'How did ice suddenly wrap around my body so fast?'
As Vio's mind struggled to comprehend the situation, a buzzing sensation spread through him.
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%.
'System, this isn't the time! Get these notifications out of my way!'
Vio tried to make sense of what was happening. His mind searched for something, anything, that could explain the situation.
[Agility Reduced by 90%]
While Zaves took his time getting up, holding his eye that wouldn't stop bleeding, Vio finally understood what had happened.
'A trap, he caught me like they did with the bear'
When they were hunting the bear they set a trap in the ground. While Vio was concentrating on how to get to him, Zaves was taking precautions and setting a trap near his feet.
'Sneaky. Even when I got close to hitting him before, he didn't activate the trap.'
When Vio was raining punches on him earlier, Zaves hadn't triggered the trap, confident he didn't need it yet.
Things could've been worse. Because the trap was so close to Zaves, it wasn't the same type that had exploded under the bear.
"Pain, pain, pain!" Zaves groaned angrily, clutching his eye. His suffering made the frozen Vio smile.
What Vio wanted to confirm more than anything was whether humans in this world were still human or had turned into monsters. He found his answer when he saw that a single stone to Zaves' eye had left him in such a miserable state.
Of course, the debuff Vio had applied only made things worse.
Once again, Vio felt the ice encasing his body trembling.
'So, when he's in pain, it seems like his control weakens.'
Zaves stood and noticed Vio's smile. In response, he grinned maniacally, letting go of his injured eye to let Vio admire his masterpiece.
"Brother, brother, brother," Zaves said. "Why are we fighting? Tell me, is all of this because of that wretched girl? Is, is, is Qarin telling you to do this? Fine, fine, fine! I'll let you play with her, but the point is mine, mine, mine!"
Vio sighed, frustrated not only by Zaves' inability to understand him but also by his own inability to understand Zaves. He decided not to waste any more effort on words and simply opened his fists.
'Surge Strike'
Surge Strike:
Emits electrical energy throughout the body or externally.
EP Cost: As long as EP remains.
Sparks of electricity formed between Vio's fingers and quickly surged toward Zaves.
"Aaaaah!" Zaves screamed as his body convulsed violently.
[EP Decreased: 51/100]
As much as Vio enjoyed seeing Zaves writhe, he couldn't ignore how rapidly his energy was depleting.
But he had no choice—if he didn't act, he'd die. His body collapsing from energy exhaustion would still be better than being killed outright.
While Zaves endured unimaginable pain, Vio noticed something: the ice binding his body was trembling more and more. Not only that, but even the flames consuming the houses seemed to flicker.
A glimmer of hope appeared. The moment the ice's grip on his body faltered, Vio stopped the electricity to conserve energy. With all strength, he shattered the remaining ice.
"Crack. Crack. BOOM!"
Once free, Vio stepped back, checking his remaining energy.
[EP: 19/100]
'Damn this Ability.'
Vio refocused, finding Zaves using the wind to steady himself while glaring at him.
'Sneaky. His momentum only weakens when his pain increases. Looks like we're back to square one.'
No—this was worse. Vio had lost a significant amount of energy, while Zaves' reserves still seemed limitless.
"Why would you use lightning on your own brother?" Zaves asked, his eyes gleaming. "Is it because you don't know the pain of lightning? Do you want to feel it?"
Zaves raised his hands toward Vio. If Vio could understand him, he would've said, "Yes, I do!"
A bolt of lightning struck Vio with incredible speed, making him smile. How could he not, when such a gift came from the last person he expected—his enemy?
The moment the lightning hit, Vio's CyborgHeart activated its absorber, drawing in all the electricity and charging his battery.
Confusion spread across Zaves' face as noticed Vio's delighted expression. He soon realized that his lightning was being absorbed.
Then Vio heard the sound he loved more than anything.
[EP: 100/100]
[81 XP Gained]
'Perfect.'
Vio shut off his core, taking several steps back to avoid being struck by another lightning bolt. He didn't want to risk overloading his secondary heart.
Quickly, his eyes darted around, searching for a solution. His gaze lit up when he saw something that sparked an idea—one can't believe he forgot that.
'How could I forget that?'
Suddenly, the sound of clapping echoed.
Vio turned to see Zaves, who was clapping like crazy. Vio looked at him as though he were staring at a fool.
'What's wrong with him mentally, exactly?'
Zaves' face turned into pure ecstasy and his entire body trembled.
"Can I, I, I do it too?" Zaves muttered. "How much do I need? Tell me quickly, how much? How much, how much?"
"Man," Vio said, summoning inventory. Pulled out a rock and threw it, aiming for Zaves' injured eye.
"Boom!"
"Aaaaah!"
"can you shut the fuck up?" Vio said, moving toward him " Your voice is more annoying than your fighting,"
Dash – Level 1
Increases the hero's speed during a dash by 10%.
"Do you think that will stop me?" Zaves growled, stomping his foot on the ground, causing a layer of ice to spread across the entire area.
Vio's new skill couldn't help him now. He stopped abruptly and backed away further and further, only stopping when the advancing ice finally ceased.
'Does his energy ever run out? I can't even see a hint of exhaustion on his face.'
"Bastard, bastard, bastard!" Zaves screamed as purple flames erupted from his body.
'shit. He hasn't used this before. How did I overlook... wait.'
Narrowing his eyes, Vio noticed that some of the flames licked the surrounding ice without melting it. Realizing something, looking at the burning houses, he saw they weren't disintegrating—they remained intact, as though they were fuel for a fire that would never end.
'His flames don't burn? No, I remember the villagers' screams and the fire clinging to their bodies.'
"Why, why, why?" Zaves muttered, uninjured eye suddenly widening as though he had solved a puzzle. "Ahhhhhh, it's all because of that girl."
Zaves remembered seeing Shama. He recalled the lack of fear in her eyes, a detail that had unsettled him. He didn't like it, and he realized it wasn't normal for his brother to be fighting him over her when the potential of what they could achieve together was limitless.
Then, a breeze carried whispers to Zaves' ear—soft murmurs that tickled his mind.
'Save your brother from her. Save him, save him, save him. Then you will unite, and you'll gain points, points, points…'
"I have to save him from her," Zaves muttered, as though hypnotized. "Points await us."
Raising his arms high, Zaves caused the purple flames to rise higher and higher into the sky.
Vio felt a foreboding sense of danger. He couldn't rush forward because the ground was entirely frozen. Summoning inventory, pulled out more rocks and threw them at Zaves, aiming for the same injured eye.
But before the rock could land, a layer of ice formed over Zaves' eye, protecting it. He wasn't going to make the same mistake twice.
The rising flames transformed into meteors, ready to rain down randomly. Vio began to piece together Zaves' intentions.
Only to kill Shama, Zaves intended to burn everyone.
It wasn't like he had another intention before; he wanted to enjoy torturing them and watching their scared eyes. But now, he left everything behind just to free his brother.
One should never underestimate the love between brothers.
Vio, on the other hand, viewed the situation from a completely different perspective. If the villagers died, the mission would fail, and failure was not something he would allow.
'System, allocate 60% EP to my leg joints only.'
[Allocation Complete]