Chapter 15: Interlude

Dynamo Scarr, and yes that is his real name thank you very much, was what you could say as the most prepared for this apocalypse as one could be. From the day he was born he knew he was destined for greatness, to fight evil and be the champion of the world. He believed with a certainty that he was the main character of this story.

Dynamo was trained in four different martial arts, an experienced sword fighter (although his hopes of making the regional championships were quashed in the grand final), and extremely skilled in outdoor and wilderness survival. So, when the apocalypse arrived, he was in the best position possible.

He had long straight black hair that flowed down to his shoulders but had been tied back into a warriors ponytail. He stood at around 6’2”, his whole body toned with muscles, and had one large scar running down his face across his eye from a fencing accident when he was young, a fitting wound considering his last name. Even his very appearance inspired fear in his enemies.

At the beginning his house was surrounded by Kobolds, small figures with a humanoid shape but the face of a lizard. However, these lizard people were easy prey for the 6-time state judo champion, who slaughtered them indiscriminately over several days. He knew he was no match for the boss, a level 10 Kobold Bruiser who stood around 7 feet tall, but he knew he was the MC, so like any main character it was only a matter of time. When he reached level 5, he took out his longsword that he had painstakingly kept in top condition over the years and engaged in an epic boss fight.

And was successful.

The 9-time Karate champion struck at the time the Kobold was asleep, dressed in the skins of its minions to disguise his scent. In a short but no less intense boss battle, the first sneak attack blow that gutted the creature created just enough of an advantage for him to triumph. Checking in the back of the cave that the Kobold resided in, he claimed his loot as any protagonist would.

A glowing magical sword likely enchanted by some great wizard with its ability to cut through even solid stone with but a light swing. With his new sword equipped it did not take him long to eliminate the whole tribe. By the end of his two-day escapade, he had reached level 7 and was ready to pursue greater foes.

Dynamo also received the rare class [Gladiator], an evolution of his warrior class revolving around his experience with forms of combat and from fighting stronger enemies than himself. This then evolved into the epic class [Beast Slayer] after he defeated the boss alone, further increasing his combat prowess.

The self-proclaimed protagonist did not wish to stop his quest to save earth here after defeating one weak boss, and instead pushed himself to become greater. As such, he immediately headed towards the place he had heard the loudest roars during his time in the apocalypse. During a day of travel, he killed many foes, some of a higher level than himself, and even raised his own level to 8. With the majority of his stat points in strength and agility, he used his experience in the blade to cut down all that stood before him.

And then he saw it, the one thing that would let him rise above all others on the planet.

It was clearly destined for him, as an MC this was what he was born to have. About 200 meters away from him was a lone tree with a single golden apple growing from its branches. The tree seemed to radiate light, attracting all those around it with its beauty, and was surrounded by a lake that looked like it was made of pure crystal. A single passage, a narrow strip of earth connected the island to the land, and he could tell from a glance that the energy in the lake was strong enough to kill him with just a single sip.

He could see a group of worgen, strange human wolf hybrids that he had been killing previously, clashing with some undead led by three death knights. In the background, a lich fought against some shamans that appeared of orcish descent. Infront of them, more ogres and orcs were scattered around in battle. Overall, it was a scene of pure chaos that he was ready to take advantage of.

And the fruit was nearly grown, he could tell from his instincts even with just his rudimentary sense of the mana around him as a warrior that it was reaching its peak, about to give birth to this treasure. The others could feel it too, and the group of shamans began to cast together in an effort to release one great spell to eliminate their enemies and lay claim to the fruit.

Dynamo Scarr began his sprint for the prize. At first, he was barely noticed, just another figure in the melee. But after cutting through several worgen and beating down two orcs, he finally attracted the attention of the other boss monsters. But it was too late. He was already at full sprint and had no intention of slowing down. One death knight was able to disengage from his enemy and intercept him, but as it swept its blade at Dynamo he launched himself in the air, doing a literal backflip over his confused opponent. Almost stunned by this display of agility, the death knight did not have enough time to stop him as he ran across the narrow bridge to the tree.

He could feel it all begin to climax. The mana had reached its peak in the fruit, the air seemed to hum from the mana that overflowed around it. From behind him, all eyes were focused on the broad figure of Dynamo as he reached out for the golden apple. From above, clouds had formed, and the air seemed to stir, from around him the crystal water was bubbling from the energy that had gathered, and he could hear the shamans’ voices begin to reach a crescendo in the background.

With an almost effortless gesture, he plucked the apple from the tree. Two of the death knights and one extremely large worgen were rushing towards him, blocking the bridge and leaving no route to escape. But they could not arrive in time to stop him from taking a bite of the fruit. The lich in the background let out a shout in anger, pushing its arms to send its mana flying at Dynamo, causing him to fly backwards in the air. All the forces uniting at his front left him no choice but to dive towards the crystal waters, taking a chance at the chaotic energies that could kill him over the horde behind him that desperately wanted to.

He swallowed the apple and mana filled every inch of his body. The water seemed to burn his skin as he hit the surface. Silence seemed to fill the world as the Shamans finished their chant, and a massive bolt of lightning descended from the sky onto his position. A cocktail of forces, all colliding in and creating a maelstrom of energy inside his body.

He could feel the healing energy of the apple fighting against the lightning and chaotic mana that impacted his body. He could feel changes occurring inside of him as the energies that filled him were fighting for dominance over his body.

You have levelled up.

You have levelled up.

….

A chorus of notifications, all the way until Dynamo reached level 25 and he could feel the mana of his body begin to condense and form a core inside of his heart. This was not the end, the mana kept pouring in regardless and the changes to his body kept pushing his level up further and further. The energy inside of him growing and growing.

Until it grew too much.

While he thought he was the protagonist, not even his plot armor was this strong.

And so, Dynamo Scarr exploded.