[Intergalactic: Online 6]

Creed jumped out of the bushes and rolled on the ground before quickly brandishing his spear and shield. He had been taken by surprise since he was still under the impression that this was a game. However, after being face to face with the creature and seeing its massive jaws, the sharp row of teeth, and the foul stench of blood on its breath, he quickly came to grips with the fact that he was not in a game.

"I could have died there; then everything would have been over for real..." Creed mumbled to himself as a serious look appeared in his eyes.

The lizardman leaped out of the bushes after Creed as it tried to snap at him with its jaws. Creed now had a determined look as he faced the creature. He focused his mind on his Spear-manship, and immediately, the game interface appeared around him, showing a silhouette of himself holding the spear in a particular stance. Creed did not pay too much attention to this as it was guiding him in the basic forms that one should use when using a spear in combat.

This was one of the methods used by the game to allow players to freely delve into different paths without feeling that one path gave more help than the other. The interface would always show you the most basic steps, no matter what path you choose to follow, which could be improved based on the knowledge acquired. Tomes of Knowledge and Blueprints were the fastest way of improving the interface guides, but hard work and practice were the most common.

Creed did not follow these guides because he was highly proficient in using spears and instantly knew that these were the most basic guides. Creed had been one of the few players to persist down the path of close combat, despite the meta shifting to range battle styles. Creed practiced his Spear-manship in-game and in real-life, until he reached the (Advanced) stage after eight long years.

Of course, there were higher levels after this stage, such as (Master) and (Grand Master). However, the (Advanced) level was considered the peak for most long-playing players, as taking a path higher than this was extremely difficult.

Creed took an advanced spear stance from reflex as the lizardman suddenly jumped toward him. Creed lowered his body while pushing the beast away with his shield, using its weight against it and easily dodging the attack. Creed thrusts his spear directly at the creature's neck from a low angle, impaling it and killing it instantly.

Creed then kicked the creature away as he ripped his spear out and turned around to face the other beasts.

The three humans were stunned by his sudden arrival but quickly returned to their own fierce battles. However, with Creed's arrival, a lot of pressure was removed from the group, allowing them to fight a lot easier.

Creed decided to use this as an opportunity to get on their good side and charged at a nearby lizardman. The beast saw him coming and rushed at him, but Creed made quick work of it using some well-placed strikes, killing it within a few seconds before moving on to the next one.

The female warrior took advantage of the chaos that Creed was sowing and jumped onto the back of a nearby lizardman. She repeatedly and mercilessly stabbed it until it fell to the ground.

The remaining lizardmen saw that they were wholly outmatched and retreated one after the other.

When the battle ended, seven lizardmen were on the ground. Creed had killed three, while the other four were the combined efforts of the woman and her two companions.

Creed took off his mask and sighed in relief.

'Luckily, it is not too different from the game. I was worried that my skills wouldn't carry over...', Creed thought as he turned to look at the three humans.

The woman examined Creed while holding her knife. She had seen his skillful and fluid movements and instantly knew that she wouldn't be able to take him head-on if he turned out to be hostile. But if it came down to it, she would instead choose to go out fighting.

Her two companions also seemed to mirror her sentiment as they stood behind her nervously, knives at the ready. It was clear that whoever spoke or moved first would set the stage for what would happen next.

"Ehem. Hello there, my name is Creed. I come in peace..."Creed said in the friendliest tone that he could muster. He felt that there was no reason to antagonize them, seeing as they were the first humans he had seen and his best shot of finding civilization.

"Creed?...," The woman asked as she slowly lowered her knife.

"Which city do you belong to, and what are you doing in the forest dressed like that?"

Creed looked down at his roughly made lizard-hide tunic and scratched his cheek in embarrassment.

"I'm not sure myself, actually. I woke up in these forests a few days ago with no memories..." Creed said, hoping that they would buy it. Amnesia was not Creed's preferred option, but he couldn't think of anything else at the time.

All three looked at Creed skeptically but decided not to ask too many questions.

"OK, I won't ask about your reasons as thanks for your assistance. My name is Rea of LH-City, and these are my companions, Fel and Aon."

"Hi there, it's nice to meet you!" said the skinny man named Fel in a high-pitched voice.

"Greetings..." said the ordinary-looking man named Aon.

"Greetings!. Is the city nearby? I've been living in these woods by myself for a while now, eating nothing but berries, so I would love to have a warm shower and some real food", Creed said with a chuckle.

Rea sheathed her knife, prompting her companions to do the same. She quietly wondered what type of person could survive by himself in this dangerous Forrest.

"LH-City is about two days' travel from here. We are actually on our way there if you would like to come along with us?". Rea said while remembering Creed's combat skills.

It didn't matter to her whether or not he was a runaway from one of the cities. All that mattered now was that his combat skills would be beneficial in keeping them alive, especially after having lost most of her squad and then running out of ammunition and rations during the last few days.

"I'll gladly take you up on that offer," Creed said with a smile.

"Great, then let us keep moving," Rea said as she pulled out a compass and led the group in a particular direction.

"By the way, what are you guys doing in this forest?" Creed asked as they started walking.

The two men looked at each other as if not believing he did not know.

Rea also turned around and looked at Creed curiously. "You really don't know?" she asked incredulously.

"Know what?..." Creed asked carefully. Whatever it was seemed to be general knowledge, but he really had no idea.

Rea looked at him while wondering how long he was planning on pretending to be an amnesiac.

"The Celestial Empire ruins. It's the only reason anyone would ever bother entering this forest", said Fel in his high-pitched voice.

Rea turned around and kept walking as if the entire topic was a sore point for her.

'Could They be looking for the lab?', Creed thought to himself as he immediately understood. The tech in the lab was broken and useless to Creed, but the Celestial Empire was massive with technology that bordered on the side of being magical. Even broken pieces of their tech would probably sell for a lot to the right collector.

'I need to make sure that I can come back here later...', Creed thought to himself as he made a mental note. He also started secretly marking the route for when he returned one day.