Chapter 4: The Hellion Behemoth
*AROOO*
The hyena howled as they lunged at Jorge. Jorge laughed and swung his great sword, flames wrapped around it as he cleaved three hyenas in two. Melissa desperately struck at the hyena, but the hyena only shook its head and kept swiping its paws at her. Alex aimed his gun at the chest, a larger target, and fired. He yelped as his arms moved upward and did not see the bullet pierce into the hyena.
It howled with rage and tarted to turn, not noticing the black staff swinging downward onto its skull. Melissa blanched as the staff smashed the hyena's skull inward, making skin-crawling sounds as bones broke and blood sprayed. Jorge and Magnus played Fallen Divine Online and never played it in third person, their minds going into the game to be the their players. Jorge easily killed the hyenas leaping at him.
Snowflakes flew into the air as Magnus cut the hyena with his sword. A black aura surrounded his body and sword as he fought. It was precisely the <
Alex kept shooting and shooting, one bullet at a time. He found out that every time he ran out of bullets, he would get tired and the bullets would be reloaded. He likened it to a video game where the cost of creating a bullet was stamina. Melissa was gradually getting used to fighting and her face was no longer pale as she fought. Jorge just looked like he was having the time of his life, smacking the hyena like baseballs or cleaving them in to.
"Here come's the alpha," Magnus said, pointing ahead to a hyena the size of a tiger. Magnus looked into his character's beast portfolio in the handheld and identified it. "It's a level 6 Hellion dark hyena. "It's weak to the light element. I got this."
"Go!" Jorge said as he made a massive swing, opening the path.
"Holy Lance!" Magnus roared, one lance of light pinning the hyena as it was pierced by four more. The hyena howled with pain and looked up to see Magnus striking down at it. It could do nothing as Magnus slashed and slashed with his sword, doing a drop kick whenever the hyena tried to stand. Holy Lance was not a primary damage skill. Its true purpose was to bind the Hellion, its holy divine energy weakening it as it purified the areas around the wound.
"This is the end!" Magnus roared as he beheaded the hyena, hearing a clinking sound soon after. He returned his sword into its sheath and saw the surviving hyena go wild and scurry away in different directions.
"That seemed easy," Alex said.
"It was for me, but you only shot with a gun," Jorge said as Magnus walked over after picking up his loot. "Nice work. Prestige skills are the best. What level are you?"
"Five. I killed enough of the level 1 hyenas before I killed the boss," Magnus answered, storing azure-colored coins in his storage belt. "It dropped a white tier circlet. Take it, Melissa. The system says it increases accuracy and friendliness with beasts. It is good for a beast master."
"Thanks," Melissa said and donned a black circlet on her head.
"What happened to the truck?" Magnus said as he pointed at the truck behind them, a hyena dead on the windshield.
"I got carried away as it got past me and rushed to Alex," Jorge laughed and cried out as the truck exploded. "I guess it is the random element that appears during combat. This time, it was fire. We did well, but the hyenas were just level 1 Hellion. They were supposed to be easy. I'm level 4. What about you two?"
"Level 3," Melissa answered.
"Still level 1," Alex said.
"It seems their required experience is higher," Magnus said as he saw several red flames go into his belt. Only those he personally killed had their souls collected. He also noticed that they didn't see the red flames.
"You're a cultivator, so now you can work on your character progression since you are level 5," Jorge grinned.
"Melissa and Alex, did you guys see the red triangle above their heads? That is an indication of their health. In the game, there are no health numbers. You die just as you would in real life. The only difference is that our bodies get stronger with the stats and we have armor and weapons," Magnus explained. "Getting to level 10 is easy. Past that, the level progression is much more difficult. If I was alone, I would be hunting as many Hellion as possible."
"Why is that?" Melissa asked.
"The longer the Hellion is alive, the more it kills. Its miasma becomes stronger and it eventually mutates into a stronger, faster hunter. However, our first priority is shelter," Magnus said and walked to a nearby restaurant. He checked for wi-fi and took out his laptop from his bag within the storage belt. "It's about two hundred dollars per night. If we consider the fact that we are trapped, price will rise to probably five hundred. That's about $10,500 for three weeks."
"It's a good thing you looted those hotel rooms," Jorge grinned, none of them knowing Magnus robbed the casino vault as he gave them each a few thousand dollars. He had Melissa hold Alex's portion.
"Damn. That dude in the penthouse was loaded. Probably pocketed the money," Jorge said.
"We need to buy rich people's clothes. If we carry so much money, we have to look the part," Magnus said and pointed to the tuxedo and dress shop. Luckily, we're in Vegas. People are not wandering the streets as they are too scared. Cover your faces and let's go. Also, raid some other stores for clothes and shoes. We need to remember to switch our shoes. Also, don't forget to remove any tags and anti-theft device."
"Right! Come on, Jorge said as he took Alex with him as Melissa rushed through several clothes stores. Magnus also changed clothes, storing others with the rest of the stolen clothes to practice his tailor skill. It would take a while before the police settled the chaos. He hid behind a clothes rack as he saw some people enter. Some of them had lavish armor or weapons. Those were definitely Beta Survivors. He quickly hid his spirit energy and they did not detect him before they left.
"This material feels nice," Jorge said as he and the others returned with several bags full of clothes. Those were all quickly stored in Magnus's belt. "Okay, let's go to that hotel!"
"Let's hurry big sis! I want us to get the biggest room!" Alex said, pulling his older sister forward.
"There were Beta Survivors in one of the stores I looted," Magnus whispered as the two followed behind them. "It explains why there are barely any Hellion in this area."
"Right. We need to be careful of those guys," Jorge nodded. They quickly arrived at the hotel and paid for the three weeks worth of rent in advance. One man was angry as he stood in line behind them and Magnus got the last room. They were currently on the twenty third floor, where the Sky Lobby of the hotel was.
"Floor forty three....A little higher than I would have liked," Magnus said as the fat man behind him yelled at him, ignoring him and the four bodyguards. "You two go on ahead. I need to take out the trash behind me."
"Okay," Melissa said and took the excited Alex to the elevators, escorted by the ushers who would allow them access to the higher floors where the most luxurious suites were.
"Who the fuck do you brats think you are?" the fat man roared. "Carrying swords in this day and age. Men, show them that guns are better than swords.
"I'll handle them. My sword hasn't tasted enough blood. There is never enough blood," Magnus said as he drew his sword. "Hey fat ass. Let me tell you something: ordinary guns don't work on players or Hellion."
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"What are you doing? Shoot him! I'll take care of the mess!" the fat man roared.
"Nothing personal kid," one of the bodyguards said as he raised his gun.
"You gonna be okay?" Jorge asked.
"Yeah. I got six more stats for reaching level 5 from level 2. I have 6 power, 5 magic, and 4 stats in recovery and spirit. I'll be fine," Magnus said.
"That's four stats higher than I could get at your level due to your four additional prestige. Yeah, you'll be fine," Jorge nodded and turned to the hotel employees. "You guys might want to get a first aid kit and a mop. Those guys are going to bleed soon."
"Shoot him!" the fat man roared and the four men about to pull the trigger. Magnus moved faster than they could and sliced their guns in half.He tossed his sword in the air and rushed forward. He did a roundhouse kick on two of the men and finished off another with a low kick followed by a drop kick as the man leaned down to hold his shin in agony. The fourth man tried to grab him, but Magnus's superior reflex allowed him to avoid the grab. Magnus pulled the arm over his shoulder and slammed the man on the ground in front of him, finishing him off with two stomps to the face.
"See? This is the world we live in now," Magnus said as he leisurely walked to the fat man, his sword landing in his right hand. "For pissing me off, I'll only take one hand."
"AAAAH!" the man screamed as Magnus cut off the man's left hand. The man walked with his right foot first. That menat he was left handed. Thus, it was more appropriate to cut off the left hand. He shut the man up by smashing the butt of his sword on the back of the neck. He brandished the sword and the blood came off.
"There's no blood?" Jorge asked, slightly amused and disappointed.
"He was a non-player, similar to a NPC. He can't resist the chilling and freezing effect of my sword. He should just be glad he won't die from blood loss," Magnus said and bowed in apology to the hotel employees. "Apologies for the disturbance. My friend and I, including his girlfriend, are Spirit Lords. If any Hellion enter the hotel. Please let us know so we can kill them. Thank you."
"Why'd you tell them that?" Jorge asked as they got into the elevator with an usher.
"It's simple really. It is obvious we are Spirit Lords and people will be less inclined to threaten us to steal our rooms. We can easily kill any who attempt to do so," Magnus said and looked back at the usher after the exited the elevator. "Make sure that we are not to be disturbed."
"Of course, sir," the usher said as the elevator closed, Magnus smirking as he could hear the man sigh with relief due to his heightened senses. Their new hotel room had three rooms and Magnus immediately went into one room. He was anxious to begin cultivation. He went into the bath tub and took off his shirt. He closed his eyes and sat down and began to cultivate. Slowly, a day passed and Magnus succeeded in reaching the Nascent Body first stage. He could feel the Yuan Qi (basic or primary world energy essence) flow within him.
Cultivation in the game consisted of five tiers. The first realm had nine layers and was known as the Nascent Body tier. Those at this tier could cultivate Yuan Qi. The next tier was the Spirit Tribulation tier, allowing cultivators to cultivate Zhen Qi (true world energy essence). They were considered True Immortals. The third tier was the Sword Spirit tier. Those who reached the third tier were known as Sword Immortals and cultivated Jian Qi (sword world energy essence).
Throughout the seven hundred levels, Magnus had never reached the fourth tier known as the Spirit King tier. Those who reached this tier cultivated Tian Qi (heavenly world energy essence) and were known as Sky Immortals. He knew two people did and they only prestige once or start all over again. The higher the level, the easier to cultivate. No one ever reached the fifth and final tier. That was the God Tier. Those who reached that tier were known as Immortal Emperors and cultivated Wang Qi (monarch's world energy essence).
Magnus opened his eyes and checked his stats. His eyes widened as he leveled twice and got one additional stat. That additional stat was proof he reached the Nascent Body first stage. He distributed two stats into spirit and one stat to recovery and magic. The last three were put in power. Six stats for three levels and the one extra stat for breaking to the first stage.
Magnus Wang
Level 7
Class: Cultivator
Title: Sword Sage
Prestige: 7
Stats
Power: 9
Magic: 6
Recovery: 5
Spirit: 6
"So far, so good," Magnus said and washed his body of black liquids which came out of his pores. Those were impurities that needed to be expelled to improve and shape the body to that of an immortal. The clothes were stained by the impurities and Magnus dumped them in the trash bin in the kitchen.
"Whoa! You got more muscular and stream-lined," Jorge grinned. "It took so long to reach the first stage?"
"Yeah. It seemed the <
"A Hellion Behemoth was born. Apparently, there was a massacre in the eastern region of the city and they evolved and fused together. It is a tiger humanoid as tall as a twenty story building. I saw some Spirit Lords try to fight it, but it was level 8. Aside from you, there is no one above level 5. The Hellion Behemoth is not even a mini boss," Jorge answered.
"Where is it resting?" he asked.
"In the lake before the Bellagio Hotel," Melissa answered as she gave Magnus scrambled eggs and a stripped hash brown pancake, a glass of milk on the side.
"Any Beta Survivors show? How is the city government reacting to all this?" he asked. "Order is restored and only a few Beta Survivors don't care about the law. Those guys are being chased and they are being blamed for all the deaths. Even the guy you killed in Circus Circus is said to have been killed by them. What's more interesting is that they robbed the vault of the casino and denied it."
"That's two problems dealt with," Magnus thought as he heard more.
"The mayor wants to gather all the Spirit Lords and make a stronghold against the Hellion in the MGM Grand, Mandarin Oriental, and the Bellagio," Alex added.
"Even the Bellagio? But didn't you guys say the Hellion Behemoth is resting in the lake in front of it?" Magnus asked, confused as he finished his breakfast and glass of milk.
"The Hellion is not attacking that area at all, allowing the people to strengthen the hotel's defenses. All the other hotels struggle to hold off the Hellion. Many have already died," Jorge explained. "What should we do?"
"We'll hunt the Hellion nearby. Our main priority is to reach level 10 and unlock the green item tier. Melissa will also get her element attributes and class. We'll hunt the Hellion Behemoth then," Magnus said as his Demonic Ape King arrived, apparently sleeping on his bed while he cultivated. "It will take a while for you guys to reach my level. I'll also practice the Diamond Ocean Manual and learn more class skills."
"Good plan. Let's just hope the Hellion Behemoth does not get stronger anytime soon," Jorge agreed and they headed to the Mandarin Oriental down the road.