When Rex plummeted towards the ground, he felt the air pressure crashing against his skin. Taking off from the top floor of the hospital, they were gaining velocity with every passing second.
Their hair swayed nonstop as they approached the ground with Rex's arms around Lucia. The three words that had been attatched to him suddenly faded away. The surroundings grew darker and his body became far less agile.
His panic increased as he could barely see how far he was from the ground.
'A word... But it can't just be any word... If it's too intense and consumes too much energy and leads to backlash, we'll die.'
Rex had to think of a simple word as quickly as possible. One that would enable him to survive the situation.
Getting closer to the ground, he closed his eyes and pressed his brain.
When his eyes snapped open, he found it-
Immediately clutching the pen as they fell downwards, he began to write in the air. With all the adrenaline, wind and the pounding of his heart, it was hard to write, but he couldn't afford to make any mistakes.
The letters formed the word below him as they merged in mid-air.
[Slow.]
[Energy: 10 -> 5%]
The moment they plunged through the word, their momentum shifted. Despite the word not attaching itself to them, their velocity at which they fell had significantly slowed.
However, it wasn't enough. Still, they were falling at a dangerous rate.
'One more... I still have enough energy for one more..'
There is no doubt that one more would have ensured their survival. But then his energy level would become zero.
What would happen to him then?
His mind was racing, but he didn't have time to think and there were no other options. Using his tired arm, he quickly formed the letters and wrote the word again.
[Slow.]
[Energy: 5 -> 0%]
They plunged through the word a final time, their speed instantly dwindling as Rex stuck close to Lucia, embracing her tightly to shield her from the impact.
BAM!
Suddenly, they collided with the ground.
-
-
-
Rex laid on the ground with Lucia laying on top of him. He tried to move, but his muscles refused to cooperate. He survived the fall but his body wouldn't respond.
A drowsy feeling overtook him, and his vision blurred.
'Ah, fuck... So, this is what happens when you're out of energy.'
[Energy: 0/100%]
Sinking slowly into his unconsciousness. Rex felt a sense of anger.
'...I have to get up... Can't... Close my eyes... Not here...'
He had no idea where they had landed. Perhaps the noise attracted monsters to the area, for all he knew they could have already been surrounded.
In the midst of his despair-
[Quest Completed!]
His eyes were drawn to a blue highlighted screen. In reflection of their blue light, his eyes lit up.
[Rewards received!]
[+100 XP!]
[+2 SP!]
[LEVEL UP!]
[Level: 0 -> 1.]
[XP: 50/100]
[+1 LP!]
'L...P...?'
The instant he thought about it. He was presented with another screen.
[1 - Complete Recovery.]
[2 – Mystery Spin.]
[3 – Random Box]
[4 – Status Points.] (+2 SP)
[In exchange for an LP, you may choose one of the rewards above.]
Suddenly, one number sprang to mind.
'One...'
And just like that, his eyes shut.
[You have selected – Complete Recovery.]
[The selection will now be applied.]
"..."
In the darkness, the silhouettes of wolves grew closer to the two. In anticipation of Prey, they had smelt Rex and Lucia.
As soon as they saw that Rex had shut his eyes and was motionless, their stealthy approach shifted into a direct one as they lunged from the shadows.
The two of them were about to be devoured by their fangs when-
BWOOM!
An enormous blue sphere appeared and expanded around them, knocking the wolves back with a crash.
[Barrier.]
[Energy: 100 -> 90%]
Slowly getting up, Rex breathed a sigh of relief. Next to him, there was a word written on the ground. [Barrier.]
Instead of resuming their attacks, the wolves paused for a moment and took steps back.
'Ten percent... This better be durable. I wonder how long it will last... But more importantly, why aren't they attacking?' He pondered as he watched them.
Rex did not activate any words for his sight, he did not need to. In the dark, he could see their red eyes glaring at him. Quite a few surrounded him, it seemed like an entire pack.
'Do i use this opportunity to escape?'
The longer he stayed on the ground, the more dangerous it would become.
Suddenly-
BRRRRT! BRRRRRTT!
The barrier was being bombarded from all sides by heavy artillery bullets.
As the flashes of bullets lit up the surroundings, Rex's eyes widened as he realized what was attacking him.
'Just my fucking luck! It's Cyberwolves!'
They were biologically engineered wolves. Their bodies were modified and enhanced to the extreme, and they were firing rounds with rifles attached around their bellies.
It didn't take long for cracks to form around the barrier as it approached its breaking point.
'Fuck, these are the last kind of monsters I'd want to attract... Their advanced technology allows them to adapt quickly to any situation.'
'If they're here then I take a portal to 'that' world is nearby?'
[New Quest has been added.]
[Quest: Cyber Wolf Slayer.]
[Defeat the pack of wolves]
[Cyber Wolves defeated: 0/4]
[Cyber Wolf Pack Leader defeated: 0/1]
[Rewards]
[150 XP.]
Rex had planned to wait until they stopped shooting and reloaded, but they were taking turns, with one reloading and the other covering.
It was their intelligence that made them an annoying opponent. As soon as something was marked as a target, they would track and pursue it relentlessly.
'If I had known I would be fighting these ones in real life, I would have made them retarded.'
A nervous grin widened on his face.
'The leader hasn't even shown itself yet... Perhaps it's hiding, waiting for a chance to strike.'
'Ah... Fuck, I'm pissed... It's just one problem after another today.'
'Can't a guy get some rest?'
The cracks around the barrier progressed even further up it as the bullets carried on. It was just about to shatter.