Chapter 65: Keep Up

The level-up healed his body, restored his stamina, even filled his mental reserves. But it didn't touch his emotions. It didn't reset them, didn't dull them, didn't do anything at all to the fury still burning through him.

*I'M GOING TO KILL ALL OF YOU!*

Michael was known to everybody as a rather cold hearted and distant person. Not just random people who were just acquainted with him but also his friends and even his family thought about him like that.

What they did not know though was that he had a rather emotional personality. What made him different was that he was a rational person at the same time. He could not become emotional for little, harmless things that could and would be solved easily such as getting minor injuries or iillness. It was not rational to be sad about something that would be solved soon. Most of the daily struggles were minor problems. You failed an exam, try again later. Someone was mean to you, ignore him or be mean back. That was not the case for serious and irreversible problems such as deaths or other disasters.

His parents would not come back. They were gone. There was no rational way to solve this *problem*.

Consumed by rage, he started looking for more monsters — for targets. Although the ones who killed his parents were different monsters, to him every monster represented his parents murderers and needed to die.

He caught sight of Julian across the street, fighting alongside his monster against several monsters at once, clearly in trouble. However, Michael didn't care. Not even a little. The only thing that mattered to him right now were the monsters and how to kill them as soon as possible.

He didn't think it through. He teleported straight into the middle of them, something he never would have risked with a clear head — not with what it cost in mana. He cut into them with the same fast, brutal strikes as before, three of them dead before they even noticed he was there.

[You have killed a Hound-Fox-Variant (Level 4)]

[You have received 100 Experience Points]

[You have killed a Hound-Fox-Variant (Level 3)]

[You have received 50 Experience Points]

[You have killed a Hound-Fox-Variant (Level 3)]

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[You have received 50 Experience Points]

"Michael, there you are, finally. Where have you been and what the hell are you doing?!" asked Julian out of breath and with minor wounds on his arms.

Michael ignored him completely and attacked two more monsters, that were busy and distracted fighthing Julian and his monster. Even though they registered him as another enemy they were completely helpless and could not defend the attacks from behind. Both of them died by the hands and sword of Michael.

[You have killed a Hound-Fox-Variant (Level 4)]

[You have received 100 Experience Points]

[You have killed a Hound-Fox-Variant (Level 3)]

[You have received 50 Experience Points]

Right after the last monster died he turned away without saying a word and walked off in a different direction in search of more monsters to kill.

"Michael, where are you going?!" asked Julian in disbelieve.

He kept ignoring him and found another prey. He teleported a few meters ahead, right into the path of another Hound-Fox-Variant charging at him. The monster did not expect Michaels move and was completely defensless. Michael easily cut it open from the side.

[You have killed a Hound-Fox-Variant (Level 3)]

[You have received 50 Experience Points]

Another one noticed him and lunged forward. Michael didn't fall back or evade with a side step. He just swung his sword straight ahead, cutting the creature open in mid-air as it sprang at him.

[You have killed a Hound-Fox (Level 3)]

[You have received 50 Experience Points]

Although he killed it, the monsters dead body crashed at him with its heavy weight because Michael didn't even try getting out of the way of what was left of it in time. Its dead weight took him down to the ground with it.

"Nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnghh."

A dull ringing tore through his skull from the impact, and a sharp jolt of pain shot up his back where he'd hit the asphalt with the corpse lying on him. The daze cut straight through all of his emotions, and in particular the rage. It didn't disappear — not completely — but for the first time since the car crash, he could actually think again. The pain and the dull ringing had finally suppressed his rage.

He shoved the dead body off himself and got up.

"Michael. Michael. Are you okay?" Julian jogged over before he could move away again, spear still in hand. "Where are you going? The Juridicum's this way! Look — I can guess what kind of message you got. But don't forget, all of us — every single one of us — are dealing with something like this right now. There isn't a single person left who hasn't lost somebody. And besides... you got a message. I don't know who it was from, but whoever it was, they clearly mean something to you if they reached out to you in a situation like this. That means you've still got people out there worth living for. Worth fighting for."

*First Johannes, now Julian. Why is everyone suddenly being so reasonable, all of a sudden?! Like I don't already know that!!!* thought Michael, not knowing if he should get angry or not. *I still want to kill more of this fucking beasts!*

After some further thoughts he finally answered, "Change of plans. We're going the rest of the way on foot. I'm going to kill everything on the way there that isn't human. And I'm not slowing down for you. Keep up if you can. Or do whatever you want to do."

Julian blinked in surprise. "What— okay. Fine. It's not that much farther to the Juridicum anyway." He fell into step beside him. "And I've been seeing fresh fight marks the whole way here. The others can't be too far off."