Terror Infinity - Side B

Chapter 8, Btooom

https://youtu.be/8xfeEx_7fdc

Shin took a deep breath, suppressing the terror he was feeling as he faced the Btooom Soldier.

Due to anxiety he was feeling, for a while all he could hear was his own heartbeat and that of the Btooom Soldier infront of me, and then gradually, it seemed like he could feel the little movements of blood vessels.

It was a strange, scary yet wonderful feeling. It was unexplainable, but Shin was enlightened a bit, as though he's one step away from unlocking the Genetic Constraint that Saki talked about. Unfortunately, this condition didn't last long.

The depression from how his plan was failing and that even alone, this one Btooom Soldier had an aura of power and death around him that threatened to overwhelmed him. For there to be even more enemies ahead of him had completely shattered his confidence.

Shin: Still... I can't runaway just because my opponent is stronger. I made a promise after all.

The first to make a move was the Btooom Soldier. From his arm attachment which held his infinite ammunition of Cracker BIM, he swiftly inserted dozens of BIMs into the BIM Launcher. Then raising the gun he began to fire BIM rapidly.

In no time at all bombs began to rain down on Shin ( Shouldn't I have named this a BIM machine gun? ). Shin jumped away in time and where he was just standing was blown apart from the explosions. All that was left was scorched earth and flames.

Seeing this, Shin now knew that a frontal confrontation with the Btooom Soldier was impossible. Not only did he have the firepower of the BIM Launcher which had rapid fire capabilities, but also armor that could withstand direct explosion from multiple BIM.

Shin kept running around the enemy while thinking of a way to turn the situation around. To win now, he had to first hide and strike from the enemy's blind spot. BIM were ineffective, but if his fist which could crush trees, then maybe something could happen. Hopefully.

Even if you are wearing armor or a bulletproof vest, you can still receive damage. Using the latter as an example, a shotgun at pinpoint range could bruise muscles, break bones and cause internal bleeding which could all lead to death even with body armor.

That was the Type of armor Shin was counting on. Shin then threw four more Timer BIM at the Btooom Soldier. The armor protected the enemy as expected, yet this was only a distraction. Shin immediately went into hiding in the surrounding jungle.

The Btooom Soldier who recovered from the explosion immediately used his radar in a attempt to find him, but it was to no avail. Shin could sense the the enemy's scan before it reached him and counter attacked with his own radar. Like before the two waves hit and canceled each other out.

The enemy was shocked that Shin could pull off radar canceling like a pro, but the enemy was very much mistaken. He was no Ryuota Sakamoto. All that it was is that Shin was overly sensitive to death and fear, which was why he could feel the enemies radar coming towards himself. It was impressive in a way, but...

Shin: (This trick won't last much longer. If the enemy can't see me with the radar he will begin to guess where I am. Let's end this quickly!)

The key was whether or not Shin could reach the Btooom Soldier without being hit with a rapid fire assault fire of Cracker BIMs. He needed a distraction, so he made one.

First, Shin threw two Timer BIM at the enemy and with each throw Shin would move to a different position immediately to avoid a counter attack. His attacks did little to no damage, but the Btooom Soldier was now under the impression that Shin was going to fight this battle at a ranged distance.

If the enemy suspected that Shin was going to rush him and fight at close range, the enemy would prepare to immediately bombard him with BIM. Shin could only avoid the BIM Launcher barrage from a distance. At close range he wouldn't be able to avoid the attack and would die.

With the first part of his plan complete Shin moved into the next.

From the sky dozens of solid objects fell on top of the Btooom Soldier. He was scared that they were all BIM and such a number could actually injure/kill him, yet they weren't. They were rocks. It was a common tactic in the real world Btooom game to throw rock instead of BIM to make your opponent believe that they were bombs. It was a childish prank, but one that became deadly when a certain type of BIM is added into the mix.

- *EXPLOSION*!!!

The Btooom Soldier was knocked off his feet due to a certain BIM detonating under him.

It was the Timer BIM. By mixing in a Timer BIM that can delay it's explosion with decoy rocks and thrown at the opponent, they would believe that all of them were fakes, but in reality they will let their guard down and that is when the Timer BIM will go off.

Shin: Chance!

Shin ran out of the hiding of the jungle and made a straight line for the Btooom Soldier. Shin had only hoped to distract and disorient the enemy, but not only did he loose his balance and fell, so did his BIM Launcher. The deadly weapon had fallen from the enemy's hands and landed a few feet away.

This was Shin's chance and it was now or never. Even if he had to break his hands in the process he would defeat his armored opponent to death no matter what. But as it turned out Shin was too naive and inexperienced. Shin was no battle genius and his thoughts were too focused on the victory before him to consider a counter attack.

Not to the extent of Shin who possessed the One-eye Ghoul and Ki enhancements, but the Btooom Soldier was someone as well who possessed power greater then the average man thanks to the enhancements that the armor offered. The he saw Shin at the very edge of his vision which had been enhanced by the futuristic armor he was wearing and reacted. Not from the BIM Launcher, but with his own hands he threw a Cracker BIM at Shin.

Shin saw this at the very last second and reacted. Throwing himself to the side Shin manage to avoid a direct hit, yet this was within the Btooom Soldiers expectations. He had seen first hand Shin's extraordinary physical prowess and reaction speed with the way he has been avoiding his attacks, so he knew Shin would avoid the BIM long as he saw it and dodged.

The enemy didn't throw the BIM with the aim to hit Shin directly, but to land directly in front of him. The explosion would occur before Shin could fully escape and blow him away with the shock wave... And that is exact what happened.

- *EXPLOSION*!

Shin was blown away by the explosion. It wasn't a direct hit, bet the shock wave impacted him hard and was slammed hard into the ground. If not for the ringing in his ear he would have lost conscious.

The Btooom Soldier who saw that his attacked worked smiled. He smiled as he looked down at Shin crawling on the ground trying to get up. The enemy and now Shin as well knew that it wasn't like in the movies.

When a real human being is caught in a explosion, even if it isn't a direct attack they will still be effected and can rarely just walk away. The shock waves and the loud sounds can both cause damage, and at its weakest can still stun a person.

Shin who had always perfectly dodge BIMs with his strong legs enhanced with Ki never knew this and was feeling real pain on the island for the first time and was unable to move.

The enemy Btooom Soldier picked up his BIM Launcher and pointed at Shin. A simple BIM would have suffice, but he wanted to be sure that Shin would die, and at this range, he wouldn't be able to escape. As he was about to squeeze the trigger and finish Shin off for good, he and Shin then both heard a loud sound off in the distance.

What saved Shin in the end was the Btooom Soldier becoming distracted.

Behind Shin, the enemy looked off into the distance and Shin followed his line of sight and they saw a large cloud of smoke falling in the distance. It was the smoke of the Blazing Gas BIM falling into the forest far away and destroying all wild life.

Shin imagined that the gas touching, devouring Hikari alive and turning her body into something unrecognizable and devoid of life...

Shin: ...Hikari.

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https://youtu.be/VXedWYVsIfM

At that moment Shin's eyes lost all light. The feeling of despair and anger overwhelmed him. Despair at the imagined image of the deformed burning body of Hikari after getting caught up in the Bruning Gas BIM and the anger at his own inability to help her.

It was over.

If they had already caught up enough to start shooting BIMs at Hikari, then if she wasn't already dead then she would be soon. They were also miles ahead of him, so even if he ran there now it would be to late. Shin knew this, but...

Shin: Nooooooo!!!

He still ran forward.

Without even caring about the Btooom Soldier in front of him, Shin charged recklessly forward.

The Btooom Soldier was surprised by this action, but it wasn't like he left himself open. The Btooom Soldier readied his gun, the Btooom Launcher and aimed directly at Shin and opened fire without hesitation, yet Shin dodged in a way that the enemy didn't expect.

Shin jumped.

Without even thinking about it Shin channeled his Ki into his legs and jumped far higher and farther then he ever had before. Far above the head of the Btooom Soldier and breaking Olympic records he landed over 50 meter away, Shin successfully escaped the enemy.

Shin reaction speed saved him. To him, it felt like the whole world slow down to a degree that he has never experienced before and was fighting against the very world as he was running to Hikari's aid. Shin should have had amazing physical fitness, yet with ever step he took he was using a great deal of energy.

It wasn't that Shin was slow, but the rest of the world was at a standstill and were attempting to hold him back after gaining immense power. The ground, air and even his own clothes forces were at work all around him to have him slow down. Even his own body was tearing up.

Shin never experienced this type of phenomenon before, but he didn't have the resources to contemplate what was happening to him. All he knew was that his body could now move, better then ever in fact. It was ready to react and fight to a degree that he could ever imagine.

Shin wanted nothing more then to keep going, catch up with and save Hikari, but there was someone still in his way.

- *EXPLOSIONS*!!

The Btooom Soldier behind him had yet to give up his chase. Although he couldn't keep up with Shin now, he was by no means too slow that he would lose sight him. His Btooom Armor not only offered a great level of protection, but enhanced his muscles and reaction speed.

Just by giving it his all he could still follow behind Shin who was still within range of his BIM Launcher. Shin took out his gun and fired round after round at the enemy to hinder him, but the enemy kept following right behind him.

Shin: Ahhh! Persistent guy. I'll kill you later, so just get left behind!

That was what he said, but Shin knew better. Even though he just wanted to ignore the enemy behind him, Shin was no longer that foolish. His mind was in a mad rush, as combat instincts surface to his mind as he was running, yet he was calm enough to judge the situation accurately as if his anger and panic where not getting in the way of his ability to think.

Shin went over what he knew about the enemy while running.

Btooom Soldier -

An assassin sent in from Tyrannos Japan to kill both NPCs and get in the way Players like himself and Hikari. Their armor looks thin, yet is surprisingly durable. While not completely ineffective, possess shock and heat resistance to greatly lower the damage from BIMs and explosions. Bullets appear ineffective, yet there were noticeable dents in the armor... Can be exploited!

The enemy Btooom Soldiers have the advantage in destructive power and range with infinite ammo BIMs from his arm attachment and BIM Launcher, but were below Shin's own physical power even before the current sudden surge of strength. CQC... Can be exploited!

Going over all of this information Shin set his plan in motion to quickly end the life of the Btooom Soldier following behind him. As another wave of BIMs from the Btooom soldier was being aimed for his back, Shin ran straight into a tree with no signs of moving around it.

To Shin, as he was about to reach the tree the air felt as condensed as liquid. He could step on the air as he jumped at the tree at full force. Then turning around in midair and using the tree as a springboard, Shin kicked off the tree and jumped towards another.

What the Btooom Soldier saw was that Shin kicked the tree with enough force to split it in two and fly through the air like a bullet. He could only watch as Shin jumped/flew from tree to tree as if ricocheting and flew past him. The enemey couldn't even turn around before a rain of bullets hit.

Still, the Btooom Soldier was confident that he could withstand this level of damage. He had no idea where the player got a gun from, but bullets were incapable of penetrating his armor... At least, that was befor what happened next that is.

- *CRACK*!

Shin's bullets were all precisely aimed at a single point on the Btooom Soldier. The Btooom Soldiers BIM attachment case.

Long as his opponent had that Shin realized that he could just keep on summoning an infinite amount of Cracker BIM. It was his hope that aiming for a single point of the Btooom Soldier's armor could either forcefully detonate the BIM inside or lose its function to bring out anymore BIM.

And Shin's plan worked flawless.

The BIM attachments was heavily damaged and caught on fire. The Btooom Soldier was forced to throw it away so it wouldn't harm him. Shin was disappointed that the attachment didn't explode, but was glad that he no longer had the ability to bring out anymore BIM. Shin then stopped jumping from tree to tree and he lands not too far from the Btooom Soldier in a blind spot. Shin prepared to immediately confront him at close combat.

Shin: ( All he has left our the few BIM in his Launcher now. Still, my gun is unable to land the decisive blow, so mid or long range combat should be avoided. I don't know how yet, but I have to defeat him in close combat.

Shin then jumped at the Btooom Soldier while in the enemy's blind spot. He swung his fist at one of the least thick pieces of armor protecting him. His fist almost broke from the impact, but it was the Btooom Soldier who was more seriously injured as his entire body was lifted into the air and was slammed hard against a tree.

Shin recalled his earlier conversation with Hikari and finally felt that she was completely right. He was definitely holding back his strength and now in her current condition, he was a beast and the Btooom Soldier was his prey. A fist shaped dent was even left behind in the enemies armor from Shin's attack.

Shin seeing the damge he gave the enemy believed like this he could beat the enemy to death despite it's armor, but combat was never that easily against a trained fighter. As expected of a Btooom Soldier, an assassin with the skills to hunt down ever person on the island, he hadn't given up yet.

As Shin was going in for the kill, the Btooom Soldier getting up from the heavy blow threw, not shot, a BIM at Shin. Shin was expecting for him to fire the BIM Launcher, but at some point in their clash the enemy took out a BIM from his gun to throw. Shin was caught completely off guard.

For Shin who was running at full speed to slam a fist into the Btooom Soldier face, it was impossible to dodge with even his reflexes. So instead, Shin raised his handgun and shot the Cracker BIM on its trajectory towards him.

- *EXPLOSION*!

Shin couldn't avoid the explosion, yet he avoid the BIM going off right on top of him. He was blown away by the shock wave which caused his entire world to reverberate. His bones vibrated harshly and blood was pouring down his head. He hit his head against the dirt ground and almost fainted, but knew if it was asphalt or metal flooring then his head would have split open.

Fighting with his life on the line, Shin once again realized the key between the two of them. His armor is not only durable, but protects the entire body. If not for that kind of defense then his attack from before would have killed with the fist itself or on impacting the tree at the speed the enemy slammed into it.

The next time Shin advances of the Btooom Soldier he knew it has to be for keeps. He won't make the same mistake again and can avoid any BIM the way he was now, thrown or otherwise, yet if the enemy attacks just right after he attacks with an explosion, he would die or be unable to continue fighting 100%.

For that reason Shin didn't immediately get up. He used his gun fire at the Btooom Soldier, with the aim being the ankles of the enemy to cripple moment.

To confirm his success was the sight of blood escaping into the air. Then enemies right ankle was done for and so he could no longer runaway. Shin could definitely run away now and head to Hikari, but he won't. Not taking the chance of a surprise attack later, Shin is determined to kill the Btooom Soldier .

The Btooom Soldier usees the Btooom Launcher to fire his few remaining BIM at Shin, forcing him to evade the incoming attacks. The BIMs were shoot accurately and took into account Shin avoiding them, but it wasn't enough. By this point Shin's mind and body moved on autopilot.

A near infinite well of animal instincts and combat experience that couldn't have belonged to him rose to the surface. He would dodge to the side, roll forward and backwards, sidestep and back flip his way out of harm. And when he couldn't do that, he would shot down the BIMs well before they made it to him. Then his time came and jumped at the Btooom Soldier. Shin was at the very least sure that his BIM Launcher had run out of ammunition. It was now or never.

Shin: Die!!!

I had to kill the Btooom Soldier here and now, yet... I still had no idea of how to do so. My fist is strong, even more so than I ever could had hoped, and so if I were willing to break them against the enemy armor then sure, I could kill the man, but... Every bone on my body was telling that I would die if I fail to kill on the first strike.

I needed to somehow... just something to crack open, no to bypass the enemy's armor and deal fatal damage. The only thing that could do that is...

Shin: (Oh my god, was I really going to try a technique I've always failed at?)

Yet Shin had no choice and could only bet on a miracle. His fist slammed down on the helpless Btooom Soldier, but the enemey wasn't worried. In fact, he was smiling. In his hand was his very last Cracker BIM. Once he goes flying after Shin fails to break through his trusty armor like before, he would immediately throw the BIM straight at his face... It was too bad though that he wouldn't get that chance.

What Shin threw out just now wasn't an ordinary punch. It was a fist empowered with Ki for sure, but was that all? Shin's physical moment and the Ki circulation within the body were perfectly untied, and a miracle was born of the fusion of the two forces.

- *BOOM!!!*

When Shin's fist slammed into the chest of the Btooom Soldier and explosion of Ki occurred. Armor, bone and flesh were all torn apart not just by the exceptional Ki strike that he pulled off, but by a sonic boom detonating in front of his extended fist.

Soul Crushing Strike!

That was the technique Shin used to take the life of his first Btooom Soldier.

Matching physical moment and Ki circulation, Shin created an exceptional powerful Ki strike. The specialty of this Ki technique was not only could it allow him to easily crush flesh and bone, the Ki strike could also deal internal damage as well, and that was what he was counting on.

Internal damage that ignores armor. Along with a Ki powered punch that forcefully dug right into the armor of the Btooom Soldier, a Ki explosion that rips apart and causes internal damage. The former caused the chest to cave in and the later tore the heart apart and causing other organ damage.

With or without the other, the results were the same and when the Btooom Soldier fell to the ground after receiving Shin's makeshift Soul Crushing Strike to the chest, he was already dead with an unactivated Cracker BIM in his hand. As Shin looked down on his slain enemy, he noticed that he still had his smile that confirmed his victory.

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https://youtu.be/3S1NmtWDVYk

- SIDE QUEST REWARD 3, BTOOOM SOLDIER CHIP - 100 POINTS AND D RANK REWARD ACQUIRED!

- SKILL MASTERY REWARD!

WITHIN 70% ACCURACY YOU HAVE EXECUTED THE FOLLOWING SKILL - SOUL CRUSHING STRIKE! ONCE YOU RETURN TO THE TERMINAL LOBBY YOU CAN EXCHANGE FOR THE COMPLETE SOUL CRUSHING STRIKE SKILL FOR 1/10 OF ITS POINT VALUE AND D RANK REWARD!

Shin: ...Shit! What are you smiling about? I won! At least let me enjoy this...Damm, whatever. At least now I can finally-

Just as I was about to take out a hemostasis spray from the Na Ring, my whole body went into a seizure. A painful and paralyzing sensation starting from the internal organs, like countless ants crawling on them, then pain spread to the bones marrow, and then it moved along with the blood to the skin.

Immediately afterwards, all I could see was whiteness. Juat like the time at the end of H.O.T.D I felt as if I was at deaths door and was about to die.

( Saki: Just think about it. Apes reached this limit and became human, then what will humans become when we reach it? Needs a substance similar to the epinephrine hormone that can only be produced by the human body. The crucial point is... It's a poison. You probably heard of stories like a mother lifting a car to save her son. This actually happened but this woman died soon afterward. Scientists found a micro amount of this substance in her blood. )

Shin: This, This is... The Genetic Constraint.

Shin recalled Saki’s words on the Genetic Constraint. He didn't know if he accidentally unlocked this Genetic Constraint thing, but he knew that he was now struggling on the brink of death at this very moment just like the the mother in the story. They both wanted to protect something and realized great strength, yet that very same strength was more deadly to them then anything else.

The seizure of the internal organs became stronger, and Shin started to bleed through his mouth and nose. Then his lungs also started to have seizures. He could hardly take in any air as he opens his mouth struggling to breath.

Shin: ( I, I can not die here. My own dreams aside I... Have to get back to her... Dammit. I even went ahead and promised her that I wouldn't die and return. If.. If she is still alive, fighting desperately till I come back then how can I justify dying first? Like, Like hell I can! ).

Life and death.

Survival, dreams and the desire to protect.

Those powers conflicted with each other within the being known as Shin, and the results...

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Tyrannos Japan: Game Planner Gemu Shusaisha's Report 15.

Real World Btooom Game, Hard Mode - Day 2.

5:48 PM

Players Alive: 8/15.

NPCs Alive: 68/150.

Btooom Soldiers Active: 24/25.

Btooom Commanders Active: 5/5.

Ryota Sakamoto, Btooom Lord Inactive: 1/1.

Daily Minutes -

1. The first Btooom Soldier has been defeated... Unexpected, but the rest of Unit 1 has corned the hacker culprit and she will soon be dealt with.

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Authors Note:

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Skill Mastery.

It is a well known concept from games and one that I brought into the world of this Terror Infinity Fan Fiction. It is actually closer to developing your own skill or how the MC from The Gamer learns skills without skill books, rather than Skill Proficiency, but the world 'Skill Mastery' sounds cooler.

More on Skill Mastery will be further revealed in future chapters, and is something that will help Shin evolve into the OP main character of his dreams.