Cynrik didn’t have the time to worry about Tobs, as the first group of XP appeared several steps above him. Noticing they were utterly unaware of his presence, he pushed any thoughts to the back of his mind and watched his HUD pop up over their heads.
‘Tsk, sending in the fodder first is useless against this Lord of the Shadows!’ Taking a quick headcount and checking the incoming enemy’s levels, Cynrik moved into action.
Unsheathing both his hidden blades, he burst forward and swiftly slashed at the ankles of the two Tier-0 targets before him. Without uttering a single cry, the two collapsed mid-step and were silenced by a blade being forcefully impaled into their skulls.
-You have killed a Level 6 Human-
-You have obtained 600 Essence-
-You have obtained 1 STR point-
-You have obtained 1 KIN point-
-Tier 0 Mana Codex located would you like to extract it Y/N –
-You have killed a Level 5 Human-
-You have obtained 500 Essence-
-You have obtained 1 STR point-
-You have obtained 1 KIN point-
-Tier 0 Mana Codex located would you like to extract it Y/N –
Feeling the pulse of energy fill his body due to the sudden two STR points, Cynrik broke into a cocky smile and continued his assault. Moving like a phantom, he weaved in and out of the nine remaining targets making short work of them. One second they were storming down several flights of stairs; the next, they were dead. Cynrik moved so quickly and hid under his Shadow Veil that none could react.
Since they were all weaker than him, it was as easy as swatting flies in Cynrik’s mind. Exhaling the breath he had been holding while effortlessly slaughtering 11 people, he quickly checked his gains from the short-lived battle.
-You have killed (9) Tier-0 Human(s)-
-You have obtained 6100 ESSENCE-
-You have obtained 3 DEX, 2 AGI, 1 MIND, 1 STR, and 2 VIT points.
-You have obtained 9 KIN points-
-Your Killing Intent has evolved, allowing the Host to exert 2.5G worth of force on a target(s)-
– (9) Tier 0 Mana Codexes located would you like to extract them Y/N –
Not allowing himself to be overwhelmed by the surge of energy in his body and the sensation of growing stronger, Cynrik quickly extracted all of the available codexes and set about stacking the corpses near the base of the stairs making a human wall, cutting off the path to the basement.
He finished up just as the second wave of fodder started down the stairs. A glance at their stats told him that these enemies were all Tier-1 beings, that and the strongest was level 15. Knowing he had to be more serious, Cynrik released his Shadow Veil and swapped to his SAO loadout before slowly stalking up to meet them.
Unlike the opposite side, Cynrik was banking on his short stature and swords’ length for this battle. However, due to the limited space presented by the stairwell, he knew he’d be able to maneuver around a lot easier than his adult counterparts, and thus, instead of going the assassination route, Cynrik opted to switch to his heavy weapons instead.
Exhaling softly, Cynrik drew both his blades and quietly awaited the confrontation. Thanks to his Mana Sight, he was already simulating his next moves while shooting a glance at the timer floating off to his left.
-10:42 remaining-
Looking away from it, he next checked his Stats,
: STATS :
: HP 540/540 :
: Mana 124/231 :
: Stamina 270/270 :
: Stat Points- 23:
: Skill Points- 35 :
: Strength- 38 :
: Dexterity- 68 :
: Agility- 72 :
: Intelligence- 29 :
: Vitality- 54 :
: Mind- 37 :
: Killing Intent- 56 – 2.5G :
‘TSK, I need to start raising my INT; having this shitty Mana pool is getting annoying. ALRIGHT, SCREW IT!’ Not holding back anymore, Cynrik dumped all 23 of his Stat points into his Intelligence, bringing it up to 52, forcing his MP to 239/346. The instant he did so, a massive wave of energy surged throughout his body, and he felt something shatter in his head and chest.
Exhaling slowly, he decided against his previous plan and went with the more extensive idea he had formed. Cynrik coated his swords in their respective Mana types and crossed them over his chest, forming an X. Then, he continuously poured Mana into the outward-facing edge of both blades while watching his MP steadily drop. ISS and SunFlare began emitting colorful waves of energy as they hungrily absorbed every bit of Mana being poured into them and observed as they started to show signs of accumulated damage due to the high input of energy coursing through each blade.
As the sounds of footsteps echoed in the stairwell above him, Cynrik grinned sadistically while he finished charging up his attack.
When the first person came into view, he witnessed an odd sight. Standing several steps below him was a young boy, covered from head to toe in blood and wielding two brightly glowing swords just in front of his chest. The child’s violet-streaked black hair floated mysteriously stood there with a terrifying glint in his eyes.
Stopping in place and turning around to warn his seven other teammates, the man was suddenly frozen in place by a highly oppressive and invisible force that bore down on his entire body. He wasn’t alone; behind him, his entire team was equally locked in place.
With wide eyes, the man watched in horror as this small demonlike child moved menacingly forward a single step, and the last thing he heard before the world around him turned into pure chaos was an eerie and sadistic young voice.
“Blóðrauðr Banamaðr: Fyrstr Form – Baldr’s Cyclone!” The mixture of Norse and English was the precursor to hell itself spawning in the stairway, and all the men could do was watch helplessly.
Slashing both swords down at an angle caused a massive fire tornado to be spawned upon separating the two blades; then, using the fusion of his Fire and Wind Mana, Cynrik controlled the cyclone by waving his ISS like a staff. Wherever he pointed, the 8 foot by 3-foot flaming tornado followed, and currently, he was directing said attack to flow directly through the clustered enemies attempting to come down the stairs.
Cynrik had first set the stage by unleashing the full force of his Killing Intent to momentarily paralyze them before using the first attack in his newly named sword style. However, due to being forcefully locked in place, all the men could do was scream internally before the fire tornado washed over them before turning carrying onto the next person.
The unstoppable attack moved from person to person, instantly turning them into charred corpses, and since Cynrik was utilizing his remaining MP for Mana Sight, he directed it from target to target without a clear line of sight.
By the time the attack finally disintegrated, he had eliminated all the people in the stairwell. But, unfortunately, the cost to do so was more than his swords could bear, and Cynrik watched sadly as cracks formed along the entire length of both his ISS and SunFlare. He had devised this technique on the fly. Although he was aware of the consequences it could potentially have on his weapons, when it came to facing eight adults, who were all a higher tier than himself, he felt the only viable option would be to use one of the trump cards he had devised.
‘Damn, it looks like ill have to get new swords now; using the Fyrstr Form was too harsh with Tier-0 swords. SunFlare’s practically obliterated.’ Looking over both blades one last time, he spun both with a flourish and sheathed them for potentially the last time.
‘I only used 200 MP, and they couldn’t even handle it. Of course, I suppose even the Fyrstr Form could be considered an ultimate attack. Not to mention there are still three other attacks and a finishing move in my Blóðrauðr Banamaðr style. It was only because of the increased INT that I could utilize the Fyrstr form. Oh well. There’s plenty of time in the future once we make it out of this place.’ Finishing his thought and tilting his head to the right so he could pop his neck, Cynrik swiped his left hand in the air and brought up all the notifications from his eight kills.
-You have killed (8) Tier-1 Demi-Human(s)-
-You have obtained 10000 Essence-
-You have obtained 3 DEX, 2 AGI, 3 STR points.
-You have obtained 8 KIN points-
-Your Killing Intent has evolved, allowing the Host to exert 2.75G worth of force on a target(s)-
– (8) Tier 1 Mana Codexes located would you like to extract them Y/N –
Fighting back the fit of laughter brewing in his soul, Cynrik closed his eyes and enjoyed his power up from the kill rewards before he began whistling a light-hearted tune as he extracted the codexes and set about stacking more bodies on top of the previous ones making an entire corpse wall separating himself and the cellway completely.