Eric couldn't wrap his head around the load of nonsense going wrong with him for a few moments now. He sure was going to settle down somewhere to piece things together and connect the dots. Maybe then it would make sense. But for now, there was only one thing to fight for—his life.
And if this strange system will reward me for fighting for my life, then why not?
It's not as if I wouldn't do it for nothing.
Two steps...
One...
Here I go.
His senses tingled as he dashed forward at the target. His sweaty palm gripped the folded device firmly and, with a swift yank, unfolded the katana blade within. The death-attendant let out a soft yelp filled with surprise at the sudden change in the predator-prey relationship he shared with Eric. For all he knew, he was the predator here.
Eric felt lighter and swifter than he had any right to, but again he didn't let these sudden changes bother his movements. The attendant had left a wide mark open for him to strike, and he was going to do just that.
Anything to live.
He pushed harder on his right foot and jumped up a little higher than the death-attendant. The man followed his movement with a swift upward swing of his long knife, but before he could hit his mark, Eric had already struck his blade into the man's thick neck before landing nimbly on his feet. Thick blood gushed out of the gaping wound as the man swayed side to side a few times before landing with a loud crash on the tiled floor.
I... I killed him...
I have killed my first man.
But... That didn't feel too weird. I actually feel good.
[Chime]
[Side Task Successfully Completed]
[30 points Side Task Reward Granted]
[Additional 10 points For One-Strike Kill]
[50 points Granted for Completing First Human Kill]
Human kill? Does it mean I can kill other beings and still earn points?
[EXP: 90/100]
Huh? So, it's all just Experience Points?
So much for the anticipation.
[Skill Level: 1]
[New Skill Unlocked]
[Check out new skill?]
"Yes," Eric said, more confusion spreading all over him.
The screen changed tabs and opened a floating page titled "Beginner's Skill Set." In the list of skills displayed before him, he could see various strange names and descriptions which only added more puzzle pieces to his table. All the skills were blurred and couldn't be opened yet—but one.
'Open.'
Eric seemed to be getting the hang of this System already.
The first skill set opened as he wished and out came the name: Killer Dash.
[Skill Unlocked: Killer Dash]
"What can I do with that?" Eric asked as he wiped blood off the katana.
[Killer Dash Description: A Burst of Speed to Evade or Cut Down. Dash Past and Strike From Behind. The Dash Alone Does Not Kill Unless Paired With a Good Weapon and Even Better Killing Technique]
[Skill Use Duration: 3 seconds]
[Cool-down period: 2 minutes]
Like I thought, it's all like a game.
You should have just unlocked better skills like agility since this skill is pretty useless after the first use. Why should I wait for two rotations before using a skill?
"Hey, strange system," Eric started sarcastically. "About the first task I saw earlier, the one about killing your killers--"
[Task 1: Kill Your Killers]
"I should get a reward for that, right? Care to hint me what it will be?"
Eric waited, but there was no response.
Seems it only displays what it was programmed to display.
Little use asking silly questions
"Alright, let's go kill my killers, then."
He tried the door again, expecting resistance, but he was surprised to see that it opened easily.
"Is this door bound to that man's soul?"
As soon as Eric was clear of the crematory, out in the dusk, he decided to try the acquired skill beforehand so it wouldn't come as strange to him when he was facing his killers.
Since its cool-down time is 2 minutes, I just have to wait a little before I start my manhunt.
Might as well see if all this is true, and also how it works.
"Use skill, Killer Dash."
Suddenly, Eric moved so fast all he could see was a blur. It wasn't so much like moving to him since he didn't feel his legs could actually keep up with that speed even though he was a good runner. Also, since he didn't stop his dash, he came to a sudden halt after 3 seconds were complete. He looked back at the spot where he stood a few seconds ago, and not even his instincts could prepare him for finding out how much distance he had lapped in that short time.
Man, I was there just now.
This is becoming a whole lot of real.
Pretty cool, huh?
This should give me a massive advantage when I face off those bastards again. A quick dash to their rear and a quicker slash for all three. I wish they are all together, and if not, it only gets more fun.
Two minutes and I'm ready for the Killer Dash again.
Eric walked down the same lonely path he took earlier with Void. It was mostly deserted even during the busiest of days in the colony, but it was even more deserted now since it was well past curfew. Even creeps, beasts, and little animals seemed to be observing the curfew since it was eerily quiet.
Two minutes...
But as soon as Eric rounded a small bend, three figures appeared before him, each one of them dressed in military uniforms, masked and made imposing with their sniper rifles. They chattered happily like they were about to have a feast. Two of them walked in sync while carrying a dead beast hung against a horizontal metal pole balanced on their shoulders for support. They were headed in the direction of the Motherbase and they were going to tread the exact path Eric was on.
"Shit!"
"They are near. They are so f--king near."
Eric was losing it already just from the sight of them. The memory of Void choking on his own blood while battling for life forced itself into Eric's head again.
"System, how much longer till the Killer Dash cooldown?" he asked fiercely.
[Skill: Killer Dash]
[Cooldown time remaining: 1m 30s]
"Shit!"