"It would not be crazy of me to think that even my perception of distance has been messed with… or should I rather say… it's how distance works in here."
Aziel muttered to himself, eyes locked on the streak of light clinging to the cliffside.
This time, it didn't thrash around wildly across space.
Instead, its form sagged and collapsed, flickering between states.
Sometimes solid, sometimes breaking apart into liquid, sometimes vanishing into pure light before stitching itself back together.
Then, after what felt like a long silence, the creature suddenly let out a wretched scream.
The sound ripped through his skull, sharp and grating, like nails dragging across a wall until it split.
A crushing pressure bore down on him. His breath hitched, chest tight, as though his body had been shoved under a gut-wrenching current.
He froze.
From the being's flickering body, a translucent aurora-colored gas began to pour out.
It drifted into the open air and spread in all directions, covering the ground like fog.
Then it gathered at a point away from the creature and began to coil.
Slow at first, then faster, until it formed a tornado, swirling violently.
The vortex grew with every passing moment, its chaotic spin pulling on the landscape itself, while constantly feeding on that gas.
And along with it, the being changed.
Its body thickened into slimy, liquid-like, edges blurring into vapor.
The screams stopped, and compared to before it was rarely flickering now, as if it had finally gained stability.
Boom.
A booming voice thrummed in the distance, arcs of aurora-colored energy spiraling around another creature same as the one in front of him.
Aziel's gaze followed, expecting the same liquid-light discharge he had seen before.
But this one twisted the currents differently.
It stretched its arms outward, letting the energy spiral horizontally, whipping the air around it into chaotic vortices.
The ground below pulsed violently, molten currents surging up toward its core.
Sparks leapt outward, and the tornado-like storm spun faster, tighter, wilder than before.
Then it shuddered violently.
The streams of energy recoiled inward, tangling over one another, a knot it could not hold.
Its form convulsed, flickering between liquid, gas, and near-solid.
A high-pitched crack split the air, and the core seemed to implode, folding in on itself.
Aziel stumbled back instinctively, eyes wide.
The being collapsed.
Not with a scream, not with a flash, but just a sudden absence, like the storm had devoured itself.
He observed the process keenly, just before a blue light caught his attention.
[Notification!]
"A new quest has arrived"
.
L Side Quest: Exterminate the Plasma Being
L Reward: +300 EXP
+10 Stat Points
L Difficulty Level: Impossible
L Penalty: None due to the sheer difficulty
.
The system screen flickered open in front of him.
Exactly what I needed right now… Depending on the skill I make, I could die instantly or somehow scrape out alive from this hell.
He gritted his teeth, forcing a bitter grin, until his eyes locked on the side quest.
"Exterminate…what the hell?!"
He barely held back a scream, his chest tightening, disbelief cracking his voice.
"Three hundred EXP…for an impossible difficulty?" He muttered, teeth clenched, rage and frustration simmering.
"Why don't you just tell me to die, huh? Just come out and say it! Is this some kind of joke?"
For a long while, his eyes were glued to the word Impossible, and a heavy sigh slipped past his lips.
It's not like I've got any better choice than just trying to complete it…
He muttered to himself, staring at the creature before him, still dazed and flickering in that unnatural state.
As he prepared to reveal himself, he froze mid-step, turning back instinctively.
Wait…
Wait…
Wait…
He didn't know anything about that thing or if it even was a plasma being.
What if it wasn't hostile?
What if he made it hostile by accident?
A thousand questions swirled, and none of them had answers.
For now, all he could do was take a guess and confront the abomination.
For better or worse.
"Should I…sneak behind it? If I go straight, it'll be a disaster…It disappears every now and then."
He paused, eyes locked on the flickering mass.
Going straight?
Too risky.
The moment he stepped forward, it could vanish, lash out, or collapse unpredictably.
Behind it?
Maybe safer, but still uncertain.
Every plan felt fragile, like glass about to shatter.
"I've got Champion's Arena…if it's physically stronger than me, that's more reason it will lose. But…it doesn't even have proper limbs, and I don't even have a weapon."
He muttered the thought under his breath, almost to convince himself.
Oh gosh…how much I wish I knew its attacks, its behavioral patterns.
Then, suddenly, an idea struck.
Intuitive Intellect…
A small spark of hope.
Maybe he could predict, anticipate, and know things before.
Maybe that skill could tip the balance.
"Figured."
But the thought died immediately.
I might have had it.
Not anymore.
He remembered the strange ritual the system had performed last time, and he complied everything out of panic.
His skill Intuitive Intellect was gone.
Lost.
Stolen.
He tried to activate it mentally, just to confirm.
Nothing.
No skill.
No edge.
His chest tightened, heartbeat thudding louder in his ears.
Then what do I even have? Nothing…just observation and my own luck.
The plasma being rotated slightly in the distance, the tornado of energy churning, discharging in chaotic bursts.
I need something. Anything. Even a sliver of advantage…or I'm done.
He clenched his fists, forcing himself to think.
His mind raced through every possible tactic, but each idea fell apart due to the sheer variables.
He exhaled sharply.
Impossible…this…this is impossible.
And yet…he couldn't look away.
Couldn't hide.
Couldn't run.
He swallowed hard.
'Who am I even kidding? I shouldn't be this tense. I've already died once before. Dying again won't make any difference.'
He spoke to himself, letting out a light chuckle.
"Fine," he whispered with a strange clarity, "then I'll have to rely just on me."