Extra Chapter ■3 - ■■■ Abyss vs ■■■ Eden ■■■
Never before had such a large and brutal battle taken place in a low-tier setting as the one that had suddenly erupted in this place, a medieval-themed world inhabited by talking animals resembling humans, who also waged wars and had conflicts. However, everything that had happened up to that moment paled compared to the cataclysm that a direct confrontation between the two special teams in the "realms" would bring.
Since Leila had joined her new team, they had only run into a member of Team Eden by sheer coincidence once, resulting in the deaths of three of their members and a miraculous last-minute escape, thanks to the story’s conclusion by one of the other teams in the scenario. However, that individual was already present on that occasion, and they had seen no sign of a Plot Device that would allow them to invade other scenarios. Even for Team Abyss, which had a special option to choose which Plot Devices to purchase, there was nothing like "Divine Intervention", though it had to be admitted that there was none of L-class either.
The journey had been tough, and one thing led to another, resulting in the entire group accepting Leila as their new leader—even the former leader, Anton, did so without much resentment; perhaps it was because the greatest advantage she brought was the discovery of the existence of "Personal Skills", something never before seen by anyone on the team that they had to investigate. Or maybe it was because he was fond of strong women, and her having hit him that way during their first mission hadn't bothered him at all—who knows?
Through trial and error, Leila and Beatrice discovered how that mysterious power manifested and shared it with the rest of the team. It wasn’t easy; initially, many were reluctant to participate due to fear of what it entailed. However, when some began to succeed and demonstrate just how extraordinarily powerful these skills were, everyone became encouraged. So far, only five had managed to awaken their skills correctly, all with immense potential, with the only exception being the elderly pilot Otto, who had just awakened his prior to the current mission.
It should be noted that the team had undergone several changes since Leila took charge. New policies and ways of doing things were implemented, resulting in a significant decrease in the influx of points, which were already low. However, for some reason, they simultaneously received a large amount of "support" through random chat messages that occasionally appeared for various members, granting them points to use in the store or even "discount tickets" or vouchers. This unexpected help allowed them to improve remarkably quickly in a relatively short time. No one knew why this was happening, but the truth was that they weren't going to question the assistance.
Returning finally to the present battle, the immediate orders were those that everyone had practiced in case they had to face an enemy they knew they couldn't defeat on their own. All team members with a potential lower than A-rank were to retreat to safety as quickly as possible. They did just that, taking with them the new members of the defeated team who had been left behind, as well as all the inhabitants of HoppyBun Kingdom they could find. Only seven members remained— the strongest of Team Abyss at that moment, those who had already faced a reasonable number of life-or-death situations and understood that it was highly likely they wouldn't emerge from this one alive.
From the very beginning, the group showed no mercy, launching an all-out assault right from the start. They knew that underestimating even a single member of Team Eden meant certain death, however, until that moment, they hadn’t accomplished much. The knight in white armor had been effortlessly blocking all the attacks until he finally deigned to speak after skillfully dodging a powerful blast of pressurized water that shattered the ground beneath him.
⌠Name: ???⌡ ⌠Alias: Lancelot⌡ ⌠Age: ???⌡ ⌠Species: Human - Rank ??⌡ ⌠Grace: ??⌡ ⌠Potential: S⌡
"Odysseus was wrong; you are not a problem. Your level is pathetic."
The knight said, his deep voice resonating throughout the area. Finally turning serious, he shifted into attack mode, tightening his grip on his enormous sword, and blocked one last time, deflecting two strikes aimed at him: one was a punch from Anton, so powerful that the air whistled and crackled with the force of his swing, while the other was a kick from a short-haired boy whose messy locks belied his considerable strength.
Both impacts resulted in little more than a shockwave that stirred up dust in the surroundings, as Lancelot didn’t even budge his arm. In an instant, he swung his claymore upward with such speed that neither man had time to react, slicing them cleanly in half with ease, seemingly eliminating two targets. Or so it seemed. Before their eyes, Anton's body healed instantly as if nothing had happened, while two strange red bars appeared above his head.
"Not this time, you fucker!"
⌠Name: Anton Roberts⌡ ⌠Age: 38⌡ ⌠Species: Human - Rank D⌡ ⌠P.O.I.N.T.S: 53⌡ ⌠Potential: A⌡
[Skill: Health Bar Lv3] [The skill manifests a visible health indicator above the user's head, rendering them immune to all forms of damage while the bar is active. Each time the user takes damage, the health bar decreases, reflecting their vitality. Once the bar is fully depleted, the user succumbs to death.]
That attack had reduced Anton's first health bar by about one-third, but it allowed him to take advantage of Lancelot's momentary confusion to land another powerful punch directly at the knight, who blocked it effortlessly. This was turning out to be more annoying than he had anticipated. Then, a strong impact struck the back of Lancelot's head. It didn’t hurt or move him from his position, but it certainly surprised him. He always had an active skill that alerted him to anything entering a defined radius around him, and whatever had struck him hadn't come from outside, which could only mean one thing.
The body of the other man, sliced in two, vanished into tiny particles with a digital flair and a bubbling sound, leaving behind a system window that displayed the word "LOAD". The one who had appeared behind Lancelot and kicked him was the same guy.
“What’s wrong with that armor?!”
⌠Name: Enzo Ferrara⌡ ⌠Age: 23⌡ ⌠Species: Half-Saint - Rank E⌡ ⌠P.O.I.N.T.S: 21⌡ ⌠Potential: A⌡
[Skill: Aeon's Embrace Lv4] [The user, a devoted servant of Aeon, the god of time, can spend “Faith” to establish checkpoints in time inside a scenario. Upon death, they resurrect at the last checkpoint.] [Remaining uses: 3/4 ]
Lancelot then grabbed Enzo's leg in a swift motion and hurled him to the ground with such force that it shattered completely, as if it had exploded. At the same time, he attempted to deliver another slash at Anton, but this time, instead of cutting through without a chance to react, Anton managed to sidestep with some difficulty. How? Had he suddenly become faster? The Team Eden member realized immediately what had happened: it wasn’t that his target was quicker; it was that he had become slower, a fact confirmed by a system window that appeared before his eyes.
⌠Warning: You have killed Aeon’s servant twice. You are now affected by divine retribution!⌡
[Skill: Aeon's Anger Lv3] [The wrath of the time god Aeon falls upon those who kill his most loyal followers more than once, bestowing upon them the curse of time. Actions and skills used by the affected will see their movement and speed drastically reduced for the entire duration of the scenario.]
That explained everything. Lancelot watched with annoyance as his actions became considerably slower, to the point of being ridiculous, even though he remained extremely fast by normal standards. He didn’t even bother checking where the boy had disappeared to again; the body he had slammed to the ground had vanished once more. Instead, he focused on fending off another barrage of punches from Anton, who still couldn’t land a hit on the knight.
However, what caught his attention was the fact that the health bar above the knight's head had begun to recover slowly, with a faint green glow surrounding him. They had a healer among them! That was certainly annoying. Lancelot shot a quick glance at everyone present, many watching from a distance, waiting for the slightest opportunity. Among them, he spotted a young girl, a blonde dancing and cheering with strange blue pom-poms that emitted a faint green aura. It was her!
Shaking off Anton with a simple sword slash that he narrowly avoided, Lancelot launched himself at full speed toward the girl’s position—something that normally would have taken only a blink but could now be followed by the rest of the group. The knight was about to reach his target and eliminate the member he thought would be the most troublesome, but just before he could do so, an invisible wall blocked his path, causing him to crash into what seemed like an unseen barrier. This left him stunned and forced him to scan the surroundings for the culprit, finally seeing a tall dark-haired man with a tuxedo and a briefcase, that was chanting something.
"At the request of the board of investors, I authorize the purchase and acquisition of ownership of that piece of land!"
⌠Name: Leonard Smith⌡ ⌠Age: 45⌡ ⌠Species: Human - Rank E⌡ ⌠P.O.I.N.T.S: 42⌡ ⌠Potential: A⌡
[Personal Skill: Board of Investors Lv4] [Extremely high-level skill that allows the user to "purchase" any non-living entity within their sight, as long as they possess enough P.O.I.N.T.S to do so, functioning like the system store. Once ownership is established, the user gains total control over the item, including the ability to manipulate its form and set rules governing its use. This power extends to land, objects, skills, energy, elements, and more, granting the user an extraordinary influence over their environment and reality itself, limited only by their imagination and available P.O.I.N.T.S.] [Cost: 10 P.O.I.N.T.S] [Balance: 32 P.O.I.N.T.S ]
“No Team Eden member is allowed to get out of the board of investors' property!”
Leonard shouted, paying an extra 10 P.O.I.N.T.S and signaling that it was time to attack—the moment everyone had been waiting for. His skill was costly and risky to use, but once a plan to maximize its potential was executed, he could be considered nearly invincible. None of his teammates wasted the opportunity; three of them—Leila, Beatrice, and the blonde cheerleader—moved into position, ready to unleash their ranged attacks. However, Lancelot appeared unfazed by the commotion.
"This is just nonsense; I'll show them what a true skill looks like."
And after saying this, he plunged his sword into the ground, from which a kind of energy similar to fire began to rise, enveloping the surroundings and swirling like a tornado.
That was extremely dangerous, as the attack wasn't confined to the piece of land purchased by Leonard, and it would only be a matter of time before it reached the rest. However, another member of Team Abyss, a young Asian guy with tidy hair and big glasses, who had yet to take action, stepped forward with a strange screen floating in front of him, resembling the system windows.
Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
"Analysis complete, target identified!"
⌠Name: Hyunsoo Kim⌡⌡ ⌠Age: 21⌡ ⌠Species: Human - Rank E⌡ ⌠P.O.I.N.T.S: 17⌡ ⌠Potential: A⌡
[Personal Skill: Programming is God’s language Lv3] [Extremely high-level skill that grants the user a floating window that allows them to input programming code, enabling them to manipulate the world around them. However, this skill requires a deep understanding of all relevant variables, as the user must write precise code to achieve their desired effects.]
[var foreignVariable = "Sacred Flame Manipulation Lv9"; ] [var myVariable = window.foreignVariable;] [delete myVariable;]
It was a simple code once he knew the name of the skill to erase, something he had gathered thanks to a prior analysis using his own ability and had prepared, ready to execute as soon as the opportunity arose. Sure enough, to Lancelot's shock, his fiery tornado abruptly halted, and a system window notified him that his skill had been forcibly canceled.
“What?!”
That brief second of confusion was enough for Leila to appear behind Lancelot and land a strike that, at first, seemed ineffective. Despite the energy mass surrounding her fists, shaped like a snarling head with fangs, the attack passed right through him. But that was all they needed. Lancelot turned his body in response to the blow, attempting to slash at the woman, only to have his sword clash against yet another invisible wall, keeping him trapped in place.
“Now!”
Leila stumbled backward from the spot, shouting her command while signaling Leonard to start chanting again.
"At the request of the board of investors, I authorize the extra expense! Every debuff status on the board’s property is now doubled!"
[Cost: 10 P.O.I.N.T.S] [Balance: 22 P.O.I.N.T.S ]
⌠Skill [Soul Predator Lv5] has inflicted status [Skill Sealing] on the objective. All skills below Lv10 have been sealed for 1 hour.⌡
Everything was going according to plan. That combination hadn’t been improvised at all; it was something they had practiced extensively, specifically for situations like this, but it was both impressive and unsettling to see it working just as it had in their training. But there was no time to overthink—they had to give it their all if they wanted to survive. Now it was time for the final blow, delivered by the two most offensively powerful members of Team Abyss: Beatrice and, surprisingly, the cheerleader.
“Come on, Hailey!”
“Aye, ma’am!”
Both acted simultaneously. Beatrice leaped into the air, her eyes glowing a bright red as the surroundings began to darken for reasons unknown.
⌠Name: Beatrice O'Connor⌡ ⌠Age: 15⌡ ⌠Species: High-blood Dhampir - Rank C⌡ ⌠P.O.I.N.T.S: 25⌡ ⌠Potential: A⌡
[Skill: Artificial Night Lv5] [Skill exclusive to the vampire race, it allows the user to conjure a false night over a large area. Under this artificial darkness, all vampires receive a significant boost to their stats, power, and abilities, enhancing their strength, speed, and regeneration. The skill amplifies their inherent night-based powers, making them far more dangerous and resilient while it lasts.]
Following this, with nightfall arriving sooner than expected, Beatrice began to conjure a massive, formless mass from one of her hands, as if she were gathering darkness itself. She shaped it into a gigantic spear and hurled it toward her target with incredible force.
Meanwhile, the blonde cheerleader in her sporty outfit continued dancing and cheering for a bit longer. Then, she leaped back, creating an enormous sphere of water that hovered in the air with her inside.
⌠Name: Hailey Prescott⌡ ⌠Age: 17⌡ ⌠Species: Mermaid - Rank B⌡ ⌠P.O.I.N.T.S: 12⌡ ⌠Potential: A⌡
[Skill: Grand Symphony Lv4] [Skill exclusive to the mermaid race that allows the user to create an enormous floating bubble of sacred water. Once inside, the user gains enhanced magical abilities and access to powerful ritualistic skills unique to mermaids. The bubble acts as a sanctuary, amplifying the user's connection to the ocean and enabling them to harness ancient, mystical powers during critical moments.]
Once inside, the girl revealed her true form, with her torso exposed, long blonde hair flowing with the movement of the water, and a beautiful scarlet fishtail replacing her legs. But the stunning sight wasn't the only thing to behold. Immediately after transforming, Hailey clasped her hands as if in prayer and, with a radiant smile, began to sing a beautiful chant. Though it was brief, it triggered a notification from the system.
⌠Warning: A high being, the scourge of the ocean, 'Abyssal Devourer', has answered the call and is partially manifesting in a low-rank scenario!⌡
From within the bubble, a circle resembling a window appeared, forming a portal that connected that small space to a vast and terrifying ocean in another world. Emerging from it was a massive maw similar to that of a crocodile—so large that the portal seemed to stretch and crack, allowing just part of the beast's head to escape. Its elongated snout breached the boundaries of the water sphere, revealing a horrifying array of sharp teeth.
Just as Beatrice launched her spear of darkness, the creature summoned by Hailey unleashed a torrent of blue energy from its mouth with devastating force.
"At the request of the board of investors, I authorize the extra expense! Every attack entering the board’s property will remain contained within!"
[Cost: 10 P.O.I.N.T.S] [Balance: 2 P.O.I.N.T.S ]
Lancelot tried to defend himself, but with no skills to utilize and nowhere to move, the attacks struck him directly, causing a massive explosion. Or at least it should have, had it not been for Leonard's last command. Instead, everyone witnessed the accumulation of energy bursting and swirling into a small cloud where the knight had just been.
It was done—their strongest attacks and best combinations had gone off without a hitch. Now, all that remained was to find a way to end the scenario and return safely.
Many collapsed to the ground, exhausted but satisfied with what they had accomplished. They might take a little while to recover before looking for the rest of their team, but that didn’t matter... However, their celebration was short-lived, as another system message appeared before everyone present. It was something important, and the robotic voice began to read it aloud.
⌠Notice: Team Eden’s “Lancelot” is asking permission to unleash divine grace from his contracted patron ‘The_Silent_Choir’⌡ ⌠…⌡ ⌠Contracted patron ‘The_Silent_Choir’ has accepted the request with a smile.⌡
None of them really knew what happened next, only that a beam of light had come down from the sky and struck the cube where Lancelot was trapped, while the knight's voice rang out loudly.
"I take it back; Odysseus was right... You are a threat. Your growth is unnatural, and I cannot allow you to keep improving."
Before anyone could react to these words, each one of them suffered a deep cut, with some losing an arm and others being sliced in half. Anton's health bar dropped to zero with a single strike, while Enzo's last two checkpoints vanished simultaneously. Death had come to claim the lives of all the members of Team Abyss present—except for Leila, who was barely hanging on. She had a wound that covered her entire body, down to the stump where her leg had once been.
"This is strange. All of you should be dead, yet at the same time, none of you really are. May I ask why?"
The knight in white armor said in a calm tone as he approached Leila, who was struggling just to breathe. He let the blade of his sword fall to sever her other leg. The woman didn’t even have the strength to scream; the shock had numbed her entire body, so she didn’t respond to her attacker’s question. However, that wasn’t necessary, as Lancelot began to rub the lower part of the helmet covering his face, as if he were seeing something hidden that only he could read.
“‘Threads of Life and Destiny’? Huh, they’re certainly extremely valuable treasures. I’m surprised you have one... And even more so that each of you possesses one. It’s true that while these threads exist somewhere, their owner cannot die. But you know what? The crucial flaw is that they are not permanent and provide no healing whatsoever. They slowly burn out as their user resists death. All you’ve done here is prolong your suffering. Eventually, your threads will be consumed, and I have all the time in the world, so don’t rush; I enjoy watching you like this.”
Would that be all? Leila could barely see or hear anything anymore; her eyes were starting to perceive only blurry spots and she heard mumbling, and a few tears rolled down her cheeks... Her mind was flooded with images of her son, who must be waiting for her at home after such a long time alone. What would happen to him now that his mother wouldn’t come back? The pain of knowing this would be the outcome of her death was too much for her heart to bear, and not only that, but she also recalled all the people she had met in Team Abyss—strangers with whom she had gradually formed bonds, gaining their trust, respect, and affection. Ironically, it was the first time in her life that she had felt genuine care from others outside of her son, and now she was going to lose them too. Fate could be incredibly cruel; just when it seemed her life was beginning to hold some hope, everything was being taken away once more.
Finally, her eyes ceased to see; the moment when the threads keeping them alive were about to extinguish drew near. The last thing she heard in the background were screams.
"What!? No, no, no!"
She lacked the mental capacity to comprehend or even imagine what was happening, but after a few seconds, she could also hear other blurry distant screams.
"Heal now! Select the heal option for everyone!"
-----------------------
She didn’t know when it happened, but suddenly Leila opened her eyes wide and sat up, sweating cold and feeling nauseous. She found herself staring into the worried faces of Beatrice and Alina, who were beside her, asking if she was feeling better—something Leila couldn’t respond to due to her confusion. After some conversation, she finally understood what had happened. For the second time in this reality, they had been saved because the scenario ended at just the right moment, returning them all to the lobby. It was then that the rest of the group selected the 'max healing' option for everyone, since they were technically dead and regular healing wouldn’t work on them. The only problem was the cost this would entail.
“‘It doesn’t matter; I still can’t believe we got out of there alive... Well, almost. How much do we have left after this expense?’”
Leila said this, feeling resigned and still battling the nausea that was washing over her.
"We've all lost nearly all our points; the expense was so great that the points were deducted collectively. No one feels good about it. You're going to need to tell them something later."
Beatrice replied, her gaze downcast, on the verge of tears as she recalled what had happened. Leila tried to comfort her by placing a hand on her head and giving her gentle pats.
"Don't worry, it was inevitable... So it seems our plan can't be carried out."
"Actually, if we combine all the points from every member, we could buy just one 'A Wolf in Sheep's Clothing' and one 'Invading Refugees'. But I don't think it makes sense to spend points like that right now."
Leila raised her eyebrows at her friend's response, listening and considering everything for a moment before finally making a concluding statement.
“No, we’ll move forward with the idea. It’s our best option if it works. We’ll send one of our members to another team as an infiltrator… and I know exactly which one has users who will treat them well. I just hope they’re still around.”