Descending into Collector C-4 had become a familiar routine for Sebastian, but today everything felt different. The black handle of the "Black Star" knife was pleasantly cool in his palm, and the mana vibration emanating from the blade resonated with his own heartbeat. Level five had given him not only dry numbers in the system window but also a new understanding of space. Now that his [Strength] had reached fourteen units, he felt every gram of his weight and every muscle tension as a perfectly tuned mechanism.
He passed through the zone where he had slain the Crystalline Brute yesterday. The tracks of the battle were still fresh: craters in the concrete and dried puddles of purple fluid. Sebastian did not stop. His goal was further where Mana Resonance painted pictures so saturated with energy that the air seemed viscous, like syrup.
"Fifteen levels to the transition," he repeated in his head. "Only a third of the way. If I want to stop being a shadow in this city, I need to double the pace."
His motivation was no longer just a question of his mother's survival. Bruno's money had covered the budget holes for a month ahead, but that was only a temporary solution. Sebastian had seen those Aegis hunters. He had seen their contempt. In Heloplex, you are either a tool or the one who holds that tool. Rank F was the bottom link, and Sebastian intended to break through it faster than anyone before him.
He entered a sector where the walls began to change their structure. The old concrete gave way to crystalline growths resembling the fossilized veins of an ancient giant. Here, Distortion was a constant factor. Sebastian stopped and activated Mana Resonance.
Before him opened a network of tunnels filled with "fireflies" — energy clumps marking enemies. This time, they weren't isolated monsters. A pack. Five, six... no, eight targets.
[Target: Distorted Fang (Level 6)] x5
[Target: Corrupted Brute (Level 8)] x3
This was a serious test. The combined level of the enemies significantly exceeded his own. Any other Rank F hunter would have turned and run, but Sebastian only gripped his knife tighter. His abnormal Luck was silent, which meant there was a chance of survival if he acted without mistakes.
Sebastian stepped out from the shadow. The monsters immediately sensed his presence. The Brutes, massive beasts with crystalline shields instead of forearms, let out a low hum that made the walls vibrate. The Fangs, more agile and dangerous, rushed forward, trying to surround him.
—
The first Fang jumped, aiming for the throat. Sebastian didn't even flinch. He felt his passive skill activate.
[Skill 'Stone Skin' absorbed 16% of physical damage from a glancing blow]
He took the hit on the claw-made bracer and simultaneously lunged with the "Black Star." The knife passed through the monster's hide like butter. The mana-conducting threads in the blade flared, burning out the beast's internal organs.
[Target neutralized: Corrupted Fang (Lvl 6)]
[Experience gained: 112 XP]
One hundred and twelve units. This was much more than the ordinary rats gave. Sebastian felt a surge of adrenaline. He spun around, avoiding the second Fang's attack, and drove the knife directly under the crystalline shell on its neck.
[Target neutralized: Corrupted Fang (Lvl 6)]
[Experience gained: 108 XP]
But the Brutes were the real problem. One of them was already nearby, swinging its massive paw for a devastating strike. Sebastian realized that his [Strength] of twelve units (now fourteen) was not enough to stop such a mass head-on. He dove under the strike, feeling the airwave from the monster's swing almost knock him off his feet.
At that moment, his Luck flared. It didn't tell him where to strike; it simply forced him to shift his center of gravity slightly to the left. This allowed him to end up in the monster's "dead zone." Sebastian landed a series of quick strikes to the joints of the Brute's right leg.
The crystalline structure didn't hold. The monster collapsed heavily on one knee, creating a perfect opportunity for a final blow. Sebastian jumped on its back and drove the knife directly into the central mana node on the back of its head.
[Target neutralized: Corrupted Brute (Lvl 8)]
[Experience gained: 415 XP]
Four hundred and fifteen! His experience bar filled almost halfway from this single kill. But it was too early to relax — the rest of the pack was already on him.
The next ten minutes turned into a bloody chaos. Sebastian moved at the limit of his abilities. His mana was spent on maintaining Resonance, allowing him to see attacks before they even began. He became a shadow dancing around the clumsy Brutes and tearing the throats of the agile Fangs.
When the last Level 8 monster finally fell, Sebastian sank to one knee, breathing heavily. His jacket was torn in several places, and his "Stone Skin" was covered in cracks like parched earth. But he was smiling.
[Target neutralized: Corrupted Fang (Lvl 6)]
[Experience gained: 105 XP]
[Target neutralized: Corrupted Fang (Lvl 6)]
[Experience gained: 110 XP]
[Target neutralized: Corrupted Fang (Lvl 6)]
[Experience gained: 102 XP]
[Target neutralized: Corrupted Brute (Lvl 8)]
[Experience gained: 420 XP]
[Target neutralized: Corrupted Brute (Lvl 8)]
[Experience gained: 398 XP]
[Level Up!]
[Your level is now: 6]
[You have received 3 Stat Points.]
The golden glow washed over his body again, healing small cuts and restoring strength. Sebastian felt his internal mana capacity expand, and his muscles became even denser.
—
He didn't wait. While the monsters' bodies still emitted residual heat, he began gathering trophies. Now, with his new knife, this process took mere minutes. He cut out cores, gathered crystalline growths, and claws. Each Level 8 Brute core was a treasure. In the Rotten Sector market, they could fetch a fortune.
Sebastian straightened up, looking into the depth of the tunnel. There, where the Distortion became even thicker, he felt the presence of something... massive. Much larger than anything he had seen before.
"Level fifteen," he thought, distributing the new points. "I must reach it. I won't stop at level six. I won't stop until I see the sun not through the smog of the Rotten Sector, but from the windows of the upper levels."
He put two points into Strength and one into Luck. Now he felt ready for the next step. Heloplex tried to crush him, but Sebastian Amaden proved tougher than any concrete.