The fight began.
Celimity attacked from all directions. Her movements were swift, like shadows tearing through the air. Little Fang's claws slashed, and Vale barely managed to dodge, though not completely.
One claw raked across his wrist.
Crash!
Blood sprayed. A gaping wound opened.
Celimity simply stared, almost expressionless… as if she were enjoying Vale's suffering.
Without pause, Celimity launched another flurry of attacks, wild, fast, and deadly. Vale stumbled. He was unarmed. His hands were empty. He wouldn't last long like this.
But amidst the onslaught, his eyes caught a glint on the ground—his knife, dropped during the first attack.
In an instant, he bent, grasping the hilt.
Sring!
The scrape of metal on claw echoed. Both recoiled. They stared. Silence.
Analyzing each other.
Their movements slowed. Breaths regulated. Minds raced.
Then they moved, each to opposite sides—searching for an opening, waiting for the moment.
Vale opened his system inventory with a swift touch. A transparent panel shimmered into existence.
[YES]
[Attack boost activated.]
[Speed increased by 10%]
A faint aura enveloped Vale. His body felt lighter.
He lunged.
Fast. Direct. His knife aimed for Celimity's chest.
But—
The attack… wasn't fast enough. Not deep enough.
Not strong enough to pierce the evolved enemy's skin.
Leaping back several steps.
Vale growled softly, frustrated.
Defeating an evolved boss couldn't be done with brute force alone. He needed strategy, and an opportunity to wound her.
But as he considered his next tactic…
"Disappearing…?" Vale was stunned. Celimity vanished from sight.
A shadow on the ground slowly coalesced into a figure behind him—and in a flash, a kick slammed into his body with brutal force.
Brakkk!
Vale was sent flying, tumbling across the ground, his body hitting the hard earth, sending dust flying.
[!! Warning !!]
The shadow reappeared. Celimity was back, this time not to kick.
Her claws rose high. Her eyes were cold. No pretense of play. She wanted to end this fight.
"Finally!" Celimity smiled, having waited for this opportunity.
"Damn…!" Vale had no time to dodge.
Slashh!
The claws tore into him. Blood erupted. The wound ripped through his clothes and skin. Pain shot through his entire body. Blood trickled from his mouth.
His body crashed to the ground, sprawled out.
His breath came in ragged gasps. His vision blurred. But… he wasn't giving up.
Vale smiled.
"Got you…" his palm opened wide, then quickly closed again.
Suddenly, a magic circle appeared, enveloping his body, swirling like a slowly rotating ring of light.
[Ability activated.]
Celimity's eyes widened. But it was too late.
In the blink of an eye, Vale was behind her. The knife in his hand dripped fresh blood—still warm.
Celimity slowly lowered her gaze… to her own body.
Sring!!
A deep wound opened across her side. Blood flowed freely, staining the earth. Her legs trembled.
"So fast…" she murmured, her voice hoarse.
Blood trickled from the corner of her lip. Her breath grew labored. She never imagined… she could be defeated by a human.
She turned. Her gaze wavered between shock and… surrender.
But at that moment, Vale pulled something from his system inventory—a small, dimly glowing piece of paper. A spell.
Without a word, he aimed it directly at Celimity's body.
A flash of light appeared. Moved.
The spell briefly burned the air, then absorbed into his enemy's body.
Celimity's wounds began to heal.
She was stunned. Her breath still ragged, but her body was already stabilizing. Hesitantly, she stood, then looked at Vale.
"Wh… why did you heal me?"
Her voice trembled. Filled with confusion.
Vale didn't answer. His gaze remained calm, but there was something in his eyes that Celimity couldn't understand.
In his mind, the notification that appeared when he was sent flying echoed.
[You must injure Celimity!]
[Bonus Quest: Celimity will obey your commands.]
[Status Up]
[LV: 3]
[STR: +7]
[AGI: +7]
[VIT: +7]
[INT: 6]
[DEX: 5]
He didn't need to think long. The system had decided Celimity's role. And like everything he had experienced since entering this world… not everything needed to be understood.
Vale remained silent.
He only did one thing: followed the path the system opened for him.
He activated the speed and attack enhancement potions, prepared in case things went awry. But Celimity just stood there, confused, stunned… and no longer attacking.
Then, before they could speak further…
A blue light enveloped Vale.
In an instant, he was ejected from the Tropical Forest.
His body teleported automatically.
He returned to the place where he was first teleported.
Quiet. Peaceful. No monster sounds.
Only the sound of his own breath… and a question that now arose in his mind:
Vale seemed restless.
He was searching for someone—Viona had disappeared.
His head swiveled, his eyes scanning the hot, bustling crowd of Monity City.
Then, his gaze fell upon the clock tower in the distance. The hour and minute hands pointed straight up, midday.
Vale was stunned.
"It's… noon?" he murmured softly.
His hands suddenly trembled, as if losing control. He tried to steady them with his other hand. But it didn't stop there; his right leg also began to shake.
Something.
Something invisible, but felt like air pressure, like an unheard whisper, like the presence of unseen danger.
"What is this…? I feel a terrible aura," he whispered, his voice slightly trembling.
Vale looked around, but found nothing suspicious. Finally, he decided to return to the apartment, in case Viona was in her room.
His steps were quick, cautious. He arrived at Viona's door and slowly turned the doorknob.
Cklek—
The door opened slowly. Dark.
The window curtains were drawn tight, making the room dim despite the bright day. Vale immediately went to the window and opened the curtains.
Light flooded in, revealing the contents of the room.
On the table, his eyes were immediately drawn to an open, old book.
Its color was dull, its leather cracked, as if it hadn't been touched in a long time.
Vale approached and touched the book, then began turning the pages one by one.
However, he soon noticed something odd.
The writing in the book… was in a language he recognized. But he couldn't translate its meaning.
Strange characters lined up neatly, similar to those he had once studied in his original world. He continued turning the pages, hoping to find something understandable.
Page after page…
Until he reached page 12.
His eyes widened.
At the very bottom of the page—written clearly in a mixture of characters and the language of this world that he could read, 'Vale Zorca'.
No explanation. No context.
Just a familiar name, standing alone on a foreign page that shouldn't know it.
Vale fell silent.
His breath hitched. His chest rose and fell rapidly.
"What does this mean…?"
His eyes remained fixed on the name, as if from that page, something was looking back at him.
Suddenly, the book reacted.
Without warning, a burst of invisible energy propelled Vale backward, hard and fast. He was thrown, crashing against the wall of the room right at the corner between the bed and the closet.
"Ugh…!"
His body winced in pain. The book was now closed by itself, as if hiding something that shouldn't be seen.
But that wasn't the only strange thing.
From all corners of the room, sounds echoed…
Creaking wood, thin breaths as if from behind the walls, and tiny cracking sounds from an unknown source.
Low, faint tones seeped into Vale's ears—clear enough to make his hair stand on end.
Fear began to creep in. Vale stood slowly, his chest tight with discomfort.
"Where did she get that book?" he thought.
Without wasting time, he hurried towards the door, his intention only to get out of there and find Viona to ask about the book.
But as he was about to leave, the door suddenly closed by itself.
BRAKKK!!
The door slammed shut, deafening him.
Vale recoiled. His eyes widened. He grabbed the doorknob and tried to open it, pulling with all his might. But in vain. It seemed locked from the inside.
"Closed…?" he whispered. "What the hell is this?!"
In the suffocating silence, his eyes slowly turned… back to the table.
The book. Still closed.
But the aura from it… had changed. It felt heavier. Darker. More… alive.
Vale swallowed hard. Doubt filled his chest. But curiosity and anxiety about Viona's whereabouts forced him to fight his fear.
He gritted his teeth. Then, he slowly approached the book. Step by step.
The air felt colder, thinner, as if the room was no longer the room he knew.
His hand reached out, towards the book that stood silent, as if waiting to be touched again.