Age 749, October 15, Night, Red Ribbon Base
Ten
I rushed forward to meet the enemy’s reinforcements which were approaching from the eastern section of the base.
With a great leap to the side, I dodged a missile, feeling the strong displacement of air and heat as it flew past. I graced it with a single glance and braced myself for the explosion, which filled my surroundings with a bright, orange light.
I stopped running and held fast as the shockwave hit and the dirt and smoke rose, concealing my presence for a few moments.
Given the slight reprieve, I decided to throw a quick look at my status sheet:
Name: Ten
Occupation: The Gamer
Level: 38 (17,500/50,000 XP)
Race: Human
Age: 14
HP: 50,231/55,062
MP: 54,263
Ki: 62,102/74,214
STR: 145 ; [290]
VIT: 152 ; [304]
AGI: 200 ; [400]
INT: 136 ; [197]
WIS: 132 ; [191]
Points: 5
Battle Power: 166, [331]
I took in the information, wondering why the experience requirement had made such a drastic jump, but shrugged and focused on my available points.
Endurance. I thought and put them into VIT without hesitation.
Name: Ten
Occupation: The Gamer
Level: 38 (17,500/50,000 XP)
Race: Human
Age: 14
HP: 50,231/56,730
MP: 54,081
Ki: 62,102/76,462
STR: 145 ; [290]
VIT: 157 ; [314]
AGI: 200 ; [400]
INT: 136 ; [197]
WIS: 132 ; [191]
Points: 0
Battle Power: 167, [335]
Barely a change. I noted but shrugged. Stronger is stronger, even if the increase is minimal.
Psyching myself up for more fighting, I dashed forward, exiting the smokescreen and intending on closing the gap between myself and the soldiers.
I saw a few of the soldiers shouting into their radios with frantic purpose and frowned, watching as the two tanks in the backline started rolling backwards.
I see. I thought, as the soldiers rushed my position with shot, shell, grenade and knife, holding nothing back against me.
I swerved to the left before leaping over a storm of bullets, landing in the middle of a platoon of fifteen.
“Get him!” One of them cried before they all rushed me with war cries, trying to overwhelm me with sheer numbers alone.
I sidestepped a man’s knife thrust before stepping into his guard, grabbing him by the arm and shoulder before throwing him into another two.
The three soldiers went down with cries of alarm, though unharmed.
Four more joined the fray, launching their own attack. I dodged and weaved past their punches and kicks, before launching a kick at the nearest man. He stepped back, allowing his comrades to intervene with attacks from both sides.
Clever. I thought, taking the punch from the left attack as well as the kick from the right, though they surprised more than hurt me.
-1,000 HP!
-300 HP!
Teamwork tactics. I realized as the rest began to reinforce the fighters, penning me back in anytime I made a move to get out. They’ve been drilling extra teamwork into the soldiers to make up for their lack of battle power. It’d be impressive if they weren’t murderous scumbags.
The fight continued in this fashion. Whenever I moved to hit one soldier, two or three of the group would block or parry the strike, dissipating all of the energy and opening me up to a counter attack.
They were also doing something else, but with the smoke and general confusion, I couldn’t quite figure out what.
I parried a punch before smiling. I baited the soldiers with a feint and watched as one stepped back while the two beside him went in for the strike.
Got you. I thought, sending a right hook into the soldier’s face, before pushing off of the ground with both feet towards the second soldier, my elbow crashing into his throat and sending him flying back.
I had no time to check the damage I wrought when I felt someone from behind me put their arms underneath my own before snaking them way behind my neck, clasping and holding me down.
“Quick!” The man behind me said as he struggled to hold me down. “Finish it!”
I struggled to break the man’s hold, but it was not to be. A rather tall soldier with bulging muscles approached my position, aiming his rifle at my head.
“Use a knife!” The soldier holding me called. “Don’t shoot!”
“Shoot!” I cried out in amusement, spinning in place to use the foolish soldier trying to hold me down as a meat shield. “Do it!”
“Shit!” I felt the pressure disappear as the soldier let go, and rewarded him with a vicious kick to his sternum. He didn’t have the time to feel the pain because, a moment later, the man’s head blew apart, sending me tumbling back from the impact.
-2,500 HP!
You are now suffering through the effect of [Burned]!
I got to my feet before he could react and rushed the surprised brute, driving my fist into his forehead, caving his skull in and killing the man in an instant.
I huffed, glancing for a moment at the [Burned] notification before the sound of clicking weapons filled my hearing.
“Fire!”
I leapt straight up, without a moment’s hesitation. Good thing I did; the air filled with the sound of gunfire and the cries of other soldiers getting mowed down.
That they’d kill each other for the chance to do me in isn’t surprising anymore. I thought and pointed my hand down at them. But it never ceases to piss me off!
-6,000 Ki!
“Ha!” I launched the [Ki Ball] down at the firing squad, filling the area with an explosion of brilliant blue light. When the dust settled, the entire platoon was gone, replaced with a large crater. Still, I was not done.
Turning my gaze at the still retreating tanks and the second platoon standing in between myself and them, I narrowed my eyes and drew [Stinger] before sprinting towards the next fight again.
My world turned into a whirlwind of bullets, gun-smoke, and the cries of battle-hardened soldiers once again. The more I fought, the less I held back.
With every new soldier, I grew angrier, and my strikes continued to grow harsher and harsher, until the soldiery was no longer engaging me with the same enthusiasm as they had before— if they had any left at all.
Is it quickly dawning on them that their Commanding Officer gave them a load of shit about my capabilities? I thought as I thrust [Stinger] into a man’s chest, taking the rifle from his hands and smashing it butt first into the neck of a soldier coming from behind me before discarding the weapon and ripping [Stinger] out before the enemy realized he had even been killed.
I didn’t even hear the thud he made, too busy I was with dodging the endless gunfire, bombs and throwing weapons these people seemed equipped with.
So much for the world government cutting off the supply lines!
Just as the thought crossed my mind, a grenade exploded right in front of me, and I felt myself being pushed back even as the shrapnel struck my body.
-1,500 HP!
-300 HP!
-70 HP!
-10 HP!
-250 HP!
[Burned] has gained another stack!
I frowned, annoyed at the worsening debuff. A quick look towards my HP stat showed that it was beginning to drop at a mildly concerning rate.
What are they putting in their incendiary loadout? I thought before jumping behind the ruin of one of the buildings which were destroyed at the start of the fighting.
As explosions and gunshots wore down the thickest bit of wall I could find, I devoured a NutriBar and chugged down some water for the healing effects before jumping back into the fray, the wall behind me exploding as the tanks began to demolish what little cover I had left.
Just in time, I suppose. I thought before I found myself in the haze of battle once more, but now with a new objective in mind: the tanks.
I put [Stinger] back into its holster, made a beeline towards the nearest tank, snatching a belt of grenades off of one of the corpses along the way.
“He’s going for the tanks!” One of the soldiers caught on to what I was aiming for, shouting into her radio. “Focus fire on Williamson!”
Poor, poor Williamson. I thought, sneering as I leapt above the aforementioned tank and stood atop of it. They’re shelling this position right now, so I won’t need to use grenades.
As soon as I saw the flashes coming from the other tank’s barrels, I charged Ki into my legs and jumped as high as I could.
I glanced down for a moment, watching as the tank beneath exploded with brilliant orange fire before focusing my attention on the other war machine.
Time to try this out. I held my hands a little behind me, palms facing outwards and somewhat downwards, and charged my Ki, much like I would have with a [Ki Ball]. Unlike with that move, however, I didn’t bother shaping my Ki.
-1,500 Ki!
I felt the burst of energy rushing out of my hands, propelling me towards the next tank.
I saw some of the soldiers enter two anti-aircraft guns and turn them in my direction. Oh for fuck’s sake. I guess now’s as good a time as any to get better at my new skill— [Ki Burst]!
-1,500 Ki!
My body flew to the right, avoiding a wave of bullets so close together it looked like a long, orange string flying off into the distance.
I blasted myself to the right, noting that the common soldiers also began firing with their rifles, filling the night sky with a beautiful, but deadly storm of steel.
I rose, descended and nosedived past the enemy shots before I got into a comfortable enough range to retaliate.
With a motion, I put the grenades back into my [Inventory], equipped my [Wizard Staff] and aimed it down at the anti-aircraft guns.
“Either leave those hunks of junk, or burn to death in molten slag!” I called out, though they likely couldn’t hear me over the strong winds and gunfire. “Frizz!”
-1,000 MP!
I aimed at the one beside it and cast another [Frizz], sending an equally large ball of fire to the second gun.
-1,000 MP!
The soldiers evacuated the area as soon as they saw the approaching flame.
I supposed it shouldn’t have been surprising; I watched the spell’s effect on the weapons. The two anti-aircraft guns didn’t explode, so much as the ammo within and nearby started popping like deadly fireworks.
I smiled, turning my attention to the final remaining tank, my staff’s runes glowing a bright orange.
Before I could do a thing, however, I saw that the tank was being lifted and thrown towards the fleeing soldiers.
What the hell…?
I let myself fall, using a burst of Ki to slow my descent just enough. I touched down with a grunt, my knees bending slightly as they absorbed the kinetic energy from the controlled fall.
Ahead of me, I saw a familiar figure: Chichi.
What’s Chichi doing here? I thought, taking a few steps forward in confusion. She should be infiltrating the main building!
I turned my eyes to the structure in question and just about gaped at the varying levels of destruction. Its front section had been blown out from the inside, destroying everything within.
What the hell happened here? I thought and ran towards Chichi in concern. The soldiers had gone and fled in all directions, abandoning the base in whatever way they could.
Go find the boy, make sure no one takes him! Part of me screamed, but it was drowned out by my concern for Chichi, for she kept hammering her fists into the turned-over tank with no end in sight.
“Chichi?” I called out when I got close enough.
Chichi did not hear me, instead continuing her strange behavior. Stranger than that, her face was expressionless.
It’s almost like how I can get while under the influence of [Gamer’s Mind]. I thought, feeling a shiver creep up my spine as I continued to approach. So eerie.
I placed a hand on her shoulder, and she froze. “Chichi… talk to me.”
Her head turned to me with deliberate slowness, and I took a step back in shock at the sight.
Her appearance had changed; her previously black eyes were now a poisonous green, and her veins popped out with the same color, almost bulging with how expanded they looked.
Wait. I realized as I noticed something else. Her skin. What’s wrong with her skin?
I had thought it was just the light from the various fires throwing off my sight, but there it was; Chichi’s skin now had a green tinge to it.
It was then that I focused on the title above her nametag.
Greenlight Cataclysm
Greenlight Cataclysm? I repeated in my mind. What the hell does that mean? Whatever it is, it’s got to have something to do with her skin and eye color.
This was just getting stranger and stranger. I tried to call out for her again. “…Chichi?”
No sooner had I said this, than she went into motion, bypassing my hasty guard and clocking me in the face with a right hook.
-2,500 HP!
“Chichi, what’re you d—” I said, though I was forced to stop to block her left roundhouse kick, wincing at the pain blossoming in my right arm.
-5,000 HP!
I took hold of her calf before she could pull away, but Chichi used it as leverage, sending her left foot straight up towards my chin.
I blocked it with the staff before taking her momentum and slamming her down into the earth, shaking it as a small crater was formed.
I winced, wondering whether or not I should have used that much force, but that only lasted for about a tenth of a second when Chichi’s boot slammed into my face, sending me flying into a half-demolished wall, shattering it completely and burying me under the rubble.
-8,500 HP!
I lay there under the various chunks of stone, metal and rock wondering, for the millionth time that minute, what the hell was going on.
Since when was Chichi able to hit so hard? She’d never managed to harm me with basic punches and kicks like this, before. I heard the sound rocks being shifted, and knew that she was trying to unearth me for some more.
She wouldn’t be able to find me immediately, so I took the time to link my power with hers and invoked [Insight].
Greenlight Cataclysm
Chichi – Lv 41
Race – Human / Ņ̴̻̻̯̠͔͎́̎͐̏̈̿͑̚̚͜a̶͇̙̬̬͇͠m̶̛͎̤̅́̇̓e̵͙͉̩͚̗̊̆̓͐̉́̔̇̚ḱ̷̙̳̯̮̦̦̳̬̹͂̔̄͘̚͜i̸͕͙̮̗̦̺͍̞͋̍́͝ȧ̷̦̕͘͠n̵͓̙̼͉̳̒̉͗͌͐͜ͅ
Age – 14
HP: 45,000/50,000
Ki: 50,000/60,000
Rep: 20,000/100,000 Loved
Description: The Princess of Fry Pan Mountain, Chichi has been subjected to a cruel experiment by the Red Ribbon Army, greatly increasing her power at the cost of taking her will away and setting her against the love of her life.
She is attempting to struggle against the control, but is having little to no luck.
Battle Power: 275
So that’s what’s going on. I thought with no small amount of anger. They’ve taken over her mind!
A quick look at my HP showed that it was at about half. Without hesitation, I activated my [Mana Shield] with a thought and burst out of the rubble before she could find me.
-45 MP!
“Chichi!” I called out even as I caught her automatic punch. “Get a grip! I know you’re in there!”
But the woman did not even bat an eye, trying to use the hold as leverage to kick me again. I leapt back to avoid it before smacking the back of her head with my staff, increasing her rotational momentum and forcing her to fall to the ground.
That had to have done some damage. I thought but watched her get back up, shaking her head to banish the dizziness away.
I felt my mouth go dry for a few moments before I shook my head as well, banishing my hesitation away. “Fine, it seems that a few hits won’t snap you out of it. I don’t know if you can still hear me in there, Chichi, but I won’t be holding back anymore.”
Chichi only stared back at me with the selfsame expression she had on since the beginning of the fight.
I stabbed the staff into the ground before taking a step forward, dropping into the Tiger Stance. Chichi dropped into her own stance in reply.
Showing me courtesy— she is in there, somewhere. I can’t use the claws, I don’t want to kill her. I thought as we stared at each other for a split second before dashing forward.
I met her halfway, dodging two punches before snatching her by the wrist and pulling her into my right hook. Chichi’s head snapped back from the impact, but she recovered quickly, escaping my hold on her wrist with a yell.
As she fell, she grasped the ground for leverage and sent a kick which flew past my guard and connected with my midsection, doubling me over.
-20,000 MP!
She looped her free arm around my lowered neck and pulled me down into the dirt with her, intending on smashing my skull into a pulp with her fist. I tried to push out of her grip, only to find that I couldn’t.
She struck me twice before I gave up on the effort to escape, instead placing my arms against her midsection.
-5,000 MP!
-10,000 MP!
I’m sorry, Chichi.
-5,000 Ki!
“Ha!” The world exploded in a flash of light, blinding me for a few moments as I felt my [Mana Shield] shatter into a hundred pieces.
-21,500 MP!
-2,150 HP!
I felt myself being blasted backwards and up into the air before my head collided with a beam of metal, filling the air with a loud clang before I fell back down onto the rubble of the building.
-2,000 HP!
You are now [Dazed]!
I groaned at the sensation but forced myself to get back up. I trudged forward to resume the fight, hoping that blast didn’t kill the woman. It had been a quick decision on my part, but I hadn’t used enough Ki to cause enough damage for her HP to go to zero.
I hope. I thought, checking over my own status sheet as I approached.
Name: Ten
Occupation: The Gamer
Level: 38 (17,500/50,000 XP)
Race: Human
Age: 14
[Burned]2 [Dazed]
HP: 21,141/56,730
MP: 0/54,081
Ki: 48,102/76,462
STR: 145 ; [290]
VIT: 157 ; [314]
AGI: 200 ; [400]
INT: 136 ; [197]
WIS: 132 ; [191]
Points: 0
Battle Power: 167, [335]
Looks like I’ve taken a pretty hard beating. I thought and stopped in my tracks as I saw a pile of rubble shifting to reveal my opponent. But it seems that did a number on her, as well.
Her sweaty, dirty body was riddled with cuts and bruises, with most of her outfit holding together by mere threads.
Chichi stood back up, displacing the rubble as she stumbled forward, slouching over and breathing hard with the exertion. She drew her right arm back, palm splayed out as she concentrated her power.
“Chichi, enough.” I said, trying to plead with her. “Please. I don’t want to kill you!”
“I don’t want to, either.” She said in a monotone as she raised her expressionless face at me. “But I must. You have to stop me, Ten. Whatever it takes.”
“Don’t say that!” I barked out, my voice thick with anger and grief. “Just stop channeling your energy. Come on!”
Chichi only shook her head in response. Just above her palm, a boomerang formed and started spinning. I stared at it with wide eyes. When did she master this move?! Was this a byproduct of whatever the Red Ribbon did to her?
“You can try to dodge it.” Chichi said and got ready to launch. “But it will follow you.”
Was she helping me?
Of course she is. Her status sheet said as much. Still, with her increased strength and Ki Control… I thought as I charged my Ki up in response. I can’t let that thing hit me.
There was no choice but to stop it flat.
“Ki-merang!” Chichi called out, sending her spinning boomerang flying straight at me.
-48,102 Ki!
I pushed both hands forward, blasting every sliver of my Ki outwards in a massive [Ki Ball] to meet her spinning attack midway, but it was cutting through the power like it was nothing. I grit my teeth and focused the power to a smaller size, but it didn’t overpower the boomerang.
It did, however, slow it down.
I just have to hold out until she can’t force it forward anymore. I realized and redoubled my efforts, shrinking the [Ki Ball] even further and slowing the boomerang’s advance to a crawl.
“Ha!” Chichi screamed and I felt her attack gain more ground, beginning to cut into the large ball of Ki again.
Even smaller. I did my best to force the power down further, but I found that I just couldn’t. Any more and…
The [Ki Ball] exploded, blinding me for a few seconds as I felt a searing line of pain erupt from my wrist, all the way to my shoulder.
-20,000 HP!
I stood there for a few seconds, blinking the light away as I held my stance, ignoring the pain for the moment. I saw Chichi’s form as the dust settled. She was still in the same spot, though looking far more exhausted than she had a few seconds prior.
I opened my mouth to call out to her again when I saw her fall forward into the ground, completely and utterly spent.
I watched her for a few seconds longer before sagging in exhaustion as well.
That… I thought, turning my eyes to the deep wound going from my right wrist to shoulder. That almost cut my arm clean in two!
I swiveled to look behind me for a moment, staring at one of the buildings behind me as its top slid off of the rest before crashing down into the ground with a great cloud of dust.
Yep. I nodded, moving towards the source of the attack with careful steps. Definitely would have killed me.
I gave her a few nudges, just to be sure, and then carried her into my arms before taking her to the same building whose top she had just destroyed.
I needed somewhere to hide the both of us and recover. I stared down at Chichi for a moment.
And I’m gonna need a lot of rope to hold her down, I think.
The thought of the boy we came to save, Upa, didn’t even cross my mind.
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