We arrived at our destination and entered the subway, then immediately joined the contractors down there in cleansing the subway lines or goblins.
After we cleared the first subway station, a message popped up again with the female robot-like voice stating what the message contained.
‘[Arcane Energy is low]’
‘[Level up!]
[Reward: 5 Status points]
[Skills and Weapons now available for purchase in Codex]’
I quickly threw the 5 points into Stamina and continued to the next subway station through the rail-tracks.
By the time we went through 4 subway station and killed the goblins there, while some private contractors took back any surviving civilians back to the subway we came through.
In the 3 hours of going through the four subway tunnels, I have already levelled up twice and distributed 5 points to Stamina and the other 5 points to Energy.
Which makes Arcane Energy a total of 26 points, I currently have 1 hour and 4 minutes of active combat time for me before any sign of exhaustion.
I decided to halt increasing Arcane Energy for a while and focusing on increasing Strength, then Speed.
When we reached the fifth subway station, the fight between the goblins was more serious than the other stations. There were even Hobgoblins in this battle and seeing them fight without even noticing us made me sprint forward without even waiting for a command to do so from the head of this operation.
I threw my axe at the Hobgoblin a bit far away in front of me as I ran and tore through the goblin, using the other axe to hack the others goblins that stood in the way.
I hacked many goblins and hobgoblins down, which wouldn’t have been possible if they were so busy trying to rip each other’s’ throat out.
It was a golden opportunity for me to level up faster and I didn’t miss a beat.
By the time the battle was over my Arcane-Energy was down to 3, which was a pretty close one, fifteen more minutes and I would be a temporary cripple.
I received to level up notification during the fight, so while other were either checking for survivors or cleaning their melee weapons. I sat on a bench in the waiting area and summoned Profile.
Profile
Name: None
Nature: Evolve Human
Level: 7
Title: Ratty
Hit point: 76/100
Damage per hit: 40
Arcane Energy: 3/26
Arcane Skills (None)
Arcane Physiology (None)
Power Status
Strength: 8 Heart: 1
Speed: 5 Vitality: 1
Stamina: 17 Energy: 9
Construct: 10 Cognition: 2
Available Status Points: 5
Trophy
Seeing Arcane Energy made me immediately anxious, I needed to recover it and thankfully the ‘team’ leader informed us that this was the last station, so we could go back up.
I relaxed after hear the news and distribute 4 points to Strength and 1 point to Speed.
Then I quickly summoned Codex to the skills and weapons I could finally spend my Coins on.
*Codex
Buy Exchange
[Shape-shift Lv.1]: [10 Coins] [15 Status Points]
[Goblin crude club]: [3 Coins] [3 Gold]
[Goblin urine Lv. 1]: [2 Coins] [3 Status Points]
Sell
[Acquired Arcane Skills and Weapons can be sold here]
I demanded more details on the three items I could now buy.
[Shape-shift Lv. 1]
Category: Arcane Skill
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Acquisition: Vestige of Loki
[The ability to change into any human or Evolve upon seeing. Consumes 2 Energy points per minute]
[Goblin crude club]
Item: Club
Grade: E
Category: Arcane club
Damage: 10
Arcane: 90
Endurance: 120
[A club made of igneous rock that is bathed in the blood of goblins].
[Goblin urine Lv.1]
Category: Arcane Skill
Acquisition: Goblin
[Urine turns into poisonous liquid, that cause 1 Damage every 3 seconds]
The first item is a skill that looked interesting; I could change into anyone once I see them or from my memory. It sounded as cool as fuck.
The second one is a weapon that is a bit less than the axes I am currently using, i don’t see a need to buy it.
The third item is also a skill but sounded dangerous; my urine turns into poison.
‘How can I fight with that and won’t it also affect me too, I mean snake can be killed with their own venom.’ I pondered and quickly crossed that skill as bad skill with two cons.
Then I bought the Shape-shift skill and a message popped.
[Skill: Shape-shift Lv.1 acquired!]
[Path to an Old Norse Vestige has been accepted]
The puzzles in forms of messages by System is already getting on my nerves; the meaning behind the second texts is a bloody unknown to me, and demanding for more information was only meant with total silence.
I had no choice but to reluctantly let it slide, at least I now had a Skill but I didn’t dare try it out here, not while Cleaning crew were collecting the bodies of the goblins and placing the corpse of dead civilian for transport.
The company is going to pay us only when their contractors go back up and report how the operation in the subway stations and tunnels went and for some reason the Mercenary-Guards were told to wait still the contractors were done with their duties – guarding the newly arrived cleaning crew.
So we the Mercenary-Guards just hanged around while the contractors watched over the company’s cleaning crew as they worked, some of us wanted to go back to the mall fast to get another gig, so they joined the cleaning crew to make their work faster.
I just rested there watching everyone doing their thing when a sudden tremor began shaking the whole subway. I struggled to get to my feet as everywhere shook.
Then we began to hear continuous ‘Boom’ sound from the wall at the opposite side of the rail tracks.
The wall at the opposite side began to crack and the ‘boom’ sound became louder, then large vines broke out from the wall and creeping all over the place.
The tremor stopped and the vines left a very large pitch-black hole in the wall, creeping around its corners to half of the train station.
Mercenary-Guards and Private contractors just stood there, looking at what just happened in complete shock.
The team leader snapped us out of it, and order three other contractors to follow him and inspect the hole.
They each brought out a flashlight, pointing it and the muzzle of their gun to the hole, as they slowly walked towards it.
The vines seem to have broken some water pipes and electrical wire, causing water to run from the crack on the wall and the light in the subway to flicker.
As they reached the entrance of the hole, the team leader gave a head gesture for one of the contractor beside him to climb into the hole and check it out.
We all watch in silence with cold sweat dripping from us face as the contractor slowly climbed the hole and pointed his flashlight round the hole.
When he was done, he turned his head to the team leader and said ‘Clear’, when a flash of light appeared and the top half of the contractor’s body splattered everywhere.
The team leader quickly shouted “Engage!”, then he and his men started lighting up hole with their arcane-assault rifle, while cleaning crew ran away like rats to the exits of the station.
Beams of light began raining from the huge hole, hitting some Mercenary Guards, contractors and crew members that were running away; splattering the parts of their body that got hit all over the place.
The missed light beams went through concrete pillars and walls like hot knife to butter, leaving only molten circular hole in the things they hit.
There was basically nothing anyone can used to shield themselves, so I ran in zigzags while keeping my down, then dived from the platform on the rail tracks ground below.
I crawled forward; to the edge of the platform in front of me and slowly pulled up my head a little bit above the platform, I saw the creatures that were killing us like flies – Hobgoblins.
These Hobgoblins were covered in tattoos and their right arms looked like dry-plant roots intertwined with each other and at the end of it, where the hand should be; was a roundish hole from which they shoot out gold-coloured beams at us.
They casually walked out of the big hole in the wall, shooting anything that moves.
Some Mercenaries that tried to run away through the tunnels were getting shot at, I quickly used this moment that most of them faced the fleeing Guards to climb the step and dashed to one of the two I could reach.
Then jumped and kicked it with my two feet, sending to the other rail tracks below and causing me to fall to the ground.
The other Hobgoblin beside it turns its head to see me on the floor beside it, then turned its wooden arm to shoot me, but I quickly spun my body on the ground and kicked its wooden arm sideways towards the rail tracks.
Its intended shot thankfully hit the Hobgoblin I kicked to the rail track; killing it instantly.
It tried to reposition its arm to shoot me again, but I reacted quickly like before by using the blunt part of my axe head to smack its wooden arm upward, causing the beam to hit the concrete ceiling.
Then I spun to its back, grabbing its left arm and forcefully twisting it to its back; causing it to groan and bend to my will, before grabbing its wooden arm and pointed it to the other Hobgoblins that now shot at me.
The Hobgoblin still released its beam, so I aimed the wooden arm to the other Hobgoblins and blasting holes in them.
I quickly noticed a Hobgoblin on the rail tracks below in front of me, it aimed at my head and shot, I instinctively lowered my head.
The shot missed me but blew up the head of the Hobgoblin I held, I release it dead body and jumped to the Hobgoblin on the tracks from where I stood.
I landed on it with my axe in head as we both fell to the ground, then I quickly did a forward dive-roll and dashed to another Hobgoblin that also shot at me when I jumped.
I ran zigzag making it miss several shots, then slid on the bare ground as I threw my other axe horizontally to its throat.
I hastily got back to feet and run to the Hobgoblin as it grabbed its bleeding neck, and pulled out the axe, then throw it to my left; hitting the head of one of the Hobgoblins I previously shot but didn’t die.
I looked around breathing heavily as I noticed the sudden silence, I seem to have single handily killing all the Hobgoblins.
Thud!
I turned to my back and looked at what just made that sound.
Several meters away behind me, stood a Hobgoblin that seems to be made out of rock and covered with glowing writings. The ‘Rock-Hobgoblin’ is definitely stronger than the Hobgoblins I just down.
As I turn around to face it, a message and the robot-like voice popped up.
‘[Arcane Energy is extremely low]’
I quickly checked my Arcane Energy and it was had just 1 point.
The Rock-Hobgoblin will definitely be extremely difficult to bring down with the axes and the axes are currently not with me.
I had to fight this thing without them, so I tighten my fist and put everything in it and tried reducing my panting.
I stared at the Rock-goblin with complete conviction, the Rock-goblin start walking towards me.
I sink my feet into the ground, then I dashed forward with as much explosive force I could muster.
The Rock-Hobgoblin continued with its pace slowly raising up a fist while I dashed at it with full force, covering the distance between us in seconds.
I landed the most devastating blow in my life to the Hobgoblin’s face, which affected the both of us.
Half of the Rock-Hobgoblins face was gone but it moved around like it is trying to stay on its feet, while I could see my bone popping out from my skin.
I knelt down there crying loudly as the bone of my right arm below my elbow popped out. The pain was too much that I had to fall on my left side and continue shouting in an increasing pool of my blood.
My eyes began to close and I could barely focus; I was slowly losing consciousness.
Then a notification popped up, backed by the robotic voice.
‘[Critical damage sustained!]’
[Hit Point is decreasing by 1 point every 6 seconds!]
[Arcane Energy drops to 0]
The last thing I saw before my eye finally close was the Rock-Hobgoblin falling to its knees.
Black Out!
