CHAPTER 157: LEVEL UP!

More airplanes came and descended upon Jewel Lake.

The soldiers got out from the back of the planes and got to work swiftly.

There were some that took care of the injured awakened team members.

Some began to join the rest, getting busy cutting up the carcass of the Apex demonic beast.

One thing that was common among them was that they were all in high spirits as they worked.

Defeating an Apex demonic beast without a huge number of casualties was something they had never imagined possible.

And now that there were awakened teams who could eliminate an Apex demonic beast, the future was looking bright for mankind.

"Come, let’s go."

After the demonic beast core, blood, and tissue of the Apex demonic beast were secured, Sherry spoke to Lukas and the others before boarding one of the airplanes.

Lukas and the other awakened teams followed closely behind her.

They were more than eager to leave this cold, barren place and enjoy a warm, cozy bath.

On the airplane, Terry and Kevin jostled with each other trying to sit near Lukas.

But Harianto and Rex quickly took up the seats beside Lukas.

They figured that Lukas might want some peace and quiet.

Terry sighed and shrugged his shoulders as he took a seat opposite Lukas on the other side of the airplane.

But he wasn’t about to give up so soon.

Being from the Center Battle Administration Area, he knew what would be coming for Lukas, now that he had proved to be able to take on an Apex demonic beast by himself.

And Terry wasn’t going to miss out on that so easily.

"Ho ho. Guess I’ll have to sit over there." Kevin gave out a hearty laugh and slapped the back of his head.

Lukas knew what they were up to, and he only gave them a nod.

He wasn’t in the mood to deal with them.

There were many questions in his mind.

And he needed answers.

He had no one in mind that could answer his queries except for the Leader.

...

They arrived back at the West Battle Administration Area, and the awakened teams were instructed to rest at the hotel first.

Much to the delight of everyone.

Lukas and his team members went back to their room for a good rest.

After entering his room, Lukas couldn’t wait to clean up, so he turned on the tap to prepare for a hot bath.

The hot steam rising from the bathtub relaxed his body as it filled up the bathtub.

When it was filled with warm water, Lukas dipped in.

With his head laid back against the wall, he closed his eyes to savor the moment.

Lukas summoned the system’s information panel in his mind next.

[Ding!]

[Current Slaughter Points: 46200/40000]

[Host Level: 7]

[Current Abilities: 7]

[Level up to next level? Y/N]

He thought "Yes" silently to himself.

A familiar sound erupted in his mind.

Energy flowed into his body immediately.

Lukas thought he could see some of the energy in the surroundings, in a glowing form, as he felt his strength increasing.

His muscles twitched and his bones cracked and fused back together.

He gritted his teeth as he endured the process.

Soon, the energy coming into his body faded and his muscles and bones were back to normal.

Sweat from his forehead dripped into the bathtub.

Lukas could see every moment of the sweat dripping in slow motion.

And when the droplet of sweat hit the bathtub water, he could see the surface of the water break.

He could also hear every bit of sound that was emitted.

Now, he was twice as powerful, and his senses were heightened to the maximum.

A familiar sound erupted in his mind again.

[Ding!]

[Current Slaughter Points: 6200/80000]

[Congratulations on leveling up!]

[Host Level: 8]

[Please select new ability:]

[1. SS Level Flame Ability]

[2. SS Level Water Ability]

[3. S Level Healer Ability]

[4. SSS Level Crimson Pact Ability]

When he thought about the SSS Level Crimson Pact Ability, another information panel popped up in his mind.

[SSS Level Crimson Pact Ability]

[Allows host to have the ability of other awakened through their blood.]

[The usage of the ability through the crimson pact would last for one minute.]

[Add this as new ability? Y/N]

Lukas was intrigued as this reminded him of Lin’s ability.

He didn’t hesitate and thought "Yes" in his mind.

A familiar gust of energy entered his body at the very next moment.

Imagery and knowledge about using the Crimson Pact ability entered his mind.

Lukas then got out of the bathtub.

After he dried himself and got dressed, he went to the cafeteria of the hotel.

Riley and the others were waiting for him for dinner.

"Speak of the devil. Here he is." Rex said when he saw Lukas enter the cafeteria.

Lukas waved at them and sat down in an empty seat.

Emma passed him a cup of coffee, and said, "What do you want for dinner? It’s on us."

Riley, Rex and Harianto nodded at Lukas.

They were grateful for Lukas’s killing of the Apex demonic beast and it was only a small gesture of appreciation.

"Well, it’s been a long while since I had some steak." Lukas said.

Emma proceeded to wave at the waiter and ordered some steak for Lukas.

While they waited, they started chatting.

Lukas briefed them on what had happened in the underground cave.

This astonished them when they heard about what the Apex demonic beast had said.

"Fight them together? Who are they?"

Riley frowned as he tried to think of all the different possibilities.

Did the Apex demonic beast mean other demonic beasts from the other battle administration areas?

He finally gave up and shook his head after a few minutes of pondering.

It was the same for Rex, Emma and Harianto.

They drew a blank like Riley.

Lukas took a sip of his coffee and let out a sigh.

Looks like his initial assessment was right.

The Leader might be the only one to know.

The steaks arrived shortly, and Lukas tucked in quickly.

Riley and the others joined in with their dinner.

After Lukas finished his steaks, he even remembered to order some more for Shiba.

If not for Shiba, he might have had some difficulty getting rid of Lin Fan.

Lukas bid them good night and left for his room after the steaks arrived.

After he left, Riley, Emma, Rex and Harianto’s expressions turned from jovial into a deep frown.