It was the dawn of the sixth day, and the streets were lit aflame.
She gently pulled at the cuff of her shirt. She was hot. It wasn’t painful. Just uncomfortable. The air felt thick, and she could taste the mild metallic tang of ash in her mouth. She glanced down at the streets below, idly watching as the flames below grew and grew.
She’d woken just an hour before. The sun had already begun creeping from the horizon then, and she readied herself for another hunt.
And then stopped.
Because she remembered passing by a gas station on her way to the convenience store. It was a barren place, with nothing but the cars parked by the fueling stations. She thought back to the day before, of the two cars she exploded. She thought back to the gas station.
An idea was born.
There was an alarm clock atop that desk in her old apartment room. She remembered it ringing on the day she returned. A loud, shrill banging of metal that echoed around her room.
So she went, sword in hand and the alarm clock in the other. She placed the little contraption over the hood of one of the cars. She gave the knob on its back a little twist. A ticking began to play and she quickly leapt to the roofs.
A minute passed. That horrid sound played.
And like moths to a flame, the monsters woke from their sleep. They converged around the car, Svels circled around it like a throng of children. The Vlaids stared at it from a distance, wary. The Raeys dove from the skies.
And following just behind a small pack of Boros was a giant spider. Its body was a deep, unsettling red, with polished black eyes. Sharp fangs protruded out from its mouth. Jagged carapace covered its eight legs.
Mitheles. A monster akin to a giant spider. Its legs could puncture through iron. Its fangs could stab through steel. If its target happens to still live, it could secrete an acidic poison from its mouth. Strong, swift, poisonous, but rather fragile.
More monsters came. The alarm had gone silent by then, but the effect was done. More and more monsters were drawn into the growing crowd. She waited, hiding just behind the guard rails. Her fingers lit with blue sparks.
Those sparks grew to a small flame, and the blade of her sword glowed a blue tint as she rose. She twisted, arm taut, and mana sparked through her limb as she threw. A small cocoon of wind bloomed behind her sword, and a loud crunch sounded as her sword dug right through one of the cars in the gas station. One parked just inches from a fueling station.
And like a series of fireworks, the cars exploded, the fueling stations exploded, and the world was bathed in flames.
Slain: Svel - Lv 1, Svel - Lv 1, Svel - Lv 1, Svel - Lv 1, Svel - Lv 1, Svel - Lv 1, Svel - Lv 1, Svel - Lv 1, Svel - Lv 1, 277 more… Gained 4090 Exp
This Unit has levelled up
Unit: Alexa Hugo Francis Lv 9 Exp: 555/32,805 Health: 35/35 Mana: 40/40 Strength: 11 (+1) Endurance: 7 (+1) Spirit: 8 (+1) Resistance: 4 (+1) Dexterity: 12 (+1) Charm: 11 (+1)
No Svels survived. No Vlaids survived. No Raeys survived. No Mitheles survived. Not even a single Boros survived. The combined impact had burnt through even the Boros’ tough flesh, and the smell of ash and burning flesh filled the air.
She tugged on her shirt. Mm. Her shirt smelled faintly of ash. That wasn’t all that surprising. She needed to get a change of clothes when she went back. And get more clothes in general. She was running out of spare clean clothes she could use.
She glanced around. There were no monsters in sight. None but the burning corpses of several of the bigger monsters.
She frowned. That explosion had been particularly loud, and yet none had been compelled to find out what had happened. Was it the explosion that followed that deterred them? Or maybe the fires? The smell of ash and burning flesh? A combination of the three?
No. That shouldn't be it. The artificial rules the Monolith placed on the monsters should still be acting until the end of the first Scenario. The monsters would always be compelled to seek food and to discover the source of any disturbances. Not a single monster had seen her attack. She was hidden. Nothing should be afraid of approaching.
So why?
…
She had a bad feeling about something. It was a faint, squeezing feeling in the bottom of her stomach. Something about this was odd. There should’ve been at least something.
Then, she heard a scream coming from the east. She was running before she knew what was happening. Her calves trailing with blue sparks as she leapt. The winds whistled as she ran past. Another scream sounded, louder. She picked up her speed, and shards of concrete were pulled as she ran.
She soon came across a junction, and she saw people. A boy and a girl. Young. Teenagers. There was a large purple crystal at the center of the junction. The two stood around it as hundreds of Svels and Vlaids charged towards them.
Her eyes went wide. A Sub Scenario. Her grip on her sword tightened. Why the hell were they in a Sub Scenario? They should’ve just denied the-
She stilled.
No one knew that they could even decline Sub Scenarios.
The boy had a baseball club. The girl had a knife. Both were injured, the boy more so. There was a nasty wound on his side, and he was visibly slumping. Both were heaving, clearly exhausted.
They were going to die.
Alex leapt.
The Unit has entered a designated space. Joining Sub Scenario…
Supply Beacon
Threat: F-
Requirements: Protect the Beacon until it activates
Success: 500 Coins
Failure: The Beacon explodes
Remaining Time: 3:12
The moment she made it to the ground, the Svels stopped their advancement. They stared at her, shaking slightly, and they squeaked when she turned her eyes to them. The Vlaids continued running. She vaguely heard the girl scream.
She turned on her heel and swung. The Vlaid behind her fell and died.
Slain: Vlaid Lv - 4 Gained 40 Exp
She turned to them, and frowned slightly. They were staring at her with awe, eyes practically glowing. She raised an eyebrow, somewhat confused. “Have you two killed 100 monsters?” She asked instead. They quickly nodded, and she hummed. “Take care of the Svels. I’ll take the Vlaids.”
“Yes ma’am!” The girl shouted.
Alex stared. What did she just-, why did she-, what-
…
Later. She’d deal with it later. She had Vlaids to slay.
None of the monsters were willing to advance. The Svels were slowly backing away. The Vlaids had stopped, eyes wary as they stalked. Their fangs were bared and drool fell from their chins.
She smiled thinly, and threw.
One Vlaid fell onto the street. That finally roused them, and the monsters once more began their advance. She recalled her sword into her hands and threw. Another Vlaid fell. She called her sword back. Fresh blood fell from its edge. She threw. Another fell.
Recall. Throw. Recall. Throw. Recall. Throw. Over and over and over. She threw her swords at any approaching Vlaids and stabbed the heads of those that came too close. Ske kept a careful eye on the two as she fought. They looked far more hopeful now that she was here.
She soon turned her sights to the Svels. She leapt at them, fingers burning with bright blue sparks. The air would tremble with every slash she made, and several heads would fall onto the streets with every swing. The Svels began to escape, instinct laid over the commands the Monolith placed over them.
She let them go. There was no need to waste her energy on them.
Slain: Svel - Lv 1, Svel - Lv 1, Svel - Lv 1, Svel - Lv 1, Svel - Lv 1, Svel - Lv 1, Svel - Lv 1, Svel - Lv 1, Svel - Lv 1, 102 more… Gained 1165 Exp
The rowdy junction turned silent as she waited for the Beacon to activate. The other two stood just by it, eyes watching the slow rising glow inside the crystalline structure.
Then, a bright light rose from it, and the Beacon crumbled away.
You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.
Unit Alexa Hugo Francis has finished the Sub Scenario, Supply Beacon
Gained 500 Coins
That was that. She clasped her sword onto the small clip on her hip and sighed. “You two alright-?”
“Yes ma’am!”
She blinked. “...what?”
“Yes ma-, I mean, I-, uh-” The girl sputtered before she quickly turned to the boy, eyes pleading.
He laughed. “We’re…alright.” Alex raised an eyebrow, fully unconvinced. He winced. “We’re alive.” He said instead. “We would’ve been more hurt if you didn’t arrive. So-, uh, thank you.” He bowed. The girl blinked, before she quickly bowed.
Alex gently pushed her jaw shut. She wasn’t sure what she could say to that. “You two have bandages? That wound looks fresh.” She said instead. They blinked. Then the girl shrieked and quickly dug through the small pack she was carrying. She pulled out a bandage and began urging him to sit down. The boy refused, insisting they save it for later.
“Use it.” The boy turned to her, and Alex felt herself frown. “What good would it be if you didn’t use it?” She shrugged.
“R-Right.” He gave a shaky smile as he lifted his shirt. “Do your thing, sis.”
Alex hummed. The girl was his sister? Which meant that the two were siblings. They…didn’t look all that alike. Adopted maybe? Or perhaps it was something else?
Mm. It didn’t matter all that much, she supposed.
She kept a careful eye as the girl gingerly wrapped the bandage around her brother’s waist. The wound wasn’t deadly, but it was threatening. She was more worried over him getting an infection than dying from blood loss. Sickness meant a reduction of Health and Mana. That was a curse for any Units.
“Be gentle-!”
“Man up!”
She frowned. Where were their parents? Were they separated from them when the First Scenario began? Or were they already separated from them beforehand? She didn’t know, and she wasn’t sure if she wanted to know.
“F-, are you trying to kill me-!?”
“Man. Up!”
…They were having fun, at least.
She took a glance at her phone. 06:33. Hmm. She had some time before noon would come. She felt around in her pockets. She wasn’t carrying any plastic bags with her. That was fine. She could just grab more from a convenience store her way back to her apartment.
The brother wore his shirt back on with a small sigh. “Couldn’t you go a little softer? My body’s-, god, it hurts…” He levelled a glare at her. “What? Getting all excited cause the Hunter’s here, hmm?”
The girl turned away. The tips of her ears were clearly red.
Alex could only blink. “Hunter…?”
The boy blinked at her, before he made a small ‘oh’ and coughed. “Right-, um, that’s what people have been calling you. Cause, y’know, you’re always going out and hunting those monsters all the time. And like, you never get injured, and the streets would become a little safer after you come, and stuff.”
…
What?
People saw her? People were watching her? How? Why? That meant that everyone had seen her stunts. Which meant that people saw her jumping from building to building, saw her explode cars, saw her-
Oh god. That’s why her Charm was increasing so quickly, wasn’t it?
She wanted to both laugh and cry. Why? Why? Why were people watching her? She was just-, she-
She did neither and simply nodded. “I see.” She said, and dearly hoped none of her distress was made clear.
She coughed. “You’re both injured and tired. Do you have a place to rest?” The two shook their heads, and that was another can of worries she wasn’t going to touch at the moment. “All your things are in that bag?” She pointed at the pack the girl carried. They nodded. “Alright. Have you two eaten breakfast?”
The two froze. The girl quickly looked away. The boy gave a slow laugh. “We-, um, ran out. Yesterday.” He gave another glare at his sister. She remained dutifully silent.
Alex smiled thinly. She could take a guess as to what happened. “There’s a convenience store just down the street.” She jerked her thumb to the streets on her left. “You two mind helping me pack supplies?”
The two gaped before they gave an energetic nod. She felt her eyes twitch. “Let’s go.”
The next few minutes was the most flattering and mortifying experience she’d ever felt. The constant awe the two teenagers had as they sacked through the store felt suffocating. It reminded her of that time she was forced to rally a speech before an upcoming battle.
She grabbed her usual spoils. Loaves of bread. Bottles of water. Some snacks. More loaves of bread. Some non-perishable foods the store happened to have. And strawberry jam. The usual.
The girl had given her an odd stare when she saw a plastic bag entirely filled with glasses of strawberry jam. Alex had shrugged and told her to wait.
They began their trek back to her apartment. The girl was excitedly whispering about ‘finally seeing where the Hunter lived’. Alex was sure the girl hadn’t even realized that she could be heard. The boy offered her a sympathetic smile.
She would’ve normally leapt onto the roof. It would’ve been faster, but she didn’t want to bear the risk. The boy was injured, the girl was tired, and she wasn’t sure the two could even get to the roof on their own. So they walked the entire way back, moving from alley to alley as monsters ran past. It was a familiar life.
The girl practically shrieked when she finally made it to her room. Her brother’s reaction was much more quaint, but the awe in his eyes was clear to see. Alex could only wonder what was so amazing about some random apartment room.
It was then that she realized she didn’t even know their names. “I don’t think we’ve introduced ourselves.” She said, and the two froze.
Burning passion lit in the girl’s eyes.
“I’m Grace Dullack! Nice to meet you!”
Her brother laughed tiredly. “James Dullack.”
Alex felt herself smile. “Alexa Hugo Francis. Just call me Alex.”
She helped them settle in. They would settle in the room just left of hers. She gave most of the supplies they’d taken from the convenience store to the two. The siblings were quick to deny the gift, clearly worried over the share she had. She just shrugged and showed the supplies she’d gathered the day before.
When that was done, she told them a quick list of what not to do. No touching her sword. No drinking the glowing bottles of water on the desk. Knock on her door if they wanted to ask something. If she didn’t answer, she was most likely outside. Don’t leave without telling one another. Keep the doors locked.
Grace had asked what those glowing bottles of water were. She said that they were special weapons and left it at that.
This wouldn’t be their permanent stay. It couldn’t. It was too undefended, too close to the monsters. If a monster were to come down, they’d be forced to fight in this small space. If the ceiling was to fall on them, they’d be trapped.
They’d need to find a new place to stay after the First Scenario reached its end. The Second Scenario would turn the air toxic for any Units with low Endurance.
…Hmm.
“What is your Endurance?” She asked Grace.
“Two.”
She turned to her brother. “Three.” He said.
She hummed. It wasn’t enough. The toxic air wasn’t particularly deadly, but any Units with an Endurance of five or below would be severely weakened by it. They had a month after the First Scenario’s end before the Second Scenario would begin. A month to bolster the two lest they meet death.
The siblings finished settling soon. There were still several hours before noon by then, and she’d turned to the stairs to leave. The siblings had quickly caught up and asked to join her however. She was reluctant. Hunts were hunts. They were dangerous. James was still injured. The two were tired. And though the two had survived that previous Sub Scenario, they’d only faced an army of Svels of Vlaids. They’d be up against Raeys, Boros, and Mitheles.
And then she stopped.
Because why shouldn’t she? She needed over 30,000 Exp to reach level 10, and she doubted she’d reach that with the monsters present in the First Scenario. It’d be more fruitful if she instead gave that Exp over to the siblings.
So it went like this,
They’d patrol the streets. Grace would stand at the front of their little party. James would be behind her. Alex hovered around them. If Svels appeared, the siblings would deal with them on their own. They’d battle the Vlaids on their own as well, but she’d step in if she needed to.
Raeys were too dangerous for the two to battle. Alex would be the one to bring them down. Boros were similarly dangerous, but they were slow. She would incapacitate them and allow the siblings to hunt them. Mitheles were swift, but she could easily slice off their legs to stop them. The siblings could bring them down then.
It was admittedly rather funny to see a giant spider get repeatedly stomped by a girl a third its size.
James’ injury did mean that the boy fought less than his sister, but that hardly meant much. The girl was stronger, but he was smarter. Each strike he made with his baseball bat would be dealt at his target’s weakest point. Where his sister needed several stabs with her knife, he took only a single good swing.
The more she watched them, the more familiar they felt. She wondered why.
They returned an hour before noon arrived. They were tired, but ultimately satisfied. And in need of food.
Alex sprung her trap.
The siblings had been quite confused when she gave them a strawberry jam sandwich alongside their pre-prepared lunch. She told them to give it a try. The kids did, and were immediately entranced. James had nearly dropped his sandwich, and Grace had stared at it as if it was a divine blessing.
She smiled. Good. Two new patrons.
The apartment shook when noon came. The siblings had tensed, a habit born of being forced to live on the go. She just told them that none of the monsters in the First Scenario had any spatial awareness. This apartment would be safe until the end of the First Scenario.
They were, understandably, worried as to where to go after the Scenario ended. She’d just told them to believe her. They immediately did. They trusted her implicitly.
…
This awe the siblings had. The trust they had. Knowing the survivors were watching her. Seeing her Charm increase with every level up.
It was an uncomfortable feeling.
The siblings eventually fell asleep, tired from their excursions earlier in the day. Alex folded a plastic bag into her pocket and left the apartment.
She needed spare clothes. The previous her had far too few shirts with her.
There was a small clothes shop she passed by the day before. She could snag herself several shirts, and pairs of shorts. Maybe some skirts. That’d be nice.
So she did. She jumped through the broken windows and packed all she needed into her plastic bag. Shirts. Shorts. Some skirts for herself. Jeans for the siblings. A jacket, just in case. A couple pairs of shoes. Far too many pairs of socks to count. She left soon after.
She set down her haul next to the many plastic bags by her backpack. She frowned slightly. She needed to sort all the things she gathered. And a bigger backpack. Or more backpacks in general.
She dropped onto her bed and opened her phone.
12:43
She hummed. That was a lot of time.
…
She glanced at the bottles of water lined on her desk. Each was glowing an eerie grey. They were not dissimilar to bottles of precariously contained liquid mercury. They were her special weapons. Her little trick to bring down the Gramatoa.
She brought up her status. Thirty six Mana out of Forty. That’d do.
She rose from her bed. She grabbed a bottle of water from her supplies and sat down. She reached over and grabbed one of the glowing bottles. The glowing bottle felt cold, and a shiver crept up her spine. Her body knew of its dangers, of how even a drop could dangerously injure someone.
She opened it and carefully placed a drop of the glowing water into her untouched bottle of water. The glowing droplet immediately faded into the water. She screwed the cap and lined the glowing bottle back with the others.
She took a breath. Lightning roared inside her chest, and with mana coiling beneath her arm, she pressed a thumb over the opened bottle of water. Bright blue lit on her finger, growing brighter, before blue sparks began to fall into the water like falling snow.
She remained by that desk until night fell.