'They don't know me, but I'll make sure to erase their ignorance.'
"Kaboom!"
A violent tremor was followed by a jarring shock, then the collapse of earth that was held firm by massive rocks. When one broke, the others connected to it inevitably followed. The heavy snow dunes, unwilling to remain spectators, cascaded down in waves. In short: an avalanche.
Everyone, including Vio, clung to themselves, holding their limbs tightly to avoid breaking anything. With steadfast determination, they braced for the ordeal, hoping to emerge with their lives intact.
It was as if the slope had transformed into a raging sea, everything intertwining chaotically. Trees were uprooted, and dust mixed with fog rose in a frenzied storm.
Amid this chaos, Vio's mind was equally turbulent. What could he do? He focused on his position, trying to ignore the shrill ringing in his ears.
[HP decreased: 93%]
[HP decreased: 92%]
[HP decreased: 91%]
[HP decreased: 90%]
[HP decreased: 80%]
'Damn it.'
[EP decreased: 25%]
That wild strike he had delivered to the elevated rock had cost him a significant amount of energy. And the situation was far from over—he still had to survive.
His body swayed uncontrollably, at times colliding with the snow dunes and at other times crashing into the unyielding ground, as he curled his limbs tightly against his abdomen. His back and shoulders weren't faring well either; the pain made him feel as though he was still in his old human body. The only difference was that, if he were human, he would have been dead by now.
Finally, the debris settled as the seemingly endless slope came to an end. For a moment, everyone thought it would never stop.
'Damn it,' Vio muttered as tried to push the rubble off his back.
He failed.
'It's too heavy.'
Grinding his teeth, mustered additional strength, causing his joints to rotate. With one forceful shove, the debris was flung away.
"Huff. Cough. Huff. Cough. Huff. Cough."
Every breath he inhaled was expelled with a cough, thanks to the thick dust mixed with that cursed fog.
'Once again, I can't see anything.'
Vio freed his legs from the dirt and climbed the chaotic rubble with his hands. Looking around, he saw nothing.
'Damn it. Are they dead or not?'
The answer was clear after he glanced at the mission. The system had not informed him of its completion.
'After all this, they're still alive.'
His frustration subsided slightly as attempted to sense their presence, relying on the one thing could not do without: Perception.
In the midst of the debris, the leader was surrounded by massive shards of glistening ice, forming a protective shield. The cracks in it hinted at how much strain it had endured to protect its master.
At the leader's command, the shards began to disintegrate, allowing him to move. He stood, scanning the area, his expression darkening—not because he couldn't see Vio, but because he couldn't sense him, even though he could sense his comrades.
The leader wanted to shout to alert the others but knew it would give Vio an exact fix on his location. As he pondered his options, it became clear there was no choice but to wait for reinforcements. His opponent's movements and unyielding strength combined with flexibility made Vio seem like a nightmare.
Determined, the leader turned, and with the closest solid object could find—a rock. Between his hands, summoned an icy shard and began carving it.
His hands trembled, as if sensed his end drawing near. He carved faster, only to freeze, feel something standing behind.
As a last resort, the leader turned and attempted to pierce Vio's head with the icy shard, but Vio caught his hand. With a single squeeze, the icy shard shattered into pieces with his fingers.
"Argh!" the leader cried out. Before could react further, Vio's hand seized his face and slammed him backward into the rock he had been carving.
"Boom."
Vio dropped to his knees, panting uncontrollably.
'This is madness.'
These were his thoughts when the cold voice buzzed in his mind:
[Hero's oxygen intake detected to be critically low.]
'Man, I'm a cyborg. Why do I even need—'
Thoughts trailed off as he realized the absurdity of the question. After all, his brain was still human, so of course, it required oxygen.
'Anyway...'
Forced himself to his feet, attempting to steady his breathing, and leapt toward other areas to locate the others. Perception wasn't high, so he had to jump and run over the wreckage, gradually sensing their presence as he neared them.
Lack of oxygen takes its toll.
[Hero's stats have decreased by 20%.]
Soon found the other three. Their condition was dire. As he descended upon two of them, delivering blows to their heads, he wondered why they were in such poor shape compared to their leader.
"Boom."
"Boom."
'Damn it.'
With each punch, he tried to restrain strength to avoid exploding their heads but failed.
"This isn't good," he muttered, looking at the last remaining soldier. "Is there a way to control my attack strength?"
It would be bad if everyone's heads exploded accidentally.
[There is a way.]
'Let me guess. The hero must discover it for himself?'
[Incorrect. The hero must learn it.]
Neither his physical state nor his mental one allowed him to argue with the system. Ignoring it, he resumed searching for the rest.
'The wolves.'
When he found them, they were in no better condition. He finished them off swiftly, and as expected, they were added to the tally. He heard no ringing in his mind until their agonized whimpers faded completely.
[Mission #1: 'The Hero Must Survive.']
Side Missions and Their Rewards:
1 point for every life taken by the hero.
[Rewards obtained: 9 points.]
Vio didn't dwell on how to use the points. He was about to leave everything behind when he remembered the leader and his desperation near the rock.
Hated leaving traces of himself behind, but he had no choice. Still, decided to do his best.
Returning to the rock, he found it stained with the leader's blood. Vio grabbed a handful of snow and scrubbed away the stains, revealing scratches.
'They must mean something.'
If Vio didn't understand, no one else would either.
"Boom. Boom. Boom."
He punched as economically as possible but had to strike multiple times until the rock was reduced to dust. Only then did he return to where he had left the last soldier. One of the soldiers used electrified blades.
"Cough. Cough."
The soldier began regaining consciousness, only for his expression to darken when saw Vio standing over him with a smile.
"Did my dear child wake up?"Vio said as pulled the soldier's head into his embrace, tightening grip on the soldier's neck. "Go back to sleep; it's still too early for school."
The soldier's eyes widened for a moment before his consciousness faded again.
'I'll need you for something.'
Lifting the soldier, Vio noticed his sword. The other weapons had vanished, so Vio quickly reached for its hilt, only to feel a chilling sting that forced it to drop.
"Damn it. What's this?" Vio muttered.
He looked at his palm, which had nearly frozen.
'I wanted him to use it, but whatever.'
There wasn't time. He started running and jumping in a random direction, unsure where to go, knowing only that he had to get away from the spot where the leader had blown the horn.
Beyond that, Vio would improvise.
An hour later, reinforcements arrived, finding nothing but destruction.