Chapter 16
The Request
Part 2
I looked around me, looking for the biggest tree near me to hide behind its trunk, and as soon as I found a big, bulky tree, I hid behind its trunk. What I saw in front of me was definitely not what I was expecting. A group of people was approaching me. I counted them quickly, they were approximately 20 armed men moving cautiously in a team of four people; between each team there was a space of around five meters, in a straight line, like they were comping the whole area, it would take them less than a minute to reach where I fought their comrades, and for sure they will notice me sooner or later, unless I flee this place by using one of the skills and go back where I came from.
If I go back, it's obvious that they will reach us within a few minutes. There is absolutely no guarantee of the safety of the children and their mother, so butting into the account, for their safety now, that is the only important thing. I believe they can take care of themselves, although I have no idea of their capabilities. Still, the way they produced their weapon and how Amun predicted the enemy's location and time of arrival shows they have some skills, and probably they are assisted by the system like me.
As I predicted, within those few seconds, the first team that was closer to the location of the fight noticed somehow that there was something missing. One of them raised his hand, signaling to the rest to stop. At once, all of them stopped, and that grabbed my attention immediately. The same man gave the rest some hand signals, and I could recognize what they were. After he finished his signals, the rest changed their formation, immediately coupling up and taking the form of an arrow, getting closer to each other while at the same time giving each other space, making the distance between them larger and covering a larger space.
It took him a few steps to come across my first victim; he bent down, touching the man on the ground. Two other men suppurated and went to look at others; they both signaled to the man. That signal was easy for me to understand; I thought it meant they were alive. The rest caught up to them and went forward, taking one step at a time like they were checking the ground. At the same time, each one of them was vigilant, looking and checking around their surroundings carefully. As soon as all of them reached the area of the fight, they assumed their previous formation and formed a line, like they were forming a wall, and stood there.
Squinting my eyes, I observed all of them: the way they followed the order, the uniform they were wearing, their weapons, the way they carried themselves—all these things gave me a clear idea that they are a well-trained army; they can't be anything else. The question that came to my mind when I reached that conclusion was: why is an army this large behind a young boy, a woman, and her two kids?
I felt something weird was going on here, and unfortunately, whoever is behind me being here has something to do with it.
Although the only objective of my mission is to survive whatever is going on, whatever this is, I can't let two innocent kids be killed like it's nothing of my business. I estimated the two skills that I used: the first one (Flash), whose time has ended, and I believe the one minute of its cool-down also ended. But I guess the second one (Strike), whose time has about half a minute remaining, give or take, since I don't have a timer on me, I am just using my best guess here.
The remaining two skills that I haven't used: one of them I can't use it in a fight that was the (sprint), but the other one, the (Slash) I can. Here I got an idea by asking myself, "What will happen if I combine both of them and use them at the same time? That was worth testing. Worst-case scenario: if I felt that I couldn't handle it, I could still use the remaining time of the Sprint skill and give myself a chance for the other skills to finish their cool-down time.
The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.
I only have to think of a way to combine the two skills. This is the first time I've experienced something like this without prior knowledge, and these skills and attributes didn't come with a manual. Before I even started thinking, the screen appeared in front of me again, this time with new information.
The same screen, but now there are a few lines that are highlighted and blinking, which obviously caught my eye and were as follows:
Name: Aden
Age: 16
Race: Human
Rank: A (Officer)
Level: 6
Status: healthy
[Congratulations! You have discovered that you can combine two skills together, which will result in a new skill.]
[You have to be aware that not every skill can be combined with any skill randomly; there are conditions and rules to be followed.]
[To combine skills, please choose by saying the name of the skill you want to combine, say Combine, then mention the other skill's name. The time the process will take depends on the level and the type of the skills; both skills have to match up with their level or the process will end in failure.]
[A new skill has been created, Sprint," combined with Slash."]
Skills: Six skills gained
1- Skill Name: Flash
Skill Level 1
Skill Description:
This allows you to teleport a short distance of at least one hundred meters and a maximum of 300 meters. (You can cross any distance while the skill is active.)
Skill duration: twenty seconds.
Skill cool-down period: one minute
2- Skill Name: Dodge
Skill Level 1
Skill Description:
This allows you to dodge any incoming attacks, with the limitation of only dodging visible attacks to you or within your perception of radios. It will increase the speed of your attack for longer when the skill is active.
Skill duration: one minute.
Skill cool-down period: three minutes
3- Skill Name: Sprint
Skill Level 1
Skill Description:
This allows you to run at a very high speed, equal to one hundred meters per second. (You increase or decrease your speed as per your will during the duration of the skill.)
Skill duration: ten seconds.
Skill cool-down period: two minutes
4- Skill Name: Slash
Skill Level 1
Skill Description:
(This allows you to cut through any object using any sharp weapon or object.)
Skill duration: ten seconds.
Skill cool-down period: one minute
All skills can be leveled up with continuous use; with each level upgrade, the duration will increase and the cool-down will decrease.
5- Skill Name: Strike
Skill Level 1
Skill Description:
This allows you to strike with any weapon of your choice or your hands with blunt force at a very high speed, and you will be able to control the force and the speed of your skill.
Skill duration: twenty seconds.
Skill cool-down period: one minute
6- Skill Name: Asult
Skill Level 1
Skill Description:
A new skill that has been created by combining two different skills for the purpose of using speed with attack, this skill will enable you to slash your enemies without giving them the chance of retaliation and can be used as both an offensive and defensive skill.
All skills can be leveled up with continuous use; with each level upgrade, the duration will increase and the cool-down will decrease.
Gifts: two attributes unlocked
1- Strength 80/200
2- Intelligence 80/200
All attributes can be leveled up with continuous use, with each level upgrade, you need to accumulate 10 points, attributes points can be gifted by leveling up or gained by successfully completing tasks and missions.
Grade: 2
Phase: 2
Points: 05
Inventory: Six Items
Remarks: rewards are skills and attributes unlocked by surviving for 6 hours.
Mission: Survive
Duration: 18 hours
Reward: Mystery map + skill
You have unlocked the inventory.
Inventory: Six items unlocked
So it's possible, and I gained a new skill and a useful one at that: "Asult" As soon as I finished saying the last letter of the word, I felt something surging through my body like I had been filled in all of my body with a mysterious energy, and I looked at men who were apparently waiting for an order. I looked at them all, and I decided on who would be my first target.