Chapter 29: Period Of Grace [Pt 1]

Chapter 29: Period Of Grace [Pt 1]

Ever since the System announced the end of the Tutorial and our positions as Safe Zones, one thing has been bothering me – the phrase it mentioned at the very end

<Rest If You Wish>, or something like that.

The System never outright told us to rest, but it left the option open. That alone made me think.

'Also, the fact that there are Safe Zones means the Demons are still out there.'

The System didn't discourage survivors from going out to grind for more. Instead, it even provided a 24-hour interval for exactly that purpose.

I didn't need to spend my points on 'Information' to sense that something was fishy about this setup. I even had a theory.

"Maybe this is our grace period. A last chance to get stronger before we face the Tower Of Trial the System has been preparing us for."

'If that's true, then these Safe Zones are just a comfy trap the System's dangled in front of us – a false sense of security. Many would fall for it and miss out on the bigger opportunity that lies beyond.'

'What if there are more rewards? What if I can level up further?' These thoughts kept nagging at me, making it impossible to stay put.

The relentless urge to explore grew stronger with each passing moment.

.In the end, I realized I couldn't just twiddle my thumbs in this warehouse. If I wanted to survive and get even stronger in this world, I had to leave my comfort zone.

I had to hunt!

******

[12:13 PM, Saturday 6th of May, 2023]

The cool breeze tousled my dark hair as I scanned the streets with my amber eyes, searching for lurking prowlers.

By now, Demon-Hunting was second nature to me, and I had a firm grasp of all the essentials, including staying hidden from the enemy.

"It seems the Demons haven't changed much in appearance. It's the same as the ones from the Tutorial," I thought to myself as I watched the creatures loitering around.

I wasn't sure if this was good or bad news, all things considered.

"The good part is they're still predictable and easy to defeat. But that's the problem. If they stay this easy, leveling up won't happen."

That was a big issue for me.

'I've hit a wall in Leveling Up. It's going to be even tougher for me now that I'm at Level 10.'

Merely killing the same monsters just wouldn't cut it anymore.

'At the very least, though, I can use them to practice my new Skills and see how well they combine in combat.'

Sooner or later, I'd have to put these new abilities to the test. It made more sense to do so now, especially against relatively safe foes, which would yield even better results.

'Alright, Mikey. Let's do this!'

I took a deep breath, loosened my tense muscles, and activated the first Skill.

'<Focus>'

Suddenly, my senses expanded beyond my immediate surroundings, capturing everything around me in that moment.

I could see, hear, and feel everything within my range, even behind me. It felt like I had merged with my environment.

"Haaaa... amazing!"

With <Focus>, it seemed I didn't need to worry about an ambush—at least, not from these low-level Demons. n(-OvelbIn

With time ticking, I swiftly activated the second Skill: <Sprint>.

A wave of energy coursed through me, invigorating my legs especially, as they became stronger and filled with vitality.

I couldn't let this newfound energy go to waste, so I moved instantly.

~WHOOOOSSSSHHH~

I zoomed off, feeling the wind brush past my face as I closed in on the unsuspecting enemies.

I was faster! Much faster than ever before! It felt almost unreal!

Combat Ability combined a lot of elements into one; offense, defense, agility, endurance, dexterity, etc.

The fact that I raised my Combat Ability meant all of these Stats were improved simultaneously.

With my Combat Ability now at 14, minus the effects of the Energy Rock, thanks to my newly acquired attire, I felt as light as a feather and brimming with power.

I had become a lethal, demon-killing predator.

"Should I try taking down one of these Demons?"

My body moved as quickly as my thoughts, and in no time, I closed in on the growling creatures.

~WHAM!~

With effortless grace, I thrust my arm forward, landing a solid blow to a Demon's jaw, sending it tumbling away from me.

Without pausing for a moment, despite the attention I'd garnered, I rushed at the other Demons and delivered the same lethal strikes.

"GRAAAAHHHH!!!"

A bunch of them attempted to gang up on me, but they were too slow.

Or perhaps I was just too fast.

~FWISH~

Twisting my body in the air, I deftly dealt a roundhouse kick to one right on the head, while using my other leg to deal a blow to another Demon at the back of its neck.

There might have been a faint Crack after the impact, or maybe that was just my imagination.

Within a minute, just as I felt the effects of both <Sprint> and <Focus> wearing off, I had inflicted a substantial amount of damage to my adversaries.

Over a dozen Demons lay on the ground, effectively incapacitated.

"Twenty-one, huh? Not bad..."

Something seemed off, though. Not only did I have to hit some Demons twice, but they seemed more resilient than I had anticipated as I clashed with them.

"I should be able to take down four or five of them with a single blow, given my past performance and current strength."

Their ability to withstand prolonged combat suggested one thing.

'They have grown stronger.'

Things had indeed become tougher after the Tutorial ended. Just as I suspected, it seemed the Tutorial had weakened the Demons to ensure our success.

The training wheels were off now, but I was still managing pretty well on my own.

'However, judging by this situation, it's like the System is trying to discourage further combat. It makes me even more curious.'

A wide grin spread across my face, and I heard approaching footsteps.

'More are coming, huh?' I thought, smirking.

Quickly concealing myself before another Demon could spot me, I left behind the corpses of my fallen adversaries, their bodies had already began to vanish.

Luckily, there were several structures to choose from, and I sought refuge in a partly ruined building.

It's walls were torn down on one end, most likely done by a powerful entity. If I had to guess, it was possibly the work of that Collosal Demon I defeated.

In any case, I hid there and watched my next group of prey gather, growling and looking around aimlessly.

'I've tested out both <Sprint> and <Focus>. They're on cool-down now, but they'll be hella useful going forward.'

The next item on my checklist was the newest Exclusive Skill in my arsenal.

"Let's do this... <Visualize>"

Upon activating the Skill, reality blurred around me, and I experienced an odd sensation, like a sudden wave or echo entering my mind.

It was all so surreal, and I couldn't properly describe the feeling, but I was suddenly immersed in a scenery that displayed the movements of the clustering Demons while I simply watched, unable to do anything but observe.

A countdown timer appeared at the top center of my vision, and I realized that I had only just scratched the surface of what my newfound abilities could achieve.

<One>

The Demons sniffed around and growled.

<Two>

They walked slowly, glaring at everything in their path.

<Three>

They bumped into each other and growled angrily.

<Four>

They began to disperse.

<Five>

They drifted further apart

... And then, I was pulled back to the present.

"Haa... haaa... whoah! Haaa!"

The Demons were still standing, clustered together, just as I had seen at the start of my vision.

'I really can see the future. And a whole five seconds too!'

Sure, it drained my Energy Level considerably, but this was still amazing. It gave me the upper hand in this confrontation.

"I wonder what else I can do!" I mused, a confident grin on my face.

*

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[A/N]

Looks like our boy is currently on the rise.

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