The Yellow Ocean (5)

The air was thick, heavy with tension and the acrid scent of blood. Akira turned to his party, his white, cold eyes scanning them with a sharp intensity.

His presence alone silenced any lingering doubts they might have harbored.

"You need to know something now,"

Akira began in a firm, resolute voice with an almost chilling edge.

"Im going to kill everyone of them."

"But afterwards I'll be completely dry."

He paused for a moment as he looked at the Werehyenas, their numbers now clearly dwindling, and then muttered under his breath

"That will be the case If I don't get enough experience to level up."

The weight of his words fell like a stone among his party.

Grido jaw clenched.

"Akira , are you saying that after this, you'll have no more mana?"

Anna stepped forward.

"There needs to be other way Victor is wounded and im the only one with more than half of my mana"

Grido lifted a hand, silencing both of them.

His eyes didn't leave Akira.

"He knows what he's doing,"

Grido said firmly.

"If he's giving us this chance, we better take it."

Victor's fists clenched, his lips thinning into a determined line.

"Fine."

Akira didn't say a word. He faced the Werehyenas, his cold eyes narrowing. The tension thickened as he stepped forward, pressing a bit deeper into the yellow ocean.

The water rose to his knees, yet he pressed on.

The remaining Werehyenas growled their predator instincts overcoming their earlier hesitance.

Akira chuckled.

"Come on, then,"

As they lunged toward him, his mind flashed to a memory a flashback of him scanning with the system the First Mutated Werehyena .

"Lightning."

He thought, the memory snapping into clarity.

Time appeared to slow down as Akira jumped into the air, his figure silhouetted against the eerie glow of yellow water below. He raised both hands his palms crackled with white energy. The air vibrated with a growing hum, static electricity prickling the skin of everyone watching.

"White Lightning, maximum charge"

Akira's voice was low.

A huge bolt of white lightning formed in his hand, its brilliance lighting up the darkened battlefield.

The Werehyenas paused for a moment, their feral instincts sensing the danger.

With a sharp thrust, Akira directed the bolt straight into the water.

The ocean erupted in a burst of light as bolts of electricity shot out like vengeful serpents. The Werehyenas thrashed and screamed, their cries echoing as the lightning tore through them, leaving them paralyzed.

Akira stepped into the electrified water, his boots meeting the surface with calculated precision. His right hand lifted, fingers twitching as countless arcs of lightning swirled around him, forming a halo of crackling destruction

"Let's finish this,"

Akira muttered.

"What the hell did I just see?" - Victor blurted, his voice a mixture of awe and confusion. "Lightning?"

Anna's eyes were wide, her grip on her daggers slackened.

"How...?"

Grido only stayed silent seeing him in action his silence only deepened the growing unease.

The bolts shot forward, each one finding its mark with deadly precision.

The Werehyenas didn't stand a chance...not againts their weakness.

One by one, they fell, their lifeless bodies floating aimlessly on the surface of the yellow ocean.

Victor stared, his mouth slightly agape.

"He just...wiped them all out,"

Victor muttered, shock written across his face

Grido merely exhaled noisily through his nose, though.

"Impressive, yeah now im sure , when it comes to raw power he is a level beyond us"

He said, his voice firm and unwavering.

"But..."

His gaze never strayed from Akira's face as he added grimly,

"He's completely drained now."

"He won't have anything left for the boss and neither us have much"

Akira stood amidst the corpses of the slain Werehyenas, his chest heaving up and down in labored breaths. The Soul Infusion skill had run its course, and he was now back to normal.

His body felt heavier.

Yet, even with all that exhaustion, his mind was racing.

"Please...let it be enough. I need to level up. Without it, I won't recover in time for the boss. If I don't, the others won't stand a chance."

His heart was pounding in his chest while he waited for the system's reply as his eyes were hooked to the ghostly light of the holographic glow that appeared within his line of sight.

[Calculating the experience points earned from defeating the monsters.]

[Congratulations! you have leveled up!.]

[+5 Stat Points awarded.]

[Perfected Symmetry in effect. Allocating stat points equally across all attributes.]

[Your body is recovered.]

"YES"

A wide grin curled Akira's lips as relief washed over him.

"Finally yes!"

In an instant, a familiar rush flooded his body—his mana surged anew, his stamina fully restored, his strength back at its peak. The exhaustion that had weighed on him moments ago vanished as if it had never existed.

Then, with a final flicker, Soul Infusion deactivated.

The white aura that had cloaked Akira's body faded his eyes turned back dark, and the intense power coursing through his veins settled.

Battered and bruised, the others watched Akira walk back toward them, his expression calm.

"You okay, you crazy brat?"

Grido called out, his voice full of incredulity and admiration.

He shook his head with a slight smirk.

"I think you just shattered your limits back there."

"We really owe you one for that stunt."

Grido stepped forward, extending his hand.

"And let me just say, the rumor on our guild about you being on par with Captain Imzar—and beating him by sheer luck?"

"What an understatement."

"You have so much room to grow even more."

Akira hesitated for a brief moment before shaking Grido's hand, his grip firm but without pride.

Akira turned to Victor, who had been silent the entire time, watching Akira with an unreadable expression. Victor's lips parted slightly, but no words came.

Instead, he simply nodded, acknowledging Akira in his own way.

Anna came forward next, her steps unsure, her cheeks very slightly red.

She looked up at him, the normal sharpness of her eyes replaced by an unusual softness.

"Are you all right,?"

"You pushed yourself so hard."

"Really, are you all right?"

Akira nodded a little.

"Yeah, I'm fine."

"That last attack took every bit of mana from me but..."

"...For some reason, my mana's back, and I feel...full of energy again."

But his mind betrayed his calm exterior

"No one needs to know about the ability to grow stronger faster then others and how i can recover after leveling up or the system."

"This lie is fine for now."

"What-that never happens that shouldn't be possible" - Grido spoke full of doubts

"Tell us more what did you feel and how are you recovered like this"

Before anyone could answer, the ground shook hard with a loud noise like a coming disaster. Stones moved and fell into the yellow sea as the whole island looked like it was shaking.

"What the hell is that?!"

Anna cried out, grabbing her daggers

Grido prepared himself, his expression turning grave.

"It's coming."

"The boss is coming!"

Akira's gaze snapped into focus as he drew his Panthosword once more, the blade shining.

The shaking intensified, and the sound of waves crashing and stone breaking filled the air.

"Get ready,"

Grido said, his voice calm but serious.

"This isn't over."