Chapter 23 - Tutorial Start [23]

Honestly, Alice and Ethan's joining the group hasn't really brought any tangible advantage to our current situation. If I'm being honest, they probably only served to increase the number of appetizers on that giant centipede's menu.

As if that wasn't bad enough, finding out that thing is level 13 — more than twice my level — is pretty alarming. And to make matters worse, I'm almost sure I'm the one with the highest level among all of us.

So many things were running through my mind, so many thoughts demanding my attention, but at that moment, I chose to focus on what was right in front of me — Alice and Ethan, standing there, in flesh and bone.

I took a step forward, surprised and apprehensive: "What are you two doing here?" I exclaimed, my voice filled with more worry than anger. My feminine body trembled slightly, not from fear, but from the accumulated tension: "I thought I made it clear that you were supposed to stay on the train!"

Taking a deep breath, Alice briefly glanced at me — Noa — before turning to Justin, who was still lying on the ground, paralyzed by the centipede's venom. Her eyes then fixed on the creature, and for a fleeting moment, horror overtook her face.

She squeezed her eyes shut, as if trying to erase the image from her mind, and shook her head in denial. Then she took a deep breath and turned her gaze back to me, now more determined, as if searching for answers or courage.

"Ethan and I couldn't just stay inside while you guys were dying out here..." Alice said, her voice choked: "Honestly... I'm scared! Terrified! So scared that I feel like my legs are about to give out any second"

And indeed, her legs were trembling uncontrollably, thin and unstable like those of a newborn deer trying to stand for the first time. Her whole body seemed ready to crumble under panic, but still, she stood there — firm in her decision not to abandon the others.

While I watched Alice's trembling legs for a moment, she continued, her voice shaky and her eyes fixed on the ground: "But... if you guys died while I hid like a coward inside that train, I'd regret it for the rest of my life. I'd hate myself for standing still, powerless, like I was just dead weight..."

When she said those words, Alice looked me straight in the eye — her gaze was sharp with a determination that seemed to cut through the air around us. It was impossible to look at her and think she had acted on impulse. Quite the opposite, her expression made it clear she fully understood the risks involved.

Both she and Ethan knew exactly what they were getting into, but still, they chose to leave their safe place to come help us. And honestly, I'm grateful for that. If Ethan hadn't shown up in time, Justin would have died.

As I mentally sighed, resigned to the situation, I saw Alice glance away for a moment, her attention now fixed on the massive centipede writhing a few meters away. With a furrowed brow and a look of disbelief, she muttered, as if she didn't expect to deal with another freakshow that day: "By the way... what the hell is that thing?"

Hearing Alice's words, I also turned my attention to our enemy. And to be honest, the more I stared at that thing, the clearer it became just how screwed we were. There was something off about that centipede — something beyond the simple instinctual danger.

The truth is, I never fully understood how these "levels" actually worked. Until then, the monsters we'd faced had had some variations, sure, but nothing too striking. The difference between them was subtle, almost imperceptible.

Maybe the giant rat with the highest level I'd encountered so far was a bit bigger and tougher than the others... but still, it was a minimal change, almost irrelevant.

But this thing in front of us... it exuded an overwhelming presence. Even without understanding the numbers behind it, it was impossible to ignore the fact that we were facing something out of the ordinary. And that, at the very least, terrified me.

However, this centipede was completely different from the others I'd fought. I couldn't understand exactly why, but there was something about its presence that told me it wouldn't be an easy opponent like the giant rats we'd beaten before.

It was more imposing, more threatening. With a clear mind, trying to stay calm, I spoke to Alice: "As you can see, it's a centipede. At the tip of its tail, there's a venomous stinger, the venom of which causes paralysis. I... Justin... got hit. He can't move anymore"

Alice nodded slowly as she listened to my words, and with a gentle motion, she turned her gaze toward Justin, Oliver, and Ethan. Oliver seemed to be doing everything he could to help Justin, who, still dazed, was trying to stay steady.

Ethan, on the other hand, was eyeing the giant centipede with extreme caution, his longsword firm in his hands, ready for any move.

I took that moment to take a deep breath and assess the situation around us, looking for any way out. That's when Alice, in a low whisper, caught my attention.

"I don't know if this will work, I've never tried it before... But, I think it's worth a shot" Alice said, her voice quiet and hesitant.

I blinked slowly, still adjusting to the situation, and turned my gaze back to Alice, a slightly confused expression on my face. Without saying a word, she made a gentle gesture with her hand and raised her arm toward Justin.

I was momentarily surprised, not understanding what she intended to do. Before I could react, she whispered something unintelligible — words that seemed to slip through the air — and gradually, a greenish glow began to surround her hand, as if she were about to channel some kind of energy.

The change wasn't limited to Alice's hand. From Justin's perspective, I noticed something surprising: the same green lights that had once surrounded her hand were now spreading over my body, as if enveloping me in an ethereal mantle of energy. In the next moment, I felt my body lighten — almost as if an invisible pressure had been relieved.

The uncomfortable "Paralysis" sensation that had kept me immobile was completely dissipated, as if it had been ripped from within me. Seconds later, I understood what had happened when the familiar system screen appeared before my eyes, revealing the origin of that sudden release.

The negative status "Paralyzing Poison" was removed — Responsible: [Alice Conway]

I blinked, surprised, as the screen popped up in front of me — not just for me, but also for Noa and Justin. Slowly, I turned my face, still processing what had just happened. Through Noa's eyes, I fixed my gaze on Alice, who was watching us in silence.

A question slipped from my lips, almost without me realizing, as natural as breathing itself: "What was that?"

At first, Alice seemed just as surprised as I was, her eyes shifting between Justin and his hand with a mix of disbelief and curiosity. But in the next moment, she turned her gaze to me and gave a small, confident smile, almost proud.

"I didn't think it would work right away..." she said, her tone light but satisfied: "Glad it worked out"

She paused briefly, as if organizing her thoughts, then continued, excited: "Apparently, the class I chose, 'Arcane Sorcerer,' starts with two really useful abilities. One of them is a buff that nullifies and prevents negative status effects. The other slows enemies down, and as the skill level increases, it can evolve into paralysis... or even worse"

Honestly, the abilities of the class Alice chose seemed way more interesting than I had initially thought. To be honest, when we were analyzing the options, this class didn't catch my attention much.

Even in games, she's often left behind by most people, maybe because she's more focused on support and backup rather than being on the frontlines. In the end, it just made me realize how foolish it is to try to apply, literally, the knowledge I gained from playing video games.

After all, this is real life — not a game with predictable stats. As I reflected on that realization, I noticed Alice staring into the distance with a strange, almost anxious expression.

Unfortunately, I didn't have time to ask why. Suddenly, the centipede clicked its fangs together, creating a rhythmic, disturbing snap, as if warning or threatening us. That immediately caught everyone's attention.

I wasn't sure if that thing had any level of intelligence — but the way its eyes locked onto us, cold and calculating, made it clear: we were facing a predator watching its prey, ready to strike.

As I regained consciousness in my other body — Justin — I realized that, thanks to Alice's help, I could move freely again. My muscles obeyed, my mind cleared little by little. The first thing I saw when I opened my eyes was Oliver, kneeling beside me, his face marked with concern.

He urgently called out to me, his voice trembling, yet filled with relief: "Justin! Are you okay? Can you hear me?"

I simply nodded at Oliver's words, and it was like a weight was lifted off his shoulders — his expression visibly relaxed, becoming calmer and more composed. For a brief moment, silence enveloped us, until, almost simultaneously, we both turned our gazes back to the centipede.

"What the hell just happened a second ago?" he asked, still trying to make sense of what he'd seen: "It appeared behind you, and suddenly... you were completely paralyzed"

I understood Oliver's confusion. As he said, from his point of view, everything seemed unclear. To him, it looked like the centipede just appeared out of nowhere, coming up behind me suddenly. And at that exact moment, I froze, as if panic had paralyzed me. I stood still, only able to watch the creature with my eyes fixed on its monstrous form.

Finally, I found my voice and said in a low tone: "This thing is poisonous. It has a stinger at the end of its tail"

Upon hearing my words, Oliver's gaze immediately fixed on the centipede's tail, a look of understanding crossing his face as he confirmed what I said. However, as if completely forgetting about our presence, the monster simply started crawling, its sinuous body quickly moving toward Alice and Noa.

In one swift move, Oliver drew his bow, pulling the string back with precision, and fired a perfect shot at the centipede. But when the arrow hit the creature, it was rejected as if it had collided with a solid surface, ricocheting back with impressive force. The impact made a sound like metal against metal, and the creature, undeterred, continued its advance as if nothing had happened.

Oliver's expression turned to pure terror when he realized his attack had no effect. To make things worse, a monstrous centipede, over five meters long, was charging at Alice, its speed threatening to leave a trail of panic in the air. Yet, to our surprise, the centipede suddenly stopped.

Oliver and I exchanged looks, confused, trying to figure out what had happened. That's when, slowly, we began to distinguish a familiar figure behind the massive centipede. Ethan, with determination, was holding the tip of the creature's tail, the strength of his grip visibly stopping it from advancing.

"Don't forget about me, you stupid bug!" Ethan shouted, his face filled with rage as he pulled on the centipede with all his might.

I even thought about mentioning that the centipede wasn't an insect, but rather an arthropod, but honestly, who cares about that right now? The thought passed through my mind quickly, only to be interrupted when Oliver shouted beside me, adjusting another arrow: "Shit! I don't think my regular arrows will work against this thing, and I need more time before I can use my ability again! Justin, you need to find a way to hurt it while Ethan and I try to distract it!"

In the end, I just nodded at Oliver's words while running toward Alice and Noa. As I got closer to them, my gaze shifted to the massive centipede threatening us.

Its colossal, twisted body took up a large part of the scene, and its red eyes, glowing like embers, seemed to shine even more in the shadows. Every movement of that creature exuded dark energy, a cold, threatening aura that made the air heavy, impossible to ignore.

After reuniting with Noa and Alice, I tried to piece together the little information I'd gathered so far about the giant centipede. Unfortunately, what I knew was very little. The only thing we were sure of was that the creature wasn't just massive, but also poisonous, which was already a big problem.

In addition, its body seemed to have incredible resistance, making the effectiveness of any conventional weapon uncertain. I wasn't even sure if my dagger would be effective. Of course, using abilities might be a solution, but realistically, neither I nor Oliver had enough mana to waste on attacks that might not work.

Although the creature's body seemed incredibly resilient, I still believed there must be a weak point. For example, it seemed to see through its eyes, not its antennae. Maybe those antennae acted as some kind of prey detector, like an alert system to help it hunt.

I wasn't sure, but in the end, what really mattered was that if it saw through its eyes, that probably meant they weren't protected by any kind of natural armor. And that was a weakness I could exploit.

At that moment, my gaze briefly shifted to Alice, and a memory flashed through my mind. She had mentioned earlier that she had a Debuff skill that could slow down targets, even paralyze them.

Obviously, the skill level was something to consider, but if everything went as expected, my plan could really work. To avoid raising suspicion, I chose to communicate with her discreetly, using Noa's body as an intermediary.

"Alice, do you think you can use your skill to paralyze that thing? Just a few seconds would be enough to give us a chance"

Alice listened to my words in silence, her eyes briefly fixing on the gigantic centipede, her gaze lost in the creature's sinuous forms moving with alarming agility. After a few seconds, she looked away, returning to the empty space in front of her. Her expression closed up again, a dark tone returning to her face.

Her voice, laden with silent frustration, echoed in my ears a few seconds later, breaking the tense silence: "My skill, the [Purifying Veil], used up more than half of my mana. Honestly, I won't be able to cast another spell like that if we need it right away. And I'll probably only be able to apply the Slowness Debuff three times. I don't know if that will make any difference in our situation"