Alex barely managed to dodge a long-range acid attack by jumping to the side. He tried to charge up another purifying touch but a sharp pain shot through his head, signaling he was out of mana. Shit! I just needed another shot!
Alex kept on dodging acid attacks and looked around the cave for any sort of weapon that he could use. The cave was about 20 meters in length and just as wide. There were other entrances leading to wherever they lead and Alex considered charging through those entrances to another room. However, he decided that would not be a wise plan. If the cave entrance ended in a closed tunnel he would be doomed. At least here, in this cave, there was some room to dodge around.
But, his luck, it seemed, was finally going to run out. The ground was getting covered in acid which still sizzled and melted the solid rock. Even stepping on these pools of acid was not something that he intended to do. So, he grew real concerned when he noticed there was almost no room to evade the acid attacks without stepping on the pools.
Shit! What should I do? The scorpion monster was getting closer and closer. Alex tried to muster the healing touch once more but this time he concentrated his mana on just the tip of his index finger. If there is not enough mana to cover my entire palm, I will have to cover just the tip of my finger.
Notifications popped up in his eyes which he dismissed with his mind to read later. He concentrated on the feeling of gathering his mana on the fingertip which grew hot and red. Alex was not sure what would happen when mana was concentrated on such a small point so densely. He charged at the scorpion dodging another acid attack and poked his finger at the tip of its head with all his might. He released all the mana concentrated at his fingertip like a blast where it touched. Scarlet cracks crawled up the entire body of the scorpion with a loud boom and exploded in all directions.
Alex was finally all out of mana and couldn’t move his body any longer. Fortunately, the scorpion was dead and he could rest for some time to recover his body and mana.
[Congratulations! You have defeated two desert scorpions simultaneously. Difficulty level raised based on performance. Get ready for wave three.]
Alex let out a strained sigh. There is no way I’m going to survive this wave. He tried to stand up on his two feet but struggled to do so. The final attack, [Finger Bullet] drained him of the last essense of mana he had left.
[New Skill - Finger Bullet - You have learned how to control mana with optimum precision. Now, you can focus your mana at the tip of your fingertips to launch condensed mana projectiles to hurt your enemy., Mana drains based on the number of projectiles.]
***
Alex was breathing hard. He didn’t know what to do in this mana-less state. Judging by the theme of the trial, it looked like he would have to fight three to four scorpions. That would’ve been tough even if he had full mana. Perhaps it would’ve been easier with the new skills he got. But, in the current state he was in there was no way for him to survive.
He heard the chittering of insect legs from all directions slowly coming closer to the center of the cave. Shit! That doesn’t sound like 3 or 4 monsters. How many are there? Alex surveyed the room and the color drained from his face. There were more than 10 scorpions that he counted at the edges of the room. He was sure there were more coming from the depth of the cave entrances.
A scorpion attacked Alex with its pincer, holding onto his chest. An indescribable pain shot through his body and he lost all his breath. The scorpion was brown in color; a different breed. It had thicker pincers that were more powerful and its tail ended in a red tip that dripped crimson drops of acid to the ground, eating away at the spots where they fell. Looks like it is the boss monster of this trial.
The scorpion squeezed the life out of Alex and he could feel his life drain away. This was it, there was no lizard to help him now, no demon creature to magically take away all his enemies.
[Hidden mode awakened - Rise of the One-man army.]
All conditions met. You have made a contract with an A-class demon, Sovereign Madoka. If your vital force ever reduces to below 5 percent, you will be granted temporary strength by Sovereign Madoka to defeat your enemies. In return, you will ### destroy…###...ERROR…###...For Sovereign Madoka.
Suddenly, Alex felt a surge of energy well up from inside his core. It was beyond powerful and completely reinvigorated him. Alex grabbed hold of the pincers of the boss scorpion and pulled them apart. He could feel high-octane power surging from within his body. He channeled purifying touch instantly and destroyed the strong pincers of the boss monsters. It shrieked in agony and commanded the lesser scorpions to attack Alex.
Alex fell to the ground, black and red smoke rising from his whole body. A rain of acid shots came at him but he didn’t attempt to move an inch. Instead, he released 10 finger bullets from his 10 fingers, wielding them skillfully to incinerate the acid rain that fell on him in a spiral of movement. The scorpions stopped dead in their tracks, recognizing the change in the ambient aura.
I don’t know what the hell happened but I’m feeling pumped. Come at me you little bitches! I will roast you critters alive. Alex activated purifying touch, launching a wave of purple flames that spiraled into a tornado that zig-zagged along the ground, consuming masses of scorpions and sucking them off the ground. But more scorpions poured from the darkness. It seemed like there was no end to the outpouring of the monsters.
Alex felt exhilarated and pumped up. Yes, he was excited for the fight, a smirk etched permanently on his lips. The pure adrenaline of the mad fight made him ecstatic. It was a do-or-die, kill-or-die, situation. Either he will remove the existence of this swarm of scorpions or will be removed from existence. If that was not a way to live and experience life, then he didn’t know what could be counted as living.
The boss scorpion launched a red streak of laser which Alex barely dodged. The laser blasted a hole in the ground of the cave. Looks like the boss scorpion is powerful. It is a boss for a reason. I will have to kill it first.
Alex felt the new energy coursing through his body and focused on it. He channeled the energy in his heart to boost his physical attributes. It felt intuitive to do so. As the heart circulated the mana along the mana circuits in his body he felt a burst of power reach the depths of his soul that granted him even more strength. He launched himself from the ground charging a finger bullet with maximum mana concentration and shot it towards the boss monster.
The boss scorpion launched its own attack, a thick crimson laser that collided with Alex’s finger bullet. The point of impact exploded in white light and booming thunder that momentarily blinded Alex but he was confident in his ability. Currently, he was the most powerful he had ever been, so there was no way he could lose to a monster of this level.
As the commotion settled he saw only the lower portion of the red scorpion remain, its upper body completely gone. The wall behind it had a huge gaping hole in it. There was a V-shaped area that stretched behind the boss monster which was devoid of any scorpions. Looks like I won, as predicted. I want to grow as powerful as this without relying on the boons of a god-like creature. Now, it’s time to end this.
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Alex clasped his hands together and channeled purifying touch simultaneously in his palms. The energy threatened to escape his hands but he managed to contain it with sheer force of will. Sweat trickled down his face as he poured more and more mana into the attack.
Mana congealed in a liquid form, molded by his will. Once he felt the attack reached a critical point he hurled the tennis ball-sized black flame into the mass of the remaining scorpions.
The black ball of heat radiated extreme danger that made him sweat even with the immunity to his own attacks. It expanded in his field of vision to grow as large as a miniature sun, a spiraling mass of energy that sucked in all the creatures in its path. Scorpions hurled to its center and it grew larger by the second the more scorpions it consumed.
[Congratulations! You have defeated the final wave of desert scorpions. You have passed the trial. Rewards granted based on performance.]
Suddenly, Alex was transported back to the white expanse of a room where the Tutorial Manager conducted the tutorial exam. I’m back! Hmm..wait.. that's… “...watch out…Mr. Demon!”
Alex saw the spiral mass of black flame steer towards the administrator and warned him. But the attack was too powerful for him to control.
The Tutorial Manager just stood there casually and stretched out a finger. As the spiraling mass of black flames was about to touch him, the devil just flicked off the mass and it scattered in the air. A smirk danced around his lips as he looked at Alex.
“Was that attack supposed to hurt me?” The devil leaned closer, releasing a sharp killing intent.
All the hairs on the back of Alex stood up. The being that stood before him was monumentally strong. It was beyond anything he could fathom and he had just pissed it off.
“No, it was a mistake..please..” Alex felt his words get stuck in his throat.
“Oh relax, I’m just joking with you.” The demon started his signature hissing laughter.
Good God. How could I forget about his personality? I almost pissed my pants there for a moment!.
Congratulations on passing the Tutorial Trial. Rewards…..error…Postponed until further notice.
What? That can’t be right. The system is as useless as ever…No, wait. I guess, I already experienced my fair share of power-ups. I am plenty powerful as of right now. So, I will wait to claim my reward at a later date.
“Uh ahem.” Alex cleared his throat. “So, I guess I passed the trial, right? What now?”
“Indeed, you passed the trial and now, it is time for you to enter the real world.” The demon put a hand on his chin. “The only thing I have left to decide is to select an appropriate starter area for you based on your feats of strength.”
Alex wondered what his classification would be based on his strength. He wanted to get reunited with the lizard. For some reason, he grew fond of the lizard and no matter how strong he thought he got, he still believed that the lizard was far stronger than him. And, it didn’t hurt to have a strong companion by your side.
“I’ve decided where to send you. It will certainly be interesting to see how you fare in a larger dungeon city.” The demon had a twinkle in his eye as if he was really entertained and satisfied with his decision.
Alex was ready to survive, no matter where he was sent. However, he would prefer it if he were sent to a lower-level starter dungeon city where there was a higher possibility of survival. A larger dungeon hinted at more powerful monsters. Would I be able to survive there? He released a sigh and formed a tight fist. Well, if I survive I can encounter more opportunities for growth. So, it is probably okay.
“You will be transported in 5 minutes. Be prepared.” With that, the demon vanished into thin air and Alex was left in the vast cosmic ocean of pure white. It was time to check all the progress he made and the notifications he got. So, he opened his status menu.
Status Screen:
Name: Alex Straza
Race - Human (F) - Earth 714-G
Level - 10
Class - Locked
Strength - 15
Vitality - 14
Agility - 16
Endurance - 13
Magic - 18
Will - 17
Unassigned stat point - 20
Mana - 130
Stamina - 80
HP - 90
Titles -
1. Devourer - You have devoured hundreds of monsters that are above your current power level. Looks like you are blessed by the gods or demons to remain alive no matter the situation.
Effect - + 20% to all stats.
2. Chosen of a God - You have been selected by a primordial being as the bearer of its flag. Follow its doctrine and be rewarded beyond your imagination. Beware, this makes you enemies of other gods should they know of your pact with the god.
Bonded Weapon - None
Skills:
1. Fire Breath (Novice - level 1) > Purifying Touch (Basic - level 3)
2. Finger Bullet
Hidden Abilities -
1. Infernal Breath Flame - ???
Techniques - Breathing style, flow state.
Hidden Mode - Rise of the One-Man Army.
Wow, there is a lot of information to digest. But first..Alex put all the unused points equally in his attributes. So, he put 4 points in each attribute. The flood of strength he felt was not equal to the euphoria he felt the first time he massively improved his stats. Well, I suppose that is to be expected since I’m getting stronger with each level up. Unless I invest more than 30 points into all of my stats, it is less likely to experience the same euphoria that I felt
Alex pumped his fist in the air, relishing the newfound strength. The main power-ups were not his attributes, but the skills and powerful abilities he got. But a thought itched at his mind when he considered the battle in the tutorial trials.
Why wasn’t I able to charge my mana with my life force when my mana ran out? Didn’t I gain the ability to do that in the Cavern with the Deep Vine Jellyfish? Perhaps, there is a limit to using my life force. I was pretty physically exhausted in the fight with the scorpions but I was physically fit when I was captured by the Deepvine JellyFish. Alex decided to explore the subject at a later date when he had more time to think. Now, he had to be ready for the new dungeon area.
The white surrounding of light shifted to multiple colors as he found himself in the same dungeon with the lizard he had been in before. But everything seemed translucent, existing in reality and in his mind at the same time. The world around him wavered and stilled for a moment before time seemed to stretch on forever.
[System Synchronization in progress - 72% ]
(Message from Tutorial Manager - Little pup, I have a gift for you. Take that arrogant lizard with you. It is killing all my monsters and I don’t have the time to create more monsters in an endgame area. You seemed to like that killing machine, so I will leave it up to you.)
Alex was dumbstruck. What the hell… it seemed like the administrator read his wishes and was favoring him. For what reason, he didn’t know but he wouldn’t pass up such a great opportunity.
Alex could see the lizard frozen in time, about to launch a tongue of green flame at a scary minotaur with 6 black horns. He gulped. Wait, did the Tutorial Manager confirm that this dungeon was an endgame area? How the hell did I end up here in the beginning?
[Warning: System Synchronization in progress - 88% ]
I have to hurry, but how do I take the lizard? Alex tried to move but he felt like wading through water, only infinitely slow. He was getting nowhere.
[Warning: System Synchronization in progress - 95% ]
Dammit, I won’t reach the lizard at this rate?
“Damn it, Komodo, listen to me. We have to go”. Alex screamed in his mind. Could Komodo hear me in this frozen state?
[Warning: System Synchronization in progress - 98% ]
What’s that..his eyes…Alex noticed Komodo’s pupil move slowly to his side and focus on him. Suddenly, he radiated a silvery sheen and blazed in silvery flames. He started moving his tiny claws stuck in time and moved his head to look at Alex.
[Warning: System Synchronization in progress - 99%]
“Komodo, I’ve come to get you out of this dungeon. Hurry…we have to go..”
Komodo leaped through the air….
[Warning: System Synchronization in progress - 100 %. Transfer to the dungeon resumed.]
… and touched Alex’s hand. And, just like that, both of them were transported into a new dungeon.