Capítulo 3: Chapter Two - Penalty: Oousagi Rabbits
/// Arthur Leywin ///
The ground rumbled and the whole forest seemed to have turned upside down. I fell from the severed tree trunk. The whole world seemed to have abandoned its natural order, spinning in the opposite direction of its axis. I screamed as I was thrown everywhere. However, the impact of my collision every time I landed was mushy... almost grainy. Gathering my nerves I looked around to see everything being turned into sand. The hard texture of wood, ground, fabric of tent.. everything inside the world except me was turning granular.
A wave of anxiety and apprehension washed over my entire being as I remembered something. Tessia. The elf girl was still inside the tent. Gathering mana from my core, I imbued my legs with mana and with another step I was already in front of the entrance of the tent leaving a trail of charred leaves and ground behind me. Panic overtook me as I went inside, lifting the tent flap I went inside, my eyes darting from one place to another. Stumbling from one place to another, as I was continuously thrown off balance, I finally spotted Tessia. She was still sleeping. However, looking closely I saw even her turning to dust.
(A/n *cough* for good maybe.*kidding*)
Reaching out for her I placed my hand over her shoulders, jerking her,
"Hey Tessia, wake up." I spoke up loud enough to explode her eardrums but she kept sleeping, her chest raised up and down rhythmically, in tandem with her breath.
"How?" A confused sigh escaped my mouth. The next moment I saw cracks spread over her body as her body started to turn granular. Just like all the other things. I was horrified and petrified. Falling on my bum I looked at the roof of the tent with a panic stricken expression. I had seen many wonders of what technology could do. I had seen that impossible became possible in my old world. However, this was beyond anything I had witnessed up until this point.
It was awe-inspiring yet horrifying. Awe-inspiring in a sense that the world changing with a single exception is nothing short of a miracle. A once in a forever event. However, nothing happens without a cause and a medium. If this 'phenomenon' was happening, someone was responsible for it. And that was what made it truly terrorizing. Someone was doing it. Was it the system itself? Or was it the one who created it?
"What the hell are you doing?" I TRIED to scream at the system but it only came out as a frail wail.
Damn this underdeveloped body!!
I was flung away and got deposited rather unceremoniously. I felt something soft against my fingertips- Ultra-fine grains of sand. The accursed earthquake or phenomenon or whatever it can be referred to as had stopped. A rather gross feeling invaded my mouth.
*ptooie*
I spat out a handful of sand that had made its way to my mouth and hurriedly raised my head up. Glazing my hands away from the burning sand I stood up. I looked around to see nothing but an endless expanse of sandy dunes and plains. A huge sun, almost double the size of the normal one shone above the dunes, making the desert look even more ominous than it already was. Standing straight I lifted the bottom part of my shirt, letting the sand that had managed to intrude inside my clothes fall out. I repeated the same process with my pants and shoes.
"Haaah…. this can't be real." It was a surreal, madcap situation. Being teleported to a place was one thing, but changing the whole arena around us to fit a single person. It was something beyond expectations. Scratch expectations, It was almost impossible to even think of something like this, let alone accomplishing.
However, something seemed off. I scooped down and picked up a handful of sand. Raising my hand above my head level I let the grains of sand slip through my fingers. All of them fell on the bed of sand, mixing with them.
"Not even a hint of breeze or slightest wind here." It was beyond bizarre now. It was almost like I was in some confined place… like trapped in a cube. A cold chill crept up my spine. I looked up- despite the sun that shone as vibrant as it could, the sky was dark. As dark as the darkest night, full of shadows, like the whole sky was filled up with black ink and nothing else.
"Just what have I gotten myself into." I sighed, my frustration getting the better of me as I fell to my knees. Suddenly, the sandy ground next to me caved in and a deep pit formed there.
"Huh?"
I stood up hastily and started to run away desperately, trying to avoid getting sucked in down there. The sandy pit grew wider and wider, and eventually, I had to crawl on all fours just to pull myself out. After a few minutes of arduous struggle I managed to escape from the hell hole that had literally formed beneath me.
*pant pant pant*
Just as I was about to thank the darned heavens, the ground beneath me rumbled again. A crevice formed from the north-west corner of this desert as it started to make its way to me.
"Oh come on, you've got to be kidding me." I blurted out, my breathing ragged as I watched the crack approach me at a monstrous speed. It was like the earth itself was trying to swallow me. I stood up quickly, mana encircling my body as I tried to activate mana rotation too.
['Player is unable to use "PASSIVE" skills in the penalty zone. "ACTIVE" skills can be utilised. Exp. points can be gained too. Inventory is available for use too.]
"HAHA, YEAH YOU DAMNED BASTARD, OF-COURSE THE MOST USEFUL THING IS UNUSABLE… SCREW YOU!!!!!" I shrieked as I continued to run away from the crack. I used mana to augment only my feet to run. I would soon run out of mana if I keep running. Since the crack was forming in a straight line I stepped in an opposite direction.
"You're quite dumb to send a single crack that runs in one direction at me. I've beaten the system, how's that eh?" I mocked the system as I huffed, proud at the in-significant achievement.
*crackkkkkkkkkkk*
My gaze shifted behind, horror coursing through my veins as I saw multiple other cracks travelling towards me.
"I was kidding. Why take a harmless joke so seriously?" I said to no-one in particular, the previous traces of mockery vanished away in thin air. Letting out a grumble I started running again.
Something is definitely not right.
I racked my brain over the possible sources of uncertainty. Even in my previous life I used to rely on my intuitions and instincts. And right now, each fibre of my being was screaming at me that I was being played with.
I looked around. Squinting my eyes I allocated the bare minimum of my attention to running away while I began observing, studying the phenomenon happening right in front my eyes as I probed for any possible patterns. My gaze darted from one crack to another hungrily, looking desperately for a connection between them.
Think Arthur, think!
West, east, north-east, south-west. The other directions had already turned into grand canyons, the crevices vast enough to swallow a small city. That was when I saw a pattern. Everything started falling in the right place. Like after placing the one most difficult piece of puzzle in place, everything makes sense- It was the same for the current situation. It wasn't random- the system wanted me to go in a specific direction.
Finally deciding on playing along with the system I darted in the direction that was the most safe, unscathed. It was as I had expected. Running straight towards the north was where the system wanted me to go. I kept running without either looking back or thinking about anything, my sole focus on reaching where it wanted me to go.
After 10 minutes of continuous running I reached towards… the end of the world? I could still see the vast expanse beyond this point, however, I couldn't move a single step beyond that point. I placed my hand over the invisible barrier. A slight ripple formed on the shield, travelling in every direction before dissipating. Imbuing mana in my fist I punched it. The bones in my hand trembled, almost as if someone had punched my hand with double the force.
"So…. What now?" I asked, looking up, hoping the one who's doing this will answer my questions. As if on cue the ground beneath me trembled once more. A pit similar to before appeared in the middle of the place where I stood. It started as a pit but continued to grow- both in terms of depth and width.
I fell on my back as I witnessed a temple looking building emerge from the ground. Its design was a work of art, emanating an aura of divinity making me feel so small and insignificant. Even seeing the temple with my mortal eyes felt like a sin. The double doors that led to the inside of the temple opened with a huge bang, smoke and dust rising and spreading from inside to outside. 5 equal steps carved out of a sparkling white marble extended from inside, inviting me.
Gulping down a dry lump of saliva I stood up and made my way towards it. Reaching for the steps I placed my right feet over the first step.
*badum*
My heart thumped in my ears as I continued to climb the stairs, my heart-beat quickening with every heavy step taken. Arriving at the top I took another big step and arrived inside the temple. The inside of the temple was empty, with nothing inside it. Just a huge square shiny room.
What the...
The door behind me shut with a loud clatter, the wooden planks that made up the double-wooden door shaking from the sudden impact. The subtle sound of honking echoed, reverberating slightly. It was followed by the slight sound of a few more honks. My gaze jumped from one corner to another, looking for the source of the ominous sound.
*rustle*
Something moved in the north-east corner of the room. Letting a minute amount of mana augment my eyes, I focused in that direction. My stiffened body relaxed as I saw what it was.short fluffy tail, large hind legs, long ears, and a coat of fur. They were adorned with a pair of sharp front teeth. Wait… sharp? Their fur was as white as snow. They looked no different than a normal furry cute rabbit on earth but something about them was keeping me on edge.
A wave of bloodlust undulated throughout the room, flooding it as I saw the eyes of multiple "CUTE" rabbits turn blood red, their demeanour taking a full 180.
[Penalty Quest: Survive the Oousagi Rabbits for 30 minutes. Breaching the kill-count threshold of 30 will result in additional awards]
The bodies of the rabbits suddenly started convulsing as they bent at unnatural degrees, the disturbing sounds of bones crunching echoing through the room. Mana flickered around them and then expanded visibly as similar clones reproduced from their own body. It was an instantaneous process. Their numbers doubled and then increased 4 times.
My legs bent as I lowered in an attack stance. The small knife that I had managed to steal from the slave traders was already in my hand, un-sheathed from its leather scabbard. I pointed the tip of the dagger in their direction. Mana trickled from my core, augmenting my body as I bolted from my place.
Their ears perked up, long razor sharp teeth rattling as they pounced in my direction. Their springy hind legs provided them even more speed as a horde of white fur balls attacked me. What I had thought that these were just some mindless mana beasts as mentioned in the books I had read before… oh how wrong I was…!
A few of them jumped at me. I lowered and spun on my heel dodging their onslaught. I then swung my dagger in a crescent shape upwards. A loud clang filled the room as I saw one of the air-borne rabbits twist and catch the knife with its bare teeth. Its grip around the blade of the knife tightened. A crack ran through it. Before I could withdraw the knife, the damned rabbit chomped on it, the multiple shards aviating everywhere. Gathering mana at the bottom of my heel I kicked the ground and created some distance.
"Damn it." I cursed at the loss of my weapon. A small trail of blood formed on my arm as I saw one of the flying fragments stabbed in my arm. I bit my lip in frustration and took out the stub of metal in one swift motion that stuck in my extensor digitorum muscles.
(A/n TBH, I don't know what this is- long ago A similar situation happened to me and a friend of mine said that the thorn was stabbed in Extensor digitorum. So yeah, I kinda remembered that and used the same word here. Anyways, back to chapter.)
Gritting my teeth I let wind mana course through my channels, guiding them to my hand. The slight green sheen of wind mana hummed as it extended over my fingers in a triangular shape.
[Skill: Swordless Technique has been activated]
The heads of the "Oousagi" rabbits turned towards me, the agitation visibly building up. Their eyes darted over to the shimmering green sword on my right hand. As if it was a staged performance, everyone went on their hind legs. It bent like suspensions and then like a catapult each one of them was travelling at me at a blinding speed.
Directing the flow of mana towards my legs I flashed towards the huge crowd. I swung my wind blade in every direction. Their movements were impeccable, nimble as they darted from one place to another, narrowly avoiding my attacks by a hair breadth. Wind mana surrounded my hand-blade in a spiral as I ducked from the razor sharp chomp of a bunny flying at me. Defeating them wasn't a problem. Their attacks were simple, following a predetermined pattern and showing next to no signs of intelligence or adaptability. However, they were somehow able to track my attack. I could feel it- it wasn't the fact that they were adapting to me, no. It was almost like they knew what I was about to do.
Maybe….
A hypothesis popped up in my mind as one of them managed to take hold of my arm, its pointed teeth digging deep in my skin. I winced as I was taken aback by the sudden wave of pain and the subtle paralysis that came with it. Bringing my arm in a downward curve, the green arc flowed seamlessly followed by the spiralling wind. However, the same result. Each one of them avoided my attacks- like everything was pre-planned.
That's when everything fell in place and the hypothesis I had in my mind came true.
"They can see the flow of mana." I had never heard about these beasts nor studied about them. I just recently learned their name for the very first time. Hence I was oblivious to their anatomy. However, this much was certain now. They could detect the flow of mana and then accurately use it to predict most of my attacks. I formulated a plan in my head. Dissipating the blade and removing the mana augmenting my feet I dashed towards them once again. Just as I came close to them I did it,
[Skill: Swordless Technique has been activated]
The sword shimmered to life at point blank range. I felt the tip of the sword pierce their skin, a viscous blue liquid oozing out of it. The fragile bones inside their body crunched on impact. The bunny let out a screech before falling to the ground with a wet plop, drawing in its own blood. The paralysis from before caught up to me as I felt my dangle to one side.
[Paralysis resistance has been granted to the "Player."]
For the first time since gaining the system, I was actually happy at something it gave to me. I now knew how to bypass the beasts. Spinning on my heel I ducked another horde of pouncing beasts, as I dispelled my blade again. A wave of stinging pain radiated from my core as it spread throughout my whole body.
[Beast Will sabotaging mana usage of 'Player'. Do you wish to remove the will left behind by the dragon, 'Sylvia'?]
My core ached as I fell on my knees, wrapping my hands around my sternum, however I couldn't lose one of the last two things Sylvia left for me.
"No." I replied sternly, my tone saturated with conviction. Rolling on my back I ducked another razor sharp teeth that came at me at a blinding speed, the air whistling around them. Gathering every last bit of strength I stood up and dashed at them again. The only time I could use mana was when I was at point-blank range.
Suddenly I felt my eyes glow, the world slowing down around me.
"Let's end it now."
Like my body had suddenly become extremely light, I hopped from one place to another as the blade manifested as an extension of my fingers and joined together in a sharp tip as I cleaved beast after another. My speed increased exponentially, my surroundings warping, the only sound that reached my ears was of the system.
[Kill count 34/30. Exp. points will now be added to 'Player']
My blade sliced open another Oousagi rabbit, the two slices of its body falling on either side.
[You have gained a level +1]
My own sense of self seemed to be getting lost, my mind solely focused on killing- just like how I was when I was King Grey. Black aura oozed out of my pores as I went on a killing spree. Even the instantaneous reproduction of the rabbits was not helping them as their numbers continued to decrease. Embracing the cold sensation of emotionlessness I sundered them without taking a break. I bisected, mutilated, stabbed even ignoring the sounds of the system.
[You have gained a level +1]
[You have gained a level +1]
[You have gained a level +1]
[You have gained a level +1]
[You have gained a level +1]
Finally I fell down, my breathing ragged as I gasped for air. I took in the air like a hungry beast, filling my lungs to brim. My core ached, even absorbing mana seemed to be excruciatingly difficult.
[Player has risen to level 12. Core is being re-adjusted to match the body composition. Core is being purified. Core has ascended to Light red.]
[Player has unlocked Elemental Affinities.]
[Player has unlocked Fire, Proficiency = 59%]
[Player has unlocked Water, Proficiency = 50%]
[Player has unlocked Wind, Proficiency = 65%]
[Player has unlocked Earth, Proficiency = 20%]
I screamed as I felt the mana being forcefully drawn inside my core. For some reason my core had started acting up and using even a minute amount of mana made me feel like my core was exploding.
"Shut up for a second." I muttered under my breath as I laid on the floor, my eyes set on the roof as the same space disruption started again, albeit a lot faster this time. My gaze travelled from the familiar looking tent roof to my right as I saw the elf girl's face, sleeping serenely, a calm expression over her face as her chest moved up and down peacefully. My eyelids became heavy as I felt the sudden urge to sleep. Letting out a deep breath I sighed,
"Definitely doing those push-ups next time, no matter what." I made a mental note before drifting off to sleep.
Status de energia semanal
-- Ranking de
Poder 
-- Pedra de
Poder