*All of your stat will decrease by 20%!*
*The system recognized you as a coward!*
*Some skills will be locked away until you retained the lost amount of percentage on all of your stat!*
*The skill, Moon Magic, will be locked!*
*The skill, Ungodly Incantation, will be locked!*
*The system wants you to be stronger!*
*Some of your equipment will be locked away until you retained the lost amount of percentage on all of your stats!*
*The item, Inferno, would be locked!*
*The item, Gelang, would be locked!*
*The item, Hood of Loki, would be locked!*
*You defied the system!*
*The system will now impose Death as the penalty every time you tried to resist its exclusive quests!*
*You have shown mercy to an opponent!*
*The chance of the skill, 'Recuperate', activating will fall from 99.9% to 78%!*
"Shit!"
Mike checked out the terrible consequences sent by the system after his battle against the Saintess and the Templars ended. The losses were terrible and he had somewhat regretted his decision of showing mercy towards his opponents.
"I became too naive!"
He hit his forehead in dismay. He is really disappointed that the fruit of his labors had somewhat disappeared just like that.
"Well, its not that I lost all my abilities!"
He weighed out his options and realized that the consequences were not that bad considering that he still retained K'lung and K'filan despite his other powerful items being locked away temporarily.
"I must be stronger to surpass my current level!"
He clenched his fist and shouted excitedly only to realize that he is awkwardly speaking in the air, as if he is a main character in a TV drama.
"Awkward!"
He pulled his hair in cringing. And silently sat on a tree shade.
"Ahh, I don't know what should I do! I'm not even a member of any guild that's why I couldn't participate in any high-ranking Hex raids!"
Thinking about that, he displayed his annoyance towards his new system, whom he referred to as being too harsh on him.
"This is the first time that a system is capable of controlling a hunter at such scale!"
Suddenly, a system notification popped out on his eyes. He immediately clicked the message button and read its contents.
*Exclusive Quest!
Would you like to accept?*
"Click!"
*Quest Accepted!*
*Quest>An Obelisk that stands above all! (-)
Quest Condition(s)>
1. Collect the other Astras which the Gods possesses.
2. Level-up to the utmost limit!
3. Retain what you have lost!
Quest Failure Penalty> Death
Quest Reward(s)> Only available once you accepted and completed the quest!*
Mike then received a new system notification, which he enthusiastically opened.
*You have accepted the quest! *
*Click here to receive reward(s)!*
"Click!"
*You have acquired a new skill! Check it out!*
-Tyranny-
Rank- S
Status- Hidden
Mana cost- None
Duration- None
Requirement- None
*You can control any forms of energy and manipulate it to your will!*
*Some forms cannot be made because of the user's level!*
Mike then received another notification.
*System update!*
*You may now see your mana points and health points on your information tab!*
*The Eye of Mayari is now considered part of the system!*
*All skills will be activated through the system, Dagitab!*
Name- Mike Sandoval
Weapon- K'lung and K'filan
Class- The Spectre
Rank- Unknown
Stats>
Defense- 41%
Agility- 41%
Speed- 42%
Strength- 43%
Intelligence- 45%
MP- 2,000
HP- 5,000
Skills>
Godly Swordsmanship (S)
Advance Spearmanship (S-)
Basic Bowmanship (E)
Moon Magic (S) *Locked*
Ungodly Incantation (A) *Locked*
Tyranny (-)
Specialized>
Astra Control (X)
Eye of Mayari>
Conceptualization (SS)
Recuperate (SS)
"The updates are not that bad especially that I no longer have to activate my skills verbally! This will give me an edge in battle!"
However, what weirded him out is the fact that the Eye of Mayari is no longer an item but now a part of the system!
"Maybe the assimilation have caused this phenomena! Well... Not that It's important since I gained a new skill!"
Mike was saddened earlier about the system's restriction on the only two magic skills that he have. Nevertheless, that sadness vanished as the system granted him a new and overpowered skill.
"Since I locked all of my magic-based skills, I need to start from the basics! This skill is not that bad and it does not need any mana!"
But Mike's current level became a big problem with how he can use the new skill.
"It says here that I will not be able to make some forms of energy because of my level... Hmm.. I don't know what that means?!"
Mike saw a tin can on his side and stared at it for a moment...
"Wait! I think I have an idea!"
He lifted his hand and pointed it towards the position of the can.
*You have activated Tyranny!*
Dark electrical energy accumulated on his hand, sparking in a wild manner.
"Bang!"
Mike is hoping if what he's thinking would actually work.
"Does this works like how magneto does it?"
The tin can suddenly levitated towards his hand and was crushed instantly.
"Sweet! I wonder what will happen if I use that on a tree trunk!"
Mike then glanced over his back where there is a rotting tree trunk lying in the road.
*You have activated Tyranny!*
*The target is too heavy!*
*The skill failed to activate!*
"Huh?"
Mike wondered why the skill failed on the tree trunk but remembered that his level is too low.
"Right! I should get stronger!"
He gripped his fist tightly before uttering another words.
"I promise that this time, Mercy would be out of my vocabulary!"
Being merciful is no longer a thing on this world. That's what he realized when he heard the words of his past foes.
Sacrifices are meant for greater things, they should not be used on lowlife bastards!
"So they though they were great just because of their powers, huh? I wonder if they had learned anything from our battle?!"
He shrugged his thoughts before walking away. The day is too short for him to mind such individuals.
Mike then rented a boarding house and bought clothes and basic appliances using the money from selling off the treasures in the Primordial Box.
When he entered the rented place, he immediately wet to shower then changed his clothes afterwards. The fight earlier made his body sweaty and bloody, causing Mike to feel a slight disgust to himself.
After he put his skin care, he buried his body in the soft mattress and checked if there's a new update.
*System notification!*
To his surprise, there is! He clicked immediately and read the contents.
*You have acquired a system package!*
A package, which is no different from those sent by online shopping applications, materialized on his hand.
He opened it and was surprised to find five mysterious daggers which are only colored plain, and doesn't seem to have any special within it.
*Item information!*
-Unnamed Daggers-
No information
Class- None
Rank- ?
Type- Daggers
Duration- ?
Affinity- ?
Skills>
?
Passive>
?
"I believe the system is just fooling me at this point..."
Mike became depressed, seeing the system give him so many incomplete information without any hints. He is clearly disappointed about this information that contains absolutely nothing!
"Collect..."
Nonetheless, he put the five plain-looking daggers on the Primordial Box. After that, he set his alarm and stared at the ceiling of his room, thinking something deep in his mind.
'I wonder if my aunt and sister are okay in Cagayan...'
He couldn't control his eyes any longer and fell asleep.
Tomorrow, extraordinary things will happen for sure!
***
"Are they okay?"
In one of the association's interrogation room, the head of North Luzon's divison alongside the Chairman and Trace, Sarimbal Guild's Master is currently interrogating Tesa, whose skin are full of bruises while her wounds are being healed.
"Well, I must say that we are fortunate enough to destroy the barrier on time! If we are late for just a second, we wouldn't be able to re-attach their lost body parts!"
How ironic that the North Luzon's division commander can smile at such a serious situation and even display an energetic attitude! Everyone can say that he is really unfazed by the events that have unfolded.
"Miss Tesa..."
The chairman, sitting on the center-most chair while his ankles are crossed, started to have a word to Tesa, who is undoubtedly shivering on the stairs being directed to her.
"Can you please describe what happened before your fight with that hunter started?"
The Chairman politely asked her.
"Well...," Tesa exhaled deeply before continuing, "We are supposed to meet some of our men to the factory. Instead of seeing them alive, we found that they were dead and he suddenly showed up and admitted that he killed our men then everything unfolded as you know it..."
"What do you think is his agenda of killing your men?"
The Chairman continued...
"We don't know..."
The Saintess' face became serious, almost as if she had a change of character.
"Well, we definitely cannot immediately conclude that this hunter killed your men without any reason at all..."
The Saintess suddenly panicked at the keen observation of the chairman at her statement. The stare of her Guild Master only added to the immense pressure that she is feeling right now.
"N-no! T-that was it! I p..promise!"
Out of anxiety, she became defensive on her words.
"I didn't say that you are not telling the WHOLE truth, Miss Tesa... I'm just assessing the situation..."
Tesa knew that she said something that she should not be saying... The Chairman's eyes suddenly became heavier, almost as if they turned their colors from brown to red?
"I wonder why did you suddenly became defensive..."
The Chairman of North Luzon's division added more salt to Tesa's wounds.
"How about you stop interfering with the chairman's words?! You're being a pest with this interrogation!"
Trace finally lashed out to the Commander, he's absolutely being pissed at the sight of Tesa being asked by another person aside from the Chairman.
"Says by the moron who insisted to join our investigation even though it's prohibited!"
The Commander is still smiling despite sweating profusely from the obvious harsh statement of Trace.
"Stop, you two! Leave, now!"
"But Chairman, we need to be he-"
"NOW!"
Trace became startled of the Chairman's voice that he was not able to finish his words and left the room silently. The same goes with the North Luzon's commander who, despite being a skillful individual, became like a puppy in front of the Chairman. No onw would dare to defy his orders, No ONE!
When they walked out of the room, the chairman put both of his hands in the table, and started asking questions again...
"You might be wondering why the Chairman is interrogating you when he could just leave the job to his aides..."
He smiled across his lips, side to side.
"Y-yes!"
Even so, Tesa is obviously still nervous on the Chairman's aura which is too powerful despite showing a light attitude.
"Let's just say that I'm interested to what happened to you? I mean don't misunderstood, but can you please tell me more about the hunter you and the Templars fought?"
The Chairman, laughed, causing Tesa to feel less heavy in her chest.
"First, he is really good in Magic and Weapons..."
The Chairman was quite intrigued after hearing the first sentence of Tesa.
"By Magic and Weapons, tell me how high proficient he is in using both?"
"He can use them simultaneously! I mean, he can cast spells while still keeping up the pressure with his sword attacks!"
Such hunter is very rare to be awakened and most of them are either Guildmasters or a high-ranking official in the association. If what Tesa said is really true, there is a possibility that a new S-rank hunter has been secretly awakened without their supervision.
"Nothing special, considering that you could also do the same thing! Tell me more..."
He tried to be dismissive but his thoughts says otherwise...
"Secondly, he could use healing magic at great extent!"
For the Chairman, a combat-specialized hunter with healing abilities is impossible...
"W-what do you mean?"
The Chairman, unknowingly stuttered while asking...
"He could instantly heal his wounds, no matter how much damage we inflicted. It's as if he is a Vampire..."
That's... impossible... For such a hunter to be awakened defies any logic known by the Chairman. In his 25 years of service, the longest ever to hold that position in the history of the association, a hunter with proficiency in more than one class is a miracle in and of itself but to think that there would be one who is great in three classes, proved that his knowledge on the mystery of the Hexes and the System is still not complete.
'A hunter who could use Magic, Sword, and Healing magic? That's the first time that I heard such wonder! Even my most powerful commanders are only great at least on one field!'
The Chairman is clearly taking interest on Tesa's intriguing words.
"I'm honestly surprised about your description! Can you please describe his magical abilities?"
"He can use summoning magic! I don't know what happened but the creature that he summoned to fight us, looks like well... our Guilmaster..."
"What?"
The Chairman suddenly rose from his seat in surprise. A summoning magic is rare among mage-type hunters.
"Tell me about the summon!"
"U-umm... He is as equally powerful as our actual guildmaster... For your information, that creature is the one responsible for defeating all of my remaining Templars!"
"Are you sure about what you saw?"
"My eyes are as clear as that of an Eagle..."
The Chairman became perplexed, hearing the Saintess' story. His heart is full of excitement and anticipation. How wishful it would be to meet this hunter!
"To think that he could use summoning magic and cast a powerful barrier that even the commander of North Luzon division had a difficult time to destroy..."
"I understand, Chairman! Even us couldn't believe when we witnessed it firsthand but I'm sure you would be more surprised in his secret ability..."
The Chairman unloosed his necktie, began to focus his questions on this alleged secret ability.
"He could control our minds through memories..."
Did she just said, control minds through memories? What the hell is that?
"A... Mentalist?"
"I'm not yet sure about that but it is clear that he almost got us with that ability of his..."
After stopping for a minute, the Saintess opened another topic of his abilities..."
"His swordsmanship..."
Tesa suddenly remembered that the masked hunter managed to defeat Merlin and White Wolf at the same time and he stand toe to toe against her and the other three Templars. Who really is that monster?
"What about it?"
The Chairman made it look like he is unimpressed and even pretended that he coughed.
"Mister Chairman, If you don't mind, let me ask you something?"
The Saintess inhaled deeply.
"Go ahead."
"What would you rate of my Brother's swordsmanship!"
The Chairman do not have any strong encounter with the Templar named Andros Dela Cruz but there was one time when he was able to take a glimpse on his swordsmanship. At that time, he was being tested on his evaluation to determine his class as a hunter. The Chairman saw in his own eyes, how Andros easily defeated all of his mock opponents in a single blow. It was almost like he did that at a blink.
Up until this point, the Chairman highly regarded Andros as one of the association's hope of the future. Even though, they have not personally talked with each other, the Chairman possessed an unbelievable eidetic memory, causing him to remember and familiarize each hunters he saw in a single read of their name.
He finally got out of his memory adventure when he was called by the Saintess.
"Mister Chairman?"
"Oh yes!"
He blinked his eyes and proceeded answering her question.
"He is surprisingly great, I must say he could easily defeat any Guildmaster if they would fight without their artifacts..."
He complimented but at the same time lowkey criticize Andros to show a little bit of his strict and dismissive side.
The Saintess, however, smiled then continued explaining.
"I hate to say this but that man could easily defeat him in a one-on-one. The sword that he is using could be an artifact..."
The Guildmaster removed his glasses to his utmost shock. He covered his emotions with his poker face.
"Excuse me?"
'An artifact? Aren't they exclusively owned by the great Guildmasters and I only? That would be impossible!'
An impossible notion! That's what he would like to call it.
"But that's impossible, only selected hunters possessed such power! You might be wrong!"
"I guess so..."
The Saintess suddenly remembered what Trace told her.
'Don't inform him of everything! Leave the most important parts for me!'
'Of course'
Despite facing the Chairman, Tesa is still more scared of Trace, who has been staring at her strictly and threateningly, causing her to be pressured by the already huge surge of aura, exuded by the Chairman and one of his commanders.
"Yeah! Maybe you were right!"
They became silent after their conversation. The Saintess is tired from the recent battle while the Chairman is weighing his judgements.
"It seems like you're tired from the previous battle, Saintess! You may go home for now!"
"Thank you, Chairman!"
She bowed her head before leaving the interrogation room. Afterwards, The Chairmaan saw Trace accompanying the Saintess while having a serious conversation with her. At the same time, the commander of the North Luzon Division, rushed to the room and asked him.
Even so, it's not about his conversation with the Saintess that he came and ask but rather on Trace Antonio, her Guildmaster.
"What do you want me to do?"
The Commander, asked him, knowing already that they were not talking about anything Tesa told him.
"Keep a close eye on him, He's lying..."
What he's referring to is none other than, Trace Antonio, whom he detected as lying with his truth-seeker skill, imbued in his eye.
The Commander bowed his head before speaking again.
"Understood, sire!"
"And speak to me after this, call the other commanders, we have something to talk about!"
"No problem sir!"
The Chairman stared at the skyline of Metro Manila before speaking again.
"Tell them that there is a possibility of another disaster incoming..."
***
"Are there any available raids?"
Mike is scrolling on his phone as soon as he awoken from his deep slumber. He is currently trying to find any available raids online.
"Anything will do! I need to level-up!"
Aside from his locked items and skills, leveling-up is also a problem for Mike, considering that there are no guilds who are willing to accept him as a G-rank.
"But how can I do that when I need to hide my identity?"
Mike crumpled his face and pulled his hair out of frustration. It seems like every decision that he made had sprouted heavy consequences.
"Practically speaking, I'm a wanted individual by the Sarimbal Guild because they did not saw my dead body."
It's not even the possible problem. The news of the Saintess' fight had also been exposed to the media! Joining any Guild would jeopardized his identity and therefore would make him a subject of investigation, not just by the Sarimbal Guild but also the association. After all, a successful escapee from a Black Hex not only sounds first time, it is also impossible.
"I'm not yet strong enough to brawl against S and X-rankers!"
Mike reminded himself that the fight against the Saintess and the Templars revealed a number of gaps on his fighting.
"I became arrogant and relied on my healing too much! What's worse, I couldn't even beat any single one of them without using dirty tricks such as summoning the Merlin's Arch nemesis and exploiting their worst nightmares against them! From when did I became such a menace?!"
He is busy reflecting on his mistakes when he remembered that he did not have any contact with his aunt ever since they left yesterday.
He dialed a set of number on his contacts then called the person who owned it. At first he was anxious and concerned but when it did start ringing, all those feelings faded and was replaced by immense happiness.
"Hello, aunt!"
He immediately greeted his aunt who sounds like she just woke up from a long sleep.
"H-hello, who's this?"
Her voice sounds raspy yet calming to Mike's ears.
"How are you two doing there?"
He smiled and answered her question almost in a silent manner.
"Oh, it's you, Mike! Well, we're doing fine here. She really likes the ambience in the province. The rice fields are really green. When are you planning to follow us here?"
Mike, sat on an Indian seat position before answering again.
"It seems like my travel would be postponed..."
Tears began to be collected on the side of his eyes.
"I still need to earn some money here! I have to contribute even if just a little bit to our family there! It's really embarrassing if I would not give you anything! By the way, make sure that her monthly check-ups will be consistent, Tita! I'm afraid you're the only person whom I can trust there, please?"
He requested in a caressing voice.
"Don't mind us here! Just take care of yourself! Tell me, are you eating on time in Manila? I heard that hunters are very busy people..."
Mike smiled before answering.
"I'm taking care of myself tita!"
"That's good to hear!"
It really is...
They are not aware of it but Mike is a good liar. He could sound convincing in words, causing them to believe him even though it is opposite from what is actually happening to him.
"I will... take care!"
***
"How are the units who are tasked to guard the Hex, doing?"
The Chairman, now in a meeting with his commanders, inquire regarding the recent developments in the strange Hex in Bulacan.
"The Hunters have reported that some monsters have escaped from their sight..."
The Chairman, confused as usual, asked him with more questions.
"What are the ranks of these hunters?"
"As of now, two units have been deployed to guard the possible area of destruction. The first unit composed of ten A-ranks and fourteen B-ranks while the second unit is made up of seven A-ranks, thirteen B-ranks, and six C-ranks!"
The Chairman thought that a monster would not normally escape from the sight of A-ranks as their Mana detection skills are excellent, only a little lower compare to that of an S-rank.
For a monster to be capable of being this agile means that the Hex's level is definitely higher than an A-rank one.
"Are the outsiders killed?"
He really wants to make sure that the escapee outsiders would be eradicated and cannot pose a threat to the civilians especially that the hex is only miles away from Metro Manila.
"There are five of them. Four have already been found and killed while the remaining one is still being hunted!," the North Luzon commander answered.
"Do you have any pictures of these monsters?"
"We do! Let me just present it here!"
"Go ahead!"
The Commander went to his laptop which is connected to the giant television of the meeting hall, and then plugged a flash drive into it.
He then chose a file containing the pictures of the monsters while still smiling as the design for his presentation is... coquette?
"What the hell is just with that design?"
The Commander of Bicolandia division asked the North Luzon Commander.
(Bicolandia= a region in southern Luzon)
"What were you thinking?"
The Commander of Palawan division's question in response to the pinkish design of the presentation.
(Palawan= the largest province of the Philippines; an large island on the western side of the country)
"Don't mind the design, Commanders! I'm sure your reactions will be replaced as soon as you saw the destructive capabilities of these outsiders!"
He coughed to show that he is ready to start his presentation.
The first slide shows a picture of a cadaver which is mauled down to his last flesh making it seem like a rotting body being slowly eaten by parasites.
"Unfortunately, the casualties was not prevented and sixteen civilians and five hunters had lost their precious lives..."
The North Luzon commander's face turned serious while fixing the position of his eyeglasses.
"My goodness!"
"What a massacre!"
"I feel bad!"
The reactions of the Commanders are mixed but one thing that they are in common are their faces of shock and dread. Where in this world such a creature resides? For the images of the deceased bodies seems like they were a scene from hell. For them, only a demon could be capable of such a macabre.
The Commander, who's absorbing their reactions, didn't for another minute to proceed to the next slide.
"This is the only clear image of the creature!"
The picture shows a humanoid figure. Its eyes were black, the skin is pale-gray. It doesn't have an ear or a single strand of hair while its teeth are gnashing with saliva and blood. However, the most enticing part of its body, are the spider-like legs which looks sharp.
"The monsters were killed one hour after they escaped from the Hex. If we are going to scale the casualties, it is not that many but to think that there were five of them and they could have killed that number of people in just a span of hour is terrifying. Just imagine if there were thousands of them massacring the population of the province plus the Hex is near to the capital! If we are going to scale the possible monster surge, we might encounter a catastrophe worst than what happened to the Pasig Black Hex incident!"
The Commander explained in a manner that sent chills down to the spine of every person in the room, including the Chairman, who is listening carefully.
"How about we strike the Hex before it creates a monster surge?"
Everyone was taken aback by the Chairman's words. Usually, they would trust his decision but after they realized the scale of the Monsters', they became weary.
"If this event happened to be similar to the Black Hex incident in Pasig, it might take a month for the Hex to accumulate enough mana to open its gate for the Monsters. If we could somehow assemble a powerful team that would raid it, there is a possibility that we could defeat the boss before it became too powerful!"
Silence enveloped the surroundings as none were willing to agree or disagree with the Chairman's words.
"Our country has five X-ranks and thirteen S-ranks. Twelve of those hunters are under the Association. The Sarimbal Guild would surely join us on this decision since Bulacan is their headquarters..."
"I believe, that's not quite the thing, Chairman..."
All eyes diverted their attention to the man who is sitting in the far-left of the table.
"Y-you! How dare you talk back to our chairman in that voice!"
The Commander of Visayas division's threatening words to him.
"Doesn't mean that he is the Chairman, we would automatically put down our opinion for his..."
The man is undeniably one of the bravest and malicious commander of the association-- The division representative of the Southern Luzon Islands.
"Are you perhaps, still bitter that you have lost a quite amount of power because of your incompetence?"
The Visayan Commander annoyed him.
"What did you say?"
The Southern Luzon Islands commander bowed his head to control his rage. Such a disrespectful remarks against him should not be tolerated on his opinion.
"I said, Are you perhaps still bit-"
"Pang!"
A powerful punch sent the Commander of Visayas to fall down from his chair. It was inflicted by no other than the man of Southern Luzon Islands.
"Enough of you two!"
The Chairman casted a restraining spell to bind the two and separate them from each other.
"Such childish actions would not be tolerated in this respectable hall!"
He slammed his hands to the table, causing a small earthquake that shook the walls slightly.
"This hall has lost its honor the moment you started picking your favorites!"
Even with such a display of power, the Commander of Southern Luzon Islands still have the guts to talk back to the Chairman, who is surprisingly, not triggered by his words.
"You committed the biggest crime a commander could do yet we still gave you the benefit of the doubt! You should be thankful that we are still considerate enough to give you a commanding position within the association!"
"Whatever!"
The commander went out of the room as soon as the binding spell was removed by the Chairman.
"His attitude really makes me uncomfortable!"
"What a pitiful guy!"
"I kinda understand him..."
Everyone let out their thoughts as soon as the energy of the situation cooled down.
The commander of the Visayas also excused himself as he sustained a serious injury on his face, caused by the sudden punch of one of their own.
"Notify all hunters in your areas to prepare themselves! We might need as many manpower as possible!"
"Understood, Chairman!"
Everyone bowed their heads down. With the tension that they felt, they forgot to express their concern on the Chairman's plan. They thought that it is too reckless and mindless to do. Even so, they are still ready to put their trust once again on him.
When everyone left except for him, that's when he only relaxed. He put his feet on the table and leaned his back on the chair.
"God, please help me!"
He closed his eyes and took a power nap.