Escape (1/2)

Without further waiting, Dorian flashed forward, leaving a metallic blur in his wake.

He slashed his daggers forward relentlessly, meeting Jason's sword countless times with uttermost vigor.

Jason gradually retreated, almost falling victim to Dorian's nimble feints.

Jason wasn't a combat expert, nor fought a lot in his school despite its environment, which put him at a disadvantage to the ex-marine Dorian, who has experience not only in hand-to-hand combat but with knives and guns.

Slowly but surely, Jason's sword was getting chipped, his hands numbing under the pure speed of Dorian's repeated strikes which enhanced his long-term effect on Jason's hands by a considerable amount.

With each connection of their weapons, Jason's sword quaked, and without warning, his system made another shocking move.

[Sword durability = 20%]

Jason's eyes dilated, durability?

Of course, he was aware that swords could break and couldn't infinitely be utilized without consequences, but in only 2 minutes of battling his sword was near breaking?

The red illusionary text dissipated, leaving Jason on short notice of a lethal blow aimed in between his brows.

He quickly weaved the attack, using his bodily momentum to swing his sword diagonally from Dorian's stomach, traveling up to his chest, leaving a gnarly red scar on his body, dripping blood from its ends.

Jason's eyes shone, coming to a realization. 'I see... If I use my momentum while dodging blows, I can turn it into an immediate counter-attack... He didn't see it at all!'

'It's like a seamlessly transitioning attack style, I'm risking power for un-seen counters which are hard to keep track of and even notice.

Although cliche, during the midst of battle, he made a crucial breakthrough to make him victorious.

Dorian slid back, grasping at his bloodied shirt, it seeping through his fingers.

"You shit..."

During his time in the Marines, he never even received a blow, lethal or not. He was a true expert in warfare, but he let a teenager deal such a blow to him?

He roared with indignation, shooting forward with more speed than before.

He slashed horizontally at Jason's face, which ultimately sealed his fate.

As if he was an acrobat of sorts, using the backward dodging momentum to jump off the floor, he brought his foot up in a reverse axe kick.

"AHHH" He let out a scream of terror and pain as his teeth clashed against each other, chipping multiple and breaking plenty of others.

Jason didn't enjoy the blow in the slightest, he still had to kill Dorian.

As if he defied the laws of physics, he placed his foot on top of his head amid his falling. Using his head as a placeholder for his foot, he rotated his body without moving in the air, or any other body part.

It was like if you were in a pool, you could turn your body freely using little to no strength.

Even using seemingly little to no force on land, even if it was near unimaginable, he was easily able to do a 180, now facing the floor using Dorian's head as a foothold while being parallel to the ground.

Without reluctance, he brought his left foot down directly to the rear of his skull.

An earsplitting crunch came from Dorian's head, followed by the thump of his body as he fell face-first into the sand.

[An anonymous god is surprised by your sudden victory.]

Jason's eyes shone with indifference to Dorian's pathetic look under his foot.

Hushed weeps were the only noise Dorian could make. His skull and jaw were completely shattered. Blood poured out of his eyes.

Not only did Jason's kick break every bone in Dorian's head, it even squashed his brain, a grotesque scene to behold.

He raised his sword, coldly stabbing it through Dorian's head. He could feel it piercing his cranium, then his brain, then through his forehead.

He reaped another life.

[Player: Dorian Kipfer Killed.]

[250 XP Gained - Bonus XP applied for level differential.]

[Level 5 > 6, 2 Stat points received.]

'Attributes.'

[Level 6]

[120/225 XP]

[25/25 HP]

[6 Strength]

[10 Agility]

[7 Stamina]

[6 Intelligence]

"Strength and agility." He spoke aloud.

After looting Dorian's corpse, he tip-toed upstairs, wary and alert.

He was aware that the others could've woken up by the intense sounds of fighting, but luckily they didn't.

They slept without care, unaware that death was coming for them very soon.

Jason lurked throughout the house, concealing himself in the eerie darkness, a predator that would pounce out anytime.

The door to Adam's room was wide open. Jason didn't know who he was going to kill, but no matter who- he'll make sure they descend to hell.

As he expected, he snoozed peacefully.

He inwardly sneered, coming only a few inches from the sleeping man.

With a maniacal grin painted on his face, he brandished his sword, only centimeters from Adam's neck.

With a flash, his head was severed from his shoulders, dying instantly.

No weeping or cry came out, simply death.

'I'd be a fool to think they were all asleep.'

In a house filled with ex-criminals and Marines, one of them was awake, patrolling. It as natural.

Jason knew he wanted to kill. He wanted to feel their lives perish below him, everyone in this house. But could he really? Was his strength enough to deal with 30 men and women in this house?

To put it simply, yes.

Room after room he severed the heads of people sleeping without a care.

He felt his humanity slowly drifting away with each life taken, but he didn't care. He was keen to throw away his humanity to deliver justice to those that deserved it.

Finally, he was noticed in the act.

A man with long, lustrous red hair came out of the kitchen, oblivious that Jason was in the room beside him.

Jason stood by the doorway, observing him from the darkness, waiting for a moment to swoop on his prey.

Equipping the assassin daggers, he leaped out, slicing the man's neck with ease.

Before he could fall, Jason caught him, slowly bringing him to the floor and laying him in a corner hidden away from plain sight.

He watched the man gurgle and grab his neck, atoning for the treacherous sins he committed, beneath Jason.

Not wanting to jeopardize anything, Jason dug his daggers through the man's head, killing him instantly.

More and more EXP was accumulated, raising his level to a staggering 9. He could've gained more, but as his level increased he earned less EXP due to the level dissimilarity.

But so early in the apocalypse, level 9 was like godhood compared to most.

[6 > 10 Strength]

[7 > 8 Stamina]

[6 > 7 Intelligence]

[20 > 35 HP]

Despite it being insanely strong, there are more powerful beasts. If Jason was this strong only having slightly above-average to average stats to begin with, just how powerful are the people that were at the pinnacle of humans before the apocalypse now?

Jason found it hard to fathom such a fact. Having such power was unbelievable.

With his killing spree, it wouldn't go unnoticed.

Blaring sirens activated, releasing a screeching yell to travel throughout the house, waking up everyone who wasn't killed yet.

Some were confused and some even slept through it for a minute or so. For those in the inner circle of Dorian's ranks, they were warned about the alarm and aware that there was an intruder in the house, or a Suljar was within the field.

The men that were present the day they killed Leo woke up in a flash. They were all too familiar with this alarm. They've heard it an unreasonable amount of times.

'Shit... I need more levels...' Accumulating more levels will double the amount of stat points he receives. Who wouldn't seize such an opportunity?

After he escapes from the house, he'll acquire 6 unallocated stat points from the contract he made with the system.

Before Jason could flee, a woman approached him from the back, lunging a kitchen knife at the back of his neck.

Jason was surprised. He thought people yelling in a surprise attack was normal. It seems he is wrong this time.

Jason blocked the attack with his hand, changing the trajectory of her arm far from him.

With a brutal counterattack, he bashed his knee upwards into her elbow, causing an all-to-familiar scene to occur.

Using the exact kitchen knife she assailed him with, he pierced it right in her throat, leaving her to bleed out.

[Level 9 > 10]

Now he had an extra 8 points.

He bolted out of the home, his feet majestically gliding against the grass it seemed.

He wasted no time with his getaway, he wanted to leave instantly

Unmistakably it wouldn't be as easy as that.

Just like before, a fireball was cast at him, retaining a more robust heat and power within.

For Jason however, this was far more effortless to dodge.

"It's you again, bastard." Jason stated, coming to a full halt.

The blonde slender man stood unphased, his hand stretched outward ready to cast another fireball.

"Lucky for you bastard, I unlocked magic too!"