All of them had given him a single hit each, but it was enough to bring down his HP to more than half of its initial value.
So, basically and technically speaking, this actually meant that they were still at full force and plentifully strong, while Fai was almost a dead man, considering that 0 HP meant death.
Checking the screen, Fai could see that the countdown was still going on. Luckily for him, the small time that they had spent arguing among themselves had given him some additional seconds to catch his breath.
[ 37s ]
'Damn it, all of a sudden one minute feels like a whole year,' Fai thought as he looked at the numbers slowly counting down without a care in the world about his life.
At this moment, he knew he was in danger. These guys' strength was nothing to joke about. But what could he do? In less than a moment, he had already been beaten, bones broken.
Maybe this was it. This was the end of the journey for him.... But would he give up, would he give in to the fear that was slowly chewing down his soul?
'There is a solution for everything,' Fai thought, 'Maybe there was a way out, a way out of this ordeal, a way that would save him, but where was this way out? How could he get there??' These were questions even he couldn't answer.
'Damn you system, that new skill would have done the trick, but you just had to go ahead and take it away the moment I need it the most.'
Fai cursed in his mind, blaming the system for being such a pain in the a*s.
The system notification displaying the countdown was a relentless, visual ticking clock.
Fai knew he couldn't afford to waste this unexpected window of time that his opponents' arrogance had granted him.
They were busy chatting away, almost like he wasn't there.
He pushed himself to his feet, tasting the metallic tang of his own blood on his lips. His nose was shattered, his ribs protested with every shallow breath, and the pain felt like a thousand tiny needles digging into his side.
Yet, he forced himself to stand straight, even though his body was screaming for him to collapse.
[37s]
That number was all that mattered.
The four Copper Stage opponents stopped their discussion and turned their attention back to Fai, their eyes now cold and predatory.
They seemed to enjoy the spectacle of him struggling to remain upright.
"Look at him, still trying to stand. Impressive, for a non-mutant," the brown-haired boy said, a sneer playing on his lips. "Too bad your defiance only prolongs the inevitable."
Fai didn't respond. He focused all his attention on two things: keeping his footing and activating his skill.
[Fae Eyes]
He had to understand their true stage, their weak points, and why the system had issued this baffling quest.
The skill activated, and the world around Fai seemed to slow down for a fleeting second.
A faint, ethereal glow outlined his opponents, and the system began dumping information directly into his vision.
[DING]
A cascade of data flashed before his eyes, specifically about the boy closest to him—the one who had initiated the attack with the lightning-fast kick.
[NAME: Zephyr]
[RACE: Mutant Human]
[STAGE: Copper]
[MUTATION: Wind]
[STRENGTH: ?]
[STAMINA: ??]
[SPEED: ??]
[AGILITY: ??]
[ENDURANCE: ??]
[PERCEPTION: ??]
[HP: ??]
[SKILLS: ??]
[Warning: Zephyr's speed and ability to manipulate air currents grant him nearly invisible movement patterns.]
Fai's eyes widened, even through the pain.
So much information, it was almost like he was looking at his own status screen, but only it was about someone else.
The screen gave the information needed, from the name right up to the mutation. The rest of the information were blurred out and filled with question marks. Maybe mostly because the skill hasn't been upgraded. It made sense.
But still yet, the information it provided for the moment was enough. But that wasn't the only thing that caught Fai's attention.
'Speed mutation? Manipulate wind currents?'
He hadn't just been kicked—he'd been struck by someone whose attacks were augmented by wind.
Right now he was looking at the information on the warning tab; it was definitely something he didn't understand.
*****
Thanks a lot for the support and vote : Sheikh, Anna Grace.
And thanks to everone for reading so far! I appreciate all the support you guys have been giving the novel. Trust me, it's all the motivation I need.
I'm great full for your patience and the undieing attention you give my uncontacted novel , even in such times of low update .I promise to compensate this loyalty when the moment arises .