SYSTEM ASCENSION

Quil had wrapped up Elias’s injured arms with whatever clothes he could find. The team had make sure to solve their food problems with fruits, and filled their pouch with water before returning.

Unlike what they had fearfully expected, the system wasn’t against returning to the safe zone. They didn’t encounter any Null or crawler on the way too, until they were back inside the shimmering zone.

Their biggest problem was the team they met inside the zone.

There were seven in number. The leader approached them immediately, a wide smile on his face.

"It seem we were not the only one thinking." He stretched his hand. "Let’s get along."

Quil wanted to take the handshake, but Elias’s took it in his stead.

The leader grinned for a brief moment, before withdrawing his hand.

"We’ll use that area." He turned around and left.

"I don’t think he was in this safe zone last time," Roche muttered, as they turned to their usual spot. "I don’t recognise him."

"He was not here." Quil confirmed.

Yvonne turned around to face Elias, then asked the question that had been probing her mind.

"Why did you take the handshake?"

Quil raised a brow. Although he found it awkward, it didn’t really matter.

"It doesn’t matter who takes it."

"That guy hand has moisture in them," Roche replied even before Elias could say anything. "And the smell. Acid."

"Acid?" They gasped.

"He has an acid ability."

"That’s why you did that?" Quil grabbed Elias’s shoulder.

Roche shoved his hand, and clean the spot in Elias shoulder that he had touched.

"The bastard probably want to melt out your hand, but hesitated when Elias took it, despite knowing his intentions."

Quil glanced back.

The same person was grinning at him.

"Such a freak." Yvonne cuss.

They all sat down.

"Now we need to be on the look out around them." Lisa said. "The sun is setting soon, and they might likely move at night.

"Or conscious of Elias." Laura added.

They glanced at Elias, who had already lay down, and shut his eyes.

"I guess we’re taking the first shift then." Quil muttered.

"Of course!" Roche snapped back. "My Lord barely had enough sleep for the past one week!"

"Yes! Yes!" Yvonne snapped too.

Laura raised her hand.

"If you’re cousins, why is he your Lor—"

"Shut up!" Roche retorted.

"Let him sleep in peace!" Yvonne added.

Then both defendant glanced at themselves and frowned.

"They are the same." Quil muttered. "Me and Roche will take the first shift. Laura and Yvonne can go next, then Lisa and Elias would go last."

The rest agreed, and the zone soon quiet down.

However, it was only temporary. They could not follow the settings because everyone soon woke up to the startled panic from the people in the forest.

Cries and screams fill the air, and they could only leave the rest to their imaginations.

The numbers dropped drastically.

[Participants remaining: two hundred and forty six]

[Participants remaining: two hundred and thirty one]

[Participants remaining: two hundred and Nineteen]

[Participants remaining: two hundred and two]

It kept dropping.

In the end, only Elias slept till the next morning.

HOURS LATER

"With everything we heard, should we even go to the forest?" Lisa groaned.

They were currently on their way back to the forest, with the burning sun up. Their vital energy coating them like a second skin was the only thing keeping them standing.

"We have no choice. Feeding depends on it." Quil replied.

"I’ll rather stay in the forest than spend it with that acid freak." Roche retorted.

By the time they arrived, the forest was silent. The survivors number had settled in a hundred and seventy five.

It was a blood bath. Many had gone into hiding, leaving trails of blood behind. Some limbs were scattered around, unable to tell who had them.

The atmosphere was a mess.

"Let’s split up from here." Quil muttered. "We are know where to get water, but we have to venture deeper for food. We might end up meeting a Serpentile or two."

"I’ll pass on meeting those creatures." Laura groaned.

"Then you get water."

"I’ll fight." Lisa waved.

"Then you’ll come with us."

"I’m not leaving Elias." Yvonne grabbed his hand.

"Then..." Quil eyes travelled to Roche. "Go with Laura."

"What? Me?"

"We can’t let her go alone."

"So why me?! Let her sister go with her! I’m staying with my Lord!"

Laura tugged his cloth and began pulling him. "You’ll return to your lord side later."

"Nooooo! My lorrrrrrrddddddd!"

They watched Roche and Laura disappeared into the forest before turning around.

Elias bend his knees and dashed off. The rest followed him.

They left the forest edge, and broke into the Serpentiles territory. The creatures, lucking in the dark hissed, charging at them.

"Yvonne!" Quil yelled.

She, who was behind him immediately understood. She opened her mouth and released a sheer scream at him. Activating his ability, he wrapped it up and amplified it, sending it forward.

Elias ducked fast as the suddenly larger attack brushed past him and clear out half of the territory into nothing.

The rest of the creatures lunged at them, and it was Elias’s turn. He created a long sword and charged towards them too.

He craved out the head of three at once with a single swing, and left the rest astonished.

This was the might of an S rank.

They watched him sliced down C rank creatures with almost no effort for seven minutes straight before Lisa spoke.

"I’m ready."

She had been preparing a large scale attack.

Elias jumped back, and she streched her hand.

"Ability activated. Frost land!"

The air suddenly turned chilly. In a second, the air turned white and everything iced up in a tremendous speed. The whole of the serpentile territory froze over.

"Wow..." Yvonne gasped. "How did you..."

"The artifact," she streched her hand to show a ring. "It’s really helpful."

"I haven’t chosen yet." Yvonne smiled.

"Neither have I." Quil muttered.

Elias was suddenly reminded how cruel the system had been to him in the second trial. He didn’t get a reward.

They proceed beyond the territory where fruits where rampant. While the ladies picked fruits, the males hunt smaller creatures.

"We should be able to make a fire and have meat." Quil had declared.

The sun was burning even brighter when they finished gathering enough to last for two weeks.

Quil nodded.

"Let’s go—"

"Guys!"

Laura’s voice startled them. They turned around, trying to locate her voice.

"Guys!"

They finally spotted her. She approached them from the direction they had come from.

Lisa smiled.

"Sister! We have enough..."

Her eyes widened as Laura got closer.

She was badly injured, barely standing. Blood dripped from her body, staining the ice.

"He..."

Yvonne dashed forward.

"What happened?! Where is Roche?!"

They glanced at Elias, whose expression didn’t change.

"He’s..." Laura staggered.

[Natalie Naya]

[Kill count: 41]

The notification was suddenly louder than they had remembered.

"Where is Roche?!" Quil snapped.

"He got him... Natalie got him."

The word sent a collective shiver down their spine.

"Natalie?" Quil asked.

"We met him by the river. He was the acid user we saw yesterday."

Elias had already moved, abandoning the things they came for. Yvonne followed immediately. Quil carried the injured one and the rest followed.

When they arrived at the river bank, traces of people had been erased. Only a body was found. Breath had left him a long time ago.

Roche’s body.

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