As he saw the blue panel blocking his vision. Cain sheathed his katana and pistol. The corner of his lips raised, seeing the sight that always boosted his motivation to work hard.
The blue panel in front of him disappeared with a wave of his hand. He looked through the window and gained a high vantage point, suitable for surveying the surrounding area.
The black pupils in his eyes dilated and contracted like a camera lens; the effect of his eagle eye was in full force. His vision expanded; he could even see small stones at the edge of the road in front of him.
As his eyes narrowed, the surrounding view blurred, and his vision extended hundreds of meters. His head moved right and left, searching for the optimal route to continue the search.
'Where else should I look, huh!?'
However, his vision stopped at a point, a place at the northern end.
Cain's body trembled, feeling a chill creeping down his spine. He saw dozens of virus beasts crawling on the road. Their bloody red eyes blinked, emitting a terrifying light that made him take a deep breath.
'Are you kidding me!?'
He felt that he didn't get a clear view. The boy turned around and left the cramped room filled with the carcasses, soaked in black fluid that kept leaking from their wounds.
His footsteps were heavy, pounding the corridor floor with a grim echo. The armour shoes screeched as he pressed his feet onto the floor to slow down the momentum of his run.
The boy turned, running up the stairs in spirals until he reached the top floor, where a rusty iron door gaped open, radiating a dark light from outside.
Cain stepped onto the flat roof of the building and ran closer to the edge. A cold wind blew, carrying the whispers of death that tickled his neck, causing his body to shiver.
However, he was too focused on what was caught in his eyes. His mouth gaped, struggling to squeeze out the words stuck in his throat.
"Oi, this is very different from what was in the file."
Far from his location to the north. A swarm of about thirty virus beasts gathered at a single flat point; a place that should have been filled with ruins was now an ocean of glowing red light.
That was only in one spot, not to mention the virus beasts that separated from the group. He began to estimate that the monsters roaming around this ruin numbered more than fifty.
Not to mention, he saw four units of virus beasts that had a taller physique than the rest. Their bodies were covered with iron exoskeletons; they had two sharp pincers similar to crabs that could cut boulders like butter.
'Even Lower-Rank Virus beasts are also present in the group. Talk about worse luck.'
He recalled several classifications of virus beasts from the data stored in his brain.
Their ranks ranged from the weakest to the strongest: Common, Lower, Intermediate, Advance, Voracious, Intelligence, and Super.
And the virus beasts that belonged to the Lower category and below were monsters that lived according to their instincts. Also, virus beasts at that level tend to live in a pack to protect their own survival.
But that couldn't describe the entire life structure of the virus beasts roaming freely on this planet. There were also Lower-Rank Virus beasts that lived alone, or strong advanced-rank virus beasts that lived in crowds.
That showed that there were still many things humans did not know about the virus beasts' ecosystem.
Cain looked down, gritting his teeth. His eyes blinked several times as he tried to capture all the information he saw.
Seconds passed in silence before he raised his gaze forward, then glanced at the smartwatch screen on his left wrist.
'I have a bit of time.'
The boy lowered his left hand and couldn't help but hold the katana sheath at his waist.
His brain was racing, searching for alternative solutions to get out of this situation. However, he knew that the word 'aborted mission' kept ringing in the deepest part of his heart.
However, the boy stubbornly leaned toward the path where he could develop further.
Could he overcome this obstacle?
'Only one way to find out.'
Cain's pupils contracted, activating his eagle eye ability. With his height advantage, he scanned the surrounding area, searching for small groups of virus beasts separated from the horde.
"Found you!"
On the west side, a bit far away from him. Cain caught two Common-Rank virus beasts grinding the ground with their pointed legs.
Without further ado, he ran to the corner of the building and jumped. The boy drew his katana and stabbed it into the building's wall, trying to slow down his fall.
However, he underestimated the sharpness of the weapon he carried. He saw the hard road growing closer, and the boy cursed his own stupidity.
'Ah, shit!'
Bam!
The impact of the collision created cracks that spread on the road. Both legs trembled, sending a shockwave that jolted Cain's mind.
But different from what he thought, the connection between his mind and muscles was still intact, as Cain could move his legs freely.
A realization dawned upon him. With his mind, the boy opened up his status window and checked his current parameters.
"Just as I suspected."
[Parameter!]
- Vitality: 44 > 34
His Vitality status decreased, but it was not permanent and would heal on its own over time or with rest. And it seemed that not only his body but his armour suit also absorbed the burden of the fall that was imposed on the user's body.
So the small reduction of his Vitality in his status was thanks to the suit's performance.
Cain looked at both his legs, then tried to skip several times to ensure nothing was sprained, especially his ankles.
"Everything is perfect."
He immediately ran, cutting through the wind resistance. With his current strength, the boy could cover hundreds of meters in less than 5 seconds.
Seeing his enemies were still unaware of his presence, Cain drew his katana, and while running, he slashed both monsters and stopped a few meters from the location of the slaughter.
[Integrity +5%]
[Integrity +5%]
The boy wrinkled his eyebrows. He glared at the notification panel that popped out in his vision.
"The Integrity Point I receive decreases every time I level up. It seems that Common-rank virus beasts will vanish from my hunting radar soon."
For a moment, Cain's thoughts were drawn to the two Lower-Rank virus beasts that were in the middle of the horde of glowing red lights.
He shook his head, throwing away his reckless thoughts and focused on what was in front of his eyes. The boy locked his eyes at the smartwatch screen on his wrist and nodded.
"Let's continue."
From there, Cain utilized his stamina and ran around the north area to look for monsters in small groups.
A sequence of crimson flashes danced on the northern streets, all coming from a boy who single-handedly killed dozens of monsters in a short time.
Sparks flew, black fluid spurted out every time the limbs of the monster mixed with twitching flesh torn, flooding the silent asphalt, which had now turned into a mound of junk.
Time passed in silence as the black sky in the atmosphere hummed with joy, drawn to the courage of a human child running atop a pile of iron corpses.
One downward slash that left a red line split the body of a virus beast into two, accompanied by a notification that appeared in the form of a vibration in his hand, and a blue panel that blocked the grey-haired boy's vision.
[Integrity +1%]
[Integrity +1%]
...
"Ah, is it that time already?"
Cain's voice was deep, still lost in thought. The earlier hunt made him like a possessed person as he lost track of time.
He was also panting, but the glow emanating from his eyes was not a tragedy but a feeling of exhilaration after completing his task.
The boy inhaled deeply before exhaling it all at once. Cain raised his left hand to check the time. Instead of the timer he had set, it was a personal call from Rika that stirred a deep, bad feeling.
'Damn, she's going to roast me whole!'
***
Cain's current Status:
[NULL SEQUENCE v0.2.0]
USER ID: Cain (M)
CLASS: (Undefined Entity)
LEVEL: 18.0
INTEGRITY: 13%
> Core Parameters:
- Vitality: 45
- Mind: 43
- Physique: 43
- Agility: 50
- Sense: 43
- Corruption: 0%
> Bonus Point: 15
> Skill: [Scan Protocol lv 2], [Data Reconstruction], [Limit Break]
> Acquired Data: Basic Kenjutsu(Student), Basic Firearms(Beginner)
> Attribute: -