Chapter 666 - Void Meteor/Cell!
He had seen videos and images of planets affected by void creatures. All of them without exceptions appeared to be devoided of life.
That's because the void creatures absorb all elements and laws around them...Literally.
Air, gravity, earth, plant, water, moisture, heat, and everything that makes a planet look warm and habitable.
If Felix had to guess, this planet was at its last stretch since air and gravity were one the last elements absorbed by the void creatures.
"Some of you might already have guessed our location." The same middle-aged man appeared in front of everyone and sighed, "This is a real simulation of planet Devorra that was lost to the void abominations last decade."
Some of the recruits' expressions turned hateful and nasty at the sound of that.
When it came to a common enemy that everyone in the universe hates, void creatures were number one.
"I love the reactions but let's see if you will keep them when you see this." The middle-aged man chuckled bitterly as he snapped his finger.
The moment he did so, the sky got dimmer and dimmer until the recruits could barely see each other.
They all lifted their heads and were spooked at the harrowing sight before them. A massive dark purplish cloud was falling towards them like a meteor!
Those with better visions couldn't help but take a step back fearfully as they stared at the thousands of void creatures merged together like a big jelly slop.
Because they were in the UVR, no one was spooked enough to run away like a coward. However, they were still terrified by the mere implication that this could happen in real life.
Just as the army of void creatures reached a hundred meters above them, the middle-aged man froze their descent.
This cast a massive shadow above them. Still, everyone's hearts were beating out of their chests at the nightmarish image of those void creatures.
Some of them had multiple heads, some had only a big mouth in their neck, and some appeared to have limbs protruding from the sides of their heads.
Due to their massive numbers, they couldn't get any creepier.
"We call this Void Meteor or a Minor Void Cell." The Middle-aged man enlightened the recruits, "It's when the fleets in space had failed to exterminate a major void cell in space in one go. The minor cells that had survived, they enter the planet's atmosphere."
"Our job as mercs is to clear them out from the planet before they start doing serious damage to it."
Most recruits knew about this since it was only common sense to do extensive research like Felix before attempting to hunt those abominations.
Still, researching was one thing, and seeing it with their own eyes was another.
No one asked why the fleets in space couldn't just send spaceships below to take care of those escapees' cells.
Because they knew that the moment the cell touch the ground, they penetrate through its crust and move underground by absorbing anything that intercept their path.
Because they merged like a giant big slop, their speed while doing so was extremely efficient than a single void creature doing it on his own.
After the escapees' cell dive deep enough and outside the radars of spaceships, they split into hundreds of smaller parts.
Then, those parts spread into different directions and emerge in hundreds of locations on the planet.
After they reach the surface, the void creatures split from each other until the cell ceases to exist.
Then, they began their job of hunting down any lifeform in their path. Animals, beasts, trees, grass...It didn't matter to them.
Since thousands of them were split apart in hundreds of locations, it was impossible for the army to use spaceships to clear them out since they needed every resource to fight the bigger cells in space.
Hence, only brave foot soldiers and mercs were left to clear them out.
Because multiple Void Meteors fall into the planet once in a while, the soldiers and mercs needed to be hasty in their hunt lest the planet gets infested with too many void creatures to handle even for them.
"Since you seem to be well informed on what you are signing in for, I will spare you the details." The middle-aged man crossed his arms and finally introduced himself, "I am Willis Mason but you can refer to me as Big Willi."
'Big Willi? Shouldn't he be ashamed of such a nickname?' Felix's eyelids twitched at the nickname, feeling that it was a bit improper.
But he kept those thoughts to himself and listen to the rest of his introductio.
"I have been serving as a merc for more than two hundred years now. I have already achieved an 'S' ranked status and still fighting those abominations as we speak." Big Willi squinted his eyes dangerously at them and said, "Real fighters that make a difference are always needed in battle. Even the five 'SS' ranked leaders are spread on different planets and commanding their squads on the frontlines."
"For real?"
This threw many recruits off as they believed that the assembly leaders were managing matters related to the guild instead of fighting on frontlines!
It was only common sense to have such an assumption since anyone who reached such a high position would want to rest and enjoy the rewards of his hard work.
"To become a 'SS' ranked merc, one required to hunt so many void creatures you can't even wrap your head around the number." Big Willi snickered, "Do you think anyone with such grit and hate towards the void creatures will stop just after reaching some fancy rank?"
"No! The authority they earned is merely a bonus! Their first goal is always to get rid of this plague that keeps infecting our galaxy at a rapid pace!"
"Even Demon Blade Wilson, one of the most known criminals in the past half-millennial and the leader to Void Harvesters is still accepting missions nonstop!"
"Why do they do it? Is it due to hate, money, fame, and for an unknown reason?" Big Willis barked at them, "No one f*cking cares as long as their actions result in the death of those abominations!"
Big Willis eyed each one of those hundred recruits, making them flinch due to his scary glare.
Then, he said with a suppressed tone, "This applies to you as well. I don't give a shit about your past or cause for joining the mercs as long as you clear missions consistently."
"Am I clear?"
"YES!"
Upon seeing that everyone had received his message loud and clear, Big Willi clapped his hands and the void creatures above them were unfrozen again!
"Nooo!!"
"Why?!!"
"Sun Barrier!"
"Metal Skin!"
The recruits were all scared out of their wits as they watched the void creatures fall on them like doomsday!
Some had allowed their emotions to control them, making them show an unsightly scene to Big Willi while some had toughened themselves up and used whatever defensive abilities they owned.
They knew it was useless but they would rather try than cover their eyes and scream like the others.
Meanwhile, Felix had summoned a shield of lightning around him, making sure to act just like the others.
After all, he owned void immunity, making it impossible for those void creatures to harm him with their energy.
He was literally an immortal being when faced against void creatures as long as they use void energy to attack him.
'F*ck, will they really kill us with void creatures as a test?'
Felix was more worried about this.
How was he supposed to get deleted by the void creatures like the others when his void immunity was always active?
Instead, he would get turned into a paste by the mere force of such a gigantic void cell!
He might be immune to void energy but that would merely make it impossible for the void creatures to go through him, which would result in a really nasty collision!
So, Felix braced himself for a gruesome death, unlike the other recruits who would die painlessly due to being deconstructed almost instantly.
'Uhmm?'
However, no such thing had happened as the moment the void creatures touched Felix, they went through him like they were ghosts.
"It hu....rts?"
"What's going on?"
It didn't happen to just him but everyone else on the field. In a few seconds, the last void creature had disappeared into the ground as well.
It seemed like some recruits knew what's going to happen as they didn't seem surprised by the sudden turn of events.
Those were most likely the trial repeaters.
"The void cell is going to split into hundreds of smaller packs made out of at least five void creatures. Don't worry, they will remain in a 1000 km radius around us."
Disappointed in some of the recruits' b*tchy performance, Big Willi shook his head while summoning hundreds of silver hand canons behind him.
"The trial's duration will be fifteen days. Each one of you will be given three compressors canons only.. So use them wisely to hunt as many as possible."