War for Remnant
Chapter 6: Progression Part 3In spite of the precarious situation I've landed myself in, a hysterical laugh escaped my lips. No doubt, Cardin is looking at me as if I'd lost my mind. In a manner of speaking, I actually did. But I don't care how or what he thinks of me. The sudden appearance of this new Quest had me laughing because it asked me to perform the most ridiculous task ever.
Kill the Cerberus. That was the main objective of my new Quest. If not, survive the horrible monster for five minutes straight. How the fucking hell am I supposed to do either one of those with my current level? With my current stats and gears, the best I can do is turn into a literal bloody paste and Cardin, for all his impressive strength and sturdiness, will only last mere seconds. The sole reason why I didn't bring any Healers or a proper team into this place is because this is a Rank D Dungeon. My retarded self was thinking 'Hey, this is a weak-ass Gate, I don't need a proper team to handle this place. I just need a super strong Tanker and I'm all set'. Great, this is what I get for thinking up something stupid.
All I wanted to do is level up by using low levelled mobs. But what do I get? Locked inside a giant chamber with a monster that can destroy a city block by itself. This stupid Semblance or System or whatever the fuck it actually is must be the culprit of all this. It's the only logical conclusion. After all, why the heck would a Grimm have the brilliant idea of jumping into a pool and out waltzed a giant dog named after a mythological figure.
I'd believed an increase in Luck would have resulted in something simple like loot drop rates or critical hit chance or some dumb shit. Not chance encounter with a super monster. Fuck this shit I'm out.
I turned and make a run for the exit, hell bent on getting out of here. No. Just...no. I don't seen any way in beating him. This isn't David and the Goliath. This is me and my friend turning into a bloody mess. Cardin must have thought something similar as he is making a break for the exit. Moments before we could step on the first step of the stairway, I slammed into an invisible wall.
The same went for Cardin as well.
"What the fuck is going on?!" Cardin cried out in bewilderment, bringing down the black mace onto the invisible barrier in anger. The forcefield hummed as each blow landed but otherwise remained relatively unharmed. A Rank B Hunter's strength is nothing to shake a stick at, especially if it's a Tanker. For it to just shrug off Cardin's blow is quite telling of it's durability. Damn it, I should have brought a Mage with us. At least they can try to break this damnable thing down.
No, it's clear now. The loot, the weird ability, my ability to absorb books and turn them into skills and not to mention the weird behavior of the Grimm. Someone or something wants me to become stronger. For what purpose, I don't know but whoever's in charge must be invested in my growth. How the heck can a Semblance affects the attitude of a Grimm?
"Cardin, stop that." I said. "The barrier won't go away unless that thing dies."
Thankfully, the man stopped during mid-swing. The Tanker took several breath as he tried to gain his bearings. Staring at me as he did so.
"What makes you think that?"He asked. Oh God, how do I break this to him? Just tell him? I guess I should.
"Because I have a quest that told me so."
He stared at me briefly and turned towards the big three-head monster on the side of the room. The big beast hadn't budge nor has it done anything else after that, ground-shaking roar. Blood red eyes honed on us like a trained dog standing at the ready. Ready to go off at a command. After giving off a thunderous roar, it had, for reasons unbeknownst to me, had decided to sat down on the ground, In that moment, the expression of Cardin's face went through a myriad of expressions in quick succession. First came shock, with anger and resigned acceptance as the final one.
"Jaune, if we get out of this, I'm gonna strangle you."He threatened me plainly.
I scoffed and waved him off. "Relax, you big baby. The main objective was to survive for five minutes straight. Not kill it."
His massive shoulders went slack at what I said and a look of...relief(?) crossed the face. Well, I can't really blame considering its' a Cerberus after all. These monsters, given enough time, can wipe an entire city on their own. They're the type of monsters that areHowever it lasted only a second before a scowl replaced it.
"Jaune, if we get out of this, I'm gonna strangle you."He threatened me plainly.
I scoffed and waved him off. The threat doesn't really frightened me considering he is usually abrasive. At least it's good to know he isn't broken by what just happened. "Relax, you big baby. The main objective was to survive for five minutes straight. Not kill it."
His massive shoulders went slack at what I said and a look of...relief(?) crossed the face. However it lasted only a second before a scowl replaced it.
"Fine, we'll wait here for five minutes."
That statement was then followed by the Winchester dropping his mace onto the ground and himself sitting beside it. I shook my head at the spectacle, bringing up the Hidden Quest. I couldn't even reject the Quest since it doesn't offer an option to do so. The System must really wants me to excel. For what purpose is not clear to me. Either way, my interest and whoever is in charge aligns for now. I'll get stronger and surpass their expectations.
A pop up appeared.
Warning: Dungeon Boss shall now summon minor Grimm
You have got to be pulling on my legs. I groaned, facepalming myself. Not only does the boss can fight but they can summon weaker Grimm for help?! Oh that is bullshit of the highest degree! This Cerberus doesn't even look like an Alpha for fuck sake! This fucking System is really getting on my nerve.
"Cardin, the boss just summoned-"
"I see them." He stated wearily. The man had already gotten up with the black mace in both hands all the while grumbling under his breath about the messed up nature of my Semblance. I sigh and turned towards the Cerberus direction. The tell-tale signs of multiple appendages begun to appear out of the black pool behind the big three-headed dog. One by one, they climbed out of the pool and walked past the giant Cerberus. Dozens of Beowolves and their Alpha counterpart clawed their way out, shaking off the black liquid of their body like a dog after a bath.
Multiple Boarbartusk, boar-like Grimm known for their toughness, squealed like the animal they bore resemblance, waddled upward and onto the ground. A pair of wickedly sharp tusk, both curving upward and each one possessing the length of a spear. Like many other Grimm, these boar-like monster have white bony armor covering their back and sparse black fur stood out amongst the cracks. Four orange-red eyes regarded me and Cardin with murderous intent, snorting and pawing the ground in anticipation.
With several beats of their massive wing, they took flight. The sheer size of this chamber were more than enough to give these Nevermore spaces for flight. Nevermore are one of the few species of Grimm capable of flight. As many Grimm were modelled after certain animals, these avian-like Grimm resembles crows the most. Their massive body are covered in black feather with four digited talons. Unlike the other two Grimm that'd appeared, these particular corvid-like Grimm possessed no natural armor plating but that doesn't make them no less durable than their land-walking counterpart.
A small part of me was thankful these particular corvid-themed Grimm aren't too big. Dad had mentioned he once fought a Nevermore so big that it was able to blanket an entire Ansel with only its' wing. These ones are only roughly the size of a car which is to say not that dangerous. It is a well-known fact that the strength of a Grimm is dictated by its' age; the older a Grimm gets, the stronger, smarter and bigger it gets. With my current stats, I can take them on.
Probably.
I felt a slight jostle at my side, turning towards Cardin and asked him, "What?"
He huffed, settling into a proper stance for the first time since he'd entered this place.
"Nothing," he harrumphed. "Just want to know what's the plan. I assume the plan is same as always."
"Nope," I said, putting my shield at front and sword slightly above and behind it, a standard posture for a sword and shield wielder. The shield in front of me would block any incoming attacks and the sword meant to stab anyone who tried anything funny. The sort of stance used by the people of distant past back when firearm and other modern contraptions wasn't a thing. Hence why my stance is centered around defense.
"I kill the strongest one and leave you with the baby of the bunch. For you to increase your level."
"Yep," I amended," The same as always."
"Great, just when my day couldn't get any worse." He sigh."We have to do this for five minutes straight?"
"Yeah."I stated. A moment later, I added: "I'll let you date my sister."
"Nah, I don't want your pity."
After our exchange, the two of us charged forward and Cardin unleashed another Shout. I'd made sure to stay behind him as we ran. During the early stages of our Dungeon Raid, we'd concocted a simple but effective plan. Cardin would draw the attention of the Grimm, turning their attention on him instead of me. Once their attention is no longer on me, I would use the opportunity to land the killing blow on the exposed back of the monsters. This has been our primary method in order for me to level up. The black and white monsters at the front were immediately drawn towards him and make a beeline for the mace-wielding Hunter. Roughly several meters away from us, the bigger teen leapt high into the air, the mace held over his head.
In awe, I stopped in my track and watched as the big man sailed through the air like a meteorite. And like a meteorite, he crashed into the lines of enemies, reducing a Boarbatusk into a bloody paste as he had landed on it. The ground shook tremendously under the violent force and I steeled myself, trying not to trip. The man raised a mace up and slammed it into a Beowolf. Unexpectedly, the Beowolf crumpled but others charged forth and more began to swarm him. An explosion then suddenly burst to life, killing off undoubtedly a fair share of Grimm, their bodies flying up into the air.
"Stop gaping and kill already!" Cardin bellowed as he swung his mace, a long chain flew across the air as the multi-bladed head tore through multiple Grimm. I said something intelligent before remembering my role and charge forward to one of the Grimm, a Beowolf. A quick thrust to the neck using my sword with a quiet Observe, I watched the health bar of the Beowolf reduced to half. The body dissolved and notifications popped up. But I ignored those in favour of the monsters, turning towards another Beowolf. Turning the shield in my hand into a sheath, I shoved the white-coloured sheath's tip straight into it's jaw just as it turned towards me. Sharp teeth flew and black-liquid splattered as the metal object went straight inside its' mouth and a push of my button caused the sheath's side expanded, essentially reverting it to its' shield form, tearing clean through its' cheek. I pulled out the shield and turned around, the upper half of the head falling down onto the ground..
As I turned, an idea popped into my head. I leapt into a group of three Beowolf, twist my body in such a way that would cause my body to spunat high speed and used a Cleave. Instantly, my sword glowed white and it streaked through the air as it sliced clean through all three necks of the Beowolves. Their body had begun to dissolve by the time I'd landed on my feet. I raised my shield forward and activated Shield Bash, slamming it into a Boarbatusk's anus. A pained squeal escaped it while I laughed as I had essentially performed a Visceral Attack.
Congratulations, you have created a new skill, Sodomy.
"Crap," I mumbled as i pulled out my hand, sending a ridiculous amount of blood spilling out. The trauma of my attack caused it to fell on all four. I used that chance to shove my sword and silently activated Sodomy. The combined powers of my Stats, Passive Skill and Active Skill make my damage output immensely high as the bora-like Grimm's health bar dropped to zero, depleted or erased. The body promptly dissolved and revealed a bunch of items. The very name of my newly made Skill is rather embarrassing. I wish I can change the name but now is not the time nor place. If possible, I do not want to use it on any human. No living being deserved this horrible, disgusting pain. Grimm shall be the exception, this I swear.
I spun on the ball of my feet, just in time to see the crushed body of an Alpha flew past in front of me. Howls of pain escaped the unfortunate Beowolves that were crushed by the monster's carcass. I turned towards Cardin who merely stared back at me with an angry look. The poor man was covered head-to-toe in the innards of the monsters. Burnt orange hair matted with black ichor and same goes for that grey armor of his.
"Watch out!" He yelled. I turned to where he pointed and saw a Boarbatusk rushing for me. I raised my shield up to meet the Grimm head-on and felt a great force slammed into me, shaking my arm and shield as it absorbed the mighty blow. Knocked off of my feet, I flew several feet and screamed when I felt a powerful blow striking my back. Another pop-up appeared to notify me that my Aura/Mana has reduced. Even with the protection of Aura, I was sent flying straight to a Beowolf. I raised my shield up, pulled up my feet close to my stomach and called forth Shield Bash.
I peeked out of the upper part of my shield and saw how I crashed straight through at least two Beowolf. The gore were black as night and they filled my vision as I went pass through their entire body due to the laws of physic. Bones were shattered and muscles were ripped apart. Despite the ridiculous amount of carnage I'm committing, I couldn't help but laugh. This is euphoric!
Congratulations, you have created a new skill, Cannon Ball
But not happy enough toBy the time I burst through the second Beowolf, a Boarbatusk came into vision. Startled by my appearance, I shot out both of my legs immediately and connected with its' face. The sheer amount of force I still have were more than enough to sent it flying. I landed on my two feet, pulled out Crocea Mors' sword component and Cleaved another Beowolf. Mid-swing, a black appendage suddenly grew on my arm. I stopped to get a closer look, realizing it is actually a feather. Like a newly made appendage of sort.
Warning, you have lost 100 MP
"Fuck!" I yelled in pain as I had finally registered what'd occurred. If it weren't for my Aura, no doubt I would have turned into a human shish-kebab. Even with Aura on, it still hurts greatly. I glared at theculprt,a bloody Nevermore who is up in the air. All three regarded me with four of their blood red eyes. It would seems Cardin's SoP didn't reached them Or perhaps these Nevermore are stronger than the others? SoP only works against weaker or equal of the users. Don't know why because that's apparently how it works. It just how it always has been.
"Duck!" A familiar voice yelled out. Instinctively, I ducked and I felt something brushing past me. I looked up and saw a metal head flying above my head, a long line of black chain attached to it. Cardin's tool of death connected with the corvid-Grimm and what followed after that was a cacophony of sound played out as a big explosion filled the dark sky. I pressed myself against the ground even further when the chain retracted with impressive speed. I looked up and saw smoke obstructed my vision but it was blown away courtesy of the three Nevermore. Or rather, two as one had already perished but two remained, unharmed as they had possibly flew higher up, The explosion doesn't seem to affect them much as well. The body of the third fell to the ground and the few underneath where it would've landed ran for their dear life.
"Holy shit." I commented. They actually lived through that?! Fuck!
As one, they flapped their wings and hails of black feathers rained down upon me. I immediately make a break for one of the Grimm, raising up a shield over my head and sword held closely. A cry escaped my lips as I felt something strong and sharp flying into my legs. I fell on one knee but I pushed through the pain, forcing myself to get up and quick going. I turned to look at the two raven-like Grimm and noticed how close they were against a cluster of Wind Dust Crystals. Praying to the Gods above, or the few that exist, I threw my shield into it.
You have gained a new skill, Th-
Put a sock into it, System, I groaned. It appears my prayer were answered as my shield connected with the clusters of Dust Crystals. It began to glow brightly and I yelled 'Duck!" at the top of my lungs. I ducked down a moment afterwards. Hopefully Cardin overheard me. I just hope the two of us would survive this complete fuckery of mine. The idea is ridiculous but this is the only plausible solution. After all, even if I were to level up, there is still a chance I might not be strong enough. I just hope Cardin will survive to be pissed at me.
Powerful force of wind blasted out of the shattered Crystal and like any volatile chemicals would react, it set off a chain reaction; causing other Dust Crystals in the chamber to blow up. The results were devastating as it sent everyone in the room; from the little Beowolf to the Nevermore and Boarbatusk to even the big Cerberus flying all over the room. The same can be said for me.
Oh well, It didn't mattered either way. No matter how big or heavy we are; Cardin, me and the Grimm were treated like ragdolls, spinning uncontrollably in the air and helpless to do anything. Beowolves looked around in bafflement, claws wiping helplessly and uselessly in their air as they flew. I saw their head were torn off by the strong wind. Boarbatusk whined and I laughed, watching how they tried to moved their little hooved feet. It was hilariously pathetic. Out of the corner of my eyes, I saw Cardin latched onto the underbelly of a Boarbatusk, clinging on to dear life.
In a split second, our eyes met and he mouthed to me something. i don't know what it is as I can't hear over the commotion I've caused but I'm fairly certain it is a 'fuck you.'
I waved at him and he disappeared out of my sight. In mere moments, the Cerberus appeared in my sight. In spite of our situation, it didn't moved like a confused animal. Instead, it stared at me; all six eyes regarded me. Calm and collected. The same as me. I didn't know why.
"Take this." I mouthed to it. The last thing I saw was a Nevermore flying straight into me. It''s four-eyed bone covered face connected with me and after that, everything went dark.