Chased by Vipers

Seven and his friend spread themselves as they ran across the deserted mountain range. Thanks to the fact that the vipers weren't coming from the path that led to mid territory, so they luckily found where to run to... Although the Vipers never stopped chasing.

They were too fast!

That was expected of vipers anyway as no one can outrun them while they chase.

Seven was deeply heartbroken when he came to this realization, believing that he would have to confront these snakes soon.

"Zara is way too fast. She had left us by a wide margin," Seven told Rolanda as they ran.

"She is using her Skill... What do you expect?" Rolanda said.

Seven only shook his head and watched Zara disappear gradually... He bit his lips as he saw how useless the Jaguar was at this stage.

If it was really big, then she must have been able to carry Rolanda as she ran... Perhaps, him too.

*Hiss*

"Ah... Holy hell..."

A viper had gotten too close had had emerged from the sand. Seven was pretty lucky to dodge its first strike.

"Be careful. We could confront anyone that gets too close!" Rolanda informed.

"Noted," Seven responded.

He quickly activated [Refuge] and slashed the edge of the shield against the viper, killing it at that instant.

*KANK*

Seven bit his lips in amazement. After his strike, he came to discover that these vipers had metal skin.

They are Metal-skinned Vipers!

Simple weapons wouldn't be able to cut through such skin, but it was possible for a C-level skill like [Refuge].

The moment Seven killed the viper...

[You have slain a Star-2 Viper.]

[You have gained 10 Evo Units.]

[You have gained 50 Ultima Coins.]

[Your skill, Ultima Coins Multiplier, has automatically activated and acted on this achievement.]

[UC Multiplier has multiplied your 50 Ultima Coins 10×!]

[You have gained 500 Ultima Coins.]

'Whoa! The effect is crazy!' Seven reacted.

Now he saw the greatness of the new skill. He actually had no exact reaction to give for this; his mouth was widely agape. If this would really happen in every Ultima Coin he gained, then he was likely to become rich soon!!!

*Slash*

Rolanda had used her sword to take down one viper without even sparing a glance. It was as if she did this almost every time.

"How many Evo Units so far?" Rolanda asked as they ran towards a mountain in the near distance.

"Hmmm... 19."

"Ahh, I have got 27..." Rolanda smiled.

"Cool," Seven shook his head.

He knew he would have gotten more, but he had shared some of his Evo Units with Whisky, which he didn't regret.

He definitely knew he would surpass her soon.

*Slash*

*KANK!*

The duo had to confront vipers that came too close and tried to attack. Although it was a pretty risky battle, it helped them buy time to reach the next mountain before the other groups of vipers could approach them.

Fortunately, when they reached the mountain, the vipers seemed to stop chasing, as Seven and Rolanda fell on the sloppy phase, gasping for air.

They were glad that the snakes had backed out and decided to rest.

In the end, Seven ended up getting 44 Evo Units, while Whisky got 40. Rolanda stated that she got 42, and Zara had bagged 31.

They noticed that killing the vipers gave quite a lot of Evolution Units, which really made them want to hunt more. But they had to decline the moment they noticed that the vipers were in large numbers.

They would only end up being bitten to death if they tried.

"You have great reaction speed, Rolanda. I mean, the way to reacted to the two vipers that attacked once. I admired that," Seven complimented.

"Thanks. You know, I used to have attribute training in elementary school. My father also hired a teacher who taught Agility, Strength, and Endurance... That was when they hadn't discovered that I was useless. Then, I was pampered like a princess," Rolanda smiled bitterly.

"Your siblings, how many are they?" Seven had to ask.

"We are five. I'm the last child with just a single sister. The rest are lads," Rolanda said. "You?"

"Well, we are seven. I'm the last child as well. But we are all boys... The first and second sons are already in the military, low-rank though," Seven replied.

Rolanda listened and nodded. "So, was that why you were named Seven?" She then asked.

"Yh... My father said I didn't deserve a name," Seven explained.

"That crazy," Rolanda glared with a hint of disappointment.

"Well, this is to show you how much he hates me. My brothers hate me too; only Mikel managed to be nice to me at times. My father made everything possible for them to hate me," Seven added.

Mikel was the first child who joined the military about a year and a half ago... From what Seven could remember, only Mikel visited him in the Family's Vessel Breeding Base when he was yet to vanquish a Vessel.

Well, that was the only good thing he noticed about Mikel Hermes.

Rolanda felt her heart pound in heaviness and disappointment as she heard more about his story. This made her remember the sorrowful past that she hoped to forget, pledging to punch her father in the face one day...

'You too, Gina.'

That was her sister, the one who was just a few steps away from entering the Badlands as a Lady.

Gina had always been a nightmare for Rolanda, even at their young age. She had always antagonized Rolanda in every activity, and to her favor, she became the happiest woman in the world when she noticed that Rolanda only vanquished a Jaguar.

Gina had a Griffin that had now become a Star-4 Vessel and had currently vanquished a Carapace Python that was now on its peak of evolving into a Star-2 Vessel.

Rolanda, who only had a Starless Six-legged Jaguar, knew that she was way too inferior to her sister, but she knew she would surpass her someday. Although greatness requires hard work, sacrifices, and fate, Rolanda believes she will find fortune.

After all, she was never gonna give up.

"We have to keep going... We must approach the next mountain before nighttime."

Seven urged Rolanda to rise as they progressed up the mountain. Having to climb was expectedly tiring, but they got to the peak before they could know it.

At that time, a voice was already calling from behind, and they noticed a young man who was also dressed in the Black Star University mission uniform ascending in their direction.

"Hey! Seven! Rolanda! Hold on!"

That was Derek Skyshard.

.

.

.

.

[A/N: Please vote. Thanks for the support!]