Chapter 623 Marching Forward—Fighting Unarmed

Carrying Jewel on his head, Alex presses forward through the Northern Wastelands. By now, he’s not wearing his armor, though he still has it slotted, meaning he’s benefiting from the stat increases without being able to use its special effects or enjoy the additional protection against attacks. Wearing a casual black shirt, running shoes, and black pants, he looks like a jogger who took a wrong turn and somehow ended up thousands of kilometers away from the local park, at the very ends of the world in the Northern Wastelands.

Despite the cold, harsh conditions and the vastness of the wilderness, Alex does not simply jog, but runs at a fast pace, advancing swiftly, relying on his STR, AGI, and PHY, all exceptional even for the superhumans of this world, as well as his new True Zoldyck-Style Assassin Martial Arts, which increase his movement speed not only in battle, but even while traversing long distances.

Running over hill after hill, sporadically glancing at the built-in compass of his [Destiny Watch (Orbment) R2], Alex makes steady progress.

“This is...” Alex mutters. “Boring!”

“I’ve been running for hours...” Alex points out. “Man, I gotta get used to travelling like this. I’m almost feeling like Gimli when chasing after the damn orcs. There was a good reason why I was kinda fat before all of this happened... fuck, this is such a bore. Not even anything interesting to look at.”

Soulmate does not need to hurry. He should enjoy the journey.

“I agree... but I just can’t! Firstly, this is boring as shit and not enjoyable,” Alex says, still running. “More importantly, your evolution takes precedence... just as you said, I’m also willing to go as far as needed to make sure it ends well.”

❤️Princess Jewel will thank Soulmate personally once this is all over!

Is this supposed to be a threat?

With an ever-so-slight change in scenery, more and more plants, as well as some trees, begin to appear, making the wasteland look just a tad friendlier, signaling at least some progress. However, Alex’s face suddenly turns pale, and he stops, screaming, “FUCK!”

What is it, Soulmate?

“I made a huge mistake! Couldn’t we have gone north... maybe through the frozen wastelands and then through the ocean? With my Swimfin Conjuration, that may have been faster! I can swim incredibly fast, after all. What a fucking mistake....” Alex points out, slapping his forehead.

Soulmate has enough time. It’s always good to start in a city. Soulmate shouldn’t worry. There is no need for risks just yet. Also... Princess Jewel suggests stealing the Dragon Radar. Since Bulma’s location is not quite clear, she might still be at home.

“What’s wrong with you, Jewel... you are so reliable and smart!” Alex points out in shock.

Princess Jewel feels slightly different... not only her body, but her mind feels a little strange.

In any case, the other alternative would be Prince Peasant’s airship, which also contains a global Dragon Radar.

“Well... some things never change,” Alex says, grinning. “His name is Pilaf... and he’s the dipshit who will, or may already have, released King Piccolo.”

“Prince Peasant, pfft let’s just cont—” Alex repeats, unable to stop himself from smiling; however, he suddenly stops as he sees a group of people in front of him, confidently standing in his way, blocking the path.

Alex takes a good look at them. A beast strongly resembling a bear, but wearing clothes and standing on two legs like a human, along with a smaller tiger-man, as well as multiple humans and other beastmen, all armed with sabers, swords, and even guns and rifles. The saber carried by the bearman looks especially intimidating and dangerous.

“Hehe... a lone traveler in our Wastelands... weird, I don’t remember him paying the toll. Could it be I’m indeed going senile, guys?” the bearman speaks up loudly, causing his group to laugh.

“Hahahaha.”

“You are joking, boss.”

“Of course not....”

“Hehe,” the bearman snickers before his voice turns cold. “Then that must mean... you didn’t pay our toll!”

“Could you hurry up a little?” Alex asks. “I was tired and in need of some destruction, but smelly flies like you are not something to look forward to; on the contrary, you worsen my already bad mood even more.”

Soulmate! Please remember to reequip Soulmate’s items!

“No need,” Alex says, cracking his knuckles. “There is a good chance I can’t use them for my next real fights anyway... gotta see where I stand without them.”

“Did you hear that?” The bearman asks his men. “Look, we were gonna offer you the chance to give us all your money and capsules, and then we might have let you go after a few punches or biting off an arm or two... but hey, if you desperately want to end up on today’s grill, we’ll gladly oblige... hehehe! I’m hungry already. Guys... get him!”

“Capsules?” Alex perks up. “I guess if you want to steal some of them, you must have some yourselves... I’ll accept!”

“Take a good look and give me some feedback, Jewel,” Alex says, confidently approaching the bandits, who stare at him in shock.

Without any warning, Alex uses Ren and suddenly darts forward, transforming his hands into deadly, razor-sharp claws, immediately appearing before the bearman, the leader of the small group of bandits.

The leader, slightly surprised, slashes at Alex, only for him to dodge, just barely stepping aside, not wasting any movement before stabbing his right hand, covered in Aura, directly into the throat of the Beastman.

You have dealt 98 x 3 = 294 damage to Bearman Boss-Bandit

You have crippled Bearman Boss-Bandit (Throat)

You have caused bleeding (Throat)

Blood dripping onto his hand, the Bearman stares down at Alex in shock, desperately trying to pull his hand away.

You have dealt 10 damage to Bearman Boss-Bandit

You have dealt 10 damage to Bearman Boss-Bandit

“Ughhkkk...gukk...” the man gurgles, his throat destroyed, barely hanging on, as Alex rips his claw-hand out of his throat, creating a fountain of blood as the bearman collapses and his men stare at Alex in horror.

You have dealt 30 damage to Bearman Boss-Bandit

You have killed Bearman Boss-Bandit

“He killed him!”

“Avenge the bos—”

A few men yell, but Alex immediately moves towards them, circling around the bandits in a certain rhythm, creating multiple phantom images of himself, skillfully performing Rhythm Echo.

Slowly and steadily closing in on the bandits, Alex and his images perform the same stabbing motions, causing one soldier to die instantly, before Alex continues with Rhythm Echo, his illusions only briefly flickering before reappearing in their full form, Alex able to almost keep up the technique despite attacking.

You have dealt 102 x 3 = 306 to Bandit (Human)

You have killed Bandit (Human)

You have dealt 70 x 3 = 210 to Bandit (Armadillo)

You have killed Bandit (Armadillo)

The training paid off... I don’t even need to try... I can simply stab their necks, and they can’t deal with my techniques and speed.

One by one, Alex decisively kills anyone in his way, his attacks boosted by his new Martial Arts style, as well as Claw Proficiency, which works to a certain extent, even without claws or Mustrano equipped, dealing horrible and lethal damage with each strike, far too much for the simple bandits to tank, despite them being twice as strong as a regular human.

The beastmen, on the other hand, are even a tad stronger, yet are still unable to put up any meaningful resistance.

You have dealt 102 x 3 = 306 to Bandit (Human)

You have killed Bandit (Human)

...

You have dealt 105 x 3 = 306 to Bandit (Grasshopper)

You have killed Bandit (Grasshopper)

...

You have dealt 99 x 3 = 297 to Bandit (Ratman)

You have killed Bandit (Ratman)

Alex, tired of slaughtering the bandits, approaches the remaining three, easily dodging two of them in melee combat as they attack him with a club and an axe. 

Suddenly, a human bandit shoots at him using a primitive looking gun; Alex uses his SNS to predict the path of the bullets and dodges them without too much difficulty, surprising even himself.

The technology here... so random. Some things look ancient while others are quite modern. In some ways, it’s way beyond Earth, but in some ways, it’s a century behind.

Smiling, Alex uses his Aura to propel himself forward and deliver a knee kick to the man’s throat.

You have dealt 61 x 3 = 183 damage to Bandit (Human)

You have killed Bandit (Human)

“We... we give up!” one of the last two bandits, a dog Beastman, says, raising his paw-hands, while his human partner falls to his knees.

Alex does not reply. He simply steps forward, beheading the man on the ground with his claw, using his razor-sharp nails like a blade.

You have dealt 126 x 3 = 378 damage to Bandit (Human)

You have killed Bandit (Human)

“BASTARD!” the dog Beastman yells, biting towards Alex, only for him to uppercut his throat.

You have dealt 51 x 3 = 153 damage to Bandit (Dogman)

You have stunned Bandit (Dogman)

Finally, he delivers a kick to the beastman’s head, twisting and breaking his neck in a clean and ruthless attack.

You have dealt 81 x 3 = 243 damage to Bandit (Dogman)

You have killed Bandit (Dogman)

❤️Princess Jewel is so amazed by Soulmate! He’s so strong now, even unarmed. Princess Jewel has no complaints, and she is serious. Soulmate is invincible!

“Not really...” Alex says, turning to Jewel, seeing that she’s already collecting two White Chests, along with a few small capsule cases and a few loose bills.

Compared to some of the fighters here... I fear I’m actually quite outclassed... I need to use my head to still come out ahead! The worst thing I could do is get power-drunk after beating these losers.

Soulmate really is! These peasant robbers were physically strong... some of them, especially the beastmen, had over 200 HP... yet Soulmate can kill them with one clean attack, even unarmed. That is impressive. His fighting style is not only that of a Martial Artist, but it also has the decisive offense of a Master Assassin.

This is Soulmate’s prize... two White Chests, a few cases with bean-looking capsules, and a few bills.

You received 80,000 Zeni

You received Capsule Case

You received Capsule Case

You received Capsule Case

You received Chest (White)

You received Chest (White)

Alex grabs a normal jacket dropped by a bandit and uses it to wipe his hands clean before gently stroking Jewel, who’s waiting in front of him on her best behavior.

“Thank you, Jewel,” he says, staring at her and feeling her cool skin. “I’m gonna miss your current self a lot; who knew I’d ever like the appearance of a spider... half a year ago, they scared the living shit out of me.”

❤️

Like a cute dog... picking up stuff for me... only that it has ruby-red teeth capable of killing almost anyone... or anything.

Alex quickly switches and re-equips his two Pluto items, then opens the Chest.

You received Bandit’s Giant Saber

You received 3,000 FC

You received 30,000 Zeni

You received 5,000 FC

You received 10,000 Zeni

“So much Zeni!” Alex remarks with a grin.

Soulmate... Zeni is similar to Yen. While this world was created when the Yen was a little stronger than it is today, it’s still not much.

“Damn, so this is only around 1k bucks? No... even less...” Alex laments, already switching his equipment back. “These Chests sucked... but well, some FC can’t hurt... but what about the [Bandit’s Giant Saber]?”

[Bandit’s Giant Saber]

World: Dragon Ball

Quality: Green

Type: 2-Handed Sword (Saber)

Required Stats: STR - 15, PHY - 8

Durability: 60/60

Damage: 30-40

Effect: Very Heavy - Decreases attack speed by 20% but increases base damage of the weapon by 20%.

Note: A huge, unwieldy saber that requires an enormous amount of strength to wield. Its slashes are slow, but quite deadly.

“Trash... high damage for a Green weapon, but it’s a two-handed sword, and it reduces attack speed,” Alex comments. “Well... shards, here we go.”

“Let’s move on... though it wasted a couple of minutes... we might as well pick up some more loot if we encounter more bandits... and we even found a few capsules,” Alex says, looking at the three capsule cases.

Alex opens the first one and sees only a single capsule inside.

[Capsule (unknown)]

World: Dragon Ball

Effect: Pressing the button on top of it causes it to transform into the original item.

Note: Unknown and early-series Capsule created by the Capsule Corporation. It only offers limited space for various items.

Alex presses the button on the capsule and throws it onto the ground. After a small smoke explosion, he sees a large fridge in front of him.

What will I get?! Lootbox time!