Chapter 28: Race to Level 10 V

“War crest?” Teo blinked, tilting his head to the side. “Is that what that tattoo is on your arm?”

Now it was Gloria’s turn to be dumbfounded. She blinked her eyes, voice quivering when she asked, “you don’t know about War Crests?”

“Never heard of them.” Teo shook his head with a shrug. No one had ever told him about War Crests, not even a hint. Something this awesome, he would’ve remembered otherwise.

“How can it be?” Gloria frowned, finding it hard to take in that there was someone who didn’t know about her family’s prized craft. They were already in the business for half a decade.

“I-m- impossible. Every player worth their salt has at least one war crest on their person. How can you not know of them?”

Teo gave her culture shock.

“Maybe because the players around me didn’t have one. At the very least, they have never taken it out in the open.” He concluded, then wondered: “What are these war crests?”

It was his first time hearing about them, and the only function he saw of the tattoo was to create things from nothing. Teo thought it was a god-like ability. He knew the [Players] around him well enough. How could they not flex if they had something this awesome?

“Which backwater base camp are you from? My god! I can’t believe some people still don’t know about war crests. It was the MVP in the flood dragon subjugation five years ago.” Gloria continued with her disbelief.

“What’s an MVP? And you still haven’t told me what they are.” Teo reminded her. He was burning with curiosity towards the tattoo on her hand.

Gloria pinched the bridge between her eyes as she groaned. “In layman’s terms, war crests are special tattoos that give you abilities similar to support-type skills. The one I have here is a tiny dimensional storage with a ten kg capacity.”

Teo stood stumped for a few seconds as his brain digested what it heard. To think humans have developed so far with the usage of mana even though it only appeared two decades ago. His worldview expanded once again.

“You know what’s the best part! War crests can also enhance weapons used by ordinary people. It’s a revolutionary invention.” Gloria continued, shaking her head. “How have you not heard about it? Were you living under a rock all this time?”

Teo just shrugged. It couldn’t be helped. Most of his knowledge came from eavesdropping on [Players]. No one he knew had ever brought up the topic or even mentioned it in passing. How would he know?

“Can I get one?” He asked, eager. The storage space was quite a convenient tool to have. A lot of things could be carried hassle-free. He could even store strategic resources like food, water, explosives, and guns for specific situations. And the list goes on with what he could do.

“No.” Her response was instantaneous.

Teo’s face scrunched up at the rejection. After going through so much, he thought they were already friends. Turns out, it was only in his mind. Dang! Was it hurt?

“Don’t misunderstand,” Gloria continued, a red hue dusting her cheeks as she explained. “It’s not that I’m not willing to give you. I just don’t know how to draw one.”

“Oh… okay! I got it.” Teo sighed in releif, then nodded understadningly. Just because her family was known for the craft doesn’t mean she has to be good at it. He could understand this and didn’t blame her. Although, it was a shame that an opportunity was missed right under his nose. He might not get another chance like this in the future.

After a few more minutes of resting, Teo and Gloria set off to face the final horde on the floor.

But, before they could even take one step towards their final goal, a surprise came in the form of a system notification.

Triggered Special Task!

Task 01: Ghoul Hunt

A unique monster was birthed from the influence of and is prowling the halls of the first floor. As it goes against the guidelines set by , the [Akashic Records] has marked it illegal. Track down and kill the monster before it gains power.

Reward(s): +1 Level up; 70% discount coupon.

Time: 1:04:48

“Are you seeing the same thing I do?” Teo asked, eyes on the box hovering inches away from him.

“If you mean the special task, then yes,” Gloria answered, knitting her brows. The name of the task had sent a shiver down her spine. She knew about ghouls. They were bad news.

“What’s a ghoul?” He asked, curious. Even though he had never seen or heard about this monster, his heart pounded just from reading the name. Instincts honed from countless scavenging were going off like alarm bells.

“A bad news.” Gloria inhaled deeply, filling her lungs with oxygen. Her fingers curled into tight fists, causing the leather gloves to groan against her skin. Moments later, she glanced at Teo, her face paling slightly.

“Technically, they are a mutant form of zombies. Fast, strong, and resilient—those are its characteristics. Its two abilities, [Poison Mist] and [Presence Conceiling], make it a horrible unit. This monster isn’t something we can handle at our current level.”

Teo’s heart skipped a beat. What a dreadful beast! His instincts were spot on once again.

“Then, what should we do? Run?” He asked.

“Too late. Look at the map.” Gloria groaned.

Teo quickly dismissed the task notification, then opened the map.

“Shit!”

The yellow markers, which they labeled as newbies, were rushing in the same direction as them. The cluster had shrunk considerably, looking less dense than what he remembered. Maybe because a few had died.

Lagging behind them was a bright red mark, rapidly gaining on them. He didn’t have to think twice to know what that was.

“These bunch of bastards!” He cursed. Why were they coming this way?

“Get ready,” Gloria warned. “It’s gonna be a fight for our lives.”

She braced herself on her knees and adjusted the rifle, supporting it with her shoulders. Her heart beat like a drum in her ears. Teo followed her lead and took a stance with his sword pushed forward.

They waited with bated breath, ready to face the dread approaching them.

Though not revealed on her face, Gloria was really scared. Ghouls were powerful and bloodthirsty monsters who overcame all the weaknesses of a zombie. They even got two skills geared to kill humans and/or other living beings. She didn’t think she got what it took to go against one at her current level.

If she could, she would have already started running at this time, but the monster was right ahead of her. On these linear floors, you could either go back or forwards… and behind them was a horde of zombies. Their situation was like trapped between a rock and a hard place.

“Help! Someone help me!”

“Leader, help me! I have been with your all these years. Please don’t abandon me.”

“Shit! Maria got caught!”

“Don’t talk. Don’t scream! You will attract the zombies. Just run. She’s already a goner.”

Voices of men and women echoed in the narrow hall as they gradually became louder. Soon, Teo and Gloria witnessed two men and one woman running toward them with all their might. Disheveled and pitiful appearance suggested the struggles they were through. But what really stood out was the abject horror they exhibited on their faces.

They must have experienced something terrifying to have a face like that.