6 – 2nd Trip
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Damn, the security is tight. Max stood on a roof above the building that was right across the pizzeria. He was observing from an eagle-eye view, and from the look of it, the soldiers were not playing around. “Can’t go through the last path, but I bet I’ll find a loophole at the far end of these trees,” said Max. He dropped back to the ground and went off around the back of the pizzeria. He stayed closer to the fence erected by the military until he reached the trees. Much to his disappointment, the military was doing their job pretty well. The fences were shorter, and he smiled. He ran and used the momentum to run up the bark of a tree. He leaped off from the tree and jumped over the fences. He landed and quickly found cover behind a tree. Hope anyone didn’t see that.

He peered outwards and saw it was dark as the night itself. No lights and nothing else, even his fifteen Perception didn’t pick up anything. He climbed up the tree and hid among the thick foliage. He sat cross-legged on a tree branch in a meditative pose. He concentrated, focusing on his Chakra Sense. It was still vague like last time, but the little bit of chakra he had, made it possible to get a clearer picture. Not the best, but it was better than nothing.

One man patrol, can’t gauge the distance, but he’s there all right. At least it wasn’t as secure from the outside. The security was lax inside the fences, and Max leaped from tree to tree, like a monkey in its habitat. It was better to be above than being on the ground. He followed his Chakra Sense and found himself thirty yards from the Rupture.

Okay. I take back what I said. He saw soldiers on standby, aiming their rifles down at the Rupture. They were bidding their time, and he knew what it was.

“They’re coming!” He heard one of the soldiers shouting. The howling of wolves echoed from the depth of the Rupture, and the soldiers were sweating bullets. They fought against these wolves last night, and it wasn’t pleasant. More of their men died. These canines were swift and savages, and fighting in the dark made it worse. The soldiers knew the wolves were coming, and they were nervous as hell. “Eyes on the Rupture! I repeat eyes on the Rupture,” shouted the Second Lieutenant. Their orders were to gun them down the moment those monsters breached through the Rupture, and letting one of them slip by was not an option.

Previously, they sent a squad of highly trained men, but they didn’t come back. It was a sign that they were KIA, and for now, all they could do was hold the fort until backup arrived. The howls and growls were becoming louder. Here they come, Max thought. Green furs pounced from within the Rupture, and with the aid of his night-vision goggles, the Second Lieutenant yelled, “fire!”

Muzzle flashes lighted up the darkness. Bullets rained down at the unknowing green wolves. They yelped and whined as one by one they fell on the ground. But some resisted. They avoided by the sheer cover from their dead kin’s bodies. The green wolves touched the ground and went pouncing for the attack. One by one, soldiers went down, screaming to their death. Guns and rifles fired nonstop, avenging their fallen brethren in an instant. Death piled up like they were presents under a Christmas tree. It was a horrific scene, not suited for a place like Northview. That’s harsh. He saw something. Oh, they’re bringing out the big guns. Max sat on the tree branch, swinging his legs like on a swing. He was having his fun, watching the whole spectacle like it was on TV.

“Fire!” The machine gun turret blasted. The green wolves laid dead on the ground. Yet some of them ran behind the trees, keeping themselves alive. Some circled from behind and flanked the platoon. Chaos unraveled, and the military retreated from the Rupture. “Retreat!” The soldiers chased down the remaining green wolves, leaving the Rupture unguarded.

Now’s my time. He jumped from tree to tree, bringing him closer to the Rupture. The soldiers were too preoccupied on the ground to notice something above them. He was as silent as a night monkey, and then he took the leap. He jumped right into the Rupture, and by chance he glanced to one of the soldiers, who was waiting for his death, bleeding with a huge claw mark on his torso. They made eye contact, and the soldier saw Max grinned. Max was gone after a fleeting second as the soldier rendered unconscious.

***

Max took in a fresh breath of air. The day was bright and the sky was beautiful in blue. Yet his normal senses found a few unexpected guests, guests that he had been waiting for. “Good, you guys are here,” Max said. A quick look and he saw five green wolves lurking in the grasses. They blended with the green of the grasses, a subtle camouflage. He stretched his shoulder and cracked both his knuckles. “Come on, I’ve got pent-up stress to relief,” he said his piece, and the green wolves darted in unison.

He smiled with newfound confidence. But never did he underestimated these beasts. He stood still, waiting. Two leaped in the air while three raced on the ground. They moved like a pack and attacked like a pack. Claws and fangs reached out to him, inching closer by the second until he and them just a yard apart. Gotcha. His hands moved in haste, and after three hand seals, he uttered these words, “Bhumi Art, Ring of Spikes” He ducked, and he smiled. The moment his hand touched the ground, huge spikes came jutting from the ground. These spikes pierced through these green wolves like they were butter. They whimpered, struggling on their last breaths, and by the time Max got up, all five were dead.


Level up to Lv.4



Bhumi Art: Ring of Spikes learned!


“Just one level? Harsh,” Max said. He looked around at the mess he made. The green wolf's carcasses dropped as the spikes disintegrated. That last stunt he pulled shaved off all of his MP. But thanked goodness he still had his Chakra. Five points to Arcana. He didn’t give much thought to it, and he belatedly regretted it. Ah, shit. I almost forgot I should have dumped it to Charm. He was seriously considering it. He had some thought that a higher Charm might offset his cock-blocking scars.

“Probably try later,” Max shrugged it off. He turned his attention back to the dead wolves. He never had the time to loot the one he killed before, and now he got all the time he needed. He plucked off one of the fangs and used it to rip apart the carcass. His hands turned bloody, smelly like blood and gut. Yet he didn’t care. He searched for something. Something important to him. “Yup.” He flicked off the blood from his hands. “These wolves don’t have it.” The thing he deemed important wasn’t there.

“Probably too weak to have one.” Then the growls pulled his head away. He turned and saw more were coming. “But at least I’ve got more bodies to find out.” He smiled and raised his stance. He grasped the canine fang tight in his hand.

They came in intervals like they were planned to do so. First, they were two, then came three, and next, he slaughtered another three. Less than three was the perfect number for Max, and using his high perception along with his battle experience from his second life, he made quick work of these canines. He gutted them down and found nothing. But he wasn’t disappointed. It’s fine. There’s probably more in those woods. He was still near the Rupture and barely left the entrance. At least I leveled up to level six. He grinned. It seemed his chance that he had been waiting for had arrived pretty early. All points to Charm. All ten points went to Charm as he stared at his hands. “Do I look more handsome?” He questioned. “Why don’t I feel a thing? Did nothing change?” Max even pulled up his shirt just to see whether the scars were still there or not. “Yup, still there.” He tilted his head as he still didn’t get how Charm worked. I’ll probably find out after meeting another person. He rested his case with that assumption and walked away from the Rupture.

He traveled down the meadow as if taking a leisure walk by the park. Max was oddly calm for someone who entered a death trap. Not like he knew that two squads of highly trained soldiers wounded up dead in this Rupture. But he still had his own opinion about the matter. I don’t think the dogs are much of a threat, and after nine months, I think the military is smart enough to know that they need to rely on the game system to fight this off. The question is, are they too much of a pussy to enter the Rupture and still oblivious to the whole game-like thing?

A green wolf jumped out from the grass, ambushing the lone man. Max swung his arm, and the fang in his hand stabbed right through the skull of the green wolf. A quick death to the canine and he got the timing well calculated. It wasn’t surprising that these green wolves were easy to read. He left the carcass while his mind was preoccupied. Hmm, probably not. They sent people to the moon, I doubt they wouldn’t try stepping into another dimension. Probably something else? Not enough manpower perhaps?

Two more green wolves ambushed him. Their overtly easy pattern made him dodged the first pounce. Max’s fang stabbed right at the underbelly of the green wolf before he kicked the other right at the head. One squirmed on the ground, and the other got up, shaking its head. It growled at Max and lunged. They tussled and rolled on the ground, but both stopped. Max stood up and pulled out the fang right from underneath the wolf’s jaw. The shortage of able soldier is possible since I still don’t know how many of these Ruptures exists in US soil. And after nine months, I think there would be a lot more Ruptures harboring more than just wolves. I mean the more dangerous kind.

He reached the treeline. The woods was barely lit, the treetop too dense to let the sunlight in. Max could imagine the lurking beasts readied to pounce at him whenever they got the chance. His feet brought him inside the woods with his dirty bloody hands swaying side to side. He was fonder of letting his hands in his pockets, but the state of his hygiene won’t let him.

The growls echoed in between the trees. Max knew he wasn’t alone. Round two or is it round three? He put up his guard and the shadows leaped. He dodged and swerved, like dancing on the waltz floor. Well, his motion was far from being waltz but enough to look like a hint of it. Yup, I still underestimate them. Should have train while I’ve got the chance. Yet he smiled. A green wolf unraveled its glistening fangs and reached for Max’s nape. He swung to the side and rammed the fang into its skull. It wounded up dead but its kin went for the attack. Max dodged yet another came. It got him and bit him by the calf.

He wasn’t the type to scream in pain as he held it on. The green wolf ravaged his calf spilling blood all over the ground. He knocked his fist right at its head, it wasn’t working and in the end, he did what was natural. He aimed for the weak spot. His none-fracture index finger and middle finger stabbed right at its eye. The green wolf whined and loosened its jaw. He grabbed the canine of the green wolf and plucked it off with all his strength. Blood sprayed and Max jammed the canine fang right at the other eye. It was dead and yet another came lunging from behind.

It climbed over his back and tried to bite at Max’s neck. But Max grabbed its fur and bent over, throwing it over his head. He didn’t stop there and rushed at the struggling green wolf that tried to stand. He was faster, hooking left right at the flank of the green wolf. He followed with a right uppercut striking under its jaw. His strength was inadequate and the green wolf still stood. Max made a quick turn and wrapped his arms around the green wolf’s neck. He strangulated it and locked the beast on the ground. With time, it fell unconscious and Max made sure to keep it dead.

He looked around the mess he made and noticed the size of these green wolves. They’re bigger, and I’m still weak. But not for long. He spotted something shimmering in the darkness. He drew closer and saw what it was. A machete stabbed on the ground with its dead owner, leaning on the bark of a tree. He was a soldier as Max read his dog-tag. The soldier was mauled to death with most of his lower body missing. Max could see that the soldier was bare bone in his equipment. A kevlar vest rather than the metal-plated one and with no guns, no ammo, and no grenades. The Rupture’s rule was definitely pulling down the military might. Yet it didn’t matter to him. He grabbed the machete by the hilt and swung it around like a saber. His movements were like an expert, but he tilted his head with a little frown.

“Terrible blade,” Max said. “But it will do.” Max smiled and left.

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