Chương 31: Solo Mission - Theo (6)

[You have run out of mana.] Theo couldn't believe it. He wanted to curse out loud and scream but he knew that if he did, it would just result in more blood loss. That could contribute to his untimely demise. Despite his head ringing like an alarm, he was soon able to realise his mistake: he had been too arrogant and too reckless. If only he had solved this problem differently, he might not be here, suffering from a broken body and a lack of mana. And potentially a damaged mana core. That hit did look severe.

Theo thought about his friends, and how they would feel if he couldn't complete his mission and died on Planet 502. They would not just be disheartened, they would be despondent. Cayman Grace, Ellie Grace, Ben Oxley, Maya De Souza, and finally, Robert Ryan. They would all be utterly depressed. They would have all their emotions sucked out of them by a vacuum cleaner that didn't exist. He then thought about his mother, and how the mana crystals he had collected had and will continue to help her dearly.

There would be considerable benefits for his whole family. He thought about how he had been gifted the opportunity to live the lavish life and become a millionaire at such a young age, and how he dreamed of living that life every night. As the bear got closer and closer towards Theo, he realised that his time as a human was almost up. He was at the crossroads with death. He was going to be bear food in mere seconds. Five. Four. Three. Two. One…

"The Boss on Planet 501 is stronger than this." Whose voice was that? It definitely wasn't Theo's. Was it Robert's? Was Theo hit in the head so hard that he was hearing voices now? Although there was a voice in his head, this was a voice of encouragement. A voice that pushed him to complete the missions he was tasked to complete. Yes, the boss beast on Planet 501 was significantly stronger compared to what he was facing at the moment. The memory of it was still vivid in his head.

As the bear edged closer towards Theo's mangled body, Theo thought about his experiences on Planet 501. He had contributed to the defeat of a quasi-legendary beast, one that he didn't expect. But he had done it. He had adapted to the situation and helped his friends defeat the beast. Back then, his superhuman punch had also been blocked haphazardly by the boss beast. Back then, he had also been humiliated by a mana beast and flung by it. Back then, he had also crashed into a wall and suffered major injuries.

The similarities were adding up. He was definitely experiencing déjà vu. Maybe I can do this, Theo thought, thinking deeply about what happened on Planet 501. This beast is not at the legendary level, so maybe I can defeat it. Yes, that's the right way to think about things. His head had been dripping blood and the fist which he had used to punch the boss back on Planet 501 had been crushed. But this time, none of that happened. That was because the boss beast back on Planet 501 was at the quasi-legendary level.

Theo pondered over the situation back on Planet 501. He had done it. He had done the impossible and defeated a legendary beast. So how hard could defeating an advanced-level boss be? The bear was only five feet away from Theo's dying body, and that number was getting smaller with every passing second. It's just an advanced-level boss. Think about Planet 501. Think about what you defeated to claim the planet. Think about the rewards you can get from defeating this beast. Wait, rewards!

That was when Theo's brain clicked. He had the advanced mana crystals in his pocket which he said he was going to use only for emergencies. This was an emergency and a half. The bear was only a few feet away, and that number was only going to shrink as time passed. One more punch from that thing and Theo would be toast on a toaster ready to eat warm. Hastily, Theo reached into his pocket and grabbed the advanced mana crystals.

Although his bones were all broken to bits, creating the most insurmountable, excruciating and overwhelming pain imaginable, he managed to grab the crystals and throw them into his mouth. The crystals went down his system like medicine tablets. Immediately, he felt a change to his body. His heavy body, which had sustained injuries that were enough to kill an ordinary person, suddenly felt lighter. The pain began to ease.

"Mana," Theo wheezed.

"It's… such… a wonderful… creation." There was mana flowing in his body, and his mana core was back at work. [Skill, 'Recovery (basic)', has been activated.] [Skill, 'Healing (basic)', has been activated.] [Skill, 'Teleportation (basic)', has been activated.] All of a sudden, Theo had widened the distance between him and the bear.

Before, the bear was only around one or two feet away from Theo and ready to swing another punch, but Theo had managed to teleport to the other side of the throne room and escape its savage punches. He could finally recover in peace. I'm not going to die, Theo told himself. I'm going to stay alive, defeat the boss and see my friends again. That's what I'm going to do. There are no other options. Mana consumption.

[Mana consumption] Available mana: 79% Time left until fully replenished: 2 hours, 23 minutes That's definitely enough for now. Theo didn't remember how many mana crystals he had swallowed, but seventy-nine percent should be enough for him to last the whole fight. Surely. He did leave one or two advanced crystals in his pocket, so at least the situation wasn't going to be detrimental. This was his time to attack. The pain in his body was gradually subsiding. There was mana circulating around his body.

There was no turning back now. [Skill, 'Teleportation (basic)', has been activated.] The bear wasn't looking just yet, and Theo had teleported to a place right behind it. If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. He didn't need to hesitate. He had entered the throne room for one purpose and one purpose only. It was time for Theo to execute his plan. Stab! The blade of Theo's sword penetrated into the blood bear's body.

Its skin was tough, and Theo was unsure whether or not the wound he had created was enough to kill the bear. But he had a solution for that as well. [Skill, 'Enhanced Strength (basic)', has been activated.] Stab! The blade penetrated into the bear's body and was visible from the other side. That move was enough to pierce at least one internal organ. However, the bear still wasn't looking. Roar! The shock on the bear's face was visible.

It had just been ambushed by someone who should have been a lifeless corpse on the ground. Theo didn't stop there though. Once he had caught the bear off-guard, he continued to swing his sword efficiently and smoothly, creating smaller stab wounds on the bear's back. Swing! Slash! Stab! That was when the bear turned around to face Theo, completely unfazed. There was a literal waterfall of blood pouring out from its back, but it didn't seem to care.

"Look who's got all the confidence now," Theo said as his arrogance flooded back into his brain.

"You thought I was dead, right? Well, I'm back on my feet now and ready to defeat you." As if the pain on its back didn't exist, the bear began to take large strides on its hind legs towards Theo. Blood poured out from its stomach area where Theo's blade had left its body. [Skill, 'Teleportation (basic)', has been activated.] The bear immediately turned around, but it was too late; there were already numerous new stab wounds on its back. Stab! Slash! The advanced-level mana sword was working wonders for Theo.

Even though Theo was only at stage 4, a basic stage, he was having no problems wielding the advanced-level sword. It was so light to the point where Theo could hold it all day long and slash with it without his arms getting tired. The only pain Theo could feel from his arms was the pain he had sustained when he crashed into the wall, but even that was gradually subsiding. [Skill, 'Enhanced Strength (basic)', has been activated.] Stab!

"Roar!" Another deep cut which should rupture an internal organ. The stab wounds that Theo inflicted were enough to expose the bear's skeleton. Despite this, the bear turned around again. It was like the bear didn't feel any pain at all. But Theo had another plan. With his free hand, he reached into his pocket where he had left a few advanced-level mana crystals unused, and smashed one of them inside his pocket. The system window opened, but Theo already knew what he was going to do.

You have chosen to use an 'Advanced Mana Crystal'. What will you be using it for? 1) Strength +7 2) Agility +7 3) Stamina +7 4) Intelligence +7 5) Upgrade skill Option 2. Trait, 'Agility', has been upgraded by 7 points. Agility: 18 → 25 Whoosh! Everything happened in the space of just a few seconds. Theo cracked a mana crystal, said what he needed to upgrade without even looking at the system window and dodged the blood bear's next wave of attacks. So this is how useful agility can be, Theo said to himself.

He should have upgraded his agility sooner then. The blood bear, which was confused, faltered, turned around instinctively and saw Theo behind it. But Theo was prepared. [Skill, 'Teleportation (basic)', has been activated.] [Skill, 'Enhanced Strength (basic)', has been activated.] Slash! It was impossible for the bear to read that move. Theo had jumped up, teleported, and using his enhanced strength, he was able to effortlessly slice off both of the blood bear's arms.

It all happened so quickly the blood bear couldn't react.

"Roar!"

"You're toast, blood bear."

"Roar!" The roar that escaped from the blood bear's mouth was enough to rip out someone's eardrums. The blood bear was so enraged that its crown, which had been nestled securely on its head during the fight, fell and crashed onto the floor. Clang! [Skill, 'Teleportation (basic)', has been activated.] Theo picked up the crown.

"Looking for this?" Theo smirked, waving the crown with his free hand. Roar! The bear was more than enraged, it was livid. Theo could tell that it desperately wanted its crown back. What made the bear even more frustrated was that Theo then placed the crown on his head and shouted, "I rule this planet now!" That was the last straw for the bear. With its blood-red eyes open wide, it charged towards Theo at full speed, ready to bite Theo's flesh and claim the crown back.

Even if it didn't have arms to attack with, it could attack with it's mouth.

"Roar!" [Skill, 'Teleportation (basic)', has been activated.] Slash!

"Roar!" Crash! Theo had used both his improved agility and his teleportation to cut the bear's right leg, sending it crashing onto the floor with its head plunging into the moat of its own throne room.

"Who rules this place now?" The bear was unable to get up. It had both of its arms cut cleanly off and its right leg was bleeding profusely, with the blood leaking on the ground. It had been defeated. There was no doubt about it. Theo didn't stop there though; he only cared about the rewards. Despite the bear still being alive and breathing, Theo continued to stab the bear and dissected it, tearing off pieces of flesh that were splattered with blood and throwing them aside.

He didn't care that he was exposing the bear's bones, making the corpse's rotting process easier. After all, it was all in a day's work for a Hopper. And there they were. Inside the bear was a small vein of advanced mana crystals which glistened, beckoning for Theo to pick them up. Theo picked up the advanced mana crystals and exchanged half of them on the spot, earning more than a thousand pounds. [You have completed Mission 3/4: defeat the Boss.] [You have gained 1000 XP for defeating a 'Ruler of the Blood Bears (advanced)'.] [Total XP: 2235/2000] [You have progressed to stage 5!] [You have unlocked 5 new inventory spaces!] [Level up!] [Congratulations, skill user! You have reached the advanced level!] A wave of emotions hit Theo. He wanted to smile and shout, and at the same time, he wanted to cry tears of joy. He had levelled up, and he had done so in the most gruesome and nefarious way possible.

He had levelled up to the advanced level right in front of the rotting corpse of the blood bears' king which reeked of fresh blood.

"What a life I'm living," Theo said to himself.

"Looks like this throne room is all mine now." As was the huge vein of mana crystals that surrounded the throne room.

"Just one more mission left," Theo said while panting.

"Hopefully this mission is extremely easy." And Theo got his wish. [Mission 4/4: claim the item] Description: claim the Blood Bear Crown and the Necklace of the Blood Bears. Time limit: none Reward: mana crystals, the items listed in the description. Failure: you will be unable to claim the planet. [Items claimed: 1/2] He was literally wearing one of the items now.

"I'm guessing the necklace is the one that big bear is wearing." Theo walked over to the corpse of the Ruler of the Blood Bears. Apprehensively and meticulously, he lifted the head of the bear, grabbed the necklace and took it off of the blood bear. His eyes were glued to the name of the item he had just picked up. [Necklace of the Blood Bears]"Yes!" Theo shouted. His voice was fading from all that shouting, but that didn't matter since he had just completed his first solo excursion to another planet.

With his hands trembling, Theo wore the necklace. It was like wearing a metal chain back on Planet Earth. The necklace was something that would instantly make a person look cool.

"I'll be keeping this for the rest of my life." [You have completed all the missions on this planet!] [You have successfully claimed this planet!] [What will you name this planet?]

"Planet 502," Theo said confidently. [Congratulations!'Planet 502' has been claimed by skill user Theo Parker!] Theo had successfully claimed a planet. And he was an advanced-level skill user. Knowing that he had accomplished something, Theo passed out right next to the corpse of the blood bear he had worked so hard to defeat.