Kaito moved without urgency now. The earlier encounter with the herd lingered at the back of his mind, but he forced it down. Thinking to much can let his guard down, resulting in dangerous consequences.
A Corrupted Core Spirit dashed towards Kaito with terrifying speed, it's arm raised, claws reflecting light towards Kaito's face.
Unfortunately, Kaito was one step ahead of it, with more that the speed it possessed, his fist connected straight on it's face, spilling violet ichor around his hand.
"Took one hit, ha!"
Corrupted Core Spirit eliminated
[+1 Corrupted Soul]
That didn't make him happy. Ever since the system had force him to fight back and survive, most of his emotions are gone. Survival mattered more than celebration, without the system's guidance, he would have panicked and attracted unwanted attention and die. Believing in the system was what he can only do, though it seemed almost impossible to be real, he just kept going to see where his imagination would take him.
Another spirit lunged from behind a rock formation. This one was fast, it's legs too gave that away, yelling I can run fast.
Kaito sidestepped, fatigue ticking upward, then thrust his hand forward.
A powerful ball of energy struck the creature's head, send it skidding across the ground.
SMASH!
Corrupted Core Spirit eliminated
[+1 Corrupted Soul]
"Two hundred and seventeen."
Fatigue invaded but he ignored it, no when his this close to obtaining the key, the number became his motivation to grind even higher. So he kept going without even the slightest hint of hesitation.
A lone spirit wandered into range. It's appearance wasn't the issue since the fog blurred everything around him. He took a few steps only to notice there are more than one.
Each fell with fewer wasted movements than the last. Blue light flickered repeatedly after most fall, leaving Kaito standing victorious.
Corrupted Core Spirit eliminated
[+1 Corrupted Soul]
Two hundred and thirty.
Two hundred and forty-two.
Two hundred and fifty-nine.
He leaned against a boulder at two hundred and eighty-seven souls.
Tri-ring!
Name: Kaito Sakurama
Race:Human
Level:18
Rank: Zero Grader
Core-trait: Blue Energy
Title: None
HP:30/100
Core Enery:5/100
Fatigue:87/100
[Attributes]
Vitality:28
Strength:34
Stamina:30
Agility:32
His stats had improved alot, compared to how they were the first time he accessed the system. Due to overgrinding fatigue has increased alot, so resting at least thirty minutes is crucial.
Support stats such as Stamina and Agility increased naturally through movement and combact, allocating points to the would be wasteful and unwise.
********
More spirits fell in quick succession, barely reacting before he erased them.
Two hundred and ninety-five.
One more appeared behind him, but he already reacted before it got a chance to lift a finger.
Corrupted Core Spirit eliminated
[+1 Corrupted Soul]
"Two hundred ninety-six." he exhaled.
Four more.
The last four spirits were hard to find, or was it just Kaito's impatience, rushing had locked his sense of direction, he moved without direction, uncaring where he would end up to.
Three eliminated so that means there is one left. Just like the other three finding it seemed more like looking for a lost needle.
"Hmm, Did I eradicate the whole race?"
That's impossible, there are more than just two hundred and ninety-nine Corrupted Core Spirits. Something just doesn't seem right, maybe Kaito isn't just in the right place, the fog must be repelling Corrupted Core Spirits from inhabiting this side of the world. Maybe, or he could have gone deeper in the fog.
Kaito decide to return the way he came, since not knowing which way it was, he tried following his footsteps. Thus, he wasn't able to to see very well, as the fog blocked his way. All he can do now is to rely on his instincts.
He carried on walking relying on what he insisted as a hunch. With no sense of direction this "hunch" he relied on is the only hope he has.
By the time the fog thinned, his clothes were stained with dry violet ichor. And finally somewhere familiar, the cliff he once stood at waiting for a herd of spirits to pass by.
THUD!
THUD!
THUD!
"W-what was that?!"
THUD!
THUD!
THUD!
"Could it be?"
Indeed it was the herd has returned, or passing again. Why would they return this early? Did Kaito grind for that long that he even forgot time existed.
By his estimation, if the herd passed this cliff, it was either six in the evening or twelve at night. Morning or midnight. He couldn't tell which anymore.
But this isn't right something is wrong, he can feel it.
THUD!
THUD!
THU-
"T-they stopped?"
But why?
Did they see him?
Or can they feel his energy?
Once this thoughts invaded, he immediately laid down. Suppresing his energy right after, hoping to hear the rumbling continuing.
THUD!
THUD!
Thankfully, it does, the rumbling continued loud enough to satisfy him. He stared at the dark colored sky wondering what should be the first thing to do after escaping the Corrupted lands.
Gathering purple core crystals before leaving was too obvious, he hadn't worked for a while so he wont be getting any salary. Talking about work right returning, he plans on quitting too, since the job almost killed him various times, selling even a handful of these crystals would set him and Mira up for life.
THUD!
THUD!
THUD!
THUD!
"Still going on, what the hell is going on down there?
Peeping was a bad thing to do is. What he seen down there is something he didn't expect.
SHINE!
Violet light shone, as the herd dissappeared along with it. And yet instead of stopping they kept going, the rumbling faded slowly as the light shone even brighter.
"What's going on?"
WHOOSH!
Air around the light was pushed back by unnatural force that sent Kaito skidding across the ground. He dug his hands into the ground to avoid falling.
Managing to do so, he decided to see what happened to the herd, and what he witnessed is something that made him feel like he wasn't allowed to see it.
A single Corrupted Core Spirit emerged from the glowing purple light, three to four-hundred centimeters in height. Shady humanoid figure, sharp claws and small red eyes.
Kaito's eyes widened as he noticed it's chest was hollow, there was nothing there, but an empty space allowing air to move freely.
"It can't be?!"