Prologue 4: Monster Onslaught

Shoto had his hands up as if a gun was pointed at him. This is the third time the brush of death had stroked ever since him came to this.

'Assistant can you hear me?' Shoto called with his mind.

{Affirmative} the Assistant answered.

'Good what is this?' Shoto said backing up slowly.

{It a Sand Lizard a highly dangerous  monster please be careful of...}

The Assistant was cut off by the sand lizard spraying gas from it's mouth, Shoto quickly ducks to the side and fires a sonic round from his hand to the lizard. The recoil of the blast pushes him back dislocating his shoulder.

The Sand Lizard was unshaken by the sonic attack as it's thick scales have been developed to endure Shriek Hawk attacks. Shoto gets up reinstalling his shoulder and charging up another sonic round. The skill <Sonic Cannon> required charging after every shot that was the main drawback of this skill. Shorter charges released less powerful blasts while longer ones released powerful ones.

{Warning poisonous gas detected}

'Thanks but  just tell me it has a weakness and readjust my arms so they don't break from the recoil' Shoto ordered.

{The sand lizard eyes are extremely sensitive to sunlight which is why it only hunts at night}

Shoto looked at the entrance the recoil of <Sonic Cannon> had pushed him far back and the giant tail of lizard blocked half the entrance. If the entrance wasn't blocked then he would have tried to lead it outside but  would it follow him?

"New plan" Shoto said.

He looked up targeting a hanging ceiling spike positioned above the sand lizard.

Bew!

Bew!

Two short blasts released the spike from ceiling unto the lizard's back stopping it from spraying poison gas.

Shoto blasted the lizards tail with his left hand but it didn't budge the scales were to thick. The monster shook  off the rubble and stumbled towards Shoto with rose of shifting teeth.

Shoto charged two sonic rounds in his  feet and propelled himself backwards with short blasts creating some distance. Shoto blasted another spike off the ceiling, the spike landed on the sand lizard's lower back injuring it. Charging to more sonic rounds in his feet Shoto blasted off landing on the lizards back.

The Sand Lizard tried to stand up right to shake off Shoto but it injured lower back prevented that. Shoto charged up a powerful sonic round with his body,he placed both palms at back of the lizard's head while transferring the sonic round from his body to both arms and then released it.

Beeeeew!

Blood poured out of the sand lizard's nose as the results of of the brain turning mush. Shoto's  arms throbbed in pain as he fell off the sand lizard's back.

Pud!

{Enemy has been defeated. Would you like to use <Harvest> Y/N}

"Yes" Shoto said facedown in the sand.

A powerful flow of energy coursed through Shoto aching body. Using his body to accumulate a powerful charge in such a short time was risky but it payed off.

[Congratulations you have gained new skills <Poison Breath>and <Scale Armor>]

The corpse of the sand lizard disappeared after the harvest and Shoto dragged his aching body to the small stream for some water.

"Hah not doing that again" He spoke after taking large sips of water.

[Congratulations you have passed the first level preparing transfer to the next level]

"Huh?"

A more robotic voice then the Assistant spoke it came from the ring stuck on his finger. The ring didn't give Shoto anytime to think flashing a green light.

"Wait!" Shoto cried.

It became cold extremely cold Shoto could feel it as he crushed on the hard snow. The snow level of the dungeon was very cold to say the least.

{Heating up Master's body}

Snow flakes melted off Shoto's body as the magic particles heated him.

"Thanks Assistant"

{I here to serve} the Assistant replied.

Shoto got dusting of the snow,he looked around but saw nothing even with <Keen Sight> he saw nothing this place had an ongoing blizzard.

"I hate frozen weather" Shoto muttered.

{Activating infrared vision to assist <Keen Sight>}

Shoto's vision was adjusted to detect heat sources. Half an hour of marching through the blizzard Shoto came to a halt, it was faint but he could see five heat signature in front of him the blizzard made hard to make out what the heat signatures were.

Then ten yellow gleaming eyes opened staring at Shoto's on set of eyes moved forward with blurring speed pouncing on Shoto and snicking its sword shaped for fangs into his neck but

The creatures fangs couldn't penetrate his,it looked flustered but Shoto gave it no time placing his hand on its side and firing a sonic round. The blast sends the creature flying on the icy surface. Shoto got up checking the black scales on his neck.

"Phew"

Shoto was relieved he had this skill but that shortly faded when the other gleaming eyes began moving towards him with the same blurring speed as the other one. Shoto raised his left arm growing scales on it blocking the white panther like creature from sinking it fangs into him.

CRACK!

Shoto fired a sonic round cracking it's skull.

{Warning enemy approaching from behind}

Shoto tried to hit the attacker with a sonic blast but they flickered leaving an afterimage. There were three Ice Panthers left after Shoto killed the last two they flickered around Shoto creating dozens of afterimages to confuse Shoto.

'Assistant can you spot the real ones?'

The Assistant created an augmented reality in Shoto's eyes erasing the afterimages leaving only the real ones. Shoto aimed his scaly arms hitting two of the ice panthers the leg while on of them smoothly evaded making it way to Shoto. It spread it's jaws open ready rip his face off but Shoto spat in it's mouth. It's jaws snapped it's closed as it's face began making weird facial expressions before dropping dead.

<Poison Breath> gave Shoto a little breathing room but not enough as one of the injured ice panthers rammed him on the icy surface next to the ice panther he had first killed.

Crack!

The ice beneath cracked Shoto but not from his weight. He put his hand on the dead ice panther and said

"<Harvest>"

The corpse disappeared into dust and Shoto heard a voice in his head.

[Congratulations you have gained a new skill <Quick Step>]

The ice kept cracking as something was hitting it from beneath the two injured ice panthers avoided him like the cracks like a plague they knew what was beneath the ice. Shoto tried to get up but slipped and with one last thud from beneath the gave out sinking Shoto into the fridge water.

Shoto didn't have time to catch his breath so there was little oxygen left in his lungs but luckily the Assistant came in cluck.

{Extracting oxygen from the water through Master's skin}

'Phew'

Feeling relieved he can still breath Shoto sighed but something was sinking way too fast.

'Assistant why am I sinking so fast?'

{Irregular pressure seems to be pulling Sir down}

'Shit!'

Shoto looked down to were the pressure was pulling him a dark abyss no light could illuminate. Shoto didn't like it his instincts well telling someone bad was down there he could feel the dark abyss breathing.

Shoto fired sonic blasts from his hands and feet propelling himself upwards escaping the pressure but then...

{Incoming}

Bang!

Shoto took a hit right in the chest stopping his ascension. He was lucky he had <Scale Armor> on or he would have a hole the size of a cannon ball in his chest.

'What was that?'

The augmented reality vision zoomed in on a monster displaying it's name and skills.

[Whale Slug

Skills: <Water Bullet> , <Self-Regeneration>]

{Attack from behind incoming}

Shoto bent over backwards dodging the attack he starred at the monster upside-down.

'And that?'

[Blade Fish

Skills: <Water Blade>]

An elongated fish with a blade like tail swam fast towards Shoto but stopped after noticing the whale slug and another monster flashing brightly.

[Bright Jellyfish

Skills: <Electric Sting>, <Self-Regeneration>]

Shoto sighed inhaling as much oxygen from the water as possible.

'So it's a three on on huh'

He thought cracking his knuckles.