Just when Aefia thought she was safe, another tentacle smashed into the building behind her. She quickly went down from the crane while trying to think of any useful skills she might use at the moment.
'Activate Scan!' The red screen appeared, and she reviewed her unlockable skills. There it is!
[Elemental Skill: Wolf Strength (Locked, unlockable with cleared conditions)]
Aefia activated her 'Infographics' skill, and words started to flow into her brain.
This skill enables the user to gain temporary strength. The skill can only be unlocked by successfully dodging ten attacks. Current successful dogdes are two.
I need to dodge eight more attacks. If I am correct, it should allow me to jump to higher places.
Your statement is correct.
Did it just talk back to me? Aefia was shocked, a skill that talks back?
Yes.
Aefia felt as if she was being watched by many eyes at once. As if someone from the far universe was watching every small step she took. At that moment, she spotted the main body and saw Ms. Avry barely keeping up with the fight.
"My element doesn't offer me combat skills! I need you to place the attacks! I will keep you guarded from injuries!" Ms. Avry shouted.
A turquoise glow swallowed Aefia's surroundings, then faded away. Another tentacle rushed towards Aefia's face.
Aefia used her 'Short-term Furturesight' skill to track the enemy's moves.
Current Successful Dogdes are three.
Aefia felt a slight buzzing from her cloak's inner pocket. It's the knife!
She took the knife out and realized that the ruby was glowing a faint pink colour and the knife's vibration was intensifying.
The knife is about to transform into an alternate weapon.
Aefia ran towards the main body of the beast while holding the knife in her right hand and the gun in her left hand.
Estimated size of the enemy. Height is eight feet and length is twelve feet. Each tentacles are charged and a hit dealt with a leg is equivalent to being sliced up.
Eight feet tall and twelve feet across! I have a feeling this battle has a high potential of being an unsuccessful attempt.
Yes, with your current Phase and stats.
What ways can I attack this beast?
Using the knife to slice the tentacles and demon-grade bullets to dislocate and poison the legs.
"Ms.Avry, are the types of bullets in this pistol demon-grade?" Aefia shouted.
"Yes! But you only have four in the cylinder! You will get more for the first mission later!" Ms.Avry shouted back.
Aefia turned to look at Ms.Avry who was starting to tire up. Suddenly, the scene changed, and Aefia noticed a black outline. "Move back!"
Dhum! She shot at the leg which struck the ground where Ms.Avry was initially standing. The leg disintegrated piece by piece.
"Who is this kid?!" The beast shouted. By now, Aefia was approximately a building away from the main body.
Current successful dodges are four.
I still have six more attacks to dodge to successfully unlock that skill. Meanwhile, I need to find its elemental weakness if there is such a thing.
There is such a thing. Its weakness is interaction with water.
"Ms. Avry, where can I find a water body?"
"Just up front. Go straight then right. You will find a lake there." By now Ms.Avry was too weak to stand still.
"Ms. Avry your overall health is depleting. You can let go of the barrier on me," after all Aefia had her 'Infographics' skill for the remaining task. "Return to the safety barrier. And one more question, how do I borrow the power of my teammates?"
"To borrow their power, you need to come into physical contact to absorb the skill."
"Alright, thanks." I needed Nada's power for the type of attack I was approaching.
With that, she continued her run towards the beast while blocking each attack with her knife.
Current successful dodges are six.
To lure the beast to the lake, I will need to get its attention.
Aefia thought for a while. That's it. I will continue attacking it. After I unlock the elemental ability, I will run towards the lake while dodging as many attacks as I can. I am starting to feel tired, I need to hurry.
Dhum! Aefia shot another bullet at the leg as it was about to slam down on her.
Current successful dodges are seven.
"I asked you earlier! Who are you?" The beast screamed as one of its legs disintegrated.
"I am just a regular teenager from Earth," Aefia gave the beast a sinister smile.
"Regular! You look like a murderer!" The beast sent two tentacles in her direction. Sling! Slong!
The two tentacles lay on the ground in front of Aefia as she started to feel happy about them. She looked at the knife in her hand which was now a dagger with a black hilt and a silver ribbon wrapped around it. The blade was black with bright red lightning strikes imprinted on its body. The blade has spiky edges which helped to cut through the tentacle easily.
I regret what I said earlier about it being a regular kitchen knife.
Current successful dogdes are nine.
"You evil ratch!" The beast charged again. Four tentacles shot out at once. Each pointed straight at Aefia from four different directions. Sling!
Aefia jumped, landing on the roof of a house.
New skill unlocked: [Elemental Ability: Wolf Strength]
I am not sure just how I learned to use these skills. It's as if someone took control of my body and played my role for me.
Yes, I am.
I will ask questions about this later.
"I will tear you into pieces when I get to wrap my tentacles around you!" The beast yelled.
"I doubt that. You only have three tentacles and six legs left." Aefia quickly took in her surroundings and located the lake.
"If you are really confident you can defeat me, catch me first." Aefia jumped onto another roof and ran in the direction of the lake.
The lake, Aefia saw, was glittering with a purplish-blue colour. It was big enough to allow a ferry to pass through the middle.
Aefia stepped on the last rooftop before turning around and looking at the distance between the beast and her. Blood trickled down her nose, making her realize she had suppressed her limits. The red screen returned.
The usage duration of [Elemental Ability: Wolf strength] has been crossed. A penalty should be paid for it. The penalty is damage to health.
Aefia felt dizzy and got down the roof in an attempt to run the remaining way to the water body. When she landed on the ground, her legs gave up and she collapsed. She could see the distance between the beast and her closing up.
I am just a newbie but I feel as if I have had years of training. I don't feel like myself ever since I started using my skills. But I need to focus on staying alive first.
"I can see a weakling has reached its limit." The beast smiled.
"But the weakling has the willpower to keep going." Aefia smiled back, making it more sinister than before.
"Do you think you can beat me? One more attack and you are dead."
"Who knows?" She got up and gave a last run towards the lake. I need to use the elemental ability at least one more time.
It will put a toll on your health. The maximum time you can overuse is five more minutes.
I am willing to endure it. She felt the extra strength rush into her bones again and she took off at the fastest speed she could run. Her legs started to hurt, and her bones felt like they were crumbling.
I am almost there! She spotted the lake and came to a stop. I have successfully lured it. Now I need to force it into the water.
The beast followed her as she dropped the cloak and jumped into the water when she saw the beast approaching. Its legs will not be able to produce enough friction to slow it down in time.
As she had planned, the beast fell into the water while Aefia got out.
"How does a child like you have the potential to trick a monster to its death?!" The beast yelled as its body started to go up in flames.
"Oh, I didn't think you would fall into the water like that. Here take my hand, let me bring you out of it." Aefia said after putting on her cloak and offering her hand. The beast sent a tentacle in Aefia's direction.
"I thought you were helping me!" The beast screamed as she absorbed its power.
She pulled the monster out of the lake after she was done. By then, the beast was the size of a normal human. "Sorry, but is there a way to turn a beast back into a human?" She finally asked.
No. Once an organism becomes a beast, it is no longer a true organism. Rather, it becomes an immensely strong spirit which collides with the human body creating a deadly creature. Even if they deform after their power has been absorbed, a residue of the power causes the beast to reform.
"Are you asking not knowing the answer?" The beast asked for the final time.
"No, I am simply asking for your permission to kill you," Aefia replied, unaware of her bright, glowing red eyes.
"Then you have my permission. But before that, I would want you to listen to my story."
"I am listening." Aefia decided to give a chance to the beast for no one should die with regrets and sorrow. "If you are going to die, say your last words. Once you will never regret."
"My home planet was destroyed. I was taken hostage at the end of the destruction. The unknown being tortured me, say and night, until I became this beast." By now the beast was forming back to its human form.
"My only request to you, after seeing your willpower and fighting skills, is for you to destroy the group of people who endlessly torture us like slaves." The man sobbed.
"You look like my daughter's age and you have the potential to..." Suddenly, the man started to regenerate into a beast as the words in her mind read.
"I am sorry. I will complete the task you asked me to do." With that, Aefia cut off the man's head as the body dropped to the floor, drowning the concrete around Aefia's feet with blood.
***
"Aefia!" Nada ran to her when she approached the safety barrier.
"I am fine. The beast is dead. Where is Ms.Avry?"
"She is fine. She is just resting back at the office. She was worried about you but she also said you could take down the beast by yourself. That gets me curious, how did you learn how to use your skills?" Nada asked while wiping the blood away from Aefia's cheek.
"I will explain it back at the office. How are the others? Where are the citizens?"
"They ran in the opposite direction, and I was a bit surprised how they weren't able to see any kind of powers used. Only a few people did but they answered their own questions before asking them. I was about to try and contribute to the battle alongside you, but Anasiy said it might be dangerous for me since I don't know how to use any of my skills, although I wield a pair of daggers."
"Alright," Aefia spoke relieved. "Let's head back to the office if you remember the direction."
"Actually, Diego came by a few minutes ago and said that a mentor is coming to check on the beast. You might want to go back to the location where you killed it. Ms.Avry told them that you would be there and I am here to check on you. A mentor will come to pick me up soon, you have to go back alone."
"Alright, I am off then." Aefia turned around and jumped onto a rooftop, using her last fifty seconds of the elemental ability.
"How did you do that?" Nada asked amazed.
"It's a skill of mine." 'Activate Scan'.
The red screen reappeared. I have unlocked three new skills. And one of them is 'Murderer's Instinct'. I will try it out later. 'Deactivate scan'.
Kuek! Aefia coughed up blood. I have overused it again.
By then she was four roofs away from the murder site. Her own murder site. To think I was once afraid of blood. Now I am a completely different person.
That's just your side effects.
'Activate scan'. The screen reopened and Aefia scrolled through her list of skills. I don't have any skills that will take me to my location faster.
She got down and walked the rest of the way. When a new screen overlapped the previous one.
[Update available. Level up skill (Elemental Ability: Wolf Strength)?]
Yes.
[Leveled Up]
[Elemental Ability: Wolf Strength (Phase 2)]
Why is it Phase Two? I am just a Phase One.
Because it has the power to take down a Phase Two beast. Its duration time increased. You can now use this skill for up to an hour.
Then I will use it. With that, Aefia ran at lightning speed to the lake. The beast's dead body was left untouched.
I definitely feel much stronger.
"Wolf, am I correct?" Mr. Elephant asked. "Did you kill this beast by yourself?"
"Yes sir," Aefia replied.
"Well, you will be taken into questioning due to suspicion."
Suspicion? Didn't I kill that beast while putting my health at risk?
"If you are still unaware, we suspect you to be one of the members of 'Torture Cell'."