Leon swallowed, eyes riveted to the panel. His face grew with something like sourness.
"Hmmm..."
Among everything that used to excite Leon to awaken an ability was attaining a class. Back in the day, a class divided Ascendants into categories based on their combat styles. Strikers and Casters are two of the six archetypes.
Strikers are great at melee damage, while Casters wield magic. Leon's algorithm tips on the internet had also led him to expert marksmen called Rangers. Also, there were Summoners, Tankers, and Assassins.
Leon found all the roles intriguing and didn't mind any of them. But, well, he never got to unlock any.
His gaze refocused, the present settling in again. The panel remained present, urging him to accept or reject the quest. Going for it would weigh down on his peace of mind again - was he supposed to even think twice deciding?
Plus, it could be the system's new way of intensely trying him... as usual.
Leon leaned forward. He raised his brows. "That might be right, but I am steadily achieving my past ambitions thanks to the system. I guess, after all, it's true that there is no gain without pain."
Then he made up his mind.
"Accept quest."
***
The neon sky brightened the early morning. The faint shadows of buildings clung to the ground, like a dying man holding on to his fading awareness.
It was a new day, but not a different one for Leon. Wearing a brown tunic, he followed the directions as indicated on his map.
Finally arriving at the ivy-covered entrance of the Graveyard, he clenched his fists. And he thought,
'Whatever class I awaken today, I will be the happiest person on Earth!'
This time, he wasn't stepping into danger for rewards or to survive whatsoever. Instead, it was to ensure he attained everything his old self craved.
Then, he stepped through the free entrance. The...
Leon swallowed.
The haunting sight of tombs greeted his eyes. Those that were more than just a resting place but a testament to the dead's meaningful existence.
The air felt alive on its own, with eerie whispers coming at him from every angle.
Down the spectral expanse, a marble door sealed the entrance to a building Leon immediately had an inkling of. It must be the boss monster's chamber.
At his command, the brisk hilt of Paradox scraped against his palm.
"System, show EXP balance."
[Balance: 100]
Straight away, Leon's brows raised in contemplation. Before heading for the marble entrance, he bought one more Regenerative Liquor. Now, he had four of them in reserve to aid potential dire situations while on this quest.
Leon thought, 'The four days daily mission accumulated 800 EXP in total...'
Also, he had got a liquor each day and consumed one of it.
'... Hmm, I suppose I get the logic now,' he halted, rubbing his chin. 'What if it's like this? Receiving a hundred EXP for killing the Chrono Wolf back then, I transcended from level one to two. In that same sense, it required two hundred EXP to reach the third level. That really must be it...'
He felt the dots were connecting. His eyes lit up.
'... Then, from the previous 800 EXP, the system deducted three hundred to level me up to the fourth stage. Finally, four hundred more levelled me up to the fifth. Yes! That accounts for my current EXP balance!'
Meanwhile, it even became obvious that his stats automatically upgrade as he...
CRUMBLE!
The ground trembled beneath his feet without notice. Leon's eyes shut tight. He held his weapon with a firm grip, straining his eyes through the heavy dust spreading afront.
Strange creatures emerged before him as though the ground had just torn open.
'What an entry.'
His eyes ran across them, each one armed with weapons. They were larger than any ordinary human, green-skinned like goblins.
Their growls thickened the air, sending putrid reek to Leon's nose. Also, it tangled in his green hair. Leon planted his feet and lowered his body without delay. His hands rose, one guarding, the other gripping the dagger.
He exhaled, preparing himself to fight.
The panel came to life.
[E-rank Common Orcs. Ten in number.]
[Main goal: Kill the beasts. But retain as much energy as you can, avoiding unnecessary damage.]
Leon's eyes lingered towards the door. 'So... the boss is in there? Tch... you guys must have guarded his door well until today.'
In an instant, he charged forward. Reaching close, one of the orcs drew near to him with a swing of its spiked mace. As Leon sidestepped it, the mace shattered the ground.
CRASH!
Immediately pacing closer, he then plunged his dagger into the monster's neck. Warm blood splashed on his face.
SCREECH!- the orc snarled in agony...
Noticing the approach of another one, Leon pulled out his dagger and turned around. In that instant, the newcomer inched closer. And Leon dashed past its attack in time. Then, with a violent scream, he drove his dagger deep into the beast's back. It screeched.
But that agonised cry was only a breeze passing Leon by as he headed for two more.
Getting close enough to them, he contemplated, 'I could take them down at once with Freeze!'
TWISH!
His shoes kicked dust from the ground as he came to a sudden stop. Right as the monsters charged at him, he screamed, "Activate Freeze!"
A burst of milky blue light swirled around the dagger - Paradox. Time held its breath; dust thickened in the air, and all the orcs grew stagnant like statues.
[Freeze Activated! Usage Length: 10 seconds.]
"Take this!" Leon grunted as he made a slash through the nearest orc's neck bones. Its head rolled to the floor, thudding. With a rushed hand movement, Leon stabbed the other one straight in the chest.
CRASH! – the monsters toppled to the ground.
It only took Leon a second to catch his breath before going for the remaining ones. His chest sank... but that was all there was to it.
He couldn't care less.
[Four seconds more.]
The notification told him that an attempt to kill anyone else in that time frame was risky. So, instead, he remained a metre from the orc he targeted in the first place.
...
SNARL! - the screeches set time back in motion.
'Blink Dash, now!'
FWHIP!
Almost as immediately as the orc glanced forward, Leon's shadow loomed before it. In the next second, Leon slashed its exposed arm joint before severing its neck.
Blood sprinkled again. Too warm. Too cold, too.
Leon turned...
His eyes widened. "Shi—"
HISS! A massive hammer tore downwards through the air. An orc had caught him off guard!
It was too late.
SMASH!
The hammer slammed into the ground, crushing everything in its path. The earth itself shook with tremors, weeping gallons of blood. A pleasured smile stretched on the orc's face...
"You almost had me there!" a smirky yet tight voice yelled from behind it. Eyes widening, it lifted the hammer only to find no one beneath.
SLASH!
"... Pant..."
Its head thudded on the floor.
Leon continued to pant, back turned to the dead body. Four more orcs. Four more, and his quest was halfway done.
These ten were E-rankers as well, but their boss would pose a greater threat.
This was because boss monsters often have more unique abilities than other monsters of the same rank. It was like comparing two Overlord-ranked individuals. The one with both flame magic and necromancy is a bigger threat than the one using only flames.
In an alternate sense, boss monsters often have abilities while the others do not. Both events put a specific monster above others in the hierarchy, making them serve it.
The panel flashed before Leon's eyes.
[Energy: 70/100]
Striding towards the other beasts, Leon thought, 'I can't use the liquor yet. That would be a waste as it regains only 50% energy...'
All of a sudden, the four orcs charged, all at once. Leon's teeth clenched as he took measured steps backwards.
"Damn it... no way I can run them at once!"
With that, he turned and sprinted to the graveyard's entrance. This action wasn't effective, but he managed to divide them into two pairs. Only a pair were onto him.
Another thought crossed his mind. Why not distract one while he contains the other?
'System, a raw meat, please!'
Orcs tend to be gluttons, too.
As soon as the meat appeared in his palm, he tore the nylon package right away. The coppery scent wafted into his nose. Immediately, he hurled it towards one of them.
And, as expected, the orc caught it mid-air.
"Gluttonous bastard!"
In the next instant, Leon charged forward. Though the monster slashed his arm, he didn't hold back as he tore its abdomen open.
Blood pooled behind him as he rushed forward. The creature snapped its head up at the sound of rushing wind... its maw still smeared with chunks of meat.
SLASH!
The beast crashed to the ground behind Leon.
The panel displayed that,
[Common Orcs killed: 8/10.]
'Two more!'
Reaching close, a long-fanged one confronted him. Its level of dagger mastery and aggressiveness was something that surprised Leon. Meanwhile, when he gets overwhelmed by attack and defence, the last beast would quietly try to strike.
Leon had to keep switching positions to stay safe.
Yet, his energy dropped far beyond his expectations. His legs felt tight, and a knot wrapped around his chest. But what else but to keep fighting could he do?
He kept on repeating the same thing. Till he saw a chance.
Leon wrapped his arms around the fanged orc's waist, jerking it back to the ground. Then, he jabbed the dagger into its chest. Too violent. Relentless.
Blood warmed his face. Then, right as the other tried a sneaky attack again... Leon blurred from the monster's top and...
SLASH!
***
Kneeling, Leon panted, his palms pressed against the ground.
The panel flickered to life.
[You have defeated the 10 Common Orcs.]
[You received 500 EXP.]
[Remaining energy: 50/100]
"Fair enough," Leon mumbled.
He swallowed. The jar appeared in his hand afterwards. Then, he uncorked it and gulped.
[Energy: 100/100]
In no time, he got to the marble door. Gripping the handle with his blood-thickened palms, he sighed. His chest felt even tighter.
He sighed again.
'Let's do it.'