Ethan looked calm even though five ork guards surrounded him. He began rehearsing the Swallow Step technique in his head, but time was slipping away. An ork guard roared and swung a massive red fist. Ethan dodged to the side and landed a strike in its jaw—shattering it. Bang. The ork fell dead.
"Wow, I didn't know my strength would increase this much in such a short while," Ethan thought, but he didn't relax. The other orks rushed him with axes.
Clang—Ethan parried an axe with ease, then tore one guard in half; guts scattered everywhere. Bang, bang, bang. The three engaged in a brutal clash. After a dozen moves, the three ork guards were finished.
Checking his stats, Ethan added 10 points to mana, bringing it to twenty. Now he could use the Star Sword Technique for two minutes. He lunged at the remaining 195 orks. Bang, bang, bang. By now Ethan had learned more of the Swallow Step.
He didn't dodge every strike—many landed—but left him unhurt. He lunged forward, slaughtering twenty beasts in a minute. His white shirt hung in tatters; only the Lightning Armor showed. Tadadadada—Ethan ran through the orks, flying up to avoid being cornered by dozens of charging bodies. They were strong, but not nearly as fast as him. Centering his balance, he continued the slaughter.
The battle became one-sided; Ethan had turned into a killing machine. It took about an hour before silence fell over the hall.
[Congratulations — you have slaughtered the Ork horde.]
[You are now Level 7.]
[Rank: Half-Awakened Level 7 — 0/700 EXP.]
Ethan placed 5 points into Speed and 5 into Agility.
[Attributes: Strength 30 | Agility 17 | Stamina 22 | Speed 31 | Mana 20]
He looked around, harvesting beast souls. Two hundred Earthly Ork souls and one Mutant Ork soul filled his haul—worth roughly eleven million Ace Coins.
[Congratulations — Achievement Unlocked: Devil Slaughterer (Enemies tremble; -10 to their stat points when you appear).]
"Sweet," Ethan muttered, rising from the pile of corpses. He stored his rewards.
[Inventory — Level 1: 4/10]
[Starless Sword (Rank 4) | Ork Earthly Beast Soul ×200 | Ork Mutant Beast Soul ×1 | Chaos Talisman]
"So the same type of equipment only takes one slot. Great," Ethan said, in a good mood. "I need to find Gloria and Freddy." He had made the hole concave on purpose to hide his actions from prying eyes.
"Ethan! Help—James took Gloria! Quick, we need to help her!" Freddy came running, wounds all over his body. Ethan's calm snapped to steel. He adjusted his battered clothes, patted Freddy on the shoulder, and whispered, "Don't worry. I'll see him dead in the next thirty minutes."
Freddy went cold—Ethan's voice felt like death itself. Ethan's eyes were calm as water; his blue gaze sharpened. With a burst of speed he grabbed Freddy and rushed down the passage.
On the other side of the dungeon, James had Gloria tied out in the open. Three tank warriors flanked him—the same men who'd shoved Freddy earlier. "How dare you try to rape me. If I get out, I'll put your head on the city gate," Gloria spat.
"Who said you're leaving alive? Your uncle paid us to kill you," James sneered, showing a transaction on a holo-screen. Gloria's face fell; the name of her uncle—someone she idolized—was tied to the hit.
"You lie. My family would never—" Gloria choked.
"Ask your ancestors when you're gone," another tank warrior said, cracking a grin. "Your father paid one hundred million Ace Coins."
Gloria's world crumbled. "Why?" she whispered.
James licked his dagger. "We'll find out. First, let's see what's under that armor." He reached to rip at her suit.
"Hm. Forgot about Miss Gloria's bodyguard," a voice said behind him.
He turned—and froze. A silver-haired boy, fifteen, stood there.
"What did you say, boy?" James asked, smiling at first. Then he saw the cold in the boy's eyes.
"You hear me, kid? I'm here to protect Miss Gloria. I won't let you harm her," Ethan said softly.
"Right—boys! Seize him!" James barked, drawing his dagger.
Slash—slash. The tank warriors barely moved before a cold sensation passed through their necks like butter. They froze; death arrived in their shadow. Ethan moved through them like a ghost.
Spurts of heads and limbs flew, staining the dark passage red. James felt the presence of the reaper itself at his side.