Chapter 975: A-Rank Brain Crystal
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Erik navigated the tunnel without issues. Surprisingly, the ckguards weren''t attacking.
He adjusted Richard on his shoulder, and after a few moments, he reached the door on the other side.
<Be careful; the camera feed shows at least 100 ckguards on the other side.>
<A hundred? How the hell do they fit here?>
<The other side is not a corridor like this. It''s an open space built underground. Be careful; there is a chasm below.>
<Ah, right, with 100 ckguards around, the chasm is the problem.>
<The threat level for the chasm is higher than the ckguards''.>
<That''s reassuring.>
Erik then started conjuring illusions while making himself invisible.
When he merged Shade''s power with the Chameleon Veil, thetter didn''t improve.
It made the chameleon veil better, but the illusion weaver itself didn''t get that much stronger than before.
"Stay with me, Richard, okay?" But the man didn''t reply.
Erik created arge ice shield, big enough to cover him and Richard, and then opened the door.
He and his illusions rushed out. The moment Erik emerged from the corridor, he mmed the ice shield into the ground, creating an impromptu barrier.
A blinding barrage ofser fire erupted from the surrounding guards, each bolt sizzling against the ice and sending shards flying.
Erik poured mana into the shield, reinforcing it as the assault continued.
The shield held strong, but it had only been made to create confusion and prevent Erik from being shot as he got out of the corridor.
Erik''s illusions were copies of himself carrying Richard, which were meant to further the enemy''s confusion.
After they got outside, they all burst from behind the icy barrier.
The guards hesitated, their aim faltering as they saw these myriad copies of their targets.
Erik darted with the illusions, carrying Richard''s limp body and sprinting towards the exit the system had shown.
Chaos erupted in the corridor as the guards opened fire again, theser bolts crisscrossing the air.
Erik weaved through the onught. His movements were simply too quick for the guards to follow, as those of his illusions were.
The man sprinted across the underground space, dodging a hail ofser fire and the asional telekic projectile.
Despite their numbers, the ckguards were unable to handle the myriad of Erik illusions, with their attacks missing and being directed at the wrong targets.
As Erik drew closer to the maintenance tunnel, the exit promised by the system materialized, but so did the ckguards. In fact, weapons pointed at him, they barred his way to the exit.
There was no time for subtlety, no room for hesitation here.
With Richard''s unconscious body draped over his shoulder, Erik needed a swift and decisive solution for the current situation.
He raised his hand, his fingers tracing a horizontal line. Mana surged around him, coalescing into a shimmering vortex.
Erik unleashed his attack. From where Erik traced the line, a massive wind de, a swirling crescent of frigid air and razor-sharp ice, appeared.
Some of the ckguards reacted quickly, conjuring mana barriers or elemental shields, but the wind de ripped through their defenses like tissue paper.
The de mmed into the ckguard formation. Bodies were flung aside, armor shattered, but no scream filled the air because the de decapitated each single ckguard standing in Erik''s way.
"Get the fuck out!"
[ENEMY HUMAN KILLED: MANA ABSORBING PROCESS STARTING.]
[ENEMY HUMAN KILLED: MANA ABSORBING PROCESS STARTING.]
[ENEMY HUMAN KILLED: MANA ABSORBING PROCESS STARTING.]
...
--
...
[ENEMY HUMAN KILLED: MANA ABSORBING PROCESS STARTING.] [ENEMY HUMAN KILLED: MANA ABSORBING PROCESS STARTING.]
[LEVEL UP.]
[LEVEL UP.]
With the path to the maintenance tunnel cleared, Erik didn''t spare a second nce for the fallen ckguards.
His focus was one and one alone: escape. He sprinted towards the tunnel entrance.
<System, allocate all avable attribute points into energy.>
<Sure will do.>
As he ran, a surge of power coursed through him. The system must have given him the points.
But the confirmation was immediately followed by a powerful feeling.
The release of Erik''s mana was like a tidal wave, engulfing everything in its path with an overwhelming force.
It was almost tangible... and visible.
"Great!"
It wasn''t the first time Erik had that feeling. A massive energy spike meant only one thing, and that was that he was exceeding his rank.
His brain crystal was getting bigger and stronger. He just reached the A-rank threshold on the Ferebitz scale.
Erik skidded to a halt, the sheer force of the mana outburst nearly knocking him off his feet.
He grinned, a feral glint in his eyes. A-rank. He had reached a level of power that few could
even dream of.
<Congrattions,> the system said.
<Thanks... Now let''s get the hell out of here.> That happened, but Erik never stopped running. Erik plunged into the maintenance tunnel. The passageway was slick with condensation.
He moved fast, but despite this and the bouncing Richard was subject to, he didn''t show signs
of waking up.
He was still unconscious and remained slung over his shoulder like a potato sack.
The tunnel was straight, but there was a maze of pipes and conduits above.
They reached the end of the tunnel. A steel door emzoned with a warning symbol stood in
their way.
Erik kicked it open, the hinges screeching in protest. On the other side, a cramped service
elevator awaited.
<Is this another trap?>
<How would I know? I could only if I could read minds, and I remind you, I can''t.>
<Ok, but can you tell me something?>
<Not much. The elevator reaches the 5th floor; from there, you must take another elevator.>
<I feel like the cell where Richard was had been a ticket to hell,> Erik said.
<Yeah. It could go way down to the -50 floor. Quite literally, a ticket to hell.>
Erik stepped inside, lowering Richard to the floor. He pressed the call button, and the doors
slid shut with a metallic ng.
The elevator ascended slowly, while Erik leaned against the wall, his eyes closed, catching his
breath.
<We''re approaching the highest level we can take from here,> the system said.
<What should I expect there? Another open space?>
<Another corridor, this time a maintenance one. Then, yes, there is another open space. The
chasm is still there; don''t forget to avoid to fall down.>
To the system''s words, Erik nodded, his eyes snapping open. He looked down at Richard, the
man''s face still pale and drawn.
<We are almost there, Richard,> he said. <Just a little bit further, and we are out.>
The elevator shuddered to a halt; the doors creaking open. Erik stepped out into a storage room filled with crates and discarded equipment.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
He hoisted Richard back onto his shoulder and scanned the room for an exit.
A narrow door, obscured by a stack of boxes, caught his eye. Erik moved towards it, pushing
the boxes aside.
He tried the handle, but it was locked.
<Let me take care of that,> the system said. A momentter, a click echoed through the room
as the lock disengaged.