Chương 40: Solo Mission - Maya (3)

[Skill, 'Mind Reader (basic)', has been activated.]'Did you see that?'

'Did that beast just get slashed?'

'But I didn't see anybody following us.'

'There has to be somebody here.'

'I don't see anybody though.' I think I dodged a bullet, Maya thought to herself. I don't think those Hoppers saw me.

'I want to see if there's anybody here with us.'

'There's somebody here with us, I know that for sure. We have competition.' Oh dear. She thought the Hoppers hadn't noticed her, but she couldn't be any more wrong. The two Hoppers, after defeating the beasts that were heading their way, had lost interest in the beasts and the mission and focused their attention on Maya's sudden intrusion. She really was screwed. She was going to be caught, and the Hoppers were going to slice her into bits and leave her corpse to rot on this planet.

That was the consequences of being the competitors of those Hoppers, in Maya's mind. Maya desperately wanted a miracle to happen, something that would save her from certain death. She couldn't continue to evade the Hoppers for long when she was on this planet. She would almost certainly be killed. She had one task to complete, and that was to complete all the missions and claim the planet for herself. The two Hoppers on the planet with her were barriers that wanted to stop her from accomplishing her goals.

And although they seemed to be newbies and might only be at the basic level, they could still end up exuding killing intent and have a strong desire to kill any other competitors on the planet. Clop, clop, clop. The two Hoppers were inching closer towards where Maya had just defeated the beast. They were almost certainly going to see the corpse of the beast. At that point, it looked like there was no miracle that could save Maya. Cold sweat trickled down Maya's back, and there were goosebumps on Maya's skin.

There was no way to talk herself out of this situation; Maya was truly screwed. However- Clop, clop, clop.

"Do you hear that?" one of the Hoppers asked the other.

"I think there are more mana beasts in the distance."

"According to the system, we haven't killed them all yet, so it makes sense that there are a few left." Huh? Was a stampede of mana beasts about to be Maya's saving grace?

"Oh well, I think we should come back to the source of the noise soon. Let's defeat the horde of mana beasts coming our way first." Miraculously, as if Maya's imaginary prayers had been answered, the two Hoppers turned around and started walking away from her and the beast corpse. Clop, clop, clop.

"There are more beasts! Maybe we can clear the mission just by killing the beasts in this cave." As if Maya killing one of the mana beasts in the cave had never happened, the two Hoppers were back to business, defeating mana beasts and earning the incredible rewards that followed. Stab! Stab! Stab!

"Ah! That one's not dead yet! Be careful!"

"Holy crap! That one nearly took my legs off!" I can escape, Maya thought to herself. They don't suspect a thing right now. They'll never know that I was ever here if I leave. Crouching, and trying to make as little noise as possible, Maya tip-toed away from the beast corpse and snuck out of the chamber they were in. She paid close attention to the behaviour of the two Hoppers, but throughout this risky endeavour, they never paid attention to what Maya was doing.

Maya was able to saunter away from the two Hoppers who were engrossed in defeating the basic-level mana beasts that stood in their way. That was too close for comfort, Maya thought as the two Hoppers were out of her sight. I do not ever want to do that ever again. With her system window open, Maya continued to delve deeper into the cave of mysteries. The sound of water dripping from the ceiling reverberated around the cave, creating an eerie, unsettling atmosphere reminiscent of watching a horror movie.

I'm in a horror movie, Maya mumbled in her head. This is way too intense for me to handle. Clop, clop, clop. Drip, drip, drip. Where are all the mana beasts? Eventually, with the help of the dim light emanating from the system window, Maya encountered a fork in the road. The large cave split into two, with each passageway as intimidating and as spine-chilling as the other. Goosebumps began to form on Maya's arms, and her heart began pounding like little fists banging on a table.

Maya thought that a huge spider was suddenly going to emerge from one of the passageways and jumpscare her just like in a horror movie. Which path do I take? Maya couldn't make a decision. They were equally as scary and possibly equally as long. Those Hoppers are going to be done killing the beasts soon. I need to hurry up. Her mind was struggling to make a decision.

She wanted to let out a shrill scream and cry at that moment, but she couldn't, knowing that the Hoppers would hear her and start running in her direction. Just like behind that bush, Maya began to grab her head and scrunch up her wet hair. She wanted tears to flow down her cheeks but they refused to escape from her eyes. If she made the decision too slowly, the Hoppers would surely catch up to her and feed her to the mana beasts.

However, if she made the decision too quickly, there was the possibility that she might pick the wrong fork and see no mana beasts at all, meaning the other Hoppers were more likely to claim the planet. This was a dilemma that could turn out to be a blunder if she wasn't careful enough. Screw it, I'm going left. I don't care anymore. That was her final decision. After thoroughly pondering over it and struggling to make a decision, Maya decided to go down the left passageway. Clop, clop, clop. Drip, drip, drip.

There was no difference in her surroundings. Water continued to fall from the ceiling, with some drops falling on Maya's head. There were still rocks sticking out from the walls. It was just an ordinary cave. I think I'm fine now, Maya thought to herself. The Hoppers shouldn't be able to find me here. When she was confident that she had lost the Hoppers trying to chase her, Maya opened her system window listing out the mission details.

[Mission 1/2: defeat the beasts] Description: defeat all the mana beasts living on this planet. Time limit: none Reward: mana crystals. Failure: death [Mission 1/2: defeat the beasts] Beasts to defeat: 1) Black Spotted Jaguar (basic, 30/100) 2) Black Spotted Jaguar (basic/advanced, 1/50) 3)??? (?? /??) Not a bad selection of beasts, Maya thought to herself. Just a few basic jaguars. That shouldn't be too much trouble for me. The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

And the two Hoppers had done well to contribute to the mission. The mystery beast is presumably the boss. Maybe if I let the two Hoppers kill the remaining jaguars for me, I can kill the boss and claim the planet. Didn't Cayman once say that whoever delivers the final blow to the boss gets to claim the planet? In Maya's mind, that was literally a cheat code. Let's do that. All of a sudden, Maya heard the unmistakable voices of two Hoppers which left a lingering echo.

"Finally! We've defeated them all. Let's continue our exploration. There should be more beasts if we go further down."

"Sure." Clop, clop, clop. The two Hoppers began to power through the cave. Shit, Maya cursed in her head. I knew those beasts wouldn't keep them occupied for long. If they reach the fork in the road and choose the same path I did, I'm truly screwed. Again, Maya's heart began to race and sweat dripped down her back. She soon realised that taking a shower in the stream back then made no sense at all. Clop, clop, clop. They were getting closer.

"There's a fork in the road!" shouted one of the Hoppers, his voice resonating around the cave.

"Where do we go?"

"It doesn't matter!" the other one replied impatiently.

"Just choose a path and go!"

"OK. I choose this one!"

"Just go then! Time to kill some more mana beasts!" And then the Hoppers began to run without considering what would happen if they tripped over. Maya, thinking pessimistically, was certain that they had chosen the left path and that she was screwed, but their footsteps and shouts were actually getting fainter as time passed. Eventually, she couldn't hear the Hoppers shouting at all. They were gone, just like that. Maya's luck was on fire. She began to giggle, chuckling heartily.

She had chosen the left path to explore whilst the Hoppers had charged into the right path without giving their choice any second thoughts. Phew, Maya said in her head. I've dodged yet another bullet. That was the cue for her to continue exploring the cave of mysteries. It was an extremely eerie cave which gave Maya goosebumps. Walking through the deep, dark, enigmatic passageways of the cave was enough to instill fear into an ordinary person.

But Maya was no ordinary person; she was a member of the elusive group called skill users. A mysterious cave was never going to be enough to give her the creeps.

"Come out, mana beasts," Maya said.

"I know you're in here somewhere." Clop, clop, clop. There were still no mana beasts in the distance. Clop, clop, clop. Drip. Drip. Maya let out an obnoxious yawn. I'm starting to lose my patience. Please just come out. Little did she know that there was a genie in a bottle present to grant her wish. In the pitch-black nothingness in front of her, small white circles with black slits in the middle began to emerge, seemingly multiplying as they got closer to Maya. A fresh horde of mana beasts.

Maya's lips curled up to form a sinister, sadistic smile. She had been waiting for this moment for what felt like hours.

"Finally," she said, her sinister voice creating an echo in the passageway.

"I can finally have some fun." Clop, clop, clop. Clop, clop, clop. There was a flurry of footsteps in the cave. It was time for Maya to begin her fight. Her body exuded an aura of confidence as she strutted towards the beasts. She glanced at the name tags above the beasts. [Black Spotted Jaguar (basic)] Even if the beasts were only at the basic level, she was finally going to have some fun. [Skill, 'Teleportation (basic)', has been activated.] Slash! Slash! Stab!

Maya thrust her sword deep into the bodies of several jaguars at the back of the group. When she pulled out her sword, a waterfall of blood poured out of their bodies, the tar-like substance glistening in the dim lighting. [Skill, 'Teleportation (basic)', has been activated.] Slash! Slash! Stab!

"Ack!" In the blink of an eye, several more jaguars were stabbed and writhing spasmodically on the ground. Some of the wounds Maya inflicted on the jaguars were large patches that were so deep to the point where the beasts' bones were visible and several vital muscles and internal organs were torn.

"That should teach them," Maya said, smirking and ready to boast at the jaguars all day.

"Basic beasts are nothing to me." The remaining jaguars were unfazed. They continued to take confident strides towards Maya.

"Come on then. Try and get me." Maya's tone of voice was provocative and enough to evoke a feeling of fear in a normal person. However, the living beings in front of her were not normal people, they were mana beasts with supposedly no conscience.

"I've been wanting to try this out for a long time." At that point, anyone who was watching her would heavily expect Maya to teleport to the back of the group and surprise the mana beasts, but what Maya did was the polar opposite of what was expected. Without any further warning, Maya charged towards the nearest jaguar. [Skill, 'Strength (basic)', has been activated.] Punch! Bang!

The jaguar at the front was at the receiving end of Maya's superhuman punch, and it was sent flying, crashing into the cave wall with a loud thud which reverberated and shook the cave.

"I was not expecting that," Maya mumbled, massaging her fist.

"My punches are not as strong as Theo and Ben's, but I still did not expect that to happen." Clop, clop, clop.

"Alright, time to get back to work." Maya gripped onto her sword and readied herself for the next fight. If she had faltered there when she massaged her fist, then there was a possibility that she could have taken a powerful blow. That could jeopardise the whole mission. [Skill, 'Strength (basic)', has been activated.] Punch! Bang! [Skill, 'Strength (basic)', has been activated.] Bang!

"I can do this all day," Maya muttered, her heart racing and her body full of adrenaline. [Skill, 'Teleportation (basic)', has been activated.] Slash! One of the remaining jaguars that were still standing had its head swiftly chopped off; it was tantamount to Maya cutting a block of tofu. Plop. It took a while, but soon a fountain of blood erupted out of its severed head and its neck. The remaining jaguars faltered; they were rooted to the spot.

Maya was killing their brethren like they were nothing, and they knew that at that point, their deaths were inevitable and imminent. In their eyes, Maya De Souza, with her wet hair plastered on her scalp and covering half of her face, was the perfect representation of the devil. The hair on her head, as well as the barbarous smile glued to her face, was redolent of a creepy girl in a horror movie. The mana beasts definitely had the right to falter.

Maya, on the other hand, who had never seen mana beasts stutter like that before, was enjoying herself. Without saying another word, she pounced, used her teleportation skill at least ten times in a split second, and severed the heads of all the remaining jaguars as if they were nothing but tofu. Plop, plop, plop. Splatter. All of the jaguars in that horde were down. Dead. They had perished. Just like that. Their killer was a mess.

There was no way she could go out in public looking like what she looked like after defeating more than fifty jaguars in just seven minutes. There was nothing in her demeanour that followed society's unwritten social norms: black blood stained her white t-shirt, her trousers, her shoes and her face, her head was slightly bowed and her messy wet hair covered most of her face. If someone saw a figure like that emerging from the darkness, they would most likely run away shouting for their mothers.

[You have gained 186 XP for defeating 62 'Black Spotted Jaguar (basic)'.] [Total XP: 202/2000] What was even worse was that after she received the message telling her that she had gained XP, Maya, the girl in a horror movie, began to slice open each corpse. They were already dead, and their mangled corpses created a lifeless heap on the sharp floor, yet Maya still wasn't done yet. Because the real prize for killing such scary beasts was found inside their bodies.

Maya's face was completely covered in black paint as blood continued to spill out from the mutilated corpses. It took a while, but she eventually fished out a few blue mana crystals from the jaguar she had been dissecting. She put all three crystals into her mouth and swallowed them.

"I feel so much better after that," Maya grunted. She had just perfectly re-enacted a scene from a truly scary movie. Once the crystals had entered her core, Maya got up and repeated the process for a few more jaguars. She sliced open their bodies, threw away the pieces of flesh that she didn't need and reached into their bodies to take out the mana crystals. Unfortunately, she wasn't going to be able to repeat the process for all of the beasts since she had defeated more than fifty.

It would take too long to destroy the corpses of over fifty beasts; she still had more jaguars to defeat.

"Oh well," Maya sighed.

"Maybe when the beasts' bodies rot, the mana crystals inside them will be exposed. And once I claim this planet, I can come back and take the crystals then." It was a very smart idea. After letting out another yawn, Maya opened the system window and checked the mission's progress. [Mission 1/2: defeat the beasts] Beasts to defeat: 1) Black Spotted Jaguar (basic, 120/100) 2) Black Spotted Jaguar (basic/advanced, 1/50) 3)??? (?? /??)"Damn, that's some good progress."

Those two Hoppers were doing their jobs very well, it seems. According to the system window, Maya had defeated just over half of the number of basic-level jaguars the three Hoppers had collectively defeated.

"Just the higher-level jaguars left to defeat. Oh yes, there's also the boss as well. I wonder what that is." Maya brushed away the tresses of hair covering her face and continued walking into the deep, dark abyss. She couldn't believe she had defeated all of those beasts by herself with no help from Cayman, Ellie, Theo or Devon. There was still some shock left in her soul from that.

"But we must carry on," Maya murmured.

"Time to go deeper into the cave. And oh yeah, I really shouldn't have wasted so much time taking a shower back at the stream."