Chapter 15

The Rupture Arena – part 2

The scenery around Bellamy's Party was strange. They had no vision beyond the outline of what resembled a forest boundary. Frederick checked the fletching on his arrows before putting them back into his quiver. He held his Bow of the Night at the ready while pulling the string a couple of times. The recurve bow did well in the Goblin Hideout, and its opportunity to prove itself useful a second time became evident.

[The Rupture Arena has commenced!]

[Your Health and Mana will go down by 2% every 10 minutes.]

[Ruptured Health and Mana cannot be restored during the examination.]

The once blurred vision beyond the forest boundary opened up for the Party, and as seconds passed by, the missing visual gap ahead of them had become perfectly visible.

"It's huge," said Peter with his eyes gawking.

"Hey. You all saw the System notifications, right? Any thoughts?" Loretta initiated.

"Let's head into the forest for some cover. We'll draw more attention out in the open," Tisha issued, and the Party advanced toward a forest passage.

"First off. There are three of us at Level 10. We can expect other Parties of varying Hunter Levels, so we should avoid contact with larger Parties. Our goal is to survive," Tisha requested. The whole group nodded. Tisha continued talking in the Party chat, "secondly, we'll talk in the Party chat from now on. Even when a Party member is under direct exposure, we'll stick to the Party chat."

"But, why?" Frederick issued.

"Use your brain cell, Amoeba. What do you think will happen to the rest of the Party if someone shouts to warn you?" Loretta frowned.

"Hey, don't compare me to those Level 0 monsters!"

"Thirdly, Bell, anything about Soul Window Lv2 that might be advantageous for us?

Bellamy opened his Status and sent his Party the information regarding Soul Window Lv2.

Soul Window (Lv2)

Stats are concealed if a Monster is 7 (+2) Levels above the user.

Some stats are revealed if a Monster is less than 7 (+2) Levels above the user.

All stats are revealed if a Monster is 0 (+2) Levels above the user or less.

The user cannot gauge the Level or stats of a Hunter.

The Soul Window Map will show (some) terrain details.

The Soul Window Map will present targets up to 24 (+4) meters from the user.

The user will be disbanded from Party at a range beyond 1 kilometer (+500 meters).

Upgrade the Soul Window for additional perks.

"I'll be able to scout 500 meters further than you guys. Also, having extra terrain details available doesn't hurt."

"That's great," Mina expressed, "we don't know how big this forest is. Or if there's anything beyond it. Scouting is a good option, but I think we should stick together for now."

"Totally agree," Peter nodded, "I can't Tank more than four to five Level 10 Common monsters at once, and I think the same applies when it comes to Hunters...maybe less even."

"Alright, I guess we've come to an agreement. We stick together for now," Tisha summarized.

[You have lost 2% of your maximum Health and Mana in The Rupture Arena.]

Everyone furrowed their brows. Alongside the Soul Window Map was a small chronometric timer that had just passed the ten-minute mark. "Okay, last issue," Loretta stressed, "how do we go abou-"

"It's not as troublesome as you might think," Frederick cut her off, "it'll take a whole hour to reduce our Health and Mana by 12%. Let's say four hours passed. We'd still have more than 50% Health left."

"It's not that simple," Mina inquired, "sure, we'd have 50% Health left, but remember that the lower limit for being kicked out of the Arena is 30%."

"Let's not forget that we'll be more and more fatigued as time goes by. But that applies to anyone," Peter jumped in, "for now, let's focus on surviving the Arena."

The team of six trailed away from any open paths along the way, and they silently trudged deeper into the forest. 15 minutes had passed since the commencing of the examination, and there were still no signs of other Parties. Bellamy raised a clutched hand, signaling the Party to halt.

"I don't think they've noticed us yet. They most likely don't have anyone with Soul Window Lv2 in their midst," Bellamy informed the Party, "I count four—no, wait…five Hunters."

Before anyone else got a chance for a follow-up statement, more red dots appeared one by one in Bellamy's Map, each dot moving erratically. Some of the red dots retreated toward Bellamy's Party.

"I can see the dots too!" constrained Frederick pointed out in the Party chat, "they're headed our way!"

"There's more likely two Parties battling each other right now," Bellamy quickly informed, as only he had the four-meter Map radius advantage.

Tisha was calm and directed her orders. "We'll form a defensive line. Everyone, ready your Skills and don't worry about losing Health or Mana. We can't do anything about the Rupture effect, but we can still heal ourselves and use potions."

"Tisha's right," Mina readied her twin daggers, "if things worsen, we have Tisha to heal us."

A tiny Wood Sprite sprouted out from Bellamy's Inventory, "don't forget about Luny!"

"Luny, use the Party chat," Bellamy directed, "cast Wisen and Sharpen on Loretta and Tisha."

The Wood Sprite, whose Pet Loyalty was currently at 36, did as Bellamy instructed. "Now, follow up with Resilience on Peter, and drink this." A bottle of Mana potion Lv1 was tossed toward Luny, who caught it with a single tiny hand while chanting Resilience Lv1 with the other. "Save your remaining Mana for heals, Luny."

"Alright, Bell!" Luny grinned, chugged down the potion, tossed the vial, and punched the air, excited by impending conflict.

The red dots on Bellamy's map closed in on his Party. The enemies were over the half-way point of the Map radar, and battle cries and trees being hit by various Skills became pronounced.

Frederick drew his bowstring and fired. Bellamy followed the trajectory of the arrow.

Nice aim, Frederick. That's a hit.

Having the high-ground, Bellamy's Party had the advantage over the unsuspecting targets that were already locked in battle.

Frederick's arrow hit its mark, but it wasn't enough to get the target below the 30% threshold.

[Frederick has dealt 286 damage to Jum Kia.]

[The target has lost over 50% Health points in one hit.]

[Abnormal condition, Incapacitated, has been activated.]

[The target is unable to Move, Attack (Physical), or use Skills (Silenced) for 10 seconds.]

Loretta followed up with two Fireball Lv1s. Neither of the fireballs hit directly, but the fire that struck a nearby tree and ground splattered onto the Incapacitated target.

[Loretta has dealt 83 damage to Jum Kia with a grazed attack.]

[Loretta has dealt 95 damage to Jum Kia with a grazed attack.]

[The target's Health points are below 30% of its maximum.]

[The target will be forced out of the Rupture Arena.]

The Hunter sprawling in pain on the forest grounds started to emit white light, and in mere milliseconds, he was channeled out of the Arena as a white streak that traveled upward and vanished in the skies.

[Loretta has gained 20 Rupture points!]

[You have gained 10 Rupture points!]

"Whoa! Looks like we get points for force-outs. Neat!" Frederick uttered, slightly disappointed that he didn't get the last hit.

"Focus on the battle," Mina scolded, "two new targets ahead!"

Bellamy noticed Peter tensing up and patted him on the back. "Think of them as your everyday monsters. Steel yourself, bud... And remember...they won't die for real."

Peter loosened his posture and banged his mace onto his sturdy shield. Having no hands free to give a thumbs up, it was his way of saying 'count on me.' Bellamy grinned at his newfound resolve.

The oncoming Hunters were now wary of the attacks coming from both sides. What they knew and what they could realistically do were two separate matters. As Frederick, Tisha, and Loretta continuously spammed their arrows and Skills, it took less than ten seconds before the two approaching Hunters were met by the same fate as their predecessor.

"Looks like the other Party headed another direction," Bellamy informed, "Tisha, what next?"

"I think we're being evaluated on two fronts—Rupture points and Survivability. For now, let's not get in over our heads. We should regroup and plan ahead."

"Six o'clock," Bellamy issued, "might be the same group that ambushed the other Party."

Several arrows rained down on them from afar, none of them hitting the mark, though one arrow almost struck Luny, who had reflexively dodged.

Peter sprang to the rear with his Iron Tower Shield held high. His armor was heavy, reducing his mobility slightly.

"Diamond formation behind Peter!" Tisha ordered. She had grown accustomed to Peter through all their battles together and knew exactly what to order.

Mina dashed behind Tisha and covered their new rear while Frederick and Loretta turned around and blindly fired back at the still out-of-sight enemies.

Bellamy noticed one of the bushes rustling unnaturally; there was no wind, yet something had made the bush move. "Mina, the bushes 3 o'clock from our front. Tisha, fire a few Magic Arrows there. The rest of you, focus on the front and support Peter."

"Magic Arrow Lv2"

"Ugh!" someone hiding behind a bush groaned.

[Tisha has dealt 204 damage to Hyeong Young.]

"Magic Arrow Lv2!"

This time Hyeong Young dodged the incoming Magic Arrow. However, he was unaware that the second arrow was a diversion.

"Backstab Lv1," Mina vocalized, and two of her daggers planted themselves in each of the assailant's thighs.

[Mina has dealt 292 damage to Hyeong Young.]

[The target's Health points are below 30% of its maximum.]

[The target will be forced out of the Rupture Arena.]

"Good thinking not stabbing his upper body, Mina. He might have actually died from a critical hit." I have to be careful as well, Bellamy cautioned himself.

Outnumbered and with a surprise ambush failing, the enemy Party was slowly being pushed back. Most of their arrows were easily deflected by Peter, and noticing that they were out of options, they could only retreat.

"Wind Sprint Lv1"

Bellamy dashed downhill and aimed his palm onto the beastman Hunter in full metal plating.

"Drown Lv1"

The fleeing beastman reduced his running speed, and after a few more steps, he knelt down while trying to remove the water covering his face. It was futile. Following Mina's footsteps, Bellamy released his Skill, primed his Tempered Iron Sword toward the beastman's legs, and stabbed through the iron plating on each thigh.

[Tesken Bravebody has taken 308 damage.]

[Tesken Bravebody has taken 319 damage.]

Instantly, the beastman was also channeled out in the same fashion as the previous fallen Hunters. Before Bellamy had a chance to regroup with his Party, a new system message displayed itself.

[The second stage of The Rupture Arena will commence in 5 minutes.]

[Potion usage of any kind will be restricted during the second stage.]

[There are currently 794 participants present in The Rupture Arena.]

[There are currently 214 Hunter Parties in The Rupture Arena.]

"Use your potions now, guys," Tisha instructed, well aware of the irony of their situation, having just moments ago stated not to worry about Health and Mana depletion, "it's going to be a tough fight ahead."