"Oh snap!" Fearless Rebel cussed.
SCATTER!!!
SCRAMBLE!!
The whole place turned into a chaotic mess as the thousands of Chosen scrambled for safety.
Some hid behind their players, using them as shields to deflect the arrows.
Some actively used their weapons to fend off the rain of arrows alongside their players, boldly standing tall in the face of danger.
Under such brutal assaults, injuries were as common as sand underfoot. But the players bore the greater burden.
They rushed forward again and again to take the impact before it reached their masters.
Seizing the moment of disaster, the shield-bearing orcs gave way.
From the inner circle, a massive swarm of red orcs poured out toward the Chosen, wielding heavy weapons.
KRAAAGH!
KRUUKH!
Their fierce battle cries penetrated the field.
"They're smart," Fearless Rebel smirked as he beat away arrows and maneuvered his way through.
With a gritting grin, he launched straight toward the outpouring orcs, his face a board of amusement and thrill.
The Chosen who had been hiding behind their players were forced out when they saw how dire the situation had become.
Even the ones without weapons skillfully directed their players from secure spots.
They might have seemed unreliable at first, unable to digest such revelations. But when it came down to it, they were no ordinary people.
They had been trained, and were still training.
No matter how weak some of them were, they still had backbone somewhere.
On another side, Cola Bear gracefully used her chain to parry the arrows. It swung in wide circling arcs, even shielding her player.
In the face of such critical danger, even as the orcs neared, she remained calm.
"Now that I think about it, didn't I awaken a skill?"
HIIISSSS!!
A loud, spine grazing hiss came from behind.
Cola Bear turned to her player; a humanoid bearing serpentine traits.
Her eyes were large, fully black and bead-like. Her dirty blonde hair fell in a single braid that reached her heels. Her olive-green skin was marked with sparse scales across her arms, neck, cheeks and more.
She stared at Cola Bear with blank eyes, her snake tongue flicking out as she stood tall and slender.
"Right. This isn't the time to worry about that," Cola Bear said.
Kuakh! I mean, it is the vital time to be checking it since it could be very useful to save our butts, she thought.
But she couldn't exactly pause and browse her interface in the middle of a battle.
The arrows wouldn't stop pouring, and the orcs wouldn't give them time to do anything.
I'll sneak a peek when I get the slightest chance 'cause skills are one way to win a fight.
"It's time for war!!!! Let's go!" She roared like a commander giving a life and death command.
Just after the words left her mouth, she lunged into battle, followed by her player.
.
.
.
At the very back end of the chaotic battle ground, shadowed by Chosen and orcs alike as they crashed, Yuin could be found.
His brows were drawn tight, face carved with tension.
"Bloody plague!" He breathed amidst pants.
He'd been running and evading the arrows since it started. Not only was his luck currently cursed, his player as baggage worsened his situation.
He thought even if his player wasn't an attack type or didn't have any weapon, he was still an elite player so there must be something he could do.
But the only thing he'd done since chaos ensued was scream and freak out like a damsel in distress.
He clung to Yuin, crying and hiding behind him. And it really seemed if Yuin left him alone, he'd be nothing but a goner.
Yuin had to protect himself while doing the same for his player.
He dragged him along wherever he hid, ducking and pulling him through the countless arrows raining down on them.
"There is nothing good about being different at all, nothing!" Yuin cursed as he pushed his way forward with his player held tight by the back of his collar.
At the moment, cursed is the only thing he'd describe his fate as.
Unlike the Chosen, Yuin had no training or time to prepare for this. He had no weapon and certainly not a player because his current one was useless.
As they pushed on, an orc lurched straight at them, aiming to strike down as soon as he reached. But with calm and steady ease, Yuin drew tight and rammed a powerful punch into the orc's stomach.
POW!
The impact caved the area in, causing the orc to stagger backward.
"Fuck! Are they made of iron?" He clenched and unclenched his fist, massaging the backlash from the punch.
He had always trusted his physical capabilities.
Due to the many bruising jobs he had taken, his hands were naturally hard. He was a natural brute with great muscles and praise worthy strength.
Although he had never really been in a fight big enough to throw punches, he always believed he would win.
It wasn't a delusion.
Im Yuin was a savage sculpted by the harsh reality of life.
His short, but brute appearance always intimidated most people.
He thought that punch he gave the orc would be enough to render it immobile. But oh, he thought wrong.
The orc growled in its brisk voice, marching toward Yuin calmly. Its face announced confidence that Yuin stood no chance if that was the best of his punch.
"You will have to step aside for a bit," Yuin threw his player aside as the orc reached.
Before it got a chance to fully raise its weapon, Yuin rammed another punch to its side.
"Sorry, but no."
This time, the blow was more devastating and power packed.
The orc's body caved and twisted to the side, lowering its height.
Yuin seized the instant without hesitation.
He lifted his foot in a straight, snapping motion, as if to strike, but instead hooked it around the orc's neck from behind, exploiting its lowered stance.
Rather than drive the orc down with a heavy downward kick, Yuin's leg pushed forward and wrapped around the neck.
With a powerful push off the ground, he swung himself onto the orc's back, taking control of the momentum.
He secured himself tight with his legs clasped and locked around the orc's neck. Within a breath, he clasped his palms together, raised and strained his muscles till they were taut and bulging, then—
BAM!!
He hammered down on the crook of the orc's neck, into its shoulder dip.
The area caved in, almost imploding. The impact forced a painful cough of blood from the orc.
"This might really be your weak point," Yuin said and plowed his elbow into the hollow cave in the orc's neck, digging into flesh and bone as it erupted.
He wasn't there to die.
Since the system allowed it… by mistake or not. He was now there to earn. And for that, every part of his body was a weapon to be wielded.
…
A/N: Like this story? Then help bring visibility with Golden Tickets.
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— Skill Acquired —
Iron Coil [Level 1]
Type: Active
Cost: Free (Bonus Level)
Description: A single living coil manifested from the user's energy that automatically wraps, constricts, and manipulates targets. The coil acts with semiautonomous precision but ultimately responds to the user's will. As mastery increases, the user gains multi-target control and the ability to weaponize the coil with brutal efficiency.
•Effects•
Physical Impact: Damage scales with level, ranging from restraint-induced injury to severe bodily harm depending on mastery and target resistance.
Target Weight VS Pull Force
—If pull force is LOWER than the target's weight:
→ The coil can bind and restrain, but cannot lift or drag the target.
—If pull force is ABOUT EQUAL to the target's weight:
→ The coil can drag, stagger, or partially lift the target.
—If pull force is HIGHER than the target's weight:
→ The coil can lift, slam, or throw the target.
•Limits•
—Maintiang full control or puppeteering requires concentration. Disruption (damage, stun, overload) can weaken or release the coil.
—Targets with higher strength and resistance may reduce immobilization duration or overcome it fully.
—Exceeding safe pull-force limits causes recoil strain to the user, and may cause damage scaling with the target (s) strength.
After fully binding and locking a target in place, the coil elongates at an imperceptible speed to bind additional targets according to the user's will.
Subdued targets remain bound in sequence, forming a segmented line or row of immobilized targets.
[Level 1]
—Enhanced Precision: Coil automatically wraps with optimal precision around a single target.
—Immobilization: Temporarily restricts movement (1–2 seconds).
—Pull Force: 80kg-120kg