Chapter 4: Unexpected Guests
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My sleep was suddenly interrupted at late midnight, the reason was none other than being unable to deeply fall asleep due to the presence of high leveled monsters. I think it is pretty much normal for a person like me to feel inadequate to go sleeping soundly in the middle of monster crowds.
Just from this distance, even though I saw these monsters being distanced from the crater miles away, I could hear their hideous roars.
Mostly the sizzles of the Domain Devastator. I feel a cold foot whenever I hear them. Was it because I encountered a Domain Devastator before I came to be to this place?
Their speed is abnormally fast, even for a snake-like creature, they are too fast.
It's like they are eels, with the wastelands' sands being their water. And not to mention they shoot out fireballs.
Although their aim was a bit off, it was dangerous to an extent it would burn me into cinders upon contacting with the fumes of the fire, the temperatures of these fireballs are beyond godly, maybe at the same level as the sun.
After sensing nothing was wrong, I stretched my limbs, dusted off sands, and rubbed my eyes before I wore the helmet and took FAD out of the Inventory. I doubt about my sidearm penetrating the Domain Devastator's scales or even the Domain Keeper's carapace.
And since I knew my Premium Points are infinite, I could abuse my gun to the extent. The Premium Points Shop doesn't sell individual clips but rather, a whole box of ammunition. Though there is a limit on how many times you could purchase Ammunition boxes, for my rank, I could buy six at most while the next rank specifies an increase by one for Premium Shop purchase limitation.
The ammunition boxes only refill your gun's empty clips, or that how it would function.
I am actually quite doubtful if this Ammunition Box would be sent straight to my Inventory or dropped from the skies, or placed instantly in front of me. But whatever, I'll know once I require ammunition.
Also, the Premium Shop allows me to recruit an NPC. Even though the War Points could, the War Points variant would be staying at your base of operations rather than accompanying you to the field. The tutorial on Shops specified that there are no limits on how many you could own but the daily limit of being able to hire NPCs are heavily dependent on your player Rank.
There is actually no limitation on how many you could bring to the battlefield but expect heavy losses because... They are just NPCs and the ones they are fighting against is a damned player.
Alright. Since we are done preparing. Let's check the perimeter once again, the night is still young since the moon is still placed overhead, and the surroundings are much brighter than before.
I leaped to the edge of the crater through using the armor's enhancement and immediately checked the perimeter.
I knew it. It wasn't my mind that's just creating the monster's roar. They are actually a mile closer to my sleeping place.
The monsters are slowly creeping towards the crater at an incredibly slow rate, and with their pace, I calculate they would be swarming the crater at daybreak. They all number more than a thousand from my view and the fog doesn't allow me to see any further to their back.
... The sight of these monsters slowly moving towards me is... Horrifying.
Their red eyes looked like, is heavily fixated onto my sorry figure.
Scary...
The monsters surround the crater all sides, there are no escape routes other than breaking my way through the crowds of these monsters. Would my gun be able to penetrate their shells? Let's just say, it could but would require me to empty the clips.
And that isn't good.
Are there any vehicles that could fly or perhaps, run through these beasts?
I checked the Premium Shop thoroughly, sadly, every vehicle and gun that could be bought with Premium Points are locked until I reach the rank of Sergeant. I will be heavily depending on FAD until I could buy Premium Guns.
The War Points shop has already unlocked starter guns for me, but they are expensive as heck.
As much as possible. I don't want to engage in battles until my appearance is reverted back to my 'Reality' or until I... Am..?
Hang on.
I wasn't logged out?
Was it past two hours already? My playthrough timer should be up right now..?
If I were to think logically, I doubt about the in-game time running much faster than the real-life time, I mean, the night and day actually feel real. The ascendence and descent of celestial objects seem so damn real.
The moon, last time I saw it was on the edge of the horizon, and if the time was indeed fast forwarded, then it should be at daybreak by now. Hang on, weren't there any watches in-game?
Let's see... Oh, there it is.
Just by flipping your wrist, you could get a holographic display of time.
It's currently 2:00 AM. The seconds and minutes run correctly, not mistaking minutes for seconds which is a normal occurrence when the in-game time is fast-forwarded... So that means...
The game or, this world runs the same time with Earth!?
... Am I really transmigrated??
AM I REALLY!?
Wooo~ The senses becoming real is one of the evidence I have been transmigrated to the game's world! I mean, the VR machine developers wouldn't spend time creating that 'Sense warning' at the start of the VR dive if it was indeed implemented.
Alright, let's hold the celebration for a moment, right now. I am in huge trouble!
I ran around the crater's edge as to check if I am really surrounded and seems like I am indeed caged in the midst of monster swarm. I can't get out of this predicament just by running away.
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It seems like I am forced to engage in battle against these freaks, which numbered over thousands. It is frustrating but...
Alright- CLICK! I clicked the safety trigger off and prepared myself for battle. I checked the monster swarm for the thinnest area and surprisingly, I found none.
Should I... Fire? Lower their numbers while they are moving slowly towards me?
Hmm. In worst case scenarios, I would be zerg rushed before I had the chance to even fire the second bullet. But the same goes if I don't fire anything at all.
I will be depending on the HE grenade of my FAD's underbarrel attachment to make the way if things go south. As I remember, there is a place that I wanted to go and investigate, which is from the south. The labyrinth that Chelone was resting onto.
Let's go to that direction, I hope the monsters wouldn't chase me that far.
Alright, let's do this!
I heaved a breathe before I aimed my red dot sight onto the nearest target- A Domain Keeper- and pulled the trigger.
TACK! TACK! TACK! The gun's barrel spewed into flames as bullets traced their way towards the nearest target and eventually piercing the carapace. The Domain Keeper did not have the chance to retaliate and fell down into the ground.
The gun is effective against these targets! I was surprised at first because their levels were higher than the usual maximum level but... They fall normally like zombies!
The other monsters did not react to their fallen comrade and still moved forward at an incredibly slow pace. I was about to fire my second gun when a blue window creeped out of my right.
[[First Blood! +10% EXP to Promotion]]
Alright.
Killing these monsters give me EXP! That's a relieving piece of news, I thought I wouldn't be able to gain EXP, considering I have been thrown to a completely different place and unable to finish the tutorial mission.
It's time to cleave your numbers into nothing! Give me EXP!
TACK! TACK! TACK! I kept on releasing bullets from the distance and eventually, emptied my 5 clips. I quickly opened my Premium Shop and ordered for an ammunition box.
I waited for a while, and during the wait, I also used my Pistol's clips in no time.
Even so, I was just expecting an ordinary ammunition box drop. I did not expect the event that would transpire this time.
A whistle similar to that of the whistle of Jet came about to my ears. I looked up to the skies to find two sonic-speed modern fighter jets making their way towards my location.
HOLY SHIT!
BOOOM! BOOOM!!! BOOOM!!!! BOOOOM!!!
Two F-22 Raptor came out of the night sky and fired their Air-To-Surface missiles, GBU-32 Joint Direct Attack Munitions which only numbered up to four if we were to include the other F-22 Raptor's missiles, killing hundreds of monsters upon its wake. Not only that, but it also unleashed a strafe onto the monsters with its 20mm Multibarrel cannon before another huge beast of the skies unveiled itself and dropped my Ammunition box.
The plane, which looked and moved like an almighty beast of the skies was ascertained by the system for me, it was the Lockheed C-5 Galaxy.
My Ammunition box fell quickly due to its parachute's design, and before it descended, the two F-22 Raptors that kept on doing strafe runs onto the monsters have joined the C-5 Galaxy and left the space. They have done TOO much for a simple delivery.
I mean. Just looking at the numberless monster swarm... They have declined, Gradually. The northern monster group suffered the most since that's where the F-22 jets dropped two of their bombs.
The damned delivery is too much for me.
WAIT. If the delivery is always like this, isn't this simply Airstrike in a disguise!?
Awesome! I promise to abuse this power from this point onwards.
Sadly, these aircraft, unlike the recent C-17 Globemaster III that brought me here, they didn't blow up into smithereens upon reaching a certain distance...
Come to think of it, were they manned!?
The C-17 Globemaster III did not have any personnel manning it. Since the plane debris itself vanished into the thin air and did not leave any corpses... Maybe that?
And they didn't even bother connecting to my comms device that is still active.
Unmanned aircraft, how cool was that!
... But, I... I could've used some sort of SOS flare to take me away from this place... Right?
Hmm, from the looks of both the Premium Shop and the War Points shop, there aren't any SOS flares that will send a helicopter to my location.
Ahem. Let's now focus on surviving, shall we? I made my way swiftly towards the ammunition box. Just by touching the ammunition box, my empty clips inside my inventory were instantaneously refilled with ammo. I reloaded both my Sidearm and my Assault rifle and prepared to fire another round of bullets.
That is when I received another unexpected guest.
"GROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAAARR!!!!"
AHH YES. Nothing good comes out without bad news.
The roar was nonetheless louder than Chelone. It was more ominous and sounded draconic. I looked into the direction where the roar came to be and saw a VERY FAMILIAR MONSTER. Hell, I have seen him battling Chelone earlier before other monsters from the sands joined them.
Crown-like angelic halo resting above its forehead. Golden scaled armor covering its entirety, claws that are sharper than any swords, and wing webs that looked like jet flames. It's size surpassing Chelone with an almost 19-story high building.
It was the dragon that Chelone fought earlier.
Mercurion HP: Critically Low Mana: Low Rank: World Aggregator Level: 35,000 Exposed Ability: Rage of Bahamut: Draconic Speed
Even though its HP and Mana are low, I couldn't fight such a monster!!!
Mercurion tried to go after the Jetfighters which, I suppose, attracted his attention with the explosives but later gave up due to the sheer speed of the Sonic jet fighters and went after the monster crowd. With an explosion of its descend- head first. It created a crater similar to that of Barringer Crater.
BOOOOM!
It instantly created a Tower of Babel level tower of pure sand and clouds of dust, along with the remains of monsters in the affected area.
GUUUH! I was instantly put into my place, due to the magnitude of the impact, I was forced to roll towards the center of the crash crater. The shock is still lingering in my body and prevented me from standing up for a while, I forced myself to stand up and leaped out of the crater and saw the battle unfolding in front of me.
The monster crowd instantly reverted their attention from the crater to Mercurion and started rushing towards him, engaging him into battle with everything they have. The Domain Devastators kept on firing their fireballs at a distance, and the Domain Keepers clawing their way into the armor of Mercurion.
But the situation for the monsters turned for the worst.
Mercurion wasn't hurt by the slightest bit. It charged up its draconic flames and released it to the surroundings!
BOOOOM!!! The molecular temperature reaction caused everything affected by the Dragon flames to explode on contact. The Domain Keepers that were attached to the armor of Mercurion were burned into nothing but ashes, the Domain Devastators that kept their distance weren't safe from the flames.
And I wasn't an exception.
My left arm caught in fire, good thing it was only the gauntlet that has caught the draconic flames or else I would be suffering over a burnt left arm.
Surprisingly, it was easy to quench by using nothing but sands. I didn't expect that at all since it was a damned Draconic flame, not just an ordinary... Fire that could be created through friction!
The monster wave is getting thinner and thinner due to the interference of Mercurion. Just one swing of his claw could kill a number of Domain Keeper, and its Draconic flames were enough to kill thousands of Domain Devastators.
And since this is a chance to leave the place without further engaging into battle, I instantly ran towards the south, where the Labyrinth that Chelone rose up from is located.
I hope to come over Chelone on the way there so she could attract the attention of this monstrosity if it indeed came after me. And I am just hoping it wouldn't go through the trouble reaching after me if I reached the Labyrinth.
I kept looking back while I was running, Mercurion is still busy with the monsters so it's not possible for it to revert its attention to my fleeting figure...
Or that's what I thought.
"GROAAAAAAAAR!!!" Letting out another deafening roar towards me, I was immediately stupefied when I saw Mercurion making its way towards me with its jet dragon wings, and while it was flying towards me. It pierced one of its claws onto the ground and continued flying.
It was really bent on killing me!!!
The claw created a huge tsunami that I couldn't hope to survive if I was engulfed within it.
Mercurion was slowly making its way towards me... The face of death laughs within the sand tsunami, the glittering gold claw is slowly making its appearance out of the sand flood and towards me.
Is...
Is this, the end...?