[You have slain Red Kitsune, Risa.]
[Your maximum energy has increased by 7.]
[You have reached the maximum energy for your intelligence stat. All further kills will be used to strengthen Shroud Of Terror.]
[You have obtained the Badge of The Red Fox.]
[Badge of the Red Fox]
Rating: Epic
Requirements: none
Effects:
1. Honor (passive): +2 Dex, +2 Spc. The effect applies even if this is in your storage.
2. Stalker's Mark (active): Allows for tracking of a target that meets a condition. Only one condition can be set at once. 1-day cooldown between uses.
Description: A badge of honor rewarded for your ability to kill the Red Kitsune.
When Genji saw the description of the drop, his eyes widened. Wasn't that the ridiculous skill owned by the boss? What's more, the stat bonus applies without him wearing it. This was the first time he had encountered such equipment. The item's unique properties made Genji realize how remarkable this boss was. To drop something so distinctive, the boss must be a significant character. While reveling in his loot, he received another prompt.
[You have created the skill Flash Step. Would you like to contribute this to EverRealm?]
[Flash Step]
Effect: Move at 500% speed in a given direction for a short period.
"Skill creation? Contribution? What is this about?"
[It has been detected that your skill is not owned by EverRealm. Would you like to contribute it?]
"What does contributing do?"
[You will gain additional privileges beyond those granted by your rank in exchange.]
"Such as?"
[Please browse the list yourself.]
Genji decided to postpone this and tend to his wounds first. He retrieved some bandages and began patching himself up. For once, he was grateful for investing in first-aid knowledge, given the numerous injuries he had sustained. Without timely treatment, the risk of death from blood loss was a concern.
[Due to your actions, you have triggered the response mechanism: Early Retaliation of Dark Forces.]
Description:
Kazuya demonstrated his talent in the Dark Forces raid and repelled the invaders. Impressed by his skills, the higher-ups of the Dark Forces decided to train Kazuya for several days to maximize his combat capabilities before their planned attack.
Since you eliminated the child of fate, the Dark Forces have no reason to postpone this assault. The attack will be accelerated and will commence in 36 hours, 32 minutes, and 53 seconds.
Note: This event is mandatory. Failure to participate will result in a rank demotion. If your rank drops below servant, you will be subject to forced execution.
"1 and a half days, huh? That should provide ample time for me to regain my fighting condition."
Genji quickly accepted the change when he saw the reason. It's not like he's hindered because of it. After all, he's already paid the price of his actions.
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Seeing the announcement, Guther almost had a mental breakdown. Ever since he'd entered this world, nothing seemed to be going right for him. First, he had failed to rally an expert and had to face this dangerous world alone.
Then, they had been attacked multiple times while trying to find a place to hide—both by humans and monsters. What a rough time it had been. They had spent so many consumables just to ensure everyone's survival.
After that, Guther had finally managed to get a quest to align himself with the Dark Forces faction, but completing it had required even more consumables. What kind of faction quest required them to hunt down a mini-boss? It's only the 6th day for god's sake!
Do you have any idea how many healing items the adventurer group had to use? Well, Guther didn't know. All he was aware of was that the team storage had become significantly emptier after that fight.
And things only got worse from there. When he had finally joined the Dark Forces, he thought he'd found a haven to endure the remaining time. As it turned out, that quest had only been for his admission. All the other party members had to hunt down a mini-boss to join.
That wasn't happening. Then, during his position assessment, he'd turned out to be the weakest person in the organization, landing him the role of a janitor.
Like, seriously? Why was everyone else so strong? Had he accidentally joined some sort of villainous organization? As it turned out, that was exactly the case. The main goal of the Dark Forces was to destroy the CEC, the main force responsible for maintaining world order. What on earth had he gotten himself into?
And then, while discussing plans on how to attack a CEC branch, their base had been discovered, resulting in a CEC raid. Escaping from that place had been an absolute nightmare. Why was he so unlucky? Why couldn't he have triggered the faction mission for CEC instead? At least then, he wouldn't be embroiled in all these dangers.
Fortunately, he had been rescued by a powerful commander and brought to safety. As the Dark Forces were regrouping, the leader of the operation had shown up and chose to retaliate immediately. This was what had led them to this point. Guther felt like tearing out his hair at this notification. Why did they have to be the bad guys? Didn't they know that the good guys always win in these situations?
If this were any other suicidal mission, Guther would abandon it and accept the penalties. However, this event explicitly stated that failure to participate would result in a rank demotion.
He was currently an explorer, and being demoted would reduce him to a servant. The issue with servants was that they didn't enter worlds frequently, and their strength barely improved. For any adventurer group, this status was essentially a death sentence.
That's because they weren't specially recruited talents of EverRealm, which meant they didn't get the advantage of easy missions. They'd still have to grapple with the increasing difficulty of each world. Since their growth was limited, it was only a matter of time before they met their demise.
Guther knew several friends who had followed this path. There is a reason why EverRealm didn't cap the number of friends you could add to your profile.
----------------------------------------
The next day, Genji received a phone call from a reclusive acquaintance.
"7156?"
"Team up?"
"I don't mind. Did something happen on your side?"
"The mutant faction doesn't have access."
The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.
"I see. Meet me at the park."
This was a quick exchange fully in line with 7156's style. Genji didn't know the extent of 7156's strength, but he sensed that 7156 could be a valuable teammate based on the quick reaction he had displayed. That's why he agreed.
Genji got up from his bed and changed back into his cloak. Although moving was still painful, he could manage.
"Injured?" 7156 inquired when they met up.
"Tough fight."
"No healing?"
"I only have some basic first aid supplies. This isn't exactly a friendly world."
7156 nodded and drew his dagger. He brought it to his palm and gave it a light tug. Then he approached Genji and pressed his bleeding hand against Genji's chest. Genji allowed this since he sensed no malice.
[You have received light healing. Your wounds will heal 10x faster for 5 minutes.]
"Decent skill. I thought the abilities of the fantasy department were restricted."
"Only equipment. This is a personal skill."
"Personal skills, huh? I could use a few of those."
"You don't have any?"
"Everything is in my equipment. I only brought knowledge books."
"Bold."
"So, let's talk about the event. Any plans?"
"A few. We need to get into the builing."
"I think I can handle that. What's your combat experience?"
"A few mini-bosses."
"Shouldn't be a problem then. We'll meet here 30 minutes before the attack."
7156 nodded and walked away to make his preparations. Genji also returned to lying in bed. As for why they would meet at the park, it was to make any last-minute changes for the attack.
They had no idea where the attack would occur, so it was best to meet up to make some adjustments. Additionally, Genji had noticed something about the event requirement. It only stated that they needed to participate, but didn't specify how.
Genji wasn't sure if there was a hidden requirement or if people could simply muddle through the event. Regardless, Genji planned to delve deep into it, assuming that there would be rewards. This event resembled the previous faction event where they had raided the base of the Dark Forces. Since that event had granted faction reputation, this one should too.
Though unsaid, Genji intended to use the faction shop to supplement his drawbacks so he wouldn't end up in so many dangerous battles. The rewards were tempting, but he believed that there might be more effective methods.
----------------------------------------
It was the middle of the day when Genji and 7156 met up again.
"How's your aim?"
"It's okay."
"Then take this."
Genji put down his suitcase and kicked it over. He used just the right amount of force to slide it to 7156's feet.
"What's this?"
7156 crouched down and opened it. Inside the case, two preassembled Desert Eagles lay in the middle, surrounded by many ammunition clips. 7156 picked up the two weapons and examined their stats.
"I could use them, but I think you need them more than I do," Genji said.
7156 didn't say anything and replaced his current weapon. There's nothing to fret over. This was a specialized piece of equipment with specialized ammo. It's almost worthless outside of this world. Even if other worlds have these creatures, EverRealm has better consumables with wider applicability.
"It's decent," 7156 commented.
"Do you have any way to find them?"
"I have a skill, but it's more for tracking."
"I see. Are you okay with boss fights?"
"Yeah, why?"
Genji took out the fox badge and activated Stalker's Mark, setting the condition to the leader of the Dark Forces. In the corner of his view, a minimap popped up, and a red arrow pointed off into the distance. It was near the CEC building.
"Keep up."
Genji started running toward the red arrow. 7156 made no comment and followed. Soon, they came across a group of people wearing cloaks. It was a suspicious getup, especially in broad daylight. Seeing the arrow point at one of the people, Genji knew he had found his target. He drew his sword and pointed it at them.
"Sorry, but I need to stop you here, Dark Forces."
The people turned to look at each other and nodded. Two individuals stepped forward and underwent a partial transformation. Then they attacked Genji, while the rest of the group circled around him. Genji dodged the swipe and swung at the neck. Seeing this, the other person moved to block the attack.
*Clang*
Genji's sword clashed against a hardened bird claw. The force of the collision blew off the hoods of these people, revealing their faces below. A man with reptilian features and a woman with black hair.
*Bang bang*
7156 offered timely support by firing his bullets at them. Genji took this chance to raise his leg and kick the man, then he swung again. The man's eyes widened as tough scales started to sprout from his body. A long lizard tail grew out from his back as the man raised his arm.
*pzzzsss*
Genji chopped off the arm but failed to kill as the man jumped back in that small window. When the lizardman landed, his wounds started scabbing over.
*Bang bang*
The man's head jerked backward as two bullets entered his forehead. Genji ran towards him as he knew the lizardman was still alive. Then he was intercepted by a woman with raven features: a beak and black wings.
"She must have transformed in that window."
She flapped her wings to redirect the recoil and became airborne. Then she flew back to grab her partner and create some distance. It can't be helped; close combat was too dangerous. In the few seconds they tangled with Genji, one of them lost an arm, and they almost lost their heads multiple times.
"Just who is this guy?"
They entered a stare-off, as they were too far to be effective. If Genji tried to approach them, he could only guarantee one kill. At least that's what they thought.
Lightweight
Genji disappeared in the moment of distraction caused by 7156's shooting. By the time the two mutants realized something had gone wrong, Genji had appeared beside them and removed their heads.
"Let's go. The attack will start soon."
Genji and 7156 continued their pursuit. As they approached, an explosion went off. 7156 turned his head in that direction and realized that the CEC building had been blown up again. This time, it was the entrance instead of the top floors. They headed towards the building and saw many bodies scattered along the way – bodies of both agents and mutants. As they approached the main building, a few agents stood around.
"What's going on?" Genji flashed his badge to decrease the wasted time.
"Terrorists attacked again."
"I know that. Where did they go?"
"Into the basement, sir!"
"Basement?"
"Yes, the basement."
"Understood. We'll go ahead and try to delay them."
Genji ran into the damaged building and towards the stairs. This was the first time he had heard about a basement in this building. Elevators in the building had never shown that option. Since the elevators were not available, he would have to take the normal way. However, upon entering the staircase, he realized it only went up.
"How did they get down?"
"Over there," 7156 pointed to a hole behind another set of doors.
Genji kicked the door and they walked through. Looking down, they saw a series of holes that went deep. Judging by the height of everything, the entire drop should be about 25 meters.
"How good are you with falls?"
7156 shook his head. Genji understood what he meant. While 7156 can survive the falls, he would be vulnerable to attacks. Genji took out a long rope and tossed it over.
"Find a place to tie it. I will go ahead."
Genji jumped down, rolling multiple times before getting on his feet. Genji looked around and saw nothing noteworthy on this level. He walked over to the hole again but sensed a presence underneath him.
"A tricky situation."
Under normal circumstances, jumping down and rolling would leave him vulnerable to attacks. Landing on his feet would put a strain on his knees. Although they had superhuman physiques, they weren't at a level to instantly shake off these impacts. They would still be paralyzed for a split second, long enough to be in danger.
At this moment, Genji realized the intended use for Lightweight. If he still had this skill, he could have jumped all the way down without repercussions. Genji channeled his shadow energy, erased his presence, and reached into his storage for a lighter and a tin can. He filled the can with some gasoline, lit it, and threw it behind the presence he sensed.
Genji jumped down, recovering as the person was distracted. Then he quickly attacked, catching the person off guard since his energy muffled the sound. Genji sheathed his sword and waited for 7156 to come down. He tied another rope and they repeated the process.
When they landed on the bottom floor, Genji saw a few bodies wearing lab coats. There were no mutants in sight, but many security features were destroyed. 7156 frowned as he looked at the scene.
"What's wrong?"
7156 crouched down and observed the ground for a few seconds.
"They've separated."
"Each to our own?"
"Yes."
At this point, it's better for the two of them to separate. They don't know why the Dark Forces attacked the organization, but they need to figure that out to make an impact on this event. Disrupting them should lead to a good rating in this event.
Genji followed the arrow and ran toward the boss of the organization while 7156 went in the opposite direction. A few minutes later, he caught up with three people in black cloaks. Without saying anything, he drew his sword and attacked them. One of the figures moved in front of the boss and blocked his attack.
"Persistent bastard!"
"I can't let members of a terrorist organization wander around, can I?"
The boss in the middle placed his hand on the first person's shoulder. The man stepped back as the boss lowered his hood.
"Why do you call us terrorists?"
"Aren't you?"
"I admit our methods are extreme, but we don't attack civilians. We only target CEC, so in what way are we terrorists?"
Genji stayed silent. He doesn't know the truth value of this statement, but he doesn't mind delaying.
"We don't pursue world domination or destruction. We only seek peace."
"Peace? Not very peaceful of you to blow up this building."
"Heh," he scoffed in disdain. "Do you really believe the CEC is just? That they maintain order? No! They have much darker intentions!"
"You seem to know a lot about them."
Genji had his suspicions, but he decided not to meddle. He was here to join the event, not to get involved in power struggles.
"That's a given. Do you know why CEC has no mutant agents despite being a powerful addition to the cause? It's because they say we are corruptors in human form! That we are an unstable element that will lose control at any moment. Yet I know better. They don't discriminate against us for that reason but because they are afraid that we will discover the truth. A truth that I know. They don't seek order, but-"
Before Sirius could finish, he was shot with a syringe. Genji rolled for cover and turned in the direction of the attack, spotting a man in a trench coat on a ledge two stories above them. In his arms, he carried a crossbow-like weapon pointed at them. The man noticed Genji observing him, nodded, and walked away.
"What was that about?"
Genji turned around to see the fluid in the syringe drain into Sirius's body. Sirius fell to his knees, but something seemed wrong. His eyes turned red, and his muscles started swelling. Sirius grew taller, his clothes ripped, and fur replaced them. Wolf-like features formed on his body. A bad feeling arose in Genji's chest as Sirius drew a broadsword.