Cronus' system: Against the gods

Chapter 19: They're all XP's

Rex's heart pounded rapidly, his eyes widening in horror after realizing the great threat Ralph posed. He had initially skipped over Ralph's physical stats when checking, so he hadn't noticed Ralph's insane agility and intelligence. "What kind of shit is this?! How can he be that fast?!" Rex screamed internally, almost panicking.

"Huh? Kid! How the hell do you...?" Ralph stuttered, confusion written all over his face. First, Rex knew about his weird weakness, and now, he seemed aware of Ralph's incredible speed. Things were not adding up. He narrowed his eyes at Rex.

Just as Ralph tried to make sense of the situation, Rex's system chimed in:

{System Alert: Gained 100xp from killing Half-Blooded Cerberus.}

"C'mon, Cronus, can't you just lend me some more stat points? I swear I'll pay you back. With interest! I mean, I'm the Harbinger of Time, shouldn't I have, like, a credit line or something?"

Cronus' voice, ever regal and calm, echoed in his head. "Thou dost requesteth what? A loan of power from the Titan of Time? Hark, harbinger, the divine ATM is not open for business."

"Come on, man, just a little extra! You've seen this guy, he's way too fast. I need a boost! I'm fighting for my life here!"

"Wouldst thou also request a coupon for discounted intelligence while thou art at it?"

"Uh!" Rex facepalmed

"Kid! What the hell are you thinking about? Do you think this is a game where you can get some stat points?" Ralph asked, clearly confused by the young man's thoughts

"Oh....Damn! He's a telepathic mage!" Rex cursed inwardly "Does that mean he can hear you, Cronus!"

"No!" Cronus replied shortly

Ralph was taken aback once more "Cronus? Just what was this kid thinking about?" Ralph was puzzled.

Rex's heart was still racing, but a mischievous spark flickered in his eyes. "Oh, you're a telepathic mage, aren't you?" Rex taunted, crossing his arms. "With an innate talent for illusions... isn't that cute?"

Ralph, still taken aback by Rex's strange antics, frowned. "H-How do you know that? You shouldn't be able to...."

"Yeah, yeah, you're not as mysterious as you think you are, Ralphie." Rex interrupted, waving him off dismissively. "And, bro, can we talk about that nickname? Silent Killer? Seriously, it's like you went with the most cliché thing possible. What, did you pull it out of a hat?"

Ralph's eye twitched, his confusion quickly shifting to irritation. "You dare mock me?"

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Rex smirked, leaning forward with his hands in his pockets. "Oh, absolutely. Someone's gotta do it, and I'm happy to volunteer. I mean, come on! What kind of assassin is scared of public speaking? I bet you give yourself pep talks before missions, don't you? 'Go on, Ralph, you can do this! Just sneak up on them, silently!'"

"Shut up!" Ralph snapped, his voice cracking with frustration.

"Oh, I'm sorry, did I strike a nerve?" Rex said, his grin widening. "Maybe you need a timeout, buddy. Go call your mom, cry during a rom-com, you know, de-stress a little."

Ralph's fists clenched. His usually composed demeanor was beginning to crumble under Rex's relentless teasing. "I don't know how you're reading me so well, but this ends now."

Rex raised an eyebrow. "Oh, yeah? Gonna pull some Silent Killer tricks out of your bag, huh? What's next, you gonna summon some spooky ghosts? Or maybe, ooooh, you're gonna trap me in an illusion of...."

Suddenly, Rex's vision blurred, the street around him warping into a dark, twisted landscape. The ground beneath his feet shifted, and a loud growl echoed from all sides.

Before he could finish his thought, he found himself standing in the middle of a battlefield. Around him, snarling and growling, were not one, but ten half-blooded Cerberus, their red eyes glowing menacingly as they circled him.

"Aha! He fell for it!" Rex smirked and then activated his god's eyes. He had planned to force Ralph into summoning more animals in his illusion. And yes! He was an easy one!

Name: Half-Blooded Cerberus

Level: Tier-One Common Beast

Abilities: Roar, Claw Slash

Strength: 11

Agility: 11

Endurance: 11

"Oh...nice! It seems the greater the amount of things he controls in this illusion, the weaker their strength. Aha! They're all Exps for the taking" Rex smiled

One of the Cerberus pounced at Rex, with its jaws wide open, its canines closing in on Rex. Another one sent a claw slash while another let out a roar. The rest all pounced forward attempting to slash Rex's legs

Rex let out a lazy yawn as the first Cerberus lunged toward him, jaws snapping in a wide arc. "Slow pokes," he muttered, rolling his eyes. With a swift step to the side, he dodged the incoming beast, its fangs closing around nothing but air. At the same time, another Cerberus swiped at him with its claws, but Rex ducked effortlessly, the attack grazing over his head.

"You guys need to work on your coordination," Rex quipped, shaking his head as if disappointed in their performance. His hands began to glow faintly with Aether as he charged up his energy. "Alright, let's make this quick. I've got places to be."

With a sudden burst of speed, Rex dashed forward, his first target a Cerberus directly in front of him. He threw a quick punch, his fist crackling with Aether-infused energy. As his fist connected with the beast's skull, a shockwave rippled outward, and the creature let out a pained yelp before bursting into smoke.

"Boom! One down," Rex smirked, already turning to the next.

Two more Cerberus charged him from opposite sides. Rex grinned. "Ah, double trouble." He crouched low, dodging their incoming attacks and leaped into the air, twisting his body mid-flight. His fists glowed even brighter as he descended, landing between the two creatures. With a roar, he unleashed a flurry of punches, one for each of the beasts.

"Left hook for you!" Pow! The first Cerberus disintegrated into smoke.

"And an uppercut for you!" Smash! The second one was sent flying back, dissipating before it hit the ground.

"Three down, seven to go," Rex counted out loud, brushing his hands together like it was all in a day's work.

The remaining seven Cerberus circled him warily, growling with renewed fury. Rex cracked his knuckles, his grin widening. "You guys want some more? Alright, then, let's get serious!"

One of the Cerberus let out a bone-rattling roar, trying to reduce Rex's stats, but Rex simply shook his head. "We're still doing this? That roar isn't gonna work on me, pal."

Two of the beasts tried to flank him, launching simultaneous attacks from both sides. Rex's God's Eyes flickered, tracking their movements in slow motion. He sidestepped just in time, grabbing one by the neck as it passed by. Without hesitation, Rex drove his glowing fist into its torso, causing it to shatter into dust.

"Four down," Rex grinned, already moving toward the next.

He raised his other fist, infused with even more Aether, and spun around, delivering a backhand punch to the second Cerberus. The beast didn't even have time to react before it was obliterated.

"Five!" Rex called out, the adrenaline rushing through him.

Now only five Cerberus remained, their eyes glowing ominously as they regrouped. "Still think you can take me?" Rex taunted, twirling a glowing strand of Aether between his fingers like it was a toy. The creatures lunged again, all five at once, hoping to overwhelm him with sheer numbers.

But Rex was faster. His newly boosted agility let him slip between the incoming attacks with ease. He ducked under a claw swipe, pivoted on his heel to avoid a bite, and finally raised both fists in a flash of blue light.

{warning: Aether left: 1/10}

"This is gonna hurt," Rex smirked before slamming his Aether-infused fists into the ground.

A shockwave of energy exploded outward, engulfing the remaining Cerberus in its blast. The force sent them all flying, their snarls and growls quickly turning into high-pitched yelps. Before they could recover, their bodies disintegrated into the familiar plumes of smoke.

Rex straightened up, stretching his arms over his head with a satisfied groan. "And that's all ten," he said with a grin. He brushed off his shirt, feeling proud of himself.

From the void, Ralph's voice echoed, sounding far less confident now. "How... how did you....."

"Ralphie, my man," Rex interrupted, grinning into the darkness. "You've gotta bring your A-game. Illusions, weak Cerberus, none of that's gonna work on me. But hey, nice try! Better luck next time!

{system alert: Gained 1000xp from killing 10 half-blood Cerberus}

{Level Up!}

{+ 2 stat points to all stats}

{Gained extra 12 stat points}

"Nice!" Rex smiled after seeing the message. He instantly assigned all of the 12 points to agility

Name: Rex Xander

Level: 3

XP to next level: 100/3000

Race: Human

Class: ???

Strength: 19

Agility: 34

Endurance: 16

Intelligence: 20

Aether: {20/20}

Active skills: Time control{level 2} xp to next level: 0/100 Time rewind{lv 1} Xp to next lv: 0/100

Passive skills: god's eyes{level 3}

"Oh, now I see! So my god's eyes increase every time I level up but now what? My active skills now have a requirement for leveling up? What are they?"

"Focus on your battle now, Harbinger! I'll explain later"

"Okay, Rex smiled and then shouted, "It's time for you, Silent Squealer!!!"