บท 4: The Demonic Beast God
Just less than a day after the game show started, a Player, Pilgrim had gained a gift worth ten thousand dollars! This made Tyler stunned, making him doubt if it was really true. But when he scrolled down the general chat group of ApexRise Online Players, he couldn't help but believe that it was really true.
'What impression could the son of a bitch had made to earn him a gift worth a thousand dollars???'
'That was huge!'
Tyler wondered inwardly as he made his way into the den. He also spent a little time reading the comments under the Gift Inbox Menu...
<Hexagon IQ(P): "Whoa. Yo Darkbitch you should have gifted me instead. Pilgrim will end up being a freak."
Pilgrim(P): "Thanks, Buddy."
DarkGod(V) replies to Pilgrim(P): "Welcome, but you still have to eliminate the second one. If you do so, Imma give you a gift worth a hundred thousand dollars."
Pilgrim(P) replies to DarkGod(V): "Sure sure sure!"
Seven Dark Tails(P): "Darky can I have one too?"
DarkGod(V) replies to Seven Dark Tails(P): "Nah, sorry."
Seven Dark Tails(P) replies to DarkGod(V): "Well, f**k you!">
*****
[A/N: Please note that (P) means Player and (V) means Viewer].
*****
Tyler only chuckled while staring at the screen in front of him. He wondered who or what the "second one" meant, but he didn't let that ruin his focus. Deactivating the game system screen, he continued walking into the den.
They got to a point where the den became too dark, so they decided to switch on their lamps. The lamps weren't heavy, so it did no difficulty in their focus.
Tyler was leading the way, while Enzo followed suit.
They had spent more than ten minutes searching around the den, but it seemed as though the Horned Bears were nowhere around. It was way too large and jagged to be called a den, and due to its horrific look, Tyler doubted that the Horned Bears were only its inhabitants.
"We have been walking for long, are we really sure that the Horned Bears are in here?" Enzo asked curiously.
"We just have to stay alert," Tyler sighed, "it's over five minutes, James and the others should be on their way now."
Enzo nodded positively and continued walking, following Tyler behind. They kept walking deeper into the gigantic den until a frightening sound was heard from nowhere.
The sound was so thick and ominous that Tyler and Enzo halted their movement with widened eyes, their heart beating hard and fast in their chest.
"What's that?" Tyler asked, glancing up.
"I have no idea, Officer," Enzo muttered, his face showing a clear hint of fear. "Maybe it's a Horned Bear."
"Are you dumb? A Horned Bear wouldn't have a voice that is as thick and frightening as this. This must be something bigger and dangerous. I'm not sure the Horned Bears reside here," Tyler said with a serious expression.
Grrrr!
The roaring sound kept echoing around the place, but Tyler tried not to pay it any more attention. They kept walking forward with their eyes peeking at every nook and corner.
However, as they made more steps forward, it felt as though they were approaching the unknown creature with the thick voice. The sound got louder as they progressed deeper, sending chills through their spine.
Nonetheless, Tyler and Enzo didn't relent. Instead, they increased their pace, hoping that James and the rest would approach them in no time. And unfortunately, just after a few moments, their eyes couldn't believe what they saw after reaching a wide opening.
A hairy giant winged beast could be seen sitting on a rocky platform from above the rocky floors. Its head was large and dark with its long fangs crowned with sharp curvy claws. With the way it looked, Tyler and Enzo had no doubts that it was the beast who had been growling lately. But now, the giant beast seemed to have gone quiet after noticing Tyler and Enzo's presence.
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[Name: Demonic Beast God].
[Rank: SS+].
[Class: NPC (Beast)].
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"Demonic Beast God?" Tyler muttered as he questioned himself in shock. "This is kind of a magical beast."
Enzo heaved a sigh. "Yeah, Officer. This is an SS+ Demonic Beast God. With the looks of it, it seems to be at its peak and would soon up-rank to SSS-."
"What do you mean?" Tyler didn't understand a single bit of what Enzo had said so he requested for more explanation. At least, NPCs have a full knowledge of the game, unlike some Players.
"Beasts are ranked based on their brutality, attack power, and attacking skills. They are ranked from F- to SSS+, depending on how many souls they have consumed. However, when a beast exceeds SSS+ rank, it becomes a monster."
"Beasts are lower Terrors, while the Monsters are higher Terrors. They are called terrors because they are brutal and terrific. The creators of this world just had to give them that name."
Tyler nodded positively and switched his gaze to the mighty winged beast above. "So, what if we kill this thing?" Tyler sniffed and asked.
"Killing an SS+ Demonic Beast God is more like facing death in the eyes. The both of us can't do it on our own. It's way too powerful," Enzo said with a slight smirk.
"So, what now? The beast has seen us already. It's not going to sit back and watch us walk away," Tyler spoke.
"We just have to back out while looking straight into its eyes... It's not going harm us," Enzo advised.
However, Tyler wasn't okay with the fact that they were going to run from the giant beast. Being in ApexRise Online was all about taking risks and making sacrifices to rise to the top. Tyler would call himself a jerk if he escape without challenging the SS+ Demonic Beast God to a fight.
Thus, he decided to kill it!
"No, I'm going to fight this thing and kill it. It is a very dangerous creature that can come into the Southern villages one day. We have to save the people," Tyler said with a determined look.
"But, we are just going to die!" Enzo warned, worried.
"I don't care if I die in the process, but I will do this. After all, you are just an NPC who has no ambition in this world. You can go back to the rest of the Striders while I go kill the damned beast!"
Tyler brought out his best weapon from his belt. It was a golden dagger with a white grip. When he was an assassin in the real world, this had been Tyler's dearest weapon in slitting throats and stabbing through chests. Now, he was just going to take this SS+-ranked Demonic Beast God as one of those victims.
"And perhaps if I kill this thing, I might gain my Ability."
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