SSSSS-Rank: Negative Leveling

'Shit. I acted tough, but five of them at once is a problem. My stomach still has a hole in it.'

Just then, a blue screen appeared in front of him.

[New Emergency Quest Generated: Punish the Unworthy] 

[Objective: Subjugate the five bounty hunters.] 

[Bonus Condition: Suffer no additional significant injuries.] 

[Reward: Level Down, ???, 100 NP.] 

[Bonus Reward: ???, 150 NP.] 

[Failure Penalty: Capture and Enslavement.]

'A bonus for not getting hit? In my current state? This system is a real bastard.'

The boss, whose face was red, shouted, "You think you're some kind of big shot now?! I'll kill you!"

He stomped his foot on the ground, and a spray of dirt and sharp rocks flew toward Luthra's face. He swung his chain in a low, horizontal arc, and the heavy metal links batted the debris out of the air.

At the same time, one of the men with an axe charged from the side, bringing his weapon down in a big swing. Luthra did not move to block it. He whipped the end of his chain and it wrapped around the man's ankle, and pulled hard. The man yelled as his feet were swept out from under him, and crashed to the ground.

Another man with a sword tried to stab him from his other side. Luthra's free hand shot out and grabbed the man's wrist, stopping the blade just before it reached him. He pulled the man in front of him, using his body as a shield just as a third hunter threw a knife. The knife sank into the human shield's shoulder.

"Gah! You bastard!"

The boss was furious that his men were being beaten so easily. He roared and kicked the large log he was sitting on earlier. The burning piece of wood flew through the air like a cannonball, straight at Luthra.

He shoved the human shield away and jumped back. The burning log smashed into the ground where he was just standing.

'Something is strange, the big guy is for sure strong, but these other guys, they are all weak.'

He decided to test his theory.

The boss roared, kicking another huge, burning log from the campfire directly at him. Luthra did not jump back, instead he swung his chain upwards like a golf club, and the links connected with the burning log, sending it flying high into the night sky where it spun like a firework.

'Yep, just as I thought.'

Before the other four men could react to the sudden display, Luthra was already moving. He flicked his wrist, and the chain shot out, not at the boss, but at the ground right in front of the two men who were on his left. The chain kicked up a massive cloud of dirt and rocks, completely blinding them for a moment.

"Gah! My eyes!"

"I can't see!"

Luthra yanked the chain back and immediately whipped it out to his right side. It wrapped around the axe of the third man, and Luthra pulled hard, ripping the weapon right out of his hands, sending it flying into the face of the fourth man, who went down with a surprised grunt.

'Three down, one to go, well, not really down, but close enough.'

He charged forward, ignoring the boss completely, and ran straight at the two men who were still rubbing their eyes. He did not use his chain, he just punched them both in the face, one after the other, and they both collapsed into heaps on the ground. The third man, the one who lost his axe, was still trying to figure out what happened when Luthra kicked him in the back of the knee, causing him to fall forward onto the ground.

It all happened in less than five seconds.

The boss just stood there with his mouth open, his face was a picture of complete confusion.

"How… How did you do that so fast?"

He did not answer, he just looked at the three unconscious men on the ground, then at the fourth one who was knocked out by the flying axe.

'Just as I suspected, they have no mana reinforcement. Just regular, strong guys. They are not real hunters at all.'

He turned his full attention to the boss, who was now the only one left standing.

The boss finally seemed to snap out of his shock, his face turning red with anger.

"You bastard! So what if you beat up some weaklings?! I am a real awakened hunter! I'm an E-4 rank! I will crush you!"

He stomped his foot on the ground, and this time the earth in front of him bulged upwards, creating a thick, jagged wall of rock that shot towards Luthra.

'So he's an earth-type, how annoying.'

Luthra spun the chain in a circle, building up momentum, then slammed it directly into the approaching rock wall. The impact shattered the rock into hundreds of small pieces, sending dust everywhere.

Through the cloud of dust, the boss came charging, his fists covered in a thick layer of rock armor. He threw a punch straight at Luthra's head.

'He is fast.'

He ducked under the punch and swung his chain around the boss's waist, pulling him off balance. The boss was incredibly heavy and strong, but the sudden pull was enough to make him stumble. Luthra used the opportunity to kick the back of his knee, the same move he used on the other guy, but the boss's leg did not buckle. It was like kicking a solid stone pillar.

The boss grinned, "My earth armor is too strong for your little tricks!"

He swung his other fist, a massive, rock-covered hammer, down at Luthra's head. He let go of the chain and jumped back, the rock fist smashing into the ground and creating a small crater.

The boss pulled the chain off his waist and threw it to the side. "You have no weapon now! What will you do?"

He looked at his chain lying on the ground, then back at the boss.

He put a look of desperation on his face, 'Good, he thinks I'm useless without the chain. This is a perfect chance.'

The boss ran forward, his fists were still covered in a thick layer of rock. He threw a punch that was aimed directly at Luthra's head.

Luthra did not dodge the punch, instead, he moved forward and slapped the side of the boss's stone-covered fist with his open palm, the impact was surprisingly loud, and the punch was pushed just enough to miss his head and fly past his ear.

The boss was surprised, "What was that? You think you can just slap my attacks away?"

He pulled his arm back and threw another punch with his other hand. Luthra did not slap it this time, he just dropped to the ground and kicked a large amount of dirt and ash from the campfire directly into the boss's face.

"Gah! My eyes! You fucking coward!" the boss yelled, rubbing his eyes with his giant rock hands.

'Now.'

He got up from the ground and ran forward. He grabbed the back of the boss's head with both of his hands and slammed his face into the ground with all of his strength. The ground cracked from the force of the impact, and the rock armor that was covering the boss's face shattered into small pieces.

The boss was dazed, shaking his head trying to clear his vision. Luthra did not give him a chance to recover, he grabbed the boss's right arm and pulled it with so much force that the boss's own rock-covered fist smashed into his own face.

There was a wet crunching sound. The boss stood there for a second, his eyes wide with disbelief, then he just fell backward and did not move again.

The whole clearing was now silent.

[Emergency Quest 'Punish the Unworthy' has been completed.] 

[Bonus Condition: [Suffer no additional significant injuries] has been met.] 

[Calculating rewards...] 

[Host has Leveled down!] 

[A new skill has been unlocked.] 

[100 NP has been awarded.] 

[Bonus Reward: Item [Healing Poultice] x1 has been awarded.] 

[150 NP has been awarded.]