Cyrus looked down at his phone. "You guys better get going. The Mana crystals won't mine themselves. Oh, and I suggest you wait before killing the Buyrura, or all of those mana crystals are gone," Cyrus explained, pushing himself off the tree and walking over to his car. "Wait, You're leaving?" Bobby asks. "Yes, It's a waste of my time. I got what I wanted, and you got what you wanted," Cyrus replied, opening his car door. "Okay," he replied, looking back at his squad to see them shrug in confusion.
Upon opening the entrance, the 8 squad members saw the corpse of the Buryurya and were horrified. Anger began to build up in the squad and the squad leader, Bobby. With a scowl and twisted expression, he was displeased by the sight of both the boss's corpse and the still-living Winter. "What? Is that guy still alive?! Is the boss dead?!" Two strike members ask in frustration and confusion. "What happened? Did they kill the boss all by themselves?!" Asks more members, murmuring to themselves in search of an answer. "Maybe that damn spider was just big with no real power," Kyuwan explained, with a raised eyebrow. "We must have underestimated Winter," he began in thought, "He might have outsmarted that thing. I don't know how, but it's the only possible way," Bobby added in thought, scowling at the weaponless Winter. "Bobby, what should we do now?" Ask a more calm member. "We have to kill him, of course," he replied
"Hey, Winter. You have to die," Bobby explained. "Oh? Why's that? To make an extra buck or two?" Winter asked before taking another drink from a canteen. "No, for the rest of us to survive," he corrected. "Oh ho ho. Who's got you by the balls?" Winter asks, throwing the canteen to the side. "Cyrus, he wants you dead. And if we don't deliver, he's going to hunt us down one by one," Bobby explained. "Ah. So, you lost it all, and he's forcing you to do this? I see. I see," Winter replied sarcastically, nodding. "You dense motherfucker," Bobby responded, gritting his teeth. "No. It's okay. I get it. Of course, you'd betray me. Because I'm Weak," Winter explained, bowing his head. "What are you doing?" Bobby asks, confused. "You'll see," Winter replies with a calm tone of voice. "Bobby, what should we do?" Asks Kyuwan, just behind Bobby's right shoulder. "Let's stay at a distance, to begin with," He explained, and Kyuwan nodded.
Stepping forward all together, they drew their weapons and set their shields up in front of them. "Have you killed before, Winter?" Bobby asks, maliciously walking towards him. "I could have," Winter responded. He waited for something specific to happen, then all of a sudden, a notification from the System popped up in his face.
~>System<{" An [Urgent Quest] Has [Arrived],"}>it rang, just like before, it popped up in Winter's face<~
~>System<{" An [Emergency Quest] Has Been Issued! [Emergency Quest: Kill The Enemies]. There are Entities Nearby That Intend to Murder the [Player]. Slay Them And Ensure Your Safety! Enemies Required to be Killed: 8. Enemies Killed: 0. If the [Player] Fails to kill the enemies, their heart will stop,"}>it displayed, speaking to Winter<~
Flinching upon seeing this sudden pop-up on his face, he was confused. "What is this-" Winter thought- "The System is acting out!" His eyes widened as he saw a flash of fire coming from the Kyuwan hand. To dodge the attack, Winter leaned back and brought his arms up, crossing his arms and tensing up in preparation for the impact of the spell. His basic Amulet didn't block all the damage, despite being a spell. The Attack landed and it exploded in his face. Launching him into the wall of the dungeon. The dungeon began to lose integrity, boulders fell from the ceiling onto the smoke and kicked up even more dust. "Bullseye!" The fighters explained that it was approaching Winter.
Laid on a rocky bed of stones and boulders, his head laid back, with singes and smoke rising from his rocky bed. Looking up, the System's displays were glitched, distorted. He could only think about one thing: "Why?" It filled his mind, so much so that it buried him in darkness and despair. "How could I have forgotten," Winter thought," That this place... It is governed by the 'Survival of the fittest' principle?" He added, in thought, looking over at the entrance, to see the 8 lizards. "That's right," he thought, "I haven't been able to think straight up until now," Winter's hand clutched a rock, pulling himself up from the rocks. Blood ran down his body, from cuts by flying debris like pebbles and falling sharp stones.
"Enemies. The System is forcing me to murder," he thought to himself, dust falling from his shoulders and chest, smoke pluming from his forearms. "A threat," Winter thought," Kill them unless I want to die? Or maybe things will become complicated for the System if I die," he stared at the swords in their hands and armor that the lizards wore. "This isn't a coincidence nor an act of goodwill," Winter thought, his white cursed energy gathers on his face. It began to form a mask-like skull over his face. Laid over his face, and nearly one with his head. The shadow gauntlets began to form on his hands.
~>System<{" [HP: 1360/2600],"}>it displayed to Winter<~
"The System Needs Me," he thought, the stones falling from behind. "It NEEDS me. To be STRONG," Winter thought, blood running down his skull began to form from his face, with black and red aura-like energy building around his body. "The System is trying to make me stronger," Winter thought, the teeth from the skull on his face, sharpening. "I can tell that it simply wants the most powerful version of myself," he thought, standing in front of the pile of boulders and stones. "Good. Now that's cleared up," he spoke aloud as blood ran down his right cheek. "Eh? He's still alive," One of the men who approached Winter commented. "The System is Using me," he explained, a black and red aura exploding from his person. Red electricity sparks from his body, and a small, red beady eye glows through the eye sockets of the skull mask. "And I'm Using the System," he added, his hand like claws clenching on stones.
"Man, Kyuwan. You kinda suck now," explained the same fighter, "Totally embarrassing. It should only take a single blow to wipe out an E-rank," a tank mocked, standing by Kyuwan. "Kyuwan, you should've done a better job," Bobby replied. "Y-you're right," he responded, "But I went full force with my magic," he thought, "I packed all of my magic abilities into that attack. How did he get back up?" Kyuwan thought. Winter began approaching, dropping a stone in his left hand, and keeping the stone in his right hand. "Was my aim off?" Kyuwan thought to himself. "Since you guys are playing around with people's lives, I'm assuming," he began, "You're prepared to face the consequences as well?" Winter asks, with a scratchy, distorted voice. Blood-red and black energy flowed from his mouth as he spoke. "What is this idiot going on about?" Asks a lizard, and the others laugh. "He thinks he could beat all of us up? I can't even sense how powerful he's gotten! He must be that weak!" A few laughed. "Since you call yourselves 'Hunters'," Winter began. "I'm going to ask if you're prepared to be hunted," he explained, standing two yards away.
They went silent, and Winter's rage and frustration grew significantly. More Than Excited to begin the fight. "Bob, I'll take care of him," a fighter named Joontae explained, stepping out from the group and towards the now-still Winter. "Look, man. Seems you still don't fully understand the situation at hand," Joontae began with a casual and confident attitude. An arm over Winter's shoulder, he leaned over, to make sure Winter heard him. The red electrical lighting built up in his right hand, and with his dagger fully formed, Winter slid the dagger up, pressing it against Joontae's neck where his HUD had displayed a weak point. "Hm?" He asks confused, just moments before Winter swiftly forces the dagger through his throat, lopping his head off his shoulders. Blood spilled onto the ground, as his head fell, some of that blood got onto Winter's skull mask. "One," he explained, as the system rang.
~>System<{" [Enemies Required to Be Killed: 7]. [Numbers of Enemies Killed: 1],"}>it displayed informing to Winter about his progress<~
The strike squad was surprised and quickly took Winter more seriously. "Since when did that bastard have a dagger?!" Asks one, "Where did he get it from?!" They questioned, as Winter took more steps towards them. His eyes give off a blood-red aura trail. "Joontae let down his guard, but he was still a D-rank," Bobby thought. "How did an E-rank do that?!" He was baffled, and determined to get rid of this monstrous boy. "I've killed a human being today. A human being," Winter thought, gripping his dagger and looking down. "I was only following the System's orders, but that doesn't change the fact that I've killed a person," he thought to himself, looking at the lifeless body, and the blood underneath it pooling. "If I didn't kill him, I would have killed myself," Winter replied to himself in deep thought. "I can't back down now. Only the Strong Survive," he added in thought, looking up with blood-red eyes. Blood covered the right side of his mask, staining the white skull.
Some bottled up rage began to boil over, spilling out of Winter. This blood-red and black auras-like energy built around him more. Winter opened his mouth, and just let it free. Every ounce of his frustration came rushing out from the depths of Winter's soul. With a mighty, blood-chilling roar the aura-like energy rushed out from him, black energy rose through his eye sockets, and tattoos began to form on this white skull-like mask. This strange aura was filled with raw, unfiltered emotion. It felt good to release all of this power that Winter held deep inside for so long. "I Must kill them All," he thought, as the others watched this unfold. "I don't know what he's trying to do, but don't let your guard down," Bobby explained, warning his strike squad. "Attack him again, Kyuwan," He commanded, and right away Kyuwan built all of his magical power into one attack, and swung his hand forward to blast this magical fire at Winter once more.
In a matter of seconds, Winter had brought his hand up, blocking the attack with the stone he grabbed before. With frightening speeds, he then dashed forward. Using the medium-sized stone as a makeshift shield, he held it in front of him as he nearly instantly covered the gap between them, while his dagger returned to his inventory. "Your magic," Winter began, the mouth of the mask open with his sharp teeth visible. It's annoying," he growled, grabbing Kyuwan by the throat and forcing the steaming hot rock in his mouth. As Kyuwan struggled to get it out, Winter cut through the man. Hitting key points on his body displayed on his HUD with his summoned dagger. Leaving nothing but a bloody mess of him. Blood Splashed the area, and Bobby watched in horror as this Monster killed Kyuwan with no respect. "That piece of Shit!" A lizard exclaimed, dashing in with another fighter. The first brought his sword back, above Winter's head, and swung down.
A clean hit with the ground kicked up dust, as Winter had sidestepped the attack, and had blinked behind the first attacker. Cutting up his back weak points that his HUD continued to identify. Winter found the second man swinging his dagger at him. Swiftly, Winter catches his arm, and pulls it down, stabbing the second man in the gut with his own dagger before moving on. "H-how can an E-rank move like that?!" Asks the third, swinging his sword nearly aimlessly at Winter, he blocked some attacks with his small dagger, ducking down quickly to dodge the rest. "If you call yourselves Hunters, then Hunt me down like the Monsters," Winter mocked. "Were you not born Hunters?" He asks and catches the third man with his dagger. "I can't move my body!" He screamed in terror.
~>System<{" [Effect: Paralysis] Has Been [Activated],"}>it rang<~
"Is it magic? Is he Using magic?" Another asks with a similar terror. "That son of a!" Began another, getting interrupted by the effects. They bled, and started to all have problems with moving their body. "Who the hell is this guy?!" one asks, but falls on deaf ears. "It never mattered Who I am," Winter explained, before cutting them down swiftly with precise attacks on the displayed weak points on his HUD. "He took out my squad?!" Bobby asks in terror, baffled and stunned by the turn of events. "You bastard, you've been hiding your abilities. Were you also the one who defeated the dungeon boss?" He asks, "I didn't think every single one of my guys would be taken down," Bobby explained, "I'll show you that not all C-ranks are the same," he enabled a skill of his own. "Enhance Power!" He yelled, and Winter subsequently cringed at his power up.
~>System<{" [Enemies Required to be Killed: 1]. [Enemies Killed: 7],"}>it displayed<~
"No matter how monstrous his strength is, he must be tired after fighting a dungeon boss, and seven of us!" Bobby thought, dashing to Winter, at full speed. "Swinging that dagger around in an exhausted state won't be enough to break through my defense!" He added, closing the distance. "He's an incredibly nimble damage dealer," Bobby thought to himself. Watching Winter make no move against his approach, "But he won't have the strength to beat my power enhancement!" He laughed to himself, "He'll be destroyed the second we collide!" Bobby convinced himself, with only a yard left between them. Winter looked up from the ground. He suddenly appeared closer to Bobby, "Mr. Bill, You're strong," Winter began. His hand an inch away from Bobby's face, "But there's one thing you don't know," Winter added. Pressing his hand onto Bobby's face, Winter slammed him into the ground with his strength. "I've been ceaselessly growing in strength," Winter explained, standing over Bobby.
Dazed, and confused, it took Bobby to realize the weight of the dire situation he had brought himself into. "W-wait, don't kill me!" Bobby begged, realizing the unchallengeable strength Winter had. "Spare me! If it's money you want. I'll give it to you," He pleaded, "Take all the mana crystals here, and the essence stones, too!" Bobby begged, standing up from the ground. "Three times," Winter began, looking down at him, "You tried to kill me three times, and now you're begging for mercy?" He asks, clenching his dagger. "S-stop! D-do you think you'll get away with this?" Bobby asks, "You said what happened in a dungeon stays in the dungeon, right?" Winter asks, his face getting darker and his eyes getting redder. Bobby shuddered, with wide eyes. Realized the monster before him was far more serious than he first expected.
"You bastard! How dare-" Bobby yelled, resorting to violence once more. But, Winter had none of it and ended it with one clean cut. His head flew off, spinning midair by the sheer speed that Winter forced his dagger through their neck. Just like the others, the body goes limp, spilling blood all over the stone and rocky ground. "My clothes get ruined every time," Winter thought, looking down at his messy clothes. "Well, I guess they don't fit me anymore. Maybe I should buy some new ones," he thought to himself, his daggers vanishing. Winter looked to his right and saw new messages from the System, but he could not read them at that moment, "The dungeon must be slowly collapsing, I need to hurry before I get stuck," Winter thought, leaving the dungeon as quickly as he could with all the stuff there was.
~>System<{" The [Emergency Quest: Kill The Enemies] Have Been [Completed]. These Are The [Player]'s [Rewards: 1. Status Recovery, 2. The [Skill: Great Ultima's Rage], And 3. +10 Ability Points],"}>it explained after the ring of leveling up several more times<~