Chapter 55
- Yo! How many more?
- That was the last batch for today. You can rest.
- Oh, thanks… – I replied to Axis. – Hope you choke, you bastard…
Utterly drained, I collapsed onto the ground amid a pile of scattered corpses. How long have I been here? A month? Something like that… Every day, I fight for my life against hundreds of monsters released in waves from those big gates. And somehow, I’ve managed to survive. Or rather, they’ve let me survive. No clue why this is happening. Just for kicks? Demons come by often, gawking at me with smug faces. Sometimes they join the show, throwing new obstacles and headaches my way. Thanks to their efforts, I’ve mastered the art of busting my ass in no time. After each performance, they have to piece me back together just to push me harder the next day.
Today, I took out about two thousand doggos. Every day, I’ve gotta outdo myself. Every day, I’m squeezing every last drop from my body. My muscles feel like they’re filled with lead. I can’t lift my arms. No human could handle this strain. But I’m no human anymore. I’m a goddamn killing machine.
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/ Race --- Half-Demon /
/ Level 99 /
/ Specialty --- Slave (1% experience) /
/ Strength --- 87(+26) Endurance --- 134(+1) Agility --- 242(+1) Magic Power --- 201(-4) Mana --- 202(+26) /
/ Skills: /
// Sensitivity – 334(-5) Concentration – 331(-5) Mana Control – 211(-5) Thinking – 171(-5) Resilience – 127(+4) Taunt (active) – 90(+20) //
/ Element – Lightning /
/ Titles: Martyr, Demon Hunter, Child-Killer /
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Yeah, I’ve grown a ton this month. Feels like they’re prepping me for some fucked-up tournament. Even so, I still don’t have the juice to seriously hurt that damn demon. I’ve tried escaping a few times, but it’s pointless. This general’s too overpowered. All I can do is wait. Wait and endure. But what’s next? What am I waiting for? While I’m getting stronger, they might accidentally let me get eaten.
Well, if that’s it for today, time to grab a bite before they clear out these corpses. My favorite: demon meat. Good thing I’ve got some mana left to roast it. I’ve been thinking my teeth are useless here. Instead of these dumb horns that’ve started growing, I’d be better off with demon fangs. I reached for the nearest carcass, but then I heard that painfully familiar creak—the gate hinges. The ground shook with stomping. Axis, you motherfucker…
- Sorry, forgot about these little guys! – The bastard sang.
A dozen massive creatures stormed the arena, turning corpses under their feet into red jelly. I’ve never seen kitties this big. Each one’s like a bus. Of course… I got too comfy. This asshole loves to crank up the difficulty. One day it’s an earthquake, the next it’s sand traps all over the arena, then a labyrinth… Total prick. Now it’s Jurassic Park kitties. What mushrooms did you eat to grow like that? Seriously… What the hell do I do with these?
Alright… Last bit of strength… With my progress, jumping onto a bus isn’t hard. No time to build speed, gotta leap from a standstill. Next moment, I plunged my “Lightbringers” into the first bulldozer’s neck. Almost out of strength, but I’ve got mana left. I quickly took out two nearby monsters using my ride, but a third swiped its claws from the side, nearly splitting the sluggish kitty in half. I jumped off just in time, hit the ground, rolled, and was ready to hijack another demon-saur. A leap—and… my tendon snapped. Came up short. I’m flying straight into a kitty’s massive maw. Shit… Gotta kill it fast before it eats me. Unless…
I saw this in Attack on Titan. Well, almost… Nobody did it willingly there. I straightened mid-air and dove right into the open mouth. Pushing off its teeth, I shoved myself toward its stomach, hoping to hide before it clamped down.
Thank God, it worked. Probably the craziest idea I’ve had since I tried network marketing. But this fluke might be my ticket out. Comfort level’s shit, but I’m used to it. Third time, right? Stomach acid’s stinging my skin. I think I felt someone’s bones. Damn… Can’t stay long. I quickly tapped into the kitty and shut down its digestive system. No need for full control. Just gotta lay low. Let the kitty do what kitties do while I play dead.
Nothing’s happening yet. It’s just standing there. Suspicious… Do they always just stand around? Usually, they’re charging to eat me. Hope you’re happy now. Barely any light through the stomach walls. Wish I could see outside, but I need to save mana. It’s almost gone. One more thing… Last time, my heartbeat gave me away. Won’t make that mistake again. Gotta sync my pulse with the kitty’s. It’s got a strong one. Each beat shakes me to my bones. This time, I’ve thought it through, so it should work…
While it’s quiet outside, I glanced at the notification window that popped up earlier.
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/ Congratulations, you’ve reached level 100! /
/ New parameters unlocked /
// Defense --- 10 Resistance --- 10 //
/ Second-tier skills available /
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Defense protects the body from physical attacks.
Resistance protects the body from magical attacks.
Oh… There’s the defense stat. Is that why I couldn’t pierce demon skin with a regular knife? Super useful, considering my penalty. Resistance is even better. Probably why I can’t hurt Axis much with lightning. What I thought was an aura is actually resistance. Or is it the same thing? Whatever. What about these second-tier skills? Where do I find them? Nothing’s changed in my status. Did I get screwed again?
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While I was mulling this over, something huge and sharp sliced my kitty in half. Miraculously, it missed me, and I crawled out, covered in blood and stomach acid. Axis stood over me.
- Can’t fool me, kid. But nice try.
- Fuck you… (So: I’ve tried three body-hiding tactics, and only one worked. Gotta stock up on new strategies fast.)
- Solid attempt. Very creative. (Good thing he can’t hear my thoughts.) You did good today. Healer’s coming, so relax.
- Listen, demon, don’t you have anyone else to do this shit? Feels like you’re trying to wipe out all these creatures and stuck me with the job.
- Be glad you’re still alive.
- Oh, I’m fucking thrilled… Life’s a goddamn joyride. I still don’t get it: why not just eat me?
- Everything has its reasons.
- No shit? That’s what I’m asking, you prick! Not about consequences.
- Love your nerve. But don’t push me, sweetie. I might get offended. And, as you’ve noticed, I’ve got a wild imagination. (If I lent you mine, we’d get along faster. Thank God demons don’t know how easy it is to make a man cooperate.)
- Shut your trap, asshole. You even bring me a healer, and there aren’t many left. I know, ‘cause I killed most of them. You can’t touch me ‘cause your boss, the head dickhead, says so. What if I just let these bastards kill me next time?
- Go for it… Try it. Show off that brain, prove your point! I’ll grab some friends to watch. Hahaha.
- Let me guess, you don’t even know, do you?
- Wrong, sweetie. I’m the Lord’s right hand. I know every secret.
- Oh, really? So when he needs a quick handjob, he calls you? That why you’re so fucked up?
- I don’t follow, dumb human.
- Yeah… Playing dumb real quick… You want my title to upgrade, right?
- What title? Your guesses are just cute nonsense.
- What happens when I kill a hundred thousand demons?
- Dunno… You’ll tell me. I’m curious too. Even the Lord never hit that mark.
- Bullshit. There was this one prick who loved counting corpses. He had over a hundred thousand.
- Oh, you mean little Riz? That title’s not for killing kin. No point. Think, dummy—if you had a penalty making your own race hostile, you’d kill yourself first. Unless you had enough intellect to avoid it.
- Intellect stat?
- Don’t worry, doesn’t apply to you. (Bitch… Nothing pisses me off more than a creature who’s never seen a toilet lecturing me on intellect.) Everyone’s born with some intellect value, but you can boost it after level five hundred. Like defense, regeneration, or luck. Intellect helps resist penalties or mind magic.
- When does luck unlock?
- Hahaha. Level nine hundred. Only the Lord has it. Don’t even dream.
- Shit… Life’s a cruel bitch.
Another demon landed nearby. Wild look, eyes locked on me, drooling. My healer.
- Here’s my kitty cat. Get to work, but don’t bite anything off. – Axis turned to him. – I’ve got every piece under controoool.
- Got any healers with intellect?
- Had some, but someone killed them.
- Hilarious… If they had intellect, it was well hidden.
My grueling days dragged on. Under Axis’s watchful eye, thousands of doggos met their end daily. To keep the grind from getting dull, he’d call in other demons to spice things up: light shows with lasers, lava pools, rock showers, ice rinks, swamps, fog, hurricanes, man-eating jungles, trap-filled mazes, hornet swarms, spinning platforms, and more, plus combinations. The purpose of this circus never left my mind. Why? What for? Can’t wrap my head around it. Even if all my ninety-nine percent experience goes straight to the Lord, it’s pointless. The only thing that makes sense is the next title. Axis said even the Lord doesn’t have the hundred-thousand-kill title. Hard to believe. Unless he’s got ninety-nine thousand kills for every race, or experience just rains from the sky for millennia. I bet he’s got a human defense-ignore penalty, but… it probably doesn’t apply to half-demons.
In the next fights, the system threw me another curveball. At first, I thought it was a glitch, but nope. I gained three levels past one hundred, each giving me two points. Nice, but if you get two points per level after one hundred, you might get three or more after two hundred. Which means: if the King’s over level nine hundred, he’s got… a fuck-ton of points… Scary to even calculate.
Meanwhile, my coach decided to crank up the workload. The number of creatures I killed kept climbing daily. By my rough count, I’m close to a new title. And, judging by everything, I can’t let that happen. I’m legit terrified of what bullshit the system’s gonna pull next.
Things were tough before, but now I feel like a mix of a Chinese kid in a sweatshop, an African kid on a cotton plantation, and a medieval peasant, squared. I’ve worn calluses raw from my daggers. Sometimes blood makes them slip, making my life a hundred times harder.
Today was pure hell. Axis seems set on burying me, doubling the demons on the arena with no breaks between waves. I held up okay at first, but fatigue kicked in. I got slower. Strikes weaker. Even swearing got hard. The longer the fight, the worse my odds. I’d kill one, and another took its place. Barely balancing, dancing on corpses, I brought relentless death to the demons around me. Felt like the fight lasted an eternity. Air ran out. Felt like I was breathing fire. My vision blurred more and more. This level’s way beyond me. My body’s torn to shreds, barely any skin left. I could hardly stand when a doggo clamped its teeth on my shin. Another grabbed my limp arm. A third aimed for my neck. But… If only it were that simple… Axis instantly flung the dogs off with his mind, saving my life.
- Knew it… – I gasped with my last strength, collapsing. – You won’t let me die…
- Not yet, dummy. But that doesn’t mean you can slack. – Axis swooped down, standing over me with his signature smug grin.
- Slack? You shitting me?
- Shitting on you is our life’s goal, but not now. That act won’t fool me. Get up, we’re not done today.
- You’ve lost it, idiot… Ow… Fuck it… Release your doggos. Let ‘em have some human meat. At least someone’ll enjoy it.
- So that’s where Zid got his nonsense. By my math, you’ve got about thirty percent stamina and twenty percent mana left. Last week, you doubled your damage output, so you’re using less force per strike. Your lightning attacks are fifty percent stronger. Stop pretending. Or you got another clever escape plan? Wanna share?
- You think telling you my escape plan’s the dumbest shit ever?
- Come on, sweetie, you’re not going anywhere. What’s the plan, huh?
- Heh… Fine… Step one was getting you to come down here.
- Got it. Then you fake being wiped out and attack with your knives. Disappointing. Too basic.
- Something like that… You’re pretty observant.
- Perception unlocks at level three hundred. Handy stat.
- Too bad you didn’t get enough points in it. If you could allocate them yourself, maybe this wouldn’t have happened.
- What’s that, kid? You hiding an ace? Can’t wait!
- You’re a bit off.
- Oh? Where?
- Two hundred fifty…
- Two hundred fifty what? Cerberus’s teeth?
- Percent.
A blinding stream of energy shot from my hands, hitting Axis in the head with a deafening boom. The blast shook the arena walls. Dazzling light spilled everywhere. Tiny sparks danced across my body. My nervous system glowed through my skin in thin blue lines. My eyes burned like ball lightning. I became the element. In that moment, I was electricity. All the demon could do was convulse under my attack. The massive mana surge broke through his resistance. Not enough to kill him, but enough to make him lose focus and drop his force shield for a second. One more second… and my reserves ran dry. Stunned, Axis dropped to one knee. He’d recover soon, but I wouldn’t let him. A swift dagger strike from above split his head in two.
- My… cookies… arrived… – I whispered triumphantly over his corpse.
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/ Race --- Half-Demon /
/ Level 103 /
/ Specialty --- Slave (1% experience) /
/ Strength --- 90(+26) Endurance --- 139(+1) Agility --- 257(+1) Magic Power --- 203(+3) Mana --- 205(+26) Defense – 61 Resistance – 10 /
/ Skills: /
// Sensitivity – 335(-5) Concentration – 334(-5) Elemental Affinity – 251% Mana Control – 216(-5) Thinking – 172(-5) Resilience – 137(+4) Taunt (active) – 100(+20) Battle Frenzy – 85 Weapon Mastery (knives, daggers) – 72 Death Strike – 1% //
/ Element – Lightning /
/ Titles: Martyr, Demon Hunter, Child-Killer /
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Elemental Affinity – Increases the effectiveness of magic for a specific element.
Weapon Mastery – Increases damage with a specific weapon type.
Battle Frenzy – Temporarily boosts damage after a kill. Duration and multiplier depend on skill level.
Death Strike (active) – Allows a one-hit kill with a certain probability. Activated mentally. Consumes 99% endurance.