Level-Up Apocalypse: Surviving With The Assimilation System

"Jeong-Hui! Don't let it…get in your head! Take control!" Finn shouted, though had to heed his own advice as he clutched his hair.

It was his system, his instincts, his rationality, his experiences, the hairs on his skin, all of it told him the same thing: that creature can't be woken up. Reaching for the hood of the red-haired man, he was merely inches short, only grasping air as he watched Jeong-Hui stumble towards it in a trance.

'I get it now. The entire time…That ringing–that's why we were drawn here. Without even realizing it, this thing–it manipulated us, all for this moment,' he realized.

–No.

Even if he couldn't reach him, he could still stop him; that resolve was hardened in that moment, even as his brain ached.

'I have to stop him–no matter what. I'm sorry, Jeong-Hui, even if I have to kill you–I can't let you wake that thing up…!' He decided.

["Gravity"]

He clenched his fist, raining down a pillar of flesh-pulverizing gravity upon the spot his companion stood. There was no time nor mercy to afford easing up, having to use enough force to crush the person he needed to stop.

–Yet.

'He's not there,' Finn discovered, finding the perfect circle crushed into the old stone missing any signs of the scarlet-haired assassin.

Every part of his mind honed in on locating the man under the influence of the mysterious being. Against an assassin of caliber on par of his own, attempting to rely on sight was a futile effort. He closed his eyes, heightening his other senses–

["Abyssal Trace"]

Around his own body, a deep outline of the chamber was created, perfectly traced by his elevated senses, picking up the slightest rises in sound or weight. Even a subtle smell, a droplet of sweat, was enough to be picked up.

Still, as detailed as his senses became, it hardly meant anything when attempting to find an assassin on the prowl.

'To the right,' he thought.

Feeling a subtle vibration in that direction, he ducked down, slashing his dagger upward just as the swift assault came through. The blade of the controlled assassin slid against his own, feeling the sharp resistance.

It was only a moment after rejecting the strike that came from above that he found himself facing a half dozen of the red-haired assassin. Each came from a slightly different angle, though all possessed those jaded eyes, honing in on him.

'Phantoms? No, this is slightly different. Is it because of his system?' Finn considered.

They all looked like the "real" Jeong-Hui, all with the same weight to their step and the very same intensity. With so many daggers pointed him at once, from so close, evading them was a miraculous effort—

[Chronos Trigger: Skip]

A moment in time was simply chewed through as he found himself a few meters ahead. All of the clones of the assassin missed their mark, leaving him unscathed.

Using the blessed sleeve for the third time in a single day, a sharp pain rang through his right arm.

"—Fffuu."

He breathed out, not slowing down as he immediately readied himself to confront the many faces of Jeong-Hui.

["Abyssal Agent: Hermes"] [Mana: -5000] [2000/7000]

The cloak expanded over his body, etched with golden stripes that shined with the blessing of the swift deity. At the same time he wore the divine weavings, each of the many faces of the red-haired assassin flickered throughout the chamber.

Each one paced through the underground domain as passing shadows, moving silently and without a trace.

'Even if his mind is being warped by that thing, he's still fighting with his wit. I can't afford to hold back—sorry,' he thought.

Using his own intense speed, he sprinted through the chamber, hunting the closest phantom of the manipulated assassin. As soon as he got within striking range, he ducked down, perceiving each motion at tenfold the perception.

Even though the red-haired assassin was multiple meters away, he still swung his dagger–

SLASH

"--!"

Finn was ducked beneath it, yet still surprised to find a slash carving through the width of the chamber, cutting into the walls and splitting a pillar. An unseen, instantaneous slash of variable range; a dangerous tool in an assassin's arsenal.

It was yet another skill he didn't recognize, finding it vexing as an assassin himself. Nonetheless, he slid across the ground like a bolt of quiet lightning before slashing at the figure.
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["Lightfold Slash"]

A skill only capable of being used when wearing ["Hermes"], a stream of light permeated along the edge of his dagger, cutting through his target with ease. Merely fading into smoke, it was clear that the one he vanquished was nothing more than a phantom.

Immediately, he turned around, elevating his senses to find two of the red-haired assassins closing in on him.

'Two—left, right, a dagger coming for my liver and another going for my neck,' he analyzed in that split-second.

["Abyssal Agent: Hermes" | While it elevates the user's speed multiple times over, its greatest strength lies in its ascendancy of the user's perception. However, the tradeoff is that any attack landed on the user is ten times as detrimental.]

Faster than either blade could move, he intercepted them, quickly countering–

Before his own quick strikes could come, the phantoms of Jeong-Hui retreated without being met by his counterattack.

'Even his clones are fighting defensively? They're more advanced than the ones I can use,' he thought.

If it wasn't enough, he found himself having to evade while bursting into a sprint. Slashes carved through the stone, cutting up the floor as if invisible blades were swung towards him. Every single movement made by the phantoms incurred another unseen strike, ripping through the stone so viciously.

While he couldn't perceive the slashes that avoided range altogether, he could watch the motions of the phantoms; they all swung their daggers all the same, still having to perform the motion.

'--Right now, I just need to find the real one,' he planned, staying on the move as a flicker of light as the invisible slashes carved up the ground he stepped away from.

Even if that was the idea, it was harder in execution than thought–

"Hhuu–"

He leaned back as if performing a game of limbo as the wind was cut violently where his neck was a moment prior. The unseen strike sliced through pillars, leaving a massive gash in the back of the enigmatic chamber.

Just as he straightened himself out, his heightened perception locked onto the sight before him–

All six of the very same assassins were already mid-way through swinging their daggers, all from different directions. With that many, from all angles, it was an impossibility to overcome; the rangeless, brutal slashes would turn him into mincemeat–

As the blades finished their motions, the strikes disguised from the human eye violently tore through the room:

["Impervious"] [4:59]

—At the exact moment the slashes etched themselves across his position, he protected himself. The ground he stood on was butchered, feeling the vibrations of the slashes even through his momentary invincibility.

Rejecting the multi-angled assault, he honed his sights on the assassin furthest from the others.

'—Right there,' he found.

["Blink Slash"] [0:59]

Warping with the speed of Hermes guiding his blade, he unleashed a strike, though not before Jeong-Hui somehow clashed with him.

—It was an illogical outcome, finding his instant strike met halfway. As their blades met, the impact of both daggers colliding brought a shock wave that expanded throughout the chamber. It rippled with immense force, throwing both assassins back.

"Ah…"

"Huh?"

Finn caught himself, finding the red-haired assassin letting out a groan as he held his head. That absent, yet focused look was gone from Jeong-Hui's eyes, brought to their normal state.

"Hey, Jeong-Hui–?!" Finn called out.

"Yeah…? I'm back…It's out of my head," Jeong-Hui assured, breathing out.

"Great…You gave me way too much trouble," Finn sighed, relaxing his body as he cast away the cloak of Hermes.