CRUNCH… SNAP!
A twig snapped under my foot as I walked through the small forest clearing which was now a makeshift graveyard of mangled dire fang corpses.
"Hah, what a mess." I said, kicking a corpse in my way.
My expression was one of boredom and a hint of disappointment.
While I had expected the dire fangs to be weak, I didn't expect it to be at such a disappointing level.
I barely moved my body and more importantly, I didn't get to see the full extent of my new affinity.
I needed a stronger opponent because I was dying to know just how versatile I could shape my void affinity.
Unlike your typical games, I didn't get any flashy skill or anything of that sort.
The void lance I used earlier was just a manifestation of my imagination, a construct I conjured myself.
It wasn't a skill.
The only skill I got from the void affinity was void manipulation.
It was quite simple, I believe the title was self-explanatory.
Just like it suggested, I could freely manipulate the void as I saw fit just the same way I did with my lightning.
"Pity."
My footsteps stilled while my ears twitched slightly from the sound it picked up, a considerable distance away.
A cold smile crept onto my lips.
"Hehe… the more, the merrier. Come and join your friends in the afterlife you ugly mutts, I'll be gentle."
A faint rustle sounded behind me, followed by the aggressive lunge of a dire fang.
I pivoted on my heels then lurched away from my position.
Behind me, the ground exploded in a burst of debris, then I heard a growl.
A streak of black blurred with startling speed towards me.
'A second dire fang?'
My muscles coiled like springs as I propelled myself up while creating four void spheres.
The dire fangs sensed the danger so they scurried out of the way… just as I expected.
My aim wasn't to kill the dire fangs, no.
I wasn't done playing with them yet.
The intent behind the attack was to create enough chaos to attract other dire fangs.
Those egotistic creatures wouldn't move an inch if it wasn't an issue directed at their own pack.
But if it was their general habitat? They would definitely retort and that was exactly what I wanted.
You see, there were hidden quests which could be gotten from certain actions.
Like clearing an entire habitat of dire fangs.
The moment you do so, a hidden boss appears.
A level twenty dire fang guardian which was practically impossible for a player who wasn't at least a level 10.
"The guardian… will make a good dummy for practice."
Not to mention, loot.
[ ♠ Jacqual: Aren't you getting a bit cocky here, Alistar.]
[ ♠ Arttheclown: I agree, a guardian is no practice dummy, you might die.]
"Hell nah, I'd win."
[ ♠ Arttheclown: Well, I tried.]
[ ♠ Hater: If he wants to die then let him, he's a global ranker after all, them cocky lots all think they're 'Him']
"Pffffftttt, don't be a sour loser, Hater." I taunted while avoiding the claw of a dire fang.
I spun into a reverse kick, my heel slamming into the dire fang's jaw with a loud snap.
The sound of the impact was so devastating I heard a whimper somewhere amongst the pack of the approaching wolves.
[ ♠ Mauve: ouch…]
[ ♠ Easter Bunny: That's a mage? With moves like that!]
[ ♠ Shin: well… logically, he's not a mage yet.]
[ ♠ Sinclair: That's not the question you guys should be asking, how did he know the trigger conditions to a hidden quest? No one remembers their gameplay within the tower.]
[Ding! ♠ Mizuki just joined the channel.]
[Ding ♠ Mist has gifted you a Golden Gacha ticket.]
'Oh? Mist… She's here?'
[Ding ♠ Don't blink has gifted you an epic grade weapon, Fanged viper.]
[ ♠ Your daddy: Heyyy Alistar broo let's fight.]
'W-What the actual fuck!'
[ ♠ Mist: Alistar, let's have a talk later.]
[Ding! Mist has sent you a friend request.]
[Ding! Don't blink, sent you a friend request.]
[Ding! Your daddy sent you a friend request request.]
Thwack!
A dull impact sent me hurling deeper into the forest as my focus slipped momentarily.
Luckily, the tunic from the tuxedo dampened the impact.
"Ugh…"
A groan left my lips in a slow huff.
"Ah fuck me!"
[ ♠ Daoist4ky77: Did the top one global ranker and top two just donate gifts to Alistar?]
[ ♠ Jackal: Don't forget that psycho.]
[ ♠ Daoist4ky77: Your daddy?]
[ ♠ Jackal: Why are you calling my daddy… oh… your daddy, yes that's him.]
"Oi, get the fuck out of my channel you midgets."
What were they even doing here, more importantly that witch, Mist… She requested an audience with me.
'She must have her suspicions about the hidden boss.'
Well it wasn't that big of an issue, since someone commissioned a quest in the first place.
But she would definitely pester me for a while.
Growl!
Oh… right, the dire fangs.
I was extremely surprised by the messages, especially by the two top rankers above me.
It was well known how anti-social they were, no… it was more of a written rule to avoid any of the top five global rankers because we weren't exactly known to be sane people.
Especially the top one.
He was the only person in the game whose play time a week exceeded ninety six hours a week when the advised play time was seventy two hours max.
The dire fangs lunged at me, with muscles rippling beneath their bulky frame while rows of devastatingly sharp jagged canines filled their maws.
A surge of void burst from me, sending those ugly mutts flying a considerable distance away.
At least enough for me to escape if I wished but I wasn't going to run.
Now I wasn't going to overextend my God given grace and say stuff like I never run from a fight.
To hell with that shit.
I run from a fight I can't win.
Because that's common sense.
But in this case… I was the hunter, not the other way around.
[Ding! You have an epic grade weapon, Fanged viper, in your inventory. Do you wish to equip it?]
My eyes shook slightly.
'It can't be… right?'
I swallowed.
My face wasn't showing it but I was excited… no, this was something else entirely.
Excited didn't even begin to cover it.
I had been too busy to notice earlier but the top one ranker…
That fucker had just gifted me my most devastating weapon within the game.
The same weapon which was my very own signature trademark, a symbol of fear to anyone unfortunate enough to end up on the opposing side of my blade.
My chained sickle.
I took a shaky breath in anticipation, completely ignoring the approaching dire fangs.
At this moment, it was just me… the system and my trusty gear.
I licked my dry lips then grinned like the maniac everyone knew me as.
"Equip… Fanged viper."