My Skill Creation System

Chapter 113 Distressing Reality

Rang Hyonu cast a glance at Pascal Rigal, the Acting Grand Master of CEHA, who was seated on a sofa with a composed expression, his legs crossed.

"I've come up with a scenario for the challenge," said Rang Hyonu. "It involves assessing the potential of all the participants and then giving them a challenge that's 20% bigger than their current capacity. Unsurprisingly, casualties are inevitable under such circumstances."

Pascal's expression stayed the same as he replied, "I understand. We must prioritize our efforts to reduce casualties as much as possible."

Rang Hyonu crossed his arms, his gaze fixed on the large screen on the wall. The situation was tense, with each moment bringing more complications. He could sense the anxiety in the air. His expression was composed, yet there was something profound that he was pondering.

"Just by adding four people into the pocket dimension, the difficulty level instantly increases by 30%." Rang Hyonu remarked. His usual firm and level gaze held a hint of disappointment.

Rang Hyonu had crafted the pocket dimension to be a self-sustaining and secure environment, allowing its inhabitants to live, grow, and develop in safety. It was made up of diverse environments, such as forests, mountains, lakes, and deserts, all connected to allow for natural evolution and growth. Additionally, the pocket dimension contained areas of magical energy, providing an extra layer of protection.

The pocket dimension had its own day and night cycles and weather system, making it an ideal place for living and development. As the pocket dimension continued to evolve, its inhabitants were presented with new and exciting opportunities to explore and discover.

The pocket dimension would automatically assess any scenario given to it, which will influence the challenge given to participants. The current scenario was to apply as much pressure as necessary to awaken the strength bestowed by the God of virtues.

"Are you sure you can handle all this responsibility by yourself, Mr. Rigal?" Rang Hyonu asked, gazing intently at Pascal. Pascal smiled, lifted his head, nodded, and then lightly clapped his hands.

"Mr. Rang..." He uttered slowly, then stood up.

"It really demonstrates the power and influence the Gardner family wields. Even the youngest members of their family possess such potential," he added.

Pascal raised both his hands and proclaimed, "No sacrifice can compare to the rise of the God's apostle of the New Earth. This is our hope, we New Earth residents."

Pascal stared at the screen, where Olivia and her group were fighting powerful monsters. He observed their heroic attempts to defend themselves from the creatures' fierce blows. Despite the monsters' strength, they still controlled the situation.

***

"Halt!" Olivia called out.

She commanded her friends to immediately stop running. She had noticed something strange in the frozen ancient forest they were in. The trees were covered in a thick layer of frost, and the air was so chill that it felt like it could freeze your soul. Even through the cold, Olivia could sense something was off.

Lewis, holding the shield and sword in both hands, spoke quietly, "Monsters?". His face immediately showed signs of seriousness as he looked around, but all he could see was quietness.

Lily, also looking around, spoke in a quiet voice, "I really can't feel them."

Olivia glanced at Lily with a focused look on her face. "I can't feel them clearly either," she said. "But I saw their movements. They've been following us on purpose."

Lily nodded. "If they can clearly see our location, we need to move quickly," she said.

Lewis shook his head. "Stupid decision, Lily!" he exclaimed. "If there really are monsters or anyone following us, then we should find them and kill them!"

Lewis advanced, clasping his shield firmly. He thumped it with his sword, beating it slowly. With each strike, a wave of power spread throughout the space.

Lewis shifted his gaze to the side; he sensed something stirring. "I got 'em! They're dark creatures!"

In an instant, they heard faint echoes from all around.

"Ready!" Olivia gave the command. The four of them then huddled together.

Suddenly, dark, black shadows crept in from all directions, swiftly encircling their position. The shadows that had blanketed the ground suddenly rose into the air, forming a single creature whose only visible features were a large face with a gaping mouth and a loud screech.

"Shield Walls!" Lewis yelled and immediately thrust his shield into the ice. A thunderous sound reverberated, forming an energy sphere around the four of them.

A sudden, ear-piercing scream echoed through the area.

"Cover your ears!" Lewis shouted again.

"Astral Shield!" Lewis yelled once more and another shielding layer formed, completely encasing them, along with a loud thud that sent the monster flying away.

[Elite Shadow Banshee Lv. 95]

"That's Banshee," Olivia murmured.

"A dark creature - level 95 - we'll have a tough time fighting them without light elementals," Lily observed, standing by.

"Tough, but not impossible," Lewis said confidently.

"How can the entrance exam participants possibly compete against them? Dark Creatures are not the type of monsters that one would normally encounter on New Earth!" Lily asked, her expression displaying her anxiety.

They remained in their position, attempting to protect their stance. Meanwhile, the shadow that was about to attack them before was still swirling all around the ground, spinning with tremendous speed.

"Damn it!" Lewis uttered with an exasperated expression. "Doesn't anyone carry Holy Water?"

"I do," Olivia replied softly.

"Olivia, Holy Water is a valuable item. Shouldn't we find another way to battle this monster?" Lily voiced her concern.

Olivia shook her head, "No, it's alright. If this beast goes and assaults the other participants, they won't have a remedy for a creature like this." She affirmed.

"Why do I even hope," Lewis said condescendingly, "that our boring entrance exam would be replaced with something as challenging as this?"

"Are you kidding, Lewis?" Lily said. "Do you think we're having fun?"

"All right, everyone," Olivia interjected. "Let's finish this. Get ready; I'll throw this holy water at the monster as soon as Lewis opens his shield."

"Ch! Stop giving orders, Olivia!" Lewis replied stubbornly. "I know what I have to do."

Lewis once again slammed his shield into the snow. As soon as the forest grew dark, the shadows that clung to the ground appeared to rise up into the air and form a sphere as if wanting to swallow them.

Olivia opened a small vial and scattered its contents, and a bright light shone from it, pushing back the dark shadows.

"Go!" Olivia yelled, and everyone sprang to their feet, rushing at their opponents.

***

On the battlefield of the Alliance.

Nathan felt a thrill course through his veins as he grinned widely. He held both swords firmly and sprinted gracefully amongst the monsters, aiming for the cluster of higher-level monsters that were quite a distance away.

"Come on, Master!" Gydarra cackled. "Don't let me beat you in this race, ahahaha..." He then leaped nimbly between the monsters, slashing away with his sword and taking out multiple of them at once.

Gydarra fought ferociously. Each swing of his sword was wild and untamed. Every single strike was a killing blow as if determined to end the fight in one fell swoop.

"Good, Gojira!" Nathan shouted as he sped past Gydarra. He glanced over his shoulder to catch a glimpse of Linda smiling sweetly at him, which spurred him on to run even faster, brandishing a greatsword that burned brightly with flames.

Meriel, Yudan, and Muramoto were close behind him, their footsteps and the noise of the monsters surrounding them creating an atmosphere of chaos and destruction. Explosions echoed throughout the area, and the creatures ran wild.

[You've killed Ice Mephit Lv. 69]

[You received 224 experience]

[You've killed Ice Minotaur Lv. 70]

[You received 266 experience]

"Eh? What happened?" Nathan was taken aback when he noticed that the amount of experience he had gained was drastically reduced.

He frantically searched the area for any sign of Luna. Just then, the AI girl materialized and hovered near him. "Ah, is this why you've just noticed, Master?" she asked.

"Is this because I joined the battle as part of a party?" Nathan inquired.

"Yes, you'll get less individual experience," Luna explained, "but you'll have the advantage of fighting as part of a party. This means that opponents will be much easier to defeat."

[You've killed Ice Mephit Lv. 69]

[You've killed Ice Mephit Lv. 60]

[You've killed Ice Mephit Lv. 63]

[You've killed Ice Mephit Lv. 67]

[You've killed Ice Mephit Lv. 65]

[...]

Nathan was bombarded with notifications of monster kills every time someone in his party managed to take one out while he was in the vicinity.

"Anyone who is contributing to the party will receive the same experience regardless of how close they are," Luna added.

Nathan nodded. "Got it, Luna-sensei. Let's go and see how many monsters we can kill!" He exclaimed, and he followed Linda, who had an excited expression on her face as she swung her greatsword wildly in the air.

The monsters surged forward, roaring and shrieking as they barreled in. Nathan stayed strong and fought with all his might, relishing the challenge of the battle.

The battle was chaotic and full of intense fighting, but he valiantly held his own. He fought with great courage and strength, and soon the monsters began to falter.

As their enemies slowly decreased in number, the ground shook relentlessly, as if something incredibly large was running across the terrain.

[Elite Frost Giant Lv. 90]

In the distance, behind the frozen trees, there appeared a figure soaring high into the sky. It was an Elite Frost Giant, level 90, much taller than the one before.

"That's ours!" Nathan yelled out in excitement. He then sprinted towards the enormous creature, trailed by his four friends. Despite their haste, they all remained in sync, eager to reach their prey.