The Final Desperation

The ground shook as a booming sound came from behind the locked door. He tried opening the lock, but he realized it was locked from the outside.

"That doesn't make sense. How did locking it from the inside become an outside lock? How were they supposed to get out? No. There must be another way."

Genji hurried to look around the room for a secret exit, but there were no results. As he was about to check under the table, a sizzling sound came from the door. The sound came closer, causing Genji to inch away from the incoming unknown. Soon, a hole was corroded through the thick metal door. Genji gulped, wondering what acid could achieve such potent effects.

The door completely melted as a green humanoid creature bent its head and walked in. It was the source of corruption that was sealed in the tank earlier.

"Well, shit. Here we go again."

Genji drew [Muramasa] and cast insight.

[General of Infection, Panolis]

Health: 11,376/12,500

Energy: 180/180

Con: 25

Str: 25

Dex: 18

Int: 18

Spc: 12

Skills:

 - World Boss: +10,000 hp

 - Acid blood: Blood is corrosive

 - Source of Corruption: All parasites in this world will not die until Panolis perishes.

 - No further skills can be read

 

Seeing these stats, Genji realized why its health seemed off when he fought the behemoth. At first, he thought the extra 1,000 health was the result of a hidden skill, but seeing Panolis's profile, he realized the truth. When constitution reaches 20, it provides 100 health per point rather than 50.

"And why is he called General of Infection? Isn't his thing corruption?"

"Hsihiw Aowerq aakoq asmei aoo asljga"

Panolis spouted out some foreign words that Genji couldn't understand. Thankfully, EverRealm stepped in and translated the sentence.

"Are you the only one left of these ants?"

Genji grew tense under his stare. He didn't know how to answer that, but he could sense strong hostility from him.

"No matter. Die."

*puchi*

Genji looked down to see a hole had suddenly opened up in his abdomen.

'When?'

He raised his head slightly to see Panolis retracting his index finger that was pointing at the wound. Smoke rose off the tip of the finger as Genji collapsed on the floor.

[Your health has reached 0. You will soon perish.]

Panolis turned around and started walking away. Seeing this back view, Genji was reminded of a familiar scene. The scene when SilverSword betrayed him overlapped with the departing figure of Panolis. Unwillingness swelled up in him as his vision started to blur.

'I REFUSE!'

He reached inside his storage and grabbed the Injection of Fate. Then he stabbed the needle into his heart and pressed the release button. Relief washed over him as the feeling of being reborn replaced his pain. It was a phenomenal rollercoaster of emotions, but Genji knew he can't afford to spend time on this.

[You have used the Injection of Fate. All your wounds have recovered.]

Genji shot to his feet and reached inside his storage again. When he retracted his arm, two items appeared in his hand: a steroid injection and the Orb of Corruption. He used the injection and crushed the orb, causing a rush of power to overwhelm his senses.

Genji had never felt so powerful, but he shoved aside that feeling and brought out the Ogre Horn as well. He gave it a blow and received another stat boost. At this moment, this is his stat page.

[Enigma]

Health: 550 / 900 (Temporary boost does not give filled stats)

Energy: 140 / 160

Con: 18 (8 + 1 + 9)

Str: 18 (8 + 1 + 9)

Dex: 18 (11 + 5 + 2)

Int: 9 (7 + 0 + 2)

Spc: 7 (3 + 2 + 2)

 

Hearing the horn, Panolis turned around and said, "I admit you are stronger than the others, but an ant is still an ant."

Lightweight

Genji ignored his comment and appeared next to him with a slash at the neck. Panolis leaned his head aside and brought up his arm.

*Clang*

Genji wasn't sure whether it was armor or a carapace that covered Panolis, but it was durable. Not even a scratch with his boosted strength. Panolis brought up his other arm and opened it at Genji. His palm glowed green as a strong sense of danger flooded his senses.

Swift Movement

Genji didn't hesitate to stack his speed boosts to escape. This was proven to be the correct move as the hallway disappeared into acid. No lights or walls remained after the palm. Just the remnants of dissolving solids. Genji appeared behind him and tried stabbing where a human heart would be.

*Ding*

The tip bounced right off, but a small cut formed on the spot of the attack. Panolis canceled his attack to clench his fist and twisted his body around to smash Genji.

Genji crouched down, allowing the afterwind of the heavy strike to brush over him before lunging up. He angled the blade and pierced through the small crack between the body and the head. But before it could go any further, Panolis grabbed the sword with his right hand, stopping it in place. A small amount of green blood dripped down from his palm as smoke came off [Muramasa].

"Shit! Acid Blood."

Genji pushed down on [Muramasa] to pivot to a kick.

*Dong*

His foot collided with the side of Panolis's head, and a dull vibration reflected up his leg. Genji pivoted on his other foot to turn his back to Panolis. A good amount of energy channeled into the blade as Genji yanked with everything he had. Then Genji disappeared from Panolis's sight.

But this doesn't mean Panolis didn't know where Genji went. For fighters of their levels, relying on sight is a surefire way to get killed. Instead, they rely on a method that many describe as presence sense. This sense is the preferred method as it allows fighters to react faster in the midst of battle. In a way, Genji's instinct falls under this classification.

Panolis turned around to see Genji run down the hallway and into the lab area. Panolis took slow steps toward the area as he was in no hurry to chase Genji down.

When Genji got into the area with all the glass tanks, he jumped behind a large machine and looked around. It was empty. Ever since the siren blared, the scientists had evacuated and activated maximum defense procedures. Many thick walls had sealed the place from the rest of the world and cut off Genji's escape. It's just him and the approaching Panolis.

But Genji couldn't have it any other way. The only reason he ran over here was to get an open space to fully display his speed. A few seconds later, Panolis walked into view with his arms swinging by his side like a pendulum. Back and forth, back and forth.

Genji circulated his energy and hid in a dark corner. At this moment, he's not prepared to fight him. His swift movement has entered cooldown, and lightweight alone is not enough to catch Panolis off guard. Panolis looked around for a while before he held up his palm to a glass tank. His hand lit up with a lighter shade of green as the obstacle slowly melted under Genji's gaze, causing his eyes to shrink.

'This might be harder to drag out than I thought. At least he seems to be taking it slow.'

Then Genji started to review that skirmish he had with the General. From what he can gather, Panolis has a strong defense and overwhelming strength, far more than what a 7-point difference should bring. The good news is that Panolis doesn't seem to be fond of brute strength, opting instead for his corrosive energy attacks.

Then there's the bad news. Genji suspects Panolis is toying with him. The general doesn't seem to be taxed when Genji was fighting him. Not even when his speed outstrips him. No. Throughout the entire skirmish, Genji got the feeling Panolis was very calm and relaxed like Genji's not even a threat.

'Seems like I will have to step it up.'

Genji waited for Swift Movement to become available again before using it with some equipment effects. He only has 10 minutes before his stats buffs start to wear off, so he can't afford to waste it.

Wolf Step

[Ding. The buff brought by this skill is not enough to overcome the 20-point benchmark. Only +1 dex is applied.]

'So there's this limit as well.'

Genji appeared next to Panolis again and brandished his sword at the joints. A small cut opened up before Panolis leaned aside and made it more difficult. Genji launched a flurry of attacks at every possible weakness, but he barely made a dent in the health.

"Shit. If things keep going like this, I will end up dead."

Although Genji was reluctant to use this next skill, he's running out of options.

Cursed

[You have been cursed with Life Depletion. +2 str]

[Life Depletion]

Description: You have started to burn your life force for this increase in power. Every second in this state will drastically lower your lifespan. After you exit this state, your life force will gradually slip away as you have committed a huge taboo.

 

His strength instantly shot to 20 points and bypassed the restriction. Genji felt immense power in his muscles as he hacked at the armored being. His blade glided through half of Panolis's elbow before he reacted and kicked at Genji, forcing him to relent on his offense.

At this moment, Genji's swift movement has ended, so he can't oppress Panolis with his speed anymore. They fought back and forth for many rounds, but Genji noticed the durability of [Muramasa] has been decreasing at a rapid rate.

'Still not enough. I'm going to need a way to cut through his defenses!'

Genji calmed down his attacks and switched to an evading fighting style. He would try to dodge as much as he can as he tried to finalize the technique in his mind. It's another unfinished technique he had developed since the behemoth fight but never had time to finish. Now, under the pressure of death, his brain entered an unprecedented state as countless possibilities raced through his head.

He eliminated the unfeasible ones at a lightning-fast rate as the details of the technique worked themselves out. Things became clearer and eventually, only one method remained.

'Here goes nothing.'

Genji glanced at the remaining time of [Injection of Fate].

6 seconds.

He clenched [Muramasa] with both of his hands as most of his energy poured into it. Then he willed the energy to take on a specific property, gambling on this final attack.

A flash of darkness came from his sword as it burst into purple flames. But unlike normal flames, this coating of fire exerted none of the traits of fire. It gave off a gloomy feeling and a bone-piercing coldness felt only by the mind. It's completely silent as well, devoid of the crackling of normal fire.

Seeing this change, Panolis grew cautious as this flame gave him an uneasy feeling. If he wasn't staring right at Genji when he formed this ability, he wouldn't have noticed it. Its presence was very thin, even to his enhanced senses.

Flashstep

Panolis's eyes widened as Genji appeared in front of him with [Muramasa] over his head. Panolis raised both of his arms to block this, but the strike had an unprecedented sharpness. Feeling [Muramasa] cleave through his arms with no resistance, Panolis hurriedly leaned his body aside to avoid a fatal hit, but the attack was deadlier than he expected.

Genji swung down with everything he had, causing [Muramasa] to glide through from the shoulder to the hip, leaving a burning flame behind. Blood sprayed everywhere as the remnants of the strike forced open the wound. A massive amount of sizzling sound came from Genji's body as his health drained at an insane rate. Finishing the swing, Genji looked up to realize a sliver of health still remained above Panolis.

Panolis's eyes glowed brightly as he met Genji's gaze.

"A worthy foe. The king will enjoy this hunt."

Then the flames extinguished and with them, the last of Panolis's life. With this finish, [Muramasa] also shattered, passing away with this fatal foe. Its shards fell to the ground, dissolving and leaving only the handle. Genji dropped the familiar grip and picked himself up from his stance.

[Injection of Fate has worn off. Your stats will fall by 2.]

[You have slain General of Infection, Panolis.]

[You have received Panolis's Legacy]

[The faction shop has been updated.]

[The following equipment's durability has reached 0 and has been destroyed.]

• Muramasa (Rare)
• Iron Shoulder Pads(Common)
• Iron Arm Guard(Common)

 

At this moment, his body was screaming in pain, but now is not the time to care about it. He brushed aside the broken remnants of his equipment and pushed his exhausted body to move.

He walked back to the meeting room where he met the scientists and slumped down on a seat. After a few seconds, Genji recovered enough to check the notifications he received after the kill.

For the first matter of business, he noticed the rating of the destroyed equipment was different than when he obtained them.

"They're 1 rank lower. Did EverRealm get it wrong?"

[The judgment is correct. This decrease in the rating is known as Equipment Obsoletion.]

"Equipment Obsoletion?"

Genji was confused by this new term, so he inquired about it. The summary of everything was that as he entered more worlds, stronger equipment would become available. Since that's the case, equipment of a certain power becomes more common compared to those of a higher level. To compensate for this, the ratings will decrease in level to match the actual power in comparison to other equipment.

In Genji's case, [Muramasa] was only a rare piece of equipment for people who have reached the first benchmark. Plenty of people have equipment on the same level or stronger.

There are many benchmarks in the Realm, but each of them provides a huge boost in power. To make it easier to understand people's power, EverRealm has a classification system known as steps.

Steps are basically the way to understand how many benchmarks a member has passed. As for why this Equipment obsoletion kicked in so early for Genji, it has to do with him fighting beings above his step.

Having understood this, Genji moved on to the other notifications.

[Panois's Legacy]

Rating: Legendary

Description: Among the King of Parasites's four generals, Panolis was most proficient in infecting people, hence his title.

Effect: Upon use, gain all the knowledge Panolis had accumulated on infection.

Note: Take my legacy and grow yourself. Only then, are you worthy of the King.

Warning: Upon use, you will be marked by the King of Parasites and hunted down by his legion.

 

Genji's eyes lit up when he saw this drop. This seems to be a powerful knowledge-based item. As for being tracked by this King, he couldn't care less. He would be traveling to different worlds over the next period of time. Who cares if he's hunted down? Let them find him if they can.

Finally, Genji looked at the updated faction shop. When he saw the new items for exchange, he felt a sense of greed.

"So that's where all the good stuff was hiding."

Genji had an internal struggle over what to exchange, but he eventually settled on these.

• Understanding Mutant Regeneration, 2000 points
• Conditions of the human body, 3000 points
• Development of substances: 2000 points

All knowledge books. Genji pushed aside the pain in his heart and decided to invest in his future rather than his current situation. The idea is that he levels up his medical skills so he can have a better chance of survival later on. He's already tasted the benefits of good first aid, so he wants to continue developing this area. Who knows? It might come in handy one day.

[Orb of Corruption has worn off. You will now suffer the side effects.]

[You will take 1 corruption damage per second until death. If you manage to survive for 10 minutes, you will be corrupted and become the new source of corruption.]

"Shit! If it isn't the consequences of my own actions."

Seeing his already low health start to rapidly diminish, he hurriedly opened the faction shop to search for an item he faintly glanced over.

"Come on, come on. It's not there. Not there either."

17/400

"I remember it being around here."

11/400

"Found it. Buy!"

Genji used his last remaining reputation to buy this item.

7/400

[You have purchased an Anti-corruption injection.]

[Anti-corruption injection]

Rating: Uncommon

Effect: Upon use, inject a lab-grown parasite into you to fight the corruption affecting you. Lasts for 6 hours.

Note: You will survive, for now.

 

Genji popped off the cap and stabbed the injection into his neck.

[Condition has been stabilized.]

Genji wiped off the sweat on his head as the sense of crisis faded away.

"Never did I think one day I would die from my own items instead of an enemy."

Genji relaxed and felt a strong sense of weakness flood his senses. Now his adrenaline has faded, there's nothing stopping Genji from feeling all his fatigue now. But as Genji was about to fall asleep, he felt another intense pain inside him.

[The injection is not as effective against the stronger corruption effect of the orb. Duration will be cut in half, and you will feel the pain of the two strains of corruption fighting inside you.]

Genji glanced at his time remaining.

3 hours, 9 minutes, 55 seconds.

Then the injection time.

2 hours, 59 minutes, 2 seconds.

About 11 minutes of corruption time. Once Genji realized this, he shakily took out some healing balms and tried to recover his health. It was difficult to apply the item as the pain made it difficult to move, but his intense will to survive pushed him to continue trying.

"I managed to survive all that. There's no way in hell I would let myself die like this!" Genji hissed through his clenched teeth and prepared himself for the upcoming trial.