± For a moment, I felt bad about not knowing the twin¡¯s name. That feeling passed quickly just as my gaze stared off into the distance. A lapse of comfortable silence soon took hold. I don¡¯t know how much time passed. It could have been an hour, it could have been 1 second, but the silence was broken by an abrupt voice. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± It was the president. ¡°I should have known¡­ I wasn¡¯t prepared. I knew he was going to do something, but¡­ but¡­ because of me, a lot of people died. Virgil died, Cher lost her¡­¡± His gaze momentarily shifted towards Hina for a brief instant before he once agains stared down at the reflection by his feet. ¡°If I only¡­ If I only wasn¡¯t so¡­¡± His accumulating grief, his bottled up regrets, just as they were about to break free and flood forth like an unhinged damn, a sudden interruption abruptly stopped him. ¡°Hide!¡± A voice. It was vaguely familiar. ¡°Hide! That¡¯s you isn¡¯t it Hide?!¡± I turned around to see a familiar guy¡¯s half sprinting-half limping form. As expected, it was Kido. He flashed me a weak, but somewhat full grin as his half sprinting came to an abrupt stop. Ah, let me correct that. It wasn¡¯t that he stopped, but rather he tripped. He flailed forward, only to come crashing down towards me. I quickly stopped him with an outstretched arm.I caught him, but even before he had the time to recover, I immediately pushed him off, sending him backwards, where he met a chorus of frantic females. His unseemly struggle came to an end as he rested besides the crook of two of the girls behind him. With a flashy grin, he hung his head down, somewhat embarrassed, before he looked up once more. A toothy smile on his face, he once again greeted. ¡°Mayo Hide! It really is you! You-you-you survived!¡± He yelped somewhat ecstatically, watery dew was plainly visible besides his eyelids. His lower lip quivered. I don¡¯t know whether that was due to shock or utter happiness. The atmosphere he radiated was somewhat out of place in this type of environment, but the bright eyed lad before my eyes did not seem to pay any heed to that. ¡°*sniff* *sniff* I-I can¡¯t believe someone else from our class survived¡­ *sniff*¡± His show of genuine tears brought a flurry of attention from the girls next to him. The sole guy, surrounded by ogling woman and concerned parties paid them no heed as he continued to stare fixedly. The tears in his eyes only continued to accumulate. In short it was creepy. ¡°Ah, um¡­ yeah¡­¡± I muttered somewhat distantly as I avoided eye contact. ¡°Kido?¡± the President raised his voice as he glanced over at the man between the girls. His somewhat narrow eyes turned back over to me, as he asked, ¡°Hide, do you know this guy?¡± ¡°Ah, well¡­¡± I pondered for a moment. I seriously wanted to say no, but looking at Kido once more- a man whose face was slightly above average, but made even worse looking by the tears that now freely dropped his face¡­ yeah, I still wanted to say no. ¡° I guess I sort of know him.¡± ¡°*sniff* Yeah, Hide and I are friends!¡± Kido abruptly shot upright as he responded by himself. ¡°Er¡­ I don¡¯t think that¡¯s quite¡­¡± My protests were stopped, as Kido began a rambling of incoherent nonsense. I sighed exaggeratedly just as Kido¡¯s apparent cheerfulness came to a stop. He suddenly hunched over and coughed harshly. The girls next to him all floated worried expressions. They began to orbit him, half nursing Kido, while half fighting amongst themselves. All the while, Kido continued to cough, yet strangely enough, despite his pale demeanor and worsening condition, a half smile floated lightly on his pale expression. In the confusion, I turned and stared back at the President. For a while know, I¡¯ve noticed how severely¡­ sick everyone¡¯s had been. Aside from the group in front of me (counting the President¡¯s scouting team), everyone else was unconscious and moaning out in pain. ¡°This¡­ is this Wisp gas?¡± I vaguely asked, more muttered to myself. The President¡¯s eyes widened. He coughed once before replying, ¡°As expected of you Hide. Yes Satou planted a trap before he attacked. He severely weakened our group with Wisp gas a few hours before the initial invasion. Due to its odorless and colorless nature, we didn¡¯t notice anything before it was too late.¡± The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. ¡°I see¡­¡± I nodded briefly. My eyes swept through the prone figures of the ill, while my brain lost itself in thought. I was unconsciously stroking Cher¡¯s pale red hair when I spoke. ¡°I¡¯d like to look for those Wisps and stop the further spread of the gas, but it has already accumulated to this extent¡­ We¡¯ll need to move the injured out of the cafeteria before any of them start dropping like flies.¡± At my harsh words, the President¡¯s expression grimaced, while he nodded in quiet agreement. I glanced over at Cielle, who, through all this time, had been quietly looming over me. ¡°Cielle, go with the President and the others and help move the survivors. You have a skill that helps with status effects, right?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± She nodded brusquely. Through her thick pelt of tangled hair, I imagined that she was was staring directly at me, making as much eye contact as socially acceptable. ¡°Then, if you have enough mana, go and heal them, as you move the survivors.¡± I did not wait for a response before my gaze shifted to the President. ¡°You, take your guys and help Cielle. She¡¯s a cleric type, so she doesn¡¯t have much strength, but her heals are pretty good.¡± He nodded dutifully, commenting, ¡°I¡¯ve witnessed her healing myself, actually.¡± ¡°Okay, then¡­you¡­¡± I sighed as my eyes shifted once more over to Kido. By this point, he had dutifully stopped ranting, and was looking up at me with intensifying rapture and wide eyed eagerness. In contrast, the girls around him had somewhat awkward expressions. I noticed that the girl in the wizard hat was staring strangely at me. She looked lost, and probably didn¡¯t know what was happening. With inner resolve, I avoided Kido¡¯s stare, and looked over at the Wizard hat girl. ¡°You¡¯re the skill user right?¡± I briefly remembered the President¡¯s description of the girl. ¡°Yes?¡± She answered, her tone a mix of pant tiredness, abject boredom, and confusion. ¡°Why weren¡¯t you here when they were fighting?¡± My sudden remark caused a noticeable shift in mood. She fidgeted uncomfortably in her spot, momentarily forgetting the dull soreness in her body. After a moment of uncomfortable silence, she replied in a quiet murmur. ¡°I was unconscious¡­¡± Before I could reply, Kido¡¯s voice cut in, his tone was uncharacteristically crips, a layer of conviction in every inflection of his words. ¡°It¡¯s not her fault Hide. We were all unconscious. Even I couldn¡¯t do a thing¡­ I don¡¯t quite know what happened exactly, but¡± His glance swept through the piled corpses around us for the first time. ¡°But it''s¡¯ not her fault.¡± Kido stared fiercely at me. I would have said defiant, but he had nothing to defy. I met his stare pensively, stock still as a statue and as tight lipped as a rock. There was no sign of movement whatsoever from me, aside from my constantly moving fingers, which periodically caressed Cher¡¯s pale red hair. After a while, I broke the silence. ¡°I see¡­¡± I sighed another tired sigh. ¡°Well, I¡¯d like to know what her ability can do, but for now we¡¯ll hold that off. Kido, you and your group can go move the survivors.¡± Kido nodded affirmatively as he patted the wizard hat girl¡¯s back reassuringly. My attention then shifted from Kido over towards the whole group. ¡°For now, move everyone into the library. If I¡¯m not mistaken, the ventilation system for the library is separate from the cafeteria, so it should be relatively safe there. Afterwards, you guys will need to come back and begin moving the supplies as well. I don¡¯t know whether the meat in the freezer can get contaminated or not, but it''s better to leave it. We can just hunt for more food later. Okay?¡± In unison, everybody nodded, even Kido¡¯s girls, who were shooting me pretty scary glares a moment ago were nodding obediently to my words. Seeing this myself, I received their nods with my own. ¡°Then everyone, dismissed.¡± The group quickly dispersed, shuffling off towards the direction of the partitioned spaces in the cafeteria. My surroundings were once again silent. A silence filled with Cher¡¯s low breathing and the sound of distant moans. It was an eerie silence, which my aching and tired body relished. For a moment, I briefly regretted not asking Cielle for a heal before she left, before I noticed the presence of one remaining individual. ¡°Hina¡­¡± ¡°....¡± She quietly stood, her head hung downwards, her countenance still as pale as a sheet of unblemished paper. I hadn¡¯t noticed before, but she had been standing directly in my line of sight since even before everyone else had arrived. ¡°Is something wrong?¡± I asked, my voice like a hot knife on butter as it sliced through the permeating silence around us. ¡°....¡± She was quiet. Eerily quiet. So quiet that it contaminated me with a tinge of unease, yet I could not confirm any of my worries. I could not see her expression. Her hair clung greedily to her face, her usually partitioned bangs hanging loosely and hiding her eyes nose and most of her cheeks. The image was reminiscent of her sister¡¯s usual appearance, yet, on her, on Hina, it was an eery sight. ¡°...¡± She remained silent. Although I did notice her shoulders were slightly trembling and her lips had began to quiver, she still did not say anything. ¡°...¡± ¡°...¡± We did not talk for a while. Hina only continued to look down on the ground, while I continued to look up at her covered face. The silence between us was not like the familiar silence of an empty room, nor like the comforting quiet I had developed between Cielle and I. This quiet, this silence was oppressing. Dark, sordid, a melancholic pressure that wringed one''s heart dry and left a man¡¯s face hollow. ¡°I¡¯ll go help the others¡­¡± And just like that, the oppressing silence came to an end, and Hina shuffled away towards the others, leaving with a lingering sense of unease that began to develop, like a budding flower deep in my heart. **** I sighed tiredly. Now with no one around, my gaze once again wandered. Without even realizing it, I was staring directly at Satou¡¯s corpse. A headless figure that looked undeniably lonely in the backdrop of bloody floors and faintly penetrating moonlight. I hesitate for a moment, before I gently lifted up Cher¡¯s head and moved away from her. I placed a bundle of clothing (mostly my hoodie) beneath her head, before I moved over to the fresh corpse. As expected, I was going to loot him. The first thing I noticed was a paper thin book that rested lonesomely in a pool of blood besides the headless corpse. ¡°A skill book¡­¡± I murmured to myself as I went to grab for it.
Skill Book - Magic Clad: Acid Touch An instructional manual to the magic skill variation of the [Magic Clad] technique. A rare skill drop that only has a less than 2% drop rate among specific acid type elite monsters or higher. The manual allows one person to learn the active touch, [Magic Clad: Acid Touch] a variation of the Magic Clad technique. Effects New Skill - Magic Clad: Acid Touch Equip Skill Bonus New stat - Corrosive Resistance
I read over the panel¡¯s contents before I sighed tiredly. Like I hypothesized, this was indeed a skill book. In the end, rather than being excited over it, it left me wondering whether the skill book dropped because humans also dropped their skills upon death, or whether this was an effect of the Dungeon specific effect that humans were categorized as monsters while in this dungeon. While I pondered, I quietly put away the skill. Whether I should learn the skill or not wasn¡¯t even in consideration right now, as I continued to loot Satou¡¯s corpse. In the end, after some searching, I discovered 1 health potion, 1 stamina potion, 1 mana potion, and a bag of marbles, as well as an ominous red orb.
Elite Monster Red Monarch Wisp - Level 20 HP: 100/100
As I pocketed the potions, I carefully read over the window panel above the orb¡¯s head. Unexpectedly, Satou was keeping the Elite Wisp around in his pocket. Such an act of callous carelessness was quite unheard of, leaving me with mixed lingering expressions regarding the owner of the dead body I was currently pickpocketing. ¡°For an elite monster, it¡¯s hp is pretty low¡­¡± I quietly murmured to myself as I held the orb carefully in one hand up to my eye level. The orb itself was crystalline red, while a layer of ominous smoke, writhed in the pitchest black, continously exuded from the orb. As the smoke continued to spread and spread, it only took my 5 seconds to realize the danger of this orb. After exposure to obr¡¯s smoke, I felt a sudden wave of nausea. I knelt down on one knee, my brow wrinkled in a furrow of displeasure as I unconsciously threw the orb away. It slid harmlessly over the puddle of blood before it came to a stop against a cafeteria wall. After it had separated from me, the Wisp abruptly stopped its production of black smoke. From this distance, it looked merely like an oversized red marble, although, my prior experience not a minute before told me otherwise. I had no clue why such a dangerous and debilitating monster was snuck snuggly inside Satou¡¯s pockets, but it left me with little hesitation. I grabbed the bag of marbles at my feet, and I carefully aimed, and threw one, swirl patterned marble across the room and over towards the Wisp. The marble, fueled with all my strength, and assisted by my dexterity stat, whizzed through the air and impacted the Orb square in the center. I saw a piece of it chip off, a smoke of black rising from the break. I observed its health drop by 20 in the process. Satisfied by my first hit, I began lobbing more marbles at the Orb from a safe distance. Not a minute later, and after 4 more marbles, the Orb crumbled to dust, in its place was a new skill book that rested on the floor besides the cafeteria door. A confirmation of my victory quickly followed suit, and flashed before my eyes.
Achievement: You have slain an elite monster. The elite monster: [Red Monarch Wisp] was a species leader. For defeating a species leader, Wisps will no longer spawn within the dungeon. Reward(s): +2000 exp +20 unallocated points
I flashed a briefly complacent smile but even before I could celebrate any longer, another panel immediately followed. ding!
Dungeon Notification All Species leaders have been eliminated. Dungeon checkpoint reached. Remaining players will receive the following rewards. + 1 level up NOW ENTERING NEXT PHASE: CALCULATING
An eerie silence fell upon the cafeteria, no, it fell upon the entire school. Not a single sound could be heard as that single panel continued to aimlessly float in front of my eyes. For some strange reason, despite the reward, I did not feel happy. Rather, a strange sort of unease welled up in my heart. An unease which forced me to shift uncomfortably in my spot. Suddenly, from the corner of my eye, I could see an approaching figure. It was Cielle. She was jogging lightly in my direction, behind her followed the President. Going by their expressions, I concurred that the panel had paid them a visit as well. I met eyes with the President, and just as he opened his mouth to speak, a resonating ding rang in our ears. ding!
Dungeon Notification NEXT PHASE INITIATED The following changes have been made. Monsters aside from the Dungeon Boss and the players will now receive an additional 50% increase in stats while in the vicinity of the dungeon. The Dungeon Boss¡¯s sphere of influence has been increased to accommodate the whole of the Dungeon. New Monster: Shadow Lurker has spawned. All Monsters aside from the players are now under the direct control and subordination of the Dungeon Boss.
The rush of information was almost as shocking and mind boggling as the sudden quake beneath our feet. The tiled floor suddenly rumbled like the husky tremor of a baritone¡¯s throat, while the tables and chairs rattled like a shaking leaf under the pressure of a cold autumn breeze. The dungeon was growling. It felt as if the dungeon was growling. This quake only lasted for less than 10 seconds before it abruptly stopped, only to be followed by a low growling that originated from out into the dark recesses of the school. I shot a worried glance over at the other two, only to see their attention focused in on the sound. Their jog forward abruptly came to a stop as they stared out into the parted double doors of the school cafeteria. Meanwhile, the low growling only continued to intensify. It was a unified cry, one that originated from every direction of the school. It came as a continuous, harmonious orchestra, one which drowned out the moans of the survivors and filled our hearts and minds with a certain sense of growing anxiety. The growling continued, growing more and more forceful. It evolved into an earsplitting cry, a roar that reverberated and echoed out through the building, almost shaking it to its very foundations. This ear splitting roar, which stopped us almost dead in our tracts, lasted for a minute before it eventually died out, replaced by a lapse of unnerving silence. The silence was short, painfully so, yet in my mind, it was also excruciatingly long. A drawn out silence that tested the very limit of my mind, but only lasted for a mere 5 seconds. Then the carnage began. **** Author''s Note: If you enjoyed this chapter, or like this story in general, rate and review pls. Chapter 71: Midnight Massacre Midnight Massacre The growling had long since stopped, and the silence had long since yielded. What followed was a low shaking. A rumble of the building that wasn¡¯t as great nor as impactful as before, yet all the same, it filled me with a heavy sense of unease. The shaking felt as if they originated from a standing army, marching through the city streets. Its origin was still a fair distance away from the cafeteria, yet my worry did not placate. I was not able to delve too deeply in this dark emotion, as my attention shifted out into the open hallway that connected the cafeteria to the rest of the building. From out beyond the double doors, a figure materialized from the shadows. Unlike the previous instances of monster spawning I witnessed, this was different. The most striking difference was that it was not instantaneous, instead, the figure materialized from the ground up, starting with a pair of flimsy, almost childlike feet, and going all the way up, rounding out the process with a new formed head, one adorned with pointed and lopsided ears. The new figure, the new monster, resembled a goblin. In fact, it was an almost mirror image of the green skinned midget, if it wasn¡¯t for its skin color. A shade of black so dark and profound, that no shade of light could penetrate. If one lost even a moment¡¯s focus, the creature would seemingly blend into the surrounding shadows. It¡¯s eyes were the only thing that stood out from that gloom of black. Creating a stark contrast to its canvas, beady white eyes, as small and circular as marbles adorned its head. Above the creature, the window panel confirmed my rising suspicions.
Shadow Lurker: Model Goblin - Lv. 6 HP: 45/45
Seeing the all too familiar appearance of this creature, memories from the first day of the apocalypse flooded my psyche. These memories only fueled a growing premonition which I wanted to wholeheartedly reject with all my might. It was still too early to draw any real conclusions but if a shadow lurker could take up the vestige of a goblin, then was it possible for it to mimick the other monsters? Monsters that I¡¯ve painstakingly killed before hand? Before I could delve deeper into this strain of thought, more shadow lurkers spawned behind the previous one. In twos and threes, more and more manifested from the shadows, eventually, a whole slew of them, numbering no less than 30 crowded in that unnaturally wide hallway. It was then that the frontlines of that small coalition of Goblin look alikes moved. They walked with a mechanical gait, yet strangely enough, it felt a lot more natural and fluid than it first appeared. It was an odd sight to behold, but it was enough to snap me out of my stupor. Instantly, I barked orders out at President and Cielle, who, like me, had stupidly stood by as those monsters spawned. ¡°Cielle! Attack the front lines with your magic!¡± I wanted to confirm whether these things felt pain or not. ¡°President, go and protect Cher! She is a priority!¡± Not giving the others even a single glance back, I quickly picked up the skill book from the defeated Monarch Wisp, and rushed forward, towards the marching army of goblins. Just as I exchanged the first hit with the first creature, a thin torrent of [Dark Gemini] whizzed passed and hit a nearby monster square in its head. It did not scream nor shout, infact, I was fairly certain these things were incapable of sound, instead it thrashed its arms about in jittery pain. Grasping at its head in desperate fashion, it opened its mouth in silent agony, I could imagine a noiseless cry escaping from its pitch black throat. With this, I confirmed one thing; these things weren¡¯t the troublesome sort that took no damage from Cielle¡¯s ability. In short, they felt pain. Before Cielle could fire off another attack, I quickly instructed her to stop. I knew full well that her mana reserves weren¡¯t at full potential right now, and honestly, wasting them on these obvious ¡°small fries¡± would be counterproductive. Using rope attached to the end of my Efhermet Dagger, I wielded my weapon like an impromptu chain and sickle, beheading a nearby Shadow goblin. As the monster¡¯s hp rapidly reached zero, it exploded into a fine powder of black dust, dust that eventually evaporated into the shadows of the night. Like this, I continued to attack using my dagger and rope. My aim was a bit awkward, as I lacked practice with this particular method of fighting, but my dexterity stat helped correct a few of my shortcomings. As I beheaded another shadow goblin, I yelled above the stagnant air, ¡°Cielle, don¡¯t attack anymore! Go back with the others and help them out there if they need it! Conserve mana, and don¡¯t get killed!¡± A moment¡¯s pause took place long enough for me to slash out at 3 goblins simultaneously before a noticeably forced yell sounded out in response. ¡°Y-Yes! Hide don¡¯t lose!¡± Hearing those sparse words of encouragement, a faint smile revealed itself on my face. That smile quickly disappeared only to be followed by a dark glint as I stepped forward and began my retaliation in earnest. I spun the rope in hand feverishly. Various body parts flew as my rope moved and forced itself into the ranks of Shadow goblins. Occasionally, I¡¯d retract the rope, only to throw it at an incoming monster. The attached dagger would either slice through vital spots, or incircle a helpless goblin, much like a lasso to a bull. In the end, it took me two minutes. Two minutes to completely wipe out the 30 or so army of goblins. I breathed out a heavy sigh of relief after the last monster exploded into a collection of black dust, but I did not allow myself to relax. Keeping up the tension from before, I immediately bolted back into the cafeteria, and headed towards where the others were at. I held in my heart a faint hope that things weren¡¯t as bad as what my mind was telling me. My heart was wrong. Already, with a single glance at the current scene before me, I could tell that no more than half of the people in the cafeteria were left alive. Corpses, as fresh as a few seconds ago, littered the room. Torn body parts, severed heads, smashed bodies, broken limbs, melted flesh, a myriad of injuries, all which led to the same singular result of death. The ones responsible for this were none other than the shadow lurkers. Like I had feared, the Lurkers could take up the guise of others monsters that proliferated the Dungeon. Minotaurs, Werewolves, Cyclops, even blobs of darkness which I¡¯ve never seen before but unconsciously knew to be a slime, they were all present.
Shadow Lurker: Model Werewolf - Level 23 HP: 300/300
Shadow Lurker: Model Minotaur - Level 15 HP: 300/300
Shadow Lurker: Model Slime - Level 6 HP: 45/45
Just glancing up at a few of the status panels that floated above their heads filled me with a sense of uneasy dread. Up until now, we had fought at most one type of monster at a time, never had we faced such a diverse range of enemies all at the same time. I watched, just as another monster materialized. A shadow slime respawned directly on top of a comatose survivors exposed chest. The survivor in question spasmed wildly upon contact, just as another monster, a shadow minotaur, barrelled through the partitions and grabbed the survivor¡¯s left calf. It forcibly lifted the man up, dislodging the slime in the process, and dangled him helplessly in the air. Without a second¡¯s pause, it thrashed and spun the survivor around in horrific enthusiasm. I heard a faint popping sound as I imagined the survivor¡¯s hip dislocating, before the minotaurs slammed the man onto the floor. A splatter of blood adorned where the man¡¯s face had hit the floor, but the minotaur did not yield there. It lifted the man up and once again slammed him down, face first into the tiled floor. By the second hit, the man had died. Seeing its captive dead in its arms, the minotaur¡¯s eyes briefly scanned the room before they landed on me. In a casual manner, he flung the limp corpse my way before beginning a mad rush forward. I gritted my teeth, just as I rotated my body to the side and dodged the shadow bull¡¯s charge. As it passed me, I threw and hooked the dagger attached to a rope over one of its legs. Pulling back with a ferocious explosion of sudden strength, I tripped the beast and watched as it fell to the floor with a resounding thud. A few slimes that had been in its way were all squished to death upon impact. Not wasting any time, I madly lunged at the Minotaur. I retracted the dagger, and brought it close to my chest just as I reached its back. I then slashed out directly at the base of its neck. It was convenient that these monsters still retained their original anatomical weaknesses, so a singular slash at a vital spot did more than enough damage to end its life. As its body dematerialized, at the same time, I moved forward. I rushed out at the closest monster, a Shadow Werewolf, and began a desperate counterattack. In the middle of my fight, four more monsters- 2 additional werewolves, 1 cyclops, and 1 Ipotane- interrupted. I dodged and avoided their combined force, weaving in and out between their hulking nightshade bodies. I brought down the cyclops with a stab to its eye, while I kicked a werewolf into the horse headed shadow monster that dared to attack me. As I fought, my eyes scanned the sea of chaos for the others. While at this point, I had completely given up on the cafeteria ¡°leechers¡± after all, I did not possess the ability to both protect and defend, the others should still be fighting in here. Hina, Cielle, even Kido, they should still be alive, at the very least, they were capable of movement. It took me a while, but I finally saw a bobbing head, perk up between a couple of monsters. Focusing my stare, I confirmed a desperately fighting figure. I bisected another werewolf before I instantly twisted my body and sprinted in the direction of the person I had seen. I cut our distance using [Rushing Dash], all the while I delivered slashed and blows to those monsters I passed by. Movement through the cafeteria had become increasingly difficult. The amount of Shadow Lurkers were constantly increasing, and the space available for actual movement had become a rare commodity. As I neared, I saw two people desperately fighting against three minotaurs. As it stood, they were obviously being overwhelmed, and not far from their battle, I could see at least half a dozen monsters approaching. Without any intervention, these people would die a dog¡¯s death, trampled and stomped on by the soundless feet of monsters. I jumped up, and using a crouching wolf (one that had been slashing and ripping apart a dead survivor) as a back board, I flew through the air shortly before I landed on a minotaur¡¯s exposed back. I grabbed at one of its horns before it could react, and forcibly yanked it to the side. Its body, in compliance shifted to the right, where it hit and toppled over another minotaur. They both fell to the floor just as I leapt to the left. I hopped backs and landed on the remaining, upright minotaur. I sliced at the base of its neck, but it did not die in one hit. I slashed a few more times, all hitting the same spot in frantic desperation. I cleaved out about 3 inches into the neck, before it finally toppled over and died. I threw a quick glance at the two I had saved. It was the Library Committee girl and the teacher, people from the President¡¯s circle of friends. Currently, those two were taking advantage of the opportunity I created, and rushed at the fallen minotaurs with desperate madness. It didn¡¯t take long before, under concentrated blows to their vitals, the minotaurs died and exploded into a fine mist of darkness. As they heaved a heavy sigh of relief and shot a glance at the approaching monsters, I spoke, ¡°Where are the others?¡± They shot me a look, one that conveyed a sense of relief upon my arrival, before they answered. It was the teacher, one whose name I had long forgotten, that answered, ¡°The others¡­ Hokusei left with Cielle before this¡± -he motioned to the room- ¡°happened. I haven¡¯t seen those two since. As for the rest, they were on their way to the library, transporting a few survivors¡­¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± I nodded quietly, as I tightened the grip on my dagger in hand. The president and Cher were already long gone after I returned from hallway. I didn¡¯t know where those two were, which filled me with endless worry. At the same time, Cielle¡¯s whereabouts were equally as worrying. She separated from the Prez under my orders and should have been heading in this direction. The sudden influx of monsters may have hampered her meeting with the others. For all I know, she could be alone right now, fighting off a horde of shadowy killers. She was somebody with weak defense, and with no vanguard available, I feared for her survival. Our best bet at this point was to head over to the library, and hopefully meet up with the others. Just as I grieved, a flash of inspiration took hold of me; I still had the walkie talkies. I took out the convenient device, just as a couple of monsters reached our location. ¡°Damn, I won¡¯t be able to call anyone in this situation¡­¡± I grimaced while I shifted my focus up ahead. ¡°You two, take up the vanguard. Don¡¯t do anything stupid, and try to just block and avoid their attacks.¡± I quickly instructed, just as I stepped forward and joined the other two at the front lines. I exchanged weapons, switching out my impromptu chain and sickle for the boken. I briefly looked around the room, noting that the other monsters had killed off most of the surviving cafeteria leeches by this point, and were now rearing their heads our way. BOOM! A deafening sound rang from far across the cafeteria just as the nearest monster reached us. The sudden noise shook our earlier formation, but we were able to properly receive their attack without much trouble. The teacher with the fish eyes dealt with a cyclops. It was obvious that due to the level difference, one hit from that thing would have crippled him to no end, but thankfully, due to its slow speed, he was able to avoid it with little trouble. In contrast, the Library Committee girl was having significantly more trouble. She faced off against two Shadow Lurkers, an Ipotane and Minotaur working side by side with the sole purpose of bringing her down. She mostly blocked with the base of her sword, but gradually, their consecutive blows were numbing her hands and arms. Her struggle was plainly obvious from the look of concentrated agony on her face. Seeing this, I wasted no time with dealing with the monsters that attacked me. Three shadow werewolves. All rushed in sync. I took in a deep intake of breath, in response to their rushing assault. Just as they were a hairsbreadth away from me, I suddenly let loose a fierce, and purposely loud yell. Due to their heightened senses, the Wolves¡¯ staggered awkwardly for a moment, their minds rattled by the unexpected sound attack. I took opportunity of this brief pause to attack. I sent a flurry of heavy blows towards their night black bodies. I crippled two, and killed one, before I immediately shifted my attention towards the Library girl¡¯s monsters. Before I could attack though, without warning, a monster began materializing behind me. It was a Shadowlurker that took on the guise of one of the amphibious monsters I battled in the school swimming pool. It leapt towards me, its webbed claws aimed squarely at my back. I saw its rush through the corner of my eye, and threw a disdainful look of annoyance towards its beady eyed face. Twisting my body sideways, I barely avoided the monster, before I launched a counter attack of my own. Using my twisted body as leverage, I twisted my torso once more, this time in the opposite direction. I reared the boken with both hands, and just like a baseball player would with a bat, I aimed and hit the monster while it was still in mid air. Combining the centrifugal force generated by my twist, as well as my own inhuman strength, the boken hit the monster squarely on its side, sending the creature flying towards the direction of the Ipotane and Minotaur combo that harassed the library girl. Before I could appreciate my ¡°home run¡±, the other approaching monsters had already closed the distance, and causing things to progress further into a downward spiral. The teacher was being overwhelmed by more and more monsters, and was eventually forced to move back. I was forced to use [hard scale] in order to resist the attacks I could not dodge due to the sheer volume of monsters present. This action severely drained my stamina, causing my movements to dull and my mind to fog. The Library girl effectively killed off the Ipotane, Minotaur, and Amphibian shadow lurkers after repeated head bashed to their skulls. This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. The Library girl¡¯s victory was miniscule in comparison to our situation. Shortly after, more monsters replaced those she defeated, and she was eventually forced to retreat backwards. I too, was slowly being overwhelmed. While individually, I was stronger than any of the shadow lurkers, in front of an endless stream of enemies, I was powerless. No matter how many I killed or crippled, more would take their place, like an endless conveyer belt of dark destruction. My stamina was reaching critical condition, and my hp was slowly draining away. I could not use [Dissect], or [Rushing Dash] anymore due to my dwindling stamina. After a while, using [Hardscape] any further would end up being detrimental rather than advantageous. I was forced to move back, just like the other two. We eventually found ourselves pinned to a wall mostly in order to prevent any attacks from behind. While this was a small stroke of luck in a rather dreary situation, the unfortunate aspect of this was that the library was all the way across the opposite side of the cafeteria. We were the farthest possible location away from our goal. Just then, another explosion sounded out from near the library, but right now, that was of little consequence. ¡°Uuu¡­*sniff*sniff*¡± From besides me I could hear stifled sobs coming from the library girl. Glancing briefly at her expression, I could tell that she had lost all hope in our survival. The teacher had also taken up a similar mindset, his eyes were more murky and clouded than usual. Breathing heavily, I surveyed the room frantically. We were pinned against a wall, and the monsters were drawing closer, like a sea of darkness that threatened to devour everything up. While this was indeed a bleak situation, I felt that it wasn¡¯t all too hopeless. It was barely noticeable, but the horde was less than it had been at the start. No more shadow lurkers were currently spawning, and the ones that we did kill were numerous and took quite a chunk out of their total war potential. Of course, I did not believe that the Shadow Lurkers only spawned in the Cafeteria, but at the very least, no more was spawning here. It was slight, but there was hope. We could survive. If we could not run away and avoid them, then the only other option left was to kill all of them. It was stupidly simple. We just had to kill all of them. I will kill all of them. Making up my mind, I fished around in my pockets and took out the stamina potion that I had pocketed from Satou¡¯s corpse. I downed it in the flash, and stared grimly at the horde. I could not help but smile wryly at the situation. I once again frantically observed my surroundings. While I did say I¡¯d kill them all, honestly speaking, unless I did something unconventional, then my chances of survival are practically zero. My eyes shifted restlessly around the room. I took in the horde of monsters, the attached and dim lights that sprawled the room, and the dozens or so wires that ran through and connected those lights, probably to a backup generator or something. The strewn about desks, and broken tables, I also noticed. Even what lay above me, from the rafters, and ventilation shafts, to the attached sprinklers on the ceiling. Wait¡­ A flash of inspiration. I could see it. ¡°Oi, you two,¡± I called out. ¡°Calm down already, I have a way out.¡± ¡°Eh?¡± They simultaneously uttered while looking up at me with faces of disbelief. The Library girl, stopped sniveling and asked, ¡°Really? You¡¯re not lying are you?¡± I flashed them a toothy grin, for the first time, I felt utter confidence in surviving this situation. ¡°Yeah, I have a really good idea.¡± I eyed the horde as we spoke. We would enter another clash soon, at most we had 20 seconds of time left. Luckily, their sheer number made it impossible to move properly. ¡°But first, tell me about the school¡¯s sprinkler system.¡± ¡°The sprinklers¡­?¡± The teacher¡¯s voice shifted into a tone of confusion, but nonetheless, he promptly answered. There was a bit of an accent in his voice. ¡°The sprinklers are broken, I think. They won¡¯t react to fire or smoke, the school was planning on fixing it during the summer, but¡­ as you can see, they never got around to it.¡± 12 seconds left. ¡°Do they still have water?¡± I asked. ¡°Umm¡­. this isn¡¯t my area of expertise, but, yes, I think they should still be connected to the water pipes. They are separate from the main water frame, and should still run properly, even after a month of no maintenance.¡± Hearing this, my smile only broadened. There were 4 seconds left. ¡°Good, then that makes everything better. Final question then,¡± I exchanged blows with a minotaur, pushing it back, causing it to topple over into its comrades. I turned around, and asked with a hint of playful banter, ¡°Do you think I can survive an electrocution?¡± I avoided an oncoming werewolf, just as I pulled out a spare dagger, and threw it towards one of the sprinklers hanging on the ceiling. The knife bounced off the sprinkler, but it did leave a considerable dent on its surface. ¡°You two, find a table or something to stand on, I¡¯ll handle the rest.¡± I gave those brief orders, just as I swerved around another monster. I avoided a Werewolf type¡¯s open jaw, and pulled out another dagger. Weaving in and out, I climbed onto the back of a Cyclop type, and, with a jumping start, threw the dagger at the same previous sprinkler. This time, it successfully hit, and a gush of water rained down from above. It drenched me and the Shadow lurkers sopping wet, as well as created a puddle of water underneath our feet. Only one sprinkler activated, but its range was considerably large, dowsing close to 40 monsters wet with water. Another sprinkler should do the trick. Unfortunately, I ran out of spare daggers. Despite that, I was unyielding. I landed on the floor, just as an Ipotane crashed into me. I felt my body crack, just as he slammed me into a nearby Cyclops. My choked on a breath upon impact, before my body fell limply to the floor. Before the Ipotane, or Cyclops could do any further damage, I rolled across the sleek tiles, and avoided a hoof that had been aimed at my skull. I rolled a few feet away from the monsters, and locked eyes with another sprinkler. Trapped, cornered, and severely lacking projectile weaponry, I desperately threw my boken at the hanging sprinkler. The strength I placed in that single throw far exceeded anything I ever mustered up until now. The Wooden sword sliced through the air like a flying disc, before it reached its target with a heavy bang. The sprinkler head busted open, and instead of a fine mist of liquid, the water flowed directly down, like a thin waterfall. My throw had been a bit too strong, and completely broke the sprinkler, but it wasn¡¯t all that detrimental. The water that slowly congregated began expanding, covering a large portion of the floor which a majority of the Shadow lurkers stood on. Now, I waited. I weaved in and out, careful not to slip and fall on the wettened surface. The monsters were having equally as much trouble as me moving about, but they were relentless. If they slipped, then the others would simply climb over their bodies. In fact, doing so made it easier for them. In the face of such tenacity, dodging became a lifeline. I felt that the moment I stopped, the instant one of them gets a hold of me, that would be when I die. All I could do was continually dodge and move towards the direction of the cables while I waited for the water to spread out evenly on the floor. Eventually, the water beneath our feets had reached a sufficient amount, soaking up a majority of the cafeteria. At the same time, I finally reached the cables and wires that connected the giant stand lights to whatever back up generator this school had. Most of the cables were connected to an external porter that connected to a larger than average cable that snaked its way on the floor. I took a giant leap backwards, avoiding a furious slash from a Shadow Werewolf while at the same time, cutting the distance between me and the giant cable. I landed besides the cable with a tremendous splash. Droplets of water jumped up around me as I shot a glance at the cable. The cable was about as thick as my arm, and it was covered in an insulating layer of rubber. I shot another tense glance at the room around me. I confirmed that the other two were currently standing on top of a raised table, desperately fighting off the surrounding monsters around them. The monster horde had separated into two distinct groups around us. The majority were approaching me, while a few stranglers stuck and pursued the other two. I could not tell what the condition was like near the library end of the cafeteria. There was simply too many Shadow Lurkers Obstructing my vision. A took a deep breath, and wielded Efhermet dagger in hand. Soon the Shadow lurkers would be upon me once more. The distance I had previously created was no more than 4 meters afterall. I knelt down besides the wire. I floated my dagger directly above the wire, while at the same time, I fished inside my pockets for the red vial I received from Satou¡¯s corpse. I twisted the top open, and gingerly held its opening with my mouth. I did not drink it yet, but I was prepared to. I wasn¡¯t satisfied with this though, and pulled out 3 more vials of red liquid from my personal stash. I did the same thing as before, and bit down onto the vials, holding them in place at their openings. My current appearance, one with 4 vials squished into my open mouth with my cheeks puffed up and my body covered in water looked ridiculous, but I did not care. Without a moment¡¯s hesitation, without anymore delay, I slashed downwards, my mind racing with the singular thought ¡®[Dissect]!¡¯ The skill activated, and the bladed edge sliced through the cable like butter, and immediately after, electrical sparks flew out. A surge of electricity traveled through the blade going all the way up to the hilt before finally shocking me with an unexpectedly dangerous amount of electricity. The jolt that spasmed through my body forcible made my muscles contract. I could physically feel my body burning from the inside out, but I gritted through the pain. Miraculously, I managed to withstand the shock and did not blackout. Almost simultaneously, the electricity also traveled through the water, and electrocuted the surrounding monsters. Their bodies jolted upright in shock while the sound of a few falling individuals could be vaguely made out. I tilted my head back, forcing the red liquid to flow down my throat and activate. As the electricity shaved off more and more of my hp, the familiar red liquid counteracted that affect. Around me, a symphony of light and electrical discharge filled the room, while I forcibly gritted through the process, hoping that I could withstand the trial before I croaked. I don¡¯t know how much time passed. My mind was filled only with the constant aching of my body. I could smell my hair burning, and my skin sizzling, but I did not dare to move. I momentarily turned deaf, but I did not care. I could feel the blood on my skin evaporate like steam, but I paid it no mind. I simply gritted my teeth, and hoped those 4 vials of HP potion were enough. Eventually, after what felt like 2 lifetimes, my hands unconsciously grabbed at the covered ends of the severed cable, and forcibly lifted them up, disconnecting the electricity from the rest of the water. A few sparks radiated out from the opening, but the electrical shocks came to an abrupt stop. I stared blankly at the cable for a few seconds, before my head tilted to the side. I spat out the vials in my mouth, their empty containers rolling helplessly in a puddle of water, just as I turned around to look at the scene behind me. A majority of the monsters were lying prone on the ground. Most of them were not dead, but merely injured. A few of them took less damage than I expected, but in the end, the results were satisfactory. Looking closely, I could even make out the status effect [Paralyzed] floating above their heads. My eyes landed on the teacher and the library girl who were still standing helplessly on top of a table. They were, for lack of a better term, unharmed. The cafeteria lunch tables were the type with rubber casings at the end of their legs. This practical design was used in order to prevent scratching the floors. It was a stroke of luck that prevented the conduction of the electricity. While they were unharmed, and most of the monsters were lying prone, things were not all settled. For one, most of the monsters were still alive. And upon closer inspection, without all the Shadow Lurkers blocking our way, I could finally make out the situation regarding the cafeteria. The entrance to the library had been destroyed. It lay in rubble, along with anything and everything that stood within a 3 meter radius of the previously impeccable library double doors. I could guess what had caused this, but it now meant finding another way to the library, if we had any hope or intention of reuniting with the others. Seeing as I could do nothing about this problem, I decided to tackle the other issue. If the paralyzed Shadow lurkers were allowed to remain alive any longer, then the paralysis might wear off. If that were to happen, then we would be back at square one. With such grim delusions in mind, I moved to kill the remaining monsters. Unfortunately, my body did not move as well as I wanted it too. It did not take long to discover I had also contracted the [Paralyze] status effect. Feeling helpless, I could only call out and instruct the other two to kill the remaining monsters. They complied and soon, I was now sitting at the same spot, holding aloft the exposed cable, while the teacher and the library girl methodically culled the remaining monsters. I could only imagine the amount of exp those two were currently receiving as they practically farmed the half dead monsters like an actual farmer plucking ripe carrots. As they killed, I had nothing to do in the meantime. My body was getting better and better as time passed, the effects of Paralysis eventually wearing off, but still the strain of actual movement was too great a burden for now. Luckily, the monsters seemed to be recovering at a slower rate than me, so for the time being everything was working out perfectly. As I quietly sat, my mind wandered. In my desperate attempt to survive, I had completely forgotten about the others. I did not worry much about the cafeteria survivors, as they had been killed off by the time things had progressed to that dire state, but I did worry about Cielle, Cher, and the others. If they had gotten caught up in that earlier attack¡­. Luckily though, that wasn¡¯t the case. Looking around, I did not see their bodies within the mess of corpses and paralyzed monsters that currently stained the floor. I waited for 10 more minutes before the paralysis finally wore off. I limped over to the other two, and just before I was about to say a few words of congratulations, a certain occurrence caught my eye¡¯s attention. In the center of the cafeteria, something was materializing. Dark particles swirled endlessly around, coming together and coalescing at the center of the room. Unlike before, this materialization was taking a considerably longer amount of time to finish. In addition, the swirling particles of darkness that congregated on that obscured figure were much more dense, more heavily packed than previously. Darkness swirled around, while a pair of white dots stood at the center of this mess. They eventually came together, forming distinctly anatomical structures made out of pitch black. Eventually the torrent of rippling darkness settled down. In its place, a lone figure stood at the center of the room. It was a jet black silhouette, with two marble shaped balls of white on its head. The figure was humanoid. It had the physique of a regular teenager, and, as far as I could tell, was weaponless. It wasn¡¯t wearing any clothes, but it did not need to. Although it looked human, at the same time it was not. It had no genitalia, but had the unmistakable broad shoulders, narrow hips and chiseled chin of a man. What¡¯s more, it had a pitch black bird¡¯s nest that could be called hair. The unkempt mess was stylized in a frighteningly familiar fashion. In fact, the whole figure possessed a distinctly familiar appearance. ¡°Oi, oi¡­¡± I sighed inwardly. ¡°This is getting ridiculous now¡­¡± I couldn¡¯t help but double check the Shadow Lurker¡¯s appearance once more. Yep, no matter how I look at it... ¡°This¡­ this is¡­¡±
Elite Monster Shadow Mimic - Level 37 HP: 660/660
¡°No matter how you look at it, isn¡¯t this thing supposed to be me?¡± **** Author''s note: If you liked this chapter, or this story in general, then please rate or review. Chapter 72: Mimic at Midnight Mimic at Midnight The black clad humanoid stood stock still, never moving an inch ever since its first appearance. Those jade white, almost glowing eyes of his stared fixedly, seemingly out into space. It gave off a feeling of absentmindedness, a complacent creature who knew not what occurred around him. In contrast to this type of carefree disposition, the atmosphere it gave off was the complete opposite. An oppressive feeling that was capable of drowning a person with ease. The shadows around the room seemingly danced and rattled with his will, contrasting the Mimic¡¯s own statue-esque appearance. It¡¯s level wasn¡¯t high, nor did it look aesthetically threatening, yet the danger level, that feeling of odd incongruity was the highest I¡¯ve ever felt in my life. It wasn¡¯t fear, more like an odd dissonance that I felt whenever I looked at it. No matter how I viewed it, this thing¡­ it looked too much like me. The other two besides me also noticed this odd resemblance, but they were far too busy to delve deeply into the matter. Unlike me, they felt genuine fear. A fear that resounded and shook their very core with a heavy sense of dread. Their eyes were widened like saucers, while a faint trembling could be seen in each of their shoulders. From the ghastly pale expressions they donned, it felt as if they would up and run away at any moment now. The only thing rooting them in place was the same heavy feeling that caused their fear in the first place. They dared not utter a single word, as a deathly quiet silence permeated within the Cafeteria. I don¡¯t know how much time passed. It felt both eternally long, yet infinitely short at the same time. In that brief passage of time, the Elite Shadow monster had not moved a single inch, yet the heavy feeling only increased. I don¡¯t know since when, but my hand had already curled up around my dagger, poised, ready, glinting with faint moonlight and the intention to kill. Despite the time, that could have no more been a minute, that had passed, it felt as if the current situation had and would persist for all eternity. As if nothing else ever and will exist, it was as if my past, present, and future all compromised of this oppressive, eternal silence. A silence so heavy, so profound, that I- Tchi! In an instantaneous moment, that quite, oppressive tranquility shattered. The Mimic suddenly bolted forward, its foot heavily pushing down at the still wet floor beneath it. Its body zoomed closer, almost whistling through the stagnant air. My hands moved before my mind could even formulate a thought. The dagger in my hand traced through the night light, right before it hit empty air. The Mimic had moved too fast. I was too late. I had missed. It continued to close the gap between us. In a span of two breathes, it had already drawn near enough that, had it been a normal human, its breath would have certainly irked against my skin. The Mimic was running forward, directly in the open space between the President¡¯s group of two and me. The slack grasp I had on my rope instantly tightened. I yanked at the less than half inch thick string with a force that could rip apart metal. The attached dagger, the very same one that I had thrown previously, instantly back tracked, as it followed the rope and whizzed towards the back of the Mimic. At the same time, the Mimic¡¯s forward momentum instantly shifted. Its neck slightly tilted to the right, and after making an almost 90 degree turn, bolted towards the President¡¯s group. In that same instant, its speed exponentially increased, and its body surged forth with greater momentum and velocity. The sight of it running brought an odd sense of familiarity to me. Its movements were grossly identical to my own. In fact, it felt as if¡­ as if¡­ ¡­ He was using my own skill, [Rushing Dash], to close that insignificant gap. In no time, the Mimic was upon them. It rushed towards the Library girl. The Library girl¡¯s eyes widened like inflated balloons, as she could only stare agape at the approaching calamity, a mixture of fear and shock swirling around her head. Much less react, she could not even utter a scream of protest. From less than a meter away, the Mimic¡¯s arm shot straight out, and at the tip of his outstretched hand, a black dagger, clad and molded by the very shadows around it, materialized. He gripped the new weapon and thrusted forward with almost frightening accuracy, and equally as frightening intention. At the same time, my wrists slightly shook, and the dagger I controlled instantly shifted directions. The blade arced wide in the air and moved towards the mimic¡¯s exposed back, its bladed edge traveling at a speed that far exceeded current human capability. Like the crack of a whip, I brought the glinting metal down upon it. In a singular moment, my dagger pierced the Mimic¡¯s shoulder blade. Driven by momentum, the dagger lodged itself deep into the Mimic¡¯s upper body. Also at the same time, the Mimic¡¯s own dagger had pierced the Library Girl¡¯s body. Whether through a stroke of sheer luck, or last minute impulse, the girl¡¯s body slightly shifted to the side, and the Mimic¡¯s obsidian dagger pierced her shoulder, instead of her heart, where it was originally aimed at. The girl let out a pain filled cry, while fresh hot tears collected near the corners of her eyes. At the same time, before the Mimic could do anything further, I yanked backwards, the dagger that had entered its back at an odd angle complied as it moved towards me. The mimic¡¯s body was dragged a good 10 feet away from its original spot before the dagger harmlessly exited its newly created wound. I threw a sidelong glance over to the newly injured girl. Her face was a contortion of pain, and her breath was ragged and hot. She grasped desperately at her wound, the blood had long seeped her uniform a scarlet red. ¡°Keep pressure on it, but don¡¯t be so absentminded next time.¡± I instructed with a voice as low as a whisper. ¡°The battle¡¯s just getting started.¡± I caught the retracting blade with my open palm just as the Mimic staggered to maintain its footing. Once it did, it turned its neck slightly to glimpse at the wound on its back. Its blank, structureless face showed no reaction whatsoever to the injury that had not a single drop of blood. The Mimic then craned its neck once more, this time towards my direction. It stared, unblinking for an excruciatingly short amount of time. Afterwards, the dagger it held dematerialized from the blade down, only to materialize another weapon not a second later. This time, the weapon in its hand was irritatingly similar to my own. Another black, obsidian dagger which was connected on one end to a less than half inch thick night black rope. Without so much as a warning, the Mimic began leisurely spinning the rope in its hands, the bladed edge of the dagger whistling through the air along the way. It began a rather casual march forward, its eyes once more, conveying that same sense of heavy dread. After spinning its weapon a few more times, it suddenly reared its head to glare at the duo besides me. Once again, it attacked, this time, controlling the rope-dagger to fly directly for the girl. The dagger was aimed precisely at her throat. ¡°It¡¯s very stubborn¡­.¡± I muttered low under my breath, just as I retaliated. My hands flickered slightly, before my own dagger flew. I did not aim to obstruct the blade, mostly since it was moving a bit too fast even for me. Instead, my blade flew and directly severed the taut string that connected the dagger. The dagger, having lost its guide, flew past the Library girl¡¯s neck. Despite everything, the blade still held enormous power, the wind pressure alone was enough to make the girl jump back in fright. Having lost its weapon, I used this opportunity to quickly close the gap between the Mimic and I. As I ran, my dagger was a blur. It flew ahead of me and directly towards the Monster. The blade struck out at the monster repeatedly, almost like a whip, before it came crashing down with a metallic jitter. The tip left numerous lacerations on its black clad body. Despite that though, I could feel that, even with all the weight of my blows, my attacks were ultimately ineffective. It felt as if I was striking forged iron. As if a massively constructed fortress was erected over the Mimic¡¯s skin. And my hypothesis wasn¡¯t that far off either, I intuitively felt that this Mimic, this look-alike was currently using my very own [Hard-Scale] skill! It received each of my attacks with the same look of callous disregard it had originally maintained. Each of my blows left behind a small indentation on its skin, and it wasn¡¯t as if I did no damage, after all, I could see its HP slowly dwindle down with each successive strike, but the rate at which it decreased, and the total damage it received was far too low. After numerous strikes, the Mimic finally moved. Its body swerved to the right, then to the left. its head bobbed ever so slightly, while its chest and upper body moved with the wind. It began dodging my dagger with minimal margin of error. What made this worse was that its movements were almost near identical to my own. A rough, unhoned movement. Sometimes it would move excessively to one side, while other times its arm or leg would stick out unconsciously. Its moves were rough yet unfeathered. Each habit I had unconsciously formed throughout this month was plainly apparent in the Mimic¡¯s actions. It was using a complete carbon copy of my self developed movement skills, complete with my own quirks and habits. After dodging numerous strikes successively, it suddenly rushed forward. Going by its speed, I could tell that it had activated [Rushing Dash]. Its nightblack figure grew larger and larger as it neared. I forcibly rotated my upper body to the right, briefly brushing past the monster with only a fraction of an inch of breathing room. Unfortunately, the Mimic¡¯s forward assault came to an abrupt stop just as it brushed past me. Stopping [Rushing Dash] half way into the skill was something I had painstakingly learned throughout all this time¡­ seeing it being mimicked so casually¡­ well, it felt a bit unfair. The Mimic¡¯s body turned to face me. The rotation of its hips followed through to its right fist, just as that same fist struck out directly towards my upper abdomen. ¡°Guh-¡± The impact was heavy and felt as if a ten ton sledgehammer had embedded itself deep into my chest. I could feel, from the unnatural sturdiness of its fists, that it had used [Hard Scale] to increase its damage potential. My body flew a good 5 feet back, barely managing to maintain my balance as I came to a sliding stop on the still wet floor beneath. That blow just now¡­ even though it was supposedly a copy of me (even down to its level), I undoubtedly felt that the power it displayed was without a doubt much stronger than my own. This was the effect of the 50% stat increase. This was the strength of a me who was 1.5 times stronger than me. Thankfully though, given my inherit stat buffs from all the various assortment of equipment I currently donned, this difference was negated. Rather, I felt as if, with the right weapon, my strength still exceeded the mimic¡¯s. Of course, this realization brought me some sense of comfort, but I was quickly forced to swallow down that feeling just as I saw the Mimic move. Once again activating [Rushing Dash], it flew threw the room¡­ directly heading once again for the President¡¯s group of two. After two failed attempts, the Library girl and the teacher weren¡¯t as unprepared as before. They gripped their weapons, ready to receive the incoming assault, but they did not dare to attack themselves. Rather, they couldn¡¯t. The oppressive feeling the mimic let out was far stronger now than before, especially now that it was actively attacking. I also used [Rushing Dash] and chased after the Mimic, but as expected, given its head start, I had no chance of catching up. The Mimic quickly closed the gap between it and the others in the span of two breaths. Its leg flew out towards the teacher¡¯s stomach, using the poor man¡¯s body both as a backboard to stop its dash, as well as an outlet for its aggression. With the combined momentum of [Rushing Dash] in effect, the teacher¡¯s body limply flew through the room. His grip on his sword loosened just as his body crashed into the wall behind him. He was a good 15 feet away from his original position. He hit the far away wall with a resounding thud. His body was half embedded into the wall, while his hand hung limply at his side. The weapon he had used up until now fell helplessly on the floor with a dull and somber clang. The Mimic then reared its attention to the other person. The girl bit down on her lip harshly as her body moved forward. Driven by the primal instinct to survive, she took the initiative and attacked. Her weapon slashed into an arc and honed in on the Mimic¡¯s exposed abdomen. Much less avoid, the Mimic did not move in the face of this assault. It used [Hard Scale] and received the blunt weapon¡¯s imposing strike with a sense of casual disregard. The girl¡¯s weapon, filled with all of her power and momentum came to an abrupt stop on the Mimic¡¯s abdomen. Its white-jade eyes looked down on her, as if implying ¡°is this all?¡± The girl retracted her blade and prepared to strike out again. By this point I had already closed the gap between the Mimic and I, and was fully prepared to strike out, this time with my strength oriented boken. At the same time, the Mimic¡¯s eyes glinted harshly in the dead of the night. In its hands, a pitch black dagger once again materialized, and, while giving off a feeling of well practiced motion, its blade struck out and aimed directly for the girl¡¯s neck. I stabbed my boken directly at the base of his spine. The Mimic¡¯s body tumbled and slid across the wettened floor. Its blade, the same one that had been filled with killing intent not a moment before, quickly flew out of his hand. I breathed in a sigh of heavy relief as I glanced briefly at the Library Girl. Her face was deathly pale. Her body could not even shake nor tremble, while her fists could only grip tightly onto her weapon with ice white knuckles, as if her whole arm had gone into rigor mortis and was now incapable of movement. I could tell instinctively that that strike that the Mimic had planned was another skill. One I was greatly familiar with. My most used and most relied skill. It had planned on directly severing the girl¡¯s neck using my [Dissect]. Realizing this, my face darkened, while I unconsciously grimaced. I came to the conclusion that, this Mimic was definitely too dangerous. At the very least, it was far too dangerous to fight it especially with my current teammates. With the current power disparity, if they were to fight, it would be like feeding sheep to a hungry wolf. After all, I was stronger than these two. And by extension, the mimic was stronger as well. If you were to ask me if I could defeat the two from the President¡¯s group by myself, then I would say yes. I could beat them. I could kill them. I could very much do all that with ease. I knew my own strengths and limitations very well after all, thus it was an easy enough conclusion to come to. And since I was far too familiar with this all too well, then the next decision was equally as easy to make. In this battle, I would have to fight alone. The other two, in the face of this type of monster would not be much help. Rather, they would more likely end up being hindrances rather than supports. This was already apparent from the previous exchanges that took place. Coming to this conclusion, the grip on my dagger tightened as I took a trepid step forward. ¡°Oi, girl,¡± I called out from behind. ¡°Don¡¯t interfere anymore. Go take that teacher and move far away for a moment.- ¡± This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. I could hear her frantic stammering, but I ignored it. My bated breath exhaled exaggeratedly as I crouched down and prepared a stance. ¡°-Otherwise, I won¡¯t be able to guarantee that you won¡¯t die.¡± With that, My feet kicked off the ground and I zoomed forward. [Rushing Dash] activated and my speed exponentially increased. My blurring figure chased the Mimic¡¯s still recovering form. It took a quick glance in my direction before it materialized a Night black longsword. As the gap between us closed, my body once again lunged, increasing my already blistering speed for a fraction of a second. The boken in my hand thrusted out, directly aiming at the Mimic¡¯s exposed head. The monster responded with a swift swivel of his neck, barely avoiding the life threatening blow by a mere fraction of a centimeter. The Mimic then followed up with a vertical slash upwards with his materialized long sword. Its 1.5 meter bladed edge whistled through the air. Its direction and aim was squarely focused on my neck. Grimacing, I forcibly twisted my body in mid air. I held the boken up to receive the incoming hit. Upon impact, the blade slid uselessly against the wooden weapon¡¯s almost elastic surface. Not giving it time to recover its stance, I then took another step forward the moment my feet hit the ground. The boken that was stanced low besides my left hip instantly blurred as it soared through the night and honed in on the Monster¡¯s exposed side. As if anticipating this, the Mimic once again maneuvered its body at an almost impossible angle and once again dodged by a hair¡¯s breadth. It leapt backwards in an attempt to widen the gap between us. Of course, I did not allow it to do such a thing. My body immediately followed. Ironically, I was like the Mimic¡¯s constant shadow, following and pursuing him with every step of its retreat. It never went no more than 2 feet away from me before I was already upon it. I sent out a flurry of blows in my desperate pursuit. A mixture of heavy strikes with my boken in one hand, as well as sharp, precision stabs with the dagger in the other. In the long time that I¡¯ve been here, I¡¯ve painstakingly practiced using two weapons at the same time. As expected, such a feat was much harder than it looks, but due to my effort, I could now just barely use my Boken and dagger in unison. I stabbed, sliced, thrusted, and sweeped. Each and every one of my blows interlayered with heavy killing intent. The Mimic, as if it had the eyes of a god and the reflexes of a drugged up mouse, avoided each and every one of my attacks. Its body, as lithe as a bee and as light as a feather, nimbly dodged and avoided, all at a hair¡¯s breadth of space, no more, and no less. It anticipated every move I took, and knew what I was about to do even before I was prepared to do it. In shorter words, it had my fighting style ingrained deep into its cerebrum. After a series of vain attempts, the Mimic finally retaliated. Shuu- With the pitch black longsword in one hand, it sweeped towards me, the blade fully aimed at my neck. I leaned and ducked my body forward, barely avoiding. I could feel the cold shiver of metal pass through my neck, just as I saw a growing dot of darkness approach my crouched face. Instantly, I threw my body to the side, barely avoiding the incoming knee that the Mimic had attacked with. I rolled once on the still wet floor before I pushed myself off the ground with all four limbs. In the next instant, a long sword came crashing down right where I had previously been. I regained my footing just in time as the Mimic began its retaliation. It attacked me, all with irritatingly familiar tactics and movement patterns. Of course, I dodged and avoided, much to the same way the Mimic dodged and avoided my earlier attack. Between the two of us, man and monster, original and copy, we began an exchange of futile attacks. Everyone of our attacks missed, and we dodged each of our opponent¡¯s strikes. It was an even match. With the monster¡¯s 50% stat increase, as well as my equipment bonuses, even our stats were roughly the same. After a while, I imagined that our fight was entering a stalemate, but I was sourly proven wrong in the next instant. My latest attack caused the Mimic to jump backwards, landing on a shaded location of the room. The instant that its foot touched shadow, its figure blurred for a moment. In the span of less than a breath, the Mimic had almost instantaneously re-appeared behind me. ¡°!!!¡± I frantically glanced at it from my peripheral vision, just in time to see its long sword enter my exposed flesh. The metallic burning pain was an almost instantaneous sensation. I repressed a howl of agony that was bubbling in the pit of my stomach, as I frantically leapt away from danger. Luckily, I was able to avoid the worst outcome of having my entire body sliced in half, but the gash it left on my latissimus dorsi was deep, and definitely not superficial. What¡¯s more, I could tell that that latest strike of his was one that utilized the [Dissect] skill. I confirmed this with the [Laceration] status effect that hovered gloomily in my status panel. In other words, it was a failed [Amputation] attempt. I took several steps back and increased the distance between the Mimic and I. I shot it a death glare, while my face contorted into a frown. That attack, no, it was more like a movement skill¡­ It suddenly vanished in the shadows and re-appeared almost instantaneously behind me. That¡­ that was definitely something I was not capable of. This realization, this knowledge that the Mimic had other moves, other capabilities besides the ones it copied from me filled me with a heavy sense of apprehension. The Mimic once again rushed forward. Unlike its previous attempts, it did not use [Rushing Dash], rather, it ran at its maximum speed and after a span of 4 breaths, closed the distance between us. The long sword in its hands thrusted outward towards me. The attack was more of a probing one, rather than one that aimed to kill. I avoided the hit with a leap to the side, although, much to my chagrin, the moment I moved, the burning sensation on my side spiked up. With a grimace, I counterattacked and thrusted outwards with my boken. The Mimic stepped backwards, and its foot touched shadow once more. Once again, its body momentarily flickered before it completely vanished before my eyes. My mind instantly alerted me of the danger. I did not know where it would reappear, but I did know that my current position was its target. With a grunt, I threw my body to the side. At the same time, the Mimic appeared above my previous location. Using its weight as an added factor, its long sword blurred downward, only to chip at the tiled floor beneath it. I wiped a cold sweat away from my strained eyes, as I saw the Mimic regain its posture and turned towards me. Even before it attacked my body was moving. I continually leapt backwards, the Mimic, as expected followed suit. In no time, I was once again back at the center of the cafeteria. The main reason for this was because this spot was where the moon leaked into the windows and lit up the room the brightest. In other words, the center of the room was the spot with the least amount of shadows. As I avoided another attack, I felt my throat ache with cold exhaustion. My limbs and body were gradually growing heavier. My stamina was depleting. I did not know for how long my fight had taken place, but what I was most certain of was that I would not last any longer. What made this situation even worse was that, in comparison, the Mimic had plenty of stamina to spare. As expected, in this sort of situation, the 50% stat boosts shined the brightest not with regular stats, but gauging stats like stamina, and hp. If I had any stamina potions to spare, then this match may have turned my way, but as of right now, that was sourly not the case. Sensing my weakness, the Mimic¡¯s actions suddenly intensified. It began using every one of its skills without reserve. I was left to frantically dodge and avoid. Unfortunately, my draining stamina affected my movement, and I could do nothing but take a few of the more difficult attacks. In a mere 30 seconds, my body became riddled in superficial wounds, but my hp had decreased by a full 20%. What¡¯s more, that huge [Laceration] injury on my side was slowly draining and crippling me. My mind was strained, and my body even more so. I saw, with wide, clear, albeit tired eyes, the edge of the Mimic¡¯s longsword growing larger and larger as it approached. In that instant, for that split moment, a deep tremor welled up in my heart. I did not want to die. I did not want to die. It was natural, but I did not want to die. I wanted to live, to survive, to defeat and kill this copy cat who had put me in this type of shitty, desperate situation. To survive, to live, I was prepared to do anything for this base primal instinct. My body did not move. Unlike the previous game of cat and mouse, I did not follow with the usual routine, instead, my body stayed stationary, no, rather than unmoving, it was more like I invited the oncoming attack. I did not back up, but rather, I moved forward, directly into the tip of the sword. With a wet squelching sound, followed with an indescribable burning sensation, the long sword penetrated my right shoulder. The moment it did so, for the first time, the Mimic¡¯s movements hiccuped as it momentarily paused. It had fully expected its attack to miss. Like usual, it expected it, yet I denied those expectations. With the sword piercing my shoulder, the normal reaction would be to step back and remove the blade. I did not do that. Instead, with a heavy step, I moved forward. The pitch black blade sunk deeper into my shoulder. The tip of the sword protruded out of my back as I continued to walk forward. Once again, the Mimic was confused. As a being whose mind was almost completely identical to my own in terms of battle, such a suicidal action was out of its expectations. After all, normally, I would not do such a thing. Yet right now, the reality was that a blade was pierced in my shoulder and I completely accepted it. I did not shut off my pain using [Sensory Remapping], instead, I merely forced it down, taking another step forward. When I had gotten as close as possible with the still shocked Mimic, the hand that wielded the boken loosened and dropped the wooden weapon. Instead, it blurred and in the next instant, that hand gripped tightly at the Mimic¡¯s shoulder. Like a clamp, I held the Monster in place. A flash of realization gleamed in the Mimic¡¯s eyes, but by this point it was already too late. My remaining hand, the one that held my dagger, [Efhermet] flashed, and struck out at the Mimic¡¯s neck. I could feel the resistance from [Hard Scale], but my attack did not stop there. I reared my hand back once more, and slashed. A slash interlayered with [Dissect], it produced a heavy metallic scraping sound as the edge of my dagger impacted the [Hard Scale] clad skin on its neck. This carbon copy was something completely identical to me. It had my skills, my levels, my stats, even a shadow of my appearance. SHI! Another strike. I felt its neck give way as a slight, bloodless indentation appeared on its neck. This monster was identical to me, yet at the same time it was not me. It had a major flaw. SHI! The indentation grew deeper. My hand continued to move, as if I were cutting down a tree trunk with an axe. SHI! As I fought with this monster, I learned a crucial flaw in its design; it did not feel emotion. It was so close to identical, but at the same time, so far away. It knew my every move, yet at the same time, never knew my intentions. SHI! Because of this flaw, it could not predict this unexpected result. SHI! It raised its arm up to guard its neck. This was fruitless. Now, I simply needed to [Dissect] its arm along with its neck. SHI! A series of actions that diverted from the norm. SHI! Its arm fell off. SHI! It could not react to this. It could not react to something driven by the primal emotion that welled up in my soul. SHI! The instinct to survive. SHI! This was something that this creature did not have. SHI! Thus- SHI! -It died. The Mimic¡¯s head toppled to the floor. My grip on the creature¡¯s shoulder finally loosened, and not a moment sooner, its body also flopped down besides its severed head. The aching of my body intensified. In that short span it took to kill the monster, I had received numerous new wounds. As expected, from such a proximity, it was simply impossible to expect the Mimic to simply stay put and not retaliate. By the end of it all, my hp was down to 10%. It was a close match, but in the end, I won. My victory though, rather than through sheer luck or guts, was much more calculated than it seemed. While I held the Mimic down, I attacked the same spot repeatedly. In contrast, the Mimic''s attacks were much more erratic. While I solely focused on striking its neck, building up critical hit after critical hit, the Mimic was simply desperate, attacking whatever body part came into his view. Of course, despite that, during the last few moments of the fight, it had been close. Dangerously so. With both of us using [Hard Scale], it had turned into a sort of war of attrition. A war that I overcame. My legs wobbled, just as my knees gave out. I fell to the floor, almost at the same time the monster¡¯s body began disintegrating. Along with it, the sword embedded in my shoulder also slowly unraveled.
Achievement: You have slain an elite monster. The elite monster: [Shadow Mimic] was a species leader. For defeating a species leader, Shadow Lurkers will no longer spawn within the dungeon. Reward(s): +2000 exp +25 unallocated points
With the sudden appearance of the pop up window, the last vestiges of the Mimic¡¯s body completely disintegrated, and I let out a long bated sigh of relief. Doing so, I could feel a pool of blood beginning to congregate in my mouth. I spat the blood out, and took another breath of stale air. I tilted my head slightly to look at the previous spot where the mimic had died. In that empty, dry stained floor were one¡­ two distinct skill books. ***** Author''s Note: After along time, we are approaching the end of the "School Arc". At first, this was meant to be "BOOK 1", but along the way, it became an "Arc" due to its size. Well, just a bit more guys. If you liked this chapter, or this story in general, then please rate or review. Chapter 73: A Nightmare of Shadows A Nightmare of Shadows I coughed up another mouthful of blood. My pale countenance and wound covered body was the aftermath of my fight. My gaze shifted and fixated on the two skill books in front of me. Despite my desire, at my current state, much less go over and pick them up, I could not even move. The aching throb of my body was quite severe after all. While there was a general constant pain that surged throughout my body, the strongest, mind numbing sensation came from the hole in my shoulder. The hole that constantly oozed out what little blood I had left. I forcibly shut off my sense of pain before, with shaky hands, I grabbed a health potion from my pants pocket. This was the 5th health potion today, which left me with less than 10 in reserve. If I continued to go through precious commodities like this, then in no time flat, I¡¯d be left high and dry. Again, while I did not feel the pain, moving caused the blood that flowed from my open wound to intensify. Death by blood loss briefly flashed through my mind before I downed the vial of red liquid. I felt a few of my minor cuts close up, while at the same time, the constant pain lessened. After some slight hesitation, I used another health potion. The larger injuries closed, the [Laceration] effect vanished, and the hole in my shoulder, while it did not heal completely, at the very least, stopped bleeding. My body was still far from perfect condition, but I didn¡¯t dare to use another hp potion. With my strength revitalized, I stood up. My feet were still shaky, and the ache in throat still persisted, but at the very least, I could stand on my own two feet. My first priority was the skill books. Overcome by curiosity, I picked the two skill books up and immediately used [Identify].
Skill Book - Dissect A manual that goes over the proper procedures to performing a successful anatomical dissection. This skill book allows one person to learn the active skill [Dissect]. Effects - New Skill - Dissect Equip Skill Bonus - Synchronicity with existing skill [Dissect]. Over 100% effectiveness boost.
Skill Book - Shadow Step (Special) A record that depicts the common movement skill associated with Shadow and dark type monsters. Shadow step is a skill that most shadow and dark type monster above a certain grade will naturally learn. This Skill book allows one person to learn the Magic active skill [Shadow Step]. Note: Due to the altered nature of the slain monster, the version of the skill learned from this skill book has been altered. Instead of using mana, the learned skill consumes stamina. Effects- New Skill - Shadow Step (Special) Equip Skill Bonus- Synchronicity with existing skill [Rushing Dash]. 20% effectiveness boost.
Upon seeing the two skill books in front of me, I unconsciously let out a sigh. I didn¡¯t know whether to laugh or to cry. One of them was useless, while the other one was useful... The most irritating thing about this was the fact that the 1st skill book contained a skill I already had. After fighting a life or death struggle with my pseudo clone and barely achieving victory... to get something I already had as collateral¡­ I felt a bit cheated. While I understand why, it¡¯s still pretty frustrating. On the other hand, the remaining skill book, without a doubt, was something insanely amazing. Not only was it an extremely valuable movement skill that further aligned with the type of character ¡°build¡± I¡¯ve been progressing towards, on top of it all, the last tid bit about the skill made this particular skill book all the more valuable. Shadow step was originally supposed to be a magic skill. Obviously, I can¡¯t use mana, so magic skills, for the most part, are useless to me. Due to the special nature of that ¡°Hide¡± mimic, who like me, probably couldn¡¯t use magic, the skill book it produced was also affected. The end result was a ¡°magic¡± skill that consumed stamina. Well, technically, since it doesn¡¯t use mana anymore, calling it a magic skill might be a stretch¡­ In the first place, I still don¡¯t know what constitutes as ¡°magic¡±. For a person like me who''s lived in a world filled with the mundane, everything that¡¯s happened so far has been pretty damn magical. But for simplicity¡¯s sake, I¡¯ve decided to call everything that uses ¡°mana,¡± magic. I wanted to immediately learn [Shadow Step], but I stopped myself. The recent skill book acquisition reminded me that, prior to the attack, I also acquired two additional skill books, one from Satou¡¯s corpse and another from the Wisp Elite. I pulled out the other two Skill Books. I already identified the Magic Clad skill and deemed it something I couldn¡¯t use, but due to the interruption from before, I never had a chance to properly inspect the remaining skill. [Identify]!
Skill Book - Fever Burst A magic transcript that highlights the usage and application of a magic debuff skill that is derived from the race special skill of the Orb Wisps. This skill book allows one person to learn the Magic active skill [Fever Burst]. Effects - New Skill - Fever Burst Equip Bonus +20 intelligence +15 wisdom
From what I could tell, the last skill book was basically a watered down version of the racial skill that the Wisps constantly used. It was the first, non directly damaging skill book I¡¯ve run across, so it peaked a bit of my interest, but upon learning that the new skill was magic based, that interest was immediately expunged. ¡°It seems like a good skill¡­ It¡¯ll probably be useful during team combat, but it¡¯s not really suited for me¡­ I¡¯ll save it for the others, but for now....¡± Along with the Magic Clad skill book, I put away the [Fever Burst] skill book, and refocused my attention on the remaining skill books I had at hand. I glanced across the room. The President¡¯s friends were busy either recovering from the battle or helping each other lick their wounds. I had time, and seeing as I had some time to myself...With little hesitation, I immediately learned [Shadow Step].
Due to Skill Synchronicity, you were unable to learn [Shadow Step]. Instead, the two skills [Shadow Step] and [Rushing Dash] have fused together to make a third skill.
Shadow Sprint (Active) Skill Type: Rare Skill Rank: Beginner Skill Level: 1 Skill Experience: 0% Effects A movement skill that utilizes the shadows. With no shadows, activation will temporarily augment the user¡¯s agility by 200% for a duration of three seconds. Increased skill level will increase the augmentation and increase the duration. Through the use of shadows, instantaneous movement to any location within 9 meters is possible. 200% agility augmentation for a duration of 2 second after the use of the skill. In order to utilize shadows user must come into contact with a shadow larger than the user¡¯s body size. Through the use of shadows, instantaneous movement to a shaded location within 120 meters is possible. Both the origin shadow and the destination shadow have to be larger than the user¡¯s body size. Use consumes 40 stamina points. Cooldown of 8 seconds. Consumption and Cool down rate lowers as skill level increases. Range and augmentation increases as skill level increases.
Reading over the window panel that suddenly floated up in front of me, I couldn¡¯t help but crack a satisfied smile. My body was tired, and my mind was a mess, but seeing this new skill of mine¡­ it was like a ray of light in an otherwise dark tunnel. Like coming home to a warm home cooked meal after a tiring day at work. ¡°As expected of a ¡®magic¡¯ skill¡­ it¡¯s pretty amazing¡­¡± With the acquisition of my new skill, the subsequent skill book vanished from my hands, dematerializing into small specs of white light, leaving me with only the [Dissection] skill book. ¡°...¡± I solemnly looked at the book. Truth be told, I had no intention of letting anybody learn this skill. I couldn¡¯t quite put a finger on it, but the uncomfortable feeling that welled up inside me when I imagined someone else running around with this type of skill stirred too great of a sensation to ignore. I didn¡¯t know why, but for some reason, I did not want anybody else to learn this skill. Plus, that 100% effectiveness boost sparked my interest. Although I already knew this skill, was it still possible for me to ¡°learn¡± from this skill book? I thought about it some more, before finally, with no small amount of hesitation, I began reading the book. The contents of the skill book was rather self explanatory. It was just as how the window panel described it. The book was a basic outline on dissection. It read like a personal journal, but the information was like that of a text book. After going through the thin, less than 10 page skill book (which consisted of a lot of pictures), the book began dematerializing in a burst of light while, at the same time, a new window panel popped up in front of my eyes.
Due to skill synchronicity, the prior skill [Dissect] has been effected.
Dissection + (Active) Through constant experimentation and trial, you have gained the foundation into understanding anatomy. Skill Type: Regular Skill Rank: Intermediate Skill Level: 9 Skill Experience: 89% Effects: Grasp monster weak points more easily. Previously dissecting a species can allow for better understanding of anatomy. When used in combat, the given effects will result (may vary): Laceration - Severe form of bleeding effect Amputation - Better chance at severing an appendage. Perforate - Increased damage when attempting to break through armor or hide. Dessicate - Severe form of blood loss. Best used in conjunction with Laceration. Mutilate - inflict a violent and debilitating injury. Anatomize - With sufficient understanding over a target, possible to grasp target¡¯s weak points. Use consumes 3 stamina. No cooldown time.
¡°Oh?¡± Surprisingly, the effects of re-learning [Dissect] were pretty beneficial. The first thing I noticed was the jump in skill level. While I did break through to Intermediate sometime during this week, I was still in the early stages, but now, through the use of that skill book, my [Dissect] skill suddenly jumped to intermediate level 9. What¡¯s more, I only needed 11% more experience in order to break through and reach the advanced skill rank. To me, this was a pleasant surprise. Up until now, raising skill level has been a terribly slow going process ever since I broke through to the intermediate rank. To see it suddenly jump up by multiple levels all in one go¡­ The 2nd, and probably most important change that occurred were the added combat effects. [Perforate], [Dessicate], [Mutilate], and [Anatomize]. Prior to today, my [Dissect] skill only contained [Laceration] and [Amputation]. With the addition of these four new combat effects, that brought the total to six. Of course, having my combat potential increase was definitely a good thing. From what I could gather, [Perforate] was a sort of armor break skill, which would definitely come in handy when facing armored enemies, like the Gilas. [Dessicate] had good synergy with [Laceration], so I could imagine its use being something akin to a sort of gradual hp decrease debuff. As for [Mutilate]... without a doubt it was definitely a damaging type attack, and going by the information, it was probably the strongest out of the other 6. [Anatomize] seemed the most useful in terms of practicality, but its description was still rather vague. At the very least, I knew that it wasn¡¯t a directly damaging attack. In the end, I was more than just satisfied with the results. In fact, I gained quite a profit from that fight. If I earned this much through one life or death struggle, then I¡¯d willingly throw myself off a cliff or jump into the mouth of a hungry monster in order to reap the rewards. After I finished the process of learning my new skills, it was then that I noticed that the other two were slowly making their way over here. The teacher had his arm slung over the library girl as support and they were currently limping their way towards me. The girl¡¯s shoulder had been bandaged, as well as the teacher¡¯s abdomen. The shoddy, emergency medical work was hardly effective though. With [Identify], I could see that they currently suffered from severe status conditions like [Anemia] and [Severe Bruise]. I debated whether or not to give them a health potion, but after some introspection, I decided against it. As they neared, I decided to field test one of my newly acquired skills. Going by the description, I should have enough ¡°understanding¡± over the human body for it to work. With little hesitation, I inwardly screamed, [Anatomize!] The instant I thought this out, several glowing red dots entered my vision. The dots were spread out evenly across their bodies. They let out a menacing glow on the side of their necks, over their eyes, and directly above their chest, where their heart should be at. On the teacher, his bandaged abdomen, close to where his kidneys should be located glowed, along side his crotch area. On the girl, her wounded shoulder let out a menacing red glow. Seeing the sight before my eyes, I could not help but reflexively widened my eyes in surprise. In short, [Anatomize] was just as its description spoke of. It was a guide which pointed out the various weak points on a target¡¯s body. Without a doubt, in the heat of combat, [Anatomize] would become an invaluable asset. After 3 seconds passed, the red dots began to dim, before eventually vanishing completely. It was at this time that the two finally arrived before me. ¡°D-did you kill it?¡± The girl asked as her head swiveled frantically around the room. ¡°Yeah,¡± I grunted out a response while I proceeded to sit back down on the still wet floor. My muscles ached throughout the whole process. ¡°I¡­¡± The teacher began to speak, shrugging off the girl in an attempt to stand with his own strength. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. We weren¡¯t a lot of help during the fight¡­¡± His face was ashen and his expression was ashamed. He looked guiltily down at the floor while I could see his hands were clenched white. The girl besides him showed a similar reaction. As if reminded of her own powerlessness, she bit down on her lip while her eyes slightly redenned. I paused for only a second before I responded. ¡°Yeah. You two are too weak. Rather, you were only hindrances.¡± As the words leaked out from my mouth, I could feel the harsh scraping of my throat. The two in front of me drooped their shoulders. They were trembling, but they could not say anything back in retort. ¡°Well, I guess the enemy this time around was a bit too difficult for you guys, but that doesn¡¯t change the fact that¡­¡± My words eventually died down as I let loose a tired sigh. ¡°Even if you were to lay down your life and exert 150% of effort, it still wouldn¡¯t have made a difference. In this world, what a person needs isn¡¯t passion nor determination. They need strength.¡± I blinked once before I resolutely stared down at them. They were looking down so they weren¡¯t directly facing me, but I saw their bodies jump in reaction to my glare. ¡°You two¡­ are weak!¡± The room entered a quiet silence, giving those two enough time for them to think about my words. I did not know what they thought about, nor did I have any interest. Whether they crumbled or whether they improved, that was but a secondary concern to me. Eventually though, after a span of ten breaths passed, I finally broke the silence and, spurred by my current condition, asked, ¡°Do you have any medical supplies?¡± I already planned on conserving what little health potions I had left for a later time, so that left me to rely on my natural healing factor. Patching up my bruised and half lacerated body would definitely speed up that healing process. After a slight pause, the Library girl replied, ¡°Y-yes. We collected the medical supplies from the infirmary a while back¡­¡± She looked up at me for the first time. Her face instantly contorted into a grimace upon seeing my sorry sight. It wasn¡¯t so much the open laceration nor the discolored bruises on my body, but rather, the blood. I was caked in layers upon layers of blood. Blood that was both mine and someone else¡¯s. ¡°... There should be a couple of bandages and gauze¡­ enough to fix you up.¡± ¡°Good.¡± I nodded. ¡°Give them to me. These cuts are getting itchy, if I don¡¯t disinfect them soon, I might get an infection.¡± Fixing my body was a relatively quick process. After washing and dissecting the open wounds, I had the other two help patch up the cuts. Using some of the surgical sutures they acquired from the infirmary, I had my open wounds and larger lacerations stitched up. The end result was a shoddy piece of surgical work, but at the very least, it stopped the continuous bleeding from progressing. With some gauze and bandages added for a finishing touch, most of the negative status effects like [Laceration], [Bleeding], and [Anemia] were either suppressed or alleviated. It was to the extent where my natural hp recovery can finally kick in. In time, I¡¯ll be fully recovered with all my wounds healed, ready in time for the next wave of enemies, whenever they might come. Leading the other two along, I walked over towards the other side of the cafeteria, where the entrance to the library once was. The same area where the two explosions from earlier originated. As I walked, my vision was quickly filled with loose strands of dust and debris that still hung around the air. It made the breathing within the open space hard, and filled the desolate room with a sort of stagnant atmosphere. Seeing all the gathered dust that accumulated in such a short time filled me with a hammering sense of unease. I wafted through the fog of dust and debris, shouldering that uneasiness, eager to discover the full extent of the destruction provided by those two explosions. The dust loosened, revealing a site of horrid devastation. ¡°This is¡­¡± I heard a soft gasp from directly behind me. ¡°...¡± My gaze scanned through the whole area. In my mind, I let out an involuntary sigh of amazement. To sum things up, the whole area, half of the cafeteria was utterly destroyed. Two explosions had occurred. One blast destroyed the entrance to the corridor that led deeper to the building, out towards where the gymnasiums were located. The walls had caved in and rubble, debris, and giant slabs of concrete completely blocked off that slightly narrow space. Even the hanging ventilation shaft from above the ceilings had toppled down, revealing a mangled and half-destroyed piece of metal. The corridor itself was located near the library entrance, and judging by how the damage was spread out, I hypothesized that blocking off the corridor was accidental rather than deliberate. After all, the main goal of the explosions should have been to destroy the library entrance in order to prevent the stream of shadow lurkers from surging into the library, where the remaining survivors were gathered. The fact that there were two explosions only solidified this theory. One of the blasts was poorly aimed and destroyed the corridor entrance, while the last blast was what finally, successfully executed their original intention. Speaking of the last explosion, the destruction it caused was much more substantial than the first. The ceilings were thoroughly destroyed, the floors were half gouged out, and giant slabs of concrete and other rubble completely and thoroughly blocked off the library entrance. With the loose pieces of tile and pebble around the floor, the wisp of dust that lingered, as well as the good meter sized hole in the ceiling, it was as if a miniature napalm had gone off within the room. Seeing all this, I could only let out another tired sigh. I pulled out the walkie talkie from my pocket, and briefly tried to use it. As expected though, the walkie talkie was non-operational. It was completely broken, probably short circuited or destroyed by the electrical shock from earlier. ¡°Agh¡­ the entrance is busted, the walkie talkie isn¡¯t working¡­ the world really isn¡¯t cutting me any slack today¡­¡± I inwardly sighed while cursing at whatever vengeful god was currently having its kicks watching me struggle. After some deliberation, I finally turned around and addressed the other two. ¡°If we want to meet up with the others, then we¡¯ll need to get out of the cafeteria and take a detour to the library.¡± Hearing my remark, their expressions visibly stiffened while their faces paled. They shifted uncomfortably, before stating, ¡°I-is that really the smartest decision?¡± The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°I-I mean, everywhere else besides the cafeteria should be dangerous, right? Imagining all the monsters out there¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s true.¡± I consented, but before they could sigh out in relief, I continued. ¡°Can you hear that noise?¡± They simultaneously scrunched up their eyebrows as they exchanged confused looks with each other. ¡°W-what noise?¡± ¡°Well¡­ it¡¯s kind of hard to explain. It¡¯s sort of like a constant rumbling. Like the marching stampede of a small army. Listen.¡± The two of them, while wearing masks of doubt quieted down as they strained their ears to hear. It took a while, but eventually, their expressions of doubt changed into one of acknowledgement, and then to shock. Their faces paled, as I began to explain. ¡°That noise¡­ if I¡¯m not mistaken should be the sound of monsters, and from what is sounds, several hundred monsters. More than likely¡­ the dungeon boss mobilized the Tusk Boars.¡± I¡¯ve been hearing that marching stampede ever since the NEXT PHASE window panel popped up. I had my suspicions, but I eventually came to this conclusions after I considered everything else. ¡°In addition, there should also be more Shadow Lurkers around the school. After all, the possibility that they spawned elsewhere before the elite died still exists.¡± I added, which only further caused their complexions to worsen. ¡°T-that¡¯s why we should just stay here!¡± The Library girl immediately blurted out. Her shoulders trembled in visible fear. ¡°If what you¡¯re saying is true then why in the world should we willingly throw ourselves out into the face of danger?! Do you really want to die that much?!¡± ¡°... Let me ask something.¡± I spoke softly, ignoring the rising tension and placid fear in her voice. ¡°If, let¡¯s say¡­ a herd of tusk boars were to come streaming through that hallway¡­ would you be able to survive? A mob of hundreds of monsters, rage filled with the intention to kill, in here, there would be no escape, and no sliver of a chance of survival. Even I would be left with nothing to do but consent to my own demise¡± ¡°....¡± A cold sweat formed on their brow as they imagined the scene I depicted. ¡°Truth of the matter is, despite how quiet things are right now, this cafeteria is just as dangerous as any other place in the school. Besides, what are you going to do in here? Stay and wait for help? Who will help you? In this blood stained, corpse ridden room, who will come and help?¡± Their lips quivered, while their eyes swam in dreary despair. ¡°No help will come. No help has come in the past month or so, and that isn¡¯t going to suddenly change now all of a sudden. It¡¯s time for the both of you to decide. Keel over and wait to die, or fight. Fight for a chance to survive.¡± ¡°....¡± A silence that permeated through bone filled the room. It was accompanied by the sound of chaotic, yet rhythmic marching, a marching that sounded both eerily close, yet starkly distant. ¡°I¡¯ll fight¡­¡± A soft whisper. I could not tell which person said it, but glancing up at their faces, I could tell that they were both in agreement. It was a quiet fighting spirit that blossomed from their primal urge to survive. I nodded, before I looked up. Above me, was the meter wide hole in the ceiling, carved out by the explosions from before. ¡°Since we¡¯ve come to a consensus, then naturally, we shouldn¡¯t wait any longer. For now, we¡¯ll take a shortcut, and go directly to the 2nd floor. Hopefully, they haven¡¯t barricaded the 2nd floor entrance to the library yet.¡± **** (POV Change) A lone silhouette hastily sprinted through the night clad halls before finally darting into an unoccupied classroom. The room was partially destroyed, signs of decay and rot already visible alongside the deteriorating corpses within the room. The figure with the frame of a petite girl ignored all that, opting instead to dive down at full speed behind the overturned teacher¡¯s desk, before she nestled herself inbetween the crook of the walls. She forcibly slowed her breathing and clamped her small, porcelain white hands over her heavily panting mouth, before entering an uneasy silence. Not even 10 seconds passed before, under the cover of darkness, a vicious commotion filled her surroundings. From outside the dingy classroom, the sound of stampeding feet rang shook the walls and vibrated the floor. Enraged growls and vicious roars, all with clear cut killing intent gushed out unabated. The noise and racket persisted for a while before, after what felt like an eternity, finally receding. Along with the softening sound of dying stampedes, the monsters that once filled the hall harmlessly passed, seemingly without paying the adjacent classroom any particular attention. A moment later, a head of long, messy hair that dropped down all the way to the owner¡¯s eyes popped out from the side of the door. Narrowed slits, hidden behind a curtain of hair swiveled back and forth, scanning the entirety of the hallway with trepid caution and inlayed fear. Seeing the empty hallway, it was then that the silhouette let out a relieved sigh. Their body immediately dropped to the floor, like a puppet whose strings had been cut. The girl rested her head against the side of the door, while her arms clenched into tiny fists. Around her, goblets of black semi-liquid floated harmlessly above. This girl was Cielle. With no monsters in sight, Cielle let out another tired and fatigued sigh. Her legs ached from the constant running, and her throat stung from a mixture of dehydration and overwork. She was exhausted. Ever since she found herself alone, every other minute, every other second had been a constant struggle. Thinking about all this, Cielle¡¯s most recent memories flooded back into her train of thought, filling her with an endless amount of grief and worry. A giant explosion had gone off while she was attempting to regroup with the others. Before she had the chance to react, Cielle had been blasted into the adjacent corridor. She was knocked unconscious for an unknown amount of time. When She came to, her body was racked in pain, while in front of her, a towering wall of rubble and concrete had collapsed, blocking her passage to the cafeteria. For Cielle, this was just the start. After her separation, waves upon waves of monsters all inexplicably rushed to her location. For Cielle, a glass cannon with almost no defense, fighting monsters head on was almost laughably comical. Thus, with no other options available, she hid. Cielle was constantly hiding. Scurrying in between hallways and desecrated classrooms like a stubborn roach that simply refused to keel over and die. The monsters were constantly on her tail. They did not exactly know where Cielle was, it was just that, they were always within her vicinity. If she moved to a place without any monsters, it wouldn¡¯t even take half a minute for that area to be filled with the noise of vicious roars and savage bloodlust. Still though, it was obvious that they did not have her precise location. It was more like the monsters were being called to where her general location was. As if someone was controlling them, like pieces on a chessboard. The monsters were always no more than 30 meters away from her, yet she could do nothing. Attacking one meant attacking the others, and if that were to happen... Thus Cielle ran. She avoided and hid, a constant struggle from start to present. While her thoughts wandered, Cielle¡¯s body moved automatically. Like a lifeless doll, she pulled out a box cutter which she always kept close in case of emergencies, and, without a single trace of hesitation, stabbed downwards, onto her opened palm. The blade sunk in a good inch or two, causing Cielle to temporarily wince. She did not have anything convenient like [Sensory Remapping] to shut off and numb her pain. The stab, and all of its entirety, she felt it all, as clear as day. She pulled out the box cutter, and, a moment later, a layer of transparent blue floated to the newly opened wound. Soon, it covered her palm and entered her flesh and the fresh injury soon healed. Almost immediately after, a transparent black seeped out from her hand, and floated behind her, joining the mass of [Black Gemini] that she had been accumulating all this time. Cielle sighed once more, before once again peeking out into the hallway. From a distance, she saw the monsters from before. They were back tracking and walking, sauntering towards her location. Her face paled instantly, and she scrambled back into the room, hiding her delicate frame behind the comfort of a mold ridden wall. Through the walls, she heard the low rumbling and violent roars once more. Along with it, the sound of destruction. She imagined walls being destroyed, and rooms being ravaged as the sounds further enticed her growing imagination. She had lived in this type of hell for more than a month now, but the situation was different this time around. This time, she was alone. Hide wasn¡¯t here for her to rely on, her sister and Cher weren¡¯t here to accompany her, not even the President and the miscellaneous people from the cafeteria were present. Cielle was alone. For the first time, Cielle was truly alone. She took a risk, and peeked out from a corner of the window that overlooked out into the hallway. The sight before her only further confirmed her imaginations. The monsters were searching. They were systematically searching through the adjacent rooms, all the while the seething rage and bloodlust they emitted further accumulated. A rag tag group which consisted of Minotaurs, Shadows, Werewolves, and whatever other monster still resided within the dungeon. In no time at all, they would soon enter her room, and by then, what little hope of survival Cielle nurtured in her heart would be snuffed out, like a dying flame in the face of a fierce seasonal gale. Cielle bit her tongue and hesitated. If she didn¡¯t do something soon, then it would be basically the same as keeling over and waiting for death. Yet, the risk of actually confronting them was too immense to laugh lightly at. After some hesitation which only further ate up at what little time she had left, Cielle moved into action. She enforced her own will onto the mass of [Black Gemini] that floated behind her, and maneuvered a thin tendril of dark matter towards a crack on the window. There, under the camouflage of the night, the already dark substance was like a ghost¡¯s wispy trail, almost completely invisible to the naked eye. She controlled the tendril to move stealthily through the hall, before it finally arrived directly center of the mass of monsters. She then separated a small section of [Black Gemini] from the rest, and mentally hurled it at the monster closest to her room. The monster was a minotaur who boasted a large build and numerous battle scars, and Cielle directly aimed for one of its most weakest points, the eye. The attack unfortunately missed, and instead, grazed the beast¡¯s bull like face. It wasn¡¯t that Cielle was a bad aim, but rather, the situation was just too much. At night with hardly any visible light, and to add to that, from a distance of more than 30 meters away, it was already a miracle that she was able to control her magic so well from so far away. Regardless of whether it missed or not, for her purposes the attack was sufficient. The minotaur let out a blood curdling scream upon impact, and hastily turned towards the source of the pain, its eyes filled with an indescribable anger. Due to how Cielle had positioned the attack, the Minotaur ended up turning towards the other monsters, away from Cielle¡¯s original position. In response, the others all shifted their focus to the minotaur, drawn by its rage filled bellowing. Before the Minotaur could do anything, Cielle fired off another round of [Black Gemini], hitting the same monster at roughly the same spot. It seethed in anger and bellowed out once more, this time, its roars were a noticeable octave higher. Its head frantically swerved left and right, searching for what had assaulted him,but unfortunately for it, under the cover of night, [Black Gemini] was almost nigh invisible. Cielle once again fired off another shot of magic. This time, she repositioned where the shot would land and from what angle it would hit at. The resulting hit gave off the impression that the monster closest to the minotaur was the one responsible. As expected, lost in a haze of anger and irritation, the Minotaur could not think straight and immediately lunged at the subsequent monster - an Ipotane with a vicious horse head, and towered over 2 meters in height. Cielle flashed a satisfied smile upon seeing the conflict she sowed. She once again maneuvered the rest of the tendril of [Black Gemini], inciting further conflict with the rest of the monsters within the hallway. Only a short amount of time passed and Cielle had already used up all of the tendril of [Black Gemini] she had originally sent out. Thankfully though, her initial goal was accomplished. Before her, was a sight rarely seen by others. An amalgamation of monsters currently thrashed and fought amongst themselves. Whatever higher power had brought them here in the first place was thrusted into the back seat, deemed a secondary to the monster''s¡¯ own innate instinct for destruction and violence. As they fought, Cielle sighed in relief, while she began to move towards the Classroom entrance. She did not notice, but Cielle¡¯s countenance was now a shade paler after her stunt. She crouched down besides the door and bent her knees in preparation. She breathed out shakily, turning back to stare at the monsters up ahead. Thoughts of doubt and fear swirled around her head, but she forced it all down with a steady gulp, and, before her mind could entertain those thoughts again, her feet suddenly bolted forward and propelled herself in the opposite direction. She ran as fast as her legs could manage, a trail of [Black Gemini] floating directly behind her. Her ears pounded with blood while her heart almost jumped out of her throat in nervous desperation. After 10 seconds of mad sprinting, she dared to shoot a glance back. The instant she did, her whole body trembled in fear while her complexion further paled. Behind her, was a pack of raving monsters, all of whom had stopped fighting amongst themselves, and were currently making a mad dash towards her. The sight of their open jaws and rage filled eyes only further fanned her fear, before she turned back around and intensified her sprint. As she ran, she madly stabbed at her arm. A constant process of cutting and healing, she was so accustomed to this that doing it in mid sprint did not affect her speed whatsoever. In doing so, the trail of [Black Gemini] that followed close behind her continued to accumulate. In addition, the blood that poured out from her newly created wounds were collected into a container which she had been previously using to contain her [Black Gemini]. She ran for what felt like an eternity. Her heart was constantly pumping, her lungs were opened wide to take in as much air as humanly possible, while her hands moved in rhythmic fashion, creating new wounds only for them to be healed not a second later. Eventually, she came across an intersection in the halls, and without any hesitation, instantly turned the corner, her feet almost tripping over themselves in the process. At the same time, her hands flickered, and the giant goblet of [Black Gemini] that floated behind her formed a transparent wall that covered the whole of the hall. The monsters which blindly chased after her, ran through that transparent wall at maximum speed. A chorus of pain filled howls filled the room as they swatted out at the incorporeal matter. Some monsters tripped over themselves, while others unconsciously kneeled down in pain, causing a sort of blockade to form at the intersection. They crashed and fell amongst themselves. What¡¯s more, it didn¡¯t really help that in addition to the magic wall of [Black Gemini], Cielle also coated the floor using the container of blood she had pooled. The slick surface reduced any and all traction which the monsters might have possessed, and caused the majority of them to slip and fall, much to their dismay. Several of them crashed against walls, destroying lockers, and even a ventilation shaft. The ventilation entrance which was positioned close towards the ground had been smashed and undone by a giant minotaur whose body crashed along the floor, along with several other monsters. Before Cielle had the opportunity to celebrate her little victory, her face contorted as her eyes locked at the scene further ahead of the hallway. Up ahead, no more than 200 meters in front of her was another calamity worse than the previous. Monsters that filled the space from end to end , all barrelling down the hallway and towards her direction. Several hundred tusk boars, all dashing forward in a stampede of hooves. Their march was so intense that it shook the very foundation of the building. Unlike the pack of monsters behind her, the tusk boars were united. They were like one being, a mass of husky mountain-like bodies. Like a natural disaster that foretold certain death. Cielle instantly came to a sliding stop, before, with slight hesitation, back tracked and sprinted towards the mass of fallen monsters. As she ran, her teeth shivered in fright. She could feel the vibrations of the approaching herd, not only with her feet, but with the entirety of her whole body. The air seemingly vibrated as the Boars got closer and closer. Cielle¡¯s eyes swam, madly swiveling across the entire hall, searching, looking for anywhere to escape to. Her eyes landed on the broken down ventilation shaft. Directly next to it was an angry Minotaur that was currently trying to get back up. In that instant, all of her indecisiveness vanished as she made a split decision and dove for the ventilation shaft. The recovering minotaur noticed, and howled in anger. To Cielle everything happened in slow motion. Due to her increased intelligence, her reaction time was now much faster than a normal human being¡¯s. Even greater than Hide¡¯s in fact. She saw with open eyes as the Minotaur reared its fist back. Its hate filled expression flashed with angry prejudice as it prepared to fire a full frontal fist towards her. In that instant, [Blue Gemini] shot forth and hit the monster square on its neck. The sudden interruption caused its attack to momentarily falter, but upon the lack of damage or pain, its eyes flashed red in seething rage once more as it moved into action. Not even a second passed before a layer of [Black Gemini] seeped out from the Minotaur¡¯s body. Cielle flicked her wrists ever so slightly, before that floating trail of darkness instantly shot out at a blistering speed towards the Minotaur¡¯s face. Its eyes widened in surprise and before it could react, the dark trail of transparent liquid instantly hit its eye, temporarily blinding it. An angry bellow escaped its raw throat, sending flying spittle and saliva everywhere. Cielle reached the broken ventilation shaft and scampered into its depths. Half a second later, directly next to the entrance, a resounding boom shook the foundation of the wall. She heard the crumbling of concrete followed by the frustrated howls of a bull. Cielle crawled deeper, the permeating darkness seeping her everybody. From behind her, the thundering stampede could be heard, followed by the pain filled howls of the other monsters who were trampled by several hundred Tusk Boars. Regardless of what happened outside, Cielle continued to crawl. As she continued deeper and deeper, the burdening loneliness that she¡¯d been suppressing this entire time, gradually blossomed out. She let out an involuntary whimper, a pathetic sound which vibrated and echoed through the metal enclosure. Hot streams of liquid rolled across her cheeks, the restrained sniveling only intensifying with their arrival. In her mind, a picture of Hide¡¯s face appeared. It wasn¡¯t only his, but also images of her sister, Cher, even the people from the cafeteria. Images of her parents, her aunt, uncle, the grandpa that used to take her out fishing during the summer. People she forced herself not to think about ever since the start of the apocalypse all suddenly surged forward, their memories only embittering the tears that fell down from her eyes. Cielle eventually stopped crawling, and gritted her teeth, forcing herself into a whimpering silence. a thin stream of blood trailed down her lips, but she ignored it. She wanted to go, she wanted to continue moving, to join up with Hide and the rest, to escape the dungeon, to go back home. Although she wanted to, she could not. Her body simply refused to move. Her throat was scraped with exhaustion, her chest continually heaved up and down, while her arms and legs ached with bruises and fatigue from constant crawling. Cielle¡¯s vitality wasn¡¯t that great to begin with, thus, her stamina had gone down at a blistering rate. Now, her body was currently going through the effects of [Stamina Exhaustion]. In addition, her mind was somewhat fuzzy, while a slight aching at the back of her skull persisted. This was the initial signs of [Mana Exhaustion]. ¡°I need to rest¡­¡± She muttered quietly to herself. She noticed that it hurt to talk. Using every bit of energy she could muster, Cielle used [Blue Gemini] on herself. Her main goal wasn¡¯t to alleviate the pain in her bruised knees and arms, but rather to acquire the byproduct. She maneuvered the subsequent [Black Gemini] to create two walls that surrounded each end of the ventilation shaft, encasing her body in a sandwich of transparent darkness. As she did so, the last vestiges of mana in her body was finally used up and she helplessly fell to the floor in a heap of exhaustion and fatigue. Her mind could hardly think straight and the dull aching in her head had blossomed into a dreadfully painful throbbing that made it almost impossible to form any coherent thought. It wasn¡¯t only her mind too, her body also suffered. Her rasping throat, the aching in her chest, as well as the overall weak feeling which seeped into her bones caused her to feel fragile and useless. Cielle tried her hardest to ignore all that, and curled up in a fetal position. Her cold metallic surroundings, the permeating darkness, as well as the aching in her body was like lullaby which suppressed the rising feeling of loneliness in her heart. Hide¡¯s face flashed once more in her mind, before she drifted off into chaotic sleep. **** Author''s Note: If you liked this chapter, or this story in general, please rate or review. Chapter 74: Rendezvous Rendezvous After climbing through the 1 meter wide hole in the ceiling, I made my way to the library entrance, while leading the other two along like a shepherd with his sheep. Unlike what I initially expected, the double doored entrance wasn¡¯t locked or barricaded. With a casual push, we entered the decrepit library. The other two followed behind closely as I walked trepidly through the dust filled air. It was quiet, yet the visual signs of destruction were still present under the moonlit night. Cabinets overturned, bookshelves destroyed, sheets of paper scattered across the floors, for all intents and purposes, the space looked abandoned. As I walked deeper, I saw three corpses piled up along a corner of the room. Someone had placed a thin tapestry over the bodies, but it could not conceal the blood, as it seeped out and gleamed with the moon¡¯s reflection. Going by the viscosity of the red liquid, as well as the putrid smell the bodies gave off, the corpses- these people had died recently. Although I wanted to ignore the bodies and continue ahead, the other two insisted on stopping. They pleaded until I was finally forced to consent. The teacher whose name I didn¡¯t bother remembering walked over to the corpses and lifted up the tapestry, enough for him to see what lay underneath. After a brief span of silence, he layed back the tapestry and with a grim face, walked back over to where the Library girl stood. ¡°It¡¯s Mr. Tanikawa, Irie, and Kawasaki¡­¡± He spoke briefly, his tone hushed, as if an invisible force was pressing down on him. The library girl¡¯s face scrunched up briefly before she turned towards me. She hesitated for a moment, before explaining, ¡°Mr. Tanikawa was an English teacher for the 1st years, Irie was a 2nd year, so was Kawasaki- they were both part of Volleyball club¡­ They were all people from the Survivor group.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± I spoke with an indifferent voice. My eyes found themselves staring down at the dirty blue tapestry in front of me. I could feel the heat of the Library girl¡¯s stare baring down on my back, but I chose to ignore it. She seems as if she wanted to further continue the conversation, but did not know how. She opened her mouth for a span of 3 seconds, before closing them again. Seemingly having given up, she stepped forward, and turned back to face the tapestry. The teacher followed suit, and stood beside her. They clasped their hands together, and bowed. Their eyes closed, while their expressions serious, a hushed prayer leaked out from their mouths. ¡°...¡± ¡°¡°...¡±¡± After close to 2 minutes passed, I couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°... Do you do this all the time?¡± The Library girl stopped mid prayer and turned back around to face me. Her expression showed an absent minded expression before she made an ¡°Ah-ha!¡± gesture. She paused long enough for her to take a single breath before she said, ¡°Well, as often as we can. The President was against it at first, but since I kept insisting, he eventually just let me do as I pleased.¡± ¡°Emiko was a Miko (Shinto Priestess). Seeing all the dead everywhere around the school, she couldn¡¯t just ignored it all without doing something.¡± The teacher, having seemingly finished his prayer, turned back around and supplemented. The Library girl- Emiko¡¯s expression reddened slightly as she awkwardly scratched her cheek. While looking a bit embarrassed, she said, ¡°I really couldn¡¯t help it. I used to help my grandfather out at his shrine during the summer, so¡­ I just felt it was¡­ right.¡± She briefly turned to glance at the tapestry, before continuing, ¡°While I don¡¯t know what everyone¡¯s religion was, or their specific preference¡­I just- paying respects to the dead is the very least I can do.¡± She ended her words with a somewhat bitter smile. A look of contemplation covered her face. Her eyes, seemingly stared off into the distance, lost in some ambiguous thought that she could not quite grasp. I did not respond, and after a silent minute passed, she awkwardly coughed, stating, ¡°W-well, I can¡¯t really do it as often as I would have liked. I¡¯ve been busy with training and stuff¡­ but I try to make time. Back in the cafeteria, before we met back up, I also did the same thing for the people who died tonight.¡± I considered her words for a moment. After a slight pause, I asked, ¡°...Even Satou?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Emiko slightly widened her eyes. A soft voice leaked out from her parted lips. ¡°Did you pray for Satou¡¯s death too?¡± ¡°...¡± She tilted her head down, her lips quivered into a frown. After a bit of hesitation, she bitterly laughed and spoke with as much contempt as she could muster. ¡°No. While my Grandfather taught me that all men were equal after death¡­ Satou, when he died¡­ he was not a man. For a monster like him¡­¡± She bitterly laughed once more, before turning around and walking deeper into the Library. I stood there for a moment, my mind swirling with varying thoughts. It was only after the Teacher followed Emiko¡¯s receding figure, did I push the thoughts aside and followed suit. We made our way deeper into the library, all the while, our eyes scanned vigilantly across the room. We were making our way down towards the only set of stairs that connected to the 3rd floor, and when we got there, the sight before our eyes shocked us. The air swirled with dust and tiny micro-particles of destroyed wood. Up ahead, was a slight that embodied so much chaos and destruction, that one couldn¡¯t help but think it was a work of art. ¡°T-the staircase is¡­¡± Next to me, Emiko¡¯s words awed as she stared with widened eyes. The staircase was utterly destroyed. Someone deliberately broke the support beams and forcibly crushed the stairs under the weight of several heavy unit Oak and Mahogany bookshelves. Each shelf probably weighed more than 600 pounds each, and under all their combined weight, added to that, the force of the drop, the stairs couldn¡¯t help but cave in and break. As we quietly gawked, a voice from up above suddenly broke the silence. ¡°Hey! Over here!¡± We turned towards the source of the voice, and from the third floor, a person¡¯s head poked up from behind the wooden railings. I squinted to get a closer look. The head adorned with a streak of brilliant black hair belonged to one of Kido¡¯s woman. The transfer student. Prompted by her sudden shout, hushed commotion began above us. Moment¡¯s later, two people joined the woman. One of the was the President. His face flashed a look of relief the moment his eyes landed on us. ¡°P-President!¡± Emiko inadvertently cried out as she brought her hands up to cover her mouth. A restrained sob leaked out from her throat. ¡°A-ah, Emiko! Sensei! Hide, y-you guys are alright!¡± The President¡¯s voice outwardly spoke in an ecstatic tone. ¡°Hide!¡± From next to him, an equally as excited voice called out. I would have been happy, but the source of that voice was Kido. I gave a weak obligatory grunt before I asked, ¡°What happened to the stairs?¡± ¡°Ah, well¡­ it was sort of a precaution. If more monsters streamed into the library, things would get progressively worse if we got surrounded. We already lost a few people on our way here, so we couldn¡¯t be careless.¡± The image of the tapestry and the three corpses briefly flashed in my mind. Before I could say anything, the president was already continuing ahead. He spoke with a somewhat awkward expression. ¡°We¡¯ve already barricaded the doors and all the windows on the third floor, so destroying the only other entrance seemed like a good idea at the time.¡± I nodded in consent. Before I could respond, once again, I was interrupted, this time Kido¡¯s voice vibrated from above. ¡°Hide, wait right there for a second! We¡¯ll toss down some rope for you guys to climb.¡± *** POV Change Cielle woke up with a start. Her head jolted upwards, causing her to accidentally hit the metal ceiling above her. She groaned out in pain, while grasping her newly formed bruise with two pale hands. Her eyes repeatedly blinked, but all she saw was darkness. Her arms, legs, as well as the rest of her body also ached, mostly due to her uncomfortable position which she fell asleep in. It took her a while to remember that she had fallen asleep in a Ventilation shaft. ¡°...Nightmare¡­¡± She mumbled lowly, reminiscing over the cause of why she woke up. She repositioned herself within the narrow confines, and stretched out her legs before she laid down on her stomach and thought about her next course of actions. She did not know where she was. Her proximate location in relevance to the school building was currently unknown. Whether she should backtrack or push further ahead¡­ she could not decide. On one hand, moving backwards entertained the thought that more monsters would be waiting for her, while moving forward left her little choice but to wander the ventilation systems, lost and alone. Considering the upsides to both options¡­ was currently impossible for the current Cielle. The only thoughts that filled her mind were negative, and depressing. Thinking positively was something she unconsciously blocked out in fear of ruined expectations. After some more deliberation, Cielle¡¯s fear towards the monsters ultimately won out. Collecting the [Black Gemini] around her, she crawled further ahead, into the darkness, without the faintest idea as to where her destination might lead her. **** After climbing up to the third floor, we found ourselves in a open area, devoid of bookshelves. The light that leaked into the room seemingly illuminated this spot with an almost breathtaking brilliance. In fact, the scene itself would have been immensely beautiful if it weren¡¯t for the fact that within this space, people with injuries of varying degrees littered the floor. I reflexively grimaced. The sight was by no means easy to digest, even for someone like me who''s seen and experienced things an average high schooler had no business experiencing. A few of them were conscious, namely two people, an old man whose expression was close to death, and a chubby youth whose head probably only reached up to my shoulders. The rest were unconscious. From behind me, I could hear a set of footsteps growing increasingly louder. I turned, only to see the President walking over. A complicated expression decorated his face. Staring at the open space in front of us, he frowned while stating, ¡°Only about 5 noncombatants survived.¡± His face grim, he unconsciously emphasized the word, ¡®five¡¯. ¡°That was how many people we were able to transfer to the library before the shadow lurkers attacked.¡± A small amount of guilt dots my heart. In truth, it was because I recklessly killed the Wisp elite that all of this happened. If I hadn¡¯t done that¡­ If I had waited even just a bit longer.. I pushed the thought aside. Dwelling on the past was meaningless. I did not have a skill to reverse time. I swiveled my neck around while my eyes swept past the open space. Frowning, I asked, ¡°Where are Hina and the others?¡± The President¡¯s face cramps as he hears my expression. After an almost imperceptible pause, he answers. ¡°Hina¡­ and the others are back behind the book shelves.¡± He points towards a row of book shelves that lead to an open study area. ¡°For the most part¡­ they are there, but, Hide¡­ The-¡± Before he could finish speaking, I was already moving ahead. My steps continued, undaunted. Whatever the President had to say could wait. The immense pull caused by my fear and worry for the girls was too much for me to ignore. As I walked past the row of bookshelves and turned the corner, the first thing I saw was Cher¡¯s prone figure, lying atop a dusty, unused table. Her face was pale, yet somewhat serene. Her chest steadily rose and fell at an even pace, indicating that her breathing was steady. I noticed that under the information in her window panel that my [Identification] skill provided, she was still under the effects of [Anemia] and [Shock]. I immediately noticed that she did not have an [Amputate] status or anything similar.What¡¯s more, like the last time I checked, Cher¡¯s HP was at max. ¡°....¡± Thinking things over a bit, I could only infer that the system, due to the actions I directly took, had caused Cher¡¯s regeneration point to shift. Instead of regenerating her arm when her Hp reached max, it instead regenerated her HP to its maximum value while keeping her arm a stump. This in turn, exposes a weakness in the introduced system. It is not as omnipotent or all healing as I first impressions had previously suggested. While it some ways, it was indeed beneficial, increasing a person''s¡¯ healing capabilities way above what it normally would be before the apocalypse, it still can¡¯t fully heal every ailment known to mankind. An unfortunate example of this was Cher¡¯s still severed arm. As to why this was the way it was, I could only begin to ponder. In fact, just off the top of my head, I can already list several reasons why. There wasn¡¯t enough body tissue or something similar to grow a new arm out from nothing. Maybe the system¡¯s healing power is based on human physiology. Since its inherently impossible for a person to regrow a man back before the apocalypse, the same sort of rules applied to this new world? Or the magic and items I had at my disposal simply weren¡¯t suitable/effective enough to cause such a high level healing to work Probably, in all likelihoods, there is a skill- or there are several skills out there that can regenerate lost limbs or maybe even contain greater effects. Unfortunately, the me right now has no power in acquiring such skills. I stood there and absentmindedly stared at Cher for a short while, my mind lost in thought. Eventually, I came back to my senses, lulled by a faint whimpering. Walking further into the study, I saw Hina for the first time. Her current appearance was one that left me in shock and immediately caused a sense of dread to blossom within my heart. Hina had been crying. Her eyes were puffy, and red. Tear stains wettened her cheeks and snot unceremoniously slid down from her nose. She seemingly did not care about any of this as her soft hiccups of sadness continue to persist. Again, that feeling of dread that I unconsciously started fostering increases. I immediately close the distance between us, and without reserve, ask, ¡°What happened? Hina?¡± It wasn¡¯t even attempting to comfort her, rather, I wanted to find the source of this bubbling unease. Hina looks up at me with red eyes. She opens her chapped, dry lips in an attempt to answer, but what comes out is a heavy heave. Her sobs drown out whatever she had wanted to say. I frowned. The feeling of dread only further increases. My head swerves, and my eyes scan the room. It was just at this moment that I finally came realized; Cielle wasn¡¯t here. The expression on my face instantly darkens. In a grim voice, I ask again, ¡°Hina, what happened? Where¡­ where is Cielle?¡± The moment Cielle¡¯s name left my lips, Hina¡¯s expression instantly worsens. Her reserved, poorly restrained sobs come gushing out, like a fountain of never ending tears and snot. Rather than feeling sympathy, this course of events, Hina¡¯s actions, only serve to irritate me. I was frustrated. I didn¡¯t know where Cielle was, and Hina wasn¡¯t helping. The growing unease and dread only further rise. ¡°Where is she?!¡± My voice was louder, but I didn¡¯t care. I continued to ask, half yelling at this point. ¡°Where is Cielle? HINA, where is your sister?¡± Hina¡¯s sobs only further worsen. Her eyes squint shut in a vain attempt to hold the tears back. I unconsciously gnashed my teeth. The feeling of dread continues to rise. I was falling into a sea of unease and anxiety. In my fit of agitation, I briefly looked away and just then, my gaze focused on the table in front of her. A outdated, dull gray walkie talkie rested on its surface. Without even thinking about it, the moment my eyes rest on its cheap plastic hue, my hands made a grab for it. I quickly fiddled with it, turning the channel to the one we had previously designated to Cielle''s own version of the device, but to my utter disappointment, all that came out was static. "Damn it..." I cursed under my breathe as I threw the device into the darkness. My attention once again focused onto the crying girl''s figure. I grabbed Hina¡¯s shoulders, and before I could even think about what I was doing, I began to shake her. Her head whipped back and forth in the process, as I once again asked, ¡°Where is Cielle?¡± In between my shakes, Hina¡¯s hiccuping sobs break off in whimpers. Eventually, she screams out in a tone filled with self-mockery and despair, ¡°I don¡¯t know! I don¡¯t know, I don¡¯t know I don¡¯t know!¡± Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work! Her shrieks were loud, and seemingly pierced my ears with a cold wave of air. Looking down at her, I could see the snot drip down from her face in conjuction with her tears. In her eyes, I could see the growing sense of instability, along with it were obvious signs of grief, worry, anxiety, and¡­ guilt? ¡°I don¡¯t know!¡± Hina shrieks out once more. ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­*sniffle* W-where is my sister?¡± The empty eyed stare she gave me was haunting. It left behind a cold sense of despair, yet, it only served to further entice the flames of frustration and concern that was currently growing within me. With her pale-death like stare, her hiccuping sobs began to die down. Unfortunately though, her previous fit of hysteria and my equally as disconcerting fit of angered anxiety, brought the attention of the others. I heard a set of rushing footsteps and before long, a hand clamped down on my shoulder, and attempted to pull me away. ¡°Hide, stop! You¡¯re hurting her!¡± The president outwardly speaks, the grip on my shoulder tightening in the process. Hearing his words, only further angered me. I shrugged off his shoulders, and glowered at him. The moment our eyes met, the President¡¯s expression instantly faltered. He went rigid and unconsciously took a step back. I ignored him. Instead, my feet began walking even before I noticed. They backtracked out of the study area, down back into the row of bookshelves, and soon, I found myself back within the empty space. I took a deep and heavy breath, the mask of indifference which I usually wore came back to me in the process. My eyes scanned the room before me, along with all its inhabitants. I saw Kido, his harem, the President¡¯s group of people, and the 5 noncombatants who survived. I stared down at every one of them before, in a cold, harsh voice, I asked, ¡°Where is Cielle?¡± *** Cielle crawled through the ventilation shaft. In the midst of her depression and fear, she had long since stopped knowing how much time had passed. To her, the time she spent within this dark, cold, metallic space felt both infinitely long and infinitely short. She crawled and crawled. Every now and then she¡¯d stop and heal her bruised and battered limbs. Although this shaved off some of her mana, in return, the glowing trail of [Dark Gemini] that constantly followed her continually expanded. This brought some sense of comfort to Cielle¡¯s fear filled mind. To her, [Dark Gemini]- her skill was her life support. In a moment of danger, it could either save or kill her. Cielle constantly prayed for the former. Eventually, after an unknown amount of time of walking, the darkness began to lessen. Cielle instinctively knew that she was getting closer to an opening, yet, despite this realization, Cielle¡¯s movement speed did not increase. It stayed steady- almost slowing down. In no time at all, she was in front of a metal frame that overlooked out into a deserted hallway. Through the slits between the bars, she could finally see the outside of the vents. It felt like forever since the last time she saw the faint flickering of moon light. In front of this possible escape, Cielle hesitated. The fear of monsters- more specifically, the fear of fighting monsters alone instantly floated to the surface of her mind. She hesitated. She hesitated for a long time, before finally deciding to leave. Her thin, porcelain white fists balled up and began beating down on the metal. BAM BAM BAM The noise droned on, as thoughts of the others filled Cielle¡¯s mind. **** Third Person Perspective ¡°Where is Cielle?¡± The question hung dryly in the air. Nobody answered Hide for a long time. It was if time had suddenly stopped, and nobody was capable of moving. In fact, the situation wasn¡¯t far off. Instead of time, something else had stopped everyone cold on their feet. It was Hide. The expression on his face, the coldness in his voice, the deathly aura that seemingly evaporated off of him, gripped everyone¡¯s hearts with a mixed feeling of fear and reverence. For a long time, nobody spoke. While everyone continued to hesitate, a set of soft footsteps come out from in between the row of bookshelves. It was the President. His expression was flat and somber. Seeing the back of Hide¡¯s cold and silent figure, he too hesitated. He hesitated like the rest of them before he swallowed down all of his apprehensions and finally spoke. His words broke the ensuing silence, as they filled the space around them. ¡°After you told me to leave and protect Cher, I parted with Cielle. That was the last time I saw her.¡± Although Hide did not turn around even once to face the President, it was clear as night that his mood had worsened. An almost imperceptible, quiet sigh leaked out from his slightly parted lips as his brow furrowed in frustration. ¡®I shouldn¡¯t have told her to go.¡± He thought, his mind reeling in regret. ¡®Maybe things would have been better had Cielle stuck with me¡­ We could have fought the shadow goblins together¡­ we could have returned together¡­¡¯ ¡°Does anybody else know where she was?¡± Hide asks once again, his voice vibrating through the air to no one in particular. There was another silence, but this time much shorter than before. ¡°Cielle¡­ did this person have long, black hair that covered all the way down to her eyes?¡± A previously unconscious student suddenly speaks up. A faint quiver could be heard in his voice. Hide instantly glanced down at the source of the voice. There, near the back of the room, was a short, slightly overweight teenager. His hair was short and his face was covered in numerous freckles. His expression was pale and still showed the effects of the Wisp gas from earlier. With a quick glance, Hide confirmed that the fat teenager was level 2. Without uttering a single word, Hide turns the teenager and nods. Locking eyes with Hide, the teenager develops a cold sweat. Before he had the chance to regret, prompted by Hide¡¯s nod, he gulped down his rising nervousness and continued. ¡°I-I saw her. S-s-she was wearing baggy clothing right, a sweater that dropped down all the way to her knees?¡± He nervously glanced up at Hide. A moment passed before Hide solemnly nodded. After seeing his approval, the fat teenager immediately continued, his voice rising in a somewhat nervous, yet excited fervor. ¡°W-while I was being dragged away by everyone, I saw her running towards us- t-towards the library. I don¡¯t think the others notice, ¡®cause of how many monsters there were, but I have pretty good eyes, so I did. ¡°Anyways, Just before she arrived¡­ t-that was when the first explosion happened.¡± He briefly paused to look up at Hide. The expression he saw instantly caused him to pale, as he hurriedly finished his report. ¡°S-s-s-she was blasted away due to the impact. I saw her body fly towards the corridor before the ceiling came down and blocked the entrance¡­¡± The fat teenager¡¯s words began to die down, but Hide¡¯s ears were still ringing. His mind caught on that single word, ¡°Explosion¡±. He heard the loud blasts when he was fighting the waves of shadow lurkers. He definitely heard it, and what¡¯s more, he definitely knew who caused it. With unhinged anger boiling in his eyes, his head immediately swiveled and his eyes scanned the room. It only took him but a moment to locate the person he was looking for. There, in the back of the room, leaning back against a wall was an adolescent girl with above average looks. On her head rested a witch¡¯s hat, one that was originally a stage prop from a play two years back. Without pause, Hide immediately began to stomp towards her. His expression currently twisted in a way he never thought possible. Noticing the obvious shift in atmosphere, the President¡¯s face tinged in panic. He ran up to hide and grabbed at his shoulder, fearful of what he might do in his fit of rage. ¡°H-hey, Hide,¡± He spoke, trying to appease him. ¡°Don¡¯t do this man, it¡¯s no-¡± In fluid motion, the instant, the President¡¯s hand clamped down onto Hide¡¯s shoulder, a clenched fist flew and hit deep into the pit of the President¡¯s stomach. Although Hide had not thought about it, his skill [Hard Scale] had activated as smoothly and as naturally as if he were breathing. The fist that buried deep into the President¡¯s diaphragm was as heavy and as fast as an steel ball. It caused him to heave out a heavy and labored breath, before, in less than a second, he crumpled down to the floor. Hide continued forward as if nothing had happened. Seeing the President go down, a worried expression flashed briefly onto Kido¡¯s face. Without any trace of hesitation, he immediately stepped in and blocked Hide¡¯s bath. He held his arms up wide, and with a pleading look on his face, he almost begged, ¡°Hide, stop. Miki didn¡¯t mea-¡± Before Kido could finish his statement, Hide suddenly vanished before his eyes. Immediately after, a distinct, ¡°Eep!¡± Rang out from behind him. In an instant, Hide was now directly in front of the Wizard hat girl. The other girls from Kido¡¯s circle of friends, had all been standing besides the Wizard hat girl. The instant Hide¡¯s figure appeared before their eyes, they were all taken aback and instinctively took a step backwards. Without pause or concern, Hide¡¯s hand blurred and grasped onto the Wizard hat girl¡¯s collar. He pushed her against the wall and glared. He did not say anything at first, merely glaring at her with a look that could kill while he gnashed his teeth. Miki was usually a very calm and confident person. You could even call her prideful. Right now, the girl¡¯s usually haughty expression was nowhere to be seen. Her whole face was pale, and without her realizing it herself, transparent liquid had already congregated in the corners of her eyes. Seeing this, everyone was momentarily taken aback, not only because of Hide¡¯s sudden movement skill, but also because of the ferociousness he was currently displaying. Under his grasp, Miki tried to struggle. She shifted her shoulders, and pulled. She rocked her body and tried to escape Hide¡¯s grasp, but it was all useless. She was like a mouse caught in a mouse trap. Truth of the matter was, Hide¡¯s strength was simply too strong. The difference in their stats was simply too great of a chasm. Finally, after what felt like eons of struggling, in a desperate, pathetic voice, she pleaded, ¡°I-I didn¡¯t mean to do it, I swear, I swear!¡± The panic in her eyes was clearly visible as she madly wove words like fine tapestry. ¡°I didn¡¯t know she was there, I didn¡¯t know, I didn¡¯t know!¡± In the face of her please, Hide only continued to glare at her. In fact, rather than calming Hide down, Miki¡¯s almost deranged pleas had caused his grip on her shirt collar to tighten. ¡°Because of you¡­ because of you, our healer- no, Cielle¡­ because of you, Cielle is¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry! I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m sorry-¡± In his anger, he seemingly did not hear Miki¡¯s desperate please. Her violent struggle only intensified. Spittle and saliva began flying out everywhere, while she frantically shook her head and helplessly screamed, ¡°Don''t kill me, don¡¯t kill me, don¡¯t kill me!¡± Hide¡¯s eyes blaze red, his free hand slowly lifted up above him to form a pale, white-knuckled fist. The knuckle was clenched tight enough to draw blood, but Hide did not care. In fact, the pain in his fist only served to intensify his anger. Before he had the chance to attack, several figures immediately rushed towards him, and grabbed him down, all in an effort to restrain him. 2 people - Kido and Kikkawa, the teacher rushed up and tried to hold back Hide¡¯s raised arm. Although they exerted their combined strength, it felt as if they were merely hanging on to an immovable statue. Hide¡¯s fist did not budge even a single inch! On the other side, The president held onto Hide¡¯s shoulders, hoping to hold him back from further harming the girl. Next to the President was Emiko, who was attempting to wrestle away the arm that held Miki by her collar. While all of this was happening, Hide simply stood there, unmoving and simply glowered down at the pale faced person in front of him. Miki, in comparison was desperately pleading. Her eyes swam, while she constantly muttered, ¡°Don¡¯t kill me, don¡¯t kill me, don¡¯t kill me¡­¡± Snot was brazenly dripping down her face, and tears stained her rosy cheeks. Hide, who maintained his grip on the girl did not seem to mind nor pay attention to the people who tried to restrain him. All this time, Hide did not notice, but once again, he had unconsciously activated his [Hard Scale] skill. A tense, soundless silence passed. After what felt like forever, Hide let out a tired sigh as his raised fist finally unclenched and dropped down, and the grip in his other hand loosened. In response, Everyone else¡¯s expressions lightened as their own hold on him weakened. They each let go, and began to take a step back away from him. A round of relieved sighs could be heard all around, and the President could be heard muttering, ¡°Good¡­ things finally stopped escalating¡­ if it went any further then-¡± Just as everyone let their guards down, Hide¡¯s once dropped hand suddenly blurred forward. SMACK! A resounding clap filled the room. Hide had slapped her, and immediately after, Miki fell to the floor. The back of Hide''s hand was slightly, red, but it could not compare to Miki. Her right cheek was had noticeably reddened, and her eyes were in a pseudo state of both fear and shock. In fact, everyone else around her was shocked as well. Outside the president and his group, Kido¡¯s harem were also taken aback, their hands held to their mouths to hold back their surprise. Kido himself was the most affected. His fist balled up until his knuckles whitened. He was currently glaring at Hide, who in turn, simply coldly looked down at the fallen girl. Hide¡¯s expression was dark, and imposing. And overlord¡¯s domineering atmosphere wafted around him, while his dark frigid eyes burned with fiery intensity. In a low growl, he spoke solemnly, ¡°Unless I expressly order you to, don¡¯t ever use that skill of your without my consent. Next time¡­ if you disobey¡­ I won¡¯t hesitate to kill you.¡± The Wizard hat girl, whose face had just now started to swell, instantly bobbed her head. Her nodding caused a mixture of tears, and mucus to fly everywhere around her vicinity. Without giving her another glance, he turned around and stalked away. He pushed past the gathered crowd around him, ignoring everyone¡¯s stares in the process, and proceeded down deeper in between the row of book shelves before he finally arrived at the Study area. There, a still sniveling Hina, who was still grieving over the loss of her sister, quietly sobbed. She had not gone into the main area to watch the commotion from before. Her body and mind simply did not have the energy, nor motivation to do so. He continued to walk until he came to a stop by Cher¡¯s unconscious side. Hide looked down at her pale countenance with a complicated expression. He stared for a moment before, in a somewhat gentle voice that completely contrasted his earlier disposition, he said, ¡°Hina, watch over Cher for me, okay?¡± Hina, who was still stuck in a daze of dreary grief and with tears still streaming down her eyes, managed to hiccup a faint response, ¡°Okay, b-but why?¡± Hide briefly glanced back at Hina. His expression was flat, conveying almost no emotion. Without saying anything, he turned back around and began walking out of the study area, down in between the rows of bookshelves, and finally into the main space. Hina had instinctively followed. Upon seeing Hide, everyone¡¯s gazes immediately focused on him, but he ignored it. In his heart, these people had failed him. To Hide, a single Cielle was way more valuable than a hundred- than a thousand of these people. Finally, Hide stopped his march just right at the edge of where the stairs used to be. In a serious tone of voice, he spoke, ¡°Do you even need to ask?¡± His right foot hovered over the edge, as he craned his neck back to stare at Hina. ¡°I¡¯m going to find Cielle.¡± With those last words drifting lazily in the air, Hide followed through with his step, and his body immediately vanished into the darkness below. *** Author''s Note: If you liked this chapter (I especially liked writing this chapter), please rate or review. It helps me out. Chapter 75: Stumbling into the Dark Part 1 Stumbling In the Dark Part 1 Descending down to the 2nd floor, I hurriedly walked past splintered bookshelves, demolished rubble, and decaying bodies. Each of my steps carried a sense of heavy urgency, spurred by the aching anxiety that blossomed within my heart. I left the library, went down the giant hole in the floor, and found myself back at the Cafeteria. By now, the floors were all dried up, and the room smelled distinctly of charred corpses and stale air. I crossed the large span of empty space, and stopped in front of the broken down corridor. Like previously, the scene before me was unchanged. A massive congestion of giant pieces of concrete, and loose rubble. The metallic ventilation shaft, scratched and disfigured by its fall was like a centerpiece, decorating the mass of devastation. For less than a second, I stood there, unmoving. The first thing I did was test the ¡°wall¡± of concrete. I shifted around some of the loose pieces of rubble and attempted to move a few of the heavier pieces that blocked my way. As expected, after a few rounds, I quickly came to the conclusion that it was next to impossible to make any real progress like this. The obstacles were too firmly in place, if I wanted to get to the other side of the corridor, then I¡¯d need to find another way around. Glancing up at it again, the fear that Cielle might be under all this concrete and metal shook my heart to the core. Cielle was someone¡­ important to me. She was the first person I met during the apocalypse, and she¡¯s pretty much been with me throughout the whole experience. A sort of friendship blossomed between us. She didn¡¯t talk much, and sometimes, she¡¯d give off this weird vibe, but it¡¯s not like I hated her company. In retrospect, she may be one of the very first friends that I¡¯ve had in a long time. Even without factoring in her skills and combat potential, she was a person I could not afford to lose. Just as the thought of losing her came to my mind, I quickly and forcibly pushed it away. There was no use thinking about things like that. That type of loser mentality was the worst to have in this type of situation. Besides, the slightly overweight survivor had told me, he had seen Cielle fly through the corridor, not crushed under all the falling debris. I stood there for a moment before I walked into a spot on the floor where a particularly large shadow enveloped its surroundings. I began to emulate the feeling from earlier at the Library and, within the recesses of my mind, I whispered, [Shadow Sprint]! ¡°....¡± Nothing happened. I frowned as I reflexively scratched my head. Although I had considered the possibility, it seems like I can¡¯t exactly teleport through walls. This limitation wasn¡¯t expressly stated within the Skill¡¯s information panel, but somehow, I had a gut feeling something like this would happen. In the first place, I did not know whether the limitation had something to do with the physical structure obscuring my path, or due to lack of visibility. I let out a disappointed sigh and turned back around. As I prepared to walk away, something from underneath a few loosely turned slabs of concrete caught my attention. I gingerly lifted up the slab of concrete, revealing an outdated, black-and-grey walkie talkie. It obviously belonged to Cielle, and seeing it here wasn¡¯t all that surprising, if I really think about it. Looking closely, the walkie talkie was thoroughly destroyed. It was painfully obvious with a single glance that under all the weight of the concrete, this precious piece of equipment was now as useful as a pile of dirty underwear. Adding this with my own, which was damaged by the electrical shock from earlier, that left us with only Hina¡¯s walkie talkie. A single walkie talkie alone was useless. Without anything to receive the messages with, what good was that piece of junk? I chucked the walkie talkie towards the congregated mass of rubble with as much strength as I could muster. The walkie talkie shattered into several smaller pieces the moment it crashed into a giant slab of concrete. I watched, dark eyed and solemn as the shattered remains filtered through to the cracks and open spaces of the congregated wall. ¡°....¡± Paying the incident no further heed, I quickly turned back around and began making my way to the hole in the wall. I did not like it, but I needed to take a detour in order to get to the other side of the corridor. **** Cielle lifted up her small, clenched fists and stared at it with pale almost fish like eyes. Her hands were covered red with fresh blood. Open wounds that made it hurt to so much as move her fingers were numerous and abundant. The continuously seeping blood was like a curtain, masking and hiding her hands¡¯ originally pale-cream like complexion. She blankly looked at her still clenched hands before a transparent light blue substance appeared from seemingly out of nowhere and quickly enveloped her two fists. As the magic quickly did its job, a slight throbbing suddenly flared up in the back of Cielle¡¯s head. The cause of this ache was unknown to Cielle. Her mana was still fairly high, so she ruled out [Mana Exhaustion] as a cause, leaving her to wonder why exactly this sort of throbbing persisted as [Blue Gemini] continued to do its job. After stomaching through the pain, Cielle offhandedly checked her status, only to discover that she had acquired the detrimental status affect, [Mental Strain]. [Mental Strain] was a detrimental status effect that results from the excessive use and piled up stress of anything relating to the mind. In Cielle¡¯s case, her [Mental Strain] was a condition brought on by the combination of her almost non stop constant use of magic, as well as the psychological pressures her current situation put her in. Seeing this, Cielle cracked a bitter smile. Even though she regained her mana, without the proper amount of rest, using magic will only further worsen her current condition. In the face of this situation, Cielle could do nothing but smile in self deprecation. It was not like she could just stop using magic. In order to survive her current situation, Cielle was left with no other option but to continually push her limits beyond her current capabilities. She swallowed down the rising negative emotions in her heart and refocused on what was infront of her. The metallic screen that Cielle had been beating on continuously had finally given in. That was the reason, after all, for her bloody fists. Now, with the prospects of finally leaving this cramped, metallic oven, Cielle¡¯s mood slightly improved. She gingerly poked her head out, the weariness in her mind overriding the rising emotions in her heart. Her eyes scanned the hallway vigilantly, and like she had feared, her constant banging had attracted the nearby monsters around the vicinity. She regretted making so much noise, but thinking back, it was her only option. Cielle had no other choice in the matter. The only way to leave the ventilation shafts was through sheer force after all. Her magic was useless and she didn¡¯t have anything like a screw to uncork and loosen the bolts that held the screen in place. This led to the constant banging which produced the sound that echoed throughout the halls. Although she had checked before hand that the hallway she had chosen was empty and devoid of life, unsurprisingly, the noise had traveled a greater distance than what she would have liked. It was an inevitable outcome. Plus, with the constant guidance from the Boss, it would have been a mere eventuality for the monster horde to locate and catch her. There, coming out from the corner of the hall, were dozens of short, dog sized tadpoles. Their bodies were coated in a slime like filament that gleamed a murky green which was visible even in the dimness of the night. These tadpoles had giant mouths that hanged loosely below their bodies and had no arms, but their legs were strangely well developed, having the appearance of a fully grown frog¡¯s hind legs. Cielle wasn¡¯t stupid. Although she hadn¡¯t seen them directly, due to them constantly hiding within the confines of the polluted pools, Cielle instantly knew these were immature Wetlanders. They had not yet fully developed into the ugly, frog-like monsters she was familiar with but still, the resemblance was noticeable. Cielle frowned upon seeing the sight. 2 to 3 dozens of these dog sized monsters were currently hopping towards her direction. The scene brought an immediate chill to her mind, causing her to hesitate whether or not she should stay within the confines of the ventilation shafts. The scene of these tadpole like creatures jumping in and chasing her through the ventilation system was what finally tipped the scale in her indecisive mind. She hastily crawled out and staggered with shaking, somewhat numb limbs. She glared at the monsters. Their levels were relatively low, ranging from anywhere between 3 to 6. Going by their levels, these monsters, although weak, probably had experience fighting and killing their peers. The sort of ritualistic sibling versus sibling behavior common within the animal kingdom. It was a gruesome idea, but it fully embodied the very philosophy of this new world; Survival of the Fittest. To the current her, monsters of this level weren¡¯t even a challenge. She was not scared of them individually, but what did frighten her was their sheer numbers. Even now, more and more dog sized tadpoles were hopping out of classrooms and congregating a little bit away from her. Their numbers had swelled up close to a hundred by now, yet that growth had no indication of stopping. Before, when Cielle had gone level grinding with the others, she had seen these monsters within the pools, darting around the murky waters like little black dots. Back then, the several almost Olympic sized swimming pools were filled to the brim with these dots. So much so that their numbers forced the fully grown Wetlanders out of the water. What¡¯s more, she had seen an even more numerous amounts of eggs that either floated along the surface of the pool or gathered on the poolside. Back then, they had not attacked any of them. Instead, they kept these tadpoles alive as future investments, or to be more accurate, future experience. Now, in the face of the hundred plus army of monsters before her eyes, Cielle could only draw her lips into a thin line. She was bitterly regretting not killing these monsters beforehand. Still, they were low leveled. They were still weak. If she acted smart, the situation was not entirely hopeless. Cielle began running in the opposite direction, while the first few strands of [Black Gemini] began floating out from the ventilation shaft and followed her. They bobbed up and down in the air next to her for but a moment, before a thin portion of the mucous-like substance shot out behind her at a blistering speed towards the nearest tadpole. This whole process caused a ringing sound in Cielle¡¯s head, but she could only grit through the pain and focus on her current predicament. The tadpole let out an inhuman screech that vibrated the decaying air around her. It continued to scream for close to 3 seconds before it curled up and died. The tadpole was relatively weak, plus being immature and still developing, it was more sensitive to the things around it than its older, fully matured counterparts. What¡¯s more, from what Hide had told her before, the Wetlander monsters were creatures that absorbed matter through their skin. Be it food, water, or air, their skin was like a thin translucent outer layer that filtered all of these. Due to this unique physiological trait, its skin was more sensitive than others. This sensitivity reflected in the effectiveness of her [Black Gemini]. Despite the death of their fellow brethren, the Wetlander tadpoles showed no indication of stopping, rather, their speed had increased. They hopped with immature vigor, like a disorganized army with no leader. Their movement speed was by no means inferior to that of a normal pre-apocalypse human. In fact, if it was any consultation, these level 3-6 monsters were just as fast as regular dogs. A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. Cielle¡¯s face paled upon seeing this. She continued to run with all her might while she pointed a shaking finger at the monsters behind her. Immediately after, a wave of [Black Gemini] gushed forward and enveloped the front lines of the approaching monster army. A chorus of inhuman screeches resonated and close to 2 dozen Immature Wetlanders lost their lives. Cielle would have celebrated if it weren¡¯t for her splitting headache, or the fact that more monsters quickly replaced the ones she killed and instead, inflated the army to an even larger size. The constant screaming caused a budding fear to swell up within Cielle¡¯s heart. If they were this noisy, then it wouldn¡¯t be long before more monsters, attracted by the noise, came and attacked her. She threw another wave of black liquid to the closest tadpoles before, a little bit behind her, scattered amongst the multitude of tadpoles, the fully grown Wetlanders came to view. Those mature wetlanders were way more scarier than these baby tadpoles. Their levels were approaching 30 and their bodies rippled with amphibian muscle. These Wetlanders were of a much higher level than the ones she had encountered, which only further spurned on her fear. Among the 100 or so tadpoles, there were about 10 Frogs. The whole procession marched forward rather awkwardly, impeded by their large numbers and narrow halls. Cielle turned a corner when, from the back of the crowd, came the sound of tiled floors being dislodged. In the next instant, a round of tadpoles were blasted away, losing their lives in an instant. A frog leapt through the air, its red tongue hanging loosely out of its wide mouth. The frog hit a wall before it kicked out and leapt towards Cielle. Cielle practically threw her body forward, dodging the Wetlander by a mere hair¡¯s breadth away. Her body rolled a three times before the floating congregation of [Black Gemini] that surrounded her all rushed towards the Wetlander. The black substance seeped into every pore and orifice of the monster¡¯s body, enveloping it into an infinite world of pain. It involuntarily let out a howl of agony before it unceremoniously died. Its death happened in less than a span of a second, but in return, close to half of Cielle¡¯s supply of [Black Gemini] had been expended. Plus, the attack just now caused another wave of stifling migraines to wash over her mind. Her face wrinkled into a grimace just as she forcibly created a thin wall of black gemini that spanned the entirety of the intersection. This used up the remaining half of her supply and in addition, brought on an onset of even more severe migraines. The pain was so great that Cielle temporarily blacked out. The sudden pain on her body caused by her inevitable fall to the floor was what woke her up just in time to see the first of the tadpoles cross the intersection. She heard the sound of inhuman wailing as Cielle forced herself to rise. She shook her head desperately, noticing that, in addition to the migraines, a faint sense of nausea had began seeping into her mind. Cielle ignored the pain to the best of her ability just as she continued to run. She turned into an empty classroom and continued further, deeper into the darkness, deeper into the maze of classrooms and hallways. **** I arrived at the other side of the corridor in a little less than 10 minutes. Along the way, I encountered numerous monsters. I did not have the time, nor leisure to fight through all of them, so tonight, I had the opportunity of experiencing [Shadow Sprint]¡¯s functionality. Using the long distance instantaneous movement skill allowed me to avoid all the combat on my way here. At my current location stood the other side of the wall of rubble and concrete. I did not pay this any particular mind though, as my attention was bought by the dried stain of blood on the floor. The stain was a few feet away from the rubble and, although somewhat dry, it was still noticeably newer than the rest of the blood stains that frequented the school building. To me, the blood no doubt belonged to Cielle. It pooled in a singular spot before trailing deeper into the corridor. I followed the blood enthusiastically, only to be met by disappointment. The droplets of blood that stained the tiles abruptly stopped the moment I got to a hallway intersection. I knew full well that this abrupt stop was probably because Cielle healed her injuries. Honestly, this irritated me. While the blood trail confirmed her survival (for now), for once, I was irritated that Cielle was a healer. If it was like this, then I couldn¡¯t properly track her using the blood trail, making my current task all the more difficult. I was stumped. I stopped at the middle of the hallway intersection and thought for a moment. I looked across the corridors, paying particular attention to see if there were any nearby monsters around. Luckily for me, the hallway was relatively empty, so I decided to use [Sensory Remapping]. I closed my eyes and completely drained my sense of sight. Since I had the best affinity with sound, I decided to reallocate it all into my hearing. My hearing expanded to twice its usual range. Still, I could not hear anything. I hesitated for a moment, before I reallocated my sense of smell, sense of taste, and sense of touch into hearing. Out of my 5 primary senses, I only had my sense of hearing to rely on. My hearing expanded to 10 times its usual range. I could now hear more quieter sound waves at a much greater distance. From somewhere to my right, I could hear soft, constant trodding. Like an army on horseback. These were probably the tusk boars. I couldn''t exactly pinpoint the exact distance, but they were still a fair bit of distance away from me. Although, unexpectedly, they sound was gradually growing louder and louder. The boars were moving in my direction. Despite this, I did not worry. Instead, I further enhanced my sense of hearing. The current me was not enough. I needed more. I needed a larger range. At this moment, for the first time since I acquired my ability, I drained every single one of my sensations, with the exception of hearing. My sense of balance, temperature, pain, kinesthesis, I drained and reallocated all of it. Even the sensations which I never knew existed, I drained everything. Hunger, perception of time, I could feel my hearing exponentially increase while everything else turned to nothing. Every other sensation aside from hearing were all gone. I was in a world of sound. I did not know to what degree my sense of hearing had expanded to. Like a barrier, the sounds I could perceive stopped directly at the outer walls of the dungeon. I could not hear anything outside of the school, but I could hear everything within it. The tusks boars that were gradually getting closer, as well as the hordes of various monsters that were a little bit further back but were nonetheless making their way towards me, I could perceive it all. Even the few strained conversations within the library, the sound was a bit muffled due to the impending walls that got in my way, but still, I heard it. Also, I could hear what lay directly below me. The boss monster, it writhing and squirming followed by the deep, and primal heaves it produced. I could hear it all. The sounds around me snaked their way around and traveled down the halls, but at the same time, they permeated through the walls, ceiling and floors, creating a jumbled of maze of noise and even more noise. It was hard to navigate through, but I focused and tried to find what I was looking for amidst all the chaos. I removed my time perception so I don¡¯t know how much time passed, but I could eventually make out what I thought was Cielle. She did not make any particular sound, but I could instinctively perceive her approximate location. The reason for this was not because of the sound she made, but because of the sound the monsters that followed her made. With my field of hearing expanded to cover the whole building, I noticed several patterns. One, the monsters, which were disjointed before, were now unified. They were moving in packs. To me, they were like little pockets of sound that stood out from the rest of the empty and soundless space within the building. Another pattern was that they were moving with purpose. A pocket of sound was gradually growing thinner and thinner, indicating that it was moving away from the building and into one of the others. Judging from the direction, I¡¯d say that particular group was heading towards the old school building. At least 3 distinct pockets of sound were moving either towards my direction, or towards the library. These were the monsters ¡°assigned¡± to hunt down both the cafeteria group and me. Lastly, one pocket of sound, was moving independently. They were not moving without direction, but rather moved with purpose. I couldn''t exactly pinpoint it, but the sound came from deeper into the building, the hallways and classrooms closest to the gymnasiums. Without a doubt, these were the monsters chasing down Cielle. From the amount of noise they made, I could tell they were a fair bit more excited than the other hordes of monsters. The fact that they were still moving confirmed that their prey was still alive, but it wouldn¡¯t be for long if this kept up. I reopened my eyes, and in an instant, my hearing decreased, and the rest of my sensations flooded back into place. The odd sense of dissonance I felt from instantaneously losing my sense of sound left me a bit perturbed, but that rushing sensation only lasts a moment, before something blinked into existence before my eyes. Ding!
Sensory Remapping + sub skill unlocked! Echolocation- Navigation through the use of reflected sound waves.
I looked at the window panel for a brief second before I wordlessly began running deeper into the school building. I ran in the general direction of that independent pocket of sound. Along the way, I experimented with echolocation. The moment I activated the skill, my five main senses, with the exception of hearing automatically dimmed and my sense of sound exponentially increased. At first, I did not know what to do, but tentatively I opened my mouth and tried to reproduce what I imagined dolphins and bats did to use echolocation. What surprised me was my vocal chords produced an odd clicking sound. The sound was so high pitched and distinct that the normal me would have never been able to reproduce such a noise, but I came to the conclusion that the clicking was an effect of the sub skill [Echolocation]. As I ran, I continued to make the same clicking noises. The frequency of the sound was so high that most normal humans and probably other animals and monsters would have been unable to hear it. The current me could though. I continued to click for some time before I felt the noise bounce back and in my mind, a still of what was around me was produced. The picture created by sound persisted in my mind as I ran through the hall. The picture would automatically update itself as my own location changed and more frequent reflected echoes reached me. It helped me locate monsters before they could even get close, allowing me to preemptively avoid them using [Shadow Sprint]. Due to my constant skill usage, my stamina was draining at a rapid pace. To supplement this, I constantly ate through my emergency food supply without reserve. I was making my way closer towards that independent pocket of sound, closer into the deepest parts of the school building, and closer to where Cielle was. **** Author''s Note: If you liked this chapter, or this story in general, please don''t forget to rate and review. It helps me out. Chapter 76 Stumbling into the Dark Part 2 Stumbling into the Dark Part 2 Cielle stumbled her way through the interconnecting classrooms, and transversing hallways. The constant, seemingly never ending stream of dog-sized tadpoles continued to unceasingly chase after her. Their mouths gaped open, tongues hanging loosely as spittle and other substance flew without end. The monsters were persistent, and slowly, but surely, they were wearing down both Cielle¡¯s mental and physical fortitude. Fortunately for Cielle, she was able to maintain a good distance, enough for her to be constantly outside their attack range. The main reason for this was because of the route she took. The narrow doorways played a big factor, impeding the horde of tadpoles in their pursuit. While some chased her through broken windows and busted up walls, still, the damage was done. This was especially so for the Mature Wetlanders. Their large frame would almost certainly cause a temporary blockage amongst those that chase her. At this point, she maintained a good distance of 200 feet away from the first wave of monsters. Cielle was surviving well, despite her seemingly hopeless situation. Yet, it wasn¡¯t as if her situation was improving, in fact, it was the mere opposite. Cielle¡¯s most essential weakness was her low vitality. Although her stamina was practically identical to Hide¡¯s, the difference between their consumption was like heaven and earth. Cielle¡¯s original vitality was generally regarded as low, even before the apocalypse. This fact did not change. The only reason she¡¯s been able to persist for so long is because of her natural stamina growth, which increases automatically upon leveling up. Without it, Cielle would have long since been dead, ripped apart and eaten under the force of hundreds of giant tadpoles. Right now though, that sort of future was a very real possibility. Cielle¡¯s breath was coarse and rough, her chest heaved with great effort after each successive step she took, and their was a distinct burning in her throat. She fought with great effort to maintain her vision through a haze of fatigue and a watery layer of tears. In conjunction with all this, the steady ache in her mind had gradually grown stronger, rising in conjunction with her increasing fatigue. Her migraines grew stronger and persisted at faster intervals. Right now, it was like a constant jackhammer, drilling its way deeper and deeper into her skull with no other option left for her but to grimace and bear with the pain. On several occasions, she almost lost consciousness due to the pain, but somehow or the other, Cielle managed to stay upright and continue running. As she ran, Cielle began taking note of the various room numbers she passed. She soon discovered that she was still on the first floor, within the part of the main building closest to the school gymnasiums. If her information is accurate, then deeper down the corridor should lead to the actual gymnasiums and Sports designated areas, while towards the east of her current location, there should be a staircase that leads to the 2nd floor. The 2nd floor directly above her location was part of the Cultural Wing, a series of class rooms designated to the varying cultural clubs within the school. The literature club room, where the Dwarflings congregated was still a little bit further down the hallway, so Cielle didn¡¯t pay them any particular heed. She briefly mentally debated whether she should continue down and go directly into the gymnasium, or take a right and head upstairs, when all of a sudden, a piercing screech like that of someone scratching on a chalkboard broke through her concentration. She grimaced as she threw a brief glance behind her. There, off in the distance, were four bird monsters, lovingly named [Avians], who flew above the group of tadpoles. Seeing this, Cielle almost jumped back in mid run while her face immediately turned a shade paler. The [Avians] she fought in the past were definitely fast. In fact, they were agility build monsters who had nothing else going for them except for their speed. They were definitely faster than the tadpoles, and in no time, they were guaranteed to catch up to her. The closest bird suddenly contracted its wings, and immediately dive bombed towards Cielle¡¯s running figure. She watched with open eyes as the feathered torpedo drew closer and closer. At the last second, Cielle threw her whole weight forward, barely dodging the death blow. On the floor beneath where she once stood, the tiles cracked, and she heard a low groan of agony coming from the Avian. It¡¯s beak was cracked and it was fairly obvious that the failed dive bomb had shaved off a fair bit of its hp. Without a trace of hesitation, Cielle rolled forward and continued running. From the palm of her hands, faint traces of [blue gemini] shot off and hurtled towards the fallen bird type monster. The bird momentarily shrieked in surprise before almost a liter¡¯s worth of [black gemini] rolled off and seeped out from its body. Meanwhile, another Avian was zooming closer towards Cielle¡¯s location. Just as it prepared to contract its wings, the newly formed [Black Gemini] shot upwards. It spread out, like a thin paper net, causing the unsuspecting Avian to crash into it with no time to react or stop. A bird¡¯s cry erupted from its lungs, as it momentarily lost its momentum and fell down into the streaming mass of tadpoles. All of this happened in an instant, and throughout all of it, Cielle never once stopped running. Despite the sharp pangs of pain caused by her use of magic, she persevered onwards, not a sign of pain on her face, with the exception of a single drop of cold sweat that rolled down her cheek and congregated on her chin. The fallen Avian, as well as the one that crashed into the tadpoles, caused a temporary commotion in the horde¡¯s march. As for the Avians themselves, they were trampled under the weight of the horde, and without exception, pitifully lost their lives. Using this opportunity, Cielle further pushed her already strained body, ignoring the muscle fatigue, the mental injury, and her own dwindling enthusiasm, she marginally increased the distance between them as she turned a sharp corner and entered a classroom. She ran through the maze of interconnecting highways for a while, practically dragging the horde around in a while goose chase. It was after 5 minutes of this ceaseless running, after Cielle increased the distance between them by another 200 feet, did she finally break free from this monotonous routine. She promptly bursted out into the hall once more and made a mad sprint for the stairs that gradually came to view. Legs pumping, her blood rapidly circulating in her veins, and her heart beating at a thousand miles per hour, she ran, a sense of desperation inlayed with her every step. Her stomach turned in the process. She could feel what little food she had eaten earlier today come back up the wrong pipe. She had no energy to force the vomit back down, and in mid sprint, a stream of half digested food along with a mixture of dry saliva escaped her mouth. The bitter taste and pungent odor of bile filled her surroundings, yet she seemingly ignored all of it. With the half dried, blood stained cuff of her sweater, she wiped at the corners of her mouth while she kept running. Behind her, the monsters were fast on her trail. They erupted out in throngs. From doors and broken windows, they flooded the hall in a mad and equally as desperate dash for her fleeing figure. The monsters we¡¯re now noticeably more agitated than before. In conjunction to their agitation, their chasing speed was also faster than before. The few fully matured Wetlanders mixed within the crowd, jumped leagues ahead of the tadpoles and began to lead the chase. The two remaining [Avians] also took action and flew ahead, their eyes surging with killing intent. Cielle was in a desperate situation. By this point, her lungs rasped like an old respirator, and her arms felt like lead while her legs moved as if they were caught in quicksand. She could not spare the energy nor effort to properly maneuver her body. At this point she was purely running on momentum. Seeing the approaching Avians, Cielle knew she needed to produce more [Black Gemini], but her arms could not even hold onto the boxcutter, much less move. Her mind blurred for a moment, before she forcibly glared at the staircase ahead of her. Without hesitation, she bit down on her inner cheek. The sharp pain almost caused her wince, before the metallic taste of blood washed away the taste of bile and filled her mouth. She continued to grind against the inner linings of her chin, each successive bite hurting more than the previous. Soon, she was forced to cough out the blood that completely filled her mouth. This process stained her lips as well as her sweater in a dark, metallic red hue. The inside of her cheeks ached, but she ignored the pain. Truth be told, the pain in her cheeks was like a tiny drop in an ocean, when compared to the ache that pulsed through out her mind and body. Pale blue transparent semi-liquid pooled within her pumping palms before they snaked their way around and filled her mouth. Just then, the two Avians retracted their wings, and simultaneously, dive bombed towards her. Cielle¡¯s lips slightly parted, before a heavy stream of [Black Gemini] seeped out from her open mouth. Without turning around, the [Black Gemini] coiled and writhed before they shot towards the Avians behind her. One of the birds slightly tilted its trajectory, narrowly avoiding the incoming stream of black liquid, before it continued forward and tore a huge gash in Cielle¡¯s right arm. She did not even react to the pain, by this point, the aching in her mind was several times stronger than any physical pain she had ever acquired. A thin line of [Blue Gemini] flowed down from her right hand and soon enveloped the new wound. Meanwhile, the other [Avian] took a direct hit from [Black Gemini]. Its dive faltered, before it came crashing down just a mere foot away from Cielle¡¯s pumping legs. The [Avian] that managed to gash her arm previously, flew ahead of her before it turned around, expanding its wings, and came to a stop in mid air almost 10 feet away from her. The bird was directly in front of the stair case. Cielle stared at it, a faint resolution burning within her pupils before the newly created [Black Gemini] that congregated near her arms shot forward, towards the bird. The [Avian] let out a bird¡¯s cry before it flapped its wings and ascended upwards. At the same time it avoided Cielle¡¯s [Black Gemini], it flew a good 10 feet above Cielle¡¯s head before it began to dive downwards, its sharpened beak leading the charge. As Cielle stared up at the feathered monster, she forcibly willed the [Black Gemini] ahead of her to follow it. A pang in her head blossomed, but she forcibly ignored it. Watching the [Avian] begin to retract its wings, Cielle knew that with the current speed of her attack, it would not make it in time. The image of her body being pierced by its sharpened wings floated to her mind, causing Cielle to bite her lip in bitter resentment. She needed speed. She needed her attack to be faster than ever. But semi-liquid could only go so fast. She tried imagining that thin wall of [Black Gemini] compress and zoom forward. She visually imagined it congesting into one. Doing so caused the throbbing in her mind to intensify. There was a wordless wailing in her mind that caused her ears to buzz. Cielle could feel the mana in her body forcibly drain, causing [Mental Strain]¡¯s effects to exponentially rise. Cielle almost doubled over, before the mental image of a particular person¡¯s face filled her mind¡¯s eye and temporarily dulled the migraine. Cielle let out a groaning breath before her eyes sharpened. At the same time, the ache in her mind reached new found heights and she found herself struggling both to simultaneously maintain consciousness as well as maintain her running posture. The [Black Gemini] that trailed lethargically towards the Avian, vibrated for an instant, before it rushed in on itself. In a fraction of an instant, the semi-liquid like substance coalesced into a jagged icle of dark matter. The jagged spear shot forward, several folds faster than before. In mid flight, the [Avian]¡¯s left wing and its neck were pierced by the black spear. The bird¡¯s eyes widened for a moment, before the momentum of the attack sent it flying to the right. The black spear that had drilled itself into the deepest parts of the Bird¡¯s body, began to disintegrate, but by this point it was too late. [Black Gemini]¡¯s inherent properties of pain seemingly tripled the hp loss supplemented by the spear¡¯s thrust damage. To top it off, the jab to the neck undoubtedly came out as a [critical hit]. With that one strike, the Avian died. At the same time, Cielle¡¯s mana reserves became drastically low. They were like a sliver of what they once were before that new attack of hers. Cielle felt the familiar ding of a system accomplishment resonate within her mind, but the pain from the drastic mana loss as well as the beginning effects of [Mana Exhaustion] kept her too occupied to check. Cielle barely had the chance to sort out whatever conflicting thoughts were steaming through her jumbled up mind before her foot landed on the first step of the stair case. Automatically, Cielle began climbing the staircase, taking three steps at a time. Her speed hardly diminished, but the Monster horde behind her were still closing in. She reached the top of the staircase in less than 3 seconds, but a single full matured Wetlander, cleared the whole flight with a single hop. It came crashing down directly besides her, just as Cielle was turning her body to the right. Before she could progress any further and dart down into the hallway, a rope like substance blurred out from the Wetlander¡¯s mouth, and roped its way around Cielle¡¯s ankle. The sudden tug of resistance, caused her steps to falter. The pull itself dislocated Cielle¡¯s frail ankle while the moment she fell, her chin hit the tiled floor with a resounding thud. Her vision blurred and the familiar taste of blood seeped into her mouth. The tongue began reeling her back, and Cielle could only watch, helpless. She knew, she instinctively knew that her end was coming. Whatever luck and grace she had mustered to survive up until now had finally ran dry. Cielle was out of mana, her body, which had been moving purely through momentum, had now been forced to a stop. She lacked the energy to move her limbs, much less struggle under the strength of the Wetlander¡¯s muscled tongue. What¡¯s more, the mental pain in her mind was now like a thudding heartbeat, but instead of pumping out blood, it pumped out sharp pangs of pain towards the deepest corners of her brain. Cielle was at her ropes end. Against the backdrop of the moon, the giant shadow casted by the Wetlander was like the looming premonition of death, fierce, threatening, and inescapable. Cielle knew, in her mind she knew that she now lacked the power to save her life. She had struggled, she had persevered through everything up until now, but the current her was helpless and hopeless. Yet, in the face of certain death, Cielle¡¯s eyes were unyielding. Beneath them, the spark of defiance blazed forth, even in death, she was determined to never look away. Her heart beat faster, almost completely surpassing the thumping in her mind. She watched as the Wetlander¡¯s mouth widened, like the jaws of death, eager and willing to take the last vestiges of Cielle¡¯s dimming life. A singular scene flashed into her mind. It was a memory from the first day of the apocalypse. Of the time when Cielle was still powerless, of the time when she waited in that decrepit art room with her dying sister. Back then, the wallowing sense of despair was endless. She could only rely on a stranger whom she met for the first time. This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. Back then, she had felt hopeless. She had felt powerless. Her seconds of waiting, morphed into minutes, then to hours. Back then, that was all she could do. She could only wait. And now once again, that was the only option available to her. To wait. She could only wait, but the difference was, instead of waiting for her sister¡¯s survival, Cielle was waiting for her death. Back then, there was someone she could rely on, now there was no one. Back then, there was still hope, now there was none. Back then, she had waited for Hide, now¡­ Just as those jaws completely welcomed her into their sloppy embrace, the shadow before her temporarily blurred. A figure, hidden in coiling darkness materialized before her. The figure had its backed turned towards her, but an indescribably sense of ferocity seeped out from his every pore. The mess of black hair that gleamed in the night fluttered with the nonexistent wind, as his hands blurred. Chink! In that next instant, the tongue that had constricted over Cielle¡¯s sprained ankle had been severed by a metallic dagger, half of its tip was fully embedded into the surface of the floor. The figure was kneeling with one foot propped against the ground, facing the almost thrice as big monster with an unshakable resolutness. His back, in Cielle¡¯s eyes was like an impenetrable fortress, safeguarding and protecting her from anything and everything that seeked to hurt her. Cielle watched with wide eyes. Her lips quivered slightly, as a horse and tired voice escaped out from her lips and spoke one word. ¡°Hide¡­¡± The figure¡¯s shoulders shook for a fraction of a second before he craned his neck to shoot Cielle a sidelong glance. He smiled a relieved smile just as the moonlight seeped into the room and illuminated his face. There, beneath a mess of sloppy black hair, was a familiar face. Eyes as dark as obsidian, and a face that wouldn¡¯t stand out within a crowd. The crooked smile he gave filled Cielle¡¯s wallowing heart with an unshakable feeling of security. ¡°Hah¡­¡± He let out a heavy pant as he turned back to face the Wetlander. ¡°Looks like I made it just in time. Just wait a bit more Cielle, I¡¯ll take care of the rest.¡± In the next instant, Hide¡¯s body blurred, and he rushed forward. The knife in his hand gleamed with him, but he did not use it. In less than half a second, he was in front of the Wetlander. Hide kicked out with his leg, hitting the base of the Wetlander¡¯s body right at the spot where its mouth and stomach met. The monster let out a strained grunt before it flew threw the air. With the added power from Hide¡¯s kick, the Wetlander fell down the stairs and tumbled down into the throngs of tadpoles beneath it. A few instantly died under the massive weight of the monster while its body created a temporary barricade and slowed the horde¡¯s assault. Hide did not pay the horde any further mind, and immediately turned and sprinted back towards Cielle¡¯s location. Without saying anything, he immediately lifted Cielle up, supporting her by her shoulders and legs. Cielle, reciprocated and twirled her arms around his neck. A warm, cozy sensation blossomed from the pit of her chest in reaction to Hide¡¯s touch. Her arm¡¯s further tightened around Hide¡¯s neck while a contented smile appeared on her face. At this moment, the rising feeling of despair and doom completely vanished from her mind. The aching in her body seemed to dim while the migraines were overpowered by whatever sensation Cielle was going through. She tilted her head back to rest against his chest just as Hide darted forward, down into the hallway and away from the horde. **** They ran for a long time without stopping. Compared to Cielle¡¯s running speed, Hide was incomparably faster, and that was even while carrying someone in his arms. All the while, Cielle kept silent, but she did notice a few things. For one, despite the calm and composed expression Hide had, his breath was ragged, and the arms that carried her were drenched in sweat. The look in his eyes though were as unyielding as Cielle¡¯s back when she was almost eaten alive. The second thing she noticed was that every so often, Hide would make a motion with his mouth. She could not hear it, but going from the way his lips and cheek moved, he probably produced something close to a clicking noise. He would do this occasionally while in mid-sprint, and after a few seconds passed, he would either immediately change directions or continue running down the hall with a relieved look on his face. She did not know why he did this, but Cielle noticed that not once did they run into any monsters. Cielle tried to stay conscious throughout the whole time, but with that added mental and physical fatigue from her recent experience, it wasn¡¯t long before a wave of drowsiness overtook and she lost consciousness. She did not know how much time passed before she woke up again. She found herself lying on two connected desks, within a decrepit old classroom. A couple of feet away from her, standing by the doorway, was Hide. His breathing was noticeably more even now, but his vigilance remained the same. He glared out into the window, staring at nothing in particular within the dark receding hallway. The moment she woke up, it was as if Hide instinctively knew. He turned around and floated a relieved smile upon seeing her. ¡°We¡¯re a just a bit further away from the library.¡± He spoke. ¡°We should make it back there within 5 minutes. I didn¡¯t want to arrive while you were unconscious, so I waited for you to wake up. How are you feeling?¡± He spoke while making his way towards her. He pulled up a chair and sat directly next to her, all the while his eyes were locked onto Cielle¡¯s face, a worried crease knotting in between his eyebrows. At first, Cielle did not say anything, but simply stood up and brought up her own status window to assess her current condition. She made note of her hp, stamina, and mana. Her hp was full, while her stamina and mana were at least outside the danger zone. Looking over at her hp, she knew that Hide had used an hp potion on her. In addition, she checked for any status effects. She noticed that she still had [Mental Strain], but its demerits were considerably lower than before. In addition, something like [Fatigue] was also present. Remembering the events from earlier, she wasn¡¯t all that surprised about acquiring [Fatigue]. What did surprise her was that she somehow developed the new stat, [Mental Fortitude] as well as [Perseverance]. Seeing this brought a brief smile to her face, before she opened up her skill to check [Blue Gemini].
[Gemini Blue] (Active) Skill Type: Unique Magic Skill Rank: Intermediate Skill Level: 2 Skill Experience: 10.50% Effects: Creation of [Light Gemini] and [Dark Gemini] [Light Gemini] - Directly heal a person¡¯s physical wounds and injuries. Healing physical wounds will subsequently cause the hp bar to regenerate. [Dark Gemini] - The leftover residue after the healing process. It is a concentrated mass of pure pain. While it won¡¯t cause physical injuries to occur, it will result in loss of hp. Mana capacity will lower until all residue is used up. Condensation of matter into solids will consume more mana than normal. Rate of consumption dependent of individual. Mana Cost: Creation - 50 mp per liter Manipulation - 5 mp per second
A portion of [Blue Gemini]¡¯s information was updated to reflect the move Cielle pulled of against the [Avian]. It was now possible for her to compress either Blue or Dark Gemini into a solid substance. Cielle was somewhat satisfied with these changes. At the very least, it increased her variability and utility to some extent, which, in her mind, would surely make Hide happy. Cielle refocused her gaze onto the as aforementioned guy, and closed the window panel before her eyes. She stared for a second at Hide¡¯s complexion with whimsical eyes before she bobbed her head up and down, and said, ¡°No problem. My condition has already improved.¡± Hearing this, Hide¡¯s tight expression loosened as he nodded to himself. ¡°That¡¯s good. that¡¯s good. I have a couple things to talk to you about, but that can wait until we meet back up with Hina and the others. I feel a bit bad for forcing you, but we should get going now.¡± He turned to walk away, but unexpectedly Cielle moved a bit faster. Almost stumbling over herself, Cielle practically leapt off of the desk and lunged towards Hide. A look of surprise floated up to Hide¡¯s face. Although he had gone through numerous life or death experiences in the past month, this move, one filled without the faintest bit of killing intent, had caught him off guard. Unable to react fast enough, Hide toppled to the floor with Cielle following shortly behind. They landed onto the floor with a bang. In the process, they had knocked down a chair, and unsettled a layer of dust from the floor. ¡°Ouch¡­¡± Hide groaned inwardly, as he shot a glance at Cielle¡¯s night clad cranium. ¡°Hey¡­ Cielle?¡± Cielle on the other hand, had her arms firmly around Hide¡¯s frame. Her thin, willowy legs were intertwined with Hide¡¯s own, almost unwilling to separate. Her head was nestled in the crook of his shirt, and she could not help but take in a deep breathe. Hide¡¯s lingering scent caused a wave of security and familiarity to wash over her mind. She maintained her position for a good while, ignoring Hide¡¯s probing questions. After a moment passed, Cielle finally looked up. Her eyes were shining with a look of affection, while her arms further tightened around Hide. ¡°... Thank you.¡± She spoke in a voice as quiet as a whisper. ¡°Thank you for saving me.¡± ¡°...¡± Hide was caught off guard by the statement, and reflexively turned away. He scratched his head awkwardly, unsure how to take her words. Amongst the many weaknesses Hide had, social interaction was his biggest one. This was natural, considering his life prior to the apocalypse. As such, Cielle¡¯s actions had caused Hide¡¯s usual facade to crumble. ¡°Well, don¡¯t worry about it.¡± He mumbled out. ¡°It¡¯s only natural¡­¡± Hearing this, a smile blossomed to Cielle¡¯s face. This smile was one she rarely showed off. It was a smile that came from the bottom of her heart. A smile filled with adolescent vigor, and utmost sincerity. Cielle¡¯s hug loosened, as she maneuvered her posture. Her arms, which once snaked around Hide¡¯s chest from beneath his arms, now found themselves encircled around his neck. The hug was undoubtedly more intimate than the previous one, and this reflected in the slight blush that could not be hidden on Cielle¡¯s cheeks. Hide reacted similarly, but before he could utter a complaint, Cielle had already spoken. ¡°Even if you say don¡¯t worry about it, you still saved my life¡­.¡± ¡°...¡± Hide stared at her briefly before he responded. ¡°Then next time, you be the one to save me.¡± He floated a small smile, as he gazed at her eyes through the thin veil of hair that covered her face. Cielle took those words to heart, and stored them somewhere deep within her chest. She responded to Hide¡¯s smile with another one of her own, before her arms began tightened their grip around him. As a result, Cielle¡¯s upper body drew closer to Hide, while Hide involuntarily squirmed, fully aware of the soft sensation pressing against his front. ¡°You know Hide¡­¡± She began, her lips pursing in slight hesitation before she continued. ¡°I¡­ I like you.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± Hide¡¯s face widened, and his mind turned in circles. In all of his life, this was the first time anybody of the opposite gender (excluding his mother) had said those types of words to him. Furthermore, the sincerity in which they were spoken in¡­ Hide¡¯s inexperienced self did not know how to react. He could only turn away, muttering something incomprehensible in the process. ¡°I like you.¡± Cielle repeated, emphasizing each syllable in the process. ¡°I really like you.¡± ¡°...I-I think we should get up now.¡± Hide spoke, his voice a bit shaky and uncertain. A large part of him did not want to get up, but the rational, more in control part of his mind urged him to. ¡°nn¡­¡± Cielle shook her head and further nestled the nape of her chin in between Hide¡¯s collarbone and neck. She was silent for a moment, before she whispered directly in his ear with the softest voice she could muster. ¡°I really, really like you, Hide¡­¡± ¡°Ah, um, I think that¡¯s just the fear talking. You know, they call it something like ¡®the suspension-bridge effect¡¯...¡± ¡°No.¡± Cielle moved her head deeper into the the nape of Hide¡¯s neck. ¡°Even before tonight. I¡¯ve liked you¡­ I really like you Hide, really. Please believe me¡± ¡°...¡± Hide hesitated for a moment. His mind was confused, and his lack of experience was definitely showing. Hide¡¯s face was dyed in a vibrant red, a scene that almost never happens. ¡°...I-¡± Before Hide could speak, Cielle¡¯s soft voice once again rang near his ears. Ignoring whatever response Hide might have wanted to say, she spoke in a low voice, ¡°... I don¡¯t really need a response right this minute¡­ just-.¡± Under the light of the rising moon, Cielle¡¯s face glimmered in a sort of soft radiance. She unwinded her arms and pushed up against Hide¡¯s chest before she looked at him. Her upturned eyes stared directly at Hide¡¯s own before, from her slightly parted lips, she said, ¡°Do you hate me?¡± Almost on reflex, Hide replied back, ¡°Of course, I don¡¯t. I wouldn¡¯t save someone I hated.¡± ¡°...Then, for now, that¡¯s good enough.¡± She faintly smiled before she separated herself from Hide, and got up first. She extended a hand outward in a gesture of assistance. Hide stared at that cream pale hand listlessly and hesitated. Eventually, with a resigned smile, he took it, and pulled himself upward. Almost instantly, Cielle¡¯s body gravitated onto his arm and intertwined her own. She pressed her body against Hide¡¯s before he could even react. ¡°Um.. Cielle, it''s kind of hard to walk like this¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine like this.¡± She replied simply. ¡°Besides, I¡¯m still¡­ feeling a bit weak. I need your support.¡± ¡°But¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine like this.¡± She repeated. ¡°It¡¯s fine like this.¡± ¡°W-what if we run into any monsters¡­ I won¡¯t be able to react in time with you like this¡­¡± ¡°What are you talking about?¡± She said in an almost unknowing tone. ¡°Don¡¯t you have a way to detect monsters?¡± ¡°What are you talking abou-¡± ¡°You did it while you were running¡­ A sort of clicking¡­¡± ¡°Ah!¡± Hide¡¯s eyes widened as if he suddenly remembered. He turned to glance down at Cielle, only to see a self-satisfied smile blossom on her face. Seeing this, Hide frowned for a moment before he let out a resigned smile. ¡°Then¡­ I guess there¡¯s no helping it.¡± He said simply, once again throwing a brief glance down at Cielle¡¯s reddening cheeks. ¡°Let¡¯s get going.¡± **** Author''s Note: This chapter was a bit difficult for me to write... Chapter 77: The Library The Library We made our way back to the library. The journey back was slower than I expected. When Cielle had said her body was still weak and needed support, she wasn¡¯t lying. Although she was smiling like a girl in love (hah), underneath all that, her complexion was pale, sweat continuously dripped down her brow, and I could feel her whole body trembling with each step she took. While I wanted to comment, the expression she had prevented me from doing so. I felt conflicted. Although this girl could hardly maintain an even footing, she looked as if she was experiencing the happiest moment of her life. I could only smile awkwardly while maintaining my silence. When we reached the hall almost directly adjacent of the Library, the hundreds of intermingling noise of varying monsters finally grew loud enough to the extent where even Cielle could hear. I long since knew that the Library was swarmed with monsters thanks to the early detection ability of [Echolocation]. Normally, in the face of this realization, I would have hurried over without giving in to Cielle¡¯s demands, but I wanted to spare a bit more time for Cielle to recover before we arrived at the library. Also, there was one additional reason, a reason that comforted me in knowing that, currently, the Library group wasn¡¯t in any real danger at the moment. The monsters that gathered in the library all clustered together mainly within the 2nd floor, sometimes spilling out into the 1st. My [echolocation] subskill isn¡¯t just a flat one directional detection skill like a sonar. It can differentiate between levels of varying elevation. From the corner of the hall, I used [echolocation] once again to confirm the situation inside the Library. Like I had first detected a while back, I confirmed that most of the monsters were within the confines of the 2nd floor. A few were sparesly spread out across the 1st floor, while I could also detect a few bodies up in the air and around the 3rd floor. I concluded that these were most likely Avians, or maybe Shadow Model: Avians. ¡°Why are they only gathering at the bottom floors?¡± Cielle asked me immediately after I relayed this information to her. I thought about her question for a good while, before I pieced together a rough theory concerning the Dungeon Boss¡¯s level of control. I could only conclude that the Dungeon Boss, while it had the ability to control all of the monsters within the dungeon, as well as an expanded range of vision to encompass the whole school, it still had its limitations. For one, going by the situation in the library. The dungeon boss had a restricted view of the school. The dungeon boss cannot differentiate between floor levels, otherwise all of the monsters wouldn¡¯t be so congested on the 2nd and 1st floors. Another theory would be that the Boss can differentiate between floors, but it has a restriction on how it commands the other monsters. It can only point them into the general direction, without regards to the floor of the target is at. The case with Cielle was somewhat similar. The tadpoles originated in the 1st floor of the gymnasium, so I can only say that Cielle had terrible luck in that regard. Normally, the horde would disperse or move on after noticing that the area was uninhabited, but the allure of the people a few meters above them was too great for them to ignore. These monsters aren¡¯t all that smart. They do not have the capacity to think ¡®complex¡¯ thoughts like traveling around and finding another way to get to the third floor, at least not without the express guidance of the Dungeon Boss. After I explained my theory to Cielle, she nodded and praised me. The look in her eyes was the same one she had always given me during all our times together, but now, it was only now that I realized what that look meant. I laughed a bit awkwardly before I grabbed Cielle. In silence, I immediately placed Cielle behind me and carried her in piggyback fashion. She involuntarily let out a small yip in surprise, but upon realizing my intentions, her expression grew serious while her grip around my shoulders tightened. I felt her chest pressed up against my back through layers of fabric, but I ignored the sensation. My grip around her thighs strengthened, and I took a deep breathe in order to psyche myself up. In an instant, I bolted forward into the hallway, and sprinted towards the Library entrance. I could hear Cielle¡¯s teeth clenching tightly, as we bursted through the opened doors and arrived at the monster infested 2nd floor of the library. A great tremor ran through the crowd of monsters, and simoultanesouly their heads began turning in our direction. Before the horde had any time to react to my sudden presence, I was already moving. Deeper and deeper, I ran towards the center of the library, to the heart of the horde. I used [Shadow Step]¡¯s agility boost, and ran through the hordes, sidestepping past monsters that writhed in killing intent. I could feel the air pressure from barely dodged claws and the bone shaking roars from more than a few enraged monsters. I ran directly towards the broken down staircase that lay near the back wall of the 2nd floor. As I made my way there, I began to make out the rope from before, hanging limply in the air, fluttering with the wind created by the several Avians and Shadow Model: Avians flying through Library air space. Normally, from this distance, I would use a simple long-range [Shadow Sprint] to cut the distance and instantaneously get to the 3rd floor. Unfortunately, as I discovered from experimentation with Cielle while on the way here, [Shadow Sprint]¡¯s instantaneous movement does not work with 2 or more people. Due to that restriction, I had to take the obviously more dangerous route in order to bring Cielle back with me. Once the dangling rope entered my field of vision, and once I was finally in range, I instantaneously kicked out from the ground and leapt on the back of a bewildered Shadow Minotaur. My movements did not pause even for a second and soon, I was already jumping off of its back and landed shortly onto another monster, an Ipotane who was just as startled as the Shadow Minotaur. Like that, I traveled the room under uneven and dangerous footing. When I got within 10 feet of the rope, I kicked off from the back of the monster that I stood on, and landed vertically on a nearby wall. Before I lost any of my built up momentum, like an unhinged spring, I used the wall as leverage and jumped for the rope. With one hand, I reached out and grabbed the rope, and swayed 10 feet above the air. On my back, I supported Cielle with one hand, while below me, throngs of angry, and agitated monsters bellowed and snorted. ¡°Cielle, grab on tightly, in order to climb up, I¡¯m gonna need to stop supporting you.¡± I gritted out through clenched teeth while I twisted my hold on the rope in an attempt to improve my grip. ¡°Yes.¡± I heard a faint whisper directly next to my ear, prompting me to let go of her thigh. I felt Cielle¡¯s grip immediately tighten, and surprisingly, her legs coiled around my torso. She clung onto my back like a baby Koala. I imagined that the scene the two of us made was somewhat comical from an outsider¡¯s perspective, but the angry horde beneath kept both of us from laughing. Before the Avians could start attacking use in mid air, I immediately clambered up the rope. Making short work of it, I scaled the rope with ease. In the past, before the apocalypse, climbing up a free standing rope while someone clung to my back would have been an impossible task for me. But now, the situation is different. I have leveled up. I am not an ordinary human anymore. In the span of less than 10 seconds, we reached the third floor and Cielle finally got off my back. Immediately after , the Avians who finally noticed our presence, began whizzing through the air and hurtling in our direction, their eyes glowing with unhindered blood lust. As I ran through the 3rd floor with Cielle in tow, I used [Echolocation] once more and discovered a pocket of sound near the back of the floor. In order to guard against the Avians that flew throughout the third floor, the remaining survivors had holed themselves up in an Archive room. I directed Cielle to the room, and we ran through a maze of Bookshelves and cabinets. Once the archive room came to view, I then told her to open it while I kept the incoming Avians occupied. I gripped the familiar dagger in hand and forcibly slowed my breathe. There were two incoming monsters, one was highlighted in emerald green feathers, while the other, from its eyes to its feet, was covered all in writhing darkness. A regular Avians and a Shadow Avian. I slashed out at the regular Avian the moment it entered my strike zone. It died effortlessly with a fatal blow to its throat, but the Shadow Avian took this opportunity and flew passed me. It continued further, hurtling towards the direction where Cielle ran off to. Fortunately, before it could actually reach her, I used [Shadow Sprint] and immediately blocked its route. I thrusted out my dagger towards the startled Shadow monster, and with no time to stop, its momentum drove its eye socket further into the blade of my dagger. It exploded in a burst of black dust, confirming its death. By this point, the locked doors to the Archive room had already been opened. The President appeared by the doorway and immediately ushered us in. Cielle entered first, while I followed behind, throwing one last look at the Avian filled air space of the Library. Within the Archive room, several pairs of eyes stared at us probingly. I briefly swept my gaze across the room, saw the survivors, Kido and his group, the President and his group, and lastly Hina and Cher near the back of the room. Hina¡¯s gaze, without question, immediately locked onto Cielle small figure. Her eyes immediately teared up and her lip quivered in joy. Before Hina could do anything though, Cielle was already walking across the room. Her stride was confident, and her expression was tranquil. Despite her pale complexion and terrible condition, the impression she gave off was by no means weak. She stopped before Hina who sat on the floor next to the cot prepared for Cher. Without saying anything, Cielle immediately began patting the top of Hina¡¯s head, stroking the intermingling strands of vibrant gold between her fingers. The action looked natural, practiced, and had a hint of childhood nostalgia to it. Hina¡¯s tear stained eyes widened momentarily, before they narrowed warmly and her head further tilted downward, as if further inviting Cielle¡¯s hand. For a quiet moment, Hina just sat there, her head lowered, and her chest heaving in quiet sobs as Cielle patted her head, the warm and tranquil expression of hers never once leaving her face. ¡°I¡­ I thought you were¡­¡± Hina managed a quiet murmur, all the while her hands remained clenched onto the skirt that rested on her lap. ¡°Nnn¡­¡± Cielle shook her head. ¡°Hide saved me.¡± ¡°He did?¡± Hina quietly asked, finally looking up to face her sister. The redness in her eyes was visible even in the dim light of the room. Cielle simply widened her smile, as her palm left the top of Hina¡¯s head. ¡°He did.¡± Hina was quiet for a good while before she turned towards me. Her expression had unmasked relief and appreciation. ¡°Hide, I.. um¡­ thank you.¡± She lowered her head as tears dripped down her cheeks and fell to the carpeted floor beneath. I received her thanks with a simple nod. It wasn¡¯t as if I saved Cielle for Hina¡¯s sake. I saved Cielle because I wanted to save Cielle. It was as simple as that. My eyes seperated from the sisters¡¯ and once again I scanned the whole room. They momentarily stopped onto the still unconscious Cher, before proceeding forward to make a full circle. One thing I immediately noticed was that everyone received me with varying degrees of anamosity. The survivors who had next to no contact with me had on confused expressoins, while the ones that had been awake the last time I was here looked at me with what I think was both an odd combination of fear and awe. One thing both groups had in common was that they all kept their distance away from me. The President¡¯s group had akward expressions. The type of conficted expression where you can¡¯t decide whether to laugh or to cry. Along with the Prez, they stared at me with open, unblinking eyes. Lastly, there was Kido¡¯s group. three out of the four in Kido¡¯s harem all glared at me with poorly disguised, hate filled eyes, while the last one, Explosion girl, had on an expression of palpable fear. Kido himself stared, with scrunched up brows, but I felt that his glare wasn¡¯t as hate filled as the girls around him. Without paying any heed to any of these stares, I leaned back against the wall and turned to the President. ¡°What happened here?¡± I asked. ¡°After you left, a horde of monsters attacked us.¡± The President began to explain, his expression morphing into a tired frown. ¡°We were lucky. Only the ones that can fly posed a problem, but the majority of them are stuck on the 2nd floor. To avoid the Avians, we locked ourselves up in he-¡± Rumble! Just as he was talking, the whole floor shook, causing bursts of panic to sprout up from amongst the people scattered everywhere in the room. I braced myself along the wall to prevent myself from falling, but some of the others weren¡¯t as lucky. ¡°What was that?¡± I asked, my voice hoarse, and grim. The president shook his head. ¡°I- I don¡¯t know. That was the 2nd time it happened tonight, but¡­¡± ¡°The Floor¡¯s coming down.¡± Hina spoke up and interrupted. The tremble in her voice and the hiccup in her throat from earlier was nowhere to be seen. The President¡¯s eyes widened and turned to face Hina. From his expression, I guessed that up until now, Hina had not spoken a single word due to the grief and concern she had for her missing sister. ¡°The floor? What do you mean?¡± The President asked. Hina took a deep breath, and walked over to the table in the middle of the room before she answered. ¡°I noticed before that the Library was built a little differently from the rest of the building. Mainly because it''s such an open space without any other walls supporting its center, there are several support pillars around the 2nd and 1st floors. The staircase we broke earlier was probably also something of a support to keep the rest of the floor from caving in on itself. ¡°I¡¯m only guessing, but I think the monsters might be messing with the support pillars. If this continues¡­ then the whole 3rd floor might just collapse in on itself.¡± Hearing this quiet revelation, rounds of shocked murmurs spread across the room. Most prevalent was the fear filled anxiety which permeated through the survivor group from the cafeteria. ¡°Support pillars¡­¡± The President¡¯s expression frowned momentarily before he turned and stared at Emiko with a grim expression. ¡°Emiko, you worked in the library before right? Can you confirm what Hina said?¡± Emiko¡¯s pale expression momentarily paused before she answered in a somewhat shaky voice. ¡°Y-yes¡­ In the past, during one of our slow days, the librarian once showed me a blueprint of the library¡­ there are severa support pillars scattered across the library¡­ nine on the first floor, six on the second floor, and three that are on the 3rd floor, holding up the roof.¡± Hearing this, the President¡¯s expression darkened. He quietly thought for a bit before he let out a tired sigh and said, ¡°We can¡¯t stay here any longer then¡­¡± His words prompted the commotion around us to explode into an anxiety-driven chaos. ¡°What are we supposed to do then?!¡± ¡°Will we die here?!¡± ¡°AGH!¡± Similar cries of desperation filled the room, as the Level 2 leecher survivors all cried in despair. I had similar worries myself, but I was less outspoken as the others. Furthermore, the concern in my heart was considerably less than the others, mainly because I had originally intended to leave the Library. Even without the crumbling support pillars, I long since felt that the library wasn¡¯t a safe location. ¡°How long will it take for the 3rd floor to cave in?¡± I directly asked Hina. The moment my words were vocalized, the noise around me faded, as everyone attentively waited for Hina¡¯s response. Hina frowned for a moment. ¡°I¡¯m not really sure. The first tremor happened around 1 hour after the horde arrived. The last one happened 45 minutes after the last tremor¡­ I¡¯m not sure how many tremors it will take, or whether the pattern will continue, but worse case scenario, The third floor collapses on the third tremor, which can happen at anytime less than 45 minutes.¡± Hearing this, an even louder commotion filled the room. I could only imagine as everyone¡¯s minds raced with the prospect that they only had 45 minutes of survival left. I, on the other hand, viewed the situation differently. To me, those 45 minutes were 45 minutes of opportunity. I originally planned on moving the whole group out of the library immediately, but given the situation, I couldn¡¯t just leave without taking advantage of the whole thing. After all, the situation was perfect. Now that the monster groups have solidified and united, hunting and grinding becomes a much more dangerous prospect. Right now though, the horde is currently separated into two groups, the main ground unit, which can¡¯t attack, and the air unit, which number considerably less than the ground unit. Normally, we would have two fight both groups at once, but thanks to the collapsed staircase, both groups were effectively seperated. An opportunity as good as this doesn¡¯t happen often. ¡°Okay¡±. I nodded to myself, having finally come to a decision. ¡°Since its like that, for now, we¡¯ll thin out the flock of Avians.¡± ¡°Eh, wait, Hide?¡± The President, overhearing my nonchalant and casual words immediately retorted back. His voice was nervous and cold sweat dripped down from his contorted brow. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t we focus on the immediate problem at hand? I mean, the floor¡¯s gonna collapse, right? We¡¯ll die, you know?¡± Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. ¡°Didn¡¯t you hear what Hina said?¡± I asked in a voice of mock derision. ¡°We have 45 minutes. So calm down.¡± ¡°...¡± The president stared at me with a wide eyed expression, but before he could say anything else, I was already issuing out orders. ¡°Prez, you and your group will go outside and hunt down the Avians. We¡¯ll rely primarily on long distance attacks from Hina and the surviving twin. ¡°With how the horde is currently seperated, hunting and level grinding should be a bit easier. We won¡¯t get a chance like this next time.¡± I wanted to command the other survivors to help out too, but considering their levels, they won¡¯t be much help. Rather, they might be hindraces towards the whole operation. In short, they were baggage. The only other person that may be remotely useful would be¡­ Kido. His level¡­ I checked beforehand, but unexpectedly he is currently at level 8. Compared to everyone who actively grinded like the Prez, Hina, Cielle, etc., Kido¡¯s level is low, but the difference between him and the rest of the survivor group is like heaven and earth. Kido probably fought prior to his meet up with the Cafeteria group. Oh, and for reference, Kido¡¯s harem all range from 2 to 5, with the Explosion girl being level 5, his childhood friend and the transfer student both at level 4, and the small one, bad mouthing one at level 2. After some slight hesitation, I finally said, ¡°Kido, you go with the President and participate.¡± Kido opened his mouth to respond, but before a single syllable could even escape his lips, the girls around him all flared up and protested. ¡°That¡¯s too dangerous!¡± His childhood friend protested. ¡°Kido, don¡¯t!¡± Explosion girl immediately grabbed onto Kido¡¯s shirt sleeve and pressed up against his arm while she stared fiercely at him. ¡°Don¡¯t be an idiot! No way Kido¡¯s going out there and fighting!¡± The transfer student immediately walked up and stood in front of Kido, her arms raised at her sides as if to protect him. ¡°You can¡¯t boss people around like that, baldy!¡± The last one, the twin tailed girl who was a centimeter or two shorter than Cielle gnashed her teeth and glared hatefully at me. ¡°Guys,¡± Kido scrunched up his brow, and immediately retorted, ¡°It¡¯s okay, I want to do what Hide said. I want to fight.¡± ¡°No no no, absolutely not!¡± His childhood friend immediately stomped on the floor while she stared defiantly at Kido. ¡°What will I tell your mom if you get hurt or¡­ worse?¡± Kido smiled bitterly. ¡°My mom¡­ she¡¯s probably¡­¡± His eyes grew misty but before he could further wallow in whatever sadness he felt, he shook his head. Immediately, the fire in his eyes was rekindled. ¡°I have to do this. I have to get stronger.¡± ¡°Kido, you can¡¯t!¡± ¡°Kido, please¡­¡± Both the transfer student and the one with the twin tails immediately retorted, both of them gripping onto the hem of Kido¡¯s shirt. ¡°Don¡¯t worry guys.¡± He smiled as if to comfort them. One of his hands patted twintails on the head, while his other rested on transfer student¡¯s shoulders. ¡°It¡¯s not like I haven¡¯t fought before¡­ In fact, if all of you weren¡¯t so insistant these past couple weeks, I would have been fighting along with Hokusei.¡± ¡°The reason we stopped you was because of what happened last time!¡± They yelled almost in unison. ¡°The last time that happened, you almost died!¡± His childhood friend yelled, her wettened eyes blurred as she almost pleaded Kido with her expression alone. ¡°You girls¡­¡± He began, but before he could continue, I was got fed up with their drama-filled dialogue. I coughed roughly, and glared at the scene before me. ¡°Kido, hurry up.¡± All four girls turned simultaneously towards me and shot angry, hate filled glares at me. It looked as if they were about to explode any minute now, but before they had the opportunity to do so, Kido stepped up. From the corner of the room, he grabbed an unfamiliar saber. From the looks of the sword¡¯s worn out blade, it was used a lot, and more than likely, it was Kido¡¯s personal weapon. Something he probably acquired after a monster dropped it before his meet up with the President. He stared resolutely at me, nodding as he said, ¡°I¡¯m ready.¡± I almost nodded in response, when his childhood friend stubbornly interceded and blocked Kido¡¯s path. Instead of yelling at Kido again, she turned towards me and glared. ¡°Kido can¡¯t fight! He¡¯s not strong enough, if he does fight, he¡¯ll just die!¡± ¡°Mindy- Then, that¡¯s all the more reason why I should be fighting!¡± Kido loudly responded. ¡°I need to get stronger! I need to get stronger to protect all of you!¡± ¡°No! I absolutely forbid it!¡± His childhood friend stubbornly replied. ¡°Kido, you¡¯re too weak!¡± ¡°That¡¯s right¡± I interrupted their feud, as I sighed and spoke. ¡°Kido is pretty weak. The Avians out there are all at least double his level, with the strongest being around level 33. Kido can die if he¡¯s not careful. He can die pretty easily.¡± As the words left my mouth, Kido¡¯s expression enbittered as his grip on his sword tightened. ¡°But it''s because he¡¯s so weak, that I¡¯m forcing him to fight.¡± I spoke simply. ¡°So quit your complaining¡­ Ugly.¡± His childhood friend¡¯s expression flared up with every word that left my throat, but her expression truly hit a new high the moment the last word vibrated through the air. If looks could kill, I would have long since been dead. ¡°U-u-ugl- You!¡± She gnashed her teeth as her hands curled up into fists. ¡°What did you just call me?!¡± In the face of her anger, I nonchalantly shrugged. ¡°I can¡¯t help it, I don¡¯t know you¡¯re name¡­ so I¡¯ll just call you whatever.¡± ¡°T-that doesn¡¯t mean you can just casually insult me!¡± She snarled, her teeth producing uncomfortable grinding sounds throughout the whole process. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter what I call you, just stop being a pain in the ass.¡± I spat irritadely. We didn¡¯t have time for any of this. We only had 45 minutes, give or take. Kido, who stood behind her, had on a weary, and tired expression, but he did not butt in. It was as if this sort of thing was completely natural. His childhood friend took a step forward, but before she could explode again, she shook her head and took a deep breathe. ¡°That¡¯s not important, I don¡¯t really care about your shallow insults.¡± She sighed once again and said, ¡°Kido still can¡¯t fight.¡± I could only groan. This person was too stubborn. ¡°Enough already. We need as much manpower as we can get. Stop being an obstruction. And if you¡¯re that worried about him, why don¡¯t you fight along with Kido instead of complaining about it.¡± Hearing this statement, his childhood friend¡¯s, as well as the other girls¡¯ expressions instantly paled, and Kido involuntarily took a step forward and immediately rejected the idea. The girl¡¯s behind him on the other hand all exchanged expressions, and after some debating, his childhood friend, the transfer student, and explosion girl took a step forward and volunteered. The one with the twin tails was too weak for the task so, much to her dismay, she was forced to stand back and watch by the others. Kido¡¯s complexion was pale throughout the whole thing. He expression was conflicted, and there seemed to be numerous occasions in which he wanted to voice out his complaints, but in the end, he did not say anything. Seeing this line up, I involuntarily frowned. I pointed towards the explosion girl and outwardly said. ¡°She can¡¯t go. I don¡¯t want her using her explosions and worsening the foundation of the floor.¡± Hearing my rejection, Explosion girl¡¯s face showed a micro expression of relief before she frowned and wordlessly stepped back and joined with twintails. After everything was finally settled, everyone began preparing for the counterattack. The President and his group prepared their gear, while Kido performed a few practice swings with his saber. Childhood friend borrowed the President¡¯s old long sword, while I was forced to temporarily loan out my Boken to the transfer student. Before we left, I spoke to Cielle. My voice carried a sort of softness, one I clearly knew wasn¡¯t present in our past interactions. ¡°You¡¯re still recovering so just stay here for now and watch over Cher. Don¡¯t do anything reckless.¡± Cielle nodded, and with a bright smile, she said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I will wait for you, Hide.¡± **** Dozens of Avians flew in the air. Using [Echolocation], I determined there were at least 50 distinct bodies that flew directly above the 3rd floor. Even more, a number close to 100, flew around the 2nd and 1st floors. They were a mix of Avians and Shadow Avians. While the number seemed staggering at first, it really wasn¡¯t as bad as it first appeared. For one, we only had to worry about the immediate 50. While the 100 or so other monsters may come as back up, they won¡¯t be there to immediately respond. In addition, the 50 or so monsters were all spread out on the 3rd floor. Thanks to the taller than average bookshelves, we could confront and fight them a few at a time. As long as we avoided the open spaces and practiced utmost caution, then we could manage with little danger. If there was anything to worry about, then that would be the time limit. We had less than 40 minutes until the next expected tremor. In actuality, this number could be as little as 30 minutes, so the constraints were considerably higher. I had a plan to extend this time limit, but for now, I first needed to get the group started. I split the large group that consisted of the Prez, Hina, Kido, his harem, and Prez¡¯s group up into two. The President, Emiko, the surviving twin, and transfer student were in one group, while Kido, his childhood friend, the teacher and Hina were in the other. Considering Hina¡¯s firepower, and Kido¡¯s and his harem¡¯s low levels, this was the best way to split the forces evenly. Of course this division incited ire from both the President, who wanted to stay close to Hina, as well as from the transfer student, who did not want to separate from Kido, but I overruled their objections. The Prez and Hina were our strongest combatants, we could not have them fighting together. After the teams were split, under my instructions each group went in the opposite direction, moving further away from the archive room. Their formation consisted of a typical triangular formation, with each of their long distance attackers at the center. I on the other hand jumped up onto the top of a bookshelf and observed the scenery from my new vantage point, as well as with the occasional help of [Echolocation]. I stood in a shadow covered corner, and quietly hid myself, hoping to avoid attention. And if something did notice me, I would immediately use [Shadow Sprint] to run away and avoid any conflict. After all, I did not want to accidentally steal any kills right now. As I observed, the first to engage in combat was Kido¡¯s team. 3 Avians happened to fly into a narrow corridor of bookshelves, were Kido¡¯s group just so happened to be. The birds immediately drew closer and prepared to attack. Their wings flapped fericiously as they glided towards the group. Before they could get any further though, Hina had already reacted first. A gust of air blew through the corridor and buffeted the incoming birds. Usually, Hina would have used her fire magic, but in order to not attract attention, I told her to stick to using either water or air, her less showy magic. Plus, this was a good opportunity to improve her control towards her other elements. This was especially important, considering that during the upcoming Dungeon Boss battle, fire attacks won¡¯t be as effective. Since the Boss was capable of using fire type attacks, it stands to reason that it would have some form of resistance against fire. The strong gust of wind was like an immovable brick wall. The Avians were caught off guard and their elevation drastically lowered, but unfortunately none of them crashed onto the floor. Before they had the chance to recover, the teacher who originally belonged to the President¡¯s group dashed forward. The customized cyclops club in his hand blurred and clipped the closest Avian on its right wing. Considering how flimsy a bird¡¯s skeletal structure was, that blow was enough to cripple the monster, as it could do nothing but helplessly fall to the floor. Without stopping, the teacher continued forward, and managed to cripple one other Avian, but the last one recovered too fast and began soaring upward, escaping the teacher¡¯s limited range. Before the lucky monster could rejoice though, another gust of wind crashed into it. The concentrated, compressed air hit the Avian square on its exposed back, and was forcibly pushed back onto the floor. Like a pack of hungry hyenas, Kido and his childhood friend descended down onto the nearest and most recently downed Avian. While his Childhood friend was a bit trepid and showed signs of hesitation, intermingled with fear, Kido was unexpectedly ruthless. Each of his sword blows were aimed at a vital spot. He stabbed its twice in the eyes, completely blinding it, and aimed for the sensitive location behind its neck, where the bird¡¯s skull and spinal column met. After discovering the fact that the feathers were too densely packed and its muscle was too much for Kido to cut through, he changed targets in a heartbeat. The moment the Avian opened its beak to squawk an angry protest, Kido shoved the blade of his sword into its mouth and down its throat. Much less dying from the actual damage, the poor bird died of suffocation, dead at the hands of Kido and his sword. Hina stood back expressionlessly throughout this whole process, while the teacher pinned one Avian down to the ground using his boken. Meanwhile, Kido and his childhood friend moved on and were already onto one of the Avians with a wing clipped. Like this, Kido¡¯s team swiftly handled the three monsters. Kido managed to kill 2, while his childhood friend took care of one. It was obvious, but Hina and the teacher were intentionally letting Kido and his childhood friend have the last blow. On the other side of the Library, the President¡¯s group was having a slightly more difficult experience. They did not have Hina¡¯s convenient magic with them, so they could only rely on long distance slingshot strikes to bring down the birds. Thankfully though, the President and Emiko, acted just as swiftly as the teacher did, if not more so. They clipped the wings off of the monsters the moment they got within range. As expected, in their group, all of the kills went towards the Transfer student. The two groups continued this steady pace of grinding and after 20 minutes, they hunted down about 19 Avians in total. From my vantage point, I noticed that a majority of the Avians that did attack, primarily attacked Kido and his group. Meanwhile, even after a monster did notice me, most of the Avians ignored my presence. It was obvious that they did this because of the level disparity. Kido had more lower leveled people in his group, so they flocked towards him. In comparison, most of the Avians avoided me due to the difference in strength. It was an instinctive thing. On normal occasion, this pace of hunting would be considered fast, but considering the time limit we had, it was comparable to the speed of paint drying. Since the two teams finally established a good hunting pace, I decided to implement my stalling tactic that I planned to use in order to buy time and distract the ground-unit monsters. Using [Shadow Sprint] I immediately teleported to the edge of the broken staircase on the 3rd floor. Looking down, I could see the horde of monsters, wriggling and moving as if they were one. There were more than 300 monsters, and each of them emitted a dangerous level of killing intent. They were all obviously irritated. For who knows how long, these things clustered together with the prospects of killing, yet not a single person died at their hands. One could only imagine the irritation that flowed through their veins. Looking at it all, I could only let out a quiet sigh as I braced myself, and for the second time today, I jumped down into the darkness below. **** Author''s Note: If you liked this chapter, of if you liked this story in general, please rate or review. It helps me out. Chapter 78: Bait Bait The wind whistled around me as I dropped down past broken steps and splintered stairways and into the 2nd floor. Directly below me, amidst the horde of seemingly endless monsters, a massive Minotaur stood, upright and imposing, with its head tilted up and its maw wide and open. Its jaws further unhinged, and the first wisps of fire began to gather at the base of its throat. In conjunction, an inhumane light sparked within the glare of its beady yellow eyes. A raging inferno, a flame approximately twice as big as a human head roared out from its mouth, heating the air as it blazed in my direction. I watched with calm eyes as the fireball approached. In mid air, I forcibly twisted my body sideways, and narrowly avoided the fireball. I could hear the dull explosion and weak crackling of wood from behind me, as the blast further pushed me downward. I landed adjacent of the Minotaur, on top of an Ipotane¡¯s head. The instant I made contact, I drove my dagger deep into its skull. My added thrust, as well as gravity¡¯s momentum worked together to produce a [Fatal Blow], killing the Ipotane upon impact. Its body immediately slouched over, but before it could fully drop, I was already jumping further ahead, into the throng of monsters around me. Truthfully, in the face of a monster horde of 300 or more, by myself, I was powerless. I might be able to handle a few dozen, maybe a hundred, if I was really, really lucky, but a crowd this size was beyond me. I neither had the stamina, nor the ability to last that long. Luckily though, I didn¡¯t need to kill all three hundred. In order to stop the pressure on the pillars, and avoid the third floor from caving in, I just needed to lessen the amount of monsters within the library. To do that, I just needed to lure them away. Lure them out of the library. It was a simple solution, but nonetheless exceedingly difficult, if not downright suicidal for most people. I mean, normally, nobody would willingly throw themselves down into a sea of monsters just so they can act as human bait. Normally, nobody would do such a stupid, and idiotic thing. Normally, nobody would have the ability to pull of such a reckless stunt. Yet, I did it anyways. I rushed forward and jumped onto another monster¡¯s head, this time, a Shadow Minotaur with pitch black eyes. I jabbed the end of my dagger deep into its eye socket, just as the monsters around me began swarming around the Shadow Minotaur. Not paying their comrade any heed, they bit, tore, and ripped it apart, all in an effort to climb over one another and get to me. I jumped over a few of their heads, just as several pairs of hands reached out to grab me. I landed on another monster, and immediately after, the same pattern repeated itself. The surrounding monsters swarmed, and I was forced to jump off before the hands could properly grab a hold on me. This pattern continued as I ran across the sea of monsters. As I traversed across the library and towards the exit, I attracted more and more monsters, and in no time at all, more than half of the horde was now fully aware of my presence. Their attention shifted from what was above them, to what lay intermingled among them. It was a shift from the impossible to catch prey, to the sheep that willingly jumped into a throng of wolves. As I made my way across the library, soon the entrance came to view. Back when I entered the library with Cielle, the entrance had been the least populated area within the whole floor. Now, things were the reverse. Following my escape, the monsters trailed behind, and soon, the entrance had turned into one of the most densely populated locations within the whole library. More than 100, maybe 200 monsters swarmed around me, as I hopped on top of a bookshelf. Overlooking my surroundings, the monsters below me snarled and raged. I glanced out into the far distance, and with satisfaction, saw that the areas around the pillars were now considerably less populated than before. I only got a brief sense of reaffirmation before the bookshelf I stood on started tipping over, powerless at the hands of level 20 or so Minotaurs, dark eyed Shadow Lurkers and weapon wielding Ipotanes. I shot another glance at the entrance. The distance between it and me was less than 50 meters away. Yet, within that fifty meters, more than 200 monsters gathered. I would very much use [Shadow sprint] to cut the distance between us, but, in the end, that would defeat the whole purpose of this endeavor. If I ¡°jumped¡±, then most of the monsters would lose sight of me, and only the ones that stood by the entrance would be able to comprehend my location. If I wanted this plan to be a success, I needed to physically cross through the horde, and I needed to do it the hard way. I took a deep, shaky breath, before I leapt out from the bookshelf, just in time as it completely toppled over, and jumped into the throng of monsters. Like a pebble skidding across the surface of a calm lake, I skidded along the surface of monster heads, making sure to hit as many as possible with each step of my advance. Half way through the last stretch of space, the horde began to thin out, and for the first time, I could catch a proper glimpse at the dirt blue carpeted floors of the library. I was doing well until I got within 20 meters of the exit, where my foot accidentally snagged onto an outstretched arm that violently jerked upwards. I tumbled mid air, hundreds of hands reaching out to grab me at my moment of weakness. Directly in front of me, was an open eyed Shadow Lurker in the form of an Ipotane. It¡¯s mouth opened wide, revealing a pair of pitchblack teeth that threatened to smash and mangle my rapidly descending head. I clenched my teeth, and forcibly twisted my body in mid air, narrowly dodging as the Shadow Lurker bit down on empty air. My back landed onto a Minotaur¡¯s head. One of its horns grazed my torso, but luckily, it did not pierce through me. A red blotch of blood began seeping through my shirt as my body began sliding down the Minotaur¡¯s back. I had lost all of my built up momentum, and with it, my advantage. What seemingly felt like hundreds of arms swarmed me, and grabbed at me. I felt myself being forced downwards with increasing strength, as I tried to maintain a hold onto the horn that had stabbed me, all in an effort to keep my head above theirs. The Minotaur that I grabbed onto reacted to my touch, and started shaking and moving. It let out a terrifying bellow as fire raged out of its open maw, scorching a few nearby monsters. Even from behind the monster¡¯s head, I could still feel the wave of heat it let out. The Minotaur tried reaching out for me behind his back, but the other monsters stopped him. In their scramble to get to me, they each impeded one another, but their purpose was still fulfilled. Under their combined strength, my grip loosened, and I fell into the darkness below, beneath their feet where their shadows blotched out the thin moonlight veil. ¡°Tch¡­¡± I gritted through my teeth, as I desperately wriggled out. My new wound at my side was worsening, while I could feel new injuries pile one atop each other. A hand that firmly gripped my left leg threatened to yank the whole limb out from its socket. A row of flat canines munched onto my right arm, while sharp incisors chewed through the muscle on my left. If it wasn¡¯t for [Hard Scale], both my arms would have long since been crushed, or torn apart and even with the skill fully activated, I could still feel my muscles crying and my bones creaking while no small amount of blood flowed out from broken skin. ¡°[Shadow Sprint]!¡± I inwardly cried out as my vision shifted to total darkness, covered by the overlapping shadows around me. Instantly, my vision shifted, and I once again saw the Library Entrance, only less than 25 meters ahead of me. Below, I briefly floated above dozens of monsters, their backs bent and their vicious glares pointed down at something that was once their. This transient moment lasted for only a fraction of a second before I immediately fell back down into reality. My feet landed softly on the Ipotane¡¯s back, the same one that tried to crush my entire arm just moments ago. The monster beneath my feet shook in response to my touch, while the others around us began to notice my disappearance and subsequent reappearance. Unified roars and bellows of anger resonated throughout the crowd, as my feet bolted and I crossed 5 meters in a single bound. I landed heavily on top of an unsuspecting Shadow Werewolf¡¯s head, its neck instantly produced a snapping sound upon impact. The whole thing caught me off guard, and as the Werewolf¡¯s body sagged to the floor, I was shaken off, and fell with it. Luckily, by this point, I was reaching the edge of the horde, and most of the monsters were behind me, while only a few stragglers blocked my path further ahead to the entrance. I rolled once along the carpeted floor before I leapt up and continued running. I could hear the stomping of feet, paws and hooves as more than half of the horde followed in pursuit. I dodged and weaved through the thin horde in front of me, and soon I was less than 5 meters away. In front of me, only 2 Shadow Model Tusk Boars blocked my way. Their bodies created a perfect wall against my advance, yet my feet did not once slow down. After all, just a moment¡¯s hesitation is all it takes for me to be sucked into that vortex once again. One, two, three¡­ after five more steps forward, I immediately jumped vertically up into the air just as the Shadow Boars charged forward, their bodies glowing faintly with the activation of their skill, [Rushing Dash]. The two Boars crashed heavily into the approaching horde behind me, as I landed back down onto the floor. I shot the horde a quick glance back and paused my stride, waiting, seeing if the horde was still willing to follow. Just as it so happens to be, they were. Even with the Boars blocking and crushing a few of the frontline monsters, the others continued to surge forward. They circumvented the boars like a rock in a flowing stream and continued their hellbent chase. That was all the push I needed, and once again, my feet were moving and I was soon out into the hall. I briefly glanced around my surroundings for a moment, before I immediately decided and turned to the right. I only took 2, 3 steps forward before the first wave of monsters came gushing out into the hall. As I continued to run, the hallway further filled with monsters. Soon, a heart dropping amount filled the hallway from wall to wall. The floor below was completely botched out, and doing a quick head count, I confirmed at least 150, maybe closer to 200 individuals that had followed me out. Although I expected this, I was still surprised at how many actually came. The reason why the monsters followed me all rested in their current temperaments and the situation they were recently in. Monsters were generally the type of creatures who were not used to waiting. They would relentlessly attack and attack until they either died or their opponents died. Having a horde as large as that sit and stare in one room while their prey dangled above their heads with no means of them catching it¡­ well, to them, that was simply torture. It was akin to showing a starving old man food, but that food was protected by an unbreakable glass box. Now, if that same starving old man were to be shown food outside of the glass box¡­ well, that was the same situation I had with the monsters. I was the food outside the glass box, and the monsters were starving old men who wanted nothing more than to rip my throat out and eat me. I ran through the hallways, further leading the horde of monsters away from the library. In order to keep their attentions focused on me, I deliberately slowed my pace and shortened the gap between me and the frontline of monsters. Thanks to my agility stat, I was at least twice as fast as any of the creatures chasing me. If I used [Shadow Sprint] to temporarily boost my speed, I could be about 3 to four times as fast as their fastest. Right now though, I was just barely ahead of them. A distance of less than 1 meter separated me from the closest monster. This distance, a distance that felt as thin as a fingernail, yet as long and profound as the difference between heaven and earth, was what kept the horde enticed. Enticed and enthralled enough to keep chasing me. That¡¯s why I ran. I ran and ran, ¡°barely¡± maintaining my lead. In order to lessen the pressure on the pillars and buy time for the Library group to finish hunting, I ran. At first, I ran in circles. Ran around familiar hallways and past familiar classrooms. I ran across the second floor of the main building for about 20 minutes. Glancing behind, I noticed that the horde had thinned down a bit, but their was still close to 150 of them relentlessly chasing after me. With more than half the pressure on the Library pillars gone, I had effectively extended the others¡¯ lifeline. After 10 more minutes of pointless running, I shifted directions. Instead of taking a right at one hallway intersection, I took a left. Instead of going around in circles, this time I ran towards the back of the main building. I ran towards a familiar location, one which I visited earlier tonight, the Ampitheatre. As if noticing the change, the horde let out a chorus of bellows and roars as their pace quickened, the grasping hands that trailed closely behind me threatened to catch me. Earlier, when I received the transmission regarding Satou¡¯s abrupt appearance, I was panicked, and needed speed as my priority. I was forced to leave behind my precious drops from killing the two Elites because the large, almost as large as me, weapons were a burden to carry. They made running difficult, and I could not bring the giant axe, the pole arm, and my boken together with only the two arms available to me. Back then, due to the situation, I was forced to leave behind those two weapons, now, before I evacuated the library group, I was determined to get them back. I cut another corner and immediately, a staircase leading down to the first floor appeared in the far distance. The length of the hallway ahead of me was not substantial, only two classrooms, a hallway intersection, and another classroom separated me and the staircase. I pulled out a granola bar from my pocket and bit into it as I continued to run. In order to maintain my stamina while I ran, I needed food in order to replenish my reserves. I continued to run and made it passed one classroom without incident. It was immediately after that that trouble started. From the hallway intersection, a wave of dog sized tadpoles came gushing out. Their group numbered close to 400 hundred, and was more bloated, and more densely packed than the group behind me. In the air above them, flew 10 Avians, while situated near the back of the horde, there were about 30 or so Fully grown Wetlanders. This was the group that had chased after Cielle, but they were far more numerous than before. Chances are, this was the full force of the remaining Wetlander tribe that rested in the Gymnasium. The force that almost killed Cielle had doubled back and regrouped with their main army. I had grown complacent, and had not bothered with using [Echolocation] to scout out my surroundings. It was because of this moment of carelessness, that I wound up in this sort of unlucky situation. They came out from the corner and continued to surge towards me. The hundred of immature Wetlanders had each of their jaws opened wide, spittle and other slimy filaments flew out as they made short work of the distance between us. The horde in front of me, and the horde behind. I was completely sandwiched. Without stopping, I continued to run. When I reached a distance of 2 feet to the tadpole horde, I leapt for the wall. One two, I managed to take three steps along the flat surface of the wall before I started to lose momentum. The tadpoles that lay directly to the left of me, all shifted their gazes and glared. Their mouths opened like giant bear traps, ready to take out whatever chunk of flesh they manage to get their teeth into. I threw one quick glance at my surroundings, before I immediately used [Shadow Sprint]. In an instant, my body blurred, and I found myself in midair. Directly below me was an unsuspecting Avian. The moment gravity began to take its effect, I took a heavy step downwards. My foot met with the bird¡¯s exposed neck, and a resounding crunch rang out through the hall. The bird shot straight downwards while I used what little momentum I had left and jumped towards another Avian. Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. It narrowly avoided my approach by dive bombing to the horde below. I fell to the floor soon afterwards, my landing followed by several cracks and crunches from destroyed immature wetlanders. The horde around me did not care for its recently killed comrades and instantly swarmed. Not even 3 seconds passed before my body was covered from head to toe in tadpoles. They were low leveled, and a jitter was all it took to shake them off, but they latched on aggressively, and had the numerical advantage. Even if I shook the first wave off, the second would follow, then a third, fourth, fifth, so on. I could only clench my teeth and activate [hard scale] as the horde overwhelmed and completely drowned me. I kept my teeth clenched and my eyes shut as I counted inwardly. Each second passed in horrifying agony. What felt like thousands of nibbles turned into what felt like millions of ant bites. After 8 excruciating seconds of constant nibbling, my hp dropped to less than 25%, and due to the constant use of [Hard Scale], my stamina was even less than that. Using the shadows produced by the tadpoles around me, I once again, used [Shadow Sprint], and soon I was above tadpole, and broke through the horde of tadpoles and reached the other side. The original horde had crashed into the tadpole horde, and instantly killed of more than half of them. Despite this though, the two hordes still managed to combine forces, and soon, the bloated horde continued their pursuit. I glanced back, and immediately grimaced. It wasn¡¯t that the horde itself was a problem, but the pesky things above it were. The Avians were fast, and considering my deliberately lowered running speed, they would soon catch up and bother me. I took out Efhermet¡¯s dagger, and held the attached rope in hand. I could feel the tautness and elasticity of the rope wearing out. From my weeks of experience, I knew that this rope would not last even 5 more minutes of use, and even then, that was stretching it. The rope¡¯s durability was drastically low, but if it was against less than 10 Avians, then it would hold. I cleared the flight of stairs in one leap just as the first Avian dived downward, its sharpened beak leading its charge. I twisted my body, and dodged in mid air, while the dagger in my hand blurred as I threw it. The dagger hit it just above its wing, and the Avian dropped to the floor like a sack of potatoes at the same time my feet landed back onto the flour. Not stopping my momentum, I took a single step forward just as the rope in hand danced. The dagger spun towards the closest Avian and dissected its wing clear off. I continued to run while I continued to deal with the approaching Avians. Soon I killed off 8 Avians just as I was forced to retract Efhermet back. The rope was useless now, just thin string barely held together by even weaker threads. The last Avian to attack had to be put down at a distance of less than 1 meter. By that point, the double doored entrance leading into the Amphitheatre came into view. Without hesitation, I immediately sprint forward at full speed, rocketing straight for the door. The distance between the horde and me exponentially increased, and soon I broke through the door and into the amphitheatre. Glancing around, I confirmed the numerous monster corpses spread out across rows upon rows of velvet red seats. A little further ahead, was the stage, the ruined curtains and the two monster corpses on top of it were a reminder of the battle from earlier tonight. I increased my speed, ran through the amphitheatre, and jumped onto the stage. I made a beeline for the corpses, were the weapons lay conveniently next to them. Their metallic hulks shined, a sharp contrast to the red stained stage beneath them.
Urguth¡¯s Pole Arm Ancestral weapon of an ancient Ipotane general by the name of Urguth. Its overbearing stature represents the combined might of the Ipotane race. Damage: 105 - 125 Weapon Skill: Deflect Consumes 20 stamina +40 strength +25 Vitality +5 Defense [Equip] Skill Bonus +35 strength +10 Vitality Level Requirement: 30
Calcanto¡¯s Greataxe Ancestral weapon of an ancient Minotaur general by the name of Calcanto. Its overbearing statue represents the combined might of the Minotaur race. Damage: 90 - 150 Weapon Skill: Greater Fireball Consumes 20 mana +45 strength +25 vitality [Equip] Skill Bonus +25 strength +20 vitality Consumption change: 1 shot per hour. Level Requirement: 30
The valuable aspect of these weapons were the individual skills they came with. Something called [Weapon Skills]. Before I left, I only got a brief glance at their window panels, but even then, I had noticed their valuability. If these skills were anything like the ones the Elites had used in battle, then the [Deflect] skill from the Ipotane, and the [Greater Fireball] skill from the Minotaur were powerful assets. It¡¯s unfortunate that aside from me, only Hina can use the weapons right now, but still, I¡¯ll find a use for them. I noticed that the deflect skill consumes stamina, while the fireball skill consumes mana. Furthermore, with the help of Equip, the skill¡¯s requirements changed from mana (something I know I can¡¯t use), to simply 1 shot every hour. This feature was something completely exclusive to me. I did not bother wasting anymore time. After all, the longer I waited, the closer the horde approached, and the more dangerous the situation became. I strapped the giant axe to my back, while I grabbed onto the Pole Arm. the pole arm and axe were heavy. Individually, they were at least 3 times heavier than my boken. Thankfully, the Pole arm¡¯s slight strength boost, balanced their weight. It would be a bit of a challenge to run while carrying these things, but it was not an outright impossible task. The noise coming from the horde increases, but I was not worried. Even as they began streaming into the amphitheatre in chaotic clusters, I was not worried. Taking a glance around, the velvet seats were trampled and stepped on, as the room filled more and more with monsters. They ran forward, like one mass, towards the center of the room, where the stage waited. Where I quietly waited. Again, I was not concerned. I looked around the room, then up above me. The rafters where I once perched myself earlier tonight came to view. ¡°This distance¡­ well, it should be fine¡­¡± I quietly muttered to myself. I took a step back, deeper into the back of the curtain, and into the shadowy space of the Amphitheatre just as the first wave of monsters rushed onto the stage. Without any hesitation, I immediately used [Shadow Sprint]¡¯s long distance teleportation, and instantaneously shifted locations. Less than a second passed, and I found myself within the dark, and quiet confines of the Amphitheatre rafters. From my new vantage point, I leisurely surveyed the scene. The last of the monsters entered in from the double doored entrance, while chaos erupted amongst their ranks. Having lost their prey, the tension within the horde increased, and soon, little pockets of infighting emerged from within the group. I checked my stamina, and discovered I had room for one more [Shadow Sprint] left. I hesitated slightly, whether to wait and recover my stamina, or leave immediately and meet back up with the others. After some internal debating, I finally decided to leave. I threw one last look around the amphitheatre before I used [shadow Sprint] and teleported on top of a window sill. I stood by the ledge, the back of my ankles dangling in the air while I used two strokes of [dissect] to break through the window pane. After that, it was just a matter of sneaking out of the Amphitheatre without the monsters noticing. On my way back, I sprinted forward at full speed. Even with all the items weighing me down, I made it back in less than 10 minutes. I made it back in record time, but I knew full well that the horde would be back soon, and when that time comes¡­ I don¡¯t think the baiting tactic will work as well the next time. ****** After arriving at the library, I noticed that the horde of monsters that had remained numbered less than one hundred. The presence and intimidation they exuded was far less intimidating than earlier. I made an immediate beeline for the 3rd floor. Upon my arrival, I was greeted by the disheveled site of the Prez, Kido, and the others. Their clothes were stained with a new layer of fresh blood- their own and the monsters- while their complexions were pale, and there chests heaved greedily for fresh air. Tired was a simple oversimplification of what these guys were going through. They stood in the open space the group had cleared out earlier, and around them laid the scattered corpses of more than a dozen Avians. ¡°Ah, Hide...hah...hah¡­¡± Kido was the first to notice me, and turned to look at my direction. With tired eyes and a pale face, he asked, ¡°Where did you go?¡± ¡°I was drawing out the horde from below.¡± I answered lightly while I dropped the pole arm and the great axe onto the floor. By this point the others had long since noticed my arrival. ¡°I also had to pick a few things up¡­ What happened after I left?¡± The president, who seemingly could not stand anymore, helplessly fell to the floor with a sigh. He leaned back, and used his arms as support while he answered. ¡°While you were gone, we managed to somehow take care of the group that flew around the third floor. It was a little while after that when their reinforcements arrived. About 30 or so Avians, and 20 plus Shadow Avians attacked. ¡°We somehow managed to pull it off, but as you can see¡­¡± He laughed bitterly while indicating to the whole of the group. ¡°We¡¯re pretty tired.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± I nodded silently while my eyes scanned over everybody present. They came to rest on Hina¡¯s figure, who had her back against a bookshelf, and had an absent minded expression on her face. Her hair was disheveled and her complexion was as pale as the others, but being a long distance attacker, not a lot of blood stained her clothes. She looked out into the distance, her eyes murky and vague while a somewhat melancholic expression filled her face. ¡°Hina.¡± I called out, but she seemingly did not notice. ¡°Hina.¡± I called out again, this time in a much louder tone. She noticed, and jumped in surprise. She turned to me, and her expression remained murky for a moment, before her eyes cleared. ¡°Hide, you¡¯re back¡­¡± She murmured, a slight, vague smile on her face. ¡°....¡± I stared at her for a second, before I asked, ¡°Are you okay?¡± ¡°?¡± She tilted her head slightly before asking, ¡°I am. Why wouldn¡¯t I be?¡± ¡°...¡± She hesitated for a moment, before she said, ¡°... We- we¡¯re already done here for the time being, so I¡¯m heading back to the archive room. I¡¯ll check in on Cielle, and Ch-Cher¡­¡± Without another word, she sluggishly stood up, and walked further back into the library. Soon her silhouette disappeared, obscured by rows upon rows of oaken bookshelves. ¡°...¡± I watched her receding figure. I did not know why, but something about Hina was a bit¡­ off. I could not understand why or what exactly bothered me about her, and in the end, I could only frown at her departure. I then turned back around and assessed everyone¡¯s progress. What surprised me was that the one that benefited the most out of this grinding process was definitely, without a doubt Kido. Kido was currently level 17. Before the hunt, he was only level 8 at the time. He advanced a total of 9 levels all in the span of 1 night. While it¡¯s true that there was a huge level disparity between him and the monsters he fought, still, that pace of leveling up was simply too fast. The President, and his group all rose by at least one level, while I noticed Hina''s level remained unchanged. The people from Kido''s harem- the transfer student rose by 5 levels, while the childhood friend rose by 3. Compared to Kido¡¯s own growth, everybody else evolved at a snail¡¯s pace. I thought silently for a minute. I hesitated, before I asked, ¡°How many did you kill, Kido?¡± Kido, who was caught off guard at the mention of his name, widened his eyes as he turned to look at me. Before he could reply though, the President stepped up and interrupted. He laughed bitterly and said, ¡°Kido was pretty¡­ relentless. Never knowing when to stop¡­ I heard from his group that he was always the first to attack¡­ if I¡¯m not wrong, I think Kido killed off more than half of the monsters present.¡± ¡°Half?¡± I unconsciously raised an eyebrow. Half meant at the least, Kido killed more than 60 of them¡­ ¡°Kido was pretty amazing indeed¡­¡± His childhood friend immediately added, a look of vague satisfaction written on her face. ¡°Muuu¡­¡± The transfer student pouted from besides her. ¡°I wished I could have seen Kido fighting¡­¡± Kido, who was at the center of this conversation, slightly reddenned while he awkwardly scratched his head. ¡°Come on guys¡­ I think you¡¯re all just exaggerating now¡­¡± Before he could further elaborate, the two girls who were seemingly dead tired only a mere moment ago, dashed forward with excess vigor and latched onto Kido¡¯s flailing body. On each arm, a different girl stood. They weighed him down until finally, the trio fell to the floor in a cluster of flailing legs and shaking bodies. The sound of half hearted sighing, and a chorus of light, feminine giggling filled the open space around us. ¡°...¡± Everybody present stared. The unusual amount of fatigue they all felt seemingly doubled as more and more bitter smiles decorated everyone¡¯s faces. The one who showed the largest reaction was unexpectedly the teacher, whose pale complexion highlighted the gloomy expression he was currently making. While grinding his teeth, he bitterly cursed under his breath, ¡°Even though I was a high schooler 6 years ago¡­ even though it was only 6 years ago¡­ what¡¯s with this level of difference. Harems don¡¯t exist in the real world, damn it. What the hell¡­¡± From besides the teacher, the President¡¯s gaze shifted from Kido to the teacher, then back to Kido. His bitter smile remained unchanging for a minute, before he finally sighed and looked over at me. ¡°... You started this, Hide¡­¡± The president remarked, as he shifted his gaze and stared back at the growing scene in front of him with dead eyes and a flat smile. I too could not help but shiver uncontrollably at the scene that began to play out in front of my eyes. Without regards to the dead bodies around them, nor the blood stains on their clothes, those three¡­ a scene straight out of a romance comedy began playing out. ¡°....¡± I did not watch for long. Letting out a tired sigh, I stretched out my sore limbs. I walked back, following the direction Hina had taken earlier, and called out. ¡°Everybody, back to the archive room. I¡¯m calling a meeting before the horde gets back.¡± **** Author''s Note: If you liked this chapter, or like this story in general, please rate and review. It helps me out. Chapter 79: Archive Meeting ***Author¡¯s Note:*** Looking at all the Kido hate from last chapter... I don''t know whether to laugh or to cry. On one hand, I''m commending myself over achieving my original goal, I mean, getting all of you to hate a character whose literally done nothing wrong at this point in the story is a pretty hard thing to achieve. On the other hand... I may have done too good of a job... haha. Well, whatever goes, goes, I guess. Fixing some things from last chapter. The teacher¡¯s level only rose by 1, The childhood friend only rose by 3 levels, transfer student by 5 levels. Kido leveled up to 17. People were complaining last chapter about Kido rising too fast in level. Although that was clearly intentional, I adjusted it. **** Archive Meeting When we arrived at the Archive room, the first thing I did was designate a few of the cafeteria group survivors to surveillance. In general, the people from the cafeteria¡­ those who survived up until this point were basically useless. They might be level two, but that was not through their own effort. Even though they certainly had the will to survive, they did not have the courage to take action. They were people possessing the mindset that ¡°someone will eventually come to save us¡±. I could only look at people like that as burdens. Even as meat shields, they were worthless due to how innately fragile they were. Even if they placed all their stats into vitality, they would not last even 5 seconds against the remaining monsters in the dungeon. At the very least, placing a few of them on surveillance will put them to use. Even if my range of perception is far wider than what their eyes/ears/etc. can pick up, at the very least, it will introduce them to the idea of ¡°constant danger¡±. If that sort of exposure can somehow change their way of thinking and motivate them¡­ then I might be able to put them to use in the future. I had the fatty from earlier and another survivor, a braided girl with a somewhat cute appearance, as look out within the 3rd floor. I ordered them to warn me the moment the horde returned. I especially warned them about monsters appearing on the 3rd floor, and told them to makes such an event a priority. In addition, I also told them to pluck the feathers out of the Avian corpses, and to process and collect their meat. Avian feathers are unaturally durable, and during combat, an Avian can consciously harden its feathers to the point where they can cut through flesh and tear through muscle. If I can somehow mimic that feature, or find a way to create weapons or armor out of its feathers, then it would surely assist in future battles. As for the meat, while we¡¯ve never actually tried eating other monsters aside from the tusk boars, they might prove to be a new source of food for the coming future. After briefly explaining the proper process of collecting and harvesting the meat to the two people I assigned, I returned to the Archive room. There, I was greeted with curious stares that held varying emotions, ranging from expectancy, hesitance, and outright anger. I did not pay those stares any mind though. After glancing over at Cielle, and the others, and making sure Cher and Cielle¡¯s conditions hadn¡¯t worsened. I took a foldable chair and sat down next to my recently collected weapons near a corner of the room. Using this time, I decided to check my status. [Status!]
Status Window
NameMayo Hide
Age17RaceHuman
Level37GenderMale
TitlesPioneer, Pyschopath
Health115/460 (31)Health Regen.0.005 / Sec
Mana (unavailable)460 (16)Mana Regen.0.01 / Sec
Stamina80/460 (16)Stamina Regen.0.05 / Sec
-
Strength101 (16)Agility167 (16)
Vitality90 (16)Dexterity119 (16)
Intelligence26 (16)Wisdom62 (16)
Leadership0 (8)Luck0 (8)
Defense20 (16)Accuracy20 (16)
-
Skills
Equip (Active) Identification (Active) All Heal (Active) Dissection(Active) Sensory Remapping + (Active) Hard Scale (Active) All Purpose Crafting (Active) Butcher (Active) Shadow Sprint (Active) Amphibian (Active) Body Maneuver (Passive) Dagger Mastery (Passive) Blunt Weapon Mastery (Passive)
Current Status Effect(s)n/a
Unallocated Points0
In total, tonight I acquired 115 unallocated points. 30 each for the Minotaur and Ipotane elites, 20 from the Monarch Wisp, 25 from the Mimic, and 10 from two level ups. Back then, before the second phase of the dungeon initiated, I somehow managed to level up with the experience that the three elites, and Satou gave when they died, so in actuality, when I gained a level from the Dungeon phase change, it was as if I gained 2 levels instead of one. Out of the 115, I allocated the majority of it in the Amphitheatre to agility and vitality, back when I first received the call regarding Satou. Following that, I placed the rest in a somewhat uneven distribution between agility, vitality, wisdom (for the reaction speed boost), and strength. As I was inspecting my panel, somebody walked up to me. ¡°Where did you get those, Hide?¡± I dismissed my status window, and looked up, only to see Cielle¡¯s too close face looking at me. Her eyes, which were covered by their usual curtain of hair had a distinct glimmer to them, while her face was showing a thin smile that most people would associate as apathetic. Although, despite what her expression might suggest, I felt that Cielle was a bit more¡­ positive than usual. She was looking over at the two weapons I had recently collected from my earlier fight. I briefly gave an explanation, stating, ¡°These were the weapons I didn¡¯t get the opportunity to bring back with me when I went grinding earlier tonight.¡± Cielle was quiet for a moment, her eyes locked sternly on the weapons that lay stacked against the wall. Eventually, after 3 seconds of silence, her eyebrows raised while a small sign of surprise floated to her usually passive expression. ¡°Weapon Skills?¡± Hearing her mutter out loud the expression, I nodded briefly. ¡°Yeah. Although right now, only Hina and I can use them, they¡¯ll definitely come in handy when a few of the others attain higher levels.¡± Cielle nodded in agreement. Her small mouth opened slightly for a bit, before she hesitated and stopped. She paused momentarily before her delicate hand floated up and landed on top of my head. She flashed a brief smile, while her fingers ran through my embarrassingly unwashed hair. ¡°Good job.¡± She spoke simply while her hands continued to move with practiced familiarity. I awkwardly smiled at this. ¡°You¡­ you¡¯re a bit too familiar with patting people¡¯s heads.¡± I recalled several past incidences when Cielle patted Hina¡¯s and- on occasion- Cher¡¯s heads without reserve. Back then her actions had been so natural, and comforting that it looked almost enviable. Now that I actually got to experience the real thing¡­ although I didn¡¯t dislike it, it still felt a bit awkward. As expected, having your head patted¡­ rather, I¡¯d like to be the one that does the patting. ¡°I have plenty of experience.¡± Cielle briefly replied as her eyes grew hazy with nostalgia. For a moment, she was lost in thought before she hastily shook her head, and refocused her gaze to meet mine. ¡°This is¡­ a reward. Hide¡¯s reward.¡± ¡°... Um¡­¡± This type of reward is a bit¡­ Although I did not voice it out loud, I still felt a bit weird receiving this (head patting) reward. Cielle¡¯s head slightly tilted to the side while her expression turned slightly doubtful. She hesitated for a moment before asking, ¡°You¡­ do you not like it?¡± ¡°....¡± ¡°...¡± I broke the silence with a cough, before getting up and yelling over the crowd, ¡°Everyone gather around the table. We need to discuss a few things.¡± I brushed aside Cielle¡¯s hand, and moved to the center of the large rectangular table at the middle of the room. As I passed her, I could not help but mutter something along the lines of ¡°I didn¡¯t really not like it.¡± beneath my voice. Cielle who looked as if she had overheard my quiet statement, quickly followed suit, and sat directly next to me. Although a soft smile still decorated her face, her eyes grew serious the moment she sat down. Everyone else around the room followed suit. For some reason, while the others sat down around the table, the level 2 cafeteria group survivors all opted to stay standing along a wall of the room. It wasn¡¯t really an issue for me, so I didn¡¯t comment on it. Seeing that everyone was ready, I did not hesitate any longer, and immediately began speaking. The very first thing I asked was regarding Cher¡¯s current condition. ¡°How is she?¡± I questioned. ¡°Has she shown signs of waking yet?¡± In response, everyone exchanged silent stares. For a brief moment, the room was silent. Nobody dared to reply regarding Cher¡¯s condition. I looked around the room. As expected, nobody dared to meet my gaze. While I did not find this particularly surprising, Hina¡¯s own resistance caught me off guard. Her expression was strangely absent minded. Her neck craned downward, while her eyes locked onto the floor beneath her. She did not say anything, yet an undeniable atmosphere emanated off of her. To say it simply, she looked conflicted. She bit her lip down, but did not say anything. I waited patiently, for her, or for anybody else to respond. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, a quiet voice from right next to me spoke. It was Cielle. ¡°Cher¡¯s condition is fine. Her breathing is stable, and the color of her skin is regaining.¡± She noted as she shot a brief glance over at Cher¡¯s unconscious figure. ¡°Sometimes I see her eyelids fluttering, so she might be close to waking up.¡± Hearing all this, I nodded. A heavy sigh of relief involuntarily escaped my throat. ¡°Then, if that¡¯s the case, let¡¯s move on.¡± I said, changing the topic before anybody else could comment on anything. I turned to address the whole table. ¡°Although you guys spoke about it briefly to me before, explain what happened during the hunt.¡± The president stepped up. Overlooking the crowd through the gleam of his glasses, he spoke in a calm, and orderly tone. His words flowed in an accustomed manner. As expected from someone in such a high position, the student council president was someone who was accustomed to giving speeches. He briefly explained what I had already heard. Regarding how they split up the teams. Each member''s kill count, the total amount of Avians they fought, any complications they had, even the way they fought. ¡°In the end, I rose by 3 levels, Emiko, Kathy, and Mr. Kikkawa leveled up by 2¡­ Hina did not level up, Saya rose by 5 levels, Mindy by 3 levels, and Kido¡­ he jumped into level 17.¡± The President spoke the last line with a somewhat awkward expression. A mix between shock, and disbelief. I, myself had a similar reaction, and even though I was hearing it for the second time, I could not help but squint my eyes and sigh. I''ve already checked for myself with [Identify], but... his growth¡­ it was too abnormal. The time, situation, and amount of monsters he killed to reach that sort of level¡­ no matter how I looked at it, it was still too short. Even after factoring in the level difference between Kido and the monsters¡­ if we were still under the effects of double experience, then it would be somewhat possible, but even then¡­ it would be a stretch. Not to mention, hearing the President explain the whole situation to me, I noticed one oddity. The people who I assigned to the same group as Kido¡­ their growth was significantly lower than the others from the Prez¡¯s team. Of course, there¡¯s also the explanation that Kido hogged most of the Kills for his group, but still¡­ even then, I can¡¯t help but foster an uncomfortable irritation in the back of my mind. I shot a subtle glance towards Kido. He was sporting a rather modest expression, while his cheeks tinged red, as he scratched his head rather awkwardly. Next to him, his girls were beaming with joyous expression plastered on their face. If one listened closely, you could hear annoying noises like, ¡°Ufufufu, as expected of Kido,¡± or ¡°Uwaaa~ Kido¡¯s so amazing! Amazing!¡± Really, it was annoying. So annoying in fact, that I could not help but directly ask, ¡°Kido, how did you level up so fast?¡± ¡°Um¡­¡± Upon being suddenly called out, Kido¡¯s eyes momentarily widened, as he made a flustered expression. The act was convincing, but deep down, I could not help but feel slightly irritated upon looking at it. His motions, gestures¡­ although they were nigh identical to the usual ones he made pre-apocalypse, I could not help but feel as if Kido¡¯s movements were slightly more¡­ mechanical. ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t really know.¡± He consented while sighing out. A faint, somewhat bitter smile filled flashed through his face, before it was instantly replaced with a rather ¡°resolute¡± expression. Kido clenched his fists as he looked at me with clear, hot blooded eyes. ¡°I don¡¯t know why I leveled up so fast, but, I¡¯m glad I did. If it¡¯s too achieve power strong enough to protect the ones I care for¡­ then I¡¯d gladly do anything in my power to achieve that! Things like fighting monsters or risking my life¡­ all that¡­ all that means nothing! It¡¯s trivial! I¡¯ll-¡± ¡°Okay, okay, I get it.¡± I let out a tired sigh while glaring at Kido with suspicion filled eyes. The conversation only went on for less than 10 seconds, and I already felt as if it has been derailed. It was clear to me that prying any deeper would be pointless. At the very least, Kido had no intention of actually explaining. Whether he was guilty of something, or whether he had something to hide in the first place¡­ I could not confirm any of these things, yet, that only made the suspicion in my heart grow. To add to that, a distant memory from the first day of the apocalypse also gnawed at my concious, and I could not help feeling that the two topics were somehow related. The memory, a scene- a mental image of a room filled with corpses¡­ A room filled with the persistent stench of decay. Scattered amongst monster ravaged corpses, there were bodies killed by a slightly more¡­ human touch¡­ ¡°hah¡­¡± I shook my head and let out another tired sigh, while I mentally forced myself to change topics. I did not have time to dwell on this one issue. I could not waste any more time, after all, who knows when the horde will come back. ¡°Enough about that.¡± I said. ¡°More importantly, tell me about the monster drops. Did anything valuable appear?¡± ¡°Um¡­¡± The President crossed his arms and thought for a moment. He quietly mumbled to himself, before he spoke out in a volume loud enough for everyone to hear. ¡°8 health potions, and 2 stamina potions dropped. There were no mana potions this time around. Although you¡¯ve told me about their existence, I¡¯ve personally never seen one before, so I can only imagine how rare they are¡­.¡± I nodded, and further inquired, ¡°Did anything else drop?¡± ¡°Ah, yeah,¡± Although I expected a negative response, the President surprised me and affirmed. ¡°Actually, a weapon did drop¡­ two in fact¡­¡± He pulled out two items from under the table. One of them was a metallic scimitar with a green hilt. The blade of the weapon measured about 2 feet in length, and curved beautifully like a crescent moon. Its silver blade gleamed with a metallic luster under the dim light. The other weapon was near identical to the scimitar, with the exception of its color. Black. The whole thing was wreathed in black darker than the shadows that occupied the room. From the blade, to its guard, and all the way to the hilt, it was all black. I briefly looked at it, before I activated [identify].
Wind Blade Scimitar A sword imbued with the power of the wind. In the proper hands, it can cut apart rock, water, and even flesh. Damage: 78 - 90 Random Critical hit rate increase by 3% +5 strength +15 Agility Durability: 30/30 [Equip] Skill Bonus +25 Agility (???) Level Requirement: 15
Shadow Wind Blade Scimitar A sword imbued with the power of the wind and darkness. In the proper hands, it can cut apart rock, water, and even flesh. It has been modeled after a Wind Blade Scimitar. Damage: 78 - 90 Random Critical hit rate increase by 3% +3 strength +15 Agility +2 Vitality Durability: 30/30 [Equip] Skill Bonus +20 Agility (???) Level Requirement: 15
The weapons are good. Of course, they can¡¯t compare to the 2 elite drops, or to my boken, but they¡¯re definitely much better than the long sword that I had used before. What¡¯s more, the 3% in critical hit rate is a good benefit. ¡°As you might have already guessed, they were dropped by an Avian and a Shadow Avian.¡± the President explained monotonously. Going by the tone of his voice, there was no desire within him, which was only natural, since the performance of the customized clubs he was currently using, outmatched the scimitars. A similar lack of interest circulated around the rest of the President¡¯s party. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. I nodded my head. ¡°Good. This will improve our combat potential.¡± I spoke simply, before asking, ¡°Is there anything else?¡± The President simply shook his head. ¡°Hmm¡­ well, it¡¯s good that we managed to gain a few items tonight. As for me¡­.¡± Without further explanation, I took out 2 paperback books and gently placed them onto the table in front of me. The books were of simple design, with only a singular title adorning its cover. One of the books was dyed in a deep crimson red, while the other was colored a murky green. As expected, these books were skill books. The moment I took these books out, everyone¡¯s breathing momentarily faltered while their eyes shined with desire. Even without explaining, they all instinctively knew these two books were skill books. While I there wasn¡¯t exactly any need in showing the skill books to the others, now that I¡¯ve come this far, I found it pointless to hide or deceive. Whether everyone found out about the existence of the skill books wasn¡¯t important to me anymore. No matter what, I will be the one who controls the skill distribution. After all, I have the strength to back up such a task. A quiet hush fell upon the room. For a good long while, nobody spoke. Finally, as if the tension in the room was a taut string being stretched, someone spoke out, and severed that string into two. ¡°That¡­ Hide, those are skill books, right?¡± Hokusei horsely whispered with a gulp as his eyes locked onto the books in front of him. He could not help but stand up as he leaned over the table to catch a closer look. ¡°How¡­ how will you distribute them? Who-who will learn them?¡± As the President¡¯s words leaked out from his cracked mouth, the whole room entered a new octave of tension. Everyone¡¯s eyes locked onto the skill books and the greed and desire that welled up in their hearts exponentially grew. Even the Cafeteria leechers could not help but take a step forward towards the books. Everyone by now fully realized the importance and subsequent power of skills. They were valuable items that increased an individual¡¯s chance of survival. More over, the image of Satou¡¯s overpowering [Acid Clad], and explosion girl¡¯s destructive capacity was well cemented into everyone¡¯s hearts. To gain an ability of equal or greater power¡­ the greed in everyone¡¯s eyes once again intensified. I pondered over the President¡¯s words. The two skills I collected tonight we¡¯re [Magic Clad: Acid], and [Fever Burst]. Regrettably, both of them were magic skills, and magic skills were completely wasted on me. I could still learn the skill, if only to get at the Equip bonuses, but due to my restrictions, they would ultimately rot away without seeing the light of use. It was better to give them to someone who was actually competent, and actually had the ability to use them. Glancing around the room, I came to an abrupt decision; I will not be giving out any of these skills to anybody but the people I truly trust. While I can assist the others in leveling up, and arm them with things like weapons, and armor, I will not, under any circumstances, give them something as valuable as skills. In this new world, skills take precedent. They are powerful abilities that can change the very outcome of a battle in a mere instant. And more importantly, they are dangerous. This is especially true for the acid skill. That skill is far too dangerous, and its destructive capabilities is too great for just anyone to wield. As I thought about these things, and stared blankly at the greedy eyes around me, I thought about who to distribute the skills too. In my mind, Hina is the one who needs it the least. Her Unique Skill [Full Element] has a lot of versatility. From its destructive potential, and to its support potential, it has almost no shortcomings. In that one skill, Hina possesses numerous sub skills, as such, she is the person who needs new skills the least. If I were to give the acid skill to anybody, then it would obviously be to the person I trust the most. The person who''s been with me the longest, and the person with the most loyalty. There is only one such person. Without hesitation, under everyone¡¯s stares, I calmly gave it to the person I trusted the most. I slid the green skill book across the table to place it in front of the person who sat besides me. Cielle¡¯s eyes momentarily widened, as they stared down at the green skill book in front of her. She opened her mouth, but did not say anything. She looked up and stared at me momentarily before she gazed back down and stared at the skill book once agai. Cielle hesitated, but after a while, she nodded coolly, and without a word, she received the skill book with open hands. She immediately opened it, and began flipping through their pages. While she underwent the process of learning the new skill, I shot a quick glance back at the crowd of watchful eyes. Envy. That was the strongest emotion that gushed out from almost everyone in the room. The only one¡¯s who did not express such a desire we¡¯re Hina, who only absentmindedly sat down besides Cher, and Cher, who was still unconscious. A few gnashed their teeths, and a few eyes gleamed with dark, bitter thoughts, but in the end, nobody moved or took action. They simply watched with jealous eyes as Cielle properly learned her new skill. While Cielle quietly read through the thin pages of the skill book, I unhesitatingly put away the remaining skill book. This action caused a whole slew of commotion to rise from amongst the crowd. ¡°Hide?!¡± The President exasperatedly yelled, as he leaned over the table. His usual calm demeanor was replaced by a heavy sense of urgency. ¡°You¡­ aren¡¯t you going to give the other skill book to someone?¡± As if spurred by the President¡¯s opening statement, the others around the room chimed in in agreement. ¡°Hide, think about the team.¡± ¡°Give it to someone!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be so selfish!¡± The protests, and remarks all melded together into one congealed mass of noise and ruckus. In the face of all this, I stared unblinkingly, not responding to a single one of the jeers surrounding me. After a while, the noise somewhat lessened, and I finally opened my mouth and remarked. ¡° I will give the skill book to somebody.¡± As if an uneasy premonition took hold of him, the President narrowed his eyes, and with hesitation, asked, ¡°W-who?¡± ¡°Cher.¡± I responded immediately. ¡°After Cher wakes up and recovers, I¡¯ll let her learn this skill.¡± I already decided long before I entered the room that I would give one of the two skill books to Cher. Cher fought well tonight. And obviously, to those who contribute, I will naturally reward them. Besides, a new skill may not compare, but it''s a sort of reimbursement for her lost arm. Additionally, there is a high chance Cher will fall into despair the moment she wakes up and discovers she has lost her arm. After all, in a world as dangerous as this, losing one out of the four limbs a person has can be extremely detrimental, especially for Cher, whose main form of combat up until now centered on the use of two shields. By giving her a new skill, it will somewhat lessen the impact of a lost arm, and give her a glimmer of hope. Its an indirect way of telling her that, despite everything, I still haven¡¯t given up on her¡­ After all, I¡¯ve invested too much time and effort into cultivating Cher¡¯s potential. I sure as hell won¡¯t stand by and just watch it all crumble away due to one minor loss. I¡¯ve already spent one skill book on her after all, if I don¡¯t cash in on that investment, then it would be the same as losing a skill book. With such intentions, I calmly answered the room. Ignoring everyone¡¯s protests, and glares, I once again said, ¡°I¡¯m giving the skill book to Cher. Out of everyone here, she is the one most suited for it.¡± The obvious dissatisfaction around the room manifested itself in everyone¡¯s bitter expressions. Finally, as if she could not restrain herself anymore, one of the girls from Kido¡¯s harem, the transfer student, blurted out, ¡°But she¡¯s¡­¡± She did not finish, her sentence, but instead shot a quick, momentary glance towards Cher¡¯s lying figure. Well, to be more precise, she glanced over at Cher¡¯s missing arm. As if it were pre rehearsed, everyone else shifted their stares, and looked onward at Cher. There eyes were cold, and penetrating, and without exception, they all focused in on Cher¡¯s missing arm. ¡°She¡¯s¡­ she can¡¯t possibly fight anymore¡­¡± The transfer student quietly whispered as she stared continued to stare with placid eyes. ¡°...¡± ¡°You-¡± After some time, the transfer student tore her gaze away from Cher, and looked at me with clearly defiant eyes. ¡°You have to reconsider! There¡¯s no good reason why she should-¡± The instant she turned to look at me, her eyes locked onto my own, and under the pressure of my glare, her words faltered. Her brow inexplicably scrunched up, while the slight trickle of cold sweat flowed down her cheek. She opened her mouth, but did not speak. She hesitated, her eyes swimming in whatever emotion currently enveloped her mind, before she gritted her teeth, and clamped her mouth shot. I looked at her for a moment, and although I tried maintaining eye contact, the transfer student broke it. She refused to look at me, as she slightly trembled and slid to her right, nuzzled up against Kido. She hid behind him, not daring to meet eyes with me for a second time. Seeing this, I broke my own gaze, and swept my eyes across the crowd. Like the transfer student, nobody dared to make eye contact. Well, almost nobody. There was one exception- Kido. Kido who sat almost directly in front of me continued to stare, the corners of his mouth formed a slight frown, but aside from that he did not say anything. He only continued to stare. I broke eye contact with Kido, and lightly said, ¡°Well, enough about the skill books.¡± A question that had always bothered me began to once again surface in my mind, and I could not help but turn to stare at explosion girl, and asked, ¡°You, where did you get that skill?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± The wizard hat wearing girl was caught off guard, and unintentionally, a weird sound escaped from her throat. Her unblinking eyes widened as her mouth hung loosely open. I repeated myself, and asked, ¡°Where did you get that explosion skill?¡± This was always bothering me since I found out about her skill¡¯s existence. An unstable power that was strong enough to generate a force so strong that it could turn concrete into mere pebbles. It was definitely a strong skill, but at the same time, in the context of this dungeon, it was highly out of place. First of all, there were no explosion based monsters within the dungeon, so that only ruled out the most common possibility. If it were another achievement related skill, then it would make sense, but frankly speaking, I could not think of any possible way for this girl to have achieved any sort of achievement that the system would back up. ¡°I¡­ um,¡± Explosion girl¡¯s expression faltered, as she flustered. She hesitated for a moment, her gaze shifting uncontrollably between Kido and I. Seeing her current situation, Kido let out a helpless smile, as he gently placed a hand on top of her shoulder. Kido momentarily shot me a stare, before he turned back towards Explosion girl and nodded. Prompted by Kido¡¯s ¡°approval¡±, the wizard hat wearing girl, timidly answered, ¡° I-It was a drop.¡± My eyes widened. The skill being a drop was something I had not even considered. Although, going by her conflicted expression, I knew full well that her explosion skill was not a simple monster drop. There was an obvious story behind it, and without goaded by curiosity, I could not help but say, ¡°Explain.¡± She tersely gulped, before she began to explain. The skill originally belonged to another person. The original owner of the skill was a classmate she had met during the first day of the apocalypse. Together, along with others from the east building who managed to survive the initial chaos brought about by the abrupt start of the apocalypse, they attempted to escape to the main building. Unfortunately, during a battle against a few monsters, the classmate accidentally killed himself. He was engulfed by one of his own, self-created explosions. From how she explained it, it was an instant death. The explosion was what created the hole on the 2nd floor, and it killed almost everything within a 10 meter radius. The monsters that attacked her, as well as the classmates she escaped with, all of them died, caught up in the blast. Explosion girl was lucky. She was outside the blast radius when the explosion occurred, and only suffered superficial injuries. And like Satou¡¯s death, the classmate that died dropped an explosion skill book. ¡°L-Like I said before,¡± She worriedly explained upon finishing her story, ¡°my skill is extremely difficult to control, and the blast can diverge away from the intended target by as much as 10 feet. Even the original user died because of this skill¡­.¡± As she was explaining, she looked constantly at Cielle, as if expressing some wordless apology through her fervent eyes. I ignored her remarks, and instead thought about the original user of the skill. How exactly did he get the skill? Was it through some sort of achievement, like with how he acquired [Equip]? If so, what was that achievement? In the first place, was it even because of an achievement? Was there some other way to acquire skills outside of system achievement?... Should I kill this girl, and see if the skill will drop a 2nd time? I thought for a while, before I once again opened my mouth. Interrupting the girl¡¯s fervent excuses, I asked, ¡°Did he ever explain how he got the skill?¡± She momentarily paused, as her face scrunched up. She made a thoughtful expression, before carefully stating, ¡°Well, he didn¡¯t expressly explain it, but I did ask him once. All he said was that he had it automatically, directly after the countdown reached zero¡­. I don¡¯t really think he explained how though¡­¡± ¡°...¡± I frowned. Her explanation did not help at all. Whether he unlocked a hidden achievement, or whether it was through some other means¡­ I was still unsure. For all I know, the skill could have been something innate, like how a person¡¯s original stat distribution is innate, and wholly dependent on a person¡¯s pre-apocalypse life style. ¡°...¡± After thinking a few more useless thoughts regarding the subject, I could only let out a defeated sigh. I turned back around to face the crowd, and going by the expressions written on their faces, the majority of them were thinking along the same strain of thought as I was. They all had similarly vexed and irritated expressions as they too tried to figure out how explosion girl¡¯s skill originated. Only Hina- who still wore the same absent minded expressions, and Cielle- who was still eagerly reading her skill book- were unaffected by the current problem that persisted within the room. As my gaze wandered across the crowd, the momentarily landed on Kido. Prompted by Explosion girl¡¯s story, I could not help but ask him, ¡°Do you have any skills too, Kido?¡± I narrowed my eyes as the words slipped out of my mouth. I was still fairly suspicious of him, after all, his group and him were the only other survivors from my old classroom. What¡¯s more, the marks and injuries on the bodies within that classroom¡­ they we¡¯re all too suspicious. Although I¡¯ve only associated with Kido for less than a day (after the apocalypse), the blossoming emotions of suspicion was now in full bloom. ¡°Ah, I¡¯ve got none.¡± Kido immediately answered, not a trace of hesitation within his voice. He shot me an embarrassed, and seemingly helpless smile, as he shrugged his shoulders, not bothering to explain any further. ¡°....¡± I stared for a moment, before I followed up and asked, ¡°Then, what about titles?¡± ¡°I do-¡± He answered automatically, not even bothering to think about his response until it was already too late. As the words escaped his throat, he hastily covered his mouth and looked over guiltily towards me. After a brief exchange of glances, he allowed his hands to fall and sighed dejectedly. As if he had already given up, he answered, ¡°Well, truthfully, I do. Just¡­ one. I have one title.¡± I further narrowed my eyes. For the first time, there was an obvious change in the tone of his voice. Somber, dark, it was an emotion he never truly displayed up until now. ¡°What¡¯s it called?¡± ¡°Ah, before that, what title does Hide have?¡± ¡°Hah?¡± ¡°I mean, you have a title too, don¡¯t you? It¡¯s pretty obvious, from the way you¡¯re talking about it.¡± ¡°...¡± ¡°I¡¯ll tell you about mine, if you tell me about yours.¡± His eyes folded into crescents as he smiled at me. In return, my expressions, darkened. If we are talking about titles, then I have two. But, whether or not I want to disclose them¡­. ¡°I do have a title. Just one.¡± I lied. ¡°It¡¯s called ¡®Pioneer.¡¯¡± ¡°Oh?¡± Kido widened his eyes in fascination. From my peripheral vision, I could see that everyone else¡¯s attention had all zoomed in on our conversation. ¡°What does it do?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll tell, you after you tell me about your title.¡± I immediately responded. ¡°...¡± Kido grew quiet for a moment, and at the same time, and almost exactly at the same time, an uncomfortable feeling welled up within my mind. It was like a constant pulsing that originated from the back of my head, like a constant heart beat, only it grew more and more pronounced as time continued to pass. Finally, after a moment of hesitation, Kido spoke, ¡°Well, my title-¡± The pulsing, the pounding grew stronger. It was like a rhythmic drum, like a heartbeat, without a doubt, it was exactly like a heartbeat. ¡°-It¡¯s called, ¡®hero¡¯¡±. Kido smiled, as he spoke, yet his smile was mechanical. I did not have any proof. After all, the smile he was making was identical to the usual expressions he wore. Yet, for some reason, I felt as if there was something off about that smile, and with that doubt, the pounding in my head, the heartbeat that thumbed uncontrollably only grew louder. ¡°That¡¯s-¡± Before I could comment, I immediately frowned. The heartbeat in my mind was blown away, replaced by a sensation I had grown familiar with, throughout the night. Almost immediately after, the door was hastily opened, and the fatty I had assigned as look out, came barreling into the room. His brow perspired with several beads of sweat, while a panic stricken expression colored his face. ¡°T-the monster!¡± He stammered uncontrollably while he panted heavily from exhaustion. ¡°T-t-t-they¡¯re back!¡± **** Author''s Note: If you liked this chapter, or this story in general, please rate or review. It helps. Chapter 80: Exodus Haha, I have no excuse. Sorry for the hiatus. You know me, I''m an unreliable author. Exodus The scout¡¯s frantic scream pierced through the stagnant air. A mind tingling silence filled the room. Only the repressed swallowing of dry saliva, and the ever so slight quaking of frightened feet could be heard within the confines of the archive room. And just as suddenly as this silence came, as if a pin had dropped, it was quickly broken by the violent sound of destruction that originated from beyond the room. The noise sent an electrifying jolt of anxiety coursing through everyone¡¯s bodies, and snapped them all out of their minute reverie. Instinctively, seats fell as bodies sprung into action. A mass of weak, barely able survivors streamed out the door and into the more open space of the library commons. The finely maintained order that had once been present was now nowhere to be seen. In its place was a coalition of fear driven, dirt covered, and injury prone bodies. The people around me were no longer students, but merely cattle. From the corner of my eye, I could see the others. The first to catch my attention was Cher. Her unconscious figure remained unchanged even in the heat of the moment. Besides her, Cielle remained seated, although the conflicted expression on her face was more than visible. I did not see Hina. She was probably outside, along with the rest of the survivors. As bodies quickly left the room, I noticed another individual who had remained. With somewhat shaky hands, he adjusted the frame of his glasses, and unsteadily walked towards me. The injuries from earlier were still apparent from his demeanor, and his expression did no good at hiding the anxiety on his face. It was the President. He gave off a false bravado as he spoke. His voice was quiet, and whether he was purposely whispering, or unconsciously lowering his tone, I could not tell. ¡°Hide, what¡­ what should we do? I honestly did not expect the horde to get here so quickly¡­ I- I thought we at least had a few more minutes before...¡± The more he expressed his concerns, the more his fake demeanor cracked. The fear brought on by hundreds of man eating creatures was by no means light. ¡°...¡± In my case, I did not feel as surprised or scared at the sudden situation as the others. For one, I¡¯m positive that some part of my [Psychopath] title is influencing my mental state, hampering my emotions. And second, I knew about the horde¡¯s approach. My sensory perception caught sight of their charge, the only real issue I had was not knowing the exact time they would arrive¡­ If I had known how to adjust my output for increased accuracy, then¡­ I shook my head in an act of futility. An unintended sigh leaked out from my thinly parted lips, while light and focus returned to my glazed eyes. Either way, I pushed aside my speculations about my own ability, and focused on the matter at hand. I shot one last glance at Cher and Cielle as I swallowed down a mouthful of dry saliva, and briskly walked over towards the door. ¡°For now, let¡¯s check out the situation. Afterwards¡­¡± The President followed behind me without reservation. I don¡¯t know since when, but in his right hand, he lightly held a black obsidian longsword. ¡°... After we see how bad things have developed, then we can start taking action.¡± ***** I joined up with Hina and the others at the open space of the library. With Hina, were the rest of the President¡¯s party, Kido and his merry group, as well as the remaining survivors from the cafeteria. Looking over at Kido, a small frown formed on my face. The nagging feeling of curiosity and sense of trepidation that blossomed within me was a constant annoyance. Doubt had already began to form, and it only grew as the questions I had remained unanswered. I was especially doubtful of Kido¡¯s legitimacy. Whether or not he truly did posses the [Hero] title is still a mystery. I wasn¡¯t stupid enough to just simply take his word for it. It also didn¡¯t help that my [Identify] skill can¡¯t check on a person¡¯s titles. Swallowing down my curiosity and trepidation, I looked away and shifted my stare onto the thing that had caught everyone else¡¯s attention. Towards the front of the library was a makeshift barricade that covered the entirety of the Library entrance. The barricade was made of a loose amalgamation of shelves, cabinets, tables, literally anything that could be used was used. The barricade itself wasn¡¯t much of an issue, rather, it was the commotion behind it that concerned me. Behind the barricade, behind the tightly shut doors of the Library entrance, was the horde. The scratching of wood, the loud and reverberating sound of crashing, as well as the chaotic chorus of frenzied roars, all of this was loud and reminded each of us of how painfully dire our current situation truly was. Without pause, I walked forward towards the source of the noise, all the while, I barked out various orders to everyone present. ¡°Those who can¡¯t fight, start gathering the supplies we have. Food isn¡¯t as important, prioritize medicine.¡± ¡°Prez, get someone to carry Cher.¡± ¡°All the noncombatants, stay behind me. Melee fighters come up front, ranged stay behind them.¡± I organized everyone under the assumption that the horde had already reached the library, and arranged everyone in a fighting position that maximized our current combat potential. By the time we reached the middle of the third floor, everyone was a lot more organized, and the panic had been brought to a controllable level. Of course, I had no real faith in this makeshift formation. In the face of hundreds of blood lusted monsters, a paltry group of less than a dozen able bodied people would barely put up much of a resistance. The purpose of the formation was for the non combatants. The cafeteria survivors. It would be bad if they went crazy, freaked out and made this mess worse than it already is after all. At the very least, this formation brought some semblance of comfort to those who could not fight. In the center of the open space, the additional person I had assigned as look out- a girl with a slightly cute appearance- was standing. She had a bag overflowing with emerald feathers clutched close to her chest. She fidgeted uncontrollably, while a nervous expression contorted her face. Her eyes constantly darted around the room, although they lingered noticeably towards the location of the library entrance. It was only after seeing the group¡¯s arrival did her face visibly slacken. ¡°What¡¯s the situation?¡± I immediately asked, although through [echolocation] I was already starting to paint a picture of our current predicament. ¡°Well¡­ w-e-we spotted monsters, lurking around the 3rd floor. T-the moment, we saw them, we immediately ran to get you.¡± Fatty came up from behind me and explained with a nervous stutter in his voice. ¡°That was over a minute ago, by this point¡­¡± Just as he spoke, a tremor rang out through the library. Glancing over in the direction of the noise, it was clearly evident that the walls wouldn¡¯t last for very much longer. And once those walls broke, then the barricade will quickly follow... What¡¯s more, they were on the third floor, on the same floor as us. Unlike before, where we had the geographical advantage, the situation now was obviously much worse than before. ¡°What should we do?¡± The President repeated his earlier question while his face contorted in worry. ¡°How much time do we have? How many of them are there? W-what should we do?¡± ¡°... We¡¯re going to have to leave the Library¡­¡± After a slight pause, I answered solemnly while I maintained eye contact with the direction of the noise. The President¡¯s questioning came to an abrupt stop as he bit down on his lip, his face contorting in consternation. Although he knew we didn¡¯t have any other options left, still, the conflict in his face was palpable. ¡°The Library is the most secure location within this building¡­ With the situation being as it is, we¡¯ll practically be open game anywhere else. Where else can we go?¡± After another slight pause, I answered. ¡°There is one place.¡± Hearing this, the Prez¡¯s brows arched upwards, as he wordlessly urged me to continue speaking. ¡°If¡­ If things work themselves out, then we might be able to escape the bulk of the horde chasing after us¡­¡± ¡°What place are you talking about?¡± The teacher from the President¡¯s party couldn¡¯t help but blurt out as his eyes filled with new found hope. He just came back from the archive room, and on his back was an unconscious Cher. He had inadvertently overheard our conversation. With his sudden outburst, everyone¡¯s attention shifted and I was once again the main focus. Without flinching, I readily responded. ¡°In the east building, there is a bomb shelter. Although there are a couple of monsters lurking about, from my previous experience, it shouldn¡¯t be all that hard to come up with a few precautionary measures before hand. At the very least, the situation there won¡¯t be as bad as it is in here.¡± ¡°A bomb shelter!¡± Kido¡¯s voice exclaimed out in amazement as he too, lured by everyone else, made his way towards me. ¡°That¡¯s great! Bomb shelters are sure to have food, water, and other sorts of provisions!¡± Hearing him talk, a frown momentarily formed on my face. ¡°...Well, rather than just the bomb shelter, I believe we can secure the East building as a whole.¡± **** At most, we had 5 minutes of prep time. 5 minutes before the the barricade breaks and a stream of monsters floods the entire library. 5 minutes to think up a strategy and implement it to the best of our abilities. 5 minutes at the junction of life and death. Those 5 minutes ended 1 minute ago. **** With the president leading the journey, the group had began their descent into the 2nd floor. Using the rope attached to the railing on the third floor, the process was arduous, and painstakingly time consuming. Luckily, the upside to this was that compared to the third floor, the 2nd and 1st floors were monster free. I already confirmed this fact before hand using [Echolocation]. Right now, while everyone else began their descent, I stood in front of the barricade. Like before, I was once again bait. Or rather, I was here to buy time in order for everyone to escape. Unlike before though, I was not alone. With me was Cielle, who stood almost motionless beside me. The gaze from behind her familiar curtain of hair was solely fixated on the barricade before us. Taking cue from the shorter than average girl besides me, my own gaze focused in on the barricaded doorway. The banging and destruction of wood rang vibrantly throughout the room, only to be overshadowed by the animalistic grunts and monstrous roars that tremored out from the horde. crack! CRACK! ¡°Is...is this plan going to work?¡± A quiet voice filled with uncertainty entered my ears. Turning around, through the thinly parted strands of hair, I could see Cielle¡¯s paler than usual face contort in what I came to realize as fear. Except, this time, her fear was something else. It wasn¡¯t the fear of losing one¡¯s life, but rather, the fear of losing someone else¡¯s. After a short bout of silence, I responded, ¡°... I don¡¯t know. It was a hastily drawn up plan that has as much holes as there are stars in the sky, but¡­ In the end, it¡¯s our only option. At this point, we have no other choice.¡± ¡°....¡± ¡°Look, everything else is already set up.¡± I motioned to the bookshelves that surrounded us. The giant, wooden book shelves were lined up on both sides, and arranged in a way that they formed a sort of pathway. A pathway that started at the barricade, and led deeper into the library, and away from the broken staircase. As I gawked at the shelves, I could not help but speak, ¡°It¡¯s a bit amazing isn¡¯t it? The power of creatures backed into a corner. To think those guys managed to set this up in such a short amount of time¡­ granted, with the game system in effect, they were all much stronger than regular humans¡­ but still it¡¯s still impressive.¡± I muttered almost to myself as I kept talking through the noise and animalistic screeches that originated just a little bit in front of me. Cielle silently listened to my ramblings, her head bobbed slightly forward almost in agreement with my earlier statement. ¡°Plus, you set that ¡°thing¡± up properly right? The last countermeasure against the horde?¡± Cielle lightly nodded. ¡°Then that¡¯s it. We¡¯ve done all we could in preparation. All that¡¯s left is our performance.¡± Crack Crack CRACK! As if on cue, the barricade in front of us splintered. Not even a full minute passed since our makeshift pathway had been completed, and already, the first monster head poked out from a newly created slit within the entrance. The door was moments from giving way and soon, the impending threat of the horde was going to become a dreary reality. Without waiting for the moment to pause, I took hold of my current weapon - the larger than average pole arm- and immediately attacked the first monster. Thrusting out the giant stick, I deftly landed a critical blow towards the monster¡¯s exposed eye. A horrendous cracking noise reverberated at the moment of impact, but I was unfazed, and continued beating down on its exposed face. Soon it¡¯s entire head was swollen to twice its size and the last vestiges of life fluttered out as its hp hit zero. Now, its rapidly cooling corpse had become just another component to the barricade that kept the horde away. Unfortunately, I did not get the chance to appreciate this little victory, as the other monsters around it were unfazed by the death of their comrade. They continued to beat down on the door and surrounding walls. New cracks and openings were created, and another monster head replaced the one I recently slayed. I striked out once more. Cielle provided cover fire, but her output was limited due to her lack of mana. This process repeated for a span of two minutes, before the entire door ultimately gave out, and the first wave of monsters began surging towards the room. I was ultimately forced to jump back, as the impending threat of a Tusk boar¡¯s rush caused a momentary shiver to run down my spine. I grabbed onto Cielle¡¯s waist, and, ignoring her slight resistance, continued stepping back until my back hit a toppled book shelf. As they approached, I continued to strike back. I did not run just yet. After all, my main purpose here was to buy time, and seeing as how the majority of the horde was still firmly behind the barricade, now wasn¡¯t the proper time to make my retreat. Using the pole arm¡¯s range advantage, I swept the giant stick deftly in front of me and kept the monsters at a constant distance, while also managing to slay a few of them in the process. The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. Unfortunately, even with the constant rush and my constant attempts at attacking, I was only one person. Cielle¡¯s role this time around was to act as emergency support and provide healing in case I get injured, so she wasn¡¯t much help this time around. In other words, I was the sole damage dealer, and there was a limit to how much aggro I could draw. A portion of the horde chose to avoid me, and instead began assaulting the book shelves around us.. Splinters flew threw the air and the constant cracking and snapping sounds of wood filled the room. Going by how things were progressing, It wouldn¡¯t take long for the wooden pathway to collapse under all the constant pressure. I killed off an approaching minotaur with a strike to its temple before I was ultimately forced to retreat. ¡°Cielle, Now!¡± In order to draw their attention away from the pathway, I ordered Cielle to attack. Cielle¡¯s mana was limited, and it was best to use what little of it remained wisely, but this situation was paramount. If the monster¡¯s break through the walls of the pathway, then the whole plan would fail, and a large majority of the others would die. Immediately after my order, a cascade of darkness surged forward, and enveloped the frontline of the horde. A chorus of screeches shook the air around us. The chaotic eyes of the horde immediately turned murderous as their attentions shifted over to me. ¡°Heh, don¡¯t you think that was a little too effective?¡± I cracked a sardonic smile as I unconsciously took a step back. In the face of this overwhelming pressure, even I could not help but develop a cold sweat. ¡°...Sorry, but¡­¡± Cielle, who was firmly tucked underneath my arm, frantically tugged at my sleeve, ¡°... Hide, please start running.¡± ¡°Kuh, In this type of situation, that sort of reminder isn¡¯t really needed!¡± I hastily yelled, while my body turned and began running down our makeshift pathway. My legs propelled me forward, and as if on cue, the horde followed suit, and began their mad pursuit. As I ran, the sound of violent stampeding followed me. The pressure felt from the horde was immense, it was as if I was running from the very jaws of death itself. Nevertheless, the constant, life threatening danger served more good than harm. My feet blurred as my body rocketed forward. Fear induced adrenaline continually pushed me forward, and I could do nothing but to obey. Normally speaking, running straight forward from the Library entrance would eventually lead you to the broken staircase, where everyone else was. Of course, anyone with half a brain could see why that was a bad idea. Leading something that you were assigned to distract towards the thing you were supposed to lead them away from was definitely not a smart move. That¡¯s why this pathway was hastily set up. The path curved, and led away from the broken staircase. And in order to keep the hordes preoccupied on one target and lead them away from the others, we were needed as bait. I continued to run, leading the monsters along the winding pathway designed specifically to buy the others enough time to escape. Of course, there was only so much we could do in a space as confined as the library. In truth, the entirety of this pathway, from start to end, I could finish in less than 20 seconds. Calculating in the monster¡¯s average speed of pursuit, this pathway could only buy about 30 seconds of time maximum. But that in itself wasn¡¯t a problem. After all, this pathway was just part of the plan. ¡°Hide, up ahead-!¡± Cielle¡¯s haphazardly yelled brought me back from my adrenaline induced haze. My eyes flashed as the thing in front of me quickly came into view. Not more than 10 meters away, there was a giant hole in the ground. The hole was about 3 meters in diameter, and had its edges liquified. It was apparent from the sulfuric smell, to the left over acid, that something had melted the hole in the wall. If someone looked below that hole, they¡¯d find another hole. A hole that completely melted through the 2nd floor, leading toward the first floor of the library. This hole was intentional. Afterall, Cielle created this hole. This hole was the next part of the plan. I cracked a smile as newfound energy reinvigorated my taut legs. Glancing back, I could see the horde still in full pursuit. I continued to run for a little longer, before my feet slid to an abrupt stop directly in front of the hole. I then swiveled my whole body to directly face the horde in front of me. They were less than 10 meters away, and that distance was steadily decreasing with each passing second. Their chaotic stampeding shook the floor and reverberated throughout the very core of my body. My grip on Cielle tightened, and sweat dripped down my brow. I was nervous, yes, maybe even afraid, but I could not help but jokingly ask the girl in my arms, ¡°Ready?¡± Cielle, whose eyes had been glaring directly at the horde, made a slightly confused face as she looked up at me. It took her less than a second before the light flashed in her eyes, and an expression of realization colored her complexion. ¡°Wait, let me-¡± Knowing what was to come next, she tried to hastily stammer out a reply, but I ignored her. Without saying another word, my arms wrapped onto her slender, jade-like waist, as my knees slightly bent. I glared at the approaching horde, took a deep breathe, and finally, with as much strength as I could muster, I threw Cielle directly up into the air. Her small body flew higher and higher, all the while, an out of character shriek escaped her throat. The combination of my inhuman strength, as well as Cielle¡¯s own lack of weight, contributed to Cielle¡¯s growing elevation. After she had ascended past the rafters that hung below the ceiling (which were exactly 15 meters above the ground), I made my move. With the horde now less than a meter away, I activated my skill, [Shadow Sprint]. Using the shadows created by the looming bookshelves above me, my body vanished just as the first monster ran through my previous location. Instantaneously, I found myself standing above one of the rafters. I locked eyes with Cielle, whose frightened and bewildered expression greeted my own. For a moment, time seemingly stood still as she floated momentarily in the air. The hair that usually covered her face was parted, and revealed her frozen expression. Wide, brown eyes, and a shapely nose that I don¡¯t get to see often greeted me. Her cheeks were flushed red, and tiny droplets fought against the wind pressure and remained firmly placed onto her jade like skin. As I stared, a feeling of moment realization welled up inside me, as once again, time seemingly resumed in all of its hasty glory. Her ascent had stopped, maxing out just a few feet above my current location, and Cielle was now slowly beginning her descent. Before, her body fell back down into the horde that awaited below though, I quickly reached out and grabbed her, pulling her towards me and onto the safe confines of the rafters. The moment her feet touched the wooden beam, she panted out a series of uneven breathes. She knelt down and grasped the beam with all fours, and her mouth quivered in what I interpreted as a silent prayer. I could only imagine what sort of expression she was currently making underneath all that black hair. ¡°You okay?¡± I couldn¡¯t help but ask . ¡°I¡­ I hate heights¡­¡± She muttered out in an exasperated voice. ¡°I hate heights, so I never want to do this again, but, more importantly¡­¡± Her head swiveled slightly to focus on the commotion below. After a few seconds of silent staring, Cielle spoke, ¡°The plan is going well¡­¡± I nodded mutely, while my gaze followed and transfixed onto the hole below us. The horde was continually falling into the hole. One after another, as if the hole itself had some sort of magic pull, the monsters kept falling. Due to the tight formation of the horde, the monsters behind had no way of knowing what lay ahead of them. In addition, due to the narrowness created by the Book shelf pathway, all those that continued to run forward had no choice but to fall into the hole. By the time they noticed anything odd, they were already falling. It was the perfect plan that made use of the horde¡¯s large numbers and tight knit formation. What¡¯s more, the fact that the horde directly fell to the 1st floor was advantageous in of itself. The other survivors should be currently escaping towards the 2nd floor. This situation once again put us in the geographical advantage we had enjoyed before. This hastily crafted plan that became our newfound beacon of hope was thought up by Hina. And what¡¯s more, this was merely stage two of her three stage plan. ¡°With this¡­ it should start soon¡­¡± I muttered to myself as I watched, transfixed at the situation below us. Like a waterfall comprised of able bodied monsters, they continually fell into the hole. ¡°...Cielle, how long has it been since the others left?¡± I asked in between my reverie-like stare. ¡°...10 minutes¡­¡± She replied. ¡°T-ten minutes?!¡± My head immediately swiveled to face her. I stared in agape shock, as she once again repeated. ¡°...about 10 minutes.¡± ¡°Oi, oi, isn¡¯t this bad then.¡± I breathed out a heavy sigh. My arm snaked its way around Cielle¡¯s waist once more, and, ignoring her slight yelp of surprise, I bent my knees in preparation. ¡°The time limit we gave them was 10 minutes. If 10 minutes passed, then that means¡­¡± As if on cue, the trembling beneath my feet intensified, and not a moment later, a gigantic explosion shook the whole of the building. The explosion was focused on the 2nd floor, but it was definitely strong enough to bring down the third floor. I imagined the pillars collapsing, as the third floor began caving in on itself. I jumped down onto a bookshelf, and continued further onto the floor, even as said floor began to give way around me. The miserable shrieks and cries of the monsters below me filled my ears, as more than just a few of them fell downward, along with all the debris and concrete the explosion brought with it. The third stage of the plan had began, and I was desperate not to find myself a part of the collateral damage. I ran. Even with Cielle in my arms, I ran. Even as the floor crumbled, and cracked, and sank, I nonetheless ran. When I reached the edge of the ledge, I took a giant leap forward, and practically flew threw the air. Behind me, the third floor completely caved in, and fell down onto the 2nd. The combined weight of the 3rd floor made the 2nd floor collapsing a mere inevitability, but right now, that wasn''t much of a concern for me. After all, the library was a lost cause either way. I activated [Hard Scale] just as my feet hit the ground. A soft tingling sensation exploded from beneath me, but I ignored it. Deactivating my skill, I fought against the numbness in my legs and continued to run. I ran past crumbling concrete, and falling debris as I made my way towards the door. Just as I stepped out into the hallway, the floor beneath me finally gave way. The 2nd floor, under the immense weight and pressure of the collapsed third floor, finally followed suit, and fell down into the 1st floor. As of today, the Oakwood library was no more. Reaching the hallway, the others greeted me. Their previously anxious expressions immediately lightened upon my arrival. I let go of Cielle, who managed to walk a couple steps forward on shaky footsteps before she crumpled to her knees. As if all of her energy rushed out the moment she fell to the ground, she rolled over onto her back, and heaved out a heavy sigh. My eyes scanned the crowd ahead of me. Without me realizing, Hina was already besides her sister. She knelt down besides her, and gently patted Cielle¡¯s head. Like a kid who suddenly found an abandoned cat by the side of the street, Hina stroked her sister¡¯s head with light, and practiced movements. She spoke in an almost inaudible tone, all the while her sister responded with what I interpreted as the recounting of the past few minutes¡¯ events. My eyes further scanned the crowd until I saw Cher¡¯s figure. She had been placed besides the wall, and her complexion and state had remained relatively unchanged from how she was before. I stared for a good while, before my eyes moved forward and gazed over the rest of the crowd. Near the entrance, the girl in the wizard hat was bent over, and panting heavily. Her face was creased in sweat and fatigue, and a puddle of murky brown, a substance I later came to understand as vomit, had pooled beneath her. . I heard this beforehand, but her explosion skill consumes both mana and stamina. It was a costly skill, but glancing back at the crumbling library, it definitely had destructive potential that rivaled its cost. Besides her, were Kido and his group of merry friends. Kido was speaking conciliatory words, while he constantly rubbed her back, and the rest of the girls were acting out of character, and praised Wizard hat in praise. I gave this group a sardonic glance, before I moved on to the rest of the crowd. Everyone had on a variety of expressions. Some were relief, most were anxiety, nonetheless, these people all had one thing that tied them all together. Whether they were male or female, student or teacher, leechers or fighters, we were all what was left of Oakwood. ¡°That should buy us a bit of time, but we need to get going.¡± I spoke to the crowd. While a majority of the horde was inside the library when it collapsed, I was certain that more than a few of them were still outside of hallway, and managed to escape injury. What¡¯s more, I¡¯m positive that there are more than just a few survivors within that explosion. Truth be told, the explosion just now, rather than killing off the monsters, was more akin to buying us time. Plus, the threat of reinforcements was still present, whether that was through another building¡¯s monsters or newly spawned Shadow Lurker, we were still far from safe. Shooting one final glance back at the library, I turned back to face the receding hallway and began walking forward. Everyone, as if on cue, followed suit. Our exodus to the east building had just began. **** Thanks for supporting this unreliable author, and I hope you continue to do so in the future. Chapter 81: Isolation Isolation With hurried footsteps, we made our way towards the east building. While the collapse of the library did buy us some time, and effectively separated the horde and our group by a whole floor level, in the end, that wasn¡¯t enough. With [Echolocation], I could already sense reinforcements coming from the gymnasiums, as well as survivors from the library earlier. The never ending sense of dread that wafted throughout the school ever since Satou¡¯s attack still persisted, and it only strived to further motivate us. We passed by familiar hallways and broken classrooms in almost dead silence. After 5 minutes, we arrived at my group¡¯s old base, but we passed that too without stopping. It took another 5 minutes for us to arrive at the skywalk that connected the east and main building together. This was the last remaining pathway to the east building. The other pathway, the one on the first floor, had long since been destroyed - collateral damage from Explosion girl¡¯s escape to the main building. Now normally, this skywalk was almost impossible to traverse directly, what with all the tusk boars present. But now, since the Dungeon Boss moved the boars around in pursuit of us earlier, the skywalk was currently empty, with nothing but the worn out and well trodden floor as proof of their past presence. We quickly crossed the skywalk, and made our way to the east building. Once everyone made it past the skywalk, I ordered Explosion girl to destroy the skywalk with her magic. Doing so would effectively seal off the east building from the rest of the school. ¡°W-wait, Hide?! Are you serious?!¡± The President immediately refuted after hearing my proposal. ¡°T-that¡¯s isn¡¯t it kind of reckless to just outright destroy the whole hallway like that!¡± I shrugged in response. ¡°If we don¡¯t do this, then we really will have nowhere else to go. The main building horde will be perpetually on our tail. We¡¯ll be forced on the run with no chance of resting. In that situation, where our stamina and endurance is pushed to the very limits, it wouldn¡¯t be surprising at all if we all died.¡± The President¡¯s face contorted into a bitter expression. He looked out into the skywalk, toward the general direction of the cafeteria. He stared in silence for only a moment, before he sighed. ¡°I get that. I understand the situation. But¡­ Running away and holing ourselves up like this¡­ it leaves a bitter after taste¡­¡± With the President¡¯s resignation, the girl in the wizard hat used her magic and a bright white spark flashed in the center of the skywalk, before, almost instantly, a loud resounding boom filled the room. White light engulfed my vision, and a painful throbbing echoed in my ears. After the light faded, all I could see was a cloud of dust and debris hanging in the air. As the dust dispersed, I saw the skywalk, or at least, its remnants. Like this, our isolation began. **** Without exception, even the east building had its monsters. Using [Echolocation], I approximated about 100 or so monsters lurking within the 1st, 2nd and 3rd floors of the East building. With no context, at first glance, a 100 monsters may seem like an impossible obstacle, but in all honesty, the situation here was already an improvement to the situation within the main building. Unlike the main building, these monsters were did not actively attack us, nor were they grouped up into an impossible to handle horde. Rather, they were dispersed randomly throughout the building. In comparison to a horde of monsters remotely controlled by the Dungeon Boss, this situation was much more easier to handle. I guessed that the Dungeon Boss¡¯s span of influence did not expand to cover the East building, which in context, made sense. The Dungeon Boss was stationed on the basement of the Old school district, so it made sense that its control would be thinner or almost non existent at the places furthest from its location (which was exactly where the East building was). Our group stationed ourselves in an abandoned classroom near the recently destroyed skyway on the 2nd floor of the building. After about a few hours of rest, the sun began to rise, and the first faint traces of light entered the school. At the same time, we began cleaning the building free from monsters. Relatively speaking, things went pretty smoothly. Although there were a hundred monsters, in the end our group possessed the advantage. There were two main components to our advantage. One, the monsters were mainly comprised of Shadow Lurker Model:Cyclops, and two, the sun had risen. In our first encounter, we discovered a fatal weakness to the shadowlurker species; they were weak to sunlight, or rather, their stats were nerfed hard during the daytime. Almost a 50% drop in stats. And despite their weakened state, they still gave the same amount of exp as before. Suffice to say, the monster extermination went by more smoothly than last night¡¯s fiasco. By the way during the clean up, I did not participate. Instead, I stayed behind with the Cher, the wiped out Wizard-hat girl, and the rest of the non combatants. ***** Despite their advantage, 100 monsters were still 100 monsters. It took the clean up crew - which comprised of the President, the President¡¯s party, Kido, Kido¡¯s merry group of friends, Hina, and Cielle- a full day to completely clear out building. By the time they finished it was already 8 in the evening. By that point, everyone was starving, but we did not have food. On our journey to the East building, we had only brought back medicine and bottled water, and the monster¡¯s everyone else hunted weren¡¯t exactly edible. The only thing they did drop were 2 health potions, a stamina potion, and 3 long swords. Everyone was hungry, but the our only source of food was in the bomb shelter. Unfortunately, the Bomb shelter was at the basement, where the Gilas resided. Encouraged by my own gnawing sense of hunger, I wanted to raid the place and collect all the food, but unfortunately, everyone else was still pretty tired, after all, they did spend the whole day hunting monsters. After some deliberation, it was decided that everyone would rest for a few hours and regain their stamina or recover their health before I¡¯d lead the group into the basement and secure the Bomb Shelter. While the clean up crew rested, I went to go check up on Cher. Truthfully, for the whole day, I¡¯ve pretty much been besides Cher the whole time. And within all that time, she was still asleep. A sense of unease had entered my heart. I might not be all that knowledgeable when it came to medical stuff, but wasn¡¯t it taking a bit too long for her to recover? I mean, on a physical level, the only thing that really happened to her was that she lost an arm. I don¡¯t know how things would have worked back then, but now, with our bodies changed and completely reliant on the game system, I had assumed that Cher would have already made some progress by now. After all, her hp and stamina was full, so what kept her from waking up? It was at this point I started to guess that maybe her condition wasn¡¯t physical, but mental. There was some psychological reason why Cher hadn¡¯t woken up yet. If we''re talking about psychological reasons, then, in Cher¡¯s case, there are plenty of causes. The despair of fighting against your past tormentor, the reminder and lingering fear of her past, maybe even the relief and catharsis of Satou¡¯s death¡­ Cher had enough stimuli last night to cause a whole slew of intermixing and conflicting emotions to stir within herself. As I was worrying and thinking about such things, I saw a tired looking Cielle walk over towards me. Her hair was more disheveled than usual, and her skin was a tinge paler than what I normally saw, but the moment our eyes locked, a loose smile curled her thin lips. She did not say anything at first. Cielle walked over, and used a quick used her [Nursing] skill on Cher. This wasn¡¯t the first time she used this skill on Cher, and much like the rest, its results were the same. After trying for two more times, Cielle let out a disheartened sigh as she sat down next to me. With her knees pulled up to her chest, and her head slightly drooping, the image of an overworked and extremely tired girl came to mind. ¡°....¡± ¡°....¡± She said nothing for a good while, and at some point, I wondered whether, under that cascade of hair, whether Cielle had fallen asleep or not. It was only after I heard a slight cough that I confirmed she was still awake. ¡°...How are you, Cielle?¡± I impulsively started, prompted by some unknown tension in my gut to speak. ¡°...I¡¯m just tired.¡± She replied back quietly. With nobody on both sides talking, we entered another round of deep silence. I looked up, and stared at the ceiling in a half daze, while, from the corner of my eye, I could see Cielle keeping watch of Cher¡¯s sleeping figure. Occasionally, I also caught her staring at something or someone from across the room. Following her gaze, I found out that the subject of Cielle¡¯s mist covered stares was Hina. ¡°U-um¡­¡± The silence prompting me once more, I was about to attempt another conversation when- ¡°...Hide.¡± Cielle¡¯s thin, whisper-like voice leaked out from her thinly parted lips. ¡°Yeah.¡± I responded simply. ¡°....¡± Cielle opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but after a moment¡¯s pause, she closed them once more. She repeated this set of motion for a few more seconds, as if the proper words would not come out of her mouth. Finally, after sometime, she managed, ¡°Something happened with Hi-¡± ¡°Something happened with Hina?¡± I interrupted after a tired sigh. After being interrupted, Cielle closed her mouth and swiveled her head to look at me. Through her curtain of hair, I could see her crystal clear eyes, looking up at me. Her expression was not one of surprise, but that of full acknowledgement, as if she had long since known that I had known about the subject of her worries. Cielle nodded slightly, and asked, ¡°How did you know?¡± In response I let out another tired sigh. ¡°Haah~ It¡¯s not really all that inconspicuous, you know? Hina¡¯s been acting weird ever since last night. She doesn¡¯t talk as much as she usually does, she¡¯s spacing out a lot, and her eyes are rather¡­ solemn.¡± I wasn¡¯t very good at associating with people in the past, but even I wasn¡¯t that dense. ¡°There¡¯s definitely something bothering her, but¡­¡± I trailed off, like Cielle, the proper words I wanted to convey did not come to fruition. ¡°...Actually¡­¡± After a pause, Cielle began talking. In that quiet, almost whisper-like voice of hers, she recounted the battle with Satou from last night. She did not clearly see what exactly happened, but at the very least, something happened. Something happened with Satu, Hina, and¡­ ¡°Cher, huh¡­¡± I sighed, as my gaze slowly fell onto the sleeping girl next to me. After thinking for a while, I could not help but let out a low, and bitter laugh. Cielle, tilted her head in confusion as a response, and asked, ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± I continued to chuckle as I repositioned myself on the floor. ¡°No, nothing-¡± I eventually managed. ¡°It¡¯s just, I finally figured it out.¡± ¡°?¡± ¡°I figured out what type of expression Hina was making¡­ I could not, for the life of me, connect two and two together, but now¡­ after hearing you explain the situation, I finally figured it out. She¡¯s guilty.¡± Yes. It was a simple thing really. An expression, an emotion brought about by sympathy, something fanned by human remorse. Hina was feeling guilty over what happened to Cher. That¡­ that was the simplest explanation, but somehow, I felt that there was more to it than that. Why exactly was she feeling guilty? What had she done? Did her actions really cause Cher to lose an arm? I could not help but hold these dark emotions within me as I let out another tired sigh. As if prompted by my constant sighing, an equally as tired yawn escaped from Cielle¡¯s outstretched mouth. ¡°So, what should I do?¡± She finally managed after stifling another incoming yawn. ¡°About Hina?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°... I don¡¯t know.¡± ¡°Me neither.¡± ¡°....¡± ¡°...¡± At almost exactly the same time, we both let out a tired sigh, before we learned back, and slumped ours shoulders. ¡°In the end, I don¡¯t think it''s something we can ignore.¡± I finally spoke, after some thought. ¡°We¡¯ll talk to her. Ask her what she did wrong, and see how severe her actions were.¡± Cielle wordlessly nodded. ¡°After she tells us¡­ no- after we find out what happened, then we¡¯ll decide what to do.¡± Cielle once again nodded. ¡°And whether we comfort her or¡­¡± I hesitated for a moment, before I continued, ¡°...or we punish her, we¡¯ll decide on that when the time comes.¡± Cielle hesitated. She bit her lip, her brow creasing in consternation. She did not say anything for a long time. I don¡¯t know how much time passed before she once again, wordlessly nodded. Seeing the conflicting expression on her face, for the umpteenth time, I let out another tired sigh. I placed a hand on top of her head, before disheveling her already disheveled hair. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it right now.¡± I spoke without thinking. I could not see the expression on her face, but she had stopped resisting my over excessive head rub. ¡°Just get some rest for now. Tackle one problem at a time, maintain that sort of attitude, you might live longer.¡± ¡°....¡± She did not respond. For a long time was wrapped in her familiar silence. Not a single sound leaked out from her, except for the sound of quiet, shallow breathing. It took me an hour to realize she had fallen asleep. **** 4 hours later, I was standing in front of the single doorway that led to the basement of the East building. Behind this two inch metal door were the last remnants of opposition within this isolated building. With me, were Hina, the President, the President¡¯s party, Kido, Kido¡¯s harem, and Mr. Tei. Mr. Tei was a 50 something year old electrical engineer. He was one of the few remaining faculty that survived the apocalypse, and he has been under the school¡¯s contract for a good majority of his life. ¡°An old man who''s been through thick and thin¡± - or at least that¡¯s how Mr. Tei described himself. As for why he was here with us, despite being a noncombatant¡­ ¡°You can definitely get the light going, right?¡± I questioned nonchalantly as I fixedly stared at the metal door in front of us. ¡°Y-yeah.¡± Mr. Tei fidgeted as his eyes darted back and forth. An obvious uneasiness was clearly evident on his face. ¡°I probably - no I definitely can, just that¡­ do I really have to do it?¡± ¡°Of course you do.¡± I stated simply. ¡°The monsters at the bottom of this basement are night dwellers. They have a tactical advantage in the dark, and without light, we¡¯d be hard pressed to kill all of them, and by the same extension, we¡¯d have difficulty maintaining your safety and securing the bomb shelter. So let me ask you again, can you get the lights in the basement working again?¡± ¡°Hah~ Kids these days are so demanding....¡± Mr. Tei let out a resigned sigh, as he began to properly explain. ¡°I haven¡¯t been working as an electrical engineer for 36 years for nothing. I can definitely rewire the generator in the bomb shelter and hook it up as an external power supply and connect it to the light system within the basement, it¡¯s just that¡­ doing so will be a tremendous strain towards the generator. I reckon it¡¯ll last a good hour, maybe two if we¡¯re lucky until the generator completely runs out of juice. This is especially true since there¡¯s no way of recharging the generator. Actually, guys from the board were supposed to come in earlier in the school year and replace the generator with something more modern and cost effective, but those damn upstarts delayed and pushed back the repairs. In the end, we couldn¡¯t get them replaced. I swear, these fresh-out-of-college guppies don¡¯t have their priorities straight. Why, back in my days¡­¡± Somehow or another, as Mr. Tei talked, his previous nervousness slowly disappeared, and the 50 something year old¡¯s explanation somehow de-evolved into a tangent. ¡°Okay, okay!¡± I exasperatedly interrupted. ¡°I get it, you can fix it, but the lights will only last for an hour or so. Don¡¯t worry, an hour is plenty of time.¡± If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. ¡°Are you sure?¡± Mr. Tei immediately retorted. ¡°I know you kids are all about time management, and always squeezing the most out of your day, but-¡± ¡°Hey,¡± Before Mr. Tei could continue his stray strain of thought, Kido unexpectedly interrupted. ¡°Why don¡¯t we just start a fire in the basement?¡± He asked with an eerily innocent expression. ¡°After all, Miss Hina over here has fire magic right? And fire produced light, so-¡± ¡°That won¡¯t work.¡± The President comes in and interrupts. ¡°Eh? Why not?¡± Kido questioned. The President sighed, a hint of frustration and annoyance in his tone. ¡°Because that idea¡¯s stupid, and the gas and carbon dioxide produced from the fire will suffocate us, especially in a poorly ventilated place like the basement. Another thing too, the smoke produced from setting things on fire will only further obstruct our vision, making the fire¡¯s original purpose completely obsolete.¡± ¡°Ah, okay, okay, sorry.¡± Kido laughs as he scratches his head in a fit of awkwardness. ¡°I wasn¡¯t thinking so no need to be so harsh, Prez.¡± In order to draw attention to the original conversation, I coughed lightly before I re-explained. ¡°Back on topic, getting the light to work again will definitely be beneficial to the extermination of the gilas, mostly because they rely primarily on stealth and sneak attacks. If we get rid of their stealth, then their threat level will significantly decrease.¡± Although I say that, honestly, for me, the lack of light isn¡¯t really a problem. Because of my [Echolocation], I can somehow manage in the dark, even if I¡¯m against those Gilas, but in the end, light is necessary for the others. After all, I don¡¯t plan on killing the Gilas myself. I¡¯ll leave them for the others, all for the sake of fighting the final boss. Given the current situation, I¡¯ve already shifted my initial objectives and plan on using a more concrete raid type scenario during our final fight with the Dungeon Boss. And in order for the group to properly work together, and for the phrase ¡°power in numbers¡± comes into effect, the others have to get stronger as well. So that we can escape this dungeon, the ones that will fight need to get stronger. Of course, it¡¯s not like I have no misgiving about this strategy. My biggest concern right now is Kido. Despite the way he acts, and his seemingly harmless face, I can¡¯t help but feel uncomfortable around him. Whether allowing Kido to get stronger is a good thing¡­ in the end, I can¡¯t answer that question, just that, without a doubt, Kido is both an asset and a threat. Kido will definitely increase the group¡¯s overall chances of survival against the Dungeon Boss, and the only option I have left is to push back my doubts and bet on our common goal. On a side note, I assigned Cielle to watch over the noncombatants, as well as the others who couldn¡¯t go, which include Cher - who''s still asleep even right now, and the Wizard-hat girl- who is still feeling pretty drained from last night. In addition, the President also left behind the Teacher from his Party, as backup, incase something happens and Cielle isn¡¯t enough to handle the situation. Shaking my head, to clear my mind, I grab at the door handle, and yank the heavy metal door open. Immediately, a gust of stale, hot air assaults us. With the door to the basement open, everyone within the group immediately grew deathly silent. I quickly used [Echolocation] in order to reaffirm the situation within the basement. Due to the confined space of the walls, sound bounces off really well in there, so I can get a clear picture of what¡¯s going on inside. Right now, I can sense about 60 or so of them, or at least of things that are moving. I¡¯m guessing that the majority of them are actual Gilas, while a few Shadow Lurker Model:Gila is among the population. The majority of the group is clustered towards the right of the basement, where the refurbished classrooms were located. The path leading towards the Bomb shelter, aka, the hall that led to the left of the basement is sparsely populated in comparison. There are only about 5 or so Gilas wandering the location. And what¡¯s more, those 5 are sort of spaced out along the hall. I guess their apprehensions regarding the bomb shelter still persist even now. Taking a deep breathe, I took one step into the darkness before I continued deeper into the basement. Behind me, the President followed, within his left hand was an industry grade flashlight, while in his right was my Cyclops Club, which I loaned him because of the Gila¡¯s weakness to blunt impact. Like we discussed earlier, the President and I descend deeper into the basement, while Mr. Tei followed closely behind us. The rest of the group stayed behind, and guarded the stairs. Their job was to maintain their position, and if need be, stop any Gilas that came rushing out from the classrooms. Of course, the likelihood of that happening is close to zero. Going by what happened last night, the Gilas are a little averse to venturing above ground. I can only begin to take guesses as to why this is, but my strongest theory is that their behavior is related towards their ¡°natural¡± state. Simply put, Gilas were an underground type of creature. They were monsters that preferred dark and humid locations, like ants, or moles. With me leading the way, the three of us turned left and began making our way to the bomb shelter. Our formation went, Me, the President, and then lastly, lagging behind us was Mr. Tei. ¡°Oi, Hide, is this sort of formation really beneficial?¡± He worriedly asked as we continued further into the darkness. ¡°I mean, with both of us leading the front, I¡¯m a bit concerned about the possibility of an attack from behind.¡± Before I could respond, a voice from behind me interrupted. ¡°T-that¡¯s right!¡± Mr. Tei agreed. ¡°I-I-I feel really exposed behind here, and despite only seeing darkness, I can¡¯t help but periodically look behind me! This horror movie like scenario¡­ the dark isn¡¯t really good for an old man¡¯s heart.¡± I ignored their protests and maintained the current formation. I wasn''t particularly concerned about an attack from behind mostly because of my [Echolocation]¡¯s utility. Whether I stood at the front or at the back, it made no difference, I can sense any incoming monsters all the same. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it.¡± I replied. ¡°The Gilas from across the floor can¡¯t sense us from this far away, so an attack from the back isn¡¯t really a concern. Although...¡± The grip on the pole arm (the weapon I chose to use this time around) tightened, as my expression quickly turned serious. ¡°Prez, get ready, the first one is coming.¡± Without warning, I immediately dashed forward into the darkness. Despite my lack of visibility, I could completely make out the Gila in front of me, mainly due to my [Echolocation]. My sudden acceleration caught the Gila off guard, as I broke one of its legs with a single strike to the knee. It could not react in time, and even before it had the opportunity to retaliate, the President followed up, as he dashed forward and struck the Gila¡¯s abdomen with the tip of the his club. The Gila let out a guttural tone as it was knocked back to the floor. It¡¯s injured leg twitched uncontrollably, while its signature low buzzing sound began to intensify. The President steps forward, the intent to kill fully written in his body language. His club is raised high, and just as he is about to swing it down, I stop him. I grabbed onto his shoulders and pulled him away. ¡°Come on, we don¡¯t have time,¡± I spoke simply before I ran around the writhing Gila and continued forward down the hall. From the shocked grunt he inadvertently uttered, I could tell he was confused, and doubtful, but with my figure quickly receding in the darkness, he could do nothing but swallow his doubts and follow. Subsequently, with both combatants leaving, Mr. Tei frantically ran to catch up to us. ¡°Hey why didn¡¯t we kill it?¡± The President asks in an obviously irritated tone as he jogged besides me. ¡°Like I said, we didn¡¯t have any time left.¡± I responded back with an unchanging expression. ¡°Oi, I know that¡¯s bullshit, we had-¡± ¡°Not right now, the next one is coming.¡± ¡°Wha-!¡± Interrupted by the 2nd Gila, the President¡¯s complaints were brought to a hold, as we dealt with the situation. ***** In the end, we ran into 5 Gilas total. Much like with the first one, I told the President not to kill them. I either broke a leg to slow it down, or I knocked it out with a clean hit to its cranium. I did one of either of these things whenever we confronted a Gila, but I never killed one. Likewise, President did not kill any either because I stopped him. Unfortunately, his constant questioning was annoying and quickly got on my nerves. Although in the end, I chose to ignore it. Before I even realized, we had reached the entrance to the bomb shelter. In front of us was a metal plated door, one with similar design to the door that led into the basement, although I know, from past experience that this door was much thicker and of a higher grade metal than the one above ground. Upon seeing the door, a look of relief washes over the others¡¯ face. This is especially true for Mr. Tei who, by the time we got here, looked as if he were about to burst into tears. Without reaching for the door, I stop and stare at its metal plating for a while. For a long time, I simply stand there, and did not do anything. My inactivity worried the other two, and despite their concerned gestures, I ultimately ignored them and chose to remain silent. After a while passed, a crescent thin grin spreads across my face. Without warning, I swung the metal door open, and usher Mr. Tei inside. I too, stepped into the Bomb shelter, but before the President could do the same, I turned around, and grabbed onto both his shoulders, stopping him just right outside the door. With a gravely serious expression masking my face, I spoke to the President with an extremely solemn tone. ¡°Prez¡­ the Gilas from before are coming back, and they''re all together, in a pack. Their going to attack soon, so Prez¡­ you have to stay out here and fight them.¡± ¡°W-w-what?!¡± The President¡¯s expression contorted into shock, as his mouth hung agape, while a certain irritated flickr passed through his eyes. ¡°Fight by yourself Prez.¡± I once again uttered. ¡°That¡¯s ridiculous!¡± The President exasperatedly exclaimed. ¡°If this sort of thing was going to happen, why didn¡¯t we kill them off one at a time as we passed them???¡± ¡°There was no time.¡± ¡°Bullshit! Also, why am I fighting alone? Why aren¡¯t you fighting with me?¡± ¡°What are you saying, someone has to stay with Mr. Tei and protect him, who knows what could be lurking within this dark, and abandoned Bomb Shelter?¡± ¡°That¡¯s- I can tell you''re lying! Enough of this-¡± ¡°You¡¯re right, there isn¡¯t much time left, we need to get the lights working, and fast!¡± Before the President could complain any further, I closed the metal door and pushed a nearby cabinet in front of the door, keeping it closed and effectively locked. Within the dark room, void of almost any light, I could hear Mr. Tei fidgeting with something. A moment later, a small ray of light expanded out from the keychain light he held in his hand. ¡°H-hey, Kid, is there really any danger inside here?¡± He worriedly asks as his head swivels frantically in all directions. ¡°There¡¯s nothing of that sort in here.¡± I nonchalantly answered. ¡°All the enemies are outside, so you don¡¯t have to worry. Look the generator¡¯s over there, so let¡¯s get to work.¡± Although Mr. Tei was still a bit doubtful, nonetheless, he still moved over towards the generator and began working. ¡°Oho!¡± He exclaimed as he fiddled with the gadget. ¡°This is a pretty outdated generator, but it''s one of the models I¡¯m more familiar with, so I can get this done pretty quickly¡­ let¡¯s see, the cords, and socket should be around here somewhere¡­¡± As he began searching, a happy, almost excited expression blossomed on his face. ¡°Great, this is great! It¡¯ll take me just 15 minutes to get everything set up.¡± I gave a vacant nod as the 50 something year old electrician began his work in earnest. ¡°....¡± ¡°....¡± SCREECH! After 2 minutes of silent working, a sudden noise echoed from outside the Bombshelter. The familiar sound of battle began. In the face of this noise, I maintained my usual poker face, while in contrast, Mr. Tei frantically worked to get the generator fixed. ¡°Hey, hey, you don¡¯t need to be rushed, Mr. Tei.¡± I calmly stated. ¡°Just take your time.¡± ¡°Ah, b-but the P-president!¡± His hands worked blindingly fast despite the low visibility of the room. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about him.¡± I responded. ¡°The Prez will be fine, rather this is for his own sake.¡± ¡°Eh?¡± ¡°Like I said, don¡¯t worry about it.¡± Honestly speaking, this current situation truly is for the President¡¯s sake. In order to get him used to a more frantic battle field and further push his limits. This way the President can train his stats more efficiently, which he really doesn¡¯t get a chance to do often, or at least, not in this type of situation. Because the President is more of a cautious type, the one who plan ahead, he doesn¡¯t really get involved in very many intense fights. His inexperience in this regard showed in his performance during the battle with Satou. In a way, throwing the President of a cliff like this was the best way to strengthen him. After a while, Mr. Tei let out a triumphant yell. ¡°I finished! I finished adjusting the generator, let¡¯s turn on the lights right now!¡± Hearing the ongoing sounds of battle coming from the other side of the metal door, I shook my head, and responded, ¡°No, not yet.¡± ¡°Eh??? But the President is-¡± ¡°He¡¯s fine, he¡¯s fine. He doesn¡¯t really need light right now, I mean, he¡¯s got that flashlight with him, you know?¡± ¡°But-¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡± ¡°....¡± 15 more minutes passed before the sound of battle coming from the other side of the door finally ended. ¡°Okay, now you can turn it on.¡± I finally consented, and with a less than enthusiastic expression, Mr. Tei flipped a switch, and light entered my vision. I opened the metal door, and the first thing that came to view was President. Around him were 5 Gila corpses, and the smell of sulfuric acid wafted throughout the air. The President himself was battered and bruised. His original jacket was strewn on the floor, numerous holes melted with acid littered its fabric. Looking closely, the President¡¯s HP was less than 20%, and his pale expression said words about how much stamina he had remaining. ¡°You look like hell.¡± I nonchalantly stated as I walked out of the bomb shelter. The President manages wheezes, before managing a frustrated scoff. Shooting a glare at me, he retorted, ¡°Well, there were 5 of them at the same time, and it was dark, and you left me alone...gee, I wonder why I look like hell?¡± In response, I merely shrug of his complaints, and point out, ¡°They were already injured though.¡± ¡°Y-you¡­ Only two! Two of them had a broken leg, while the other three were perfectly okay, or did you forget the part where you simply knocked them out without doing anything?¡± ¡°Ah, did something like that happen?¡± ¡°And the injured ones! Their injuries only made them angrier!¡± I could not help but let out a chuckle. ¡°Well, you survived so it¡¯s all in the past. Besides, if you couldn¡¯t even handle that much, then there¡¯s no way you¡¯ll survive the boss fight.¡± ¡°Hah~ The Dungeon Boss would have been easier than what I went through¡­¡± The President lets out a mournful groan as he slumps back down onto the floor. I let out another laugh, and as I walked past him, I stated, ¡°Chin up, Prez. After all this is just the start of our counter attack.¡± **** Author''s Note: Thank you for your continued support, and please rate, and review. Chapter 82: Complete Clean Up Complete Clean Up ¡°What happened?¡± One of the President¡¯s companions - Emiko exclaimed, as she stared in shock at the President¡¯s current, disheveled appearance. Well, disheveled might be a bit of an understatement. With his forehead leaking blood, half his clothes melted by acid, and bruises and discolorations covering his body, the President looked more dead than he was alive. ¡°Ah, well, there was a bit of trouble¡­¡± The President responded with an all too obviously forced smile. He glared at me for an instant, before he quickly turned back around to face Emiko. ¡°Despite how I look, it really isn¡¯t that big of a deal¡± He explained with a false sense of bravado, ¡°It¡¯s just that my legs are sort of numb, it¡¯s hard to breathe, and my vision is kind of blurry¡­ so just minor things.¡± ¡°That sounds extremely disheartening!¡± Emiko cried out. ¡°P-please, go get yourself healed¡­¡± ¡°Ah, that might be a good idea.¡± He replied back as he turned to face the stairs. ¡°Yeah, I think that¡¯s what I¡¯m going to do¡­.I¡¯ll head back up stair for now, I¡¯ll go see Cielle, and I¡¯ll get myself fixed.¡± Without further elaboration, the President trudged forward, his steps slow, lethargic, and bitter. As he reached the final step that led out into the 1st floor of the East building, he turned back around, sardonically smiled and said, ¡°Hide, please don¡¯t do what you did earlier to these guys.¡± ¡°Ah well¡­¡± I awkwardly coughed as I scratched my head. ¡°Looking at your current appearance, I might, maybe, gone a bit too far.¡± I dryly laughed, to which he responded with a closed mouthed stare before turning around and leaving the basement. Seeing the President leave, someone else stepped forward and walked towards the stairs with a nervous gait. ¡°Ah, well then, since my role here is done, I think I¡¯ll also go back now¡­¡± Mr. Tei, squeaked out between tired sighs and baggy eyes, as he darted out of the basement. ¡°....¡± ¡°....¡± ¡°....¡± Prompted by their departure, the rest of the group entered an awkward silence. Their faces were blank, but their eyes were all staring daggers at me. They did not say anything, but I had the sinking feeling that they were all thinking something along the lines of, ¡°What did you do?¡± Well, that¡¯s an understandable reaction, after all, when we met back up with the group, the very first thing they saw was the Prez¡¯s half crippled state, Mr. Tei¡¯s despondent expression, and my nonchalant smile. As if to dispel the lingering awkwardness, I coughed lightly, and began explaining. I ignored all the piercing stares and spoke. ¡°There¡¯s a time limit of about an hour before the generators lose all their energy and the lights go dark again. In that hour, we need to hunt down all the remaining Gilas.¡± ¡°Ah, um... ¡° From within the group, a timid hand shot up. The owner of that hand was Emiko, and she nervously fidgeted in her spot before finally stating, ¡°Isn¡¯t that a bit difficult? I mean, didn¡¯t you say there were 60 of them in total? 60 in an hour¡­.¡± ¡°No, there¡¯s only 55.¡± ¡°Eh?¡± She tilted her head in confusion. ¡°The Prez killed 5 already.¡± ¡°Eh? The Prez¡­ five?¡± ¡°Ah, never mind, that¡¯s not important.¡± I sighed. ¡°That¡¯s not important, and honestly speaking, I don¡¯t think it should be that hard. The Gilas are all located towards the back of the basement, spaced out between all of the unfurbished classrooms. What¡¯s more, their greatest asset, stealth has been neutralized and they should also be receiving a stat decrease because of all this light... The situation being what it is right now, I don¡¯t think this next hour will be particularly taxing.¡± With those carefree, and nonchalant words, I led the group deeper into the basement, and our Gila extermination began in full swing. **** Like I had already gathered with [Echolocation], the Gilas were all sparsely separated throughout the classrooms. Within the basement, there were 12 classrooms in total. 9 of these classrooms were ¡°occupied¡±, and within each occupied room, there was an average of 3 to 9 Gilas per classroom. With their numbers, and their conveniently spaced out formation, hunting progressed relatively smoothly. The only real problem we had would be when they used their sound attacks. Gilas were monsters that were capable of producing low buzzing noises that could disorient the mind. Luckily, there was a simple way to block this attack. After numerous encounters and first hand experience with their sound attacks, I finally learned exactly how their buzzing noise works. In short, they operated like echoes. One Gila starts the chorus, then another joins in. More and more Gilas join, syncing their buzzing together to amplify its effects. They form a sort of completed network that reciprocally boosts the separate effects of their attack. With enough numbers and concealment, this was a perfect hunting strategy for the quick and stealth oriented Gilas. Yet, despite their danger, there was a relatively easy way to stop their attack. By disrupting even just one of the Gilas during mid chorus, one could stop the whole thing entirely. It was like how in a circuit, unlinking just one of the components/connections completely stops circulation. The Gila¡¯s ¡°sound system¡± worked much in the same manner. Disconnect part of the circuit, and the whole thing comes tumbling down. Well, despite making it sound easy, under normal circumstances, disrupting the Gila¡¯s chorus is harder than it looks. This method of attack was only really effective in the dark when finding and confronting a Gila was virtually next to impossible. Without their biggest advantage in play, they were basically sitting ducks quacking noisily. --- As the others fought, I stood behind, and observed. Doing so allowed me to notice several things, and discover aspects that I would have otherwise overlooked in the heat of battle. One of the many things that caught my interest was everyone¡¯s respective fighting styles. From a detached perspective, it was clear that there was a difference in how the President¡¯s party, and Kido¡¯s group fought. Rather, it wouldn¡¯t be an exaggeration to say that their stark contrast was the thing that stood out the most. One one side, there was the President¡¯s group. And despite the absence of the majority of their usual party, the two that remained were fully utilizing the important aspect of teamwork. They used a method of fighting that complemented their faults and enhanced their battle prowess and efficiency. The duo that comprised of only Emiko and the surviving female twin were like two sides of the same coin. Implementing the simple tactic of one vanguard and one ranged, they fought in a way that prioritized the other¡¯s safety, yet still efficiently engaged in combat. And while this style of fighting was indeed simple, if done improperly, it could lead to fatal results. The vanguard has to always protect, while the ranged has to always support. If they were even a bit off on their timing, execution, etc., then death wouldn''t at all that surprising. Of course, it¡¯s not like they were without faults. On a few occasions, their coordination would stall, or their movements would dull. Emiko would sometimes retreat too far, or the Twin would avoid too late, really, while their teamwork overall was impressive, you could not say they were perfect. Luckily, they made up for their collective faults by borrowing Hina¡¯s power. Off to the side, Kido¡¯s group fought in a somewhat different manner. Rather than calling it a proper cohesive party, it was more like a single fighter and his two supports. While they did possess some team work capabilities, their battle tactic could be summed up in one word: Kido. With aggressive and almost beastly movements, he pressured the monsters, at times, almost soloing them by himself, while his two teammates - his childhood friend and the transfer student (the other two were upstairs with Cielle) - frantically rushed to catch up to him. Rather than say they were fighting, it looked more like they were playing an intricate game of tag. Due to this reckless, and chaotic method of attack, Kido¡¯s group received more injuries than the President¡¯s group, but in return they hunted at a much faster pace than the President¡¯s group. If I were to sum up both groups in as simple of terms as possible, then one group was well balanced, while the other focused primarily on reckless attack. -- As the Gila hunting progressed, I continued to quietly observe - adhering to my current stance on no-interference - and acted as a third party. Eventually though, I noticed that one of my own team mates was acting weird. Well, although I say weird, in truth, it was just that Hina wasn¡¯t fighting in her usual manner. She did not use her fire magic, which was her most used magic, and something generally regarded as her speciality. Instead, she experimented with her other elements, although it was apparent with one glance that her control and usage of the other elements was much weaker compared to when she primarily used fire. Well, seeing Hina actively trying to improve herself wasn¡¯t necessarily a bad thing, just that, it did incite some of my curiosity. After the others killed the Gilas from the most recent classroom, I confronted Hina about her change in tactic. She shrugged in response. ¡° There¡¯s really no real reason. Just that, I¡¯ve been considering a few things and fire magic isn¡¯t really¡­ effective.¡± Her eyes were vague, and somewhat melancholic. As she further explained, her mouth unconsciously twisted into a bitter, regret filled smile. ¡°The Dungeon Boss that we¡¯ll eventually have to fight¡­ given our past encounters, there¡¯s a high possibility that it¡¯s resistant to fire¡­ also, even right now, Gila exoskeletons have a bit of fire resistance too. While the impact might hurt them a bit, the flames and heat won¡¯t.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± I nodded. Looking over at the fresh Gila corpses that littered the floor, I recounted all the trouble and danger we went through when we first encountered the Gilas. They had resistance to bladed weaponry, resistance to fire, and a pesky sound attack that disoriented the mind. Really, back then, we barely survived by the skin of our teeth, and in the end, all we had to show for it was the knowledge that they were weak against blunt impact. I glanced back over at Hina, and as I was about to respond, I saw her staring wistfully at her clenched fist. She continued to stare as she unclenched and re-clenched her hand. This action was followed by a heavy sigh, before she eventually turned around to look back up at me. Again, Hina creased her mouth to form a bitter smile. The dark-tinged amalgamation of emotion that swirled around her was almost palpable. Looking into her murky stare, I recalled the conversation I had with Cielle earlier. I hesitated for a moment, before I could not help but start, ¡°Hina¡­ you-¡± ¡°You know, Hide¡­¡± She suddenly cut me off as she abruptly turned around. With her back facing towards me, a quiet, almost sorrowful voice echoed for only my ears to hear. ¡°I¡¯m not really good at this. This¡­ this sort of situation. This kill or be killed, fighting constantly with almost no end in sight¡­ for someone like me¡­ it¡¯s a bit too much.¡± A sardonic laugh leaked out from her throat. ¡°You know, lately, I¡¯ve been feeling a bit numb to all this. After killing so many monsters, day after day, mindlessly repeating the same bloody task with no signs of change... I thought I had grown immune to all of it. I thought I had learned to separate myself- learned to not care about the countless lives I took¡­ and for a while, I thought that might have been a good thing.¡± Hina¡¯s voice grew misty, almost nostalgic. She unclenched her hand once more and reached out into the open space in front of her, almost as if she was grasping at some sort of distant memory, or whatever vague and fragile ideal she had carried in the past. ¡°... Recently, I woke up from that vague numbness. I realized at that time - I realized almost instantaneously, just exactly what type of world I was living in. This was a world where magic was real, a world where monsters existed, a world where killing people was normal¡­ Those corpses we always pass by on the halls¡­ it was almost as if for the first time, I realized they were human.¡± Hina¡¯s voice quivered. I could not see the expression she was making, but the tremors in her shoulders were more than enough. She laid herself bare, and all I could do was listen in silence. ¡°You know, Hide¡­ On that night, back when you were away, for the first time I seriously fought another person. It was just for a few minutes, in retrospect, those few minutes which felt like an eternity probably weren¡¯t even enough time for me to brush my teeth¡­ but still, they were only for a few minutes but- but for the first time, I tried to kill someone¡­ And you know what I did- you know what I did, Hide? You know what I did in this world where killing has become normal?¡± Her hollow question echoed with every syllable. The raw emotion that had molded itself into regret halfway through her sentence vibrated through the air like some silent butcher knife. Her voice was choppy, frantic, quiet, and ultimately, it was sorrowful. ¡°I hesitated. I hesitated even though I could have easily killed. I hesitated despite having the advantage. I hesitated even though Cher- even though everyone was in danger. I hesitated, I hesitated, I hesitated, I hesitated, I hesitated, I hesitated, I hesitated¡­. Why did I hesitate? Why? Just because I hesitated to kill, why¡­ why did something like that have to happen?¡± Her body bent over, her knees buckled. Hina threw her clenched fists to her sides, and opened her mouth to yell, to scream, to holler¡­ to repent, but no sound came out. Only the image of a regretful girl in silent anger and self-hatred existed. For a few seconds, Hina did not say anything. She merely crumpled to the floor like a puppet with its strings cut loose. Her head bent downward, and her shoulders drooped. The feeling of catharsis was present, yet at the same time, the vague notion that something else still hidden, remained. After a while, Hina swiveled her head slightly, and stared at me from the corner of her eye. She opened her mouth, hesitated, and closed it. She repeated this action for a couple more times before finally, she managed a thin, ¡°A-also, back then I¡­.¡± Second guessing herself, Hina once again closed her mouth and shook her head. She paused for a moment, almost as if to re-organize her thoughts, before, in a quiet, almost silent voice, she asked one simple question, ¡°Tell me Hide, is it really so easy to kill a person?¡± ¡°...¡± In the face of her question, I could not respond. In the past, I used to think a lot about this question. Whether it was really okay for me to take another person¡¯s life, or how different killing a human was from killing a monster. I dwelled a lot on it, but now- after killing Satou, strangely enough, I¡¯ve stopped having such thoughts. For me, the action of killing¡­ it was natural. It wasn¡¯t anything impactful, nor did it shake any sort of emotion that dwelled within me. No, to me, it was as simple as breathing. Like Hina had said, killing had become normal. This was how I felt, but, looking down at that girl with the creased eyebrows and foggy eyes, I could not tell her this. Something within in me held me back. As if she were a budding lily in a battlefield, I could not bring myself to trample on her last hope. I could not do the simple task of saying, ¡°Killing is normal.¡± ¡°Hina¡­ I¡­ I-¡± Just as I was about to respond, a sudden voice interrupted. In an innocent, and all too nonchalant tone, the voice simply said, ¡°Killing is normal.¡± Simultaneously, Hina and I turned towards the source of the voice. Carrying a black long sword with its edges dulled, a single person nonchalantly walked towards us. The smile he adorned was light, and guiltless, seemingly with no connection to the blood splatters that covered his outfit or to the newly formed injuries that riddled his body. With the same nonchalant voice, Kido repeated, ¡°Killing is normal. It¡¯s as easy as swinging a sword. Just one strike, one swing, and it¡¯s all over.¡± He playfully swung the long sword in his hand, while he made ¡°swishing¡± noises with the lisp of his lips. He continued to do so for a while before, he suddenly turned frigid and paused. He opened his eyes widely as he turned to stare at the both of us. As if her had just realized what he had just said out loud, he laughed wryly while scratching his head in mock-embarrassment. ¡°Well, what I¡¯m saying is that in this world, something like killing is necessary.¡± He cleared his throat as he gently lowered his blade. ¡°We¡¯ve been raised in the past to see killing as wrong, as immoral, something we should never, in under any circumstance, even think about doing. In a a a sense, there¡¯s some social stigma to the simple action of killing. Yet, with everything as it is, that social stigma becomes meaningless, rather, it becomes somewhat of a hindrance. Killing is essential. It¡¯s not an act of evil, or something morally wrong, it''s just¡­ essential.¡± He glanced longingly at the sword in his hand, a vague expression clouding his face. Almost as if to reaffirm it within himself, Kido reiterated, ¡°What¡¯s important now is surviving, and killing is just one of the ways to do it.¡± Suddenly, he jerked his sword upwards, and swung it down towards us. With the tip of the dulled blade pointed directly at Hina, he spoke, ¡° You¡¯ve experienced it before right? Killing that is.¡± Hina fidgeted uncomfortably in her spot. Her mouth opened and closed like a dying fish as she struggled to find words to respond, ¡°I-I¡­¡± Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. ¡°You¡¯ve killed monsters. Minotaurs, Boars, Shadows, even a Gila no less than a minute ago- You¡¯ve killed monsters before, and that is an undeniable fact.¡± He slowly lowered his sword, but maintained eye contact with Hina as he quietly spoke, ¡°Well, killing someone is the same thing, except, you know, but with people. But even if they are people, whether the thing you kill is an animal, monster, or a human, none of that matters in this world anymore. What all of those things have in common, the one thing that perpetually links them together is survival. The animals kill to survive, the monsters kill to survive, and just the same, humans kill to survive. And in this world, survival¡­ survival is everything.¡± With a somewhat ambiguous smile, he glances off at the far distance, before he slowly shook his head, and sighed. ¡°Ah, well, sorry about that.¡± He ruefully apologized, his atmosphere quickly shifting back to his usual one. A carefree smile adorned his face as he awkwardly scratched his head. ¡°Well, we¡¯ve still got a few more rooms to visit, so I¡¯ll be going ahead.¡± As he walked away, Hina and I silently stared at his receding back. Even after he had left the classroom and turned the corner, the two of us still did not say anything. I occasionally glanced at Hina, only to see her sweat streaked and hair matted face covered in a expression lost in thought. She did not move, nor speak for a while, but simply stared off into the far distance. After what felt like an eternity, Hina abruptly turned around and thanked me. I don¡¯t know why she did, and I had a feeling she didn¡¯t know either, but nevertheless, she thanked me. With one last parting goodbye, she followed in Kido''s footsteps and left the classroom, leaving me alone in a room filled with alien-like corpses. **** After fighting nonstop for a little under an hour, we finally reached the last classroom. ¡°Ahh...hah...hah¡­ finally¡­¡± Kido¡¯s childhood friend spat out in between a series of heavy pants. Her body was drenched in a mixture of blood and sweat (mostly sweat), causing her thin layer of clothing to cling to her jade white skin. The combination of her wet clothes and sweat drenched body may have been appealing had the haggard, and dead tired expression on her face not existed. In fact, almost everyone here, with the exception of Hina (who specialized in magic, which required minimal movement) and me (who did not participate) was of similar appearance. Even the President and the teacher from the President¡¯s party - who joined in halfway after the President got himself healed - sported a similar appearance. ¡°Just one more room guys.¡± I consoled from the far back, while I chewed on a granola bar (taken from the Bomb Shelter). ¡°Good news is there¡¯s only one more Gila left, so the last fight shouldn¡¯t be all that hard, plus we still have plenty of time.¡± This was the truth. Using [Echolocation] I could tell the approximate location of all moving targets, and after an hour of nonstop fighting, the only moving target aside from our group was the one within the last classroom. But¡­ while I did confirm it was the last¡­ there was something a bit off about it. Almost as if it had sensed my thoughts, a low and mildly irritating buzzing sound came from behind the closed door of the last classroom. Despite everyone¡¯s fatigue, hearing the familiar noise, their complaints died down within themselves as they all readied into their respective fighting stances. In the next instant, the door that guarded the last classroom flew open, as the head of a larger than average Gila poked outside to greet us. It opened its mouth, and the low buzzing intensified before it proceeded to stalk forward and into the hallway, revealing its larger than average body. Unlike the other Gila¡¯s, its armor plating was more grayish, and a bit scratched. The limbs that protruded from its abdomen were about 1.5 times larger than the previous ones we encountered, and several new protrusions were forming within the crown of its oblong shaped head. The most striking feature of the creature was its tail. The tail was covered to the brim in unnaturally spiky plating, and to top it off, it was about twice as long as ordinary Gila tails. Seeing the monstrosity before us, brought an abrupt shiver to our bones. Everyone tensed up as they prepared for a viscious battle. In the meantime, during this period of inactivity, I checked its status screen, and was doubly surprised to find out that it was still classified as an ordinary [Black Plated Gila] by the world system. While it did have a significantly higher level - level 41 -, given its appearance, I expected it to be a different species altogether, or at least a higher ranked version of [Gila]. As I mused over the surprising results of [Identify], the Gila suddenly charged forward. To meet its attack, Kido immediately stepped forward and raised his sword to block the incoming tackle. The subsequent collision between the two caused sparks to fly as sword met exoskeleton, and sent Kido reeling backwards a couple of steps. The Gila¡¯s hiss intensified, while from a distance, I could see the numb shaking of Kido¡¯s hands. Prompted by Kido¡¯s charge, immediately after, the rest of the group engaged in combat. the President took center stage as he confronted the Gila head on. The Cyclops club that I had lent him was worked into overdrive, as the Prez continued to block and parry numerous slashes and tail swipes. The intensity of the Gila¡¯s attacks left no room for retaliation, and even with the other melee combatants tanking and mitigating some of the blows, they were still stuck on the defensive. Like an animal backed into a corner, the Grey Gila howled, and its attacks kept coming like a rain of perpetual arrows. The only ones who could retaliate were Hina and the twin who specialized in ranged combat. Making full use of the handcrafted sling shot I made for her, the twin continually fired off numerous metal projectiles. Despite the amateurish appearance of the weapon, it possessed an unnaturally strong kickback, which was only natural, due to how I had crafted it. Losing out in accuracy, what this slingshot made up for was its destructive capabilities. Crafted out of Cyclops wood, and subsequent Cyclops sinew, the Slingshot was something next to impossible to use for ordinary humans. A small boost in strength was needed in order to properly cock the slingshot. The sinew that acted as the Slingshot¡¯s elastic was also tougher, and sturdier than normal, so while pulling it back took considerable effort, in return, it produced devastating results. Not even the metal plating of the Grey Gila¡¯s exoskeleton could remain completely intact after taking several hits from the slingshot. Besides the twin who was continuously firing projectiles with frantic haste, stood Hina, who had her arms stretched out in front of her and whose face was contorted in extreme concentration. Despite Hina¡¯s earnest appearance though, there were no visible outward signs of her magic taking effect. At first, I was skeptical, but after a few more seconds, it quickly became apparent what Hina¡¯s magic was doing. Despite not receiving any direct blows from anyone, the Grey Gila suddenly staggered. It¡¯s irritating buzzing noise was immediately cut off, only to be replaced by a series of choking sounds. If one looked closely enough, within its agape maw, one could see the slight distortions of dust that flew in all directions. The Gila¡¯s sudden reaction, and the slight distortions were all due to Hina¡¯s magic finally taking effect. Wind magic. A branch of Hina¡¯s [Full Element] that she had little opportunity to use was showing its full prowess right in front of me. While at first glance, it may look like Hina was choking the Gila by depriving it of air, but in actuality it was the opposite. Hina was continually funneling air and wind into the Gila¡¯s open mouth. She funneled so much air that it did not allow time for the Gila to exhale, producing effects similar to suffocation. Normally, this sort of tactic would be extremely difficult to pull off, even with Hina¡¯s current level of magic accuracy. The continuous action of producing wind required a fine amount of magic, and the accuracy needed to properly push air into as small a target as a mouth was no easy feat either. The only reason why Hina¡¯s current strategy was working was due to the others restraining and keeping the Gila immobile. As the Gila started succumbing to the effects of suffocation, the others¡¯ attacks started connecting. With the Gilas movements significantly slower, the situation was quickly reversing in their favor. When the Gila¡¯s hp finally reached the 50% mark, Kido who, up until now was still recovering from the first exchange, dashed forward and joined in on the fray. He squeezed himself in between the Gila and the President, fully utilizing his whole body to slice upwards at the Gila¡¯s flank. The attack caused a resounding ¡®CLANK¡¯, as the Gila staggered back a step. Afterwards, Kido¡¯s attacks only intensified as he rained blow upon blow at the Grey Gila¡¯s exposed carapace. Watching him fight with such primal intensity made me realize one of the fundamental factors in Kido¡¯s fighting style. In short, Kido was inexperienced. His movements were amateurish, much like mine before, and on numerous occasions, he exposed many openings that even from such a distance, were easy to notice. In the end, Kido fought by relying on instinct, dodging when he sensed danger, blocking when he couldn¡¯t dodge, and attacking at almost every opportunity he could find. He was fighting in the most human way possible. Kido continued to single handedly attack the Gila. Their ferocious and feverish exchange of blows left no room for interference, as the others could only stand behind him and watch. Things were progressing quite smoothly as the battle entered its last stage. The Gila¡¯s carapace was cracked and damaged in numerous locations and it was painfully obvious that it was on its last legs. Even if we didn¡¯t kill it now, it would still end up dead from its accumulated injuries. When the Gila¡¯s hp finally dipped down below 5%, Kido abruptly jumped backwards, hiding behind the safety of the rest of the party. Kido¡¯s abrupt retreat gave the Gila a chance to retaliate. In its desperate madness, it rushed forward, and practically slammed into the rest of the group who had stayed idle up until now. The attack sent a few of them flying, but luckily, a few of them managed to maintain their ground and block. Meanwhile, behind the mess of bodies and exoskeleton, Kido was the only one out of the melee group to remain unscathed. Without missing a beat, the moment his feet touched the ground, he immediately sprinted forward. Kido circled around the commotion and immediately got behind the Gila. With little hesitation, he jumped upwards, and swung his sword down with primal ferocity. The blow connected squarely with the Gila¡¯s exposed neck, and the subsequent impact resulted in a simultaneous critical and fatal blow. A sound like that of shattering glass filled the hall as green, acidic blood sprayed outwards. The Gila¡¯s now lifeless body slumped forward, narrowly crushing the rest of the scattered party members. Seeing the sudden demise of the monster that had so plagued them even in its final moments, the others could only stare with blank eyed expressions. ¡°I¡­ hah¡­. leveled up again¡­¡± Kido tiredly uttered as he grinned broadly before collapsing face first onto the unfurnished floor, His body overcome by the exhaustion and physical fatigue that had accumulated throughout the one hour of constant fighting. ¡°D...hah...Damn Kido¡­.¡± The President exhaled in between a series of pants, before he too fell backwards, and laid back down onto the floor besides the fresh corpse. With no energy to spare, Kido could only respond back with a weak grunt, just as the others also succumbed to the fatigue and collapsed onto the floor. The only ones still left standing after the fight were Hina and I. Even the twin, who acted as long ranged alongside Hina, was collapsed onto the floor, the use of the ¡°Heavy¡± slingshot draining her more than originally anticipated. ¡°...¡± Staring at the corpse-like and heavily breathing bodies that laid strewn all over the hall, I could do nothing but stare and exchange awkward glances with Hina. Eventually, unable to remain still, I finally spoke up, ¡°Well, you guys can rest and recover. I¡¯ve already confirmed that there¡¯s no more monsters left, so you guys can take it easy until then. Meanwhile, I¡¯ll check out what¡¯s in the last classroom, that Gila was guarding the place pretty persistently after all.¡± ¡°Ah, I¡¯ll go to.¡± Hina chimed in as I made my way towards the door. Sidestepping past tired and unconscious bodies, she chased after me, and together we entered what had been the last fortitude of the Gilas. **** The room was dark. Despite the generator still in full effect, this room still managed to remain under the cover of the darkness. This was primarily due to the broken lights that hung limp above our heads. Hina took out a small, portable flashlight as the two of us continued deeper into the room. We did not even take three steps forward before I finally realized why this room had been so guarded. Near the center of the room, the floor had caved inward. Or more accurately, a portion of the floor was thoroughly melted by Gila acid, forming a semi-crater that spanned a good 2 meters in diameter. Within that crater, murky white oblong sized objects covered in a thick film of green mucus were present. It was obvious enough, going by its general appearance that the objects located in the center of the crater were eggs, Gila Eggs. There were about three dozen of them, and they completely filled every inch of the crater full to the brim. Hina and I wordlessly stared at the crater in deep fascination. Without realizing, we were slowly inching closer and closer to the eggs. ¡°[Identify]¡± I inwardly spoke to myself while I observed the egg¡¯s outer texture and sticky film. Ding!
Gila Egg An egg belonging to the Black Plated Gila Species. Under the proper conditions, these eggs will hatch into Black Plated Gilas. Incubation Period Left: 14 days 7 hrs
The newly opened window panel revealed the obvious information revolving around the eggs. The only real surprise, and unexpected bonus was that [Identify] also showed the incubation period of the eggs. As I silently read through the window panel, a voice from besides me suddenly broke the pre established silence. ¡°Should we destroy them?¡± Hina uttered with a cold, practical calmness. Her eyes kept glued onto the eggs, yet those very same eyes were squinted and her brow was furrowed in heavy thought. Without herself even realizing, her right arm was slowly rising in front of her, and the first signs of fire magic swirled across her open palm. I considered Hina¡¯s words, and thought for a while. A fairly decent amount of time passed, and a fairly large amount of flames congregated on Hina¡¯s palm before I finally took action and lowered her outstretched arm down with my own. Hina¡¯s fire magic slowly dissipated as I reasoned, ¡°Keeping them alive for now might be better than outright killing them right away. After all, they might end up useful in the future, and even if they aren¡¯t we can always kill them for additional experience.¡± Hina paused for a while before she sighed out, and nodded. ¡°Okay, but I think it might be a good idea to keep watch of them. Leaving them unattended could be dangerous.¡± I nodded receptively as I moved to turn back around. ¡°We can get some of the Cafeteria survivors to monitor the eggs. Even if they can¡¯t fight, they can atleast keep watch.¡± Hina nodded in agreement, before she too turned around and followed me out of the room. With a heavy sigh, I was once again greeted with the sight of the others, whose position remained unchanged even after we left the room. ¡°It¡¯s been a long day,¡± I ignored the fact that I didn¡¯t particularly do anything very taxing today, and stifled a yawn as I nonchalantly spoke to Hina. ¡°Nnn¡­¡± ¡°With all of the Gila¡¯s dead, we¡¯ve finally secured the East building. We can worry about the rest of our problems after everyone gets a chance to cool off and get some rest.¡± Hina once again nodded, and as if prompted by my words, her eyes drooped and she let out an extremely long and extremely fatigued yawn. ¡°You too Hina, go rest. Although you weren¡¯t moving very much, using magic still takes a toll on a person. As for me¡­ since I didn¡¯t really do anything, I¡¯ll waste some time by checking to see if the Gilas dropped any loot we overlooked.¡± As I continued talking and walking, I suddenly heard an abrupt thud from behind me. Looking around, I finally noticed that Hina wasn¡¯t next to me anymore, and that she had fallen asleep mid stride while I was talking. I stared quietly at her face down figure. Seeing the puddle of drool that hand congregated before her mouth extend outwards, I finally sighed, turned around, and began the ¡°taxing¡± job of loot collecting. **** Author''s Note: Please rate and review if you enjoyed this chapter, or this fiction in general. Chapter 83: Planning and Preparation Planning and Preparation The long night had passed, and the first rays of morning light began to illuminate the school. I had long since collected all the monster drops - which comprised only of a small amalgamation of health and stamina potions - and everybody had recovered enough to the extent where they could at least move their bodies again. But with everyone¡¯s speedy recovery came conflict. ¡°Kido!¡± The President shouted in blatant fury. He paced around the abandoned classroom we were currently using as our base, before he stalked directly over towards a particular corner of the room. There, Kido sat, alongside the other girls as he donned on his signature clueless expression. ¡°P-Prez? What¡¯s the matter?¡± He asked with almost believable virtue. Such a response only served to further increase the President¡¯s anger. His hand cut through the air like a hot knife on butter, and grabbed Kido by the cuff of his collar. ¡°Don¡¯t play innocent with me!¡± He growled out through gritted teeth. The President¡¯s tousled hair, coupled with his disheveled appearance, and dirty complexion was a far cry from the President¡¯s usual demeanor. It was obvious that the recent events had taken quite a toll on his current mental state. Kido¡¯s reckless actions last night with the Gila was the last straw for the mentally stressed youth. ¡°The fight earlier was supposed to be a group battle, but despite that, the way you fought, and the way you interacted with everyone during the fight was far from how a proper group was supposed to fight! You recklessly charged in without thinking! You monopolized the fight! You used everyone as bait!¡± As the President spoke, there was a slight tremble in his shoulders, and at the same time, his grip grew increasingly tighter and tighter the more passionately he expressed himself. ¡°Someone could have gotten killed because of you!¡± Kido¡¯s head was hung low, and his cascading hair blotted out whatever expression he was currently making. With my heightened senses in full effect, I could hear the quiet sigh of exasperation leak out from his thinly parted lips. ¡°....If they did end up dying, then that just means they didn¡¯t have what it takes to survive¡­¡± From under his breathe, Kido retorted in a voice as silent as the moon. ¡°What?¡± The President furrowed his brow, as a confused expression blossomed on his face. He could not hear what Kido had said earlier, but he had seen his mouth moving. He was sure he had spoken, yet he had no idea as to what Kido had said. The President inadvertently slackened his grip on Kido¡¯s collar, and Kido, as if he had been waiting for this moment, used this opportunity to escape from the President¡¯s grasps. With one heavy back hand, Kido knocked aside the President¡¯s hand, before he took a single step backwards. ¡°I thought it was a group battle...¡± Kido solemnly spoke with his head still down and his eyes still covered by a cascade of dark brown hair. ¡°Hah?¡± ¡°I thought it was a group battle, so I thought it was only natural everyone else should participate too. At the very least, I expected everyone else to be prepared.¡± Kido¡¯s ice like tone matched with his cold and almost mechanical expression caused the President¡¯s anger to resurface. Pushing back his original confusion, his expression twisted into a snarl, as he inadvertently took a step forward. ¡°You¡­..¡± His hands were clenched tightly into bone white knuckles, and his face was colored in a bright red fluster. It was apparent at first glance that the President was using almost all of his will power to control himself. ¡°Me what? Was anything I said wrong?¡± Paying no regard to the President¡¯s anger, Kido relentlessly mocked. ¡°You said it yourself just now, didn¡¯t you, that the fight earlier was a group battle. Isn¡¯t it only natural that in a group battle, everyone has to fight as well?¡± ¡°You little- The way you fought wasn¡¯t at all like a group!¡± ¡°Hah,¡± he scoffed, ¡°Well, I wouldn¡¯t know how to fight like a group, considering you locked in that freezer for weeks-¡± BAM! Like a taut cord snapping, the President rushed forward and threw a white-clenched fist directly towards Kido¡¯s face. As if the whole scene had occurred in slow motion, Kido¡¯s eyes widened as the fist approached. His expression of pure surprise persisted up until the President¡¯s fist connected, and a resounding crack filled the room. Kido¡¯s head jerked backwards as the force surged through his entire body. His legs rose an inch or two above the ground before Kido fell back onto the floor with a resounding thud. Blood slowly dripped down from Kido¡¯s left nostril, subsequently staining his shirt and the floor beneath his feet. Besides him, the girls, whom up until now had stayed silent during the whole conversation, let out a series of horrified screams. They immediately rushed over to Kido¡¯s side, and supported his fallen body. Kido himself, seemingly ignored them, as he gently touched his nose, all the while still sporting a surprised expression. the slight touch of his fingertips caused him to wince, a clear sign that the punch just now had broken the cartilage in his nose. Kido¡¯s surprised expression quickly turned into a vicious glare, as he silently stared up at the President. ¡°Hah¡­. hah¡­.¡± The President stood above Kido, looking downward with the same anger driven expression he had on before. His hand was still curled up into a fist, but was now covered in a thin film of blood. Whether the blood was his, Kido¡¯s or both, I could not tell. ¡°Get off your damn high horse!¡± The President spat out. ¡°I¡¯m not going to let your stupid actions kill anymore people.¡± ¡°...¡± Kido did not respond to the President¡¯s provocation, merely choosing to stay silent and seated. The tense quiet lasted for a minute or two, with both sides not making a move. I thought about interjecting, but just as the idea floated to my head, the President moved first. He turned around and stalked over towards the exit. As he passed me by, in a hushed whisper, he spoke with subdued anger, ¡°I don¡¯t trust Kido. Just him being here is dangerous.¡± Without further elaboration, the President continued forward and out of the room, leaving me with no chance nor opportunity to respond. ***** After the incident, we took an hour long break in order to give those involved a chance to cool down. Afterwards, we assembled back in the same abandoned classroom once more in order to plan out the future. The desks were arranged in a square shaped formation, and everybody sat dispersed amongst the space. The President and his party sat towards the left of the room, close to the windows. His anger had subdued somewhat, but he could not help but throw a glare towards Kido¡¯s direction. Kido, alongside his friends, sat on the right of the room, opposite of where the President sat. He was chatting nonchalantly with the girls, all the while maintaining a carefree smile. It was as if the incident from earlier had not happened at all. On a side note, Cielle refused to heal Kido¡¯s broken face, so his nose had to be poorly bandaged with what sparse medical supplies we had left. Near the front of the room was where my group and I sat. As always, Cher was absent, due to her current unconscious state, but both Cielle and Hina were present. The side closest to the back of the room was occupied by the sparse collection of cafeteria survivors, which consisted of Mr. Tei, the chubby kid and the girl I had assigned as look out back at the library, as well as two other guys. The room was tense, and for the majority of the time, silent. This was primarily due to the unrestrained tension between the President and Kido. The silence lasted for a good while too, before, seemingly out of nowhere, the President opened his mouth and asked, ¡°So, what¡¯s our next step?¡± I turned towards him, only to see a tired, and weary face. The earlier anger in his eyes were still present, but more than that, the resigned, almost dreary atmosphere he exuded was overwhelmingly stronger. A man who looked to be on the verge of both giving up, and persevering. ¡°To escape, we need to beat the Dungeon Boss.¡± From across the room, Kido stated. In comparison to the President¡¯s own expression, Kido¡¯s was a lot more mechanical. A neutral, almost indifferent smile that conveyed almost no emotion. ¡°That should be our priority- no, survival should be our priority.¡± ¡°Hah-¡± The President scoffed, as he leaned back on his chair. His anger had flared back up with Kido¡¯s every word, and like an easily excited preschooler he could not help but taunt,¡°Whose survival? The group¡¯s or yours?¡± ¡°Prez,¡± I interrupted with a tired sigh. The conflict between the two of them and the sole fact that it had persisted even up until now was a marked sign of my incompetence and inexperience as a ¡°leader¡±. In short, I did not know how to properly lead people. Yet, in this current situation where I had somehow or the other ended up in such a high position of authority, I had to atleast try to lead. ¡°That¡¯s enough, We¡¯re here to talk about the future, not kill each other.¡± I solemnly spoke to the President before turning towards Kido, ¡°As for you¡­ I¡¯m not going to say much, just that¡­¡± I took a deep breathe, and slowly closed my eyes. As if to gather my thoughts, I took a quick pause before I immediately opened my eyes to glare at Kido. My mouth was flat, and my eyes were sharp. The indifferent expression I donned on was one I was quite familiar with. ¡°...If you end up being more trouble than you''re worth, then I won¡¯t hesitate to kill you.¡± ¡°...¡± In response to my warning, Kido merely looked down at his lap without saying a single thing. Once again, the hair that cascaded over his head blotted out whatever expression he was making. But as if to cover for the silent Kido, the girls next to him reacted with great fervor. Their faces were pale, sweat was heavily dripping down their cheeks, and it was apparent that fear, apprehension, and whatever else type of negative emotion that swirled around their heads was currently seizing their hearts. But, despite that, they still defended Kido. They did not say anything but merely scooted their seats closer to Kido. As if to guard him from whatever danger appeared, two of the girls grabbed onto each of his arms, and held him close. The others sat besides them, their shoulders trembling, and their mouth half opened, poised to speak. They did not say anything though, it was as if fear had stolen away their voices. Kido¡¯s childhood friend, whose own dainty lips were parted with apparent tension, was about to speak, when I continued with no further regard or elaboration. ¡°Like Kido said earlier, beating the Dungeon Boss is our priority. Unless we do that, we can¡¯t escape this school.¡± ¡°But aren¡¯t we trapped in the East building? All access to the rest of the school has been cut off, so how are we supposed to beat the boss and escape?¡± The President asked pointedly, his expression was one of calculating impassiveness. I shook my head in response. ¡°Not all the pathways are destroyed¡­¡± I then explained the hidden passage way we had found weeks prior, the one that connected the bomb shelter to the Dungeon Boss¡¯s lair, as well as our experience with the passageway. ¡°Going by the layout of the school, the Dungeon Boss should be located within the old fallout shelter beneath the Old School Building.¡± Hina further elaborated afterwards. ¡°The Fallout shelter?¡± The twin from the President¡¯s group asked curiously as she tilted her head to the side. ¡°The Fallout shelter was part of the building¡¯s original layout.¡± The Teacher from the President¡¯s group began to explain. Since he was part of the faculty of the school, he had some knowledge as to its history. ¡°Before this school was, well a school, it was originally a military compound. Back then, one of the most important precautions the Brass thought up was regarding Nuclear Fallout. The Fallout shelter was created with those fears in mind. Although, nowadays, calling it a shelter is an exaggeration. The school removed a lot of the platings, and metal that kept the shelter in tact, mostly because they had plans to renovate the space. Those plans were cut short though, and the Fallout shelter was ultimately abandoned. Nowadays, rather than calling it a shelter, it''s more like a glorified basement.¡± The President nodded, ¡°That¡¯s right, and I also heard something about turning the Old school basement back into a shelter. That¡¯s probably why they connected the East Building shelter, with the one in the Old school building.¡± ¡°Either way, don¡¯t treat that Passageway as the real ¡°entrance¡± to the Boss¡¯s lair.¡± I tacked on. ¡°At most, the passageway is more like a back door. A 2nd entrance that exists outside of the intended entrance. In games, it would probably be the exit that the player uses after beating the Final Boss.¡± ¡°Because it can attack us inside the Passage, under normal circumstances, we would avoid using this entrance, and instead use the Fallout Shelter¡¯s original entrance located at the Old School Building.¡± Hina elaborated. ¡°That may be the case, but we¡¯re not under normal circumstances.¡± The President retorted. ¡°We don¡¯t have any other method. After all, We¡¯re stuck here in the East Building.¡± ¡°...That¡¯s not necessarily correct...¡± From out of nowhere, Cielle¡¯s quiet voice responded. Everyone¡¯s eyes widened as they all turned to stare at the usually silent and unresponsive individual. I nodded from besides Cielle¡¯s side. ¡°That¡¯s right. If it''s just getting to the Main building, then that isn¡¯t something impossible. We could use Cielle¡¯s acid to erode through the concrete and bypass the wreckage at the skyhall.¡± ¡°Ah¡­ there was that method¡­¡± The President nodded, as his eyes flared with realization. ¡°Then, does that mean we¡¯ll be using the real entrance in order to confront the Dungeon Boss?¡± I shook my head. ¡°If we head out as a group into the Main building, then we¡¯ll be vulnerable to the horde that the Dungeon Boss controls. A direct confrontation with them is dangerous, and I doubt the reward are great enough for us to risk it.¡± Memories of our escapade filled everyone with a sense of apprehension and no shortage of fear. While one Boss may be tough on its own, it was impossible to escape being trampled by a literal stampede out in the open areas of the hallway ¡°Then¡­ what should we do?¡± The President asked with a heavy sigh, seemingly clueless as to what the best option would be. ¡°...¡± I paused and thought for a minute. In truth, taking into consideration everyone else¡¯s current battle potential, I had already began thinking up a plan, but in the end, I still held some reservations. After all, confronting something that could potentially kill us ten times over was no easy feat. But, despite that, there was no other option left. This situation was due or die. Either we stay here and starve to death, or we die fighting a fruitless battle. Taking a leap of faith, I began to explain, ¡°A two pronged attack. We will split ourselves up into two groups. One group will be the main group and attack from the passageway. The other group will be smaller, consisting of less people, but with more mobility. They will attack from the Old school building.¡± ¡°Splitting our meager forces into even smaller numbers¡­ is that really the best way to go?¡± The President quietly mumbled after hearing my plan, and expressed his doubts. In response I simply shrugged. ¡°If it were a simple two sided attack, then I¡¯d agree with you. But, this plan will be a bit special. In actuality, there¡¯s one key feature that this plan hinges upon, and that is¡­ you¡± I solemnly pointed towards Kido¡¯s side of the room. My finger homed in on a certain Wizard clad female, who meekly jumped in surprise after having the attention of the room suddenly directed solely towards her. ¡°M-me?¡± She goofily said while mindlessly pointing at herself. I nodded in return. ¡°Yeah. The main reason why this plan requires us to break into two groups is in order to inflict damage to the Dungeon Boss even before we actually start fighting, but to do that, I need her skill.¡± Kido, who had remained quiet for the majority of my explanation, finally lifted his head up to look at me. With a voice filled with doubt, he asked, ¡°... What exactly are you planning to do?¡± ¡°Collapse the Old school building.¡± I stated simply as I leaned back onto my crooked chair. ¡°The plan is to use this girl¡¯s overpowered destructive potential and blast a hole straight down from the 2nd floor all the way down to the basement. The subsequent debris and rubble should- if we¡¯re lucky, cause significant damage to the boss, and at the very least, distract the Boss enough so that the main group can make it past the passageway without being subjected to that fire attack of his.¡± ¡°Blasting a hole straight through the basement¡­ Is that even possible?¡± A hesitant voice wafted out from someone on the Cafeteria group¡¯s side of the room. ¡°... It should be.¡± Hina chimed up, her brow scrunching up in mild concentration. ¡°Her skill was enough to take down the library¡­ if we aim for specific areas most vulnerable in the building, then it shouldn¡¯t be impossible to bring down a large majority of the upper floors and basement.¡± ¡°Yes. It¡¯s not that much of a far cry.¡± The teacher also added, ¡°The old school building is old afterall, the majority of its infrastructure is still reliant on wood and low grade metal. Not to mention, the biggest advantage would be the fact that they already dismantled a large portion of the Fallout shelter¡¯s thicker, outer exterior.¡± Satisfied by their response, I cracked a small smile, nodding to myself in the process. ¡°That¡¯s why we¡¯ll need a small group to escort Wizard Hat to the Old School building. A smaller group will allow us to more easily escape from the horde that will no doubt be guarding the building¡­ If we¡¯re lucky, then the group might just be able to get from here all the way to the Old School Building purely through the ventilation systems.¡± ¡°... despite how easy you make it sound, in the end, this is still pretty dangerous.¡± The President bitterly smiled as an inevitable sigh escaped from his lips. This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. ¡°...¡± I nodded. It would have been foolish and impossible to hide the danger of this plan. ¡°Without a doubt, just thinking about fighting the Dungeon Boss is dangerous. This plan isn¡¯t any safer in that regard. People will die, the chance for failure is relatively high too. By all means, this isn¡¯t a good plan.¡± Hearing my words, the slowly growing smiles on everyone¡¯s faces instantly soured. As if a rush of cold water had awoken everyone up from their flightful dreams, the room darkened, and the bitter atmosphere filled with apprehension and fear was once again seeping through the cracks of the classroom. This was especially true for the Cafeteria group. They weren¡¯t fighters, but they all understood that if this plan were to fail, and if all the combatants were to die, then they will surely be next. Their life and death was now purely reliant on the others¡¯ survival. ¡°This isn¡¯t a good plan,¡± I reiterated again. ¡°So if anybody else has any ideas, then speak now.¡± ¡°.....¡± ¡°.....¡± ¡°.....¡± Quiet silence filled the room, and my poorly thought out plan was locked into place. ***** After checking out all the provisions within the Bomb shelter, it was discovered that we had enough food to last us a good 2 weeks before we ran out. It was decided that the remaining two weeks would be spent all on training and preparation for the upcoming fight. Aside from that, the rest of the day was set aside for resting and recuperating. Rather than physical weariness, the group¡¯s main cause for concern was everyone¡¯s emotional stress. After non stop fighting and lack of rest, outbreaks like the one earlier between the President and Kido were bound to happen if left unchecked. That¡¯s why today, out of the remaining 2 weeks we had left, was allocated purely for rest. To the to others, it might have been a good reprieve from everything dangerous, but to me, it was a boring day. The day passed uneventfully, with nothing really exciting or stressful happening. It was only until night had come that something happened. Unexpectedly, something good had happened that night. Cher had woken up. **** It was late at night, and everyone else had long since fallen asleep. I was the only one still awake, primarily because I was on self imposed night duty. I sat idly next to Cher¡¯s prone figure, when a subtle steering from underneath her sheets caught my eye. At first, in the dimness of moonlight, I thought my vision was simply playing tricks on me, but as the movements from underneath her sheets quickly grew more and more noticeable, I immediately dismissed that thought. It was only after Cher¡¯s tightly shut eyelids, which had not opened in the past two days, blinked open, did I finally managed to breath out an anxious, but all the same, relieved sigh. ¡°Uuu¡­¡± A soft groan escaped her cracked lips. Her pale complexion reflected in the moonlight conveyed fatigue and dreariness. At first, her slightly opened eyes were blurry and hazy, but as she got used to the dim moonlight, her eyes quickly grew focus. I waited attentively, staring directly at her still listless face. ¡°Hide¡­¡± She cracked a partial smile as she looked up at me with still half hazy eyes. ¡°Hey¡­¡± I quietly whispered, almost afraid to strain her ears with unwanted noise. In reaction to my response, Cher swiveled her head around to view her surroundings. Her expression was clouded with confusion, and she could not help but ask, ¡°Wh-where am I? How long have I been out? What happened?¡± In response to her bewildered questioning, I took my time and answered. ¡°We¡¯re in the east building. You¡¯ve been out for about 2 to 3 days, and we had to run away after¡­ a few things happened.¡± I then went on to explain what had transpired after our fight with Kido. ¡°Two days¡­¡± She spoke with open mouthed surprise. ¡°That¡¯s a surprisingly long amount of time¡­And to think, I was in dream the whole time.¡± She bitterly laughed, her pupils fogging with a look resembling nostalgia. She stared straight up into the ceiling, her irises fixated on the oblong stained spots that lay above her head. As she absentmindedly stared, Cher¡¯s eyes grew moist and hazy, and for a moment, I was afraid that she would fall back asleep again. Luckily, Cher quickly snuffed out those concerns, as she rustled in her sheets once more. Her neck craned forward with effort, and her torso wriggled with strain. The blanket covering her body slid below her shoulders as she forced herself upright. Almost instinctively, she attempted to use her arms for support, which only caused her body to tilt towards the left before- Crash! ¡°Uuuu¡­.¡± She fell to the floor in a messy heap, her chin hitting tile as she went down. Her blanket had gotten undone, only to reveal her newly amputated arm sticking out from the covers. Cher stared at the stump on her arm for a good while, before a bitter smile twisted her cramped cheeks. ¡°So that part wasn¡¯t a dream after all¡­.¡± Her hollow voice echoed throughout the room. I could not say anything. No apology, nor any words of encouragement. All I could do was swallow down a mouthful of dry saliva, and offer my assistance. ¡°Here, let me help you up¡­.¡± ¡°No.¡± She firmly shook her head. ¡°I¡­ I can do this by myself.¡± She spoke simply as she once again struggled to sit upright. It wasn¡¯t so much as the arm that held her back, but rather, it was from the accumulated fatigue and weariness she acquired from sleeping for two full days straight. No, rather, her missing arm served more as a mental inhibition than anything else. After a minute of struggling, she finally managed to sit upright. With a tired sigh, she shuffled her legs before leaning back onto the wall behind her. She sat besides me, and our shoulders, through one flimsy layer of cloth, touched. We did not say anything for a while. Cher¡¯s expression was vague and hazy while her hollow eyes stared absentmindedly at the preceding darkness of the room. After a while of silence, she spoke in a cracked, and broken hearted voice, ¡°I¡­ I really messed up this time, huh?¡± ¡°...¡± From the corner of my eyes, I could see her eyes growing red, and moist. Her shoulders were shaking, and her lips were trembling. She quietly sniffled, before she reiterated, ¡°I really messed up. Losing an arm like that, aren¡¯t I stupid. Just¡­ completely stupid, stupid, stupid¡­. ah, so stupid¡­¡± She continued to lament, while berating herself. Cher¡¯s head was hung low, and without her even realizing it herself, she had started to cry. Slow going teardrops slid down her pale cheeks and onto her chest. Her sobs were quiet, and restrained, but within the almost dreadful silence of the classroom, those same sobs were as loud as thunder. ¡°No¡­¡± I shook my head. ¡°The opponent this time around was just a bad match up. I heard his attacks could eat away at your shields¡­ you¡­ you did a good job surviving.¡± ¡°...*sniff*¡± She nodded quietly, but the tears did not stop. Her eyes wandered onto her severed limb, while at the same time, her free hand gingerly touched the tip of the stump. For a while, she stayed like that. Unmoving, yet the sobbing sounds still persisting. Almost 5 minutes passed before her sobbing diminished and she suddenly said, ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­.¡± In the face of her sudden apology, I could not help but utter a dumb sounding, ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± She repeated again, this time with slight hiccup in her words. After fighting a Psycho killer, being stuck in a 2 day comma, and finally finding out you¡¯ve lost an arm, the only thing she could think to say was, sorry? Why? Why did you apologize? There¡¯s nothing for you to be sorry about. ¡°What for?¡± I asked with almost open mouthed curiosity. She sniffled and wiped at her face with her remaining hand, in the process, smearing snot and tears all over her red tinted cheeks. ¡°It¡¯s just that¡­ I know I¡¯m a pretty useless person¡­. ...Before I met you, even before the whole world went to hell, I was always¡­ Useless. I was the type to get berated at by my parents for not doing well in school, the type who stayed up late playing games I was bad at, the type of person to turn in their assignments months after the deadline, the type of person who would lose their all their money to easy-to-win crane games, the type who would trip on flat surfaces, the type of person who would find wet washcloths and tacks in their shoe locker¡­ I was the type of person people would call useless.¡± Cher cracked a melancholic, yet strangely nostalgic smile as she recounted her bitter past. With each painful word, with each break in her voice, with each stutter in her speech, she spoke it all out in one breathe, a breath that showed neither anger nor regret. ¡°...That was the me before the apocalypse¡­ and even when the blue screens entered our vision, and people died left and right, I was still that type of person. The type of person to only rely on others, the type of person who would betray others for their own convenience, the type who¡­. who lived for the sake of surviving. It was when¡­. It was when I met you- you, Hina, and Cielle- it was when I met all of you that¡­ I found myself starting to change. Of course, the start wasn¡¯t like that at all.¡± She nostalgically giggled, with an almost odd sort of fondness. ¡°Back then, you were really scary Hide, and even now, sometimes you still are scary, not to mention being always bossy, rude, and a generally all around negative person, most people would hate you- but in the end¡­¡± Cher abruptly stopped. As if she could not find the proper words to convey her emotions with, she tilted her head to the side and scrunched up her brow in an effort to think. After a few seconds of silent pondering, in a quiet, almost fragile voice, she whimsically said, ¡°... In the end, I learned to survive for the sake of living.¡± She tilted her head in my direction, and smiled a toothless smile. The type of smile you¡¯d only ever see on a girl maybe once or twice in their lifetimes. It was a smile that was aged, yet innocent all at the same time. A smile that almost made my heart skip a beat. But, just as quickly as that smile had come, it had vanished. Cher tilted her head back to stare at the open space in front of her. Like the darkness that extended past our feet, the darkness in Cher¡¯s mind continued to writhe and grew. In a solemn voice filled with bitter regret, she said, ¡° Now though¡­ like a glass window being smashed, that life of mine¡­ that dream of mine has shattered. Now I¡¯m afraid I¡¯ll be going back to being the sort of useless person I once was. So¡­ sorry.. After all, the only thing I was semi-decent at was using those shields you made me, and now- with only one arm....I...I...¡± Cher¡¯s voice cracked. The words she had been trying to utter had died down deep in the middle of her throat, refusing to come out, as if she were afraid that the moment they came out, everything she said would come true. Like every self-deprecating word she had used to describe herself would be etched in stone the moment they left her mouth. ¡°...Hah¡­¡± In the face of her poorly restrained sobs and all too obvious silent plea, I unconsciously uttered out a sigh. ¡°Stop being an idiot.¡± I bluntly stated. ¡°Huh?¡± Her sobbing abruptly stopped midway as she turned to stare at me with a rather perplexed expression. ¡°I said stop being an idiot.¡± I reiterated, scratching my head in a fit of mock annoyance. ¡°Worrying about this and that all the time¡­ this is why I can¡¯t stop calling you ¡®pitiful¡¯¡±. ¡°Hah? Wait, Hide, something isn¡¯t right here.¡± She immediately straightened her back, as she hastily spoke out, her quiet sniveling diminishing with each frantic word. ¡°W-wasn¡¯t this the part where you comfort me? The part where you rub my head and tell me, ¡®everything will be okay¡¯? I know if it was Cielle, you would have done that! Heck, you probably already did!¡± ¡°Guh- S-stop being an idiot!¡± I hopelessly repeated once more, ignoring the sudden tinge of red on my cheeks. ¡°Enough about all this, this is a pointless conversation.¡± ¡°Haaaah? Hide, despite my current condition aren¡¯t you being extra mean today?¡± Cher¡¯s mouth hung open as she hopelessly retorted. New tears, brought about by a different sort of sadness began to congregate beneath her eyes. ¡°... Idiot.¡± ¡°Stop calling me that!¡± ¡°hah¡­¡± I sighed out once more, turning my gaze away from Cher and looking out into the receding darkness. The slight smile on my face was barely noticeable in the dim of the moonlight. ¡°Do you remember what I said when you first asked to join our group?¡± ¡°Ah¡­ um¡­¡± In the face of my sudden question, she immediately paused. Cher tilted her head and silently thought for a moment before she came out stating, ¡°Didn¡¯t you repeatedly call me Pitiful?¡± ¡°No, you idiot.¡± Her terrible memory caused me to inadvertently sigh once more, ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you, that from now on you¡¯d be my slave?¡± ¡°Eh, Slave?¡± For some weird reason, Cher¡¯s cheeks cramped, and as she mentally processed my statement, a tinge of red quickly colored her pale complexion. ¡°Ah, um, Hide I don¡¯t think now''s the time¡­. but, if you want¡­ but¡­ ah, slave¡­.what should I do¡­.¡± She began creepily muttering to herself, her eyes were swimming in circles around her skull, while a slight line of drool ran down her chin and onto the blanket by her chest. Seeing this reaction, I subconsciously shivered. ¡°No, stop with your weird train of thought! What I¡¯m trying to say is that-¡± In a fit of frustration, I haphazardly scratched at my head of hair, before letting out a tired sigh. ¡°Just because you lost an arm, that doesn¡¯t change the fact that you''re still our vanguard.¡± ¡°...¡± As the words flowed out from my lips, Cher¡¯s eyes slightly widened, as she wordlessly stared at me. Through the veil of darkness and dim moonlight, I hoped that Cher could not see the tinge of growing red on my face.. ¡°...Just because you encountered a little setback doesn¡¯t all of a sudden mean you''re no longer a slave. Manual labor isn¡¯t that easy to escape from.¡± ¡°....¡± ¡°...So, um, depressing thoughts like before¡­ those are useless, pointless infact.¡± ¡°....¡± With one final sigh, I truthfully stated, ¡°No matter what, you¡¯re still part of this party.¡± That¡¯s right, there was no way I could simply just toss Cher aside like an old rag. After all, I hate to admit it, but I¡¯ve grown attached to her. Her idiocy, her sometimes weird comments, her constantly pitiful expressions, she was someone I trusted. One of the only people I¡¯ve grown to trust throughout this whole ordeal. ¡°...¡± Cher, did not say anything for a long while. Her silent awe was sort of overbearing, and together with her constant stare, caused a cold shiver to run down my spine. I could not help but speak idly in order to break the overbearing awkwardness. ¡°So, um, next time, try not to lose your other limb, wait- that sort of thing¡¯s insensitive right now - what I mean to say was that, um, uh¡­¡± In the middle of my jumbled up speech, Cher suddenly laughed lightly. Her eyes squinted in full crescents while her mouth curved upwards into a simple smile. ¡°Thanks, Hide¡­¡± ¡°....No problem.¡± I coughed slightly as I leaned back onto the wall behind me. I readjusted myself in order to gain a more comfortable position before I suddenly jumped up, ¡°Ah, wait¡­ I had something for you¡­.¡± After remembering, I immediately fished around my back pocket and pulled out a thin, ten page long paperback book. Its edges were frayed and splintered, and its original red cover was dull and stained with a more crimson shade of red. ¡°This is¡­¡± Seeing the book, Cher¡¯s eyes followed it closely as her mouth mumbled in curiosity. ¡°Don¡¯t think of this as a gift, but rather, as a shackle.¡± I said in a tone of mock harshness. ¡°Since I¡¯m giving you this, that means you have to work twice as much now.¡± In almost reckless abandonment, I tossed her the precious skill book. She fumbled a bit, before awkwardly catching it with the lap of her thighs. ¡°....¡± She stared listlessly at its cover for a few seconds, before she hugged it close to her chest, and nodded in appreciation. She did not immediately learn the book, but rather, gently placed it on her lap before she leaned back once more, and stared back up at the ceiling. ¡°....¡± ¡°....¡± For a short time, she did not say anything, and neither did I. We stayed in an almost transient like silence, one as peaceful as the gentle pitter patter of rain. This silence was broken by Cher¡¯s abrupt voice, that sliced through the dark and transient night like a hot knife on butter. ¡°Hey, Hide¡­.¡± ¡°Yeah?¡± She hesitated for a moment, but after hearing her swallow down a mouthful of saliva, she continued, ¡°... Let¡¯s escape okay?¡± ¡°....¡± ¡°Let¡¯s leave this dungeon, escape from all the monsters trying to kill us. We¡¯ll go outside, eat something decent for once, and¡­ maybe look for our families or find a safe spot and rebuild our base¡­ Let¡¯s¡­ Let¡¯s make it all work, okay?¡± ¡°....Yeah.¡± I answered simply. Her whimsical, almost childlike expression of her desires was almost¡­ mesmerizing. It was like a bright light at the end of a tunnel. Something rare in a dark and dreary place like this. ¡°We¡¯ll make it work, and maybe if we¡¯re lucky, we can get your arm fixed. I mean, there¡¯s a world full of magic out there waiting for us, something like a limb or two is nothing. Heck, if you want, we could probably get one of those cool bionic arms instead.¡± I turned to Cher with an uncharacteristically optimistic and bright smile. In return, Cher looked at me with a dazed expression, her eyes wide open and her mouth slightly ajar. She maintained this expression for but a split second, before she broke off into an equally as optimistic and bright smile. ¡°Then¡­ I¡¯ll be waiting.¡± She spoke with finality, as she leaned back against the wall and drifted off into content sleep. ***** Author''s Note: If you enjoyed this chapter, or the story please take time to rate or review. Thank you. Chapter 84: A Shield For Her to Wield A Shield For Her to Wield The next few weeks were spent primarily in preparation for the upcoming battle. For Hina, Cielle, and basically everyone else, that meant 2 weeks worth of nonstop training and stat enhancements. Even the non combatants were subjected to this training. After all, though they were not planning on fighting the Dungeon Boss, it did not hurt for them to get even just a little bit stronger. For me though, that time was spent somewhat differently. Being the only one capable of crafting, it was only natural that I¡¯d be put in charge of the armor and weaponry. Aside from the various other matters I dealt with during this time frame, I mainly spent my time inside the workshop, doing the monotonous task of creating equipment. Today was one of those days. It had been a 4 days since we arrived at the East building, and right now I was glaring harshly at a piece of Gila exoskeleton that laid strewn across my cluttered work table. Truth be told, the Gila Corpses were ideal for weapon production. This especially holds true for their night-clad exoskeleton. A Gila carapace had texture and properties reminiscent of actual metal, so I was able to treat it in a fairly similar way as to how a seasoned blacksmith treated a raw piece of iron ore. It also had other advantages, like its general light weightedness - which made it an ideal material for armor - as well as its acid resistance. Considering the fact that Gilas in general were the type of monster to create their own biological acid, I did not find this surprising. What came as a pleasant shock though was the discovery that the Gila exoskeleton could resist Cielle¡¯s newly acquired [Acid Clad]. Of course, the resistance was not absolute. Over exposure to [Acid Clad] led to eventual degradation, but all the same, the Gila exoskeleton had worth as a crafting material. Due to the Gila¡¯s original humanoid shape, a large majority of the exoskeleton was already fitted for human use. This meant my primary job was adjustment and modification in order to turn the already human shaped exoskeleton into something actual humans could use. Mainly, I had to do something about the size difference - since the average Gila, while rather lithe and skinny, was still much larger than a regular sized human. Now, Gila exoskeleton was sturdy, which made it perfect for crafting. But it was because of this sturdiness that I could not use my usual method of crafting. The exoskeletons blade resistance made it almost impossible to utilize my [Dissection] skill properly. I could not shave off the excess and shape the exoskeleton like I did with the Cyclops clubs. In the first place, the exoskeleton was practically a metal, so using a dagger to mold it wasn¡¯t all that efficient. In the end, in order to properly shape and mold the exoskeleton into armor I had to rely on Hina¡¯s assistance. Her magic, especially her control over fire was ideal for crafting, so much so that it would have been impossible otherwise for me to create the exoskeleton armor without her help. I had Hina use her pyrokinesis to directly heat up the exoskeleton. While the carapace had a naturally high resistance to fire, all the same, like almost all metals, once it was heated to a sufficient temperature, the material became malleable and easier to shape. Reaching this temperature was no easy work. At first, just covering the material in flames wasn¡¯t enough, and even then, this method consumed Hina¡¯s mana at an incredible rate. It was after several sessions of trial and error before Hina managed to learn a new sub skill of [Full Element] called [Heat Projection]. Like the name implies, [Heat Projection] was an ability that generated heat. Unlike [Pyrokinesis] which controlled fire, this new skill only dealt with the heat portion. In a sense, it was similar to the difference between a microwave and an open flame. While there was no direct combat usage for [Heat Projection], in terms of crafting and armor creation, it was much more cost effective than when she used [Pyrokinesis]. This allowed her to finally reach high enough temperatures to the point where the exoskeleton¡¯s night clad surface glowed in a fiery red tinge and became malleable enough to manipulate. With the carapace heated and softened, all that was left to do was to properly mold it. This was a considerably simple task. Using the various tools lying around in the workshop - such as the hammer and chisel, I ¡°sculpted¡± the carapace into proper armor - or at least something that vaguely resembled armor. After some modification and a bit of elbow grease, I managed to make the main torso piece out of the original chest section of the exoskeleton. Now, since the original chest section was so much more larger than what I actually needed, I had to cut and separate the material into parts. Afterwards, for the sections around the abdomen, I reattached some of the material by drilling a hole through them using my [Dissect] skill¡¯s [Pierce]. The only reason why I was able to successfully create a hole through the exoskeleton was due to its malleability from the heat. I then reconnected the separate pieces and held them in place with some steel bolts I found lying around the workshop. This created a sort of hinge that allowed the wearer to actually move and twist their torso along with the armor. As opposed to just one rigid piece of metal that, while covering the whole body of the person, limited their movement at the same time, crafting the armor this way allowed for more mobility while still maintaining its original defensive capabilities. I used the leftover parts from the chest piece to create shoulder guards. Meanwhile, I separately crafted the back portion of the armor using other pieces of carapace before later connecting it to the front piece using leather straps I scavenged off various furniture, and jackets lying around the east building. I created arm guards and elbow pads using the same method I used to create the torso armor. I could not due the same with the leg guards though, mostly because they limited the wearer¡¯s mobility to the point where running and other movements were next to impossible to pull off. Considering the fact that almost everyone relied on rapid movement in battle, this was a fatal flaw in design, and at my current level, I had no means of overcoming it. In the end, I had to limit myself to creating knee braces for the lower half of the body. After the completion of my first set of armor, I gained the sub skill, [Armor Crafting].
Armor Crafting - Allows for the crafting of armor with innate attributes (i.e. stats, damage, durability, etc.)
On the other hand, the finished set of armor turned out pretty good.
Gila Armor An armor set crafted out of the exoskeleton from a Black Plated Gila. The crafter¡¯s inexperience has weakened some of the piece¡¯s original potential. Set Bonus: +16 + 25 (50)(16) Defense + 5 (50) Physical Resistance +12 (50) Magic Resistance Durability: 60/60 [Equip] Skill Bonus +5 Strength +10 Agility Familiarity: 50+ Level Requirement: 20 [Crafter Exempted]
The set bonus was a new feature that I had not encountered up until now, although honestly speaking, that wasn¡¯t all that surprising, considering I¡¯ve never truly made anything nor had I encountered anything that truly classified as a ¡°set¡±. Going by what I could infer, the Set bonus increased the Armor¡¯s main stat, which, in this case, just so happened to be [Defense]. In addition, thanks to this new piece of equipment, I now had access to the stats, [Physical Resistance], and [Magic Resistance], which would undoubtedly increase my battle potential in the near future. While the armor itself did indeed turn out well, due to its level requirements, not everyone could properly benefit from it. After securing the East Building, everyone¡¯s level had grown, but not everyone had made it past level 20. After using [Identify] on everyone after the battle, this was what their current levels looked like: Hina: Level 33 Cielle: Level 32 Cher: Level 21 The President: Level 28 Kido: Level 26 Emiko: Level 21 The Teacher: Level 18 The surviving twin: Level 17 Kido¡¯s Childhood Friend: Level 15 The Transfer student: Level 15 Wizard Hat: Level 13 The rest of the noncombatants ranged from level 1 to level 4. The one who experienced the most growth would undoubtedly be Kido, who once again, jumped a total of 9 levels. Everyone else experienced various levels of growth based on how many kills they acquired during battle. Unfortunately, Cher was still stuck at level 21, mostly because she was unconscious throughout the whole time everyone else cleared out the East Building. Now, out of everyone present, 5 people, two from the president¡¯s group, and 3 from Kido¡¯s group, could not benefit from the effects of the new armor set. For those level 16 and above, I could always give them the [Cyclops Replica Torso Armor], which I had crafted earlier, but that still left 3 others who were too underleveled to benefit from the armor. Thinking about it, the Wizard Hat girl and the Surviving Twin were both inherently ranged fighters, thus defense wasn¡¯t really their main priority. Despite that though, that still left two people with insufficient equipment. ¡°....¡± In order to overcome this, I decided to create makeshift spears out of the remaining Gila exoskeletons. Spears were an ideal weapon for people with almost no combat experience. Hopefully, the versatility and convenience of the spear can overcome whatever shortages those two from Kido¡¯s group have. Now, I had something special in mind for the spears I was going to make. First off, I needed to make something I¡¯ve been itching to make ever since I read up on it back in the library. In fact, I¡¯ve been reading up a lot about crafting ever since I first got access to the books at the library. The things I¡¯ve learned so far, such as the malleability of metal, or the basic structure of a slingshot, were all things I¡¯ve either recently learned at the library or from my prior knowledge before the apocalypse. One of the things that really caught my interest was a foundry. Foundry¡¯s were things that produced metal castings. They did this by melting the metal, and then either pouring the liquid metal into a mold or casting the metal after it has solidified. Dealing with metal was an inevitability for someone like me, whose path has been basically laid out due to the sometimes inconvenient [Equip] skill of mine. Sooner or later, I was bound to construct objects with metal as my base. In fact, I¡¯ve done something similar with the metal-like exoskeleton of the Gila. The plan was to make a makeshift foundry using the materials around the East building, and Hina¡¯s convenient skill set. To start off, I needed a metal container as the base of my foundry. I found a few empty oil barrels by the generator in the bomb shelter, which was perfect for the things I had in mind. Not only was the barrell made out of metal, it was also large enough to where even individual pieces of the bulky Gila carapace could fit comfortably inside. After procuring the metal container, I had Hina help with creating the inner lining of the foundry. An inner lining was necessary so that the heat generated within the foundry could properly circulate and reach high enough levels to melt metal. To do this, I needed the inner lining to be something similar to cement. Now at first, I hoped that there would be some leftover cement near the unfinished classrooms down below, but as luck would have it, there were none. Only a couple of paint buckets, a tool box, and some spare bolts and pieces. To improvise, I used the soil from the passageway in the Bomb shelter and some destroyed cement and rubble from the explosion site as my base. Hina was the one responsible for mixing and melding the materials together into something that hopefully had similar consistency to cement. At first, Hina had a difficult time with the whole process. The earth element was her weakest speciality, and as if to raise the hurdle even higher, the substance we were aiming to create wasn¡¯t just simple earth and soil, but rather cement (or at least something similar). Seeing Hina¡¯s troubled expression and obvious frustration, I proposed that we abandon our current method, and instead switch to making use of Hina¡¯s [Hydrokinesis] and [Pyrokinesis] in order to create a wet mixture of dirt, rubble, and water as our pseudo-cement. The plan was to accelerate the natural drying process using [Pyrokinesis] while making sure the substance did not dry out too fast with [Hydrokinesis]. Doing it this way would create a weaker and more vulnerable inner lining, but seeing the wall we had come across, I was prepared to make some sacrifices. ¡°No, that won¡¯t do. We shouldn¡¯t give up so easily.¡± In the end though, Hina herself was adamant at sticking to her earth spells. Her enthusiasm and unexpected determination caught me off guard at first. I mean, I had no idea she was so determined and so equally obstinate about the foundry¡­ It was only later that I finally figured out that Hina didn¡¯t really care about my foundry. Rather, it was her weakness that she hated. After Cher had awakened, Hina became much more determined in strengthening and increasing both her skill levels and stats. If I were to make a comparison, then Hina was probably only second to Kido in terms of determination and growth. To her, the creation of the foundry- no, even helping me out in general with my crafting was just another part of her training. And the wall that was called earth creation was just another trial in Hina¡¯s training. After some intensive practicing within the Passageway (the only real place with actual ground and soil, within the whole school), Hina finally managed to learn [Lesser Terrakinesis], which finally completed the quadrumvirate of elements that composed of Hina¡¯s [Full Element]. After acquiring [Lesser Terrakinesis], Hina¡¯s [Full Element] skill also jumped by leaps and bounds, increasing her skill level to beginner level 9, one level away from intermediate. Now, as for the cement¡­ in the end, we fused both methods together in order to create the inner lining of the barrel. First, Hina acted as a cement mixer, and mixed a combination of water, soil, and rubble in order to make our cement. Her [Terrakinesis] allowed her to purge out and separate the impurities from the mixture, while effectively mixing the components until there was no longer a clear distinction between the original ingredients. Next, we packed the bottom and the inner walls of the empty oil barrel with cement. Again, Hina¡¯s [Terrakinesis] was used in conjunction with her [Pyrokinesis] and [Hydrokinesis] to compress and pack the walls more tightly than ever, while at the same time accelerating the drying process. By repeatedly wetting with [Hydrokinesis], then compacting with [Terrakinesis], and finally drying with [Pyrokinesis], we were able to create a sturdy inner lining that was almost indistinguishable from the school¡¯s regular concrete walls. Afterwards, I created a little hole near the bottom of the barrel. This would act as the air supply tube of the foundry. As the name implies, an air supply tube was meant to deliver air inside the barrel, with the purpose of increasing circulation and subsequently increasing the temperature of the foundry. As for the crucible or container that holds the liquified metal while inside the foundry, I decided to use a twelve and a half quart stainless steel bucket that I had found inside the workshop. For the lid of the foundry, I had Hina create a simple cement lid made with the same mixture as the inner lining of the barrel, before I drilled a 3 inch diameter hole through its center. The lid helps to retain the heat of the foundry, while the hole was designed to prevent the pressure inside from building up. After assembling everything together, we finally managed to make a make shift foundry, one that I was rather satisfied with. All that was left was the coal needed in order to sustain the fire inside the foundry. Unfortunately, there was nothing similar inside the Bomb shelter. Fortunately though, compared to creating the foundry, making coal was a lot easier. I took another empty oil barrel, filled the container with as much scavenged wood as I could find, before I set it aflame and left it overnight. The next day, the ¡°coal¡± was ready for use. ***** Starting up the foundry, I placed a few pieces of coal inside the barrel, just enough to fill one layer full of coal. Next, I placed the crucible (the steel bucket) inside the barrel, before I filled the rest of the foundry with coal, and placed the lid on top. I then started the fire, while Hina acted as the air supply and funnelled air into the barrel through the tube. Sweat dripped down Hina¡¯s brow as the wind around us fluctuated and flowed directly into the tube. At the same time, the temperatures grew higher and higher within the container. It did not take 15 minutes before the foundry had blazed in a orange hue, while a slight tinge of red coated the stainless steel bucket inside. As the heat intensified, Hina¡¯s face contorted in consternation. Fueling the air into the bucket was taking quite a toll on her and slowly but surely her mana was steadily decreasing. She shot me a determined glance before silently nodding in approval. While wearing welding gloves, I opened the lid, and began placing pieces of Gila exoskeleton inside the steel bucket. Obviously, due to size constraints, I could not place any of the larger pieces of carapace, like the chest or back pieces because they simply would not fit inside the bucket. But luckily, the carapace covered the entirety of a Gila, so there were smaller, more size suitable pieces to choose from, like the leg guard, or an elbow piece. The bucket filled to the brim with assorted pieces before I once again closed the lid. Hina and I then waited for the foundry to do its work and turn the exoskeleton into liquified metal. ¡°Will you be okay?¡± I asked Hina as she continually funneled air into the foundry. Going by her current facial expression, one marred in sweat and contorted in fatigue, I could easily tell that continually using her magic was taking a toll on her mind. ¡°I¡¯m¡­ hah¡­ I¡¯m fine.¡± In response, she nodded bitterly. ¡°At first, it was hard- maintaining the air like this, but over time¡­ hah¡­ it¡¯s getting easier.¡± She explained that helping me out was actually good training for her. Like with her [Pyrokinesis] and earth control, which had grown while we were building the foundry, her [Aerokinesis] and control over air had increased as she continually supplied wind into the foundry. Primarily, this was apparently a good method of increasing not only Hina¡¯s control over air, but also increasing her [Magic Endurance] stat. ¡°Also, I discovered that, while simply funneling air into the barrel took up a considerable amount of my mana, revolving the air currently inside the container was much more effective.¡± She additionally explained. ¡°Not only did it cause the temperature inside to rise at a faster pace, it also improved my control by leaps and bounds while cutting my mana consumption into almost two thirds of what it was originally¡­ ...And this actually gave me an idea for a new method of attack¡­ so I¡¯m more than satisfied.¡± Hina smiled knowingly as she turned back to stare at the foundry with somewhat tired, yet satisfied eyes. I did not say anything further afterwards, and simply waited for the exoskeleton to melt. And melt it did. As time passed by, the exoskeleton melted like liquified aluminum and filled the bottom of the steel container with boiling hot, yet somewhat glossy liquid. And as the carapace melted, I continually added more and more new pieces, slowly increasing the amount of liquid metal in the bucket until it was filled almost four fifths of the way to the top. Now, in order to make a mold for the spears I was making, I was planning on using steel pipes that were originally used as part of the school¡¯s water system. The pipes I was planning on using were 3 inches in diameter and were 72 inches in height. Obviously, using something this large as a mold would result in a gigantic weapon, a spear that would rival the height and thickness of the pole arm that dropped from the Ipotani Elite, but in a way, this also had its advantages. After the carapace fully melted, I poured the metal liquid into the galvanized steel pipe. I made sure to cover the end of the pipe so that the liquid would not flow out of the pipe. Doing so allowed the metal liquid to fill the pipe and mold to its shape. This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it. We waited for about 30 minutes for the liquid inside the pipe to harden. Afterwards, I sliced open the pipe using [Dissection], revealing the metal pole that had taken its shape. This was the foundation of spear. For now, it was a pole that was slightly smaller than its original mold. Measuring around 2.5 inches in diameter, and about 69 inches in height, its measurements already towered over its intended owner. What was surprising though was that, despite its overwhelming size, the pole was rather light, measuring only a little bit more than my Customized Cyclops club. Right now, the pole could hardly be called a spear. It was more like a staff, or a pole arm. In order for it to be called a proper spear, it needed a sharpened edge. In order to achieve this, I welded the tip of a Gila tail to one end of the pole. With the parts connected, the spear was coming along really well, but I was concerned that due to the original nature of the exoskeleton and its weakness to blunt impact, the resulting weapon would be weak against tanking hits. In order to enforce the pole, I welded a few more additional pieces of carapace onto the pole, and told Hina to use [Heat Projection] onto the pole before I compressed the new pieces down by hammering the new additions firmly into place. The end result was a spear that strangely resembled a rigid Gila tail.
Gila Spear A spear smelted and crafted out of the exoskeleton from a Black Plated Gila. The crafter¡¯s inexperience has weakened some of the piece¡¯s original potential. Damage: 60- 75 + 20 (50) Attack + 5 (50) Vitality Durability: 45/45 [Equip] Skill Bonus +25 Strength + 5 Defense Familiarity: 50+ Level Requirement: 15 [Crafter Exempted]
Luckily, the end result was a good weapon that was barely within the level requirements for the two people who needed this weapon. As I wiped away a frantic cold sweat, I also noticed that much like my time crafting the armor, I also gained another sub-skill to my [All Purpose Crafting].
Blacksmithing - The beginning foundations to mastering the forge.
With a satisfied smile, I gently placed the newly crafted spear on my work table, along side the finished pieces of armor I had previously created. **** A few more days had passed, and it was already the 5th day before the Dungeon Boss fight. Throughout this whole time, I continued to create more armor and spears . Hina worked along side with me throughout all the whole process, all the while training her skills and steadily increasing her stats. In the end, I ended up making seven sets of armor and three spears. Obviously, the armor went to those who could actually equip it, while the ones who couldn¡¯t were given the old Cyclops replica torso armor to use. In addition, the spears went to Kido¡¯s childhood friend, the transfer student, and the teacher from the President¡¯s group, whom I noticed a while ago was pretty bad at handling the sword. Now, while I finally managed to successfully create new armor and weapons for the others, there was still something I needed to do. As Hina walked into the workshop early in the morning the next day, she quickly noticed that I was already preparing the foundry for use. ¡°Weren¡¯t we already done?¡± Hina asked curiously. She had been with me throughout the whole process, and knew full well that in terms of armor and weapons, I had no further plans of creating anymore anytime soon. ¡°Not yet,¡± I shook my head as I filled the bottom layer of the barrel with fresh coal. ¡°This time¡­ I¡¯m planning on creating a shield.¡± Upon hearing this, Hina¡¯s eyes momentarily widened in a daze before realization dawned upon her. This new shield was obviously meant for Cher. Due to the battle with Satou, both of Cher¡¯s shields were badly damaged beyond repair. Up until now, she never had a proper replacement, and had been using an impromptu shield that had been hastily created with the surface of an old desk as her replacement while she practiced and trained with everybody else. While this makeshift shield of hers was good for practice, and perfect for getting her used to her missing arm, in a real battle, it would be useless. Much less the Dungeon Boss, it wouldn¡¯t even last a fraction of a second against a regular Minotaur. Cher needed a new shield, and she needed one soon. Realizing this, a sort of bitter micro expression contorted Hina¡¯s face for a fraction of a second before it instantly shifted, replaced by a resolute glare. With eyes blazing with determination, Hina unexpectedly grasped my hands, causing me to jump in surprise, before she stated with as much conviction as she could muster. ¡°Let me help- No, please let me help you.¡± I was caught off guard by her sudden change in attitude, and for a moment I did not know how to respond. Looking into her eyes, I knew full well what had been bothering her throughout all this time, but at this moment, it was only now that I realized exactly how deep she had drowned herself in self loathing. I knew for a fact that Cher had not blamed Hina for what had happened back then, but I never truly realized just how much Hina had blamed herself. I response to her determination, I slowly nodded, and gestured towards the foundry, before stating, ¡°... then, if I can get your help¡­.¡± **** The first thing we needed was a mold. For the mold, I used the bottom six inches of another empty oil barrel. It was an ideal mold, mostly because the barrel itself had a wide enough diameter for a proper shield, and that its circular shape was also perfect for Cher¡¯s current fighting style. After acquiring the mold, I kept myself busy by digging out a shallow pit inside the workshop. I lined the pit up with some coal before I set it ablaze and placed a metal lid over the pit. While I was busy creating the pit, the foundry was working at full capacity thanks to Hina¡¯s efforts, and soon, the carapace had melted into liquid metal. With quick, yet careful movements, I poured the metal directly into the mold, and watched as it slowly took on its circular shape, and solidified into place. This was to be the base of Cher¡¯s new shield, and after the slab of metal had completely cooled, I quickly removed it from the mold, and placed it into the ensuing flames and chaotic embers of the pit. With Hina¡¯s help, the fire within the pit intensified, and the circular base of Cher¡¯s new shield glowed with a tinge of menacing red. Once the metal had heated up to a point where it glowed bright red, I quickly took the slab out with a pair of industrial tongs and placed it onto the concrete floor below. With no time to waste, I took a hammer, and began hammering down on the piece of metal beneath me. Sparks flew, and my face was assaulted with heated air that had enough power to completely evaporate the sweat on my brow even before they had the chance to form. I hammered away onto the piece of metal, ignoring the numbing sensation that was quickly overtaking my arm. I did this to get rid of the impurities within the shield, as well as to compress it down and make it thinner than it already was. I continued to hammer away until the metal had began to cool. By this point, the base was less than a fourth of an inch thick, and it was considerably wider than it had been before. Before the metal could completely cool, I placed it back into the pit, while I added new pieces of exoskeleton into the foundry. Hina operated the foundry at the same time she operated the pit. This took a considerable toll on her, but even when I insisted that she rest, she was adamant, and kept working, all the while the resolute expression on her face persisted. Her determined voice that constantly repeated, ¡°I¡¯m fine, I¡¯m fine,¡± and ¡°I can still keep going¡± were both unconvincing yet trustworthy. After the metal slab inside the pit was once again burning with a bright red glow, I took it out and hammered it down once more. This time, I folded the metal, before hammering it, and shaping it into what it had originally looked like. After this was done, instead of putting it back into the pit, I dropped the slab into a liquid solution so that it could cool. Meanwhile, a fresh batch of carapace had successfully turned into liquid metal. I placed the cooled original slab of metal - the base of the shield - back into the mold, before I poured in the fresh batch of liquid metal over it. When it finished cooling, the new batch and the original base had melded together to form one sole slab of black circular metal. I removed this piece of metal before placing it into the pit. And once again, I repeated the process of waiting for it to heat up before removing it and hammering it down into shape. Unlike before though, I did not fold the metal, but rather, chose to compress it down as much as I could without increasing the diameter of the metal. Afterwards I cooled it once more, as another batch of carapace melted inside the foundry. Before pouring the new batch of liquid metal into the mold, I placed the original slab of metal back inside, this time with the newly added layer on the bottom of the mold. Again, I repeated the process of pouring, cooling, heating, and hammering. I continually repeated this set of actions for a total of 20 times. That meant that the original base- the foundation of the shield was surrounded by 10 layers of new metal on both sides. Throughout the whole process I probably burned through 2 and a half worth of exoskeletons. This was probably the most work intensive crafting I¡¯ve ever committed myself to. Not only was I constantly moving around, from pit to foundry, then back again, but also the hammering itself, which only continually and progressively increased in difficulty as more and more new layers were stacked on top of the original, was quite stamina draining. I ended up devouring 2 stamina potions in order to maintain my uninterrupted work. By the end of it all, both my arms were numb and red with exhaustion. My mouth was dry, and so was my skin, and my mind was covered in a thick haze of exhaustion. Despite that though, Hina was probably working the hardest out of both of us. Even while she continually funneled air into the foundry, at the same time, she went out of her way to increase the flames within the pit. Although her face cramped and her back was drenched in sweat, she did not complain even once. Even when she reached her limit, and almost ran out of mana halfway through the whole process, Hina still continued and instead used a bellows - one that we had found earlier inside the supply closet of the workshop - to continually keep the foundry at a steady temperature. After she recovered her enough mana, she once again used magic with no hesitation whatsoever. Throughout all this, the determined expression on Hina¡¯s face did not falter. Rather, that same expression only envigored as the shield drew closer and closer to its completion. Due to the excessive hammering, the shield did not end up being excessively bulky, rather, it was less than an inch in thickness, but it did become way heavier than expected. This was probably due to all the numerous layers that were stacked onto the small surface area available. Because of all these layers, the exoskeletons weakness to blunt impact was negated. While this was indeed a good thing, as expected, the shield had an immense superiority against bladed weaponry. With the shield nearing its completion, Hina, who had accomplished 150% of what her body could handle, collapsed onto the workshop floor. Her hair was matted to her face, and her chest continually heaved heavily, up and down, greedily sucking in the heated air around her. Even while being fully aware of the consequences, Hina had knowingly pushed herself beyond her limits, before finally succumbing to all three, [Physical Exhaustion], [Mana Exhaustion], and [Mental Strain]. Her eyes were barely open, and her skin was red and dry. Despite all this, Hina had on a satisfied smile the whole time. In a raspy, weakened voice, yet somehow enthusiastic voice, she said, ¡°I¡¯ll leave the rest to you Hide¡­¡± ¡°...¡± Instead of complaining or asking for help, in her current situation, Hina had instead given me words of encouragement. No, they weren¡¯t words of encouragement, but rather words that continually urged me towards the completion of the shield. They were selfish, unassuming words that cared not for my own physical well being. I could not help but smile at this realization. ¡°Good job today, Hina.¡± I responded, not caring that Hina had just passed out a few seconds ago and probably couldn¡¯t hear me, ¡°You can rest easy now, I¡¯ll be sure to handle the rest.¡± **** After the completion of the main body of the shield, the next step was to attach a handle. Compared to the almost 10 hour straight hammering session from earlier, this wasn¡¯t that particularly hard of a task to accomplish. I welded a metal arm brace and a metal handle on one side of the shield. Afterwards, I lined up the insides of the brace and handle with some leather. This was to prevent any chaffing when Cher used the shield, as well as to provide some form of resistance in case the shield got struck by fire or something similar. With the shield handle created, and with its surface smoothed down and sanded, I took a step back to admire it. Unfortunately, the more I looked, the more and more dissatisfied I became. Something was missing. The shield itself was wide, almost 3 and a half feet in diameter. It was indeed a perfect tool for defending, but in the end that was all it was good for. With its circular shape, it had no means of attack. Back when Cher had both her arms, she had dual wielded two shields, one which focused on defense, and one which focused on attack. Taking all this into consideration, for her new shield, I needed to fuse both these interconnecting elements of offense and defense into one single shield. With that idea in mind, I thought about it, and ultimately decided to add a protrusion to the shield. I took one of the black long swords that the others had acquired and removed the hilt and handle, exposing the sword in all its metal glory, before placing it into the pit to heat up. Due to the constant use it recently went through, the pit was still hot enough to operate, even without Hina¡¯s cooperation. Afterwards, I removed the arm brace and handle from earlier, and smelted a thin layer of leftover liquid metal onto the inside of the shield. This time, rather than pouring it directly onto the shield, I placed the heated long sword in between the shield and the new layer of liquid metal. This way, once the metal fully cooled, the sword would remain held in place. I positioned the sword in such a way so that a good foot and a half of it stuck out from the shield¡¯s main body. When the new layer of metal finally cooled, I further welded the edges of the shield where it connected with the edges of the protruding sword together. This was to further make sure that the sword and the shield would not separate, but instead fuse into one sole object. Afterwards, I reattached the arm brace and handle over the new layer of metal. The end result was my most well crafted item to date. After its completion, unlike my previously crafted items, when I used [Identify] on it, a new window panel suddenly blinked into life in front of me. ding!
Please name your newly crafted weapon.
¡°...¡± I thought for a moment. While this was certainly new, I took it as a sort of evaluation by the system. This meant that the shield I created was at a level where even the system was forced to admit to the beauty of its design. While this realization did somewhat stroke my ego, currently, that did not matter. I was faced with a new challenge of naming my new creation. I agonized over it for a few minutes before I ultimately came to the realization that I was really bad at naming things. In the end, I went with something rather simple and easy to remember¡­. After naming it, a new panel popped up in front of me. ding!
Cher¡¯s Shield A well crafted shield made with carapace of a Black Plated Gila. It is an unusual shield in that it both emphasizes defense and attack. It can be classified as both a shield with a sword attached, and as a sword with a shield attached. Damage: 50 - 85 + 45 (50) Defense + 35 (50) Strength +15 (50) Agility + 10 (50) Physical Resistance + 15 (50) Magic Resistance +5 (50) Vitality +5 (50) Endurance Durability: 120/120 [Equip] Skill Bonus +30 Strength + 15 Defense (???) Familiarity: 50+ Level Requirement: 45 [Crafter Exempted]
The name aside, without a doubt, this truly was my most well crafted item to date, and as if to prove my point, its level requirement was insanely high. Unlike my previous shields, [Cher¡¯s Shield] had a damage count, similar to how weapons had a damage count. Additionally, its boosts were insane, not only on a numerical value, but also by the sheer amount of stats it augmented. For me, who had an immediate 50 points added to whatever stats the shield augmented due to familiarity, this was probably the best weapon possible. And if that wasn¡¯t enough, it also gave me access to the new stat, [Endurance]. While this shield was indeed amazing, its level requirement was extremely harsh. A level requirement of 45¡­ Without the crafter exemption, even I wouldn¡¯t be able to equip this beast of a shield. At Cher¡¯s current level, there¡¯s no way she was capable of equipping this. Well, normally that is¡­ After Cher¡¯s experience with Satou, and after she woke up, Cher learned the new skill I gave her, [Fever Burst]. At the time, after she successfully learned the skill, she checked her status window, only to find out that she had gained a new title. And as luck would have it, it wasn¡¯t just any title, but rather a class title. The same type as Hina¡¯s [Grand Magus], or Cielle¡¯s [Healer]. Cher¡¯s new title was named [Guardian]. According to her, [Guardian] gave a 50% boost to defense, halved any physical and magical damage she received, doubled her stamina, and gave a 45% decrease in level requirement towards any shield or defensive equipment. The title itself and its effects aside, the 45% decrease in level requirement meant that to wield this weapon, Cher needed to be at least level 25. With Cher¡¯s current level of 21, she could not properly benefit from the new weapon, and needed four additional levels. ¡°If that¡¯s the case, then there¡¯s only one thing to do¡­¡± I mumbled silently to myself as the fatigue from the day overtook me. While thoughts and ideas of the day to come filled my head, I slumped down next to Hina before closing my eyes and falling asleep, embracing the mental and physical exhaustion that had long since overtaken my body. ***** Author''s Note: This was a bit taxing to write, primarily because of all the things I had to look up for the crafting part. If there are readers with experience towards the things I''ve mentioned in the chapter (like with the foundry and stuff), please don''t hesitate to point out any mistakes I might have made. While I did try my hand at research, it''s still probable that I might have made a mistake. Anyways, like usual, if you liked this chapter, or like this story in general, please rate and review. I''m not going to lie, CNW is about to hit 400 votes/total ratings and I''m sort of excited for that. >_< Chapter 85: Hanging by a Thread Hanging by a Thread While I did recover somewhat the next day, I¡¯d be lying if I said I was feeling completely refreshed. My arm was still tingling, flakes of dried skin were constantly peeling from various parts of my body, and for some reason, a heavy sense of fatigue stubbornly lingered around me this morning. While I was far from perfect, my personal feelings did not matter. Counting today, there were exactly two more days before the scheduled final raid. Of course, we could always extend that deadline, but¡­ deep down, I, and everyone else around me felt that if we were to do that¡­ If we were to somehow show any signs of giving up - even if they were small, almost insignificant actions¡­ then something¡­ something might just break inside. That¡¯s why, because of this vague, sentimental, and mostly baseless feeling, despite my current condition, I forced myself to act. Right now, I was waiting by the hallway that connected the first floors of the East and main buildings. Going by appearances alone, the scenery of giant felled stone and destroyed concrete had not changed. It looked both imposing and uncrossable, but I knew better. After numerous ventures, I- ¡°Hide! Sorry!¡± From the distance, I heard an energetic, and at the same time, fatigued voice call towards me. I swiftly swiveled my head to face the corridor I had just come from, and saw a familiar girl with striking red hair, green vibrant eyes, and a figure that could be judged as ¡°above-average¡±... maybe more than that, depending on a person¡¯s individual tastes. While I continued to stare as the familiar person approached, her most striking feature soon came into view. A severed right arm, cut off near the base of her elbow. ¡°Ah, Hide, s-sorry to keep you waiting¡­¡± Cher repeated in a fatigued voice after finally reaching me. She doubled over and rested her remaining hand onto her knees, while she took deep and purposeful breaths. Her chest constantly heaved up and down while the air she expired was both ragged and uneven. A thin layer of sweat persisted on her flushed red face. While she did look fatigued, I knew better than that. For someone at Cher¡¯s level, a mild run from the base to here wasn¡¯t enough to deplete so much stamina. Rather, her current appearance was due to nervousness. That was only natural though, after all, our destination for today was the monster infested main building. As Cher recovered, she looked up at me with somewhat jittery eyes. Those same eyes momentarily widened as she dumbly stared at me. Her once weary and nervous expression suddenly shifted to one of incredulity. She was at a lost for words, as she dazedly opened and closed her mouth several times without making a single noise. ¡°I-I see you¡¯re all prepared¡­¡± Cher finally managed to mumble out in a half daze while her green eyes scanned over my body with timid curiosity. ¡°Huh?¡± after feeling Cher¡¯s strong stare, and hearing her voice, I could not help but reflexively look down on myself. Draped around my shoulder and chest was a thick roll of rope. The rope constricted tightly around my body, but despite its appearance, it posed no real threat to my movement. On my waist was a less than aesthetic brown belt. Its appearance wasn¡¯t the most charming, which was understandable, considering this belt used to be a utility belt- the type handymen and electricians wore. I had customized the belt a while ago, removing almost all of its pockets while adding more and more place holders. Right now, this utility belt was filled to the brim with a various assortment of daggers Some of them were the old goblin daggers I¡¯ve kept up until now, while others were crudely created bladed weapons with hardly anything one might call a grip. These I had created out of the spare exoskeleton I had back when I was still making armor. In truth, they were more lumps of metal than actual knives or daggers, but since I¡¯ve sharpened them to a fine enough extent where they could cut paper with ease, their lethality was unquestionable- at least to normal humans. In addition to the daggers, I also kept marbles, a box of matches, a few vials of Gila blood (which I discovered doesn¡¯t melt through glass), as well as a couple of health and stamina potions. These I held in the only pocket that I did not remove. Along with that, hanging to the side of my waist was a thinner set of rope, this one rolled up in a bundle with a hook like apparatus hanging at the end of it. This was an impromptu grappling hook, one I fashioned by breaking off and bending the metal lining of the edge of a shelf that I found in the bomb shelter. It wasn¡¯t the most durable, nor was it the most aesthetically pleasing, but in an emergency, it was capable of holding my weight for at least a couple of seconds- and for me, that was enough. In short, I was decked out with all sorts of gear. I had brought everything I could possibly bring- including my two most used weapons. The wooden club was strapped firmly onto my back with an impromptu sling, while [Efhermet]¡¯s dagger was tucked safely in a leg strap I fashioned the same time I had made the utility belt. And it goes without saying that I was currently wearing my new armor... The only thing missing were the black longsword, the giant pole arm and the ax, which I deemed too large for the type of operation we were about to embark on. ¡°Ah¡­ well,¡± I coughed lightly as I absentmindedly patted the rope that curled around my chest. ¡°We¡¯re going to be a bit busy today, so I thought it would be best to be prepared.¡± After pausing and considering what I had said, I then added in a somewhat nonchalant tone, ¡°After all, you could die in an instant out there, so it''s definitely best to err on the side of caution.¡± ¡°Hahaha¡­¡± Cher weakly laughed as she straightened her back and adjusted the armor she wore over her clothes. She looked a bit uncomfortable in her new armor, especially around her chest area, which I noticed for the first time was a bit too tight fitting¡­ She ambiguously scratched at her stump, while staring at me in a somewhat over exaggerated manner. ¡°The way you say things like that so casually¡­ it¡¯s kind of scary Hide.¡± In response, I shrugged, as I turned around and began walking over to the pile of rubble ahead of us. ¡°Not as scary as what¡¯s out there.¡± I motioned as I bent over and began inspecting the wall of destroyed concrete ¡°Ah¡­ You come in a close second.¡± Cher added lightly as she trailed behind me. ¡°Stop complaining already, idiot. Help me find the hole.¡± ¡°Uuuu¡­¡± Cher weakly groaned as if she were physically pained. As she crouched down besides me, and began timidly touching the wall, she mumbled out under her breath, ¡°There¡¯s absolutely no love in Hide¡¯s words¡­¡± ¡°Huh, did you say something?¡± ¡°Nothing at all, MASTER.¡± Remembering our conversation from before, she sarcastically commented with a pout¡­ Well, although I say sarcastically, for some strange reason, when the word ¡°master¡± escaped her throat, her face had turned a shade redder, and her breathe had gone a bit more ragged, although it was really hard to tell considering she was already like that before. As we dug around the wall, I moved with purposeful actions. My hands began removing various stones of differing sized while at the same time, I dusted off some layer of soot and debris that had started to form. Cher who was right besides me, had on a curious expression as she stared at me. Like in true useless fashion, she was not actually helping, but rather, just sat there gawking. While I was working, she could not help but comment. ¡°...I have a feeling this isn¡¯t really your first time going back into the building like this¡­¡± ¡°Well, you¡¯re not wrong.¡± Finding no reason to hide it, I truthfully answered as I continued to dig around the rubble, trying to find that ne sweet spot where I knew the hole was at. ¡°But since there¡¯s a burden coming along today, I can¡¯t be too complacent.¡± In response to my snide remark, Cher gasped as if she had been shot in the chest with a galvanized steel arrow. ¡°Mean! That¡¯s really mean!¡± She pitifully shouted with an expression on the verge of tears. She instantly shot up and stomped her foot down onto the broken tile below. The wooden shield she carried on her back jumped with her. ¡°You¡¯re not even helping me right now...¡± I commented while I once sidedly worked. ¡°We¡¯re not even in the main building and already you¡¯re a burden!¡± She ignored my words, and instead pouted in a somewhat childish way. If she were a bit younger, I would have found it cute. Cher sat back down and began helping me, all the while though, she mumbled with a dissatisfied expression etched onto her face. ¡°Lately, I¡¯ve noticed that Hide discriminates between girls¡­ you always treat Cielle and Hina way nicer than me¡­Although I don¡¯t particularly mind¡­ but sometimes I¡¯d like to be treated like a proper lady though¡­¡± ¡°Che-¡± I scoffed, without turning around. ¡°I¡¯ve also noticed that lately you¡¯ve gotten a lot more talkative¡­¡± ¡°Eh? What was that? Did you say something?¡± ¡°Nothing, idiot.¡± I ignored any further ramblings from that scatterbrained redhead and refocused my attention on the task at hand. After an extra minute of searching I finally found the hole that Cielle had helped me carve out a few weeks ago. Without hesitation, I cleared the debris that blocked the hole aside, before plunging head first into its crevice. As the darkness and concrete enveloped me, I began to crawl forward, momentarily leaving behind the bewildered Cher on the other side. She was quick to follow though, and, with some slight difficulty due to her one arm, she delved into the hole, and together, we quickly made our way into the Main building. **** Previously, in order to map out the route the smaller group would take during the upcoming battle, I had ventured numerous times out into the main building. At the same time, I used this opportunity to strengthen myself. And it goes without saying that up until now, I¡¯ve always ventured out alone. To me, for this type of operation where stealth was favored over raw output, being alone was actually more beneficial. Today was different though. Cher was accompanying me, so while I do already have some experience, the outcome of today was still questionable. I exited the hole and arrived on the other side of an empty, almost desolate hallway. I looked around, the familiar scene illuminated by the morning¡¯s sunlight was almost breathtaking. Even the destroyed infrastructure and countless blood stains could not ruin that ephemeral illusion for me. ¡°Ah, Uh¡­ Hide, help me- guh, please¡­¡± As I was taking everything in, from behind me, a pathetic sounding voice wafted forward. Turning around, I saw Cher, who was currently struggling at the exit of the hole. Only her upper body stuck out, while the rest was still firmly embedded into the hole. Looking closely, it was her wooden shield that restricted her movements. It was too wide to properly fit through the narrow hole. After loosening and rearranging some of the concrete, Cher popped out like the contents of a newly opened can of sardines. She groaned as she crawled forward and sprawled down beside my feet. Seeing her like this, I helplessly shrugged before bending down and- in the face of Cher¡¯s protests - forced her back onto her feet. ¡°This was why I couldn¡¯t let you bring the shield along.¡± I offhandedly commented. ¡°It wouldn¡¯t have fit through the hole.¡± As she was reminded of this, her pitiful groans subsided, only to be replaced by a drawn out, and forlorn sigh. On her face was an embittered expression. ¡°After making such a good item for me and even giving it such a splendid name¡­ hah¡­ It¡¯s really a shame I can¡¯t use it.¡± Ignoring her offhanded comment, I proceeded forward. ¡°That''s exactly why we¡¯re here, so you can get strong enough to use that shield. Don¡¯t lag behind and hurry up.¡± Cher made a pained expression, and, while suppressing her groans, hastily followed behind me. As she ran to catch up, I began explaining. ¡°We¡¯ll be heading towards the gymnasium near the back of the building.¡± I stated as I turned a corner with familiar foot steps. ¡°I¡¯ve been here before, and I¡¯ve taken the liberty of visiting just about every corner of the building. After taking into consideration the whole structure of both the building and the structure of the horde, I came to the conclusion that the gym is the best place for farming.¡± ¡°I-is that so¡­¡± Cher¡¯s nervous voice rang out from behind me. I don¡¯t know since when, but she had started whispering excessively, and her steps were short and deliberate. It was as if every step we took that brought us deeper and deeper into the building, the more she shrunk back in half fright. We walked silently for a few seconds before finally, as if she could not take anymore of the ensuing tension, she asked, ¡°W-why are we out here in the middle of the hall? Shouldn¡¯t we be, I don¡¯t know, traveling through the ventilation shafts or somethings?¡± I shot a glance back at Cher. Seeing her overly nervous expression, as well as the way she constantly stroked her severed stump, I could tell that her confidence in battle had gone down severely. Whether she could properly fight or not was a big weight on her shoulders. And this weight, this uncertainty was the main cause of Cher¡¯s nervousness. I turned back around, and faced forward. After a few seconds of hesitation, I responded, ¡°We¡¯re still safe out here. We still haven¡¯t been noticed yet, so traveling through the vents right now is useless at this point. Taking the direct route like this is faster and will save us some time.¡± I was constantly using [Echolocation] as we continued forward, so I had a good early warning detection system that practically guaranteed our safety as we traveled. Even with my reassurance, Cher¡¯s nervousness was still ever present. She wanted to unstrap the shield on her back and equip it, but I urged her not to. Now wasn¡¯t the time yet, and a shield on her remaining arm would only be detrimental when we did eventually start traveling by vent. After a few minutes of silent traveling, my ears pricked up while my head instinctively turned towards the source of the noise. For a few seconds I stopped, and concentrated on the minute subtlety of [Echolocation]. ¡°Hide..?¡± Cher who almost bumped into me, curiously questioned, while her eyes swerved nervously around us. I ignored her and continued listening. After a few seconds, I finally loosened my tense body. Along with it, came a small sigh that escaped from my slightly parted lips. ¡°They¡¯re coming.¡± I whispered as I began running back the way we came. ¡°Eh, wha- eh?¡± Cher¡¯s confusion was short lived before a bitter and determined look flashed across her face. She stared at her surroundings one last time before turning around and following me with rapid footsteps. As we ran, she could not help but question. ¡°Why are we going backwards?¡± ¡°The closest ventilation shaft was the one we passed by a few rooms down.¡± I answered simply as we arrived at the aforementioned ventilation shaft. I took out [Efhermet]¡¯s dagger from my belt, and quickly used [Dissect] to open up the metal entrance. I ushered Cher inside before I quickly followed behind her. I did not bother to reseal the shaft entrance, after all, the monsters around here were large, and considering the fact that I already killed off all the premature Wetlanders (the only ones small enough to fit through the vents), not a single one of them could fit through here. We ventured deeper into the vents, and as the darkness encroached upon our surroundings, the echoes of our shallow breathing reverberated all around us. For a few minutes we traveled in absolute darkness. It was only after I directed Cher to turn a corner did we start feeling the pressure of the horde¡¯s presence. At first, it was slight. The floor beneath us shook, slightly, like the trembling of a disturbed surface of water. The vibrations only intensified as the seconds past, and within this metal coffin, they were like sonic booms that assaulted our ears. Almost without warning, the wall besides us shook greatly, and a pained roar could be heard from behind the wall to our left. The horde had finally arrived. Soon, more and more monsters crashed into the wall, shaking its foundations to a great extent, and rocking the vents violently. The once loud metal vibrations of the vents were quickly overshadowed by the hateful and blood lusted roars of the monsters outside. Up ahead of me, Cher¡¯s body stopped in mid crawl. My eyes had adjusted to the dark, and I could see the trembling in Cher¡¯s shoulders. With it, her breaths grew louder, and more irregular. She heaved up and down, and soon, she was gasping for air. She looked like she could not breathe, and the pool of sweat that had formed underneath her only made things worse. ¡°Cher!¡± I screamed over the Horde. Seeing her back unturned, I screamed once more, this time, loud and strong enough for my throat to turn hoarse. ¡°CHER!¡± Whether she really did hear me, or she instinctively turned to me for comfort, Cher¡¯s teary eyes stared nervously at me from up ahead. Her lips were thin and trembling, while those emerald green eyes of hers could not hold back the tears they had accumulated. ¡°Hide¡­.¡± She whispered so quietly that I only understood what she had said through reading her lips. ¡°Keep going!¡± I yelled louder as another monster rammed into the wall. ¡°Don¡¯t stop, keep going!¡± She hesitated, her limbs were stiff like a board, and her back was arched into a rigid bridge. All she could do was maintain her dread filled expression. With impatience, I pushed Cher forward. She stumbled, before losing out to the imbalance of her body and crashing down onto the metal floor. Her remaining arm was pinned down underneath her, while the fall had caused her chin to strike the floor with a resounding thud. ¡°Keep going.¡± I merely repeated, as Cher struggled to regain her bearings. ¡°If we don¡¯t keep going, we¡¯ll end up dead. So stop whimpering and move!¡± The minute she was able to raise her head above her shoulders, I pushed her forward once more. She stumbled like before, but this time, she did not fall. Her shoulders still trembled, but her limbs were less stiff than before. Without turning back around, I could hear her take in a heavy intake of breath before she began crawling forward. She was slow at first, before her speed steadily increased. In no time flat, we were crawling at a speed faster than a person jogging. We continued to crawl for 20 minutes. The horde that had been assigned to chase us, only grew larger and larger as time passed. They were relentless as well. Throughout these 20 minutes, their presence behind the wall to our left was constant, a never ending reminder of the danger we were wrapped up in. When we reached our 3rd intersection, I stopped Cher¡¯s frantic crawl. She looked at me with eyes of confusion as she panted heavily in an effort to regain her lost stamina. I pointed down the shaft that led down to the right. ¡°Up ahead here is the hallway that leads directly into the gymnasium. The rooms and walls separating that hall¡± - I pointed towards my left, indicating the hall occupied by the horde - ¡°from the hall connected to the gym should buy us enough time to reach the gym before they can get to us. Be prepared to run.¡± Cher listened to every word I uttered with rapt attention. She nodded resolutely while readjusting the armor that had ridden up her waist. ¡°Okay.¡± I nodded back. ¡°This time I¡¯ll lead. Don¡¯t slow down no matter what.¡± Cher moved forward a bit, making some room for me, before I crawled in front of the intersection. Staring down at the turn, I pressed my feet against the metal wall before I pushed up with enough force to cave in the wall. My body rushed forward, and using the momentum, I began crawling at a tremendous speed. Behind me, I could hear Cher following closely behind. In less than 10 seconds, I could see the opening. It connected to a well lit hallway, and seeing the light seep into the vents only increased my determination. I once again propelled myself forward by pushing against the walls around me. My body zoomed forward, and I crossed my arms in front of me as I quickly approached the metal screen. [Shadow Sprint]! I used the speed increase feature from my [Shadow Sprint] skill and forcibly pushed my speed beyond its limits. In the next instant, I crashed through the screen, and into the hall. Without stopping, I rolled forward before leaping to my feet. I then immediately ran down the hallway, not bothering to check whether or not Cher had followed. Even without turning around, I could still tell that Cher was frantically following after me. Her heavy breathing and rushed footsteps were an all too obvious indication. We ran forward for 20 seconds before we finally ran past opened double doors and into the gymnasium. This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work. My feet came to a sliding stop as I took a moment to assess our surroundings. The walls were a shade of murky yellow, while the floors were stained with red and brown- a combination of both dried blood and aggregated dirt. Overall, the atmosphere the gymnasium gave off was one of destitution, like a worn out and old sock left like in a corner of a room. Despite that though, if there was one thing our school¡¯s gymnasium could boast itself over, it was its sheer size. Making up almost 1/4th of the total area of the Main building, the gymnasium was shaped rectangular, and had walls soaring up as high as 25 meters. Along with that, the dome shaped roof was supported by numerous metal beams and rafters. While I was busy inspecting our surroundings, a sudden nudge from behind pushed me forward a step. Turning around, I saw a heavily panting Cher- her face was comprised of 20% fatigue and 80% anxiety. ¡°Hi...hah¡­ Hide, w-we¡¯re here¡­. hah¡­ what do we do now?¡± She asked through labored breaths. Her remaining hand was shaking in anticipation as she unconsciously grabbed for the wooden shield strapped behind her. I looked out beyond the open doorway before I turned around and stared straight up at the ceiling. While eyeing a particular metal beam hanging almost exactly center of the room, I answered. ¡°First off, we¡¯ll need to secure higher ground¡­ In less than a minute, this room will be flooded with monsters, and if we¡¯re still down here¡­ we¡¯ll be mobbed to death, ripped apart, limb by limb, piece by piece¡­ our blood will splatter these walls and our bodies will end up as mere monster feed¡­ by that point, death will be the least of our worries.¡± Hearing my gruesome explanation, Cher¡¯s face paled and her body grew rigid. She swallowed a wad of saliva as she frightfully stared at the open door. ¡°Ah-H-h-hide, w-what should we do? Hide- ah!¡± While Cher stammered out in nervousness, I was already long gone. My figure, which had been besides her just a second ago, was now over 25 meters above the ground, standing steadily on top of a raised metal beam on the ceiling. ¡°Hide?!¡± Cher widened her eyes as she stared at me with a look of incredulity. ¡°How did you- wait, don¡¯t leave me here! That¡¯s not fair, Hide!¡± She frantically screamed while jumping up and down in a fit of anxiety. ¡°I got it, I got it,¡± I sighed out in annoyance. Without further prompt, I began unfastening the rope that I had around my chest. I then tied one end around the base of the metal beam, before tossing the rope down below. The rope was more than 30 meters long, so it hit the wooden floor with a resounding bam! Cher¡¯s eyes sparkled as she stared fixedly at the rope. Her hand trembled as she approached it, almost as if she were afraid of breaking a fragile glass ornament. She was stuck in this dazed like state of relief for but a fraction of a second, before the thundering stampede that came from out in the hallway shocked her back out of her derision. In frantic haste, she clambered up the rope like an awkward monkey. In her fit of anxiety, she did not make it past 5 meters, this was mostly because of her lack an arm- Cher could not gain the proper handle nor traction needed in order to ascend. As she struggled, the horde drew closer. From a short distance out in the hall, their frontlines came into view. With it, Cher¡¯s nervousness and tension skyrocketed, only worsening her climbing. ¡°Stop struggling!¡± I shouted down after seeing Cher fall for the fifth time. ¡°Just grab on tightly to the rope, I¡¯ll pull you up.¡± With mechanical precision, Cher immediately stopped her futile attempts, and simply gripped the rope with a death like vice. Her knuckles turned pale white, as she glanced at me with a look of helplessness. As I fixed my own grip on my end of the rope, the first wave of monsters broke through the doorway. With no pause in their blood lusted stride, they zoomed forward, directly towards Cher¡¯s body. Cher panicked and just as she opened her mouth to scream, I yanked the rope upward with tremendous force. Her body sky rocketed upwards, and the scream that she was about to vocalize died down somewhere in her ascent. All the while, she had maintained her grip on the rope. For someone who focused a lot of their stats on strength, something like holding onto a rope was mere child¡¯s play. I quickly reeled Cher towards me just as the room slowly congregated with more and more monsters. By the time I managed to drag Cher¡¯s shivering body up onto the metal beam, the whole room was covered in monsters. The floor was not visible at all, and the horde below us was like a sea of sharpened claws, and bloodied teeth. Seeing this scene below us, I could not help but let out a tired sigh. This wasn¡¯t the first time I¡¯ve seen such a scene, and by this point, the only emotion it could evoke was weary tiredness. On the other hand, Cher¡¯s reaction was completely different. Her mouth hung agape, as she nervously fidgeted by my side. She grasped tightly onto the metal beam with her whole body, much like how a koala hugs onto the trunk of a Eucalyptus tree. ¡°I-isn¡¯t there too much?¡± Cher nervously stated as her eyes scanned through the entire horde. ¡°Hmmm¡­¡± I stared absentmindedly out below me before offhandedly commenting, ¡°There¡¯s not as much as there were before¡­¡± Like I¡¯ve said before, this was not the first time I¡¯ve done this. On my expeditions to the first building, I¡¯ve used that opportunity to secretly increase my own level. What we were about to do now was similar to the method of hunting I before. With that method, I managed to rise by a few levels and finally reach level 42. In the end though, my growth was not all that outstanding. I did not farm often, after all, I was very cautious about the whole pursuit. For one, hunting here in the main building was simply far too dangerous. It was like shooting off a gun at a busy police station. No matter how assured you are of the number of bullets in your cartridge, in the end, you were still stuck at the enemy¡¯s base. One slip up could mean instant death and I did not want to risk such a danger, especially after I- we¡¯ve gotten so far. Escape from this dungeon was just a mere stone¡¯s throw away. My death would ruin those chances, and would not only affect myself, but also everyone back in the East building. It was because of this worry that I prioritized safety above all during this expedition. I unwound the rope with the grappling hook away from my waist, before I separated it into two. With one 10 meter portion of the newly divided rope, I tied one end of it to the beam before tying the other end onto my waist. I did the same thing for Cher but with the other piece of the thin rope. ¡°This is¡­?¡± Cher asked curiously as she lightly tugged onto the rope. ¡°For emergencies. Better safe than to be sorry.¡± I stated while tightening the knots on our rope. ¡°The beam doesn¡¯t give us much space for movement, and one mess up or accident could lead to you falling¡­¡± Just as I was stating that, the whole foundation of the room shook. This trembling was caused by the sheer amount of beasts pressing against the gym¡¯s four walls. This wasn¡¯t all that rare though, and the sudden tremor did little to frighten me. Cher¡¯s case was completely different though. She lost her already uneven footing because of the sudden shake, and she tumbled off the beam. Her body descended a good 8 meters downward before the rope taut and stopped her inevitable descent. Cher let out a silent scream as she dangled from mid air. Her body was facing towards the ground and her eyes were completely locked onto the horde below. With sweat perspiring out from her every pore, and with tears falling unhindered down from her widened eyes, she finally vocalized an ear shattering scream. ¡°P-p-pull me up! Pulled me up, pull me up, pull me up!¡± Even as I proceeded to haul her back upward, she continued repeating the same phrase almost as if she were in a trans. It was only after she reached the beam once more did her shrieks subsided. ¡°Good thing you had the rope, huh?¡± I spoke lightly as I sat leisurely back down onto the beam. In my hand was the larger rope- the same one I used to pull Cher up for the first time. ¡°...¡± Cher did not respond to my words, merely staring at me with a look of unwashed bitterness. I laughed dryly before turning my focus away from Cher, and the horde, and onto the rope in my hands. I was currently busy knotting the rope into a particular shape¡­ ¡°... What are you doing?¡± Cher asked in a somewhat more regulated tone. Her previous experience with near death seemed to have shocked her into a sort of odd calmness, although the nervousness in her eyes was still palpable. ¡°I¡¯m making a noose.¡± I answered simply. ¡°...Noose?¡± ¡°Yeah, we¡¯ll be needing it for what we¡¯re about to do.¡± ¡°....¡± ¡°....¡± As I continued to work silently, Cher¡¯s odd calmness slowly crumbled and crumbled, until finally, the nervousness from before had overtaken her. ¡°I-is it really okay to be doing that so¡­ so leisurely?¡± She finally broke out, her tone dowsed in a pliable layer of worry. ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°I-I mean¡­ aren¡¯t you worry about getting attacked. T-the Avians¡­¡± Her mind was surprisingly sharp even when under the stress of permeating fear. Cher was able to remember the only type of monster capable of flight within the entire dungeon. In response to her well founded worry though, I merely shook my head. ¡°There aren¡¯t any Avians around anymore. I killed them all.¡± It was during one of my previous runs through here. Since the Avians constantly attacked me when ever I was above ground, they were the easiest and most attainable prey. ¡°...Actually, it might be better if there were a couple of Avians around, that way, I wouldn¡¯t have to go through all this trouble¡­¡± I mumbled to myself as I continued tying and knotting the rope in a laid back manner. In no time at all, the noose was properly knotted, and dangled downward from one of my extended hands. I even pulled it a couple of times to assess its durability. The rope I used was sturdy, one I found in a corner of the bomb shelter. It was capable of supporting a couple of hundred pounds with ease, and its tensile strength was fairly higher than average. ¡°Now, this part¡¯s pretty difficult.¡± I spoke out over the deafening roars below. ¡°What I¡¯m about to do is sort of like fishing¡­ well, it''s hard to explain, so just watch.¡± I spoke loosely as I tossed the noose downward. I did not make it completely fall towards the floor but dangled it about a meter or two above the monster horde. Slowly, I began to lower it. I lowered it and lowered it until the hole was at the level of the monster¡¯s head. ¡°This is much harder than it looks,¡± I commented once more as I maintained the node''s current altitude while trying to bait a nearby Minotaur towards it. ¡°Sometimes their heads won¡¯t go through the hole, or they¡¯ll grab at the rope instead. When those things happen, it becomes a bit more complicated- but don¡¯t worry, I don¡¯t think we¡¯ll be having that particular problem today- They¡¯re pretty excitable right now.: Just as I spoke, an unlucky Minotaur, in a fit of rage tried headbutting the hole with the tip of its horns. Unfortunately for it, the noose hole was made purposely big with those same horns in mind. The Minotaur¡¯s head slipped haphazardly through the hole, and before it had the opportunity to pull its head back, I immediately yanked the rope upwards. The Minotaur¡¯s head jerked upwards, and for a fraction of a second it flailed helplessly in mid air before thudding back down onto the floor. I chided myself at this failure before I rearranged my grip onto the rope and pulled upwards once more. This time, the Minotaur rose a few inches of the ground. It¡¯s body immediately flailed in frantic fright as its steady supply of air was unexpectedly cut short. It torso spasmed, and its head rocked back and forth, while its stout hooved legs kicked and struggled. On my side of this battle, my face was completely red in exertion. The minotaur was heavy, it was definitely very heavy, and its struggling wasn¡¯t making this process any easier. The veins in my arms bulged as I struggled to maintain my grip. I could feel the coarse fibers of the rope eating away at my already red hands. Still, despite the difficulty, despite the Minotaur¡¯s continued desperate struggles, I maintained my grip. I slowly choked and suffocated the monster. After a straight two minutes of full on effort, the Minotaur¡¯s movements finally began to slow. The first to stop where its feet. Then its arms dropped limply to its side, before its eyelids shut tight, and its tongue hung out from an agape mouth. When the Minotaur finally stopped struggling, I began the desperate effort of hauling it upward. The process was slow and arduous, after all, even with my enhanced strength that completely surpassed that of a normal human, the Minotaur was still a heavy monster. Pulling it up towards the ceiling took every ounce of my energy and mental effort. Finally, after another minute, I was able to haul the unconscious and unresponsive monster over onto the metal beam besides me. The instant I did so, my grip on the rope slackened, and I plopped haphazardly down onto the metal beam. ¡°Hah¡­.¡± I sighed out a relief sigh as I wiped my face with the corner of my sleeve. I absentmindedly explained to Cher, ¡°This was how I usually hunted them so far. This method was relatively more safer than usual, since I don¡¯t have to get into direct contract with the horde, but in all honesty, it really isn¡¯t very practical. Its main flaw is that it consumes a lot of stamina, so I can¡¯t really keep this method of hunting up for a long period of time- although to solve this problem, I did bring a lot of provisions with me, so I should be able to last¡­¡± As I explained, I continually wiped away at the layer of sweat that had formed over my face before I unfastened [Efhermet] and handed the dagger onto the dazed Cher. All this time, she had watched me struggle through all of this but did not say a single word in reaction. When I gave her the dagger, she jumped in surprise, almost as if she just woken up from her dazed stupor. ¡°Here,¡± I spoke through labored breaths as I handed Cher the dagger. ¡°If you don¡¯t kill it yourself, you can¡¯t get the experience.¡± ¡°...I-¡± Cher had a look of hesitation, as her hand floated listlessly over the dagger. ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± I lightly spoke. ¡°It should be unconscious right now. Just stick the blade down into where its jugular vein should be, and that should take care of the job.¡± I pointed at a particular spot in the beast¡¯s bulging neck. Cher gulped down the saliva that had formed in the back of her throat before she nodded. Her face grew resolute as she readily received the dagger. For a few seconds, she stared downward at the exposed vein in the Minotaur¡¯s neck. Her knuckle turned pale white as she gripped the handle of the dagger with enough force to bend metal. ¡°To get stronger, to get-¡± I could hear her quietly repeating to herself as she steeled herself for what she was about to do. Fighting a monster in the heat of battle was one thing, but taking its life when it was like this was¡­ it wasn¡¯t natural. Going by Cher¡¯s kaleidoscope of facial expressions, such a train of thought was probably going through her head right now. In the end though, those types of thoughts only limit you, in this new world, they make you weaker. Cher took several deep breathes, as if to compose herself, before she rested the tip of the dagger besides the vein and- Shunk! The blade of the dagger sunk completely into the monster¡¯s neck. Blood gushed out like a broken sprinkler as the Minotaur¡¯s eyes momentarily opened before they grew dull and silent. Even with the dagger in its neck, and even with the Minotaur¡¯s blood continually gushing out from its newly created opening, Cher maintained her grip on the handle. Even after it had long died, she still held onto the handle. It was only after several seconds had passed, did she finally pull the dagger out from its lifeless corpse. ¡°....¡± ¡°....¡± With little fanfare, I silently unfastened the knot from around its neck before I kicked its lifeless corpse down into the throngs of monsters below. Without any consideration for their lost comrade, the frenzied monsters immediately rushed at the corpse and devoured its lifeless husk like starving wolves. Cher stared lifelessly at the feeding frenzy below. Her eyes were hollow and dull, almost as lifeless the minotaur¡¯s eyes were. She absentmindedly touched the tip of her stump with her remaining hand as her lips slightly quivered. ¡°....¡± I did not disturb Cher in her moment of self reflection, nor did I bother with the carnage below us. I merely began fixing another noose for the next monster. I knew this particular method of hunting was a bit more cruel than usual, but this sort of ethical dilemma completely went above and over my head. When it came to the rules of this new world, sentimentality was a part of human nature that could get one killed. On the battlefield it was useless, and in the face of an enemy, it was treated as a sign of weakness, but above all, doing whatever it takes to survive and having the will to go through with that was important. I¡­ I wondered whether I had that will. Even now, I was still hesitating¡­ hesitating about numerous things¡­ but right now, in this place of death, I did not think about that. For the rest of the day, I decided not to think about any of that. Today was going to be a day filled with death, and I needed a freshly knotted noose for that. ***** The pack full of provisions I had was completely consumed. In addition, I also ended up using 2 stamina potions throughout the whole process. It was an expensive training method, but in return, Cher¡¯s level had risen to 25. This was more than enough for her to properly equip the new shield I had created for her. In the end, from 7 in the morning to 8 in the evening, we spent the whole day farming. Throughout the whole day, I repeatedly drained and recovered my stamina. Because of this I suffered a similar status detriment to [Mental Strain], called [Physical Strain]. This detriment had the overall effect of lingering fatigue, and soreness throughout the body. Just moving felt as if I was pushed down by a constant heavy force, and that force only steadily increased as the minutes passed by. Of course, I could use [Sensory Remapping] to shut off my sense of pain, but the feeling of fatigue would still persist. Plus, I felt that ignoring the pain would end up detrimental for me in the long run, so despite its inconvenience, I simply fought through it. Luckily, through the skin of my teeth, I was able to hold on up until Cher rose to level 25. ¡°Ready to go?¡± I tiredly asked as I dusted off some dried flakes of blood that had congealed on my shirt. The simple action of moving my arms caused pain to jolt throughout my nervous system. ¡°Ah, yeah.¡± Cher answered absentmindedly as she stared one last time at the horde below. Because of all the time we¡¯ve spent here, Cher had grown somewhat accustomed to seeing the horde, but in the end, she could not help but feel a tug of emotion from seeing it one last time. She sighed out in exasperation, as she forced herself to look away. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m ready. Let¡¯s go.¡± ¡°Then, I¡¯ll set everything up¡­ [Shadow Sprint].¡± With that one word, my body vanished under the growing shade and instantaneously, I reappeared on another metal beam in the room. This beam was 10 meters away from where Cher currently stood and was a lot closer to the elevated ventilation shaft that would act as our ticket out of hear. I tied one end of the rope onto the new beam before I fixed the grappling hook back onto the other end of rope. Rather than for actual grappling, the hook was used as a weight, as I threw the other end of the rope back over to Cher. Cher caught the rope and twirled it tightly around her remaining arm. Seeing her nod in readiness, I immediately yanked the rope forward, sending Cher¡¯s body swinging through the gymnasium, before I managed to pull her back up onto the beam I was currently sitting on. We repeated these set of actions to make our way towards the ventilation shaft. After that, it was smooth sailing back to the east building. Thanks to my constant use of [Echolocation] and with us keeping to the vents, we managed to avoid the horde in all its entirety, and safely made our retreat back to ¡°home¡±. By the time we got back, my body was tired, and Cher¡¯s mind was spent. We collapsed the moment we got back, and fell into a deep and heavy sleep. **** Author''s note: If you liked this chapter, or this story in general please take some time to rate and review. Thank you. Chapter 86: The Day Before Part 1 The Day Before Part 1 The very next day, the sun rose early in the morning, and a feeling of unequivocal fatigue hit me like a sack of bricks as I struggled to get up. I was still reeling from yesterday¡¯s endeavor, and my body¡¯s current condition showed for that. Muscle ache everywhere, joint stiffness, and a muddy sensation that wafted over me like a thin film of fog were just some of the symptoms that plagued me. In a sense, I felt like an old man with a withered body. Nonetheless, I knew that this was all consequential. In truth, nothing on my status panel indicated that I was under any status effects or something similar, meaning that this was still the leftover symptoms from last night¡¯s [Physical Strain] and [Physical Exhaustion]. Even with all this pain circulating through my system, I still chose to grit through it all and prepare for the coming day. Of course, I could have always used [Sensory Remapping] to mitigate or downright cancel out the pain, but in the end I did not do so. In a sense, I felt a bit ingratiated to the pain. It reminded me of the upcoming danger and the inherent risks involved with tomorrow. This sensation of awareness that kept my mind and psyche constantly close to the boundary of life and death was something I held with great value. When I woke up, it was still early in the morning. Only a thin veil of reddish yellow seeped through the windows as everyone around me lay still asleep. It was worth to note that I slept in the same room as Cielle, Hina and Cher. Their quietly sleeping figures were huddled up in a rather warm looking bundle near the corner of the room. An amalgamation of thick emergency blankets, old jackets, and stiff linens covered their adolescent bodies. It was a scene I was familiar with, so I had grown somewhat immune to its allure. Outside our original group, the others slept in different rooms. The arrangement was that everyone was divided into 4 rooms. The cafeteria survivors slept in one room, the President¡¯s group in another, and Kido¡¯s group was also separated away from the others. It goes without saying, but my group also slept by our lonesome. This natural separation brought on a clear feeling of alienation among the others- especially the cafeteria survivors, but in the end, there was nothing I could do about that. It was only natural to keep those you don¡¯t fully trust away when one was at their most vulnerable. After I woke up, the others soon followed. First it was Cielle, then Hina, and then Cher who woke up last with a still dazed expression all over her face. After all of us woke up, we headed out to eat breakfast. Breakfast was usually held at the abandoned classroom where we held the previous meeting. I don¡¯t know since when, but it had become routine for the whole group to have breakfast together. There was really no significance in this, but if I were to make a mountain out of a molehill, then it would probably be out of caution. Nobody wanted anybody else to eat more than they should. Eating together just allowed everyone to keep an eye on everyone. This sense of desperation was truly laughable, especially if you consider the fact that the rations from the bomb shelter weren¡¯t evenly distributed. The cafeteria group always received the bare minimum, while the combatants received almost three times as much. This difference was only natural though. It was normal for people who fight to receive more benefits, and for those who don¡¯t to receive less. Not only that, with the change brought about by the world system, the higher level a person was, the faster their metabolism digests food. Also, the more a person trains, the more stamina they consume. The more stamina they consume, the more food they needed. This was the irrefutable logic behind everything, and nobody could stand to argue against it. Even the ones who suffered the most under this system could not stand up against its imperial might. They were the ones who suffered the most, but they were also the ones who relied on it the most. For people who could do nothing but resign their fate to the strong, this was only logical. This was only natural. Anyway, because of everyone¡¯s constant training, and even after we¡¯ve already stretched out our supplies to dangerously thin levels, food that should have lasted a good 8 weeks, could hardly last for 2. Even today, for some of us (namely the cafeteria group), this morning¡¯s food rations would be their last. **** On a usual day, the time spent between breakfast and the rest of the day was time spent on training. Mainly for everyone else, this meant stat training. Now, it was common logic that as the higher a person''s status was, the harder it was for them to level. This was primarily because, the more a person''s status inflated, the harder and harder it was for them to put sufficient stress on their body in order to activate whatever conditions were necessary in order to stimulate stat growth. While magic type stats like wisdom and intelligence were both equally harder and sometimes easier to level up, this sort of exponentially increasing difficulty held especially true for physical type stats. The solution we came up with to stimulate the right conditions needed in order to increase our stats was through combat. For the past 2 weeks, the others constantly sparred, all with the goal of increasing their stats and combat ability for the upcoming fight. Of course, there were also a few exceptions to this. The Wizard hat girl did not train her explosion magic simply because of how overpoweringly destructive it already was. For Cher, her sparring sessions were a bit different. While she did still retain the original goal of stat leveling, she also had a secondary goal of familiarizing and adjusting herself to her missing right arm. Loosely speaking, it was an accelerated form of rehabilitation. Both Cielle and Hina sparred less often than the others. For one, Hina had been helping me quite often these few weeks, but the main reason was that, being the magic types, the sisters had other means of increasing their most important stats. Mainly they monopolized on their [meditation] skill. It was only on the occasions when the duo wanted to train and practice their magic did they spar with the others. As for me, I almost never participated in these training sessions. The main reason for that was because stat training was almost completely useless to me. I was also always busy, either with scouting out the main building or with creating equipment. Today was different though. Today was the last day before the Dungeon Boss fight, and since it was the last day, the whole group decided to hold a giant training session. And just for today, I decided to participate. We gathered at a hallway intersection a little bit away from our main base. Looking all around me, almost everyone was decked out in armor, with their various weapons ready. To the left, I could see Hina and Cielle doing light stretches in their loose fitting gym wear. Kido and the President were doing a few practice swings with their swords, while Cher was gleefully testing her new shield. Even the cafeteria survivors had gathered in a vacant classroom to watch. Looking at this scene in front of me, I felt a bit helpless. Everyone was really motivated, and you could practically feel the fighting spirit exude from their skin. In comparison I was a bit¡­ underwhelmed. I wasn¡¯t wearing any armor, and I wasn¡¯t particularly brimming with fighting spirit. Rather, I was actually pretty tired. Stifling a yawn was probably the most enthusiastic thing I could do today. In comparison to everyone, I was only equipped with my dagger, and cyclops club. And these two pieces of weaponry were simply the nearest objects I grabbed on my way out of the classroom. ¡°Er¡­ everyone¡­¡± I weakly called out to them whilst helplessly scratching at the corner of my cheek. ¡°Wait a moment, Hide!¡± An enthusiastic reply from the President. ¡°Wait just a moment, let us finish warming up first. You¡¯re usually not here for our training, but we usually warm up before we spar. It helps prevent injury.¡± All around me, heads bobbed in agreement and voices grunted in approval as the President spoke his enthusiastic response. ¡°...Ah, okay¡­¡± I meekly replied, as I sat down near the edge of the hallway. With nothing else to do but helplessly twiddle my thumbs as everyone prepared, I sighed out a despondent breath of stale air as I lamented over the tiring start of the day. Under everyone¡¯s behest, I had hesitatingly agreed to participate in today¡¯s training session, so it was true that I was a bit caught off guard by everyone¡¯s enthusiasm¡­. Well, it¡¯s not like being enthusiastic is a bad thing, rather, it''s the opposite. Training hard and getting stronger will definitely increase our survival rate, it''s just that¡­ I had originally thought that there¡¯d be a more¡­ depressing atmosphere. This gym class type atmosphere really caught me off guard. It reminds me a bit of my time in school¡­ Being the only person without a partner for the rest of the period¡­ playing catch with the wall¡­ stretching with the teacher¡­ Recalling these memories filled me with an odd sense of alienation. ¡°It¡¯s ironic¡­ days like today are a lot less lonely than back then¡­¡± I bitterly smiled while a small breath of air leaked out from my slightly parted lips. ¡°Okay, Hide we¡¯re ready!¡± While my mind muddled around with these useless thoughts, an enthusiastic voice called out from the distance. Looking up, I saw the President pump his fists in anticipation as he beckoned me with the tip of his wooden sword. I let out another tired sigh as I unsteadily rose to my feet. ¡°Well¡­ let¡¯s get this over with.¡± As I approached the others, I nonchalantly spoke, ¡°Okay¡­ so this is obviously the first time I¡¯m doing this, so what¡¯s the procedure? Are we just fighting one on one or¡­?¡± ¡°What? No.¡± An immediate response from Kido who was standing next to the President. The President in turn nodded in agreement. ¡°Usually, we do a mix of one on one, and team battles, but considering your presence, we thought it was only reasonable to change a few things. For today, we¡¯re going to do 4 vs 1.¡± ¡°Wait, isn¡¯t this a little excessive...¡± I immediately protested. I was feeling tired today, and I seriously did not want to expend any energy on this. ¡°No, in fact, I feel that even with Kido, Hina, and Cielle - the four us still might not be enough.¡± The President continued as he readjusted his glasses. ¡°The difference between you and everyone else is just that wide of a gap. Look, you might not realize it yourself, but just your demeanor shows it. Coming in here with almost no armor, all while sporting that easygoing expression. It pains me to say this, but that¡¯s the attitude of the strong. ¡± ¡°Er, wait- that¡¯s just because¡­¡± That¡¯s just because I had completely misunderstood this training session. Looking cocky and arrogant wasn¡¯t my intention at all... ¡°Either way, fighting you alone is practically fighting the boss itself.¡± Kido spoke with a somewhat excited smile on his face. Kido bent his legs and tilted his sword downward. Whether he realized it or not, the tip of his blade was completely pointing in my direction. The President followed suit as he too quickly entered a fighting stance. With his sword raised in front of him and his posture lowered like a jaguar waiting to pounce, he glanced meaningfully at me. ¡°Then, please go easy on us¡­.¡± From behind the duo, I could see that Hina and Cielle were also rearing to go. They looked as if they weren¡¯t willing to listen to any of my complaints, as they prepared their magic and readied for battle. Seeing all four of them so adamant with such serious expressions, I could say nothing in rebuttal. Swallowing the sigh that had built up in my throat, I eventually agreed, ¡°Fine then. I¡¯ll fight you, let¡¯s just get this over-¡± Even before I could finish my sentence, the battle had already started. Without warning, a black crystalline spear shot out from Cielle and zoomed towards me at breakneck speeds. This was the solidified version of Cielle¡¯s [Black Gemini], and its speed and damage were way beyond that of her original attack. As the black spear approached, my body instinctively reacted and moved on its own. My hand immediately went for the dagger by my side, and [Dissect] unknowingly activated. I slashed towards the incoming projectile, and as if I was cutting butter with a hot knife, my dagger bisected the spear into two unequal sized pieces. The two projectiles zoomed harmlessly passed me where they continued further before piercing through the metal lockers behind me. I shot a quick glance back at the yet to be disintegrated spears in black before turning around to stare at Cielle. Off in the distance, standing behind the others, she smiled provokingly as a layer of sweat dripped down her slightly flushed cheeks. Seeing such an expression, I could do nothing but helplessly mutter to myself, ¡°She¡¯s getting more and more dangerous¡­¡± ¡°What a monster¡­¡± ¡°To think he completely sliced Cielle¡¯s attack like that¡­¡± Meanwhile, the President and Kido both wore bewildered expressions as they looked at me with a sense of trepidness. They had not attacked yet, and upon closer inspection, I could see that Hina was actually applying some enforcement magic on the both of them. That is to say, they were still in the middle of their preparations. Things like [Fury], [Haste], and [Defense], Hina¡¯s full arsenal of support spells were haphazardly applied to the two of them. Seeing this scene before me, I couldn¡¯t help but twist my mouth into an off-key smile. Back when Hina and I fought together, she almost never used those types of spells on me. It wasn¡¯t that I directly told her not to, or that she didn¡¯t want to apply them on me, but rather, back then I did not need it Our level gap was already substantial, and buffing me up would not indirectly gain Hina any experience when I killed a monster. Because of that negligence, support spells became a sort of neglected branch of magic for Hina. This neglect completely showed in her fight with Satou, and it seems that for the past two weeks, she¡¯s been actively training to get over that particular weakness. While Hina continued to cast her buff spells, I did not outright attack them, but rather, I waited patiently until the process was done. After all, this was a training session, so it would only be right to fight these two when they were at their peak. ¡°OOOOo!¡± With an enthusiastic yell, Kido signaled the finalization of his buff spells, and suddenly dashed forward. The President wasn¡¯t one to wait either, as he too rushed towards me the moment Hina¡¯s last buff came into effect. The President was a bit faster, as he easily overtook Kido¡¯s dash and closed the distance between us in the blink of an eye. Seeing his resolute expression with his sword already in mid swing towards my torso, I responded in suite and began my own attack. I took a single step forward, and with the hilt of my dagger, I parried the President¡¯s incoming blow. The President¡¯s grip on his weapon loosened, and using this opportunity, I rushed past him and intercepted Kido even before he could start his assault. I stabbed my dagger towards the direction of his chest. Despite training for the past few weeks, It was overly apparent that Kido still retained his habit of relying on instinct to fight. His eyes widened in surprise at my incoming attack as he hastily raised the base of his sword to block. Kido¡¯s reaction was what I had hoped for, and as his sword rose to his chest, I quickly retracted my dagger before following up with a kick to the base of hs saber. The unexpected attack sent the surprised Kido reeling backwards, while also simultaneously dislodging the weapon away from his hand in the process. I also used the force of my kick to send myself forward, back towards the President who had yet to recover from our brief exchange earlier. I raised my dagger in front of me, and just as I was about to attack, an inexplicable sense of danger overtook my body. This sense of danger was one I had been slowly nourishing, a sort of sixth sense born from my recent increase in [Sensory Remapping]. It was a sense that I had yet to grasp hold of completely, and one I¡¯ve dubbed with the temporary name of [Battle Sense]. I did not bother to check what the source of the danger was, nor where it originated. My body reacted faster than my mind as [Shadow Sprint] activated and I instantaneously teleported a few feet away from my previous location. From this safe vantage point, I could see two individual spear of [Black Gemini], the pieces of the original spear that I had bisected earlier, One came from the right, while another came from the left. They both rushed forward at a blistering speed and collided at where I previously stood. Had I been a second slower, I would have undoubtedly been ruthlessly pierced. Seeing such a horrific scene and imagining an equally as horrific outcome, I could not help but shiver in shock. I mused over Cielle¡¯s tactic of reusing her failed attacks. While actually solidifying [Black Gemini] took a considerable amount of mana and required no small amount of concentration, moving them around was just as easy as moving around her regular [Black Gemini]. Their speed alone was scary, but the way she purposely shaped them into imitation javelins was just too ruthless. Glancing back at where the two black icicles had collided, I noticed that the spears had not stopped, and continued forward. Rather, they continued to ram right into each other, completely obliterating the two projectiles into a thin fine powder of black. Despite having lost her arduously produced weapons, Cielle still wore a self satisfying smile. Seeing this smile, a wave of inexplicable danger washed over me, but I could not deduce why. Seeing this happen close to their vicinity, The President and Kido hastily retreated backwards, a knowing look written all over their faces. ¡°Hina!¡± Cielle suddenly yelled from behind the others. ¡°Got it!¡± Hina responded back with calculating smile as she quickly brought her hands forward towards me. I felt a sudden gust of wind, and immediately knew Hina had used [Aerokinesis]. ¡°!?¡± It was at this moment that I finally connected everything together, and realized what their plan was. With Hina¡¯s use of [Aerokinesis], the tiny particles of Black Gemini which Cielle would have been hard pressed to control individually, scattered throughout the battlefield, and ominously approached me. Even though I realized their plan, reacting to it was a whole ¡®nother problem. By this point, it was already too late. Cielle¡¯s [Black Gemini] had completely dominated the battlefield, and almost instantaneously, my skin began to tingle in pain. Of course, my skin was just the first and mildest part of my body to feel [Black Gemini]¡¯s effects. What made this attack scarier than Cielle¡¯s normal solidified spears was that this had the potential to seep into every pore and orifice of a man¡¯s body. My eyes were next to feel the pain, as nail biting pain constricted my pupils and caused my eyes to uncontrollably tear up. Although this was bad enough, it was not the worst. Just that slight gust of wind that Hina caused, sent a good portion of the black particles rushing towards my mouth and nose and into my body. First it was the insides of my cheek, then my throat, and finally, a burning sensation in my chest overwhelmed me. My lungs were instantly racked in pain, and I could not help but double over and let out a dry, yet pain filled cough. The irritating itch on my skin, the stinging sensation in my eyes, and the searing pain in my chest, their dangerous combination almost brought me close to unconsciousness. As I fought through the pain, I forced myself to look at Cielle, who stood back in the distance. Instead of an angry, reprimanding glare, I could not help but float a dangerous smile. Cielle, no- the combination between Cielle and Hina, without a doubt, these two were the most dangerous out of the four. Their battle sense, creativity, and teamwork were unparalleled. The weeks I¡¯ve spent training and fighting alongside them weren¡¯t all in vain. These two were like dragons among sheep. Tigers in the middle of a petting zoo. Without pause, and after seeing my pain, Hina immediately initiated attack. She mentally focused and out from the pavement, a thick wall of concrete sprung up from behind me. For hina, controlling concrete was a difficult process, but nonetheless, possible. For her mastery of [Terrakinesis], soil was the easiest, rocks and concrete were a bit more difficult, but possible, and things like metal or steel were still far out of her reach. The concrete/earth mix wall behind me instantly shot out several earthen spikes, almost piercing my body full of holes. I practically threw my whole body forward in order to barely scrape by. With the debilitating pain that wracked my system, just moving was both a mental and physical challenge. Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. Before I even had the time to relax, more attacks rained down upon me. Hina¡¯s tactics were unabashedly ruthless. She wettened the floor with water, haphazardly threw fireballs hurtling in my direction, and further pushed particles of [Black Gemini] my way through the use of wind. I frantically avoided all this, all the while my body continued to endure through the pain in my skin, eyes, and chest. I was forced into a corner as I helplessly jumped a step forward. As if she had been waiting for this opportunity from the start, Hina cracked a slight smile before she snapped her fingers. Instantaneously, two concrete walls shot up from the ground and surrounded me on both my left and right sides. After they had risen just above my head, the two walls immediately rushed forward, directly towards me with the intention of squashing my body whole. Seeing their incoming approach, I knew I could not dodge. I had completely fallen into her trap. I gritted through the pain, and immediately activated [Hard Scale]. BAM! Both approaching walls collided with my stationary body. Rock and debris flew everywhere, and dust wafted through the air. The walls had collided, but like a stone statue, I did not waver. Other than a few superficial scratches, thanks to my timely use of [Hard Scale], I was practically unharmed. I glanced at the others from a distance, as I coughed out another dry but pain filled cough. ¡°He actually stood up to that¡­¡± ¡°What¡¯s more he¡¯s virtually unharmed¡­¡± The President and Kido both wore shocked expressions. In comparison, Hina and Cielle¡¯s faces were grim, yet knowing. It was as if they had expected this outcome from the very beginning. I would have commented on their faith toward me, but unfortunately, the pain in my lungs still persisted. It was painful just to breathe, much less talk. Seeing me currently in pain, the President and Kido began to regain their composure. For some reason, their current expressions really irritated me. The fact that they hadn¡¯t entered the fight when Cielle¡¯s [Black Gemini] wafted through the air, plus the fact that my pain caused them to calm down, those were all really irritating things for me to think about. Because of my rising annoyance, I immediately used [Sensory Remapping], and shut off my sense of pain. Instantly with the alleviation of the pain, I could not help but leak out a light hearted sigh. The irritation on my skin, the stinging in my eyes, and the gruesome pain in my chest- all these things immediately disappeared. My face immediately shifted from an unsightly grimace to a laid back poker face. I shot a glance toward Cielle and instantly felt bad. At first, I truly did resist using [Sensory Remapping] to cut off my pain. After all, this was probably the strongest counter against Cielle¡¯s magic, and I felt that it would have been a bit unfair to just destroy her combat potential like that¡­ If Cielle couldn¡¯t use her abilities to the fullest, then it wouldn¡¯t be very good training now, would it? Cielle returned my glance with one of her own and the instant our eyes locked, her mouth instantly formed a cute ¡°o¡± while her eyes simultaneously widened. Her expression was one of realization. ¡°I forgot¡­¡± Cielle murmured absentmindedly. ¡°I completely forgot that Hide could shut off his sense of pain¡­¡± Hearing her sister mumble out incoherently, Hina¡¯s eyes also widened in realization. ¡°... We¡¯ve been fighting the others for so long that we¡¯ve completely forgotten about Hide¡­¡± Seeing their flabbergasted expressions, I could not help but feel a bit guilty. With the cheat like function of shutting off my pain, I completely suppressed Cielle¡¯s battle potential. She helplessly shrugged as she sighed while a bitter expression overtook her face. As for the two guys who overheard Cielle and Hina¡¯s short exchange¡­ their faces were that of unbelievable shock. I could already guess that these two had sparred previously with Cielle on numerous occasions, so they probably knew just how scary she truly was when she actually tried but¡­ to think that Cielle whom they were helpless against had been completely suppressed by me so easily¡­ ¡°Well, ready guys?¡± I light heartedly spoke out from amidst their current state of shock. Hearing my easy going speech, the duo immediately looked at me with apprehension. The two braced their weapons at the ready, but they did not rush to attack though. Traces of [Black Gemini] still lingered in the air around me after all. Even if they did not affect me, they could still affect the both of them. Seeing their lack of initiative, I had no other choice but to move into action. After all, this was still a sparring match, so if no one attacked, it would not be a very good training session. Without warning, I rushed forward. As I ran, my body was almost completely parallel with the ground, and in less than 2 seconds, I had already closed the distance. Since this time around, I was actively aiming to hit them, I switched weapons and attacked with my cyclops club. ¡°Aah!¡± ¡°Ouch!¡± ¡°...¡± ...The resulting battle was that of a one sided beat down. While they did fight somewhat fiercely, the difference in level and battle prowess was apparent from a mile away. The fight was completely one sided. It was only Hina¡¯s interference that stopped the whole situation from turmoiling down into an instant defeat. And even then, with Hina¡¯s help, they still could not land a single scratch on me. She interfered with her water and earth magic, but in the grand scheme of things, those attacks were ineffective. In fact, as the battle drew out and I grew more and more comfortable with their particular fighting style, Hina¡¯s magic became impediments to Kido and the Prez. I began using their bodies as meat shield against Hina¡¯s attacks. This was highly effective, mostly because the majority of Hina¡¯s spells are Area of Effect type skills. They were the type meant for crowd controlling. On a battle like ours, where friendly fire was an increasing risk, Hina simply could not pull out her true potential, especially with my particular fighting style put into play. My habit of sticking close to my enemies and using their attacks to my advantage severely put Hina at a disadvantage. ¡°Ahhhh¡­ I give up, so tired¡­ My body hurts¡­¡± In the middle of the fight, the President, who could not land any hits and received both friendly and enemy fire was came close to giving up. ¡°Nnn¡­ Not yet¡­¡± With a flick of her risk, Cielle sent a stream of [Blue Gemini] floating towards the Prez, immediately healing him. All the while she did this, her expression was that of complete stoic boredom. Seeing her make such a face, I could not help but feel a tinge of guilt once again. ¡°Ahhhh¡­ No¡­ You revived me again¡­¡± Meanwhile, the President, who had gone through several heals bemoaned as he almost cried out in agony. Albeit boring for the person in question, this was what Cielle¡¯s role had ultimately culminated in the end. She was a healer and thanks to her constant heals, the President and Kido were subjected to near constant fighting. They were like undying, unwilling zombies. No matter how badly they got beat, they still rose to receive more beatings. They wanted to quit, but Cielle was just too dependable. This sort of senseless battle dragged on for a while, but nobody dared to stop it. **** 6 hours passed. In the end, I fought everyone. It wasn¡¯t just Cielle, Hina, the President, and Kido¡­ No, it wasn¡¯t just with those four, but I also fought with the other combatants. In truth, I was fighting nonstop, and by the end of it all, I felt it was a bit unfair. Throughout the day, everyone had the opportunity to switch out and rest intermittently. Everyone had breaks and time to rest, everyone but me that is. I was the only one who was constantly battling. It was like I was the main attraction, and they all formed a pleasant line to take turns and ride. It was a completely unfair, but they shoehorned me into fighting using the excuse that ¡°fighting me was like fighting the dungeon boss, so it was good experience¡±. By the time 6 hours passed, not even I could withstand that much continued activity. Before anyone could object, I took a self imposed break and immediately left the scene. Everyone continued to spar, while I went away to go get some rest. In truth, although I say that, I didn¡¯t really have anything to do. Taking a nap might have been good, but honestly, I wasn¡¯t feeling particularly sleepy, and my stamina regenerated whether I was asleep or not. I was practically loitering around the east building with nothing to do, and I didn¡¯t want to go back to where the others were, in fear that they would drag me back to fighting. With nothing to do, I racked my brain for anything, before eventually deciding to go downstairs. I wanted to check on the Gilas. I traveled down into the basement and was quickly engulfed into a world of darkness. Unlike before, when this place was dominated by Gilas, this darkness was not all encompassing. I turned my head to the right, and down the hallway that lead into the unfurnished classrooms, I could see the faint flickering of light near the distance. I walked towards the light, and soon, a girl who sat idly besides a closed door came into view. By her side was a lit, makeshift torch. The torch partly illuminated her face in an orange radiance. Looking closely at the girl, aside from her slightly thinly appearance, one¡¯s first impressions would be ¡°ordinary¡±. With her knee-length skirt, and unassuming grey cardigan, she was dressed in a way that did not attract attention. Her slightly messy, yet still relatively neatly braided hair, coupled with her round spectacles, and droopy eyelids, her appearance culminated to the singular phrase - ¡°ordinary¡±. She did not have an eye catching appearance, but that did not mean she was ugly or unattractive. Rather, she was the type who looked prettier and prettier the more you stared and scrutinized. She was the same girl I had originally assigned as look out back at the library. Her name was Narise. I only remembered her name because this girl was a bit¡­ odd. The girl- Narise, who had been idly sitting down, lost in a sort of daze saw me approach from a distance, and immediately jumped in surprise. Upon realizing it was me, she immediately bolted up from her seat and stood upright with absolute attention. Like an awkward soldier, she saluted me, all the while arching her back as straight as possible. ¡°...I told you not to do that everytime I came down here¡­.¡± I sighed while halfheartedly dismissing her sort of cringe military salute. ¡°Haha¡­¡± She wryly rubbed the tip of her nose while awkwardly smiling. ¡°Sorry, Boss, it''s a bad habit.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a weird habit to develop¡­ also, I told you to stop calling me boss.¡± ¡°Sorry, Boss.¡± She apologized automatically. ¡°I told you to stop.¡± ¡°Sorry, Boss.¡± ¡°...hah¡­¡± Seeing no further point in the conversation, I dismissed the issue with cadence. ¡°So, what brings you down here?¡± Narise asked lightly as she adjusted the tip of her glasses. One of its lenses had a crack running through it. ¡°Ah, well nothing important really¡­¡± I did not admit that I wanted to escape from the others upstairs because I was tired of fighting. ¡°I just wanted to see how the Gilas were doing.¡± Narise was the guard/look out of the Gila eggs. She was the sole person who watched over the Gila eggs that had been left behind after the battle. This was not something I had assigned, but rather something she had actively volunteered for. And for the past few weeks, watching over them was practically the only thing she did. It would not be an exaggeration to say she has spent almost every waking minute down here. Even at night, when everyone slept, she slept in the basement beside this door. When everyone ate breakfast, and had the rations distributed, hers would be set aside separately, because she preferred eating down here, where she was closer to the eggs. For a girl, the thought of being alone for extended periods of time in the dark by herself would have been a terrifying thought, but unexpectedly, Narise was completely unperturbed by it all. Rather, she did not find anything odd about her current behavior¡­ The moment I mentioned even the slightest interest in the Gilas, Narise''s expression immediately brightened. In her excitement, she haphazardly waved the lit torch around, as she nearly jumped up and down in glee. ¡°Oooh, I¡¯m glad you asked,¡± She practically oozed out eagerness. ¡°It¡¯s been so long since someone asked me that question. Their doing fine, just fine! Here, let me show you.¡± Without further prompting, Narise excitedly opened the door to the room, and walked inside. I quickly followed inside. The classroom was rectangular in shape and lacked any furniture. Torches were evenly placed on all four walls, and illuminated the room with a sort of solemn vibrance. The room itself was completely empty, except for the empty eggshells that laid strewn in the middle of the room. A thin film of green, non-acidic fluid oozed out near those empty eggshells. Back then there had been 3 dozen eggs. Almost half of those eggs hatched, while the other half still remained in incubation. All this while, Narise, had been having ¡°fun¡± interacting with the new borns. From besides me, Narise waved the torch around excitedly. Her expression was a mix of adoration, motherly care, and reverence. Further inspecting the room, near the corner of the classroom, 10 tiny bodies, smaller than that of a chihuahua, laid curled up into a ball. These were the newborn Gilas. Upon spotting the Gilas, Narise almost squealed in excitement, as she began to quietly approach them. I followed her closely, all the while keeping a hold of the handle of the dagger I kept stored beneath my shirt. As I approached, in the receding darkness, I got a better view of the newborn Gilas. The Gilas were small, and rather stout looking, much like the appearance of a human baby. The only difference was though, that this ¡°baby¡± was covered from head to tail in a thin layer of exoskeleton. Unlike their predecessors, the newborn Gilas had pale, almost translucent white exoskeleton. At first, because of their appearance, I originally thought that the newborns were a completely different species from the Black Plated GIla, but as it turned out, they were still labeled as [Black Plated Gilas] when I used [Identify] on them previously. In the end, I could only conclude that the Gilas might just come out white, and were the type who gradually changed the color of their exoskeleton as they grew older, or maybe as a response to their environment. ¡°Last night, two of them hatched!¡± Narise exclaimed as she excitedly stared down at their docile figures. ¡°At first, I was kind of worried, you know, about what to do now that the little ¡°family¡± has increased, but luckily these little ones subside over the left overs from their egg shells¡­ although it might be a problem when they get older and they completely eat up their shells... By that point they¡¯ll need a new source of food¡­ ah! What if they older ones end up eating the younger ones! We can¡¯t have that, we really can¡¯t have that, family shouldn¡¯t be eating other family members!¡± Narise prattled endlessly as she continued to one sidedly talk about her ¡°obsession¡±. ¡°Ah, that¡¯s right, I haven¡¯t told you about their names yet, have I? Well, we certainly can¡¯t have that¡­ This one¡¯s Kuro, this one¡¯s shiro, that one over there by the wall is Midori, the one newborn that hatched last night¡­ that one over there is named Aka¡­ I know, I know what you might think¡­. I realize that I¡¯m pretty bad at naming names, and calling them all by color is pretty mundane, but even I can add in some variation! The one to your left is named Weiss, the one next to Weiss is Schwarz, and that one is¡­¡± ¡°Narise.¡± In the middle of her long narration, I could not hold back anymore and interrupted. ¡°Huh? What¡¯s up Boss?¡± She asked, an unknowing innocent look danced on her face as she momentarily pried her attention away from the newborn Gilas, and turned to look at me. ¡°...¡± Seeing her growing excitement and attachment that bordered on obsession, I grew a bit worried. These things before her weren¡¯t pets. They were monsters. Things that had the potential to kill and harm humans. ¡°Narise, I know you''re taking care of these guys, and I appreciate that.¡± It was because of Narise''s obsession over the Gilas that made her stand out from the others from the cafeteria group, but still, her obsession over them was growing at an increasingly rapid pace as the days passed by. ¡°It isn¡¯t smart to get too attached to these things.¡± ¡°...¡± ¡°In the end, you know perfectly why I agreed to let you raise these things in the first place, right?¡± ¡°...yes¡­¡± A quiet, almost inaudible voice escaped from her slightly parted lips. That single word was cracked, and full of raw emotion. ¡°... In the end, we might end up using these things as bait, resource material, or leveling fodder. Getting attached to these things¡­ in the end, it¡¯ll only be painful¡­ especially for you.¡± ¡°...¡± Narise entered a contemplative silence. Her head was tilted downward, and the shadow casted by the flickering torches made it almost impossible to discern what type of expression she was making. After a while, I could hear a quiet, resigned sigh escape from her throat. She looked up at me with a slightly off expression. Her face was neither crying, or smiling. A sort of blank stare that conveyed nothing yet everything, all at the same time. Narise opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out. She hesitated for a moment, before finally managing a cracked, ¡°... I know¡­¡± She looked away once again and this time, turned to stare at the pack of docile newborns that lay resting beneath our feet. She stared for a good second or two before unhesitatingly, she bent down and reached out for one of them. She grabbed an idle Gila- the one she had pointed out as Weiss from before- and hugged it close to her chest, much like one would a small kitten. The image of her hugging the Gila was like that of a mother would to baby, or a child to her beloved pet dog. ¡°I know what you wanted to do with them from the start¡­¡± She explained. In a quiet voice. Her arms gently caressed the Gila with a sort of fond tenderness. The Gila- Weiss, had resisted at first, but slowly stopped as it cuddled deeper into the crook of Narise¡¯s chest. ¡°I knew, but¡­ I couldn¡¯t help it. I always loved animals since I¡¯ve been little, and even now I love them. I probably love them more than people¡­ haha¡­. And I know, I know that monsters are the ones responsible for ruining¡­ ruining everything. Their the ones that attacked us, they''re the ones that are keeping us locked up in this school, they''re the ones that killed a lot of my friends and classmates¡­ I know that but¡­¡± Her gaze which had grown exceedingly harsh and bitter as she had continued to speak, suddenly turned gentle. She looked down at the creature within her arms, before sweeping her gaze out to look at the other white clad Gilas around her. ¡°...These little guys have done nothing to harm us. They are innocent. And, you know, it''s kind of funny¡­ They¡¯ve just been born into this world, but already, their hated¡­ ...I find that¡­ really pitiful.¡± A sense of deep and ingratiating pity. It was this sort of emotion that drove Narise to her attachment. To her obsession. By clinging to something that hadn¡¯t been exposed to the hells¡¯ of this world she¡­ she found a reason to struggle. I kind of understood what she meant. It was a vague sort of kindness that was truly unneeded in this new type of hell, but¡­ even if it was unneeded, as a person, as a human, it''s impossible to not have them. Afterwards, I did not pursue the matter any further. I inwardly reasoned to myself that having someone look after these things while the others were away wasn¡¯t necessarily a bad thing. I mean, despite her obsession, she was doing a fairly good job as a caretaker¡­ Plus, who knows, with her current interactions taken into account, if she survives through this whole ordeal, maybe, just maybe, in the near future, Narise will end up developing a monster tamer skill or something similar. This was a vague sense of expectation.. One I did not mind clinging to¡­ For two hours, I spent my time down here, in the darkness with the strange girl who liked monsters more than people. **** Author''s Note: If you liked this chapter, and this fiction in this general, please don''t forget to rate and review. Chapter 87: The Day Before Part 2 Author¡¯s Note: I really wanted to split this chapter into two, but I forced myself to write it all out into one. The end result was me producing the longest chapter of CNW to date. The Day Before Part 2 After spending a few hours interacting with Narise, I finally decided to leave. On my way out, I lamented over how there wasn¡¯t really any way to use the newborn Gilas during the Dungeon boss fight. They were simply too young, with almost zero combat ability. Even their potential as bait or even exp fodder were subpar at best. It really wasn¡¯t worth using them for what little reward will come out of it. Well, in the near future, they might grow to have some uses, but¡­ right now¡­ I sighed wistfully before I parted ways with Narise and headed back upstairs to reunite with the others. The hallway intersection where everyone gathered quickly came to view. After briefly scanning the area, I approached Cielle and Hina, who were idly sitting besides a row of broken lockers. There eyes drooped lazily as there expressions conveyed one of boredom. ¡°Hey, I¡¯m here,¡± I lightly greeted as I sat down next to Cielle. ¡°Nnn..¡± Cielle nodded in affirmation. From beside her, Hina turned in my direction before stating, ¡°You got back at the perfect time,¡± . Hearing this, I could not help but form a frown on my face. I inwardly hoped that they didn¡¯t intent to make me fight again. I was honestly quite tired after earlier, and rather than diminishing, the fatigue that had formed yesterday seemed to grow more severe. While concealing these thoughts, I turned towards the open space before me while I lightly asked, ¡°What¡¯s happening?¡± Out in the distance, I could see Cher, Kido, and the President. They were standing in the center of the space and were currently warming up with various stretches and sword swings. ¡°Are they having a free-for-all?¡± I curiously asked. From my perspective, something like a free-for-all was a good way to imitate the chaos of an actual battle. In response, Hina curtly shook her head. ¡°No, it¡¯s not a free-for all. It¡¯s 2 vs 1. Hokusei and Kido versus Cher.¡± ¡°...¡± I could not help but frown upon hearing this. ¡°Wait, that doesn¡¯t sound right¡­ Will Cher be okay like that?¡± I was worried, after all, Cher was the weakest out of the four of us. Plus, with one of her arms now severed, that practically took away half her fighting strength. The impact of such a loss was readily obvious. While one opponent may be doable, handling two at the same time¡­ I could not help but harbor some doubt and lingering unease. I turned toward the open space and looked closely at Cher. I focused my eyes on her face, half expecting one of her usual pitiful expressions. Contrary to my expectations though, that was not what I saw. Instead, a steady look of determination filed Cher¡¯s face like a shot of straight vigor. From besides me, Cielle¡¯s soft voice spoke like a gentle breeze, ¡°... You¡¯re underestimating her¡­ Cher hasn¡¯t been idling by these past 2 weeks¡­ She¡¯s trained just as hard as the others¡­ if not more. Cher, she¡¯s grown strong¡­¡± Cielle paused for a minute, and tilted her head slightly to the side. She thought for a moment, and just as she was about to resume speaking, Hina¡¯s voice suddenly interrupted, ¡°Cher was already strong.¡± She spoke with a faint smile, ¡°She¡¯s just gotten stronger.¡± ¡°...¡± **** Before long, the fight between Cher versus the President and Kido started. The first thing Cher did was raise her new shield up towards her chest, as she cautiously approached the others. Her posture was slightly crouched, with her knees bent and her whole torso fully covered by her circular shield. As I observed Cher¡¯s movements, I noticed that her right side was more exposed than the rest of her body. The habit of wielding two shields had yet to disappear from Cher¡¯s psyche. Now, in the face of her disability, this habit created a new weakness for her. Regardless if the others realized this or not, the fight proceeded. Kido and the President immediately took action. In near perfect synchronization, the two separated and slowly began circling around Cher. The moved slowly, taking their careful time to observe Cher¡¯s every movement with scrutinizing gazes. Soon, both Cher¡¯s left and right sides were surrounded. With her as the epicenter, a distance of two meters separated her from both parties. A tense moment lulled. Cher remained unmoving, almost afraid as her slightly narrowed eyes swiveled back and forth between Kido to the President and back again. In comparison, the other two slowly began sliding towards Cher, their swords constantly at the ready, while their eyes scanned vigorously for any sort of opening they could abuse. This silent standoff persisted for an unknown period of time before it was ruthlessly broken by Kido¡¯s guttural battle cry. His primal roar slowly dissipated into the vibrating air before he immediately rushed forward. His night clad long sword sliced through the surrounding space as he fiercely swung it down towards Cher. In the face of Kido¡¯s sudden attack, Cher¡¯s eyes narrowed as she was forced to respond. She sidestepped slightly while simultaneously bringing her shield close to her chest. She twisted her waist slightly, tilting her shield at an angle in the process. Kido¡¯s blade lightly grazed past the shield¡¯s metal surface, leaving a flurry of yellow sparks in its wake. In that short span of time, the President also rushed forward, giving Cher absolutely no time to recover. He came running from behind her. Cher, who saw the President¡¯s attack coming from the corner of her eye grimaced as her knees slightly bent in preparation. Before the President could get any closer, she suddenly turned and once again, held her shield up over her chest. The tip of the President¡¯s weapon struck the base of Cher¡¯s shield, producing a vibrating dull sound in the process. The blow itself, coupled with the Prez¡¯s running start managed to lift Cher slightly off the ground. Making use of this single opportunity, Kido had long since recovered, and once again pounced towards her. With a savage light glinting in his eyes, his sword sliced came from below and sliced upwards, its dark edge aimed at her exposed abdomen. Cher immediately twisted her waist and spun her whole body around. She practically hugged the shield to her chest, as it blocked Kido¡¯s incoming slash. She was once again pushed further back, before she dropped to the floor, sliding a couple of steps in the process. Although her feet were now firmly pressed to the ground, even before she could regain her balance, without a chance to relax, the President rushed past Kido and continued the assault. Unlike Kido¡¯s bladed weapon, the President¡¯s sword was similar to my Cyclops club. As it struck the base of Cher¡¯s shield it produced a dull trembling sound which seemed to further agitate the vibrating air. Cher was now under constant pressure. The President¡¯s ruthless attacks did not cease for even a fraction of a second. He repeatedly struck several blows towards Cher, relentless in his pace. Despite that, Cher managed to block every single strike through rapid body movements. Her waist constantly bent and twisted, while her legs furiously moved to react. Her single arm was constantly raised and always in motion, guarding her from every one of the President¡¯s heavy blows. This exchange lasted for a long time before a slightly uneasy feeling crept up to the back of my mind. Observing the battle, I felt that something was amiss. Instead of aiming for vitals or the open spots in Cher¡¯s defense (like her slightly exposed right side), each of the President¡¯s strikes were solely aimed for her shield. It was as if he had no other intention other than to repeatedly bash on her shield like a frenzied percussionist. Luckily, because of the weapon¡¯s crazy high defense, the President''s strikes were negligible at most, but still¡­ ¡°He¡¯s buying time¡­¡± I slightly narrowed my eyes as I came to that sole conclusion. The President wasn¡¯t truly attacking Cher, he was simply dragging things out and setting up an opening. An opening for¡­ Kido. I immediately shifted my gaze to Kido. My suspicions were instantly confirmed as I saw Kido slowly circling behind the other two, his eyes sharp and feral like a starved wolf. His back was slightly bent while the sword in his right hand hung loosely besides him. His legs and knees were bent like a spring, ready to pounce at a moment¡¯s notice. Kido remained motionless for less than a second before he immediately rushed forward. Having found an opening, his whole body surged forward like a dying comment. His sword was pointed directly toward Cher, like a javelin, leading the charge with unwavering determination. Kido¡¯s attacks were too ruthless, but this next one was even more so. The tip of the sword was aimed directly at Cher¡¯s exposed spinal column. If that hit landed¡­ permanent paralysis would be a very real possibility. Before I could issue a complaint or interfere, the two had already collided. Cher¡¯s body was like a blade of grass blowing freely through the wind. She moved a fraction of an inch to the side, and dodged Kido¡¯s sword with frightening accuracy. The blade had nearly come close to fully piercing her back. Before Kido could retract his sword, Cher immediately took a single step backwards, and with her severed limb, drove her elbow directly into Kido¡¯s exposed sternum. The retaliation had come out so suddenly that it even surprised me, but without a doubt, Kido was the most affected. His breath caught in his throat as he struggled to sputter out a heaving cough. He took a shaking step backwards, as Cher briefly retracted her elbow. Using this chance to escape from the President¡¯s continued onslaught, she ¡°chased¡± Kido¡¯s heaving body by taking another step backward before she once again forcibly drove her elbow into his chest. This time Kido completely lost balance and toppled to the floor. Meanwhile, Cher pushed of with her elbow, and using Kido as a backboard, forced her body forward. Maintaining the momentum, Cher immediately followed up with [Shield Bash], and rushed forward towards the President. The President could not react in time, as the shield¡¯s metal surface collided with his exposed body. The heavy blow sent him reeling backward. His only saving grace was that unlike Kido, the Prez had managed to maintain his footing. He slid back several feet before his momentum came to a slow stop. Using his sword as a support, the President heaved out stale air, as he glanced up at Cher with cautious eyes. In that brief exchange, Cher managed to turn the whole situation around. Without a doubt, Cher had come out advantageous from that barely 10 second interaction¡­ but¡­ ¡°Hah¡­. hah¡­¡± Cher¡¯s back was drenched in sweat. Her face was flustered red, and despite the steady glint in her eyes, her breath was shallow and rapid. Cher had the upper hand in terms of combat but she had a fatal weakness that was quickly becoming apparent. ¡°Even without her right arm, she¡¯s still strong, right?¡± Cielle¡¯s soft voice floated to my ears. I turned, only to see Cielle¡¯s a small smile decorating her expression. ¡°....¡± After slight some slight hesitation, I nodded, but just as I was about to open my mouth to comment, Hina¡¯s voice suddenly butted in. ¡°Cher¡¯s doing well, but her stamina is taking a heavy toll.¡± She said with a heavy sigh. ¡°It wasn¡¯t like this before¡­¡± I spoke after some mild consideration. ¡°Cher usually never exhausted herself this fast, even when she was forced onto the front lines.¡± Hearing this, Hina slightly bobbed her head forward. She silently thought for a moment before stating, ¡°This¡­ this is probably because of her severed arm.¡± Without saying anything I nodded, both in affirmation and as an indication that I had come to the same conclusion. Seeing my solemn nod, Hina continued with a sigh, ¡°Lately, Cher¡¯s fighting style has¡­ changed. Her movements have become more erratic¡­ more exaggerated. As if to make up for her severed arm, Cher¡¯s been compensating with the rest of her body... That in itself isn¡¯t bad but, she¡¯s overdoing it.¡± ¡°A tank with no stamina...¡± Just thinking about it is enough to solicit a sigh out of me. As if in response, Hina nodded, before adding, ¡°Cher¡¯s also realized this but¡­ it¡¯s like something¡¯s pushing her from adjusting. Something¡¯s holding her back¡­ like she¡¯s trying to run away from something¡­¡± -Running away? ...Could it have something to do with her fight with Satou? I wasn¡¯t there to see it but¡­- Before my mind could fully immerse itself within the bubbling surfaces of my thoughts, I heard another sharp intake of breath coming out from Hina¡¯s slightly parted lips. ¡°In the future, her stamina consumption is something that¡¯ll need to be fixed, but as for this fight¡­¡± Her once gloomy expression brightened slightly as she cracked a smile. Her eyes were willfully staring out at the battle that unfolded before us. ¡°Cher still holds that advantage. After all, she still has her new skill, [Fever Burst].¡± [Fever Burst]... Back when I gave Cher the skill book, she learned it shortly afterwards and had explained the gist of it to me. [Fever Burst] was a debuffing skill that lowered a person¡¯s stats by 5% for 5 minutes. That affect stacked for up to 3 times, and with each stack, the 5 minute time limit was refreshed. It was a convenient skill that held immense potential. The downside of it though, was that as the skill stacks, the mana usage doubles. So stacking the skill twice consumed twice as much mana, while stacking the skill three times consumed 4 times as much mana. Right now, Cher managed to increase [Fever Burst]¡¯s level to beginner level 6. The skill¡¯s current effects were lowering a target¡¯s stats by 9% for 7 minutes. I wondered whether there would be an increase in stack limit after the skill leveled up to a certain extent but¡­ so far there¡¯s been no indication. Maybe after she¡¯s reached intermediate? Although Cher¡¯s informed me plenty of times regarding her new skill to the point where it has gotten really annoying, I¡¯ve never actually seen her use it in combat before, so I¡¯m a little curious. From besides me, Cielle suddenly spoke, ¡°... That elbow strike just now¡­ and that shield bash, they were both infused with her skill.¡± I could not help but raise an eyebrow at Cielle¡¯s comment. If she really was able to distinguish that, then either she¡¯s got really good eyes, or there¡¯s something else at play here. Curiosity bubbling up within me, I could not help but ask, ¡°How can you tell?¡± She paused for a moment, before a faint smile slowly floated to her face. ¡°Ever since I¡¯ve begun practicing, I can¡­ sort of tell¡­¡± ¡°Is it a new skill?¡± In response, Cielle just simply shook her head. ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s at that point yet. Right now, it¡¯s just a faint feeling¡­ it''s hard to describe.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± If even the person in question did not know, then there was nothing I could do about it. Instead of further pushing the topic, I decided to change the subject. ¡°Then, if Cher hasn¡¯t used her skill up until now¡­ then¡­ does it need physical contact or something similar for it to work?¡± In response, I could see both sisters nodding their heads. Hina added, ¡°Yeah. It¡¯s a skill that needs direct contact to work, ironic considering the origin of the skill was quite opposite¡­but considering everything, it''s a good thing that skill went to Cher. If either Cielle or I learned it, it would have been a complete waste, but for her- for Cher, it¡¯s perfect.¡± Back on the battlefield, I could see the President slightly frowning. At the same time, Kido was roughly coughing as he vigorously rubbed his sternum. He had long since gotten up off the floor and was now cautiously staring at Cher with a grave expression etched onto his face. He also frowned like the President before his eyes widened in realization. In a biter voice, he groaned, ¡°Damn it. I couldn¡¯t avoid it this time either.¡± There was an aggrieved light in his eyes as he cautiously raised his weapon at the ready. The President who probably came to the same realization also prepared himself, but did not say anything. At this point in the fight, the situation had completely reversed. Despite the fatigue that Cher felt, with a deep breathe, she psyched herself up before rushing forward, towards the President. It was obvious at this point that with the situation tilted in her favor, the only thing Cher worried about was her stamina. A quick end to this match was her most favorable option. Cher¡¯s shield glowed a faint translucent light as [Shield Bash]. The President backed up a step fully anticipating Cher¡¯s approach, but much to his chagrin, Cher did not fully follow up with her [Shield Bash]. Instead, she abruptly stopped a few paces away from him, before she swiped downwards with the bladed portion of her shield. The President¡¯s expression morphed into panic, as he desperately retreated, but his diminished speed, although not significant, made enough of a difference to matter. The President could not fully avoid in time, and the black saber on Cher¡¯s shield left a deep gash on his dominant arm. His sword wielding arm trembled as he hastily back stepped. As he took time to recover, the panic stricken expression of his quickly morphed into realization as his eyes widened slightly. He panted in exasperation before groaning, ¡°It¡¯s stacked now..¡± He briefly laments just as Cher once again rushed forward. With a deep sense of unbridled desperation, the President avoids the first incoming attack, but it was quickly followed up with a [Shield Bash]. The President barely blocks this by mitigating the blow with the base of his sword, but the impact alone left his arms numb and tingling. Cher¡¯s onslaught continued as she willfully moved her body with a sense of unwavering fighting spirit. Coupled with the stacked effects of [Fever Burst] along with the profusely bleeding cut on his right arm, the President was not in a favorable situation. Despite that though, the frantic expression on his face coupled by his exaggerated movements, were just a few of the many indications of the concern he had regarding [Fever Burst]. He was doing his utmost to avoid taking a direct hit from Cher, but by doing so, the strain on his injured arm only continued to grow. Cher had the undisputed advantage, but¡­ Seeing the battle from an outsider¡¯s perspective, I could not help but frown. Going off of a guess, I asked the two besides me, ¡°Cher can¡¯t stack her [Fever Burst] on the President again, can she?¡± Without even a pause, Cielle nodded in affirmation, while Hina answered, ¡°... Without interruption, Cher can stack up to three times, but that¡¯s the limit to her mana¡­ Because she already previously used it on Kido, she does not have enough mana to stack the skill for a third time¡­.¡± I subconsciously nodded, as my eyes wandered to the battlefield. ¡°If that¡¯s the case¡­ then Cher¡¯s relentless attacks and all of her outward strikes with her shield¡­ those are all bluffs¡­¡± With Cher¡¯s current situation, her seemingly ¡°All Offense¡± constant bombardment was a ruse. A desperate way to finish the battle hidden under the guise of activating the third stack of [Fever Burst]. It was all desperation, but because of the President¡¯s current state, he completely fell for it. Just as the President continued his retreat, Kido finally joined the fray. He rushed forward with an attack aimed directly at Cher¡¯s exposed right side. Cher who saw this coming from the corner of her eye but was in the middle of her own attack, sharply narrowed her eyes. She slightly bent her knees just as the blade arrived. The tip of the sword grazed past her exposed shoulder. It left a rather deep cut, but otherwise Cher was unharmed. Before Kido could retract his blade, Cher¡¯s shield wielding arm surged forward. The non bladed edge of the shield, hit Kido directly on the elbow. He uttered a sharp cry of pain, before the sword in his arm dropped helplessly to the floor. Despite the loss of his weapon, Kido was relentless. His expression turned feral as he leapt towards Cher with unhindered bloodlust. Cher who was momentarily caught off guard, immediately brought the shield up over her body in reaction. Seemingly without a care, Kido practically pounced on top of the shield. His two hands desperately gripping onto its metal surface while he tried to wrestle the weapon away from its owner. Rather than a face of desperation, a primal glint lit up his eyes while his face was twisted into a savage expression. The President tried to monopolize on this current situation by rushing forward to attack, but his desperate ploy was abruptly halted as Cher forcibly rotated her body, bringing her shield along with it. Kido¡¯s whose grip remained steadfast, had his feet briefly lifted off the ground before he came crashing down onto the President. The President toppled down before he slid back a couple of meters away. Meanwhile, Kido¡¯s hands remained locked onto the shield, his expression turning more and more feral as the battle stalled. With a desperate surge of energy, Cher took a step forward, and activated [Fever Burst]. Her current limit was apparently 2 twice stacked [Fever Bursts], and she had decided to use the last one on Kido. A resounding thud resonated through the air as the base of Cher¡¯s shield hit Kido square on his chest. Kido¡¯s primal expression faltered as the light of pain illuminated his face. Going by Kido¡¯s current expression, I could tell that his strength had lessened and that his grip, while it did still maintain its hold on her shield, did weaken. Cher, who was not satisfied with just one hit, immediately took another step forward and this time, activated [Shield Bash]. That single step was filled with all the energy circulating within her body. With a heavy heave, She crashed into Kido. The hit itself forced Kido to break his grip on the shield. His body was sent flying backwards by a couple of feet, before he crashed down on the floor, falling flatly on his butt. For a less than a minute, Cher stood there motionless, heavily panting as her lungs widened to take in greedy gulps of oxygen. She was obviously tired. Her stamina was nearing its end, and her mana had all been used up. That last hit itself had almost fully drained any remaining energy she had left, and all she could do was maintain her steadfast standing position without toppling down. Although her body was overtaken by fatigue, it was not like she was the only one. The President hadn¡¯t gotten up ever since that last hit, while Kido¡¯s arm slightly twitched and his chest heaved heavily with a sense of urgent desperation. With neither opponent getting up, Cher¡¯s body lost any of its remaining strength as she toppled helplessly to the floor. On her face, was a look of jovial happiness. The match had ended with both sides unable to move, but without a doubt, today¡¯s victor was Cher. ***** After Cher¡¯s battle ended, while there really wasn¡¯t anything as exciting, the training did not stop just yet. It went on for a good while longer, with the other combatants taking the stage as Cher, Kido, and the President rested. I never did got back up to fight, so for the rest of the time, I simply sat back and watched as the day progressed. By the time the last fight took place, the sun had started to set, giving the building a sort of mesmerizing orange glow. The last fight was between one of Kido¡¯s girls versus the teacher from the President¡¯s class. Afterwards, it was decided that everyone would turn in early in order to recover in time for the fight tomorrow. By the time the sun had set, everyone had dispersed from the training ground, and I was no different. As I prepared to leave, a sudden voice called out from behind me. Half turning my head, I saw Kido, standing a couple of feet away from me. His face was turned in my direction but it was hung low. The shadows created by the setting sun completely masked whatever expression it was he was making. Aside from the dried blood stains on his shirt, not a single scratch was on him. This was primarily due to Cielle, who had healed pretty much all of his injuries. I opened my mouth to respond, but even before I could say anything, Kido began speaking. His voice was purposely low, as if he did not want any of the others who were currently leaving to hear him speak. ¡°I¡­ I want to talk, about the battle tomorrow.¡± After some slight hesitation, I replied, ¡°...Let¡¯s talk somewhere else.¡± We walked to the other side of the building, before we found an abandoned science classroom that was suitable for our needs. Entering the room, I discovered that the majority of its contents had been destroyed. This was not all that surprising, considering the majority of all the rooms within this building were ransacked beyond recognition. ¡°What did you want to talk about?¡± I asked the moment Kido shut the door behind him. ¡°... I¡­¡± He hesitated, for a long time, as if unsure how to formulate out his thoughts. Finally, after almost half a minute passed, he spoke, ¡°I know you¡¯ve said this before, but let me ask, How confident are you about tomorrow''s plan?¡± ¡°...A rough estimate of 40% success rate.¡± I made up some bullshit number. In actuality, my confidence was drastically lower than that. Hearing this, his face physically morphed into a grimace. Kido went silent, but his mouth was constantly opening and closing, as if he wanted to say something but ultimately did not know what to say. He hesitated for a long time, but ultimately managed to state, ¡°Is¡­ is there any way we can improve those odds?¡± His face was making an almost painful smile, as if he was forcing himself to think positive. By this point, I did not question his motives for asking me to come talk to him. A person¡¯s survival was important to them, and Kido had an abnormally large obsession with survival. After thinking for a while, I shrugged, and stated, ¡°I don¡¯t have any ideas regarding tomorrow.¡± ¡°Then will you listen to mine?¡± ¡°...¡± I did not say anything, but Kido took my silence as an affirmation, as he continued to speak. ¡°The Cafeteria group. We can use them.¡± I slightly raised my eyebrows. From my perspective, the cafeteria group was too weak to actually contribute to the fight tomorrow. At most, arming them with a few weapons and making them fight tomorrow would be more detrimental than anything else. Regardless, I did not voice out this opinion and simply allowed Kido to talk. ¡°Their generally useless and don¡¯t really have a lot of fighting potential¡­ even I realize that. But they have other¡­ other uses.¡± He stated, his bitter expression slowly cooling with every word he spoke. An unnaturally cold glint in his eyes had long formed before I even noticed. ¡°Be it as meat shields or as bait, if we use them properly, then our own chances of survival will increase. Infact, there might even be a way to use them combat wise. I don¡¯t know if we can do something like set up explosives on their bodies, but at the very least¡­ if Cielle can use her acid skill on them, then they can basically become living acid bombs. Or maybe¡­¡± As he continued to speak, his voice grew more and more casual, as if the mere thought of sacrificing people was as commonplace as eating a slice of toast. I was a bit caught off guard by his declaration. Sporadic thoughts filled my head as he prattled on. The first thing I thought of was whether or not Kido bore some kind of grudge towards the group. Maybe some deep long seated resentment¡­ but no. That wasn¡¯t the case. Kido¡¯s pensive face was indifferent, almost relaxed even. It wasn¡¯t a matter of hatred, but rather pragmatism¡­ and that sort of calm, calculating pragmatism was¡­ ¡°There¡¯s no way we can do that!¡± I couldn¡¯t help but shout out in the midst of his rambling. ¡°That¡¯s the same as sending them off to their deaths.¡± ¡°...¡± Kido abruptly stopped talking and stared at me. His eyes were hollow yet cold at the same time. ¡°I¡¯m ashamed Hide¡­ out of everyone here¡­ I thought you¡¯d best understand my sentiment.¡± You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.He sighed deeply before stating, ¡°You know¡­ if we fail tomorrow, those useless people you¡¯re trying so hard to protect are as good as dead. If that were the case, then they might as well be of some use to the ones actually trying to survive instead of freeloading like the scum they are.¡± His face morphed into one of scorn. It was as if he truly hated those people whom he smiled at earlier today. ¡°There¡¯s no need to go that far.¡± I responded while I maintained my usual poker face. ¡°All we have to do tomorrow is succeed.¡± ¡°...You said that our chances are less than 40%...¡± ¡°I lied.¡± ¡°...¡± Kido once again sighed exaggeratedly as he whimsically extended his arms out, as if to indicate at the space around him. ¡°This is all for survival Hide. You should have realized by now haven¡¯t you? Having been exposed to this type of world, you should know full well that this is a world where only the strong survive. Those that can¡¯t fight, die, and there¡¯s no point keeping them alive for this long if you¡¯re not even going to use them in the end! You should have realized this yet why? Why don¡¯t you agree with me? Why are you trying so hard for these people?¡± ¡°...¡± ¡°Dying in a place like this¡­ is that really what you want?¡± ¡°We won¡¯t die¡­¡± ¡°Hah-¡± Kido scoffed as he looked at me with almost mocking eyes. ¡°Even though you say that, you know full well that tomorrow¡­ people will die. You, me, the President, Saya, Minezawa, even those girls, Cielle and Hina, tomorrow, we¡¯re all at risk of dying. Every last one of us is struggling for even the tiniest sliver of a possibility of surviving...yet¡­ yet¡­¡± Kido¡¯s face grew increasingly red as a sort of pent up rage glistened from deep within his eye. ¡° Ye you¡¯re keeping the useless ones alive while people like us go risk our lives for that tiny sliver! That¡¯s illogical, that¡¯s stupid, that¡¯s completely fucking stupid! ¡­. Even though you want to keep the others from risking their lives, all you''re doing is sending another group of people out to risk theirs¡­ that isn¡¯t some bullshit heroics you¡¯re trying to pull¡­ at the end of the day, we both know you¡¯re not cut out to be the hero, Hide¡­ you¡¯re just a hypocrite.¡± ¡°....¡± In the face of it all, I could not say anything. The issue regarding the cafeteria groups¡­ that was something I¡¯ve longed thought over since the very start. I¡¯ve been making excuses for myself, reasoning to myself that they have their uses aside from fighting in the front lines but¡­ Doing something as casual as sending people of to their deaths... even though I''ve talked about sacrificing people before... in the end, when push comes to shove, I just don''t have it in me. From the very start, I''ve always been like this... I could not say anything because in the end, Kido was not entirely wrong. Although his screwed up view of survival was worrisome, the ideals he¡¯s created for himself¡­ they aren¡¯t wrong. As if he¡¯s made his peace, Kido sighs tiredly as he turns to face the door. He began walking, all the while stating, ¡°There¡¯s still time until tomorrow. Think about it Hide. Decide what you want to place importance in. It''s time you started differentiating those you want to protect, from those worth sacrificing.¡± With his back turned towards me, he reached for the handle of the door. But before he could grasp onto that flimsy metal knob, ¡°Oi,¡± I abruptly called out, while Kido¡¯s hand stopped in response. He slightly turned my way and with the corner of his eye, he stared, waiting for me to speak. I did not know how to respond to his earlier remarks¡­ rather, I could not respond. Instead, as if to push away those thoughts, as if to mask the worries that bubbled up on my mind, I asked, ¡°Our classmates¡­ back when this all first started¡­ Kido, did you kill our classmates?¡± Kido¡¯s eyes widened for a fraction of a second before they immediately narrowed. A cold, apathetic smile formed on his face as he simply stated, ¡°I did.¡± ¡°You¡­ did you do it for the experience?¡± Hearing this, Kido could not help but utter out a short, derisive laugh. ¡°I guess that might be partly the reason why but¡­¡± His eyes grew cloudy before he abruptly turned back to face the closed door in front of him. ¡°... Everything I¡¯ve done up until now was for survival¡­ For my own and for the others around me. That driving force still hasn¡¯t changed. I¡¯m willing to do almost anything in order to survive. Back then¡­ it was the same. I did it simply because I needed to.¡± Kido¡¯s attachment to the notion of survival¡­ for him, it wasn¡¯t just a simple idea. He used it to drive him forward, to justify his actions, both past and present. For Kido, survival wasn¡¯t a means to an end¡­ for him survival was nothing more than a simple excuse. That time of reasoning¡­ that wasn¡¯t something I could wrap my head around. Survival¡­ no, to live in this changed world¡­ you needed something more¡­ What exactly that something was, I haven¡¯t quite figured that out just yet. With a solemn voice that carried a tone of finality, I stated, ¡°We won¡¯t use the people as bait tomorrow.¡± ¡°....¡± Kido went silent for a fraction of second before his head bobbed slightly downward in a quick nod. ¡°That¡¯s fine. Do what you want.¡± He opened the door and took a step outside into the hallway, but just before he completely left, I stopped him. My solemn voice resonated throughout the stale, deathly silent air around us. ¡°Kido¡­ If you try to pull anything that will jeopardize everyone¡¯s lives tomorrow¡­ I will personally kill you.¡± Hearing this, Kido slightly tilted his head my way before an ambiguous smile blossoms onto his face. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, if anything, my actions tomorrow will increase the chances of surviving¡­ for both you and I.¡± After leaving behind those placid words, he turned back around and quickly left, leaving me behind to ponder the numerous thoughts that swirled around in my head. **** It was late into the night. The moon was barely a sliver of its full radiance, yet faint traces of moon light still illuminated the room around me. The girls who slept soundly at the other side of the classroom did not utter so much as a sound, creating an almost deathly silent atmosphere. It was probably 2 at night and I could not sleep. My body had long since recovered, and now, it felt as if I had too much enthusiasm. Before I even realized my leg was constantly tapping onto the cold wooden floor beneath me. I was restless. I could not sleep. In the end, out of fear of waking up the others, I decided to leave and head to the workshop. With nothing to do there, I absentmindedly began sharpening my weapon¡¯s using the workshop¡¯s whetstone. I don¡¯t know what compelled me to do this, but¡­ I just felt as if I needed to move my body. As if I needed a distraction. It was just mindless work for me as I waited out the night. The sound of blade against stone filled the room. With it, my thoughts began to wander. As if for the first time, the jumble of thoughts and ideas that have filled my head for the past few weeks finally aligned themselves, as if in order from trivial to most pressing. In the end, out of all my worries, and out of all my concerns, it all ultimately came down to one thing, or rather, one person- Kido. Without a doubt Kido was dangerous. He was dangerous, but what made him scary, what made him scarier from Satou whose main driving force was killing, and what made him scarier than the mindless Monster elites I¡¯ve fought up until now, was that, Kido was unpredictable. For the past few weeks, Kido¡¯s acted normal, well, with the exception of his crazy fervor to get stronger. But lately, as our final fight grew ever closer, he¡¯s gotten a bit more¡­ unhinged. His ruthlessness during sparring, his insistence on sacrificing the cafeteria group¡­ What¡¯s more, there were other instance aside from Kido¡¯s fluctuating mental state, like his abnormal growth, or the title he may or may not have. That¡¯s not even to mention the fact that he openly admitted to killing our classmates... With such a track record, it''s worrying what he might end up doing. ¡°...¡± As I mulled over my remaining options, I could not help but let out an exasperated sigh. In the end, at the very least I firmly believe that Kido will work with everyone in order to reach a common goal, but how exactly he achieves that goal is the problem. It honestly wouldn¡¯t be all that surprising if he pulled something like a Satou near the end of the fight. He was unpredictable, and his own motives, his obsession with survival only added to that. Just having him around was enough to make me feel uneasy about the coming day. ...Yet, despite that, I could not just toss him aside. I couldn¡¯t just simply kill kill him or exile Kido. Even if I wanted to, I couldn¡¯t. Even when thoughts like this filled my head for the better part of the week, I couldn¡¯t act upon it. This wasn¡¯t because of some humane reason, nor was it due to compassion, but rather, I couldn¡¯t kill Kido because of his importance. Honestly speaking Kido¡¯s crazy fast growth, or his steadily improving battle ability, none of these were truly important. While not having him around for the final Dungeon Boss fight might worsen the situation, it was not entirely unsalvageable. Kido¡¯s importance laid in his relationships. More specifically, it was Kido¡¯s ties with the girl in the wizard hat that stopped me from taking direct action towards him. The Wizard hat girl, she was someone vital, someone integral for our plans tomorrow. Her skill was one of the pivoting factors in our battle tomorrow, and despite being so important, it really didn¡¯t help that she held so much fondness for Kido. If something were to happen to him, or if I were to openly antagonize him, then the risk of losing Wizard Hat¡¯s cooperation was high. If I exiled Kido, then the Wizard Hat might just leave with him. If I killed Kido, then she might pull something like a double suicide¡­ that type of action wasn¡¯t that uncommon, especially considering the mental stress and her almost parasitic attachment to Kido. What¡¯s worse, openly antagonizing Kido might earn the ire of the Wizard hat. She might retaliate in a fit of rage or she might just purposely sabotage the whole operation¡­ Even with my worries taken into consideration, it was just too great a risk to action upon. Of course there was always the option of killing both Kido and the explosion girl together, and hope that with her death, her explosion skill will drop, but¡­ even with this, there¡¯s still a risk. The possibility of the skill not dropping existed and that was a risk I simply could not take. Afterall, not every kill drops a skill, and the exact requirements to make a skill drop from a person were still up for question. The matter with Satou and his [Acid Clad] skill¡­ for all I know, that happened by pure coincidence. Even with that risk holding me back, there was also another reason why I could not go through with this plan¡­ It did not sit right with me, killing someone innocent like that. In a sense, that naivety is a part of the reason why I haven¡¯t taking action against Kido just yet. Without any prior trigger, and with pure speculation as my driving force¡­ I could not bring myself to kill him. And if I couldn¡¯t bring myself to kill him, then there was no way I could take action against Wizard hat. She might be annoying, but she wasn¡¯t a killer like Satou. As the night passed, these thoughts continually swirled in my head. What I wanted to do, what was the best action to take, What the outcome of tomorrow will be¡­ I thought about these things countless of times. In the end, with a solemn heart, I ultimately came to a decision. In the brief span of time after the Explosion Girl finished what she needed to do, and before we confronted the Boss¡­ I had decided to kill Kido. To kill him and destroy any possibility of a situation from occurring. I¡¯d like to say I¡¯ve steeled myself for such a decision but in the end, I still had lingering doubt whether or not I had it in me to pull of such an action. Killing someone based purely on my own instincts and suspicion¡­ the fact of the matter was, I did not know whether that was the right thing to do or not. The act of killing was easy, the decision to kill or not wasn¡¯t. **** (Pov Change) A memory. A memory in the guise of a nightmare. The setting sun bloomed over the horizon. A youth absentmindedly stared out at the window. His eyes were hazy, and his face was turned away from the commotion around him. It was as if the sounds, people, and actions around him were completely separate from the youth. He was lost. Lost in thoughts he had no business having. Around the youth were three girls, all playfully bickering amongst themselves. There was a tiny girl who looked on the verge of tears, yet strangely enough the atmosphere she gave off was positive, friendly even. Besides that girl, was another female, this one with jet black hair that swayed listfully down her waist. Her face was morphed into a playful smirk as she continually teased the tiny girl besides her. And lastly, there was another girl. A girl with gente, almost motherly eyes, with an appearance to match. She ignored the other two besides her, as her eyes focused solely on the youth in front of her. Her eyes were hazy with a sort of nostalgic hue while her lips curved into a thin, satisfied smile. The youth did not particularly notice her stare, nor did he notice the bickering behind him. To the youth who absentmindedly stared out the window, this was an ordinary day. These friends were his ordinary companions, and he was simply killing time in an ordinary fashion. For this brief instance, he was truly a youth with absolutely no worries in the world. Without even realizing, his lips had long since curved into a content smile. The youth who continued to stare out at the window was the first to notice something odd had happened. It was such a drastic change that it would take an idiot to not notice, and this drastic change filled the youth with an uneasy sense of worry. The sky was a menacing shade of red, completely different from its usual hue of brilliant orange. What¡¯s more the gentle clouds that had formed above, had undergone a drastic change. They were vivid black, like splotches of ink that dotted the red canvas above the youth¡¯s head. What¡¯s more as the youth continued to stare, he slowly noticed white lines beginning to form. These lines were like cracks. Cracks that disfigured the red sky and gave of a heavy sense of dread. A little further away, the clouds began to dissipate. They slowly circled around an epicenter that glowed a faint translucent green. This cyclone of darkness was enough to send shivers running down the youth¡¯s spine. He did not know why, but he did not want to look at that glowing green dot in the sky. Yet, at the same time , he could not look away. His eyes glazed over as a blank expression filled his face. The others around him sported similar expressions as they all absentmindedly stared up at the sky like empty puppets. Even when a ding resonated within his skull and a weird blue panel popped up in front of him, the youth continued to stare, lost in the glowing green dot¡¯s hypnotizing vibrance. The sudden noise that originated from behind him was muffled out as he continued to stare. Even when chairs, desks, and people began flying throughout the room, he could do nothing but stare. The primal roar, the ghastly screaming, the pain filled wails, none of this registered in his mind. To the youth, nothing existed but the green dot and him. It was only after his vision filled with red and he felt a heavy impact knock the wind out of his entire body did his blank stare finally separate from the green dot. And like a fleeting dream the youth drifted off into unconsciousness. **** ¡°Uuuu¡­¡± A groan escaped from his parched dry throat. It took the youth a few seconds to realize that the groan originated from his own body. As he opened his eyes, he noticed that besides him, sprawled on the floor were his three friends. They all lay unconscious with hardly a scratch on them. He glanced around, and discovered that the teacher¡¯s desk had been tossed aside, and created a sort of cover that blocked their bodies from the rest of the room. He did not know how this happened, or why exactly the sturdy wooden desk had been knocked onto its side. Only, that he briefly recalled that one of the girls had teasingly chased another all the way to the empty teacher¡¯s desk. In an act of friendship, the youth and the remaining girl had followed them. He briefly pushed aside this memory and began looking around him. The gears in his mind turned as he tried to recall what had happened immediately afterwards. As he thought, a throbbing pain briefly pulsated in his mind before splintered images bubbled up into his thoughts. Visions from before filled his head. Of his classmates being tossed around like mere ragdolls. Of a giant, hulking beast rampaging and destroying almost everything in sight. Of his own body being flung aside like some piece of decayed meat. Kido fully recalled what had happened. A monster had come in like a raging storm and wrecked havoc within his familiar classroom. It rampaged through the sea of students, knocked the teacher''s desk aside with its otherworldly strength, before it continued its rampage. The cries for help, the deathly screams from his classmates¡­ the youth recalled the feeling of powerlessness as he drifted off into unconsciousness. Now he was awake, and his vision, that had once been blurry slowly started to focus. With it, his senses came back. The dull feeling that perpetuated throughout his body slowly dissipated, only to be replaced by a throbbing pain. He looked down at where the pain had been strongest, and discovered that on his arm, as a giant black bruise. His face crinkled in agony at the mere sight of it. Along with his sense of sight and sense of pain, the ringing in his ears also slowly disappeared, as his sense of hearing came back to him. With its emergence, he noticed that for the first time, the room around him was not silent. Rather, it was unexpectedly loud. Cries of agony and endless wailing. Sounds that seemingly only the dead could produce were currently resonating throughout the room, vibrating the stale air with a deep sense of tragedy. The youth who had just woken up was filled with a deep sense of compassion. He quickly stood up on shaking legs before he left the small concave formed by the half destroyed teacher¡¯s desk and observed the room around him. The sight before him made him nauseous and lightheaded. It was a fleeting feeling of weightlessness that allowed him to temporarily escape the bitter reality around him. The classroom had been destroyed. Desks and chairs lay scattered around the room while bodies littered the floor. A vibrant red carpeted the surroundings while the wails of some of the bodies echoed helplessly through this scene from hell. Survivors. Yes, there were survivors. Their bodies were mangled, and their blood was splattered sporadically throughout the room, but they had lived the onslaught from earlier. Recalling the memory again, the youth could physically feel the bile and vomit rise from his stomach and into his throat. He forcibly swallowed it down along with the rising sense of panic that was quickly beginning to dot his mind. The Monster from earlier, it did not do a thorough job of destroying. The youth remembered its haphazard destruction. It was chaos that was aimed purely at causing havoc, not one that focused on absolute massacre. In its wake, it had left no small amount of corpses, but just the same, some had survived. For the first time, the youth realized just how lucky he had been. Him and his friends, they had been knocked unconscious purely by the teacher¡¯s desk, and as a result, they had survived the Minotaur¡¯s rampage with only a mild concussion. They had avoided confrontation with the emissary of death that had killed and maimed all their classmates. The youth moved unsteadily to the center of the classroom. His eyes morbidly scanned the floor for survivors. From a distance though, the survivors did not look any different from the ones who had died. The only thing that set them apart was the constant wails that escaped their throats. Most of these survivors were bloody and almost nigh indistinguishable. With the vivid stench of blood as their backdrop, their legs arms, and bodies had all been thoroughly broken while red liquid constantly oozed out from their mangled bodies. Once again, Kido relied not on sight nor smell to differentiate the survivors, but rather on the noise they were making. It was the noise. Horrible, brutal, pitiful, agonizing wails. Cries for help muffled by pain, please for assistance drowned by the gurgling blood that had pooled in some of their throats. It wa an unbearable, heart wrenching orchestra that reverberated loudly throughout the room. They were loud, insufferably so,a dn when they all saw the youth approach, their cries only intensified. Like constantly chirping birds, they pleaded for help. With all their bodies broken and dying, all they could do was cry for help. Hearing all this, the youth¡¯s body shook in a terrible mixture of fright and disgust. His own ears began ringing as he involuntarily took a step backwards before he doubled over and barfed all over the floor. It took him a moment to realize that he had vomited directly onto a person. Once again, the youth¡¯s body shook. He looked down at the disgusting congregation of blood and vomit that had formed below his feet. The person he had vomited on was dead. His lifeless eyes seemingly stared hollowly at the youth¡¯s own fright filled expression. Urged by a sense of deep mourn and regret, the youth immediately apologized. Not caring whether the body was dead or alive, he profusely apologized in desperation. He continually apologized. Even when he shakily moved back towards the teacher¡¯s desk, the stream of constant apologies never once let up. When he finally reached the desk though, something caught his ear. He abruptly stopped talking,and amidst all the pain filled wails, he struggled to listen. It was a distant sound. It was both forceful yet soft at the same time. It was a sound that felt awfully familiar, and at the same time, it filled the youth with a heavy sense of dread and fear. Rather than hearing it, the youth ¡°felt¡± it. The floor shook ever so slightly as the sound slowly intensified. It was the sound of thundering footsteps. Instantaneously, the image of the monster passed through his mind. A hulking beast with the lower body of a cow, and the upper body of a lumberjack. Just recalling its grizzly, bovian expression and the horns that stuck out from its head was enough to cause the youth¡¯s breath to quicken and his back to sweat. The youth was afraid. He was very afraid. His mind was bogged down by fear, worry, and anxiety. His thoughts were racing and his heart was palpitating. What was that thing? Where did it come from? Was it coming back to finish the job it had left uncompleted? The youth¡¯s shoulders began trembling and without him knowing why, tears had begun to leak out from his eyes. Through a haze of tears and snot, he glanced down at his half-dead classmates before turning around to look at his friend behind the teacher¡¯s desk. His gaze continually shifted between both parties, before an unexpected negative emotion welled up from deep within him. He looked down at his wailing classmates and could not hide the spiteful expression that had formed on his face. They were noisy. These people were noisy and without a doubt, they were bound to attract the monster¡¯s attention. Because of them, the monster was going to come back and finish the job. Because of their constant screeching, the monster was going to kill him and his friends. Even if they had been classmates in the past, all the same, he didn¡¯t want his friends to die because of these noisy people. He, himself didn¡¯t want to die because of these noisy people. The youth¡¯s face twisted into an ugly scowl as he inwardly thought the word ¡°shut up¡±. His voice did not project into the room though, both from shock and fear that the monster might hear him. ¡°I¡¯m sorry you ended up like this, but please shut up.¡± He inwardly thought. ¡°I¡¯m sorry to see you like that, but please¡­ shut up. I¡¯m sorry, but shut up. Sorry, shut up, sorry ¡­. Shut up¡­ shut up... shut...UP!¡± The feeling of fear and the desire to survive was quickly overtaking his damaged psyche. ¡°Shut up, shut up, shut up, shut up, shut up, shut up, shut up, shut up, shut up, shut up, shut up, shut up, shut up, shut up, shut up, shut up¡­¡± The youth¡¯s expression had gone hollow. Although his mouth was constantly mouthing something out, no sound ever came out. In an almost dream like state, the youth continued to repeat that single phrase as he reached out for a box cutter that had been on the floor, one that had been knocked off from the teacher¡¯s desk during the initial arrival of the monster. ¡°Shut up, shut up, shut up, shut up, shut up, shut up, shut up, shut up, shut up, shut up, shut up, shut up, shut up, shut up¡­.¡± He continually repeated even as he approached the nearest classmate. ¡°Shut up, shut up, shut up, shut up, shut up, shut-¡± Even as the box cutter sliced through skin and flesh, the youth still incessantly repeated. Even as his hands stained with red, and even as the first person who died before his hands stopped wailing, he still continually repeated. Like an ominous chant, that singular phrase reverberated in his skull with the intensity of a jackhammer. The youth¡¯s body moved around the room, the box cutter in his hand only continued to grow redder and redder as more and more people lost their lives. The constant wailing from before slowly began to quiet down as each throat was snipped like the bud of a flower. Soon the youth¡¯s last classmate had been ¡°silenced¡± and the room entered an almost deathly quiet. The youth¡¯s body trembled as he dropped to his knees. His mouth still continued to move but this time, instead of repeating ¡°shut up¡±, his silent prayer had changed. ¡°Sorry¡­ sorry¡­ sorry¡­¡± He inwardly repented as he grieved in total silence. His hands were shaking. They were covered in an absolute layer of blood, while tears continually fell from his eyes. ¡°Sorry¡­ sorry¡­ sorry¡­ sorry¡­¡± As more and more tears blurred his vision, his mind grew cloudier and cloudier from remorse. His vision blurred, his ears ringing, and his body numb from anguish, the youth continued to silently grieved before- DING! A reverberating noise resounded through his skull as Kido abruptly woke up. He sat up from his makeshift bed, unloosening the emergency blanket that had once been draped over his body in the process. His back was wet with sweat while, unknowingly, faint traces of tears had wettened his cheek. It was the middle of the night, and the moon was barely a sliver of its full radiance. Faint traces of moonlight dully illuminated the room around him. Kido stared out over the room and glanced at the girls around him. A faint, sardonic smile floated to the surface of his face. ¡°I did the right thing¡­¡± He softly whispered to himself. ¡°I definitely did the right thing¡­¡± Kido lamented over the dream. Back then, what he had done, the actions he did¡­ they were completely justified. They were already dying anyways, and by killing them he saved not only himself, but also the lives of his friends. ¡°They were a necessary sacrifice¡­ a sacrifice so that others could survive.¡± He continually spoke as if he were attempting to brainwash his own mind. ¡°Yeah¡­ Survival comes first and foremost. And tomorrow¡­ I¡¯ll do the same thing¡­ I¡¯ll survive. I¡¯ll do anything to survive.¡± ***** Author''s Note: We''re nearing the end guys. Final fight imminent. Not even I can extend it out any longer than it already is. If you liked this chapter, or this story in general, please don''t forget to rate or review. Chapter 88: Battle with the Dungeon Boss Author''s Note: I made you wait, so here is an extra long chapter. Special thanks to Kiomaru for helping me PR this monster of a chapter. Battle with the Dungeon Boss By the time the sun rose the next day, the constantly growing nervousness and unease had built up to the point of spilling, drowning out the whole building in a wave of nausea anxiety. Everybody was nervous. They were stressed, they were hungry, they were desperate, but most of all, they were scared. The morning started with a quiet lull. It was unbearably early. The sun barely broke through the horizon, but nonetheless, everyone had already gathered in a particular classroom. There was no real reason why everyone had gotten up so early. When the light of the sun barely touches the deeper interiors of the school where the Dungeon Boss resided, the time of day was of little consequence. It was a pointless endeavor that only served to further tighten the taut string of tension that had already built up around us. But nonetheless, it couldn¡¯t be helped. It was too early, yet everyone, even those not fighting, were filled with an uneasy excitement. You could see it from the way they moved, to the twitch in their faces. It was the sort of thing that you would notice without even trying to notice. It was an unmasked, unhindered excitement that bordered on insanity. With this type of mood permeating throughout the school, it was no wonder everyone was awake. Be it by their own will or by some external driving force, nobody dared to miss the start of this important day. Unlike previously when we gathered in this room, we did not join together to eat or to do other mundane and idle tasks. Instead, the time now was invested in preparation. With the solemnity of the classroom firmly in place, nobody bothered speaking, which made it a bit more convenient for me. I sat at the front of the room, an old, and badly managed desk separating me from the classroom. With all eyes focused solely on me, I began to recap what we already knew about the Dungeon Boss. **** [Reeflech]. The End Boss of this hell hole called a dungeon. Based on what we¡¯ve gathered thus far, its hideout is at the nearly dismantled refuge beneath the rotting old school building. The refuge was sparse, with little furnishing and consisted of a small square space that spanned 500 meters by 500 meters. It wasn¡¯t much, but in the end, its importance was unparalleled. After all, this was where our final battle would take place. The place has two entrances. The first was the front entrance, a set of imposing double doors that were designed to lock from the inside. This was the most direct way of entering and probably the intended way. The second was the old underground passageway that connects the refuge to the east building bomb shelter. This was where we first encountered the boss, and also where the main group will attack from. There also exists a third entrance, but this one was kind of special. The third entrance was the one we intend to create for ourselves. As for the Dungeon Boss itself, the information we¡¯ve gathered is limited. Reeflech the [Cursed] Subterranean. Aside from its name, the only things we¡¯ve been able to discover were that it has tentacles and it has an affinity with fire. Despite what little we know though, the information we do have is enough to justify the fear and nervousness that currently seeped through every crack and crevice of the room. Most notably, the ones that were going to actually fight today could not hide the ugly expressions that formed on their already pale faces. Its tentacles¡­ going by the approximate distance from the Refuge and from where we had our first encounter with the boss, then its tentacles can stretch out for more than 50 meters. This sort of range was immensely terrifying, to say the least. Not only did this make dealing with the Boss much, much more dangerous, but it also made the prospect of retreat a near impossibility¡­ That¡¯s not even to mention that that 50 meters was by no stretch of the imagination, just the bare minimum. Its true strength and danger could only be properly determined through first hand experience. As for the Dungeon Boss¡¯s fire attribute¡­ depending on how the battle plays out, it may end up being a more dangerous factor than the Boss¡¯s tentacles. Just from that one time encounter alone, the danger of its immense power has already plastered itself deep within my heart. Reeflech was capable of producing incinerating columns of fire that had the capability of turning clothes to near ash just from its passing heat. With a range of more than 50 meters, if an attack of similar caliber were to rage across the battlefield, then¡­ much less winning, surviving turns into a near impossibility. Aside from these two factors, we knew pretty much nothing else. From its level, attack pattern, HP, skills, all these important aspects were in the dark for us. We were practically going in blind, knowing only that the cave we were about to enter was in actuality, the jaws of a dragon. If there was anything of importance, then it would be the [Cursed] title that I managed to identify on that day. Unfortunately, I knew nothing about this. What its effects were or how it would play out during the battle were all mysteries to me. At most, I could only make vague predictions based on my past experience. Rather than helping, the sheer fact that I know it even exists in the first place only served to plant another seed of doubt and worry within my heart. As for our plan of action for the day, it was rather simple. A two pronged assault that served with the main intention of seizing the flow of the battle even before it started. After recapping all this plus the basic battle plan, I then distributed out the two groups. There would be two groups. One group was aptly labeled the Assault group. This group would comprise of our man fighting strength and would be the group that entered from the passageway. The other group was called the Infiltration group, and would consist of a smaller group of people with the Wizard Hat girl¡¯s [Explosion] skill at its fundamental core. ¡°The Infiltration group will only consist of three people; Wizard Hat, Kido, and me.¡± As I boldly spoke these words out into the room, I shoot a quick glance at Kido, hoping to observe some sort of change in his disposition. Unfortunately, I was met with disappointment. His expression stayed even, going so far as even nodding in ¡®compliance¡¯. Though Kido¡¯s reaction was rather lackluster, the girls that gathered around him could not help but chirp out in dissatisfaction. ¡°Three people aren¡¯t enough!¡± ¡°Let me join the Infiltration group! There¡¯s no way I¡¯m going to let Kido go alone!¡± ¡°I-I don¡¯t think it''s very safe for Kido to go with so few people¡­¡± Going in order, the Transfer student and Kido¡¯s childhood friend all voiced their dissatisfaction. And although she wasn¡¯t part of the combat group, even the small one that looked like a twelve year old could not help but chime in as well. They unhesitatingly complained about how dangerous it was, and how the Infiltration group should contain more people. Without a doubt though, the most annoying aspect of their outburst was their insistence to join the Infiltration group. As for Kido, who was without a doubt the main focus of their pleas, well, he put on quite a convincing act. Kido¡¯s lips curled up, while his brow creased. His expression turned helpless as he tried to quell the girls¡¯ outburst. Without a doubt, for all intents and purposes, Kido was truly at a loss. ¡°G-girls, girls please¡­ Saya, Mindi, Amy, calm down! Arguing like this won¡¯t bring us anywhere¡­¡± While Kido played the role of an incapable man, I discreetly swept my gaze across the rest of the room. Ignoring the previous ruckus, I took a glance at the President. His face was scrunched up in consternation. He did not voice out his complaints though, merely letting out a quiet and subtle sigh as he helplessly placed his palm over his face. My gaze continued until it stopped at my own group. Because I had already informed the girls of my earlier misgiving regarding Kido the night before, Cielle, Hina, and Cher did not pay the commotion much attention, nor did they show any significant reaction to the arrangement of the groups. If anything, the probably already guessed that the reason why I placed Kido within the same group as me was purely to keep an eye on him. It was truly fortunate that they did not know my real goal. For both them and I, it was better that they stayed in the dark. After a minute or two of their unceasing commotion passed, I grew tired of it all, and directly asked Kido what he thought of the group formation. He paused for a moment before he began to briefly explain, ¡°... I think the group arrangement is good. I¡¯m at least satisfied that I can protect Miki with my own hands.¡± As he spoke, he shot a reassuring glance at the girl with the wizard hat, to which she replied with a lovestruck expression. ¡°....Having a small group will be beneficial for our purposes.¡± I explained with a tired solemnity intermixed within my voice. ¡°This will allow us to bypass through monsters more easily, as well as sneak through the vents more quickly. Wizard Hat over here is a no brainer, I¡¯ll be going because I previously mapped out the building, and as for Kido¡­ he is one of the few melee fighters we have available, so he is pretty sturdy.¡± My neck craned to glare at Kido. With extreme bluntness, I uttered, ¡°If worse comes to worse, rather than fighting, your role in this operation will be to act as Wizard hat¡¯s meat shield. You might be decent at fighting, but you don¡¯t have her skill. In the end, for this battle, you are not as important as her.¡± As my cold words left my mouth, the girls that huddled around Kido momentarily blanked out before their faces paled. Even Wizard Hat could not help but go slack jawed as she lifelessly stared at my indifferent expression. After a second or two passed, clarity returned to their eyes, and they simultaneously opened their mouths to protest. But just before they could say anything, Kido stepped up and spoke first. ¡°That sounds about right. My goal is to protect Miki and nothing more.¡± With an ambiguous smile, Kido readily agreed. I paused for a moment before I lightly dipped my head in a small nod. Ignoring the wave of dissatisfaction emanatingemenating from Kido¡¯s group of girls, I then went explaining the details regarding the Assault group. They were to enter the passageway beforehand and stop directly at the border where the Boss¡¯s lair officially started. Going by the distance from the Refuge to the East Building bomb shelter that Hina calculated, the boss¡¯s sphere of influence should extend past 50 meters outside of the Refuge itself. That meant that once the Assault group hears the final explosion, they needed to rush past these 50 meters and make their way straight for the boss and initiate combat upon arriving. This way, the explosion and resulting collapse would at best injure the Boss to some extent, or at worse, keep him occupied just long enough for the Assault group to safely make it to the Refuge without any incident. The important part of this operation stressed on timing. To bring down the floors above the Refuge, it would take a series of explosions. Previously, we agreed on a specific number of explosions to occur before their group could rush forward. If we, on the Infiltration group, collapse the Refuge before these specific number of explosions were met, then the Assault group would not rush in. If we don¡¯t manage to complete our objective by the time we met these specific number of explosions, then the Assault group would be charging into a virtually unharmed Boss. Without a doubt, that would lead to their deaths even before they make it to the Refuge. Likewise, if the Assault group doesn¡¯t move forward at the right time, then all the effort done by the Infiltration group would become meaningless. What made this situation even worse was that we had no more operational walkie talkies left to coordinate with. And even we did, the resulting blast from the explosions would make verbal communication impossible. This first part of the battle was the most important, and the one that stressed the most on teamwork and timing. One mistake on either side could lead to the utter failure and instant death of both groups. If mistakes on our calculations regarding the amount of explosions that were needed to bring down the upper floors happened, or if the passageway was to collapse because of the explosions, then all the same, the plan would fail. It was a plan chalked full of holes and uncertainty, but nonetheless, it was all we had. Even knowing all this, even when they fully comprehended the danger, everyone still readily agreed. The common goal of escaping was too hard for individual fear to snuff out. After I finished explaining, everyone within the room dispersed so that they could prepare and don on their equipment. In ten minutes, the final battle was about to start. **** Through the same hole I used when I brought Cher along last time, I led Wizard Hat and Kido into the main building. Unlike with Cher though, our route this time was different. Back then, when we made our way to the gymnasium, our route was a bit more direct, maximizing on speed with the sole intent of leading the horde towards us. Right now, we can¡¯t do that. If we ignored the horde and simply took the fastest and most direct route, then, if the horde stays unobstructed, they will catch up almost instantly, leaving us no time to set up and prepare. Rather than the destination, it was the path that we needed to concern ourselves with the most. We needed to buy enough time for our plan to succeed. By making use of the school¡¯s innate infrastructure while at the same time benefiting from the ventilation system¡¯s winding tunnels and far reaching network, we can accomplish that. Since I¡¯ve already mapped out and tested the route we would be taking today previously, as far as this phase of the plan goes, there should be no problems or complications. After entering the threshold of the old school building, our first destination was to be the third floor. This stemmed from the basis of our plan, which basically constituted of blowing up all three floors of the building and forcing it to collapse onto the underground refuge below. By blasting the third floor first, the subsequent weight of the rubble and destroyed concrete would put pressure onto the 2nd floor. Then, when the 2nd floor collapsed and all that concrete and rubble fell to the first floor, the task of collapsing the 1st floor becomes significantly much easier. Finally, through the combined weight of all the accumulated rubble from all three floors, plus Wizard hat¡¯s explosion as the final catalyst, the whole thing should contain enough force to break through the shelter¡¯s stripped ceilings and completely decimate the roof of the refuge. Of course, bringing down the whole school building was an impossible task. After all, even if it was originally made mostly with wood, it was still reinforced over the years by concrete and steel wiring. The plan did not intend to collapse the whole floors, but rather to detonate and blast through areas on each floor that would hopefully bring down a good section of the space directly over the Refuge. With Hina¡¯s prediction, Mr. Tei and the teacher from the President¡¯s group¡¯s insight, and with my earlier endeavors in scouting, we¡¯ve managed to locate a few key points on each floor that either held structural importance or have been weakened beyond repair. Finally, taking into consideration the current strength of each of Wizard Hat¡¯s explosions, we needed a total of 5 explosions. 2 explosions to bring down the 3rd floor, 2 for the 2nd, and finally 1 for the 1st. According to her, she can produce 3 explosions at max mana. Under normal circumstances, with her current mana supply, casting 5 explosions is an impossibility. Luckily, out of all the accumulated drops from the dungeon that I¡¯ve acquired, including my most recent scouting/training trips, I¡¯ve managed to collect 2 mana potions. Since each mana potion can¡¯t fully restore a person¡¯s mana back to maximum, Wizard Hat needed all two to cast five explosions. While it¡¯s a shame that such a precious commodity has to be wasted before the real fight even starts, I couldn¡¯t be too stingy. After all, those five explosions were all important parts of the plan. Missing even one would bound the whole operation to failure. Traveling through the ventilation system, we slowly and methodically made our way to our first destination. On our way there, we took a detour and led the ensuing horde towards a small corner in a hallway on the 1st floor. From previous experience, it would take the horde at least 7 minutes to make it from here to the 3rd floor. In comparison, by making use of the vertical incline within the vents, it would only take us at most 3 minutes, buying us 4 minutes of time to set up for the first explosion. As we drew closer and closer to the third building, and subsequently, closer to the Dungeon Boss, an abrupt metal thud rang out from behind me. I was leading the group within the metal confines of the ventilation shafts, so as I took a quick glance behind me, I could see Wizard Hat directly behind me followed by Kido who was behind her. Wizard Hat¡¯s neck was also craned towards the back and her attention was completely focused on Kido. Glancing down, I could see Kido crawling on the metal coffin. Underneath him was a distinct puddle of sweat, while even in the darkness, his face was noticeably paler than usual. His head was lying face down on the cold metal floor, while his arms shook fiercely in an attempt to right himself. ¡°Kido? W-what happened? Are you okay?¡± Wizard Hat¡¯s voice vibrated through the metal coffin, a heavy dose of concern interlaid within her voice. Not even a second passed before Kido raised his head back up and forced a smile on his face. For a moment, his eyes passed over me before they immediately fixated on Wizard Hat. ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± He responded back, his voice filled with mock vigor. ¡°I just slipped on my sweat. I didn¡¯t know it would be this hot in here¡­.¡± ¡°Well it is summer right now¡­.¡± ¡°You¡¯re right, haha¡­ crawling through here is like willingly jumping into an oven.¡± ¡°At least it¡¯s not as bad as-¡± ¡°You guys.¡± I immediately interrupted the two, at the same time my face immediately swiveled back to face the front. ¡°Shut up and start crawling. We don¡¯t have any time to waste.¡± Leading by example, without another word, I resumed my crawl forward. I did not voice out how pale Kido was or the obvious consternation that had been written on his face. It was a small incident yet lingering unease was unavoidable. As I continued to make my way forward, I forced this seemingly miniscule feeling of trepidation down and silently crawled. A little while later, we finally reached the 3rd floor and made our way out of the vents. Using [Echolocation], I could tell that the horde was still a fair distance away from us. They might even still be on the 1st floor. If this was the case, then we had more than 7 minutes remaining. At this rate, Wizard Hat might be able to safely cast two explosions before we have to escape back into the vents. As we made our way forward, we drew closer and closer to the intended location. Soon, we were completely under the refuge. Shooting a quick glance back, I observed the other two behind me. Wizard Hat¡¯s face was drenched in sweat while her clothes were wet and clinged to her skin. At first, I worried whether or not she had the stamina to make through the whole thing, but seeing the look of determination that plastered itself on her face, these worries quickly subsided. As for Kido, his countenance was a bit pale, and his eyes had a livid glint to them, but otherwise he was okay, and continued to move without uttering a single word. As soon as we arrived at the 1st location, a giant explosions erupted, shaking the building down to its very foundations. Small chunks and pieces of the 3rd floor immediately loosened and fell, but otherwise, the integrity of the floor stayed relatively intact. Seeing as how the horde was a lot slower than we originally expected, we quickly made our way to the next location where Wizard Hat once again used her skill. Another deafening explosions rang out through the building, and almost without delay, the whole third floor began to quake, as large chunks and pieces began to fall to the 2nd floor. Before the whole place could completely sink in, I latched the grappling hook onto the ceiling, and hauled myself upward. The other two followed in short succession, but they did not make it in time. Before they could reach the overhanging rafters like me, the whole floor began to cave in. Quickly, in the span of less than 15 seconds, a space of around 700 meters in diameter caved in and large pieces of concrete and rubble directly fell to the 2nd floor. Wizard Hat and Kido dangled from above the destruction, their eyes wide and their faces pale. Originally, we had predicted that only about a space of 300 meters would come down, but unexpectedly almost double that had caved in. I guess the combination of old rotting wood floors as well as constant 300+ horde stampedes had contributed to the breakdown of the building¡¯s structural integrity. Looking downward, I could see fresh monster corpses sprawled along the 2nd floor. They had been caught in the middle of when the building collapsed, and as a result numerous monsters died. No small amount of them were injured as well, a series of pained and mournful howls resonated through the building. Without hesitation, I directly dropped from the rafters and down to the 2nd floor. Luckily, as a result of the cave in, one section of the hallway was completely blocked off, separating us from the rest of the horde that had yet to die. In comparison, for the monsters that had been caught in the middle of the incident, about 2 dozen of them had been directly killed, while numerous were heavily injured. They did not pose much of a threat, so I deemed it was safe. With difficulty, Wizard Hat and Kido quickly followed and soon they too entered the 2nd floor. The moment Kido descended, his face grew noticeably paler while his breath quickly shortened. Of course, when Wizard Hat asked him about his complexion, he merely cited nervousness and anxiety. Seeing as how the monsters that did survive were slowly recovering, I did not have the leisure of questioning Kido and immediately led the others to the next location. In the end, I did not worry that much, after all, Kido¡¯s death was already something I planned for. As we proceeded forward, Kido quickly killed off a few of the heavily injured monsters while I led Wizard Hat to the next location. It took less than a minute before we arrived at the next location, and without hesitation or pause, another earth shaking explosion rang throughout the building. Large chunks of concrete and wood collapsed, as cracks and splinters appeared numerously throughout the walls and floor. Luckily, the floor stayed intact, allowing us to rush to the next location without incident. Before the 4th explosion took place, Wizard Hat consumed a mana potion. When she finally did use the 4th explosion, her face grew noticeably paler while cold sweat dripped down from her brow. Already, she was showing signs of [Mental Strain]. Unlike Hina or Cielle, Wizard Hat did not use her skill often. Because of that, unlike those two, she did not have as much mental fortitude, and was more easily affected by constant mana use. Still her role in this operation was vital to the point where I could do nothing but ignore the obvious strain and difficulty she currently went through. As the 2nd floor caved in, I immediately fed her the last mana potion as the three of us ran back and escaped the sinking floor. Despite the strain she forced herself through, Wizard Hat¡¯s explosions worked properly, and another giant hole on the floor was carved out. This time, the caved in portion of the 2nd floor was slightly smaller than the hole on the 3rd, but it was still a bit above what I had originally anticipated. When the dust finally settled and the floor stopped quaking, the three of us gingerly approached the edge of the hole. Peering down into its depths, I could see a large collection of slag and concrete sprawled along the first floor. Beneath that concrete there were a few fresh bodies, but the kill count was undeniably lower than what it was before. Rather, unexpectedly, a majority of the monsters seemed to have fled, and even now after the 2nd floor caved in, I could not detect the horde that had previously been unceasingly following us. We dropped down to the first floor, and almost instantly, I could feel the fragility beneath my feet. It was almost as if I was standing on thin ice. While the shaking on the 2nd floor had ceased, that was not the case with the first. It wasn¡¯t large or eye catching, but rather, a quiet tremor that could be barely detected even with my enhanced senses. Under all the weight of the rubble and broken concrete, the 1st floor was giving in. Under normal circumstances, such a situation would be regarded as good, or lucky, but due to the nature of our plan, if the floor were to cave in before the fifth explosion, then the only thing remaining would be failure. With haste, I extended my senses in preparation, first making sure there weren¡¯t any stray monsters that could pose a threat during this critical point in the mission. As I did so, rather than monsters, what had caught my attention was something right next to me. Kido, whose complexion gradually worsened as we neared the refuge, finally took a turn for the worse. His skin was almost as white as a sheet of paper, and the veins and tiny capillaries under his skin throbbed grotesquely. His eyes were bloodshot and his breath was uneven. He was currently doubled over with his chest heaving in difficulty. The usual ambiguous expressions he wore were now completely gone, only to be replaced by a pain filled grimace. Wizard hat, who, after casting four consecutive explosions was far too fatigued to notice Kido¡¯s current condition, but I was not. Unease filled my mind and I could not help but to shoot a prodding glare towards him. It was not that I was concerned about him, but rather, his sudden change filled me with a sense of dread and uneasy trepidation. What was happening to him? Why did he look like that? Although I was already prepared to kill Kido, I was not prepared for the change that occurred with his body. As my thoughts whirled in rapid succession, a flash of insight took hold of me. -Could this¡­ could this have something to do with his title¡­?- But just as I came to this conclusion, another change occurred next to me. Wizard Hat, whose eyes were already cloudy in fatigue and whose mind barely functioned under the effects of [Mental Strain], raised her hands up in front of her. 30 meters ahead of her, a bright light blinked into life. It intensified with each passing second, and almost in conjunction, Wizard Hat¡¯s complexion rapidly deteriorated. Veins violently throbbed on her forehead, while her hazy eyes grew bloodshot. The mix of blood and mucus that seeped out from her nostrils did not go unnoticed. ¡°Oi! Idiot, not yet!¡± I immediately yelled in frantic haste. She was already charging up her fifth explosion! Because of her fatigue, my frantic voice ultimately went unheard, and the glowing ball of light only grew in intensity. I glared at her for a second, caught in a moment of indecision, before my glare swept across the whole floor. My eyes momentarily met with Kido, who, despite his body¡¯s current state, had an excited glint hidden deep within his irises. Kido noticed my glare and met mine with a simple smile. He did not say anything, but merely continued to smile a teethless smile. All of that happened in the span of less than a second before my eyes rested back onto Wizard Hat¡¯s uneasy constitution. Almost instantly, the white light, whose intensity had been continually building up finally couldn¡¯t take it anymore and snapped. A deafening explosion shook the whole building, and soon, like cracked ice, the floor beneath our feet cracked and caved inward. As a result of the blast, Wizard Hat¡¯s body flew threw the air as she drifted of into unconsciousness. My ears buzzed and the blinding light that ensued momentarily disrupted my vision, but through the recesses of fading imaged that passed through my head, there was a distinct scene that filled me with indescribable dread. Before the explosion detonated, I saw Kido¡¯s silhouette rush towards that blinding light. He seemingly flung himself forward as the light swallowed him whole. Kido, who I had planned to kill the moment after the last explosion occurred unexpectedly flung himself into the explosion. Whether out of desperation or some other driving force, I had missed my chance. Unfortunately, I did not have time to worry about this. Even in this state of near blindness and deafness, I could not rest. The floor as caving in rapidly, and if I did not do something soon, I would soon be engulfed by falling concrete and stifling debris. I scoffed lightly, as I immediately moved into action. Basing my movements off pure memory, I rushed towards the place where I saw Wizard Hat¡¯s body fly to. After 5 seconds of stumbling around, I finally made it to her location, but at the same time, these mere 5 seconds had already resulted in a space of 100 meters completely caving in, and the signs of collapse were far from over. With Wizard Hat¡¯s unconscious body slung beneath my arms, I immediately ran. I sprinted through the hall, outrunning the collapsing floor that continually gave in beneath my feet. By the time a space of 400 meters collapsed, the floor had finally settled. I had managed to escape, and my vision had returned. Although my ears were still buzzing, I could now see the resulting destruction caused by the fifth explosion. A column of dirty smoke, dust, and debris filtered through the air. This column seeped out from the open hole in the floor, completely masking hiding what lay beneath. Whether the Dungeon Boss had been affected by the falling debris, or whether Kido survived his reckless stunt, those were all mysteries hidden beneath the splendor of the dust column. The sight of destruction was almost breathtaking, but considering the schedule I was in, I did not have the luxury to enjoy it. I scanned the first room, and upon seeing a small crevice that had been created by concrete and slag, I immediately rushed forward and quickly pushed Wizard Hat into the small space. I pushed another large slab of concrete in front of the entrance of the crevice, completely hiding her from sight. ¡°Stay here until the battle ends and absolutely don¡¯t attract any attention.¡± Although she was fully unconscious, I could not help but utter, before I once again walked towards the edge of the newly created hole. The imposing column of dust from before had lasted for merely 15 seconds before it started to disperse. At the same time, the buzzing in my ears gradually lessened to the point where I could finally hear sound once again. Almost immediately, a pain filled screech from below entered my ears. It was a guttural, almost primal noise that sent tremors shivering down my spine, inadvertently causing my face to scrunch up in consternation. Peeking through the settling dust, I could see a wriggling form in the center of the room. An obsidian black body stood out from underneath the collection debris and concrete. From all around the room, the sea of concrete shivered, as if something were moving through them. I did not know why, but the shivering concrete made my own body shiver in slight trepidation. At the same time, I could see the Assault group making their way out of the Passageway. Luckily, the resulting explosions from before hadn¡¯t caved in the passageway, resulting in the main group coming out relatively unharmed. They trepidly approached the room, observing the scene before them. Meanwhile, as more and more dust settled, my probing eyes finally found Kido. Contrary to my expectations, he had not died. He was hiding in a crevice, a mere 2 meters away from the Dungeon Boss. Even from this distance, the paleness in his face was indistinguishable. His body was covered in dust, and the armor I had given him was scratched and dented. The veins that throbbed violently on the surface of his skin were like malicious, red tattoos, almost glowing with vile energy. Although he was so close to the Dungeon Boss, strangely enough, it did not attack him. Whether that was because the Boss himself was too busy recovering, or whether it chose to willingly ignore him, I had no clue, but seeing Kido¡¯s crouching figure, I could not hide the urge to kill him. I wanted to attack, I really did, but the immediate site before my eyes made me hesitate. The dust had completely settled by this point and the Dungeon Boss had completely risen from the rubble and concrete, and roared with a ground shaking howl. The air vibrated with his screech, and the Assault group beneath all violently took a few steps back. Even from this distance, I could feel my heart palpitating in anxiety. [Pyschopath]¡¯s innate fear reduction trait could not completely mask the terror that currently welled up in my heart. Almost instinctively, the moment the dust settled, I used [Identify].
Reeflech - The [Cursed] Subterranean - Lv 65 HP: 15,000/15,000
¡°Level 65¡­¡± My face subconsciously grimaced upon seeing its status panel. Even with me being the highest leveled person in our group, there was still a level difference of more than 20. That¡¯s not even to mention the fact that there were a few people on our side whose level did not even surpass 20. That was a level difference of more than 40! And its hp alone¡­ it was more than 10 times greater than the HP of the Cyclops Elite¡­ At this point, I can only hope that our equipment will give us an edge over the battle¡­ but even then, the fear and awe in my heart remained the same. Reeflech emerge from underneath the rubble, fully exposing its blackened carapace for all to see. The subterranean was about 2 times larger than the Cyclops elite, but its muscles were more imposing, practically bulging out of its semi translucent skin. There was a dark grey layer of carapace that covered its shoulders and upper thighs. The monster¡¯s face was like an octopus, with two bulging, almost inflamed eyes, and a beard of wriggling tentacles that were as thick as water bottles. If that wasn¡¯t enough, there were two holes on each side of the Boss¡¯s carapace that constantly emitted out a white colored steam. And as if the Reeflech wasn¡¯t already intimidating enough, from all around the room, concrete and rubble suddenly exploded upward. The once wriggling sea of debris was upturned and displaced, revealing 7 badly scratched tentacles, interspaced throughout the whole room. These tentacled did not originate from Reeflech¡¯s main body, but rather, they seemingly popped out of the ground like malicious, grey-colored veins. At its base, each tentacle was as thick as a tree trunk, and continually narrowed as it extended for a total height of 25 meters. 2 of these tentacles had a shelled tip that looked as sharp as it was frightening. Going by their formation and how they were interspaced throughout the room, there should have been a total of 10 tentacles, but fortunately, 3 of them were directly destroyed by the resulting cave in. Regardless, all seven of the remaining tentacles shot up from the ground like malevolent specters, ready to pull a devour whatever pray came close. These tentacles raged around haphazardly, flicking debris and slabs of concrete around so violently, that they inadvertently cleared the surroundings free of rubble. At the same time, their awe inspiring violence momentarily stopped the Assault group¡¯s charge forward. In comparison, Reeflech¡¯s own anger was more subdued. If the tentacles¡¯ wrath was comparable to a sea, then Reeflech¡¯s was like a compressed and sharpened sword. It stood there, exuding out an aura that could almost suffocate. Its bulging red eyes momentarily scanning the room before they came to rest on the Assault group. It made a noise akin to scoffing before its stomach suddenly started to expand. It took a deep breathe that sent tremors roiling through its beard of tentacles, as its stomach grew larger and larger. At the same time, an ever intensifying red light glowed from the center of its bulging stomach. The red light¡¯s intensity increased the larger and larger its stomach bulged. Upon seeing this, I inadvertently remembered my time at the passageway. Recalling that violent, superheated column of fire, I immediately began to move. I leapt through the air, and shot a passing glance towards Kido¡¯s hiding spot. His presence constantly made me uneasy, but I knew that if I did not act now, then Reeflech¡¯s resulting attack would do serious damage to the others. Maybe even completely wiping them out in one go.
Danger! You have now entered the territory of the Dungeon Boss - Reeflech, the [cursed] Subterranean. Due to one of the features present in the [Oak Wood High School Dungeon], both parties have been made aware of each other¡¯s presence. Entrance the Dungeon Boss Territory gives the automatic mental debuff, [Fear]. Within the Dungeon Boss Territory, Reeflech¡¯s abilities have been enhanced by a factor of 1.25 times. Danger!
As I entered the airspace of the refuge, a familiar window panel appeared before my eyes. Unlike last time though, I completely ignored it, hellbent on my assault. Even before I landed, I immediately pulled out the customized cyclops club from behind me, and used [Shadow Sprint]. My body instantly vanished, and not a moment later, I was suddenly in front of the Boss¡¯s bulging stomach. I twisted my body backwards like a baseball player, before I unleashed all that built up tensions and attacked. My shoulders heaved, my torso twisted into place, and my arms swung. The club in my hand, zoomed past heated air and hit the Monster directly in its stomach, deforming it to the point where it lost its red luster. From the impact, the Boss¡¯s coughed up heated air, as it stumbled backwards. From the corner of my eye, I saw Kido¡¯s silhouette immediately dart towards the entrance of the passageway, but I could not give chase. A suffocating, and completely terrifying pressure completely weighted down on me, inadvertently causing my knees to slightly buckle. I focused all my attention on the creature before me. Its blazing eyes did the same, as all of its attention and killing intent drilled into my very being with ruthless intensity. For the first time I could not move. This was the first time ever since the world changed in which I¡¯ve felt pressure so terrifying. My body refused to act. My legs were locked firmly into place, and for a moment, I could not breath. For the first time, I truly felt [Fear]. In such a state, I was helpless. Even as its four fingered hand clenched and rocketed towards me, I could not move much less respond. That blackened fist hit me square in the chest with little resistance, producing an ear deafening sound right before my body shot backwards like a v shaped bullet. I flew through the air for a solid 3 seconds, before I fell to the ground and tumbled to an eventual stop. The moment I did, I immediately heaved in heavy gulps of air. At the same time, I could feel a slight throb in my chest. Surprisingly though, the hit wasn¡¯t as strong as I expected. It left a slight dent in my armor, but unexpectedly, I was fine. Without a doubt, this was the work of my stacked [Familiarity] bonus from [Equip], which gave a crazy amount of defense. Without it, I would undoubtedly perished from that single strike, or at the very least, been critically injured. Unfortunately, I could not revel in my momentary luck. Reeflech was undoubtedly angry, and without pause its stomach once again began expanding. My face turned grim, as I slightly narrowed my eyes to stare at the Boss. Going by its incessance, it was obvious that if it ever did complete that attack¡¯s charge, then without a doubt, the losses would be terrifying. ¡°Everyone get into formation!¡± I quickly yelled over the sound of sucking air, as I stood back up. I continually barked out order as I stalked forward.¡°Prez, you and your group come to the front. Cher you join them. For the mean time, keep the tentacles busy. Hina and Cielle, move back as far as possible, but stay within range. Hina buff the others, including me. Cielle, prepare to provide support.¡± Almost instantly, a pleasant feeling enveloped me, and I could feel an instant increase in my attack power and movement speed. Unfortunately, with each passing second, the Boss¡¯s stomach only continually expanded, causing each step I take to hasten. ¡°Cielle and Hina, try to find somewhere to hide, and stay away from the tentacles. The people from Kido¡¯s group, stick to the Cielle and Hina and protect them.¡± They did not have any real use, but they were sturdy enough to survive being temporary meat shields. After issuing out all my orders, I shot a cold glare towards the direction of the Boss. It¡¯s bulging stomach glowed fiercely as wave after wave of steam continually emitted from the top of its head. With no hesitation, I immediately kicked off the ground and rushed forward. My body flew passed heated air as the distance between us rapidly diminished, but as I approached, one of its madly wriggling tentacles, slightly contracted before it suddenly bursted forward with energy and struck at me. In response I momentarily bent my knees before they instantly shot forward. My body quickly reached max speed, and my silhouette zoomed through the air. The previous tentacle swiped harmlessly at the space I had previously occupied. The wooden club in my hand vibrated as I once again struck out towards the Boss¡¯s stomach. It let out a tremendous roar, as its stomach instantly deflated and heated air expelled through its mouth and blow holes. It shot a furious glare in my direction to which I returned with one of my own. The previous fear and anxiety from before were now completely gone, in its place was cold determination and the confidence I had for the enhancements granted by my [Equip] skill. Almost simultaneously, the two of us rushed forward. My wooden club held high in the air, while the Boss¡¯s massive blackened fist zoomed forward. The fight had truly begun. **** (Perspective Change) The current battlefield was in complete chaos. As it all unfolded, the current group was divided into three. On one side, there was Hide, who confronted and fought the main body of the Boss by himself. His actions were ruthless, and precise. Each step he took was followed by an attack, and each attack was aimed at a vital part of the body. Stab, thrust, slice, pierce, punch, kick - he utilized everything available from his collection of weapons to his own physical body in his attempt to dominate the Dungeon Boss. Each move he made carried with it a sense of frantic desperation. Hide¡¯s relentlessness was based on his desire to prevent the Boss from fully completing its attack. Every time it took a deep breath, and every time its stomach glowed bright red, Hide¡¯s body would impulsively move forward to interrupt. Without exception, the battle was filled with both Hide¡¯s tenacity, and the Boss¡¯s frustration. And as the battle continued, each of Hide¡¯s attacks, from his most insignificant poke to his most ruthless strike, each and everyone one of them began to accumulate. The Boss¡¯s hp gradually depleted, It dropped by 1%, then to 3 %, 6%, 15 %... Unfortunately, with the Boss¡¯s decrease in HP, Hide¡¯s own stamina depleted at an astounding rate. The desperate one sided battle between the immovable giant and the persistent rat had turned into a war of attrition, and sooner or later, someone was bound to give in¡­ Of the three separated groups, the other two worked intimately close with one another. These two groups were naturally the long distance magic group, which consisted of Cielle, Hina, Mindi, and Saya (of which the latter two acted as defenders), and the close combat melee group, which consisted of the President¡¯s group and Cher. The situation regarding Cher and the President were no lighter than Hide¡¯s. In fact, in more ways than one, their situation was in actuality, more difficult to deal with than Hide¡¯s. While Hide went to confront the Boss by himself, the others were left facing the remaining tentacles. On Hide¡¯s side, he fought a desperate battle against the black clad subterranean giant, while the others struggled to maintain a foothold against the combined might of seven muscle clad, violently wriggling tentacles. Each tentacle held within it strength that far surpassed each of them. By no means was it easy to stand up to this current threat, much less retaliate. These abominable appendages struck fiercely against their armor and bodies, and with each vicious strike they performed, the tentacles seemingly bulged in excitement, as if they had their own consciousness. When the melee group did retaliate, it did little to change the tide of war. Each strike and each attempted killing blow was met with fierce resistance. In the face of it all, the tentacles simply pulsed violently, as if shaking off any attacks that the others could muster. Just from the brief exchanges that already took place, it was apparent that each and everyone of these bundles of muscle possessed some form of resistance to blunt damage, completely opposite of the Gilas they faced before. In addition, the coordination between these seven tentacles far outstripped anything the ragtag group of survivors could produce. Each strike seemed to purposely lead the group around, opening up and exposing them for even more incoming attacks by neighboring tentacles. This deadly sense of teamwork was truly fierce, and without Cher and the President¡¯s intervention, if these tentacles had even the smallest chance of gaining ground between Hide¡¯s fight with the Boss, then even he will be left with nothing but a battered and broken body. In this regard, splitting the forces up into two may have been the smartest thing to do, however, with neither side making much progress, the current situation was bleak beyond compare. The base of the tentacles rumbled, and each tree trunk sized root slowly moved forward from underneath the ground. These tentacles weren¡¯t directly connected to the Boss, nor did they stay stationary in one spot. In fact, these tentacles had a fatal weakness of only having a 75 meter maximum range. But as if to compensate for that, the base of the tentacle could move around, acting as a sort of movable vine. If an enemy was 200 meters away, and each tentacle had a range of 75 meters, then it would simply move 125 meters forward to compensate for that. Within the boundaries of the Boss¡¯s lair, each tentacle was virtually free of restraint and nigh inescapable to those unlucky enough to fall into their trap. It was through this movement, that the melee group was slowly being encircled into a tight net of wriggling muscle. They could do no more than to keep these tentacles occupied while Hide did his absolute damndest to attack. Luckily, these wriggling tentacles did not possess higher intelligence. They did not know how to prioritize, but acted on a basis of first come first serve. They simply chased the individual or group of individuals that drew their aggro. Without explicit control from the main body, these tentacles would not prioritize and attack Hide. But even this slight stroke of luck was negligible under the fierce assault of moving muscle. If it wasn¡¯t for Cielle¡¯s constant healing, then the combat group would have long since died during the first minute of their encounter. In fact, it was because of Cielle, and Hina¡¯s intervention that kept these guys alive. Cielle¡¯s heals were always a constant blessing to the group, allowing their battered bodies to get back up and resist even more beatings. The odd thing though was that aside from healing, Cielle did not take any further action. The constant flow of [Black Gemini] that resulted from her numerous heals all slowly congregated a mere 20 meters away from her. This congealed pool of darkness did not move, but simply floated in the air, slowly growing as more and more people cried out in pain around her. Because of this lack of action, although Cielle was constantly busy, her mana consumption stayed relatively low, allowing her to work faster and more efficiently as the fight progressed. It was to the point where, even with all the new wounds and grievances flowing through the battlefield, she could still spare the time to assist Hide in healing, although for this to happen, Hide had to receive an injury first... In comparison, Hina¡¯s mana consumption was far greater, but in return her assistance was much more noticeable. From the moment the battle started, Hina contributions mainly lied in her use buff and support skills. [Haste] increased the group¡¯s movement speed, giving them a far greater chance of avoiding the incoming spears of flesh that fell down on them like heavy rain. [Fury] allowed each of their blows to deliver almost twice the usual damage, allowing them to, albeit exaggeratedly, exchange steady blows with the wriggling masses of flesh. Its most important factor though wasn¡¯t its actual damage, but the psychological moral boost it gave to the survivors. The concept of stronger attack was a shield in which they hid behind. [Defense] was a skill that upped their resistance to the attacks, which was especially effective, especially for Cher, whose body was hit almost twice as much as the others. [Ablative Heal] casted a water shield to form around the melee fighters. The water shield, rather than healing, acted as a dampener and first line of defense against the unexpectedly fierce heat that each strike of the tentacle delivered. Because of all these skills being simultaneously used, and the need to constantly rebuff her allies, Hina¡¯s mana consumption was great. By the time the battle entered 15 minutes, even with the combined effects of her [Grand Magus] title and [Magic Endurance] stat, Hina had already consumed almost 30% of her total mana. Meanwhile, as Hide¡¯s own fight dragged on, his stamina consumption actually surpassed Hina¡¯s mana consumption. By now, almost 65% of his total stamina had been depleted, and already he was forced to break out his collection of stamina potions. Fortunately, his incredible consumption of stamina did not go unrewarded. In these 15 minutes, Hide managed to whittle down 25% of the Boss¡¯s HP. Panting heavily, Hide instantly jumped back, narrowly avoiding an incoming fist that was aimed square for his head. His feet slid back a meter or two before they came to a complete stop. Hide¡¯s eyes, which could not hide their fatigue, blazed with determination and savage killing intent. A white layer of mist gently wafted from Hide¡¯s exposed skin, which by now, had turned into a shade of flushed red. Reeflech¡¯s fire affinity was incredible. It¡¯s body let out a constant stream of heated steam, and each of its fists were not only dense and heavy, but also contained within it a heat hot enough to melt regular metal. Even just getting close to it was enough for one to feel a wave of oppressive and torrential heat. The heat itself had an adverse affect on Hide. Not only did it cause his face to flush red and his hair to moisten with sweat, it also increased his stamina consumption by almost two fold. For a person like Hide, whose skills all relied on stamina as their driving force, this determinant was by no means light. As Hide casually pondered this, he forcibly slowed his irregular breathing as he shot another glare at the Boss. His eyes focused in on a recent wound he had inflicted- A knife wound that ran 7 inches deep and had on a constant [Bleeding Effect]. This wound had been inflicted through the use of [Dissect], and it consumed no small amount of Hide¡¯s meager stamina. Despite this though, deep within Hide¡¯s eyes flickered a faint trace of hope. In actuality, Hide¡¯s gaze wasn¡¯t focused on Reeflech itself, but rather, on the window panel that floated above him. 25%! Ignoring all the sweat and blood he lost, ignoring the mind numbing fatigue that slowly crept up within his mind, through tenacity and pure effort alone, Hide had managed to deplete close to 25% of its HP down. This achievement was by no means light. 25% represented a fourth of the Boss¡¯s total hp, and that one fourth only took 15 minutes of combat. At his current rate, it would take as little as an hour for Hide to completely kill the Boss. This feeling of anticipation filled Hide¡¯s heart with a newfound sense of vigor, and it brightened up his already flushed expression. Hide once again tightened his grip on the two weapons he currently held in his hand. One one hand was his customized boken, cracks and splinters were already appearing on its once sleek surface, but Hide did not have the luxury of repairing it at the current moment. On the other hand, was his trusty obsidian colored dagger, [Efhermet], it¡¯s surface gleaming with a faint trace of red. Aside from these two weapons, Hide also carried with him an assortment of knives and daggers strapped to his modified utility belt. In addition, behind him was a black long sword, which he had decided to bring along just in case. Hide could not bring the Pole Arm nor the Giant battle axe mainly because of his role within the infiltration group. Those two weapons were simply too large in stature to bring along on a stealth mission. As he tightened his grip, Hide bent his knees in preparation. Just as he was about to push of the ground and renew his relentless assault, an inexplicable feeling of danger overwhelmed Hide¡¯s mind. Without warning, he instantly threw himself to the ground. In the process, he felt heated air rush past, its ephemeral tendrils slightly touching his back. Hide glanced behind him, only to see one particularly muscled tentacle had approached within range and was slowly making its way closer and closer. Looking past the base of the tentacle, he could see the others, but inexplicably, they were caught in what looked like a cage of muscle. The group, outside of Cielle and Hina, were surrounded from the front by six individual wriggling masses of muscle. Hide could see the look of helplessness written on their faces, but he could not do anything about it as the tentacle swiped at him once more. Hide did not jump back, instead choosing to slightly dip his upper body to the right. The tentacle missed by a hair¡¯s breadth before it started recoiling back to its base. But Hide was not so kind as to leave behind an opening such as this. As the tentacle returned, Hide fiercely stabbed his dagger into its surface, penetrating deeply. The tentacle continued moving, leaving behind a deep gash that stretched 10 meters and ran all the way to its tip. By the time Hide pulled his blade out, its night clad surface was coated in a thick film of red. Hide looked at the wriggling piece of muscle before he used his skill and began to [Identify] it.
Reeflech, the [Cursed] Subterranean HP: 196/200
Unlike his first encounter, when Hide used his skill on the tentacle, the window panel displayed its HP. Surprisingly, the tentacle itself had very little hp, but what gave Hide a shock, was that the 7 inch deep, 10 meter long wound he had inflicted earlier only depleted 4 HP from it. ¡°Why is it so low?¡±, he inadvertently thought. ¡°Does this tentacle have an insanely high defense? Not even the main body is this sturdy¡­ could it be because of something else? Another factor that affects its HP loss?¡± As thoughts and ideas raced through Hide¡¯s mind, he did not have the luxury to fully appreciate them as the tentacle, and simultaneously, the main body of the Boss moved into action. The tentacle shot forward, and almost instinctively, Hide rolled to dodge. Surprisingly though, the tentacle had not been aimed at him. Its original target was the hulking mass of flesh that came barrelling forward from a distance of 20 meters. The pointed tip of the tentacle viciously penetrated the Boss¡¯s right shoulder without any resistance. It drilled deeply into its flesh, while viscous red liquid slowly seeped out from the edges of the newly formed wound. Much less dodge, the Boss itself accepted the tentacle with open arms, even going as far as unconsciously letting out a pleasure filled groan as the tentacle repeatedly dug itself deeper and deeper into its body. Seeing all this, Hide¡¯s expression twisted into confusion, before it suddenly paled. His eyes were not focused on the Boss or the tentacle themselves, but rather on the window panel that floated above the Boss¡¯s head. ¡°75%...77%... 82%... 90! This thing, it¡¯s regenerating!¡± With a grimace, Hide moved his body into action as he desperately ran in an attempt to stop the current scene that displayed itself in front of his helpless eyes from happening. All the hp, all the blood and sweat he shedded, all of the painstaking effort he put in into whittling the Boss¡¯s HP down was suddenly gone, reversed and restored in the span of less than 10 seconds. The tentacle continually funneled its life force into the Boss¡¯s shivering body. As it did so, the Boss¡¯s hp rapidly shot up, while in comparison, the tentacle, starting from its base, began thinning. Soon, the once tree trunk thick base, was now only as wide as a fully grown man¡¯s thigh. Of course, Hide, who desperately moved to stop all of this from happening, saw this rapid change through the corner of his eye, but his mind was to feverish to care. Right now, all of Hide¡¯s actions, all of his thoughts and all of his intentions, were solely focused on stopping the Boss from regenerating its hp. Unfortunately, it was already too late. Although Hide moved fast, almost to the point of leaving behind after images, he could not stop the current process from unfolding. By the time he arrived at the tentacle, over 95% of Reeflech¡¯s hp had been regenerated. By the time Hide swung his sword, it was back to full health. It¡¯s hp regenerated at an outstanding rate, and Hide was powerless to stop it. The instant Hide¡¯s blade met with the tentacle¡¯s surface, the tip of it instantly jutted out from the Boss¡¯s once pierced body. In that instant, the tentacle seemingly contracted within itself, and although it was powerless to fully block Hide¡¯s [Dissect] fueled slash, it did manage to prevent Hide from fully bisecting the tentacle from its base. Hide¡¯s blade had been stopped almost halfway, and for a brief moment, his sword remained stuck within the folds of its muscular frame. This brief moment was all the tentacle needed. Although it had shrunk beyond measure, the tentacle itself still retained its original fierceness. The tentacle exploded out with energy, as rapidly started to close in on itself. Its tendril attempted to encircle Hide¡¯s arm, but with a snort, and a rapid shake of his hand, he parted his sword away from the tentacle, and rapidly drew back. Spurred by a sudden feeling of caution, he immediately jumped back, but the tentacle fervently persisted. It followed him closely, and with a boom, like a whip, the thin tentacle lashed out and surged forward. Hide leaned his head back and barely dodged the incoming strike by a hair¡¯s breadth. The tentacle was relentless though. Even after missing its first strike, it repeatedly lashed out several time. In between all this, Hide frantically dodged, his body almost matching in step with the violent heated air that the tentacle seemingly stirred up. As he dodged, Hide fully understood, that, despite still retaining its speed, the tentacle was much weaker than it previously was before. It simply did not carry the same weight or the same sense of danger from before. Although Hide understood this, he could not spare even a single moment to rest. The tentacle¡¯s fierce assault and pursuit was merely a distraction. As Hide shot a glance towards the still stationary Boss, he could see that its stomach was expanding and a faint red glow began to emit from deep within its gut. Seeing this, Hide could not help but grimace. Deep within his mind, he could not help but comment on the tentacle and the main body¡¯s sense of teamwork. Together it was simply too amazing. If Hide had fought alone and had to face all seven tentacles, in addition to the main body¡­ he shuddered at the mere thought. The Boss¡¯s stomach had almost expanded beyond unprecedented levels. Although it meant wasting his precious stamina, Hide was left with no choice but to use [Shadow Sprint]. Once he made this decision, Hide¡¯s body almost flickered out of existence, and instantaneously, he reappeared directly in front of the Boss. Hide did not even bother to raise his weapon to attack. Instead, with primal ferocity, he roared as he jabbed his foot straight into the Boss¡¯s gut. The kick sank almost a foot or two deep into its stomach, while the Boss took an involuntary step back. All the built up pressure and heat that it had been accumulating all came out in disruptive bursts through its agape jaw and through the two holes on top of its head. It was clear that this time, its attack had come dangerously close to completion. The beginning forms of super heated fire shot out from its mouth in weak spurts. But while it remained incomplete, just the byproduct of heat that it emanated was enough for Hide to fully understand its destructive capabilities. And although Hide did manage to interrupt its attack, something else he observed from the corner of his eye caused him to pale in frustration. Throughout his brief exchange with the boss, the slimmed down tentacle monopolized on this opportunity to act. But instead of retaliating toward Hide, it did something much, much worse. As the fight between the Boss and the survivors progressed, slowly but surely, the remnants of the horde had gathered around the edges of the three holes on the upper floors. When Hide first saw this, his heart raced in foreboding. If these things were to jump down and participate in the current battle, then the group¡¯s chances of success would have drastically diminished. While outside of Hide¡¯s original expectations though, fortunately enough, the monsters that numbered close to 200 did not attack. Much less move, they simply stood, gathering on the edges of the holes on the upper floors above them. While the sight of such a large congregation of monsters was truly intimidating, they did not attack, which only served to further confuse Hide, and left him wondering why exactly had they gathered? Right now, this question was fully answered. The thin tentacle shot up straight into the sky and zoomed towards the hundred masses of monsters that gathered on the 1st floor. It barreled straight towards a particular beast- a minotaur that looked almost twice as big as usual. The Minotaur, who saw the approaching tentacle shivered in fear, its body quaking uncontrollably. Despite its obvious reaction, the Minotaur did not move, or rather, it could not move. An invisible force like the one that held the rest of the horde in place, kept the Minotaur from moving, practically turning it into a living statue of violently trembling muscle. Without much fanfare, the tentacle pierced straight into the Minotaur¡¯s stomach. It was at this point, that the Minotaur bellowed in pain. As if the spell had been broken, it fiercely roared and its limbs started to spasm in protest. Unfortunately, by this point, it was all a fruitless effort. The tentacle began to constrict around the struggling Minotaur, as its tip continually drilled deeper into its flesh. By this point, the tentacle held the Minotaur loftily up into the air, its tendril slowly but surely pulling it down into the refuge below. The Minotaur¡¯s complexion slowly darkens while its body physically thins. Like a juice box being completely drained of its juice, the minotaur slowly shrivels up. Eventually, those undulating screams from before die down into a whimper, as the monster continually shrivels. At the same time, the once thin tentacle regains some of its vitality. Its trunk continually expand while the gloss on its surface shines with life. Even the wounds that littered its body slowly closed up as the Minotaur¡¯s life essence drained. After 10 seconds, the Minotaur has withered to less than twice its original size. It was thoroughly dead, and it''s once 3 meter tall carcass lifelessly dropped to the floor with a despondent thud. The tentacle seemingly shivered in excitement. It now had the thickness of an oil barrel, but it was far from its original size. With gluttony and greed as its driving force, the tentacle once again shot up into the sky. 2 more monsters were drained and killed the same way before the tentacle completely thickened to its original size¡­ no, in actuality, it was now slightly larger than before, and its tip was slightly sharper as well. Hide, who saw all this while evading Reeflech¡¯s heated fists, had a cold grimace plastered onto his face. He finally realized why the monsters had gathered but had not joined in on the battle. The Dungeon Boss had complete control over them, and he had no intention of letting them attack. To the boss, these things were subordinates nor were they an actual fighting force for him to maneuver. Whether it be due to pride, or preference, Reeflech treated these things as mere commodities. To the boss, the 200-300+ horde were just simply extra health potions. The horde itself probably realized this fact, but they could do nothing to escape. Their uncontrollable shivering and their hollow howls of despair was a clear enough indicator of the fear and anguish that swept through their numbers. Despite that though, they could not run away, much less retaliate. The invisible force that compelled them to stay was too strong. The Boss''s control over the dungeon and its inhabitants was simply too great. While this sudden realization brought a damper to the situation, it wasn¡¯t like everything was completely hopeless. For one thing, the Boss¡¯s vitality drain and transfer had an obvious limitation. Hide, who saw the same scene repeated itself in front of his eyes at least three times, came to this obvious realization in a heartbeat. The tentacles were probably vulnerable when they drained. This was apparent by the fact that the tentacle only shot up to the sky to regain its luster after Hide became preoccupied with the main body. In addition, the tentacles did not use this method of vitality drain on the survivors within the refuge. This either meant that the tentacles were too cautious to use such a vulnerable attack on its enemies, or they simply could not use that sort of method to retaliate. Hide who realized all these weaknesses, regained some of his earlier confidence, but in the end, that did not stop the current situation from occurring. Even knowing what he did know, he could not stop the tentacle from thickening. If he separated to attack it, the Boss would gain the opportunity to charge its damnable attack. Hide, who had only experienced a mere fraction of this attack a few weeks ago, had subconsciously placed preventing it as his top priority. At the same time, the more he tried to interrupt the Boss, the more it would restore its vitality. To Hide, this was like being stuck between a rock and a hard place. And even with all this floating in the back of his mind, he knew that this wasn¡¯t the worst of his current situation. As long as those tentacles existed, the Boss would never die. Unless he is able to destroy every single one of the tentacles, this fight will be pointless. With the total amount of monsters above them taken into effect, then the Boss virtually had an unlimited amount of HP. Hide knew, he bitterly knew that the most crucial thing to do was to kill of all the tentacles first before attacking the main body. Right now, apart from the one tentacle that greedily sucked in the vitality of the surrounding monsters, there were six others. Those six were currently being confronted by the others, but up until this point, their progress was negligible. Of course, for Hide who had basically wasted the last 20 minutes all for the Boss to regain all of its HP back, could not say anything to them. The fact of the matter was, their current situation was really shitty. Behind Cher and the President¡¯s group, were Hina and Cielle who acted as support throughout the duration of the battle. Cielle was probably the most busy out of the two. She stretched herself thin in order to compensate as the group¡¯s sole healer. A constant influx of [Blue Gemini] constantly seeped out from her open hands and flew towards the battlefield. At the same time, there was a steady stream of [Black Gemini] that was continuously expelled out from the pores of the survivors who were in mid combat. Controlling this myriad of blue and black took a considerable toll on Cielle¡¯s mind. In addition, while the swirls of blue constantly flittered in between Cher and the others, the haphazardly floating pieces of black coalesced and gathered in the middle of the room. It formed a giant floating orb of darkness. It was three times as big as a basketball, and it released such a baleful aura to the point where, even though the tentacles did not necessarily feel pain, they still avoided it with unhindered prejudice. Just from this scene alone, it was apparent that Cielle was building up her fighting strength all in order to prepare for a counterattack, but with the maintenance of the orb, plus the constant supply of [Blue Gemini], all of these factors combined produced a tremendous strain on her mind. Her skin had become white as paper, her whole body trembled, while a dribble of blood slowly flowed out from one of Cielle¡¯s nostrils. All in all, only 20 minutes had passed, but already, Cielle had used up 45% of her total mana. In comparison, Hina was doing slightly better than her older sister. Up until now, she maintained the numerous buffs applied to the close combat group. Keeping this up for so long consumed a good chunk of her mana supply, but it wasn¡¯t as mentally taxing as what Cielle had to do. Although despite that, for the past 2 minutes or so, that constant supply of buffs had abruptly stopped. At the same time, Hina¡¯s face completely morphed into a determined, and fatigued expression. Her cheeks flushed red, as she gritted her teeth while cold sweat continually dripped down her brow. In the end, Hina had stopped her passive supporting role and was currently deep in strain towards another goal. Meanwhile, Cher and the rest of the combat group weren¡¯t holding out so well. Under the combined wrath of six bulging tentacles, blocking was the limit of their abilities. In the end, there were six tentacles to four people (the long ranged, remaining twin did not join in on direct combat). Cher and the President carried the majority of the burden by facing off against two tentacles each, while the other two struggled with one. Cher did not use any of her current skills, because they consumed mana, and she needed what little mana she had in order to stack her [Fever Burst] skill to its maximum of three. She did not recklessly use this skill or any other for that matter, because she was saving it for the main body. Despite that though, she was doing noticeably better than the rest of the combat group. This was mostly because of the existence of her shield. When all she did was block and defend, a shield became an indisputable asset. In comparison, the President had a much more difficult time coping under the pressure of two tentacles. His face scrunched up in strain as he dodged and weaved between two simultaneously approaching tentacles. His sword flashed briefly, leaving behind a shallow trail of blood on the surface of the right tentacle. As the tentacle retracted to prepare another attack, the President did the same as he jumped backwards. He had gotten used to the pattern of their attack, but in the end, these past twenty minutes had consumed a great deal of his stamina. In the end, he only had about three stamina potions in his pockets, so the current rate of stamina consumption was really detrimental in the long run for him. While the President lamented over this, a tentacle suddenly surged towards him. While this wasn¡¯t surprising in itself, after all, he had been under assault by these tentacles for the past 20 minutes, what caught him off guard was that a tentacle outside of the two he dealt with had attacked him. The President¡¯s eyes, widened as he saw it approaching. The tentacle that currently shot towards him like a torpedo was actually one of the two tentacles that assaulted Cher. Just before the tentacle was about to reach him, the President¡¯s body moved by instinct. His passive [Body Maneuver] skill came into full effect, as he twisted his waist at an impossible level and barely dodged the incoming strike. But even before he had the time to sigh in relief, to his surprise the tentacle had not been aimed at him in the first place. Glancing behind him, the President¡¯s face paled while a lock of profound anger welled up from deep within his eyes. The tentacle penetrated through heated air and quickly approached their only long range damage dealer - the remaining twin who had lost her brother earlier during the Satou fight. She stared with widened eyes, while her hands hastily fumbled with her slingshot, but such an action was pointless. By this point it was already too late. The tentacle grabbed onto the arm that was wielding the slingshot, and without pause, immediately yanked upwards. A cruel crunch resonated throughout the room as the upper arm that was wrapped up by the tentacle fractured. This crunching sound was followed by an immediate pop. The humerus had snapped completely in half, while the shoulder dislocated. A pain filled scream escaped from the twin¡¯s- from Kathy Bernard¡¯s vibrating throat. Tears rolled down from her cheeks and her eyes were squinted shut in pain. Kathy¡¯s body was wracked in pain, despair and agony filling her palpitating heart, but unfortunately for her, this was not the end. The tentacle jerked upwards, and with another tug, her arm was completely ripped out from the socket. Blood unceasingly flew everywhere, and the arm that had just been forcibly yanked out was sloppily thrown to the floor. A wet squelching noise reverberated as the tentacle smacked down onto the severed limb. Meanwhile, Kathy¡¯s throat was hoarse from screaming. Her complexion was pale from blood loss, and her remaining hand was covered in red due to her useless attempt at holding back the gushing torrent of blood that poured out from her open wound. Another tentacle, one which Emiko had preoccupied a while ago, suddenly rushed forward. Emiko, who was taken aback by its sudden burst of vitality, could do nothing as one of the two tentacles that originally attacked the President took its place and kept Emiko busy. The tentacle that approached Kathy was one of the ones that were plated with sharpened carapaced at its tip. It rushed forward, toward the still screaming defenseless girl. Fully knowing what was to come next, the President let out a guttural yell, as he turned towards the scene and rushed forward. Unfortunately, the distance between them was too far. The others reacted much the same, but they were too busy preoccupied by the remaining tentacles. They could only watch with miserable faces as they tirelessly blocked while one of their friends was about to meet her untimely death. The sharpened tentacle continued forward and completely pierced Kathy¡¯s chest. The spear like tip dug deep into her flesh before it barreled all the way through the other side. Her mouth slightly opened as a bitter puff of air exhaled from her crushed lungs. Blood dripped out from her pale lips as the light of life slowly faded from her eyes. After 20 minutes, their first death in battle had occurred. The President, who saw all this happen before his eyes, stopped in mid sprint. His fists clenched, while his breath hastened. A mad glint glowed in his eyes as he suddenly jumped forward. With no regards to his own life, he charged at the tentacle before him. A guttural howl erupted from his hoarse throat, but just as he was about to reach his target, a sudden force pushed hastily pushed him to the ground as a silhouette collided with the President. The silhouette had been Cher, as she rolled in front of him and promptly brought her shield up to defend. Not a moment sooner, a giant impact smacked into her raised shield, temporarily numbing Cher¡¯s arm. Despite that force of that blow, that first impact was merely the precursor as more and more tentacles slammed into Cher¡¯s shield. The President, whose mind had momentarily been clouded by anger, suddenly sobered up at the face of this unending assault. Even from behind the protection of Cher¡¯s shield, he could still feel the heated air around him vibrate, bringing a cold sweat dripping down his brow. As he stared wide eyed at Cher¡¯s flushed complexion that forcibly gritted through each impact, his head cooled and an abrupt cascade of shame filled his mind. He fully realized that just then, he could have died. He could have died without having done anything. If that had happened, then Kathy¡¯s death that had just occurred in front of him would have been all in vein. ¡°Sorry¡­¡± He softly muttered towards Cher as his grip on his sword tightened. The President gritted his teeth, just as his body surged with new found energy. The grief of his recent loss, and the anger of his own incompetence fueled his every movement as he jumped out from under Cher¡¯s protection and hacked out towards the tentacle. The tip of his sword clashed with the carapace lated tip of the tentacle and sent in back a meter or so. Using this moment opportunity, the President vigorously leaped up and swung his sword downward. Swish! In one swift motion, he sliced through the tentacle, exactly on the spot where the armor like carapace started to grow. As the metal tip fell, the rest of the tentacle wriggled around for a while before it momentarily retreated. Unfortunately, after it had fallen back by about 10 meters, it suddenly started quivering in anticipation, before with a sudden burst of energy it pulsed vigorously. The hacked off tip started growing at unprecedented speeds. In less than 15 seconds, the once bisected tip had grown back, the only difference being this tip was not covered in the exoskeleton like carapace from before. The President¡¯s face immediately bittered after seeing this scene unfold in front of him. Somewhere, deep within his mind, he had long expected something like this to happen, although seeing it actually take place in front of him was truly a shocking blow. As he lets out a heave of stale air, he glares at the wriggling tentacles in front of him. ¡°There really isn¡¯t any way to win¡­ after all this time, we¡¯ve made virtually zero progress¡­ not to mention, Kath- we just lost someone¡­¡± His face morphed into a scowl as he helplessly worded out his frustration. Right now, to him, it truly felt as if they were simply throwing away their lives. As the person who was responsible for the lives of his friends, this burden was truly too great to bear for someone his age. Just as his mind was about to fall into despair, the ground around the base of a nearby tentacle started to tremble. The minute vibrations were soft, almost unnoticeable at first, before they rapidly intensified. Soon the ground rumbled vigorously, just as the base of the tentacle started to rise. Soon, the once submerged portion of the tentacle became exposed, revealing a spherical base, one that twice as large as a hardwood teacher¡¯s desk. The ball shaped base was colored black, with stains of dirt brown around its sleek surface. The center of the mass glowed a faint orange, and was slightly transparent, revealing an eye shaped object inside the base. This eye pulsated irregularly, similar to a heart. With one glance, it was apparent that this eye was delicate, and that the thin layer of transparent flesh that protected it was as frail as paper. Seeing this the President¡¯s eyes glowed in astonishment. ¡°Hokusei! Do it now! It''s trying to burrow back into the ground, I can¡¯t keep it above ground for long!¡± A sudden voice erupted throughout the battlefield, and the President instinctively turned towards the source of the voice. There, he saw Hina¡¯s pale expression. She gritted her teeth, while her brow was scrunched up concentration. In that instant, he fully realized why Hina¡¯s buffs had abruptly halted. Without hesitation, he charged forward. As if sensing the impending danger closing in on their comrade, two nearby tentacles moved to halt the President¡¯s progress. As one tentacle came down towards him, he bent his body at an impossible angle and narrowly dodged. The other tentacle that was surging forward from below, was immediately blocked by Cher, who had sprung up in his support. Unobstructed, the President¡¯s heavy footsteps turned light as his determination surged to unprecedented levels. In less than 10 seconds, he arrived at the exposed eye and unhesitatingly chopped downward with his sword. The heated piece of metal penetrated through the eye ball like a piece of tofu. Without much resistance, the exposed tentacle wriggled pathetically for a moment, before it immediately fell to the ground lifeless. It¡¯s once muscular wriggling body withered, while the eye lost the dim glow it once maintained. As the President jumped back, away from the destroyed tentacle, he immediately spat, and with a voice of resentment, muttered lowly, ¡°An eye for an eye, a death for a death¡­¡± The rest of the survivors who saw this immediately had their morale boosted. In their eyes a look of defiance glinted as the intensity and vigor of their resistance to towards the five remaining tentacles intensified. Unable to hide the joy and anticipation in his voice, the President immediately shouted towards Hina, ¡°Can you do that again? If we keep this up, it won¡¯t take long until we destroy the rest of the tentacles!¡± But as those words left his mouth, the moment he glanced back and saw Hina¡¯s unhealthy complexion, he immediately regretted ever speaking. Even without confirmation, he knew Hina did not have the capacity nor capability to repeat what she had done. As if to verbalize this reality, Hina grunted in fatigue, before bitterly stating, ¡°Sorry, uprooting that one consumed more than half of my remaining mana. It''s impossible for me to do that again.¡± Hearing this, the President could not help but let out a bitter laugh. He knew it wasn¡¯t Hina¡¯s fault, but he could hide the disappointment written on his face. The ray of hope that had sprouted within his heart had been immediately trampled the moment it was raised. As he tiredly sighed, he glared at the remaining tentacles. The remaining fight was still an uphill battle with no end in sight. **** (Perspective Change) I knew the situation was dire, and as I continued to exchange blows with the boss, I realized that at most, all I was doing was buying time. Despite the knife stabs, sword slashes, and club bashes I repeatedly inflicted, the Boss¡¯s health still remained above 80%. The main root of this was obviously the Boss¡¯s insane regeneration. The pesky tentacle that had squirmed its way besides the Boss constantly replenished its HP the moment it dipped below 80%. At first, I thought I could use the moment when the tentacle stabbed into the Boss or when it drained the monsters above as an opportunity to sever the tentacle, unfortunately, things did not go so smoothly. The tentacle had positioned itself so that it was directly behind the Boss. Even when it exposed itself, the Boss would be their to safeguard it. Not even [Shadow Sprint] could create an opening in the face of this absolute defense. I knew that in order to reverse this situation and successfully kill the boss, I needed to destroy its tentacles first and stop its almost infinite regeneration. In theory it was truly simple, but the reality of it was that this simple task was an impossibly steep hurdle. It was like asking someone to jump over a 2 meter fence while their legs were broken. As the feeling of helplessness started growing within me, I suddenly noticed an inexplicable change had occurred in the battlefield behind me. Glancing back, I saw the scene of a withering tentacle slowly dying take place before my eyes. An inexplicable feeling of euphoria bubble within me before it immediately cooled upon seeing Hina¡¯s pale and languid expression. From my time spent with her and the others, I knew Hina had expended a lot of her mana in uprooting that sole tentacle. Doing it again was probably impossible. Still, the reduction of seven tentacles to six tentacles was an immense improvement. Not to mention, at the current state, if it were just five¡­ My mind instantly raced as I momentarily distanced myself from the approaching Dungeon Boss and took in the whole battlefield behind me with widened eyes. The withered tentacle, the dreary expressions, the giant mass of [Black Gemini] that hovered over the air, even the human corpse that lay scattered amongst the dust that collected on the floor¡­ In an instant, I immediately made my decision. I flung my body towards the Boss and once again entered in an exchange of blows. Due to the innate durability my armor and Familiarity bonus gives me, I could stand to take a few of its hits. As I engaged in repetitive combat, amongst trembling bodies and vicious howls, I took a deep breath before I yelled out towards the rest of the group. ¡°Cher! President! Prepare to switch!¡± Shooting a quick glance behind me, I could see the duo¡¯s eyes light up in comprehension. As if sensing a coming change in the current battle field, their bodies jittered in excitement as momentary vigor. Without stopping, I then addressed Cielle, ¡°Get ready Cielle! On my count, I want you to fire off your strongest attack! Directly at the Boss!¡± Cielle who heard my frantic yells through the screen of roars, vigorously nodded. After a moment¡¯s hesitation, she confirmed with an obviously forced ¡°Okay!¡± Even in the heat of the moment, yelling out and speaking in such a loud voice did not suit her. After receiving confirmation from everybody, immediately focused my attention back on the Boss. I needed to stall a bit of time for Cielle to ready her attack while at the same time, finding an opportunity to distance myself from the Boss. I changed my current set of weapons- strapping the sword back behind me in favor of dual wielding two pairs of daggers. The whip that wriggled behind him instantly shot out and slammed down towards me. With a quick side step, the tentacle hit the floor, upsetting some of the collected dust beneath me. At the same time, I jumped onto the tentacle, and using it as a makeshift spring board, I rebounded off of it, and forcibly sent my body flying through the air, heading directly towards the Boss. As expected though, being a Boss ranked monster, it wasn¡¯t so easy to deal with. In the face of my straight forward attack, a creepily human snort expelled from its mouth, before one of its tree trunk sized trees rapidly moved towards the air and backhanded me. As the black arm hit my chest, I could feel my insides roil while my face involuntarily morphed into a pained grimace. Despite that, I managed to stay resolute. On the moment of impact, my hands jabbed downwards, piercing the Monster¡¯s thick arm with my two sets of daggers. Simultaneously, my legs also wrapped around its arm. As the Boss roared in anger, it vigorously shook, intending to dislodge me, but I was as stubborn as a cockroach. Just a split second lapse of movement was all I needed before I immediately scuttled along its arms like a true roach, and headed straight for its chest. Reeflech shot me a beady red glare, as it snarled, and raised its other arm in an attempt to block me. Unlike before though, such an attack was something I had expected, or rather, it was something I truly anticipated! As the arm came barreling down on me, I stabbed my right dagger onto its chest, before, I bent my body backwards at an impossible angle. I narrowly avoided the blow while at the same time, used the embedded dagger as a handhold to maintain my balance. I then jerked myself forward with a pull from my right arm and sent myself flying directly towards its head. With my other arm, I immediately thrusted my dagger towards its exposed eye. Filled with my full killing intent, and coupled with [Dissect]¡¯s [Mutilation] effect, the dagger slid vigorously into its left eye. It let out a pained howl, while both its arms simultaneously came flying towards me. In response, I avoided and pushed myself away from the Boss with a kick to its throat. Its roaring momentarily halted while I sailed through heated air. ¡°NOW!¡± I suddenly desperately yelled, and not a moment sooner, a several blurry masses of darkness soared past me and directly headed towards the distracted Dungeon Boss. As I stared past me, I could see the coalesced and solidified form of [Black Gemini]. There were four jagged spears of black that cut through the heated air. One of these spears faintly glowed with a trace of unnatural green. From past experience, I knew full well what that faint trace of green signified. Cielle¡¯s [Acid Clad] skill. It was a dangerous trump card that, if used in conjunction with Cielle¡¯s [Black Gemini], showcased a tremendous amount of force. Even I don¡¯t dare to face such a monstrosity head on. While it did pack quite a punch, it''s only real demerit would be its insane mana consumption. According to Cielle, when she initially tested out this new type of ¡°composite¡± skill use, when she applied [Acid Clad] to her [Black Gemini] skill, the mana consumption multiplied by 10. Even after she managed to raise [Acid Clad] to beginner level 6 throughout the process of 2 whole weeks, the mana consumption was only reduced to a mana consumption of 7 times the original. It was an insanely expensive skill that packed as much destructive power as the mana it consumed, and right now, such a skill was being used without reservation. As the spears hurtled forward, the tentacle behind the Boss immediately moved to block. One spear was instantly crushed into several smaller pieces, while another deeply imbedded itself into the meat of the tentacle. The other two spears continued to fly towards the Boss before they stabbed down onto its left thigh and right shoulder. Whether through a stroke of good fortune or because of Cielle¡¯s accuracy, the sole spear clad in acid was the one that pierced the Boss directly in its shoulder. Upon impact, a massive howl reverberated through the refuge, almost shaking it to its very foundation. Immediately, almost 10% of its hp instantly decreased. Further more, after that immediate 10% hp drop, its health bar further lessened as [Acid Clad] quickly did its work. Aside from the Boss¡¯s rampant scratching at its shoulder, there were no exterior signs of the acid taking into affect. Unlike Satou¡¯s use of the skill, when Cielle used [Acid Clad], the process was slower, much slower to say, when Cher¡¯s arm was melting. Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work! This difference was primarily due to the difference in stats between Cher and the Dungeon Boss, as well as the difference in Cielle¡¯s own skill mastery versus Satou¡¯s was at the time. Nonetheless, there was one thing that Cielle had that Satou didn¡¯t. Skill synthesis. The combination of [Black Gemini] and [Acid Clad] was truly something out of this world. While [Acid Clad] gained long range mobility due to [Black Gemini], at the same time, [Black Gemini]¡¯s innate hp loss based on aggregate pain was further supplemented by the acid [Acid Clad] produced. In the end, I watched with wide eyed awe as the Boss¡¯s hp slowly depleted. Its constant howls of fury and pain rang through my ears as the visage of its desperately pawing figure came to view. But while I was filled with minute glee at the scene, I was not one to miss such a perfect opportunity as this. I twisted my body in mid air, before I landed on the floor on both feet. With a roar, I immediately called out the combat group. My voice was drowned out by Reeflech¡¯s own miserable howls, but the visual confirmation between Cher and I was made. Upon her signal, the melee group instantly rushed forward, their mad sprint did not even take into account the wall of tentacles that blocked their way. Of course, as of now, those tentacles weren¡¯t something they needed to worry themselves over. After all, that was officially my job now. With a quick intake of breath, under the protection of the overhanging shadows above, I immediately vanished with [Shadow Sprint]. In an instant, I reappeared directly behind the wall of tentacles. In front of me was a rather imposing stalk of muscle that shot out from the ground and ended with a carapaced tip that wriggled 20 meters above ground. During the split second I immediately appeared behind the tentacles, I was invisible. To the stalks of muscle that had their full attention focused on the rushing group of battle hardened teens, I was merely a gust of wind. My feet heavily slammed down on the ground, as both my arms gripped onto the handle of the black sword behind me. My waist bent, my arms taut, and with a low rumbling growl, I immediately slashed towards the base of the tentacle. My strike, which I placed 120% of all my effort in, to the point where my hands bled red, was infused with [Dissect]. The very core of severing came into being as my blade flew through muscle with little resistance. The blade which completely dissected the tentacle from the waist up continued barreling forward before it slashed down onto the ground below, imbedding its blade into the floor in the process. While the weak point of the tentacle was the eye like object that existed below ground, if I sliced it cleanly from its base, severing the greater majority of the tentacle from its power source, the only obvious outcome would occur. The stalk of muscle quickly came tumbling to the ground, while it simultaneously withered in mid air. In an instant, the tentacle count had been further brought down to 5! At the same time, with one of the tentacles gone, a gap opened up within the wall of muscle that blocked the melee group¡¯s rush. Leading the charge forward, Cher hid behind her shield as she ran, jumping across the withering stump before she fearlessly dashed towards the Dungeon Boss. Behind her, the President along with the rest of his surviving part followed closely behind. As I saw the others engage the Boss in combat through the corner of my eye, I also began doing my best as I forced my heavily heaving body forward. Excluding the one stationed behind the Boss, I was left with four tentacles to face. These four tentacles almost instantly surrounded me on all sides, their muscled trunks wriggling violently like malevolent snakes. Unlike when the combat group faced off against these tentacles, I was alone, so despite confronting fewer tentacles, my situation was comparatively more severe. In the face of these four trunk-like whips, I was hard pressed to remain unscathed. In less than ten seconds, my body was riddled with light bruises and superficial cuts. It took all my effort to keep my body moving and avoid the oncoming strikes from all around me, but, even with my body exerting itself to its fullest capacity, in the end, that still wasn¡¯t enough. In the face of their hive-like teamwork, and torrential bombardment, the most I could do was redirect the oncoming blows towards my armor and other protected parts of my body. While on the outside, it may seem as if the tentacles barely caused me any real damage- merely grazing past my constantly flittering body as I weaved in and out between tentacles - in actuality, the damage they were inflicting was comparable to the Boss¡¯s, if not more so. Most of the real, heavy blows landed on my chest and back, the parts of my body I kept covered in armor. Because of this, the newly crafted armor quickly grew dented and deformed. It¡¯s durability was rapidly decreasing, but in the heat of battle, I had no way of repairing it. I was bruised, I was battered, I was exhausted, I was all these things and more, but the defiant glint in my eyes still sparked with vigorous luminescence. With primal ferocity fueling my body, I swung my sword towards an oncoming tentacle. The blade sank deep into its flank, before the tentacle shook and suddenly jerked forward, dislodging my blade and sending me flying into the open hands of two oncoming tentacles. Seeing their approach, I instantly twisted my wrist, before I raised my arms upward and slammed the base of the sword onto the closest incoming tentacle. Rather than driving the sword towards the tentacle, I used the built up energy to propel myself towards the ground, narrowly avoiding the remaining tentacle as it swept past where my head used to be. I practically hugged the ground, as I ran towards the base of the tentacle. Because its end was extended out behind me, it was the perfect opportunity to aim for another kill. With the long sword fluttering behind me, I readied a strike amped up with [Dissect], but before I could land my killing blow, the remaining tentacles burst forward and stopped me in my charge. I frantically leapt backward, dodging the incoming spray of dislodged rocks and debris as the tentacles slammed into the ground with a resounding thud. I gritted my teeth and scowled. Having missed my chance, I was once again back to square one. I blocked and dodged the incoming tentacles as I lamented. I knew that my only chance was to perform a [Shadow Sprint] and directly attack the base of the tentacle while it was unguarded. Of course, using [Shadow Sprint] alone consumes a large chunk of my stamina, not to mention the use of [Dissect] which is practically a necessity of I want to cleanly sever the tentacle¡¯s thickest section. It was a costly price, but in the end, I had three remaining stamina potions left, so after some quick deliberation, I decided to take the risk. Just as I readied myself and prepared for the perfect opportunity, a massive dull, but powerful thud resounded from the middle of the refuge. ¡°!?¡± My head instantly jerked towards the source of the noise. With taut trepidation, I peered towards where the others were currently stalling the Dungeon Boss. I knew, despite the incessant wavering within my heart, that a change had occurred in the battlefield. **** Towards the center of the open space, through the combined might of Cher, the President and his surviving party, which consisted of Emiko and the teacher, Reeflech was currently struggling. Although individually, the four of them could not hold a candle to Hide in terms of tenacity and fighting prowess, through their combined might, their teamwork was strong enough to cover the difference. Not to mention, with the effects of [Acid Clad] currently surging through Reeflech¡¯s body, the four survivors had a comparably easier time when compared to Hide¡¯s own gruesome experience. One of the advantages the survivors held during this battle was Cher¡¯s [Fever Burst]. Because of this skill, it was possible to stack a 9% stat debuff, which lasts 7 minutes each stack, for up to three stacks. Cher managed to apply the first stack during the moment of confusion of their initial rush. Right now, the Dungeon Boss was 9% weaker, but this was only a minimal advantage, especially when compared to Cielle¡¯s earlier attack. With [Acid Clad] gradually shaving away at it¡¯s life, Reeflech¡¯s HP had dropped to 65%, and the tentacle¡¯s vitality transfer was working full time in order to cancel out the effects of the vicious skill. The tentacle was frantically moving from the monster horde to Reeflech, and back again, all in an attempt to sustain the Dungeon Boss¡¯s life. To the tentacle, the current situation was a war of attrition, whether the acid loses its potency, or whether the tentacle ran out of vitality to transfer, the mindless tentacle could do nothing but continue its uphill struggle. It was because of this, that the combat group had such an easy time. And it was because of this, that Reeflech¡¯s eyes now flashed with unnatural, and unhindered killing intent. As it glared down on the four humans in front of it, they were like ants staring up at a giant. But to Reeflech, whose minimal intelligence just barely registered their existences within its diminutive mind, the pain that they had given it was enough of a driving factor for it to go all out. It¡¯s body slightly trembled, and ignoring the pain on its right shoulder, Reeflech let out a low, vibrating snarl. Suddenly, all the pores covering Reeflech¡¯s body immediately opened up, while a white puff of steam slowly emitted out the two holes atop its head. Gradually, the intensity of the stream that flowed from the two holes increased, and with it, white steam further gushed out from the opened pores on Reeflech¡¯s skin. The intensity of the steam experienced an exponential increase, and soon, vigorous white smoke was being expelled out from all over its body in large quantities. Not even 10 seconds later, Reeflech¡¯s whole body was shrouded in white fog. From a couple dozen meters away, Surrounded by several tentacles, Hide who saw this happen through the corner of his eye, immediately darkened his expression as an uneasy feeling welled up deep within his mind. Without visual confirmation, he could not even see the Boss¡¯s status window, but nonetheless, spurred by his growing sense of unease, he immediately yelled towards the combat group. ¡°Move Back! Get out of there!¡± His voice was lost, overshadowed by the sharp hissing noise that constantly sounded out from Reeflech¡¯s massive body. It was a sound akin to a bubbling tea kettle, but this noise was a lot more sharper and organic. But even without Hide¡¯s warning, the combat group fully understood the implications of this white steam, all all hastily stepped backwards. Their frantic expressions fully displayed their fright and confusion. Unfortunately, while they did make the appropriate retreat back, Reeflech had acted first. The white blanket of fog rolled forward, as a shrouded attack from inside the mist barreled towards Cher, who had been standing guard, closest to the Boss while acting as a vanguard. A primal sense of danger filled her everybody as goosebumps littered her shivering arms. On instinct, she raised her shield up, just in time as a massive force completely pushed down onto her comparatively small stature. The force, while heavy and filled with killing intent, only lasted for a moment, and the damage it did was minimal. Cher steadied herself as she was inadvertently pushed back by five steps, before she managed to right herself. Unfortunately, while Cher managed to avoid death and injury, someone else wasn¡¯t so lucky. A pitiful human voice echoed from within the shrouded confines of the fog. This shrill cry caused shivers to run down everyone¡¯s spines, despite the heat of the room. Filled with fear and with their constantly palpitating hearts on overdrive, the others all instinctively drew back, away from the incoming mist. As they took a moment to collect themselves a few paces away from the constantly expanding fog of white, the President was the first to notice that one of their own had not exited from the fog. An instant look of dread washed over his face, while his foot unconsciously took a step forward. The President¡¯s expression grew firmer and he took another, more confident step closer towards the fog. Just as he was about to run head first into the expanding white, a sudden voice from further back jolted the President¡¯s frantic psyche back into normality. ¡°Stop!¡± The voice hastily called out, causing the President to turn his head to stare at the source of the voice. Constantly weaving in between tentacles, and with a body covered in injuries, Hide desperately shook his head. ¡°Don¡¯t go into the steam! You won¡¯t be saving anybody that way.¡± While dodging another set of oncoming tentacles, Hide stared with sunken eyes towards the wall of white that had suddenly appeared from out of nowhere. While his body shook from exertion, his mind was constantly spinning as he tried to think. Hide knew that the steam was constantly increasing with no signs of stopping. By this point it had covered a space of around 50 meters, and was still expanding. While the appearance of this steam was outside his expectations, he fully comprehended that its danger was just potent as the tentacles or the Boss¡¯s fire affinity. The steam did not cause any immediate damage, in fact, it wasn¡¯t even a damaging type characteristic. Its main impact was not direct, but rather indirect. The roiling fog of steam that was constantly expanding was capable of completely cutting off their sight. To the main group, this was a heavy blow. For the others who had done any extensive training on any of their other senses, sight was one of their most important factors when it came to battle. Without it, much less fighting, even the simple task of walking became challenging. With [Echolocation] and [Sensory Remapping], Hide might be able to manage somewhat within the steam, but to the others, the effects of the steam were simply too great. Undoubtedly, their fighting strength would instantly drop to a fourth of its original capabilities, maybe even worse. And even then, Hide, who still relied on his vision as his eyes as his primary sensory organ, would be hard pressed to do well in a sightless environment. On the assumption that the Dungeon Boss can see through the thick layer of ever expanding msit, then there was no doubt that, if the mist was allowed to expand any further, they¡¯d all be slowly picked off one after another. From deep within the mist, a primal snarl could be heard, while at the same time, the thickest layer of steam began to shake, signifying the Boss¡¯s forward assault. As the Boss charged forward towards the survivors, the steam further expanded and spread throughout the room. Now, about 85 meters of steam stretched out in all directions, with the Dungeon Boss at its epicenter. The worry in everyone¡¯s heart increases, and Hide¡¯s brow scrunches up in deliberations, as he juggles with the idea of moving away from his position and helping out the rest of the survivors. But just as Hide worried, a strong gust of wind suddenly blew past him and spread throughout the room. The steam was immediately pushed back before the wind, once again changed, and the once expanding steam was pushed to the ceiling. The vision obscurity immediately lessened, and now, only a thin layer of fog persisted. Hide inadvertently let out sigh of relief as his eyes, instantly turned to face the source of the wind. The moment he did so, his face immediately darkened, as a low voice, filled with obvious concern escaped from his lips, ¡°Hina!¡± The girl inquestion painstakingly forced as smile as her eyes grew more and more vague. Her concentration was currently focused on the whole room in front of her. Blood dripped down from both her nostrils while Hina could hear a faint buzzing within her ear drums. Expelling out that room wide wind had taken a fair amount of mental concentration on her part, but the look of bitter determination was the only thing that existed on her pale pallor. ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± She unconvincingly reassured through gritted teeth. ¡°I still have a fair bit of mana left, and because I was helping you out back then with what you were crafting, Hide, I can keep this up for a little while longer. I¡¯ll use aerokinesis and wind magic to keep the steam from gathering, so you guys- get in there and fight!¡± Her words oozed out fatigue, yet her tone was unyielding. Upon her words, Hide immediately swallowed down what he had wanted to say, as he dodged another incoming attack and turned his eyes towards the middle of the room. The Boss was still constantly emitting out steam in large portions, but a gust of air was continuously whirling around him, causing the newly produced steam to funnel upwards into the hole on the ceiling. Right now, through Hina¡¯s utmost effort, Reeflech was like the eye of a tornado, while a formidable cloud of white gathered over everyone¡¯s heads. Below that column of steam, the Boss let out a vicious snarl. When the steam had cleared, it revealed a mangled corpse that laid strewn, haphazardly onto the ground beneath it. Looking closely, the body was revealed to be that of the teacher¡¯s. It was obvious at first glance, that the man had died. His body was crushed and his spine was snapped. A blood slowly oozed out with his body as the epicenter. Traces of melted and boiling skin could be found riddled around his corpse, evidently from the Boss¡¯s intense, heated air. The sight of the corpse sent a sharp shiver running down everyone¡¯s spines. Unfortunately, the did not have time to mourn for this most recent loss. The Boss¡¯s stomach was bulging and pulsated with a vibrant and menacing red glow. To everyone who saw this, their eyes widened in shock. This was especially true for Hide, who had painstakingly tried to prevent this from happening earlier on during the battle. While Reeflech had been encased in steam, he had not stayed idle. He actually used that momentary lull in order to charge up and prepare its strongest attack. Just seeing the unnaturally large stomach as it pulsated like a trembling heart was enough to send fear circulating through everyone¡¯s minds. Without prompt, Cher, the President, and Emiko immediately scattered. In response to this, the Dungeon Boss let out a cold snort. With almost no hesitation, its stomach immediately emptied, as a column of compressed fire erupted forth from its mouth. BOOM! The emergence of the flame immediately scorched the surroundings while the air it passed vibrated with intensity. The column of fire was aimed a little bit towards the right of the room. Whether by coincidence or intention, directly in front of the fire, was the President¡¯s frantically sprinting figure. His back was turned, while a bead of sweat rolled down from the corner of his forehead. He could feel an intense heat rapidly approaching him, but he did not turn around. Rather he couldn¡¯t. The fear that had bubbled up within him, coupled with the touch of death that grazed his mind completely stopped him from doing anything but continue to mindlessly and fruitlessly run forward. Seeing the incoming column of fire approach, everyone could not help but let out involuntary gasps of shock. Most notable was Hina¡¯s own desperate cry, who, at that instant felt utterly powerless to help. Just as the President¡¯s fate was seemingly sealed, a figure immediately rushed towards him from the side. Without hesitation, the thin silhouette ruthlessly pushed him to the side, outside of the flame¡¯s original trajectory. This had all happened in less than a fraction of a second, and as the President¡¯s expression morphed into astonishment, realization instantly dawned on him. Just as his head slightly tilted sideways, through the corner of his vision, he locked eyes with the individual who had pushed him. The President¡¯s mouth opened in shock, and just as he hit the floor, the column of flame completely enveloped that person. Through the raging fire, the President¡¯s hoarse cry echoed throughout the room. Despite that person¡¯s efforts, the President did not completely escape from the fire, his right arm and right leg had been caught by the weaker, outside portions of the rapturing flame. These weakened wisps of heat were strong enough to instantly cauterize the President¡¯s flesh, giving him immediate third degree burns. But despite the pain his body went through, the despair in his mind was strongest. Seeing the person who had pushed him out of the way¡­ just to save¡­ for the him who had done all those things before¡­ the cry that originated from his heart was hoarse and bitter. As the flames finally died out, the person who had been swept up inside it was completely unrecognizable. Only the charred remains of a person who once existed remained. It was completely unidentifiable, but the image of that person¡¯s last moments, of that person¡¯s face had been carved deep into the President¡¯s mind. The image of a girl. Her face, bright, sometimes gentle, sometimes harsh. A person he had been close to even before the apocalypse, and had only grown closer as these days of hell progressed. Emiko. It was her. She was the one who had saved him. She had pushed him out the way, even when his own mind had been caught up in helpless fear. She had saved him, when he couldn¡¯t do it by himself. Because of that, he had lived. Because of that, she had died. With her death, the President was now the last person from his original group that remained. His current visage, was by no means heroic, or awe inspiring. With half his body burned, and with a fish eyes emptiness deep within his pupils, it was the look of a defeated man. Despite that though, despite his disheveled, and hopeless appearance. Despite his injuries that caused his entire right side to go numb, despite all the setbacks, and all the deaths, he got up. He ignored the pain. He did not even notice as a light blue substance entered his body and frantically tried to heal him. He spoke not a single word, but simply drew his blade, as he hobbled towards the Boss. His eyes were locked onto Reeflech¡¯s domineering figure, but deep within those hollow, almost lifeless eyes, the light of determination, of retribution welled inside. Ding! A quiet sound reverberated within his skull, but he ignored that too. His full attention was all focused on that domineering figure. Each painstaking step he took only brought him closer. ¡°AAAHHHHHHHHH!¡± With a hoarse roar, his body immediately sped up, as sprinted towards Reeflech. Cher, who had recovered besides him, had no time to mourn the recently departed, as she followed closely behind the President¡¯s assault. She rushed forward, blocking the incoming tentacle slash, by slightly tilting her shield sideways, and redirecting the oncoming force. She soon entered within range, and immediately performed a [Shield Bash], one imbued with [Fever Burst]. Contrary to her expectations, Reeflech met her charge head on, sending out a heated fist directly towards her raised shield. BOOM! The moment both sides collided, the force from the impact inadvertently caused the Dungeon Boss to take a staggering step backwards. In comparison, Cher was more badly affected by the impact. Her remaining arm went numb from the knock back, and she was sent flying through the air before she deftly crashed through the floor with a thud. Blood dripped down from the corner of her lip, while her chest heaved up and down in exasperation. Her current state was pitiful, but a slight smile blossomed on her face. The 2nd stack had been completed without any problem. Right now, Reeflech was 18% weaker than his usual self, and such a state would last for 7 minutes. The President, wasn¡¯t one to miss such an opportunity as he immediately leapt from behind Cher. Although his right arm hung limply by his side, and even though he was dragging his right leg like a dead log, his body still moved at an inhuman speeds. Newfound energy welled up from his body, while his eyes flashed with golden brilliance. He slashed towards the monster, drawing blood from the Boss¡¯s still outstretched arm. The President¡¯s actions were jittery and jagged, but each strike was delivered with clear killing intent, and enough power to back it up. With each attack, a superficial wound would take its place. Soon, Reeflech¡¯s skin was littered in numerous cuts as blood flowed from its steam emitting pores. The atmosphere was charged with the bitter scent of blood, as both sides collided. One comprised of a domineering existence, peerless within the confines of the Dungeon, and the other made up of the remnants of the Combat group - two humans spurred by determination and maintained through sheer willpower. **** Although their tenacity and desperate determination was admirable, with just the two of them, even with the effects of Cher¡¯s twice stacked [Fever Burst], the duo was just barely hanging on. Against the indomitable mountain like force of the Dungeon Boss, they were at a clear disadvantage. And as the effects of [Acid Clad] began to fade, this disadvantage steadily grew as the battle dragged on. When the lingering acid was completely flushed away from the Dungeon Boss¡¯s system, its battle prowess immediately exploded, further pushing back the duo through its sheer strength. It¡¯s HP, which had managed to dip below 50% due to the effects of [Acid Clad], was eventually raised back up, hovering just over 70% by the tentacle that lay firmly rooted behind the Dungeon Boss. But with its recovery, a new changed seemed to have occurred within the Dungeon Boss. Its remaining eye flashed with almost human like intelligence, as it threw a punch towards the ground. The moment ground collided with fist, the earth slightly trembled as Cher and the President were forced backwards. Seeing this, the Dungeon Boss¡¯s eye upturned into a crescent as it made an expression greatly resembling a sneer. Despite its low level intelligence, it was clearly displaying an arrogance that would not pale in comparison to actual humans. It charged forward, while simultaneously, the tentacle that had stayed rooted behind it up until now, finally moved. But unlike what Cher and the President had expected, the tentacle did not move to confront them, rather the base of its trunk crawled forward, towards the back of the refuge, where another fierce battle was currently taking place¡­ **** (Perspective Change) I constantly flittered around the battlefield, weaving in and out between stalks of muscle as my eyes vigilantly scanned for any opening, no matter how small. The four tentacles that unceasingly smashed down upon me were relentless, but it was because of their ferocity that I was forced to push myself beyond my limits. Ignoring my constantly draining stamina, my mind was drawn taut like a wire. I eventually got used to the constant rain of attacks. So far, through minimal movement and a fair bit of insight, I had managed to avoid getting hit for a good duration of 45 seconds. If you take into account the fact that I had immense difficulty dodging even a single attack back when I started, this change was quite substantial. It was during this moment of immense concentration, that I noticed the steadily approaching tentacle that originated from the Dungeon Boss¡¯s own battle. Earlier, I had noticed the events that had transpired during their battle, but I was powerless to help. Not only was it immensely taxing for me to waste a [Shadow Sprint] to cut the distance and assist the others, I was also currently acting as the vanguard for Cielle and Hina. Despite the ¡°protection¡± of the girls from Kido¡¯s harem, I knew full well that if my defense were to be broken, then Cielle and Hina¡¯s deaths were practically guaranteed. That was especially true after their current state. The constant use of magic had taken quite a toll on the duo, both mentally and physically. So when I noticed the incoming tentacle, I was not surprised. Rather, a small smile formed on my lips. Instead of worsening my situation, I had decided that from this change, I would forcibly reap some benefits. I continued dodging the other tentacles, and quietly waited as the fifth tentacle slowly approached within range. The moment it got within 20 meters of me, I immediately downed a stamina potion, and instantly moved. With a single thought, I used [Shadow Sprint] and vanished into the shadows. Not a moment sooner, I reappeared directly in front of the newest tentacle. Even before the tentacle had a chance to react, I unreservedly attacked. Without a trace of hesitation, I corked my body backwards, tightening my every muscle to its very limits. In one instant, my body straightened, and that pent up energy exploded outwards into a singular sword strike. Swish! The slash that had been imbued with all my efforts in addition to [Dissect], completely lobbed off the base of the tentacle in one go. Like slicing through paper, the tentacle was completely severed from its base. The downed tentacle immediately fell as it began withering at a tremendous rate. Despite the coursing fatigue running through my body, I could not help but smile upon seeing this scene. With this, the remaining number of tentacles had been finally reduced to four. Despite our current losses, we were making enormous progress. But with this moment of elation, came weakness. Making use of the opening created from my all out attack, the several tentacles from before came surging forward. As I moved to avoid, I accidentally stumbled, the wave of sudden fatigue momentarily stunning me. Beyond expectations, [Physical Strain] had come earlier than anticipated. In this moment of weakness, like a bloodthirsty leech, one of the tentacles latched onto my leg with force strong enough to break bone. The tentacle yanked forward, and I was immediately hoisted up into the air, before I dangled upside down, a feeling of helplessness slowly seeping through me. I involuntarily grimaced. While the sudden surge of pain from [Physical Strain] was something I could fight through, this current situation was completely devastating. From past experience, I knew that like those, I could not easily escape with [Shadow Sprint]. I had been restrained. It was sort of the same principle as to why I could not teleport through walls, or why I could not teleport with another person. It was one of [Shadow Sprint]¡¯s biggest weakness, and one outcome I had fought against unceasingly throughout this battle. As I dangled helplessly, my grip on my sword tightened, as I tried to bend my waist upward in an attempt to slice the tip of the tentacle off and free myself. But the instant I moved, the tentacle abruptly moved downward, and I was ruthlessly slammed onto the floor. The unexpected blow knocked the wind out of me, and my vision grew momentarily blurry for a split second. Before I could even recover though, the tentacle dragged me along the floor, before it immediately lifted me upwards and slammed me back onto the ground. This time, the impact carried more weight and almost twice the force from last time. This time, I could taste blood, and my head rang as a dizzying buzzing noise reverberated through my ears. Even with my increased defense, and the armor that protected me, my head was still exposed, and coupled with the tentacle¡¯s unearthly power, I could not help but take damage. When my skull bounced off the ground like a partially deflated basketball, I was half certain I now had a concussion. But despite my current state, the tentacle had no regard for me as it once again slammed me ruthlessly onto the floor. This time, learning from past experience, I immediately raised my arms to protect my head. But in the end, in the face of this situation, that was the limit of my resistance. As the tentacle repeatedly dragged me across the floor, as it lifted me up, and as it slammed me down, the only thing I could do was protect my head. Even the light blue semi transparent liquid that shot towards me could do little but placate a few of the injuries that had formed on my body. I knew that even with Cielle¡¯s assistance, the most she could do was provide minor HP regeneration. She did not have enough mana to condense another spear, much less imbue her skill with [Acid Clad]. On top of it all, from my numerous exchanges with these things, I grew to realize that these tentacles did not feel pain. Her regular [Black Gemini] could do little to help. The only thing she was capable of doing was constantly heal me as my own HP continued to dwindle downwards. As my body violently cut through air before it was slammed down onto the ground once more, through my narrowed eyes, I stared at Cielle and Hina who looked on with worried expressions on their faces. What I was feeling right now was absolute helplessness. In this state, I was completely embolized. My [Shadow Sprint] was effectively silenced, and my greatest asset, which was my speed, had been trounced. I could not help but worry, not for myself, but for the two who stood a little ways behind me. I knew that, much less assist, Hina and Cielle did not have anything currently within their arsenal that was capable of protecting themselves. Cielle¡¯s soul skill was useless against these things that could not feel pain, while Hina¡¯s own elemental magic had their limitations. The tentacles and the Boss themselves constantly emitted out heat, fully demonstrating their fire affinity, while both earth and water magic were both out of the question. Similarly her use of air magic was not to the level where she could slice through objects through wind. Uprooting the tentacles were a possibility, but that took a tremendous toll on her mind, and consumed a fair majority of her mana. With Hina¡¯s current mana, I doubt she had enough to perform such a miracle. Not to mention, that even in the face of this impending danger, Hina was still constantly funneling the steam that the Boss emitted towards the ceiling. Even as the first and 2nd floors above use were completely shrouded in a layer of thick fog that resembled an ever expanding curtain of white, the steam that the Boss produced did not lessen in the least. If Hina so much as slackened for even a second, than that roiling steam would expand outwards, spelling doom for Cher and the President. Hina could do nothing. Cielle could do nothing. I could do nothing but endure. After a hazy amount of time passed, I barely managed to cling to my half conscious state. By this point, my face was bloody, and I was positive that one of my legs broke, but I could not tell which one. My armor was cracked and dented, while blood constantly seeped out through my gritted teeth. The tentacle still clung to my ankle, which had probably broken by now, and as it dangled my upside down, blood rushed to my head and a feeling of nausea overwhelmed me. What little remained in my stomach was instantly expelled out, as I could not push back the vomit and bile that surged forward. But even the slight shake caused by my vomiting was taken as a sign of aggression, as almost immediately, the tentacle snapped forward and once again ruthlessly slammed into the ground. Every Time I moved, every time I so much as lifted a finger, the tentacle would immediately attack, unconsciously conditioning me to the pain and damage it produced. As the collection of staunch dirt, blood, and vomit, filled my nostrils, through hazy eyes, I helplessly glanced at Cielle and Hina. My hands instinctively clawed at the dirt below me, just before I was once again lifted up and slammed back down. It was during this brief moment, that the still image of the three other tentacles approaching the others was forever burned into my mind¡­ ***** (Perspective Change) It was at this point where Hide¡¯s greatest fears slowly realized. While Hide was restrained, the other three tentacles began making their way towards the long range combat group. Slowly but surely, they drew closer, closer to Cielle, Hina, and the other two from Kido¡¯s harem- Saya and Mindy. Cielle and HIna¡¯s faces were grim. Deep within their minds they could not repress the slowly rising fear that they felt, but still, they remained unmoving. They knew full well that their current position held immense importance. Even with the threat of death looming over their shoulders, they still could not simply give up and run away. Right now, the only thing sustaining Hide from death was Cielle¡¯s constant healing. His HP, which had dipped down below 20% was on the verge of emptying. Cielle¡¯s resolution was set firm, as she determined to extend Hide¡¯s life by even the smallest of seconds. In comparison, Hina¡¯s was still constantly controlling the steam to tunnel upwards. The moment she slacked, the endless white that emitted out from the Dungeon Boss would roil outwards, enveloping the surroundings in a curtain of white. If this were to occur, Cher and Hokusei would meet a fate akin to death. With death directly threatening two people she cared about, their was no way Hina could simply abandon her post. With resolute yet dark expressions, the two sisters stayed firm as they glared unyieldingly at the approaching stalks of muscle. In contrast, the girls from Kido¡¯s group were less resolved. They trembled while their faces scrunched up into ugly expressions. Their hands were paper white as they desperately gripped onto their spears. As death loomed before them, they could not restrain the fear and anxiety that bubbled up from deep within their hearts. Up until now, they knew that they were weak. This realization was as apparent as the moon on a cloudless sky. They were so weak, that even during this crucial battle, the only thing they were capable of doing was standing in front of Cielle and Hina under the pretense of ¡°guarding¡±. They did not have the ability to fight, much less stand in front of these tentacles which virtually represented death itself. As this enormous pressure bared down onto both of them, one of them cracked under the stress and and screamed. The transfer student- Saya, abruptly dropped her spear, as she frantically screeched, her voice resonating with the fear and panic that coursed through her veins. Without so much as a glance backwards, her legs bursted with fear driven energy, as she frantically sprinted towards the underground passageway. Driven by her palpitating heart, despite her scattered thoughts, she pressed forward. When the fighting had progressed, already, a tiny seed of fear and unease had sprouted deep within the recesses of her heart. As the danger reached a crescendo, it was only natural that that seed would grow and fester until her mind practically collapsed. What¡¯s more, with Kido as her only mental support missing throughout all of this, how exactly was she suppose to stand in front of death and risk her life? But as she ran, it was quickly made clear that her attempts were futile. Her waist was immediately seized, before the tentacle unceremoniously lifted her up into the air. Amidst her frantic, and desperate screams, the tentacle abruptly applied pressure as it began to squeeze. Crack! A series of popping and cracking sounds resonated, as Saya¡¯s once ear piercing screech ultimately died down, replaced by a pathetic set of barely audible whimpering. In that instant, her HP rapidly plummeted, and when she was finally carelessly dropped onto the floor like a sack of bricks, she hovered over the edge of death. Her HP was less than 5%, and numerous detrimental status effects like [Cripple], [Bleeding], and [Bruised] all affected her. The light of life was slowly fading before her eyes, and she was powerless to stop it. Saya tried to look at Cielle, wanting to plead for the remaining strands of hope she fostered, but even this simple action was impossible for her. Her body did not move, she could not crane her neck to stare at the people she had turned her back on. She did not even possess the capability of begging for her life. ¡°Uuuu¡­.¡± A bitter sobbing could be heard in the almost silent space. It was a helpless, bitter, and utterly despondent noise that almost wrenched at someone¡¯s heart, but to the tentacles, this crying had no effect. After all, they could not hear, and even if they could, why would they sympathize with an enemy? As the situation progressively spiraled downward, suddenly, from amidst the whirling fog of steam that blotted out the upper floors, a singular silhouette jumped downward. Despite the height, he landed onto the floor with almost practiced ease. Without pause, the silhouette immediately rushed forward. The silhouette blurred, as he rapidly approached the sole tentacle that kept Hide restrained. His speed was incredible, only second to Hide¡¯s own. In no time at all, the silhouette immediately arrived at the base of the tentacle. Through a film of haze and nausea, realization dawned on Hide as he stared at the approaching man with narrowed eyes. Hide subconsciously opened his mouth, but before he could say anything, a primal yell burst forth from that person''s throat before an explosion erupted. BOOM! A flash of light momentarily filled the room, as a deafening sound shook the very foundations of the refuge. The blast had been completely directed at the base of the tentacle, and almost instantly a giant hole was dug out from the ground. In less than an instant, the base of the tentacle as well as the protected portion of its eye that once lay rested underground, had been utterly destroyed. Hide, who had been dangling helplessly in mid air was thrown backwards by the supplementary force of the blast. In comparison, the Person¡¯s figure was also pushed aside by the sheer force of the explosion. His body continually tumbled backwards before he crashed into a wall. As the dust settled, it revealed a pale complexion, one streaked with sweat, blood, and dirt. The man¡¯s breathing was ragged, while a thin flow of blood dripped down from his nose and mouth. His current countenance completely reflected the man¡¯s current physical state, but that did not stop his lips from curving into a feral smile. Hide tumbled helplessly across the ground. Through the corner of his eye, he could see that a tentacle was rapidly approaching him, intent on delivering the final blow to Hide¡¯s currently weakened state. An unnatural glimmer shined within Hide¡¯s eyes. Steam had completely blotted out the ceiling, and subsequently created a domineering shade that fell over the whole battle field. With this as his backdrop, Hide immediately used [Shadow Sprint]. Hide¡¯s body instantly vanished just as the tentacle swiped past empty air. Hide reappeared instantly besides Cielle and Hina. His body shook for a second, before he fell face first onto the ground. His chest breathed up and down, greedily sucking in as much heated air as possible. The helplessness from before had vanished from his mind, instead replaced by caution. Even as Hide¡¯s body was completely enveloped by Cielle¡¯s [Blue Gemini], his eyes stayed fixed on the person who had saved him. But while his full attention was focused on that man, suddenly, an abrupt thud reached his ears. Turning around, he found somebody sprawled along the floor. With one glance, Hide¡¯s complexion instantly changed as a look of worry filled his face. ¡°Cielle¡­ you¡­¡± He quietly muttered, as he stared at the heavily panting, and extremely pale visage of the girl before him. Hide knew immediately that just now, that last heal had used up all of Cielle¡¯s remaining mana. Right now, her body had lost all its strength. She did not even have the energy to talk, only capable of staring directly into Hide¡¯s eyes. As his own face reflected within Cielle¡¯s iris, he could see unwavering fighting spirit swirling deep within them. He knew the threat of death was quickly approaching them, so he had to get up, but even then, he could not help but let out a wry smile. Cielle¡¯s last heal could not even heal half of Hide¡¯s HP, but he did not worry about this. He knew that she had done her best. Cielle supported everyone up to this point, but finally, her seemingly inexhaustible mana reached his limit. Glancing up at Hina¡¯s furrowed expression, he knew that she was also close to reaching her limit. It was just that, Cielle had simply beat her to it. In the face of this situation, Hide completely resigned himself. ¡°After seeing everyone else try this hard to the point of exhaustion, there¡¯s nothing else I can do but grit through everything and attack with even more efficiency!¡± **** As Hide stood back up, His gaze scanned over the current battle field. The remaining three tentacles were spaced out along the room. The closest one was 30 meters away from him, but that distance was rapidly decreasing as it unceasingly approached. Seeing all this, Hide could not help but let out a tired sigh, before his expression turned resolute. With little hesitation, he downed the remaining stamina potions he had saved, as his gaze turned towards the person who had saved him earlier. That silhouette was now steadily rising back to his feet, and upon seeing this, Hide could not help but frown at the familiar face. Without a doubt, that man was Kido. It was the same Kido who had disappeared at the start of the battle field, but even after Kido had saved him, Hide still could not dismiss the doubt and unease he felt. This was especially true after Kido¡¯s recent display. That skill he used¡­ such a familiar, yet powerful skill¡­ Almost instantly, Hide¡¯s frown morphed into that of grim bitterness as realization flashed in front of his eyes. ¡°Kido¡­ He...¡± Hide quietly muttered, just as he saw Kido look up and scan the battlefield in front of him. After some quiet deliberation, Hide saw Kido¡¯s body move forward. With speed easily surpassing Kido¡¯s earlier limits, he weaved and avoided the incoming attacks. Kido did not even pause for a second, s he beelined towards his fallen comrade. A look of near reverence floated on the surface of Kido¡¯s childhood friend¡¯s face. Up until now, she had harbored an impending sense of doom, but with his singular display of strength, that stiffening feeling had completely disappeared. From besides her, seeing this incomprehensible display, Hide once again frowned. Kido¡¯s speed was definitely something that the Kido from yesterday could not achieve. As Hide momentarily pondered, he abruptly recalled his conversation from yesterday. Hide came to an immediate realization, as his face darkened. In his mind, the change in Kido¡¯s speed, and probably his other stats all led to only one conclusion. Without a doubt, within Hide¡¯s mind this possibility had firmly cemented itself as ¡°fact¡±. Kido had escaped back to the East Building, and killed the survivors there. This was all in order to reap the benefits from the Dungeon specific trait that explicitly granted a person a temporary boost in stats for killing a fellow human being. What¡¯s more, upon seeing the explosion skill in Kido¡¯s own hands, Hide came to the same conclusion that he had also killed off Miki. Why else would he have dropped down from the upper floors instead of from the underground passageway? As Hide was confirming these thoughts, Kido finally arrived at the crippled transfer student. Saya could not move her body, but through the corner of her eye, he could see Kido¡¯s looming figure. While her face stayed paralyzed, she felt a surge of joy well up from inside her heart. To her, Kido¡¯s expressionless face that looked down upon her was like a prince on a white horse. Her lips struggled to move, as she uttered out a barely audible, ¡°Kido...¡± In the face of all this, Kido¡¯s eyes remained eerily cold. Those eyes which looked down from above, were almost lifeless, while his face remained indifferent, even at the sight of Saya¡¯s broken body. While the joy in her heart still existed and continued to blossom, upon seeing that cold and indifferent expression, a tiny speck of unease tainted her mind. She wanted to say something, she wanted Kido to say something. His silence was domineering, and sent an uncontrollable shiver down her broken spine. Just as she began harboring these thoughts and worries, from above her, Kido suddenly began speaking. But each word he spoke was distant, and cold, almost as if he were simply talking to himself and not at Saya. ¡°Ah¡­ how horrible¡­ If only I had arrived sooner, you wouldn¡¯t be in such a state.¡± His words, his tone, his voice, they all sounded like pretense, not an ounce of actual emotion within them. ¡°Looking at your current injuries, I don¡¯t think even Miss Cielle¡¯s amazing healing skill can save you¡­ Instead¡­ Instead of letting you suffer miserably like this¡­ it would be best to end your pain right here, right now.¡± Hearing these frigid words escape from the mouth of the person Saya had considered her savior, she struggled to move. As her pale lips slightly parted, before she could utter out a single sound, a cold slab of metal stabbed through her back and pierced her heart. Kido was expressionless as he turned towards the others. After slight pause, he glanced back at the corpse beneath his feet, before he began walking forward. As he left, he whispered quietly, seemingly to himself, but at the same time, directed at the body whom he had left behind. ¡°Your sacrifice¡­ I won¡¯t let it go to waste.¡± **** (Perspective Change) As Kido approached, from around me, I could see the cold shock and surprise written on the girls¡¯ faces. This was especially true for Kido¡¯s childhood friend, who had a look of apparent denial plastered onto her face. When Kido finally approached, before he could even say anything, the Childhood friend immediately mumbled. Her words were incoherent and jumbled together, like a congealed mass of dirt. ¡°Kido¡­ you, what did, Sa-Saya¡­ she¡­ you¡­.¡± Her expression remained pale white while her eyes were as wide as saucers. As she struggled to form her words, Kido abruptly turned to look at her. For a split second, he wore a cold and indifferent expression before it immediately changed into his usual placating smile. Making a face that was very Kido-like, his tone lowered, as he explained, ¡°Saya, she¡­ she was on the verge of death. She told me she did not have much time left to live, so¡­ she asked me to¡­¡± His words died off, but the implications behind them remained. The childhood friend in response, laughed awkwardly, as she brokenly spoke, ¡°A-ah¡­ yeah, t-that makes sense¡­. Y-you possibly couldn¡¯t¡­. P-p-poor Saya¡­¡± Her voice was trembling, and sounded as if she were trying to convince herself of something she firmly believed did not happen. In the face of her stammering, Kido continued to stare at his dazed Childhood friend. He was silent for a moment, before he abruptly grabbed her shoulders. The slight yelp that escaped from his childhood friend¡¯s lips was ultimately ignored as Kido stared down into her swirling eyes. ¡°Mindy¡­ Saya didn¡¯t want to die, tortured by those tentacles. Back then, I could not help it, but now that I¡¯m here, I¡¯ll protect you.¡± ¡°Ah-¡± Before she could say anything, I could not contain it any longer, as my own cold voice interjected their conversation. ¡°... What happened to Wizard hat? That skill you just used looked an awful lot like hers.¡± In the face of my provocation, Kido turned towards me as his face morphed into his usual placating smile. He sighed exaggeratedly, while he said, ¡°It was the same thing with Saya. Miki¡­ she¡­ I could not save her¡­ When I was making my way back here, she was already dead. Half eaten by monsters. The only thing I could salvage was her skill book¡­¡± Each word he spoke sounded like absolute farce in my ears. I knew he was lying, after all, I personally hide that girl away from the monsters. It was such an inconspicuous location that even with the Dungeon Boss¡¯s abilities, it was next to impossible to accurately pin down her location. What¡¯s more, the current horde was immobile, stuck in that trance like situation as they congregated near the edge of the 1st and 2nd floor holes. Those things that were more HP potion than monster couldn¡¯t have possibly killed her. I did not voice any of this out. Instead, I turned towards the battlefield in front of me. The three tentacles were slowly making their way closer. Their roiling mass of flesh were compressed together, ready to pounce at any second. Kido, who saw my abject stare, lightly smiled. ¡°I don¡¯t know how many tentacles there were before I arrived, but right now, the current situation is pretty favorable. We¡¯ve managed to reduce it down to three.¡± I did not respond. ¡°...¡± ¡°If we keep this pace up for just a while longer, then after we finish, we can go help out Cher and the President.¡± Again, I did not respond. ¡°...¡± ¡°With you and me working together, something like this can be-¡± ¡°How many people have you killed today Kido?¡± In the midst of his speech, I unabashedly asked. ¡°...¡± Kido faintly smiled, but did not answer. After a moment¡¯s pause, Kido once again took up his sword, before he leaned forward and rushed towards the three remaining tentacles. As he ran, I could saw him remove a faint blue vial from his back pocket. The vial gave off the illusion of luminescence before he immediately uncorked the cap with his teeth and drank the vial dry. Seeing this, I could not help but narrow my eyes. From the looks of things, it seemed like Kido somehow managed to hide a few mana potions without me noticing, and now, he was using it like toilet water. All of this, from his disappearance early in the battle field, to his use of Wizard Hat¡¯s skill, to his sudden possession of mana potions, I could not help but feel uneasy in front of everything. Without a doubt, Kido¡¯s existence was something that brought me worry, but at the same time, it became increasingly clear that Kido¡¯s strength was now needed. Especially now that he possessed that destructive skill, it was imperative that I worked together with him. As I harbored these thoughts, I let out a tired sigh before I immediately made my way into the battlefield. I could hear a fierce roar from further ahead of me. Kido made a beeline for one of the three tentacles. ¡°Why is it¡­.¡± While Kido¡¯s attack might have been normal, what I found odd was that, despite being within range for attack, none of the tentacles assaulted him. Rather, the moment I drew near, all three simultaneously surged forward and attacked me. I bore the brunt of their force, while Kido passed through without so much as a single scratch. BOOM! The moment he reached the base of the tentacle, Kido once again used his explosion skill. In one blast the trunk of the tentacle was completely ripped through shreds. The muscular stalk fell to the floor, while it withered in mid air. Because of his overexertion, Kido doubled over. His chest rose and fell at a rapid, irregular pace as he tried to catch his breath. With shaking hands, he reached over into his pocket and pulled out another blue vial. Like a drug addict in need of his fix, he carefully uncorked the vial as he raised it towards his pale lips¡­ Meanwhile, making use of the commotio Kido¡¯s explosion caused, I immediately turned towards one of the remaining tentacles and locked it on as my next target. I kicked off the ground before activating [Shadow Sprint]. As I appeared directly in front of the base of the tentacle, with well practiced motion, I once again slashed out at the stalk. In one clean slice, I dissected the 2nd tentacle, leaving nothing but a withering stump in my wake. With this, only one tentacle remained. After getting rid of it, Reeflech should completely lose his ability to regenerate. Taking a moment to collect myself, I breathed out a composed sigh, while I turned towards the remaining tentacle. The tentacle was wriggling madly, its smooth, dirt stained flesh pulsating like a rupturing vein. The tentacle itself was considerably close to Kido¡¯s current position. In fact, Kido was well within its range, but considering what happened last time¡­ BAM! As resigned thoughts entered my mind, suddenly and without warning, the remaining tentacle lashed out towards Kido¡¯s bent over position. Its trunk hit Kido square in the back, forcibly slamming him down onto the ground with a resounding thud. As if waking up from a stupor, its once lenient and complacent attitude regarding Kido had completely disappeared. It repeatedly attack, slamming and beating Kido like a worn out ragdoll. As the latter was sent flying, he spat out copious amounts of blood while a look of shock and confusion filled his face. The tentacle kept its ruthless attacks going without giving Kido a single chance to rest or recover. In fact, its intensity was significantly greater than when it had attacked the others before, almost as if the tentacle produced a sort of malicious enmity towards Kido¡¯s very existence. ¡°...¡± In the midst of the constant sounds of flesh pounding, and body smashing, I could not help but stare in quiet awe for a moment. Even when I approached the tentacle, it ignored me. When I got into its range, it did not even react. When I was at its base, its merciless attitude towards Kido had not lightened for even a second. The tentacle was solely focused on beating Kido down, as if it were venting out all of its nonexistent anger. In the face of this one sided terror, my existence did not even register. ¡°....¡± Slice! With little resistance, I successfully severed the tentacle while Kido distracted it. The last tentacle helplessly fell to the floor, and withered like a dying flower. I turned to stare towards Kido¡¯s currently battered condition. For a second, nothing moved. The collection of upturned dust and freshly smashed concrete remained undisturbed for a quiet second. Of course, that second only lasted for a single second, as not a moment sooner, from underneath the concrete and rubble, Kido shakily stood back up. His body was bruised and his armor was severely cracked. With his disheveled hair and pale complexion, his current appearance was one of tired exhaustion. On his face, his expression was morphed into relentless determination, mixed with a slight tinge of confusion. Kido spat out one mouthful of fresh blood before he steadily walked forward, towards the final Boss of this dungeon. **** I gulped down an HP potion, before I followed Kido and ran towards the others. As I neared, CHer and the President quickly came to view. With a sweeping gaze imbued with [Identify], I discovered that both of them were teetering dangerously close to death. Without out even taking into consideration their current appearance, their HP were both heart wrenchingly low. This especially held true for the President, whose health hovered somewhere around 15%. What was surprising was that beneath his feet were several empty vials of HP potion. Even after using so many resources, he still wound up in such a state, showcasing just how brutal his fight had been. If there was a status effect similar to [Mental Strain] but for HP, then surely the President was its first victim. While Cher was in a fairly similar situation to the President, comparatively speaking she was doing far better than him. This was mainly because of her shield, which she used to tank most of the attacks coming from the Boss. So despite the dangerous situation, her health hovered safely over the 50% line. If there was one thing of concern though, it would be the hazy fog within Cher¡¯s eyes. This sort of thing was a clear indicator of low mana count. Indirectly, the dim light in her eyes was evidence that Cher had managed to successfully apply the third stack of [Fever Burst]. While this meant that the boss was now about 27% weaker, it also meant that under the effects of [Mana Exhaustion], Cher¡¯s perceptivity and reflexes would momentarily lower. Normally such a condition would be exceedingly dangerous, but taking into account the current circumstances, it was a necessary sacrifice, one I did not intend to waste. Without stopping, I immediately ran past the two of them, and leaped towards the Boss. Its raging eye widened as it saw me approach, but even as it moved to react, under the current effects of [Fever Burst], it was far too slow to make it in time. [Efhermet Dagger] gleamed with cold radiance as I thrusted it forward. The blade pierced directly into the Boss¡¯s shoulder blade, and almost instantly, one of the numerous effects of [Dissect] activated. The skin around the newly opened wound opened up, as several newer cuts suddenly appeared. [Laceration] was working in full effect, and the pain it left behind brought forth an earth shaking howl. But even as the Boss madly flailed around in a fit of anger, my attack did not stop there. I continued to stick to the creature¡¯s body, ignoring the scalding heat its skin gave off, as I quickly yanked out my dagger. I grabbed onto its shoulder with my spare hand, and fought through the burning sensation, while I jerked my shoulder forward and once again, thrusted forward with my dagger. The blade re-entered the previous wound, and this time, [Dissect]¡¯s [Perforate] effect activated. [Perforate] was a skill that worsened the effects placed by [Laceration]. It increased the surface area of the wound, while at the same time, worsening the bleeding loss effect. After I used the skill, I was finally forced to concede, as I jumped off the Boss¡¯s body. I breathed out a relieved sigh as I inspected my current condition. Glancing up at my HP, I could not help but form a grimace. Any form of direct contact with Reeflech was enough to shave off a significant chunk of my hp. This was due to the intense heat it continually gave off. It was heat strong enough to burn, and the fact that it only got hotter and hotter the more HP it lost, did not help the current situation. As blood dripped down from its open wounds, the others rushed in to attack. Cher moved towards its right, while the President moved to its left. From the corner of my eye, I could see Kido sneaking his way behind it. Not one to mess up such a perfect formation, I immediately closed my window panel, and joined in on the attack. I directly faced the boss from the front, a dagger in one hand, and a wooden club in the other. As we rained more and more blows towards the surrounded monster, its HP steadily depleted. After 30 seconds, its health had dropped to 20%. A significant amount of this was due to the bleeding effect my [Perforate] inflicted. While the situation shifted to our favor, it became clear that like a cornered animal, the more the Boss¡¯s situation worsened, the stronger and more desperate he became. It howled intensely, a mix of anger and distress deeply embedded within its voice. A wave of steam suddenly erupted forth from its body. This outburst was several times stronger than usual, and Hina¡¯s rapidly dwindling control could not hold up. Almost instantly, the space around the Boss quickly grew white, and in response, everyone hastily retreated. I jumped back, and a moment later, two more figures emerged out from the fog. The President¡¯s sweat stained pallor came into full view, while a little ways back, I could see Kido steadily back peddling away from the fog. But while three of us successfully escaped, Cher wasn¡¯t so lucky. THUD! An earth shattering sound resonated from the depths of the mist, just as a blurry silhouette whizzed past the heated air. The figure flew halfway across the room befor, like a broken ragdoll, she hit the wall with a resounding thud. Cher¡¯s body crumpled to the floor, while the shield in her arm fell like a sack of bricks. She laid unmoving, and just as wave of unease shook me to the very core, from amidst the fog, the Boss suddenly erupted forward. Its arms were pumping fiercely, and gave off an intense heat hot enough to evaporate the very sweat on my face. Seeing the raging monster rapidly closing in on me, I bitterly swallowed my worry for Cher, before I turned and directed all my focus on the Boss. It¡¯s HP that once hovered over 20%, now significantly dropped to below 10%. But as if to compensate for that, the domineering aura it gave off increased in magnitude, while the heat it emitted was as hot as an open flame. Its body had stopped emitting steam. The once night shade tone of black that covered its whole body had been replaced by a vibrant red. A red that pulsated like a heartbeat and glowed like a neon sign. In contrast, its once red, beady eyes, were now colored a dark, and ominous black. With one sweep of my [Identify] skill, I could tell that the Boss had used a skill called [Rage Override]. Just going off the current changes I could see, the skill¡¯s effects were easy enough to guess. Other than the [Rage Override] skill, something else that peaked my interest was that the [Cursed] title that hovered over the monster¡¯s name, was now fluctuating. Like the fuzziness from a tv channel with poor connection, the [Cursed] title¡¯s irregularity, brought some concern and confusion, but I had no time to think about that as the Boss¡¯s heated fist came down at me with shocking speed. Swish! I managed to dodged the incoming blow by a hair¡¯s breadth, but that had left me wide open for its follow up attack. Like a giant hammer, its other fist came crashing down from the sky. It hit me square on my back, slamming me to the ground in one quick motion. I coughed up blood, while an involuntary groan escaped from my throat. I could feel that the plate metal behind me had deformed and cracked. From the corner of my eye, I could see the raging monster looming over me. It turned on its heels, as it immediately threw itself onto Kido. Kido¡¯s expression widened, and for a moment, his breathing grew ragged. He frantically jumped back, but it was not enough. The Boss¡¯s imposing figure was rapidly drawing closer and closer. I could see Kido grit his teeth to the point of drawing blood, before he immediately swung his sword down onto the ground. As he did so, his blade glowed with faint vibrance, before an earth shaking explosion erupted forth from the ground up. The blast added force to Kido¡¯s retreat, but just as a relieved sigh built up within his throat, from the depths of the blast, a red fist cut through the light, and slammed directly into Kido¡¯s exposed body. His eyes bulged, as blood sprayed forth from his agape jaw. He was ruthlessly sent flying back, before his body came to a sudden stop as he hit the wall. In contrast, as Kido hit the wall, the Boss emerged out from the explosion. The blast had depleted its HP down to 4%, while the fist he had used to strike Kido down was mangled and extremely damaged. As its eyes swiveled around its surroundings, a mad glint was present. It eyes continued to scan the room, before, with furious prejudice, it locked its gaze towards Kido. Its hulking body paused for a moment, before it stalked over. Surprisingly, Kido had not lost consciousness. As he fell to the ground, he immediately recovered. He shakingly rose back on his feet, using his sword as a support, before he returned the Boss¡¯s glare with his own. Kido¡¯s breaths were raspy, and shallow. It was clear from the dent in his armor that his rib cage had been damaged. In fact, he looked so mangled, that it wouldn¡¯t be all that surprising if a few of his internal organs had taken severe damage. His usual facade was gone, as Kido¡¯s face lit up in a malicious grimace. His eyes momentarily darted towards me before they continued to glare at the approaching menace. With bitterness clearly present within his voice, he darkly spoke, ¡°That explosion was my last move. I have no more mana, I have no more potions. I¡­ I can¡¯t move anymore.¡± Hearing this, and taking into account the damage he had sustained, it was apparent that Kido was unable to fight any longer. I picked my battered body up, before I began a limping jog towards the Boss. I downed a few potions, bringing my HP back up to 60%. From the besides me, I could see the President. He was heaving in heavy amounts of air, while he ran to catch up to me. As I tossed the last few HP potions I had left, I quickly stated, ¡°You keep the Boss occupied for a few seconds. Since I have the highest damage output, I¡¯ll attack.¡± He solemnly nodded as he drank three potions with rushed fervor. Without pause, the President immediately broke out into a sprint. His sword was raised aloft, as he struck down onto the Boss. In response, the Boss shot him a quick glare, before it raised a mangled fist to block. As the President quickly exchanged a series of blows, it grew increasingly apparent that the current Reeflech, charged with [Rage Override] was far too strong for him to handle alone. Even though the President dodged every incoming hit, the resulting heat that lashed out from the Boss¡¯s ver body possessed enough power and intensity to continually shave off the President¡¯s HP. In mere seconds, the President¡¯s health nw hovered below 20%. In the face of such a situation, I rushed to attack. I held my dagger in one hand, while on the other, I tightly wielded a sword. I ran behind him, and without hesitation, I immediately stabbed the Boss¡¯s back with my sword. Through my blade I could feel the Boss¡¯s body jerk as it reacted to [Lacerate], but that wasn¡¯t enough. With a silent breath, I continued my assault, bringing my dagger up before I stabbed down onto the same spot the newly opened sword wound was. This time, this strike was imbued with [Proliferate], and a massive bleeding effect activated as a result. Both critical hits quickly depleted the Boss¡¯s Hp down to 3%, while the bleeding effect guaranteed gradual HP loss. But I was not satisfied. It was not fast enough. Even if it did die, given the time remaining, everyone else would meet their end before then. The heat the Boss emitted caused me to sweat profusely, while my HP gradually depleted from near contact. I drew out my dagger, before I jumped into the air. Using the still embedded sword as a springboard, I leaped forward, propelling my body towards the Boss¡¯s upper back. The Boss, who could feel me crawling onto his back like a pesky cockroach, immediately raised a fist in retaliation. I narrowly avoided by twisting my upper body to the side. The fist helplessly swung down on empty air, but the heat that emanated from near contact was enough to shave off even more of my HP. With little hesitation, I gritted through the several 1st degree and 2nd degree burns that now covered my body before I stabbed down onto the Boss¡¯s shoulder. I used the dagger as a hand hold as I repositioned myself onto its back. Just sitting on its shoulders was enough to drain my HP, and in a few seconds, my health was immediately brought down to less than 35%. If I did not act fast, my health would empty before the Boss¡¯s. I immediately pulled out dagger after dagger from my makeshift utility belt, before I unceasingly stabbed them all down onto the back of the Boss¡¯s neck. Knife after knife, some imbued with [Dissect], some not. A few of them were critical hits, while others could not even penetrate the skin. With desperate fury, I unceasingly stabbed down onto its neck. I rapidly attacked, and in the span of 10 seconds, I used up my full collection of daggers. By this point, the Bss¡¯s HP had dropped down to less than 1%, while in contrast, my own was now down to 25%. Reeflech¡¯s body quaked, as he roared in pain. Two massive arms immediately rose above his head, before they came toppling down towards me, intent on bringing an end to my resistance. In response, I immediately unsheathed [Efhermet¡¯s Dagger] from the Boss¡¯s bloodied neck, before I jumped backwards, narrowly avoiding those trunk like arms of his. While still in mid air, under the cover of the overhanging shadows casted by the blanket of steam above my head, I immediately used [Shadow Sprint]. In an instant, my vision rapidly changed, before I found myself in a world of white. All around me was a dense fog of swirling steam. Even though such an ephemeral scene brought a slight bit of confusion, I immediately collected myself. Because this was what I wanted, because this was where I had intended to go, I knew full well that I was currently above the Refuge. Past the two gaping holes on the 1st and 2nd floors, I was currently in mid air, within the air space of the 3rd floor. As my widened eyes gazed past the seemingly endless fog around me, I immediately felt the effect of gravity bearing down on my body. Not even a second had passed, and I was already falling back down towards the ground. Without hesitation, I reoriented myself in mid air. I positioned myself so that my face was facing the ground, while I freefell headfirst. In my hand, I was tightly gripping onto the dagger like my very life depended on it, which it probably did. I felt the wind whip behind me, as I fell past countless curtains of white steam. I narrowed my eyes, staring past nothing but white, while the anticipated scene repeatedly played in the back of my mind. With one dagger poised and ready, I came barrelling down like a comet. This seemingly ephemeral scene lasted for what seemed like an eternity, but when in actuality, only mere seconds passed. In no time at all, my body broke through the layer of white and my rapidly accelerating body streaked towards the ground. Directly below me, I could see the Dungeon Boss, its eyes were staring straight up, a clear hateful glint hidden deep within its beady pupils. Without hesitation, it brought its fist up to attack, but in the end, my falling speed was simply too fast. Before the Boss could do anything, my tightly gripped dagger thrust outwards, while at the same time, I activated one of [Dissect]¡¯s effects, [Mutilate], all in order to boost my final attack. The night clad dagger, fueled by my own thrust, as well as assisted by gravity accurately pierced into the Boss¡¯s remaining eye socket. A gush of blood erupted forth as my blade sunk in with no resistance. In that moment,a familiar sensation washed over me. It was a sensation I¡¯ve grown accustomed to throughout my time within this dungeon. A sensation that I¡¯ve experienced numerous times. A sensation that I¡¯ll probably never forget for the rest of my life. The sensation of taking a life. Due to my velocity, the moment my dagger met even the slightest bit of resistance, my wrist bent, and a clear snapping sound resonated throughout the room. In an instant, 10% was shaved off of my HP, but that was a cheap price to pay for the killing the Dungeon Boss. As the once domineering corpse began teetering backwards, I gritted through the pain, as I pushed off of the body with my broken wrist, cancelling out some of my forward momentum. I tumbled to the floor, landing helplessly near the fresh corpse in front of me. ¡°....¡± I blinked twice, and after seeing the lifeless body in front of me, I could not help but breath out a sigh of relief. Ding! Almost at the same time I fell to the floor, a familiar ding reverberated in my skull.
Achievement: You have slain a Boss ranked monster. The Boss ranked monster: Reeflech the [Cursed] has been slain, and the [Curse] has been passed on. Reward(s): +200,000 exp 75 unallocated points Stat Change: Vitality stat has been converted to Greater Vitality
The window panel that greeted my tired eyes brought a small smile to my face. Because I could not train my stats through ordinary effort, the 75 unallocated points was a well received reward. The experience boost was also helpful, as it raised me directly to level 45. But while the exp and unallocated points were good, the best reward was probably the stat change. It was the first time I¡¯ve ever seen such information pop up on one of these panels, but almost instantly, I could tell that it was a great benefit that trumped the other two by a wide margin. Feeling the sense of accomplishment wash over me, I leisurely read the information panel once more. It was one the second read that an uneasy feeling took hold. ¡°Reeflech the cursed has been slain...and the curse has been passed on¡­¡± As I repeated these ominous words to myself, it was for the first time that I noticed that no other notifications had popped up. The room had entered into a dreary silence. Only the sound of raspy breathing coming from the survivors could be heard. Even the monsters hidden within the fog of steam above did not make a single noise. Their previous whimpering had died down with the death of the Dungeon Boss. This silence persisted for a few seconds, before, as if the chains binding them down had been unlocked, the sound of hastily retreating footsteps resonated from above. ¡°....¡± The horde had retreated, almost as if fear had struck their very souls, spurring them on to flee with all their might. The silence from before had returned, and now more prominent than ever. During this quiet, unsettling time, my heavy eyes scanned through the room. Off in the distance, I could see Cielle and Hina. Cielle was still slumped down, but her neck was craned forward, while her eyes had an discerning sharpness to them. Besides her was her sister, who had also fallen flat on the floor. I don¡¯t know since when, but it looks like Hina had run out of mana during the last few moments of the battle. Above them was Kido¡¯s childhood friend. My eyes continued to wander, before they landed on Cher¡¯s slumped figure. Her eyes were tightly shut, and a pool of blood was slowly expanding with her at its epicenter. While the shield that rested right next to her looked practically perfect, aside from a few scratch marks and dirt stains, Cher¡¯s armor was completely tattered. It was deformed on several places, while the chest and abdominal sections showed signs of melting. Seeing her in such a state, I could not help but feel fearful and uneasy. It was only after I saw her chest slowly rise and fall, did I finally calm down. The remaining survivors were of course, the President and Kido. The President, whose eyes met my own, nodded solemnly. He did not say anything, but as his brows scrunched up, and as his grip on his sword tightened, he too realized the oddity of our current situation. He opened his mouth, but hesitated. After a few seconds of quiet pondering, he finally managed to ask, ¡°Did¡­ Did we complete the dungeon?¡± I shook my head in response. As I shakingly rose to my feet, I thought about the events that transpired and about the message the window panel had shown me. ¡°The curse has been passed on¡­¡± Recalling back, I remembered that close towards the end of the battle, Reeflech¡¯s [Cursed] title had fluctuated. While that occurrence confused me before, it now somewhat made sense, especially taking into account that ominous message. Just as I continued thought about this, from the corner of my eye, I could see Kido get up from the floor. His whole body was drenched in an uneven mixture of sweat and blood. His face was pale, scrunched up into a grimace. It was an out of place expression, especially considering the fact that we just killed the Dungeon Boss. As I focused my gaze on his mangled body, a brief flash of insight suddenly took hold, inadvertently causing my eyes to widen. ¡°It makes sense¡­ considering how¡­ but what if¡­¡± I hesitated, unsure whether my current train of thought had hit the mark or not, but after some brief deliberation, I steeled myself and decided to confirm my suspicions. Just as I was about to use [Identify] on Kido, something suddenly occurred that cemented my postulations as truth. Without the need for my skill, a brightly glowing window panel suddenly blinked into life over Kido¡¯s head.
Nakamura Kido [Cursed]
Like a flashy glowing Neon sign, the window panel above his head shined brightly. Its appearance was almost identical to the window panel that usually hovered over monsters. But even ignoring their similarities, the most important aspect was the [Cursed] title that suddenly floated above his head. The President also noticed the sudden appearance of Kido¡¯s window panel, and almost immediately, a cold glint shined beneath his eyes. The President¡¯s grip on his long sword tightened, as he took a few pained steps backwards. Through dark eyes, Kido saw the President¡¯s sudden change in attitude and let out a bitter laugh. It was a laugh that gave off the impression as if he had long since expected this sort of outcome. Yet, at the same time, it was a lonely, hollow laugh that could not hide the tearing sadness within his actions. ¡°So, it''s come to this¡­¡± He dejectedly sighed. His shaking hands, fumbled to his pocket, only to pull out a red vial. Unexpectedly, he still had an HP potion left over. Seeing him agonizingly try to uncork the lid with constantly trembling hands, I could not help but speak. ¡°Even if you drink that, I don¡¯t think it will help.¡± My voice was cold, almost indifferent. ¡°That explosion skill consumed both mana and stamina¡­ and I don¡¯t think you have any spare stamina potions left.¡± Upon hearing this, Kido¡¯s trembling hands abruptly paused. He hesitated for a moment, before letting out a bitter laugh. Without reservation, he threw the vial to the floor, shattering the glass and spilling the red liquid within¡­ ¡°What happens now¡­¡± He asked, his voice low and quiet. ¡°... I want¡­ I want to get out of this dungeon.¡± I answered with the only thing that came to my mind. Without even thinking about it, my legs began to move forward, towards Kido¡¯s stock still silhouette. ¡°How will you leave this dungeon?¡± He asked. ¡°Through the only method I can come up with¡­¡± I unhesitatingly pulled out a dagger from the back of the Dungeon Boss¡¯s corpse. It¡¯s blade was red, and jagged, chipped at the front. It was obviously a broken down weapon, but that did not matter. Kido, who saw me approaching, let out a bitter laugh. He started moving backwards, his every step slow and agonizing. With a limp in his stride, he could not go far. The blade in his hand was shaking, raised high in front of him with obvious intention. As he moved, he started to speak. ¡°Back then, on the first day I acquired this title.¡± His tone was low, and neutral, almost emotionless. ¡°Of course, I was concerned when I saw it¡­ after all, [Cursed] doesn¡¯t sound very positive¡­ but there was nothing I could do. Maybe, the only thing that went right during those past few months was the fact that the [Curse] was dormant. I did not know what it meant.¡± His tone suddenly intensified, and like a broken damn, the words and emotion continually flowed out. ¡°What had cursed me, why it had cursed me, I did not know a single thing but¡­ today-today I finally found out.¡± He let out a long winded sigh, as he stared directly into my passive eyes. ¡°I will not hide anything. Just looking at your face, I can tell that you¡¯ve probably figured it out but¡­ this [Curse] title made it so that, within the dungeon, the holder of the [Curse] experienced an unprecedented boost- be that in skill mastery, experience gain, stat training¡­ as long as they were within this dungeon, they were practically king¡­ The only drawback was¡­ as long someone with the [Curse] was alive, they could not escape the dungeon.¡± It was at this point that Kido abruptly paused. A self deprecating smile immediately surfaced on his pale face. ¡°In fact, as long as the [Curse] was alive, nobody can escape this dungeon¡­¡± Hearing his words immediately confirmed what I had already presumed. Without a doubt, in order to escape, there was one more person I needed to kill... ¡°Then¡­¡± Without saying anything else, my stride grew wider and wider. I raised my dagger up in front of me, its tip pointed directly towards Kido. Seeing all this, Kido¡¯s eyes narrowed. His hands quivered as he turned the tip towards my direction. His face was colored in an unhealthy light, clear that the Boss¡¯s attack from earlier had left Kido with severe after effects. With one glance, I could tell that his HP was hovering just a little above 10%. But that did not matter. Without any stamina remaining, it was impossible for him to put up a fight. I knew this, he knew this, but still, an extremely fierce, yet savage expression masked his face. ¡°I¡­ I want to live.¡± He solemnly spoke, gritting through his teeth. ¡°I know I¡¯ve been cursed, I know that nobody else can leave this place as long as I¡¯m alive but¡­ I¡­ I¡­ I just don¡¯t want to die.¡± As the distance between the both of us disappeared, Kido staggered forward, his foot leaving behind a heavy impression on the shattered floor beneath. His body was mangled, his feet were heavy, and as his blade swung down, I could feel that, despite the intensity and determination Kido put forth to his swing, it was slow. It was unbearably slow. I swayed to the right. Despite my own current condition, I still held the advantage. The blade fruitlessly sliced through heated air. Kido¡¯s sword embedded itself deep into the ground. He fruitlessly tried to pull it back out, but in his current strength, he simply did not possess the power or energy to do so. As he tightly held onto the handle of his sword, he stared up at me with tear streaked eyes, hidden beneath was a savage determination that threatened to break out of its cage. ¡°Hide, I..I don¡¯t want to die. Not yet, not now, not after I¡¯ve done so many thing to try to live¡­ I¡¯ve done far too many things to just die like this! Even if I have to kill you and everyone else here, I won¡¯t die. I can¡¯t die!¡± ¡°...¡± ¡°AAHHH!¡± With a primal cry, Kido¡¯s lunged forward. His hands were clenched into bare white fists, while his expression was one akin to a beast. Like a cornered animal, he bared his fangs and attacked. ¡°...¡± His approach was meaningless to me. Even with all his desperation and intensity, his body, his motions, his attack, they were all unbearably slow. I once again stepped to the side just as Kido¡¯s body rushed forward. With the flick of my wrist, my dagger glinted faintly with unearthly light before it completely bisected Kido¡¯s right arm. As I watched him scream out in pain and toppled to the floor, I stood there, motionless.There was nothing else I could do. In order to escape, in order to leave this place, in order to live, I needed to kill him. Kido was right. In this world, it was kill or be killed. It was survival. And in order to survive¡­ he had to die. Blood continually flowed out from his severed arm. His pale expression was frenzied, and feral. Saliva and spit drooled down from his face. His eyes swirled with madness. He had lost all sense of coherence, as he repeatedly muttered, ¡°I want to live, I want to live I want to live¡­.¡± As I stood over him, all I could see was a broken man. A man driven to a corner, pushed into insanity. A man whose desperation, madness, and will to live all came together hand in hand. Without speaking, I solemnly raised my dagger up in front of me, but before I could swing it down, I heard a shrill scream from behind me. ¡°Nooo!¡± Shooting a short glance backwards, I could see Kido¡¯s childhood friend, virtually untouched by today¡¯s battle. Her eyes shined with dread, as she immediately ran towards us. Unfortunately, before she could reach me, she was ruthlessly tackled to the ground by a head of red hair. Unexpectedly, she had woken sometime after the death of the Boss. Although her face was pale, and a trace of restlessness could be seen in her eyes, her arms desperately clung to the struggling girl, pinning her down and keeping her in place. Her expression was filled with pity and understanding, but nonetheless, she stayed resolute and unmoving. Kido¡¯s childhood friend continually writhed and struggled. Her desperate cry rang out through the room. She was constantly, uttering, ¡°No!, No, no- Kido! Stop! No!¡± She cried till she was hoarse and until her throat had started to ache, but, even after all that, she did not stop. I did not pay her any particular mind, as i redirected my focus back to Kido. Seeing his sudden change in expression, I could not help but raise my brow in astonishment. Unlike his previous display, Kido¡¯s expression was serene. His head turned to face his struggling childhood friend, but his were closed the whole time. It was as if he were afraid to see the current, tear streaked face his friend was currently making. ¡°I¡¯ve done a lot of things.¡± He quietly spoke. ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure that, at some point along the road, I lost sight of my true goal. I ended up killing people¡­ I killed alot of people, even those I wanted to protect¡­ in the end, to save myself, I killed them too... I went mad. I probably am mad, but...¡± He opened his mouth to speak, but in the end, he simply chuckled before he shook his head. His head turned back to face me, while his eyes opened wide. ¡°I¡¯m ready.¡± ¡°...¡± Prompted by his words, I bent down, and unhesitatingly sunk my dagger into his chest. Without exception, the blade entered his body, as blood began to flow from his mouth. I watched the light fade from his eyes. With Kido¡¯s death, a thin, paperback book materialized over his chest. The book unceremoniously plopped down on top of his body. I gave a book a single glance, but I did not say or do anything. The hoarse cries originating from Kido¡¯s childhood friend intensified with his death. At the same time, a familiar ding resonated through my skull, and a glowing window panel appeared before my eyes. Ding!
Congratulations! You have completed the [OakWood High School] Dungeon!
***** Author''s Note; We''ve reached the end of the first arc. The epilogue will come shortly in a few days. Since this is a special chapter, I will answer a few questions if people have any. I hope you liked it, and please rate and review! Chapter 89: Epilogue - Dawn of a Changed World Chapter 089 - Epilogue: Dawn of a Changed World
Congratulations! You have completed the [OakWood High School] Dungeon!
Ding!
For surviving a [System] classified Dungeon, you have gained the title, [Dungeon Crawler].
Ding!
New Title Earned! Dungeon Crawler Through your own merit and efforts, you have successfully survived through the end of a Dungeon. Effects: +100 Stamina +0.005 HP Regeneration *Doing subsequent actions that correlate with the given title will cause the title to undergo evolution.*
Ding!
For clearing a [System] classified Dungeon, the [Dungeon Crawler] title has evolved into [Dungeon Explorer].
Ding!
New Title Earned! Dungeon Explorer Through your own merit and efforts, you have successfully survived, and completed a Dungeon. Effects: +300 in Stamina +0.015 HP Regeneration *Doing subsequent actions that correlate with the given title will cause the title to undergo evolution.*
Ding!
Achievement: You are the 9th [Party] to clear a Dungeon. *Because your party only consists of 1 individual, the reward has been adjusted to match your feat. * Reward(s): Soul Bound Weapon - Fynch the Resplendent Sword of Possibility *Soulbound Weapons are exclusive to its owner and cannot be used by anybody else.*
As a series of blue panels overwhelmed my field of vision, I was momentarily lost in a daze before a soft golden light suddenly appeared in front of me. The light originated from my open palm, and pulsated like a human heart. Particles of golden dust spilled forth, and undulated vividly, filling the space around me with a vibrant luster and coloring everything within a 10 feet radius in a deep golden hue. After a few seconds, the intense light began to dim, and a grey sword slowly materialized in my hand. Unlike what its name implied, the sword''s appearance was rather dull. It was a thin, double edged object, with a 30 inch blade, and a 15 inch handle. Its blade was colored a somber, almost lifeless grey. Its edges were worn down, and blunt. The hilt was rather mundane as well, wrapped in simple black leather and tied together with a murky colored white string. Seeing the disparity between its name and the sword''s actual appearance, I could not help but frown. As I thought to complain, the constant flood of blue panels from before sputtered forth, delivering one last message. Ding!
For clearing the [OakWood High School] Dungeon, the restrictions placed upon this location has been lifted. Entrance and Exit of the Dungeon is now possible. Because the [Curse] of the Dungeon has been extinguished, the [OakWood High School] Dungeon has been terminated from the [System]''s [Active Dungeons Archive]. From now on the [OakWood High School] Dungeon does not exist.
As the final screen glowed with a soft blue hue in front of me, I simply stared with an absent minded expression. After everything that happened... after all the times I nearly died, all the deaths I''ve seen and caused... After two months of living hell, a simple blue screen was all it took to end it all and relieve the built up stress that had accumulated within me. It was honestly laughable. The blue panel that glowed faintly before my eyes... it was such an extremely inconspicuous, and transient box, yet its existence was already something that held immense weight and meaning within my heart. It gave me a sort of reassurance, laughable considering the hell that this planet had fallen to. It was truly a ridiculous notion, believing that something as flimsy as a floating box in the air had enough weight and power to toy with my life as it pleased. At the core of it all, it was as if all the death, chaos, and suffering I went through was nothing more than just a game. Like a simple video game that anyone could play in their spare time. People turned into experience points, and magic items dropped upon death, reality had turned into a giant RPG and despite this sudden realization, I could do nothing. In the end, even when reality tried its damndest to pretend to be a video game, in the end, people could not respawn. Death was death, and reality was reality. The world had become a giant, meaningless, broken video game, and at the very center of such a ridiculous existence were these floating blue panels. But despite my dissatisfaction, despite how ridiculous it all seemed, all the same, they were still a comforting existence to me. After all, within this new world, the only thing that stayed constant throughout everything were those blue panels. Through life or death, suffering or joy, these blue panels stayed with you, like a neverending nightmare. As I continued to stare, like a rapidly deflating balloon, the immense pain and fatigue that had accumulated came surging forward like an unstoppable tsunami. Instantly, all the sensations my pumping adrenaline had kept in check quickly surfaced. One by one I felt it all hit me like a sack of bricks. A burning feeling in the core of my chest, a throbbing ache on my throat, the pulsating pain in my ankle, the stinging agony on my wrist - all of this congealed and overloaded my nervous system, causing me to unconsciously take a step back, before I tumbled over into a heaping mess on the floor. I breathed out heavily, my chest rising and falling like a rupturing crescendo. "Hah..." I don''t know for how long, but I just laid down and breathed. My glazed eyes stared up at the giant hole on the ceiling, while my mind blanked out. The distant sobbing in the background, the stampeding steps in the distance, all of this faded into obscurity as each thought, and each coherent idea within my brain slowly drifted away. For a long time, I did nothing. For what felt like the first time, I did nothing. *** After what seemed like forever, I finally lifted myself up. The ache in my body had lessened, although because I was suffering from [Physical Strain] and probably a myriad of other different ailments, my body was far from perfect. Nonetheless, the rewards that came from defeating Reeflech were too lavish for me to reject. With fervent eyes, the first thing I immediately dealt with was the grey sword I unknowingly held in my hand. "Fynch..." I breathed out a sigh as I turned the sword in my hand and reassessed its appearance. Although I thought it was a rather odd name, for it to be the reward granted for being the 9th party to finish the dungeon, I could not help but hold some expectation. Like before, the unimpressive appearance of the sword left one at a loss, but after staring down at it for a period of time, I could feel faint power that undulated from its core. It was a difficult sensation to describe... it was akin to a humming songstress, or maybe a beating heart, nonetheless, it was a faint feeling that filled the sword with an almost otherworldly vibrance, a sensation that was both hard to detect, yet impossible to avoid. Without a doubt, despite its appearances, this sword was by no means ordinary. After turning the sword in my hand several times, I finally used [Identify] on the object. While the feeling of faint power it emitted made me excited, what I was most curious about was the initial description the Information Panel had given it - [Soul Bound Weapon]. Ding! A light blue panel filled my screen, but as I inspected it, I could not help but scrunch up my brow.
Fynch - The Resplendent Sword of Possibility Blood contact necessary in order to Soul Bound the Sword.
There was no information aside from its name and the brief instructions it left behind. After pondering over it a bit, I eventually decided to follow the instructions, after all, the allure of a new weapon was too great for me to resist. I quickly wiped at a bit of the dripping blood that ran down the side of my face with an open hand before I immediately placed the newly bloodied hand onto the hilt of the sword. Almost instantly, a sharp indescribable pain surged out from deep within my core. The pain only lasted for a fraction of a second, but it was enough to cause my face to scrunch up and my body to go rigid. After the pain vanished just as suddenly as it had appeared, the information on the blue panel abruptly changed.
Fynch - The Resplendent Sword of Possibility A soul bound weapon linked to [Mayo Hide]. Fynch is an Archaic, Despotic Sword that was found and once wielded by an ancient and powerful Tyrant from planet''s past. Ever since then, it has ended up in the hands of several great figures across both time and space. The Sword was named after its 9th owner, Fynch the Tyrant Warrior-King. It is a sword with a mysterious past, and limitless potential. Fynch is an evolving sword with the special ability [Devour]. It can strengthen itself through the wielder''s own efforts. Damage: 5 - 10 +2(+10) Strength +2 (+10) speed Weapon Skill: Devour Equip Skill Bonus +15 Luck + 20 Perception +25 Insight (???) (???) Familiarity Bonus: 10
While the initial stats were horrendous, the weapon skill and equip bonuses peaked my interest. Fynch¡¯s Equip bonuses were incredible. Not even mentioning the two currently unidentified bonuses, Fynch also increased perception, insight, and luck. Two of these were completely new stats that I¡¯ve never encountered before, and the third - luck was a mysterious stat that was impossible to increase through ordinary methods. Seeing this was enough for me to drool in anticipation. As for [Devour]... just from the name alone, I could already guess as to what its effects were. Without a doubt though, that weapon skill was probably linked to the ¡°evolving sword¡± statement on the information panel. And the [Familiarity Bonus]... while it was my first time interacting with the weapon, the fact that I already have a familiarity bonus of 10 was probably due to the effects of either the blood contract or the soul bind. Either way, I was very satisfied with my new weapon, and I already had plans to invest some unallocated points into acquiring those new stats it granted¡­ While I had such grandiose thoughts spinning around in my head, I glanced down towards Reeflech¡¯s corpse. Sparsely hidden by a part of its arm, I caught sight of something glimmering in the faint light that seeped through to the Refuge. I paused, and looked back down towards Kido¡¯s corpse that laid lifeless besides my feet. The blood that pooled around him, coupled with the vacant, fish eyed glare he maintained was truly pitying, but my gaze was not focused on him, but rather on the object that rested above his chest. After some slight hesitation, I immediately picked up the skill book that was on top of his chest, before I limped towards the Dungeon Boss¡¯s corpse, or more specifically, towards the glimmer that had caught my eye. With one glance, I could tell that the Boss provided quite a few lavishing rewards. Upon its death, it had dropped numerous items. As my eyes unceasingly spun and scanned through the horde of objects beneath, I silently counted and organized the items in my mind. In short, three skill books, one pair of arm guards, a ring, and 5 vials of liquid had dropped. Without a doubt, it was definitely a good haul, enough so that it caused my weary heart to palpitate in excitement. After I calmed down, the first thing I did was inspect the skill books. The first skill was called [Nether Flare]. Despite its grandiose name, after reading through its brief description, I quickly learned that [Nether Flare] was simply a downgraded version of Reeflech¡¯s own column of fire. It was a common grade magic skill that allowed someone to conjure up a massive fireball through the consumption of mana. But despite its common grade, it was by no means weak. If [Nether Flare] was anywhere close to Reeflech¡¯s own attack, then it would truly be something to fear. Since it was a magic skill, I obviously wouldn¡¯t be able to use it, so I planned on giving it to the others. In this regard, whether it was the girls or Kido, I did not plan on hogging any of the drops for myself. After all, the Dungeon Boss fight was a group effort, and without the full team work and participation of everyone present (well, maybe excluding Kido¡¯s childhood friend), we could have very much failed. As I pondered over who to gave it to, I took a precursory glance over towards the second skill book. The 2nd skill was a Rare grade skill called [Nether Drain]. It was obviously a tier above the first skill, and reading the brief description its skill book provided, I quickly discovered that the skill would grant its owner the ability to absorb another¡¯s HP, Stamina, or Mana, and reuse it as their own. This skill was definitely something amazing, but due to its rather vague explanation, I could not tell whether it had any substantial limitations to counter its unprecedented benefits. In the worst case scenario, [Drain Touch] might even be a magic skill that consumes the user¡¯s own mana for activation¡­ if that were the case, and I unknowingly learned it, that would be an instant loss for the whole group and another wasted skill that I learned but couldn¡¯t use. I stared at the 2nd skill book with narrow and scrutinizing eyes before I pried my gaze away from its dark green paperback cover and glanced over towards the third skill book. With one peak, I quickly confirmed that it was less impressive than [Nether Drain]. The third skill book was only a common grade skill, and at most, it was on par with [Nether Flare]. Despite that though, without a doubt, out of all three skill books present, it was the one I was most interested it¡­.
Skill Book - Heated Body A manuscript depicting the Subterranean race¡¯s innate anatomical ability. The subterraneans were a species that dwelled and ruled beneath their world¡¯s surface, in a place known as the Nether. Due to their close proximity with the world¡¯s core, their bodies grew a natural resistance to heat and fire. This skill book allows one person to learn the magic active skill, [Heated Body]. Effects - New Skill - Heated Body Equip Skill Bonus - Synchronicity with existing skill [Hard Scale]. Over 50% effectiveness boost.
Unlike the other two, what made [Heated Body] unique was the presence of its synchronicity with [Hard Scale]. While the others added minor bonuses towards my intelligence or wisdom, [Heated Body]¡¯s Equip Bonus was undoubtedly much more attractive. After all, first hand experience regarding synchronicity has taught me its true value... I¡¯ve already witnessed the benefits of synchronicity firsthand with [Dissect] and [Shadow Sprint]. For the former, it completely doubled its potential, while for the latter, it boosted its already good effects. With the lure called synchronicity dangling in front of my face, it was only natural for me to be attracted¡­ But in the end, I hesitated. After all, While [Hard Scale] was a stamina based skill, [Heated Body] was magic based. If things went south, and [Heated Body] becomes the dominant skill, then there¡¯s a very real possibility that the new skill might turn into a magic skill. If that were the case, not only would I have wasted a completely new skill book, but at the time, I would also lose one of my prior pre-existing skills. The risks were great, but the temptation was even greater¡­ In the end, after no small amounts of hesitation, I ultimately decided to leave it to fate. I hoped to bank on my new weapon¡¯s +15 luck, as I painstakingly began the process of learning the new skill. After a while, a familiar panel popped up in front of me.
Due to Skill Synchronicity, you were unable to learn [Heated Body]. Instead, the two skills [Heated Body] and [Hard Scale] have fused together to make a third skill.
Searing Armor (Active) Skill Type: Rare Skill Rank: Beginner Skill Level: 1 Skill Experience: 0% Effects A defensive technique that augments the user''s skin and increases defenses. Upon activation, the user''s skin hardens and intense heat is produced. Additionally, upon activation, Defense momentarily increases by 100% and strength momentarily increases by 100%. The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. Use consumes stamina points. Consumption varies on duration, intensity of heat and scope of skill. No cooldown. Consumption rate lowers as skill level increases. Augmentation increases as skill level increases.
I let out a sigh of relief upon reading through the entirety of the panel. [Searing Armor]¡¯s initial effects were quite similar to [Hard Scale], except this new skill had the added attributes of fire within it. Additionally, from the description alone, not only was its offense vastly improved, its defensive capabilities had risen as well. As expected, with great risks, came even greater rewards. What probably made me the happiest though, was the fact that the skill still consumed stamina and did not turn into a magic based skill. This feeling of achievement was amazing, and it gave me a splendid idea. In the future, I would try and find a skill with some synchronicity towards my [All Heal] skill. If there existed even the slightest possibility of turning that dead weight skill, into something useful by changing its magic consumption to stamina consumption, then I would do my utmost to grasp onto that faint hope. At that time, my survival capabilities will surely rise beyond measure! Next, I decided to check the skill book Kido had dropped.
Detonation [Cursed] A branch of magic that possesses enormous destructive capabilities. Albeit simple, its use comes with great cost. Not everyone can truly master this type of destructive magic. Effects - New Skill - Explosion Equip Bonus +10 Intelligence +10 Wisdom
As expected, the skill book that Kido had dropped was the explosion skill called [Detonation], that Wizard Hat had used. But even though it was such a familiar skill, I could not help but frown. The contents were definitely [Detonation], but the skill book itself looked a bit corroded, and its edges were blackened. The most damning thing about it though was definitely the [Cursed] tag that hovered in front of the skill¡¯s name. The skill book had no mention of the [curse], which led me to believe that the [curse] tag originated from Kido. Because he had previously possessed the skill while under the effects of the Dungeon¡¯s [Curse], somehow the title had transferred over and possessed the skill book. Upon this realization, I could not help but let out a bitter laugh. Even in death, Kido still put up quite a fight. After some consideration, I decided to keep the skill book on hold for now. The previous experience with Kido taught me that in this new world, curses held tremendous power. It was stupidly reckless to just learn a skill that had so many dangers attached to it. If possible, it was best to find a way to somehow lift the curse up from the skill book before anybody tried to learn it. I quickly put away the corroded skill book, before I inspected the rest of the items. The ring that had dropped was flesh colored, and undulated with a faint pulsing glow. Titled the [Ring of Persistence], its original effects were quite satisfactory The ring was able to double the user¡¯s base HP and Stamina Regeneration. Considering my HP recovered at 0.02 per second, and my Stamina recovered at 0.005 per second, this increased by recovery to 0.04 and 0.01 respectively. While in retrospect, this did not seem all that great of an increase, in the future, if I could further raise my base HP and Stamina regeneration, then the effects of the ring will hold greater value. In addition, what made the ring a lucky find was that its [Equip] bonus actually increased my luck by 5 points. It was a great item, especially since luck was quite a difficult stat to raise. When I moved to place the ring onto my finger, the ring immediately tightened onto my flesh. In almost an instant, the ring¡¯s original white-pink, fleshy color turned a bit darker as it changed to match my skin tone. At the same time, the ring seemingly molded into my skin, its minute undulation increasing as time passed. The result was that my finger completely looked as if it did not have a ring on it. It was an odd sensation. I could ¡°feel¡± that I was wearing the ring, but I could not see it, nor physically feel it on my skin. After marveling at the ring for a good amount of time, I moved on to the next time, a pair of red colored arm guards. The arm guards were simple in design but gave of a rather menacing aura that vaguely resembled the pressure I felt from the Dungeon Boss. Titled [Nether Bracers], they had a level requirement of 30, and gave a 40 point boost to defense and vitality, and a 20 point boost to attack. It was an amazing item that would undoubtedly increase its user¡¯s survivability and offensive capabilities. This was especially true for me, since with my Equip bonuses taken into account, the bracers would increase an additional 20 points into attack, and 20 extra points into Physical Resistance. Although it was indeed an amazing item, despite its benefits, I ultimately decided to give the item to the President. After all, out of everyone present, he was probably the one who lost the most out of this battle. Out of his whole group, he was the only person left. It was a bitter reality where even though we successfully cleared the dungeon, to the him who lost everything in the process, our success might not even be worth it in his eyes. In addition I also decided to give him the [Nether Flare] skill. The bracers and the skill might not hold the same value as his lost teammates, but in the end, it was the only form of compensation I could think of. After getting through the skill books and equipment that had dropped, I finally reached the five vials of liquid. I did not hold much expectations regarding these items. After all, they resembled the HP vials and Stamina vials that ordinary mob dropped occasionally. Each individual vial was large, almost as big as a water bottle, and the liquid inside was colored gold, and gave off a warm and pleasant sensation.
Stamina Elixir Permanently increases Stamina by 200 points. Equip Bonus Permanently increases Stamina by 100 points. *Repeated Consumption will lower the effects of the Elixir*
¡°Wha-¡± Upon reading its window panel, I could not help but stare wide eyed and open mouthed at the inconspicuous vial in my hand. My arms trembled as my original lackluster expectations were blown out of the water. Increasing stamina outside leveling up was next to impossible. The sheer fact that this bottle of gold had such tremendous effects¡­ already, in my eyes, its value was greater than actual gold. What¡¯s more, due to my Equip skill, if I were to use this elixir, my stamina would permanently increase by 300 points instead of the normal 200. That was quite a substantial increase, and it was moments like this that I witnessed the true value of my Equip skill. I decided to give one vial to everyone that had participated in battle. While its effects would benefit melee fighters like Cher, the President, and me the most, the increase in stamina would also prove beneficial to magic users like Hina and Cielle. After I quickly put away the drops we received, I looked up into the hole in the ceiling. The remnants of the monster horde had ran away before, so I wasn¡¯t too worried about being attacked at the current moment. And even if they did put up a fight, their fighting strength and threat level would take a considerable blow, especially now that the Boss had died. With its death, their sense of cohesion and teamwork was no more. They were now simply remnants of a broken and defeated army. Though I wasn¡¯t worried, it was still best to act with caution in mind. With the Boss dead, and the drops collected, it was high time we returned to the East building. But just as this thought flashed through my mind, a abrupt flash of insight took hold of me. I stared back down onto the Dungeon Boss¡¯s corpse, before I quickly turned my gaze towards the dull grey sword in my hand. The weapon skill [Devour] quickly entered my thoughts as I took a steady step forward. ¡°Well¡­¡± I sighed out as I stared down at the corpse. ¡°It couldn¡¯t hurt to try¡­¡± With the last remnants of hesitation drowned out by my increasing curiosity, I took hold of the sword, [Fynch] and stabbed down onto the corpse. Woosh! Even before its blade could sink into the body, I felt my stomach suddenly lurch, as a strong suction force surged out from the tip of the blade. This feeling of suction steadily intensified, before the sword seemingly moved by itself as it greedily dashed forward and stabbed itself into the monster¡¯s flesh. The corpse trembled for a moment, before it suddenly started to collapse in on itself. The surface of its flesh rolled forward and moved towards the sword. At the same time, as [Fynch] began to [Devour] the corpse, I could feel the lurching in my stomach intensify, as a wave of nausea took hold of me. I could feel myself break out into a cold sweat as my complexion paled, but I kept a resolute expression on my face as the sword continued. In less than 10 seconds, the Dungeon Boss¡¯s corpse had vanished completely. All of it had entered [Fynch], but despite its greed, the sword¡¯s exterior showed no signs of changing. It was the same lackluster, dull grey from before. In contrast, my own condition had worsened. After powering through 10 seconds of that nauseating sensation, I could not hold it anymore, as I coughed up a mouthful of blood. I physically felt my stamina drain as I stared down at the dull sword with a dark expression. Without hesitation, I immediately used [Identify].
Fynch - The Resplendent Sword of Possibility A soul bound weapon linked to [Mayo Hide]. Fynch is an Archaic, Despotic Sword that was found and once wielded by an ancient and powerful Tyrant from planet''s past. Ever since then, it has ended up in the hands of several great figures across both time and space. The Sword was named after its 9th owner, Fynch the Tyrant Warrior-King. It is a sword with a mysterious past, and limitless potential. Fynch is an evolving sword with the special ability [Devour]. It can strengthen itself through the wielder''s own efforts. Damage: 55 - 60 +20(+10) Strength +20 (+10) Speed +10 (+10) Vitality Weapon Skill: Devour Equip Skill Bonus +15 Luck + 20 Perception +25 Insight (???) (???) Familiarity Bonus: 10
Seeing the vast improvement, a small smile formed on my withered expression. Not only did the damage, strength and speed experienced a meteoric rise, in addition, a new stat had appeared- Vitality. This was beyond my expectations, and if I continued to [Devour] more and more corpses, then without a doubt, [Fynch] would continually grow stronger and stronger. Although the price for [Devouring] was tasking, the end results were more than enough for me to risk my life on. With a satisfied smile plastered onto my face, I turned back around to face the rest of the refuge. In the time that I took to collect the drops and test out my new weapon, the others had recovered to some extent. Currently, they stared wide eyed at the scene that had just taken place. Seeing their bewildered expression, I ruefully laughed as I moved to scratch my head with my empty hand. Having momentarily forgotten that my empty hand was currently broken, I winced at the minute pain, before I awkwardly coughed. ¡°We should start heading back now.¡± I simply spoke to the crowd as I began limping towards the passageway. The rest of the group interchanged glances with each other, before they too began making their way towards the decrepit hole in the wall. As we walked, from behind us, an abrupt voice rang out. ¡°Wait!¡± The voice trembled as it bravely spoke out, interlayered within was surging emotion that could overwhelm even the greatest of men. In the face of this desperate plea, I could not help but turn around. A few meters behind me, was the silhouette of a single girl. Her shoulders shook, while her head hung down. Slight traces of glistening tears rolled down her pale cheeks. At the same time, her hands were clenched to the point of drawing blood. This girl was obviously Kido¡¯s childhood friend. As I raised an eyebrow at her sudden shout, she proceeded to speak, her voice trembling with each syllable she spoke. ¡°Y-you guys¡­ a-all of you¡­ D-don¡¯t you care what happens¡­ about Kido- he, Kido¡­ he¡­¡± More and more tears flowed freely from her reddened eyes, while the words she spoke grew increasingly more incoherent. After this persisted for a while, I finally couldn¡¯t help myself, as I frankly asked, ¡°What do you want?¡± The girl shook at my words, but for the first time she looked up. Her eyes had a hint of defiance, but that was overshadowed by the melancholy that reflected from her fish eyes pupils. ¡°I¡­ I want to bury Kido. Kido, Saya, everyone who died today¡­ I¡­ I just want to bury them.¡± Hearing this declaration, I could not help but widen my eyes in surprise. After all this time, I had gotten used to the sight of seeing corpses strewn about haphazardly throughout the room. Whether they were monster or human, to my desensitized mind, the distinction had long since blurred. Corpses, in this new world, were just part of the background. Apparently, everyone else had not considered this as well, as they all widened their eyes in surprise. After a while, they could not help but subconsciously turn their gazes to me. As if awaiting my approval, they gazes bore down on me with a hint of expectation and subservience. ¡°...¡± I silently considered for a moment, before I finally responded, ¡°You¡­ what was your name?¡± Hearing this abrupt question, the girl bit her lip, as she replied, ¡°Minakawa¡­ Minakawa Sayuri. B-back when Kido moved back here from the States¡­ that idiot mistook my last name for my first name.¡± A bitter, reminiscent smile formed on her trembling face. ¡°What¡¯s more, that idiot couldn¡¯t even pronounce my name correctly back then¡­ in the end, he just called me ¡®Mindy¡¯... I- I go by Mindy...¡± ¡°Minakawa.¡± I abruptly called out, interrupting her musings. ¡°... The rest of us are pretty injured right now, so you¡¯ll have to do most of the digging yourself. Is¡­ is that fine?¡± Her eyes went into a sort of a daze upon hearing my response. This hazy expression lasted for but a fraction of a second, before she hastily shook her head, and nodded. ¡°Even if I have to bury them alone¡­ I¡¯ll do it¡­ For Kido, for everyone, I-I¡¯ll do it.¡± **** Minakawa Sayuri buried the bodies underneath the soft soil of the passageway. It was the only available place with actual ground and dirt, but even then, without a proper shovel, the process was tasking and consumed an enormous amount of time. In the end, she buried Kido, the transfer student, and everyone who died from the President¡¯s group, even the charred remains of the girl who had saved Kido¡¯s life. She buried them in the cold hard ground, she buried each and every one of them. After some consideration, as she continued to dig, I made my way to the 1st floor. After unearthing the spot where I had hid Wizard Hat¡¯s unconscious body, I came across her corpse. Her eyes were tightly closed, while a peaceful expression masked her pale white face. A single wound, a sword stab straight through her heart was visible. Beneath her, was a puddle of pooled blood. Just going by her expression alone, she had died a death that was truly rare in this type of world. A quick and painless death. I brought her corpse back down to the refuge, and Minakawa buried her with the others. 2 hours passed, and Minakawa finally buried all 6 corpses, in 6 holes, each underneath 5 feet of tightly packed dirt and soil. After erecting 6 hastily made crosses, Minakawa¡¯s constantly working body finally crumpled to the floor. Her shoulders drooped, as her neck craned to dazedly stare up at the soil packed ceiling above her. She arched backwards, and for the first time in 2 hours, she cried. The moment of silence that was supposed to take place was replaced by her desperate sobbing, but even then, in the end, nobody moved to stop her. We stood to the side, as the disheveled and broken girl beneath us cried until her throat grew hoarse. ¡°....¡± In the end, it took her 30 minutes before her throat finally lost its voice. With her eyes puffed up and reddened, she despondently turned towards the passageway. She paused as she stared out into the receding darkness, before she quietly walked forward with heavy and lethargic steps. As her silhouette gradually disappeared, everyone else followed suit. Our steps rang out in the silence, while our eyes steadily stared at the encroaching darkness. The world that we had yet to step into. The new world that awaited us outside of this building. That world was like this all encompassing darkness. A world filled with the unknown. A world with which one entered with a mix of both trepidation, and anticipation. A new world that was built on the rubble from the last. A world that had changed. A changed new world. ***** Author''s Note:That''s it guys. That''s epilogue. Was the title drop a bit too forced? No matter, the first arc has come to a close. What were your thoughts? How did you like the first arc? It took a while, but we finally completed the dungeon. Since this is the end, I''d like to ask the readers a couple of questions, you know, in commemoration of the end of the first. What were you''re favorite parts? Who were you''re favorite characters? Who did you hate the most? What stood out in the arc? What were the things that you did not like about the arc? Thoughts, criticisms, whatever you can think of, I want to know. As for me, I enjoy writing this story. If there was one thing I''d change, or fix though, it would probably be the werewolf fight. I felt dissatisfied with that whole mini arc, and I wouldn''t be lying if I said I almost dropped the story then and there. Its a good thing I didn''t though. Haha. Also, thank you to those who donated to me. It meant a lot, knowing that people were willing to show their appreciation through monetary value. Well, that''s that. I''ll probably start writing the new arc in a week or so. Meanwhile, I might PR some old chapters. I''m also thinking about starting my own wordpress, you know, to spread my story to a wider audience. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed, and see you in the next arc. Arc 2 : Chapter 90: The Wake of Desperation Author¡¯s Note: I forgot to add in that Hide acquired the Monster Hunter title for killing the Dungeon Boss. I will add this into the the Epilogue if I have time, but here is the title panel.
Monster Hunter You have either killed 10 Elite monsters or killed 1 Boss Class monster. Effects: +0.005 HP Regeneration +0.005 Mana Regeneration +0.005 Stamina Regeneration
The Wake of Desperation With my new sword in hand, I quietly walked deeper into the pathway. Amidst the silent shadows and permeating darkness, further ahead of me, I could hear the persistent sound of soft footsteps. They were faint, yet purposeful. Even with the darkness blocking my vision, I knew this sound originated from Kido¡¯s childhood friend, Minakawa. She walked ahead of us, purposely isolated from the rest of us, and embroiled deeply in her own misery. In contrast, I led the others forward. While the lingering sense of melancholy was hard to shake off, what with all of our losses and all, the faint budding excitement could not be suppressed. After all, the one thing that we had all risked our lives for, had finally been achieved. The gates of this hell had finally opened. We could now leave this god forsaken school. As this thought quietly bubbled in my mind, I looked down at the golden hued vial in my hand. Even amidst this darkness, I could clearly see the contents of the vial sloshing around with each step I took. It glowed faintly with a trace of murky gold. Seeing the seemingly random undulations it gave off, a smile could not help but form on my face. This vial was one of the Vitality Elixirs that the Dungeon Boss had dropped upon its death. Like me, the other four that trailed behind me also held a similar vial in their hands. They clutched it with fervent obsession, almost afraid that the elixir would vanish from their very hands at a drop of a hat. I shot a glance back, and seeing their anxious sweat clad faces that was slightly illuminated by the soft glow of the vial, I could not help but wryly smile. I knew exactly how they felt. Something like this, it was indeed worthy of such obsession. After considering things for a moment, I immediately uncorked the vial before I unhurriedly drank the contents of the bottle. Almost immediately, a warm sensation flowed from my mouth and quickly traveled down my throat. The warm sensation throbbed and undulated as it reached my stomach and began to rapidly spread out throughout my whole body. A comfortable feeling took hold of me as my flesh, muscle, and bone pulsed like a beating heart. This sensation lasted for only five seconds before it rapidly began to fade. The warm sensation vanished, only to be replaced with a satisfying afterglow. I smiled wryly to myself before I opened up my status screen.
Status Window
NameMayo Hide
Age17RaceHuman
Level45GenderMale
TitlesPioneer, Pyschopath, Dungeon Explorer, Monster Hunter
Health20/540 (31)Health Regen.0.03 / Sec
Mana (unavailable)540 (16)Mana Regen.0.015 / Sec
Stamina302/740 (316)Stamina Regen.0.055 / Sec
-
Strength120 (16)Agility167 (16)
Greater Vitality90 (16)Dexterity125 (16)
Intelligence26 (16)Wisdom62 (16)
Leadership0 (8)Luck0 (8)
Defense40 (16)Accuracy20 (16)
Physical Resistance2(16)Magic Resistance2 (16)
Endurance1 (16)Perception1 (16)
Insight1 (16)
-
Skills
Equip (Active) Identification (Active) All Heal (Active) Dissection + (Active) Sensory Remapping + (Active) Searing Armor (Active) All Purpose Crafting (Active) Butcher (Active) Shadow Sprint (Active) Amphibian (Active) Body Maneuver (Passive) Dagger Mastery (Passive) Blunt Weapon Mastery (Passive) Sword Mastery (Passive)
Current Status Effect(s)Fracture Physical Exhaustion Bruise Sprain
Unallocated Points78
(Author¡¯s Note: The status screen does not show weapon/item granted bonuses) While I stared at the panel with a look of self satisfaction, to my surprise, my brief moment of reverie was instantly interrupted by a sudden and abrupt ringing. Ding! Obviously triggered when I checked my status window, a new box of information appeared in front of me.
Due to meeting the required conditions, the title [Pioneer], has been upgraded. [/winwindow] Pioneer You are the first person to experience the new change that has yet to come, may you pave a path for others to follow. Effects: +25 all stats New stat created: Leadership
After seeing the improved bonuses of my Pioneer title, my expression turned awkward, before I immediately broke out in a quiet chuckle. Previously, this title had only granted a +10 boost to all my stats. Now, the effects more than doubled. After allocating the remaining 78 (I previously spent 2 in order to gain Perception and Insight) unallocated points I received from leveling up and slaying the Dungeon Boss, I immediately checked my status screen once more.
Status Window
NameMayo Hide
Age17RaceHuman
Level45GenderMale
TitlesPioneer, Pyschopath, Dungeon Explorer, Monster Hunter
Health20/540 (46)Health Regen.0.03 / Sec
Mana (unavailable)540 (31)Mana Regen.0.015 / Sec
Stamina302/740 (331)Stamina Regen.0.055 / Sec
-
Strength130 (31)Agility187 (31)
Greater Vitality90 (31)Dexterity125 (31)
Intelligence26 (31)Wisdom76 (31)
Leadership0 (23)Luck0 (23)
Defense50 (31)Accuracy20 (31)
Physical Resistance9 (31)Magic Resistance7 (31)
Endurance5 (31)Perception5 (31)
Insight5 (31)
-
Skills
Equip (Active) Identification (Active) All Heal (Active) Dissection + (Active) Sensory Remapping + (Active) Searing Armor (Active) All Purpose Crafting (Active) Butcher (Active) Shadow Sprint (Active) Amphibian (Active) Body Maneuver (Passive) Dagger Mastery (Passive) Blunt Weapon Mastery (Passive) Sword Mastery (Passive)
Current Status Effect(s)Fracture Physical Exhaustion Bruise Sprain
Unallocated Points0
The most notable change was my Greater Vitality stat. Even though I did not purposely go out of my way to increase it, already I could feel a huge surge of energy from deep within my body. Instinctively, I knew that I could now probably tank a hit from one of those tentacles with little problem. In short, while the numerical value of my vitality stat did not increase, [Greater Vitality] improved their effect. After looking over my new stats one more time, I nodded with satisfaction before I quickly dismissed the glowing blue panel. From behind me, I could hear the sound of heavy gulping. The others had also used this opportunity in order to consume their Vitality elixirs and increase their stamina. Like this, we slowly made our way deeper into the tunnel. With each step we took, we got closer and closer to the East Building. *** The basement was dark and dreary, and at first glance, it seemed as if nothing was out of the ordinary. Of course, in the darkness, everything looked the same. The group had long caught up with Minakawa, and together, we proceeded forward. Kido¡¯s statement, and implication from before filled me with a sense of dread. Back then, he had been driven into a corner. Led almost to the point of madness. A person like that- A person with almost all of his bridges burned and with no other support¡­ those types of people were the most dangerous. We soon reached the staircase that led up to the first floor, but instead of immediately going up, I walked past it. I proceeded deeper into the basement, towards the unfurnished classrooms. I led the others forward, shining a beam of white light from the flashlight in my hand as I gazed out with scrutinizing eyes. Strangely enough, the once familiar setting seemed vaguely foreign. The scratches on the walls, the paint splattered on the floor, the broken doors and shattered windows¡­ they were all images I had seen countless times, yet right now, I did not feel that familiar sensation of nostalgia. Whether it was due to the realization that this dungeon had turned back into a regular high school, or whether it was because of the growing sense of foreboding I felt in my chest, the familiar scenes brought an indescribable chill to the pit of my stomach. After what felt like eternity, my feet abruptly stopped as I stared blankly at the door in front of me. Almost instantly, the growing sensation bursted forth, and all the pent up emotions I had kept bottled up surged forward. In the end, the only thing I could do was mutely open my mouth while my eyes stayed locked onto that familiar door. The door was left ajar, the faint light of a lit torch seeping out from under the cracks. This was the first thing I found odd. Normally, the person who guarded this room, she was a meticulous and organized type, especially when it came to the things she was most passionate about. This I came to learn with each brief interaction. Even now, her sharp voice echoed through my ears, constantly reminding me to keep the door always closed. ¡°Their too young to go out alone by themselves.¡± She always said. ¡°If something were too happen and they got lost somewhere in the dark¡­ well, I¡¯d feel really bad.¡± As glimpses and brief memories of each brief interaction flashed through my mind, my feet unconsciously stepped forward. With a vacant glaze in my eyes, I slowly opened the door and shined the flashlight into the small square classroom. Even before I saw anything, it was the smell that first hit me. Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. The light swept past the cluttered room, and briefly lit up the mayhem that was inside. The puddle of green blood that had collected in the middle of the floor briefly glinted with light. It continued to seep out from desecrated tiny white bodies. With their thin exoskeletons cracked and splintered, the acidic blood flowed out like a broken dam. Interspaced around the room were thoroughly destroyed eggs. From underneath the eggshells, a half developed Gila was revealed, its jaw hanging agape as its elongated tongue hung limply from the side of its broken mouth. My expression darkened upon seeing this scene. Without a doubt, the only thing that remained in this room was death. ¡°To think he even killed everything in here.¡± From behind me, a tired male voice rang out. The President walked forward, his steps slow and strained. He wrinkled his brow as he continually scanned the rest of the room. ¡°Kido was very thorough.¡± I unconsciously nodded, as I continued to shine the light across every nook and cranny of the classroom. After a few seconds, I could not help but sigh out in relief. Despite all the newborn gila corpses, there was not a single human body. The possibility that she had survived¡­ it was definitely still there! ¡°Check the nearby rooms!¡± I spoke out loud as I exited the classroom, and moved to another. Everyone scattered, and complied with my order. In almost no time at all, we had almost looked through every room available, when Cher¡¯s voice beckoned me to a sparse classroom near the end of the hall. ¡°There¡¯s some signs that someone¡¯s been here recently.¡± She spoke out loud as she pushed against the door with her whole body. The door swung backwards before it was immediately stopped halfway by something from inside the room. Checking closely, behind the door was an unfurnished cabinet. A part of it was blocking the entrance to the door. Seeing this, I could not help but nod. Someone had recently barricaded themselves in this room. Judging from how the cabinet was moved slightly to the side, the person who hid here had either been caught, or managed to escape. There was nothing else in the basement, so the only thing left to do was head upstairs and hope for the best. Just as this thought entered my mind, my ears perked up as I briefly allocated all of my senses into hearing. I momentarily closed my eyes, just as the sound of light shuffling entered my ears. ¡°Someone¡¯s upstairs.¡± I quietly whispered as I reopened my eyes. ¡°Someone¡¯s upstairs. Someone survived.¡± Upon this realization, I quickly led the rest of the group forward. Past the wooden staircase, and into the light of day. Past countless lockers and broken windows, past old classrooms and moldy blood stains, I led everyone towards a familiar classroom, one whose door had been left slightly open. From inside the doorway, the sound of light sobbing could be heard. It wasn¡¯t an overly loud noise, but rather purposely subdued, restrained even. With little hesitation, I followed the sound, and entered the room. The most noticeable thing about the once familiar room was all the corpses. Several bodies, all with the same wound, a sword stab straight to the heart. The floor was stained with a heavy and bright red, while the bodies that rested on the chairs, tables, and on the floor, all had their vacant eyes open, staring up blankly at the space before them. As I scanned through the whole room, my eyes came to rest on a small corner of the room. From that corner, the sound of light sobbing originated. A mass of quivering bodies, and tear stained faces. While I had already expected a survivor, what was surprising was that there wasn¡¯t just one, but two. Strangely enough, one of the survivors, was a vaguely familiar looking girl. Her stature was small and tiny. Her normally twin tail styled hair was currently a mess, while traces of dried up tears stained her cheeks. Her eyes were desolate and blank as they stared at a growing puddle of blood on the floor. She seemed lost in thought. Even when we had entered the room, she took no notice of our sudden presence. ¡°A-Ami!¡± When Minakawa saw this familiar girl, her eyes unconsciously widened as she immediately rushed towards the corner of the room. She practically dove towards her, as Minakawa wrapped the small girl who looked like a middle schooler into her arms. For the first time since we entered the room, the girl¡¯s vacant eyes regained their light, as she turned to stare at her friend. Seeing Minakawa¡¯s face break out into tears, the girl¡¯s blank gaze slowly shifted. Her mouth quivered slightly, before in a cracked and strained voice, she murmured. ¡°K-Kido, he¡­ Kido¡­¡± In response to this, Minakawa¡¯s hug tightened, as the tears continued to pour down from her face. ¡°I know, I know¡­¡± She continually repeated, her voice equally as strained and cracked as her friend¡¯s. ¡°Kido killed everyone¡­ He killed everyone¡­ everyone¡­¡± ¡°....¡± I could see Minakawa¡¯s expression tremble upon hearing this. She had known before hand the type of things Kido had done in an attempt to save himself. She had long known, yet somewhere in her mind, she refused to believe. After the confirmation from her friend, under all this false pretense, the last vestiges of Minakawa¡¯s facade finally crumbled. Her shoulders drooped as more and more tears, this time bitter, and resentful, flowed freely from her eyes. For a quiet moment, the two reunited friends cried in each other''s arms, unbeknownst of the world around them. *** Besides the crying pair, there was also another person who was quietly sniveling in the corner of the room. Seeing this person, I could not help but feel a slight tinge of sympathy. With a thin appearance, slightly unkempt braided hair, and a pair of round spectacles with one of its lenses cracked, this familiar person before my eyes completely matched the person in my memories. This person was without a doubt the monster crazed girl that I had come to known throughout these past 2 weeks- Narise. My eyes slightly narrowed as I continued to stare. She was seated in the corner of the room, her knees brought up close to her chest, while her cardigan came undone and covered the front of her body like a blanket. Upon closer inspection, the area between her chest and her drawn in knees was wriggling, moving sporadically like a jittery baby. From time to time, a flash of white would poke out from beneath that grey cardigan. Seeing this scene, I could not help but sigh in awe. Despite the bloodshed that had happened, she had managed to save one of the Gilas. My quiet sigh attracted Narise¡¯s attention. She looked up with tear streaked eyes. Upon seeing me, her lips slightly trembled, while her shoulders shook. The gila in her arms squawked slightly, before it nestled itself into her bosom. ¡°B-Boss! S-something terrible happened!¡± The first thing that escaped her mouth was a shrill cry. Hearing this, the sympathy in my heart grew. I sighed out, and just as I was about to respond, Narise continued, ¡°Boss, Boss, t-the babies¡­ the babies¡­ th-they¡­ ugh¡­ I couldn¡¯t save them.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± an awkward noise escaped my throat. ¡°All the Gilas! All of them! Even the precious eggs! They were all destroyed! Ugh¡­ ug! WAH! B-b-b-boss! I couldn¡¯t save them, I couldn¡¯t save them!¡± ¡°I, uh, I get it, so calm down for a second.¡± ¡°Calm down!? How can you be so heartless! All those children¡­ each one had a future ahead of them, but, but, but that¡¯s all gone now! Their dead! Some piece of shit motherfucking bastard killed them all! How heartless! If I get my hands on that little bitch ass piece of-¡± ¡°Okay! I get it!¡± An unexpected wave of cursing and profanity escaped from Narise¡¯s small downturned lips. Her language caught me off guard, but regardless of my shock, she continued to swear, venting out all the anger and resentment that bottled up in her heart. After a solid two minutes of cursing, she finally calmed down, and said with a sigh. ¡°In the end, when I heard someone coming, I only had enough time to grab Weiss before I hid and barricaded myself in a room. Ugh¡­ do you know how painful that was Boss? How painful it was to choose just one out of all those children! Even though I managed to save Weiss, I practically abandoned the others to die¡­ ¡­ Because of me, they all died. The guilt and sorrow that I currently feel can¡¯t be expressed in mere words.¡± As she continued to ramble, I could not help but float a crooked smile to my face. This girl¡­ Narise was talking ardently about the Gilas that had died. Each of her words was filled with undeniable emotion. It was real, concrete sorrow and pain, comparable to the emotions a mother might feel after losing her child. But while she expressed so much emotion towards the Gilas, towards the human corpses that littered the floor, she was unmoved. In fact, it felt as if she did not even take note of their existence. To her, these bags of flesh could not even compare to one plate on her Gila¡¯s back. ¡°Narise. I need you to calm down for a minute.¡± I spoke with a sigh as I forced these thoughts to the back of my mind. ¡°Explain from the beginning.¡± Prompted by my cue, Narise began to explain the events that had taken place with unnerving accuracy. She had heard a noise coming from amidst the space towards the Bomb shelter. Prompted by a growing sense of unease, she quickly bolted into action and grabbed the nearest Gila she could find before she ran to the farthest room and barricaded herself shut. In her own words, she thought that the noise was a monster that had escaped from the battlefield. She hoped that closing the door to the Gila¡¯s room was enough to deter it away from them. In the end though, to her horror, whatever came out from the Bomb shelter made a beeline for the Gila room. She could do nothing but shiver in silent despair as the sound of Gila death cries filled the air around her. Afterwards, Narise said that what had killed them hurriedly left in disappointment, before she heard it stomp its way to the first floor. 15 minutes passed before she heard something make its way back down the basement and quietly disappear back into the bombshelter. She waited another hour before she left the barricade, and moved to the first floor. It was only then did she find out that what had killed her Gilas wasn¡¯t a monster, but rather a person. ¡°That, that, that, uuuu, that damn bastard! Fuck, fuck, fuck, piece of shit, motherfu-¡± Amidst her heated cursing, the cries from the duo besides her intensified. It seems that upon hearing what Kido had done, the emotions and sorrow they felt was fanned, expressing themselves in a torrential downpour of tears and snot The sound of nonstop crying, and constant cursing filled the room. A chaotic jumble of noise that ached and annoyed at my ears. In the midst of it all, the Gila had started to cry. The sound of premature squawking, much like that of a bird, crescendoed with the crying and the cursing. The noise reverberated throughout the room, causing my head to spin in rising anger. My fists clenched while my teeth gritted. In my dreary vision, my eyes, the faces of those around me morphed hideously. The noise seemingly blending and rippling through their expressions, like some sort of twisted ocean. My breathing quickened, and just as I was sure my head was about to explode, ¡°Enough!¡± I shouted, my clench fist slamming onto a nearby table. Almost instantly, all the noise died down. From the girls¡¯ nonstop crying, Narise¡¯s mournful monologue, even the Gila in her arms, they all quieted down to a non existent whisper. The room entered a morbid silence. A quiet so profound, that not even the sound of a pin dropping could penetrate. ¡°Kido¡¯s dead, the people from the cafeteria, the Gilas, they''re all dead.¡± Through the silence, I spoke heavily, my voice growing impassive and cold. ¡°The only ones who survived, whether it be through sheer effort or unimaginable luck, are the people in this room. What we need to do is not whine and complain, but rather, focus on finally leaving this god forsaken school. I¡­ I just want to leave. I want to go outside.¡± Tired, beaten, the only thing I could do was express the honest desire that I had bottled up in my heart throughout these two months. The singular, and sole desire to leave. To escape from this hell, and see the new world Whether that new world was something better, or something worse, I did not know, and frankly, I did not care. I just wanted to leave. To taste the outside air and breathe in fresh oxygen. Amidst the silence, the sudden sound of muffled footsteps snapped me out of my moment reverie. I slightly tilted my head, only to see Cielle make her way across the corpse littered floor and to the windows. With an entirely calm and peaceful expression, she slightly tilted her head in my direction. She smiled knowingly, while an unspoken message that only the two of us understood passed between the both of us. Without even the slightest trace of hesitation, her two, pale white hands grabbed onto the blood rusted windows sills, before with a slight yank upwards, she opened the window that overlooked the residential area below us. Woosh! Almost instantly, a gust of hot, summer air blew through the room. The familiar scent of summer. Although it was muddled by the stench of ashes and blood, it was without a doubt the scent of summer. But more importantly, it was a gust of fresh air. A collective gasp echoed throughout the room as all our eyes silently focused in on that cracked open window sill. For the past few months, something as mundane and simple as opening a window had been impossible. Trapped within the laws of this dungeon, a breath of fresh air was absolutely impossible to find. As the hot air entered and circulated around the room, the weight and pressure in my heart gradually lessened. This slightly opened window sill, the breeze that had entered the room, the hopeful gazes everyone stared with, these all represented one thing, and one thing only: This dungeon, it was no more! Author''s Note: Get ready for the next phase in the story! 2nd Arc start! Chapter 91: The Courtyard after 2 months The Courtyard after 2 Months ¡°W-we can finally leave now¡­¡± Amidst the silence, Cher¡¯s quivering voice echoed throughout the room, snapping me out of moment reverie. I tilted my head towards her direction, only to see Cher slowly walking towards the window with trepid foot steps. A dull metal clang rang out as she suddenly dropped her shield and clasped onto her severed arm. She squeezed tightly to the point where her knuckles turned white. With a somewhat vague and hazy expression, she stared listlessly at the window. This classroom was located on the first floor of the East building. This window was practically the sole obstacle between us and the outside world. One step was all it took. Just one step forward and this building, all the people who died, all of it would turn into nothing but distant memory. Cher continued to walk forward, each step taking her closer and closer towards the source of the humid summer heat. As she reached out, ready to grab hold onto the window sill, her breathing grew shallow and ragged. Her face flushed with excitement. ¡°We can finally,¡± With eyes shining with fervent anticipation, Cher mumbled under her breath. ¡°Beyond this window... we can¡­ we can finally¡­ ¡± ¡°Wait!¡± Before she could take that inevitable step outside, I suddenly raised my voice and stopped her. Cher¡¯s shoulders momentarily jerked as she froze in mid step. Her arm hung rigidly in the air as she turned towards me, a puzzled expression on her face. ¡°Why?¡± She asked simply, her voice unusually hollow. ¡°Hide, we¡¯re so close to leaving¡­ All this time, after all this time, we can finally¡­ so why?¡± Her eyes watered as her face scrunched up in dismay. Her expression morphed into genuine fear, as if the possibility of leaving was slowly slipping away from her hands. My sudden interruption had caused doubt and worry to sprout in her heart. I sighed in response. I leisurely walked towards the windows, and began lifting them open, letting in even more waves of hot, summer air. As I aired out the classroom, I spoke, ¡°Although we finally managed to kill the Boss and clear the Dungeon, that doesn¡¯t mean we¡¯re out of the danger zone just yet.¡± While my head was turned to face Cher, my voice was loud enough to where the others could hear me. ¡°You guys aren¡¯t as naive as you used to be. You realize it too, right? You might not want to accept it, but the outside¡­ the outside is just as bad as in here.¡± From the corner of my eye, I could see everyone¡¯s expressions darken. They knew that the Window panel from the first day, that thing wasn¡¯t just addressing us, but rather, it was speaking to the whole world. What we¡¯ve gone through in this dungeon, that was nothing more than just the tip of the bloody iceberg. Thinking about all the future dangers ahead, I could not help but frown. ¡°Out there, the world outside will undoubtedly be hell. That¡¯s an issue for the future though, and something that we can push back for the time being. Right now, we have more pressing concerns. Something that¡¯s far more concrete than future troubles to come.¡± A fleeting memory from the first day flashed through my mind. The image of a single lumbering beast. A monster covered in scales and fur, towering at half the height of the entire school. It was only for a moment, but in that short amount of time, I knew that that beast wasn¡¯t something we should mess with. It was a monster that exuded ferocity, and incited fear. It was a monster that had the right to look at humans as nothing more than ants. It was this sort of monster that awaited us outside of this building. ¡°The monster from the first day is out there¡­ you all should know what I¡¯m talking about.¡± I turned back, only to see everyone exchanged worried glances. After a moment, almost in sync, they all nodded. ¡°That thing¡­ I saw it from the main building during the first few weeks. It was sleeping in front of the entrance to the school, in between all three buildings.¡± The President commented flatly, as a look of contemplation flashed through his face. ¡°Mmm.¡± From the side, I saw Hina solemnly nod her head. She lowered her head, and thought for a while, before she said, ¡° We¡¯ve been locked in the East building for two weeks. All that time, we¡¯ve been single mindedly focused on training. Considering the situation, we haven¡¯t really gone near the front of the main building at all these past few weeks. We¡¯ve been so focused on training, that we haven¡¯t really had the time or initiative to worry about the outside. Even now, this classroom is facing away from the courtyard. We don¡¯t have a single clue as to the situation outside.¡± I nodded in response. ¡°That¡¯s why I don¡¯t want us to recklessly go out while that thing might still be out there. Although the Dungeon is no more, at the very least, this school serves as some form of protection against it. Before we leave, I want to verify the situation. Whether that monster outside really is as big of a threat as we¡¯re making it out to be¡­ there¡¯s only one way to find out.¡± **** Everyone was eager to investigate. They weren¡¯t really interested about the Monster, but rather, it felt more like the whole group was overcome by a pressing sense of urgency. The desire to leave this building was practically overflowing, and drove everyone to the state of near madness. Even I was affected by this sort of fervor. But before we left to go inspect the courtyard, I forcibly made everyone wait, and rest. Our current strength was still greatly depleted from the Boss fight. Even after two hours passed, the mental, physical, and emotional fatigue still lingered. We were so depleted that our current strength could not even match up to a tenth of what we had when we fought the Dungeon Boss. Although we couldn¡¯t possibly recover all of our strength, I wanted us to at least possess the ability to run away in case something happens. In fact, if the issue with the Courtyard wasn¡¯t so important, I would have liked for everyone to rest for at least a day and a half. That way, we could increase our chances of survival. After everyone begrudgingly agreed, I thought for a while, and after some deliberation, I decided to hand out the two remaining skill books that had dropped from the Dungeon Boss. For [Nether Flare], I decided to give that to the President. This decision was brought on by two reasons. One, I wanted to give the Prez this skill book as a sort of compensation for his loss. After all, during the fight, everyone from his whole team had died. Even after giving him the dropped equipment, I still felt that it wasn¡¯t enough to compensate. His situation was something I could relate with. If it was the me from the start of the apocalypse, then I would not have been so generous, but between the current me and the me from back then, there was a tremendous difference. That difference came in the form of three individuals. Cielle, Hina, and Cher. After fighting tooth and nail with the three of them, after we¡¯ve shared countless life and death situations, after spending two months with these three, I come to realize just how important their existences had become to me. They were my partners in battle. They were my fellow survivors. They were the members of my party. They were my friends. They were people I could rely and depend on. They were¡­ they were something I wanted to protect. That¡¯s why I did not want to see any of them die. That was also why I understood part of the pain the President was going through. It was a bit sentimental, even naive but I could not help it. After all, I was still human. The other, more practical reason was because I wanted to conduct an experiment. [Nether Flare] was a fire element type magic skill. I wanted to find out whether or not Hina, who possessed [Full Element] could learn the skill without using the skill book. If the President can teach Hina the skill, or if Hina can directly gain some sort of insight or comprehension after seeing him use the skill a few times, then that would be for the best. Not only would it show just how powerful [Full Element] was as a unique skill, but also, in the future, if Hina was capable of learning elemental type skills from others, then that would be like receiving twice the reward from just one skill. Even more so, I wanted to see whether or not it was possible for people to pass on or teach their skills to others in general. We haven¡¯t had the chance to test this theory out, considering how tight for time we were back then, but it was certainly something worth looking into. At the very least, directly or maybe indirectly teaching someone a skill might be some form of requirement in gaining a title or maybe a skill. Considering how the system has worked up until now, this possibility certainly existed. After I gave the skill books away, while the others rested, I cleared out the corpses from the classroom and stuffed them into an adjacent room next door. Away from everybody else, in the room adjacent to the others, I did something I hadn¡¯t done in a while. I knelt down besides a nearby corpse- the dead body that belonged to Mr. Tai, and took out my dagger. After setting Mr. Tai¡¯s body flat onto the floor with his face and chest facing up, I began the morbid operation of dissecting the corpse This was something that I had deemed necessary after considering the current situation. In the future, there was a high probability that we would run into other survivors, and not everyone we meet outside will be friendly. Scraping together any advantages I could acquire before the inevitable battle was important, and [Dissect] could help me do this. When I upgraded [Dissect] during the mimic incident, the skill underwent a transformation, increasing its utility. One of the new effects it gained was something called [Anatomize]. [Anatomize] was a sort of automatic indicator that pointed out the enemy¡¯s weak points or vulnerable spots during the midsts of battle. With my prior knowledge, something like an automatic indicator wasn¡¯t really all that beneficial, what made [Anatomize] valuable, was that it increased the chances of a critical hit or fatal blow occurring. This sort of automatic indicator only activated on enemies I¡¯ve previously dissected, and as of now, I haven¡¯t dissected a human body. Whether that be out of some sort of unspoken principle or because I was simply afraid, still I hesitated, but today, that would change. As the others rested, I busily dissected. I cut up and opened every single cafeteria survivor that had died at Kido¡¯s hands. I then compared what I saw with the things I already knew of, and with the information I found in a human anatomy textbook I had snagged in the library a while back. While the insides were generally what I expected, my eyes were still vigilant and locked onto every nook and cranny of each body I dissected. Actually, I was also looking for something. While the primary reason for my dissection was due to future preparation, there was also one other reason. I wanted to find out if there were any changes that had occurred. How the system affected the body physically, and its effects on our anatomy. There was a stark difference between us and the monsters. The biggest difference was that they were brought in along with the system to our world, while we were introduced to the system. Dissecting the monsters from the other world wouldn¡¯t give me any evidence as to how the system affected organisms, mainly because I have no reference as to what they looked like prior to the system. In the first place, I don¡¯t even know if the monsters ever existed without the system. Dissecting human bodies, or in general, organisms that originated on earth would allow me to better understand how the system affected us. Whether increasing intelligence or wisdom, increased the size of the human brain, increased the amount of neurons it had, made the brain denser, or increased the amount of folds it had¡­ How speed and strength affected the muscles, and the primary difference between these two stats¡­ there were many things one could gleam from simply poking and prodding. Unfortunately though, these current corpses weren¡¯t that useful in gaining insight towards how the system affected our bodies. Primarily, the cafeteria survivors were people who did not fully benefit from the system. They were merely level one, and their bodies prior to their deaths were no different from what it was before the apocalypse. If I wanted real information, I needed to dissect the bodies of higher level survivors. This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. Well, this issue could be remedied in the future. Even if I don¡¯t go actively looking for new corpses, I¡¯m sure one way or another, bodies will start piling up one after another. As these thoughts and ideas floated in my mind, I quietly continued dissecting. The sound of flesh being torn apart, and of metal hitting bone filled the room. The heat of the day brought forth a foul stench from the corpses, but I did not pay particular attention to the smell. My eyes were locked solely on the vivid red insides, while my hands continually worked, showcasing the effects of my over 100 dexterity. Without me noticing three hours passed. **** ¡°W-what is all this¡­?¡± We were on the west side of the East building, facing the rows of windows that overlooked the courtyard/entrance of the school. Currently, the scene before us was beyond any of our expectations. Prior to the apocalypse, the courtyard of the school was an open plot of concrete and cement. It was surrounded on three side by the old, main and east building, while a small, sparsely decorated flower garden laid at the center. Normally, it would be a barren space of packed dirt and concrete, but right now, the image before us was something that vastly deviated from the norm. In short, the courtyard was a mess. A thin layer of white completely covered the concrete surface. If one looked closely enough, then they¡¯d discover that that thin layer of white, was in fact morbid foundation of bones. The bones ranged in both size and shape, showing that they came from both monster and human. What was particularly worrying was the fact that some of these bones were as large, or even larger than the a vending machine. Just imagining the thing that had managed to kill the owner of those bones sent a shiver down my spine. In addition to these bones, interspersed around the courtyard, were various crushed, partially destroyed, and sometimes overturned vehicles. These lumps of metal numbered in the hundreds, and sloppy stacks of them were spaced out around the flower garden as the center. A little further out of the courtyard was a giant blockade of cars in front of the courtyard. It formed a sort of fourth wall, enclosing the entrance of the school into a neat little square. The situation was definitely a bit overwhelming, and knowing all this was so close by only further served to increase the amount of cold sweat that poured freely from my back. The only solace out of the whole situation was the sole fact that that monster that had built this sort of enclosure wasn¡¯t here right now. As I stared out at the scene before me, my face unconsciously scrunched up into a frown. Doubts and questions began to form in my mind, and as if verbalizing these questions, Cher asked from beside me, ¡°W-why did it build something like this? And why so close to the school?¡± I did not answer, but from a little ways down, Hina responded. Her face was masked in a look of deep contemplation, and her hands were pressed against the windows. ¡°... It¡¯s a base¡­ something like a lair or maybe a nest. The cars stacked up over there, it''s sort of formed the same way a bird stacks up sticks and twigs to form a nest.¡± ¡°A nest¡­¡± Cher murmured in awe as she stared wide eyed at the courtyard. Upon hearing Hina¡¯s explanation, I subconsciously nodded my head. I also reached the same conclusion. Although the overall shape turned out like a square, the resemblance was still there. ¡°But why so close to the school?¡± the President¡¯s voice suddenly spoke up as he asked Hina a barrage of questions. ¡°Why set up camp her? Where did the monster that lived here go? In the first place, how can you be so sure it''s a nest?¡± Hina turned and looked at the President for a good while before she turned away and lowered her head. After a few seconds of silence, she responded, ¡°...It¡¯s because the school used to be a dungeon. Since there were special restrictions set on leaving the school, there might be similar restrictions regarding entering the school. If that same system that kept us from prematurely entering the school protected the building, then making a base with the dungeon as the basis is actually a pretty smart thing to do. The walls of the buildings¡­ well, at least the outer walls of the building are probably enforced by the system, so as to prevent improper entry or exit. If so, then the school is practically indestructible under normal circumstances. Building a nest inside the school¡¯s courtyard is practically the same as having an three impenetrable iron walls around you. Although, since the school¡¯s no longer a dungeon, I¡¯d imagine that advantage has gone and passed... As for where the Monster went¡­ I have no idea. I think either it left permanently and moved on to a newer location, or it went hunting somewhere. If it¡¯s the latter, then we¡¯re lucky. It was away when we cleared the dungeon. If it had been present, and realized that we cleared the dungeon, there¡¯s a chance it could have attacked us. If that had happened, we would have all likely died¡­¡± As Hina¡¯s dark words echoed throughout the room, everyone¡¯s expression darkened. Just imagining fighting two Boss ranked monsters back to back was enough to sprout a shadow of dread deep in my heart. After a slight pause, Hina coughed and continued, ¡° And as for why I¡¯m certain this is a nest¡­ look¡­¡± Hina¡¯s words faded out as she pointed towards the small flower garden in the center of the courtyard. Almost instinctively, everyone¡¯s eyes turned to stare at the garden, or more precisely, at what was inside the garden. A series of shocked gasps rang out in the hall. Everyone had the same reaction of surprise, although there was one person in particular who displayed a more exaggerated response. After seeing the object in the flower garden, her eyes reddenned in fanatical fervor. ¡°That¡¯s an egg¡­¡± Cher¡¯s voice was barely audible as she stared wide eyed. The object in the center of the flower garden was an egg. An oval sized, pasty yellow colored egg, whose size was a little bit bigger than a basket ball. Half its body was hidden by the overgrown flowers in the garden, but it''s pasty yellow shell stuck out vividly from the purple orchids that bloomed. ¡°Egg, egg, egg, it''s an egg¡­.¡± The one with the most over exaggerated reaction, and whose eyes had turned red from excitement was without a doubt, Narise. She adjusted the frames of her glasses as a weird smile floated to her expression. ¡°Boss, Boss, that egg, we definitely have to get it! Weiss needs a friend, plus, we can¡¯t just leave it there all by itself. For all we know, the mother of that egg probably left forever, or maybe she died somewhere near a gutter. It definitely needs us, it definitely needs me! That egg, we¡¯re getting it, right Boss? We¡¯re definitely getting it¡­¡± Even before I could respond, Narise was already opening the window. Her eyes stayed glued to the egg, while the white Gila in her arms squirmed uncomfortably. ¡°Wait, don¡¯t be so hasty.¡± I hurriedly moved to stop her. ¡°Just because the monster isn¡¯t here right now, doesn¡¯t mean it won¡¯t notice if we take the egg. We can¡¯t just-¡± ¡°No, I agree with her.¡± Unexpectedly Cielle stepped up and interrupted. While her hands moved to open the window, her eyes stayed locked onto the egg, a different sort of anticipation glowed in her dark brown irises. ¡°I¡­ I haven¡¯t had omelet in a while¡­¡± Her stomach grumbled as those words left her mouth, but she was seemingly indifferent towards it as she continued to struggle against the window. Her eyes were spinning in delusion, as a trace of saliva unknowingly flowed out from the corner of her lip. Seeing Cielle¡¯s out of character response, everyone¡¯s expression turned awkward. Hina, who knew about Cielle¡¯s sometimes, overly gluttonous self, mildly blushed, as she tried to stop her. ¡°S-sis, I know you¡¯re hungry, but not right now.¡± While everyone else in the group displayed a trace of awkwardness at Cielle¡¯s current state, there was one person who showed a completely different response. Narise¡¯s brow scrunched up while her lips formed a frown. For a moment, she stopped trying to open the window and turned towards Cielle. ¡°Oi! Boss¡¯s woman! You can¡¯t just eat something so precious! What are you!? An idiot?¡± She grumbled unhappily as she reprimanded. Cielle was rather indifferent towards her, as her eyes continued to stare at the glistening egg in the flower garden. All the while, her stomach was grumbling and making weird noises none stop. ¡°My stomach is hollow, and my energy is low¡­¡± She quietly muttered under her breath. ¡°Eggs are a good source of nutrients¡­¡± ¡°Nooo! That egg isn¡¯t for eating!¡± Narise¡¯s expression twisted into fear after hearing Cielle¡¯s curse like ramblings. ¡°I won¡¯t let I definitely- DEFINITELY won¡¯t let you!¡± As the hallway turned increasingly chaotic, I could only look on with a hollow expression. Cielle and Narise were both coveting that egg for two entirely different reasons, and right now, despite the urgency of the situation, seeing these two bicker like this practically drained what little energy I had in my entire body. With a sigh, I stomped my foot on the ground, and yelled for them to stop. After the room quieted down, I sighed once more as I looked up at the ceiling and began to think. Pushing aside Cielle¡¯s desire to eat the egg, giving Narise the egg to raise wasn¡¯t an entirely bad idea. If she somehow managed to gain the Monster Tamer skill, and somehow managed to tame the monster that hatched from that egg, then our fighting strength and chances of survival will definitely increase¡­ Of course, there¡¯s also the option of me raising the egg myself¡­ The only problem here was the Owner of this ¡°nest¡± and the mother of that egg. While it wasn¡¯t here right now, and we were extremely lucky to have this type of opportunity, there was still risk involved. Primarily, there was a chance that the Mother had a some sort of connection with this egg¡­ something like being able to sniff the egg out from 2 miles away or something similarly outrageous¡­ The rewards were good, but the risks were even higher. Seeing my troubled expression, Cher moved towards me, and inputted her own opinion. ¡°I don¡¯t think we should take it. It¡¯s too dangerous, and the mother will definitely, definitely come chasing after us¡­ While under different circumstances, I don¡¯t particularly mind that sort of c-chase play, right now, I don¡¯t want to die after just getting out of the dungeon.¡± Seeing Cher¡¯s worried expression, I smiled wearily at her. Before I could respond, the President, interjected and spoke. ¡°I agree with her. Taking the egg has too many risks involved, not to mention, in our current condition, we¡¯ll have trouble escaping.¡± From afar, Cielle and Narise¡¯s heads turned as they stared over at us. Their faces twitched as they exchanged a quick glance between themselves before turning back around. Seeing everyone¡¯s opinion leaning towards leaving the egg alone, they grew dismayed. ¡°Hide¡­¡± ¡°Boss!¡± They pleaded with their eyes, as they inched closer and closer towards me. Seeing this situation, and seeing how her sister was currently acting, Hina could only sigh in resignation. Meanwhile, Minakawa and her friend watched from afar, not putting any input or suggestion towards the issue. At the center of it all, my face scrunched up as I turned back around to look at the egg. With the decision weighing me down, I could only sigh in frustration. The temptations were great, but the risk was even greater. As I continued to think, my eyes gazed over the courtyard. Unexpectedly, I saw something from underneath a piece of giant bone that caught my attention. Seeing this object, my eyes widened in surprise. I pressed my hand against the window sill, and without hesitation, I immediately uttered, ¡°I¡¯ve decided. That egg¡­ we¡¯ll take it!¡± **** Author''s Note: Thanks for reading, look forward for more. Chapter 92: Treasure Trove Treasure Trove Taking the lead, I opened the window and jumped out into the courtyard. The sound of brittle bones cracking and snapping beneath my feet filled my ears. Although it¡¯s been only two months since the apocalypse started, the collection of bones that blanketed the ground was so weak and fragile, that it wouldn¡¯t be a surprise if these bones were in fact 10 or even 20 years old. It was as if all the energy and vitality was sucked out from them. Without a doubt, the only thing that could do this was the monster that had built this nest. As my eyes scanned over the surroundings, from behind me, I could hear the sound of more cracking. The others had followed me with trepid, yet excited footsteps. Their eyes scanned the courtyard cautiously. The President was the first to approach. His hand were pale white as he tightly gripped onto the handle of his sword. He quietly stood behind me, ready to attack at a moment''s notice. Followed by his arrival, Narise rushed forth, brimming with enthusiasm. Although she let out a startled yelp, the moment her feet landed on the carpeted ground, her composure and enthusiasm quickly returned as her eyes locked onto the egg in the center of the garden. Cielle, who had a somewhat similar enthusiasm also feverently stared at the egg. A part of me doubted that she truly wanted to eat the egg, although after seeing her current expression, hearing the noises that escaped out from her stomach, and remembering Cielle¡¯s own gluttonous nature that had surfaced a couple of times during our stay at the school, I could not help but frown in unease. Hina placed a gentle hand on her sister as she tiredly sighed out. Her eyes momentarily landed on the egg before they meticulously scanned her surroundings. Cher and the other two also entered the courtyard, but their enthusiasm was noticeably less than the others. I stared briefly at the group, and gave a cursory glance over at the surroundings, before I immediately walked over to what had drawn my attention. After 40 steps forward, in front of me was a rather large piece of long bone. Going by the shape of its ends, it was most likely a part of a humerus of a humanoid monster. The only difference between an actual human¡¯s humerus, and this, was that this piece of bone was slightly yellowish in color, like a piece of old, weathered paper. In addition, it was also extremely large. Going by the size of this bone alone, its owner was a monster that was as large or even larger than the Dungeon Boss. I used [identify] on it, but the results were rather disappointing. It did not give me any useful information, such as the species it came from. Instead, the system labeled it as [Weathered Bone Fragment]. It was an utterly useless item that gave no benefit whatsoever. This was in part due to how bad its current condition was. The monster that had built this nest was indeed quite thorough and ruthless. Most likely, the rest of the bones within this courtyard were also in a similar state. I could only sigh in dejection after realizing this. As my eyes continued to wander, I paused, and after a moment of contemplation, I brought out Fynch. I hesitated for a moment before I thrusted the tip of the grey sword into the aging bone fragment. The sword smashed into the base of the bone, shattering it into a dozen pieces while sending out a puff of dust with its destruction. ¡°...¡± One, two, ten seconds passed yet what I had wanted to happen did not happen. Fynch¡¯s skill, [Devour] did not activate. Although I had expected this, still, the disappointment in my heart could not be entirely contained, as an unwilling sigh escaped my throat. ¡°As expected, there are special requirements in using Fynch¡¯s weapon skill¡­¡± I muttered to myself as I stared at the weapon in my hand. Previously, I had also tested Fynch out on a variety of things. Rock, and concrete, some of the monster corpses lying around the school, the withered tentacles from the Boss fight, even the mangled and bloodied aftermath of my recent dissections. All the same, [Devour] did not activate. Fynch was a truly great weapon, and its skill was similarly quite overpowered, but at the same time, this weapon was an exceedingly picky fellow. Aside from the Dungeon Boss¡¯s corpse, it did not accept anything I tried feeding it. I knew that there were special requirements as to what this thing could and would [Devour], but with my current knowledge, I could only begin to make guesses. What sort of requirements did this soul bound weapon have? Did it only devour high level monster corpses? Was their a minimum ¡°freshness¡± to the corpses it devoured? Could Fynch [Devour] living things? Could Fynch [Devour] inanimate things? Could it [Devour] weapons? Items? All these questions filled my mind, but I was powerless to answer them. I would have at least tested out whether Fynch could eat weapons, but right now, each weapon I possessed was a valuable lifeline. On the off chance it did work, I could easily discard them for such an experiment. After sighing once more in disappointment, I put away the sword before my eyes continued to travel downward and locked onto the item beneath the remains of the yellowish bone fragments. I suppressed a smile as my eyes widened in excitement. The edges were slightly frayed, and a few of the pages were damaged, but without a doubt, it was unmistakably a skill book. Skill books were objects that dropped from monsters upon their deaths. Regardless of how or what killed them, the chances of a skill book or any other object dropping still existed. To find a place like this, with so many high level corpses, this nest could only be described as a treasure trove. If my thoughts are correct, then this skill book that I found was just one among many. As this idea formed in the back of my mind, the excitement I felt could not be suppressed anymore as a low, somewhat creepy chuckle escaped from my throat. The others around me all threw perplexed and confused stares my way, but I ignored them all as I quietly activated [identify].
Skill Book - Savage Blow A skill derived from the Mid Land Orc race¡¯s ruthless nature. They are famed for their brutal strength and unimaginable tenacity. This skill book allows one to learn the active skill [Savage Blow] Effects - New Skill - Savage Blow Equip Skill Bonus - +15 Strength +5 Vitality
I smiled and nodded in satisfaction. Although the skill book was rather ordinary and not all that powerful, all the same, it was a precious skill book that could improve my strength and increase my chances of survival. If not me, then it could also go to another person who''s on my side. Someone like Cher might find such a skill useful. Either way, skill books were a precious commodity whose importance were second to none in this new world. I quickly pocketed the book, before my eyes turned towards the rest of the courtyard. They glinted with feverish excitement as I took a step forward. I searched around feverishly, riffling through the carpet of bones, and upturning a few giant fragments. Particularly, I searched around the spots where larger, more imposing looking bone fragments were. These had a higher chance of originating from some elite monster. After 10 minutes, I managed to search through about a third of the courtyard. In return, I found three more skill books. There were other things too, like a few potion vials and the remnants of a wooden staff, but these things were already useless. The vials were shattered, and the staff was broken beyond repair. Even the skill books, out of the three that I found, one was too torn up to use. Still, in addition to [Savage Blow], with the two new skills I found, [Ferocity], and [Lesser Draconic Boost], the rewards were still pretty amazing. What¡¯s more, there was still a good two/thirds left of the courtyard that still needed to be explored. As I continued to search, I finally recalled something that I had previously forgotten about due to the stress and excitement that recently took place. I took a quick glance at the newborn Gila in Narise¡¯s arms, before I remembered that the Gila Matriarch had died at the Dungeon Boss¡¯s hands. Its corpse should still be in the refuge, but most likely, it already under a pile of concrete and cement. While there was a possibility of that elite monster dropping an item or skill book upon its death, the chances of that happening weren¡¯t particularly high. In addition, searching through that room and digging whatever item might have dropped from under a pile of debris was a real pain in the ass. Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. I frowned, internally debating whether it was worth the effort to go back to that room and search for something that wasn¡¯t even guaranteed to exist. After a while, I let out a resigned sigh. I decided that, if there was some time left, I¡¯d go back to the refuge and search for it. For now though, I¡¯ll focus on reaping the rewards from this treasure trove. I continued to search, eventually finding another skill book, [Basic Fire ball], and one additional item. This item was a red spherical ball, that had a tinge of yellow light within its center. The ball was almost perfectly smooth, and was about the size of an adult fist. After using [identify], on it, I was rather surprised at its effects.
Lesser Draconic Flare A ball of condensed dragon essence. It is a one-time use item that explodes after activation. Activation requires injection of mana. Item explodes after three seconds of mana injection. Equip Skill Bonus Skill owner can use it without the use of mana. When used by the skill owner, does 2x as much damage.
This round ball that resembled an apple was akin to a grenade. Considering the fact that it was technically a ¡°magic item¡±, it probably had strength surpassing an ordinary grenade. In addition, although the item was labeled ¡°lesser¡±, it was still a dragon type object. Going by just books and movies alone, anything with the label, ¡°dragon¡± sticked on them was bound to be stronger than ordinary objects. I gingerly placed the item in my backpack, and carefully closed it shut. Although it was practically impossible to ¡°accidentally¡± set the item off, still, I could not help but be cautious, especially when handling such a dangerous explosive. After I put away [Draconic Flare], I was about to resume my search, when a slightly impatient voice called out from the center of the courtyard. ¡°Bossss¡­ When can I grab the egg?¡± Narise¡¯s expression was twisted into agony, as she crouched down next to the egg. Her eyes were feverish, and it was clear that she was reaching her breaking point. Previously, I had told her to wait until I finished collecting all the items in the courtyard before she could grab it, but it was apparent that she could not wait any longer. With a sigh, I called out to the President, who had been standing nearby the whole time. ¡°Make sure she doesn¡¯t touch the egg. Just so much as touching it might trigger something, so be careful.¡± Hearing this, Narise¡¯s expression darkened, ¡°That¡¯s not fair, Boss! Although I was a little bit impatient, can¡¯t you trust me? I mean- wait, hey! Sto-mph!¡± Narise¡¯s ardent complaining was put immediately interrupted as the Prez grabbed hold of her, and forcibly dragged her back. Although she struggled, her level one strength was utterly powerless against the President¡¯s current level of prowess. From the corner of the room, Cielle let out a smug chuckle upon seeing this scene. Seeing as she wasn¡¯t nearly as frantic and frenzied as Narise, and didn¡¯t really do anything up to this point, I ignored her and continued my search. I found a few more skill books, unfortunately, they were all magic skill books, what¡¯s more [Basic Fireball] skills. There were a total of four fireball skill books, but just going by the collection of bones I found, there were probably about a dozen elite monsters of the same species. Just imagining such a force was enough to bring a cold sweat to my brow, but what was even scarier was the fact that the owner of this nest successfully killed off twelve of those things all at the same time. After the Fireball skill books, I found another three more [Lesser Draconic boost] skill books. I pocketed these as well. 20 minutes quickly passed by and I could not find anything else. With a resigned sigh, a look of forlorn masked my face. My expression quickly brightened though, upon recalling all the things I had found within this courtyard. Ten skill books, and a Lesser Draconic Flare. This nest was truly an unexpected treasure trove, and what¡¯s more, the best prize of them all still hasn¡¯t been collected yet. I turned towards the basket ball sized egg in the center of the withered flower garden, a small smile leaking from my face. Narise saw this change in my expression, and her own instantly brightened, she broke free from the President¡¯ grip and ran at full speed back towards the flower garden. She almost slipped and fell due to the uneven footing of the bone carpet, but she paid it no heed as she quickly jumped into the garden. Her expression was excited and her smile was genuine. ¡°Boss, can I? Can I grab it now?¡± Seeing her excitement, I sighed but did not say anything. I walked into the flower garden and stood a few feet away from the egg. Without hesitation, I immediately activated [Identify].
Manticore Variant Egg An egg belonging to the manticore monster species. Due to the variant nature of the mother, the resulting monster hatched from this egg holds many mysteries. Incubation Period Left : Indefinite
I read through the window panel twice, before a frown formed on my face. While the egg itself seemed to possess potential, especially with that whole ¡°variant¡± thing going on, my mind was solely focused on the egg¡¯s mother. The owner of this nest was a Manticore. What¡¯s more, it was apparently a variant too. From what little I could recall, manticore¡¯s were mythical beasts with the body of a lion, and the face of a man. I can¡¯t recall whether or not they had wings, but I was fairly certain that they had something like a scorpion tail¡­ or was it a dragon tail? Either way, that was the type of monster we¡¯d be provoking upon taking this egg. The frown on my face grew darker and darker. I crossed my arms and tilted my head, lost in a fog of indecision and hesitation. As I was thinking, from the corner of my eye, I could see a small body moving past me and directly heading towards the egg. Upon realizing this, my momentarily daze quickly vanished, as my eyes trailed behind the person who had rushed past me. As expected, that person was Narise. Her eyes glinted with feverish light, while her arms were outstretched towards the egg. ¡°Wait, Don¡¯t-¡± Before I could finish, she had already grabbed hold of the egg. Her thin arms wrapped itself around the basketball sized object, as she smushed her face on its smooth, bleak white surface. ¡°Hehehe, I finally got it¡­ I¡¯m going to raise you real well¡­hehehe, I wonder what I should name you¡­.¡± Her eyes were somewhat hazy as a sloppy smile formed on her face. Seeing this, I momentarily paused. I wanted to let out a tired sigh and rebuke her, but seeing as nothing immediate has happened so far, the budding tension in my body somewhat lessened. After I composed myself, I sighed out, before stating, ¡°We should leave this school quickly. When the mother gets back, it¡¯ll be really angry. The sooner and further we are away from this school, the bette-¡± Before the last few words from my mouth could completely form, a resounding roar vibrated throughout the air. The primal, beast like roar originated from away the school, probably somewhere near the residential area that bordered near the market place located next to the school. The roar itself was furious, and carried with it a domineering layer of killing intent, enough to make my breathe halt and the hair on my scalp to shiver. Five seconds of silence passed before another roar rang out through the air. This time, the roar was noticeably louder. Without a doubt, the source of the roar was getting closer. Not waiting for a third time, my expression turned solemn as I faced the others. Their expressions were of varying shades of anxiety and fear. In a low, and dread filled voice, I uttered simply, ¡°We¡¯re leaving. Now.¡± Chapter 93: Rushing Manticore Rushing Manticore As the remnant echoes reverberated through my eardrums, I could not help but curse at my own incompetence. The largest cause of this current predicament, the situation where we currently found ourselves at odds with a presumably Boss class monster, was without a doubt, because of the egg. There were a few determining factors as to how things had progressed into such a direction, but the underlying root cause was because of this egg¡­ and my negligence. A few seconds ago, I had unwittingly softened my guard. Overcome by the weariness and ensuing aftermath of post battle glow, my usual tension had decreased, to the point where I unconsciously entered into a ¡°lost in thought¡± state of mind. This state, and my own tendency to overthink and ignore my surroundings was a real problem. In fact, this wasn¡¯t the first time this habit had brought danger to my doorstep. It was because of this bad habit that I wasn¡¯t able to stop Narise from acting out in my moment of indecision. Another factor to this was Narise herself. I knew she was somewhat fond of monsters, but I did not know that things had progressed to such a state where her fixation actually posed a threat to the group¡¯s well being. Fervent fanaticism bordering on obsession¡­ This was something I had never even imagined, further slackening my guard. If such a thing were to be left alone, then it would surely lead to numerous future troubles. As the brief thought of abandoning Narise, and removing this budding trouble from the stem, flashed through my mind, another roar echoed through out the air. This roar originated north, a bit further ahead of the streets of the residential neighborhood. I glared at the far away rooftops for a split second before I turned back around, and forcibly ushered everyone back into the building. ¡°Hurry, the roars are getting louder!¡± Everyone streamed past me in frantic haste, even Narise, who slightly brushed my shoulder as she cradled the egg in one hand, and a wriggling newborn Gila in the other, ran past me without much thought. I glared at her receding figure, but she stayed unaware. Her eyes were spinning as all her attention focused purely on the basketball sized egg in her arms. Seeing this obsession which persisted even in this sort of life threatening situation, I could only resentfully sigh as I followed everyone back into the school. *** We were momentarily gathered in the hallway overlooking the courtyard. Under normal circumstances, there would be a sort of discussion as to our next course of actions. The type of setup that resembled the democratic process, which in my eyes, was just our own twisted attempt at staying civil within this hell hole of a world. Unfortunately, we did not have the luxury nor the time for that. Our backs were up against the wall, and danger was quickly approaching. We needed fast, immediate response. We did not need group consensus, but simply a singular direction. Practically the whole group understood this. Their eyes unknowingly stared up at me, a mixture of expectation and fear glinting deep within their irises. Without a moment¡¯s hesitation, I quickly instructed everyone back towards the basement. Without a second thought, they immediately ran towards the direction I indicated. Even Cielle, whom I locked eyes with for a fleeting moment, outright sprinted after the rest of the group, her willowy legs pumping in utter desperation. As the rest of the group progressed forward, I momentarily stayed behind. While staying back was particularly risky, I wanted to verify with my own eyes the threat that was currently looming over our heads. In addition, since the weaker, less physically inclined members of the group would take a while to make it to the basement, catching up to them wasn¡¯t a real issue. I was fairly confident I could make it to the basement safely, even with me lagging behind like this. As this sort of budding confidence sprouted in my chest, I solemnly glared out the window. For a brief moment, the scenery remained unchanged. The desolate looking neighborhood, filled with its gouged out streets, and partially destroyed houses remained still, like a framed watercolor painting. This state of ephemeral serenity only lasted for no more than 10 seconds before a blurred figure jumped over a two story house and landed deftly on to the street overlooking the school. The jump and the subsequent landing caused the pavement to crack and split, while a tiny crater formed where 2 pairs of imposing clawed paws stood. Thanks to my enhanced senses, I could make out a few of the monster¡¯s finer details even from this distance. Its legs and torso were covered in a layer of thin, dirty gold colored fur. The fur wasn¡¯t all that thick though, so it could not hide the bulging muscles beneath. In addition, from underneath that fur and on top of those muscles, what was supposed to be skin was replaced by a layer of dark green scales. These fish like scales were mostly covered by the fur, but they could not be fully concealed as they poked out on various spots of the monster¡¯s body. Aside from its scales, the beast had a mane of thick brown-white hair that ran all the way around its neck. At the end of the mane, there was the scowling expression of a monster whose face resembled that of a middle aged old man. This face had veins running through its forehead, while its eyes were shaped like almonds, giving it a somewhat feline-like appearance. These features, coupled with the pair of horns that jutted out from its mane, gave the monster a somewhat sinister appearance. As the beast tensed its muscles and stared hatefully at its own nest, a thick, armor plated tail violently slammed into the street and houses nearby. At the end of this dark purplish tail, there was a sort of knob with a sharp object jutting out. Overall, the tail, which looked like a scorpion¡¯s tail, completed the Manticore¡¯s outer appearance giving it a completed impression of menacing dominance. From this distance, it was too far for me to use [Identify] on the monster, but for a moment, I felt the Manticore¡¯s gaze sweep past me, sending a cold shiver running through my spine. My body momentarily froze as my mind stalled. I immediately palpated while, deep within me, the intense desire to run bursted forth like a broken dam. Calling this sensation fear would not be accurate. Mentally, I was not afraid. It was my body that reacted. Instinctively, every fiber of my being, to each strand of hair on my body down to all the cells on my skin, they all knew, they all felt the difference in strength. It was a primal drive that constantly yelled at me that, in front of this creature, I was nothing more than prey. It only took a brief second for all this to wash over me. For a fleeting moment, the monster in question maintained its menacing glare, before it let out a rage filled howl and abruptly sprinted madly towards the school. The monster¡¯s sudden rush spurred my own. I desperately ran towards the basement. Even as the ground shivered and as dread clamped firmly into my heart, my legs did not stop moving. The concept of survival filled my mind and before I even realized, I was already in the basement, panting desperate pockets of air while trying to forcibly calm my rapidly beating heart. I leapt down onto the basement floor and, following the familiar pathway illuminated by the light that leaked out from the open doorway, I ran towards the bomb shelter. There, like I had previously instructed, the others were waiting for me. In the dim of light, I could clearly see the palpable fear and anxiety etched on their faces. I motioned to open my mouth, but just as I was about to say something, a large force shook the entirety of the building to its core. Surprised and startled screams leaked out, the emergency lights momentarily flickered, and the very foundation of the school trembled as if in fear. From above, another muffled roar could be heard, followed by the sound of crumbling concrete and collapsing floors. The Manticore had arrived, and going by that force alone, it had brought down half of the east building with it. As chaos ensued, my mind briefly registered the faces around me. Narise practically threw herself over the egg and baby Gila, shielding them from falling objects and shaken debris. I don¡¯t know since when, but the President had positioned himself in front of the weaker members of the group, while Cher was huddled up in front of Hina and Cielle, her shield drawn and raised above her head. While everyone had differing reactions, there was one noticeable consistency that remained; fear, panic, anxiety, all these emotions were currently dominating the shivering room like a thick fog of heavy miasma. Meanwhile, my own mind raced. What to do? How do we get out of this situation? I had instinctively fled to the bomb shelter because I had thought it was the safest location within the east building. But after the earlier display, I knew that this flimsy location wouldn¡¯t hold for very long. The Manticore above our heads was currently rampaging haphazardly, destroying the building in its mad chaos. In front of something that could literally shred concrete like it was tofu, this bomb shelter was practically negligible. If we can¡¯t hole ourselves up in here and wait out the rising tide, there was always the option of killing the monster itself. Of course, this option was only on the basis that the Manticore¡¯s fighting ability was on level with the Dungeon Boss¡¯s. Going by it''s currently display, that assumption had long since been overturned. Maybe in a one on one, the Dungeon Boss might stand a chance if it utilized its high regeneration and ten tentacle assault, but in terms of pure strength, the Manticore was superior by leaps and bounds. This sort of over specced enemy was currently the most annoying for our group to fight. Rather, it wouldn¡¯t be a stretch to say that we had practically no chance of winning. Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. The last, and most feasible option was escape. Another large tremor shook the building, and from outside the bomb shelter, I could tell that the basement ceiling had collapsed. The Manticore had broken through all three floors and finally reached the ground floor. I don¡¯t know whether its large size was a blessing or a curse. Because of its stature, it could not outright pursue us through the halls, but at the same time, its size was closely tied with its immense strength. Now that it was on the ground floor, the obstacles that stood in its way had drastically gone down. Going by how things were currently progressing, It wouldn¡¯t take long before its attention would unavoidably point in our direction. With sweat pouring down my back, I swallowed all the hesitation I had bottled up, and immediately ushered everyone into the winding pathway. As we entered the darkness where light could not touch, I hastily formulated a plan based on what little information I knew, and on what little assumptions I could conclude. ¡°Everyone, run towards the refuge, and climb up to the first floor. Without stopping, run west. Leave the school grounds and hide out in the residential neighborhood¡­ if possible you can try to escape to the city. Whatever you do though, don¡¯t stop. Ignore the Manticore and keep running.¡± My voice echoed throughout the dreary pathway without pause. I recited all this with a grim and somber expression, but thanks to the darkness, nobody in here could make out what sort of dreadful face I was currently making. Of course, the source of my dark mood was because of the rather dangerous, and somewhat reckless plan I had hastily devised. The current plan I created was quite simple. While someone draws the monster¡¯s attention, everyone else will use the opportunity to escape. Without question, I had decided to be bait. After all, as bait, I was the person with the highest chances of survival. Now, to keep the Manticore¡¯s attention focused solely on me, there was only one object that could do that¡­ ¡°Narise, hand over the egg.¡± I set of footsteps abruptly halted, as a surprised ¡°Hah?¡± sounded out from a few feet ahead of me. ¡°W-what did you sa-¡± Narise¡¯s incredulous words were cut short. I did not have the time to listen to her inevitable protests, as I forced my body to move into action. Even in the dark, to the me who painstakingly practiced [Echolocation], pinpointing Narise¡¯s location was a relatively easy task. In the middle of her ramblings, I used [Shadow Sprint] and instantly teleported in front of her. I don¡¯t know whether she had seen me or felt my sudden presence, but Narise¡¯s shoulders trembled as a sharp intake of breath echoed throughout the pathway. Before she could properly react, I took a quick step forward, and thrusted my arm out like a readied spear. My hand had jolted forward and snaked around the egg in her arms. With one yank, I took hold of the egg before I retreated backwards, increasing the gap that had already formed between us. ¡°Wha-!¡± Narise¡¯s surprised exclamations reached my ears, but I turned a deaf ear towards it all. ¡°Fuck, what¡­? Shit, Boss, gi-give it back! Hey¡± Even as Narise¡¯s protests grew increasingly fierce, I did not respond. I could tell that Narise was currently groping the empty space around her, her footsteps slowly shuffling in a careful, probing manner, but in here, it was utterly hopeless. In the dark, she could do nothing but stomp her feet in frustration. ¡°Boss, give me back the egg!¡± She desperately pleaded, as she continued to stagger around in a hopeless daze. In actuality, a small lump of irritation had formed in the back of my mind. This girl, she was the sole cause of this predicament, and yet, her eyes were blinded by the obsession she possessed. I wanted to yell, to berate, to punish her for not only her recklessness, but for her total lack of disregard for everyone else¡¯s safety, but I knew that we had no time. That sort of thing would have to wait until after we escaped. Hearing Narise¡¯s pleading shouts, which grew increasingly louder to the point of surpassing the constant booming noises from above, the rest of the group stopped and turned around. Their strained attention focusing in on the two of us. ¡°Give them back! Shit¡­ I need that egg, Boss!¡± ¡°Stop being an idiot. I need this to lure the Manticore to me.¡± I said simply, not bothering to hide the irritation in my voice. The Manticore was only rampaging because of this egg, and it was highly likely that it had some way of locating it. As long as this egg was with us, the manticore would not stop. This sole fact was the reason why this egg was so important. In this situation, it was the perfect bait. A simple solution to such a dreadful reality. I just needed to take the egg, and distract the Manticore while the others escaped. Of course, I briefly played with the idea of simply leaving the egg within this pathway, and running away together with the rest of the group. But as quickly as the idea had formed, I dismissed it with haste. There was the possibility that the Manticore could sense whether or not its egg was in danger, or whether or not someone had the egg. If I left the egg in here, and the Manticore deemed that it was safe, before it went back to secure its offspring, the Manticore might go out of its way to kill us as revenge for taking its egg. In order to prevent that scenario, it was necessary to make the egg the priority for the Manticore. That¡¯s why, not only does the egg need to stay behind, but another person also needs to stay with the egg and act as the ¡°threat¡±. So, despite Narise¡¯s desperate pleas, this situation I could not budge on. In fact, it was her fault we wound up in this mess in the first place. In her obsession, Narise possessed no self realization towards this fact. Again, I wanted to reprimand her for this, but now was not the time. ¡°Give it ba-¡± In the middle of her continuing speech, I once again used [Shadow Sprint] and teleported behind her. I struck the back of her neck with the side palm of my empty hand. Her body immediately went limp, as she fell backwards. Surprisingly enough, even though she was unconscious, the grip on her Gila never once loosened. I hoisted her up over my shoulder, and in the darkness, I half jogged towards where I knew the President was standing. I immediately propped the unconscious Narise over the President¡¯s shoulder. The sudden action caused him to jump in surprise, but after realizing ¡°what¡± I had given him, he relaxed and accepted. ¡°Also, take these¡­ just in case.¡± I handed him all but two of the basic fireball skill books, one of the Lesser Draconic Boosts, and the Savage Blow skillbook. In case they ran into trouble, it was better for them to increase their fighting capability with these new skills. After all, who knew how long we would be separated for. ¡°Make sure to do what I said,¡± I once again instructed in a heavy voice. ¡°Escape the building and run west. I¡¯ll keep the Manticore distracted, and then I¡¯ll meet back up with you guys later.¡± ¡°That-¡± The President hesitated, but before he could formulate a sentence, a sudden voice from somewhere in the dark immediately interrupted. ¡°Let¡¯s meet back up at my place.¡± From the intonation and pitch of the voice, I could tell without needing to verify that the source of the voice was Cielle. ¡°My home is nearby, and it''s to the west of the school¡­ so promise.¡± After hearing this, I hesitated for a second. The possibility that we would not be able to immediately meet back up was high, so I did not want to make any sort of reckless promise. It was only after another tremor shook the pathway, did I finally speak up again. ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll try, but if after two days, and I¡¯m not back again, I want you guys to keep going. Find somewhere safe, escape the immediate location. And, under any circumstances, do not go back to the school.¡± ¡°A week.¡± ¡°Hah?¡± ¡°We¡¯ll wait for a week.¡± ¡°Wha- no, Cielle, I said-¡± ¡°We don¡¯t have time to argue about this, one week.¡± ¡°Two days.¡± ¡°...five days.¡± As the brief thought, ¡°why the hell am I arguing about this?¡± flashed through my mind, I paused for a split second, before I uttered in an exasperated sigh. ¡°Three. That¡¯s final.¡± I could hear Cielle¡¯s quick uptake of breathe. She paused, hesitated for a moment, before I finally heard her grunt in acceptance. I could almost imagine her bobbing her head up and down in response, but there was no time for such idle thoughts. With haste, after Cielle told me her address, I quickly told them to continue moving. As the sound of hastily stampeding footsteps receded, I turned back around and walked a few dozen meters backwards. Right now, I should be approximately at the midpoint of the pathway, and directly on top of the main building. As if following the egg, the Manticore had moved away from the East Building, and over to the Main. It was currently rampaging directly above me, destroying the almost impossibly large structure that almost took my very life on numerous occasions. With the Monster egg tightly held in place underneath the crook of my armpit, I unsheathed my sword, as I unconsciously glared upwards. The ground shook, loosening a few pebbles and unearthing some ancient dust that fell from above. A resounding roar once again echoed out from above me. Although muffled, the roar was incredible close, enough to cause my whole body to vibrate along with the rest of the passageway. My ears were ringing, while the hair on my scalp stood on ends. Again, the innate instinct to run overwhelmed my body like a rushing tide, yet even with all this, my eyes stayed resolute. In the darkness, with an egg in one hand, and my new sword in another, I waited. I waited and acted as bait. Chapter 94: Confrontation with the Manticore Author¡¯s Note: I changed the amount of skill books Hide found in the courtyard. I added one more Lesser Draconic Boost and one more basic fireball skill. Confrontation with the Manticore Unbeknownst to my actions, the Manticore continued to rampage above me. While I could not see anything, I could hear the constant destruction that took place. The sound of concrete crumbling, walls breaking, the occasional roar¡­ at this point, I could only imagine what the current state of the Main building was like. After a moment of thought, I retracted my eyes from the ceiling, and looked around my surroundings for the first time. As expected, everything that entered my vision was nothing but pitch black darkness. If I really concentrated, and maxed out my vision with [Sensory Remapping], then I could see some light that seeped out in the direction of the Old School Building, but in the end, it was still a considerable distance away. Aside from what I couldn¡¯t see, the thing that truly made my heart shudder and my mind taut, was the constant trembling of this tunnel-like pathway. The vibrations that constantly shook my surroundings gave off a somewhat foreboding feeling, and placed an aspect of danger deep within my mind. After all, even with all my enhancements and levels taken into consideration, I could not survive a cave-in. I moved a few meters forward in the direction of the old school building. The idea was that if the pathway did collapse, I could instantly escape using [Shadow Sprint]. Due to my constant reliance on the skill, I managed to level it up to beginner level 8. With each successive level up, [Shadow Sprint]¡¯s short range teleportation increased by 1 meter, while its long range teleportation increased by 10 meters. Right now, without a destination shadow, I could teleport up to a distance of 17 meters. With a destination shadow, I could teleport as far as 200 meters. After I was positive I was within 200 meters from the old school building, I finally stopped. Only about a few minutes had passed, so the Manticore¡¯s rampage was still at its height. As I waited in the darkness, in order to increase my chances of survival, I immediately fished out the new skill books I had acquired. Since my current task was to draw out the Manticore¡¯s rampage, I could do nothing but stay in here and wait with the egg nearby. As a result, I had an ample amount of time to myself. While it might not be the perfect time to be reading, I was fairly confident in my safety. After all, with [Shadow Sprint], escaping from a cave-in was pretty easy. After rummaging around my backpack for a while, I pulled out a flashlight. Back when we entered the pathway, I didn¡¯t really need it, mostly because the tunnel was fairly straight forward and contained only one path. I sat down and amidst all the chaos, I quietly began reading. After 30 minutes of slightly hurried reading, I managed to learn [Ferocity] and [Lesser Draconic Boost]. [Ferocity] was a somewhat common skill that allowed one to boost attack damage and attack speed at the expense of their stamina. The boost was somewhat minimal, so I was a bit disappointed upon learning the skill. In comparison, [Lesser Draconic Boost] was leaps ahead of [Ferocity]. As expected, something with [Draconic] tacked on to its name was on a totally different level when compared with ordinary skills. [Lesser Draconic Boost] was a body enhancement skill that temporarily increases a person¡¯s stats and gave them ¡°the body constitution of a dragon¡±. While it was already useful the first time I learned it, it was only after I used all three [Lesser Draconic Boost] skill books, did it become a real force to be reckoned with. With a 100% synchronicity rating, the results of the three identical skill books was something quite formidable¡­
Lesser Draconic Boost ++ Skill Type: Rare Skill Rank: Beginner Skill Level: 1 Skill Experience: 0% Effects A body enhancement skill that gives one the constitution of a dragon. Activation will temporarily enhance reaction time, vision, and sensitivity to temperature. Activation will temporarily augment all stats with the exception of luck, leadership, and consumable stats. Strength, vitality, and all defensive stats will increase by a factor of 6. Speed will increase by a factor of 4. All other stats will increase by a factor of 2. Use consumes stamina. Consumption dependent on duration of activation. No cooldown. Consumption decreases as skill level increases. Augmentation increases as skill level increases.
The current [Lesser Draconic Boost] was almost four times better than what it was at the start. At first, the skill only enhanced strength, vitality, and all defensive stats by a factor of 2. Speed was also only increased by 50%, and the other stats weren''t even enhanced. In comparison, the current [Lesser Draconic Boost ++], was like a dragon among men. I don¡¯t really know how good an intermediate draconic boost is, or whether one exists in the first place, but right now, I was fairly confident that my new skill wouldn¡¯t lose out¡­ probably. After learning my new skills, I waited for another 30 minutes. In total, about 1 hour passed since I entered the pathway, and the Manticore was still rampaging. The Main building was probably the most sturdy of the three school buildings. It was reinforced with earthquake proof steel, and had a fairly solid foundation. Breaking through that sort of foundation was increasingly difficult, and what¡¯s more, separating this pathway from the main building was a layer of compact soil, and dirt. Even after an hour, it was still able to whether the natural disaster known as the Manticore. As the Manticore¡¯s violent rampage continued, I thought about my current situation. If I destroyed the egg, what would happen? Would the Manticore grieve, and willingly leave? Would it go mad and enter into an even larger frenzy? How far was it willing to go for this egg? I was indeed curious, and in addition, I never once tried dissecting an egg before. The experience itself might prove somewhat beneficial. But just as these thoughts and temptations filled my head, I immediately waved them away. Such train of thought was too risky. There was no need to further agitate the beast, especially not when it was so close to my doorsteps. In the end, I pondered whether I should keep the egg or abandon it. On one hand, I was fairly confident I could escape with the egg using [Shadow Sprint]. What¡¯s more, since I was alone, my chances would be even higher. The only problem was that if I took the egg, then the Manticore would indefinetely chase after me. ¡­ The egg was an undeniable treasure, but its very presence attracted risk and danger¡­ The third option would be to either kill the Manticore, or injure it to the extent where it couldn¡¯t chase after me. But that just brings up another question; in my current state, was there any way for me to fight the Manticore? I thought silently for a moment, before I took out my backpack. In order to properly assess my chances of survival during combat, I first needed to verify the items I had on me, and whether any of them would be helpful. My pack was mostly full, and had a mix of ¡°system¡± items as well as regular stuff I had found in the building. There were a few skill books within, mainly two basic fireball skill books, and Kido¡¯s [Cursed] [Explosion] skill book. In addition, I had an assortment of knives and daggers, a change of clothes, three water bottles, a roll of duct tape, some rope, and a few pill bottles and medicine I had found in the Bomb shelter. As expected though, there was no food. Near the bottom, as I shined the flashlight over the pack, something small and round glinted with red radiance. I pulled it out, and stared solemnly at the fist sized marble. [Lesser Draconic Flare]. Without a doubt, if I wanted to actually injure the monster, then this item was essential. Its size was a bit cumbersome, but I knew that this red marble wasn¡¯t something simple. But despite the confidence I had with the item, I was still left feeling a bit dubious. With [Equip], the item would display twice its original power. This feat alone was pretty substantial, but I had no point of reference for the object. I did not have a basis for its original power. How strong the resulting blast was unknown to me. Its strength, and whether it had the capabilities of injuring the Manticore was still a loft bet to make. I drooped my head down, my brow furrowing as I began to think. ¡°Indeed, it was a risky gamble. How strong were the Manticore¡¯s defenses? Is the Draconic Flare enough to break through those defenses? In the end¡­ should I take the risk?¡± Just as I was thinking, an irresistible oppressive sense of danger suddenly exploded out from within my mind. It was as if a torrential typhoon had suddenly emerged during a clear, and sunny day. Previously, I had experienced a similar sensation back within the dungeon, but this time¡¯s experience was completely different than any I¡¯ve ever felt before. I immediately grabbed the egg, and crammed it into the nook of my arm pit. At the same time, I hastily grabbed for my half opened backpack as well as my new sword, which laid sprawled on the ground next to me. Without hesitation, I used [Shadow Sprint], and directly appeared within the edges of the Old school Building¡¯s broken refuge. Due to my haste, the moment I landed, the contents within my pack, spilled forth. The medicine bottles rolled haphazardly, the water spilled, and the rope lay tangled under my feet. Normally, I would place some importance into this, but right now, my attention was all currently directed at the pathway. In the next instant, a series of quakes shook the ground, before a tremendous, earth shattering eruption surged forth. The pathway crumbled and caved-in after a series of rocks, concrete, and soil blocked its entrance. Not even a second passed, before that wall of debris was destroyed by a towering figure. With an almost palpable fiery energy swirling around it, the Manticore stepped out from the remains of the tunnel, and stalked forward, it¡¯s feline eyes swiveling left and right before they ultimately landed on me. The instant I met its glare, I was met by a surge of oppressive energy. My heart rate rapidly increased, as sweat soaked my shirt and moistened my brow. My breath turned ragged, and I could not help but take a step back. Compared to earlier, the current Manticore was definitely under the effects of some skill, or abnormal condition. Its muscles were bulging with visible veins running through them, while its eyes were colored a shade of scarlet red. Subconsciously, without even realizing, I used [Identify].
Green Scale Manticore - Level 87 HP: 32,000/ 32,000
Information regarding the Manticore itself came rushing forward, causing my eyes to widen with a mixture of fear and shock. Even with what little information it gave me, the Manticore¡¯s level was already shocking, while its HP was more than double the Dungeon Boss¡¯s. As the Manticore continued to stalk forward, an additional window panel appeared in front of me as information regarding its skill came to light.
Intermediate Draconic Boost
While I was inwardly surprised at seeing another Dragon related skill, before I could fully comprehend what I was facing, the Manticore suddenly opened its maw, and let loose an ear splitting roar. In the knick of time, the moment I had seen its jaw so much as loosen, I had immediately completely cancelled out my sense of hearing. This was a lucky move on my part, otherwise my eardrums would have probably ruptured just now. But, despite that little success, I still felt the tyrannical roar in its entirety with every other part of my body. The air vibrated with chaotic intensity, causing my own body to uncontrollably tremble, while blasting all signs of perspiration clear from my face. The loose pebbles on the ground all danced in a violent tune. I did not notice, but my feet had slid backwards due to the pressure from the roar alone. Aside from the fear and sense of danger the Manticore¡¯s roar gave me, it also affected the egg within my arms. The Manticore Egg violently wriggled, as if reacting to its mother¡¯s call. I tried to resist its chaotic spree, but due to the roar, my body had momentarily froze. I could do nothing but watch helplessly as the egg fell, and rolled backwards a few meters behind me. Seeing the egg fall out of my grasps, the mother Manticore let loose an almost human like smirk, as its stride forward intensified. Each step it took caused craters to form underneath its feet. As it drew closer, the wave of oppression it radiated out gradually increased. My body was practically stuck. Even as my mind raged forth with frantic haste, my physical body remained frozen in instinctual fear. It was only after it had closed the gap between us down to 2 meters, did my body finally respond to my will. As it lunged forward, I frantically activated all my defensive skills. [Searing Armor] caused my skin to flush in a fleshy pink shade of red, while [Lesser Draconic Boost ++] made my muscles swell, and my veins throb. I had used both skills simultaneously, and in addition, I also frantically jumped backwards using all of my enhanced strength as I desperately raised my new sword in front of me. Even with all that, even with Fynch absorbing most of the impact, even when Lesser Draconic Boost and Searing Armor buffed up my defenses to an almost unprecedented level, even after I had desperately tried to mitigate its rush by jumping backwards, the subsequent force was enough to shatter what little of the gila armor I had remaining. My body was sent sailing through the air, forming a sideways v, before I hit the wall with a resounding boom. A crater had formed behind me while dust completely filled the space ahead. ¡°Uuuu¡­¡± A low groan escaped my battered throat. Blood leaked out from my body like a squashed tomato. My vision was blurry, and my ears throbbed with heated intensity. In my half conscious-state, I wasn¡¯t too positive, but I think about 2/3rds of my hp had been instantly slashed off. From beyond the dust that covered my surroundings like a fog of mist, I could see the Manticore stalking forward. While its attention was half focused on its egg, the other half was painfully glaring in my direction. The pain in my body was intense, but at the same time, it allowed me to break free from the Manticore¡¯s oppression. I glared back at the direction of the Manticore, a resolute light hidden beneath my eyes. From the moment I had escaped from the Pathway, I had counted down the seconds, and now, the skill cool down had finally finished. With a feeling of burning defiance in my heart, I painstakingly craned my neck to look up at the approaching beast. From beyond the layer of unsettled dust and debris, I could faintly see its approaching silhouette. If it was before, The Manticore¡¯s approach would have sent another wave of tyrannical oppression surging forth, but now, I could not help but sardonically smile. It was time for my counter attack. *** Perspective Change The Manticore¡¯s low growl resonated throughout the room. It¡¯s eyes constantly swiveled between the egg, and the spot where it had blasted Hide towards. Despite the surging animosity within its heart, it did not brashly move to attack. The Manticore was fairly confident. It knew fully well the difference in power between it and Hide. When compared to it, Hide was nothing more than an ant looking up at an elephant. Still though, even though it was somewhat of a tyrant within the space around the school and the neighboring residential areas, by nature, it was a cautious creature. After all, in the world where it had come from, when compared with the truly strong, the Manticore was nothing but low level fodder. This knowledge was painfully implanted within its heart, so even now, facing Hide whose strength wasn¡¯t even comparable to its own, it still assumed an air of caution. As the dust around the room began to settle, the Manticore¡¯s eyes narrowed as it glared piercingly at the spot where Hide was at. What surprised the Manticore though, was that the mangled body it had assumed was lying half dead by the wall was nowhere to be seen. In its place was a wet bloodstain, and empty air. While the Manticore¡¯s level of intelligence wasn¡¯t particularly high, in its previous world, it had undergone countless battles. It knew full well the dangers of an unseen enemy. The Manticore¡¯s feline like eyes widened, as it immediately swiveled its head in a panic. In less than a second, it found something that hadn¡¯t been there before. Hide kneeled down next to a somewhat out of shape spear. His body was soaked in red, while his chest heaved up and down. It was evident that just maintaining his consciousness was taking a toll on him, but unlike the current state of his body, Hide¡¯s eyes blazed with hidden killing intent. The spear next to him was the same spear he had crafted for Saya, the transfer student who had died during the dungeon boss battle. After the battle, the spear had been left alone, mostly because in Hide¡¯s eyes, the weapon itself was subpar, created without going through the proper procedures. In addition, along with the battle axe, pole arm, several daggers, and two swords that Hide had, he simply did not have enough arms to carry an additional weapon. Without hesitation, Hide immediately picked up the spear, and cocked it backwards, his arm bulging as veins throbbed in a chaotic rhythm. In the span of a breathe, several skills were activated. [Lesser Draconic Boost ++], [Searing Armor], and the [Pierce] effect of [Dissect], all of these skills were activated almost simultaneously. Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. Hide¡¯s body swelled with power, letting out a series of popping sounds, while faint trails of white steam emitted from his pink flushed skin. The Manticore, who had seen this sudden change, immediately let out a roar, before it ran at full speed, barrelling towards him. Seeing the monster¡¯s approach, rather than shrinking back in fear, Hide revealed a fearless smile. In one swift motion, he propelled the spear forward, throwing it out like a javelin. The air whistled as the spear tip, like a well aimed arrow, homed in on its target. To the Manticore¡¯s surprise, the target of the spear wasn¡¯t him, but rather, the egg! The Manticore¡¯s eyes flashed with intense anger. At this moment, it truly wanted to rip Hide apart and eat him live, but the spear was simply too fast and too dangerous. It desperately came to a halt, turned around, and leapt backwards. Its body was a blur of fur and muscle. It knew that at this point, due to the difference in speed, it could only desperately run in order to act as a living meat shield for its precious egg. In the split second all of this transpired, Hide¡¯s light smile grew wider. Hide¡¯s body was ragged. His clothing was torn, and ripped apart, while his body was covered in blood and injuries. His newly fixed wrist, was now throbbing in extreme pain. It had broken once again, due to that throw he had just performed. Hide acted oblivious to all this though, as he gritted his teeth, and immediately activated [Shadow Sprint]. Upon reaching beginner level 8, [Shadow Sprint]¡¯s cooldown had decreased from 8 seconds to 5 seconds. From the moment he had teleported to this new location, to when he threw the spear, and up to now, the amount of time that had passed was exactly 5 seconds! Like a disembodied shadow, Hide¡¯s figure vanished, before it instantly reappeared right next to the Manticore¡¯s hind leg. Hide knew that if he did not directly kill or substantially injure this creature, then given the current state of his body, even if he were to escape right now, it would only be a matter of time before he was hunted down and killed. With a hoarse roar, with the Soul Bound Sword in his non broken hand, Hide swung forward. His attack was aimed precisely at the back of the Monster¡¯s hind leg, directly where its achilles heel was located. This attack was a comparably dangerous move, especially for Hide. Unlike the other monsters Hide had fought up until now, the Manticore had a tremendously overbearing scorpion tail. Due to the proximity of this tail, an attack directly aimed at its hind leg would normally be impossible to pull off. Luckily, the monster¡¯s attention was all drawn towards protecting its offspring. Even though it knew Hide was this close, it could care less. In front of an ant, its baby was far more important. The time span for this opening was incomparably small. In less than a fraction of a split second, due to the creature¡¯s forward momentum, the Manticore would leave Hide¡¯s attack range. In addition, there was a great possibility that the Manticore would control its scorpion tail to swipe at Hide as it passed by. This opening was too dangerous and too short, but for Hide, whose mind was stretched to its limits, and whose body was overexerted beyond those same limits, this opening was just enough for him. With the monster¡¯s leg extended, and with its body currently in mid air, Hide¡¯s sword swept forward like a dull grey meteorite. At that moment, it was almost as if time stood still for Hide. His beady gaze was looked onto the back of its hind leg, at the spot where an almost indiscernible bump that indicated where its achilles tendon was located. Although the spot wasn¡¯t covered by dense fur, a layer of comparably thick green scales covered it. With his current abilities, penetrating through those scales was most likely impossible. The only option left for him was in between the scales. A micrometer of space that was currently moving at an impossible fast speed. This space represented Hide¡¯s own life and death. If he succeeded, then his chances of survival would increase. If he failed, then his death was almost guaranteed. As Hide¡¯s eyes continued to scrutinize, he had unknowingly entered a sort of profound state. The person himself did not realize, but right now, Hide was actually using [Sensory Remapping]. His vision was rapidly turning monochrome. He had entered a world of black and white. At the same time, sound, smell, taste, touch, pain, all of these sensations and more rapidly vanished, while at the same time, his perception of time amplified beyond human limitations. It was during desperate situations like this, where he would subconsciously activate one or more of his skills. Back when he had learned [Echolocation], the situation was somewhat similar. Now, it was his perception of time that was being heavily altered. Everything was moving in slow motion. If Hide had any perception of his physical body, then he would notice that he currently felt like he was moving through a pool of molasses. A time frame of less than a fraction of a split second was now incomparably slow. His eyes were currently like beady dots, constantly glaring at the Manticore¡¯s achilles tendon. In this seemingly infinite time span, what Hide was looking for was a gap. A gap in between its scales, a gap where Hide could fit the edge of his blade in. A gap that would give him a chance for survival. After what felt like an incomparably long time, all of a sudden, Hide¡¯s senses flooded back into him like a tidal wave. Color rapidly returned to his eyes, while at the same time, an extreme, and sudden throb resonated in the back of his mind. Hide who was vaguely aware of all this, completely ignored the changes within his mind. In that monochrome state, he had found the gap, and his body was already in full motion. [Lesser Draconic Bost++], [Ferocity], and [Dissect] were all currently activated. His body pulsated like a throbbing heartbeat, while at the same time, a faint blade light reflected off of Fynch¡¯s dull grey surface. The sword edge sliced in between the dark grey scales of the Manticore¡¯s hind leg, and cleanly cut through like a hot knife on butter. Added with the Manticore¡¯s own forward momentum, the blade was further pushed in before it came to a stop after colliding with bone. A surge of pain welled up within the Manticore¡¯s mind, but it could only begrudgingly swallow it down, as its feline eyes locked onto the still approaching spear. As it kept sailing through the air, Hide completed his swing. Although he could not penetrate through the bone, he did manage to successfully severe its tendon. Hide quickly retracted his blade with a squelching sound, just as he jumped backwards. The scorpion tail that was swung in Hide¡¯s direction, fruitlessly hit empty air. At the same time, the Manticore had continued forward, crashing in front of its precious egg. The impact from its landing caused the egg to helplessly roll a few meters away from it. At the same time, the spear bounced harmlessly off of its body. It flew through the air for a few seconds before it landed helplessly next to the egg. Upon its landing, the Manticore let loose a fierce, pain-filled howl. Its [Intermediate Draconic Boost] had deactivated, and its bulging muscles returned to normal. Its newly opened wound let out a waterfall of blood. The creature¡¯s almond shaped eyes were currently shaped in a malevolent fashion. It tried desperately, but anything below its right ankle was completely immovable. It swiveled its head back to stare at its new wound, before it turned around and glared at the culprit. There, approximately 15 meters away from it, Hide stood. His back was arched downward, his broken wrist was trembling, while his facial expression was scrunched up into an ugly frown. The pain that currently encompassed his whole body was the only thing keeping him conscious. While it was helpful, Hide wanted so much to shut off this incredible feeling of pain. Unfortunately, for some odd reason, Hide could not properly use his [Sensory Remapping] right now. While this aroused a sense of unease within Hide¡¯s heart, he could not do anything but push it off to the side. There were more important things to worry about. The Manticore began making its way towards him. It did not rush out like last time. Rather, it could not move like last time. The new injury that Hide had created had greatly impeded its movements. Right now, it was constantly tripping over itself, struggling to even move one meter forward. Yet still, its eyes were filled with a fierce killing intent. Its proud body continued to move forward, as if stalking its prey. Hide who saw all this remained silent. In his heart, he was slowly counting down, while on the outside, he was looking at the distance between the Manticore and the egg. When the cooldown period finally ended, Hide¡¯s once battered body immediately moved into action. Once again, he used [Shadow Sprint], and once again, he immediately appeared next to the spear. The Manticore saw Hide abruptly disappear, and was instantly filled with a sense of unease. Its head immediately swiveled, and just as it had expected, it had found Hide, right next to its precious egg. Hide¡¯s legs gave out, as he forcibly kneeled onto the ground. His every muscle was screaming with pain, but he could do nothing about it. Right now, Hide¡¯s stamina was lowering at an incomparably fast rate, but still, due to the recent boost in his vitality and stamina, with his large reserves, he could still afford to be a little flashy. The pain in his body was simply due to overexertion. After all, Hide still hadn¡¯t recovered properly from the earlier Dungeon Boss fight. Hide saw the frantically approaching Manticore, and tried to ignore the pain he currently felt. The Manticore propelled itself forward with its front legs, and immediately barrelled in on Hide¡¯s location. In response, Hide hastily grabbed hold of the spear and the egg. He immediately jumped backwards, just as the Manticore swatted at him with its clawed paw. The wind pressure created from that single swipe was enough to slice through Hide¡¯s exposed skin, and sent him flying further backwards. Hide deftly landed on the ground and faltered for a split second before he quickly got a hold of himself, and once again jumped backwards, further distancing himself away from the Manticore. The Manticore tried to fruitlessly follow, but it immediately fell due to its newly injured leg. It tried to gain a proper footing, but fell numerous times. For a creature who has always relied on four of its legs, suddenly only having three functional limbs, while the other had become dead weight, was too shocking of a change to get used to. Filled with utter frustration and rage, the Manticore could only limp towards Hide. Meanwhile, Hide monopolized on this opportunity, and began to prepare. He grabbed hold of the spear, and fished out two items from his pockets; the roll of duct tape, and the [Lesser Draconic Flare]. Previously, Hide had deemed these two items to be the most useful, and had immediately grabbed hold of it during his initial entry into the Old School refuge. Without hesitation, Hide frantically began securing the Draconic Flare onto the spear. He strategically positioned the fist sized ball right under the spear shaft. As he was doing this, his hands were involuntarily shaking. Sweat streaked down from his brow, while his face was scrunched up into a worried expression. With one hand broken, he was having an incomparably hard time with doing such a simple task. In the end, he could not help but curse lowly underneath his breath, as the Manticore slowly began closing the distance. After what felt like an eternity, Hide finally secured the bead, and without a moment¡¯s pause, he immediately activated it. A slight undulation of red was emitted, which leaked freely through the gaps within the tape. The distance between the Manticore and Hide was now less than 10 meters. Following up with the activation of the sphere, Hide immediately activated all of his known skills. [Lesser Draconic boost], [Ferocity], the [Pierce] function of [Dissect], even [Searing Armor], which was seemingly useless in this situation was all activated. Hide¡¯s skin once again flushed pink, his skin emitting a slight mist of steam, while popping sounds were constantly being emitted from his joints. His veins throbbed and his muscles swelled. With all the boosts firmly into effect, Hide immediately played his hand. Without hesitation, he effortlessly threw the egg up into the air. This abrupt action, caused the Manticore¡¯s eyes to widen in both shock and fear. Its eyes locked onto the egg¡¯s subsequent rise and descent, fully drawing its attention away from Hide. Just as the Manticore was about to move forward in an attempt to catch its egg, the spear in Hide¡¯s arm was released. Like a shooting star, it traveled through the air in a streak of bright red. Without pause, the spear pierced directly into one of the Manticore¡¯s bulging eyes. The spear, which had been imbued with [Dissect]¡¯s [Pierce] effect, sank deep into the eye socket, only stopping after it hit the base of its skull. The light that was being constantly emitted from the flare instantly vanished as it entered deep into the center of the eyeball. As the Manticore¡¯s expressions began to shift from worry into agony, a muffled explosion took place. The once pierced eye, instantly splattered and exploded outwards. Meanwhile, the Manticore¡¯s head rocked backwards, before it slumped down to the floor in bitter agony. It let out a series of pain-filled howls, just as Hide lightly caught the descending Manticore egg. Hide was currently heavily panting. The simple action of throwing the spear had opened up many of his injuries, and his current condition was now worse than ever. Hide did not know this, but the usage of [Lesser Draconic Boost ++] was putting an immense strain on his physical body. In addition, the hand he had used to throw the spear, was the same hand he had broke. Now, he could not even feel pain or any other sensation from that hand. The severely injured youth consoled himself in the fact that the Manticore was faring much worse than him. Although Hide had half expected the explosion to kill the beast in one hit, surprisingly, it had only shaved off 75% of its hp. While Hide was somewhat disappointed, normally speaking, completely shaving off 75% of a level 87 Boss rank monster¡¯s HP in one hit was an almost impossible feat. While it wasn¡¯t dead, Hide figured that if he was luck, then blindness, and maybe even permanent brain damage had occurred. While the desire to finish off the Manticore was present, Hide knew that just the creature¡¯s pain filled thrashing alone was enough to end his quivering life. Hide assessed his options and wondered whether he should escape while it was injured or finish the job. In the end, he immediately grabbed hold of the egg, and decided to escape. Pushing his luck any further would lead to adverse consequences. The manticore who saw Hide carelessly climb up to the first floor, could only weakly raise its head, before it let out a pain filled groan. It fell back down, and continued its agony filled howls. Resentment, and indescribable fear was etched deep within its heart. **** Hide successfully escaped the School building, but the injuries he had received from the battle were by no means light. His vision was blurry, his ears were hot, his muscles ached, his mind throbbed, his chest hurt, and he was hovering on the edge of consciousness. It wouldn¡¯t be an exaggeration to say that Hide¡¯s current condition was one of the worst he¡¯s ever found himself in. And as if to make things even worse, he did not have any health potions left. In actuality, the various assortment of medications he had scavenged from the school, coupled with his [Equip] skill, had some varying degrees of HP regeneration. The only problem was that amidst all the confusion, the medicine, and along with the rest of his backpack had been left down in the basement. With the Manticore still there, he did not even consider going back and retrieving it. In fact, losing his backpack had been a severe blow to Hide. Along with the medicine, the unused skill books had been practically abandoned. In the battle alone, not only did he lose the [Lesser Draconic Flare], but also two basic fireball skill books, and the [Cursed] explosion skillbook. While this vague sense of regret lingered deep within his heart, Hide¡¯s mind was in no condition to worry about these minor details. Hide half jogged away from the school grounds. He did not move towards the group¡¯s direction, but rather, he headed to the east of the residential district. He knew full well that in his current condition, he could not travel far, and he did not know how fast the Manticore would recover. Staying away from the others for the time being was a form of protection. At the very least, he did not want to be the one responsible for leading a rampaging monster to where the others were. After a few minutes of desperate running, Hide¡¯s stamina finally reached its end. Due to the strain and injuries of his body, he could not persevere for long. Hide practically threw himself into the window of an abandoned house. The window pane shattered before he fell down onto the floor of a simple looking living room. He attempted to raise his head up in order to inspect the room, but he found that his vision was still blurry. He tried to use [Echolocation] and [Sensory Remapping] in order to see if there was anybody or any monster within the house, but again, it did not work. A part of him was worried, but a greater part of him was constantly screaming for him to rest. Hide¡¯s body was already burning up with a severe fever. His mind was hazy and he couldn¡¯t think properly, but he still forced his body to stand, and move forward. With great difficulty, he tried searching for a safe location within the abandoned house. Something like a nearby bedroom, or a walk in closet. He could only take three steps forward, before his body gave out, and he slumped down onto the hardwood floor of a hallway. Very quickly, the cold tendrils of sleep enticed him. As his eyelids heavily closed shut, Hide drifted off into a dreamless state of unconsciousness. **** Author''s Note: Thank you for your continued support, and thanks to those who donated. I really do appreciate it guys, and the only way I can express my gratitude it through releasing more chapters. Chapter 95: Waking Up Author''s Note: Sorry for the wait. I had exams all week, so it was hard finding time to write. And as always, thank you for those who donated. Waking Up Hunger¡­ ¡­ pain¡­ ¡­.thirst¡­. I was stuck in a seemingly endless perpetual state of agony. It felt as if every single one of my pain receptors were overloaded with jolts of intense electricity. My skin was on fire, my insides were turning, the back of my skull was throbbing. It was a blurry haze of indescribable discomfort. Like a thick miasma that bogged me down and drowned me. With my mind in total disarray, and my body in shambles, I was slowly sinking into a world void of any light, hope, or relief, unable and unaware of doing anything to prevent it. Like a drop in an infinitely expanding ocean, the tiny sliver of half-consciousness that I could just barely hold onto was my only life raft. I instinctively knew that if I were to fall of this tiny life raft, then I¡¯d be lost forever. Adrift in this made up ephemeral world, with no way of ever getting back. In short, I felt the cold tendrils of death slowly encircling around me, violently rocking my raft with ill intent and obvious malice. On more than one occasion, I felt the bitter cold spray of the expanding ocean. My tiny raft threatened to capsize, the wood began to creak and break, water flooded the insides, my body felt cold. The unshakable feeling of death constantly loomed over me like an imminent thunder cloud. Within this tiny, broken, half flooded raft, I found myself sitting there, a look of blank peace etched on my face. Faced with the threat of death, the tiny me whom I watched from above was inexplicably calm, his eyes closed shut, almost as if in meditation, while his hands rested lightly by his side. He did not do anything particularly grand, but it felt as if the restless waters that surrounded this seemingly infinite space quietly subsided, while the grey storms hanging overhead, slowly dissipated. With the quelling turmoil, the little me within the tiny raft slowly raised his left palm up in the air. The open palm lingered in mid air for a fraction of a second, before it abruptly closed in on itself, forming a tight fist. All of a sudden, the infinite space around me, rapidly closed in. The tiny raft cracked like thunder and the resulting splinters flew towards my fist. Like a gluttonous black hole, everything within this ephemeral world was swallowed and consumed by that seemingly tiny fist. The pain that had been subdued, came rushing forward like a torrential storm, and my eyes abruptly opened. *** Through my half squinted eyes, I stared upwards, a somewhat blank and empty expression on my face. Everything around me was a blur, my eyes were glazed, and an constant buzzing in my ears resonated like claps of thunder. Like the brief moment of half consciousness one experiences after abruptly waking up, my mind right now was in total disarray. I could vaguely sense that I was currently lying on the floor face up, but at the same time, I felt an indescribable nauseating sensation, almost as if I were on a rocking boat caught in the middle of a summer thunderstorm. I attempted to crane my neck forward, but after struggling for what felt like an eternity, the stiff smothering feeling that weighed down on me continued to persist. I gave up shortly after, and instead, waited for my vision, as well as my other senses to adjust. After an uncountable amount of time passed, my foggy vision cleared up, and I found myself staring up at a stark grey ceiling. The sunlight barely illuminated the hall around me, the wall casting a giant shadow that covered up almost half of my upper body. With my sight, my other senses quickly returned. The numb sensation all over my body that I did not even know I had, slowly faded, only to be replaced by the keen awareness of my own body, and the abrupt feeling of pain. My muscles felt as if they had atrophied overnight, while my bones felt as if they had been crushed and grinded down by a steamroller. There was a distinct pulsating pain on the back of my skull, and my chest felt congested to the point where it made it hard to breathe. Above all though, amidst this chaotic mess of sensations, the irritating gnawing at the back of my throat was what bothered me the most. It was a feeling similar to a sore throat, but at the same time, it was completely different. As if a cat had repeatedly used my trachea as a scratching board, I felt hoarse, and incapable of talking. When I did try, all I could produce were dry and unintelligible coughing noises. It did not take long for me to come to the conclusion that the current irritation in my throat, as well as a few of the myriad of symptoms my body had, were due to dehydration. The course dryness I felt was something I¡¯ve never experienced before, yet an instinctual feeling deep within me told me all that I needed to know. Pushed by this primal urge, all other thoughts in my head rapidly vanished. Even in my half dazed state, I knew how important water was. Things like how long I¡¯ve been out, or whether or not the Manticore was still after me, were all pushed to the back of my mind. My right hand slightly spasmed, as I tried to push off from the ground. With a cracking sound, my knees bent with great difficulty. My back strained to bend forward, while my neck craned upwards with equal difficulty. Moving my body took a considerable toll. It was as if gravity had suddenly increased all around me. It was like my body was stuck in a pool of quicksand, restricting my movement and sapping away at what little stamina I had in reserve. I struggled for a while, only succeeding after who knows how many trials. Using the wall of the hallway as a support, I eventually stood up onto my feet. While I did succeed, the simple action of getting up consumed a lot of my energy, and for the first time, I was reminded of just how hungry I was. With still slightly foggy vision, my eyes scanned the space around me, only to rest on a slightly opened door at the end of the hall. Behind the door, I could vaguely make out what looked to be a tiled floor, as well as the obscure outlines of what looks like a toilet. ¡®The Bathroom¡­¡¯ I tried voicing out my thoughts, but it came out as a raspy cough instead. I staggered towards the door with great difficulty. The bathroom was a small little square space, complete with a toilet, bathtub, and a sink. While this sort of arrangement was out of place in japan, where it was normal for the toilet to be separate from the rest of the bathroom, for a place like Setoha city, where foreigners made up a good 40% of the city¡¯s population, it wasn¡¯t all that odd of a set up. I tried on all the faucets in the sink and bathtub, but like what I had expected, with the exception of some left over, dirty brownish colored run off, there was no water remaining. Whether something happened to the pipes, or whether this was a natural occurrence due to the lack of maintenance for the past few months, the fact remained that there was no clean water available. Seeing the brown run off slowly drain into the gasket at the bottom of the sink, my face darkened as a slight frown creased my mouth downward. I thought for a moment, before a brief memory flashed in my mind. ¡®If I couldn¡¯t get water from the sink or the bathtub, then there was always the toilet. After all, toilets have water too.¡¯ I staggered towards the small, strangely clean toilet with somewhat unsteady foot steps. Staring down at the bowl in front of me, I could see a pool of clear water at the bottom of the toilet. While the toilet itself was spotless, the water was somewhat yellow, a clear indicator of the rust and grime that transmitted through the drainage pipes within. Its surface was as still as glass, and reflected a solemn eyed youth with overgrown hair. The youth, with his somewhat pale face, and dark bags underneath his eyes, stared right back at me with a somewhat indifferent expression. I maintained the stare for a good second or two before I moved into action. My right hand reached past the toilet bowl before they rested on top of the tank cover behind the toilet. With one pull, I exerted what little strength I could muster and yanked the tank cover clean off. A deafening crack resonated throughout the room as the porcelain cover fell to the tiled floor and splintered into numerous pieces. I paid this slight incident no matter, as I rested my left hand onto the tank and reached down inside with my right. My body shook for a moment, before I lost my strength and tumbled forward. My left hand slid, as my head entered the tank. My head was quickly submerged in transparent water that was unlike the yellow substance within the bowl. While the feeling of refreshing coolness was somewhat out of place within the heat of the summer, it brought slight clarity to my muddle headed mind. Without fanfare, I immediately began drinking, practically inhaling the water as it touched my slightly opened mouth. An uncountable amount of time passed before my head emerged out from the bowl. I staggered backwards, a slightly satisfied expression etched onto my face, before I collapsed down onto the bathroom floor. My shirt was soaked wet, and my chest heaved up and down with exasperation, but the itchy dry feeling within my throat had decreased. While the feeling of thirst still persisted, I felt that over consuming and drinking too much water right now might be counterproductive. After drinking all that water, and having subsided the intense feeling of thirst, a new sensation surged throughout my body; fatigue. A wave of intense tiredness took hold, suppressing all the pain that I had previously felt. I tried to suppress this rising feeling of lethargy using my [Sensory Remapping] skill, but surprisingly enough it did not work. I had attempted to use this skill earlier, when I subconsciously tried to repress the pain and thirst I felt, but it had not worked then either. Back then, spurred by the gnawing itch in my throat, I had pushed the issue to the back of my mind, but now, after another consecutive failure, I could no longer suppress the frown on my face. I forced out a tired sigh, as I leaned back against the sink. Right now my mind was in a state of total disarray. There were various things that worried me, like why my skill wasn¡¯t working, or how the others were doing, or how bad my current state was¡­ All these differing thoughts and concerns bogged me down, and left me with a somewhat helpless feeling, one that I could not shake off, no matter how hard I tried. Staring lazily at the now wet floor in front of me, I quietly began to think. I swam through that bog of chaotic thoughts and images within my head, as I tried to collect myself, and assess my current situation. ¡­ First off, judging from my dehydration from earlier, at least a day¡­ maybe two days has passed since my battle with the Manticore. In addition, my stomach was practically hollow. While it wasn¡¯t a clear indicator, the gnawing sense of hunger that almost overwhelmed me as I weakly patted my empty abdomen, was more than enough to indicate that a considerable amount of time had passed. But even after pushing this feeling of hunger aside, the rest of my body wasn¡¯t doing any better. This was especially true for my left arm and hand. Just moving it took a considerable toll from my body. And it wasn¡¯t just the fact that moving it was tiring, but it physically hurt. It was almost as if all the joints and veins within my arm had been jumbled up and regurgitated into an incomprehensible mess. This feeling only lasted from my left shoulder downwards, stopping somewhere around my wrist. Beyond my left wrist¡­ was a feeling of numb emptiness. I hesitated to look at my left arm, and instead stared down at my other arm. The first thing I noticed was the blue veins that ran through my right arm. They were very distinct, almost vibrant, and made quite a stark contrast with my almost ash grey pale skin. The veins themselves throbbed, and pulsed, violently so, as if my body was struggling to supply adequate blood and oxygen throughout the rest of my body. I did not say anything, but looking down at my right arm, I could not help but feel worried deep inside. Was this a side effect of extreme stamina depletion? Something like a drugged up version of the Physical Exhaustion status? While this possibility entered my mind, I felt that it was not wholly accurate. I felt that these current symptoms, coupled with the feeling of lethargy I was going through, was deeply connected to something I had done during the battle¡­ Unfortunately, right now, I could not quite remember the specific details to said battle. I thought silently for a second, before I immediately brought up my window panel. If I wanted to assess my current situation, then it would be best to start from scratch.
Status Window
Name Mayo Hide
Age 17 Race Human
Level 47 Gender Male
Titles Pioneer, Psychopath, Dungeon Explorer, Monster Hunter
Health 20/560 (46) Health Regen. 0.03 / Sec
Mana This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.(unavailable) 560 (31) Mana Regen. 0.015 / Sec
Stamina 302/760 (331) Stamina Regen. 0.055 / Sec
-
Strength 130 (31) Agility 187 (31)
Greater Vitality 90 (31) Dexterity 125 (31)
Intelligence 26 (31) Wisdom 76 (31)
Leadership 0 (23) Luck 0 (23)
Defense 50 (31) Accuracy 20 (31)
Physical Resistance 9 (31) Magic Resistance 7 (31)
Endurance 5 (31) Perception 5 (31)
Insight 5 (31)
-
Skills
Equip (Active) Identification (Active) All Heal (Active) Dissection + (Active) Sensory Remapping + (Active) Searing Armor (Active) All Purpose Crafting (Active) Butcher (Active) Shadow Sprint (Active) Amphibian (Active) Lesser Draconic Boost ++ (Active) Ferocity (Active) Body Maneuver (Passive) Dagger Mastery (Passive) Blunt Weapon Mastery (Passive) Sword Mastery (Passive)
Current Status Effect(s) Extreme Physical Exhaustion Mental Strain Starvation Lesser Dehydration Extreme Burn Out Strain Fracture Bruise Infection
Unallocated Points 70
I stared blankly at the floating blue window panel for a few seconds, before an uncontrollable sigh leaked out from my chapped lips. The first thing I noticed was that I had jumped two levels, and that I had a boat load of unallocated points. At first this left me in a brief state of shock and confusion, before I finally managed to piece together what had happened. The Manticore had died. While I was asleep, the Manticore had kicked the bucket, probably unable to heal from the last injury I had given it. Thinking about it now, it isn¡¯t all that surprising. After all, an explosive literally detonated within its skull. Surviving from something like that is no easy feat, even for an other world boss class monster. It probably died from the status effects that that last attack had given him¡­ something close to [Massive Bleeding] or probably a [Brain Hemorrhage]. While I realized this, I still found it rather hard to believe. I mean, that thing was extremely strong, scarily so. For it to die while I was asleep¡­ After the Draconic Flare had failed to kill it off immediately, I honestly expected it to survive. Apparently, I had overestimated its regenerating capabilities. ¡°...¡± Well, although it was a surprise, in the end, it was a good surprise. That just meant I had one less thing to worry about. As I made a mental note to return to the school and collect my loot, I moved on to the next issue on my Window Panel. There was a very large list under the column labeled [Status Effects]. [Extreme Physical Exhaustion], [Mental Strain], [Starvation]... the list was exceedingly long, and brought a rather large frown to my face. I even received something like [Mental Strain], despite that fact that I didn¡¯t use any magic back then¡­ Seeing such a list, the only thing I could respond with was with a rather long and drawn out sigh. In the end, reading through all these deterrents, I concluded that each effect stacked, and each and everyone of them contributed to my current state. Right now, my current combat strength was probably not even 1/10th of my maximum capabilities. I was still somewhat in a daze, and it took me a while to mentally process all of this. While listing all of the effects of each status effects was a chore, in the end, the biggest importance was the fact that they weakened me. I looked through the list of status effects once more, almost in utter disbelief. Primarily, I was quite frankly surprised I had survived at all. From the untreated injuries I had after the fight, it wouldn¡¯t have been all that surprising if I had died due to some sort of [Bleeding] effect or something. After thinking about it a little, I came to the conclusion that this was probably due to my [Greater Vitality] stat. It probably gave me some form of resistance against those gradual hp loss type status effects, and somewhat helped facilitate my healing. I had a rather vague understanding as to how the system¡¯s rules worked, but considering the fact that I survived, I took it all with a grain of salt. Although in the end, while [Greater Vitality] kept me from dying, it could not help me make a complete recovery. My stats were greatly hampered by status effects like Mental Strain, Extreme Physical Exhaustion, Strain, and Starvation, while my HP regeneration, and Stamina regeneration were limited, and slowed by Fracture, Bruise, and Lesser Dehydration. As I was assessing my body in order to confirm with the status effects I had, I took note of [Fracture]. At first I did not know what injury [Fracture] was related to, but after some thought, and recalling the previous fight, I unconsciously looked down towards my left arm. A disgusting color of purple. The wrist was extremely swollen, and some puss came out from an open cut near the base of my thumb joint. The whole area was caked in dark red blood stains, and the hand itself was lamely resting on my inner thigh, no ounce of power or energy within. Looking at my own mangled hand, I could not help but grimace at its mere sight. I was once again reminded that I could not feel anything from this hand. This lack of sensation, matched with such a gruesome visual cue sent a shiver of unease running through my spine. In addition, going by the slightly discolored puss leaking out from my hand, it was probable that the [Infection] status effect originated from this injury. [Infection] was one of the things I dreaded the most. Back in the dungeon, because of Cielle¡¯s immediate healing, it was practically impossible for an injury to stagnate and fester to the point of infection, but now, without such a convenient ally, what I had dreaded the most had finally occurred. Something like illness and disease, were things that were extremely difficult to deal with. Unlike injuries, they could not be healed by a simple healing spell or a health potion. This alone made it extremely dangerous, and exceedingly deadly. In a world where medical supplies and medical knowledge were greatly limited, [Illness], [Disease], [Infection], these things were without a doubt much, much scarier than your run of the mill monster. Because of the [Infection] status, my HP regeneration had been severely capped (Although several other status effects contributed to this). In addition, outside of the normal physical changes an infection brought along, it also lowered all of my stats, and slowed my reaction speed. Faced with such a grim reality, I laughed dryly, as I offhandedly wondered whether or not Cielle¡¯s [Gemini Blue] could cure [Infection]... I looked around the bathroom, before I wearily got up and stood in front of the sink. There, I opened the cabinet behind the mirror, and began searching for anything useful. To my surprise, there were a few bottles of medicine. I tried using [Identify] on the bottles, but unfortunately, it was a fruitless endeavor. This was something I had expected though. Although I knew it was bound to end in failure, I still could not help but try. After reading through that list of status effects, I had discovered that the status effect, [Extreme Burnout] prohibited me from activating any active skills. This included [Identify]. I was exasperated. After another sigh leaked out from my mouth, I supported myself on the sink with my good arm, and gathered the few bottles of medicine I could find within the cabinet. I searched the bathroom thoroughly for any other useful objects, and found a first aid kit underneath the sink. Unfortunately though, the family that had lived here wasn¡¯t particularly very prepared. Their first aid kit was rather sparse, only containing a sewing kit, some band aids, and a roll of gauze. After gathering the supplies, I hesitated for a second, before I staggered over towards the water tank behind the toilet. I thoroughly washed my left hand with some of the water. While I was inwardly bitter at using such a precious resource, I knew full well that left untreated, an infection could be just as dangerous, if not more so than Dehydration. 5 minutes passed before I finally finished. My hand looked marginally better than before, but not by much. I raised my left arm up to my eye level, and sighed once more as I saw my own hand lamely droop like a puppet with its strings cut. What made this image even more downheartening was the fact even though this should be painful, it wasn¡¯t. I could not feel anything. Numb. It was just numb. I sighed and wondered whether or not it would be better to just cut this hand off and avoid all the hassle. ¡°...¡± I glanced back at my window panel and stared dead eyed at all my unallocated points. After some deliberation, I ultimately decided to place a majority of it into [Greater Vitality]. My train of thought was that, it would help improve my current situation. It might make me recover faster, or it might give a sort of slight boost in disease or illness resistance. While there wasn¡¯t any significant physical change after I dumped nearly 50 points into [Greater Vitality], right off the bat, I felt a bit of energy return to my atrophied body. This small change was enough to significantly improve my once downtrodden mood. Afterwards, I shoved all the medicine bottles into my pockets while I used one of the rolls of gauze to haphazardly bandage my hand. While I lamented on not having [Equip]¡¯s item boost at a time like this, my amateur actions were still better than doing nothing. I drank a few more gulps of water from the toilet tank, before I finally decided to find some food, and staggered out into the hallway. At the hallway, in a spot smeared with dried blood, I saw the Manticore egg. It''s leaned on the wall, while besides it, my sword [Fynch] sat, its handle coated in a heavy shade of dark crimson. I moved to pick up the sword with my good hand, before I sluggishly made my way over towards the kitchen, where I promptly began searching for food. The cabinets that should have been stacked full of goods were bare, while the food in the refrigerator had long since gone bad. I dejectedly sighed. While it was growing apparent that I wasn¡¯t going to find anything edible, the gnawing feeling in my stomach continued to unceasingly push me forward. After 10 minutes of searching, the only thing I had to show for all my efforts, were a bottle of soy sauce, a salt shaker, and a container filled with garlic powder. In a fit of desperation, I searched through the piles of rotting food within the refrigerator, hoping to find anything consumable. In the end, I found a jar of fermented pickles discreetly placed in between some rancid mayonnaise and a lump of rotting vegetables. Without much fanfare, I quietly ate the fermented pickles. The taste was rather bland, and the food going down felt like coarse sandpaper, and jagger broken glass, but in the end, food was food, and given my current circumstances, I had no right to complain. After a few rounds of coughing, spitting, and swallowing, I managed to empty out the entire jar. Unfortunately, instead of fixing my hunger, the gnawing sensation within my stomach only intensified. It was as if someone had placed a single drop of water into a thirsty man¡¯s tongue. I clutched at my abdomen with a rather limp hand, before I moved towards the living room. I crashed down onto the dust covered coach, before the weariness and fatigue from earlier slowly enclosed around me like wisps of heavy fog. My eyes slowly drooped, before the lull of sleep further drowned out my consciousness. I mentally made a checklist of the things I needed to do before I entered another round of restless sleep. Chapter 96: Recovering Recovering Through a haze of weariness, and discomfort, I slept, albeit with difficulty. I experienced brief stints of conciousness every now and then, but it was not enough to fully rouse me from my dead-like state. By the time I finally did wake up, a dim ray of light enveloped the living room with an almost ephemeral glow. I checked the wall clock besides the wall, and discovered that the time was 5:30 am. A whole day passed, and it was already the next morning. The first thing that greeted me was a wave of hunger and thirst. It was quite a familiar combination, one I¡¯ve recently grown accustomed to. Although in retrospect, I don¡¯t think it¡¯s really the type of thing someone should be familiar with, but, what¡¯s done is done. I grunted with difficulty as I sat up on the coach. The soft looking cushions felt like slabs of hard concrete, but that too, I had grown accustomed to. My prolonged nap seemed to do wonders on my mental state. The hazy feeling from yesterday has lessened by a considerable extent. With a clear mind, I quietly assessed my situation. I had plenty of thoughts and problems that plagued me, but to some it up, the issues I needed to deal with included; Secure food and water Heal my injuries Meet back up with Cielle, and the others Collect the dropped loot from the Manticore I mentally assorted everything, and ranked them by priority. I wanted to take care of everything in one go, but I had a vague feeling things weren¡¯t quite that simple. After some more deliberation, I let out a long winded sigh, before I got up and started the long day ahead of me. **** I drank some water from the tank cover, before I poured what little remained into a mettalic water bottle I happened to find in a cabinet within the kitchen. While I had quenched the itching thirst in the back of my throat, the gnawing pain in my stomach was another problem entirely. With no food anywhere to be found, I knew I needed to leave the house, but in my current condition, that thought brought a sense of trepidation to my heart. Although I¡¯ve recovered a little, and my current state was considerably better than what it was yesterday, as expected, I was still far from my peak condition. The most notable factor was [Extreme Burnout], which still hasn¡¯t dissapeared since yesterday. As long as this remained, my active skills will remain locked away. In a world filled with so many dangers, this was probably my biggest setback. With a heavy sigh, I pushed my concerns aside and began searching the house for anything useful. Such a simple task sapped out a considerable amount of my stamina, but after an hour or so, I did find a few useful items. The first, and probably most useful item was a mountaineering backpack I found in a closet near the master bedroom. This was a great find, because it was considerably more sturdy than regular backpacks, and has a larger storage capacity. On top of that, within the same closet, I also found a sleeping bag, an insulated blanket, some durable rope, the type meant for mountain climbing, a cooking set - complete with a mini portable hot stove, and a pick axe. Judging from the items I found, it was cleer that the owner of this house was an avid mountain climber. This guess was further solidified after I found his passport, and a ticket to Tibet in his bedroom. There were a few other things I found within the closet, but compared to the ones I listed, they were too bulky, and troublesome to carry, so I left them alone. As for the ones I did mention, after I put them away, they took up about a third of the backpack¡¯s total space. I would have actually preferred [identifying] them beforehand, but as expected, in my current condition, that was impossible. I also created an impromptu sling from a few of the items I found around the house. It wasn¡¯t anything special, but it did lessen the load on my broken wrist. Afterwards, I padded the inside of the backpack with the insulating blanket and placed the manticore egg within it. Due to its size, it took up a majority of the space, but that couldn¡¯t be helped. I was tempted by my hunger to pounce on the egg and eat it, but considering the war potential this egg possessed, I thoroughly held myself back. With the whole house searched and looted, I thought about my next step. I wanted to leave this house, but after considering the situation, I decided that it wasn¡¯t the time yet to attempt to go back and meet back up with the others. For one, in my current state, I¡¯d be as dead if I run into anything even remotely strong, especially with the effects of [Extreme Burnout], which practically invalidated all of my active skills. While I knew the residential area was still relatively safe for the time being, considering it was part of the manticore¡¯s previous territory, all the same, I couldn¡¯t be too careless. I decided that, I¡¯d postpone my way back, and further spend a day on recovering. But even after deciding this, I knew full well I couldn¡¯t just stay within this house. There was absolutely no food available, and I needed nourishment in order to recover my stamina and further facilitate my healing. I couldn¡¯t go too far, but I needed to find food fast. If I¡¯m remembering correctly, there should be a convenience store close by, but if I do go there, that will take me even further away from the school building, and even further away from where the others are. I could always loot from the neighboring houses, but there was always the possibility of them being cleaned out like this house. With a frown on my face, I thought for a long while before I eventually decided to search the neighboring houses. **** With my sword in hand, I moved carefully through the neighborhood. I had already mentally prepared myself. I was ready to abandon the previous house at a moment¡¯s notice, so everything I had on me was basically everything I was willing to carry. I had abandoned the exoskeleton armor, mostly because they felt bulky, and in my current condition, they weighed me down like a heavy pair of chains. Plus, after two consecutive boss battles, the hastily created equipment had long since lost their usefulness. Right now, they were in tatters, a state beyond repair. My current equipment was rather light, or at least, I tried to keep it that way. I wore a pair of sweatpants and a clean shirt that I had looted from the previous house. Coupled with my sword, and a few daggers I kept tucked away in my modified utility belt, I also carried the new backpack with me. It felt rather heavy, but it wasn¡¯t to the extent where I could not support it with my current strength. I moved as quietly as possible. I did not use the main streets, but rather, I climbed over the fences, and traveled through the neighboring yard. The whole place was quiet, almost eerily so. There was no movement within the streets or the yards. Save for the obvious signs of destruction and blood stains, the whole scene was almost no different from before the apocalypse. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website. This was in part due to the Manticore¡¯s influence. With a boss class monster roaming nearby, no human or monster dared to step forth within its territory. With the manticore now dead, I knew this scene would change soon, but for the time being, this neighborhood was probably one of the safest locations within this city. Despite knowing this, I still maintained my air of caution. I knew full well I was being overly paranoid, but I did not dare to slacken. The risk was too great otherwise. Although the distance I traveled was short, only to the neighboring house next door, to me, it felt as if I had just traversed across a sweltering desert. Sweat stained my face and body, while my breathing turned rough. The temperature was particularly hot today, and being an island of the coast of japan, it was also quite humid. This combination, coupled with my current condition, took quite a toll on my body. The constant pangs of hunger in my abdomen didn¡¯t help either. I swiped at the beads of perspiration that had accumulated on my forehead, as I stared at the building in front of me with narrowed eyes. The neighboring house was almost identical to the previous house, a two story building that took up a sizable square shaped plot of land. With little hesitation, I broke into the house, and immediately began searching for food. Unlike last time, I wasn¡¯t as careful as before. I only bothered to check the kitchen and pantry for the things I needed. My actions were met with mild success. As expected, everything in the freezer and fridge were all spoiled and rotten, to the extent where maggots and flies had already gathered. While I had expected this, I still could not help but be disheartened. I continued to check the neighboring cabinets and pantry. Almost everything had been ravaged and ransacked. Bags of chips were opened, while packets of ramen and other foodstuff had been thoroughly devoured. Judging by the layout of everything as well as the traces of pellet sized balls of dung on the floor, the thing that had gone and eaten everything wasn¡¯t human. Most likely, something like a pack of rats, or maybe some sort of rodent monster had passed by. Lucky for me, not everything had been devoured. Maybe because they could not get through the containers, but the canned goods were still in tact. Canned meat, some condensed milk, a can of fruits, soup, to my starving self, it was truly something close to heaven. I ate an exorbitant amount of food that day. After my meal, a self satisfied expression was plainly written on my face. I had thoroughly indulged myself, even to the point of bloating my stomach. I knew it wasn¡¯t really smart to eat so much, especially after a period of starvation, but in the end I could not care less. Be it a stomach ache, or something else, I could not hold myself back, nor did I want to. I easily cleaned out 3 cans of meat, 2 cans of condensed milk, a can of peaches, and 4 cans of soup. In all, I consumed a good 2/3rds of all the food I had found. The rest I stuffed into a plastic bag. After my meal, I quickly went and checked on the current condition of my body. I did this through a series of basic body movements. Things such as stretching, and jumping. I discovered that the pain from before had considerably lessened, and that my body moved much smoother than before. It was as if someone had oiled an old and rusty car. The oil did not bring the car to its peak condition, but it did help it run a bit better. All in all, my complexion had returned, the bulging veins from last time became less noticeable, and many of my open wounds had shrunk. I was recovering quite well. At the same time, I also checked on my left wrist. To my fortune, I discovered that the deep purplish discoloration from before had somewhat lessened. The absolute numbness from before had also gone down. Obviously, it hadn¡¯t completely recovered, but it was to the extent where I could at least feel a slight tingling sensation at the end of each of my fingers. Although I still couldn¡¯t move my wrist or my left hand fingers just yet, compared to when I could not feel anything at all, it was a considerable improvement. Without a doubt, after assessing my current condition, I felt that the investment in greater vitality had payed off. While it didn¡¯t necessarily increased my recovery speed, it did increase my recovering power. It was a bit hard to explain. The rate of hp regeneration stayed the same, but I felt that my resistance to abnormal status conditions had gone up. I washed my left wrist with some water from the toilet tank. When that ran out, I used some more water from a couple of water bottles I had found in the pantry. There were a lot, so I could afford to be a little extravagant. Afterwards, I quickly gauzed up the wound with a fresh set of bandages, before I decided to try and create a splint for my wrist. In the loosest of terms, I ¡°set¡± my broken wrist back into place. I don¡¯t have much medical knowledge, but I was positive that my wrist wasn¡¯t commuted, or splintered. It was probably just a break. After I forcibly corrected my wrist, I wanted to create a splint so that nothing goes wrong with its recovery. I created a splint using a leg that I had broken off from a nearby wooden chair. The splint in itself wasn¡¯t the most beautiful creation, but it would do the job. After the amateur medical work I performed, I took a 3 hour break in order to recover my depleted stamina, before I quickly gathered the rest of my things, and moved on towards the next house. I wasn¡¯t planning on lingering very long, nor did I plan on immediately making my way over back to the school. I wanted to take things slow. Search through a couple houses at a leisurely pace so that I can properly heal. I checked through 5 houses before the sun started to set. Along the way, I managed to fill three plastic bags worth of food. The majority of it was canned goods, but all the same, I was happy. When night time finally arrived, I decided to stop. The 5th house I searched through became my temporary base, and after I ate my fill of canned goods, I curled up in the living room, and got ready to go to sleep. Unlike before, I barricaded all the entrances of the house before hand. Again, I knew I was being overly cautious, but it was better to be prepared than to be sorry. After thoroughly reinforcing the house to the best of my ability, I finally decided to head to bed. With thoughts of tomorrow swirling around my head, I quietly drifted off to bed. I took no notice of the fact that I firmly held a sword in my right hand, while a dagger was securely nestled beneath my left. Chapter 97: Spoils of War Spoils of War By the time I woke up, the sun was already firmly embedded up in the sky. It was already noon, and I had unknowingly overslept. In actuality, I probably would have slept longer, if it hadn¡¯t been for the gnawing feeling in the pit of my stomach. Although I¡¯ve gotten used to it lately, all the same, it was still an incredibly irritating sensation. After a quick breakfast, I packed up my supplies, checked on the state of the egg, and did a few morning exercises to warm myself up. I moved my body around, much in the same way kids moved during radio calisthenics. Primarily, this was done in order to wake myself up from my half asleep state, but it was also a way to confirm my body¡¯s current condition. With only 15 minutes of light movement, I was already working up a sweat. On the other hand though, I could feel that my body was moving a lot smoother than before. A lot of the smaller wounds on my body had closed, while the muscle ache from yesterday had decreased. Checking my status window, I confirmed that a few of my abnormal status effects have disappeared, primarily [Dehydration] and [Starvation]. One thing I can praise this body of mine with is over how quickly it can recover from the brink of death. Compared to my condition 2 days ago, I was like a different man entirely. The biggest relief out of all this though was probably my left wrist. It still wasn¡¯t completely healed, but just the mere fact that I could slightly wiggle my numb fingers around, was already a big weight off my shoulders. After my morning exercise, I brusquely wiped my body clean using a wet towel I found within the house, before I quickly grabbed my gear, equipped my sword, and proceeded to head out. But as I approached the front door, an abrupt sound made my steps falter and my breathe halt. ¡°...¡± I stood perfectly still for a second, my face contorted in half disbelief, and half fear. I forcibly slowed by breathing as my facial expression quickly contorted into one of seriousness. I perked my ears up, and concentrated. At first, amidst the familiar silence, there was nothing, but as time slowly passed, the noise came once again. It was a soft sound, one that was almost impossible to make out. It was only because of my enhanced hearing that I could hear the almost deafly quiet noise that suddenly entered my ears. The sound originated from outside the door, and was something akin to whistling. ...No, that wasn¡¯t quite right. It was chirping. A faint, soft, almost melodic chirping. One that seemed strangely nostalgic. With careful, practiced movements, I quietly approached the door. I moved the furniture that I had used as a makeshift barricade as silently as possible, before I took a discreet glance out the front door window. Out on the pathway, amidst the overgrown weeds, and slightly cracked pavement, was a small bird. It was probably only about as big as a child¡¯s fist, and its ruffled feathers were colored a light shade of coffee brown. It looked harmless enough, and under normal circumstances, wouldn¡¯t have stood out all that much, but, upon seeing this bird, for the first time, I realized something. Ever since I escaped from the school dungeon, this was probably the first time I¡¯ve ever run across anything alive, outside of plants and insects. The manticore was probably the major cause for this odd phenomenon. Be it monster, human, or animal, in the past, anything with even a semblance of sentience was probably scared off or killed by the Manticore. Now that this region¡¯s territory tyrant was dead, it was inevitable for those creatures to return. This solitary bird was a sign of this. A premonition of sorts. At first, it would be little, harmless animals like this, but eventually¡­ soon, larger, more dangerous things would come. This bird only served to further cement the feeling of urgency that had long since started budding within my heart. Letting out a loose sigh, I quickly moved away the rest of the furniture before I opened the door and stepped out into the outside world. A salty breeze swept past me while the comfortable heat of the morning sunlight cascaded down my face. I took in a deep breathe, my mind momentarily spacing out for a second, before its usual sharpness returned. I glanced warily at my surroundings, before I tilted my head down to stare at the small bird that stood oblivious, less than a meter away from me. This bird was strange, I noted. Normally, any regular bird would have long since flown away by the time I got even half this close to it. This brown colored bird that resembled a sparrow was different. It was unafraid, in fact, it even went as far as to stare at me with its beady black eyes. It chirped once, seemingly acknowledging my presence, before it quickly turned away and continued pecking at the pavement below. Seeing this display of nonchalance, I unconsciously squinted my eyes. The bird¡¯s reactions were indeed strange. Staring at it closely, I discovered that not only was it behaving weirdly, even its appearance was weird. There was a streak of dull green that ran from the top of its head down to its tail feathers. This caught my attention, mostly because even with my limited knowledge on birds, never once have I seen a single green striped bird on this island. What¡¯s more, while the green might have tripped off my suspicions, there was one, definite thing that completely confirmed my doubts. When the bird stretched and ruffled its feathers, I was surprised to see that it had two pairs of wings. Hidden by its larger set, the sparrow had a smaller pair of wings that was about only half the size of the large pair. I was positive that there was not a single species of bird that had more than 1 pair of wings. Seeing this, my first thought was that this creature was something that came from the other world. I mulled this thought around for a while before I eventually dismissed it. Despite the out of place green stripe, and its second pair of wings, the overall structure and appearance of the bird was something I recognized. This sparrow was a common sight around this time of year. The resemblance was so similar that it completely blew away all thoughts I had of this creature being an otherworlder. If it weren¡¯t for the effects of [Extreme Burnout], then I would have long since used [identify] on this brown sparrow. I stared at it for a few more seconds, before I let out a defeated sigh, and continued on my way. While the idea that other life forms on earth were evolving to adapt to this new world entered my thoughts, my mind was too preoccupied with my current concerns to place any immediate importance into the matter. As I walked in the general direction of the school, I reaffirmed my plans. Today, I had two immediate goals. One, I wanted to check and collect the drops from the manticore. Two, I wanted to go to Cielle¡¯s house and meet back up with the others. The deadline for my return was three days, and taking into account the amount of time that has passed since I confronted the manticore, at least three days have already passed. Of course, the time I was unconscious was a major wrench in those estimations. Whether I slept for only a single day or more was a mystery to the current me. Either way, this just made me meeting back up with the others all the more important. In fact, rendezvousing with the others was my main objective. The manticore loot was secondary. Due to my slow pace, and overt caution, what should have taken only a mere 30 minutes, took me a 2 and a half hours to reach my destination. In front of my eyes was the familiar school. Although its presence incited a form of bittersweet nostalgia within my heart, its appearance was anything but familiar. The majority of the school was destroyed. In fact, it was difficult to even call what I was looking at a building. The main and east buildings were completely demolished. While the east building lay like an ancient ruin, the main building sunk inward into the ground, almost as if a sinkhole had suddenly appeared beneath its foundation. The old school building faired slightly better. At least it still resembled an actual building, although half of said building was in complete ruin. Taking everything in, I could not help but draw a sharp breathe. In a sense it was incredible. Just the mere sight of it all was a true testament to the Manticore¡¯s monstrous strength, and [Intermediate Draconic Boost¡¯s] real power. After I checked the surroundings for any monsters or additional threats, I made my way through the haphazard piles of debris and junk lying around, and entered the old school building through a hole in the wall. I did a quick once over of the place, before I immediately made my way to the underground floor. The basement was just as how I had left it, with the sole exception of the hunkering pile of meat that lay deathly still in the middle of the room. The manticore¡¯s limbs were curled inwards, while its eyes, or eye, were closed shut, almost as if it had been sleeping. Its fur was somewhat flat, and lacked the original vigor and luster it had when it was alive. Its jaw slackened while its tongue fell loose besides its mouth. The hole in its head was caked in dry blood, and reddish pinkish chunks were present within that blood. Although I was well aware that it was long dead, a feeling of instinctual caution still ran through my mind, causing me to shiver slightly. I knew it was dead. I was certain it was dead, but still, I could not help but want to confirm it with my own body. I wanted to double check just to be sure. I subconsciously used [identify], but as expected, that did not work. As I quietly chided myself, I cautiously walked over to the manticore¡¯s dead body. I placed an empty palm onto its slackened cheek, before I immediately pulled back. A surprised expression was etched onto my face. I paused for a second, before I timidly moved my hand back over onto its face. After a couple of seconds, I once again retracted my hand. I was unable to hide the persistent surprise on my face.. Although it was dead, although it should have been dead for at least three days by now, the corpse was still warm. I cautiously stared at the manticore, before I once again timidly touched its cheek. Seeing no reaction, I began lightly slapping the manticore¡¯s face, increasing the strength and the speed of my slap with each subsequent swing. Still, no reaction. Again, I knew it was dead. Even now, the mere fact that there was no window panel floating above its head, was enough to confirm that what lay before was a corpse, and not a monster. Even though I knew this, the heat of its body still lingered on my slightly reddened right hand. If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. As if as a final confirmation, I searched through the tuff of its mane, and placed my hand on where it''s carotid artery should have been located. I touched a giant bulging vein on its neck, and waited for thirty seconds. Time passed painfully slow, but aside from the residue heat, there was no movement. There was no pulse, yet the body, even now, as I was touching it, still felt warm. Going by my abrupt level increase a few days back, the manticore was dead for at least three days, maybe more. Normally, a body should grow cold after only a few hours of death, let alone for three days. This creature though¡­ the manticore¡¯s corpse, as if to defy normal conventional logic, its body still retained some of its original heat. Its incredible vitality that even transcended death honestly amazed me. After silently staring at the corpse for a while, I snapped out of my self induced stupor and immediately started looking around for the inevitable dropped loot. I searched on top, below, and around the corpse. I waded through the sea of sticky dried blood and gooey brain chunks that haphazardly littered the floor as I desperately searched. Being in this room, and looking for dropped items, I recalled the [Gila Matriarch] that had died at the hands of the Dungeon Boss. In all likelihood, that elite monster probably died within this very room, and there was a possibility that it had dropped a skill book or some other type of item. I could not help but raise my head as I looked around at all the rubble and piles of concrete mountains around me. I gave the basement a once over, before I inwardly shook my head. It was too great of a task to search through all that. This was especially true with my current condition, where I couldn¡¯t even muster out 1/7th of my original strength. It was regrettable, but in order to conserve strength, I could not do anything too tasking to my body, such as moving around heavy concrete slabs, and digging through piles of rubble. In the end, I ultimately decided to give up on searching for something that may not even exist in the first place. More importantly, after searching around near the manticore¡¯s mountain like body for a good 2 minutes, I finally stumbled upon a horde of miscellaneous items. I performed a quick count, and confirmed the existence of 2 skill books, a weapon, and 2 scroll looking bundles of paper. Because they were something I hadn¡¯t seen before, the scrolls were what caught my attention the most, so I these were the items I checked first. Although I currently could not use [Identify], since the scrolls were system items, their information panel readily came to life before me with a single thought. The first scroll was a small, yet thick piece of paper that was only a few inches wide, and a few more inches long. The color of the parchment was pure black, and a thin red piece of cloth held the whole thing together.
Lesser Plundering Scroll A scroll filled with malicious intent. Pull the string, and indicate the target in order to activate. When used on a target, it guarantees the drop of a skill book upon the target¡¯s death. Dropped skill book cannot be specified. Time limit of 1 hour. If time limit is exceeded and target is not dead, then the scroll will lose its effect.
The scroll turned out to be something rather unique. It was a special item of sorts. The [Lesser Plundering Scroll], confirmed that a skill book would drop upon killing something. Although it did not specify, considering other precedents, this scroll was probably useable on both human and monster. Honestly speaking, this was a pretty useful item. Going by my own interpretations, while the first thought to come to mind may be to use this on another human, I felt that its potential was strongest when used on something like a boss class monster like the manticore or the Dungeon boss. If I¡¯m reading into this correctly, then using the scroll, in addition to the original drops, it confirmed that an extra skill book would be added into the loot. Of course, it might be beneficial to take a gamble and use the scroll on a human with a useful skill, but still, that does not guarantee that the intended skill would drop. In this regard, it might be better to just use it on something you know is going to drop something good. Either way, the convenience of this scroll was important, and couldn¡¯t be underestimated. After I placed the black scroll into my backpack, I immediately went to check on the next scroll. This scroll was a bit more ordinary looking than the last. It was about the size of a regular piece of paper, and it had coarse, yellow white parchment and a thick green cloth holding it in place. I quickly brought up the scroll¡¯s window panel and read through its contents. In short, the scroll was something like an alchemy recipe. It was an instruction manual for something called a [Draconic Mixture]. According to the scroll, [Draconic Mixture] was sort of a temporary power boost. It momentarily augments a person''s fighting power, and temporarily gives its user a 5% affinity with the draconic race. Again, the blatant mention of dragons was something I could not ignore, but right now, I was powerless to do anything about it. The draconic flare, this recipe for the Draconic Mixture, the draconic boost skills the manticore and I had¡­ it was a bit unnerving. Usually, dragons were end game monsters¡­ to have it appear within this dingy island¡­ While I did see a few monsters with wings flying around in the city back when the apocalypse first started, I didn¡¯t think those were necessarily dragons. At most, they might have been wyverns or something similar, but a true and blue dragon should be more powerful. At the very least, it¡¯s probably stronger than this manticore. We were honestly lucky that we haven¡¯t run into one yet, but at the same time, I felt a heavy sense of foreboding. If this pattern with dragon related objects continued, then it wasn¡¯t going to be long until we run into an actual dragon. After involuntarily sighing, I read through the recipe and inwardly frowned. The items on this list might be a bit¡­ difficult to find. As expected, every single ingredient was something otherworldly. The primary ingredient was the blood from a creature with dragonic origin. The stronger the dragon lineage, the stronger the mixture. Next was a series of herbs, and minerals that I¡¯ve never heard of before. They probably originated from the otherworld. The main ingredient seems to be the dragon blood, but the plants and minerals look to be the hardest parts to find. In the first place, although dragon like creatures were haphazardly running around this island without a care, I had no clue where to even start when it came to the plants and minerals. I sighed inwardly, before I stowed away the scroll. Next I looked at the skill books. The first skill book was as expected, [Intermediate Draconic boost]. It was basically a stronger version of [Lesser Draconic Boost], and although I couldn¡¯t verify it right now, I was more than certain it had a pretty high synchronicity rating with my previous skill. While this conclusion brought a sort of giddy anticipation to my heart, it also filled me with a sense of hesitation. From what I could remember during the fight, my version of [Lesser Draconic Boost] seemed a bit unstable. I don¡¯t know whether it was due to the skill¡¯s original constitution, or because of the ++ factor my constant skill fusions gave it, but currently, my body was unable to handle the strain of using the skill. After some thought yesterday, I came to the conclusion that in part, my [Extreme Exhaustion] and [Extreme Burnout] status effects were directly related to me overtaxing my body with [Lesser Draconic Boost]. Maybe that breakthrough I had with [Sensory Remapping] also played a role, but without a doubt, the main cause was this new skill of mine. I was certain that under normal circumstances, with a regular lesser draconic boost, my body was more than capable enough to handle the strain of the skill, but with the changes my equip brought on, the skill I do have, [Lesser Draconic Boost ++], turned a bit unstable, and the strain it placed on its host increased to the point where it was too much for the current me to handle. If I were to just recklessly upgrade what I currently had by adding in the [Intermediate Draconic Boost], while the skill might turn into something even more powerful, at the same time, the instability would increase. I could picture the scene of my body exploding from the resulting skill¡¯s effects. Regrettably, after such careful consideration, I decided to stow away the skill book, and use it later, when I was certain I could take the strain, or at least until my body adjusts to my current version of [Lesser Draconic Boost]. Having checked three of the items that the Manticore had dropped, I turned towards the remaining two. Disappointingly, the second skill book was rather ordinary. It was a simple [Intimidate] skill that, as its name implies, allowed its user to intimidate those around him. While it was something simple, nonetheless, its utility couldn¡¯t be ignored, especially during negotiation type scenarios with opposing human parties. It was definitely something I wanted to learn, but considering [Extreme Burnout] was still in effect, I held off on learning it just yet. I wanted to wait until at least my [Equip] skill became fully operational, that way, I could benefit off the item bonuses my skill gave. The last item was a weapon. It was something rather plain looking, but its sheer size was enough to make one¡¯s breathe falter. The weapon was a simple battle axe. Its handle was about a foot taller than I was, and the blade was as wide as a twin sized bed. Without a doubt, it was a weapon fit for a giant. A weapon this big could probably do a lot of damage, but the downside to this was it was simply too large for any ordinary person to wield. Even if I did have enough strength to lift and swing a weapon this large around, its sheer size would affect the amount of force I could apply. Its size was both its advantage and disadvantage. As I frowned and pondered over the practicality of this weapon, I read its window panel... Chapter 98: Reunion Reunion
Spriggan War Axe A weapon wielded by an unorthodox Spriggan Warrior. It has been imbued with a Spriggan¡¯s life force, imbuing the weapon with a mysterious power. Damage: 200 - 250 +50 Strength +50 Vitality Weapon Skill: Shift Durability: 200/200 Level Requirement: 45
While the giant war axe¡¯s description was plain, and simple, the weapon itself couldn¡¯t be underestimated. For one, the war axe had the highest damage count out of any of the weapons I¡¯ve encountered up until this point. And if that wasn¡¯t enough, it also had a weapon skill, an attribute which could drastically impact a weapon¡¯s utility. While the weapon itself made me drool in anticipation, there still existed one problem; its size. High damage or not, it was still too large for any ordinary person to swing around. Too put it into perspective, it would be like a cat swinging around a minivan as its weapon. No matter how strong the cat was, or how much weight the minivan had, the difference in size would always prevent the cat from fully using the weapon to its maximum potential. Maybe the weapon itself was intended for larger individuals? Something that might not be necessarily human? Maybe a giant or something similar? If that were the case, then did that mean that the weapon drops weren¡¯t just things that had humans as its target audience? While my brain squeezed out all the excuses, and consultations it could muster out, I lazily stared at the weapon in front of me with a look of vexation. It was such a good weapon, yet it was practically unusable. Without thinking, I placed a free hand onto the weapon¡¯s handle, just as I sighed out in tired exasperation. I briefly admired the craftsmanship of the leather grip, before I attempted to lift the weapon up with my right hand. I pushed out a muffled grunt, as I affixed my stance, and exerted my all into my attempt. Although I was currently in a weakened state, I was still an individual who possessed superhuman strength. Even now, my current strength greatly surpassed that of a regular human¡¯s. To my surprise, even with my strength, the giant war axe refused to move. It was both incredibly heavy and incredibly dense. No amount of pulling, yanking, or lifting could even so much as budge the [Spriggan War Axe]. Although I might be a bit biased, If I were to estimate an approximate weight based solely on my attempt, then the war axe would probably be around 1-2 tons heavy, maybe more. I continued my attempt for another minute or so, before I ultimately gave up. Let alone use it, I could not even properly lift it up. Just as I was on the verge of giving up all hope on the new weapon, I remembered its weapon skill, [Shift]. [Shift] was a very vague name, and without my [Identify] skill, I had absolutely no clue as to what it entailed. I stared fixedly at the war axe in front of me, before I ultimately gave in to the curiosity. Even if I couldn¡¯t use it, I would at the very least, see what its skill was about. I placed a firm grip on the handle of the axe, before I breathed out a long winded puff of air. My fingers could not even reach all the way around the handle, but the intention was there. I did not activate the skill right away. At first, I simply stood there, my right hand gripped onto the handle, while my eyes remained closed. I collected my thoughts, before I recalled the familiar sensation of using a weapon skill. My impression of using a weapon skill was a bit hard to describe. It was a lot like using a regular skill, but at the same time, it was vastly different. If I had to describe it, then it would be like moving an arm, an action so natural that you wouldn¡¯t put a lot of thought into the process. Either way, holding onto that familiar sensation, I used [Shift] for the first time. Nothing happened at first, before I felt an immense jolt push out against my arm. I reflexively gritted my teeth, while my knuckles turned white as I held onto the handle with a vice-like grip. The impact was what I imagined the kickback from firing a shotgun felt like, except this one was several times stronger. The force only lasted for a fraction of a second before it abruptly disappeared. The after effects still lingered, causing a numbing sensation to run up my right hand and travel all the way to my shoulders, but the force itself wasn¡¯t there anymore. After 5 seconds of nothing happening, I slowly unsquinted my eyes as I turned to stare down at the weapon in my hand. Surprisingly, the giant war axe whose size was comparable to that of a King sized bed, was nowhere to be seen. Instead, what replaced it was an axe that was as large as a frying pan, and fit comfortably in my hand. The smaller axe had the same color scheme as the [Spriggan War Axe], so I was certain that it was the same one from before. I stood there dumbfounded for a second or two, before I timidly swung the axe in front of me. I swung the weapon 10 to 20 times, taking my time to familiarize myself with both its weight and power. The blade sliced through the air as if it were butter, while the weight itself felt no heavier than a kitchen knife. After I was satisfied, I turned the axe this way and that, while I closely scrutinized the weapon with squinted eyes. Its shape, color, and overall design was identical to the larger axe from before. Checking its window panel, I finally confirmed that the [Spriggan War Axe], and the axe currently in my hand were one and the same. I thought for a while, before I decided to use [Shift] once more. This time around, instead of the general thought of using [Shift], I mentally commanded the weapon in my hand to [Shrink]. I felt a smaller jolt pass through my hand, before the weapon rapidly shrunk. In less than a second, the axe had shrunk down to the size of a pencil. I wanted to test the limits of [Shift], so I continually commanded the axe to [shrink]. After countless [shrinks] later, the axe finally stopped getting smaller after it reached a size no larger than a small marble. Rather than a weapon, the object that rested in the middle of my open palm looked more like a toy. But despite its size, and feather like weight, I knew that the miniature axe possessed an incredible amount of power. Not only did its window panel confirm that the weapon¡¯s damage count and benefits stayed the same, I myself could feel the destructive force hidden within its thin body. After testing its [shrink] function, I now wanted to test whether the axe could grow back to its original size, or better yet, grow beyond it. I took some time to prepare myself, before I immediately commanded the weapon to [grow]. The resulting kickback was considerably larger than when the axe shrunk. My hand and arm were forcibly pushed backwards, while a force that felt like a meat grinder overwhelmed me. My grip was completely undone, while my arm was thrown backwards. I could not help but take a few steps back in order to affix my broken stance. My arm was left feeling sore, while the war axe had grown back to its original size. Its blade was firmly embedded into the ground, where it left a foot long indention. While I marveled at the weapon, I took some time to recover from the kickback. After close to ten minutes had passed, I once again placed my still tingling palm onto the surface of the giant axe¡¯s handle. Like before, I commanded the weapon to [grow]. I went through the process several times. The resulting kickbacks, while still larger than when the axe was shrinking, was less powerful than the first time. After several iterations had passed, the war axe finally stopped growing when it reached a size comparable to a standard sized school bus. The handle was twice as thick as my body, while the bladed portion itself sunk firmly into the ground, leaving behind a small crater. I looked at the weapon for a while, before I resolved myself to shrink it once more. This time around, I would force the object to shrink down to the size of a kitchen knife, all in one go. I could only imagine the resulting kickback from such an action, but it was something I had to do in order to confirm something that might prove beneficial in the future. I gripped onto the handle as tightly as I could before I commanded the weapon to [shrink]. This time, instead of just aimlessly thinking, [shrink], I specified the size. In less than a second, the school bus size war axe that barely fit into the basement, immediately shrunk down to the size of a long sword. I had attempted to shrink it down to the size of a kitchen knife, but as expected, that was impossible. A sort of mental block subconsciously stopped me, as if my own body knew that it could not take the strain from such an action. Needless to say, despite the mental block, my right hand and arm still suffered tremendously. While I did manage to maintain my grip on the handle, everything from my elbow down felt numb, while I half feared that my right shoulder had dislocated from the resulting kickback. I slumped down onto the floor with a grunt, while I tried rehabilitating my arm by moving it around a few times. Luckily, despite the numbness, I could still bend and move my arm with considerable freedom. While I recovered, I could not hide the gleeful grin that had formed on my face. Just from this trial alone, I had discovered the [Spriggan War Axe¡¯s] greatest strength. Its utility did not lie in its high damage count, nor even in its weapon skill, but rather in the kickback. The axe¡¯s greatest benefit was the underlying force and kickback that resulted from when it changed size. While at first, such a kickback might be seen as detrimental, if such destructive force was channeled into an enemy, then its potential could readily be seen. Just imagining the force the War axe could generate if it shifted from the size of a marble into the size of a school bus all in one go left me shuddering both in fear and anticipation. Of course, the kickback, while useful, was by nature, a detriment. It was a dual sided sword that could hurt its owner just as much as it could hurt its opponent. Because of this, the shift skill, in essence, was best used as a last resort type of attack. The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.While I pondered and thought of various ways to make use of the new weapon, I commanded the axe to shrink down to half the size of an ordinary dagger. If the weapon was too small, then it would be easy to lose, so I did not go too overboard. I stuffed the axe into my pants pocket, before I turned around and put away the rest of the drops. After I properly collected all of the drops, I searched for my old backpack, and the rest of the items I had left behind while I made my hasty escape. I dumped everything into my new backpack before I turned towards the Manticore¡¯s corpse. The dull grey sword in my hand almost shivered in anticipation but, I did not outright use [Devour] on the corpse. For one, I was currently in a weakened state. If I used [Devour] right now on such a high quality corpse, then I could only begin to imagine the resulting state of my body. Another reason was because the Manticore corpse was simply too valuable to lose. Its hide was incredibly tough, and the scales on its body had potential for both offense and defense. Also, the heat and vitality that it was currently letting out, despite being a corpse¡­ without a doubt, the meat from that thing would be deliciou- beneficial. Unfortunately, I lacked the current strength and ability to get through the Manticore¡¯s tough exterior. And if left alone, then there¡¯s a possibility that the corpse will attract other monsters, thus invalidating its value. I was stuck in a dilemma. I could neither [Devour] it, nor dismantle it. After some more thought, I ultimately decided to leave the matter for later. While leaving it alone was a risky prospect, it was still acceptable if it was only for a day or two. For now, I¡¯ll meet back up with the others. Cielle, who possesses both [Gemini Blue], and [Nursing] might be able to do something about my body¡¯s current condition. In addition, I can probably get the others to help me move and dismantle the Manticore corpse. Having reached a decision, I finished up with everything else I had to do, before I left the basement, and moved west, towards Cielle¡¯s house.. **** I had looked up Cielle¡¯s address using a municipal map I found yesterday. Her place was a bit far, but it was still within the bounds of the residential area. Unfortunately, that did not make the nearly 1 mile walk any less tasking. After trudging along the open and abandoned street, with the sun beating down on my back, and the backpack weighing me down, while more and more sparrow-like birds whistled listlessly in the air (even more of them had gathered since this morning), I finally arrived at my destination. Squinting through the glaring sunlight, I glanced up at the building before me. Cielle¡¯s home was an apartment in one of the newer buildings within the city. Well, that might be an understatement. The building before could not be described simply by the term ¡°apartment complex¡±. It was more accurate to call it a mansion, or some other type of fancy, grandiose word. The building itself towered over the other houses nearby, and boasted close to 25 floors. It was an amazing building, whose windows shined with an almost vibrant luster, which greatly contrasted its night black exterior. It was something I could not even begin to connect back to the messy haired girl I had grown close to. I did not know what floor Cielle lived on, so I was at a loss as to what to do. As the thought of having to search through the whole place entered my mind, my footsteps trudged along, bringing me closer to the automatic glass doors at the front of the building. Of course, the door was broken, so after I forcibly wrenched the entrance open with brute strength, I finally entered the building. Thanks to the shade, the inside was noticeably cooler, even without any proper air conditioning. Even after reaching this far, I maintained my air of caution. I glanced around at my surroundings with a scrutinizing gaze. The room I was in could be best described as a lobby. There was a receptionist desk on the side, while three elevators adorned the back wall of the room. One of the elevator doors had been forced open, revealing a metallic shaft that led further up into the building. The rest of the room was a mess. It was clear that something like rats or cockroaches had long infested the building. The tiled floors were chipped, while the expensive looking carpets had been thoroughly damaged and torn. Even the furniture lay scattered around the room, broken and misused. As I walked further into the building, my footsteps came to an abrupt stop. The sound of approaching footsteps came from above me. They sounded fast paced, and hurried, maybe even desperate. While a sort of happiness blossomed in my heart at the thought of Cielle, Hina and the others, I still maintained my cautious facade. The possibility that the others had left still existed, and it wasn¡¯t guaranteed that the footsteps I heard were necessarily friendly. I slowly circled around the room until my back rested against the wall. I positioned myself so that the only set of stairs was directly in front of me. With my sword gripped tightly, I waited patiently. The sound of trudging footsteps grew increasingly louder as the cold sweat on my back continually flowed, while the source of the footsteps rapidly grew closer. Finally, after my mental concentration was stretched to its very limits, from the top of the staircase, I could see a familiar head of hair running towards me. Seeing that messy mop of long hair bounce up and down as its owner bounded down the stairs three steps at a time, the taut tension I had been building up, instantly deflated. I breathed out a sigh of relief, as I took a several steps forward. Seeing my approach, with newfound energy, the familiar individual increased her own pace. Unfortunately, due to her haste, she tripped halfway down. Her legs tumbled, while her body practically flew towards the air. While in mid air, her tousled black hair floated away from her head, revealing the current expression that decorated her face. Half-excitement, half-surprise, and half-anxiousness. It was one of those expressions that truly encapsulated the phrase, ¡°A picture is worth a thousand words¡±. With tears collecting beneath her eyes, and with a slightly flushed expression, Cielle smiled a smile that could take one¡¯s breath away. Seeing that happy expression of hers, I could not hold back my own budding smile. I instinctively wanted to say something cliche, or cheesy, like ¡°I¡¯m back¡±, or ¡°Did you miss me?¡±, but before any words could leave my mouth, Cielle¡¯s body rapidly plummeted downwards. She fell directly on top of me, and the resulting impact knocked me off my feet. We both tumbled to the floor with a resounding thud. I reflexively coughed due to the unsettled dust that gathered around us, but the goofy smile on my expression persisted. Before I could react, Cielle¡¯s arms snaked around my body, as she tightly pressed herself ontop of me. Her grip was unusually firm, almost as if she were afraid I¡¯d disappear the moment she let go. Her chest was firmly pushed up against my body, while her head was buried in the crook of my shoulder. I wanted to complain, since my right shoulder was still sore from experimenting with the Spriggan War axe, but feeling Cielle¡¯s slight tremble, and seeing her shoulders shake, the words died down before they could even form. For a while, I did not say anything. We simply laid there, the silence of the building encircling us. I don¡¯t know since when, but my right hand was also firmly hugging onto Cielle¡¯s narrow back. Seeing as how she didn¡¯t protest, I had no intention of letting go. We maintained our position. I wanted to maintain our position, but after what felt like an eternity passed, Cielle was the first to break. Her grip slowly loosened, while she steadily pushed off against me. She did not completely separate from me, but rather, she sat back up in a way so that she was directly ontop of my abdomen. Since she wasn¡¯t all that heavy, I had no intention of complaining. She looked down towards me, her expression a bit blurry from the resulting tears in her eyes. She opened her mouth once, wanting to say something, but ultimately closed it. She repeated this process several times, before finally giving up. Her head slightly lowered as her face reddened. It was a bit out of place, but Cielle showed off a rare shy expression. I could not hide the smile on my face from seeing her struggle with unusual clumsiness. I inwardly chuckled to myself, while I maintained my usual facade. There were a lot of things I wanted to say. I wanted to ask about her, and everyone else. About what they did while I was gone. Whether anything happened or not. There were a lot of things I wanted to say, but ultimately, I chose two simple set of words to convey what I could not properly say. ¡°I¡¯m back.¡± That cliche phrase that I had wanted to say a while ago finally left my cracked lips, as I stared straight at the girl in front of me. Cielle, who heard this, slightly widened her eyes. She did not say anything at first, but her lips lightly curled upwards into a genuine smile. She paused for a second, before her small lips slightly parted. I could see a glint momentarily pass through her eyes. With her lips slightly parted and with her gaze firmly fixed on me, I was at a loss. I expected her to respond to my earlier remark with a playful comeback, but before she could say anything, her body suddenly dipped downwards. Before I could react, her face was already directly in front of mine. I was momentarily paralyzed by the firmness that reflected off of Cielle¡¯s deep dark brown irises. In the wake of my surprise, her pale white hands firmly pressed onto my face, as Cielle¡¯s lips slowly drew closer. My breathing turned ragged, as Cielle¡¯s shaky gasps drifted to my ears. Without fanfare nor resistance, her slightly pink, slightly wettened lips locked with my own. The words of my protest immediately died down, as I instinctively closed my eyes. A sort of burning feeling from deep within my chest suddenly rose up, threatening to take over and struggling to break free. Before I could act upon this new sensation, the kiss that had come so suddenly, had abruptly ended. A thin trail of saliva extended out as Cielle separated her trembling lips from my own. In the face of my wide eyed, and dumbfounded expression, the words that I had anticipated before, finally came out. ¡°Welcome back.¡± Chapter 99: A Little Bit of Selfishness A Little Bit of Selfishness With shock firmly written on my face, I helplessly stared wide eyed at the girl in front of me. The slight trace of heat that I could faintly feel on my cheeks contrasted with the thin, cool pair of hands that firmly held my head in place. With her face just inches away from my own, and with her humid breath tickling my sun burnt nose, I could feel my own heart thumping violently in my chest as my reasoning momentarily slipped away. For an instant, I felt the genre shift from broody tragedy, to a helpless romance. It took me several seconds before I properly registered everything she had said after the kiss, and regain my train of thought. I coughed once, as I almost willed the redness on my cheeks to vanish, and spoke with practiced nonchalance. ¡°I-It¡¯s been a while, Cielle. Your greeting caught me a bit off guard¡­ it was sort of, um...ah, that¡¯s not to say I didn¡¯t like it¡­ it¡¯s just that, um, it was pretty unexpected. S-so¡­¡± Feeling the heat on my face intensify as my self destruction became further apparent, my own words trailed off while I slowly craned my neck upwards. The words that had been accumulating in the back of my throat gushed out before I could do anything about it. ¡°Just¡­ Where did all that come from?¡± Cielle absentmindedly stared blankly at me. A pale, thin finger lightly traced the contours of her bottom lip, as her eyes locked with my own. Those same eyes though, seemingly stared past me as her brow contorted in consternation. She looked a bit troubled, but the concern I felt was trumped by the feeling of arousal her appearance brought forth. With her reddened cheeks, slightly wet lips, and messy, yet glossy hair that seemed to shine with the slight traces of sunlight scattered around the room, the girl in front of me was undeniably beautiful. I almost lost myself in a daze before my eyes caught on to Cielle¡¯s slight, minute movement. Her slightly parted lips widened, almost as if she was about to say something.With the words seemingly on the edge of her tongue, Cielle looked as if she was on the verge of replying, but almost immediately after, those same rosebud colored lips suddenly closed shut, while her head silently drooped down towards the floor. With the bobbing of her head, the messy tufts of black hair swayed slightly before they fell before her face, creating the familiar curtain of hair that I had grown accustomed to seeing. By this point, Cielle¡¯s appearance, with her face hidden and her black hair blocking much of everything, with the exception of her thin, rose colored lips, brought forth an emotion that differed from earlier¡¯s arousal. It was sort of a comforting sense of nostalgia. It was a trace of rare familiarity that I had grown to love over these past few months. Seeing such a familiar appearance, I could not help but laugh out loud. The fatigue from the last few days, the fear of almost dying, and the unexpected melancholy of being alone¡­ all of that faded away. It might be a bit cliche to say this, but meeting up with Cielle in this sparse, half destroyed room, truly did cure my own heart from everything I went through. Hearing my unrestrained laughter, I could see a slight frown forming on her lips. ¡°What¡¯s so funny?¡± She spoke with a slightly childish pout. I laughed once more, before I replied, ¡°No, that¡¯s not it. It¡¯s just that¡­ after three days, I sort of missed you.¡± Contrary to my light hearted words, Cielle immediately looked up, her expression quickly shifted from tender love, to confusion, anger, then to shock. By the end of it all, tears had once again accumulated beneath her eyes. ¡°Hide¡­ you, what are you talking about?¡± She almost forced the words out from her own lips, as a raw, powerful emotion scratched against her battered throat. ¡°Huh?¡± From the tone of her voice, to the expression on her face, I wasn¡¯t dumb enough to not feel that something was wrong here. My face contorted to that of confusion, while my brow scrunched up and my mouth unconsciously formed a frown. ¡°Did I say something wrong?¡± ¡°...¡± Cielle paused for a second, before she replied, ¡°It¡¯s been seven days since we separated. If you had really come back 4 days ago, like we had promised, then I wouldn¡¯t have been so worried.¡± The confusion that had firmly etched itself onto the contours of my face only continued to grow even more pronounced, as I inwardly mumbled. ¡°Wait-wait, seven days? It¡¯s been seven days?¡± If seven days really did pass since my fight with the Manticore, then that would mean that I was unconscious and knocked out for at least 4 days before I regained consciousness¡­ How exactly did I survive that long without any food or water, while simultaneously covered in numerous injuries? Why did I survive? Why did I not die? But more importantly¡­ ¡°More importantly, Cielle, why are you still here?¡± I spoke outloud while locking eyes with the wide eyed girl in front of me. At first, the expression behind that curtain of hair shifted into confusion in the face of my sudden scolding, but almost immediately, her eyes slightly widened, as realization quickly sunk in. ¡°Why are you still here?¡± I repeated. ¡°Didn¡¯t we make a promise that you would leave along with the others after 3 days pass and I still haven¡¯t made it back?¡± I thought about the worst case scenario. What if I had died back then? What if I never came back? How long would Cielle have waited? If that Manticore hadn¡¯t died during our fight, and chased after her¡­ would Cielle have continued waiting? Would she have stayed in this building, clinging onto the faintest trace of hope while danger narrowed in on her like a well aimed arrow? In response, Cielle¡¯s face contorted into a troubled expression. She paused for a moment, as if to think, before she responded with almost frightening normality. ¡°There¡¯s no way I could have left without you. Isn¡¯t something like that obvious?¡± ¡°...¡± For a moment, I was caught off guard by the blind confidence Cielle possessed. ¡°That¡¯s¡­ We made a deal, didn¡¯t we? That the rest of the group would leave if I didn¡¯t make it back after three days-¡± ¡°That doesn¡¯t matter. If I had left 4 days ago like you asked me to, then we would have never met back up like this.¡± ¡°Cielle, you¡­ no, wait, that isn¡¯t the issue here. If¡­ What if I never returned? How long would you have waited?¡± Cielle stayed silent. No words met my inquiry, but as if in response, her head shot up while her eyes firmly locked with my own. The resolution hidden within Cielle¡¯s hazel colored pupils, as well as the complicated, murky sadness that intermixed within, told me more than her words could ever hope to convey.. ¡°...¡± I stayed silent for a while, before a tired sigh leaked out through my teeth. Albeit a bit unwilling, I ultimately dropped the issue. There were just some things a person would never back away from, and in this case, I felt that I was touching on something similar. ¡°Well, I guess that explains why Cielle was unusually bold though¡­¡± I quietly mumbled to myself as I broke eye contact, and absentmindedly allowed my eyes to wander around the broken room. ¡°What was that?¡± ¡°No, nothing.¡± I hurriedly replied. ¡°I was just thinking that you probably had no intention of listening to me back when we made that promise.¡± Although I spoke calmly with a smile on my face, for some reason, Cielle¡¯s expression paled while a drop of sweat rolled down her chin. ¡°T-that¡¯s not necessarily true¡­¡± She spoke with a troubled expression. ¡°I¡¯ll always listen to what Hide says¡­ i-it¡¯s just that, back then¡­ i-it was a special circumstance, so, um¡­ sorry...¡± Seeing her struggle while simultaneously trying to maintain that crumbling facade of hers, I could not help but laugh to myself. My sudden outburst echoed throughout the empty lobby, as Cielle¡¯s shoulders jumped up in surprise. As the last traces of my laughter died out, I gently pushed Cielle out of the way, as I attempted to stand. The fatigue from the past few days had finally caught up to me, especially after that almost two hour long trek sapped away at almost all of my remaining energy, so I had a slightly difficult time getting up. While somewhat staggering to my feet, I continued to talk, half in an attempt at distracting myself, and half in relish at just the action of conversing with Cielle. ¡°Anyways, I can¡¯t really get angry at you¡­ especially after that sort of r-reunion. Seeing as how you acted out of consideration for me this whole time¡­ Even I¡¯m not that dense, you know?¡± As I spoke, the words were dyed with the grunts and strains that unwillingly leaked out from my gritted teeth. I turned towards Cielle, and unconsciously frown. With her face facing directly towards me, Cielle sported a complicated expression beneath her mess of black hair. Before I knew it, her eyes were slowly scanning my whole body. ¡°Cielle?¡± I worried called out. A moment of silence before a reply spoken in a soft, almost silent voice came out. ¡°You¡¯re injured.¡± I reflexively looked down at myself, before I nonchalantly responded, ¡°Ah, that¡¯s right. It was a really close call, back then. I really did almost die.¡± The tone that came out completely betrayed the bitter determination that I carried back then. ¡°The manticore was really strong. Even after it got shot in the eye, and something exploded in its skull, it still kept coming. In the end, I barely escaped.¡± My voice was coated in eerie normality. It felt like I was forcing myself, but I knew better. To me, the past was the past. I didn¡¯t regret, nor did I dwell. It was just something I had survived through. It wasn¡¯t anything special. ¡°Although the Manticore eventually died afterwards, I was pretty beaten myself. My body was covered in injuries, I had completely drained out both my stamina and HP, and to make things worse, I didn¡¯t have anything like potions left over.¡± ¡°...nough..¡± Cielle¡¯s faint voice barely registered in my ears, as the words kept flowing from my mouth like water from a broken dam. ¡°I spent a whole day unconscious¡­ er, now that I think about it, it was four days, probably. I missed the deadline because I was out of it the whole time, sorry about that.¡± ¡°...enough..¡± ¡°When I finally did wake up though, I was almost as good as dead. Injuries, infections, starvation, dehydration, I was really sure I¡¯d- ¡°That¡¯s enough!¡± ¡°...¡± My trance like explanation was broken by Cielle¡¯s sudden uproar. As I looked up to stare at her, Cielle¡¯s face was contorted in pain, as she panted heavily, hard enough to where her chest was visibly heaving up and down. Seeing such a scene, I was at a loss for words. ¡°You¡­ Hide¡­¡± She squeezed out her words as she fought back the tears that accumulated in her eyes. ¡°You went through all that¡­ and I¡­ no, that¡¯s not it, you-you were injured, and I¡­ I didn¡¯t even notice¡­ I even pushed you down like that¡­ I¡­¡± ¡°Ah, Don¡¯t worry about it so much Cielle!¡± I hurriedly tried to brush everything off with my own usual brand of practiced nonchalance. ¡°I mostly recovered while I was away. The only real problem I have now is probably the fact that my skills are still locked due to something called extreme burnout. It''s just something minor like that, so you don¡¯t-¡± Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. As if she was deaf to my one sided explanation, Cielle suddenly moved towards me. Interrupting my words with her actions, she looped an arm behind my back as she moved to support my body from underneath my arm. ¡°...Cielle?¡± I cautiously asked. ¡°Although I was struggling a bit a while ago, I don¡¯t really have trouble walking. After a few minutes, I¡¯ll be fine, so¡­¡± Cielle nodded offhandedly, but she did not remove the arm that was behind me. It felt as if she had one sidedly decided to ignore all of my protests. Without uttering a single word, [Blue Gemini] suddenly started leaking out from almost every pore of her body before it slowly floated towards me. I felt a familiar feeling of pleasant warmness surround me, while my minor injuries that scarred my entire body started to slowly disappear. I especially felt relief oozing out from my left wrist, as the quiet numbness from before slowly decreased. In addition to [Blue Gemini], I also felt a different type of pleasant sensation. It took me awhile, but I eventually recognized the new feeling as Cielle¡¯s other active skill, [Nursing] displaying its effects. It was a different feeling than [Blue Gemini], but at the same time, it was similar. If [Blue Gemini] was the comforting feeling of a soft, warm bed on a lazy winter afternoon, then [Nursing] was something akin to being smothered by a mother¡¯s unconditional love. As both skills began to take their effect, my expression unconsciously loosened as the power in my legs slowly dripped away. The added pressure I was putting on Cielle¡¯s shoulders greatly increased as a result, and after realizing this, I reflexively turned to look at the person in question. Cielle had virtually invested all of her stat points into magic related attributes. Her physical capabilities were practically no different from what it had been at the start of the apocalypse. Cielle had the strength of a regular girl. Supporting my full weight, in addition to the weight of the backpack I had strapped behind me¡­ not to mention while simultaneously using two of her skills, the strain it put on her mind and body was apparent. I almost wanted to protest, but seeing Cielle¡¯s expression of utter concentration, and the determination she displayed even as her legs trembled and sweat dripped down her face, I could not say anything. When Cielle began forcibly leading me towards the stairs, I meekly complied, even going as far as letting her bare my full weight as she took each step with obvious difficulty. Even when her face morphed into pain, even when I could feel her arms shake, even when her legs almost gave out, I just stayed quiet while my head hung down. I allowed Cielle to guide me to wherever it was she wanted to take me. I didn¡¯t resist, nor did I attempt to shoulder her burden. For the first time, I truly relied on her. As a small, almost indiscernible smile floated to my face, I relied on Cielle Nayer. **** After reaching the third floor, Cielle lead me to an apartment with its door haphazardly opened. When I entered the place, I found myself in a sparse hallway that led to an almost completely empty kitchen. Looking around, the kitchen/dining area was only decorated with a dining table meant to serve four people, but only had one chair. In the attached kitchen, I could see an opened fridge with all of its contents emptied, while on the countertop was a pile of overflowing trash. Cielle led me past the kitchen and guided me deeper into the apartment. Eventually we arrived at the living room. The living room was also empty, with the exception of a pile of books haphazardly stacked in one corner of the room, and a lone couch cushion besides the stack. Even in the face of all my inquisitive gazes, Cielle¡¯s expression was unchanging as she heaved out a tired sigh and greedily swallowed heavy gulps of oxygen. After several seconds of catching her breath, we continued to move across the room, while Cielle absentmindedly spoke. ¡°This was where I lived¡­¡± She said simply as she turned to face an opened door to the right of the living room. ¡°My bedroom¡¯s just a little further ahead, so don¡¯t worry¡­¡± But even as she continued to guide me to the room, I could not hide my current surprise. I had assumed that this place was just some random apartment she had decided to camp out in, but to think it was her actual home¡­ As my eyes wandered across the living room, I could not help but wonder whether Cielle really lived in such a stark environment. What about Hina? Going by how everything was arranged, this place was a bit too bare to house more than one person. Did Cielle not live with her sister? What about the rest of her family? What sort of circumstance did Cielle have? As these thoughts continued to float in my mind, we finally arrived at the adjacent bedroom. There, I saw a bedroom decorated with the bare minimum of furniture. An empty desk, a PC, a dresser, and a western bed. As my eyes scanned the room unabashedly, Cielle awkwardly coughed from besides me. In a somewhat shy voice, she explained how this was the first time she¡¯s invited a guy to her bedroom. ¡°Ah, but don¡¯t worry, only Hina and I have stayed in the room¡­ and, I¡¯ve kept the place clean s-so you don¡¯t need to worry.¡± I nodded curtly, as my gaze wandered towards the center of the room. There, I could see that someone had set up a futon bed besides the western styled twin sized bed that took up almost a third of the entire bedroom. Cielle quickly interrupted my continuing probing stares, and without pause, she forcibly pushed me onto the bed, stating I needed to rest. I had a lot of questions floating in my mind, especially regarding Cielle¡¯s previous family situation, but even I realized that it was a bit inappropriate to just flat out ask about such a sensitive topic. But even as I laid here in bed, underneath the layer of sheets that Cielle had unwittingly tucked me in with, I could not hide the frown on my face as my curiosity only deepened. My frown was completely noticed by Cielle, as she took a step back and tilted her head in my direction. After a second¡¯s pause, she said, ¡°... Don¡¯t worry about anything right now. After everything that¡¯s happened, I¡­ I really don¡¯t want to separate from you¡­ at least for now.¡± Her words were spoken with an almost maidenly shyness, which was something I did not see often, much less directed at me. I could not help but feel my heart start to palpitate, as a bit of redness returned to my face. Even though I was perfectly fine with fighting monsters, and facing life or death situations, anything further than this was completely unknown territory to me. I did not have a response to Cielle¡¯s words, but that did not matter as she acted a bit out of character and continued to speak. ¡°... So listen to a little bit of my selfishness for today, and just rest here, okay? You¡¯ve done enough, Hide.¡± ¡°...¡± While I knew how rare it was for Cielle to talk so much all at once, it was even rarer for the person in question to demand something like that. Seeing the different sides of Cielle for the first time, I could do nothing but silently nod my head in compliance. Cielle who saw me agreeing so complaisantly, broke out into an unwitting smile. She locked eyes with me for a second, before her eyes slowly moved down before they landed onto my lips. I noticed Cielle¡¯s breathing grew shallow, as a trace of red dyed her cheeks. Without warning, She suddenly took a step forward, and leaned forward towards my face. I was once again caught off guard by Cielle¡¯s sudden forward approach. The thumping in my heart intensified, as sweat began accumulating beneath my palms. I did not even get the chance to lament over how weak I was to such forward assaults, before Cielle had cut the distance between us. Our faces were mere inches apart, and I could feel her breath tickling my face as her rose colored lips slowly drew closer to my own. I wanted to unconsciously jumped out from the bed, but I somehow managed to stop myself. Seeing Cielle¡¯s current, half glazed expression, and imagining the worry she probably went through while waiting for me throughout the past 7 days, I found that I did not have the power to force my body to move. Right now, Cielle was just displaying a bit of selfishness. There was nothing complicated about it, I reasoned. It¡¯s just her own act of selfishness. Since I¡¯ve been causing her trouble lately, it won¡¯t hurt to entertain her for a little bit. As Cielle¡¯s face slowly drew closer and closer, and as our lips slowly closed in, Cielle suddenly stopped. Our breathes overlapped one another, while our lips were only a few millimeters away from the other. It was a distance that could be closed by merely nudging my face forward. But at such an important junction, Cielle had stopped. She maintained this position for the span of a second, before she let out a hot, and long winded sigh and moved her head backwards. In front of my own blushing face, Cielle¡¯s own redenned expression flashed before my eyes as she faintly smiled. ¡°I stole the first kiss before... ¡° She lightly spoke, while she attempted to regulate her uneven breathing. ¡°... and I don¡¯t want to get too greedy. So next time, I¡¯ll wait until Hide makes the first move.¡± ¡°...I...um¡­¡± My mind was in a total mess after everything that had taken place. While I desperately tried to formulate a coherent response, Cielle had already brushed off the collected dust from her legs, and stood up. In a voice that completely betrayed her flushed complexion, she said, ¡°...I¡¯ll get some food, and water for you.¡± She moved towards the door, and as she walked, she further repeated herself. ¡°Hide doesn¡¯t have to worry about anything. Right now, just relax and rest until you get better¡­¡± Her words abruptly died out as she reached the doorway. She paused for a second, and tilted her head sideways, before she momentarily turned her head to look back at me. After letting out a light laugh, she spoke, ¡°Although I say that, I know Hide. You won¡¯t listen to what I say. You try to act tough, you try to pretend not to care, but the Hide I know isn¡¯t like that¡­ A person who can¡¯t help but worry about those close to him¡­ A person who can¡¯t help but shoulder all of the burden while making excuses for himself¡­ A person who cares too much, that¡¯s the Hide I know¡­ that¡¯s¡­ that¡¯s the Hide I fell in love with.¡± The redness in her complexion intensified, as Cielle glanced at me with a shy, yet calm composure on her face. After a slight pause, she continued, ¡°So¡­ because I know Hide is the type of person who can¡¯t calm down and relax even if I tell him to calm down and relax, after I get back, I¡¯ll explain everything to you¡­ So, at the very least, until then, Please entertain my little bit of selfishness and relax.¡± She floated another light smile, as she finally walked out into the living room, and closed the door behind her, leaving me all alone in a girl¡¯s bedroom for the first time in my adolescent life. Chapter 100: While You Were Gone part 1 Author''s Note: Sorry. The hiatus was a bit longer than I expected. Hahaha... I have no excuses. While You Were Gone Part 1 As I waited in Cielle¡¯s room, I quietly thought over the words she left behind. ¡°She told me to relax, but¡­¡± Since this whole mess started, relaxation has been the last thing on my mind. Rather, it was practically impossible to relax given the situation I constantly found myself in. These past couple of months have been nothing but stressful scenario after stressful scenario. Finding time to relax in between fending of cannibals and hunting monsters is a rather difficult thing to do. Nevertheless, taking Cielle¡¯s suggestion seriously, I blew out an overdrawn sigh, as I leaned my head back into the pillow, and squirmed myself deeper into the foam of the mattress. A faint scent, one that I found both familiar and foreign, faintly drifted towards my head, causing me to unconsciously crinkle my nose. The scent wasn¡¯t unpleasant, rather, in a way, it was the opposite. It somehow set my mind at ease, while causing my heart to flutter at the same time. It wasn¡¯t as overpowering a smell as sweat, but it was something similar. It was a girl¡¯s scent, specifically Cielle¡¯s. The moment this realization dawned on me, I once again acknowledged that I was in a rather novel situation right now. For the first time in my life, I was in a girl¡¯s bedroom. If the situation and circumstances were any different, I would probably be going crazy with nervousness and anticipation right now. I stared absentmindedly at the ceiling above me. Unfortunately, whether I liked it or not, I was numb to the whole experience. Maybe it was due to all the things I went through these past couple of months, but my heart was strangely at ease. Unlike a normal, hormone induced teenager, I felt no heart palpitating excitement, nor palm sweating nervousness. Now, if the person herself was present, then it would be a totally different situation. It was probably due to all the affection she openly displayed, but Cielle had a way that affected me in the most juvenile ways possible. Thinking about it carefully, it was the first time in my life I¡¯ve ever been as close to a girl, as I was with Cielle. Even the apocalypse wasn¡¯t enough to divert my realization from this fact. The uncertainty, the abrupt sensation of nervousness, the slight trace of happiness whenever I talked to her¡­ this feeling, was this what first love felt like? In certain ways, Cielle was an enigma to me, and I was currently in the room of that enigma. Thankfully, without the person herself, nothing weird happened. This bedroom was just another ordinary bedroom. In fact, Cielle¡¯s bedroom looked a lot like my own. As my eyes unconsciously scanned through the room¡¯s interior, I quickly noticed how sparsely decorated everything was. Save for the standard furniture, such as the desk and the night stand, Cielle¡¯s bedroom was completely empty. My room was decorated in much the same way, so I didn¡¯t really find it all that odd, it''s just that, it was completely different from the idealized image I had of a girl¡¯s bedroom. As I was looking around, through the corner of my eye, I saw an old, and weathered hard cover book peaking out from underneath the nightstand next to the foot of the bed. Upon closer inspection, the book turned out to be an old photo album. Normally, the photo album would have been completely hidden under the night stand, but the night stand had been accidentally moved from its original position. This was evident from the imprint of dust on the floor next to the night stand. I absentmindedly blinked as I stared at the dust filled photo album. Suddenly, a million thoughts and desires raced through my head in what felt like less than a fraction of a second. Honestly speaking, I was quite tempted. I was held back by my own standards of right and wrong, but the allure of seeing Cielle as a child was tempting me like a cool glass of water on a hot sunny day. I knew it was rather improper, and went against what little moral integrity I had left, but... In the end, with the excuse that reading through her photo album would help me relax, I willingly chose to plunge myself into degeneracy. Smacking my lips in anticipation, with actions that could neither be described as too fast nor too slow, I reached over for the photo album, and brought it towards me. As I opened the book, the first image I saw was that of a young woman with a baby in her arms. The woman looked to be in her mid twenties, and had black hair similar to Cielle¡¯s. While her overall appearance was that of a beautiful woman, her complexion was somewhat pale, while her hair was haggard.Within her eyes, I could see a mixture of obvious stress and fatigue. Yet, despite that, the love and affection within her gaze was apparent. Her eyes, rather than staring out into the camera, was fixated on the baby nestled within her arms. The baby itself, was wrapped in a bundle of blankets. Only her round, slightly reddish head was visible. Even without any confirmation, I could instantly tell that the baby was Cielle. The woman in the picture was probably her mother. The resemblance between the the woman and the current Cielle was definitely apparent. Considering it was a picture of Cielle as a baby, Hina probably wasn¡¯t born yet. If I remember correctly, Cielle should be a little bit over a year older than Hina. With absentminded thoughts, I flipped to the next page. The next picture was, again, another baby picture. This time, it was of Cielle alone. She was sleeping in what looked like a crib. Her eyes were shut closed, and a faint trace of drool was flowing freely down from her slightly opened mouth.The image after that was that of baby Cielle happily playing with her mother. The mother, while still looking a bit worn out, happily sported on a smile as she stared blissfully at the daugher in front of her. Flipping the next page, I saw another picture of Cielle. This time, she looked to be around 1 to 2 years old. Hair had started growing on her head. While it wasn¡¯t to the level of her current self, her hair had already grown quite long, covering up the majority of her forehead. Flipping through the next few pages, the photos all consisted of Cielle, and occasionally her mother. Her age gradually increased from that to a baby to that of a preschooler as I progressed through the book. By the time I reached what I thought was Cielle in her early elementary school years, I noticed that her hair had grown out. It was long, and traveled all the way to her back, but unlike now, her jet black hair did not cover her face, nor was it as tangled and messy as it was today. In the photo in front of me, Cielle was standing in front of the exit to an amusement park. Her hair was pinned back with a butterfly clip, and was styled into a ponytail. Her smiling expression, unhindered by neither hair nor sadness, filled the whole picture. There was some ice cream smudged below her lips, but that did not obstruct how cute she looked. Her bright expression was quite a rare sight to see, and I mentally memorized it as I flipped to the next page. ¡°Oh, this is¡­¡± The next image was that of Cielle and Hina. Hina and Cielle were standing in front of a house. The Cielle here looked a little bit older than the one in the previous picture, maybe by 1 to 2 years. She was standing a little bit away from Hina. Both girls looked awkward within the picture, and neither one of them sported a smile. As expected of Hina though, even though she had a rather apathetic expression in the picture, I had to admit, she still looked cuter than the most children. I continued to flip through the album. Unlike the previous images, the photos I browsed through now consisted of Hina and Cielle. The majority of the pictures were of Cielle, but a good majority of them were of Cielle and Hina together. I inwardly frowned. I noticed that Cielle was smiling less and less as I progressed through the photo album. At the end of the photo album, the last picture was taped to the inside of the back cover. Going by the time stamp, it was recently taken. It was a picture of Cielle. She was standing in front of the entrance to a building. At first glance, the building was rather familiar. It took me a moment to realize the building she was standing in front of was the same building we were currently in. Dressed up in a high school uniform, Cielle was in front of the doorway, apathetically waving her hand towards the camera. Her hair hanged down over most of her face, like a curtain blocking out the rest of the world. I closed the album, and quietly placed it back where I found it. I quietly shut my eyes, as I leaned back against the bed, silently pondering over the album¡¯s contents. I had a nagging feeling in the back of my head. Something about the album was bothering me. Rather, there were several points I found rather odd. For one, there was Cielle¡¯s obvious shift in attitude. What had happened in between those pictures? There was also Hina¡¯s first appearance. Although Hina was only about a year younger than Cielle, why did she appear so late in the album? And finally, there was Cielle¡¯s mother... Why did Cielle¡¯s mother abruptly stop appearing halfway through the album? Before I could think about this any further, the bedroom door suddenly creaked open, causing me to subconsciously jump in my seat. ¡°Hmm? What¡¯s wrong?¡± Cielle lightly asked from the doorway. ¡°Ah, no, it¡¯s nothing. I was just trying to, um, relax.¡± I hastily answered back, hoping that she didn¡¯t notice my eyes subconsciously darting back and forth between her and the photo album under the night stand. She paused for a moment, her mouth curving into a curious smile, before she lightly nodded her head. She continued forward, moving her body into the room. She was unsteadily balancing a serving tray filled with food in one hand, while she fumbled around with the door handle in the other. After some struggling, she finally managed to enter the room and close the door behind her. ¡°I brought you something to eat.¡± Cielle spoke in a soft, almost whisper-like voice. She extended her arms out and presented the tray in front of me, with a sort of quiet excitement in her step. On top of the tray was a simple combination, consisting of a bowl of rice porridge, canned meat, pickled vegetables, and a glass of water. Looking closely, I could tell that the rice porridge was freshly heated, while the meat and vegetables had been refried. Although the food was simple, seeing it was enough to make me temporarily lose my mind. In addition, the faint, savory smell it emitted was turning my eyes blurry and making my mouth salivate. It was an almost instant reminder as to how hungry I had been during the last couple of days. Seeing my almost comical, over the top reaction, Cielle bobbed her head forward in satisfaction. She gingerly handed the tray over to me. With little hesitation, I wasted no time attacking the meal in front of me.. ¡°Thanks,¡± I responded in between mouthfuls of porridge and meat. The urgency in which I ate was conveyed almost as clearly as how sloppily I was at eating. But things like delicacy and mannerism were one of the last things on my mind right now. My attention was fully focused on the sensation of porridge draining into my esophagus and down to my stomach. The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. At about half way through the tray, I finally regained some semblance of rationality. With peering eyes, I looked back up over at the only other person in the room with me. Cielle was seated on the bed, almost right next to me. She was staring back at me with an almost bemused expression on her face. I don¡¯t know how long she had been staring, but it was enough to light a tiny bit of embarrassment within my heart. I coughed once, almost choking on a mouthful of meat and rice, before I fixed my posture and ate, this time, at a much slower, and more controlled pace. I ate silently for a little while. Cielle, who sat with me the entire time, would make brief comments, or ask short questions like, ¡°Is it good?¡±, ¡°Did you like the rice?¡± or ¡°I cooked it myself.¡± She spoke about unimportant, little things like that, almost as if she was trying to fill in the silence. Every Time, I¡¯d respond with a brief grunt, or some form of throat noise in between bites. Eventually though, her questions stopped. It seemed as if she was content with just watching me eat. The ensuing silence, was almost calming. I did not look back up at her, but I knew she was here with me. It was her presence alone that brought a warm comfort and familiarity to the room. In my heart, I deeply noted the current feeling I had, and contrasted it with the loneliness from yesterday. As the quiet atmosphere persisted, stray thoughts whizzed by my mind. Sometimes they stuck like flies to a fly trap, while other thoughts just came and passed by. One of the things that did persistently stick to me, was the photo album. The questions I had before simmered and festered, filling me with an almost unhealthy desire to know. ¡°Hey Cielle¡­¡± I started, before trailing off, not sure how to continue the conversation. ¡°Yeah?¡± She responded in her usual, simple way. ¡°I¡­¡± The words caught in my throat. The curiosity I had, was like rushing water in front of a stone wall. They were stopped just before they could break through the dam and come to life as words. I did not know where to begin, and the slight feeling of guilt for looking over at her things still lingered within my mind, shackling me down even further. ¡°... nevermind. It was nothing.¡± I eventually dismissively said as I stuffed another spoonful into my mouth. ¡°...¡± I could feel Cielle¡¯s stare boring down at the top of my head. The sweat running down my back, the goosebumps forming on my eyes, I felt exposed in front of her eyes. It felt like an eternity before she finally responded, ¡°Alright. If you ever want to talk, you know I¡¯ll always¡­¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± I replied back, almost automatically. Driven by nervous guilt, my response came out in a frantic rush. I gulped down a tense breath of air, before I swallowed a spoonful of porridge, and responded, ¡°Thanks.¡± A short while later, the tray in front of me was empty, and my stomach was mildly satisfied. I stared up at Cielle from the head of the bed. The worries and concerns from earlier were all pushed to the back of mind as I shifted gears. My gaze gradually turned serious, as I took a deep breath, and spoke with a slightly firm tone, ¡°Alright. Now tell me, what happened while I was away? And where is the rest of the group?¡± Cielle paused briefly, before she responded with a nod. Her gaze was fixated on her lap as she responded in her quiet, whisper-like voice. ¡°Alright. Since I promised Hide, then I¡¯ll tell you, about what happened after we were separated¡­¡± **** (Pov Change) After they ran away from the manticore, following Cielle and Hide¡¯s earlier agreement, the group eventually arrived at Cielle¡¯s apartment building. Like they had originally agreed upon, the group had planned to wait within the building for four days. For the first three days, that was their original intention. They stayed inside the building, never once leaving its confines. Occasionally, they would search through the apartment suites for any food and other supplies, or practice their skills within the empty rooms, but no matter what, they made it an explicit rule to never take a single step outside of the building. They had knowingly confined themselves, and unknowingly allowed all the fear, tension and bottled up emotions to fester and build up. While the feeling of suffocation gradually increased as the minutes, hours, and days passed by, they took small comfort in knowing it was all a far cry from the sensation of trapped misery they had all experienced first hand from the school. Compared to the dungeon, something like this wasn¡¯t even worth mentioning. Still, under such stress and constant pressure, the uncomfortable feeling gradually built up, quickly morphing into nervous anxiety and unhealthy paranoia. Eventually, it was the President who first succumbed to the atmosphere permeating throughout the group. The feeling of nervousness, the loss of someone important, the looming sense of death, it all just built up, stacked one after another until it finally broke under the weight of everything. But out of all of the mix of emotions that swirled around in his head, what he could not stand the most was the feeling of lethargy. He hated the feeling of not doing anything, of just sitting there and waiting, twiddling his thumbs doing nothing while danger or whatever else slowly creeped closer. As the end of the third day came and with no Hide in sight, he was the first to propose a plan. Rather, it was bigger than that. The whole group had avidly avoided it, but on the third day, he finally brought up the possibility of Hide never arriving on the fourth day. Hide¡¯s impact on the group was immense. While he never outright declared it himself, he was the unanimous and undisputed leader. It was through his ideas, through his judgement, and through his leadership, that the group managed to defeat the dungeon. Even now, it was because of his sacrifice that they were able to escape. Hide¡¯s impact was immense, and this was felt more clearly than ever with his loss. A hole, a vast chasm had opened up within the group, causing unending fear and hysteria. To some, this hole was bigger than others. This was especially true to the girls who had followed Hide from the start. Around Cielle, Hina, and Cher, there was a distinct feeling of lingering depression that constantly wafted around them. While he wasn¡¯t as affected by Hide¡¯s loss as strongly as the girls were, the President had also felt this hole. He had begun to feel the pressure which Hide had long grown accustomed to. Although he had some experience being a leader, compared to before, his confidence had taken a huge blow. The loss of all of his friends, the look Emiko had given him when she had saved him¡­ The President¡¯s heart was filled with bitterness and uncertainty. He lamented in self derision. The weight of the lives that Hide had unknowingly started supporting¡­ to the President, it was a weight strong enough to break him in half. This subconscious anxiety shackled him down. Even though he had brought up the topic of Hide never coming back, at the same time, he had tactfully avoided the idea of leaving the area or stating with certainty that Hide was dead. He proposed that they either go back and search for Hide, or at the very least, they find something to occupy the days of seemingly endless agitation. He wanted to drive away the feeling of growing lethargy and stagnation that had gradually seeped its way deep into his heart. **** In the empty living room of Cielle¡¯s one bedroom apartment, the group had gathered. It was evening of the third day after they had escaped the school. The President had called everybody together in order to discuss the current situation. He had brought up his two proposals of either going back for Hide, or trying to find something to preoccupy themselves with. Immediately, this launched a flurry of discussion within the room. Although there were only seven people within the small, yet empty living room, their voices echoed and reverberated as the back and forth arguing persisted. Cher and Hina were adamant about going back to search for Hide. The days without him filled their hearts with a sense of deep and uneasy dread. Kido¡¯s former harem, as well as Narise, were firm in their choice to stay. Two of them were non combatants and feared anything dangerous. Much less going back to where such a high level boss was waiting, they feared the prospect of even taking a single step outside of the building. Minakawa, the only person within the Stay behind faction who had combat experience, was simply apathetic to Hide¡¯s plight, and merely wanted to keep her only friend out of harm¡¯s way. Even though the President was the one who came up with the proposals, he himself was undecided, and merely listened to the constant bickering between both sides. ¡°We can¡¯t go back.¡± Amidst the noise and raised voices, a quiet whisper echoed throughout the room. The magnetic, almost-mesmerizing voice was enough to cause a momentary lull within the chaotic living room. Both sides, regardless of their previous discussion, all turned silent and sported surprised expressions. With eyes wide open, almost in unison, everyone turned towards the origin of the voice. Unexpectedly, it was Cielle who had rejected the idea of going back for Hide. Her words, while soft spoken, were filled with a certain firmness that made it difficult to refuse. ¡°We can¡¯t go back.¡± She repeated, shaking her head in solemn determination. ¡°Cielle?¡± From among the group, Cher spoke with a questioning tone. Her light auburn hair bobbed slightly up and down, as she reared her head back in shock. Cielle¡¯s affection towards Hide was something she had long known about. While she wasn¡¯t openly affectionate, from the way she would sometimes look towards Hide, to the way she acted around him, it didn¡¯t take a genius to guess what she felt about him. Cher¡¯s own emotions towards Hide were a bit more complicated. It wasn¡¯t like she hated him, but she did not know whether the way she felt could be constituted as love. It was a weird sort of feeling that sometimes caused her to blush, frown, or shake her head in frustration at the most inopportune moments. Either way, knowing how Cielle felt about Hide, Cielle¡¯s response unconsciously caused an expression of bewilderment to form on Cher¡¯s face. ¡°What are you saying? How can we just leave Hide alone?¡± She asked, a clear defiance in her tone. ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Hina, spoke from besides Cher. Her brows were scrunched up in confusion, while her expression was morphed into a frown. She was also quite aware of how strongly her sister felt for Hide. ¡°We have to go back and help him. Who knows what type of condition he¡¯s in! For all we know, he could be unconscious right now, lying in some broken down place, while teetering on the brink of death.¡± To Hina and Cher¡¯s questioning, Cielle slowly shook her head. From behind her curtain of hair, a melancholic light flashed briefly through her eyes. ¡°It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t want to go back and help him¡­ I want to, I really want to¡­ but¡­¡± Her soft, and hollow voice was filled with a discernible bitterness and sorrow. ¡°Hide stayed behind to protect us... Going back now- going back now would undermine everything Hide did.¡± Cielle wanted to follow Hide¡¯s last instructions. It wasn¡¯t that she was 100% certain he would make it back alive. After all, even though Hide was capable of amazing things, even though he adapted to this new environment as well as a fish in water, he wasn¡¯t invincible. The emotional part of her mind continuously told herself that Hide would survive, but another, a cold, more logical part told her otherwise. ¡°I want to do what Hide said and wait.¡± That¡¯s what she had told herself. ¡°I want to listen to what Hide told us.¡± Even though she wasn¡¯t certain, if there was one thing she could trust, if there was one thing she would follow, it would be Hide¡¯s words. ¡°Hide told us to stay, so we¡¯ll stay.¡± But even then- ¡°... and Hide told us, that after 4 days, if he isn¡¯t back,¡± her voice dropped an octave. In her once undisturbed speech, a hint of hesitation surfaced. Even though she wanted to do everything Hide had told him¡­ he had made it so, so very difficult. ¡°If he isn¡¯t back by then, he told us to leave...¡± There were just some things she couldn¡¯t do, even if they were Hide¡¯s own words. ¡°But¡­¡± From underneath her curtain of hair, a slight frown had formed. ¡°... but I don¡¯t want to leave either.¡± A mix of emotions swirled up within Cielle¡¯s heart. The contrasting desire to follow Hide¡¯s last words, and the desperate act of grasping onto the last possible hope of his survival. Her desire for both caused her to scrunch up her face and frown. She stared down at her white, clenched fists, as she thought long and hard. The room around her had long grown silent. The gloomy miasma around the whole group indicated that a similar conflict was currently enveloping the others, albeit in different degrees. Cher and Hina, who had previously advocated for going back and searching for Hide, now grew silent. The small thought that Hide might not come back slowly crawled into their minds. After what felt like an eternity had passed, the President¡¯s voice finally cut through the silence, ¡°Okay.¡± He solemnly nodded. ¡°We¡¯ll¡­ We¡¯ll remain here. Even if, after tomorrow, Hide still isn¡¯t back, we¡¯ll stay.¡± Hearing his words, a heavy weight was seemingly lifted off from everyone¡¯s chest, as a round of relieved sighs echoed throughout the room. Almost directly after, the President¡¯s voice continued on, ¡°But this doesn¡¯t mean we can stay here indefinitely. If something that threatens our lives comes around, or if we run out of supplies, then we¡¯re immediately leaving¡­ with or without Hide.¡± The group readily agreed to the President¡¯s conditions. They were all just satisfied that they did not have to immediately leave. With that, the group unanimously decided to remain within the building for the time being. While a part of this decision stemmed from their previous dependency on Hide, a greater part came from their own personal experiences within the school dungeon. The danger of this new world had already been firmly engraved into their hearts a long time ago. And while the apartment building, along with a majority of the surrounding area were within the manticore¡¯s territory, it was because of this same manticore that there were currently no monsters within the area. This lack of immediate danger was not guaranteed within the other parts of the city. No one was willing to jump head first into danger, especially when that danger was shrouded in the unknown. And frankly speaking, who would be willing to leave a place void of any monsters? The apartment building was a good two to three miles away from the school. While this distance could not be called far, it wasn¡¯t too close either. The group decided to make this place their temporary base. But while they did decide not to leave the area, the President still wasn¡¯t satisfied. The lingering feeling of lethargy still persisted within his mind, so to combat this irritating sensation, he proposed that they start patrolling the area. ¡°This place might be safe for now, but who can guarantee this safety will last, and for long?¡± He reasoned. ¡°We need to be prepared before hand in case the Manticore finds us or if other monsters start showing up.¡± Upon his words, everybody quickly came to an agreement. Slowly but surely, they were beginning to accept that leaving the dungeon, was merely stepping into another sort of hell, one filled with as much or even more danger as the previous one. The illusion of safety and comfort that had started to form around the group, were all being actively and intentionally destroyed by the President. He did not state this openly, but he believed that by introducing a patrolling system, it would not only maintain safety, but also actively put the group in a continued heightened state of caution. It was like having a knife pressed up against your throat, giving one virtually no opportunity to relax. And unlike before, when they were all holed up inside the building without doing anything, all of these repressed emotions and bottled up agitation could be released through actual physical activity. In a morbid sort of way, actively looking for monsters could help alleviate some of the built up stress everyone had accumulated. **** During the morning of the next day, with the President taking control, the group began setting up shifts for patrolling the surrounding areas. In addition, since they could not help the others patrol the area, the two non combatants were tasked with scavenging for food and other supplies within the various suites and apartments of the building. As the group members were assigning roles to each individual, Cielle adamantly spoke up and decided that she would remain in the building in order to wait for Hide¡¯s return. She did not want to miss the moment Hide arrived to the building . And in addition, she also wanted to be the very first person Hide would see the moment he returned. She realized that this was a rather selfish request, and that she herself constituted a major fighting force within the group, so she had originally expected some resistance from the others, but to her surprise the President readily agreed without much of a fuss. ¡°There¡¯s no use making you do something you don¡¯t want to do.¡± He later explained. ¡°In fact, with that sort of unwillingness, even with your skills, you might become a liability, rather than an asset.¡± The President¡¯s words, while they revealed a portion of his true feelings, they did not express the whole truth. His main reason for keeping Cielle in the building was due to her importance as a healer. Although she had strong abilities, and she fought well, maybe even better than himself, in a world like this, her identity as a healer was several times more important. In this regard, Hide and the President¡¯s point of views differed. In Hide¡¯s case, he made Cielle fight in the front lines in order to increase her own personal strength to better defend herself. From the President¡¯s perspective, this was an increasingly reckless thing to do. From a group perspective, putting someone as important as a healer in constant harm¡¯s way was too dangerous of a risk for him to take. Moreover, unlike Hide, the President was not confident that he would be able to act and save Cielle in times of danger. While keeping his insecurities and concerns bottled up inside him, the President readily wore a facade, as he agreeably agreed to Cielle¡¯s seemingly over the top demand. **** Author''s Note: I''ve been gone for quite a while and I''m not very familiar with the new royal road. Some things, alot of things have changed. Some of those things I like, and some of those things I don''t like. I''m not too familiar with everything just yet, so bear with me in the future, my loyal fans. I swear, coming back to this story after a 5 month hiatus, you guys are just as crazy as me. Also seeing as how almost everybody has a cover these days, I thought about making one myself. I don''t think its very good, and I feel like someone might flag me for art plagiary. Even though I spliced together a bunch of different images, I''m not too certain as to how art plagiary works, and whether what I did constitutes as so. If it is, I''ll take it down. If anyone is wiling to make me a cover, or knows how I can get one, please speak up. Chapter 101: While You Were Gone Part 2 While You Were Gone Part 2 Setoha City was the general term the residents used to refer to the large metropolitan area located at the center of the main island. In actuality, the Setoha islands was a collective term used to allude to the bodies of land that existed about a hundred or so miles away from the coast of Okinawa. The Setoha islands consisted of one main island surrounded by six smaller uninhabited islands. The main island was a large landmass that, in addition to Setoha City, contained three small rural villages, two of which were inland, and one of which was a fishing village. To the north was a large aeronautic and space research facility, while to the east was a joint military base. The western side of the island that pointed towards the east china sea contained a large harbor and airport. Finally, to the south was a dense region of forestry, beyond which was a small mountain with an old shinto shrine nestled atop. In total, Setoha island was a rather large body of land approximately 3/4ths the size of Tokyo. Within this area, the apartment building that the group had holed themselves up in was located on the western side of the island, in a previously populated suburban district. Oakwood high school, the torturous hellhole that they had been stuck in for three months, as well as the manticore¡¯s new home, was somewhere close to the center of this suburban area. In contrast, Cielle¡¯s apartment was located on the eastern side of the suburban district, about 3 miles away from their old school. Going by how empty, and void of life the surrounding area was, the President deduced that the manticore¡¯s influence covered close to if not all of the suburban district. This frightening level of authority not only increased his innate fear over the creature, but it also solidified his decision to completely abandon the western wing of the neighborhood. He decided beforehand not to explore the region they had originally come from and instead, he focused the majority of his attention to the east, away from the previously identified danger. In comparison with the suburban district, the urban landscape of the island, where the real city started, was a mere 4 miles east from their current location. While this distance didn¡¯t seem all that grand, in between were rows upon rows of houses and apartment buildings, as well as a maze of intertwining streets and back alleys. In addition, to the President¡¯s eyes, the inner city wasn¡¯t exactly a ball of sunshine and happiness that just anybody could waltz right into. On the first day of the apocalypse, he had seen the flashing green light that hovered over the city, and had personally witnessed the things that fell from it. 3 months later, he could not even begin to imagine the city¡¯s current state. He felt very mixed feelings from this. In one hand, he had subconsciously developed a sort of fearful apprehension to anything he lacked concrete information about, which just so happened to include Setoha City. On the other hand, his old house was somewhere deep within the inner city. His parents too, were somewhere inside, as they had been working in the city prior to the start of the apocalypse. The moral dilemma he faced over guaranteeing the safety of the others in the group, versus finding out what exactly happened to his loved ones, caused him no small amount of stress and worry. Eventually though, his fears won out, and he ultimately decided to set a limit to how far the group could venture out. He decided to make the end of the neighboring neighborhood, and the start of the freeway to the metropolitan area of the city, the limit to their patrols. For the overall process, the group decided to split into two parties, each consisting of two members each. Both groups would start at the entrance of the apartment building and move out to investigate a specified area. After a pre assigned amount of time passed, they would convene back at the apartment building and share any and all information they discovered. As per the President¡¯s advice, the two parties would switch around their members every time they met back up. This was in order to help familiarize themselves with each other¡¯s strengths, and habits. There were many limitations to this sort of format. The most noticeable limitation was their lack of numbers. They only had four active members, not only limiting their man power, but also the scope they could explore. In order to combat this limitation, the President decided to forgo detail, in favor of a more broad spectrum. Instead of thoroughly searching through all the nearby houses, they decided to do a more precursory search, limiting themselves to exploring the streets and weaving through the back alleys. Of course, this alone was a lot of work, considering how broad and substantial the suburban district was. Previously, the suburban district housed around 75% of the student population, along with their respective families, and other third party residents. In all, this made up a good 7 to 10% of Setoha City¡¯s total population. The land space needed to accumulate that many people was massive. Just navigating through the concrete maze of one residential neighborhood took up a considerable amount of time. Luckily, in order to avoid running into the manticore, the President had closed off about 60% of the suburban district. The area available to them had been restricted greatly, but it was still a staggering amount for four people to cover alone. **** At the start, things were relatively calm. They first explored a radius of around 500 meters away from the apartment building. As they familiarized themselves with the area, they gradually expanded the scope of their exploration, slowly increasing from 1 mile to 2 miles, and so on. By early noon on the 5th day, they were exploring as far as 3 miles away from the apartment building. Unfortunately, this distance brought them across the neighboring neighborhood, and into the edges of the metropolitan area. Crossing a short freeway would place them directly into the heart of the city. This just so happened to be the self imposed border that the President had set beforehand. With no other option, the group could do nothing but turn back and re-check some of the earlier routes that they had previously explored. Beforehand, for the past couple of days, the patrol groups had yet to run into any living creature, save for a few stray birds that frolicked across the rooftops and power lines. Be it monster, or otherwise, for the past two days, the interweaving residential streets that covered the three mile radius they previously explored, were all relatively empty. The President had rather mixed feelings about this situation. On one hand, there was the feeling of relief that came from not running into anything dangerous. If this were the normal world, back before everything went to hell, then it would be natural to revel in such a feeling. On the other hand though, he felt as if his body was getting rusty. Just remembering the manticore was enough to send shivers down the President¡¯s spine, but the feeling that his current condition was gradually getting worse due to lack of practice, was something that he found surprisingly more uncomfortable.Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. He did not know what the others had thought about this situation, but to him, it was enough to cause an odd sort of misaligned vexation to form. In desperation, he even began to wonder whether the empty houses he had previously put off from searching had any monsters hiding within. It was indeed a likely possibility, but this thought was immediately pushed to the back of his mind the moment he encountered a lone monster stalking the streets. It was during late afternoon of the fifth day. The one¡¯s who were out on patrol at the moment were the President and Cher. The two had arrived near the end of the neighborhood, and had spent about 25 minutes briefly patrolling the surrounding area. As they were preparing to head back, from the distance, Cher had spotted something moving. It was walking on the freeway with an odd limping gait, and was slowly making its way to the neighborhood. Considering the direction it was walking from, it had probably originated from within the metropolitan area. As it continued to walk forward, the President and Cher hid within a nearby house, and observed from a distance, patiently waiting for it to get closer. By the time it had gotten within 50 meters of the neighborhood, the two could see the monster more clearly in its entirety. The monster was slightly larger than an average male. It¡¯s body was somewhat thin, and its posture was slouched. It had a pair of short, and stubby legs, while its two arms hung down almost all the way to the ground. Looking closely, they could see that the creature had no visible eyes on its head. Instead, it had a pointed pair of large ears that were about a third the size of its head, and a large, slightly red, angled nose. Its whole body was covered in a thick layer of brown fur-like hair, that congregated mostly on its back and forearms. In its exaggeratedly large hands was a steel pipe. At first, seeing the monster, the duo experienced a slight sense of nervousness. Even though they had experience fighting monsters within the dungeon, not including the manticore, this was their first encounter with a monster from the outside world. It was natural to feel nervous, but within that mess of agitation, a slight sense of excitement had illuminated deep within the President¡¯s heart. The nervousness and anxiety somewhat lessened as they noticed that the monster¡¯s level was only around the early 20s. Compared to the flood of late game monsters that frequented the school dungeon, not only was this one lower leveled, it didn¡¯t appear to be nearly as violent. The biggest difference though, had to be the fact that this monster, tactfully labeled as a [Shrew Troll] by the world system, was all alone. When compared to facing off against a horde of seemingly endless monsters, the pressure emitted from a single creature wielding a rusted steel pipe was considerably less domineering. Without much effort, or tension, the duo killed it before they returned back to the apartment building. It hadn¡¯t dropped anything, so aside from increasing the non combatants¡¯ nervousness, the existence of the first creature did not rouse much action or suspicion. It was only during the next day did they realize the severity of the situation. On the sixth day, not even an hour after they had started patrolling for the day, and already, they ran into another monster. It was the same type of creature, a [Shrew Troll], and again, it was alone. The only considerable difference was that this time, when they had found it, it was a lot further into the neighborhood than the previous one. Upon hearing this new development, a tinge of worry entered the President¡¯s heart, but with no other options, he could do nothing, but continue patrolling the area. The others followed suit, but this time, they went about their business with a heightened amount of caution and alertness. Two hours in, and once more, one of the patrol groups ran into more monsters. This time, it was a group of three Shrew Trolls. The only consolation to this encounter was that because of where the patrol group was positioned, they ran into the assaulting group of monsters considerably early, just right before they could enter the neighborhood. As the sixth day progressed, the frequency and the number of monsters they encountered gradually increased. The monsters would come in varying groups, ranging from lone encounters, to a group of up to six monsters at a time. In addition, aside from the Shrew Troll, they began encountering different species of monsters. So far, they had ran into three other types; A reptilian humanoid with a neck of a cobra called a [Frilled Lizard], a species of larger, grey skinned goblins called [Hobgoblins], and finally, what was probably the strongest out of the invading bunch, a race of rock skinned mini giants called a [Cliff Ogre]. Not only was this increase in monsters worrying, what made it even worse was the fact that their encounters were gradually getting deeper and deeper into the suburban district. The farthest they encountered a monster pack, was about one and a half miles away from Cielle¡¯s apartment complex. By the end of the sixth day, just as the sun was setting, the encounters had started waning down. For the group, this was a huge weight of their shoulders. Fighting in the dark, versus fighting out in the day were two completely different concepts. It didn¡¯t take a genius to guess which situation was more dangerous. Unfortunately, by the time the group had managed to stop their 13th encounter, they were all practically drained of energy and stamina. Such feeling of fatigue, was rather reminiscent of their days in the dungeon. They had expended a lot of energy in order to just barely stop the incoming packs of monsters. The situation had gotten so out of hand, that halfway through, the two patrol groups were forced to join together to form a 4 man party because the size of the monster packs that started popping up were gradually getting larger and larger. At the end, their last encounter was with a group of 8 shrew trolls. Now, compared to earlier in the day, this number wasn¡¯t anything special, the only problem was that this group had one elite monster within their midst. Luckily, like the others from its race, the Elite Shrew Troll was also low leveled, so it wasn¡¯t that difficult for them to kill it. Now, if it were a group of Cliff Ogres being accompanied by an elite, then the situation would have been totally different. A Cliff Ogre had an average level of late 30s, and they were particularly difficult to kill. It wasn¡¯t that a Cliff Ogre had overwhelming strength or speed, it''s just that its defenses were incredibly difficult to break through. With their current weapons and strength, only Hina¡¯s elemental attacks could bypass their rock like exterior. Regardless, come nightfall, the continuous flow of monsters had subsided, and the group was able to return back to the apartment building. A faint feeling of defeat, and an aura of dreary tiredness was apparent upon their return. **** ¡°And earlier today, the others left to go patrol.¡± Cielle spoke with some form of finality within her tone, as she finished up her story. ¡°....¡± I slightly nodded my head, as I looked down in contemplation. Cielle who saw this, did not react much, and instead also turned silent while her eyes remained fixated on me. Going by the brief change on her face which lasted not even 2 seconds long, I knew that she too had been worried about this problem, and had stayed up for quite a while thinking about it. In actuality, I bet she was more bothered by the fact that the continuous wave of monsters would have pushed her out of the suburban district before I could return, than the actual threat of the monsters itself. Letting out a loose sigh, I wryly smiled as I ignored Cielle and slumped into the foam of the mattress beneath me. Right now, the primary problem was the surge in monsters. There were plenty of reasons for the gradual increase in monsters around the neighborhood, which could range from lack of resources, to infighting, but the most likely one in my opinion, was that they were entering the suburban district because I had killed the manticore. I don¡¯t know how the manticore was able to lord over this much land, or how it kept the other monsters away, but it was obvious that its influence was gradually declining as the days of its death passed by. The monsters from other locations somehow either discovered that the manticore had died, or realized that its influence or whatever was decreasing, so they sent some scouts to assess the manticore¡¯s territory. This theory was backed by the amount of monsters invading. If whatever force that was behind these invading monsters knew for certain that the manticore had died, they wouldn¡¯t be sending so few monsters to inspect the area. In order to seize a territory for their own, they would have sent a lot more than a measly group of eight. While it is a good thing that the hordes of monsters haven¡¯t streamed in yet, in my mind, that reality was an eventuality. It would happen sooner or later, the only difference was how long it took for them to realize that the manticore they feared was dead. Going by how rapid the increase was, I¡¯m certain that it probably wouldn¡¯t even take a few days before this barren place gets overrun with monsters. The only saving grace that I can find from this whole mess of a situation, is that there were more than one type of species eyeing the suburban district. Going by my experience from the dungeon, different monster groups generally didn¡¯t intermingle with each other unless they were under the command of a considerably stronger boss class monster, or some other sort of special circumstance. Due to the fact that, in Cielle¡¯s story, Cher and the others didn¡¯t run into a pack with more than one species, I was certain that the groups invading the suburban district were all different. Different groups were coming together, and this would obviously result in varying degrees of conflict. For us, that meant an opportunity. Now all that¡¯s left to do was monopolizing on that opportunity, and either use it to escape or use it to seize some form of benefit. As I began to churn through the numerous ideas and possibilities that rapidly popped through my head, from out in the living room, I could hear the door to the apartment building open. Chapter 102: Self Inflicted Self Inflicted I instinctively turned towards the source of the noise. From behind Cielle¡¯s bedroom door, I could hear the sound of faint footsteps, and constant rustling. After a minute or two, the footsteps suddenly grew louder, before Cielle¡¯s bedroom door was suddenly opened with a vigorous push. ¡°Little Boss, are you in here? We¡¯re back-¡± Her words abruptly halted, stifled by the sound of her sudden gasp. ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Nari-!¡± The person who was following after her, also let out a startled cry. Her eyes bulged wide and stared, an unmasked glint of disbelief shining beneath her irises. In front of the doorway to Cielle¡¯s bedroom were two people carrying two large plastic bags, filled with various assortments of canned goods and bottled water. The one to the far back, with the small body and meticulously maintained twintails, was Kido¡¯s old friend. Her child-like arms, poked out from an oversized men¡¯s sweatshirt, while a short pair of shorts adorned her hips, and exposed her well toned thighs. Going by how surprisingly clean her appearance was, she probably looted her outfit recently from one of the apartment suites within the building. I had forgotten the name of this girl, or rather, I don¡¯t think I ever learned it. While I tried to briefly recall my nonexistent memories of her, from out of the blue, the girl suddenly started to panic. Apparently, under the heat of my curious gaze, her cheeks vigorously flushed red, as her eyes quickly turned to the floor. She hastily mumbled out a greeting, her head tilting down in an exaggerated bow. The reaction she showed me, rather than one of shy nervousness stemming from affection, it seemed to be one of genuine fear. The cold sweat that flowed down from her cheeks, and the slight tremble in her lower lip, were apparent. Having experienced two months of living hell, it was easy for me to distinguish the authentic dread she emitted. Taking a step back, I did not blame her for such a reaction. Rather, I slightly sympathized for her. She had been one of Kido¡¯s closest friends, and with the exception of Narise, she was also the only one who had survived when Kido cleaned out the entire cafeteria group. Living through that sort of traumatic event, in addition to the hell on earth we currently lived in, it was natural for her to develop that type of response. I shifted my gaze away from Kido¡¯s old friend, and turned towards the other new arrival. The one standing a little bit in front of Kido¡¯s friend was a familiar face. Hair styled in a somewhat sloppy braid, rounded spectacles, and a droopy pair of eyes, Narise was standing in front of the doorway with a tilted smile on her face. Like Kido¡¯s friend, she had on new clothes that she probably stole from somewhere nearby. She wore pair of black track pants, matched with a tucked-in plain white T-shirt. By her feet was a white scaled Gila. Compared to the last time I had seen it, the Gila had grown larger. Standing next to Narise, I could see that the top of its head had reached the height of Narise¡¯s mid-thigh. ¡°Boss, you¡¯re back!¡± Narise spoke happily, breaking out into a toothy smile. ¡°I knew someone as strong as you wouldn¡¯t die so easily.¡± Looking at Narise¡¯s innocent smile, and genuine expression on her face, I couldn¡¯t help but furrow my brow. A feeling of frustration mixed with faint helplessness seeped into my mind. Narise was undoubtedly the one who had caused the Manticore to attack us. Whether intentionally or not, she had grabbed the egg, causing the Manticore to fly into a rage and chase after us. While it was clear that this self absorbed, monster-loving person hadn¡¯t done it on purpose, it still irritated me to see her acting so carefree and without worry. Knowing I almost died at the hands of such an careless action produced by such an idiotic person¡­ I promised within my heart that I wouldn¡¯t let such a thing happen twice. Unbeknownst of my self introspection, Narise continued, animatedly gesturing everywhere as she rapidly talked in succession. I had wanted to butt in on numerous occasions, but her chatterbox dialogue was too fast for me to interrupt. ¡°Boss, while I¡¯m happy you made it back alive, and I really am... I can¡¯t help but ask¡­¡± In what felt like forever, Narise finally took a brief pause, and took in a deep breathe. She acted as if she were taking a moment to recollect her thoughts, but in actuality, I could see her eyes darting back and forth, vigorously scanning the room, searching for whatever it was she wanted. After an all too short delay, she stopped and finally asked, ¡°Where is the egg?¡± Her words were filled with a hint of expectation, as her eyes widened brightly and almost shined beneath her thick spectacles. ¡°Surely, knowing the Boss¡¯s capabilities, stopping a manticore isn¡¯t a difficult thing for you. I¡¯m sure you were able to keep the egg safe and sound, right?¡± ¡°I¡­¡± I paused for a moment, as I stared back and met her eager gaze. The vexation and frustration within my heart continued to grow deeper. Does she not realize that she had almost killed everybody with her reckless actions? I had my body beat and battered to near death, fought a second life-or-death battle immediately after my first, and barely scraped by through the skin of my teeth, and all she cares about was the egg? The same egg that had almost robbed me of my life and sent me to my maker? ¡°I only saw it briefly last time, but the egg was really big! I just know a good child will hatch from it.¡± She spoke excitedly. She had almost no self awareness, and her one track mind was far too dangerous for it to be kept unchecked. If things progressed any further like this, then one way or another, someone will end up losing their life. ¡°Boss, where is it?¡± Right now, the only thing I could do was decide who that someone was. ¡°Boss-¡± And I certainly didn¡¯t want it to be me, or anybody I cared about. ¡°The egg-¡± ¡°Stop.¡± I finally spoke up, interrupting her for the first time since she had started this one sided conversation. After taking a short breath, I asked with conviction,¡°What makes you think I¡¯ll show you the egg?¡± ¡°...What?¡± For the first time, Narise¡¯s happy expression faltered. Her eyes were vague, as a confused expression blanketed her face. It was as if she couldn¡¯t comprehend the words I had just spoken. Her lips rapidly trembled, opening and closing repeatedly. Broken, and incomprehensible words leaked out from her stuttering mouth, while at the same time, the color visibly drained from her face. Her original vibrant and youthful shade of light pink, was quickly replaced by a terrible pallor of pale white. ¡°Do you not realize what you almost did back there?¡± I coldly questioned as my face quickly turned expressionless. ¡°I...I, what¡­what did I...¡± ¡°Because you carelessly acted without reason, because you didn¡¯t listen when I had warned you, because of you, everyone almost died back then. A large part of the reason why we¡¯re in this mess is solely because of you, and you don¡¯t even have a single shred of self awareness to realize that.¡± ¡°....¡± Narise had gone silent. Her usual talkative personality was nowhere to be seen, and her earlier eagerness had all but vanished. The only thing left remaining were her trembling lips, which continued to quiver like the strings of a strung guitar. Meanwhile, the atmosphere in the room had drastically changed. It was as if the temperature had dropped by several degrees. From behind Narise, Kido¡¯s friend was shaking from top to bottom. Her face was a pale color of terror, while her eyes swam in both confusion and terror.Going by her reaction, it looked as if she was the one being reprimanded and not Narise. Meanwhile, Cielle continued to stand beside me, maintaining her expressionless facade. She acted indifferent towards my sudden outburst, and merely stared at the scene which took place in her own bedroom, with detached eyes. I ignored the others and focused my gaze solely on Narise. I did not want to kick Narise out of the group, and I wanted even less to kill her. After all, the lingering feeling of guilt would be a pain in the ass to deal with, and more importantly, Narise had her own uses. I had not yet given up complete hope over taming monsters, and I felt that Narise was an important key to this discovery. The only problem was her lack of self awareness. Her recklessness was a clear threat to everyone around her. I needed to do something, anything before a similar situation from before occurs again. Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. I sighed out a breathe of stale air, and continued, the pitch of my voice dropping lower and lower as I spoke, ¡°To top it all of, you¡¯re over here, wanting something you clearly don¡¯t deserve¡­ Much less give you a reward, it''s already a miracle I haven¡¯t already killed you.¡± Narise¡¯s head hung low, the locks of her hair, hanging down, covering her face like a gloomy curtain. I don¡¯t know whether the thinly veiled threat I had just uttered got through to her, but her shaken continence was apparent for everyone in the room to see. A long silence dragged on. Despite the beam of light that glinted brightly off of the exposed windows, the room felt dark and dreary, as if it were covered in a layer of viscous mud and sweat. The illusion stifled my breath, and forced out a long sigh from deep within my lungs. I don¡¯t know how long the silence lasted, but it felt as if an eternity had passed by. Finally, a soft, almost silent whisper emerged from the quiet emptiness. ¡°... Pu-punish¡­¡± Narise spoke in a subdued stutter. Her face was still staring fixedly at the ground, making it impossible for me to make out her current expression. The Gila beneath her feet whined softly as it pawed at her leg. ¡°What was that?¡± I asked, leaning my back against the head of the bed. As if prompted by my question, Narise suddenly looked back up. What caught me by surprise was that, rather than the scared, and listless expression she had donned on before, her face was as still as a wood carving. An eerie hollowness echoed from behind her placid gaze. ¡°It¡¯s fine if I just get punished, right?¡± She asked, her voice had already reverted back to normal. The stuttering and trepidation from before was almost nonexistent. ¡°That¡¯s-¡± Just, as I was about to unconsciously agree with her words, Narise interrupted. ¡°I mean, that¡¯s what the Boss wants right? Since I did something bad, I need to be punished. I understand. Sometimes I do the same thing with Weiss, but that rarely happens, since I raised him to be a good boy.¡± As she continued to talk, she pulled out a small hunting knife from one of the pockets of her track suit. The blade was dark grey and dull. It was chipped, and the metal was slightly faded. It was apparent that the knife hadn¡¯t been used very often, and it was probably something she had found inside the apartment building while looking for supplies. Without a single pause, she walked up to the only desk in Cielle¡¯s room, and placed her right hand atop its surface. Her five fingers spread out wide, covering as much surface area as possible. The faded knife within her other hand glinted briefly from the sunlight, as it hovered over the desk. ¡°What are yo-¡± Before I had the chance to question what she was doing, the knife in her hand suddenly rushed down, and stabbed itself deep into her pinky finger. The sickening sound of cut flesh, rang throughout the room. From in front of the doorway, a horrified scream erupted out from Kido¡¯s friend, but that barely registered in my mind. My eyes were focused solely on Narise. Even as the knife lodged itself deep into her finger, and even as blood continually oozed out, pooled onto Cielle¡¯s desk, and dripped onto the carpeted floor beneath, Narise¡¯s expression remained emotionless. She looked down at her own bloodied hand, and slowly narrowed her eyes. The knife from before had not completely cut through her finger. It sliced through a good portion of it, but it failed to break through the layer of tendon and bone that connected the finger to the rest of the hand. She let out an almost inaudible sigh, as she pulled the knife out from her pinky. The newly crafted wound resisted, causing blood to splatter everywhere and for the sound of tearing flesh to once again echo throughout the room. After a few seconds of struggling, the knife finally popped out, a disgustingly bone shivering sound accompanying it. The room had long grown silent, the earlier screaming from before had faded, and everyone¡¯s eyes were locked onto Narise¡¯s every action. The Gila by her feet was quietly lapping up the spilled blood that had pooled on the carpet, but Narise ignored it. Her gaze was fixated onto her bloody finger. After a moment, she placed the tip of the knife at the entrance of her new wound, which was directly on the base of the pinky. She paused for a brief second, before without warning, she vigorously pushed the knife in. The sound of metal grinding against bone resonated throughout the room. Narise struggled desperately, as blood continually oozed out, painting her forearm and knife with a crimson mist. After an uncountable amount of time passed, the sound of the metal striking wood interrupted the ceaseless flow of tearing flesh and crunching bone. A placid smile emerged out from Narise¡¯s pale face, as she turned back around and faced me. She wordlessly lifted her bloodied hand up in front of her, and gestured with her head. Back on the desk, the newly severed pinky was barely visible under the taint of red that overflowed from the surface of the desk. As Narise¡¯s eyes stared fixedly at me, for a moment, I could not respond. My eyes were wide, while my mouth was agape, and wordless. I was honestly caught off guard by her sudden, and decisive actions. Narise blinked, and shifted her gaze from me over to her bloody hand. For a moment, she just stared, a look of confusion etched onto her face. Finally, after a brief moment of introspection, she turned back around, casually pushed aside her severed pinky, and placed her hand back onto the table. The now crimson knife, was already poised into the air. I could hear her sigh briefly, as she tilted the blade downward, and casually said, ¡°I guess this wasn¡¯t enough¡­ Boss sure is demanding.¡± She let out a loose breathe of air, and without so much as flinching, she once again slashed out at her own hand, this time her aim was directed at the base of her ring finger. Once again the sound of tearing flesh filled the room, and after tens of seconds of continuous work, a newly severed finger appeared on the even bloodier desk. Each and everyone of her actions, were filled without a single trace of hesitation. She was deliberate, and to the point. Narise once again, turned back around and stared at me. Once again, she lifted herself inflicted and injured hand for me to see. After staring at my shocked expression for several seconds, she wordlessly turned back to the desk and prepared to chop off another finger. She raised the blade high, and just as she was about to slice downward, a hand interrupted her mid swing. Cielle held her knife wielding arm by the wrist, barely stopping it before it could cut through another one of her fingers. Luckily, Narise was low leveled, so even though Cielle had a magic build, and hardly invested in any strength, she was still stronger than an average male, and managed to stop her in the knick of time. ¡°Huh? Little Boss?¡± Narise had on a blank expression as she turned to face Cielle. Her eyes were furrowed in confusion. After a short pause, Cielle spoke in her usual quiet whisper. ¡°... You¡¯re making a mess.¡± ¡°Ah? But Boss isn¡¯t satisfied yet. If I don¡¯t have enough punishment, he¡¯ll-¡± ¡°Stop.¡± I interrupted. I was still caught off guard by earlier¡¯s unflinching display, but I managed to regain enough wit to respond back. ¡°That¡¯s¡­ That¡¯s enough. Cielle, close up her wounds.¡± Judging by how much blood was spilled, it wouldn¡¯t be a surprise if she passed out from blood loss. Even now, although her countenance was back to normal, she was a shade paler than before. As Cielle¡¯s [Blue Gemini] quickly covered up Narise¡¯s injured hand, Narise ignored it, and looked towards me with an expression of happiness. In her excitement, she could not help but jump up and down, as she spoke, ¡°Then Boss, this means you''re satisfied right? Since you told me to stop, it definitely means you''re satisfied, right?¡± Her grin was almost brighter than the sun. ¡°Then since you''re satisfied, that means I can see the egg now, right? You¡¯ll show me the egg because I did the punishment, right?¡± My eyes slightly narrowed in the face of Narise¡¯s jubilant excitement. This person¡­ she had cut off two of her fingers without so much as flinching, and was even prepared to take out a third, all to see an egg¡­ I hesitated for a moment, before I ultimately gave in. ¡°It¡¯s in the other room, inside my backpack.¡± Hearing this, Narise whooped in excitement as she turned around and lightly trotted to the door. Bloody footsteps stained the carpet where ever she walked past, but she was ignorant of it all as she continued on her way, an expression of naive innocence clouding her face. Just as she reached the door and was about to leave, she suddenly paused for a moment. She turned back around to the desk, and stared. After a few seconds passed, she abruptly walked back and grabbed her two severed fingers. As I was wondering what she was about to do, Narise suddenly knelt down, and offered up her newly severed fingers to the toddler sized Gila in front of her. The Gila, who had been busily lapping up the spilled blood like a dehydrated dog, finally looked up and stared at its master. Its white scaled face was covered in crimson mist, but Narise was oblivious to all this, as she once again moved her open palm closer towards the Gila. ¡°Here Weiss, eat up.¡± She spoke in an ordering tone, a gentle smile on her face. The Gila happily accepted, and flicked its tongue towards Narise¡¯ palm like a frog. In less than a fraction of a second, those two fingers suddenly disappeared, and the sound of crunching bone and tearing flesh filled the room. Upon seeing this, Narise giggled with joy, and petted the crown on the Gila¡¯s head. The blood from her hands stained the Gila¡¯s forehead, but Narise seemingly didn¡¯t notice. Seeing this scene before me, an uncontrolled shiver ran down my spine. Even Cielle, who was usually stoic faced and detached, could not help but take a step back, as she stared at the scene with a scrunched up brow. ¡°Good boy, Weiss, good boy. You¡¯re growing up quite nice-¡± Just as she was cooing and fawning over the Gila, her words abruptly paused, while her eyes widened in temporary surprise. After a few seconds of silence, her smile grew wider, as she sighed out in satisfaction, and spoke absentmindedly to herself, ¡°It looks like I got something good~.¡± Seeing her reaction, realization quickly dawned on me, as my eyes narrowed and my brow furrowed. Just as I was about to open my mouth to say something, Narise quickly stood back up. She patted her legs, as if to dust them off, when in actuality, she only stained them with more blood, before she walked towards the door. ¡°Come on Weiss, let¡¯s go look at the egg.¡± She called out just as the Gila was about to start lapping at the pool of blood again. Weiss looked up at its master, before obediently following her out of the bedroom and into the living room. Once Narise left, an odd and gloomy silence filled the air around us. There were now only three people in the room; Cielle, Kido¡¯s friend, and me. The pale faced highschooler who looked like she belonged in 6th grade, had been silent for a long time. Her expression was rigid, frozen in a mixture of horror and shock. Her feet were stiff and unmoving. It took me a while to notice, but her lower thighs and legs were wet. Beneath her feet, the carpet was completely soaked in yellow liquid. The silence persisted for a long time, before Cielle suddenly spoke. She turned towards Kido¡¯s friend, and directed a question her way. ¡°...What did you find today?¡± For a second, the girl had a blank expression, before she immediately realized that Cielle had asked her a question. After slightly panicking, she managed to stutter out a response. ¡°J-Just a f-few cans, and bottled w-water. T-there wasn¡¯t a lot.¡± Cielle nodded briskly to her response, her expression hidden behind the curtain of hair over her face. ¡°T-then, if you don¡¯t need me, I¡¯ll j-just¡­¡± Seeing an opportunity, Kido¡¯s friend prepared to make a hasty escape. As she grabbed the bags beneath her feet, and took a step towards the exit, she heard the soft sound of wet carpet. She stared down at her feet, a look of confusion covering her face. She timidly applied pressure to the floor once again, and upon hearing the same sound come out, she let out a gasp of surprise. Her face instantly flushed red, as she stared back and forth between the floor and Cielle. After a few seconds of deliberation, she made a helpless expression, as she ran out the exit, and closed the door shut behind her. I ignored most of the fuss that she had created, and the moment she left the bedroom, I immediately turned towards Cielle, and asked about Narise. ¡°What¡¯s Narise like? Is she acting weird or suspicious?¡± Cielle paused and thought for a moment. ¡°Narise is¡­ normal. She doesn¡¯t socialize much, but lately she¡¯s been talking more frequently,¡± Cielle took another pause, and deliberated over her next few words, before continuing, ¡°I think, just about as much as me¡­ She talks as much as me¡­ Ah, but if the topic is about monsters, she¡¯ll talk for a long time¡­ Right now, she¡¯s staying in an apartment a couple of doors down with her pet.¡± I sat quietly, and stared down at my lap, thinking through Cielle¡¯s words. Eventually, I asked another question. ¡°Then, do you think she¡¯s dangerous? Should I...¡± My words trailed off, but the implications beneath remained clear for Cielle to understand. Cielle once again paused. She tilted her head down and thought. After a much longer time passed, she finally responded, ¡°No. I do think she¡¯s a little dangerous, but¡­ you shouldn¡¯t make a move¡­ She¡¯s like a child, single mindedly obsessing over something to the point where she ignores everything else. ¡°In a way, she¡¯s a lot like Hide.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± A confused expression covered my face, ¡°What is that supposed to mean?¡± Cielle¡¯s lips narrowed into a thin smile. ¡°Aren¡¯t you like that whenever you¡¯re making weapons?¡± ¡°Ah? Really?¡± Cielle refused to answer any further, but maintained the smile on her face. ¡°For now, I¡¯ll watch over her.¡± She stated, as she began collecting the emptied food tray.Although Cielle¡¯s smile remained on her face, her voice had dropped to an even lower pitch.¡°Meanwhile, Hide needs to find a way to control her.¡± ¡°Mmm.¡± I nodded seriously. I recalled the look on her face from a while ago. She definetely gained a new skill, or title. Finding out what that skill or title was, and finding a way to control it were both important steps that could either increase our chances of survival, or spell out our coming doom. Rather than throwing a sword away in fear of cutting yourself, it was better to learn how to weild it. Cielle stayed briefly and told me to rest until the others came back, before she exited the bedroom, lightly jumping over the puddle that had collected in front of the doorway. Once again, I was left all alone, with nothing but the thoughts that wandered through my mind to accompany me. The only difference this time was the stench of blood and piss that filled the room around me. Chapter 103: Getting Back on Track Getting Back on Track The sun set, and darkness covered the skies. After what happened with Narise, I stayed inside the bedroom. Despite the lingering smell, I followed through with Cielle¡¯s wishes, and spent the rest of the day recuperating. By the time night had fallen, I noticed significant improvements to my current condition. [Mental Strain] completely disappeared, while [Extreme Physical Exhaustion] reverted to [Physical Exhaustion]. To me, [Mental Strain] was probably the most bothersome of the negative status effects that I received. While the others lowered my physical stats, and shut off my skills, [Mental Strain] felt as if someone shoved my brain in a blender. There was always this murky feeling that persisted and clouded my thoughts and judgement. With [mental strain] gone, I felt the literal fog in my mind clear up. For the first time since I woke up a few days ago, it felt as if I was finally back in control. With my mind all cleared up, I had a lot of time to think and process Narise¡¯s situation. Right off the bat, I knew I made some mistakes. I¡¯ve come to realize that while I could remain calm and make level headed decisions whenever I faced off against monsters, I always lagged behind whenever it came to dealing with human created problems and individuals. This was true with Satou, this was true with Kido, and now, this was true with Narise. Without getting too far into the complicated aspects of the topic, I made a few ultimatums to myself regarding this situation. For one, under no circumstances should Narise gain control over the Manticore. Letting her watch over the egg might be okay for now, since that thing was essentially useless, and harmless until it hatches¡­ wait, no, that might not necessarily be true. If, on the off the chance that she has some way to influence the egg as it is now, then that mistake will certainly come back to bite me in the ass. This possibility was especially scary, considering what happened today. It¡¯ll be for the best if I keep the egg away from her for the time being. The second ultimatum I made to myself was regarding what had happened today with Narise. It was clear that she acquired something special. Figuring out whether that something was a skill, a title, or something else, and figuring out what it could do, were very important. The sooner the better. In fact, I¡¯m kicking myself for not pushing it out of her the moment she had acquired it. The other issue I needed to address in the future was Narise¡¯s state of mind. To make things short, Narise is an unstable individual. She is sort of similar to Kido and Satou, especially in the type of danger/risk she poses. In her case though, she wasn¡¯t openly antagonistic like Satou, nor was she plotting something behind the scenes like Kido. This put me in a difficult spot. In all honesty, the best and safest method to deal with Narise, would be to just simply kill her. The problem I had was that she had no ill will. Killing someone without any malicious intent did not sit comfortably with me. Back in the dungeon, I had a similar dilemma regarding Kido, and this time¡¯s issue was practically the same. This train of thought was naive, I openly admit that, but¡­ ¡­ killing her, should I really do it? This sort of indecision frustrated me. If I was overly cruel, or overly humane, then I wouldn¡¯t be having these types of problems. If she expressed open hostility, then this whole situation would be a hundred times easier to deal with. Outside of killing her in cold blood, there were two other solutions I thought of. The first one was banishing her. If she posed too much of a threat to the group, I might as well just kick her out entirely, before she can stir up any trouble. The problem with this option, was that I wasn¡¯t comfortable with the idea. I didn¡¯t feel bad about the prospect of banishing her, but rather, I feared the potential backlash. If I did kick her out, and she grew to resent me because of that, I¡¯d essentially be creating my own enemy. I¡¯d rather nip the bud, before it can grow weeds, rather than sow my own seeds and hope they don¡¯t pollute my garden. I was more comfortable keeping her within my sights, as opposed to letting her roam free. The second, and most likely solution, was to control her. Regarding this route, I had as much options as I did problems. I could control her through her unhealthy obsession with monsters. Whether that was through promising her new monsters, or threatening her preexisting ones, there were plenty of methods, but a relationship forged through this method was an unstable one. I could see her build up a lot of resentment in a short amount of time. Another route was to appease her. This was probably just as bad, if not worse than the first choice. This would essentially teach her nothing, and only contribute to making her situation worse. If she keeps repeating the things she did, and I do nothing to stop it, that would be the same as reinforcing the idea that she can walk all over me. In some ways, what I did this morning was similar to this. Regardless of the choice I end up making, I will need to address this issue soon. The last route was to enter a genuine underling relationship with her. Although She called me Boss, I felt no genuine sincerity from her words. What I needed to do was completely put her under my thumb. To make her believe that my words, my ideas, were more important than her own. This option, while I felt that it was the best choice, at the same time, it wasn¡¯t an easy one to accomplish. Unlike the first route, I don¡¯t know how to form that sort of relationship with Narise. While in a sense, what I did with Cher was similar, she had special circumstances. Cher was Cher, and Narise was Narise. Hoping for something similar to happen with Narise was just a fruitless pipe dream¡­ For now, having Cielle watch over her was just a temporary measure, and not even a good one at that. Regardless though, I still needed to address what happened earlier today with her. If I let Narise run around thinking she can do whatever she wants to, then the situation will quickly turn sour. As I contemplated the future, I could hear a commotion from outside. The sound of a wooden door opening, followed by the sound of people talking, quickly entered my ears. The others had returned. With a heavy sigh, I pushed off the bed, and headed towards the living room. **** Four people entered the apartment. Each step they took, carried with it a combination of dirt, grime and blood. The clothes on their backs were practically scraps, torn and full of holes. I noticed, that unlike our time in the dungeon, they did not have any armor on. While I felt that going out alone without any protection was dangerous, I understood where they came from. Practically all the armor I had created was destroyed during the battle with the dungeon boss. I walked out of Cielle¡¯s bedroom door, just as they were cleaning up. When they saw me approach, there was a momentary silence. What I thought was a bleak atmosphere forming, was quickly overturned as they erupted in cheers. This was especially true for Cher and Hina, who were particularly emotional and vocal. I couldn¡¯t resist the smile that was forming on my face. I spent more than two months with these two, and seeing them again brought a warm sensation from deep within my chest. It was something I was unaccustomed to, but strangely, I did not hate it. ¡°It¡¯s nice to see you guys again.¡± I spoke simply as I smiled at the two in front of me. ¡°Hide, you¡¯re back! You¡¯re really back!¡± Cher responded cheerfully. She was really energized, a far cry from her mood a few minutes ago. She paid no regard for anything else, as she ran up to me and attempted to tackle me in a bear hug. ¡°Don¡¯t, you idiot!¡± My eyes widened. A curse leaked out from my lips, as I hastily back stepped and narrowly avoided the oncoming collision. A rather sharp object missed me by a hair¡¯s breadth of distance. ¡°Don¡¯t be so reckless, you idiot!¡± I repeated, propping myself onto a wall. ¡°My body¡¯s not in its best condition right now, so don¡¯t go swinging around something so dangerous so haphazardly. I nearly lost my life back there.¡± I protested, as my eyes turned towards the object attached onto Cher''s severed arm. It resembled a very crude, but very dangerous prosthetic. There was a metallic short sword fastened onto her lower arm. It was held together using a combination of bandages, duct tape, rope, and cloth. Its tip jutted out from her arm a good two feet away. Overall, it was a very basic design that vaguely resembled the edge shield I first gave her a long time ago. Cher¡¯s face blanked for a second, before her cheeks flushed red. She sheepishly rubbed her face with her good hand, stating, ¡°Sorry, I just¡­ I got a bit excited, I didn¡¯t mean to¡­¡± She stammered, looking up at me with a somewhat reserved expression. Noticing my gaze, she followed my eyes, and huffed out a breath of air. As if she remembered something, she waved her sword arm around in the air, explaining throughout the process. ¡°This was something I found while wandering the neighborhood. I tried my best, but it¡¯s not as good as what Hide can do¡­ Nonetheless, it does help me fight a bit more.¡±Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. I nodded with an appraising look. After a few seconds of silent deliberation, I nodded again. ¡°Yeah, that does look pretty bad. It looks like it¡¯ll come of at least every other swing, if not more.¡± Before Cher had the chance to complain about my crude comments, I casually followed, the corners of my lips slightly rising into a smile. ¡°I¡¯ll make you a better one when we¡¯ve got time.¡± Instead of humbly responding, like I expected, Cher rubbed her nose, a grin on her face. ¡°Hehe, I half expected Hide to say that.¡± She laughed ruefully, as she immediately began dismantling the semi-sword prosthetic on her arm. ¡°I knew following Hide would earn me skills, but to think I get new weapons too, hehe¡­¡± I rolled my eyes at her, inwardly noting how cheeky she¡¯s gotten recently. In my mind, was already plotting how to take her down a peg or two. After a short exchange with Cher, I turned towards Hina, who was standing directly next to her. Just from one glance, I could tell how badly the past couple of days had affected her. Her hair was disarrayed, and her clothes were torn and smeared with all sorts of stuff. What was especially striking, were her eyes. Hina¡¯s eyes, were red, heavy bags underneath. While it didn¡¯t diminish her overall beauty, it did give her a somewhat ragged and worn down ambiance. Not knowing what to say, all I could do was smile knowingly. Seeing my smile, she copied with her own. Just slightly, I saw the weariness in her eyes decrease. ¡°It¡¯s good to see you safe, Hina.¡± I stated, genuinely meaning it. ¡°It wasn¡¯t easy.¡± She replied with an exaggerated sigh. ¡°Cher was all depressed while you were gone, Sis refused to leave the building, and Hokusei¡­¡± She glanced briefly at the President. Her expression told me she knew he was listening. ¡°... He¡¯s not as good a leader as you are.¡± From towards the kitchen area of the apartment, I heard the President break out into an odd coughing fit. I smiled, and couldn¡¯t help but raise an eyebrow at her comment. While I was vaguely aware of the role I started to take up within the group, being openly addressed as the leader¡­ it was the first time that¡¯s ever happened, and honestly, I don¡¯t know how to feel about it. With mixed feelings in my heart, I turned and glanced towards the other two who came back with Hina and Cher. Minikawa, Kido¡¯s old childhood friend, was standing next to her friend. She met my stare with my own, before turning away. Her eyes, were blank and hollow. It was as if I was looking through the eyes of a lifeless puppet. I ignored her, and looked over towards the President. He came back from the kitchen with a handful of canned goods, and paper plates. We exchanged a quick nod, before he silently began setting up the table. In return, I turned towards the rest of the living room. Everyone was currently present. From Cielle, Hina, Cher, Narise, Kido¡¯s old friends, and the President, I silently counted off in my head, before I addressed the group. ¡°While, I¡¯d like to take some time to relax after my return, I can¡¯t very well do that with the current situation happening.¡± A solemn expression slowly fell on my face. My words were dark, and contained within it as much authority as I could muster. ¡°Let¡¯s quickly get things over with. Tell me what¡¯s going on.¡± **** It was the next day. I was currently outside, in front of the apartment building¡¯s entrance, staring out into the neighborhood. After yesterday¡¯s briefing, I furiously thought up of a plan. Right now, aligning with the original information Cielle told me about, the manticore¡¯s old territory was being invaded by other monsters. From what the Cher, Hina, and the others told me, it was far more severe than I originally thought. At most, we probably only had about 2 days left, before the whole place gets completely flooded. Yesterday, the monsters they encountered were stronger, and more numerous than all the other days combined. Two more additional monster species, joined the invasion. Both new species, were stronger than the others before it. And if that wasn¡¯t enough, they also fought off two elite monsters, and saw at least 5 more wandering the area. This was not a good sign. They were only able to push back the forces, due to the coming darkness. For some reason, the monsters did not attack during the night. The forces behind the invasion, had enough strength to deploy several elite class monsters as scouts. This was indication enough of how strong the monsters within the city were. If I were to guess, then I¡¯d say¡­ at the weakest, their leaders are all at least named monsters, while there existed a strong possibility that they had boss class monsters serving as their leader. Confronting this sort of power was dangerous. At first, I thought we might be able to monopolize on the fact that the invading forces aren¡¯t a united front, but seeing as how things have been going, it''s more likely that we¡¯ll only end up getting caught in the skirmish, and die, then reap a profit. Right now, securing an escape was the best option available. As I stared at the morning sun rising from the east, I made a few mental calculations. Right now, there were two options available; head west towards the harbor and shoreline, or head into the urban landscape of the city. To decide which route was better for us to take, the most critical thing to do, was to identify the reason why the monsters were invading the residential district. Whether their invasion was based on necessity or desire, would greatly affect what route we will take. If their invasion was based on necessity, then that meant that the monsters were being pushed out of the city by an even stronger force. If it was because of desire, then that meant that the monsters already had a comfortable hold on the city, and were now looking to expand and conquer the surrounding regions. Considering the fact that the monsters were invading not as a united force, but as different, independent groups, I doubt it was the latter. The most probable situation was that there were stronger monsters hidden deeper within the city, and that only the weaker groups were being weeded, or pushed out. Since this was the most likely scenario, then the best option was to avoid the city all together, and head towards the west. This decision wasn¡¯t one without its own fair share of risks either. I don¡¯t think the Manticore¡¯s sphere of influence stretched as far as the west. Now, there were two probably reasons for this. One, the distance was too large for it to control alone, or two, there was an even stronger force that kept the Manticore at bay. If it was the former, then that¡¯s good, but if it was the latter¡­ that would be like jumping out of the frying pan and straight into the fire. I recalled what happened last night. When I presented this argument to the rest of the group yesterday, I was met with a mixed response. Despite the danger, some of them wanted to head into the city. This reason was mostly supported by human sentimentality. A few of them, namely the President, had family back in the city, and wanted to return in order to confirm whether they were alive or not. When the apocalypse happened, my parents were overseas, so while I knew what sort of feelings pushed the President, I had unknowingly accepted the fact that I was probably never going to see my parents ever again. The others wanted to prioritize their own safety, and head west. Despite the potential danger I pointed out, they felt that the coast was safer than the city. Of course, seeing a bunch of monsters flood in from the city, while nothing is outright attacking us from the west, sort of reinforces this decision. In the end, we decided that the city was simply too dangerous. While our argument went well into the night, Cher had unknowingly convinced us all, when she pointed out the fact the green light we all saw on the first day. The green light that flashed in the sky, and pushed out various monsters¡­ that same green light had been floating directly above the city during the first day. After we came to a mutual agreement, I decided that, rather than waiting until more monsters flooded the residential area, it was best if we left this place as soon as possible. At the very least, relocating deeper into the residential area was a more viable option that staying in this apartment building. The safest location within the area, was probably the school. Considering how these monsters were acting, they probably still feared the manticore. Even though it was already dead, just like how its body still emitted heat after death, its influence, although growing fainter by the second, still lingered enough to hold the rest of the monsters back. Right now, this lingering influence was the best repellent towards the invasion force. In addition, there were also a few things I wanted to collect from the manticore before we headed west. Just as I was deep in thought, from behind me, I heard the entrance to the apartment building opened. ¡°Should you be standing out here by yourself?¡± It was Cielle. She asked, noncommittally as she carried a number of bags with her. All these bags contained food and water. ¡°In your current condition, a monster could easily kill you.¡± I laughed dryly at her comment. ¡°I¡¯m not that weak, besides, Hina said that they don¡¯t attack until a little later in the day. The sun¡¯s barely out, I won¡¯t be in any danger for a little while.¡± From the corner of my eye, I saw Cielle nod slightly, as she placed the packs down with a grunt, adding to the collection that had grown in front of the entrance to the building. Besides my feet, and everywhere else around me, bags containing various supplies, were stacked one above the other. ¡°Are they here yet?¡± She asked, wiping a thin layer of sweat away from her forehead, as she walked over to me. I answered, ¡°No, not yet. The Pres did say they found it, but it was pretty far away¡­ it was practically on the other side of the neighborhood, so it¡¯ll take them a while¡­¡± I stared out into the distance. I paused for a moment, tilting my head towards Cielle. I stared at the top of her head, looking meaningfully at her jet black, yet beheaded nest of hair, before I asked, ¡°... Where are Narise, and the other one?¡± ¡°They are still getting the remaining supplies.¡± She replied. ¡°Although Narise is pretty depressed because you took the egg away from her.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± I nodded, shifting my gaze away from Cielle¡¯s head, to the floor beneath me. On my left, near my foot, was a bag. Poking out from its partly opened flap, was a dirty white egg, the size of a basketball. ¡°I got caught up in the moment, and made a bad decision yesterday. Leaving the egg with her was a bad move. Indulging her like that was an even worse move. ¡°Sooner or later, I¡¯ll find away to¡­ calm her down. Until then, I hope you can¡­¡± Cielle silently nodded, as she looked up towards me. Her rosy, thin lips curved into a slight smile. ¡°Whatever you decide to do, I¡¯ll support you.¡± ¡°...¡± Just as I was about to open my mouth to respond, from the far distance, I could hear the whining metallic roar of a relic from the not so distant past. The noise got increasingly louder and louder, as it approached. I exchanged glances with Cielle, before peering out into the distance. A smile formed on my face. ¡°Looks like they''re here.¡± Coming in from the east road, a dark, grey-vehicle, was swerving awkwardly through the narrow street. At its helm, was a red faced President. Chapter 104: Extraction Extraction The roar of the vehicle echoed through the neighborhood like a deafening crescendo. I could not help but feel somewhat sentimental once I heard the nostalgic sound of burning fuel and rolling rubber. In the old world, before the apocalypse, the noise and sound that polluted the city was something I took for granted. Back then, it was a backdrop to my everyday life, one that went largely unnoticed, and even often times despised. Now, the silence was an almost permanent fixture of life. It was like an invisible rope that slowly tightened around my neck, only broken by the occasional roar of the monsters that wandered the area. I peered over at the distance and took note that the car was almost exactly as how the others described it to me yesterday. Cher, who had no knowledge of cars what so ever, described it as a mix between her dad¡¯s old pickup truck and the run down Jeep her uncle drove. As the vehicle approached, I could see that in reality, it was a pale green humvee with an open cargo area on the back. Seeing an actual car still intact and useable was kind off an odd feeling, especially after experiencing the manticore¡¯s ¡°graveyard¡± from before. The President explained to me that he found the car inside the garage of one of the houses in the adjacent neighborhood. I don¡¯t know a lot about cars, but I could immediately tell that this one was rather expensive. It was a shame that it was currently being driven rather sloppily. It looked similar to what I imagine a military vehicle would look like, but with a few modifications. For one, this one was obviously designed for commercial use. As the humvee pulled up infront of me, I noticed that the dust and dirt all over the metallic surface of the vehicle. Judging by how much was caked all over it, and how much still remained even after the drive over here, I figured that this thing was left untouched months before the apocalypse even started. It was already amazing that it still worked at all. ¡°How is it?¡± The President rolled down the window of the driver¡¯s seat and asked. His face was unnaturally pale, and his forehead was smeared in sweat. I found it funny that he looked more scared driving a car than he did fighting a monster. Just as I was about to answer, the rear passenger side door suddenly opened. A pale faced Cher staggered out of the car while clutching her stomach. She moaned out loud before collapsing onto the pavement below. Not far behind, Hina also came out of the car. Her eyes were swirling, and the blood was completely drained from her face. ¡°He crashed the car four times on our way here.¡± Hina groaned out as she tilted her head back and faced the sky. Her expression looked as if she had recalled something awful. ¡°I told him to switch with someone else after the second time, but he stubbornly refused...¡± I glanced over at the car, and noticed a few dents and scratches that I previously hadn¡¯t seen before. In response, the President¡¯s face flushed red, but he could not retort or argue with anything Hina stated. In the end, he lamely gave an excuse, stating he had never driven before in his entire life. I scratched my head, and frowned. Although we did manage to find a car, it was true that the only ones here were high schoolers. None of the teachers had survived, and all of us have no experience with driving a car. Rather, in the first place, there weren¡¯t a lot of cars on the island. Most of the transportation was through bus, or with an underground subway system that spanned the urban areas of the Setoha island. Well, driving shouldn¡¯t be that difficult, right? I mean, the concept is fairly simple, and I imagine isn¡¯t all that hard to learn. I pushed the issue to the side for now, and ordered the others to begin loading all the supplies we previously gathered. Things like water, food, sleeping bags, clothing, oil, matches, even alcohol, anything that might seem remotely useful was piled and stuffed into several backpacks and duffel bags. Right now, we had enough food to last at least a week, and without relying on Hina¡¯s water magic, we had enough clean water to last at least four days. What we were in need of were medical supplies. So far, we only managed to find a few first aid kits and some over-the-counter drugs like tylenol and advil. As the non combatants loaded the supplies onto the cargo area of the humvee, and as Cielle and Cher (who had recovered by this point) helped out, I asked the others whether they saw any monsters on their way here. Hina, who was still recovering from the drive, confirmed and explained that a few were already wandering the neighborhood by the time they left the apartment building. ¡°There were more today than yesterday, at least twice as much. I didn¡¯t see any Elites though, but I figure it¡¯ll only take a few hours before they start pouring in.¡± Hina¡¯s brow scrunched up, obvious worry written all over her expression. In the past, they group already assumed that the number of monsters would increase as the days passed, but what they had grossly underestimated was how rapidly the monsters were streaming in. Frankly, I was also a bit surprised. The speed of the invasion was almost too frightening to imagine. Did something happen back in the city? Was there something luring all these monsters here or was there something pushing them out? While my head was filled with questions, and speculations, Hina suddenly looked up, and lightly smiled. The previous worry on her face, while not completely gone, decreased a little. ¡°I just remembered, on our way here, I saw the monsters fighting amongst themselves. That should slow them down for a while.¡± I nodded in agreement. If the various groups of invading monsters continued to be this chaotic, then it would definitely delay their invasion. I changed the topic and asked how much gas the car had. Hearing this question, Hina once again frowned. ¡°Honestly, there isn¡¯t a lot. Originally, the car¡¯s fuel tank was only a fifth of the way full, and there weren¡¯t a lot of cars near the neighborhood, so we couldn¡¯t siphon any gas. I don¡¯t know how far we¡¯ll be able to go but, if we are heading towards the harbor, then I think it won¡¯t really be an issue. If I remember correctly, there¡¯s a gas station along the highway.¡± ¡°... Alright.¡± I nodded back, but the frown on my face only deepened. We didn¡¯t know a lot about cars, so I was primarily concerned about any future problems we might run into on our way to the harbor. If something were to happen to the humvee, then that was it. We would lose our only vehicle just like that. In the worst case scenario, we¡¯d be forced to abandon the car along with the rest of our supplies and move on with only the items we could carry with us. After all the supplies were loaded onto the back, we immediately left for the school. The vehicle was a four seater, but the rear passenger seats could hold up to three people. Since Hina was the only one aside from Cielle who was capable of long distance attack, she sat outside along with Narise, who wanted to stay with her pet (I did not want it inside the car). I decided to drive, and while it was a bit harder than I expected, I wasn¡¯t as exaggeratedly bad as the President was. Once we got to the school, I led the others through the wreckage and towards the basement of the old school building. At this point, the building was practically non existent. The manticore¡¯s rampage reduced everything to a pile of broken concrete and splintered wood. I stood on the first floor of the building and looked down into the basement. In the center of the battlefield was the manticore¡¯s giant corpse. Its body took up almost half of the space below. ¡°Woah,¡± From behind me, I could hear Cher¡¯s surprise. Turning around, I saw the stupefied expression she sported. ¡°You really killed it¡­¡± ¡°Yeah. That¡¯s what I said yesterday. Didn¡¯t you believe me?¡± I stated.This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. ¡°Ah, no, I did but hearing about it and actually seeing it are two completely different things.¡± Cher looked at me with a complicated expression. ¡°I can¡¯t even imagine how you managed to do that.¡± ¡°Well, a lot of things happened.¡± Remembering the actual fight, even I couldn¡¯t believe I actually pulled it off. It was a matter of situation and circumstance that led to my victory. If the manticore hadn¡¯t been so obsessed with the egg, or if I hadn¡¯t acquired the items from before, then the fight would have ended completely differently. In fact, even if the whole situation was replicated, I doubt I¡¯d be able to kill it for a second time. As I was lamenting, Cielle walked up to the edge and peered past the giant hole in the floor and into the basement. She stared at the corpse for a few seconds before turning towards me and asking, ¡°... Hide, are you sure you needed our help with the Dungeon Boss?¡± ¡°Cielle, that¡¯s stretching it a bit¡­¡± I awkwardly coughed, scratching my head as I began to make my way to the basement. Everyone else quickly followed. ¡°Alright, like I explained earlier, I want to get a few materials from the corpse before we leave,¡± I stated as I approached the corpse and placed my hand onto the surface of its skin. ...It¡¯s still warm, but it''s colder than what it was before¡­ Past the layer of fur, and below the scales that covered its body, I could feel the slight warmth that the manticore still emitted. Seeing my actions, a few people from the group imitated me, and placed their hands onto the corpse. A wave of surprised shouts passed through the room. ¡°It should have died a week ago, but the corpse is still warm¡­ that¡¯s incredible¡­¡± The President exclaimed as he pushed up the frame of his glasses and stared seriously at the giant corpse in front of him. ¡°Considering how strong it was while it was alive, I can probably make a few useful items after I recover.¡± I ignored everyone¡¯s surprise and continued to talk. Meanwhile, I pulled out [Fynch] from behind me. I swung the sword around a couple of times, testing my current level of strength. The amount of power I could exhibit was still below what I would have liked, and currently, I doubt I had what it took to break through the manticore¡¯s skin and cut out a chunk of its hide. ¡°Right now, my body is still recovering, so I don¡¯t have enough strength to break through its skin. That¡¯s why I need help.¡± I reiterated. ¡°I need its skin, scales, fur, and some of its muscle.¡± The only ones capable of penetrating through its skin were the President and Cher, who both had physical oriented builds. Hina was also capable of using wind to pierce through the skin, but that took up too much mana to the point where its was basically ineffective. The brunt of the operation was left to the President and Cher. I don¡¯t expect the both of them to collect everything, mostly because the corpse was just that big and there was a limited amount of space on the humvee. I just needed enough hide to make armor. The manticore¡¯s scales, if they were similar to the Gila scales from the dungeon, could be melted down and used to create shields and weapons. The fur was also another part of its body that I could use to make armor, and the muscle was something I wanted to recover because I wanted to see whether or not it could be consumed. With that same vein of thought, it might be a good idea to collect some of the manticore¡¯s blood. Who knows, maybe it could be used to make potions or something similar. While Cher and the President carved out the manticore, the rest of the group left the basement to monitor the outside and watch for any dangers that may approach. I stayed in the basement in order to oversee the operation. Because Cielle was interested in the corpse, she chose to stay inside too. Right now, she was circling the corpse, fixedly examining it with a discerning eye. As time passed, I thought about all the skill books we still had. From the manticore, I acquired [Intermediate Draconic Boost]. From the ¡°junk yard¡±, I picked up three [Lesser Draconic Boost] skill books, three [Basic Fireball] skill books, [Ferocity], and [Savage Blow]. During the Dungeon Boss, fight, I acquired four skill books; [Nether Flare], [Nether Drain], [Heated Body], and [Detonation]. [Detonation], which dropped from Kido¡¯s dead body was something I was afraid to learn or let anybody else learn, mostly because it was a [Cursed] item. I don¡¯t know what effects the curse actually has, but it was better to be safe than sorry. Since I still couldn¡¯t control [Lesser Draconic Boost ++], it goes without saying that I did not learn the intermediate version just yet. From the rest, I learned [Ferocity] and [Heated Body] combined with [Hard Scale] to form [Searing Armor]. I gave [Nether Drain] for Cher to learn, and [Nether Flare] for the President learn. He also used the [Lesser Draconic Boost] that I gave him when I separated from the group. Out of the skill books remaining, [Savage Blow] was given to Kido¡¯s childhood friend, and all three [Basic Fireball] skills were still unused. From what I heard, when the President learned [Nether Flare], he showed it off in front of Hina, and because of her skill, [Full Element], it only took under three hours for her to completely learn the new skill. As a result, she improved the skill level of both [Full Element] and [Pyrokinesis]. Because Hina learned the skill without the actual skill book, she wanted to test out whether or not she could teach people some of the skills currently knew. Instead of using the [Basic Fireball] skills books, since she already knew the skill before hand, she wanted to see whether or not it would work. During her off time, she¡¯s been trying to teach the noncombatants the skill. So far, she¡¯s had no success, but she hasn¡¯t given up just yet. Lately, Hina¡¯s been wondering if increasing their intelligence or wisdom stats will have an effect on their comprehension. On the same vein, if she taught the skill to someone who already had previous investment in either of those stats, she might be met with some success. She didn¡¯t get the opportunity before, but she¡¯s planning on teaching Cielle and the others, and seeing if it will work. Since it might increase our understanding about skills, magic, or over this whole system in the first place, I motivated her to continue what she was previously trying to do, but also warned her not to overdo it, especially during dangerous situations. If she ran short on mana during a battle because she was trying to teach someone some magic, then that would benefit no one but the monsters who are trying to kill her. In the future though, if Hina can teach magic skills to others, that might also hold true for a few of the physical skills out there. There¡¯s obviously going to be a difference depending on the rank of the given skill, for example I was certain that unique skills were unlearnable, but being able to teach basic and maybe even rare skills was already an amazing thing to think about. ¡°Hide!¡± Just as I was pondering over this new possibility, a voice called me over from the distance. The voice was soft, but carrier surprisingly well within the walled interior. I turned towards the source of the voice, and saw Cielle motioning me over from near the head of the manticore. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± I asked her as I approached, curious about her sudden call. Glancing over at her, I suddenly took a step back and gaped in astonishment. Cielle¡¯s body was almost all drenched in blood. Chunks of pink clung to her skin and body, while her shirt and hair were matted completely in red. Looking over at her, I could not help but frown. While the overall scene was a bit unnerving for most people, I could not help but notice the way her sweater clung closely to her body. Cielle had a surprising amount of curves hidden under her usual baggy clothing. Coughing awkwardly, I averted my eyes, and asked, ¡°Why are you covered in so much¡­ stuff?¡± ¡°I was inside the skull, digging around in its head, when I-¡± ¡°Wait, wait.¡± I interrupted. ¡°All that stuff clinging onto you is brain matter? The blood covering your body isn¡¯t blood, but rather brain juices? Why were you in its head in the first place?¡± Cielle shrugged nonchalantly in its response. ¡°You dig through monster brains all the time, and poke bodies full of holes whenever you get a chance to. I wanted to see what it''s like, plus I was curious.¡± She stated as if that explained everything. I wanted to retort and complain that what I did was completely different from taking a bath inside a giant creature¡¯s skull and swimming in its brain juices, but before I could, Cielle continued, cutting me off before I could even start. ¡°Enough about that, what¡¯s important is that I found something.¡± She raised her arm out in front of her. Within her hand was a fist sized orb. The orb was a shade of dark scarlet so dark that it was almost black. Occasionally, it glowed a faint red light, and when I took the orb from Cielle, I could feel a soft, faint, but undeniably oppressive force coming from the tiny orb. ¡°What is this?¡± I asked out loud, mainly to myself as I marveled over the object. The force it constantly emitted was familiar. It felt like raw power and it took me a moment to realize that the energy it emitted was similar to the oppressive aura that the manticore emitted while it was still alive. As I stared at the object in my hand, I wondered whether all boss class monsters had this orb in their bodies. I didn¡¯t check the dungeon boss¡¯s skull when it died, and unfortunately, I had used [devour] on it, so I had no way of knowing whether it had an orb or not, but it was a good thought to keep in mind in case I run into any more boss class monsters. The more I looked at the thing, the more and more questions came to mind. If I brought the orb to the manticore egg, will it have some kind of effect? Was the energy the orb emitted mana? Did this thing have some part in what kept the monsters outside at bay? Just as my mind was beginning to wander, I heard the sound of hurried foot steps from the outside. After a few seconds, I saw one of Kido¡¯s girls, the small one running to the basement. She was out of breath, and sweat covered her entire body. She was holding a pair of binoculars. Her chest heaved heavily, as she spoke with labored breath, ¡°Th-they¡¯re coming¡­ the monsters are coming.¡± Chapter 105: Against the Tide Against the Tide A flushed face and panic stricken eyes. The girl¡¯s chest heaved up and down as she frantically wiped the sweat from her perspiring cheeks. ¡°How close are they?¡± I asked concisely. ¡°They¡­they¡­¡± She spoke with broken sentences in between heavy panting, only managing to form a coherent sentence after repeated effort. ¡°They¡¯re¡­ only a couple of blocks away¡­ I-it was Hina who spotted them when they were making their way over here.¡± I inwardly frowned. Although I expected my estimations to be off, the horde was closing in a bit too fast. I thought we at least had an hour or two left before they could make it this far into the district. Did something happen? What had changed? As my mind struggled to find an answer, the others came closer. Cielle, Cher, and the President all stared at me with worried expressions. ¡°How many are there?¡± Cher asked, already fastening her makeshift sword prosthetic onto her arm. The girl hesitated for a second before simply replying, ¡°A lot.¡± ¡°A lot?¡± ¡°Um¡­y-yeah, that¡¯s what Hina told me when I asked¡­¡± She hastily continued, waving her arms fruitlessly in panic. For a fraction of a second, a grimace contorted my face before I forcefully suppressed it and nodded. The grip onto my sword tightened as I turned towards the others. I looked at Cher and the President. ¡°How much have you two harvested?¡± So far, they¡¯ve spent close to an hour and a half stripping down the corpse and collecting the hide, fur, scales, etc. Unfortunately, because of the body¡¯s durability, the progress was slow and arduous. ¡°We barely finished separating the hide, fur, and scales from one of its lower legs.¡± The President replied. ¡°We started working on the muscle and meat, but it¡¯s a lot tougher than we originally expected.¡± He pointed to a spot near the manticore, where they gathered the resources they managed to harvest. Compared to the rest of the body, the pile wasn¡¯t a lot, but it was still a considerable amount. It would probably fill-up about half of the Humvee¡¯s cargo space. I thought for a moment, before I nodded my head. ¡°Alright, you,¡± I pointed to the nervous girl in front of me. ¡°Start loading the stuff onto the car. I¡¯ll call Narise back and get her to help you out later. The rest of us, Cielle, Cher, Prez, let¡¯s go. We¡¯ll be a bit busy for a while.¡± **** I walked onto the open street beyond the school. Aside from the narrow alley ways that weaved in between the houses, this street was one of the only paths that lead towards the east. I approached Hina, who stood next to Kido¡¯s childhood friend and ardently stared out into the distance. In her hands was a pair of high powered binoculars. I followed her eyes, and looked beyond the horizon. It was hard to make out, but the horde was close. Each passing second turned the distant silhouettes slightly larger. It won¡¯t take long for the horde to arrive. From what I could make out, the incoming horde was a coalition of hobgoblins and cliff ogres. A mix of walking giants surrounded by tiny brown clusters. They looked like a poorly constructed pack of trail mix. Seeing this scene, the frown on my face deepened. I finally figured out the reason why the horde was so fast. Two of the opposing monster groups formed an alliance. The infighting that I hoped would delay them did not come to fruition. I briefly glanced down at the sword in my hand and felt the familiar ridges on [Fynch]¡¯s hilt. Fiddling around in my pocket with the other, I grasped onto the paper clip sized axe and gripped its tiny handle with the end of my fingers. Because of [Extreme Burnout], my active skills were essentially locked out while my stats were greatly limited due to the effects of the various other demerits my body suffered under. If I were to make a rough estimation based on what I experienced these past few days, then my current strength was probably below half of Cher and the Prez¡¯s. Numerically, that would put me somewhere around level fifteen, not including weapon bonuses. Fortunately, things weren¡¯t all that bad. I tested it previously, but the weapon skills and weapon bonuses work just fine, although the changes given by [Equip] were not added. As all the combatants of the group gathered, I took command and implemented one of the key aspects of the [World System] that we couldn¡¯t do previously inside the dungeon. [Party Formation]. The rest of the group experimented with this feature previously while I was away, and they explained a bit of what they discovered to me yesterday. Parties weren¡¯t really anything special. Creating a [Party] just basically meant forming a group and sharing the experience among the members. This was probably in order to compensate for people with more support type roles. In addition, another feature that parties had was the ability to display the other member¡¯s HP to each other. When I tested the system yesterday, I confirmed all of this. When I assigned myself as [Party Leader], I discovered an additional feature that the others previously did not know about. I found out I could send brief and short messages to the other members in my party. This message was limited to three to four words, and could only be done every fifteen minutes. I figured this feature was due to the leadership stat I possessed. Since I was the only one with the leadership stat, then it wasn¡¯t surprising that the others did not know about this feature. I also concluded that the limitations to the system were because of my leadership stat. If I increased it, then it was probably possible to send longer messages in much shorter intervals. Heck, maybe I can even unlock other features if I continue to increase my leadership stat. There were plenty of things I still did not know about this new system. The most worrying question I currently had on my mind was whether there was a limit to the distance between members for the [Party System] to stay in effect. If we separate far enough, will the party automatically disband? For now, I pushed my worries to the back of my mind and set myself as [Party Leader]. I looked back at the approaching horde. Hina¡¯s previous statement was spot on. There was a hell of a lot of them advancing. More than thirty Hobgoblins and seven Cliff Ogres. The hobgoblins were similar to the goblins I fought before. They were just a bit larger and had dirty brown skin as opposed to the green I was familiar with. As for the Cliff Ogres, they resembled golems rather than actual ogres. When I questioned Hina about the Ogres, she briefly stated that the ones today were larger than the few the group fought before. They were close to ten meters tall and towered over the surrounding houses. The rock like skin covering their bodies was literally rock. The Cliff Ogres looked like giants molded from stone and mountain. Near the front of the horde was a Cliff Ogre that was almost twice as large as the others. Its arms dropped all the way to the ground, and each step it took shattered the underlying pavement beneath. It was clearly an Elite, if not a Named monster. After thinking for a bit, I asked Hina a question. ¡°How much mana will it consume for you to create a wall of earth?¡± She paused for a second before replying with a dread filled expression, ¡°¡­ If it¡¯s a wall that will block the whole street, then¡­ at least seventy percent, probably more.¡± Hearing this, a sigh unconsciously leaked out form my slightly parted lips. After a moment of hesitation, I asked another question. ¡°How about fire? How much for a wall of fire?¡± Not even a second later, Hina instantly responded. ¡°I have better control over fire, so only twenty percent¡­ but it will immediately collapse if I don¡¯t continually supply it with mana. The wind outside is too strong and the conditions aren¡¯t right for me to perpetually maintain it.¡± ¡°¡­Alright.¡± I nodded. ¡°Cielle will aim for the Elite Cliff Ogre. Shut down one of its legs. Hina create a wall of fire for¡­ at least sixty seconds. The main purpose of this is to separate the horde. The Cliff Ogres will be able to cross the fire but that¡¯s alright. As long as you can keep the hobgoblins at bay for sixty seconds, then that¡¯s enough. Meanwhile, Cher and the others will go around through the houses and use the sixty seconds to attack the hobgoblins. There are too many for just three of you to kill, but if you don¡¯t aim to kill and prioritize survival, then it should be manageable. During the sixty seconds, Cielle and I will cut down the number of Cliff Ogres. They are the biggest threat.¡± The Cliff Ogres possessed a durable exterior, and in the past, with the exception of Hina, nobody here was capable of doing significant damage to them. Rather than pair Cher and the others against something they were bad against, it was better to make use of everyone¡¯s strength and have them target the weaker, but numerically advantageous group. ¡°Wait, wait,¡± Cher interrupted. She looked at me with creased eyebrows. A worried expression masked her face. ¡°Are you sure about this? Aren¡¯t you still¡­¡± I lightly smiled and interrupted her before she finished, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m more than capable enough. I might be like this now, but I¡¯m still stronger than you.¡± I lied before turning to Hina, ¡°Hina, buff me up with your spells.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± She nodded slightly, before a surge of warmth entered my chest and spread throughout my body. Similar sensations overwhelmed me for the next few minutes. While Hina hurriedly casted spell after spell on to me, the ¡°Hobgoblin distraction team¡± set out and hopped from one house to another and quickly got into position. Once the horde approached one hundred meters and once Hina finished casting her buffs, I slightly nodded my head. Cielle, who received the go ahead, immediately brought forth a bubble of [Black Gemini] that she kept within a canteen strapped to her waist. The dark bubble slowly collapsed into itself before converging into a thin ice-like spear of solid black. After a few seconds, the originally opaque darkness took on a slight shade of green. Cielle used [Acid clad] and imbued her magic with acid. Cielle¡¯s face was a shade paler than before, and her chest heaved heavily as sweat continually poured down her cheeks. According to Cielle, this one shot alone costs about forty percent of her total mana. Luckily, it was all worth it. Taking a deep breath, Cielle raised her left hand up, mimicking the stance of a javelin thrower. The spear of dark green matched her posture and floated a few centimeters above her open palm. With one giant step forward, she flung the spear straight towards the incoming giant. The chunk of [Dark Gemini] flew like a streak of black lightning, piercing through the humid air before stabbing into the Elite Cliff Ogre¡¯s left knee cap. The corrosion immediately took effect. Because of the Cliff Ogre¡¯s durability, the acid had a lower effect, but it was enough to make a difference. The Ogre marched forward without feeling the impact. It took several steps forward before the acid began to kick in, and its footsteps wobbled. After one more step, its kneecap shattered. The weight of the creature pushed down onto its broken knee and made the situation even worse. It toppled to the floor with an earth-shaking crash, crushing two hobgoblins beneath it. Despite the success of the first attack, the Ogre did not stop. Its remaining leg wasn¡¯t strong enough to support the monster¡¯s full weight, but it crawled forward using the power of its oversized upper arms. Seeing this scene, I could not help but frown. I assumed Cielle¡¯s earlier attack was enough to incapacitate it, but I was dead wrong. At the very least though, it was moving at a much slower speed than before, buying us precious time. I turned towards Hina, who was ardently waiting for my signal. ¡°Now.¡± With one word from me, Hina immediately casted her spell. A wall of blistering flames erupted forth from the ground about thirty meters away from us. The column of fire was enough to completely cover the street from one end to another. The wall of fire was easily passed by the Cliff Ogres, but the hobgoblins could not easily proceed forward. After a few seconds, I heard the sound of battle coming from beyond the wall of flame. I inwardly smiled and stared straight ahead. Not counting the Elite Cliff Ogre who was still crawling from behind the fire wall, there were six Ogres in front of me. Statistically speaking, that would mean two per person, but that won¡¯t quite work in this situation. For sixty seconds, Hina needed to maintain the fire wall. Meanwhile, Cielle was limited with what she could do. Based on the exchange from earlier, a cliff ogre was eerily similar to a golem. They could not feel pain and this attribute alone greatly limited Cielle¡¯s potential during this upcoming battle. Spamming [Acid Clad] was her only method of attack, but this consumed too much mana. In this regard, it might have been better to send Cielle off with the others to fight the hobgoblins. Unfortunately, I deemed shutting down the Elite Ogre more important to the overall battle. Well, that was alright. This situation was what I expected. It just meant I had to take on more than two golems. I walked forward with calm and leisure steps. The approaching Ogres saw me. The closest one immediately barreled towards me, its arm already swinging downward. Considering how tough its skin was, I returned [Fynch] back into the make shift scabbard I hurriedly crafted yesterday. Instead, I felt for the familiar weapon in my pocket as I narrowed my eyes and stared at the incoming giant.If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. A sigh leaked out from my thinly parted lips. Right now, I only had two weapon skills available to me, [Devour] and [Shift]. [Devour] wasn¡¯t a combat skill in the first place, and [Shift] had a massive setback. It was a good skill, but the kickback was a major problem. While suffering massive kickbacks wasn¡¯t exactly ideal, given the situation, I wasn¡¯t left with much of a choice. The Ogre rapidly closed the distance between us.
Cliff Ogre ¨C Level 37 1000/1000 HP
It towered over me. I doubted that this creature was a real ogre. Its skin genuinely looked like it was crafted from gathered rock, and every time it moved, I heard the sound of two boulders grinding against each other. It swung its massive fist towards me. I stepped forward and felt the rush of wind past by me as I narrowly avoided the blow by a hair¡¯s breadth. I grabbed the tiny axe within my hand and reared my arm back before I swung forward, imitating the golem and activating the weapon skill. [Shift!] I roared in my heart as a flash of white metal sliced through the golem. Almost immediately I felt a huge force push back against my shoulder. It felt as if the nerves in my arm were being grinded and torn apart repeatedly. I gritted my teeth till my lips bled and stomached through the pain. In an instant, the small paperclip sixed axe turned into a giant weapon of destruction the size of a small car. The tip of the blade was embedded firmly into the pavement while the Ogre in front of me had a giant gash on its torso. Looking into the wound, there was no blood or muscle beneath its rocky exterior, but rather, only more rock and stone. A crumbling noise resonated within the air as the gash cracked and enlarged before finally the Ogre¡¯s entire torso snapped in half. The Cliff Ogre fell to the ground, its body cracking and breaking before completely falling apart in a heap of rock and dust. I killed it with one hit. I looked at the scene in front of me with a dark smile. I killed it with a lucky fatal blow, but the kickback shaved of more than half of my HP. ¡°Next time, I won¡¯t let the size difference be too great¡­¡± I grimly muttered to myself as I carefully shrunk the axe into the size of an ordinary hatchet, and looked at the rest of the battlefield. The Elite Ogre was in the midst of crawling through the wall of fire. It was slow going, but it was eventually drawing closer and closer. Meanwhile, the rest of the Ogres rapidly approached. They numbered five, and were working together in order to encircle me. The nearest Ogre slammed its arm down towards me. I dodged the incoming strike by stepping to the side. The Cliff Ogre¡¯s enormous fist smashed the ground beneath and shattered the concrete. My face remained indifferent even after seeing such a feat of strength. In one quick breath, I jumped onto its hand and ran up its arm. The Ogre furiously shook its body, but I maintained my grip by grabbing onto the cracks and crevices that covered the monster¡¯s entire body. With one pull, I jumped upward and reached the Ogre¡¯s shoulders. I ducked and narrowly avoided the golem¡¯s incoming fist, before I continued forward and climbed on top of its head. From my new vantage point, I looked down on everything and surveyed my surroundings. Behind the wall of flame, Cher and the others were fighting a desperate fight against the hobgoblins. A few corpses littered the street, but an overwhelming amount of them continued to fight. On my side of the wall, the rest of the Ogres surrounded me. One particular Cliff Ogre swung its fist towards me, not caring at all for the Ogre I was standing on top of. The Ogre¡¯s fist was short of its mark and landed a heavy blow onto the monster¡¯s face. The Ogre¡¯s whole body shook, patches of rock and dust fell from its face while an unearthly groan escaped from its broken jaw. I was almost knocked out in the process, but I hid behind the Ogre¡¯s head, and mitigated some of the impact. Another Ogre quickly approached and mimicked the first one and attacked me, only to hit the Ogre I stood on once more. The oversized fist smacked into the Ogre¡¯s shoulder, shattering a good chunk of it off while toppling the Ogre over at the same time. Seeing this situation, I pushed off with my legs and jumped onto another Ogre. I clung to its face, desperately maintaining my grip onto its nose, and avoiding its open jaw. The Ogre in response bellowed out in anger, my body shook like an autumn leaf due to the reverberating shock waves. In its anger, the Cliff Ogre swung its arm towards its own face, a bit too eager to knock me off. From the corner of my eye, I saw the approaching mass of grey and swallowed the numbing fear in my heart. I immediately loosened my grip and fell down. As I stared up above me, I saw the Ogre¡¯s giant fist smash into its own face, sending rock and pebble flying everywhere. I dropped down a height of ten meters and landed on the floor by the Ogre¡¯s feet. My legs took the brunt of the fall, and I felt my knees go numb from the landing. Due to my greater vitality stat, I luckily did not break my legs, but the fall was enough to shave off a fair bit of my HP. I drew a shallow breath, swallowing the pain down as I swung my axe once more. [Shift] immediately activated, and instantaneously grew into about eight times its previous size as it sliced through the air. I lobbed off one of the Ogre¡¯s legs. The sudden loss of support immediately brought the Cliff Ogre toppling down. I rolled out of the way just as the Ogre fell and crashed onto the street floor. The resulting impact pushed me back a few meters away and I barely avoided getting squashed like a pancake. As I recovered, I was met with another wave of intense pain. The resulting use of my weapon skill activated an incredible amount of kickback and when coupled with the fall from earlier, shaved off another thirty percent of my HP. As the start of a frown began to form on my face, I suddenly felt a warm sensation flow through my chest. I briefly looked back and glanced at Cielle. Her eyes were fixated on me as she gently nodded, a trail of [Blue Gemini] floating harmlessly around her. After a brief pause, I nodded in appreciation and smiled. Even though I was fighting alone, I wasn¡¯t without support. Cielle was silently supporting me and healed me when my HP dropped down to dangerous levels. With Cielle around, surviving through the kickbacks wasn¡¯t even an issue anymore. At this point, the wall of fire from up ahead sputtered out, revealing the hobgoblins in mid conflict. Quickly counting the bodies, about ten of them died, but they still greatly outnumbered the trio they faced off against. Rather, it was Cher and the rest of them who found themselves in a dangerous situation. They looked bruised and battered, their bodies riddled with wounds and injuries. ¡°Cielle, the hobgoblins! Hina, change targets, give me a foothold!¡± I yelled out loud as I ran towards the group of Ogres in front of me. Five of them, with one trying to stand back up. An Ogre¡¯s attacks was slow, and it wasn¡¯t difficult for me to avoid. I weaved through their clumsy but powerful strikes and jumped forward. Using one of the Ogre¡¯s extended arms as a spring board, I pushed off and propelled myself forward towards another Ogre. Just as I was about to step onto empty air, a column of stone shot out from the Ogre¡¯s stone skin, creating an immediate foothold for me. Seeing this, I cracked a slight smile. As I fought against the Ogres, I quickly understood that they really were made out of stone and wondered whether Hina¡¯s [Terakinesis] worked on their bodies. I¡¯m happy that Hina understood what I meant and I¡¯m even happier that it worked. I lightly stepped onto the foothold, and once again, pushed up with my legs. Another foothold quickly appeared above me and I used it to propel myself to the Ogre¡¯s head. From the corner of my eye, I saw the other Ogres quickly surround me. But before they could react, I took a deep breath and swung the [Spriggan War Axe] at the Ogre in front of me. The tip of my blade was aimed at its stocky neck. The weapon rapidly shifted size, growling larger and larger as it cleaved through the air before the metallic blade completely severed the head from the rest of its body. The Ogre immediately died and its stone constructed body began to crack and fall apart. As the body leaned forward, I jumped down. In midair, from the far back, I saw Hina concentrating with a serious expression on her face. Her eyes remained locked onto my battlefield. The crumbling ogre¡¯s body suddenly paused mid fall and sent out a full powered fist towards one of the other Cliff Ogres. The fist shattered on impact, along with the rest of its body. The resulting blow landed onto a Cliff Ogre¡¯s chest and sent him reeling backwards. Seeing the spectacle unfold in front of me, I could not hide my amazement, and briefly glanced at Hina. Her expression as an odd mix of nervousness and relief. Through the sound of crumbling rock and chaotic fighting, I heard her speak out loud, ¡°¡­I can¡¯t believe that actually worked.¡± I inwardly laughed just as I landed onto the floor and turned back around towards the remaining Ogres. I dodged an incoming fist as I counted the remaining Cliff Ogres. Outside of the Elite Ogre, who was still crawling towards us, there were four golems left, with one of them still on the floor and unable to get back up. Without hesitation, I ran forward and climbed on top of the fallen Ogre¡¯s back. Two Cliff Ogres responded and sent a flurry of attacks my way. I danced and dodged and weaved through the incoming rain of fists. The other two Ogres repeatedly threw punch after punch onto the prone Ogre, littering its body with cracks and holes. When I stood on top of its head, a fist from above came barreling down and smashed into it. I dodged to the side while the Ogre¡¯s head splintered and cracked like a dropped egg, the Ogre¡¯s head completely shattered, immediately killing it. Following up, I jumped to the floor, and ran forward, dodging an angered giant¡¯s foot in the process. I ran between the legs of one of the Ogre¡¯s, before I twisted my body and jumped forward. A pillar of earth shot out from the ground beneath my feet. I used the pillar as a foothold, and pushed off, propelling myself forward onto the Cliff Ogre¡¯s back. The Ogres seem to respond more to vision since the moment they lost track of me, they frantically searched the area to no avail. My position was compromised only when the third Ogre spotted me clinging onto its fellow Ogre¡¯s back. Without hesitation, it threw a fist aimed directly at me. Pushing off using the Ogre¡¯s back as a spring board, I jumped and landed onto the attacking Ogre¡¯s extended arm. I ran up its arm, dodging its swatting hand along the way, before I reached its shoulders. The Ogre that got its back punched, turned around, and saw me standing on another Ogre¡¯s shoulder. It lumbered forward, reeling its arm back in the process. I jumped to the Ogre¡¯s head just as the approaching monster aimed its arm and fired. A fist the size of small car came barreling forward, directed at the other Ogre¡¯s face. In front of my eyes, its hand warped and a giant stone drill formed at the end of the Ogre¡¯s fist. Almost immediately, I figured out that Hina was behind that sudden change and knew almost instinctively what she was planning. I jumped off of the Ogre¡¯s head as the drill shaped fist bore into its face. The sound of grinding stone filled the space around me just as the drill pierced a giant hole in between the Ogre¡¯s eyes. The Cliff Ogre toppled backward and immediately crumbled into falling rock and dust. Meanwhile, I was falling in midair, directly to the attacking Ogre¡¯s exposed head. I raised the shrunken axe above me, and just as I landed, I brought the weapon down with all my strength, activating [Shift] in the process. A giant slab of metal cut through its thick skull, and bisected its entire head all the way up to its neck. The resulting impact and the subsequent kickback was immense, sending a shockwave of pressure and pain through both my arms. The force behind it caused me to lose my grip on the axe¡¯s handle. I fell down ten meters, and landed on the street floor just as the Ogre¡¯s corpse fell and shattered beside me. Amidst the rising dust, and debris, I shook my arms, trying to ward away the numb sensation but to no avail. Behind me, the Elite Ogre was already close, less than ten meters away, while in front of me, the remaining Cliff Ogre approached. The Elite Ogre roared loudly, as it struck the ground with its open palms. The pavement cracked and the earth briefly shook as it continued its angry approach. ¡°Hide, Dodge!¡± I heard someone cry out. My mind did not have enough time to register whose voice I heard before my body instinctively moved in response. I threw my whole weight to the side, just as a massive column of fire swept past my surroundings. At first, I was surprised at the size of the flame, but after feeling the mild intensity of the fire, I knew that it looked more formidable than it actually was. The column of flame was weak and its role was not meant to kill but rather, it was a distraction, a smokescreen without the smoke. The flames engulfed the two Ogres just as I hastily escaped. Since Cliff Ogres possessed terrible intellect, I used this opportunity to escape from their sight and hid within the rubble and wreckage of the killed Ogres. Hidden amongst the rock, I observed quietly as the flames dissipated, revealing two angry and confused Ogres. The Elite Cliff Ogre shuffled around, scanning the nearby area before it bellowed in anger. The other Cliff Ogre mimicked and searched the nearby area for anything substantial. - I breathed out a shallow sigh as I took this opportunity to catch my breath. My arms were still numb, but I wasn¡¯t completely out just yet. If I retrieved the war axe, I could probably use [Shift] at least one more time. The problem were the Ogres around me. If I stayed hidden for too long, then they would undoubtedly shift their attention over to Hina and Cielle. Looking over at the two girls in question, I noticed both of them hard at work. Cielle was busy supporting the fight against the hobgoblins from a distance, while Hina was making panicked eye contact with me, furiously trying to think up a solution to my current predicament. Judging by her expression and demeanor, I guessed that because of her recent attacks, she probably lacked the mana to pull off any flashy spells. Just as I deliberated over what to do, a deafening roar echoed throughout the neighborhood. The tiles on the roof shook, the powerlines vibrated while a few of the glass windows cracked. A feeling of heavy oppression seeped into the street. It was a suffocating sensation that made it hard to breath. All of the monsters, from the Hobgoblin down to the Elite Cliff Ogre, knelt down on their knees and lowered their heads. Their bodies trembled uncontrollably while they remained absolutely silent. Even when Cher and the Prez picked off the kneeling Hobgoblins one by one, the monsters still did not react. No matter what happened around them, the monsters remained silent and immobile, their heads lowered all the way until their foreheads touched the pavement. A sense of dread immediately filled my heart. This sort of pattern¡­ it was obvious what was coming. I stood up, not caring for the two immobile Ogres by my side as I reclaimed my war axe and ran back towards Cielle and Hina. Noticing the obvious change in the situation, the duo also ran up to meet me, but just before I could say anything, the echoing roar rang out once again, this time much louder than before. When the ground started trembling, the nearby monsters all started whimpering. From the horizon towards the east, I saw the silhouette of a monster. Each lumbering step it took shook the ground beneath, and it towered over all the nearby houses and buildings. In fact, it was almost three times as tall as the manticore, and just as bulky. Beneath its feet was a cloud of dust that followed it. I glanced over at Hina and saw the look of fear that contorted her expression. ¡°Where¡¯s the binoculars?¡± I asked hurriedly. Her mouth hung open but no sound came out. She could not respond, but her body moved by instinct and handed over a pair of high powered binoculars she fished out from her backpack. I pointed the binoculars towards the giant and peered through the lenses. Grey skin covered in cracks. Ruby red eyes and a perpetually opened mouth. The giant looked identical to the Cliff Ogre I killed. No¡­ that thing that was almost five times larger than an ordinary Cliff Ogre was definitely a boss class monster¡­ I can¡¯t make out its status window from here, but it was probably just as strong¡­ maybe a little weaker than the manticore. I also noticed that the clouds beside its feet wasn¡¯t dust, but rather an army of monsters. A massive coalition consisting of hobgoblins and Ogres. I can¡¯t quite make an accurate estimation, but at least a thousand hobgoblins and two hundred Cliff Ogres. Just counting the number of elite monsters on the front lines alone, already they numbered within the double digits. The images I saw through these lenses were worrying, but what sent a shiver down my spine wasn¡¯t something as obvious. A lone silhouette stood on top of the giant Cliff Ogre¡¯s head. A humanoid figure covered in head to toe in rusted armor, a giant claymore strapped to its back. Focusing the binoculars, I could make out its brown, almost dark grey skin as well as a pair of pointed ears. It was a hobgoblin. If it was an ordinary hobgoblin, then I wouldn¡¯t be so worried, but what type of hobgoblin had the power and status to stand above that giant Cliff Ogre¡¯s head? Without a doubt, it was another boss monster and judging by its relationship with the giant Cliff Ogre, it was probably the stronger of the duo. Two boss monsters working together¡­ it was no wonder they made such fast progress¡­ in fact, we were lucky that they launched their full-scale invasion the day after I returned. Any earlier and who knows what could have happened. With a heavy sigh, I lowered the binoculars and turned towards the rest of the groups. The fatigue I felt seemed to grow heavier, while the wounds that covered my body ached even more. I handed the binoculars back to Hina, and spoke with a defeated breath, ¡°We¡¯re no match for that. Call the others back, we¡¯re retreating.¡± Chapter 106: Escape Escape
Achievement: You have slain an elite monster! Reward(s): +2000 experience +10 unallocated points
After killing the defenseless elite Cliff Ogre along with the rest of the monsters around us, I lead the group back to the school building. While the horde was advancing, there was still quite a considerable distance separating them from us. Judging by their current speed, we had a good fifteen to twenty minutes before they could get remotely close to us. On the other hand, it would only take ten minutes for us to reach the school. By the time the horde arrives, we would be long gone, on the road and heading straight for the west. As we made our way through the neighborhood, something abruptly fell from the sky and crash landed on a nearby rooftop. Pieces of broken tile and snapped wood scattered everywhere, as I momentarily paused and turned towards the rooftop. My eyes furrowed as my lips naturally frowned, among the rain of debris that dropped to the street below, a splotch of red was intermixed within the chipped tiles and splintered debris. ¡°What was that?¡± Cher asked out loud as she stopped and stared up at the rooftop. The rest of the group also slowed down and peered up, a mixture of curiosity and alertness gleaming through everyone¡¯s eyes. There was a dent on the roof of the house, a thin cloud of dust and debris swirled around it, concealing whatever had fallen. But as the dust settled, everyone¡¯s curious gazes slowly shifted to shock, just as something scraped and crawled its way out of the hole. A battered hobgoblin. Its arms were twisted in an odd direction, while blood flowed profusely from at least five separate spots on its body. It breathed out a sick and pained wheeze, barely clinging onto what little life it still possessed. But to my surprise, the most notable aspect of the creature was that there wasn¡¯t an expression of agony on its face. No pain, fear, anger, none of these emotions were present, only a blank and absentminded facade, adorned with a hollow gaze and lifeless eyes. The hobgoblin¡¯s body jerked forward as it fell off the roof, landing head first onto the pavement with a sickening splatter. It twitched briefly, a pool of blood expanding out with its crippled body as the center, before it stopped moving all together. It died just as abruptly as it showed up. Almost everyone was speechless. Seeing the scene that had taken place before them, a cold shiver ran up everyone¡¯s spines as they began to draw back from the corpse that had fallen. As if to voice the words that had formed within everyone¡¯s mind, Cher spoke up amidst the silence in a quiet and unnerved voice, ¡°¡­What just happened?¡± Before any of us could respond, there was another loud crash as the rooftop of a different house exploded in a mist of dust and debris. BANG! BANG! BANG! All around us, a consecutive series of crashes erupted forth, breaking rooftops and smashing street corners. From each and every one of them, a hobgoblin crawled out, brandishing a battered body and a vacant expression. A hail of monsters had fallen from the sky like a twisted thunder storm. Blood and muscle scattered throughout the surroundings, staining almost everything in a scarlet shade of putrid red. As bodies filled the streets, and blood flowed through the gutters, fear and panic slowly seeped into everyone¡¯s hearts. With broken limbs and vacant eyes, the hobgoblins slowly approached us, each and every one of their faces adorned with the same empty gaze that I had previously seen on the first hobgoblin. It was a disturbing sight; one I could not help but frown to. What was strangest about the whole thing though, was the nagging feeling of familiarity. Amidst everything I briefly glanced back at the approaching horde. They were still quite a distance away from us, but I saw something that sent shivers down my spine. The Giant Cliff Ogre reached down into the sea of almost endless hobgoblins that surrounded its feet. The grinding sound of stone against stone could be heard even from all the way over here, as it moved its body forward. With one giant swing, it threw a handful of hobgoblins into the sky. Shortly after, a new wave of monster fell all around us. The Ogre¡¯s display of incredible strength surprised me, but as the first hobgoblin began to attack, I had to shift my attention back to the current matter at hand. A hobgoblin with a shattered kneecap and a caved-in chest cavity lunged forward with an almost irrational amount of strength. It wasn¡¯t nimble, nor were its movements natural, rather, it moved with a mechanical lifelessness. It jerked forward as it swung its sword towards me. I reacted instinctively and blocked the incoming blade with edge of my shrunken war axe. The amount of strength its blow contained caught me off guard and almost dislodged my weapon from my hands. The strength wasn¡¯t something a creature as battered as it could possess. As the wet squelching sound of bodies hitting the pavement filled my ears and drowned out everything else, I quickly counterattacked and killed the hobgoblin just as more and more approached. I began to retreat back, deeper into the street and towards the school building. The rest of the group followed along, after the initial shock from before faded away, the trepidation from earlier was replaced by practiced efficiency. We worked as one machine, with me leading the way, Hina and Cielle in the center, and with the everyone else guarding the back. Swords and magic flashed through the air as we steadily made our way through the tide of monsters. With each hobgoblin I killed, I slowly understood why their hollow gazes looked so familiar. It reminded me what had happened back in the dungeon, when the dungeon boss suddenly took control of the remaining mobs. Seeing this scene before me, of hobgoblins attacking, falling from the sky without a care for their own safety, it was all too similar to be just a mere coincidence. Did all Boss Level Monsters possess the ability to control lesser monsters? If something could take control and organize a horde of a few million into attacking, then razing a city or two wouldn¡¯t be a problem. With this possibility, humanity¡¯s chances at survival just decreased exponentially. As this depressing realization sunk in, I suddenly wondered whether the creature commanding the horde possessed intelligence. If something smart had an ability as dangerous as controlling an army of monsters¡­ the future wasn¡¯t very bright right now. The more I pondered over this motion, the more I realized the intricacy of what was happening. What I once thought was a haphazard rain of monsters wasn¡¯t so random after all. It was more methodical, a more calculated action. Most of the hobgoblins that fell from the sky landed on the rooftops, cushioning the impact from the fall. In addition, they landed ahead of us, effectively blocking our exit and slowing down our escape. Fighting through the battered mobs wasn¡¯t difficult, but moving through the streets was slow and ate up at what little time we had left. We would get constantly bombarded by a new creature the deeper and deeper we made our way through the street. In addition, as time passed, I started to notice a trend within the hobgoblin¡¯s actions. Their attacks, which had been concentrated solely on me, slowly started to shift over towards Hina and Cielle. After a few minutes, they were effectively avoiding me altogether and dashing straight towards the pair of sisters. Luckily, Hina and Cielle weren¡¯t exactly pushovers, a few half dead hobgoblins weren¡¯t an issue, but at the same time, they weren¡¯t safe either. Since neither of them invested in a lot of defensive or physical stats, just one blow was enough to cause significant damage to them. With the feeling of impeding crisis slowly sinking in, the group¡¯s formation tightened, as we pierced through the tide and drove our way through the street at a much more hurried pace than before. When we reached the point where we could see the school building just over the horizon, something else happened. The ground suddenly shook, as the sound of grinding stone reverberated from behind us. I briefly glanced back before another wave of dread washed over me. My face turned ashen as cold sweat continually poured down from my back. The Giant Cliff Ogre approached a nearby commercial building. The windows shattered and the walls cracked as the Ogre¡¯s giant hands grabbed onto the building and pulled. With strength strong enough to shake the ground beneath, it broke of a giant chunk of the building. Dust and debris spread everywhere, the previous building crumbled into a mess of concrete and reinforced steel, while the Ogre flexed its arms back and stepped forward. The sound of grinding stone once again echoed throughout the neighborhood, the Ogre reared its body back, and rotated its torso. It took another earth-shaking step forward, and hurled the giant piece of concrete into the air and directly towards us. Like an approaching meteor, the flying chunk of building blotted out the vision from my widened eyes as it imminently zoomed forward, falling dangerously fast. ¡°Move!¡± A hoarse yell escaped my throat as my legs kicked into action. From the corner of my eye I could see everyone else reacting with the same hurried alarm as I did. Unfortunately, Cielle and Hina, who hadn¡¯t invested in any physical stats were painfully slow in their retreat. Time was moving too fast to react, there was no noise, there was no call for help, it was like watching a silent movie. Cielle¡¯s eyes widened from underneath a curtain of hair, as she met my gaze with her own. Her lips slightly parted, and formed a single word; ¡°Don¡¯t.¡± My body moved before I could process her words. I ran towards her, grabbing Cielle before I jumped to the side and into a narrow alleyway. As the dark shadow of rock covered the street below, I craned my neck back and saw the President push Hina into the adjacent alleyway, before a tremendous boom rang through the air and the earth quaked upon impact.If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. CRASH! The wind roiled violently, a cloud of dust and debris swept through the streets and alleyways like a flooding tide. The surrounding houses and nearby buildings collapsed and the pavement below was upturned and dug out, forming a giant crater that covered the entire street. With my arms still wrapped tightly around Cielle, I tried to endure the ensuing pressure, but I was ultimately pushed back by the resulting aftershock. My body flew through the air like a broken ragdoll, rolling across the ground and bouncing off the walls before I slammed into a nearby dumpster. I squinted through the pain and dizziness, as I looked down at Cielle, who was curled up beside me. Her head was pushed up against my chest, while her arms tightly held onto my blood-stained shirt. I breathed out a sigh of relief when I noticed she wasn¡¯t injured. I opened my mouth to ask her if she was okay, only to discover that my ears were still ringing, and I couldn¡¯t quite hear myself, the words that I tried to utter only coming out as a blurred-out mess. I lightly nudged her shoulder¡¯s, and Cielle looked up in response. Her complexion was a shade paler than usual, and her hair stuck to the sides of her face, matted down by a mixture of sweat and blood. She looked up at me with a pair of dark brown pupils hidden behind strands of loose hair. She stared absentmindedly for a second, before she smiled and nodded. We untangled and got back up, as we surveyed the alleyway. I noticed nobody else was around us. During the chaos, everyone moved by instinct, jumping into different alleyways with primal desperation. The area around us was covered in a thick layer of dust and smoke, and as we made our way back towards the main street, from within the sand colored fog, a metallic blade lunged through the air and pierced the empty space in front of us, its blade aimed directly at Cielle. My body moved before I had the chance to think. Without paying any mind to Cielle¡¯s surprised expression, I pulled her back and turned my body forward. The blade pierced my shoulder with a muffled squelch. I gritted through the sudden pain, and quickly counterattacked. Before the hobgoblin could react, I yanked its arm forward, while I drove the shrunken war axe deep into its throat. A fountain of blood spurted out, dyeing my shirt in an even deeper shade of red than before. As the hobgoblin lifelessly fell to the floor, I staggered backwards, but before I could fall Cielle ran up from behind and supported my wavering body. I momentarily glanced down at my new injury before gritted my teeth, and yanked out the sword. Almost immediately, a thin line of [Blue Gemini] snaked its way around me and seeped into the open wound. A warm, almost comforting sensation filled my chest as the wound visibly closed before my eyes. ¡°Thank you,¡± I mouthed out to her as I stood back up. Cielle did not verbally respond, only patting my back before she pushed me forward with a smile. We walked forward once again through the sand colored fog. As I pondered over what to do amidst the dust and debris, I saw an orange light flare out from the cloud and into the sky. An orange red iridescent fireball flew through the air before it exploded in an eye-catching blast of flame. Cielle and I traced the light back to its origin and met up with Hina and the rest of the group. After briefly glancing around, I could not help but sigh in relief. Although everyone had varying degrees of injury, thankfully, nobody had died. ¡°We can¡¯t go through the street anymore.¡± I spoke, the ringing from before all but receded. ¡°The street has been blocked off, we¡¯ll have to go around using the alleyways and houses.¡± We did not have time for much discussion, so after that short exchange, I immediately led the group forward, making our way closer and closer to the school building. As we progressed, the earth continually trembled, as giant chunks of stone continually rained down from above. It felt as if the sky was collapsing, falling apart and breaking before our very eyes. The constant pressure this had coupled with the relentless attacks from the almost lifeless monsters around us, weighed heavily and further impeded our progress. The ominous sensation that the rest of the horde was right behind us was the only thing that kept us moving. After what felt like an eternity, we finally reached the front of the school. Its dilapidated and decrepit appearance was like an oasis in the middle of the desert to my eyes. Thankfully, the damage hadn¡¯t reached this far west yet. Seeing the familiar Humvee parked near the front of the building, surrounded by two people with worried expressions smeared across their faces, a sense of reassurance filled my heart. If the car had been damaged, then escaping would have been next to impossible. At the very least, it was guaranteed that someone would have died. ¡°Everyone, get in!¡± Without pause or hesitation, I immediately ordered as I hurriedly entered the driver¡¯s seat. Cielle, the non-combatants, and Kido¡¯s old childhood friend entered the car, while I instructed Hina to sit outside on the cargo area. It was a dangerous location, but it was necessary. Hina was the only one within the group who could provide sufficient cover and support from a long distance. Going by the glint beneath her eyes, I knew she understood why I assigned her to the cargo area. Gulping down a mouthful of saliva, she boarded the back, her eyes locked behind us and at the horde. Cher and the President followed her, staying with her outside in order to provide protection. With a flick of my wrist, I turned the key and started the car. The Humvee¡¯s engine roared as it revved into life. At the same time, a new wave of hobgoblins bloated out the sky. They plummeted from the skies and fell all around us, one of the monsters landed onto the roof of the car, causing the Humvee to shake, and denting the rooftop. From out the back, and through the opened windows, I heard the President yell out, ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it! It died upon impact and I pushed the body of the roof.¡± I nodded almost to myself as I pressed down on to the peddle and drove the car forward. The Humvee¡¯s wheels screeched into life as the vehicle rocketed forward, driving over the new corpses that acted as roadblocks in front of me. As we were leaving the neighborhood, through the rear-view mirror, I took one last glance at the horde behind us only to see something fly out from the giant Ogre¡¯s hand. I frowned as an uneasy feeling welled up inside me. I saw something shine amidst the sun¡¯s light. Almost instinctively, I suddenly yanked the steering wheel to the right, causing the car to recklessly swerve and narrowly avoiding the impeding danger. CRASH! An explosion of scattered pavement and upturned dust. Something crash landed directly where the Humvee was previously at. The pavement beneath cracked like a broken ice sculpture, a mini crater formed in the middle of the street as dust and debris swirled around it. As the dust began to settle, I caught a glimpse of a rusted claymore. It was at the center of the newly formed crater, sticking out from the ground like a jagged tooth as the metallic luster on its blade shined and reflected off the sunlight. Behind the claymore, wielding its worn-out leather handle was the Boss Hobgoblin.
Hobgoblin General ¨C Lv 78 HP:????
A dark grey body adorned in what looked like an old, worn out adventurer¡¯s uniform. The Hobgoblin General was a head taller than the average human, and sported a pair of pointed ears, and jutting teeth. The creature wasn¡¯t bulky, nor was it overly muscular, but rather, it had a lean, almost wiry physique. Looking at it closely, I was inwardly shocked to see that it did not have a single scratch on its body. It was if the fall from earlier had not affected it in the slightest. I buried the surprise in my heart as I stared solemnly at the creature in front of us. Its azure blue eyes flashed with intelligence as it easily pulled out the embedded claymore and walked over towards the car. Its steps were leisure and light, but it moved with a suffocating and domineering presence. Seeing it slowly approach, I immediately started the car. The Humvee once again roared to life as I desperately pressed down on the acceleration peddle, fully intending to escape. For a moment, a brief light of hope filled my heart as the vehicle accelerated past the hobgoblin. Unfortunately, this hope was short lived. The vehicle could not move any further before it came to an abrupt halt. Due to the sudden stop, my body flew forward and I hit my head on the reinforced glass in front of me. I ignored crack on the window, and the blood that slowly dripped down from my head, as I dreadfully glanced back up at the hobgoblin. With one hand, the hobgoblin had grabbed onto the back of the Humvee and completely stopped it in its tracks. I was still pressing down on the acceleration peddle, but even as the wheels furiously spun, and even as smoke rose from the burning rubber, the car remained unmoving. The hobgoblin¡¯s strength was too great to overcome. With a hardened expression, through the rear-view mirror, I could see the events taking place outside. Hina and the others, who were at the back of the cargo area, were all scrunched up by the window, as far away from the hobgoblin as possible. Their eyes were locked onto the creature¡¯s every move. I could see them shaking, trembling like a leaf as the fear in their hearts slowly pressed down on their minds. They were less than a meter away from the hobgoblin, and were in direct contact with the roiling pressure that it constantly emitted. Hina was the one closest to the window, her back pressed against the glass, as the President stood in front of her. Cher was positioned next to her, who, despite her constant trembling, still brandished her shield in front of her. Within the vehicle, a deathly silence had spread, only disturbed by Narise¡¯s Gila, who occasionally whimpered within its owner¡¯s arms. Cold sweat dripped down my brow and mixed with the blood trickling down from my head, as I closely observed the hobgoblin¡¯s every move. The creature kept its hands firmly gripped onto the back of the vehicle, as it observed it with keen interest. It slightly raised its arm, tilting the car forward and bringing the rotating back tires off the ground and close to its face. Its eyes flashed with curiosity, as it examined it along with the rest of the vehicle. It was almost oblivious to the people within the car, as it went about its business with absolutely no hesitation or reservation whatsoever. ¡°Hide,¡± As I was observing the hobgoblin, I heard a quiet whisper from next to my ear. Through the corner of my eye, I glanced at the passenger seat. Cielle sat there, a look of pure concentration on her face as [Black Gemini] slowly flowed out from an open container on her lap. ¡°Keep your foot on the peddle.¡± She spoke in a low voice as she turned towards me, her eyes brimming with uncertainty. ¡°I¡¯m¡­ I¡¯m going to try something.¡± Seeing Cielle¡¯s wavering expression I faltered and hesitated for a moment. She was about to do something extremely reckless, but she realized, she knew that we had no other options left. After what felt like eternity passed, I nodded. ¡°Don¡¯t mess this up.¡± I responded, fixing my gaze back onto the rear-view mirror as my grip on the wheel tightened. ¡°We only have one chance.¡± Cielle nodded, as more and more [Black Gemini] flowed out from her opened flask. It slowly seeped out through the windows and curled around the side of the Humvee, making its way to the back of the car. To my dejection, I saw the hobgoblin¡¯s perceptive eyes dart back and forth to the approaching mass of [Black Gemini]. As I was about to tell Cielle to stop, I held back my words upon noticing that the hobgoblin wasn¡¯t doing anything to stop it. It maintained its grip on the vehicle and simply stared at the approaching substance that slowly made its way towards him. For a second, I was momentarily puzzled over why it wasn¡¯t doing anything, before I came to a sudden realization. It was curious. Like with the Humvee, and like with the tires, it did not do anything because its curiosity had gotten the better of it. It stood there, unmoving as the roiling darkness slowly slithered up the Humvee¡¯s side and made its way towards the hand gripping onto the car. When [Black Gemini] touched its hand, the goblin let out a surprised hiss of pain, unwittingly loosening its grip and letting go of the car. The Humvee¡¯s back wheels hit the pavement with a loud crash, before the car jerked and accelerated forward. Some of the supplies from the back were dislodged and fell to the ground, but I paid it no mind, as I relentlessly drove forward. Even as the wind whipped past my head, and the road began to widen, the power beneath my foot didn¡¯t once lighten. My eyes remained fixated on the rearview mirror, watching the Hobgoblin¡¯s reaction. I saw it looking down on its hand with the same curious expression on its face. I stared in amazement, before it looked up and stared at the departing car. As the vehicle veered off into the distance and turned a corner, for a split second, I could have sworn I saw the Hobgoblin grin in my direction as we left the neighborhood and began our journey west. Chapter 107: West Road Chapter 107: West Road The faint squeeze of leather drifted to my ears. My gaze was fixed on the road in front of me, a blur of passing signs and neglected buildings, while my knuckles were clenched tightly onto the steering wheel with a vice like grip. The drive was silent. With the exception of the roaring wind flowing through the opened windows, and the steady rhythm of the dirt road, I could hear nothing but the endless drumming of my beating heart. There was a booming rain of napalm within my body. Loud and deafening, it echoed through every inch of my skin, and filled my ears with blood and empty deafness. Even now, after we had driven away from the school, my heart refused to calm down. The image of the hobgoblin filled my head. The twisted smile that I saw through the rearview mirror was like a lingering specter, existing somewhere in the dark recesses of my mind. I tried to ignore it. I forced myself to focus on the road ahead of me, but even as the car passed through houses and snaked its way around the web of backstreets and pathways that made up the neighborhood, my mind lingered to the scene from before. Occasionally, I would glance back at the rearview mirror, half certain that something was right behind us. I don¡¯t know what I was expecting, a full horde or maybe a single grey skinned hobgoblin, but the tightness in my chest that I felt every time we turned a corner or passed by an alleyway was something I hated myself for feeling. Eventually, with Cielle guiding the way from the passenger seat, we left the vicinity of the neighborhood and got onto the freeway. After a few minutes of driving, I eventually pulled over by the roadside. I got off, and quickly surveyed my surroundings. There was nothing but acres of empty and uncultivated land on either side of the road. Weed, and several other invasive plant life had grown all over the land, forming a patchy garden of long grass and vine. As far as I could see, there was nothing but field. There were no animals, humans, or monsters, just a vast emptiness that encompassed the whole horizon. Despite what should be a welcoming scene, I could not help but tighten my grip onto the sword that dangled by my side. After our close encounter, my senses were on high alert. A familiar tension grabbed hold of my body. It was the same constant feeling I had back in the dungeon, an illusion of danger, the impression of overlooking a cliff side, as if a knife was held against my throat. I was quickly beginning to realize that the rules from the dungeon still applied to the outside world, death and danger were companions as close as the hairs on the back of my scalp, and letting my guard down for even a second meant embracing their chilly bodies in a massive bear hug. After checking the surroundings one last time, I made my way over to the back of the Humvee. ¡°Hide!¡± someone called out when I reached the cargo area. I looked up, and saw all three of them, Hina, Cher and the President, lined up in the back. Their faces were pale, and they lacked their usual vigor and energy. Hina¡¯s hair was tousled and unkempt from the ride over here, Cher¡¯s shoulders trembled beneath the stained white top she wore, while the President¡¯s glasses were disarrayed and foggy. ¡°You guys okay?¡± My brow knitted as I asked. Although I did not see the hobgoblin attack directly, I still could not help but worry whether or not it did something to them. Boss class monsters were strong and full of surprises, who knows what that grey skinned hobgoblin was capable of. Although they looked thoroughly spooked, they still retained their coherency. Their heads dipped down as they nodded in response. ¡°That thing was really scary,¡± Cher complained through shivering teeth. Her eyes were dark with stress, and her usual healthy pallor was replaced by a stark white complexion. ¡°I almost pissed myself from the encounter.¡± ¡°It wouldn¡¯t be the first time.¡± Cielle walked up from the other side of the Humvee as she off handedly commented. Looking up, I immediately noticed that her usual curtain of hair had been swept away from her face by the wind during the ride. It gave her an odd hairstyle, while simultaneously revealing her placid expression. Unfortunately, I could not enjoy the view for long, before Cielle shook her head, causing her night black hair to cascade downward, naturally falling back to its original position. ¡°Wasn¡¯t there that one time with the cyclops?¡± She continued to comment and poke fun at Cher. ¡°I remember afterwards, after the end of the day, you hid in another room and cleaned yourself up while complaining that you had no spare underwear left...¡± ¡°H-hey, that was so long ago, don¡¯t bring it up now!¡± Cher¡¯s quivering voice echoed out, a tinge of life seeping through her words, as she flashed Cielle a pleading look. Her eyes were swirling as she briefly glanced at me, before shifting her focus back to Cielle, and shouting out in a fit of desperation. ¡°Don¡¯t say anymore, please! At least not in front of Hide! I don¡¯t want my stock to go down any further than it already has!¡± Cher¡¯s expression turned as red as an apple, the flush in her cheeks crawling all the way down to her neck, while her arms frantically waved around the air in front of Cielle, a weak attempt at silencing her. In response, Cielle moved swiftly out of the way, and came to a stop beside me. As Cher stomped at the ground with a teary eyed and wavering expression, Cielle took a step back and hid behind my back, a playful twinkle shined beneath the curtain of hair that covered her eyes. I looked over at Cielle with a helpless sigh. She tilted her head up, and met my gaze with her own, her dark brown, almost entirely black irises visible through the parted sections of her hair. After a brief pause, she flashed a tight-lipped smile before turning away and continuing her exchange with Cher. I watched from afar as Cielle continued to interact with Cher. Her current actions were a far cry from her usual self, and almost seemed deliberate, maybe even forced. She initiated conversation, and spoke with a tone much louder than the usual quite voice that I had grown accustomed to hearing. I briefly wondered why exactly she was doing this, before I suddenly noticed something that put a slight smile on my face. Cher¡¯s unsteady trembling had disappeared. Amidst Cher¡¯s nervousness, I turned towards the others. Surprisingly, as they watched Cher¡¯s flustered actions and almost incoherent ramblings, their earlier expressions lightened, as an unknowing smile leaked onto their faces. A part of me felt slightly bad for Cher, everyone was recovering from the earlier ordeal at her expense, but a greater part of me didn¡¯t care. Seeing her red-faced and flustered embarrassment was several times better than the ashen pale expression she adorned earlier. ¡°How much stuff did we lose?¡± I shifted my gaze away from Cher, and turned towards Hina, continuing the earlier conversation. I recalled briefly that a few of our bags had been dislodged during our escape, so I worried about what we had lost. There were a few things mixed in the pile that we could afford to do without, while some were as valuable as life itself. Hina, whose attention had been focused all on Cher and her sister¡¯s exchange, jumped slightly in surprise at my sudden question. She turned towards me, and after a brief moment of recollection, she answered, ¡°I think about half of the bags fell back there.¡± She paused, and thought for a second, before continuing, ¡°We also lost a small chunk of the stuff we harvested from the manticore.¡± ¡°What about the bag full of system items?¡± I questioned. We didn¡¯t have a lot, but the value of these things was beyond measure. Items like HP and mana potions, could save a person¡¯s life during a critical moment of danger, and skill books added a lot in terms of increasing our current combat strength. ¡°No, we still have it.¡± Much to my relief, she responded positively as she pointed to a small rucksack near the corner of the bag. Her jubilant expression was no less than mine, and even the slight frown on her face that had formed after a moment of thought, could not hide the lingering reprieve in her eyes. ¡°Although in retrospect, we should have probably put something like this inside the car, but thankfully, it didn¡¯t fall with the other bags.¡± ¡°Yeah¡­ I¡¯ll find a better way of securing our stuff after we find a proper place to rest.¡± I stated with a firm nod, as I walked over towards the cargo area and peered inside. After a second of looking, a dejected sigh leaked out from my slightly parted lips. ¡°Even though we didn¡¯t lose all of it, we still lost a lot.¡± Hina stated, as she walked up from behind me, and stared at the diminished pile of goods with similar gloom. The original mountain of duffel bags, and boxes from before had been cut by more than half. Going through a few of the bags, I noticed that most of the stuff that we lost was water and some food, with a few being clothing and other non-consumables. This realization brought a small amount of relief to my mind. If it was water, then we could do without it for the time being. With Hina¡¯s magic, producing drinkable water wasn¡¯t a real issue, although if the group got separated, then that would be a completely different issue. Without Hina, surviving for more than two or three days would be a difficult thing to pull off. At most, a week without water was probably doable, considering the effects of increased stamina, but that sort of logic only applied to our physical combatants. Cielle, Narise, and the rest, they had the stamina and body constitution similar to their pre-apocalypse selves, I don¡¯t know how long they¡¯d be able to last without water. In short, I wasn¡¯t comfortable relying on one person for such an important necessity. As for the food issue, we hadn¡¯t lost a lot, so it wasn¡¯t grounds for concern like how water was, but regardless, the sooner we can find more food, and for that matter, more water as well, the more my mind will be at ease. Checking through the manticore loot, I noticed that about half of the collected scales were missing, but that was about it. The hide, core, and even the blood that I extracted and poured into milk jugs were still there. In fact, I was surprised to see that intermixed within the pile, there were also some Manticore teeth that I hadn¡¯t noticed previously. I guess the others had extracted it without me realizing. Overall, the loss wasn¡¯t too bad, and most important of all, the Manticore loot was mostly intact. After our previous experience, I was quickly realizing that our most present concern wasn¡¯t just finding food, and shelter, but rather increasing our overall strength. The Manticore loot will go a long way in increasing our fighting power once I figure out a way to create weapons and equipment out of them. Breathing out a sigh of air, I then went and inspected how much damage the hobgoblin had done to the car. My heart fluttered nervously, as I gulped down a clump of frayed nerves. Truthfully speaking, I knew next to nothing about cars, and I doubt anybody else in the group did either. We were just high schoolers, and none of us posessesd the prior knowledge or interest in vehicles to assess any damages, or for that matter, repair it.The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. As I inwardly prayed that nothing important was damaged, I inspected the back bumper of the car. The metal was slightly crumpled, and after testing out the hatch, I discovered that the door on the back of the cargo had been damaged, and wouldn¡¯t open any longer. While this would prove inconvenient when unloading our supplies, in terms of functionality, or its effect on the Humvee¡¯s performance, it probably would have no significant effect. After breathing out a relieved sigh, I then crawled underneath the car, and checked the bottom of the vehicle for any damages. The smell of oil and metal assaulted my ears, as I inwardly grimaced at the sight before my eyes. The metal that covered the entire underbelly of the vehicle had morphed and bent into one singular, fist sized point, where it then collapsed into one hole near the far back of the cargo area. What I found strange was that the metal looked¡­ unnatural, as if what had changed its appearance wasn¡¯t just pure physical strength. What did the hobgoblin do back then? Had it used magic to keep the car in place? Was it a skill? If so, what kind of skill? As questions and theories whizzed through my mind like an endless kaleidoscope of ideas, my eyes watchfully scanned the surface for any further damage. I wasn¡¯t quite sure what I was looking for, but at the very least, nothing screamed ¡°broken beyond repair¡±. After a few minutes of what felt like fruitless searching, I eventually came to the conclusion that nothing significant had been damaged, which in actuality, was just me confirming the fact that nothing was leaking or smoking. With a heavy sigh intermixed with a throaty groan, I crawled away from the car, and lifted myself up. ¡°How is it?¡± Someone asked from next to me in a worried voice, as I wiped the layer of smog and sweat that gathered on my face. I turned around, only to discover everyone else gathered by the street, all staring at me with beady, anxious, worry ridden eyes. ¡°Um¡­ nothing seems damaged.¡± I stated, unable to hide my uncertainty. ¡°At least nothing important looking. I think the car can still last for a bit longer¡­ If I remember correctly, this is a Humvee, right? Those things are used in the military, so it should be able to take some punishment.¡± ¡°Yeah, but isn¡¯t this one a civilian vehicle?¡± The President asked with a frown on his face. ¡°Aren¡¯t there differences between the two?¡± I furrowed my brow for a second in hard thought, before I shook my head with a sigh, and helplessly shrugged my shoulders. ¡°Maybe, I¡¯m not too sure myself, but¡­¡± My eyes shifted towards the car, focusing on its robust frame, and what I assumed was a durable surface. ¡°The car looks pretty sturdy already, I don¡¯t know what type of differences they¡¯ll have just for being in the military, maybe a thicker shell?¡± ¡°¡­ If we visit the military base, we¡¯ll find out.¡± Hina states after a moment¡¯s pause. Her mouth opened as if to say something, but stopped and hesitated. She bit down on her lip for a second, before continuing with a mix of caution and uncertainty. ¡°There¡­ there are probably still people alive in the city, right? Not all of them should have died, I mean, look, we survived, and we¡¯re just a bunch of high schoolers. People from the military¡­ they have guns, weapons, people with actual training, they have a better chance at surviving than anybody else on this island¡­ I¡¯m sure that maybe, just maybe, they¡­ we can go and visit them, join up with them, it¡¯ll be safer, r-reliability in numbers¡­¡± I stayed silent, as I digested her words with a stern expression plastered on my face. Time seemed to flow endlessly as the howling wind blew through the air and tousled my hair past my face. I don¡¯t know how long it took for me to respond, but in the end, I fruitlessly shook my head. Her words had some inkling of truth to it, that I could not deny, but a part of me vehemently disagreed with her. As dangerous and gruesome as the dungeon was, there was one thing that it possessed that the outside didn¡¯t, and that was order. We hunted weak monsters in order to fight stronger monsters, and we hunted stronger monsters in order to fight even stronger monsters. The dungeon was a death trap, but at the same time, it was an opportunity. Out of all the staff and students from the school, we were the only ones who were able to use that opportunity and get stronger. From what little I¡¯ve seen of the city; this opportunity didn¡¯t exist. It was chaos, a hodgepodge of strong, high level monsters right from the get go. If I was to liken this to RPG terms, then it would be like having a high-class mob spawn right in with in a newbie village. While I didn¡¯t think the possibility of survivors was completely off the table, at the same time, it was a dangerously slim likelihood, and I don¡¯t know how much of a difference the military makes in front of something as nonsensical and fantasy like as the situation we were in right now. ¡°How effective do you think a gun would be against a Cliff Ogre?¡± I quietly spoke, my eyes drifting towards the ground. ¡°Will a tank, or an RPG be enough to take out a Boss class monster? Can a swarm of hobgoblins be stopped by a rain of bullets?¡± I looked up at her, my voice firm, yet hoarse. ¡°How many people do you think can survive a rampaging horde? What about a horde controlled by a Boss?¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± Hina¡¯s face scrunched up, as her eyes darted to the side, averting my gaze. Hina had a fundamental flaw that made her vulnerable to the dangers of this new world, her humanity. I wouldn¡¯t say she was running away from the reality in front of her, but rather, she clung too tightly to the old world. She often prioritized a whimsical fantasy of something that might not even exist anymore, over the current situation at hand. I don¡¯t know how far such an ideology will take her, but in the end, all I could do was try and convince her otherwise. I shook my head once more, this time in a curt and deliberate manner. ¡°I¡¯m not completely denying the possibility, after all, if the military got lucky and a couple of weak mobs spawned near them, then they¡¯d be able to power level their army at a blistering speed, but¡­ it¡¯s too risky. The military base is all the way on the other side of the island, unless we cut through the city, or go around the entire island, we¡¯ll never be able to make it there safely¡­ truth of the matter is, I don¡¯t know how dangerous such a trip will be, and also¡­¡± My voice trailed off into quiet nothingness, as I stared out into the open field. The possibility of them surviving, while slim, wasn¡¯t completely impossible. In fact, in my mind, which had long since gotten used to calculating the worst of situations, they were still alive and thriving. What I was really concerned about was whether or not they were willing to accept people¡­ no, my concern was how they treated the people they accepted. The world changed, and with it, so did the people. I felt that Hina was the type to just run into any group willing to take her in with open arms, but¡­ even if they were willing, who knows what type of ulterior motives they¡¯ll possess. I¡¯ve read plenty of novels to know that this type of likelihood was certainly a possibility. ¡°In any case, I think we should focus our energy on a different topic. Going to the port side still seems like the best option to me.¡± I dismissed the idea abruptly, and changed the topic of discussion as I presented a new focus to the group. ¡°What do you guys think?¡± ¡°¡­Yeah, I think that¡¯s a good idea too.¡± Hina reluctantly agreed with a sigh, her head drooping to the floor as she leaned back against the surface of the Humvee. Wordlessly, Cielle walked over towards her sister, and placed a gentle hand on the back of her shoulder. She turned towards me, and briefly tilted her head, nodding in agreement. Minakawa was with the noncombatants in the car, so I turned to the remaining two people, the President and Cher, and waited for their response. ¡°Well, I don¡¯t really have an issue with either option. I¡¯ll go with whatever you think is best, Hide.¡± Cher affirmed as she scratched her head with a slight smile. In contrast, the President bore a helpless expression. His eyes slowly swept through the rest of the party, before they landed back to me. His expression turned weird, as he frowned his lip, before he shrugged his shoulders, and said, ¡°Even if I disagree, it¡¯s four against one. We¡¯ll just go with your idea, Hide.¡± After receiving everyone¡¯s acknowledgements, I nodded my head firmly, and clapped my hands. ¡°Then, with that decided, let¡¯s all get back in the car.¡± My eyes swept through our surroundings, as I explained in a low voice, ¡°It¡¯s not safe to be out in the open like this, who knows what could be lurking¡­ For now, we¡¯ll head to the gas station and fuel up, before we decide where to go next. In fact, we can decide in the car while we¡¯re on our way there, I just don¡¯t feel comfortable being out here like this.¡± Almost in unison, everyone nodded in agreement. Their eyes briefly scanned the horizon around us, before they all unanimously boarded the car. I wasted no time, starting the car, and after a brief sputter, which let out an exhaust of black smoke, and a deafening roar from the engine, the Humvee came to life and drove further down the road westward. **** With the wind furiously whipping besides it, the car drove across the dirt laden road for over an hour or so. It wasn¡¯t that our destination was particularly far, but rather, the road was congested with abandoned cars and trucks flipped onto their side. At first, we thoroughly inspected and searched through each abandoned vehicle we came across, but after who knows how many cars we passed on our journey west, we eventually stopped. Fortunately, it wasn¡¯t all fruitless, what little we could scavenge, we scavenged, replacing a few of our lost supplies and adding new necessities/commodities that we lacked previously. We briefly debated whether to siphon the remaining fuel from the abandoned cars, but since we really had no idea how to do that, or where to start, in the end, we just decided to wait until we arrived at the gas station. Briefly glancing at the indicator within the Humvee, I suppressed a rising groan in the back of my throat, as my eyes landed on the needle that pointed almost directly over the E. Luckily, just as I was beginning to wonder whether I¡¯d need to push the vehicle the rest of the way there, the vague figure of the gas station came to view beyond the horizon. I let out a brief sigh of relief, just as I stepped onto the peddle with renewed vigor. The car abruptly jolted forward with increasing speed, and in less than a minute, we quickly arrived at the front of the gas station. A bright, almost neon green sign greeted us as I drove the car into the parking lot of the delipidated gas station. I stopped the vehicle besides one of the pumps, and got off the car. I stretched my arms out wide, my body popping and cracking, as I groaned out a satisfied cry. I almost lost myself in the euphoria that came with stretching after a long drive, before I quickly composed myself, and inspected my surroundings. As the others quickly left the car, or got off from the cargo area, they too followed my lead, and scanned through the area with vigilant, almost hawk like eyes. After a few seconds, and finding nothing out of the blue except the tiny sparrows that gathered and mingled on top of the cable lines, my tensed shoulders dropped and I exhaled out a puff of air that I had not realized I had been holding in. Despite my relief though, the hand that tightly held onto the handle of my sword never once loosened. With practiced caution, I carried with me, all of my essential weapons, from the tiny, toy sized war axe that I began keeping in my front pants pocket, to Efhermet, which I placed underneath my shirt, to the wooden boken that I had personally carved and strapped to my back, everything that I valued and cared for was there. Of course, without exception, Fynch, which dangled by my side, was also accompanying me as I walked further away from the car. ¡°Hide, where are you going?¡± Someone asked from behind. I turned and saw, the President, arranging his glasses, as he was in the midst of getting off the cargo area. His disarrayed hair, that had grown out during the months we had been trapped within the dungeon, was tousled and swept away from his face by the wind. ¡°I¡¯m going to go check the convenience store.¡± I briefly responded, before turning back around and facing the empty, and abandoned store that was lit by the faint rays of sunlight that managed to penetrate through the stained-glass windows on the walls. ¡°You guys stay here, and keep a look out for anything remotely suspicious. Don¡¯t hesitate to yell if something bad happens or if there¡¯s an emergency. Meanwhile, Prez, fill up the tank.¡± ¡°Ah, wait.¡± The President¡¯s expression faltered, as his brow began to sweat. ¡°I-I¡¯m not really good with vehicles, I don¡¯t think I can¡­¡± I offhandedly laughed, as I began to walk to the store. ¡°Don¡¯t worry so much, all of us are on the same boat as you. Whether it¡¯s you, Hina, or me, it won¡¯t make a difference, seeing as how clueless we all are. Just make sure to get gas into the car, and we¡¯ll be fine.¡± ¡°But¡­¡± The President¡¯s words died out, as his gaze shifted to the Humvee behind him. He groaned out in frustration, and as I continued to walk further away, I could hear him mumbling, ¡°¡­ How do I open the tank?¡± When I reached the front of the door, my steps abruptly jolted, as my eyes narrowed. From behind me, I could hear, Cielle¡¯s familiar voice calling out to me, accompanied by the sound of soft footsteps running hurriedly to catch up. ¡°Hide, wait for me, I¡¯ll go with you.¡± She spoke, but her words passed through one ear and out the other, my focus remained fixated on the brown stained glass door in front of me, or rather, more specifically, the crumpled piece of paper attached to the surface. ¡°Hide, thanks for waiting,¡± a soft voice spoke besides, ¡°What are you¡ª¡± Cielle¡¯s words abruptly stopped, and from the corner of my vision, I could see her face contorting into a similar expression to the one I currently adorned. Her eyes squinted in both curiosity and caution, while her brows creased beneath the curtain of black hair that covered much of her face. My eyes, which were likewise fixed on the door, once again read through the contents, this time, with much more serious scrutiny than previously. There, scratched on with faded red marker, and written in both English and Japanese, was one single sentence that managed to send a chilling shiver down my spine; ¡°Survivors to Kagetaka Port.¡± Chapter 108: Hierarchy of Power Chapter 108: Hierarchy of Power The group crowded over the glass door with captivated focus. Behind the transparent surface, haphazardly taped on with a heavy layer of duct tape, a piece of paper, stained with an odd mixture of red and brown, stood motionlessly, like a solemn monolith of a once prosperous civilization. For what felt like an endless period of time, nobody moved nor spoke. Within the quiet world of concrete and gasoline stained handles, nothing but silence and the slight sound of blowing wind and rustling grass existed. Everyone¡¯s full attention was completely concentrated on the thinly etched black words marked onto the paper. ¡°S-survivors to Kagetaka Port¡­¡± Cher¡¯s whisper like mumbling broke the silence as she read aloud the words in a daze. ¡°This¡­ Is this really real?¡± The President leaned back with crossed arms as he narrowed his eyes in scrutiny. His brow furrowing and his expression contorting in doubt as he questioned with an air of inquiry. ¡°It could be,¡± Hina¡¯s hopeful words immediately responded, an enlivened tone unmistakable in her quiet tenor. ¡°It really could be, there¡¯s definitely a possibility. There are other people out there who survived and they¡¯re waiting for us, for people like us, for survivors to gather together.¡± ¡°Ah, my grandparents lived near the port!¡± A high-pitched voice loudly exclaimed with bubbling excitement. ¡°My parents too¡ª they were visiting my grandparents before the start of summer! They could all be still alive, they could all be at the port!¡± Kido¡¯s friend jumped up with eager enthusiasm, her shoulders slightly trembling as her eyes watered with sparkling hope. ¡°Then, let¡¯s go.¡± Mindy echoed with the same sentiment as the others. Her usual despondence and dead eyed expression slightly loosened as she gazed over at her friend with a gentle glint in her eyes. ¡°It¡¯s been a while since I¡¯ve seen Mia¡¯s parents¡­¡± ¡°Wait,¡± I abruptly spoke, cutting in between everyone¡¯s growing eagerness with a slight frown on my face. ¡°I don¡¯t think we should just outright believe everything that¡¯s on here.¡± Although I wasn¡¯t completely ruling it out, there were a lot of other possibilities and less than favorable alternatives to what the others were already imagining. Rather than looking at it with eager, hopeful eyes, it was better and invariably safer if we viewed it with a ¡°worst case scenario¡± type of mind set. ¡°There might not be a survivor base there¡­¡± I spoke slowly, the words leaking out from my throat at almost the same time my mind struggled to formulate them. ¡°There are a lot of other possibilities out there, plus we don¡¯t know how long this flyer has been up for. If there really is a base at Kagetaka port, we don¡¯t know if it¡¯s still there. For all we know, something could have happened during that time span. It could have gotten destroyed a long time ago, or overrun by bandits. In the end, we just don¡¯t have any evidence as to what exists out there in the port.¡± ¡°But at the same time, we don¡¯t have proof that there¡¯s isn¡¯t a survivor base there.¡± Cher chimed, stubbornly shaking her head as she looked up at me with a pleading expression. ¡°A place full of people, a place where we can relax, a place where we don¡¯t have to be on guard 24/7¡­ isn¡¯t this what we talked about back in the dungeon?¡± A memory surfaced in my mind. It was recent, yet at the same time, felt as if it had occurred ages ago. My conversation with Cher on the night after we got to the east building of the school caused a seed of hesitancy to form within my mind. ¡°I know, and I¡¯m not saying we won¡¯t check it out.¡± I responded after a moment¡¯s pause, ¡°Finding a safe place is important, just that, it¡¯s better to assume that the guys waiting for us over there want to kill us, rather than take us in.¡± ¡°I think that¡¯s too negative of a view point.¡± Hina spoke, her tone low with disagreement. ¡°Even if the world is like this, good people still exist out there, people who are willing to protect the weak, people who can stand up for what¡¯s right¡­ at the very least, I want to be like that¡­¡± ¡°Hina¡­ that¡¯s¡­¡± I looked at Hina with a complicated expression on my face. Once again, her naivety was showing, once again, I felt a foreboding sense of danger from her almost untainted outlook. Even after all that¡¯s happened, I don¡¯t know whether her unchanging mindset expressed strength or stupidity. ¡°Besides,¡± Hina immediately continued as she averted my gaze and turned her face back to the flyer. ¡°We were heading towards the port in the first place, it won¡¯t hurt to just check it out. Sis, what do you think?¡± The focus of attention suddenly turned towards Cielle due to the promptings of her sister. For a moment, she stood there, unmoving and silent, her eyes focused completely on the paper flyer taped to the door. After a passing gust of wind blew through the air and ruffled Cielle¡¯s unkempt hair, she finally spoke, her words quiet in an almost whisper like tone, ¡°¡­ I agree with Hide. We don¡¯t know if it¡¯s safe¡­ and if it isn¡¯t safe, then that can only mean it¡¯s dangerous.¡± Just as Hina opened her mouth to argue, I abruptly spoke, my words slow, and deliberate, ¡°Look Hina, I know you want to find a place with more people, and I¡¯m not saying we should completely give up on that idea, but¡­¡± I sighed as my gaze shifted to peer over at the undisturbed fields of grass that expanded beyond the road. The sun that set over the horizon gave the scenery a glow of shimmering orange that tinted the landscape like spilled paint. ¡°I just want us to be prepared, to be ready for whatever¡¯s waiting for us there. I don¡¯t want to recklessly run straight into a trap and lose someone I don¡¯t want to lose.¡± Hina¡¯s frowning lips parted, but no words came out. She furrowed her brow, wanting to speak, but in the end, she silently closed her mouth and tilted her head to the floor. Her hair cascaded over her eyes, and hid whatever expression she was currently making. ¡°Then, if that¡¯s the case, I think we should wait until you recover before we head out.¡± The President suddenly chimed in before another long silence could consume the surroundings. While his free hand patted Hina¡¯s back in a reassuring manner, his face turned towards me, an appeasing expression smeared onto it as he adjusted the rim of his glasses. ¡°Hide is our strongest fighting force, and having him weakened right now is really detrimental to us. We can clearly see this from our last fight. Luckily, none of us died, but we barely managed to survive through the skin of our teeth. ¡°Since a few of us want to check the place out, then at the very least, before we go there¡ªheck, before we even decide something as important as this, we need to be fully prepared for whatever¡¯s waiting for us. ¡°What do you think, Hide?¡± I frowned and tilted my head to the ground. My eyes were locked onto the tiny pieces of rock scattered across the concrete, while my mind buzzed with activity. After what felt like a painfully long time, I looked back up and responded, ¡°Fine,¡± I hesitantly nodded. ¡°As long as we go after I finish recovering, then I guess it¡¯s alright.¡± ¡°Great!¡± Hina suddenly exclaimed, clapping her arms together as she jumped up into the air, inadvertently pushing the President back due to her boisterous excitement. Amidst a background chorus of excited voices, her pure and hope filled words rang out, buzzing through my ears like a swarm of flapping gnats. ¡°Then, our next stop will be Kagetaka Port.¡± **** In the meanwhile, while we had decided to wait out my recovery, the group also unanimously decided to use the convenience store of the gas station as our temporary base. After the President finished fueling the car, everyone went and helped clean up the convenience store, an excited and energized atmosphere lingering through the air like a faint scent of daisies. We moved all the shelves within the convenience store to the side, and cleared out the floor space. We also assorted all the products within the store, from the nonperishables, consumables, medicine, and threw away all the perishables. Going through all the products, which included the supplies from the back and from the storage room, took a considerable amount of time, but since we were going to be free for a while, we had plenty of time to waste. The store was obviously looted, so there were some things missing, but there were still some valuable things left over that the previous looters had looked over. For instance, while all the drugs (medicine), cigarettes, alcohol, and canned goods were gone, things such as potato chips, and other snacks were kept mostly untouched. We gathered whatever we could find and put them together with the supplies we previously picked up from Cielle¡¯s apartment building. Out of everything, the most annoying part of the cleanup was undoubtedly the perishables that had long since rotted due to the two months¡¯ worth of summer heat that cooked the building like a French baking oven. We had done a similar process back when we occupied the east building, but back then, we had more people helping out and there wasn¡¯t as much grime or dirt everywhere. All in all, the whole process took up most of the day, and by the end, it was well into the night, with the half crescent moon floating high in the sky like a silent beacon of light. After laying down the sleeping bags, and finishing our makeshift base, everyone prepared to end the long day with a nice and hope filled sleep. Meanwhile, I decided to volunteer for tonight¡¯s night watch duty, due to two primary reasons. For one, my mind was too preoccupied with wandering thoughts for me to get a good night¡¯s sleep. The other reason was because I finally decided to confront a problem that I¡¯ve been putting off since I first got back together with everyone. Through the small square space of the convenience store, my voice rang out as I called out for Narise, and asked her to help me throw out some of the garbage that we had collected throughout the day. After a moment of pause, I heard an excited yell respond back. ¡°Boss, I¡¯m coming!¡± She entered the room, a head full of braided hair and round rimmed glassed, and grabbed a few trash bags before she followed me out through the backdoor. Through the corner of my eye, I noticed that Narise was struggling with her grip, especially on her right hand, where she voluntarily hacked off two of her fingers. I slightly frowned, but did not do move to help her or lessen her load. I lead her behind the store, where the dumpster was located. Without protest, Narise obediently followed, while besides her side, the Gila that she had been raising followed along, its jade white scaled tail swinging through the air in excitement. When we reached the back, the Gila immediately bolted forward, its head zooming towards the dumpster. It leapt off the ground with agility reminiscent of the monsters I encountered back in the basement, before it dove head first into the dumpster. Narise¡¯s faint laughter rang throughout the quiet night as she walked up from behind me. The light of the moon glinted off of her glasses, glossing over her eyes, as she chucked the garbage bags into the dumpster. She stretched out her arms and called out to the Gila. ¡°Weiss, don¡¯t eat from there, that¡¯s unsanitary.¡± Her words were light, almost conversational, but in less than a few seconds, the Gila¡¯s head popped out from within the dumpster. It¡¯s all white exoskeleton was covered in pieces of garbage, and stained with dirt and grime. The Gila opened its mouth as a soft whining noise, similar to a baby¡¯s cry, echoed through the air, before it leapt out of the dumpster and sprinted to Narise¡¯s side, where it then nuzzled its head against her pants leg. Grime stained her pants with a dirty color of brown, but Narise paid it no heed as she bent down and nuzzled against the creature. Her eyes narrowed into two satisfied crescents, while her lips curved into a content smile. Through the faint moonlight that blanketed the night, I could see the slight blush of red on her cheeks, as a genuinely happy expression plastered itself onto her face. Looking over at her, I could not help but frown. Truth be told, I wasn¡¯t very good at dealing with Narise. Her personality and the certain character traits she possessed conflicted with a lot of my own. What made it even worse was the fact that my traditional methods of dealing with people didn¡¯t seem quite compatible with her. Yet, for some odd reason, her own oddness, even that over the top personality of hers, I could not help but find that at least some portion of it was fabricated. This left me at odds, especially since the line between truth and fiction regarding Narise just got even blurrier. After thinking things over, and eventually coming up with no reasonable solution, I sighed and decided to hell with it. Without any pretense, I straightforwardly asked, ¡°Narise, what skill did you get back then?¡± For a moment, Narise stared at me blankly, a confused expression on her face, before her eyes widened. ¡°Ah, are you talking about the time when we were in Miss Cielle¡¯s room?¡± Her expression lightened, her eyes shining with astounded glint. ¡°As expected of you, Boss. Even without telling you, you still knew I received a skill¡± I maintained my stare on her face as she continued to talk, my eyes sharp as they scrutinized for any sort of change in her appearance. Be it hesitation, or unwillingness, I watched with hawk-like attention. In contrast with my focus, Narise continued to speak nonchalantly, ¡°I got a really good skill called [Matriarchy]. At first, I was kind of confused, but after I found out that it lets me be closer to Weiss, I was really happy to get the skill.¡± ¡°Get closer? What do you mean by that?¡± I inquired, my natural curiosity tainting my original caution. ¡°It lets me communicate directly with him, something like telepathy, but a bit more emotional. It¡¯s really useful because now, Weiss has been listening to me more closely than ever before, although it¡¯s unfortunate that there¡¯s a maximum range that I can¡¯t exceed, but that¡¯s beside the point.¡± Narise paused for a second, as she tilted her head in thought. ¡°I know! Rather than explain it to you, I can show you! Watch this, Boss.¡±Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°Weiss, go!¡± With a little shout, Narise pointed to the open field. The Gila immediately bolted forward, a streak of white lightning against the black landscape as it ran straight into the underbrush before disappearing amidst the stalks of tall grass. I could see occasional rustling within the field of long grass that stretched as far as the eye could see, before I heard a soft whine from somewhere deep in the bush. A few moments later, Weiss leapt out of the grass, its exoskeleton now stained in deep splotches of vivid red. In its mouth was a ball of brown. It took me a few seconds to realize that it was a dead rabbit, its neck snapped off as its limp limbs swayed with the wind. With a hearty laugh, Narise beckoned the Gila over, before she rubbed its scaled exterior, completely ignoring the blood on its body. ¡°Weiss is pretty clever,¡± She spoke earnestly as the Gila dropped the dead carcass in front of her feet. ¡°Although it¡¯s unfortunate that I can¡¯t do much except tell him to go bring some food, but still, he¡¯s really nice to have around.¡± Her eyes narrowed happily as she lightly smiled, her hand continuously moving back and forth against the white Gila¡¯s exterior. ¡°I see¡­¡± I quietly muttered as I maintained my gaze with Narise¡¯s current appearance. The silence persisted for a long time, before, prompted by sudden impulse, I suddenly asked, ¡°Why do you like monsters so much?¡± Narise was quiet for a second. Her expression was blank, and I got the feeling that the silence wasn¡¯t due to hesitation nor unwillingness to answer the question, but rather, she was deep in thought. After a few seconds, she responded, shaking her head abruptly. ¡°That¡¯s not quite right, Boss. It¡¯s not that I particularly like monsters, but rather, I like things that are weaker than me.¡± ¡°Weaker than you?¡± Caught off guard by her sudden statement, I could not help but raise my brow in surprise. ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s right.¡± Narise confirmed, as she sat down and closed her eyes. The Gila before her leapt into her open lap as it snuggled gently against the crook of her legs. Narise¡¯s hand gently stroked the crown of its head, as she continued to speak, her words quiet and soft like the strips of cloud that hovered over the night sky. ¡°I like things that are weaker than me, things that are stupider than me, things that I can control. ¡°Weiss is the perfect example of that. He started off as a baby, he was vulnerable, weak, fragile. He practically had to depend on me in order to survive.¡± She laughed as she contently sighed. ¡°That feeling that you get, knowing someone out there is reliant on you, that they need you, and that they¡¯ll do anything you say¡­ I can¡¯t get that feeling easily from other people.¡± ¡°¡­ You¡¯re not normal Narise.¡± I mumbled, my lips curving down into an unconscious frown. All my interactions with Narise have left me feeling perplexed and puzzled. It was like with every conversation, a new side of her was revealed, one that I had no clue existed beneath the fa?ade she adorned prior. This time was no different, another layer was currently being revealed, like the insides of some twisted Matryoshka doll. She laughed, her soft chuckles disappearing with the gentle late summer night breeze, but she did not refute nor respond to my statement. Regardless, I sighed, and shrugged my shoulder. In order to continue unraveling this new layer, I decided to humor her.¡± But even then, isn¡¯t there a big problem in your obsession? When he grows up, that Gila will get stronger. He¡¯ll keep leveling up, he¡¯ll mature, he¡¯ll eventually reach a point where he¡¯s far stronger than you. What will you do then?¡± Narise shook her head in disagreement, her eyes slightly opening as she threw a side long glance at me, before turning back around and facing the Gila before her. ¡°Even if Weiss does get stronger, even if he grows up, even if he keeps leveling up, even if someday he manages to become strong enough to the point where he could kill me with one swing of his tail, that still won¡¯t be a problem. They key matter is, Weiss will never, ever do that. ¡°He¡¯ll stay by my side forever, and I¡¯ll make sure he¡¯s obedient to a fault. Even if he does get stronger, in the end Weiss will still be weak. By the time he grows older, I¡¯ll have taught him all that I¡¯ve known about the hierarchy of power.¡± ¡°Hierarchy of power?¡± I repeated in puzzlement. ¡°Yeah, the hierarchy of power¡­¡± Narise¡¯s voice was soft, almost transient. ¡°That¡¯s something my dad taught me a long time ago¡­ It¡¯s like how gangs work. There¡¯s always a leader, but underneath that leader, there¡¯s always a group of people whose combined strength far out strips the leader. The question is, why don¡¯t the other gang members kill the leader? Is it because the leader is valuable? Is it because the gang members need him? How can the leader control everyone to not kill him? ¡°The answer that my dad taught me was that it was because of power. The leader punishes anybody who tries to rebel, he emasculates everyone else, he makes them weaker. He enforces the hierarchy of power through force. ¡°The hierarchy of power is important, it¡¯s something everyone eventually finds themselves in, both you and I¡­¡± ¡°You¡­ then, the relationship between the two of us,¡± I paused and hesitated for a second, before I continued, ¡°Is it the same thing that you are referring to?¡± Narise adjusted the frame of her rounded spectacles, before she turned towards me and smiled. ¡°That¡¯s right. Hide is the Boss. The Boss is someone who stands above other people, someone who has more power than anybody, and someone who can lead. As someone who can only follow, it¡¯s only natural that I¡¯d be underneath you, Boss.¡± After hearing Narise talk, I caught a slight glimpse of the madness behind her recent actions. The motives she kept in her mind as she did what she did, the way she talked, the way she handles the situation, it all stemmed from this twisted logic that pushed and supported her throughout the apocalypse. ¡°Then, is that why you cut off two of your fingers? To maintain the hierarchy that you spoke of¡­ to enforce it?¡± After a while, I questioned, my words slow and deliberate. Narise silently nods her head. ¡°It¡¯s always better to enforce these things as quickly as the problem comes up¡­ ¡°Can I tell you something, Boss? It¡¯s a quick story, a story about my father. He was a small-time gangster. He used to be part of a tiny little gang, and was one of the lowest members of the group. In truth, he was nothing but a gopher. Every time they made a mistake, they¡¯d punish him, beating him until he was black and blue or put out their cigarette butts on his face, that sort of punishment. ¡°Whenever he came home, I¡¯d always ask him, ¡®Why are you injured?¡¯¡± She paused for a moment, her lips slightly curving into a nostalgic smile. ¡°Every time, he¡¯d reply the same way; ¡®I made these myself,¡¯ he¡¯d say, ¡®because I did something that the boss didn¡¯t like, I made these myself.¡¯¡± She looked up and smiled up at me. ¡°At first, I did not know what he meant by that, but eventually, I discovered something¡­ it hurts less when you¡¯re the one hurting yourself, rather than letting someone else do it¡­ I guess in a way, I did this to myself so that you wouldn¡¯t have to.¡± She brought her right hand up to her eyes, slowly clenching and unclenching it, as she moved around her three remaining fingers. ¡°In the end, my dad wasn¡¯t a good person, and he was an even worse father, but he taught me one thing, which was discipline and order through whatever means necessary. In the underworld, subordination is the most important aspect of surviving. In that dungeon, I learned that the rules of the underworld applied to everything¡­ So, in order to survive, I needed to submit myself to people stronger than me.¡± So, all that ¡°Boss¡± business was because of her past, huh¡­ After some silence, I looked up at her, and through the darkness of the night, my voice lightly floated as I asked, ¡°Then, what about the President? When you were in the cafeteria group, were you willing to submit to him?¡± With no hesitation, Narise immediately shook her head. ¡°No. The President, at the time, he was indeed physically strong. He was higher leveled than anybody, and he tried his hardest to protect the whole group, but in the end, he was weak. In a world where the strong eat the weak, he was too weak willed to last. For a person amongst the weak, it¡¯s important for me to be able to identify between those pretending to be strong, and those who are truly strong.¡± ¡°Then you think I¡¯m part of the strong?¡± She looked up at me and nodded, her eyes sparkling with an invisible glint. ¡°Boss is different. I don¡¯t know how I can explain it, but I can tell. You are the type that will protect the people you care about with all his might, while at the same time, being someone who is able to willingly through away the people you deem useless.¡± I stood silently as I pondered over Narise¡¯s own interpretation of my character. Whether I was the type of person she described, or whether I was someone different, I could not tell myself. Regardless of my own inner dilemma, Narise continued to speak as a slight smile curved her lips. ¡°For example, I feel that Boss has thought of killing me several times. Am I right?¡± ¡°¡­¡± I did not answer, but merely looked at her with an emotionless fa?ade. In response, Narise laughed without reservation. ¡°Now, compared to me, who is clearly on the side of people who the Boss deems useless, someone like Miss Cielle¡­ the thought of abandoning Miss Cielle never once crosses your mind, does it?¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°There¡¯s a simple reason for that.¡± She spoke with false clarity, ¡°That¡¯s because a Boss who can send Miss Cielle out to die doesn¡¯t exist, a Boss who can send the people he cares for to die doesn¡¯t exist.¡± Seeing my subsequent reaction, Narise heartily laughed as her smile widened. ¡°Someone told me a long time ago that it¡¯s that sort of leader that can reach the highest potential, a finely mixed concoction of loyalty and pragmatism¡­ Within the hierarchy of power, the job of the lackey is to find a way to get into the group that the leader is willing to protect. ¡°Now, can I ask Boss, how well am I doing in that regard?¡± ¡°Terrible.¡± I spoke without hesitation, carefully observing Narise¡¯s expression for any sort of reaction. Unfortunately, beyond my expectations, Narise¡¯s expression did not change at all. The smile on her lips stayed the same as she narrowed her eyes and sighed. ¡°Bummer, I guess cutting off my fingers wasn¡¯t enough, huh?¡± Hearing her reaction, I could not help but derisively laugh. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say it yourself, hacking off your fingers of your own volition is akin to simply trying to escape responsibility. Why would I protect someone like that?¡± ¡°¡­ Then, what should I do to get in your good graces, Boss?¡± She smiled lightly as she spoke, her words fluttering through the wind like a loose strand of paper. ¡°Should I get stronger? Level up until I can fight like Miss Cher? Or do you want something else? Like my body or¡­¡± ¡°No, nothing like that.¡± I immediately responded, cutting her off before she could speak any further. Narise was someone who I was beginning to understand more and more. Although her earlier fa?ade portrayed someone who had lost a few screws in her head, in reality the real Narise was someone completely different. She was careful, pragmatic, you could even say calculating. She was someone who viewed everything with a certain system which she imposed on everything around her. Even the fact that she suddenly started talking like this, I don¡¯t think this was just due to some whim that suddenly over took her. She probably felt it too, my growing paranoia, my growing desire to fix the problem before me through whatever means necessary. Whether she somehow orchestrated this scenario, or whether she was just desperate, and used my own intention to craft herself a life boat, I was clear on which of the two she had done. Whatever fa?ade she wore, it was apparent what her end goal was. How genuine her intentions were, and how far she was willing to go for her declared ¡°leader¡±, were the two things that I now needed to determine. The issue now was how would I go about confirming these two things. I thought long and hard, struggling to come up with a solution, but in the end, I could not think of anything. With a heavy sigh, I decided to change directions, as I metamorphically turned the steering wheel, and spoke, ¡°Prove to me that you are someone worth protecting.¡± ¡°How will I¡ª¡± ¡°Kill your Gila.¡± Since I had no way of confirming how genuine Narise was, nor how far she was willing to go for me, I came up with another option, that is to use her until her expiration date expired. How far could I push her? Could I temper her mind into that of something that would benefit me? Narise was someone with the mindset of hiding under the protection of someone stronger than her. While she made it sound a bit more whimsical and fanciful, in the end, it was a typical weakling mindset, and while it was an effective strategy for the weak, that wasn¡¯t quite the case for the strong. For the leader, for the shield that Narise would invariably latch herself onto, this was a terrible compromise. The instant someone stronger comes along, the instant something that the leader can¡¯t protect against comes along, then she will run away with her tail packed between her legs. The idea of self-preservation was deeply in rooted to the incomplete hierarchy of power that Narise spoke of, and the only way to form a true hierarchy of power was to uproot that concept. Rather than struggling to protect one¡¯s self, the ideal outcome was a relationship based on mutual support. That was the type of unspoken deal Cielle, Cher, Hina, and I had. What I wanted from Narise wasn¡¯t that. All I wanted to do was uproot her self-preservation instinct and replace it with one of self- sacrifice. And to do that, I needed to destroy the very foundation of her ideal. Was this a good method of handling this situation? I didn¡¯t think so. A more capable leader would have probably found an easier, better solution than what I had concocted, but to the useless me, this was the one I came up with. ¡°That¡­¡± For the first time since our conversation, Narise¡¯s eyes shook. She hesitated. She hesitated for a long time. The hand that held onto the Gila in her lap froze, while the Gila, who had sensed something odd, looked up at its master and whined. ¡°Are you unwilling?¡± I asked with a stoic fa?ade. ¡°N-no, I¡¯m not,¡± She stuttered out through a broken string of words. ¡°I can do it, I will do it.¡± She could not mask her quivering voice, as she spoke with forced determination. Even if Narise was someone who valued herself more than others, believing that she had not grown attached to the creature before her was a complete lie. This was also another facet of her hierarchy of power. ¡°Then, do it.¡± I uttered. Narise did not reply, but her hands suddenly snaked its way around the creature¡¯s throat. The Gila, who had sensed something, suddenly let out a sharp cry, as its legs jerked forward in an attempt to run. Unfortunately, its escape was met with failure. Its exoskeleton clad body suddenly spasmed as an invisible force held it down with forced obedience. Judging from the perspiration on Narise¡¯s brow, I had guessed that this was an effect of her skill, [Matriarchy]. The Gila¡¯s head, helplessly shook from side to side as it struggled in Narise¡¯s lap, but it was completely powerless, restrained down by whatever godly power kept it in place. Narise¡¯s hands enclosed in on the Gila¡¯s thin throat. Her whole body trembled, both due to her skill¡¯s exertion and due to her own unwillingness. Her own body seemed as if it were physically rejecting her current actions, yet at the same time, was forced by her own conscious self. Unfortunately, even if Narise wanted to choke the Gila to death, she did not possess the strength necessary to do that, especially at the face of the Gila¡¯s tough exoskeleton. Thankfully and to my surprise, suffocating it to death wasn¡¯t Narise¡¯s intention. Her fingertips dug deep into the crevice of one of the Gila¡¯s scales located on its neck. After some work, she managed to wedge her finger in-between the cracks. A squeaking sound resonated through the air as she forced her finger deeper into the crevice before she pulled out the scale with difficulty. Blood slowly trickled down from the wound, a mixture of bright red and vibrant green, but Narise ignored it as her shaky hands continued to pull more and more scales from the Gila¡¯s neck. I don¡¯t know whether her ability to ¡°skin¡± the Gila while it was still alive was due to her skill, or due to all the time she had spent with the Gila, but the bloody process was long and arduous. After the Gila¡¯s throat was completely exposed and free of any scales, the Gila¡¯s earlier screeching had been reduced to mere whimpers. Narise¡¯s own hands were stained with a thick layer of freshly coated Gila blood. Due to the Gila¡¯s prematurity, going by how unaffected Narise was, it was safe to assume that a premature Gila¡¯s blood was not yet acidic, unlike the matured versions that I had previously battled with. Narise¡¯s body shook, and while her expression struggled to maintain its neutral fa?ade, tears welled up within the corners of her eyes. She took in a shaky breath of air before she grabbed one of the pulled-out scales and pushed it up against the edge of the Gila¡¯s throat. She hesitated, her breathing growing ragged as her chest heaved heavily with each expiration. For a long time, Narise did not move, merely maintaining her current pose as her eyes silently watched the struggling Gila. Just as I was about to open my mouth and speak, her hand abruptly jerked forward, and a squirt of fresh, green blood shot out from the Gila¡¯s throat. A soft whine resonated through the air as the Gila¡¯s own scale stabbed deep its throat. Only one stab was enough. The Gila slowly lost blood, as it succumbed to a slow and agonizing death. A puddle of green blood formed on the ground with Narise at the center. Her complexion was pale and sickly, while her shoulders could not stop trembling even after the struggling Gila in her lap had stopped moving. After a long span of silence, Narise¡¯s faint voice echoed through the air, ¡°Is this enough¡­?¡± With an impassive and indifferent expression, I responded in a quiet voice, almost inaudible due to the gust of the night time wind. One word escaped my lips, and whether or not they reached Narise¡¯s ears through the rampant seas of the summer night winds, I do not know. ¡°¡­ Almost.¡± Chapter 108.1 Chapter 108.1 (Alternative): Hierarchy of Power The group crowded over the glass door with captivated focus. Behind the transparent surface, haphazardly taped on with a heavy layer of duct tape, a piece of paper, stained with an odd mixture of red and brown, stood motionlessly, like a solemn monolith of a once prosperous civilization. For what felt like an endless period of time, nobody moved nor spoke. Within the quiet world of concrete and gasoline stained handles, nothing but silence and the slight sound of blowing wind and rustling grass existed. Everyone¡¯s full attention was completely concentrated on the thinly etched black words marked onto the paper. ¡°S-survivors to Kagetaka Port¡­¡± Cher¡¯s whisper like mumbling broke the silence as she read aloud the words in a daze. ¡°This¡­ Is this really real?¡± The President leaned back with crossed arms as he narrowed his eyes in scrutiny. His brow furrowing and his expression contorting in doubt as he questioned with an air of inquiry. ¡°It could be,¡± Hina¡¯s hopeful words immediately responded, an enlivened tone unmistakable in her quiet tenor. ¡°It really could be, there¡¯s definitely a possibility. There are other people out there who survived and they¡¯re waiting for us, for people like us, for survivors to gather together.¡± ¡°Ah, my grandparents lived near the port!¡± A high-pitched voice loudly exclaimed with bubbling excitement. ¡°My parents too¡ª they were visiting my grandparents before the start of summer! They could all be still alive, they could all be at the port!¡± Kido¡¯s friend jumped up with eager enthusiasm, her shoulders slightly trembling as her eyes watered with sparkling hope. ¡°Then, let¡¯s go.¡± Mindy echoed with the same sentiment as the others. Her usual despondence and dead eyed expression slightly loosened as she gazed over at her friend with a gentle glint in her eyes. ¡°It¡¯s been a while since I¡¯ve seen Mia¡¯s parents¡­¡± ¡°Wait,¡± I abruptly spoke, cutting in between everyone¡¯s growing eagerness with a slight frown on my face. ¡°I don¡¯t think we should just outright believe everything that¡¯s on here.¡± Although I wasn¡¯t completely ruling it out, there were a lot of other possibilities and less than favorable alternatives to what the others were already imagining. Rather than looking at it with eager, hopeful eyes, it was better and invariably safer if we viewed it with a ¡°worst case scenario¡± type of mind set. ¡°There might not be a survivor base there¡­¡± I spoke slowly, the words leaking out from my throat at almost the same time my mind struggled to formulate them. ¡°There are a lot of other possibilities out there, plus we don¡¯t know how long this flyer has been up for. If there really is a base at Kagetaka port, we don¡¯t know if it¡¯s still there. For all we know, something could have happened during that time span. It could have gotten destroyed a long time ago, or overrun by bandits. In the end, we just don¡¯t have any evidence as to what exists out there in the port.¡± ¡°But at the same time, we don¡¯t have proof that there¡¯s isn¡¯t a survivor base there.¡± Cher chimed, stubbornly shaking her head as she looked up at me with a pleading expression. ¡°A place full of people, a place where we can relax, a place where we don¡¯t have to be on guard 24/7¡­ isn¡¯t this what we talked about back in the dungeon?¡± A memory surfaced in my mind. It was recent, yet at the same time, felt as if it had occurred ages ago. My conversation with Cher on the night after we got to the east building of the school caused a seed of hesitancy to form within my mind. ¡°I know, and I¡¯m not saying we won¡¯t check it out.¡± I responded after a moment¡¯s pause, ¡°Finding a safe place is important, just that, it¡¯s better to assume that the guys waiting for us over there want to kill us, rather than take us in.¡± ¡°I think that¡¯s too negative of a view point.¡± Hina spoke, her tone low with disagreement. ¡°Even if the world is like this, good people still exist out there, people who are willing to protect the weak, people who can stand up for what¡¯s right¡­ at the very least, I want to be like that¡­¡± ¡°Hina¡­ that¡¯s¡­¡± I looked at Hina with a complicated expression on my face. Once again, her naivety was showing, once again, I felt a foreboding sense of danger from her almost untainted outlook. Even after all that¡¯s happened, I don¡¯t know whether her unchanging mindset expressed strength or stupidity. ¡°Besides,¡± Hina immediately continued as she averted my gaze and turned her face back to the flyer. ¡°We were heading towards the port in the first place, it won¡¯t hurt to just check it out. Sis, what do you think?¡± The focus of attention suddenly turned towards Cielle due to the promptings of her sister. For a moment, she stood there, unmoving and silent, her eyes focused completely on the paper flyer taped to the door. After a passing gust of wind blew through the air and ruffled Cielle¡¯s unkempt hair, she finally spoke, her words quiet in an almost whisper like tone, ¡°¡­ I agree with Hide. We don¡¯t know if it¡¯s safe¡­ and if it isn¡¯t safe, then that can only mean it¡¯s dangerous.¡± Just as Hina opened her mouth to argue, I abruptly spoke, my words slow, and deliberate, ¡°Look Hina, I know you want to find a place with more people, and I¡¯m not saying we should completely give up on that idea, but¡­¡± I sighed as my gaze shifted to peer over at the undisturbed fields of grass that expanded beyond the road. The sun that set over the horizon gave the scenery a glow of shimmering orange that tinted the landscape like spilled paint. ¡°I just want us to be prepared, to be ready for whatever¡¯s waiting for us there. I don¡¯t want to recklessly run straight into a trap and lose someone I don¡¯t want to lose.¡± Hina¡¯s frowning lips parted, but no words came out. She furrowed her brow, wanting to speak, but in the end, she silently closed her mouth and tilted her head to the floor. Her hair cascaded over her eyes, and hid whatever expression she was currently making. ¡°Then, if that¡¯s the case, I think we should wait until you recover before we head out.¡± The President suddenly chimed in before another long silence could consume the surroundings. While his free hand patted Hina¡¯s back in a reassuring manner, his face turned towards me, an appeasing expression smeared onto it as he adjusted the rim of his glasses. ¡°Hide is our strongest fighting force, and having him weakened right now is really detrimental to us. We can clearly see this from our last fight. Luckily, none of us died, but we barely managed to survive through the skin of our teeth. ¡°Since a few of us want to check the place out, then at the very least, before we go there¡ªheck, before we even decide something as important as this, we need to be fully prepared for whatever¡¯s waiting for us. ¡°What do you think, Hide?¡± I frowned and tilted my head to the ground. My eyes were locked onto the tiny pieces of rock scattered across the concrete, while my mind buzzed with activity. After what felt like a painfully long time, I looked back up and responded, ¡°Fine,¡± I hesitantly nodded. ¡°As long as we go after I finish recovering, then I guess it¡¯s alright.¡± ¡°Great!¡± Hina suddenly exclaimed, clapping her arms together as she jumped up into the air, inadvertently pushing the President back due to her boisterous excitement. Amidst a background chorus of excited voices, her pure and hope filled words rang out, buzzing through my ears like a swarm of flapping gnats. ¡°Then, our next stop will be Kagetaka Port.¡± **** In the meanwhile, while we had decided to wait out my recovery, the group also unanimously decided to use the convenience store of the gas station as our temporary base. After the President finished fueling the car, everyone went and helped clean up the convenience store, an excited and energized atmosphere lingering through the air like a faint scent of daisies. We moved all the shelves within the convenience store to the side, and cleared out the floor space. We also assorted all the products within the store, from the nonperishables, consumables, medicine, and threw away all the perishables. Going through all the products, which included the supplies from the back and from the storage room, took a considerable amount of time, but since we were going to be free for a while, we had plenty of time to waste. The store was obviously looted, so there were some things missing, but there were still some valuable things left over that the previous looters had looked over. For instance, while all the drugs (medicine), cigarettes, alcohol, and canned goods were gone, things such as potato chips, and other snacks were kept mostly untouched. We gathered whatever we could find and put them together with the supplies we previously picked up from Cielle¡¯s apartment building. Out of everything, the most annoying part of the cleanup was undoubtedly the perishables that had long since rotted due to the two months¡¯ worth of summer heat that cooked the building like a French baking oven. We had done a similar process back when we occupied the east building, but back then, we had more people helping out and there wasn¡¯t as much grime or dirt everywhere. All in all, the whole process took up most of the day, and by the end, it was well into the night, with the half crescent moon floating high in the sky like a silent beacon of light. After laying down the sleeping bags, and finishing our makeshift base, everyone prepared to end the long day with a nice and hope filled sleep. Meanwhile, I decided to volunteer for tonight¡¯s night watch duty, due to two primary reasons. For one, my mind was too preoccupied with wandering thoughts for me to get a good night¡¯s sleep. The other reason was because I finally decided to confront a problem that I¡¯ve been putting off since I first got back together with everyone. Through the small square space of the convenience store, my voice rang out as I called out for Narise, and asked her to help me throw out some of the garbage that we had collected throughout the day. After a moment of pause, I heard an excited yell respond back. ¡°Boss, I¡¯m coming!¡± She entered the room, a head full of braided hair and round rimmed glassed, and grabbed a few trash bags before she followed me out through the backdoor. Through the corner of my eye, I noticed that Narise was struggling with her grip, especially on her right hand, where she voluntarily hacked off two of her fingers. I slightly frowned, but did not do move to help her or lessen her load. I lead her behind the store, where the dumpster was located. Without protest, Narise obediently followed, while besides her side, the Gila that she had been raising followed along, its jade white scaled tail swinging through the air in excitement. When we reached the back, the Gila immediately bolted forward, its head zooming towards the dumpster. It leapt off the ground with agility reminiscent of the monsters I encountered back in the basement, before it dove head first into the dumpster. Narise¡¯s faint laughter rang throughout the quiet night as she walked up from behind me. The light of the moon glinted off of her glasses, glossing over her eyes, as she chucked the garbage bags into the dumpster. She stretched out her arms and called out to the Gila. ¡°Weiss, don¡¯t eat from there, that¡¯s unsanitary.¡± Her words were light, almost conversational, but in less than a few seconds, the Gila¡¯s head popped out from within the dumpster. It¡¯s all white exoskeleton was covered in pieces of garbage, and stained with dirt and grime. The Gila opened its mouth as a soft whining noise, similar to a baby¡¯s cry, echoed through the air, before it leapt out of the dumpster and sprinted to Narise¡¯s side, where it then nuzzled its head against her pants leg. Grime stained her pants with a dirty color of brown, but Narise paid it no heed as she bent down and nuzzled against the creature. Her eyes narrowed into two satisfied crescents, while her lips curved into a content smile. Through the faint moonlight that blanketed the night, I could see the slight blush of red on her cheeks, as a genuinely happy expression plastered itself onto her face. Looking over at her, I could not help but frown. Truth be told, I wasn¡¯t very good at dealing with Narise. Her personality and the certain character traits she possessed conflicted with a lot of my own. What made it even worse was the fact that my traditional methods of dealing with people didn¡¯t seem quite compatible with her. Yet, for some odd reason, her own oddness, even that over the top personality of hers, I could not help but find that at least some portion of it was fabricated. This left me at odds, especially since the line between truth and fiction regarding Narise just got even blurrier. After thinking things over, and eventually coming up with no reasonable solution, I sighed and decided to hell with it. Without any pretense, I straightforwardly asked, ¡°Narise, what skill did you get back then?¡± For a moment, Narise stared at me blankly, a confused expression on her face, before her eyes widened. ¡°Ah, are you talking about the time when we were in Miss Cielle¡¯s room?¡± Her expression lightened, her eyes shining with astounded glint. ¡°As expected of you, Boss. Even without telling you, you still knew I received a skill¡± I maintained my stare on her face as she continued to talk, my eyes sharp as they scrutinized for any sort of change in her appearance. Be it hesitation, or unwillingness, I watched with hawk-like attention. In contrast with my focus, Narise continued to speak nonchalantly, ¡°I got a really good skill called [Matriarchy]. At first, I was kind of confused, but after I found out that it lets me be closer to Weiss, I was really happy to get the skill.¡± ¡°Get closer? What do you mean by that?¡± I inquired, my natural curiosity tainting my original caution. ¡°It lets me communicate directly with him, something like telepathy, but a bit more emotional. It¡¯s really useful because now, Weiss has been listening to me more closely than ever before, although it¡¯s unfortunate that there¡¯s a maximum range that I can¡¯t exceed, but that¡¯s beside the point.¡± Narise paused for a second, as she tilted her head in thought. ¡°I know! Rather than explain it to you, I can show you! Watch this, Boss.¡± ¡°Weiss, go!¡± With a little shout, Narise pointed to the open field. The Gila immediately bolted forward, a streak of white lightning against the black landscape as it ran straight into the underbrush before disappearing amidst the stalks of tall grass. I could see occasional rustling within the field of long grass that stretched as far as the eye could see, before I heard a soft whine from somewhere deep in the bush. A few moments later, Weiss leapt out of the grass, its exoskeleton now stained in deep splotches of vivid red. In its mouth was a ball of brown. It took me a few seconds to realize that it was a dead rabbit, its neck snapped off as its limp limbs swayed with the wind. With a hearty laugh, Narise beckoned the Gila over, before she rubbed its scaled exterior, completely ignoring the blood on its body. ¡°Weiss is pretty clever,¡± She spoke earnestly as the Gila dropped the dead carcass in front of her feet. ¡°Although it¡¯s unfortunate that I can¡¯t do much except tell him to go bring some food, but still, he¡¯s really nice to have around.¡± Her eyes narrowed happily as she lightly smiled, her hand continuously moving back and forth against the white Gila¡¯s exterior. ¡°I see¡­¡± I quietly muttered as I maintained my gaze with Narise¡¯s current appearance. The silence persisted for a long time, before, prompted by sudden impulse, I suddenly asked, ¡°Why do you like monsters so much?¡± Narise was quiet for a second. Her expression was blank, and I got the feeling that the silence wasn¡¯t due to hesitation nor unwillingness to answer the question, but rather, she was deep in thought. After a few seconds, she responded, shaking her head abruptly. ¡°That¡¯s not quite right, Boss. It¡¯s not that I particularly like monsters, but rather, I like things that are weaker than me.¡±A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. ¡°Weaker than you?¡± Caught off guard by her sudden statement, I could not help but raise my brow in surprise. ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s right.¡± Narise confirmed, as she sat down and closed her eyes. The Gila before her leapt into her open lap as it snuggled gently against the crook of her legs. Narise¡¯s hand gently stroked the crown of its head, as she continued to speak, her words quiet and soft like the strips of cloud that hovered over the night sky. ¡°I like things that are weaker than me, things that are stupider than me, things that I can control. ¡°Weiss is the perfect example of that. He started off as a baby, he was vulnerable, weak, fragile. He practically had to depend on me in order to survive.¡± She laughed as she contently sighed. ¡°That feeling that you get, knowing someone out there is reliant on you, that they need you, and that they¡¯ll do anything you say¡­ I can¡¯t get that feeling easily from other people.¡± ¡°¡­ You¡¯re not normal Narise.¡± I mumbled, my lips curving down into an unconscious frown. All my interactions with Narise have left me feeling perplexed and puzzled. It was like with every conversation, a new side of her was revealed, one that I had no clue existed beneath the fa?ade she adorned prior. This time was no different, another layer was currently being revealed, like the insides of some twisted Matryoshka doll. She laughed, her soft chuckles disappearing with the gentle late summer night breeze, but she did not refute nor respond to my statement. Regardless, I sighed, and shrugged my shoulder. In order to continue unraveling this new layer, I decided to humor her.¡± But even then, isn¡¯t there a big problem in your obsession? When he grows up, that Gila will get stronger. He¡¯ll keep leveling up, he¡¯ll mature, he¡¯ll eventually reach a point where he¡¯s far stronger than you. What will you do then?¡± Narise shook her head in disagreement, her eyes slightly opening as she threw a side long glance at me, before turning back around and facing the Gila before her. ¡°Even if Weiss does get stronger, even if he grows up, even if he keeps leveling up, even if someday he manages to become strong enough to the point where he could kill me with one swing of his tail, that still won¡¯t be a problem. They key matter is, Weiss will never, ever do that. ¡°He¡¯ll stay by my side forever, and I¡¯ll make sure he¡¯s obedient to a fault. Even if he does get stronger, in the end Weiss will still be weak. By the time he grows older, I¡¯ll have taught him all that I¡¯ve known about the hierarchy of power.¡± ¡°Hierarchy of power?¡± I repeated in puzzlement. ¡°Yeah, the hierarchy of power¡­¡± Narise¡¯s voice was soft, almost transient. ¡°That¡¯s something my dad taught me a long time ago¡­ It¡¯s like how gangs work. There¡¯s always a leader, but underneath that leader, there¡¯s always a group of people whose combined strength far out strips the leader. The question is, why don¡¯t the other gang members kill the leader? Is it because the leader is valuable? Is it because the gang members need him? How can the leader control everyone to not kill him? ¡°The answer that my dad taught me was that it was because of power. The leader punishes anybody who tries to rebel, he emasculates everyone else, he makes them weaker. He enforces the hierarchy of power through force. ¡°The hierarchy of power is important, it¡¯s something everyone eventually finds themselves in, both you and I¡­¡± ¡°You¡­ then, the relationship between the two of us,¡± I paused and hesitated for a second, before I continued, ¡°Is it the same thing that you are referring to?¡± Narise adjusted the frame of her rounded spectacles, before she turned towards me and smiled. ¡°That¡¯s right. Hide is the Boss. The Boss is someone who stands above other people, someone who has more power than anybody, and someone who can lead. As someone who can only follow, it¡¯s only natural that I¡¯d be underneath you, Boss.¡± After hearing Narise talk, I caught a slight glimpse of the madness behind her recent actions. The motives she kept in her mind as she did what she did, the way she talked, the way she handles the situation, it all stemmed from this twisted logic that pushed and supported her throughout the apocalypse. ¡°Then, is that why you cut off two of your fingers? To maintain the hierarchy that you spoke of¡­ to enforce it?¡± After a while, I questioned, my words slow and deliberate. Narise silently nods her head. ¡°It¡¯s always better to enforce these things as quickly as the problem comes up¡­ ¡°Can I tell you something, Boss? It¡¯s a quick story, a story about my father. He was a small-time gangster. He used to be part of a tiny little gang, and was one of the lowest members of the group. In truth, he was nothing but a gopher. Every time they made a mistake, they¡¯d punish him, beating him until he was black and blue or put out their cigarette butts on his face, that sort of punishment. ¡°Whenever he came home, I¡¯d always ask him, ¡®Why are you injured?¡¯¡± She paused for a moment, her lips slightly curving into a nostalgic smile. ¡°Every time, he¡¯d reply the same way; ¡®I made these myself,¡¯ he¡¯d say, ¡®because I did something that the boss didn¡¯t like, I made these myself.¡¯¡± She looked up and smiled up at me. ¡°At first, I did not know what he meant by that, but eventually, I discovered something¡­ it hurts less when you¡¯re the one hurting yourself, rather than letting someone else do it¡­ I guess in a way, I did this to myself so that you wouldn¡¯t have to.¡± She brought her right hand up to her eyes, slowly clenching and unclenching it, as she moved around her three remaining fingers. ¡°In the end, my dad wasn¡¯t a good person, and he was an even worse father, but he taught me one thing, which was discipline and order through whatever means necessary. In the underworld, subordination is the most important aspect of surviving. In that dungeon, I learned that the rules of the underworld applied to everything¡­ So, in order to survive, I needed to submit myself to people stronger than me.¡± So, all that ¡°Boss¡± business was because of her past, huh¡­ After some silence, I looked up at her, and through the darkness of the night, my voice lightly floated as I asked, ¡°Then, what about the President? When you were in the cafeteria group, were you willing to submit to him?¡± With no hesitation, Narise immediately shook her head. ¡°No. The President, at the time, he was indeed physically strong. He was higher leveled than anybody, and he tried his hardest to protect the whole group, but in the end, he was weak. In a world where the strong eat the weak, he was too weak willed to last. For a person amongst the weak, it¡¯s important for me to be able to identify between those pretending to be strong, and those who are truly strong.¡± ¡°Then you think I¡¯m part of the strong?¡± She looked up at me and nodded, her eyes sparkling with an invisible glint. ¡°Boss is different. I don¡¯t know how I can explain it, but I can tell. You are the type that will protect the people you care about with all his might, while at the same time, being someone who is able to willingly through away the people you deem useless.¡± I stood silently as I pondered over Narise¡¯s own interpretation of my character. Whether I was the type of person she described, or whether I was someone different, I could not tell myself. Regardless of my own inner dilemma, Narise continued to speak as a slight smile curved her lips. ¡°For example, I feel that Boss has thought of killing me several times. Am I right?¡± ¡°¡­¡± I did not answer, but merely looked at her with an emotionless fa?ade. In response, Narise laughed without reservation. ¡°Now, compared to me, who is clearly on the side of people who the Boss deems useless, someone like Miss Cielle¡­ the thought of abandoning Miss Cielle never once crosses your mind, does it?¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°There¡¯s a simple reason for that.¡± She spoke with false clarity, ¡°That¡¯s because a Boss who can send Miss Cielle out to die doesn¡¯t exist, a Boss who can send the people he cares for to die doesn¡¯t exist.¡± Seeing my subsequent reaction, Narise heartily laughed as her smile widened. ¡°Someone told me a long time ago that it¡¯s that sort of leader that can reach the highest potential, a finely mixed concoction of loyalty and pragmatism¡­ Within the hierarchy of power, the job of the lackey is to find a way to get into the group that the leader is willing to protect. ¡°Now, can I ask Boss, how well am I doing in that regard?¡± ¡°Terrible.¡± I spoke without hesitation, carefully observing Narise¡¯s expression for any sort of reaction. Unfortunately, beyond my expectations, Narise¡¯s expression did not change at all. The smile on her lips stayed the same as she narrowed her eyes and sighed. ¡°Bummer, I guess cutting off my fingers wasn¡¯t enough, huh?¡± Hearing her reaction, I could not help but derisively laugh. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say it yourself, hacking off your fingers of your own volition is akin to simply trying to escape responsibility. Why would I protect someone like that?¡± ¡°¡­ Then, what should I do to get in your good graces, Boss?¡± She smiled lightly as she spoke, her words fluttering through the wind like a loose strand of paper. ¡°Should I get stronger? Level up until I can fight like Miss Cher? Or do you want something else? Like my body or¡­¡± ¡°No, nothing like that.¡± I immediately responded, cutting her off before she could speak any further. Narise was someone who I was beginning to understand more and more. Although her earlier fa?ade portrayed someone who had lost a few screws in her head, in reality the real Narise was someone completely different. She was careful, pragmatic, you could even say calculating. She was someone who viewed everything with a certain system which she imposed on everything around her. Even the fact that she suddenly started talking like this, I don¡¯t think this was just due to some whim that suddenly over took her. She probably felt it too, my growing paranoia, my growing desire to fix the problem before me through whatever means necessary. Whether she somehow orchestrated this scenario, or whether she was just desperate, and used my own intention to craft herself a life boat, I was clear on which of the two she had done. Whatever fa?ade she wore, it was apparent what her end goal was. How genuine her intentions were, and how far she was willing to go for her declared ¡°leader¡±, were the two things that I now needed to determine. The issue now was how would I go about confirming these two things. I thought long and hard, struggling to come up with a solution, but in the end, I could not think of anything. With a heavy sigh, I decided to change directions, as I metamorphically turned the steering wheel, and spoke, ¡°Prove to me that you are someone worth protecting.¡± ¡°How will I¡ª¡± ¡°Kill your Gila.¡± Since I had no way of confirming how genuine Narise was, nor how far she was willing to go for me, I came up with another option, that is to use her until her expiration date expired. How far could I push her? Could I temper her mind into that of something that would benefit me? Narise was someone with the mindset of hiding under the protection of someone stronger than her. While she made it sound a bit more whimsical and fanciful, in the end, it was a typical weakling mindset, and while it was an effective strategy for the weak, that wasn¡¯t quite the case for the strong. For the leader, for the shield that Narise would invariably latch herself onto, this was a terrible compromise. The instant someone stronger comes along, the instant something that the leader can¡¯t protect against comes along, then she will run away with her tail packed between her legs. The idea of self-preservation was deeply in rooted to the incomplete hierarchy of power that Narise spoke of, and the only way to form a true hierarchy of power was to uproot that concept. Rather than struggling to protect one¡¯s self, the ideal outcome was a relationship based on mutual support. That was the type of unspoken deal Cielle, Cher, Hina, and I had. What I wanted from Narise wasn¡¯t that. All I wanted to do was uproot her self-preservation instinct and replace it with one of self- sacrifice. And to do that, I needed to destroy the very foundation of her ideal. Was this a good method of handling this situation? I didn¡¯t think so. A more capable leader would have probably found an easier, better solution than what I had concocted, but to the useless me, this was the one I came up with. ¡°That¡­¡± For the first time since our conversation, Narise¡¯s eyes shook. She hesitated. She hesitated for a long time. The hand that held onto the Gila in her lap froze, while the Gila, who had sensed something odd, looked up at its master and whined. ¡°Are you unwilling?¡± I asked with a stoic fa?ade. ¡°N-no, I¡¯m not,¡± She stuttered out through a broken string of words. ¡°I can do it, I will do it.¡± She could not mask her quivering voice, as she spoke with forced determination. Even if Narise was someone who valued herself more than others, believing that she had not grown attached to the creature before her was a complete lie. This was also another facet of her hierarchy of power. ¡°Then, do it.¡± I uttered. Narise did not reply, but her hands suddenly snaked its way around the creature¡¯s throat. The Gila, who had sensed something, suddenly let out a sharp cry, as its legs jerked forward in an attempt to run. Unfortunately, its escape was met with failure. Its exoskeleton clad body suddenly spasmed as an invisible force held it down with forced obedience. Judging from the perspiration on Narise¡¯s brow, I had guessed that this was an effect of her skill, [Matriarchy]. The Gila¡¯s head, helplessly shook from side to side as it struggled in Narise¡¯s lap, but it was completely powerless, restrained down by whatever godly power kept it in place. Narise¡¯s hands enclosed in on the Gila¡¯s thin throat. Her whole body trembled, both due to her skill¡¯s exertion and due to her own unwillingness. Her own body seemed as if it were physically rejecting her current actions, yet at the same time, was forced by her own conscious self. Unfortunately, even if Narise wanted to choke the Gila to death, she did not possess the strength necessary to do that, especially at the face of the Gila¡¯s tough exoskeleton. Thankfully and to my surprise, suffocating it to death wasn¡¯t Narise¡¯s intention. Her fingertips dug deep into the crevice of one of the Gila¡¯s scales located on its neck. After some work, she managed to wedge her finger in-between the cracks. A squeaking sound resonated through the air as she forced her finger deeper into the crevice before she pulled out the scale with difficulty. Blood slowly trickled down from the wound, a mixture of bright red and vibrant green, but Narise ignored it as her shaky hands continued to pull more and more scales from the Gila¡¯s neck. I don¡¯t know whether her ability to ¡°skin¡± the Gila while it was still alive was due to her skill, or due to all the time she had spent with the Gila, but the bloody process was long and arduous. After the Gila¡¯s throat was completely exposed and free of any scales, the Gila¡¯s earlier screeching had been reduced to mere whimpers. Narise¡¯s own hands were stained with a thick layer of freshly coated Gila blood. Due to the Gila¡¯s prematurity, going by how unaffected Narise was, it was safe to assume that a premature Gila¡¯s blood was not yet acidic, unlike the matured versions that I had previously battled with. Version 108.1 change starts here: Narise¡¯s body shook, and while her expression struggled to maintain its neutral fa?ade, tears welled up within the corners of her eyes. She took in a shaky breath of air before she grabbed one of the pulled-out scales and pushed it up against the edge of the Gila¡¯s throat. I watched the whole scene from behind her, my eyes tracking every movement and change in facial expression with undisturbed focus and attention. The Gila light whimpered upon contact with its own scale, its body shivering from the sudden touch. Narise¡¯s hand trembled as she hesitated before the final act. Her solemn fa?ade was ruined by the continuous tears that fell from her face like a cascading waterfall. For a painfully long time, she remained unmoving, before all of a sudden, her shoulders jerked, and the scale in her hand pushed hard against the exposed neck of the Gila. Just as the knife-like object was about to break through the thin layer of exposed skin on its throat, my hand suddenly jerked forward. I grabbed Narise¡¯s thin wrist, just as the tip of the scale penetrated the surface of the Gila¡¯s throat. The tiny edge drew a thin line of green, viscous blood that slowly dripped down the Gila¡¯s neck and fell to the ground, before it formed a small puddle of liquid underneath. Without speaking, I silently bent down beside Narise and slowly clasped onto the scale with my free hand. With a little push, the scale fell limply from her hold, landing on the hard concrete with a noticeable clang. Narise, whose pale complexion sported a surprised expression, looked up at me with hollow, confused eyes. ¡°W-why?¡± she hoarsely whispered through a croaking sob that left her whole body heaving heavily in mental exhaustion. ¡°Why what?¡± I spoke simply, getting up and dusting myself off. ¡°This was a punishment for cutting your fingers off without my permission.¡± ¡°¡­¡± She did not return my response, but rather turned back around to face the tiny, half dead creature in her lap. Her eyes were blank, lifeless holes as they bore through the creature with rapt focus. Meanwhile, I stared at the mess in front of me. Narise was soaked in green blood, her once neatly styled braids, coming undone at the seams while her glasses were foggy and crooked. In her lap was a quivering Gila, whose neck had been completely skinned. A soft, almost malleable surface of skin was exposed, vulnerable to the point where even the slightest touch could injure it. It breathed in a shallow breath of air, as it struggled to raise its head, before it lightly nuzzled up the end of its mouth to Narise¡¯s chest. A soft whine escaped its weak throat, before it morphed into an ear shattering series of pain filled coughs. This final action, which Narise had watched through tear soaked eyes, was the last straw in maintaining whatever fa?ade had kept Narise¡¯s true emotions in check. Her shoulders heavily trembled, as she doubled over, curling over with the Gila in a careful, yet tight embrace. She sobbed a fit of dry tears, her chest heaving as the words, ¡°Sorry, I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m sorry,¡± repeatedly escaped her trembling lips. ¡°Remember tonight,¡± I solemnly spoke in-between her cries with a firm tenor in my voice. ¡°The thing you described as the hierarchy of power¡­ this is another facet of the system you seek out.¡± I did not care whether Narise could hear me through her continuous rounds of sobbing, regardless, I continued to speak, my voice growing softer and softer the longer I progressed, ¡°If I am the one at the top, then that means you fall somewhere in the middle of the pyramid. Underneath you are the things you care about, and every mistake you make will not only affect you, but the things beneath you as well. ¡°Think of it as a form of collective punishment¡­ and remember tonight whenever you do anything that might endanger the group. Killing you might be easy, but I won¡¯t do that. Whether or not I would like to admit it, I think you have a lot of potential Narise. Since I can¡¯t kill you, the easiest way to break you is through your toys¡­ through the things you love the most. With each mistake you make, I¡¯ll slowly strip away the feeling of control that you have, crushing it, stomping on it, before ultimately destroying it.¡± I paused for a second, took one last long look at Narise, before lightly stating, ¡°Take care of the Gila or else it¡¯ll die from all the injuries it has.¡± Without a doubt, I wanted the Gila to live. The injury to its neck may never heal again, and it may cause its overall strength to drop significantly, a drop that it may never recover from, but I did not care. I did not want it to live because of its fighting ability, I wanted it to live as a reminder to Narise, as a permanent reminder to the consequences her actions can have. ¡°Then, I¡¯ll be heading back first.¡± I stated, turning my back to Narise¡¯s curled over figure and facing the back door of the convenience store. ¡°I hope you don¡¯t forget what happened tonight.¡± As I walked away, through the heavy seas of summer night winds that blew through the air, I could hear Narise¡¯s faint voice speak out. It was a soft, almost inaudible voice that was further muffled by the sound of the rustling grass and quiet silence of the night. ¡°¡­ I won¡¯t forget.¡± Chapter 109: Too Late for Regrets Chapter 109: Too Late for Regrets The instant I turned around, my carefully maintained fa?ade cracked as my face slackened, and a soft, almost nonexistent sigh escaped from my thinly parted lips. A heavy, dark, almost repugnant cloud hovered over my head as I thought about the scene from before. There were things that I regretted¡­ no, I regretted almost everything, especially the feeling of losing control which I kept hidden under a guise of indifference. As I walked towards the back-door entrance of the convenience store, I could see a small silhouette leaning against the wall. With the help of the sparse moonlight that covered the surroundings like a thin layer of luminescent snow, I could vaguely make out Cielle¡¯s figure. Her back was against the wall, her legs crossed in front of her, while her usual cascade of hair hung over her face like a stark black veil, hiding whatever expression she had. My steps stopped in front of her. Through thin slits of black hair, I could see Cielle¡¯s vibrant eyes as they silently stared at me with a subdued intensity that pierced through the darkness that covered both the outside and my mind. I briefly made eye contact with her, before I abruptly turned my head away, averting my gaze to the concrete ground below me. I hesitated for a second, before I turned to my left and walked away from the door. Almost in unison, without saying a single word, Cielle lightly pushed herself of the wall, and followed behind. I could distinctly hear the sound of Cielle¡¯s quiet footsteps against the concrete ground. With the silent backdrop of the night, her light, almost ethereal steps boomed like crashing thunder. As that thunder vibrated through my ears and shook my heart, I could feel a certain hollowness in the pit of my stomach. It was a gnawing, constant feeling that did nothing but feed on the dark fog that lingered in my mind. I slowly walked around the convenience store before I reached the front of the building. Through the transparent glass windows, I could see that everyone else had long fallen asleep, the fatigue from the day besting them. I distinctly noted Cher and Hina, who both slept in one corner of the room. Wrapped in Cher¡¯s arms was her beaten down shield, which practically came apart at the seams. She slept soundly, a trail of saliva flowing down from her slightly opened lips. In comparison, Hina slept more neatly, she had changed into a pair of pajamas, and her hair was undone as locks of golden blonde flowing down from her head and over her shoulders like a shimmering cascade of light. I looked at the two of them for a short amount of time, before I turned away and continued walking, my feet taking me further ahead and into the open road. Without reservation, I sat down and leaned back, my neck craning upwards as I quietly stared at the half-crescent moon that hung above me like the squinting eye of a peering deity. Right now, I felt like a mess. An uncomfortable, almost itching sensation covered my whole surroundings, while I felt a distinct hollowness inside me. All sorts of clashing emotions waged war inside my heart, but the strongest among them was the feeling of helplessness I currently felt, as if I had made a mistake that I could no longer take back. Cielle, who had quietly followed me all the way here, was unaware of my current turmoil, as she sat down next to me. She did not speak, and I did not acknowledge her existence. She simply sat there in silence, her presence an unsung beacon within the crashing waves of my heart. I continued to stare up at the sky above me, watching with blank eyes as the thin strips of cloud floated peacefully through a backdrop of stars, unaffected and free from all the chaos in the world. After what felt like an eternity had passed, Cielle finally spoke, her quiet words breaking through the void and echoing in my ears like a round of piercing artillery fire. ¡°¡­ Was that what you wanted?¡± She asked simply, her words devoid of emotion. My shoulders abruptly tensed, as I choked on a puff of air in my throat. My gaze slowly lowered, away from the clouds and down to the dirt stained asphalt beneath my feet. I saw the tiny pebbles and loose pieces of gravel scattered across the dimly lit road, and could not help but feel a bit envious. I did not reply at first, but merely simmered over Cielle¡¯s question as thoughts and ideas flitted through my head without direction. After enough time passed to where Cielle¡¯s words had long since been carried away by the night time summer wind, I finally responded. I shook my head, a tired and dreary expression on my face as I spoke one syllable. ¡°No.¡± My earlier interaction with Narise wasn¡¯t how I had wanted it to go. While it was true that I wanted to break her, what I wanted to break was the parasitic belief Narise had held. The concept of the ¡°hierarchy of power¡± that she had strongly advocated for was something determinantal for both her and I. The feeling that it was the only method to survive in this world, the idea that everything else revolved around such a simple, yet cruel power structure, I wanted to break that illusion. I wanted to break it, and while the subsequent replacement wouldn¡¯t be as genuine as the one I had with Cielle and the others, it would at least be healthier than what she had fostered. Although these were my intentions, in the end, I had gone about it the wrong way. What I wanted to do was force Narise into a corner, to trap her, to push her to her limits before she, from her own volition, breaks off the shackles that weighed her down. When I forced her with the command of killing the Gila, I had made one fatal mistake; believing in Narise¡¯s affection. Back then, I wanted her to refuse. I wanted, I even stupidly assumed that she had it in her to refuse, to disobey my order, and to disobey her own beliefs in favor of the love she had fostered with the creature. In the end, that belief of hers was too deeply ingrained into Narise¡¯s mind, and due to that one miscalculation, my original plan crumbled. To my shock and surprise, she had taken the initiative to exemplify the ¡°hierarchy of power¡± that she spoke of, and as a result, the situation played out like how it played out. The only saving grace was that I had enough of a sound mind to stop her from going through with her actions. Had I not, then her hands would have been stained with a layer of blood which she could never wash off. Back then, I panicked, or rather, I stuck too closely to the fa?ade I was trying to maintain. I had gone too deep, and I had no way of turning back. I don¡¯t know what effect my decision will end up having in the long run, but it feels as if I¡¯ve began walking down a path that I can never turn away from. In the end, I did end up breaking Narise, but it was different from what I had originally wanted. And the longer I regretted, the more thoughts filled my mind. Things like, ¡°If only I hadn¡¯t done this¡­¡± or ¡°If only she had done that¡­¡± these types of ideas endlessly revolved around my head like a never-ending kaleidoscope. ¡°I see¡­¡± Cielle¡¯s quiet voice wretched me back to reality. I took a sidelong glance at her, only to see her stare out into the open road, peering into the darkness that consumed the world around us.If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. ¡°Then, do you regret what you did?¡± She asked with a tenor of inquiry in her placid tone. ¡°Yes.¡± Without hesitation, I instantly responded. If I had played it out better, then things wouldn¡¯t have ended up like that. The seed of betrayal that I unwillingly sowed would never have existed if I was someone more capable. After a long silence, I could not help but sigh out, ¡°Leading people is hard.¡± I spoke with a hoarse, and heavy breath, ¡°Things like fighting, scavenging for resources, running away from monsters, those types of actions are surprisingly easy, but¡­ having the power to influence a person¡¯s life so drastically, being able to control them to such a degree¡­ it¡¯s all just so¡­¡± I extended my hand in front of me, clenching and unclenching my fingers repeatedly as I struggled to form the words that I wanted to convey. ¡°Stressful?¡± Cielle chimed in from the side. I paused for a moment, thought about it, before I eventually nodded with a sigh. ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s all just so stressful. It¡¯s easy when things work out the way you want it to, but if they don¡¯t, then it¡¯s like hell¡­ Just one wrong move, just one wrong action is sometimes all it takes for everything to fall apart. ¡°Lately, I feel like I¡¯ve been doing nothing but tripping over myself, making one mistake after another.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve always been like that, Hide.¡± Cielle replied through the quiet of the night. ¡°Someone who overthinks things, someone who dwells too much on the bad things, someone who has trouble interacting with people¡­ you¡¯re someone who makes a lot of mistakes.¡± I could not help but unconsciously nod at Cielle¡¯s words. ¡°Sometimes, those mistakes become lucky coincidences, sometimes those mistakes are things you struggle hard to fix, and sometimes those mistakes are things you can never fix, but nonetheless dwell on.¡± Her words were like a quiet, ghost like whisper, almost inaudible through the sound of the buffeting wind that blew through the road side. ¡°¡­ Truthfully, I don¡¯t think Hide is a good leader. You¡¯re someone who knows how to fight, someone who can build really useful things, and someone who I can personally lean on, but¡­ I don¡¯t think you¡¯re someone who can lead.¡± ¡°But I don¡¯t have a choice.¡± I solemnly spoke in quiet protest. Cielle¡¯s evaluation of me was something I completely agreed on, yet all the same, I could not help but let human nature take over me as I pathetically tried to justify myself. ¡°If I don¡¯t do it, if I don¡¯t keep going, if I stop playing this game with all these strict rules and restrictions, then everything will just end up falling apart. If I stop for even just a second to look back and regret, then everything will come crumbling down¡­ at least, that¡¯s how I feel.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t disagree with you.¡± Cielle¡¯s quietly acquiesced, as she slightly turned her head away from me. ¡°Out of everyone here, Hide is the best leader, but that doesn¡¯t change the fact that you¡¯re not cut out to be one¡­¡± Hearing her words, another heavy sigh escaped from my throat. For a long time, I was silent, my brain churning through thoughts and ideas, before I forcibly changed the topic and suddenly asked, ¡°Then, what would you have done, Cielle?¡± I did not need to explicitly describe what it was I was talking about, between the two of us, the topic of conversation was as clear as day. ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t know.¡± She truthfully spoke. ¡°I¡¯m not the leader. While I might help out here or there, I¡¯m not the one who has to handle all the complicated stuff, and for that I¡¯m thankful to you.¡± Hearing her words, I could not help but let out a hollow and bitter laugh. Without restrain, I continued the conversation, ¡°Even if you don¡¯t know, tell me honestly, if it were you, do you think you could have done a better job at handling the situation?¡± There was a pause, before Cielle eventually nodded. ¡°Yes, I think I could have.¡± I let out another laugh. ¡°Even after saying that, do you still think I¡¯m the best leader this group has to offer?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that a bit contradictory?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°¡­ Do you want to quit that badly, Hide?¡± I thought for a moment, before I nodded. ¡°Then¡­ let¡¯s go.¡± Cielle suddenly stated. ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°You want to quit, right? To leave and run away from everything?¡± She asked with a certain level of clarity, as if the questions she asked weren¡¯t questions, but statements of truth. ¡°¡­ If that¡¯s the case, then do you want to abandon everything and walk out with me? We can leave right now, just the two of us. Cher, Hina, the President¡­ we can leave them all behind, and never turn back.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°We might go the port, and if there are people there, we can steal a boat, and sail away from this island. You can forget about everything, leave everything behind, it will be just the two of us¡­ that way, Hide can stop being the Hide who forces himself to lead and just be the Hide who struggles to survive.¡± ¡°¡­¡± I sat silently as I seriously contemplated Cielle¡¯s whimsical offer. A part of me knew that she wasn¡¯t serious, that her words were merely spoken to comfort me, but another part of me could not help but imagine her proposal¡­ A peaceful world with nobody else but Cielle by my side, one where I don¡¯t have to worry about Narise or about how to address the possible survivors in Kagetaka Port¡­ a world where I don¡¯t have to worry about all the mistakes that I made¡­ a world where everything worked out perfectly. It was indeed an enviable fantasy, but in the end¡­ I shook my head firmly. ¡°You know we can¡¯t do that.¡± I spoke with a sigh. ¡°There are people here who I don¡¯t want to abandon, people who I¡¯ve grown to care about, people who we both care about. I can¡¯t just leave all that behind.¡± Cher, Hina, even Cielle, they were unwitting shackles that kept me in place, but they were restrictions I willingly chose to take on. ¡°Yeah¡­¡± Cielle slightly bobbed her head in a nod, before she brought her knees closer to her chest, and turned to look at me. ¡°Then, what will you do?¡± ¡°¡­ I guess we¡¯re back to that question again, huh?¡± I sighed as I tilted my head back up to face the starry sky. ¡°In the end, I still don¡¯t know. I don¡¯t know how to fix the mistakes that I¡¯ve made, and even if I could rewind time and start over again, I still wouldn¡¯t know how to make this situation any better¡­ I¡­ I just don¡¯t know.¡± The weight of everyone¡¯s lives, both physically and mentally, all pressed down on me like a giant slab of concrete, slowly crushing my chest and pushing out the air in my lungs. ¡°¡­ Hide, you¡¯re not alone.¡± Cielle stated amidst my struggle, her words like a tiny chisel that chipped away at a tiny portion of that giant slab. ¡°Although you are prone to make mistakes, in the end, you are the person who everyone ended up relying on.¡± I glanced down at Cielle and saw her repeatedly opening and closing her lips, struggling to formulate the word and emotions she wanted to properly convey. After a short pause, she eventually continued, ¡°¡­ Sometimes, I can tell that you struggle with some of the things you do. Since I¡¯m always watching you, I end up noticing a lot of things¡­ Like how you stay up at nights thinking of how to address a certain situation, or how you go back and forth while struggling to decide on something¡­ I notice a lot of the things that you go through, and while I know I can¡¯t fix any of those problems for you¡­ I, I can at least help.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Just like how you are the pillar supporting all of us, it¡¯s fine if you also lean on me for support¡­¡± She paused for a moment to gather her thoughts, before continuing, ¡°And it¡¯s not just me who you can rely on. Cher and Hina too, you can trust them as well. While you might not want to weigh them down with any of the problems you¡¯re going through, just know that they won¡¯t push you away.¡± For a long time, I could not respond. As an extended period of silence occupied the space around us, I quietly thought about Cielle¡¯s words. A tiny thread of light pierced through the thick fog of darkness in my heart. ¡°I¡­ thank you.¡± I managed to respond, as I stood up and stretched my arms. There was a slight, almost undetectable spring in my actions. Beside me, Cielle nodded, and also stood back up. She followed me as I turned to head back towards the convenience store. As we walked, I slightly turned my head towards Cielle and nonchalantly stated, ¡°You know, lately you¡¯ve been talking a lot more.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Cielle tilted her head as she looked up at me. ¡°Should I stop?¡± Seeing the serious expression she adorned, I could not help but chuckle softly. ¡°No, it¡¯s not a bad thing, in fact I like it, a talkative Cielle being the norm would be quite a sight to see.¡± Through the thick layer of hair that covered most of her face, I could see Cielle¡¯s lips curl down into a slight frown. ¡°I feel like you¡¯re just making fun of me.¡± ¡°But I¡¯m not¡­ just¡­¡± I looked straight at her once more, my eyes struggling in the dim of light to see past her hair, and stare directly into her eyes. Despite her appearance, seeing this girl, whose tiny shoulders I¡¯ve started to lean on for support, I could not help but narrow my eyes in contentment. ¡°¡­Thank you.¡± I repeated. My words were quiet, almost like the ghost silent whispers of rustling leaves dancing through the wind like fanciful fairies. Whether or not Cielle heard what I said was beyond me, but the slight smile that formed on her lips was as clear as daylight within my eyes. Chapter 110: A Drop of Blood Chapter 110: A Drop of Blood The sun peaked out from the far-reaching horizon, barely a sliver of its usual radiance. The orange tinted, morning light that passed through the stained-glass windows of the convenience store lit up the room with a dim luminescence. Coupled with the silence that gently shrouded the surrounding area, the current scene was one of abject tranquility. Scattered across the floor was a collection of old blankets and sleeping bags, and amidst these sleeping bags, a group of teenagers lay scattered, their eyes heavy with sand, and their minds disconnected from the world around them. Drifting amidst a sea of dreams, they slept like a group of comatose patients. As time slowly passed and as the sun lethargically rose higher and higher above the clouds, movement and noise started flitting across the room. At first, it consisted of just barely audible sounds, the fluttering of upturned sheets, the scratching wind from outside, background noise that flowed in one ear and out the other, but as time moved on, these noises grew louder and more grating. Eventually, from among the group, someone was dragged back to reality. A head of light chestnut brown hair poked out from a gap between the blankets and comforters. The blankets rustled as a soft, almost inaudible yawn echoed through the room. After some time passed, the owner of the chestnut brown hair lethargically crawled out from amidst her previous hiding place. The sheets besides her shook and unraveled, before the sleepy-eyed girl forced herself to sit up right, leaning against a nearby wall behind her. Suppressing another on coming yawn, her hazy, crust covered eyes surveyed the room. The fact that she had been the first person to wake up surprised her, but aside from a slight intake of breath, her face revealed no hint of emotion. For a second, the girl did not know what do. Despite the sleeping faces surrounding her, she felt an unbearable loneliness that caused her to shiver and shake her head. She briefly played with the idea of going back to sleep, but the irritation in her lower abdomen, an irritation that she just now noticed, stopped her. She needed to go the restroom, but because the toilets inside the convenience store had long since stopped working, that meant she needed to go outside. She moved to stand, but after an idea appeared in her head, she abruptly stopped and sat back down. She looked around the room, paying particularly close attention to the people around her, before she realized that a certain someone was missing. He¡¯s on watch duty¡­ The girl quietly thought to herself, a dark fog shrouding her sleepy disposition. She hesitated to leave purely because she did not want to run into that person. Even as the irritation in the pit of her stomach intensified and continually gnawed at her like a wriggling tape worm, her legs remained unmoving. She fidgeted aimlessly in her sleeping bag, her legs crossing and uncrossing countless times, and as the mental and physical dispute in her body continued to wage war, her endless stirring caused the person next to her to wake up. A thin, white blanket, slid off of a pair of barely covered legs, exposing a supple pink tinge that colored two finely sculpted thighs. A head of lustrous black hair shook once, before a pair of sand crusted eyes opened. Long eyelashes fluttered, as a dark brown iris, hazy with morning dew, gazed at the ceiling above. A foggy expression blanketed the girl¡¯s face as she squinted through the orange sunlight of the room. It took her a while to fight back the early morning dreariness, before her stare landed on the person next to her and she realized where exactly she was. ¡°Mia, you¡¯re already awake?¡± Minakawa Sayuri sleepily asked in a quiet whisper. She rubbed at her eyes as she sat up and blinked twice at her friend beside her. ¡°Ah, yeah.¡± Mia answered softly, absentmindedly scratching her head. Her cheeks took on a slight tinge of red, as she quietly spoke with a hint of embarrassment, ¡°I-I woke up because I needed to go to the r-restroom, but I don¡¯t think I can right now¡­¡± ¡°Ah? What do you mean?¡± For a moment, Mindy¡¯s expression grew clouded as she pondered over her friend¡¯s apparent hesitation. She stared at Mia¡¯s down trodden expression for a second, before she looked around the room, counted out who was still sleeping, and realized something important. Her eyes slightly widened before a soft sigh leaked out from her slightly parted lips, ¡°¡­He¡¯s the one on watch duty right now?¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± Mia dipped her head in a nod. ¡°You know that I¡¯m not good at, um, dealing with him, much less being alone with him while I¡­¡± Mindy let out another sigh that mirrored her friend¡¯s. For a second, her eyes grew hazy and unfocused as she stared out past the window and to the front of the convenience store. There, leaning by the bed of the Humvee, she could vaguely make out a human silhouette. ¡°¡­¡± For a while, Mindy did not say anything, her mind lost in a sea of thoughts and memories, before her friend¡¯s incessant tugging brought her back to reality. She looked down at her Mia, and saw her almost puppy dog expression, before she sighed once more and stood up. ¡°Alright,¡± She quietly spoke in a whisper, afraid of waking the others up. ¡°If we go through the back entrance, then we can avoid him. I¡¯ll even accompany you.¡± Mindy rubbed at the sand in her eyes as she stepped over blankets and comforters and silently walked over to the back of the room. Mia, who once again realized how reliable her best friend was, nodded enthusiastically, before she flashed a bright smile, and stood up. ¡°Thanks, Mindy.¡± She quietly responded, turning around to stare out the front window, before she followed her friend out through the back exit. *** At around 10 AM, the rest of the group woke up. After a short breakfast, composed of potato chips and canned food, Mia found herself sitting alone behind the convenience store, her legs brought close to her body, with her chin resting on her knees. The wind buffeted around her like a mini monsoon, a sea of leaves and paper scraps fluttering through the air, as her right foot quietly tapped onto the concrete laden ground beneath her. She stared out at the open field in front of her, and briefly pondered running away. She visualized herself dashing through the tall grass, her chest heaving in laughter as she ran towards an imaginary sunset. She was free, unshackled, and without worry. For a moment, a smile floated to her lips, but the longer she indulged in this day dream, the more twisted it seemed to become. Her shoulders unconsciously tensed up, as the field of grass before her vanished, only to be replaced by a sea of writhing tentacles. Her legs faltered as a swarm of black hands sprouted out from underneath her and latched on tightly to her body. She struggled, but the vice like grip of the numerous pairs of hands were unbreakable. They dragged her to the ground. She pictured herself drowning, her mouth and nostrils covered in a thick layer of dirt and mud, as the light around her dimmed and dimmed until it all together vanished. Mia shook her head, pushing the vivid dream away from her mind, as she let out a quiet sigh, one which was carried away into oblivion by the buffeting mid-summer wind. Right now, she felt lonely. This wasn¡¯t an uncommon feeling for her, but rather, these days, the sensation of solitude and the feeling of isolation were things she experienced on an almost daily basis. Ever since she escaped the school¡­ no, long before then, Mia always felt like she was the odd one out. Of course, labeling this feeling as that of simple loneliness wasn¡¯t quite accurate. In truth, it was a hodgepodge of emotions, one that mixed in fear, guilt, anger, and inadequacy. One major contributor to this swirling chaos was the fact that she could not fight. She felt loathing for herself for not being able to stand up and help her best friend. She felt fear that one day the others would abandon her, thinking she was useless baggage. She felt anger towards the world that forced her to even think about fighting. Her head was a mix of emotions, one that joined together and created the expression of dejection she currently harbored. A lot of the times, Mia comforted herself with the fact that she wasn¡¯t the only noncombatant in the group. Narise is also here. She also can¡¯t fight. She is just like me. Mia comforted herself with these words, but even then, the loneliness still persisted. In the first place, there was a distinct distance that separated her from Narise. This distance felt long and wide, like a giant, endless chasm, and the funny thing was, she couldn¡¯t quite explain why this chasm existed. Sure, Narise was a bit odd, she rarely talked to others, and obsessed over that pet monster of hers, but that shouldn¡¯t have been all that important to Mia. In the past, Mia was good at making friends, but now, no matter how hard she tried, it seemed almost impossible to get along with Narise. At times, Mia thought that, despite not being able to fight, Narise felt a lot more similar to Cielle or Hide, but the gnawing thing was, she couldn¡¯t exactly quite put her finger on why she thought this. What differentiated her from Narise? What differentiated her from Cielle or Hide? In the end, she did not know. Thinking of Narise, she recalled what had happened last night. It was late in the night when it had happened, and back then, everyone in the room had fallen asleep. In fact, the only reason why Mia herself had still been awake was because of the events that had happened earlier that day. Because she happened to be awake at that time, she had seen Narise.Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. Narise, whose facial expression rotated between a perpetual smile, and a slack jawed frown, had suddenly entered the convenience store through the back entrance, whimpering, with her eyes puffy and red. Back then, she wondered why Narise was crying. Recalling the event now, she abruptly remembered that it was Hide who had called Narise out that night. What did he do¡­? Mia¡¯s thoughts wandered as she wondered what Hide had done to her¡­ Back then, when Narise had returned, she was slightly wet and had on a new change of clothes. In addition, Mia had noticed that Narise¡¯s hair was disarrayed and her cheeks were flushed and red. Piecing together the evidence, Mia pictured Hide, nostrils flared and his eyes red with violent lust. Imagining what he might have done, what he was capable of doing¡­ it sent a cold shiver down her spine. If Hide had forced himself onto Narise that night, then what¡¯s to say he won¡¯t do the same to her? After all, right now, Mia was just baggage, useless and weak. What¡¯s more, not only was he strong, but Hide was also the leader, she couldn¡¯t stop him even if she wanted to. Mia felt exposed and vulnerable. The constant gripping fear in her heart seemingly throbbed as it spread a biting chill throughout her body. ¡°If only he was still¡­¡± She sighed dejectedly, as an unwitting thought snuck its way into her mind. Remembering his face, Mia¡¯s insides twisted as her complexion paled. She tried to shake it off, but by then, it was already too late. Mia¡¯s eyes closed tightly shut as a sudden memory assaulted her head. Crimson red, the stink of iron in the air, and his expression, one devoid of emotion. ¡°-ia¡­¡± Each of his steps echoed through the classroom, ripples appearing across the red stained tiled floor. ¡°¡­ Mia¡­¡± His lips moved, but no sound came out. Instead, only the hollow screams of those around her reached her ears. ¡°Hey, Mia!¡± Mia¡¯s shoulders tensed, as she quickly shook her head, and pushed the memory to the back of her mind. She looked up at the source of the noise, only to find her friend, Mindy, looking down at her with a worried expression. ¡°When did you get here?¡± Mia asked with a light smile, hoping to mask the lingering pain in her heart. Of course, to Mindy, who had been friends with Mia since the start of their high school career, the smile that masked her face came off as nothing more than one filled with pain and melancholy. Seeing Mia¡¯s facial expression, Mindy¡¯s brow unconsciously furrowed as she frowned. For a minute, she just stood there and stared, before, without saying anything, she bent down and wrapped her arms around Mia¡¯s shoulders. Mia¡¯s shoulders jerked up for a moment, an expression of confusion morphing her earlier smile. Her body was rigid, frozen in surprise, before the slight traces of warmth touched the edge of her skin. Her body immediately relaxed, and a slight smile effused onto her face as she felt the familiar touch of her best friend. Although it did not help much, feeling the warmth of another person filled Mia¡¯s heart with a small sense of relief and comfort. After a while, they separated, and Mia asked with a smile, ¡°What did you want me for again?¡± ¡°Oh, right,¡± Mindy spoke as she recollected her thoughts. ¡°We need to organize the things from the car.¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t we do that yesterday?¡± Mia asked with a frown. ¡°Why do we need to do it again?¡± In response, Mindy shrugged her shoulders. ¡°Hide wants to sort things out before we head towards the Port. I don¡¯t really know, but I think he has something in mind¡­ he did also explicitly tell me that he wanted to bury the scales next to the convenience store.¡± Although Mia was still confused, and harbored a bit of ill will over having to do something over again, she did not ask any additional questions. When it came to things like this, Mia was unnaturally submissive, especially when it came to anything related to Hide. In fact, lately, Mia had begun to notice that she was becoming more and more meek, and less and less talkative to pretty much everyone in the group. Again, Mindy blamed her inability to fight for this. She wanted to learn, but there were a myriad of things stopping her. Without protest, Mia began helping Mindy. She unloaded the supplies from the back of the Humvee, and also organized the things they had collected from the convenience store. All the while, in order to drive away the itching, melancholic feeling in her chest, she spoke about the port, relaying her hope and excitement to her friend, as she reminisced about their past life. But whether she wanted to or not, most of their conversation turned to the topic of Hide, or more specifically, of Mia¡¯s constant complaints and whispered fears. After some hesitation, Mindy couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°Have you ever thought about getting stronger?¡± Mia¡¯s shoulders abruptly jerk up, her hands clamped frozen onto a brown box containing canned goods. After what felt like an eternity of silence, Mia sighed. ¡°I have, of course I have, but¡­ I-I have a certain, um, problem that prevents me from getting stronger.¡± ¡°Problem?¡± Mindy¡¯s voice was dyed in both a mixture of worry and confusion. In her mind, she was inwardly surprised because she had previously assumed that it was fear that prevented her friend from leveling up. ¡°What problem?¡± ¡°I-I¡¯m not good with blood.¡± She spoke, her cheeks red with both shame and embarrassment. ¡°I know that you need to k-kill monsters in order to level up, but I can¡¯t. Just imagining the blood that will come out if I do¡­¡± Mia¡¯s shoulders shivered as her hands slid off of the box and fell onto the bed of the Humvee. ¡°Lately, it hasn¡¯t been so bad¡­ I¡¯ve learned to cope with it to a certain extent, like only looking at it through my peripheral vision¡­ but sometimes I get light headed or weak in the knees just being around it, and that¡¯s only the mildest of symptoms.¡± A weary sigh leaked out from her slightly parted lips. She inclined her head towards Mindy, and peered at her through the corner of her eye, only to see an expression of concern etched onto her friend¡¯s face. A tinge of guilt seeped into her heart. ¡°W-well, it¡¯s not all that bad!¡± Mia stated with forced enthusiasm and a crooked smile plastered on her face. ¡°At the very least, I¡¯ve learned to look at blood from a distance. At this point, it¡¯s really just close proximity or direct contact that bothers me¡­¡± Even though Mia tried to play it off in a lighthearted manner, it was still apparent how much she had suffered because of this particular condition of hers. Much less convincing Mindy, even a complete stranger could see through Mia¡¯s poorly maintained fa?ade. A despondent atmosphere hovered over the two girls¡¯ heads. As the feeling of guilt grew more and more pronounced within her heart, in order to fight against the rising discomfort, Mia hurriedly grabbed at the scattered scales on the bed of the cargo area, a vain attempt at trying to distract herself. All the while, she spoke hurriedly, an all too obvious fake smile on her lips. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it so much,¡± she said, ¡°It really doesn¡¯t bother me all that much. Actually, it just means that I¡¯ll be troubling you for a little while longer.¡± Regardless of Mia¡¯s insistence, Mindy remained unconvinced. With a frown on her face, she asked, ¡°Since when have you had this¡­ um, condition? I don¡¯t remember you being all that squeamish around blood back before the apocalypse.¡± ¡°No, it wasn¡¯t like that back then¡­¡± Mia¡¯s frantic hands slowed, as her words trailed off. A haze clouded her eyes, as she tried to recall what exactly had caused her current condition. ¡°I wasn¡¯t like this back before the apocalypse, it was only after¡­¡± As Mia¡¯s mind wandered, thoughts and memories flitted through her head like a fast paced, revolving movie clip. Eventually, after what felt like an eternity, the image of a certain guy bubbled up to the surface of her head. She suddenly remembered a scene that had taken place on the first day of the school year. Back then, Mia was riding her bicycle through the neighborhood streets, her cheeks were flushed, and her forehead was covered in a thin layer of sweat. She had overslept that day, and had been frantically pedaling her way to school in a vain attempt to not be late. Unfortunately, in her haste, she drove over a particularly large stone by the road, and had lost her balance. With a clatter and a clang, she fell off her bike and scraped her knee against the rough asphalt. She distinctly remembered the pain, and recalled how she had winced uncontrollably as she picked out the tiny pebbles that clung to her open wound. Under the light of the blazing sun, the sweat that flowed down the back of her neck, the tiny scratches and scrapes covering her hands and legs, the feeling of viscous, sticky blood on her knees, it all came together to paint a vivid scene within Mia¡¯s mind. Back then, as Mia fought back the urge to cry, someone had walked up to her. Without fanfare, that person had helped her gather her stuff, and had given her a pure white handkerchief. Even though Mia had insisted that it was unnecessary, the person still persisted. He smiled lightly, and with a touch as gentle as a feather, he pressed the handkerchief against her knee. Mia remembered. She remembered the vivid image of crimson red seeping into the folds and creases of that pure white fabric. As her mind wandered through a sea of nostalgia, a sharp burst of pain suddenly wrenched Mia back to reality. She winced, and looked down at her hand, only to see a fresh cut open on the palm of her hand. By pure reflex, she dropped the slightly jagged Manticore scale that she had previously held, and brought her hand towards her face, her eyes blurry with absentminded confusion. It felt as if time had slowed to a crawl as her gaze stayed glued onto the blooming bright red that spread through her palm and dyed her hand red. Seeing the blood, and smelling the sharp stench of iron, the soft memory from before instantly morphed. In her mind, she once again envisioned Kido, only this time, instead of the light smile from before, his face was devoid of emotion. His body was covered in a thick layer of pungent blood, while his face was coated with a splatter of deep red, a red so deep it was almost impossible to see through. Mia watched, frozen with fear and shock, as Kido calmly and methodically walked across the classroom, the blade in his hands shimmering with metallic fright as heads and limbs flew through the room. Screams echoed through the walls, and amidst the stream of corpses and frantically escaping people, Kido calmly turned his head towards her, and smiled. It was a light smile, one that looked identical to the one had had adorned back then, yet, at the same time, it was different. His mouth moved, but no sound came out. Regardless, Mia completely understood what Kido had said. In fact, those words rang through her ears like the deafening sound of clapping thunder. ¡°I will protect you.¡± Mia¡¯s complexion paled, as a shrill scream escaped from the cracks of her lips. In her head, Kido¡¯s soundless lips continually moved, and those four words reverberated through her mind like a broken record player. She felt a throbbing ache in the back of her head, before a red so dark it was almost black filled her vision. She saw Kido¡¯s smile one last time, before she abruptly passed out. *** ¡°¡­ Thank you for healing her.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it¡­ it wasn¡¯t that bad of an injury in the first place¡­¡± As the first wisps of consciousness took hold of her, Mia could vaguely hear the sound of conversation. The voices sounded far and foreign, but at the same time, strangely familiar. She struggled to open her eyes, and after what felt like an eternity, she saw the blurry image of her best friend bowing to Cielle, profusely thanking her, while Cielle nonchalantly nodded. As Mia¡¯s vision slowly regained focus, her eyes scanned the room around her. It took a moment before she realized that she was inside the convenience store. Beneath her was a soft layer of warm blankets, while a dampened rag lay on top of her forehead. Her heart was filled with a strange mixture of guilt and joy, but as her eyes continued to wander throughout the room, her mood instantly worsened. From a distance and towards the front entrance of the convenience store, she saw Hide walking towards her. His steps paused just in front of her. His eyes darted back and forth across the room, as he spoke with a solemn tone, ¡°What happened? I heard screaming, was there an attack?¡± Mia vaguely noticed the slight furrow on his brow, which strangely complimented the perpetual frown etched onto his lips. ¡°Ah, no, that¡¯s not quite it.¡± Mindy explained from next to her. ¡°Mia just¡­ she, um, she injured herself and passed out.¡± Upon hearing that, Hide¡¯s eyes lowered to look down at Mia. Mia¡¯s shoulders jerked up, as her body froze and her eyes widened like a deer in the headlights. For what felt like an eternity, Hide stared at her with a probing glare, the frown on his deepening with each passing second. Silence persisted through the room, before Hide abruptly turned away. An audible sigh filled the room, before he turned around and walked away. Cielle wordlessly followed him as he left, and Mindy exhaled out a sigh of her own, but none of this registered in Mia¡¯s mind. She still lingered on Hide¡¯s stare. Even after he had left, Mia couldn¡¯t help but picture those sharp, down turned eyes that glared at her with silent animosity. In Mia¡¯s mind, Hide¡¯s sharp glare was like that of a Grim Reaper, eyes devoid of emotion and filled with the stench of death. Chapter 111: Idle Days Part 1 Chapter 111: Idle Days Part 1 The sun loomed above the skies, a singular yellow dot amidst a vast horizon. Today was an unusually hot day and not a single cloud dotted the overhanging canvas above my head. With the collar of my shirt, I wiped at the beads of sweat that ran down the side of my cheeks and traveled all the way down my neck. I was outside, behind the gas station, with my back pressed up against the layered brick wall of the convenience store. It was close to noon and I was currently taking shelter from the sun. The far-reaching shade created by the store¡¯s jutting walls did little to mitigate the torpid heat that circulated the air, but it was definitely a much cooler alternative to standing out in the open, where one would be exposed to the rays of blistering light that fell from above. Right now, I was sitting on the rough pavement, a look of concentration plastered on my face. Before me was a pile of dark brown, almost entirely black scales. These scales, with their rough, sand paper-like surface and sharp jagged edges, were the same ones that Cher and the President had harvested from the Manticore corpse. They numbered over two hundred, and each individual scale was the size of a college ruled notebook. As I held one up in front of me, I noticed how, in my hands, the scale looked akin to a charred and oddly misshapen dinner plate. With a frown, I tossed the scale back into the pile. A crisp clinging sound rang through the air while I crossed my arms and tilted my head in thought. I was currently trying to identify the various traits and characteristics these scales possessed. How best to utilize them and how to craft with them were currently the two questions that rattled around in my head. This whole process would be a lot easier if I had access to [Identify], but unfortunately, my skills were still locked. I don¡¯t know when I¡¯ll recover, and the wait is starting to make me worry. Lately, I¡¯ve been randomly trying to use my skills, hoping that they¡¯ll eventually work. In fact, there was an incident earlier today, involving one of Kido¡¯s old friends. One of them apparently fainted due to an injury. Back then, I tried to use [Identify] in order to assess the situation and check up on her condition, but my attempts were met only with disappointment when the skill failed. Left with no other option, right now, I could only rely on good old human ingenuity and observation. From the scattered pile, I grabbed one of the dish sized scales and began my experiment. Observing closely, I flipped the scale over and briefly noted that both sides had the same sand paper like texture from before. In fact, aside from a little depression on the back side, the front and back were nearly identical. I tentatively knocked on the surface of the scale with my knuckles. A dull, almost inaudible thud rang through the air. The sound was similar to someone banging on pure concrete, it was an earthly and solid sound. I was inwardly amazed. Usually, for a sound like that to come out, the item or object needed to be extremely dense. This scale was by no means paper thin, but it wasn¡¯t thick either. In all likelihood, I¡¯d say this scale was resistant to both shock and impact. I cracked a satisfied smile before I refocused my attention and proceeded with the next step. I took a couple steps back from the wall, cocked my elbow, drew a faint breath, and threw the scale with all my might. I drew out my current maximum capabilities, as my whole body exploded in dynamic energy. The plate sliced through the thin air like limp tofu, before it collided against the layered brick wall with a dull thud. I exhaled out a sigh as I made my over to the wall. The scale was protruding out of the wall like some malign tumor. With a forceful tug, I pulled out the scale before I checked it for damages. Aside from the red dust that clung to the edge of the scale, it was practically unharmed. In comparison, the wall was the one that suffered. With a three-inch hole on its side, it wasn¡¯t hard to imagine the damage this scale was capable of doing. The corners of my lips rose as I quietly chuckled. While the scale¡¯s resilience and defense were already amazing enough, its potential for cold weaponry was equally astounding. They were the perfect material for crafting swords, spear tips, daggers, and more. In fact, just sharpening the edges and shaping the already Frisbee shaped object would result in a dangerous long distance weapon. It¡¯s unfortunate that, as they were now, the scales were a little too bulky for my tastes¡­ Although if I carved, thinned and molded them, then I could probably create some nice throwing knives. My old ones, which were merely the rusted and brittle goblin short swords that I had collected a few weeks back, were in desperate need of replacement. Pushing that idle thought to the back of my mind, I proceeded onto the last trial. Taking the scale, I propped it up against two wooden crates in a way so that it was completely parallel with the ground. I then pulled out [Fynch] and rested the tip of its blade against the scale¡¯s obsidian like surface. It was time to test the scale¡¯s piercing and slashing resistance. I gripped the sword¡¯s hilt in a backhanded hold, before I pulled my hand up in the air, and stabbed downward. An ear screeching metallic sound reverberated through the air, before the scale shot out and helplessly fell to the floor. My hand felt numb after the impact, but I ignored it as I walked over and picked the scale back up. Running my hand through the impact point, I noted that aside from a small scratch, the scale was virtually unharmed. While my current strength was far weaker than when I fought with the Manticore, I still had inhuman stats. Standing up against my attacks was by no means an easy matter, After patting the scale down with satisfaction, I placed it back on top of the two wooden crates and prepared my sword once more. Gripping the handle with both hands, I raised the blade above my head, before I sliced downward. The wind whistled in my ear, before my sword made contact with the scale. For a brief second, I felt the object give way, before my slash was met with fierce resistance. My arms slightly rebounded, before the scale once again shot out due to the pressure and fell off the wooden crate. Frowning, I glanced down at my sword, before I walked over to the scale. Picking the object back up, I narrowed my eyes as I observed the changes on its surface. The scale was still intact, but a half centimeter indentation was present on its surface. Judging by the damage, my current strength wasn¡¯t strong enough, but the regular, fully healed me could probably cleanly slice through the scale. Taking this into account, as well as the results from all the previous trials, I came to the conclusion that the scale was resistant to blunt and piercing attacks, but slight weak to slashing attacks. Think back to the Manticore, I quickly understood why this was the case. The Manticore was a creature with a strong, almost impregnable defense, but this defense did not originate from its scales alone, but rather, came from the way its body was designed. The Manticore had a thick layer of fur, followed by rough hide, and finally an inner layer composed of scales. If my conjecture is correct, then the layer of fur and its rough hide were probably resistant to slashing attacks. In return, the fur and the hide were probably weak to blunt damage. In order to compensate for this, the inner layer of scales existed. They were extremely resistant to blunt damage, and in fact, had some aspect of force mitigation. While the scale¡¯s weakness to slashing attacks made it seem like it was an unsuitable material for crafting bladed weapons, in truth, this was an easy solution to fix. Just like with the Manticore, all I needed to do was cover the scale in an outer layer of protective material. Something like making the scales the core of a weapon, while steel or iron acted as the outer layer. If the Manticore scales were anything like the Gila Scales from before, then I could even melt the scales down and mix it with a more resistant metal, like steel, and create a new alloy with even better traits. As for making armor¡­ If I could craft an armor with the Manticore¡¯s body as a basis, and layer the scales, hide, and fur, correctly, then I might be able to mimic its defensive capabilities¡­ As I marveled at all the new possibilities, the door that led to the back of the convenience store creaked open. Turning my head to its direction, I could see a head of auburn red hair poking out from the door frame. ¡°Are you busy?¡± Cher¡¯s quiet, almost timid voice asked as she stepped out into the back. I briefly noted that she was wearing a sleeveless white tank top and a pair of shorts that only covered up to her upper thigh. While her clothing was slightly revealing, in truth, I couldn¡¯t really blame her, considering how hot it was right now. The convenience store had no air conditioning, so it was just as hot as the outside, if not more so. The effects of this heat could be clearly seen in the layer of sweat that covered Cher¡¯s rosy skin in an almost invisible sheen, and caused her clothes to cling to her skin like a tight-fitting body suit. For a moment, I stood there, planted onto the ground with my eyes locked in place and my head filled with ambiguous thoughts. ¡°Hide?¡± Cher¡¯s voice drifted to my ears. My shoulders suddenly jerked, as my eyes regained focus. I shook my head, before I looked up at Cher and said, ¡°I¡¯m doing something, did you need something?¡± Cher looked at me for what felt like a long time. She remained wordless and unmoving, while her facial expression turned weird and incredulous. Eventually, after a while, she just shook her head. ¡°Then why are you here?¡± I asked. ¡°Are you creating something?¡± Ignoring my question, she asked. My eyebrows slight furrowed, before I shook my head and responded after some hesitation. ¡°No. Aside from these scales, there aren''t really any good materials here to make something out of¡­¡± This was the truth, there were only so many things I could do with the current materials at hand. Even the scales and other manticore loot that we had, with my current condition, I had no way of processing them, much less crafting something useful out of them. ¡°I see¡­¡± Cher¡¯s words trailed off as she took a step closer. As she approached, I suddenly found myself on guard, weary to her various machinations. She crouched down beside me, her knees pressed together before her feet as she stared straight at my face. My body subconsciously leaned away from her, as my eyes narrowed. After a quiet moment passed, I couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°You¡­ what are you planning?¡± She blinked once, before she said, ¡°Nothing really, I just thought I could help you make something. Remember how you had Hina helping you back at the school? I wanted to do something like that.¡± ¡°Okay, but like I said, I¡¯m not making anything right now¡­¡± She paused for a moment, her brow furrowing in thought, before she said, ¡°Well, I guess that¡¯s fine too. I actually came to hang out¡­¡± The corners of her lips slightly turned as she smile lightly, ¡°It feels like forever since we hanged out together.¡± ¡°Since when have we actually hanged out together?¡± ¡°Eh¡­ Don¡¯t be so mean all of the sudden, Hide,¡± Cher¡¯s shoulders dropped as she made an expression as if she had been wronged. ¡°You¡­ you¡¯ve been gone for so long, so I just wanted to¡­ um¡­¡± With the words caught in her throat, she fumbled and mumbled, before her voice slowly died out and morphed into quiet silence. I stared at her. Cher¡¯s shoulders were slumped down while her head was tilted towards the ground. Her fingers drew circles on the concrete ground, as she remained sitting by my side. It was obvious that she had no excuse, yet for some reason, still remained stubborn and unyielding. My gaze fell to the pile of scales by my feet. Their void like surface, as black as space, filled my eyes. These things can absorb impact, so maybe¡­ After thinking in silence for a while, I abruptly turned back towards Cher. I hesitated for a second, before I sighed underneath my breath and said, ¡°Well, I¡¯m free right now, so I might be able to repair your shield.¡± Cher¡¯s shoulders jerked up, before she suddenly lifted her head, leaned in and stared at me. Her face was less than finger¡¯s length away from me, while her eyes widened into a pair of bright, brilliant saucers. With a toothy smile on her face, she excitedly exclaimed, ¡°Really? Will you really fix my shield Hide?¡± I was caught off guard by how close her face was to me and momentarily blanked out. Her breathe was warm and tickled my cheeks like a soft feather. For a second, I could not breathe, think, or respond. Cher¡¯s eager words bombarded my ears and snapped me back into reality. I instinctively reared my back, as I coughed up a mouthful of spittle. I glanced at her through the corner of my eye, and for an instant, I had the desire to complain, but I suppressed it as I sighed once more. ¡°Yeah, I can fix it.¡± I said, ¡°Well, rather than fixing it, it might be more accurate to say I¡¯ll be improving your shield.¡± My gaze once again fell to the scales before my feet. ¡°I can use these scales to pad the inner lining of your shield.¡±Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. ¡°Why the inside?¡± Cher curiously asked. ¡°I¡¯ll be modeling your shield after the manticore¡¯s physical structure. Like how the scales were underneath a layer of thick fur, I¡¯ll put these scales underneath your original metal shield.¡± Originally, these scales were assigned with the task of absorbing physical blows and making sure none of that reaches the Manticore¡¯s insides. Lining them up inside will accomplish a similar task while at the same time, guarding against piercing and slashing attacks with the shield¡¯s original surface. In fact, since the shield was originally crafted from smelted Gila exoskeleton, which has an unusually high resistance to piercing and slashing attacks, while being weak to blunt damage, it could be said that these two materials were a match made in heaven. If I had the current ability, I might try to smelt Cher¡¯s original shield and mix it with some Manticore scales, but mixing metals together is a new process for me. If the resulting material is something that only retained the weak points, then that would be the same as burning money. I¡¯d be left with nothing but a defective problem and less resources. In addition, I don¡¯t know why, but it feels like Cher would vehemently resist if I was to propose this sort of plan. I shook my head, and turned back towards Cher. Her excitement from before was still present, in fact, it feels as if it had grown. She quickly asked, ¡°How will you line up the scales?¡± For a second I paused, before I shrugged and said, ¡°I don¡¯t know maybe duct tape?¡± Cher¡¯s expression paled at my nonchalant suggestion. ¡°You can¡¯t be serious, right Hide? Please don¡¯t do that to my precious shield, it was the first thing I¡¯ve ever gotten from you.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be so sentimental because of such a stupid reason¡­¡± I quietly grumbled before I moved to get up. Looking down at Cher¡¯s horrified expression, I could not help but sigh and say, ¡°It was a just a joke. I found some high durability glue from the store that we can use.¡± Cher¡¯s expression lightened, but still retained her earlier dejection. ¡°Don¡¯t worry so much,¡± I reassured, ¡°In actuality, lining up the insides of your shield isn¡¯t really that big of a deal. The scales won¡¯t be meeting direct contact, since they are shock absorbing tools which will primarily act as a cushion for the blows you¡¯ll be receiving. All that¡¯s really needed is to find a way to secure them in place, which the glue is perfect for.¡± After hearing my words, albeit unwillingly, Cher eventually nodded. ¡°Alright, if that¡¯s the case, then go get your shield while I go get the gather the necessary materials.¡± **** A few minutes later, Cher and I met back up behind the convenience store. Gathered before us were the necessary materials that I needed in order to improve Cher¡¯s shield. The scales, the high-performance glue, and of course, Cher¡¯s shield. For some reason, there was also a roll of duct tape mixed in. I wasn¡¯t the one who brought it here, so I was quite confused. When I looked over at Cher, her cheeks flushed red as her head lowered as if it were trying to cave in towards her body. She stuttered with little vindication, her shoulders shrugging helplessly, ¡°W-well, I thought you might need it¡­¡± I ignored her as I sat down on the hard concrete and proceeded to work. The overall process wasn¡¯t difficult, rather, I just needed to dismantle the straps before gluing the scale onto the back side of the shield. Considering the size of the scales relative to the shield, I needed to create a sort of pattern that would overlap evenly throughout the shield, while paying particular attention to the weight distribution. After some thought, I decided to start at the center before expanding out to the side. This way, most of the weight would stay concentrated on the center of the shield, which would inversely make the center the thickest and sturdiest part of the weapon. It wasn¡¯t difficult, but the process of gluing, and pressing down on the scale until it dried, as well as making sure they were properly aligned was quite cumbersome. As I worked, Cher crouched down beside me. She hugged her legs close to her body, while her eyes stared, fixated. Occasionally, they would travel to my hands, before wandering over to my face, and back down. I tried to ignore it, but the silence of the situation made it quite hard to focus. After a few minutes passed, I couldn¡¯t help but turn to look over at her, asking, ¡°Shouldn¡¯t there be something you should be doing right now?¡± Cher blinked, before she shook her head and said, ¡°Everyone¡¯s waiting for you to recover right now, so there¡¯s really nothing to do¡­ well, there are things like look out and training our Stats and Skills, but someone else is currently on lookout duty and I just finished practicing earlier today,¡± She paused, taking time to pull at the collar of her shirt. ¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯m so sweaty, you noticed right, Hide?¡± ¡°Ah, um, yeah¡­¡± I forcibly nodded, lowering my head to stare at the shield, not daring to look her Cher in the eyes. ¡°Well, anyway, right now, I¡¯m free, so¡­¡± Cher¡¯s words trailed off ambiguously as she shrugged her shoulders. ¡°That¡¯s why, is there something for me to do? I want to help you like how Hina helped you before.¡± ¡°There¡¯s really nothing for you to do¡­¡± In truth, this process was rather delicate, and having another pair of hands, inexperienced ones at that, would be detrimental rather than beneficial. ¡°If that¡¯s the case, then all I can do is sit here and stare at you.¡± Cher voiced out in a defeated tone as she sighed quietly. ¡°Er¡­ it¡¯s kind of creepy how you¡¯re just watching me.¡± Well, rather than creepy, it was distracting for another reason, but I did not voice out this complaint. Through the corner of my eye, I could see Cher pouting. She said, ¡°I can¡¯t help it, it¡¯s been so long since I¡¯ve last seen you, so I¡¯m not going anywhere. Just put up with it.¡± Her words contained a hint of finality, as she leaned back and sat down on the ground. Judging by her body language, it was apparent that she was determined to stay. I helplessly shrugged my shoulders, before I returned back to working on Cher¡¯s shield. After some time passed, I had finished properly aligning all the necessary scales. In the end, I used more than twenty scales, and it was no time to put the finishing touches. ¡°Cher, can I see your arm,¡± I asked while I fiddled around with the old strap on the shield. ¡°I want to adjust the straps and see if it needs tightening or loosening. Without much commotion, Cher reciprocated and brought forward her good arm. I moved to grab her hand, and the first thing I noticed was the softness of her arm, that perfectly hid the toned muscles underneath. I unconsciously squeezed her arm, and felt the supple flesh give way as the muscles underneath tensed and tightened. My hands continued to play with Cher¡¯s arm. Without me noticing, Cher peeked over at my almost expressionless face. Underneath my touch, I could feel her arm wriggling, an action that seemed like she instinctively wanted to resist, while at the same time, was reluctant to draw back her arm. Underneath the light of the blazing sun, her cheeks reddened while I could hear her breath grow just a tiny bit heavier. Being sensitive to this type of thing, I could not help but look up and scrunch my brow in concern. ¡°You okay?¡± I asked. Cher¡¯s expression momentarily faltered, as her lips opened and closed like a fish gasping for air. After several awkward seconds passed, she stammered out a response, ¡°Y-yeah, just fine, that just kind of tickled.¡± ¡°Oh, sorry.¡± ¡°No, well, it¡¯s not a bad thing¡­¡± After a while, I finished adjusting the straps and reattaching them to the shield. With a relieved sigh, I leaned back and nodded. ¡°How is it?¡± I light heartedly asked as I inspected the new window panel.¡±
Cher¡¯s Shield A well-crafted shield made with carapace of a Black Plated Gila. It is an unusual shield in that it both emphasizes defense and attack. It can be classified as both a shield with a sword attached, and as a sword with a shield attached. It has been reinforced with the scales of a Manticore. Damage: 50 - 85 + 85 Defense + 45 Strength +15 Agility + 50 Physical Resistance + 15 Magic Resistance +5 Vitality +5 Endurance Skill: Minor Physical Nullification Durability: 150/150 Level Requirement: 55 [Crafter Exempted]
The shield had some major improvements. The Defense and Physical Resistance stats rose by forty points while Durability increased by thirty. While the level requirement did increase, this didn¡¯t really matter due to the effects of Cher¡¯s class title, [Guardian], which helped lower the level requirement for shields and other related equipment. The best part was probably the fact that I unwittingly created the skill, [Minor Physical Nullification]. This skill was an active skill that could resist a portion of the damage one received from the shield, which was perfect for Cher. Cher¡¯s smile reached all the way to her ears, as she continuously nodded. ¡°Great, great, it¡¯s too great!¡± Seeing Cher¡¯s excitement as she stared at it wide eyed and groped and caressed it like a new born baby, I helplessly laughed to myself. I ignored her, and started cleaning up the things on the ground, when I remembered something. I lightly gasped, as I pounded a closed fist against my palm. If I recall correctly, Cher has been attaching a sword to her other arm¡­ ¡°Cher,¡± I turned back and called out to her. ¡°While I can¡¯t make a new weapon for your right now, I can adjust and improve the arm straps to that stupid sword harness of yours.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not stupid!¡± She instantly responded, her brows furrowing, while her attention completely shifted away from her shield and redirected back to me. After a moment¡¯s pause, she eventually said, ¡°Well, alright, let me go get it for you.¡± A little while later, she returned with her contraption in hand. In actuality, it was just a sword with a ¡°harness¡± attached to it. This harness was just a couple of belts and rope attached to it. Seeing it, I couldn¡¯t help but shake my head. ¡°Ah, well, I know it¡¯s not the best, but it works.¡± Cher squirmed around as she hurriedly handed the sword to me. Her cheeks were slightly red, while her head was lowered. I could tell she saw my disapproving stare and it made her a bit dispirited, but I paid it no heed, as I sighed and received the sword. I placed the sword by my feet, while I stretched out an open hand in front of her. With an almost lazy shake of my wrist, I said, ¡°Let me see your other arm.¡± Just like before, I wanted to adjust the straps to properly fit her arm. For the first time in a while, I saw Cher¡¯s distraught expression. It was only for a fraction of a second before her face returned to normal, but in my eyes, it was as clear as day. Cher was reluctant at first before she presented her severed arm to me. All this time, Cher¡¯s arm was wrapped in a layer of gauze and medical tape, so with careful hands, I slowly unraveled it. As the gauze quietly fell to the ground, my expression continually darkened, until it eventually morphed into a grimace. Cher¡¯s left arm, her severed arm was covered in dark, purple bruise marks and cuts. While most of it had healed, the scars they left behind were very distinct and clear. Normally, injuries and wounds would heal after someone restores their HP, but these were different. I could tell that these injuries were created by that improper strap of hers. They continually gauged and pressed against her skin, each swing of her arm, causing the material to dig deeper and deeper. Even if she healed it, even if she kept healing it, the wounds just kept piling on and on, day in and day out with no signs of stopping. Eventually, they resulted in something that I did not know could even exist within this new world, permanent scars. I figured this might be a special effect due to Cher¡¯s specific circumstances of having her arm continually being injured in the same exact place. Even now, the injuries looked new and fresh. If I recall correctly, Cher did say she just finished training¡­ she probably came directly here without stopping by Cielle to get it healed¡­ My hands softly glide over her arm, as my fingers traced over the various scars that dotted her skin. Seeing it, I felt conflicted. There was a dark, foggy, almost vague emotion that bubbled up deep in my heart and threatened to leak out my body. Cher, who noticed my quickly worsening expression, slightly lowered her head. She was silent for a while, before she spoke in a quiet, almost silent voice, ¡°The straps chaffed against my skin and whenever I swing the sword around, the hilt digs into my arm¡­ It¡¯s not usually a big deal, I just get it healed at the end of the day. It just looks worse than it actually is.¡± I did not respond back and only quietly nodded my head. After a while, my hands eventually stopped moving. I was sitting there, holding Cher¡¯s arm with in a limp and powerless grip. She noticed that my hand had stopped moving and attempted to pull her arm away, but the moment she did, my grip tightened. Cher slightly winced, a quiet hiss echoing through the air. My grip, as if in response, loosened. ¡°Did it hurt?¡± I asked in an almost inaudible voice. I head was tilted down, while my eyes were locked on the tiny and large scars that scattered her arm. I could not see the expression on Cher¡¯s face, but I could hear her light laughter. Her arm slightly moved, but showed no signs of pulling away. In a tone that screamed forced nonchalance, she said, ¡°No, it doesn¡¯t hurt. You just caught me off guard, is all.¡± I nodded my head in response. I rolled my tongue inside my cheeks, before I asked, ¡°Then¡­ is it hard?¡± ¡°Hard? What is?¡± ¡°Just¡­ this.¡± I lightly squeezed down on her arm. ¡°¡­¡± Cher remained silent for a long time, almost as if she were mulling over her response. After what felt like an eternity and a half, she eventually said, ¡°No, not really. It¡¯s just a bit difficult adjusting to a missing arm¡­ Even now, sometimes I go and try to grab something, only to realize that I don¡¯t have that hand anymore¡­ Ah, don¡¯t worry though, so far it hasn¡¯t affected my combat, so you can rest easy.¡± Hearing her words, and hearing her follow up response, I could not help but grimace, as a slight tinge of guilt panged within my heart. Almost as if to comfort me, Cher knocked on the top of my head. I looked up, only to see Cher smile lightly. She shook her head, and said, ¡°I¡¯m not complaining, so don¡¯t look so down. It¡¯s not like you. ¡°Actually, I should be thanking you, Hide. After all, if you hadn¡¯t done what you had done back then, then my situation would be a lot worse than a missing arm.¡± She lightly laughed, I could feel the slight vibration through the tip of her arm. ¡°Besides, you¡¯ve already done so much¡­ creating a new weapon specifically for me, giving me all those skills just so I wouldn¡¯t be a burden, even now, you¡¯re helping me out¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s so you can do your job properly as a pack mule¡­¡± I could not help but reflexively retort, which to my ire, resulted in another round of laughter from Cher. ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s right.¡± She said, ¡°Hide won¡¯t throw me away as long as I¡¯m not useless, so I¡¯ll make sure I¡¯m not useless.¡± I did not say anything in response, which, after a while, prompted her to continue. ¡°¡­Besides, I still remember that promise you made to me.¡± ¡°Promise?¡± I scrunched up my brow as I tried to recall. A memory surfaced from a dark corner of my mind. A memory that was quite recent in fact, yet felt as if it had taken place lifetimes ago. ¡°Yeah,¡± Cher nodded her head and said, breaking me out from my stupor. ¡°You said that you¡¯d find a way to fix my arm, remember? Maybe even give me a cool bionic arm that can shoot missiles and detach on will and stuff.¡± I could see the childlike enthusiasm hidden within her sparkling eyes. Seeing such an expression, I suddenly felt really stupid for worrying about her. I laughed, before not forgetting to retort, ¡°I never promised that far, idiot. How the hell am I supposed to make a bionic arm that can do all that?¡± ¡°Really? I was quite sure you did.¡± Cher said with a smile. ¡°Regardless, until you fill your promise, I¡¯m not leaving your side. Whether it¡¯s to the ends of the earth or hell itself, I¡¯ll be as persistent as a cockroach.¡± Her creepy grin suddenly faltered, as she tilted her head in thought, before correcting her statement, ¡°No¡­ even when you do fix my arm, I¡¯ll still be around, after all, I would have to repay you someday for fixing my arm.¡± Hearing her words, I frowned a mock frown, and said, ¡°So basically, there¡¯s no way to get rid of you then? Really like a cockroach¡­¡± Cher laughed in response. ¡°Unfortunately, that¡¯s right. Are you regretting saving me now?¡± ¡°No, but I am regretting meeting you.¡± ¡°Hey, what¡¯s with that.¡± Cher¡¯s expression faltered. ¡°This is the part where you say something nice, maybe something slightly romantic, but you go and insult me like that again¡­ It¡¯s not nice to say lies all the time, Hide. Sometimes you just say the words buried in that dark and scary heart of yours.¡± Seeing Cher¡¯s trademark pathetic expression, which I hadn¡¯t seen in a while, I couldn¡¯t help but smirk. ¡°Idiot, who says it was a lie.¡± Before she could retort back, I stood up. My grip on her arm fell as I grabbed her sword along with the several straps that littered the floor. ¡°I¡¯ll go fix the straps.¡± I stated, ¡°I can line them up with something soft, so they won¡¯t chaff so much, but there¡¯s a few things I need inside. You coming?¡± Cher crossed her legs, and leaned all the way back until her back was lying against the concrete ground. With a pout on her face, she firmly shook her head, and said, ¡°I¡¯m not going after all those mean things you said to me.¡± Hearing her response, and seeing her seemingly ¡°unshakable¡± resolve, I helplessly shrugged my head and walked back to the convenience store by myself. Underneath the light of the blazing sun, the smile on my face was as clear as day. Chapter 112: A Dying Resolution Chapter 112: A Dying Resolution A night and a day passed. By the end of the second day, the moon hovered just over the sky filled horizon. Soft lunar light leaked into the convenience store, cascading the room with faint luminescence. In a small corner of the room, in an inconspicuous spot where the invading light could not reach, I lay hidden underneath a pile of blankets and sleeping bags. The quiet sound of rustling sheets flitted to my ears as I tossed and turned. My eye lids were forcibly held shut, but my brow was creased in consternation. A slight feeling of restlessness, the vague sensation that I needed to do something. I couldn¡¯t get any sleep. This wasn¡¯t the first time that I¡¯ve felt like this. In fact, lately it feels as if I¡¯ve been getting less and less sleep. Tracing everything back, this change happened around the same time I recovered from my fight with the Manticore. I had a faint feeling that this was all related to my Vitality stat. Ever since my Vitality stat evolved, both the amount and frequency of rest that I needed drastically decreased, yet at the same time, I¡¯ve felt just as energized if not more so than ever before. I was experiencing twice the results in half the time, and while from a survival standpoint, this new change was appreciated, a certain part of me missed the long, quiet nights of inactivity and dream like solace. After some time passed, the slowly bubbling tension in my heart finally broke. I sat up right, my back leaning against the cold surface of the convenience store counter as I rubbed the irritation away from my face, and surveyed the room before me. The hair matted heads that poked out from underneath the sheets, the quiet sound of shallow breathing and chirping crickets, the resplendent light that illuminated the dark shadows, all these little features and many more came together to form a sort of otherworldly calm. It was an odd, peaceful scene that almost made me forget that the world had long since gone to hell. My droopy, slightly vexed gaze slowly wandered across the room before they stopped at the window to my right. I could see the moon hanging above the sky like a brilliantly shinning dot on a white sprayed black canvas. It only took me a moment, before I felt the sudden urge and stood up. I silently left the room and stepped outside, where the whistling wind and the smell of greased oil greeted me. I felt the rough concrete press against my bare feet, while the air which contained faint traces of the sea tickled my nose. It was a liberating sort of experience, and coupled with the brilliant backdrop of celestial bodies that hung above my head, I couldn¡¯t help but feel listless. A certain type of silence, the silence that only existed during a quiet night like this, entered my ears. I walked across the concrete, my feet aimlessly wandering. Past the roof that hung above the gas pumps, and beyond the parked Humvee, I walked to the road, feeling the slight change from concrete to asphalt with every step forward. Standing on the black beaten asphalt, with the seemingly endless field by my side, I could not help but recall my time with Cielle just a few nights back. She had helped me back then, supported me even through all my stupid decisions. But just before I could reminisce, I caught sight of a lone silhouette, standing a few dozens of meters away from me. My heart unknowingly tightened, before I recalled that someone was currently on watch duty. Remembering who it was, my creased brows eased. She should be the one¡­ I sighed lightly, the breath disappearing with the passing wind, before I took the initiative and approached the lone silhouette. A head of glistening blonde hair that seemed as if it absorbed moonlight. A figure that looked almost indiscernible amidst the shadows, yet revealed just enough to be rightfully labeled as mesmerizing. With her back turned away from me, the owner of the silhouette still hadn¡¯t noticed my approach. I briefly played with the thought of sneaking up on her. Imagining her surprised expression brought a slight smile to my face, but ultimately, I decided against it. After all, I don¡¯t want to accidentally get hit by a stray fireball or something similarly dangerous. With a shout that just barely won out against the billowing wind, I called out to her. ¡°Hina.¡± ¡°Hide?¡± She turned around, and slightly widened her eyes. ¡°What are you doing out here?¡± I shrugged my shoulders. ¡°Couldn¡¯t sleep. No big deal.¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± She nodded her head, and hesitated, before turning back around to look up at the sky. Almost subconsciously, I followed her gaze and tilted my head up towards the sky. The shimmering constellations, as well as the river of stars that formed the milky way seemed infinitely large. It was a sight you¡¯d never see in the city, and looking up at it, I felt small and insignificant. All the struggles that I went through, all the dangers that I experienced, all the people that died, all of it, at this very moment, they all seemed meaningless. Just a tiny spec within a vast, infinitely expanding universe. ¡°Did any monsters pop up?¡± I casually asked. ¡°No. The night¡¯s been pretty uneventful.¡± ¡°Why are you out on the road?¡± ¡°I thought I saw something moving in the fields.¡± She said, ¡°Turns out it was just the wind.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Our conversation naturally drifted into a long and silent lull. It wasn¡¯t the same sort of comforting silence that I sometimes shared with Cielle, but at the same time, I could not say it was an uncomfortable feeling. It was just something new, a different sort of silence, something that I wanted to take my time getting familiar with. I don¡¯t know how much time passed, before I heard Hina¡¯s faint voice drift towards my ears. Her words, were soft and even. Again, they were different from her sister¡¯s yet the faint resemblance was clear. ¡°What¡¯s on your mind?¡± She asked. ¡°Did something happen?¡± I instinctively wanted to respond with a firm, ¡°No,¡± but hesitated. Taking into consideration all my preparations for our encounter with Kagetaka port, and all my worries regarding Narise, a simple no would just be an outright lie. I paused for a moment, before I quietly chuckled. ¡°You can tell?¡± Hina slightly nodded her head. She craned her neck slightly towards me, ¡°I¡¯m not as good a judge of character as my sister, but I can still tell that something¡¯s been bothering you lately¡­¡± Cielle¡¯s a good judge of character? I don¡¯t know whether this statement was true or not, but I guess lately, I¡¯ve been counting on her a lot more, if that means anything. ¡°And also¡­¡± Hina continued with slight hesitation. ¡°The Gila¡¯s new¡­ um¡­ look¡­ it¡¯s difficult to ignore.¡± I briefly recalled Narise¡¯s little pet. After the incident that night, the Gila¡¯s neck had a very distinct scar around its neck, which was oddly more noticeable than the fact that its neck was the only part of its body without the usual white carapace. ¡°So, that¡¯s what gave it away, huh?¡± I sighed lightly. ¡°Like I thought, you did that?¡±This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work. ¡°Yeah.¡± I nodded my head. There was no point denying it. ¡°¡­Was it punishment for what Narise did back then with the Manticore egg?¡± ¡°Well, something like that.¡± I vaguely responded. ¡°¡­¡± Hina did not speak for a while, her head tilting back to face the sky, before she said, ¡°¡­ I¡¯m not going to tell you how to handle the others, but, just, I hope you don¡¯t¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t kill anyone?¡± I spoke with a slightly inquiring tone. ¡°Well, yeah.¡± She nodded. ¡°Why? Did you grow attached to them?¡± I asked noncommittally. ¡°¡­ There¡¯s that too, but¡­ I don¡¯t¡­ Killing someone is¡­¡± Her voice abruptly cut off as she lowered her gaze to stare at the floor. I also quieted down as my mind entered into a state of reflection. I thought about a certain event a long time ago, back when we were still in the dungeon. I had only heard second hand accounts of it from the others, but something important had happened that affected the whole group back then. It was something of which the repercussions still lingered to this day, and something that I¡¯ve failed to address out in the open. After what felt like an eternity, I finally said, ¡°Is it that you don¡¯t want me to kill people, or that you don¡¯t want to see people die?¡± Hina turned towards me, her face warped into an expression of confusion. With her brow scrunched up and her mouth slightly agape, she spoke, ¡°That¡­ aren¡¯t they essentially the same thing? Or rather, I don¡¯t want to see both.¡± I paused for a moment, tilting my head to the side, before I said, ¡°Then, let me restate my question; can you kill a person, Hina?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Her shoulders jerked up, her expression blanked. ¡°Why are you¡­? I, of-of course I can¡­¡± ¡°Back then¡­ at the dungeon, with Satou¡¯s group, I heard what happened back then¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Even if I blamed you for what happened, there¡¯d be no point¡­¡± I said with a light sigh. ¡°It¡¯s just that, if something similar were to happen again¡­ This time, can you do the right thing?¡± ¡°The right thing?¡± After a painfully long amount of time, Hina parroted with a slight laugh, her tone was low and contained a hint of self-deprecation. ¡°In that context, is killing people the right thing?¡± ¡°Yeah, it is.¡± I answered. The world had changed. That was clear as day, and along with it, humanity too, changed. The days where things like the law and basic human morals held everyone back was no more. It was now survival of the fittest, there was only one simple rule and it applied to everyone and everything. It was kill or be killed, devour or be devoured, in a lawless, loveless world like this, only the strong held the privilege of life. The rest had to climb a painstakingly cruel ladder up the hierarchy, in hopes of surviving. If one wasn¡¯t prepared to climb that ladder¡­ if one wasn¡¯t prepared to kill, then the inevitable outcome was falling. Of course, even though these were my honest thoughts, I felt slightly hypocritical about them. I knew that something inside me was also holding me back. Back then, I hadn¡¯t immediately killed Kido the moment I thought something was wrong with him, and even now, I still haven¡¯t killed Narise. In a sense, I could sympathize with Hina, but by no means did I think her lackadaisical attitude was good. I slightly turned my head and glanced at Hina from the corner of my eye. Her head was drooped low, facing the ground, while her hands were clenched into tight fists that were as white as paper. I hesitated, before eventually saying, ¡°When we go to the Port, I hope you can do what¡¯s right. I know you¡¯re hesitant about it, but¡­ the world¡¯s change, and we just have to adapt to it.¡± ¡°Adapting to this sort of world¡­¡± Hina¡¯s low whisper sliced through the whistling wind like an old rusted sword, entering my ears like grating sand paper. As if my words were the final straw that held her back, she exploded like an over filled water balloon. ¡°I don¡¯t want to.¡± She said. ¡°I don¡¯t like killing.¡± She said. ¡°I just want to go home.¡± She said. ¡°I want to whine and complain, and just curl up into a ball where no one can find me. Where none of this matter, where everything just stops, where all of my friends are still alive, where I can see my parents again, where I don¡¯t have to be used to the smell of blood or the sound of a monster screaming at me.¡± Hina¡¯s words spewed out like a broken damn, rushing out in the form of hurried, almost desperate babbling. It seemed as if all the thoughts, all the bottled up and suppressed emotions she had been burying inside her, just spewed out uncontrollably. She fell to the floor, her legs giving out and her arms dropping to her sides like a puppet with its strings cut loose. ¡°I know I have to get used to it, I don¡¯t want Cher¡ª I don¡¯t want someone else to get hurt because of me, but sometimes it¡¯s too much. Killing monsters is one thing, but when I have to do the same thing to actual people too¡­ I¡­ ¡°Even if you tell me to just do it, even when I tell myself to just do it¡­ I just¡­ I can¡¯t. Isn¡¯t there a better way than this?¡± She asked with her voice cracking and with tears in her eyes. ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± After several silent seconds, I replied honestly. ¡°I¡¯m not all that clever, I can only do so much after all. Finding a way to live in this world without killing people¡­ with my current ability, I can¡¯t make those types of promises. Only¡­ just adapt to what¡¯s in front of you. And if you can¡¯t do that, then¡­ just find a place to curl up in and hide and hope nobody with bad intentions stumbles across you.¡± An answer that wasn¡¯t really an answer. Hina looked up at me with a desolate expression. The answer she wanted to hear did not come out of my lips, and the longer she stared, the darker her expression turned. Accompanied by a series of hiccups that grated against her throat, a soft, broken laughter escaped from Hina¡¯s cracked lips. ¡°Sometimes I feel like you¡¯ve adapted to well to this environment, Hide.¡± She said. I could not respond to her statement, because I felt the same. Sometimes, I even felt as if I¡¯ve lived this way my whole life. As if the seventeen odd years that I¡¯ve experienced were nothing more than just a dream, and my real life only started within these last few months. ¡°It¡¯s scary.¡± She continued. ¡°It¡¯s really scary, but not because I¡¯m afraid of you, Hide, but because it feels as if you¡¯ve¡­ given up.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a weird way of putting it.¡± I spoke with scrunched up eyebrows, not fully understanding what she meant. ¡°Changing to match this new world, it¡¯s like you¡¯re playing by their rules, like you¡¯ve completely accepted everything that they throw at you as if it were normal. In the grand scheme of things, you lost.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know anything about winning or losing. I¡¯m just doing what I have to survive.¡± I solemnly responded. ¡°Well, I don¡¯t want to just survive¡­¡± Hina¡¯s voice was almost indiscernible through the buffeting wind. After a slight pause, she said, ¡°You know, Hide, when I first read that poster, when I first found out about Kagetaka Port, I was excited, but I wasn¡¯t excited because of the fact that there were more people that survived. I was excited for a completely selfish reason¡­ ¡°This might sound a bit stupid and suicidal to you, but I want to save someone. When I first left the Dungeon, and saw all those abandoned houses, I wondered whether there was anybody left to save¡­ but, that poster was something that gave me hope, something that allowed my stupid dream to live on. I don¡¯t know since when I¡¯ve had this desire, but as the days grow longer, that feeling only gets stronger. In a world like this where killing is slowly becoming the norm, being able to do something that contradicts with that common sense¡­ I want to experience that feeling. That way, I feel like, I can still live without losing just yet.¡± ¡°That really is a selfish reason.¡± I quietly spoke. A small part of me was amazed, but an even smaller part of me was envious of Hina. Someone like me who¡¯s struggling just to stay afloat, and struggling to barely maintain this group, those sorts of whimsical desires were too far out of my reach. Without knowing the thoughts that I harbored inside me, Hina continued unperturbed. ¡°No matter if the sky falls, and no matter how bloody the world gets, I don¡¯t want to lose this one thing¡­ This, this sort of emotion, if you can call it that¡­ It¡¯s not just about not killing someone, it¡¯s something more, something bigger, I think. Something more important.¡± Her lips opened and closed as she struggled to form the proper words that could properly convey the gushing emotion she felt within her heart. ¡°It feels like the faint flame of a flickering candle, something so meager, yet all the same, something unimaginably important. It¡¯s something that I have to vigilantly protect and endlessly fan, because I have a sickening feeling that the moment I drop my guard, it will just up and vanish¡­ And when it¡¯s gone, at that time¡­ I probably won¡¯t be me anymore.¡± Hina looked up, a forlorn expression plainly written on her face. ¡°Is any of what I¡¯m saying making sense to you?¡± I paused for a moment, before I spoke lightly, ¡°No, not at all.¡± In truth, I realized something. I realized that I had a misconception about Hina. Hina wasn¡¯t weak. She was just someone who stubbornly clung to a set of morals which went against the current way the world worked. It was something that she forcibly dragged over from the past, and still refused to throw away. While these morals make up the core of her conviction, and in some ways, gave her strength, at the same time, they became her weakness. It¡¯s not that Hina¡¯s weak, but rather, she just has a glaring weakness. In simpler terms, it¡¯s like Superman and Kryptonite. But no matter how strong those morals made her, in a world where everything was composed of Kryptonite, harboring such a thing was akin to seeking out your own death. In the future, I have a strong feeling that something will happen. Something will happen to Hina that will break her to the very core, something that will utterly destroy those morals of hers, and something that very likely traumatize her. I wanted to stop that possibility even before it happened. In a sense, I wanted to save her, but I did not know how. What could I possibly do that can convince Hina to let go? Continually nag her that killing people is okay? Repeatedly tell her that the longer she clings to those morals, the more danger it¡¯ll bring to her and the others? She knows this better than anyone else. She knows exactly why it¡¯s dangerous, and that¡¯s why she¡¯s so torn up about it. Simulate a situation where she needs to kill someone? Force her to kill? Let her get a taste of the consequences before she actually experiences it? She¡¯s already gone through this. Even after the incident with Cher, she¡¯s still like this. Forcing it anymore would just be useless, and even if I explicitly order her to kill someone, who¡¯s to say she¡¯ll listen? I don¡¯t know. I simply don¡¯t know what to do. Why was she stubborn? Why couldn¡¯t she do what I could do? Why wasn¡¯t she like her sister? Even if I ask all these questions, in the quiet of the night, no answer came. *Chapter 113: Strength Assessment Chapter 113: Strength Assessment One full week passed, and during an early morning, at a time when the sun barely peeked over the horizon, I woke up to the sound of a distant ding that rang out from deep within my head. Ding! Squinting through the haze of early morning dreariness, a soft smile appeared on my face.
Full Recovery! You have survived and recovered from a near death experience. Your experience and struggle has been recorded as a feat beyond human limitation.
This was the first window panel. I could see that behind the first one, there were others that accompanied it, but right now, I was too excited to care. Getting up, I stretched my body. A self-satisfied groan leaked out from my throat, as the sound of firework like cracks exploded out from my joints and muscles. Even without checking my status panel, I could tell that all the status effects that had previously plagued my body had disappeared. In its place was a level of excitement and energy that was almost impossible to replicate. It was a similar feeling to adrenaline, but instead of a short, momentary burst, it was a constant, accompanying feeling of power and strength. Well, in retrospect, this feeling might just be because of the difference between my fully recovered self and the me plagued by status effects, but all the same, it was a satisfying moment that I could not help but relish. It felt good to have my body back. Trying to calm my bubbling excitement, I took in a deep breath. Even the air I inhaled felt different from before. I laughed wryly to myself as I turned back towards the row of new window panels that dotted my vision. Looking past, the first one, I focused my attention and willed the one underneath it to the top.
New Title Acquired! Survivor You are as resilient as a cockroach! Surviving through life threatening situations one after another, be it strength, intelligence, or luck, you possess all the necessary qualities needed in order to survive in this harsh world. Effects: +10 Luck +5 Vitality New stat created: Perseverance
And odd smile appeared on my face. While receiving such a title, in the long run, would prove beneficial to me, I was feeling a bit conflicted over it. Ever since the apocalypse started, I¡¯ve experienced numerous life or death scenarios, more than I can count, in fact. To just now get this, it felt as if all my prior experiences, all the times I¡¯ve risked my life and barely survived through the skin of my teeth, it felt as if this System or whatever it was, it felt as if it was trivializing all of it. On what basis did the System base its judgement upon? Was surviving not enough? Did all my past encounters prior to my battle with the Manticore, were all those occasions of stress and danger inadequate? At this moment, I recalled Hina¡¯s words from before. Was I really playing by the rules that the System had laid down? Was it really okay to keep doing this? I clenched my teeth, before I shook my head and sighed. Thinking about all this was pointless. Just survive. After all, I can¡¯t possibly do anything once I¡¯m dead, can I? That¡¯s all I need to do, survive. Anything else is just extra baggage. Once I regained my calm, I turned back towards the window panels. I looked at it briefly, before I brought up the third one.
You have broken through your limit. Even Gods and Devils find it difficult to exceed their naturally given capabilities, yet you have triumphed over your own through sheer force of will and resilience. One of the criteria for [Level Break] has been reached. Out of the Ten Possible criteria, you only need to meet two more in order to perform a [Level Break].
Seeing this new window panel, I unconsciously frowned. I was seeing a new term for the first time; [Level Break]. While I had no clue what it meant, I had unknowingly met one of its criteria. While I felt a mix of unease and worried trepidation, at the same time, I felt that such a turn of events, even if they weren¡¯t necessarily helpful right now, at the very least, it didn¡¯t look to be something detrimental. Whatever [Level Break] was, I had a feeling that I would encounter it sooner or later. Right now, I could do nothing, outside of chasing nine criteria I knew next to nothing about. My time and effort would be better put to use tackling the more hands on problems that I currently had. With a sigh, I moved on to the next window panel. This was the last new notification that I received, so I came into it expecting something somewhat amazing.
Sensory Remapping + sub skill unlocked! Reaction Override ¨C Alter your perception of time. Warning: Use may cause strain to both your mind and body.
I blankly blinked once, before my already grinning lips widened even more. Improving a skill was a lot harder than simply leveling up. Things like unlocking a new sub skill, or discovering a hidden feature required fortuitous encounters, enlightenment, and stubborn perseverance. Seeing one of my most used skills undergo a sudden change, of course I couldn¡¯t help but get excited. Thinking back to it, this change probably came from my fight with the Manticore. Back then, under the extreme pressure of death, I managed to do something that I never once thought possible; I slowed down my perception of time. As a result of my efforts, I managed to kill the Manticore, but in return, I suffered an immediate and long standing back lash. In fact, along with my excessive use of [Lesser Draconic Boost], it was because of my overexertion of [Sensory Remapping] that I suffered such heavy and taxing Status effects. Back then, it wasn¡¯t just a simple case of overexerting my body, it was something more¡­ more important. I can¡¯t quite explain it, but I felt that this was probably the case. Regardless, in the end, this life or death experience and even the week and a half of recovery ended up with me reaping a few benefits. Right now, I felt my body itch. I wanted to exert myself. I wanted to punch and kick and run and jog, I wanted to use my body, to familiarize myself with my strength. With this growing desire quickly spreading through the back of my mind like an invasive strain of weeds, I could no longer hold back. After thinking for a while, I came up with a good idea. The best way to unload all this pent-up stress and desire was through battle. Looking around at all the sleeping heads scattered throughout the room, a small smile appeared on my face. **** ¡°Did you really recover, Hide?¡± Cher asked from beside me. She was currently equipping her shield and adjusting her straps. Unlike during the past few days, in which she¡¯s been dressed in rather light clothing, right now she wore a track suit and a pair of combat boots. An odd combination, but according to her, it¡¯s what worked best. ¡°Yeah¡± I nodded. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be doing this otherwise.¡± She paused for a moment, her expression changing as if to say ¡®that¡¯s right, isn¡¯t it,¡¯ before she dusted herself off, and stood up. The only weapon she had right now was her shield. Unlike when she fought the monsters before, she had opted out of using her sword harness. Knowing what was about to happen, she had made the call to focus all on defense today. ¡°Then that means we¡¯ll be heading to Kagetaka port pretty soon, right?¡± Off to the side, swinging around his sword as a warm up, the President lightly asked with a hint of inquiry. I could tell he didn¡¯t really care whether or not we went, but the slight glint in Hina¡¯s eyes upon hearing his question, did not escape my gaze. Seeing Hina¡¯s silent, but expectant expression, I slightly frowned. I hesitated for a moment before I shook my head, and replied, ¡°That¡¯s right. I guess we¡¯ll head over there soon, but before we go, we need to check where our current abilities lie. That¡¯s why we¡¯ll be doing something we haven¡¯t done in a long time; Mock battle.¡± Stretching out my arms, a resounding crack echoed through the air before it was carried away by the passing wind. The President¡¯s originally excited expression slightly faltered upon hearing it. ¡°That, although it sounds reasonable, fighting you upfront is kind of¡­¡± His words trailed off as he looked at me with an odd to discern expression. Seeing such a face, Cher nodded her head sympathetically. ¡°Yeah, Hide is scary even when he tries not to be.¡± Through the corner of my eye, I could see everyone nodding their heads in agreement. This was especially true for Kido¡¯s ex-friend, who was frantically bobbing her head up and down while her eyes glowed with rightful indignation. I coughed awkwardly, before I continued walking towards the road. ¡°In any case, are you guys ready? Is everyone already here?¡± I asked out loud as my eyes scanned the surrounding space. Under the heat of the glaring sun, I could see a few people dejectedly nod their heads. Right now, the people participating were Hina, Cher, Cielle, the President, and Minakawa. Narise and the other girl, while throughout the week, had learned the [Basic Fireball] skills that we had available, they were still far from being combat ready. They stood to the side underneath the roof of the gas pumps, acting as today¡¯s audience, while the usual fighters prepared themselves for the coming battle. Looking around, I could see everyone was present, with the exception of Cielle. I wasn¡¯t impatient though. I waited, and after a few minutes, she walked out of the convenience store. Seeing her, my excited expression momentarily faltered. Cielle was different than usual. The girl who regularly dressed in heavy sweaters and long pants regardless of heat or weather, was currently quite out of character today. She wore a thin white t-shirt and pair of matching black hot pants. These pants only traveled to the upper portion of her thigh, and left a large portion of white, porcelain like skin exposed. Despite my initial reaction, this wasn¡¯t the most striking aspect of her. What was most striking was her hair. Cielle¡¯s usual mess of hair was styled in a ponytail that repeatedly swung back and forth as she walked. Without the curtain of black hair blocking the view, a well-proportioned face, with clear, dark brown, almost entirely black eyes, and rose tinted lips, was revealed. Without a doubt, Cielle was someone who did not lose out to her sister in terms of both beauty and appeal. Is she trying to distract me during the fight? While this thought briefly entered my mind, I quickly shook it off upon seeing Cielle¡¯s eyes focus in on me. I coughed in hopes of further dispelling any lingering thoughts, before I said, ¡°Okay, now that everyone¡¯s hear, let¡¯s get started.¡± After my words, everyone started walking out from underneath the shade and into the bright blazing light that lit up the outside world.Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. Seeing everyone position and ready themselves, I slightly dipped my head in a nod, while I casually checked my Status Window.
Status Window
Name Mayo Hide
Age 17 Race Human
Level 49 Gender Male
Titles Pioneer, Psychopath, Dungeon Explorer, Monster Hunter, Survivor
Health 580 (31) Health Regen. 0.03 / Sec
Mana (unavailable) 580 (31) Mana Regen. 0.015 / Sec
Stamina 880 (331) Stamina Regen. 0.055 / Sec
-
Strength 140 (31) Agility 217 (31)
Greater Vitality 150 (36) Dexterity 125 (31)
Intelligence 26 (31) Wisdom 76 (31)
Leadership 0 (23) Luck 0 (33)
Defense 50 (31) Accuracy 20 (31)
Physical Resistance 9 (31) Magic Resistance 7 (31)
Endurance 10 (31) Perception 5 (31)
Insight 5 (31) Perseverance 0(31)
-
Skills
Equip (Active) Identification (Active) All Heal (Active) Dissection + (Active) Sensory Remapping + (Active) Searing Armor (Active) All Purpose Crafting (Active) Butcher (Active) Shadow Sprint (Active) Amphibian (Active) Lesser Draconic Boost ++ (Active) Ferocity (Active) Body Maneuver (Passive) Dagger Mastery (Passive) Blunt Weapon Mastery (Passive) Sword Mastery (Passive)
Current Status Effect(s) N/A
Unallocated Points 0
During our escape from the neighborhood, I managed to gain two levels. And with it, along with all the points I received from killing the Manticore, I mainly increased my Strength, Agility, and Greater Vitality. Looking at it objectively, my stats are a bit disproportionate, but that didn¡¯t quite matter since most of the low numbers are the extra stats that I managed to acquire outside of the original stats. While it was good to increase them, in my case, they were just bonuses that would help me, and not something necessarily important for my survival. In any case, most of my stat points were centered on Strength, Agility, Dexterity, and Greater Vitality. In short, you could say I was trying to min max my stats, but that isn¡¯t quite the case seeing as I have some investment in both Intelligence and Wisdom. Luckily, unlike in a typical RPG, in the real world, there was no such thing as a useless stat. Even if I don¡¯t specialize in magic, Intelligence and Wisdom still increase memory and reaction time. Overall, due to all my accumulated titles, and all the bonus points I gained from killing Elites and Boss class monsters, my stats were greatly inflated for someone of my level. With a strength approximately 17 times greater than a normal human, if an average person could lift 100 pounds, then theoretically, with my current strength, I could lift just a little less thana ton in weight. In this respect, with my agility at 248, I could run a hundred meters in less than a second. In fact, if my math isn¡¯t wrong, then I could run a hundred meters in under 3/4ths of a second. My current body had long past the realm of human understanding. I looked over at the others around me. Earlier today, I had inquired about their current levels. Due to all the combat they experienced while I was away, most of them had broken through level 40. Only Cielle, who didn¡¯t really participate in battle was stuck at Level 39, and Minakawa, who had a low level to begin with and just now reached Level 31, were under Level 40. Hina had the current highest level at 44, while Cher and the President, were both respectively at 41 and 43 The level gap between the others and I was quite low, but in a real battle, it was a combination of stats and skills, that decided life or death. ¡°Everyone ready? Cielle?¡± I asked, specifically pointing out Cielle, who had just recently arrived. After a round of nods and agreements from everyone else, Cielle slightly dipped her head as she positioned herself directly opposite of me from a distance of close to forty meters. ¡°Then, let¡¯s start.¡± With my light words as cue, everyone around me moved into gear. Cher, the President, and Minakawa all jumped forward, quickly approaching me with their weapons raised high. In the meantime, Cielle and Hina channeled their magic and were already preparing to shoot out their spells at a moment¡¯s notice. Seeing everyone¡¯s ¡°enthusiasm¡±, I couldn¡¯t help but be slightly taken aback. Although I previously stated that this mock battle would be a free-for-all, to think that they¡¯d all unscrupulously gang up on me the moment we started¡­ I let out a light chuckle. Regardless of the situation, my expression remained upbeat and positive. This was what I wanted. I wanted to push myself. I wanted to see how strong I currently was. As everyone quickly approached, I raised my own weapon up in front of me. Right now, I was only using one weapon, and it was not one of my usual weapons. The object in my hand right now was a simple hunting knife, something I scavenged from Cielle¡¯s apartment building. It had mediocre stats, but that didn¡¯t matter right now. In this fight, I did not want to rely on weapons, nor on the boosts I received from [Equip]. With my own body, with no skills, nor inflated stats, I wanted to see how far I could go. The first to arrive was the President. His body was pulled close together, as he shot out like an arrow directly towards me. The tip of his sword was pointed directly at my chest, while a dark green flame enveloped the blade of his sword. I could tell, that this flame was from his newly learned skill, [Nether Flare]. With a slash of his sword, a wave of fire erupted out. Even without direct contact, I could feel the scolding heat scorch through the air. Seeing the malicious shade of green quickly approaching, my expression remained calm. In the blink of an eye, my body moved. I disappeared almost instantaneously, but unlike usual, this wasn¡¯t a result of [Shadow Sprint]. Kicking off the ground with explosive strength strong enough to slightly fracture the asphalt beneath my feet, I immediately sprinted towards the President. My body posture was low, and it looked as if I was hugging the ground as I ran. The scalding hot flames buzzed past my head, before I shortened the distance between the President and I in less than a fraction of a second. Seeing me approach, his eyes slightly widened, before he gritted his teeth, and swung out with his sword. Seeing this, instead of meeting his blade, I chose to bypass it. My legs once again exploded out with explosive strength. My original speed increased once more, and I entered the President¡¯s attack zone in a blink of an eye. His sword was still a few inches away from me, and was still swinging forward from the side. I got up close enough where the only thing that would hit me were his flailing arms. Right now, due to my close proximity, even if he wanted to retract his blade, he couldn¡¯t. With precise movements, I jabbed out at the President¡¯s sword wielding wrist with the hilt of my dagger. The sudden impact, caused the President¡¯s grip to loosen, and by the time his full swing had finished, his sword had flown out from his hands and soared a good twenty meters forward. ¡°Ah¡­¡± With wide eyes and a slightly dumb expression, the President looked at his weapon in dismay, before he turned towards me. Before he could speak, a sudden force sent him flying backward. I had kicked the President directly in the stomach, and sent him rocketing towards Cher¡¯s current location. Seeing the mass of human flesh rapidly approaching her, Cher¡¯s eyes slightly narrowed. Maybe it was because of all the times I¡¯ve used this method during our mock fights in the past, but she showed no traces of panic. She slightly adjusted her posture in mid step, all the while she tilted her shield slightly upward. The moment the President¡¯s body reached her, she lowered her stance, before immediately pushing up with the base of her shield. The President hit Cher¡¯s shield square in the center, but due to the specific way it was positioned, and because of Cher¡¯s sudden push up, he was flung into the air, continuing his flight backwards like a stone that had been skipped through the surface of a lake. A resounding scream of pain erupted forth from the President¡¯s flapping lips, to which Cher responded with an insincere ¡°Sorry!¡± She turned back towards me, a smug expression plainly written on her face as she continued forward. Seeing such an expression a slight tinge of¡­ pity rose up from my heart. Using my maximum speed, I shot out once more, this time heading directly towards Cher. I jumped forward, my legs leading the charge while my body slightly stalled in the air directly in front of her shield. She did not have the time to react, as I retracted my legs and kicked out. It was a blisteringly fast drop kick aimed directly at the center mass of Cher¡¯s shield. I heard a faint groan, before her body shot backwards like a freshly released cannon ball. She was going several times faster than the President, and soon over took him before her body tumbled and rolled across the open asphalt. Not waiting for her to recover, I quickly stood back up and turned my attention over to Cielle and Hina. As usual, the duo was positioned far back, at least a good forty to fifty meters away from me. Unfortunately for them, with my current speed, this distance was all but negligible. Just as I prepared to dash forward. The earth beneath my feet trembled. A bad premonition instantly sounded out in my head, before I immediately jumped to the side. Three walls made out of earth and asphalt shot out from the ground. They formed a triangular cage around the area I had just been in. A cold chill went up my spine, but just before I could act, my skin started to itch. At first it was a mild irritation, but soon, the itch started to fester and increase in severity. The itch quickly transformed into burning pain. It felt as if my skin had been cut open, and someone had poured salt all over them, before setting it all on fire. And as if that wasn¡¯t bad enough, my nose, throat and lungs started to ache. It felt as if someone had taken a cheese grater and grinded it all over the insides of my body. I coughed heavily, as I struggled to crane my neck over to Cielle. With an expressionless face, she stared at me with her ponytail fluttering across the turbulent winds and with her hands slightly raised before her. Just like I thought¡­ This was a tactic that Cielle and Hina had used on me in the past during a mock training battle back in the Dungeon. Back then, tiny particles of broken up [Black Gemini] scattered through the air, and surrounded me in a painful, wide spreading attack. While this attack was truly effective, there had been plenty of limitations to it, especially back when Cielle and Hina were first learning how to use it. The biggest limitation was probably the fact that it couldn¡¯t be used outside of confined space, otherwise wind and other outside factors would quickly blow away the scattered [Black Gemini]. Now, apparently, the duo had gotten over this limitation. As to how, there was only one method I could think of; Hina. She had mastered wind magic to the point where she could keep the tiny particles of [Black Gemini] from being blown away. Without the earlier limitation in place, this combo attack of theirs would prove to be quite deadly. In fact, this would have been especially true had this fight been a real one, and not mock training. If Cielle had imbued [Black Gemini] with [Acid Clad], then¡­ just thinking about it sent shivers down my spine. Being melted from both the inside and outside was certainly no pleasant experience. Feeling the growing irritation in my lungs and throat, I could not help but let out a low groan. I could have easily gotten over this predicament, had I just simply used [Sensory Remapping] to block out my sense of pain, but like I said previously, I did not want to do that. I wanted to fight this fight using only my physical body, and even now that goal was still clear in my heart. Without hesitation, I grimaced through the pain, before I leaped straight into the sky. My body flew five, ten, twenty meters into the air, before I started to fall directly where Hina was standing. Within the unpolluted airspace, the irritation on my skin quickly faded, but the turmoil and aching in my lungs and throat still persisted. I took in a giant gulp of fresh air, before I exhaled loudly. The pain lessened, but the ache did not completely disappear. Fortunately, it was down to a manageable level. My body quickly plummeted to the ground. Hina looked up into the sky and stared directly at me. Her face twisted into a grimace, before a giant fireball grew in front of her. The fire ball was mainly orange in color, but wisps of dark green fire circled around it. They exploded out from the ever-expanding ball of flame, sending out a slew of flickering fire that quickly retreated back into the ball. It looked like a mini sun, and the heat it emitted felt just as hot. Receiving it head on, was bound to injure me, but for some reason, I was strangely confident I could take it on. Without hesitation, I twisted my body in midair to the point where I was now directly falling with my head pointed to the ground. Just before I entered the billowing wisps of flame, I crossed my arms in front of me, hoping they could receive the brunt of the impact. My body was fully immersed in fire. It felt as if I was swimming in lava, and I could feel my skin physically fry and burn. It was hot, it was dangerous, and it was painful, but it was not deadly. This was not because Hina held back, but rather because of my stats. More specifically, [Greater Vitality], which acted as a sort of catch all, for physical resilience, endurance, and health recovery. Along with my extra defense related stats, [Greater Vitality] helped mitigate most of the impact. As a result, I came out the other side of the ball of flame with only minor, 2nd degree burns to show for it. On the other side, I saw Hina¡¯s eyes widen in surprise. Before she could react though, I immediately bolted forward, and tackled her to the ground. Of course, because of our difference in stats, I held back a great deal of strength, but it was still enough to incapacitate her. She let out a low groan and writhed in pain on the ground. Without paying her any regard, I stood back up and assessed the battle field. Right now, the only two people remaining were Cielle and Minakawa. Throughout all this, Minakawa barely had time to react. Although she followed Cher and the President during their initial rush forward, she had lagged behind due to her speed, and by the time she had arrived at where I previously stood, both Cher and the President had already been incapacitated. In the time during Cielle and Hina¡¯s joint attack, she still could not do anything. Seeing her current expression, I could tell she was feeling a bit helpless at this point. It was unfortunate, but I couldn¡¯t really blame her. From the start of the battle up until now, less than thirty seconds had passed. This was a high-speed mock battle that couldn¡¯t really be called a battle. If I may be blunt, then rather than a battle, this was more me letting out some long-accumulated stress. Without hesitation, I pushed off with my foot, and moved towards Minakawa. She opened her mouth as if to scream, but by then it was already too late. In less than a second, I had already cut the distance between the two of us. Instead of kicking her like I had done with the President and Cher, this time, I grabbed onto her arm and shoulder. Minakawa¡¯s expression slightly changed, and for a moment, the light of confusion glinted out from her eyes, before I lightly grunted, and threw her forward. A scream muffled by the roaring wind echoed through the air as her body flew like a descending comet. She shot out straight towards Cielle, who had previously surrounded herself in a layer of [Black Gemini], in hopes of guarding against my coming attacks. Unfortunately, for me to beat her, I did not even need to approach her. It seemed as if Cielle too had realized this, as her eyes widened upon seeing Minakawa¡¯s rapidly approaching body. Without hesitation, she tried to jump to the side, but Cielle was too slow. Minakawa¡¯s body entered the protective layer of darkness, where her screams grew a notch louder, before she collided with Cielle. The two flew forward for a good three meters or so, before they came tumbling to a stop on the asphalt beneath. With the battle over, I stretched out my arms and sighed in relief. Looking around, bodies were flung everywhere from a distance of dozens of meters away. In particular, was Cher, who had somehow ended up somewhere in the open field of grass and weeds. The only indicator to her presence was the low groan of pains she let out every now and then. Comparatively, everyone else was doing just as bad. With the exception of myself, the rest of the group was sprawled somewhere on the floor, groaning and moaning in pain. Seeing their current state, I could not help but feel a tad bit sorry for them. Of course, this sort of emotion took up only a small, tiny part of my heart. The rest of me was caught up in excited jubilation. The feeling of being able to freely move through the wind, of using my arms, legs and body to explode out in superhuman strength, it was all a very familiar and welcomed rush. With a slight smile on my face, I quietly spoke to no one in particular, ¡°It¡¯s good to be back.¡± Chapter 114: The Port by the Sea Chapter 114: The Port by the Sea Kagetaka port was located on the west side of Setoha island. Geographically speaking, the island itself was located on the East China sea, somewhere in between South Korea, Taiwan, and Japan, with the island being a little closer to Japan. In this regard, Kagetaka port was facing west, towards the neighboring country of South Korea. The port was the second busiest location on the island, and despite being detached from the main city, it still held a sizable population and an extremely busy traffic flow. In fact, it could practically be labeled as another city in and of itself, rather than an extension of the main city. Due to the influx of tourists and other overseas guests, there were plenty of hotels and inns located near the port. Warehouses that could house thousands of tons of items and supplies were also located near the docks. In this regard, Kagetaka port was almost a perfect safe haven for the apocalypse. A place that could provide good housing, as well as an almost near infinite amount of supplies. Because of the island¡¯s prime location, as well as its importance in foreign diplomacy, working by the port was a profitable business. Money and products worth millions, if not billions, in revenue would flow in and out of the narrow portside almost daily. This amount of profit also doesn¡¯t even take into account the business from the nearby airport, which was located just a few miles away from the port. One of the port¡¯s largest sources of incomes was tourism. Outside of being a place that entertained foreign dignitaries and overseas shipping companies, it was also a prominent stop for a lot of cruise ships. In short, Kagetaka port was a busy place with both tourists and workers mingling alike, fulfilling its role perfectly as an intermediary for places like mainland Japan, Taiwan, Korea, and even Australia. In even shorter words, it was a very important place. Of course, the emphasis here is on the word, ¡°was¡±. With the apocalypse sweeping through the land, the port of Kagetaka was only a shadow of its former self. Those inns and warehouses that could house numerous people and items, were now broken and destroyed. The docks had probably long capsized, even the airport, in all likelihood, was destroyed. Of course, up until now, this has all been just conjecture. It is what has likely happened, rather than what has definitively happened. I wouldn¡¯t find out for sure until we¡¯ve actually visited the place. In the best-case scenario, the port had somehow survived, and a number of refugees and survivors were currently holed up in there. If I remember correctly, despite being a place for tourists, there is a small residential area for people who work near the port. This residential area, while not as big as the places around the inner city, was still well maintained, and housed a good number of people. If the port was still standing, then this place would most likely become the heart of the refugee center. In terms of worst case scenarios, I could think up of two. One scenario was that the place was completely, and utterly destroyed. Monster infested with all vestiges of humanity and civilization having all but abandoned the location. The second scenario was that the port was being used as a honey pot. It was a trap to gather any survivors from the island, maybe orchestrated, with high likelihood, by other survivors, or, with low likelihood, by monsters with intelligence. These were the things that plagued my mind as our group made our way towards Kagetaka port. The route to the port, unlike my thoughts, was actually quite quick and easy. After hopping onto the main highway, the distance we needed to travel was less than ten miles. If we traveled by car, we could have reached the place in less than twenty minutes. Yet, despite this, we did not travel by car. Rather, along with the Humvee, most of our supplies had been left behind. Under my behest, I instructed everybody to hide some of our stuff, burying it somewhere close to the convenience store. This was a form of precaution. If things went bad, and something happened during our visit to the port, then having more stuff would only weigh us down. In addition, if we ever did need to escape from the port, it was a nice reassurance knowing that we wouldn¡¯t be completely empty handed. Right now, the only thing with us were the clothes on our backs, and our backpacks. If this had been before the apocalypse, then our little group looked no more than a group of teenagers who were preparing to go hiking up a mountain trail. But while extra precautions were always a good thing, this did not mean that they did not have their downsides. As a result of my vigilance, what should have been a trip that would have taken no more than twenty minutes by car, had ended up being something that would take us close to four hours to traverse. While I¡¯m not all that bothered by this distance, it does affect the others, especially those without a lot of stats invested in strength and endurance. In addition, this did not take into account the number of monsters that we ran into on our way there. As expected, things weren¡¯t as calm and quiet as they had been back when we were in the convenience store. While not as dangerous, or as numerous as our time back in the residential district, there were quite a few monsters that attacked our group as we made our way across the highway. At least three different species of monsters attacked us. Two of them were reptiles, while the last one was something modeled after an insect. The two reptiles were [Level twenty Scaled Raptors], and [Level 40 Lesser Armored Basilisks]. They had ferocious names, and were equally as aggressive whenever we encountered them. Out of the two, the Scaled Raptors were the weakest of the bunch. Even Minakawa was capable of soloing one of them, and battling two on equal grounds. The Raptors looked kind of like chubbier, shorter versions of the velociraptors from the Jurassic period. They were as tall as a twelve-year-old child, had claws the size of knives, and had a frightening reaction time. These things would have been a dangerous threat, but fortunately, because of their disproportionate weight, their actual speed couldn¡¯t match with their reflexes. In contrast, the Armored Basilisk was the strongest monster I probably ever ran into ever since the apocalypse first started, outside of Boss Class monsters, which were in a whole other league by themselves. We only ran into three of them, but each one was an Elite monster. Despite being a Basilisk, it was something that did not look like a snake, or even resembled a serpent. It was a stout monster with a thick layer of dull grey armor. Its face looked vaguely reptilian, with beady eyes and a wide jaw. It had eight pairs of legs, and a tail that was twice as long as the rest of its body. With a single swing, it could crush cars and shatter concrete with ease. Maybe because it was related to the Basilisk from myths, which were rumored to be capable of killing a person with a single glance, but the Lesser Armored Basilisk also had a type of eye attack. It had a paralyzing glare which could momentarily freeze a person in place for a certain amount of time. The time frozen depended on the certain individual. When it used that glare on Narise, she was frozen for a solid five minutes. When Hina was afflicted she was frozen for twenty seconds. Cher was paralyzed for five seconds. When I was hit, the paralysis lasted for less than half a second. This might not seem like a significant amount of time, but in a battle of life and death, that half a second could spell disaster. Luckily, this ability had a severe weakness, it could only affect the person if they made direct eye contact with the Basilisk. Although killing it took a bit of effort, with the group¡¯s combined efforts, it was a manageable task. In fact, when I soloed one by myself out of curiosity, it only took about a minute and a half to kill it. The last species of monster was probably the most troublesome opponent we faced. [Level 15 Red Plated Worker Ants]. Its name described almost everything about the monster. It was a giant ant the size of a large Doberman with a red exoskeleton. Individually, it was a weak monster, but its individual strength wasn¡¯t really what made the Worker Ants dangerous. The monster¡¯s real prowess lied in its size of number. In short, they were monsters that attacked in groups, or more specifically, they were monsters that retaliated in groups. Our first encounter with the species was during halfway through our trip, where we encountered a solitary Worker ant moving across the highway. It was idling around, searching through the abandoned cars that scattered the road side. Without much thought, I killed it. Unfortunately, that turned out to be a big mistake. Not even ten seconds after the Worker Ant died, a red stream of Worker ants came gushing out from the nearby fields. I think they originated from somewhere underground, considering the fact that there was nothing in the fields of grass before they came out. If it was only ten or even twenty Worker ants, then they wouldn¡¯t have posed much of a challenge, but when a number close to three hundred came rushing out, then it was trouble. Our first encounter was one such case, and we barely managed to escape thanks to the combined efforts of large scale, area-of-effect attacks by Hina, Cielle and the President. After our first encounter, we racked up quite a few potions and drops, but that¡¯s besides the case. After thinking things over, I think the reason for their relentless attack was because of the release of hormones, or something similar. When I killed the first Worker Ant, I caught whiff of a faint smell coming out from the Ant¡¯s green, viscous blood. That might have been what attracted the other Worker Ants and incited them to attack us. I¡¯m not all too sure, but regardless, I¡¯m thankful that, after the first instance, we never had a second. I did get curious whether or not the Worker Ants had a giant Ant mound somewhere underground, or whether or not they had a Boss Class Ant Queen type monster, but of course, that was simply curiosity, just curiosity. I wasn¡¯t bold enough to climb down the hole where they came out of and check for myself. After a trip that took the majority of the day, the sun had started to set, but off into the distance, I could see the vague vestiges of¡­ of something. Using [Sensory Remapping], I dumped everything into my vision until I could finally make out the structure that lay just a little bit ahead of us. It was a barricade. Well, although I say that, it only vaguely resembled a barricade. It was nothing really too complex. Plainly speaking, it was just a structure hastily constructed using a few buses as the base. On top of the buses was a layer of wooden planks and steel beams. Connecting the large vehicles were some barb wire, and wired metal fences. With my current strength, breaking through it was a simple matter. In fact, I could probably ignore the whole thing and just jump over the structure with relative ease. Seeing the structure, a form of anticipation welled up in my heart. I blinked once, my vision returning back to normal, before I turned towards the others behind me. ¡°We¡¯re almost there.¡± I spoke. ¡°I can see the entrance from here¡­ if I were to make an estimate, then I¡¯d say we are approximately about a mile away.¡±Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. Hearing this, I could feel the tension within the group rise. Audible gulping, sweaty hands, pale faces, the signs were all too clear. The minute traces of excitement were apparent, as well as the obvious anxiety that lay hidden underneath. If I were to call it hesitation, then there would be plenty of that as well. ¡°Is everyone ready?¡± I asked. I do not receive vigorous assurance, but neither did anybody refuse. Seeing this, I nodded my head. ¡°Then, we¡¯ll stick with our earlier plan. Remember, be cautious, we still don¡¯t know whether or not the people there are friendly.¡± I thought quietly to myself that the ones that were overly friendly were all probably the ones we needed to look out for the most, but I did not say this out loud. ¡°Remember, stick to the plan.¡± I repeat once more, just as my eyes unconsciously gazed over towards the President. Seeing my expression, his face stiffened as a bead of sweat trailed down the side of his cheeks. He audibly gulped before he breathed out a heavy puff of air. A slight fog blurred the lenses on his glasses, before it quietly subsided. He tersely nodded. Seeing his response, I nodded as well. We continued walking. The President¡¯s strides grew longer and more pronounced as he slowly made his way to the front of the group. At the same time, I shrugged my shoulders and grabbed onto the straps of my backpack with both hands. I quietly hunched over, my steps shrinking and slowing down until I was firmly at the back of the group. I received the President¡¯s backpack, and hauled it on my back along with my own. With my posture still intact, and my eyes firmly fixated close to the ground, if someone were to look at me, then I¡¯d probably come off as weak and unassuming. I probably looked like a porter, or a servant, or maybe a gopher. In comparison, the President was entirely different. He slapped his face until his cheeks turned red. The expression on his face hardened as he regained his composure. After staring back one last time at me, he turned his gaze towards the front. His back was arched straight, and his steps were wide and filled with power. He was acting like a total bigshot. This little play that we were putting on was another form of precaution. Not only would pretending to be a side character open up more room for me to act independently, it also acted as a sort of detection mechanism. If the people from the port fell for this little act, then that was all fine and good, but if someone were to pay me any attention, even despite my current appearance, then that signified one of two things. The first was that they had a skill similar to [Identify]. If there was a person with the ability to see through my stats, levels, or skills, then I could immediately identify that person through their reaction. Another possibility was that they had good instincts. It seemed ridiculous to say this out loud, especially after living a life in a society firmly embedded in empirical observation and scientific truths, but someone might be able to sense how strong another person is, or at least have some form of vague idea. Something like a strong person could identify another strong person, or sensing the aura of a strong or ¡°This guy¡¯s leaking killing intent,¡± in either case, if someone was able to judge how dangerous I was with only a single glance, then it was obvious that that person wasn¡¯t exactly simple. Out of the two possibilities, I would rather have the former. Of course, if I had my way, then I¡¯d chose neither possibilities. Five minutes passed. Ten minutes passed. After fifteen minutes of silent walking, the barricade quickly came into view. We had decided before hand to just walk directly towards the Port. Being overly cautious and sneaking around might arouse suspicion after all. We talked about it briefly, or rather, we talked about it a lot, especially regarding how we would approach the port. After much deliberation, we finally decided that just knocking on their front doorstep was the best option to take. That was also partly the reason why we traveled across the main highway. I figured the main highway would be the most likely entrance to the port, considering it was the only road that led out towards the city. It looks like my guess wasn¡¯t wrong. As we approached the barricade, my eyes vigilantly scanned the vicinity of the area. While keeping my head lowered, my eyes glared past the overgrown hair that fell in front of my face. I looked around, searching for any signs of life, be it monster or human. Our group stopped just a couple of meters away from the barricade. The wind whistled past the area, but no other sound could be heard. After a tense couple of seconds of silence, the President stepped forward. He hesitated for a second before he walked towards the barricade that blocked the entirety of the highway. I don¡¯t know how effective the barricade would be at blocking against intruders, but at the very least, I was confident that it could not hold back an Armored Basilisk. At most, it might be able to repel the Raptors, but that was it. Against a strong, giant monster, or against a group of hundreds, then it was as useful as a sheet of paper. ¡°Is anybody here?¡± The President shouted in a large voice. A few more seconds passed, but there was no response. He was about to open his mouth and yell one more time, when I caught the faintest trace of movement inside one of the buses. Seeing, this I quietly nudged Cher, who was standing in front of me. She glanced back, and saw where my eyes were pointing at and immediately understood what I was trying to say. ¡°Prez, there¡¯s someone here.¡± She whispered below her breath but loud enough for the President to hear. He briefly turned his head before nodding. His hand slowly moved towards the handle on his sword. ¡°I¡¯m asking again, Is anyone here?¡± He spoke out loud once more. The atmosphere grew tense. Those amongst the group who held great expectation for Kagetaka Port all drew in silent gulps of air. Through the corner of my eye, I could see Cielle¡¯s indifferent expression, which greatly contrasted her sister¡¯s yearning eyes that glowed with a faint bit of hope. Another five seconds of silence passed before the movement within the bus escalated. After a pause, I could make out a brown head of hair from behind one of the glass windows. I noticed with some intrigue that the windows had been lightly smeared with mud, making it difficult for anybody looking outside to notice what was going on inside. Seeing that nobody had yet to respond, the President spoke out once more, this time in a deliberately impatient tone. ¡°If nobody responds, then I¡¯ll just break through this barricade.¡± ¡°Wait, wait!¡± A muffled scream came out from inside the Bus. ¡°Don¡¯t be so hasty! We were just caught off guard, is all! I¡¯m coming out now, I¡¯m coming out now!¡± After saying such, the bus vigorously shook before it stopped moving all together. After a few seconds, someone came running forward from behind the wired fencing. He was a pudgy guy with greasy, overgrown brown hair. A pair of sunglasses, with one of its lenses cracked, was on his head, acting as a sort of hairband that kept his hair away from his circle shaped head. There were red and brown stains on his shirt, but it was apparent that his clothing had been recently washed. They did not give off that grime covered appearance and distinct stench that I had grown used to in the last couple of weeks. Glancing past him, I could see somebody else. There was a head of black poking out from behind the bus, but they were far too obstructed for me to properly make the person out. ¡°What do you mean caught off guard?¡± The President asked with interest upon seeing the circle shaped individual walk forward. ¡°I mean that I never expected there¡¯d be¡­ other people left.¡± The guy bitterly laughed. His belly shook with each chuckle, while I could see the dark grey object strapped to the side of his hip. My eyes momentarily narrowed upon seeing it. It was a pistol. If I recall correctly, there should be a police station near the Port¡­ A form of excitement and anticipation erupted out from my heart. How exactly would [Equip] influence modern day firearms? I couldn¡¯t wait to answer this question. ¡°It¡¯s been nearly three months since the world ended.¡± He spoke liberally, his hands smoothly moving to the holster by his side while his face revealed the apprehension he was currently feeling. ¡°In the first few weeks, we¡¯d get plenty of survivors from the main city flowing into this little place, but after the second month passed, there¡¯s been no one else¡­ well, almost no one else. I¡¯m usually here to guard this place out of formality¡¯s sake, but as expected, we never get any more refugees or survivors, and the monsters don¡¯t go here too often, so it can¡¯t be helped that I was caught off guard. Besides, who told you to come here when I sleeping?¡± He spoke with discontent in his voice, almost as if he had been personally wronged. His facial expression morphed exaggeratedly as if to express the grievance in his heart. ¡°Next time, send me a heads up before you come here and start threatening to destroy this barricade that I put my blood, sweat and tears into building.¡± He grumbled out loud as he shook his head and sighed. The flow of the conversation had gone into a weird direction, and it was apparent from the President¡¯s facial expression that he had not expected this kind of nonsensical guy to be the first one to greet him upon arriving near the Port. Thankfully, right now, I was pretending to be a lackey. I escaped the tiresome job of being a leader, and took this time to leisurely use [Identify] on the guy.
Level 19 - Henry Isuzu HP: 280/280 MP: 280/280 Stamina: 280/280
Ever since [Identification] increased in level, I¡¯ve been able to collect more information from it, but as expected, it was still quite lacking. It would be convenient if it could also point out the target¡¯s weak points, but that was probably asking for too much. Judging by this guy¡¯s name, he was probably a half. Considering the type of people who live on this island, that wasn¡¯t too uncommon. The thing that peaked my interest was his level. Level 19¡­ I still don¡¯t know whether that was considered high or low, especially with nobody else to base it off of aside from our group. Unfortunately, our group wasn¡¯t exactly the perfect frame of reference. ¡°What brings you guys here?¡± Henry, the pudgy guy asked as he looked at the President with bags underneath his eyes. After recovering from his earlier surprise, the President nodded his head and spoke calmly. His words were rehearsed and flowed out consecutively without pause. ¡°We came from the outskirts of the city and saw a poster that said that this place was safe. We came here hoping that was true.¡± ¡°Poster? Ah, there was that sort of thing.¡± The pudgy guy nodded his head after thinking for a while. ¡°Hmm¡­ judging by how skinny you look, you all probably came here hoping to mooch off our food, right?¡± ¡°Um¡­¡± ¡°Well, whether or not that¡¯s the reason, I don¡¯t really care.¡± The pudgy guy shrugged his head. ¡°Our place was built on a gathering of survivors, so of course we¡¯d welcome other survivors, it¡¯s just that¡­ you all¡­ you all are kids?¡± He spoke with a tone of surprise as he squinted his eyes and almost practically pressed his face against the metal fence that separated us. ¡°Actually, we¡¯re high schoolers.¡± The President corrected. ¡°Regardless of your age, I¡¯m honestly surprised.¡± He spoke with the same tone of astonishment from before. ¡°Despite how young and handsome I look, I¡¯m actually twenty-seven this year. Kids¡­ not a lot of children survived, and that includes teenagers as well. In fact, if I¡¯m not remembering things wrong, then I¡¯d say I¡¯ve actually never seen anybody close to your age walking around here.¡± The President¡¯s expression turned odd, as he smiled bitterly. His statement wasn¡¯t all too surprising, considering all the high schoolers had been trapped inside the school up until now. Out of everyone there, we were the only ones who managed to survive. That¡¯s eight out of more than three thousand people, less than a one percent survival rate. And while there was another high school within the city, that was located on the other side of the island, so it wasn¡¯t too surprising that this guy never ran into another high schooler after the apocalypse. The real issue here was whether or not our age will play a factor in the future. Will knowing that we¡¯re high schoolers matter? What if the group living here has some sort of grudge against teenagers ages 16 to 18? I¡¯m probably being too paranoid about this whole thing, but still, I can¡¯t stop the worst-case scenarios from popping up in my mind. I shook my head and turned my attention back to the conversation between the President and the pudgy guy. ¡°Well, in either case, I¡¯d say you guys came to the right place.¡± He spoke with a friendly smile. ¡°The port has a lot of people from all over the island, and as fellow human beings, it¡¯s only natural that we stick together in this time of danger.¡± The President remained silent and simply nodded his head. ¡°Although I can¡¯t let you in with my level of authority, I¡¯ve already sent someone to the port to tell everyone about your guys¡¯ arrival. While it¡¯s a bit troublesome, and kind of excessive in my opinion, it¡¯s what the higher ups want, so there¡¯s no two ways about it. Just wait for a few minutes. Ah, but when they do get here, you absolutely can¡¯t tell them that I was sleeping in on the job, okay? If I do find out¡­ just wait and see how I¡¯ll take care of you.¡± The President ignored the glare that was coming his way, and dipped his head slightly in a nod. ¡°Alright,¡± he consented. ¡°We can wait.¡± As if a huge weight was lifted off of his shoulders, the pudgy guy sighed and sat down on the ground with a grunt. He frisked around on his back pocket before pulling out a crumpled cigarette. He looked up at the President, and smiled a toothy smile. Through the folds of fat on his face, I briefly noted that he had a missing upper tooth. ¡°My name¡¯s Henry. It might be premature of me to say this, but welcome to Kagetaka Port.¡± Chapter 115: The People of Kagetaka Chapter 115: The People of Kagetaka A few minutes after Henry¡¯s greeting, I could see a few people running towards us from the direction of the harbor. The faint scent of salty sea water drifted towards my nose, as a group of three people quickly came into view. From a distance, I could barely make out their appearance. The first person was a man with a plain appearance. He had overgrown, dark brown hair that reached down past his cheeks, and an unshaven face. A patch of curly, dark brown hair, wrapped around his neck and lower jaw. His level was twenty-four. To the right, there was a woman dressed in an old police uniform. A collared shirt and matching black pants, topped off with a shining police badge on her left breast. Her originally white shirt, was tainted heavily in old blood stains. These stains had long seeped into the fabric of her outfit, to the point where it was impossible to remove them even with soap and water. Like Henry, she had a gun strapped to her hip. Her level was twenty-five. Last but not least, there was a man who ran in the middle. He was wearing a sleeveless shirt, which revealed a pair of muscular, bronze colored arms. His face appeared chiseled, but worn down due to stress and fatigue. Deep wrinkles ran down the side of his cheeks, while dark circles covered his eyes. I could see a metal long sword strapped to his back. Its sheathed edge swung with every step that he took. He gave off a sort of guild master like atmosphere, the type you¡¯d normally find in a real fantasy world. At level thirty-five, his level was the highest out of the approaching trio. They stopped a few feet in front of us. Their gazes were filled with a mix of caution and interest. I paid particularly close attention to the old man in the middle. His eyes narrowed as he scanned each and every one of us. For a second, my shoulders tensed up as his eyes hovered over me, before they moved on and landed on the President. I breathed out a sigh of relief. I looked over at the remaining two. Judging by their initial reaction, it did not seem as if there was anybody with an [Identify] skill. Their status windows didn¡¯t have anything out of place either. As my thoughts continued to churn, the President greeted them. ¡°Hello, we escaped from the residential district, and saw a flyer about Kagetaka Port, so we came here.¡± He repeated his original greeting with Henry. For a moment, their group was silent. The old man in the middle continued to gaze down at the President. He was a good head and a half taller than the President, so he was literally looking down on him. After a while, he squinted, before asking, ¡°How old are you?¡± ¡°Seventeen. I¡¯m a high schooler.¡± He answered honestly. There was a slight fluctuation in the old man¡¯s expression. ¡°You really are just a kid?¡± He asked with a tone of shock. ¡°Well, calling me a kid¡¯s kind off¡­¡± The President scratched his cheek as he put on a helpless expression. ¡°I¡¯m certainly younger than you, but from my perspective, I don¡¯t think I¡¯m a kid.¡± The old man ignored his words and continued to speak one-sidedly. ¡°This Port used to be a busy place, filled with foreign business men, and various dock workers. Someone younger than twenty was a rare sight even then, much less now. Out of all the people here, there are only about three people below twenty. One of them¡¯s a toddler.¡± ¡°The other one is my sister.¡± The policewoman from earlier spoke with the same tone of wonderment as the old man. Her eyes had a hint of gentleness that was more pronounced than the other two. ¡°How did you guys survive this long?¡± This topic of conversation was something I predicted earlier. We had rehearsed previously, and depending on our initial views on the people from Kagetaka, we had planned a response accordingly. Right now, I had my own ideas regarding these people, but the current judgement was left up to the President. After a slight pause, he answered, ¡°¡­ Someone was protecting use before. He went missing a few days ago, so we decided to come here instead.¡± Hearing this, the policewoman from earlier put on a regrettable expression. ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry. I didn¡¯t think it was such a sore subject.¡± ¡°Did he run away?¡± The plain faced man who was silent up until now, asked with interest. ¡°Hey, you can¡¯t just-¡± The policewoman spoke out, but was interrupted by the man from before. He raised his hand up to cover her mouth, before he shrugged, and stated, ¡°I¡¯m just curious. You don¡¯t need to be so sensitive all the time. Just trying to stay alive is already stressful enough, I don¡¯t need you making it worse.¡± ¡°You!¡± The duo was on the verge of quarreling, a familiar sort of atmosphere drifted around them, as if such a scene of argument was common place around here. They would have probably started fighting had the old man in the middle not intervened. ¡°That¡¯s enough you two. At least have some propriety in front of new people.¡± The old man tiredly sighed as he glanced at our group. In response, the President shook his head and smiled, but remained silent. ¡°You kids, what are your levels?¡± The old man asked. ¡°I¡¯m level 25.¡± The President responded with our predetermined response after I secretly passed on the information about his level. If you¡¯re asking how I did that, then it was pretty simple. Three taps on the floor with my foot meant thirty. After a pause, five taps meant five. In total, level thirty-five. ¡°Hoh... twenty-five huh, you¡¯re pretty strong.¡± He said admiringly even though he was ten levels higher than him. ¡°Being that strong, especially after living out there is no easy feat for anyone, much less someone of your age.¡± The President amiably smiled, ¡°I¡¯m the strongest one in my group, so I had to fight often in the front lines.¡± The old man nodded his head. After a moment, a strange glint flashed across his face. He stared at our group with a complicated expression, his mouth opening and closing several times as if he wanted to say something, but couldn¡¯t. After some hesitation, he eventually asked, ¡°¡­ You guys should have originated from the high school, right?¡± The President nodded. ¡°We were in class when the apocalypse happened. We spent¡­ quite sometime there.¡± ¡°We don¡¯t get a lot of survivors from near that area, so I don¡¯t know what happened there, and I don¡¯t really care, but¡­ Do you know someone named Masaumi?¡± Hearing an unfamiliar name, the President frowned and shook his head. From the dark expression on his face, I could tell what he was thinking. If he wasn¡¯t with our group, then this Masaumi was probably dead, buried under a pile of rubble and concrete back at the school. ¡°No, I don¡¯t know who that is.¡± He spoke, before adding in a slight whisper. ¡°Even back in the cafeteria, there was nobody by that name¡­¡± After a moment, he shook his head, and turned back to look at the old man. ¡°Was he a student from the school?¡± The old man shook his head. ¡°No, he was a teacher¡­ a bit skinny, his hair is kind of curly, and he wore glasses. He¡­ was my son.¡±If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°No, don¡¯t mind it. I never expected anything in the first place. That idiot¡¯s probably¡­¡± A heavy sigh leaked out from his throat, before he looked at the President again. ¡°I don¡¯t care much about what happened in the past, but since you¡¯ve escaped here, then it¡¯s only right to welcome you in. We¡¯ve never once rejected any survivor that came from the city. Although your level is high, this place is relatively safe, so your level won¡¯t matter much around here. Unless you choose to go out on your own, then having a high level is practically pointless, after all, although things are like this now, we still used to live in a civilized world, so deciding things by strength isn¡¯t how things get done around here.¡± The policewoman by his side nodded her head. She slightly bent her knees, and leaned in. The corners of her eyes creased into a pair of crescent moons as she gently smiled. ¡°I want you guys to understand. I¡¯ve heard a lot of things about the city from the people who trickled in here, but this place, at least in this place, I want you guys to remember the past. ¡°This place has rules, order, and laws, but most importantly, it¡¯s safe.¡± I unconsciously frowned. A little bit ahead of me, I could hear a slight sound coming from Hina. Her eyes had a faint wetness to it, while her lips quivered in a slight smile. After the police woman spoke, the man with the plain face nodded his head. ¡°My best advice here is to pretend like you¡¯re in the past. We¡¯ve had one too many guys trying to solve things by force, and it never ended up well for them.¡± ¡°Well, this is just an early warning. I¡¯ll give you guys a real introduction later after you¡¯ve come inside, and cleaned yourselves up a bit.¡± The old man said. I don¡¯t know whether it was because of our age, or because of the memory of his son, but the old man¡¯s gaze had softened. After giving our group another once over, he turned towards the other two and nodded. The duo returned his nod, before the old man continued. ¡°Welcome. My name is Tojo. I¡¯m sure it was a long trip over here, but don¡¯t worry. This place is safe. Come inside. Henry,¡± He waved his hand towards the chubby man. Henry, who saw this momentarily blanked, before he vigorously nodded and ran towards the fence. ¡°You guys are lucky.¡± Henry spoke with a toothy grin as he fiddled around with the fence. His tone had a hint of amusement to it. ¡°If this were a zombie movie, we¡¯d be inspecting you for bite marks. You¡¯d probably be put in quarantine for a few days. Luckily, the only thing we have to fight against are monsters. Everything would be perfect and all, if it weren¡¯t for the fact that bullets don¡¯t always work on a lot of the monsters out there¡­¡± ¡°You¡­unbelievable¡­¡± The policewoman sighed, before she angrily said, ¡°Quit trying to scare them and hurry up and unlock the fence already!¡± ¡°Alright, alright, jeez, it¡¯s the same everyday with you.¡± He groaned out loud. ¡°No wonder nobody has any interest in you. With your temper, their all afraid you¡¯ll shoot them with that gun of yours!¡± The policewoman¡¯s temper flared up, and just as she was about to step up and kick the guy, Henry suddenly jumped out of the way with surprising nimbleness. A second later, the lock and chain fell to the ground with a loud clatter. ¡°Now, come inside, come inside!¡± Henry vigorously spoke as he jumped from side to side five feet away from the policewoman. ¡°Right¡­¡± Seeing, the scene that had just taken place, even the President¡¯s usual composure was broken. He was hesitant, before he nodded and stepped forward. Even I wasn¡¯t unaffected by the group¡¯s merriness. There was a certain sense of incongruity around the people from Kagetaka. Almost like they were a bit too happy, which was unbelievable, considering the situation the world was currently in. The President swung open the fence and walked past the gates. The rest of the group slowly followed, trickling into the guarded area of the port city. The policewoman greeted each and every one of us as we entered. She was met with varying responses, depending on which person it was that she greeted. For example, Cielle gave a cool and distant nod, while someone like Hina actually went out and hugged her. I was the last person to enter, and the policewoman greeted me the same way like with everyone. She patted my shoulders, and gave me a reassuring smile. ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡± She said, ¡°This place is definitely safe. And if anything does happen, I¡¯ll be sure to protect you!¡± Although her words were rather positive, they fell on deaf ears. At that moment, the only thing on my mind was whether or not I could steal the gun on her hip. **** We were led to a small neighborhood that had less than forty houses. We were told that this place was the main refuge for all the survivors that had gathered in Kagetaka Port. This was evident by the extra layer of steel fencing that wrapped around the perimeter of the area. While Tojo and the plain faced man went somewhere to handle another matter, the policewoman was the one who guided us to our new home. She told us many things, but most of it were inconsequential information, and came in one ear and out the other. The few important things that she did say, I committed to memory. For one, there were only about three hundred people here. Considering the total population of the port before the apocalypse, then that was a survival rate of less than 1%, a pretty morbid statistic if you asked me. The second piece of information that I remembered was that this place had been up ever since the start of the apocalypse. That meant that the living conditions that these people experienced had stayed relatively the same ever since it all started. While we were struggling to survive in a dungeon, being hunted down by monsters left and right, the people here were protected and safe, hiding out in this neighborhood like a pack of underground moles. The third and probably most important piece of information was that Kagetaka port had a steady supply of food, at least for the time being. There was a granary close by that held a few hundred tons of threshed grain. It was enough to feed a population of three hundred for a few years. In addition, they also had a lot of nonperishable goods stored away in bulk in the warehouses near the harbor. Those goods were originally meant to be distributed throughout all the stores and markets within the island. Unfortunately, the apocalypse had happened, and all those goods were abandoned. In short, this place was practically perfect, a paradise on earth. We eventually arrived at a small house located near the far end of the neighborhood. It was a bit far from the rest of the occupied houses, and the fencing was directly behind us, but that was fine with me. Rather, I felt safer knowing we were somewhat separated from everyone else. ¡°You can use this place for the time being.¡± The policewoman explained. ¡°I¡¯ll go bring a few daily necessities in a while, so you all can just unwind and pack your things. Later tonight, I¡¯ll come back and bring you to the main house. We¡¯ll have dinner and I¡¯ll introduce you to the rest of the survivors.¡± She left while waving her arms goodbye. ¡°Shimazawa is a good person.¡± Hina spoke with a smile on her face as she closed the door behind her. ¡°Was that her name?¡± I asked uninterestedly as I unpacked the things on my back. Hina, who was oblivious to my earlier statement, nodded enthusiastically. ¡°I think this place is good, Hide. They have food, shelter, and people. It¡¯s a good place for us to stay.¡± ¡°¡­¡± I thought about her words. Instead of replying to her, I turned towards everyone else. ¡°What do you guys think?¡± ¡°I-I like it here.¡± A timid voice answered from near the back of the room. Judging by her tone, I could tell it was Kido¡¯s old childhood friend. Minakawa, who was standing right next to her, also agreed, nodding her head vigorously as she started unpacking the few things that she had brought. "Well, I don''t." Narise answered with a huff, as she placed the backpack that she had been carrying on the ground. "My Wiesse isn''t here. If you hadn''t had told me to leave him in the convenience store, along with a bunch of food, then this place would have been a hundred times better." Although she had an unresigned expression on her face, in the end, she had agreed to this condition when we left. The only concession I had to agree to was that we''d go back for it before the food we left ran out. Ignoring her, I turned towards the rest of the group. ¡°I agree with Hina.¡± Cher answered after a slight pause. ¡°There doesn¡¯t seem to be anything particularly wrong with the people here, at least not anything that I could see. Did you catch anything with your skill, Hide?¡± I thought about the information I had gathered from [Identify]. There was nothing out of place or particularly extraordinary about their stats. In addition, nobody seemed to catch on about my true level. The people that we had come across were ordinary. They weren¡¯t fearsome, or weak, just plain ordinary. ¡°What about you, Prez?¡± I turned towards the President. ¡°You were the one who interacted with them the most today. What did you think?¡± Hearing my question, the President frowned. He turned up to look at the ceiling, as he tilted his head in thought. After a moment of silence, he responded, ¡°I don¡¯t think there¡¯s anything too hostile about the people here, it¡¯s just that, something about them is bothering me¡­¡± ¡°Oh?¡± I raised my brow at his statement. ¡°What¡¯s bothering you?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t put my finger on it, just that¡­ something feels off.¡± After thinking some more, he shrugged his shoulders helplessly. ¡°I don¡¯t know how to describe it. How about you, Hide? Do you feel the same way?¡± ¡°¡­Yeah, I do.¡± I answered without hesitation. ¡°At first, it bothered me too, but after thinking about it a bit, I finally figured out what was bothering me. ¡°The people here are too easy going. Their disposition is a bit too positive, especially compared to what we¡¯ve experienced. I don¡¯t know if that¡¯s the effect of being with a large group, or having enough supplies to the point where they don¡¯t have to worry about anything, but in a sense, it¡¯s amazing. The fact that they can stay so easy going makes me wonder whether or not the same apocalypse that destroyed our world affected the people here in Kagetaka port.¡± ¡°Then, do you think it¡¯s a bad thing?¡± Hina asked. ¡°Their way of living, as if their still in the past, do you think that it¡¯s really such a bad thing?¡± ¡°¡­¡± I did not answer. After some more thought, I turned towards Cielle, who was standing right next to me, and asked, ¡°And you, Cielle? What do you think?¡± ¡°Whatever you decide to do, I¡¯ll follow.¡± She answered perfunctorily. Hearing her response, I could not help but blow out a puff of air and sighed. ¡°Well, for now, let¡¯s stay for a bit, and decide things later after we¡¯ve got a better hold on the situation. Like Hina said¡­ I don¡¯t think there¡¯s anything particularly wrong with the people here¡­¡± Just that, if I were to point out one thing, it feels as if I¡¯m caught up in the calm before the storm. Chapter 116: An Extravagant Dinner Chapter 116: An Extravagant Dinner When the sun started to set, the policewoman from before, Shimazawa, came back to pick us up. She had invited the group over towards the ¡®Main House¡¯ for dinner. The Main House was just the name she used to describe their main base of operations, where all the big wigs and people in charge of Kagetaka port were located. Although I used the word invited, I was more than certain her invitation wasn¡¯t something we could refuse. We obediently followed her. As I stepped outside the house, I noticed that the orange hue of the fading sun light casted a shadow over the small neighborhood. Within the narrow streets, the houses and buildings, the street lamps and the sign posts, nothing seemed damaged. A quaint, almost surreal image of a neighborhood during the last days of summer. It felt as if this place was untouched, like a remnant of the past era of civility and safety. After a few minutes of silent walking, the sound of laughter and talking soon drifted towards my ears. Amidst those human sounds, I could hear the sound of occasional music, a noise I had long forgotten. An upbeat pop song that sounded familiar intermixed with a heavy rock song and a classical instrumental by a famous composer. It was a chaotic clash of varying genres, but yet, such a sound brought a tinge of nostalgia to my heart. Fighting against the encroaching darkness, lights were set up around the nearby pathway. The street lamps weren¡¯t working for obvious reasons, but simple torches, fashioned out of long wooden sticks with charcoal or gasoline coated cloth on one end, were used as a replacement. These torches resembled Hawaiian tiki torches and helped set a more festive atmosphere. Shimazawa brought us to a cul de sac located in the middle of the neighborhood. There, on the large stretch of asphalt and concrete that lay in-between all the houses, people had gathered. I don¡¯t think all three hundred of the Port¡¯s residents were here, but there was a good majority of them. At least a hundred people, maybe more, had gathered together. There was a small bon fire in the middle of the cul de sac. The smell of food drifted throughout the air, and enticed the budding hunger in my stomach. If I looked closely, I could see the people passing around food from a giant pot near the bon fire. Meanwhile other people danced, and helped keep the fire going. Looking past the festive scenery that these people were currently acting out, I could see a large house near the center of the cul de sac. The house was almost twice as big as all the other houses around it, and the architecture that decorated its outsides was an obvious notch above the rest. With a garden that still looked maintained even after all that had happened, it wouldn¡¯t be an exaggeration to call it a mini mansion. That house was our current destination. As Shimazawa had explained earlier, that was where Tojo and a few other people lived. That was their base of operations. Shimazawa instructed us to follow her as she quickly moved in the direction of the house. As we passed through the cul de sac, she waved at the people around her. Those people, in turn, waved back. At the same time, they gave our group a few probing and curious glances. The intensity of their stares wasn¡¯t hostile by any means, rather, it was one filled with curiosity, and¡­ camaraderie ? I don¡¯t know exactly how else to describe it, but being on the receiving end of those stares gave me an odd feeling deep inside. I noticed that these people were eating quite a lot. Canned goods littered the ground, while rice and freshly cooked bread was as numerous as the grains of rice stuck to the corners of their lips. There was no fresh vegetables or meat amongst the meals offered, but I could see that they had quite the variety. Ranging from steamed rice, cooked bread, canned meat, canned tuna, canned peaches, canned peas, they had a lot of canned goods. In addition, I also saw the occasional cup ramen being passed around. While these things weren¡¯t exactly surprising, seeing somebody pop open a can of soda was enough to make my mouth salivate. I carefully scrutinized each person that we passed by. Surprisingly, I discovered that the average level of the people here ranged at around fifteen. Except for a few exceptions, which comprised of a few aged elderly people, and a small toddler that ran around the street with his pants down, there was nobody else present whose level was below two. We were lead inside the house, and after walking past a giant hallway that was decorated with 19th century art, we eventually found ourselves in a spacious dining room. The luminescent chandeliers that hung from above were shining brightly, making me wonder whether or not this house was powered by an old generator. There was a wooden table in the center of the room where an assortment of foods was gathered. Seated at the edge of the table, was a familiar looking face. With aged wrinkles that ran down both of his cheeks, the guild master look alike, Tojo, stood up and greeted us. The plain faced man from earlier today was also there, along with a few other people. Their levels were low in comparison to the others, so they were probably important people from the Port who managed things like logistics and other non-combat related stuff. After Shimazawa motioned us forward, we sat down and began eating the food that they had presented before us. As we ate, Tojo asked us a few questions regarding our past. Things like where we came from, and what we did before the apocalypse, usual questions someone would usually ask when confronting a stranger. While the rest of us remained silent and continued eating, the President answered each of his questions with a certain sense of calmness. Without losing his cool, he answered all the questions presented before him with his signature taciturn smile. His experience as a student council president really shined at times like this. It was to the extent where I already forgot what the President¡¯s real name was. That was just how bright his currently halo was shining, and completely not because I did not know his name in the first place. In response to Tojo¡¯s questions, the President asked his own. A few of these questions were ones that I had specifically instructed him to ask in order for me to gain some insight on the things that I did not know about regarding Kagetaka port. As an introduction, the President asked a seemingly ordinary question. He asked about the original circumstances of the port, and about how everything had ended up as it was now. And although Shimazawa had touched up on this briefly, he also asked about the food supply. Logistics style questions such as where all the food came from, and how long their current supply would last, were things I was curious about. Lastly, he asked what I felt was the most important question of them all. He asked about the monsters and about how severe their encounters with the monsters were. Things such as the risk of a monster invasion, or about how strong the general level of the creatures here were, was a vital piece of information that I did not feel comfortable not knowing. As if he had been prepared for these questions, Tojo answered every single one rather calmly. ¡°On the first day of the apocalypse, like everyone else, we were assaulted by monsters.¡± He explained as he took a sip of expensive tea that he had brewed midway through the dinner. ¡°When the clouds of black smoke had wafted across the sky line above the main city, Kagetaka port was facing a similar tragedy. On that day, a lot of people had died.¡± As his pupils shifted in recollection, I could see the visible grimness form on his face. To a lot of the people here, memories of the past were a painful thing to remember. Tojo¡¯s brow creased as wrinkles formed on his forehead. After taking another sip of his tea, he sighed and continued, ¡°The nearby police station was hit the hardest. On that day, it had become a spawn point. Monsters, one after another, continued to spew out of it as if that place had become the very entrance to hell itself. Miss Shimazawa here can attest to this fact.¡± He motioned with a nod of his head towards the policewoman. In response, Shimazawa gravely nodded her head as her expression turned gloomy. ¡°I was working behind the desk when it happened.¡± She explained. ¡°When the sky darkened, there was massive chaos. Almost a hundred monsters materialized at the same time. I think I might be exaggeration this point a little, but to me, that¡¯s what it felt like. Within that small, cramped police station, the distinction between what was human and what was monster quickly became blurred. ¡°I barely managed to escape from the police station, but it was at the cost of almost all of my co-workers.¡± After she finished explaining, she lapsed into silence and quietly picked at the food on her table. Although she looked depressed, it wasn¡¯t to the extent where she had lost her appetite. After a few minutes, she was shoving spoonful after spoonful into her mouth with the same gusto from earlier.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. ¡°Other important places were hit as well.¡± Tojo picked up where Shimazawa had ended and continued explaining. ¡°The Port town was in chaos. Luckily for us though, only low leveled monsters had spawned. In the long run, that had been our saving grace, but looking back on it, to regular humans, a level five monster was no different from one at level forty. ¡°The majority of the monsters that had killed people were those same level five monsters. A few monsters in the upper tens also spawned, but thankfully, they weren¡¯t as numerous as the weaker monsters.¡± Although his lips had cracked into a faint smile, the deep brown of his pupils weren¡¯t smiling. ¡°Thinking back on it, I think the main reason why so many people had died in the first place was because the important places which usually should have preserved the peace and safety of the area were under the heaviest fire. I¡¯m sure if the police station hadn¡¯t turned into a spawn point, then there would have been a whole lot more than just three hundred people living here today. ¡°But regardless of what I want, what¡¯s done is done. There is no changing the past. After the first three days of chaos, when the spawn points around the area finally stopped spawning more monsters, I, along with a large group of people, gathered together and reclaimed the port town.¡± He sighed with a hint of fondness and nostalgia. He closed his eyes for a moment, almost as if to savor the memory, before he continued. ¡°The start really was the most chaotic. It was the time period when we lost the most people. Out of the original group that had started the reclamation project, only the three of us are alive here today.¡± He motioned to the plain faced man and Shimazawa. Shimazawa smiled faintly, while the plain faced man simply dipped his head in acknowledgement. ¡°Afterwards, everything was smooth sailing. We managed to set up base here in the neighborhood. We cleaned out the houses, purged all the monsters from the streets, and even managed to set up that fence outside.¡± Hearing his recollection, I finally understood why the fence was so poorly assembled in the first place. It was because it was originally designed to keep out low leveled monsters. Certainly, if the only thing you have worry about are creatures whose fighting capabilities are about as strong as a level five goblin, then a metal fence was more than enough to keep them out. ¡°After we set up base, while we couldn¡¯t reclaim all of Kagetaka port, we managed to discover a few good things that would go a long way in helping us survive.¡± ¡°Good things?¡± The President interjected with a question as he slightly tilted his head in confusion. ¡°Yes,¡± Tojo nodded. ¡°Things like the granary filled with tons of grain, the police station with its collection of guns, the warehouses where they stocked away all the canned and nonperishable goods, and the rice paddies near the artificial lake¡­¡± Rice paddies? I wondered why he had specifically labeled the rice paddies as something beneficial to the port¡¯s survival. If I recall correctly, the harvesting season for those rice paddies should have ended just before summer started. The current crops there should have been freshly planted, and wouldn¡¯t have been ready for harvest three months ago. In fact, even now, if they had properly managed the fields, it would still take a month or two more until the rice paddies could produce actual results. What had made it so important? Was I overthinking things? As I mulled and worried over this, Tojo had already moved on to answer the President¡¯s next question. He elaborated on the information that Shimazawa had previously provided us with. ¡°Shimazawa should have already told you a little bit about where the food here comes from. We¡¯ve already looted and gathered all the food, medicine, and other important things from the nearby buildings, super markets, and houses. Aside from that, most of our food comes from the granary and the warehouses by the harbor.¡± I knew a little bit about the granary that Tojo was talking about. It was a place owned by the city, and was a place that gathered all the island grown wheat and crops into one place. It was originally meant to be a temporary intermediary, before they distributed it across the city, or repackaged it for sale overseas or to the mainland. In this case, they harvested the crops during the end of June, just a few weeks before the start of the apocalypse. The granary should have been filled with dozens of tons of grain. ¡°With the granary around, the people here can eat a bit more freely than usual.¡± Tojo explained. ¡°In fact, we have so much of it, that it will all probably go bad before the group can finish it all. When we do run out, we still have the canned and nonperishable goods from the warehouse to rely on.¡± The warehouses he was talking about where the temporary storage units set up by the harbor. This island originally functioned as an intermediary for large corporations and overseas merchants. Products from all across south Asia and further overseas passed through this island on a daily basis. Along with the ones meant to go to other nearby countries, the warehouses also held supplies meant for the island itself. It wouldn¡¯t be an exaggeration to say those warehouses hold billions of dollars¡¯ worth of products. ¡°There are more canned goods than there is wheat in the granary, so, even if we consume it excessively, it can still last for a couple of years. Although before then, I already plan on starting up farming again, maybe within the back yards and gardens of the homes around here, or, if we can reclaim it, on the fields just south of us. ¡°I want this place to become self-reliant before we run out of food.¡± There was a hint of longing within his eyes, that I could barely make out. ¡°As for your last question regarding monsters¡­ truthfully speaking, around here, monsters are the least of our concerns. ¡°Like I said earlier, the monsters that spawned in Kagetaka Port were low leveled. They capped out at around fourteen or fifteen. The really strong ones live a few miles away from the port town, near where the forest begins, and closer to the highway. In all three months since this whole mess started, they¡¯ve never once come close to here. For the time being, this place is safe.¡± Tojo paused for a moment, and lowered his head in thought. After a second of silence, he continued, ¡°Well, in case they do decide to eventually attack, we are working on a sort of precaution in order to secure the collective safety of the group. I¡¯ll show you first-hand what exactly I mean tomorrow¡ª¡± A loud bang resonated from deep within the hallway. Tojo¡¯s words abruptly cut off, as he glanced at the direction of the noise. His brow creased, as a slight frown formed on his face. Everyone else within the room turned towards the sudden noise. While the President, Hina, and the others from my group all frowned in confusion, the rest of the people seated revealed an array of annoyed expressions. The sound of heavy footsteps treading across soft carpet echoed quietly through the air. After a few seconds, somebody walked out of the hallway. A man with a disheveled appearance. His black hair was short, but messy. Loose strands stuck out like broken twigs in a bird¡¯s nest. He had a growing stubble that wrapped around the lower part of his face, while sharp, eagle like eyes decorated the top. His nose was crooked, slightly curving to the left, as if someone had broken it with a bat, and it had grown back wrong. The man wore an ill-fitting white dress shirt that had long since been stained in all sorts of reds and browns. He was not overly muscular, but he gave off a feeling of aggression that most people did not possess. After inspecting him with [Identify], I found out that his name was Takemoto Takuya and his level was thirty-three. Although his level was lower than Tojo¡¯s, I felt that this new guy was more dangerous. He had a certain sense of hostility that that Guild Master look alike lacked. He was like a drawn sword, a clear and present danger to everyone around him. The new guy stood by the entrance to the hallway, his eyes slowly glancing over the dining room. After seconds of silence, he finally spoke. ¡°Tojo, are these the people from the outside¡ª from the main city?¡± Tojo had a clearly displeased expression plastered on his face. It looked as if he had been chewing on a wad of shit. Taking a deep breath, he nodded and plainly said, ¡°Yes, they are.¡± The new guy laughed wantonly. ¡°Then that makes them just like me.¡± He laughed, as a glint of interest shined underneath his dark irises. ¡°Someone from the outside.¡± Tojo grunted in recognition. He turned his head towards our group and hesitated for a second, before he explained, ¡°This man here is Takuya. He is twenty-nine this year, and his current level should be at thirty-one. He is someone like you all. He came here from the city about a month and a half ago.¡± ¡°Hey old man, don¡¯t go blabbing about others without permission. Just telling them I¡¯m from the city is plenty already.¡± ¡°Enough,¡± Tojo interjected as he glared at the new guy with hostility. ¡°I did not invite you here tonight. You shouldn¡¯t be here.¡± ¡°That¡¯s pretty harsh.¡± He spoke as he leaned back and shrugged his shoulders. ¡°I just wanted to talk with the newbies. In the first place, if someone hadn¡¯t had told me about it, I would have never known that other people had joined our little family. Don¡¯t you think that¡¯s a little cold?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t bother doing what it is your doing.¡± Tojo ignored his words and coldly spoke. ¡°Don¡¯t drag these children around for your own selfish desires.¡± At his words, Takuya laughed. ¡°You call them children but that¡¯s wrong. Anybody who¡¯s survived the baptism through hell can¡¯t be classified by terms such as men, women, elderly, or children. They are the same as you and me. They are survivors, plain and simple.¡± The expression on Tojo¡¯s face remained the same. Without further arguing, he spoke one simple word. ¡°Leave.¡± ¡°Hey, hey, you know I didn¡¯t come here just to turn back like that. Like I said, I wa¡ª¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care what you want.¡± Tojo firmly interjected. ¡°I already said it, so don¡¯t make me repeat what I said. Leave.¡± The man¡¯s expression morphed into a scowl, showing his obvious dissatisfaction to the situation. Out of anger, he took a step forward, but that was the extent of his retaliation. The new guy¡¯s eyes glowed with hostility, but hidden underneath all that anger was a certain level of calculative craftiness. I don¡¯t know what extent this guy¡¯s abilities reached, but in the end, he was just one person. Before him was Tojo and his party. Shimazawa had long since reached for the gun on her hip. Her hands were pale, but taut. The expression on her face was that of anticipation, as if to say, ¡®just go ahead and give me a reason to shoot you.¡¯ Right next to her, the plain faced man from earlier today had already stood up. He did not do anything else, but underneath his shirt, I could see the veins and muscles on his body wriggling, as if he was ready to pounce at any moment. Tojo himself, simply sat there and stared down at the man. His indifferent expression spoke volumes on his current mood. After a few seconds of silence, the hostile atmosphere in the room subsided as the man grimaced and took a step back. He took a long glance at all the people in the room. His eyes especially focused in on our group. He looked at each and everyone one of us, before his eyes finally landed on the President. He stared for a long time, before he began walking back towards the hallway. ¡°I want to have a conversation with you in the near future.¡± He spoke to the President just before he turned around to face the receding hall. He started to walk back, before his footsteps abruptly stopped. With his back still facing us, he spoke a few last words, before walking further into the dimminglight. ¡°The false sense of peace that wafts through the air around here¡­ be careful not to breathe in too much of it.¡± Chapter 117: Rice Paddies Chapter 117: Rice Paddies After the sudden interruption, the dinner party quickly came to an end and our group was escorted back to our house. When night fell, I continued our practice of rotating night watch. Although a good majority of our group felt that Kagetaka Port was safe, frankly speaking, we were still in unknown territory and I still did not know whether we could trust the people here or not. Fearing for the worst, we rotated in shifts for lookout duty. Fortunately, nothing happened and in no time, it was already the next day. The first part of the day passed by uneventfully. All morning, we stayed inside the house. We ate a few of the goods that the police woman had given us yesterday. The taste of canned meat was unexpectedly good, especially when paired with steamed rice and canned peaches. During this time period, nobody came to visit us. It was only around midday, when the sun was hovering high above the sky, that the plain faced man from yesterday dropped by the house. Although I knew his name thanks to [Identify], I had long since forgotten it, so it was actually quite helpful that he introduced himself. His name was Sergei, and he was probably a foreigner from Russia or maybe Serbia. At the very least, he had the blonde hair and blue eyes that were quite common in that region, so I was pretty confident in my assumption. To my preference, he wasn¡¯t as talkative as the policewoman from yesterday. Whether it was because he had trouble with the language or because it was his personality, he spoke only a few words of introduction, before he walked out of the door. ¡°Follow me.¡± He stated simply in a choppy, emotionless voice. We hesitated for a moment, before we were left with no choice but to follow him. Trailing behind his silent back, he led us around the broken port town. We passed by quiet houses with untouched exteriors and overgrown lawns, before we arrived at the business district of Kagetaka Port. Although I call it a business district, in truth it was really just a wide street that led directly to the harbor. Back when this place was still operational, this street was occupied with hostels, shops, offices, and other important places. Now, the once prosperous area had been reduced to nothing but a remnant of its past self. Beyond the chain link fence that separated us from the outside, we could see the full extent of the damages caused by the apocalypse. After passing the fence that surrounded the neighborhood, we walked on sidewalks adorned with bent stop signs and crooked utility poles. The three-story buildings that surrounded the street on both sides were littered with broken windows and vandalized doorways. Going by the footprints that covered the ground, something told me that monsters weren¡¯t the ones that broke into those buildings. I wasn¡¯t the type of hypocrite that would condemn the people here for robbing and looting the nearby stores. In fact, we had done the same thing not too long ago, just that¡­ seeing those faded footprints amidst this desolate street, I couldn¡¯t help but feel a tad bit bitter inside. Instead of heading directly towards the harbor, the plain faced man led us towards another street. Walking through this husk of a town, we encountered all sorts of sights, from ransacked buildings and burnt cars, to atrophied corpses and overgrown weeds that had taken root deep inside the cracks on the sidewalk. If there was one positive thing amidst all the destruction, it was the fact that we hardly ran into any monsters. What few monsters we did run into, were weak, laughably so. So far, we encountered two species; a monster that resembled a hairless dog, and a bipedal lizard with no arms. The lizard in question resembled the raptors from yesterday, except these things were far shorter, and incredibly weaker in comparison. Regardless, both of these creatures were weak monsters whose level ranged from five to seven. It was hard to believe that these things were what brought Kagetaka Port close to destruction. According to Tojo¡¯s story from yesterday, there were probably more types of monsters near the beginning of the apocalypse. Only, their group had culled of the rest, and now, only wandering nomads remained. Walking through these streets felt like I was exploring the newbie area of a video game. Except, I felt that it would probably waste more effort searching for the monsters here, than it would actually fighting them. After wandering around the port town for over thirty minutes, the scenery slowly began to change. The number of buildings we passed by slowly decreased while more and more open fields appeared. Eventually, the plain faced man led us to a field of rice paddies located about two miles away from the neighborhood. Although I say that, it was a former rice paddy that only vaguely resembled one. While the field was wet with a mixture of mud and murky water, there was no vegetation growing on the land. Where there should have been stalks of rice sprouting out from amidst the field, was nothing but thigh high water. I knew next to nothing about rice cultivation, but even I could tell that the water elevation here was several times higher than it normally should have been. An area of about one acre was sealed off from the rest of the field with wooden stakes that stuck out from the ground like broken grave markers. These stakes created a wooden fence that encircled a portion of the rice paddy on three sides and effectively isolated it from the rest of the field. On the field itself, there was a wooden bridge that led to the center cordoned space. On the center was a wooden platform that floated above the water. In addition, all over the place, spread evenly across the paddy, were wooden platforms, each of which were about a meter in width and length. We followed the plain faced man and walked across the bridge, before were arrived at the center platform. Unlike the rest of the platforms, the center platform was a lot bigger, being about five meters both in length and width. ¡°What is this place?¡± Cher¡¯s voice sounded out in wonderment amidst our confusion and bewilderment. Her eyes were narrowed into two slits as she inspected the surrounding area with caution and suspicion. The plain faced man, after all the silence, finally spoke. ¡°You know how Tojo said that we had found something good while we were building our base, right?¡± He asked rhetorically with a noticeable accent. ¡°Well, this is one of those places.¡± He walked towards a wooden compartment that was attached to the floor near the corner of the platform we stood on. He opened the box and fished out a pair of black plastic boots and a matching set of black overalls. Without pause, he began putting them on. From the same box, he took out a wooden stick. The stick was about two meters in height and had a metal spear point that had jagged edges running down the side. It vaguely resembled a harpoon. After collecting his things, he motioned for the rest of the group to follow with a wave of his free hand. ¡°I¡¯ll explain later after you guys finish putting your gear on.¡± He paused for a moment, as if to mull over his words, before he said, ¡°I don¡¯t usually like accompanying people whenever I do this, but today is an exception. I¡¯ll show you guys how to do it because Tojo told me to, but pay attention. I don¡¯t like repeating myself.¡±This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. Afterwards, he stepped back and crossed his arms. He stared at us with an unflinching expression and waited for the rest of us to finish equipping the fishing gear that was inside the wooden compartment. His unchanging gaze was almost compelling in a way. What hesitation we did have quickly vanished as the first person reached into the box and followed his instructions. Soon, everyone had quickly put on a pair of plastic boots and a set of overalls. I was no exception to this. On one hand, I didn¡¯t want to attract any attention, while on the other, I was curious about the whole thing. Without issuing a single complaint, I grabbed a spear from within the compartment and stood near the back of the group. After the plain faced man saw that we had finished preparing, he mechanically nodded his head. ¡°Good. Now watch what I do.¡± He turned around and faced the rice paddy. His eyes narrowed into slits as his head repeatedly swiveled from one side to another. After a short while, he suddenly ran forward and leaped towards a nearby floating platform. He landed heavily with a loud thud. The platform slightly sank into the water before it bobbed harmlessly back to its original position. Due to the hectic rocking of the platform, I could see a mud-covered rope rise up from amidst the water. That rope was probably what kept the platforms in place. Without it, the platforms would have probably floated away or something. Ignorant of my wandering thoughts, the plain faced man looked down towards the mud streaked water around him. After a few seconds, I saw the man¡¯s eyebrows twitch upward as if he had spotted something. Without hesitation, he suddenly thrusted the spear out into the water. The water started to bubble and splash, before the man pulled his spear back out. Attached to the jagged tip of the spear was a mud colored worm. It was about the size of a raccoon and its body was thick and pudgy. It resembled a maggot- a grotesque, brown streaked maggot, that emitted puss and water out of its hole shaped mouth. The creature let out a faint screech of agony that vaguely resembled the cries of a human child. It was an eerie sound, but after what I had been through for the last few months, I was hardly fazed. Even from a distance, with the help of [Identify], I discovered that the creature was called a [Mud Water Weevil (Larvae)]. Surprisingly, its level was nine, higher than all the other monsters we had run into on our way here. Unfazed by the continuing chorus of agony, the plain faced man hoisted it up, before he placed the Larvae onto the wooden platform. With the bottom of his foot pressing down against the creature¡¯s pudgy body, he yanked the harpoon out. A sickening wet sound echoed through the air for a split second before he stabbed the creature with the spear once more. He continued to stab the creature. His eyes were emotionless, and his actions were robotic. He moved his body as if he was doing something as simple and mundane as planting seeds. After five seconds of continued stabbing, the creature eventually died. A mixture of brown and transparent colored fluid oozed out from the many open wounds that dotted its carcass. It resembled slime, and seeing it spread across the wooden platform, I quietly noted that the liquid did indeed have the viscosity of slime. Once he had dealt with the creature, the plain faced man used the edge of his foot to push the dead body back into the rice paddy below. The murky, mud colored water concealed the rapidly sinking carcass as it continued to move further down, before fully disappearing beyond eye sight. The plain faced man looked up, wiped at a bead of sweat that trickled down his forehead, and explained, ¡°After killing one, you don¡¯t need to worry about the body. Just make sure to push I back into the water. These things eat anything, even the bodies of their own, so the carcass will naturally disappear. ¡°In fact, after you kill one, you can use its dead body as bait. If you wait for a while, more of these things will naturally gather.¡± As if to demonstrate, he motioned towards the water where he had previously dumped the body. Just like he had said, the water started churning and bubbling. Beneath the murky water, I could vaguely make out the cylindrical shapes of squirming Larvae. ¡°¡­When they gather like this, it makes everything a whole lot easier.¡± The plain faced man said. The President, who looked slightly confused, frowned, before asking, ¡°What is this whole thing about?¡± ¡°Simple. This is a hunting ground.¡± He responded. ¡°Killing the monsters here will contribute experience and make you level up. There is nothing complicated about it. Not to mention that the monsters here are weak and easy to kill. Even if you happen to run across a level 10 or 12 here, someone at level 1 can still kill it without much difficulty. It might take a while, but it is doable.¡± As if he remembered something, the plain faced man frowned. ¡°The down side to this though is that as you keep increasing in level, it will take a lot more effort and a lot more worms to increase to the next level. After all, the levels of these things range from level four to level fifteen, with lower leveled monsters being more common. For people like me, hunting here becomes a bit of a hassle, and increasing in level becomes a very boring chore.¡± As if to make a point, he sighed and shrugged his shoulders. An artificial hunting ground¡­ This was probably the main reason why a lot of the people I saw at the gathering last night had an average level of ten to fifteen. It wasn¡¯t because those three hundred or so people had put their life on the line and hunted monsters in the traditional sense, but rather because they were farming in a place like this. They had turned what should have been a life or death struggle into something with the same convenience as picking low hanging fruit from a ripened tree. Looking at the whole process, although I could see that it was a very convenient system, for some reason, it left a bad after taste in my mouth. The President, and a few of the others from the group, judging by the mixed expression on their faces, had probably reached the same conclusion. ¡°But, if you keep hunting them like this all the time, won¡¯t they eventually all die off?¡± The President asked with a scrunched brow. In response, the plain faced man waves his harpoon in the air as if to say don¡¯t worry about it. ¡°These things reproduce really fast, and I think their born at levels above one.¡± He explained. ¡°Even with us, they hunt each other in order to survive and grow stronger. Look, we¡¯ve been doing this for a long time now, and they still haven¡¯t run out yet. In fact, sometimes I think that the spawn point here is still open.¡± While what he said was a valid argument, I do wonder how much truth his statement held. I couldn¡¯t help but imagine Hina or Cielle using a large area of effect attack with their magic. With such destructive power, I¡¯m sure even these self-replicating monsters won¡¯t be able to reproduce after such an attack. At that time, would this guy still have the confidence and assurance to repeat his earlier statement? Even though I was curious, in the end, it was just a wandering thought. In truth, this place was over an acre in area. I don¡¯t think neither Hina or Cielle were capable of an attack that could spread that far. Unaware of my off the track, train of thoughts, the plain faced man continued to speak. ¡°Like Tojo said yesterday, around here, levels hold no meaning. Even with a high level, you are not exempt from the rules of Kagetaka. This place is just to provide reassurance to yourself, for those who seek to build up confidence. ¡°Well, it is up to you whether or not you want to make use of it. Just if you do, don¡¯t get too consumed in it.¡± As he spoke, he jumped back over to the original platform. The wood beneath our feet slight sank, before bobbing back up to its original position. He placed the spear back into the box, and began removing his boots and overalls. At the same time, he continued to speak. ¡°Oh, and another thing. If you do decide and hunt, let me just tell you, the platforms here are for convenience. Stepping into the paddy itself, while it becomes a pain to clean up afterwards and is relatively difficult to walk on, it isn¡¯t really all that dangerous. Like I said before, the worms aren¡¯t really all that dangerous.¡± Although he said that, again, I held a different opinion. I don¡¯t know whether the others could see the same thing I could with my [Identify], but I knew that the worms beneath our feet were only larvae. That meant that they could still grow, evolve, and get stronger. If it was given a chance to mature¡­ well, let¡¯s not imagine it. It¡¯s a good thing that the people of Kagetaka Port found this place, and are actively culling the area, preventing the Larvae from growing. Otherwise, there would have been another threat for me to worry about. The plain faced man dusted himself off and nodded towards the group. Judging by his expression, it seemed that he had already finished all the things he had been assigned to do, and was now preparing to leave. Just as he turned and proceeded to walk out of the rice field, his steps abruptly halted, as his eyes narrowed. He was glaring at something in the distance, and following his stare, I could see another figure walking towards us. Looking at the approaching figure, with a somewhat strange expression on my face, I couldn¡¯t help but mutter to myself, ¡°It¡¯s him again¡­¡± The man from yesterday, the guy with the unruly hair and unshaven face. Taka, Taka¡­ Takama? Takami? Takatsu? In either case, the guy with the second highest level in Kagetaka Port was approaching us with his hands behind his head, and his eyes staring directly at the plain faced man. Chapter 118: There鈥檚 no Rice in the Rice Paddies Chapter 118: There¡¯s no Rice in the Rice Paddies There was a palpable tension in the air. The plain faced man was silent. He stood rigidly in one spot, while his back was turned towards us as he faced the open road ahead. He did not say anything, but I could tell even without looking that his eyes were glued to the approaching man, probably locked in a vicious glare that could drill through the back of a person¡¯s skull. The wind seemed to stagnate as a hushed silence quietly sank in. The quick inhalation of someone close by rang through my ears. Unaffected by the current atmosphere, the newcomer continued to walk forward. His steps were calm and leisurely, almost as if he was doing something as mundane as picking up the mail. As he got closer, the look in his eyes changed as he cracked a faint smile. He gave a cursory glance to our group and slightly nodded, before his gaze shifted and focused in on the plain faced man. Staring at him, his face morphed into a strange expression, something in between a scowl and a gleeful grin. ¡°Hey, Sergei.¡± He lightly greeted with a wave of his hand. ¡°Every time I bump into you, you always have that scary look on your face. Would it kill you to crack a smile every now and then?¡± In the face of the man¡¯s jeering, Sergei remained still and silent. It was a slight, almost undetectable motion, but I could see his hand curl up into a strange fist. Unlike normal, his thump hovered just over a centimeter in the air. A skill? Is he a magic user like Hina or Cielle? After waiting a few seconds, nothing happened. In response to Sergei¡¯s cold reception, the newcomer shrugged his shoulders. ¡°I tell you this every time we meet, and every time, you respond with silence. This is why you¡¯re no fun to talk to. At least the Old Man¡¯s expression changes if you pester him enough.¡± He laughed loudly to himself, to the point where his head rolled back and tears gathered in his eyes. After a few seconds of boisterous cackling, he slowly tilted his head before he turned and stared at us. The smile on his face seemed to widen, as he stepped past Sergei and approached us. Sergei hesitated for a moment, before he turned around and walked out of the rice fields. I¡¯m guessing he figured that what was about to happen had nothing to do with him. It was an overly cold response, but basing it off of what I¡¯ve observed these past few hours, I could imagine him doing exactly that. Whether he was aware of Sergei¡¯s departure or not, the newcomer continued to walk forward, stopping only when he reached the center platform, where we were currently standing. ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve properly introduced myself to you guys yet, have I?¡± He asked lightly. ¡°Although the old man said it yesterday, but my name¡¯s Takuya. I¡¯ve been in this town since a month and a half ago.¡± The President, who was in front of the group like an unwilling sacrifice, hesitated for a second, before he responded. ¡°I¡¯m Hokusei. We¡­ we came here from the city, near the residential district, where the school used to be.¡± The glint in Takuya¡¯s eyes slightly changed. He tilted his head up and gasped in mock admiration. ¡°The residential district¡­you guys really came from a place like that?¡± The President¡¯s expression morphed uncertainty. He opened and closed his mouth several times, before he tentatively responded, ¡°That¡¯s right. We, um, one of our people had a place there. We hid and holed ourselves up.¡± ¡°Oh, so your saying for the past three or so months, you all hid in the residential district?¡± ¡°T-that¡¯s right, yesh.¡± The President bit his tongue. Judging from his expression, he seemed to be getting nervous. While I did tell the President not to mention anything about the school turning into a dungeon for the time being, it seems that topics regarding the residential district were a bit too close for comfort. Takuya stared at the President with an unblinking expression for an uncountable amount of time. An almost feverish light reflected off his irises, but they were hidden too deeply in a murky layer of mock intrigue and speculative caution to properly make out. As if waiting for the perfect moment when the string would be the tautest between the two of them, Takuya suddenly broke the silence and spoke. ¡°¡­ If I¡¯m remembering things correctly, that place¡­ that place was a major no go zone.¡± He momentarily stopped and shot a glance at the President¡¯s face, almost as if to gauge his reaction. ¡°¡­ Anybody that entered there never left. There were rumors that a gigantic monster killed every living thing there, or that there was a pack of monsters that fervently hunted down all of the humans¡­. Do you happen to know anything about this? I mean, you did live in that place for three months, right?¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± The President¡¯s expression turned ugly. I knew he was hesitant and I knew exactly why. While conversations about the school could easily be avoided, even with the way this conversation was currently heading, without a doubt, it would ultimately lead to the topic of the Manticore. Whether it was about the Manticore¡¯s egg, or about me killing the Manticore, the President was naturally hesitant about talking about either of these things. Seeing the situation he was currently in, rather than hoping he doesn¡¯t spill the beans, I was feeling a bit happy that I wasn¡¯t in his current situation. It was a bit vain, but I was secretly yelling, ¡°Being the target of attention isn¡¯t so nice now, is it?!¡± in my mind. Without consideration for the President¡¯s current plight, Takuya heartlessly pressed on. ¡°Has the situation changed since I got here? Did the residential district magically become such a convenient and safe place while I was gone? Or¡­ did you really come out from such a dangerous place?¡± The President¡¯s expression flickered erratically as he tried to stutter out a response. When I thought he was on the verge of snapping, a surprising voice echoed through the air. ¡°We were hiding near the edge of the residential district, in the basement of a supermarket. I don¡¯t know why you refer to it as a no-go zone.¡± Luckily, Hina smoothly followed up as she stepped forward and responded in place of the President. Takuya stared at her, his eyes narrowing into suspicion filled slits that practically hissed out distrust and disbelief. After what felt like an eternity, he directly asked her. ¡°He previously said that you guys holed up in a place that one of your own owned.¡± A short, but clear snort echoed through the air. ¡°One of you really owns a supermarket?¡± I saw Hina¡¯s eyelid twitch for a fraction of a second. Staring at her seemingly perfect impassive mask, I could just imagine her inwardly groaning, and cursing herself for her earlier statement. ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Hina mustered out after a brief second of silence. ¡°Cher¡¯s family owned a supermarket.¡± As if she had wanted to pass on this burden to somebody else, Hina unhesitatingly pointed to Cher. Throughout this conversation, Cher had been standing in the sidelines, unassumingly listening to the back and forth exchange with a happy go lucky expression plastered on her face. Suddenly hearing her name being called out, her shoulders abruptly jumped, as her expression morphed into one of confusion and panic.Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. ¡°Eh, eh? What?¡± She was stuttering like a broken record player as her head frantically swiveled from side to side. ¡°You,¡± Takuya called out with an almost authoritative voice. ¡°Y-yesh!¡± Cher bit her tongue in response. ¡°Your family owns a supermarket?¡± Almost instantaneously, the panic in her eyes faded. Although she still had a clueless expression, she smoothly responded. ¡°That¡¯s right. My Dad owns Greenley¡¯s Grocers, which is just a mile away from the school and located a block away from the station. We sell organic products from fresh lettuce to foreign and exotic fruits, like avocados and papayas.¡± Her response was fast and automatic, almost as if it had been drilled into her during a young and impressionable age. Not even mentioning Takuya, everyone else had been caught off guard by Cher¡¯s unexpected response. With a blank expression on his face, Takuya timidly asked again, ¡°You¡­ your family really owns a supermarket?¡± Cher blinked once, before she rapidly responded. ¡°Yes. I work there over the weekends, and help my parents out whenever I have free time. We also have a good stock on south American coffee beans and American grown peaches. Although we don¡¯t sell as much meat, we do have a steady supply of fish that comes from the nearby fishing villages around the island¡­¡± If left unrestricted, it seemed like Cher would drone on and on for who knows how long. It was as if a dam had broken, and the words continued to prattle on and one with no signs of stopping. Luckily, Takuya immediately cut her off as he raised a hand in defeat and sighed. Off to the side, although faint, I could hear a conversation taking place between the President and Hina. ¡°Did you plan that? How did you know Cher¡¯s family owned a supermarket?¡± ¡°I-I didn¡¯t¡­¡± ¡°Really?¡± She nodded her head. ¡°Really.¡± ¡°¡­I guess we got lucky then.¡± ¡°Y-yeah. We were lucky this time.¡± Takuya, who threw a quick side glance at the duo, before staring back at Cher, who was still mindlessly prattling on about how the bananas they imported from Mexico were organic and 50% off, suddenly clapped his hands, and spoke. ¡°Alright, alright, I got it. I believe you guys.¡± He paused for a moment, his eyes glaring at Cher as if to wanting to will her into silence. Cher, who looked like she wanted to say something else, reluctantly closed her mouth and walked to the back of the group, where she stood next to me with a sigh. Seeing her go, Takuya wiped an invisible bead of sweat from his forehead, before he continued speaking. ¡°Well, in truth, I wasn¡¯t really going to pursue the matter. Whether you really came from the residential area or not is none of my concerns. Well¡­ as long none of you came from within the city,¡± The tone of his voice dropped suddenly, and for a brief instant, an extremely dark and grim expression flashed through his face. His eyes developed a cold, and hostile sheen, as he stared at us with open suspicion. ¡°The St. Jude Memorial Activity Center? 5th battalion of the JSDF and US armed coalition? Lieutenant Colonel Miyazaki?¡± He suddenly uttered out a few words and phrases in rapid fire succession. His eyes were sharp, and pointed, never once leaving our faces. He stayed silent for a long time, maintaining his glare with an almost fervent intensity, before he abruptly sighed. As if were an illusion, the atmosphere and hostility from before quickly evaporated, as he smiled at us with the same smile he wore from earlier. ¡°Judging from your confused and clueless reactions, none of you came from the inner city¡­ well, at least not from that place.¡± He lapsed into another brief moment of silence, before he shook his head. As if remembering something, he suddenly looked past us and stared at the rice paddies behind. ¡°So, the folks at Kagetaka already brought you guys here, huh?¡± He questioned with a smile. ¡°That¡¯s surprisingly fast, especially considering it took them two weeks to show me¡­ well, I guess my situation¡¯s kind of special. I guess I did take a week and a half to recover when I first came here¡­¡± He laughed to himself again. ¡°Well, enough about me, what do you guys think about this whole set up?¡± The President, who showed a rather unwilling expression, and clearly didn¡¯t want to talk to the man, was forced by circumstance to respond. ¡°I think that it¡¯s a very¡­ effective system. It¡¯s helpful to those with low levels, but¡­ I don¡¯t know.¡± He frowned. ¡°I feel that something is off with it.¡± Hearing his respond, Takuya smiled an ambiguous smile. ¡°It¡¯s weird, isn¡¯t it? A place like this?¡± As he talked, he ignored all of our probing stares and moved towards the box located in the corner of the center platform. He searched through it, scrounging around for a pair of boots and overalls that would fit him. In the meantime, he continued to one-sidedly speak. His words, while they weren¡¯t exactly lifeless or robotic, they lacked emotion and maintained a flat, constant tone throughout. ¡°They collect experience here like their picking rice out from in between their teeth. The danger, the blood thirst, the adrenaline, the constant threat of death that should have accompanied them as they get stronger¡­ it¡¯s just not there. In here, that¡¯s all gone, replaced by this, this¡­ this farm filled with mud and maggots.¡± He looked up and stared at each and every one of us. The expression on his face was strange, and he looked as if he was gauging our reactions. After a short pause, he finally spat out. ¡°Frankly, I think it¡¯s disgusting. Don¡¯t you guys feel the same? A feeling of hostility, of resentment? Their spitting on all my hard work, on all of our hard work. ¡°All the people who died, who risked their lives fighting out there just to kill one more monster, just to raise their level by one more unit¡­ None of that is here. You can¡¯t feel any of it. When you¡¯re out there, fighting against monsters, risking your life, you can feel it clearly. The threat. The intensity. The pain. In comparison, this lifeless, hollow place¡­ it¡¯s completely and utterly disgusting.¡± He had a look of pure revulsion on his face. The light of unaltered hatred glowed brightly in his eyes, and he showed no indication of hiding it. ¡°I absolutely despise this place. I hate it with a passion, but¡­ in the end, it¡¯s convenient.¡± He finished putting on his new, rubber outfit, and grabbed a spear from within the box. Coincidentally, the spear he took happened to be the same one that the plain faced man had used earlier. ¡°No matter how much I hate it, I¡¯d be an idiot not to make use of it.¡± He stood up and stretched out his waist. A resounding crack echoed through the air, before he looked over at us. A distant expression momentarily flashed in front of his eyes, before he shook his head and walked over towards the edge of the platform. ¡°I¡¯ll look for you guys later. There¡¯s something I want to talk to you about¡­ think of it as a proposition of sorts¡­ well, actually, don¡¯t think too much about it right now, I¡¯ll come find you guys when the time is right. For now though, all that can wait. Right now, I¡¯m about to go hunting.¡± He emphasized the last word with an almost reverent intensity. He looked down at the murky water, before murmuring, ¡°The people here might treat these things lightly, but I know enough to realize that losing that edge, losing the train of thought that you develop when your outside hunting monsters and fighting for survival¡­ I know that doing so is the same as sending yourself out to die. Out there¡­ well, I¡¯m sure you guys don¡¯t need me to remind you.¡± He glanced past his shoulders and grinned at us. ¡°Although we come from the same place, as a senior, let me give you guys a word of advice. Don¡¯t become wrapped up in the complacency of this town. Don¡¯t ever forget about the danger that¡¯s out there, because this place is a lot like a straw house. Eventually, given a strong enough wind, everything will come tumbling down. ¡°When that does happen, you better be prepared to face the storm, or else you¡¯ll end up drowning in your own regrets¡­¡± In the middle of his speech, he suddenly laughed to himself. ¡°Pretty eloquent, right? I used to be a grad student who majored in literature. None of that matter now, but I guess it does come in handy when I have to give ominous warnings to my cute little juniors.¡± He laughed again, before he tilted his head up and thought for a moment. ¡°Oh yeah, one final reminder, a closing statement if you will; just because this place is safe now, don¡¯t fall for the illusion that the only threat here is the one that comes from the outside. If you don¡¯t understand what I¡¯m saying, then ask yourself this question; Why don¡¯t the monsters invade this defenseless town? Let¡¯s be honest here, none of us really think that the fence they have out there is strong enough to block any of the monsters that wander out in the highway.¡± After leaving behind that last statement, the chatterbox of a newcomer suddenly leaped out from the platform. He hopped over the wooden platforms that floated around the rice paddy, before he ended up in a corner of the field. Holding the spear in his hand, the look in his eyes changed. A sort of bloodlust wafted through the air, before he grunted out and thrusted his spear into the water. As his hunt began with full intensity, the rice fields lapsed into another heavy silence. Our group watched him quietly for a long time, before the rest of us followed suit. We grabbed a few spears from the wooden compartment and began our silent hunt. A long overdue update First of all, to every one of my fans, I''m sorry. I should have probably posted this a long time ago, but I guess the same thing that stopped me from posting new chapters, stopped me from posting this one. As you might have expected, real life issues got the best of me. Even prior to this long absence, I already had quite a bad reputation for stopping and dissapearing for long spans of time, only to abruptly start back over again. But this time was different. I guess if I were to say something, then the main reason why I stopped updating was because of two things; real life issues and the quality of the story. The pressures of college got to the best of me, and I eventually found myself running out of time to write new chapters. There were also a bunch of other things involved, but I won''t get into that. The other reason, and probably the most important reason was my feelings regarding the story. I am disatsified with the direction that the story was heading towards after the end of the school dungeon arc. I don''t know if any of you know this, but I did try to start writing again with a new story, but that also fizzled out and I stopped updating. Truthfully speaking, I had a lot of things planned out. While they weren''t too fleshed out, I already had the makings for three, four arcs that were about the same size as the first arc (After School Dungeon), but the start of the second arc really took away my passion.Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. it did not go exactly how I planned it out. And the more chapters I wrote, the more I lost my motivation. I wanted to so desperately rewrite it but I was plagued with the thought of whether or not I could have improved it or simply made it worse. Regardless, I won''t make excuses for my actions. This was completely all on me. Just like how the story started, it''s the start of summer break for me, and I''m planning on doing something that I''ve always wanted to do. I am going to rewrite CNW and try my hand at self-publishing it. I know that I''ve already made similar claims that I would do this in the past, but it never came to be. I''m trying again. For everyone who followed this story and enjoyed it, I''ll try my best to not let it end this way. I know that a bunch of you have pm''d me regarding the status of the story, so I guess this is my response. Regardless of what happens, I probably won''t be posting a new chapter on RRL in probably ever. If I do successfully get the whole self-publishing thing off the ground, then I''ll make another update on here. At the time, I''ll think about whether or not I''ll compeltely purge the chapters. If you don''t hear back from me, then that probably means I failed again. And for those interested, regarding the self publishing thing, I plan on releasing it in serials. 30-50k installments, mainly because the arc is too long to contain in one, even three books. I''ll also change around some details (hopefully improve it), such as giving a few characters new names to better fit a western audience. I already have an idea of what I want Hide''s new name to be, though I don''t know whether it will be any good or not yet. I''ll also answer some questions if you guys have any. A short not so overdue update A few people have asked me for updates regarding my situation and the status of this story, so this is my response. The "rewrite" is going well. I''ve finished writing the first part, although, at this point, I''m still unsure whether it''s going to end up being a simple installment to a serial, or if it can stand on its own as a "volume" for a new series. I''ve also gone and edited it once over. Because I''m always biased to my work, I think its an improvement to the old, but of course, my opinion is unreliable. That''s why I''m here to ask for help. If there is anybody interested in beta-reading the new work, please leave me a pm. I''m not really looking for people to proofread or check for spelling/grammar issues, but rather, for general opinions. I asked this question once, back when I first attempted to get CNW rewritten, but that kind of fell apart, so here''s hoping it succeeds again.The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. As for other news, I''m sad to announce this, but I will have to delete the chapters to this story sometime in the near future. I''m reluctant to do this, especially considering how long this story has been on this site for, but the situation dictates it to be so. I''ll probably delete it around the time I get the first volume published. And lastly, thank you for all the support. Hopefully, I can get this off the ground, and continue the story on a different platform. UPDATE: thank you for everyone who offered. Unfortunately, I already have enough beta-readers, so all futureinquiries will be rejected.