'How? When? Why? System, explain, damn it!'
While Vio felt some relief seeing the energy that burdened him increase, he was equally confused about how it had happened.
[The CyborgHeart has been charged.]
"How, explain how!" Vio shouted at the top of his lungs, his frustration boiling over.
[The hero's lack of understanding has been detected. Simplifying the explanation…]
Vio frowned deeply, feeling as though the system was mocking. He had finally found something that could give him a glimmer of hope for surviving this ordeal.
The complexity of his situation and the seemingly impossible mission weren't lost on him.
The robot had launched from the base, entering the mountain, where one of the soldiers had been hung. At that moment, Vio had awakened in this body.
He had noticed that energy levels were at half—50%—and calculated that the journey from the mountain to the base where the charger was located would cost him at least that much. Yet, before he had even left the tent, energy had dropped to 29%. It was no wonder he cursed the skill "Surge Strike" so vehemently.
When the mission mentioned that it would reward him with XP by recharging his battery, his hopes were raised. Vio believed there was a way. But he hadn't found it—until, in the darkest of moments, his battery charged. Of course, he would lose his temper and demand an explanation.
[The hero's battery—CyborgHeart—charged.]
Vio's frown deepened. Lost in thought, stared into the void, his lost focus apparent to everyone around him.
One of the wolves took advantage of this, charging toward him with its jaws open, aiming for his neck. But it was met with Vio's entire body bracing as raised his fist.
"Boom!"
As usual, his punch obliterated the wolf's head, spraying blood across Vio's face. His expression remained filled with unrelenting anger.
[A point is obtained]
"Zarir!" The wolf's master roared, rushing with his lightning sword aimed at Vio's head.
"Stop!" the leader shouted, but it was too late.
Vio didn't bother with anything fancy. He simply tilted his head, avoiding the strike, and delivered a casual sideways punch that wasn't even his full strength.
"Boom!"
The familiar scene repeated itself, leaving yet another corpse at Vio's feet.
[A point is obtained]
"Seriously?" Vio muttered, glancing at the two bodies near him. "Can't you see I'm thinking about something here?"
"I said not to engage him directly," the leader barked, exasperated. "Raise your guard and protect your heads!"
"Yes, sir!" the soldiers shouted, their voices tinged with fear as their bodies still trembled from the earlier electric shock.
Vio took a deep breath, and scanned his surroundings again.
Six enemies had become five. The four wolves were now reduced to three.
'This won't work.'
Resolving to act decisively, Vio stomped on the ground and leaped, targeting the leader positioned higher up.
The key to his precise charge was the speed and stability of his joints.
The two soldiers below didn't move, cutting off his escape route. the leader and his wolf, however, prepared to intercept him.
The wolf growled, leaping at Vio with its claws ready to strike. Using the slope of the ground to his advantage, Vio ducked under it and landed a punch straight into its stomach.
"Boom!"
To ensure the wolf was immobilized, Vio grabbed its jaw and unleashed a flurry of rapid punches to its abdomen.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
The wolf let out pained yelps as its master arrived, slicing toward Vio with his lightning sword.
Vio flung the wolf aside and bent his waist, narrowly dodging the blade. This left the leader open, and without hesitation, Vio aimed a punch at his head.
But halfway through, Vio sensed something incoming and shifted to strike the icy crystals instead, scattering them in all directions.
The wolf quickly recovered and rejoined its master's side, growling fiercely.
'So that was his plan.'
the leader had instructed the two soldiers to remain on the high rocks. They had yet to intervene, their only purpose being to stop Vio from reaching their heads with his punches. Beyond that, they weren't interfering.
'Is there something limiting them?'
Vio didn't know the restrictions on their abilities. Whatever they were using to produce lightning and ice, their hesitation to continue attacking him remained puzzling. Still, he didn't dwell on it too much—it worked to his advantage.
'They're different.'
The wolf that had taken the earlier punches seemed irritated. Vio noticed its eagerness to lunge at him, but its master, the leader, kept calming it down, preventing it from acting rashly.
The same restraint was evident in the two soldiers behind him. They had learned how to exploit Vio's punches, putting him in a position that had almost cost him his life.
Unlike the other soldiers Vio had fought before, these were clearly experienced.
'What do I do? What do I do?'
It was also apparent that they weren't in a hurry. They had blown the horn, summoned the wolves, and all they needed to do was contain Vio until reinforcements arrived—a scenario Vio didn't have the energy to endure, neither physically nor mentally.
Once again, Vio rushed toward the wolf, but this time the wolf didn't leap. Instead, he moved sideways while its master moved to the other, forming a trap around Vio.
Vio threw a side punch toward the leader, to force him to step back. At the same time, Vio spun and struck at the wolf, which took the bait, countering by biting down on Vio's arm.
The moment its teeth broke against Vio metal arm, the wolf realized its mistake and tried to retreat. But Vio grabbed its forehead, smiling grimly.
"Damn it!" the leader shouted, swinging his sword to strike Vio's back. But he was caught off guard by a sudden upward kick to his chin.
"Boom!"
Vio's heel collided with the underside of the leader's jaw, knocking him backward. The uneven terrain caused the leader to tumble slightly before his back slammed against a rock behind him.
"Attack!" the leader ordered, even as he struggled to recover.
Shards of ice were hurled toward Vio, but he grabbed the wolf's jaws with his bare hands and forced them open, using its mouth as a shield against the projectiles.
The soldiers trembled at the unexpected and horrifying sight.
Vio delivered a knee strike to the wolf's jaw, forcing it to swallow the sharp, icy fragments. It fell to the ground, writhing in pain and letting out agonized whimpers.
As the two soldiers below decided to intervene, Vio jumped with all the strength, launching himself toward one of the soldiers on the high rocks.
Realizing there was no way to avoid the attack, the soldier clapped his palms together, then separated them, forming an icy sword between his hands.
Vio tightened his fist and delivered a downward punch, colliding with the sword as it swung toward him.
"Boom!"
Whether the soldier had underestimated Vio's punch or overestimated the strength of his ice blade, it shattered into fragments.
Panicked, the soldier tried to retreat, but Vio was relentless. He grabbed the soldier by the neck, twisted behind him, and used his body as a shield, positioning him toward his comrades, who were approaching to help.
No words were necessary: Move, and your companion dies.
"Stop! Stop! You gain!" the leader shouted. The expressions of the other soldiers shifted from surprise to anxious concern for their captured comrade.
This reaction caused Vio to frown once more.
'Why those expressions? Don't tell me…'
Vio tightened his grip on the soldier's neck, then pointed toward the other soldier on the second high rock—the remaining shooter.
"Does he not speak?" one of the soldiers asked.
"Who knows? And who cares now? What do we do?" replied the one next to him.
"Certainly, you move closer to him," the leader ordered. The soldier descended from the rock and began to approach Vio cautiously, step by step.
'Just as I thought.'
The two soldiers on the rocks had been a safety measure. They only intervened when Vio was about to land a headshot. Now, one had been captured, and the other was being sent forward. Was the leader a fool? Certainly not. He would exploit the situation somehow. But since Vio didn't understand the tricks of this world, he neither knew nor cared what the leader might attempt.
'If I have to use more energy, then so be it. Damn it all.'
Vio snapped the soldier's neck and immediately hurled the body toward the advancing soldier.
"Stop!" the leader yelled, freezing the remaining soldier in place.
But Vio didn't stop. Using both arms, he directed all his strength into his spherical joints, slamming the rock beneath him.
"Kaboom!"
"Everyone, retreat!" the leader shouted, but it was too late.
Vio repeated the attack, this time with unprecedented force.
"Kaboom!"
Dust scattered as the rock, which had been mostly embedded in the ground, shattered, making the slope even steeper, as if an earthquake had struck. Everyone began sliding downward.