Chapter 103

  It was the sed time Jake entered a mutant of the chaser breed. The first time was on the roof of the building where he was doing a tower-climbing challenge. Back then, he had a tough time dealing with the chaser, and now he was going to have to fight three of them at the same time.

  All three of them had already fully emerged from the portals, and the rift gates immediately sealed shut behind them. For a moment, they just gred at him with their malevolent eyes, growling and flexing their fierminated in cws.

  All three of them looked identical to the chaser he’d defeated at the end of the tower-climbing challehey were devoid of skin, exposing their muscle tissue. Because of the absence of skin, they sported disturbingly wide grins filled with long, poieeth. However, as Jake knew from experience, despite possessing sharp teeth, ex-humans mostly used their long razor-sharp cws in battle.

  Jake fixed his gaze on one of the three mutants and summos description.

  Ex-Human Chaser – Level 20

  Special abilities:

  Flurry of Swings – The mutaers a frenzy state, swinging its cws violently for a few seds.

  He quickly checked out the stats of the other two chasers and learhey were the same.

  So uhe mutant he’d fought on the roof during the tower-climbing challehese two were regur mutants, e. As a result, each of them had only one special ability instead of two and was likely somewhat weaker.

  The elite chaser’s additional special ability was called Pursuit. It’d let the chaser loto a target and pursue it without being distracted for a certain period of time.

  Jake would have preferred the three regur chasers to have Pursuit instead of Flurry of Swings because the tter was definitely a much more dangerous ability. If all three of them simultaneously unleashed Flurries of Swings on him, he would be in serious trouble.

  Before he could give the matter any more thought, the three chasers charged him all at the same time. Despite being regur mutants, they were incredibly fast, closing in on him ihan a sed. Just as he raised his own cws in a defeawo of the chasers attacked him. Ealeashed a barrage of swings, f him onto the defensive.

  Step by step, Jake retreated while doing his best to deflect the enemy attacks. He quickly realized that although the chasers were fast and agile, they were definitely slower than the elite one had been. All the upgrades he’d made to his attributes and skills made him signifitly stronger as well. Despite being attacked by the two chasers at the same time, he mao defled block most of their attacks. Every now and then, they mao catch his body with their cws but failed to inflict much damage on his hardened body.

  The third chaser was uo find an opening. It tried to attack him from the front, but the other two ex-humans blocked its path. In the end, it decided to strike from the side. But Jake wasn’t having any of that. He wasn’t going to let the third chaser join the assault. He needed both his hands to deflect the attacks of the two chasers in front of him. Fortunately, he had an ability that could allow him to grow a neendage in no time ft.

  Whehird chaser finally came at him from the side, Jake immediately utilized the ability, causing a tentacle to sprout from his back. It took less than a sed for it to grow to full length. He immediately shed out with it at the mutant fnking him. The bde at the end of the tentacle sshed across the chaser’s face. It mao cut the ex-human into one of its eyes, pierg it and causing it to burst apart. The chaser stopped in its tracks, stunned by the sudden loss of half its vision. Shortly afterward, the tentacle detached ao the ground.

  One of the two chasers in front of him suddenly employed its special ability, the Flurry of Swings. The sed chaser kept its assault on him as well. Jake found it really hard to deflect their attaow. Almost every sed, he felt cws tearing and sshing at his body. Fortunately, the wounds inflicted on him were superficial and didn’t result in any loss of mana.

  Still, Jake felt anger rising within him. As a mutant, he hardly felt aion, but after being attacked by the three chasers, he suddenly became enraged. As soon as he saening, he kicked at the other chaser, his foot eg with its chest and causing the ex-human to stumble backward. Jake then darted around the other mutant and ran toward the anomaly h in the air at the ter of the roof. He stopped a few feet from it and spun to face the chasers again.

  The oill utilizing its special ability sprioward him, its speed accelerated by the active skill. Jake waited a moment and when the chaser was about to reach him, jumped to the side. Carried by its momentum, the chaser was uo immediately halt its movement. The mutant ran into the effective range of the anomaly, and it instantly pushed it in the opposite dire with enough force to knock it down.

  During the early waves, Jake sometimes observed weaker mutants getting too close to the anomaly. However, being weak, the only effect it had on them was to knock them to the ground. More powerful and heavier mutants like shamblers or whippers were ued by it. By knog the chaser to the ground, Jake simply earned a brief moment to recollect himself and assess the situation.

  The other two chasers were already moving toward him. Jake khat if they both utilized the Flurry of Swings at the same time, he would be in trouble. The only way he could protect himself against their special abilities was by not letting them get within striking range. He had the perfect ability to do that. With a mental and, he extended a bde from each of his wrists.

  The one-eyed chaser was the first to reach him. However, before the chaser could e within reach of its cws, Jake attacked it with his swords, keeping the ex-human at bay. His bdes sshed at the mutant’s skinless flesh, leaving long bleeding gashes across it. The chaser froze for a fra of a sed, stunned by this sudden turn of events. Before it could recover, Jake swung both bdes in a sciss manner, beheading the mutant.

  He immediately turoward another chaser. It’d just activated its special ability, but before it could e within reach of its cws, Jake unleashed a violet flurry of swings, keeping the creature at a distance. In just two seds, the mutant was bleeding from multiple wounds. One of the sshes severed its left arm at the elbow. Before the mutant could recollect itself, Jake lurched toward it, thrusting one sword into its chest. The bde went all the way through its body and burst from its ba an explosion of blood. Jake stepped back, kig the now-dead ex-human in the chest and pulling his bde free.

  He then turoward the st enemy. Now that the other two mutants were dead, it didn’t take him long to finish off the remaining chaser. Ohe bleeding body of the st mutant colpsed to the ground, several system messages one by one fshed through his mind.

  Multiple enemies killed. +1125 XP

  Challenge plete! You have received 9,000 XP. The Enemy Appraisal perk has been unlocked.

  You have gained enough XP to level up. Your level went up from 26 to 29. You have gained 3 SP.

  He then noticed something out of the er of his eye. Turning around, he looked at the anomaly as it began to emit a white glow. After a sed, the anomaly disappeared in a brief fsh of light. Where it’d just been, an object materialized in the air. It dropped to the ground with a light k. Jake identified it as a mana crystal, his sed reward.

  It was over. Having successfully pleted the challe was now time for him to allocate his skill points.