Standing up, Kian tightened his grip on the dagger, glaring at the now three-eyed beast.
Now, how should I—
Bending over, Kian threw himself to the ground, rolling as something brushed against his back.
A loud thud echoed along with a grunt as the freezer moved to the side.
Standing up, Kian turned just as Xerid jumped over the freezer towards him.
Crouching down, the wind whipped his hair just as a figure passed over him.
It's very fast.
Now prepared, Kian faced the creature turning to meet him with its three eyes.
It's fast, but…
The moment their eyes met, Kian dodged again as the beast charged again.
Does he only attack like that?
The thought occurred to him as he watched Xerid slide across the freezer and land on the other side.
A crazy idea suddenly popped into Kian's mind as he watched the beast prepare to charge again.
Placing the dagger over his head, Kian ran while bowing, the Xerid leaping at him.
His blade sliced through the air, meeting resistance for a moment as a howl rang out.
It was the left side, right?
Kneeling in front of the freezer, Kian imagined the scene behind him, the beast ready to attack again.
Throwing himself to the side, he rolled just as a dull thud sounded beside him.
Turning, Kian found a dull red eye glaring at him in fury, its second eye below bleeding.
Leaping, his dagger traced a line toward the remaining eye until it stopped with a dull crack.
A howl of pain rang out as Kian pushed his blade deeper, a spray of blood hitting his face.
Pulling out his dagger, he stepped away just as the creature swayed.
Rolling to the side and keeping to the beast's blind side, Kian stabbed forward, aiming for the beast's chest.
His blade sliced through the air until it bounced dryly, skimming across the plate as it formed a scratch.
"Tsk," clicking his tongue, Kian threw himself back as the beast lunged forward, snapping at his wrist.
Damn it!
With a sense of déjà vu, Kian slashed his dagger toward the pierced eye as soon as he was pulled by the arm.
Piercing, he soon drew his dagger and attacked again, trying to break free by attacking the beast.
Pulling Kian by the wrist, the Xerid shoved him in the chest with its paw at the same time, its claws scratching at his chest.
"Why. Don't. You. Die. You. Damned. Thing" Kian spat with each blow, trying to break free.
[HP: 167/260]
[Stamina: 88/180]
Finally the beast let go of him, retreating a few steps back.
We're not done yet!
Stepping forward while reversing his grip on the dagger, he slashed upward, striking empty air as the Xerid retreated.
"Damn it," he cursed, slowly getting up.
A calm fell over the establishment as they both stopped, staring at each other. The beast growled as it bared its fangs, its head tilted to look out of its two good eyes.
"That stupid tough thing," he muttered, panting and sweating, his heart feeling like it would explode at any exertion.
Kian underestimated the Xerid. He never expected them to be so difficult to kill, despite all his strikes to what should have been a weak and fatal point.
Kian's mind spun in search of a plan, his gaze sweeping the room, but nothing brought him an idea.
Damn, don't they say the best defense is a good offense?
Stepping forward, he dodged as the beast lunged again, narrowly missing him.
Spinning around, Kian advanced on the Xerid's blind side, closing in with a leap.
Reaching the Xerid, he threw himself on top, wrapping his arm around the beast's neck.
"Let me get the rest," he said, his dagger meeting the red eyes.
With a howl of pain, the beast flailed frantically as it tried to free itself from Kian.
Losing his balance, he hugged the Xerid as he thrust his dagger, the swing helping it tear open from the inside.
Drawing the blade in an arc, Kian attacked its eyes again, the Xerid slowing his momentum.
Die soon, you wretch.
Launching a series of attacks, the beast ceased its movements, staggering.
The Xerid toppled, Kian soon rising above her holding the dagger high with both hands, slashing downwards.
With a dull thud, the creature finally gave in completely, Kian quickly pulling away from it.
Taking shallow breaths, he stared at the beast, motionless. His hands trembled slightly, his pupils dilated, sweat coating his skin as if he had just stepped out of the shower.
At that moment, something seemed to explode inside the Xerid and rush in all directions invisibly, passing harmlessly past Kian.
[+50 EXP]
[Soul Eater Activated: +0.22 MND]
Uh?
───────────────────────────
STATUS
───────────────────────────
HP: [150] / [260]
Stamina: [51] / [180]
Focus: [104.4] / [104.4]
Class: [Soul Devourer]
Level: [01]
Exp: [45] / [100]
───────────────────────────
"Son of a bitch. All this suffering for bad—"
Then a wave of exhaustion hit him, his mind clouding over as he staggered and fell to the ground with a feeling of emptiness.
"D-damn, what the hell—" he cursed, dropping the dagger to clutch his shoulder, his arm immersed in unbearable pain.
Hell, damn it.
With the effects of the battle wearing off, he finally realized his current state. His arm was dripping blood, a steady stream flowing from several large puncture wounds.
His chest burned and stinged behind the rips in his shirt, a hot liquid running down his belly.
His lungs felt like they were on fire while his mouth was dry, an unbearable thirst taking over him.
Trying to get up, his body gave way as if it were made of lead, pain coming from several different places.
Without strength, he lay on the floor, looking at the ceiling with his jaw clenched, grunts escaping him.
Damn, I can't stay here, I need to get up.
But his body refused to obey, no matter how much will he put into it.
At that moment, a series of footsteps echoed, slowly approaching him.
Kian's muscles tensed once more, his pupils dilating as the pain eased somewhat quickly.
"Man, the post-adrenaline hit you hard, huh?" An amused voice sounded.
"Yeah, but still, adrenaline is a crazy thing, isn't it?" another responded in admiration.
"Isn't that right? A little scare like that and he's almost back on his feet again." A third said with a light laugh.
Urgh, what now?
Kneeling down with a groan, Kian observed the group of three people who looked very similar to each other.
These guys, they are…
All three had large brown eyes that stared directly at Kian. Like carbon copies of each other, they had straight eyebrows and crooked smiles.
Their hair was brown with small curls at the ends, all combed to the side. Their heights seemed the same, varying by a few centimeters.
They wore tight, thin armor that covered their entire body except for their knees and elbows. A belt studded with pockets adorned their waists.
Each one used a different weapon: the one in the middle carried two short swords in sheaths, the one on the right had a long rifle on his back, and the one on the left had two small shields strapped to his wrists along with a pair of daggers.
Damn, these guys again?
Remembering their faces, they were the same ones that had been laughing and pointing at him since he got into the truck for the trip.
The one with the rifle was also the one who 'encouraged' him to leave Porto Seguro, if that's what he meant.
"By the way, you still have to pay me," said the one with the shields.
The other two frowned, looking at him like he was crazy.
"Why? The newbie killed the thing."
"Yeah, man, you messed up. The kid didn't run away."
"It doesn't matter," he denied, shaking his head, "my guess was the closest. Meanwhile, you guys were off by miles."
"No way, man. You missed, so you missed. No winners." The one with the rifle sneered.
"Tsk, you're always like this. Always looking for loopholes, you treacherous bastard. Always making excuses," complained the one with the shields.
The sniper just shrugged, smirking. Meanwhile, the one carrying the double swords approached Kian, pulling something from his belt pocket.
"Here, newbie, rub some on the wounds," he said, handing over a small tube.
"Uh, thanks?" he accepted, receiving something that reminded him of a tube of toothpaste. "What is this?"
"It's like an ointment, it will help with the healing. And also relieve the pain," he replied. Then he smiled before pointing to himself.
"Caleb, by the way. The shooter is Cyrus and the other is Cassian. What about you, newbie?"
What a strange combination of names.
"Uh, Kian," he replied, his face contorting as he smeared the gray, gelatinous substance on his arm.
"Kian huh?" Cyrus said, approaching Xerid's corpse while smiling "Well Kian, looks like you're not all courage."
"Yeah, right?" Caleb agreed, nudging the corpse with his foot. "I thought it was a bit barbaric, but the important thing is that it worked."
"It's, like, enough to land a hit on him, right?" Cassian said, narrowing his eyes at Cyrus.
"Yes, but he didn't run away. You're still wrong," the shooter shrugged, smiling mockingly.
Watching the exchange between the group, Kian finished spreading the ointment on his chest, stretching his body.
Man, this stuff is really good. I wonder what it's made of?
By rotating his arm, the pain he felt practically disappeared, proving the miraculous analgesic effects.
Except maybe the bruises here and there, but those were quite tolerable.
Staring at the gel, he was disappointed to see no explanation from the System about it.
Sigh, it would have been nice to know where it came from.
"Thank you, it was truly a lifesaver," Kian said as he handed the medicine back to Caleb.
"Oh, by the way," Kian began, zipping up his jacket to hide the rips in his shirt, "if you don't mind me asking, what are you doing here?"
At the question, Caleb smiled at Kian.