Chapter 87: Zen’s Veil!
Chapter 87
"Zen?!" Erin and Jace called in unison, their voices overlapping with disbelief. The others, who had been clawing at the dirt, fighting against nothing, and screaming in agony, slowly regained their senses as the beast’s veil shattered around them.
One by one, they lifted their heads, blinking against the sudden clarity of the world. The dark illusion that had blanketed the battlefield was gone, replaced by the glaring brightness of the sun that now shone down freely.
"Zen?! Yo... you did that?" Jace asked in shock, his voice trembling as he glanced between Zen and the towering B ranked beast that was sluggishly rising to its feet, its massive form swaying as it shook its dizzy head.
Zen didn’t answer immediately. He stood silently, his pitch-black eyes scanning everyone.
The others, still disoriented, stared back in confusion at the sight of the one person they had all deemed the weakest Reaver standing before them like a completely different man.
"I don’t think we have the time to worry about that right now. We should focus on that!" Vynn barked, forcing everyone’s attention back to the beast.
His eyes narrowed with determination. "I’ve been saving my energy for so long, and I feel like it’s finally time to use it." He muttered as he raised his sword, preparing to unleash his Veil.
But nothing happened.
"Huh?" Vynn froze, staring at his hands. Normally, lightning would crackle and spark the moment he called upon his Veil, yet now they were lifeless, devoid of even a spark.
"What happened?" Aria panted out between heavy breaths, still shaken after enduring the traumatizing illusions.
"I... I don’t know," Vynn stammered, his eyes wide with disbelief as he clenched his fists again. Nothing.
"Whatever. I still need to take my revenge on that overgrown mutt!" Erin snapped angrily, stepping forward with her sword raised.
But the moment she willed her Veil to awaken, her blade remained cold steel. The familiar mist of frost never came. She stared at it in shock. "Huh? Why can’t I activate my Veil?"
Jace tried as well, his sword slicing through the air. He concentrated hard, his body trembling, but there wasn’t even a single drop of water. "I... I can’t use my veil either. What the hell is going on? I have essence, but nothing’s happening!"
"Same here," Vynn added quickly, panic seeping into his voice as he tried again and again. "No matter what I do, it won’t activate!"
The entire group was confused, but there was one person who knew the reason—Zen. And his eyes widened as the truth slammed into him harder than any blow from the beast.
Tring!
{Host has activated his Veil himself. The system is now able to calculate and re-evaluate his Veil.}
{Re-evaluating...}
{Re-evaluation Completed! Veil type discovered.}
[New System Tab Unlocked: Essence Veil]
[Veil Type: Null Veil]
[Current Skill: Null Field]
[Effect: Cancels out all active Veils (buffs, weapon coatings, defensive enhancements, spells) within a 5-meter radius.
Cooldown: Until enough EP is restored.
Cost per Activation: 50 EP for two minutes.]
[New Resource: EP (Essence Points)]
{EP: 50/100}
---
’Holy hell?!’ Zen screamed internally, his heartbeat racing. He blinked rapidly at the glowing system notifications. ’Cancel out every Veil around me? That explains why the others can’t activate theirs right now! Shit! But if their powers are sealed because of me, how are they supposed to help in this fight?’
"What is going on? How are we going to fight like this?" Ryker demanded as he waved his sword, desperation etching across his features.
Zen finally spoke. "Guys," he called out calmly, drawing their attention. He raised his hand to the side, and the air rippled as if reality itself was warping. In a flash, a katana materialized in his grip. The weight of it felt solid, steady, comforting.
"You won’t be able to use your Veils for two minutes," Zen explained, his voice steady though his heart pounded like a war drum.
"But that also means the beast can’t use its Veil either. For those two minutes, it’s just us and our blades. No tricks, no powers. Only pure skill and determination. And I assure you..."
Tring!
{The system has detected animosity from the beast towards host.}
{Quest Alert!}
{Prove the game wrong by breaking past your limits and defeating the B ranked beast for rewards.}
Zen’s eyes narrowed as the quest notification faded. The beast roared, shaking the ground beneath them, but Zen only gripped his katana tighter.
For the first time since entering this world, he felt a strange fire inside him, a conviction that maybe—just maybe he wasn’t as weak as everyone believed.
{Rewards to gain: ???}
Zen just smiled faintly as he crouched down, his katana glowing under the light, his eyes still pitch black.
The others stared at him like he had completely lost his mind, but he didn’t care. Across from him, the beast glared back, its eyes brimming with rage, teeth bared in a vicious snarl.
"We will win... together," Zen whispered aloud, his voice calm yet firm. And without another word, he kicked off the ground with explosive force, vanishing into a blur of speed. His blade trailed slightly behind him, ready to strike.
"Wait! What do you mean by not using our Veils for two minutes?!" Ryker shouted in disbelief, but Zen was already gone, charging headfirst toward the towering monster.
"Well, Veil or no Veil, I’m still gonna kick that piece of shit’s ass!" Vynn thundered, sparks of determination flashing in his eyes as he sprinted forward with his sword gripped tightly.
"Ugh!" Zen grunted as he launched himself high into the air, twisting his body before crashing down toward the beast like a falling meteor. His katana gleamed as he raised it overhead.
AWHOOOO!
The beast howled viciously, its voice rattling the battlefield. But when it glanced around, expecting its dark veil to shield it, all it saw was the bright sun glaring back at it. Its confusion deepened, hesitation flashing across its savage features.
"It won’t work with the pro gamer of the world here!" Zen roared, his voice laced with defiance as he brought his sword slashing downward. The Lycan reacted instantly, leaping back to avoid the strike.
Even so, Zen’s blade grazed its thick hide, drawing no blood but leaving a faint mark that made the beast’s eyes narrow. He landed hard, the impact shaking the ground and carving fissures through the dirt.
"Over here!" Vynn’s voice thundered as he flipped mid-air, his sword glinting as he aimed to carve deep into the Lycan’s neck.
The beast ducked swiftly, its speed astonishing even without its Veil. With a sharp twist, it swung its leg in a brutal arc, aiming to smash Vynn out of the sky.
"Together!" Erin and Jace shouted in unison as they leaped forward from opposite sides. Their boots collided with the beast’s swung leg at the same time, halting its momentum and forcing it to stumble awkwardly to the side.
Seizing the chance, Zen’s eyes narrowed as he activated his now-leveled Inspect skill. Instantly, the beast’s body glowed with markers only he could see. Two light gray spots stood out—one on its head, the other across its abdomen.
His gaze sharpened as he noticed an even darker gray mark over its chest, slightly to the left. Weak points. Then he saw flashes of red on its limbs, back, and shoulders—danger zones where its strength was concentrated.
"Aria! On your left!" Zen roared, his voice cutting through the clash of battle. Below, Vynn, Jace, and Erin continued to keep the beast occupied, clashing steel against claw and raw muscle, their movements fast but desperate without their Veils.
"Kk!" Aria responded sharply, already pulling back her bowstring. She loosed an arrow with deadly precision, the projectile whistling through the air as it streaked toward the beast’s exposed left side.
The Lycan’s ears twitched. It heard the sharp whistle. Its body twisted as it leaped back, narrowly avoiding the shot. But its movement carried it directly into Zen’s path.
"Activate weapon skill now!" Zen bellowed as he charged forward, his katana glowing faintly with condensed energy. He vaulted high into the air, his speed blurring his figure as he swung with everything he had.
{Active Skill: Wind Slash activated}