Chapter 21 - Adrenaline
Watching Susanne disappear into the darkness of the woods, Lucas made a small gesture, and a pack of rations floated after her. Enough to keep her alive and tend to the wound on her thigh.
“What kind of villain are you? Handing out freebies after robbing someone,” a familiar voice chimed from behind him.
Lucas chuckled softly. “I’m a villain, not a monster. Besides, she stole from us first, so I took something of equal value in return. Hammurabi’s Code, you know? History and all that.”
“Right. I’m sure your sleeping beauty will totally agree with that logic,” Samantha quipped, crossing her arms and rolling her eyes. “How are you even planning to explain this to her?”
Lucas shrugged nonchalantly and held up the leather-bound book. “Susanne stole some of our supplies and bolted into the woods. But she left this behind as a parting gift.”
Samantha just stared at him as if looking at a fool before shrugging dismissively. “Whatever, I suppose. She was an annoying attention-seeker back in university. I can’t be bothered to care about her now.”
“Heh, since you’re fine with it, I’m clocking out. Your turn for watch duty. Good night, Samantha.” Without waiting for a reply, he slipped into his sleeping bag.
***
16th October of 2023, Outskirts of Phago, The Hallowed Grounds.
After a hectic night, Lucas finally managed to catch some much-needed sleep.
A fragrant aroma drifted through the temple, tickling his nostrils and stirring him awake. Hopping out of his sleeping bag, he spotted Chloe by the campfire, stirring a pot of ramen.
“Oh hey, good morning, Lucas. I made us some ramen,” Chloe greeted with a cheerful smile as she pulled out some cutlery. “Come have a seat. It’s almost ready.”
Lucas sat down by the campfire, accepting the bowl of ramen Chloe handed him. He wasted no time slurping it up. “This tastes great!”
Giggling, Chloe replied, “Glad you like it! I just added some of the herbs you picked up earlier. The seasoning packs are still the same, though.”
“By the way, here. It's a Skill Book. There's a requirement for sword-wielding classes, so Samantha and I probably won't be using it anytime soon,” Lucas said, munching on the noodles while using his mental energy to hover the leather book over.
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Dover-style: Rend
Rank: Rare
Restriction(s): One-handed sword-related Class.
Active
Channels concentrated energy to deliver a high-speed thrust that penetrates a portion of the target's defense, with a chance to break shields or barriers.
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Grabbing the Skill Book, Chloe gasped, “T-this is a Rare Skill! How can I accept this?! Where did you get this from?”
Smiling at her surprised expression, Lucas answered, “It’s a parting gift from Susanne, for showing her kindness. Besides, you're the only one who can use it.”
“Susanne?” Chloe’s expression suddenly turned icy. “Did you steal it from her?”
Startled by the sudden shift in tone, Lucas feint coughing. “No, no. I didn’t steal it. She gave it to me and asked me to pass it on to you.”
“I heard a bit from Samantha,” Chloe sneered. “She stole my sword, didn’t she?”
Confused by the reactions, Lucas admitted, “Yeah, but I caught her. She gave me this Skill Book as an apology.”
“Hm. Samantha said you mentioned she was the fifth place in the lecture hall incident. Is that true?” Chloe pressed further.
Sipping the ramen broth, Lucas gave her a curious glance and simply nodded.
“Looks like she really did steal the Skill Book,” Chloe muttered thoughtfully. “There were a couple of cases where she was accused of plagiarizing assignments and projects, but the management didn’t pay much attention since there wasn’t solid evidence. Seems like the rumors were true about her stealing other people’s work.”
“Thanks for the Skill Book,” Chloe smiled, her tone softening. “I’ll make good use of it.” She then leaned in and gave Lucas a gentle peck on the cheek.
Out of nowhere, Samantha suddenly appeared and asked sarcastically, “Oh sorry, am I interrupting your lovey-dovey session?”
“Yup, you are. Get lost. As far as possible,” Lucas ignored Samantha while returning a kiss to Chloe.
“So, what's our plan now?” As she sat down by the campfire and helped herself to a bowl of ramen, she continued, “There's still twenty-seven days before the next quest and we've cleared this dungeon. I suppose you have a plan in mind?”
Lucas set down his empty bowl and thought for a moment. “Clear more dungeons. Monopolize the first clear rewards. It’s only been two days, but we’ve already seen how quickly others are adapting to the System and forming groups. Sooner or later, they’ll start finding dungeons and claiming them.”
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“First clear rewards,” Chloe said with curiosity in her voice. “Do they all give Skills?”
“Maybe,” Lucas replied, nodding. “But one thing is certain, they’ll be something beneficial for us.”
“Samantha chimed in, “Then, let’s go to Mount Mor.” The others gave her questioning looks, prompting her to elaborate. “Mount Mor has that abandoned giant building, right?”
Lucas nodded, his brow furrowed. “Yeah. It was supposed to be the new HQ for an IT company, but the project got shut down right after completion.”
“Apparently, there was a major accident. A machine malfunction that killed several of the company’s top executives. The financial loss was huge.”
“And then there were the rumors,” Lucas added nonchalantly. “People said the place was haunted. It attracted so many so-called ‘tourists’ trying to see the ghost that the owners eventually decided to abandon and shut it down completely.”
Hearing that they were going to explore a haunted place, Chloe sprang to her feet and excitedly declared, “Since it’s decided, let’s go now! I’ll drive!”
“Aren’t you the one who was scared of being eaten by a staircase before?” Samantha asked, eyeing her excited demeanor with helplessness.
***
16th October of 2023, Road to Mount Mor.
A blue car cruised down an empty asphalt road, with greenery lining both sides while its driver whined to the person in the passenger seat.
“Samantha, you didn’t say it would be this far!” Chloe exclaimed, gripping the steering wheel. “Lucas, can we switch now?”
Sitting idly in the backseat, Lucas firmly rejected, “No way. You’re the one who wanted to drive. I respect your decision.”
“You don’t love me anymore!” Chloe continued whining, her hands still tight on the wheel.
“Turn right there,” Samantha directed, using her recalled memories to guide them.
Chloe swerved the car, entering another road lined with shrubs and trees. “What kind of place are you trying to take me to? It’s just trees everywhere!” Chloe yelped, driving through the increasingly ominous path.
Sitting in the backseat, Lucas's eyes constantly scanned the surroundings as he practiced his self-created mind cultivation art.
Then, something caught his attention.
A quadrupedal shadow with someone riding it darted through the ominous dark woods. Looking closer, he realized it wasn’t alone but multiple shadows moved swiftly among the trees.
Out of nowhere, an arrow whistled through the air and pierced the car’s body.
Startled by the impact, Chloe swerved slightly before regaining control, gripping the steering wheel tightly. “What was that?!” she yelped, glancing at the rearview mirror.
Through the mirror, she spotted a hulking green monster with tusks riding a massive buffalo, charging toward them at full speed.
“Orc rider!” Lucas shouted. “Chloe, switch with me, I’ll drive!”
Without hesitation, Chloe climbed into the backseat as Samantha leaned forward to stabilize the steering wheel while the car decelerated.
Moments later, the car roared back to life with Lucas now at the helm, accelerating away from their pursuers.
Slamming the gas pedal, the tires screeched against the asphalt, leaving skid marks as the car shot forward.
Behind them, the ground rumbled like an earthquake, the enraged buffalo-riding orc hot on their trail.
Glancing at the side mirrors, Lucas did some quick mental calculations before rolling down his window. With one hand on the wheel, he pulled out his
“I wanna let you know. The driver, he’s crazy like a tiger,” Lucas hummed softly, pulling the trigger. The shot hit its mark, striking the orc’s head. With a howl, the creature toppled from its buffalo and hit the ground hard. “Take my adrenaline,” he smirked as floored the gas pedal.
“There’s more!” Chloe shouted as two additional orc riders emerged from the trees, galloping alongside them.
Samantha wasted no time, rolling down her window and extending her hand toward one of the riders. “Aibarkyra!” she intoned.
In an instant, numerous glowing purple chains erupted from the ground, coiling around the buffalo’s legs.
The beast tripped violently, and its orc rider was hurled through the air, crashing into the dirt with a heavy thud.
Several gunshots rang out from the backseat as Chloe, clutching her rarely used
From the dark woods, more beastly roars echoed, and several additional orc riders burst onto the road. Samantha clenched her teeth in frustration. “Where the hell are they all coming from?!”
Swerving and weaving through the winding road, Lucas fired off accurate shots whenever a clear target presented itself.
“There’s a hairpin turn up ahead! Hang on tight!” Lucas warned, his eyes flicking to the speedometer, the needle pressing deep into the danger zone.
“Hairpin?!” Chloe’s voice cracked in alarm.
“Sharp corner!” Samantha shouted as she summoned another wave of glowing chains to bind the pursuing orc riders.
“This is going to hurt your father’s memento, Chloe. I promise I’ll fix it later,” Lucas muttered grimly as energy began surging through his body as the road ahead came into sharp view.
“Oversurge Protocol.”
A faint blue energy enveloped the car as it suddenly surged forward with an unnatural burst of speed. Lucas swerved the car sharply in the opposite direction of the curve, then jerked the wheel into the turn.
The rear tires screeched against the asphalt, leaving faint trails of smoke as the car drifted around the bend.
The guardrail loomed dangerously close, but Lucas counter-steered effortlessly, the car snapping back into position before roaring down the road once more.
Another sharp turn loomed ahead, this time to the left.
Without hesitation, Lucas yanked the emergency brake, locking the rear wheels momentarily and sending the car into another drift. The body of the vehicle shuddered under the strain, but it clung tightly to the corner, narrowly avoiding disaster.
Behind them, the orc riders howled in frustration. The winding roads and treacherous turns proved too much for their mounts.
One buffalo lost its footing, skidding on the uneven ground and tumbling forward. Chaos erupted as the others stumbled and collided, leaving a pileup of furious orcs in the car's wake.
“Are they gone?” Chloe asked cautiously, glancing back at the orc riders now piled up in disarray behind them.
Samantha heaved a sigh of relief and slumped back into her seat, beads of sweat glistening on her forehead. “That was insane,” she muttered weakly.
“I’m gonna step on the gas. Tonight, I’ll fly and be your lover,” Lucas hummed happily, clearly enjoying himself as the car sped smoothly down the road.
As the adrenaline rush of the high-speed chase began to wear off, both Chloe and Samantha were evidently exhausted.
After a moment of silence, Chloe spoke in a tired voice, “Hey, Lucas. How did you even pull that off?”
“Perks of being a Mechanic,” Lucas chuckled, “I get to look cool while driving and have Eurobeats playing in the background.” He grinned as he steered the car around another curve.