Free Web NovelChapter 5: No Beast? Easy Meat
New Florence Mall had turned into ruin. The glass windows at the entrance had broken while high-pitched alarms screamed from every direction.
"Everyone get back! Stay behind the line!" a man shouted.
In time, three black SUVs with BUREAU painted on the sides arrived, and Bureau officers piled out, dressed in tactical burgundy. One officer was shouting into his radio, trying to be heard over the noise of the sirens.
"We need backup! Now! It’s a Gamma-grade manifestation in the middle of the food court! We have reports of at least five young civilians trapped in the movie theater right behind the dungeon zone. We can’t get to them!"
Somewhere, Luke watched the chaos. A Gamma gate was no joke.
Rifts were ranked so the public knew exactly what they were dealing with: Beta, Gamma, Sigma, Alpha. Finally, there were the Omega gates, the kind of disasters that were genocidal.
Even though it was the second in the hierarchy, a Gamma gate wasn’t insignificant. A single Gamma manifestation could kill everyone in five city blocks before professional bodies could arrive. That said, if gates could just appear in a public mall like this, then the world was already circling the drain.
"This is crazy," Luke said. "If I stayed at home, I would be safe. But guess what? I don’t have a home anymore."
Instead of running away like the hundreds, Luke started walking toward the mall. He saw a lady drop her shopping bag and kept running. He saw a kid crying for his mom. Everyone was fleeing, and when they saw Luke, they thought he was a madman.
"Hey! Kid! Where are you going?" an officer yelled, trying to grab his shoulder. "Get back! You’ll die in there!"
Luke didn’t feel like explaining himself, so he ducked under the officer’s arm and burst forward. Before the officer could turn around, Luke was already in the mall.
The officer stared at the empty doorway. "Children these days... they think life is a video game. He’s going to be monster food in five minutes."
Inside the mall, it looked like a warzone, and it smelled like a plastic factory. With the dying lights and the thick dust, Luke couldn’t see his own feet.
"I can’t see anything," Luke muttered. "And it’s hard to breathe." freeweɓnovēl.coɱ
He focused on his soul again. "I need the mask," he thought.
Suddenly, red light glowed on his face, and the Molten Triceratops Mask appeared out of thin air, latching onto his head. As soon as it clicked into place, Luke’s visuals changed.
〖System Notification: Molten Triceratops Mask Equipped!〗
〖Defense increased by 50,000%!!〗
〖Thermal Vision and Identity Hide Active!〗
Because of Thermal Vision, Luke could see through the haze as the smoke shifted into shades of orange and red, highlighting every heat source in the mall. More than that, he felt like he had total awareness of his surroundings. Nothing could jump him.
"It’s awesome," Luke said, his voice metallic due to the mask.
As he started deeper into the mall, something intangible pulled at him. This was the Aeon, the magical energy of the world. The Aeon wave Luke felt was coming from the center of the mall, where the gate was.
To get there, Luke passed a broken fountain and a ruined clothing store. There were no Guilds or factions in stunning outfits here yet. It was just Luke, a banished boy.
He reached the food court, where a ten-foot whirlpool of purple and black energy swirled in the center of the room. It looked like a giant, angry eye carved into the air. This was the Gamma gate.
Luke didn’t give himself time to overthink it. If he wanted XP and more forging cards, he had to be his own warrior and protector, especially since he didn’t have a beast to hide behind.
"Let’s go," he muttered.
He took a running start and threw himself right into the purple chaos.
〖Warning: You are entering a Gamma-Rank Dungeon!〗
〖Objective: Defeat the Boss!〗
Thump!
Luke landed on hard ground after vortex.
The dungeon was a wide cave with purple pulsing walls and a floor carpeted by old bones. It was quiet, but something in the distance couldn’t be missed at all.
Luke stood up and scanned the area until three large shapes flared up on his display. They were tall and wide, with massive, muscular backs and green skin that looked as tough as leather. In their hands, they gripped heavy clubs carved from bone.
Trolls.
The Trolls heard him land and slowly turned around. Their eyes were small and yellow, squinting at Luke’s red mask as they tilted their oversized heads.
"Hunter?" one wheezed. "Small Hunter... no beast? Easy meat."
Luke’s breathing fogged the inside of his mask. He realized he was anxious. After all, these weren’t just bugs he could squash; these were real monsters that saw him as a snack.
But the fogging was also a reminder that his first forge wasn’t perfect. The Molten Triceratops Mask was an Ancient-grade armor still in its first class. If he survived this, an upgrade might just be the first thing on his list.
But for now—
Luke thrust out his right arm, and the Hell Ape Gauntlet angrily materialized around his arm.
Clang!
He was curious as to what a 50,000% strength increase could do, because his arm felt like a hydraulic press.
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A/N: Thanks for reading
