Demons Within I Level Up Endlessly Chapter 76

[ … words ]

The Academy ran on strict schedules.

“Kill scores are suspended,” Baldwin announced. Her voice boomed from the sky, amplified by hidden speakers.

“Your objective has changed. Survival is now the only objective.”

The ground began to rumble. It wasn’t an earthquake. It was footsteps. Thousands of footsteps.

“The containment units have been opened,” Baldwin continued. “Level 5 Purge Beasts have been released into the zone. This is not a test! I repeat, this is not a test!”

Daniel stood up on the branch. He looked out over the canopy of the forest. In the distance, he saw some trees falling. Something massive was moving through the jungle, knocking down almost everything in its path. And it wasn’t alone.

He saw dust clouds rising from the east, the west, and the north. They were being herded.

“This isn’t a test,” Daniel realized. “This is a purge.”

“Forget going towards the extraction point for now!” Baldwin ordered, her voice booming across the sky. “Your only objective right now is to survive! Hide! Find a cave! Get under a rock! Dig a hole in the ground if you have to! Just get out of sight!”

The panic was instant. Below him, the two recruits who had mocked him didn’t look so tough anymore. They didn’t look for a fight. They scrambled into a thick patch of bushes, trying to bury themselves in the dirt like frightened worms.

“A system breakdown,” Daniel whispered. “They lost control.”

He felt the vibrations traveling up the trunk of the tree. The beasts were huge. If one of them rammed into this tree, it would snap like a twig, and he would come crashing down with it.

Staying still was a death sentence.

“I need to keep moving,” Daniel decided. “If I stay in one spot, I’m a sitting duck.”

He didn’t climb down to the ground where the danger was. He looked at the branch of the next tree, about five meters away.

“Shadowsteps,” he whispered.

His body blurred. He pushed off the branch, launching himself into the air. He soared across the gap, landing silently on the next tree. He didn’t stop there.

He moved through the canopy like a ghost, jumping from limb to limb. He was constantly checking the structural integrity of the trees, making sure they could hold him, and making sure they weren’t about to be knocked over by the stampede below.

He stopped on a high, strong branch. He crouched low, blending into the shadows of the purple leaves.

He activated his [Omnivision], pushing it to its absolute limit. His eyes seemed to darken as he entered a state of hyper-awareness.

He wasn’t just looking, he was feeling every vibration, hearing every snap of a twig, and sensing every heartbeat in the jungle.

He was on full alert, his body tense and ready to react the moment anything came close.

For three long hours, chaos tore through the jungle.

The ground shook as the Level 5 Purge Beasts tore through the vegetation, hunting anything that moved.

Daniel stayed on his high branch, as silent and still as possible. He watched the chaos from above, his [Omnivision] tracking the waves of destruction.

Then, slowly, the chaos stopped. The heavy footsteps faded into the distance. The dust clouds settled and the jungle became quiet again.

Daniel waited for another ten minutes just to be sure. When his senses told him the immediate danger was gone, he deactivated his [Omnivision] to save his mental energy.

He dropped down from the tree. He landed softly on the mulched forest floor, his boots barely making a sound.

He looked around. The jungle looked like a war zone. Huge trees were snapped in half like matchsticks. The ground was churned up, turning the green grass into muddy brown trenches.

Daniel walked forward, stepping over a fallen log. He saw the cost of the purge. It wasn’t just broken trees, it was broken people.

In a small clearing, he saw the remains of a team. Their grey uniforms were torn and stained with red. They had tried to fight, but their weapons lay scattered and broken on the ground.

Some were dead. Others were torn to pieces, unrecognizable as humans. Daniel stopped.

He looked at a young girl lying near a bush. Her eyes were open, staring at the purple leaves above, but she wasn’t seeing them anymore.

He felt a knot form in his stomach. He felt bad for them.

They were almost done with the phase. They had almost gotten to the finish line, but they couldn’t make it there.They were aspirants who wanted power, who wanted to change their lives, just like him.

“Rest in peace,” he whispered. But he didn’t stay. He couldn’t stay. “I have to move on,” he told himself.

The suns began to set, casting long, dark shadows across the ruined forest. The air grew cold.

Daniel checked his map. The extraction portal was still far away, and the countdown was ticking. But navigating the jungle in the dark, right after a purge, was suicide.

The beasts might be tired, but the night predators would be waking up. He needed a place to rest for the night. He looked at a small cave opening near a rocky outcrop.

It looked warm. It looked safe.

“No,” Daniel thought, shaking his head. He remembered the spider cave. He remembered Bran.

“Caves are traps. Caves are tombs.” He looked up. The trees were the answer. The purge beasts were mostly ground-based. If he went high enough, he would be safe.

He found a huge tree with thick, strong branches. It looked ancient and strong.

“[Shadowsteps],” he whispered. His body felt light. He ran up the vertical trunk, his feet gripping the bark. He climbed higher and higher until the ground was just a dark patch far below.

He found a fork in the branches that formed a natural cradle. He sat down and leaned back against the rough wood.

It wasn’t comfortable, but it was safe.

He closed his eyes, but he didn’t sleep deeply. He was half-asleep and half-awake . The night passed slowly.

As early as possible, when the first grey light of dawn touched the sky, Daniel opened his eyes. He stretched his stiff muscles. He looked at his Databand.

[Time Remaining: 02 Hours, 15 Minutes.]

“Time to go,” he said. He climbed down from the tree, moving with the grace of a monkey.

His feet hit the ground, and he started walking.

He wasn’t the only one moving. As he got closer to the central zone, he saw them. The survivors. Most aspirants were moving in the same direction. They were a sad river of grey uniforms flowing toward the extraction point.

Some were limping, using broken spears as crutches. Some had bandages wrapped around their heads or arms. Some were jogging, looking over their shoulders every few seconds. They were scared.

The purge had broken their spirit. They didn’t care about loot or EXP anymore. They just wanted to get to the extraction point. They wanted to go home.

Daniel watched them from the edge of the path. He moved calmly, without a trace of fear.

He looked like he was just taking a morning stroll in the park. He saw the two recruits who had mocked him yesterday.

They were muddy and shaking, walking close to a large group for protection. They didn’t even notice him.

Daniel reached a fork in the path. To the left was the main road, crowded with terrified aspirants. To the right was a narrow, overgrown trail.

It was quiet there. Daniel stopped and looked at the crowd on the left. If a beast attacked now, that crowd would be a buffet. It would be chaotic.

“I need peace my peace and quiet,” he decided. He turned to the right. He stepped onto the narrow trail.

The noise of the panic faded behind him. Here, the air was still. The leaves brushed against his shoulders.

He walked for about ten minutes. He enjoyed the silence.

All of a sudden, he stopped. His [Omnivision] wasn’t active, but his natural instincts were sharp. He heard something and It came from a thick bush to his left.

SNAP!

A twig broke under a heavy weight. Daniel froze. He didn’t turn his head. He just stopped breathing and listened.