Chapter 128: Chapter128-1000 Essences Points

Oh, her face. I might be one of the few people who have seen her face and survived to talk about it. She was also infamous for her crimes and for wearing a white mask that represented her criminal legacy. Wow, I might be seeing one of the criminal legends in person. But then I noticed her talking with Mira. What's she doing with her? Is something going on between them? Wait a minute! What if she has some connection with the Lapele family? From their conversation, it seems likely. Could it be that five years ago, the Lapele family helped her escape that encounter and then took her in to protect her identity? But how does that even work? I can see her face clearlyhow did no one recognize her? So many questions... It looks like the Lapele family might be involved in something secretive after all. While I was lost in thought, the real action began when something unbelievable happenedMira suddenly shouted, "Look ba" While I was deep in thought, the real action finally kicked off. Just as Mira was about to shout something, the supposedly dead snake's tail suddenly lashed out, sending Tiara flying across the clearing. In midair, Tiara swiftly adjusted her position, narrowly avoiding a collision with the trees. Mira and Lian jumped back, keeping their distance from the snake's thrashing tail. "What's happening? I thought it was dead," Mira said, clearly confused. "Same here, miss. I even checked its breathing to confirm it was dead," Tiara responded, landing back near Mira and Lian. "Then why is it still moving?" Mira asked, bewildered. "Miss, look over there," Lian said, pointing toward the snake's mangled head. Mira followed his gaze, her eyes widening in shock. "What the heck?" she exclaimed in disbelief. The freshly cut-off snake head was wriggling wildly along with its body. So, it's happening... I wasn't too surprised by this. I had a feeling it was going to occur. Why? While going over the list of its strengths, I came across something called "Second Chance." I suspected it might have something to do with getting a second shot at life. Now, looking at what's happening, it seems I was right... Slowly, the head and body began twitching and moving toward each other like magnets. Within moments, they snapped together, and the blood pouring from both sides stopped as the severed parts began to fuse. Seeing this, Tiara said, "Not gonna let that happen." She clearly understood how dangerous the situation was... If they let the merging go on, the snake would definitely be revived, and taking it down would be much harder since everyone had already exhausted their special abilities. Without wasting any time, she ran towards where the snake's head and body were merging. When she got there, Tiara jumped into the air, trying to cut off the head again. But her speed was much slower this time, probably because she wasn't using her special ability, which was likely on cooldown. It felt like time slowed down as her sword moved closer to the snake's neck, almost ready to finish it off. Anyone watching might have thought Tiara was about to defeat the snake for good. But I knew she was going to fail... Just as I expected, when her blade was only a few centimeters from the snake's neck, its tail struck out with lightning speed. "Damn it!" Tiara said. Tiara couldn't react in time and was knocked across the clearing by the powerful hit. With that... The merging process continued, and within 10 seconds, it was complete. The snake had been revived for the second time. As soon as it came back, the snake started scanning its surroundings. It was almost like it was searching for something. But before it could finish, Tiara appeared beside it, swinging her sword at its neck once more. This time, however, she wasn't successful. The snake dodged the strike by lowering its head in a human-like way, narrowly avoiding the blade. In a swift counterattack, it struck Tiara with its head, sending her flying in the opposite direction. She crashed into a nearby bush. Fuckkkkk... I sighed... What did you expect? That he'd just stand there and take the hit this time also? How dumb do you think a rare rank monster can be? Especially after coming back from the dead, it's only natural he'd be cautious of your tactics now... From the way she fell, I could tell she was badly injured this time. I turned my attention back to the snake... It looked more prepared than before. The snake shifted its stance and locked eyes on Lian and Mira, who stood some distance away. Even though they were about 50 meters apart, the snake had already focused on them. "Heeeeeeechhhh!" It roared in their direction, as if warning them that it was ready for revenge time. Lian and Mira stood there, completely composed, with no sign of fear. While I was like... Are you serious? How can you both stay so calm in a situation like this? Any other hunter would have been panicking and trying to escape by now. Their calmness, however, suggested they had some hidden ace under their sleeves... The real question was, what other tricks did they have? Meanwhile, the snake lunged at Mira, moving so fast it was nearly on top of her in seconds. Its enormous mouth opened wide, revealing sharp teeth and a flickering tongue, ready to swallow Mira in one bite. Yet Mira remained perfectly still, even with death so close. She must have had the courage of a dinosaur to stay so calm. Just as the snake was only five meters away from heryes, just fivea dramatic, anime-like scene happened. "Shiiiiiiinggggg!" An invisible line flashed through the air, and a shadow zipped past the snake's huge body. Its movement was at least twice, if not three times, the speed of a Peak-Gold ranker. In an instant, before the snake's jaws could even reach Mira, it was sliced cleanly in half. Horizontally Just like how Allen would cut through bread. Neat and clean... The attack displayed elegance in every move. It was simply amazing. The two halves flew past her like divided arrows, and Mira remained untouched and calm. But still... Despite everything, Mira was covered in the snake's blood from head to toe. Then, a shadow landed smoothly on the ground, striking a cool pose. That shadow was... Me. As I had mentioned earlier, the final strike was mine. I had a feeling Mira might have a powerful ace up her sleeveafter overhearing her debate. "Should I use it? I know it will definitely kill the snake, but could it end up causing more harm than good? What if it actually kills me?" Her hesitation made it clear that her ace was incredibly strong, capable of taking down a rare-rank monster with ease. So, I took the final strike. I used my dash to boost my rank to mid-Platinum and finished off the snake, which had already lost seven of its heads. This worked in my favor, as the snake's scanning ability was greatly diminished with so many heads gone. Even if the snake had all its heads, I still would have easily defeated it because of the difference in rank and speed... As I stood in place, a virtual screen appeared in front of me with the following notifications: (Congratulations, Host! 1 Healing Potion (Platinum) has been added to your inventory!) (Congratulations, Host! 1000 Essences from the Arohan Hydra Serpent have been added to your Character Profile!) (Congratulations, Host! 1 Monster Core (Platinum) has been added to your inventory!) I... When I saw the virtual screen, a wave of happiness washed over me. I mean, why not? I'd been waiting for these essences for what felt like forever... I definitely deserve a reward like this. I sighed in relief. After patiently waiting 40 minutes to collect this many essences, it was totally worth it. Fuck, there are so many... I love EXPoops, I mean essences. Then, I quickly opened my character profile to see the total amount of essences. *** **Name:** Michael Frostburne **Race:** Human **Current Rank:** Iron **Title:** Netori King, Lust King **Progression to Platinum Rank:** 46% (5700/12500 essences) **Attributes:** [Power]: Gold [Speed]: Gold [Spirit]: Gold [Recovery]: Gold Free attributes points:- (0/1) Human Racial Abilities: - Notifications - Quest System - Inventory - Map - Skills - Adaptor (Special) *** Hmm 46 percent complete. That leaves 54 percent to go. It might take another month or two before I reach the next level. I glanced up at the sky, admiring the two moons glowing brightly. They illuminated the night like gentle candles, casting a soft, peaceful light. How many days have passed since I arrived in this world? Three, four or perhaps over six months? In that time, I've advanced through three ranks, and now I'm nearly halfway through Gold rank. So far, my progress has been pretty quick... "Hey, mister!" a voice called out from behind. I immediately recognized itit was Mira. Great. I'd been so focused on the moons that I completely forgot Mira and her group were still behind me. I quickly turned around to face her. She was drenched in blood, the stench around her was fucking disgusting... The sight was disturbing. In a cold voice, I asked, "What do you want?" Mira glared at me, her voice full of accusation. "Don't you think you should take responsibility for what you just did?" Logically, she wasn't wrongit was my fault she ended up covered in blood. But I wasn't about to admit it. Besides, she didn't know who I was. I was currently wearing the mask I'd taken from those robbers. "I don't think so," I said, my voice cold. But Mira wasn't backing down. "Hey! I'm covered in blood because of you! The least you could do is apologize!" I stayed silent. If I spoke too much, she might figure out who I was. Instead, I turned and started walking away. "Wait!" she called again. "At least tell us your name before you run off!" I glanced back at her. Mira looked exhausted, Tiara had an oddly cheerful expression, and Liam, as usual, was emotionless. "Blood Raven," I said calmly. Mira scowled. "What kind of dumb name is that? I'm asking for your real name, not some 'Bloodraven' nonsense." Fuck you, what do you mean it's a dumb name? I came up with it just a few minutes ago and thought it was fine, and now you're calling it dumb? Those were the words I wanted to yell at her, but I bit my tongue and stayed calm, quiet, and composed. Then Tiara stepped forward, bowing slightly as if copying a Japanese gesture. "Thank you for saving us, Sir Draven." For a moment, I thought she'd spoken in Japanese, but I quickly shrugged it off. Without another word, I dashed off, eager to get away from them... *** After running for a few minutes, I finally stopped in the middle of the jungle with the moonlight above me. Damn, that was tough... "Killing the snake and then running... Huff, Huff... But I think it was the right choice." Mira is really dangerous when it comes to digging up information about people... But I'm pretty sure she's got some clue about me by now. It's just lucky I didn't get caught. Anyway, whatever... Today was a great day for me in terms of Essences. I might have just made my biggest hunt yet. I glanced at the smartwatch on my left wrist to check the time. Name: Michael Frostburne Total Rules Broken: 1 Current Rules Broken: 0 Time: 7 p.m. Damn, I'm running late... With that, I took off again, not stopping, moving like a machine.