The Final Desperation

[You have slain a Plain's Ogre.]

[You have gained 5 maximum energy.]

[You have gained 1098 coins]

[You have obtained Ogre Horn]

 

[Ogre Horn]

Rating: rare

Durability: 10/10

Effect 1: Upon blowing this, consume one durability and gain +1 con, + str for 20 minutes.

Effect 2: You can choose to spend 2 points to empower all allies

Remark: Although ogres do not have horns, this will give you the strength of one

 

Genji sat down and spat out a mouthful of blood. The combination of lightweight and swift movement at the end was something else. Genji resolved to never use them together unless necessary as his current body is not ready for that kind of speed. Just look at the injuries he sustained from the movement at the end. It's light but it's all self-sustained. 

"I will need to increase my physique if I want to use that again. Otherwise, I might be the first person to die from moving too fast."

Genji took out 2 healing balms and applied them to his chest. A few minutes later, the soreness has receded and Genji can move normally again. Then he crossed his legs and started meditating to recover the energy he drained in that fight. It can't be helped. If he didn't spend so much energy, Genji doubted he could have ended the fight so fast. In fact, he suspects the blades won't even cut through the hide of the ogre. 

An hour later, he recover most of his energy. Genji got up, walked back to the battlefield, and recovered his fuhai-boshi. He pulled out his phone and called headquarters to fetch him and the body. The body's needed as it's proof of his achievement. After the organization has confirmed the strength of the creature, he will get a promotion and start his exploration plans.

 

---

 

Genji rode the transport vehicle into the building and walked into the armory.

"I would like to order some more disposable blades," he told the register at the desk.

The person looked at him with a confused expression. Isn't this the guy that requested the weird fuhai-boshi? I was sure he got a good amount of them. Although confused, the register didn't voice his doubts.

"How many?"

"Let's go with 10. Can I also get a restock on my ammo?"

"Sure. All out of your agent funds?"

"Supplement it with my bounties first."

"Very well. They should arrive tomorrow."

Genji nodded and started his wandering of the town again. Compared to the wild, things were a lot more peaceful within civilization. He came to a park and sat down on a bench. Then he started thinking. Thinking about all kinds of things. Some related to this world, some not.

"This world is strange. Why have I not met a single mutant despite the world intro saying they were the major fighting force against corruptors? If they really are as it said, then shouldn't they be high in the ranks? Just from the name, they should be people who are stronger than most of the corruptors I had fought.

At their weakest, they should be able to rival elites. So where did they go? Where did such a strong force go? There are almost no records of them in CEC. I can understand if the common person doesn't know, but not even an agent? I'm rank 4, an elite member for god's sake."

Genji took out a mint candy and popped it in his mouth. A refreshing feeling soothed his mind.

"And then there's 7156. He managed to join the mutants quite early so they couldn't have been that rare. So why are CEC hiding them? Does it have something to do with the dark secret the intro mentioned? Something definitely doesn't add up."

"You seem troubled, Mister" a childish voice sounded beside him.

Genji looked over and saw a girl around 7 years old looking at him.

"Just thinking. Where's your parents?"

"Mommy is talking to a friend so I left to play. Mister, what were you thinking about?"

"Nothing you need to worry about."

"Don't be like that. It's always better to say your problems out loud."

Genji hesitated but decided that there was nothing to lose.

"I'm confused about some things. No matter how I think about it, I feel like I'm missing something."

The girl smiled.

"That's normal. If we know everything, then wouldn't we all be sages?"

Genji contemplated this sentence. Yes. If I know everything, wouldn't I be a sage? Since I am not a sage, then why am I approaching this problem like one? I'm a killer. So let's approach this like a killer. By removing any problems that get in my way.

"Thank you. That made things clear for me."

"No problem. I'm going to get going now." The unnamed child waved him goodbye and went to enjoy the playground.

Seeing her innocence, Genji smiled to himself.

"To think I would get advice like this."

He shook his head and got up from his seat. Now that his problems are resolved, there's only one thing to do. Focus on the present and nothing else. Let his future problems come to him. He'll deal with them as they come.

 

---

 

The next day, Genji got his promotion and his consumable weapons, allowing him to set off for the wilderness again. This time, with a destination in mind and the will to explore the world that he's thrust into. He put his suitcases in a large backpack, hopped on a motorcycle, and started zooming.

On the way, he ignored any corruptors that popped up on his radar. If he wants to make it there in a reasonable time, he can't be distracted by these stragglers.

A few hours later, he got off the vehicle and made a camp for himself. He took out some dry rations and replenished his energy. After eating, he hid the motorcycle away from sight and started following the dirt path. Soon, he came across a decayed wooden sign.

"Welcome to Cavean Town"

He assembled his fuhai-boshis and hung them in an easily reachable place. Then he closed the suitcases and returned them to the backpack. If this place is as dangerous as reports say, he will need to be on guard at all times.

This is Cavean Town, a place that had been overrun by corruptors in the past. People didn't know how it happened, but a large amount of them appeared one day. All the villagers were wiped out and news of this wasn't found until months later, when a traveling agent visited this place.

When CEC got the news, they tried everything they can to cover this story. They claimed that a mysterious virus had infected the area and it should be avoided at all times. They even removed the location from the map so people won't come here intentionally. What a mess.

When he heard this, Genji realized there might be more to the story than CEC lets on. Desiring answers to his questions, Genji chose to explore this place. The only problem is that CEC won't allow anyone to go near it unless they are at least a rank 5 agent. 

Genji doesn't know how the other agents achieved this rank, but he suspects they had a bunch of weapons to help them. That and a bunch of traps and teamwork. Basically, methods that are many times more efficient than what he had pulled off. However, these alternatives are impossible for him. With only 14 days remaining in this realm, dedicating multiple days to pursue a potential lead is questionable.

From what he had heard, the amount of stat points earned per world is related to the person's accomplishments. If the explorer does the bare minimum, they will earn a meager amount of stat points. In extended cases, they might even be demoted and lose the privileges of their current rank. In a way, the ranks show how strong the person was and their rate of strengthening. 

The other thing is that with each world one completes, the difficulty increases. The increase was to compensate for the increased strength. If Genji falls behind, then life would only become more difficult from there. Eventually, this negative spiral will result in his death or constant demotion.

Genji refuses to accept a slow death like this, so he can only take risks to get stronger. At a rate that outgrows the scaling of worlds. Only that way can he thrive in this environment. 

Genji approached the run-down town and looked around. There were a few corruptors wandering the area, but they seem to have a boundary they won't cross. It's like they are shackled to this place. Genji approached one of them and drew his sword.

Using the shadows of the night, he launched a sneak attack and decapitated the creature. It's a trustworthy method. It doesn't matter what rank or how much health the creature has. As long as he removes the head, it's an instant kill. That's the reason he was able to kill so many elites. 

"I wonder if there will be opponents that can survive a decapitation in the future."

Genji crouched down and studied the corpse. Something felt different about this corruptor. He couldn't put his finger on it, but it was there. He would have to study more to find out.

He killed a few more with sneak attacks, but he found nothing.

"These rank 1 creatures are not enough. Let's find stronger ones."

Genji entered the town and hid behind a corner. There are corruptors everywhere so he can't afford to be discovered. He weaved around the buildings and approached an elite. Then in one swift motion, Genji channeled a wisp of energy into his blade and decapitated the creature.

Then, before the body could fall over, Genji caught it and dragged it into an abandoned building. He found an open spot and started dissecting it. There were a few weird organs, but the inside of it seemed hollow. Almost like something had been eating the body from the inside out.

After a while, Genji realized he couldn't find any more information and stopped, opting to continue exploring.

*Groan* 

As he walked out of his hiding spot, he was met by a rotting humanoid. It limped and stumbled toward him, swinging its yellow fingers at Genji's face. Genji took a step back and swiftly dispatched the creature. When it fell to the ground, a black, pus-like substance oozed out of the wound.

"Things are becoming weird."

He ignored the smelly body and continued. Yet as he continued, he felt something was wrong. At first, Genji didn't realize what it was, but soon, zombies started approaching him. Genji shook off a few, but they keep coming to him. He soon realized what was happening when he tried to sneak past a group. As if sensing him, all the decaying bodies turned to his hiding spot and started lugging their legs toward him.

"Did I get marked? If so, when?"

Genji pulled out two pistols and started gunning the creatures down. It's a terrible idea to make so much noise, but Genji suspects he's being tracked by scent. The only question is how he got marked by it. Since he doesn't know, he decided to stay at a distance.

*Bang bang bang*

Headshot after headshot felled the bodies, but they soon got up. At this moment, Genji realized these are actual zombies with no weak points. At least it's not their head. Otherwise, they would have stayed down. 

"Not much of a problem. I just need another headshot to finish them off."

Genji reloaded one of his guns and started unloading at a higher frequency. 30 seconds later, the entire group has been killed, but a thumping sound was approaching his location. Genji put away his weapons and started running. Now is not the time to fight a big creature.

As Genji was running, he learned something. The deeper he went into the town, the stronger the corruptors become.

"Something is up with this place, and I have a feeling it's in the center of this place."

Throughout the night, Genji explored the rest of the town while avoiding the other corruptors. In the course of this night, Genji found 3 mini-bosses that rivaled the ogre in power and a stronger main boss in the middle of town.

For the sake of rewards and safety, Genji chose to kill the 3 mini-bosses before tackling the main one. It would be bad if he gets teamed on mid-fight. Yet this does not mean he has to fight head-on.

Once the sun came up, Genji backed off from the town to get some rest for the day. When Genji woke up, he took his pistols and started clearing out the mobs in the surrounding area to prepare for the main act. Night fell again and Genji disassembled his pistols to make a sniper without a scope. It's harder to aim, but Genji can deal with it. He's an experienced assassin after all.

He walked around the town until he was near one of the mini-bosses. He shot a nearby corruptor and attracted the mini-boss. Genji then repeated this process and lured the boss to the edge of the town. Then it became a shooting game.

The mini-boss tried to approach Genji but stopped after some distance. That's something Genji discovered during the day. No matter what creature he provokes, they seem unable to separate themselves from the town's influence.

The boss hovered around this area with no results. Yet as it was about to retreat, Genji burst out in a frenzy of bullets, killing it before anything can happen.

[You have slain a mini-boss]

[You have gained 5 max energy]

[You have obtained Iron Shoulder Pads]

[Iron Shoulder Pads]

rating: Uncommon

effect: +1 con

Description: Sturdy shoulder pads that are better than nothing

 

He changed his location and repeated this process for the other two mini-bosses.

[You have obtained 10 max energy. Mini-bosses will no longer provide you with max energy.]

[You have obtained Scale gloves.]

[You have obtained Iron Arm Guard(left)]

 

[Scale Gloves]

rating: rare

effect: +1 dex

Description: A pair of gloves that reduces air resistance, making you slightly faster

 

[Iron Arm Guard(left)]

rating: Uncommon

effect: +1 str

Description: An armguard that helps you strike harder.

 

Then Genji tried to pull the same tactic on the boss, but he met a setback. For some reason, the boss refused to move after getting a certain distance away from the center of town. This would normally be a dream for a sniper, but Genji realized the boss wasn't taking much damage. Left with no choice, Genji approached the creature and prepared himself for melee. It's dangerous to approach such a strong corruptor, but Genji wasn't about to give up on such a lucrative reward.

[Troll of Grief]

Health: 5950/5950

Con: 19

Str: 19

Dex: 8

Int: 2

Spc: 0

Skills:

 - Boss physique: +5000 hp

 - Regeneration: Heal 10 hp/second

 - Strong hide: +4 defense

 - Roar (active): deal 5o damage/second for 3 seconds

 - Burst Heal (active): Instantly heal 2500 hp

 - Stomp(active): Deal 500 damage in a 1-meter radius

 - Throw(active): The heavier the object, the higher the damage.

 

Seeing these stats, Genji felt a huge pressure on him. This was a creature stronger than anything he had seen. A total monstrosity. Truly worthy of being a boss creature. Let's talk about the Stomp skill. Genji's total health is only 450 so taking a single hit will kill him. Thankfully, his dexterity outranges the boss by 4 points, giving him enough room to fight.

Genji took a deep breath and prepared himself for another dance with death. He drew his gun and fired a few shots.

-56

-31

-20

It barely fazed the boss as the missing health soon recovered. Feeling the attacks, the red eyes of the troll turned to Genji and let our a roar.

-50

-50

-50

Genji looked at his remaining health in dismay. Two more of those and he would be dead. He put away his pistols and drew his swords.

Lightweight

-100

-103

-13

-82

-359

Genji left two cuts on the troll's chest before kicking off the leg and striking again. The troll had blocked the 4th attack with its forearm, but the last attack landed on the neck. Then Genji disappeared into the darkness. As the troll was looking around for him, Genji jumped out and landed two more strikes on the back of the neck.

-569

-498

The damage was much higher this time because Genji infused some energy into the strikes and the troll was not expecting it.

"Tsk. Two critical hits and I barely made a dent in the neck. Seems like I will have to do this the old-fashioned way."

-67

-54

Genji infused 30 points of energy and swung hard on the ankle of the 3-meter giant. A deep cut was formed, but his blades shattered from the impact. Genji retreated with his handles and came to the suitcase he hid before the fight. He pushed the lever to release the damaged blades and pushed the handle into the case. A click sounded and Genji pulled out two brand-new blades.

When Genji returned to the troll, it was looking around like a hawk hunting for prey. Genji ran over under the shadow's cover and launched a flurry of strikes at the healing ankle.

-40              -56

-49               -62

-43               -45

-98                -109

Genji danced around the leg to leave cuts on the other 3 sides of the joint before cleaving through the ligament, destroying another set of blades.

*ROOOOARRRRRR*

-50

Genji disappeared from the range before the skill could deal any more damage. As he replaced his blades again, he applied some healing balms to slowly recover his own hp.

Genji returned as his Light Weight wore off. Luckily, the equipment had another skill that can be used to boost his speed.

Swift movement

-308

-279

As the troll turned around to punch him, Genji used the arm to perform a backflip.

-100

-103

Genji left two more cuts on the neck as he was upside down. As he was falling, the boss raised its left foot. Seeing this action, Genji cursed.

"Shit! It's going to instakill me."

As the leg started lowering, the world started to slow down. Thinking quickly, Genji stabbed both blades into its back and pushed down with everything. His life depends on it. Genji shot upwards, causing his perspective to return to normal.

-39         -70

*BOOOM*

The surrounding area was destroyed, but Genji was already in the air so he avoided the shockwave. Yet before he can rejoice, the troll swiped its hand at him as if it was swatting an annoying fly. Genji twisted his body and summoned [Muramasa] to strike at the incoming hand.

-14

-158

The first damage was the damage taken by the troll while the second one was the recoil damage experience by Genji as he got sent flying. Landing with a roll, Genji quickly hopped back on his feet.

136/450

Genji looked at the health and acknowledged it might be better to pester the boss from a distance as he recovers. Genji retreated slightly and pulled his duel pistols, starting to kite it. After the troll reached the boundary, Genji unleashed a storm of metal from a distance. After going through his entire stock of ammo, the boss had reached a low 900 health while his health had recovered to full.

Genji put away his guns and drew [Muramasa]. He injected most of his energy into the blade and activated Cursed. With this activation, Genji felt a newfound strength permeate through his body.

[You have been cursed with a fatigue curse. Your stamina will drain 3x faster.]

"Seems like I need to finish this fast," Genji thought as he disappeared from his position.

Lightweight, Swift Movement

When Genji appeared again, he was behind the troll. A red line formed on its neck as its heavy skull slid off from its shoulders. The Troll of Greif has been slain.

Feeling a wave of exhaustion, Genji felt his knees give out, causing him to fall on his behind. 

*Cough cough*

He spat out a few mouthfuls of blood and applied the item to his chest.

"Damm. Combining Muramasa with that speed really takes a toll on my body," he muttered to himself as he raised his shaking hands to bring out some healing balms.