~ Distortion ~Alan yawned and tilted his neck back, fixing his gaze on the crescent moon.He had given up on looking for a place to sleep. He had no one he could confide in, and vice versa.His lips parted as he muttered, “Ahh... So peaceful.”He regretted his statement almost immediately as a distorted guttural voice boomed into his head.“So it is true, huh? You have returned!”Alan turned on his heels immediately and jumped back in reflex. His body acted before he could even bring his mind to order.“What the...? Who was that?” he asked the thin air and the few cars that drove to and fro.He felt something, like a warm liquid drooling out of his ears, prompting him to touch them with his index fingers. He brought his fingers down to his eye and streetlamp range.They were smeared with a not-so-thick reddish liquid.He creased his brows, “Huh? Blood?”How his ears started bleeding was a complete mystery. Was it because of the voice he heard? But he didn’t even feel any p
~ Noise ~‘Of all rooms to crash into... Tch!’Alan turned his face away when his eyelids refused to close. He stood up almost immediately and dusted the rubble off his body.With his face still turned away, he addressed the naked couple, “Um... I’m really sorry about this. I’ll be leaving now. Carry on.”He walked closer to the gaping hole in the wall and stared down at the street.Banshee was standing at the centre of the land that was once his house. All the rubble and whatnot had been cleared. The creature had his hands behind him, his white spiralling eyes fixated on the hole where Alan stood.‘Tch. What’s this guy’s problem? I just need a place to sleep,’ Alan brandished Bane’s Fang and cracked his neck. ‘I’m tired.’He took a leap off the edge and dove at Banshee with Bane’s Fang raised before him.Banshee let out a sonic scream as Alan got in proximity, but the latter wasn’t planning on facing him head on in the first place.[Ability: Quick Strike >>> Activated!][MP
~ Energy ~Aside from the noise coming from everyone that ran for shelter, and those that tried to break through the dome, the street was oddly quiet.Alan and Banshee remained in a fierce staring contest, standing completely still. Alan’s azure eyes were glowing red, while Banshee’s white spiralling eyes had gotten dimmer.[MP: 360][MP:358]Alan’s mana points kept dropping by 2 every passing second.‘What am I supposed to do now?’ Alan began to skim through his inventory. Maybe he had something strong enough to puncture Banshee’s vibrational field.But other than the Blood-red Helmet, Bane’s Fang was the only weapon made of a metal stronger than steel. The vibrational force field had repulsed it like it was nothing .[Can’t you think for yourself?]Alan clicked his tongue, ‘I wasn’t talking to you! It was a rhetorical question. Just get out of my head.’[That’s impossible. We are one.]Banshee’s fingers twitched as he fought hard against the Gaze of Terror. He could see h
~ Countering Vibrations ~Inside the room of a duplex within the dome, the young lady on the bed sat up and yawned, her lush white hair scattered over her face.“Ugh... That noise again,” she grumbled softly as she smoothed her hair and packed it behind her.She remained seated on the bed for minutes, staring listlessly at the window, as though enjoying the recurrent booms and subtle quakes occurring outside.Her eyes were squinted as she focused on the source of the disturbances. She could feel two auras. The first one felt dark and raw, like that of a dungeon monster. The other felt restrained, as though the host had placed a limiter from letting the rest of their aura lose. The latter’s aura also felt familiar... Very familiar.“I thought we took care of all the monsters that escaped the Gateway Break,” she muttered half-heartedly, contemplating on whether to go back to sleep.She could handle the tremors, but other civilians were at risk. It was also certain that the limite
~ System Unlocked ~Dark clouds gathered and bloated the sky, rumbling and threatening to unleash a downpour.But it was at the peak of the dry season. Heavy rain or any kind of rain by this time seemed amiss. Something was odd with the weather.“Oh, come on. Of all days,” Nathan White clicked his tongue, gazing at the dark sky from the window in his room. Shutting the window blind, he turned and ruffled his black hair, “Mr. Humphrey is going to kill me if I don’t make it in time.”He moved away from the window, shuffling his legs through the few trash bags scattered around the small room. Aside from the small mattress at one corner and the few clothes in the open wardrobe, the room was more or less empty.As he began to take off his clothes for a quick bath, a sudden streak of lightning flashed outside, inundating the room with its luminous intensity for a second or two. It was immediately accosted with a thunderous boom that dotted Nathan’s skin with goosebumps.Shuddering to the th
Chapter 2~ The System ~Glitch...[Wake up.][Alan, wake up!]A synthetic voice kept probing Nathan, who was fast asleep on a moderately-sized bed. He turned and turned, relishing in the comfort of the bed. It felt so soft, unlike the thin mattress he was used to.[Wake up!]The synthetic voice hollered once more.“Ugh... Just five more minutes,” Nathan mumbled under his breath, throwing the blanket over his face. But after a second or two of trying to get back to sleep, he paused, “Wait...”Tossing the blanket aside, he sat up immediately, his eyes wide open. He gazed down at his body and felt his torso. His ribs were still intact. There was no sign of bleeding. He couldn’t even feel the slightest pain.“The hell..?” he lifted his head and scanned the room he found himself in. It was two times bigger than the single room he was accustomed to. The walls were even painted, and the floor was tiled. He could see a wardrobe, a standing mirror, and other essential furniture needed in a ro
~ Imminent Danger ~ “Huh? What do you mean?” Alan asked with a perturbed face. [Did I stutter?] Alan’s brows twitched, “You sly... Ugh! What’s the point getting transmigrated or reincarnated, only to wake up as the weakest Mage in the realm?” [Fret not. There are other Myriad 5 Mages in Oratoa.] “For real?” a glimmer of hope shone in Alan’s eyes. The System didn’t respond until a few seconds later... [No.] “What?!” Alan pinched his nose bridge in frustration. What kind of system are you? Why would you put my hopes up like that?” [I couldn’t watch my host getting depressed.] “Well, you only made me more depressed. Thanks a lot,” he shook his head. [You’re welcome.] Silence. [No Hunter is awoken as a Myriad 5. The least is Myriad 4. And that’s how it has been until you were born.] “Wow. I broke the record. Classic,” Alan muttered in sarcasm. He lowered his head, “Why does the rank exist anyway, if no one had been awoken into it?” [The rank came with your exis
~ Calvary ~Even with his eyes closed, he could see the hellish intensity of the ocular blasts, their heat threatening to peel off his skin. His clothes shrunk on him in response to the heat.But then came a sharp swish, immediately followed by darkness. Yes, that was all Alan could see with his closed eyes. The red light that shone bright just a second ago, was now shielded by something... Or rather, someone?He felt himself falling with the Armoured Tusk’s hand still gripping him.However, before he could make a full descent, another swish sound came and the hand crumbled around him. Someone now carried him in their hands and they descended slowly.This prompted him to gradually open his eyes. Under his blurry vision, he could see the figure of a man standing before the sun, his hair swaying behind him as though they were riding the air currents.‘An Angel? Is this how spirits are carried to the afterlife?’ Alan couldn’t help but ask himself. He f