Defending Earth (In the System Book #3): LitRPG Series Page 11
The eighteenth team member was Rodyakha, owner of the Pink Shroud skill, who wielded an axe. He reminded me of a maniac. A beginner maniac. According to the reports, his ability significantly distorted perception, erasing any negatives, but also caused psychological dependence. It also slowly affected the underlying personality. When my spear stopped right in front of his eye, the guy just guffawed and tried to bite it. Unsuccessfully, since I reacted in time and pulled the weapon away. Rodyakha didn’t continue and raised his hands in submission.
“I declare the lieutenant the winner!”
The audience applauded. That’s it, I was now the absolute champion. Fortunately, it really was the end as there were no more participants. Although I was stronger than any of them, eighteen fights in a row had tired me out. Next came the lectures.
* * *
A relatively small lecture theater, a lectern, a projector screen and a group of assembled ‘students’. They are all different ages, but that happens. One can pursue higher education even at seventy. As long as one has the desire, health and, most importantly, money…
“Right, you all know about the third-level bag. The ability to transport things from our world during a mission, despite all the restrictions, significantly increases the combat group’s potential. Therefore, each of you must learn how to use modern weapons, in addition to the System weapons.” The picture on the screen changed and a pointer appeared in the lecturer’s hand.
“This is the Ratnik 2M, the latest system of protection, communication, surveillance and targeting, weapons and ammunition. In your case, it has been updated for the necessary conditions. For example, numerous pockets have been added to accommodate the System cards, and many elements, such as the backpack, have been removed. You won’t need it since you’ll have the bag and because most missions are quite brief. I’d like to remind you that this is only the first update, further work will be carried out based on the test results and taking into consideration the wishes of all users.” The diagram changed again, showing what looked like an open sarcophagus and a number of advertising signs. Buoyant, durable, ultralight... “This lighter kit packs down into a special container that can easily fit in your bag. The total weight of the container, including the outfit, will not exceed fifteen kilograms. This excludes the weapons and ammunition, which will be placed in a separate container. This will enable you to quickly pull it out of the bag, even single-handedly.”
The screen flashed again, showing parts of the outfit. “I will list everything included in the kit: 7B47 bulletproof helmet, 7B45 bulletproof vest, (BZK) 7B49 body armor, 7B50 protective goggles, 7B51 knee and elbow protector kit, 7SH117 modular transport vest, a day-night sighting complex, Luchnik battle management system,” The lecturer paused for breath. “A communication system adapted for combat conditions away from the main forces, a knife, a first aid kit, a GLONASS beacon and a life support system. Weapons are selected individually, depending on the fighter’s specialization. Now, we’ll go through the equipment in more detail, then put it on and try it all out.” The lecturer nodded at a row of plastic sarcophagi, which lay waiting for their new owners. It was a clear sign that the project hadn’t been launched yesterday, but back when they had learned what a high-level System bag could do.
* * *
We spent the next two hours studying the system’s capabilities and putting on the gear. Since I was the only one who could bring the containers, the others would have to put the outfits on during the mission.
Given the binding, the equipment needed to be always at hand, so I received a set for ten people before leaving the base. My bag reduced the weight fiftyfold, so the containers weighed only three kilograms. Six kilos, if one added the customizations and weapons. It was annoying, but tolerable, some people had to carry more than in extra body weight.
Then I spent half an hour signing all the forms. Still, gun control is vital, so it would have been stupid to complain.
I flexed my fingers and sighed. It had been a rather tiring day, and I still had to stop by the medical center.
Appendix No. 1. Personnel List
1) Tatyana Shkiryak. Nickname: Tatra.
Level: 1; God: Hera; Weapon: Sword (1), Magical Ability (1).
Freeze — enables a player to freeze another with a touch. Can be used to kill.
2) Natalia Chikunova. Nickname: Nata.
Level: 1; God: Hera; Weapon: Saber (1), Magical Ability (1).
Biolocation — enables a player to sense all living creatures within a radius of 100 meters.
3) Ksenia Kedrova. Nickname: Diamond.
Level: 1; God: Hera; Weapon: Spear (1), Magical Ability (1)
Mana Stone Creation — enables a player to create mana stones using their own mana reserve. Magical Ability — Level 1. Faith — 1. A total of 200 units or a maximum of 4 stones per day.
4) Veronika Sitnikova. Nickname: Medusa.
Level: 2; God: Inti; Weapon: Sword/Rapier (2).
Hair Armor — increases the strength of hair and allows the player to control it.
5) Varvara Chistyakova. Nickname: Alice.
Level: 1; God: Hera; Weapon: Sword (1).
Empathy — the ability to sense emotions. Cannot be disabled at Level 1.
6) Ekaterina Ivakina. Nickname: Bella.
Level: 1; God: Hera; Weapon: Sword (1).
Blood Control — the ability to control blood. Limited to one’s own blood at Level 1. Theoretically, the skill allows a player to survive the most serious injuries by sealing the wound, but in practice, there is significant risk of killing oneself or failing due to shock.
7) Nina Rubina. Nickname: Kitsune.
Level: 2; God: Guan Yu; Weapon: Sword (1).
Partial Shapeshifting — the ability to transform hands into paws. Slow, painful and mostly useless. However, paws are clearly stronger than hands, while the claws are System-based and very strong. Corresponds to an F-ranked weapon.
8) Evgeny Konev. Nickname: Spider.
Level: 3; God: Inti; Weapon: Sword (1) + throwing daggers. Magical Ability (2).
Telekinesis — enables a player to lift and control objects within a radius of three meters. No more than 2 items, as splitting one’s attention makes the items difficult to control.
9) Konstantin Laptev. Nickname: Blacksmith.
Level: 1; God: Odin; Weapon: Sword (1).
Leap — a physical transformation of the legs. A player is able to perform impressive jumps for up to ten meters. Can deliver deadly kicks. There are no System restrictions, but the ability must be used with extreme caution and consumes a lot of energy.
10) Leonid Veliky. Nickname: Spartacus.
Level: 2; God: Hera; Weapon: Spear (2).
Passive Increase in Stamina. Adds +3 to the parameter, allowing a player to increase it to the maximum. Once the maximum is reached, the player receives the Marathon Runner ability, which delays fatigue.
11) Igor Lisitsyn. Nickname: Zorro.
Level: 1; God: Guan Yu; Weapon: Sword/Heavy Rapier (1).
Familiar — the ability to take any animal as a pet and form a mental connection with it. However, the death of a familiar is extremely painful to the owner, so a familiar should be chosen very carefully.
12) Rodion Rybakov. Nickname: Rodyakha.
Level: 2; God: none; Weapon: Axe (2).
Pink Shroud — a mental ability that allows a player to perceive the world in a very peculiar way. It is as if everything around the player is censored, making things appear in an overly positive light. Blood, guts and death only make the user smile. The ‘high’ causes dependence and permanent brain changes.
13) Grigory Lukin. Nickname: Eagle Owl.
Level: 2; God: Shiva; Weapon: Spear (1).
Thermal Vision — enables a player to act as a thermal imager. Can be activated, but duplicates the actual device.
14) Anton Paykov. Nickname: Highlander.
Level: 1; God: Odin; Weapon: Sword (1).
Increased Life Expectancy. Provides twice
as many years of life for each point of Vitality. Not very helpful considering the level of risk in a player’s life, but also slows down aging. The owner is nearly fifty years old, the ability hasn’t made him look any younger.
15) Alexey Durov. Nick: Kenny.
Level: 2; God: Odin; Weapon: Sword (2).
Instant Death. Enables a player to die voluntarily, without waiting to be used for experience points. Increases the chance of returning to the soul stone by 30% and of resurrecting oneself by 15%. All free experience points are lost.
16) Timur Salnikov. Nickname: Scout.
Level: 2; God: Odin; Weapon: Spear (2).
Critical Points — another System skill that allows a player to see vulnerable points on an opponent’s body and the overall outcome of a duel.
17) Sergey Sudakov. Nickname: Saint.
Level: 2; God: none; Weapon: Warhammer (2).
Walking on Water — a player can travel for up to an hour per day in this way, and this length of time can be broken up into fragments. The skill resets at midnight, which indicates its artificial nature and the System as its source.
18) Ahmed Aliyev. Nickname: Grozny.
Level: 2; God: none; Weapon: Sword/Saber (2).
Acceleration. Allows a player to accelerate dramatically for up to ten seconds, becoming almost invincible in close combat, but the payback is terrible. The human body is not designed for such loads, and the damage increases exponentially after the first three seconds. Any mistake can lead to serious injury. The player cannot continue fighting once the ability ends. Moreover, the injuries appear to accumulate and without a regeneration skill or a constant increase in parameters, the player will end up permanently disabled. A skill for a kamikaze, despite its power.
Potentially:
19) Natasha. Nick: Eva.
Level: 2; God: Hera; Weapon: Naginata (2).
Magic Eyes — allows a player to perceive everything around them more clearly, and accelerates perception. Prolonged use is harmful to the eyes.
20) Bogdan. Nickname: Warlock.
Level: 2; God: Quetzalcoatl; Weapon: Sword (1).
Improved Sense of Smell — enables a player to sense smells as well as a dog. Disadvantage — the skill cannot be disabled, so the player has to wear filters.
21) Darkhan. Nickname: Khan.
Level: 3; God: none; Weapon: Spear (2).
Emotion Control — allows a player to control their emotions. They are not completely disabled, but the ability does not have any negative consequences.
22) Jan. Nickname: Aitvaras.
Level: 2; God: Odin; Weapon: Sword (2).
Strong Bones — the player’s bones are much stronger than those of an ordinary person.
Interlude. A New Wave
Attention! You have arrived at the location Outer Battleground (Earth).
Trial One
Monsters are invading our world. Kill one of them in a duel and prove that you are ready to become the chosen defender of humanity!
Task: kill the enemy.
Penalty: death.
Duration: none.
Reward: temporary access to the Server, a random E-ranked skill, an altar fragment.
Additional reward: Odin’s favor.
A naked man with only a bag over his shoulder looked around in bewilderment. He was in a gray wasteland, its edges becoming lost in fog only a dozen meters away. He didn’t have any weapons to fight the monsters. He’d checked the bag and it was empty. Fortunately, there weren’t any monsters to be seen. Not yet, at least.
9…8…7…
“Hello? Is anyone out there? I am not worthy of being a defender of humanity! Please send me back home! I don’t want to die...”
6…5…4…
“At least give me a stick! Do you hear me?”
Private message (unknown). The weapons and equipment are in the bag.
3…2…1…
Round One! Fight!
The air shimmered a dozen steps away, and another human appeared. Perhaps not quite a human. Had he seen a creature like that on TV? Holy Virgin Mary… This wasn’t a dream? As soon as he looked more closely, a red sign appeared above the alien’s head.
Goblin (monster). Level 1
The stranger looked like a savage, wearing in a loincloth, a necklace of teeth and a dagger at his belt. The goblin spotted the player and shrank back in fright, but then seemed to realize that the human was completely unarmed, and bared his teeth, pulling the dagger out of its sheath.
“Wait, we can talk! Don’t come any closer!”
Although the goblin was a head shorter, he was certain of his actions. Screeching, the savage ducked and ran forward, almost moving on all fours, then leapt at the player, who stood frozen in place. The man tried to cover himself with the bag at the last possible moment, but in vain. The goblin twisted and, clinging to the man like a monkey, drove the dagger into his neck. The player threw him off, but it no longer mattered. The goblin released the weapon, leapt away from his victim and rolled along the ground to put some distance between them. Crouching on the ground and uttering the occasional squeal, he watched his enemy die…
Odin, who was watching the unfolding scene, shook his head in disappointment. If Valhalla had existed in this reality, the player would have been barred from entry. Nor would he had been welcome in Fólkvangr, for this was not an honorable death. To die weaponless, so shamefully, practically begging for mercy and without offering the least resistance? While his mind knew that one could hardly expect more from a peaceful citizen, the god felt nothing but contempt. The man ought to be sent straight to Hel.
The candidate not only turned out to be a coward, but had also been extremely stupid. He couldn’t even figure out how the bag works. Such problems sometimes occurred with weapon cards, but he hadn’t even pulled out any clothes… How was that possible? Had he simply opened the bag and looked inside? He hadn’t even thought to stick his hand inside? Had he ignored all the hints? Could he not read? Alas, even the gods couldn’t see inside the personal rooms, so it was impossible to say exactly what had the deceased been doing in the allotted time…
It didn’t really matter. It was just one more dual. Another failure due to the poor quality of the source material. Unfortunately, the gods could not leave their domain at this stage, to descend to the inhabited worlds and meddle in the selection process. They could act through the priests, but the price was unreasonable high and did not guarantee a result. The process was like the lottery, and even if your candidate was added to the list, only one in five became a player. The rest simply died and could not tell Odin why…
Another ‘comet’ flew by in the distance, near the border with Seth. A strong enemy... Rank C according to the System classification. Unfortunately, the defensive belt was riddled with holes and it was impossible to intercept everyone on approach. There were all sorts of... restrictions preventing the direct murder of aliens. They could be circumvented, but everything had a price, and sometimes, paying it didn’t make sense. Now was such a time. Clutching a spear in his hand, Odin remained seated, mentally tracking the ‘monster’ that had broken through the network. While almost omnipotent within their own domain, the gods were simply powerful beyond its borders. More importantly, they became vulnerable. The time hadn’t yet come...
The player’s body slowly disappeared after a few minutes, returning to the real world. Unlike the System, which had no interest in corpses, most gods didn’t find it difficult to return the fallen to their relatives. However, they didn’t bother with the monsters, extracting everything valuable from them and sending the remains into the great void. Hundreds of butchered alien corpses currently floated somewhere at the edge of the Solar System. In a sense, real loot really did drop on this ‘battlefield’.
In this case, it was only a bag that the goblin had already snatched up. However, he couldn’t take the loot with him when he disappeared. According to the quest, the captive had to kill three candidates, to gain his freedom and the right t
o return home. So far, no one had managed this feat. The goblin’s dagger was an ordinary piece of iron, for why would you want to level up your enemies? Although, if one of the monsters managed to complete their quest, they would have to be rewarded. Plus, some of them could absorb the experience directly.