《God Ash: Remnants of the fallen.》 Prologue: Thousand Millennium War... (1) The first part of the Thousand Millenium War... *** "To what extent does one go when creating reality? Does one seek to create perfection, or does one create deformities seeking a perfection not created yet? Actions, creation, reactions, destruction, and the likes, I guess. What do you think?" ¡ªBook 999 of The Records of Akasha, Chapter 999: Whispers before Creation, Nomad... In the beginning, there existed only one being... He represented the beginning of sentience as he was the first clump of matter to ever bear a thought. He wouldter be referred to as the Nomad, and he became the first Celestial being, a being that transcended space, matter, time, and the elements. Using his vast reserve of power and his unimaginable intellect, he began to create the entirety of the observable universe. The Nomad created life,s, stars, and gxies, as well as the rules governing how they function. The first set of the Nomad''s creations were extremely powerful beings created with the ability to control the most essential and abundant source of energy in the cosmos, mana. These creatures were also incredibly intelligent, so intelligent, they were able to surpass their creator''s expectations by creating an alternate form of mana that would amplify their abilities and power. However, their violent nature and acts of genocide due to lust and a mad drive for individual power caused the Nomad to see them as failures, unworthy to upy his domain. Thus, they were abandoned to the farthest and darkest regions of space by the Nomad. There, they continued to thrive and grow in power by devouring one another, alongside anything and everything they came in contact with. They became a gue, a rot that devoured all in their path... They willter be known as Devils, and their primary mission, their destiny, was to consume the very worlds put together by their creator. Learning from his past mistake, the Nomad created yet another race, only this time not as corrupted and malevolent, but equally as powerful as the devils. This powerful race was known as the Celestial race. This powerful celestial race was divided into two distinct groups. The gods, or Celestial deities, and the Celestial or heavenly beasts. The celestial race was created by the Nomad to govern his territory, but regardless of their origins, they were always at war with one another, as it was in their nature to devour and grow stronger, very simr to the devils that came before them. As the two groups that made up the Celestial race began to upy the Universe, they encroached on the boundaries of their reality, expanding the domain of their creator, whilst in constantpetition for territory. This resulted in a never-ending cycle of creation and destruction due to war. Several millenniater... Born within the fires of war, Tian, born from the noblest of celestial bloodlines, the very personification of the heavens, used the overwhelming power he acquired from the endless cycle of battles to unite the gods. In every battle he fought, he would alwayse back covered in the golden blood of the celestials he had in, earning him the moniker of the Golden Heavenly Emperor. The Heavenly beasts were also united, then ruled by the personification of chaos, the Heavenly Cosmic dragon, Skyrim. The Heavenly dragons were one of the strongest of Heavenly beasts, so the Legendary Skyrim earned his title by devouring the bodies and souls of not only powerful gods but also plunging many worlds into chaos. As the rulers of the Celestial race, these beings possessed unimaginable power, and their every breath could cause the very fabrics of reality to be unstable. Because of their might and glory, they were able to unite the two halves of their race under separate camps, both fated to wage war against each other for all eternity... The Golden heavenly emperor was a very proud and promiscuous individual. Due to the corruption of power as well as the influence he possessed as the ruler of the Celestial deities, he would often go around the universe, gvanting and spreading his seeds. He eventually surpassed his limits and had his way with the daughter of his natural enemy, the cosmic dragon, Skyrim the Cmity when he had encountered her in a lesser ne. Overwhelmed by rage, the old celestial dragon nned to go on a mad rampage in the domain of the celestial deities but was stopped by his daughter, who had not only fallen in love but also had faith that the child she carried could be the bridge that would breach the eons of hatred and bad blood between the two camps. The Old Dragon gave in, on the condition that Tian would wed his daughter. Tian agreed to this, as marrying the beautiful dragon princess had more pros than cons. He also didn''t want to start a full-on war with the celestial beasts. However, fate had other ns, as on a day filled with ominous and auspicious clouds, Tian received a prophecy, a prophecy that could forever change the direction of the winds of fate, and karma blew... "The Child born from the union between god and beast would either grow to be the ruler of all the heavens in the domain of the Nomad if he was faced with love and virtue or the harbinger of death to the gods if he was faced with prejudice and despair." "Is that what you saw, Gabrius?" The glorious face of the golden heavenly emperor twitched heavily. "Yes, my Lord. I have no reasons to tell you a lie." "Hmmm..." The ruler of the gods fell into deep contemtion. After all, the information he had just learned wasn''t something he could address without some thought. "My lord, right now, two roadsy ahead of the celestial race. At the end of one road, you might lose your sovereignty, but there will eventually be evesting peace. The other road will only end in rivers of blood, and endless carnage. The choice is yours to make, your majesty." Gabrius said. Tian sat on his throne for a while, before he spoke up in a heavy voice; "Endless Carnage it is then..." The seer, Gabrius, stood dumbfounded for a while, as though he couldn''t believe his ears before he bent his old back, prostrating before the golden emperor... "As you wish, your majesty." Ovee by envy and fear, and being the supreme ruler that he was, Tian would never allow anyone to steal his throne, even his Kin. He was an immortal being, he could not perish, and another usurping his throne would mean that he would either have to step down or in the worst-case scenario, die... Several yearster, the prophecy child was born and was named Ashur by his grandfather, Skyrim. But to everyone''s surprise, he was born with a defect that robbed him of the ability to control the elements of reality. He didn''t have the power to manifest the most scorching of mes from burning stars, nor could he summon the freezing winds of Niflheim. He couldn''t manipte the essence of precious metals, nor could hemand the power of souls. Ashur was however gifted with the strongest of bodies and minds amongst all the Celestial beasts. His body was so strong, he could break millennium-old rocks with his bare palms as a child. Despite his natural talents, all of this meant nothing in the grand scheme of things, as without the power to control the elements of reality, he would always be seen as defective and powerless in the eyes of the Celestials. Having beenbeled a failure, much to the delight of the Golden Heavenly Emperor, the young golden dragon set out to prove himself. The first of his achievements was finding the fabled tower of Babel, and reading all 666,666 volumes of books within. This trial tested his soul strength and willpower. When news of this feat spread, he was known to be the most intelligent of the Heavenly beasts. He used the knowledge he had absorbed from the mysterious tower to create the {Golden Dragon Battle Artes}, amongst other powerful battle and non-battle techniques thatpensated for hisck of elemental control. Armed with his overwhelming knowledge and cunning, he became a source of cmity on and off the battlefield. He acquired many more achievements the most significant of them all, was finding a way to circumvent his inability to control the elements of reality, by creating powerful tools and inventing powerful magic called {runes} with the knowledge he had gained from the tower of Babel. He also gained numerous treasures found on his journeys that gave him strange unusual powers, allowing him to be even more powerful, a menace and a nightmare to all his enemies. Tian, threatened by the rate of growth of the golden dragon, decided that to cull the uprising threat, it was finally time to have the young dragon killed. It was almost as though he could feel the sword of Damocles hanging over his head every time he heard the tales of Ashur''s most recent conquests and battlefield achievements... Chapter 1: Prologue: The Thousand Millennium War... (2) The Second part of the Thousand Millennium War... *** "If a cycle is not created, then all that remains in stagnancy. It begins to stink and rot, making decay and poison the norm. Therefore, a cycle must be produced. As such, with every act of creation, an equal, yet opposite act of destruction must be performed. Good and Evil, Light and Dark, Life and Death..." ¡ªBook 999 of The Records of Akasha, Chapter 999: Whispers before Creation, Nomad... Perhaps due to the willful and chaotic nature of the one who controlled the strings of fate, the Nomad, who didn''t interfere with the activities of his creations, usually wandering around in the void nes, suddenly vanished. In but a split second, all high-level existences became aware of the absence of their supreme creator. Both his presence and influence abruptly disappeared from the universe. Even though he wasn''t involved in the affairs of his creations, his presence made it so that a full-fledged war was always avoided. News of this spread like wildfire in the Celestial nes, causing a lot of Celestial deities, Heavenly beasts, and many other creatures that had begun to popte the vast universe, to panic and worry as the absence of the Nomad would mean the beginning of a new era. An Era of War... Tian, in his infinite madness, saw this as the opportunity he had been waiting for to dere war on the Heavenly beasts. He decided to act as fast as possible, as he had no idea if or when the Nomad would reappear. At first, Skyrim saw no point in needless fighting, but Tian, determined to see to it that all that opposed him was wiped, hatched a sinister plot to send his ns into motion. He murdered the daughter of Skyrim, his soon-to-be bride, causing Skyrim who had no idea he had delivered his beloved into the hands of a madman, to lose his mind in his sadness, rage, and madness. Skyrim then dered war immediately upon Tian and the deities. This was the beginning of the greatest war between the first of civilizations, and the first of species. Itsted a million years and wouldter be referred to as the ''Thousand Millennium War'' by the history books... The divine golden blood of both gods and Heavenly beasts flowed across the starry river and drenched various worlds with the mes of battle and destruction. About 40 percent of the entire celestial race was wiped out, which led to the rise in power of the many lesser races the humans, demons, angels, and, mutant beasts. Many great and powerful beasts fell that day, which included most of the Celestial Cosmic dragons. Almost all the dragons, including the powerful yet young Celestial Golden dragon. Ovee by rage and anger over the death of his mother, the dragon swore by his sacred me, to avenge her by taking the head of Tian and making it her gravestone. Throughout the thousand-year war, he managed to gather many devoted followers who wouldy their own lives down for him. Together with his army, he would go on to lead devastating attacks on the armies of Tian, allowing the war to tilt in favor of the Celestial beasts. However, as Tian was determined to pull this thorn in his side out, nothing was going to change the wheels of fate from spinning in the direction no one wanted them to... The fateful battle had taken ce on a dead, one of the many victims of the millennia-long war. As Ashur chased down a group of escaping heavenly warriors, the main fighting force of the Heavenly Emperor, he was ambushed by arge portion of Tian''s army, as well as the Heavenly Emperor himself. "My Lord, we have been surrounded by the armies of Tian. Please make your escape. We, your men will protect the rear. We will dly give our lives for you my Lord!" Tiamal, one of themanders of Ashur''s army, a beastkin of high rank cried out. "Calm down, Tiamal! You need to set an example for the lower ranks in a situation like this." Ashur replied calmly, as though he was not fazed by the numbers gathered against him across the starry sky. The armies of Tian littered the void, as innumerable as the stars in the night sky. Those with weak hearts would have faltered already, but Ashur''s will was unshakable. "As for running away, that is something I cannot do, as the target of my vengeance has finally prepared himself for me today. If I do not im at least a limb of his before I descend into the yellow river, my soul will not be at rest when I get to my grave." Ashur said in a voice so calm, he nearly scared the fur off the poor beastkin. The beastkin had never heard him sound so calm, yet he could see the visible waves of pure rage in his eyes, rolling like a dense malevolent river of boiling blood. "Alright, gather the troops. Tell them to get ready, we are going to break through to Tian, and have him submit his head!" Ashur said in a low sinister voice. "HOORAH!" Immediately, Ashur had his men, whose hearts were devoid of any fear, gather together tounch an attack on Tian''s army. As soon as the two armies shed, it was absolute carnage... Arrows, spells, and even bullets of energy were exchanged between both sides. The meleebatants drew blood, and every second, bodies fell never to rise again. "TIAN! GIVE ME YOUR HEAD!" World-shaking words erupted from the void, as the figure of a giant golden dragon shed against his eternal foe and father. "Ashur... You have finallye." Ashur immediately spotted his target standing above the battlefield, looking down at the carnage he had caused... "This day is finally here. You have a lot of sins, and today, I shall purge you of them by depriving you of life." The golden dragon charged at the heavenly dragon, Tian with ws stretched, the aura of death following behind him... "Seed of my loins... Do you wish to fight against the heavens themselves?" Tian asked in a condescending tone, his cloud-like eyes staring at the ascending golden dragon right in his monochrome eyes, trying to decipher his emotions. "With all of my existence. With my flesh, my blood, my bones, even my SOUL! This isn''t just about vengeance, Tian. If you do not die today, the celestial race will never know peace. I will bear the burden of sacrificing you for the future of this race." "Hahaha... I see... In that case, let us begin!" The eyes of the Emperor of all the heavens lit up with a glorious yetplicated light as he descended towards the charging dragon, the crushing weight of the heavens bearing down from above... "Ha... ha... ha..." Heavy breaths echoed across a deserted battlefield... A whirlpool of grey ashes could be seen forming in the distance, being carried away by cosmic currents. An epic battle had just taken ce. And like all battles, there could be only one true victor. The golden heavenly emperor stood above the broken body of his son, covered in wounds that he could never heal from. The Golden Hevely Emperor, ruler of the gods struggled to stand on his feet as he stared at the foe he had to risk his very life to defeat. "You''ve lost." Most of Ashur''s golden scales had either been broken off or deformed and a stream of golden blood pooled beneath his enormous body. Yet, he maintained his glorious image even till the end. He stood on his feet, staring his father straight in the eye even though he was fast approaching death. "I know..." Ashur said with a careless grin. "Will you like me to do it, or will you do it yourself?" Tian decided to disy a final show of pity. "Hahaha... I''ll do it myself." Ashur looked his father straight in the eyes. In his eyes, there was no regret, only hatred, and rage. He faced his death with just a single thought. ''Had I been stronger...'' ''He truly is my son. Not a single thread of fear within them... If he wasn''t such a threat, he would have made a great general under mymand.'' Tian thought regretfully. "Ha... Fine." Tian let out a sigh as he watched his son take his own life. The golden dragon instantly let himself go, as his sacred mes began consuming his entire existence down to his very soul. ''Will it work?'' Ashur thought to himself. Unbeknownst to Tian, within his eyes was another emotion hidden so well, even a powerful god-like Tian couldn''t detect it. It was hope... He ced his giant ws on his heart and temple... ''Only one way to find out!'' BOOM! The golden dragon, Ashur was finally dead, and his body shattered into a billion pieces... but his soul? Let''s just say fate wasn''t done telling this story... Chapter 2: Life as it was, and as it is... "I have seen all the things that are done under the sun, all of them are meaningless, a chasing after the wind. What is twisted cannot be straightened, what iscking cannot be counted..." Cain had read these words somewhere in a book he had found in a library. These words were extracted from the holy book of a religion long forgotten to mankind, with almost all information on it lost in the annals of time. The knowledge of this old religion was however able to express his current thoughts most urately, with but a few words... He opened his eyes to the bare ceiling above him and could feel the bile of boredom churning in his stomach, on the verge of releasing itself from his digestive tract... It was most likely just acid reflux due to indigestion, but no one was going to stop him from being a bit poetic, right?... He had once thought he had a problem with his head and had even considered seeing a shrink. He eventually came to terms with the fact that his thoughts and his mental processes were just different from everyone else around him. It was like he was constantly standing upon a hill, observing the city below as well as the people living within, in ignorance of the world around them. The world had known constant peace, but what exactly is peace? Is it the presence of virtue, the absence of vices, or both? Whatever it was, it certainly was an oxymoron... At least, that''s what he thought... *** ording to the history books, the world was a little blue called Urbus. This world could be considered the abode of a highly developed civilization of humans, who had made several high levels of technological advancements and breakthroughs throughout its history. In reality, this broken world was merely the remnants left behind after the events of a war of catastrophic proportions that had taken ce a thousand years ago. The humans that roamed the world back then called it something different, that name now lost forever in the rivers of time. What they did leave behind, was the burden of rebuilding a world damaged almost beyond repair for their offspring... Only from the hottest of fires can true gold emerge. From the mes of war, an even more prosperous civilization of humans emerged. They created the world of Urbus. Major wars were now a thing of the past, and famine, hunger, and disease did not exist anymore due to the level of technological means avable to all, providing different ways to improve agriculture, production, transportation, and other basic, yet fundamental areas of everyday life. If observed from outside, one could even say there existed no unsatisfactory elements in this world, as the rate of crime in this world was supposedly at an all-time low. Jobs were made avable for everyone, and most of these jobs were made easier by machines powered by artificial intelligence to boost efficiency and reduce work load on the humans tremendously. Under these conditions, the fostering of societal problems shouldn''t have been an issue... But humans will always be humans at the end of the day... Behind this facade of development and prosperity,y all sorts of terrible vices, and you could say the main character of this story is merely a by-product of these vices... Cain had rarely known warmth growing up. His stepfather had shown him neglect, and his stepbrother, an obese junkie wasn''t any better. The neglect wasn''t bad in and of itself, but his life had eventually turned into a never ending cycle of reurring images... In a sense, Cain med the peaceful society they lived in... He wasn''t that much of an athlete, but his memory was better than average. Hecked the necessary skills to partake in casual social interactions, so it was only normal for him to be bullied in school. For Cain, all was always as far from good as the distance between the north and south poles. Cast aside by society, there wasn''t much for him to do. No friends, a neglectful family, and very few hobbies, Cain could feel his life spiralling into a never ending abyss. But on a fateful day; The threads of fate began to untangle their knots... On a dark, rainy night, after running away from home because he had an argument with an intoxicated foster father who was goaded by his stepbrother, he happened toe across a mysterious man. Under the dreadful storm, Cain could see the silhouette of a man dressed in all-ck garbs stretching his hands towards him. ''So warm...'' Under the dreadful cold, the contrasting heat radiating from his palms was the closest he felt he would ever get tofort... Struggling to keep his eyes open, he fell unconscious... A few weeks passed, and during this period, Cain was nowhere to be seen... As expected he wasn''t missed by anyone, and his foster father didn''t file any missing reports, thinking he had probably run away. Although the police knew he was missing, surprisingly, no action was taken to search for him, almost as if something or someone was manipting the situation from the shadows... One day, Cain finally appeared before the faces of his stunned stepfather and stepbrother. Only, this time, there was something extremely different about him... Monday morning, Cainy in his bed recalling his dream from the previous night... In a great war between numerous gigantic behemoths and beasts, golden blood of all shades flowed like a river across the starry sky. He observed in the third person, as the body he inhabited roamed across the battlefield, ying numerous beasts and powerful-looking monstrosities until there was no more to kill. He watched as this figure rose its mighty head and roared into the void, where sound was said to be impossible to travel through. And yet, said roar managed to inflict terror into those who were unfortunate enough to hear it. Those who gazed into his eyes, one as dark as the most empty recess of the abyss, and one as bright as a supernova, didn''t usually live to tell the tale. As Cain watched in awe, the figure suddenly looked in his direction. Cain watched in shock, as the giant figure opened its mouth and roared a stream of purple-colored mes as he- "Shit!" With a jolt, Cain abruptly woke up from his lucid state... Gazing at his bedside clock, he realized he had wasted almost an hour staring into space, his head lost in the clouds. ''What was that all about?'' Letting out a sigh, he took his sweet time getting out of bed, then proceeded into the bathroom. Standing in front of the mirror, he stared into the eyes of the entity gazing back at him. Longshes, a head full of raven ck hair, bronze-like skin, and a set of dull, grey eyes. With the bridge of the entity''s nose very slender, his features looked nearly beautiful and effeminate, if one was to ignore the scar running across his face from his left eye, all the way to his right cheek. He ran his fingers across the scar, his eyes zing over as he recalled the series of events that lead to its acquisition. ''So ugly...'' He shook his head vigorously, breaking away from his thoughts. He grabbed his toothbrush, beginning the morning with a mouthful of toothpaste... Stepping into the corridors, he was d to notice that no one was home, which meant that the day was off to a decent start. Since he picked up practicing martial arts, he had hardly seen his stepbrother of stepfather. Whenever he did, they always had something to say about his recent behavior which was still a real ear scratcher... He proceeded to the kitchen, in hopes of preparing some breakfast before heading to school... "At least buy some eggs, damnit! How can I eat breakfast with no eggs?" Cain sulked as he opened the refrigerator, pulling out various ingredients to make a moderate breakfast. In a few minutes, he had prepared the meal, eaten it, and was off to school with a spring in his steps. The path to school was a long one, but was made fast and easy through the modern system of transportation. Maic shuttles that could cover vast distances in the blink of an eye were verymon to see. Cain boarded one of them. Punching his destination into a panel in the luxurious vehicle, the vehicle rose a few inches above the ground without a sound, then sped off... His school was located on an ind attached to the maind by a huge bridge. Numerous maic shuttles raced across the bridge at high speeds. Staring at the ocean, a thought surfaced in his mind... ''As I suspected, I''mte..." He sighed to himself. He got to school thirty minuteste due to his morning daydreaming session. He was surely going to get an earful from Susan, his ss monitor, who made it her life mission to make his life just a bit more enjoyable than it already was. Contrary to his temperament, he was good-looking, at least ording to the opinion of other people. The only thing he saw in the mirror, was an ugly scar. The scar though him lessons, but it was still ugly... "You arete. Again..." Susan, the ss monitor of Cain''s ss said in an annoyed voice as he strolled into the ss. ''Sigh... not this again.'' Cain thought as he proceeded to put on the most ingenuous smile he could muster, hoping it would lessen the heat. "And a good morning to you too, Miss. ss monitor..." Cainn said, trying to fake the most unsarcastic voice he could muster as he tried to appease the demon in human clothing in front of him. This girl before him was one of the people he tried his best not to piss off, as she had every means possible at her disposal to make his day a little bit worse. "The first ss is over. Why are youte?" "Overslept..." "Why did you oversleep?" "Reading..." "What were you reading?" "A book?" "Be more specific!" "Fine... I didn''t have my rm set." "You are so irresponsible! Do you know...." He never could figure out why the damn ss monitor was always on his case. He felt like there had to be a reason why she would single him out of all his ssmates to make his life terrible in school. Due to her constant terrorizing, dumbasses who had a crush on her misinterpreted the situation, thinking they had something going on and would try to constantly get on his nerves due to jealousy. Even though he constantly put them in their ces, it still became a source of constant headaches for him, as the flies never gave up... After listening to three whole minutes of her verbal scolding, while the whole ssughed at his situation, he was dismissed by a satisfied Susan. He sped off quickly to his seat, intending to brush the whole morning drama aside. ''Ha... Could this day get any better?'' Cain thought to himself with a smile. Now seated, he kept reminiscing about the dream he had the night before. Since he had a bit more time before sses began, he decided to let his mind drift off as usual... Suddenly, he felt his heart begin to palpitate excessively. He felt like at least for hundred shots of pure caffeine had been forcefully injected into his bloodstream. All of a sudden, he lost his ability to respire, then his bodily functions ceased to respond to him. His head slumped onto his desk, and his consciousness faded away as he cked out... Chapter 3: Something New Under the Sun. Ash... All he could see, was ash... Ash that covered the skies, and stretched as far as the eye could see. Amidst the heavy curtain of grey, he began to witness things; Things that made him question his sanity. Events and beings he couldn''t even begin toprehend whether they were just a figment of his imagination born from his constant state of boredom. He observed various creatures of all shapes and sizes, grotesque-looking abominations, beings that looked too holy to be gazed upon, and figures that resembled a lunatic''s most depraved nightmares sh with one another, creating a mixture of blood, broken flesh and bones, crushed metal, and wails of the fallen. All these mixed together, created the profound event known to all things, both living and dead, as WAR... He watched, in absolute awe, as these beings of unimaginable strength and power, shed in what seemed to be a universe-destroying battle, and he was right in the middle of it. Futuristic battleships and oddly shaped mechanized units, that appeared to be of alien origins began to duke it out in an extremely intense exchange of firepower, sting beams of hot sma, hot enough to vaporize all the moisture from the surface of the in the blink of an eye, reducing it into a barren wastnd devoid of life. He was confused... ''What the hell is this?!'' Who would answer this question for him?! His heart was in a state of turmoil, his confusion growing by the minute. He didn''t panic, however. He kept his calm, trying to understand the situation to the best of his abilities. From what he could see, everyone was busy looking for the most unique way to rip their opponent''s throats from their necks... After a while, he noticed the battle around him slowlye to a pause. He heard something call out to him from deep within his soul... An extremely ancient and archaic voice that seemed tomand power itself, spoke in a strangenguage he could not make heads or tails of. ".... Murdak shall-moth ¨¨taktel akin..... " the voice continued to chant in his mind, words that held no meaning, yet seemed to contain the very truths of reality, as they were affecting the nearby space... As he listened to the voice recite the words all over again for what felt like an eternity, he miraculously was able to grasp a bit of understanding of the words echoing out from his consciousness... "Seek ye, child of destruction, power. For it is within the decay that all is born from... Let your life and blood be consumed by the insatiable greed, for therein shall the source of immense power and vanityy... "Embrace the whispers of the world, for therein resides both madness and redemption..... " Upon hearing all that, excruciating pain began to build up in his temple, as he gazed with teary eyes, into the now-in-still-motion battlefield, at a pair of eyes appearing from the horizon. One as dark as the depths of an abyss, and one as pale white as bleached bones... Then he heard it in his consciousness once again, a powerful, but less intense voice echoing in his head, "ept Our(My) legacy...embrace the seeds of destruction, the embers to rekindle the mes of a dying world...." BOOM!!! The mysterious scene shattered like broken ss... With that, he was jolted back awake. He had finallye back to his senses. He observed that he had only been out of it for about thirty seconds. Feeling lightheaded, he looked around, only to be even more confused as he stared at his ssmates looking out the windows of the ssroom. He looked out the windows as well, only to see countless sparkling grey-colored raindrops fall from the sky. They formed a massive nket that fell upon the surface of the like a tidal wave. These raindrops seemed to reflect off all sunlight as no one noticed that some of them dispersed to the wind, while some hit the ground. "They look like ashes..." One of his ssmates said as they observed them fall. "Wonder if winter ising in early this year, hehe..." Joked another as that could be the only logical exnation he could think of when faced with such an unprecedented phenomenon. "Grey-colored snow? Where did you get that from, dumbass? Hahaha!" Laughed another of his ssmates trying to make light of the situation. They didn''t realize, how damned they would be in just a moment. Suddenly, as if onmand, much to everyone''s surprise, a holographic menu popped up before some of them all of a sudden. {System Initialization Complete... The Devils have invaded... } An ushering of chaos and destruction, as well as an opportunity for a rebirth..... *** Name: {Cain Lenosi} Level: 0 Strength: 10 Agility: 10 Stamina: 10 Vitality: 1. Defense: Nil Control: 0.1 HP: 100/100 MP: 100/100 Magic: 1. Skills: Nil Titles: Nil System points: Nil. Free attribute points: 5. {Inventory}. {Shop} "What the hell...?" "What''s wrong?" "Hey, y''all are seeing this too, right?" "I''m not seeing anything strange though." "Sigh... I don''t think I got enough sleepst night, cause I''m seeing some really weird stuff right now!" Remarks of panic ensued in the ssroom as some of the students looked on in confusion as they stared at the holographic menu floating before them. The ss monitor tried to get the students to calm down but to no avail. All of a sudden, a female student let out a shrill scream, raising a trembling finger toward the sky. The other students turned their eyes toward the direction she pointed at. Countless streaks of light fell from the sky along with the grey rain and engulfed the entire school, as well as the entire city. Just before these streaks of light hit the ground at speed, they burst open to reveal ck oddly shaped pods. They all held their breaths, staring at the weird objects that now littered the entire school. It took only a brief moment, less than a few seconds, for these absolute terrors and monstrosities to reveal themselves. Terrifying-looking beings of diverse forms released themselves from the shells made from a metallic-like material and scattered into the school grounds, searching for prey to devour. All of a sudden, the windows of the ssroom shattered and a sinister-looking creature crawled in through the shattered window. It stood at a height of about seven feet, towering over all the students in the ss. The creature had jet-ck des for hands, and extremely sharp fangs stretched across its bloody maw into a toothy grin. There was a brief moment of silence before all hell broke loose... The students pushed and shoved at each other, scrambling towards the door in an attempt to preserve their own lives with little to no regard for the lives of those they had once called their friends. Cain, who had just woken up, finally managed to get his bearings. He watched his ssmates shove the furniture and people in their path aside as they raced away from the monster. It quickly developed into a stampede, as those with more strength and better martial arts understanding began forcing the weaker ones out of the way, some of them being trampled near to death after falling to the ground. Cain turned towards the monster, and the attributes of the monster were disyed before him on a holographic disy. {de Devil}: Level 5. (elite) Strength: 40. Agility: 30 Defense: 0 HP: 500/500 MP: 50/50 Skills: Body strengthening level. 1. It didn''t take Cain long to realize that the monster could probably murder everyone in there in a split second. Unlike the others, he wasn''t too panicked. To his surprise, he was able to keep his calm despite all the mayhem and chaos. The creature was terrifying and could invoke fear, yet he didn''t feel any fear towards it, only a subtle sense of disgust... "So ugly..." Cain thought to himself, considering all the possible ways to kill the abomination in front of him. He calmly walked into the storage closet to find something to mutte the beast with. It was too preupied with munching on the bones of the students it had already killed, it failed to notice Cain whose presence hadpletely disappeared from the room. It had the door of the ssroom blocked, denying the students who cowered in fear at the corner of the ss, the opportunity to escape. The only thing they could do was cry hysterically while they waited for their turn to be consumed... Cain searched for a while, until he what he was looking for. A pair of iron rods that must have been a mechanicalponent of a machine lying in a storagepartment behind the ss. ''I guess these will have to do.'' "Hey ugly!" What Cain did next would probably be called stupid and suicidal by sane people. Who would want to put themselves in harm''s way for no reason?! A lunatic, that''s who... "Come!" Cain beckoned the monster forward... Its bloodlust was triggered... Cain could feel it. It understood exactly what he was trying to do. It was excited to know what sort of peculiar taste the courageous human before him would have... The ssroom wasn''t lengthy, so it only took a second before this hideous monster had its bloody maws stretched to their limits, its ded forelimbs outstretched, preparing to sever his corpse into numerous pieces. Cain got into his stance... Holding the iron bars like he would a set of des, he used his years of martial arts training to predict the direction of the iing attack. Shockingly, despite how fast the creature was, he was able to dodge its attacks. The monster attacked haphazardly and without caution. Soon, he saw an opening... He ducked under the razor-sharp de and stabbed the sharp edge of the iron bar straight into its thigh. The creature yelled in pain as it tried to swat Cain away, but he simply ducked below the swing. SWISH! The ded forelimbs created the sound of metal cutting through the air, as they chased after Cain''s life like the scythe of death. But Cain managed to remain one step ahead, weaving through the gaps in the attacks. This was only possible due to his profound understanding of martial arts, as well as the abnormal rush of adrenaline he was currently experiencing. He saw an opportunity again when he noticed the creature falter in an attack, so he took it without hesitation. Putting all his weight into his back leg, he jumped up, avoiding the w that was whistling down towards him by a hair''s breadth, and arriving at the head of the monster. They locked eyes for a brief moment, and what the monster saw in the eyes of Cain managed to petrify it. A sudden surge of fear enveloped the monster, as the silhouette of a majestic golden dragon shone in the depths of his eyes. Cain plunged the iron rods deep into its eyesockets, using the force behind the jump to make sure they traveled into its brain, killing it in on the spot. {Ding. You have in a level 5 de demon}. {Level up!} {Congrattions on reaching level 3.} {+5 free attribute points.} {You have obtained an internal active skill, Golden Blood... } {You have obtained a Rare-grade Weapon: Bloody Katana}. {Golden blood level.1: Upon activation, multiply all physical stats by 2. Consumes 50 MP, and costs 1 point of stamina per second to maintain. Subjects the body of the user to great pain and strain.} (0/10000 SP). {Bloody Katana}: (Rare) Strength: +10. Agility:+15. Weight: 10. Durability: 35/35. Skills: Lacerate Lacerate: {Passive}: Increases the size of wounds caused by attacks, causing increased blood loss by 10%. Cain''s ssmates felt both relief and fear, as they watched Cain murder the monster that was going to devour them all. Well, most of them... Susan started at Cain, various emotions flooded her heart, but neither fear nor disgust was amongst them. Cain, now covered in the monster''s bright red blood, could not help but put on a surprised but hearty smile, as he felt his body overflow with raw power. This was the reward granted for ying foes. Finally... This is what he had always yearned for... Something new to do under the sun... An opportunity to give the beast within him a chance to finally stretch its ws, and put on a bloody show... Chapter 4: Battle with monsters... "Ahhhhhh!" There were screams of horror, pain, and agonying from outside the ssroom. The sound of people running and screaming at the top of their lungs in rushed panic, as well as the asional shriek of anguish, resounded within the building. The monsters had begun to feast... "Help me!" "Run! Everyone, run!" "Jane! That monster got Jane!" "We''re all gonna die!" Meanwhile, Cain was already weighing out his options, ''It''s probably too dangerous to go out now. Those monsters are on a killing spree. I''ll let the initial storm blow over before taking any action.'' The entire school was in chaos, and strange alien creatures had invaded the entire. Cain chuckled to himself as he observed all these things y out. ''The beginning of the end, huh? I didn''t think I''d get to witness this in my lifetime.'' A lot of people tried escaping from the building. The monsters chased after the desperate humans, dismembering them as they tried to reach safety. Like hunters letting their prey back into the wild, giving it a bit of false hope that it still had a chance at life, before cruelly snatching it away. Cain sat down on his seat, fresh blood still dripping from his hair and clothes as he tried toe to terms with the situation he was in. ''What was it called again? Hmmm... Aha! Armageddon!" Cain''s thoughts were still as straight and fluid as every normal day. He was barely shaken up by the way the events of this special day had turned out. The others in the ss stared at him as though they were staring directly at one of the nightmarish creatures. They watched him kill the monster that had taken the lives of several ssmates of theirs in the blink of an eye, while they hid in a corner. Not only was it traumatizing, but it was also embarrassing... Cain on the other hand, had other things upying his mind as he observed the holographic disy before him. *** Name: {Cain Lenosi} Level: 3 Strength: 13. Agility: 13. Stamina: 13/13. Vitality: 4. Defense: 3. Control: 0.3. HP: 400/400. MP: 250/250. Magic: 4. Skills: Golden blood. Titles: Nil Free attribute points: 13. System points 10. {Inventory}. {Shop} ''What the hell are these writings?'' {Replying to host, these are the standard metrics assigned to every human on this as soon as the inception of God Ash takes ce}. ''Oh... That exins a lot... Wait a minute...'' His mind ran through thest few seconds trying to process what had happened. "Did any one of you say something?" Cain pointed the still-bloody crowbar at his cowering ssmates to which all of them responded by vigorously shaking their heads in denial. ''Then who the hell was that?'' He was shocked to hear a strange voice answering his innermost thoughts. ''This has to be considered a huge breach of privacy...'' {Replying to host; I am the system created by the Nomad to regte the activities and functions of all sentient entities in his domain that have been influenced by the arcane energy, mana.} Cain was left surprised, but since this wasn''t the most insane thing he had witnessed in less than 24 hours, he let it slide. He analyzed the menu, trying to draw out a reasonable conclusion. ''Ok then. Can I at least get an in-depth exnation? What do all these metrics represent?'' {Replying to host; Of course, you can. Please wait a moment while I retrieve the necessary information...} Cain didn''t have to wait long, as a few secondster... {Basic Beginner Stat info: Strength: Metric for quantifying the physical strength possessed by the host. Will be increased by a value of 1 with every level up. Can also be increased with free attribute points with a 1/1 ratio. Agility: Metric for quantifying the dexterity, movement, and attack speed, as well as processing power of the five senses possessed by the host. Will be increased by a value of one with every level up. Can also be increased with free attribute points with a 1/1 ratio. Stamina: Metric for quantifying the level of physical endurance possessed by the host. Will increase by a value of 1 with every level up. Can also be increased with free attribute points with a 1/1 ratio. Vitality: Metric for quantifying the number of health points possessed by the host. Vitality represents the amount of life energy possessed by the host and roughly corresponds to the HP of the host. An increase in vitality will lead to an increase in HP. Will increase by a value of 1 with every level up. Can also be increased with free attribute points with a 1/1 ratio. Defense: Metric for quantifying the level of defense against all sorts of attacks possessed by the host. Will be increased by a value of 1 with every level up. Can also be increased with free attribute points with a 1/1 ratio. Control: Metric for quantifying the level of coordination and power application possessed by the host. Will be increased by a value of 0.1 with every level up. Can also be increased with free attribute points with a 1/10 ratio. HP: Measures the number of health points the host currently possesses. If it ever falls to the zero value, that means that the host is beyond critically injured. It means death. Will be increased by a value of 100 with every level up. Can also be increased with free attribute points with a 100/1 ratio. MP: Measures the amount of mana points the host currently possesses. This represents the quantity of magic power of the host. Will be increased by a value of 50 with every level up. Can also be increased with free attribute points with a 50/1 ratio. Magic: Refers to the strength and quality of the magic power of the host. Influences magic damage, cooldown reduction as well as spell and skill effects. Will be increased by a value of 1 with every level up. Can also be increased with free attribute points with a 1/1 ratio. Skills: Refers to all internal, external, passive, or active skills that the host currently possesses. Title: Boons awarded to the host as a result of unique actions and or achievements. Inventory: Isted space attached to the system. It is used to store objects and materials within a limited space. Shop: Information, weapons, and others can be bought here in exchange for system points. System points can only be obtained by killing other lifeforms. Free attribute points: With every level up, the host obtains 1 free attribute points that can be distributed as the host pleases to any of his stats. Free attribute points can also be gotten from in enemies. Whilst Cain got himself busy, the initial shock factor and the fear-inducing noises outside had cleared up a bit, so they began putting heads together, discussing their survival. They conversed in hushed voices; "I think we should stay put. I''m sure help is on the way!" "I agree. There is no way we can face those things." "Yeah. I highly doubt martial arts are going to be of any use." "What of Cain? Wasn''t he able to defeat that monster with his martial arts?" "Yeah, but that''s Cain we are talking about. Anyone else would be toast." "It could also be that he was just lucky. I don''t want to take such chances with my life. I think I''ll stay behind to wait for help." Help wasn''t on its way... Artificial peace created weak hearts and wills. Unknown to these poor souls, at this point, nobody could save them, nobody except themselves. At some point during the discussion, Cain simply stood up from his chair and began walking towards the ssroom door. "Wait a minute, Cain. Where are you going?" Susan, the ss monitor called out to him in a shakey distraught voice. She was probably still shaken by the series of events that had unfolded not too long ago. "I''m leaving. I don''t think it''s a good idea to wait for help that might nevere." "But what of those monsters?! The entire school is most likely filled with them. If you go out now, you''ll die! It''s too dangerous, so I can''t let you leave. We have all decided to stay and wait for help!" Cain rolled his eyes at her, "I might die, butpared to staying cooped up like mold inside this ssroom like you guys, I think I''ll take my chances and go out there." Before she could say anything else, Cain slipped out of the ssroom and into the hallways. He walked a bit further away and was relieved that no one decided to follow after him. ''Less baggage, I guess...'' ''System, I''d like to distribute my free attribute points to my stats. How do I do that?'' {Replying to host; By giving out a mentalmand, the points will be distributed automatically ording to your wishes}. ''Alright then..'' He split his free points between magic, strength, agility, and control. At this point, he was ying it by the ear. He didn''t have any thing to work with other than what he had learned in front of the system, so he decided to experiment a bit. He pulled the weapon he had received after he had killed the {ded Devil} out of his inventory. Drawing it from its sheath, he admired the beautiful engravings that let off a subtle crimson glow, dimly illuminating the hallways he walked through. The ground was littered with debris. Blood stains stained the walls and ceilings as he walked along cautiously. Many light bulbs had been shattered, so there was little to no light avable. He was extremely vignt, his de drawn and held up in anticipation of any attacks. Mangled, broken corpses littered the ground, staring at the ground or ceiling with lifeless eyes. Their deaths were unpleasant, and a majority of them had their eyes wide open in terror, and their mouths spread as though they were perpetually screaming for salvation even in their demise. For those with even half a heart, this scene would stir even a bit of emotion in them, but Cain barely even registered the corpses to his sides as he continued onwards. Luckily or unluckily for Cain, he didn''te across any monsters on his way out of the building. The building had a very simplisticyout, so he quickly arrived at his destination. The front doors... Unlike the inside of the building that looked more or less like no-man''snd, the courtyard had turned into a battlefield. It was filled with all sorts of monsters and the students who had escaped were now trying their best to fight the monsters. It was absolute chaos... The monsters tore into groups of students with absolute savagery. Most of them were ughtered like chickens, but some of them, as well as some staff, managed to coordinate with each other to push back the monsters with their newly found powers. Most of them fought back with system-acquired weapons and all sorts of unique skills. Cain''s eyes roamed across the courtyard and he soon realized that if he didn''t do anything to help, the majority of humans would perish. But he didn''t care about the people risking life and limb to survive. When he looked at the blood-soaked field, all he could see, was a field full of targets. The influx of power is what he cared about. He dived into the thick of the battle, his de drawn, thirsty for fresh blood. He shed with a monster and found out it was indeed stronger than the one he had encountered and defeated in his ssroom. {de Devil}: Level 5. (elite) Strength: 50 Agility: 30 Defense: 0 HP: 500/500 MP: 50/50 Skills: Body strengthening level. 1. CLANG! It swung its ded forearms at him at crazy speeds he was barely able to follow the trajectory of the des. With his high agility and control, he was able to maximize his physical stats. With less amount of strength, he was able to parry the attacks of the stronger monster. Higher control enabled him to use his agility and strength many times more efficiently. ''Fast!'' This thought passed through his mind, as he ducked beneath the swift des, trying to get closer to the monster. The damned thing kept swinging at him, always going for his neck to sever his head. His concentration had to be at hundred, or he was going to lose his head. Holding his de up vertically, he blocked a powerful swing, and with his superior control, managed to divert some of the force away. He was able to hold his ground, although his hand was trembling from the huge force of the attack. He swiftly slid his de across the surface of the ded forelimb and swung at its head as a counter. In response, it shifted back a step, immediately lifting its des high in an attempt to impale him from the top. Rather than retreating, Cain took the opportunity to sidestep the approaching des, and with a light kick on the ground, catapulted into its personal space without giving it time to react. He dragged his de diagonally, leaving a deep wound. The passive skill of the {Bloody Katana} kicked in immediately, and the monster began losing blood like a fountain. The immense pain made it cry out, but before it could get itself, Cain had already brought his de down upon it a second time. {Level Up!!} {Congrattions on reaching level 4...} From Cain''s point of view, the fight seemed to take a long time, but in actuality, it was concluded in a few seconds, as they moved at extremely high speeds. What was done in mere seconds felt like it took minutes to aplish. The experience he had killing this monster enabled him to cut the rest down at a much faster pace. Soon, he was able to kill a decent number of the monsters present, while the rest were killed by the others. Looking at the corpses of the fallen monsters, he saw two strange-looking items which he decided to keep in his inventory forter inspection. He then walked up to what was left of the entire group of students and staff. The ones that seemed to be leading the defense against the monsters numbered three. One was a teacher holding onto a shield and a short axe. The other two were male students, one holding a crossbow, while the other one held a spear. "We were nearly overpowered by these things. Thank you very much, Cain." The teacher, David, approached Cain, and extended his hand for a handshake, his face wearing a sad smile. He was saddened by the number of lives lost. "It''s all good. No need to thank me, Mr. David" "Yeah, bro! You saved our asses. I''m Vincent from ss 2B by the way... No need to introduce yourself, I already know who you are!" One of the male students, a chubby guy with kind, but sly eyes said to Cain excitedly. "Oh? You know me?" Cain was curious as he had seen the fatty a few times, but didn''t care to know anything more about him. "Of course I do. You kinda have a ''reputation'' in the tech department of our year." The fatty said with a chuckle. "I don''t think this is the time to be having this conversation. I suggest we gather those that are still alive, as well as the injured." The other guy said, his brows frowning, as he looked at the state of the courtyard, clearly angry at the site of so many people dead. He walked off towards those barely still alive and injured. "He''s ze, the same year as us," Vincent whispered to him. He guessed from Cain''s character that he wouldn''t know who he was. Cain wasn''t interested in him, so he turned his attention elsewhere. He looked around... It wasn''t a pretty sight at all. Since the courtyard was fairly spacious, the sight of a few people standing amid numerous dead bodies was in a way, heartbreaking, not that he knew how that felt. To him, the weak belonged exactly where they were now. "Well... let''s just say things aren''t looking pretty for us." David said as he turned to look at Vincent and Cain. "Tell me about it. One of them nearly sliced my ass off!" Vincent, the guy with the crossbow said sorrowfully. He was a bit fat, so when he spoke, he was a littleical, his chubby cheeks jiggling with emotions, as he recalled how he was so close to never being able to sit down again... ''His expressions change quickly.'' Cain made a mental note, as he acknowledged that there was more to the fatty than what was on the surface. Anyone who could survive this far was not ordinary... "The real issue is how we move on from here. We need to go back into the building to check for survivors." ze who at some point, hade back, said to them. "I see... Let''s go then. We don''t want to waste any more time, now do we." In reality, Cain didn''t care about the fate of the injured. At this point, all sorts of thoughts ran through his mind. His mind was geared only towards one direction right now. Survival... From what he could observe, Cain concluded that their present state was a reasonable oue. Cain''s school was the only university in a city containing tens of millions, it was extremelyrge and could even house dormitories for boarding students. Luckily, the area where Cain''s ss was located was not very popted, and not too many monsters dropped around there, so the students were rtively saferpared to other ces around the school. From his peripheral vision, Cain was able to notice his ssmates who were still alive had decided toe to the courtyard. They all walked out of the building and into the courtyard. The ss monitor, Susan, spotted him from afar and began throwing looks that could kill him, obviously angry at his decision to leave them all in the ss. She didn''t say anything, but Cain could tell from the venom in her gaze that she wanted to yell her frustrations at him. As Cain and his new acquaintances went around to gather those who were injured, they heard loud footsteps. They could feel its blitsustits'' terrifying aura without even seeing it. "Shit! Everyone, prepare yourselves!" Cain yelled at the trio beside him. Whatever the source, it was approaching fast. Within a second, the creature appeared before them. Gazing up at the monster, their instincts warned them of the terror of the monster that now stood before them. {Devil fighter} lvl. 10. (elite) Strength: 70. Agility: 50. Defense: 10. HP: 2000/2000 MP:250/250. Skills: Body strengthening level. 2, Instant eleration level. 1. "All those who can''t fight, get back into the building, now!" Cain managed to shout at the top of his lungs, as the monster rushed at them with neck-breaking speed. After all, having those who were useless around would serve only as distractions when faced with a powerful enemy. As there was still some time before it could reach them, the others who did not possess any power to fight back at the monster took the opportunity to run back into the building. "We have three melee fighters, let''s try splitting this thing''s attention by attacking from all sides at once so that fatty over here can poke some holes into it. We can grind away at its health like that." "That thing isn''t dumb you know. It can easily ignore you guys and kill me first, picking you guys apartter." replied the fatty. Cain agreed with him. These monsters had previously shown signs of intelligence. They weren''t stupid... "Well, I don''t think we have much of a choice. No time for words anymore!" Chapter 5: Elite Blade Devil. The monster was terrifying, to say the least. It was over 8 feet tall had simr features to the de demon that Cain had fought, and was many times more intimidating than its weaker counterpart. As soon as it came in contact with their group, it spat in an unfamiliarnguageced with contempt, "Die, maggots!" It stretched its arms out using the full force of its eleration to sh with David, who attacked from the front. David, unable to stop the attack, was sent flying far away, mming into a concrete wall. Even though it spoke in apletely aliennguage, they were oddly able to understand its words. "Fuck, it''s strong!" cried the fatty, as they all cringed at the sound of David''s body mming against the wall. "We are all going to die if you guys don''t focus!" Cain cried out angrily. For the first time that day, he finally felt a hint of urgency. He wasn''t arrogant and was able to understand the situation. A single mistake, and he''ll be dead in seconds... He rushed forward immediately to intercept the monster, striking it with the edge of his de at full force. He was shocked to notice that although he managed to cut through the carapace of the monster, he was only able to leave a tiny cut behind. He didn''t even manage to draw blood. "Kekekeke!" The monster looked at Cain with venomous eyes,ughing in an eerie manner. ''Such a small increase in defense affected my damage so much?!'' Cain gritted his teeth as he continued to dodge the creature''s attacks by a hair''s width, looking for opportunities to counterattack. He hadn''t expected its defensive to be so disgusting. ''What a headache.'' Meanwhile, Vincent was trying to shoot at the monster with his crossbow but was having a difficult time, as the damned thing had high movement speed. It was hard trying to lock onto it, especially with the fear of identally hitting Cain. If he did that, especially with David out ofmission right now, things would surely be worse than they already were. On the other hand, ze circled the area as Cain and the monster engaged, approaching the monster from behind. He nned tounch a surprise attack, hoping it would be enough to give them an advantage. ''If I managed to get one in, this fight will be as good as over!'' ze thought to himself, his eyes wide open, taking in every single action they took. ''Now!'' He didn''t hesitate one bit when he saw his opening. The temperature of the air spiked abruptly... ze initiated his attack on the monster by getting into a thrusting position, something he had practiced for years. His pose made it seem like the weapon was an extension of his body. He held the spear parallel to the ground, his legs spread apart with one ced slightly before the other. His arms were ced on the shaft, as he pointed the tip at the unsuspecting monster''s back. "Scorching Spear: Tornado of mes!" ze yelled. BANG! Like a bullet, he moved faster than the eye could follow, thrusting his spear forward. The spear''s rotating speed sped up with every revolution, burning the oxygen in the air up, causing it to ignite with mes. However, the mes did not harm ze but served to boost the power behind the attack even further. As the spear made contact with the monster''s back, an explosion sted a hole the size of a bowl into the back of the monster. ''Yes! I did-'' SLICE! The sickening sound of flesh being torn apart was heard. ze had let his guard down after the attack, not expecting the monster to recover so easily. ze''s eyes widened in shock, as his blood rapidly pooled in his mouth. "Blegh!" He coughed up a mouthful of blood when he looked down at his mangled chest. It made an inch-deepceration across his chest and abdomen, causing him to bleed profusely. The attack didn''t pierce through, so the monster simply pulled the spear out of its back with a grunt. He grabbed the bleeding ze and mmed him into the ground. The monster had ze pinned to the ground, ready to be dealt the killing blow, ze''s eyes burned with fury as he struggled to get out of the monster''s grasp, but it just tightened its grip. All ze could do was watch as the monster slowly squeezed his life out of his body with a sadistic grin on its face. Vincent, in a moment of desperation, activated a skill that could change the tides of the battle... "Elemental Snipe: Lightning bolt!" The fat teenager took a very deep breath to steady his emotions, before pulling the trigger to release an arrow with trails of electricity shing across its shaft from his crossbow. Like a bolt of lightning, the arrow blitzed through the air before embedding itself into the back of the monster. "Rawgh!" The arrow transferred a huge amount of electricity into its body. The monster cried out in pain and confusion, as It had suddenly be stunned. Vincent then turned towards Cain almost in tears, shouting at the top of his lungs; "The stun won''tst long. Make it, or break it!" Without waiting for a reply, he continued firing normal arrows at the now-stunned monster. Cain gritted his teeth in frustration, ''I can''t afford to waste any more time or someone might die here!'' Cain finally had enough of being toyed around with by the ugly monster. He felt his blood boil for the first time in a long while, this time not because he was excited. He was pissed... "A mere monster and you dare be this arrogant? Die for me!" Cain roared at the monster, rage bubbling within his voice. "Golden blood!" A faint golden glow ran across the surface of his body, golden veins appearing on his skin. The color of his Irises changed into a pale red as well. Cain felt the sudden surge of power apanied by a proportional influx of pain and difort running throughout his body. The pain was very severe, but it was nothing he couldn''t endure, especially with his stats now doubled. Hence, he fought to ignore the pain... He could hear the sound of his blood racing through his veins as he lunged at the monster, his mind sharpened thanks to the mind-numbing pain. *** Name: {Cain Lenosi} Level: 4 Strength: 36(10). Agility: 36(15). Stamina: 20/28. Vitality: 10. Defense: 8. Control: 2.2. HP: 720/800. MP: 250/250. Magic: 5. Skills: Golden blood. Titles: Nil Free attribute points: 1. System points: 100 {Inventory}. {Shop} The activation of the golden blood technique meant all his physical capabilities had currently been doubled. ''With just 28 points in stamina, I have less than 39 seconds to end this fight.'' Even though he was currently boiling with rage, his mind was still as clear as a spring... As all his stats were data representations of his physical state, if his stamina ran too low he would be too exhausted to do anything. In a worst-case scenario, he might even pass out. The devil fighter, now freed from the stunned state, grunted in annoyance as it pulled the arrows Vincent had shot into its body, only to be greeted with the glint of a de swinging down from above. Startled, it brought its ded ws up to defend itself on instinct. The monster could feel that this strike from Cain was at least twice as powerful as it had been previously. Cain''s attacks could finally draw blood... Although strength-wise, Cain still couldn''tpete with it, he still had a bit of a speed advantage. This was when the extra points granted by the {Bloody Katana} were taken into consideration. Although he could finally deal some damage, Cain wasn''t satisfied yet because his cuts were too shallow. He had to find a way to increase his damage. He could feel his de shaking in his palm. His vision started to blur slightly due to exhaustion. ''My stamina is running out. I have to think of a way!'' In the heat of the moment, maybe due to desperation, or something else, Cain felt something. Something surreal, like a breeze. He could feel it, yet couldn''t touch it. He couldn''t see it, yet oddly enough, he could exert some control over it... He could feel it leaking from his body into the de in his hands. The ethereal energy wrapped itself around the edges and surface of the de. Cain was filled with confusion, ''W-what is this?!'' The de began to glimmer with a faint blue light, creating a sharp glint that enveloped the entirety of the ded part of the sword, almost like an extrayer covering the entire de. Cain was extremely surprised, as it was so sudden, and he didn''t expect it. The monster felt something wasn''t right... The aura the de exuded made it feel threatened. In its caution, it activated a skill of its own. It didn''t want to create any chances for Cain due to its negligence. The des attached to the forelimbs of the creature shed with yellow light. It closed the distance between them in the blink of an eye and swung its ws at Cain. "Oh, shit!" Cain could tell that the monster''s attack speed had increased dramatically. As the increase in speed was just too sudden, Cain wasn''t able to react in time. He still attempted to dodge, but as he was too hasty, he made a mistake. A mistake he paid for with an extremely nasty injury across his chest. "Kekeke..." The creature kicked him away, letting out gutturalughter as it walked towards Cain slowly. "Ha... Such is the fate of the weak. The only point of your existence is to be food and sustenance for us, the strong and mighty." As Caincked the defense necessary to offset most of the damage, that attack of the devil fighter drained more than half of his HP. Feeling his life drain out of his body to form a pool of viscous blood, Cain immediately felt an immense amount of pure unbridled rage spew forth from the depths of his soul like a dam had been broken. He suddenly heard a draconic roaring from the depths of his consciousness, within it, anger so dense, it could blow realms away, and turn worlds into dust. ''Screw this!'' He ignored the immense pain he was feeling, as well as the feeling of exhaustion from having his stamina drained, and burst towards the monster with only one thought on his mind... ''Die!'' He knew he was short on time. Just a few seconds more, and he would bepletely powerless. So he pushed his body to its absolute limit. With that final burst of strength, he managed to parry the attack dished out by the monster. Cain instantly counterattacked by plunging his sword deep into the body of the monster once again. The sword cut through the monster like a hot knife going through butter. The coating of energy on the de made it so sharp, that the tough carapace he was having difficulty cutting through was split so easily. The {de Devil} began to panic. Never had it thought that Cain would possess the ability to inflict such harm upon it. "Arghhhhh!" Once Cain was on the offensive, the monster was unable to do anything. All it could do was howl and screech in agony, whilst it tried to defend itself as Cain cut it apart. Bits and pieces of bloodstained flesh and organs were sent flying everywhere until there were no parts left together sufficient enough to call it a body. The entire ce looked like an unsanitary butcher''s shop once Cain was done. Blood dripped from his hands, face, and clothes but he didn''t register any external stimuli. The only thing that mattered to him at that moment, was that he had one. ''It''s dead.'' {Congrattions to Host... You have killed an Elite de Devil... You have also obtained a new external active skill, Mana de... }. {+3 points to Agility}. {+5 points to Strength}. {Level up!} {Congrattions to Host... You have reached level 7... } Chapter 6: Tian. 9TH LAYER OF HEAVEN, PALACE OF TIAN... The Heavenly Emperor had been sitting on his throne for a while, staring into space. The throne room of Tian was one of the most magnificent ces in the universe, a nice fit for the dwelling ce of the supreme ruler of the Celestial deities. The halls of his pce seemed to carry on into infinity, as they had been iid with special magic circles by the best of engineers, manipting the spacialws within. With pirs iid with rare gems and jewels that could increase the density of mana in the air to the point of saturation, where mana crystals of the greatest purity started to appear, as well as floors marbled with the most precious of stones, and the most magnificent throne made of the most precious of metals. Tian''s throne room was truly amazing, but it was also decorated with body parts of powerful enemies he had in. The heads of great beasts such as Dragons, gorgons, and titans upied shelves like trophies kept as a symbol of his greatness and strength. The furry remnants of great beastkin warriors, as well as hollow husks of chimeras of all shapes and sizes, upied what seemed to be an endless row of shelves specifically made to house these trophies of conquest. However, Tian was indifferent to all the things surrounding him. He just stared into thin air, as if he was in a trance. He had been like this for a while, and his servants who hade to check on him were at a loss, as the Heavenly Emperor had never been in the state he saw in currently before. Suddenly, the doors to the throne room opened, and in wobbled an old man who looked like he had seen better days. He wore an all-ck robe, carried a staff that was covered in runic symbols, and had a big bright red gem embedded at its top. One peculiar thing about this old man was how his eyes appeared tock all colors. His eyes were as ck as midnight. They resembled soulless abysses that could make those who gazed into them lose their souls in them. Although the distance between the doors and the throne was extremelyrge, the old man managed to cross said distance in a single step. He then made a slight polite bow towards Tian, and said in a deep and raspy voice, "This old man greets His Majesty." "Gabrius, there is no need for trivialities... Speak, what have youe for." Tian replied. The old man, Gabrius, paused as if taking some time to gather himself, before replying, "I have gazed upon the Akashic records as of recent my Lord, and they have not changed even after all this time, which might mean-" "He is still alive!" Tian interrupted Gabrius before he could finish. "How did youe to that conclusion, your Majesty?" asked Gabrius, slightly surprised, as he didn''t expect Tian to also be able to read the Akashic records, which contained information about the past, present, and future. "I''ve been having dreams as ofte... Dreams hinting towards his revival, although I am sure he had died that day. There can be no other exnation." replied Tian indifferently. Gabrius, who had the wind taken out of his sails, asked in an upset tone, "Well, what do you n on doing, My Lord? Even being so young, and unable to control the elements, he was already so powerful. If we let him recover his powers, there is no telling what could happen this time! I suggest we find him and kill him before he has the time to grow properly." Gabrius was the chief advisor of the Heavenly Emperor. He possessed the ability to peer into the future, at a cost of his vitality and lifespan, through the records of Akasha. He was the most ideal individual in all the heavens to give the Heavenly Emperor advice. "The time to make a move hasn''te. Spread the word. Anyone with information on the little dragon shall be rewarded handsomely." Tian replied in a toneced with indifference as though he wasn''t worried at all. "My Lord, are you sure of this? If the old dragon catches wind of this, he will interrupt our ns!" said Gabrius slightly agitated at Tian''s indifference. If they didn''t take this seriously, there was a possibility that they were allowing a murderous tumor to grow unchecked. "Enough! Gabrius, go and do exactly as I say!" replied Tian in a resounding voice that shook the very foundations of the throne room. "Yes, My Lord. It shall be done!" Gabrius replied curtly, not wanting to incur the wrath of the Heavenly Emperor. "I am the Heavenly Emperor, Tian. I cannot be defeated, so let hime. Even a thousand times, and he shall be defeated all the same. This time, however, his head shall be added to the collection of those that have fallen to my de!" Gabrius heard Tian mutter just before he left the hall. Gabrius let out a deep sigh just before he left the throne room, worried about the dark clouds that covered the future of the Celestial race. *** Cain let out a deep sigh of relief. Hearing that from the system indicated the demise of his opponent, as well as his victory. He crumpled to the ground in exhaustion. He could feel all the muscles in his body throbbing due to the excessive amount of strain he had put himself through by activating {Golden blood}. There were no longer any enemies around, as he had just killed the leader of the pack, he took this moment of respite to scroll through his status screen. ''Put all four free points into control...'' Cain thought. From the fight earlier, he had deduced two things. One, his skill, {Golden blood} was his trump card. The longer his trump card couldst, the better he would be able to preserve his life. As for control, due to his having higher control, his coordination had increased greatly, and he was able to maximize his strength and agility with every attack. He also had a feeling that there was more to this stat than meets the eye. There was a connection between his control stat and the skill he had just acquired. Just to be sure, he decided to ask the system. ''System, how did I get my new skill, {Mana de}?'' {Replying to host: There are numerous ways to acquire skills. The mostmon way to acquire skills is to receive them automatically from the system when you make a kill. This has a very low probability rate, but the skills received are most likely going to be strong internal skills. The other way to get a skill is through mana maniption, which is how you gained the skill, {Mana de}...} ''Mana maniption? What''s that?'' {Replying to host: Mana maniption in simple terms, is the interaction between your control stat and your magic stat. The higher your control stat as well as your magic stat, with a bit of luck and innovation, you can create custom skills. Some might be powerful, while some might be useless, but this way of skill or spell creation is many times more reliable than the first. Skills created using this method are usually, but not limited to external skills} {Another way to get skills will be through physical activities. For example, by performing a certain action numerous times with a 100% sess rate, you will be able to create a skill. For example, by urately striking a target''s bullseye with an arrow numerously, an individual will be able to create an archery-based skill that increases their uracy.} {The second and third ways can also be used in conjunction with each other. For example, by punching a wall a thousand times whilst circting mana through the arms, an individual might be able to create a skill that greatly increases his damage with his fists.} {Now, to answer your question, your skill, {Mana de}, was subconsciously created by you using the third method. Bybining your knowledge of martial arts with your mana using your control stat, you were able to produce such a powerful skill}. ''Wow... Seems pretty easy '' Cain said, recalling how easy it was for him to create the skill. {Bear this in mind, host. The creation of skills depends greatly on luck as well as a lot of hard work. You had gotten incredibly lucky thest time. Skill creation depends greatly on the circumstances, magic, control, and many more factors...} The system quickly shut Cain down. If not for luck, as well as a stroke of inspiration, he most likely would be dead, as that stroke of luck was what saved him. He proceeded to sit up and lean against a wall. He winced slightly due to the wounds he got from the fight. He suddenly remembered the things he had ced into his inventory that had fallen to the ground when he had in the {de Demon} and now, the {Devil Fighter}. He made a mentalmand to open his inventory, and sure enough, there sat an oddly shaped item. It looked like a bunch of squiggly lines bunched up together, engraved on a piece of translucent, almost invincible paper. Confused, he proceeded to retrieve it from his inventory. He focused his attention on it to observe its description. {Mark of Beastly Strength: +5 Strength} When he brought it out from his inventory, the item resembled atattoo glowing with a faint red light. It had a circle engraved with weird symbols, enclosed in a rhombus. ''System, what are these things?'' asked Cain. {These are called runes. They will drop from fallen enemies at a particr rate. A full collection of 9 runes of the same type will lead to the formation of an array. Some runes can be engraved on the body directly, while some can be engraved onto weapons. Some runes can grant extra attributes like the one you have now, while some can even grant skills or some special stats}. ''So can I put this one on?'' Cain asked excitedly. An additional 5 points to strength would result in an obvious and direct increase in hisbat strength, which in turn increased his chances of survival. {Host should be warned, as engraving the runes directly unto the skin causes immense pain}. ''Don''t worry. I can take it'' Cain replied with conviction. ''What''s a little bit of painpared to what I''ll gain? As long as I get enough power to stay alive, I''ll endure...'' Cain thought to himself. {Very well... To activate the rune, as it is a strength-based rune, you can either ce it on any part of your arms or your shoulders}. "Got it." Cain proceeded to ce the rune on his bicep, which then began to burn the patterns gradually onto his skin. Cain gritted his teeth, as the process was excruciatingly painful, and felt like his mind was being stabbed by sharp needles. The pain eventually died down, after the process was over. "Fuck, this is more than just immense pain. What the fuck?!" Cain cried out. {Replying to host: I told you so....} replied the system sounding a little exasperated. Chapter 7: Going Solo... Cain went through his inventory again and found one more rune inside, as well as a few bottles of HP Regen potions and just three bottles of Mana Regen potions that he had gotten from the other monsters he had killed. Small HP Regen potion: Recovers 100HP per bottle. Can be directly applied to the surface of injuries or orally ingested. Small MP Regen potion: Recovers 100MP per bottle. Can only be ingested orally. Cain retrieved some HP potions from his inventory and drank one while he poured another on the surface of his injury, which let out white smoke as it healed at a speed visible. He healed up quickly afterward, the wounds leaving no scars. He proceeded to walk toward the others after he was done recovering. After absorbing the {Rune of Strengthening}, Cain''s strength had increased by 5 points. As Cain approached the others, he noticed David, had already woken up and was busy sulking in a corner. As for ze, he had been fed some HP potions by Vincent and was now conscious. "Impressive bro! You managed to beat that thing!" Vincent gave him a thumbs up, amazed by the disy of skill Cain had put up against the monster. "It''s not that impressive. I only managed to beat it with everyone''s help." Cain replied modestly. "Let''s go back into the main building. It''s not safe out here." Cain said in a serious voice. Staying out in the open was too dangerous, as they could encounter monsters at any moment, and they were all wounded and exhausted from the previous battle. They rushed back into the school building, shutting the main doors as swiftly as possible. *** Cain was a major in science and technology at the university. His departmentplex was separated from the main campus by a good amount of distance, about an hour on foot and a few minutes if a vehicle was used. It waspletely isted from the main campus by the artificial forest. It possessed various facilities such as a gymnasium, a workshop, and even aboratory. All this was made possible, only because of how prosperous City Z was. There weren''t a lot of people in his department whenpared to the rest of the school. Hence, It was probably safer whenpared to other ces on the campus. From what he could notice when the God Ash fell, and the devils began raining from the sky, most of them fell towards more popted areas, almost like they could smell where the most amount of prey was and would gravitate there automatically. Once they made sure everyone was safely inside the building and the doors were locked properly, they began moving forward. The scenery inside the building was just as bad as the one outside. The monsters made a mess of the ce. Blood and broken bodies were everywhere. Most of the corpses had huge chunks bitten from them, making them look iplete. Others were just divided into multiple pieces, their parts spread across the ground. The sound of rapid breathing and quiet sobbing was resounding in the quiet hallways. The people that were left didn''t even number to a hundred. Behind the moving crowd, Cain, Vincent, David, and ze were conversing, sharing what they knew about the current situation with one another. The crowd moved on for a while until they eventually arrived at the main hall located downstairs. This hall was fairlyrge and was used for important events like orientation and the like. They all made their way into the hall. Most of the crowd sat down, huddled together at the center, clearly still terrified that they would be attacked by the monsters once again. Only a few of them were Wis enough to know that arge group staying so close together would serve the opposite effect intended when it came down to making their escape or protecting themselves. ''Fear, huh...'' Cain reasoned out that they most likely huddled together because of one thing, fear. This fear didn''t allow them to think things through. The only thing they could think of was feeling safe. Giving themselves a false sense of security was the only way to do that. Cain stood at the door, observing the crowd, while at the same time, paying attention to anything that was happening behind the doors. It would never hurt to be extra careful. "Are you alright?" Susan came up to Cain from where she was seated. She used her eyes to scan his entire body and was shocked when she saw that it was soaked in blood. "You''re injured?!" The look of panic in her eyes was genuine, which was something Cain didn''t expect. "Ehem... I''m just looking out for a ssmate. Don''t take it the wrong way." Realizing that she had overreacted, she tried to cover up her embarrassment with a cough, her cheeks turning a shade of pink. "Hahaha. Thank you for your care, Miss. ss Monitor, but the blood isn''t mine." Cain lied. He saw no need in letting her know he had been injured previously. As they made small talk with each other, suddenly... " W... What are we going to do against those monsters?!" blurted out one of the teachers present in the hall. "Do we try to escape from here?" "Yeah right. Those things will murder us all if we dare go outside! I''m not taking any chances!" a student in a shaky voice. "Guys, I suggest we all calm down and wait for the police or government to show up and rescue us." the head of the technology department said in an attempt to calm the hearts of those present. "I''m leaving this ce." Cain instantly made his decision. He was definitely against the n to wait here like sitting ducks. Rather, he wanted to go look for more monsters to hunt and kill so he could be strong enough to fight back against the monsters. "What?! It''s too dangerous out there!" Susan said with eyes wide open. Others were contemting how they were going to avoid the monsters, but he was trying to hand his ass over to them to eat. What is he thinking?! "Let me give you a bit of advice, Miss. ss Monitor. Times have changed. Likely, we aren''t the only ones who have encountered monsters such as these. By killing these monsters, we can get stronger." Cain called his de out of his inventory. "If you want to survive, I advice you to take your fate into your own hands, and stop waiting for others to save you." With that, Cain opened the door, preparing to make his exit. "Young Man, What are you doing?! Going out there now is foolishness. You should wait for help to arrive." The head of the department called out to Cain as he prepared to walk out the door. "I''m not going to sit and wait for my death like a fool" Cain replied coldly before walking out of the hall. "Welp... That''s my cue. Ciao!" Vincent followed after Cain, exiting the hall before the door could even close on its own. After Vincent left, David, the teacher who had followed him to fight also left, alongside ze. Although they wanted to protect the group, they were against staying here and doing nothing, whilst they waited for help that might nevere. Susan stood on the spot, the words Cain said to her ying over and over in her head. Eventually, she gritted her teeth and rushed out of the hall as well. A few others who were against waiting for help also exited the hall as well. Apart from them, the rest had decided that they would wait for the government, or someone toe to save them. "You are all following me?" Cain turned around and was shocked to see more than one person following behind him. "Of course, boss! You lead the way, and I follow." Vincent gave Cain a wide smile and a wink. "No, thank you." Cain immediately shut the fatty down without any remorse. "Ahhh? How can you be so cruel, boss? Do you want to hurt my delicate heart?" Tears were forming at the edge of his eyes threatening to fall at any moment, but Cain just ignored himpletely, as he could already guess the fatty''s true nature. He could change faces like underwear. He had more than one mask covering his face at all times, making Cain feel the need to be constantly on guard around him. "I suggest we form a team. It will be many times safer if we move as a group." David said to the rest of them. Including Cain, there were a total of 8 guys. Including Susan, there was anotherdy among them. However, to Cain, this wasn''t any of his business, as he nned to move by himself in the meantime, just to get a grasp of how things were, as well as to develop his skills a little before he decided whether or not it was a good move to roll with them as a group. "I n on moving alone in the meantime," Cain said moving forward as he said so. "What do you mean, boss?! You and I will make a golden tea-" Vincent tried to convince Cain to stay, but was once again shut down by him. "I''ve made my mind up. If we meet again, perhaps there''s a slight possibility I might have a change of heart. But for now, I''d prefer to move alone." With those words, he walked away from the group. Before he left the grouppletely, he could feel someone''s gaze upon his back. Turning his face to the side, he caught a glimpse of the other girl. They made eye contact with each other. The beauty had been staring at him all this time. She had pure white hair that looked like freshly fallen snow, fair skin that had the texture of porcin, a high-bridged nose, and thin red lips. Cain could swear that she was probably the most beautiful person he had met in his life. The only thing off about her was the way she stared at him. He decided to break eye contact, turning his gaze forward and sprinting across the hallway. In a split second, he arrived before the doors to the building and was gone in a sh... Chapter 8: The Mysterious mans training... Upon getting out of the building, Cain a quick look around to observe his surroundings. ''The skies are grey.'' The formerly blue skies were covered in grey clouds that stretched out as far as the eyes could see. This added backdrop of mncholy made the already downcast atmosphere even more depressing and gloomy. He briefly scanned the area for any potential threats, before heading in a certain direction. When the god ash fell, the monsters scattered to various areas of the school, and he was headed to one of the ces he figured arge number of them had fallen. He walked for some time until the building behind him disappeared. As he walked forward, he noticed the silhouette of a few figures dancing ahead of him. *** {deless Devil Spawn}: Level 3(Normal) Strength: 30 Agility:20 Defense: 5. HP: 200/200 MP:20/20 Skills: Nil. These monsters were shorter than the ones he had previously encountered, about the height of an average human, with little defense, as they were not covered in ck scales like the others. They had dark oily skin with sunken hollow eyes and a set of sharp yellow canines that were covered in blood. The sight of these monsters indulging in human flesh with expressions of sadistic delight on their ugly faces didn''t incite any emotions in Cain. This feeling of indifference towards situations like this made him worried. ''Am I still human?'' Cain thought to himself. All he cared about, was how much his strength would have increased after he was through ughtering the monsters before him. Cain counted about 30 of them feasting on 5 dead humans on the road that was littered with torn-up pieces of clothing and flesh. A few vehicles that were damaged in idents, smoke escaping from their engines nowy on the road. The road had nothing but the echoes of human bones snapping, and the disturbing chatter of the monsters apanying Cain. The monsters had yet to notice him, so Cain knew he held the advantage. He drew his de, and with the speed of a bullet, raced down the road toward the monsters. The road was bordered by trees. These trees were part of an artificial forest that led from Cain''s department to the main campus. The monsters noticed Cain running towards them. They immediately stopped eating their meal, and faced Cain with the desire to tear him apart, blood still dripping from their jaws and ws. "Mana de." Cain activated {Mana de}, a thin film of mana wrapping around the de. He dived into the monsters with a bloodthirsty grin of lunacy on his face. This was one thing that managed to get his blood pumping. The ability to ughter to his heart''s content. The way he saw things, no more would he have to be faced with the problem of perpetual boredom. These monsters were weakpared to the opponent Cain had faced just recently. With every swing of his de, a head was sent flying. He didn''t even give them a chance to retreat, and in the blink of an eye, all 30 of themy dead on the ground. ''Didn''t even need to use {Golden Blood}, although the amount of exp is too little.'' When he was done killing them, he noticed that the total amount of exp he had gotten from killing 30 of these monsters was very littlepared to the level he was currently in. If he wanted to level up, he had to kill a lot more. Since Cain didn''t know what to expect, he decided not to go too far from the departmentplex, in case he encountered something he couldn''t face, he would be able to retreat to safety. 2 hourster... He had encountered a lot of weak monsters during this time. His level progress had seen only a bit of progress, and he hadn''t gotten any extra stats or runes from them, on a few HP and MP regen potions. He decided to take a short break to recover his expended stamina while he took a look at his status screen. Name: {Cain Lenosi} Level: 7. Strength: 54(10). Agility: 57(15). Stamina: 3/42. Vitality: 23. Defense: 15. Control: 3.0. HP: 200/2,300. MP: 100/750. Magic: 15. Skills: Golden blood, Mana de. Titles: Nil Free attribute points: 4. System points: 60. {Inventory}. {Shop} {Golden blood level.1: Upon activation, multiply all physical stats by 2. Consumes 100 MP, and costs 1 point of stamina per second to maintain. Puts the body of the user under great strain. (100/10000 SP). This is an internal skill, hence, it can be upgraded.} {Mana de: Coat the surface of your de with destructive mana to deal an extra 200% damage when attacking. It Consumes 5MP per second to sustain. Note:This is an external active skill, and cannot be upgraded.} {Note: Host can only possess 5 internal skills before each tier evolution}. He put all four free attribute points into magic. He figured that once the number of skills increased, his mana consumption would increase as well. Hence, he would need to increase his mana pool as early as possible. Rune of agility: +5 points to agility. He took out the other rune he had gotten and used it on himself. The process was still as painful as thest time... Cain smiled in satisfaction, looking at his stats. He was many times more powerful than he originally was. The only thing he felt he wascking was the number of skills he had under his belt. To him, being able to create skills by himself meant the possibilities were limitless. Once his stamina had regenerated to full, he drew his {Bloody Katana}band and began swinging. He wanted to try out one of the skill-creation methods the system had informed him about. If he was able to create a skill like this, he would have so many new doors opened to him. He began practicing all the de forms taught to him by his mysterious master. His legs spread apart, he let the faint breeze direct the trajectory of his de, making it unpredictable, like the wind... As he swung the de, he couldn''t help but reminisce of that fateful day, the day his fate had been changed by a mysterious man... "Do you know what the true essence of battle is?" The man spoke to the bodyying on the ground. The body was covered in bruises and scratches, with only a few articles of clothing on his back. In his hand, he held onto a slightly curved de. He didn''t say anything to the man, he just stood back up from the ground with shaky knees. The handsome face of a young boy with caramel eyes and raven ck hair was revealed as soon as he got up from the ground. His dark eyes told of his resolve, as even with all his injuries, they didn''t waver in the slightest. On the contrary, they burned with a fierce light, the excitement within them capable of causing a fire. "Ha!" The boy charged at the man once again. The old man was without a weapon, but he faced the approaching de of the young man with a limpid gaze. With his index and middle fingers stretched like a de, he stopped the approaching de lime it was made of cardboard. CLANG! The sound of metal against metal rang out, as the boy, not surprised by this astonishing feat, simply withdrew his de swiftly. He loosened his grip on the hilt for a split second, then dragged his de across the man''s fingers. The sword was headed straight for the man''s neck, but once again; It was stopped again. However, the boy showed no signs of being frustrated. He once again withdrew his de, and this time, he brought it down with an overhead chop directly at the man. This attack, was in fact, a faint. As soon as he noticed the man bring his fingers up to block, he tilted the de slightly. With the de tilted, the air surrounding the de pushed against the t of the de, causing the de to divert from its intended path. Suddenly, the de was no longer heading for the man''s head, but with a horizontal chop, he aimed at the man''s waist. ''I got you now!'' The boy was already rejoicing in his heart, however... SMACK! The de was once again blocked by the man. This time, by the back of his hand. The boy''s eyes widened in surprise, as he didn''t expect his genius move to be blocked as well. "My turn..." Before the boy could even blink, the side palm of the man was already resting on his shoulder. He didn''t even notice when he closed the distance between them. He felt like a mountain crashed into him, his head spinning from the weight of the attack. ''I lost again...'' The boyy on the ground once again, staring at the blue sky for what felt like the thousandth time that day. "Do you know what martial arts is?" The young boy, Cain, didn''t answer, because he didn''t know how to. He was just a kid after all. "I don''t know." The young Cain answered. "Hahaha!" The man let out a hearty chuckle. "I guess we''ll just have to find out. Come again!" With that, another bout began... Cain recalled the feeling he had that day. The way he held his sword, the way the wind helped him move the de, guiding it towards its intended destination. His eyes shone with the light of realization. {Congrattions to the host for creating a new external active skill: Lightening Edge} {+ 1 to all stats.} {Lightening Edge: Increase attack speed by 100%. Critical rate increases by 5% when the skill is used. Cost 100MP to activate. Cooldown: 1 minute. {Congrattions to the host for acquiring a new internal passive skill: de Mastery}. {de Mastery: Increases attack power and speed with ded weapons by 10%. Increases critical chance and rate by 1%} (100/5,000SP) {New stat: Perception, unlocked...} Chapter 9: Skill Creation. BOOM! The sound of the de vibrating echoed loudly in the silence. This time, the entire weapon was enveloped with pale blue colored mana. It wrapped around the {Bloody Katana} like silk threads waving in the breeze. The threads of mana were being created from Cain''s mana pool. Cain took a step forward and swung the de horizontally at a nearby tree. RING! The de disappeared and appeared at the other end of the tree. Cain began doubting his senses, as the de just seemed to vanish and reappear. CRASH! The tree was severed cleanly in half. The cut was made so smoothly, he didn''t even feel any resistance when the de passed through the tree. Satisfied, Cain sheathed his de, then proceeded to look at the other important benefits he had just received. Because he learned {Lightening Edge}, he was given a +1 to all his stats. ''System, what does this perception stat represent.'' Cain asked curiously. {Replying to host: The Perception stat can only be unlocked after the hostpletes certain requirements... Perception: Metric for quantifying the power or strength of the five senses of the host. It influences how fast the host can formte andprehend new skills as well as improve old ones, by the method of observation andprehension}. ''Well, this changes everything.'' Cain thought to himself. When distributing his attribute points, Cain was considering the future. With the addition of this new stat, he would be forced to reevaluate his current ns. ''But on the bright side, I have another skill!'' Cain clenched his fist, his heart full of excitement. He had no idea that the martial arts he had learned would be so useful. With this, he had an edge over anything that woulde his way. Suddenly, his ears twitched... He felt his heart rate speed up, as though the scythe of death hung above his head waiting to im his life. He pushed his agility and control stats to the limit as he put power into his feet and jumped away from his initial position. Uponnding, he rolled behind a tree while he observed his surroundings. WHIZZ! THUNK! The sound of something cutting through the air at high speeds rang in Cain''s ear. It was a thin, but long metal spike that already embedded itself into the trunk of arge tree. The metal spike was buried almostpletely into the tree''s trunk. Cain felt a few beads of sweat roll down his face as he imagined himself being in a ce of the tree. If he hadn''t reacted in time, he would have been the one impaled by the metal spike. He looked in the direction the metal spike hade from, and was shocked to see a huge creature rushing at him with oddly quiet steps. It looked like a humongous porcupine. *** {Mutant Spiked beast}: Level 10 (elite) Strength: 50. Agility: 70. Defense: 10. Magic: 15. HP: 1000/1000. MP: 750/750. Skills: Metal creation, Silent steps. Cain was surprised, to say the least... ''System... what the hell is that thing?'' {Replying to host: That is a creature that had been affected by the mutative properties of the God Ash and has been turned into a Mutant creature.} ''This God Ash stuff again? What the hell is it?'' {Replying to host: Information on the God Ash can be purchased in the shop.} ''For how many system points?'' {Replying to host: 5,000 system points will suffice'' ''What the fuck? Why ?!'' Cain was shocked by the number of system points he would need just to buy information. The number of system points he had gathered for over 2 hours didn''t even reach 1,000. {Replying to host: The more precious the knowledge, the more it will cost. Information on God Ash isn''t very valuable, hence the cheap price.} ''Cheap?! You call that cheap?!'' Cain gritted his teeth. This system was very greedy. He would have to hunt monsters for more than 10 hours before he would be able to umte so many system points. ''Whatever! Let''s just deal with this problem first'' The mutant porcupine was very fast, with 70 points in agility. It came to a stop about 30 meters away from Cain and observed him with bloodshot eyes. The eyes of the mutated beast contained a bloodthirsty light, but oddly enough, it also contained a hint of humanlike intelligence that wasn''t affected by its bloodlust. Cain''s pupils contracted in shock. He knew that this battle was going to be a tough one. Without hesitation, he drew his de. Before he could even cover ten meters, The porcupine let out a loud squeak and a metal needle about 1 meter in length wasunched at Cain. Although Cain was expecting it, he didn''t expect it to travel so fast. With the aid of his control, agility, and perception stats, he tilted his body slightly out of the way as he continued his charge. The monster had the range advantage, so shortening the distance between them would work to his advantage. However, the creature was not done yet. The area where the metal needle had beenunched from shone with a silver luster, as a new needle magically appeared. The initial shot was a test. When it was that Cain was a potential opponent, it didn''t hold anything back. The creature beganunching numerous metal needles from its body by the dozen. Cain was forced to continuously dodge these needles. A single mistake would result in him losing his life. He could not afford to make any mistakes. He moved as quickly as the wind, avoiding them by a hair''s breadth. Slowly but surely, he was moving closer to the mutant porcupine. However, things were not going to be so simple. The creature began taking a step back for every step Cain took forward. ''Shit!'' Cain had not expected the creature to be that intelligent. If he couldn''t close the distance between them in time, he would soon be exhausted. If he was exhausted, he would not be able to dodge properly. He would die if things went on like this. Cain knew he could beat this monster. Although the thing was fast, its body structure skill made it difficult for it to make sharp turns or smart movements. If he could find a way to get out of the thing''s line of fire, he would be able to close the distance rapidly and get the advantage. The problem here was that he couldn''t do that. The creature had him locked up. If he didn''t use {Golden Blood}, he would not be fast enough to dodge the needles that were approaching if he made such an attempt. He knew that if he activated {Golden Blood}, he could end the fight very quickly. However, where was the fun in that? "This is so much fun!" Cainughed out with a grin on his face as he ducked his head, dodging another attack. He would asionally use his de to knock some of them out of the air as well. This was the excitement he had always wanted. This feeling of thrill, of living life dancing on the edge. It made his heart beat faster. He could feel his vision bing clearer, his mind sharpening. He could feel his muscles contract every time he attempted to dodge. He could even feel the influence of the mysterious and ethereal energy that had been influencing his body and soul on a cellr level. He could feel this energy making contact with his body and soul, influencing them in ways he couldn''t understand. Suddenly, he had an epiphany... He could control the flow of this energy. Although it was only for a brief while, he was sure of what he felt. Without any hesitation, he acted upon that feeling. He directed the flow of that energy into his legs. He could feel it travel from his thighs to his knees, to his feet. One moment he was on the ground trying to dodge attacks that could im his life, the next, he was suddenly in the sky, iling his limbs about. Both Cain and the mutant creature we''re shocked, for different reasons of course. Cain winced in pain as hended on the ground with his butt, but a momentter, he burst outughing. {Congrattions to the host, you have acquired a new external active skill, Burst Step.} {+1 to agility} {+1 to Control} {Burst Step}: Expell mana from beneath the feet, creating propulsion that allows the host to change trajectory abruptly when in motion. Increases movement speed by 30%. Costs 5MP per activation. No cooldown.} Cain let a dark chuckle escape his lips as he stood up from the ground. The mutant creature had been watching him all this while, not knowing whether to attack or not. "Weren''t you so cocky a moment ago? What are you waiting for? Attack me!" Cain shouted at the creature as he held his de horizontally, excitement seething from his body. SQUEAK! The creature could understand that Cain was taunting it. Its eyes turned even more bloodshot from rage as itunched a barrage of metal needles at Cain. Taking a deep breath, Cain began moving forward. Before the rain of death needles could reach him, he activated {Burst Step}. BANG! His figure shed to the side, about 5 meters away,pletely avoiding all the metal needles. The eyes of the mutant creature opened wide, as one moment, Cain was there, and the next, he had appeared somewhere else. "ytime''s over." Cain charged at the beast again. The beast began retreating as it fired more and more metal needles at Cain, but with the aid of {Burst Step}, he simply moved out of the way before they could even get to him. The skill was even able to push him forward inrge strides, greatly shortening the distance between them, until Cain was directly in front of it. In a panic, the creature bloated out, andunched all the metal needles on its body indiscriminately all at once, hoping that it would be enough to put Cain down. "Not a chance! Lightening Edge!" Like lightning, his de shed, knocking them all down. In a split second, he swung his de diagonally. A clean cut... The blood of the creature spewed out of its now dismembered corpse, painting the ground before Cain a beautiful red. {Congrattions to the host. You have in the Mutant Spiked Beast.} {Level up!} {You have acquired the skill, Metal Creation}... Chapter 10: Metal Creation skill. Name: {Cain Lenosi} Level: 8. Strength: 57(10). Agility: 65(15). Stamina: 31/44. Vitality: 25. Defense: 17. Control: 3.3. Perception: 0.3. HP: 900/2,500. MP: 500/850. Magic: 17. Skills: Golden blood, Mana de, Lightening Edge, de Mastery Lvl. 1, Burst Step, Metal Creation Lvl.1 Titles: Nil Free attribute points: 3. System points: 230. {Inventory}. {Shop} {Golden blood lvl.1}: Upon activation, multiplies all physical stats by 2. Consumes 100 MP, and costs 1 point of stamina per second to maintain. Puts the body of user at great strain. (100/10000 SP). This is an internal skill, hence, it can be upgraded. {Mana de}: Coat the surface of your de with destructive mana to deal an extra 200% damage when attacking. Consumes 5MP per second to sustain. Note:This is an external active skill, and cannot be upgraded. {Lightening Edge: Increase attack speed by 100%. Critical rate increases by 5% when skill is used. Cost 100MP to activate. Cooldown: 1 minute. {de Mastery} (passive): Increases attack power and speed with ded weapons by 10%. Increases critical chance and rate by 1%. (100/5,000SP). {Burst Step}: Expell mana from beneath the feet, creating propulsion that allows the host to change trajectory abruptly when in motion. Increases movement speed by 30%. Costs 5MP per activation. No cooldown.} {Metal Creation Lvl 1.}: Gather the Metal elemental attribute mana to create constructs of metal. The effects of the skill are influenced by the host''s magic and control stats, as well as imagination. (0/5,000SP). *** Cain sucked in a deep breath, trying to hold in the pain. Although he had killed the {Mutant Spiked Beast}, thest desperate attack of the beast had also done a number on him. He had been pierced by the sharp needles in his left shoulder and thigh. Although he had tried his best to avoid them, it was near impossible to avoid all of them at point nk range. ''If I hadn''t activated {Lightening Edge} on time, I most likely would be dead by now.'' Cain shivered at the thought of his close shave with death. He was beginning to see and appreciate the usefulness of his skills. He grunted in pain as he pulled the metal needles out. They had traveled all the way through his body, and we''re sticking out of his back. He heaved as sigh as he dropped them to the ground. Just those two attacks had taken 10% of his total HP. He took out a HP regen potion from his inventory and downed it all in one go. The wounds sizzled as the potion began to work it''s magic. He sat down under the shade of arge tree, trying to put his thoughts together. From what he could gather so far, this so called God Ash had influenced the world in unprecedented ways. It had brought those scary alien monsters to Urbus, it caused the lifeforms on the to mutate in strange ways, and it somehow gave humans the ability to grow stronger by ughtering these monsters and mutant creatures. Cain was confused, but he was also excited to see what the future held for him. If he was right, the world had just be a very frightening, but interesting ce. GROWL! In the dense foliage ahead, a few pairs of menacing red glowing eyes peered at Cain from the shadows. He stared back into the darkness brought about by the canopy of trees. When the figures in the dark noticed that Cain had no intentions of moving, they slowly walked out from the shadows, revealing themselves. {Mutant Wolves} Lvl. 10.(normal) Strength: 40. Agility: 60. Defense: 10. Magic: 5. Skills: Rendering bite, Lunge. The mutant Wolves numbered a bit more than 10. They were abnormally huge, almost the size of a normal human adult. They all stared at Cain with bloodlust in their eyes, drool dropping from their slightly open jaws. They had been attracted by the scent of blood from the corpse of the enemy Cain had just killed. ''No rest for the wicked, huh?'' Cain drew his sword once again as he faced the pack of wolves. These wolves were certainly going to be tough to deal with, but he was more than happy to face them. The desire to battle manifested itself like an aura enveloping his entire body. "Come!" The wolves let out loud howls as they charged at Cain. They were determined to get a piece of the spoils. The flesh of the mutant creature would be of great help to them forward their evolution. ''This is a good opportunity to test out my new skill!'' Cain thought. He tried using the {Metal Creation} skill. Controlling the mana in his body, he used his mind to picture the form he wanted the skill to take. ''It worked!'' Suddenly, the mana in the environment stirred briefly, as floating above Cain''s palm, was a metallic spike resembling the ones produced by the {Mutant Spiked beast}. Cain was relieved, as using the skill wasn''t asplicated as he had imagined. He directed the spike towards one of the approaching mutants. With a flick of his wrist, the spike whizzed across the air like a bullet, burying itself deep into the body of a charging mutant wolf, killing it in an instant. The remaining mutant wolves became more cautious, spreading around Cain in a half circle. Their intentions was to attack him from all sides. However... "It''s futile." With his new skills, the fate of the wolves was sealed in stone. He had alreadypletely recovered from his injuries, hence, he was able to move around freely once again. The wolves had thought he was still injured in the fight against the Mutant Spiked Beast. That was why they had attacked him. Unfortunately, they had made a grave error, and this error will cost them their lives. He stood up from under the tree, his weapon drawn as he charged at the pack of wolves. As soon as he moved forward a bit, the wolves waiting at the side took this opportunity to get behind him,pleting the encirclement. I''m the blink of an eye, Cain was surrounded by the wolves, but he continued forward like he didn''t have a care in the world. With a sh of his de, Cain brought his de down on the leading wolf with extreme precision, courtesy of his high control stat. In the blink of an eye, he had severed it''s head. The other wolves took that opportunity to attack him from all sides. With 60 points in their agility stats, they got to Cain before he could even turn around. They went for his ankles, throat and thighs, inorder to disable him as quickly as possible. Their sharp fangs bit into him, drawing blood... BANG!!! "HOWL!!!!" Instead of flesh, all the mutant wolves got, was a mouthful of solid metal. Just before they could attack him, Cain had enveloped the parts of his body they attacked with metal. They let out howls of pain as they stumbled backwards. With a sinister grin, Cain cleaned the blood of his de, he nced at the remaining mutant wolves like a predator, making them take even more steps back. The wolves were now frightened by Cain. They all attempted to escape, but Cain was having none of that. "Burst Step!" Like a bullet, Cain shed forward... With every step, the head of a wolf would fall to the ground, it''s body following sion afterwards. The wolves tried to escape, but with his {Burst Step} skill, coupled with his high agility and control, he was able to maximize his speed. He killed every single one of them. {Congrattions to host. You have killed 12 mutant wolves}. {+10 to agility} {+5 to strength} {+1 to control} {Level up!} Level: 9. Strength: 63(10). Agility: 76(15). Stamina: 31/45. Vitality: 26. Defense: 18. Control: 3.5. Perception: 0.4. HP: 900/2,600. MP: 500/900. Magic: 18. Free attribute points: 4. System points: 330. Cain let out a sigh, the heat of his body escaping in the form of a breath of white. He was covered in blood, and the entire area around him was littered in dismembered corpses. ''Maybe I over did it...'' When he was killing the wolves, all he could think of was killing. He didn''t lose his senses or anything like that. It was just that the thought of killing every single one of them to thest enveloped his mind, influencing his thoughts. He knew he wouldn''t rest until they all died by his hands. Those thoughts were like the devils hidden in his heart, waiting for the day he would lose his guard to rise to the surface, dragging him down to hell in the process. ''Now is not the time to worry about that'' Cain eventually decided to just bury the feeling. Nothing good wille from overthinking about it. He was slightly ufortable with all his clothes drenched in blood. The smell of blooding from the corpses was unlike regr blood. He noticed that it didn''t have the same smell as blood. It didn''t smell pungent and it had a strange, but pleasing aroma to it. ''I wonder if I can taste it.'' Cain used his index finger to scoop a bit of blood and ced it into his mouth... Chapter 11: Meeting with Ashur. As soon as Cain put it into his mouth, he noticed that the blood had a sweet and mellow taste alongside a silky fragrance. It wasn''t bad at all. As he swallowed, however, he regretted his decision instantly. He felt like he''d just swallowed a cup of scalding hot water. The stream of heat traveled down his throat into his stomach, bringing his agonizing pain. "ARGHHHH!" Cain clutched his stomach in pain, wondering why he had done something so stupid. He hadn''t expected the blood to be so dangerous. ''System. What is going on?!'' {Replying to host: Directly ingesting blood that has been mutated by God Ash in the way you just did will lead to severe abdominal pains. This is due to your body subconsciously fighting against the foreign mana trying to enter your body. Do not worry. It will be over very quickly} Soon after, the pain subsided, leaving Cain a quivering mess on the ground. "So don''t drink the blood. Got it." He gathered the metal needles of the Metal Spiked Beast. He used his {Metal Creation} ability to create a small knife, which he used to skin the hide off the mutant wolves. While he was busy, he was attacked by a few alien monsters and mutated beasts that met their end with his swift de. He didn''t encounter any humans during this period. As soon as he was done, he headed deeper into the forest in search of more prey. *** The sky began taking on an orange hue, indicating that dusk wasing. Cain began heading back to the departmentplex as soon as he noticed this. He was satisfied with his gains today. From his hunts, he had managed to gather a lot of materials from the creatures he had in. He had also leveled up to level 10. Name: {Cain Lenosi} Level: 10. Strength: 78(10). Agility: 89(15). Stamina: 21/52. Vitality: 37. Defense: 25. Control: 4.0. Perception: 1.2. HP: 900/3,700. MP: 500/1,250. Magic: 25. Skills: Golden blood, Mana de, Lightening Edge, de Mastery Lvl. 1, Burst Step, Metal Creation Lvl.1 Titles: Nil Free attribute points: 5. System points: 330. {Inventory}. {Shop} Walking forward, he noticed that the artificial forest that surrounded theplex seemed to have more life within. Before the arrival of god Ash on Urbus, the artificial forest was created to serve as a source of natural beauty on the campus. The forest was popted by many wildlife animals that wouldn''t attack the people. There were several artificial forests just like this one on the campus grounds. Now, the entire forest was a death trap. All the animals had mutated into terrifying bloodthirsty mutants. He didn''t want to stay in the forest at night, as his senses would be lower, and he might fall prey to an ambush. He wasn''t about to take that chance. He could be crazy, but he certainly wasn''t stupid. Hunting in the middle of a forest filled with powerful mutant creatures was the definition of stupidity. Within a few minutes, he arrived in front of the main building he had left earlier in the day. He noticed that the bodies that littered the courtyard were no longer there. They had either been eaten by either the monsters or mutant creatures, or they had been taken care of by the humans in the building. The bodies in the hallways were also cleaned up. The blood on the tiles, the broken ss, and the pieces of debris had all been cleaned up as well. He heard some chattering from the main hall but chose to ignore it. He had better things to do right now... He headed up the stairs to his ssroom. Upon getting there, he noticed that the corpses of his dead ssmates as well as the first monster he had killed were no longer there. The ce was still a mess though, so he quickly got a chair to sit on. ''System, I wish to purchase information on the god Ash.'' Cain wasn''tfortable with being ignorant. He had a feeling that information on God Ash was something that would be very vital to him. Plus, he had managed to gather the required system points. After an entire day of hard work, he had gathered the five thousand system points needed to purchase the information. {Purchase sessful...} {Retrieving information...} {Sessful....} {Information on the Forceful Evolution of Urbus acquired}. {Eons ago, there was a great war between the Celestial race in the highest of heavens. When a member of either of the two members of this race falls, grey-colored residue will be left behind. This residue in the form of grey-colored ash-like material is produced from the highly concentrated energy within a Celestials body}. {When they die, their bodies get burned by their {Sacred mes}, reducing them into ashes that will be scattered across the boundless universe. {Sacred mes} are the power bank of the body of a Celestial. They serve the main function as the heart blood of the Celestial. It is essentially where all the energy for the execution of their powerful skills and spells is gotten from. It is the source of their endless power source, as it will not go out unless the Celestial falls}. {After a Celestial dies, the remnants of their {Sacred mes} will engulf their entire being and reduce it into {God Ash}, which contains a tremendous amount of energy. {God Ash} from fallen celestials were scattered into the void by cosmic winds after the battle. These ashes would travel through the void, attracting devil races that dwell deep in the void until they encountered a with life on it}. {These ashes will spread out onto these worlds, changing their fundamental structures, and introducing them onto the path of evolution. The creatures that inhabit theses will all undergo various levels of change, down to the gic level. Even the entire geography of said worlds can be affected by the chaotic influx of energy}. {However, although the corpse of a Celestial is thoroughly disintegrated when they die, the only thing that these heavenly mes can''t burn are the legacies these beings leave behind when they die. These legacies can only be acquired by those chosen by fate...} Upon listening to the system''s narration, Cain started toe to terms with the fact that his entire world had started to change, and the ones he had seen so far were just the tip of the iceberg... As he got lost in his thoughts, Cain gradually began dozing off. He tried to fight it for some time, but eventually gave in, as his eyelids began to feel like lead. He suddenly felt like his head was spinning out of control. When he came to, he realized that he was no longer in his room. He stood on a barren piece ofnd that was floating in a dark void, and in front of him floating in the void as well, was the figure of a colossal being. It was a huge golden western-style dragon. Cain could only see its head, as the rest of its body was way too big. He couldn''t even see the entire expanse of its wing span when it stretched them out. This massive entity just happened to be staring right at Cain with its massive eyes. One of its eyes was as dark as midnight, while the other was pale white like bleached bones. Suddenly, Cain heard a voice that seemed to resound directly in his very soul... "HAHAHA... YES, IT WORKED! TIAN, YOU OLD FOOL! I''LL BE COMING FOR YOUR HEAD REAL SOON! HAHAHA..." The massive golden dragon appeared to be having a good timeughing at itself and cursing someone named Tian at the same time. As the voice of the dragon was quite loud, Cain found himself developing a headache after some time, and couldn''t bear it anymore. "Pipe down a little, you giant lizard! You are going to fry my brain if you keep being so loud!" "AHEM! SORRY!" the golden dragon asked after reducing the intensity of its voice a little. In that instance, the giant golden dragon dematerialized. Suddenly, a humanoid appeared in front of Cain taking the ce of the golden dragon. Standing in front of him, this man had to be the tallest person he had ever seen in his life, standing at over 8 feet tall. His face and body were perfectly chiseled and looked like he had been sculpted from polished bronze. His eyes however, were the same shade of ck and white that the golden dragon had, which allowed Cain to easily guess the identity of the person standing in front of him. Feeling a little intimidated, Cain asked in a voice devoid of any fear as he raised his guard; "Who are you?... What do you want from me?... Why have you brought me here?!" Cain fired question after question at the man. "Hold your horse boy! I''ll answer your questions, but first, have a seat." the man let out a chuckle and proceeded to materialize a table and a set of chairs for the both of them. As Cain didn''t want to seem rude, and also wanted to get this over with quickly, he quickly sat on the chair offered to him, while the man sat on the other one. "You seem to be taking this rather well." the man said amusedly, as from the first time since sighting him till now, there had been no sign of confusion or fear from Cain. "Well... Let''s just say that after all that''s happened today, I can''t bring myself to be any more surprised..." Cain sighed tiredly. "Now then, Let me introduce myself, I am the golden dragon, Ashur." the man introduced himself, grinning from ear to ear. "Now that we got that out of the way, I''d like to ask you a question, Cain.," "Go ahead." Cain had not noticed it earlier, but all his wariness from earlier had suddenly vanished like a thin cloud after only exchanging a few sentences with him. "Have you seen me, and I''m not talking about this me, but the other me, let''s say in a dream before?" Just as Cain wanted to deny it, he recalled the dream he had the other day at school, where a figure appeared to be killing off arge number of enemies surrounding him. Realizing that that could have been the man standing in front of him, he was filled with awe as well as a sense of respect. "Yeah. I think so?" Cain replied while trying to recollect the entire details of that dream. "Good... HAHAHA!" "Finally. Tian just wait. I''m(We) areing for you!." the man said in a voice full of hatred and madness. His eyes which couldn''t show any of his emotions started giving off an eerie glow, and purple-colored mes shed at his fingertips. Not knowing what was happening, Cain just chose to observe in silence. After calming down, the golden dragon turned to Cain and said to him in a deep voice; "I can''t tell you much now, but I promise thatter in the future, you will understand." "All you need to do as of now is to get more powerful. Gather powerful and trustworthyrades who will apany you on your journey to the peak, however, remember to always stay vignt." the man said to him in a serious tone. Cain didn''t know why, but he felt like he could trust this man. Even though his eyes looked terrifying, he could sense a hint of familiarity in them. "In the meantime, let me give you something to help you." The man proceeded to wave his hand, as an ancient-looking tome appeared in his hand. He tossed it towards Cain and said in a profound voice, "This is a tome that contains basic elementary knowledge on the universe power systems, as well as basic knowledge on elementary runecraft and arcane treasured creation. Use it well". He passed the tome towards Cain, who grabbed it with both hands. "Alright. I think it''s time for you to depart. When you wake up, you will have received my legacy. Although it will be wise to follow the path that I have created, remember, there are many more roads to the power avable for you, and it is up to you to discover them. You might even manage to be even stronger than I was, as your body is perfectly suited as an elemental conduit...." Towards the end of his sentence, the man had already started rambling to himself and hadpletely ignored Cain. "Ahem....!" Cain let out a cough to catch Ashur''s attention. "Oh! sorry, got carried away. Is there anything you want to ask before I send you on your way?" "Would you mind telling me the main reason why I am here? What do you want me to do for you in exchange for this?" Cain asked while pointing towards the book he now held in his hands. "You don''t have to worry about that for now. All you need to know is that you have to get stronger quickly, as there will be more surprises for you. The sooner you get stronger, the sooner you will find out" The man said in a manner that stirred Cain''s curiosity. Even though he knew he was baiting him intensional, he didn''t care, as getting stronger was on his to-do list anyways. "Alright, if that will be all, be on your way then!" The chairs and table instantly disappeared, leaving only Cain and the man on the barren piece ofnd. The man walked up to Cain and poked his forehead with his index finger. Suddenly, as if he had been thrown into a whirlpool, he felt that same dizziness sensation and immediately cked out. When he came to, he realized that he had appeared back in the room he had been in previously... Chapter 12: RECORDS OF AKASHA (I). Cain woke up in a ssroom with barely any illumination streaking in from the slightly open windows. With a grunt, he stood up and proceeded to stand in front of the open windows whilst resting his hands against the window sill. Looking up, he saw the skies covered in a thick grey nket, indicating theing of a shower. He sucked in a deep breath, relishing the light scent of ozone in the air. He immediately felt his spirits rise and the little bit of drowsiness that came with waking up in the morning fade away as he took in another big gulp of air into his lungs. As he stretched, his bones made creaking noises as they were forcibly pushed back into their original positions. He began recalling the dream he hadst night. He had talked to a dragon in his dream. Cain didn''t know if he was going mad, or if the events of the previous day were messing with his mind. Either way, he was about to pass it off as just a dream until he instinctively open his status screen. *** Name: {Cain Lenosi} Level: 10. Strength: 78(10). Agility: 89(15). Stamina: 21/52. Vitality: 37. Defense: 25. Control: 4.0. Perception: 1.2. HP: 900/3,700. MP: 500/1,250. Magic: 25. Skills: Golden blood, Mana de, Lightening Edge, de Mastery Lvl. 1, Burst Step, Metal Creation Lvl.1 Titles: Champion of Ashur(locked). Free attribute points: 5. System points: 330. {Inventory}. {Shop} He instantly noticed something different. He had something upying the previously nk space that had the {Title} menu. "So it most likely wasn''t just a dream?" "The golden dragon Ashur, huh..." From the name of the title, he concluded that it was the work of the individual he met in his dream. {Champion of Ashur}: Inheritor of the legacy of the golden dragon, Ashur. Temporarily disabled. Requirements: Level 100, Tier 2. ''Tch. What''s the point if I can''t even use it!'' Cain was annoyed that after everything, he couldn''t even use the title. It was useless for now. He was intrigued by thest part, however. Curious, he decided to ask the system. ''Please don''t ask for system points!'' Cain prayed a silent prayer in his heart. It was really hard to grind for the system points, and to Cain, he wasn''t gaining much from them, as besides purchasing information, they didn''t have much of a use to him. He had scrolled through the system shop before, and most of the things sold there were either useless to the present him,mon misceneous items like HP and MP Regen potions, or weapons with very terrible stats. So the fact that he had to grind for those points, only for the system to give him information that it could provide to him for free irked him. Cain was someone that had developed the habit of getting the most benefits out of everything he did. It was all or nothing. Maximizing his effort-to-effect ratio. That was his go-to motto... ''System, what is this tier thing?'' {Replying to host: Tiers will only be avable to the host when you have reached level 100. You will be required to meet certain conditions before you will be able to advance. If you aren''t able to advance, you will be able to advance as normal, but you will remain at the same tier until you can fulfill said conditions. By moving up a tier, the host will be even more powerful on a foundational level}. ''What are the conditions to advance?'' Cain asked out of curiosity. {Replying to host: Further information can only be purchased in the system shop}. ''Nevermind!'' Cain rolled his mind, this head filled with thoughts about how greedy the system was. Since he couldn''t use the title he had just gained for now, he decided to just shelve it at the back of his mind. Remembering the time from his dream, he decided to check his inventory for it. He was excited when he found itying there alongside all the materials he had harvested from the creatures the previous day. Retrieving it with a mentalmand, he found the timeying in his hands. Written on the front cover made from unidentifiable leather material, were the words, RECORDS OF AKASHA (I)... Opening the book, he noticed that although the tome was old, as indicated by its yellowing pages, it had signs of being well taken care of, and had no creases at the edges of each page. He decided to nce through the tome. On the first page, written in bold print, with a substance that resembled dried-up blood; "THAT WHICH YOU SEEK, LAYS WITHIN..." He was intrigued already... The table of content indicated that the tome contained an introduction to the power systems in the universe, spell crafting, and runecraft, as well as the creation of arcane treasures such as all sorts of weapons and armor that were used to fight in battles. It also contained information on basic lifeforms, biological, mechanical, or even spiritual, that existed within the confines of the universe. Intrigued, he became engrossed in the content of its pages. It turned out that in the universe there were different sources to obtain power apart from the one Cain already knew of from the system. One of them was gaining power the regr way by leveling up. After one reaches level 100, a quest will be given by the system for the individual in question to be of a higher tier. Originally, everyone starts at Tier 0, but by carrying out specific conditions, it is possible to move up a Tier and be increasingly more powerful. The highest Tier that a mortal being had ever attained was Tier 5. Anything above that was considered the domain of the Celestials which mortals couldn''t even dream of reaching. There were various types of skills and spells. Some spells could summon powerful creatures to provide aid in battle, as well as a corresponding skill that could allow the summoner to borrow the power of a summoned creature to bolster their power, greatly boosting their physical aspects. There also existed spells capable of summoning various elements that could change the topography of the verynd. These spells could summon great lightning from the sky, removerge boulders from the earth, cause terrifying flora to sprout out from the ground, and createrge clouds of mes that could destroy everything in their path. Some skills granted terrifying transformations to the body of their user, unlocking the potential of their bodies, and granting them power beyond imagination. Some spells could summon the corpses of the dead allowing the to turn into flesh-eating ghouls, as well as skills that could grant incredible mastery over a weapon of choice, enabling its user to cut down mountains and create ravines of great depth with but a wave of their weapon. The list went on and on, and Cain couldn''t help but be fascinated by the descriptions of such levels of power. The book also introduced the basics of spellcraft and runecraft. To create spells, what was needed was just a deep understanding of the elements involved in the creation of the spell, as well as a healthy stroke of luck, as it was not easy to create spells, especially powerful ones. For example, a summoner would need to connect with the creature he wants to summon and have its approval before he could make a summoning contract with it. For exceptionally powerful beasts, as they would also have a fair amount of intelligence, they would not want to be bound as a subordinate to someone less powerful than them, hence apart from a few talented and lucky ones, most summoners would most likely end up with weaker summons. Fusion with the contracted summon was an entirely new story on its own, as it required not only trust between the master and the summon, but also required the master''s body to be able to bear the strain caused by the fusion. If the fusion was attempted before the master possessed a strong enough body, there was a chance for the individual to be permanently crippled, or even worse, killed. Spells that involved invocation of the elements like fire, water, metal, wind, lightning, and so on, required even stricter requirements. To possess the ability to master really powerful skills and spells, elemental affinity as well as an in-depth understanding of the nature of the element was required. Special skills such as the {Golden Blood} skill that Cain possessed, required more than just elemental affinity. They were skills that were so rare and special but didn''t have any fixed origins. They could just be skills that an individual just happened to be lucky to have, or something more profound... They put great strain on the user''s body in exchange for great power for a brief period which would likely leave the user weak and vulnerable afterward. Most transformation skills involved a momentary change in a certain stat of the user. The majority of these unique types of skills were legacy skills that are inherited by the champions of fallen Celestials. These skills were one of the most powerful skills, as they were based on the eon''s worth of knowledge umted by the Celestials, which would be inherited by chosen individuals in the form of different skills or spells. As for runes, runes are a powerfulnguage that directly inscribes a certain aspect of power onto a person or thing. They can either be engraved onto arcane devices, or directly onto the body. A collection of the same type of rune leads to the formation of an array. An array is many times more powerful than regr runes, as the collection of these runes creates an amplifier effect, directly multiplying the effectiveness. There are different types of runes, but the mostmon types are the ones that directly increase a certain attribute, while the rarest are the ones that grant skills to the user. Runecraft is the study of how to understand thenguage involved in drawing runes and its application in the creation of runes. Runes are also essential in the creation of arcane devices, as they can also serve as conduits for the transfer of power from the user to the weapon, or vice versa. Before he knew it, Cain found himself lost in the book as he read on, clearly captivated by its content, he kept reading until he felt a slight headache. Puzzled, he stopped reading wondering what was going on. It wasn''t until he pulled up the status screen that he understood. MP: 300/1,250. Reading the tome resulted in his mana getting drained rapidly. It was not without a plus, however, as he noticed that his magic stat had increased by a point and he had gained seven extra free attribute points. ''So reading can also increase stats? I wonder if exercise can do the same?'' He thought to himself, since reading was just mental exercise, then maybe physical exercise would have the same effect as reading. In reality, that wasn''t the case. It was a bit moreplicated than that... ncing at the wall clock, which surprisingly wasn''t destroyed when the {ded Devil} had attacked, and realized that it was almost 8 am. Without realizing it, he had been reading for more than two hours. Standing in front of the open window, he took in a gulp of fresh air once again. While wondering to himself why he loved rainy days so much, he decided that he had to clean up. His clothes had been soiled with blood the previous day, and he hadn''t had a bath for a day. He was starting to be ufortable. Since there was a restroom on the floor his ss was on, he decided to see what he could do with some soap and running water. Hopefully, their water was still running... After using a bit of soap and water to wash his bloodstained clothes, he rinsed his face and mouth with some running water. Although there was no electricity in the building, they still had ess to running water. Once he was done, he picked up his sword that was resting at his side, and just stared at it for a few seconds. With a sigh, he gradually came to terms with the fact that this was his life now, and he exited the ssroom. No matter what the world had be, he was still going to enjoy it regardless, especially now that he had enough space to finally spread his clipped wings. Since the ssroom was located a floor above the ground floor, he used the stairs to get down. Upon getting downstairs, he was able to notice a few things. One, there were a lot of people in the hallways. The people in the hallways all had a few things inmon. One, their eyescked any pigments of color, only the whites of their eyes were showing. Two, they all let out weird guttural groans, and their mouths were covered in blood. And three, as soon as Cain got down the stairs, they all spun their necks in his direction at humanly impossible speeds. "Well, fuck me..." Chapter 13: Zombies. {Zombie} Lvl. 10. (normal). Strength: 70. Speed: 20. Defense: 0. HP: 500/500. MP: 100/100. Magic: 1. Skills: Infection. *** "Zombies?!" Cain had expected many things, but zombies were totally out of expectations. "How the hell did zombies get here?!" Cain suddenly noticed something... These zombies were wearing clothes simr to the ones those that had decided to stay and wait for the government to save they. Hell, he could even see the bald head of the department head from amidst the crowd. Before Cain could fully understand the situation, the zombies that were previously just standing there seemed to have found a goal, as they all charged at Cain, guttural shrieks escaping from their bloody mouths. ''No time to think to deeply.'' Cain immediately drew his weapon from it''s sheath. From what he understood about zombies, what made them truly fearsome wasn''t their individual power, but their ability to infect those theye in contact with, turning them into zombies as well. Cain had no intention of bing a zombie. Although these monsters were weak when it came to defense and agility, their strength was abnormally high. If he let them get the opportunity to grab a hold of him, he was truly fucked. ''Metal Creation'' Using the {Metal Creation} skill in his possession, he created a suit of armor that covered his entire body, leaving almost no gaps that could be prated. The only gaps were located where his limbs were. If he wanted to live through this without turning into a zombie, protection was a must. He didn''t want to take any chances, especially since he didn''t even know how they could spread their infection. Whether it be by scratching or by biting, now that his entire body was covered, it didn''t matter. He expended over 300 mana points creating it, which was a lot whenpared to his entire mana pool. The {Metal Creation} skill consumed a lot of mana after all. The metal suit of armor he had created had defense proportional to his own defense stats, so he didn''t need to worry about it being prated. If it had been his ordinary skin, things would be very different. The charging monsters had no regard for their own wellbeing as they charged as Cain. They even trampled over those in front who were slower. When they were close enough, he was able to smell the stench of roting from them. Cain was absolutely disgusted by what was before him. Their bodies had begun to change colours, and their mouths were covered in dried up blood. They all had at sores or one form of injury or the other present on their bodies. Cain was disgusted, but some things just had to be done. He jumped from the stairs, directly into the crowd of zombies. He didn''t even need any skills. He and his de were more than enough... SLASH! SPLAT!! The defenses of the zombies made only a single sh enough to take them down. When he noticed that only an attack to the head would kill thempletely, he made a note to always go for the head. He swung his de left and right untill all the zombies that had charged at him were dead. He didn''t even hesitate to cut down these things that were once humans. To him, they were all the same. They were all prey. The entire ce was filled with headless bodies in less than a minute. There were about 70 bodies he counted, indicating that the majority of them were here. About 30 of them however, were not here. The heads of ze, Vincent and the others that had gone with him when he left the hall the other day were not present amongst the heads he had cut off, indicating that they were most likely still alive, as they had left the hall alongside him. The only reason they could be infected was if they had gone back to the hall after he had left. "What the hell could have caused this?" Cain decided to bite his teeth and ask the system... {Replying to host: These zombies were most likely created due to one of the following reasons. One, they were infected by a devil. Two, one of them underwent a very rare mutation, turning this unfortunate individual into a zombie, resulting in the infection spreading overnight}. ''Devil? What is a devil?'' Cain asked, a bit confused. {Replying to host: Devils are the intergctic species that have invaded your upon the inception of the God Ash. An example will be the {ded Devil} you have encountered in the past}. ''So, you are saying that the real name for those monsters, is devil?'' {Replying to host: Affirmative}. ''Sigh... Which possibility do you think is most likely?'' {Replying to host: The first one}. ''Well I''ll be damned!'' Cain''s few run-ins with these so called devils had been nothing short of problematic. ''But what kind of devil could have done this? The devils I''ve seen till now have never possessed those types of powers.'' {Replying to host: You haven''t seen a lot, host}. "..." Cain could somehow sense the sarcasm in the system''s synthetic voice. ''Well... only one way to find out.'' Cain concluded that if this was the work of a devil, it must still be present in the departmentplex, most likely in the hall. He stepped over the corpses, and headed towards the hall. Standing before the doors, he took a deep breath, before pushing the doors wide open. He drew his weapon immediately afterwards. He was being very cautious, as the situation he was in right now called for maximum attention. A single scratch, and it was game over... Slowly, he headed into the hall, his perception stat being utilized to the max. He was a bit surprised when he saw that the hall was empty. There was nothing here, apart from a few disorganized chairs, everything seemed normal. ''Guess it must have left then. Maybe I can check the rest of the building?'' Cain had been eager to fight whatever could have caused the infection, as he was sure it would give him good benefits. So he was a bit let down when he saw the empty hall. SNIFF. Cain suddenly smelt it... If one didn''t possess the points Cain had in his perception stat, or higher, the odd smell would probably go unnoticed. Even with his perception the way it was, Cain could only faintly smell that odd smell. ''What the hell is that smell?'' Suddenly, Cain''s senses screamed at him, telling him to move from where he was, or he would perish. His perception had saved him once again, just like before when he had that encounter with the {Mutant Spiked Beast}. Pushing his control and agility to the max, he activated {Burst Step} in the blink of an eye. The explosive sound of mana leaving the soles of his feet echoed in the empty hall. BANG! Cain did a brief roll to stabilize himself, before he looked back to where he had just been standing. A long, ck tentacle had shattered the ground he had been standing upon. He quickly used his eyes to trace it''s origins, and was shocked when he saw what had nearly imed at least half of his life. Attached to the roof, was a strange creature with numerous squid like tentacles surroundings it. It had terrifying looking yellow eyes that gazed at Cain like he was tonight''s supper. The monster flesh was ink ck in colour, and the tip of it''s numerous tentacles glittered with a metallic light. The creature possessed a weirdly humanoid body as well, the tentacles were just an extension of it''s main body. This thing was munching on a corpse while gazing at Cain. Since the thing wasn''t attacking him now, Cain took this brief moment to take a look at it''s stats. {Miasma Devil} Lvl. 20 (special). Strength: 120. Agility: 120. Defense: 20. HP: 2,000/2,000. MP: 1,000/1,000. Magic: 15. Skills: Infection, Tentacle barrage, Poison clouds. Cain stood there for a while, processing all the information he had just taken in. Although he was facing an enemy that could easily kill him, he was still very calm. Well, not exactly calm... He could feel his heart begin to speed up in his chest. He was actually excited. The thought of fighting such a strong opponent, his life dancing on the edge, made him feel like he his face was about to split in two with how wide the grin on it was. Cain looked at his own stats... Name: {Cain Lenosi} Level: 10. Strength: 35.(10). Agility: 49.(15). Stamina: 17/34. Vitality: 12. Defense: 12. Control: 1.9. Perception: 0.5. HP: 1,200/1,200 MP: 500/750. Magic: 22. Skills: Golden blood, Mana de, Lightening Edge, de Mastery Lvl. 1, Burst Step, Metal Creation Lvl.1 Titles: Champion of Ashur (locked). Free attribute points: 10. System points: 0. {Inventory}. {Shop}. With his calctions, he concluded that if he attempted to fight the {Miasma Devil} like this, he would definitely die before he could blink. It''s stats were more than double his own stats, if the stats of his {Bloody Katana} were not included. However, he still had his trump card... This trump card is what made him feel confident even when faced against such a strong opponent. He gazed right back into those alien yellow eyes that gazed at him like he was prey. "Golden blood!" His aura exploded out like fireworks. Golden veins began sketching themselves onto his body like an artistic masterpiece, his eyes turning slightly pale as his hair flew about in a mess, his aura taking the form of pale golden mes. Pointing his sword at the devil, he said; "Devil... To look down on me... is a grave sin. Please, atone for it with your life..." His de lit up with a magical light, mes of mana engulfing the surface. Cain was going all out. Chapter 14: Miasma Devil. The devil was still munching on the corpse, looking down at Cain from below. It held onto the corpse with two tentacles. Before Cain could do anything else, it stuffed the remainder of its meal into its mouth in one go. Its throat expanded as the legs of the soul unfortunate enough to be the devil''s sustenance disappeared into its abyss-like mouth. The devil let out a satisfied burp, indicating the conclusion of its meal. Suddenly, it spoke in a low and scratchy voice. "You smell tasty. Must be because you have absorbed more mana than the ones I''ve had earlier." "Hmmm! why don''t youehave a taste then?!" Without waiting for the devil to reply, Cain activated {Burst Step}. Like an eagle soaring into the skies, he charged at the devil with his sword drawn. Mana burned like jet fuel from the soles of his feet, propelling him forward at insane speeds. Less than a secondter, Cain was just a few centimeters before the devil. His eyes burned with fury. Most of the time, Cain was very cool-headed, his mind constantly calcting the most optimal road to take. With the way his thoughts worked, even if he was angry, he would not show it. He did this because of his past experiences. Bullies were those who preyed on the weakness of their target. To show them what pushed your buttons was giving them the key to all your insecurities. With how smart Cain was, he had already learned the art of emotional control. However, there was still something he would never take. To insult his pride was to give yourself a death wish. He guarded his pride and ego like it was a second life. He could take insults and beatings, but he would make sure he held onto his pride to the end. If you insulted him, he would find a way to defend his pride, by any means necessary. If you tried to get physical with him, he would not even think of backing down without putting up a fight. ''It is better for a man to die on his feet than to live on his knees.'' To Cain, insulting his pride was the same asmitting a great sin. The only way to atone for this sin was by suffering the punishment he gave to you. "Lightening Edge!" Like a bolt of lightning, his de cut through the air, and friction and mana on the de reacted, resulting in sparks flying. Cain executed a horizontal chop, aiming to sever the devil into two clean parts, however... SLICK! The devil had reacted in time, using two of its tentacles to block the attack. The swordpletely severed the first one, but the force behind the attack wasn''t sufficient to cut through into the second one. Cain''s pupils dted in shock, as he watched his de get stuck. ''Crap!'' The devil used this opportunity to swipe its other tentacles at Cain. He dodged the first one by ducking out of the way, but he was unable to dodge the one that followed after that. With a sickening crunch, he was smacked away by the huge tentacle. Cain felt like he had collided head-first with a train. He flew across the hall, only able to stabilize himself after several rolls. Cain immediately knew that he was at a disadvantage. The force behind the blow was enough to shatter the bones in his left hand. If he hadn''t reacted fast enough and dodged the one aimed at his head, he would probably be dead already. A bead of sweat rolled down his brows as he fought back the pain building up. Within a single exchange, his left hand had beenpletely put out ofmission for the remainder of the fight. "It seems you do not fullyprehend what is happening, so let me simplify it for you, human." The devil finally descended from the roof of the hall with a loud thud. BANG! With a human-like smile, its pitch-ck maw opened up, its yellow eyes with an eerie light that contrasted greatly with the barely illuminated hall. "You are the next on the menu..." *** 50 secondster... Although only a bit of time had passed, to Cain, it felt like he was fighting for eternity. Cain was covered in various sorts of wounds. His left eye was closed, and blood was streaming from a wound that had opened up on his temple. There were noticeably swollen areas all over his body. A majority of his body was covered in blood, both his and the devil. The devil didn''t look any better... The devil that initially had twelve tentacles now had only 5 of them left. During this fight, Cain had severed more than 7 of its tentacles. Name: {Cain Lenosi} Level: 10. Strength: 70. (10). Agility: 98. (15). Stamina: 18/68. Vitality: 24. Defense: 24. Control: 3.8. Perception: 1.0. HP: 500/2,400. MP: 400/750. Magic: 23. Skills: Golden blood, Mana de, Lightening Edge, de Mastery Lvl. 1, Burst Step, Metal Creation Lvl.1 Titles: Champion of Ashur (locked). Free attribute points: 10. System points: 0. {Inventory}. {Shop}. Cain took a quick look at his status screen and realized that he had less than 18 seconds to end the fight. The activation of {Golden blood} came at a cost. He had to bear the incredible strain on his body. He could feel his muscles contracting with every swing of his de due to exhaustion. This was due to the drain on his stamina the skill had. This was what made it a trump card. He could only use it in desperate situations to defeat powerful enemies. ''If I can''t end this battle in less than 18 seconds, I''m fucked'' Cain could feel the urgency of the situation creeping onto him. He was in a very dangerous situation. Despite all this, he had the same feeling he had in his heart since that day. He wasn''t scared... He was excited... He was excited that he had to put his entire being on the edge once again, his life dangling over the abyss of death by a single thread. "I must apud you, human." Despite the state of the devil, it was still eerily calm... "You managed to put up a fight, trulymendable... However, from my observations, you won''t be able tost long, am I right?" The devil said as it cracked open a grin. ''Shit! It knows.'' "You must be asking yourself... ''how does this he know'', right?" Hearing this, Cain realized that he was no longer in control of his emotions. The devil had most likely figured it out because he failed to keep his emotions in check. "Enough with the chatter!"Stone-faced, Cain made a swift decision. He wasn''t going to let the devil waste any more time. With every second wasted, he was one more second closer to death. He was wounded, but that didn''t mean he was useless. In, he was probably fighting better than in the beginning. He was constantly improving his skills with the de. Previously, he hadn''t found an opponent worthy enough tost even a few rounds with him. But now that he had found such a strong opponent, his skills were improving rapidly. He swung his de in a seemingly haphazard manner. However, the {Miasma Devil} finally had a serious expression on its face. ''He''s improving fast. I better end this quickly.'' Although the {Miasma Devil} seemed calm, it was deeply frightened. The human it had considered next on the menu, hade close to iming his head on numerous asions during the fight. And that wasn''t even the scary part. The scary part was that he was still improving as they fought on. Although his power wasn''t increasing, the force behind his every swing was increasing. The {Miasma Devil} could feel the pressure building up. If he didn''t get serious, he might be the one dead at the end of the day. "I''m done with games human. This fight has gone on long enough." The devil had decided to end the fight at that moment. "Poison Clouds!" Suddenly, the devil opened its inky ck abyss of a mouth, releasing an inky ck cloud of gas. The gas quickly diffused into the air, and the same stench of rot Cain had perceived earlier assaulted his nostrils. Only this time, it was hundreds of times worse. "What the fuck was that?!" Cain yelled. He was never a fan of putrid odors. However, this time, the system answered the question for him, and this time he didn''t like what he was doing. {Warning: Host had been poisoned!} {Host has been severely weakened}. {All physical stats have been reduced by 20% for 60 seconds}. {10HP per second currently being lost}. ''Fuck!'' Cain eximed in his heart. His condition had been bad and had just taken a turn for the worse. His chances of winning this fight had be even slimmer. He most likely was going to die here. "You can see why now, can''t you? Your kind is weak, mere livestock meant for sustenance. There is no way you can defeat me!" Cain was now weaker than the {Miasma Devil} because of the debuff. He was in a dilemma, but his heart was as still as calm waters. ''Only ten seconds left...'' He could feel the exhaustion creeping up on him. His stamina points were down to only 10 points. A tentacle from the {Miasma Devil} snapped forward like a whip. If it was the previous Cain, he would have been able to stop the attack, but the present him was barely able to see the attacking. He was barely able to lift his de in time to block the attack, but he was flung backward like a broken kite in the process. His back smacked against the wall, shattering it in the process. He saw ck for only a brief moment, but the next thing he saw was clouds, grey clouds... Chapter 15: Life or Death battle. It took Cain a moment, but he eventually realized he had been sent flying out of the building through the wall by the {Miasma Devil}. He soared through the air, slowly drifting away from consciousness with the grey clouds reflected in the depths of his ssy eyes... *gasp!* As soon as he hit the ground, a sharp breath of air escaped from his lips. The entire world looked a few shades darker in his eyes... His ears were ringing, his mouth was overwhelmed with the coppery taste of blood and his body hurting all over as well. There was only so much he could take in at a time. All this happened just within a few breaths. Maybe because he was still under the effects of {Golden blood}, but he was able to get his senses back only a few secondster. "Kekekeke..." The gratingughter of the {Miasma Devil} rang in his ears like the bell of the grim reaper. ''Shit!'' Death was approaching because he had let his soul dance too long on the edge, and now, it was on the verge of falling into that bottomless abyss he had taunted. ''G-get u-up.'' "Do not be unreconciled. It is because you are weak." ''Get up.'' Cain could hear it call out to him... "Your fate is to serve as sustenance to me and my race, the strong." Its words were degrading and humiliating, aimed at bringing him down so he would have no intentions to fight back. Still, he paid no mind to the devil... He could hear the devil getting closer, but the voice in his head was getting even louder. ''Get up!'' "The significance of you and your race is simply to be a means to an end. The purpose of your existence is to-" The words the {Miasma Devil} was about to say got stuck in its throat. ''GET UP, AND FIGHT!'' Cain''s broken body twitched as he shakily brought himself to his feet, his eyes locked directly onto the {Miasma Devil}. For the first time since the fight began, the Devil had not felt even a little hint of fear, looked it in the eye. It had been cautious of Cain but never once during their fight had it been afraid of him. Now, it suddenly felt a terror that had been absent all this while, almost like it hade face-to-face with the natural predator of his race that had been bidding his time to reveal his fangs. As for Cain, all the feelings of rage and excitement began mixing to form a strange new emotion bubbling within his chest. When it reached heights he could no longer bear, he let it all out in the form of a thunderous roar... "ROAR!!!" All the rage in his body had turned into a fire starter, and the mana within him, the fuel. He felt as though all the mana that was left in his broken body had been ignited. He could feel a strange sensation of strength filling him up. In his moment of weakness, something within him had awoken... "As long as I can still hold my de, as long as I still draw even a silver of breath..." Cain was still bruised and battered, but he had somehow found the strength to draw his de one more time. "As long as I still hold on to life, my de will be pointed at those who dare to insult my pride!" Legs wide spread, de perpendicr to the ground, both hands on the hilt, he looked the devil straight in its eyes. Name: {Cain Lenosi} Level: 10. Strength: 70. (10). Agility: 98. (15). Stamina: 3/68. Vitality: 24. Defense: 24. Control: 3.8. Perception: 1.0. HP: 500/2,400. MP: 400/750. Magic: 22. Skills: Golden blood, Mana de, Lightening Edge, de Mastery Lvl. 1, Burst Step, Metal Creation Lvl.1 Titles: Champion of Ashur (locked). Free attribute points: 10. System points: 0. {Inventory}. {Shop}. He only had three seconds before he becamepletely powerless. Cain took a deep breath... Then made his move... He directed all the mana present in his body into his arms. He was going all out now. 400 mana points disappeared in an instant. He pushed all he had in a split second. One moment, he was still standing where he had been, the next, he was already standing a few meters before the {Miasma Devil}, his de descending. At that moment, he activated his skills. "Mana de!" "Lightening Edge!" "{Metal Creation}" Cain didn''t hold anything back. The Miasma Devil released a roar of panic as it also activated its skill. "Tentacle Barrage!" All the tentacles it had lost in the battle were regrown in an instant. They are shown with a sinister light, swinging at Cain to kill. These two, consciously or not, had treated each other as equal opponents. They had given each other the ultimate respect a warrior could give to his opponent, that being sparing no effort, and using the best of their abilities to face one another. At that moment, nothing else mattered. As soon as he had activated all three skills, it was like he had been enlightened. He could feel the flow of his power leaving his body and entering his de. It was like a reaction had taken ce. In that brief moment, he was about to attack, his de lit up with a profound golden light. The light was so piercingly sharp, just looking at it gave off the feeling of being stabbed by sharp weapons. All the metal attribute mana in the entire area around the entire departmentplex had been consumed by Cain''s skill, {Metal Creation} in just an instant. All this just happened in a split second. ''1 second left.'' At the moment Cain brought his sword down, the world darkened slightly. The only source of illumination in the area came from the pir of golden light within the hands of Cain. "Die!" He brought it down... The golden beam of light was released from the edge of the de... For a brief moment, all sound disappeared... Then the world returned to its natural state. Golden light stuck to Cain''s weapon like tongues of fire. The {Miasma Devil} stood there for a while without any movement. Suddenly, from the center of its head to its torso, it split in half. It was cleanly sliced into. There wasn''t even any blood, as the surface of the wound left behind waspletely cauterized. ''I lost...'' These were the final thoughts of the {Miasma Devil} before its soul departed. {Congrattions to the host... You have in the Miasma Devil}. {Level up!} *** {+20 to Strength}. {+20 to Agility}. {+5 to Perception). {+5 to Control}. {Your skill, {de Mastery} has leveled up}. {You haveprehended a new external skill, {Golden Severance}. {+5 to Magic}. {+5 to Perception} {You haveprehended the sub-skill, {Metal Maniption}. {+5 to Perception}. {+10 to Magic}. {You have unlocked a new stat, Resistance}. {+15 to Vitality}. {+10 to Stamina}. {+5 to Defense}. Level: 15. Strength: 60..(10). Agility: 74..(15). Stamina: 0/49. Vitality: 32. Defense: 22. Control: 3.4. Perception: 2.5. HP: 50/3,200. MP: 0/2,100. Magic: 42. Resistance: Poison- 0%. Skills: Golden blood, Mana de, Lightening Edge, de Mastery Lvl. 2, Burst Step, Metal Creation Lvl.1, Golden Severance, Metal Maniption. {Golden blood level.1}: Upon activation, multiply all physical stats by 2. Consumes 100 MP, and costs 1 point of stamina per second to maintain. Puts the body of the user under great strain. (1000/10000 SP). This is an internal skill, hence, it can be upgraded. {Mana de}: Coat the surface of your de with destructive mana to deal an extra 200% damage when attacking. It Consumes 5MP per second to sustain. Note:This is an external active skill, and cannot be upgraded. {Lightening Edge: Increase attack speed by 100%. Critical rate increases by 5% when the skill is used. Cost 100MP to activate. Cooldown: 1 minute. {de Mastery lvl. 2.} (passive): Increases attack power and speed with ded weapons by 30%. Increases critical chance and rate by 5%. (500/9,000SP). {Burst Step}: Expell mana from beneath the feet, creating propulsion that allows the host to change trajectory abruptly when in motion. Increases movement speed by 30%. Costs 5MP per activation. No cooldown.} {Metal Creation Lvl 1.}: Gather the Metal elemental attribute mana to create constructs of metal. The effects of the skill are influenced by the host''s magic and control stats, as well as imagination. (0/5,000SP). {Golden Severance}: Condense an immense amount of metal attribute elemental mana into a concentrated beam of world light, capable of splitting anything ites in contact with only for a single attack, and increases attack power by 500%. The attack consumes 500MP upon usage. Cooldown: 5 minutes. {Metal Maniption}: Grants the ability to freely control metal of weight that does not exceed 1 ton. Skill is leveled up simultaneously with the {Metal Creation} skill. Cain didn''t even have any time to check his status screen. His vision was swiftly darkening. He was gradually losing all sensation in his body. The golden mes that burned on the surface of the {Bloody Katana} had been extinguished quickly, almost like they were an illusion. ''Have... to make... it back... inside.'' Subconsciously, even though he was as good as unconscious, Cain was still trying to survive. He didn''t even know what he was doing. He dragged his broken body with heavy steps, almost like he was sleepwalking. He edged his way towards the hole he made in the wall when he was sted through by the {Miasma Devil}. He knew deep in his heart, that falling unconscious here, out in the open, might result in him losing his life to any random monster that happened to see his defenseless body. Step by step, he inched forward, like he was drowning, now resurfaced and gasping for the air he so desperately desired. But before he could get there, He passed out... Chapter 16: Power Up. Cain woke up staring at a white ceiling... "Ugh!" He let out a grunt as he sat up on the bed he was previouslyying down on. He stared at his surroundings, taking in and mentally processing his current situation. He noticed that his senses had be many times sharper than before. ''What the hell happened?'' It took him a moment, but the memories came back to him. ''I won?!'' He could remember delivering the final blow to the {Miasma Devil}, but he couldn''t remember anything after that. It was like his memories had been cut off from there. He became even more confused when he saw himself inside a room. The room looked exactly like what you would expect from a sick bay. Due to his increased senses, the strong smell of bleach, and the bright green curtains sent very strong nasal and optical signals to his brain, giving him more than enough information for him to figure out exactly where he was. He was in the sick bay located in his departmentplex. He recognized its interior because he had visited it on more than one asion... ''How did I get inside the sick bay?!'' Cain thought to himself. When he didn''t see his {Bloody Katana}, he instantly went on high alert. He checked inside his inventory, but it wasn''t there either. ''Someone has my weapon!'' Cain concluded in his mind that the person that had taken his weapon was most likely the person that had put him into the sick bay. Since he was pretty injured during the fight with the {Miasma Devil}, he expected himself to be covered in wounds, but he didn''t find any on his body when he checked. Even his clothes had been reced with a set of shirts and pants given to patients staying in the sick bay. The thought of someone seeing his naked, and defenseless body instantly set him on edge. If the person had wanted to take his life, they didn''t even need to do much. ''I have to get out of here, but first...'' He decided to check his status screen for any changes... Name: {Cain Lenosi} Level: 15. Strength: 60. Agility: 74. Stamina: 0/49. Vitality: 32. Defense: 22. Control: 3.4. Perception: 2.5. HP: 50/3,200. MP: 0/2,100. Magic: 42. Resistance: Poison- 0%. Skills: Golden blood, Mana de, Lightening Edge, de Mastery Lvl. 2, Burst Step, Metal Creation Lvl.1, Golden Severance, Metal Maniption. Titles: Champion of Ashur (locked). Free attribute points: 10. System points: 0. {Inventory}. {Shop}. The first thing he noticed when he opened up his status screen was how drastically his stats had increased, especially his perception and control stats. His control stat had jumped from 1.9 to 3.4, while his perception stat had increased to 2.5 from 0.5. This was a very drastic increase that he hadn''t expected. However, after scrolling through the notification logs, he realized why. Apart from gaining a whole 5 levels, he had received tons of extra stat points when he had killed the {Miasma Devil}. He had gained even more when he had subconsciously created the skill he used to kill the {Miasma Devil}, {Golden Severance}. {Golden Severance}: Condense an immense amount of metal attribute elemental mana into a concentrated beam of world light, capable of splitting anything ites in contact with only for a single attack, and increases attack power by 500%. The attack consumes 500MP upon usage. Cooldown: 5 minutes. "So powerful!" {Golden Severance} was indeed very powerful. In a single attack, Cain could sacrifice 500MP to release a devastating strike powered with metal elemental attribute mana, increasing his attack power by 500%. It should be noted that attack power was a physical property that is proportional to the strength and mana of the host. Skills that were heavily dependent on magic primarily would have their attack power proportional to the Magic stat of the individual, while those that required physical strength would have their attack power proportional to the strength stat. The only downside to this skill was that he could only use it once every 5 minutes. As powerful as it was, he could probably only use it once in a fight. He had also gained a few other benefits. His {de Mastery} skill had leveled up, increasing his power on a foundational level. ''System, how did my {de Mastery} skill level up so fast?'' {Replying to host: The way most internal skills worked, for an individual to gain S.P. (Skill points), said individual would have to use the skill very frequently. For skills like {de Mastery}, the individual would have to improve their overall skills andprehension in the way of the weapon}. Only by continuous practice and increasing proficiency could the skill level up. As Cain was already proficient in welding a de, alongside the improvement he had made during the fight against the {Miasma Devil}, it was a given the skill would level up quickly. Cain also has another skill he didn''t have previously. ''Metal Maniption? What''s the difference between this and my Metal Creation skill?'' ''If it''s anything like its name, then...'' Cain activated the {Metal Creation} skill and {Metal Maniption} skill at the same time. A golden-colored spike appeared floating above his palm. Previously, he would have been able to create it, but now, he was also able to control it without making any physical contact with it. The two skills were a very dangerousbination. Cain''s lethality had been raised by several levels. The spike spun in the air, creating sparks due to the intense amount of friction. This was a result of Cain''s high magic stat. With 42 points in mana, Cain only needed to expend 3MP to create the metal spike and 1MP every 5 seconds to maintain the motion. Like a bullet, the metal spike flew out and buried itself into the wall. BOOM! The spike sted a bowl-sized hole into the wall. Seeing the power he held in his hands, Cain couldn''t stop his breath from quickening. He was excited, he couldn''t deny it... With the power he held onto now, opponents on the same level as the {Miasma Devil} would be a piece of cake. Although Cain hated the {Miasma Devil}, he couldn''t help but be grateful to it. It had proven to be a worthy opponent. Even in its death, it had benefited him so much... Suddenly, Cain was able to hear footsteps approaching the room. Although he was without a weapon, he wasn''t bothered. With his new array of skills, he was powerful enough to face any potential enemies. The handle to the door turned, and a head popped into the room. "Eh? Looks like you are awake!" The person who had just barged into the room was his former ss monitor, Susan. "Susan?" Although Cain still had his guard up, he rxed his tense muscles a bit when he saw a familiar face. "I''m d to see you are all better," Susan said, looking relieved. "What happened? Why am I in the sick bay? Are you the one who brought me here?" "Well... It''s moreplicated than that. It''s best if you follow me if you want a better exnation. Can you walk now? Your injuries were pretty heavy." Susan expressed her concern. There were no signs of false in her voice or mannerisms, but Cain was someone who was naturally always on his guard against others. This was due to the kind of upbringing he had. He found it hard to trust others. "Alright..." However, he was confident in his power. Even though he could be walking into a trap, he wasn''t all too worried. *** Cain stared at the group of people all seated before him with aplex expression on his face... ''Well... it wasn''t a trap... I think?'' Cain recognized the group in front of him as the same group that left the hall with him the other day. As it turned out, they had escaped the fate that had befallen those who had stayed in the hall. Cain also noticed that they all were armed with weapons as well. Apart from Susan, the teacher David, the fatty Vincent, as well as the other guy he had fought the {ded Devil} with, ze, were all seated there. Aside from them, there was also a green-haired dude with a crazy glint in his eyes, a dark-haired, handsome, tall skinny dude ying with a staff in his hands, two other dudes seated together, one with icy blue hair, and the other with blond hair. Although they were both handsome as well, they had contrasting mannerisms. The blue-haired guy seemed like the shy type, he didn''t hold any weapons, but he wore a pair of fighting gloves. He did seemfortable beside the guy with blond hair. From the looks of it, they were most likely friends, from the way they conversed with each other. The guy with blond hair was different from the blue hair guy. He had a perpetual stone-cold expression on his face. He also observed the room with eyes that seemed to be constantly taking in and calcting his surroundings. The only time the sharp glint in his eyes reduced was when he talked with the guy beside him. Thest person in the room was the weird, beautiful white-haired girl Cain had made eye contact with that day. When Cain looked at her, he noticed that she had been looking at him. As a result, they made eye contact once again. When Cain looked into her eyes, he saw something he hadn''t seen in the eyes of the others. He couldn''t describe it, but the way she stared at him reminded him of someone. The look in her eyes was almost the same as the look in the eyes of a certain someone... "I think we should start with introductions?" David the teacher said, trying to break the ice. "All of us here already know each other, so let those who don''t know Cain please introduce themselves." "Hi! The name''s Manny!". The green-haired, crazy-eyed guy said with a grin on his face. The look in his eyes reminded Cain of those bloodthirsty mutants. "Good day, My name... is Steve. A pleasure to make your acquaintance." The tall, dark-haired guy some theatrically. ''Do all of them have mental issues?!'' Cain wondered to himself... "I''m Hunter, this is Dan" The blond-haired guy introduced himself, and the blue-haired guy seated beside him. "Hi..." Dan said in a quiet but sturdy voice. ''Yeah... They are all crazy. Not that I''m any better myself...'' "Evangeline." The white-haired girl had a voice akin to the sweetest of melodies. Like an angel''s whisper, her voice was truly beautiful. However, there was a hint of coldness, as well as, oddly enough, mischievousness in her voice. Still staring at Cain, she slowly let out a smile, the same smile a predator would have when it had finally found prey. The smile disappeared as quickly as it had formed, however, making Cain think he had just imagined it. "I''m Cain." "Hahaha! Good to see you, brother." The fatty, Vincent said with a sly grin on his face. Cain instantly remembered what he has told the fatty when he had split up from them. "I''ve made up my mind. If we meetter, maybe I might change my mind. But for now, I prefer to move alone." Those were his exact words, and now, they hade to bite him in the ass. "So what do you say, you gonna join us now, right?" Cain began to think... While moving with a group might be limiting, it also had its pros. With people to watch his back around, he would not be in danger if he so happened to be put out ofmission like what had happened the previous day. However, he couldn''t bring himself to trust the group of people he barely knew. In a split second, various thoughts ran through his mind, before he settled on the most optimal move to make then. "Alright... I''m in!" Chapter 17: Joining the Group (1). Thoughts ran through his mind at super speeds, as he weighed all his options... Should he continue with his lone wolf adventure, or join the group before him? The pros of going Solo were that he didn''t always have to constantly be watchful of his back, and he had more freedom, as he wouldn''t be bound by any shackles of duty that came with being in a group. He could act out his most selfish desires as well, without being looked at funny by someone else. The cons, on the other hand, were the increased danger, and potentialck of protection in case of the unexpected. Take what had just happened as an example... He had fought against the {Miasma Devil}, but although he had won, he was pretty wounded and exhausted at the end of the fight. He ended up unconscious afterward. At that moment, he didn''t have someone who would have been able to protect him from danger at that moment. If he hadn''t been lucky, and someone hadn''t rescued him, then the oue would not be a good one, considering how dangerous the school had be... As for joining the group, while there would be more limits on him, and he wouldn''t have to constantly guard his back if they earned his trust, which was a very hard thing to do, then that problem would be ruled off. The main benefit of joining the group was the added security, as well as their growth potential... Two heads were always better than one, except those heads were not attached to bodies. With extra numbers, the overall effect would increase as well. Cain realized that being alone, while it had its good sides, was severely limiting his potential in this world. Although Cain didn''t like to think of it that way, he was certain that these apocalyptic events were a worldwide phenomenon. In other words, the entire world was now scrambling to survive. To survive under these terrible conditions, where everything, including your own kind, was most likely going to attack you to kill, strength in numbers was essential. Cain was beginning to build up the framework of a master n in his mind. He needed to gather teammates, strong ones. He needed their strength if he wanted to boost the probability of his survival. Things like the gathering of essential resources, such as food and others needed a lot of hands onboard. He also had to consider whether or not he was going to go about saving a bunch of people. There were so many factors involved here, and he had to think them all through when he had time. But first, he had to settle the matter at hand. "Alright... I''m in!" "Eh?! Just like that?!" Vincent said, sounding a little surprised. "But first, I''d like to ask a few questions." The others in the room all looked at him. "How long have I been unconscious?" "Roughly about five hours." "Who found and saved me?" This question had been gnawing at the back of his mind for some time now. Whoever it was, he owed that person his life. If not for that person, he possibly would be dead by now. There was an awkward silence before everyone in the room looked at a certain someone. "I did." Cain certainly wasn''t expecting it. The weird girl, Evangeline was the one that had potentially saved his life when he was unconscious. "Thank you very much. I will repay the favor." Cain promised. "Whatever." She had removed her gaze from him long ago, but Cain still felt like he was being watched by her. He was still grateful to her, even though he thought she was weird. He was a man of his word and was going to keep his promise. "Then onto the next question, who helped me change my clothes?" Again, there was another awkward silence, followed by an even more awkward cough, before everyone turned to look at another person. "T-that, would b-be me!" Susan mumbled with blushing cheeks. "B-but don''t take this the wrong way! I just helped you change because I figured you would want someone you were familiar with to help you. I also made sure to keep your underwear on, so I didn''t see anything inappropriate. I swear!" By the end of her speech, her face had turned bright red like a tomato. "Thank you, Susan. I appreciate the help. I swear to return the favor." Cain looked Susan in the eye, saying this with a smile on his face. He had to look sincere at least... "D-don''t sweat it..." Susan said with her face covered. She was embarrassed because of it. That wasn''t something someone who isn''t close to you should do. However, although Cain thought it was a bit inappropriate, he still appreciated the thought behind it. Besides, he had nothing to hide. If she did happen to see anything, he was very confident in the size of his goods... "Now, unto my final and most important question, what happened to my weapon?" The {Bloody Katana} held a special ce in his heart. It was the first weapon he had, and it had apanied him since the start of the apocalypse. It was also a good weapon. Although the extra stats it granted him were somewhat insignificant to the current him, it was still a good de. "Weapon... you mean this?" With a confused look on his face, David brought out a piece of scrap metal. "Evangeline said she found it beside you, amongst other things." Cain looked on in disbelief as David presented what used to be his beloved weapon before him. ''Turns out {Golden Severance} is more powerful than I expected.'' To think the skills'' power had caused his de topletely melt, turning it into scrap. It was all twisted and fucked up, rendering it useless. ''I can try to fix it...'' Cain decided to keep it in his inventory for the time being. He couldn''t find it in his heart to discard it. "What do you mean by other things..." "It''s best if we show you. Evangeline?" This former teacher of theirs had decided to rise to the asion to lead their group. Cain had known the man before the apocalypse fell as well. He had been one of the lecturers of Advanced Calculus. He had a wide build that must have been from years of working out, and he was also very intelligent. Cain had known him a bit better than most people because he had always been at the top of the man''s ss. Because David had an easygoing personality, it was easy for Cain to converse with him. It was through their numerous conversations that Cain had gotten a good grasp of David''s character. He was just an awfully good guy... He liked to help those he felt needed his help and would beat himself up when he couldn''t give them his help. Cain had thought he was just a hypocrite at first but had soone to realize that it was just his nature. This made Cain have a lot of respect for him. Cain was someone who respected the strong, and it took a great deal of strength to do true good... *** Cain started at the multitude of objects before him, using the system to analyze their characteristics and properties. {Poison elemental mana shard}: Can grant a 5% increase in poison resistance. If added to a weapon, will cause 10% extra damage as D.O.T. {Devil Orb}: Can only be possessed by special rank and above devils. Contains the concentrated power of a in devil. The purpose varies due to a multitude of factors. {Mark of Hermes}: +10 to agility stat. {Mark of Bestial Strength}: +10 to agility stat. The gift that keeps on giving... ''Even in death, you do me so much good...'' Cain couldn''t help but think he had killed his angel of fortune. The {Miasma Devil} had just been providing him with benefit after benefit. He already knew of runes although these were more powerful than the ones he had used previously. If he used these, then he just needed 7 more runes for each type before he would be able to form an array. As for the rest, this was the first time he had seen them. The {Mana Shard} and the {Devil Orb} most likely had hidden benefits for him as well. He couldn''t wait to be alone so that he could properly consume his benefits and finish structuring his n based on all the resources he had avable. "Thank you for keeping these safe for me. I guess I owe you again, David." Cain said sincerely. "Don''t sweat it. I would never let what is yours be taken unjustly. Now that we have you on the team, it still counts as a win for us. Hahaha!" Cain gathered his property and ced them in his inventory. "Ehem... Now that we''ve gotten that out of the way, it''s time to discuss something serious." Clearing his throat, David spoke to the rest of them in a serious voice. "We need to leave this ce as soon as possible..." Chapter 18: Joining the group (2). "We need to leave this ce as soon as possible..." "As you all know, the world we live in has be... Different from what we are used to." "These mutated creatures and strange beings called devils are the least of our problems." Waiting for his words to settle in, he took a breath before he continued... "The most urgent matter we currently have to deal with is the matter of food and basic living essentials." "Food?" Grrrrr!!! The stomach of someone in the room suddenly let out cries for sustenance. "That wasn''t me!" "Me neither..." They all instantly looked at the only fatty in the room. "You freaking bodyshamers! Just because I''m fat doesn''t mean I¨C" "Fine, it was me..." The fatty said with a defeated expression, his fat cheeks jiggling in sadness as he fought back tears. "I haven''t eaten anything in two freaking days, alright!" "But I didn''t feel much hunger, not until recently," ze said with a frown. "That is most likely due to the action of the so-called mana we have been absorbing in our bodies. It must have greatly slowed down our metabolism, and as a result, we haven''t felt any hunger." David replied. "However, make no mistake. From all my years of being a student of science, all things obey a certainw. Even though this strange new element called mana has been introduced, highly doubt it would affect it by much." "What are you trying to say, Mr. David?" Hunter, the blond-haired guy asked. "What I''m trying to say is this... Haven''t you guys thought about this? Where does this energy call manae from, and how exactly did ite to be?" Well... Cain had the perfect answer to this question... "God Ash..." "Huh?" Everyone in the room turned to Cain with confused expressions. ''I see... '' Judging from their expressions, Cain concluded that they most likely hadn''t heard the term before. He instantly made a mental note of this detail... "You guys remember the Grey colored snowkes that fell just before things went to shit?" "I remember!" "Yeah... Where the hell did that stuffe from..." "It truly was a strange phenomenon." Everyone had their piece to say, but David had a look of realization appear in his eyes. "You mean?" "Yes... That stuff is what caused all of this to happen. Think of it as the catalyst of armageddon..." They all started in shock, trying to process this information. Meanwhile, Cain was currently having a conversation with the system generated voice in his head. ''System... Why don''t they know about the God Ash?'' {Replying to Host: The system is only authorized to answer the questions asked by the host. The information provided might be free, or it might not be. However, the information must be sought after by the host. The reason some information have high prices in the system shop is that they are, at that moment, regarded by the system as rare and precious on the host''s}. Cain began to realize how important information was. There was always an advantage to knowing more than others. With the way the system worked, those more informed than others will always be one step ahead. Cain had no ns to share histest discovery, so he decided to keep what he had just discovered to himself. "God Ash, huh? What exactly is it?" Susan asked Cain. "From the little I know, it is actually formed from the corpses of dead gods. I don''t know anything other than that." Cain lied with a smile on his face. "How do you know all this? " Hunter asked Cain suspiciously. Cain turned to hunter with a glint in his eyes, his thoughts unknown. "I just happened to know, is all. " Cain replied vaguely. "Oh?... " Seeing that Cain wasn''t going to give him the truth, he backed off skillfully, and continued his quiet conversation with Dan. ''I need to watch out for him...'' Cain was wary of everyone in this group. They were all incredibly smart, and the fact that they were able to survive this long spoke lengths about their strength and cunning... "gods? Well... Things just became waaay more interesting." Manny said, excitement boiling in his eyes. "Well, back to the topic at hand. I think we should leave this ce because we need to learn more about what the hell is happening to our world. Not only that, the matter of food as well as resources cannot be tended to if we stay here. There is literally no food here. If we keep staying here, we might die of hunger before the devils can get their turn." "I see your point, Mr. David. I agree with you." "I agree as well." "I don''t really care. I just wanna fight some monsters." "Tis a wise choice indeed. I am in total agreement with this n." "What do you think, Cain? " David asked. "Me?" Cain didn''t expect David to ask for his opinion. "Well... you are now a part of the group, so your opinions will definitely be taken into consideration as well. " David said in an endearing tone. Since they had been close even before the apocalypse, David was trying to look out for Cain in his own way... "I agree as well. That isn''t far off from my initial ns." Cain had also made up his mind to leave this ce, as he hade to the same conclusion as David in his mind. He wanted to see what else the present world had to offer. Although danger was everywhere, Cain cherished the feeling of battle that existed alongside the dangers. There was a very exhrating adventure waiting for him ahead, and he couldn''t wait for it to get started... "Alright... I suggested we leave soon. If we want to make it to the main campus before nightfall." "Let''s meet in an hour." *** Cain sat in an empty ss, looking at the items before him. ''System, what are these mana shards?'' {Replying to host: Further information only be purchased in the store}. ''Sigh... '' Opening the system store, Cain swiftly locate the information on mana shards, then used his system points to purchase it. It wasn''t costly, and he had a lot of system points from killing the {Miasma Devil}, so although it stung a little bit, he let it slide. {Purchase sessful.. } {Replying to host: Mana shards are the condensed essence of mana only possessed by Demon beasts and Mutants. Advanced forms of mana shards are called Mana cores. They are the power source of the mutant beasts, and can serve various purposes. These uses can be discovered by the host, or purchased in the system store}. ''What about this Devil orb?'' {Replying to host: Further information can be purchased in the store}. "..." {Purchase sessful... } {Replying to host: Devil orbs are the same as mana shards, but they are possessed exclusively by the devil race. Devils are also able to condense mana shards as a secondary power source, but it is many times weaker than the mana shards possessed by mutant beasts, and can not evolve to form mana cores}. ''How do I use them?'' {Replying to host: Further information be purchased in the system store}. ''You''ve got to be kidding me!'' Cain fumed in silence as he once again purchased information from the system. With all these purchases, all the system points he had gotten from killing the {Miasma Devil} hadpletely vanished... {Replying to host: Mana shards can be directly consumed by the host. The effects vary with the strength of the mana shard. They can also be used to create weapons and artifacts. As for the Devil orbs, there are two ways to use them. They can either be used directly or indirectly. To use Devil cores directly, all the host needs to do is apply some force to shatter them. The benefits received from the Devil core can vary depending primarily on luck. The host can acquire weapons or special artifacts created from the manifestation of condensed Devil mana. The host can also acquire powerful Devil skills from them. They can also be used on weapons to grant them special skills or attributes aside from the normal elemental ones. They can also end up not containing anything. It all depends on fate}. ''Hmmm...'' Cain was stuck... He had to decide how to use the resources before him. On one hand, he could keep them for future use, but on the other hand, he needed as much power as he could get his hands on. The artificial forest they had to travel through to get to the main campus would most likely be a death trap by now. He didn''t know what to expect, so he had to be prepared... ''Fuck it! '' He grabbed the mana shard and applied some pressure to it. A cloud of green smoke escaped from the gaps of his clenched fist, traveling into his body from his orifices. He let out a deep breath as a sh of green traveled across his skin for a brief second, before fading away. {+5% poison resistance}. ''Good. Now for the other one...'' He grabbed the devil orb, taking a deep breath of anticipation as he applied pressure on it. The pitch-ck orb shattered under the pressure of Cain''s grip. A thick ck smoke was released from his palm and was reced by a pitch-ck de with ominous markings etched onto its surface. The de was only a finger wide and about 150 centimeters long. It was a very long curved de and on the hilt, there was a pitch-ck menacing-looking eye staring back at him. Cain instantly fell in love with the de. He was a huge fan of curved des, and his training with his teacher included him mastering how to fight with them. ''Let''s see what this bad boy''s made up of!'' Chapter 19: The Devils Broken Claw. {You have acquired an epic-grade weapon, Devil w}. {Devil''s Broken w}: (epic) Strength: 30. Agility: 20. Control: 0.2. Defense: -5. Weight: 30. Durability: 70/70. Skills: Fear, Bloodthirsty. {Fear} (passive): Release a malevolent aura akin to a devil, inflicting fear onto your opponent. Decreases opponent movement and attack speed by 5%. {Bloodthirsty} (passive): Consume the blood and flesh of fallen enemies to increase the power of the Devil''s broken w. For every 100 enemies in and absorbed, attack power increase by 1%, but weight increases by 10kg. Effectiveness of {Fear} also increases by 0.1%. ''That''s what I''m talking about!'' Although it reduced his defenses a bit, he wasn''t too concerned about it. Not only was the de epic ranked, but it also added more extra stats than his beloved {Bloody katana}. The de was extremely long and shaped like a nodachi. It was also raven ck, with a devilish-looking eye on the hilt. The de came with a scabbard that looked just as menacing as the de itself, with plenty of devilish runes inscribed onto it. Cain attached the scabbard to his waist and drew the de. SHLING! The de didn''t seem to reflect any light whatsoever. It was engraved with the same type of patterns as its scabbard. ''It''s heavy as well.'' It''s weight was three times that of the {Bloody Katana}, but its durability made up for that, being double that of the {Bloody Katana}. A grin slowly expanded across his face as he examined the de. It was not pleasing to look at at all, and some might even find it scary. However, Cain saw only how much potential the de had to give. He got into a stance, holding the body of the de perpendicr to the ground. With the precision of a machine due to his high control stat, he drew the de across the desk. The de had no resistance at all when it made contact with the desk and was easily divided into two halves. Cain performed even more swings with the de, marveling at how perfectly suited it was for him. The weight of the de was perfect, and the grip was even more perfect. The grip of the de was long enough for him to wield it as a two-handed weapon. That way, he was able to either wield it with one hand or both his hands. ''Poison resistance as well... I wonder how that will help me in the future.'' Maybe because the mana shard came from a devil, but its effects were not as satisfying to Cain as opposed to that of the devil orb. Cain brought his status screen up to analyze his current stats; Name: {Cain Lenosi} Level: 15. Strength: 60 (30). Agility: 74 (20). Stamina: 0/49. Vitality: 32. Defense: 22 (-5). Control: 3.4 (0.2). Perception: 2.5. HP: 50/3,200. MP: 0/2,100. Magic: 42. Resistance: Poison- 5%. Skills: Golden blood, Mana de, Lightening Edge, de Mastery Lvl. 2, Burst Step, Metal Creation Lvl.1, Golden Severance, Metal Maniption, Fear, Bloodthirsty. Titles: Champion of Ashur (locked). Free attribute points: 10. System points: 0. {Inventory}. {Shop}. {Golden blood level.1}: Upon activation, multiply all physical stats by 2. Consumes 100 MP, and costs 1 point of stamina per second to maintain. Puts the body of the user under great strain. (1000/10000 SP). This is an internal skill, hence, it can be upgraded. {Mana de}: Coat the surface of your de with destructive mana to deal an extra 200% damage when attacking. It Consumes 5MP per second to sustain. Note:This is an external active skill, and cannot be upgraded. {Lightening Edge: Increase attack speed by 100%. Critical rate increases by 5% when the skill is used. Cost 100MP to activate. Cooldown: 1 minute. {de Mastery lvl. 2.} (passive): Increases attack power and speed with ded weapons by 30%. Increases critical chance and rate by 5%. (500/9,000SP). {Burst Step}: Expell mana from beneath the feet, creating propulsion that allows the host to change trajectory abruptly when in motion. Increases movement speed by 30%. Costs 5MP per activation. No cooldown.} {Metal Creation Lvl 1.}: Gather the Metal elemental attribute mana to create constructs of metal. The effects of the skill are influenced by the host''s magic and control stats, as well as imagination. (0/5,000SP). {Golden Severance}: Condense an immense amount of metal attribute elemental mana into a concentrated beam of world light, capable of splitting anything ites in contact with only for a single attack, and increases attack power by 500%. The attack consumes 500MP upon usage. Cooldown: 5 minutes. {Metal Maniption}: Grants the ability to freely control metal of weight that does not exceed 1 ton. Skill is leveled up simultaneously with the {Metal Creation} skill. {Bloodthirsty} (passive): Consume the blood and flesh of fallen enemies to increase the power of the Devil''s broken w. For every 100 enemies in and absorbed, attack speed and attack power increase by 1%. He had be so powerful in just two days. Imagine how powerful would be in a week, or more. He was probably strong enough to punch a hole through a wall made of reinforced concrete with how high his strength was. He had around 9 times the strength of his former self, which is equivalent to each hand having almost one ton of force behind every hit. However, with his control stat so high, he was able to perform normal actions without any inconvenience or difficulty. "I should probably get going." Once Cain was sure he was done with his preparations, he left the ssroom. *** Cain met up with the others in the hallways in front of the doors to the hall where he had his fight with the {Miasma Devil}. He could see that the others were looking at the zombies thaty sprawled out in front of the staircase. They all had varying expressions on their faces as they looked at the corpses of those who were once humans. They left the corpses there because they were scared of getting infected by whatever caused the deceased to turn into zombies. "Sigh... We all have to be careful, or we might end up like those on the ground." David said as he looked at the corpses on the ground with sad eyes. "How the hell did this even happen?" Vincent asked as he squinted, the fat on his turning his eyes into slits speaking lengths of his seriousness. "If I have to guess, this was most likely caused by the devil Cain defeated," Hunter said, his cold eyes analyzing the corpses. "Why do you think so?" Vincent asked curiously. "There are many reasons why, but the most obvious reasons are that Cain and the devil had fought in the main hall. That is where west saw those below us alive." "Oh?... But that still doesn''t prove-" "They also smell the same," Hunter said as he covered his nose to block out the offensive odor of the corpses. "Well, if it was the reason for all these people turning into zombies, why didn''t it infect Cain during their fight?" Susan asked him with raised brows. "If my suspicions are correct, it most likely has something to do with the cooldown of the skill. Perhaps the duration of the fight was longer than the time it took for the cooldown to pse." As they were all engrossed in analyzing the dead zombies, they didn''t even notice him approaching... "Ehem... I''m here." Cain let out a cough, signaling his arrival. Heads turned towards him... "You are here!" Susan eximed. "Yeah... Sorry, I took a bit of time getting prepared." "That makes all of us. We should get going." David said once everyone in the group had been ounted for. "Let''s go!" Staring into the sky, Cain couldn''t tell if the night was approaching, or not. The atmosphere was tainted with gloominess, as the grey clouds above didn''t seem to have any intentions of leaving. Taking a deep breath, he exhaled a white cloud of steam, telling of how low the atmospheric temperature was. "Brrrr! Why is It so freaking cold outside?!" Vincent said while gnashing his teeth as he rubbed his palms together, trying to generate some modicum of heat. "It''s been like this for a while now. It''s been getting more and more freezing by the day." David said. Cain observed the group before him... Vincent the fatty held a rifle gun on his shoulders. The gun was covered in many runic patterns giving it all sorts of mystical vibes. ze held unto a long spear that was even taller than himself. The spear affected the surroundings around him, causing the temperature to be a bit higher. The spear was also covered in crimson runic patterns. Coupled with his serious face and zing red hair, he looked very handsome and heroic. Manny was armed with a pair of identical bastard swords, stark green in color, with wings at the hilt. A smirk was ying at the corner of his lips, as they rested on his shoulders, giving him an air of wildness. Steve held a wooden staff that had a multi-colored gem embedded on its head, and David had a decorated iron shield as well as a short axe as his weapon. The shield he held was different from the one he had used when they fought the {ded Devil}. Susan held onto a pure white long bow, while Hunter held onto a red short bow. As for Dan, he didn''t hold onto any weapon, but he did wear a pair of fighting gloves. Together with Cain''s pitch-ck de, they were quite the colorful group... "Cool sword!" Vincent gazed at the de attached to Cain''s hip with sparkling eyes. "Yours isn''t bad either." Cain was surprised to see the fatty holding a gun. He had previously thought the only weapons avable to them were cold weapons, but apparently, he still had much to discover... "Let''s get going. It''ll get even more freezing by nightfall." Chapter 20: Forest of Mutants. The artificial forest covered quite a bit ofnd... Although It would take someone just a bit over an hour at running speed to travel through it, this will only be possible if the road cutting through the forest was taken. The forest looked many times more different than what Cain had seen yesterday. The road he had traveled through yesterday hadpletely vanished. The forest seemed to have expanded overnight. The dense canopy of leaves seemed even higher than before as well. "The road is gone..." "How the hell are we going to know where we are going if there is no road?!" They all stared into the dark forest, unsure whether to proceed or not. They could forme their watches that it was already past midday, but because of the perpetually gray skies, the forest appeared as dark as night from where they stood. "C''mon! Don''t tell me you guys wanna back out now?!" Manny yelled with raised brows. "Don''t be so fast, muscle brain. We need to weigh our options carefully." Susan said with an eye roll. "Susan is right. We can''t afford to be careless. The forest is very dark, and we might be ambushed by those mutants or devils." David reasoned. "I don''t give a fuck! There ain''t no reason to back down now. We just charge in. That''s all. If there are any monsters, I''ll kill''em. You wimps can sit back and watch." With that being said, the hot-headed Manny simply charged into the dense foliage with his swords drawn. "Wait- ah fuck! Come on guys. Let''s go!" Seeing as he couldn''t stop Manny, David just decided to go ahead with the original n. The others, including Cain, simply followed after them. Although Manny appeared to be too hasty and careless, there was no other way around the situation except barging straight through. Trying to look for the road was probably going to waste a lot of time, or even end up useless, as the road most likely had been covered up by the hyper-grown undergrowth. ''Must be the God Ash again...'' Cain drew the correct conclusion. The mana influx generated by the God Ash was mutating the entire on a fundamental level. Everything was undergoing evolution, including the forest Cain had just entered. *** Upon meeting up with Manny and David, they began traveling slowly. They didn''t want to fall prey to any ambush because they missed any details while moving fast. They quickly noticed that their suspicions were true. The forest wasrger than before. It had expanded noticeably overnight. ''This is going to be a bit bothersome.'' Although Cain was a bit of a battle maniac, he still had his incredible observant nature. While the forest might be brimming with enemies to fight, it might not necessarily be a good thing... If the number became too overwhelming, they would end up exhausted and would be overrun. After all, their stamina wasn''t infinite. Although the forest was dark, Cain could see clearly due to his high perception stat. Quickly, they made contact with the first group of enemies. Red eyes began to appear from the darkness... {Mutant Wolves} Lvl. 10. (normal) Strength: 40. Agility: 60. Defense: 10. Magic: 5. Skills: Rendering bite, Lunge About 10 of them closed in on the group, their eyes bloodshot, and their mouths frothy. HOWL! The leading wolf let out a blood-curdling howl, exciting the others behind it to let out howls of excitement as well. "Leave''em to me!" Before anyone could even make a move, Manny lunged forward as fast as the wind, faster than anyone in the group, aside from Cain. Holding his swords in a reverse grip, he charged into the pack. "Wind de arte: Whirlwind!" With that, a short but bloody ughter ensued... ''Yep... He''s crazy.'' Cain didn''t know how to describe what he was seeing. The way Manny wielded the des was without finesse or form. He swung his de so erratically and violently, Cain wondered who the real beast was. Although he appeared to just be swinging his des erratically, every swing of his always met their target. It was like his des were riding the wind, each strike as deadly as thest. "Muahahahaha!" In a few seconds, all the monsters had been killed. The others didn''t have to lift a finger. ''Impressive'' Cain was impressed by the level of skill Manny disyed. If all of them in the group had the same level of power as well, he would have nothing to worry about except if they all joined hands to attack him. They met other small groups as they moved forward, which were dealt with very swiftly. Cain didn''t feel the need to join in on the fun yet, because the benefits he would get from the monsters were not worth the effort. The monsters were of a lower level, so the amount of exp they provided was negligible to the current him. Very quickly, they came across a somewhat difficult situation. {Mutant ck Bear} level 15. (elite). Strength: 100. Agility: 70. Magic: 8. HP: 3000/3000. MP: 800/800. Skills: Heavy smash, Rend. There were ten hulking mutants present... The artificial forest had been popted with all sorts of wild animals. There were all sorts of foxes, bears, wolves, birds, monkeys, and many more. These creatures had now mutated into bloodthirsty flesh-hungry beasts. They were also bing way more intelligent than they had been previously. The way they looked at Cain and the others was akin to the way a hunter looked at prey. These {Mutant ck Bears} stood at a height of over 8 feet when standing on their hind feet. They had a row of bones protruding from their spines and blood-red markings all over their pitch-ck fur. "Alright. These are going to be tougher than the small fries we''ve been dealing with. Dan and Hunter, you guys are together. Susan and Evangeline, you guys face one, I and ze will-" "Fuck all that. Charge!" Manny, simply ignored whatever David was saying, charging at the mutants like a madman. "He''s gonna get himself killed," Cain said. Although Manny was strong, there was no way he could face off against ten of the mutants all at once. Without warning, Evangeline also charged at a mutant on her own. "Everyone. Just pick one of them. Remember, put your safety first. If you feel you can''t handle your opponent, ask for" Before David could even finish his sentence, the others simply let loose. "Finally! Some real opponents. That Manny has been hoarding all of them for far too long." Vincent said excitedly. "Indeed. I am also excited to duel against the beasts." Steve said with a flourish of his long ck hair. "Let''s go, Dan." The rest of them all dashed at their respective opponents, drawing their weapons to get ready for battle. All except Cain... "Mr. David. You''ve really taken a burden on your shoulders this time." Cain said with a smile. "Sign... I know. But I can''t just leave you, children, out here on your own. Imagine if what happened to the others-" "You don''t need to worry. I''ll help you out from now on." Cain had been observing for a while now, and he finally concluded that it was time to begin executing his master n. "I know you have a good heart, Cain, but dealing with these kids is really tough," David spoke to Cain with familiarity. He had always seen Cain as a little brother and had a thorough understanding of him. "You trust me, don''t you?" Cain retorted with a smile. "Sigh... Alright. Go easy on them." "Maybe..." Cain unsheathed his de as well, the sound of metal escaping its confines ringing out. His long de was held in one hand as he approached the battle. At this point, even David had begun to engage his opponent. Cain stared at the mutant beast that was currently eyeing him like he was lunch. "I''ll get back to you in a moment." Oddly enough, Cain wasn''t interested in his opponent at the moment. While the mutant beast was still confused as to what was happening, Cain activated his skills. "Metal Creation: Fetters of iron." Out of thin hair, several chains materialized. They wrapped around the body of the poor mutant and dragged it to the ground heavily. The poor thing struggled, but it just couldn''t break the chains. "Shhhh! I''m watching something over here. Be quiet!" Cain said as he used his de to smack the butt of the fallen mutant beast, leading the creature to let out cries of humiliation. "Oh don''t give me that face. You''ll get your turn. Just watch the show..." Cain intended to watch the way the other members fought, as well as figure out their skills. That way, he would be able to tick off more boxes on his to-do list. "Let the fun begin!" Previously, Cain was still thinking his n through, but after analyzing everything he had seen so far, he had concluded. ''Since I can''t trust this group of people, I''ll make them trust me." Chapter 21: Abilities of the Group. Cain leaned against the shackled bear as he watched the others fight. His presence was very faint, as the others were busy fighting their opponents, so what he was doing wasn''t noticed by everyone. Well, almost everyone... ''Interesting...'' The eyes of a certain red-eyed, white-haired girl glittered with curiosity... Meanwhile, Cain was observing the others. From what he had been able to gather, their levels all fell between level 12 to 15, with the highest leveled ones being Manny and Evangeline at level 15. ''They all have different fighting styles as well. Even the elemental attributes vary.'' They all had some form of martial arts training. Although learning martial arts wasn''t asmon as learning how to dance, sing or cook as a hobby, some people learned it, and some didn''t. It was treated as a popr sport and wasmon on every media tform that existed before the apocalypse. That was why Cain had an inkling that the number of people inclined to survive. The ones who had a reason to practice martial arts in a world full of peace were those who had demons in their hearts to confront. They were either going to be good allies or capable enemies... The first person that drew Cain''s eye, was Manny. Although Cain had seen him fight before, he was still very curious as to how such an undisciplined de could perform so well. Although Cain wasn''t one to speak, seeing as he neglected his training a lot, and his physical stats before the apocalypse were maintained at the minimum. The way Manny swung his de, coupled with his newly acquired wind attribute powers, told a story Cain couldn''t quite ce his fingers on. "Hahaha! Eat metal, bitch." He rained down attacks upon the poor monster, every attack cutting out huge chunks of the mutant''s flesh. Cain concluded that it wouldn''t take him a lot of time to finish off his opponent. The next person Cain switched his attention to was none other than ze. ze held onto a spear that generated explosions of fire with every swing and or stab. The way he used the spear told of his disciplined and stiff character. It was reminiscent of old military-style martial arts techniques that had been forgotten ages ago. Every attack of his didn''t even draw blood, as the wounds created were instantly cauterized by the heat, leading the mutant to release screams of agony. Vincent''s way of fighting was even more eye-grabbing. The fatty avoided confrontation with the mutant. He just ran as he rained attacks with his gun onto the poor mutant while at the same time teasing it. The gun he used could shoot out concentrated bullets of mana as a form of attack. Although he was really fat, he wasn''t slow by any means. With the ability to raise one''s stats with the aid of the system, the fatty could be as fast as he wanted to be. One exceptional thing Cain was able to notice, was that all of the fatty''s attacks never missed. They always hit the head of the mutant. Always... Cain could tell that the fatty had been trained... Cain figured out that the fatty could have ended the fight ages ago if he wanted to, but was just being a bully... Hunter and Dan fought their enemies together. They both used conflicting elements, fire, and ice, but somehow, they were unaffected. Hunter was a summoner. Before the start of the fight, he activated his magic to summon a veryrge fiery wolf. It stood at almost 6 feet when on its hind feet, and was very muscr. The spectacr thing about this wolf was that it could use fire elemental attacks. Every one of its paw ps caused the flesh of the mutant ck bear to be burnt through. Hunter could also attack his own with his bow that shot out exploding arrows. All in all, he was a very dangerous opponent to have. He was also very smart and timed his attacks with near-machine uracy. Dan on the other hand was a human tank. His main skill was a transformation-type skill that created a condensed armor of ice around him. Since he was very slow, however, he wasn''t the main attacker. He just stood there, and tanked all the attacks of the mutants, allowing Hunter and his summon to attack as freely as they wanted. David and Susan had teamed up to fight their opponents as well. From the way they fought, Cain could tell they had done this a couple of times before and were getting used to it. Susan was the main attacker between the two of them. She would use her now to fire arrows of light elemental mana at the bears, while David defended her with his shield. If Vincent''s shots were always on target, and Hunter''s shots calcted, then Susan''s were the definition of perception and uracy. ''Beautiful...'' Cain couldn''t believe he was saying it, but he did. The way she handled the bow was almost perfect. She clearly had a lot of training under her belt. With every twang of her bowstring, the mutants before he would let out strings of pain. As for David, he was the definition of a human shield. His defense was even better than Dan''s. He conjured a crimson barrier over his shield that took all the beating. Cain couldn''t identify the elemental attribute he was using as well. His attacks on the mutant didn''t have any obvious physical effects on them, but every time an attacknded, something weird would happen to the mutants. If their attack speed didn''t reduce drastically to the point they were as slow as snails, then they would just freeze up, or their punches would just be extremely off-target leading to the releasing cries of confusion and frustration. Cain knew that David had to be strong if he wanted to lead this motley crew, but he had exceeded his expectations. The next person to fall under his observation was Steve. Cain hadbeled the guy a weirdo since he met him. From the way he spoke to his mannerisms in general, he just seemed like a goofball. However, Cain was about to be surprised once again. This was because Steve was actually one of the most powerful in the group when it came to attack power. With every swing of his wooden staff iid with gems, a bombardment of spells fell upon the poor beast. Cain didn''t even know whether he should feel sorry for the poor beast or not. "Wind des!" "Fireball!" "Water whip!" "Lightening bolt!" All the mutant was doing, was trying to avoid the barrage of spells, but it could do nothing about it. When it trieding closer, activated another skill that sealed the mutant''s fate. "Quicksand!" The ground beneath its feet turned into a death trap. The more it struggled, the more it got stuck. Steve, while humming an unknown song to himself, continued the bombardment with a half smile on his face. ''Yep... This dude definitely has a few loose screws.'' Cain had to admit that everyone in the group was strong, and could hold their own against the mutants. They might even have a chance at survival on their own. But they were all fighting together now. Cain could see the future ahead with this group would be full of surprises if he yed his cards right. Moving on to the final member of the group, he was a bit startled to find her staring at him with her ruby-colored eyes. She didn''t even try to break eye contact when she noticed her. She just stared... ''Hmmm...'' Cain was curious about this girl. From the first day he met her personally, she kept staring at him like he was some kind of zoo animal. She did this fully aware that he knew she was doing so, regardless of how rude it seemed. Cain suddenly felt a feeling of curiosity beginning to grow in his heart. He wanted to know why she kept staring at him... He stared back at her for a while before breaking eye contact to look for her opponent, well what was left of it... ''Oh?'' To say he was surprised wouldn''t be very far from the truth. At first, he thought what he was looking at was a rotten tree that had fallen at one point, but upon closer observation, he realized that what he was staring at wasn''t a tree. It was the damned mutant''s corpse! ''Well, I''ll be damned.'' Not only was she pretty, she most likely was dangerous as well. Like a white rose with thorns... All of these observations took only five short seconds. Those he was observing were moving at incredibly high speeds, which Cain was only able to see thanks to his high perception stat. The fights were very brief ones. It didn''t even take most of them 5 seconds to finish off their opponents... ''Well... I better finish up quickly as well.'' Turning back to the bound, now docile mutant before him, Cain contemted on how to end the things life. Before he could do that however... ROAR!!!! Chapter 22: Super Mutant Bear. The silhouette of a huge figure appeared from the line of trees before him. The aura of the approaching enemy hit Cain like a tsunami. The aura wasparable to that of the {Miasma Devil} he had nearly lost his life to. ROAR! A head of arger version of the ck bear broke through the canopy of trees. Blood-red eyes stared at the group on the ground. The mutant beast let out two streams of air from its nostrils, causing a storm of leaves to rain down onto the group. The monster looked even more malevolent that the smaller ones. Rows of razor-sharp fangs jutted out from its salivating mouth. From where he was, Cain could see rows of the protruding spinal cord. Its razor-sharp ws glinted even in the barely illuminated forest. Thick blood-red lines formed tattoos on the surface of the mutant''s fur, resembling the runes that dropped when monsters were killed. These lines glowed with a devilish light, painting the forest around it a light shade of crimson. Cain let out an audible gulp... ''Finally, some actual prey.'' Cain was extremely eager to try out his newly acquired skills, and the humongous monster before him was just right for the job. {Crimson Demon Bear} level 20 (special). Strength: 200. Agility: 150. Defense: 30. Mana: 40. HP: 4000/4000. MP: 1200/1200. Skills: Destructive stomp, Bloodlust, Blood Berserk. "Everyone, regroup! This one is going to be tough." David said while narrowing his eyes, the hands holding his weapons clenching them even tighter. Cain let his hand drop onto the hilt of his de, intending to draw it, however... "This one is mine!" "Hell naw! I saw it first!" "Come on Dan! Let''s get that thing!" "What a marvelous beast. I shall vanquish it!" The guys in the group turned into rabid dogs as soon as theyid eyes on the mutant. One would expect them to be frightened, or cautious when facing such a strong enemy. However, when Cain looked at the group, he saw nothing like that. Instead, all he saw was excitement, as well as the element he thought was long lost in his peaceful world. Battle lust... "Yah!!!!" They all charged at the monster, guns zing. Even those who were calm most of the time charged at the monster, leaving only ze, Evangeline, David, and Cain behind. ''On second thoughts...'' Cain just let his hand rest on the hilt of his de without doing anything. Not yet at least... "Sigh... These kids don''t know how to be careful!" Davidined to Cain. "Haha... Let''s see what happens." "I guess. But we go in immediately if anything seems wrong." Cain couldn''t lie to himself. He was intrigued by this crazy bunch. With that, the battle began... *** Although the members of Cain''s group were strong, the monster they were engaged with was no pushover. The mutant was slightly more powerful than the {Miasma Devil}. Its strength stat was higher than its agility, but that didn''t change the fact that it was still fat. It also had a lot of skills, earning it the title of the strongest mutant or devil Cain hade across. Growl!!! Cain looked at the mutant beside him that was still wrapped in chains created by him. The monster let out menacing growls at Cain, as though threatening him to release it. Its mother had appeared, giving it the courage it had once lost. "Don''t get cocky yet, Teddy. Just watch." Cain let out augh as he observed the mutant. At the same time, he was also worried. ''They seem to be getting more and more intelligent.'' The only thing worse than a strong enemy was an intelligent one, a smart one. If these beasts that were once dumb animals, began to grow intelligent, bing more sentient, things wouldn''t look pretty for humans... Manny closed in on the monster, activating a skill as well "Chaotic wind!" Like the turbulent wind, Manny''s body was wrapped in the wind elements, propelling him forward like a bullet. His speed which was already very high increased even more. He turned into a green shadow as he shed into attacking range. His swords also turned into shadows, aiming to rain down a hell of metal onto the mutant, however... CLANG! The mutant bear had blocked it. It had reacted fast enough, blocking Manny''s super-fast attack. The monster let out a roar, as though mocking Manny because it was just as fast as he was. "Ha! Do you think you are fast?! You ain''t seen nothing yet!" The two began trading blows. However, this onlysted briefly, as the mutant used its overwhelming strength to push Manny back, delivering a blow that sent him flying. Although he managed to block it in time, a trickle of blood still escaped his lips. Cleaning the blood off, a grin appeared on his face as he went back into the fight. "Elemental Snipe: Water bolt." BANG! Shot after shot was fired by Vincent onto the body of the monster, from behind a tree, but they barely did any damage "Fuck! This thing is tough." "Rapid Shot!" The speed at which he fired the bolts of condensed mana drastically. He was firing at least two of them each second, sting off patches of fur with every bombardment. The others were also trying their best to attack the monster, but due to the thing''s high defense, they could barely harm it. The attack speed of the monster also made them extra cautious as well. ''Seems like the increase isn''t that simple.'' Cain had noticed that every monster he encountered that had the ''special'' tag was always stronger than the ordinary. They were not only stronger than the weaker ones, but they were also smarter. The mutant knew it had strong defenses. Hence, it was relying on its superior defense to just tank all the blows given to it. This was working in its favor, as the group of Manny, Vincent, Steve, Hunter, and Dan, were struggling against it. "You know, a little help would be appreciated," Hunter said with the same stoic expression he always had on his face. "This is what I was telling you guys. C''mon, let''s join in before something bad happens to those rascals." "Alright." ze agreed to go with David, while Susan, Cain, and Evangeline kept quiet. David and ze sprinted off toward the group of rascals to help them. Meanwhile... "Why aren''t you joining in?" Stepping right to his side, Susan initiated a conversation. "Hmm?" "Why aren''t you joining them to fight?" Susan repeated herself, this time, a little more aggressively. "Haha... No reason in particr. I''m just waiting." They hadn''t spoken to each other since the awkward events of the morning. Although Cain wasn''t trying to avoid her, Susan tried her best to limit contact with him for the better part of the day. She probably was too embarrassed, but the embarrassment had worn off after some time. She was back to her old self... "Waiting for what?" "You''ll see." Cai responded with a half smile, his thoughts unreadable through his expression alone. "You know, you''ve changed." Cain turned his head to the person beside him, a bit confused. "Changed? In what way?" He hadn''t thought he had changed, not even the slightest bit. "You seem to smile more," Susan said, her cheeks turning red once more. Apparently, she wasn''t fully back to her old self. "Smile?" Cain touched his face and noticed that his lips were actually extended into a smile. It was a faint one, but a smile nheless. "I guess I do, huh?" Cain turned his eyes to stare at the girl beside him. Long waist-length brown hair, with deep ck eyes and a slender shoulder. Her skin was like porcin, and her nose was angled perfectly. She was beautiful by every metric and coupled with her blushing cheeks, her beauty shone even with the cacophony of yells and roars in the background. She even managed to keep herself clean even in these sorts of conditions. Cain found himself starting her far longer than he usually would. ''I wonder what the hell was that." Cain was someone out of touch with his feelings, so he couldn''t even name the feelings floating in his chest at that point. "Ahhhh! Fuck... My butt." He stopped staring at her when the huge butt of a certain fatty obstructed his view for a split second. "Boss! You''ve gotta help us." The fattyy with his face on the ground, so his words came out a little funny. "This is what I was waiting for," Cain said to Susan as he stomped on the fatty''s butt, causing him to let out a yelp of pain. Susan fought backughter as she drew her bow into a full moon, beginning her attack on the mutant beast in an attempt to help the others. "Guess that''s my cue, huh?" Cain turned to the now confused bear who was still bound by the chains of iron. "Watch closely, Teddy. I''m about to put your mama to sleep." Chapter 23: Fighting the Super Mutant. Mutants, Devils, and everything in between were graded into 9 different categories. Normal. Elite. Special. Deadly. Legendary. Half-god. Godly. Heavenly. Celestial. Cain had onlye across monsters of the first three categories, and thetter was always tougher to beat than the previous ones. Not that he wasining. Cain slowly sauntered towards the fight. He drew the ck {Devil''s Broken w}. The ck de released an evil, dark aura, and the eye engraved onto the hilt lit up with ck light. Sparks were created as he dragged the de on the ground. The others were too busy engrossed with the fight to even notice his approach. Although the Super mutant was strong, the others weren''t in any danger. They might take some time to bring the monster down because of its strong defense, but Cain had other ns in mind. His ego was what was driving him forward... Before all this, he didn''t have a reason to be the best, the strongest. He neglected his training because training his skills wasn''t even necessary when it came down to handling the small fries. Now, he had a reason to get stronger. Survival... Plus, he loved to fight... When he was training with his master, whose name he didn''t even know, he noticed that even when he was taking a beating, his heart still burned with the fires of excitement. Every swing of his de brought him a wind of calmness. The sound of weapons shing increased his heart rate even further. That was why when his mysterious master suddenly departed from him without any warning, he became sad. He beat up his foster father and became notorious in school for his martial arts skills. *** "Hey, you!" A younger version of Cain was walking through the streets of the main campus, his head slightly tilted towards the ground, upied with random thoughts... ''What to eat when I get back...'' He was the one responsible for his meals. Although he was given an allowance by his foster father, it was never enough to feed himself for thetter part of a month, so he always had to manage his money. He didn''t consider getting a job, as almost all job positions were either operated by intelligent robots, or in the customer service department. He wasn''t a robot, nor was he good at interacting with people, so the thought had died out pretty quickly. "Hey! We''re talking to you!" ''I think I''ll threaten that dumb drunkard again for some cash. Or I can sell off some of the fatty''s games.'' "HEY!" "Hm?" Cain was a bit surprised to see a bunch of dudes wearing ck training gi. They were all muscr bulky dudes, their eyes shing with a predatory light. "What you "hm" ing about, huh?!" "You deaf or something?!" "Yeah! The boss is talking to you!" "Are you talking to me?" Cain didn''t even know where they came from, and here they were, screaming into his ears. "No, the fucker behind you, punk!" The one in the lead spoke disdainfully. He was a head taller than Cain, and twice the body size of thenky, training neglecting Cain. "Oh..." Seeing as they were not referring to him, Cain attempted to walk away, however... "Where the fuck do you think you''re going, huh?! I''m talking to you!" "Why didn''t you say so earlier." "Well..." The dude before Cain was slightly surprised by his oblivious behavior. ''Does he have a few loose screws?'' he thought. "Sigh... What do you want? I haven''t got all day." Cain stared at the idiot before him... "Ha! Let''s spar. I heard you can fight." The guy looks down at Cain provocatively. Cain was silent for a while, and the dude before him took it as him being in shock from fear. "What''s the matter? Let''s go a few rounds unless you''re too much of a pussy, that is." "I''m in." "Eh?" "Let''s not waste any more time. Where and when?!" Cain tried to mask the excitement on his face in order not to scare them away, but his eyes were already shining with excitement. ''Finally!'' He hadn''t had a spar in a long time. Most of the bullies he had gotten physical with were iparably weak to him. He didn''t even need to try, and the next moment, they were a broken mess... The ones before him looked far more promising. He could tell they had training, which would make the fight more interesting... ''Hopefully, they will be able tost longer than a single blow.'' The leading boy looked at his gang, and they let out menacing chuckles as they led Cain back to their dojo... A couple of minutester... Bodies... Broken bodies were all over the mats... Amidst all these bodies, the figure of a dark-haired, thin and handsome young man stood towering over them. ''Sigh... As expected. Refreshing.'' The figure stretched out, his limbs made popping sounds as they were set back into ce. Meanwhile, sobbing and groansing from the bodies on the mats filled the air. "You guys managed tost a few rounds more than I expected. This was such a good find. I''ll be back tomorrow." Upon hearing those words, the bodies on the ground increased the tempo of their mourning. ''My heart...'' It was only in moments like this he truly felt alive. Even if it was for a little bit. ''Now that''s over, about dinner...'' BANG! Faster than the wind, like a bolt of earth-shattering lightning, the ground beneath his feet splintered into a thousand pieces. "Ha!" Name: {Cain Lenosi} Level: 15. Strength: 60 (30). Agility: 74 (20). Stamina: 49/49. Vitality: 32. Defense: 22 (-5). Control: 3.4 (0.2). Perception: 2.5. HP: 3,200/3,200. MP: 1,900/2,100. Magic: 42. Resistance: Poison- 5%. Skills: Golden blood, Mana de, Lightening Edge, de Mastery Lvl. 2, Burst Step, Metal Creation Lvl.1, Golden Severance, Metal Maniption, Fear, Bloodthirsty. Titles: Champion of Ashur (locked). Free attribute points: 10. System points: 0. {Inventory}. {Shop}. He activated {Mana de} and then lightning edge at once. Before the others, who were still engrossed with attacking could even realize what was going on, his de came crashing down. ROAR! The {Crimson Demon Bear} released a roar of pain as it staggered a few steps backward. Cain''s attack had caused a meter-long, 3-inch wound on the mutant. Blood gushed out like a fountain, dying the forest earth red. But Cain didn''t stop there... He proceeded to pour out a torrent of heavy shes onto the monster. The monster was fast, faster than Cain, but that didn''t seem like it mattered. The mutant also initiated a skill, as its feet glowed red. It brought its feet down with earth''s rending power. The blood-colored energy traveled through the shattered ground like a tsunami, aimed at Cain. ''This attack was very powerful and would shave half my life if I try to block it. In that case...'' Cain activated {Burst Step}, shuttling through the sky,pletely dodging the attack. Hended like a feather and resumed his attack. Metal shed with bone as the edge of his de and the ws of the beast shed, creating sparks. The others just stared, mouths agape. Cain brought his de up, bringing it down the next second in a downward chop, but the monster was fast enough to block it with its sharp ws. The mutant thought it had sessfully blocked the strike, only for it to feel a sharp stinging pain on its paw. Looking down, it noticed that half of its paw was missing. The mutant let out a roar of pain, but Cain wouldn''t even give it a moment of respite. ''Do you know what martial arts is?'' With every wave of his de, chunks of flesh and blood were removed from the corpse of the mutant. He could hear a distant voice in his head, asking him a question he still didn''t know the answer to. ''Is it this feeling?'' ''Is it that feeling?'' SILK! GRAAAH!!! ''I guess we''ll have to find out, no?'' His de became parallel to the ground, at his hip. He held it with both hands for maximum power. A brief sh of lightter. THUD! ROAR!!!!! Cain severed the hand of the mutant beast from the elbow joint downwards. The mutant let out whimpers as took a step back, fear appearing in its eyes. "This de in my hand yearns for blood but has never had a taste of it. Yours will be the first." In a calm voice, Cain passed down judgment on the mutant. The fear in the mutant''s eye was quickly reced with anger, as though it could understand the meaning behind his words. GROWL!!! The mutant let out a deep guttural growl, and the red runic marking on its body began to glow even brighter. A bright red aura suddenly burst out from the beast. The smell of blood immediately permeated the air. The mutant added a whole foot of height, and even more in width. Its fur became a shade of crimson, and its already ruby eyes turned even redder. The mutant was done joking around and had activated its skills... Chapter 24: Fighting the Super Mutant (2). The mutant had activated two of its most powerful skills at once, {Bloodlust}, and {Blood Berserk}. {Blood Berserk} was a skill simr to Cain''s {Golden Blood}, in the sense that it provided a qualitative boost to its physical stats. Its already disgustingly powerful stats had increased even more. {Bloodlust} was an aura skill that suppressed the power of its opponents. It used blood elemental mana to slow down the flow of blood of its enemy, causing the enemy to be weakened and sluggish. {You are under the effects of bloodlust}. {All physical stats decreased by 20¨G}. It was a very powerful skill, and it affected almost everyone, including Cain. He could feel his physical stats drop drastically. He looked all around him, and to his surprise, he noticed that the only one who wasn''t affected by the skill was Evangeline. However, she who had had a nonchnt attitude to the fight now wore a serious expression. She pulled out a set of beautiful steel daggers that had devilish red inscriptions on them. From the looks of it, she was finally going to join the fight. ROAR! The others were blown back by the effects of its aura. They could feel a sense of dread enveloping them, as they hadn''t expected the opponent to be so tough. They hadn''tpletely given up on attacking though. To have survived this long, they all had to have a certain level of grit, as well as a generous portion of craziness in them. They were affected by the aura, but that didn''t stop them from attacking. "Elemental Snipe: Lightning Storm!" "Wind de arte: Whirlwind." "Scorching Spear: Tornado of mes." They all attacked with their most powerful skills, all of them managing to deal varying levels of damage to the beast, but... It wasn''t enough... With a swipe of its w, death approached Manny and ze who were attacking the beast from the front. "Crimson Cross!" David made it in time to block the attack, a crimson shield appearing to block the attack, but the force behind it was too much for him to bear. David, as well as Manny and ze, were sted away by the remaining power. Although they weren''t injured, they were disoriented by the shock, especially David who had to bear the full brunt of the attack. ''Seems like it''s done ying around, huh?'' The beast let out a roar of unbridled rage. Cain had mutted its hand, causing it to lose all reasoning. All it saw was red, the power of bloodpletely affecting its mind. All it wanted to do was devour the creature that had caused it so much pain. Everyone, including Cain, could understand the severity of the situation now. ''It looks like my initial guess was wrong. However, it doesn''t matter.'' The opponent before him was strong, but before his de, it was still going to fall. Inhale... Exhale... Cain took deep breaths, then activated one of his skills... "Fear." {Fear} (passive): Release a malevolent aura akin to a devil, inflicting fear onto your opponent. Decreases opponent movement and attack speed by 5%. The eye on the hilt of the {Devil''s Broken w} had previously been closed, opened. I that instant, everyone, including Cain and the supercharged mutant sensed a deep feeling of fear wash over them. It was like totally different from the effects of {Bloodlust}. If {Bloodlust} was like a volcanic eruption, then the effects of {Fear} would be equivalent to drowning. They would both take your life, but one would do so slower and more painfully. A dark aura burst out from the sword, enveloping the area around Cain and the mutant. The aura felt damp and cold, simr to the aura the devils gave off. It stuck to the de like tongues of ck fire, reducing the illumination around him. ''Interesting...'' The two auras shed, fighting to see who woulde out superior. Cain had activated the skill simply because of the advantage it would provide for him. He concluded that even if he activated {Golden Blood}, the monster would still be more powerful than him. Hence, he needed all the power he could get. The mutant had a brief moment of pause, but it was surrounded by its aura. Plus, the effects of {Fear} were weak, for the time being... Before the mutant decided to attack, Cain activated his strongest skill. "Golden Blood." Cain let out a grunt as thick veins of gold began appearing on his skin. His eyes turned a pale red, and a golden aura exploded around him. As expected, the mutant got on all fours. With a single push, it burst forward like a sh of red. Before a second could its conclusion, its outstretched ws were already above Cain''s head. The full brunt of its aura came crashing down on his head like a tidal wave. Activating {Burst Step}, Cain shifted to the side,pletely avoiding the attack. The ground he had been standing on previously shattered under the full-powered strike of the mutant. Once again, the sh between metal and bone began... Although Cain had {Golden Severance}, the skill wasn''t without its ws. He needed time to charge it up and deal the blow without the mutant avoiding it. If he failed to kill the mutant with the skill, he would have to wait a full minute before he would be able to use it again. If he did that, he would be walking on thin ice, as the monster was stronger and faster than him even with his {Golden Blood}. He was able to fight evenly with it because of how good he was with the de. He moved it like it was an extension of his body, pairing strikes he knew he couldn''t bear the force of, and dealing swift, but nasty counters. Coupled with his high control and perception, he was able to maintain an advantage. However, he wasn''t perfect. He could also make a mistake that would cost him dearly. A single strike from the beast would lead to him suffering a crippling injury. He''d be put out of the fight if he wasn''t killed outright. Another option was to use his {Metal Creation} skill to increase his defense, but he wasn''t a defensive fighter at heart. The way he learned to fight was to use all means avable, even at the expense of his own life, to deal the most amount of damage, as quickly as possible to the enemy. ''I have to find a way to disable this thing, even if it''s just for a moment.'' Cain used the t of his de to smack the paw of the mutant away while dodging its opened mouth that attempted to take a bite off his head. "Metal Creation: Fetters of Iron." ims of metal appeared out of thin air, binding the limbs of the mutant. However, this wasn''t even able to stop the beast for half a second. The metal chains were shattered to pieces by the beast without any pause. "..." ''This skill is pretty useless!'' To Cain, his {Metal Creation} skill was currently the weakest in his arsenal. If it wasn''t paired with {Metal Maniption}, it would only be sufficient to take care of low leveled trash. But he recognized its potential. If he could find more ways to be creative with the skill, it might turn into something as or even more frightening than his {Golden Blood} skill. But for now, it was the weakest skill he possessed. But it certainly wasn''t useless. In fact, it was the basis for his most powerful attack skill, {Golden Severance}. Cain and the mutant exchanged blows back and forth for a while before it finally hit him. Not just the wed paw of the mutant, but how he could finally beat the thing. RIP! Cain was sent flying, blood spilling from the side of his mouth. He had made an error when trying to dodge, because he had been distracted by his thoughts, earning him a nasty cut across his chest and torso. He got off with a lighter injury because he was able to respond on time and offset most of the damage. The clothes he was wearing quickly soaked up the blood, and his face turned a bit pale. He did a flip in the air to avoid any follow-up attack and was able tond steadily on his feet. "Cain!" "Boss!" Susan and Vincent cried out his name. They looked morbid at the sight of him being attacked. The look of worry on the face of Susan was as real as it could get. "It''s alright." That was why they were both shocked to see that he still had a smile on his face. He didn''t even have the expression of someone that had almost been split into two. The grin on his face told them only one thing. ''This bastard is... EXCITED!" The mutant was building up power, getting ready to deal the final blow to its prey. But Cain had other ns... "Hey, guys! Why am I the only one fighting, huh?!" ''This is the reason why I joined this group.'' "Am I the only one who can hold his weapon, huh?!" He had joined the group not to risk his life for them, or to protect them. No... He joined them because he needed strongrades. He realized that individual strength can only take one so far. Personal power was important, but the future was still uncertain. He needed as much power as he could get. He didn''t need useless teammates. What he needed were those who could fight, Those who could fight for their survival. For their interests... Those who were weak-willed, he didn''t want anything to do with... The others stared, shell-shocked by his words. "Who you calling a pussy, huh?!" Manny walked forward, a huge shit eating grin on his face as he drew his swords, the aura of the wind element surrounding his body. "I can lift my sword, I can fight!" "Yeah, Boss! Don''t count me out on the fun!" Vincent tapped the barrel of his gun, the engravings lighting up with a magical light. "I can fight as well. For my honor, I must live to protect those who can''t." ze said as he tightened his grip on his spear. Bright mes exploded from the body of the weapon, painting his features in a heroic light. "Don''t count me out yet. I can still fight as well." Susan said, a look of resolution shing across her face. "The great I will hold onto my weapon even onto my dying breath." With a wave of his staff, Steve conjured the elemental mana in the environment. "Hmmm." Hunter narrowed his eyes at Cain, but that didn''t stop him from getting into an attacking stance. Dan did the same as his friend and quickly turned into a giant of ice. Evangeline said nothing dashing straight at the beast. ''It seems like I made the right choice.'' Cain nodded his head in satisfaction. "Now, its time to end this." Chapter 25: Killing the Super Mutant (1). He had been observing the fighting styles and skills of everyone present. Everything had fallen into ce in his head. All he had to do, was to execute his master n. With this n, he would be able to kill two birds with one stone. The first bird to kill, would be that he would be able to kill the beast before him without wasting too much of his strength and falling unconscious just like when he had fought the {Miasma Devil}. The second bird was that he would be able to begin building a foundation with the group. Before, he had noticed a sense of distance between him and most members of the group. From his observations, he was able to tell that Hunter was extremely suspicious of him for no reason. Hence, his contact with both Hunter and Dan, his friend, had been limited to just introductions. As for Manny and Steve, they were oddballs. Cain couldn''t tell what their opinions of him were, but they had had little to no interactions. He was familiar with Susan and David, but he was still suspicious of the fatty. If there was one person who caused him to be cautious, it would be Vincent. Cain didn''t have any way to tell what was going on in his mind. But one thing Cain knew, was that he didn''t have any ill intentions toward him. As for Evangeline, Cain had no idea what she thought of him because all she had done since they met was stare at him. If he had to pick the weirdest in the group, it would be her, as apart from him, she had little to no interactions with anyone else. "Vincent, Hunter, Susan, try drawing in its aggro by kiting it from afar. Try to keep it distracted for a while to buy us some time." "Manny, ze, Dan, David, you guys try to pin it down as well. ze and David should attack from the front, while Manny, you should attack from behind. Dan, lessen the pressure on the others by taking a few attacks." If all went ording to n, he would be able to... "I disagree!" "Hmmm?!" Cain stared in disbelief, as a pair of cold, calcting blue eyes stared right back at him. ''I knew this guy would be a problem...'' The person who had objected to Cain''s "suggestions", was none other than Hunter. A glint is as cold as a de shed across his eyes, as he considered all possible options. ''Should I kill him?'' Cain''s first thought was to eliminate any source of nuisance. It was the most efficient way he could think of, but certainly not the most effective. ''If I do that, the others might turn on me, and that would certainly be a bad thing, especially when I''m currently in a life-or-death battle.'' So instead, he decided to go with the second best... Dialogue... "Why do you disagree?" Cain realized that to aplish his goals, he had to turn over a new leaf and learn how to interact normally with people. One of his good attributes was his ability to easily adapt to circumstances. "If I might ask, who made you the boss?!" A look of realization shed across his eyes... ''So that''s what this is all about." "Hahaha!" Cain let out a brief chuckle before his face turned as cold as ice. He stared deep into his eyes of Hunter, trying to peer into his soul. "I think we should just listen to Cain. He''s the only one that can deal enough damage to this thing. You''ve seen how it''s been disregarding our attacks all this time. I''m sure if we-" David said, trying to diffuse the situation, but was cut short by Hunter. "I think he''s trying to use us as bait." "Bait?" "He wants us to hold the monster down for him to kill. If he''s so sure he can kill it, then why must we be the ones to bear the brunt of its attacks while he does nothing?!" Hunter didn''t yell when he spoke, but every single word of his struck a certain nerve in everyone present. They suddenly began to doubt Cain... Was he trying to get them to risk their lives only to benefit himself? Was he just a selfish prick who didn''t care about their well-being? Did he truly just want them to serve as cannon fodder for him to swoop in at the end to take all the good stuff?! Hunter''s expression didn''t change at all, even after he had said all that. He just kept looking Cain dead in the eyes. In his mind, he thought; ''Show me what you''re going to do next...'' Meanwhile, Cain was brainstorming... ''Well, fuck me. My hard work gone with just a few words, huh?'' Cain could see in the eyes of the others that they were already beginning to doubt him. In reality, he truly didn''t care about the others and was just using them as a means to an end. However, that didn''t mean he was trying to hide behind them like a coward. There was one thing he would always protect, and that was his pride. He would never allow someone to tarnish his pride. ''How best do I resolve this now? I can''t force any of them. If I do, the entire team would be on my neck. Besides, it seems they''ve all forgotten that we might actually all be in danger if we don''t work together?'' Cain turned his eyes to the side, looking at the super mutant that was still preparing its charge. Its feet were already glowing red, and its stance showed that it couldunch an attack at any moment. ''The only way to solve this without fighting with anyone, and potentially losing my life, is to convince them I have their interests at heart, and that I''m not a manipting dick.'' Suddenly, a sh of inspiration hit him like a bolt of lightning... "Well, I guess I can''t be trusted then." Cain, whose resting bitch face was as cold as a millennium-old iceberg suddenly forced a sad, angry, and heartbroken expression on his face. He decided to put his substandard acting skills to the test "But let me assure you, I have, and will never try to take advantage of anyone. My pride won''t let me.'' Turning to look Hunter in the eyes again, he spoke slowly to emphasize his words. "If you think I need to use bait, think again..." "The strong don''t need to do any of that." BANG! Cain had deactivated {Golden Blood} previously to preserve his precious stamina. He activated it once again, but this time, he didn''t stop at just that. ''It''s go big or go home, I guess.'' He downed a few bottles of MP regen potions to recover a few mana points he had used during the fight earlier, then proceeded to spend almost all of it, leaving just a bit over 500MP, on activating {Metal Creation} and {Metal Maniption}. His entire body shone with golden light of apletely different luster from the one produced as an effect of {Golden Blood}. This one had a sharp metallic feel to it. Even his head and face werepletely covered as well. The only apertures in the suit of armor were where his orifices were located, as well as his joints. Red eyes peaking out from within the suit of armor added an air of malevolence. His hands and feet had razor-sharp ws attached to them, He also decided to add a few other details, just for aesthetics. Horns of gold jutted out from his head, as well. Spikes of gold sprouted out from his elbows, knees, and other joints. ''As a wise man once said, every self-respecting man appreciated spikes on their armor.'' The light dissipated to reveal Cain fully d in golden scales. "Metal Maniption: Golden Armor." Cain decided to take a big risk. If he took even a single wrong step here, it would most likely be his death of him. But without the threat of death, how could any of this be fun? "You guys just sit here like the weaklings you are, and let me do the heavy lifting." Cain''s deep voice resonated from within the suit of gold, reaching the ears of those who had previously doubted him. A trace of confusion shed in the depths of their eyes, as they didn''t know what to believe. He had already nted the seed of doubt. All that was left, was to let it grow. Like a real dragon, Cain let out an excited roar as he dashed at the now-recovered mutant. The brief moment of respite had allowed the beast to draw power from its mana shard to heal most of its wounds including the wound gotten from its severed paw. The mana shards of mutants not only allowed them to grow stronger but also gave them the ability to gather elemental power to passively regenerate from wounds they sustain in and out of battle. At their most optimal states, the two beasts shed once again, most likely for thest time... Chapter 26: Killing the Super Mutant (2). Most of them didn''t trust him, and he knew that. The only way to set his ns in motion was to convince them that he wasn''t the selfish person Hunter had painted him out to be. His n was simple, but the risks involved were also very great. He nned on having a brutal closebat fight with the mutant. Previously, he had been avoiding a direct sh with the beast, using his de to deflect its attacks or just outright dodging. Now, he was going to ignore all forms of defense. Just straight-up mauling. That is why he used the majority of his mana to create a metallic suit of armor for defense. This was way more dangerous than just killing everyone here, but it was the smart thing to do. Not only would it benefit him in the long run, as he would now have them indebted to him for putting his body on the line to save them, but he would also be able to train his closebat skills, and maybe even create one or two skills as well. He worked best under pressure, and what kind of pressure could be worse than the threat of death... This {Crimson Bear} was the strongest opponent he had encountered since the start of these apocalyptic events. It was even more powerful than the {Miasma Devil}. It was also the second mutant he had encountered that had an elemental attribute, the first being the mutant the metal attribute mutant he had acquired the {Metal Creation} skill from. If he was pushed to the edge, he was sure he would get stronger. That was one of the reasons why he didn''t want the fight to end so quickly. If he wanted to, he would have created an opportunity to use {Golden Severance}, and the battle would have been over ages ago. But he didn''t want that... He could not afford to miss this opportunity. If he killed the mutant quickly, the only things he would be able to gather are agaireels and extra stats, and maybe a mana shard. But by prolonging the fight, he could maximize his benefits at the expense of his life and safety, as well as the safety of others. *** Cain wasn''t very creative when it came to naming things. Because of the nature of the skills, {Metal Creation} and {Metal Maniption}, Cain realized that with a sufficient amount of mana, and a touch of creativity, he could construct any skill he wanted. Because he usually killed opponents much stronger than himself, and his gift for creating ingenious skills, his stats, especially his magic stat, were higher than the average. The magic stat determined the amount of control an individual had over mana, and how well and efficiently said individual could use mana-rted skills. The way he treated his mana was simr to the way one would treat water. Without any maniption, it was just flowing in his body chaotically. Once he activated a skill, he was able to feel the mana taking a different course of action, almost like the restlesske of power had finally found an outlet to flow out of. From there, for skills like his {Metal Maniption} and {Metal Creation} skills, he would be able to control what the mana manifested into. For skills like his {Mana de} and {Lightening Edge}, it was like it already had the form it would take upon leaving his body. With his little understanding of this mysterious power, he doubted things were so simple. For now, he was working with the information he had. To make the armor as sturdy as possible, he hadyered the sheets of metal upon each other in the form of scales. He had chosen to use scales because they were the perfect bnce between mobility and protection. If he had chosen to make te armor or chain armor, he should either have to sacrifice mobility for better protection or vice versa. It reminded him of the dragon he had encountered in his dream. The magnificent golden scales of the dragon left a huge impact on his psyche. He wanted to look just as powerful, glorious and majestic as that golden dragon. BANG! Man and beast began a deadly dance. Cain didn''t abandon his de, and still held it in his right hand, but this time, he used his entire body as a weapon as well. He fought exactly like a wild beast, without regard for his well-being. To make things even more dramatic, he also made sure the {Crimson Bear} got a few nasty hits on him. Blood, bones, flesh, and metal shed again and again, portions of each departing from thebatants with every sh. ''So exciting!'' Cain was on a high. He could feel his internal organs rattle with every strike. The bear possessed physical strength that eclipsed him by a lot. Even after he activated {Golden Blood}, the beast had activated its booster skill as well. But Cain had the advantage when it came to perception and control. Because of how big the mutant''s body was, although it was fast, and would most likely beat Cain in a straight-up race, it didn''t possess the same flexibility as he did. He was able to avoid most of the mutant''s blows like he had seen them from a mile away, while the attacks he received, were ones he was sure he could handle. When all these factors were considered, the {Crimson Bear} and Cain were evenly matched. At least that was how Cain saw it. In the eyes of the others... "Cain! We have to go help him!" Susan cried out, her voiceced with panic. Every time Cain got hit by the {Crimson Bear}, every time she saw a dent appear on the armor of gold he wore, her heart beats couldn''t help but speed up in fear. "I don''t know about you guys, but I''m not going to be fodder for someone else," Hunter said in a cold voice. "You piece of shit! How could you say that after what you have seen, huh?!" Susan yelled at Hunter in an anger-filled voice. "She''s right, you know? If he needed us as fodder, then he wouldn''t even lift a finger. All he would need to do is to sit back and wait for the beast to tear us all apart before he went for the kill." Hunter still stared at the fight without responding. "I don''t give a damn about whatever the fuck you guys are on about. All I know is that I ain''t no pussy. If you want to cower here like weaklings, go right ahead!" "As for me, I want some blood!" Manny wasn''t even interested in words from the beginning. All the dude ever thought of was fighting. "Chaotic Wind ¡Á2!" An emerald glow even brighter than before surrounded his being. He moved faster than the wind, joining the fight with Cain. "You decided to join in?" Cain wasn''t too surprised when he saw Manny shing around the monster. ''That''s one down.'' Manny was even faster than before, much to Cain''s surprise. As they attacked, Cain was able to see that Manny was even faster than him. His speed was on another level. His attack damage was many times lower than Cain''s however. The pressure on the mutant increased. With Manny''s fast and furious strikes, and Cain''s precise, swift and heavy attacks, the mutant was having an incredibly hard time. "I don''t know about you guys, but I won''t just sit and allow someone to risk their lives to fight, while i do nothing but sit back and watch," Susan said with cold eyes as she drew her bow and began firing at the mutant. Her pinpoint uracy and precision didn''t give the mutant any space to maneuver. "Yep. Gotta go help the boss." The fatty had a stupid grin stered on his face as he aimed his gun at the mutant and fired a barrage of bullets. "We have to join the fight. Even if he wants us to be fodder, it still doesn''t change the fact that we will all die as well if he loses to the mutant. In case you didn''t notice, we can''t defeat it on our own. We need to work together." David said as he braced his shield before charging into the fray. The others disregarded Hunter''s warnings. They charged at the mutant, weapons drawn. Previously, they had been hesitant, thinking they were about to be sacrificed by Cain, so only he would reap the benefits. Cain''s selfless disy of putting his own life on the line without any regard for whether or not they were involved in the fight made them feel a bit at ease. Now, everyone, except Hunter and Dan, charged at the mutant. They were convinced that they were fighting for their cause, for their survival. They weren''t cannon fodder... ''Sess...'' Chapter 27: Killing the Super Mutant (3). His n worked, partially... At this point, dealing with the {Crimson Bear} was a piece of cake. "Manny, David, you guys hold the front." "Susan, Vincent, keep up the pressure. Just gimme one sec." The fight had been going on for a while, and they had the {Crimson Bear} suppressed, so Cain decided to end it, as he had already achieved what he wanted to. Although the mutant was strong, it wasn''t strong enough to push him to the edge. ''It''s about time I ended it." The others went all out, giving Cain the opening he needed. Susan and Vincent increased the tempo of their attacks, while Manny, ze, and David made it almost impossible for the mutant to maneuver around. Cain took a big leap backward. He stood with his legs slightly spread apart, the right one ced slightly before the other. He raised the tip of his de to the heavens. The de was still releasing the ck aura caused by {Fear}, so the sharp golden color from {Golden Dragon manifestation} and the inky, midnight-like darkness from {Devil''s Broken w} contrasted greatly. Cain could feel the movement of the mana within him. It was flowing through paths he didn''t even know existed. It was mysterious to him. It felt like it was present physically, and at the same time, it wasn''t. It was a profound feeling, and he relished it. He pumped out the remainder of his mana to his de. Suddenly, the de that was as dark as darkness itself lit up with many profound symbols. His mana was consumed by the skill like a man who had not drunk water for three days straight and was lucky enough to find some before he died of thirst. He suddenly felt a bit lethargic, and tired, but he fought the feeling and kept his de overhead. Golden light burst forth like a bonfire in the thick of the night. All the metal attribute mana in the surrounding areapletely disappeared at that moment. The onlookers were able to see golden specks of light magically appear from thin air, which then began to gravitate towards Cain''s outstretched de. As more golden specks of light attached themselves to the de, the brighter surroundings. By now, the {Crimson Bear} had sensed impending doom. A trace of fear shed in the depths of its eyes. It roared out in panic, as it could tell that its life was in danger at the moment. At this point, the {Crimson Bear} had only two choices... Flight, or fight... Cain wasn''t certain if he would be able to kill the {Crimson Bear} if it decided to run, but the {Crimson Bear} didn''t know that. If it knew, it wouldn''t have chosen the other option. The {Crimson Bear} charged at Cain with full force. Manny, David, and ze could do nothing about it. They were shoved aside by the beast''s terrifying momentum. The mutantpletely ignored the attacks of the rest as it charged at Cain, its ws outstretched, and its fangs covered in saliva. It was determined to take Cain''s life. In a split second, it was already standing before Cain, going for the kill, but... "It''s futile." Suddenly, those words left Cain''s mouth, resounding in the ears of everyone present. After these words were heard, all sounds eased to exist for that brief moment. All they could hear at that moment was the static that came with a very loud noise or sound of a high frequency. Cain transferred just the right amount of strength to his de, nothing more, nothing less. His high control stat enabled him to execute this move with near perfection. The golden light began to concentrate until it formed a very thin edge on the de. A puff of steam escaped from his mouth as he uttered the name of the skill to activate it. "Golden Severance." The de was swiftly brought down, striking the body of the mutant before him... Like a hot knife through butter, the de cut through the {Crimson Bear}. ''A clean cut...'' BANG! Two halves of an over 10 feet tall corpse fell to the ground on opposite sides of Cain. Golden Light still flickered around the body of his de, and he was covered in a golden glow from head to toe. The golden luster of mana-created metal lit up the vicinity. "Wow!" "This dude''s a freaking monster!" "That''s the boss for you." {Congrattions on ying the mutant beast, Crimson Bear}. {Level up!}. {You have acquired the external passive skill, {Blood Ingestion Regeneration}. {+20 to strength}. {+15 to agility}. {+5 to stamina}. {+0.1 to control}. {Congrattions to host... Your internal skill, {Metal Creation} has leveled up}. {+5 to Magic}. Name: {Cain Lenosi} Level: 17. Strength: 82. (30). Agility: 91. (20). Stamina: 49/56. Vitality: 34. Defense: 24. (-5). Control: 3.7. (0.2). Perception: 2.7. HP: 2,000/3,200. MP: 40/2,100. Magic: 49. Resistance: Poison- 5%. Skills: Golden blood, Mana de, Lightening Edge, de Mastery Lvl. 2, Burst Step, Metal Creation Lvl.2, Golden Severance, Metal Maniption, *Fear, *Bloodthirsty, Blood Ingestion Regeneration. Titles: Champion of Ashur (locked). Free attribute points: 20. System points: 2,000. {Inventory}. {Shop}. {Golden blood level.1}: Upon activation, multiply all physical stats by 2. Consumes 100 MP, and costs 1 point of stamina per second to maintain. Puts the body of the user under great strain. (1000/10000 SP). This is an internal skill, hence, it can be upgraded. {Mana de}: Coat the surface of your de with destructive mana to deal an extra 200% damage when attacking. It Consumes 5MP per second to sustain. Note:This is an external active skill, and cannot be upgraded. {Lightening Edge: Increase attack speed by 100%. Critical rate increases by 5% when the skill is used. Cost 100MP to activate. Cooldown: 1 minute. {de Mastery lvl. 2.} (passive): Increases attack power and speed with ded weapons by 30%. Increases critical chance and rate by 5%. (500/9,000SP). {Burst Step}: Expell mana from beneath the feet, creating propulsion that allows the host to change trajectory abruptly when in motion. Increases movement speed by 30%. Costs 5MP per activation. No cooldown.} {Metal Creation Lvl 2.}: Gather the Metal elemental attribute mana to create constructs of metal. The effects of the skill are influenced by the host''s magic and control stats. (0/10,000SP). {Golden Severance}: Condense an immense amount of metal attribute elemental mana into a concentrated beam of world light, capable of splitting anything ites in contact with only for a single attack, and increases attack power by 500%. The attack consumes 500MP upon usage. Cooldown: 5 minutes. {Metal Maniption}: Grants the ability to freely control metal of weight that does not exceed 1 ton. Effectiveness of this skill increases simultaneously with the {Metal Creation} skill. {Fear} (passive): Release a malevolent aura akin to a devil, inflicting fear onto your opponent. Decreases opponent movement and attack speed by 5%. {Bloodthirsty} (passive): Consume the blood and flesh of fallen enemies to increase the power of the Devil''s broken w. For every 100 enemies in and absorbed, attack speed and attack power increase by 1%. {Blood Ingestion Regeneration} (passive): Grants the ability to safely ingest the blood of mutant beasts without any adverse effects. Consuming the blood and flesh of mutant beasts grants passive Stamina, Vitality, and Mana regeneration. For every 0.1 liters of blood, or 100 grams of flesh consumed, 100HP, 50MP, and 1 stamina point are regenerated. "I gained a level." "I as well." "Me too." Those who had partaken in the fight had greatly benefited from it. Like Cain, they gained a level, as well as a skill, but no one divulged any more information like that. ''It seems that although they trust me, there are still invincible barriers of distrust within the group. To take full control, I have to find them and deal with them.'' Cain had already begun to assess his next course of action. ''But first...'' Suddenly, the eye on the hilt of the de snapped open. ck-colored runes appeared on the entirety of the de. Cain walked forward a bit before stabbing the de to the hilt into the dead mutants'' body parts. "Bloodthirsty." The first half of the corpse began to shrivel up very quickly. Its flesh shrunk in size until it began to peel away from the bone. Disgusting squelching noises were made as the de continued to devour the flesh and blood of the mutant beast''s corpse without leaving a drop behind. Eventually, all that was left of that portion, was a small patch of broken bones. Not even a drop of blood was spilled. The devilish runes on the surface of the de shed briefly for a moment, before turning back to normal. Cain didn''t even have a single change in expression as he moved over to the other portion of the corpse to do the same thing. "What the fuck?!" "Such a sinister weapon." "It gives me chills." Apart from Cain, everyone present felt an evil, cold and devilish presence from the de as it devoured the corpse. The de turned back to normal after it was done with its meal, the devilish aura disappearing as well. A sigh of relief escaped subconsciously from the lips of everyone present, almost like they had just dodged an iing bullet. As soon as the {Devil''s Broken w} finished its meal, Cain could feel the de''s power increase. {Congrattions. The power of {Devil''s Broken w} has increased by 1%}. {+0.3 to Strength}. {+0.2 to Agility}. {+0.002 to Control}. {-0.05 to Defense}. Chapter 28: Hunter (1). Name: {Cain Lenosi} Level: 17. Strength: 82. (30.3). Agility: 91. (20.2). Stamina: 20/56. Vitality: 34. Defense: 24. (-5.05). Control: 3.7. (0.202). Perception: 2.7. HP: 2,000/3,200. MP: 40/2,100. Magic: 49. Resistance: Poison- 5%. Skills: Golden blood, Mana de, Lightening Edge, de Mastery Lvl. 2, Burst Step, Metal Creation Lvl.2, Golden Severance, Metal Maniption, *Fear, *Bloodthirsty, Blood Ingestion Regeneration. Titles: Champion of Ashur (locked). Free attribute points: 20. System points: 2,000. {Inventory}. {Shop}. The Golden suit of armor around him fell to the ground piece by piece. As the pieces fell towards the ground, they broke down into golden dust, and we were carried away by the wind. The golden light on the de in his hand also dimmed out, until it was gonepletely, leaving the once-bright world, slightly less illuminated. As the power of the de increased, Cain could also feel its weight increase minutely. It wasn''t an apparent increase, but if it got too much, he wouldn''t even be able to lift the de. Cain bent his knees to separate the mana shard of the {Crimson Demon Bear} the size of his palm from the bloody bones and fur. {Blood Elemental Mana Shard}: 50% purity. Contains concentrated blood elemental mana. "Good job, Cain," David said with a smile on his face. "Yeah! That was breaking awesome, dude!" The fatty yelled with stars sparkling in his eyes, The others looked at Cain like he was a monster. He killed the monster they were struggling to beat with only a single sh of his weapon. "What the hell was that? Was that a skill? Tell me how you got it!" Manny got closer and closer to Cain, disregarding his personal spacepletely. ''Space...'' Cain pushed the overexcited Manny and Vincent away as he examined his new stats and skills. ''With {Blood Ingestion Regeneration}, I''ll be able to consume the blood without suffering the side effects.'' Just remembering the pain he had put himself through that day, Cain once again swore not to put any random thing into his mouth without taking proper measures first. ''On the other hand, I wonder how strong I truly am. We haven''t even gotten to see the current state of the main campus. I have no idea what is going on in the world! I need to get stronger. Only by acquiring enough strength, will I be able to handle anything or anyone that crosses my path!'' Turning to the others, the vicious expression on his face instantly mellowed down to a near-harmless smile. "Using this skill is very tasking for me. I need to recover." Cain opened his inventory and retrieved a few mana regeneration potions. They came in small transparent tubes. A glowing blue liquid with a fresh minty taste. Cain downed a few bottles at once. He could feel the heat building up and then diffusing to other parts of his body, with a majority of the heat flowing to his head. The burning sensation enveloped his mind, leading him to heave a sigh of relief, as the drawback of using too much of his mana at once became apparent. Suddenly, a feeling of immense danger washed over him, the danger of the likes he had never felt before. His pupils dted to the size of a pin, and his brows shot up. ''What was that?!'' Cain straightened his posture abruptly, leading to the others raise a brow at his weird behavior. He looked around, monitoring his surroundings with the eyes of a hawk. With over 2 points in his perception stat, he had more than two times the observational power of the average human before the series of catastrophic incidents that had befallen them. He saw nothing... He couldn''t notice anything at all. Only that epassing feeling of danger remained present. His instincts were going off like rm bells, warning him of the dangers that lurked in the shadows. "Cain? What''s the matter!" Susan said, worry shing in her eyes. "I suggest we head back." Cain suddenly said in a low, serious voice. "Why should we?" Hunter, who had been silent for a while spoke up. "I''ll forget the little stunt you tried to pull earlier, but we don''t have time for crap right now!" Cain said in a calm voice. The danger was lurking behind the trees, and he knew it. If there was one thing that irked Cain, that would be the unknown. If he didn''t know what he was about to confront, thatyer of uncertainty always left a bad taste in his mouth... "Well, we all agreed to reach the main campus grounds before nightfall today. If we go back, I highly doubt that will be possible." Hunter said in his constant monotone voice. Turning to the others, he continued; "I think we should keep going. We are losing sunlight if we just keep standing here doing nothing." "Coming from a coward who refused to fight when everyone else put their lives on the line." Vincent let out a snarky reply. "No one''s life was in danger. I observed the fight very closely. Although the mutant beast''s skin was very tough, we would have eventually worn it out. Even after it activated its {Bloodlust} and {Blood Berserk} skills, there would have been little to no problems at all." "What the hell are you saying?! You said it yourself! We could barely damage it when it hadn''t activated its skills, so how do you expect us to kill it when it powered up!" Susan said in a burst of rage. She was angry at the fact that Hunter didn''t even lift a finger to kill the mutant, but he dared to say they were no problems. "Well, because I always have a backup n." Upon saying this, the wolf-like creature Hunter had summoned let out a howl towards the gray sky. Its body glowed bright orange, as the stench of sulfur in the air became many times thicker... "me Demon Hound: Possession!" His voice blended into the wind as he uttered the magic words... The wolf turned into a stream of burning orange light that enveloped his body. HOWL!!! A howl prompted all the trees in the area to shake from the resonance. The burning light shattered to reveal a fully transformed Hunter. His blond hair had grown centimeters longer and now resembled a zing fire. His ears had been reced with a pair of fluffy wolf ears. His eyes looked like red hot coals, and his hands and feet were now the limbs of a wolf. A sharp metallic glint hidden under cuffs of fur was revealed in the faint light caused by the mes that now enveloped his body. He had also grown a fluffy tail... He had also added an entire foot of height, making him look even more powerful and malevolent. His skill was a transformation skill just like Cain''s {Golden Blood} transformation skill. The aura he was releasing was not a bit lower than Cain''s when he activated {Golden Blood}... "This is why I said there will be no problems. With me here, we would have had nothing to worry about even if the {Crimson Demon Bear} used all its skills." "So, let me ask again... Why do you want us to go back?" Even though he was still speaking in his normal voice, Cain could sense the underlying tone hidden within the statement. The heated wind blew across Cain''s face as he examined Hunter''s transformation... ''So that''s why, huh?'' A lot of things still unclear to Cain had some light shed on them... The two of them stared each other in the eye, neither of them backing down. BOOM! Cain activated his {Golden Blood} skill... Aura against aura... Power against power... Their auras shed violently against each other like the tides against the hull of a ship. "Eh? What is this for?" The fatty said as he and everyone else stared perplexed at them. Simultaneously, the two young men deactivated their skills. "Night ising." Unbeknownst to them, dusk had begun to set, and thest rays of sunlight were disappearing from the world. They all looked around them and realized that they had spent all afternoon in the forest. "I''m certain this forest is going to be many times more dangerous than it is now. Our visibility is going to be affected, and most of the animals that made this forest their home before all this were all nocturnal." "We continue forward, and our chances of dying increase. Besides, we didn''t have a solid n before we left. It would be wise to go back and make proper preparations. We haven''t gone too far, so I''m sure we will make it before nightfall." "Alright. I have no problems with that. Let''s head back then." Just like that, the awkward confrontation ended as abruptly as it began. "Come on, Dan. Let''s get going." "Sure..." Hunter and Dan went ahead, leaving the others a bit perplexed. "What''s that guy''s deal, anyway?" Manny asked while scratching his head in confusion. "He''s just a douche. Don''t listen to him. Let''s get going as well." Susan said with an eye roll. "He''s a rival," Cain muttered under his breath. "Hm? What was that?" Susan turned to Cain who had muttered something whilst starting at the departing Hunter. "Nothing..." He looked up at the rapidly darkening sky, the grey clouds reflecting in his eyes for the thousandth time that day. His eyes darted to his surroundings, taking in all that had happened just now. ''I have a long way to go, don''t i?'' No reply... "Let''s go." Chapter 29: Hunter (2). What was the difference between hostility and rivalry? Rivalry meanspetition, and hostility means resentment... When Cain looked into his eyes, there was no resentment to be found. All Cain could see, was the burning embers of apetitive spirit. The two best things one could have were a useless enemy and apetent ally. If Cain could have him as an ally, that would make surviving in their current conditions many times more effective and efficient. The reverse was the case when the roles were reversed. An idiotic ally and apetent enemy, are a nuisance to have around. He saw Cain as a rival, and Cain had to admit that he didn''t disappoint. Not only was he strong, strong enough to meet Cain''s standards and he was also very smart. From what Cain had observed, he knew that Hunter wasn''t too hasty. He was a good observer, as well. He had almost ruined Cain''s foolproof n with a few words. That''s how you measure a person''s level ofpetence. Running through the forest under the gradually fading illumination, Cai raised a question; "What do you know about Hunter? This question was directed at Vincent, but Steve chose to answer it. "Allow me to answer, my good sir..." "Hey! nobody was talking to-" "He isbeled to some the ice prince, and others, the martial demon. He has standard martial arts training with several different weapons, and he is also a master at unarmedbat. This is because his family owns a big martial arts studio in the city. His name is also popr with thedies. Lucky bastard!" "So he''s famous? That means he must have had a good social reputation, no?" Cain asked. "Oddly enough, that is not so true. He doesn''t have any other friends apart from his one and only childhood friend, Dan..." "Tell me more..." "Well, it''s gonna cost you!" A look of greed shed across Steve''s handsome ck pupils. "Oh? What do you have in mind?" Cain stared at thenky ck-haired young man running beside him, intrigued. "The mana shard from the {Crimson Demon Bear}!" The look of greed and craftiness became even more pronounced. They had all agreed beforehand, that whoever made the greatest contribution in killing a monster the entire group worked together to face, then that person would keep the spoils, but he would have topensate the others one way or the other. They had all decided that since Cain had been the one to kill the {Crimson Demon Bear}, he should be the one to get the blood elemental mana shard, but he would have to give the others something in return. "I see that this piece of info is important to you. Surely, this is more important than a little piece of kidney stone, right?" "Hahaha! You are one funny guy. It seems like your piece of info might be just a little bit too expensive for me to afford. Let''s get going then." "Eh?!" A perturbed expression surfaced on his face for a moment, before being reced with a sly grin the next. "Alright;! Then you owe me a favor, deal?" ''He''s certainly unique, and a bit crafty as well. I need to keep an eye on him. He does have a lot of potentials.'' "Deal." "Kekeke! Pleasure doing business with you,rade!" "As I was saying, Hunter''s only friends with the quiet guy you see with him right now, Dan. Rumor has it that those who''ve tried to bulky him in the past, have gotten a taste of the Hunter family''s infamous fish-bashing techniques. Kekeke!" "He''s a bit anti-social, but that doesn''t stop his poprity from increasing one bit. Weird world we live in, and right?" "And what about you?" Cain asked, the thoughts going through his mind unknown. "Hm? Kekeke!" "Well... Every bit of extra info is going to cost you,rade..." Steve said with a wink. "I''ll pass..." Cain said with a light chuckle. He quickly picked up the pace, leaving Steve behind. "Huh? Don''t be like that,rade Cain! My rates aren''t that expensive!" *** Traversing through the forest back to the department building didn''t take very long... After a few minutes of running at average speed, they finally arrived back at the building. They strolled into the courtyard, and they were not surprised to see that it was still the same as they had left it. "Everyone, hurry in," David said as he held the door open for everyone to go in. They all rushed through the open doors. As soon as he stepped through the doors, that sticky sensation of being watchedpletely disappeared. "So what are we going to do now?" "It''s still going to be a while before nightfall. "Let''s all get some rest, then meet up in the main hall by midnight," David said to the rest. ''Guess everyone has secrets of their own, huh?'' In reality, this brief period was created by David for them to settle their business. To have the ability tost this long in such conditions, the ability to survive, a properly guarded secret or two was essential. "Hunter..." "What is it, Dan?" "Well..." "Whatever you want to say, just say it. No need to hesitate." "I was just thinking..." "Yes?" "What''s with all the recent hostility?!" The two had been friends since they were little, so there was no filter between them. One would hide nothing from the other, and secrets were a foreign term in their rtionship. That was why... "What do you mean by recent hostility? I''m always hostile." "You son of a" "That being said..." The blond-haired, fish-eyed young man turned around to face his friend, wearing his infamous deadpan expression. "No cking." "What do you-" "Exactly what I said." "Eh?! When have I ever cked off?" "I didn''t say you are cking, I''m saying you shouldn''t." "Tch. Whatever! You emotionless freak!" Dan said with a pout. He was many times more emotional when speaking to Hunter as opposed to his usual shy character. "He''s strong," Hunter said, his expression bing a bit more serious, as the lines on his face hardened a little. "I know."Dan wore a serious expression as well. "It was like I was staring into the eyes of a beast, a predator. If we want to deal with monsters like that guy." He continued; "It''s imperative we get stronger. We grasp our fates by the strengths of our hands. Only those who have strong will be able to survive, not to talk of livingfortably in the current world." "Yeah. I know." A gust of cold air circled the interior of the ssroom they were in, causing icicles to appear around his palms. "I know..." The icy glint in his eyes wasplemented by the one on his hands. "As long as you know..." "Back to topic..." As fast as a chameleon changes colors, Dan''s facial expression took a full 180¡ã turn. "You have been so hostiletely. Learn to loosen up a bit. You''ll get all wrinkly when you get old-" "..." Cain walked back towards his ssroom alongside Susan. Everyone else had also divided to spend their time in a familiar environment because they might never be able to,e tomorrow. Their life and death were even more uncertain... The dried-up blood stains on the ceiling, floor, and windows remained there, their rusty color making the room seem even filthy than it was. The smell of blood still lingered in the air from the events that had transpired in the ssroom that day. Susan found a chair to sit on before she turned to stare at Cain who in turn, was staring at the Tome of Akasha (I) given to him by Ashur. He became engrossed in the contents of the book, gradually losing his sense of time... Two hourster... "Is anything bothering you?" Suddenly, the former ss monitor began a conversation with Cain. "Not really. Why''d you ask?" Cain replied, his focus still on the book in his hands. "I''ve noticed it for a while, but you look like you''ve been searching for something," Susan said with narrowed eyes. "Oh?" He swiftly ced the tome back into his inventory, then turned to face his former ss monitor... ''She''s observant...'' "And why do you think that?" "Well, for starters, I know for a fact that you didn''t want us to get out of the forest because the night was approaching." "From what I could tell, you were being watchful of something. Something had you on your guard, something mysterious enough for someone like you to possess uncertainty in his heart." ''Correction... Dangerously observant.'' The fact she had been able to notice all those things spoke of her abilities. The school Cain went to was prestigious, and to be appointed as a ss monitor spoke at least, a little bit of her capability. "Something was watching us in the forest. I don''t know what it is yet, but I''m going to find out. You don''t need to worry." "Is that so? I guess I was right, huh?" Susan said with a proud smirk on her face. "I also have a question for you..." "Hm? What is it?" "You were watching me?" "Eh?" The question caught Susan off guard... Cain who had been staring out the window all this time, turned around, making eye contact with Susan who now had a bit of rosiness on her cheeks. "For you to be able to notice all these things, that means you have been watching me, and you seem pretty good at it too." A little smirk appeared on Cain''s face as he teased his former ss monitor. "W-what do you mean by that?! I wasn''t watching y-you at all! I just happened to notice all these things, that''s all! Don''t get it all twisted, you idiot." The flustered girl couldn''t hide her emotions well. When she noticed Cain still staring at her with a yful smirk on his face, she only got more embarrassed. "Hmph! I''m leaving for the restroom! Don''t think of anything stupid, you hear me?" The aggressively blushing Susan stood up to exit the ssroom due to her burning embarrassment, hoping to cool off in the bathroom. "Will do, Miss. ss monitor." BANG! With a m of the door, she was gone. "Now then..." The yful smirk on his face disappeared so quickly, one would think it was just a mere illusion. "I don''t have a lot of time. I have to make this as quick as possible." Cain opened the window of the ssroom and jumped out into the twilight, the cold wind blowing onto his face. As soon as his legs hit the ground, with the agility of a cat, hended like a feather and was off like a bullet the next moment... Chapter 30: Midnight (1)—Hunter/ Hunted. Cain had already made up his mind to find out what the hell had been watching him. He broke through the boundary of trees and into the forest. The background noises created by all sorts of insects served to mask all noise, Cain created, as well as his potential stalker. ''Whatever that thing is, it''s certainly bad news.'' Cain could smell its hostility from miles away, but the thing managed to give its presence so that Cain couldn''t even get a whiff of its aura to trace it down. But Cain could still tell he was being watched from the shadows. He had noticed it right after he had defeated the {Crimson Demon Bear}. It had probably been watching him for a longer period, but with the boost, he got from the increase he was finally able to notice that something was watching... And from the faint aura it released, Cain could tell it was strong, possibly stronger than the {Crimson Demon Bear}. Dashing through the forest at over 200 miles per hour, with excellent control over his speed and agility, he jumped over tree roots and stumps, moving as fast as a cheetah, and as dexterous as a falling leaf in the wind. The wind brushed against his face as he flew through the undergrowth like an arrow released from a bowstring. His footsteps were as light as that of a cat, creating no noise on impact. He spotted a tall tree of over 50 meters, one of the tallest in the area. He increased his speed, gaining momentum with every step. In a split second, he got close to the base of the tree. He bent his knees, turning his umted linear momentum into an upward leap. Like springs were attached to the soles of his feet, he flew straight to the top of the tree. He grabbed onto a branch on the tree, and a few gracious spinster, the excess force behind the jump was killed out. With his immacte control and precision, bncing on the thick branch was a piece of cake. The forest was many times different from what it was before God Ash had fallen. The trees and every other thing in the forest had begun to mutate. Although it wasn''t as bad as the animals in the forest, it was still apparent. Weird outgrowths sprouted out from the trees, and the leaves had grown a size bigger. Trees that were once only about 20 meters in length had almost doubled in height, and even the insects had be frightening as well. A sea of massive fireflies, each the size of a fist floated within his vision. Their bulbous illuminated bottoms were extremely bright, so bright, that the heat produced was enough to burn a hole through the leaves theynded on. ''Good thing they like the leaves more than they like me.'' Seeing as the fireflies were more interested in munching on leaves than they were with him, he heard a sigh of relief and proceeded to scan the area. With over 2 points in perception, his sight wasn''tpletely affected by the darkness. It was even slightly better than usual, but not by much. Probably due to the grey clouds that constantly covered the clouds, there was no starlight and moonlight from the celestial bodies to grace the surface of Urbus, the night was a few times darker than usual. Cain wasn''t too hindered by the overwhelming darkness and continued his search until finally... ''Bingo...'' Cain finally found what he was looking for... After calcting the coordinates of his exact destination, he rxed his body, and let gravity do the rest of the work. SWOOSH! On a normal day, a fall from a height of over 50 meters would have led to his unfortunate demise, but those days of normalcy were over. Still, even with him being so strong, an uncontrolled fall from this height would leave him with injuries. But when it came to the control department, he certainly wasn''tcking... Just as soon as his legs hit the ground, he performed a series of perfect forward flips, controlling the force behind the fall. Using the remaining momentum, he dashed forward like a bullet. He had decided to continue moving on the ground, as the thickwork of gnarly branches on top of the trees would hinder his movement. *** A few minutester, Cain arrived at his destination. ''I can''t believe I forgot him here.'' The shadow of a huge creature sleeping on the ground was reflected in the depth of his pupils. As fate would have it, it turns out that Cain hadpletely forgotten the bound {Mutant ck Bear}. He was supposed to kill it, but the interaction with the more powerful {Crimson Demon Bear} made himpletely forget the poor thing. "Wake up, Teddy." Unsheathing his sword, Cain used the tip to poke its butt. The sudden jolt of pain caused the beast to wake up from its slumber with a yell of pain. ROAR! Anger surfaced in the eyes of the creature as it looked around for its assaulter. Although the mutant was bound in chains, it was still able to turn around and look at its assaulter with its enraged eyes. Eh? The mutant was not only surprised to see Cain, but it was also terrified beyond belief. As soon as it made eye contact with Cain, the events of earlier quickly reyed in its mind. The only reason it hadn''t broken out of its chains was that Cain hadn''t released it yet. Since the source of the magic that created the chains, Cain, wasn''t avable to supply the mana necessary to sustain the spell, the chains had lost their initial strength. It would have been very easy to break out of them if it wanted to. However, the intense fear it had of Cain made it stay put. And that was because it understood just how scary Cain''s abilities were. Not only had it witnessed Cain cut down the {Crimson Demon Bear}, which was just a stronger version of itself, the de Cain had used to devour the corpse of the {Crimson Demon Bear} made it feel fear that came from its very soul. It didn''t know why, but just thinking about the de made it feel chills run up its beastly spine. Its threatening posture instantly softened, and its ws retracted. The beast became docile immediately... "You have two choices here, Teddy. I know yoy can understand a bit of what I''m saying, so try your best." Cain said, doubly expressing himself with various gestures and hand motions to make understanding easier. The poor beast indeed had a vague understanding of what Cain was saying. The God Ash didn''t just affect humans, it also had all sorts of adverse effects on animals and nt life. One of these was increased intelligence... The mutant quickly nodded its fluffy head in response, indicating it understood Cain. "Good. It seems you are even more intelligent than the others." "Refuse to cooperate with me and be my food, or help me, and I''ll grant you freedom. Your choice..." Although the beast didn''t get the whole message, it knew that it had just two options. Life or death... And like any normal, self-loving bear, it chose the most obvious choice... Cain and the {Mutant ck Bear}, whom he had decided to call Teddy zoomed through the forest. At first, Cain had thoughts about riding the bear, but he couldn''t trust the bear, especially when he had ns to confront an enemy that was most likely very strong. Cain needed the bear for one reason and one reason only. Bait... Cain had first noticed the presence when he had killed the {Crimson Demon Bear}. As soon as he separated the Blood elemental mana shard, he noticed the presence fix its focus on him. From that, he was able to make an educated guess, and conclude that whatever had been watching him was after the blood elemental mana shard. He could still feel it wat thing him from the shadows. The reason why it hadn''t attacked yet was that it was probably cautious of his strength. Cain had been thinking of a way to draw whatever his enemy was, into the light, and the best way to do that was to bait it out with the blood elemental mana shard. And how was he going to do it? Well, that''s where the ''Teddy'' came in... They moved deeper into the forest until they came across an opening devoid of any nt life. It was a grassy patch ofnd surrounded by trees, perfect for his ns. Once they got there, Cain directed Teddy into the center of the open space. Therge beast walked to the center of the circle,pletely oblivious to its fate as bait. THUD! With a loud thud, the beast sat its huge butt on the ground. "Alright, Teddy. Eat this." Cain retrieved the {Blood Elemental Mana Shard} from his inventory, then shoved it straight into the mouth of the unsuspecting mutant. Teddy was able to smell the fragrant scenting from the blood-red mana shard, so it opened its mouth wide, attempting to crush it with its jaw and absorb the precious power within without hesitation. However... A faint rustle rang out in the forest surrounding them. Suddenly, a white shadow blurred into existence before Cain. It stretched its limbs out in an attempt to grab the lustrous mana shard from the open mouth of Teddy. ''So fast!'' Whatever this creature was it was incredibly fast. So fast, Cain was barely able to follow its movements. ''In that case...'' With lightning speed, Cain threw a left hook at the lower jaw of Teddy. BANG! It connected solidly, forcing the creature''s jaw shut, and shattering the mana shard in the process. Chapter 31: Midnight (2) — Deadly Foe. AWOOO!!! The monster that attacked let out a loud, angry howl. The {Mutant ck Bear} also let out a high-pitched scream of pain at the same time. Lines of glowing red surfaced all over its body, forming runes. The lines of mana burnt off the fur and flesh it passed over, giving off the strong odor of burnt meat. The brief moment of inaction allowed Cain to observe the monster that had finallye to the light. The beast currently going apeshit looked almost like an ape. Some of its unique defining features were its surprisingly pure silver furry coat and its ck hollow eyes. It crouched its posture just like a normal ape. Its height and size weren''t that different from that of a normal ape, but the aura it excluded was extremely different from that of the other mutants he had encountered. Its aura was like an unbnced mixture of intelligence and savagery... {Devil-eyed White Primate} level 20 (deadly). Strength: 150. Agility: 300. Defense: 30. Mana: 100. HP: 4,200/4,200. MP: 5,000/5,000. Skills: Devil eye, Primal aura, Savage bite, Spatial jump. ''Well... Fuck me.'' Cain knew he was fucked the moment heid eyes on the monster. Hepared his stats to that of the creature, and he concluded that if he was to face the creature head-on without any ns, he most likely would lose his life... Name: {Cain Lenosi} Level: 17. Strength: 82. (30). Agility: 91. (20). Stamina: 52/56. Vitality: 34. Defense: 24. (-5). Control: 3.7. (0.2). Perception: 2.7. HP: 3,200/3,200. MP: 2,100/2,100. Magic: 49. Resistance: Poison- 5%. Skills: Golden blood, Mana de, Lightening Edge, de Mastery Lvl. 2, Burst Step, Metal Creation Lvl.2, Golden Severance, Metal Maniption, *Fear, *Bloodthirsty, Blood Ingestion Regeneration. Titles: Champion of Ashur (locked). Free attribute points: 20. System points: 2,000. {Inventory}. {Shop}. ''I me myself for poking trouble in the butt.'' He was ying with fire at this point. If he had not tried to lure the beast out, his death might have been dyed, or better still, he could close the gap between their power levels to be able to put up a good fight. The creature''s agility was at 300 points, while he was just a bit over 100 if he was taking the extra points he got from his {Bloody Katana} into consideration. Even under the effects of {Golden Blood}, his agility points would be nowhere near 300 points. The strength of the creature wasn''t an issue, as if he used {Golden Blood}, his strength points would be higher than that of the {Devil-eyed White Primate}, but not by very much. What all this meant, was that he was in big trouble if he didn''t have a backup n... With a loud shriek, the {Devil-eyed White Primate} dexterously delivered a multitude of kicks at the spasming {Mutant ck Bear}. The {Mutant ck Bear} wasunched out of the clearing and into the forest, smashing a few trees in his path into splinters... "Teddy..." Cain felt a bit bad for the poor bear, but he had his problems to take care of. "Golden Blood." Without hesitation, Cain activated {Golden Blood}. The mutant beast who was still fuming, wanting to chase after the {Mutant ck Bear} suddenly stopped dead in its tracks. Slowly, its neck turned a full one hundred and eighty degrees without its body moving to face Cain. "Now!" Its previously dark and hollow eyes gained a bit of life in them as a speck of creepy bone-white light appeared in the depths of its eyes in ce of its pupils. This way, it became even more creepy than before. "Talk about disturbing..." In a situation like this, wherein the power of one''s foe was overwhelmingly greater, only those who possessed the delicate bnce between wits and skill could triumph and be victorious. Cain instantly made the right decision... His aura burst out to the max, and without any hesitation; He ran... *** With an explosive burst of speed, Cain disappeared into the dense forest... Cain knew he didn''t have a choice. The {Devil-eyed White Primate} already had its eyes set on him, hence there was no way he could have escaped certain death. It was better to confront it now thanter in the future. With their sword of Damocles hanging over his head, he couldn''t obtain peace of mind. ''The key to my life or Death now lies in the hands of teddy...'' Just because the enemy was strong didn''t mean he came here without preparations. The only reason he had a single ounce of confidence, was because of his n B. In the case wherein his n A failed, his n being direct confrontation with the monster, and his n B involved multiple delicate steps that had to be followed in no particr order... As he skillfully dashed through the forest, he turned around, inspecting whether the {Devil-eyed White Primate} was on his heels. He wasn''t surprised to see anything but trees behind him. Suddenly, the space before him fluctuated chaotically for a brief second, before his greatest opponent magically stood before him. With lightning speed, faster than Cain could even imagine, the beast brought a w down to his chest. Due to his reflexes being a lot quicker than before, he was able to bring his de up just in time to block the attack. ''Fuck!'' BOOM! Like a cannonball, Cain wasunched backward, mming his back into a couple of trees... "Blegh!" Cain coughed up a few mouthfuls of blood as he stared at the eerie eyes of the mutant. Cain was expecting it to be over in just a single attack, but the mutant was fast enough to dish out several attacks in a single second. Thanks to {Golden Blood}, his defenses were a lot higher than usual, so he was able to tank the blows, but he couldn''t keep up with the speed of the beast. ''It''s freaking fast!'' Cain couldn''t even see the thing''s attacks. It moved as quickly as a ghost, and although he could tank the attacks due to his strong vitality and defense, that didn''t mean they didn''t hurt him. Once again, the beast disappeared from his sight like a silver blur. Its killing aura rose like a tidal wave, threatening to shut down the mes of his life... ''Shit!'' Cain knew he would be in trouble if he didn''t do something to stop the beast. "Lightening Edge!" {Lightening Edge: Increase attack speed by 100%. Critical rate increases by 5% when the skill is used. Cost 100MP to activate. Cooldown: 1 minute. Since {Lightening Edge} increased attack speed by 100%, in that instance of usage, he was probably able to keep up with the {Devil-eyed White Primate}. But that was only in theory. He managed to block the first and second blows thanks to his high perception stat, but thest three strikes were just too much for him to handle. Before he could even react, its w struck his flesh hard, drawing blood in the process... The impact from the attackunched Cain several meters backward, but he was able to stabilize himself. ''The cooldown of {Lightening Edge} is 1 minute. This fight is going to be a tough one.'' Cain swiftly concluded that fighting close quarters with the mutant was a bad idea. Metal Creation! Metal Maniption! Using his two magic skills, he created numerous arrows of metal andunched them at the mutant. The speed of the {Devil-eyed White Primate} allowed it to easily dodge the attacks, but this way, Cain was able to ease up the pressure on himself. ''Still, this is also a good thing. The best kind of practice there is.'' Although Cain acknowledged the lethality of the situation, he couldn''t help the excitement... He could lose his life as easily as one could snuff out a candle, but this was also an opportunity for him to grow stronger. Especially with his magic skills... He acknowledged that {Metal Creation} and {Metal Maniption} had so much room to grow, but he was holding their potential back. So now was a good chance to try out a few experiments while waiting for Teddy toe join in on the fight... "Metal Creation: Steel arrows." Each arrow only required 5MP to be create, and another 5MP tounch to a distance of 20 meters before he began losing control, with 30 meters being his maximum range. He did this to be able to attackfortably while putting some pressure on the {Devil-eyed White Primate}. Each arrow of metal had an attack power of 100% of his magic stat, which was at 49 points, which wasn''t a lot at all if one considered the mutant''s total HP. But his goal wasn''t to attack, just to buy enough time for stage two of his n to be initiated... ''Hurry, Teddy...'' Meanwhile, Teddy, who was still spasming on the ground after beingunched away like a ragdoll by the {Devil-eyed White Primate} was experiencing a few changes to its body. Its ck fur began turning a darker shade of red, and the color of its eyes was also changing correspondingly. Lines of crimson red began to appear on its fur, forming variousplicated runic patterns. Suddenly, the whimpers and grunts stopped abruptly. Its body stopped moving for a few minutes before it slowly rose to its paws. "Growl!" A deep guttural growl escaped from Teddy, as a row of spikes emerged from its spine. Its originally blunt, short ws grew longer with a metallic glint. Its fangs protruded from its mouth, and its bones crackled like thunder as its height increased by a few centimeters. And the light of intelligence shone deep within its eyes like a reflection of its soul... SNIFF! It took a whiff of the air to catch the scent of a certain someone, before dashing into the forest, blending into the darkness... Chapter 32: Midnight (3)—Devil Eyes. Learning how to control and manipte mana was like trying to create a container to hold something that existed, but didn''t at the same time... The agility of the {Devil-eyed White Primate} was off the charts, and Cain could barely follow its movements. The only reason hested so long, was the immactebination of his skills, control and perception stats, and a good amount of mana regen potions... To maintain his steady consumption of mana, he was constantly drinking vial after vial of mana regen potions. He had stockpiled a lot of mana potions, but they were being consumed very fast. He was drinking one potion per second. BANG! Once again, the {Devil-eyed White Primate} managed to dodge the barrage of attacks, striking Cain multiple times in his midsection. ''That freaking hurt!'' Heunched backward again but managed to keep his bnce as he gulped down an HP Regen potion. The heat of the potion traveled to his wounds, producing an itchy sensation, indicating the healing of his injuries... ''If I don''t find a way to counter its insane speed, I''m going to die before I carry out my n.'' Different scenarios yed out in his head on how he could use his skills with maximum efficiency to beat the extremely dangerous mutant. "Growl..." Suddenly, the beast let out a guttural growl as a milky white aura burst out from its body like a tidal wave. "Shit! It''s activated a skill!" Cain instantly knew he couldn''t afford to hold back... "Metal Maniption: Golden Armor." A major part of his mana pool instantly disappeared as he activated his greatest defensive skill. This was the same skill he had used in the fight against the {Crimson Demon Bear}. His entire body waspletely covered in 3 inches-thick metalyers. Although it cost a lot, it was still worth it when it came to the defense it provided him. "Now!" Suddenly, the mutant let out a beastly howl... One moment, it was standing before him, and the next, it was no longer there... *** The speed of the {Devil-eyed White Primate} increased at an exponential level. The golden suit of metal was covered in dents in a split second, and Cain''s internal organs were left rattled by the impacts of the attacks. ''Shit!'' Cain activated his magic again, consuming more and more mana until he just turned into a metal ball. He still couldn''t escape from the wrath of the {Devil-eyed White Primate}, as its unrelenting attacks kept hammering down without pause. ''Is there nothing I can do against this freaking thing?'' Cain was strong, but the {Devil-eyed White Primate} was stronger. So much so, that he was unable to lift even a finger against it t. He waspletely helpless against it. Its speed as well as its {Spatial Shift} skill made it almost impossible to catch. If its speed wasn''t so fast, he would have used {Metal Creation} to produce chains that could bind it, even if it was just for a few moments. Its strength wasn''t too overwhelming but coupled with its insane speed, it turned from having the lethality of a normal rifle to possessing the deadliness of a machine gun. ''There is only one way to survive this thing, and that is to be faster. It''s not possible to be as fast as it is, but if I can find a way to increase my speed, I might be able to hold on much longer. Cain took a look at his stats... Name: {Cain Lenosi} Level: 17. Strength: 82. (30). Agility: 111. (20). Stamina: 22/56. Vitality: 34. Defense: 24. (-5). Control: 3.7. (0.2). Perception: 2.7. HP: 1,520/3,200. MP: 1,000/2,100. Magic: 49. Resistance: Poison- 5%. Skills: Golden Blood, Mana de, Lightening Edge, de Mastery Lvl. 2, Burst Step, Metal Creation Lvl.2, Golden Severance, Metal Maniption, *Fear, *Bloodthirsty, Blood Ingestion Regeneration. Titles: Champion of Ashur (locked). Free attribute points: 20. System points: 2,000. {Inventory}. {Shop}. He instantly dumped his free attribute points into his agility... His armor was already heating up, making him feel like he was about to turn into a well-done steak. The formerly over 3-inch thick metal scales had been beaten into thin metal sheets. The mutant only saw red at this point. It just focused on getting him out of his shell and eating him up. Heunched the scales of the metal armor off like a porcupine, hoping to deal some damage to the {Devil-eyed White Primate}. "ROAR!" While it managed to dodge most of them, it was unable to dodge them all. It sustained a few minor injuries to the chest and torso. These injuries didn''t affect itsbat power a lot, but they still infuriated the beast. Like a bullet, it burst forward with unparalleled speed. The white aura that had been surrounding it had disappeared, but it was still faster than Cain. The cooldown time for {Lightening Edge} had expired, and this time, he was able to block every attack. This was because his speed had increased by so much because of the free attribute points. The mutant beast had an agility value of 300, while he was formerly 91+(30). Under the effects of {Golden Blood}, his agility stats will transform into 182+(30). This is because the effects of {Golden Blood} only affected his base stats. It couldn''t influence the stats of an external item he made use of. With the addition of the free attribute points, his base stats transformed into 111+(30) when normal, and 222+(30) when using {Golden Blood}. Although he wasn''t as fast as the {Devil-eyed White Primate} he was still fast enough to dodge. ''Speed...'' Cain knew he needed to go faster... He suddenly entered a state ofprehension... He had. a sudden idea to try to control the way he utilized his mana... He thought back to his skill, {Burst Step}. He hadn''t been using it in the fight because it only increased his linear velocity and didn''t constitute a gross speed increase. It did increase his speed by 30%, but he was being economical with his mana, so he tried his best not to use it unless necessary. But now, he realized that he had no choice. It was a profound and mystical feeling that didn''t seem to make any sense, but he found a bit of understanding when his back was pushed to the wall so much... ''{Burst Step} has me utilize the explosive nature of mana to propel myself forward in a burst of speed, increasing my linear speed, but it doesn''t do so very efficiently. I have to try something different using {Burst Step} as the foundation. I need more speed... '' As Cain was lost in his thoughts, the {Devil-eyed White Primate} didn''t even give him any breathing space. When it noticed Cain''s momentarypse in concentration, it was its chance to go in for the kill... Its previously wide mouth suddenly stretched out so much, it formed a literal ear-to-ear grin. Its fangs jutted out, and its Canines grew even longer. They also became aerated in a vicious thick white miasma that gurgled out from their throats It nned on using its most deadly attack skill, {Savage Bite}, on the distracted Cain. The beast took a subtle step forward and suddenly vanished from sight. It had activated its skill, {Spatial Shift} once again, this time, appearing directly behind Cain. The red glow of excitement and bloodlust in its eyes couldn''t be hidden as it chomped down. CLANG!!! With the speed of lightning, Cain''s {Devil''s Broken w} shot forward, intercepting the creature''s attack. But the creature didn''t even seem to mind, as its terrifying jaws continued pushing forward,pletely disregarding Cain''s strength. "Big mistake, monkey." In a cold empathetic voice, Cain held onto the furry coat of the {Devil-eyed White Primate} as he activated his killer move, hoping to put an end to the mutant''s life ahead of schedule. ''Turns out I don''t need your help, Teddy. At the end of the day, animals will always be animals. It''s my win.'' "Golden Severance!" A tsunami of metal attribute elemental energy burst out from Cain as he rapidly consumed his mana to activate his killer move. This was a move that had never once failed to im the life of his foes. Through a stroke of luck, the {Devil-eyed White Primate} had allowed him toy his hands upon it, which wasn''t good news for the mutant. He was physically stronger, which means that unless through self-muttion, the {Devil-eyed White Primate} had no way to escape from him. He had calcted the amount of time necessary for its {Spatial Shift} skill to be in use again, and since it had just used the skill not too long ago, there was no way in hell it could use it again. ''I win.'' Cain was a bit let down. Although his life was constantly in danger, he still enjoyed the fight. The {Devil-eyed White Primate} was his strongest opponent to date, and he had hoped he would be able to gain more than just a few extra levels or stat points. He was also displeased with the fact that he wouldn''t be able to return the beating he had received, but the fact that the creature was about to pay with its life was a bitforting. A golden pir of light appeared in his hands, and the piercing aura made the eyes of {Devil-eyed White Primate} contract. As his life depended on it, Cain gripped the {Devil-eyed White Primate} tightly with one hand and brought his sword down diagonally onto its temple with the other. Cain stared into the eyes of the beast and wasn''t surprised to see its eyes contracting in fear... However... Its contracting ck hollow eyes suddenly gained a bit of life in them. The previously dot-sized white pupil suddenly expanded till it filled up its eye sockets, with only a bit of ck left at the rims. The change was so sudden, Cain had no idea what to make out of it. His sudden feeling of unease made him hasten his attack. The speed of his falling sword increased even further, and before half a second could pse, the edge of the de was half a centimeter away from the mutant. Cain was already assured of his victory... Suddenly, it felt like time slowed down... The eyes of the {Devil-eyed White Primate} shone brightly. Cain could see the movement of its eyeballs, as it turned its focus away from Cain and into an empty patch of space in the distance. A sh of white, and a brief secondter, it was gone... BOOM! Chapter 33: Midnight (4)— Hanging on the Edge. It took him a while to realize what just happened, but before reality could strike, the {Devil-eyed White Primate} struck first... BANG! Cain wasunched forward, blood gushing from his back like a fountain. He had been dealt a serious blow by the {Devil-eyed White Primate}. His back had nearly been severed in half. If he hadn''t sensed his impending doom, that attack would most definitely have imed his life. A quick flipter, he managed to steady himself, although his legs shook a bit due to hemorrhage. He could feel the weakness from the blood loss starting to get to him. He summoned a few HP Regen potions from his inventory while watching the beast carefully. ''Did it get faster? No! That was more than speed. It didn''t just dodge my attack... It avoided itpletely. I''ve had zero chance since the beginning of this battle.'' The {Devil-eyed White Primate} had various skills, but the most fearsome one wasn''t the {Spatial Shift}, or {Primal Aura} skills that it had used earlier. ''Devil eyes...'' Cain recalled the brief change in the mutant''s eyes before it had dodged his {Golden Severance}. From a ck hollow, its pupils had expanded so much, itpletely upied its eye sockets. That brief change made him conclude that the creature had just activated the only skill he hadn''t seen yet... {Devil Eyes}. Previously, the {Devil-eyed White Primate} had been dangerous, but its threat level had risen to the potential killer... ''Golden blood is about to run out...'' He had less than a minute before his lifeline, {Golden Blood}, was cut. The skill offered him a tremendous boost in power, but it came at a cost. One, it brought him a world of pain, but he could push through that because of his history of training... The real issue was it was a massive drain on his stamina. His total amount of stamina points was almost 60, so when he used {Golden Blood}, he could go super for more than two minutes. But he was running out of time... If his n B couldn''t make it in time before his stamina ran out, he was as good as dead. ''Sigh... This is why I never had pets.'' Cain had made an borate n B before he decided to go on this hunt. In the {Records of Akasha I } tome given to him by Ashur, he had read in the first section that contained info on the use of mana shards, that one of the major use of mana shards, was in the taming of Magical or mutant beasts. The Mana shards contained a concentrated amount of elemental mana that was essential to their evolution. If mutant beasts wanted to grow stronger, they needed to consume the flesh, blood, bones, but most importantly, the mana shards of the vanquished... When a mutant beast was offered a mana shard, it had the option of either epting the offer and working with the one who made the offering or simply taking the offering, then killing and eating the one who made a said offering. The determining factor was in the strength possessed by the one who proposed the deal. If the beast thought it could defeat the offerer, it would try its hardest to do so, but if it couldn''t, it would submit to the offerer, but not at the expense of its life... Thews that controlled the way mana operated made it so, that once this transaction between man and beast waspleted, then it was bound under oath, and no party involved could break it. So in a way, Cain was winging it. He had no idea if Teddy would try to eat him up if it saw him in this state. If it did, he would have no choice but to face two extremely strong mutant beasts. He was already in a fix when faced with one, so if another one was added to the mix, he was dead for sure... ''The goal right now is to stay alive long enough for Teddy to arrive. If he turns on me, then I can only me it all on bad luck.'' Although his situation was extremely shitty, the same grin that had been on his face since the beginning, remained there, unchanged... The feeling of not being able to control fate... This feeling of recklessness made his breath quicken... The feeling of having his life hang over the edge made him excited... ''I need to go faster!'' Cain tightened his grip on his de and released the skill attached to it. The dark aura of {Fear} burst out and collided with that of the {Devil-eyed White Primate}. ''Faster than I''ve ever gone before!'' Burst Step! With a boom, Cain used all the power in his legs to perform a forward leap. His feet lit ame with magical fire, as he reached his maximum speed, but it still wasn''t enough... The mutant beast easily dodged out of the way,pletely avoiding Cain''s attack, as it struck at his back with its terrifying ws... CLANG! Cain brought his de up in time for the barrage of attacks. He managed to block off a majority, but a few connected, sending him flying into the air. The mutant leaped after him, its jaws spread wide open, hoping to devour him. Mana de! Lightening Edge! Cain activated two of his best skills at once. Thebined effect was as devastating as it was deadly. But it was stillcking... The eyes of the {Devil-eyed White Primate} shone once again with a profound light, as it disappeared from his sight once again. He didn''t have any opportunity to guard against the unexpected blow that came crashing down upon him from above. CRASH! "Blegh!" Cain threw up arge amount of blood as his back mmed against the cold, hard forest ground. The {Devil-eyed White Primate} stalled for a brief moment in midair, before following after. That brief moment of pause was enough for Cain to get his bearing. He rolled out of the way, dodging the fleshy meteorite aimed at taking his life. With a loud bang, the creature crashed into the solid earth, stirring up a dust cloud... As Cain stared into the cloud of dust, all he could see was the dark silhouette and bone-white eyes of the {Devil-eyed White Primate}. He could feel it staring at him through the cloud of dust... Its aura was so malevolent, any normal person would have done the right thing by now, given up... But Cain wasn''t normal... He was as far from normal as one could get... ''Faster... Faster... Faster...'' Speed beat speed... The only way to fight this beast was to get faster... The mana within him rumbled at hismand and stormed to the various parts of his body... Mana was like water. It had form and was formless at the same time. This meant that it could be manipted as one wished, the only limits being the number of magic points one possessed, and the imagination... Caincked neither... Each mana potion could only recover 100MP per vial, and he only had a little less than 20 left, so whatever he wanted to do, he had to mind his mana consumption. ''Reduce the flow... Do not over consume...'' The Mana within him was previously a turbulent sea. Suddenly, it began to flow like a calm river. His entire body was suddenly enveloped in a thin film of mana seeping out of his pores... The surrounding air was disced, stirring up a slight disturbance in the surroundings. Leaves and dust were being blown away. The dust clouds surrounding the {Devil-eyed White Primate} cleared up as the beastunched itself at Cain once again, this time, with increased speed. The same milky white aura that had previously boosted its speed to dangerous levels had once again appeared around it. ''Faster...'' The mana within his body flowed faster and faster, leaking out of his pores in small but steady amounts. ''Rather than just my feet...'' He suddenly surpassed his limits... And released the fetters he had ced upon himself... BOOM! The mellow river instantly turned into a tsunami... His insides were struck repeatedly by the violent waves of mana, making him cough a few mouthfuls of blood, but he endured... His crimson-red eyes suddenly gained a hint of ocean blue within them. The two colors mixed violently together, creating an enchanting purple hue deep within his eyes... An ocean-blue aura exploded out of him. Combined with the golden aura he constantly exuded when in {Golden Blood} mode, he looked even more majestic. For the first time since the beginning of their fight, Cain managed to block every single attack of the {Devil-eyed White Primate}. Not only that, he finally counterattacked... His de whipped out like a bolt of lightning, burning the air around it, and creating sma in the process. Traces of electricity are produced from the friction between the molecules in the air and the de stuck to its surface... The {Devil-eyed White Primate} was extremely shocked at the unimaginable burst of speed Cain had just disyed and waspletely caught off guard. It was unable to react in time. SLICE! A deep cut in its midsection. Cain had finallynded a solid blow! The wound began to bleed profusely, as the creature let out a howl of pain and rage. "You aren''t so fast now, are you?" {Congrattions to the host... You have created a new skill}... Chapter 34: Midnight (5)— Azure Burst. {Congrattions to the host; You have created a new skill. Please, give your new skill a name}. The cool breeze of the night was aplete contrast to what Cain felt on the inside. ''Hot... It feels so hot!'' The currents of mana flowing within him generated so much heat, his very sweat was evaporating off his body. The ocean blue aura was his mana flowing out of his body at high speeds. It covered him like a me and extended out from the soles of his feet to the tip of his hair. Cain could feel the heat travel from his heart to his lungs, his head, his feet... Every single part of his body felt like it was on fire, and not the good kind. He looked at his hands and realized that the hairs on his hands were being singed by his intense internal temperature. He was scared that if he didn''t let this heat out, it wouldpletely devour him. So, that''s what he did... Cain let it all out... "Azure Burst... I''ll name it Azure Burst!" {Congrattions to the host for creating the skills, Azure Burst}. {+30 to agility stat}. {+15 to magic stat}. {+10 to Stamina}. Name: {Cain Lenosi} Level: 17. Strength: 82. (30). Agility: 141. (20). Stamina: 10/66. Vitality: 34. Defense: 24. (-5). Control: 3.7. (0.2). Perception: 2.7. HP: 1,520/3,200. MP: 300/2,100. Magic: 64. Resistance: Poison- 5%. Skills: Golden blood, Mana de, Lightening Edge, de Mastery Lvl. 2, Burst Step, Metal Creation Lvl.2, Golden Severance, Metal Maniption, *Fear, *Bloodthirsty, Blood Ingestion Regeneration, Azure Burst. Titles: Champion of Ashur (locked). Free attribute points: 20. System points: 2,000. {Inventory}. {Shop}. {Golden blood level.1}: Upon activation, multiply all physical stats by 2. Consumes 100 MP, and costs 1 point of stamina per second to maintain. Puts the body of the user under great strain. (1000/10000 SP). This is an internal skill, hence, it can be upgraded. {Mana de}: Coat the surface of your de with destructive mana to deal an extra 200% damage when attacking. It Consumes 5MP per second to sustain. Note:This is an external active skill, and cannot be upgraded. {Lightening Edge: Increase attack speed by 100%. Critical rate increases by 5% when the skill is used. Cost 100MP to activate. Cooldown: 1 minute. {de Mastery lvl. 2.} (passive): Increases attack power and speed with ded weapons by 30%. Increases critical chance and rate by 5%. (500/9,000SP). {Burst Step}: Expell mana from beneath the feet, creating propulsion that allows the host to change trajectory abruptly when in motion. Increases movement speed by 30%. Costs 5MP per activation. No cooldown.} {Metal Creation Lvl 2.}: Gather the Metal elemental attribute mana to create constructs of metal. The effects of the skill are influenced by the host''s magic and control stats, as well as imagination. (0/10,000SP). {Golden Severance}: Condense an immense amount of metal attribute elemental mana into a concentrated beam of world light, capable of splitting anything ites in contact with only for a single attack, and increases attack power by 500%. The attack consumes 500MP upon usage. Cooldown: 5 minutes. {Metal Maniption}: Grants the ability to freely control metal of weight that does not exceed 1 ton. Skill is leveled up simultaneously with the {Metal Creation} skill. {Fear} (passive): Release a malevolent aura akin to a devil, inflicting fear onto your opponent. Decreases opponent movement and attack speed by 5%. {Bloodthirsty} (passive): Consume the blood and flesh of fallen enemies to increase the power of the Devil''s broken w. For every 100 enemies in and absorbed, attack speed and attack power increase by 1%. {Blood Ingestion Regeneration} (passive): Grants the ability to safely ingest the blood of mutant beasts without any adverse effects. Consuming the blood and flesh of mutant beasts grants passive Stamina, Vitality, and Mana regeneration. For every 0.1 liters of blood, or 100 grams of flesh consumed, 100HP, 50MP, and 1 stamina point are regenerated. {Azure Burst}: Rapidly burn out internal mana in a single burst to produce enough heat and energy to burn the surrounding mana. These mes greatly increase the attack and movement speed of the host by 300%. Attack damage increases by 50%. Critical rate and damage increased by 10%. Costs 500MP to activate, and the skill onlysts for 10 seconds. Cooldown: 10 minutes. Note: This is an external active skill, and cannot be upgraded. There was a brief moment of silence before the deafening sound struck... BOOM! Like a bolt of lightning, Cain''s body became the embodiment of speed. The air surrounding him instantly ignited with a blue me, forming a beautiful streak of destruction. shes of blue electricity were also apparent within the blue ze. Before the second could pse, his de came crashing down upon the {Devil-eyed White Primate}. The already erged whites of its eyes expanded even further, as the beast once again activated all its skills in an attempt to escape from Cain''s attack. The same dazzling white radiance burst out from the eyes of the beast once again as its body became ethereal once again, before vanishing. Normally, Cain wouldn''t have been able to see what had happened, but now that he was in this state, he was able to see exactly what had happened... *** There were rules to the way skills worked. A skill could either be formed through elemental mastery, or mana control. For elemental mastery, most of the time, these types of skills could only be gotten from elemental mana shards or Devil orbs. Only extremely rare geniuses couldprehend them without a base. As for mana control, these were skills that were created or gotten over the maniption of mana through a certain series of actions. These sets of actions could be anything. From running to swinging a sword, hammering a nail, or to even cooking a dish. As long as mana was incorporated into the action, there was a small probability it would birth a skill. This way of attaining skills were limited to just humans and a few other species, however... Mutant beasts and Devils were higher up the totem pole than humans. It was easier for them to attain skills, mostly elemental-rted skills because they had a higher affinity towards the elements. That was why they could form a mana shard, which couldter evolve into a mana core. But humans didn''t have that sort of physiology. With the inception of God Ash onto the Urbus, humans, nts and beasts alike had gained the ability to ingest and control mana for their use, mana that could be used to do the impossible. Humans could get stronger only by attaining new skills and stats by leveling up and killing mutants, or each other... The beast relied on mana to evolve, and humans required mana to grow stronger. Whichever group could realize their potential the soonest, had one the battle for dominance. The {Devil-eyed White Primate} was a fiend, mainly because of its abnormally high magic stat and its incredibly deep pool of mana. It was able to spam its skills a lot faster than Cain expected. This was because having a higher magic stat enabled the cooldown of skills to reduce. The thing that wasmon between all skills, was as they all needed to follow a certain rule. This rule required them to possess amand prompt. Hismand prompt coulde in various forms such as a word, chant, or perhaps, even an action... It was in the eyes... The eyes of the {Devil-eyed White Primate} were what initiated the skill that let it avoid Cain''s deadly {Golden Severance} before. He knew what skill it was as well... ''Devil eyes...'' He knew the skill, but he had little to no information on what the skill did, but he had finallye up with a way to counter it. Speed! As simple as that... Although all his battles up to date were high-speed battles, skills still required time to activate. Take his {Golden Severance} skill as an example. That skill of his required a bit of time to build up by gathering metal elemental attribute mana from the atmosphere, before the skill could be executed. For some skills, it was long, and for others, it wasn''t... The {Devil Eye} skill fell into thetter group. It took the {Devil-eyed White Primate} less than half a second for it to activate the skill. What this meant for Cain, was that to beat the skills, he had to be able to do two things. One stops the beast from activating the skill, and two make sure it was unable to activate it again. It was as though time had slowed down... Cain was already before the mutant, his body in midair, and his de pointed at it. The mutant, on the other hand, was already prepared to use its life-saving skill... "Grrr!" A thick growl of strain escaped from Cain''s throat as he pushed himself to his limits in a final burst of mind-blowing speed. The mana boiling within his body seeped out from his palms, onto his de, flowing from the hilt, all the way to the tip. "Roar!" With a roar, Cain stabbed forward. "Lightening Edge." SPLURT! AOOOOW! The ocean blue glow surrounded him and his de allowed him to cut through the air like a hot knife through butter. Before the {Devil-eyed White Primate} had a chance to even breathe, the tip of Cain''s de had prated one of its eyeballs. His forward momentum allowed his de topletely bury his de down to the hilt, into the head of the {Devil-eyed White Primate}. GRAAA! The de had prated its brain, but it still wasn''t enough to put it down. The creature had a surprisingly strong vitality. He had wounded it gravely, but it still wasn''t enough to kill it. ''Tch!'' With his new powers taking it down would be a piece of cake. He could finally counter its speed. All he needed to do now, was to- "Ahhhhhh!" Cain yelled in pain, as the golden glow that had been the source of his mighty strength, suddenly vanished. His stats were no longer being multiplied, and the exhaustion from his drained stamina hit him like a bullet train. The ocean blue glow of {Azure Burst} stuck to his body, but he was no longer able to speak, not to talk of swinging his de to defend himself. He could still feel the mana swiftly burning away in his body, but he was unable to do anything at all, as his body just wouldn''t listen to him. ''Fuck! Get up! His body fell to the ground... His hands held on steadfastly to his de, regardless of the pain and exhaustion he was experiencing. He could not afford to lose his de as well, or he would be giving his life up. Cain and the {Devil-eyed White Primate}y on the ground. The first to recover would be the one who took the other life. "Ha... Ha... Ha..." Sounds of heavy panting came from the {Devil-eyed White Primate}, as it slowly stood to its feet. ''I lose...'' Chapter 35: Midnight (6)— God Ash falls. ''I lose...'' Cain knew he had lost this fight, fair and square... He knew he had lost the fight because he couldn''t feel any strength at all felt in his body. He couldn''t move due to his drained stamina and his mana pool was almost empty and his previous wounds had opened up, causing him to lose a lot of blood, and therefore, a lot of health points. Name: {Cain Lenosi} Level: 17. Strength: 82. (30). Agility: 141. (20). Stamina: 0/66. Vitality: 34. Defense: 24. (-5). Control: 3.7. (0.2). Perception: 2.7. HP: 900/3,200. MP: 100/2,100. Magic: 64. Resistance: Poison- 5%. Skills: Golden Blood, Mana de, Lightening Edge, de Mastery Lvl. 2, Burst Step, Metal Creation Lvl.2, Golden Severance, Metal Maniption, *Fear, *Bloodthirsty, Blood Ingestion Regeneration, Azure Burst. Titles: Champion of Ashur (locked). Free attribute points: 20. System points: 2,000. {Inventory}. {Shop}. The mutant creature walked towards Cain''s crumpled body, malice and rage burning in its eyes. There was a huge hole in ce of its eye dripping with blood. The creature''s ape-like facial features had morphed into a devilish expression. Its single left eye shone even brighter, as it let out a menacing growl. "HOWL!" It leaned back and let out a bone-piercing howl filled with rage straight into the grey skies that werecking any sort of illumination, as though releasing its pent-up emotions. There were probably a lot ofplicated emotions ying out within its mind. How was it possible that the weakling had managed tost this long against it? How was this weakling able to give it so many injuries? How was this weakling strong enough to take its eye?! It was confused about a lot of things, but there was one thing it was sure of... It couldn''t allow Cain to live any longer... The {Devil-eyed White Primate} was just as intelligent as Teddy. Although it was very strong, its mind had developed at a more terrifying pace than its body. What drove it forward, was Its burning emotions of rage, and the desire to grow stronger. It had previously been eyeing the {Crimson Demon Bear}, intending on fighting it, then devouring it. If it had managed to do that, it would be many times more powerful than it was right now, and Cain wouldn''t even stand a chance. But it had hesitated when it saw from the shadows, Cain and the others fighting the {Crimson Demon Bear}. It had decided to wait until the {Crimson Demon Bear} killed them all but had exhausted its strength. By then it would have the opportunity to swoop in and devour the spoils. Its n would have been perfect if Cain and the others hadn''t won the fight. Now, the seed of doubt had been nted in its heart. It had to acknowledge Cain''s strength, especially after it had seen the power of {Golden Severance} after it had ended the life of the {Crimson Demon Bear}. But it couldn''t stop its greed from blossoming when it saw the perfectly shaped, mouth-watering, ruby-red mana shard of the {Crimson Demon Bear}. Because of its cautious nature, it decided to wait for the most opportune moment to strike. It was nned to attack Cain and the others in the middle of the night when they most likely would be in bed. It would then be able to either steal the mana shard or just outright kill them one by one, then take it. But Cain was one step ahead... He hade for the {Devil-eyed White Primate} instead. The mutant was curious as to what Cain was up to, so it followed him, only to be greeted with the sight of Cain feeding its precious mana shard to the {Mutant ck Bear} a.k.a, Teddy. In its rage and hastiness, it rushed out to stop him, but it was toote. Before it could stop it, the mana shard was already within Teddy''s belly. Consumed by rage, it wanted to kill Teddy, hoping to try to salvage the mana shard but was convinced when it saw the signs of mana mutation happening to Teddy. Teddy had begun to digest the mana shard, and there was nothing it could do. Hence, it transferred its rage to the real culprit, Cain. Cain was really tough but to crack, but seeing him defenseless on the ground, just waiting to be eaten, brought the {Devil-eyed White Primate} a feeling of euphoria. It opened its huge mouth wide, its jaw extending farther than normal, and its rows of jagged teeth glowing with a sinister silver light. With malice in its eyes, it chomped down... *** ''I''m still too weak.'' The adrenaline in his blood had finally run out. This was just his third strong opponent, and he alreadyy on the ground, defeated. He wasn''t sad, angry, or scared, even when he knew that the consequence of losing was potential death. The only emotion he felt, was disappointment. He felt disappointed with himself. He realized that he still had a long way to go. He wasn''t as strong as he wanted to be. His mind quickly shed with images of the magnificent golden dragon, he had seen in his dreams, and the magnificent power he exuded. His every word contained traces of unadulterated power. He was what Cain strove to be. Strong... ''Welp, can''t beat me up too much.'' Although Cain knew he was beaten, that didn''t necessarily mean he would lose his life. ''Any moment now...'' ROAR! Suddenly, a roar reverberated from the forest, the culprit approaching their direction swiftly. "Good Teddy." From within the dense undergrowth, arge ck and crimson figure burst out like a bulldozer. "Graah!" The {Devil-eyed White Primate} bared its teeth and released a snarl of anger. It turned around quickly and dashed at the beast charging straight at him and his prey with glowing fangs and eyes. A streak of ck and white collided... BOOM! Both wereunched back a few meters, but the one to recover first was surprisingly the ck streak. {Crimson Demon ck Bear} level 15 (deadly). Strength: 200. Agility: 180. Defense: 30. Mana: 60. HP: 5,000/5,000. MP: 3,000/3,000. Skills: Blood Berserk, Blood Armor, Shockwave Stomp. Cain''s eyes widened in shock at how strong Teddy was after eating just that one mana shard. ''Is it just the mana shard, or something else?'' Once again, the two beasts shed. The fight quickly escted into a storm of brutality and absolute savagery. The beasts shed for a little while longer, before separating to stare each other down. ''Right now, they are evenly matched. Because the {Devil-eyed White Primate} is wounded and exhausted from our fight, Teddy currently has a fighting chance.'' Snarls and growls were exchanged between the two beasts. There was some hesitation in the {Devil-eyed White Primate''s} eyes. It paused for a while, before letting out a howl of dissatisfaction. It turned to stare at Cain who wasying on the ground, immobilized, before it dashed into the dense undergrowth, vanishing away from sight like a ghost, leaving only a trail of white. Cain breathed a sigh of relief, as all the pain and tension umted from the earlier fight washed over him like a tidal wave. ''I''m still alive, huh?'' Cain turned on his back to stare at the dark, lightless skies. The stars, moon, and any other celestial body that was supposed to supply Urbus with light werepletely blocked out by the sky. "Grunt... grunt..." The image of a big ck snout appeared in Cain''s vision, as Teddy, the new {Crimson Demon Bear} stared down at Cain. In all honesty, Cain didn''t know if Teddy would get back in time to save him or not or not. Since the manaws that governed them werepelling, there was no way for either of them to fight against them. So without fail, the beast woulde back. It was only a question of when, and if he would not turn on him when he got there. Cain had to fight with the {Devil-eyed White Primate} because he believed he had what it took. But now, it was clear that he wasn''t as capable as he thought. ''I''m still not out of the danger zone.'' Although Teddy had saved him now, that didn''t necessarily mean he was in the safe zone. He still wasn''t sure of the mutant creature''s intentions. Cain''s doubts were cleared almost instantly, as the huge mutant bear copsed to the ground beside him. There was arge gash on its lower abdomen leaking a steady stream of blood. The beast began panting heavily and a few crimson lines on its body began to glow. The wound slowly began to close on its own. ''I guess I''m safe then.'' Cain felt a huge sense of relief fall on him as he rxed his tense muscles. He retrieved a few HP and MP regen potions and chugged them down. After he had recovered enough strength to move properly, he turned his body a bit to get into a good enough position to feed some of the potions to the wounded {Crimson Demon Bear}. As Cain did this, the eyes of the {Crimson Demon Bear} shed with intelligence, and before Cain could even react, Teddy ced its paw directly onto Cain''s chest. A flood of violent energy instantly flooded Cain''s body. At the same time, grey specks of mana-abundant God Ash began to fall from the skies. Unknown to everyone, God Ash falls onto the surface of Urbus by midnight, and coincidentally, the clock just happened to strike twelve at that exact moment. These series of events, and coincidental urrences, are the hands of fate and karma trying to steer destiny onto its premeditated path... As soon as Teddy''s paw made contact with him, Cain received a system prompt. {Congrattions to the host... You have received the opportunity to create a Beast contract}. Chapter 36: [Body and Soul] Contract. {Congrattions to the host... You have received the opportunity to create a [Body and Soul] contract}. {Beast Contract}: Form a [body and soul] contract with a mutant beast. This contract allows the target mutant beast and the host to forge a bond that is governed by the following set of rules; {Condition 1}: The beast''s and human''s involvement in the [body and soul] contract shall be bound by thews of magic as long as both parties may live. {Condition 2}: This contract can be initiated by either one of the parties involved, but can only be concluded if and only if the other party fully agrees upon the conditions involved wholeheartedly. {Condition 3}: The agreement is built upon thew of equivalent exchange. A trade deemed to be of equal proportions by the system must be made for the contract to be enabled. {Condition 4}: This contract is based upon the universalws of mana, and cannot be broken. {Does the host agree to all these conditions?} Cain wasn''t surprised to see these system prompts, as he had been expecting them. What he hadn''t expected, was for Teddy to initiate it. ''This mutant is abnormally intelligent.'' Cain stared at the beast for a while, before he let out a chuckle. "Sure. Why not." {Processing response...} {Response; Affirmative!} SIZZLE! The sound of flesh burning echoed in the silence, as the imprint of a bear''s paw appeared on Cain''s chest. It didn''t bring him any pain, but he could feel the heating from the bear''s paw onto his chest. [Body and Soul Contract]: Type: Mutant Beast Details: Exchange of a grade 8 blood elemental mana shard for 6 months of servitude between the human, [Cain Lenosi], and the mutant beast, {Crimson Demon Bear}. Note: This contract can be renewed. {Congrattions to the host... The contract has beenpleted}. {Host has been granted the hidden title, Friend of Beasts}. {Friend of Beasts}: Increases charisma with all types of beasts by +1. {+1,000 System points}. The burning sensation stopped for a while, indicating that the contract-making process had been concluded. This allowed Cain to observe his environment. ''God Ash!'' Cain could see millions upon millions of these tiny crystals fall unto the surface of the world. They fell on the ground and were absorbed by the dirt. They fell onto rocks, and they were absorbed. They fell unto the leaves of the trees, and they were absorbed. They fell onto Teddyying before him, and they were absorbed by the body of the beast as they fell onto its furry coat. The red runic symbols on the body of the beast glowed brightly as a small tornado of God Ash formed and was rapidly being funneled into the body of Teddy. ''The God Ash can be absorbed?!'' Cain was shocked to find out that the beasts and trees could absorb the God Ash directly like that. He became excited, then decided to try it out himself. He extended his hands forward, then tried to absorb the God Ash that fell towards him. However... Nothing happened... God Ash avoided his body and simply fell onto the ground without making contact with him. This odd urrence prompted him to look up. This was when he discovered something important. God Ash couldn''t make contact with him. Rather, it avoided his body like it was some kind of hydrophobic dust, and he was water. It didn''t evene close to the clothes on his body. ''System... Why can''t I absorb the God Ash like the mutant beasts and mutating trees?'' {Replying to host... This piece of information can be purchased at the system store}. Cain was quickly redirected to the system store, where he found the piece of information he was looking for. ''It''s not that costly either...'' Cain was happy that he wouldn''t have to use too many of his system points. ''Purchase!'' {Transaction sessful...} {Replying to host; The reason the host, and most humans alike cannot absorb the God Ash, is because their physiology makes it impossible to absorb energy that is so concentrated and unrefined. It is impossible because humansck mana shards. Mana shards and Devil cores are the factors in mutants and devils alike that help them absorb the concentrated amounts of mana from God Ash without any sort of negative effects}. ''So only mutants and devils can handle it, huh?'' Cain finally understood why the mutants and devils were bing strong so fast. ''Turns out that they have a natural advantage over us humans when ites to mana. If I cannot find a way to bridge this gap, it is only a matter of time before these monsters be too powerful and intelligent for us to handle.'' ''If that happens, it''s game over.'' As Cain mulled over his thoughts, Teddy was curious as to why Cain was kneeling there without absorbing all the delicious and abundant mana that fell for them from the skies. It was at this moment, that the one who controlled the threads of fate began to pull the strings... {You have received the opportunity to create a Beast contract}. ''Hm?'' {The mutant beast, {Crimson Demon Bear}, desires to create a [body and soul] contract with the host}. ''What does he want from me?'' {The host is required to make an equivalent exchange for the ability to absorb mana like the mutant beasts}. "Fuck!" Cain couldn''t help but exim out loud in pure shock. ''Is that possible?!'' Cain could recognize the worth of the mana absorption. And he greatly doubted it woulde for cheap... ''What do I have right now that will be worth something so precious?!'' {Replying to host; The only things the host currently has, that are of equivalent value to the ability to absorb God Ash, and can be traded, are; [The ability to create skills]. [Martial Arts techniques]. ''Hahaha! A bear performing a flying kick?! I''d love to see that!'' Theical scene yed a few times in Cain''s head before he decided to ask the more important question. ''Just to be sure, will I lose these things if I decide to trade them with the {Crimson Demon Bear}?'' {Replying to host; Since the things involved in the trade are intangible, they will not be lost by the host, but they will be shared in the form of data to the {Crimson Demon Bear}, the same way as the ability to absorb God Ash will not be lost by the {Crimson Demon Bear}, but will merely be shared to the host}. ''Deal! I choose to transfer knowledge on the ability to create skills to the mutant beast, {Crimson Demon Bear}.'' He didn''t even hesitate... He didn''t know what this could lead to, but he was more than ready to take the risk. And to him, the price he had to pay was more than worth it. He didn''t know what he was going to create in the process, but as long as he could get stronger, he didn''t care about the method. This time, both Cain and Teddyy their hands on one another. He could feel a steady, but small stream of energy flow to his brain, before leaving out of his body through his hand, and into the body of Teddy. Cain could feel a hot stream of energy enters his body through his paw of Teddy. {Congrattions to the host... You have acquired the ability to create a mana shard}. {A mana shard can only be created by a creature with the physique of a mutant. The host should please note that if this process should ur, there is a 100% chance, that an irreversible mutation will ur}. {Will the host like to proceed?}... *** Within the science and technology departmentplex... The downstairs hall was lit with a few battery-powered torches that provided the ce with a bit of illumination. ''Where the hell did that son of a bitch run off to?!'' ze was fuming, his hair like strands of mes standing out in the dimly lit hall. Anyone looking at him could tell he was pissed. Since it was already midnight, the others had all met up in the hall to discuss their next course of action. All except Cain... "Calm down. We don''t know for sure whether he ran off on his own or not." David exined to the agitated ze. "Then how do you exin his disappearance?" ze said. "For all we know, something bad might have happened to the boss... What if some sort of monster sneaked into the ssroom he was in and kidnapped him?!" Vincent said in a scared voice, his fatty cheeks trembling from exaggerated fear. "That makes little sense. If it was a mutant beast or devil, there is no way he could have been taken without any noise being made. With how strong Cain is, there is no way he would be taken without a fight. In the rare asion that he was, then I doubt whatever wanted him would have spared us." "He does make a point, you know? But all these are just assumptions. We can only wait and see..." Steve said in azy voice as he slumped over his chair sleepily. "This isn''t the time for jokes and games. Every single member of this group is a vital part to ensure our collective survival. The more people we have on this team, the greater our chances of survival, and the greater our ability to save those who need our help." ze said with clenched fists. Dan and Hunter had simply kept themselves out of the conversation... "What''s your deal anyway, man? Why do you care so much?" A suspicious grin appeared on the face of Vincent who had been shivering in fear just a second ago. ''This guy knows how to put up a front...'' The eyes of Steve that were already almost closed narrowed even further. "I... I..." "You what?" The grin on their face of Vincent widened even further. ''He''s expecting something oundish...'' Steve thought with an eye roll. "I don''t want what happened yesterday to happen again. It''s our fault all those people died." The light from the dim illumination cast a shadow on ze as he said this. The entire hall became silent, as the face of the fatty froze at the unexpected answer. "It''s not our fault. We gave them an out, but none of them took it due to cowardice. We couldn''t force them. Besides, they were all just unfortunate." David said with a letdown expression. "But if we had been there, maybe we would have been able to prevent it from ever happening," ze said with a hard expression on his face. "If we had been there, we would be dead." Hunter, who had been silent up till now said out of the blue. "What do you know? I don''t expect a coward like you to understand!" ze said as he gave Hunter a nasty look which he didn''t respond to. "Hah... Can you guys stop arguing for now? Even though Cain isn''t here, we can''t wait for him." "Hmph!" With a snort, ze sat back down in his seat with a dark expression. "Susan? You still with us?" "Huh?" "We are about to start discussing where we will go from here on out," David said. "We aren''t waiting for Cain?" "He''s gone AWOL on us. We can''t keep waiting because of him." "Oh... Let''s carry on then." Susan said with an unperturbed expression. ''Hmmm...'' Maybe by coincidence, but Vincent and Steve just happened to have the same thing in mind as they both stared Susan down for a brief second simultaneously. In the process, their eyes met, but they quickly chalked it up to what it was. A coincidence... "Alright... Let''s begin the discussion." Chapter 37: Blaze vs Hunter. "First of all, let''s discuss our current predicament." David said as his voice fell several pitches lower. The others payed attention when he began... "The world has changed on a fundamental level. All sorts of weird, messed up stuff that we can''t make heads or tails of have happened." "Many of those we know have died, and we are possibly the only ones left that survived. We don''t know the situation of the main campus, not to talk of the rest of the world." Their expressions all fell one after the other, as the realization of their circumstances hit them hard. This wasn''t a game. This was real life... The situation they were in just felt too unreal, and because they hadn''te across any real life-threatening encounters, they hadn''t felt the immensity of the danger their lives were in. ""We know how dangerous the situation is. But thinking about it too much is just going to make matters worse." Hunter, who had been silent all this while, said as he rose to his feet. "What do you know?! Aren''t you the one undermining the situation we are in?! Back then, in the forest, when it was time to perform, you didn''t even lift a finger to help. Yes, all of us are strong, and there was no way we could have died fighting the monster. But not even making an attempt is an unforgivable thing to do!" The depths of ze''s eyes were alit with mes as he stared straight at the stoic face of Hunter. "That may be true, but do not forget one thing. If I wanted you to die, there is no need for me to scheme." Hunter said in a cold unsympathetic voice. "Uh-oh!" Vincent said, a burst of cold air escaping from his clenched teeth. "Hehehehe... This son of a bitch!" Steve on the other hand burst into a cackling fit. "What did you just say?!" Suddenly, everywhere turned silent, as the temperature in the hall they were in dropped visibly by a few degrees... "Can you guys knock it out? Please! Stop fighting!" David''s pleas went unanswered as the two hotheads stared each other down. "I said, I don''t need a petty scheme to handle your ass. Satisfied?" Hunter said in his typical monotone voice. "Well why don''t you try me out?!" An explosion of mes instantly went off like a stic explosive. BOOM! ze turned into a literal zing me, as his signature spear materialized in his hands. "Well... This shit turned ugly pretty quick, didn''t it?" Steve said in amazement. "I couldn''t agree more." Vincent said, the same expression as Steve''s on his face. "You want to fight me?" Hunter said like he had just heard the most incredulous joke of all time. "Fight you? You are gravely mistaken." With a twirl, the spear in ze''s hands turned into an agile serpent as it tracedplex trajectories in the air, before it settled in his palms, parallel to the ground. "What I hate the most in this world, are cowards who have power, but choose not to use it to do good, and snakes. You just happen to be the two of those." "So here''s how it''s gonna go... I''m gonna beat the living shit out of you!" *** "Remember this, ze... The three core ts that make a man." A huge hulking behemoth of a man, and a young man with a solid build and red hair the same shade as that of the bulky old man that stood opposite him. This young man, is ze Armstrong, 17 year old student, and the first son of a family with a very deep background in the military. The man standing before him is his grandfather. "Unbendable principles, a strong and unyielding heart, and the most important one of all, righteousness..." "Without these ts, you turn from being a man, to a demon capable of inflicting pain and suffering on those around you. Only with these constantly embedded within your heart, would you be able to make good use of the power you were born with." "I understand, grandfather." The eyes of the young man seemed to glow with an undying, unquenchable me. And it seemed as though the old man could see it very clearly. The old bulky man and the young man were dressed in old military-style training gi. The young man was panting, as beads of sweat covered his forehead and rolled down to hit the mat below him. In his hands, he held a wooden polearm, while the old man waspletely barehanded. "Begin!" "Yes Sir!" The old man took a single step forward, prompting ze to frantically move out of the way. He made it just in time, as without even making any contact with him, the air in between the both of them stirred violently. With a series of beautiful twirls, the polearm danced in his hands like an agile serpent. ze bent his knees, and used all the force stored withing hisrge frame to leap up as he swept the wooden polearm at the old man without any hesitation. Of this hit struck, there were no doubts that it would result in an injury for the old man. But this wasn''t your regr run-of-the-mill old man... The old man stared at the iing weapon with disdain in his eyes. "You call this an attack?!" With his thumb and index finger outstretched, he simply grabbed the polearm with his vice-like grip. "Toughen up your heart, ze!" Before the young man could even blink, the palm of the old man came crashing unto his chest like a mountain, sending him flying across the room. BANG! "Again!" "Yes sir!" The boy picked himself off the ground and once again, heunched himself toward the old man like a bullet. ''I promise you, grandpa... I promise I''ll grow up to be the man you want me to be! Even if I have to sacrifice everything. As long as I have even a bit of breath left, my principles will never be broken!'' "ARGHHHH!" The boy held his polearm diagonally as he shifted his feet in aplex pattern, allowing his body topletely disappear from the old man''s line of observation. He appeared an instantter behind him, bringing his staff down with the force of a sledgehammer. Without even turning back, the old man simply raised his hands, and with a p, stopped the approaching weapon in between his two palms. Shifting his weight to his other feet, he turned around like a spinning top and used the other tond a kick directly onto the midsection of the boy. "Blegh!" Once again, the boy wasunched like a thrown rag doll across the room they were spared in. "Alright. We stop here for today. You have made significant improvements sincest time. Good job, kid." The old man walked forward and handed the boy a bottle of water and a towel. "Thanks, Grandpa." The boy said while keeping a sulking expression on his face. "Eh?! What''s up? Did I hit you too hard?! Are you okay?!" The old man said in a fit of panic. "No grandpa... I can handle a few blows just fine." ze said with a sigh. "Oh... Then what''s the matter." "I''m just wondering... What if I can never be the man you want me to be?" ze said while looking up to the man who had raised him and the only person he truly respected in his life. "Hahahaha! That''s what''s got you all blue?!" The old man burst into a fit of heartyughter. "I knew you''dugh... Hmph!" "Hahaha! Sorry, kiddo." The old man let out a few more chuckles before turning the boy around and cing his huge hands on his shoulders. "Listen to me, Kiddo. The world is a scary ce, and there is a lot more evil than good in it. As long as you stay true to yourself, and fight against that evil, you are a man." The young boy had stars in his ruby-red eyes, as he pondered about what he was told. "It''s okay. You don''t have to understand it now. It wille eventually. Just make sure you are ready when it does. Hahaha!" "Okay, grandpa!" The boy said, a smile finally appearing on his handsome face. The two boys stared at one another, their auras and ideals shing, trying to see who woulde out superior. It was very simr to the sh between Cain and Hunter, but a tad more intense. "Summon Demon Wolf!" A huge burning wolf with mes for fur jumped out of Hunter''s shadow and stared ze down with its rapid eyes, its fangs bared, ready to pounce. "People like you disgust me. Always scheming and having some sort of underhand tactic to pull off, but today, I''m gonna make sure you fight, fair and square. I''d love to see what that little doggy of yours can do!" "Sure. I have no qualms fighting you. Bring it on!" The mes on the body of the huge wolf brought a bit more illumination, as well as shadows into the room, making Hunter look a bit more sinister than usual as his eyes glowed within the contrasting darkness... "Fine by me... Ha!" And just like that, apletely unexpected, but necessary fight between the two youths began. Meanwhile... {Will the host like to proceed?}... Cain stared at the information provided to him. On one hand, he wanted to y it safe. It said that he would experience a mutation with 100% certainty. He didn''t know what sort of mutation it would be, but he was sure it would turn him into something no longer purely human. On the other hand, he wanted to take the risk. He had concluded that the ability to absorb power from God Ash was way more important than preserving his humanity. ''Trying to preserve my so-called humanity would be stupidity. As long as I have power, then humanity can go fuck itself!'' Although he was oblivious to it, Cain was still salty about his most recent loss. And since it happened just recently, it was still fresh in his memory. The feeling of defeat had slightly altered his thought process. If it was the old Cain, he would have stopped to ask himself a few questions before proceeding. But the current Cain had his mind subconsciously clouded with his obsession to beat the {Devil-eyed White Primate}. All he could see was the power that would be granted to him if he could attain the ability to absorb God Ash. So, without much hesitation, he agreed... "I wish to proceed!" Chapter 38: Disheartened/Meeting with Ashur again. "I wish to proceed." {Processing Request...} {....} {Request Granted}. {Select: Affirmative}. {Please Standby for exchange}. {Host has acquired the ability to create a mana shard... The production process begins...} Cain could feel his organs being moved around, as the feeling of being burnt alive quickly overwhelmed him. "ARGHHHH!" He felt as though his blood was boiling his organs, turning them into stewed meat, while his bones served as thedles for stirring it up. His joints rattled in their sockets, as his already weary body began to feel even more exhausted. But he couldn''t even breathe because of the damned pain... The pain refused to go away. It was slowly eating him up from the inside, threatening to consume whatever life he had within his body. He felt the most pain in his chest, right beside his heart. He could feel the majority of the blood in his body flowing toward that section of his chest. It was a strange feeling, being able to know what was happening within your own body, yet not being able to do anything about it. ''What the hell is going on?! Why does it hurt so god-damned much?!'' {Replying to host: There have been a few...plications}. ''Complications?!'' Cain couldn''t believe what he was hearing. {Replying to host: Yes,plications}. ''But I thought you said it was safe?! So what''s the problem now?!'' {Replying to host: The host never asked for information on the safety levels associated with a mutation of this degree, or the sess rate. Hence, bound by thews that govern all, it is not my ce to say a thing}. ''Fuck! Well, tell me how dangerous this mutation is then?! Hurry! I don''t care how many system points you need. Just do it!'' {Replying to host: Processing Response}. {Replying to host: Request Granted}. {Replying to host: Regarding the danger levels of a mutation like this, it is important to know that mutations on this level have a 90¨C99.99% mortality rate}. ''What the hell?!'' Cain''s bloodshot eyes widened even further due to thistest piece of information. ''So why did you suggest it in the first ce?!'' {Replying to host: Because you asked}. ''You-!'' {"..."} ''Ha... What can I do to increase my chances?'' At this point, Cain had already calmed down. He began to think and realized he hadn''t thought things through before he made his decision. If he had, with how smart he was, he would have gotten around to addressing details as important as this. If he had, he wouldn''t have made such a newbie mistake. {Replying to host: There is no course of action the host can take at the moment that will influence the mutation}. ''I''m fucked.'' Cain decided to leave his fate in the hands of destiny... ''If I live, I live. If I die, I hope everyone else does with me.'' This was thest thought that drifted through his mind as his consciousness slowly drifted into darkness. Thest thing he could sense as he lost consciousness, was the overwhelming feeling of burningpletely consuming his body. *** Cain eventually came to within the dark abyssal void deep within his consciousness. He was standing on the same colossal continent of an ind that floated in pitch-ck darkness. "Wee back." Cain turned to stare at the magnificent golden dragon floating within the void. The golden dragon was still the same since he had seen him thest time. Golden scales stretched out all across the expanse of his body. Menacing horns jutted out of his crown and spine, making it look both evil and majestic at the same time. His wings spread wide, covering almost all Cain could see. "Ashur..." Cain said as he marveled at the sight of the miraculous creature. "We do not have time to chat, so I''ll spare you the details. Take the [Records of Akasha] and pour a drop of blood onto it. That will get you out of whatever predicament you are currently in." Unlikest time, the golden dragon seemed different. He spoke in a more serious tone, and he didn''t transform into his human form. He spoke with way more authority and power than before,pletely different from how he spoke the first time they had met. But Cain also had a few questions of his own... "I need to know why," Cain said in a strong-willed tone as well. "Your life is in the bnce right now. Any more time wasted, and you can go right off the edge. At that point, nothing can save you. Do what I say immediately. " Ashur said in a tone that created no room for bargaining. "You have to tell me why. I need more information. The stupid system doesn''t do shit, so I have only myself to rely on. But I need your help. I no longer want to get kept in the dark like this!" Cain said, anger and frustration building up in his words. "Today, I nearly lost my life in a fight because I was too weak. If I didn''t n adequately, I''d be dead by now. And now, I''m about to meet my end due to a freaking stupid decision. So right now, I need to know why I need to do what you ask of me." Cain stared directly into the twin orbs of ck and white that gazed into his very soul. "Hmmm...." A deep rumbling noise escaped from the throat of the giant dragon. "I can''t tell you everything, but I will be able to tell you this. Within the tome lies something that will get you out of your current predicament." "You can choose to do it or not. That''s the difference between life and death, as I have no other way to help you. The choice is yours." Once he was done saying his piece, the giant dragon stared at Cain in silence, awaiting his response. Cain began to ponder... He seriously had no other options. He was relying on Ashur''s charity to survive, just like how he had to rely on Teddy''s help as well. On the two asions when his life was in danger, he couldn''t do anything, except ept the charity of others. He had to ept the reality... He was weak. He was powerless, useless, and incapable of protecting his ideals and values. The only option possible for him was death... "Fine, death it is then." With that being said, Cain attempted to copse onto the hard cold ground with his body devoid of all motivation. ''I guess my resolve isn''t as strong as I thought it was.'' s, the golden dragon was having none of that... "FOOL!" BANG!!! A world-shattering pressure descended upon Cain like a colossal mountain. The eyes of Ashur burned with ck and white colored mes as he let out an angry roar. ''Shit! I can''t move!'' The pressure bearing down on him made it so that he couldn''t even twitch his muscles. "You are a fool if you think dying is the best option. That would be a big disgrace to the potential you possess. Just how little do you think a dragon''s time is worth?! Do you think I, the great Ashur, will waste my time on trash?!" The roars of rage seemed to stir up something within Cain''s soul as well. In his rage, he began to fight against the pressure bearing down on him. "Show me that you have what it takes to bear my legacy! Fight it! Show me where your pride is!" ''I''ll show you who''s trash!'' Cain kept struggling. Even though he was just about to give up a moment ago, here he was, struggling to preserve thest bit of his pride. "Are you so useless that you will be pushed to your knees by the fear of death?! Are you so weak?!" ''I''m not weak! I am not useless!'' Cain suddenly came to a realization... He had been looking at it wrong all this time. BOOM! Suddenly, he had a profound moment ofprehension... "ROAR!" A guttural roar escaped from his lips before he even knew what he was doing... ''Yes! That is it! Show me you deserve what it takes to bear the soul of a dragon!'' This time, Cain voluntarily let out a roar that came from the depths of his soul. An ancient, savage aura burst out from his depths like a volcanic eruption. A deep golden aura enveloped his entire being as his eyes developed a new glint within them. "I know what I have to do now." "Good. Only you can grasp destiny with your hands. Remember this." With that being said, Ashur extended a single w just likest time, sending Cain away from the huge ind floating within the void. Once he was gone, Ashur let out a sigh of exhaustion as his giant dragon form began to flicker a bit, sometimes appearing real, while at others, taking on the characteristics of a phantom image. "What does it cost to change the direction the river of time flows in and how the threads of fate are pulled?" He stared at the lonely, empty void around him as he let out a sigh that made the void tremble... "I''ming for you, Tian." Cain suddenly sat up with a sudden jolt. His hand was still glued to Teddy who was still seated beside him on its furry behind with its eyes closed. It was most likely digesting the gains it got from Cain. The burning pain within his body hadn''t faded away at all. It had even intensified if anything. But this time, there was no panic in his eyes. Swiftly, he summoned the tome, [Records of Akasha I] from his inventory. The cover of tome was covered in all sorts of ancient glyphs and runes. At the center of the time, the runic symbols representing all the primary elements of manay organized in a specific pattern. But these weren''t Cains''s focus as he swiftly followed Ashur''s instructions. He bit the tip of his finger and didn''t even flinch as his blood flowed out in trickles onto the surface of the tome. ''I hope this works.'' Cain waited with bated breath, as the pain within his body grew more and more in intensity. His stomach churned, and he felt all his organs begin to reject the air around him as he coughed up a mouthful of blood. This mouthful of blood just so happened tond on the [Records of Akasha I]. The time glowed with golden light as it began to absorb the blood stuck to its surface. Once all the blood had been absorbed, the tome magically opened up, and a bead of golden light emerged from within its pages. This bead of light swiftly flew in the air, before burrowing into his chest, all without leaving any signs of its existence. Cain watched all this a bit confused. ''What was that?'' Cain thought to himself in amazement. Suddenly, amidst the pain, he began to feel it... THUMP! The pain slowly faded away, but Cain could sense that thing within him was changing the fundamentals of his very existence. His chest heaved up and down as his breath began to speed up. He somehow could feel the existence of a second heart within him... Chapter 39: Mana Heart. {Due to differences in physiology, the host cannot form a mana shard. Choosing the most optimal option...} {Most optimal option found...} {Continuing mutation process...} {Mutation Complete}. {Congrattions... The host has obtained an internal [physique] passive skill, Mana Heart. Note: This skill may or may not cause physical and mental changes.} {¡Á2 to Magic}. {+10 to Strength} {+10 to Stamina} {+10 to Agility} {+5 to Defense} {+5 to Vitality} {+2% to all current resistances} {+2,000 system points} {Level up!} *** BA-DUMP! The pain had stopped but had been reced with a weird sensation in his body, especially where his heart was located. He could feel something within his chest, aside from his normal heart, beating like a heart... Cain took in a deep breath as he tried to arrange his thoughts better. By now, the link between him and Teddy had been broken. God Ash was still pouring from the sky, so Teddy was off to a corner, doing its best to absorb it. He touched his chest and could feel the strong, rhythmic heartbeats in sync within his chest. He looked down at his chest, but he could see nothing had changed on the outside... ''What the hell is going on?!'' {Replying to host: It would seem that due to some external factors that even I can''t seem to exin, the mutation process was sessful. Congrattions, host}... Cain''s sights fell to the tome by his side. If not for Ashur and his help, he would be a goner by now. Not only did he owe him his life, but without his most recent meeting with him, he would still be in that negative and deluded state of mind. He would never be able to have attained a state of mind as the one he had now. ''What exactly does he want from me? What is his goal?'' Cain pondered about all these things while he brought up his status screen to go through his stats... Name: {Cain Lenosi} Level: 18. Strength: 92. Agility: 151. Stamina: 2/76. Vitality: 39. Defense: 29. Control: 3.7. Perception: 2.7. HP: 1,520/3,200. MP: 300/2,100. Magic: 130. Resistance: Poison- 7%. Skills: Golden blood, Mana de, Lightening Edge, de Mastery Lvl. 2, Burst Step, Metal Creation Lvl.2, Golden Severance, Metal Maniption, *Fear, *Bloodthirsty, Blood Ingestion Regeneration, Azure Burst, Mana Heart. Titles: Champion of Ashur (locked). Free attribute points: 21. System points: 4,000. {Inventory}. {Shop}. {Golden blood level.1}: Upon activation, multiply all physical stats by 2. Consumes 100 MP, and costs 1 point of stamina per second to maintain. Puts the body of the user under great strain. (1000/10000 SP). This is an internal skill, hence, it can be upgraded. {Mana de}: Coat the surface of your de with destructive mana to deal an extra 200% damage when attacking. It Consumes 5MP per second to sustain. Note:This is an external active skill, and cannot be upgraded. {Lightening Edge: Increase attack speed by 100%. Critical rate increases by 5% when the skill is used. Cost 100MP to activate. Cooldown: 30 seconds. {de Mastery lvl. 2.} (passive): Increases attack power and speed with ded weapons by 30%. Increases critical chance and rate by 5%. (3,000/9,000SP). {Burst Step}: Expell mana from beneath the feet, creating propulsion that allows the host to change trajectory abruptly when in motion. Increases movement speed by 30%. Costs 5MP per activation. No cooldown.} {Metal Creation Lvl 2.}: Gather the Metal elemental attribute mana to create constructs of metal. The effects of the skill are influenced by the host''s magic and control stats, as well as imagination. (0/10,000SP). {Golden Severance}: Condense an immense amount of metal attribute elemental mana into a concentrated beam of world light, capable of splitting anything ites in contact with only for a single attack, and increases attack power by 500%. The attack consumes 500MP upon usage. Cooldown: 2.5 minutes. {Metal Maniption}: Grants the ability to freely control metal of weight that does not exceed 1 ton. Skill is leveled up simultaneously with the {Metal Creation} skill. {Fear} (passive): Release a malevolent aura akin to a devil, inflicting fear onto your opponent. Decreases opponent movement and attack speed by 5%. {Bloodthirsty} (passive): Consume the blood and flesh of fallen enemies to increase the power of the Devil''s broken w. For every 100 enemies in and absorbed, attack speed and attack power increase by 1%. {Blood Ingestion Regeneration} (passive): Grants the ability to safely ingest the blood of mutant beasts without any adverse effects. Consuming the blood and flesh of mutant beasts grants passive Stamina, Vitality, and Mana regeneration. For every 0.1 liters of blood, or 100 grams of flesh consumed, 100HP, 50MP, and 1 stamina point are regenerated. {Azure Burst}: Rapidly burn out internal mana in a single burst to produce enough heat and energy to burn the surrounding mana. These mes greatly increase the attack and movement speed of the host by 200%. Attack damage increases by 50%. Critical rate and damage increased by 10%. Costs 500MP to activate, and the skill onlysts for 10 seconds. Cooldown: 5 minutes. {Mana Heart (passive): Mana pool increases by 2¡Á. Mana is regenerated at 5MP per second. The Cooldown of all skills and spells are reduced by 50%. For every level, +1 extra point to Magic stat. Grants host the ability to absorb and transform pure forms of mana}. NOTE: This is a physique skill, and as such will have various physical effects on the host. "Incredible!" Cain eximed. ''What a powerful skill...'' Cain decided to ask the system a few things to clear his doubts. ''System, I need a better exnation on what is going on, especially this God Ash.'' {Replying to host: Further information can be purchased at the-} ''Fine, fine! The system shop, I get it!'' Cain said with a. roll of his eyes. After paying the bill at the extravagant system shop, which was all the system points he had managed to gather so far, there was a short pause before the system replied to him. {Replying to host: The reason why mutant beasts can mutate and evolve so quickly, is because they can absorb God Ash.} Although it wasmon knowledge everywhere else in the universe, it was unknown to Cain that God Ash was one of the most precious and rare sources of pure mana. It was a material that could only be deposited after the death of a god, or a god-like being. {Since the events of the thousand-millennium war, it has be very rare to see a being as powerful as a god meet its demise. The only way to find deposits of God Ash is to trace cosmic tides that may or may not have traces of this rich source of mana within them These cosmic currents were bound by the universalws that governed all, to carry these deposits of God Ash to worlds that had not been influenced by mana in any way}. {The amount of God Ash that is used to help these worlds develop can be divided into waves depending on how many times it falls onto the surface of said world. The least amount of times God Ash can fall on a, is twice, while the maximum number of times ever recorded, is 32 times.} {When God Ash falls onto a world, the inhabitants of the said world usually have their various means of absorbing it, converting it into their power.} {For beasts, their main way of converting, is by directly absorbing the God Ash, as well as devouring other beasts, devils, and even humans. As for humans, their physiology makes it almost impossible to obtain mana naturally without a few aids, such as certain special skills. {These skills can allow them to absorb power from trees, the ground, beasts, and even God Ash itself, but more in an indirect form. The main way humans absorb God Ash, is with the help of the system, making their progress many times slower than most of the other species dwelling within the universe}. {Using special skills and treasures might increase the absorption rate, but it isn''t as efficient as the possession of a mana shard or devil orb. What the host has here, is something much more than that...} {Since the attempt at mutation was doomed to fail, as there is no way for a human to adapt to the physiology of beasts, the host was destined to die. But with the aid of an unknown external power, whose origins are still a mystery even to me, the mutation was influenced by a huge margin, allowing the host to acquire something that has never been seen in the history of the universe...} {The human equivalent of a mana generator}. ''Thanks for condemning me to my death!'' Cain said annoyed by how he had almost met his death because of negligence... {Replying to host: The pleasure is all mine}. ''Ummm...'' At this point, Cain was deeply concerned about whether or not he was in good hands. ''Well, you mentioned mana generator, what is that?'' {Replying to host: A mana generator is anything that can convert a raw, unrefined source of mana and turn it into any form of useable energy. It can be biological, or otherwise...} ''Hmmm... Interesting.'' It suddenly came to his attention that he knew little to nothing about the things he needed to know. Things that should be essential knowledge, and could be found within the tome he was given, but he had been putting off learning about because of his pride and resolution to learn things the hard way. ''Well, not anymore. I need to start thinking smarter. This isn''t the way to go about it. The more I know, the less I can put my life in danger.'' He had found the courage to admit that he was the source of all his problems. He had been letting his pride get in the way of everything he had been doing. His pride was important, but letting it be a hindrance to his ns, affecting them negatively, was not the way to go about it. That was why he had almost lost the mind games against Hunter the previous day. ''I need some time to think and do a good reanalysis of all my ns. But now isn''t the time, nor is here the ce for that sort of thing...'' Staying in the forest, unprotected for so long, wasn''t a very smart thing to do. If he encountered a monster that was as strong as the {Devil-eyed White Primate}, he was doomed. He still hadn''t recovered from the fight earlier. He didn''t want to take any chances... "Teddy!" "Right?!" By now, the God Ash rain had stoppedpletely. It had only happened for a moderately brief amount of time, so Cain didn''t have time to absorb any, but Teddy had gained a lot from it, as he looked even more powerful than before. Its wounds had healed up, and the runic symbols on its body glowed with a deeper light. "Let''s go!" Chapter 40: Learning more about Mana. SWOOSH! PA! PA! PA! The giant figure of Teddy could be seen dashing through the shrubbery. The lightless night served to emphasize his peculiar glow as he traveled like a bolt of crimson lightning... Beside him, Cain ran at his cruising speed, hoping to make it back quickly. He had recovered his health with some potions, as well as his stamina with the blood of a few mutant beasts using his {Blood Ingestion Regeneration} skill. {Blood Ingestion Regeneration} (passive): Grants the ability to safely ingest the blood of mutant beasts without any adverse effects. Consuming the blood and flesh of mutant beasts grants passive Stamina, Vitality, and Mana regeneration. For every 0.1 liters of blood, or 100 grams of flesh consumed, 100HP, 50MP, and 1 stamina point are regenerated. Well, more than a few... The average mutant beast Cain had encountered contained at most 5 liters of blood, but a lot of that was stored within the flesh of the beast. He didn''t have the time or energy to cook the meat to eat, and he was disgusted by the idea of eating it raw. He also wasn''t in the right state to hunt stronger or bigger animals. He had noticed that the stronger the mutant he defeated, the less of its blood he would need to consume for his recovery. It was as though the stronger the creature, the more quality its blood had. So he decided to save his HP and MP potions and use the blood of the mutant beasts he had killed along the way to recover lost energy... A small creature the size of a fully grown dog dashed out of a nearby bush towards the running bear and human. {Mutant Demon Rabbit} level 12: (normal). Strength: 70. Agility: 90. Defense: 10. Mana: 20. HP: 1,200/1,200. MP: 200/200. Skills: Hop, Double jump, Lacerate. The thing was fast, but not fast enough... SLICE! A brief sh of lightter, and a headless corpse tumbled in the air, blood spraying from its severed neck like a fountain. Cain held onto its neck, then steadied his mind as he tilted his head backward whilst treating the body of the dead {Mutant Demon Rabbit} like a bottle of soda. ''Sweet...'' The blood of the mutant creatures had a sweet refreshing taste to it when the toxic properties were removed by his {Blood Ingestion Regeneration} skill. Previously, before he had gotten the skill, the toxic properties of God Ash that were bad for humans caused severe side effects when he had just taken a drop of mutant beast blood. But now, he could safely do so and even gain some benefits... Even if he didn''t have this skill, with the aid of his new skill, {Mana Heart}, he would easily be able to use the blood... ''As for the meat...'' "Catch, big guy." Cain tossed the dead piece of meat straight at Teddy who was also running beside him at full speed with its tongue peeking from the side of its bloody maws as a dog would. "Ragh!" The beast opened its mouth wide, catching the huge rabbit with its terrifying fangs. "Crack... munch..." Sounds of bones being broken and flesh being torn apart made no difference to the already ominous atmosphere... Midnight had passed, and the God Ash has stopped falling, but Cain was able to see the changes it brought about. The monsters within the forest behaved way more aggressively than they had been during the day. The air and ground seemed moist, but there had been no rain. The trees and bushes all seemed to grow by the minute. ''Talk about creepy... This is definitely because of this god ash.'' Cain thought to himself as a frown quickly began to twist his features. A lot had happened within the span of a few days, and he was still processing it all. ''There are so many things happening at once. I have to take it in one at a time, or I''ll be overwhelmed quickly.'' One of Cain''s greatest traits was his ability to learn and adapt quickly, whilst thinking at high speeds. This was why he was able to adapt so quickly when God Ash first rained upon their world and he and his ssmates were attacked. ''The most important things I should dwell on right now, are any information on God Ash I can get my hands on, as well as skills.'' He quickly calmed down, increasing his speed as he bolted through the forest. Since there was no path marking the way back, Cain made use of his eidetic memory to create a very urate map of the route he had used when he got into the forest. In a few minutes, he arrived at the building. "Teddy, you wait nearby. I''ll signal for you when I need you." "Ragh." Cain had Teddy wait in the surroundings, while he went into the building. He did this because he didn''t want to spook the others, and the big, fat bear probably wouldn''t be able to fit into the front door anyways. He made little to no sound as he dashed through the courtyard with nimble feet. He gazed at the huge building that contained no illumination at all, sitting there in the darkness like a ghost building. It was extremely quiet due to theck of life within, and the atmosphere surrounding it stank of abandonment and despair. ''Just a few days in, and a lot have lost their lives. Makes me wonder what will be of me in the future.'' Due to recent events, Cain''s outlook on life changed drastically. He was no longer as arrogant as before. He was able to see that he was just as capable of dying as everyone else. He might be special, but not to the point that death would grant him a get-out-of-jail-free card anytime he got too close to the edge of its abyss... He was limited by the same set of rules that everyone else had to follow. Although he was dissatisfied, that was just the reality of things. The only way he could beat it was to be strong. So strong, that thews that applied to everyone else would be null and void when the wheels were spun at him. *** Sighting his intended destination, he put his strength, as well as a bit of mana into his legs. Due to his most recent gains, his magic stat had gone through the roofs, doubling in quantity. This caused his control of mana to be double that of what it usually was. He decided to experiment a bit... ''From what I have been told, some skills can be formed when an action or series of actions are linked together and influenced by mana. Coupled with a bit of luck as well as a generous amount of ability, a skill can be birthed.'' He thought back to all the skills he had gotten as a result of self-creation. {Lightening Edge}, {Burst Step}, and so on... All these skills were acquired only when he had paired an action with his control of mana. ''As for skills like {Mana de}, {Golden Severance}, and {Azure Burst}, they were gotten when I was pushed to the edge, my back facing the abyss. I guess the only way to get skills like this, is to challenge death.'' ''If that''s the case, then...'' BANG! The ground beneath him rumbled as he flew upwards like a missile, reaching the height of the 3rd floor in less than a second. He grabbed onto the window sill, and with a slight twist of his wrist, he threw his body through the open window. With a flip, hended with a stride. He was only able to perform something like this with the help of his high control stat. If he didn''t have such a high control stat, regardless of how much strength or agility he had, he wouldn''t have been able to perform it with so much finesse... However, his experiment ended up as a failure... He waited for the system prompt indicating that he had created a new skill but wasn''t surprised or disappointed when it didn''te. ''I expected that much. There is no way it can be that easy.'' ''Well, it isn''t aplete failure...'' Cain had realized through this attempt, that there are a variety of ways to use mana. Due to his recent increase in magic, he was able to sense the mana within him as well as in his surroundings more clearly. His earlier conception of mana was a bit wed... For mana to be expelled from the body, it had to make contact with a source of external mana. For example, when he activated his {Golden Severance} skill, he relied on his internal mana to shape the skill as well as give form to the skill, while the metal elemental mama within the surroundings reacted to it, forming up the entirety of the skill. Not only could this theory be applied to create skills, but it could also be applied to basic actions such as walking, jumping, and so on. And what just happened served to prove his theory. Mana could be utilized in any way imaginable as long as you had sufficient magic power and imagination. It was governed by a fewws and standards of application, but once those were figured out, the possibilities were limitless. ''This calls for more experimentation. But this is not the time.'' Cain nced at the wall clock, only to find out that it was already past midnight. He remembered that they had all agreed to meet in the downstairs hall by midnight. He waste... ''Let''s see what the others are up to then.'' Since his experiments didn''t require too much urgency, he decided to go ahead downstairs to rendevous with the others... They dashed down the stairs and arrived before the hallways. He could make out a few words from the other side of the door. "Sure. I have no qualms fighting you. Bring it on!" "Fine by me... Ha!!!" ''Hmmm? It seems like a lot has happened in my absence...'' The sound waves of their explosive sh spread outside the hall, indicating to Cain that a very interesting show had just begun. Like a ghost, he quietly opened the doors and with the stealth of a chameleon, he snuck into the hall undetected... Chapter 41: Vincent/ Thousand faced Fatty. Well, almost undetected... Two pairs of curious and devious eyes stared at Cain as he waltz through the doors. Everyone else hadn''t noticed him apart from these two. "Eh? Isn''t that Cain?" The fatter of the two whispered to the thinner one... "It appears to be him? I think. I''m not so sure... Could be a devil in disguise. Who knows..." The thinner one said as they continued to gossip amongst one another like a pair of school girls. "He''s gone again..." Vincent said to Steve. Before they knew it, Cain had disappeared from their sight once again. "Dunno... Let''s focus on more important matters. Who do you think will win this?" "Eh? I''ll put my odds with ze. The dudes'' got grit, y''know?" Vincent said as they watched the Hunter and ze duke it out. "I''ll go with Hunter. Just think about it... He''s able to turn into a freaking wolf. He probably has some upbringing issues. Kids like him are often experts atmitting acts of violence." "Hmm... You do have a point. But there are too many uncertainties. We haven''t even seen the true extent of both their powers." "True... So how about we make a bet..." Steve said, a dubious and cunning light shing in his eyes. "Oh? What do you have in mind, my good man?" Vincent said, the same glint in his eyes as well... Like minds think alike, and the minds of Vincent and Steve were as alike as they came. Whilst Hunter and ze were having their battle of brawn, they were having their battle. A battle of brains... *** BRATATATATA!!! A session of bullets was released from the chamber, traveling through the 500-meter shooting range, all of them hitting the same spot just above the bullseye. Although this doesn''t seem impressive, a real master shooter would be able to hit the bullseye even once. And yet, there was no indication of the bullseye being hit. Instead, after an entire magazine had been emptied, there was only one hole the size of a standard rifle bullet. It was almost as if all the shooters had made it so, all the bullets never failing to go through the same hole created by the first bullet, with no deviation in the slightest... "Sigh... Don''t know if I''m getting better or not." On the other side of the practice range, a teenager stood with his hands holding a rifle. The muzzle of the gun was still smoking hot, but his grip on the gun was like that of a vice mp. He reloaded the magazine while the target was remotely changed by theputerized AI system used in the shooting range. Once he was ready, he got into his preferred stance. He stared through the scope of the rifle at his target, his breathing to a halt as his pupils dted unnaturally. He suddenly exhaled sharply as his index finger smashed the trigger. The rifle he was using was an automatic rifle, which wasn''t known for its uracy. What this means in simple terms, is that the boy is currently doing something that should be close to impossible. For a human to have this sort of uracy with an automatic rifle, it was the work of a genius, as this wasn''t something that could be learned with just training... His slightly huge belly and fatty cheeks, a product of his many years of bad dieting jiggled due to the recoil, but his hands and eyes were as steady as a rock and as sharp as that of a hawk. This time, all the bullets traveled straight through the bullseye, leaving only a single bullet hole in the target. "Sigh..." Taking off his goggles and gloves, Vincent inspected the target and was pleased with the results. "Guess that''s it for today." He packed up his gear and made his way toward the entrance of the shooting range. "Still grievin'' ain''t ya, kiddo?" The doorman seated in azy posture said to Vincent as he strolled out. "Maybe..." "Ya can let out bullets all ya want, but the devils are gonna keep gnawin'' at yer heart if you don''t let it out." The old man said with a profound look on his face... "How much have you drank, you old wine jar!" Vincent said with a chuckle. "Eh? Who yer callin'' a wine jar?!" The old man said angrily. "Hahaha... Stinky old man. You better get cleaned up. You reek of booze." Vincentughed while the old man fumed. "Don''t try to change the subject, boy! Shootin'' guns all day ain''t gonna give you redemption." This time, there was a look of seriousness in his drunken eyes. "I''m a fine, old man. Always have, and always will. You don''t need to worry about me. The day something is wrong with me, my butt is gonna lose a few stones, so it''s gonna be obvious. Hahaha!" Vincentughed as he waved the old man goodbye, exiting the building. "Sigh... Poor kid..." Vincent strolled along the streets of a highly developed city, headed towards his home... The high rises, the hover vehicles, theplex mechanized structures powered by engineering and Artificial intelligence, and many other things made it a dreamscape city. While most would see this as the ideal ce to foster a rxing lifestyle, all Vincent could see, was a cesspool that breeds cockroaches. A disgusting pit where the morally degenerate were born... Not that he had any problems with it. After all, he considered himself a cockroach as well... He might not eat shit, but he was still a cockroach nheless... It was around 7 pm, so dusk was already approaching. This was the time when the true colors of the city were shown. The shooting range wasn''t a high-end one and was located on the more "low-end" side of the city. Although it wasn''t obvious, and there was no clear distinction, the city was separated into two parts. One part for the higher ss citizens, and the other, for everyone else... ''I''m sure the ones on top aren''t any better.'' He was right... Vincent ended his inner monologue when he noticed one of the numerous prostitutes in line along the road looking in his direction. A degenerate grin spread across his face as he danced to the tune his lower head was ying. For a while now, he hadn''t had any luck on the streets as he had been running out of money due to his frequent visits to the shooting range. Luckily for him, today, he had enough money to have a go at it for the whole night... Although he was a bit fat, he was still good-looking, so there weren''t any issues when it came to finding one with looks that were good enough for him to keep himself hard whilst he was having a go at it. "One night?" "Five thousand!" The hooker responded, a seductive smile ying at the corner of her lips. "Deal!" The horniness of a teenager couldn''t be underestimated. He didn''t even want to haggle. Right now, all he sought, was release... However, fate wouldn''t grant him said relief today... "Move out the fucking way, fatty!" Vincent felt a rough hand shove him away. He wasn''t expecting it, so he lost his bnce a bit but wasn''t swept off his feet. He turned around to see three men the size of walls staring down at him with condescending looks. The frown on his face changed into a smile in a split second, almost like it had never been there in the first ce. "Oh! Gentlemen? What do you need me for?" Vincent said, his eyes disappearingpletely under his thick eyelids, turning them into double crescents. With that sort of expression, he looked so harmless, one wouldn''t even suspect him of killing a fly. The tough expressions on the faces of the men twisted a little, as the me they hade in with was quickly dowsed with water... "What''s a little brat like you doing here in the middle of the night? Didn''t your mama tell you it''s dangerous out in these streets, huh?!" One of the bigger men said, tilting his head down to stare Vincent in the face, making him look even more intimidating. A breath reeking of alcohol wafted into his nose, but he kept cool, his expression not changing in the slightest. "Well, I was patronizing this young woman, exchanging my money for a few of her services," Vincent said. "You can fuck off then. She belongs to the boss." One of the goons with a gap tooth said. "Eh? Is that true?" Vincent turned towards the young hooker he had nned to patronize, his face gradually changing into a worried frown. ''Sigh... Seems like no booty for me tonight.'' Vincent sighed internally. "No, I''m not! Stop spoiling business for me, you freaking goon." The hooker yelled at the goons. "Shut it, bitch! Can''t you see we''re talking?!" The head goon boomed at the now frightened hooker. Meanwhile, Vincent just stared at them, his thoughts unknown. But the smile on his face never left... "Gentlemen, don''t you think this is too much?" Vincent said in his signature polite voice. "Huh? What was that?!" The goon with the gap tooth said with a raised brow. "I said... leave her alone," Vincent said, the tone of his voice lowering by several pitches. All this while, the smile was still stered onto his face. "Hey, hey... Looks like this punk has some backbone." "Hahahaha!" "What if we break it, huh?! Now the goons were more than eager to teach Vincent a lesson. Before they could even do a single thing, they found out that the fatty standing right before them was nowhere to be seen. "Eh?! Where did he go?!" "He was standing right there just now, boss!" "Maybe he''s a ghost?!" CLICK! Suddenly, the head goon heard a clicking sound. He felt something cold press against his sides. Although he acted a fool, he was part of the underground and was able to analyze his predicament fast... A gun! Vincent had brought out a gun and pressed it against the ribcage of the head goon. "What the hell? He''s behind us!" "Boss?" The head goon was sweating bullets while the others were wondering what the hell was wrong with him. "C-calm down, k-kid! We can settle this peacefully. Are you sure you want to do this here?!" "We both know I can pull this trigger." The smiling Vincent whispered into his ears. In the underground, there were many kinds of characters, from all sorts of backgrounds, most of them the product of the vices of a false society. Amongst these characters, a certain group of them was known for their brutality when it came to taking the lives of others. They had a unique aura only those who had taken a life before would be able to sense. The head goon had not only taken a life before, but he had also run into one of these people before. ''This fucking fatty is one of them. He''s a fucking NO TRIGGER!'' Not only was Vincent a high school student, but he was also a leader of arge underground group known as ''Melpomene and Thalia''. ''The thousand-faced fatty''... That was the nickname given to him by the big shots in the underworld. He could change expressions like a slideshow. He was a devil with a gun, could kill a fly with a bullet from several hundred meters away, and was also known as a criminal mastermind. People like him were called ''No Triggers'' by the denizens of the underworld... "Oh? What do you have in mind, my good man?" A hearty smile formed on the face of the good-natured fatty. Making a deal with him, was like dancing on the devil''s tongue... Chapter 42: More Fighting. "You chose ze, and I choose Hunter. Whoever loses will give half of all the mana shards they obtain for a whole month to the winner. Deal?" Steve said, greed overwhelming his features. "Hehehe... Sure why not? You''ve got yourself a deal!" Vincent agreed without hesitation. The two shook hands on it and continued watching the fight between ze and Hunter. "By the way, why do you think ze will win?" Steve asked curiously. "Hm? What are you talking about?" Vincent said, a perplexed expression appearing on his face. "Well, you surely must think he will win, right? If you don''t think so, there is no way you would make such a deal with me, right?" Steve asked, his expression turning a bit confused... "Hehehe... I don''t think he''ll lose." Vincent said, his perplexed expression disappearing, instantly reced with his signature shit-eating grin. "Oh? Care to exin?" Steve said, a smile tugging at the corner of his lips. "A wise man once said, A closed mouth doesn''t smell," Vincent said, his eyes seemingly focused on the fighting before him. "I see... Hahaha!" "What about you? What makes you so confident?" Vincent asked. "Well, I don''t see how a '' No Trigger '' will be beaten by a redhead," Steve said with a mysterious smile. ''Oh? It seems there is more to this guy than meets the eye. I should be cautious around him.'' "No trigger? What''s that?" Vincent said, a look of confusion stered on his face. "Haha... Don''t mind me. Just spouting nonsense." With that, the conversation concluded, but the tension between the two ended up being so thick, a knife could cut through it. *** Cain watched from a dark corner of the room as ze and Hunter went at each other. It was apparent, that neither of them we''re using lethal force. Maybe because they were still trying to hold on to their morals, or they just weren''t angry enough, but they pulled their punches. Only time would tell... "This is enough! You guys should calm down and think things through. There is no reason to fight. We can talk this out." David said in an attempt to settle things. "Also, you guys are going to end up burning this building up. This is the only ce we have as a shelter for now. If it ends up destroyed, we''ll have no other ce to stay!" "You don''t understand, Mr. David. This is no ordinary matter. This is a sh of ideas and wills. He who wins would be deemed superior. I suggest we let them fight to their heart''s content." Steve chipped in. "I agree..." Vincent said. "But... But... Ha... At least let them take it outside." "Fine by me!" ze said as he had previously been holding back to avoid the exact issue David was referring to. "Let''s take it outside!" BOOM! Since the hole, Cain had created during his fight with the {Miasma Devil} was still there, the both of them dashed through the hole like lightning and continued their fight. The pointed tip of ze''s spear lit a me as he charged at Hunter and his summon. "Go!" The gigantic wolf took a single step and was already pouncing down on ze. ze took a thrusting stance with one leg at the back, and the other in front of him. He shifted all his weight onto his back as he thrusts his spear forward. The summoned creature extended its fiery paw and shed with the tip of the spear. Since both of their skills were of the fire attribute, most of their attacks had a hint of me''s aura within it, increasing the temperature of the surrounding air. The wolf wasunched backward, its paw injured as itnded on the ground with a skid, while ze only took three steps backward before he was able to stabilize himself. "Impressive, however..." Hunter retrieved his bow from within his inventory, and without wasting any time, nocking an arrow he had taken from the quiver on his back, before dragging the bowstring into an arch. "Don''t forget I''m the one you are fighting," Hunter said coldly before releasing the arrow. The arrow blitzed across the hall like a ball of mes. This was one of Hunter''s skills, {Explosive Arrows}. If this arrow hit ze, it would cause severe burns if his defense wasn''t high enough. "How could I forget that?" ze said. "Ha!" With a shout, he began twirling his spear like the des of an aircraft. The twirling reached a maximum speed in less than a second, right before the arrow made contact. Then; The arrow was sessfully blocked, and the mes from the explosion were absorbed by ze''s spear, much to their surprise of Hunter. "Not bad," Hunter said, a look of approval shing in the depths of his eyes. "Not bad, huh? I''ll make you take that back." Streaks of fire began appearing all over his body without burning the clothes that he wore. They traveled to the arm that held onto his spear before the mes surrounding his spear turned a shade darker. The air around him became distorted due to the intense amount of heat he exuded. "Let''s get serious! Consume!" The mes turned into a raging inferno. The others had alreadye outside to continue watching the fight, and they were amazed by the amount of heat ze was able to produce... ''He''s good. Very good. He probably has more attack power than me. He''s also smart enough. He wouldn''t have started a fight with Hunter if he wasn''t confident in his strength.'' Cain thought to himself. He was observing from within the building and still hadn''t been spotted by everyone. ''He''s back.'' Evangeline thought. She had seen Caine through the front door but pretended not to. To her, It wasn''t her business what he did. She was still a bit curious about where he had gone too, and why he had been gone for so long... "Well, I guess you do warrant me getting a bit serious," Hunter said in his almost emotionless voice as he "me Demon Hound: Possession!" The summoned wolf turned into a streak of fiery orange light that diffused into his body. He grew some fur, a tail, and wolf ears,pleting his transformation. "Let''s get serious." Previously, they had both held back because of various reasons, but now, they were going at it. The person who hesitated would be the one to lose. ze''s spear turned into a pir of fire as he dashed forward with insane speed, the earth floor beneath his crumbling to pieces. Hunter hadn''t stored his bow yet. He once again nocked an arrow into his bow, stretched his bowstring back, then fired. "zing Arrow." Like a mini sun, a ball of mes wasunched at the charging ze. The heat was so intense, the grass burned were ever it passed over. The ball of mes shed with ze and exploded brightly. A massive pir of mes spread out into the surroundings, and the others had to move back a bit to stay out of the impact zone. When the mes cleared, all they could see, was smoke and a crater filled with scorched earth. At the center of the crater, ze stood unharmed, his gant figure standing with his back as straight as. a ruler, and his spear even straighter. "Those mes are too weak to even hurt me." He twirled his spear in ce, creating a gust of wind that put out the remaining embers and smoke. He cracked his neck; "Now it''s my turn!" CRACKLE! The same reddish-orange mes from before appeared all over his body again. "True me art: Immtion!" The mes burned as bright as the sun in midday, lighting up the entire area. "Scorching Spear: Tornado of mes!" The mes transformed into a giant twister around the spear in his hands. He took a stance again, and in a split second, disappeared from where he was standing, appearing right in Infront of Hunter the next moment. He swung his spear horizontally at Hunter. BANG! There was an explosion on impact, as Hunter used his left arm to block the attack, but he was stillunched away like a cannonball. He smashed into a row of trees on the other side of the forest. Without waiting for Hunter to catch his breath, he chased after him. Hunter hurriedly dodged to the side when he was ze dashing toward him. He rolled on the ground before he activated another one of his skills. "Pack Summon: me Demon Hound!" Aplex magical rune array appeared on his palms. He smashed his palms into the ground, and the same rune array appeared on the ground, only bigger this time. From the center of the array, a pack of 6 wolves a bit smaller than his main summon pounced out at ze with bloodlust in their eyes. Hunter followed suit... "Bring it on!" The pack of wolves served as a means of distraction while Hunter attacked ze whenever his defense became sloppy. It was like watching a hunter poke at a mighty beast, trying all he could to bring it down. ''ze has high attack power, and his skills are all fire-rted, so his damage must be through the roofs. He also can''t be harmed by ordinary mes from the looks of things. His strength must be very high as well, but he''s not as fast nor as agile as Hunter. His perception stat also seems to be low as well.'' ''As for Hunter, his summon skills also make him very versatile. His fire attribute makes him fight at a disadvantage with ze, but he makes up for that with regr damage and martial arts alone. He''s also fast... very fast. He''s probably trying to wear him out.'' Cain thought as he made a detailed analysis of bothbatants in his head... ze shed with Hunter and his pack of summons explosively. Hunter fought with the patience and stamina of a predator, while ze fought with the pride and fierceness of a soldier. Both of them shed again and again, determined to see whose will was stronger... The young men already had this mindset even before the apocalypse. The fact that they could acquire power themselves just further cemented those ideals. The one who wins is right, and the one who loses is wrong... Chapter 43: More fighting (2). CLANG! ze shifted a step forward, the tip of his spear aimed at Hunter''s abdomen. He reasoned that since it wasn''t a fight to the death, there was no need to use lethal force. He was careful to aim at spots that wouldn''t lead to instantaneous death. Hunter was also doing the same thing. They both knew when and when not to be excessive. But that didn''t mean they took it easy on their opponent. A casual slip-up, or being too soft could cause them to lose ground and eventually be beaten by their opponent, so they had to be cautious, as well as ruthless... ''Stare at his eyes, watch the twitch of his every muscle.'' These were the thoughts going through Hunter''s head as he shed with ze. Because of their choice of weapons, ze had the range advantage. When he was in his transformed state, he was only capable of fighting with his ws. He didn''t have any melee weapons he could use, and ze had already proven that long-range attacks could be easily countered by him. The only advantages he had, were his greater speed and his ability to summon wolves that could attract his attention, and possibly create an opening for him to strike... ''His spear techniques are good. He probably has had a lot of training. I wonder which family hees from.'' In the world of Urbus, it wasn''t umon for member families of the high-ssmunity to practice martial arts, especially families with military backgrounds. Although there was world peace, that didn''t mean that the authorities and military suddenly disappeared. They were more present than ever, but they remained mostly hidden in the shadows away from the knowledge of themon folk. ze was from a military family background, so it wasn''t unusual for him to know martial arts. As for Hunter himself, let''s just say he is self-taught... The tip of the spear continued without any deviation from its intended path but was parried by Hunter. A single swipe of his hairy hands was all it took for the spear to be struck away. It looked like the work of an amateur, but only those with keen, fast eyes and a good grasp of timing would have been able to stop a strike with that work of speed. "You are good." ze snorted as he continued to swing and stab his sr at Hunter. "You aren''t half bad yourself," Hunter responded. Although they didn''t see eye to eye, they still acknowledges their strengths... "Enough ying around then. Its high time is owed you what real fighting looks like." ze said as he continued attacking. He stomped his foot onto the ground and thrust his spear out three times in which session. SWISH! The thrusts were so fast, all three stabs merged into one, making it look like he had only stayed out a single time. The air around the spear was burnt up due to the friction caused by the speed of the spear. Hunter wasn''t able to stop them all and ended up being jabbed in the shoulder by the tip of the spear. "Shani secret technique: Three strikes to kill." The attack was as deadly as it was swift, and it managed to draw blood from Hunter. With a flip, Hunter moved backward, protecting himself from the onught ze had nned to unleash upon him. "My family has perfected this technique for years. Coupled with my newfound power and strength, it has be many times more deadly. This isn''t 20% of what I can bring out. Surrender now." ze said as he strutted towards Hunter. The spear in his hands looked dangerous, but the look in his eyes seemed even more so... "That was a wonderful technique," Hunter said in his unchanging voice. At this point in their fight, Hunter had summoned another batch of wolves as thest one had all been killed by ze. Once they were killed, they would turn into speckles of fiery dust, leaving behind a sulphuric smell. Out of the new batch he had summoned, only 5 were left. They circled Hunter on standby. "But surrender? We are just getting started." A trace of a smile peeked out from under his lips as the wolves all around him howled into the moonless sky. Pointing his hand at one of them, he muttered a few words under his breath before he said; "Summon Sacrifice: Healing." The wolf broke into a stream of glowing speckles of light that leaked into his wounds, instantly healing them. He then pointed his hands to the remaining four. "Summon: Demon Wolf Replica." The remaining wolves all turned into four steady streams of mes,ing together to form a figure that looked exactly like Hunter. "What?!" ze, as well as the rest, were shocked to see a skill that could heal someone up so fast. "This guy is full of surprises. Where the hell did he get something like that?" Cain muttered to himself as he continued to observe the fight. "Who knows?" A voiceing from behind him said. All of Cain''s nerves and danger signals screamed out loud, as his heart began to beat twice as fast. With the speed of a lightning bolt, he drew {Devil''s Broken w} from its sheath. Featured around even faster, his de ready to draw the blood of his potential attacker. But when he looked behind him, he saw no one... "What the-?!" "Looking for me?" The same voice called out again, only this time, it came from beside him. ''Calm down...'' Cain took in deep breaths as he calmed his unsteady heart down. He turned his head to the side expecting to see some sort of devil but was greeted with an eye full of white. Even under the barely avable illumination, he could still its luster as though it was as clear as day. A head of white hair, and eyes that seemed as red as blood. "Evangeline?" Cain said; equal parts surprised, equal parts suspicious and wary. He kept his de drawn, pointing it directly at her, but she didn''t even nce at him. He also couldn''t sense any killing intent or bloodlust from her. He couldn''t even sense anything from her. Only a bleak and cold aura... "How did you get here?" "Shadow maniption: Shade walker." The shadows within the darkness twisted ording to her will, allowing her to blend into them, disappearing from Cain''s sight... "That''s how." She said after she appeared on his other side. ''Well, I''ll be damned.'' To say he wasn''t creeped out by her would be a huge lie. And the scariest part of all this was that if she wanted to take his life, she would be able to do so very easily as he couldn''t sense her presence at all... "What do you want?" Cain said coldly. The very thought of how dangerous she was made him feel cold behind the neck, as though someone had ced the cold edge of a de onto his neck from behind. "Just watching..." She said, her ruby eyes staring right into his. He wasn''t scared of her, but very cautious. "Are you talking about the fight or..." I''m asked to rify. She didn''t even answer. She just stared at him... ''She''s weird.'' "Suit yourself then..." Cain said as he re-sheathed his de. ''That''s one more person I have to keep an eye on. It seems this group is filled with all levels of crazy.'' Cain turned his attention back to the fight, but this time, he wasn''t fully focused, as he diverted some of his attention to his surroundings, so the situation that just urred wouldn''t repeat itself. ze and Hunter were still fighting, and the battle had only gotten more brutal over time. Hunter relied on his summon twin that had all the same powers as he had to soak up all the damage, while they attached. If he ended up with an injury, he would use a summon to heal the wound. ''He can summon so many times, which means he most likely has arge mana pool.'' The summons came again and again, only to be cut down by ze and his immacte spear techniques and insane damage. However, it was clear to everyone watching that ze was starting to lose his steam. ''Stamina... He''s losing stamina quickly.'' The issue with fights was that they couldn''t go on forever. For someone who specialized in dealing explosive damage like ze and Cain, their skills usually consumed a buttload of mana and stamina. If they couldn''t beat their opponent within a certain time range, they would begin to lose theirbat power gradually. Fighters like Hunter were the exact opposite... They didn''t have insane damage but made up for it with the variety and utility of their skills. They would rather bid their time and wear their opponent out, or try to outsmart them than go out guns zing. ''If he can''t find a way to recuperate fast, he''ll definitely lose.'' Cain thought to himself. Although ze was strong, his opponent wasn''t just strong, he was smart as well... Because there were two Hunter''s, ze wasn''t able to do any harm to the real Hunter. He would always end up attacking the summon instead, allowing his frustration to build up. And this was where the mistakes began to pile up, giving Hunter his desired openings. Like a predator, as soon as he smelt blood, he went straight for the kill. His first mistake earned him a nasty-looking gash on his back, while the second and third nearly caused him to lose an eye. The scales were suddenly tipped in Hunter''s favor... "Shit!" This continued for a while as Hunter began relentlessly attacking. The summons began pouring out, keeping ze upied and busy. The air was soon filled with the strong scent of sulfur as ze kept killing and killing and killing. "Shani secret technique: Wind Ascension!" ze used another martial art technique to escape from the entrapment of the wolves. As these martial art techniques also consumed stamina, ze found himself even more exhausted. ''If I don''t end this now, I''m toast! I have to go all out!'' ze yelled in his mind. He had started strong, but unless he used up all had. "You are a strong opponent, but I think you should know when to quit. Surrender." Higher said condescendingly. Even after victory was in his hands, he showed no expressions on his face. "You think it ends here?" ze said as he steadied himself on his feet. Not only had he lost a lot of blood, but he was also running low on stamina. He retrieved a few HP regen potions from his inventory chugging them down. "Your stamina is running out. You''ve lost a lot of blood that even HP potions can''t restore quickly. You are at the end of your rope. Give up." Hunter said coldly. "So? That doesn''t mean I can''t fight, now does it?" ze said as he stood straight once again. "Do you have a death wish?" The predatory light within Hunter''s eyes shone even brighter than before, as a menacing aura of bloodlust began to seep out of him. "If you think you can kill me, bring it on!" ze roared as he charged at Hunter. "My pleasure..." Without hesitation, the two of them charged at each other, this time, with no inhibitions holding them back... They had been fighting to defend their egos, but now, it was more serious than that. This time, they are fighting for their egos, with their lives on the line... Chapter 44: Confrontation. "ENOUGH!" BOOM! A st of crimson-colored energy exploded out from the epicenter of the battlefield. David could be seen blocking the attacks of Hunter and ze with his shield and axe. Layers of crimson energy formed a wall that protected him from harm but managed to stop all the force behind their attacks. "I can''t have you two acting like children anymore. This stupidity is going to endanger the entire group!" David said to them, a hint of annoyance already starting to build up in his voice. David was finally fed up. He wasn''t normally a confrontational person, so he had been letting it slide for a while now. ''He finally snapped.'' Cain realized early on that this moment would eventuallye. Although David was trying his best, he wasn''t usually a confrontational person, so he was forced to put up with their behavior. It was without saying that he would eventually snap. ''The only way to earn the respect of these strong-headed guys is by showing your capabilities. If you aren''t strong enough, you shouldn''t lead. That is the mentality Hunter and the rest of these guys have.'' Vincent, Hunter, Dan, ze, Steve, David, and Cain. These were the guys in the team, as well as the main fighting force. Evangeline hadn''t engaged in any serious fights, so Cain couldn''t gauge her strength, and while Susan was powerful, she was only a single girl, so her views on the matter would be easily brushed away. And if she decided to leave, it wouldn''t change anything in the group, but that would bergely unlikely, as it would be a dumb thing to do. and Susan wasn''t dumb in any sense of the word. "Don''t stop me, Mr. David," ze said furiously. Anyone with eyes would be able to tell just how badly he wanted to hurt Hunter. "With all due respect, Mr. David, you may have been our teacher once, but that was before. These are different times, and I operate under different rules. If you want to tell me what to do, we''ll have to see if your de is worth its weight." Hunter said, as he started David down and said those words without any regret 8n his eyes. Everyone in the area around them fell into an awkward silence... Although everyone had expected David to jump into the fight at some point no one had expected this drastic turn of events. ''What is this guy up to? What is he trying to aplish by antagonizing David?'' Cain didn''t think Hunter was dumb or irrational. On the contrary, he thought he was very smart, and would most likely be a tough opponent to defeat. "What the hell are you talking about, huh?!" David yelled angrily for the first time. "I''m saying if you want me to stop, fight me." ''So this was his goal all along?!'' Suddenly, the pieces of the puzzle began to arrange themselves before him, creating a brand new picture for him to see. A feeling of deep rage and discontent burst out from his heart all at once. ''So he was trying to use me as a pawn. His true target is David!'' "Ha..." Cain muttered under his breath. He stepped out of the dark corner he was in and headed towards the fight. "Hm?" Evangeline who was still beside him slipped into the shadows. ''He''s smart. His n all along was to start a fight between himself and a strong person in the group. If he does this, he knows David would be forced to intervene if he wants to keep the group''s structure together. He''ll then use this as an opportunity to challenge David''s authority in the group.'' Cain thought to himself as he strode forward. "Hey, buddy. Don''t you think it''s enough?" Vincent said with a chuckle directed at Hunter. "Stay out of this, you fat pig," Hunter said in a scornful tone. "Wow... A doggy calling me a pig? That''s hrious!" Vincent said as his checks twitched in annoyance. This wasn''t him faking an expression. He was pissed off... "He''s right, Mr. Vincent. This is none of our business.," Steve said as he stood close to Vincent. There was a slight undertone of a threat in his voice. "Why don''t I like what I''m hearing, Mr. Steve?" Vincent asked in a frigid tone. He had noticed the underlying threat in his voice and was responding with hostility. His chubby hands moved to the rifle swung across his shoulder... "Well, that has nothing to do with me, and everything to do with you," Steve answered with a sly grin. The hand on his staff tightened in response. Vincent''s eyes narrowed when he was this. ''What are these bastards up to? Since when did they join forces together?'' The two stared each other down, neither willing to back down. Dan, who oddly had not been involved in the fight since the beginning could be seen blocking Susan from interfering with the fight. "What the hell are you doing?! Are you supporting your friend''s madness?!" Susan said as she tried to step away from him. "Sorry." Apart from looking a bit guilty, Dan didn''t give even a bit of ground as he blocked Susan from interfering with the fight. All of a sudden, swords had been drawn, and they were looking at each other with hostility... "Everyone, stop! Put down your weapons. Now is not the time to fight amongst ourselves..." David called out, trying to loosen up the tense situation. "Don''t try to escape from this, Mr. David. If you want me to stop, fight me yourself. If you want... get out of my way!" The predatory light within his eyes seemed to burn brighter at that moment. Humans are very simr to animals. Hierarchy is created to favor those who are morepetent. Hunger understood this well, and so did the others. Everyone realized that should David be unable to fight against Hunter, that would mean that his authority in the group would be severely undermined, especially in a world where personal strength equated to survivability, which also equated to power. "Shut up! I will not entertain your childishness. Everyone just calms down and gets inside. We''ve made a lot of ruckuses here. We don''t want to attract any beasts here." "I said, get out of my way." At this point, Hunter was finally releasing the full brunt of his killing intent. He was determined to go through with his ns, damn the consequences... "You kids seem to have forgotten who the older one is here. I am responsible for you as your teacher and the oldest one here. Everyone else is dead, and I''m doing my best to keep you all safe. Is this the time to do this, Hunter?!" David said angrily. "I think this is the perfect time to do this, David," Hunter replied calmly. "It seems you won''t stop until I beat some sense into you myself." David finally had enough. If he didn''t use a rough hand, he wouldn''t be respected. The crimson aura enveloping him turned a shade darker as his eyes lit up in anger. "If you want to fight so badly, I''ll take you on!" David had made up his mind to teach Hunter a lesson. "Hey, you think you can just ignore me?!" ze who was being ignored by Hunter "Mr. David, please wait a moment." Cain seized the moment to appear from the shadows. "Cain? Where were you all this time?!" David asked agitated. He had been worried about Cain''s safety all this while. "Rx, Mr. David. Now is not the time for that." Cain said as he got closer to David. "You''vee back from your joyride?" Hunter said to Cain mockingly, but Cain ignored him. "You know he''s baiting you, right?" Cain whispered to David. "Of course, I know that. But there''s nothing I can do. I need to put him down now!" David whispered back. Although David said that, it was apparent by the look on his face that he wasn''t confident in beating Hunter. Hunter had proved himself to be a very dangerous fighter. Even when he had fought with ze, it was obvious he hadn''t used the full extent of his powers. "Let me fight him then." "What?!" David eximed. "Let me fight him. I''ve seen you fight before, and I know you are a defensive fighter, so there is no way you will be able to beat him." Cain exined. He continued; "I''ll fight him on your behalf. I''m confident I''ll beat him." Cain was someone David had known for a while, not just because he was a teacher in school. An event outside school forced them to see their hidden sides. This event formed a rtionship between them, a rtionship where Cain knew what type of man David was, and David trusted Cain''s ability. "Ha... Fine. I trust you." David said with a sigh. He turned to Hunter, then said; "Fine. Since you want to fight so badly, you''ll get the fight you wish for. However, you won''t be fighting me." "You''ll be fighting him," David said as he pointed at Cain. "Oh?" Hunter said with a raised brow as though he hadn''t expected the oue. "Why him?" Hunter asked curiously. "Because I trust him," David said as he gave Cain a reassuring look. Cain gave him a nod before he turned to stare at Hunter. "Fine. Doesn''t matter who I have to face." "Do you think you can just ignore me, huh?!" By now, ze had had enough of everyone ignoring his presence. His aura suddenly spiked as he took a step forward to engage with Hunter who was just a few steps away from him. He intended to continue the fight from where he left off. Although he was exhausted, the fighting spirit in his eyes hadn''t decreased in the slightest. "You can''t fight anymore." Cain turned to ze and said. "Huh?! What the heck did you just say?!" ze said angrily as his grip on his spear tightened. "You are exhausted, and can barely lift your spear. If you continue to fight, you''ll lose. You might have a few trump cards hidden, but what''s to say he doesn''t?" Cain said, his eyes never breaking contact with that of the furious ze. "What do you know, huh?! You just disappeared for some time, doing goodness knows what, and now you are here trying to tell me what to do?! Not happening, buddy!" ze said obstinately. "Fine," Cain said. He then unceremoniously drew {Devil''s broken w}. "Azure Burst." An ocean-blue aura erupted from his body. BANG! In a sh, he had arrived behind ze. Before ze was able to do anything, the t of his de came crashing down on him. Unless that second, he was out like a light. Cain stared at the unconscious ze for a while before he turned back to look at Hunter who now had a more serious expression on his face. "You seem stronger than before," Hunter said with narrowed eyes. "I''m trying to ruin your ns here, so cut the shit and let''s fight." Cain raised his de, pointing the tip straight at Hunter. Chapter 45: Cain vs Hunter (1). "I''m trying to ruin your ns here, so cut the shit and let''s fight." Cain raised his de and pointed the tip straight at Hunter. Back in the forest the other day, Hunter had tried to ruin his ns by outing him to the entire group. What he was trying to do was a bit different from that. "With pleasure!" Hunter said as he took a fighting stance. "I''ll give you a few minutes to recover from yourst battle," Cain said. He also used this opportunity to give himself time to recover, as his stamina hadn''t been fully regenerated from his fight with the {Devil-eyed White Primate}. "No problem," Hunter said. "Summon sacrifice: Recovery!" Hunter activated yet another skill. A few smaller wolves that he had summoned began to break apart, turning into motes of light that entered his body like a stream, allowing him to recover his lost stamina. ''He seemed surprised by my speed earlier, but I can''t be too certain. I should be wary of his speed as well. He''s surely faster than he''s let on. He also has a wide variety of skills that I should be wary of.'' ''I will need to end this fight as quickly as possible. Although my skills are powerful, their side effects make it so that there is a certain range of time I can use them. If I''m not swift, yet careful, I lose.'' ''Also, I need to increase the number of skills I have.'' He had been thinking about it for a while now, but he realized that his skills were too few, and they didn''t allow him to engage in battle for a long period. He could only fight his best for a short period before his steam ran out. Hunter was the exact opposite. With his repertoire of skills, he was able to prolong a battle as he wished, and steer it in whichever direction he chose. Since Cain had stored up some mutant beast blood in a few empty containers he had kept in his inventory, he used them to recover the stamina he had lost from the runback. Since he had recovered a lot by drinking the blood of a bunch of mutant animals he had killed, he didn''t need much of it. *** 30 minutester... By now, everyone already realized what was going on. And just as Hunter had predicted, no one said anything to disagree with what was happening. They just stood to the side, watching... "Mr. David, you know this is stupid, right?!" Susan said as she walked up to David, anger evident in her voice. "You don''t understand," David said as he watched the two of them get ready. "Of course I do! These boys are too arrogant. They are putting our safety in jeopardy just because they want to prove they are the only one strong enough to lead the group." Susan blurted out in-between angry puffs. "Ha... If you understand that, then you must know how necessary this is even though it all seems stupid." David said with a sigh. "Necessary?" Susan said looking a bit bewildered. Never in her life would she think that putting her life in danger just to prove something so vain would be necessary. David exined; "These boys are all intelligent, so they understand the risks thate with all this. But they also understand the gain as well. If we do survive and make it to the main campus, it''s only going to be a matter of time before we encounter those who have survived like us. As long as they prove they are the strongest, there will be less internal friction, and the group will be much stronger than before. In case you haven''t noticed yet, the foundation of this group is extremely rocky. What these boys are doing is both smart and stupid at the same time." "So you are saying?" "Whoever wins this fight will be regarded as the leader of the group in their eyes. They are establishing a hierarchy amongst themselves, which I''m done with. My only issue with all this is that they could have picked another time. It''s way too dangerous to be doing all this now!" David said through clenched teeth. "I see... But still, there has to be a better way to do this. What if something bad happens." Susan said, worry written all over her face. "You worried about him?" David said with a slight smile as he shifted his gaze to Cain. "W-well, I am his c-ss monitor after all! Isn''t it right that I''m worried for his safety?! He just went ahead to do something like this without asking for permission, huh?!" Susan blurted out while blushing furiously. "Rx. I trust his abilities... He definitely won''t lose. You should trust him too" David said, trying to reassure her with a smile, even though he was just as worried as she was. ''Cain...'' Susan gazed at Cain with mixed feelings in her eyes... Before the fight began, Cain took a minute to go through his stats and skills. He had subconsciously made this a practice before every fight he had... Name: {Cain Lenosi} Level: 18. Strength: 92. Agility: 151. Stamina: 45/76. Vitality: 39. Defense: 29. Control: 3.7. Perception: 2.7. HP: 1,520/3,200. MP: 300/2,100. Magic: 130. Resistance: Poison- 7%. Skills: Golden blood, Mana de, Lightening Edge, de Mastery Lvl. 2, Burst Step, Metal Creation Lvl.2, Golden Severance, Metal Maniption, *Fear, *Bloodthirsty, Blood Ingestion Regeneration, Azure Burst, Mana Heart. Titles: Champion of Ashur (locked). Free attribute points: 21. System points: 4,000. {Inventory}. {Shop}. {Golden blood level.1}: Upon activation, multiply all physical stats by 2. Consumes 100 MP, and costs 1 point of stamina per second to maintain. Puts the body of the user under great strain. (1000/10000 SP). This is an internal skill, hence, it can be upgraded. {Mana de}: Coat the surface of your de with destructive mana to deal an extra 200% damage when attacking. It Consumes 5MP per second to sustain. Note:This is an external active skill, and cannot be upgraded. {Lightening Edge: Increase attack speed by 100%. Critical rate increases by 5% when the skill is used. Cost 100MP to activate. Cooldown: 30 seconds. {de Mastery lvl. 2.} (passive): Increases attack power and speed with ded weapons by 30%. Increases critical chance and rate by 5%. (3,000/9,000SP). {Burst Step}: Expell mana from beneath the feet, creating propulsion that allows the host to change trajectory abruptly when in motion. Increases movement speed by 30%. Costs 5MP per activation. No cooldown.} {Metal Creation Lvl 2.}: Gather the Metal elemental attribute mana to create constructs of metal. The effects of the skill are influenced by the host''s magic and control stats, as well as imagination. (0/10,000SP). {Golden Severance}: Condense an immense amount of metal attribute elemental mana into a concentrated beam of world light, capable of splitting anything ites in contact with only for a single attack, and increases attack power by 500%. The attack consumes 500MP upon usage. Cooldown: 2.5 minutes. {Metal Maniption}: Grants the ability to freely control metal of weight that does not exceed 1 ton. Skill is leveled up simultaneously with the {Metal Creation} skill. {Fear} (passive): Release a malevolent aura akin to a devil, inflicting fear onto your opponent. Decreases opponent movement and attack speed by 5%. {Bloodthirsty} (passive): Consume the blood and flesh of fallen enemies to increase the power of the Devil''s broken w. For every 100 enemies in and absorbed, attack speed and attack power increase by 1%. {Blood Ingestion Regeneration} (passive): Grants the ability to safely ingest the blood of mutant beasts without any adverse effects. Consuming the blood and flesh of mutant beasts grants passive Stamina, Vitality, and Mana regeneration. For every 0.1 liters of blood, or 100 grams of flesh consumed, 100HP, 50MP, and 1 stamina point are regenerated. {Azure Burst}: Rapidly burn out internal mana in a single burst to produce enough heat and energy to burn the surrounding mana. These mes greatly increase the attack and movement speed of the host by 300%. Attack damage increases by 50%. Critical rate and damage increased by 10%. Costs 500MP to activate, and onlysts for 10 seconds. Cooldown: 5 minutes. {Mana Heart (passive): Mana pool increases by 2¡Á. Mana is regenerated at 5MP per second. The Cooldown of all skills was reduced by 50%. For every level, +1 extra point to Magic stat. Grants host the ability to absorb and transform pure forms of mana}. NOTE: This is a physique skill, and as such will have various physical effects on the host. He had a decent number of skills, but from what he had seen so far, everyone had to have equal to that or more. His skills were a mixture of high power, and short duration, as opposed to his opponent. But that didn''t mean his opponent''s attack power was low. Not only was Hunter''s attack speed insane, but Cain also suspected his physical attack power to be good as well from what he had seen. The reason he didn''t cause as many explosions as ze, was because he knew how to efficiently control his power. Cain and ze had simr sales of fighting. Their skills were explosive and dealt huge burst damage over a short period. They would be weaker once they ran out of stamina and or mana. ''I''ve be more powerful since myst fight. But is it enough?'' Cain thought to himself whilst gazing at Hunter, who returned a vicious stare. ''Guess now''s the time to test it out!'' They stared at each other for a while, the tension building in between them, until finally, it snapped... Chapter 46: Cain vs Hunter (2). Cain took a moment to realize that this would be the first time he would be using his newly acquired powers to fight. Before he and everyone else had gained the ability to level up and absorb power from in mutant beasts and devils, let''s just say he had had his fair share ofbat. He knew that the way humans and beasts fought would be different. The beasts, although they had be more intelligent, wouldn''t be able to just suddenly disy human-level intelligence. A human just like Hunter would be more difficult to defeat, not just because of his strength, but because of his wit as well. And Hunter was as witty as they came... Everyone expected the fight to begin with a bang just like it had been with ze and Hunter, but instead, the two simply drew their weapons. Cain drew {Devil''s Broken w}, while Hunter summoned his bow from his inventory. cing an arrow on the bowstring, he drew it back into a full arch, the arrowhead looking Cain dead in the eye. In response, Cain activated the only skills he had that weren''t too tasking and could be maintained by him for a long time. "Mana de!" "Fear!" ''I''ll have to test the waters first.'' Cain thought to himself. Once his preparations were made, he dashed forward with {Burst Step}... Because of the effects of {Mana Heart}, Cain could use these skills indefinitely, as they consumed little mana. Although they would consume more over time, the mana regeneration properties of the {Mana Heart}, or generator within his body made up for it. ''If I try to end this too quickly, not only would I gain nothing, but I might also be dooming myself to defeat.'' Cain wanted to use Hunter as a whetstone to sharpen his fangs. He already noticed that his fangs were too dull to do anything in the world. That was why he had internally made up his mind to treat every fight and encounter as a means to learn. To assimte... Toprehend... To adapt... To devour... He dashed forward with the speed of a cheetah and the watchfulness of an eagle. He began trying to spot any openings in his opponent that he could take advantage of. Meanwhile, Hunter was thinking the same thing... ''Spot his openings, take advantage of his weaknesses.'' Hunter thought to himself like a mantra as the arm he used to hold his bow never even trembled in the slightest. Hunter was a predator. And like all predators, he had the skills necessary to take his prey down. Before all the weird things that had happened in thest few days had urred, he had a very special identity in City Z. People like him were known as ''No Triggers''... Both he and Dan had been part of the underground world since they could remember, and that had shaped the characters they were today. They were merciless contracted killers that never stopped to take a breath when trying to im the life of a target. They were the preferred options of the politicians who needed someone to do their dirty work for them... Hunter''s aura began bubbling up, as he maintained his posture. The tip of the arrow lit ame. "zing arrow." Hunter released the bowstring at the same time Cain started his sprint. TWANG! The two had put some distance between each other before the fight, so there was enough time for the projectile to gain its maximum momentum in the air to achieve max pration damage upon impact. The arrow tore through the air, creating a whistling sound in the process while dragging a ming tail behind. Cain activated {Burst Step}, dodging the arrow with ease. Just as Cainnded at his target destination, he could feel the heat of another approaching arrow. ''Seems like he''s finally getting serious.'' As soon as Cain dodged the first arrow, Hunter fired another one at the ce where he intended tond. When Cain activated {Burst Step}, although this speed didn''t increase greatly, it was still a great enough increase that whatever attack he intended to dodge would surely miss. The first shot had missed, but the second shot homed in on him like a shark that smelt blood. ''He''s showing a level of uracy higher than what he disyed during his fight with ze.'' ''However...'' Without missing a beat, Cain swung his de horizontally, cutting the arrow down mid-flight. The force behind the arrow didn''t even make him flinch. Cain increased his speed as he began his charge once again. Hunter continued to bombard him with arrows, and although he was slowed down a bit, it didn''t stop his charge in the slightest. His de shed around, cutting down all arrows in his path as he trudged forward. Eventually, Hunter started changing positions. Previously, he had been standing on a single spot while firing his arrows, but once he began moving, the dynamic of the fight changed. Although his firing rate reduced, his uracy was still spot on. It became harder for Cain to block all the arrows, so he was forced to dodge when they hit too close to home. He tried shortening the distance between them, but Hunter was just as fast as he was if he didn''t use any speed-boosting skills. ''I need to close this distance and draw him into a melee. It''s the only way I can win this fight.'' Numerous scenarios began ying in his head as he began to think of ways to utilize his skills to bring out their true potential. Activating Metal creation and maniption, a decent chunk of his mana was drained to form several chains of metal that sprouted out of the ground all of a sudden. Cain intended to use these chains to hold Hunter down long enough for him to be able to close the distance. "Scorching Ground!" mes enveloped Hunter''s feet all of a sudden. Like a phantom, he dashed away from all the chains and managed to break free just before Cain could get to him. "Tch!" Cain clicked his tongue. "If this is all you''ve got, then it seems I was worried for nothing." Hunter taunted Cain. "Hehe. I''m just getting started." "Metal Creation and Maniption: Rain of Arrows!" A golden magic array appeared overhead, attracting a decent amount of metal elemental mana in the area. The metal elemental mana gathered to create numerous extremely sharp arrows that rained down from the sky, targeting Hunter. {Metal Creation} and {Metal Maniption} were unique skills because they were more flexible than normal skills in their application. If categories were to be created, they would perfectly fall under what a skill should be, while every other skill would be called a spell. Because of the durability, one could easily manipte the amount of mana the skill consumed, be it 5MP, or 500MP. There was no definite mana consumption rate for the skills. The effectiveness of the skill was directly proportional to the amount of mana put in the skill multiplied by the magic stat of the user. With the effects of {Mana Heart}, Cain''s magic stat and mana pool had doubled. This meant that his magic damage, control over mana, as well a mana regeneration had also doubled. He was able to create other skills using {Metal Creation} and {Metal Maniption} as the base. {Mana Heart (passive): Mana pool and magic stat increase by 2¡Á. Mana is regenerated at 5MP per second. The Cooldown of all skills was reduced by 50%. For every level, +1 extra point to Magic stat. Grants host the ability to absorb and transform pure forms of mana}. Although he was many times powerful because of this skill, that didn''t mean he could use overuse his mana. The regeneration rate of his mana was just 5MP per second, which meant just 300MP in a minute. Although it looked like a lot, even his least consuming skill, {Burst Step}, consumed 5MP per usage, and {Metal Creation} was the skill that consumed the most mana. If he wasn''t careful, he might just end up burned out without even expecting it. "Shit!" Hunter panicked a bit as he quickly tried to escape the area of effect of the skill. Metal chains slithered after him, trying to grab at his legs, but his deftness made dodging them a piece of cake. ''He''s slippery. But that doesn''t change anything.'' Now that he had him disoriented, Cain could finally close the gap. He dashed forward, his sword enveloped with its signature tainted aura. The effects of {Fear} dropped his opponent''s speed by 5%. Although it wasn''t much, it still made a difference at the micro level. With all the pressure Cain applied on him, Hunter was left without any room to dodge. "Lightening Edge!" {Devil''s Broken w} created shes as it cut through the air like a bolt of ck lightning. Hunter''s eyes stretched out as the de struck true. Cain used the t of his de to strike because he didn''t want to kill him outright. "Summon Sacrifice: Substitute." ''I didn''t get any feedback.'' As Cain struck Hunter, or what he thought to be Hunter, he realized that he had been had. "You are one scary man, Cain," Hunter said as he jumped out from behind him. Cain responded, using his de to block the attack before he created some space between them. "What a headache..." Chapter 47: Cain vs Hunter (3). "What a headache..." As a throbbing pain began to form on the tip of his brows, Cain realized the fight wasn''t going to be an easy one. He was relieved he didn''t act rashly and used his skills with long cooldowns early. If he had, the fight would have been a bit more difficult. Hunter nned to get him to expend his stamina and skills, causing him to lose his fangs, before swooping in for the kill. ''This guy is dangerous.'' His skills coupled with his terrifying wit made the fight a bit more tasking and challenging for Cain than he had expected. But despite all that, a smile began creeping up his face. His heart began to beat in sync with the throbbing headache he was having, and the hand he used to hold his de tightened down on it. When he noticed this, he took a few deep breaths to calm his restless heart down, before turning his focus back to Hunter who stared back at him warily. "You are good, that''s for sure," Cain said as he dragged his de across the ground, creating an inch-deep scar that traced behind him. "But if this is all you''ve got, you might as well end up dead by the end of this fight." Hunter noticed the aura around Cain be more menacing than before. It wasn''t an easily noticeable change, but thanks to his high perception stat, he could sense it with ease. The aura Cain gave off beforehand, was of one who had imed a life before. Now, his aura was more sinister and malevolent, almost like his intention, wasn''t to stop at just killing but to devour... "Hmm... This fight is just getting started." Hunter felt the bubbling excitement build up within him as his aura skyrocketed as well. "We''ll see..." Cain said with an excited grin pulling on his face. "Ha!" The two dashed at each other, this time, with no constraints. Hunter had abandoned his bow and had opted to engage in closebat instead. ''He''s sacrificing range advantage? That is very suspicious. He''s most definitely nning something.'' Cain had seen the way Hunter had torn ze''s defenses apart when he engaged in closebat with him. ze was also good in closebat, but hecked patience and ended up being drawn in by Hunter. If he had more patience, there was no way it would have been so easy for Hunter to beat him so easily. They exchanged several blows with each passing second, neither one of them able to gain any ground. They moved like waves crashing against the surface of the ocean, with great dexterity, yet even greater force. BANG! Cain shed out, but Hunter quickly blocked with his extended ws, but he was receiving little to no recoil. It was akin to striking the surface of the water. ''There can be no other exnation. The force behind my attacks is being deflected with force deflection, a martial arts technique.'' He''s good... Only those who have a decent understanding of martial arts can grasp this technique!'' Martial arts techniques are something both unique and rare in the world of Urbus. Only a select few have ess to them, usually due to background and the like, but basic information on them is known to the general public. ording to what is known by the general public, practicing martial arts is just like taking part in any other sport. ''However, they couldn''t be any more wrong...'' Only those who have been introduced to the dark sides of society would know why practicing martial arts wasn''t so simple to call it a sport. If anything, it would better be described as the sticks and stones of the underground world and high-ss society. Martial arts and martial art techniques were the main weapons of those who dwelt within the shadows of society. They used them to protect themselves ormit atrocities. In the upper ss of society, martial art practitioners, as well as the military and paramilitary also used martial arts for obvious reasons. As for the man who had taught Cain martial arts, Cain had little to no knowledge of his background, but what he had taught him during that period of his life stuck with him forever... That was why he was able to easily identify what Hunter was up to. ''In that case... .'' He brought his de down once again, only this time, his de seemed a bit hazy to look at. Hunter responded with a w strike of his own. CLANG! A look of shock appeared on Hunter''s face as he quickly dodged the next attack, before trying to create distance between them. However, Cain was having none of that. He followed up with a session of swift and brutal heavy shes, forcing Hunter to meet them head-on. Tch! ''He saw through force deflection. I guess I''m giving him too little credit.'' Hunter thought to himself. ''However, this fight has gone on long enough. Time to end this!'' Just when Cain thought he had Hunter in a tight corner, Hunter''s ws began glowing with mes. His speed increased exponentially as well, and the look in his eyes changed. He dodged Cain''s forward chop, then quickly closed in. Cain quickly withdrew his outstretched de to guard, but Hunter''s intentions weren''t to attack. "Summon Sacrifice: Substitute." Cain immediately suspected foul y... He knew Hunter had a sinister n in mind, that was why he had been really careful. Cain didn''t even hesitate to bring his sword down again, even whilst observing and analyzing his surroundings. He guessed the Hunter standing before him was probably a fake, but he didn''t want to take any chances. "Summon Sacrifice: Explosion!" ''Crap!'' Cain sensed it instantly. He knew he didn''t have the time to create enough distance, so he decided to just soak it up. "Metal Creation: Golden Armor." Just as the doppelganger exploded, a bright sheen of golden radiance enveloped him,pletely blocking out the storm of mes ensuing from the explosion that urred. BOOM! Within the armor, Cain was having a bit of a hard time. The heat from the explosion made him feel like he was being cooked alive causing him to scrunch up his face a bit. "Arghhhh! So hot!" But it wasn''t something he couldn''t bear with. After a while, the head reduced. He had survived, but if he was even a heartbeat slower, the damage would have been a lot worse. "Cain!" Susan cried out in panic. She pulled out her bow, ready to join the fight, but was stopped by David who rested a hand on her shoulder. "Believe in him. Besides, I think this fight is far from over. Just watch and see." David said with a smile. He deactivated the skill because the heavy metal would reduce his speed. He quickly spun around, only to see the metallic glint of Hunter''s ws bearing down on him from behind. "ws of burning death!" His paws were reced with balls of mes that threatened to consume him. It was as though time slowed down for a bit... During this time, Hunter was already sure of his victory. ''I win...'' Hunter had expected more from Cain. The aura Cain gave off was simr to his. He had expected him to be powerful enough to be consideredpetition but he wasn''t. ''Unfortunately, this is all he has.'' Hunter thought to himself as his ws kept descending toward Cain. ''What a shame... I didn''t even need to use my trump card.'' Just as Hunter was about tond what he thought would be his final attack, an intense feeling of dread and fear washed over him. "Azure Burst!" Like a phantom, Cain''s figure was enveloped in a deep ocean blue color, turning hazy as well. Since he couldn''t stop it at this point, Hunter continued his attack. The ground beneath them cracked open, and a pir of mes erupted from ground zero. Yet, the look on Hunter''s face was even graver than usual. "Seems like this is all you have. And I thought I would have been able to gain something out of all this. What a waste of time." Cain said as he looked up at Hunter from where he now stood, his eyes filled with scorn. ''What-?! How is this possible?!'' Hunter eximed in his mind. He had yed into Cain''s palms and was dancing at his fingertips from the beginning. Although he didn''t want to admit it, he had subconsciously been wary of Cain. From the time they found out that Cain had defeated the powerful {Miasma Devil}, to the time he had first seen Cain fight in the forest against the {Crimson Demon Bear}, he had been on his guard. The strength Cain disyed had been a bit scary to him. That was why he decided to give it his all from the get-go of the fight. Apart from using his trump card, he had used almost all his skills, he had even used a martial arts technique. He had used all his summons skills. He had used everything... And yet... There wasn''t even a look of exhaustion on Cain''s face. He had put in almost everything, yet still... "This fight has gone on for long enough, don''t you think? Let''s end it now, what do you say!" Cain said as he stopped messing around. This time, he was serious. ''This is enough for now. There''s no need for this fight to go on.'' Cain thought to himself as he prepared himself. "Hmph! If you think you think that shy skill of yours can reach me, think again!" Hunter said angrily, his face scrunching up a bit. This was the first time he had let the emotions he was feeling inside slip. "Oh? Are you angry?" Cain said provocatively. "Enough talking! Since you want to end this fight, let''s do so. I''ll im your life with a single strike!" Hunter quickly got a hold of himself, but the aura of rage around him didn''t dissipate in the slightest. Hunter knew it was time to use it. His trump card and most powerful skill! "Feral Savagery!" "Howl!" His already wolfish form began contracting into an evenrger form. His ws and fangs erged, like hot coals, his eyes seemed to shine in the darkness, and he grew to a height nearly doubled that of before. His figure was still just as lean as before, which meant his speed didn''t reduce in the slightest. To top it off, his fur turned into a coat of mes. There wasn''t an inkling of humanity in his eyes. He dashed at Cain with a speed twice as fast as before. The ground beneath his feet shattered like ss beneath his feet, and the grass ignited as well, leaving a trail of scorched earth behind. "Golden Blood!" At the same time as Hunter activated his trump card, Cain activated {Golden Blood}. His surroundings slowed down to a halt. Hunter who was racing towards him slowed down significantly in his eyes. The leaves falling from the trees in the distance, the others in the background, everything slowed down. ''This feeling...'' The feeling of activating {Golden Blood} and {Azure Burst} was surreal. The activation of {Golden Blood} was usually apanied by severe body pains caused by the strain, but with the activation of {Azure Burst}, the intensity was greatly toned down. Faster than lightning, he dashed forward... ''Before, I was uncertain, but now I''m sure.'' After his fight with the {Devil-eyed White Primate}, as well as his meeting with Ashur, he hade to realize one thing. "The only way to get rid of obstacles along my path is to use the de in my hands to cut them down! If you be an obstacle on my path, this is your fate!" Like a thunderstorm, he struck Hunter with the blunt side of his de more times than he could count. "Arghhhh!" A blood-curdling wail escaped from Hunter''s mouth as he was struck all over his body, yet, was unable to do anything but watch. Once the ten-second duration of {Azure Burst} was over, the skill automatically deactivated, while he deactivate {Golden Blood}. With a crash, Hunter fell to the ground with blood leaking from his orifices. He lost consciousness before he even hit the ground. "I win," Cain said, his de sheathing with a resounding click. Chapter 48: The Past. ''I lost...'' Hunter felt his mind hover between consciousness and unconsciousness. Cain didn''t kill him, but he still beat him half to death. During the short timeframe of fewer than 10 seconds, Cain struck him with the blunt edge of his de. He didn''t even see what happened. All he was was a sh of color before he found himself beaten to the ground. ''To think that I, Hunter, would be reduced to such a state...'' Hunter thought to himself as his hazy sight began to darken, and thest bits of his consciousness faded out. *** City Z... 29, ck Cross avenue... These parts of the city were infested with lowlifes, petty criminals, and of course, the real yers of the game, the denizens of the underworld. These individuals built their entire lives on all sorts of activities that would be deemed criminal in a court ofw. Drugs, alcohol, prostitution, gambling, and various other illegal means of entertainment formed the foundation of this part of the city and its environs. Hunter was a part of this world... "Hunter, who''s the target this time?" Dan said as they walked side-by-side through the semi-crowded streets. The streets around these parts were filled with all sorts of shady characters. They''ll gaze at the duo with curiosity, suspicion, and or bloodlust. Yet, it seemed as though they weren''t even paying attention to their surroundings. They just continued forward without ncing to either side. Hunter waved his hand dismissively. "You''ll see when we get there." "You always do this shit. Why can''t you tell me the name of the target beforehand?!" Dan''s brows twitched with resentment. Hunter replied indifferently, "Because that goes against my code of conduct as a No trigger." "Since when do hired killers need a code of conduct!" Dan replied, exasperation evident in his voice. "Just wait. You''ll find out soon enough." Hunter replied to his partner and lifelong best friend with a cold face. He increased his pace, leaving Dan in the dust. Dan couldn''t help but pinch the bridge of his nose in exhaustion. "This guy..." He followed after him with brisk steps... They soon left the main streets to enter a slightly darker alleyway. Within the alley, there was a well-hidden door that looked like a part of the wall. It was so well hidden, that it couldn''t be noticed unless you were looking for it. Hunter and Dan quickly entered through the door, and traveled down a flight of stairs, before they arrived at a metal door guarded by two surprisingly unassuming guards. Although these guards didn''t appear threatening, they couldn''t hide the concentrated aura of blood that suffused their bodies. This showed that they had seen their fair share of bloodshed. One of them stared at the duo for a while before speaking up, "Card please?" Hunter and Dan exchanged nces before turning to the guard. They raised both of their hands, then said in unison, "No card." "Oh..." The guard''s eyes narrowed into slits. In a split second, the guard took a step forward, a knife appearing in his hand. He shed the de down with unnatural precision. The way he moved spoke lengths of the number of times he had performed this action until it had be ingrained within his bones like a sort of reflex. Hunter didn''t even need to move, as Dan quickly responded in kind. A de magically appeared in his grasp as well. He dodged the iing de by gliding to the side like he was walking on ice, before letting his de travel toward the unprotected neck of the guard. The two had performed these seemingly simple actions at speeds so great, all an ordinary observer would be able to perceive, is a blur. However, with every dangerous exchange between madmen, there would always be a winner and a loser. And in this case, he who is faster automatically won the battle. Before the guard could correct his stance to guard against Dan, the de had already reached his neck. Surprisingly, the guard didn''t even flinch. Dan also didn''t make any attempt to continue attacking. Clearing his throat, the guard nced down at the knife, "Please put that thing away." "Hehe... Amateurs." Dan said with a smug grin, to which the guard responded with a light frown. "You are wee to the Armadillo. Please, enjoy your stay..." The guard said with a bow. The door was then opened by the other guard, while the other one led Hunter and Dan inside. They walked for a while before they arrived at their destination. The bar was filled with loud obnoxious music and the stench of degeneracy. Most of the people there were all high on some sort of illegal substance as they swayed their bodies to the rhythm of the loud music. Some were even so depraved as to be engaged in all sorts of unspeakable sexual acts in public, yet most of the people there turned a blind eye to it as though it was the most normal thing in the world. "Fuck this! I hate these ces. How the hell are we supposed to find the target in these conditions?!" Dan couldn''t help but curse out loud. Despite how the music was, the two were still able to hear each other. "There he is," Hunter said all of a sudden. The two hadn''t even been there for a minute, and Hunter had already spotted his target. Dan spun on his heels as he looked around, "Eh? Where?" "3 o''clock, VIP section..." Hunter said as he walked towards his target. Dan let his eyes travel to where Hunter had pointed to him. As soon as he nced over, his eyes widened in surprise. He ran after Hunter, and once he had caught up to him, he grabbed him by the arm and screamed at him at the top of his lungs... "Ketch the butterfly?! The target is Ketch the butterfly?! You might as well say you want to fight the devil or something!" Dan yelled at him with his eyes wide open. Hunter didn''t respond as he attempted to free himself from Dan''s strong clutches. Dan tightened his grip even further, "He''s one of the most notorious No triggers in the business. Do you think we have what it takes?! Or are you looking for a way to throw our lives away?!" "Rx... You know I''m not stupid. I won''t do anything unless I''m very certain." Hunter finally answered Dan. "How can I be so sure, huh?! Even after all these years, you still haven''t changed, have you? You still keep me in the dark. I know there''s something you aren''t telling me. Spit it out!" Dan gazed directly into Hunter''s eyes as he said this. Hunter was silent for a while before he spoke out, "I''ve mastered the technique." Dan was shocked for a while before his eyes widened even further. "You mean, that technique?!" He said in disbelief. Dan''s expression turned ugly instantly, " You told me you wouldn''t practice it again!" Hunter responded with the seriousness this time around, "Dan, listen to me. In this world, we have no one other than ourselves. From the orphanage till now, we''ve been on our own, doing everything together." Taking in a deep sigh, he continued, "How many times have I broken my promise to you?" Dan paused for some time to think about it, " Well, there was that time with the knife, and the other time with the dog... You break your promises all the time!" Dan said angrily, some bitter and frustrating memories resurfacing... "Exactly..." A slight smirk emerged from Hunter''s lips. He freed himself from Dan''s grasp, leaving him in a state of confusion. Not knowing whether tough or cry, Dan continued after Hunter. Before they reached their target, Dan leaned over to Hunter, "If you have a n, now is the time to speak up." "Yes, I do actually," Hunter said as they neared the VIP section. "Oh? And what is that?" Dan asked eagerly. "I''ll take Ketch, you handle the small fry." "How the hell is this even a freaking n?!" Dan was on the brink of pulling his beautiful blue hair away from his head. "Trust my strength... And whatever you do, do not interfere in my fight. Even if you see me beaten to the brink of death, never interfere." Hunter''s said in his usual indifferent tone. "Yeah, yeah... I''ve heard that a thousand times already. I won''t interfere." Dan had heard this a thousand times already. Whenever they were about to engage in a fight, or they were about to undertake a dangerous mission, Hunter would always remind him never to interfere with his fights. And so far, never once had Dan seen the need to do so. This was because Hunter was one of the best No triggers in City Z. He also never took on an opponent he wasn''t sure he could beat. "Alright. Let''s go!" Hunter and Dan pulled their weapons out and marched straight to where Ketch the butterfly was seated. Most of the people in the underworld preferred using cold weapons, such as des, knives, and daggers to fight, as opposed to firearms for various reasons. This included Hunter and Dan. Ketch the butterfly, was named so because he had a butterfly tattoo drawn on his bald head. That, and he always used a butterfly knife to slit the throats of his opponents once they were defeated. He was one of the most well-known No triggers in the underworld society and would kill without any reservations. No triggers could be contracted to kill other people. That was their primary source of ie. Hunter had gotten a contract to kill Ketch the Butterfly. Although it was risky, the pay was more than enough for the risk involved. Hence he agreed to it without any hesitation... And once Hunter set his eyes on prey, he would hunt it down and kill it. That was his nature... He was a natural predator that would stop at nothing to achieve his goals. "Hold up! This is the VIP section. Unless you-" The bouncer who was standing guard outside the VIP section tried to stop Hunter and Dan, but his throat was slit open before he could even finish his sentence. "Ketch the Butterfly?" Hunter said as they walked right up to the muscr baldy sitting on one of the sofas while groping the breasts of a scantily dressed young woman. There were also a few other women caressing how the entire body, as he chugged down on a bottle of alcohol. The stench of sex and drugs in the air was so heavy, it made the atmosphere cloudy. He didn''t even look up to acknowledge their presence because he was too engrossed in what he was doing. Hunter and Dan nced at each other, exchanging a nod. In a sh, the heads of all the girls in the room bent backward as fountains of red erupted from their slit throats. "Ketch the Butterfly?" Hunter said again, this time, with blood dripping from the des he held in his hands. "Yes?" A gruff voice answered him in an annoyed tone. "I''vee to im your life." Ketch raised his head to stare straight at the man whose mission was to im his life. He responded with a frown, "Bold words, I must say,ing from a punk like you, Hunter." "We shall see... Dan, secure the area. Make sure no one gets in." Hunter said without taking his eyes off his target. "Roger that." Dan dashed out of the room as soon as he was given the go-ahead. He had no intention of interfering with the fight. As soon as he was sure Dan had left, Hunter pointed the still-bloody de at his target. "Let''s see what you can do, punk. I''ve heard a lot about you, Hunter the Hunter. I truly hope you do not disappoint me." Ketch the Butterfly said as he stood up from the sofa. With a sh, he pulled out his weapon as well, pointing it straight at Hunter. Without wasting any more time, Hunter dashed forward like a predator ready to pounce on its prey... Chapter 49: The Present: End of the World! With a snicker, Vincent stared at Steve who stared intently at the fallen Hunter; "Well, turns out we both lost the bet, huh?" "It seems so..." Steve said a bit absentmindedly, still staring at Hunter and Cain. "Your friend is hurt. Don''t you think you should go help him?" Susan said coldly to Dan. She was still visibly upset at him for stopping her from interfering with the fight. Dan turned to Susan and David who stood beside her, and with utmost confidence, he said; "Not yet..." "What do you mean by not yet? Your buddy has been defeated. Do you want to leave him there like that?" Although hostility existed between them, it wasn''t to the point of wishing death upon one another. It may be because of the circumstances they found themselves, or no one was willing to get their hands dirty. But for whatever reason, no one had yet to cast the first stone. His piercing blue eyes shone like stars without even a speck of doubt. "Trust me when I say this. This fight is far from over. I can argue with you that it''s just begun..." Dan said with a smile as he stared right at the still Hunter. "I win." Cain let out a heavy sigh as he stared down at the defeated figure of Hunter. Something about the fight puzzled Cain. He had expected it to be way more difficult than it had been. When he fought the {Devil-eyed White Primate}, he had been put in an extremely passive position. That severely affected the way he rated his opponents and caused him to be more cautious of the opponents he was dealing with. ''Could it be that I have gotten much stronger? No that doesn''t make sense... That can''t be the case, as there isn''t much of a strength difference between me of now, and me of a day ago, right?'' What Cain failed to acknowledge, was how much progress he had made in less than 24 hours. Not only did he gain a lot from the fight with the {Devil-eyed White Primate}, but the contract he made with Teddy had caused a fundamental change in his power level. His opponents weren''t weak. He had just gotten stronger and a lot faster by putting his life in danger. High risk, high return... "Hmm?" Just as Cain was about to turn his back and walk away, he noticed a slight twitch in Hunter''s eyelids. ''Guess this fight isn''t over yet...'' *** 1:30 am... It was already way past midnight, very early into the morning and if this had been a normal night, at this time, most people would be in their beds, their minds lost in a world of dreams created by their subconsciousness. Anyone who had survived till now would feel like they were living within a dream, or more urately, a nightmare. Cain and the others were quite lucky, as the area of the school they currently were had very few people in the area, and was a bit isted from everywhere else. It was separated from the main campus by the artificial forest, and if one wanted to get there from the main campus, one would have to journey through the path through the forest. Now that said path had vanished because of the encroachment of the forest, a sort of barrier of trees had been formed, closing Cain and the others, but also keeping out anyone or anything that would try to get in there... This forest barrier was both their cage, as well as what protected them from the hell that was now the main campus... City Z was an important intercontinental trading location, as it was situated right at the edge of the continent. It was bordered by the immenselyrge Pacific Ocean at the west, making it a huge trading hub. Even with how far humanity had progressed technologically, maritime trade was still one of the most predominant means of trade. This made City Z an active and populous metropolis. It was the capital city on the Kris continent, one of the eighth continents of the. As such an important and popted city, it was only expected that it was one of the most affected ces after the''s inception of God Ash. Calling it hell might be a bit of an understatement... A more urate term to describe it would be Armageddon... Meaning the end of the world in an oldnguage. It signified the beginning of the end for all things that existed under the sun. Most people would never have dreamt of its arrival, but it hade, and it''s arrival had shocked the entire world more than its herald. Not just in the school, but everywhere else on the surface of the, Urbus had faced the apocalypse. The devils that hade from the skies were like the messengers of death itself. The ones Cain had met paled greatly inparison to the monsters that began spreading carnage and ughter. Huge grotesque behemoths descended from the grey skies, bringing along swarms of smaller devils. The average devil was many times bigger and stronger than an average human, so it was only normal for the humans to be mostly defenseless against them. The only ones who stood a chance at survival were those who had means of defending themselves. As for those who didn''t, their fates were left to whatever gods might exist to decide. These devils destroyed and consumed everything in their wake, brutally devouring or capturing any living beings they could find, humans or not... The invasion of the devils, and the mutation of all life on the surface of the, caused the infrastructure of the unprepared humans to copse like a house built on sand. In less than three days, the entire city went up in smoke. The shrill cries and wails of terror, pain, and agony of the humans reverberated within the city as their homes, ces of leisure, and work were all invaded by these evil and bloodthirsty beings. Within these three days, most of the people within the campus and city had been killed off. The rest had found out that there was only one way to survive. And that was to kill... Kill the devils and mutants if you desired a chance at life... That was the only way to survive... Well... There were always exceptions to the rule... Within a secret underground location, City Z... The big shots of City Z, those who had held power in the city, all sat down together, worry and fear all apparent on their faces. The mayor of the city, a fat baldie with a funny-looking mustache addressed the rest of the people in the room with beads of sweat rolling down from his face... "A-and so... A-all we have to do, i-is wait for them toe to rescue us. I''m sure t-the military will b-be here any m-moment from now. Y-you have my word." The grossly overweight man struggled to articte his words properly. He squirmed in his seat, his palms and handkerchief drenched in sweat. The look on his face and the terror in his eyes made those who he was addressing even more worried about their fates. "No offense, Mr. Mayor, but are we going to sit here and watch as our precious city is torn apart by these devils?! I suggest we go out there with the forces we have at hand and mount a resistance." One of the men in the room said out of indignation. The beads of sweat rolling down the mayor''s face intensified, ''If you want to go fight them, be my guest. Stupid fucker! Don''t drag me into this!'' "Well, Mr. nton, we all know that these monsters can''t be faced with ordinary means. We''ve seen what they can do. The weapons we have on hand are ineffective against them, and we have no idea if they have any weaknesses or not. Until we receive further information from the outside, I fear we can and should do nothing." The mayor said with a forced smile. "So are you suggesting we just sit here and do nothing?!" Another big shot yelled. "Yes! Our lives and businesses are on the line here. If these monsters are allowed to inflict any more damage, only God knows how much it will cost!" Another one of them said angrily. ''These damn geezers! All they care about are their asses. Is this the time to worry about money?!'' In his mind, the mayor was cursing heavily, but hecked the courage to say these things. After all, the men in the room held a lot of money and power in the city. Regardless of the state on the outside, it would do him no good to get on their bad side. "Please, gentlemen. I ask you all to calm down for a bit. I understand you very well and can rte to these issues. All I ask of is that you remain patient. Very soon, we should receive a-" The mayor was still trying to appease these big shots when he was interrupted by a phone call from one of his assistants standing nearby. "Mr. Mayor, there is a phone call from Major Arltzwalt..." As he had just seen a ray of hope, he yelled out with renewed vigor, "Don''t just stand there, you fucking idiot! Bring it here. hurry!" In a hurry, he swiftly snatched the phone out of his attendants'' hands. A huge smile appeared on the mayor''s face as he addressed the person on the other end of the line, "Yes? Major Arltzwalt? This is Mayor Choi! Any good news for me?!" "Mayor Choi? Since it''s you, I don''t think I need to be anything but straightforward, so I''ll skip the pleasantries." A gruff voice answered from the other end of the line. "Go on?" The mayor replied uneasily, as this wasn''t how to give good news. "You all are fucked. Well, a more fitting way to say it would be we are all fucked, but in this case, you guys are way more fucked than we ate. Hahaha!" "Hahaha... This must be some kind of joke, major. But in all seriousness, what is the situation of things out there? Have you guys defeated those alien devils yet?" By now, the mayor was simply trying to trick himself. Maybe if he tried his best to deny it, it wouldn''te true. Unfortunately, for the mayor, his wish will never be granted... "Oh... I''m being dead ass serious right now. As you know, normal weapons don''t work on these fuckers. From our information sources, we have been able to gather that there are a few people who have acquired the ability tobat these so-called devils. However, they are all still too weak to face the numbers present in city Z. Hence, the central government has decided to drop a few bombs on y''all to reduce their numbers before we do a clean sweep." The mayor nked out for a while before asking in a shaky voice, "S-so what does that mean?" "Well, it means you are fucked, Mr. Mayor. If you survive this, you''ll be pleased to find out that every other ce on the surface of this godforsaken is facing the same fate as city Z, or even worse in some cases. If you want to survive this, the only advice I can give you is to get off your fat ass, and go kill those things by yourself." The major spat all these out at lightning speed, not caring whether the now nearlyatose mayor got it all. "Oh... Before I cut off, I''ll have to inform you that City Z will be ground zero in the next 20 minutes. By O two hundred, hell will fall upon City Z. Godspeed..." With that, the major swiftly and brutally ended the call. "Well, who was that, Mr. Mayor?" One of the men in the room asked. "Also, why do you look so pale and sweaty? Are you feeling sick?" said another. "We are all going to die." The mayor mumbled. "Huh? What was that?" The sight of their oblivious faces made anger swell up within the mayor as he found his courage balloon up in the face of near-certain death... "I said, we are all going to die, you stupid fuckers!" Chapter 50: Impending Death(1). 01:40 am... Cain cautiously drew {Devil''s Broken w} once again, pointing it at Hunter who was struggling to get up to his feet... "Fuck. That hurt a lot..." A groan escaped from Hunter as he tried his best to steady his shaky knees. Cain had done a number on him, but since he had fairly good defense stats, and Cain didn''t intend to take his life, he was still breathing. Wounded, but breathing... Cain stared him down for a while. Suddenly, he slowly let a smile creep onto his face. He re-sheathed his de, then ced a finger on his chin as though he was in deep thought. Curiously, Cain asked, "Who taught you how to fight?" "Hmm?" As this question was unexpected, it truly caught Hunter by surprise. With a raised brow, he asked, "Why do you want to know?" "Well, you fight well. I want to know who your master is." ''This just might be a lead...'' Cain owed his life to the mysterious man that had taught him how to stand up for himself and defend his pride. He had tried looking for him, but since he didn''t have any actual clues of his teacher''s identity, he always ended up empty-handed. He had tried asking around in most of the dojos on campus and in the city, but to no avail. He had thought that with the poprity of martial arts, it wouldn''t be hard at all to find something that could only be known as a mater, but apparently, he was wrong. No one had any information on who his master was. It was almost as if he just appeared out of thin air, and then vanisher right back to where he came from... "That is none of your business. Besides, a dead man has no business knowing such things." Hunter said. There still wasn''t much of a change in his facial expression, but Cain could tell there was something a bit different... Cain let out a chuckle, "Me? A dead man? It seems I didn''t whoop your ass enough." He ced his hand on the hilt of his de but didn''t draw it. ''If he''s this confident, he certainly must have an ace up his sleeve.'' "Trust me, it was enough... Ouch!" Hunter winced as the pain from his bruised body intensified over time. The look in his eyes seemed to intensify as well, "But trust me, what I''m about to do to you will be a whole lot worse." A provocative smirk stretched the corners of Cain''s lips, "Oh? Humor me." Hunter shrugged and cracked his neck as though the bruises no longer affected him even though he was still covered in them from head to toe, "It''s best if I show you. That way, you get the full experience." "Summon: Demon Wolf!" A magical rune appeared on Hunter''s palm, and an identical array magically appeared from the ground next to him. 6 fairlyrger-than-average wolves with a fiery coat apanied by a dense smell of sulfur appeared from the runic array on the ground. "Summon Sacrifice: Recovery!" Three of the wolves dissipated into motes of light that melded into Hunter''s body. His bruises visibly began to heal up very quickly until they had allpletely disappeared. CRACKLE! He stretched a bit, and all his bones that had been knocked out of their ce by Cain during his beatdown were pushed back to their original positions. All these were done without him even flinching... Light shone briefly before a blue-colored potion appeared in his hands. He pulled the cork of the bottle, before dunking all the MP regen potion down his throat. Cain watched him get prepared without doing any more to stop him. Once he was done, the little ss bottle shattered. This was normal because as soon as an HP Regen or MP Regen potion was emptied, the ss vial, which was its container would shatter into pieces, without leaving behind a single piece of debris. Cain checked his stats and was pleased to find out that his mana pool had almost regenerated back to full capacity. ''{Mana Heart} is such a convenient skill...'' His stamina and HP were also barely depleted, so he assumed he didn''t even need any preparations. Once Hunter was done with his, he figured it was about time round two started. As soon as he was done preparing, Hunter stared right at Cain, "If I kill you, just know it wasn''t my intention to do so. You are one of the strongest opponents I have ever faced in my life. So, I am going to fight you at full capacity now. There will be no holding back, so I might end up killing you." Cain could tell that whatever string of morality that had been holding Hunter back, had brokenpletely. He could see in his eyes that Hunter desired to fight him without holding anything back. And he felt just the same way... He fought with restraint before because he didn''t want to end up killing someone identally. Although he was a fighter, he had never needed to take someone''s life before. So he held back... Every time he fought with someone else, he held back. He set unconscious limitations on himself because he didn''t want to go overboard and end up with a life on his hands. He might be crazy, but he knew that killing someone had to be a point of no return. But here he was, seriously considering it. He noticed that the limiters he put on himself were gone. They had simply vanishedpletely. And he knew why. Cain realized that the threat he was facing, had be real. It wasn''t like those he hade in contact with in the past. This was the real deal... If Cain knew of Hunter''s origins, he definitely won''t be asx as he was right now. Hunter was a killer, an infamous one at that, but Cain was just a teenager who happened toe in contact with a good fortune after a lifetime of bad luck. With the arrival of the apocalypse, these two characters gained superhuman powers. One a murderous teenager, and the other a potentially murderous teenager. Both skilled in the art of battle, they decided to sh to find out who was superior... This was what happened when two predators of the same species met. They would go head to head in a brutal fight for dominance, either until one of them was defeated or killed. This was the world that worked... Cain''s face turned somber, "I could say the same thing. If you are ready,e. There will be no holding back this time around..." "Hmph!" With a snort, Hunter got into a weird stance. He bent his legs forward, yet didn''t seem to fall over because his center of gravity shifted to favor his stance. He spread his arms apart perpendicr to the ground with his beastly ws stretched out. His bulging muscles began to twitch and spasm. Cain was filled with a deep sense of shock as he stared at this transformation, ''What is this?!'' A deep guttural growl escaped his lips as he looked over at Cain with bloodshot eyes. There was a mixture of savage brutality and calm within his eyes, like a predator waiting for the right moment to strike at its prey. ''His aura changedpletely. He looks more like a beast than ever before now. I haven''t felt this way in a long time.'' Cain could feel his heart racing a little as he gazed directly into the eyes of the monster crouching before him. ''Is this fear or excitement? It''s hard to tell...'' Cain was stumped for words, but his body instinctively got on the defensive. His de was quickly drawn from its sheath and ced diagonally in front of him. He adopted a defensive stance, ready to take Hunter head-on. Blood pumping through both their veins, they were ready to tear at each other until the stronger one was decided, covered in the blood of the other. Between this moment and 1:40 am, exactly twenty minutes had passed... 02:00 am... Just as they were about to sh once again, it came... At first, they heard the sound of whistling apanied by distant rumbling. Suddenly, extremely bright shes of light came from the distance, followed by several loud bangs. Breaking out of battle mode in an instant, Cain turned to stare at the source, "What the hell was that?!" Then, he saw it... The only words that could be used to describe what he saw, was death... Because of his high perception stat and how bright they were in contrast to the dark skies, he could observe them with ease. "Fucking hell..." The fatty muttered as the bright shes of light reflected within the depths of his eyes. The rest just stared on without saying a word. The bloodlust and fighting spirit wafting in the air was blown away in an instant. Cain and Hunter paused to stare as well... Hundreds of ballistic missiles fell upon the city like the angels of death themselves. Everyone stared at the city in shock and despair, as they couldn''t believe what they witnessed. They weren''t able to hear anything for a while due to the terrifying booms as well. Cain looked in the distance and was able to see a shadow piercing through the clouds, aimed at them. It didn''t take him long to realize what it was. "Everyone, brace yourselves!" Cain yelled out as loud as he could. "Shit! Shit; One of those things is headed this way!" Vincent screamed at the top of his lungs in a panic. "What?!" The others were just as shocked. They gazed at the patch of the sky Cain and Vincent were looking at, and their faces turned a shade paler. "May we share grace?" Steve asked in a calm voice, hoping to get hisstughs out before he died. The others ignored him as they thought of what to do. "Is there a shelter for these sorts of situations in the school?" Cain turned to David to ask. "No... This part of the school was just built recently, so nothing like that was included when the building was being made." David said. The look of hopelessness and despair that crept onto his face as he spoke caused Cain to feel a tinge of worry in his heart. He usually didn''t feel emotions for others, but when someone a little close to him showed such despair, he couldn''t help but want to do something about it. Despite all themotion, he was still extremely calm. Within his mind, he began forming a n... ''There is only one way I can think of to stop this thing.'' "Everyone, listen to me. In less than a minute, that thing is going to get here, and if we don''t do something, we''ll turn into ash. Anyone who has a barrier type or defense type skill, activate it. Do whatever you can to survive!" "It isn''t going to work. There is no way any of our skills will be able to stop a warhead of that size. An explosion from that thing would wipe out all life in the area." Hunter said. "What''s the point of instilling false hope in them?" "False hope? I don''t think so. If all goes ording to n, we will all survive. I''m sure of it..." Cain said as though he wasn''t even a bit bothered by their situation... ''This guy is crazy. Does he think it''s possible to stop a warhead? These things were used in the old era to take down battleships and aircraft. Stopping a warhead isn''t something a human can do...'' Hunter thought to himself. In his mind, he had already epted his fate. Even if he did die, he wasn''t going to be bothered. He would just take it as restitution for all the lives he had imed in his life. Chapter 51: Impending Death(2). Impending death wasing, and it wasing fast... If action wasn''t taken in less than a minute, they would all die. Cain turned to David, "Mr. David, I need you at a time like this to lend me a hand. I noticed your skills are mostly defense-oriented. Maybe you can do something to help." Cain spoke rapidly as they didn''t have a lot of time left. Cain had done a bit of calction, and in less than forty minutes, they could be sted into pieces. The lightless eyes David seemed to light up with a bit of hope as he stared at Cain. "What do you have in mind?" Cain didn''t even pause for a breath as he kept making his preparations. The metal elemental mana gathering in the surroundings stirred up. The air began pulsating as the specks of concentrated golden-hued mana flew toward Cain. "I''m not sure it will work, but it''s worth a shot. But it depends on whether you can help out." Cain said as he concentrated, the outline and foundation of the skill he was about to create began to form within his mind. "What do you want me to do?" David had lost all his hopes when he saw certain death approaching. He had tried his best to make sure he and the rest survived, but he had made up his mind that their journey had ended when he saw the streak of light and smoke swiftly approaching them. Although in the present day, they weren''t seen or used at all, the history books never lied. There were also a lot of movies featuring the sorts of catastrophes that could be caused by weapons of such mass destruction. No human being could be able to survive such a thing... But they weren''t normal humans anymore. During the past few days, they had begun to greatly deviate from what was known as a human being before the apocalypse. They had attained extraordinary powers that granted them the ability to do the impossible. David didn''t want to die. Although he didn''t have much to look forward to in the world, he still didn''t want to die. He had been heartbroken and even traumatized when he learned that all the others had died, killed by the {Miasma Devil}. His former students, colleagues, and everyone except those currently with him. And he med himself for it. If he had been more persuasive with his words, he believed he would have been able to do more, to save more... The guilt ate away at his conscience, so he decided to atone by making sure he protected the remaining survivors. David didn''t want to let anyone else die, so he had taken on the responsibility of leading the rest. He thought things would be easy at first, but they weren''t. The boys were always at each other''s throats, trying to show their dominance, and everyone was still cautious and suspicious of each other... And this frustrated him to no end. It frustrated him so much, he nearly snapped. If not for Cain earlier, he would have done something he most likely would have regretted. But he still wanted to do what he had set his mind to. That was the type of man he was. Even though he had almost lost all his hopes, even if there was a silver chance of their survival, he would grasp for it like it was a madman. "Use your most powerful defensive skill to protect us all from anything, such as residual shockwaves, or debris that manages to break through the defense I''ll create in a second," Cain said as he concentrated on what he was doing. "Can I help as well?" Looking perplexed, Cain turned to the owner of the voice, "Steve?" "Why sound so surprised?" Steve said with a wide smile. "Just didn''t seem likely with the kind of person you are and all that..." "What?! Just what do you take me for?! I''d rather use a mere skill than see the pearly gates so early in my virgin lifetime!" Steve huffed out as he stretched his arms out. A serious expression appeared on his face... "So, what do you want me to do?" "Do you have any protection or defensive skill?" "Sure. I have tons, but their durability isn''t the best..." Cain fell silent for a while, before he made up his mind, "That''s fine as well. But the timing has to be just right... Tell me how they work." "Well, they are called elemental barriers. Thanks to a skill I gained at the beginning of this shit show, called {Battle Mage}, I have all sorts of skills. Exactly three types of barrier skills. One ice type, one metal type, and one earth type. I can only use the three of them 9 times a day, which adds up to a total of 27 times. They also take a decent chunk of my mana afterward..." Steve exined at a stretch... Cain looked at him surprised, "I didn''t expect you to have such a powerful skill." Steve said with a wink and a chuckle, "Me neither, but such is life, my friend. Can''t frown at the cards I''ve been dealt, especially when they favor me." "Hohoho..." ''Interesting...'' To others, it might have not been noteworthy, but to Cain, every bit of new information was like a new piece of the puzzle being put in ce. ''Turns out things aren''t as simple as I thought.'' And with every new piece uncovered, the more he realized how little he knew about his current situation and predicament. Cain turned back to David, "Mr. David?" "Well, my skill utilizes blood elemental mana to create a shield dome that can block out arge percentage of damage. It''s weak to direct physical damage, however..." "Hmmm... We don''t have any more time. As soon as I activate this skill, Steve, I want you to activate 3 of your magic shields each. That should be enough. Mr. David, I need you to activate yours as soon as Steve does so. The order cannot be messed up." With just a bit of description, Cain could tell how each of their abilities worked. He guessed that Steve''s magic barrier skills would be stronger against physical attacks than magical attacks because if he was to ce things into groups, Steve would be ssified as a magician. And the greatest enemies of magic ss fighters were those who dealt a lot of physical damage, not magical damage. This skill was created with the purpose to counter it. Cain was sure Steve thought of and created the skills by himself... As for David, he already knew his attacks would be weak against direct physical attacks, but to make up for it, its magical defense must be very strong... Cain''s n was very straightforward... He would use up most of his mana to create a very strong shield dome of metal. This skill would be the one to do the brunt of the work. Cain guessed it would stop and absorb most of the physical debris and impact, but would most likely be destroyed in the process. The nextyer of his bulwark was Steve''s nine magic barrieryers. These would absorb the damage from the shrapnel as well as some of the heat produced from the explosion. The rest would be handled by David''syer of defense, which would deal with the rest of the heat, as well as the shockwaves from the st. ''If all goes ording to n, we should survive this. Probably...'' The uncertainty behind this n made it seem dumb at first nce, but he had considered all sorts of factors. As a teenager, he knew a lot of unnecessary information he didn''t need, and fortunately for him, this information would save his life today. Most people in the people would have no idea about how a bomb or explosive works so they would be clueless in this sort of situation. But one of Cain''s hobbies was reading. He got into reading old books when he started his research of martial arts and his mysterious master. This had grown into one of his most fond past times in recent years. And of the numerous books he had read, a few contained basic information on tactical weapons and explosives. Although the media decided to hide most of the information about the old world, historians never even tried to do so. Information on the old world was ever present in libraries, but because most people would never visit one in their entire lives, it might as well have been... So although he wasn''t entirely sure of his n, by what the books said, they might be able to survive. The only factor left to consider was their powers were strong enough to stop a ballistic missile. ''Only one way to find out.'' Cain ced his palms on the ground with his fingers spread out wide on the ground. He pumped out all the mana he had gathered out of his body, directing his mind to shape it to his will A magical runic arrayprising of various mysterious and arcane runes popped out of the ground from nowhere. "Metal Creation: Golden Dome of Protection!" Almost simultaneously, they could all see the shooting star of death approach from afar. "Brace yourselves! Activate them now!" Just as soon as the dome of metal closed up; "Are we still gonna share grace?" Steve said jokingly. "I don''t think this is the ti-" "Here ites!" Chapter 52: How to Stop a Missile. Cain emptied his mana reserves all in one go ''Fuck!'' He felt a little lightheaded, nauseous even, but forced himself. Overusing mana and stamina could have negative effects on the body, and Cain was experiencing them firsthand. This had happened to him before, but not on the scale he was experiencing now. His muscles spasmed, and throbbing veins appeared on his head, as a terrible headache began building up. But regardless of how bad it was, he forced himself to stay off his feet, eyes wide open as he observed the events that would determine whether he lived, or died. "Shield of frost!" "Earthen barrier!" "Steel Rampart!" Light blue, grey, and Golden speckles of light gathered from all directions towards Steve''s outstretched arms, forming various circr magic rune arrays that rotated around his forearm, down to his fingertips as he conjured up barrier after barrier. All 9 barriers were created in the blink of an eye. "Alright... I''ve done my part." Steve wiped down the sweat from his forehead, taking his arms down in the process. He also looked a bit exhausted as well. Light shed in his hands as he retrieved a blue MO Regen potion from his inventory, gulping it down in one swig. "My turn!" As soon as Steve let his hands drop, David took a knee and ced his hands on the ground. "Crimson Guard: Bloodline." A magic array appeared on the ground with his palms as the center. Numerous threads of blood spread out from his hands onto the ground, twisting and twining until they formed a thin, red translucent film. These threads of blood were created from condensed blood elemental energy, not David''s blood. "Done!" David said. Cain observed that rather than an MP Regen potion, David hurriedly retrieved an HP regen potion instead. This got Cain wondering; ''Don''t all skills run on mana?'' He kept this new piece of information at the back of his mind for now. ''For now, there are much bigger things to worry about.'' The missile came down when no one expected it... BOOM! The resulting explosion immediately caused the metal dome Cain created to cave in, destroying it in an instant. But it still served its purpose, which was to trigger the explosion of the missile. Once Cain''s barrier was destroyed, the first thing that hit them was the extremely bright sh of light apanying the explosion, followed by the sound waves. Following that would be the intense heat that came with the detonation of an explosive. Steve''s barriers shattered like ss under the impact. He arranged them ording to the order Cain had told him to. The first one was the earth attribute barrier, followed by the metal attribute, followed by the frost. There was a reason why this order was important. The earthen barrier had toe first because it was there to act as a buffer. It would greatly reduce the heat, force, and shockwaves the explosion produced. But that was its main purpose. The next one had to be metal. Its main function was to absorb and dampen the intensity of the shockwavesing from the st, as well as the shrapnel created from the earthen barriers and the explosive. Thest barrier would be the frost barrier. They would absorb the heat generated by the explosion. If all went ording to n, there wouldn''t be any need for David''s barrier. Cain only had him create it as a fail-safe. Cain watched as each barrier gave way one after the other. By the ninth barrier, the force of the explosion had dissipated a lot, but the frost barriers didn''t do much against the heat. The heat of the st was just too powerful. ''We are screwed.'' Cain recognized that if David''s barrier didn''t stand, they would be baked to death without question. The waves of heat mmed down like hammers onto David''s barrier. "Come on...e on... Please hold out!" David muttered under his breath whilst shaking. His face turned a bit pale, as the barrier was drawing power straight of his health pool. Cain''s eyes narrowed in exhaustion as he racked his brain on what to do. He had never expected a situation like this to y out. One moment, he was about to engage in a life-or-death battle, and the next, his life and death were in the bnce. ''How ironic...'' Con steeled his nerves as he began to prepare another failsafe. His mana had regenerated a little, but he noticed that it was doing so a bit slower than usual. That was when he received the system prompt. {Host is currently facing a mana overdraft due to theplete depletion of mana reserves. The mana regeneration rate is reduced by 50% until the mana pool is returned to 100%.} ''What the hell?! This didn''t happenst time. What is going on, system?'' {Replying to host: This is one of the functions of your {Mana Heart}. Previously, you didn''t have a mana regtor, hence, you might not have felt these symptoms, but your potential would gradually be eaten away by doing this often if you don''t have something to control it. One of the many uses of a mana regtor is to control the mana usage and consumption of the host to prevent any longsting side effects}. ''Side effects? What type of side effects?!'' {Replying to host; Further information can be purchased at the system shop...} ''Stupid system!'' {Replying to host; "..." } ''Guess I have to rely on the MP Regen potions. But I only have a few left. They most definitely won''t let me recover back to full.'' Each MP and HP Regen potion only recovered 100 points. And Cain had less than 20 of them with him, so there was no way he could recover back to full. Even if he had more of them, there just wasn''t enough time to do so. ''I''ll do what I can, and leave the rest to fate, I guess...'' Right now, it was done, or die. If David''s barrier couldn''t hold out, they were all dead... "I... I can''t hold on for much longer... The HP potions recover too little, and the skills'' duration is about to expire. I''m sorry!" David said shakily. Blood rolled down from his nose, as he apologized to the rest from the bottom of his heart. He felt as though he had failed them all. His barrier was about to die out, but it was clear that the mes produced by the explosion were still atrge "It''s okay, Mr. David. You''ve tried your best. I wish I could''ve helped, but I don''t have any defensive skills. I doubt I can absorb this much heat without exploding to death." ze said, trying tofort him, but this only made him feel worse. "Dumbass," Vincent said as he palmed his forehead. "No! It was my job to protect your kids, but I failed. I failed terribly. I was too weak. If only I was a bit more powerful, then maybe-" "Ah, for fuck sake old man. That''s enough. You tried your best, so stop letting it eat you up. Do you want to be a restless ghost when you die?!" Vincent said. He looked up at the top of the Crimson dome with serious eyes, "I doubt there was anything any of us could have done that would stop this. We tried our best." He turned to look at Cain with sincerity in his eyes, "At least we were given hope. Even if we go down, we''ll rest easy knowing we went down fighting." Manny who had been quiet for some time now finally spoke up, "Well, I have no intentions of dying here. If you like, you can give up. As for me," He drew his des and a magnificent undying green aura enveloped him. "I ain''t gonna die here." He intended to fight till the end. "Hahaha! That''s the fucking spirit! I too won''t go down without a fight." Vincent said as he retrieved his rifle from his shoulder. Dozens of soft light blue lines appeared on its surface. The aura of roaring seas appeared to envelop him for a split second. Susan drew her bow and said coldly, "I won''t give up as well! I might not be able to do much, but I''d rather die on my feet with pride than die in fear!" "Hehehe... Seems like no one wants to share grace today." Steve said with a strange chuckle. "What should we do, Hunter?" Dan raised a brow at Hunter. "What do you think? Do you want to die here?" Hunter said without looking at him. Dan traced his eyes to where they were focused on and wasn''t surprised to see who they were trained on. "Keke... Seems like the heartless and cold-blooded killer, Hunter the Hunter, has finally found a worthy opponent." Dan teased with a smirk on his face. But he didn''t expect what woulde out of Hunter''s mouth. "Maybe..." "Eh? Is the world about to end? Did you just admit there is someone you can''t defeat?" Dan asked with wide-open eyes. "Yet... Can''t defeat yet..." Hunter said coldly. He turned his gaze away from Cain, before drawing his weapon as well. A smile tugged at the corners of his face, ''Hohoho... Things are starting to get interesting...'' "Everyone..." David said with shock and embarrassment on his face. "None of us are going to give up. Not now, not ever." Cain reassured him with a soft expression. Cain could understand all that was going through David''s mind. The feeling of not being worthy, of being useless. He could understand it all. He would have been like this as well if not for his fortunate encounter. "Besides, who said all hope is lost?" Cain said with a grin. He downed thest of his MP potions, then raised his hands to the skies. "Metal Creation: Golden Dome of Protection!" Just like before, a magic circle created from runes appeared on the ground, before a construct of metal sprang out from thin air, creating a protective covering over all of them. At the same time, David finally gave in to exhaustion, and his skill was deactivated. The crimson dome shattered instantly but was immediately reced by a golden one. The waves of heat mmed repeatedly into the golden barrier, threatening to destroy it, but it held out. The inside of the dome began to heat up tremendously, but that was quickly controlled when Dan activated a skill. "Thanks..." Cain nodded thanks to him. Dan scratched the back of his head embarrassed, "Hehe, Don''t mention it. Really..." After a while, it all stopped... They all let out sighs of relief simultaneously... "We survived!" Chapter 53: Monsters Rampage (1). "We survived!" Relief visibly washed over all of them, even those that tried not to express it... {Congrattions to the host... Your understanding of the elements and mana has increased. Your skill, {Golden Armor Transformation}, has been upgraded to the internal active skill, {Golden Halo}. {Golden Halo}: Create concentrated rings of light that dampen iing physical attacks by 30%, and magic attacks by 10% per halo. A maximum of 5 halos can be created at once, and with each additional halo, the amount of protection decreases by 60%. Halo effects can stack. Cost: 100MP per halo. Cooldown: 5 seconds per halo. ''Another skill...'' It came as a surprise to Cain, but he suspected as much. With how high his magic stat was, and the situation they were under, it was not too unbelievable that he formed a new skill. "Haha! I knew we''d survive for sure!" Steve lied through his teeth with a shit-eating grin. "Liar!" Manny called his lies out instantly. "Says the guy who wanted to share grace. Not a single ounce of grit in these sack of bones, I tell ya." Vincent said with a snort. Cain deactivated the skill as soon as he noticed things were back to normal. Once he did, he was able to witness the destruction that was wrought upon their surroundings by the explosion. The explosion from the missile had destroyed almost everything in their surroundings. The buildings a few meters away from them had been turned into ruins, and a good portion of the forest before they were destroyed, burnt to a crisp. mes were still crackling everywhere, but since ground zero was coincidentally where Cain and the rest were, the damage to the surroundings wasn''t as bad as it could be. "This is fucking..." Vincent swore in a loud voice. "The entire ce is destroyed?" Susan said in disbelief, almost not believing what was before her very eyes... The air waspletely saturated with the smell of burning wood. They could hear the shrill cries of various mutant creatures that were burning to their death within the forest, or simply running away, creating a cacophony of disaster carried by the night breeze... Although the school buildings had almost been destroyed, there were still a few structures that bore some semnce of structure. "But who the hell would do something like this?!" David asked with scrunched-up brows. He wasn''t just worried, he was also very angry. "If I had to take a guess, it would be either the government or the military," Cain said resolutely. Numerous thoughts ran through his mind all at once, but he chose to bottle them up. Manny asked curiously, "What''s the difference?" "Well, there are numerous differences, but to sum it up, the military is a government-controlled organization that has ess to things the government wants control of, but can''t easily get their hands on. On the other hand, since the military doesn''t have anything better to do due to the era of ''peace'' we are in, they chose to ''legally'' go against the government. That''s essentially all there is to it." Susan answered his question in a single breath. "How do you know that?" This time, it was Cain''s turn to look at her in surprise. Susan''s cheeks blushed from embarrassment, "Let''s just say some questions can''t be easily answered." She said awkwardly. "Oh... I understand." Cain understood that some things were better kept as secrets. Besides, he wasn''t all that curious. Seeing that Cain wasn''t interested in knowing, Susan was a bit disappointed but didn''t let it show on her face. "Why do you think that, Cain?" David turned to Cain. "I don''t have all the pieces figured out yet. I might be wrong, and it might be a foreign government trying to take advantage of our situation." "I don''t think this is the time to be worried about all that." Hunter suddenly said out of the blue. "What do you mean?" David asked him. It was then, Cain heard it... He could hear the faint sound... If one didn''t pay close attention, it could be mistaken as mere background noise or the rumbling of thunder in the distance. "Trouble just doesn''t seem to end today. This is the kind of life I love." Manny said with a chuckle. "What are you on-" Before anything else could be said, those with lower perception stats finally got it. "It''sing from everywhere!" "Just when I thought this day couldn''t get any worse..." "Can we share grace now?" The explosions that had urred had probably frightened the monsters in the forest, causing them to rampage, and go on a stampede. The artificial forest was reallyrge and had been created to bring a moreely and down-to-earth environment to the campus. Because it was sorge, it was only natural that it would have a lot of wild animals living within it. It was where students, staff, and even visitors could stroll through without having to worry about much because the wild animals there were tame most of the time. Attacks on humans rarely happened, and if they did, they were few far few between, with most cases involving only slight injuries. But now was an entirely new story... God ash mutated the genes of the animals, causing them to changepletely from what they were to the abnormal beast they had be with frightening levels of intelligence. They had be stronger, faster, smarter, as well as aggressive and bloodthirsty. All their natural traits were multiplied by many times. The God ash had a simr effect on humans, just more refined. It also didn''t make them lose their minds. The speed of their development was slower than the mutant creatures because they had to rely primarily on the things they kill to be stronger. Whereas, the beasts could create mana cores and simply just absorb mana from the atmosphere to be stronger. They could also do what the humans did as well. They fought amongst each other to increase their power, which only served to make their aggressive nature worse. "There is no escaping here. Our only option is to fight." Cain said resolutely. ''Even I''m not sure I can fight against so many alone.'' "Fight? There''s no way we can fight against so many of them. There''s a whole mob approaching!" Steve said in amazement. "Yeah...Last time I checked, there could be hundreds of thousands of animals in this ce. If all of them came at us like this, we are all going to die. No way out of it..." "So all of that was for nothing? We just survived a god-damned missile for God''s sake!" "But we can''t escape. Listen closely... We are surrounded. They areing from everywhere." The forest formed a huge circle around their department, or what is left of it. When the missiles fell, most of them fell at the borders of the forest, causing most of the mutant animals to run deeper into the forest. There were only two missiles that fell deeper into the forest, and that was the one that nearly killed Cain and the others, and another that fell not too far away from them. "We have to do something, or we''ll just be sitting ducks." They were all silent for a while before Manny spoke up, breaking the dreary atmosphere. "I say we fight!" Manny said. He never re-sheathed his des. Not even once... "You are a crazy battle maniac... Of course, you''ll think we should fight. I suggest we think of a better solution. Maybe we can try to break away from the probable encirclement." Dan said, his hand on his chin as he pondered deeply about their situation. "If you want to run, go ahead. We have been given powers that were the things of myths and fairytales just a few days ago, and you want them to waste away. Pussy!" Manny spat back. "There''s no need for name calling..." David tried to calm the situation down, but Manny was having none of it, "If you want to, run. But I will fight. I wasn''t able to help earlier, but this is my specialty. If you want to run, feel free to do so. Those who have confidence in their strength, they''ll stay and fight. Besides, even if you do want to run, where will you run to, huh?!" There was silence for a while before Cain spoke up... "Haha... There is no need to think too deeply about this situation. I''ll fight as well." Cain drew his de for the umpteenth time that morning. ''This day has been so eventful...'' Cain could feel that his life was bing more and more exciting as the days went by. He had gone from being a regr antisocial high school student with a bit of knowledge of martial arts to fight with his life on the edge every day. ''Things couldn''t get any better.'' Cain fought hard to suppress the grin dragging at the corners of his lips but failed miserably. "Seems like I''ve been moving with a bunch of psychopathic masochists who just love to dance with the devil... I''m in!" Steve said excitedly. Although they had said they were against standing their ground, no one had attempted to go anywhere. Their weapons were still drawn, and if anything, they all looked eager to draw blood. "No other choice I guess... I''ll fight as well," Vincent said with a grin. Cain turned to Hunter a devilishly handsome grin on his face illuminated by the faint light radiating from the still-burning embers of scorched earth contorting his features and causing him to appear sinister in the dim lighting. "What say you?" Chapter 54: Monsters Rampage (2). "What say you?" Cain stared at Hunter deeply... "What do you expect?" Hunter said. Cain let out a chuckle, "I guess that''s a yes then." "We will need to work together if we want to survive this. I don''t know what to expect, but I am sure if we face it as a team, our chances of survival are higher." David said in a serious voice. "What do you have in mind, Mr. David?" ze asked. By now, everyone had recovered from the injuries they had sustained during the earlier conflict. This included ze. Although he had exhausted himself, he didn''t suffer severe injuries. There were also many ways to recover lost stamina, so recovering wasn''t an issue. David exined, "Well, we have a few minutes before whatever hell is approaching descends upon us. Let''s divide ourselves into 3 groups." Seeing that he had their attention, he continued, "The first group will be the defenders, which will consist of Dan, Steve, and me. The next would be the melee attackers, Evangeline, Cain, Hunter, and ze. Thest group will be the ranged attackers, Vincent and Susan. Any questions?" "Yes." Surprisingly, the first to speak up was Evangeline. Since she rarely most of the time, they subconsciously ignored her. Most of them couldn''t even remember what her voice sounded like. The fact she decided to speak up at such a delicate time made all of them raise all their brows "Yes? What questions do you have, Evangeline?" David asked sincerely... "It''s not so much of a question as it is a statement. I will be fighting, but not with the rest of you..." Evangeline stated coldly. Her chilling and hoarse, but at the same time beautiful voice made everyone shocked, but even more shocking were the words she said. "You don''t want to fight with us? What does that mean?" David asked a bit confused. "You are all weak... Weak. You all will be more of a burden than anything else." She said without even blinking her long silvershes. There was a brief moment of silence, but before anyone else could say anything, Cain spoke, "Do you want to do this at a time like this?" Cain said coldly. "You can do whatever you want. I don''t care. Just don''t expect me to help you when you are in danger." "I see..." With this conversation, Cain had a better understanding of Evangeline''s character. ''She''s a freaking narcissist!'' He realized that it wasn''t that she was quiet or mysterious, she was just extremely proud and aloof. Just a single conversation and Cain had already grabbed that much about her. "I''ve watched you all for some time, and all I can say is this. While you have decent skills, it is still insufficient if you want to fight on the same level as me. Now if you will excuse me, I have to go prepare..." With that said, she excused herself from the group at lightning speed... Silence... "Wow... I most definitely didn''t expect that." Vincent said with his mouth agape. "Truly unexpected indeed..." Steve said, stroking his imaginary chin hair. "So freaking arrogant." The filter-less Manny blurted out. "Sigh... We can''t force you, but if you feel yourself getting pressured, remember you can alwayse back here." David said. He didn''t want to force her, but he couldn''t help but worry. Cain ced a hand on his shoulder, "Leave her. Nothing will happen as long as I''m around." Although Cain thought she was a bit proud, he couldn''t help but think there was more to her than meets the eye. ''Maybe all of this is just a fake exterior. I''ll have to gather more info on her.'' Cain considered this as a possibility as well but concluded that he didn''t have all the cards down right. "Steve" Cain called out quietly. "Yes, boss?" "What do you know about her?" Cain said, pointing his thumb at Evangeline who was now standing a few meters away from them, doing a few odd-looking stretches and poses... "It''s gonna cost you a lot, boss. That''s some quality info you want there, so it''s only natural it costs you a lot..." Steve had on the most merchant-like grin a human could muster whilst saying this. Cain rolled his eyes, "Well talk after this is over." "That''s if we survive..." Steve said casually. "What do you mean?" "Well, I don''t think this situation is particrly optimistic." "Why do you think so? Didn''t we just survive a near-impossible situation just now?" Cain was referring to the missile they had just sessfully blocked. "You might not know this, but that missile was just a KH-22. It might be powerful enough to destroy a few buildings, but that''s all. With the powers we have now, I was still able to believe we could survive against it." "As for what approaches us now, I''m not too confident. These feral mutant savages are beasts made to kill. Before the apocalypse, many of them possessed the ability to kill us humans, but for some reason, they don''t. Now that they do want to kill us, especially with numbers sorge, I don''t know if we can survive this." "We might try, but I suggest we say grace before we are torn into pieces..." Steve said all this with a carefree smile on his face, almost as if he wasn''t concerned about his life or death. Cain could understand Steve''s thoughts. He too wasn''t confident of their survival. "Haha... If there''s no challenge, how will it ever be any fun?" Cain muttered to himself. His life could be in danger, but he couldn''t care less. He was excited... He was eager to see how far he could go, how hard he could fight before he fell. Even if he died... Logic kept telling him that this was the stupid thing to do. If he tried, he could figure out a way to escape without having to put his life in danger, but he pushed those thoughts to the side. Now wasn''t the time to think logically... Now was the time to let go of all inhibitions, and engage in a bloody dance to the death... *** "So here''s how it''s going to go..." David exined the n to the others... "... I and Dan will stop the initial charge, while the rest of you attack afterward. Steve will be responsible for protection during crucial moments. Susan and Vincent, you guys will provide cover fire for the rest of us. This can only work if there is 100% trust between everyone here. We have to abandon any bad blood we had previously, and work together!" David said, his eyes focused on ze, Hunter, and Cain. "Fine... But I still don''t like this arrogant bastard!" ze said grumpily. He was still angry over his loss to Hunter. "Sure..." Hunter said. "Alright..." They all got into position whilst waiting for the inevitable... ''Teddy should be somewhere safe by now.'' Cain had instructed Teddy not to get involved with the fight, as he didn''t want to cause anyst-minute confusion for everyone. He reasoned it would be better if it didn''t get involved in the fight at all... A few minutester, the could noise of the stampede drowned out every other sound like waves crashing against a cliff during a mighty thunderstorm. Their footsteps sent vibrations through the earth. Dirt and broken trees were sent flying everywhere they ran past. The cries of thousands of beasts resounded through the air as they all came barreling down from the line of trees. The sea of creatures that came crashing forward left bewildered expressions on their faces, including Cain''s. ''What the hell? This a whole lot more than few!'' Cain was shocked to see the sheer amount of creatures pouring out of the forest. Mutant bugs the size of rodents, mutated rodents the size of dogs and cats, and mutated wolves and wild cats the size of cattle and horses. All these beasts had one thing inmon. Although they possessed some characteristics of their old forms, they had a few extra features that made them appear extremely malevolent and grotesque. Many of them had all sorts of disgusting outgrowths and tumors growing out of their bodies, they looked muscr, stronger, and many times stronger than before. Some had tall limbs, others had long ws, and some even had body parts that defied all knowledge of gics known to mankind. A handful of them was surrounded by the aura of elements. Some had waves of mes rolling off their bodies, some had electricity crackling off their bodies, and others moved enveloped with the aura of the wind. Some of them traveled underground, whilst others shone with the deadly luster of sharp, cold metal. These creatures didn''t juste from one direction, they came from all sides. In the blink of an eye, they were surrounded... "And may the grace..." "Crimson Guard: Blood lines!" David yelled as he mmed his palms unto the ground. The crimson dome appeared right before the wave of mutant beasts mmed against them. The dome was big enough to cover Evangeline who was a little bit away from them, but it was clear that to do this, David had to suffer a little... "Blegh!" David threw up a mouthful of blood but quickly wiped his mouth. Although he had suffered, he sessfully stopped the charge of the monsters. "Fight!" David yelled as he deactivated the skill. A deep red radiance covered his entire body. A giant mutated rat size of a sheep with bright yellow tumors the size of fists on its back rushed towards him. Its eyes glowed a deep shade of red, and its yellow fangs dripped with corrosive spit. He brandished his axe and with a single swing, the giant mutant rat was split into two clean pieces. Yellow acidic blood exploded from its decapitated corpse and sshed onto David, releasing sizzling sounds, but he was unharmed... Seeing this, the rest of them charged at the waves of monsters with relentless vigor... Cain watched as they all rained down attack after attack on the crowd of mutant monsters. A midnight ck mutant bird dived down towards him from the sky. The bird was as quick as lightning and struck with the precision of a trained archer. There was a sh of golden light... The bird instantly fell from the sky in two halves. Hot blood rained down, drenching his face and hair, but he didn''t even bother cleaning it up. {+2000 EXP} A smile crept up his face... Cain realized that within the past three days, he had smiled more than he ever had his entire life. He could tell that for the first time in his life, he found something that made him truly happy. He enjoyed bathing in the blood of fallen... He enjoyed the heat of battle... He loved it... He wanted it tost forever... His breathing sped up, his hearts beat like drums, and his pupils dted. He used his tongue to lick his bloodstained lips... "So tasty..." That night, an offspring of chaos and carnage was finally born into the world... Chapter 55: Monsters Rampage (3). "This is harder than I expected..." Cain had already lost count of the number of monsters he had killed. With every swing of his de, there would be a few more drops to add to the ever-growing pool of blood on the ground. It turned out that the monsters weren''t just fighting against Cain and the others. They were also fighting against each other. The monsters tore at each other viciously. They bit and wed until they devoured, or were devoured. So whilst these creatures were fighting against each other, Cain and the others had be coteral damage. For the mutating beasts, this wasn''t about good or evil... All they wanted, was to satiate their ever-growing bloodlust. This was exactly why Cain didn''t want Teddy to join in on the fight. He knew the beast wouldn''t be able to control its immense bloodlust due to the situation of the environment. So he decided to save himself the hassle of killing it. After all, he had hopes that it would be of use to him in the future. Cain did a bit of calcting, and realized that they had been fighting for about 30 minutes. The fight had gone on for such a brief period and yet, a mountain of corpses and a river of blood had formed beneath him. ''So much for the n...'' About 10 minutes into the battle, they were unable to push the tides of bloodthirsty mutants, and as such, they were all separated. Cain couldn''t spot any of them through the thick sea of creatures, so he just decided to keep going. He was sure the rest would all survive... ''But seriously, this is bing a hassle.'' Cain was referring to the fact that not only were his clothes all shredded into pieces but he was also drenched in blood. The mountain of corpses also made it difficult to move through, hence, he ended up getting careless a few times, and had taken a few injuries as a result. ''On the bright side, {Devil''s Broken w} is getting stronger by the minute.'' What Cain said, was true because the strength of {Devil''s Broken w} increased proportionally to the number of enemies he yed. {Devil''s Broken w}: (epic) Strength: 30. Agility: 20. Control: 0.2. Defense: -5. Skills: Fear, Bloodthirsty. {Fear} (passive): Release a malevolent aura akin to a devil, inflicting fear onto your opponent. Decreases opponent movement and attack speed by 5%. {Bloodthirsty} (passive): Consume the blood and flesh of fallen enemies to increase the power of the Devil''s broken w. For every 100 enemies in and absorbed, attack power increases by 1%, but weight increases by 10kg. Effectiveness of {Fear} also increases by 0.1%. Although the weight of the de increased drastically with every 100 kills he made, as long as his power increased proportionally, he didn''t need to worry about anything. When he had first gotten {Devil''s Broken w}, he had thought it was a bit too light. But now, after killing about 1000 mutant creatures at once, he felt himself bing more fluid with the de. Almost like it had be an extension of himself. It felt surreal... Cain released a sigh at the sky as he moved through the sea of corpses towards thest of the mutants in his vicinity. A huge deer with golden antlers, a mean attitude, and a very very big wolf. They had been fighting each other previously, but since Cain has shown up, they decided to transfer the aggression over Their red eyes made Cain aware that their minds had most likely be oversaturated with bloodlust. Although the deer''s former graceful features be even more graceful if one decided to look at it through an aesthetic lens. Its antlers had be way bigger than normal deer antlers. They shone with a bright metallic luster, and stretched out onto its back, forming a connection with its tailbone. It was also the size of a cow, and the amount of power it exuded rtive to the other animals, was extraordinary. The only thing that ruined its features were the extremely sharp set of teeth jutting out from its lips, as well as the ominous red eyes with a white center that stared him down with both the bloodlust of a beast, as well as the calcting of a human. Bone spurs also protruded from various parts of its body, creating a very beautiful, yet terrifying visage. The giant wolf was even worse. Its huge frame towered over Cain and the deer. Its furry coat was darker than midnight, and its eyes, unlike the other beasts, didn''t even give off any light. If not for Cain''s high perception stat, he probably wouldn''t even know the beast stood before him. These mutants were very powerful, even amongst the stronger mutants. They were as strong as the {Devil-eyed White Primate} Cain had fought before. The wolf had the darkness attribute, while the deer had the nature element. The nature element was very unique because it was the only elemental mana source that granted the control of other lifeforms. The summoning skill Hunter possessed was also considered a natural skill. Although these creatures were really strong, right now, they were bleeding from various parts of their bodies. The deer was already missing an antler, and a veryrge patch of flesh had been gouged off the body of the huge wolf, causing its blood to flow like a river. There were numerous smaller wounds on them, but these were the most obvious. The patented with heavy breaths, as the cause of their injuries, walked through a mountain of corpses created by his own doing. This mutant beast had begun to feel fear for the first time in their lives. This was mostly due to the effects of {Fear} from {Devil''s Broken w}, but a part of it came from the sinister auraing from Cain. An aura that sought to devour all life that stood before it. An aura so overwhelming, it tried to push them to their knees every time he took even a step forward. They considered retreating in that instant, but it was already toote. Cain. arrived before them in the blink of an eye, ready to continue from where he left off. ''I can''t believe I''ve be so strong in the span of a few hours.'' Cain thought to himself as he arrived before the mutants. The night before, just a few hours ago, he couldn''t even face the {Devil-eyed White Primate} who was just as strong as the two before him. Now, he was able to handle two of them, and although it wasn''t without struggle, he was still winning. Cain swung his de down to kill, but it was parried by the razor-sharp ws of the {Midnight Demon Wolf}. A wave of darkness spread out from beneath it, forming a pool of darkness. Tendrils of darkness stretched out from within grabbing at Cain in an attempt to lock him in ce. The {Golden Horned Beast} saw this as an opportunity to attack. Its single remaining golden antler glowed bright amidst the darkness of the night. Dark green vines with razor-sharp thorns magical appeared from beneath the ground. They snapped forward like whips, attempting to tear Cain to shreds. "It''s useless..." Cain didn''t even bother dodging. A deep golden glow enveloped him. "Golden Halo." 5 Magic circles appeared out of thin air and began revolving around him. BANG! The attacks of the two creatures were instantly stopped in their tracks, while all the magic circles exploded instantly. These magic circles were created from the arrangement of runes in certain ways that would produce the desired results. Runes were the basics of all magic applications, and they determined how mana behaved in the physical world. Runes were used to create most skills. They were used to create potions, formation of weapons, and many other things. They could also be used as a stand-alone way to directly increase power. Cain retaliated instantly with a deadly counter. Golden rays of light escaped from around his de, forming a pir of golden light. A look of panic escaped from the eyes of the {Midnight Demon wolf} as it attempted to move backward. But Cain simply increased his speed, following after it until he caught up. The {Golden Horned Beast} tried to stop him, but a swift kick apanied by the sound of breaking bones from Cain sent it flying. Seeing as there was no route of escape, the mutant released a howl as it dashed right at Cain, rage burning within its dark eyes. Its body released ck smoke,pletely covering the area surrounding Cain and itself. As soon as this dark smoke spreadpletely, Cain lost all his senses at once. Even the lighting from his de couldn''t pierce through the darkness. ''A unique skill...'' Cain was surprised, as he didn''t expect the mutant to possess such a troublesome skill. The {Midnight Demon Wolf} had be one with the ck smoke. Cain waspletely unable to sense it. However, there wasn''t a single sign of worry on his face. He quickly made his preparations while he waited for the mutant to strike first. There was absolute silence within the darkness... Cain kept his hands on his de, his heart is as calm as still water. There wasn''t even a single ripple in his emotions as he waited. Eventually, the {Midnight Demon Wolf} lost patience. Like a bolt of ck lightning, it moved through the darkness. Its abyssal maws spread apart like the gates of hell, ready to devour Cain. As soon as it mmed its fangs down, golden light once again shone from Cain. The magic circle appeared once again, preventing the {Midnight Demon Wolf} from biting down. In a moment of desperation, the mutant put all of its power into its jaws, crushing golden halo after golden halo in quick session. Its powerful jaws mmed down until it made contact with Cain''s shoulder. " The metallic taste of blood filled its mouth, causing it to growl in joy as it attempted to bite down with even more force. "Why are you so happy?" Cain looked back at the mutant with a grin on his face. The wolf suddenly realized that it couldn''t bite down anymore. This was because although its head bit down on Cain''s shoulder, its body had already fallen to the ground. The cloud of ck smoke cleared up, revealing the bloody battlefield once again. The head of the {Midnight Demon Wolf} fell to the ground, devoid of life. When it bit down on Cain''s shoulder, Cain had used {Golden Severance} to sever its head from its body. A clean cut, straight, and precise... Its blood erupted out like a fountain from its decapitated body in a bloody arc. But Cain ignored all that and moved towards its twitching body. He stooped over the corpse of the mutant and ce his hand on its chest. He retrieved a container from his inventory to collect the blood that was wasting away. Once he was done with that, he felt around its chest for a while. Suddenly, his eyes lit up. "Yes! Another one." With a jab, Cain thrust his hand directly into the corpse, dragging out a ck sparkling gem half the size of a pinky. This gem was a mana shard. A darkness elemental mana shard to be precise... Cain wiped the blood off it quickly before cing the container and the gem into his inventory. He looked around his surroundings and discovered that the {Golden Horned Beast} was nowhere to be found. "It escaped..." Cain was a bit unhappy that one of his prey had gotten away, but heter consoled himself. After all, he had found another mana shard. Mana shards could only be gotten from elemental mutant creatures, so they were just as rare. Even though he had killed more than 1000 mutant creatures, he only had a bit over 100 mana shards. Cain took a moment to observe the situation around him. The entire schoolyard and its surroundings were almost destroyed. Cain stood on the pile of corpses, and he finally spotted the others. Although they looked bloody all over, they fought just as ferociously as they had in the beginning. The number of monsters in the surroundings had dwindled greatly, so Cain decided to go and help the others out. Before he could take a step, he sensed a deep and menacing bloodlust assaulting his senses. He turned around, and to his surprise, just behind him stood the {Devil-eyed White Primate}... Chapter 56: Battle Release. Amidst the blood-curdling shrieks, roars, howls, and cries of battle, Cain focused on the one thing that mattered the most to him. Revenge... Right behind him, sporting a menacing expression, was the {Devil-eyed White Primate}. The corpse of the {Golden Horned Beast} was held in its mouth as it slowly suckled on its neck, producing disgusting gulping sounds. Blood slowly dribbled down its jaws, making it look even more menacing than it already was. It looked a bit different from before, but most of its features were still recognizable. Its muscles had grown a fair amount, and the ethereal glow in its eyes seemed even deeper. "You''ve been here all along?" Cain knew the beast could understand what he was saying, so he didn''t hold back. The {Devil-eyed White Primate} let the corpse of the {Golden Horned Beast} fall to the ground, exposing its bloodstained jaws, lips, and fangs. Surprisingly, the mutant beast''s lips spread out into a very humanlike grin, almost as though he was taunting Cain. "So you stole my prey, huh?" Cain finally understood what this was all about. Not only did Cain have beef with this monster, but they also held a grudge or two against him. The previous day, Cain had attempted to lure it out using the blood elemental mana shard as bait. The mutant beast had taken the bait but was denied ess to it because of Cain. Hence it tried to kill Cain butter had to retreat in injuries. The creature let out a series of shrieks, howls, and gestures at Cain, trying tomunicate something to him. On the other hand, Cain''s mind was upied with different thoughts; ''These things are growing too fast. If they get any more intelligent than this, the human race is doomed.'' Cain knew that when it came to power acquisition, humans were at a disadvantage if they didn''t rely on external influences like runes, etc. The fact that upon how strong these mutant beasts were, they were still bing more and more intelligent would be a huge problem in the future if the humans didn''t find a way to bnce the scales out. Suddenly, the {Devil-eyed White Primate} stopped prancing around. It stooped down to the {Golden Horned Beast} with a grunt, brutally ripping the dead deer''s antler off its skull. It looked back at Cain once again with a wolfish grin, pointing its newly acquired weapon at his face. "Is that a challenge?" Cain said as he drew {Devil''s Broken w}. The mutant beast responded with a series of grunts, its glowing malevolent eyes staring straight into Cain''s. It responded by releasing a very loud howl that sent visible shockwaves across the entire battlefield. By now, the number of monsters in the surroundings had dwindled greatly, as most of them had either been devoured by the stronger mutants, or killed by Cain and the others. Hence, it was very easy for the others, who had been separated from Cain to see what was going on. The entire battlefield was silent for a while... The power radiating from the howl was so immense, a good number of mutant beasts began cowering where they stood. This happened for only a second or two before they were released from their daze. The battlemenced once the stun spell was released. *** "What the hell is that?" Steve said as he sted a few mutant beasts to smithereens with a {Fireball}. "Probably a devil. No mutant beast I''ve fought so far has given me so many chills." Vincent who was busy shooting down a flock of mutant birds appeared a few steps away and said to him. "No. It''s a mutant beast. I can tell..." Hunter had transformed into his semi-beast, so his appearance caught both Steve and Vincent by surprise, causing them to point their weapons at him, ready to unleash hell. "Phew... Almost scared me for a sec there._ Steve said as he wiped imaginary sweat from his brows. "I won''t be remorseful if I did kill you, dog boy!" Vincent said while sticking his tongue out. "Don''t care..." Hunter said as he continued to clear out waves of mutants with every swipe of his ws. Behind him, a swarm of summoned me hounds tore apart any of the mutants they came across. Vincent clicked his tongue in irritation, "Tch! Arrogant bastard!" Hunter ignored Vincentpletely, staring at the direction the howl came from. "If I''m not mistaken, Cain is also there. He''s probably facing the mutant that let that roar out." "How can you tell?" Steve asked curiously. "In this form, all my senses are heightened and I can track people through their scents," Hunter exined. "Haha... So you are a dog, huh?!" Vincent said tauntingly. He shot another huge mutant bird down with his gun. Before the mutant''s corpse hit the ground, he caught it and flung it into the distance. "Here doggy, Fetch..." The grin on Vincent''s face said it all. He was trying to get a reaction from Hunter. Surprisingly, Hunter''s face darkened a bit, the tone of his voice turning even darker, "Shut it, fat boy!" "Oh?" Steve was surprised that Hunter would retaliate against Vincent''s verbal attack. He watch as sparks flew through the air in between them, but the brief moment of conflict was quickly broken apart by another thunderous noiseing from the distance. Cain took a brief moment to analyze the mutant beast''s stats. {Devil-eyed White Primate} level 20 (Deadly). Strength: 270. Agility: 400. Defense: 50. Magic: 100. HP: 5,200/5,200. MP: 7,000/7,000. Skills: Devil eye, Primal aura, Savage bite, Spatial jump, Keen mind. He noticed that while the beast''s level hadn''t changed, the word deadly that was written after its level had changed to magical. Hepared its stats to his; Name: {Cain Lenosi} Level: 20. Strength: 149. Agility: 190. Stamina: 41/76. Vitality: 44. Defense: 35. Control: 4.2. Perception: 3.1. HP: 3,500/4,400. MP: 2,850/3,100. Magic: 150. Resistance: Poison- 7%. Skills: Golden blood, Mana de, Lightening Edge, de Mastery Lvl. 2, Burst Step, Metal Creation Lvl.2, Golden Severance, Metal Maniption, *Fear, *Bloodthirsty, Blood Ingestion Regeneration, Azure Burst, Mana Heart. Titles: Champion of Ashur (locked). Free attribute points: 23. System points: 10,570. {Inventory}. {Shop}. ''Damn...'' Cain thought to himself as hepared the two. ''Am I about to get my ass whooped a second time over?!'' Cain realized that with the speed at which mutant beasts got stronger after the god ash fell at midnight, there was no way the {Devil-eyed White Primate} wouldn''t be stronger than it had been when they had first fought against each other. Even after killing over a thousand mutants, he had only gained 2 extra levels. It seemed as though continuously killing mutants at the same level would reduce the amount of exp he gained for every consecutive kill. And exp was very important when it came to leveling up. ''No... I have also gotten stronger.'' Cain realized that there was he had also gotten many times stronger than he had been since theirst fight. He had acquired a few skills, his stats had seen a significant change, and his mentality was also stronger than before. His brief meeting with Ashur had solidified that... He was more than ready to face the {Devil-eyed White Primate}. He was excited... He hadn''t yet used his current powers to the fullest. Even when he fought with Hunter, he was still restraining himself. But now, he was about to let loose. Cain stretched his muscles and cracked his bones as he also pointed his de at the {Devil-eyed White Primate}. There was a brief moment of pause, before the thunderous sh. KABOOM! Like rolling thunder and crashing waves, they struck at once... The rumble resounded throughout the entire field, causing all the participants of the battle to stop in their tracks once again. Cain and the {Devil-eyed White Primate} recognized their strengths. They knew that whoever held back was going to be the one to lose. The mutant beast handled the antler of the fallen {Golden Horned Beast} like it was a sword, shing it down at Cain. They danced around a section of the battlefield at high speeds, turning it into a death zone. Any mutants not fast enough to escape from this death zone were torn up into pieces by the shockwaves of their collisions alone. Cain let his de dance in his hands. He utilized his control, strength, and agility stats to the max tooexecutto execute an effective and efficient attack with every movement, while at the same time, using his super perception to evade and parry the attacks of the {Devil-eyed White Primate}. They exchanged blows for a while before Cain decided to switch things up... "Metal Creation: Gold chains!" Gold chains appeared magically from magic circles in the air and on the ground, going after the mutant-like coiling snakes. The {Devil-eyed White Primate} dodged the chains with its supernatural speed, but Cain had other ns. He used {Metal Creation} and {Metal Maniption} to create and release numerous steel spikes at the rapidly moving mutant. But the mutant was just fast enough to avoid all the attacks. The mutant let out a howl as its speed increased once again, allowing all the attacks to hit empty air. Cain noticed that the {Devil-eyed White Primate} inched closer to him every time it sessfully evaded a round of his attacks. Once it was close enough, it disappeared all of a sudden. Cain didn''t even need to think twice before he knew what had happened. The mutant had just used its {Spatial Jump} skill. Cain let his senses take over instantly. He quickly felt the hairs on his neck tingle. BANG! "This is old tricks. You will need to do better than that to get me." As he responded with an upward thrust, but the mutant was able to dodge out of the way. Tuffs of the mutant''s snow-white fur drifted into the wind, but neither the beast nor Cain looked concerned at all... "Howl!" Once again, they shed, but this time, Cain noticed something different. Well, he had noticed it from the beginning, because he was a bit doubtful. But as time went on, with their every collision, his suspicions became more evident. The more they fought, the more Cain witnessed some nuances in the way the mutant fought, causing him to raise a brow in disbelief. The monster was able to dodge and parry Cain''s attacks better than before. It even counterattacked better, without needing to use brute force or any of its beastly skills. It hit him all of a sudden... ''This thing is copying me?!'' Chapter 57: Final Dance: A Battle to Remember (1). ''No! Not copying. It''s much worse.'' Cain narrowed his eyes as he shed with the {Devil-eyed White Primate} once again. ''It''s adapting to my every move. With each engagement, it learns, bes ustomed to my movements.'' ''But how? With every passing second, the battle became more and more ferocious. Cain''s de moved like lightning, the effects of {Fear} weighing down in the {Devil-eyed White Primate} like chains. He had already activated {Golden Blood}, so he was able to keep up with the mutant fairly well. Although he did have as much strength or agility, even when under the effects of {Golden Blood}, he was able to close the gap with the {Fear} skill, as well as his control stat. The control stat gave him the ability to increase the control he had over his bodily functions, allowing him to perform acts beyond what he normally could. Control had a direct corrtion with strength, agility, and magic stats. Increased control meant increased output. Cain had 4.2 points in his control stat. The average control stat points at level 20 were 2.0. This meant his control stat was about two times the average amount. With this, he would be able to bring out about 5¨C10% more in his strength, agility, and magic stats. Due to the amount of blood the {Devil''s Broken w} had absorbed during the fight so far, {Fear} had been improved drastically. {Fear} (passive): Release a malevolent aura akin to that of a devil, inflicting fear onto your opponent. Decreases opponent movement and attack speed by 10%. This, coupled with the effects of {Golden Blood}, his high control stat, and his passive skill, {de Mastery}, he should have gained the advantage. But surprisingly, neither he nor the {Devil-eyed White Primate} could dominate the other. When it came down to raw physical prowess, Cain had the advantage. Cain also had the advantage when it came down to the basics of fighting, namely his knowledge of martial arts. The only reason Cain had lost thest time was because of the difference in the stats of the {Devil-eyed White Primate} and he was way too difficult to close. Now that this problem had been solved, it was only logical that it should have been an easy victory for him... But it wasn''t... The way the beast moved was as though it was constantly learning from Cain. It never made the same mistake twice. Its {Spatial Jump} skill had been upgraded, making it way more slippery than it had been in the previous fight. It utilized these two skills in such a way that Cain always kept it at the knife''s edge, but that same edge failed to graze its skin. At the same time, it couldn''t get any closer to Cain because Cain''s senses and control had increased so much that if it tried to make any sudden moves, Cain would be able to respond very quickly, which wouldn''t be a smart thing to do. They were at an impasse in every sense of the word... They continued for a while before they both decided it was time to make things more interesting. And by interesting, they intended to go full on with the skill spamming... "Mana de!" {Devil''s Broken w} glowed with a blue light as a coat of mana quickly covered its surface and edges. Meanwhile, the jaws of the {Devil-eyed White Primate} expanded past their limits, as a violent white glow engulfed its upper and lower jaws. As Cain shed forward, it bit down... BOOM! The violent collision of energy stirred up a violent dust cloud. They separated for a bit, but Cain''s attention was no longer solely on the {Devil-eyed White Primate}. ''What?!'' Cain looked down at his de in shock For the first time since he had gotten the skill, the effects of {Mana de} had been forcibly dispelled. He looked at the {Devil-eyed White Primate}, who was groaning and shaking its jaw. The white glow had also faded away as well. Without hesitation, Cain asked the system... This wasn''t a time to be concerned about his system points. He would use them anyways... ''System, What just happened?'' {Replying to host; Further information can be purchased at the-} ''Just take the cost away from my current points. Don''t ask me again in the future.'' Cain was tired of the system always redirecting him to the system shop. ''Is there a way for this process to be automatic?'' Cain asked the system. This was because he was feeling a bit rich. After killing so many beasts, he had over 10,000 system points sitting in the bank, so he wasn''t worried at all... {Request processing...} {Affirmation Granted.} {Replying to Host; In any physical engagement, there are usually two forces involved. The lesser force and the greater force.} "Howl!" The {Devil-eyed White Primate} continued attacking him even as he listened to the system''s long lecture. {It is all toomon that the greater force will overwhelm the weaker one, but If these forces are equally matched, then there will be no reaction in either direction of the acting forces.} The {Devil-eyed White Primate}swiped its sharp ws at Cain, to which he responded by spreading his legs slightly apart. He arched his back forward a bit, allowing the swipe to pass over his head, missing himpletely. He responded by swinging his de at the creature''s midsection, but it was quick enough to pull away before the long de could reach. {However, things work a bit differently with mana...} BANG! Sparks flew in all directions as they both shed their weapons against each other. Cain with his long one-handed de, and the {Devil-eyed White Primate} with its equally long deer antler. Neither of the was able to get the other to take a step back. {When mana from two sources react with one another, they do so by either repelling or attracting each other. Several factors influence this, but the most important ones are the elemental nature of the conflicting sources, as well as the way the mana is being applied. Because of this fundamental rule, the only time two skills can cancel each other out is when they are of the same magnitude}. ''Well, that was a lot of info to take in.'' Cain could feel a cold sweat forming in between his brows as he fought the bloodthirsty mutant before him and tried to pay attention to the system at the same time. ''There are a lot of things I don''t know. Being uninformed is just as dangerous as being powerless in this world.'' The fight went on for a while, the tempo steadily increasing. Each strike was stronger than thest and weaker than the next. Although the blood wasn''t spilled yet, their minds were working at full speed, both trying to find a way to outsmart their opponent. If Cain shed out, he would be countered with a parry, and the {Devil-eyed White Primate} would retaliate instantly with a right jab, which Cain would stop with a quick left hook. Their feet weren''t idle as well, as they raced against each other at top speed. Cain never ceased to use {Burst Step} when it mattered, so he was always on his toes for the times when the {Devil-eyed White Primate} used {Spatial Jump}. Cain utilized his profound understanding of movement to control the flow of the battle. He made sure he was constantly on the move, so he wouldn''t be taken by surprise. His every movement was made with an insane amount of calction and wit behind it. Eventually, the {Devil-eyed White Primate} began to see that things weren''t looking too bright. Although it learned very fast, especially with the aid of the {Keen Mind} skill, which allowed it to learn new things at increased speed, it still wasn''t enough. Cain was what one would term a martial arts genius. He moved with his de to kill. Every time he shed again with the {Devil-eyed White Primate}, it felt increasingly pressured. This was because it wasn''t the only one improving... "The act of fighting is never a delicate art. There will be a lot of factors involved, such as the way the sun shines that fateful day, the direction the wind blows, or even how you got up from bed that morning. Always remember, there is no set way to engage in battle. Let your soul guide your arms and feet, not just your brain, and certainly not your heart. Move with the wind, not against it, the sun gliding on the edges and surface of your de." It had been a long time, yet Cain was able to remember every word spoken to him. For a long time, he hadn''t understood what he had been trying to tell him that day. That was also the day he received the scar on his face. Every time he thought back, he would always remember why he picked the de up in the first ce. Some people might have better reasons. Some did it to survive, some because there was no other choice, and some did it out of leisure. He on the other hand chose to pick the de up because he wanted to. It was the only way he knew to express his emotions. That was why he had never fought anyone with a de after his master left him. He had found with his fists, and his feet, but never with a de. He did that because he knew the de... He understood its meaning, its intentions... It''s the purpose... Anyone who picks a de should have only a single intention when they did. To kill... That was why whenever he did pick his de up, he would do so to get stronger. Because should he evere to face another that also held one, he knew that person would try their best to do the de''s bidding, which was to kill. "Remember this, young man. Those that wield a de have every intention of pointing it at the enemy, and if you don''t have the power to hold and point yours as well, your head will be taken. It doesn''t matter whether it is a material or an immaterial de. As long as it cuts, it would do its job." The old man''s figure reflected in the depths of his eyes as he swung his de fiercely. With every swing, he would recall all he had been taught, then push himself further... To win, he had to be a ve to his de, as well as its master... ''Move with the wind, not against it, the sun gliding on the edges and surface of your de.'' For years, he had pondered, but this fight had finally given him a bit of inspiration. The eye on the hilt of the {Devil''s Broken w} glowed with ominous darkness, darker than it had very glowed before, but Cain didn''t even notice it. The {Devil-eyed White Primate} was gradually bing more and more suppressed with each passing second. And this time, Cain wasn''t concerned about his stamina. This is because he managed to gather a lot of mutant beast blood than he knew what to do with. {Blood Ingestion Regeneration} (passive): Grants the ability to safely ingest the blood of mutant beasts without any adverse effects. Consuming the blood and flesh of mutant beasts grants passive Stamina, Vitality, and Mana regeneration. For every 0.1 liters of blood, or 100 grams of flesh consumed, 100HP, 50MP, and 1 stamina point are regenerated. The {Blood Ingestion Regeneration} skill gave him the confidence needed to face the {Devil-eyed White Primate} without having to worry. He had fought with uncertainty thest time, so he wasn''t able to bring out his 100%. But now, he was prepared to unleash hell... "Lightening Edge!" "Ragh!" Chapter 58: Final Dance: A Battle to Remember (2). As he engaged the mutant beast before him, Cain couldn''t help but recall the past... *** "I am going to attack to kill. Do not hold back." These words filled the ears of the young Cain as he struggled to hold his de with his soft delicate fingers. The slightly damp autumn breeze blew his long hair strands across his face, but that didn''t seem to grab his attention at all. They were located in a ce with little to no buildings. The entire ce was a huge old-style manor with a lot of trees and the smell of wood and earth very rich. Cain had seen no one else in the entire manor since he had been there for a week, which he found a bit odd. The old man provided his daily meals which looked weird but tasted and smelled delicious, so he didn''tin. Any way one looked at it, it seemed like a kidnapping. A hospitable kidnapping... The first day he was taken here by the man standing before him, he thought he had been kidnapped. When he asked him, the man had simply said that if he wanted to leave, he was free to do so. He would personally take him back home. He ended up not leaving... The sun was covered by more than a few clouds overhead, so his surroundings were also very dim. Yet, he could see the figure of the man before him as clear as day. After all, if he couldn''t, he was going to die... "Remember this, young man. Those that wield a de have every intention of pointing it at the enemy, and if you don''t have the power to hold and point yours as well, your head will be taken. It doesn''t matter whether it is a material or an immaterial de. As long as it cuts, it would do its job." The young man was stunned for a brief moment, but he replied after he snapped out of it. "I understand, Master." He didn''t understand, but he did know that if he didn''t try his best, he was never going to move on, or learn. He would always be the weak, vulnerable boy that was pushed around by everyone around him simply for existing. "Good. In that case, here Ie." The man dressed in all ck from head to toe took one step after the other, inching closer and closer to Cain. With each step, Cain''s heart sped up even faster. In all his life, he had never experienced an emotional rollercoaster such as this one. ''Tch! I have to make the first move. If I wait for his to attack, I''m going to die very quickly.'' Cain knew that he was far from as powerful as his teacher, so he nned to run for as long as he could. This way, he could at least spend a bit more time in thend of the living... But try as he may, his legs seemed to work against him when he needed them the most. The fear coursing through his body had rendered him unable to even take a step. He was immobilized by the invisible pressure the man walking towards him had. This aura could only be formed by those that had been washed by rivers of blood, had passed through mountains of corpses, and had lived. "Hm?" A surprised sound came from the man as he stopped walking for a bit. Sounding quite surprised, he said; "It''s hard to believe you can still stand on your two feet. For one as young as yourself, you have a frightening amount of willpower. Most grown people would have either passed out or would be peeing themselves at best." The man paused for a while as though choosing his next words, then continued; "But you are still standing. And I can see in your eyes that even though you are scared, there is still a bit of fighting spirit left within." Cain was surprised, as the old man had never praised him before... "Thank you, Master." Cain bowed his head in respect. "Hmmm... Then I''ll have to go harder than I thought." "Eh?" Cain was shocked when he heard this. ''Go harder?! This has to be ssified as child abuse at some point, right?!'' Cain asked himself, his worry and fear amplifying. "Ehem, master?" Cain asked a bit nervously. "What is it?" Cain still wasn''t certain, so he wanted to make sure he got the memo, "You aren''t going to take my life, right?" "Before, I might have spared you, but knowing just how much potential you have, I''ll have to do that. That''s why you will have to fight with your all." The man said in a normal tone, almost as though he hadn''t just affirmed that he was about to kill a child. ''Fuck! Knew I shouldn''t havee here. I don''t wanna die!'' Regardless of how mature he was, Cain was still a young preteen. He understood what death was, and that was why he feared it so much. "If you are ready, let us begin." The man said as he resumed his slow walk towards Cain. Cain took a deep breath to steady his nerves. ''This master of mine is a nutcase. He''s the only one that has shown me kindness my entire life, and in exchange, he wants my life.'' Cain''s eyes steeled over, as he tightened his fingers around the hilt of the slightly curved de. He took a stance the old man had taught him, executing it perfectly. "Oh?" His bones popped, and his muscles groaned as he tensed up, building his power up as he waited for the opportune time to charge right in. ''If he wants my life so bad, I''ll make sure he loses a limb or two!'' Cain''s eyes had be red with rage. His life had been terrible, but he always fought back He never backed down, not once, even though he was sure he would lose. That was the basis of his pride... No matter how bad things were, he would never put his des down unless he had no arms. He would never stop moving unless his legs were cut off. If he couldn''t win, he would run away, get stronger, thene back to have revenge. If he couldn''t run, he would endure the beat down, but he would stille back stronger. Now, even whilst staring down the abyss of death, he was ready to go down guns zing. His legs spread apart like a crouching tiger, and his de was pointed downwards diagonally. His elbows face the skies, and his whole body twitched from the tension. His eyes watched the figure before him with the utmost diligence, but his entire back was filled with sweat. "Yes, Master!" BOOM! His feet dug into the soft earth beneath them, transferring all the but-up force within his body downwards. Like an arrow, he shot forward. The man standing before him didn''t move whilst he approached, but his de remained pointed at Cain diagonally. Cain disregarded all distractions as he moved with the speed of a ghost. He closed the distance between them, and without hesitation, he shed forward. This sword stroke was true and precise... Itmunicated all the emotions he felt at that moment. Pain, sadness, fear, anger, confusion, pride... All these emotions are in one move. But the most predominant of them all was the intention to kill. Bloodlust... At that moment, it was as though he could hear the thoughts of his de... The edge of his de wanted to im the life of the man before him. When the edge of the de was close to the man, so close, it could be considered as no distance at all, the man standing before him suddenly disappeared from his sight. The next moment, before he knew what was going on, Cain found out that all his eyes could see, was the skyced with the grey lining of rain clouds. ''Am I dead? Probably not.'' Hey on the ground, his back on the dirt. He began to feel something trickling down his face. Hence, he wiped his hands across his face to know what it was. Blood... The blood on his hands made his heart speed up a bit, but he fought the urge to scream. "Stand up." Cain heard the voice of his master say out. ?Yes, Sir!" Cain stood up from the ground with incredible speed. Hepletely ignored his discovery and stared straight at his master. "Hmmm... I have nothing left to teach you. You will leave very soon." The man said after a while. Cain''s eyes widened in surprise, "Really?" "Yes. Also..." A mirror magically appeared in his hands from his master''s wide-sleeve cuffs. He pointed the mirror at Cain, he took it from his hands to stare at the person staring back. "Don''t you look better?" The man said, a smile hidden underneath his unseen face. Cain was surprised to see a long, but thin scar that stretched across his face from his left eye to his right cheek. "It makes me look... mature," Cain said, not knowing whether to hate or like the scar, which was starting to hurt badly. ''Well, it might not be a bad thing. It does make me look more mature.'' Cain had always known that his face was handsome, which was one of the many reasons why he was picked on. But now, it had something that gave him a more rugged feel. On one hand, his face was ruined. He was still handsome, but he now had a w on his previously wless face... On the other hand, he now looked a bit more manly and rugged, which he didn''t hate either. "This is your mark now. You now know what it means to kill. Cherish it, hold onto it, and let it carve its initials into you." His master said as he wiped the blood off his face. "Remember this, the only way you can get stronger is by facing the demons that hold you back. To kill, you must first know what it means to die. To be victorious, you must first taste defeat." The words of his master rang true within him as he continued his barrage of endless attacks unto the {Devil-eyed White Primate}. The mutant tried to swipe at him again, but this time, he used his forearm to block the iing blow. Taking a step forward, he lifted his knee forward and mmed it straight into its midsection. "BLEGH!" The mutant threw up a mouthful of blood onto Cain''s clothes, taking a few steps back to steady itself. But Cain had no intention to let it go. Mana exploded beneath his feet as he closed the distance at blinding speed. He closed the distance quickly and stabbed his sword forward, but the beast used {Spatial Jump} to disappear. The {Devil-eyed White Primate} appeared a distance away, almost heaving a sigh of relief, had it not been greeted with the sight of Cain''s de bearing down upon it. "Lightening Edge!" Instantly, almost on reflex, the beast activated its survival skill since {Spatial Jump} was on cooldown. Its previously void dark eyes glowed a profound white. {Devil Eyes} had been activated. But the monster didn''t stop there. It realized that to win, it had to go all out. {Primal Aura} was activated as well... The beast''s aura shot through the roof, causing a cloud of dust to stir. A deep maroon aura surrounded the {Devil-eyed White Primate}, looking like a me in the dark lightless night. Cain let out a brief chuckle, a toothy grin appearing on his face. "Azure Burst!" The fiery blue light exploded from him, casting a beautiful glow to his surroundings, as opposed to the deep maroon color of the {Devil-eyed White Primate}. "Let''s keep going, shall we?" He could feel his excitement bubbling... He knew that this fight would take him to the next level. He had tasted defeat before, so it was time for victory. He was going to stand above the corpse of this mutant that had managed to defeat him the first time. Like savage beasts of antiquity, they shed for the final time. Chapter 59: Final Dance: A Battle to Remember (3). The deadly dance between man and beast had be more and more violent as the seconds went by. Hence, they decided to go all in... "Azure Burst!" "Awooooo!" They shed for the final time, without holding back. Cain held onto a container filled with blood, hugging its contents down his throat whilst trying to avoid the fiery pursuit of the bloodthirsty {Devil-eyed White Primate}. Name: {Cain Lenosi} Level: 20. Strength: 149. Agility: 190. Stamina: 35/76. Vitality: 44. Defense: 35. Control: 4.2. Perception: 3.1. HP: 2,450/4,400. MP: 2,605/3,100. Magic: 150. Resistance: Poison- 7%. Skills: Golden blood, Mana de, Lightening Edge, de Mastery Lvl. 2, Burst Step, Metal Creation Lvl.2, Golden Severance, Metal Maniption, *Fear, *Bloodthirsty, Blood Ingestion Regeneration, Azure Burst, Mana Heart. Titles: Champion of Ashur (locked). Free attribute points: 23. System points: 10,570. {Inventory}. {Shop}. Cain could handle the terrible pain formed as a result of activating {Golden Blood}, but the loss in stamina was something out of his control. {Blood Ingestion Regeneration} allowed him to offset this a little, but the loss in stamina was still too much to bear. Hence, Cain decided that it was high time to end the fight. But as he was now, he wouldn''t be able to do so easily. So he only had one option. And that was to evolve, evolve to an even stronger version of himself. The two traded blow for blow, each one seeking toe on top in every engagement. Cain brought out the full extent of his martial arts, handling his de and body with impable nimbleness, while the {Devil-eyed White Primate} adapted to all of Cain''s actions. The gap in attributes between the two was inconsequential, but the skill gap was another story entirely. However, the mutant beast was rapidly closing this gap. This was due to its recently acquired skill, {Keen Mind}. Cain wasn''t the only one to gain something after theirst fight. The mutant beast had also evolved greatly after such a battle. ''This thing is very frightening. If I don''t put it down now, it will grow into a huge threat. It is using me to polish its skills like a whetstone.'' But he wasn''t pissed not afraid. He had always dreamed of fighting an opponent like this. An opponent that made every sh more impactful than thest. How else was he supposed to evolve and be stronger? Diamonds could only be created under immense pressure, and as far as Cain was concerned, only when he was falling from the edge, would he find the power to rise again, his wings spread out wide and his gaze pointed at the skies. True strength can only be obtained by devouring the strong. BANG! SLICE! RIP! The mana in the surroundings turned violent and turbulent as they attacked without rest. As they fought on, Cain noticed that whilst the monster didn''t shy away from his physical attacks, it always made sure to avoid his mana-powered attacks and skills. Cain''s eyes narrowed as he thought of all the possibilities as to why this was so. ''Could it be that it has low magic defense?'' The magic defense had a direct corrtion with the magic stat of the individual, but since the {Devil-eyed White Primate} had a high magic stat, it was greatly unlikely that would be the case. ''Then what could it be?'' Cain pondered even as they both fought against each other. When the {Devil-eyed White Primate} noticed his attention was elsewhere, it increased its ferocity. It suddenly disappointed Cain''s point of view, leaving Cain a bit bewildered. ''Crap! I got distracted!'' Cain didn''t know what the {Devil-eyed White Primate} wanted to do, but he did realize he was in deep shit if he couldn''t stop it. "Golden Halo!" "Golden Armor!" Twoyers of golden light covered his body, protecting him from any potential attack. He swiftly turned around, only to realize that the {Devil-eyed White Primate} was nowhere to be seen. ''Hm?'' Cain observe his surroundings in suspicion, waiting for the mutant to make its move. Out of nowhere, a huge shadow began closing in on him. He looked up, and his heart skipped a beat when he realized what it was. The huge tree mmed down from above in a split second. Cain wasn''t fast enough to move out of the way before this happened. The huge tree smashed into his golden halos, shattering all of them at once. Cain stretched his hands out to stop the iing tree using his more than 300 points in strength. The force the tree came down with was huge, but most of it had been dispelled by the {Golden Halos}. Cain was pushed back by 10 meters, but he was still standing without having sustained any injuries. ''That was a close one.'' Cain wiped the sweat from his brows. If he hadn''t been vignt, that attack could have been his death of him. He threw the tree in his hands away, as he became even wearier. ''Does it n to just keep chucking trees at me? Even though that will put a strain on me, I''ll still be able to recover using {Blood Ingestion Regeneration}, given that I now have enough breathing space. This means it''s trying to use the trees as a diversion.'' Once again, a huge shadow appeared from the distance, but this time, he was prepared. Once the tree was close enough, he swung his {Devil''s Broken w}, splitting the tree in half. As soon as the de was at the end of its trajectory, the {Devil-eyed White Primate} appeared from nowhere. Since Cain had just executed one attack, he wouldn''t be able to raise his de in time to parry or block its attack. This would have been a good n, had it calcted all the factors involved in the fight. It could be that the mutant couldn''t understand the way the {Metal Creation} skill worked. It was presumptuous to think Cain could only activate it with his hands. This miscalction would cost it dearly... ''Gotcha!'' Cain didn''t hesitate to punish the {Devil-eyed White Primate''s} error. The oblivious mutant descended with a mad grin contorting its features. It had predicted that Cain would be too preupied with stopping the iing attack. If all went ording to n, he would be unable to defend himself from its sudden attack. Because of how certain it was of its n, the shock it experienced when it was greeted with the sight of a huge golden spike instead of a terrified Cain was magnified many times over. The poor mutant''s eyes widened in shock and terror. Its midsection was impaled by a spike that extended out of the ground. "Awoooo!" The creature let out a shriek of pain, before disappearing from there. But this time, Cain had no intentions of letting it escape just like that. Before it could escape, Cain grabbed onto a handful of its fur. A brief spell of dizziness overwhelmed Cain. Before he could even get his bearings, he felt a sharp paining from his shoulder. "Argh!" Cain wasn''t used to the turbulence that came with spatial travel, so he was a bit disoriented. On the other hand, the {Devil-eyed White Primate} waspletely fine. It didn''t waste any time to exact its vengeance upon the unsuspecting Cain. Cain looked around and realized that they weren''t even on the ground. A few clouds were in the distance, indicating to Cain that they were in the sky. ''This bastard!'' Cain realized that he had also been yed... "Fucking monkey!" Cain let out an angry yell as he and the beast continued to exchange attacks in midair. Every time they approached the ground, the {Devil-eyed White Primate} would use its {Spatial Jump} skill to take them even higher into the sky. If he wasn''t careful, the {Devil-eyed White Primate} would easily leave him to fall to his death. The only way he was able to maintain his stance temporarily, was by constantly using {Burst Step}, but he couldn''t do it for too long, as it would be too draining on his mana. He had dealt a severe injury to the {Devil-eyed White Primate}, but because of the mana shard it possessed, it was healing a lot faster than him. The wound the mutant had given him was very deep and had removed more than a few points from his health pool, but he couldn''t heal his wounds because they were constantly fighting in the sky, making it impossible for him to use {Blood Ingestion Regeneration}. Cain knew it was high time he did something he hadn''t done before. They were very close to the grey nket of clouds that covered the skies night and day. Cain could feel the density of the mana contained in the clouds. ''The mana feels so rich.'' Cain took in a deep breath, as the mana heart within his chest began beating excitedly. He could feel something within him getting excited. Cain had always been curious about the nature of mana, how to apply it most effectively and efficiently, and so on. But up until now, he hadn''t gotten all the pieces sorted out. He had bits and pieces here and there, but most of it hade from trial and error, as well as his understanding. ''What if I...'' ''No! There is no better time than now!'' Chapter 60: Final Dance: A Battle to Remember (4). He could see the pieces sort of arrange themselves before him, creating a vague but distinct image. ''Everything in the world is governed by a set of rules, and this mana, regardless of how bogus its existence seems, it most definitely is that way as well.'' Cain''s thoughts ran so fast, it seemed as though time hade to a brief halt to amodate him. ''Anything can be done as long as these rules aren''t broken.'' The rule he was referring to, was the one he had figured out after he had finished engaged in battle with the {Devil-eyed White Primate}. Mana could only be activated on the premise that a skill, spell, or rune was being created, or already avable for the mana to act on. If these were not present, then mana wouldn''t have any framework to act upon. If the skill, spell, or rune was the engine of the vehicle, then mana was the fuel that provided energy for the said engine to perform its purpose. This meant that they were mutually dependent on one another. ''Mana was changing everything in the world. But it was also changing as well.'' That was what Cain had concluded after a lot of brainstorming. He had seen the same mana that gave them the ability to perform crazy superhuman acts, but he had also seen that the same causes used all sorts of mutations in nts and animals. However, the mana in his mana pool wasn''t the same as the mana all around. ''If all this is possible, then mana needs a medium to be propagated. It needs to move from one ce to another. But it doesn''t directly interfere with the physical ne, although it has physical effects. It isn''t something I can touch, but it is something I can feel. Something I can''t see, but control.'' Cain unknowingly entered into a state of enlightenment... As though reacting to what was happening, the clouds in the distance began rolling restlessly... Thunder rumbled in the distance, and shes of lightning seemed to bring an element of life from the dark clouds... The {Devil-eyed White Primate} drew closer to attack but stopped when it felt a dreadful aura wash over it, causing it to stop on the ce. It looked up at Cain, a look of uncertainty and fear appearing in its eyes. ''These rules can''t be broken, but they can be manipted. As long as i act between the confines of these walls, I can do anything...'' Cain''s mind churned just as violently as the sea of dark clouds floating above him. ''Internal mana and external mana react to create the phenomena known as runes, skills, and spells. If I use my control over internal mana to affect external mana, but reverse the process... On paper, it should be possible...'' ''If I do it, I wonder what will happen.'' Cain had long since fallen into a stupor. He raised his hand forward absentmindedly. He could feel the mana bleed out from his body into the surrounding. If he could see what was happening, he would represent his mana as tendrils of energy slipping out of his own body to control the other tendrils of energy that was outside his body. The {Devil-eyed White Primate} still looked at him, its suspicions growing with each passing second. Eventually, it had grown tired of just watching him stand there. I decided to just use {Spatial Jump} to get to safety and wait for Cain. to fall to his death. Just as it had activated the skill, Cain suddenly grasped at space. "Seal." Like thousands of chains had suddenly held it down, the {Devil-eyed White Primate} found out that it was unable to make use of its {Spatial Jump} skill. Panic and fear instantly overwhelmed it, causing it to shriek out in fear. Itunched itself at Cain, as there was no other person present who could be the culprit. Cain snapped out of his stupor, only to see the mutant beast''s rabid expression closing in on him rapidly. While still in that state of enlightenment, his mind churned very violently. ''As long as I walk within the boundaries, anything is possible...'' He focused all his power and mana on his outstretched de. One hand raised to the heavens, and the other holding onto his de... The violent clouds that contained extremely high purity mana rolled even more aggressively, as though it was boiling. Chains of lightning the size of dragons shed across the sky as well. These lightning chains were created as a result of the collision of the waves of violent, yet pure mana. They were very dangerous, but there they were bending to the will of a sine human. Cain was too concentrated on what he was doing to notice it. His entire focus was maintaining the unsteady grasp of the very chaotic mana in his surroundings. Because of his high magic stat, he was able to exert impable control over mana, but it was still incredibly difficult to maintain control over such a violent source of mana. ''This is hard... Just like thest time. But I have a feeling that if I''m able to pull this off, the benefits will be immeasurable.'' Beads of sweat rolled down his face as he continued to gather more and more many from the environment into his de. His mind drifted back in time to just two days ago when he faced the {Miasma Devil}. He had used almost this same process to create {Golden Severance}. At that time, he didn''t know what he was doing, but now, everything was much clearer... He understood what he was doing, anyhow he was going to do it... When the {Devil-eyed White Primate} saw all this, it strove even harder to charge at Cain. It had a feeling that if it didn''t get to Cain on time, it wouldn''t be able to escape death regardless of how hard it tried. ''Mana is the basis of all skills. It is the fuel that gives the ability to execute these superhuman feats. When there is a surplus of it, I can only imagine what the results would be.'' Cain had a crazy glint in his eyes as he executed his n. "Mana de!" A section of the clouds in the sky melted away like the snow and was sucked away toward Cain. Within seconds, a gargantuan caricature of the {Devil''s Broken w} was created. It was so huge, with Cain holding the de vertically, it stretched above the clouds. Within the giant phantom, one could see the mana boiling within. ''It worked!'' Cain was beyond surprised to see that his thesis was urate. ''If that''s the case, then...'' He executed stage two... "Lightening Edge!" The chains of lightning from within the sky swam across the sky, and like dragons coiling around a mountain, they wrapped themselves around the surface of the enormous de. ''This is it... This is what it feels to have power.'' Cain could feel the overwhelming amount of power that thread to drown him. The power that shouldn''t belong to a single human being. "Golden Severance!" The huge de suddenly gained a golden tinge to it. This golden tinge gave it substance, and its edges a sharpness that couldn''t be hidden. His muscles bulged, and his eyes had turned bloodshot as he struggled to hold the extremely heavy de, whilst controlling the amount of mana that was directed into the skill. When he felt that he couldn''t hold it back anymore, he let it go... "Break!" Cain had executed what many will call abo, but instead of releasing them all at once, he had used his extremely high magic control to cause them to ovep with each other, multiplying their effects. What he had created had transcended the realm of the regr skills and spells he hade in contact with. Cain''s eyes gleamed with ferociousness and lunacy as he let the scythe of death drop... BOOM!!! The {Devil-eyed White Primate} was split cleanly into two. The ground beneath them was also rendered into two. All the mutant beasts and vegetation in the area beneath them were obliterated in an instant. {Congrattions to Host... You have in the (magical) mutant beast, Devil-eyed White Primate...} Cain sighed in relief as he fell to the ground. He did it. He had finally beaten the strongest foe he had ever faced. His mind was at ease, he allowed gravity to take him back to the ground... {You have gained three new skills...} {You have gained a new title, Sorcerer''s Mind...} {Sorcerer''s Mind}: Your understanding of mana and magic has reached a new level of enlightenment. +20 points to magic and +1 to magic stat every level up. The creation and learning of spells will be 100% more efficient. +3% to all resistances... {Level up!} {+50 to Strength} {+70 to Agility}. {+40 to Stamina}. {+30 to Magic}. {+20 to Defense}. {+10 to Perception}. {You have acquired a new internal active debuff skill, Seal...} {Seal}: Forcibly freeze the flow of mana in the spiritual ne within a certain range for a single second. This skill doesn''t distinguish between friend and foe, and any skill or spell, apart from ones activated by the host, will be nullified. Skills or spells already active will be deactivated as well. This skill will only work on skills that are not of the first Tier and above. Cost: 300MP per activation Cooldown: 30 minutes. {You have acquired a new external active attack skill, Hollow Judgement...} {Hollow Judgement}: Thebination of powerful skills summoned the elements to create a devastating attack powerful enough to split mountains and oceans without distinguishing between friend or foe. The power of the skill is determined by the density of mana present in the area. This skill is highly unstable, and can only be activated with sufficient magic and control stats. Cost: 1000MP per activation. Cooldown: 12 hours. (Due to the effects of {Mana Heart}, the cooldown will be reduced to 6 hours). {You have acquired a new skill... Devil eyes}. Name: {Cain Lenosi} Level: 24. Strength: 203. Agility: 264. Stamina: 11/110. Vitality: 48. Defense: 59. Control: 4.6. Perception: 4.5. HP: 1,372/4,800. MP: 751/3,500. Magic: 248. Resistance: Poison- 10%. Skills: Golden blood, Mana de, Lightening Edge, de Mastery Lvl. 2, Burst Step, Metal Creation Lvl.2, Golden Severance, Metal Maniption, *Fear, *Bloodthirsty, Blood Ingestion Regeneration, Azure Burst, Mana Heart, Seal, Hollow Judgement. Titles: Champion of Ashur (locked), Sorcerer''s Mind. Free attribute points: 27. System points: 15,210. {Inventory}. {Shop}. {Note: Host has reached the maximum amount of internal skills possible before level 50}. "Golden Halo." Several golden circles appeared around him just before his body made contact with the ground. BANG! The impact stirred up dust, and all the golden halos shattered immediately. However, he didn''t suffer any more injuries... Hey on his back, his eyes staring into the dark sky. "Hehe... Hehe... Hehehe..." It started gradually, before turning into heartyughter... Even Cain couldn''t tell why he wasughing, but there was something he did know. A smile filled with joy, relief, pride, and a healthy amount of lunacy slowly spread across his face. "I can''t wait for what''s next." Indeed he wasn''t satisfied. After all, this was just the beginning... Chapter 61: Central Island (2). [Deleted] "That... That should have done her in, right?" Manny said with uncertainty. "I think so-" Before he had the time to blink, Vincent saw a shadow break through the smoldering air. "Watch-" The warning was unable to meet Manny in time. Despite his attempts to parry Kai''s strikes, the red and white aura on the huntress seemed to boost her power and speed even more. Very quickly, Manny was pelted with more than a dozen blows. Stretching her hand out, the bone-white spear shot out of the smoke andnded in her hand. With a horizontal swing, she sent the bleeding and disoriented Manny into a distant building. His body flew like a cannonball and smashed against the wall of the building. Vincent stared with wide eyes. However, there wasn''t enough time for him to think as the huntress was quickly descending on him. ''Think, dammit!'' He noticed that the huntress had suffered some damage from the {Leviathan''s Roar}, but the more serious ones were already being healed by the blood-red aura that surrounded her. Realizing that he wouldn''t be able to win a battle of power or endurance against her, Vincent racked his brain for ideas that could preserve his life. However, in battle, a second spent thinking is a second lost... Before he could think about anything else, Kai was already upon him, swinging a w at him. Jumping back, he managed to get away without any severe injuries. He flicked his wrist, and a short, unassuming saber immediately reced his rifle. Although he was a marksman, he was also extremely deadly with a de... However, before the might of Kai, he was quickly outmatched. A swipe of the spear left him with a wide wound that cut through his torso. Taking advantage of his momentary disorientation, she smashed her fist deep into his chest, causing bits of blood and pulverized flesh to fly up into the air. The pain made him shudder, but he was used to it. He was able to buy himself the time he needed to think, so he wasn''t too unhappy about it. Taking a few steps back, he avoided a flying fist from the huntress and nced at Dan and Calio who seemed to be having just as hard of a time as he and Manny. Letting out a curse, he quickly sidestepped another blow and ran toward the two of them. "Idiot! Throw me a string!" Vincent yelled at the top of his voice. "Don''t call me idiot!" Calio said as heunched a string at Vincent. Lin Lin looked at the two of them with indifferent dark eyes and simply waved her hands at Calio who was momentarily distracted, "Rend!" The space before him was shed open, and a stream of blood painted the air before him crimson. Stifling a cry of pain, Calio really jumped back and threw a few threads at Lin Lin. However, she didn''t even make an attempt to dodge as the threads simply vanished before they could reach her. ''This... This is bad! Why are they even attacking me anyways? I thought we were on the same team!'' "Focus!" Dan yelled to Calio. A wall of Ice rose from the ground to protect him and buy him some time to recover. Looking behind her, Lin Lin couldn''t see anyone. However, she was certain Dan was somewhere nearby. Light shed in her vision all of a sudden. A slender de of ice appeared before her eyes but were stopped right in their tracks. Gritting his teeth, Dan let go of the ice de However, it was toote. Clenching her fist, the de of ice exploded into tens of sharp shards and embedded its way into Dan''s flesh right before he could disappear. Bleeding profusely from where a particrlyrge shard had prated, the {Ice Assasin Armor} that encased his body shimmered for a while before he finally became invincible again. ''How are they so powerful?!'' A bead of sweat rolled down his face as he eximed in anger. "Dan!" Hearing Vincent''s voice, Dan snapped his head sideways and saw the fatty running at him at full speed while trying to avoid the rain of attacks being thrown at him by the barbarian girl. "Catch!" Raising his hand, Dan immediately caught what Vincent had thrown at him. However, that immediately ruined the purpose of his invincibility. "Gotcha!" A wicked smile made its way onto Lin Lin''s face as she swiped her hand forward. ''Crap!'' Shifting his body, Dan attempted to dodge but was a second toote. The sound of flesh being torn apart echoed in his ears and a scalding pain quickly followed. However, he had no time to dwell on that. Feeling the thing in his hand for a moment, he quickly looked to Calio who had a simr String tied to his wrist. His bloodied bodyy on the ground. It was obvious he was just barely clinging on to consciousness. ''If this continues, we... we might really die here!'' Gritting his teeth, Dan created a few ice daggers and threw them at Lin Lin. However, there was an invincible barrier thatpletely nullified his magic. ''Why are their abilities so much stronger?!'' Dan yelled in his mind. He suddenly nced up to look at the state of the other two... Vincent and Manny who had crawled out of the wall Kai had mmed him into not too long ago raced around the huntress, both trying their best to evade her attacks,pletely focused on defense. "Tch! Stop running around, you worm." ''Damn it! Why the hell are you so prideful?!'' Vincent cursed in his mind. Luckily, his n was just aboutplete. Nodding to Manny who had a bloodless look on his handsome face, he turned to Dan and yelled as loudly as he could. "Run to me!" Without even waiting for him to respond, Manny and Vincent ran at their fastest speeds toward the ice bridge. ''I hope this works!'' With Kai in violent pursuit, the two ran the risk of being punctured from behind at any time. Suddenly, a low growl echoed from the depths of Manny''s lungs. His eyesshed with a ghostly green light, and his already insane speed immediately multiplied. He suddenly dragged Vincejt forward in his burst of speed, leaving the annoyed Kai in his dust. An almost invincible string that was produced by Calio connected all of them together. As soon as any burst forward with incredible speed, the bodies of the rest followed him. Despite his stature, Mamny had more than a few strength points to support the weight of the other three before he fell into exhaustion. A few seconds at most... However, these seconds were what Vibcemt was after. Light shed in his hand, and a strange-lookingpass immediately appeared in it. Thepass had no needle, and rather than looking t, was shaped like a sphere. Inside it, there were north, south, east, west, as well as up and down directional arrows. In short, it was a 3Dpass... Pouring his mana into it violently, a small needle of mana immediately appeared and began spinning. ''Come on!'' The item took a bit of time to be activated, so Vincent had to ensure they stayed alive till then. They were so close to the bridge as well... Holding thepass in one hand, and his wife in the other, Vincent fired a few shots to try slowing the huntress down. These shots mmed against her but did little to nothing as the wounds were healed shortly after they appeared. Just beside him, the figures of Dan and Calio flew through the air as well. With their mana, they were able to maintain a steady forward movement without impeding Manny. However, he would begin to slow down very soon, as while he was capable, he still had his limits. Just that small burst of speed had eaten into his mana reserves and his body was on the verge of falling apart due to the strain of carrying three other humans as well. Suddenly, the spinning arrow of thepass stopped and pointed toward the ice bridge. ''Please work!'' It was as though the gods finally decided to look upon them... With a sh of light, all four disappeared and appeared on the ice bridge, far away from the Central Ind... They had escaped. Barely... *** "And that''s how we escaped..." Dan said with a grimace. Turning to Calio who seemed to be in the worst shape of all, Dan said, "This is Calio. He was also on the central ind, but we captured him after defeating him." "Then why was he attacked?" Cain asked with a frown. Calio answered for himself, "Why?! Because they are crazy bitches, that''s why!" Thick malice seeped through his voice as he suddenly coughed up some blood. ''So they were attacked by...'' "Yes... We were attacked by a bunch of insane girls. Well, calling them girls would be slightly incorrect. More like beastdies..." Vincent said through painful pants. "I think you all should get some treatment and rest before we discuss." Looking at their terrible state, Cain couldn''t help but begin to wonder how strong the culprits were. "No... We can''t wait. Hunter needs our assistance! He... He''s taking those things on by himself!" Dan said through gritted teeth. "He''ll get that assistance. However, you all are in no shape to provide that. That''s why I and the others will be going." "Finally! Something to do!" Li eximed with a sigh of relief. "But-" As Dan was about to object, Cain''s chilling gaze pierced through him. "Rest." Letting out a sigh, Dan shook his head, "Okay. But you have to hurry." Cain nodded his head and turned around, "Sue, can you stay behind and tend to their wounds?" Cain said. "Hmph... I don''t really mind. However, I want adequatepensation." The doll-like girl said with a toothy grin. Turning to ze who was sitting on the ice bridge with closed eyes, Cain let out a sigh. ze had not moved a single inch since he came back. It was as though the other was stuck in a meditative trance. However, since he didn''t seem to be in immediate danger, Cain decided to leave him be. Turning back to Sue with a grim look in his eyes, he thought to himself, ''Damn! Why do I feel like I''m making a deal with the devil?'' "Fine." Once he was done, Cain gestured at the others. Behind him, Steve, Susan, Li, Jenny and Stan stood. They all wore different expressions, but none of them showed a single hint of fear. Turning back to Dan, Cain spoke darkly, "Is there anything you think I should know of?" Dan was silent for a while before he gazed into Cain''s eyes and muttered seriously, "They are strong. Really strong... The Ind and the areas surrounding it are also very strange. You''ll understand when you get there." "Okay." With a nod, Cain strode forward. The others soon followed suit... Chapter 62: [Deleted}. This world was unlike anything Cain had ever seen... Even the otherwordlyndscape of Prometheus couldn''tpare to the grandeur of the world sprawled before him like a canvas filled with paintings of a mad god. The sky, or what Cain could only think was the sky, was filled with countless floating pieces of rocks orbiting a muchrger tform of solid earth. Some of them were small, empty, and barren. Others were filled withrge and filled with many wonders, and dangers... Looking behind him, Cain was able to see the rift he had left behind, as well as the two metal cocoons containing Jenny and Susan. Just below him, hanging onto itsst breath, was the terrifying visage of the Realm-Walker. The energy of the world seemed to work against its own, destroying the darkness that covered the creature. There was no sun or moon in the sky. Instead, the entire field of broken inds was illuminated by arge beam of light that originated from the central Ind and shot through the clouds in the sky like a sword. Having appreciated his surroundings long enough, Cain quickly focused on the matter at hand. The exit of the rift of the abyssal chasm was situated high up in the sky, and as such, Cain found himself descending at full speed onto this fragmented world. However, Cain wasn''t too worried about this. For the first time in what felt like an eternity, he was finally able to feel mana coursing through his body. ''Finally...'' Activating {Wind Weaver}, Cain changed the trajectory of his flight from a straight vertical fall to a diagonal glide. The tunnel of wind was shaped, allowing his body to cut through the air and decelerate. Eventually, after some time, hended on one of the floating barrennds at the far edge of the floating fragmentedndmass. The floating inds didn''t go on forever, though. At some point, the sky seemed to curve in on itself and envelope the entirety of the fragmented world. It was almost like the entirety of the floatingndmasses was trapped in a spherical prison from which there was no escape. Beneath the floatingnd masses, there was just darkness... Pure darkness... ''Ha... This just doesn''t seem to be going my way. The world is out to get me at this point.'' Cain grumbled internally but quickly sat up as some things required his attention. Activating {Blood Regeneration}, he ced his hand on his most terrible wounds. Letting out a sigh, he watched as the familiar threads of blood mana wove themselves into reality and dug into his flesh. However, the wounds were too severe. He was just barely able to keep himself alive with it... Letting out another tired sigh, he slowly limped over to the {Abyssal Realm-Walker}. The creature was nowpletely revealed to Cain. He started at it for a while before shaking his head, ''Pitiful...'' It seemed like the creature was about to meet its death. Like a fish out of water, the creature spasmed regrly, its glowing red eyes on the verge of being extinguished. ''Let me put you out of your misery...'' Grabbing the hilt of the {Scale of The Abyssal me}, Cain poured in the little bit of Ki that he had managed to restore. The sword became heavier and sharper, but Cain held onto it firmly... With a grunt, he stabbed the sword deeper and pulled it up, destroying the creature''s spine and ending its life... *** {Congrattions to Host... You have killed an Abyssal Realm-Walker}. {You have Leveled Up!} .... {+100 to Strength}. {+100 to Agility}. {+50 to Spirit}. {You have Obtained an Item}. {You have Obtained a Weapon}. ''Depending on the distance killer and killed, the rewards either spawn in my inventory or fall to the ground. How fascinating...'' Cain had long since realized that the inventory function of the system was some sort of spatial attachment. However, there was a distance limit to it. If he threw an object too far away, the spatial enchantment would fail to activate. Simrly, if he was too far away from a defeated opponent, it would simply manifest physically. On the other hand, if he was closer, it would spawn directly in his inventory... ''It''s like it wants me to increase my chances of dying.'' Cain thought to himself... Letting out a sigh, he dug through the corpse of the creature and retrieved a vicious-looking ck gem that devoured the light around it. ''Jackpot...'' The {Abyssal Realm-Walker} was a level 100 with a (Half-god) rank. While rank didn''t directly correspond to power, it usually indicated the creature''s potential. This meant that by following a natural path, the creature would eventually achieve the power of a (Half-god), which for some reason, was lower than the power of a celestial. ''But aren''t celestial gods themselves? So confusing...'' Letting out a sigh again, Cain moved to the cocoons he had carted between two worlds and ced his hand on it. They shone with pale light for a second, then disintegrated into countless specks of gold dust. Standing there with confused expressions on their faces, Susan and Jenny stared at Cain. The confusion quickly changed into panic, then fear, then concern... "What is going on?! What happened to you?!" "Yeah... You look like a mess..." The two girls moved closer, then stared at the hulking figure of the {Abyssal Realm-Walker}. "Did you..." Susan said, staring at Cain with an unsure expression. Struggling to remain standing, Cain let out a chuckle, "Of course I did. That damned thing didn''t stand a chance." Susan stared at him for a while, her face gradually turning grim. "What are you even doing on your feet? Sit down. I''ll treat you." She said as she gradually moved toward him. Feeling a bit panicked, Cain took a step back, "It''s alright. They aren''t as bad as they seem..." Cain lied. The wounds were much worse than they seemed. The harrowing darkness that apanied the attacks of the Realm-Walker is at his flesh and negated arge portion of his {Blood Regeneration} skill''s effects. Staring at him with a frown, Susan shook her head, "That''s a lie. They are much worse than they seem..." ''Crap...'' "Well..." Without waiting for him to respond, She ced a hand on his chest, forcing him to remain quiet. Since the effects of the frost curse weren''t activated, he quickly calmed down. A deep radiance flowed from her hand onto his body, driving the insidious darkness away and providing soothing relief to his injured body and soul. ''This... This feels nice.'' "Here..." Taking a step forward, Jenny handed Cain a bottle of the HP regen potions that had been made on the northern Ind before they left. Because there was no need to use them previously, each member had a decent number of them stashed away. Muttering out a thank you, Cain uncorked the ss tube and emptied its contents. Feeling the familiar heat wash over his body, he let out a satisfied sigh. A few minutester, Susan removed her hand from his chest... "There... I''ve done the best I could. That thing... Whatever it was, can negate healing spells, it seems." There was a real smile on her pale face. Cain let out a weak smile, "You''ve done more than enough." Despite the terror of the darkness that had infected his wounds, it was no match for Susan''s magic. Under the power of her light, the darkness was chased away, then his flesh was gradually healed by the light. Turning away from Susan, he stared at the piece ofnd they hadnded on. It wasrger than most, barren, and devoid of any signs of life. There were numerous piles of rocks all around them, and Cain had just managed tond directly behind one of them. "Jenny, can you scout this ind and find out where we are?" Cain said with a frown. "Roger that..." Nodding her head, Jenny cast a brief nce at Susan before jumping behind a pike of rocks and disappearing. Letting out a sigh for what felt like the thousandth time in a few minutes, Cain stared into empty space, allowing his thoughts to consume him. There was so much to digest from the previous battle. Every action he had taken in the battle reyed in his mind. With every scene that passed, his face grew darker and darker... ''Not good enough, too weak...'' Letting out a sigh, Cain turned his head to the side and caught Susan staring at him. "What is it?" He asked with a raised brow. The beauty sat close to him, her features slightly illuminated by the dim light that spread across the sky. She stared at him for a few more seconds, "What happened there?" Cain held the stare for a while then turned his head, "Not much... Could''ve died, but didn''t... Nothing more to the story than that." Chapter 63: Aftermath (1)— Ki. Cainy on the ground unmoving... Beside him was a 30-square meters crater on the surface of the earth. This crater was formed when he had used his newly learned skill, {Hollow Judgement} on the {Devil-eyed White Primate}. Broken earth, trees, and mutant beast corpses littered the area around him, but Cain justy there in silence. Although his body was idle, his mind was working on overdrive... ''Damn... The drop rates of runes are abysmal!'' The reason hey unmoving on the ground, was that he was taking his time to go through the gains deposited in his inventory. Within his inventoryy a few things, such as hundreds of HP and MP regen potions, the mana shards he had obtained, a few water canteens that he used to store the mutant beast blood, his destroyed {Bloody Katana}, and most importantly, a few runes. Even though he killed more than a thousand mutants, the number of runes he had in his inventory was just a little over 10. What this meant, was that the drop rate of the runes averaged at approximately 1 rune for every 100 mutant beasts killed. ''System, why is the drop rate of these runes so low?'' Cain thought about it for a while before deciding to ask the system... Since he had ordered the system not to confirm with him the price of the information he wanted to purchase, he was answered very quickly. {Replying to Host: Runes are created from the residual mana when a creature dies, regardless of its race. Be it the human, beast, devil, or even god, there is a certain probability of a rune being created at death}. {The reason it is so low, is the same reason the drop rate of HP and MP potions are higher. These potions and runes are created with leftover inert essence or ki. This energy is unique to every single race. It is a unique type of mana that can only be used or released under certain conditions. Creatures with higher inert essence or ki have a higher chance of dropping a rune and HP or MP potion}. ''Ki? So mana can exist in more than one form? Just as I thought!'' {Replying to host: Affirmative. Mana can exist in its raw form, in elemental form, as ki, god ash, and many others}. ''That exins a lot!'' Cain looked at the dark skies pondering deeply on what he had just learned. His mind was filled with the details of all that had happened in just three days. He had gone from being a high school student to wielding a sword to protect his ass from huge rabid mutant beasts and creepy devils. His life had changed so much in such a short time, but he wasn''t bothered a little bit. He had learned so much as well. He had learned about a whole new source of power. He had gained the ability to perform feats that would have been impossible for any human to achieve. But most importantly, he had matured... He had faced death more than once, but that had only made his mind and body stronger. ''So what is this ki?'' {Replying to host: Ki is inert essence or just life essence. The creation of runes can only be achieved through the use of ki. The runes you see now that are gotten from these dead mutant beasts are of the lowest of qualities. This is because the quality of the ki used to create them is extremely poor. Hence the system has to make do with what it has}. ''So it is the system that creates these runes?'' {Replying to host: Affirmative... The system uses what is known as rune manuscripts to draw these runes out into a form that is usable to the host}. Cain pondered for a while before asking one more question, ''I need all the information on ki I can get!'' {Replying to host: Affirmative... Although Ki is very precious, it is still a form of mana and can be obtained and used through various methods. Ki can be used to draw runes and perform battle techniques amongst many others. The mostmonly used way to obtain ki is through ki plunder. Ki plunder is a technique created for essentially stealing ki. It can only be performed with the aid of a ki plundering technique}. {It can be stolen from the environment, the corpses of other creatures, vegetation, and so on... However, it cannot be absorbed by inanimate objects. Only mana can be absorbed from both living and nonliving entities. Ki is also better than mana when activating physical rted skills, whereas, mana is more potent when activating spells}. {However, bear in mind that ki is many times harder to control and gain than mana. The slowest and most tasking way of effectively gaining ki would be stealing it from the environment, which would be through exercise and putting the body under extremely strenuous and taxing conditions}. {Congrattions to host: You have obtained ess to the secret stat, Ki}. {+1 to all stats}. {+1000EXP}. Name: {Cain Lenosi} Level: 24. Strength: 204. Agility: 265. Stamina: 15/111. Vitality: 49. Defense: 60. Control: 4.7. Perception: 4.6. HP: 1,372/4,900. MP: 751/3,500. Magic: 249. Ki: 2. Resistance: Poison- 10%. Skills: Golden blood, Mana de, Lightening Edge, de Mastery Lvl. 2, Burst Step, Metal Creation Lvl.2, Golden Severance, Metal Maniption, *Fear, *Bloodthirsty, Blood Ingestion Regeneration, Azure Burst, Mana Heart, Seal, Hollow Judgement, Devil eyes: Eye of irvoyance. Titles: Champion of Ashur (locked), Sorcerer''s Mind. Free attribute points: 27. System points: 2,210. {Inventory}. {Shop}. ''Hmmm... The way this system thing was made, only those who ask the right questions will have any benefits.'' Cain pondered over the uniqueness of the system. If he didn''t ask the questions he did, he would never have known that there was a secret energy he possessed called ki. ''On the other hand, I''ve be broke again.'' Cain let out an irritated grunt when he was that he had lost a very huge chunk of his system points due to curiosity... ''System, Where can I get these Ki plundering skills?'' {Replying to host: Ki plundering skills or techniques are very rare and hard toe across, but the basic Ki plundering technique is the only one avable in the store for the host at the moment...} ''Alright then, let''s see it!'' Cain scrolled to the bottom of his status screen and opened to store. {Basic Ki plundering technique}: Absorb Ki from nature inefficiently... Cost: 100,000 System points. ''Bloody hell...'' Cain was taken aback by the price of mere basic-level skill. ''This freaking system is trying to rob me at gunpoint. I guess this is out of my reach for now.'' Cain had already begun building some resentment toward the system, but this was the icing on the cake. {Replying to host: "..."} ''Haaa...'' Cain let out a sigh, partially from exhaustion. There were so many things for him to do, so he had to take them a step at a time, or he would be easily overwhelmed. Gradually, after lying in the same spot for over five minutes, he stood up. CRACKLE!!! The sound of his bones popping back into ce made him let out a sigh offort as he stretched. ''That felt freaking good!'' Looking down, at the human-shaped hole he had created when he fell from the sky, he let out a chuckle. That chuckle quickly turned into choking when he saw the deep gorge his {Hollow Judgement} had created. The gorge wasn''t too deep or wide, but it was very about 30 meters long. ''Damn... Am I the one who did this?'' Cain was bewildered by the fact that he was capable of causing such destruction. {Golden Severance} was deadly, but this skill was on a whole other level. Looking around, he quickly spotted his target... Just a few meters from the gorgey the divided corpse of the {Devil-eyed White Primate}. It stared into the empty sky overhead, its eyes devoid of life. Cain walked over to the beast and gazed down at it. Its expression was contorted into a hideous snarl, and its eyes were still wide open. It was clear to Cain it hadn''t died in peace. "Hm?" Cain bent down to closely observe the corpse and was surprised to find out that Its previously sparkling eyes had been reced by a hollow void, be devoid of light and life. It was as though someone had gorged its eyes out cleanly. There was no injury or damage to the surrounding tissue, but there were no eyes, only empty eye sockets. Cain quickly recalled the skill he had obtained when he had killed the {Devil-eyed White Primate}. He opened his status screen to search for the prompt that came up when he got the skill. {Devil eyes: Eye of irvoyance}: Gain crystal clear information on everything that happens all around you in a 100-meter radius when the skill is activated. Nothing can escape your sight within this range. Cost: 30MP and 1 Stamina point per second. ''This skill also burns stamina. Looks like I''ll need to find a way to increase my stamina if I want to make good use of this skill.'' These thoughts ran through Cain''s head as he stared down at the dead mutant. ''If I had lost, I would have been the one lying dead on the ground.'' Cain was grateful to the {Devil-eyed White Primate}. Had it not been for the beast attacking and defeating him, he never would have acquired the sense of urgency he had right now. ''There are is without a doubt, foes just as strong or even stronger than this beast waiting for me out there. I''ll defeat them all.'' His conviction was just as strong as the hand he plunged into the chest of the dead {Devil-eyed White Primate}, pulling out a pulsating, warm spatial attribute mana shard. ''Yes! Didn''t expect there to be a rare find.'' Out of all the monsters Cain had faced, the {Devil-eyed White Primate} was the only one that had the spatial attribute. Which meant he now had just a single spatial attribute mana shard. ''Time for some dirty work, I guess...'' He wiped the blood off his hand with the snow-white fur of the beast. He retrieved a few empty water canteens from his inventory and then set them aside on the ground. He flipped the beast over, and using his de, he cut the beast''s jugr open. Before the blood could waste away, he quickly ce the water canteen beneath the steady stream of blood. Cain managed to fill two whole canteens before he was sure he wouldn''t be able to get any more from the beast. He used the same de to carve out a few chunks of meat and fur, keeping them in his inventory. Since the space in his inventory was extremely limited, there was a huge limit to the things he could gather as spoils of battle. ''I have to find a more convenient way of doing this.'' Once Cain was done, he got back to his feet. He took a brief moment to take it all in. The calm and quiet atmosphere, the cold breeze hitting against his cheek, and of course, the very heavy scent of blood, which wasn''t pungent in any sense of the word. A soft smile made its way onto his face for a while... "The day has just begun..." Chapter 64: Aftermath (2)— True purpose of Mana shards. Cain looked around him and noticed that he wasn''t close to the battlefield. When the {Devil-eyed White Primate} used it''s {Spatial Jump} to carry them into the sky, it took them a little farther away from the battlefield. As he could still hear the cries of battle very clearly, he figured he wasn''t that far away. Hence he began a slow walk back toward the direction of the noises he was hearing. As he walked, he continued organizing his inventory... ''So that''s 1 spatial, 4 darkness, 20 blood, 19 nature, 22 metal, 41 wind, 20 fire, 30 earth, 20 water, 11lightning, and 22 poison mana shards. Although, that is 210 mana shards in total. Not bad at all...'' Cain said with a pleased expression on his face. If there was one thing he was happy about, it was the number of mana shards he had harvested from the battle. He had gathered a decent amount that he hadn''t used previously, so they had just been sitting in his inventory as well. He was excited to see what he could do with them. ''ording to the system, these mana shards have a ton of uses. For now, the only use I know of is the direct consumption method. Thest time I tried it, it gave me the {Resistance} stat. I wonder what other uses they could have?'' The first mana shard he had gotten was from the {Miasma Devil}, which was a poison elemental mana shard. Using it had increased his poison elemental resistance by 5%. He hadn''t seen any obvious results, so he was a bit doubtful if this method was the best way to use them. Hence, he decided to ask the system... {Replying to host; Mana shards have various grades as well as uses. The ones you currently possess are all mana shards of the least grade or quality. The 7 grades of mana shards ording to their quality are low grade, medium grade, high grade, magic grade, special grade, devil grade, and celestial grade. However, the amount of power contained within a mana shard is determined by both the level and tier of the owner}. {Direct consumption majorly has these three effects. The first is the increase in {Resistance}. {Resistance} is the measure of how much the effect of an attack with the same elemental attribute will be disced. If an individual possesses *100% resistance to a certain element, said person cannot be harmed by that element, and will only benefit from it positively}. {The second one would be to raise elemental control. Elemental control is a factor that directly influences how much proficiency the host has when dealing with elemental mana. Someone with high elemental control will be able to use skills and spells more efficiently. For example, consuming metal elemental mana shards will increase automatically increase the amount of SP you have with the {Metal Creation} skill. This will aid in leveling up the skill greatly}. {Andstly, certain mana shard attributes can boost Ki and mana absorption rates. It is important to note that these effects ur randomly, and might be influenced solely by their quality. Most of the mana shards you currently possess are of low quality, with only a single medium-grade quality. }. ''Hmmm...'' Cain gave it some thought as he trudged forward. The sounds of battle were getting more pronounced, but the amount of noise being made steadily decreased. ''There are two ways to do this... I can look towards the short term more and decide to use them now, or see if I can figure out more of their usester in the future.'' Cain has torn apart for a while before he decided to go for the short term. And he had multiple reasons... The first being he would have more opportunities to gain mana shards in the future. If he used the ones he had now a bit recklessly, he wasn''t losing out on anything. He also figured he could use every bit of extra power he could get his hands on since things just seemed to be getting more and more insane as the days went by. Most importantly, he was honestly just very curious to see the effects using the mana shards would have on him. Cain opens his inventory window and selected a single metal elemental mana shard. The golden-hued gem-like object magically appeared in his palms a split secondter. He rolled the gem a few times to get a feel of its texture. It was a bit cold to the touch, and the light it gave off made him feel as though he was staring at a bar of shiny gold. Applying a bit of force, the mana shard cracked and shattered to pieces. A stream of energy escaped from the shattered gem directly into his body. {+1,000SP to {Metal Creation} skill...} {Metal Creation Lvl 2.}: Gather the Metal elemental attribute mana to create constructs of metal. The effects of the skill are influenced by the host''s magic and control stats, as well as imagination. AOE is equal to the user''s magic stat as well as the level of the skill. (1,000/10,000SP). ''Not bad...'' Even though Cain didn''t get what he expected, he wasn''t disappointed. He had twenty-one metal mana shards left, so he was sure he would be able to increase {Metal Creation} to level 3, which would bring him great benefits. ''Let''s go all the way then...'' {+500SP to {Metal Creation} skill...} {+200SP to {Metal Creation} skill...} ... As mana shard after mana shard was turned into dust, Cain''s face would twitch slightly in response every time a new one was used up. ''Fuck! I knew it wouldn''t be that easy!'' It turns out that as he used more of the mana shards, the effectiveness wore out. The first one he used gave him 1000SP, then the following 4 gave him 500SP each. The rest were 200SP each, but by the 16th one, all he got was just 100SP each. ''Come on...'' Cain got a bit anxious as he crushed mana shard after mana shard. He wanted to get his {Metal Creation} skill to level 3. once he did that, the level of control he had over the skill would increase tremendously. {+100SP to {Meta Creation} skill...} Cain looked through his inventory and realized that he had only one more metal elemental mana shard left. {Metal Creation Lvl 2.}: Gather the Metal elemental attribute mana to create constructs of metal. The effects of the skill are influenced by the host''s magic and control stats, as well as imagination. AOE is equal to the user''s magic stat as well as the level of the skill. (9,900/10,000SP). ''So damn close. If this one doesn''t give me another 100SP, I''m going to go kill something.'' Cain said fuming. At this point, Cain''s frustration had turned into unreasonable anger... He retrieved thest one from his inventory, said his prayers to whoever would listen, then crushed it with a single hand. {+100SP to {Metal Creation} skill...} {Congrattions to the host... Your internal skill, {Metal Creation} has leveled up}. ''Sess!'' {Metal Creation Lvl 3.}: Gather wisps of Metal elemental attribute mana to create constructs of metal. All effects of this skill are influenced by the host''s magic, control, and spirit stats. The duration of the spell has increased by 20% (0/100,000SP). {Metal Maniption}: Grants the ability to freely control metal of weight that does not exceed 10 tonnes. The effectiveness of this skill increases simultaneously with the {Metal Creation} skill. {Congrattions to the host... Your control over the metal element has increased greatly. Hence, you have unlocked a new stat, Spirit...} {+1 to all stats}. {+1000EXP}. {+100 system points}. Name: {Cain Lenosi} Level: 24. Strength: 205. Agility: 266. Stamina: 15/112. Vitality: 50. Defense: 61. Control: 4.8. Perception: 4.7. HP: 1,950/4,900. MP: 2,090/3,500. Magic: 250. Ki: 3. Resistance: Poison- 10%. Spirit: 2 Skills: Golden blood, Mana de, Lightening Edge, de Mastery Lvl. 2, Burst Step, Metal Creation Lvl.2, Golden Severance, Metal Maniption, *Fear, *Bloodthirsty, Blood Ingestion Regeneration, Azure Burst, Mana Heart, Seal, Hollow Judgement, Devil eyes: Eye of irvoyance. Titles: Champion of Ashur (locked), Sorcerer''s Mind. Free attribute points: 27. System points: 2,310. {Inventory}. {Shop}. ''Spirit? What is that?'' {Replying to host: The spirit stat is the primary stat that influences the level of elemental control the host possesses}. ''I thought it was the control and magic stats that did that?'' Cain was a bit confused now. He had been told by the system previously that what influenced his control over the elements was his control and magic stat. Now, it was telling him that it was his new Spirit stat that did that. {Replying to host: That is negative. You were told that the magic and control stats influenced your Mana control, not elemental control. While they might sound alike, they differ greatly on a fundamental level}. ''So what is this difference?'' {Replying to host: To put it in simple terms, mana is a nket term for all forms of energy, while categorizing it into the various elements makes it a bit more specific}. ''I see...'' Now that his doubts had been cleared up, he decided to stop with the questions and move on. The only things left to check in his inventory were the runes. ''As for the runes, only 12...'' {Mark of Hermes}: +10 to agility stat. {Mark of Bestial Strength}: +10 to agility stat. {Bulwark of Protection}: +10 to Defense stat. {Rune of Sharpening}: Increases attack damage by 2%. Only three of each, but he recalled that to create an array, he needed 9 exact runes of the same type. He currently had only one {Mark of Beastly Strength} in use, so that meantpleting even a single array was going to take a while. He decided to hold on using the runes, as he had arrived just in time to see the others cleaning up the battlefield... Chapter 65: Aftermath (3)— Symbiotes. As soon as Cain broke through the line of trees, he was greeted with the sight of Vincent inserting the muzzle of his rifle into the butt of a dying mutant wolf. Cain watched as without a second of hesitation, the sadistic fatty pressed down on the trigger. BANG! A cloud of blood painted the air crimson as the mutant beast waspletely blown into pieces. The fatty took his time to wipe the blood off his face before he noticed Cain''s appearance. "Well look what the cat dragged in," Vincent said with a smile as he scratched the back of his head embarrassedly. The blood on his face and clothes contrasted greatly with the warm smile he had on his face. ''Damn... This guy is insane.'' Although Cain internally questioned what he had just witnessed, he decided not to say anything or think too much about it. "Where are the others?" Approaching him, Cain asked casually, almost as though he hadn''t just witnessed the craziest thing that day. ''Who knew he would be into that kind of stuff...'' Apparently, Cain had grossly misunderstood the fatty... "Haha! They are all off chasing after a few strays that managed to escape. They should be back any moment from now though..." Vincent said nonchntly as he stooped down to retrieve a bright red sparkling fire elemental mana shard. "Tch! It''s super hard to get water and lightning mana shards! Even though I''ve killed tons of these guys, I barely have enough of what I need." Vincentmented as he toyed with it briefly before putting it into his inventory. "That''s probably because of the environment. The creatures that live within this forest are probably not suited for the water element." Cain exined. "Oh? Do you think so? While they might just be a few, I did manage to gain some water mana shards though..." Vincent said a bit doubtfully. Putting on a serious face, Cain exined why he thought like this... "From what I''ve seen so far, the environment greatly determines the element the mutant beast possesses. Take, for example, lightning and wind elements that are only possessed by creatures that can fly, or live high in trees. While metal, earth, and fire for the ones on the ground. All the water elemental mana shards I''ve obtained so far are from either amphibious or just straight-up aquatic mutant creatures." "Now that you mention it, that is the case. As expected of my boss." Vincent gave Cain a thumbs-up, which prompted Cain to roll his eyes. Cain stared straight at Vincent, "Well, I can tell you knew that already." Cain already knew he couldn''t trust a word that came out of the fatty''s mouth, so he was always cautious around him. Vincent stared back for a while before letting out a hearty chuckle. "Hahaha! I guess you could say that." He didn''t break eye contact with Cain as he spoke, "You are very smart, so I assume you understand what is happening." Cain raised an eyebrow slightly in confusion... Regardless, Vincent continued, " Let me exin further... This world has gone to shit. It was in shit before, but now, things are even more fucked up. There are no other words I can use to describe it, so pardon mynguage. From what I can see, we need to work together if we want our chances of survival to increase." All Vincent had said was the only reason why Cain decided he would join their group. He would have preferred to go on his own because he would be granted more freedom, but all he had witnessed, especially his encounter with the {Devil-eyed White Primate} had told him that having teammates would be more beneficial in the long run. However, he decided to push some buttons to see what Vincent was going on about... "I understand all this, but what does that have to do with me? What benefits will we gain if we work together? Aren''t we already in the same group?" Cain asked. "Well, as my boss, it is expected you take care of me if you know what I''m saying..." Vincent said with a wink. ''This guy...'' Cain observed Vincent''s mannerisms with narrowed eyes. He was capable of changing expressions like underwear, which meant he wasn''t a normal person. However, he didn''t sense the same dark and malevolent aura he had noticed around Hunter and Evangeline. ''There''s something up with him, but I just can''t get my finger on it.'' Cain let his thoughts drift back to what he had seen when he walked out of the forest. He shivered a bit, still a bit shaken up by the traumatic experience. ''That''s most definitely not something a normal person would do!'' Even though he knew he probably had a few loose screws, he wasn''t going to do something so sickening... "Okay... Let''s start with a trade. We''ll start our partnership with fair trade. You trade me your water and lightning mana shards for any I have that you want." Finally, Vincent got to the goal. Cain narrowed his eyes, "So what you are proposing is something mutually beneficial?" Cain felt like he was finally getting to see what Vincent was getting at. "Exactly... That''s exactly what I''m getting at." A sly grin yed at the corners of Vincent''s lips. Cain, who now knew what was going through Vincent''s mind let out a smile of his own, hiding his intentions underneath it. Although Cain didn''t smile often, when he did, in contrast to his warm and harmless smile of Vincent, his gave off a more dangerous and handsome feel, mostly due to the scar that stretched across his face. If he didn''t have the scar, he would probably not look the least bit intimidating. "I currently have only 20 water mana shards, and 5 lightning. Sadly, I have a bit of use for the lightning attribute ones, but I can give you all the water attribute ones. In exchange, I want your metal attribute mana shards." "Hmmm... You really can''t let the lightning mana shards go?" Vincent asked Cain one more time, the smile on his face dipping a bit. His aura suddenly experienced a slight but dramatic change. Cain noticed this, but he firmly stood his ground... "Okay then. I ept... We''ll trade ording to piece and quality. That is 1 to 1 and low grade to low grade." "Sure..." Cain retrieved all the water elemental mana shards he had with him, while Vincent brought out a corresponding number of metal attribute mana shards. Cain wasn''t sure if that was all he had, but he wasn''t interested. After all, he had gained more than he expected already. He decided that the best and most efficient way to level his skills up, especially the elemental ones was to use mana shards. Once they exchanged it, they both stared back at each other with a smile. Although they had smiles on, an entirely different scene was ying in their heads. ''I could have sworn I felt it...'' Although Cain tried to y it cool, his heart was racing very quickly as he tried his very best not to break into a cold sweat. He applied some strength to his hand to stop himself from drawing his de. ''Just for a fraction of a second, I could feel that killing intent as dense as blood washes over me.'' His intuition had never failed him before, so he knew better than not to trust him. Cain had only felt that level of killing intent once in his life, which was from his master. Other than that, he had never felt someone give him the feeling of being so close to death before. He could almost see the generic skeletal representation of death breathing down his neck for that brief second. All of this just made Cain raise his guard even more. Meanwhile... ''He reacted to the killing intent I just let off. He''s no joke'' Contrary to the hearty smile on his face, a sort of cold thought ran through his mind of Vincent. ''I am ny-nine percent sure he was the one who caused all thatmotion. How the hell is he so strong?!'' Themotion he was referring to was the catastrophic disy Cain put on when he used {Hollow Judgement}. ''And he''s not from the underground, but he fights like someone that has been trained professionally by someone from the underworld. This just doesn''t add up.'' Vincent was confused over a few things. As a respectable member of the underworld, and a verified ''No trigger'', he was well versed with those who were officially part of the underworld and those rted to them. The only ce he knew Cain was school, but he had never really paid any attention to him. Vincent was more of a free spirit who would rather spend his days livingvishly with the funds he got from his hitman contracts. As a ''No trigger'' he was hired to do some odd jobs here and there such as assassinations, stealing of important information, and many more, so it was only natural that the pay matched the risks. Hence, although he attended high school just like every normal 17-year-old, his nightlife was a bit more lively than one would expect. Because of this, he would rather spend his free time enjoying women than keeping tabs on some random guy he had only heard rumors about. ''I''ll have to keep an eye on him from now on. The probability I''ll be able to take him out right now is very low, so I''d rather not take my chances. Why make enemies when you can have friends, right?'' If Vincent had chosen to act on his thoughts, he would have been on his way to meet his maker. Although Vincent was very strong, he wasn''t capable of beating Cain, and he knew it. As frustrating as it sounded, from the fight he had seen earlier, if he fought with Cain, he might be able to survive, but he certainly couldn''t beat him, yet... He was convinced that once he reached the peak of his growth, he would be the strongest. ''Hmph! People like this are usually shortsighted. He probably is sacrificing his potential for short-term benefits. Fool...'' While Vincent put on a friendly front, that was just that. A front... He was just as proud as the next person, maybe even more. He was convinced that he was the architect of his future, the main character in his own story... And in a way, he wasn''t wrong for thinking that. His repertoire of skills and abilities had limitless growth potential, so his confidence wasn''t misced. However, the same could also be said about Cain. They both had a lot of potentials, so only time would tell who woulde out on top. In the meantime, all they could do was be Frenemies... They would plot against each other when they could and give support when they should... A mutually symbiotic rtionship... Chapter 66: Moving Forward (1). The rtionship between symbiotes was very strict... One couldn''t take more from the other, as they could only benefit mutually from one another. Once this rule was broken, and one began to take more than he gave, the rtionship would automatically be parasitic. Cain understood this well... Should he feel that Vincent was bing a parasite, he would be forced to do what he must. A parasite that was left to fester for too long would end up turning into a huge problem. "Now that that''s out of the way, I guess we just have to wait for the others," Vincent said. He slung his rifle back into his arms in an attempt to continue where he had left off. "What exactly are you doing?" Although Cain had an idea, he wasn''t entirely sure. After all, there were better ways to go about this without causing too much of a mess. "What does it look like, boss? I''m getting the mana shards out. This is the easiest and most humane way to do this stuff." Vincent said with a smile. ''Humane my ass!'' Although he said that, Cain didn''t believe him one bit. "Alright, suit yourself. I''ll go over there and wait for the others." Cain decided to just leave the insane fatty to his devices. He walked a few meters away from Vincent before finding a rtively clean ce to sit. There was blood and dead mutants everywhere, so this was the only ce in the outside vicinity of the departmentplex he could sitfortably. His clothes and body were drenched in blood that had begun to dry, making him feel irritable all over his body. However, he bore with it in silence. Just this bit of difort was nothing to him. Cain sat on the ground and then pulled his status screen up. A couple of swipester, he was once again looking at his inventory. The space in the inventory could be observed directly from the status window, so Cain was able to easily observe the contents without restriction. After deducting the 20 water elemental mana shards he had traded with Vincent, he had 1 spatial, 4 darkness, 20 blood, 19 nature, 20 metal, 41 wind, 20 fire, 30 earth, 11 lightning, and 22 poison mana shards. He had no use for the majority of them, but a few did catch his eyes. Apart from the metal, the spatial, darkness, blood, lightning, and fire mana shards were the ones he wanted to keep. The rest would be traded away. He retrieved all the metal elemental mana shards from his inventory and began using them one by one. {+100SP to {Meta Creation} skill...} ... In the blink of an eye, the only things left around him were lusterless cracked gems that had been robbed of their light. {Metal Creation Lvl 3.}: Gather wisps of Metal elemental attribute mana to create constructs of metal. All effects of this skill are influenced by the host''s magic, control, and spirit stats. The duration of the spell has increased by 20%. (2,000/100,000SP). ''Still, a long way to go before level four.'' With the speed he was using to obtain mana shards, Cain figured it was only a matter of time before he took the skill to the next level. With the new increase in level, the skill is bound to be even more powerful. And since {Metal Creation} and {Metal Maniption} came hand in hand, it made things even better for him. Cain channeled some of his mana into his palm whilst activating {Metal Creation}. A glob of amorphous golden metal quietly floated above his palm. The formless glob changed shape a few times, from an arrow, to a tiny imitation of the {Devil-eyed White Primate}, then back to its original form. As his understanding of mana and skills improved, Cain hade to see all the pros and cons of the skills in his possession. The {Metal Creation} skill was very useful, but its only problem was the short lifespan of the items he created with it. The duration of the spell meant the amount of time the creations of metal wouldst before they disintegrated back into the environment as elemental mana. As long as he wasn''t pouring mana in constantly, it would break down after a while. ording to Cain''s calctions, the duration of the skill was roughly five minutes, plus the extra 20% increase, making it six minutes. The skill was also more suited for defense rather than offense. Although these restrictions were an issue, the pros still outweighed the cons. When Cain thought about this, he recalled the origins of the skill. He was one of those system-granted skills he had gotten when he had killed his first elemental mutant beast. Afterward, he acquired {Metal Maniption}, which was essentially just a way to increase his control over the {Metal Creation} skill. {Metal Maniption}: Grants the ability to freely control metal of weight that does not exceed 10 tonnes. The effectiveness of this skill increases simultaneously with the {Metal Creation} skill. But to Cain, {Metal Maniption} was far more powerful than {Metal Creation}. With {Metal Maniption}, he could control actual preexisting metal as well as metal created by {Metal Creation}. This made the skill far more useful because it had fewer limitations than the {Metal Creation}. It was also more attack-oriented. It was the skill that enabled him to use {Metal Creation} to attack his opponents. It formed the basis of his spells such as Fetters of iron, Golden Severance, Golden Halo, etc... ''But is it enough?'' It urred to Cain that although this skill was very powerful, at the end of the day, it still wasn''t enough. The metal elementcked the explosive attack attribute he was looking for. Luckily for him, there was a way he could fix this, and that was through the use of mana shards. Cain looked at the mana shards he had on hand... ''These are certainly not enough to achieve what I want. Let''s wait for the others to get back.'' With that, Cain closed his status window. He let out a groan and a tired sigh. He looked up to the sky and realized that the sky had begun to brighten up. Even through the grey clouds, he could tell that dawn hade... The darkness had been pushed aside, making him able to see the full extent of the destruction that had urred the previous night. The battle had taken ce for more than five hours so he was thoroughly exhausted. The only reason he was able to fight as long as he did was because of {Blood Ingestion Regeneration} which enabled him to fight for a very long time as long as mutant beast blood was avable. Now that he had the opportunity to sit down, he realized that he had barely slept for the past three days. The only time he had rested, was after the fight he had with the {Miasma Devil}, which didn''t ssify as rest because he had fallen unconscious. That was about a day ago... He decided to have some proper rest before he did anything. Plus, he didn''t want any of his secrets exposed. He didn''t want the others to see what he was doing. With the way the system worked, every piece of information was extremely precious. This included information he didn''t obtain from the system as well. Information gotten from the system was determined only by the questions the host asked. The probability of two people asking the same set of questions was next to none, so only those who asked the right questions would have the right information to work with. Suddenly, his ears twitched... Can could hear very fast footsteps quickly approaching their general area. He and Vincent nced at each other before exchanging a nod. In a single breath, Vincent smoothly aimed at the approaching cloud of dust. ''Is it a mutant beast?'' Cain wondered. Just in case, he silently retrieved his weapon from his inventory and rose to his feet. A tremendous gust of wind churned up the dust as the culprit dashed at them like a hurricane. BANG! "Hahaha! Those monsters didn''t even stand a chance!" Manny said as he stopped his charge with a graceful flip in the air. Hended perfectly on his two feet without even breaking a sweat. ''He''s very fast, and his control is also outstanding.'' Cain had to acknowledge that Manny was probably the fastest one in their group. Although he was fast as well, his stats were more on the bnced side. Vincent looked at him with a grumpy face, "You idiots! You all just ran after those mutants like rabid chickens!" "It''s not our fault you are too scared to go after them on your own!" Manny replied with a snarky remark. "You rascal!" Vincent said through gritted teeth. "That''s enough, you two. Let''s just wait for the others." Cain could feel a headacheing up as he watched these two interact with each other. He already began regretting his decision to join them. "You''ve got it, boss. I don''t have the time to argue with this simpleton." Instantly, Vincent''s face changed from annoyed to pleasant. "Who are you calling a simpleton?!" Manny yelled angrily as he pointed his de at Vincent threateningly. "Hahaha! What are you gonna do, attack me?" ''These guys...'' Cain didn''t really enjoy thepany of others, so he was already exhausted just by watching Manny and Vincent go at it. But he could tell that although it seemed as though they were at each other''s throats, there was no real enmity between them. "Either you guys shut the fuck up, or you both die!" Cain said menacingly, as he raised his de to threaten them. He even activated {Fear} to make the threat more effective. Although he meant it partially as a joke, Vincent and Manny took it quite literally. Manny leaned in a bit to whisper into Vincent''s ear, "Isn''t he the one that caused all thatmotion?" Manny was referring to themotion caused by Cain''s activation of {Hollow Judgement}. "Yep..." Vincent whispered back fearfully. "Damn... What a monster!" Turning back to Cain who now had a dark look on his face, the usually violent Manny now had a tame expression on his face. "Yes, boss." ''I heard everything, you bastards!'' Cain didn''t know how to respond, although he did find their antics quite funny. "Ha... Let''s just wait for the others." Cain let out a sigh. Not long after, the others began appearing from the forest one after the other... Chapter 67: Moving forward (2)– Grotesque Entity. Once they were all gathered, David was the first to speak. "Before we do anything else, we need to clean up," said David in a grave voice. Arge number of dead mutant creatures covered the entire courtyard of the building, up to the outskirts of the forest. "Can''t we just leave them here? I don''t want to do anything else. I''m still sore from all that fighting. I''m also very hungry..." Vincent rolled his shoulders and rubbed his stomach with a pout. "Quit being sozy!" Manny said with an eye roll. Vincent''s eyes twitched in anger, "Get off my case, would you?!" "That''s enough, you guys. This is serious." Seeing the expression on David''s face turn even more serious, they quickly behaved, their faces turning serious. From the tension in the air, they could sense that something was up. Turning to the others, David pointed at the dead mutants lying on the ground, "If we leave them here, they will begin to dpose. And once that happens, not only will the smell be unbeatable, but there is also the risk of deadly diseases being spread. Hence, I suggest we grab whatever we think is valuable from their corpses and think of a way to dispose of them properly." "I think I will be able to help with that. My mes are effective when ites to burning things up." ze said all too seriously. "I think I might be able to help as well." Cain butted in. He offered his help not because his intentions were pure, but because those mutant beast corpses were somewhat valuable to him. Technically, not the corpses, but their blood... He figured that everyone would have gotten all the mana shards from the mutants they had killed, so the only thing of true importance to him would be the beast''s blood. He needed it mainly for {Blood Ingestion Regeneration} and the {Bloodlust} skill of the {Devil''s Broken w}. The skills had a lot of potential, but that potential could only be fulfilled with the right resources. The mutants he had killed were barely enough to satiate the hunger of the {Devil''s Broken w}. "That''s good," David said with a troubled smile. "That won''t be necessary..." Before the conversation could progress any further, they were all interrupted by Hunter who had a very grave face. Beside him was Dan, who had an even graver face on. "What do you mean by that? And this better not be another one of your nasty ns to cause division!" zeshed at Hunter. He was still sore over his previous defeat, so he was a bit salty toward Hunter. However, Hunter paid him no attention at all. Instead, his face was a shade darker than it usually was. Cain quickly put on a frown. If there was anything he disliked, it was being uninformed... Cain walked up to Hunter and Dan, "Spill it. What is going on." He didn''t say anything, but apparently, Dan knew what he was on about. "I think you all should see for yourselves." *** Cain and the rest stood in shock as they gazed at the extremely grotesque and abominable thing they were looking at. "No freaking way!" Vincent took a few steps back in disgust, while the others simply stared at it with disgusted faces. They all gave the grotesque entity before them a very wide berth. "What the hell is this?!" Manny couldn''t help but exim out loud. Even Cain had an expression on his face that was halfway disgusted and halfway curious. ''What the hell is this thing?'' Cain knew what he was seeing, but he didn''t know how to exin it. A whole section of the forest before their eyes had turned into a gigantic membrane of twisted gnarly trees covered in some sort of sticky sap-like fluid that was eating the corpses of the nearby mutants. The dead mutants on the ground were being dragged by slowly slithering vines and branches into the thick membrane where they weretched onto by huge thorns. These huge thorns that were attached to the membrane of trees sucked all the nutrients from the corpses, turning them into dried husks in a matter of seconds. With each passing second, the huge veiny branches pulled in more and more corpses from the surroundings. And the most frightening part of this was that the huge grotesque structure of trees was growing at a visible rate. ''System, what the hell am I looking at?'' {Replying to host: The creature you are looking at is an anomaly...} ''Creature? That thing is a living being?'' {Replying to host: Negative... This creature is an extension of an evenrger creature. As for the reason for its existence, that cannot be concluded, as there is too little information being provided at the moment}. ''What is all this about needing information?'' {Replying to host: The system can only give the host feedback based on the information that is already preexisting, or information attained by the host, or even both simultaneously. However, the system cannot work with an added element of mystery or uncertainty. In this case, too many options exist Ann at once to be able to draw a reasonable conclusion without more information being provided}. ''I see...'' Cain felt his understanding of the system suddenly increases exponentially. "I''m gonna try cutting it down!" Manny said, a bizarre light shing through his eyes. "Wait! Don''t-" Before anyone could say anything, Manny had already dashed off faster than the wind. He tore through the air like a beam of light, and in no time at all, he stood directly before the weird and disgusting membrane of trees. Manny pulled his des out from his inventory and shed down in quick session onto the gnarly roots. PUSHI! A fountain of blood sprayed out from the now-damaged roots. Before anyone could even take their next breath, the vines and branches that were carrying a whole buck of corpses rapidly got rid of their burdens andunched themselves at Manny faster than a bullet. "This fool..." All the others could do was watch this unfold. The thorny branches whipped at him with a vengeance, but with a smug grin, Manny dodged them all and then brought his de up again, slicing at his attackers like the des of a chainsaw. "Tempest de!" The element of wind quickly circted his des as his attack speed spiked up drastically. In a split second, all the attacking tree parts were torn to shreds, a thick and viscous blood-like substance sttering onto the ground from the severed stubs. With a graceful twirl, Manny tuner around to face the others, an arrogant grin on his face. "See? I told you there''s nothing to worry about-" His mouth wasn''t even done closing before a huge barrage of thorny tentacles swarmed at him. "Shit!" Manny eximed in surprise. He retrieved his swords and began hacking at them. He was even more surprised to see that the vines he had cut down had begun to regenerate rapidly. "Shouldn''t we go help him?" Seeing the pitiful condition Manny was already in, she couldn''t help but ask. "Nope." "He got what he deserved." "Serves that brute right!" Even those who didn''t say anything all had a look of agreement on their faces. BANG! Manny was suddenly sent flying by one of therge tree branches. If he hadn''t been guarded against the beginning, that strike would most likely have taken a few inches off his life. "Damn! That hurt!" Manny said as he rubbed his sore butt from having fallen on it. "Haha! Serves your right for just charging headfirst towards death like a mole." Vincentughed heartily at the sight of Nanny''s distress. "Tch!" "That''s enough you two," David said while massaging his temple. "Do any of you guys have any suggestions now?" ''Looks like David''s already fed up.'' Cain couldn''t help but think in his mind. "I don''t think my mes will be enough to take this thing down," ze said with a contemted look on his face. "My skills won''t work against something like this," Hunter said gruffly. "Mine neither," Dan said as well. "My skills are all single target, so I doubt they can even harm whatever the hell this is," Susan said with scrunched-up brows. "Leave it to me." A voice that no one expected to hear suddenly rang within their ears. Without waiting for anyone''s acknowledgment, she simply walked toward the weird creature. "What the hell is she doing?" Vincent whispered. "One of my skills is called {Blood Maniption}. It allows me to control the blood of the living and unloving beings." Evangeline said without even turning around. "Did the ice princess have a change of heart? Look at her, being so vocal..." Steve said in a somewhat bewildered tone. ''I wonder what she''s getting at...'' Since the first day he noticed her, Cain had thought Evangeline was an enigma. Not only was she cold and distant towards everyone, but he had also caught her staring at him weirdly on more than one asion, which he found to be disturbing. All of a sudden, she had be incredibly vocal... ''I shouldn''t dwell too much on this issue. I have bigger things to worry about.'' "Let me try something out," Cain said before he walked towards the weird nt creature as well. "Boss! Don''t tell me you''ve gone crazy as well!" Vincent cried out. "Maybe I have, who knows..." Cain responded with a mysterious smile. ''Hahaha... As expected. This guy has more secrets than he''s willing to share. I have a feeling that if I stick with him, I''ll gain a lot more than expected.'' Vincent let out a sinister chuckle as this thought ran through his head. "Weirdo..." Manny took a step away from him while giving him the side eye. "Bastard!" They all stared with bated breath as Cain and Evangeline inched closer to the grotesque entity. Chapter 68: Moving forward (3). "What do you think you are doing?" Evangeline turned her face to Cain who walked quietly at her side and asked in a voice as cold as ice. The gaze she gave him waspletely different from the one she usually gave him. This time, her eyes looked human... "What does it look like I''m doing?" Cain answered with a shrug. She scrunched up her brows a lot in annoyance, "I made it very clear that I would be the one doing this." From the first day he had seen her, she had always acted a bit weird. She either had on an emotionless and cold face, or she just stared at him like a creep. Now, he was finally able to get a somewhat human response from her, so he chose to keep up the indifferent act to see where it took him. "Well, I fail to see how that''s any of my concern." Cain made sure to draw his words out, even finishing the sentence with a yawn to provoke a reaction from her. However, Cain was disappointed to see that apart from a brief frown that disappeared as quickly as it came onto her face, he got no other response. "Fine... Do what you want. Just don''t interfere." She said before increasing her walking speed. ''No luck, huh?'' Although he didn''t make much progress, Cain wasn''t discouraged in the slightest. ''I will get to the bottom of this enigma. I just need to figure out what her deal is so I can break thatyer of ice.'' Normally, Cain wouldn''t concern himself with such a mundane matter, but for some reason, he felt inclined to. He couldn''t exin it... It was a weird feeling that poked at his mind every time he saw her staring at him... He wanted to know more about this beautiful, yet enigmatic girl. It wasn''t that he was attracted to her looks. It was mainly due to the aura she gave off. However, it was very subtle, so he wasn''t sure if it was there. He had always been very curious at heart, so when he saw something that interested him, he subconsciously began looking for a way to get under her skin... ''Ha... Now''s not the time to dwell on such things.'' Cain turned his focus back to the huge intertwinedwork of abominations. His eyelids couldn''t help but twitch a little bit when he got closer. Turns out the grotesque entity before he was even more disgusting up close. Numerous outgrowths were popping out from various sections, spewing out that sap-like fluid, coating the entire thing in ayer of the fluid. The huge vines still roamed around the former battlefield picking up numerous corpses at a time and bringing them closer for consumption. ''How the hell did no one notice this until now?'' Cain realized that this sort of thing couldn''t have grown overnight. It most likely had been growing for some time now, but he hadn''t noticed it when he had gone into the forest to confront the {Devil-eyed White Primate}. ''Destroying this thing is going to be fairly easy though. All I need to do is use {Bloodthirsty} with {Devil''s Broken w} to drain that blood. That might work... If it doesn''t, I''ll just destroy it.'' When Cain saw Evangeline volunteer to destroy the thing, he knew it had something to do with that blood-like substance that had sttered from it when Manny had attacked. He knew she had skills that had something to do with the blood element, so whatever that fluid was, he also wanted to see its effects on her. ''If the {Devil''s Broken w} doesn''t do anything, I''ll just wait and see what happens.'' As they drew closer, the monster began its attack on them. With great dexterity, they simply dodged all the whip-like branches and vines whilst inching closer. Cain watched as Evangeline made graceful movements in dodging effortlessly. Even Cain had to admit that he wasn''t as good as her when it came to how cleanly all the attacks were evaded. It was as though she had total control over her body. ''She''s strong. She has had some training.'' Cain''s eyes narrowed down to slits as he watched. "ze, Hunter, please, if things go awry, I need you guys to try to burn that thing down," said David to Hunter and ze who stood on the side. "You''ve got it," ze replied almost immediately before ring at Hunter with an inquisitive stare. Hunter let out an internal sigh, ''What a hassle.'' He gave a curt reply, "Sure." "Hmph!" ze let out a snort but didn''t say anything. Meanwhile, Cain and Evangeline had already arrived before the monster. "Blood Maniption: Essence!" With a sh, Evangeline moved through the air and ced her hands on the gnarly roots. Numerous crimson-colored magic circles burst out from beneath her hands. The material beneath her hands immediately began withering, as though all the blood-like substance within them was being sucked away. The monster began thrashing its roots, branches, and vines all around, trying to hit Evangeline. "Blood Shields." Sanguine-colored energy leaked out of her body to form numerous rotating shields thatpletely blocked all the attacks. Meanwhile, Cain looked a bit shocked at this revtion. ''Blood maniption...'' Cain realized why Evangeline was so adamant about being the one to attack the monster. She had most likely known that the blood of that monster would be beneficial to her in one way or the other. Hence, she decided to go in without any hesitation. She probably didn''t have any qualms with him being there because she would most likely reap more benefits than he could thanks to her {Blood Maniption} skill. Evangeline looked at Cain who was still evading the vines and branches without having done anything. ''Turns out he can''t do anything after all. Maybe I was wrong?'' she thought, a frown making its way into her porcin-like face. Cain on the other hand hadpletely misunderstood her intentions, but even if he knew, he probably wouldn''t care less. To him, gaining more power for himself took priority. Everything else woulde second. If she thought he would just sit back when such a pleasant opportunity appeared before his eyes, she was gravely mistaken. The monster seeing that it couldn''t do anything to stop Evangeline increased the rate at which it was pulling and devouring the carcasses of the dead mutants. Tens of mutant beast carcasses were being turned into hollow shells in seconds. The damage Evangeline was doing to it was quickly offset by this change. Once Cain saw this, he knew it was time for him to make a move... He drew the {Devil''s Broken w} from his inventory and stabbed forward. The eye on the hilt began to emit a deep and sinister darkness. The surrounding area dimmer just as quickly as Cain had stabbed. The thrashing of the monster became even more pronounced as the necrosis of the intertwined roots and vegetation sped up rapidly. Evangeline looked on in shock. She had not expected what had happened at all, so she was a bit thrown off guard. However, the surprise disappeared almost instantaneously, as a look ofpetition shed across her eyes. Her eyes shed ruby red as she increased the amount of mana she poured into her skill. The magic circle expanded even further once she did this. Meanwhile, Cain was extremely shocked as he saw the information pouring into his mind from his status screen. {+1% attack power...} {+0.1 to {Fear}....} {The weight of your weapon, {Devil''s Broken w}, has increased by 10kg}. *** ... His string of information kept repeating itself. To protect himself, he had to activate {Golden Halo} and use his {Golden Armor} spell since his hands were upied. The monster drew in more carcasses until there were no more corpses within its reach. The monster tried its hardest, but thebined efforts of Cain and Evangeline were too much for it to bear. After a while, the monster stopped trashing. All the sap-like ooze on it hadpletely dried up, and the former squiggling roots had be static. Cain pulled his de out from it, only to stagger when he realized that the de was many times heavier than it had been. The roots and branches began to rot very quickly. However, Cain noticed something was up. Usually, when he had sessfully killed something, a prompt would show up indicating his sess. However, this time around, nothing happened. ''Isn''t it dead? What''s going on?'' Cain had a puzzled look on his face. {Replying to host: Negative... As was mentioned earlier, this entity isn''t a creature. Now that I have gathered more information, I know what it is}. ''And that is?'' {Replying to host: It is just a small part of an evenrger organism...} ''What? How is that even possible?'' Cain was a bit confused. {Replying to host: The huge organism it is a part of... is this entire forest}... Chapter 69: Moving forward (4). His eyes widened in shock, ''The entire forest?!'' {Replying to host: Affirmative... The entire forest}. Cain stood there for a while, taking in his surroundings. He had noticed earlier during the first day of Armageddon, that the nt life in their vicinity had begun to drastically mutate. The trees had grown taller, and the shrubs and bushes had grown thicker and more thorny. He knew that it was most likely every single organism on the face of Urbus that had begun to mutate, but he had no idea it would be this drastic. ''How is that even possible? Are you saying that this entire forest is just one really big creature?'' Cain asked, trying to discern whether there was another meaning behind the system''s words. All he got, was another notice of affirmation. He looked around at all the trees surrounding them, they had all grown even taller than they had been on the first day. It was really scary that they were able to grow so much in two days. Cain looked down at the copsed monster, or not,ying on the ground before him. Now that he thought about it, It did look like ayer of dead tissue. The intertwined vines and branches acted as the blood vessels, while the roots and the trunk made up the fleshy parts. Cain observed that Evangeline stood on the same spot, just as silent as he was. The look of shock on her face told him all he needed to know... The others who were on standby came closer to observe the now withered anomaly. Cain quickly recalled his very heavy de into his inventory. Vincent kicked at one of the dried-out branches, causing it to break off violently. "Phew... d that''s over with." He picked one of the branches as though he wanted to study it, but was secretly looking for any treasures that might have dropped when it fell. "What was that thing anyways?" asked David. "That was the forest," Cain said, after thinking it over for a second. He figured that he had nothing to lose if he told them about their current situation. "The forest? What do you mean by that?" Susan asked the question all of them wanted to know the answer to. "I mean exactly what I said. That thing was a part of this forest." "Well duh... Of course It is part of the forest. What else could it be part of." Cain realized he needed to change the phrasing of his words... "The entire forest is alive, and this... monster is just a tiny fraction of the whole thing," said Cain, a grave expression settling on his face. He looked around and noticed dark expressions now filting across their faces. ''Seems like they get it now...'' "Ha... This shit just keeps getting crazier." Vincent let out a heavy sigh... *** Although destruction had been brought upon the departmentplex, there was still a single building standing. It was the gymnasium... The entire ce consisted of 5 main buildings. The main hall, the ssroom building, the gym, the teacher''s lounge, and the scienceb. The only building fortunate enough to survive was the gymnasium. All the other buildings in their departmentplex, including the ssroom block, had been reduced to rubble by the impact of the missile that had attacked them first, and the mad rampage of the agitated mutant beasts. The entireplex was huge, so the courtyard surrounding all these buildings was big enough to hold more than a thousand people at once. Although the forest had infringed into the courtyard space a little, there was still a lot of space. This space was currently covered with the corpses of the mutant beasts they had killed. However, the number of mutant beast corpses were dwindling at a steady pace, as more and more of those grotesque membranes of nts had begun to form all over the area of the forest surrounding the courtyard of theplex. Their thorny vines and branches slithered across the courtyard like snakes, pulling in as many corpses as they could all at once. In the blink of an eye, all that was left in the courtyard was rubble... "Damn... This is creepy," said Manny as they walked quietly through the tunnel towards the only Bud still standing. "Shhhh! Keep it down." David said. They figured that since they didn''t know much about these strange entities, it was best to exercise caution. A few secondster, they had sessfully arrived at the gymnasium. The entire ce was murky and full of dust fromck of use, but there was a certain air of normalcy within it that made it contrast with its surroundings. All the equipments were in a mess. However, despite the dust, and darkness, it still looked more inviting than its surroundings. The gymnasium was also very big, so they had no problems with space. Once they entered, they quickly shut the door right behind them... Since the gymnasium was very huge, Evangeline quickly separated from them. She walked to the end of the room before sitting down in her solitude. "So weird..." "Ahhhh! So exhausted..." Vincent said as he plopped down to the ground with a thud. "So Cain, I need you to exin in detail what you know about those things," asked David. ''Should I tell them everything?'' Cain contemted. On one hand, he knew that every piece of information he knew that they didn''t was an advantage on his part, but at what cost? For all he knew, the information he decided to keep out would prove to be very crucial, and might even cost them a life. Although he wasn''t concerned about the life and death of any of them, they hadn''t served their purpose to him yet, so he was a bit hesitant to see any of them die. ''Besides, I''ll have more to gain if I provide them with all the information I have on me. That way, it will be easier to n how we will leave this ce.'' "From what I know, the forest surrounding this ce hase alive and mutated due to mana. Hide things aren''t living beings, but are simply parts of the living forest. That means killing them won''t even grant any exp. The only problem is, if we approach them, they are going to attack, which means unless we fight, we have no way of leaving this ce." Cain exined all he knew in a single breath... "So what do we do now?" asked ze, a deep frown making its way onto his face. "My weapon possesses a skill that gives me a clear advantage over these things," Cain said. Although that was true, he intentionally left out the fact that the more of those things he killed, the stronger he became. For every one of those things he killed, he gained about a 10% increase in the effectiveness of {Fear} and a 100% increase in the de''s attack power. "That''s true... Guess we have no other choice then..." David said, his voice dropping lower with every syble, as though he was contemting something. ''This is a very good opportunity, not only to gain extra power but to gain a firm grasp over this group. Evangeline is a no-go, so their only option right now is me.'' Cainr realized that taking control of the group required more than just brawn. He also needed to show his intelligence and leadership ability. This was the perfect scenario he needed to show all this. This was the main reason he had joined the group in the first ce... He needed strong people who trusted him 100%. It wasn''t going to be easy tho... David continued, "Cain, we need your help to get through that forest safely. Although one of them might not be much of an issue, this forest is big enough for there to be hundreds of those things. We will also have to worry about the mutant beast within the forest, as well as the possibility of encountering more of those devils..." "I agree..." Without even hesitating, Cain agreed. "Are you sure? This is a lot of responsibility." David said with a concerned look. If Cain decided to do this, it meant he was going to leaf all of them through the forest. This also meant he bore responsibility for their safety. "You don''t have to do this. We can find another way to" Susan said, a hint of concern appearing on her face. Cain looked at her with a soft gaze, before he responded with a smile. As he stared at her, Can deny that he had a bit of a soft spot for this former ss monitor of his. "You all do not need to worry about all that. But thanks.." Cain responded. Feeling the heat of his stare caused a faint blush to appear on her cheeks. "Damn... They flirting right in front of us..." Vincent said, a wide grin on his face. "Get a room!" Steve added with a snort. Cain cleared his throat before he continued, "I''m sure that I am capable enough to get us all out of here safely. However, I''ll need some time to n everything out... Give me a day." Cain said. "I don''t think I can entrust my life into your hands..." Hunter suddenly interrupted. Hunter knew exactly what Cain was up to. So, he was determined to make sure his n didn''t seed. However, this time, Cain had expected this bit of resistance. So he knew exactly how to put it down... "Then you do it..." Cain said, a smirk forming on his face. Before Hunter could get a word in, he continued, "If you think you can get us all safely away from here, by all means, do it." Cain locked his gaze onto Hunter. They directed their burning gazes at one another, but Hunter was the first to give in this time. "Whatever..." Hunter let out a snort before he stood up from where he was seated. He was followed by Dan as he walked away from the rest of them. "Damn... He got you, good bro." Dan said, his eyes widened in shock. "Shut up..." Hunter said in his signature dead voice. However, he was unable to hide the undeniable crease of anger in his brows. Dan noticed it but decided to just keep it to himself... Meanwhile, Cain had a serious expression, his eyes scanning everyone seated around him, "I will need everyone''s total cooperation if we all want to get out of here alive..." Chapter 70: Moving Forward (5). Compared to the outside, the gymnasium was the safest and sanest ce they could find. There was also a lot of space within, so Cain was able to get his much-needed privacy. While the interior of the gymnasium was fairly okay, that didn''t mean it was at 100 percent. Some parts of the roof had caved in, and there was debris all over the ce with all the equipment and furniture scattered over the ce, butpared to the pile of rubble outside, it was paradise. Since they all had a day before they headed into the forest to search for a way to get to the main campus, they decided they would all do their own thing while waiting for Cain to make his preparations. David and ze searched for survivors since there was a possibility of someone hiding out in one of the storage closets within the building to preserve their lives. They had no intentions of leaving anyone behind if they could save them. The rest of them, which included Manny, Steve, and Vincent separated to do their own thing... "What do you think of him?" As they searched, Balze suddenly asked David. "Hm? Who are you talking about?" David raised his brows quizzically. "Cain... What do you think of him?" ze asked again. ze and David were somewhat simr in character. They made the extra effort to do good and be considerate of others, but not at the expense of their own lives. While ze was more hotheaded, they both had rtively good heartspared to the others in the group. So, it was only natural that they got along fairly well. "Well, I''ve known him even before the start of all this madness. He''s a good person." "A good person?! Although he''s not as bad as that bastard Hunter, he most definitely isn''t a good person." The mes burning within ze''s eyes spoke more than a thousand words. If David had any words to exin what he saw within his eyes, they would be righteous indignation... A false sense of holier than thou... "I know you can see it as well. They are both the same. They are looking for ways to control us! What you just did I giving that bastard the ticket he needs. As soon as he realizes that, he''ll hold it over our heads, making us dance to his will!" ze said, his voice filled with malice and anger. ''Ha... He''s still unable to see it clearly.'' David looked at ze, aplicated look in his eyes. "So what do you want to do? We need his help if we want to get in touch with the rest of the world. You said it yourself that your mes are not strong enough to burn those things down." David pointed out. "Did I? Who knows..." ze said, a sly dark look shing in his eyes. ''Hmmm?'' David''s eyes narrowed a bit, but he decided not to press any further. "ze, promise me you won''t do something that would jeopardize and put all our lives in danger!" ze didn''t say anything but nodded his head to indicate he got the memo. ''These kids... I just hope they won''t go overboard. All our lives are at risk here. '' Davidmented. If David had a choice, he would rather take matters into his own hands personally, but he knew Cain and understood his character and what he was capable of. "Ha... Alright." David sighed before going back to searching. *** Cain separated himself from the group, sitting in a secluded dark corner of the gymnasium. The first thing he did was to pull out the {Devil''s Broken w} to inspect its changes. {Devil''s Broken w} increased proportionally to the number of enemies he yed. {Devil''s Broken w}: (epic) Strength: 30.Attack power: +20% Agility: 20. Control: 0.2. Defense: -5. Skills: Fear, Bloodthirsty. {Fear} (passive): Release a malevolent aura akin to a devil, inflicting fear onto your opponent. Decreases opponent movement and attack speed by 7%. {Bloodthirsty} (passive): Consume the blood and flesh of fallen enemies to increase the power of the Devil''s broken w. For every 100 enemies in and absorbed, attack power increases by 1%, but weight increases by 10kg. Effectiveness of {Fear} also increases by 0.1%. Cain saw that a new value had popped up on the stats of the de. ''System, what is this?'' Cain asked, referring to the attack power stat that had mysteriously appeared. {Replying to host: This is called a hidden stat. Much like how you gain stats when you experience a very drastic increase in a certain unknown stat, you automatically gain a way to measure that stat, which happens the same way for weapons. Because the weapon received such a huge boost at once, it was able to figure out how to calcte the attack power stat}. ''I see... But damn is this thing heavy!'' The de''s weight had increased by a total of 200kg. The de weighed about 200kg previously, so an extra 200kg added made it twice its previous weight. The strongest man on Urbus would have been barely able to lift 500kg, but his de weighed almost the same thing. To Cain, the weight wasn''t the main issue, but rather swinging 400kg in a battle was going to be very tasking. Name: {Cain Lenosi} Level: 24. Strength: 205. Agility: 266. Stamina: 15/112. Vitality: 50. Defense: 61. Control: 4.8. Perception: 4.7. HP: 1,950/4,900. MP: 2,090/3,500. Magic: 250. Ki: 3. Resistance: Poison- 10%. Spirit: 2 Skills: Golden blood, Mana de, Lightening Edge, de Mastery Lvl. 2, Burst Step, Metal Creation Lvl.2, Golden Severance, Metal Maniption, *Fear, *Bloodthirsty, Blood Ingestion Regeneration, Azure Burst, Mana Heart, Seal, Hollow Judgement, Devil eyes: Eye of irvoyance. Titles: Champion of Ashur (locked), Sorcerer''s Mind. Free attribute points: 27. System points: 510. {Inventory}. {Shop}. His strength stat was at 205 points, which meant the maximum weight he could bare without any stress or strain at the moment was 205kg. This meant that he was barely able to lift the de, not to talk of swinging it around in a fight. As for his agility, his maximum speed would be about 133mps. This meant that he was faster than most normal animals would have been before the apocalypse. ''So this means I am not even strong enough to swing my weapon?'' {Replying to host: Affirmative...} Cain: "..." ''Thank''s for rubbing it in.'' Cain felt the need to roll his eyes, but stopped himself and continued with his preparations. ''That just means I need to increase my strength. And what better way to do it than with runes.'' {Mark of Hermes}: +10 to agility stat. {Mark of Bestial Strength}: +10 to agility stat. {Bulwark of Protection}: +10 to Defense stat. {Rune of Sharpening}: Increases attack power by 2%. Cain decided it was finally time for a drastic upgrade. He had 3 of each type of rune in his possession, so using them would bring him a huge increase in strength. However, this increase in power came at a cost. The cost is unbearable pain... Pain worse than the pain he had to endure every time he activated {Golden Blood}. But it wasn''t something he couldn''t bear with when he thought of all the benefits he could gain from them ''This is gonna hurt a lot...'' Cain retrieved the first three runes, which were all {Mark of Bestial Strength} runes. These runes increased his strength by 10 points, and as mentioned by the system, they were to be applied either onto the arms or shoulders. The runes resembled tattoos glowing with faint red light. It had a circle engraved with weird bold symbols, enclosed in a rhombus. ''Here goes nothing...'' Although he had done it previously, he still wasn''t used to the pain. The forced himself to endure the pain by violently gritting his teeth. As soon as he had applied one, he picked the next one and repeated the same grueling process. Once he was done with applying all the runes he could apply to his body, he opened his status screen; Strength: 235. Agility: 296. Defense: 91. "It still isn''t enough..." The weight of the de was still over the supposed limit the system gave him. He retrieved the de from his inventory. The inky dark de had be an even darker shade of ck. The eye attached to its hilt had be even more vivid and intimidating. Even though it had gone through a drastic increase in weight, it still maintained its slim and sharp exterior. One would even argue that it looked sharper than before. The de had the same length and shape as a nodachi, which was a traditionally made sword made during the waring ages of an ancient civilization that existed before the war that had taken ce a thousand years ago. These des were still existing today because although the old world had disappeared, the interest of the people of the present in the old ways hadn''t. Various lost knowledge had been recovered over time, which included a ton of information on the types of civilization that existed during that time. The curvature of the {Devil''s Broken w} also made it very suitable for cutting. However, its tip was jagged indicating that it was a broken weapon. ''That''s probably the reason for its name.'' Cain swiftly concluded. As soon as he ced it in his hands, he could feel the immense weight. "Damn it!" Cain let it fall vertically, to which it embedded itself into the ground. The de cut straight through the floor of the gymnasium like a hot knife going through butter. "Shit!" Cain cursed as he started at the dillema he had caused for himself. Chapter 71: Moving forward (6). Because the de had embedded itself into the ground, it was going to be many times harder for him to pick it up. Not only was it very heavy, but it was also now stuck inside the ground. ''A sword in a stone... how ironic.'' Cain inwardly felt the urge to kick at the wall behind him, but he controlled his emotions. ''Ha...'' He took a deep breath, before looking around. Luckily for him, he hadn''t made a ruckus, so he didn''t attract any attention. Once he noticed that no one was looking, he made his move... Only about half of the de''s length had disappeared into the ground, so there was still enough of the de''s length jutting out for him tofortably grasp onto. He took his left leg back by two steps, keeping his right forward, close to the ce the de had embedded itself. He then shifted all his weight onto his right foot and grabbed onto the hilt, tugging on it with all his might... His muscles pulled taut as he pulled and pulled... Veins burst from his forehead and arms, squiggling around like worms under the huge amount of tension he was putting them through. He let out a silent grunt, careful not to let his voice be heard. ''Damn! So heavy!'' Cain cursed as he pulled with all his strength. Slowly, the de inched farther and farther away from the ground. Beads of sweat rolled down his face as he tried his best to drag the sword out. At this moment, it could be said that his body was under immense strain and pressure... After close to a minute of struggle, suddenly, he received a notification from the system... {+1 point to Ki}. He paused what he was doing for a while, before eximing in surprise. He released his grip, allowing the de to go back to its original position. However, he wasn''t even concerned about losing all his progress... "How could I forget?! I can use this as a means of training and acquiring ki!" With that thought in mind, Cain didn''t even care about the stress and pain in his muscles. He pulled once again... The de was being slowly dragged out of the ground, which meant he was making progress, but Cain noticed he was losing stamina just as rapidly... ''If I activate {Golden Blood} I will be able to do this very quickly. However, I won''t be able to gain more ki. I will also lose my stamina even more rapidly, which will just lead me back to square one.'' Cain contemted as he kept on pulling. With the rate at which he was pulling, he would be out of stamina before he was able to pull the sword from the ground. Hence, he stopped... The moment he let go, the de quickly sunk back into the ground, this time, deeper than it had gone before. ''Shit!'' Cain frowned when he saw this... He quickly sat back on the ground while thinking of a way to solve this problem. ''It would be way too embarrassing if someone found out that I dropped my sword and can''t get it out of the ground. I need to think of a way to either increase my strength or increase my stamina regeneration.'' Suddenly, Cain''s mind went back to his skills... ''Maybe I can use {Blood Ingestion Regeneration}?'' The instant the thought went through his mind, he acted upon it. {Blood Ingestion Regeneration} (passive): Grants the ability to safely ingest the blood of mutant beasts without any adverse effects. Consuming the blood and flesh of mutant beasts grants passive Stamina, Vitality, and Mana regeneration. For every 0.1 liters of blood, or 100 grams of flesh consumed, 100HP, 50MP, and 1 stamina point are regenerated. He quickly brought all his canteens full of the mutant beast''s blood, as well as the mutant beast''s flesh he had gathered out of his inventory. He took one look at the raw mutant beast flesh, before putting it back into his inventory. ''No way in hell am I eating raw meat. The blood is one thing, but I am not that much of a savage...'' Although the skill mentioned that both the flesh and blood of the mutant beasts were safe to eat, Cain just couldn''t bring himself to eat raw flesh. The smell of the blood and flesh of the mutant beast was very appealing, which was why against his rationale, he had decided to have a taste of the mutant beast''s blood the first time. This had resulted in his severe stomach pains, but that didn''t change the fact that the blood tasted very delicious. This was why he had no qualms about drinking the blood. However, there was a certain line he didn''t want to cross, and that was cooking his meat before eating it. There were several things he couldn''t let be profaned, and one of those things was food... He couldn''t cook the beast''s blood, which was why he decided to just keep drinking it like that since he could. But if he had the option of cooking his meals before eating them as opposed to the other choice, he would rather choose the former rather than thetter... He ced all the canteens of blood out in front of him, before unscrewing all of them open... Almost instantly, the sweet enticing aroma of the blood escaped from their containers. He had found out that different from regr blood, beast blood could be stored normally for a longer period than the normal animal blood that had not been purified by mana and still retains its quality without having any problems. Cain inhaled deeply, ''Using {Blood Ingestion Regeneration} the normal way isn''t going to cut it... I need to upgrade the skill}. ''Mana shards...'' Cain came to a decision swiftly... He quickly retrieved all the {Blood Elemental} mana shards he had within his inventory. He had about 30 of these mana shards, 20 he had gotten the previous night, and the remaining 10 he had managed to gather on the day of the apocalypse and the day after... He didn''t know what to expect, but it was anything like when he used the metal attribute mana shards, he was bound to see some results. He took one of them into his palm and applied the necessary force... BANG! The gem shattered on impact, and a message from the system instantly revealed itself. {Your control over blood elemental energy has increased...} Once he saw this, he instinctively felt he was going in the right direction... *** In the blink of an eye, Cain realized that he had used up all but one of the blood attribute mana shards in his possession. And the results he had to show? Nothing... Nothing to show. He hadn''t received any system notifications, nor could he sense any difference within his body. Cain stared at thest mana shard in his palm with total focus. Within his mind, he kept recalling the numerous ways the system had told him by which he could create skills. ''In this case, I don''t want to create a skill. Rather, I want to modify a preexisting skill that is not an internal skill into a higher form...'' There were generally two types of skills. Internal, and external skills. Internal skills could be upgraded to the next level, hence possessing a lot of potential. However, external skills didn''t have this ability. Hence they were at the height of their potential as soon as they were acquired. His {Blood Ingestion Regeneration} skill was one of his external active skills. ording to the system, it was impossible to upgrade an external skill. However, he thought otherwise. ''Skill creation is not as rigid as this system makes it out to be. I have created new skills out of preexisting skills more than once, so it definitely shouldn''t be just as the system says it is. There must be some sort of hidden loophole...'' Cain pondered hard, his gaze never leaving the mana shard in his hands... Suddenly, it hit him like a bullet train... ''What if I''m the one who''s got it all wrong?'' Cain thought back to all the skills he had acquired. {Burst Step} was created because he had figured out that mana could be controlled. {Lightening Edge} and {Mana de} was created because he had figured out that mana could be manipted. {Metal Creation} and {Metal Maniption} was created because he realized that skills could be stolen, {Azure Burst} and {Mana Heart} was created because he realized just how mysterious and powerful this foreign source of energy is, while {Seal} was created because he realized just how much of an effect exerting control over mana could have. During this moment of enlightenment, he gathered the pieces of the puzzle. The picture before him instantly became many times clearer. ''The energy stored within the mana shards as well as in the environment as ki, mana, elemental mana, or even god ash, only act as the catalyst to create a skill. The real driving force behind the creation of a skill... is me.'' His eyes became filled with rity at once... He stretched his hand out and concentrated. ''To acquire a skill that I need, I need to create it by myself!'' Chapter 72: Skill Upgrading Cain was able to create a special form for the creation of skills... He realized that relying solely on the system wasn''t a very wise decision. That was because the system would never provide you with an answer to a question you didn''t ask. What this meant, was that while you might think you''ve got it all right because you asked the system, there would be many pieces of the puzzle you would miss because you either didn''t ask the right questions or didn''t ask enough of the right questions. All these factors could lead to iplete information that could severely hinder growth. Luckily for Cain, he was very observant, and he was able to notice all these things. If not, he would just roll with the information provided to him by the system without question. ''And the freaking thing charges so high as well! Fraudulent system...'' If there was anything Cain was upset about, it was the way the system took his hard-earned system points just to answer a few questions... {Replying to host: "..." } Cain pushed all the inconsequential thoughts away from his head and began to focus... Just like when he had created {Burst Step}, he began controlling his mana outward. This time, he had to exert greater control over his mana, as what he wanted to do required him to be as gentle and delicate as possible. In the case of {Burst Step}, he released his mana extremely violently from the soles of his feet to create propulsion. However, in the case of {Mana de}, the control of his mana had to be delicate enough before he was able to pull the skill off... He let his mana slowly leak out of his body. The wisps of mana slowly spread out from his fingertips to form threads of finely interwoven mana. Cain didn''t know this, but the only reason he was able to control mana this freely without suffering any huge bacsh, was because of his incredibly strong soul. As his mana spread out from his body towards the canteens full of incredibly mana-saturated beast blood. However, he realized after a while that he was wasting his time... He could feel the mana leaving his body, but he didn''t know where it was going afterward. Unlike the case of {Mana de}, he couldn''te into direct physical contact constantly with the blood in the containers. If he continued the way he was, it would be like trying to walk around blind... ''What do I do now? To be able to control the mana, I need to see what I''m doing.'' Cain realized this quickly enough. However, because of {Mana Heart}, he didn''t need to worry about Mana consumption. "If only I had a skill that would enable me to" As though he had seen the light, it clicked inside his head instantly... ''It seems as thoughdy luck has decided to grace me with her presence today.'' Cain suddenly began giggling softly. He instantly remember a skill he seemed to have forgotten all about. A skill he had acquired from the now deceased {Devil-eyed White Primate}. ... {Devil eyes: Eye of irvoyance}: Gain crystal clear information on everything that happens all around you in a 100-meter radius when the skill is activated. Nothing can escape your sight within this range. Cost: 30MP and 1 Stamina point per second. He currently had 112 points in stamina, so he would be able tost long enough. If the skill was anything like he thought it was, a quarter of his problems would be solved that instant. Alright... Here goes nothing.'' "Devil eyes: Eye of irvoyance," Cain whispered the name of the skill to initiate its activation. His left eye suddenly lost all the color within it... Just like that of the {Devil-eyed White Primate}, the whites of his eyes expanded to cover the entirety of his eyeballs, a strange white piercing light enveloping it. Although faint, there were numerous extremely fine runes now engraved onto the surface of his eyes as well. It was as though a pale-colored me had invited his eyes. However, this was far from what was happening, because, to Cain, he had never been able to see as clearly as he was doing just now. All his life, he never thought that the world he saw could be so... beautiful. He was able to see a nket of colors. These colors created a beautiful ever flowing current of mana that didn''t even impede his vision. He was able to see his surroundings with even more rity than before. He could see everything that was going on inside the gymnasium with utmost rity. He could see so many colors, but the most predominant one in his field of vision was red. And that red was radiating from the opened canteens of mana-concentrated mutant beast blood. The sensory overload was so much, Cain was forced to deactivate it for a while. "It certainly works..." Cain celebrated in his mind. Taking a deep breath, he steadied his breath once again. With the skill activated, he was able to see the turquoise-colored pure mana wisps pour out from his fingertips into his surroundings. They spread out for a while before they began to weave themselves into numerous thin threads of mana. Cain had no idea why that happened, but he decided to just go with the flow. He mentallymanded the threads of mana to go toward the canteens, which they dutifully obeyed. This is where things became harder... Controlling mana required not only willpower and determination but a certain stat called {Magic}... His magic stat determined how much control he had over his mana. Thanks to his high magic stats as well as the effects of {Mana Heart} and his {Sorcerer''s Mind} title, the quantity, and quality of his mana, as well as the control he had over it was incredible for his level... {Sorcerer''s Mind}: Your understanding of mana and magic has reached a new level of enlightenment. +20 points to magic and +1 to magic stat every level up. The creation and learning of spells will be 100% more efficient. +3% to all resistances... {Mana Heart (passive): Mana pool increases by 2¡Á. Mana is regenerated at 5MP per second. The Cooldown of all skills is reduced by 50%. For every level, +1 extra point to Magic stat. Grants host the ability to absorb and transform pure forms of mana}. However, it was still incredibly tasking for him to project his mana away from his body. His first attempt failed... He would lose his control over the threads of mana, which would cause them to unravel as soon as they reach a certain distance away from him. His second attempt was a bust as well... By the third attempt, he was finally able to get his mana whole feet away from his body and still keep his control over the threads of mana. His stamina was running out, but he was making steady progress... {+10 to Magic stat} {+1 to Control stat} ''Hm?'' Cain was shocked when he noticed the system prompt that came up within his field of vision. ''Is this another way of gaining stats?'' Cain wondered. {Replying to host: Stats can be gained through various ways to gain more stats, and as the host can see, this is one of them... By exercising the control you have over your mana, your magic, and control stats can be increased}. ''I see...'' By the fourth attempt, he was able to bring his mana to the canteens which he ced about three feet away from himself... {+5 to Magic stat}. {+1 to Control stat}. Beads of sweat constantly rolled down his forehead and temple nonstop. He retrieved a few mana potions from his inventory before gulping them down. The recovery granted to him by {Mana Heart} was unable to make up for the rate at which he was expending his mana. Hence he had to make up for it with the asional use of MP regen potions. On his fifth attempt, he began seeing significant results... He noticed that he was able to control his mana more. It was like the threads that extended out of his body had be an extension of his being, not something foreign... He was able to get his mana threads to make contact with the red particles floating out from the canteens before he lost control... On the sixth attempt, he was able to take it a whole step further. He was able to use his mana threads to manipte the red wisps of energy, the blood attribute mana. At first, the blood attribute mana didn''t pay his threads of mana any attention. They simply floated about aimlessly. ''What am I going to do now?'' Cain wondered as he stared at the ethereal scene ying out before him with the aid of his {Eye of irvoyance}. He controlled the threads, causing them to dance across his fingers like the strings of a zither. {+ 10 to Spirit stat}. His entire mind was suddenly hit with a hint of rity. He was able to see the vibrant colors floating all around him much more clearly. His control over the mana in his grasp increased as well. The tiny wisps of blood elemental mana began to gather around his threads of mana. They gathered so densely that they formed anotheryer covering the threads. Cain took a deep breath as he realized that controlling the threads of mana had suddenly be many times more difficult. However, over time, he could feel his consciousness getting used to the strain. His mind was constantly adapting to the external pressure and was forced to find a way to deal with it. {+10 to Spirit stat}. He gathered up all his mental ability, and with one final tug, he dragged the now-heavy chain thread of mana back into his body. {Congrattions to the host... Your understanding of mana and the elements has greatly increased...} {+30 to Magic stat} {+5 to Control stat}. {+30 to spirit stat}. {+1 to Ki stat}. {Your skill, {Blood Ingestion Regeneration} has gone through great changes, and has evolved into the external passive skill, {Blood Regeneration}...} {Blood Regeneration}(passive): Gather the energy of blood elemental mana to regenerate your lost power. Regenerates 10HP, 2MP, and 1 point of Stamina per second. Requirements: Basic control over blood elemental mana. 50 stat points in Spirit stat. *** Cain stared at the message disyed across his vision a bit dumbfounded. Excitement bubbled in his chest as he suddenly pumped his fist... "Sess!" Chapter 73: Whispers of a Devil. Cain stared at the status screen with utmost concentration... *** Name: {Cain Lenosi} Level: 24. Strength: 235. Agility: 296. Stamina: 15/112. Vitality: 50. Defense: 91. Control: 5.5. Perception: 4.7. HP: 1,950/4,900. MP: 2,090/3,500. Magic: 295. Ki: 6. Resistance: Poison- 10%. Spirit: 52. Skills: Golden blood, Mana de, Lightening Edge, de Mastery Lvl. 2, Burst Step, Metal Creation Lvl.2, Golden Severance, Metal Maniption, *Fear, *Bloodthirsty, Blood Regeneration, Azure Burst, Mana Heart, Seal, Hollow Judgement, Devil''s eyes: Eye of irvoyance. Titles: Champion of Ashur (locked), Sorcerer''s Mind. Free attribute points: 27. System points: 10. {Inventory}. {Shop}. {Golden blood level.1}: Upon activation, multiply all physical stats by 2. Consumes 100 MP, and costs 1 point of stamina per second to maintain. Puts the body of the user under great strain. (7,560/10,000 SP). This is an internal skill, hence, it can be upgraded. {Mana de}: Coat the surface of your de with destructive mana to deal an extra 200% damage when attacking. It Consumes 5MP per second to sustain. Note:This is an external active skill, and cannot be upgraded. {Lightening Edge: Increase attack speed by 100%. Critical rate increases by 5% when the skill is used. Cost 100MP to activate. Cooldown: 30 seconds. {de Mastery lvl. 2.} (passive): Increases attack power and speed with ded weapons by 30%. Increases critical chance and rate by 5%. (8,000/9,000SP). {Burst Step}: Expell mana from beneath the feet, creating propulsion that allows the host to change trajectory abruptly when in motion. Increases movement speed by 30%. Costs 5MP per activation. No cooldown.} {Metal Creation Lvl 2.}: Gather the Metal elemental attribute mana to create constructs of metal. The effects of the skill are influenced by the host''s magic and control stats, as well as imagination (5,000/10,000SP). {Golden Severance}: Condense an immense amount of metal attribute elemental mana into a concentrated beam of world light, capable of splitting anything ites in contact with only for a single attack, and increases attack power by 500%. The attack consumes 500MP upon usage. Cooldown: 2.5 minutes. {Metal Maniption}: Grants the ability to freely control metal of weight that does not exceed 1 ton. Skill is leveled up simultaneously with the {Metal Creation} skill. {Fear} (passive): Release a malevolent aura akin to a devil, inflicting fear onto your opponent. Decreases opponent movement and attack speed by 5%. {Bloodthirsty} (passive): Consume the blood and flesh of fallen enemies to increase the power of the Devil''s broken w. For every 100 enemies in and absorbed, attack speed and attack power increase by 1%. {Blood Regeneration}(passive): Gather the arcane energy of blood elemental mana to regenerate your lost power. Regenerates 10HP, 2MP, and 1 point of Stamina per second. Requirements: Basic control over blood elemental mana. 50 stat points in Spirit stat. {Azure Burst}: Rapidly burn out internal mana in a single burst to produce enough heat and energy to burn the surrounding mana. These mes greatly increase the attack and movement speed of the host by 300%. Attack damage increases by 50%. Critical rate and damage increased by 10%. Costs 500MP to activate, and the skill onlysts for 10 seconds. Cooldown: 5 minutes. {Mana Heart lvl 1 (passive): Mana pool increases by 2¡Á. Mana is regenerated at 5MP per second. The Cooldown of all skills was reduced by 50%. For every level, +1 extra point to Magic stat. Grants host the ability to absorb and transform pure forms of mana}. (0/10,000SP) {Seal}: Forcibly freeze the flow of mana in the spiritual ne. This skill doesn''t distinguish between friend and foe, and any skill or spell, apart from ones activated by the host, will be nullified. Skills or spells already active will be deactivated as well. This skill will only work on skills that are not aboveTier 1. Cost: 300MP per activation Cooldown: 30 minutes. {Hollow Judgement}: Thebination of powerful skills summoned the elements to create a devastating attack powerful enough to split mountains and oceans without distinguishing between friend or foe. The power of the skill is determined by the density of mana present in the area. This skill is highly unstable, and can only be activated with sufficient magic and control stats. Cost: 1000MP per activation. Cooldown: 12 hours. {Devil eyes: Eye of irvoyance}: Gain crystal clear information on everything that happens all around you in a 100-meter radius when the skill is activated. Nothing can escape your sight within this range. (500/10,000SP). Cost: 30MP and 1 Stamina point per second. When his eyes reached the end of the holographic image disyed before him, his face squeezed at the sigh of how many systempointsnt he had left. ''Only ten?! I had thousands this morning! How did it get to ten?!'' {Replying to the host: Since the host suggested that he would prefer the system provide him with all information he requests without checking for the price in the store, the system made sure to obey this request to the fullest...} ''Shit! This is fraudulent!'' {Replying to host: Negative... The only reason the host lost such arge amount of system points is that all the questions the host has asked are very useful and rare pieces of information, some of thempletely unknown and uncovered on the host''s home... Hence, the rarity of these pieces of information was what made their prices so high, which led to you losing system points rapidly...} ''That is true...'' Since Cain already knew all of this about the system, he had no right toin. He knew exactly what he was getting to when he gave the system thatmand. What he didn''t expect, was how easy it was for him to use up all his system points. ''Regardless... I still benefited greatly.'' Cain consoled himself as he looked through his status screen to analyze his progress. He had nced over his status screen a few times, but he hadn''t gone over his stat gains over the past twenty-four hours. Now that he had the time, he decided to see just how much progress he had made... ''My stats have improved significantly... Not only that, but I have gained new skills, as well as level up my old ones.'' He had already acquired 5 internal skills, so he couldn''t get any more until he reached level 50, and passed the system-issued quest to be promoted from Tier 0 to Tier 1. ''Metal Creation, Mana Heart, Golden Blood, de Mastery, and Devil''s eyes: Eye of irvoyance. These are the Internal skills I have...'' Cain pondered over these things for a while before remembering what he was supposed to be doing... ''Now, I have everything I need. I will use {Blood Regeneration} to recover my lost stamina. I can also gain more and more Ki without the aid of a ki plundering technique. It''s like killing two birds with one stone.'' Cain stood up from the ground again and approached the de buried in the ground. Now that he had all he needed, he saw no reason to hold on any longer. He was quite eager to test the results of his new skill. He quickly deactivated {Devil eyes: Eye of irvoyance} to stop himself from losing more stamina, and quietly waited for his stamina to regenerate back to full. Because the de was so heavy, he lost about 1 stamina point per second, which {Blood Regeneration} was barely able to offset. So he couldn''t use any of his other skills if he wanted to do this. Sure, by activating {Golden Blood}, he would be able to pull the de out without any resistance, but he didn''t want to do that, now that he knew what the rewards of his struggle would be. ''Here goes nothing...'' Once his stamina had regenerated back to full, he paced his hands on the hilt of the de once again... Then he pulled... He pulled with all his strength and power. With his level of control, he was able to maximize his strength output. He even one of the martial arts techniques he had learned from his teacher to better increase his power output, whilst distributing all the force and strain throughout his body equally. He had been told by his master that the technique was very basic, as almost every person with martial arts training had some degree of proficiency in it. However, Cain didn''t know that his mastery of the skill had gone above what normal people could achieve... Before he had gained his powers thanks to mana, he was able to exercise a decent amount of control over his body. Although he was no master, it was still above the beginner''s level. The control statpletely changed that dynamic... He was nowhere close to mastering the skill, but his proficiency in it had gone up by at least fifty percent. ''Come on!'' Cain grits his teeth as he made use of all the strength he could call upon. {+1 to Ki stat}. "Martial arts seeks to break all limits possible on the human body. By breaking these limitations, one bes one with the very purest form of power itself, capable of unleashing the powers of the demon within..." " Martial arts seeks to break all limits possible on the human body. By breaking these limitations, one bes one with the very purest form of power itself, capable of unleashing the powers of the demon within..." His master had once told him that behind all his limits, was a terrifying demon waiting to be released from its shackles. Subconsciously, he had created these chains to lock the demon down, as he knew that unleashing this demon would have dire consequences. In his earlier years, he had tried his best to be epted, but there was no ce in society for someone like him. And yet, he still tried his very best to be epted... When he saw that it would be impossible to make them ept him, he shut his true self away... Images of his past resurfaced as he pulled on the coarse hilt of his de. This situation was all too familiar to him. That feeling of weakness that he thought he had escaped from hade back for him. When he had been saved by his master, he thought that was the end, but he had simply just locked all these emotions away. He knew what it was like to be weak, and he hated that feeling. But right here, right now, that feeling he had been running away from all his life hade back for him again. ''You aren''t strong enough...'' '' You aren''t strong enough...'' ''Weak!'' Weak!'' ''Don''t you dare fight back! Know your ce as the bastard you are. Hahaha!'' Those voices came back like the tauntings of the devil, eating at his psyche. Cain had no idea why these thoughts had decided toe back at a time like this, but he could feel himself slipping... Chapter 74: Dragons Gate Ki plundering technique. ''W-what is this?!'' Cain struggled to keep holding onto the hilt of the de. ''If I fall here, all this would be for naught!'' The voices from the past were like devils trying to drag his soul back to hell. He had tried so hard to leave his past behind, but it was alling back to him. ''I won''t let that happen!'' Suddenly, he could hear a faint roaring from the depths of his soul. Within his eyes, the image of a gigantic golden dragon swam through the dark murky oceans of doubt, uncertainty, and fear. Dark chains created from the waters of the murky ocean were wrapped around the golden dragon, keeping it from soaring into the skies... But the eyes of the golden dragon were lit with an unquenchable me. With a roar, it unceasingly struggled to break free from its shackles. ''ROAR!'' Cain felt the urge to let it all out, so he did... Although the golden dragon was bound by those chains, it began to fly away. The chains pulled taut, trying to keep it down, but this time, it proved to be futile. BANG! All the chains snapped like flimsy threads... Cain suddenly heard a shrill shriek from the depths of his mind. He could feel a foreign entity that he had been unaware of leaving his mind. Cain felt his heart speed up a little, but he decided to leave it until he had dealt with the issue at hand. Cain pulled on the de with all his might. The de was gradually pulled away from the ground. {+1 to Ki stat}. Unknown to him, his entire body had begun to shine with a soft golden light that had a slight hue of crimson at its edges. Looking at him, one would think he had be a me. Finally, he was able to dislodge the de and lift it a few inches from the ground. He quickly ced the de back into his inventory. Having been freed from his burden, he copsed heavily unto the ground with a thud. "Ha... ha... ha..." He let out deep and long breaths as his sweat created a pool beneath his back. ''I did it.'' {Congrattions to the host... You have acquired a mysterious Ki plundering technique... Dragon''s Gate}. {+20 to Ki stat} {+50,000 system points}. {Dragon''s Gate Ki plundering technique}: Rank: Celestial Tier: 0. (29/10,000) Ki points to the next Tier. Description: An ancient magic has been discovered by the system within your soul, and has been forced out into the light. Use this mystic power to devour the essence of heaven and earth, and turn it into world-destroying fleshy might. When in use, 20 Ki points are plundered per hour. Requirements: Can only be used when the host is not in battle mode. 200+ points in Magic, Strength, and Agility stats. Costs: Consumes 10MP and 1 stamina point per minute. *** Cain looked at the ability he had just attained with weary eyes. Despite his gains, his heart was still heavy. ''System, what was that just now?'' Although Cain knew he had yet topletely deal with the devils he had left behind in the past, he was sure he had hidden them deep within his heart, so deep, that he was sure they wouldn''te out unless they had been triggered by something to do so. {Replying to host: The host was the victim of a devil attack}. ''Devil?!'' {Replying to host: Yes... Devil. A soul devil to be precise. Soul devils or phantasma are unique types of devils that can only be created by a brood mother. The specialty of these devil''s, are spiritual, or mental attacks}. ''So are you saying that this devil attempted to invade my mind?'' {Replying to host: Affirmative... And it almost seeded. As your spirit stat isn''t very high, it was almost sessful in taking control of your mind. Its ability is simr to that of the {Miasma Devil} you fought earlier, only the {Miasma Devil} makes use of a toxin to destroy the nervous system and brain of its target, Turing them into a flesh-eating ghoul that only acts in instinct. The {Phantasma} makes use of Spirit attacks to infiltrate the soul of its target, taking control of their minds from within, without causing much physical damage...} {Fortunately for the host, despite your weakness, your soul seems to be incredibly strong. So strong in fact, that the devil ended up harming itself in the process of trying to take over your soul}. ''It sure does have a lot of nerves to do that!'' Cain was extremely pissed at this point. He had been forced to recall certain things he didn''t want to remember, and that had ruined his moodpletely. ''So where is it now?'' Cain''s vision waspletely covered in red from the rage that seethed within him. He truly wanted to kill that devil instantly. {Replying to host: Unfortunately, it escaped... {Phantasma''s} have very strong souls, and although you did do it some damage, it was still able to survive and escape}. ''Damn it!'' Cain cursed. {Replying to host: However, since it was unsessful in its attack, it made its escape rather sloppily. Should the host be within its vicinity, the system will be able to pinpoint its location and provide it to the host for a fee in system points}. ''Sure...'' Cain wasn''t even in the mood to berate the system''s greediness. He was ready to pay as much as was required to destroy whoever thought it was a good idea to attack him. ''Once I catch that bastard, I''ll kill him!'' Sparks of golden and crimson mes shed on his body as he clenched his fist, rage bubbling within his bowels. A dark shadow erratically flitted across the sky. It created a disturbing buzzing noise as it darted across the sky. Beside it were three rtively small creatures the size of arge bowl. These creatures left a steady stream of darkness elemental mana in their wake. If one looked at the sky, one would barely be able to register the figures of these creatures, apart from seeing just a very faint dark shadow. The creature that raced across the sky was the Phantasma that had attacked Cain, while the smaller creatures were devils called {Sentinel Drones}. They had dark shadowy eyes with red centers covering their entire body structure as well as thin tendrils of fleshy material dangling from underneath them. These tendrils moved through the air like tentacles, while their eyes moved erratically, scanning their surroundings constantly. The {Phantasma} on the other hand looked even weirder. It possessed a head full of droopy hair strands, and a gem sitting at the center of its forehead. Its entire body was grey colored, as opposed to the usual pitch-ck color of the devils. Shockingly, it wasn''t as ugly as the other devils but the aura of madness and savagery within its eyes was impossible to hide. Dark red blood oozed from the corner of its lips, eyes, nose, and the gem on its forehead as it struggled to maintain its flight. The look of panic, fear, and hatred in its eyes was undeniable. It gave amand in the devil tongue to the {Sentinel Drones} floating beside it. Very quickly, they separated from its sides and floated away to other corners of the forest. Once they arrived at their destination, they quickly set out to carry out itsmands. They stopped at those odd-looking membranes of sap-covered trees that Cain and the others hade across. These membranes were smaller than the ones Cain had destroyed, but they possessed their general features. Its thorn-covered branches and vines hadtched onto a very huge mutant wild cat. This cat was covered in pitch-ck fur, with numerous ocean-blue patterns etched across its surface. Traces of water elemental energy poured out from its body, as it tried to activate skill after skill to escape. Yet, it was unable to do so, as the vines and branches kept contracting, breaking its incredibly tough bones and just suffocating it to death. The thorns were hollow, and as soon as they found flesh to prate, they began sucking all the blood out from the struggling beast. Despite its wails and cries, it continued to suffer undeserved agony until it finally gave up the ghost. Several sickening crunches and loud slurping sounds were heard as the once enormous body frame was reduced to a corpse in an instant. The dried-up husk fell to the forest floor as soon as the grotesque entity was done with sitssmeans sickly green light shone on the thorns, as its roots and trunk bulged as the blood of the mutant beast was stored and refined into an even purer form of blood elemental mana within it. Once all that was done, the {Sentinel Drones} floated towards the entity and quicklytched onto the trunk of the entity with the tendrils of flesh floating beneath them. These tendrils easily pierced through the fleshy bark of mutated organic material. The organism didn''t make a move to attack them. It let them perch on its body as though it didn''t even acknowledge their existence. Meanwhile, the {Sentinel Drones} were busy using their tendrils of flesh to suck out the nutritious fluid from within the tree trunk. InAllround, there were numerous organic beings just like this one gathered together, and connected through the roots going through the ground. They all had thousands of these {Sentinel Drones} and many other weird-looking devil species in cocoons, pods, and many other weird incubation structures attached to them. Just looking at them was enough to force the contents of one''s stomach to the ground. The sap-like fluid oozing out of them acted like a sort of adhesive for the creatures that wastched onto their bodies, making it easier for them to feed. In the distance, numerous {ded Devils} and {deless Devil Imps} were dragging corpses of mutant beasts of all shapes and sizes to be fed to these grotesque entities. There were even a few human corpses among the offerings being made. Meanwhile, the Phantasma ignored all this and flew even deeper toward the center of the forest. The forest had grown even bigger. The trees had be taller and had begun expanding further and further away from its borders. At the center of the forest, a nest crawling with various devils was being created. The nest was shaped like a hive, with the newly born devils breaking away from their silver silver-colored, and being ushered into a world of violence and destruction. They were forced to fight amongst each other as soon as they were born, with the victor devouring the loser. That way, each devil that was born would only survive through endless bloodshed, increasing its violent nature. Only the strongest devil would survive and be granted life... The Phantasma ignored all this and flew deeper into the nest. Oddly enough, the center of the nest was quiet and was just arge patch of barrennd. Seated there directly in the center of the nest, was a huge behemoth of terror. It was a creature that could only be found in the most perverse of nightmares and depths of hell... The origin of life for most low-ss devils, The broodmother... The Phantasmanded directly before the brood mother and fell t onto the ground. Blood still flowed steadily from its orifices, but it forced itself to kneel as it prostrated towards the broodmother. It spoke in the devil tongue with a hoarse deep voice, "Mother... I found him." Chapter 75: Phantasma There was silence for a while before the brood mother replied to the prostrating devil. "To think I would find such a thing in this world. A creature that emits such a pure and ancient aura!" " To think I would find such a thing in this world. A creature that emits such a pure and ancient aura!" The voice of the broodmother was incredibly clear and sonorous, just like that of a young maiden. If anyone was to hear this, they would never believe that this melodious voice belonged to this grotesque terror, that was an enemy to all lifeforms on the. The broodmother was a massive creature. Although its height wasn''t towering, it was extremely girthy and plump, just like a very well-fed worm. It had the appearance of a bizarre insect. Its shiny ck exterior was protected with a scary carapace, and numerous outgrowths were protruding from its fleshy parts. It didn''t have a face, but there was a set of antennae that stretched across its length, as well as a mouth that although shut, most likely would look like the entrance to hell itself once they were opened. There were numerous holes around its underside and belly. These holes were connected to the ground through thick translucent tentacles. These tentacles formed a huge that covered the barren forest floor. Some of the translucent tentacles had red blood-like fluid flowing through them, while others had yellow fluid flowing through them. Within this fluid, if one looked closely enough, Ione woulde to realize that the yellow fluid was not just a fluid, but a fluid that contained thousands upon thousands of tiny eggs. At its posterior, was an even bigger protrusion that looked like a gigantic stinger. This protrusion was also connected to the forest floor, but this time, in a different way. This part of the creature was responsible for the barrenness of the surrounding area. The broodmother had cleared thisrge expanse and had created its give using the biomatter from the consumed trees. It was clear that this devil was an enemy to all life... "Yes, mother. It turns out that the creature you noticed, is a human. It is also the creature that destroyed one of your units earlier today..." Although the Phantasma was still bowing its head, there was no denying the absolute malice in its voice. "Is that so? It should be impossible for a human to bear such a clean aura. Are you certain it is human?" "Yes, mother... I am certain it is." Yes, mother... I am certain it is." "If you are so certain, why didn''t you bring it back with you?" If you are so certain, why didn''t you bring it back with you?" The Phantasma was silent for a while, before it addressed the broodmother, this time sinking even lower toward the ground. "I tried to take control of its mind, but I was unable to do so. Although it is of a low level, and it hasn''t even reached the first rank, Its soul is just too powerful for me to do anything. I waspletely taken unawares, and suffered massive damages." At this point, the Phantasma was shaking from equal parts rage and fear. "Hmmm... Noted. How powerful do you think it is?" Hmmm... Noted. How powerful do you think it is?" "For his rank and level, i would say it is incredibly powerful. It was capable of destroying one of the feeding units so easily. Not to mention its incredibly abnormal soul and aura." The Phantasma said honestly. After all, it couldn''t be dishonest before the broodmother, who was the source of its life. For his rank and level, i would say it is incredibly powerful. It was capable of destroying one of the feeding units so easily. Not to mention its incredibly abnormal soul and aura." The Phantasma said honestly. After all, it couldn''t be dishonest before the broodmother, who was the source of its life. "How serious are your wounds?" How serious are your wounds?" "Not too serious, mother... I should be able to recover in less than a day." Not too serious, mother... I should be able to recover in less than a day." "i have not recovered back to my full strength, so I cannot engage in battle. Take as many soldiers as you need. Make sure to bring him back... Dead or alive, whole or in pieces, just make sure it is done. I will not ept failure. If you disappoint me, you will be eaten." i have not recovered back to my full strength, so I cannot engage in battle. Take as many soldiers as you need. Make sure to bring him back... Dead or alive, whole or in pieces, just make sure it is done. I will not ept failure. If you disappoint me, you will be eaten." The Phantasma shivered a little. Whether or not this reaction was due to the excitement of being able to kill Cain, or the penalty of possible failure was unknown to all but the phantasma itself... "It shall be done..." In a split second, the Phantasma zoomed off toward the brooding nest. Within the brooding nest were special pods that rapidly increased the regenerative capabilities of the devils. The Phantasma quickly got into one of the regeneration pods. As soon as ity down within it, it was covered by a thin film of translucent material. Quickly, the pod was filled up with red blood-like fluid. The liquid seeped into the body of the phantasma, healing all the below-the-surface injuries it had suffered. The pods within the honeb-like sectors were mainly used for breeding new devils and healing wounded devils. ''I will kill it!'' Waves of anger and simmering rage rolled within the eyes of the soul devil as it thought back to how much damage it had sustained when it attacked Cain. ''I''ll rip off every fiber of muscle from its pearly white bones, and separate its organs from each other while it is alive! I''ll drink all its blood, then offer its broken carcass to mother!'' To the devils, humans and most of the other species were thought of as less than others. That is, to the devils, all the humans, as well as the mutant creatures things that existed to serve only one purpose... Being food... *** Soon after Cain calmed the fires of rage burning within him down, he proceeded to open his status screen. There, he noticed the new skill, or in more urate terms, a technique he had just learned. ''A technique specifically for absorbing Ki...'' Cain glossed over its information and realized that while the gains were a lot, the requirements were just as strict. To obtain the skill, he first had to have 200+ points in his Magic, Agility, and Strength stats, and to increase the tier of the skill, he had to use it a lot... The gains were just as good. He would be able to gather 20 Ki points per hour if he used the technique, which was insane considering how much Ki he had before this incident. ''This just goes to show that to achieve power, you have to figure out how to attain It first.'' Cain clenched his fists in excitement. He could feel the raw power coursing through his veins. ''To gain power, one must first acquire it...''. Cain nced through his inventory and realized that there were numerous ways for him to gain power right now. These ways all represented numerous paths he could take. On one hand, he still had many mana shards. He had used some of them, but the rest would probably sit in his inventory for some time if he couldn''t figure out how to use them. Hence, the thought formed within his mind; ''What if I used them to create more skills?'' Nothing was stopping him from creating more skills if he wanted. So long as he could do so, he was free to have as many external skills as he wanted. ''There''s also the option of increasing the amount of Ki I have.'' Cain realized that even though he now had a reasonable way of gaining Ki fast, there was a way he could gain it even faster. And that was through exercises. Just the act of lifting his 400kg swords was tasking enough to earn him 3 Ki points in under 10 minutes. Although it might look little, it was still going to be gain. Plus, the requirements of the skill only stated that to use the skill, he just had to be out of battle. What this meant, was that he could use the skill whilst exercising simultaneously. And luckily for him, there just happened to be a lot of weights present in this gymnasium that were suitable for exercise. However, if he used them at a time like this, the others would begin to look at him funny. Hence, he quickly thought up a more brilliant and ingenious idea... "Metal Maniption!" Golden lights spread from his body as a few rotating magic circles appeared before his outstretched arm. Numerous metal weight tes in the gym, equivalent to a few tons of weight flew across the air toward him. Controlling a few tons of metal wasn''t a problem at all, as his level 2 {Metal Maniption} skill enabled him to control a maximum of 10 tons of weight in metal. Because of the duration of the {Metal Creation} skill, most of the spells he ended up creating onlysted a few minutes. However, with these weights, he would be able to use them for {Metal Maniption}, and not have to worry about this particr limitation. Once the weights came together, he began initiating his n. The magic circles cast their rich golden hue onto the metal weights, breaking the bonds between their atoms, and causing them to be malleable before the power of Cain''s magic. With how many points he had in magic and control, manipting the shape of the weights was done pretty easily. After close to an hour of fiddling and mana maniption, the baddest-looking piece of armor Cain had ever seen was created. Not that he had seen that many in the first ce... {Congrattions to the host... You have created a piece of armor with your skills. Although it is incredibly crude andcks any sort of finesse, you have taken the first step... You have acquired the title, brilliant mind}. {+20 to Magic stat}. {Brilliant Mind}: The power of your imagination has be even stronger, increasing the durability of your soul. +30 to Spirit and Magic stats. {Congrattions to the host... You have acquired the internal active skill, Craftsman}. {Craftsman (lvl 1) locked}: There are no limitations to the imagination, and with magic, there are even fewer. Create with mana as your hammer and your imagination as your anvil, while imbibing your creations with the power of magic. (0/10,000SP) Requirements: 200 points in Magic. What Cain had done was quite simple. Because of the control, he had over his magic, he was able to create such a piece of work while paying attention to a lot of detail. In the end, a three-piece suit of armor that could only be used away from the battlefield was created. The reason why... "It''s too freaking heavy!" {Please, give your new creation a name...} ''A name?'' {Replying to host: Affirmative... A name is required by the tools you created}. ''Hmmm...'' Cain looked at the metal construct for a while, trying to pick a suitable name for it. It was a four-piece metal suit. Once the part was a chest piece, the other was a pair of gauntlets for his arms, the third was for the shoulders, and thest one consisted of a hybridbination of boots and knee guards for his legs. He created them as such because he needed to create space at his joints for ease of movement, which a one-piece suit wouldn''t be able to provide. Cain failed to find any defining trait in the armor, so he just went for the most obvious idea. ''Heavy Armor... Let''s call it Heavy Armor... {Replying to host: Response is being processed...} {Response Affirmed...} A magical light shone on the ck surface of the armor as soon as the process waspleted. {You have created equipment, Heavy Armor...} Chapter 76: Heavy Armor, Heavier Heart. Cain put his hand on the piece of armor and was a bit stunned when a holographic image was disyed from the armor. {Heavy Armor}: Normal Strength: +50. Attack power: +50%. Agility: -50. Attack speed: -50%. Defense: +50. Weight: 1000kg. Requirements: 200 Strength and 100 Stamina. Skills: Damage Reduction. Durability: 100/100. {Damage Reduction}: Reduce iing physical damage by 10% and magical damage by 1% Cain stared at its stats briefly, analyzing them... ''It''s a double-edged sword. On one hand, my strength and defense increased greatly. On the other hand, my agility drops significantly. However, I have no intentions of using it in battle at the moment, as that would be too stupid.'' The real purpose of this armor was to help him increase the amount of ki he could gather. If lifting 400kg was so beneficial, imagine the gains he would get from using a 300kg suit of armor. ''Using it in battle might be possible if I pair it with {Metal Maniption}, but while that may preserve my stamina, it would lead to overconsumption of mana.'' Cain decided that now wasn''t the time to use it. The armor would grant him a lot more power, but the pros didn''t outweigh the cons. Hence, he decided to store it in his inventory. With all these things within his inventory, there was only a little bit of space left within. Cain didn''t know what time it was, as he had no device on his that could tell the time, and there were no clocks he could see close to him, but if he had to guess, it would probably be around midday. He had spent around five hours working on getting his sword out of the ground and creating his {Heavy Armor}. Using the period the god ash fell from the sky, which ording to the system was midnight, to calibrate, that would mean that roughly twelve hours had passed. This meant he had neen hours or less to prepare for their departure. He could understand the sentiment of wanting to leave. Even he was eager to know what was happening in the outside world. The only barrier they had to ovee was getting through the forest in one piece, which would not be possible if they didn''t make enough preparations. He was a bit sore from sitting all day, so he decided to stretch his legs by moving around a bit. *** Within the gymnasium, there was a ton of free space avable, so they all sat where they liked. Cain peered out the windows made of carbon fiberss, only for his eyes to be greeted with a world that stillcked color. Although it was around midday, the entire pace was still very dark, as though night had never departed. This was because the grey clouds that covered the skies never left even after all this time, making Cain wonder if that was how things were going to be henceforth. ''System, why are the clouds still grey?'' {Replying to host: It is caused by a unique reaction of your to god ash. This unique phenomenon is called the Pearly nket. It urs when the god ash that falls onto a is too much for the said and its inhabitants to digest all at once}. {Therefore, to avoid a situation where the entire ends up exploding due to the over-saturation of the incredibly dense mana, the god ash is separated into numerousyers. Theseyers stay within the atmosphere, and will only descend to the surface of the periodically. That way, the can avoid certain destruction...} Cain nodded in understanding, ''So what you are saying is those clouds are justyers of extremely concentrated god ash?'' Cain suddenly froze, ''Why do I feel like I''ve heard this before?'' {Replying to host: Affirmative... Theyers of the Pearly nket also determine just how far the evolution of that world will go, and how powerful the inhabitants of the said world would be afterward. The most amount ofyers a world has ever seen in the history of the cosmos was 32yers...} ''Was?'' {Replying to host: Affirmative...} At that moment, the system seemed to hesitate, as though considering whether it should provide Cain with the next bit of information. {The reason why that is a thing of the past, is that the system has just found a new record for a world with the highest amount of Pearly nkets...} Cain blinked surprisedly, Oh? Which world is that?''. He wasn''t really surprised, as he didn''t expect this piece of information to be his problem. It all seemed like information he would need far into the future but was irrelevant to him presently. {Replying to host: That world, is this one...} ''Oh? Isn''t that a good thing?'' Cain furrowed his brows. He didn''t know why, but he was able to sense a tinge of foreboding within the words of the system... {Replying to host: Not necessarily...} His frown became even deeper, ''What do you mean by that?!'' {Replying to host: A can only support so much mana. That is one of the fundamentalws of the universe. If a world is greeted with toorge of an influx of mana all at once, without having hundreds, or even thousands of years to digest it all... that world is doomed}. Cain blinked a few times, trying his best to digest this very fresh, and very ominous piece of information. ''So what you are telling me is, baring no future changes, I''m fated to die?'' {Replying to host: Affirmative... If there no external factors appear, then this world is fated for destruction. The only way for this fate to be avoided, apart from external factors, is if a majority of the god ash is absorbed by the and its inhabitants without it exploding into bits and turning into stardust. But in the case of this, that is near impossible}. Cain wasn''t even a bit panicked when he heard this. His heart was as still as the surface of ake. Not a single ripple in sight. He figured that the system was probably just exaggerating things. It couldn''t be that bad, right? ''Why is this so impossible?'' {Replying to host: The previous limit recorded for a of this size to take, is eightyers. The highest amount of Pearly nkets ever recorded in the cosmos, where a hundreds of times bigger than yours struggled to amodate, was thirty-twoyers. During your fight with the {Devil-eyed White Primate}, because you reached a high enough altitude, the system was able to urately measure exactly how many pearly nkets are present in your world''s atmosphere}. A ripple spread across the calmke... ''How many are they?'' {Sixty-fouryers... There are sixty-four Pearly nkets...} The expression on Cain''s face was very dark. He knew the system wasn''t making things up, so it had to be true. Their was doomed for destruction, and there was nothing he could do. He wouldn''t be so bothered if he could avoid this fate, but he couldn''t. If he couldn''t find a way to miraculously leave the before it was destroyed, he would also be as dead as space dust alongside every other living being on the. ''How much time do we have?'' Cain asked in a deep voice. {Replying to host: When all the factors are considered, I would say this has about three hundred million years before it ispletely oversaturated with mana...} Cain found himself speechless, "What?! I thought you said this is incapable of absorbing so much mana?" {Replying to host: Correction... the system reported that if there are no external factors involved, then this will be destroyed very soon, as it will be able to keep up with the rapid mana influx}. ''External factors...'' Suddenly, it seemed to click in his head, as a sharp light shed across his eyes. ''Don''t tell me the external factors you are referring to is-'' {Replying to host: Affirmative... The external factors are in fact, the devils that have invaded your world...} Cain could feel his heart getting heavier by the second. He had a feeling that the delivery of bad news had yet to end... ''These devils... What exactly is their goal?'' Cain asked as he stared out the windows to gaze at the bleak dreary skies, his expressionplicated. {Replying to host: The devils have had only one goal and purpose since the beginning of time...} Saying that the system voice paused for a while. Cain couldn''t tell if the system deliberately paused for dramatic effect or not... {To devour... To consume anything and everything that crosses their path. They follow dense currents of mana flowing through the universe to locates like yours that haven''t been through evolution. Then they feed on the mana and vital essence of the and its inhabitants, sucking away until the only thing left is a dried husk of death and emptiness...} Chapter 77: Devils. ''There is no shortage of bad news today, huh...'' Cain was torn betweenughter and tears as he considered the fate of his. {Replying to host: Affirmative...} Cain: "..." {Replying to host: "..." } Cain suddenly asked the system in all seriousness, "Tell me all I need to know about the devils..." {Replying to host: This piece of information will cost you 70% of your remaining system points. Do you still wish to proceed?} ''Yes." {Replying to host: Request Affirmed...} The system paused for a few seconds before it began... {Eons ago, during the primordial era, the very first sentient being appeared in the universe. That being wouldter be referred to as the Nomad. This being possessed powers so unimaginable, there exists no words grand enough to properly describe the extent of his powers}. {With its vast reserve of powers and unfathomable intelligence, it created the very first true living beings. These beings were the very personification of all things perverse. They were called Devils...} {The devils were created as the perfect war machines, their only purpose being to kill and devour one another. But consuming the essence of heaven and earth, they continued to grow stronger and stronger,pletely disregarding all things to grow their strengths. Everywhere they went, all they did was bring destruction. In most ces in the universe, they are referred to as the harbingers of death, as any world they came across usually didn''t survive their onught...} {The history books tell that the Nomad was disgusted by the abominations he had created and deemed them unfit to inhabit his domain. Hence, he abandoned them...} {Any world they ever tried to upy rejected them... He cast them out without giving them a ce to call home. Their only option was to wander the dark endless void in search of hosts strong enough for them to inhabit for a while}. {Maybe out of spite for their creator, the devils made it their sole purpose and mission to destroy the domain of the Nomad. They traveled across the void in search of new worlds to devour. Eonster, they arrived on this world as well. If left to their devices, it will take only a few years for them topletely devour all the mana from the pearly nkets, and after that, all the inhabitants of this world...} Cain stood still for a while, trying to process all the information. Suddenly, he let out a bitter chuckle... ''So they are our savior, as well as our destroyers... That''s more than a bit ironic.'' Without the presence of the devils, the, Urbus, would be destroyed by the tremendous amount of mana. But in the process of devouring the abundant mana, they would also devour everything else in between. ''That means we need to defeat them, but not so quickly that they are all gone before they can take care of the abundant god ash. Correct?'' {Replying to host: Affirmative... However, it would do the host some good to know that the longer the devils are allowed to inhabit the they have infested, the harder it will be to eradicate them. The devils are a very ancient race and possess more than a few ways to defeat the very brittle and structureless human race}. ''Structureless?!'' {Replying to host: Affirmative. Structureless...} ''Guess you are right about that...'' Cain had no choice but to agree after thinking about it for a second. Cain then thought hard about it for a while before he coulde up with a reasonable conclusion. "The golden bnce... What we need to find, is the golden bnce. Although the devils might be getting stronger fast, we humans are doing so as well. If we can find a way to bnce the rate at which we kill them off, we might be able to survive this.'' ''The problem with this n is that there are too many unknowns involved. I know for a fact that these devils are many times tougher than the mutant beasts. They are also very intelligent. Much more intelligent than the mutant beasts, and possibly most humans as well. This isn''t going to be easy.'' Cain was worried, but he was not overly so... He had an odd sense of confidence he wasn''t able to exin. Was it confidence in himself, or something else? He couldn''t say... ''I guess we will just have to see. Some things are better dealt with as theye. Other things require more urgent attention.'' Since Cain had been standing and staring out the windows for a while, it was only natural someone would notice after some time. "What are you staring at?" A voice called out to him from behind. "Hmmm?" Cain nced behind himself, only to be greeted with a wave of auburn hair and a slight floral scent. "There is nothing but gray skies out here. What are you looking at?" Susan walked up like it was the most natural thing and stood directly beside Cain. Cain stood there for a while before he let out a chuckle. "What''s so funny?" Susan raised a brow at him, her lips slowly forming a pout. "Nothing..." "Hmph! Good." Silence fell between them for a while before Susan spoke. "I feel a bit guilty..." Cain raised a brow, "Hey... When did I be a priest? Don''t confess to me... I''m a sinner just like you, you know?" "Shut it." "Yes ma''am." Cain didn''t know why, but this former ss monitor of his still had that same intimidating aura around her... Susan let off a sigh as she rolled her beautiful eyes. Those same eyes turned a shade darker as she spoke in a low voice, "Our ssmates, the teachers. Almost everyone in the school... They are dead." At that moment, Cain noticed the mood around her drop, so he turned solemn as well. "We should have done something. If we had convinced them harder or tried something, they might still be alive now." Susan said, her voice filled with bitterness and me. Cain held a great amount of indifference toward his previous ssmates. He didn''t hate them, nor did he hold any obvious positive feelings for them. That''s why he didn''t feel too many emotions when he learned of their unfortunate demise at the hands of the {Miasma Devil}. "No. If we had done any more, they could still have perished. Some things can''t change even if we go back in time to do them differently." Cain responded indifferently. "What do you mean?" Susan looked Cain at Cain with narrowed eyes. Cain paid the subtle change in her temperament no mind as he continued, "Even if we convinced them to leave with us, do you think a majority of them would have survived up until now?" Cain asked her with an inquisitive look spread on his face. "We might not have been able to save all of them, but we should have tried." The expression on her face was a mixture of sadness and anger. Cain merely shrugged, before he turned sideways to face her. Cain was able to observe her features and came to realize that she was really beautiful up close. Fair porcin-like skin with rosy cheeks. Even though they hadn''t had the opportunity to clean up properly for a few days, she didn''t have any offensive odors about her. A faint floral fragrance wafted from her body like an autumn breeze. A pair of rosy lips, a hair full of auburn hair, and a sharp yet soft expression told of her soft heart, yet diligent character. "Let me ask you something..." Cain said. Susan looked at him suspiciously but decided to y along, "Sure. Go ahead," Cain stared as she shifted on her feet nervously from his hard gaze. He gazed at her for a few more seconds before asking, "Where did you learn how to shoot?" Cain knew that Susan was a part of the school archery club, but he figured her level of skill wasn''t something one could learn at a mere archery club. Susan was a bit caught off guard, but she gave Cain a reply after considering it for a while. "Well, I learned from my grandfather. He is a master marksman, and has studied the art his entire life, as it is a family tradition." "Hmmm... I see." Cain knew there existed families just like Susan''s who taught martial arts to their sessors, but they were very few and far between. They always had one or both of the two following traits inmon. Either they were incredibly rich or had ties to the military... Cain didn''t know why that was so, but he hade to learn this when he was doing a bit of digging around for his master. "How rare do you think it is for someone to possess your level of skill?" Cain asked her again. Susan frowned, "I guess not a lot of people possess the same level of proficiency as I do..." Cain kept pressing her, "Do you think your skills have had anything to do with your survival so far?" "They do..." Not sure where he was going, Susan kept answering, a bit flustered. "Let me spell it out straight for you." Cain''s expression suddenly hardened as they gazed into each other''s eyes, "Most of them couldn''t even hold a knife, not to mention a weapon that actually kills when it mattered. You saw the way they panicked like headless chickens." The re in his eyes was ruthless as he continued. "Theyck the heart to do it. They would still have ended up dead. If you didn''t have the conviction to use the bow in your hands to kill, do you think you would still be alive? No. Their fates were sealed the moment all this began. If they didn''t die then, there is no way they would have survived what was toe. They might have even been the cause of our deaths if they weren''t ticked off first. I refuse to put myself in a situation where I will be forced to forfeit my life due to the incapabilities of another." Cain took a deep breath to calm his emotions. He noticed that since he suffered the attack of the {Soul Devil} or Phantasma, he had been having a tough time keeping the emotions he had forced himself to suppress at bay. Only when he was done with his rant did he realize what he had done... ''Crap...'' Cain turned away from Susan, his heart rate speeding up. His pupils were dting rapidly, and his breathing was getting heavier. However, he fought hard to conceal all these things. "You probably think I''m a heartless monster, huh..." Cain had no idea why he said it. He didn''t know what he was looking for when he did. Was he looking for someone to validate his thoughts? Or was he looking for someone to condemn them... He couldn''t tell. Just when he was about to take his leave, he felt a hande to rest on his. This hand was soft and radiated a slight warmth that brought a great deal offort to him. Suddenly, he felt his heart calm down. He nced down, only to see Susan''s unblemished hand grasping his... Chapter 78: Steve ... Cain''s eyes widened in shock... "I understand..." Susan had a soft gentle smile on her face as she said this. ''Eh? What''s going on?!'' Cain could feel a strange heat bubbling within his heart. The heat slowly crept up towards his cheeks. His hands trembled as he acted on instinct. He withdrew his hand from her grasp as quickly as he possibly could. "Ehem! Yeah... That''s pretty much it. So don''t be too worried. Since that''s settled, I''ll be taking my leave. Farewell!" Cain spat out a few sentences all at once rapidly, as he made his escape. Like a gust of wind, he dashed away, leaving Susan with a confused expression on her face. ''Damnit! What was that?!'' Cain was not very experienced in many aspects of life, especially when it came to dealing with the opposite sex. As such, his gift of wisdom left him almost instantly when he made contact with one during a period of emotional instability. That warm feeling was something very foreign and distant to him, and he subconsciously tried to run away from it. ''Who knew women could be so dangerous.'' Cain had finally grasped one of the fundamental truths of life... *** Although the gymnasium was big, it still didn''t change the fact that it was just one big building with a bunch of rooms connected to it. Cain only had to walk a little before he saw who he was looking for... "Well, well... Look at what the devil dragged in," Steve said with closed eyes before Cain coulde any closer to him. He was seated cross-legged on the floor, his magic staff sitting on hisp horizontally. All sorts of magical lights shed across the surface of his body. Blue, red, green, yellow, white... All sorts of colors that indicated different mana attributes circled his body in dense amounts. Cain was intrigued by this, ''His magic stat must be very high... His mana is also very pure.'' "Devil eyes: Eye of irvoyance." Cain acted in a heartbeat... As soon as he did this, he was greeted with a magical sight. Numerous elemental specks formed an ever-moving, ever-changing river of very pure elemental mana. It looked like Steve was drifting within a sea of rainbows. ''Impressive...'' Cain was greatly impressed. However, before he could see any further, he heard a finger snap. "Magic Break." {Host is under the effects of a debuff... For the next three seconds, all magic skills are unusable}. Almost instantly, his spell was broken... ''What?!'' The shock within his eyes instantly turned into skepticism. "What did you do?" Cain asked the extremely calm Steve. "Hoho... I just activated a skill that stops others from seeing me undressed. I have to protect my innocence after all." Steve countered with a slight smirk. ''This guy isn''t simple.'' the impressed look on his face deepened even further. The smile on Steve''s face widened even further, "However, who''s to say I can''t spy back?" All this time, his eyes remained closed. However, as soon as he was done speaking, his eyes snapped open. "Devil eyes: Eye of the Magi." His right eye released an enchanting purple glow. Cain was able to see numerous tiny runic inscriptions bouncing within his eyes. ''Devil eyes as well? Since I got this skill from a creature as strong as the {Devil-eyed White Primate}, he possibly could have gotten him from a mutant of simr rank that possesses simr powers!'' "Hehehe... What do you think of my skills?" Steve said with a smug grin on his face. "They are not bad at all," Cain responded with augh of his own. He was both amazed and amused by this... "Well then, let''s see what you are hiding." Steve tantly began using the skill on Cain. The magic runes that floated around in his eyes spun to form aplicated magic circle, as the purple light within his eyes glowed even brighter. "Sorry, not today pal..." Although Cain wanted to see how it would y out, because he didn''t understand the nature of Steve''s skill, he decided to y it safe to protect his secrets. "Seal." BANG! The currents of magic surrounding Steve shattered it to its specks like broken ss and drafted away instantly. The purple in his eyes fizzled out as well, and his eye returned to normal. "What the hell?!" The look of shock on Steve''s face made Cain almost burst outughing. "My good sir, why do you make a mockery of me?" Steve said as he ruffled his ck hair dejectedly. Cain noticed that although it had been a while since they had proper bodily care. They all seemed to be in good condition. "You brought it on yourself," Cain said with a smirk. "Nay! T''was you who decided to sky upon my nakedness in the first ce," Steve said as he pointed a finger at Cain, usation dripping from his voice. "Hahaha... Well, let me make it up to you then." Cain said as he withdrew a few things from his inventory. "Here." Cain tossed them through the air, forcing Steve to catch everyst one of them utilizing his super flexibility and reaction time. "Hoho..." Steve opened his clenched palms, only to be greeted with the sight of numerous sparking mana shards. Without even waiting for Cain to say anything, they all disappeared into his inventory in a sh... "Remember the favor I owe you? This is me repaying it." Cain said. Cain had once employed Steve''s information services when he wanted to know more about Hunter. "That''s 10 grade 8 earth attribute mana stones. Don''t you think that''s a bit much?" Although Steve said this, the fact that he was so quick to pocket them was an attestation of his shamelessness. "I''ll give you even more if you can do something for me," Cain said, his eyes shing with an uncanny light. "Deal!" Steve said without any hesitation. "You aren''t even going to ask?" Cain rolled his eyes at him. "No need. If my services are needed, I''ll deliver without fail, no questions asked. You request, I deliver. Simple..." Steve said with a thumbs up. ''Damn... So shameless.'' Since Cain had no use for the earth elemental mana shards in his possession, he decided it would be a good idea to make use of them in another way. Besides, the mana shards were all Grade 8 and 9 mana shards, so he wasn''t bothered by losing a few. Mana shards were divided into 9 grades. The mana shard of the {Crimson Demon Bear} was a grade 7 blood elemental mana shard, while the one of the {Devil-eyed White Primate} was a grade 6 spatial attribute mana shard. The grade of the mana shard wasn''t determined by the level of the mutant beast or devil but was dependent on the grade. However, once a creature surpassed legendary rank, its mana shard would mutate into a mana core. Normal - Grade 9. Elite - Grade 8. Special - Grade 7. Deadly - Grade 6. Legendary - Grade 5 to 1. As for mana cores, they were a more advanced form of mana shards preserved only for entities of higher tiers. Cain knew this because he had read it from the time granted to him by Ashur. However, now wasn''t the time to dwell on that... Cain had had his suspicions from the beginning, but he wasn''t sure. However, after all, he had seen so far, he decided to bite the bullet. "Alright then. I wish to purchase some information from you." "Go right ahead," Steve responded. He wasn''t sure of what Cain wanted to ask, but he decided to answer to the best of his ability. "What do you know about the underground." Silence... "Sorry, what was that? I didn''t get you the first time..." Steve said a clueless look on his face. ''He knows what I''m talking about.'' Cain knew he had hit the hammer on the head, spot on. "I''m asking you to give me all the information you have on the underground..." Cain said, his eyes narrowing dangerously. Although Cain wasn''t a part of that world, he had seen bits and pieces of it when he was searching for information on his master. ''Two worlds coexisting, one within the other, but must never meet. If they do, it will be the cause of the destruction of thetter.'' He had an inkling that Steve might have something to do with that world, so he asked him not just out of curiosity, but because he had another purpose at heart. "I have no idea what you are talking about." Steve continued to y dumb. Although he was still acting a fool, Cain could see it in his bodynguage. So he decided to stop beating around the bush and go straight for the kill. Cain let out a darkugh, "Are you sure you know nothing, Culver of the shadows?" Silence descended once again, but this time, there was also a dark and ominous atmosphere surrounding the both of them, with Steve directly at the center of it. "Where did you hear that from?" Steve said in a voice so quiet it was almost a whisper. "That''s not important. Tell me what I need to know." Steve grasped the staff in his hands even tighter, bloodlust pouring from his body like tidal waves. "My friend, if you know anything, now will be a good time to speak up. Where did you hear that from?" Steve asked again. The currents of mana that surrounded him previously hade back, but this time, they rolled around violently like a torrent. "If you try anything stupid... I''ll kill you." Rather than saying anything else, Cainid down his terms straight up. Although he knew Steve was strong, he was confident in his strength as well. Silence reigned for a while longer before it was broken by Steve... "Tch! Such a bully..." Suddenly, the dark atmosphere was gone in the blink of an eye. "Sit. If you need to know, you''ll want to sit down, as it''s going to be a long story..." The sinister aura that enveloped Steve was gone quicker than Cain could blink, making him doubt if it was even there in the first ce. Cain responded with a smile, "Sure..." Chapter 79: The origins of the Underworld. Cain sat on the ground facing Steve. They both stared straight at one another. "Ahem... Before I tell you this, you must swear by all the gods, old and new that you will never disclose this piece of information I''m offering unto you!" Steve said, his voice serious. "Or at a bare minimum, don''t tell anyone I told you anything..." A sly grin yed at the corners of his lips. Cain just rolled, "Alright... Get to it already!" Steve cleared his throat before he began... "After the war a thousand years ago, violence around the world had reduced by about 90%." He continued after he saw Cain paying close attention, "The war had left the world in ruins, but from these ruins, the basis of this new civilization was built. However, just like many times in history, humanity never forgets its roots. Various memoirs of the past had been dug up and discovered from the ruins of the deste civilization." "From these ruins, numerous invaluable pieces of knowledge and information that even a war of catastrophic proportions and the corrosion of a thousand years couldn''t destroy were discovered and improved upon. Information on things like advanced technology, robotics, gic engineering, and many more was discovered. Information on how to cure several terrible diseases and even numerous ways to solve major global concerns like famine and poption crisis." "These invaluable pieces of knowledge served to improve the quality of life for all the human species. There were many other things discovered within the ruins, but the one thing modern-day humans seemed to pick an interest in the most, was martial arts... Pay attention cause this will be importantter." Steve said using a lecturing tone. Cain: "..." He continued, "Although the humans had learned from their past mistakes, and had worked tirelessly for a thousand years to build civilization back to the behemoth it had be, history was always doomed to repeat itself." "Although the various powers of the world hade together to sign a global peace treaty to end all wars, and use ''special'' means to greatly reduce the number of crimes and acts of violence in the world, this method wasn''t foolproof." "They might have been able to get rid of the majority of crime with their special methods, but one thing they didn''t ount for was just how deep organized crime could go when it began to foster." "The new government created a world that was paradise to some, and hell to others..." His tone dropped by a few pitches. He paused for a while before he continued in a deep voice. "So, to escape a hell where they were shackled by the moral constraints of society, these individuals decided to create another world within this world..." "A world that coexisted with the paradise, but didn''t mix up with it. The creators of this world knew that should they let the world they wanted to create so much as touch the borders of paradise, they would be doomed to fail..." "So after years of development, they were finally able to create it. A world within a world..." "The Underworld..." "The underworld is where the dregs of society go to breathe. Just like earthworms crawling out of the dirt when it rains. Denizens of the underworld hide in in sight or within the shadows. Everybody knows they exist, but because the two worlds must never mix, they don''t know what they are staring at." "Since arms trafficking is very strictly monitored by the government and military, the denizens of the underworld resort to the sticks and stones ofbat. Martial arts and cold weapons..." The twinkle in his eyes when he said this made Cain recoil a bit. Steve stared straight into Cain''s eyes... "And because of the way these two worlds rte with one another, no ordinary person can know, or better yet, be sure of its existence. At most, they may be influenced one way or the other by it, but that''s all." "So it is my turn to ask you, dearrade. If you are an ordinary person, you should know nothing about the existence of the underworld. If you do, you should have been dead by now. Trust me, the higher-ups know how to cover their tracks very efficiently. After all, they''ve been doing this for a thousand years." This time, it was Steve''s turn to ask the questions... Cain thought about it for a while before pulling something out of his pocket. It was a piece of paper... "Do you know anything about this person?" On that piece of paper, was a very good and detailed portrait of Cain''s master. It was so good, it was borderline realistic, almost like a photograph. "Hm? What''s this? This is just a person in all-ck clothing." Steve raised a brow in confusion. ''Seems he knows nothing as well. Ha... Another dead end?'' "I''m looking for this person. He seems to have ties with the underground world. Have you ever seen or heard of someone matching this description?" Although Cain was sure he knew nothing about it, he still decided to ask. "Hmmm..." Steve narrowed his eyes as he stroked his chin whilst staring at the picture. ''Man in all ck... Man in all ck... Man in all'' ''Damn!'' A sudden look of realization and fear hit Steve like a bullet train. However, with tons of effort, he was able to conceal it a great deal, but notpletely from Cain this time around. "What is it?" Cain asked him. ''i can''t tell him...'' Steve quickly made up his mind. "This image looks very simr to one I''ve seen somewhere else," Steve said. Although what he was saying wasn''t a lie, it couldn''t be described as the whole truth either. Cain felt his heart speed up. Staring at Steve intensely, he said, "Go on!" GULP! Steve swallowed a mouthful of saliva as he continued, "I learned somewhere that one of the founders of the underworld, a thousand years ago used to d himselfpletely in ck robes. He was known as the Deviant Saint of the dark." Even as Steve said his name, a look of respect could be seen on his face. "However, I highly doubt he should be the same person you know. After all, he was alive a thousand years ago. Till this day, I have never heard of someone with the same getup existing within the underworld." Steve concluded. "I see..." Although Cain didn''t let it show on his face, he was inwardly dejected. ''Once again, it''s a bust. Although I''ve gotten a bit closer this time.'' Cain could feel that he was getting closer and closer to finding out more information about his master. "By the way, what exactly does the underworld specialize in?" Cain had some knowledge of the underworld, more than the average person, but he didn''t know too much. "Haha! You can find anything and everything in the underworld." Steve said as he let out a crazyugh. "As I said, the underworld is just basically one extremely huge cesspool of degeneracy. Prostitution, drugs, assassination, and other forms of organized crime exist within it. However, some things still aren''t allowed." "Like what?" Steve put his teacher''s look back on his face, to which Cain responded with an eye roll. "The number one rule in the underworld is to never involve civilians. Ever... Those who even attempt this get removed very quickly. That is because doing this will bring the government and military''s attention. Even the most insane of degenerates have this at the back of their mind anytime they go about their business." Cain looked a bit perplexed, "But surely, there are going to be a few of them who still go ahead and break this rule, right?" "Right..." A sinister grin appeared on Steve''s face as he continued. "But a fate worse than death is probably the worst fate anyone on this will probably do all it takes to avoid, right?" A look of understanding spread across his face, "I think I understand." "That''s good then. So is that all for the questions?" Steve asked with a smile that screamed ''Please do not ask me anymore!''. "One more." "Damnit!" Regardless of Steve''s reluctance, Cain asked his final question... "Are you a part of the underworld?" Silence... "W-what do you mean by that?!" Steve said in a panicked voice. Cain tilted his head in confusion. "Aren''t you the one who just called me by my name?! What do you mean am I a part of the underworld?!" Steve was seeing red at this point and was almost yelling. "Keep it down, will you? And I didn''t know that was your name. I only know that someone within this school was called that. So I decided to try my luck out with you. I just thought you might know something, so I decided to ask you." Cain answered with the most innocent expression he could muster. "Liar! That doesn''t even make any sense." "Maybe..." "What do you mean by maybe?!" "That will be all for my questions. Now shut up." Cain said as he threw 10 more earth attribute mana shards at Steve. Like a leaf dancing in the wind, Steve''s long fingers plucked every single one of the mana shards from the air before they could touch the ground. Like nothing ever happened, Steve''s expression went back to normal instantly. "Nice doing business with you,rade." A small satisfied smile was on his face as he gestured Cain away. "The pleasure is all mine,rade." Cain let out a small smile as well before walking away. ''He will be of great use in the future.'' For once, Cain had been satisfied with his decision to join this group of survivors. Chapter 80: Elemental Body (1) ''The underworld...'' Cain had concluded earlier on that unless one had a sufficient amount of luck, the only way to survive the initial stages of the apocalypse, was by possessing the necessary skills. Anyonecking both was as good as dead... ''If my theory is correct, then a lot of the denizens of the underworld should still be alive.'' The sticks and stones of the underworld were guns and knives. People who created and used these sticks and stones were no different from lunatics. ''Something that proves my theory quite well is this unique group of people. I''m sure Steve is a denizen of the underworld, as well as Hunter and Dan. The auras they give off are way too simr.'' ''As for the fatty, he looks too shady to be a good person.'' If Vincent could hear his thoughts, he would probably be wallowing in years at his unjustified usations. ''Susan has a martial arts background, and ze has a military background, so both are understandable. I know David does his training every morning as well...'' Cain was certain that only those who had any idea whatbat looked like would be able to survive. There were numerous martial arts studios and dojos that taught various schools of martial arts in city Z, but those who knew how to fight were only a very small minority. Cain didn''t know what sort of martial arts he practiced. He had searched various books and articles on ancient martial arts, but he hade up empty-handed. The only clue he had was that what he practiced seemed to be apression of various schools'' martial arts onto one. It was an art thatputed only the necessary parts and skipped all the unnecessary ones. He hadn''t studied any forms orplex techniques. His teacher had only given him one modus operand, "The art of killing should be narrowed down to only one thing, Efficiency. No fancy tricks, no elegant techniques that consume too much energy. Only swift and deadly execution..." Cain had been told by his master that what he taught him couldn''t be considered just martial arts. It would be better to define it as the art of killing. He didn''t teach him anyplex techniques, only the basics. He had been forced to learn how to control the amount of power he used when he fought, so as not to outright kill his opponent. If he didn''t, every bully he fought off in the past would probably be six feet under already. He had no idea as to why his master had taught him all that, especially since in city Z, the capital punishment for murder was a fate not even the most violent criminals could endure. ''Just who is he, and what did he hope to achieve by giving me hope?'' Cain couldn''t deny that on that rainy night, the smoldering embers of his heart had been lit ame with the fires of hope. If he hadn''t met his master, he never would have gotten the ability to make it this far. He had been granted the ability to fight. To fight like his life depended on it. Because it did... ''Whether I find you or not, I''m going to make you proud someday, Master.'' The fires of hope within his heart burned brightly. Especially in a world that now possessed enough fuel. Due to his current circumstances, he finally had the perfect environment to properly practice the teaching of his master. ''i would love to practice right now, but now isn''t the right time, nor is this the right ce for such.'' Now that he was done with what he wanted to do, Cain walked back to the corner he was seated in previously and continued his preparations. He opened up his status screen and went straight to his inventory. ''Now that I''ve gotten rid of all my earth elemental mana shards, I only have 1 grade 6 spatial mana shard, with a majority of the rest being grade 9 with a few grade 8 and 7.'' Cain had used up all his blood and metal attribute mana shards, and had given Steve all his earth attribute mana shards, so he was left with only lightening, nature, wind, fire, darkness, and poison attribute mana shards. ''Although it seems like I have enough power right now, it still isn''t enough. If I want to be able to fight with those devils on even ground, I need to up my game as fast as I can. The best way to do that is to greatly increase my attack power!'' Cain was determined to increase his power as fast as he could. With the information he had just gotten from the system, he knew that personal power was extremely important in this potentially dangerous world. ''1 spatial, 4 darkness, 19 nature, 41 wind, 20 fire, 11 lightning, and 22 poison. That''s all I have left. And most of them are grade 9 mana shards.'' The reason mana shards were separated into grades was simply due to the concentration and amount of elemental mana they contained. A grade 8 mana shard contained the same amount of energy within it as 5 grade 9 mana shards. A grade 7 was equivalent to 5 grade 8 mana shards, and so on... ''If I want them to make a difference, I will have to consume a lot more of each mana shard. Unfortunately, there is no way for me to get more right now, except I go outside.'' The reason why Cain was able to upgrade his {Metal Creation} skill and transform his {Blood Ingestion Regeneration} to {Blood Regeneration} was that they were both already existing skills, and only required that extra bit of push to achieve an upgrade. Regardless, he still had to consume a lot of them. ''How the hell am I going to get more mana shards without wiping out thousands more mutant beasts.'' Although Cain was just thinking inwardly, the system chose the most opportune time to chime in. {Replying to host: The host can purchase mana shards amongst various things in the system store...} ''Hmmm? Last time I checked, the system didn''t have this option in it.'' {Replying to host: As the host evolves in both spirit and body, the system constantly updates its data, providing the essential utilities the host needs then}. ''Oh? I thought the system store was just useless. Charging exorbitant prices for information, crappy equipment, and potions.'' Cain said out of spite. {Replying to host: The system will only provide essential utilities needed by the host then, not what the host wants}. ''So are you saying because I need the mana shards, it''s up for sale?'' {Replying to host: Affirmative...} ''That''s freaking capitalism!'' Cain said in outrage. {Replying to host: "..." } ''Damn! What a shameless system.'' Cain clicked his tongue in annoyance. ''Fine. Let''s see what the system store has to offer. If the prices are too high, I''m not buying!'' This time, Cain wasn''t going to budge. Cain quickly navigated the status screen to the system store and opened it up. In the previous desert store, he saw a ton of options disyed to him. *** ELEMENTAL Grade 9 mana shard¨C 500 system points. Grade 8 mana shard ¨C 5000 system points. Grade 7 mana shard ¨C 22,500 system points. Grade 6 mana shard ¨C 47,500 system points. Grade 5 mana shard ¨C 72,550 system points. Grade 4 mana shard ¨C 95,000 system points. Grade 3 mana shard ¨C 112,500 system points. Grade 2 mana shard ¨C 200,000 system points. Grade 1 mana shard ¨C 410,250 system points. Cain stared at the prices for a while without blinking... ''They seem fair? Four hundred thousand system points does seem a bit over the top." In reality, Cain had no idea how to gauge their prices. For all he knew, this was one huge ripoff. ''From what I know, Grade 9 mana shards are from Normal creatures, Grade 8 are from Elites, Grade 7 Special, Grade 6 Deadly, Grade 5 to 2 for legendary, and Tier 1 for Celestial. The {Crimson Demon Bear} was a Special tier beast, so it had a grade 7 blood elemental mana shard, and the {Devil-eyed White Primate} was a Deadly tier beast, so it had a grade 6 spatial attribute mana shard.'' Although Cain consumed a lot of systems points daily thanks to the system''s greediness, he still had a lot to spare today, courtesy of the rewards he got from attaining the {Dragon Gate Ki plundering technique}. Cain realized he was going to need a lot more information on how he was going to do anything... ''System, are there any limitations to the attribute of mana shards I can use?'' {Replying to host: Although the host can theoretically use all types of mana shards, it wouldn''t be a wise decision to do so}. ''Why is that?'' {Replying to host: Most humans aren''t very attuned to mana and the elements. As such they have to find the elements they are more attuned to in order not to waste their time and resources. Unless the host has a skill or technique that can break this limitation, this is a universalw}. ''Well, what is the natural limit of most humans?'' {Replying to host: For 99% of humans, this number is one. For the remaining 1%, this number greatly varies. Only possessing at least 30% affinity for an element can be considered valid. The highest number ever recorded in the history of a human is 7 elements, but that was under extremely unusual conditions. Even then, that human was unable to attain mastery over any of them}. ''Hmmm...'' Cain was certain all this information was costing him a lot of system points, but he still let his curiosity get the better of him. ''Who was that person?'' {Replying to host: The host currently doesn''t have enough system points to acquire this piece of information}. ''Is there any way for me to check which elements I have attunement for?'' Cain asked curiously. {Replying to host: Yes... For a small fee of 1,000 system points, the system will be able to calibrate exactly which elements the host is most attuned with alongside their percentages}. ''Alright. Let''s do it!'' Cain said excitedly. {Replying to host: Processing Request...} {Request Granted...} {1,000 system points deducted...} {Purchase sessful}. Cain stared in suspense as a portion of his status screen turned nk and began to fill itself out withplex runic symbols and patterns. As this happened, he could a jolt of energy run through his entire body. {Process Completed. Computing results...} The iprehensible texts on the nk page began to turn into readable words and symbols. Name: Cain Lenosi. Fire attribute: 100%. Lightening attribute: 100%. Metal attribute: 100%. Earth attribute: 0%. Wind attribute: 100%. Spatial attribute: 100%. Darkness attribute: 90%. Nature attribute: 0%. Blood attribute: 100%. Water attribute: 70%. Poison attribute: 100%. Light attribute: 0%. Time attribute: Invalid... Cain stared at the stream of information with confusion. ''System, are these stats good or bad?'' For the first time since Cain hade in contact with the system, he didn''t receive a response to his question. ''System?'' {Replying to host: The system is taking some time to process your results. Please wait a moment...} Cain was a bit shocked by this reply, ''Could it be my results are so awesome, they broke the system?'' Cain could recall that the system had told him that the highest number of elemental affinities possessed by a single human in all the universe was 7. And the benchmark for the level of attunement to be considered an affinity was 30%. So if his eyes weren''t failing him, the number of affinities he possessed was higher. A chime sound suddenly rang out in his mind... {Congrattions to the host... You have unlocked a universal achievement. You possess an elemental affinity for 9 elements, and a perfect elemental affinity for 7}. {+100,000 system points}. {+100 points to all stats...} {Level up!} ¡Á6 {You have acquired the special grade skill, Elemental Body}. {Elemental Body} lvl 1: Consume the essence of the elements you possess more efficiently. umting enough elemental energy will instantly create spells rted to the elements you possess. Requirements to level up: Acquire five spells... Note: This skill is a special skill, and is not recognized as an internal skill. {You have acquired the title, Blessed by Mana...} {Blessed by Mana}: +10 to Magic stat. Passively recover 10MP per second. Cain stared nkly at the details before him, before he broke into a very wide grin. "Well, damn!" Chapter 81: Elemental Body (2) Name: {Cain Lenosi} Level: 30. Strength: 335. Agility: 402. Stamina: 15/218. Vitality: 156. Defense: 197. Control: 16.1. Perception: 15.3. HP: 1,950/15,600. MP: 2,090/14,700. Magic: 447. Ki: 135. Spirit: 188. Resistance: Poison- 10%. Skills: Golden Blood, Mana de, Lightening Edge, de Mastery Lvl. 2, Burst Step, Metal Creation Lvl.2, Golden Severance, Metal Maniption, *Fear, *Bloodthirsty, Blood Regeneration, Azure Burst, Mana Heart, Seal, Hollow Judgement, Devil''s eyes: Eye of irvoyance, Elemental Body. Spells: N/A Titles: Champion of Ashur (locked), Sorcerer''s Mind, Blessed by Mana. Free attribute points: 33. System points 109,270. {Inventory}. {Shop}. *** Cain could feel the power flow into his body like a gushing river. He let out a grunt as his stats were increased by over a hundred points across the board. ''So much power!'' Cain clenched his fist. He could feel the power within his body raging like an inferno. His mind felt as clear as a starlit sky. He stretched out his limbs, causing them to crackle and pop like a bolt oflightning was running through him. With a wave of his hand, his {Devil''s Broken w appeared in the air,.and was quickly brought to the ground by gravity. However, this time, he was ready. With iparable speed, he plucked it from the air midfall. Although the sword was still a bit too heavy, he was able to properly grasp it in his hands. "Grrrrr!" A subtle growl rumbled from his throat as he swung his sword upwards. The force behind the attack was great, but with his high control, not only was he able to properly control the weight, he did so with little effort. SLICE! Nary a sound was heard as the de cleaved through the air. The dark de phased out of reality and appeared once again almost instantaneously. With a slight flick of his wrist, the de was back into its sheath and had disappeared into his inventory. On the domed roof of the gymnasium, a very long but narrow clean cut stretched across its length. If one didn''t look closely, the cut wouldn''t even be noticeable. ''Stronger, faster, and more control...'' Cain''s eyes shone with excitement as he flexed his muscles and examined his body. Suddenly, the voice of the system broke him away from his moment of euphoria... {Congrattions, host... You have acquired such a huge achievement. However, it will do you good to remember that with great power,es great responsibility...} {System Quest}: You have received a mandatory quest from the system. This quest will consist of numerous stages. Stage 1: Kill 10,000 devils and Save 100 humans. Rewards: +100 to all stats. Stage 2: ??? Stage 3: ??? Stage 4: ??? Stage 5: ??? Quest Reward: You will acquire the title, {Pioneer}. Details of the title will be released uponpletion of the quest. Note: Failure toplete this quest in 30 days will result in the death of the host. ''Death?! What on Urbus is a System quest?!'' Cain asked in bewilderment. {Replying to host: It is a special request issued by the system that cannot be refused. Failure toplete it will usually result in heavy consequences...} ''So if I fail toplete the quest within 30 days, I''ll die?'' Cain said as he ruffled his hair in distress. {Replying to host: Affirmative...} ''Guess I''ll just have to do it then... But saving 100 people is going to be a hassle.'' Cain concluded after contemting a bit. He guessed the system quest and what had just urred had some ties to each other. ''On the other hand, looks like I''ve struck gold!'' Cain couldn''t believe all the gains he had just made. ''100,000 system points, as well as a title and a skill. I can now even buy the grade 1 mana shards!'' Cain once again opened the system store and headed straight to the mana shards section. Just as he was about to click on the buy button for the grade 1 mana shard, he was stopped by the system. {It will do the host well to know that there is a limit to the grade of mana shard the host can absorb}. ''What do you mean?'' Cain raised a brow in confusion. {Replying to host: A grade 1 mana shard belongs to an incredibly strong Legendary creature and contains elemental mana of great density and volume. If the host attempts to even touch one, it will lead to instant death. With the strength the host currently possesses, Grades 1 to 5 mana shards will cause instant death to the host if consumed}. Cain paused for a while before he let out an internal roar of rage, ''Why didn''t you tell me this sooner?!'' {Replying to host: That is because the host never asked}. The reply of the system caused a bit of suspicion to well up within his heart, ''Well I didn''t ask now, did I?!'' {Replying to host: For certain reasons, the system has attached a bit of importance to you, so the life of the host is now of a bit more importance. Hence, the host will no longer be charged for being provided with basic-level information...} ''Hmmm...'' The feeling of suspicion only grew stronger, but Cain decided to ignore it and just keep it at the back of his mind. ''I see... So that means I can only use grade 6 and below mana shards, huh?'' ''Okay then. If that''s the case, I''ll go for the highest grade I can get.'' Each grade 6 mana shard had a price of 4,750 system points. And the power it held wasparable to the power of a Deadly grade mutant beast such as the {Devil-eyed White Primate}. As soon as Cain clicked on the grade 6 option, a different tab opened up. This tab was just a list of various elements ranging from elements like fire and water to others like light, darkness, and spatial attribute mana shards. {The system strongly advises the host to focus on his strengths more to maximize his gains}. ''I see... That will be a wise course of action to take.'' Cain nodded his head in affirmation. Cain possessed 100% or perfect affinity in 7 different elements. Namely, fire, lightning, spatial, wind, metal, blood, and poison. He had a 90% affinity in darkness and a 70% in water. As for the earth, nature, and light, he had a staggering 0% affinity for them, which meant he couldn''t use them at all. ''My {Elemental Body} skill enables me to create elemental spells once I''ve gathered enough energy from mana shards. Looking at it like this, I already have a solid foundation with the metal and blood elements. So I''ll go for the ones I don''t have first.'' Even though he had a lot of system points, Cain decided he would use them sparingly. ''I already have a few mana shards at hand let me use those first.'' He pulled out all the mana shards he had in his inventory and began absorbing the mana stored within. A few minutester, he hadpletely used up all the mana shards he had on him. A system prompt came up as soon as he was done. ELEMENTAL BODY PROGRESS Spatial: 25% Darkness: 7% Wind: 34% Fire: 28% Lightning: 35% Poison: 75% Cain did a few mental calctions and realized that he would need seventeen grade 6 mana shards to raise all his elements to 100% or more. That mean he was going to spend 80,750 system points at once. Although it stung a bit, he decided to go ahead with his n. He opened up the system store and made his purchase. {3 spatial, 4 darkness, 3 fire, 3 wind, 3 lightning, and 1 poison mana shards. Does the host wish to go ahead with this purchase?} ''Yes!'' {Request processing...} {Purchase Confirmed...} Cain opened his inventory and was greeted with the sight of the lustrous gems sitting there in all their splendor. He quickly retrieved them. The grade 6 mana shards were heavier and had more luster than the lower-grade ones. Without even wasting a breath, Cain began absorbing the mana stored within them. It took him longer to absorb the grade 6 mana shards, but after a while, he was finally done. As soon as thest mana shard shattered within his hands, he received a system prompt. {You have achieved a perfect elemental body... You have acquired the following elemental spells}. {You have acquired the spell, Fireball}. {You have acquired the spell, Blink}. {You have acquired the spell, Air Whip}. {You have acquired the spell, Dark Cloak}. {You have acquired the spell, Blue Lightning}. You have acquired the spell, Poison Blood}. {Your skill, Elemental Body, has leveled up!}. {Elemental Body} lvl 2: Consume the essence of the elements you possess more efficiently. umting enough elemental energy will instantly create spells rted to the elements you possess. Requirements to level up: Evolve the 5 spells you have acquired... {Fireball}: Create a concentrated ball of mes to incinerate your enemies. Each fireball deals pure magic damage equivalent to the host''s magic stats. A maximum of 3 fireballs can be created per second, and a maximum of 9 can be stacked up. Cost: 100MP per fireball. {Blink}: Move through the fabrics of space and time, instantaneously appearing at your target location without any obstructions. This skill covers a range of 1000 meters in a circr radius around the host, can only be used once every 5 minutes, and has a cooldown of 1 minute Cost: 300MP per use. {Air Whip}: Create numerous congealed whips of air to bind your target and hinder their movements. Each Air Whip can reduce the enemy''s movement speed by 2%. This skill can stack, and a total of 10 whips can be created at one once. Each Air Whip will dissociate 10 seconds after they are created. Cost: 20MP for every air whip created. {Dark Cloak}: Conceal your movements and hide within a nket of darkness, evading the senses of your foes. Reduces the perception of enemies towards you by 40%. This skill can be used on allies as well, has a duration of 5 minutes, and a cooldown of 10 minutes. Cost: 500MP peruse. {Blue Lightning}: Summon a bolt of judgment from the heavens to decimate your enemy, turning them to dust. This is a single-target skill and will deal 4 times your magic stat as pure magic damage to the enemy. It requires two minutes of charging before it can be activated. Can be used three times a day, and requires at least, a 1-second break between each {Blue Lightning} bolt. Cost: 1000MP per activation. {Poison Blood} (passive): The power of poison has spread into the host, and has be one with your flesh, granting you immunity to most poisons Poison resistance is increased by 70%. The host''s blood also contains a very strong naturally formed poison that will instantly corrode anything external ites in contact with, destroying it after some time. The strength of this poison is proportional to the percentage of poison resistance the host possesses. Note: The cooldown of all skills and spells of the host are reduced by 50% due to the effects of the physique skill, {Mana Heart}... Cain turned speechless for a few seconds... ''That easy? Chapter 82: Opening the Records of Akasha once again. "That easy?" Cain had to admit that hell never expected it to be so easy to gain so much in so little time. ''Well, I have to admit that all this wouldn''t even be possible without a bit of luck and fate tugging at the strings.'' The way the system worked was very simple, yetplex. You could only get what you sought, nothing more. What this meant, was that if everyone had a system, no two persons could seek the same thing at the same time, in the same order... This would give rise to an infinite number of possible oues. Cain was sure there were some things he waspletely unaware of that the others might have already figured out. For example, the fact that the only person that could summon creatures was Hunter was a very good way to show this theory. Sure, he could ask the system to provide him with information on how to create summons, but that time had already passed, as he was already on his path, and trying to follow another''s would be the epitome of foolishness. Plus, he wasn''t interested... Cain stared nkly into free space for some time. Now that he hadpleted his preparations, he was suddenly left with the rest of the day free to do whatever he wanted. He would have loved to go outside and test his skills on the mutant creatures, but now wasn''t the time for that. Right now, he was going to do something he had been putting off for a while. Opening the Records of Akasha once again... Thest time he had opened it, he had been in-between life and death. He had also acquired his {Mana Heart} skill. Only a few busy hours had passed since that time, so only now, when he had a bit of free time could he settle down and go through its contents. The first few pages he had gone through contained only a brief description of the major contents of the book. Its contents included detailed information that the system couldn''t provide him. Although he had gone through the introductory part, he had not gotten into the details of the book. The book was very thick and its contents were bulky and written in small print. It was written in a strange unfamiliarnguage that he was somehow able to understand perfectly. The book contained graphic images and all sorts of diagrams, showing and exining subjects on runecraft, equipment makers as well as the basics and genesis of skills and spellcraft. There was also information on basic strange and foreign herbs and nts, stating the various uses and applications of these nts for potion crafting. The initial pages he had read only contained a rundown summary of all these things, but he had yet to get into the details. Now that he had the time, he quickly opened the book once again. He opened his status screen and located his inventory in one smooth motion. There, floating between the contents of his inventory, was the ancient piece of literature. Retrieving it from his inventory, he ran his fingers across the old, yet quality leather material. Opening it, the words, "THAT WHICH YOU SEEK, LAYS WITHIN..." written in fancy bold print with blood-like substance. Quickly opening the book, Cain flipped through its yellowing pages, right to thest page he had stopped at. The page was the beginning of a chapter that introduced the basic nature of mana, as well as its properties and the various forms it could take in nature. "Mana can exist in various forms or states in the universe. It can exist as a solid, liquid, gas, or sma. The possible and impossible are all achieved with the power of magic, which is the direct or indirect application of mana onto the physical world." " Mana can exist in various forms or states in the universe. It can exist as a solid, liquid, gas, or sma. The possible and impossible are all achieved with the power of magic, which is the direct or indirect application of mana onto the physical world." "The universe is divided into two main parts that are superimposed upon one another. The Physical or material ne, and the spiritual or information ne." Cain furrowed his brows a bit when he read this, ''Spiritual ne? That''s new...'' Completely engrossed, he continued reading, "The truest representation of mana only exists in the spiritual world, and the only way it can exist in the physical world is if it has an anchor to rely on. This is the basis on which all spells, skills, and runes are created upon." "An anchor is any substance, material or not, that reads the information in the spiritual ne, and directly converts it to an entity that exists within the material ne. Anchors are important because they are the only way in which the physical and spiritual nes can interact with one another. "Within the spiritual ne, mana exists as an ever-flowing river that contains all the base information that the physical ne is built upon. The physical ne is a mirror image of the spiritual world and will be influenced by every change that happens in the spiritual ne. Due to this nature, mana, which is the mainponent of the spiritual ne, is a mysterious, yet wonderful element of creation. It was through this rtionship, that the Nomad, the creator of this cosmos, built the physical ne." "As such, for every change that urs within the spiritual ne, such a change urs within the mana in physical as well. However, due to the nature of mana, it can only be controlled in the spiritual ne. Within anchor as the controller, the mana within the spiritual realm is controlled, which will lead to a corresponding change in the physical realm." As such, for every change that urs within the spiritual ne, such a change urs within the mana in physical as well. However, due to the nature of mana, it can only be controlled in the spiritual ne. Within anchor as the controller, the mana within the spiritual realm is controlled, which will lead to a corresponding change in the physical realm." "There are many anchors within the physical and spiritual nes, but the mostmon and notable one is that which was created by the Nomad itself. The system..." "The system was created to oversee and govern all the changes that ur in both the spiritual and physical realms. It can influence and create changes ording to the intents and purposes of the Nomad. The only anchor that is asmon and notable as the system, is the soul. All living creatures possessed souls, and those souls could be turned into anchors as well if and only if they happen to interact with mana. If not, they will not possess the attributes of an anchor." "Other examples of anchors include runes, arrays, magic circles, summoning circles, mana shards and cores, devil orbs, and of course, the sacred mes of celestial beings. All these will be addressed in due time..." Cain waspletely engrossed with his reading. The Records of Akasha contained so much vital and detailed information that waspletely unexpected to him. He waspletely amazed at the nature of the world he lived in. Before he knew it, he had his nose buried within its pages for hours... *** "Within the spiritual realm, mana exists as an ever-flowing river. It constantly changes its form and is never stable. It is vtile, and can only be tamed by a profound and durable vessel. This nature of mana is one of its properties that leads to it possessing so many forms within the physical ne." "The most abundant form of mana is elemental mana, which is present everywhere in the universe and is the building block of all matter. For matter to be created, numerous forms of elemental mana had to bebined to create special forms of mana called Paraelementals." "Some verymon forms of paraelementals would be molten magma and ice. Molten magma is a paraelemental that is created with the interaction of the earth and firebase elements. As for Ice, it is a paraelemental that is created from the interaction between the water and air base elements. It is aplex science that contains infinitebinations." "Paraelementals are the basic building blocks of matter, and can even exist as spells. Paraelementals can only be created by beings with enough affinity with the elements involved. To possess this affinity, quality, and quantity of mana avable, as well as sensitivity to mana are major factors involved." "There are many ways to increase sensitivity to mana, but the best and mostmon way of sensing mana is simply meditation. By extending your senses out of your body alongside your internal mana as a vessel, you can interact with the mana in the atmosphere as well as the spiritual realm." There are many ways to increase sensitivity to mana, but the best and mostmon way of sensing mana is simply meditation. By extending your senses out of your body alongside your internal mana as a vessel, you can interact with the mana in the atmosphere as well as the spiritual realm." "There are many other methods to increase mana sensitivity special treasures or mysterious encounters, but the more standard method is finding a way to let your senses expand to your surroundings, alongside mana. It is a process that consumes a lot of MP, and also brings great strain onto the mind." "Only those with exceptionally powerful soul strength and an affinity for sensing mana can do this. However, these are not the only conditions that are necessary for sensing mana. One also needs diligence as well as the ability to bear great mental pressure." While Cain was engrossed in his book, time continued to flow in its natural direction. Sitting on top of the roof of the gymnasium, was Vincent. With his size, one would question how he possessed the ability to scale a building of such height Regardless, he had somehow managed to do so without difficulty, well, ''much'' difficulty... Vincent stood on the top of the building gazing into the distant forest. He had one hand scratching his ass, and another curved around his eyes like a scope. Bouncing within his eyes were runes shaped like crosshairs, with an even bigger rune in ce of his iris. His eyes glowed a profound deep ocean-blue color as gazed out into the distance. "Damn! There are so many of those things!" The forest, which once was just a normal forest consisting of numerous normal trees and foge with all sorts of wild creatures and insects called it home. Now, it had turned into a living nightmare, quite literally in fact... Numerous ntlike entities had appeared within it. "System, what the hell are those things?" The fatty said into thin air. He waited in silence for a while, only for his eyes to widen in shock only a few momentster. "What?! This is bad, like really bad! How the hell are we going to defeat a creature so big?" The brows of the fatty wrinkle up in worry. From where he was, he was able to see with great rity just how many of those weird nt structures were within the forest. "I just hope Cain has a good n. Sure, with my abilities, I can see myself escaping from potential danger, but there is no way in hell I would be able to get out of here in one piece." Vincent felt a chill run up his back as he saw the grotesque structures attack, defeat, andpletely consume a huge mutant beast in a matter of seconds. Just as he was about to shift his line of focus elsewhere, his eyes caught sight of something bizarre. He stood on the spot, transfixed for a while before he blurted out, "What the hell?!" Chapter 83: Rescuers (1). "So that''s how it works?" Cain let out a sigh as he closed the book he held in his hands. The Records of Akasha disappeared into his inventory the next second. He ced his fingers on his temple and gently massaged them to try to tame his headache. He realized that he knew next to nothing about the nature of the changes that had fallen upon this world. "Who knew things weren''t so simple? The spiritual and material nes? Anchors? This is a lot to digest." ''ording to the Records of Akasha, mana exists in different forms, but that isn''t even the main issue.'' Cain''s eyes narrowed into slits as he fell into deep contemtion, ''The devil in the bloody detail... Humanity has beenpletely unaware that there are two freaking mirror dimensions existing at the same time as opposed to the general concept of there being just one.'' ''If what I read is even a little bit urate, then things are gettingplicated fast!'' Cain found it hard to believe that there was actually another world, or for ack of better words, dimension, that existed together with the physical world he could interact with. ''ording to this tome, although mana exists in both realms of reality, it cannot be controlled through physical means. It can only be controlled from the spiritual world through the use of an anchor. These anchors will manipte the natural flow of mana within the spiritual realm, which will cause a corresponding of the mana in the physical ne. Truly marvelous!'' Cain''s eyes sparkled with the impromptu gift of wisdom, ''And the reason why we humans and every other creature that exists can use mana is that we have a natural anchor, the Soul!'' Cain could only widen his eyes in awe... ''Now that I know that''s how it works, this changes a whole lot of things. The nature of mana and the methods to control it, all lie in deciphering the secrets behind the use of arcane anchors.'' Cain''s entire body shook with excitement as he came to this conclusion. There''s also the system... ording to the Records of Akasha, the system is one of the mostmon anchors in existence. If this was the case, then it was something he had to address at once. ''System, I need to know all there is to know about arcane anchors that I don''t know already.'' {Replying to host: There isn''t a lot more information avable for the host on arcane anchors. The only piece of information the host is currentlycking is the nature of advanced arcane anchors. Runes, such as the {Mark of Bestial Strength}, and magic equipment, such as the {Devil''s Broken w} are all arcane anchors. Mana shards are arcane anchors as well, but they are a bit moreplicated than just being arcane anchors...} Cain waited for a few more seconds for the system to carry on, but even after waiting for ten seconds, he got no response. ''That''s all?'' {Replying to host: The host currently possesses all basic information avable on arcane anchors. To know more about this, the host will need to enter into the first tier, and pass level 50}. ''So I can''t know any more for now? Why is that?'' {Replying to host: The system is an arcane anchor, but just like every arcane anchor, it follows a certain set of rules that cannot be broken. Although the system is more flexible than other anchors, this is a defining principle of anchors}. {Mana is a very broad subject that the tiny mind of the host will not be able to fully grasp with the level of power the host currently possesses. If the wants to know more, then the only way for this to happen is for the host to be stronger}. Although Cain felt a bit insulted by the unnecessary jab by the system, he wasn''t bothered by it. Instead, the fires ofpetition burned fiercely within them. He had always been a lover of books. So when such an enigmatic piece of literature that had never appeared in the history books of the presented itself to him, he weed it with a salivating mouth. And with just two hours of reading, he had gotten so much information that he had no clue about beforehand. Hence, he responded to the system with a wide grin ying at his lips, ''If that''s the case, then I''ll make you spit everything you know very soon!'' *** The darkness within the building wasn''t bad, but it wasn''t really good either. ze and David had searched for a while, but they had yet to discover any other person at all... "I think that should be it. There are no other survivors." ze said in a dry tone as he scanned the darkness of his surroundings with a keen eye. "So there is no one left?! Damn it!" David said as he mmed his hand down hard into a nearby railing, causing it to deform due to the stress upon it. "I think this should have been expected. We knew exactly what we were doing when we made that choice. If we had stayed back with the rest of them, we would have died as well." ze said in a bid tofort David. "We could also have convinced them. Nothing was stopping us from trying harder." David said dejectedly with a sigh. "The past is in the past, there is nothing we can do about it now. Besides, I think if they had survived up until now, escaping from this ce would be a lot harder." ze said with a stoic expression on his face. Meanwhile, a few meters under the gymnasium building, a group of twenty people sat in a safe room. This room surprisingly had electricity, as a light bulb cast its dim illumination onto the morbid faces of the room''s upants. Although none of them had obvious injuries at first nce, it was obvious to anyone who looked upon them that they were tired of living in their current conditions. Their eyes were listless, and their skins were all fifty shades of pale. Within this group of hopeless individuals, a few of them seemed to stand out. These individuals had more rosyplexions, and stood on their feet, rather than the alternative. And they numbered only four out of the group of twenty. Two males, and two females... "Li, we can''t stay here anymore!" One of the males said to the other, his eyes screaming with frustration. He was a bit bulkier than the other male he was addressing, and on his back, was a saber with a wide de and golden symbols swimming across its surface. He had very handsome features that were even more pronounced by his heroic gaze and broad shoulders. Although he had a manly build, he was just a 17-year-old boy. The other dude was of the same age as him, but he looked a bit more normal. His eyes seemed to sparkle with intelligence, and despite not being as brawny as his friend, he still had a toned physique. In his hands, he wore a set of light green gloves that seemed to emanate an aura that bent the space around them. He was silent for a while before he turned to his side to face the man who had just addressed him. "You are right. We''ve been here for three days already. I believe it''s high time we made some movement. However, you know exactly how dangerous it is up there. None of these people will be able to survive for even a second. Regardless of how strong we are, we only have enough power to protect ourselves right now." Li said in a light, airy voice. "I know that, but if we-" Stan wanted to say something, but was cut short by Li. Li looked deep into his eyes as he spoke, "Stan, we have only three options right now. The first option is asking for death by trying to escort so many people through that forest of death. The second will be to just abandon them here and leave. This is our safest option..." "We can''t do that!" Stan said in a yelling whisper. With a roll of his eyes, Li continued, "But I know you won''t even consider this, so that''s why we have a third. Continuing as we have been for the past three days. Although it is a bit more bothersome than either of the previous two, it still guarantees that the lives of everyone here will be preserved unless something drastic happens." Stan knew that Li was right, which caused him to be even more dejected. "So if we want everyone to live, the best was us to just stay as we have been?" "Yes. There is a fourth option of having someonee to rescue us, but that is extremely unlikely. For all we know, everyone out there is as good as dead. Especially with those explosions that happened not long ago." "Li, Stan, time to go." One of the girls who looked like they still had life within them spoke to Li and Stan. She had a ferocious expression on her extraordinarily beautiful face that didn''t seem to be able to stop frowning. She was also as t as an ironing board, In her hands, was a fiery red magic staff with a gem so shiny on top of it, it looked like she carried a burning star. "Come on, Sue. Don''t be such a pain..." Li looked at her and said in the most annoying tone he could muster. "Huh?! Do you want a fight?!" Sue raised an eyebrow as she pointed her magic staff at him without any hesitation. "Tsk... Look at you, always resorting to violence as soon as you have a bit of power. What happened to my cute little sister? Buhu..." Li said, sarcasm dripping from his words. "Die!" Sue said frostily, the gem on her staff began shining brighter. "Ha... I find it hard to believe that you guys are siblings..." The other girl who still looked like she had life in her body said with a sigh. "He started it, sister Jenny!" Sue said with a pout while pointing an usatory finger at Li. "I know, I know... " Jenny said with a smile as she stroked her head. She turned to Li with a tired expression, to which he responded with a silent shrug. "Can''t you guys just get along?" "No!" "Never!" Jenny was a year older than Stan and Li and was the de facto leader of their small group of four. She had a pitch ck sniper rifle with beautiful purple runes engraved unto its surface slung across her back. Unlike Sue, she had a devilishly sexy body that was capable of inciting lust in any man. The curves of her body seemed to be capable of bringing out the demon within any man''s heart, causing his to fall to sin instantaneously. But Stan and Li didn''t look at her with any signs of lust in their gaze. Instead, there was only warmth and respect every time they looked at her. However, despite having such a body, the expression she wore on her face could only be described as pure and valiant beauty, without any signs of immortality or imperfections. "You guys never get along do you," Stan said while massaging his temple. "Hmph! I''m not going to bother with this imbecile of a brother. Come on, sister Jenny." Sue said as he grabbed a hold of Jenny''s hand and tried to pull her away from the boys. "Hold up a minute, tiny. We aren''t done talking." Li said. Ignoring the fuming Sue, Li turned to Jenny and said in a serious voice, " We need to leave this ce." "I know... But for now, until we find a way to do so while protecting all these people simultaneously, we can''t just leave." Jenny said seriously. "You should know how dangerous things are out there, Jenny. Unless a miracle urs, I don''t think we will have the power to take care of all these people. They are barely clinging unto life right now." Li said as he pointed at all the people sitting and lying all over the ce. Their eyes were filled with fear, and their postures screamed of insecurity. Jenny had a conflicted expression just for a second before it disappeared almost as though it hadn''t been there in the first ce. "Right now, we have only two goals. Protecting them and getting stronger. The faster we get stronger, the better we will be able to protect all these people. We might also be able to leave very soon." Li stared at her in silence for a while before letting out a sigh. "You never change, do you?" Li said wistfully. Jenny just responded with a sad smile and a sigh that caused a ripple to spread across her abundant chest... Noticing the gloomy air, Stan suddenly blurted out, "Enough of all that! We have better things to do than to wallow here. Let''s go!" Stan said in a loud voice. "Stop yelling, you buffon! We know that already." Seu said with an annoyed frown. "Hahaha! That''s the spirit!" Bursting intoughter, Li gave the embarrassed Stan a thumbs up. Jenny watched all this y out with aplicated expression on her face... ''Please, please keep us all safe...'' Chapter 84: Rescuers (1). (Deleted) "So that''s how it works?" Cain let out a sigh as he closed the book he held in his hands. The Records of Akasha disappeared into his inventory the next second. He ced his fingers on his temple and gently massaged them to try to tame his headache. He realized that he knew next to nothing about the nature of the changes that had fallen upon this world. "Who knew things weren''t so simple? The spiritual and material nes? This is a lot to digest." ''ording to the Records of Akasha, mana exists in different forms, but that isn''t even the main issue.'' Cain''s eyes narrowed into slits as he fell into deep contemtion, ''The devil in the bloody details, is that we have all been unaware that there are two freaking mirror dimensions existing at the same time as opposed to there being a single one.'' ''If what I read is even a little bit urate, then things are gettingplicated fast!'' Cain found it hard to believe that there was actually another world, or for ack of better words, dimension, that existed together with the physical world he could interact with. ''ording to this tome, although mana exists in both realms of reality, it cannot be controlled through physical means. It can only be controlled from the spiritual world through the use of an anchor. These anchors will manipte the natural flow of mana within the spiritual realm, which will cause a corresponding of the mana in the physical ne. Truly marvelous!'' Cain''s eyes sparkled with the impromptu gift of wisdom, ''And the reason why we humans and every other creature that exists can use mana is that we have a natural anchor, the Soul!'' Cain could only widen his eyes in awe... ''Now that I know that''s how it works, this changes a whole lot of things. The nature of mana and the methods to control it, all lie in deciphering the secrets behind the use of arcane anchors.'' Cain''s entire body shook with excitement as he came to this conclusion. There''s also the system... ording to the Records of Akasha, the system is one of the mostmon anchors in existence. If this was the case, then it was something he had to address at once. ''System, I need to know all there is to know about arcane anchors that I don''t know already.'' {Replying to host: There isn''t a lot more information avable for the host on arcane anchors. The only piece of information the host is currentlycking is the nature of advanced arcane anchors. Runes, such as the {Mark of Bestial Strength}, and magic equipment, such as the {Devil''s Broken w} are all arcane anchors. Mana shards are arcane anchors as well, but they are a bit moreplicated than just being arcane anchors...} Cain waited for a few more seconds for the system to carry on, but even after waiting for ten seconds, he got no response. ''That''s all?'' {Replying to host: The host currently possesses all basic information avable on arcane anchors. To know more about this, the host will need to enter into the first tier, and pass level 50}. ''So I can''t know any more for now? Why is that?'' {Replying to host: The system is an arcane anchor, but just like every arcane anchor, it follows a certain set of rules that cannot be broken. Although the system is more flexible than other anchors, this is a defining principle of anchors}. {Mana is a very broad subject that the tiny mind of the host will not be able to fully grasp with the level of power the host currently possesses. If the wants to know more, then the only way for this to happen is for the host to be stronger}. Although Cain felt a bit insulted by the unnecessary jab by the system, he wasn''t bothered by it. Instead, the fires ofpetition burned fiercely within them. He had always been a lover of books. So when such an enigmatic piece of literature that had never appeared in the history books of the presented itself to him, he weed it with a salivating mouth. And with just two hours of reading, he had gotten so much information that he had no clue about beforehand. Hence, he responded to the system with a wide grin ying at his lips, ''If that''s the case, then I''ll make you spit everything you know very soon!'' *** The darkness within the building wasn''t bad, but it wasn''t really good either. ze and David had searched for a while, but they had yet to discover any other person at all... "I think that should be it. There are no other survivors." ze said in a dry tone as he scanned the darkness of his surroundings with a keen eye. "So there is no one left?! Damn it!" David said as he mmed his hand down hard into a nearby railing, causing it to deform due to the stress upon it. "I think this should have been expected. We knew exactly what we were doing when we made that choice. If we had stayed back with the rest of them, we would have died as well." ze said in a bid tofort David. "We could also have convinced them. Nothing was stopping us from trying harder." David said dejectedly with a sigh. "The past is in the past, there is nothing we can do about it now. Besides, I think if they had survived up until now, escaping from this ce would be a lot harder." ze said with a stoic expression on his face. Meanwhile, a few meters under the gymnasium building, a group of twenty people sat in a safe room. This room surprisingly had electricity, as a light bulb cast its dim illumination onto the morbid faces of the room''s upants. Although none of them had obvious injuries at first nce, it was obvious to anyone who looked upon them that they were tired of living in their current conditions. Their eyes were listless, and their skins were all fifty shades of pale. Within this group of hopeless individuals, a few of them seemed to stand out. These individuals had more rosyplexions, and stood on their feet, rather than the alternative. And they numbered only four out of the group of twenty. Two males, and two females... "Li, we can''t stay here anymore!" One of the males said to the other, his eyes screaming with frustration. He was a bit bulkier than the other male he was addressing, and on his back, was a saber with a wide de and golden symbols swimming across its surface. He had very handsome features that were even more pronounced by his heroic gaze and broad shoulders. Although he had a manly build, he was just a 17-year-old boy. The other dude was of the same age as him, but he looked a bit more normal. His eyes seemed to sparkle with intelligence, and despite not being as brawny as his friend, he still had a toned physique. In his hands, he wore a set of light green gloves that seemed to emanate an aura that bent the space around them. He was silent for a while before he turned to his side to face the man who had just addressed him. "You are right. We''ve been here for 3 days already. I believe it''s high time we made some movement. However, you know exactly how dangerous it is up there. None of these people will be able to survive for even a second. Regardless of how strong we are, we only have enough power to protect ourselves right now." Li said in a light, airy voice. "I know that, but if we-" Stan wanted to say something, but was cut short by Li. Li looked deep into his eyes as he spoke, "Stan, we have only three options right now. The first option is asking for death by trying to escort so many people through that forest of death. The second will be to just abandon them here and leave. This is our safest option..." "We can''t do that!" Stan said in a yelling whisper. With a roll of his eyes, Li continued, "But I know you won''t even consider this, so that''s why we have a third. Continuing as we have been for the past three days. Although it is a bit more bothersome than either of the previous two, it still guarantees the lives of everyone here will be preserved unless something drastic happens." Stan knew that Li was right, which caused him to be even more dejected. "So if we want everyone to live, the best was us to just stay as we have been?" "Yes. There is a fourth option of having someonee to rescue us, but that is extremely unlikely. For all we know, everyone out there is as good as dead. Especially with those explosions that happened not long ago." "Li, Stan, time to go." One of the girls who looked like they still had life within them spoke to Li and Stan. She had a ferocious expression on her extraordinarily beautiful face that didn''t seem to be able to stop frowning. She was also as t as an ironing board, In her hands, was a fiery red magic staff with a gem so shiny on top of it, it looked like she carried a burning star. "Come on, Sue. Don''t be such a pain..." Li looked at her and said in the most annoying tone he could muster. "Huh?! Do you want a fight?!" Sue raised an eyebrow as she pointed her magic staff at him without any hesitation. "Tsk... Look at you, always resorting to violence as soon as you have a bit of power. What happened to my cute little sister? Buhu..." Li said, sarcasm dripping from his words. "Die!" Sue said frostily, the gem on her staff began shining brighter. "Ha... I find it hard to believe that you guys are siblings..." The other girl who still looked like she had life in her body said with a sigh. "He started it, sister Jenny!" Sue said with a pout while pointing an usatory finger at Li. "I know, I know... " Jenny said with a smile as she stroked her head. She turned to Li with a tired expression, to which he responded with a silent shrug. "Can''t you guys just get along?" "No!" "Never!" Jenny was a year older than Stan and Li and was the de facto leader of their small group of four. She had a pitch ck sniper rifle with beautiful purple runes engraved unto its surface slung across her back. Unlike Sue, she had a devilishly sexy body that was capable of inciting lust in any man. The curves of her body seemed to be capable of bringing out the demon within any man''s heart, causing his to fall to sin instantaneously. But Stan and Li didn''t look at her with any signs of lust in their gaze. Instead, there was only warmth and respect every time they looked at her. However, despite having such a body, the expression she wore on her face could only be described as pure and valiant beauty, without any signs of immortality or imperfections. "You guys never get along do you," Stan said while massaging his temple. "Hmph! I''m not going to bother with this imbecile of a brother. Come on, sister Jenny." Sue said as he grabbed a hold of Jenny''s hand and tried to pull her away from the boys. "Hold up a minute, tiny. We aren''t done talking." Li said. Ignoring the fuming Sue, Li turned to Jenny and said in a serious voice, " We need to leave this ce." "I know... But for now, until we find a way to do so while protecting all these people simultaneously, we can''t just leave." Jenny said seriously. "You should know how dangerous things are out there, Jenny. Unless a miracle urs, I don''t think we will have the power to take care of all these people. They are barely clinging unto life right now." Li said as he pointed at all the people sitting and lying all over the ce. Their eyes were filled with fear, and their postures screamed of insecurity. Jenny had a conflicted expression just for a second before it disappeared almost as though it hadn''t been there in the first ce. "Right now, we have only two goals. Protecting them and getting stronger. The faster we get stronger, the better we will be able to protect all these people. We might also be able to leave very soon." Li stared at her in silence for a while before letting out a sigh. "You never change, do you?" Li said wistfully. Jenny just responded with a sad smile and a sigh that caused a ripple to spread across her abundant chest... Noticing the gloomy air, Stan suddenly blurted out, "Enough of all that! We have better things to do than to wallow here. Let''s go!" Stan said in a loud voice. "Stop yelling, you buffon! We know that already." Seu said with an annoyed frown. "Hahaha! That''s the spirit!" Bursting intoughter, Li gave the embarrassed Stan a thumbs up. Jenny watched all this y out with aplicated expression on her face... ''Please, please keep us all safe...'' Chapter 85: Rescuers (2). "You guys are leaving again?!" One of the people, a woman, sitting on the ground said to Jenny as they walked towards the door of the room. This room is an underground safe room that for some unknown reason, exists beneath the gymnasium. When the apocalypse happened, the people in the gymnasium were one of the first that were attacked by the devils that fell from the sky. To avoid getting killed, Jenny, who for some reason or the other, was able to locate this hidden room, managed to rescue a majority of the people who were within the gymnasium at the time the chaos began alongside Li, Sue, and Stan. Li and Sue were siblings who had been close family friends with Jenny since they were kids. Stan, on the other hand, had been Li''s best friend since they were little, so they were all very familiar with each other. "Yes, we are." The woman let out a sigh, "You all should be careful out there. I''m sorry for having you kids go through all this to protect us." The woman lowered her head in gratitude. "You don''t need to thank us. We are doing this of our own will." Stan said firmly. The woman was just like the rest of the people, with near-lifeless eyes, and a dirty appearance. Unlike Jenny and the others, who despite not having taken proper care of their hygiene still looked clean, except for their torn and bloodied clothes, the rest of the people were in terrible condition. Li had a hard frown on his face, looking at the people around. ''System, is there any way for them to be able to receive power?'' The crisp monotone voice of the system replied promptly... {Replying to host: As long theyck a system interface, the only way for them to acquire power is by relying on external means. Unfortunately, most of them might have inadequately powerful souls, or mightck the willpower to bear the power of that magnitude}. Since everyone had a system, it was only natural that Li would be able to converse with him just like Cain. However, due to a certain magical code within the system created by the Nomad, the system will evolve itself based on the nature of its host''s thoughts and inquiries... ''Hmmm... Guess there''s truly nothing we can do now.'' "Alright! Everyone, pay attention!" Sue said in an authoritative tone to the people sitting all around the safe room. The sixteen of them immediately answered, slowly dragging themselves to their feet. "Are we going to get more food this time? We are starving." One of the people said, his voice dripping with tiredness and despair. "Can we please go outside?! We''ve been locked in here for three days straight. I want to see my kids!" One of the women said, her voice cracking up at the end of her sentence. Another woman just broke down in tearspletely, "It''s over! I saw them tear Charles apart! He was all I had! Now he''s gone" she said as she buried her face in her hands sobbing. Stan, Jenny, Li, and Sue all looked at one another with conflicted gloomy expressions. "I can promise you all that as long as you remain inside here, you will be safe. Just endure for a few more days." Jenny said in a bid to try calming them down. "Do you think the government wille to save us soon? What were those explosions that happenedst night? There are so many things that are happening that we have no clue about!" Another one of the men said with uncertainty. "Listen up!" Li yelled out allot a sudden, causing them all to fall silent. Seeing this, he cleared his throat and continued, "Worrying isn''t going to solve anything. As long as you do as we say, we can guarantee your lives and survival. Anything otherwise, you all will be torn apart by those creatures." his eyes narrowing dangerously towards the end of his sentence. Hearing what he had to say, they all fell silent, their eyes filled with dread and fear. "Li..." Stan said, a difficult expression on his face. "Let''s go... We are burning daylight." Li said as he walked towards the door. The door was shaped like a normal door, but it was made from a very strong metal alloy. It also needed a special key to be unlocked. The most interesting part about it was that it blended inpletely with the surrounding walls, so those who had no idea a door was there wouldn''t notice it. Somehow, Jenny had possession of the keys to the room and still could spot the door easily. Jenny stepped forward and ced the key into the lock. Without wasting a breath, she twisted... *** "There''s nothing else down here. Let''s go." David said as he walked back towards the main area of the gymnasium where the other were located. "Sure..." ze responded. Just as they both were about to leave, they heard a sound... CLICK! David and ze froze for a split second, before acting with blinding speed. ze retrieved his spear from his inventory with the speed of sound and got into a thrusting position the rest moment. A bright orange me ignited and burned fiercely around his weapon and body as well. David did the same and summoned his silver shield that had a red cross at its center. The cross glowed a bright crimson as a red barrier spread out from it to cover both himself and ze. "What the hell was that?!" ze turned to David and eximed loudly. "Hm?!'' The only reply he got, was a short exmation of confusion from David. He looked at David who looked shell-shocked. "What''s the matter? You look like you''ve seen a ghost." ze said with a raised brow. "Boo?" ze was nearly scared out of his skin when he heard an unfamiliar voice answer him. In a panic, the mes surrounding him burned even brighter, as he swung his spear in the direction of the sound without even looking. BANG! Stan, who had been paying close attention immediately drew the wide saber that hung at his back and parried the blow instantly. "What the hell?! Do you wanna kill us?!" Stan yelled out in indignation. However, ze waspletely out of it when he noticed that the, or ones who had replied to him just now weren''t ghosts, but living, breathing human beings... ''Since I''m not in a battle mode right now, I should probably be using this technique to absorb Ki right now.'' With that thought in mind, Cain quickly gotfortable and activated the technique. Since he didn''t need to do anything special to use the technique apart from not being engaged in battle, he could still do other things as the technique was being used. Strands of near-invincible Ki streamed into his body in small amounts once the skill was activated. ''Damn! This skill is something! Although the skill enabled him to only absorb a small amount of Ki every hour, it was still almost as much as the total amount of Ki he had. The skill also absorbed some of his mana and stamina every minute, so it couldn''t be sustained for too long. At most, he could use it for about two hours before he would be forced to deactivate it and recover. ''Using the {Heavy Armor} with this technique would be even more exhausting.'' As Cain contemted all these things whilst he continued to absorb Ki, he heard a loud noise, followed by a scream. Without even giving himself time to process things, He stood up with a bang and rushed over to the origin of the noise. Thanks to his high perception stat, he was able to urately pinpoint the location within seconds. However, even Cain was unprepared for what he saw the next moment... Cain blurted out in confusion, "What the hell?!" Stan, Sue, Li, Jenny, ze, and David all broke out of their momentary confusion and stared at the newly arrived Cain. There was a brief silence thatsted for about two seconds before Cain decided to break the ice. "Can anyone exin to me what is going on?" "I could ask you the same thing," Li said in response, subconsciously balling his fists whilst getting into an attacking position. "Hey, rx... We mean no harm." David stretched his arm out as a means to portray theirck of ill will. "What should we do now, Jenny?" Stan said, his weapon still drawn, as he faced ze with burning eyes. ze was no less intense as he refused to lower his weapon as well, the tip of his spear still pointing toward them. "ze, lower your weapon," David whispered to ze. "Yeah, you better do as you are told and lower your weapon," Stan said as the golden patterns on the surface began to glow brightly. "And what if I don''t?" ze had no intentions of backing down as he poured mana into his weapon, causing it to light up with mes. Although Cain was confused, he was still able to grasp the situation with perfect rity. Moving forward, he attempted to diffuse the situation, "Hey, can you lower your weapons so we can talk about this?" "Don''te any closer!" Jenny said all of a sudden. With super-fast speed, she pulled the gun hanging on her shoulders into her arms and aimed at Cain in one breath. The purple engravings on the barrel and stock of the gun lit up with a deadly light almost at the same time as her eyes became illuminated with the same shade of purple Cain felt all the hairs on his body stand as his senses began tingling. He stared at the pitch-ck muzzle of a gun pointed at him. Suddenly, everyone around felt the temperature of the surrounding air drop by a few degrees. Those who had juste out of the safe room all felt a shiver run down their spines. What caused this was a terrifying aura being emanated from Cain. "It would do you all a whole lot of good to lower your weapons right now," Cain said in an extremely dark voice. To say he was pissed would be an understatement. One of the things he hated the most was being threatened, and this was most definitely a very clear threat. However, despite all that, Jenny refused to lower her weapon. She stared right into the dark eyes of Cain, who looked so calm, yet emanated the aura of a volcano that was on the verge of eruption. In a calm, almost provocative voice, she fired back, "And what if we don''t?" Almost as soon as she finished her sentence, the already dark environment became even darker. In a split second, the {Devil''s Broken w} appeared in his hands. The eye on its hilt opened up, as a menacingly dark aura poured out from its surface. "Then you might end up dying." Chapter 86: Rescuers (3). "Then you might end up dying." Li''s pupils contracted as he felt a heavy and dark aura ram into him like a bullet train. The aura extended from the de of the young man who stood before him holding onto a very long pitch-ck de with an evil-looking eye on its hilt that seemed to be alive. ''What the hell is with this dude?!'' Li felt extremely wary of him as soon he had set his eyes on Cain. His intuition told him that what appeared before him couldn''t be a regr human. Jenny on the other hand stared straight at Cain without budging. She kept her rifle pointed straight at Cain without moving, determined to keep her pride. She knew that whoever put their weapons down first would be at a disadvantage. Hence, she even activated a skill that reduced her opponents'' reaction speed and movement speed. When she had seen the first two men, she wasn''t bothered by them at all but as soon as she set her sights on Cain, a dangerous, almost beastly aura caused her to be subconsciously on her guard. "I think you should be the one to lose your weapon," Jenny said in a calm voice. Despite the danger she felt, she also had faith in her strength. She hadplete confidence as she readied her attack... ''I''ll just prepare a non-lethal attack that will put him out ofmission for a while. It''s not like I n to ki-" "Fine. Death it is..." Suddenly, the aura that was just cold and dark transformed into something even more terrifying. If the previous aura could bepared to a waterfall, this aura was as epassing as an entire ocean. Jenny''s eyes widened in shock as she saw her life sh before her eyes for an instant. She watched as a deep golden aura enveloped the entirety of Cain''s body as he began swinging his sword slowly. The ground beneath him creaked and groaned under the unbearable weight, and the air around him trembled from the pressure. ''W-what is this?!'' Jenny realized toote that she was rendered immobilized by fear. She had a gut feeling, that if the de in her opponent''s handpleted its trajectory, she would certainly lose her life. "STOP!" Although Cain waspletely outraged, he luckily hadn''t lost itpletely. "Anyst word before you go under?" he spat out in a menacing voice. "Fine, we will lower our weapons," Jenny said, her bountiful chests bouncing up and down with every inhale and exhale. Beads of sweat had already begun to form on her forehead as well as she lowered her weapon, pointing the muzzle away from Cain. The rest of them all had pale expressions on their faces as they gazed at Cain as though he was a monster. Even ze and David stared at him, shock and fear flitting across their eyes, as they stared at him. They werepletely in disbelief, as they didn''t expect that he was capable of releasing such a terrifying aura and having such a scary expression on his face. ''Did I overreact?'' Cain quickly reigned his aura in as much as he could when he saw that they had all put their weapons away. There was another brief period of silence before it was broken by Cain once again. With a slightly awkward smile on his face, he spoke up, "Good... Now, can we take it from the top?" *** Standing around in a circle, the members of the two groups couldn''t help but stare at each other in confusion. "Where the hell did you find these guys?!" Steve whispered to Cain who was standing beside him. "Ask those guys..." Cain retorted while staring at ze and David who had a mixture of apprehension and contemtion on their faces. "They look like they''ve seen ghosts! There is no way they are in the right mental state to give me a coherent answer," said Steve, indecisive of which expression he had to put on his face at the moment. Cain just ignored Steve and stared at the group of four who also stared back at them... ''Two males and two females... They also look familiar with one another, so I can tell they must have known one another even before the apocalypse.'' Cain pondered to himself. ''They are certainly not weak either. Earlier...'' When Cain thought about what had happened earlier, he couldn''t help but frown a bit. The main reason why he had reacted like that was because of the sheer amount of pressure he had felt as soon as the muzzle of the gun was pointed at him. It wasn''t fear, but it was something very close, almost like all his danger signals went off instantly. ''That woman isn''t simple...'' Although he hadn''t intended to kill any of them, he had let a bit of killing intent leak. As soon as she felt that bit of overwhelming killing intent, she had given ground. This was what had attracted Cain''s attention the most. "Who are you guys?! How did you survive up until now?!" Sue, who had been silent for a while couldn''t help but ask in a quiet but shy tone. Although she was ferocious to people she knew, she was very shy towards outsiders. "Hm? What did you say?" Cain that had juste out from his thoughts didn''t get what she said, so he wanted her to repeat it. "Eeeeeeee!" The only reply he got was a shrill shriek of fear as she scurried behind Jenny for safety. ''Damn! Was it that bad?! Now I''ve made a little kid scared of me!'' his eyelids couldn''t help but twitch when he saw the smaller girl''s reaction. "We could ask you guys the same question. How the hell did you guys survive up until now?!" Hunter who had been standing off to the side spoke up all of a sudden. Beside him was Dan who had an obvious blush on his face as he stared at the twin bunnies of Jenny. "When those devils began falling from the sky, we all were within the gymnasium. We fended them off while we made our retreat into this safe room alongside others who are still down there as we speak," said Jenny Ina calm voice. Amongst all of them, she was the calmest and most collected. "How did you know where the safe room was and how to open it?" Hunter asked again. "My mom is the head of the gym, so I know all there is to know about this ce. She also told me where to find the keys should things ever go south and I need a ce to hide." Although Hunter was the one asking the questions, she stared straight at Cain as she answered, causing Hunter to look between the both of them with a frown. "Others?! There are others still alive?!" David couldn''t help but exim in shock when he heard this. "How many more?" This time, it was Cain that asked the question. "Sixteen..." "Mmm..." Cain stared at them for a while before pointing at Saltan who was still holding onto his weapon, albeit not pointing it at anyone, "You, go call all the others who are still in hiding out here." Although Cain didn''t mean to speak in an authoritative tone, it somehow came out that way. "Who the fuck are you to order me around like that?!" Stan let out a growl of anger as he almost charged out, but was held back by Li who could understand the situation very well. He whispered something into the ear of the furious Stan who calmed down by a few degrees afterward. However, the de in his hands remained where they were... Although Cain could tell there was a misunderstanding between them, he didn''t want to bother clearing it up. "Seems like the big guy over there doesn''t want to go..." "I''ll go. However, you must promise not to harm any of them. If not, then I''m not going anywhere even if you threaten me with death." "Hey, hey... Do I look like a psychopath to you? I''m not killing anyone unless necessary." said Cain with a huff. "That''s good to hear. I''ll be back." With that, Li bolted back to the backside of the gymnasium where the entrance to the secret room was located. As they waited, Cain continued to stare at thedy who had caused his heart to speed up, and not in a good way. She was the definition of an angelic beauty with a devilish body. Even Cain who normally wasn''t interested in that type of stuff couldn''t help but react to her as he stared her down. Feeling his burning gaze, Jenny couldn''t help but let out an internal sigh, ''He''s just like the rest of them...'' "Name?" Cain said all of a sudden. Jenny intuitively knew Cain was addressing her. "Jenny... You?". "Cain. I believe we got off the wrong foot here. We are all working for our survival, no?" This time, Cain was truly trying to diffuse the situation. He noticed that his earlier reaction had put all of them on guard. His goal wasn''t for them to be wary of him, but for them to trust him enough to get them to join their team so they could work together to leave. ''That means our group is about to be bigger by more than 60%. Ourbat power will increase greatly as well. If that is the case, I''ll need to adjust my ns a little.'' "Yes, we are. However, there is just one thing I''d like to ask..." "Which is?" "What do you n to do with all those defenseless people?" Jenny asked. "Defenseless? What do you mean by that? Is it that they don''t have weapons yet? They can easily purchase some from the system store." Oblivious to what Jenny meant, Cain responded to her absentmindedly. Jenny looked confused for a bit before a look of realization dawned on her after she pondered on it for a bit. Clearing her throat, Jenny delivered to Cain his greatest and most bothersome shock of the day, "You don''t understand. They don''t have systems..." "Hm?" It took a while for Cain to process before he let out a chuckle, "Are you trying to y games with me? There is no way they don''t have systems. "Sister Jenny isn''t lying! It''s the truth." Sue, who had been hiding behind Jenny for some time yelled at Cain, as she had finally found the courage to confront the horrible monster in human flesh who tried to insult her sister Jenny''s integrity. "Sue, it''s okay..." Jenny said in a soothing voice before she turned her slender eyes back towards Cain. "I''m not ying games. They don''t have systems. This means they are so weak, we are the ones that have been providing them with meals, as the safe room wasn''t stashed with enough to feed so many people." "That''s impossible." Cain refused to believe it. The system had once mentioned that alongside the soul, the system was one of the mostmon arcane anchors in all the universe. If that was so, then there couldn''t be people without it. "There is a simple way to know if I''m telling you a lie or not..." Jenny said calmly. Although Cain was still skeptical, he decided to inquire about his system. ''System, is what she is saying true?'' {Replying to host: Affirmative... Only 30% of humans in the universe have all the right characteristics necessary to absorb and implement mana naturally. These are the only two conditions that need to be fulfilled for a human to use the system}. Cain''s eyes widened in shock as he began considering what had happened in the past, ''All those who had been killed by the {Miasma Devil} died because theycked the bare minimum necessary to even defend themselves from these devils!'' Chapter 87: Rescuers (4). Cain had previously been under the impression that those who had been left within the hall of the main building had all be devil food because they were negligent of their surroundings, and had been caught unawares by the devil. But now, he figured there was more to it than meets the eye. He had been told by the system that they had been turned into zombies by the {Miasma Devil}, but he didn''t ask how it happened. ''System, how did they all turn into zombies?'' When Cain asked, the system automatically knew who and what incident Cain was referring to. {Replying to host: Those who stayed within the hall were all infected by the {Miasma Devil''s} skill, {Infection}, which is a skill the zombies it created also have. Since this skill is a passive skill, the devil can use it anytime it wants, even during battle. However, the nature of that skill is such that it cannot affect creatures that do not have a connection with mana. In other words, humans that do not have ess to the system}. ''So what this means, is that there are humans out there that might not have ess to the system, and correspondingly, the ability to defend themselves? Cain asked. {Replying to host: Affirmative...} ''Hai... This situation just became more fucked up than it already was...'' Cainmented. Here he was, thinking that they had just gotten a direct 60% increase inbat, only for him to realize that that was just 60% of pure unbridled burdens. Staring at Jenny and the others who although had put their weapons away, still looked at him with wary eyes, he decided to ask straight up even though he already knew the answer to his question, "Do you n on abandoning them any time soon?" Without even blinking, Jenny responded, "No!", causing Cain to let out a tired sigh... "Although I understand the sentiment, escaping with so many people right now isn''t going to be possible," Cain said with a funny look on his face. "Who said so? While we might not have the power currently, it''s only been a few days since we got our powers. A few more days, and we definitely will have the power to leave this ce." Jenny said with a confident expression. ''Seems like they don''t know, or it hasn''t hit them yet...'' "And what is to say the mutants and devils aren''t getting stronger as well?" Cain asked. "Even if they are getting stronger as well, as long as we keep killing them, their numbers will reduce, and we will acquire more power." The way Jenny answered confidently told Cain that she must have had this exact thought at one point in time. However, she didn''t have all the necessary information before she made such a conclusion... Cain suddenly thought of something, "Have you been outside today?" Jenny frowned, "What does that have to do with anything?" Cain let out a chuckle before he turned back and waved his hand at her. "It''s best you alle see for yourselves..." "We aren''t going anywhere with you!" Sue who wasn''t hiding behind Jenny anymore said at the sassiest time possible. Cain blinked, then looked at the two for a while before pointing at Sue, "This your kid?" "Pffff!" Although he tried to hold it in, Stan couldn''t help but chuckle when he heard what Cain said. After some time, although their weapons weren''t out of sight, the tense atmosphere had faded a bit. "Huh?! Do you want to die or something?!" Veins popped out of Sue''s temple as she nearly reached for her weapon, but was stopped by Jenny. "She''s like a sister to me. I ask that you show her some respect." Jenny said as she peered straight at Cain. ''This girl...'' Cain had a confused expression on his face as he wondered why Jenny was acting the way she was. "Alright then, I''m sorry littledy," Cain said in a singsong tone. To him, standing at a height of over six feet, Sue, who was barely 5 feet tall did look like a kid in his eyes. "Who are you calling little, Scarface?!" Sue said angrily. Hearing what she called him made his eyelids twitch a bit. ''This little...'' "Sue!" Jenny yelled. "Hmph! He started it!" Sue said with a pout. Hunter and Dan who watched the sigh couldn''t help but m their hands to their faces in confusion. They both thought the same thing, ''What the heck is going on here?!'' Hunter suddenly spoke up in a harsh tone, "You kids might not know this, but we are running out of time. Cain! Are you done with your preparations?" he said with a hard expression on his face. "Cool your balls, Hunter. All preparations necessary have been made." Cain said an excited fire lit within his eyes. "In that case, I suggest we leave these confused individuals to their own devices and leave them be. They are determined to protect those burdens." Hunter and the rest were all listening in on Cain and Jenny''s conversation, so they all had a general idea of what was going on. "Call us what you want. We will protect these people who need our help!" Stan said heroically but waspletely ignored by Hunter. "You are all fools who think you can bear the world on your shoulders. Reality isn''t so kind to wannabe heroes." Saying that Hunter turned around and left. Unlike Cain who was considering things, Hunter had already made up his mind. "Hunter..." Dan said, aplicated expression on his face as he followed behind him. Turning back to Jenny and the rest, Cain let out an awkwardugh, "He might be harsh, but what he said is true. There is no way to survive in these conditions if you n to lug around sixteen bags of rice." "We had no intentions of joining you guys in the first ce. Hmph!" Sue red at Cain with disdain and hatred. ''What did I do to this shorty?'' Cain couldn''t help but wonder. Ignoring Sue and turning to Jenny, he spoke in a serious voice, "Would you mind waiting here for a bit?" Jenny rolled her eyes at Cain before saying in a surly tone, "Do we even have a choice?!" Although Cain was confused a bit by her response, he just nodded and chased after Hunter. *** The entire gymnasium was built like a standard gymnasium, but about three to four times bigger. The was a huge decorated building that consisted of different sections separated by demarcations and indicators. There were various rooms surroundings the main area of the gymnasium, and within one of these rooms, was the secluded door that led to the safe room. The safe room door appeared to be attached to the walls of the room, so it was barely noticeable to one who had no idea of its existence. Behind the door, was a flight of stairs that let down a few feet because the safe room was located a few feets underground. Cain stopped Hunter and Dan in the hallway connecting the main area and the room the entrance to the safe room was located. "We still need to think it through. They will be a good addition to the team." Cain said to Hunter. "But the cons vastly outweigh the pros. You know what we have to face out there. If you know you aren''t sensible enough to make the right decisions, then I advise you to give up leading the group through the forest, or Dan and I will leave." There was no hatred between Hunter and Cain, just rivalry. Hunter had acknowledged that he might not have the capabilities to get the group through the forest due to the current conditions, but Cain certainly did. As a result, he had done the most sensible thing he could have done at that time, which was to give up all intentions ofpetition, as their lives were way more important than that. However, he had made up his mind to work alone with Dan, should Cain make any decisions that could endanger their lives without necessity. "Let''s not make any hasty decisions yet. For all we know, they might have no intentions of joining up with us." Dan, who had a worried look on his face chimed in. "If they''ve made up their minds, trying to change it now willbe futile. Once they see what''s out there with their own eyes, they will fall into despair." Hunter said ruthlessly. ''Damn! This guy is way too intense.'' Cain couldn''t help but shiver a bit when he heard this. "Don''t mind this dude. I think we should hear them out first. We don''t know anything about them. Why don''t we go figure something out with them?" Dan said. "That seems like a good idea." Cain pped his hands together. From the other end of the hallway, Susan approached them, with a serious expression on her face. "Susan? Where have you been?" Cain asked, a bit surprised. "I went to the roof to scout the area..." Susan said, a disturbed expression on her face, which Cain noticed instantly. "What''s wrong?" Cain said with a frown. "There''s something you need to see. Where are David and ze? I think you all need to see this." Susan said, her face filled with all sorts ofplex expressions. "David and ze are over there watching our... prisoners," Dan said as he gazed back and forth between Cain and Hunter. "Prisoners?! What do you mean?" Susan said confusion added to all theplex expressions on her face. "It''s best if youe to see for yourself..." This time, it was Cain''s turn to wear aplex expression. Cain and the Hunters walked back to the room where Hunter, David, Jenny, and the others were. Just as Cain opened the door to the room, all his danger signals went off in an instant. His senses screamed and all the hairs on his body stood on their ends. Staring right back at him as he opened the door was the muzzle of a rifle he had just be all too familiar with. Before he had time to even process what was going on, he heard a resounding sound. BANG! An explosive shot capable of taking his life... Chapter 88: Rescuers (5). Cain had never imagined this situation was what would y out. In his mind, he always thought that events concerning him could only y out in two directions. Either he had his way without spilling blood, or red rivers ran... ''Am I still so immature that I thought things would y out smoothly?'' Just before he heard the bang, Cain was able to get a good picture of the things happening within the room. To the side, Steve and ze were fighting a hard battle against Sue and Stan. ze and Stan shed in an intense melee battle, their weapons barely leaving afterimages behind. The golden engravings on Stan''s wide-framed de glowed with a sharp metallic luster creating sparks with each collision with ze''s spear. A silver coating of metal enveloped his entire body like a suit of armor. That way, he was able to stand against the intense heat of the mes created by ze. Meanwhile, ze was like wildfire, his attacks unquenchable and terrifying, although he managed to restrain them in order not to affect the building. If ze was like a great me, Stan was like a steady mountain. The vibrations of their shes caused loose cement and dust to fall from the walls and ceiling. David stood with his back to ze behind a translucent crimson shield, tanking the numerous fireballs Sue flung his way. "Just what the hell is going on? Can''t we all just work it out?!" David couldn''t help butment. Sue let out a disdainful chuckle, "Anyone who associates with someone who dares to insult sister Jenny deserves a beating." Although this wasing from a very cute girl, her terrifying expression as she threw concentrated balls of mes at the older man could only belong in nightmares. Meanwhile, Jenny stood directly before the door, with the muzzle of her deadly-looking rifle pointing straight forward. Her eyes shed with a chilling purple light that caused Cain to feel extremely sluggish in his movement. So sluggish, that he was sure he wouldn''t be able to dodge the attack even if he tried his hardest. ''Devil eyes? Are devil eyes really thatmon?'' Cain couldn''t help but wonder. Apart from himself, he had seen Steve, and now, Jenny possesses the ability to use these strange optic magical abilities. Cain could see the guy, Li, who was supposed to go get the rest of the people still in the safe room. He ran towards Cain from the side, his fists drawn back as though to prepare a devastating strike. A violent green aura spread from his fists like squalls. He moved so fast, Cain was sure he wouldn''t be able to block his iing attack, much less dodge it all thanks to the strange {Devil Eyes} that Jenny possessed. Now, Cain was caught in a pincer attack. Never had he thought that things would have gone so far south... He had been under the impression that regardless of their first impressions, since he had demonstrated his power, then they would automatically back down and listen to him obediently. However, once again, he had failed to understand just howplex and vtile the human mind was. Sometimes, humans did things that didn''t follow logic based on something called emotions. They didn''t need any valid reasons, nor did they need to think about it so deeply, as if they did, they would be able to see the ws behind their actions. This situation was one of them... Although this wasn''t ording to the original script, Cain couldn''t care less. The fact remained that he was being attacked due to his negligence. He had given the enemy an advantage by letting them have more time to prepare. He wasn''t even that angry at them anymore. The person he was infuriated with the most himself. When his thoughts began to spiral in this direction, he could feel himself losing control of his emotions. This wasn''t something that happened frequently, but with the right amount of stimuli, especially when the recent attack of the Phantasma had made his emotions fluctuate rapidly, he was prone to extremely violent... outbursts... *** BANG! ''This will take him out!'' When Cain had released his aura earlier, Jenny had been a bit apprehensive, but there wasn''t a single ounce of fear in her eyes. This was because she had killed a mutant beast with an aura just as strong as his. Therefore, she was vignt, but not afraid... ''Although this won''t kill him, it will certainly leave him severely injured. However, he only has himself to me for crossing me!'' Jenny, like any other person, had her sense of pride, but hers was a little bit more intense than others. She had grown up in a wealthy and powerful household, where she could have anything and everything she wanted with just a wave of her hand. Despite this, she still maintained a friendly facade to outsiders but didn''t care about them. She protected the weak not out of care, but out of a sense of duty andpassion, or maybe to stroke her ego... The only ones she truly cared about were those close to her. Her family... And if those who were dear to her were put in even a modicum of danger by an unfortunate soul, she would never let the culprit go, and make sure that person paid a hefty price! ''Besides, this guy is extremely dangerous. His aura is just too malevolent. It''s better to clip his wings sooner rather thanter.'' Jenny''s magic rifle was just like Manny''s, which converted pure mana directly into ammunition rounds. The only difference was that hers was a sniper rifle, while Manny''s was more of an assault rifle. He''s specialized in firing very powerful shots with low low firing rates and long reload speeds, while Manny''s was the direct opposite. The longer the buildup, and the more mana she poured into the gun, the more powerful the shot would be, and the longer the reload time. She could also reduce the pration effect of the shot while increasing its st radius and vice versa... With all these factors at y, she was extremely confident... Hence, she fired an extremely powerful shot that flew true toward Cain''s chest. Li''s intentions were never to obey Cain... He had kept himself hidden with a concealment skill in the staircase that led to the safe room, quietly listening to the conversation he and Jenny were having. He was the orchestrator of this vicious n. He knew that Cain would never have expected to be ambushed so unexpectedly. He also knew that Cain didn''t think they bore too much ill will towards him. So nning an ambush was the best way to capitalize on this innocent misunderstanding... ''Although he is powerful, hecks experience.'' Li was able to feel the scary aura around Cain, but he wasn''t fearful. His eyes gazed at Cain with a bit of pity... ''The guy at the back probably suspected this would happen but didn''t say anything. Could it be that they have some internal conflict going on?'' All these thoughts ran through Li''s mind as he sped across the room, his {Roc Wing Gauntlets} jabbing forward. Li''s elemental attribute was the Wind element. The ability of the {Roc Wing Gauntlets} was to increase his movement speed by greatly reducing the air resistance in front of him and using the air behind him to create propulsion. The gauntlets greatly boosted the power of his skill which gave him the ability to create devastatingly powerful attacks called {Air Cannons} bypressing arge volume of air and then releasing it. These {Air Cannons} were so powerful, they could blow a level 30 normal-tier mutant beast into bloody bits in a single attack. Not only that, he was very skilled in hand-to-handbat. Jenny''s mother was a certified martial arts instructor who had taught him, Jenny, Sue, and Stan since they were kids, so the art of fighting and self-defense had been ingrained into his muscles from a young age. All these factors coupled with his extra skills made him a terrifying opponent. The lethality of his attacks coupled with the insane movement and attack speed granted by the wind element made him the only true threat to Cain at this moment. Cain carefully made his observations as he activated {Eye of irvoyance}. He made it a habit to always activate it before every fight. That way, he would be able to determine the nature, size, shape, and any other qualities of his opponent''s impending attack. He was able to grasp all these in only a split second. In the next second, Li was already attacking him with, the power of wind revolving around him like a tornado. Meanwhile, Jenny had already released the extremely powerful shot from its chambers. Cain could see all this with picture-perfect rity. This was another effect of his {Eye of irvoyance} that gave him the ability to see the world around him with extreme rity. ''Since it hase to this, I might as well stretch my legs a bit...'' Previously, Cain had no intentions of engaging in battle with other humans. If he could, he would only want to fight against mutant beasts and devils, but it seemed as though fate had other ns... ''Stopping both of them at the same time would be quite troublesome if I want to guard or defend against their attacks. Not only would it consume too much mana, but it would also most likely make me expend more stamina as well. Therefore, instead of stopping just them, why don''t I just crash the party?!'' As Li approached Cain, a terrible feeling suddenly overwhelmed his heart. Li had a special skill, {Danger Sense}, that allowed him to use the mysterious flow of mana to predict just how much danger he was in at a point in time. This skill was so that he would be able to avoid said danger in real-time. That skill had activated itself the instant he hade closer to Cain. His face was instantly drained of all its blood, and his eyes widened like saucers. He gazed into the pitch-ck abyss of Cain''s eyes, and therein, he was unable to find any emotions. The only thing he saw, was a terrifying, almost robot-like calction. An odd sort of gaze that shouldn''t appear within the eyes of a human. Because he was already so close, there was no way for him to stop his charge. Hence, the feeling {Danger Sense} gave him became stronger and stronger until itpletely suffocated him. For the first time in a while, Li could taste what it meant to experience fear... "Wai-!" Before he could even say a word, Cain''s booming voice echoed within the room. "Seal." Chapter 89: Rescuers (6). The nature of the {Seal} skill was one of absolute dominance... It was a terrifying skill that could affect the natural flow of mana in both the physical and spiritual nes. *** {Seal}: Forcibly freeze the flow of mana in the spiritual ne. This skill doesn''t distinguish between friend and foe, and any skill or spell, apart from ones activated by the host, will be nullified. Skills or spells already active will be deactivated as well. This skill will only work on skills that are not above Tier 1. Cost: 300MP per activation Cooldown: 30 minutes. The skill was capable of shifting the tides of a battlepletely in his favor, allowing him to dominate his opponentspletely, especially those that heavily relied on magic forbat. Although he has other skills in his repertoire, he felt that the best way to control the situation was to stop the fightingpletely. An invisible totem of a seal appeared above Cain''s head in a split second. During that second, the smoldering fires were snuffed out instantly. Sue who wanted to throw another fireball at David realized that she had no control over the mana in her hands. "W-what is this?!" she eximed with horror and fear in her eyes. David on the other hand was also just as confused as she was as his {Crimson Dome} had also been shattered by Cain''s mysterious skill as well. The people that experienced the shock factor the most were Li and Jenny. Jenny watched as her powerful attack was snuffed out faster than one could blink. Just as the attack was about to reach Cain, it was forcibly deactivated. Li who was charging at Cain with his movement skill was stopped dead in his tracks. With perfect control of his body, he was able to avoid a collision with Cain even though he was previously headed for him at top speed. Li and Jenny stared at Cain in shock, ''What the hell did he just do?!'' After a moment of silence, Jenny asked Cain in a shaky voice, "What did you do just now?!". Never had she imagined that someone could possess such a terrible skill that could put her at such a disadvantage so quickly. "The dead do not need to be concerned about the affairs of the living..." Cain''s reply caused fear to overwhelm Jenny as she kept her finger on the trigger of her gun. Never would she have imagined that their n would go so badly. ''We weren''t able to do a single thing to him!'' In the eyes of Jenny and the others, Cain''s aura wasparable to a strong mutant beast. Because Cain had no control of his emotions at this point, his aura was also spiraling out of control. He had subconsciously suppressed his aura, but now that he had lost control of his emotions, he had be a walking time bomb. The strength of an individual could be measured by the amount of magical pressure they exuded. Those who could sense mana were naturally able to sense this intensity. Cain had titles and a skill that increased the quality and quantity of his mana. The greater the quality and quantity of mana a creature had, the higher the magical aura. So it only made sense that Cain appeared like a monster in their eyes. Cain wasn''t just angry because they thought it would be a good idea to dish him a surprise attack. The main reason a terrifying rage boiled within him was because they had tried to y him like he was a fool... While he hadn''t expected them to turn their encounter into an ambush, that was because he was confident in his strength, and was sure they wouldn''t be able to harm him even if they did. He also didn''t think they could be so two-faced. Regardless of what he had gone through in life, the fact that he was a grossly inexperienced young man remained unchanged. He had no experience on how to deal withplicated human nature, so it came as a surprise to him. He had only ever seen one extremity of human nature, but he had never seen what was in the middle, not to talk of the other side. However, at this moment, all this was irrelevant to him... The atmosphere became so heavy, it fell to the depths of hell. Everyone in the room, be they friends or foes felt a terrifying chill run up their spine. Dan and Hunter who had yet to enter the room halted their steps just before they could enter the room. "Damn... What the hell was that?!" Dan and Hunter could feel the effects of {Seal} as well even though they weren''t inside the room. Hunter had a cold look on his face, "It''s best if we stay out here..." It was Dan''s turn to stare at Hunter in shock, "You knew what they were nning?" "Yes. If he can''t handle a situation such as this on his own..." Hunter''s cold face had a cruel smile on it as he continued, "Then he will never be able to win against me. Those who have power, but no discipline ormon sense will eventually be left to rot under the ground because of their foolishness." Dan was silent for a while before he looked at Hunter with a look of both admiration and fear, "Honestly, I''m d I''m not your enemy. You are so scary!" "Shut it!" "You''ve had your turn," Cain said, a cruel expression on his face. "Cain. I think that''s enough why don''t we just forget what just happened and-" "Those who y with fire must be prepared to be burnt as well..." Cain said as he drew his weapon. He had already noticed that his emotions had be vtile due to the attack of the {Phantasma}, but he never knew it could be so bad. ''What is going on with me?!'' Cain could feel his heart pounding in his chest as the mes of rage zed within him. ''System, what is going on with me?'' Cain couldn''t help but be deeply concerned. He usually had a generous amount of control over his emotions, but what was happening to him was hitting too close to home. {Replying to host: The system is unable to detect any underlying conditions, be they mental or physical within the host...} ''Hmmm... I''ll think it over after I kill these bastards.'' Although Cain''s mind was upied with his thoughts, his body had already begun to move on its own. The {Devil''s Broken w} drew a swift arc across the air as he shed down toward Li. Both Li and Cain stood at roughly the same height, so Li was able to see with utmost rity, the river of mes boiling with Cain''s eyes as he shed down on him with blinding speed. Cain''s agility and strength stats were so high, he would be able to cleave Li apart with a single swing. ''Crap!'' Li attempted to move away as quickly as he could. At this point, the effects of {Seal} had died out, and they were all able to use their skills again. Li directed the now-flowing wind elemental mana toward his feet. He was about to activate his skill, {Drifting Clouds}, that would greatly increase his movement speed, granting him the ability to effectively evade Cain''s attack. Just as Li''s skill activated, Cain dished out a spell of his own... "Air Whips." Numerous invincible air tentacles appeared around Li''s limbs, constraining his movements and reducing his movement speed by 40%. Before Li could even register what was going on, Cain''s de had already arrived before his face. "Li! Let him go!" Stan, who had been fighting with ze disengaged from him and attempted to go to Li''s aid, but was instantly obstructed by ze. "If you think you can do what you want, you are greatly mistaken. You all will now bare the consequences of foolishness!" ze said as he points the ming tip of his spear at the fuming Stan. "SCRAM! Body of Adamantine!" Suddenly, numerous golden metallic runes shed across the surface of Stan''s skin. They all linked up with the previous metallic suit of armor he had on, and stuck to his being, creating an exoskeletal armor that clung tightly to his bulky frame. The length of his de also increased as well, and his aura became as steady as a mountain. He charged forward toward Cain,pletely disregarding ze. Thetter simply let out a disdainful chuckle, "You want to leave with that sort of skill? You should be more worried for yourself!" "Scorching Spear: Tornado of mes!" The spear in ze''s hands spun into a violent zing pir of mes that mmed straight into the back of Stan. BANG! "Argh!" Stan was sted a few meters away by the intensity of the attack and fell to the ground after coughing up some blood. "You fuckers! Sea of mes!" Sue, who had been fighting against Davidpletely lost it when she saw her brother and his friend brought to their knees. She spread her hands out and cast spells. The temperature in the room went up very quickly after that as waves of mes spewed out from his outstretched arms. However, before she could make it far, the spell was shut down by David. David ced his hands on the ground and called out his spell, "Crimson Dome." A blood-red hemispherical dome instantly enveloped the entire room, containing the spell. Just like that, the entire group waspletely suppressed... Cain stared down at Li with cold devilish eyes. Because {Eye of irvoyance} was still active, Cain was able to observe everything that urred within the room with utmost rity. "Drop your weapons or he will lose his head," Cain said to Jenny in the coldest voice he could muster. "Don''t listen to him. You guys should leave now! Find a way to escape!" Li who was rendered almost immobile by Cain yelled at Jenny and the others. Cain''s eyes narrowed for a moment before he made a move. Before anyone could process what had happened, Cain had already made his move. With more than 400 agility points and 300 strength points, no one in the room was able to follow his speed. Cain turned the t of his de sideways, then mmed it into Li''s arm. Although Li was powerful, his specialty wasn''t a defense. CRACK! "Argh!" Li let out a painful shout but stopped himself almost instantly. He stared right back at Cain with cold loathing in his eyes. "Li!" Jenny couldn''t help but exim in fear. Her hands trembled as she gazed at Cain in fury. "I''ll make you regret that!" Her eyes shed with purple light as her bountiful chest vibrated due to the intensity of her breathing. However, her heart was filled with turmoil. "I''ll give to the count of three. Put your weapons down, or he''ll lose his head." Cain was trying his best to stay calm. The only reason he hadn''t acted on impulse yet and chopped off Li''s head was that he still had a little bit of sensibility with him. He could feel the overwhelming bloodlust creeping up on him, trying to consume his senses. Silence... "3." "2." Jenny suddenly let out a sigh and tried to say something, but was stopped by Li. Li spoke with a sneer on his face, "Rx, Jenny. He won''t do it..." Jenny yelled out in shock, "Li! What are you saying?!" "Oh?!" Cain raised an eyebrow at Li. "You won''t do it. I can see it in your eyes. You don''t have what it takes to kill someone else." Li said with all the confidence he could muster. Cain felt his grip tighten around the hilt of his sword. Without saying a word, he raised his de in one swift motion and let it fall back down towards Li. If this strike was sessful, no one in the room doubted that Li would be cleaved in half. And the worst part was that they were all powerless to stop it. The strike was just too fast for them to be able to do anything before the damage was done. Just as the edge of the de was about to fall upon Li''s head, Cain felt a strange warmth envelope him. "Stop..." Chapter 90: Rescuers (7). "Stop..." Cain felt a warmth, unlike nothing he had ever experienced in his life wrapped around him from the back. Cain instantly felt all his bloodlust and anger melt away like freshly fallen snow in the morning sunlight... "Susan?" Although it seemed as though a lot of time had passed, it was barely ten seconds since they had been ambushed. During this time, Susan could only watch as the events yed out before her very eyes happened too fast for her to react. However, when she saw Cain about to kill Li, she snapped out of it instantaneously... "Stop... Don''t do it!" Susan said, tears forming at the corners of her eyes. The entire room fell I into a deep silence for the umpteenth time. Cain could feel the warmth burrow into his body like the soft rays of morning sunshine. He had never felt anything like it in his life. ''What is this?'' All his life, Cain had been somewhat removed from regr human emotions. He had limited social interactions, and even those were always filled with malice and hatred. This caused him to be under the illusion that most humans were the same. To him, they all had some sort of perverse corruption within their hearts, and he isn''t excluded from that fate as well. Because he knew exactly what sort of devils he bred within his heart, he figured it would be the same for all humans as well. And until today, apart from a handful of encounters, his theory had always been proven right. "Cain, I know you aren''t a killer," David said, his eyes filled with concern. ''David...'' Cain looked at the eyes of Li who stared at him with a sneer on his face. However, when he looked deeper into his eyes, the only emotions he was able to see within them, were fear and hatred... ''Am I that much of a monster?'' At this point, all the anger within him had turned into empty emptiness stifling sadness. All of this was because the attack of the {Phantasma} had caused the emotions he hid within his heart to be greatly amplified. "Ha..." Cain let out a tired sigh as he put his de down. A sh of lightter and the de had been transferred back into his inventory. "You are right...I''m not going to kill you." Cain had never thought taking another human''s life would ever be an option. When he had fought against Hunter, he made sure to hold back from killing him as much as possible. "However, I have no intentions of letting you all go scot-free..." Cain said as he gazed at them with cold eyes. "If you think after all this, we are going to drop our weapons, you are greatly mistaken." Li said fire in his eyes as he clutched his broken arm, "If you want a fight, a fight is all you are going to get!" For them to drop their weapons would be to give up their pride, as well as put their lives in the hands of another. Anyone who had survived so long would understand the gravity of doing so. No one wanted to be at the mercy of another, especially someone they barely knew. "Yeah! If you think we are going to give up just like that, then you are some strong shit, buddy." Stan said as he got up from the ground. The metallic armor on his body barely had a scratch on it despite the heavy attack from ze, "Besides, that attack barely tickled. I''m sure we can take you guys on!" he said with a grin on his metal-covered face. Jenny who had been contemting surrender suddenly put on a hardened expression. Her hand still on the trigger, she spoke to Cain, "You attack him again, and I''ll put a bullet through you." Although there was no wind, her hair seemed to valiantly flutter, her person brimming with a heroic aura. Cain paused for a while, taking everything that had just happened in... ''Humans are soplicated... Some of them will keel over the instant they run into a wall tougher, while others will run back and hit that wall harder. Such a strange species...'' Before the apocalypse, Cain had run into many a bully. And every time he had shown them just a bit of his capabilities, they always ran away with their tails tucked between their legs. Now, he hade in contact with people whose spirits weren''t easily shaken. Then had shown him the other side of human nature, something he had never seen before. "Hahaha... You guys are a real piece of work." Cain couldn''t help but let out aplicatedugh. Everyone stared at him in confusion. At that moment, the heavy atmosphere that had been weighing down everyone in the room died down a little bitThey all subconsciously let out sighs of relief and lowered their weapons. "Hey, hey, has he finally lost his mind?!" Sue said as she lowered her magic staff. "Probably..." ze said as he lowered his weapon as well. "You kids give me all sorts of headaches..." David plopped to the ground as he massaged his temples. "Seems like we all got off on the wrong foot," Turning to the still-alert Jenny, he said with a forced smile on his face, "Would you all like to join our group?" Jenny fell silent for a while before replying, "Why should we trust you?! You just tried to attack us. How do we know you won''t attack us again in the future?!" No matter how much she tried to hide the apprehension on her face, Cain saw straight through it. This time, rather than Cain replying, it was Susan whospoke up ... "Because if we don''t team up with us, there is no way for any of us to survive what''sing..." Everybody was surprised when Susan said this... Cain stared at her with a grave expression, "Susan, what do you mean? What''s going on?" "This is what I was about to tell you. We are all in great danger... I doubt if we can survive what ising even with you on our side, Cain." Susan said, a dark expression settling on her face. "Tell us what''s going on," Li said as he retrieved a few HP regen potions from his inventory and poured them down his throat. He stood up straighter before backing up slowly away from Cain. "The devils... they areing." "Devils? We''ve killed more than a few devils already. What''s so special about these?" Jenny said as she finally stowed her weapon away. "It''s best you see it with your own eyes..." *** This little incident had been concluded fairly quickly with no significant events urring. From the urgency of Susan''s tone, they could tell that the situation required haste. Susan led them toward the outside of the gymnasium before she jumped up towards the roof of the building. "What the hell happened here?!" Li said in shock as his eyes scanned the surrounding area. It could''ve been just luck or protection from some divine entity that decided to look down upon Urbus at that time, but the gymnasium was surprisingly the only building that was not touched by the madness of the night and early hours of the morning. The destroyed buildings, the scorched earth, and the faint scent of dried blood still lingered in the air due to the sheer amount of mutant beasts that had been killed. "It seems you guys haven''t been out here today?" Cain asked. "Yeah... We needed to get food for the others still in the safe room. Also, only lunatics would leave safety when explosions are happening outside." Stan said. "Then you missed one hell of a party." Turning to Jenny who was standing a little bit farther from him, he spoke loudly, "If things go downhill, can I count on your cooperation? Let us all fight together. I''m not asking you toy down your weapons, nor am I telling you to obey us. Let''s just fight to live..." Cain could see now that he had once again been looking at things the wrong way. Exerting dominance over a group of people, especially a group of obviously strong people required not only a disy of strength but trust... Cain realized that Jenny and the others attacked him even though they knew he was stronger for two reasons. One, even though he was stronger than them individually, they still could beat him. If not for his {Seal} skill, he wouldn''t have been able to evade Jenny''s attack. From there, if Jenny''s attack dealt a lot of damage, or inflicted a negative status effect on him, he wouldn''t be able to fight with all his strength. The other reason was they didn''t trust him one bit... Not only had he threatened them the moment he saw them, but he had also tried to attack them as well, which when he looked at it now, didn''t make a lot of sense. He looked back at how he had handled things since the start of all this madness and he came to a realization... "Different strengths should be applied at different times. Those with a de should know when to keep it sheathed, and when it should be drawn. Only when one intends to kill, should the surface of your de see the sunlight." With these thoughts in mind, he turned to Hunter who stood on the side with Dan who had a weird expression on his face, "If you think I''m so easy to beat, then you don''t understand me." Hunter stared at Cain for a while before a smirk made its way onto his face, "You are right, I do underestimate you. While I admit you are stronger than me at the moment, you aren''t cut out for the role you are trying to fill. You are still a kid who hasn''t seen all the gray parts of this decaying world..." Cain had an unbothered expression on his face as he spoke with a cheeky grin "You are right... I am more powerful than you!" Cain had always been susceptible to change. He was like a chameleon... He could change his character depending on the environment he was in, and the people he was around. It was a coping mechanism he had built during his rough childhood, and now, he was going to utilize it to its fullest. Hunter''s eyebrow twitched when he heard Cain''s reply, but suddenly, he broke out into a briefugh as well... Dan who was watching from the side opened his eyes wide in shock, "This cardboard face dude knows how to smile?!",earning him a smack on the head from Hunter. "Regardless of what you think of me, let us fight together again..." Cain said as he extended his hand out to Hunter. "Heh...Although you might be strong now, we still have a long way to go, so don''t be cocky yet." Hunter said as he took his hand into a firm handshake. "Blegh! What is this, a bromance?!" Sue who was also watching couldn''t help but exim in disgust. "Kids should be quiet when adults are speaking," Cain replied instantly. "You wanna die?!" The littledy yelled in anger as she tried to bite Cain, but was held back by Stan. "What are you guys waiting for? Come on up!" Susan yelled at them from the roof of the gymnasium. "Coming..." Without wasting a breath, Cain mmed his feet against the ground, and like a bullet, propelled his body straight to the roof of the building. The others followed immediately after. Everyone who was able to absorb mana had incredible superhuman capabilities, so jumping that distance was a piece of cake for all of them. As soon as Cain reached the top of the building, his eyes were greeted with the sight of something that made his hairs stand on ends... "Bloody hell..." Chapter 91: Running Bear. Cain stared at a scene that should only exist in the most perverse of nightmares... "Eye of irvoyance!" Cain''s eyes glowed with white brilliance as he activated his devil eyes. Standing on the roof of the gymnasium, they were able to see the devils swarming within the forest. He could {deless Devil Imps}, {ded Devils}, and even a few {Miasma Devils} roaming around the forest, killing and feasting upon the mutant beasts that upied the forest. There were also other types of devils he had never seen before that were present as well, both on the ground and in the sky. He watched as they also killed some mutant beasts, but didn''t directly consume them. Instead, they carried them deeper into the forest. Using the abilities of {Eye of irvoyance}, he was able to see the gigantic monstrosity that was being fed by the smaller creatures through its wide open mouth. Towering over the trees within the forest by at least a full story was a massive devil. Vanta-ck with scales the size of doors, the devil looked like a ded devil on growth hormones. It had ded forearms as well. The only difference was that this devil had a single horn jutting out from its forehead. Its face had two hollow sockets where its eyes were supposed to be. Its razor-sharp fangs were visible as it had its mouth open in a perpetual screaming posture. Its bulky muscr yet lean body looked capable enough to destroy an entire building with a single punch. Its most defining features, however, were the gigantic translucent tubes that were connected to various parts of its body. A thick viscous blood-like fluid was flowing through the tubes into its body. At the center of its chest, a pitch-ck devil core with a strange tint of red huey dormant. Despite the absolute aura of death the creature exuded, it just stood there unmoving. Cain and the others just stood there without moving, staring at the devil with grave expressions... Cain looked around and counted that the devils within the forest were about ten thousand strong. "Ain''t he a beauty?" Vincent who had been on the roof longer than anyone said in a dreamy voice. "How the hell are we supposed to escape that thing?!" David couldn''t help but say with a bitter expression. "How long have you been here?" Cain asked Vincent who was seated on the roof leaning against his ocean blue rifle. "Since they started building that thing..." Vincent said, his glowing eyes still peering into the distance as he pointed at the gigantic devil. Cain was confused, "Building? So that thing isn''t a devil?" "I can''t be certain. What I do know, is that one moment it wasn''t there, the next moment, those disgusting tree things twisted into one another, the devils on the ground began doing some stuff, and poof! That thing appeared." Cain fell into silence when he heard what Vincent said... "There are so many devils within the forest. Getting everyone out of here has just be many times difficult." Jenny had her seductive eyes radiating a soft purple light as she gazed into the distance as well. Vincent said solemnly, "Yes, it will..." Vincent paused after he had said this, then turned back to gaze at the others. With wide eyes, Vincent''s eyes turned into saucers, "Eh?! Who are these guys?!" "We found them hiding inside..." ze said with a frown. "Who says we were hiding?!" Stan said angrily. "I did. Got a problem with that?" "I most certainly do!" Stan said with steaming out from his nose. "Can you guys can it?!" Hunter couldn''t help but shut them up. Turning to Cain who was still lost in his thoughts, he said in a gruff tone, "What do you think?" "Give me some time to think. We don''t have all the necessary information yet. We have to make even more preparations before we even think of making a move." Turning to Jenny, he said in a calm tone, "Do you still think you can save them?" Jenny had a dark expression on her beautiful pale face. She balled her hands into fists before rxing them. "You can do whatever you want, but I''m going to make sure we all survive." The determined expression on her face told Cain that her resolve wasn''t something that could be fazed so easily. "Good... I hope you keep that same energy when those devils have their fangs around our throats." "I''ll keep that in mind...." ''We need to find a way to defeat whatever that thing is. Even when I look at it, the system doesn''t provide a description, so I''m just going to guess that that thing is very strong. Not to mention the delirious number of devils within the forest. They''ve killed almost all the mutants within the forest!'' All of a sudden, Cain felt as though he had forgotten something... "ROAR!" A roar suddenly resounded from the forest. It wasn''t a very loud roar, but it was loud enough for everyone to hear it even when the distance between the edge of the forest and the gymnasium was taken into consideration. With lightning speed, everyone on the roof apart from Cain readied their weapons. Guns were cocked, bows were drawn, and des were unsheathed. They all stared as the trees at one edge of the forest trembled due to the speed of the approaching entity. Cain suddenly eximed, "Teddy!" Almost at the same time, a gigantic ck bear with crimson patterns etched onto its flesh dashed out of the forest at lightning speed. "Roar!" The creature let out a roar again as it rushed towards the gymnasium. Chasing behind it were a few {ded Devils} and {deless Devil Imps}. They all had enraged eyes as they chased after it with shrieks of anger. "A mutant beast?" Everyone was surprised, but none had fearful expressions as they all fired their attacks at the mutant beast and the devils chasing after it without hesitation. "Right?!" The mutant beast let out a... surprised roar, sounding almost human in the process. Stomping its hind feet on the ground, with an agility that didn''t match its size and physique, it sted crimson-colored mana from beneath its paws, sting its robust body sideways. In doing so, it was able topletely evade the attacks meant for it. The devils behind it weren''t so lucky... Both the attacks meant for them and the mutant beast were borne by them alone. BOOM! The devils were instantly torn apart by the torrent of skills and spells. "Tch! Missed..." Vincent clicked his tongue before aiming at the mutant beast again. "Stop!" Cain yelled at them when he saw that Teddy had almost been torn apart. "Boss, do you want to kill it yourself? You want to, no one can stop you. Hehe..." Vincent said with a stupid smile on his face. "No, you dumbass. All of you, don''t attack the mutant." "Okay." They all lowered their weapons in confusion. The mutant ck bear, Teddy, once again resumed its journey toward the gymnasium. ''How the hell did it know I was here?'' {Replying to host: Due to the {Body and Soul} contract you created with that {Crimson Demon Bear}, it will be able to roughly sense your location at all times. The contract also creates a certain level of telepathy between the host and the mutant creature. However, telepathy can only be used when the host and the mutant creature are within a certain range of one another}. *** A few secondster, Teddy was seated on the ground near the gymnasium with its little bear tail wagging like that of a dog. All those who were on the roof hade down to the ground and surrounded the bear like it was a zoo animal. "Wow... It''s so fluffy!" Sue had stars in her pretty eyes as she rubbed the lustrous fur of Teddy. Even though she was arrogant, the beautiful Sue was still a girl and was weak against cute things. "It isn''t a summon," Hunter said as he looked at the beast before him with narrowed eyes. Cain was surprised when he heard this, "You can tell?" "I''m a summoner... It is easy for me to tell if a creature is a summon or not. It is dangerous to have a creature you don''t have total control over running all around." "You don''t need to worry about all that. Teddy!" The mutant ck bear enjoying all the attention it was receiving immediately stood up from the ground as soon as it received the order from Cain. ''Telepathy, huh?'' Cain thought as he stared at the beast standing before him. ''System, how do I activate this telepathy thing?'' {Replying to host: To activate telepathy with a contracted beast, simply speak to the beast with intent...} ''Do you understand me?'' Cain thought as he tried to speak to a bear, something that would have been thought of as crazy 4 days ago... ''Yes! This queen hears you loud and clear!'' ''What the hell?! It worked!'' Cain thought with wide eyes. ''Hehehe... Seems like the master is surprised by my beauty.'' Teddy said smugly. ''I''m surprised that you are female...'' Cain had previously thought that the rabid mutant beast was male, but apparently, he was wrong. Instead, it was an overly confident bear, who for some reason, had no problems understanding human speech. ''Perhaps it works the same way we can understand the devils without knowing theirnguage and vice versa...'' ''Teddy... No, I have to think of another name. Let''s see...'' The name Teddy was too masculine for a female bear after all. ''Yes! That name fails to portray me. I''m a ferocious beast who hasbeen through several battles, and is the sole survivor of my-'' ''Yes! That name fails to portray me. I''m a ferocious beast who has been through several battles, and is the sole survivor of my-'' ''Let''s go with Ruby...'' Cain said with pride on his face. He had chosen the name because of the ruby red runic inscriptions on the beast. Ruby stared at Cain nkly for a while before letting out a satisfied roar. ''Ruby it is...'' Turning to the others who were looking at him as though he had a few problems with his head, he introduced the newly named mutant beast. "Everyone, I''d like for you to meet Ruby, my mutant beast." Chapter 92: Devils in the Forest (1). "The first thing we need to do is to gather as much information as possible on what is going on within the forest. Going in blind will be the difference between life and death..." They all stood in front of the gymnasium, the gray skies overhead, and the mana-saturated breeze brushing against their skin... Standing adjacent and opposite to Cain, was everyone in the group, both old and new. Hunter, Steve, Vincent, Dan, David, ze, and Susan stood on one side, while Stan, Li, Jenny, and Sue stood on the other side. Despite no weapons being drawn, it was clear that due to the unfamiliarity and the events that had taken ce not too long ago, there was a bit of tension between them. Behind him, was the looming figure of Ruby, who had a menacing red glow in her eyes. She stood behind Cain like a bodyguard, munching on a few ''treats'' Cain had given her... "We need scouts. These devils are very intelligent, so there is no way they haven''t noticed us. Yet,they still haven''t attacked. We need to know what is going on..." Hunter said with a serious expression on his face. "Entering that forest is like going on a suicide mission. Do you think you can survive those crazy things?" Dan said to Hunter. "What that means, is we need people with the right skills necessary for a covert operation..." Steve chimed in. Vincent put his hand up to interject, "I think you guys are getting this mixed up... Before we even talk about who''s going to their death, we need to draw ayout of our surroundings." Squatting a little, he picked a twig lying on the ground nearby, then began scribbling something on the ground, and after a few minutes, he returned to his original position with a smile on his face. Every one of them looked down at the images he had drawn on the ground in confusion. Cain scratched his head and asked, "What is that?" Still, with a proud smile on his face, Vincent exined, "This, my good boss, is a map..." "A map, huh..." Cain fell into a contemtive silence. "Yes, a map." Vincent pointed to the first image he had drawn, "This is a map of the entire department area before the shit hit the fan." "The other is a map I drew based on what I''ve been able to see and measure from up there." Vincent said as he pointed to the roof of the gymnasium. On the ground, Vincent had drawn two separate images. Both had a surprising amount of detail on them. The first one Vincent pointed to was how their surroundings were before the arrival of the system, and the Urbus'' copse. City Z was a port city, and as such, it was surrounded by the ocean on most of its sides, with a few inds attached to it. The school Cain and the others attended was built on one of these inds. It was separated into four parts. The Northside, the Eastgate, the Central Park, and the Southwestern side... The area Cain and the others were located, was the Northside. The Northside of the school was located on the very edge of the ind and was the closest to the ocean. The forest surrounding them was the barrier created that separated them from the ocean as well as central park. The forest was a part of the central park that had been cultivated to grow around the north side in a circumference until it formed a huge circle that cut the north side from the ocean, as well as separated it from the central park as well... Within the central park, was the school''s center for the study of botany and zoology. Within this region, numerous animals were kept and used as learning instruments for the students... The animals ranged from the smallest of insects, poisonous or not, to thergest ofnd mammals and reptiles, poisonous or not... The central region was also the biggest part of the school, and it linked the other parts of the school together, the same way it was connected to the Northside. Its name, The Green clover institute, was coined because of its unique geographicalyout. The Northside formed one leaf of the clover, the East gate formed another part, and the Southwest side was another. Together with the central, they all formed a clover shape. The stem of the clover was a very long bridge that linked the school''s ind to the city. The images Vincent had put on the ground contained the basic information of what the Northside of the school looked like before and after Armageddon. However, Cain''s focus wasn''t on the before image... ''So that''s what''s happening...'' Cain thought to himself as he gazed at the image. On the ground, Vincent had depicted that the previously thinyer of vegetation had almostpletely enveloped the Northside. The Northside wasn''t very big. It consisted of just a few buildings and not that many infrastructures. This was because the Green clover institute wasn''t a technological science-oriented school. The school''s area of specialization was mainly the biological sciences. Hence, the technological department Cain was a part of didn''t get the most attentionpared to the other parts of the school... However, this very scarce infrastructure had almost been reduced to rubble. Because the gymnasium was in the area of the Northside closest to the ocean, it was the least affected by the devils, as well as the shockwaves from the explosion of the missiles. On the image Vincent had drawn, Cain could see that besides showing how far the forest had expanded, he also noticed that the area the two maps covered were very different when it came to size. And it wasn''t just a little different. The after-image was 1.5¡Á bigger than the before-image. This was part of the drawings that confused Cain the most... Turning to Vincent who was still looking at his work proudly, he decided to ask, "Why are their sizes different?" As soon as Cain said this, Vincent because more serious, "I''m not sure if this is good or bad news, but it is a piece of unexpected news." Everyone immediately began paying attention to him. Clearing his throat, Vincent dropped a bombshell. "Do you all know why even though the forest is increasing and expanding, it hasn''t overgrown its boundaries and consumed this ce?" When he saw that no one had any idea about what he was talking about, Vincent continued with a mysterious smile, "It seems the effects of mana are stranger than we thought..." "Just get to the point!" Hunter said with a vein throbbing in his temple. "Hehe, chill bro. As I was saying, the forest isn''t the only thing expanding..." As soon as Vincent said this, it immediately clicked in Cain''s head. "Do you mean, the ground is expanding as well?" Cain asked with an incredulous expression on his face. "Bingo! As expected of my boss. Able to understand with so little information." Cain immediately shut the rambling fatty out and activated the system... ''System, is this true?'' {Replying to host: Affirmative...} ''But how the hell is that even possible?'' {Replying to host: Just like how the host, mutant beasts and nts, and devils absorb mana,s also absorb mana as well. This causes various supernatural phenomena. When a absorbs mana, the principles of normalcy and equilibrium the once operated by bes perverted and twisted}. {Deserts can be oceans overnight, and snowcapped mountains can turn into valleys in a few weeks. Various creatures created from the forces of the earth, creatures that are granted life through the power of the reaction between Paraelementals and the be verymon as well. All of this will continue to happen until all the mana within the is used up...} ''In summary, Urbus is growing bigger, and there are many more changes we are yet to witness?'' Cain suddenly spoke up in all seriousness, "It seems like we need to reevaluate how we move." ''I think it''s finally time to make a move...'' Cain realized that if he was going to make any progress, he had to get the train moving. And those who weren''t on board could be left behind... Turning to Jenny''s group who hadn''t been involved in the conversation, heid down the question, "We need to cooperate if we want to leave this ce alive and move forward. The first thing we need to do is to scout the area and gather more information. Is there anyone among you who have stealth abilities?" There was a brief moment of silence, as nces were exchanged before Jenny spoke up. The beauty turned her caramel eyes towards Cain and said in a cold voice, "I do... But, I won''t be involved in any crazy ns that you insane people concoct." Cain didn''t even hesitate to reply, "It''s fine. No one here is going to force you into doing something you don''t want to do. If you don''t want to fight with us, then that-" Cain was about to add something, when Jenny interrupted, "I''m not done." she said, a cunning light shing within her eyes. "Oh?" Nodding her head, Jenny continued, "If you want us to go along with any of your insane ideas, I have two conditions." Although Cain was suspicious, he let her go on... "One, you have to promise me that you will support us in protecting those who can''t do so themselves. We definitely can''t leave them to their deaths." Cain thought about it for a while and felt that the gains outweighed the losses. He could tell that the addition of Jenny, Li, Stan, and Sue would increase thebat power of the group. The only issue with this was that protecting others was way harder than killing. "While I cannot guarantee their lives, I can promise you that I will do my absolute best to support you if you n to take them with us as we get away from this ce." "Fair enough..." "What''s your second condition?" Jenny let out a slight chuckle before she said, "If you want me to help you scout the perimeter, then you will have to follow me!" she eximed, pointing her index finger at Cain. There was a brief moment of silence before Cain pointed at himself in surprise. "Me?!" Chapter 93: Devils in the Forest (2). "Me?!" Jenny had a brilliant expression on her face as she affirmed, "Yes. I will go only if you go with me?!" "Jenny!" "Sister Jenny, what are you saying?! Why would you want to move alone with this scar-faced bastard!" ''Hey, hey...'' Cain had a t expression when he heard the undeserved insult. Li moved quickly and held her by her arm, "No. This won''t do at all." he said in a low voice. He lowered his voice to a pitch only both of them could hear, "It is obvious what their n is. They want to divide usso it will be easier to take us out. I don''t trust any of them one bit. Remember what you told us that night? With the way things have be, we can trust nobody!" "You don''t understand, Li..." Before Jenny could say a word more, Li had let go of her. He then turned to Cain and said in a cold voice, "Why can''t you guys go yourselves? Why do you have to include us in this madness?! Going into a forest with tens of thousands of man-eating devils? I think we''ll pass on that one." "No one is forcing you to go ahead with the n. Besides, she was the one who volunteered. No one forced her..." Cain said with a cold expression. "Ignore him, boss. This brother is deluded." Vincent said with a mocking sneer on his face. "At least I don''t look like a tree stomp." Li pped back mercilessly... "I''ll turn you into a sieve, you bastard!" Vincent said, his words dripping with bloodlust. "Enough!" Cain yelled. The two of them fell quiet immediately. Cain turned to Jenny, "I agree to your conditions. However, I want to see what you are capable of beforehand. Can you tell me more about this ability of yours? Is it a skill, or a spell? What does it do, and how will it make us go unnoticed by the enemies?" Jenny took a deep look at Cain before she spoke, "You do realize this is sensitive information, right?" "If I don''t know this at the very least, how do you expect me to trust you with my life "You do have a point. Fine! I''ll show you first." Taking a deep breath, Jenny activated her skill. "Stealth Cloak!" With a gust of the wind, Jenny''s figure faded into thin air... Thanks to Cain''s high perception stat, he could still see a faint outline of her body, but that was all. Her aura, her scent, and even her footprints had almostpletely disappeared, making her stealth skill borderline frightening. Turning to face the invincible Jenny, Cain had an approving expression, "Not bad, not bad at all..." ''He can see me?!'' Jenny was shocked beyond belief. She immediately released the skill with a gloomy expression on her face. "The skill is called {Stealth Cloak}. It is a light and darkness paraelemental skill that conceals my presence by 50%. One activation of the skillsts for ten minutes, and the cooldown is five minutes, but thanks to a certain passive skill of mine, the cooldown is reduced to two minutes." "Alright... I agree with your conditions. However, while I do have a concealment spell, I doubt it is as effective as yours. However, since I can also use this skill on allies, it will boost the effects of your concealment skill even further." The spell Cain was referring to was the {Dark Cloak} spell he had acquired alongside the {Elemental Body} physique skill. *** {Dark Cloak}: Conceal your movements and hide within a nket of darkness, evading the senses of your foes. Reduces the perception of enemies towards you by 40%. This skill can be used on allies as well, has a duration of 5 minutes, and a cooldown of 10 minutes. Cost: 500MP peruse. Note: Cooldown of this skill reduced to 5 minutes, while its cost has been reduced to 250MP per user due to the effects of {Mana Heart}... *** "Alright... It''s settled then. Jenny and I will look around. In the meantime, everyone else is free to do whatever. Vincent, I need you to be on the lookout for any sudden changes in the enemy camp." Cain said as he gazed into the forest that seemed to be growing bigger, yet it appeared stagnant at the same time. "Roger that, boss. Nothing can escape my eyes..." Vincent said, beating his chest with pride. ''Ruby, you will follow me.'' ''Okay, master!'' The huge ck bear wagged its tail at full force. "If that will be all, then we can be on our way," Cain said to Jenny. "Hold up." Suddenly, the environment darkened a bit, and shadows began to creep up out of nowhere. Out of one of the creeping shadows, Evangeline walked out. Her pale porcin skin and snow-white hair were a direct contrast to the shadows she created, and her blood-red lips looked like drops of blood sttered on freshly fallen snow, creating a sort of forbidden beauty that none could crave after. Just likest time, Cain was unable to sense when she had arrived... "Who are you?" Jenny asked with a raised brow. However, she waspletely ignored by Evangeline who turned to Cain and spoke in her signature crisp voice, "I''m going as well. Don''t get in my way." she said in a tone that showed she wasn''t making an argument. Seeing she was ignored, Jenny simply narrowed her eyes but didn''t say anything more... Cain stared at the beauty standing directly before him with a stunned expression before letting out a frown. ''Thisplicates things a whole lot more...'' "Sure. I can''t stop you if you want toe anyways..." "Hmm." With that, She disappeared into the shadows she had created once again. ''She is very... unique'' Cain had run out of words to describe the beauty''s entricity. "First Order, Halo of light!" Cain felt a palm press against his back. This palm was soft, and produced a sense offort he still wasn''t familiar with. "Susan?" Cain still wasn''t sure what had happened... Before the start of the apocalypse, this former ss monitor of his was someone he figured was in apletely different world than his. His world was a world of shadow, whereas hers was full of light. He had held no animosity towards her, nor did he believe she was an important factor in his life. However, since the start of all the madness, she had stayed alive and had somehow managed toe this far alongside him. Even when all their ssmates had died at the hands of the {Miasma Devil}, she still pushed on. He didn''t know to what extent her powers reached, but what he did know, was that she was certainly capable enough to survive for so long in a world filled with insanity. And now, he had found himself drawn to the light she gave off. Something about it was just soforting. It made him want to sink into it and bury himself in its warmth. He had never felt that way in his before, so it was a first for him to be so drawn to someone. He had no idea how it happened, or the circumstances it grew under... ''I guess there are somethings we just can''t understand no matter how hard we try...'' {Host is under the effects of the spell, Halo of Light...} {Halo of Light}: Defense and Magic stats temporarily boosted by 30% for 6 hours... A golden sheen of light instantly wrapped around his body. A strange rune made of light the shape of an inverted wing appeared on his chest at the same time. ''So powerful!'' Cain was shocked when he saw the effects of the speed Susan had cast on him. "The spell doesn''tst too long, but it should still be of some use," Susan said, a faint blush appearing on her cheeks even though she tried to keep a straight face. ''Shit! What is wrong with me?!'' Susan said to herself. She didn''t know when it started... She had never once had any strong feelings towards anyone in particr. She had grown up in a traditional and rich family, so regardless of whether she wanted to or not, her upbringing made her look down on people like Cain. Even before the apocalypse, the only reason she interacted with Cain was that it was her duty as well as the ss monitor to make sure all her peers could meet up. ''It is the responsibility of the strong to help the weak, and the capability to assist the inept...'' She had been taught that at an early age, and it had stuck with her up until now... However, the strings of fate were sadistic, and she had found herself increasingly drawn to Cain after the apocalypse. It could just be because he is the only person she found familiar amongst those still alive, or that she was doing it out of a sense of duty. She couldn''t tell exactly. What she could tell, was that there was something within her, whispering to her to spread her light onto the dark soul standing before her... Light and dark... These two were opposites of one another, yet one would lose its purpose in the absence of the other... "I see. Thank you." Cain said, his back still facing her. "Don''t mention it. Just make sure youe back in one piece." Saying that Susan withdrew her hands from his back and stepped aside. "Hm! Alright. Let''s go..." Cain nodded his head firmly at Susan before turning to Jenny who was staring at him with a raised eyebrow, much like everyone else who had witnessed his interaction with Susan. "Dark Cloak!" Cain stretched his palm out wide as a dark magic circle appeared above it. Like a nket, the magic circle expanded and covered both himself and Jenny who stood beside him. ''Don''t be stupid. I have a n...Focus on leveling up and wait for me to return before you make any big moves...'' Li stared at the dissapearing Jenny in shock when he heard her voice echo in his mind... They slowly faded away from the scenes of those standing around. Although it wasn''t as effective as Jenny''s, it would still be of great use inside the dark forest. Applying some force to the soles of his feet, the now near-invincible Cain as well as Jenny dashed straight into the dark maw of the devil-infested forest. There was a brief moment of silence before it was shattered to pieces by Vincent. "At least he''s got game..." If Cain was there, he certainly would have made the fatty cough up some blood... Chapter 94: Devils in the Forest (3). The forest was dark, gloomy,and as silent as a graveyard... In reality, it truly was a graveyard. In the span of a few hours, the corpses of thousands of mutant beasts had be one with the forest floor. Only their brittle bones which had been drained of all nutrients were left to form fossils. Crawling above the carpet of bones, were devils of all shapes and sizes. Cain dashed through the dense foliage with an agility that could put cats to shame while staying out of the sight of the devils. His feet barely touched the ground, and thanks to his high control stat, he was able to expend the least amount of stamina for the most effective actions, so his stamina consumption was kept at the bare minimum. Beside him, covered in the same nket of darkness as he was in, was Ruby. {Dark Cloak} allowed Cain to spread the effects of the skills to allies. Hence, the effects of {Dark Cloak} weren''t limited to just him, but Evangeline, Jenny, and Ruby as well... He moved through the dark forest like a shadow. Looking to the side, he realized that he hadpletely lost sight of Jenny he couldn''t even sense her or Evangeline''s presence at all. ''So scary...'' They had raced through the forest for a while before stopping below a group of trees. Evangelize walked out of the shadows, while Jenny faded back into existence. "So what do you have in mind?" Jenny said as skin as they came to a halt. "We can''t cover the entire forest alone, so I suggest we move together. We should be able to source out a rtively safe path that has fewer devils. That way, we will expend less energy, and we will be able to protect those who can''t without fearing casualties too much." Seeing the two beautiful women standing before him paying close attention, Cain continued, "We also need to get closer to that giant devil. If we have no idea what we might face, then the danger we could face will be multiplied many times over..." "We may also need to fight if the need arises, so get ready..." Cain spent about five more minutes exining the details of his n to them. To simplify it, he nned to get as much information about the devils in the forest, what they did, what their goal was, how they fed, what the giant devil was, whether they had abasement, etc. "Any questions?" Cain said once he was done. "I do..." Cain had expected Jenny to talk, but as fate would have it, Evangeline was the first to speak to him. Starting him down with her red gem-like eyes, she parted her lips and spoke in a cold voice, "If you think that will work, then you are probably a bigger fool than I imagined." Silence... Cain and Jenny were stunned for a while before Cain spoke with aplicated expression on his face, "And why is that?" "It''s simple. How much exactly do you know about these devils?" Evangeline asked with a serious expression spread on her porcin face. Cain went silent when he realized that apart from the basic information he had learned about devils from the system and the records of Akasha, he had little to no personally gathered knowledge about the devils. Seeing Cain fall silent, Evangeline narrowed her eyes as she continued, "The devils have a way ofmunicating with one another when they are within a certain range. If we kill even a single devil when there are so many devils within the forest, we run the risk of having the wrath of over ten thousand devils crash on our heads. I''m surprised you... bear could attack all those devils and find a way to survive." ''Master, that''s not true! I didn''t attack those devils, they attacked me first, but when I tried to defend myself, I killed a few of them. Suddenly, three turned into five, then twelve. It was then I realized they were trying to gather enough numbers to take me down, so I ran... Pretty impressive, right?" Rubymunicated with Cain through their shared telepathic connection. ''Yeah, Good job.'' Cain praised the bear sincerely. ''Hehehe...'' Turning to the girls who stared at him with questioning gazes, he spoke in a soft tone, "She didn''t attack any devils. On the contrary, it was the other way around. It seems you are right. If we kill even a single devil, we will have only two options. One, we give up on the mission and run back to safety, or we get swarmed to death. Even I doubt I can handi ten thousand devils in one go..." "It''s good you know." Evangeline said with an expression that seemed to scream ''I told you so''. She stared at Cain with cold eyes, almost as though she was waiting for him toe up with another n... This time, Jenny spoke up, "I don''t think they canmunicate with one another fully. What they do isn''t the same asmunication. Apart from the higher-rank devils, the other low ranks can only sense the death of other devils when they are within a certain radius from one another. They canmunicate, but only when in very close proximity." "So you mean we can''t kill any devils?" Cain voiced his main concern. "Correct... We can''t take the risk." Jenny said with a nod. "So what do you n to do now?" Evangeline said, her ruby-red eyes glowing in the darkness. Cain dispelled {Dark Cloak}, plopped down to the ground, and rested his back against the furry hide of Ruby who sat behind him. ''System, how exactly do the devilsmunicate with one another over such distance?'' {Replying to host: The devils can ry magic signals with one another on death through their devil cores. All devils above the Normal tier possess devil cores. Even the normal tier devils have their unique way of sending and receiving magic signals, although that is not as effective as using devil cores. Once the devil dies, this signal is automatically sent out to devils nearby, who will respond immediately}. Cain narrowed his eyes as he thought, ''If they use magic to send these signals out, then all I need to do is stop them from sending them out, correct?'' {Replying to host: Affirmative... If the host can stop the magic signals from being sent the moment the devils lose their lives, then it is entirely possible to stop the signal from being sent out...} ''I see...'' "Change of ns... Try to avoid killing any devils, but if necessary, then leave it to me. I have a way of stopping them frommunicating with one another." Cain said with absolute confidence. "Oh? Care to enlighten us?" Evangeline said with a raised eyebrow. "That''s all I can say for now. We''ll continue with the original n in an hour, gather as much info as we can, then regroup with the rest before we attack." Cain said with a drawl in his voice, a dangerous light shing in his eyes. "Is that so..." Evangeline said, her gem-like eyes turning into slits. In response, Cain simply closed his eyes and began absorbing Ki. ''Hmmm... Something I going on between these two.'' Jenny concluded, a suspicious look on her face. Oblivious to Jenny''s scandalous thoughts, Evangeline faded back into the shadows, while Cain kept his eyes closed and ignored his environment. ''These people are truly insane.'' Jenny shook her head, before plopping down to the ground next to Cain, and going about her business. *** Cain activated the {Dragon''s Gate} ki plundering technique, passively increasing his ki reserves. This was the best method he had avable to activate Ki in their present conditions. Using the {Heavy Armor} for a stealthy mission would be the epitome of stupidity, especially since what he required the most was speed and agility, stats the {Heavy Armor} greatly reduced. *** {+20 points to Ki stat}. {Dragon''s Gate Ki plundering technique}: Rank: Celestial Tier: 0. (165/10,000) Ki points to the next Tier. *** Although the gain was slow, he was still satisfied with the progress he was making. He could feel the energy drawn into his body every time he took a breath under the influence of the technique. The violent and overbearing nature of Ki was a contrast to the flowing and mild, yet strong nature of mana. Cain felt they both had the same origins, yet had developed different natures somewhere down the line. Mana had a spiritual or mental effect, and Ki had a physical effect. ''If this is the case, then Ki should be more suited for skills that involve physical action and brute force. Skills like {Mana de} and {Lightning Edge} would be more effective with Ki than mana.'' Cain thought to himself. ''To increase my mana, all I need to do is to level up and absorb god ash. As for Ki, I need to push my body to its limits, and endure immeasurable pain.'' ''Besides, I haven''t been able to figure out how exactly to use Ki. ording to the system, it is also called life essence and can be used to create runes. However, I doubt creating runes would be possible right now. This means I''ll need to find other ways to use it.'' Cain activated his devil eyes and watched as the strands of Ki bleed into his body from the environment. ''Should I treat it the same way I do with mana?'' Cain concentrated a bit, trying to control the extremely violent energy crashing within his body like waves against a cliff. However, he quickly realized his error... BLEGH! He immediately coughed up a mouthful of blood. As soon as his soul made contact with the Ki, he felt pain, like he had never experienced his entire life course through his body and soul. ''Damn! It''s too unstable!'' Cain couldn''t help but curse. Although it was for only a brief moment, he could tell that if he had gone for even a bit longer, he might have lost his life. Fear blossomed in his heart when he thought back to the intense pain that nearly plunged him to the bottom of the abyss. ''So I definitely can''t treat it like mana. The system, what is the best way to deal with Ki?'' {Replying to host: The host currently doesn''t possess the ability to handle such violent energy. The only way the host will be able to use this energy currently is by using a skill or spell that is powerful enough to contain it, and at the same time, is also capable of keeping the host''s body and mind intact...} ''A skill, huh...'' {Replying to host: Affirmative...} ''Well, do I have any skills that are capable of doing this?'' {Replying to host: The host currentlycks enough system points to purchase this piece of information...} Cain rolled his eyes in their sockets, ''Guessed this would happen sooner thanter.'' He once again fell into deep thought, ''A skill that can contain violent energy...'' Cain was very intelligent, so it didn''t take him too long to figure it out. His pupils shrunk when he came to the realization... Cain had concluded that if he could describe Ki with words, he would call it physical energy. This was because it involved intense stress to his body apanied by borderline torture to increase the strength of his physical body, thereby increasing the rate of Ki plundering. Not only that, but it also had a very odd simrity to the energy he felt coursing with him when he activated {Golden Blood}. Whenever he activated {Golden Blood}, he would feel a tyrannical energy course through his body that caused him tremendous pain and difort. He would feel the hot energy coursing through his veins, striking his muscles and bones, turning them tougher whenever he activated the ki plundering technique, producing a simr effect to when he activated {Golden Blood}. Chapter 95: Devils in the Forest (4). ''Hmmm... But how will I do it? The requirements to level up the {Golden Blood} skill haven''t been met yet.'' {Golden blood level.1}: Upon activation, multiply all physical stats by 2. Consumes 100 MP, and costs 1 point of stamina per second to maintain. Puts the body of the user under great strain. (8000/10000 SP) Cain used the {Golden Blood} skill regrly, so after almost five days, it was nearing the next checkpoint. In reality, he didn''t know what to expect from leveling the skill up. He figured it would be a skill like his {de Mastery} that just gave him a slightly upgraded version of the skill when he leveled it up. However, that wasn''t what he wanted... He could tell the skill was very special. It was the first skill he had acquired, which ording to the system, was a result of the initial influx of mana reacting with his soul and body. A skill created like that would most likely have a lot of potentials... ''Should I try it out?'' Cain thought to himself, uncertainty shing in his eyes... ying with fire, he ran the risk of getting burned badly. He just learned the hard way that controlling Ki was very dangerous. Unlike mana which was easily controlled when he increased stats like his magic and spirit stats, he could only increase the volume of his Ki, but he couldn''t control it, and therefore, couldn''t use it. ''Risks are meant to be taken...'' Cain decided to throw all reason out the window. "Golden Blood!" Streams of golden energy coursed through his body, increasing his strength by 100%. Cain let out a pained grunt as the violent energy ran through his veins. ''This never gets old...'' Cain had used the {Golden Blood} skill a fair amount of times when fighting, so he was able to handle the pain well. However, nothing in the world could prepare him for the world of pain he was about to go through... *** Dan watched Hunter in a state of semi-confusion... "So let me get this straight, you want to lead the group, yet at the same time you don''t want to lead the group?" "Exactly..." A brief moment of silence fell in between the two... "Care to exin?" Dan said, his eyes truly questioning Hunter''s sanity. "Not right now. I''m busy..." Hunter said with his eyes closed. The instant Cain, Jenny, and Evangeline went into the forest, everyone in the group had gone off to do their separate things. Although they were a group, there was no real binding force between them. They just had a single goal they were all working towards, and that was finding their way through the forest and towards proper civilization with more people... "I don''t get it... What exactly are you doing? Do you mind letting me in on some of your ns, maybe? Do you n on killing anyone anytime soon?" Dan said, a trace of bloodlust leaking from his pores. "Nothing like that for now... I''m still essing the situation." Hunter said. They were in a location that was far enough for anyone in the group not to notice what they were up to, or eavesdrop on their conversation... "Assessing the situation, how?" At this point, Dan was getting fed up. "At first, I thought you were going to kill someone. All of a sudden, you don''t. Now, the dude''s all strong and stuff. How are we gonna kill him now?!" Dan said something atrocious without even blinking, as though it was the most normal thing in the world to talk about killing people with a straight face. "You have to understand, things have changed..." Hunter said with a dangerous look in his narrowed eyes. "With these insane powers, nobody here can be downed with a single sh of the de, especially Cain. You might not have noticed, but in our fight the night before, he would have had me beat. Even if I used my trump cards, it wouldn''t make a difference as I know for a fact he had a lot more in the store he didn''t use in our fight." Turning to Dan who now had an understanding expression, he continued, "We need to move smart. You saw the aftereffects of the fight he had with whatever that monster was. Do you think we could take him on as we are right now?" Hunter said, referring to the fight between Cain and the {Devil-eyed White Primate}. "Remember the number two rules of the No triggers.Stay hidden, do not let the light creep in u til you are sure there is enough darkness to consume it, and power above all. For now, there will be no attacking, nor will there be any ambushes or setups." "He is stronger than us, for now... We will bid our time, patiently waiting until we gather up enough darkness... If we can never get stronger than him, then all we can do is live under his shoe." Hunter said in his usual monotone, which only further emphasized the bloodthirst in his voice. "Keke... As expected of you." Dan said with a sinister smile. "Now if you will excuse me, I need to get back to something..." Hunter waved his hand dismissively. "Sure, sure... Before that, quick question." "Ha... Go ahead." Anyone with functioning ears would be able to tell that Hunter was getting fed up. "Do you not have the ability to destroy those things?" Dan said, referring to the grotesque nt-like things Cain had drained and got to the {Devil''s Broken w}. "Yes... Those things are covered with a weird fluid that makes them nearly invincible to my mes. Most of the wolves I can summon are also unable to do anything to those things. If I used stronger summons, I''d be able to rip them apart, but the cost wouldn''t bnce out with the effect, so I''ll let that kid steal the spotlight for now." Hunter said with a light chuckle... ''Why do I feel like he has been showing more expressions these days?'' Dan couldn''t help but wonder. "Now leave me alone." Hunter instantly went back to his usual self. Ignoring Dan who was in the background, he activated a summon skill. cing his thumb into his mouth, he bit down hard with enough force to break the skin and draw blood. Hunter watched as blood dripped down his thumb. "Summon Demon Wolf, White shadow." The blood that dripped down onto the ground traced itself into aplex runic pattern on the ground. Once the pattern was formed, it shone with a faint white glow. A secondter, a snow-white wolf without any blemish on its fur stepped out of the summoning circle. This wolf was about half the size of his usual summons but looked more unique. Apart from its snow-white fur, it also had an eye at the center of its forehead. Hunter gave it a pat on the head before an intelligent light shed in its eyes, and it ran off into the dark forest in the distance. Dan watched in amazement as a white me consumed the wolf, turning it either dead orpletely transparent the next second. He watched as Hunter''s eyes lit up with a faint white light simr to the one he had seen in the eyes of his summon... Suddenly, it clicked in his head, causing him to let out a soft chuckle, "Seems like things are about to get more interesting, aren''t they, Hunter?" Dan said as he let himself reminisce about old times... ''Don''t worry, Cain. I''ming for you.'' *** "Hmmm, so, your n, essentially, is to go into the forest and kill some devils?" Vincent stared at Manny who had pitched him this awfully simple yet ridiculous idea. The two had gone off on their individual when Cain, Jenny, and Evangeline had gone on their stealth mission. "Yes... That''s it. Neat n, right?" Manny said a proud smile on his face. "Hmmm... That just might work. There''s only one problem..." "What''s that?" Manny asked genuinely. "Oh, I don''t know, maybe because if we go in there trying to attack those devils, we will get killed in under a minute. At most, we couldst a minute before we are either ripped to shreds or poisoned to death." Vincent said with twitching eyebrows. Manny: "..." "Don''t look at me like that you freaking idiot!" Vincent nearly spat blood, to which Manny responded with an eye roll, "Stop overreacting, will you? Don''t you want to get some action as well?" "I''d rather not lose my life, thank you very much. We should wait for the boss to finish his mission." Vincent raised his nose aloofly. "He might be your boss, but to me, he is someone I must surpass! Did you see how strong he is?!" The fight between Cain and the {Devil-eyed White Primate} was by no means silent or dull. It was so loud and bright, everybody fighting at that time could see it thanks to their enhanced stats. They watched as Cain delivered the terrifying {Hollow Judgement} onto the strong mutant, severing it in two with a single attack. "That attack was so strong. I want my power to surpass that, and the only way to do that is for me to push and put my life on the line. I might be strong now, but I''m not strong enough to create such a terrifying work of art." Manny said, stars shining in his eyes. "Eh? I see..." A smile crept unto Vincent''s face as a look of realization appeared on it. "If you want to do that, then going into the forest to fight right now wouldn''t be such a bad idea. Alright. I''m in!" "Really?! Sweet! It will be good to have someone watch my behind while I murder those devils" Manny said with a pure smile. Spitting oundish statements wasn''t anything new to anyone in the group anymore. "Hehehe, we don''t want to waste any more daylight, then. Off we go!" Vincent said with a grin. "Yeah... However, being stealthy is still necessary, so we have to make sure none of the devils can spot us even if we kill a bunch of them. Fortunately, I have a skill that fits the job perfectly..." Vincent raised his hands, then pped them together. A magic circle appeared above his palms, before quickly spreading into a 10-meter bubble that covered both of them. "What is this?" Manny said as he touched the bubble and found out that it didn''t obstruct his movements at all... "Hehe... This is a skill of mine that will allow us to kill those devils without being noticed by them. Now, you can kill to your heart''s content, and not work about getting swarmed to death." Vincent said with a thumbs up. "Hmmm... Why didn''t you mention this earlier when Cain asked about those who had skills that would be useful in a stealth mission?" Manny asked with narrowed eyes. Vincent''s response was just a smile and a simple wink... "Well, I guess it isn''t any of my business. Let''s get going..." Regardless of how lousy he might seem, Manny was smart enough to know when to keep his mouth shut. Together, they dashed into the forest, totally invincible to normal detection methods... Chapter 96: Devils in the Forest (5). "What did Jenny say?" Sue whispered. Stan, Li, and Sue all sat together, their voices kept low, and their faces down. Even though no one was currently around them, they remained cautious. On the edges of the forest, numerous grotesque nt creatures were waving their vines like tentacles, so it was currently impossible for those that could not get past them unnoticed to enter the forest. Stan, Sue, and Li had learned the hard way when Stan was smacked across the face trying to brute force his way through the protective defense line. "She said we should wait, that she has a n," Li said with a calm expression on his face. "Ha... Why did she have to put herself in such a situation? Wasn''t she the one who told us that splitting the group up could be dangerous?!" Stan said, a confused expression on his face. "Believe in her. She has a n..." Li said with a fairly confident smile on his face. "You doing okay? He hit you pretty hard." Sue, who would always fight with her brother showed her soft side. "I''m alright. Nothing a few health potions can''t fix. Besides, he didn''t even hit that hard. Hahaha!" Seeing Liugh it off, although they were still concerned, they decided not to talk about it anymore. "I''m so going to kill that arrogant scar-faced bastard should anything happen to Jenny," Sue said with a menacing expression. Li simplyughed and said, "Rx shorty... She''s going to be fine." "How do you know?!" Sue said with a questioning stare. Li replied, "I know for a fact he wouldn''ty his hands on her. He isn''t a killer." Li said with a confident expression. "He is also very strong!" An excited sparkle flew through Li''s eyes as he continued, "Such a powerful de. The strength required to wield such a de is even more terrifying. Not only that, but the dude knows how to fight." Li eximed. "How do you know all this?" Sue couldn''t help but ask. "Tsk! This baby sister of mine, you truly do underestimate your dear brother. While he is strong, there would have been no chance in hell he would have beaten me and Jenny together had it not been for that his disgusting skill and the fact that we weren''t prepared for it. "That is true..." "That doesn''t change the fact that he does possess enough strength to be arrogant. Yet, while I could sense a decent amount of arrogance, he was also very calctive and thoughtful, which goes to show just how scary he is." Li concluded. Even though he had just praised Cain, he couldn''t conceal the fighting intent that rolled off his body in waves. "I''d love to fight him again... This time, in a real battle " Li clenched his fists as he wondered how he could improve his abilities and beat Cain. Not only was he intelligent, but he was also very strong. If Cain hadn''t used {Seal}, Li and Jenny would have given him a tough time. AndLi knew this fact very well. That was why he wasn''t feeling too down when Cain had beaten him. ''Once I improve my abilities even more, I''ll beat him!'' *** Cain spat out another mouthful of blood as he trembled where he sat. ''Master, are you okay?!''Ruby yelled through their telepathic connection when she saw the state Cain was in. He was bleeding from numerous gashes that had appeared on his body. Blood gushed out from all his orifices as well, and the golden light of the {Golden Blood} skill flickered on and off before finally dying out. ''It''s okay, I''m fine.'' Cain said to the bear before retrieving a few mana potions from his inventory and pouring them down his throat. Cain stared at the system prompt that was disyed before him with twitching eyelids. ''Shit! I overdid it now!'' {A violent energy has entered the host''s body and has dealt serious damage...} {The host has been rendered immobile for the next 10 seconds...} {All physical stats -50% for 1 hour...} ''This is not good at all...'' Cain stared at the consequences of his rashness a bit before letting out a sigh. ''No use crying over spilled milk. What do I do now? Where did I go wrong?'' Cain noticed quickly that controlling the violent Ki in any way or form would always lead to a disastrous oue. The two times he had attempted it, he ended up spitting blood. ''Could it possibly be that I''m doing it the wrong way?'' Cain thought hard about what he had done wrong but was unable toe up with a solution... ''Thinking about it too hard will be of no use. For now, I just need to focus on-'' ''Master! I sense a few devils headed our way.'' Ten seconds of handling have since gone by, so Cain had recovered his motor abilities, but he hadn''t recovered all his stats. Hence, we were weaker than he could ever be at a crucial moment. ''How many?'' ''A group of 20. Ten in the sky, and ten onnd.'' Ruby said with confidence. Cain was a bit surprised by this... ''How do you know this?'' ''Hm? Oh, one of my skills, {Blood Sense} allows me to sense the blood aura of living beings within a 50-meter radius from me.'' Due to the {Body and Soul} contract created between the man and beast, while Cain had attained the ability to absorb god ash, Ruby had gained the ability to create skills just like humans. Most of the time, without any external factors involved, mutant beasts, especially those of low tiers like Ruby would be stuck with the skills they had gotten from the system. A few exceptions to the rule like the {Devil-eyed White Primate} could pop out sometimes, but most of the time, the former was the case. However, thanks to the unique conditions of the{Body and Soul} contract, Ruby had gained the ability to create an infinite amount of skills, just like humans could. ''Can you tell how strong they are?'' Cain said as he stood up and retrieved his de from his inventory. ''Ruby can''t tell, master. The skill isn''t strong enough yet.'' The bear had a sad face as it spoke to Cain through their telepathy connection. Rubbing her head, Cain cheered her up, ''Don''t worry. You''ve done enough.'' Whispering slightly, he called out to Jenny and Evangeline who both appeared the instant he called their names out. "We have a few roaches on our hands. We need to kill them all at once if we want my n to walk." Cain said with a stern expression. The beauties before him, one with an angelic, yet extremely passive face, and the other with a sly expression and a devilishly curvy body, both stared at him as he spoke, making him feel a bit bothered. "So all of them have to die in one shot? Got it." Evangeline said in a cold voice. "Exactly. And this has to be done on mymand. Not too fast, and not too slow." Cain nodded in approval. "Jenny, you and I will take out the ones in the sky, while Evangeline and Ruby will be responsible for the ones on the ground." "Noted..." The two girls didn''t even express the desire to argue before getting into their attacking stances. Once again, they fazed out of existence, one vanishing away from existence, the other disappearing into the shadows... ''Damn... These girls are too aloof!'' Cain thought with a pout. ''Alright, Ruby. Kill as many as you can, as fast as you can on mymand.'' ''Okay, Master!'' With a feral growl, the crimson runic lines on the bear''s body glowed, creating a field of bloody aura around her. After a while, Cain was able to hear the organized marches of the devilsing in their direction. ''Not now...'' Cain readied the spell he was going to use. To kill the devils as fast as he could, he needed a special spell he had recently acquired that he had yet to test out. Most of his skills and spells were centered around his swordsmanship, so he previously didn''t have any long-range skills. However, with his acquisition of the {Elemental Body} skill, he had attained a few extra skills. Fiery orange magic circles appeared behind him before they were instantly reced with three huge {Fireball} spells... *** {Mana Heart (passive): Mana pool increases by 2¡Á. Mana is regenerated at 5MP per second. The Cooldown of all skills and spells is reduced by 50%. For every level, +1 extra point to Magic stat. Grants host the ability to absorb and transform pure forms of mana}. {Fireball}: Create a concentrated ball of mes to incinerate your enemies. Each fireball deals pure magic damage equivalent to the host''s magic stat. A maximum of 3 fireballs can be created per second, and a maximum of 9 can be stacked up. Cost: 100MP per fireball. *** Due to the effects of {Mana Heart}, Cain was able to create nine balls of mes in less than two seconds. Each ball could also deal damage of almost 500 magic attack points, making the skill very terrifying in his hands... The devils drew closer fast until they hade almost face to face with Cain and the others. Since every one of them, including Cain, was under one concealment spell or the other, the devils weren''t able to notice them in time. By the time they did, it was already toote. "Now!" A brief yellter, and the fates of all the devils were sealed... *** {de Devil}: Level 5. (elite) Strength: 40. Agility: 30 Defense: 0 HP: 500/500 MP: 50/50 Skills: Body strengthening level. 1. {Sentinel Drones}: level 5. (Normal) Strength: 5. Agility: 50 Defense: 0 HP: 150/150 MP: 100/100. Skills: Sentry level 1, Magic Pulse. *** There were only two types of devils present in the attacking group. The elite tiered {de Devils} and the normal-tiered, yet foreign-looking {Sentinel Drones}. Even though the {Sentinel Drones} flew at a moderately Hugh altitude, it wasn''t enough to escape Cain''s impable aim. Even though he had never used the skill before, with his high magic and control stats, manipting them to strike all the flying devils was rtively easy. At the same time, a shadow blurred across his vision, and less than a secondter, the heads of ten devils were floating above their necks. "Shadow Walk: Night Dancer." Before the second could pse, Cain activated his trump card... "Seal!" The devil cores of the {de Devils} beeped with a strange like for less than a split second, but once the {Seal} spell was activated, they were stopped immediately. The charred corpses of the {Sentinel Drones} fell to the ground the very same second as the headless corpses of the {de Devils} fell to the ground. {Congrattions to the host... You have killed ¡Á10 Sentinel Drones...} {+200exp...} Chapter 97: Hierarchy among Devils. Cain stood over the corpses of the fallen devils with a pondering expression. ''It works.'' The magic signals the devils sent out upon death could still be considered spells or skills. {Seal} is a spell capable of cutting off the flow of mana for low-level spells and skillspletely. Hence, Cain was able to stop the devils from sending the magic death signals out. Cain looked down at the new devils of which he had never seen before, the {Sentinel Drones} he had personallyid to waste. They looked even more unique than the other devils he had seen previously. They had dark shadowy eyes with red centers covering their entire body structure as well as thin tendrils of fleshy material dangling from underneath them. ''From the looks of it, they served as the sentries of the devils. The only question here is, what exactly do these devils need sentries for?'' "You could have saved some for me, you know?" Jenny walked up to Cain with a slightly annoyed expression on her face. The frown on her face only served to boost her already insane beauty and seductiveness even further. However, as Cain was only focused on the matter at hand, he couldn''t acknowledge the fullness of the beauty standing before him. "Sorry... I will try to leave some for you next time." Cain apologized. Jenny rolled her eyes and waved her hand dismissively, "It''s okay. They are only normal-tier devils anyway. There isn''t much to be gained from them." Apart from dropping a single bottle of HP regen potion, the {Sentinel Drones} failed to provide anything else. The {de Devils} on the other hand managed to drop a few more things than the {Sentinel Drones}. A single {Mark of Bestial Strength} rune as well as an HP and MP regen potion were the only loots avable apart from their devil cores. "The spoils are mine," Evangeline said as she moved out from the shadows, grabbing all the fallen loot as well as carving out all the devil cores in one breath, before disappearing back into the shadows. ''So stingy...'' Cain couldn''t believe his eyes. "What''s her deal?" Jenny said with a huff. "You mean Evangeline?" Cain asked. "That''s her name, huh..." "Yeah. To be honest, I don''t know much about her or anyone else in the group. We were all strangers before the apocalypse. But as victims of circumstance, we are now forced to fight together." Cain said, looking deeply at Jenny. "I see..." Jenny said nothing more. "Alright. Enough of that, let''s go..." With that, Cain activated his {Dark Cloak} on both Ruby and himself, rushing deeper into the forest. ''Seems like my suspicions were correct. They aren''t a solid team, and will be easily broken apart at the slightest prodding.'' A dangerous light shed within Jenny''s beautiful eyes as she followed after Cain, activating her {Cloak} spell. *** ''System, I need a list of all the devils present within this forest...'' {Replying to host: Request processing...} {Request Affirmed...} {Replying to host: Most of the devils within this forest cannot be ssified as true devils. There are only three true devils within this forest. A {me Devil}, which is the huge devil the host had seen previously, a {Phantasma} or {Soul Devil}, which is the devil that attacked the host previously, and a {Broodmother}, which is also called a {Mother Devil}... {The Mother Devils are mid to high-level devils that birth the specie of devils known as sub-devils. The {Miasma Devils}, {Devil Fighters}, {de Devils}, {deless Devil Imps}, and so on, are prime examples of spawn devils. These devils are just low-level offspring of the {Mother Devil} that have a low chance of evolving into full-fledged devils once they are given enough time and resources}. {There are numerous types of devils, but for now, those are the only three present within this entire stretch of forest. Their levels are currently indeterminable... {It is important for the host to note that the spawn devils are just fodder that have a small chance of evolving into something more terrifying}. ''Hmm...'' Cain''s eyes narrowed as he realized just how important this piece of information was. He had just figured out what that huge devil from earlier was. ''So the devils I''ve been fighting so far aren''t even real devils, but watered-down versions? Fodder?'' {Replying to host: Affirmative...} Cain: "..." ''What of the spawn devils? Just how many types exist within this forest, and what can each one do?'' {Replying to host: Even amongst spawn devils, there exists a hierarchy. This hierarchy is built upon the tier and level structure...} Cain watched as a new pop-up hologram appeared before his eyes. Focusing on it, it opened up to reveal the information he had requested. *** {Burrower Devil}: Normal-tier, level 1 spawn devils. The base form of numerous spawn devils. Characterized by their small sizes, and exceptional burrowing capabilities. Responsible for the creation of devil nests. Skills: Burrow, Incubate. Intelligence: Very low. {ded Devil Imps}: Normal tier spawn devils with levels ranging from levels 1 to 10. Characterized by their oily ck skin and sharp ws and canines for attacks. Skills: Nil. Intelligence: Moderately Low. {Sentinel Drones}: Normal tier spawn devils with levels ranging from levels 1 to 10. Characterized by their omnidirectional sight abilities, perfect for their jobs as scouts and sentries. Skills: Sentry level 1, Magic Pulse. Intelligence: Low. {de Devils}: Elite-tier spawn devils, with levels ranging from levels 5 to 10. Characterized by their ded forearms, and body-strengthening skills. Skills: Body Strengthening level 1. Intelligence: low-Mid. {Devil Fighters}: Elite-tier spawn devils, with levels ranging from levels 10 to 15. Simrly to the {ded Devils}, they are characterized by their ded forearms, as well as strong body strengthening skills. Skills: Body Strengthening level 2, Instant eleration level 1 Intelligence: Mid. {Miasma Devils}: Special-tier spawn devils, with levels ranging from levels 15 to 20. The primary method of attack is with tentacles and poison. Can turn creatures uninfluenced by Mana into zombies. Skills: Tentacle barrage, Infection, Poison cloud. Intelligence: High-Mid. {Hulking Behemoth}: Deadly tier spawn devils, with levels ranging from levels 30 to 50. Direct guards of the {Broodmother}. Very strong with a wide range of abilities. Skills: Unknown??? Intelligence: Unknown??? {Appendages}: Deadly tier spawn devils, with levels ranging from levels 20 to 30. Connected directly to the {Broodmother}, and are used to mutate and gather nutrients and resources from surrounding nt life, as well as transport said nutrients from the {Broodmother} to other devils and vice versa. They are also used to absorb god ash from the atmosphere to feed and increase the growth of the {Broodmother}. Skills: Mutation, Mana drain. Intelligence: Same as Broodmother''s. *** Cain stared at the pop-up for a while before closing it. ''So there are eight types of spawn devils. If I had to guess, then those {Appendages} should be those grotesque-looking tree membranes that just appeared out of nowhere.'' Cain suddenly understood why the system referred to them as a part of the forest. The {Appendages} were connected to the {Broodmother}, and as a result, was a part of it. But they were also a part of the forest because one of their aims was to mutate a certain part of the forest and essentially turn it into a body part of both the {Broodmother} and the forest. It could stretch from the {Broodmother} into the ground, travel as far as it could into the roots of trees before corrupting them until it hadpletely taken over and turned them into a disgustingly perverse ''creature''. However, as it was still a part of the broodmother, it wasn''t an individual creature, but more of a body part. ''So far, I havee across most of these devils. With the power I currently possess, I will be able to handle most of them. The only problem here is if I should encounter 3 to 5 of those {Hulking Behemoth Devils} at once, I''m as good as dead. Although Cain was confident, he wasn''t as arrogant as he was during the first days of the apocalypse. His arrogance had reached an all-time low thanks to the experiences he had gathered during a very short span of five days. He knew what he was and wasn''t capable of. The strongest creature he had faced, the {Devil-eyed White Primate} was a deadly-tier mutant beast with all sorts of deadly skills. It had been a hard fight, but he hade up on top. He had also gained a lot more power since then. However, he couldn''t help but seriously doubt whether he had what it took to take five simr creatures down at once. And the fact remained that they would most likely be of a higher level than the {Devil-eyed White Primate}. Not only that, but devils were inherently more powerful than mutant beasts by nature. *** A few minutes had passed before Cain, Jenny, and Evangeline stumbled across their first checkpoint. {Appendage}, but this time, it was bigger and plumper than the one Cain had Evangeline taken down previously. Unlike the other one, this one was also covered with spawn devils of all shapes and sizes attached all around it. There were a few {Sentinel Drones} circting the area as well. Whenever a mutant beast that was trying to hide or escape was spotted, the {Sentinel Drones} would send a {Magic Pulse} to the other devils. Once this happened, either of two things could follow. One, the creature was captured and strangted to death by the {Appendage}, its bones crushed into powder, and its eyes filled with agony as its soul left its body. Or two, it was caught by a few spawn devils and torn to shreds in an instant... Cain watched as either of these two things happened, his disgust bing visible with each passing second. Cain didn''t know why, but he had a natural sense of disgust toward the devils that refused to go away regardless of how hard he tried to ignore them. All he wanted to do was to go out there and rain bloody murder on the vile creatures, but he fought against the feeling hard and turned around to face Ruby, Jenny, and Evangeline who had just deactivated their stealth. In a very low whisper, he said, "We need to destroy that {Appendage}, but to do that, we will need to make sure none of the devils are around, and the ones who stay would need to be killed instantly, just like before." "And how do you n to do that?" Jenny couldn''t help but ask. Cain turned to Ruby with a perverted smile on his face, "Bait... We will need bait." It took a moment for it to sink into the poor bear, but once it got the idea, its ears dropped down dejectedly, "Not again..." Chapter 98: Hulking Behemoth. "So here''s the n..." The area surrounding the appendage waspletely devoid of greenery. Unlike the one Cain had encountered earlier, this appendage not only drained the life of the nearby mutant animals, but it also consumed the nutrients of all nt life surrounding it. It was so bad, the soil around the appendage had turned coarse and dry, a phenomenon that would only ur in ces where the soil had no nutrients at all such as beach shores. Because of this, the area within a 50-meter radius around the {Appendage} waspletely void of trees, nts, or even grass, which meant there was no natural cover avable for Cain and the rest to hide under. Although using their stealth skills and spells would work, there was also a probability that they would be spotted. Hence they couldn''t rush in without a n. "Ruby will serve as a distraction and will attract the attention of the devils long enough for me and Evangeline to destroy that {Appendage}. During this period, Jenny, you will need to shoot down as many devils as you can, as fast as you can. But remember, you can only start killing on my signal. Anything before or after, and we''ve screwed up. Do you understand?" Cain said in one breath. The two girls and bear stood behind and beside him as he spoke. Evangeline had a look on her face that screamed she couldn''t care less about what Cain wanted to have her do. "Sure..." Jenny responded with a simple calm nod. They were both confident in their abilities. To them, doing all this wasn''t even enough to make them tense up a little. "Alright. Dark Cloak." Once again, Cain let the covers of darkness envelope him and Ruby as the thick darkness elemental energy formedyers of energy that obscured them away from sight. Evangeline and Jenny both did the same, activating their stealth skills and spells, before moving toward the {Appendage}. Once they had reached a certain distance away from the {Appendage}, Cain used his telepathic connection with Ruby to initiate the n. ''Ready?'' ''No! I don''t want to do this. This is the second time Master is using me as bait!'' Ruby said, hidden grievances of the past resurfacing. ''Don''t be mad, okay? I''ll get you plenty of blood elemental mana shards when we are done with this. Okay?'' Cain did his best to pacify the bear. ''Deal?'' Cain couldn''t help but roll his eyes when he saw how easy it was to bribe the mutant beast. ''Deal!'' ''Okay. Remember under absolutely no conditions should you kill even a single one of them.'' Once the final preparations were made, Cain deactivated his {Dark Cloak} spell that was on Ruby, allowing the bear to shimmer back into in sight. Since all this was done very silently, the devils hadn''t noticed her yet. Most of them were connected to the {Appendage} through the several small opening on its surface, a thick red fluid gushing through it into their systems providing them with sustenance, while others were keeping guard. However, all that changed when Ruby let off an earsplitting roar. ROAR!!! This was how Cain had told her to attract the attention of the devils, so that was what she did... Almost immediately, the devils surrounding the {Appendage} turned towards Ruby. Theymunicated with one another in their aliennguage before a small number of them broke off from therger group and charged at Ruby. There were about twenty devils, fifteen onnd and five in the sky, but only eight of them, six onnd and two in the sky chased after the poor mutant bear. Seeing the bloodthirsty devils racing towards her, Ruby let out a cry and scurried into the undergrowth. ''Damn it! That''s too little!'' Cain cursed when he was that the number of spawn devils that gave chase to Ruby was too little whenpared to the whole. Cain''s mind worked incredibly fast at that moment... One of the most important skills he obtained growing up was the ability to make quick decisions in difficult situations. Now that Ruby had garnered much less attention than needed, there was only one way to make the n move forward. Turning to the two girls standing beside him in invincibility, he put on a scowl as he made up his mind, "There''s been a slight change of ns. You guys should go along with the original n. I''ll handle this." Saying no more, he deactivated {Dark Cloak}. Jenny couldn''t help but shake her head, "A little? This is so stupid." Meanwhile, Evangeline who was still in her stealth mode continued towards her target without a pause. "Hey, you uglies!" Cain knew the devils could understand human speech, so he didn''t bother with mincing his words. He had had very few interactions with the devils, but every single one of them had left him with a few impressions. The {de Devil} had shown him just how intelligent the devils were, the {Devil Fighter} had shown him the true nature of the devils, and the {Miasma Devil} had exposed the extent of their abilities to him. In other words, they were scary and powerful. These devils were very strong, even though they were only spawn devils. A level 20 devil would be able to beat 2 level 20 mutant beasts with ease. Not only were they very strong, but they were also incredibly bloodthirsty. They had killed over 300 students who had once lived ordinary lives in less than twenty-four hours. They had been dismembered, torn apart, and eaten by the devils. And the devils weren''t rabid beasts. They were intelligent creatures who saw the humans as nothing more than a well-deserved meal. To Cain, such a nature was of an even more perverse spirit than just being a rabid beast. ''Rabid beasts can be tamed, but creatures such as these deserve only one fate. Death...'' There was silence amongst the devils after Cain spoke... Suddenly, a deep devilish voice made its way to Cain from behind the gigantic {Appendage}. "A human?" A huge creature almost as tall as the {Appendage} appeared from behind it. This creature was incredibly huge and bulky. Its entire frame was covered in thick lean muscles that seemed to be filled with explosive power. At the center of its chest, a devil core with a slight hue of gold marking its edges sat, emanating power. Unlike most spawn devils, its ck skin had golden lines running across it in numerous ces. Its face was still simr to the other devils, however. A pair of malevolent yellow eyes, and a mouth full of razor-sharp teeth, although it did look a bit more human that the rest. Unlike what Cain had thought, the huge creature the size of a tree didn''t have any issue moving at an incredibly fast speed as it appeared before him in the blink of an eye. ''How didn''t I sense it?!'' Cain was surprised that he was unable to sense such a huge creature despite being only a few meters away from it. "Yeah, a human. What''s it to you?" Cain was surprised that he could engage in conversation with such a huge, evil creature. He stared a bit more intensely at the gargantuan creature before him, and its details instantly pop up *** {Hulking Behemoth}: Lvl 30 (Deadly) Strength: 500. Agility: 500. Defense: 100. Magic: 50. HP: 10,000/10,000. MP: 5,000/5,000. Skills: Metal Maniption: Titanium Body, Body Strengthening level 2, de Mastery level 1. *** To Cain''s surprise, he could see a very huge de almost twice his size attached to the creature''s spine. ''It''s strong. It also knows how to use a weapon. It seems like this mission is not as easy as I might have hoped it would be.'' Cain let out a wry smile as he stared straight into the devil''s eyes. "Those human buildings are supposed to be Gael''s jurisdiction. How is it that a puny human like you managed to survive this long?" However, contrary to what Cain thought, the creature didn''t attack him immediately. Instead, it asked him an odd question... Cain stared at the {Hulking Behemoth} in confusion for a while before speaking, "Who''s that?" "Lord Gadon. Should we attack it?" One of the devils that hadn''t chased after Ruby asked the {Hulking Behemoth}. "No. Focus on recovery for now. This one is a little strong but will serve as a very good supplement for us. I can sense the rich mana flowing within it." The devils conversed about Cain the same way a butcher would when confronted on how they wanted to ughter a chicken. And Cain was having none of it... If there was anything he hated the most in the world, it was his pride being trampled upon. Although he had recently learned to tone it down a bit, bad habits die hard... A dark expression fell across Cain''s face as he withdrew his weapon from his inventory. By now, with all the upgrades he had received thanks to the {Elemental Body} skill he had, he was finally able tofortably wield {Devil''s Broken w}. *** Name: {Cain Lenosi} Level: 30. Strength: 335. Agility: 402. Stamina: 209/218. Vitality: 156. Defense: 197. Control: 16.1. Perception: 15.3. HP: 15,600/15,600. MP: 14,700/14,700. Magic: 447. Ki: 135. Spirit: 188. Resistance: Poison- 80%. Skills: Golden Blood, Mana de, Lightening Edge, de Mastery Lvl. 2, Burst Step, Metal Creation Lvl.2, Golden Severance, Metal Maniption, *Fear, *Bloodthirsty, Blood Regeneration, Azure Burst, Mana Heart, Seal, Hollow Judgement, Devil''s eyes: Eye of irvoyance, Elemental Body. Spells: Fireball, Air Whip, Dark Cloak, Blue Lightning, Blink, Golden Halo. Titles: Champion of Ashur (locked), Sorcerer''s Mind, Blessed by Mana, Pioneer. Free attribute points: 33. System points 19,720. {Inventory}. {Shop}. *** "Hm?" The {Hulking Behemoth} let out a sound of surprise when it saw the weapon Cain retrieved. "It seems I can''t help it..." There was a brief spark of light once again before a huge item was transferred from Cain''s inventory onto his body. *** {Heavy Armor}: Normal Strength: +50. Attack power: +50%. Agility: -50. Attack speed: -50% Defense: +50. Weight: 1000kg. Requirements: 200 Strength and 100 Stamina. Skills: Damage Reduction. Durability: 100/100. *** The {Heavy Armor} wrapped itself around Cain, making him look like a war god ready to charge into battle and stain his cape with the blood and guts of his enemies. "The weapon in your hand. Why does it give off Ga''el''s aura?" The {Hulking Behemoth}, Gadon asked Cain, its heavy devilish voice booming. "Shut up and die, you disgusting creature. I retch in disgust anytime I gaze upon your kind." Cain said calmly. "Is that so?" Gadon said. It reached its back and retrieved the huge de that sat on its spine. "As for this Ga''el you speak of, if I had to guess, it is most likely a {Miasma Devil}. Correct?" "You are right." Despite everything, the {Hulking Behemoth} was still as calm as ever. "Then you will be happy to know that by the edge of my de, it has been escorted to the depths of hell, where it belongs. The same ce you are going in a couple of minutes..." There was a brief silence between the two before the Gadon spoke, "I guess that can''t be helped. He was weak after all. Alright human. I will humor you... After all your bones have been broken by me, you will suffer a fate worse than death. You will be given to Mother who will drain all the life and mana out of your puny body without granting you the release of death." The devil said matter-of-factly. "No more talk." Cain hadn''t even finished his words before heunched himself at the devil, bloodlust in his eyes. Cain had decided he was going to kill the devil standing before him as brutally and quietly as he possibly could... Chapter 99: One Cut to kill... The {Heavy Armor} didn''t provide Cain a simple addition to his stats, as it wasn''t as simple as that. The {Heavy Armor}, just like its name, was just that. Heavy... The force behind an attack is the product eleration of the individual or object, and the mass of said object. Attack power was the metric the system used to calcte this product. Strength,bined with agility,bined with control would give rise to the difficult-to-calibrate metric called Attack power. The {Heavy Armor} simply boosted the value of this by a few times, making it very powerful and effective. Its major drawback, however, was its immense weight, which greatly reduced its user''s speed and agility. It also put more strain on the user, causing increased consumption of stamina. Primarily consisting of three pieces, a shoulder and arm piece, a leg piece, and a chest piece, it was as close to innovation as Cain had ever gotten in his entire life... Using the power of {Metal Maniption}, he was able to create this crude but a useful construct that would help him crush the devil standing before him. "Golden Blood." Without activating {Golden Blood}, Cain would be unable to take a single step in the {Heavy Armor}. The total weight of the armor equaled a whole ton. Physically, it would be impossible for Cain to bear the load, but Cain had skills that would turn the supposed cons of the armor into sharp edges... With {Golden Blood} activated, his total strength points added up to 670 points. ''System, add 30 free attribute points into strength stat.'' Cain rarely used his free attribute points, but due to the situation, it was necessary. He was confident in his ability to kill all the devils here with enough time, but time was something he greatlycked. He had to make sure he was as fast as possible when killing the swarm devils so they wouldn''t be able to send their magic signals out upon their deaths. The only way he could do that was by killing all of them in a single strike. {Replying to host: Request Affirmed...} Cain felt a brief rush flow through him, indicating to him that his request had been granted. Adding 30 points to his base strength boosted it up to 365, which in turn, would bring his stats under the influence of {Golden Blood} to 730 points. Although this was a lot, it still was a bit difficult for him to movefortably in the armor. However, he didn''t wantfort... Even though hecked sufficient strength, he made up for it in one area. Skills and spells... Skills and spells involved the use of magic to maximize damage, be it physical or not. Over thest five days, since the beginning of the apocalypse, Cain had acquired a vast reserve of skills that he could conveniently call upon in cases like this. The {Hulking Behemoth}, Gadon didn''t just watch as Cain made his preparations. It also began making its preparations to attack. Letting out a hoarse yell, it activated its skills... Devils, just like humans and mutant beasts, could attain the powers of elemental control and use them for their purpose. Gaton was a devil with a metal attribute mana shard within its body, giving it the ability to control metal attribute mana to a certain degree. All elements had the areas they enhanced respectively. The metal element was a bnce between attack and defense, the fire and lightning elements were pure attack elements, while elements like wind enhanced movement and attack speed. What made Gadon a fearsome foe, were the skills he held... "Titanium Body." Layers of golden-colored magic circles appeared above the devil''s inky ck skin. They rolled around until they came into contact with the flesh of the devil. A metallic sheen instantly came over the surface of the devil''s skin. "Body Strengthening: Second Form." The already huge muscles of the devil bulged up once again. The tight muscles pushed again its metal flesh, creating a body filled with destructively explosive power. Gaton was without a doubt a very strong devil, however, its scariest aspect was in itsbat skills. The skill, {de Mastery} was very scary for a devil to possess. Since devils were an intelligent race, nothing was stopping them from knowing how to use weapons. A majority of devils used weapons, which was where the concept of using the devil energy within the devil cores to create weapons customized for users of the system began. Gaton as a spawn devil, being able to use a weapon showed that it had a very high chance of evolving into a true devil someday. The devils were a race engineered for the sole purpose ofbat, so it was only natural that a devil that would be considered fodder was a very strong opponent to Cain. The already huge mutant had grown even bigger thanks to the activation of its skills. Its powerful aura washed over Cain like a torrential downpour. In its cold devilish voice, it spoke, "Prepare for death." It was obvious that the devil was very confident in its power. However, at this point, Cain could care less... A soft blue me ignited... These mes spread to every corner of his body until he waspletely covered. *** {Azure Burst}: Rapidly burn out internal mana in a single burst to produce enough heat and energy to burn the surrounding mana. These mes greatly increase the attack and movement speed of the host by 300%. Attack damage increases by 50%. Critical rate and damage increased by 10%. Costs 500MP to activate and the skillsts only for 10 seconds. Cooldown: 10 minutes. *** The mixture of the golden hue from {Golden Blood} and the blue hue from {Azure Burst} created an odd but beautiful contrast of death. "Hm?" Gadon let out an exmation of surprise as it could feel the previously dangerous aura of Cain spike into levels the like of which it hadn''t experienced before... At the moment man and devil shed, sparks flew... Cain shed out with his de in quick session, activating {Lightning Edge} as he did so, boosting his attack speed, but Gadon the {Hulking Behemoth} was prepared. With finesse and skill, it swung its heavy de horizontally at the charging Cain. Seeing this, Cain tilted to the side with his de held vertically, its tip pointed at the grey sky. In doing so, he managed to dodge the attack and parry the de. Getting closer to Gadon, he struck out with the edge of his sword. "Mana de." A soft brilliance enveloped the edges of his de the instant it was swung. BANG! The huge {Hulking Behemoth} was struck a bit backward, although it managed to stop itself right before falling over. ''What strength!'' Gadon marveled at the force behind Cain''s de. Not only did Cain have over 800 points of strength when {Golden Blood} was in use, thebined effects of {Mana de} and the weight of the de made a normal strike from him carry enough power to push the devil back. A cruel smirk appeared on Cain''s face as he spoke to the devil standing before him, "If this is all you are capable of, then I believe this fight is over." Cain had been under the impression that the {Hulking Behemoth} would be a problem for him. What he failed to acknowledge, was how strong he had gotten, and how no ordinary devil could match him. BANG! A soft bang sound was created... One moment, Cain was standing still, the next moment, he had disappeared from Gadon''s sight... ''Wha-?!'' The yellow eyes of the devil shone in disbelief as it stared at the spot where Cain had been standing. Cain''s feet came into contact with the ground once more. He swung his de in an arc, flicking the remnant devil blood off of it. Gadon turned around just in time to see the headless bodies of the devils that had been with him fall extremely slowly toward the ground. "It seems it is high time I put you down." Cain''s only response to the arrogant creature was a calm look and a disdainful tone. A golden brilliance erupted from his de as he got into his stance. His master had taught him, that the art of killing wasn''tplex... The sh or stab of a de was more than enough. Nothing tooplicated, nor too superficial. He had followed his master''s instructions to the tee. Nothingplicated... Just a straightforward strike backed up with enough power to split mountains open. *** {Golden Severance}: Condense an immense amount of metal attribute elemental mana into a concentrated beam of sword light, capable of splitting anything ites in contact with only for a single attack, and increases attack power by 500%. The attack consumes 500MP upon usage. Cooldown: 5 minutes. *** BANG! Cain struck out with the {Devil''s Broken w}... Regardless of how much defense, power, or skills the devil standing before he had, at this moment, under his absolute strength, it had been sliced apart... The {Golden Severance} skill highlighted the very height of element utilization. It brought the attack potential of the metal element out to its fullest, creating a skill powerful enough to slice through the metal exterior of the {Hulking Behemoth}, Gadon. Meanwhile, {Azure Burst} was his trump card in his situation. Under the influence of the skill, his movement and attack speeds were increased by 300%. His damage was also increased by 50%, making the skill very frightening whenbined with the effects of {Golden Blood}. What this led to, was Cain killing all the devils, as well as Gadon in a split second... "Seal." With that, Cain was able to stop the magic signals released upon their deaths to be spread... *** {Congrattions to the host... You have killed Hulking Behemoth, Gadon...} {You have killed ¡Á9 {Devil Fighters}...} {+20,000exp} {+5,000exp} {Level up!} {+20 to Strength stat}. {+20 to Agility stat}. *** Split equally down the middle... Gadon was very strong, but Cain was stronger. A white stream of steam escaped from Cain''s mouth and body as the heat from his extremely fast movements was forcibly expelled. "The {Sentinel Drones} are down," Jenny said as she appeared from nowhere directly opposite Cain. "Good..." Cain said in a cold voice as he sheathed his de as gazed down at the perfectly cut devil corpseying on the ground before him. Jenny had an odd expression on her face as she fought the urge to say something to Cain, but decided against it. However, her mind was inplete turmoil... ''What the hell was that?! Is this guy even human?! What the hell was with that speed?!'' To say she was in utter shock was a huge understatement. Meanwhile, Cain took a knee and looked over his spoils... Chapter 100: Deal?. Cain began inspecting the items syed on the ground. The only thing sitting on the ground was a rune that looked way moreplex than any he had evere across before... The mysterious symbols on the rune had been arranged such that the resulting image was that of two sword images superimposed on one another, such that it was difficult for an observer to tell if it was one or two des being shown. Cain stared at the information the system provided on the rune. *** {Cross-de}: Increase proficiency when dual-wielding weapons. *** ''Dual wielding?'' The concept of fighting with two des at once was a foreign concept to him. Seeing that he did not need it currently, he ced it into his inventory. Stabbing the tip of his de into the devil core of the {Hulking Behemoth}, he applied a bit of force,pletely ripping the devil core from Gadon''s chest, leaving a bleeding cavity behind. Staring at the devil''s core that had a metallic tinge to it, Cain dragged the metal elemental mana shard that sat behind it away from the devil''s core, causing it to lose its metallic properties. The devil core of a devil didn''t provide it with its elemental powers. Just like mutant beasts, the devils also had mana shards, but theirs was of a lower qualitypared to the mutant beasts. However, they greatly made up for this with the power of their devil cores. Cain stared at the devil''s core in his hands in anticipation before applying some force and crushing it down. BANG! A soft bang rang out, and what remained within Cain''s hand, was... nothing. Cain was a bit shocked, as he hadn''t expected the mutant not to hold anything of value within its devil core. Nheless, he knew there was a probability this could happen, so he sucked it up as he could only me it on bad luck. However, there were some things he couldn''t chalk up to bad luck... ''System, why aren''t there any MP or HP potions?'' Cain said as he looked around the corpses. {Replying to host: Now that the host had acquired a bit of power for himself, the system has activated the necessary protocols. Henceforth, the number of potions, runes, as well as weapons will be severely limited in production by the system from the Ki of fallen enemies. The purchase of these necessities in the system store has not been limited, but they will cost much more per item. This doesn''t include mana shards...} Cain''s brows squeezed up hard once he heard that. "Are you telling me it is going to be harder to acquire MP and HP potions?" Cain couldn''t believe his ears. {Replying to host: Affirmative...} "Why the hell does the system have something so stupid built in it?!" Cain couldn''t help but exim angrily. {Replying to host: The system was created by the Nomad to aid worlds that have just been granted the opportunity to experience their first influx of mana. Gradually, as the upants of said grow stronger and more knowledgeable as they acquire the means to resist the devils, the system will take its benefits and services away until it disappearspletely...} The dismayed expression on Cain''s face as he let what he had just learned sink in. "What is wrong?" Jenny had an inquisitive look on her face when she saw Cain''s bad expression. "Nothing. Let''s continue. Where is Evangeline?" All of a sudden, Cain found that his previously good mood had dampened greatly. "She should be over at that thing," Jenny said as she pointed over to the {Appendage}, or what was left of it. Cain and Jenny watched in semi-horror and semi-amazement as the formerly huge and vibrantly lively devil-esq creature tumbled to the ground like a pile of rotting wood. Beside it, Evangeline stood tall, her usually dull face flushed bright red, as devilish crimson runes shed on her face, arms, and eyes, making her look beautiful, yet dangerous. Letting out a sigh, a cloud of red steam escaped from her mouth into the air. "That was refreshing..." In her raspy voice, Evangeline let out a dubious line. Cain stared at her and the {Appendage} beside her in doubt. ''She sucked it dry?! And so fast at that! How the hell did that happen?!'' Cain could only guess and specte, but he knew that was all he would be able to do. "Let''s go," Evangeline said in a tough voice before fading back into the shadows. Immediately, Cain could no longer sense her presence. "You guys must get along very well..." Jenny said as she fought back a chuckle. Together, they began running ahead as well in the case of Evangeline. "Ha... I told you earlier. We are all strangers." Cain said as he picked up his pace, leaving the devil corpses behind. "How can you still be strangers even after being so long together?" Jenny asked in confusion. Cain found out he was unable to answer this question himself. Why? Why exactly did they all look like strangers even after they had all fought together numerous times? "Situation, I guess? There have been no situations that forced us to get to know one another. Since the start of this madness, we haven''t gone through any experience that requires us to grow stronger as a team." Cain exined. "Risking your lives should be more than enough for that, don''t you think?" Jenny said. "They are all strong. Even though we have experienced all sorts of troubles individually, we haven''t encountered enough hardship as a team to make us all go ten extra miles. Apart from stopping a missile that is..." Cain said with a straight face. ''This bastard!'' Jenny couldn''t help but suppress the urge to smack Cain across the head. "Well, if you want to be a stronger team, don''t you all think you should be making a conscious effort?" Jenny asked. "Sure. But the only issue here is choosing a leader. Although I am the strongest, some people won''t befortable with my rule if I just force it. Therefore, I have to give it time. I''m sure the opportunity will soon present itself." Cain said with a mysterious smile. "Why can''t you all just vote on a leader and be done with it? Or just choose the eldest? I could see that the teacher over there had a good head on his shoulders, unlike you immature brats." Jenny said harshly. "You can''t understand. You can keep your group together because of trust and familiarity. Those are two things weck. Hence, since we allck the first, all we can do is try to create the second... But familiarity cannot be festered with such little time." Cain spoke matter-of-factly. ''This idiot!'' Jenny didn''t know whether to be surprised or embarrassed. ''This idiot doesn''t even understand how basic human interactions work.'' Due to his nature, Cain had missed a lot of vital parts necessary to grow up. It could be said, that I some aspects of life, he was still a kid. And the most obvious one was basic human interaction. During the first day of the apocalypse, Cain had run off on his own, leaving everyone else behind. Although he had a good reason for this, that is he wanted to figure out the ropes himself, it came at a cost. And Cain wasn''t the only one to me here. It could be said that their entire group was filled with people with mental issues of all sorts forck of a better description. "I think you are putting the cart before the horse. Why not try bonding with your teammates before trying to enforce dominance?" Jenny couldn''t believe she had to exin what she thought was basic knowledge. "You think that will work? Besides, how am I supposed to create bonding time in a world full of mutant creatures and devils that are trying to kill us? I can''t just ask them out on dates while stabbing a mutant wolf through its brains, can I?" Cain looked at Jenny with an odd expression which made her want to hit him. "No, you idiot! Listen... humans aren''t simple, but they aren''tplicated as well. If you want to create a solid team, it has to be built on a foundation. Whatever you''ve been trying to do will not work, as no one is going to follow a mentally ill leader such as yourself." Jenny said without holding back. Cain nearly tripped over a tree root as he looked at Jenny with equal parts anger and shock. "Me? Mentally ill?!" Cain couldn''t believe someone would say that to him. For the first time in his life, he was facing criticism, and his critique wasn''t holding back at all. "Yes! ''Cause if you weren''t, you wouldn''t think your stupid n would work. Just what do you take other people as, huh?!" Jenny said angrily. Cain fell silent when realized that Jenny had seen through himpletely... "Ha... Fortunately, you came across me." Letting out a deep sigh, Jenny said with a softer tone and a sly smile. Cain had a confused expression, "What do you mean?" "You might be a good fighter, but you no nothing about how to people. If you can trust me, then leave bringing the team into my hands. In exchange, I want you to make sure everyone, including those who can''t protect themselves in this cruel world, makes it through all this alive." Jenny said, a serious expression on her face. "But I already gave you my word-" Cain wanted to speak, but was cut short by Jenny. "You said you will do your best to protect them. I want certainty..." The strong look on her face,bined with her devilish beauty created a different kind of allure around her that drew Cain inpletely. "What makes you think I have what it takes to protect every single one of you? Why do you have so much faith in me?" Cain was baffled... Why would this girl he barely knew belief in his ability so much? For all he knew, he certainly didn''t have the power required to make sure every single person, including those without power through a devil-infested forest, into safety. "I don''t know. Call it intuition, or whatever. I can tell that you are strong, abnormally so. Even though I have a decent amount of power myself, I know for a fact that it isn''t enough. So let''s work together... You help me where you can, and I help you where you can''t. Simple, right?" Cain stared into her eyes, an odd feeling rising in his heart. "Simple, huh? Fine. You have yourself a deal." Cain said as he stretched his hand out towards Jenny. "Hehe. Deal" Jenny let out a melodious giggle, just to the harmonious singing of angels, and the mischievous chuckles of demons, as she linked her hand together with Cain in a handshake. With that, an agreement between these two future paragons that sparked the revival of the human race was created... Chapter 101: A Devil always keeps a Grudge. "So how exactly do you n to help me?" Cain couldn''t help but ask. They had encountered two more {Appendages} at this point which had both been destroyed using the same tactics they had used earlier. Although they had yet to encounter any devil stronger or as strong as Gadon, the {Appendages} were always filled and upied by devils who seemed to either be feeding or feeding from the {Appendage} through the pores attached to its fleshy parts. "It''s simple..." Jenny said as she stabbed a small de into the chest of a devil, carving its devil core out. A spurt of blood squirted out of the gaping wound, dying her face and dirty clothes with anotheryer of blood... "From the first time I saw you, I realized something..." Jenny said as she stared straight into Cain''s eyes. Evangeline had long gone into the shadows, so they had a certain level of privacy between themselves. "You''re not socially adept" "But you don''t know anything about me." Cain couldn''t help but raise a brow at that. While he didn''t deny the fact that hecked adequate positive human interactions due to hisplicated past, he sincerely doubted it was so obvious, someone he had met a few hours ago would be able to see through it so quickly. Hence, he immediately sensed foul y... "As I said, I have a good intuition. Plus, it''s painfully obvious as from what you''ve told me, you just keep creating reasons for conflict." Jenny said to Cain as she carved another devil open. "Intuition, huh... Well, what do you suggest I do then?" When it came to learning new things, Cain knew when to drop his pride. He was always open to change, as he hade to realize over the past day that he had a lot of growth to do. Hence, he was very open to suggestions he figured could help him grow. "For starters, you have to kill any crazy thoughts you have. Most humans aren''t dumb. If you are trying to create a group based on trust, then maniption and crazy high IQ ns are a no-go." "Second is sacrifice. To build genuine trust, you need to let them know you are ready to sacrifice yourself for their sake." "Sorry to break it to you, but that doesn''t work. Already tried that once." Cain instantly dismissed Jenny''s im with a wave of his bloodstained hand. No sane human that existed before the apocalypse would believe they would be having such a conversation covered in the blood of deadly alien creatures as though it was nothing... His mind went back to the time when he had killed the {Crimson Demon Bear} to gain the trust of the others, but it was ruined by Hunter. "That''s because youck genuineness. It isn''t something you can force, but it wille in time." Jenny exined. "I see..." Cain realized he had a long way to go at this point... Due to his terrible upbringing, hecked genuine interactions with humans. To protect himself, he had created all sorts of barriers around his heart and mind. To make sure he hasn''t hurt again, he would never be genuine. He would always try toe out on top of every situation. And the only way he could do that was through maniption. If maniption fell through, then he would just resolve it with violence. However, he was being told that tried and tested tactics wouldn''t work anymore on the people he wanted them to work on the most. He never had friends, nor was he invited to social gatherings, so all his interactions were limited to former bullies and his foster family, which weren''t really good sources of social education. In more simple terms, he was messed up in the head... However, he knew all this and was trying to fix it to be better. Constant improvement and evolution were all he knew how to do because that was the only way he knew how to survive. To survive his past, he acquired martial arts. To survive his present, he must acquire skills that were required to execute any circumstance he found himself in perfectly. "There is no need to rush it. All you need to do is be more... straightforward. Say what you mean, and do not try to hide your intentions in cryptic messages." Jenny exined further with a soft expression. "Why would I want to do that?" Cain asked in confusion as he couldn''t understand her intentions. If he told people what he meant, then he would constantly be at a disadvantage in every interaction he made. "People tend to trust people who are more honest or appear to be so. It will do you good to know this." Jenny said. "Hmmm..." Cain fell into a daze as he pondered on her words. Once they were done with harvesting the devil cores, they set out once again... "How do you know so much about these things?" Cain asked her, a fascinated expression on his face. "Ha... I''ve learned from an early age the true nature of humans. But that is none of your concern." Jenny told him with a straight face, "What you should be worried about is how you will fix the mistakes you''ve made in the past." Eyes shing with beautiful radiance, Jenny turned her bountiful backside to Cain, then once again activated her stealth, disappearing from his sight. However, Cain had no brain space to even bother about the beautiful scene that escaped from his vision. His mind waspletely preupied with words of Jenny. ''Straightforward... Genuine..." Cain could only ponder on the true meaning of these words... ''I will deal with thatter.'' Since he couldn''t draw a reasonable conclusion, Cain decided to shelve the matter to the back of his mind and bring something more important to the forefront. Survival... ''From what I''ve seen so far, although the entire ce is crawling with these devils, there are a few cracks to slip through...'' Cain''s eyes sparkled with intelligence as his thoughts ran deeper. ''For some reason or the other, a lot of these devils aren''t spreading out, but are staying in one ce protecting these {Appendages}. If no signals are sent to the roaming devils, then we might be able to reduce the fighting force of the devils here by at least half before we make any further ns.'' ''System, how many {Appendages} are left within the forest?'' {Replying to host: In this stretch of the forest, there are currently 22 {Appendages} of various levels present}. ''22? That sure is a lot. Can I know where the next one is, and how far away it is from my current location ?'' {Replying to host: The closest one from the host is one kilometer from the host. However, it is heavily popted by devils}. ''Since when have I ever been scared of a few devils?'' Send me the directions." Cain said as he stared off into the grey horizon revealed between the gaps of the leaves. Once he received the information he had purchased from the system, he nned to adjust his directions, before continuing onto the correct path plotted by the system. *** "How are the preparations?" Exactly one kilometer away from Cain, the huge figure of J''orntz, the {Phantasma} that had attacked Cain previously stared at an {Appendage} that was fairly bigger than the ones Cain hade across. Not only that, but a few bright red fruits, the size of walnuts hung from the tumor-like protrusions that sat on the {Appendage}. Although the devil was smallpared to the {me Devil}, it was still a true devil as opposed to the other spawn devils around it. It was bigger and bulkier than that the {Hulking Behemoths}, but it had a lean stature. On its back, were two bright green chakrams the size of tractor tires. The des of the chakrams were a color that seemed to alternate between green and silver depending on how the light from the surroundings hit the de. Beside it were ten {Hulking Behemoths}. However, these {Hulking Behemoths} all looked a bit different from the ones Cain had fought. "Lord J''orntz, everything has gone ording to n for the most part. The mother haspletely taken control of this stretch of the forest. However, most of the nutrition in this part has also been consumed." One of the smaller {Hulking Behemoths} by its side said. This {Hulking Behemoth} was bigger and more muscr than Gadon, its devil core tinted a very deep orange. "Jameil, What of the other ns?" J''orntz, the {Phantasma} said to another {Hulking Behemoth} with a cold evil look on its otherworldly face. It stared at the surrounding destion with cruelty and hunger in its eyes. "My Lord, the building the target dwells in has been isted from the forest. The surveince from the drones shows that the target entered the forest alongside a few other humans a few hours ago. However, since they activated a few stealth techniques, it has been difficult to track them." Jamiel said, a cruel light shing through its eyes as it spoke. This {Hulking Behemoth} was a bit shorter and leaner than the other one but was even more terrifying to look at. Its body was covered in small protrusions that oozed a weird pungent liquid that seemed to irritate even the devils standing beside it. It was obvious by the apprehensive expressions on the other {Hulking Behemoths} faces that Jamiel was not to be messed with. "It doesn''t matter... As long as they are still within the forest, then all is ording to n." J''orntz said dismissively. Moving toward the humongous {Appendage} that sat before him, J''orntz reached out, gently rubbing his hands across the surface of the grotesque entity, prompting a slight tremble from it. ''Yes, Mother...'' The face of the {Phantasma} stretched out into a murderous grin as he turned around. "That human is something Mother greatly desires. Therefore, it must be attained at all costs. Do whatever is necessary to bring it to her, dead or alive." Hearing this, the {Hulking Behemoths} all took a knee before the muchrger and stronger devil in servitude. The fate of a devil was in a way, cruel... From birth, they are cast into an endless cycle of bloodshed and ughter that never ceases until they are sent to hell. They are born into the void, doomed to never have a ce to call home. Due to their inherent bloodthirsty nature, they even consume one another to grow stronger at birth. When they are grown, they be harbingers of death and suffering to other species due to their natural lust for power that cannot be satiated. This vile nature causes them to be public enemies amongst the infinitely vast races that popte the universe... However, that didn''t mean the devils were just a bunch of insane brutes that knew only how to ughter. That was very far from the truth. Not only did they have incredibly "Our forces are about ten thousand strong, which I believe is a sufficient number. Once we havepletely drained this forest of life, we will move to greener pastures." J''orntz said looking down on the powerful spawn devils bowing their heads to him. ''Just you wait, human. Very soon, I''ll show you what it is like to fall into a pit of despair. You will suffer such that you shall wish the sweet reprieve of death upon yourself.'' Unbridled cruelty shed within the eyes of the {Soul Devil} as it gazed into the far off distance. Another notable trait of devils; they held onto grudges for a lifetime, and wouldn''t stop until theypletely consume the target of their vengeance... Chapter 102: Flame Baptism. BANG! "That''s thest one down," ze said as he pulled the tip of his spear from the chest of the devil he had in. Around him were a few other devil and mutant beast corpses. Standing very close to him, was David who had his shield up with a ck pulse radiating from its center every once in a while. "Who would have thought that this skill woulde in handyter," David said to himself as he stared at the shield in his hand in marvel. "I''ve learned so far that there are no such things as useless or low-ranked skills. Only its user can be inept..." ze said. He got down to one knee and went straight to work. Harvesting devil cores and mana shards was dirty work since it involved getting up and personal with the guts of a corpse, but it was something they had all be ustomed to. Most of them looked forward to it... "{Dark pulse}pletely masks the auras of those within its radius. This also causes the magic signals sent on their deaths to be rendered ineffective. I think this skill is a very useful one." ze said with a chuckle. "I guess so," David said as he drove the edge of his axe head straight into the skull of a dying devil, cracking it open like a walnut. Blood, bits of bone, and grey matter sttered everywhere giving the usually modest David a barbarous aura around him. Despite all this, he still had a troubled look on his face. "What''s wrong?" ze couldn''t help but ask when he saw David''s expression. "I''m just thinking is all. No need to worry about it too much." "Is that so? Well, it doesn''t matter anyways. Besides, we aren''t too deep into the forest, and we will be able to retreat to safety once we go back." ze said as he wiped the blood away from the tip of his spear. "It is still really dangerous, so I suggest we be careful. We have no way of contacting any of the others from here, so we are on our own should anything go wrong." David said as he stood up from the ground as well after having harvested his portion of devil cores. "Rx... We are just leveling up and gathering resources just like we usually do. I have a feeling that the more devils I purify from the world with my mes, the stronger it gets." ze said as a wisp of a bright orange me appeared on his fingertips dancing back and forth with the wind. There was a maniacal expression on his face as he flung the tiny me onto the dormant corpses. The moment the me touched the corpses, it began to consume them instantly. After a few seconds, the devil''s corpses had been reduced to charred embers, a putrid stench perforating the air... ''Such a terrifying me...'' David couldn''t help but feel a shiver run down his spine as he saw the effects of the mes produced by ze. "With the power of my mes, I will bring retribution to those who deserve it," ze said, righteous fury burning in his eyes as he thought back. ze''s eyes burned with the memory of his loss to Hunter. Despite him bringing his best out, it still wasn''t enough, and if not for Cain''s intervention, he would have taken a lot more blows to his body and pride... However, he had his ego to protect... Therefore, he bore resentment towards Hunter and Cain. This resentment wasn''t borne out of ill will but out of a fiery desire to surpass them. The fight between Cain and Hunter had opened his eyes to the possibilities of the power he could obtain with his own two hands, and as a result, he had be eager... To seize such power with his own hands as well... He had made a promise once, that he would never shake his principles, even if threatened by death. Because if he did, then he would no longer be worthy of the name Armstrong, one of the most influential names on Urbus. And to keep his principles unshakable, he needed one thing and one thing only. Power... Because if there was power, then he would be the arbiter of his morals. No one would be able to tell him what was right and wrong, only him... He needed this power to show the world the strength of his will and resolve. "Ha... You kids keep taking all this too far." David let out an exhausted sigh. At this point, he waspletely fed up... The main reason David followed ze was to keep an eye on him and make sure he didn''t do anything rash. He also wanted to grow stronger and even faster so that he would be able to protect those he needed to protect. In the entire group, apart from Cain, ze was the one with the most brute firepower, while David was the owner of the strongest defense due to his disgustingly powerful defense skills and abnormal shield. With the two of them upying the extremities, they made a very good team when leveling up. ze didn''t need to worry about protecting himself and could kill as much as he wanted as fast as he wanted to, while ze handled protection. To award exp, the system calcted the amount of effort put in by the parties involved in the fighting. When two persons kill a monster, the system would calibrate urately how much effort each put in that resulted in the death of the mutant, thereby ensuring equality amongst those who decided to team up and work together. Hence, even though David didn''t kill as much as ze, they both got their fair shares of exp... "At this rate, I will be able to level my main and auxiliary skills, as well as my me arts very soon," ze said, visible excitement rolling off of his body. "That is true. Our efficiency rises a lot when we fight toge-" David suddenly stopped mid-sentence. "Hm?" Confused, ze turned to his partner who had his eyes widened with caution. "Stay still." Instead of answers, all he got was an order to be still. Turning towards a particr direction, David cast a spell, "Blood sense." ''What is going on?'' ze could only wonder. He knew there was no way David would call wolf without any justification, so he raised his guard. With a slight twist of his wrist, his spear spun in his hands as he took up a defensive posture. Since they were surrounded by trees and vegetation, they weren''t are topletely see what was happening in their surroundings. Although they had decent perception stats, it still wasn''t enough when considering the darkness within the forest. "Crimson Guard barrier: Shatter!" Out of nowhere, David let out an explosion shout. The ck pulse radiating from his shield instantly changed into a blood-red floating shield. in a split second, the shield crashed straight to the ground. BOOM! All the vegetation in that area, including the huge mutating trees were instantly uprooted. They flew in all directions as debris, making what was hidden within the leaves be revealed. The dull illumination provided by the grey skies above revealed what was hidden within the foge... Just up ahead, a few meters away from the duo, arge {Hulking Behemoth} apanied by a few {Devil Fighters} "How did you know?" ze couldn''t help but ask as he turned from a defensive posture straight to an offensive one. "Call it intuition... I can tell that guy up there isn''t good news." David said with an ugly expression on his face. "That doesn''t matter regardless of how strong it is, I''ll kill it with my spear," ze spoke with a burning resolve that could illuminate the world. However, resolve wasn''t all it took to triumph... Staring down at the puny humans before him, Jut¨¨ spoke with surprise. "Lord J''orntz said they should all still be within that ce. Could it be they are all over courageous?" The devil spoke to another {Hulking Behemoth} by its side while looking at ze and David with a weird expression in its eyes. This devil was one of the devils that had been with J''orntz beside the huge {Appendage}. It was a fair bitrger than Gadon, but nowhere near in size to J''orntz. Its devil core glowed a very faint and deep orange color as a few wisps of mes flew back and forth on the surface of its body. Many orange fiery connective lines reached from the devil''s core, all the way to the creature''s face. These lines only served to enhance the creature''s malevolent look. Contrary to the usual shape of the spawn devil ws, its ws were shaped like axes as opposed to the usual straight edge ded forelimbs. The other {Hulking Behemoth}, Katl, was just asrge as Gadon. Its devil core was tinted a very deep shade of ck, far cker than any other devil they had seen so far. It also looked very simr to the normal spawn devils, only the look of savagery on its face made it look even more menacing than the normal devils. "It appears so... The humans in this world should still be incredibly dumb creatures. Hence, they might not be able to tell the difference between life and death when they see it." Katl said as he stared longer at the duo of David and ze, licking his lips as corrosive saliva dripped down to the forest ground, sizzling noises popping out with every drop. "These are powerful. Especially the smaller ones. It was the reason why I couldn''t sense them earlier. Just existing alone is giving off so much darkness!" David couldn''t help but exim in shock. However, there was still a neutral expression on Cain''s face as he stared straight at the devils. "We kill them, just like we killed the others. Nothing more, nothing less. Same as always, give me support when needed, and I''ll handle the rest." ze said. Suddenly, the spear in his hands caught fire. These bright orange mes spread across the surface of its body, yet they didn''t sing his hair, nor burn his clothes. "Ha... Alright." When David saw this, he simply resigned himself to his fate. There was no way he would be able to convince ze to turn back and retreat. "To be powerful, I have to surpass my limits. Which means fighting and challenging enemies that might be stronger. That is the way those with wills of iron can be born." A spark that couldn''t be hidden lit in his eyes as he pointed the tip of his spear toward the stunned devils... "Baptism through the mes of battle..." Chapter 103: Necessity. ''Master, I, the great demon Bear, am back!'' The bushes to Cain''s left squirmed before the huge figure of Ruby was revealed to him. Ruby, who had served as diversion had made her appearance after she had led some of the devils away. Cain hadmunicated to her the distance, as well as the exact time she could kill her pursuant. As Ruby was a very strong mutant beast with the ability to create her skills, she was able to easily aplish this task. Within the effective range of {Seal}, they could kill as many devils as they wanted without alerting the enemy as long as it was done in the time frame of a second. However, with their incredible speeds, the number of things that could be done in under a second was a plethora... Staring at the huge mutant bear, Cain couldn''t help but wonder... "How do you know what you are, Ruby?" Cain asked. ''That is because of the system, Master.'' Ruby said as she licked some of the blood stuck to her now very red paws. Cain could only imagine the type of carnage she could have inflicted upon the devils that had pursued her... "What do you mean by that? You also have a system?" Cain couldn''t help but ask. ''Yes, Master. Even my mother and brothers all had systems before you and the other humans with you killed them.'' Cain could swear he noticed a tinge of anger and grievance within Ruby''s voice... "I''m sorry. I wished there was a way to bring your mother and siblings back." Hearing what Ruby had to say, Cain couldn''t help but feel a bit bad in his heart. ''I do not bear any grudges against you, master. It is normal for the strong to eat the weak.'' Ruby said as she approached Cain. "How were you able to acquire the system? What''s even more intriguing is the way we canmunicate without any inconvenience." Cain couldn''t help but baffle at theplexity of the system. ''That, I do not know, Master. I do not have good recollections about events that urred over five days ago.'' Ruby gazed into Cain''s with her docile, yet ferocious sanguine eyes. Staring back, Cain could only raise a brow in suspicion... ''That''s odd.'' From what he could get from Ruby, this meant she could only begin to understand the human semantics ofnguage the day the apocalypse began. Since many things didn''t add uppletely, Cain decided to ask the system... ''System, why can I converse with Ruby so well without having to worry about her understanding of the humannguage?'' {Replying to host: The host currentlycks the number of system points necessary for this transaction...} ''Is that so?'' Since it was unattainable for now, Cain decided to do what he usually did with his unanswered questions... Turning to the mutant beast, he roughly rubbed its smooth fur as he opened up her description... *** {Crimson Demon ck Bear} level 25 (deadly). Strength: 400. Agility: 320. Defense: 90. Mana: 100. HP: 15,000/15,000. MP: 7,500/7,500. Skills: Blood Berserk, Blood Armor, Shockwave Stomp, Blood Spikes, Crimson st, Red w level 1. *** Cain was extremely pleased with what he saw... "How did you create so many new skills?" Cain said with a smile, impression written all over his face. Looking at Ruby''s stats, Cain was pleased to see that not only were are skills increasing, but her stats were also higher than that of the average mutant beast at her level. ''Hehehe...'' The bear let out a cute giggle in his head, but a very coarse grunt physically, causing Cain to reel back a bit. ''So weird...'' However, Ruby was so ready to tell her story, shepletely disregarded her master''s feelings, ''This is due to the contract between you and me, Master. I have been able to understand the blood element exceptionally. That is why I was able to create so many skills that I can use to kill and eat.'' Ruby said with a grin on her beastly face, making her appear oddly human to Cain. Although he was a bit creeped out by this fact, surprisingly, he felt something he had never felt before his entire life. It wasn''t asfortable as the feeling Susan gave him, but it was very close... The feeling of familiarity between him and the mutant bear grew even further as they talked about the skills she has created during their time apart. *** Running through the dense foliage with Ruby by his side, and a nket of darkness covering them, Cain stared at his status screen, analyzing his skills and stats. *** Name: {Cain Lenosi} Level: 31. Strength: 356. Agility: 423. Stamina: 209/219. Vitality: 157. Defense: 198. Control: 16.2. Perception: 15.4. HP: 15,700/15,700. MP: 14,700/14,800. Magic: 449. Ki: 136. Spirit: 189. Resistance: Poison- 80%. Skills: Golden Blood, Mana de, Lightening Edge, de Mastery Lvl. 2, Burst Step, Metal Creation Lvl.2, Golden Severance, Metal Maniption, *Fear, *Bloodthirsty, Blood Regeneration, Azure Burst, Mana Heart, Seal, Hollow Judgement, Devil''s eyes: Eye of irvoyance, Elemental Body. Spells: Fireball, Air Whip, Poison Blood, Blue Lightning, Blink, Golden Halo. Titles: Champion of Ashur (locked), Sorcerer''s Mind, Blessed by Mana, Pioneer. Free attribute points: 1. System points 15,720. {Inventory}. {Shop}. *** Since he had to travel in silence, Cain had enough time to go through his thoughts... He hadn''t gained much from Gadon, only a few extra stats and a level up. To go up a level, he would need to kill a veryrge amount of devils. ''Not only does the amount of exp required to level up increase, the amount of exp I get from each mutant drops as well.'' Cain had noticed quite a few trends in the way he acquired exp from the system... The stronger he got with each level up, the greater the amount of exp he needed to move to the next level. It was just like how because of the speed the earth was evolving, the system had begun to activate its measures set in ce. The number of potions, runes, and even equipment, dropped on the death of a devil or mutant had decreased significantly. This was especially the case for equipment because the drop rate of equipment was abysmal before the activation of these measures. To make matters worse, all of these couldn''t be purchased from the system store anymore... ''If my guess is correct, then the system will probably stop offering the purchase of mana shards very soon...'' Cain said as he contemted all these... ''If this keeps going on, then what exactly will system points be useful for aside from purchasing information?'' {Replying to host: The host should not forget what the system has mentioned previously. The system shop is calibrated to offer the most basic items that are of the utmost importance to the host at that particr time frame. At the start of the devil invasion and the inception of mana onto the host''s, the fundamentals needed by the host were weapons and Regen potions}. {For now, they are mana shards, so until further change, that is all the system will offer for purchase...} {It is also important for the host to note that the offers of the system shop might vary with location...} Cain fell deeper into thoughts as he pondered on this new information... ''If this is so, then how will we be able to get these essentials? They are still very important.'' Cain asked the system with a furrowed brow. {Replying to host: The only other way possible, host... Making them yourself...} "Pardon?" *** Cain stared in shock at what was disyed in his vision... On the holographic disy, the system provided to him was a list of special ingredients necessary to create a small HP potion and MP potion. *** HP potion ¡Á10 1 liter of pure elemental water. 3 stems of Valerian. 5 leaves of Hernia. 1 Blood bismuth lily. 1 grade 9 blood elemental mana shard. 1 mana stone. {Note: It must be brewed within a sterile metal container over a magical me of exactly 500¡ãC}. *** MP potion ¡Á10 1 liter of pure elemental water. 1 Death''s Nightshade. 1 teaspoon of crushed Valerian. ? of a liter of devil blood. 1 Stem of Blue Vervain. 1 mana stone. *** ''Where the hell am I supposed to find these damned things?!'' Cain couldn''t help but groan in frustration. {Replying to host: All of these ingredients can be found within this forest. The host just hasn''t looked for them. Further information on the nature and characteristics of these nts and ingredients would have to be purchased from the system store...} Cain fell silent for a while before letting out a sigh... ''All that can wait. These devils are still producing HP and MP potions, so making my own isn''t a priority right now.'' Cain knew better than to pile so many bricks all at once. He would deal with things one at a time ording to their level of necessity, and currently, what was of most importance, was finding the next {Appendage} and destroying it. Suddenly, Cain stopped, as the figures of both Evangeline and Jenny materialized before him... "There''s a problem..." Before Evangeline couldplete what she wanted to say in her usual cold and raspy voice, she was interrupted by the system. {WARNING! The host should proceed with caution, as you are in the vicinity of the Soul Devil that attacked you}. ''What?! I didn''t expect to encounter it so suddenly!'' Excitement burned within Cain''s eyes as he stared forward. Before he could even take a step forward, he was brought back to reality by Evangeline... "Let''s go back." She said coldly. Time seemed to freeze at that moment, as Cain turned to her, a sinister golden re sparklingly within his eyes. "What did you say?" "I said let''s go back." However, there was nary a change on Evangeline''s face as she stared straight at Cain without a single bit of expression. "There should be an {Appendage} just right up ahead. I see no reason for us to turn back now." "There are devils up ahead that are too strong for us to fight, not to talk of beat. If we go another step, not only will we not be able to beat them, we might even forfeit our lives. Hence, we must go back." Jenny added to the side. When they entered stealth mode, both Jenny and Evangeline left Cain behind and had gone to scout their surroundings, only for them toe across the {Appendage} the {Phantasma}, J''orntz, was close to. Not only J''orntz but the other devils beside it were also not pushovers. The {Hulking Behemoths} were the strongest mobile spawn devils in the entire forest, so it was only normal for every single one of them to be formidable opponents in their own rights. However, at a crucial moment like this, Cain wasn''t prepared to listen to reason... "Move." Due to the interference of the {Phantasma}, he had been forced to revisit a few scenes from the past he had locked away, which had caused his emotions to fluctuate madly throughout the day. His rage toward the devil wasn''t something they could understand, and yet, here they were telling him he had to go back when he was graced with the opportunity to finally get its head. "If you aren''t ready to listen to reason, I don''t mind putting you down right where you stand. If you go ahead, those devils will end up spotting you before we can escape, and that will put us in danger as well." A deep bloodlust that could only arise from a killer seemed to spread from Evangeline''s body at that moment, yet there wasn''t a single change on her face. This only caused Cain to get even more pissed... "Do you think you can beat me?" Cain couldn''t help but let out a chuckle. "I don''t think..." Before Cain was able to even blink, the Evangeline standing before him had already disappeared. Cain immediately felt all the hairs on his body rise on end, as a bloody killing intent that seemed to reach the grey skies washed over him. Before he was even able to register what was going on, his vision turned hazy and he saw ck before copsing onto the ground unconscious. On his head, was a huge gash that would kill a normal person, but luckily, Cain wasn''t normal. Standing only 3 feet behind him with her hand on a bloody sheath, Evangeline stood over Cain''s fallen body with a calm that could put the dead to shame... "I know..." Chapter 104: Evangeline. Nothing in the world truly matters... Evangeline hade up with this phrase a long time ago... Nothing except... *** Night time... "In and out of the shadows, never to be revealed, never to be seen... That is the life fated for those born into the family. " The once huge and imposing figure of a man nowy dying in his bed as he spoke in a raspy voice. "What is our purpose, Father? Why do we wield des in a world with no criminals? Why do we train to take lives in a world filled with peace?" A young girl with a head full of white hair and gem-like eyes asked the dying man as he slowly but surely crossed over to the pearly gates. "Eva, this world is not as it seems. Behind every curtain is a door to rooms filled with endless mystery, things one might even be inclined to call nightmares. But do not be scared even if you are alone." Her father said to her even as his eyes zed over. "But why?! Why do we have to stay hidden? Can''t we just stop being killers? I''m sure everyone will-" "Eva..." The dying man called out, breaking the young Evangeline from her words and teary eyes. "Father?" "The shadows were created to protect us from what is toe because it ising... I need you to promise... me... you will... survive..." Silence... The soul of the father had departed, and all that was left was a little girl in a heavily ornamented room. The sounds of silent sobs were nearly deafening the room for a while before theypletely stopped. An unearthly chill passed through the room as the windows mmed open all of a sudden. However, the little girl didn''t even seem fazed, as although there were tears in her eyes, a new cold look had also appeared. "Family head..." Sitting on the window sill was a woman of unearthly beauty illuminated by the moonlight. Her hair was whiter than freshly fallen snow, and her eyes, just like Evangeline''s, were as sanguine as blood... "Eva, your father is dead, which means you are thest of the Birich branch of the family still living." Despite her unimaginable beauty, the words that came from her mouth were colder than ice. Despite her words, the young Evangeline stood without being fazed, "Yes, family head. I will do everything in my power to serve the family as thest survivor of the Birich branch." A slight smile parted the vibrant red lips of the woman, "Good..." With that, the beautiful, yet ruthless woman, also known as the Red ughter, the head of the underworld Bryne family, by people of the underworld disappeared, leaving the young girl in the cold dark room with the corpse of her father. "In and out of the shadows, never to be revealed, never to be seen... That is the life fated for those born into the family." Evangeline repeated the words of her father, burning them into her mind, and solidifying her resolve... Going back to the bed, she lifted the cold hands of her father andy her''s on them. Picking an apple knife sitting on a nightstand beside the bed, she took a deep sigh before plunging. SLICK! The sound of metal tearing into flesh could be heard as Evangeline stabbed the knife straight through her tiny hands into her father''s. Despite these traumatizing actions, she remained unfazed by the pain due to several years of assassin conditioning as a child... "Bound by blood, I swear to keep this oath made by daughter to father. I will survive..." Drawing the knife out of their wounds, Evangeline proceeded to stand up from the chair she sat on beside the bed and walk towards the window of a room that had no doors. Gazing at the moon and its magnificent glory, she couldn''t help but think of what her life would be like had she not been born into the underworld, doomed to be obscure from the rest of society. Doomed to live and die by the sword... ''Will there ever be a meaning to all this?'' She asked the heavens. Unbeknownst to her, the heavens always have a response... *** Evangeline looked down on Cain without even a single change in expression. ROAR!!! Ruby let out a roar of rage as she pounced at Evangeline. Her ws glowed a sinister red as she swiped down with full force. Dodging the bear''s eviscerating attack with a slight tilt of her body, Evangeline was within Ruby''s personal space in the blink of an eye. PA! PA! BOOM! Two straight kicks to the head, followed by an axe kick that sent the poor bear''s head straight into the ground were delivered by Evangeline "You... you..." Jenny, who was standing a little bit away from the scene had her eyes widened in shock. "Rx. They aren''t dead... yet." Evangeline said as she began walking over to Cain''s body. "Don''t move!" Jenny yelled at Evangeline. In less than a second, her sniper rifle had materialized in her hands, and she pointed it straight at her as her eyes took on a deep shade of purple. "Do you want to join them?" Evangeline said slowly, the killing intent on her body rising with every word. ''This crazy-'' Suddenly, Cain, who was supposed to be unconscious, stood up from the ground abruptly... His eyes were calm, as though all that had happened just a few seconds ago were a hazy dream. "Cain..." Jenny looked at him, intensely baffled. "Let''s go. It isn''t safe here..." Cain said. With incredible strength, he picked the unconscious Ruby from the ground. "Seems like I knocked some sense into your head," Evangeline said ruthlessly. "Blood Regeneration." Streams of blood elemental mana poured into the wound on his head, forming intricate magical scalpels that operated on the wound on his head. A few secondster, the injury in his head waspletely gone, with only a thin faint scar left. With Ruby on his shoulder, he turned around and dashed away... "Ha... I''m so confused." Jenny held onto her head in confusion, wondering deeply about the events that had just taken ce. "Let''s go. If my guess is correct, those devils should have noticed us by now. If we wait any longer, we will be spotted." Evangeline said before slinking back into the shadows. ''Why do things have to be like this?'' Jenny could onlyment as she also activated her stealth skill just in time. The second her invincibility skill was activated, the gigantic figure of a {Hulking Behemoth} revealed itself. The creature took a look at the ground, only for it to spot the pool of blood that had leaked out of Cain''s head when he had fallen to the ground unconscious. Walking up to it, it ced the tip of its gigantic ded forelimb into the pool of blood. Raising it and cing the drop of blood into its mouth, the monster could taste the sweet savor of human blood. A monstrous grin made its way to its face, "They were here..." *** "Lord J''orntz, the humans you spoke of were there. However, by the moment I arrived, they had already fled." The {Hulking Behemoth} said to the {Phantasma} that still stood beside the {Appendage}. "I know. I could sense it..." Bloodlust could be seen on the Soul Devil''s face as it waved at the spawn devils. "It''s time to attack. They might have a formidable force now, as we aren''t at full power, but we have superior numbers as well as Mother and Devonte. There is now at for us to lose." With glowing green eyes that could burn through the soul of anything living, the Soul Devil made itsmand. "We have eaten our fill from this forest. It is high time wepleted our task and progressed toward Mother''s goal... Assemble all the lower spawn devils. We shall attack those humans and prepare them for Mother to feast upon." "It shall be done, Lord J''orntz." *** Racing through the forest, Cain''s mind reyed what had happened numerous times, but he still wasn''t able topletely grasp what had happened... ''If I hadn''t moved my head in that split second, I would be dead.'' Cain realized that what had him clinging on to dear life at the moment wasn''t his skills, but his overwhelming speed. Should his agility and perception stats be lower than they were, he would be a molting corpse already. ''What did she do?'' Cain wasn''t able to register what Evangeline had done. All he knew was she moved so fast, his eyes and mind were not able to follow as quickly as he would have liked, which nearly led to him losing his life. ''It was so unexpected, but I was able to understand one thing. That wasn''t a skill or spell." Cain could feel his heart rate speed up as he made his conclusion... "That was a martial technique whose effects are multiplied more than ten times over!" After the thousand-year war and the breakdown of the old civilization, the ruins of the old world had been excavated, and various relics of the past had been discovered. Alongside these relics were important scientific and technological information, as well as the less important, and less known pieces of random information. These bits and pieces of information ranged from all sorts of etiquette practiced by different cultures in the old age to various recipes for cooking dishes that were regarded as the national treasures of the countries they belonged to. Among these pieces of less-known information, was a particr set of knowledge that were exceptionally useful to the denizens of the underworld... At that time, the underworld was still a budding dream yet to be realized by its progenitors. These pieces of information were known as martial techniques... Although the army and world governments had managed to gather many of these martial techniques, the majority of them still fell into the hands of the primogenitors of the underworld... From these martial techniques, the various families and ns of the underworld that existed were able to create the world they so desired... A world that shouldn''t exist... A world filled with evil that was bound by a strict set of rules that said evil could not break under any circumstances... Cain was able to tell it was a martial technique because he had seen one being executed before, a long time ago... However, the only difference, was the one he had seen was nowhere as powerful as this one, even though this onecked the grace, finesse, and effect the former possessed. ''To think she is also one of them... it seems this world is starting t get even more interesting.'' Although he had just been put down by her, he wasn''t bothered at all... This wasn''t because he was confident in his power. That was far from it... ''I was nearly killed because of my negligence. It will never happen again...'' He was confident, but in somethingpletely different... ''That martial technique... I will learn it!'' Chapter 105: Foreboding (1). The Summon skill is one of the most mysterious skills in the universe, as it gives its userplete control over other living beings. It can be a branch of the nature element, which is so unique, that it can conveniently fuse with any other element to birth an uncountable number of paraelementals. Or, it could be because of something even more mystical... The creature he summoned, {White Shadow}, was a unique summoned demon wolf whose special abilities were centered around stealth, with very fewbat abilities. At the start of the apocalypse, the special skill he had gained upon killing a devil was the {Demon Wolf Summon} skill series. What made this skill so special, is the fact that the skill had a special property that allowed him to acquire special summoning spells the stronger he became. At every level of the skill, a new branch of the skill tree would be opened up to him, allowing him to choose which one he would prefer. Hunter''s eyes glowed a burning white as he let his soul be carried by his summon. Racing through the forest under the effects of invincibility, Hunter was able to see everything through the wolf''s third eye. Not only did the wolf possess stealth abilities, but it was also extremely fast... ''That makes a total of 15. From my estimates, there should be a little over 20 of those things in this forest. 7 are scattered at the forefront, so we will need to pass through them if we want to even have a chance at leaving this godforsaken ce.'' Hunter thought as the wolf kept running. ''But still, Cain and the rest should have cleared a significant amount of those devils and {Appendages} in this section of the forest. Which means it should be a bit easier.'' ''Hm?'' Out of the corner of his vision, Hunter spotted something... ''What in all the hells is this?!...'' Hunter was so shocked by what he was seeing, he nearly spat out a mouthful of blood. The leaves around him had begun to turn from vibrant green to yellow, to brown, and then finally to coal ck in a matter of seconds. The silence within the forest was already concerning, but what made shivers run through his spine the most in this part of the forest, was the sheer amount of dried bones and carcasses. ''What is this? Could this be a new type of devil?'' Hunter could only wonder. Curiosity getting the better of him, he decided to move forward a bit. Passing through the sea of now-dried ck treescking all life, he finally came across a change. In a particr patch of the forest was nothing but dry sand, the same you would find at a seashore surrounded by ck trees. At the center of this area ofnd, was a creature unlike any Hunter had ever seen... A gigantic ck bug was all Hunter could use to describe what he was seeing. Sitting at the center of the barrennd, was a creature a length of a basketball court, and above as wide as a car parked horizontally, with a ck exoskeleton, no eyes, mouths, or any other facial features, and a bunch of antennae lined up across its back from its tail-end all the way to its head. From what he could see, Its carapace was made ofyers of scales piled on, so Hunter could only imagine the creature''s incredible defense. ''What is that thing? Some kind of devil?'' {Replying to host: The creature seated before the host is a breed of True devil known as a broodmother. It is the creature responsible for the birth of all the spawn devils present in this forest}. ''Is that so?'' Hunter said as he controlled the {White Shadow} demon wolf to move closer to the Broodmother. {It would do the host some good to avoid going too close to the broodmother, as it is a very dangerous devil, whose power currently far supersedes that of the host, even though it isn''t at full power yet}. ''It is that powerful?!'' Hunter said as the eyelids of his main body twitched in response. {Replying to host: Affirmative... Broodmother, besides their vital role in the devil species of producing the new generation of devils, also possess incredibly strong defenses. They might possess acid or poison attacks, but their main attack methods are Spirit attacks}. ''Spirit attacks?'' {Replying to host: Spirit attacks, unlike physical or magic attacks involve the direct use of the soul to cause effects in the physical ne or to cause harm to opponents... Spirit attacks are also extremely dangerous, and even a small disparity in the spirit stat between two opponents might be incredibly devastating when in battle}. ''If it''s that dangerous, then I have no business going near that thing.'' Hunter was very cautious by nature, so there was no way he would risk his life when he knew the dangers that came with unneeded curiosity. ''That might be a bit toote.''All of a sudden, Hunter heard a voice so mellow and sweet, akin to the whispers of a young woman. ''What in the'' Before Hunter could even begin to figure out who the owner of the voice was, or where it came from, he felt a suction force being exerted on him. Immediately, he felt the {White Shadow} demon wolf being forcefully released from its stealth form. He watched, in unimaginable agony, as the portion of his soul that had inhabited the demon wolf was torn away from the soul of the wolf. ''Arghhhhhh!'' Hunter had never felt so much pain in his life. ''It seems we have a summoner on our hands.''The Broodmother said as she carried Hunter''s now-tipped soul over to her body. The body of the {White Shadow} was Instantly crushed and torn to pieces, blood and fragments of broken flesh flying all around before a white me consumed its broken carcass until there was nothing left. ''What... did... y-you do?!'' Hunter said as he stared at the devil before him. As he was looking from afar, he wasn''t able to see it, but now that he was extremely up close, he could see that the Broodmother did indeed have facial features. It had four eyes that were as ck as the depths of hell. Those were the only organs on its face. Hunter didn''t even know where to look, as the eyes of the creature didn''t seem to have a focus point. Enduring the searing pain that racked his soul, he stared straight at the ck soulless orbs anyways. ''What do you want?!'' ''Food... That is what I and my race want. Unfortunately, you and everything living on your just so happen to fit the bill quite perfectly.'' The Broodmother answered in its deceiving voice. Hunter was stunned speechless at this straightforward answer. Seeing him not speak, the Broodmother went on. ''Do not feel sad, as this is the fate of the weak. To be consumed by the strong. You serve as food for us, and we in turn devour you. That is how it goes, young human. So it will be in your best interest to do nothing but give up all resistances and offer yourselves to us as willing sacrifices.'' The Broodmother said in its calming, almost hypnotic voice. Still enduring the pain, Hunter could only imagine the expression on his face as he responded without any fear, ''If you want to see who''s weak, then I''ll show you, you fat maggot!'' He said with unbridled rage. ''The sad fate of the weak is that they do not know when to quit. I have absorbed all the nutrients I can from here, so all that is left is to find the one with the archaic aura. Once I do, I will eat all of you. Now... Let me grant you a painless death.'' The Broodmother said as it cast a single spell. Before Hunter knew what to do, an incredibly terrifying force began to weigh down on his soul. ''Arghhhhhhh!'' The pain multiplied with every passing second as he was forced to endure the soul-crunching pain akin to having his head dunked in a pool of boiling oil whilst being stabbed with countless needles. ''I need to think of a way, or else I''ll die!'' Realizing the danger he was in, Hunter quickly calmed his mind. He was only able to do this thanks to his numerous years of undergoing torturous training and conditioning. *** Blood spilled from his white ssy eyes as he tried to recite the incantation for the summon. All summon spells required the summoner to call out the name of the summon they required, just like one would use speech to activate a certain skill. "me Demon Hound: Summon!" In a trembling voice, the bow near epileptic Hunter called out. The mana in the air stirred as a magic circle appeared beside him, and arge ming mutant wolf appeared from it. "Hm?" Dan, who was busy nearby was shocked to see Hunter create a summon so suddenly. Walking up to Hunter, he noticed his entire body shaking violently,"Hey, Hunter. Are you-" Coming to stand before him, a deep sense of fear suddenly overtook his mind when he saw the amount of blood that had pooled onto Hunter''s body from his eyes. "Hunter!" However, Hunter, who was having a battle for his life couldn''t hear him. "Summon Sacrifice: Soul Substitute!" In the heat of the moment, Hunter created a skill that had the potential to save his life. The eyes of the demon wolf beside him zed over as it fell to the ground. Meanwhile, his eyes began to gain more rity as they turned from pearly white back to their original color. "Blegh!" Coughing out a mouthful of blood, Hunter copsed to the ground beneath him as he ignored Dan''s hectic cries. "Hunter! Are you alright?! What happened?!" Staring at Dan, Hunter said in a weak voice, "I ran into some... trouble." "Trouble?" "Yes, trouble." Before Dan could say more, Hunter continued, "We are all in danger. It is very usible that the devils n to attack very soon. Tell the others... Get... everyone... to... regroup." With that, Hunter closed his eyes as he let the sweet relief of unconsciousness take over him... "Hunter!" Chapter 106: Foreboding (2). ''How did this happen?! '' BRATATATATA!!! ''How the hell did this happen?!'' Vincent could onlyment as he shot devil after devil down. mming the trigger down with his index finger, he urately drove his bullets into the heads of his targets. Since the devils were very tough targets, with the higher-leveled ones like the {Devil Fighters} and {Miasma Devils} having high defenses, he couldn''t take them down with a single bullet. However, he more than made up for hisck of attack power with his terrifying attack speed... The bullets flew like a stream of water, all hitting the same spot on the heads of his targets until their tough exoskeleton was brittle enough for the bullets to break through and prate their flesh. "Rapid Fire." The already disgusting attack speed increased even more as even more bullets were spewed out of the nozzle of the gun even more rapidly. In the blink of an eye, the bodies of the devils before him were instantly turned into sieves. The nozzle of the gun was smoking hot as he lowered it to his side, an angry expression flitting across his face. {Level up!} Despite his gains, Vincent''s expression didn''t change one bit as he stared at the absolute carnage before him. "You insane bastard! I told you to stay in the bubble!" Vincent yelled at the top of his lungs to a figure d in all red. "The bubble is way too small. I won''t be able to use my des well..." Manny, coated in the blood of the in devils had an excited light in his eyes as he fought against a huge {Hulking Behemoth}. *** {Hulking Behemoth}: level 30 (Deadly) Strength: 500. Agility: 500. Defense: 100. Magic: 50. HP: 10,000/10,000. MP: 5,000/5,000 Skills: Stone barrage, Body Hardening level 2, Stone Skin. *** The devil he currently engaged in battle with possessed the earth element, capable of controlling rocks and hardening its body with the earth element. However, before Manny''s insanity, its skin of stone might as well have been butter. Dancing around it like a leaf in the wind, Manny avoided its heavy blows as he dashed out his as well, cutting deep into the creature''s flesh and drawing blood. "Grahh! Curse you, Human!" The devil roared out in pain as its attacks became even more frenzied as time went on. "Tempest de." The attack speed of Manny doubled in response to the devil''s violent attacks. The sharp ws of the devil passed over his head as he rushed forward, evading the attack cleanly. "You talk too much, devil," Manny said coldly as he prepared his finishing move. The wind element in the air stirred violently as he calmed his breathing... From a gentle breeze to a powerful gale... "Devil Eyes: Blindspot." His eyes glowed an ethereal green as a profound rune appeared in its depths. In Manny''s eyes, the entire body of the mutant glowed green, except for a single part. ''There!'' It was as quick as it was ruthless... "de Paradox." The two swords in Manny''s hands seemed to phase out of existence alongside his body. Appearing behind the devil, plumes of white escaped from his body into the air... In one smooth motion, his des were returned to their sheaths. CLICK. With the click, the pieces of the now dead {