Athanasia: My Hacker System-Chapter 39: Goblin Bug Monster: Level 5 โ Frenzy State
[Goblin Bug Monster: Level 5 โ Frenzy State]
[HP: 120 โ Str: 60 โ Defence: 60 โ Speed: 30] ๐ป๐โฏโฏ๐ค๐๐๐๐ฐ๐๐๐.๐ธ๐๐ฎ
"What the heck?!!" John was taken aback by that sudden development! His jaw nearly dropped as he stared at the hovering monster information. The Goblins didnโt just enter a Frenzy State; they had simultaneously triggered a level evolution! They werenโt just faster and stronger versions of Level 4sโthey were frenzied Level 5 monstrosities.
Seeing the scary stats over their heads made John suck in a cold breath of air! "The worst is that Speed stat! I canโt simply aim to outrun them anymore..."
He took a split-second glance at his own interface:
[Primary Stats:
INT: 55 - HP: 46 - Strength: 44 - Defence: 48 - Speed: 11]
[Mental Point (MP): 274/300]
His Speed stat was stuck at a measly eleven points! While all his other attributes had undergone massive upgrades, his Speed had remained stagnant. He didnโt have time to ponder the unfairness, as the monsters drew closer, moving with a blur of motion that defied his current perception. They were nearly three times as fast as he was.
"This isnโt the time to hold back anymore! Iโll use everything in my arsenal!"
He didnโt hesitate to activate his Object Lockdown ability at once, returning to the desperate, high-stakes tactic of immobilising monsters while running and fighting. This time, though, he had his sword. He swung the blade with his right hand in wide, frantic arcs, while using his left hand to tag and freeze the enemies that managed to close the distance.
The scene was breathtaking and chaotic! In less than a minute, John was running fervently across the hall, a roaring tide of Goblins dragging behind him. He was like a magnet pulling a mountain of scrap metal, leaving behind a jagged trail of injured and immobilised monsters in his wake.
His HP was under immense pressure! Despite his high Defence, the Level 5 Strength of the Goblins meant every club hit felt like a sledgehammer.
His own damage output with the sword had plummeted against their 60 Defence; he was back to dealing small red numbers, sometimes as low as two points! Even the bleeding effect, once his primary weapon, was now just a slow trickle against their 120 HP.
"That wonโt do," John hissed. After the first minute of this terrifying battle, he realised he was losing the war of attrition. He decided to add another far desperate layer to his tactics. "No time to spare anything! MP Absorption ability! Code Destruction Ability!"
He instantly layered the two extra abilities, activating Code Destruction for the first time in live combat! And there, in the midst of the chaos, he spotted the hope he was looking for!
[-25] [-25] [-25]
The first hits he landed using this compound ability produced staggering damage that felt impossible! As his left palm made rapid contact with a few goblins after using the Object Lockdown ability on them, a localised surge of corrosive power erupted, breaking codes like they were crushed under immense pressure.
A gap of ten centimetres appeared in the code structure at the point of contact, but in the physical reality of the dungeon, it looked as if a high-pressure blast had passed through them, leaving a literal hole in their torsos!
The monsters didnโt just suffer from high damage; they collapsed instantly, moaning and roaring in agony. They were unable to stand back up or even hold their clubs; their very foundation had been shredded.
"This is the way then!" Seeing the first test scored such a massive success, John shifted his entire focus. The price of 20 Mental Points was staggering for a mere twenty-second window before, but with his Mental Points now above 265, he could afford ten activations without triggering the Mental Burnout State. On top of that, his MP Absorption was working its magic, cutting his losses by more than half!
He shifted his tactics, relying on the lethal combination of Object Lockdown and Code Destruction, while minimising the losses using MP Absorption. He aimed to thin the herd, prioritising the monsters that were trailing closest to him.
In the next frantic minute, he managed to neutralise more than thirty Goblins! They were left twitching on the ground, broken by the code-shredding blasts, while only seven monsters remained in pursuit.
He didnโt have time to relax or even check how many Mental Points he currently had. He decided to let Code Destruction cool down to restock the surely exhausted Mental Points, and switched back to his sword, using Frame Recognition to weave through the remaining clubs and circle back to the crippled monsters on the ground.
*Roar!* *Roar!* *Roar!*
[-15] [-16] [-19]
The monsters roared in agony as he slashed his sword at their prone forms. This time, the damage he dealt was significantly more serious than his opening moves.
"As long as they are wounded and their code is broken, their overall stats drop!" He had found the weakness. He spent the remaining minutes of the Frenzy State finishing off the fallen, making sure no monster was left standing.
As there was one unexpected variable in this stage, he didnโt risk having a second scary change after the Frenzy State was over!
"Hoof... This time... It was this close... Hoof..."
The moment the last monster dissolved into white light, John couldnโt help but feel the crushing exhaustion kick in. He collapsed onto the ground, his chest heaving. He closed his eyes for a few minutes, his ears ringing with the echo of the battle as he fought to catch his breath.
The sudden level jump of the Goblins had nearly been his end. "Luckily, the Code Destruction ability proved its worth!"
He knew that without that specific ability, he would have been beaten to a pulp by the Level 5 Goblins. Even with it, when he checked his HP, he was scared to realise he was hanging on by a threadโonly two HP points remained.
"I barely survived without even noticing the immense danger I was in," he couldnโt help but heave a deep sigh of relief, "but wait... What will happen if I empty the HP bar? Will I die? Or will I enter a special state, like that Mental Burnout State?"
