Though Nexus had only made a suggestion, his words carried a double edge. First, it was a reminder-a—a subtle threat—that Marcus was still in the First Ring, vulnerable and expendable. Second, it felt like blackmail.
Marcus had agreed to carry his weight on the journey back, yes, but if Nexus had asked him to fight outright, he might have had grounds to refuse. Too many unknowns in the heat of battle.
But this?
He was only being asked to act as bait. Not fight or kill, just to draw the beasts out. And that made it far harder to say no.
Since all I have to do is draw them out, I'll focus my [True Double] skill on speed.
Nexus had been prepared to argue. Maybe even threaten. But before he could speak again, Marcus cut in.
"I'll do it."
"What!?" Caught off guard, "Are you sure?"
"Are you sure that you want me to be bait?"
"Yes… Yes, I am." Nexus said slowly as he began to wonder what was going through Marcus's mind. Is this courage or foolhardiness? Either way… I like him. He has to join my squad, whether he likes it or not.
"When do we start?"
"Whenever you're ready. You're the one risking your life, we don't want to rush you to your dea— I mean demise."
Damn bastard! What's the difference?
Marcus exhaled slowly, suppressing the tension in his chest as he moved toward the canyon. Despite being a canyon, it was bone-dry, no trace of water in the cracked, dusty trench below. He stepped into the open and scanned the walls.
They were pitted with dark cavities, huge crags, and burrows that dotted into the shadows of the night.
The rest of the squad had already retreated to a safe distance, blending into the shadows.
"Captain," Keeyah called out, her disapproval clear within her tone. "We don't need to use him as bait. We can just deal with them and be on our way back." Less interested in Nexus's charade. She couldn't understand why he was doing this.
"I agree, Cap. They are just Vorathis Minxs, I can deal with them with my eyes closed." Another soldier chipped in.
"Joy killers… aren't you guys even a tad bit interested in how he was able to kill a level 14 Vorathis Minx with his bare hands? He might have a good fighting sense, but that's not enough. If he had a plasma weapon, I would have understood. However, he didn't. I couldn't even sense any Wilder Force from him… well that could be because he's still newly awakened, but it adds to the anomaly."
Nexus was curious more than anything. And now that he shared his thoughts, the rest of his squad members became curious too.
"Keeyah, what's the average stats line for an Awakened below level 10?"
"Five points across the physical stats, two points across the mental, and then ten points in Wilder Force." She answered almost immediately.
"And yet the kid was able to break a Vorathis Minx's nail and drive it into its skull? Don't you need an above fifteen points in strength to be able to match a Vorathis' strength?" Nexus turned to the canyon and his grin widened.
His words settled into their ears, piquing more interest from them, especially the ones who had dismissed Marcus as a greenhorn.
"I only thought he was faking it," Waldolf admitted. "Just trying to bluff his way out of trouble. And you, Captain, I figured you were just playing along for the fun of it."
"Yeah," another soldier chimed in. "It's not that hard to fake your level if your mental stats are high enough. I initially thought that he was a spy. A level zero's stats aren't supposed to go past ten anyway.
A murmur of agreement spread through the squad. Most of them had believed Marcus was just a clever actor bluffing his way through.
Nexus gave them all a look, unimpressed. "Do I strike you as that bored and irrational?"
No one answered, but their expressions said it all.
He sighed and waved the topic away.
"I also think he has a strong mind and above average will… most people would have cracked under the pressure you put on him, Captain," Waldolf added.
"Bootlicker!" Someone muttered from the back.
"Shut up and watch," another snapped.
"You all just need to shut up and watch."
Down in the canyon, Marcus stood motionless, calm and silent as he scanned the cavern-riddled walls. He could already feel that he was being watched by several Vorathis Minxs watching him from the shadows, gauging his movements. They weren't sure if he was alone yet.
A few of them crept out from their hiding places, their eyes glowing under the moonlight. They were all level 14.
They moved slowly and cautiously.
From her perch, Keeyah notched an arrow and raised her bow, drawing a bead on the lead beast. For a moment, the canyon held its breath.
The Minxs prowled forward.
Marcus stared them down, unfazed.
Maybe it was because he had already killed one of them… or maybe something in him had changed. But standing there, with multiple high-level beasts approaching, he felt no fear. Just a strange sense of clarity.
Should I use this chance to increase my level? He wondered. Of all the ways of increasing one's level that Nexus told him about, killing Beasts was one of the most direct ways.
Though he had killed one whose level greatly outmatched his, his level remained the same. Marcus had already started to fear that just like his Wilder Force being blank, his leveling mechanism might be defective too.
The moment the Minxs decided he was truly alone, they lunged forward.
Keeyah tensed, ready to loose her arrow, but she was stopped by Nexus. "Wait."
In a flash, Marcus was gone.
He tore past the Minxs with a speed that they couldn't keep up with, using his [True Double] to boost his speed mid movement. His figure left an afterimage formed out of dust, which disoriented the beasts.
Strength: 10
Stamina: 15
Speed: 10 (20)
Mental: 8
Will: 15
Wilderforce: —
For the Vorathis Minxs, they were shocked. They were certain that the person they saw as a meal didn't give off the scent of someone who had access to Wilder Force. In other words, he wasn't to be feared. However, he moved so fast that they couldn't respond.
Even Marcus didn't believe how fast he had moved, stunned by his own burst of acceleration. It felt like something inside his muscles had ignited—like his tendons were spring-loaded and filled with raw combustion.
Back with the squad, jaws dropped.
"I told you guys that he's interesting," Nexus smirked with a gleam in his eye.