Enrico stared at the creature before him while running around — a bat nearly twice the size of the previous one, its body covered in black membranes that quivered, emitting constant, discomforting hums. The core was in its chest. The corpse of another monster — possibly a Zara level 2 — lay torn apart just behind it, with flesh ripped off in perfect angles, as if disintegrated by vibrations.
"That one… won't fall easily,"
Enrico muttered, flexing his knees. Heat built up around his legs.
[Ah yes, it only looks like a flying torture device that already shredded another beast of your level. But sure, it'll be fine.]
"Why don't you go to sleep and let me focus?"
[I sleep when you're not doing something idiotic. Which, to my sadness, is often.]
'Liar, I'm sure you do sleep sometimes.'
The bat let out a screech that seemed to slice the air into blades. Enrico was forced to roll to the side, but even so, felt the sonic wave ricochet through his body. His eardrums rang, and for a moment, his vision warped.
"Sound magic… great," he growled, struggling to steady himself.
[You attract every kind of disaster. I'm sure there's a bad luck magnet hidden in your body.]
"Or maybe it's just talent."
[No. It's bad luck.]
Enrico clenched his fists and focused mana into his feet. An intense flame exploded beneath his heels — Fire Kick. With a sudden burst, he rushed toward the bat, zigzagging through the air faster than usual.
The bat bared its fangs and spread its wings. A new sonic wave was fired, this time sharper and more direct. Enrico crossed his arms in front of his face, channeling magic into them, barely containing the impact.
"He… he's calculating the timing between my jumps. Smart… I hate increased difficulty."
Enrico grinned despite the blood running from his nose.
"I think I like challenges — they help me improve even more."
[You just like getting beat up, that's what it is.]
Enrico then leapt, spinning in the air with a horizontal kick wrapped in flames. The bat pulled back, but the fire grazed its right wing, leaving black marks.
"Your reflexes are good. But let's see how much you can take"
With another Fire Kick, Enrico charged again, this time veering left at the last second. He placed a hand on the ground and spun both legs upward, releasing a spiral fire blast that he molded mid-motion.
The creature was grazed and responded with a deep, nearly imperceptible sound. The ground vibrated, and Enrico felt his legs weaken for a moment.
"Ah… this is… maybe low-frequency magic? You trying to mess with my organs now, bastard?"
[You should be impressed, he studied physics while you read generic novels.]
"Hey, don't underestimate the narrative value of a cliché novel!"
The battle continued — a chaotic ballet of sound and fire. Enrico was sweating but smiling. His attacks were getting sharper, his dodges more efficient. He was starting to predict the bat's sound patterns, feeling his body adapt to the rhythm.
[You're smiling]
"Am I?"
[Yes, That's concerning]
"It's not… it's just that… I can keep up. For the first time, I'm evolving during the fight without any help."
The bat screeched again, trying to push him back,but Enrico responded with a direct explosion beneath his feet, flying toward the creature. In the air, he created an arrow and drove it into its chest where the core was.
The creature screamed loudly, and the sonic wave hurled Enrico violently against the cave wall. But even while fallen, he laughed a bit — it was the first time he felt like this.
[You're laughing again. This isn't anime, you know.]
"I know, but I can't help it — with this feeling."
His muscles trembled, his whole body ached, but something was growing inside him — not strength, but adaptation. It was as if, by dancing with death, he was forging a new version of himself — more precise, more… lethal.
The bat lost altitude and crashed into the ground with force, breathing heavily, the creature was still dangerous, but now… vulnerable.
"Time to finish it."
Enrico concentrated mana in his palm and summoned the Elemental Clone, creating a copy of himself made of fire and igniting his own clothes in flames. The bat saw only two lights separating in the dark.
The creature rushed in one direction while Enrico ran the other, confusing it — and when it attacked the clone, Enrico jumped with force and fired two flaming arrows at once.
"Time to test… double arrow."
Both struck the bat's chest, and a final explosion lit up the cave. Silence fell.
[…You won.]
Enrico dropped to his knees, exhausted, panting,the shirt had completely burned away, along with part of the pants.
"Not only did I win — I feel like I improved."
[Hmm… I admit, you're not just a reckless idiot… your intelligence always surprises me.]
"Thanks for the compliment…"
[Don't get used to it.]
The system displayed a new message while Enrico, even covered in blood and sweat, smiled like it was the best night of his life. He grabbed the fragment and also took the one from the other bat it had defeated.
"Three out of seven — now only four left."
Enrico ventured deeper. Before every new fight, he rested, scouted the perimeter, and used it to defeat the Nartheis bats. He managed to find and defeat two more.
"Only two left."
[Isn't this taking long? It's been five hours and you only found those.]
They both heard a noise, and Enrico sighed — the fun was over.
"Well, I wanted to defeat them all before this happened."
[That is…]
Enrico channeled magic through his entire body, preparing himself as he saw a large silhouette — more humanoid in appearance.
"In the original story, that villain had to defeat a Nartheis Ranvil level one to get all seven fragments at once."
Before Enrico stood a creature about two meters tall, with a thin, wiry body covered in dark, leathery skin. Its long arms reached its knees, and bat wings sprouted from its back, folded like an organic cloak with thick membranes and pulsing veins.
"Well, at least I got here before he devoured the other five."
Enrico looked at the Nartheis, still Zara level 2 but clearly about to evolve.
Name: Zubai — Nartheis Classification Zara Level 2 (about to evolve into Faizes)
Magic: Sound Manipulation and Black Mist
Unique Skill: ???????
The creature saw Enrico and assumed a stance, opening its wings and placing a hand on the ground.
"Looks like it already has two of the three magics it gets in the future."
In the original story, there was a flashback of that minor villain defeating these creatures — as if the author was showing how strong he was before being defeated by Kai, who had reached a higher level.
The bat vanished, and the first attack struck Enrico's arm — which he had just barely managed to raise in time.