The Malefic Viper stood in his Order as his gaze pierced through the void - the fight between the King and Jake reflected in his eyes.
A fight between a human that had only been part of the system for a mere two months and a being that had lived for a century or more. A unique lifeform that had been born at D-grade. A being that the human should have no right even to approach, much less fight. And yet he fought, and he didn’t just fight but had brought the creature to a state of desperation.
But life was often cruel. Unique lifeforms came with abilities that many considered unfair. Often born with magic or skills that would take an enormous investment of time and effort to learn for any other.
They started ahead of the curve and often ended up becoming powerhouses. Possessed inherent Records to become pinnacle creatures of the universe. Stat growth per level surpassing even those with special classes that came with severe limitations. Like Jake’s pal, the Augur.
The Viper observed as the mask fell, and the true visage of the King was revealed. He sighed as he saw the wave of mental force fly out - an ability that the Viper had to admit that even he would have fallen to if he was still only an early… or maybe even middle D-grade snake. It was an attack that the god could see directly drained the soul of the being. It would take years for the King to recover after using it.
You did well, Jake. More than anyone could ever have expected.
His mortal friend had, indeed, done well. He had already felt that the King didn’t intend to kill Jake, so he would get another chance. In a few days, he would exit the tutorial, still receiving great rewards. That is what his prophecy had shown him… Jake lying there till the end with the King recovering, eliminating all the energies ailing him.
The Viper was about to turn his gaze away as he stopped, his eyes opening wide in genuine astonishment.
The human before him fell backward from the wave of mental energy. The King had felt parts of the soul shatter, his consciousness disperse. The fight was over, and once more, the King reigned supreme. He admonished himself for allowing himself to get to this state, bu-
The human stopped.
His fall paused, his back bent at an impossible angle. Like a whip, the human flew forward towards the King. Fast.
Surprised, the creature didn’t manage to react before he was struck in the chest by a fist. Strong.
*CRACK*
His rotten armor cracked more than before as he was shot backward, reeling from the force as blood poured out of the new deep imprint of a fist on his chest. Confused, disorientated, and in a state of utter disbelief, he gazed at the human before him, now with a broken hand from the attack he had just made.
The King couldn’t understand. The mind had been shattered. How did he move? A thought that was interrupted as the human kept attacking.
This time he managed to repel the hunter with a blast of force, allowing him to float backward and create some distance. He didn’t even consider attacking the human. He couldn’t comprehend what was happening, and his only thought at that time was to get his bearing and understand the situation.
Jake had struggled for only a few moments, but it felt like ages and it was as if his head was on fire. When he was finally starting to get a semblance of control back, he was hit by it. A wave that hit him like nothing else ever before.
He felt everything being shredded as it turned dark. He felt his mind break, and he was no longer able to think or act. He felt himself lose consciousness. And then… he did…
THUMP!
And as his mind faded, that which lay beneath came forth.
THUMP!
A cold, unfeeling thing that held no thoughts, no considerations. Only instincts.
THUMP!
disappear, there is no hesitation. No tactics,
THUMP!
was very much awake. A part of that which was 'Jake' dwelled deep within. And that part had now taken over as he stopped his fall and attacked the King of the Forest. He didn’t need to think about it;
enemies had
impacted the King as every bone in his hand shattered. The veins burst as blood came out of countless small holes and ruined
had a pretty clear warning. Go above 20%, and there would be unforeseen consequences. Consequences Jake would logically aim to avoid. But in the state he was in now,
within flowing faster and faster as his
25%
30%
35%
40%
50%
60%
…
far above anything he ever had before. His skin flaked and began breaking off, fissures opening in
again, he was shot back by a wave of force. An inconsequential action from his enemy as he charged again. This time even faster
hand impacted the same place as before. Blood burst out as his fist was embedded deeply into the creature. The King fell to the ground, hurt
of mental energy hit the human once more, but it did nothing.
exposed face as he tried to push the human away with a blast of force. The creature saw the
King both. Tethering them together while at the same time stopping the human’s body from breaking apart. Trying to contain the
and time again to push the human away as the fists descended. Veins burst all over Jake’s body, his already broken body
how dire his situation was. The internal energy was now fully rampant, and even if he tried, he would be unable to stop it. In other
beast that ripped open its wounds to kill the predator that came aiming for its life, he attacked with reckless abandon. Paradoxically he exerted himself so much to survive but ended up dooming himself instead. A fight that wouldn’t even result
instincts knew that the death of
no longer be called fists. The King struggled still, but even his most potent attacks were useless. He couldn’t do anything. The face was
thought as he slowly became unable to struggle. He saw the sharp, yet hollow, eye
more than bloody pulps as the consciousness of the King waivered. His struggle slowly ending as the attacks only got more and more vicious. When Jake's hands could no
I was mistaken…
kill the enemy. Beating it down several times, he soon could no longer lift it up. The energies within him spent, his stamina
lose… I...
fading as the only thing that remained was an innate will to live within both Jake and the King. The deepest parts of their souls were struggling to stay alive. But willpower could only last so long as both their sparks of life began
…die
Order of the Malefic Viper, a hysterical laugh was heard as it echoed throughout the halls. All heard it and knew the source - the patron himself. What could possibly have
as the final scenes were etched into his mind, a giant
succeeded in doing the impossible. The outcome was different; the fate changed. Was this omen good or bad for the future? How would it affect the Augur she had taken under her
rarely happened. Subverting destiny could never be seen as a simple
through the void. A tutorial had been cleared, and by one he had a karmic connection to. Naturally,
their paths to intersect. It would be a shame
sat on his throne as he smiled lightly. "I guess I didn't waste my time with
he tried to collect his memories. The last thing he remembered was getting hit by a wave
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