-56,475; -56,475; -56,475; -56,475; -56,475!

  Adam spun around and swung his spear in a wide slash to activate [Energy Sweep]. A blue crescent wave of power erupted from his spear, cut through the five [low-level demons] and continued, slamming into a rock wall after dealing a great deal of damage. This, unfortunately, was not enough to defeat these monsters. They remained standing, though they did react in an oddly human manner.

  “Gyaaaah! That hurts!”

  “What kind of attack was that?!”

  “A spearman who can use AoE skills?! What kind of unfair advantage is that?!”

  This was only his second time fighting against humanoid creatures. The first was his battle against Alexandra. However, she had been a 4-Star Boss and a former human at that. He expected her to be a bit more animated, but these guys were acting with the same amount of personality.

  Whatever. It doesn’t matter.

  Adam shunted this matter to the side and attacked them in earnest. He only had a bit of time remaining before [Blood Sacrifice] entered its cooldown period, so he attacked the group of [low-level demons] with a series of [slash] and [thrust] attacks. He didn’t let them attack either. Using both the tip and butt of his spear, Adam forced all five monsters to remain on the defensive as he whittled away at their health.

  -28,237; -28,237; -28,237; -28,237; -28,237; -28,237; -28,237; -28,237; -28,237; -28,237; -28,237; -28,237; -28,237; -28,237!

  Even while in the midst of combat, Adam kept careful track of how much damage he did to each monster. The first one dropped after he dealt around two hundred thousand points of damage. With that as the basis, Adam attacked the others in earnest.

  The [low-level demons] tried their best to fight back. It was no use. They were clearly not well-trained even if their levels were high. The way they wielded their spears was clumsy and uncoordinated, as if their only understanding of how to use a spear was to thrust it at the enemy, but of course, that was only the most basic of the basics. Adam constantly switched between the defensive Form Five and the aggressive Form Seven.

  Form Seven of the Pleonexia Family’s Seven Spear Forms was decidedly the most aggressive of them all. When using this form, Adam put all of his weight and power behind his attacks. He didn’t just rely on the strength of his arms. His legs, his core, the muscles in his back and butt, all of them were used to deliver punishing attacks that sent his enemies stumbling. As he launched his attacks, a strange roar echoed from his spear. It sounded like an enraged dragon.

  -28,237; -28,237; -28,237; -28,237; -28,237; -28,237; -28,237; -28,237; -28,237; -28,237; -28,237; -28,237; -28,237; -28,237!

  Ding!

  [Congratulations! You have defeated five [low-level demons]! Items dropped: x5 [Demonic Spear]. +1,500,000 experience points!]

  After all of his opponents lay dead before him, Adam took a deep breath, went to wipe the sweat from his forehead, then grimaced when his hand came into contact with his mask. No wonder he felt so stifled. Wearing a mask in this heat was a terrible idea. He briefly considered taking it off. Susan had already seen his face now when she performed CPR on him, so it wasn’t like it mattered, but then he considered something else.

  If these demons knew what he looked like, could that cause problems for him in the future? Had this been a normal game, he would have said no, but this wasn’t a normal game. Nothing about this game was average. For all he knew, showing his face to these monsters would paint a target on his back and, more importantly, his comrades’ backs.

  I’ll keep the mask on for now, he decided.

  Continuing on, Adam strolled casually into the main encampment where nearly a hundred [low-level demons] were wandering around. Some were eating by a blazing campfire, others were moving supplies, and a few were barking out orders to others. It was quite the bustling little enemy stronghold. However, everything came to a stop when they spotted him.

  Time seemed to stand still for a moment as he stared back at the shocked monsters. Even the nearby [trolls] had stopped what they were doing to look at him like they weren’t sure what to make of him.

  “Good evening,” Adam said in a cheery voice. “How would you all like to die today?”

  That snapped the monsters out of their stupor.

  “It’s a human!”

  “What the hell is a human doing here?!”

  “Does it matter?!”

  “Yeah, yeah! Who cares?!”

  “Let’s kill him!”

  An alarm bell sounded out somewhere in the distance. Adam looked up to see a [low-level demon] ringing an alarm from one of several watchtowers. The other monsters were all brandishing their weapons as they raced toward him now. Seeing this, Adam turned tail and fled. He raced back the way he had come, toward the walkway.

  “Don’t let him escape!”

  “After him!”

  “Kill the human!!!”

  Adam easily outpaced the monsters chasing him, but he made sure to remain in their sights so they wouldn’t lose him. He was soon racing across the walkway. On the opposite end were his companions. Titania was already singing the [Song of Vigor] to increase their power. Fayte and Kureha likewise looked like they were had prepared their spells.

  He was almost halfway across the walkway when his pursuers caught up and began running across the walkway as well. There was a limit to how many could fit on these walkways since they were only about three meters across. Six [low-level demons] ran shoulder to shoulder. By the time Adam had reached his companions, there were maybe a hundred of them on the walkway.

  “Now, you two! Do it now!”

  Kureha and Fayte didn’t need to be told twice. One raised her staff into the air and the other her tail.

  [Thunder Bolt]

  Kureha’s attack hit first. A crackling ball of lightning exploded above her tail and struck the walkway with enough force to leave cracks in the ground. Several [low-level demons] were struck and thrown off the side. The cracks spread, but the walkway didn’t fall, and the [low-level demons] were still running across it. Several [trolls] had also begun lumbering over the walkway.

  [Wind Hammer]

  Unlike Kureha, who used a lightning spell, Fayte raised her staff high above her head, the wind congealing around it, taking shape. It transformed into a massive hammer that was easily fifteen meters tall and maybe two meters across. With a gruff grunt, she swung her staff down. The hammer went with it.

  When the hammer met the walkway, an intense explosion of wind buffeted Adam’s hair. More importantly, the attack caused the walkway to shatter. It started where she struck, then spread across the ground, quickly overtaking the army of [low-level demons] and [trolls]. The monsters who’d been on the walkway screeched in shock and surprise when they plummeted into the lava.

  Ding!

  [Congratulations! You have defeated 100 [low-level demons] and 10 [trolls]. Items dropped: x100 [Demonic Spears], x20 [troll pelts], x10 [troll eyes], and 5,000,235 gold coins. +50,000,000 experience points!]

  Ding!

  [Congratulations! Kureha has leveled up! She is now at level 20! +700 HP! +9,300 MP! +10 SP!]

  Ding!

  [Congratulations! Titania has leveled up! She is now at level 20! +400 HP! +10,600 MP! +10 SP!]

  Ding!

  [Congratulations! Lilith has leveled up! She is now at level 19! +600 HP! +210 MP! +5 SP!]

  Ding!

  [Congratulations! Changing_Fayte has leveled up! She is now at level 19! +1,600 HP! +7,960 MP! +5 SP!]

  Ding!

  [Congratulations! Little_Su has leveled up! She is now at level 19! +500 HP! +200 MP! +5 SP!]

  A string of announcements marked everyone except Adam leveling up, but while this was indeed something worth celebrating, they couldn’t afford to let themselves be distracted right now. They were at the crucial stage of their operation. If they wanted to make it out of this ordeal alive, then they needed to act fast.

  “I’m sure our enemies will try to attack us from the other bridges now.” Adam hefted his spear over his shoulder and turned to the group. “Fayte, Kureha, and Titania, I want you three to head to the next bridge over, wait for our enemies, and blow out the bridge. Try to take out as many of them as you can. Meanwhile, Lilith, Susan, and I will head to the next two bridges and defend those locations until you three can arrive and destroy them. You already destroyed the furthest bridges, right?”

  “We did. We’ll try to finish our task as quickly as we can.” Fayte placed a hand against her chest as if to emphasize her words. “Meanwhile, you try not to take too many reckless actions, okay?”

  “I’ll do my best,” Adam said.

  The group rushed off. They reached the next bridge relatively quickly. There, Fayte, Kureha, and Titania remained, while Lilith, Susan, and Adam made their way to the next one. There were no enemies coming this way yet, but Adam was certain that would change.

  “I’ll leave you two here. Su, provide Lilith with long-range support please.”

  Susan nodded, but then worried her lower lip. “I’ll do my best, but will you be okay on your own?”

  “Don’t worry about me. I’ll be fine.”

  Adam thought maybe he’d been resisting the impulse for too long, and that’s why he did it, but he didn’t even realize he had reached out to Susan until his hand landed on her soft hair. His fingers glided through her brown locks. What kind of shampoo did she use? It must have been some high-quality stuff to give it such a silky feel. Susan’s cheeks heated up until they looked like a furnace.

  “Um… Adam…?”

  “Ah. I’m sorry.” Adam retracted his hand. “I acted without thinking. That was my bad.”

  “No, um, it’s fine. I didn’t mind,” Susan said after a moment.

  Adam gave her a troubled smile, even though he knew she couldn’t see it, then turned around and raced off toward the next bridge. He couldn’t afford to deal with this now.

  It didn’t take more than maybe a minute to reach the bridge. Like the previous one, this one didn’t have any enemies at it yet. It was a little wider than the other bridges. He guessed it was maybe five meters across instead of three.

  Walking toward the center, Adam thought briefly about his actions toward Susan. He didn’t understand why she evoked such a strong desire to protect her. He at first thought maybe it was because she made him think of Aris when she was younger, but the two were absolutely nothing alike. Aris had always been a wild child. Meanwhile, Susan was meek and obedient. They couldn’t have been more different if they tried.

  A large horde of monsters suddenly appeared by the opposite side of the bridge. Adam shook his thoughts about Susan off and readied himself for battle. The monsters were already beginning to run across the walkway, and so he downed a [high-grade health potion] set himself in a defensive stance, and activated his unique skill.

  [Blood Sacrifice]

  The screeching enemies soon crashed into Adam, who remained unmovable like a mountain as he spun around the spear in his hand, blocking several attacks before unleashing his own.

  [Energy Sweep]

  -56,475; -56,475; -56,475; -56,475; -56,475; -56,475; -56,475; -56,475; -56,475; -56,475; -56,475; -56,475; -56,475; -56,475; -56,475; -56,475; -56,475; -56,475; -56,475; -56,475; -56,475; -56,475; -56,475; -56,475; -56,475; -56,475; -56,475; -56,475; -56,475; -56,475!

  [Energy Thrust]

  -79,065!

  [Slash]

  -28,237; -28,237; -28,237; -28,237; -28,237; -28,237; -28,237; -28,237; -28,237; -28,237; -28,237; -28,237; -28,237; -28,237; -28,237; -28,237; -28,237; -28,237; -28,237; -28,237; -28,237; -28,237; -28,237; -28,237; -28,237; -28,237; -28,237; -28,237!

  Adam blocked a spear with his own, twisted his wrist until the enemy spear impaled the ground, and jabbed the [low-level demon] through the chest. This monster was one with two horns and a tail. It was already weakened from Adam’s previous assault, and so it died when his [thrust] pierced its chest.

  Several more [low-level demons] tried to flank him while another several attempted to sneak past him. Adam activated [double jump] to avoid being caught between two attacks, landed in front of the monsters trying to reach the other side, and kicked them off the walkway. They fell into the boiling magma with desperate screams.

  Of course, while he attacked like it was going out of style, Adam was on the receiving end of many attacks himself.

  -1,300!

  -2,000!

  -300!

  His health dropped rapidly as he received a number of attacks that tore into his mind. Not even his prodigious ability to dodge could save him when there was so little room to maneuver. A slash to the arm. A cut to the leg. One of his enemies even stabbed him with a spear. Adam would retreat quickly and down several [high-grade health potions] in rapid succession before jumping forward to halt the enemies’ advance.

  Ding!

  [Congratulations! You have defeated 150 [low-level demons] and 12 [trolls] Items dropped: x300 [Demonic Spears], x24 [troll pelt], x12 [troll blood]. Inventory is full. Cannot fit items. Items have been sent to storage. +75,000,000 experience points!]

  Ding!

  [Congratulations! Adam has leveled up! You are now at level 20! +1,500 HP! +400 MP! +5 SP!]

  Ding!

  [Congratulations! You are the first person to reach level 20! You can now unlock a second class. Secondary classes are non-combat classes such as Blacksmith, Chef, Mapmaker, Squire, and Diplomat. They offer a wide variety of non-combat skills. The secondary class menu is currently unavailable. You cannot select a secondary class as of right now. The secondary class menu will update on December 1st. As both an apology and a conciliatory reward, you have been awarded +200 SP. Please use them wisely.]

  Ding!

  [You can learn new skills! Be sure to check your status to see what new skills you can use!]

  Ding!

  [By reaching level 20, you have increased the level cap on your old skills. You can now increase the level for all of your skills except unique skills by 5.]

  Adam couldn’t pay much attention to the announcements, or to the subsequent announcements as Fayte, Lilith, Kureha, and Susan all leveled up once again. He was still beset on all sides by enemies. Sweat stung his eyes as he continued to viciously hold the line, but even though he tried his best, the number of monsters arrayed against him was endless. They came in waves. Adam was forced back over and over, retreating little by little.

  -900!

  -1,000!

  -1,300!

  -500!

  Adam downed a [high-grade health potion], then another one to recover some of his lost health. He didn’t have time to take one more. Two [low-level demons] attacked him in a frontal assault. He fended off their attacks, spinning the spear in his hand around as he shifted into the defensive Form Five. Then he launched [Energy Sweep], which didn’t do nearly as much damage as he wished since [Blood Sacrifice] had worn off some time ago. He was waiting for the cooldown time to end, but thirty seconds felt like forever in a life and death battle.

  -2,100!

  Adam felt pain sear his stomach as a spear punched straight through it. His Dodge-Rate meant nothing here since he didn’t even have room to maneuver. He removed the spear with a grunt, then activated [Energy Thrust] and stabbed his own spear through the head of the [low-level demon] that attacked him. His attack ignored the creature’s defense and did several times the damage of his Physical Attack stat, ending the monster’s life.

  If only it was the only monster he had to worry about.

  Ding!

  [Congratulations! You have defeated 90 [low-level demons] and 10 [trolls]! Items dropped: x180 [Demonic Spears], x15 [troll pelts]. Inventory is full. Cannot fit items. Items have been sent to storage. +52,000,000 experience points!]

  Ding!

  Congratulations! Titania has leveled up! She is now at level 21! +400 HP! +10,600 MP! +10 SP!]

  A shadow suddenly overtook him. Two legs like gigantic tree trunks appeared in his vision. Adam looked up to find a massive [troll] looming above him. It took up the entire walkway, though several [low-level demons] scurried around its feet to get at Adam. The monstrous creature looked down at him with a smile that promised nothing but pain.

  Trolling for Trouble

  This was the first time Adam had faced a [troll] head-on. It looked even bigger up close. He guessed it was maybe ten meters tall. Though its gut protruded from its stomach, the rest of it was covered in thick, corded muscles. A thick club the size of a tree trunk was clenched tightly in its left hand. As it gripped the weapon, the muscles on its leathery green arms flexed, showcasing the explosive strength it possessed. It raised one leg, then brought it down, squashing flat one of the [low-level demons] trying to walk past it.

  The walkway shook.

  Adam felt his lips split into a twisted smile as the blood pumping through his veins accelerated. He could already tell this was going to be a challenge on his own.

  Racing forward despite knowing it was stupid, Adam activated his two greatest skills.

  [Blood Sacrifice]

  [Dance of the Sakura Blossoms]

  -18,945; -56,835; -170,505—

  Before Adam was able to complete his attack, the [troll] swung its club to smack him away. He was forced to stop mid-attack and lowered his body until his back was pressed to the hard, hot ground. The club passed by so close he could almost feel it grazing his nose. As it passed, he leaped to his feet and kept attacking. Unfortunately, [Dance of the Sakura Blossoms] had entered its cooldown period, so he was forced to rely on his other skills.

  [Energy Thrust]

  -79,569!

  [Thrust]

  -30,312!

  He thrust his spear forward twice in quick succession. The first attack released a burst of blue energy that penetrated deep into the monster’s thick hide, while the second attack was just a regular thrust. While both attacks did a good deal of damage, it was just a drop in the bucket for this creature with over two million health points. It also didn’t seem to do much more than enrage it.