Game's Extra: Starting With SSS-Ranked 1000-Death Talent-Chapter 70: Getting Penetrated
"Shit, shit, shit!" Noa exclaimed. ’How the hell is he still standing?’
The man seemed in a really bad condition, life slipping through his every breath.
Yet he was still alive, his lance moving on its own.
Arthur was just as conflicted, especially when he saw how dead Noa rose from the ground as if nothing had happened.
Still, there was no time for questions.
The only thing that mattered was ending the battle, and after exchanging wary looks, Noa put the last remaining point into the strength attribute.
[ Your Strength Attribute is 50 ]
[ You have reached Evolved limits ]
[ Going beyond is impossible ]
[ Please become a Returne before trying again ]
With his muscles stretching to the limit, he cleanly sliced the soft air, aiming directly at the man’s still-open wounds.
The opponent staggered backward, but Arthur intercepted his retreat.
Steel met flesh.
It tore through the muscle tissues, bringing pain to the half-dead man who barely felt anything.
But the assassin regained his footing, and his poorly controlled lance flew toward Arthur.
The boy was quick to evade, but the wizards didn’t spare his back.
He was left at Noa’s mercy as he had to halt his sword mid-movement and help the protagonist escape a barrage of attacks.
Struggling, they barely blocked incoming magic spells, but their combined power was enough to survive.
For now.
As the bloodied man tried to corner them, his deadly lance struck from every angle.
One blow could have easily sent Noa to the afterlife.
Yet he did everything in his power to protect Arthur, as the boy had no spare life to depend on.
Even Noa didn’t know why he risked losing echoes for the hateful guy—his body moved on its own.
So he was punished, resulting in another blood loss from the wounds he accumulated.
[ You died ]
Same way as before, he willed to be reborn and used another two echoes.
[ Echo: 776/1,000 ]
This time, instead of going back into his corpse, Noa spent one second searching for the two wizards who made his life difficult.
He ignored the incoming headache and materialized behind them.
Sounds faded from the world.
The ground cracked beneath his feet.
Gray colors of the world were replaced with the redness of the blood as Noa threw five corpses at them.
The impact was quick and explosive, sending pieces of flesh around before Noa dashed again.
[ You killed a Returne Human Lv. 13 (x2) ]
[ You’ve gained 19,000 Experience Points ]
[ Level Up! ]
[ Level Up! ]
.
.
’My range has increased,’ he realized.
But the state of the wizards was so bad that he couldn’t even use them as puppets, the skill denying his wish.
So, one second later, he was beside Arthur, laughing at him.
The boy looked drained, his condition worsening with each second.
No words were exchanged. Only swords clanged, drawing blood and sparks as both of them pushed past their limit.
"He is one annoying bastard," Noa said aloud. "And here I thought I was a cockroach."
The man fed on blood.
The very blood he caused them to bleed, but his reserve was running dry.
He looked nothing like his old self, his eyes devoid of emotion.
Noa used it to his advantage.
The sword he picked up from the ground added injuries to the man, with explosions augmenting the damage it dealt.
But his body was sturdy, enduring almost everything.
Yet even the thickest tree succumbs to the persistent axe.
Especially if it was attacked from two different directions at the same time.
"May the Doom take your ass to the afterlife," Noa called out, crisscrossed twice and formed an X shape on the flesh.
[ You killed an Altered Human Lv. 5 ]
[ You’ve gained 28,000 Experience Points ]
[ Level Up! ]
[ Level Up! ]
.
Finally, the man dropped and died, giving Noa most of the EXP as he was the one to deal the final blow.
He was level 14 for now.
His free attribute points were saved for later use.
He was dead tired, the pain and lack of breath assaulting his body.
’It was a close call. I almost used more echoes,’ he weighed his situation.
Three corpses lay in front of him, one battered with wounds and two mutilated with explosions.
There were also three knocked-out classmates sleeping soundly.
As Noa was getting his energy back, Arthur sat on the sidewalk and gulped two potions in one go.
’Fucking bastard,’ Noa thought. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢
Then he spoke, narrowing his eyes.
"For someone whose sorry ass was saved by me, you are unusually cold. Give me some as well."
Arthur snorted at his words.
"Tough luck. It was my last flask," he said.
Noa flipped him a middle finger and woke the others.
No, he tried to wake them up.
They were in a deep sleep, their slumber left unbroken.
"We should carry them," Noa said to Arthur. "My house is around the corner."
The boy agreed without hesitation, pulling Rika into his grasp.
As for Noa, he collected corpses and lifted Martha and Ezra effortlessly.
Then he led the way to his house as if nothing had happened, leaving the scene for Dusk to deal with.
"Guys!" he called out after crossing the gate and getting inside the garden.
No one answered him, a hint of worry appearing in his heart.
Thankfully, after checking with Aeris, it turned out that she and the twins went out for a walk.
They were five minutes away and would soon arrive.
"It’s a good place," Arthur said, lowering Rika to the couch.
He was also looking around, studying the surroundings.
Noa just dropped Ezra and Martha onto the floor—the jolt of the fall failed to break their sleep.
"I know, right? It’s a bit empty, but not for long," he answered.
Arthur didn’t ask about his revival.
Nor did he take time to find out more about him.
Awkward silence settled.
It lasted for a while—until a sudden uproar replaced it, as Sylas and Seren broke into the house, holding bags filled with groceries.
Aeris followed, calling after them,
"I told you to wait for me!"
Three of them paused at the doorframe, catching sight of Noa looming over three collapsed students.
