Infinite Mana In The Apocalypse c1-705

by Adventure, Action, Fantasy, Game

  Amidst all of this, a new hero was rising above the destruction to bring a semblance of hope towards the people. Because of him, one particular city in the Empire faced the lowest number of casualties. He was a versatile mage that fought in the front lines tirelessly casting skill after skill with boundless energy. He was the peak rank A Hunter known as Noah Osmont.

  Chapter 46 - Unshackled

  I observed the burning lands beneath me as the screams of beasts rang out. Whatever plans the three TITANs had to besiege the city were out of the window as every beast in their ranks fell, and eventually they themselves met their end.

  My defenses were a notch below these rank A BOSSes, as can be seen by how the first one I took down yesterday broke a few bones with a slap. My offensive skills could not be matched though, as the damage of rank A skills that were further boosted by support skills ravaged their defenses after just one attack.

  I floated down to the burning ground to pick up the [Core]s. Similar to yesterday, many of them were rank A cores as the beasts came from a rank A dungeon break. I left lower level cores aside when I was flying through the city yesterday, only grabbing and absorbing the higher-ranked ones when I stood guard in the sky the last few hours.

  With the death of many beasts here, as well as the large piles of cores I could see besides the three dead TITANs, I should be able to absorb enough until I reach the cap of 300 for my attributes. With the skills that provided additional attributes, mine had already broken through to the next rank after A. What was this rank? Maybe I'd be the pioneer to find out

  Besides the cores, I found two rank A skills and an item from the three BOSSes, the two skills being [Spear of Destiny- Dark energy manifests in the form of a spear that aims at the hearts of your enemies] and [Ultra Regeneration- As long as your heart beats and your brain is still functioning, you will not meet death]. The item was a purple armor that looked extremely sturdy called [Armament of the Commander]. I learned the skills and equipped the armor, enjoying the new feeling of safety after the hard material covered the entirety of my body.

  I went back towards the city after that and met many hunters that were prepared for a fight that was finished. I nodded at Elizabeth and went back with her into the military sector to listen to the updates they had received so far.

  The news was grim, with many deaths and some cities that couldn't be reached. A monster that exceeded rank A had taken over countries in the United Federation, and the threat of the horde of beasts with the terrifyingly large turtle that was most likely of the same rank as the one appearing in the United Federation had its horde increased in size and was accelerating towards the Empire.

  I listened to all of these pieces of information and knew what I would be doing from now on. There was no time to waste, so I used my newly formed influence in the city to get many things in order. The first thing was to procure more storage rings, and I was able to find two more rank B and 3 rank C rings from the military inventory, bringing my total collection of storage rings to 5 rank c, and 3 rank B.

  Half of these rings would be filled with food and daily necessities as I was planning to leave the city, roam the Barrens, and give aid to any other existing cities while going towards the monster horde heading towards us. Specialized hunters from the Empire would be doing this within the next few days, but I would move out first. This responsibility did not feel that heavy on me, as the strength I had more than made up for it. I knew that my [Focus] was blank for a reason, and it wasn't to waste it away just clearing dungeons in cities and being entertained.

  I made this clear to the rankers that were standing atop this city, and their expressions turned somber as they heard. Elizabeth looked at me and spoke, "We will reinforce and meet you at the outer perimeters of the Empire as things are being settled. The information shows that the horde will reach the outer perimeters in around a week"

  She spoke with conviction, looking straight into my eyes for the first time in a while. I nodded at her and moved along to secure other matters before I began moving. I knew the remaining hunters wouldn't sit still as their Empire faced this enemy, but I also didn't want to see more deaths. They would make their own choices though, and I couldn't change that. They would focus on stabilizing the surrounding cities and making sure no more dungeon breaks occur.

  The consensus seemed to be that destroying dungeons completely was good, but it was to be regulated. They were horrific designs that brought them much death and pain, but they also allowed for more people to grow stronger when they were repeatedly cleared. Some would be destroyed, while others that can be comfortably cleared would be left behind.

  It took an entire 3 hours after this until I was ready to leave. During that time I had chosen more rank B skills from the military inventory and the ones that had dropped that I hadn't learned yet. The newly gained skills mostly augmented my damage and defense further.

  They were [Greater Flame Penetration],[Burning Soul], and [Elementalist] that respectively reduced the flame resistance of enemies, seared their core with flames and caused more damage when using element-based skills. [Hard Body], [Diamond Skin], and [Elemental Mirror] all boosted my defenses even further, making my body seem out of this world with the colors and textures if I had not been keeping active skills like [Stealth] and [Shadow Veil] that hid all the iridescent colors and effects

  The remaining time was spent stuffing the storage rings with all sorts of meals that I had prepared, from the steaks I liked to nonperishable foods that could last me more than two weeks.

  After that was the somber military burial for the death of many soldiers and Vice Admirals across the city that put their lives on the line. One particular soldier being honored was Vice Admiral Magnar, his death causing a large gap that would not be filled any time soon.

  Once all of this was done and I was ready to go, I was met with a row of soldiers and hunters sending me off. I would meet them all again soon enough when they begin moving towards the beast horde, and didn't know who would be lucky to come out alive from that fight

  Elizabeth stood at the forefront while I flew away, only telling me to be safe and wait for them before facing off against the enemy. I couldn't begin to understand what she was thinking, and I myself didn't have the luxury of getting emotionally sidetracked right now. Who knows, maybe after everything was over I would put in the time.

  I flew away from Star City and went towards the desolate Barrens where monsters roamed free. Dungeons didn't only appear in cities, and they would be all over the land. The ones appearing outside of cities would have dungeon breaks and allow monsters to roam free. There were specialized hunter squads made to regularly hunt down monsters in the Barrens before they made their way to the walled-off cities. I would be acting as a one-man squad this time around and take down anything I come across

  The ultimate goal at the end of this journey was the death and loot from the ridiculously huge turtle in the middle of hundreds of thousands of beasts. All I had with me were rank A skills that were boosted multiple times with support skills being kept active at all times. Would they be enough to take down something a level higher?

  Chapter 47 - A terrible beast

  Hunters all over the Empire were bracing themselves for a fight that determined their future. A horde of beasts was on their way, and Admirals scrambled to get their regiments in order after the latest attack that left many dead and injured. Enough hunters had to be moved to face the oncoming threat while also leaving enough behind to clear the newly appeared dungeons around the cities

  There were enemies all around, with not enough people on hand. Higher-ups of the Empire had slightly less despondent thoughts as intel regarding a particularly powerful hunter made its way to the top. The hunter had faced crowds of monsters that were about to besiege Star City and took them all down single-handedly. With the addition of top hunters like Steel Mikhail, they felt like they could still come out of this predicament in one piece

  Commands were quickly given as p
ieces began being moved. They were tired and fearful, but they would not give in. They would fight until their last breath if they had to. Cities gradually became stabilized as hunters began moving to the periphery of the Empire to meet the coming enemy

  ---

  The United Federation was in a dire state after the recent attacks. Three of its countries had already fallen into the hands of a powerful black dragon that killed anyone that defied it. The terror of this dragon was just beginning as it began making movements. It had many underlings beneath it that looked like a mixture of humans and lizards, as well as smaller reptiles that looked similar to it but had no wings.

  The Black Dragon's first movement made many despair, as it commanded the human hunters that heeled under its strength to form into a force that attacked the surrounding countries. It had many beasts under its command to use, but it was mostly using humans to fight other humans for its dominion. Scenes of hunters facing each other in battles had already started, causing a sense of defeat from any parties that came out alive in these battles

  Both were fighting to defend the lives of the people in their countries, with one side trying to protect the millions that were already subjugated under the Black Dragon's forces. Any dissent from them could cause the death of millions of people with just a word from the terrible beast.

  Leaders in the Blessed Empire were observing this situation while providing support to the United Federation for the first time in a while. Resources were spread thin as hunters had to be sent towards an impending horde to the south, others to remain to protect the Empire itself, and some to be sent towards the United Federation. If the countries there all fell under the command of the Black Dragon, the Empire would be next.

  ---

  The Dark Sword, Kazuhiko, was feeling a different emotion for the first time in a while. It wasn't the usual apathy and disinterest that he felt even after the apocalypse occurred. He had naturally awakened and risen to become the most powerful hunter of the United Federation as time passed

  He had cleared dungeons, faced rank A TITANs, and done everything his teenage mind had ever dreamed of. But he was quickly bored again. Even after dungeons appeared en masse again, the rank A BOSSes from the dungeon breaks quickly fell under his sword

  But now, something different was occurring. His blood boiled as he saw the images of the huge Black Dragon that was making its way to the center of the United Federation. He felt like this huge beast would be a sufficient opponent for him, but he also knew his limitations. Even though he was a battle junkie, he still wanted to keep his life. The beast they were going against was a rank above his, with thousands of beasts surrounding it. This was why he was leading the hunters of the federation that would be standing against the Black Dragon and his forces

  He looked down on the humans that submitted to the beast's power. Where was their pride for them to stand down so easily? A man should fight to their last breath! Even if the entire team he was leading was to be overpowered, he would not submit under the rule of beasts. He didn't want that possibility though, as he wanted to live longer and fight many more grand battles, so he was waiting.

  He waited for the hunters around the nation to gather and band together. He waited for the reinforcements from the neighboring Empire. He waited for all the pieces to be moved in place before he faced off against the huge beast and its army. His heart was pounding as he stared at the image of the dragon. He couldn't wait for the battle to start!

  ---

  Steel Mikhail laid his trusted spear down as he absorbed the information he was receiving. Their Blessed Empire had borne another powerful hunter called Noah Osmont. The information put him on top of the charts just from the exploits he had done so far. He thought about the described scene where this hunter stood against droves of beasts and took down three rank A BOSSes all by himself. Would he be able to do something similar?

  He required the help of other hunters stationed in the capital to take down the rank A BOSSes that had appeared because of multiple dungeon breaks. He had mages healing him and other hunters contributing to keep them busy while he dealt killing blows. Yet Noah seemed to be doing the work of multiple hunters all by himself. He withstood the attacks of a TITAN and came out alive, used highly offensive spells to take it down while also healing injured hunters he came across. He was truly powerful

  Mikhail wasn't feeling any form of jealousy or envy from his title as the strongest hunter of the Empire going to someone else. He loved the land he was in and would do anything for it. Having stronger hunters was naturally a good thing.

  They had already received news that Noah was making his way towards the monster horde south of the Empire. This showed the man's confidence in his strength. The Empire was also continuing to send its forces and resources to the outer perimeters to meet the beasts and reinforce this hunter.

  A majority of the high ranking hunters would either be going in the same direction as Noah or towards the United Federation to help with the newly risen threat that would point itself towards the Empire the moment it was left to run rampant.

  He would stay in the capital as its protector. He and a few other hunters would clear the rank A dungeon here, and the newly appeared ones in surrounding cities so that no dungeon breaks would continue occurring. He would be the last line of defense for the millions of people living in the Empire. That was his role. He was the protector.

  Chapter 48 - Destroyed cities

  Scenes of something you wished were only in your nightmares were making themselves prevalent as I flew across the skies of the desolate Barrens. A semblance of society lay destroyed on the ground, with patches of monsters roaming free.

  Many of these monsters were either being led by a TITAN, or you could occasionally find a few traveling alone. Many of them were cleared after the appearance of dungeons the first time, with the occasional teams being sent whenever a dungeon appeared and a dungeon break occurred in the Barren lands

  After the stabilization of the cities, more hunting squads that handled these monsters would have to be sent out so that they don't form into larger groups and begin targeting the walled-off cities.

  I had passed by two cities so far, cities that I had seen while driving to Star City not too long ago. Their serene atmosphere was broken as you could see destroyed buildings and smoke, but they were still standing. There were significantly more casualties in other cities that were not lucky enough to have strong hunters stationed

  I was forcing myself to not prioritize a city that I couldn't keep out of my mind, as there were more cities near me where I could save more people in time. I would move at the fastest pace towards the place I awakened in, Outer Bank X

  The two cities I passed were still trying to clear any monsters running around inside, with a few patches of monsters slowly getting together outside the city walls. I began with the inside of the cities and sniped the monsters with [Doom Bolt]. Hunters would be chasing the beasts only to see of a flash of lightning and a charred corpse right after, looking to the skies to see my figure flashing away with [Instant Transfer] to my next target

  When I was met with any TITANs grouping monsters together, I cast [Spear of Destiny] towards them. A dark palpitating spear more than twice my size would form and strike down towards these large beasts, nailing them to the ground. Rank B BOSSes required two or three hits of this spear that always aimed at their chest before a bloody hole appeared, where their hearts used to be ruptured.

  Rank A BOSSes required well over multiple casts of [Spear of Destiny], as they instinctively felt the deadly spears headings towards them and either tried to evade or block. After their arms became a mess of flesh and bones and their mobility was reduced, the dark spears dug through the tight chest muscles until they reached their hearts.

  I only came across two other rank A BOSSes, adding to my collection another rank A skill and item. The skill was [Arc Lightning- A terrifying lightning that chains onto other nearby enemies strikes down] and the item was [F
airy's Wings].

  This was the first item I found that wasn't a generic armor or weapon, but it's effectiveness was low when it came to me. When equipped, it looked like white glowing wings of light spread out from my back. The wings allowed you to float as long as mana was supplied, and having them on increased your maneuverability and speed in the air. I didn't need the floating function because of [Flight], but I would have them on for the boost they provide while I was flying. My speed became even faster, allowing me to reach the third city today before night fell

  This city was even more desolate than the last two, with a majority of it in ruins and hunters still holding off monsters. I tried [Arc Lightning] for the first time here and watched a streak of blue lightning pierce into one monster, and then it continued flying and chaining towards multiple others. In larger groups of monsters, the skill was able to chain more than 8 times to take down multiple beasts

  I flew around this city and cast [Guardian's Light] towards the injured. My figure that was flying through the skies releasing golden lights while having glowing wings outstretched behind only made me stand out even more. The city and its surrounding area was cleared of monsters in no time, and I chose to spend the night here as I realized I couldn't hunt effectively at night with the low visibility.

  When I took the journey to Star City last time, it had taken us the entire day from Outer Bank X to get there. Yet now, I was only halfway through to Outer Bank X as I worked to take down groups of monsters and aid the struggling cities I came across. At the same time I was clearing any dungeons that were high risk so that another dungeon break didn't occur. After seeing the state of most hunters in the city, I also gave out the many rank B skill books, items, and cores I didn't have need of to raise multiple rank B hunters in the past three cities that could effectively handle the new dungeons that arose