Chapter 361: Storm and Rewards
The sight of Alexander’s impressive manhood left half the guild paralyzed. Among the silver-ranked adventurers watching in astonishment, a tall woman with dark blue hair and light armor broke the silence, stepping toward him with slow strides and her eyes locked onto his crotch.
"My skill is called Furious Storm," said the blue-haired woman, licking her lips without the slightest shame. "It allows me to create a zone where I can control where lightning strikes."
Alexander pulled his pants back up calmly, keeping that confident smirk that challenged her.
"Impressive," said Alexander, looking her up and down. "How can a skill like that only be silver rank?"
"My skill has a major weakness," said the adventurer, stopping just inches away from him. "It depends on the weather. If I fight during a thunderstorm, I can annihilate entire armies... but if I fight on any other day, it’s not that great. The amount of energy I consume to summon a lightning bolt on a clear day leaves me exhausted in seconds."
Alexander observed her with genuine interest. To anyone else, that limitation made her situational and inefficient, but for someone capable of storing and sharing energy like him, that drawback was child’s play.
"A devastating power saved for the moment," said Alexander, gripping her by the waist and pulling her body against his. "I like it. You’re hired. And as for the reward I just showed... I promise the first bolt of lightning won’t be the only thing making you shake today."
"I hope you can handle the voltage, handsome," said the blue-haired woman in a deep, seductive voice, running her hands across Alexander’s chest as the rest of the group watched them with growing desire.
"Alright, recruitment is over," said Alexander, letting go of the blue-haired woman and addressing the crowded group of adventurers. "Let’s move, we have things to do today."
Alexander led them out of the guild building while the crowd was still whispering about what had just happened. Once on the streets of Plyaro, he turned back to his new companions.
"Before we continue, I need some Bloodbath fangs," said Alexander, looking at the group with curiosity. "Could you guide me to a good place to get them?"
"Of course we can, follow us and we’ll take care of it," said the redhead with a broad, confident smile.
"Lead the way," said Alexander, giving her a loud, firm slap on the ass as he walked past, eliciting a muffled gasp and a playful chuckle from her.
The large group marched toward the city exit. Upon reaching the main gates, the guards, seeing such a massive party accompanying a single man nodded in silence and allowed them through. However, as soon as the group crossed the urban perimeter, one of the officers dispatched an urgent message to Mayor Lyssandra.
Back in the municipal palace, Lyssandra received the report detailing how the young man was now walking surrounded by a whole squad of female adventurers of various ranks.
"A massive group of bodyguards?" said Lyssandra to herself, leaning her elbows on her desk and frowning. "What the hell is that brat playing at?"
Alexander pressed forward with his large entourage, venturing deep into the forested terrain until they arrived at the entrance of a dark, deep cave emanating a beastly stench.
"They’re in here," said the redhead, unsheathing her weapon. "It’s a Bloodbath nest."
"Kill them," said Alexander in a cold, composed voice.
The female adventurers didn’t hesitate for a second. Filled with vigor, they charged into the cave, massacring the beasts with fierce coordination while Alexander watched from the rear. As the creatures fell lifeless, a floating notification appeared before Alexander’s eyes.
[Skill found. Extracting...] [1%] [1.2%]
Alexander frowned as he noticed how painfully slow the progress bar was moving. He didn’t understand why it was rising at such a miserable rate, but after a moment’s thought, he assumed the system wasn’t stupid and wouldn’t allow him to have such a dangerous hack that let him acquire a basic skill and level it up over and over without restraint; that would be unheard of.
"Seems like the effort isn’t worth the reward..." said Alexander to himself, clicking his tongue in annoyance.
Even so, he decided he had to acquire it at least one more time just to validate his theory and pinpoint the exact limits of his system.
"Everyone activate your skills right now!" said Alexander in a commanding voice. "I want to see what you’re capable of in real combat."
The nine adventurers responded. Lilya, the elf, locked her glowing eyes using Avenger Eye, marking with millimetric precision the weak joints of three alpha beasts emerging from the shadows.
"Aim for the knees and neck!" said Lilya, pinpointing the vulnerable spots.
The Fleet Feet user darted across the cave like a gust of wind, drawing the attention of the first pack, while the Slippery Shadow user turned intangible and re-appeared behind them, slitting their throats before they could react.
At the same time, a cornered pack tried to counterattack, but the Rock Skin user stepped forward, taking the fangs directly onto her stone-hard body, while the Water Wall and Wind Shield users combined their barriers to isolate long-range attacks.
The redhead channeled Divine Hercules, landing a blow that shattered a beast’s thorax, while the Iron Claws user finished off the wounded and the Fireball user incinerated those trying to flee. Finally, the blue-haired Furious Storm user raised her hands, summoning a small electrical discharge that paralyzed three beasts at once, though the effort left her panting heavily.
Alexander observed every movement with a cold, analytical eye, evaluating their strengths and weaknesses.
"Divine Hercules needs body mass or an external energy source to avoid muscle tearing," said Alexander in his mind. "Furious Storm will burn its user out in seconds unless I act as a battery for her. Avenger Eye is perfect for guiding the destructive power of Iron Claws and Fireball. If I place Rock Skin behind Water Wall and cover their flanks with Slippery Shadow, the formation becomes impenetrable."
A calculating smile spread across his face. On their own, their skills were mediocre or situational, but under his command—and fueled by his passive energy—those nine adventurers could become an unstoppable slaughter squad.
[Skill successfully extracted: Shockwave]
The floating screen faded before his eyes. Alexander clenched his fist, feeling the familiar pulse of energy settle back inside his body. He had previously transferred it to one of his women during their strengthening process, but confirming he could extract it once more validated his suspicions regarding his system’s flexibility.
"Now I want to look for slimes," said Alexander, turning back to the group as the women wiped the blood off their weapons.
"Of what element, sir?" said Lilya, adjusting her quiver on her back.
Alexander paused for a second, recalling the strange creature he had crossed paths with some time ago.
"I have no idea," said Alexander, raising his eyebrows. "It was transparent and the damn thing just kept chasing me."
"They must be nature slimes," said the redhead, scratching the back of her neck. "Those are hard to find, but we can try. They usually inhabit the deepest, dampest part of this forest."
The group set off under the guidance of the elf and the redhead. As they ventured deeper into the swampy terrain, Alexander continued observing his recruits’ dynamics. Every minor beast ambush allowed him to gauge their reaction times, endurance levels, and emotional stability during combat.
They have potential when acting as a unit, thought Alexander, watching Fleet Feet lure a pair of reptiles into the lethal trap formed by Water Wall and Iron Claws. But the real problem is loyalty. They saw how I extract skills and how I operate in battle. If any of them opens her mouth back in the city, it won’t take long for the TMC or the mayor to piece the puzzle together.
A sigh of annoyance crossed his mind. If I had a slaver or mental seal skill, all of this would be ten times easier. Guaranteeing their silence through force or contracts is far too inefficient without the right magic.
"Found one!" shouted the Slippery Shadow user, reappearing beside a viscous puddle and pointing toward a crystalline, gelatinous creature slowly shifting through the grass.
"Stop! Don’t kill it!" said Alexander, raising a hand firmly to halt the impending attack.
The women stopped their weapons dead in their tracks, looking in confusion as Alexander walked slowly toward the transparent slime.
A new hypothesis had taken shape in his mind. What if the extraction penalty wasn’t due to having acquired the skill before? What if the miserable percentage rate earlier was because his subordinates had landed the killing blow instead of him? This cornered creature was the perfect opportunity to test if the system demanded his direct hand in the slaughter to yield full extraction efficiency.
Alexander unsheathed his blade and, with a clean, ruthless strike, pierced the nature slime’s glowing core, splitting it in two.
Instantly, the gelatinous body dissolved into the ground and a new notification floated before his eyes.
[Initiating skill extraction...]
Alexander locked his eyes onto the numbers as they began to shift, anxiously awaiting the result to confirm his theory.