Chương 29

By the time the sun finally started to peek over the dark ocean, the beach looked like an absolute disaster zone. Piles of ash and shattered coral covered the sand. The seemingly endless wave of crabs and murlocs had finally slowed down to a trickle. Rudra was sitting on a massive, dead turtle shell right in the middle of the carnage. He was leaning heavily on his oak staff, panting. His brown cloak was completely soaked in sweat and seawater.

"I am never eating seafood again," Rudra groaned, chewing on his very last piece of cooked crab meat just to keep his stamina out of the red zone.

"I swear, if I see one more crab, I'm going to lose my mind." As if the game actively wanted to spite him, the ocean suddenly let out a deafening roar. The remaining small monsters on the beach instantly stopped fighting and scrambled back into the water, practically trampling each other to get away. The ground shook. Rising from the deep surf, towering over the jagged cliffs, was a massive monstrosity. It looked like a walking mountain of sharp, black coral and rusted ship wreckage.

It didn't have eyes, just a glowing, violently swirling core of blue water in the center of its chest. [The Field Boss: Abyssal Coral Behemoth (Lv. 60) has appeared!] Up on the town walls, the cheering players and exhausted militia instantly fell dead silent.

"Are you kidding me?" a guard whispered in horror, dropping his spear.

"It's taller than the gates! It's going to crush the whole town!"

"Run! Log out!" a player screamed, scrambling down the wooden ladders. Down in the dirt, Rudra just let out a long, tired sigh.

"You have got to be kidding me," Rudra muttered, standing up and stretching his sore shoulders.

"I just wanted to go to sleep." The Behemoth let out a low, grinding roar. It raised a massive arm made of solid coral and brought it crashing down onto the beach. The impact sent a shockwave of wet sand and debris flying into the air. Rudra easily side-stepped a flying piece of driftwood. He looked up at the boss. The glowing blue core in its chest was obviously the weak point, but it was sitting at least forty feet in the air.

"Too high to jump," Rudra noted. He tightened his grip on his heavy oak staff.

"Guess it's time to test the new trick." The Behemoth locked onto the single human standing in its path. It lunged forward, sweeping its massive arm across the beach to completely flatten him. Rudra didn't run away. He ran straight toward it. Just as the massive arm swept toward him, Rudra channeled his mana into his boots. He stepped completely off the ground. Crack. A bright blue ripple flared in the empty air beneath his foot. It sounded like stepping on thick glass.

Up on the walls, the players who were trying to record the fight completely froze.

"Wait," one of them gasped, rubbing his eyes.

"Is he... is he flying?!" Rudra wasn't flying. He was just running up invisible stairs. [Abyssal Step] drained his stamina like crazy, but the feeling of walking on the sky was absolutely incredible. He ran diagonally upward, easily clearing the sweeping coral arm. He sprinted higher and higher, using his freakish coordination to keep his balance on the invisible platforms until he was directly level with the monster's chest.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. The Behemoth let out a confused rumble, trying to swat him out of the air like a bug.

"Too slow," Rudra grinned behind his mask. He stepped off his last platform, completely dropping his guard, and let gravity take over. As he fell perfectly toward the exposed blue core, he gripped his staff with both hands and raised it high over his head.

"Crushing Strike!" His 187 Strength, his 25% Mastery multiplier, and the heavy momentum of his fall all combined into a single, devastating hit. BOOM! The heavy iron-oak staff smashed directly into the swirling water core. The impact created a massive shockwave that parted the clouds above them. The blue core shattered like cheap glass, spraying freezing water everywhere. The massive Behemoth froze completely.

A second later, the black coral crumbled, and the entire boss collapsed into a mountain of grey ash on the beach. Rudra landed perfectly in the soft sand, bending his knees to absorb the shock. He let out a massive breath, resting his staff on his shoulder.

"Finally. I can go wash this stupid cloak." Before he could take another step, a cascade of golden and platinum system messages violently exploded across his vision. [You have successfully defended Seabreak Town from the Gathering Tide!] [You are the first player to single-handedly repel a massive Field Event!] [Through 10 hours of unbroken combat and extreme physical exertion, your limits have expanded.] [Stamina +10] [Persistence +10] [Experience has been acquired.] [Level Up!] x8 [You have reached Level 58.] [Your mastery over your techniques in high-pressure combat has deepened.] [Minor Tidal Push has reached Lv. 6] [Crushing Strike has reached Lv. 6] [Iron Guard has reached Lv. 6] [Your incredible heroics have moved the hearts of the locals.] [Affinity with Seabreak Town has reached the maximum.] [You will forever be treated as a treasured guest in this territory.] [You have acquired the Title: Savior of Seabreak!] [Savior of Seabreak] [You single-handedly saved an entire town from being wiped off the map. The locals will never forget what you did for them. Your masked face is forever burned into their memories. - All NPC merchants in coastal towns will grant you a 30% discount. - You will never be charged for a meal or a bed in Seabreak Town.] Rudra stared at the glowing text. Free food for life? That was honestly the greatest reward the system could have possibly given him. He dismissed the windows with a tired, happy sigh.

He bent down, scooped up the boss drops—a massive chunk of shiny black coral and a heavy, glowing blue ring—and shoved them into his inventory.

"Finally done," he mumbled, turning back toward the town. That was a terrible mistake. The heavy wooden gates were thrown completely open. The terrified silence had broken. Thousands of Level 1 players were pouring out onto the dirt road, screaming at the top of their lungs. They were holding up glowing recording crystals, waving their arms wildly, and sprinting directly toward him.

"It's the Masked Lunatic!"

"Bro! Party with me! I'll carry your bags!"

"What's your stat build?! Are you an esports pro?!"

"Please let me buy that crab recipe!" Rudra froze. His eyes went wide behind his dark leather mask. A massive, sweaty crowd of overly energetic gamers was about to completely surround him. They were going to ask him questions. They were going to try to make small talk. His social battery instantly plummeted to zero.

"Oh, absolutely not," Rudra said, his voice laced with pure panic. He didn't stick around to be interviewed. He pointed his left hand directly at the sand by his boots.

"[Minor Tidal Push]!" BOOM. The blast of pressurized water slammed into the beach, launching Rudra completely backward into the air. He flipped smoothly, landing high up on a jagged rock outcropping.

"Wait! Don't go!" a player yelled from the front of the mob, desperately reaching out. Rudra ignored them. He triggered [Abyssal Step], creating an invisible platform in the air, and practically sprinted up the side of the coastal cliff. He moved like an absolute blur, putting as much distance between himself and the annoying crowd as humanly possible. Within seconds, he had vanished completely into the thick treeline above the cliffs, leaving thousands of screaming players staring at empty rocks.

Leaning heavily against a thick pine tree deep in the quiet woods, Rudra pulled his mask down and let out a massive, exhausted breath. His stamina was completely drained, and his legs were shaking, but he was safe from the social interaction.

"Next time," Rudra promised the quiet forest, rubbing his temples, "I am definitely fighting somewhere quiet."