Johne was a new part of Reigner's team, so he stood quiet for most of his time. Though he became closer with the roommates of his, Johne was always studying Reigner. This man was brutal, but Johne understood.
A strength.
World Hope began, the mass recruitment followed. Just a few months of hellish training and metal aura won't be sufficient to survive. The man clenched his mace, then locked his eyes on the cavern. The cavern was seized by some team as well.
"Reigner."
"What?"
"You have formed an origin, right?"
"Yeah."
Selia muttered in a daze, then her bewilderment deepened. Looking at her friend with big eyes, she suddenly shifted her eyes below. The gap is already way too big, and Selia felt like she won't see her friend after that test.
That's why the resolution swept through her body.
She took the step forward, and next to Reigner, Selia strode towards the cavern's insides. The will to repay his kindness was burning up within her heart! The lady clenched her machete, her eyes not wavering at all even when the light suddenly assaulted her sight!
"Enemies!"
"Fucking fools!"
"Get them!"
Conquering up the cavern gives a huge advantage. Thanks to the guard near an entrance, the rookies could prepare to throw their heavy weapons, use the terrain, and 'get healthier' within the warmer caverns.
The cannonballs swept through the ground, rolling at high speed. It was hard to notice those, and momentarily blinded by the light, the usual party would be wiped out just by those.
"They have prepared well."
"Yeah."
But Reigner was the man with the origin formed. He could feel the metal aura with his senses alone meaning that the rolling cannonballs either missed him and his party or got stopped by his weapon. The weapon that shone with a dark green tinge.
He was not only sucking the aura for himself.
But also fueling up the weapons which could adapt to this metal aura with his origin! The battle-ax of Reigner split up the cannonballs in halves, then he strutted forth. Mere seconds passed yet Reigner already was in the main room within the cavern.
The rookies, whose faces were familiar from all the hardship they had survived through, blinked their eyes at such fast advance. They were also frozen, clearly by the weapon in Reigner's hand emitting the dark green aura.
With this alone, Reigner stated - 'I can control the metal aura unlike you, so surrender.'
"As if! If we surrender, then someone else will take over our cavern! We will be exposed to the cold nights!"
"Exactly! You know, Reigner, how could it is these days?! And it simmers with each day! Fuck!"
"We won't surrender!"
"Get it."
Reigner narrowed his eyes, then with his friends stepping forth, his aura shone as if another source of light. No one of his enemies wanted to respond to that man, so those who were the closest to Johne and Selia, just run towards their direction.
Maybe Reigner gets softer once his friends get caught up!
Going for every possible route, the enemies split up leaving one of their friends to be a meat shield. He smacked his lips, trying to say something loud out, but only mere whispers left his mouth... In the end, he shouted and slowly closed up the distance.
Within his grab was the broadsword.
It looked heavy and hard to move. Its tip was digging the ground as the rookies trudged forward... The tension heightened when he came closer to Reigner, but then the earthling dove forth! His battle-ax drew a crescent line that pushed the air straight onto the enemy.
And that crescent line barely reached the rookie.
"Ha.. haa... y-you fucking-"
However, it was fine.
The powerful power of the battle-ax and Reigner's metal aura toppled the guy backward, his ass hitting that ground heavily. He gasped, but it was not due to the fall but to Reigner arriving before him with his weapon raised.
That weapon didn't wait, reflecting Reigner's greed.
"ARGHHHHHHHHHHH!"
Following its fall was the deep cut on the man's groin... He cried so hard the battles in the cavern stopped. It was horrendous wound, as even Reigner twisted his face in discomfort.
"Fuck, it would be better to just kill you. My bad..."
"Ah, you... heartless... asshole!"
"Heartless? I am fucking realist!"
"Ughhh!"
Reigner killed the rookie then... How could he live without his... man's jewels? Even Reigner felt like he had done a good thing for this dude, like some salvation. Then, his eyes elated as such a huge amount of blood is going to be converted into the metal aura.
Then, scrutinizing around, Reigner noticed that Johne and Selia were going all out with their instincts sharpened by Reigner's metal aura. They didn't want to fall behind, and Selia hoped to repay Reigner by lessening his burden.
She lopped off man's arm, then with Reigner's victory, her goal was to win as well!
Then continue the slaughter.
Johne was the same. But his mace then descended on the man's head. He bashed that young face with everything he got, eliciting some metal aura was inevitable! The weapon shone with a small tinge of dark green light, then the dude got beheaded.
Small lumps of mingled meat were on his mace!
Way more than usual.
"You could've left..."
In the war, there won't be any choices. Johne closed his eyes, the way he killed the man had given him the leeway to do so. No longer pressured by others, the rookies shivered and curled up in the corner.
Trembling, they were begging to let them go. However, Reigner had to check something. He closed up the distance to his victim, then reached out for his body. There were a few cuts on the jewelless man, so Reigner just slid his finger on one of those.
The conversion then began.
Ten minutes... Thirty... Then an hour!
The hour passed yet Reigner didn't absorb the whole blood out from the man's body! If he had to say it in percentage, then it would be like 25% or so. His eyes narrowed, then the silence deepened. Except for Reigner's friends, the rest was shocked and scared to see such sight.
Their already dead friend was losing blood, his body shrinking as the time passed!
So scary!
"H-he must have... formed an origin and even... got special power out of it!"
"W-what? It is... possible?"
"I heard... it is..."
The former bold guys curled up and hugged each other, trying to stop their shivering bodies with everything they got. They resolved to the disgusting body contact which was not so disgusting in their current case.
The four hours passed then.
[You have gathered 200 metal aura.]
He completely sucked off the blood!
[So low... The weapons are way better in this case.]
"You are lucky."
Reigner spoke.
"Lucky that I am not fond of killing."
''''You are not fond of killing?''''
The lips of the victims flapped yet no sound came out!
Reigner then forced them to spit out everything they know including the other sources of the weapons. He naturally changed their weapons into a metal aura, then the second dead body became the source of his metal aura.
Just like that, the night passed.
Reigner was fueled by greed, not thinking about sleeping at all.
He guarded Selia, then peeked at sleeping Johne from time to time.
The hours ticked and ticked, then the new day arrived.
This day was the same... filled with disgusting killing and bullying... Reigner felt like he is becoming emotionless towards that, but luckily enough, the time on the earth reminded him how terrible his deeds are.
Thanks to that, Reigner felt like a human, but it was already questionable.
Then...
[Metal Connection Technique created!]
[You have learned Metal Connection Technique!]
Reigner had no problems learning the technique created by his system. His mind flooded with clear information based on his experiences, the common knowledge, and metal aura as if his power could peek into the old and historical origins of this aura.
Within another cave, Reigner closed his eyes, breathed, and then began thinking.
'Metal Creation... Heavy Soldiers are the strongest troops other than nobles... The horses... are not my thing.'
[Metal Bear Creation failed.]
Reigner had rough knowledge about the nobles, so he didn't want to force the same 'creations'. He decided to go with the bear as it could act as a transport, then fight and protect him independently. The connection of his was stronger and Reigner believed that sitting on the bear is not required for him to control it.
[Metal Hawk Creation failed.]
The eyes of Reigner narrowed... His irritation plastered on his face couldn't be twisted more! He was thinking about the dangerous creations ready to fight for him, but everything failed. His disappointment was then stopped by Nightmare.
[Medusa.]
"..."
[Were you so bullied in the past that this surname became the thing you hate?]
[Metal Snake Creation succeed!]
Nightmare hit the truth precisely. In an orphanage, Reigner had his surname under constant slander to the point where he was called weirdo! It was something Reigner couldn't understand, but back then, kids probably were just reaching for everything to slander... And surname became one of the easiest things.
Reigner was also showing off a lot of reaction until the whole orphanage turned against him.
[Metal Snake Creation
- the item created by fusing the metal with the metal connection technique. A host can add more metal to strengthen the creation!
- Attack: 200 Defense: 200 Durability: 200]
The snake was so small it easily could curl up within Reigner's palm.
But the attack was already satisfying.
Of course, the nightmare set was stronger.
[Nightmare's blade arm - Attack: 10 000]
'Tsk.'
It is of course only when the item is created permanently, not temporary.