49 Book 3 Chapter 45 (1/2)

However, such a drastic change mostly came from the blueprints, and considering how hard it was to assault a small stronghold, they wouldn't be getting more anytime soon. As long as the alliance could manage the next few blood moons, Peter decided not to take on a stronghold until everyone had at least five runes.

Shenlong gathered his team outside the haven after everyone got some rest. He wanted to change things up. ”Let's hunt in groups of two today. Amara and Carly, Dubaku and Olivia, Jason and Tank, and Roy and I.”

Dubaku gulped and couldn't help but notice everyone had some form of healing except for his group. Roy understood from Dubaku's reaction and reminded, ”Don't you have some of Su Long's equipment imbued with my healing skills?”

”It isn't the same…” Dubaku muttered quietly. Yeah, it was great Su Long created healing equipment by copying Roy's skills, but how could that compare to a bonafide healer like Carly, Roy, or Tank?

”Stop moping; the teams will be different tomorrow.” Shenlong had the final say in the matter.

Carly's eyes twinkled as she glanced at Jason's shoulder, or more specifically, Tank. ”I want to team up with Tank tomorrow, please, please, please!”

Shenlong immediately shot her down. ”Who will kill the demons then?!”

”Oh, right,” Carly reluctantly accepted the truth.

Tank gave her a consoling squeak before Shenlong continued, ”Alright, let's split up. Since there's no way to communicate, just make sure to return to the haven before night.”

Tank waved goodbye from Jason's shoulder as he picked a random direction to walk in. Unfortunately, mounts were useless on this floor. The breeding industry couldn't produce mounts strong enough to survive here. They might eventually, but that was far in the future, so jogging it was.

Jason maintained a pace just enough for his stamina regeneration to match his consumption. Even though it was a light jog, it was still over sixty mph. From this, it could be seen ascenders truly stepped into the realm of superhuman. It only took him under two years to grow to this level, so what about Aros and the other gods? They had a lifespan of millions of years to work with.

Jason killed whatever demons he came across until, eventually, he found a suitable hunting spot. Below him was a canyon a few miles wide. The howling of monsters came from inside, making him wonder what tier they were. Considering the haven was the starting point of the floor, there was little chance a hostile demon on the level of Lavos was in the canyon. He decided to enter.

He scanned the horizon but found nothing. The land was barren, so there was nowhere to hide. Jason thought it was strange. The demon's will disappeared as soon as he turned. It might have some type of cloaking ability, but how could it hide its will? He only knew two people who could do that.

Thinking this, he raised his guard. Something was lurking out there, forcing him into a passive situation. Jason and Tank were silent. The only sound was the howling of the wind coming from the canyon.

A minute passed, then two.

The demon had more patience than expected. There was only one way for Jason to break the stalemate. If the monster wouldn't show itself, then so be it. He decided to return to the haven. He slowly shuffled his feet along the ground, making sure to keep a battle-ready stance.

Sure enough, as soon as the demon saw his intent to leave, it attacked. Jason spun around, the demon's will voicing its thoughts. It didn't have a cloaking ability but could travel underground. There were a few monsters on other floors with this ability, so Jason wasn't surprised.

However, when he turned around, there was nothing. No monster emerged from the ground like expected, leaving Jason aghast. His awakened soul was wrong? How could this be? There was only one possibility. If something wanted him to turn this way, then didn't that mean- a sharp whistle came from behind, interrupting his thoughts.

It was too late to dodge. Jason could only watch as an arrow emerged from his chest, with blood spraying in a beautiful pattern. The arrow left a gaping hole in his chest where his heart was. It was gone.

Jason staggered forward from the sonic boom brought by the arrow. Blood poured from his mouth and chest as he spun around to face his attacker. Simultaneously, Tank anxiously cast a few healing skills, only for a black mark on Jason's chest to negate their effects.

Warning! A Tier 4 Rune has cursed you. All healing skills and effects are negated for thirty minutes.

Remark 1: Recovery based stats and skills will continuously reduce the duration.

He was cursed just like Lavos had been. Not only did it negate healing skills, but it also prevented Jason's recovery stats from healing the wound. This type of effect was a tank's Achilles heel.

The situation was dire.

Jason's awakened soul was useless and harmful, so when a barrage of arrows shot towards him, he decided not to rely on it. However, this was easier said than done. For months Jason had relied on the omniscient effects of his soul, and listening to it had become second nature.

The first arrow curved in from the right, moving so fast it was a blur. Jason naturally raised his sword to deflect, only to realize it was coming from the left. Again, the fourth realm betrayed him. The arrow pierced through his armor, followed by another, then another. Jason was knocked off his feet and sent flying backward.

These five were much weaker compared to the first. Even then, the power behind each arrow broke the sound barrier. As Jason landed on his back, the collision knocked Tank off his shoulder. She bounced off the ground, only coming to a stop a hundred feet away.

Warning! The gravity applied to you has increased by twenty-five times for one minute.

Jason faced the sky as blood poured out from his wounds, his vision blurry. While his condition was terrible, the stats and skills he accrued over the past two years enabled him to live without a heart for some time. However, he lacked the will to fight. His opponent outclassed him in every way. Worse, his prided fourth realm betrayed him.

Maybe… maybe it was time to let Peter and the others take over. He did his best, right?