Scars were like a gate, creating a path for monsters to cross and arrive on Velrox.
They spawned the weakest creatures first.
Only after they devoured enough mana from the world would they summon stronger abominations to wreak havoc.
Civilians couldn't fight back, but thankfully, Noa was in the Association—one of the most protected places in the city.
Emotions didn't dictate his actions.
Taking Aeris's hand, Noa ran in the opposite direction, leaving the stunned people behind.
He was the first one to react as he dashed with his sister.
He couldn't sell his orbs, nor was the one-time transaction of $3,000 in his new bank account completed.
It was compensation for every new Ember, but Noa didn't have time for that.
The screams increased, but there were no signs of monsters.
Noa guessed because he saw ominous and chaotic mana particles darkening the colors around him.
It was a sign of a freshly formed Scar, and he searched for the way out.
Aeris looked scared and confused, but after seeing and hearing the tense atmosphere, she followed his lead.
"What's going on? Where are we, and from what are we running?" she asked, squeezing Noa's hand.
"I don't know," he lied. "But the situation doesn't look so good. We need to reach the other exit."
She nodded and didn't question him further.
Noa would have been more daring if he were alone, but even his SSS-ranked talent couldn't guarantee Aeris's safety.
So he had to protect her at all costs and find help before the waves of monsters surrounded them.
He couldn't see what Klaus was doing, but the boy stayed behind, no less baffled than the others.
"Listen carefully," Noa said as even his poor senses tingled out of nowhere. "Don't leave my side! Stay behind me, and remember that no matter what happens, I won't die. Even if I look like a corpse."
"Wha—" Her voice was cut short after noticing the spiders descending from the ceiling.
'Fuck my luck.'
He cursed, studying the approaching animals.
'Still, I made the right call.'
Running away and fighting solo might seem like terrible judgment, but Noa knew it was the correct move.
He inspected the familiar spiders, confirming his suspicions.
[ Itsy Spider Lv. 3 ]
[ Grade: Evolved Frail ]
They were Evolved grade, but their rarity and potential were still Frail.
Noa also knew that fighting against them in the open, with other people around, would double the difficulty.
He recognized them from the game and understood their parasitic nature.
These small, bluish spiders could grow up to level 8 just by feeding on human flesh, and the more helpless humans were in their presence, the harder Noa would have to struggle.
The Association was protected, but no one was ready for this scale of attack, and Noa didn't trust them to risk their lives.
With a shabby dagger in his hand, Noa slashed not at the spiders themselves but at their webs instead.
Just attacking spiders wouldn't cut it.
They were connected to the web, strengthening and communicating with each other.
Severing them was the best course of action, and Noa cut them first.
Aeris was behind him this whole time, and trying not to obstruct his movements, she followed him carefully.
'I wish I could farm EXP from this,' Noa thought greedily without stopping his hands.
Tens of spiders aimed at his neck when they couldn't move as they used to.
At least they could hop around, threatening Noa from various angles.
His class skill wouldn't help him much, and he didn't want to disappear in front of Aeris.
Hence, he swung his blade, one-shotting the first daring spider, feeling and relishing the thrill of battle.
[ You killed an Evolved Itsy Spider Lv. 3 ]
[ You've gained 50 Experience Points ]
What a great deal, he reasoned cheerfully.
His EXP bar was only one kill away, and he would level up.
It would allow him to gain more stats and enhance his overall capabilities.
Soon, another spider launched itself in his direction, trying to bite his fingers off.
Noa was ready for the attack but didn't block.
Relocating his balance and strength to his limbs, Noa's hands conveyed enough energy to split the animal's mouth.
He cut the monster but couldn't kill it with one strike.
To finish it off, Noa stomped his foot, flattening the spider to the ground.
Blue blood gushed out of the monster, expanding the already existing foul smell.
The system notifications arrived, making his performance well worth it.
[ You killed an Evolved Itsy Spider Lv. 3 ]
[ You've gained 50 Experience Points ]
[ Level Up! ]
[ You've gained 0.3 stat points in Strength and Agility. You've gained 0.6 stat points in Vitality and Intelligence. ]
[ You've gained 1 Attribute Point. ]
Noa felt even this slight progress in his veins.
As monsters assaulted him from different angles, he glanced at his status window to study his improvement.
[ Noa Osborn ]
[ Species: Human ]
[ Grade: Evolved ]
[ Class: Wizard ]
[ Level: 1 → 2 ]
[ EXP: 4/100 → 4/250 ]
[ Strength: 1.8 → 2.1 ]
[ Agility: 2.7 → 3 ]
[ Vitality: 3.1 → 3.7 ]
[ Intelligence: 3.3 → 3.9 ]
[ Attribute Points: 0 → 1 ]
[ Talent: Death's Companion ]
[ Talent Rank: SSS ]
[ Skills: Echo of Doom ]
[ Class Skill: Corpse Puppet (Proficiency: 0.9%) ]
He wanted to focus on mana and speed, but the current fight might last longer than he intended.
Noa had to allocate free attribute points with endurance and stamina in mind, as Vitality was his second-highest attribute and would aid his long battles.
Without dwelling too much on it, he arranged the point and returned his full concentration to the enemies before him.
His hands performed sweeping cuts, disabling spiders one after another.
[ You killed an Evolved Itsy Spider Lv. 3 ]
[ You've gained 50 Experience Points ]
Noa's EXP bar slowly climbed, approaching another level, but as he protected Aeris from any harm and fought with vigor and unbreakable will, something unforeseen happened.
'Fuck! I am going to die!'
He exclaimed after seeing what kind of grotesque monstrosity was obstructing his path.