Utopian System

Chapter 376 System's Barriers

Zalvek fled without apparent destination until he saw them, a small group of dispersed human soldiers.

His mind, accelerated by perception at maximum, calculated in an instant: he needed just some to finish his ten level 10 kills to cross the barrier and return.

The opportunity was perfect.

He became a blur of lethal movement. His claws found neck after neck with surgical precision, each death bringing him closer to his objective. The exhausted humans, even with their system armor, had no chance against his transformed speed as they arrived scattered.

The last neck needed for his count of 10 separated from its shoulders just as Zentros's mental voice arrived like a desperate cry:

'RUN!'

He didn't need to be told twice.

He was already moving.

The requirement was complete, but the time lost ensuring the kills had been costly. His comrades couldn't contain the monstrous usurper parasite for long, the mental connection had already shown him how they fell one after another.

The barrier was close, but he could feel Elio approaching. For a terrible moment, he thought he wouldn't make it when a metallic prison began forming around him...

Then he crossed the divine boundary.

The change was instant and intoxicating.

The god's punishment, which had limited their powers to 10% of their true level, partially lifted. From his original level 100, he could now access level 20, double the power he had inside the barrier.

Zalvek Ortris (Goddess Cursed Metamorphosis)

Level 100 (20)

Skills:

True Element Magic lvl 2 (Wind, Fire, Water and Ground)

Mana: 42/200

Resistance: 40,530/400,000

Stamina: 181/200

Attack: 800

Magic Damage: 800

Strength: 200

Defense: 400

Magic Defense: 400

Speed: 200

His control over advanced wind expanded exponentially. The impulses he generated were more powerful, more precise.

The distance between him and the pursuer began to grow.

Perception / Agility: 6 (A)

Elio almost lost track of his prey, the distance threatening to make the artromus disappear completely from his enhanced view...

Until, inexplicably, the monster stopped on the other side of the barrier.

The artromus's behavior had become strange.

Every time Elio approached, the monster advanced just enough to maintain the distance, only to stop again and wait.

It was as if it were inviting him to follow, tempting him with the possibility of catching up.

Too obvious. Too deliberate.

Elio stopped in the space between the two barriers, a relatively safe zone where the level 2 monsters couldn't continue bothering him.

He needed to analyze the situation with clarity.

The crystal in his book revealed disturbing information about the next ring.

The monsters there weren't just level 3, they also presented greater diversity. Among the traditional locus and flying creatures, there were beasts that shared characteristics with the earth artromus they had faced in the deposit.

They were more robust and resilient versions.

The fugitive monster's strategy became crystalline. He was deliberately guiding him toward territory where he would have all the advantages: more powerful monsters that could serve as significant obstacles, unknown terrain, and probably more surprises that the crystal hadn't yet revealed.

Elio checked the time in his mind, little more than three minutes before the transformation vanished. It was enough time to return, but...

His muscles tensed, preparing to resume the pursuit.

If that's what the monster wanted, so be it.

Elio had faced traps before and...

"ELIO!"

Selene's voice cut through the air from behind, stopping his impulse before it began.

Selene was surrounded by an increasingly dense cloud of monsters. Her attacks, though precise, consumed her remaining mana at an alarming rate. The transformation had given her power, but even this had limits.

Elio moved instantaneously toward her, his sword tracing lethal arcs that dispersed the creatures. With a fluid movement, he grabbed her and carried her toward the barrier. Their crystalline wings of their shared transformation, kept them suspended in the air while the monsters fluttered at a prudent distance.

♢♢♢♢

"Each barrier they cross increases their power," Elio explained, his eyes fixed on the artromus still waiting in the distance.

"The one who escaped has already crossed two, his level has tripled."

Selene's eyes narrowed as she processed the information. "That's why he could cross the barrier... they needed ten level 10 kills."

"And there's more," Elio continued. "The next ring has stronger monsters. It's obvious he's setting a trap for us, but..."

"Then let's return," Selene interrupted. "We can't..."

"No," Elio's voice was firm. "You return. I'm going to follow him."

"The city needs you," Selene's voice cut through Elio's determination.