Free Web NovelChapter 7: First Kill
[Class Ability -
• Passive Skill — Timeless (1%) freēwebnovel.com
-Skill description: There can’t be an end without a beginning.]
’Huh? Timeless.’ His class ability gave only a short and vague description.
[There can’t be an end without a beginning.]
’There can’t be an end without a beginning? What kind of description is that?’
He didn’t know what to make of it.
With a description that was unclear, it was difficult to classify what kind of ability it was.
This was his problem with systems, they weren’t always straightforward, and only revealed the crucial piece of information in a life or death situation.
’In any case, this ability came from the Chronos class, that means the God-Tier Returns System has already taken effect. Since the description offered is of no use to me now, what other way is more sufficient to understand this ability than to test it out?’
He turned around and took a quick glance at the two awakeners, his eyes were sharp and steady, and his expression calm and calculated as ever.
"Alright, I’ll form a team with you."
"Really!?" The girl’s eyes lit up with excitement. "Thank you so much! Now we are more than enough to start moving out. Hey guys! Over here!" She waved her hands frantically to two more Awakeners standing a few meters away from them.
Rentaro’s face lit up a bit with surprise. ’She’s something else alright.’
In the sanctuary, connections weren’t exactly a feat that was easy to attain, and that’s because you couldn’t trust anyone or anything.
Every decision was crucial, almost every alliance was detrimental, so for her to build up a team so quickly in the few seconds he was preoccupied despite the awakeners knowing these facts, she had to be someone with a powerful influence!
"Since we’ll be trusting each other with our lives, it’s vital we share our names and abilities. I am Eliza, Elemental class."
Classes were categorized into different functions that numbered up to six. There were, of course, classes that didn’t fall under the six categories, they were the rare classes.
One of the two people she recently invited stepped forward, he had broad shoulders, thick neck and well defined muscles. "I’m Jake, guardian class."
The other man stepped up, slightly leaner and muscular than Jake. "I’m Timmy, Knight Class."
The last member, a girl with beautiful emerald eyes and blonde hair tied in two pony tails, said. "Hi, I’m Alexa, Support class."
’Eliza huh? She really is good. A team made up of Awakeners with classes that serve all the roles in combat. The warriors class for short range offense I guess? Guardian class for defense, the elemental class for long range offense and finally, the support class for treatment and recovery. Depending on how strong their tiers are, it’s the ultimate team.’
"And you?" Eliza said, snapping Rentaro out of his thoughts.
"Rentaro... Warriors Class." He had no idea what class his abilities belonged to, so he did what he could, select a class based on his physical attributes.
"Alright, we are set! Let’s head out immediately."
The group walked together toward the large, thick and heavily reinforced gate that was strong enough to keep anything out, still a bit unsure of each other.
Two guards stood in front of it, wearing the insignia of the 1st Soul-Squad on their chest. They watched the group approach, with a silent and serious look on their faces.
"We are ready to go, sir." Eliza said firmly.
The first guard glanced at them individually, then said. "You have exceeded the requirements for hunting on those grounds, you have been granted permission for just one hour, any time spent beyond that will result in heavy penalties."
He turned around and signaled to the second guard.
The second guard pushed a button, and with a metallic click, the heavy, reinforced gates were pushed open slowly.
"The moment you step foot outside these doors, you are on your own. Good luck."
As the group stepped forward, one after another through the gates, they all felt like they stepped foot into another dimension.
What lay beyond the gates was nothing like what they had seen before.
The sky was blood red, stretching endlessly above them. In the distance, thunderous roars of beasts echoed through the air, loud and unsettling. A thick stench of blood lingered around them, heavy enough to make their stomachs turn.
The group paused for a moment. A chill ran down their spines as they took it all in. This place felt dangerous... far worse than they had expected.
"Okay guys... despite how troubling and dangerous it seems, this part of the sanctuary has already been dominated by the 1st Soul-Squad. All the higher tier threats has been taken care of, leaving us with some low tier beasts that we’d be able to use and develop our Soul-Core. We can do this... to return home to our loved ones, our friends, we must survive... we must win."
Eliza’s idea of a pep talk was a bit assuring, but it didn’t change the fact that once they ascended, it will become a completely different story. But at least for now, they could cling to that hope.
"Let’s go!"
They advanced forward into the vast, open wasteland littered with bones in every direction, but not long after they left, both Rentaro and Eliza’s eyes shot open.
"Stop!" Eliza urged, and everyone stopped moving immediately.
They all glanced forward, and from the dense bushes far ahead, they spotted several pairs of red glowing eyes.
’She sensed it?’ Rentaro stole a suspicious glance at her. ’As I suspected, she is good.’
From the dense bushes far ahead, the several pair of red glowing eyes emerged from it, revealing large four legged beasts.
[You have encountered several D-tier beasts.]
[Bloodfang Wolves.]
The Bloodfang Wolves had lean, muscular bodies built for speed. Their fur was dark, almost black, with rough patches that made them look wild and unkempt.
Their heads were slightly larger than normal wolves, with long snouts and wide jaws. From those jaws, sharp fangs stuck out, stained a deep red that stood out against their dark fur.
Their eyes glowed faintly, giving them a cold, unsettling look. Their claws were long and curved, made for gripping and tearing.
"D-tier?"
"Even if they are D-tier, fight like your lives depend on it, let’s go!" Eliza and her team wasted no time in charging forward, leaving Rentaro standing behind a bit perplexed.
"Sword Art!" Timmy shouted firmly, and in his hands, two metallic swords, coated in his Soul-Energy materialized. "Severing Slice!"
Timmy tightened his grip on both swords, his energy flowing over the blades until they gave off a faint glow.
He stepped forward without hesitation. Then, in one smooth motion, he spun.
His body turned like a rotating cutter, both swords cutting wide arcs through the air. The blades passed cleanly through the stomachs of three Bloodfang Wolves at once.
For a brief moment, everything went still. Then, as Timmy came to a stop with his two hands spread wide and his back arched a bit, the wolves collapsed, their bodies dropping to the ground.
But just as he began to relax, four more Bloodfang Wolves rushed at him. One swung its claws down at him, but Timmy barely dodged, escaping with only a shallow cut on his shoulder.
"Tsk!"
"Timmy! Watch out!"
Timmy glanced forward, and his eyes widened as they met with the remaining three Bloodfang Wolves that descended from above.
"Guardian Defense Art: Energy Dome!" Jake quickly slammed his palms onto the ground, and an energy dome formed around Timmy, shielding him and stopping the Bloodfang Wolves fangs midair.
Alexa stretched her hand forward, and a emerald green energy engulfed Timmy’s body. The shallow wound on his shoulder closed up quickly, and the sore stinging pain he felt vanished.
Jake cancelled the energy of the dome, and as the Wolves descended, Eliza stretched her palms forward. "Elemental Art: Surging Flames!"
Her Soul-Energy gathered in her palms, flickering like small flames. The light grew stronger, building up quickly.
Then she thrust her hands forward. The energy burst out in a blast of flames, rushing straight at the three Bloodfang Wolves and hitting them head-on, sending their bodies flying back.
"A—Amazing..." Rentaro’s eyes wavered as he marveled at their teamwork and coordination, it was flawless! The perfect blend of compatible classes working together.
Then, his eyes darted forward at the Bloodfang wolf that charged at him.
"Guess it’s my turn." He had no idea what his timeless ability was all about, but he was about to find out!
He stretched his hands forward as the wolf approached and he shouted. "Timeless!"
Silence.
Nothing happened!
He kept repeating the same word over and over, but nothing happened. Then his eyes widened as the wolf’s fangs hovered right above him.
"S—Shit!"
Just before the wolf could clamp down on his head, Rentaro’s leg instinctively pivoted to the side.
’Huh?’ His expression changed as the wolf’s fangs moved slowly passed him. ’It slowed down?’
Without thinking, he folded his fingers into a fist, and drove it into the Bloodfang wolf’s stomach.
Rentaro’s strike landed with heavy force, sending the wolf flying through the air like a ragdoll. It shot past his teammates before crashing hard against the ground.
For a moment, no one moved. Then they all turned to look at him, their shock clear on their faces.
[You have slain a Bloodfang wolf!]
[You have gained 1 Evolution point!]
Rentaro stared at his fist as he couldn’t believe the power behind it.
’Is this Timeless? No... I didn’t feel my energy forming or molding.’
His eyes shot wide open as it came to him, it wasn’t timeless, it was his physical attributes. No, it was the returns he got from the proficiency system.
It transformed his physical attributes, from the strength of a measly high schooler, to a strength close to Hercules in human eyes!
"Shit... it really is God-Tier."
