Tsk. I got a boring injury right from the start.
Viers had moved away from the beach and taken some respite under a tree. Although he was grumbling inside his mind it was actually inside his predictions.
Red Zone classifications were given to areas deemed too inhospitable for people to live. In most cases, the local monsters were aggressive and dangerous. In his travels, Viers had passed Red Zones before but he usually only passed by and stayed in the periphery. Even then he usually met some sort of complications.
This time was no different. What was different was Viers himself.
Viers had become a Level 3 mid Pathseeker; he was much stronger than when he was a Level 2. His Artes and various skills had also improved. The stronger he got, the less danger the monsters posed. It was natural.
The injury he got during the fight had already healed. Normal Pathseekers would take weeks.
Viers’ plan had not changed, a few hours of goodnight’s sleep. He’d found an area with very few monsters that were suitable. After raising a protective barrier using a magic item, Viers placed the Picture Room on a tree’s trunk and went inside the pocket space.
Inside, the room was small and humble. The size reminded Viers of the picture of Hong Kong's micro apartments that he had seen on the net a long time ago. This was much better because it was not as cluttered thanks to the spatial storage item he had.
Viers cleaned himself up and changed his outdoor clothes before diving into the bed.
By the way, should I feel good or feel bad about the battle earlier? I, a Level 3, got injured against a bunch of Rank 0s and 1s worms. My Unreality Field almost came out of reflex but I pushed it down at the last second. The Victa tradeoff wouldn't be worth it. I may have a lot of Victa right now but won't last forever. Being frugal about Victa will lead to long lives… Zzzzz.
Viers fell asleep faster than he expected.
And awoke faster too.
Beep! Beep! Beep!
“Mgghh?”
It was an alarm that woke him, not from a clock or smartphone but from the barrier. It meant it was about to be broken.
“...Oh shit!”
Viers’ brain, which had finished booting up, told the body to spur into action. He immediately put his head out of the Picture Room to investigate.
“Geeh!?”
The barrier was swarmed by a tide of galagos. They were small but numerous. Each had big eyes and ears like bats.
Like the worms before, they are about Rank 0s and 1s but while the worms seemed to be one species, these small primates have different evolutions.
Viers saw one had fire burning on the edge of its tail and another was clawing at the barrier with wind on its paws.
I’m surrounded! How did this happen? The barrier magic item is supposed to be hiding my location from the monsters! Damn fake advertisement!
Although the magic item was something that he got from someone else that kindly donated all their wealth to him, Viers still felt annoyed that the item did not work as well as the seller said it would.
Wait, this is not the time to be salty to a shifty vendor. Gh! Looks like battle is my only option.
Viers tapped his three badges of different colors.
“Come out! Dia, Futon, Faiya!”
“Hoaah…” Dia stretched her body. “It’s cold… Good morning, kin.”
“Mmm mmm… Fuu…”
“Yaa! Yaa! Yaaaah!”
Futon came out still sleeping while the fire elemental was eager for action.
“It’s still night, Dia. Sorry guys, but I need you to help me deal with these loud guests.”
“Oh, okay,” Dia scrubbed her left eye, still feeling drowsy. “Fufu, you wake up too.”
Faiya body-slammed his sleeping sibling and bounced off in the process.
“Fuu…?” Futon replied in the tone of a man who woke up from a century of sleep.
Viers left the three children to their antics and got ready on his own, gearing up. Glancing at the time device, he only got about one and a half hours to sleep.
I don't need a full eight-hour sleep but I wouldn't say no to a few hours more… Ah, what would the Colony’s sleep police say to me I wonder…
It was ahead of schedule but Viers’ training arc had begun. He was coming to Monsterland to kill monsters anyway. The little break he had recharged him enough. Since there weren't any powerful galagos among the bunch, Viers picked fight rather than flight.
By the time the barrier broke, Viers and the other three were ready. They each guarded one of the four directions. Dia, Futon, and Faiya were already Level 3. He had faith they would be able to handle the galagos.
Viers held his katana, Guren Muramasa, with both hands. The stance was perfectly still.
“Water… Slash.”
Viers had used one of the most rudimentary water Arte more than a thousand times. The amount was thrice as much if his simulation in the Grid was included. He could use it as easy as turning his hand at this point but even so, Viers swung his sword in a measured and controlled manner.
The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
The slash that left a trail of water in its wake was too fast for the galagos and those that were in its path were cut.
The monsters seemed to pay no mind to their pack members’ death and kept coming at Viers, which he expected. Although monsters sometimes grouped up, they rarely showed true herd camaraderie. Viers used the second Water Slash almost immediately with the same commitment and seriousness as the first.
Viers came here to train and train he did. Viers had fancy Artes and often created new ones because he had so much inspiration in his head and liked to create fancy moves with his hands. That didn't mean he threw away all of his old moves. For example, the basic Water Slash Arte was something he honed to a high level while regular Level 3s would have already changed this move to a more powerful Arte.
Veirs liked it because of its simplicity. Speaking economically, it was also good. The Arte used little Victa to begin with and Viers was so proficient in it that he could draw more power from using even less Victa.
In truth, Viers’ Water Slash Arte almost could no longer be called Water Slash Arte anymore.
Water Slash after Water Slash while not moving one step, the range of Viers’ sword was like a border of life and death. The galagos that passed that line were cut and died.
I have this side handled but what about the other three?
Dia stopped the galagos' frenzied charge with plant roots, their bodies piling up. The roots were actively seeking prey to entangle. On closer look, not only did the roots entwine, but they were also having adhesive properties, making breaking free an even more daunting task. The galagos were like insects caught in glue, powerless to resist.
In seconds, the monsters that got bound also showed signs of enfeeblement, as if they got their fluids sucked out of their bodies.
Arte - Sticky Entangle and Drain Slurp.
“Mmm~ Yum yum. Ehehe~ Thanks for the meal.”
Dia, who looked like a ten-year-old girl, was smiling before the scene of carnage without a hint of regret.
However, the area those two Artes covered were not wide enough and some galagos went through from the side.
“Bad big-eyed monkeys. Don't disturb kin’s sleep!”
Two cacti sprouted on both of Dia’s side, each taller than her, and started shooting their sharp spines. It was like the barrage of a machine gun and the galagos fell in droves. When one lucky galago managed to slip in through and pounce on Dia, the cactus on the right moved on its own without Dia’s command and gave the primate a hug of prickly death.
On another side, it was bright and burning.
Faiya, the adorable ball of fire, was spit-roasting the galagos alive with the flames from his mouth. He was like a flying flamethrower. Since it was late in the night, all the combustions were pretty eye-catching. The galagos that were on fire were screaming painfully but not for long as they soon fell silent permanently. It was a simple technique but deadly. Those that didn't get charred were at an impasse. What could they do against a ball of fire? Some water-type galagos tried their luck and attacked anyway but Faiya when he got serious was emitting crazy heat. The closer one got to Faiya, the higher the temperature. The galagos stopped approaching as their fur ignited and panicked. The cold of winter and the darkness of the night were chased away by a single individual a little bigger than a lightbulb doing arson.
On the last side, it was cloudy and electrified.
Futon was as fluffy as cotton candy and as cute as a puppy but the cloud elemental was a nightmare to the galagos. He grew in size and volume, blanketing the area with his own body. Inside, the monsters were suffocating as Futon choked their breath out of them. Spreading and spreading, the area he covered was becoming bigger by the second, and more galagos became victims of the white gaseous prison. Unlike his fiery brother, the cloud could easily change his size. He normally stayed as big as a soccer ball but only because it was convenient. Currently, at his true size, Futon could cover a field of twenty-five meters two meters deep. Although these enemies would be dead, Futon moved to deliver the killing blow. The white body of the cloud elemental turned black and crackled with electricity. Futon voluntarily created positive discharge and negative discharge in his body, which came naturally to him, and created lightning. The monsters inside the cloud’s body were slain in an instant as the sound of thunder roared outside.
Viers was satisfied with the power his familiar displayed. By giving them natural resources needed for their growth, all three already reached Level 3, the same as him. Their food and requirements were not cheap but they didn't disappoint. Now that he didn't have Boram at his side, the existence of these little helpers would greatly diminish his Victa expenditure. He felt he made the right call to cut his soul foundation to breathe life to Faiya and Futon back then.
However, their growth is really frightening. Humans cultivate at fifteen years old then they begin at Level 0. I’m a seventeen year old Level 3 and am considered among the fastest. There was the matter of affinity and whatnot. Meanwhile, Faiya and Futon are less than one year old but already Level 3. They got their help from me and Dia’s Biome but still… Monsters should have the same nature, they just need resources. When looking at it that way, aren't humanity’s prospects a bit grim? I know a lot of Fables where humanity is disadvantaged compared to monsters… Is my species, the people in this world, in danger of extinction?
Viers’ mind could wander like that because the monster wave was thinning. After witnessing so many of them die, some began to run away. However, as expected of the Red Zone, the showy battle invited more monsters.
“More meat to the grinder boys and girl,” Viers shouted. “Let’s give them a warm welcome!”
“Okay!”
“Fuu! Fuu!”
“Yaaa!”
The response from the other three was positive.
The monsters kept on coming.
And coming.
Without stopping.
After a while, Viers was starting to sweat. The other three were also starting to show fatigue, Faiya was the worst off. Faiya’s firepower was the highest among the three but it gradually went down as the battle dragged on. This issue was already known during the training session.
“Hang on just a bit more, I’m collecting the loot. Cover me!” Viers said as he readied his Thousand Treasures Casket and took the Picture Room away.
The Red Zone label is rightly put!
Viers had thought that after vanquishing the galagos herd at the start, he could go back to sleep. He didn't think it would go on until six other waves of the monster parade. He judged the place was no longer defendable and chose to evacuate.
The monsters were aiming at the same thing he was, the flesh and cores of the dead monsters. They were resources for getting stronger for both sides. Viers was unwilling to let his hard work get taken by the hyenas and started collecting.
Like a vacuum cleaner, Viers started to work and the other three moved closer to cover him. They were currently being attacked by two different packs of monsters, a possum pack and an ibis pack.
However, that move turned out to be a mistake. The familiars were fighting using different elements and were now interfering with each other. Faiya’s flames burned Dia’s roots which resulted in the monster escaping the enclosure. Futon tried to kill the monster using a lightning bolt but he missed the target because the heat Faiya generated distorted the cloud’s shape, striking Dia unintentionally.
Viers dealt with the monster on his own but the defensive lines swiftly collapsed because of disorganized teamwork. They didn't have this problem because they were quite far away from each other. Turned out the plant, cloud, and fire were unable to synergize well in close range.
“We retreat.” Viers sounded the retreat early even though there was still thirty percent of loot up for grabs.
But thanks to that, the monsters were busy fighting over what was left rather than chasing him.
While retreating he looked at Dia who had collapsed and was carried by Futon on top of him. Next, he glanced at the dejected Faiya. Viers thought of his error. He put too much emphasis on raising their strength. Viers wasn't completely wrong because if they weren't at least Level 3, they wouldn't be able to help him in his battles for the lack of strength. But now, another issue appeared.
Hmn, it seems a team training session is in order.
[Wanted to make a super important chapter for the big number but failed. Feels bad man.]