Endless Extraction in a Game-Like World-Chapter 18: Farming My Best Friend for Combat Experience! One-Shotting a B-Rank Genius

Chapter 18: Farming My Best Friend for Combat Experience! One-Shotting a B-Rank Genius

The world shifted. In the very next moment, Caelus and Albert materialized inside a massive combat arena.

There were spectator benches lining the sides for anyone who wished to watch the duels. Of course, that was strictly under the assumption that the match was set to public. Caelus had immediately made their session private. He absolutely did not want random people joining the match and livestreaming it across the Origin Network. Would his massive secret not get out then?

[System: The match will begin in a few seconds. Please prepare yourself.]

"Get ready, Brother Caelus! I will teach you a highly basic set of martial arts," Albert shouted from the opposite side.

Then, the holographic countdown began.

[System: 3]

[System: 2]

[System: 1]

[System: Start!]

The invisible barrier separating Caelus and Albert instantly vanished.

In the following instant, the entire atmosphere changed. The arena experienced a violent shift in its magnetic field as a blinding blue light engulfed the area. Caelus immediately heard crackling, thunderous booms echoing loudly.

"How is it, Brother Caelus?" Albert’s loud shout came from the other side. "This is my Lightning Domain!" he declared proudly.

"Everyone caught within my domain becomes slightly slower, while I gain a massive speed buff. Additionally, as long as an enemy is within the active zone, every single one of my physical attacks will be laced with lethal lightning."

"Currently, it can only reach a five-meter radius. But with every major rank I naturally break through, it will significantly increase. It should drastically expand at Iron II and then again at Iron III. Not just that, I also gained two unique skills from it: Lightning Compressed Shot and Lightning Step. The mana cost for activating all of these should normally be immense, but thanks to my B-Rank Talent, it only costs exactly five mana for all of them."

"Not bad at all," Caelus commented, eyeing Albert exactly as if he were looking at a walking treasure chest.

"I have purposely reduced the lethal effects of the domain," Albert said as the dense lightning thinned out slightly.

He smiled proudly. Despite his heavy build, he flexibly threw several powerful punches and quick, highly practiced jabs into the air. He had safely retracted his domain to just the immediate space around his body. With this adjustment, he could move much faster without making a huge commotion.

Most importantly, he absolutely did not want Caelus to randomly get struck by rogue lightning. The Lightning Domain automatically targeted opponents if the user was in perceived danger. Would Caelus not easily get one-shotted if that happened?

"Well then, come at me, Brother Caelus," Albert said confidently as he shifted into a solid battle stance. "First, try to safely close the distance and land a single hit on m..."

Albert could not even finish his confident sentence before his breath caught strictly in his throat. He violently felt his danger senses going off rapidly.

Boom!

A heavy fist came crashing directly into Albert’s face with terrifying speed.

[System: Player Albert has died.]

[System: Player 555 of Server 513 has won the match.]

Swish!

Just as swiftly, Albert’s physical avatar began to rapidly disintegrate into blue pixels. Seeing this golden opportunity, Caelus reacted instantaneously. He swiftly activated his Endless Extraction talent.

[System: Target Extraction Failed.]

"So it is actually possible," Caelus nodded with a highly satisfied smile.

Sure, the specific extraction failed this time, but the sheer fact that the system prompt triggered here meant he could theoretically steal his opponent’s skills and talents inside the arena! Caelus was completely overjoyed by this hidden mechanic.

Then, just as quickly, Caelus sent another direct invite to Albert, who had already been booted out of the arena. Immediately, the digital space shifted, resetting Caelus back to his starting position as Albert manifested once again.

Albert looked around completely dumbly. When his eyes finally fell onto Caelus, his entire body began slowly trembling in pure disbelief. Caelus simply stared right back at his friend with a completely deadpan expression.

"Y-You... Caelus, W-What just happened?" Albert stammered in absolute shock. "How did you defeat me in one single hit?"

It absolutely could not be a mere fluke.

A player’s raw Combat Score could not be faked. The glaring fact that Caelus had managed to completely destroy him in one single, untraceable attack meant that his friend was vastly stronger than him physically.

"But how is that even physically possible? It cannot be that you secretly awakened a high-tier talent, right?" Albert asked with deep confusion. "Your name was definitely not called out during the time students were formally enlisted into the special class."

If Caelus had a vastly higher Combat Score, did that not mean he was significantly more worthy to enter the elite special class than Albert was? It was public knowledge that Caelus had a pathetic Combat Score of exactly below zero before entering the Domain.

Albert, being his close dormmate, knew this even more certainly.

And now Caelus was overwhelmingly stronger than him in terms of raw stats?

People would think it was a sick joke. Caelus had absolutely no prior mana training, while Albert had been heavily trained. Yet Albert was still entirely inferior to him despite proudly possessing a B-Rank talent? This was completely unbelievable.

Then, a highly cold realization suddenly hit him.

He vividly remembered the exact system message from his defeat screen just moments ago.

Player 555 of Server 513.

As a recognized special class student, he had briefly met other elite students who had actively sought him out after leaving the dormitory. And one of those specific people was Ren. They had talked a bit and swiftly became friends. During their casual chattering, Ren had explicitly mentioned strange anomalies related to his starting server.

Specifically, about a highly mysterious player known only as Player 555.

Albert had also heard massive commotion about this exact phantom player from other panicked students.

First to reach Level 2. First to establish a trade network. Possessor of a seemingly infinite supply of beast food. First in the official Wealth Ranking.

He was currently ranked first overall in the entirety of Server 513.

"Caelus, are you Player 555 from Server 513?" Albert’s mouth instantly went dry.

Fck, who exactly dared to keep loudly insulting his best friend and calling him trash?

Show yourselves! This supposedly weak man was actually ranked first overall in a highly competitive, newly opened server, and the sheer stat difference between him and the second-place player was absolutely immense!

"That is indeed me," Caelus said with a completely deadpan look on his face. "Do not tell this to absolutely anyone, Fatty. If this massive secret ever gets out, I will probably be kidnapped and sent to an underground lab to be dissected as a premium lab rat."

"I will not tell a single soul," Albert said with a highly serious nod. "Even if they actively tried to brainwash me, I, Albert, will absolutely never reveal the fact that you are Player 555."

"Alright," Caelus replied, a highly satisfied smile finally forming on his face. "Now, properly unleash your entire domain. Let me clearly see your true prowess."

"Sure!" Albert nodded heavily and immediately unleashed his full domain without holding back. Wild lightning violently surged around him, and within seconds, it completely covered the entire arena floor.

"I will not hold back for a single second anymore, Brother Caelus!" Albert shouted loudly over the booming thunder. "And this time, I absolutely do not plan on dying in one att..."

Albert could not even physically finish his confident words before a blurry fist loomed directly over his face once again.

Boom!

[System: Player Albert has died.]

[System: Extraction Successful...]

[System: You have successfully obtained ’Combat Experience’.]