Chapter 22: F-Ranker
Tyler ground his teeth together, the muscles in his jaw bulging as he planted his hands in the grass and forced himself into a sitting position. Every muscle fiber seized, burning as though injected with battery acid. His body screamed for rest, yet he pushed upward. Above him, the winged creature released a piercing, scraping cry. Its massive wings beat violently against the heavy air, driving it higher into the dark sky as it retreated.
*Why is a monster here? I thought monsters were only supposed to be in monster zones.*
He planted a foot and strained to stand, but his trembling legs refused to lock. His limbs felt like hollow lead, entirely drained of strength.
*I have to run. I have to get away. But I don't have any energy.*
A desperate realization struck him. The skill. The exact same ability that had crippled his nervous system was the only thing capable of forcing it back into motion. With a single, focused thought, a glowing panel materialized in the air.
Rush Activated.
A volatile surge of artificial heat flooded his exhausted veins. The crippling fatigue evaporated, instantly replaced by a hyper-aware, frantic tension that made his fingers twitch. Right behind it, a second panel flared to life.
Elin has activated skill: Cyclone Wing.
The creature let out another grating cry, snapping its wings forward. The air warped, forming an almost invisible, curved distortion of sheer pressure. The rippling crescent reminded Tyler of James's skill. Tyler threw his weight sideways, tucking his shoulder and rolling across the rough grass. The wind blade slammed into the earth exactly where he had just been. The impact shattered the topsoil, sending a violent tremor through the soles of his boots and blasting a cloud of dirt and shredded grass into the night air.
Tyler sprang to his feet, staring at the deep, ragged trench gouged into the soil. The metallic scent of freshly churned earth filled his nostrils.
"That could have killed me."
Three new panels blinked into existence in rapid succession.
Elin has activated skill: Cyclone Wing.
The air warped again. A crescent of pressure shot straight for his chest. Tyler launched himself forward, diving into a hasty roll to evade the first strike. He scrambled upright, his boots tearing at the turf as he sprinted. The second blade slashed down a hairsbreadth behind him, missing his ankle. The sheer downward force of the strike exploded against the ground, the backwash slamming into Tyler's calves and propelling him forward.
He tumbled hard, his shoulder grinding into the dirt, but he used the chaotic momentum to slide up onto one knee.
The moment his head lifted, the third distortion was already there, mere feet from his face.
With nowhere to dodge, Tyler jerked his arms up, raising his iron sword flat across his face. The invisible wind blade collided with the metal. The collision triggered a concussive shockwave. The brutal pressure smashed against Tyler’s face and abdomen, driving the air from his lungs in a sharp wheeze. The force launched him backward, sending him tumbling violently across the harsh turf.
He forced himself to his feet, his breath coming in ragged gasps. A new panel glowed steadily in his periphery.
HP: 40/47
A warm, wet drop tickled his upper lip. Tyler reached up, his knuckles coming away smeared with fresh blood from his right nostril. He wiped it away with the back of his hand, tasting the copper on his tongue.
*Not good. I can't seem to run away from this thing. It's flying. And even if I wanted to attack it, it's too high up.*
He lowered his gaze to his iron sword. A spiderweb of hairline fractures now marred the dull grey metal. Hovering just above the damaged blade, a small text bar glowed in the dark.
62%
*Shit, the sword isn't going to last long either. The durability was decreased from trying to parry that attack.*
Elin has activated skill: Dive.
A sharp screech tore through the night sky. High above, the creature folded its massive wings tight against its body and plummeted. As it spun into a rapid dive, a translucent, blue aura ignited around its form, shaping into a sharp, conical spear. It plunged toward the earth, glowing like a comet of cold, blue fire.
"Shit, I need to run."
Tyler drove his boots into the dirt, his legs pumping with desperate force. The rough blades of grass whipped against his shins. He pushed his speed to the absolute limit, sprinting until his lungs burned. He threw a quick glance over his shoulder. The glowing bird was already meters behind him. It adjusted its descent, curving its downward trajectory through the air to track his sprinting form perfectly.
*Come on.*
He forced his burning calves to push harder, stretching every stride. His pulse hammered a frantic, heavy rhythm against his ribs, vibrating through his entire chest. Staring back at the approaching blue flare, he watched its trajectory. He had to use its massive momentum against it.
*I have to time this perfectly. Dodge at the last possible second, or I'm dead.*
He looked over his shoulder one last time. The glowing beak was practically on top of him, the sheer pressure of its descent already flattening the grass at his heels. Tyler coiled his leg muscles mid-stride, planted his foot hard into the dirt, and launched his entire body sideways.
The bird’s beak smashed directly into the earth. The collision unleashed a deafening crack of displaced air, ripping the ground wide open. A violent shockwave of compressed wind and shattered soil exploded outward. The concussive blast slammed into Tyler, lifting him off his feet and hurling his body uncontrollably through the air. A raw scream tore from his throat before his spine and shoulders slammed brutally against the unyielding turf.
He let out a ragged groan, his fingers scraping against the loose dirt as he forced his aching torso upward. As the thick cloud of pulverized earth slowly settled, his eyes widened. A massive, jagged crater now scarred the plain. At its center, the giant bird stood amidst the ruined soil, violently shaking the dirt from its feathered head.
*This is my chance.*
Tyler sprinted directly toward the creature. His sword materialized in his grip. He pulled his right arm back as he ran, his bicep and shoulder tensing with the exertion. He planted his boots hard into the dirt, using the sudden deceleration to whip his arm forward and launch the weapon. A faint blue glow ignited in his eyes as the blade left his hand.
The sword spun end-over-end through the air. The giant bird, having just regained its footing, flared its wings. A surge of blue aura erupted from the feathers, crashing into the incoming weapon. The sheer force snapped the iron blade in half, sending the broken pieces hurtling backward. Tyler’s breath caught in his throat.
*Shit, that didn't work. What am I going to do? I have no weapon. And the Rush skill isn't going to last forever.*
The bird unleashed a piercing cry and charged. It sprinted across the ruined earth, its massive talons gouging the soil with every heavy stride, its wings spread wide to maintain its balance. Tyler braced his legs, locking his knees as the giant creature bore down on him.
*There's only one thing I can do. I might get hurt in the process, but it doesn't matter. At least I'll survive.*
Tyler pushed off the dirt, sprinting forward to meet the charging monster. The faint blue glow returned to his eyes. A matching aura flared around the shattered blade lying in the grass before the weapon vanished. An instant later, the broken hilt materialized in his palm. He hurled it straight at the creature's head.
The monster snapped its right wing forward, swatting the hilt away. But the wide movement left its face exposed. Tailing just behind the hilt was a small, purple fruit. The bird's eyes bulged as it registered the object, but its heavy momentum carried it straight into the projectile's path.
The fruit ruptured against the monster's left eye. Thick juice burst across its forehead, beak, and orbital socket. The bird dug its talons into the dirt, skidding to a violent halt. A frantic shriek tore from its throat. Feathers blackened and shriveled, the underlying skin bubbling and melting away from the corrosive fluid.
The blinded creature frantically pivoted and launched itself into the night sky, its wings beating erratically. Below, Tyler sprinted in the opposite direction, his right hand coated in the same caustic liquid. The raw scent of burning flesh filled the air. Blisters bubbled and erupted across his knuckles and palm, his skin hissing as it dissolved. He dropped to his knees, grinding his burning hand into the rough grass, his jaw clamping shut against the agony. When the turf failed to clear the liquid, he took off his tunic, violently scrubbing the remaining juice from his flesh before casting the stained fabric onto the dirt.
He gripped his right wrist to steady his violently shaking arm. Blood slowly dripped from his hand. The top layer of skin was stripped away in patches across his palm and the back of his hand, leaving raw, weeping tissue exposed to the cold night air.
*It hurts.*
Tyler raised his head, searching the dark sky until he spotted the erratic silhouette of the fleeing bird.
*It worked. The broken blade was just a distraction. I threw the venom bloom right behind it.*
He drew a sharp breath through his teeth, forcing himself up on shaky legs. His exposed hand throbbed in time with his racing pulse. High above, the bird unleashed one final, gurgling screech. Its wings seized, folding inward as its massive body plummeted from the clouds.
*Is it dying?*
A glowing panel flickered to life in his periphery.
Level UP!
Level UP!
In the distance, the colossal bird smashed into the earth.
"I leveled up," Tyler muttered, his eyes widening.
His skin began to emit a faint green glow. The heavy ache in his body vanished as his strained muscles uncoiled and relaxed. Across his hand, the raw, stripped edges of his skin actively knit back together, the weeping wounds pulling shut until they were completely sealed. The green light slowly dimmed. Tyler stared down at his palms as a fresh wave of energy coursed through his veins, flushing out the last remnants of his fatigue.
*I was right. Healing from monster XP is different.*
He let out a heavy sigh. The system panel vanished from his vision, immediately replaced by a new one.
Congratulations, user has reached F rank. All stats increased by 10 points.
Tyler flinched, his shoulders jerking back.
*All stats increased by 10 points? That's a lot.*
Another panel instantly materialized.
Achievement Unlocked: Fast Progression.
User has reached another rank in the first week of entering this realm.
+5 extra stat points.
I even unlocked an achievement. A smile pulled at the corners of his mouth.
A third panel flared to life, layering directly over the previous text.
Passive Skill Unlocked: Weapon Mastery.
*And a skill too?*
"That's a lot of rewards," he said, scratching the back of his head as he stared at the floating text.
As if responding to his curiosity, the system presented one final panel.
Weapon Mastery: A skill that makes it easier for the user to master and refine battle techniques with weapons. At the skill's current level, only common and basic weapons apply.
He read the text. "Awesome! That means I can learn how to use swords faster when James is teaching me."
He pulled up his status panel.
TYLER EVANS:
SPECIES: Human
NAME: Tyler Evans
RANK: F
LVL: 11
CLASS: Craftsman
HP: 61/61 MP: 60/60
STR: 42 AGI: 44 +[4]
DEF: 40 +[10] STM: 43
SKILLS: Weapon Craft-Lv1, Weapon Craft-Lv1, Rush-MC20
PASSIVE SKILLS: Weapon Mastery-Lv1
Extra Points: 5
"Wow, everything really did rise by ten. Plus the level up. So basically, every stat increased by fourteen. This is incredible." Tyler stared at the numbers for a long moment.
Every stat has reached 40 and my HP has increased significantly, even my MP. That means I can actually activate Rush three times in a row.
His eyes landed on the Agility stat.
*This is my highest stat, and Strength is right behind it. Speed really is a big advantage.*
He recalled James commending him for his speed.
*It also allows me to dodge attacks quickly.*
He allocated three of his extra points to Agility and the remaining two to Strength.
The system panel vanished.
*I should probably go.*
He pivoted on his heel, his boot grinding into the loose, churned dirt. But as his weight shifted forward, his body locked up mid-step. He stood perfectly still, his eyes widening. The crushing exhaustion and hollow, leaden limbs that should immediately followe his skill activation was entirely absent. He squeezed his hands into fists, feeling only steady strength
"Rush is over, but the aftereffects didn't hit. Is it because I leveled up?"