Chapter 23

Chapter 23: Light Boots

Cain spent the next few days going deep into the forest, killing all the Wave Beasts he found in his path. It was not up to five days after the encounter with the duo that he found another dangerous target again.

He followed the sulfur’s scent and discovered an Abyssal Demon resting in an area full of broken trees. To his surprise, this one seemed severely injured, and the youth figured out a large fight had occurred by the blood pattern across the ground.

Cain did not waste too much time and immediately scanned the Abyssal Demon.

[Target scan successful

—

Race: Infernus Daemon Race

Lineage: Abyssal Demon

.....

Path of Power: Astral Rebirth (Level 2 Wave Warrior)

—

Stats:

Strength: 0.54

Agility: 0.30

Vitality: 0.47

Astral Wave: 0.44

—

Note: Target is heavily wounded and can not fully deploy his battle power. There is a foreign object hidden inside his body]

Not only was this Abyssal Demon weaker than the one Cain faced a month ago, but he was severely injured, making things even easier.

There were many paths Cain could take to handle this Abyssal Demon, and due to the broken trees, setting a sneak attack was not hard.

Nevertheless, as he saw the fearless expression on his enemy’s face, his eyes glowed with determination.

The Abyssal Demon was doing his best to recover his energy when he saw a youth coming out of the trees’ cover and walking to him. He narrowed his eyes and looked at the surroundings but detected no one else.

“Hahahaha, finally, one of you is not a coward and fights heads on!”

Cain did not say a word, but his aura exploded as he used Wave Cloak and Wave Burst at once.

“Let’s do this!” The Abyssal Demon roared as he also triggered Wave Cloak and Wave Burst before charging toward Cain and firing a fist.

Cain countered with his own fist, making the sound of a small shock wave appear due to the strength they unleashed.

None of them could surpass the other, but Cain did not remain still and fired a kick that landed straight in the Abyssal Demon’s jaw.

Before Cain could get too happy, a fist had landed on his chest, sending him flying away.

The Abyssal Demon would have wanted to chase, but that kick shook his brain, temporarily paralyzing him.

Cain used those seconds to step up from the ground as a metallic taste appeared in his mouth. That punch was hurtful but not enough to reduce his battle power.

‘I lowered my guard after my attack landed. The damage would have been much worse if he was not so wounded.”

One of the reasons Cain chose to take a direct approach was to train himself. He would not always be able to count on ambushes or sneak attacks, nor would he always have time to simulate the battle beforehand, so he had to learn how to adapt at the moment.

The Abyssal Demon shook his head as he regained his focus, just in time to a fist bathed in Astral Wave fired toward his throat. He raised his arm just in time to block it, but a kick landed directly on his knee the next second.

Cain had just landed that kick before jumping back, dodging an elbow strike that targeted the top of his head.

Like that, the battle carried on with both exchanging blows. Cain’s attacks and reactions became faster, but the Abyssal Demon could not say the same.

The Abyssal Demon’s wounds worsened as the battle continued, making his movements sluggish.

“Kinetic Blast!”

After three minutes, Cain ended the battle as he connected a fist right in the center of the Abyssal Demon’s chest and triggered Kinetic Blast.

The Abyssal Demon trembled as the impact caused massive internal trauma and pushed him back a few meters. He fell to the ground and no longer stood up as his heart stopped beating.

Cain approached the Abyssal Demon and was surprised to see a smile on this one’s face.

‘A good death is its own reward. I guess what they say about Abyssal Demons is true. They live for the thrill of battle.’ Cain nodded toward the fallen enemy before using the spearhead to take out the heart and Wave Artifact.

He left and rested after running for at least thirty minutes. First, he rose to a tree, took out some Soldier Drugs and a Wave Beast’s heart, and recovered.

Although the fight was not easy, he did not have broken bones, at most some bruises.

Once Cain was fully rested and managed the worst of his injuries, he inspected the Wave Artifact.

[Wave Artifact branded through A.I. Chip Module.

Displaying information.

—

Name: Light Boots

Grade: Medium Bronze

Details: Artifact meant for Astral Wave Warriors. Able to enhance Wave’s density around legs, improving the force put into the ground, propelling your body forward with greater strength, therefore increasing your speed.

Active Ability:

-Burst: Once you charge enough Astral Wave, it will propel you forward with great speed.]

Cain could not be happier with the Wave Artifact. Even if the Light Boots lacked an offensive ability, he could use Burst in many ways. It would help him during a battle and also improve his survival skills.

Taking advantage of his resting, Cain called for the system to show him his current Destiny Force.

[Destiny Force: 0.2]

As soon as he saw those numbers, Cain frowned.

‘Apex, didn’t you say that I could steal destiny by killing others. Why did I obtain nothing from the Abyssal Demons and the Hell Devil I killed?’

Cain was sure there was no difference between races for the Absolute Life Form System, so he did not believe that only humans could work regarding stealing.

“Brat, when it comes to stealing someone’s destiny, there are two points to consider. The might of their destiny and how high is yours compared to theirs.

If your destiny is much higher than the ones you kill, you will get nothing no matter how much you slaughter.

The reason you get nothing from those inside the Military Academy Secret Trial is simple. Just what kind of destiny could those Abyssal Demons and Hell Devil have?”

Cain immediately understood Apex’s words. Every member of the Dark Races inside the Secret Military Trial was bound to die, so their destiny was basically zero.