Chapter 12 – Birds Of a Feather (Part 1)
The two spent a few moments reading the content of their assigned profiles, asking Jack about all the different sections of it. Jack explained everything he knew without adding any information that might sound suspicious.
After all, Jack knew things that nobody in this world knew yet, and it was all thanks to Liliana, who floated idly around him, seemingly enjoying the scene as if it were some kind of movie. After a lengthy conversation, Alex and Luna were up to pace and understood what they could do.
"We will be cutting our way down to the bottom floor," Jack explained. "We will then go to the open fields and the gymnasium area. There is a higher possibility we can find an exit from there than from the front gates."
The sports fields and the gymnasium were next to one another, and they spanned a good section of the entire school grounds, so if there truly was a relatively safe way out, it had to be from there.
"Understood." Alex and Luna nodded their heads.
"Follow me and keep an eye on your surroundings," Jack said as he turned around, and then the group started moving again.
Rushing down the stairs, they were met with two wandering Undead. Jack decided not to kill them and instead simply cut off their limbs, leaving the kills to his companions. He knew that Alex and Luna needed these weak monsters to level up.
'I'll find ones that are my level so I can kill them,' he mused.
As they descended to the next floor, the two were able to kill a few more monsters with Jack's help. That was when—
"Oh! A drop!" Alex yelled.
"I also got a drop," Luna muttered as the two held different stamps in their hands.
"Those are stamps, and judging from the color, those are Skill Stamps."
"Yeah, it says Skill Stamps here," Luna replied.
"Stamp your hands, and it should give you your skills," Jack explained and watched carefully. The two nodded their heads and did what he asked.
The stamps flashed with a bright light and then disappeared, along with every trace they had.
"Woah! I got my skill!"
[You have learned a new skill: Golden Order.]
"It says Golden Order here!"
"Golden Order?" Jack raised an eyebrow as he looked immediately at Liliana, who seemed slightly impressed.
"A Golden Lineage skill? That boy is not bad at all…" she muttered.
"What is the Golden Lineage?"
"It's a lineage of heroes as old as time. Each one carrying the Golden Lineage becomes a hero and is destined for a great feat of sorts. You can think of them as the symbol of good in many realms."
"I see… That sounds pretty powerful."
'It also ironically fits Alex's personality.'
His friend was a good person and someone who liked to help people. His nature was that of a hero, someone who symbolized the good in this world. Ironically, Jack represented the opposite of that in many senses, seeing the darkness in people more than anything else.
"What does your ability do, Alex?"
[Skill: Golden Order
Level: 1
Description: The Golden Lineage and the heroes that live by it. You are but another gear in the great good of this world. Upon activating the skill, you gain the Golden Legacy — your physical strength increases by 10% and your Aether increases by 5%. The higher the skill level, the better the effects.]
"Woah! That's so cool!" Alex exclaimed. "It says if I activate it, I can gain a 10% buff in my strength and a 5% buff in my Aether…"
"That is pretty good," Jack muttered. 'So this is basically a very straightforward buff to his powers. Well, that fits the bill, I suppose.'
Heroes were, after all, usually simple and very straightforward people, so their skills should be a mirror of their nature.
"Though, this Golden Lineage thing sounds very interesting… Hero? Me? Hahaha, I would never claim to be such a thing," Alex muttered. "What about you, Luna? What did you get?"
The girl, who had been watching silently, blinked before she looked at the skill floating before her eyes.
[You have learned a new skill: Gravity Manipulation.]
[Skill: Gravity Manipulation
Level: 1
Description: Upon activating the skill, you can manipulate gravity within a 3-meter diameter of you. Requires Aether to use, and the effect, radius, and duration will increase as the skill levels up.]
"Gravity Manipulation."
"Oh!" The first to react was Liliana, who gasped with a bit of surprise. "Gravity Manipulation? Now that's a bit unexpected. I haven't seen a person inherit the Gravity Powers outside the Gravitas race."
"Hm? It's that rare?"
"Indeed it is… Gravity is one of those secluded and complex elements. Only the Gravitas mastered its arts and became the carriers of its powers. To think a random girl from Earth would…" Liliana squinted her eyes, feeling a bit suspicious. 'Something doesn't sound right.'
"That sounds so cool! Gravity Manipulation?! It's so strong!"
"Hm, yeah… It sounds useful," Luna replied mysteriously. Her reaction was mild and not that strong, as if she wasn't surprised she got such a skill.
Jack noticed that, but he didn't comment on it, as he knew Luna was naturally a calm and collected person — just like he was. It was one of the reasons why the two… knew each other in the first place.
"Well, since you have your skills now, you'll be able to fight better. Make sure to use the skills properly — your Aether isn't unlimited, and losing it quickly could mean your death. So, make sure to be wise with that," Jack advised.
"Of course!"
With that, Jack turned around to continue their path. However, at that moment, he felt a chill run down his spine, as if something was staring at him. Quickly, his head whipped to the side just in time to see something blast through the window, shattering it to pieces.
Flying through, the creature extended its claws, aiming for him.
BANG
"Wha—"
"Jack!!!"
Jack felt the full force of the hit as he was slammed against the wall. However…
"Hnng…" His sword was in the way, stopping the sharp claws from sinking into his flesh. The force on his arms made his bones shake.
"RAAAAWR!!" The flying monster screeched loudly as Jack looked up, realizing what it was…
"A… dove?" he muttered through gritted teeth. Its feathers, shape, and head were all that of a dove. However, its size was far from that. The monster was easily half his size, with claws as long as knives and perhaps even sharper.
Channeling his Aether through his body, Jack finally pushed forward before throwing the monster away. It fluttered, then stared at him.
"Jac—"
"Don't move!" he yelled as he glared at the thing. "It's strong… You'll get killed if you fight it. Besides, it seems to be aiming for me."
The empty eyes of the monster stared at him. 'It seems even the animals aren't spared from this… This thing grew so much in size. How many victims did it feast on?'
He couldn't tell, and he frankly didn't want to know. The creature was covered in blood from head to toe, making it appear terrifying.
Grabbing his sword tightly, Jack got ready for the exchange.
"RAWRR!!" Screeching loudly, the monster flew like an arrow, attacking Jack again. The latter was ready this time, quickly using Mind Manipulation for a split second, making the monster halt its momentum.
However, he didn't make the same mistake of using it for too long, like he did with that Undead. The broken momentum was more than enough for him to get an opportunity. Dashing forward, Jack stabbed the monster in the stomach.
The sword sank into its target, going into its guts. The bird cried in pain before it quickly tried to stab him with its beak. Jack jumped back, barely dodging the hit that left a trace in the floor.
'That could've easily torn a hole into my head,' he frowned.
"Be careful, Jack," Liliana said. "It has far more than just beaks and claws."
"... I know," Jack replied, gulping slightly. "It has other tricks up its sleeve."
Even as the monster bled, Jack knew that hit wasn't going to do anything. That thing looked as vigorous as ever — if not more.