Level-Up Apocalypse: Surviving With The Assimilation System

Chapter 27: City of Madness

As he slowly walked down the lightless alleyway, he found himself conflicted on what he should do. Though he wanted to find his companions, the logical part of his mind told him they were already dead–it would be a fruitless effort, not worth the risk.

Still, that way of thinking brought him to a standstill as he questioned his own reasoning. He found himself naturally wanting to find a place to hide for safety, waiting out the dark-bringing entity.

'When did I become so cold? No, that's not it–am I that much of a coward?' He questioned himself.

As he looked at the door on the side of the brick-built building, he touched the handle, finding it unlocked. It was likely empty and safe; a perfect place to perhaps wait out the chaotic night, yet Finn stopped himself.

Ahead, the pitch-black street left an eerie sensation trickling across his skin, though he decided to push on against his better judgment. Perhaps it was the less logical choice, though Finn felt he owed it to them–in his time of grief, it was Damian that was there for him.

'Just where did you both end up?' Finn questioned.

["Shadow Tracking"] [9:59]

Footprints manifested, leading forward with a subtle, blue glow from the activation of the skill. It gave him the trail to that which he sought to find, recognizing the largeness of the footprints to belong to the warrior.

'Ahead, then,' Finn thought.

The presence of the supernatural night alone made his heart ache, only imagining what it was like for those oblivious to the situation as he pressed on. As he wound up at the other end of the narrow alley, he found himself at a pavilion encircled by a shopping center.

Before he could take one step out, he immediately pressed himself against the wall as a sound met his ears–squelch.

'What is...' He began to wonder internally as he stared at what caught his eye in the center of the pavilion.

It was hard to make out through the darkness at first, seeing what looked like two creatures, with one not moving and the other performing an act upon it. The sound of flesh squelching made it more clear for his sight; it was a goblin, painted in red, feasting upon the corpse of one of its very own kin.

"Eurgh–" Finn let out in disgust, quickly covering his mouth as he ducked behind the wall again.

Though goblins were savage creatures, the cannibalistic one he witnessed acted like a wild animal. It stuck its entire face into the opened torso of its kin, feasting as though it were a delectable dish of pasta.

'...The Sovereign's darkness, its effects apply to monsters as well—I remember that. I don't recall anything like this though—it's vile,' he thought.

It was difficult to imagine his perception of goblins becoming even lower, but he stood corrected. The footsteps led directly past the feasting goblin, though Finn was hesitant to move near it.

'Careful now—there could be more lurking nearby. If I alarm it, it'll bring them too,' he thought, beginning to move as he crouched down, circling around the fiend.

While he moved quietly, one of the most difficult creatures to sneak past were goblins; their sense of hearing was evolved. As he carefully stepped around the center of the pavilion where the fiend indulged like a wild beast, he could see the creature twitching, hearing it mumbling to itself erratically.

It was obvious it had completely lost its mind, if one considered goblins to be sane in the first place. He kept his eyes on it while walking with caution, passing by an abandoned toy shop before suddenly stopping.

"Heek–"

The blood-painted goblin spun its head around while hissing out, seeming to take notice of someone lurking around. Finn didn't know how it must've sensed him, though he didn't test it as he remained as still as a statue.

'...The last thing I need right now is goblins on my ass. Especially ones that have lost their minds,' he thought.

It wasn't until the fiendish goblin resumed its feast that the young man continued moving, retracing the steps of the warrior that led into the warehouse store just ahead.

One more step forward–

Crunch.

"--Huh?" He quietly let out by reflex, glancing down.

By some stroke of misfortune that he couldn't place in the moment, he found a stray bone left on the concrete, now shattered beneath his boot.

'Shit,' he thought.

While his gaze was still pointed down, he found the sound of flesh being gnawed on now absent; a dead silence came.

Just as he raised his gaze towards where the manic fiend was—

"Kree!" A vicious screech came from the fiend.

He jumped up to his feet, moving back as he found the blood-soaked goblin rushing straight at him. It charged at him on all fours, leaving prints of blood in its tracks.

Right away, he noticed its build was somewhat different from the usual goblin; lankier, but also swifter.

'—It's rabid! Like a damn wild animal!' Finn thought.

There was no part of him that wanted to get into close quarters combat with such an unpredictable creature. He backed up while focusing on its neck, suddenly lunging forward—

["Blink Slash"] [2:59]

He instantly warped in, slashing at its neck. Despite the instantaneous strike, the wild creature suddenly spun itself to the side. The jarring movement allowed it to escape being decapitated as he watched its tongue hang loosely from its mouth.

'It dodged that—? No, not intentionally,' Finn realized, flipping back to place some distance between himself and the creature again.

Before he could even properly set his footing, the cannibal goblin lunged at him without any self-preservation.

"—Hah."

Finn bobbed and weaved through its rapid strikes, pacing back while moving his head as he watched its blood-soaked claws swipe at him.

He countered with a kick straight to its chest, knocking the fiend back a couple meters, yet—

"Kraa...!" The goblin landed with a slide, spitting out the mess of blood on its mouth.

'Shit, that didn't even faze it?' Finn thought.

He could see a clear bruise forming on its chest, though its sheer lack of sanity placed any injuries behind it.

Finn decided to put his replicated dagger to use, maintaining the distance between himself and the goblin as it rushed him again.

In a swift flick of his wrist, he tossed the dagger, letting it soar straight for the fiend's forehead—SQUELCH. It landed dead center in the goblin's skull, immediately bringing it down to the ground.

"Phew," Finn breathed out, waiting a moment as he watched its body fall limp.

Though as he stood there for a moment, he realized there wasn't any notification from his system; not a single droplet of experience was given to him, it seemed.

'Wait, what?' Finn thought, looking down at the body.

At least, he stared down at where the corpse of the goblin should've been, but there was nothing there. It made him blink a few times as he looked towards the center of the shopping center, checking on the eaten body of the other goblin–nothing.

"What?" Finn muttered under his breath in confusion.

Blinking a few times made it feel as though he'd just woken from a dream, though the nightmare still persisted. He stood there for a moment, questioning what he just encountered, still finding his heart thumping inside of his chest.

'...An illusion? Something like that?' Finn realized.