Liam observed the area, noticing some heads popping out from the windows, looking at them. 'I guess this is where they kept the human captives. Those emberclaw over there, they are kind of scary-looking, scarier than the others, as though they are monitoring us without even moving.'"All of you replenish your health and refill your mana; we are going to engage soon. I'll take care of the stronger ones, 2-star and higher; you guys take care of the weaker ones and keep an eye out for these ten buildings."Grim Blade pointed at ten huge buildings surrounding them."There are people inside, so do your best not to lead the emberclaws there."All of them nodded in agreement. Right now, they were ready to risk their lives to rescue these people. Heroes were blessed with the power to protect the weak and eradicate monsters from their world. If they showed weakness, then what difference were they from the weak?"I am currently level 5. I need to level up faster and increase my level to level t
Hearing the voices of those people rejoicing made the young heroes feel what Grim Blade was talking about earlier. Those people in the room didn't even mind that it was newbie heroes coming to save them; they rejoiced non-stop as though it was someone very powerful and popular."Sasha, take that entrance; you, you, and you go with her. Three of you go to the other building; go in each building in threes, alright," Franklin gave orders.Liam, this time, is teaming up with Franklin and Jason.However, he did not notice any hostiles from Jason this time; Jason didn't even mouth out foul words.'Weird,' Liam thought to himself as he picked up the pace, racing after Franklin.'He is too damn fast; I can't even keep up with his minimum speed even when I'm running at my peak speed,' Liam thought to himself as he chased after the speeding figure of Franklin.Once they got closer to the entrance of the 10-storey building, Franklin shot out a bolt of lightning towards the door, taking it down a
CGH has confirmed that it was just a 3-star threat with zero 4-star or higher monsters. They have done their searches and researches about this area before sending the hero that was free with a party of newbie heroes.This exercise was meant as a field trip more than anything, but at this point, it was something more than a field trip and was more like a call to death situation for those who have understood what they got themselves involved in.'CGH has never been wrong about the strength of monsters, not even for once since our years of technological advancements. But why now? Why now, and I am caught in the middle of it? The life of those kids lays in my hands, and if I can't save them, what would become of me?' Grim Blade thought to himself.He grabbed his sword even though his body ached like hell."You are standing up. I think I have already explained your fate to you; you are weak; you can't even stand my power," the emberclaw spoke with a grin on its face."Those humans care fo
"Hey, dummy, you are late for our date."Grim Blade heard that voice as he almost gave up everything. The voice was feminine, angelic, and carried a lovely touch with it. The familiarity in the voice made him realize who it was almost immediately."Pink Beauty??" His mouth struggled to form that name as he opened his eyes.Behold, floating midair close to him was the embodiment of his fondest dreams. This stunning lady, with her long cascading pink hair, was a vision of elegance. She had a heavenly shape hidden in her gracious silvery armor that seemed to shine in this moment of literal darkness.Clutched firmly in her hand was a glowing pink spear, its radiance matching the brilliance of her presence. The soft, mesmerizing light it emitted cast a warm and enchanting aura around her, making her seem like a celestial being.She turned and gave him a smile; this smile took away all the despair he felt earlier. His mouth widened into a bright smile even in the tight grip of this embercla
"What have you done to me, human lady?" The leading Emberclaw sounded really scared as it spoke to Pink Beauty.Pink Beauty had already landed on the ground inside her Aetherial Petal Domain; her slender feet touched the ground graciously without making a sound.Several petals sprung up from the ground beneath her, twisting against each other and forming a throne. The throne was red and pink, giving off a majestic glow.Pink Beauty sat down on it, assuming the pose of a queen as she smirked at the leading Emberclaw, which struggled tirelessly to move its body away from the flowers grabbing its large foot, stopping it from making any movement.From outside this domain, the others couldn't see anything.'What is this? Its presence is so strong,' the newbie heroes thought to themselves.All they could see from their various positions was the dome-shaped barrier trapping both Pink Beauty and the Emberclaw inside. The pink barrier blocked all sights and interactions from the outside."For
Liam and the others soon arrived at CGH. During their journey, everyone in the jet was quiet. None of them was willing to start a conversation with one another or even lift the heavy mood. Even though they had won, everything that took place still played on repeat in their feeble minds."Welcome, young heroes!" A beautiful female voice sounded as they all stepped into a beautiful white hall."You have all embarked on your first mission and succeeded in it. That is such a great feat. It shows that our young heroes will grow to be as formidable as the current hero generations," the voice continued.Liam looked around the room to find who was speaking, but there was no one in sight. However, he noticed the speaker on the wall to the right side of the room."You all don't have to be worried about your performance. Others of your level didn't survive their first mission, and they didn't even perform as well as you guys did, even on their fifth and tenth expenditures.""We don't want to tak
[Skill: Flame disk has been added to flame inheritance.][Skill: Blade Dance (Level 1) has been added to your inheritance.]The following message appeared in front of him after the congratulatory message from the system.Curious, he clicked on the (?) below the two windows.[Fire Disk: Conjures a twisting column of fire, versatile for defense or attack.][Blade Dance: Special sword routine practiced by ancient sword masters, can only be used with a sword or any other bladed weapon.NOTE: This is an upgradeable skill; it has a special level-up system.]After the last system message, a thin line appeared in the air linking the last system window to another smaller one that appeared beneath it.[Blade Dance, Level 1: 0/1000 SP[Skill points (SP) can be gained by slaying monsters, defeating foes, and mastering the skills.]"A martial arts skill that needs a weapon, great. Grim Blade asked if I could use a sword during the expenditure. I wish he could become my master and teach me the art
The next day quickly arrived for Liam. Throughout the night, he spent his time training his martial arts skills. He practiced the raining kicks and punches like a king until his hands and legs were too weak to carry on with the exercise.However, he did not stop training his body. He felt the need to do this at this moment because, why wouldn't he? Just yesterday, he witnessed death and saw many corpses of heroes stronger than him.If it weren't for the intervention of the 5-star hero, Pink Beauty, then he wouldn't be standing here right now.Dungeons are the major source of wealth, but they also come with attached dangers, and death is one of the major ones."My body feels stronger after the exercise last night. Also, my weak, thin, and unhealthy body is slowly disappearing the more I train," Liam observed his bare upper torso and muttered to himself.It is the early hours of the morning, 5 AM to be precise. He was getting ready for his early morning jog."I have made it a habit to a