Craaaackle...
Booooooom!
The wolf tried to summon lightning, but the sparks fizzled and vanished across its body. It had poured every drop of mana into its ultimate move, and now stood with nothing but, despair clouding its eyes.
The compressed orb of lightning blasted straight into the Wolf Alpha. whose final moments were painted with terror and despair.
A thunderous explosion ripped through the night, flooding the highway with blinding light.
Aron stood a few meters away, calmly watching the scene. The wolf's so-called "ultimate move", which had been meant for him, now reflected brilliantly in his eyes as he redirected it right back. He didn't so much as flinch, silently observing from beginning to end.
After several seconds, the brightness faded.
[Lunar Wolf, Level 11, killed. 100 EXP gained. Enlightened-tier core can be extracted.]
Aron's vision adjusted, aided by the headlights of his car still casting their pale glow over the battlefield.
The once-sturdy highway was now a charred crater.
(I should've just killed the damn thing cleanly when I had the chance.)
Sure, intercepting the lightning had been dangerous, but he'd had options. He could've simply activated his FortiSphere dome, tanked the attack, and finished off the exhausted beast with ease. But no, of course not. He just had to test out his brand-new thunder talent in the most dramatic way possible.
After all, the skill description had said its limits were "only your imagination." And when you see a giant wolf hurl lightning at you, redirecting it back like some overpowered anime protagonist was simply too tempting to resist.
And, to be fair, everything worked out perfectly. Well, Almost perfectly.
Everything was perfect... until the system notifications.
[Mana -122]
[Mana -72]
[Mana -182]
[...]
Aron's smug grin evaporated. His chest tightened.
The mana drain didn't stop until he had already hurled the lightning back.
****
Host Info
Name: Aron
Level: 10
Rank: Ascender
Lifespan: 172 years
Mana: 766 / 1600
****
A grand total of 834 mana had been consumed, for no reason other than indulging his chuuni fantasies.
Aron groaned inwardly. (I should go back in time and slap myself.)
Mana recovery was already slow, and while he had plenty left, losing so much was nothing short of painful.
He stepped into the still-smoking crater, searching for the wolf's remains. Nothing. Not a bone, not a tuft of fur. If not for the kill notification, he might've believed it escaped.
The conclusion he didn't want to admit became clear: the attack had obliterated the wolf completely.
(My core... my precious mana core! All that mana wasted!)
Clutching his chest like a tragic hero suffering a heart attack, Aron staggered back dramatically. The price of acting cool was far too steep.
Before he could continue wallowing in regret, his Danger Sense tingled.
"...Tch." Aron didn't waste a second.
He sprinted back to the car, leapt inside, and switched to sport mode, slammed the accelerator. Even with the Silent Mode engaged, the vehicle roared like a rocket as it shot down the ruined highway.
He swerved past the overturned bus the Alpha had stood on earlier. A brief glance inside made him grimace, the scene was a bloody mess. He finally understood why the wolves had been lurking here. The bus, once transporting passengers from Zone C to Zone B, must've crashed when the apocalypse began, leaving behind an easy feast.
Aron's jaw tightened. No time to dwell. He sped away.
His Danger Sense had likely triggered because of the earlier explosion. Monsters from the forest would be drawn like moths to a flame.. He pushed the car harder, speeding away as fast as he could.
Even when the tingling stopped, he didn't immediately slow down. He only eased back to normal speed after several more miles, not daring to take chances.
Unlike zombies, monsters weren't brainless. They were strong, cunning, and lethal. Aron wasn't about to stake his life on playing solo hero like in the movies. Maybe someday, but definitely not now.
He sighed, flicked the car into self-drive, and leaned back in his seat with closed eyes. The loss of the wolf core still stung, but at least he gained Thunder Manipulation to show for it.
****
Host Info
Name: Aron
Level: 10
EXP: 287 / 100
Rank: Ascender
Lifespan: 172 years
Mana: 767 / 1600
[Solara group chat]
Special Ability: Talent Bank
Talent Inspection: Check ability within 1 meter
Talent Switch: On/Off
Talent Socket: Store up to 5 active abilities
Abilities:
Mana:
Water Control: Manipulate water freely. Mana cost varies.
Stealth: Become undetectable. -2 mana/sec
FortiSphere: Indestructible dome. Radius 1m. -50 mana/sec
Thunder Manipulation: Bend thunder to your will. Scales with imagination (and mana cost).
Passives:
Danger Sense: Early warning of threats.
Immunity: Immune to viruses and mortal diseases.
Internal:
Burst: Sacrifice 80% strength to unleash 2 seconds of overwhelming power. Weakness for 5 hours afterward.
****
Aron scrolled through his status. The bulk of his EXP had come from the weaker wolves, pathetic creatures worth just a single point each. Still, their numbers had added up. The Lunar Wolf's 100 EXP had been the real prize.
If only he had its core.
Aron's mood soured again. He quickly switched tabs to the Solara group chat, hoping for distraction. Unlike before, the group was buzzing, at least two people were in the middle of a heated back-and-forth.
The first thing he saw:
[Solara Group Chat]
Members: 9
Reaper: Do you take me for a beggar?
LordMoonlight: Your call Reaper Boy?
*****
Shameless Author:
Thank you for the Power Stones, Golden Tickets, and support, guys!
I'm so happy you're loving the story that this shameless author is out here twerking for y'all. Yes, twerking. Don't question it, just throw more stones and tickets my way while I dance. 💃🔥