[07: 05: 19: 41]
…
Cassian stepped closer to the terminal and pressed a key. One by one, the monitors flickered on and then glowed steadily, displaying live feeds from various areas of B1. His eyes narrowed when he spotted the behemoth skulking in one of the feeds.
Nice, the cams work!… and look at this bastard taking that much damage and still being fine.
Most of the cameras were operational, which was awesome. Rummaging through his bag, Cassian retrieved the floor plans he had gotten from the admin room earlier. Carefully unfolding them, he matched the live feeds with the corresponding corridors and hallways of B1. Tracing the routes to the barracks, Cassian noted the behemoth slowly roaming along the outer wing corridors in a loop. The bastard was hurt; it limped through the corridors, leaving behind blood stains. While observing the behemoth, Cassian saw it was passive most of the time, but the moment anything, even a kalrach, came in its path, it was crushed mercilessly.
Yeah, it's mad… for sure… weird then why is he not already on a rampage… is his action of looping the outer wing a command and is that overriding any other actions? It's possible.
He timed the behemoths' movements: one complete patrol took roughly 15 to 20 minutes as he started to loop around the corridors again after one complete loop. A plan began to form in his mind.
If I move the moment it crosses corridor B1-5… the barracks in B1-8 will be nearly clear, and even if I face a few Kalrachs along the way, I can handle them. Plus, by timing my move, the behemoth will be too far to reach me.
He glanced at his essence reserves—[9/12]—and exhaled slowly.
Haaa… I’ll wait until my reserves top up a bit more; then I can move. It shouldn’t take too long.
"System, can you show my run cards along with their remaining charges?”
He frowned slightly—he had yet to use the summon card, and he wondered what situations might call for a rock golem.
Haa, I have used heal more than lightning bolts; damn, I need to save its charges for only when I need them the most. Also, I’ll try out the Summon soon; for now, I’ll stick with Destruction. The expedite boost is too valuable, and I don’t have any weapons as well.
But for now, he set that aside. His focus returned to the camera feeds. Cassian switched between channels: B1-Ca and B1-Cc showed static with occasional movement; B1-Ha and B1-Hb flickered with limited views; B1-Ga was offline. Finally, B1-Gc offered a clear view of the corridor in front of the barracks. Counting enemy movements, he observed only two Kalrachs on the feeds: one near B1-Ha and another near B1-Cc.
“Safe to say I’ll probably face at least five of them along the way,” he mused, glancing at his essence gauge—[9/12].
Next, his attention shifted to the terminal’s interface. He reached for a mouse but found none—the computer was running on a command-line interface. Experimenting with various commands, he discovered he could switch camera views between levels. Anticipation quickened his pulse as he selected B2.
The screens flickered, then stabilized, revealing a view of a hospital-like environment. Corridors lined with various labs and equipment presented a stark, clinical contrast to the decay of B1.
Cassian retrieved the B2 floor plan from his bag. It detailed key areas:
1) Cryostasis Pod Chamber
2) Surgical & Augmentation Labs
3) Restricted Research Wing
4) Medical Waste Disposal Tunnels
Switching through the cams on B2, he was struck by the eerie silence—no Kalrachs appeared, no matter how many times he cycled the feeds. As cam B2-Ca came into view, he inhaled sharply. The corridor, as shown on the floor plan, led to the cryostasis pod chambers—but what surprised him most was the transformation: alien, vine-like growths covered the walls and floor. Every time he switched cams leading deeper into floor B2, he discovered more of this strange, terraformed decay.
Curiosity driving him onward, Cassian switched back to B3. To his dismay, every screen on B3 was dark. “Huh? That’s odd… no cameras are working,” he muttered.
Next, he navigated to B4. Only two cams were available here. The first showed one of the massive holes Cassian had seen before—a gaping void with lifts descending into it. The footage, rendered in black and white, and only on this floor, did he wish for a colored video. The floor had alien-like vines that covered nearly everything, and numerous Kalrachs roamed the area.
Switching to the other B4 cam, Cassian nearly jumped out of his seat—a face appeared on the screen.
FUCK!
It was the elite he’d encountered in the elevator; the creature’s face twisted unnaturally, its skull exposed with flesh squirming around before the cam abruptly went dark. Cassian exhaled heavily, his mind swirling with unsettling thoughts. He paused, steadying himself. Gradually, his racing heart slowed into a steady rhythm—a near-meditative calm. The deck card, [A Knight’s Squire] effect.
Fucking hell! That scared me… Did that monster just there and the cam going dark was just a malfunction?… I doubt it… It knows
I need to find any means of mental protection before I face this thing again…which led me back to the question: how in hell do I get more cards?… Till now there have been no loot boxes that would give me cards… Killing monsters doesn’t give me experience as well.
"System: How can I get more cards?”
This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.
“Yes! Please, I would love the hint."
"System, what is a soulspark? And please don’t say that it's gonna cost me?”
"You—"
"Forget it, On that note, why are the ‘Viewers’ silent? ”
Cracking his neck, he checked his essence well—it was full now. Time to analyze the patrol pattern. Switching back to the B1 level, he focused on the live feed of corridor B1-5.
With a deep, determined breath, Cassian switched his attunement card back to Destruction. After waiting the critical five minutes, his patience was rewarded: the behemoth finally appeared on the cam. Stepping back, he grabbed his backpack and slung it over his shoulder. He tapped his access card on the door, and with a low rumble, the blast doors slid open, offering him a narrow passage to safety.
Taking one final glance at the monitors—images of enemy patrols and eerie corridors seared into his mind—Cassian whispered, “Time to get to work.”
He stepped out of the blast doors, carefully stepping over the bisected corpse of the kalrach. Cassian looked at the hallway; it was quiet, with no monsters in sight.
Fuu, good start… Let’s move and try to avoid combat as much as I can. No need to give the behemoth anything else my location.
He crept along the corridor, eyes scanning every shadow for a hint of movement, determined to remain unseen. Soon after walking in silence for a few minutes, there at the end of the hallway, a pair of Kalrachs emerged from the shadows. He immediately crouched low, pressing himself against the wall as he sensed something unusual—the shadows themselves seemed to be helping him… like Cassian felt it much easier to be in the shadows fully… It was an odd feeling.
Must be my skill…
He paused as the kalrachs drew close to the corner, their hunched figures and unnatural gait as they roamed the corridors in straight lines without straying. Holding his breath, he waited until the kalrachs moved away, then continued along the route. Shortly afterward, another pair of kalrachs came around a corner, almost stopping his progress. With calm, controlled breathing, Cassian pushed himself into a shadowed corner. Hidden from view, he watched them pass by, and only after the area seemed clear did he slowly step out and resume his journey.
After nearly 5 minutes, he finally saw the markings on the wall for corridor B1-8, and sure enough, the barrack doors came into view. An obstacle emerged—a trio of Kalrachs stood in his path. Cassian watched them for several minutes, but the fuckers remained completely still, blocking his path to the barracks.
Shit!… Do they know I want to get into the barracks?… nah, that seems highly unlikely; if anyone did, the behemoth would have been here, not these basic kalrachs…
I guess it's a good thing… My stats have substantially improved since last time, and now with a good amount of Essence, let’s see how I’ll fare against them.
Cassian paused for a moment, trying to steady his wildly beating heart as the realization hit him.
Huh? I’m excited for the fight… not long ago I was scared to get into combat; is this feeling due to my increased stats or something else… Thought for later, Cassy.
Fuuu~
“ [Expedite] ”
He triggered his boost sorcery, and a surge of raw energy coursed through his veins. Instantly, his strength, reflexes, and perception honed sharply.
Cassian erupted into motion. The boost surged through his veins like lightning, propelling him forward in a blur of inhuman speed. Air whistled past his ears as he closed the gap—now—and suddenly he was upon the first Kalrach.
The creature barely reared its snarling head before his boot cracked into the monster’s kneecap with a visceral crunch. The Kalrach’s guttural howl split the air, its leg buckling grotesquely inward as it collapsed, claws scrabbling uselessly against the blood-slick floor.
Not giving others time to recover, Cassian pressed forward using his momentum as he pivoted to face the kalrach on his left, as his palm slammed into the chest of the monster.
The air crackled. “[Lightning Bolt],” he snarled.
Crimson energy erupted from his fingertips, searing through the Kalrach’s torso. Flesh blackened. Smoke coiled upward as the creature spasmed, its guttural shriek cut short when the raw current hurled it sideways like a ragdoll, and, surprisingly, the residual lightning, uncontrolled yet potent, branched out and struck the two kalrachs as they shrieked in agony.
Fixing his gaze on the monster in front of him as he saw it jolt violently, muscles locking as electricity ravaged its nerves. Seizing the moment, Cassian backstepped as he leveled his hand, fingers taut.
He pointed at the stunned Kalrach.
“[Lightning Bolt],”
This time, the red energy pulsed in a straight path, striking the monster with unerring accuracy. It dropped dead instantly, charred remnants falling to the ground.
Silence fell, broken only by the faint hiss of smoldering flesh. Cassian’s eyes flicked to the first Kalrach—still twitching, leg bent at a sickening angle, chest a ruin of scorched sinew. Its claws scraped weakly against the tiles.
Oh, you poor thing, still stunned; too bad.
He strode forward, boot raised. For a heartbeat, the creature’s milky eyes met his—there was nothing in them, just a distant gaze. Not letting it bother him, Cassian brought his heel down. The skull caved in like rotten fruit, bones, and viscera spraying across the floor.
A brief chuckle escaped him as he looked around at the aftermath. Despite the intense battle, Cassian couldn’t help but feel a surge of satisfaction.
Fuuu~ the rush, the thrill of battle…, no crushing your enemy, crushing the fucker who toyed with me earlier is so satisfying.
Shaking his head in quiet amusement, he tapped his access card on the barracks blast doors. The door’s mechanisms hummed to life. As it slid open, he felt a spark of excitement about what might be inside the armory. Standing before the massive doors, Cassian took a deep breath.
Let's hope whatever I find in the armory is worth the effort.
…
A/N : Guys honestly tell me should skip some of the tables and just use bold words? like I would only use tables for important system stuff and rest would be in bold or should I just use the tables for status and everything else just bold formatted like on Patreon.
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