The Kobold Chieftain roared, a guttural sound that was much deeper than its smaller brethren. It pointed its jagged axe at Zack, and the ten Kobold Warriors charged as one.
Zack's stats were all near 29 points. The Chieftain's were all 30. The warriors were weaker, maybe 15 points each, but they were a mob.
His kind demeanour was long gone, replaced by the ruthless coldness of the God-Eater. He didn't charge the Chieftain. That would be suicide. He met the wave of warriors head-on.
His 28 points of Agility made him a blur to them. He sidestepped the first club, grabbed the creature's arm, and used it as a shield against a second warrior's attack. The sound of wood cracking on bone was loud in the gray space. He felt no pity. He finished the first Kobold with a brutal kick to its neck and spun away, letting the two warriors crash into each other.
He was a predator among prey. He was weaker than the Chieftain, but he was far stronger than these F-Rank mobs. He moved with a brutal efficiency he didn't know he possessed, breaking limbs, crushing throats, and never staying in one place. He took a club to his back, and the 28 points of Defence turned what would have been a bone-breaking blow a week ago into a dull, painful thud.
In less than a minute, all ten warriors were dissolving into motes of light, leaving a scatter of small, glowing cubes.
Zack stood panting, his shoulder aching. The Kobold Chieftain roared in anger, its yellow eyes locked on him. It had waited, letting its pack die, and now it was his turn.
It was faster than the warriors. Much faster.
It raised its axe and charged. Zack dodged, the wind of the axe whistling past his ear. He wasn't fast enough to toy with it. This was a boss. Its 30 Agility was higher than his.
Clang! He'd picked up one of the warriors' clubs, and he used it to block a strike. The club instantly shattered, and the force sent a painful shock up his arm. His 28.5 Strength wasn't enough.
He was on the defensive, dodging and weaving, looking for an opening. The Chieftain was a seasoned fighter. It didn't leave many.
It swung its axe in a wide arc. Zack ducked, but the Chieftain was smarter than the mobs. It followed up with a brutal kick, catching Zack in the chest and sending him flying. He landed hard, the air knocked from his lungs.
The Chieftain roared and raised its axe for the killing blow.
"No," Zack gasped, lying on his back. He was hurt. The pain was sharp.
He didn't panic. He focused. He was a Healer.
[Minor Soothe]
He cast his Healer skill on himself. The pale green light glowed over his chest. His 27.5 Spirit points made the skill surprisingly effective. The sharp pain in his ribs faded to a dull ache, and his gasping lungs drew a clear, steadying breath.
The Chieftain, confused for a split second by the flash of green light, hesitated.
That second was all Zack needed.
His God-Eater instincts took over. He didn't try to get up. He rolled toward the monster, inside the arc of its axe. He shot up from the ground, slamming his shoulder into the Chieftain's knee.
There was a wet crack, and the creature howled in pain. Its leg buckled.
Zack didn't stop. He was brutal. He grabbed the Chieftain's axe-arm and bit down, his teeth sinking into its tough hide. The monster screamed, trying to shake him off, but Zack held on, his 28.5 Strength just enough to anchor him. With his other hand, he punched the monster's broken knee. Again. And again.
He was ruthless. He was a storm of desperate, focused violence. The Chieftain fell, and Zack was on it, ending the fight with a final, crushing blow to its skull with his bare fist.
Silence.
The massive creature dissolved, leaving behind a pile of cubes that glowed much brighter than the others. There were five of them. He also saw a small, dark purple cube.
He was aching all over, but he smiled. He walked over and picked up the small cubes from the ten warriors first, absorbing them all.
[Strength +1.0]
[Agility +1.2]
[Stamina +1.1]
[Spirit +0.9]
[Defense +1.0]
He felt his body change. A new wave of power settled into his muscles and bones.
[Zackary Cole]
Rank: F (Peak)
Stats:
Strength: 29.5
Agility: 29.1
Stamina: 30.1
Spirit: 28.4
Defense: 29.2
His Stamina had crossed the 30-point barrier. He turned to the Chieftain's loot.
[Medium Red Cube (Strength +0.5)]
[Medium Blue Cube (Agility +0.5)]
[Medium Green Cube (Stamina +0.5)]
[Medium White Cube (Spirit +0.5)]
[Medium Yellow Cube (Defense +0.5)]
He absorbed them all. The power surge was intense. Every part of his body felt stronger, lighter, and tougher.
His stats updated.
Strength: 30.0
Agility: 29.6
Stamina: 30.6
Spirit: 28.9
Defense: 29.7
He was still short on three stats. He looked around the gray room, frustrated. "That's it? I'm still not there?"
As if hearing him, the small, dark purple cube pulsed. He hadn't absorbed it yet.
[Skill Cube (F-Rank): 'Shadow Spike']: (Class: God-Eater). Consumes Spirit to summon a spike of solid darkness from any shadow. Low damage, high utility.
He absorbed it. Knowledge flooded his mind. He instinctively looked at the shadow he himself was casting and focused. A small, sharp spike of black energy, the size of a dagger, hissed out of the floor.
It was his first offensive skill. And it was a God-Eater skill, meaning it was invisible to the outside world.
Then, the final system message appeared.
[F-Rank Promotion Challenge Complete.]
[Bonus Stat Points Awarded for overwhelming victory: +1.0 to all stats.]
Zing. The final surge of power was the sweetest.
[Zackary Cole]
Stats:
Strength: 31.0
Agility: 30.6
Stamina: 31.6
Spirit: 29.9
Defense: 30.7
"Spirit!" he hissed. He was still 0.1 points short.
[Host has completed all F-Rank challenges. Awarding F-Rank 'All-Stat Completion' Bonus: +0.5 to all stats.]
He felt the last, tiny bit of energy flow into him.
Strength: 31.5
Agility: 31.1
Stamina: 32.1
Spirit: 30.4
Defense: 31.2
[Host E-Rank Requirement (30 in ALL 5) MET.]
[Congratulations, Host. Rank Up: E-Rank (Beginner).]
[New Class Skill Unlocked: 'Devour' (Rank E)]: Allows the host to consume the core of a defeated enemy to absorb a tiny fraction of its base stats. Cannot be used on Humans.
[New Parallel Dimension Challenge Unlocked: E-Rank Wave Mode]
[Returning Host to real world.]
Zack reappeared in the dusty collection room. He felt incredible. His body was thrumming with power. He looked at his hands, clenching them into fists. The 30-point barrier was broken. He was, internally, an E-Rank Hunter.
He checked his Hunter Watch. It read, as always:
[Zackary Cole. Rank: F (Beginner). Class: Healer.]
"Perfect," he whispered. The system was the perfect cover.
His new [Devour] skill was the key. Stat cubes were random drops. [Devour] was a guarantee. His growth was about to explode.
His eyes fell on the contract from Mr. Barros, which he'd brought home. The one to sell the warehouse for a fraction of its value.
Zack's old, kind self would have dithered, been scared, and probably given in.
The God-Eater had other plans.
He picked up the phone and dialed.
"Emily? It's Zack. I need a favor. Can you get me an appointment at the Hunter Association tomorrow? I want to take the E-Rank promotion test."
There was a stunned silence on the other end. "...Zack? Are you... feeling okay? The E-Rank test? You're an F-Rank Healer."
"I know," Zack said, his voice calm and cold. "I've been practicing my [Minor Soothe]. I think it's strong enough to pass the Healer 's support exam now."
Another pause. "...Alright. I'll make the call. But Zack, the examiner for Healers is still a D-Rank. They test your Spirit, your mana control, and your ability to defend yourself for one minute against an E-Rank monster. Are you sure?"
Zack looked at his 30.4 Spirit stat. He thought of his 31.1 Agility and 31.2 Defence.
"I'm sure," he said, a ruthless smile touching his lips. "I think I can handle it."