Rise Of The Limitless One Chapter 13
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Lucian sprang forward, clutching the handle of the dagger strapped across his thigh. As he advanced, Lucian made sure to pay close attention to any changes occurring to his surroundings. After all, it wasn't hard to be blindsided in this type of environment.
Since there was no proper enclosure, and trees circled them with narrow gaps on every side, Lucian lacked the proper means to secure every direction. Luckily, these opponents didn't seem too aware of positioning tactics.
They retained the same intelligence as a feral beast with only their reckless and relentless charges posing any danger.
Nevertheless, Lucian tried his best to prepare himself. Once he was within 10 meters of the beast, he finally withdrew the weapon, telling himself he was ready. Although his movements appeared clumsy, he possessed the required dexterity standard to refrain from dropping his weapon.
Still, as Cezar noticed his movements, he scoffed, 'Did we really just pick up a novice? God, I hope this is judged individually. If not, then I'll have to say something. I'm not a trainer. Not to mention, what Awakened doesn't possess prior knowledge of weaponry?!'
When Lucian brandished the dagger, he wielded it with a neutral grip, but it was held at an awkward angle. Typically, when using a dagger, the focus wasn't to wield it like a sword. Firstly, the length difference of the blade made that movement method obsolete, requiring more finesse to capitalize on this style.
The practical utilization would be a reverse grip hand positioning followed by the use of two daggers or learn how to make use of the dagger's properties to employ a front-wielding style.
Since the weapons were small in nature, it wouldn't compromise the speed of a strike. Hence, why most assassins adopted a dual dagger style. When their dexterity was high enough, the issue of dominant and non-dominant hands was tossed out the window.
As a novice at best, Lucian didn't possess the knowledge or experience required to properly employ this style.
Due to his awkward stance, when Lucian struck the hide of the boar, he felt a small throb in his wrist. Before he could pay any attention to it, however, the boar rammed its head into his chest, tossing him meters away.
By the time he recovered, Cezar stood over that same boar, flipping his dagger continuously as he stared at Lucian with a disappointed gaze, "Perhaps you're deserving of that F Rank rating you received. I'm not one to talk down, but you have to realize something—this is just the first wave."
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As mentioned in the prompt, there was a 24-hour duration to this task. Meaning, everyone present would have to last 24 hours to be cleared as a Guardian. Yet, not even 10 minutes in, and not only was Lucian struggling to deal with a mere beast, but he also suffered quite a heavy blow.
〈Alert: You have received a heavy strike. Inferior Battle Suit sub-effect activated.〉
Thankfully, the suits were equipped enough to handle the strikes of a mere E Rank beast. When it came to beast rankings, E Rank was their beginning. The reason there was no F rank beast was related to the fact they didn't suffice.
As the Monolith was purposed with training Guardians, F Rank beast failed to meet the standard; plus, they were found in remote areas of Alteria and other minor worlds.
For a Guardian, at the very least, an E Rank monster was required, and that was just the beginning. With every advancement, the lack of difficulty and their sparse Mana levels would gradually lose all effectiveness.
To put it differently, the Monolith judged the rewards based on the difference in strength and difficulty of elimination.
If a B Rank Guardian defeated a D Rank Beast, then the outcome of the points would be diminished to 5% of the beast's value. This was another reason why once a Guardian reached a certain rank, they rarely wasted their time fighting weaker opponents. The weakest opponent they would fight against was their own ranking, but every battle was accompanied by unforeseen dangers.
Meanwhile, Lucian glanced over the alert, learning of the battle suit's ability to absorb a certain portion of the damage he received. Even then, it possessed a threshold, on top of a durability status. If he received too much damage, he ran the risk of trashing the suit before the end of the tutorial.
On the other hand, due to his lack of answers, Cezar gave him even more of a skeptical look, examining him closely, "Are you mute?"
"I'm not mute," Lucian responded immediately. Although it wasn't hostility, Lucian did harbor some objection over the matter of Cezar taking his enemy. Granted, Lucian also understood he wasn't a match for this person, but he was entitled to his own feelings, nonetheless.
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"Then why didn't you answer?" Cezar asked, stepping closer to Lucian. From Lucian's earlier appearance, Cezar could tell he was doing something along the lines of reading. Apparently, this made him curious about the contents.
"I was reading the alert about this armor," Lucian responded, pinching at the battle suit covering his body. Since they weren't Guardians, they didn't possess the ability to inspect their equipment just yet, so they weren't privy to the effects embedded in their item, or if they even possessed them, for that matter.
Cezar was quiet for quite some time as he scrutinized Lucian, but then shrugged after a while.
"Anyway, like I was saying, this is only the beginning. If you can't handle yourself, then I feel sorry for you. Because you won't be able to take advantage of a Guardian's best ability!" Cezar revealed, crouching in front of Lucian, looking him eye to eye.
"What would that ability be?" Lucian asked curiously. He could tell at a glance that the individuals with elite abilities were the progeny of families or organizations equipped with prior Guardians, indicating they possessed more information than others.
"The ability to derive power from the being of this mystical place," Cezar chuckled. Afterward, without a care, he displayed his status window—something most Guardian's wouldn't do.
However, their abilities as candidates were lacking. They couldn't inspect their peers to find out the intricacies of their abilities, limited only to what the individual revealed. Only after becoming a Guardian with a certain level of Perception would possibilities arise.
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Name: Cezar Raiesh
Title: N/A
Archetype: Physical (Transformation)
Fractal Rating: D (S)
Authority: Nil
Health: 100%
MQ: 205/205 (3 Mana Units per min.)
[«Attributes»]-
»Strength: D
»Agility: D+
»Endurance: E+
»Dexterity: D
»Vitality: D
»Perception: D+
»Spirit: D
»Wisdom: D-
----
[«Enhancements»]
»Points: 1.2
----
[«Abilities»]-
» ??? [S Rank Ability]
» ??? [S- Rank Ability]
» ??? [A+ Rank Ability]
…
Bypassing his stats, Lucian's attention was first attracted to the point category under the Enhancements. Unlike Lucian's, whose value remained at 0, Cezar possessed 1.2 points. The only difference between their actions was the number of enemies slain.
'From what I saw, Cezar has only killed 4 enemies so far. So, I guess I can infer the value of the beasts is 0.3 points. The only question is...what the hell is the use for these points?' Lucian thought.
As for Cezar's ability, Lucian didn't even try guessing. All the information was sealed, leaving Lucian clueless. However, one thing remained clear. '3 strong abilities. I'll have to remain wary of him.'
Sometime after, Cezar canceled the display.
"If you fail to kill beasts, you'll just fall behind. From what I've been told, the floors of the Monolith aren't too fun. Hence, the tutorial is the best time to accumulate points. Sadly, it's also a race more than it is a team endeavor," Cezar said, shaking his head in the process.
Although the tutorial appeared to be a group examination on the surface, it actually tested the value of an individual. What's more, only the one who defeated the foe claimed the points. In other words, it was every man for himself, allegedly.
'Is that true? The objective of this test couldn't be so selfish, right? If that's the case, then I think I understand why the Guardians are regarded the way they are. Their self-indulgence is cultivated in this tower,' Lucian thought.
Finally, he rose to his feet, brushing off the damage. Although the battle suit absorbed a good amount of the blow's force, his health indicator dropped to 92%, suggesting some damage.
However, thanks to his endurance, his body was rather resilient despite his frail-looking physique. If someone else bearing his rank alongside lacking endurance thought of tanking the blow, the amount of health they were left with would be less than desirable.
"Cezar, retreat to the Guardian Stone's perimeter. Stop doing useless things and stay focused," Elaine commanded, a cold and indifferent look in her eyes. When her gaze fell on Lucian, he returned.
It was only for a moment, but she looked intrigued before glancing back at her objective.
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Corpse Hunter
When the sun went out the world of Fallendahl was swallowed by a sea of darkness. Nightmarish creatures stalked the endless night, preying upon the planet's inhabitants. As humanity was driven to brink of extinction they found refuge in mysterious Columns that rose a hundred stories into the air. These Columns provided the refugees with everything they needed including artificial sunlight, arable farm lands, and room to rebuild. As time passed two revelations came to be. Firstly those born within the Column inherited magical powers when they reached the age of ten. Secondly, the floors above the column were part of a massive Dungeon estimated be contain at last one hundred levels. Three centuries have passed since the Columns were found but none have been able to uncover the secrets that lie at the top. Countless people have entered the Dungeon in hopes of gaining the means to save the world from the darkness that plagues. Not the Corpse Hunter though. It is his duty to retrieve the dead for the Dungeon is fraught with peril and many do not return on their own.
8 379The Final Countdown
Alice and her friends, John and Maria, are average teens in an average world. Well, until Alice has a vision of the end of it. Now, they're working together to stop the end of the world and Alice's little brother from getting in the way. Oh, I forgot to mention! Her dad's the president!
8 111Genesis
Taryn is a mutant in a world where mutants are considered no more than monsters in human skin. The descendants of the gods rule as mortal Kings and the entire world waits for their fates to be decided in the prophesied battle between the Last Lothor King and the mutants’ Dark Prince. But Taryn believes this is all fantasy, born from legends and myth. There are no gods; only mutants who don’t know how to use their abilities, and middlings who are too afraid to even think that they should learn. Taryn is determined to change that.Her plan is a simple one: win the King to her cause and the faiths of the masses will compel them to follow. It should have been an easy enough task; the King doesn’t seem to believe in the prophecies any more than she does. But soon the ambitions of a criminal empire, the plots of warmongering officials and the looming threat of a violent faith movement begin to erode their fragile relationship and derail her plans.Can the two of them reconcile in time to prevent a civil war or will their inability to work together bring about the very thing they’ve fought so hard to avoid?
8 292Being a Bystander is the Best
Protagonist? Supporting character? Love interest? Cannon Fodder? Villain? No thanks. I would like to choose the bystander option please, so I only have to watch the drama while drinking tea and eating popcorn. What!? There's no bystander option? My stats are too high to be a bystander? What is with this broken system! I refuse to choose any of these roles. *Quickly grabs tea and snacks to escape* World Management Team: "............." Role Assignment Team: "..........." Yu Qian: "........." Yu Qian: "What the f*ck did you drag me into?"----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Xue Yi had always been a lover of gossip and drama. Always seen at the side of a scene with her lemon tea and snacks watching intently at other people. She spends most of her time finding information on other people for entertainment, being a bystander is her best pastime. However, due to a mishap where she accidentally acquired top-secret information on other foreign countries, she got killed and that was the end to her short twenty years of entertainment filled life. After she died, Xue Yi arrived at the Afterlife HR where they would assign roles for the souls that had died and send them on to their next life in another world to live. Xue Yi was determined to choose the bystander option, however, she was too OP!? Nope, she will never become the main character no matter what. Let's just steal the World Traveling Machine and run. Yu Qian: "Who is this creature that just appeared out of nowhere?" Xue Yi: "Hello fellow mob character. I am Xue Yi a bystander and would like to know where the main characters are?" Yu Qian: "???" Xue Yi: \(^ o ^)/ Yu Qian: (*ಠ_ಠ;) Xiao Ji: ╥ ﹏ ╥
8 164The Last Exorcist
The most powerful human beings were wiped out. Spirits and deities are crossing to mortality without the exorcists to stop them. Liang was the only exorcist left and she thought her life ended after the war. For the past twenty years, she watched the civilization of humans fall and from the bed of their destruction, arose the Guren—a race of humanoid animals that were once Yin spirits called shadows. At the brink of extinction, Liang meets Wei Bao, a snow leopard and a former deity. Liang was resolute in spending the remainder of her life hiding while Bao was determined to change Liang's perspective and defeat the conqueror and sovereign, Yi Zhaohu. However, unbeknownst to them, something far greater than mortal squabbles is rising. A great awakening is in motion and it seeks to devour all.
8 113Ink Splatters
the follower and the greeter advised that there was a power cut at 123 slaughter me street high school and there was ink splatters just inside the 9th grade hall. they used clues to know who did this. can they solve this mystery before the first day of 123 slaughter me street high school?
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