We made it past a week with the daily update schedule. Yay! That was great.

I know the quality seems to be dropping (typos here and there, mistaken grammar). I'll correct those in the future.

Anyways, here's your chapter.

Allen stood inside along with a few others. They were all NPCs as he was the only player in Base 19 after all. Not all of the combat-ready personnel came, just the representatives of their own respective groups.

“The situation is urgent."

Director Ostwald began as everyone had finished gathering.

“We have detected signatures of an approaching group of crystal beasts from the east. Based on their current movement pattern, their destination is definitely this base.”

The room suddenly became noisy. It could easily be seen that everyone in the room were nervous and tense because of this announcement.

“Twenty Vulpia of at least Class II were our approximation based on the strength of the signals and as described by the reconnaissance team. Estimated time of incident is… 10 minutes.”

The noise and chatter grew louder. It was too quick. There was not enough time to formulate an effective plan for this encounter.

“And as such, we have decided to form a defense line right outside of the east side of the base. I am truly sorry for this, but we too have been caught unaware of this sudden development.”

Everything that happened then was a blur. People rushing everywhere, gathering their equipments as fast as possible. Some had anxious expressions on their faces, while a few were quite excited.

“We’re counting on you.”

Allen felt a light tap on his back. It was Assistant Trainer Natalie Myers. The Head Trainer was right behind her.

“We’ll be staying here to oversee the situation and send commands depending on the development. I’ll head out, too, if anything goes wrong and more help is needed.”

Special Event Quest

Defend Base 19

Assist in defending Base 19.

With a nod, Allen turned and left . When he left the room and got into the corridor, he saw a familiar person’s back. Then, he suddenly got an idea.

“Jake!”

The man turned and when he saw Allen, he stopped walking and waited for him to come running over.

“Man, I can’t take you out to your mission right now. The base is busy.”

“Obviously. I have a favor to ask.”

“Make it fast.”

Jake’s face made a strange expression after hearing Allen’s words.

“You’re crazy!”

Jake was yelling over the sound of the wind.

“And I can’t believe I’m giving you a hand! Do you have a death wish or something?!”

“I’m sure you accepted to help me in this because you’ve realized that this plan has the biggest chance of success.”

After a while, the Worldrunner slowed down and stopped in a small clearing. Jake sighed as Allen got off.

“Don’t get yourself killed.”

“You know I’ll just get sent back to the base if I get into a hard situation.”

With that, Jake left the scene.

The place that Allen went to was a location where the group of beasts would most probably pass through, based on the information given back in . Getting here only took three minutes with Jake’s Worldrunner.

Allen unsheathed Novo and stood there in the middle of the path. He was about to fight against a group of Vulpia not less than twenty in number, but there was not a single hint of fear on his face.

’I can’t take all of them down here, but I can reduce their numbers.”

In a few seconds, a ferocious blood-thirsty aura came from beyond the trees in front of him. From the shadows, a huge number of black Vulpia slowly walked out. This scene reminded him of the previous encounter.

“Where you the same pack that attacked me and the gray one?”

He asked, but, of course, he didn’t expect for any answer. One of the black Vulpia stood in front of the others. It seemed to be their leader. After making a growling a noise, about three-quarters of their group started to go ahead.

’That’s still too much.’

Allen didn’t know what the combat capabilities of the remaining personnel in Base 19 was. They may actually be able to handle this much, but he didn’t want to risk it to that sort of chance. Like him, the NPCs also have an Emergency Warp safety feature in their . It could still work as long as they were outside of the base, but once even a single Vulpia made it inside, casualties may be inevitable.

With swift movements, he changed Novo to 3rd Form and started running toward the furthest Vulpia. As he lifted his foot, a window appeared before him indicating the possible activation of the skill Dash. He had not yet practiced this skill, but right now he was already in his combat ready state.

As soon as the window appeared, he had already selected the skill to activate. He could feel a strange force pass through his entire body and concentrated on his legs. Pushing his body off the ground with the other foot, the wind rushed past his body, and the surroundings turned into a blur, until his other foot landed on the ground. In that instant, he had covered a distance of more than five meters.

The beasts were unable to react to this almost instantaneous movement, and in their moment of indecision, Allen had made another Dash forward using the momentum of the previous Dash to further increase the distance covered to almost 10 meters, and emptying his gauge. Then, he threw the blade on his left hand, accompanied by the momentum collected by the two Dashes.

The blade whistled through the air and accurately hit the Vulpia that was 20 meters away.

-100 Critical!

-25

By then, the other Vulpia had already recovered from the slightly stunned state and changed their direction to attack Allen, sensing his hostility toward them.

’Good!’

With a hand on his belt, he took out a and threw it right in front of a crowd of enraged Vulpia. At the same time, he drew another item out from storage. It was a , and used it immediately.

With enough recovered, he Dashed toward the stunned crowd while switching Novo to 2nd Form. The blade that had slashed and pierced the first beast flew back while spinning in the air, slightly damaging other beasts that were in the way. It then snapped back into place and quickly shifted to form the rectangular blunt weapon.

With a swing, Allen hit four beasts, and felt the bones, flesh, and organs being crushed inside.

-450 Brutal!

-450 Brutal!

-450 Brutal!

-450 Brutal!

The four were immediately in the red. Allen switched back to 1st Form and swung the blade back, slashing through the limp bodies of the four, and killing them.

’Finally…’

Allen rejoiced inwardly. This was his first actual kill in the game, and he was only able to do this thanks to his practice, the improved weapon, and the new skill. The Dash skill had actually improved his damage output by increasing the force behind his attacks due the the momentum from the quick movement. This in turn had increased his chances of dealing a critical and brutal blow. He also had the Assistant Trainer to thank for this.

Aside from the three types of weapon damage, there were three types of bonus damage aside from the normal damage. Critical is when a weak spot was accurately hit. Brutal damage is when the defenses were overcome through shear force. And lastly, was Fatal damage. It happens when either a Critical or Brutal damage was dealt while the target is in an extremely weakened state.

By making use of the transforming sword, Allen was able to handle the waves of attack done by the Vulpia just like how he did back when he was training. After a few minutes, he had finally disposed five more of them. That was when he noticed that the leader of the pack was gone along with about ten more of the beasts.

’I’ve been had!’

Ignoring the remaining wounded beasts, he turned and ran back to the base.

In …

“The Vulpia are steadily decreasing in number.”

“Almost half of their numbers had stayed in that same spot, while the rest are heading for the base.”

“A strong signature is coming from the approaching group. Estimated to be a Class V.”

Continuous reports were being made by the personnel watching over the monitors. They were completely surprised when the enemy they were expecting suddenly stopped in one area, hindered by a friendly signature. At first, they had found out that two people left the base’s perimeters, and headed straight to the enemy. Then one of them returned, leaving the other behind.

A suicide mission, that was how they saw it, but they had not expected the result that soon appeared before them. Director Ostwald had called for the person who returned to come to and report.

“It was CrySol AllIsDead.”

That was all he said. Everyone in the room were shocked. They all knew that he was still a Rank I Class 0 soldier. Event though he had the potential to reach Class X Rank 10, the highest possible level, potential is only potential and his current strength is much lower compared the the enemies he faced.

The results spoke otherwise. He had managed to hold off the enemy, slowing down their advance. He then reduced their numbers, causing the enemy group to be forced to split in two.

“I knew he had skill, but damn, that was reckless.”

The Head Trainer said. Assistant Trainer Natalie Myers standing beside him held her hands to her chest, secretly worried for his safety. It was fortunate that she had extended her help to him after seeing his insane training session.

’He managed to defeat twelve Class III Rank 10 Vulpia. The weakest in the group are Class II’s. He could surely manage them as long as he does not get careless.’

“Let us give him a proper award when this is all over.”

Director Ostwald sincerely said those words as he stared at one of the monitors. AllIsDead’s signal was running back to the base at an incredible speed.

’5 seconds!

Allen was keeping count of the time of the ’s duration. This was the third he had used; two in the fight, and this one to run away and leave combat. With the a of 38 points per second, he could perform another Dash in 1-2 seconds, allowing him to perform at most five Dashes starting from a full Gauge.

With him out of combat now, he could continue using the Dash skill at this rate. It was truly a useful skill.

Soon, he reached the base. Combat was already ensuing by the east entrance.

’Looks like there’s no casualty yet.’

As he scanned the battle, he noticed that the Vulpia were much stronger than the ones he faced just now. It must be the elite group, and the pack leader left behind grunts to deal with him. It seemed like it was looking down on him… or it could have used those weak grunts to keep him behind.

He saw the pack leader standing by the side, observing the battle. It was like a general thinking of strategies to use and handing out commands.

As he walked toward the pack leader, it seemed to notice him. Their eyes met, and the beast turned to fully face him. It growled as it charged straight toward him.

’Too straightforward.’

Allen couldn’t help but compare it to the gray Vulpia. He too, charged at the beast. As they reached a distance of five meters, the beast jumped to strike at him with its claws. He Dashed diagonally to the left, while swinging Novo in 2nd Form, aimed at the beasts front legs.

-150

One of the legs broke. As the beast landed, it growled angrily at Allen. Crystal shards near its injury gathered around the broken bone and served as a temporary support.

Seeing at how it was no match for him, the Vulpia howled into the night sky. All the other Vulpia fighting against the soldiers by the east gate suddenly broke free and ran to support the pack leader.

“So this is how you play your game, huh?”

It was well known that Vulpia almost always moved and hunted in packs. The only exception was the Rank VII Vulpia recorded in the database, and also the gray Vulpia that Allen encountered and fought. Now in a predicament, the pack leader summoned its followers to deal with the opponent in front of it.

The other base’s soldiers were shocked at the development. They could only stare dumbfounded as more than ten Vulpia with classes ranging from III to IV rushed toward a single person.

Unlike the others who were filled with trepidation, Allen smiled. Most of the beasts that were running toward him had less than 50% due to their previous combat engagement. Furthermore, he wasn’t alone. Although the others were currently in a stunned state, they would be able to assist him as soon as they recover. He even caught a glimpse of some with long guns. Just them were enough as support.

He dashed toward a group of three, and swung Novo in 2nd Form. Knocking them to the side easily just like swatting fly, and reducing their to critical levels. He didn’t chase them to finish the job but instead switched target. With 3rd Form, he ran between another group, dodging their attacks with minimal movements. Some grazed him, reducing his bit by bit, but he ignored that and countered them in return.

Throwing the left blade again, he managed to hit a beast that was waiting for an opportunity to strike, dealing minor damage. With the remaining sword, he made his way to the opposite direction, forming a line of Vulpia chasing after him. He then switched to 1st Form, causing the thrown blade to fly back, hitting the others on the way.

The observing soldiers realized what he was doing. Those with the long guns took a stable stance and aimed at the Vulpia with the lowest remaining . Shooting a barrage, they were easily taken down.

Allen smiled as he saw the response. It was good, as this was his original aim. Soon, the surviving Vulpia he left in the forest had arrived, but even if they increase their numbers, they were still easily taken care off.

In just ten minutes, the pack of Vulpia was eliminated. Only the pack leader remained. With a regretful howl, it turned and tried to flee in the forest.

“Don’t let it escape!”

One of the soldiers shouted. They all began to move, but then suddenly halted. Allen was already behind the pack leader as he used Dash twice to catch up to it, and he too, stopped in his tracks.

“C-class VIII…”

A voice whispered among the crowd of people, breaking the silence. There, among the trees in the direction where the Vulpia pack leader was headed to, stood a creature surrounded by a noble yet fear-inducing aura.

Its gray fur was even lighter than when Allen last saw it. It was also much bigger than before, a head taller than him. He would have doubted that it was the same beast he fought if not for the missing leg that was replaced by a crystal prosthetic. Its green eyes were also a brighter shade and shone with intelligence uncommon to beasts.

’How did it change so much in such a short time?’

It was glaring at the black Vulpia that was whimpering in fear in front of it. Then, it noticed Allen and its eyes shifted its gaze to him. It raised its prosthetic leg, as if showing it to him to remind him that it was an injury that he had caused. Then it swung the raised leg. Four thin blades formed from the crystal claws and sliced the black Vulpia into four pieces of meat.

After killing the pack leader, it slowly moved toward Allen. He wanted to move, but the beast’s gaze held him in place. It was as if he was hypnotized by those pair of mysterious green orbs.

It raised its prosthetic leg, then pierced Allen’s chest with one of its claws. He felt a burning sensation inside him, and his quickly drained. Just when he thought he was about to die, the claw left his chest. The Vulpia then turned and quickly disappeared into the forest.

The others could only watch. In front of that Class VIII beast, there was nothing they could. They thought that the CrySol who had saved them would die just like that, but that didn’t seem to be the case.

Finally, someone cheered. They had come out of this predicament alive with no casualty. It was a reason for great joy.

Allen had fallen down on his knees amid the meat and blood of the dead Vulpia. Despite the joyful atmosphere around him, he was unable to participate in the festive mood. He was once again filled with confusion. That gray Vulpia carried a sense of mysteriousness around it.

…

…

…

The gray Vulpia had been stuck in the tenth rank of Class VII for as long as it could remember. No matter how much it cultivated the within it, it couldn’t class up.

The had started to stagnate and corrode its body. As years passed, its strength slowly decreased. It was not as strong as it had been before right after reaching Rank 10. This was the backlash of cultivating beyond ones own limit. Vulpia originally could only reach the maximum of Class V. Past that, changes appear on their physical appearance. They become much stronger than before, but it comes with a cost. They were removed from their pack and turned into a target instead. Normally the pack was no match for a single Class VI Vulpia, but as time passed by, the Class VI Vulpia weaken and were hunted. To regain strength, another class up was necessary. This was a vicious cycle.

The gray Vulpia had not sought to fight back against its pack when it reached Class VII. Instead it focused on cultivating the to increase its strength. It wanted to reach the pinnacle of strength.

It had thought that it would die that night when it fought against the human. It continued to show its arrogant and proud demeanor. Although it was weak at that time, it was still much stronger than the human, but the human was able to turn the situation around.

When it had fled, the injuries that were caused by he human had stirred something inside it. The had started to evolve within it. It didn’t know the exact reason as to why this happened. It only knew that when it woke up this afternoon, it had already reached Class VIII.

Even though the human had tried to take its life, if not for that encounter, it wouldn’t have classed up. The purpose of its actions earlier were to repay the favor. The next time they meet, it wouldn’t spare a shred of mercy to the human. It would be a few more years before its strength starts to decay again. Before then, it would wait patiently for the human to find and challenge it to another battle.

Once again…

This is not delayed! Haha. It’s only 11 am here.

To a comment about having the gray one a pet, sorry but no pet for you :P

Strong people only needs strong rivals!

I hope you enjoyed this chapter.

Also I forgot to write something in the previous chapter. The first person to guess what it was would get 2 doses of (one dose is enough for a rank up).