'Demon'
[Emergency mission activated.]
[Mission 'Death to the Demons']
Type: Urgent
Requirements: Encounter a demon.
Restrictions: None
Description:
A hero's eternal mission has always been, and will always be, to slay the Demon King. But no race ends with a single step—it requires many.
Objective:
Take the first step. The hero must kill the demon.
Rewards for Mission Completion:
XP amounts depend on the demon's power relative to the hero's.
13 Plastic
34 Metal
5 Steel
5 Points
Side Note:
Demons feed on hatred, suffering, and the misery of others. They must be destroyed in the most brutal way possible. The hero will receive a secondary evaluation—the more the demon suffers, the higher the secondary rating. Ensure the demon knows pain.
Vio didn't even stop to consider the mission. Zaves stomped his foot on the ground, causing sharp ice shards to shoot rapidly toward Vio.
In the blink of an eye, they were right in front of him.
Vio punched them aside, stepping back, but the shards that broke apart were immediately replaced by new ones targeting his neck. Again, he punched them and retreated.
They were incredibly fast—he barely managed to punch and step away simultaneously. Realizing this tactic wouldn't work, he prepared to jump and avoid the attack but remembered Shama behind him.
'Damn it.'
The CyborgHeart glowed as Vio slammed his fist into the ground, shattering the ice shard along with it.
"Boom!"
Knowing it would regenerate, he struck the ground again.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
Each punch created cracks that traveled along the shards, reaching Zaves' feet. With one final punch:
"Boom!"
The entire structure shattered.
Vio turned, swinging his arm sharply to create a gust of wind, extinguishing the flames that had prevented the woman and Shama from escaping.
Vio's expression made his message clear.
The woman grabbed Shama and moved her to safety. At the same moment, Vio charged at Zaves.
"Why, why, why!" Zaves screamed, unleashing waves of massive ice shards from his feet to block Vio's approach.
Vio punched through the obstacles in his path, dodging the rest with side steps.
'This isn't working.'
Vio began running in circles, forcing the ice shards to follow him. Some cut across his path, making him change direction repeatedly.
The shards were large, sharp, and radiated cold energy. Realizing the danger if they touched him, Vio kept his distance as much as possible, punching the ones he couldn't avoid into smaller pieces.
Vio stayed far enough to analyze Zaves' weak points.
'He's channeling them through his feet, using the ground to direct them.'
As Vio assessed his opponent, a shard flew like an arrow toward him. He barely noticed it in time, tilting his body to dodge.
"Swoosh!"
The shard grazed his cheek, drawing blood.
'Damn it.'
"You didn't expect that, did you, brother?" Zaves taunted, smiling as Vio's frown deepened.
Vio had momentarily forgotten that Zaves could throw with his hands too.
'Why hasn't he been using that until now?'
His eyes darted around, searching for an answer.
'Got it. Using his feet is faster and creates larger, more dangerous shards, but throwing requires precision and speed—useful only for distant targets.'
Warnings about Vio's deadly close-combat style had been sent far and wide due to the bodies he left behind.
'Ugh, this will be exhausting.'
Vio charged forward again, widening Zaves' grin. That was exactly what he wanted.
If Vio kept his distance, he'd be an easy target for thrown shards. If he got closer, he'd be forced to move constantly.
Zaves was confident he could keep Vio from closing the distance enough to strike his head.
And Zaves wasn't overestimating himself. Even when Vio surprised him earlier with a punch, Zaves had reacted quickly, raising his hand to shield his head.
As Vio reached a certain point, shards erupted from the ground.
He dodged and leapt high, but the shards rose higher, determined not to let him escape.
'Damn it.'
Vio crossed arms to shield his chest.
"Boom!"
[HP Decreased: 4,840/5,000]
The impact knocked Vio back, forcing him to stabilize his balance mid-air before landing.
"Boom!"
Fortunately, he had knees of steel, literally.
[Ice debuff Detected]
[Agility Decreased by 10%]
Frost began to coat his joints.
"You, you, you wanted this," Zaves said. "I'm still going easy on you only because you're my brother. Will you finally give up?"
Vio gritted his teeth, enduring the burning sensation from the frost.
'Again, is this ice or lava?'
Vio glared at Zaves, whose voice irritated him more with every word.
'System, debuff him and buff me.'
[Debuff]
Wound Curse – Temporary
Increases the pain inflicted by attacks by 50% for 4 hours.
All Vio needed to do was keep his eyes fixed on Zaves.
[Target Locked]
[Debuff Applied to Target]
[Debuff Activated]
[Aiz's Buff Activated for Hero]
aiz's buff – Temporary
Temporary boost: Increases ice resistance and perception by 15% for 6 hours.
The enhanced perception sharpened Vio's vision and instincts, while the increased ice resistance melted the frost off his joints.
[Agility Restored]
He commanded CyborgHeart to channel electricity through his joints, moving faster than before.
[EP Decreased: 59/100]
"You're hiding your strength well too."
The shards rose, only to crack under Vio's repeated punches.
After breaking through several, he rolled and sprinted forward. Every time a shard got too close, he punched it away and continued rolling.
"What are you doing now?"
With each roll, Vio scanned surroundings, searching for a clear, unobstructed path toward Zaves. When he finally found one, straightened his body and swung his arm, throwing something past all the shards.
Zaves barely had time to comprehend what was coming before it struck his left eye.
"Aagh!"
With the Wound Curse debuff, Zaves' pain was doubled. The object Vio had thrown was nothing more than a stone he picked up while rolling, one of many he stashed in his inventory.
Using his skill:
Throwing – Level 5
+5% targeting accuracy when the hero throws an object.
His precision reached another level.
The ice shards surrounding Zaves began trembling, as if on the verge of collapse.
Clutching his injured eye, Zaves was momentarily distracted—exactly the opportunity Vio waiting for. He leapt toward Zaves' blind spot.
"Bastard!"
Zaves turned, but Vio was already beside him.
'Let's see what you'll do now.'
As Vio's punch descended toward Zaves' head, layers of ice quickly formed around Zaves' hand, which was still covering his eye.
"Boom!"
The blow sent Zaves' body crashing to the ground. Vio immediately followed up with another punch, aiming to capitalize on Zaves' weakened state, but a shard intercepted his attack once more.
"Boom!"
'Damn it.'
Vio didn't give up and kept attacking, punching repeatedly, but more and more shards formed, blocking his strikes before they could reach Zaves.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
Vio noticed that the ice shards were regenerating faster than his attacks could destroy them. This left him with no choice but to increase his speed at the cost of draining more energy.
[EP Decreased: 55/100]
'Not like I have any other options.'
Determined to push through, Vio was about to ramp up his speed when he felt a ripple in the air around him.
'Not this again.'
Abandoned his attack and leapt backward, narrowly avoiding a deafening gust of wind.
Zaves had summoned the wind to launch Vio into the air, intending to use ice shards to strike him mid-flight. But Vio's sharp senses saved him once again.
'I won't let you get away.'
As Vio retreated, commanded CyborgHeart to channel energy into his knee. The moment the edge of his foot touched the ground, the rotational force from his knee joint propelled him forward at high speed.
Zaves, still clutching his injured eye on the ground, seemed vulnerable.
"Who do you think I am?" Zaves shouted, just as Vio aimed a punch directly at his head.
But Vio's eyes widened in shock as his body suddenly froze mid-motion.
'How?'
He looked down and saw blocks of ice encasing from his legs to shoulders and elbow, leaving only his fist free—just an inch away from Zaves' head.
While Vio's mind raced to understand what had happened, a buzzing sound filled his thoughts.
[New Skills Unlocked]
Running – Level 1
Increases the hero's running speed by 10%.
Dash – Level 1
Increases the hero's speed during a dash by 10%.
Jumping – Level 1
Increases the hero's jumping effectiveness by 10%.