“Mallow, you still fuckin’ alive?” Kevin croaked, Walker King’s ugly laugh, chomping, and the dying groans ringing in his ears. The beast was at it again, scarfing down fresh meat to juice up. Kevin sucked air, a busted bone stabbing his lung, blood spraying with every hard cough.
“Yeah, boss, barely kicking,” Mallow hacked back, voice thin. “We’re tough as hell to kill… Just a shame we couldn’t gut that damn pig…”
Right then, Kevin and Mallow got an Omnispace ping:
“Worldhopper 4444 and 4445, your combined damage to the 6-mutation Walker King has surpassed 40% of its total HP. Due to the extreme mission difficulty, the emergency escape elevator is now active.
Reminder: Escaping will result in mission failure and no rewards. Also, since you’ve dealt 40% combined damage to Walker King, the disinfection option is now available. Press the red button on the right-hand wall to disinfect the lab with high-temperature flames immediately. The flames from pure alcohol and oxygen will deal 300 HP/second. You can choose one person to perish with it. The reward will be issued based on the minimum for completing the mission.”
“Looks like that fat pig mutated again after chewing on Batman, huh? No way a 2,000-pound bastard jumps that high otherwise,” Mallow coughed, blood splattering his chin. “Boss, let’s get outta here. Loot ain’t worth this mess.”
Kevin’s eyes locked on the Omnispace notice, brain running hot. He shot a look at Mallow. “Hand over that Sheep Potion and every healing item you’ve got. Grab Melk and get out now. He’s out cold by the gate. Keep it quiet—don’t draw that damn pig over.”
Mallow yelled, “If we’re going down, it’s together, man! I ain’t the type to bail on my brother and save my own ass!”
“I’ve got a plan to drop that bastard and end this mission! I ain’t dying!” Kevin roared back. “T-Bone, Guilan, all of ‘em—did they die for nothing?!”
Mallow froze a second, then tossed over the potions and started crawling to the door, grunting hard. “Bro, don’t overdo it. Whatever you say, I’m in.”
Kevin jammed a Hyper Serum in, juice kicking his health and energy back fast. He jumped up, feeling like a damn live wire. Walker King spotted a damn live snack still kicking, growling low and mean as it charged, swinging its big-ass metal club high.
Mallow crawled hard with every bit of strength, scraping along as fast as he could. Walker King didn’t even flick an eye his way. Mallow hit the door, dragging Melk into the elevator with his last grunt. The doors banged shut, cutting ‘em off from the shitstorm just in time.
Kevin’s heart pounded as he faced down the charging Walker King. With a quick sidestep, he dodged the bastard’s swing. His eyes snapped to a red button on the wall—the self-destruct switch. Omnispace’s backup for crazy Worldhoppers about to get chewed up—or for the brave ones ready to cash out big by taking the hit.
Walker King lumbered closer, jaws dripping blood and meat chunks. A cold-ass grin split Kevin’s face. In one clean move, he smashed his fist on the red button, kicking off a shrill alarm.
“Alert! Alert! Highest-level biochemical leak detected in the lab! Emergency protocol commencing! Evacuate to the elevator immediately! Ten, nine, eight, seven…”
Kevin chugged the Sheep Potion, that nasty wool taste clogging his mouth. Didn’t matter now. His body shrank and twisted weird, soft white fur popping out all over.
Before he could blink, Walker King swung its 2-ton, 15-foot metal club, knocking Kevin flat. Head split with pain, stars flashing hard…
But that was it. A faint magic shield flickered ‘round him, soaking the hit. Just 1 HP down.
Kevin had 90 HP total—90 hits to tank as a sheep. Human him? Two swings and he’d be toast.
Now a fluffy bastard, Kevin pranced around, bleating and hopping like a damn fool. Sheep Potion’s aggro trick worked sweet—Walker King ditched its run and chased the cute little shit, swinging and laughing like a kid with a toy.
Finally, the countdown hit zero. With a hiss, metal nozzles popped out from the ceiling, blasting pure alcohol and oxygen everywhere. A spark lit it up, and bam—the tight metal box turned into a roaring fire pit.
Kevin got swallowed by the flames, his wool catching fast. Didn’t give a damn now. Walker King next to him was screaming like a stuck pig.
To ashes I’d fry, just to fuck you up, you die!
The fire tore shit up at 300 HP a damn second. Walker King, six mutations deep, had about 7,000 HP—24 seconds tops in this blaze.
Omnispace wasn’t playing—fire’d burn 3 whole minutes to stop cheap Worldhopper tricks. Kevin knew even “Fire Wizard” or “Fire Elemental” perks couldn’t tank 180 seconds of that heat.
Now a full-on Alpine sheep, Kevin watched the battle log tick with big, dopey sheep eyes:
“Worldhopper 4444, you took 300 points of fire damage. Due to the Sheep Potion effect, you have received 1 point of damage.”
“…1 point of damage…”
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“…1 point of damage…”
…
Kevin let out a chill baa. With 90 HP, he could tank the fire for 90 seconds. Good thing he had two Hyper Serums left—high-end gear, 2,000 survival points and 1 skill point a pop, made to keep his ass alive in a scrap.
***
Inside the elevator, Mallow’s eyes welled up. The heat from the blaze baked the walls, screaming how bad it was out there.
Melk came to, voice rough. “That dumbass still out there?”
Mallow sniffed hard. “He told me to haul you out first. Said he’s got a plan to drop Walker King…”
Melk gave a slow nod, mind drifting. “He’s one hell of a guy.”
***
When the fire finally burned out, Mallow and Melk stepped out to a fat, crispy Alpine sheep flopped by the elevator door. Its charred skin smelled like damn good barbecue. The thing could barely suck air.
Starving after the scrap, Mallow pulled out salt, pepper, and skewers. Melk grinned wicked, licking his knife, ready to carve some lamb…
Lucky break—Kevin morphed back human at the last second, dodging the “man-eats-sheep” mess. He’d popped his last Hyper Serum five seconds back, pulling outta the Sheep Potion’s near-dead drop, back in solid shape. He stood, hawked a fat wad of spit at Walker King’s charred corpse.
“Dude, it’s you!” Mallow hollered, eyes wide.
Melk flashed a big-ass grin, teeth out. “Knew you wouldn’t go down easy, ya goof.”
Kevin was a fuckin’ unkillable bastard. He’d blown all his points pre-fight on one-shot meds and potions—without ‘em, he’d be toast ten times over against this freak beast.
The Omnispace system pinged:
“Worldhopper 4444, your team has completed the nightmare-level hidden main storyline mission 2—Survival.
You have revealed critical insights into the century-long disaster. Your Plot Deviation Rate has increased by 18%, now at 25.6%. This metric will be evaluated for rewards upon conclusion of the story world.
Evidence suggests Governor Philip may be the origin of this catastrophe. Continue your investigation to expose additional concealed narratives.
Due to reliance on Omnispace-provided mechanisms to neutralize the six-time-mutated Walker King, your mission rating is designated ‘Minimum,’ with no supplementary bonus—0%.
Reward computation initiated…
Given the exceptional variables involved, finalization of calculations will require additional time…
Your team inflicted 40% of the six-time-mutated Walker King’s total HP. Survival points, skill points, and attribute points will reflect 40% of baseline values. Processing…
Baseline rewards for the six-time-mutated Walker King: 8,000 survival points, 8 skill points, 8 attribute points.
Bonus structure: Mission Completion 100% + Newcomer Trial 50% + Difficulty 50% = 200%. Final allocation restricted to 40% of the aggregate, resulting in 80%.
Reward pool established…
You are granted 6,400 survival points, 7 skill points, and 7 attribute points.
For eliminating the six-time-mutated Walker King, you receive an additional 1,000 walker kill points.
Worldhopper 4444’s gold-tier title, Walker Slayer, has surpassed its 2,000-point threshold, advancing to the platinum-tier title Walker Reaper, currently at 2,712/5,000, enhancing walker damage by 30%.
By resolving this world’s degraded legendary hidden main storyline mission, you have obtained 1 World Prestige Point. This mission is no longer repeatable.
World Prestige Point: Confers influence over significant entities across plot dimensions, amplifying their authority and capacity to alter events. Further advantages accrue from storyline missions, with elevated access to data.
Equipment allocation forthcoming—highest tier purple, lowest tier green, calibrated to nightmare-level difficulty. A minimal probability exists for orange-tier equipment. Equipment pool initializing…
Based on your 40% contribution, you are authorized two draws.”
A shiny portal ripped open in front of Kevin and Mallow, spitting out wild, flashing lights—green, blue, purple, even a hint of orange. Looked like a rainbow blew up, sucking you right in.
Mallow’s voice cracked with hype. “Boss, we struck gold! You dive in first.”
“Nah, you take it,” Kevin said, stepping back. “Scope the loot first.”
Mallow didn’t blink—jammed his hand straight into the glow, hollering, “First grab, let’s snag this pot’s tab!”
He rummaged around, then let out a loud-ass “Hell yeah, nabbed something good!”
Kevin’s blood was pumping. This kid’s got balls, no question. Time to see if his luck’s legit.
Mallow hauled his prize out with a grunt. Fog clung to it at first, but it cleared slow, showing off a soft, light armor vest.
Spiky Leather Armor:
Grade: Upgradeable light blue equipment.
Level: 1
Weight: 2 lbs
Equip: Stamina +3, HP recovery speed +50%
Skill: Spiky Needles—Reflects 50% of melee damage back at the attacker when equipped.
Description: This armor was a legendary pirate captain’s pride, skinned from a nightmare sea beast dragged up from the ocean’s blackest pits. It’s got a hidden stat that soaks up damage and grows stronger with upgrades. Perfect for anyone who wants to keep breathing. Feels like regular gear—slap it on, you won’t even notice it’s there.
Mallow’s jaw damn near hit the dirt, nearly bouncing off the ground from the shock. Kevin couldn’t wipe the grin off his face either. Light blue gear? Never seen that shit before.
Three killer stats, upgradeable, blocks hits, and throws melee damage back in their faces. This armor was straight-up insane!
Mallow was built for this thing. His Metabolism Rush already juiced his health regen by 25%, and with this armor, it’d hit 75%. Guy’d heal like a damn freak in a fight—near unkillable.
Kevin gave a nod, and Mallow slapped on the Spiky Leather Armor fast. The sneaky bastard even kept his jacket over it. Anyone dumb enough to jump him from behind was in for a hell of a surprise. But if Mallow ever caught Kevin sizing him up as a long-haul meat shield with that regen, shit’d get real awkward.
