Skill Forge: Broken Extra Character

"Listen closely," Cormac instructed, his voice calm but urgent. "I'll draw their attention, and when they're all distracted, I want you to run. Do you understand?" As he spoke, a vibrant orange aura began to envelop his body, shimmering with power and intensity.

Jett's eyes widened in awe. "Seventh level orange aura? You're pretty amazing," he said, his voice tinged with admiration. "Thank you for your service."

Without waiting for Cormac's response, Jett activated his skill.

[Dash D]

[+5% speed boost]

[Duration: 2 minutes]

[Cooldown: 10 minutes]

He sprinted away, leaving Cormac behind. "I'll leave them to you," Jett called over his shoulder, his voice already fading with distance.

Cormac watched Jett's hasty retreat, a sigh of utter disappointment escaping his lips. 'I know I offered to stay behind, but wasn't he too hasty? He didn't even have second thoughts,' he thought, a mix of frustration and resignation in his heart.

Taking a deep breath to steady himself, Cormac turned his focus back to the enemy. His aura flared brighter as he prepared to engage. With a roar, he launched himself at the mercenaries, even though he knew he couldn't take them all on at once.

[Cage Trap C]

[Create a 20m radius space within 3 seconds where targets may only leave or enter on the user's command, but the user is also unable to leave until the skill is undone. +3% Strength and speed boost for the user. -3% strength and speed for all targets.]

[Duration: 5 minutes]

[Cooldown: 1 hour]

A translucent barrier formed around them, sealing them in a 20-meter radius. The air inside the cage thickened, and Cormac could feel the slight boost in his strength and speed, even as he sensed the mercenaries weakening.

"Alright," Cormac muttered to himself. "Let's see what you've got."

His plan was clear: trap the mercenaries in this space, sacrificing himself to give Jett enough time to escape. Jett, understanding Cormac's intent without a word, decided to play along.

However, three of the five mercenaries managed to escape before the skill was completed and gave chase after Jett, leaving behind the two strongest the mage and their leader, the tanker.

Cormac's heart sank. His chest tightened with disappointment. 'I failed to trap them all,' he thought, his mind racing with self-recrimination. But he forced himself to breathe deeply, reassuring himself, 'At least Jett has a better chance with only those three chasing him.'

The tanker, observing Cormac's outward calm, grinned arrogantly. "You seem a bit too relaxed, Cormac. Are you hiding an ace up your sleeve?"

The mage chuckled, eyes gleaming with amusement. "Or perhaps he thinks we didn't dodge his skill and that the others won't catch the poor boy."

Cormac's expression remained stoic as he sighed. "My name," he advised, "refrain from using it again."

The tanker looked puzzled. "What?"

"I said don't address me by my name," Cormac replied, his voice low and dangerous. "The only people allowed to speak it are those who've earned it or those I've allowed to live long enough."

The mage interrupted, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "Are you threatening us? Boss, are you even listening to this guy?"

The tanker couldn't hold back his laughter any longer, breaking into a mocking guffaw. "Bwaaahaha, I don't think I've ever been disrespected to this extent. We don't get paid enough for this. What can you do? Aren't we both seventh-level orange aura users? My companion here is a ninth-level intermediate user, and we're both over level 70.

If you beg now, I'll make your death quicker."

"I decline. Our levels don't mean anything if you don't know what you're fighting for," Cormac replied, his face devoid of emotion, as if he saw them as mere obstacles.

"That's the famous Cormac Keys for you. The Grift Machine, or your other nickname, Thunder God Executioner, still acting tough even when cornered," the tanker remarked, trying to provoke him with his reputation.

"Why would I surrender to the likes of you? And like I said, refrain from speaking my name." Cormac drew a long chain from his storage pouch, clamping one end to his spear and tying the other end to his arm. "I'll make this quick since I'm still concerned about the young master's wellbeing."

"I agree!" the mage yelled before casting her spell.

{Mud Prison}

An earth cage erupted where Cormac had stood, but he wasn't inside. Confusion flashed across their faces as they looked around. 'Huh? Where'd he go?' they both wondered.

In an instant, Cormac appeared behind the mage, moving with incredible speed. His spear aimed for her back, but the tanker barely managed to intercept the strike.

"You're really fast. Must be a perk of using the lightning attribute," the tanker remarked, blocking Cormac's attack. "You went for the mage first. Wise choice, hehe."

"Please, just give up. I don't have time for this," Cormac replied, still mid-air as he kicked the tanker away.

The tanker skidded back, quickly shielding himself and maneuvering to create more distance between Cormac and the mage. He planted his feet firmly, his eyes narrowing in determination.

Cormac paused, assessing both of them. "I see you don't want to make this easy."

'The hell? Shouldn't I be on par with him?' the tanker thought, his mind now a mix of anger and confusion.

*****

The druid, archer, and warrior chased Jett for what seemed like an eternity, but after two minutes, they still hadn't caught sight of him.

"Stop, something isn't right. I've seen that crooked tree five times already," the archer pointed out, his eyes narrowing as he scanned the surroundings.

"Yes, me too," the druid agreed, closely inspecting the tree with a frown.

"Are you sure you're not seeing things?" the warrior asked, oblivious to what the others were noticing. "But I can't believe we still haven't caught the brat yet."

"Yeah, let's get this over with already. The pay for this job was too generous; I thought we were going after a general or a rare beast," the archer muttered, sitting down and feeling a bit fatigued.

"Is it just me, or is my Aura draining faster than normal? Like it's leaking excessively just by standing?" the warrior asked, examining himself with growing concern.

From a safe distance, Jett smiled, his eyes glinting with satisfaction. 'Seems like it's already taken effect.'

Since the chase started, Jett had erected a barrier using [Tactical Mirage], a skill that had undergone numerous upgrades. Within this space, he could freely manipulate it to create illusions of his choice.

The barrier was slowly sapping their HP and Aura, leaving them increasingly vulnerable.

"My Aura, it's really depleting," the archer screamed, realizing she could faintly feel the drain even though she hadn't attempted to use it the whole time.

"Same with mine," the druid agreed, her voice tinged with panic.

"And mine too," seconded the warrior, now fully aware of the dire situation.

As they finally noticed the relentless drain on their life force, it was already too late. The exhaustion and depletion were evident in their paling faces and weakening stances, the realization hitting them like a tidal wave of despair.

The druid quickly sensed something was amiss. "We've had enough of your silly game, child."

[Search]

"Found you." She smiled triumphantly as she pinpointed Jett's location and launched a ranged claw attack.

'I made my presence known and the first thing that comes to mind is trying to kill me? You're lucky I'm in a good mood,' Jett sulked inwardly.

"There he is! Let's end him and leave this place; I'm starving," the warrior complained.

"Quit complaining and attack him already," the archer ordered.

They all rushed at Jett, but he evaded their attacks flawlessly, his movements fluid and precise.

"Was that a trick? He just evaded us, right?" the druid muttered, eyes wide with disbelief.

Jett watched them with a mix of amusement and confusion. "An archer, a druid, a warrior, a mage, and a tanker. A well-balanced team. Even the way you divided yourselves fits the situation. But there's still a flaw in your planning. Want to know what it is?" he playfully taunted them.

His smile, unsettling and confident, made the others wary. They shifted uncomfortably, as the noticed his fearlessness.

"You don't want to know? I was going to tell you anyway since none of you will still be breathing after now."

"That's it! Who raised such an arrogant kid? Let's do this, guys. He's just a kid," the druid yelled as she charged towards Jett, backed by her allies.

[Beastman Transformation A]

[Snipe B]

[Boost C]

[Blade Dance B]

They attacked Jett with renewed vigor, but he dodged their every move with ease, taking them on both on the ground and in mid-air without even drawing his sword.

"You're too slow," Jett lectured, evading a swipe from the warrior. "Your stance is too wide; it leaves you off balance."

He ducked under a barrage of arrows from the archer. "You rely too much on your range. Close the gap when your opponent is faster."

As the druid attempted to ensnare him with vines, Jett leaped gracefully over her attack. "Your spells take too long to cast. Speed is crucial in battle."

The druid transformed, claws slashing through the air, but Jett countered with a swift kick, sending her sprawling. "Transformation makes you powerful, but it also makes you predictable."

He parried the archer's strikes with his forearm, deflecting each blow with precise movements. "Your form is good, but you're too focused on offense. Defense is just as important."

When the warrior charged with brute force, Jett sidestepped and delivered a sharp elbow to his ribs. "Strength without control is meaningless."

After several failed attempts, the trio lay on the ground, injured and barely clinging to life.

"I have a confession," Jett said, his tone casual. "I own a skill that creates a space where all my stats get boosted while those of my enemies get decreased, while also draining their vitality. It's been active this whole time." He smiled as he explained. "I actually wanted to face you guys at full strength, so I just undid the skill. You should notice it by now."

[Area Heal B]

[Harmony Buff B]

"My injuries are gone?" the archer said, checking herself in disbelief.

The warrior looked confused. "Why do I feel so much stronger all of a sudden? Don't tell me he…"

"Now you can give it more than 100% of your effort. Isn't that wonderful?" Jett's playful tone shifted to serious. "You only have yourself to blame for being so unlucky for accepting to try and assassinate me. So don't disappoint."

"You really shouldn't have done that, kid," the warrior pointed out, a dangerous glint in his eye.

They all took their stances, feeling confident that they could finally take him on. Jett smiled as he watched them slowly advance towards him. When they were close enough, he engulfed himself in his own Aura. It was a bright yellow, indicating his aura was at the advanced level.

"That error in your plan I was talking about, is that I was your target. You all proudly chose suicide without realizing it." Jett explained as he walked closer to the.

'This kid,' the trio thought in unison, their confidence evaporating in an instant. 'He's a monster.'

*

*

*

Blowing up some steam after being locked up for four years I guess.