Chapter 68 - - Disaster In The Distance (Part 2)
"Where are they coming from exactly?" Hyun-Jae asked as the two rushed out of the room.
"Northwest. Though they probably stretched straight north after flattening out the entire area." Talon explained as he opened his status window to check his current level and other things related to it.
[Talon Everhart-
Level: 16
Dimension: Low-D (Access to other dimensions restricted. Reach level 25 to unlock.)
Class: [Dimension Manipulator]
[Requirements for activation:
-Kill 100 Level 10+ monsters with a single attack. 1/100
-Kill 2 level 20+ monsters on yourself. 0/2
-Collect 200 Energy Cores of monsters level 8+. 13/200
-Collect 100 Item Cores of monsters level 5+. 10/100]
Strength: 47 (+5)- Agility: 52 (+2)- Stamina: 54 (+2)- Health: 50 (+5)- Aetheris: 105]
Free Points: 15
Skills: [Dimension Harvester (Lower Dimension) Level 1: Using this ability, you can link with alternate versions of yourself in parallel dimensions and acquire their skills. Costs Aetheris to activate.
Skills available: Spearmanship (Level 3)/ Enhanced Focus (Level 3)/ Poison Resistance (Level 4)
Flaw: Overusing the ability could lead to permanent brain damage.]
[Regeneration (Level max): Your health stats increase by 10. Your pain tolerance increases.
Flaw: Reduces agility by 2 points.]
[Tear Of Reality (Level 2): The Dimensions are a thin fabric away from each other. Yet, no one can tear that fabric and get through. Using this skill, you can tear open that fabric momentarily, causing devastating destruction.
Flaw: The bigger the tear, the higher the chance you sustain internal damage. Reduces as the skill levels up.]
(A//N: I won't be showing this status window that often so do tell me if you want to see it every 50 chapters or so.)
"Not bad." He murmured as he read through it with a thoughtful look. His stats were looking good after all the leveling up he went through and the status bonuses he accumulated from his weapon and skills.
His free points were also at the 15-point mark which was great since he was going to need every single ounce of strength for this fight. However, Talon still found himself in front of a problem.
'Should I allocate them now or during the fight?' Frowning at the dilemma he found himself in, Talon scratched his head. With the huge number of monsters he was about to fight, Talon knew he was going to use those points sooner or later. But, he also didn't want to waste all of them if he wasn't going to need them all.
Leveling up was becoming harder and harder as he went so each point became more precious the more he leveled up.
"What do you think, Acrypha?" He turned around to his partner.
"It's a good idea not to use all of them since you will probably need them later on. However, you also need a boost of strength now so using a part of them sounds like the best plan." She suggested.
"Hmm, yeah, seems so. I will use 10 points and leave 5." He decided and opened the status window again.
'Allocate 5 points to strength, 3 to agility, and 2 to stamina.' He thought as the system immediately responded.
Feeling the newfound strength soar through his body, Talon exhaled a long breath. His strength was now that of approximately 5 average people which was ridiculous. Talon was now a superhuman in every sense of the word and was still evolving constantly.
'I wonder how it would feel if I become hundreds of times stronger than a normal human? It would definitely be wild.' He mused.
"Talon?" Hyun-Jae called him as she turned around.
"Hm? Yeah, I'm coming." He nodded his head as he rushed after her. The two reached the gymnasium's main area where everyone was standing in their groups with anxious looks. At this point, they can feel the ground shaking beneath their feet as the horde moves toward them.
They were waiting for Talon and Hyun-Jae to arrive and explain what was exactly going on.
"Sorry for the wait everyone," Talon said as he stepped in front of them. "I will briefly explain what's going on so everyone listens quietly." He gazed at them strongly, making them go silent.
After he made sure they were all listening, he took a deep breath. "There is a huge horde of monsters heading straight toward this place in about an hour or so. Their numbers are huge, at least a few hundred."
"A few hundred?!"
"Oh no!"
"What?! Why are they coming here?!"
"No… No!"
Naturally, the news sent terror through everyone as murmurs erupted between them. The atmosphere inside the gymnasium changed completely in a split second.
"Calm down everyone, he hasn't finished yet." Hyun-Jae clapped her hands, catching their attention again.
Her words didn't calm them down completely but they at least made them focus on Talon again. The latter gave Hyun-Jae a faint nod before he turned around again.
"Yeah, the situation is honestly not good. However, that doesn't mean it is completely unsalvageable. I believe we can stop them in their tracks with our current strength." He declared loudly.
"What?"
"Did he say we can stop them?"
"Hundreds of monsters? How can we do that?"
"It's impossible!"
Naturally, many were skeptical, and even more were questioning whether they could even kill a monster let alone hundreds. Talon saw all of that but didn't get phased by it.
"Everyone was training and working hard for a purpose and that purpose was to kill those nasty things and stop them from completely destroying the world and wiping us all out. Isn't that what everyone wants?" He asked as he looked around at the students.
Seeing their expressions subtly change, Talon nodded his head. "Exactly, we all want our world back to how it was, we all want our families and loved ones to be safe and sound. Which is why we should fight those things and kill them all. Now, they are coming here, threatening to kill us. If we don't fight, we're all dying."
Talon didn't hold himself back from giving them reality as it was. He wasn't someone to sugarcoat his words to anyone as that would only give them false ideas of what was actually happening.
That obviously led to complicated expressions on the faces of all the students. But, Talon hasn't finished yet.
"I understand how you're feeling. I'm also terrified, but as I said before, fear isn't something that should stop you. I wouldn't let myself hide or run away just because of it. There are really only two choices here…" Lifting up two fingers, Talon continued.
"You can either continue hiding here and destroy all the progress you made the past few days. Or, come with me and pave the path for a better world for everyone. A world where all of you will be heroes that will be revered for decades to come. This is your opportunity." He declared loudly with a confident tone.
His words sent shivers down their spines as they felt a rush of excitement fill their hearts. It was true that they were terrified to no extent, but their desire to live was as intense if not more than that.
'I don't want to die… But, if I don't fight, I will die too.' They all thought which further instilled that idea in their heads.
"The president and I will be the first to rush toward them, we won't hide or stay behind. This is our problem as much as it's yours. I promise you I will do everything within my abilities to kill as many as I can. To a better future, folks!" He lifted his fist in the air as he balled it tightly.
Everyone stared at Talon with a burning fire in their eyes. Then, one by one, they lifted their hands up in the air as they yelled in union.
"We will follow you, Talon!!"
"I will definitely murder those bastards!!"
"We won't spare a single one!!"
"Let's get rid of them all!!"
Their shouts echoed in the entire gymnasium and beyond it. Hyun-Jae watched the students cheer excitedly with an impressed look. As a leader herself, she knew how hard it was to make an entire crowd that riled up with simple words. It required someone with extremely good speech skills and a voice tone that conveyed those emotions well.
It wasn't something that could be learned, but a god-given talent and a lot of preparation, yet Talon was able to do that without the need for any prior rehearsal.
"Hyun-Jae, get ready, I need you outside with me. We gotta do some preparations before that." Talon turned around as he whispered to Hyun-Jae.
She could see the glint in his eyes, she immediately knew that Talon had an idea.
"Hm? What are you planning?" She asked as she noticed that.
"I think I know how to reduce their numbers by a lot without putting anyone in danger… technically." He said.
"What, you have such an idea?" Hyun-Jae asked with her eyes wide.
"Yeah, though I'm not sure how many it could kill. At worst, maybe a few dozen monsters…" He said as he started walking.
"And what if at best?" She questioned.
"At best? Hmm,..." Smiling confidently, Talon replied. "we could half their numbers."
(A//N: Thanks to everyone who supports the book with power stones and golden tickets, you guys are the best:) )