SOS CH 37: Difference in Reward (Patreon)

In a field filled with dead bodies that had been burned to a crisp, a man with a yellow marking on his body was breathing harshly while running.

Despite his tall stature, he was showing surprising prowesses in terms of nimbleness and speed as he zigzagged in the forest and away from his pursuer.

The man was none other than Omid and he was going through a test of the same nature as Noah albeit slightly different.

Fuck! Fuck! Fukc! Why the hell am I being pursued by those monsters?

Omid was confused. This white gate was completely different from the ones he knew and the test made absolutely no sense.

Firstly, while Virtual Reality had indeed been researched and reached an incredible degree of realism, it was nearly impossible to truly break through the whale of reality. He did not feel like he simply had his conscience transferred but that of his whole body had entered a new world.

He could think, see, feel, and even taste. This went beyond simple VR and could only be possible by using obsolete technology such as the full Neurolink.

Now is not the time to think about this!

Omid jumped away as a red flame formed around his right fist before being launched like a grenade at the enemies.

BOOM~!

The satisfying sound of the explosion reached his ears but he knew that this could only give him a very short window of rest and that they would soon come back with vengeance once again.

Whoever designed this test is a bastard!

Parasites were not meant to be fought by only one person. At the very least, one needed a certain level of power difference to do such things, it would be even better if they had a high-level Knightframe.

Sadly the test asked for one to survive without the use of Mecha to ensure the fairness of the test.

What Fairness? It was such a pain he felt like he was about to go completely crazy and nothing else.

Also, it had already been nearly 72 hours?

He could not help but wonder how this was happening. He had the distinct impression that the time spent in the VR was different but no type 3 civilization could easily mess with time, even type 4 could hardly do such a thing from what he knew.

Of course, rather than messing with the flux of time itself, the probability that they were messing with his perception of time was far higher and more realistic.

But then, if it was not reality…How was he able to use all his abilities?

The situation was becoming harder and harder to properly grasp and he was becoming frustrated. He was also starting to regret slightly his choice to enter this Gate but the way the world was presented, all those wonders, and the possible reward at the end made those regrets vanish quite swiftly.

He simply needed to survive and he would survive! even if it was the last thing he would do in this world.

Fuck!

Omid bites a scream of pain as his shoulder receives a powerful impact that sent him tumbling down a small hill. The shock was so powerful that the shoulder part of his armor was completely destroyed, leaving even his shoulder mangled and bloody.

Buzzing sounds reached his hears as he looked up and soon he paled.

“Royal Guards…”

He knew that the more time passed, the harder the test became but still, this was completely unfair.

In the hierarchy of Parasites, Royal Guards were not something that anyone could dare to face. They were the ones with the highest evolution below the Queen and an evolution extremely specialized for combat and destruction as well as protection.

If he had his Mecha, he would have been less intimidated but now with his bare body, it was simply impossible.

Omid knew that running was not the way. He needed to hold on a little longer. Only by doing so would he have hope.

His thoughts moved swiftly as he calculated the remaining amount of Dark Matter that he had in him.

Omid was a Yellow Flame. In terms of pure fire temperature, he was theoretically just at the second highest possible level but obviously, the reality was not so easy.

There was a difference between what someone should be able to do and what he was actually able to do.

This difference became even clearer without the amplification effect of a Knight Frame core[1]. The power he could bring without affecting his own body was minimal.

Even so…

Whoosh!

Orange-like flames started blazing around his armor, giving the impression that he was entirely cloaked in them.

[Fire Style: Fire cloak] [2]

He was not just blazing his fire around without thought. Each skill, each technique was something that had been carefully studied for years and perfected generation after generation.

The Fire cloak was perhaps one of the strongest defensive techniques they had. A step down from the legendary [Sun Regalia] that only the members of the royal family could learn.

An inferno with a temperature of nearly One thousand degrees Celsius spread all around him, his yellow marking shone brightly and he stood tale like a mighty warrior ready to fight for his life.

“Come!”

This time he did not flee but in fact, rushed at the two guards who had attacked him with all his power. Parasites were Cosmic Beasts who could float and breath in space as well as survive the cosmic radiation quite easily so from the start they were really a bad matchup for Djinns like him but it did not matter.

The two Guards did not disappoint. As they felt neither fear nor pain and their wisdom was still not fully developed four fists fought against two, and as expected Omid found himself swiftly suppressed by the combined might of those he was facing.

On the horizon, he could feel the heat signature of more creatures approaching and he knew that the more time passed the more disadvantaged he would be.

Watching the guards slowly burn and melt as they continued to come close to him was a sight of horror he had never thought he would be forced to witness. For the first time, the smell of charred flesh seemed even a little too much for him.

But he held on. Even as his shoulder made him feel so much pain he thought he was about to die and even as his blood was pouring then reduced immediately to ashes, he continued to hold on.

Thankfully, the guards did not target fatal points. Parasites' primary goal was always to capture instead of killing if it was possible and this was another fact he used to his advantage.

The guards were not unscathed and the earth around him was completely scorched but it was not fast enough in his opinion. They were protecting their bodies with Dark Matter which made them even harder to kill.

Ah

Omid’s legs wobbled as he felt all his strength leave him. He was spent. Running and fighting for nearly 72 hours had already been a little too much and now he had no more power to defend himself.

Is this how I lose?

He could not believe it. After sacrificing so much would he die in such a pitiful way? With nothing to show for it?

Omid mourned as he watched the fist gradually grow larger as it reached its head. He was powerless and he would soon be captured.

He could have closed his eyes but even as he had given up all hope, he refused to lose with his eyes closed.

This was why he was able to see.

[00:00:00]

Time froze and the world graying while a Blue box appeared in front of him.

[Simulation of the Witness State terminated]

Omid had felt his heart beat powerfully in his chest when he read those words.

I survived!

Reality hit him when he saw all the wounds on his body vanish and his Dark Matter replenish.

[Difficulty: Normal]

[Result: Average.]

[Race identified. Official Name: Djinn; Yellow Flame pattern]

[Calculating reward based on analyzing the combat pattern of the trial taker.]

[Reward decided]

Omid scowled a little at the result but he was so happy about surviving that he did not even care. Even so, when he finally saw the reward — All dissatisfaction immediately vanished from his heart.

[Earth core]

[Rank: Common]

[Description: A core used by the low-level soldiers of the Gaia Empire to equip on their Frames]

His breath became rough.

An earth core.

He did not care one bit about what the description was saying.

Everything in this world was a question of perspective.

The empire was a Tier 4 civilization. What they considered low-level or common was completely different from the current standard of the galaxy.

“Jackpot!”

He cheered. Just this alone was enough of a reward for him to become renowned in the galaxy after a few years of strengthening his Mecha.

“There is still one more test.”

Truly. This whole operation was indeed worth it. Soon a new legend would see the light of the day.

He would make sure of that.

—-

[1]: If we say this was a pure fantasy world and everyone was a mage. Then Knight Frame are wands. The difference between a mage with a wand and one without is pretty clear. Finally, the core is like the main component of the Wand.