How does one kill a cursed monster?
How does one kill something that's stronger than he is? Galthor was thinking about this as he entered the cave.
The cave was dry, smelling of old musk mixed with rot, and it was very dark, but he could see perfectly well, and the first thing that caught his eyes were the bones.
Numerous bones stripped of flesh and some with their rotting flesh still attached, bones from monsters and members of different races, acted as a crunchy carpet that led deeper into the cave.
There was simply no way for Galthor to walk silently, and so he gave up keeping his presence hidden but instead began to walk faster, his weapon held at the ready.
Fortunately, the cave wasn't very big, and he soon appeared at the lair. His eyes sharpened to pick out the monster... and it wasn't there.
Galthor froze.
The fuck? Why in the Abyssal is the monster...?
In one smooth motion, Galthor blurred away from where he was standing, his weapon swinging upward in a deadly arc that blew a gust in the lair, scattering bones and flesh.
But he hit nothing!
It wasn't that he actually felt something coming at him from above, but Galthor had listened to lots of horror audiobooks back in his past life, and he always shouted at the characters to look up, where the monsters were, not where they should be.
Now, the same thing was happening to him. The monster wasn't where it should be.
'...can it be out hunting?..'
But he quickly dismissed that. Before he entered, he had felt the cave with his Divine senses, and he knew with certainty that the monster was there. And even now his senses were spread throughout the lair.
'...then the cursed thing must be using invisibility? But that's only so I can't see it. I can't even sense its power that I felt before, what the hell is going on..?'
Galthor's heart was beating fast, and his face was full of weariness.
How does one kill a monster that's stronger than you and also you can't see or sense?
His hands tightened.
But then suddenly, the monster was there.
It wasn't there before, he couldn't sense it before, but then it was suddenly there, its horrible bloodline and pressure filling the room.
It was right there all along... right in front of Galthor!
A clawed hand blurred toward his chest so fast that Galthor had no hope to dodge. So instead, he twisted, his right hand and shoulder coming up while his body shifted.
But he wasn't fast enough.
The clawed hand reached him before his weapon reached the monster, but luckily it didn't hit his heart. The monster tore his shoulder, its strength was so much that Galthor staggered back, blood gushing into the air.
And just as suddenly as it appeared, the monster was gone.
But what Galthor glimpsed sent a chill down his spine so deep that he even forgot the pain in his right shoulder.
It was the cursed monster all right. A strange combination between a wolf and a bat but without the wings, and at least ten feet tall with lean muscles beneath its rough fur.
But what actually made Galthor's blood start pumping faster was the fact that when he saw the monster, he finally understood what was happening!
It wasn't that the monster wasn't there or was invisible. In fact, it was quite the opposite. The monster was there all along, it was Galthor himself that had been ignoring it.
It must be a type of mind attack.
Galthor shuddered, and his breath came out faster.
What the hell kind of ability is that? It was as if Galthor was denying the monster's existence!
'...this is bad. I need to act quickly..!'
Without hesitation, he turned around and fled deeper into the lair. He pumped energy into his limbs and blurred, his steps cracking the ground as he shot forward.
Strangely, the monster did not do anything until he reached where he was going—a corner where he could defend himself from all angles with his back to the wall.
Obviously, it had a lot of drawbacks, but right then, Galthor just wanted to find a place to defend himself. By the time he settled himself, his wound had healed, and as a barbarian, he hadn't even used any energy.
"Well? Come out and fight me, you bastard from two strange parents!" Galthor cursed.
And for the longest time, nothing happened. It was as if the monster wasn't there once again, but Galthor knew he was the one denying its presence.
It might even be in front of him!
He gritted his teeth and began to swing his weapon in front of him like a madman. Each swing of the axe was followed by a whistling gust of wind blades.
But nothing happened. No monster cried out, and no blood fell.
He was hitting empty air.
A chill ran down his spine. How long would he have to do this? Was the monster in front of him now or...?
Then the monster showed itself again, and it wasn't in front of Galthor. In fact, the monster had not moved from its position in the middle of the room at all.
But now that it moved, Galthor became aware of it, and his heart began to beat fast as the monster turned its bulk toward him, dark eyes watching him quietly, lips pulled back in a fang-filled grin.
Ah... fuck.
Cursed monsters... are intelligent. And now that he was facing one, Galthor understood even better. The bastard of a monster had the ability to mess with one's mind but only when it wasn't moving. If it was moving, then it would become visible again.
But since it hadn't taken advantage of Galthor's running deeper into the corner of the lair, it must have some hidden tricks up its claws.
Unfortunately, Galthor had no hidden tricks of his own.