Chapter 8
1337 Words
BAM
The shockwave rippled through the darkness, erasing everything in its path. Where thousands of Ogrettos once stood, only ash and dust remained. Nothing survived except the small patch of land beneath Marcus's feet. Everything before him had been blown to smithereens.
Notification after notification flashed before his eyes:
[Dura+10k]
[Dura+10k]
[Dura+10k]
[Dura+10k]
[Dura+10k]
[Dura+10k]
[Dura+10k]
[Dura+10k]
[Dura+10k]
The messages continued until they became a blur, almost meaningless in their repetition.
"Satisfying...Whoohoo!" Marcus pumped his fist, savoring the victory.
His celebration was short-lived. Within a minute, the Ogrettos reappeared, along with the destroyed terrain. The monster army reformed in perfect rows, as if his devastating attack had never happened.
"Heh? They spawned again?" Marcus furrowed his brow.
The neatly arranged monster army stood motionless, awaiting his next move. Something wasn't right.
"Show me the Progress bar," he commanded.
[Progress: Tutorial(1 Of 3) = 0%]
"It's still 0?" He grabbed the air in front of him, dismissing the status window with a frustrated swipe. "I thought that would've been enough to finish off these monsters. Am I missing something?"
Scratching his head, Marcus summoned the status window again. He browsed through his skills, pausing at the Passive Skills section.
"Perfection at First Fight? Let's see..."
He recalled acquiring this skill after mastering the G Orno Twist. The pieces started to come together in his mind.
"I think I have an idea about this one."
Marcus scanned the ground, picked up a jagged stone, and took a throwing stance. He aimed at an Ogretto directly in front of him. Just before launching his attack, he whispered:
"I'll call this 'Lightning Bolt!'"
*Crackle* Whoosh
[Skill Created: Lightning Bolt (Original)(×100)]
The stone left his arm at an astonishing speed, crackling with energy as lightning engulfed it. It resembled a 10-million-volt missile streaking toward the hapless Ogretto. The projectile pierced the creature's chest, burning its body along with the monsters standing behind it.
Dozens of notifications popped up as the entire row of Ogrettos vanished:
[Dura+10k]
[Dura+10k]
[Dura+10k]
[Dura+10k]
[Dura+10k]
[Skill Perfected: Lightning Bolt]
"I knew it!" Marcus exclaimed. "This skill is a major cheat. All I had to do was perform it once! It perfected the entire skill in a single try."
He jumped in celebration, fisting the air with glee, but his jubilation proved short-lived.
[Tutorial Activated]
[Progress 10%]
[Due to the combo streak of 100, The stat gain has been increased ×100]
[Resetting stats of Ogrettos to match the User's current strength]
[Ding, Beware User Marcus G Orno, The Respawn circle has been deactivated. No more respawns available. Wish you luck. Survive!]
"What the h—"
BAM
A battle axe crashed beside him, missing by millimeters. The blade nicked his cheek, drawing blood that oozed slowly from the small cut.
His eyes widened as he noticed the Ogrettos. They had transformed—now much larger, their muscles bulging grotesquely beneath thick hide. Each monster took deliberate steps toward him, their weapons gleaming with deadly promise.
Marcus took a deep breath. During his academy days, he'd always adapted quickly to new situations. Now he forced himself to calm down, analyzing the predicament methodically.
"I created a skill and annihilated an entire Ogretto row," he muttered, examining where that row had been. Strangely, those particular monsters hadn't respawned.
His mind raced through his previous actions. Suddenly, his eyes lit up and he snapped his fingers. Marcus leapt to his feet and sprinted toward the edge of the platform.
With a powerful punch, he shattered the stone ground, gathering the broken pieces in his left hand. He turned slowly toward the approaching Ogretto army, a plan forming.
"I've been wondering about this for some time," he called out. "Why did you guys respawn even when I annihilated all of you in a single blow?"
He paced menacingly, staring down the Ogrettos. For a moment, it seemed as though Marcus was intimidating the entire army single-handedly. One brave Ogretto decided to break the tension, hurling its battle axe at him.
Marcus dodged with newfound grace, snatching the axe by its handle mid-flight while maintaining his grip on the stone fragments.
"HAHAHAHAHA, Watch!"
He pointed at the frontmost Ogretto and threw the axe back. The weapon, now crackling with lightning, sliced through the monster army at light speed, piercing an Ogretto's chest.
"Your vitals... they're those orbs, aren't they?"
He gestured toward the dim orb in the monster's chest and grinned. The impaled Ogretto cracked and crumbled to ash. The axe continued its deadly path through nine more monsters before finally dropping to the ground.
[Tutorial Progress 11%]
Marcus smirked, turning his gaze to the apparent leader of the horde. The Alpha Ogretto watched its comrades cower in fear, then unleashed a mighty roar. Marcus recognized the skill from his studies—ENROAR, which could make its followers forget their fear, even the fear of death.
The roar produced immediate results. The Ogrettos fell silent, drawing their battle axes in unison. At their leader's command, they charged toward Marcus.
He stood calmly at the edge, shirtless, his newly ripped physique on full display. He had grown significantly—not bulky but well-defined, with detailed muscles and an eight-pack so solid that each abdominal seemed to have its own identity.
He raised his head and shouted: "Let's see if your Enroar is better or my 'DOOM'!"
[Skill Creation: Doom]
[Skill Perfected: Doom]
Marcus's eyes glowed crimson as he stared at the charging army. Even with ENROAR active, the monsters stood no chance against his new skill. His menacing gaze made the rushing army collapse, creatures falling to their knees and whimpering pathetically.
He walked casually among the fallen monsters, making his way toward the Alpha. The leader fell as soon as Marcus met its eyes. DOOM.
It struggled to look up as Marcus turned back toward the other monsters. When the Alpha managed to raise its head enough to see its comrades, it too began to whimper.
The pressure on the army lifted, and they rose once more, charging toward Marcus with renewed determination.
Marcus turned his head slightly, his glowing eye visible from the corner. "Wanna see a m******e?"
Without waiting for an answer, he faced the oncoming horde.
*Crackle* *Crackle*
Hundreds of stone pieces flew from his hand, each one targeting a monster's chest orb with perfect accuracy. He'd realized during his earlier attacks that beneath the ash and dust of destroyed Ogrettos, their orbs had glowed a dim brown, camouflaging perfectly with the debris.
The progress bar filled rapidly:
[Progress - 20%]
[Progress - 30%]
[Progress - 40%]
[Progress - 50%]
[Progress - 60%]
[Progress - 70%]
[Progress - 80%]
[Progress - 90%]
[Progress - 99.9%]
One by one, the monsters fell and turned to ash. The system erupted with notifications:
[Insane Combo streak - Stats gain × 1000000%]
[Due to Defeating Monsters=User stats - Stats gain × 100000000%]
[Dura+100Ceptillion]
[Dura+100Ceptillion]
[Dura+100Ceptillion]
[Dura+100Ceptillion]
[Dura+100Ceptillion]
[Dura+100Ceptillion]
[Dura+100Ceptillion]
[Dura+100Ceptillion]
[Dura+100Ceptillion]
[Dura+100Ceptillion]
[Dura+100Ceptillion]
[Limit Break Available (Durability)]
Marcus opened his eyes and turned toward the fallen Alpha. He grabbed its head, bringing the monster's face close to his own, locking eyes.
"Where's your arrogance now? And your army?" His lips curled into a cruel smile. "Oops, sorry, I accidentally sent them home."
The Alpha trembled beneath his grip, utterly defeated.
"I'm finally in a good mood again, so... you know what that means, right?"
Marcus thrust his hand through the creature's chest. The orb shattered with a satisfying *c***k*.
[Tutorial Progress - 100%]
Standing amid the c*****e, Marcus dusted off his hands and surveyed the empty battlefield. The tutorial complete, he waited for the Flame Emperor to reappear. What would the next trial bring? What powers would he discover? For the first time since his failed awakening, Marcus felt not just powerful but purposeful.
Somewhere in the darkness surrounding him, unseen eyes watched with growing interest. The boy who had once contemplated suicide now stood as a destroyer of armies. The transformation had begun.
But this was only the first trial.
- Writer
