Frank got into a fighting stance, repositioning his sledgehammer in his hands.
Elara stepped forward, firmly grasping her twin daggers. "Frank, this time you'll let us help before you charge in recklessly, right?" Her voice was sharp, but there was concern in her eyes.
She glanced at the spiders. "You know you don't have to prove anything to us."
Max cracked his knuckles, the sound muffled by his gauntlets. "Yeah, you're not the only one who wants to crush some bugs," he grumbled, his tone gruff but not unkind. "We're a team, Frank. We're here to HELP you."
Leo's voice chimed in over the intercom. "Frank, they're right. Full teams have lost to just one of these things."
Frank shook his head, his voice firm. "No. I need to do this. I need to know how strong I've become." He glanced at Elara, "Stay back. I promise if things go south, I'll accept your help. But I need to do this."
Elara opened her mouth to argue, but Frank cut her off. "Please," he added, "Just trust me."
The team hesitated, exchanging uneasy glances.
Max sighed, his shoulders slumping slightly. "Fine. I know I can't stop a man intent on dying," he muttered, though he had clear sadness in his eyes.
Elara's lips pressed into a thin line, but she nodded. "If you die, I'll kill you," she warned, her voice trembling slightly. Still, she took a step back, her daggers at the ready just in case.
"Like I'd die and leave Ana alone," he replied as he moved toward the spiders' location.
Catching sight of Frank as he approached, the first spider lunged at him, its legs slicing through the air.
Frank sidestepped, his growing agility allowing him to move with fluid, silent precision. He swung the sledgehammer with all his strength, connecting with the spider's leg. The impact sent a shockwave through his arms, but the spider's leg shattered, causing the creature to screech in pain.
Frank didn't let up. Using this momentum, he swung again, his hammer coming down in a crushing blow that obliterated the spider's skull. The creature collapsed, and its body went limp.
[Giant Spider Defeated: 100 XP gained
Level Up!]
Frank's body surged with energy as the System's voice echoed in his mind. His HP was fully restored upon his level up. Now that he had some experience fighting, he could easily feel the subtle increase in power as his stats changed.
[System Notification:
Host: Frank Gunn
Title(s): Horde Breaker
Level: 8
XP to Next Level: 0/1,000
HP: 70/70
MP: 40/40
Strength (STR): 32+
Constitution (CON): 35+
Agility (AGI): 19+
Intelligence (INT): 10+
Charisma (CHA): 7+
Luck (LUC): 0
Stat Points Available: 14]
[New Skill Unlocked! Mana Efficiency: Unlocked upon reaching INT of 10, reduces MP costs by 20%]
Frank clenched his fists, adjusting to his new strength, but he didn't have time to celebrate. The second spider was already charging him.
He raised his hammer to block its attack, the force of the blow sending him skidding backward. His boots dug into the dirt as he steadied himself before regaining his balance.
[HP: 67/70]
Elara and Max exchanged a glance. "He really is faster than he was in training," Elara muttered. "Stronger, too."
Max nodded, his expression grim. "It's like he was holding back, but why?"
Elara's gaze lingered on Frank, her brow furrowed. "I don't know," she said quietly. "But either way, it's annoying to think we all lost to him while he wasn't at full strength."
The change in his efficiency was, of course, due to the effects of "Oathkeeper" and now "Horde Breaker," not that he intended to give out information about his skills.
Either way, the third spider joined the fray, its jaw snapping wildly as it tried to pin him down. Frank ducked under its incoming attack and swung his hammer upward to crush its underbelly. The spider let out a screech before collapsing on top of him, its legs twitching in its death throes.
[Giant Spider Defeated: 100 XP gained
HP: 64/70]
The remaining two spiders closed in, their movements coordinated and deadly. They had seen their companions get picked apart and decided to be more calculating in their approach.
Frank's "Sixth Sense" alerted him to an incoming threat, but the attack was too fast, allowing one of the spiders to land a hit. Its leg sliced through his armor, leaving a large gash on his chest. He quickly fell back and gritted his teeth, trying to ignore the pain.
[HP: 59/70]
Seeing enough, Elara took a step forward, her daggers ready. "Frank, this is insane!" she shouted, her voice rising in desperation. "Let us help!"
"Not yet!" Frank barked, his voice strained.
He swung his hammer in a wide arc, forcing the spiders back. His "Persisting Strength" kept him going, but he could feel the mental strain starting to wear on him. And his HP was dropping steadily.
One of the spiders lunged at him, its mandibles snapping inches from his face. Frank dodged, but not fast enough. The creature's leg grazed his side, reducing his HP further.
[HP: 56/70]
Frank stumbled, his vision blurring for a moment, but he refused to fall.
His eyes darted to the surroundings, searching for an advantage. There were several burning buildings, a supermarket, a gas station, and, of course, the Westgate Mall in the distance. Frank's mind raced before finally having an idea.
It was risky, but he would probably be okay, right?
With a burst of speed, Frank charged toward the gas station, the spiders' bites barely missing his heels. He swung his hammer sideways, smashing a pump right at its base and sending a spray of gasoline into the air. When the fuel reached the flames of nearby buildings, the reaction resulted in a massive explosion.
The result was exactly what he wanted, causing the spiders to screech as the fire engulfed them, their bodies writhing in agony as they burned to ashes. Frank shielded his body with his sledgehammer and the most heavily armored parts of his body, trying to mitigate the damage, but the force of the point-blank explosion was still intense.
He was sent flying and crashed into the side of a nearby building, impacting with a loud bang.
"Frank!" Max, Leo, and Elara screamed out almost in unison before running toward where he fell.
Their concerns were well-founded; his body was a mess, and he found himself unable to get up. Still, as far as he could tell, he was alive.
[Giant Spider Defeated x2: 200 XP gained
New Skill Unlocked!
Fireball: Launch a ball of fire at your enemies. Damage scales with INT. MP cost: 5
XP to Next Level: 400/1,000]
Frank stared at the notification and, despite the pain, couldn't help but chuckle. 'Fireball, huh? Guess the System has a sense of humor.'
Elara, Max, and Leo rushed to his side, their expressions a mix of relief and concern. "You're insane, you know that?" Elara said, her voice trembling. "You could've died."
Frank chuckled, though the pain in his side made him wince. "But I didn't. And now I know I can take down five of those things, though the way things turned out, probably not six."
Max shook his head, "You're a damn monster, Frank. I'll give you that."
"Don't say that, then I'll have to beat myself up," Frank joked dryly, remembering "Oathbreaker".
As Frank's "Regeneration" slowly began to heal his wounds, he pulled up his stats to see the damage.
[Host: Frank Gunn
Title(s): Horde Breaker
HP: 2/70
MP: 40/40
Strength (STR): 32+
Constitution (CON): 35+
Agility (AGI): 19+
Intelligence (INT): 10+
Charisma (CHA): 7+
Luck (LUC): 0
Stat Points Available: 14]
'2 HP?!' Frank cried inwardly. He had to break this habit of cutting it way too close.
Looking over the rest of his stats, Frank stopped and frowned at his 14 unspent stat points.
'Shit, right, I still have those, don't I?' he groaned with regret. 'Those probably would've been helpful. I might not have even needed to blow myself up.'
His mind raced as he thought about how differently the fight could have gone if he'd used them.
'If I'd dumped a few points into Agility, I could've dodged that last hit. Or if I'd boosted Strength, maybe I could've taken down the spiders faster before they ganged up on me. Hell, even a couple of points into Constitution would've kept me from nearly dying to my own damn explosion.'
He clenched his fists, frustration bubbling up inside him.
'I've been so focused on getting stronger that I haven't even been using tools I've already earned. What's the point of getting stronger if I'm too stupid to utilize it?'
Frank glanced at Elara, Max, and Leo, who were still watching him with concern.
'They were right. I've been overly reckless. I'm not just risking my own life, I'm risking theirs, too. If I'd gone down back there, they'd have been left to deal with whatever else is out there without me. I can't keep doing this.'
The rest of the team turned their attention to the horizon. Westgate Mall was now in view, its broken windows and crumbling walls covered by a swarm of zombies that were trying to break in.
They were relieved to see their destination, at least until a low growl rang through the area. Frank's "Sixth Sense" flared stronger than ever before, warning him that his death was imminent.
Looking around frantically, he eventually spotted it, an enormous wolf emerging from the shadows. It was about five times the size of a normal wolf, its fur matted and singed, likely from the previous explosion.
Despite this, it seemed to glow, almost like it had caught the moonlight. The creature's eyes gleamed with an unnatural, predatory light.
'Ah yes, my astounding luck stat of ZERO. Truly it never disappoints,' Frank thought morbidly.
Not only was he in no condition to fight at the moment, but the system had turned mostly harmless animals into fearsome monsters. He couldn't imagine what it had done to animals that were already fearsome before the "breach".
The wolf looked over the party intently. Saliva dripped from its teeth as it locked its gaze onto the weakened, charred Frank, clearly the weakest link.
"Guys," Frank said, his voice urgent. "I think I could use some help."