The overcast clouds that had parted to allow his victory over the werewolf clan to shine down upon Oakhaven gathered once more by late evening, taking on a heavy charcoal hue and swirling the sky above the capital in shades of purple. Mark peered out the translucent blue of his character sheet, eyes glued to the text as he allowed the after effects of his afternoon nap to wash over him. Even as his body rested, his combat-mind never stopped. It was simply in another plane of existence, one where the very air vibrated with the tension of an impending battle.
[CHARACTER SHEET]
Name: Mark Vance
Class: Tactician
Level: 5 (630/800)
Health: 140/140
Mana: 40/40
[STATS]
STR: 20
AGI: 19
CON: 20
INT: 10
WIS: 13
WIL: 18
System Wallet: 40,013 Silver Coins
[...]
Mark was calculating what his next objective should be. He had just cleared the dungeon, finished the Eastern Pond, and even decimated the vanguard of the werewolf faction. But, the tactical grid in his mind told him that none of these battles were truly worthy of the Tactician class. The system was simply trying to ease him into his true trial.
Clack.
The heavy iron latch of his bedroom door clicked open. At once, Mark's hand shot to the short sword by his beside, his combat reflexes tightening his muscles like steel cables. His heart pounded in his ears, and his Combat Skills readied, sending electric pulses of adrenaline surging through his veins.
Then, Alden arrives. The old man slips inside the room, his casual, relaxed expression morphing into a grim mask. The familiar sight of his town clerk's ledger is absent, instead a heavy bundle wrapped in consecrated white silk takes its place.
"Stand down, Vance," said the old man, his voice low and grave. He informed that he needed to take him along for the next adventure where he would have to face something strange.
Mark loosened his grip on the short sword but didn't lower his guard. "Define strange, Alden. I just fought an Alpha werewolf to the bone,"
"Punk was a brute with a predictable orbit," replied Alden, setting the bundle of silk on top of the table. "What awaits us beyond this trial takes a different approach to warfare. Deep within the forest on the Northern area where animals reside, there is a swamp. There is said to be a giant serpent which resides within the bog. The beast is huge, petrifying, and can spit fire from its mouth. The trouble is that the monster is blind, and it is unknown what is its weak point. So it is your task not only to slay this creature but also to survive."
Suddenly, there was a ring in his head, and the words of the battle appeared in front of his eyes in red.
[CRITICAL REGIONAL QUEST ACTIVATED]
Objective: The Blind Terror of the Northern Mire
Target: The Eyeless Pyro-Serpent (Level ???)
Special Conditions: Target possesses total visual immunity. Weakness: Unknown.
Failure: Death. Permanent Soul Dissolution.
[...]
Mark read the system message and began analyzing the new battlefield. In his head, he went over every known weakness of a predator that couldn't see. "An eyeless apex predator that spits fire in a damp swamp. If the serpent is blind, it is likely using other senses to hunt. Thermal, vibrational, or perhaps even olfactory."
"Precisely," replied Alden. The old man unwrapped the bundle of silk, revealing a splendid long sword with crossed wings on its hilt and a heater shield engraved with holy runes of protection. "Alden was inside the jeep and told Mark to keep this holy sword and shield which he brought for him."
"Take them," said Alden. "The steel is infused with entry-level purification magic. You will need it to cut through the miasma."
Mark equipped the items, his interface recognizing the legendary artifacts instantly.
[Item Equipped: Holy Vanguard Greatblade (Rare) – 25-35 Damage. Holy Modifier Active.]
[Item Equipped: Runed Aegis of Oakhaven (Rare) – Defense +20. Fire Resistance +15%.]
Ten minutes later, the engine of the runed tactical vehicle roared to life, and Alden shifted the jeep into drive. The old man was already beside the young Tactician, and the latter was deep in thought about how to best kill the monstrous serpent. He narrowed his eyes at the ever-consuming darkness as the vehicle sped out of town. His mind was running through every possible tactic he could think of, but none of them seemed to account for a predator that couldn't see. How does a soldier blind something that is already blind? How does a warrior slay a beast that is invisible?
It took an hour for them to arrive at the edge of the forest. Terraced gardens of glowing plants dotted the landscape in a surreal, almost heavenly fashion. But, the Tactician class saw through the beauty. The glowing green lines of his tactical grid turned a sickly, mottled purple.
Alden turned off the engine, the blue mana exhausts sputtering out before being silenced. "Follow me," said the old man, handing Mark his weapon. "We must take pin-drop silence. The swamp has ears." The terrain had changed, the fertile soil giving way to the dark, clinging mud of the frontier. They walked in the gloom, the sound of breathing echoing in the distance. Finally, Alden stopped beside a large cliff of calcified rock.
The old man told Mark to follow him as he slipped behind the stone cover. The Tactician mimicked him, his holy shield in one hand and the great long sword in the other. After walking for a few more minutes, the old man told him to stop. "The gardens are beautiful," mused Alden, "But, we must take pin-drop silence. The swamp has ears."
Suddenly, the pleasant scent of the flowers was gone, having been exchanged for the acrid stench of sulfur. The nice grassy path had also turned to blackened mud that clung to Mark's boots. The breathing noise grew louder, more defined, until it was a wet, rasping inhale right next to his ear.
Alden moved behind the boulder, his voice barely a whisper as he told Mark to move. The young Tactician obeyed, following the old man's silent instructions. As he rounded the corner, Mark took in the sight before him. A colossal serpent lay in the middle of a large swampy pit, its mass coiled in a loose knot of muscle and sinew. The beast's scales were the color of dried blood, and the hide as thick as the plating of a tank. The creature's head was flat and smooth, its eye sockets empty. At that moment, the beast's jaws parted, swallowing the hindquarter of a poor buffalo whole.
Mark knew in that moment that it was the best opportunity he had to strike a death blow. He didn't hesitate and drove his great long sword into the tail of the serpent.
CLANG!
The steel of the holy blade met the hardened scales of the beast in a flash of golden sparks, but the weapon failed to pierce the thick leathery hide.
The beast let out a sound like a metal scraping against rock, a sound of pure, unadulterated fury. It used its tail to toss Mark aside like a rag doll. The young Tactician's world spun as the ground came up to meet his face. He landed hard on his back, the impact of the fall knocking the wind out of his lungs. Cliffs of jagged rocks jutted out from the mud, and his shield took most of the damage.
[System Warning: Physical Impact Detected.]
[Runed Aegis absorbed 60% of kinetic force.]
[You have taken 35 damage. 105/140 Health.]
His system warned him that some energy had dissipated, but Mark didn't care. He was already moving. He jumped behind the large boulder as the serpent began to breathe fire. The beast's mighty jaws unhinged, spewing white-hot chemical fire into the air. The flames licked at the canopy of the trees, turning the entire swamp to ash. The Tactician rolled his eyes, trying to clear the smoke as the heat of the attack singed his lungs. He felt as if it would be the end of his battles, and he would finally be defeated.
Yet, even as the beast continued to spit fire and smoke, Mark used his dodge skill to get close enough to strike the serpent. Again and again, he tried to get a clean hit, but all of his moves were in vain. He used his Sprint ability, sliding through the hot mud in a zig-zag movement, but the attacks failed to connect. He jumped on its body, trying to drive the steel into the scales, but the weapon simply slid off the tough hide. He kept calculating everything, and the numbers in his system showed that his weapons weren't connecting with any armor.
Then, there came a system notice saying, "Open your third eye."
The text glowed blue in his vision, the words resonating with his very soul. He rolled away from under the tail of the snake, his breath coming in short gasps. "Third eye?" he growled, sweat rolling down his temple. "I'm a soldier, not a mystic."
The combat continued, the beast tracking him with unnatural precision, the great serpent's head snapping in his direction every time he moved. At times, Mark was throwing heavy rocks at the creature's head and using his strength to jump and strike, but nothing was working. He tried to use his high Strength attribute to throw boulders at the beast, hoping to distract it by making it stumble. But, the serpent simply pushed the debris away and blasted more fire at him.
The system kept saying the same thing while Mark kept attacking and using his shield and avoiding the attacks from the serpent by using cliffs.
[System Notice: Open your third eye.]
[System Notice: Tactical Analysis incomplete. Look beyond the physical matrix.]
For a moment, as he lay in the shadows of the boulder, Mark pondered what the system meant. He used his tactical class and analyzed everything carefully. Mark kept thinking and was surprised by the fact that the message might have something to do with the mythical creature named Omen who had the power of the third eye. Ancient military lore on Earth spoke of the entity, who could see the cracks and crevices of the cosmos. The system didn't tell him to use magic, but it said to use the apex feature of his class, the Tactician.
It suddenly came to his mind that the hidden weakness of the serpent was its third eye. As it was invisible, he needed to hit it on his forehead.
At that moment, Mark focused his eyes on the smooth and flat head of the giant serpent. He then used his class ability and channeled his remaining mana into his eyes. The translucent green lines changed, and, suddenly, there appeared a small round spot in the middle of the forehead of the beast. It was glowing slightly and looked like a violet eye.
[Weak Point Locked: The Unseen Oculus. Armor Value: 0.]
Mark took a deep breath as he prepared to finish the great serpent. His stamina was running low, and he had no more mana, but he had what it took to kill the beast. He threw a rock, and the boulder hit a wall on the left side, making the serpent look up. This was the perfect opportunity, and, with all his might, he took a high jump from the cliff and drove the long sword into the middle of the forehead of the great serpent.
He jumped off the ledge and inserted the weapon downwards, using his maximum strength. THRUST!
The holy steel pierced the smooth head of the beast like a paper, and the serpent cried out in a high-pitched painful screech. The great creature fell on the ground, writhing in pain, its long body thrashing and shaking the nearby cliffs. Its internal fire exploded, and black smoke poured from its mouth, but Mark wasn't done yet. His heart pounded in his chest as he stabbed the monster again and again until the crimson bar of health was at zero.
The great serpent laid defenseless on the ground, its body dissipating into a sea of ashy gray. A system window popped up before his eyes, informing that he had achieved his level up and received silver coins and rare material from the monster.
[REGIONAL QUEST COMPLETED]
Target Slain: The Eyeless Pyro-Serpent
[LEVEL UP!]
You have reached Level 6!
[Rewards Received:]
+200 Silver Coins
1x Core of the Pyro-Serpent (Rare Material)
[System Notice: Energy restoration and wound healing initialized. All parameters restored to 100%.]
The level up glowed gold as it washed over Mark, healing his burns, mending his broken ribs, and filling his veins with new power. He lowered his blade as the toxic purple lines of the swamp overlay dissolved, returning to a healthy green. Alden arrived and shook hands with him and congratulated him. The old man stepped out from the shadows of the cliff, his hand outstretched in a grip of steel. "Incredible work, Tactician. You saw through the veil,"
"Just following orders, Angel," replied Mark, wiping the dirt from his holy blade as he sheathed it. They left the scene, the two men watching the monster's body disappear into the mire. Together, they walked back to the jeep, climbing inside the vehicle. As it rumbled down the road, Mark looked up at the twin moons. He had survived the blind terror, but the true war had only begun.
ns216.73.217.162da2
and then Add to home screen.