Aiden did not know if it was because he was crying, or because of the E.S. System. But now, both physically and mentally, he felt a lot lighter."ESS, When do I have to take the anti poisoning potion again?"
[The host has to drink two more potions to extend his lifespan. Expected lifetime: 4 days 8 hours. Time to the next potion: 11 minutes.]
Aiden checked again, just to make sure there was no error. Then he spoke in a calm voice, "ESS, is there anything wrong with your calculation?"
[The host has to drink two more potions to extend his lifespan. Expected lifetime: 4 days 8 hours. Time to the next potion: 10 minutes.]
And Aiden ran to look for a potion where he had fallen. There was still the cold body of Levi, so was the medicine and the potions. Aiden quickly grabbed one of them and poured it down his throat.
He took a deep breath, "ESS, preserve Levi"s body, and program the shuttle, so that he can return to the main s.h.i.+p after the mission is over."
[YES.]
The floor was moving as it took the body with it. His voice was still peaceful as he asked, "And tell me why I"ve only got four days to live."
[Accessing Memory...]
Aiden braces for impact, but there was no feeling of dizziness. However, he could not stand still waiting for the reply.
[Predicted Initial Survival Time: 6 days 14 hours.
Travel to your current destination: 00:14:23
Unconscious after intake of potion: 07:02:47
Mana healing: 1 day 13 hours
lifetime decay due to [Mana Healing]: 08:57:18
]
No matter how many times he"s done this, the calculation is correct. Aiden couldn"t have guessed why, so he asked.
[Cell regeneration increased by 13% during inheritance. The rate of cell decay increased by 72%. The cancerous mana vessel affected the flow of mana. The host"s heart rate…]
"DON"T go through all the technicals. Just confirm me." After ESS confirmed, Aiden sighed, "And the extra loss of lifetime?"
[Due to the forced healing of [Mana Healing]]
Aiden slumped down on the chair, "There"s nothing free in this life. Everything has a price to pay."
"But it"s not time to worry about what"s been lost." Aiden did not notice the apparent change in his thinking after the inheritance, nor did he have time to do so.
He moved around looking for a weapon. Although he was comfortable with a curved blade, Levi preferred a straight blade. But having a weapon is better than not having one.
There was a Latin machete in between a lot of knives. Although it wasn"t as curved like the one he used, it was still a curved one. To his surprise, there was a gun, too.
There was no lack of guns on Planet Will, but Aiden was still surprised that they had trained with so many cold weapons, but not so much with guns.
For starters, the old projectile weapon is not effective against the mana beast. Which was also the reason why they left the planet in the first place. Even if the Conmet bullet could do so, there is a serious Conmet deficiency in the new Planet.
On the other hand, conventional electrical weapons discharge quickly on this planet. And the technology wasn"t advanced enough to make a portable one. There were only a few bulky ones, and all the pod shuttles were armed with a few of them.
Amazingly, one of the projectile guns was in front of him. The gun was very old, but Aiden couldn"t stop himself from touching it.
[Modified Ruger Redhawk (Firearm)
Type: Revolver.
Number of bullets: 6
Effective distance: 25 meters
Comment: Heavy recoil. 24% chance of exploding. Not Recommended.]
"You can do that? Why haven"t you introduced the machete?"
[The host had prior knowledge of the weapon]
"Oh! "Aiden was more curious about the weapon in his hand, and he was tempted to take it away. "I have a better chance of success with it," but he was still hesitant.
"One of the four shots is going to explode," he thought for a moment before deciding, "Don"t worry Levi, I"ll give it back after use. ESS, can you find anyone around me?"
[Two sources found.]
The map in front of him went up to 5 km, and the two points blinked on the map with the tag, [Elijah] and [Alex].
But looking at the route they had taken, he frowned, "You son of a b.i.t.c.h, you"re not satisfied yet?" Elijah was 4.4 km away from him and was heading straight to him from the north.
Alex, on the other hand, was 4.2 km northeast, but looking at the route he understood he was aiming for Elijah, but not for him. "Just wait, I"m going to kill you for sure."
"ESS, combat a.s.sistance mode." Aiden took the potions in his bag. There were a few energy bars left after most of them had been devoured. He took all of them, pushed the door open, and was astonished.
[The system doesn"t have such a support program.]
What Aiden heard and saw didn"t match up. Outside, there were many dead bodies of the beast. Few of the dead were too close to the shuttle, but it was the living one that surprised him the most.
Not many of the beasts were hiding in the shadows, but he could see all of them in the dark forest.
Four shadow jaguars at 10 o"clock, one tree walker, two snake-heads at 72 meters at 1 o"clock. 3 Vampire deers, one head s.n.a.t.c.her, several more, but Aiden could see them all.
They"ve all been outlined in a red. The names were floating over their heads. Now he understood everything. "So that"s how Levi could see the shadow jaguars just before it appeared."
"ESS is something else," it wasn"t just the beasts. The path he was supposed to take was marked by green footsteps. He just smiled, understanding the secrets of the elites that made them the elites.
"Could it know the one with the cowbell?"
[Identifying…
Name: The Devil
Grade: A***
Element: Darkness (??)
Feature: Cowbell, Red ring eyes, Variable size, Faster than sound.
Kill count: 259
Comment: Hearing the bell means death.]
A video appeared in front of his eyes with the introduction. There was a child in black from head to toe. He squatted as he rested beside the swamp, looking at the muddy water. Although the water was dark, it reflected a bright pair of red rings.
The man who watched it was startled by a sudden sound. It was a moment of carelessness, and he could no longer find it.
Without hesitation, the man turned around and tried to leave the place. But he heard a cowbell and the red rings were staring at the face. It raised its hand to touch his cheek and Aiden stepped back.
It was black again, the beasts were still hiding in the distance, but Aiden was drenched in sweat. It took a while before his breathing became normal again.
When he realized that he was sitting at the gate, he couldn"t help but curse out loud, "What the h.e.l.l was that thing?" It was only now that he could understand how lucky he was to be alive, even after he had heard the bell.
"Let"s just hope I don"t meet it again." Only after his initial shock had vanished, he understood that it was a different kind of beast?
[Beasts are ranked from "S" to "E." The star represents their elementary capability. The Devil had the highest elemental capacity of all the beasts observed.]
"But have you seen someone stronger than that? The "S" grade? "Aiden wanted to know, but a notification popped up before that.
[Team Captain Alex is with first officer Elijah.]
Only then did he realize that the two dots had stopped moving about 2.1 km away from him. Aiden jumped up on his legs.
[The host is asked to collect the mana stone from the beast before leaving.]
Aiden acted as if he had not even heard the system and traced the green footsteps that led to his destination.
He had a Latin machete in one hand, and Levi"s blade in other. The beasts reacted in the way they were expected.
The head s.n.a.t.c.her was right in front of him. Unlike the one he had seen before, it had only three heads on its chest. The more he closed in, the more data the system revealed in his eyes.
[Head-s.n.a.t.c.her
Grade: E
Element: None.
Feature: High strength and stamina. Medium agility.
Weakness: Leg. Back.]
"What is it? Would you like me to fight? You don"t want to divert the way?" The system did not respond as the footsteps kept blinking just beside the head-s.n.a.t.c.her.
It had a weapon, a wooden club, and it was raised high in the air. It"s been waiting for Aiden to get into the range. Even then, the footsteps did not deviate from its place.
"It"s a good opportunity to understand my new body." Helpless Aiden jumped out of the way to escape from the incoming club. He paid no more attention to the footsteps and turned to attack.
It might be slow, but its strength was not to laugh at it. The club crashed on the ground, splattering the stones everywhere. But Aiden was faster, none of the debris could touch him.
He had moved to reach his back. Before he could reach the striking distance, the club swung sideways. Aiden ducked and slashed at its leg.
Aiden was astounded. He tried to cut off its Achilles tendon, but he cut off his whole ankle. "A clean-cut!" Aiden did not expect that, nor did the beast.
"Kuuuuaaaa" Due to the rotational force of the last attack, he was no longer able to control his weight and fell, leaving a sliced foot still planted on the ground.
Three heads were encrusted in the chest. Aiden had no idea where the beast"s heart was. Just to be safe, he cut off its other leg and ran away.
It took a while to explain, but it happened in one breath. Some beasts who were charging for Aiden pounced at their easier prey, while the rest of them followed Aiden.
[a.s.sisting in combat will make the senses of the host dull. The host is asked to practice more to have a better understanding of the body.]
"Dull my senses, huh?" He took the system"s words to his heart, but he didn"t have much time to train his body. He was still happy.
He had never expected a blade to cut clean through the beast"s log-like leg. He sighed, and at the moment of carelessness, a red light shone right in front of him.
[Shadow Jaguar
Grade: E*
Element: Shadow.
Feature: High agility. Strong jaw. Shadow jump
Weakness: Weak body
]
Its appearance was so sudden that he was caught off guard. Yet his high battle rating was not for the show. He moved out of the way with the quick motion before slas.h.i.+ng it.
"Oh, man! Was there another one behind me?" If Aiden hadn"t moved, a part of him would have been bitten off.
[Skill [Air Spike] activated. Mana used:1. Remaining Mana: 110]
Aiden was kicking at the belly of the jaguar with skill. To his surprise, the beast was sent three meters up in the air before it slumped on the ground again.
Blood leaked out of the [Air Spike] hole. But it was still better than the one whose spine was broken by Aiden"s uncontrolled slash. Even though they were injured, they vanished in the shadows.
[The host needs to practice his awareness skills.]
"You"re supposed to inform me of the one on the back? "Aiden groaned.
[a.s.sisting in combat will make the senses of the host dull. The host is asked to practice more to have a better understanding of the body.]
"But aren"t you going to become useless if I die?"
[The host needs to work hard so he doesn"t die.]
Aiden sighed and did not reply. He missed the PADS-X. But he was also happy. He had a lot of mana, and now his body was stronger. There were so many things he was trying to do. He charged at the vampire deer.
*Creeee…*
The piercing yell was cut short.
[Skill [Wind Burst] activated. Mana used:2. Remaining Mana: 108]
[Skill [Wind Scythe] activated. Mana used:3. Remaining Mana: 105]
With the help of [Wind Burst] alone, he was able to jump up to three meters in the air. The [Wind Scythe], extending from his elbow, cut off the head of the beast.
He ran to another one as soon as his feet touched the ground.
[The host is deviating from the path to the destination.]
Aiden was shocked and realized that he was going in the opposite direction from the other. Thinking of Elijah, Aiden did not dare to waste any more time and ran straight to them.
"Can"t they be afraid of me? "The Aiden thought. He ran for almost two kilometres and three of the beasts died under his blade. But that was all. Other than the Grade D* tree walker, none of the other beasts dared attack him.
[A message has been received from the captain.]
"What is it?" he was shocked for several reasons. He asked, "Are you able to communicate with others?
[Communication is possible within 1 km.]
[Would the host like to see the message?]
Aiden was curious about the ma.s.sage.
[Don"t come over here. Go away.]
"Fu*k off." The voice blew through the quiet forest. "What are you waiting for? Send the message to him."
[Would the host like to send "F*ck off" to the captain?]
"Yes, do it."
[Ma.s.sage sent.]
With only one ma.s.sage, all the happy feelings were lost. Aiden was angry yet calm. One more time, he remembered what he had to do and…
[A message has been received from the captain.]
"Block him." There wasn"t a single wave of hesitation in his voice, nor was anger.
[The host can"t block the captain of the team during the mission.]
"Then don"t let me know, as long as the message is from that son of a b.i.t.c.h." And the rest of the journey was silent.
The closer he came to them, the faster he got. He wanted to meet her, and he wanted to see her, too. But most of all, he wanted to meet that son of a b.i.t.c.h again and…
"Let me go." A voice echoed through the woods. A few notifications have popped up.
[Skill [Reduce Drag] activated. Mana used:1/ 20 min. Remaining Mana: 97]
[Skill [Wind Burst] activated. Mana used:2. Remaining Mana: 95]
He soon found the two people. Alex grabbed Elijah"s wrist as she struggled to free herself.
"You ought to give up on him."
"Why is it important to you?" Elijah protested even if she was unable to free herself.
"If you don"t…"
"If she doesn"t... Then what, Alex?" Aiden started from where Alex couldn"t finish. Aiden"s appearance stunned both of them, and Alex was the first to recover.
"Have you not read my message?" He sounded angry.
"Was that a very important thing?"
"Aiden" Elijah cried softly as soon as she hugged Aiden. "Where have you been?"
Aiden didn"t respond, he kept staring at Alex. On the other hand, the more Alex looked at Elijah, the angrier he became. He left without a word in the end.
"Captain," Aiden said from behind. Alex turned to him as he hugged Elijah closer and spoke," Second Officer Aiden is reporting for duty." Alex, irritated, left without sparing a word.
"Are you all right, Aiden?" Elijah was trying to find any visible wound on his body. Looking at worried Elijah warmed his heart. He hugged her tighter, trying to hide his tearful face from the person he loves.
And in an inaudible voice, Aiden said, "I am sorry. Elijah, I"m sorry."