Chapter 14 - Disaster

Who would have thought that something catastrophic was happening outside every Disaster Shelter, including Disaster Shelter 05? Initially, the Novas on duty only had to fend off attacks from Therians and Avians, monsters capable of flying.

But Disaster Shelter 05 was a bit different. They managed to defeat the monsters easily, despite suffering some injuries and deaths. However, just when they thought everything was over, a group of enemies in cloaks and masks with different motifs appeared.

There were twelve teams of seven Novas each on duty. However, nearly half of these teams had been killed by these mysterious enemies.

George, one of the Expert Novas on duty, was struggling to defeat one of the enemies wearing a cloak and a mask with the letter J. George had Telekinesis powers but was struggling to land a strike on the enemy.

"Who the hell are you?" George asked in a very serious tone.

He was controlling ten swords with his powers. That was George's style of attack and defense. He could strike and defend from all directions.

"Hahaha! You're not worthy of knowing who I am," J replied.

So far, George couldn't tell if his enemy had used any powers or not. However, J had no trouble dodging all of George's attacks.

His movements were very casual. He jumped left and right. Sometimes he would duck or step back slightly. It seemed like he knew where George would attack from.

Not far from the two of them, there were several other cloaked figures. "J! Stop playing. Finish this now!" shouted G.

Besides G, there was H and I. The three of them were sitting on a pile of corpses belonging to the Specialist Novas in George's team. Only George was still alive!

"Shut up! I'm having fun here! Don't interrupt me," J replied rudely.

Without J expecting it, a lightning bolt struck George's right thigh. "Argh!" George screamed in pain. Blood was pouring out of his body.

Smoke billowed into the air accompanied by the smell of burnt flesh. George's right thigh was charred. Seeing this, J wanted to turn and shout. He knew who did it. "Why the—"

Before J could finish, H appeared in front of George and J. H had used her Electrokinesis powers to strike the lightning bolt and moved. "Didn't you hear what G said earlier?"

H's voice was soft, yet her tone was hard and terrifying. J trembled when she questioned him like that. "G is your superior. Listen to him."

In their organization, every individual must obey those in higher positions than them. According to the alphabet order, G was above J. So, G had more authority in their squad.

Even though they were all in the same squad, the Alphabet Squad, H's strength was said to far surpass everyone in their squad and the Animal Squad or higher.

Yes. They came from the same organization as Cat, Snake, and Bear. However, their squad was under the Animal Squad. The question many had about H was why she chose to stay in the Alphabet Squad.

"Bastard! How dare you ambush me?!" yelled George, who was now sitting after being attacked by H.

At this moment, he was desperately hoping for another team to save him. All his team members had been killed by the enemies in front of him.

Other teams still managed to give some fight to their enemies and hold their ground. Their situation was better. Some enemies were also successfully taken down by them.

After George yelled like that, H turned to him. "If you had stayed quiet, I planned to spare you. But… you talk too much."

J, who was only listening, swallowed hard. He was also scared by H's words. Who would have thought, not even a second later, H released another lightning bolt that pierced through George's forehead.

'One attack and she can kill an Expert Nova? What is her level now?' That's what was running through J's mind and the others.

"What are you waiting for? Hurry up," ordered H.

J growled in frustration. He really didn't like dealing with H. H's aura and power limited J's actions. "What do we do now, G?" J asked, his tone casual, showing no respect for G.

This time, I spoke up, her voice also that of a woman, "J."

"What?!" J responded quickly without thinking. This time, J felt truly regretful for being so angry earlier. He had made a mistake. 'I'm dead! I'm really dead this time!' J, realizing his mistake, began to sweat profusely.

"Kneel," ordered I.

Immediately, J complied. He knelt before G, H, and I.

Not satisfied, I ordered again, "Prostrate!"

BAM!

J, trying to control his body from following I's command, inadvertently prostrated very hard. The upper part of his mask cracked from the impact.

"Damn you, I! Damn you! Stop your power now. Otherwise…" J threatened.

"Otherwise what? What can you do?" I retorted, laughing wickedly.

J could only grit his teeth in frustration. The sound of his teeth grinding was clearly audible. He felt truly humiliated, being disgraced like this.

"Enough! We have more important things to do," barked G.

He was tired of dealing with his team's antics this time. His eyes turned towards Disaster Shelter 05.

'Who is our real target? Why was the Alphabet Squad the one who was sent this time?'

That was the question that had been on G's mind for a while. The Alphabet Squad was among the strongest mid-level squads in their organization. Especially with H being with them this time. This mission must be important, and their target must be no ordinary person.

"We need to complete this mission quickly. I'm worried if any Master or Supreme Novas come here." The others nodded. J did the same. He knew that with these people in front of him, he couldn't do anything.

Only H remained calm, not reacting to G's concern. Nonetheless, she followed the others towards the Eastern Gate of Disaster Shelter 05.

***

Meanwhile, inside Disaster Shelter 05, Aric had just finished eliminating the twenty Therians present. Ten for each Terralions and Steel Bulls. They were all Level 10, with identical attributes.

"I find their attributes a bit strange," said C99.

"Why?" Aric, facing monsters for the first time, didn't understand C99's confusion.

She replied, "I've never encountered species with identical attributes before. It's highly likely they're clones."

Aric still didn't understand what C99 meant. Even if they were clones, what was the issue here? Frustrated with Aric's lack of comprehension, C99 decided to analyze the situation on her own.

It wasn't that Aric didn't want to think more deeply. Sitting among the corpses of his enemies, he felt very excited. He had received a handsome reward after completing a secret mission!

Aric deliberately stayed put because he didn't want to be approached by other people. Several individuals had tried to come near him but changed their minds after seeing the corpses. They all had personal interests, which Aric strongly disliked.

'Never mind. I better check my progress and the secret mission rewards from earlier,' Aric thought to himself.

[STATUS]

[Name] Aric Valen

[Species] Human

[Power] Mimicrion (Aerokinesis)

[Grade] S* (S)

[Level] 5 + 9 (14)

[HP] 2500/2500 (6250/7250)

[EP] 2500/2500 (6750/6750)

[Attributes] Strength - 50 (120), Endurance - 50 (120), Agility - 50 (140), Vitality - 50 (125), Intelligence - 50 (135)

[Free Attribute Points] 45

[Cumulative EXP] 800

"I've reached Level 5 so quickly." Aric felt quite proud of his achievement and the speed of his leveling up today.

C99 just smiled. She didn't want to dampen Aric's spirits with reality. Right now, Aric was fighting enemies many levels higher than him, allowing him to gain substantial EXP while using Elis's power.

However, the higher Aric's level, the more EXP he would need for the next level. He would need to defeat enemies that provided more EXP, meaning higher-level and stronger foes.

"You've just matched those in the mid-Novice Novas rank. Usually, children under twelve reach this level, and you're eighteen now," C99 said, mocking Aric with a laugh.

"There's always something you have to say, C99. But it's okay. I don't mind. I'm on the right track." Aric grinned widely, truly excited. He had just seen the reward given.

[SECRET MISSION REWARD]

Power Booster - When activated, the host receives 60% of the full power of the copied ability's owner for 10 minutes. Can only be used once every 72 hours. The host will suffer backlash after 10 minutes. The severity of the backlash depends on the level difference between the host and the copied power's owner.

[Redeem reward (YES/NO)]

Without hesitation, Aric pressed 'YES' with his mind. He was eager to use this power but knew it should only be used in critical situations.

"It's good you're thinking that way. We don't know how severe the backlash will be. If your enemy is still undefeated and you receive the backlash, you'll be doomed." C99 felt more relieved, seeing that Aric was beginning to understand everything.

It was undeniable that 'Intelligence' provided the ability to think, find solutions, and, in simple terms, made Aric many times smarter than before.

Aric looked around. Many residents in the safety section still chose not to come out. They were worried about another attack.

"How did the monsters get into this shelter, C99? Why can't the Novas help?" asked Aric.

It was impossible for the Novas on duty not to know what was happening inside right now. Unless…

"There must be a portal that led the monsters in and what you're thinking about the other Novas is correct, Aric. They were also severely attacked. According to the information I obtained from the security system, a group of cloaked and masked humans with various motifs attacked this shelter."

"Motifs? Are there animal motifs?" Aric's tone was anxious. His chest ached. He had a score to settle with those who injured Ryan.

"There are no recent updates. It's highly likely many Novas were defeated this time," C99 replied.

"What do you think their purpose is, and who are they?"

C99 remained silent, not answering immediately. She had several guesses. It was likely they were connected to the organization that attacked the creator's lab.

However, she wasn't sure what their purpose on Earth was, as Earth wasn't worthy of being on their target list. Earth was too weak. Unless it had something to do with C99 and Aric, or more precisely, the power within Aric's body.

"All of that is still unclear, Aric. We need to gather evidence before taking action."

Aric nodded in understanding. He also realized his strength wasn't sufficient to do anything yet. If they could injure Ryan so severely, Aric had no hope of fighting them.

"Be careful, Aric. I can sense the attack isn't over yet. It's highly likely this area will be attacked again," C99 warned.

"Still not over yet…" Aric looked around. Not only were there Therian corpses here, but human bodies were also scattered. There were children, women, teenagers, and even the elderly.

Aric closed his eyes, unable to bear seeing more lives lost. With this newly awakened power, he would try his best to ensure the people outside the safety sections remained safe.

Aric was actually very frustrated at the moment. Those who managed to get into the safety sections still wouldn't unlock the doors to let others in for shelter.

They claimed to worry about potential infections from those exposed to the Therian corpses. Their excuses were absurd. It was all because the safety sections were stocked with food, drinks, and medicine.

If more people came in, these supplies would deplete faster. The supplies outside were scattered, damaged, and destroyed by the earlier Therian attack.

"How many lives do you think were lost?" Aric asked C99.

"1,972 people killed." C99's answer was precise and concise.

"That many…" Aric began to think that if his family were in this area, no lives would have been lost. He truly felt like he was bringing shame to the Valen family name.