The moonlight shone brightly upon the earth, coupled with the ceaseless hallows of the wind made for an eerie atmosphere which suited the grim scene that had unfolded. The green and black soil had been marred with deep purplish stains, the residual marks of the hellhounds spilled. The formerly ferocious bunch were now reduced to heaps of flesh and bone that were strewn about the field within gruesome pools of their own innards.
At the center of it all stood Zephyr, his usually calm demeanor now replaced with a melancholic expression. It was evident that he didn't particularly enjoy or relish killing in the sense a serial murderer would, but he also knew that it was a necessary step that had to be done in order for him to achieve his goals. Then one could only help but wonder why? Why did he have that depressing expression, what could be going through his mind at a time like this?
*Sigh*
"I just have to keep moving forward, I have to survive." He articulated.
His clothes which he hadn't changed since he from within the Divine Training Room were now worn, tattered and dampened with blood; he obviously needed a clean shower, not to mention that he's also feeling particularly thirsty at the moment. Undeniably though in order for him to take care of all these needs one thing was required, clean water.
The problem was that there was none of that within the beast planes. The only viable options available were pools of corrupted ooze, definitely not up to the human standard of clean.
"Sheesh, how am I gonna get clean now?" Zephyr pondered on his predicament before deciding to open his profile.
"Open Character Profile."
[Opening Character Profile]
[Name: Zephyr Everwood
Age: 16
Level: 6
Exp: 7593.75/9765.625
Stats:
Strength-15
Speed-13
Health-11
Dexterity-11
Intelligence-14
SP: 2
QI: 1400
HP: 1,000,000,000,000
Skills: Bloodlust(0), Regeneration(10), Danger Sense(0), Hand of God(40), The Fist of God(100), Void Blast(200)
Inventory: Spawn Repulsion Heart
Mission: Clear an entire Spawn field within the allotted time limit
Rewards- 1000exp, the active skill The King of Kings
Penalty- Death
Time Limit- 5days
Realms: Divine Training Room
Soldiers: 1]
"Perfect, I have exactly what I need to make clean water."
"Activate the Hand of God."
[Hand of God Active]
I raised my arm up above and in an astonishing mastery over the skill all the bog water rose up into the air, gathering together into a massive sphere. I viewed the murky water I had amassed and it was undoubtedly unclean, even if I had removed all physical impurities the issue of microbes was still present.
"Activate Void Blast"
[Void Blast Active]
So with my other hand I charged up a void blast. The skill surged to life for the first time and undoubtedly it was hard to control, I couldn't figure out the intricate workings of the technique. It took up QI to use but efficiently using it was a whole other matter. The first one I conjured up was unstable, it couldn't even be considered circular in shape, and instead it was more akin to a raging fire. It hovered there over my arm constantly trying to escape my grasp.
"Dammit, why the hell is this one difficult to control?" Zephyr screamed out in frustration.
[The other skills the host attained were of divine origination and due to the host being the _________ of ___ ____ demonic techniques won't be as instinctively easy to master]
"We're going with the blanks again huh."
There was no response.
"Ugh, never mind."
The system said that the technique would be difficult to master due to its demonic origin, so I decided to not just use it as some sort of command but try to integrate its nature into mine.
"Alright, let's see how you work." He said before going into a deep state of meditation.
Everything went dark as I looked into the deepest crevices of this technique, my soul itself seemed as if it detached from my being as it hovered through the depths of the skill. For what felt like hours I looked around only to find nothing, but that couldn't be right, there had to be something in order for the skill to even exist yet that seemed to be the case.
I searched for sometime before an otherworldly glow encapsulated my vision. My sight was set on a purple lotus flower before me, it shone brightly before me as it struggled to keep itself from wilting away.
Instinctively I outstretched my arm feeling its exterior petals, and as contact was made a flow off emotions ran through my mind. From anger to guilt and even envy they outpoured through my very being. But then there was one more prominent amongst the rest. Some would call it, grief, others sadness, but I knew this feeling all too well; death this was the feeling of death. Death was an emotion most people didn't understand, it was the feeling of the end, and it was freedom, the freedom all things beg for.
The lotus stopped withering away as it instead glowed even brighter, gaining its magnificent form once again. I opened my eyes as a comforting yet uneasy feeling enveloped me, and to my surprise the void blast had finally stabilized, but I still didn't have full mastery or understanding.
"It seems this I needed a sufficient understanding of death to use it, no wonder it was the undead kings favorite attack to use." I chuckled at the remark.
"But regardless, this should do for now."
The energy attack glowed with a violent shade of purple and with a single lunge of my arm it was sent flying towards the mass of water overhead. With a single touch the liquid was vaporized into its gaseous state, steam. However it did not simply float away as the pressure of the hand of god was still going strong.
"Now all I need to do is compress it."
And he did as he said; the steam was compressed back into its original state of purified water, suitable for his survival in this harsh landscape.
"Open Inventory."
The inventory once again appeared before my eyes with a hundred empty spaces available.
"Only a hundred, how come I never noticed that?" He said while thinking about it before realizing that he only ever had to store one item after all.
I used my telekinetic ability and separated a small portion of water while the rest was sent to the storage space.
[Error, the host has tried to store too much mass in a single space]
[The current limit is 50kg per inbox]
[Amount tried to store, 4ton]
"That seems about right, there's no way I'd be given an infinite storage space right at the start."
I then proceeded to split the sphere into eighty portions, placing 79 into my storage space.
"Finally, clean water."
A short intermission is taken as Zephyr hydrates and cleans himself up. After that bout he looks at the hundreds of crushed corpses before him, knowing that he also needs a viable food supply.
"Nah, I'd rather take the rations back at the camp."
[The system has completed the calculation of the host reward]
The message suddenly appeared before him.
"Why the hell did it take this long?"
[The system apologizes to the host]
[The system didn't want to interrupt the host in the middle of his endeavors]
"Alright let's see what I got."
[The host has received 50,000exp for slaying a hundred hellhounds]
[The host has received 5000exp for slaying Cerberus, the king of the outskirts]
[Skill collection from Cerberus...…complete]
[The system has been updated with new attributes]
[Active skill Rot has been added to the records]
[Active skill Rot has been unlocked]
[Description: A technique which allows the user to decay living matter at will as long as in contact]
[The host has leveled up]
[The host has leveled up]
[The host has leveled up]
"Open character Profile."
[Opening Character Profile]
[Name: Zephyr Everwood
Age: 16
Level: 9
Exp: 10695.155/33039.986
Stats:
Strength-15
Speed-13
Health-11
Dexterity-11
Intelligence-14
SP: 32
QI: 1160
HP: 1,000,000,000,000
Skills: Bloodlust(0), Regeneration(10), Danger Sense(0), Hand of God(40), The Fist of God(100), Void Blast(200), Rot(200)
Inventory: World Splitter, Spawn Repulsion Heart, Water x79
Mission: Clear an entire Spawn field within the allotted time limit
Rewards- 1000exp, the active skill The King of Kings
Penalty- Death
Time Limit- 4days 9hours
Realms: Divine Training Room
Soldiers: 1]
(A/N): The reason the time went by so quickly is because the time limit was reduced to 5 days 12hrs in the morning of the previous day and it took 12hrs for the sun to set and then he spent 3hrs in the spawn field up to this point.
"Damn, I didn't think they'd give so much."
Zephyr was astonished at the amount of stat points and levels he gained by beating these small fry, he wondered what the boss of this place would give him. Putting his greed aside Zephyr continued his mission as he ventured deeper into the wastelands.
Hours went by; the noticeable change in location of the moon was evident of that. Zephyr however kept on moving further into the depths of this unfamiliar land, finding nothing more than lone beasts and rotten flesh with the occasional scavenger bird overhead. This land was much different than that which had been reported; at least in terms of population everything else though was to be expected.
*Sigh*
Zephyr sighed as he decided to take a rest for the moment, sitting down on a nearby rock.
"Huh, it looks like I won't have too much difficulty in clearing this place."
He paused before continuing.
"But I was at least hoping for something to keep me battle ready." He stopped conversing to himself as a large rattle was heard close by.
Without time to waste he got up, his senses telling him to take caution as a high pitched noise rang in his ears.
[Danger Sense Active]
[The host is in danger]
"Dammit, visibility is practically zero at this point." He cursed as his surroundings were painted an inky darkness aside from the areas partially lit by the moonlight.
Zephyr felt a sudden jolt beneath his feet, as if the earth was about to split open. He barely had time to react, as a huge crack appeared right under him, swallowing everything in its path. He jumped with all his strength, soaring into the air like a bird, landing a on a stable patch of rock distance away from the site of destruction. He looked back at the gaping hole knowing that whatever would come out of it was a force to be reckoned with.
"That was close." He muttered, surprised by the sudden event.
But before he could catch his breath, he saw something emerge from the depths of the chasm. It was a colossal serpent, with elegant green scales that shimmered in the moonlight. It emerged from the abyss with unparalleled speed, coiling itself up as its head rose above the rest of the body. It fixed its bright amber eyes on Zephyr, who felt a chill run down his spine. It hissed loudly, as if to announce its presence, though it was not as if anyone could ignore a fifty meter long serpent which could crush anything in its path.
*Huff*
*Huff*
*Huff*
Zephyr breathed heavily as he analyzed the monster before him, unable to subdue the immense pressure being applied on his body. He made a resolute decision in the nick of time after assessing the capabilities of his foe.
[Opening Character Profile]
[Name: ???, The Last Head of The Hydra
Age: 15
Stats: None
Level: None
Exp: None
Skills: Hydras' Venom, Regeneration, Celestial Armor, Stealth
Inventory: Empty
Rank: B-A]
"Fxck, he's an intermediate rank; now I have to fight something in between the strength of a B and A class."
Its head swayed for sometime before its domineering pupils dilated, an ethereal glow cascaded across its prismarine scales, enveloping them in a new magnificent silver pigment.
"That can't be good."
It lunged towards me at neck break speeds, carving the landscape in its wake. I had already grabbed my blade and in similar fashion rushed towards the speeding head of the serpent. Its jaws were wide open as a blood red liquid pumped out of its teeth, most likely being the work of the special skill it had. I figured that destracting it with a fake out attack would be best and that's exactly what this was.
"Summon Naki."
[Summoning Warrior of Light Naki from the abyss of non-existence]
Pixilated particles shone before me as Naki appeared once again on the battlefield. Without a hint of hesitation he vanished, reappearing right above the beast with his hands cobbled up together. In an unprecedented manner Naki unleashed a thunderous strike upon the skull of the hydra, with the impact indenting its head within the Earth and sending the rest of it pivoting upwards before coming down with a thud.
The battle appeared over as its skull began to bleed out and its eyes slowly close, signifying that this battle had been won. But unfortunately fate had other plans.
"…..wait, NAKI GET AWAY FROM IT NOW!!!"
Zephyr screeched but the spawn had already risen from its stupor releasing an ear piercing screech in the process. Naki with his great skills had already evaded the sudden change, now standing by Zephyrs' side. The hydra whipped it tail at light speed, sending both warriors soaring in the opposite direction while undoubtedly breaking Zephyrs' bones.
Before I was sent too far away from the fight I stabbed the world splitter into the ground, slowing down my acceleration. It wasn't until the sensation of being sent flying subdued that I felt the pain attributed with the attack. Several of my bones had been broken into pieces, tearing through my organs and flesh as huge bouts of blood filled my lungs which had been ripped open. My vision got blurry while I struggled to not drop dead at the very agony I was going through. Naki didn't look any better either his body began to show signs of cracking as the golden glow which once encapsulated his being now grew dimmer. This added to the dread I felt as I waited for my body to start healing.
[The host has been damaged by a force far beyond your current abilities; regeneration will take place but not completely remove the injury]
"That figures, the foe before me is far stronger than anything I've ever seen."
I once again glanced at Naki and his wavering state before deciding to do this one alone.
"Rest." That was all he said before the warrior of light was sent back to the abyss of non-existence.
A moment later a massive stream of venom spewed without warning, being directed towards an unsuspecting Zephyr. Without fear however he outstretched his right arm towards the source of the attack and with unparalleled confidence Zephyr spoke.
"Activate Rot."
The venomous matter upon impact was entirely decomposed into it basic constituents which splattered onto the Earth in a grey like ooze. The hydra had used its skill to sneak up upon Zephyr in order to initiate this surprise attack, but to its own surprise it had only accomplished giving out its location.
"Activate Void Blast."
Zephyr spoke again, and as his eyes glowed golden the sinister looking energy blast formulated within his grasp. The beast had realized the level of devastation within that attack and became weary, trying its best not to give away its position.
I plucked my blade out of the Earth, wielding it with my left arm as I began to slowly summon hundreds of void blasts around my perimeter successfully creating both an offensive and defensive position.
"Now that I'm relatively safe I think it's about time for an upgrade; open character profile."
[Opening Character Profile]
"And now all I need is to make some necessary adjustments."
[Name: Zephyr Everwood
Age: 16
Level: 9
Exp: 10695.155/33039.986
Stats:
Strength-20
Speed-20
Health-11
Dexterity-15
Intelligence-20
SP: 10
QI: 1590
HP: 1,000,000,000,000
Skills: Bloodlust(0), Regeneration(10), Danger Sense(0), Hand of God(40), The Fist of God(100), Void Blast(200), Rot(200)
Inventory: Spawn Repulsion Heart, Water x79
Mission: Clear an entire Spawn field within the allotted time limit
Rewards- 1000exp, the active skill The King of Kings
Penalty- Death
Time Limit- 4days 5hours
Realms: Divine Training Room
Soldiers: 1]
After I finally assigned my stat points the rush of power I felt flow through my body was more than enough to handle the serpent. I then redirected the void blasts I had gathered up as a protective covering in all direction at incalculable speeds, utterly eradicating the landscape.
From the left though they had made impact with a large object that I presumed to be the serpent, and with no time to waste I gripped my blade tightly as the beast squealed in pain at the destructive might of the technique.
Its stealth skill had been disabled as it massive presence was revealed under the night sky as it slithered around me in a quick fashion, trying to find an opening to attack from.
"Let's see which of us is truly faster now."
In a truly godly display of speed I blitz the hydra from behind with the world splitter as a graceful array of blue waves of energy penetrated its hardened armory scales. This resulted in the titan roaring in disdain at the sudden and unforeseen attack, making it clear as to who is faster. Realizing that it was outmatched in both speed and strength the creature tried to flee back into the crevice it crawled out from.
With haste it fled from battle in its best attempt to survive but I wouldn't let it go that easily. Thus in a twisted manner I decided to use this as an opportunity to test out my master over skill combination.
"Activate The Hand of God, The Fist of God and Rot!"
All of a sudden an immense celestial aura exuded itself from my body as the skills all channeled their strengths through me. The slithering serpent tried to escape before it was rapidly lifted into the air at the great speeds, with enough force the part the clouds. It looked down on me literally as it hung in the air squirming and wiggling around like a worm in its futile attempt to break free.
'Huh, sometimes I feel like I'm losing my humanity when it comes to things like this' Zephyr thought as the cruel and unnecessary nature of his plan was appalling.
He dropped his blade and clenched his fist as he launched himself towards the frightened beast, his fist clad in the destructive skill rot as his body plunged right into and through the multiple meter long body of the beast. Its body for the most part had been decomposed into inorganic matter preventing any effective regenerative abilities to be useful. I was in the air for a moment before gravity pulled me towards the Earth, but for some reason I couldn't feel my body as I plunged to the ground, the only thing I felt was a surging pain in my chest.
That's the moment I realized what I had gone and done to myself, but before I could fully register the thought my mind went blank as I dropped to the ground with a loud thud. Before my eyes finally closed I took a look at the mass of flesh I had reduced to nothing that landed beside me, its head being the least affected as its jaw lay open with a fang chipped at the very tip. It then went dark.
[The host has received 50000exp for slaying The Last Head of The Hydra]
[Skill collection from Hydra...…complete]
[The system has been updated with new attributes]
[Active skill Stealth has been added to the records]
[Active skill Stealth has been unlocked]
[Description: A technique stemming from the demon monarch that allows the user to completely hide their presence from any and all beings that lack a comprehensive understanding of existence]
[The host has leveled up]
[The 12hr time given has been exhausted]
[Saving current location]
[Now teleporting the host to the set spawn point]
[...…complete]
A bright flash of light is seen as Zephyrs' body reappears within his sleeping bag.