Chapter 4: The Invisible Warrior
Kurogane set out, knowing exactly where he needed to go: Mount Ion. It was so high it pierced the clouds, and fighting here would be extremely difficult. But if Kurogane wanted to grow stronger, he had to accept this challenge.
The journey was long and arduous. As he climbed the mountain slopes, the air grew thinner, making it harder to breathe. Finally, gasping for air, he reached the summit. At the peak stood an ancient temple, and directly in front of it, a figure knelt in prayer.
Seeing him, Kurogane thought to himself: This is it. If I can defeat him, I'll become much stronger. Come on, Kurogane, you can do this. Believe in yourself. You know his weak point.
"Hey, you! Ichigo! Look at me!"
Ichigo ignored Kurogane and continued his prayer. Ten minutes later, he finished and stood up. His eyes were cold and focused.
"So, you've come to die. What a pity, you're still so young. But I'm sorry, you will die here."
[Quest: Defeat Ichigo]
[Time Limit: 30 Minutes]
[Reward: 30,000 Tokens]
[Recommended Level: B]
[Penalty: Death]
"Thirty minutes? I don't think I can complete a B-rank quest in such a short time. But I have to believe in myself. How much mana does my new ability cost?"
Checking the system, he was shocked: "10 mana? It seems I can only use it once. If I use it twice, my mana will drain instantly and I'll lose."
Ichigo spoke: "Did you come here to talk? Let's begin!"
He attacked suddenly. "Invisible Slash!" An unseen attack surged toward Kurogane.
This is the attack I expected! This attack never deflects, it comes straight on. If I jump right or left, I can dodge it.
He jumped to the right, evading the attack. But at that very moment, Ichigo instantly appeared where Kurogane had jumped. Both swung their swords, sparks flying through the air.
Kurogane could now perform more fluid and graceful evasions. Ichigo launched three rapid attacks from the right, left, and above, but Kurogane dodged them all thanks to his enhanced agility.
Incredible! I can already dodge these attacks. But this time, I won't get overconfident and underestimate him. I'll attack with all my might.
He launched his assault, and the two clashed again. When their swords met, the attack pierced through the wind, creating a massive gust.
"Not bad," Ichigo remarked, "but not enough."
He took two steps back and unleashed a new power: "Invisibility! Followed by Silent Death!"
He became completely invisible and attacked Kurogane with a highly stealthy strike.
What do I do now? I can't sense his presence!
Ichigo struck when he was just two steps away. At the very last moment, Kurogane sensed Ichigo's attack and immediately retreated, taking a deep breath.
I barely made it! One more millisecond of delay and I would have been dead.
Ichigo spoke: "I'm impressed. Will you tell me your name? I will never forget it."
Kurogane smiled: "My name is Kurogane. But knowing it won't help you, because you'll be dead by the end of this fight. Because I know your weak point."
Ichigo was astonished: "Hah? How could you possibly know?"
Kurogane replied: "Because I was a reader!"
He immediately attacked, running in all directions. Finally, as he ran to the left, Ichigo abruptly canceled his invisibility, looking utterly shocked:
"Truly... I won't underestimate you. I will attack with all my power. If you survive this attack, you win. Take this! Sword That Cuts Invisibility - Lawless Slash!"
He gathered an intense, transparent energy in his sword, channeling all his power into it, and shouted: "This is the end!"
At that moment, the attack transformed into an energy sphere and shot toward Kurogane. Kurogane began to think, but just then:
[Time Remaining: 10 Minutes]
I'm out of time, almost! Come on, what do I do?
The energy sphere advanced, completely obliterating the ground. All the statues around, even the temple itself, were drawn into the attack and slowly disintegrated. As everything was pulled in, the energy sphere grew even larger.
Kurogane quickly checked the system and navigated to available abilities. There was only one: Enhanced Jump. Realizing he had no other choice, he activated the ability.
[Ability Active]
[Speed: 100/15]
Using all his speed, he instantly appeared right behind the attack. He had evaded the sphere, but it was futile. Kurogane staggered, blood flowing from the area around his heart. Immediately after the attack, Ichigo had activated his invisibility and Silent Death power.
But at that moment, Ichigo was shocked because Kurogane forced himself to take two more steps back and thrust his sword through Ichigo's heart. However, the moment he took those two steps back, Ichigo's invisibility deactivated, and Kurogane immediately drew the dagger he had stabbed into the bandit's chest in the first chapter from his belt. With his last ounce of strength:
[Status: Critical - Near Death]
With his final strength, he plunged the dagger into Ichigo's throat. Ichigo, astonished, gasped, "You really... weren't lying," before collapsing to the ground.
[Quest: Successful]
[Reward: 30,000 Tokens + Healing]
[New Ability Unlocked: Invisibility]
[Stats Updated]
Agility: 100/20
Mana: 8000/30
Speed: 100/20
Strength: 100/20
Just as he was about to die, Kurogane instantly healed. "There, I'm healed! What's this? Invisibility?"
"Activate!" He instantly turned invisible. "Wow, this is amazing! I guess I'm now gaining the powers of the things I kill? Perfect!"
He opened the item shop. He had 38,000 tokens. There were many items he could buy, and he examined each one, but hesitated.
Which one should I buy? Or should I save my tokens to buy the Void Dagger and buy nothing now? But then I'll be too weak. It's best to buy one.
"What's this? Shadow Cleave - 35,000 tokens. Description: Can even cut through invisibility, there are very few things it cannot cut. Cost: 25 mana."
He pressed "Add to Cart" and placed it in his cart. "There are types here... Aha, here are the mana points!"
Kurogane immediately navigated to that section and saw the mana points:
Green Mana: 10 mana points - 1,000 tokens
Yellow Mana: 100 mana points - 10,000 tokens
Red Mana: 1000 mana points - 100,000 tokens
"Whoa! A million tokens? Best to buy Green Mana. 1,000 tokens, good."
He bought three Green Mana.
[Mana: 8000/60]
"Great! Now I'll buy Shadow Cleave."
[New Ability: Shadow Cleave - 35,000 Tokens]
[Remaining Tokens: 0]
[Cost: 25 Mana]
"Great! Now I can continue on my way. I wonder what my next adventure will be?"
Equipped with his new abilities, Kurogane began his descent from the mountain, ready for the next challenge.