The rewards for killing the beasts hadn’t been increased with their improved performance. It seemed that Zac truly had gotten a bargain when hunting during the first month. Zac snickered as he imagined the cultivators in the beginner villages hunting rabbits and boars around the edge of the village for a mere two to three Nexus Coins apiece, like in some RPG.
The increase in Strength didn’t bother him when it came to the fodder demons that were peppered through the island. They had improved, but so had he. Even the empowered demons were defenseless against his new weapon. It felt like proper gear actually had a greater effect compared to attaining a class.
Of course, the effect of a class would show over time rather than immediately, it seemed. Also the immediate effect on him was not too large, as he already had such high stats from his titles. If someone with only the basic stats got this class with the accompanying titles, it’d likely be a pretty large boost to them.
As he killed another demon with a lazy swing, he felt the familiar burst of Cosmic Energy that came with a level-up. He was delighted to see that he did get his class stat points in addition to his two free points, rather than instead of. So every level, he now got seven points instead of two.
He paused a second to go over how to allocate his points again. He had thought about it a bit yesterday and had come up with a plan. As his class seemed to focus on Strength and Endurance, so Zac would do the same with his free points.
He felt that the skills and class itself might somehow synergize with these stats, so getting them as high as possible would be a good option. Even if he was wrong, it would be okay, as both these stats were strong on him in any case.
If Vitality helped him heal up after getting wounded, then Endurance would protect him from getting wounded. Endurance didn’t only help with his stamina, it also toughened his body up. Now that he had a high enough Vitality that he wouldn’t die from ordinary wounds, he could focus on Endurance to make him even harder to kill.
The other option he had considered was to put the points in Dexterity, making him quicker. However, for most of the fights so far, speed had not been an issue or limiting factor for him, so he decided to hold off on that for now.
Furthermore, among the skills that had been added to the Nexus Node after he got his class was one that he felt might be able to substitute for the need for Dexterity. It was called [Steps of Gaia] and cost 575,000 Nexus Coins. It was a huge amount of coins, far more than he had gathered in total.
But it seemed to fit him perfectly. It was a movement-type skill, which he assumed would help him move quicker. It would both help him charge at enemies faster and also allow him to more easily dodge attacks. It also seemed to be connected to the earth and nature, same as his class, so he felt there might be synergy along the road.
He therefore had decided to start saving up for the skill. He believed that it shouldn’t take too long to get the necessary coins, as his speed of killing beasts had improved significantly with his gear and higher stats.
Finally, he decided to put one point in Strength and two in Endurance and kept going. A while later, he reached the area where he’d fought the herald. The aftermath of the battle was evident, with crushed trees and rocks all over. He still hadn’t run into any humanoids, and the forest was largely like it was before.
Zac slowly crept toward the spot where the herald had fallen, alert to his surroundings. He was surprised to find that the carcass had been removed from the spot, as had the poles he had planted.
He could only guess that they had been moved back to the base. He wasn’t sure, as he hadn’t seen it, but he assumed that the base was either right at the incursion or in the mountains. If it was closer to the other sides, he felt that he should have run into more of the humanoids by now.
Unless there only were a scant few of the humanoid demons, of course. But Zac’s intuition told him that he wouldn’t be that lucky. The System had screwed him over pretty consistently, and he saw no reason that it would stop anytime soon.
He stopped for a while to decide what to do now. He hadn’t really accomplished anything so far except for killing some demons. He didn’t need to ponder for long, however, as he suddenly heard subdued voices in the distance.
Zac properly hid himself inside a few bushes as the voices drew closer. He was disappointed to find out that he couldn’t understand the words. So much for a universal translation system.
It was a surprisingly smooth and melodic language, specked with vowels flowing like a river. He had assumed that the language of demons would be harsh and perhaps even guttural.
Wait, is that racism? A stray thought entered his mind, making him lose focus before setting his sight on the approaching party.
The party looked somewhat similar to the one he had killed earlier, except that this party was comprised of four individuals rather than three.
There were three males and one female. Two of the males looked like a mix of rangers and warriors, dressed in leather armor and wielding a sword each. The female walked in front and seemed to be the lookout, as she was carefully scouting the surroundings and had a bow slung on her back.
The final man was unarmed but seemed to be a leader, or at least of higher status. The quality of his gear seemed to be a notch above the others, such as a chest plate made of the same black metal as his axe handle. It was engraved in the same manner as the handle as well, but more intricate.
Zac had a feeling that these engravings had some sort of effect, like magically imbuing the gear with sharpness or defense. He had found no ways to use the engravings so far, though, and hoped he might get an idea from the unarmed man.
Another reason Zac surmised the well-equipped man was of higher status than the others was that he could sense a formless pressure emanating from him. It felt like he was looking at a dangerous beast rather than an unarmed man.
While Zac was well-hidden, he decided to slowly recede further into the bushes. This party seemed both deadlier and more alert compared to the last one.
His actions were in vain, however, as the female suddenly grabbed her bow and an arrow in a fluid motion and, without hesitation, fired it straight in the direction of Zac.
Zac tried to get out of the way, but there was no time as the arrow slammed straight into his side.
27
One Against Many
Zac almost lost his breakfast as the arrowhead slammed straight into his gut. It punched through the wired leather armor and continued into his body. Luckily, most of the force had been spent going through the armor, and with Zac’s high Endurance, it only proceeded two centimeters before stopping.
This kind of wound wouldn’t really faze Zac anymore after constantly getting hurt from his fights. However, he still hesitated for a second after ripping the arrow out. Fight or flee? He hadn’t prepared to challenge the party like this.
However, he soon discarded any thought of fleeing. He didn’t like the prospect of having another arrow slam into him, this time in the back of his head while running for his life. The ranger seemed to have some detection skill, as she could spot and shoot him while he was hidden in bushes a few hundred meters away. He needed to kill the archer at least before fleeing.
He threw the arrow away and pulled out one of his smaller knives from its sheath. Zac wasted no time and threw it straight at the archer, and it flew with at least the same velocity as the arrow that had hit him.
The female demon seemed to have been prepared, and with an almost impossible nimbleness, jumped out of the way and proceeded up into a tree like a forest elf. She moved like a specter, and in just a few seconds, she was gone from his vision among the leaves.
Zac tsked in annoyance and charged at the party while trying to use trees as cover from the archer. The force of his steps made deep indents in the ground as he charged forth like a runaway bull. The three remaining demons were obviously ready for the fight, as they spread out, intending to encircle him.
Zac could sense that all of them w
ere using some skill, as he could feel the Cosmic Energy react to their bodies. An illusory red gas started floating around one of the combatants, giving him a more sinister feel. The other underling pointed down on the ground, but Zac couldn’t see anything happening.
Zac couldn’t see anything happening with the leader either, but the sense of danger increased substantially.
As Zac was furiously approaching, he quickly used [Eye of Discernment] on the trio and got some basic information about his enemies.
[Metisis, Level 38]
[Gormer, Level 39]
They were roughly 5 levels higher compared to the last party he had attacked. That meant that they should have at least 15 to 20 higher stat points, including the bonus stats from their classes, compared to the last group of demons.
He was also surprised to notice that the third man, the unarmed one, had somehow resisted his skill. There was only a blur above his head. This made Zac even more wary of him. He had even managed to identify the herald Vul, who had been a far higher level compared to himself.
Zac furiously circulated Cosmic Energy in his body and ran straight toward the weakest enemy, Metisis. When he was just over fifty meters away from them, an arrow came whizzing down from the treetops. This time, Zac was prepared and slammed it away with the broad side of his axe-head.
The force of this arrow was far higher than the hasty one she had shot before. When the axe and arrow collided, he was actually pushed back a bit, his feet making a groove in the ground. Luckily, the axe was apparently made from excellent materials and wasn’t damaged one bit.
Zac pushed ahead once again, the last fifty-meter distance gone in just a few seconds.
Just as he was a few meters away from his target, he pushed all the Cosmic Energy he could into his right leg. He instantly kicked off with all the power he could, and shot like a bullet straight at the other demon, Gormer. The force of the push created an explosion in the ground, even leaving a small crater.
They had not expected the speed that a 98-Strength-powered push could give, and Gormer barely managed to lift his hooked sword before Zac chopped horizontally with all the strength he could muster.
The axe moved like lightning, but when it entered the weird gaseous substance, it felt like he was trying to push through water. A good part of the momentum was somehow sapped out of the strike, and his force couldn’t properly come to bear.
Zac wouldn’t let this opportunity go, though, and with a growl, redoubled his efforts, and the axe continued on and slammed into the demon right under his left arm. The leather armor could afford almost no resistance against the sharp edge of Zac’s axe as it embedded itself firmly in his chest. He couldn’t push it clean through, though, as the weird strength-sapping effect seemed to be even stronger within the body of the demon.
Zac immediately ripped his axe out, which produced a tremendous spout of blood. He planned to turn around to meet the other two demons head-on next. He didn’t believe he’d get a second chance for a surprise attack like this.
But before he could do anything, he suddenly felt something ensnare his feet, and he completely lost his footing. Zac fell headfirst on top of the collapsed dying demon. Gormer seemed intent on revenge even with one foot in the grave, as he weakly held on to Zac to keep him from fleeing.
While Zac struggled to get free, he took a quick glance down at his legs. They were ensnared by a handful of purplish wiggling roots, which somehow seemed alive. They seemed to be a skill or magic that came from the other demon underling.
Perhaps they had planned to ensnare him when he got closer, and then attack him from three directions, securing an easy kill. Unfortunately for them, Zac had preceded them with his lightning-fast blitz.
Zac had no time to analyze it any further, as the leader had moved to a position close to him. Shockingly, he no longer was unarmed, but hefted a monstrous great sword that was almost as long as he was and over twenty centimeters wide.
He had mocking eyes and a sneer as he lifted the sword above his head. Zac could once again feel the movement of Cosmic Energy and knew that the leader was using a skill. Dark arcs of power spread from his arms into the large blade.
The dying demon’s strength was no match for Zac, and he frantically ripped himself free from his grip. But he only managed to get himself up to his knees when the large blade started falling down on him. It was poised to cleave him in two unless he did something.
Zac pushed his power to the limit and gripped his axe with both hands and swung upward with all his might, hoping to intercept the sword.
With a tremendous clangor that echoed through the vicinity, the axe and the great sword connected. The force actually created a shock wave that blasted outwards.
Zac was slammed down into the ground again from the force, creating a small crater. Even with his superhuman stats, he couldn’t handle the power of the sword. Luckily for him, he at least managed to get the leader demon off-kilter and change the trajectory of the strike. It actually slammed down in the gut of the dying demon. The might was so strong that the torso of the underling veritably exploded, instantly killing him. That wiped the smirk off the leader’s face and seemed to enrage him instead.
Meanwhile, the dark lightning from the demon’s skill had passed into Zac’s axe when they collided, and burrowed into his arm. A blazing pain ran through his whole body, and his muscles spasmed uncontrollably.
That was actually the only reason Zac survived, as a great spasm jerked his head some distance away. Another arrow slammed down right where his head had been before.
This arrow was different than the other, with a jagged arrowhead and being pitch black. It whizzed down with a great force and actually completely embedded itself into the ground, right down to the feathers. The extreme penetrating power was evident from that shot, likely from a skill.
It was only thanks to being bombed with black fireballs by the imps that Zac was able to retain consciousness. He pushed the pain away with all the resilience he could garner, and with a quick swing, cut through the roots that ensnared his feet. The roots were far sturdier than they looked, and it felt like he cut through steel wire rather than wood.
Still, they were no match for his power and the sharpness of his axe, and he was free in no time. He rolled a way as quickly as possible, trying to gain some distance before the leader swung down again.
He got to his feet just as another batch of roots closed in on him. This time, they came as a swarm from the ground under the other demon. Zac whirled his axe back and forth in a frenzied manner and cut them down as they came, stopping their advance after a while.
The battle reached a short lull as Zac stood panting while facing the two demons. He tried to survey the treetops but couldn’t locate the female archer. Her existence was like an annoying fly in the periphery that made him unable to fully concentrate. Even worse, this fly could kill him with one strike if he wasn’t careful.
Fighting one against many truly was a pain in the ass.
28
Melee
Zac was a bit unsure of how to proceed. He knew that one should maintain the initiative in a battle, but he didn’t want to just charge over like a stupid barghest.
His enemies made the choice for him. The leader started advancing on him, anger smoldering in his eyes. Both his hands gripped the great sword, which was angled down toward the ground.
The other man was stationary but mumbling something in their own language.
Zac could only put his game face on. He was still hurting all over from the dark lightning, but he pretended he was fine. With his axe in his hand, he prepared for round two.
Zac really didn’t want to meet the great sword straight on. The leader seemed to have roughly the same level of Strength as he did, and even if he managed to parry the strike, he was afraid that he would be shocked again from the skill. He would have to fight around it somehow.
Luckily, a weapon of that size was unwieldy, and the trajectories would hopefully be t
elegraphed.
Zac took out a second knife, leaving him with only one remaining. He launched it at the weaker enemy and started to rush forward.
The demon deflected the knife with a couple of roots, even though the force from Zac’s throw was immense. The demon obviously was some sort of earth or tree mage, and the roots were far sturdier than something coming from a normal tree.
The demon was interrupted in his chanting, though, which was Zac’s main goal. If he actually had managed to hurt him, all the better.
Wasting no time, he rushed toward him, trying to avoid the leader and his great sword. The great sword whizzed in a wide upwards arc, seemingly trying to cut Zac in two.
Zac pushed forward with his legs and jumped headlong into a roll to avoid the swing, but somehow the leader changed trajectory mid-swing and still managed to nick Zac in the side. The cut drew blood but wasn’t too deep, and fortunately, the black lightning didn’t emerge again. It seemed the leader couldn’t continuously use the skill.
Zac ignored the pain and quickly got on his feet and charged at the underling. The leader was right behind him, so he quickly swung his axe downward, hoping for a quick kill.
A thick group of roots shot up in front of the demon and meshed together into a wooden shield to intercept the swing. Zac’s stats were overpowering, however, and he slammed through the roots easily. Woodchippings flew everywhere like small projectiles from the strike. Unfortunately for Zac, the brief pause in the swing had allowed the demon to reposition, and he could avoid the swing.
Zac felt an intense danger from behind, and he didn’t dare hesitate. He jumped forward and crashed into the underling instead of swinging his axe again, pushing them both a few meters away and bringing both of them to the ground. As he jumped forward, he felt the wind move right above where his head had been, from a swing of the leader.
Defiance of the Fall: A LitRPG Adventure Page 14