Chapter 12: Freak Accident
1392 Words
At this point, the total number of Nichol’s active drones are 30. Through Shambles, the destroyed and the damaged were fused to the healthier ones so he can still utilize their energy reserves. On top of that, all of his drones are a part of a whole so he can’t left a piece behind regardless of its state.
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-[ASSESSMENT COMPLETED]
-Mapping Options…
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The drones were placed on standby 50 feet from where the Lizard Chieftain and his entourage are gathered as Nichol and Sen analyse the best course of attack.
“We will use the cannon.” Nichol ultimately decided.
-Warning, that will deplete the energy reserves of the drones to 5%. (Sentinel)
“We will compensate it with the Mana Stones they collected,” he argued back.
-Understood. (Sentinel)
“Shambles!”
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-Constructing… 10%... 60%... 100%... Completed…
-Calculating Trajectory…
-Calculating Damage…Result: Fatal
-Ready to Fire…
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“Fire!”
-Fire! (Sentinel)
They declared together and cannon fired a sphere of condense energy which reached the Lizard Chieftain and his guards in a blink of an eye.
*BOOOOOOM!!!
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-Analysing Result…
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Sen started when the explosion subsided. Unfortunately, the Akashic System beat him to it.
Ding!
______________________________
Clearing Conditions:
1. Eliminate every single monster: [Progress: 90 out of 100]
2. Defeat the Boss: [Progress: Incomplete]
______________________________
As expected, the Boss is still alive and a total of ten Lizardmen managed to survive. “Disassembling the cannon. Sen, initiate recharge.”
-On it! (Sentinel)
Sen affirmed and after the cannon separates into drones again, the Mana Stones they collected were utilized to recharge the drones. Then immediately after that, they engaged the Lizard Chieftain and the remaining Lizardmen, giving them no chance to regenerate.
The Mana Stones were insufficient to bring the drones back to full power but Nichol and Sen conclude that this extent is enough to defeat the Boss and its remaining minions.
The deduction was spot on but the engagement took half an hour while and a quarter of the drones were destroyed.
When it was over, Nichol breathed a sigh of relief.
Ding!
______________________________
Clearing Conditions:
1. Eliminate every single monster: [CLEARED]
2. Defeat the Boss: [CLEARED]
Result: THE MAZE IS CLEARED!
______________________________
Rewards: Surviving Rangers will receive +1 to ALL Stats and +2 STR, Slayer of the Boss will receive +5 Mana
______________________________
Besides the clearing rewards, Nichol also received a Title.
______________________________
You received the [Solo Raider] Title
You achieved an astonishing accomplishment of clearing a Maze not only by yourself but also with a handicap of 2 Levels.
Effects: When conducting raids, All Stats and Mana will increase by 10%. When conducting solo raids, All Stats and Mana will increase by 30%.
The Title increased All Stats by +1
______________________________
Then there’s also the treasures and gears collected from the Lizard Chieftain. However, he will have to check on them later and exit the Maze first.
______________________________
THE MAZE IS COLLAPSING
EXIT IN 20 MINUTES OR FALL TO THE ABYSS
______________________________
The warning to exit appeared the exact same moment that the Exit Portal opened right beside him.
“It took us four hours,” Nichol said, checking the time after crossing the Exit Portal.
-If this was recorded by the Association, you’ll be the fastest to clear a Rank 3 Maze in history. (Sentinel)
“Why would we want that? Even at this point, we’re already attracting too much attention. Adding more will further escalate that.”
In response to that statement, Sen sighed.
-You still hate having people around, don’t you? (Sentinel)
Nichol sighed. “I don’t think that will ever change.”
◆◆◆◆◆◆
While having his dinner in a diner, Nichol received an alert from their network.
At 2AM earlier this morning, Bryan Downing had met yet another accident. In an intersection, a truck lost control of its brake and bulldozed his car. The impact had also resulted to his car exploding and it is assumed that he had died.
However, since Mayor Downing had followed the instructions Nichol relayed to him through the letter. Bryan Downing is, unfortunately for some, very much alive and the man assumed to be him in that car crash is a double created by the Conjurer-type that Mayor Downing hired.
-He’s just outside right now. (Sentinel)
Sen updated him.
That was inevitable. Believing now that his primary target is eliminated, Patrick Oswald, or more known as Hornet, is coming after Nichol next to tie up loose ends.
“You said you’ll handle this, right?”
-Yes, leave it this me. (Sentinel)
When Sen shifted his attention from being with him to their networks, the news coverage on the television hanging above the diner’s counter attracted Nichol’s attention.
[Here is the footage of the Ice Princess during the raid in the Rank 4 Maze that emerged in Salem earlier today.]
[She is the pride and joy of the State of Oregon.]
On the television screen was a woman on her late 20s attacking a Cyclops who stood at 30 feet with a giant spear made out of ice.
She is Breanne Lore, the Rank SS Ranger hailed as the Ice Princess.
Among the remaining 9 Rank SS, 4 are Allied States’ (formerly United States) citizens and one of them, Breanne Lore, is a local of Oregon and hence, her status and accomplishments are greatly celebrated by the State.
‘She has a glaring appearance too,’ Nichol internally remarked as he bit his fries. ‘Especially her hair.’
Peeking to her earlier records, Lore was originally an auburn but after her awakening her hair had turned platinum blonde.
‘Well, with a Rank SS Emission of ice-attribute Mana, it’s not surprising.’
Change in hair color is the first noticeable change a Ranger would display after awakening and the degree of change would sometimes reflect the potential Emission-affinity especially if the Mana has a certain elemental attribute like Lore who has the Ice Element.
Nichol too was not exempted to this change but his was not obvious since first, his Emission-affinity was just average and second, he’s already a brunet in the first place. Still, his hair, in a degree, had grew darker after his awakening. He’d also grew taller on top of that. Originally he was 5’10 but now he stood at 6 feet. His complexion improved too. It is still a theory but Maze and Ranger Researchers claimed that the more and the better the physical improvements a Ranger displayed, the better is their quality in the aspects of being Ranger like the quality of their Mana and Innate Skills.
If that truly is the case then Akashic System is applying the concept that beauty reflects power. The stronger the Rangers get, the more attractive they’d become.
Nichol chuckled bitterly at that notion. Even in an Apocalypse, the world remains unfair. The powerful are free and hailed while the weak are trapped to where they are. Just like a train, they can only proceed to where the rail leads them.
In his past life, Nichol was a paradox of this concept. He has all the potential to grow strong and free. Unfortunately, before he could do so, his wings were crippled and he was trapped among the weak.
From then on, he swore that he will never surrender his freedom to anyone ever again.
Finishing his meal, he paid his bill and start to head home. It is at this point that Sen returned.
-Everything is set. (Sentinel)
He said.
-He is waiting for you. (Sentinel)
“Anything I should do?” Nichol asked.
-None. Just continue to head home and everything will automatically fall into place. (Sentinel)
“Alright.”
With those said, 10 minutes later of walking through the sidewalk…
*BOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!
…an explosion occurred from the 3rd floor of an apartment building on the other side of the road ahead. Following that, a human figure is seen falling from the now wrecked part of that building. The figure crashed solidly to the ground and examining closer, a steel pole is pierced through the figure’s left chest.
“Oh my God!!!” The people near the perimeter of the explosion starts to panic, running away from the area as quickly as possible.
“A freak accident,” Nichol remarked before conducting a facial recognition to the burnt frame of the victim.
Unsurprisingly, it’s Patrick Oswald, also known as Hornet. The man who was planning to kill him tonight.
That fact being registered, Nichol immediately accessed Sen’s recent logs.
With what Sen gathered after infiltrating their Brotherhood’s network, after eliminating Downing, he will ambush Nichol in his home and after killing him, he will stage an explosion to make it look like an accident.
Unfortunately, with Sen’s interception, he was led to a residence that Sen arranged and the cover up he concocted was used against him.
-Underworld Headline – A World Renowned Assassin Died of a Freak Accident. Hehehehe! (Sentinel)
Sen unabashedly jeered.
“That was actually, pretty good.” Nichol commended, nodding.
- Writer
