Code Collector

The sound of the creatures in the forest was soothing at the same time scary. The constant noise from the crickets, the hooting of owls, and the sometimes howling of wolves from afar.

Allen was exploring an area that was rarely explored by Hunters. The aura seeping from the ground was indeed eerie. It was really a place where the strong beasts were.

"What's wrong with this place?" Allen asked himself. He looked around as he walked deeper into the dark forest. He had been wandering for a long time, but not one single beast had attacked him.

He knew they were around just watching him silently. The trees in these parts were tall and their leaves were thick, so it was hard for the moon to pierce through them. It was almost a complete darkness, prompting Allen to use his glaive.

He paused and looked at his weapon. The red light from the blade was bright, lighting up an entire path like a group of torches. Allen scratched his head and decided to hide the weapon to try something, "Store."

Almost immediately after the light was gone, several sounds of beasts echoed around him. Allen's eyes widened after feeling several beasts looming from the darkness.

Their piercing eyes were glowing in the darkness, wathing Allen like he was a piece of meat. "No." He whispered.

"I am a piece of meat for them!"

Four dark figures pounced from nowhere. Allen couldn't react on time. Their movement were too quick for them to react in the darkness. "Sh*t!"

The boy ended up rolling behind him. He felt one of the beasts graze their claw on his leg, but the pain was bearable. He can still run.

'Emergency quest.'

< Dark Panther >

Rewards: Mask of Nobody III, 3 skill points

In the darkness lies for beasts. Find the panther and kill it. A Code will be gained.

The quest was tempting. If he can successfully hunt the panther, he can get the third piece of the mask, skill points, and a Code.

He didn't know how many shards he needed to get to complete the mask. When he finished the previous quests, one small shard of something was stored in his Inventory. When he got the second mask, the fragments fit with each other.

From those two pieces, he could think that he still needed about six more pieces. That is, if the mask only covered half of his face like his current wooden mask.

For the skill points, he could use more for his stamina. He has Codes to increase his speed, and weapons for great damage at his disposal. What he lacked was the ability to sustain himself.

He realized this after fighting the black bear when he first met the couple. When only a few minutes into the fight and his body already felt like giving up, that was when he realized it.

Considering all these three, Allen decided to take on the quest. He took a deep sigh and conjured his Sunset Dagger instead of the Fervent Glaive.

He couldn't risk the bright glaive for this. The light ould only scare these beasts away if he chose the glaive. The dagger on the other hand only has a thin glowing orange line on the sharp end of the blade, so it was safer to weild.

"Let's do this," Allen said, bending his knees and preparing for another round of the beasts.

The dark figures leaped into the air, making Allen look up. "One, two, three… F*ck! Where's the other one?!"

Allen looked around to see that one of the beasts was running towards him in full speed. He grit his teeth and raised both his hands to block the attack, just in time for the beast's fang to reach him.

When his dagger and he beast's fangs met, the boy was knocked into the air. His eyes widened when he couldn't believe the strength of the impact. It only took it one swipe for him to fly back.

"What the–"

Three roars made him look up. Allen gazed at where the sound came from and saw the other three beasts. They were now landing right at the spot where he was going to land.

"They planned this?!" Allen gasped. He slammed his body down to the ground to reach it sooner. When he did, before the beasts could attack, he flipped behind him a couple of times to get away.

His flips were just at the right moment. The beasts reached he ground right on his first flip, and they reached out for him on his second and third flip. But the boy had already made enough space so they couldn't get him.

"You…" Allen glared at the beasts. They planned this from the start. That was why they were leaping high into the air, higher than should.

The fourth beast would tempt their target to back away, just at the spot where the three would land. This plan wasn't just a work of a basic grade. These beasts just be high tier Rare grade beasts.

The boy chuckled and raises his dagger. The four beasts were walking closer to him, and they seemed to be more excited that their prey could fight back. Allen was feeling the complete opposite of that, however.

He was running low on his stamina, and he was feeling his movements get sloppier. He was getting slower and he knew the beasts know it too.

Allen was at a dangerous position and he was worried he won't last long. What he needed to do was kill the Dark Panther and leave.

The big problem was that he was yet to know where the beast was hiding. The darkness were concealing their colors, and it seemed like the other three had dark coats on them too.

"What shall I do?" Allen asked himself. He gripped his dagger, closing his eyes to take a deep breath. "I know what I'll do."

He openes his orbs, revealing a bright crimson color. It was like the eyes of a serpent, but was painted with red. He then felt the beasts tremble in his presence.

Allen chuckled and raised his dagger to his eye level. "My, my, my. My preys are trembling."