NOVEL WEB 23 – Easy Battle
"Leader!" The two beside Sirius screamed in worry as they rushed over, pulling out the syringe.
"What's going on? Who was that?"
However, all they received was a bisecting slash from their side.
"Why?"
They couldn't comprehend why their leader would attack them like this.
*Grrrrrr*
A bestial growl. Genji looked into those red eyes and realized there was no sense of reason—just pure instinct and a desire to kill.
[Wolf Berserker, Sirius]
Health: 5950/5950
Energy: 80/80
Con: 19
Str: 19
Dex: 12
Int: 8
Spc: 2
Skills:
- Boss Physique: +5000 health
- Weapon Summon: Summon a fitting weapon for combat
- Transform: (Redundant explanation)
- Regeneration: (Redundant explanation)
- Wolf Step: Increase movement speed by 100% instantly
- Heavy strike: Deal 200% damage
- Berserk: Lose reason for increased power
"Yeah, I'm not fighting that."
With Swift Movement, Genji dashed in the other direction before the berserk mutant could notice him. He hadn't fully recovered to engage in this battle. Besides, even if he were ready, he wouldn't confront this opponent.
His first boss battle could be attributed to his daring nature and ignorance of his limits. The second boss battle occurred out of necessity. The common thread in those fights was pushing himself beyond his limits to prevail.
Having already defeated a fair share of bosses, Genji wasn't driven by greed to confront this one. Trying to face a third boss on top of the others would be suicidal. Moreover, why should he tackle this alone when reinforcements would be available later? Genji doubted CEC would allow an invader to rampage unchecked within their headquarters.
He returned to the area where he had started and took a moment to assess his surroundings. He then decided to call 7156. No one picked up. Climbing the rope to the floor above, he waited. After a few minutes, his phone rang again.
"Finished with your side?" Genji asked as he picked up.
"Yes."
"Let's meet back at the initial area."
Genji ended the call and prepared the rope he had pulled up. Moments later, he heard footsteps below him. He waited for a couple more minutes before calling 7156 once more.
"Is that you down there?"
"Yes."
Genji tossed down the rope.
"Come up."
"What happened?" 7156 inquired after ascending.
"Bad news. The boss of the Dark Forces went berserk. I don't want to risk fighting him right now."
7156 nodded in understanding, allowing Genji to continue.
"I intend to wait until reinforcements arrive before confronting him."
7156 didn't say anything and went to a corner, closing his eyes to get some rest before the big fight.
About 30 minutes later, they heard shuffling footsteps coming down the hallway. Genji looked down and realized CEC had sent their agents. Nothing too strong like the army used in the raid, but it would suffice. Genji grabbed the rope and jumped down, ensuring he grabbed it to slow his fall every few feet.
"Who's there?" An agent at the front yelled at Genji.
"Agent Enigma." Genji showed his badge.
"Sir! What's the situation?"
"Sirius went berserk. I don't know where the other invaders went, but I'm not facing Sirius alone."
7156 jumped down and landed beside Genji. Seeing this unfamiliar face, the agents tensed up.
"He's an ally. Anyway, I marked Sirius before he went berserk. Let's eliminate him first. He's dealing quite a bit of damage."
The last part was a fabrication. Genji had no idea what Sirius was doing, but the agents didn't need to know that.
"Understood."
Genji led the group toward a motionless werewolf holding a giant sword. He didn't seem to have moved far from where he first killed his subordinates.
"I'll be the main fighter. The rest of you provide support with long-range attacks or seize opportunities. I won't be responsible for your lives if you get too close."
Genji drew his sword and approached the 2.3-meter-tall creature. Sirius looked up, sensing the approach of a living creature.
*Awooooo*
"He threw his head back and emitted a high-pitched howl. Then he swung his sword down, followed by a spin for a horizontal chop. Yet Genji was able to easily dodge these attacks. He could keep up with Risa, who had beaten him in speed, so it was natural to keep up with Sirius when he had increased stats from the fox badge. Casually waltzing between the openings, Genji left a shallow cut on the hairy chest."
-24
It's weak, but Genji expected as much. He hadn't infused any energy into the strike, nor did he swing hard. It was merely a normal, casual attack.
That's because Genji didn't plan on being the main damage dealer. That job would go to the reinforcements on the side. This way, he relieved himself of a lot of pressure and could dedicate himself to dodging. Sirius swiped at Genji with his palm, but Genji ducked down and left a nick on Sirius's arm.
-13
"Are you people going to start attacking or what?"
This comment snapped the spectators out of their shock. How could they not be shocked? They had never seen someone fight like this. To them, Genji seemed far too relaxed for the dire situation. If it were any of them, they would have died many times over. The agents switched to handguns and began pelting the giant.
Genji weaved around Sirius, making him turn his back to the supporters. Seeing this opportunity, one agent moved forward and left a deep cut before retreating. In his rage, Sirius turned around to bisect this agent. Genji reacted quickly and infused some energy to cut the tendons in the leg.
-134
Sirius stumbled and missed his attack. Feeling the sword's tip brush his skin, the agent burst out in a cold sweat.
"Be careful. Otherwise, you might not survive."
Genji didn't want his damage dealers to die this early in the fight. If that happened, he would have to exert himself to finish this fight, something he wasn't a big fan of.
"I-I will."
Genji continued this dance for a few minutes. By now, Sirius's health had lost half of his health. There's also a big difference in their conditions. While Sirius was covered in wounds, Genji remained in pristine condition.
"Man, you people suck at sneak attacks."
The agents couldn't help but wonder how he could be so relaxed. They were in the middle of a fight with one of the strongest mutants, yet he had time to make these comments?
"Hey, axe guy, when you swing your axe, put your back into it. Do you see how shallow your cut was?"
"Then Genji started giving advice to the agents.
"Also, aim for the legs. What's the point of swinging it around if you don't use it to chop limbs? Axes are meant to separate body parts, not used like a heavy sword."
At first, they thought it was banter until they realized it was actual advice. When the person followed his advice and realized he was right, it was far more effective to disable opponents so he could go for the finishing blow.
"And 7156, that's not how you use a desert eagle. Stop aiming for the torso like you have bad aim."
The agents didn't know how to react. The person he called out had landed every shot. What more did you want from him?
"If possible, aim for the head. That deals more damage and can stun the opponent."
How is he supposed to do that? They could barely keep up with his movements!
"And if you're confident, aim for the arm when they prepare for an attack. That'll disrupt their rhythm and give your teammates an easier time."
That sounds too advanced to be feasible."
"Also, consider learning tactical reload. They can be useful when you only have one hand. If you're good enough, you can stagger your shooting so that one gun always shoots while you're reloading."
That's cool and all, but how are we supposed to do that?
*Tsk*
"You people seem like you don't believe me. Hey 7156, how about you throw one of your guns over with some magazines? I'll show you how it's done."
Hearing him, 7156 obliged, throwing his spare gun and some magazines, both curious about his intentions and what he might demonstrate. Genji reached up mid-dodge and snatched the gun, giving it a light flick to redirect it into a pocket in his cloak. Then he caught the remaining projectiles and slid them into his chest pocket.
Genji brought out the fuhai-boshi and shot Sirius a few times in the arm to interrupt the attack. Then Genji left a vertical cut on the chest. He fired a few more shots mid-dodge until the cartridge emptied. Another cut, and then he thrust out his chest, sending one magazine flying.
He ejected the magazine from the gun and slotted the flying magazine into place. Dodging again, he kicked the empty magazine backward toward the agents and fired a few shots.
Seeing this, the agents' jaws dropped. He was actually serious about that? To think he could actually pull it off. 7156 maintained a stoic face, but only he knew how shocking the act was.
Genji finished the magazines and gently tossed the gun back.
"Catch that."
At this point, Sirius's health had dropped to a quarter. The werewolf arched his head back and roared. He clenched the handle of his sword tightly and leaned forward.
Wolf Step
Sirius accelerated and vanished from the agents' sight, causing Genji to lean aside as the blade brushed past his face.
"Do you really need all that buildup for the movement? By the time you moved, I already knew where you were going."
Wolf Step
"You missed the first time, so what makes you think it'll work the second time?"
The boss ignored the comment and continued spamming that ability like a bugged character.
"You people better step back. It'd be pretty dumb to die like this."
How are you still able to talk to us? Aren't you pressured by the attacks?
Genji continued to dodge the attacks until Sirius tired himself. Then he signaled the agents to attack. Genji noticed that Sirius had slowed down significantly compared to when the battle had started.
"What did you expect when you used all your stamina like that? That's why fighting mindless beasts will always be easier than fighting an intelligent enemy."
Soon, Genji delivered the final blow and ended the leader anticlimactically.
'His movements have changed,' 7156 couldn't help but notice.
Compared to the beginning of their time in this world, Genji's movements were now more graceful. At the start, his dodges had been akin to dancing on a razor's edge, where a single mistake could have meant death. However, with this danger, Genji had gained an opportunity to kill in one hit. It was a high-risk, high-reward fighting style.
Now, Genji's movements conveyed the feeling of a leaf gliding in the wind. Regardless of the attack thrown at him, he found a way to elegantly dodge it. It was akin to attempting to strike a leaf with a club—the air pressure from the swing would always carry it away before impact. 7156 also noted that Genji was still in good condition; he wasn't even out of breath after the prolonged fight.
'Just what have you gone through to change this much?'
[You have slain Wolf Berserker, Sirius]
[You have obtained Boots of the Gale Wolf]
[Boots of the Gale Wolf]
Rating: Epic
Effects:
- Nimble (passive): +2 dex
- Wolf Step (active): +2 dex for 5 minutes. 30-minute cooldown
A very good replacement for his current leather boots. After equipping these boots, his current stats look as follows:
[Enigma]
Health: 450/450
Energy: 140/140
Con: 9 (8 + 1)
Str: 9 (8 + 1)
Dex: 16 (11 + 5)
Int: 7
Spc: 5 (3 + 2)
It was s significant increase in stat points from the equipment he obtained from killing mini-bosses and higher, particularly in the dexterity department. With this increase, Genji's confident he can handle any opponent that might appear for the remainder of this world.
Minoru was going about his day as a regular CEC agent when he suddenly felt the ground tremble beneath him. Initially, he didn't pay much attention to it, but the shaking grew more intense.
"That's strange. We usually don't experience earthquakes around here."
Just then, his phone rang, displaying the caller ID of the CEC branch stationed in the city.
"Red alert. We've detected a massive energy signature approaching the city. All agents are to prepare for combat."
Minoru found this announcement quite unsettling. It marked the first time since becoming an agent that he had received such a warning. It was also uncharacteristic of CEC to be so stringent with their orders. Filled with a sense of unease, Minoru quickly moved to an open area and readied himself for whatever was about to unfold.
The tremors intensified, causing buildings to crumble, roads to split, and his radar to go berserk. Minoru lost his footing, tumbling onto the ground as the earth itself seemed to tilt and become difficult to stand on. Chaos reigned.
"What in the world is happening?"
Then, before his eyes, a colossal fissure tore open the ground. Enormous claws emerged, pushing the earth aside. Slowly, an immense behemoth pulled itself up from beneath the surface. It was a grotesque sight—light-colored fur, two imposing horns, triangular teeth, and purple tentacles coiled around its body.
*ROOOOAAAARRRR*
A sharp pang of pain shot through Minoru's eardrums as a trickle of blood seeped from his ear canal. The monstrosity raised its massive paws and brought them crashing down onto the ground. A tremendous wave of rocks and dust surged outward from the behemoth, engulfing Minoru entirely.
"Earlier today, a massive earthquake struck Nawasaki out of nowhere. Many buildings were destroyed, leaving the city in ruins. Casualties are still being counted, but estimates suggest the numbers are in the tens of thousands."
7156 turned off the news and looked at Genji. "What do you think?"
"I'm not sure, but whatever caused that, it's not natural. The damage seems to have originated from within rather than outside."
As if to confirm this, Genji received a prompt.
[Due to your actions, you have triggered the response mechanism: Behemoth's attack]
Description: Red Kitsune Risa and Wolf Berserker Sirius were the two strongest mutants in the area. Sensing their disappearance, a behemoth has emerged to investigate. The behemoth will arrive in 26 hours.
Warning: This creature exceeds the limits of this world. Engagement is not recommended.
"What's wrong?" 7156 asked when he noticed Genji pausing. Genji shared the prompt and received another question. "Did you kill Red Kitsune?"
"Yes. I was hunted down."
"Any plans?"
"No. You heard EverRealm. It's not often that it advises against engagement."
Then Genji's phone rang. For some reason, he always seemed to be interrupted when this topic came up.
"Agent Enigma here."
"Agent, this is HQ. Have you seen the news?"
"About the earthquake in Nawasaki?"
"Yes. That's no ordinary earthquake. Return, and we'll provide you with more details."
Genji looked at 7156 and asked, "Are you interested?"
"Let's go."
Upon entering the meeting room for the event, they were greeted by the sergeant in charge of the branch.
"You're here. Take a seat. We'll start once the other agents arrive."
In the next few minutes, the agents who participated in the Sirius raid began to join them. As the room filled up, the sergeant clicked a button on his remote, and the projector turned on. A slideshow appeared on the front wall.
"As you've all heard, an earthquake hit Nawasaki, but I can assure you, that's not what happened!"
He clicked, and a blurry video began playing. The footage seemed to be taken from a plane flying overhead. On the screen, a small whitish dot was in motion. As it moved, Genji noticed a trail of destruction left behind—trees toppling over and crater-like footprints scattered across the area.
"As you can see, this is no ordinary creature. It's a corruptor, to be precise, a rank 8 corruptor."
The other agents gasped at this revelation.
"Impossible! Weren't they supposed to be extinct? Why would such a creature appear now?"
Genji sensed their exaggerated reactions. It was only one rank higher, wasn't it?
"For those unaware, there's been only one recorded instance of a rank 8 creature since the catastrophe. Many cities were obliterated then, and to defeat it, we had to resort to an air strike. Don't underestimate this single rank difference. This rank was established for these unfathomable calamities!"
The sergeant cautioned everyone.
"Wait! Doesn't that location look familiar?"
"Now that you mention it, it does."
The sergeant cleared his throat and waited for the room to quiet down.
"As many of you might have realized, the area in the video is indeed familiar. That's because it is. After conducting investigations, we've determined that the creature is headed straight for this city."
Upon hearing this, a sense of despair spread across everyone's faces.
"But don't despair. The main branch has decided to send a plethora of high-powered weapons and the sole rank 7 agent in CEC to assist us. However, be forewarned. This won't be an easy battle, but it's one we must fight nonetheless. We'll reconvene once the esteemed agent arrives. Take this time to ensure the safety of your families. Evacuation will commence in an hour. Let's hope we can resolve this with minimal damage."