As everyone slept, I finally had a moment to analyse my stats.
[Name: Lucian Edelhart]
Level: 10
HP: 20/20
SP: 40/40
Stamina: 10/10
Skills:
[Quickstep]
[Backstab]
[Conceal]
[Enhanced Evasion]
[Vigilance (Passive)]
[Pilfer]
[Blackjack]
[Shadow Veil (Passive)]
[Assassinate]
EXP: 5300/25600
Attributes: [ 1 Skill Point Available!]
Vigor: 4
Focus: 3
Endurance: 2
Strength: 1
Dexterity: 2
]
"Seriously… 20,000 Experience for one Titan is insane."
I guess since it was a 15-meter abnormal, it was more than usual.
I didn't have a chance to fight a Titan during the rest of the expedition thanks to our tactics.
But I'm sure a normal Pure Titan would give far less XP.
With this level, I've unlocked Assassinate, which is by far my strongest skill, with a 1000% strength boost when behind an enemy.
It's reassuring to have, even if it's taxing on my SP.
Of course, the easiest way to mitigate this would be to level Focus again. And I did get an extra skill point after levelling up.
But I'm not going to use it right now.
This is because, when you use a skill point, it replenishes the stat that was upgraded.
So for the time being, I'll keep this skill point in reserve in the event of an emergency where I would need that extra SP.
Hopefully, there is no such emergency, however. My plan is to keep Levi in the group instead of leaving us during the rain.
It's going to be hard to convince him, though.
***
Dawn.
When I woke up, I could feel the humidity in the air.
Through the windows, I could see the depressing grey clouds looming over me.
"It's going to rain today, huh."
"What makes you say that?"
Furlan tilted his head and asked.
"Just a hunch."
The real reason is because of what happened in the anime, but I'm not going to say that for obvious reasons.
Today is also the day when that abnormal Titan appears.
The one who kills Furlan and Isabel in the original story.
Whilst dwelling on this fact, Erwin and Keith Shadis walked in.
"Soldiers, prepare yourselves! This is the furthest we've made it, thanks to the countless sacrifices of those before us. This will be the day to produce results!"
"Yes, sir!"
The hall in which everyone was lined up yelled in unison whilst giving the salute.
Once everyone packed up, we returned to our assigned squad leader and set off, leaving the castle ruins behind.
"All squads! Deploy the long-distance scouting formation!"
Erwin commanded everyone into their positions.
As I was trodding along, Isabel caught up to me.
"What do you think we will find at the end of the horizon?"
"Obviously, the ocean."
"…Ocean? What's that?!"
"Ah… You don't know what an ocean is. Well, it's basically a large stretch of salt water."
"Is that really true?! But salt is so expensive!"
"Lucian, how do you know that?"
Furlan suddenly interrogated me.
"Um… Because I saw it in a book."
"Stop chatting! There's a green flare! We're redirecting!"
Flagon scolded us, and we changed our course.
Levi, meanwhile, was in awe.
"It's a brilliant strategy, for so many units to behave like one living creature."
"Yeah, Squad Leader Erwin really is something. Looks like the rear guard will make it to the next supply point without seeing another Titan."
Furlan agreed with him.
"Ten… Eleven…"
Isabel, on the other hand, was counting on her fingers.
"We've changed course fourteen times so far… so there were fourteen more Titans than I thought there would be."
"Which means if we stop, it's over."
Furlan's ominous thought couldn't have been timed worse.
First, one drip fell.
And then…
A torrential downpour.
"Shit! You were right, Lucian! We can't see anything now!"
Squad Leader Flagon's voice grew distant as his figure slowly faded.
"That fog is so thick!"
"Hey! Don't break ranks! Stick toge—!"
"Isabel! Furlan! Lucian! Don't get separated!"
Levi's voice barely managed to break through the constant pattering, and the four of us managed to draw close just in time.
Isabel was the first to speak.
"What are we gonna do?! We're completely off course."
Furlan responded.
"We've got no choice but to continue like this. We shouldn't be too far from the guys in our squad. If we want to meet up… then we have no choice but to wait for the fog to clear. Or maybe if Squad Leader Flagon's sound grenade is working."
"At this rate, we won't be able to use flares no matter how long we wait."
"This is bad. After all, if Erwin gets eaten, what are we gonna do about the documents?"
I sighed inwardly.
Furlan's worried about the plan breaking apart, as I expected.
Levi fell into thought for a while at Furlan's words.
"This is our chance. You three stay behind… I'll get the documents off him."
"Let's just stick together instead!"
I tried to convince Levi, but it was useless.
"What are you talking about? Think about it. Who's more likely to die? Just me? Or Flagon and Sairam?"
"Fine… then how about you stay with them! I'll go!"
"Isabel. Furlan. Who is a better choice to go alone, me or Lucian?"
"If I had to choose, it would be Levi…"
"Ah… Sorry, Lucian, but even if he's annoying, I choose Levi! Only because you're useless without me, obviously."
I slumped my head down.
Even Isabel agreed with Levi.
"Tch, looks like there's no convincing you."
Bang!
In the distance, a sound grenade blew up.
"Looks like that's Flagon's sound grenade!"
"You guys meet up with him. I'll be the one to kill Erwin. I won't let him be eaten by a Titan."
"Are you really sure, Levi? Let's just wait until the rain settles?"
Furlan protested.
"I can do it myself! Do you not trust me!"
"—Sigh, fine. Don't die."
"Make sure you come back, Levi!"
"…"
I stayed silent.
I tried.
In the end, I wasn't able to change Levi's mind. He cares too much about them.
With my new skill, I'm probably better than Levi now, but there's no way for them to know.
I can only hope that I'm able to deal with that abnormal while protecting everyone alone now.
It would've been better to have Levi by my side, on the off chance anything went wrong.
***
Levi separated from the group, and the rest headed towards Flagon's signal.
Furlan led the group.
"I'm sure we'll meet with them soon. Let's hurry before the rain gets even harder."
They followed the direction of the sound from earlier until…
"Magnolia! Church! Edelhart! You're alive!"
"—But what happened to Ackerman?"
"Oh, we, uh… got separated in the fog."
Furlan naturally led the conversation instead of us.
"…Is he dead?"
"He isn't! I'm sure he'll come back! Isn't that right, Isabel, Lucian?"
"Of course! He's the second strongest behind Lucian, after all!"
"If that's the case… Let's go! We can't wait for him any longer in this rain."
"Okay!"
They continued aiming for the general direction they thought the formation was travelling.
"—Eek! Owch!"
But suddenly, Isabel's horse tripped over a dead body.
"My horse?!"
"Isabel!"
Lucian was the first one to worry and dismounted to get to her.
What he didn't notice until the last moment, due to the thick fog, was the hand of an abnormal crawling Titan about to slam her into the ground.
But the instant he did, [Enhanced Evasion] and [Quickstep] were activated.
"Watch out!"
He slammed his body into Isabel, saving her from the oncoming Titan.
But found himself pinned to the ground by its palm instead.
"Let go of Lucian!"
Isabel, still on the ground, could only yell as she watched Lucian about to get eaten by the abnormal Titan.
But the next second, the Titan's fingers were missing, and Lucian was free.
This was thanks to [Enhanced Evasion]. When throwing himself between Isabel and the Titan, he managed to slip his blades between the Titan's palms at the last second.
It came at a cost, however. The sheer strength of the Titan snapped Lucian's humerus, leaving him with only one arm. His head was bleeding after hitting a small rock, and when he checked his Vigor, it had dropped significantly.
"…That's right! Vigor!"
Thinking quickly, he used his skill point to level up Vigor and managed to restore his HP.
He then activated [Backstab], leaping into the air to get behind the Titan, and activated [Assassinate] and [Enhanced Evasion], consuming ten SP at once, thinking that he could kill the Titan instantly… But he miscalculated.
The time it would take Lucian to swing at the nape was not enough to prevent it from reaching Isabel, who had injured her leg after falling off her horse.
When Isabel tried to use her ODM gear to avoid it, the Titan bit the line and swivelled its neck, flinging her back.
Once again, Lucian had to jump in to save her.
He caught her in a carry and dropped her off next to the others.
"I'm sorry! If it wasn't for me, Lucian…"
"Don't worry. Furlan, Squad Leader, take care of her."
"Don't tell me you're gonna fight it alone! Look how injured you are."
Furlan was partially correct. Lucian was even healthier than before, but it came at a cost. He had now wasted his last skill point on Vigor and only had 12 SP left.
In order to kill the Titan now, he would have to time his skills perfectly.
He hopped on his horse, which was still nearby, and met the Titan head-on.
Although time was short, because as soon as he activated [Enhanced Evasion], he would only have 3 seconds before all his remaining SP ran out to use his remaining skills.
In his vision, the raindrops almost froze in place.
Using [Backstab] once again, he leapt into the sky, aiming to get behind the Titan. He combined it with his gas to reach there faster.
As he did, the Titan jumped up erratically, shaking as it tried to chomp and grab him.
He narrowly avoided it, slashing precisely at the Titan's fingers and allowing himself to pass through.
Since he was behind the Titan, he could now activate the [Assassinate] skill and gain a strength boost.
And with one last hiss of his gas canisters, he cleaved down.
The fog around the blade separated cleanly, and as soon as he made contact with the Titan's nape…
Its head separated cleanly.
"I did it! I really ki—"
His celebration was cut short.
He fell down with a thud onto the ground, looking like a bloody mess.
When Lucian killed the Titan, he consumed both his SP and stamina entirely.
In the game, that meant forced unconsciousness.
And it seems his body, following the [Reckoning Online] system, had that effect follow through with it.
Although he looked injured, he was really just recovering his stamina and SP.
Isabel ignored her injured leg and ran over to hug him while crying.
"Waaah! Wake up! Are you alive, Lucian?! Phew, you're breathing! Lucian, you saved me again! I'm so sorry!"
"Hey, calm down. If you hug him that tight, he might really die…"
Furlan was relieved that Lucian was alive and also astonished by his strength.
"Was Lucian always that strong?"
Even Flagon and Sairam were amazed.
"To decapitate a Titan… What strength."
***
Levi covered his face as rain and fog obscured his vision.
Wait for me, Erwin Smith… I'll kill you with my own two hands and retrieve the document.
But he suddenly came to a halt.
"What the hell happened here… No way! That trail is behind me!"
A trail of dead bodies, footprints, and handprints imprinted into the muddy ground.
Levi rushed back, and when he did, he found Isabel crying and hugging Lucian.
"Lucian!"
The rain ceased, and the sky began to clear, revealing the sizzling corpse of a headless Titan.
Before Levi could get there, Erwin's squad had begun to arrive at the same time.
Levi didn't waste time and rushed to Erwin.
"Levi? What are you doing this far from them?"
"I'm gonna kill you! That's why I'm here!"
"I see… It's come to this. The truth is… The document I have exposing Lobov's crime is a dummy. The real one has likely already reached Darius Zackley by now."
"In other words, Lobov is finished."
"Huh?! You knew everything from the start!"
"Calm down! Instead of going down with Lobov, I'm giving you guys a way out. Stay in the Survey Corps. You could grow into the Wings of Freedom."
"Don't give screw with me!"
Erwin stared at Lucian, who was covered in blood.
"Without treatment, he's surely going to die… Are you sure you want that?"
Levi looked over and gritted his teeth.
"—You bastard!"
"Look around you! In this wide-open place without walls, there might be something to free you from the despair of being caged in. What will you choose? Will you continue to be caged inside, whether it's the Underground, the Walls, or a cell? Humanity needs your strength! Stay in the Survey Corps and give others the freedom you were deprived of!"
"…"
Levi stared up, contemplating in silence.
Erwin already left him behind and began moving.
Furlan and the others reached Levi after hearing the commotion.
"Levi… does this mean we're staying?"
"We've got no choice."