Is this the end for me?
With Xerid inches away from him, the thought passed through Kian.
"Raaaaaawwwwr" the monster roared, suddenly looking away as it shook its head, its eyes sensitive to the flashlight light.
Wasting no time, Kian clung to this miracle as he turned his back
He bolted down the short staircase, running upstairs.
A series of doors revealed themselves in the first floor corridor, free to choose from,
Desperate, Kian grabbed the nearest one, already half open.
Thank God. If I survive today, I'll never come back here at night again.
Quickly, he entered when his vibration sensor showed the Xerid jumping all the way up the stairs.
Entering the room, Kian slammed the door behind him, without looking back.
Not examining anything, he went straight to the window as he sped off.
The sound of wood being drilled rang out for an instant, something hitting the walls.
Damn, I hope it doesn't hurt.
Stepping forward, he jumped, the door being blown open as his body hit the window.
The fall ended when he hit the hard ground, a loud thud shaking his bones.
Standing up a little dizzily, his flashlight revealed the street ahead of him.
No chance.
There was no way he was going to try to outrun this thing across the open field.
Turning, Kian darted back into the apartment.
Breaking through the door, he ran for the stairs.
As soon as he entered, an impact hit the ground outside.
Was it really ask him too much to ignore me and leave?
Passing a room with a destroyed door, Kian headed straight to the end of the hallway.
Should I go to the terrace? Hide in a room? Jump out the window again?
Reaching the second floor, silence haunted his heart.
His footsteps were like thunder as he ran in the dark.
Soon, he reached the third floor, wanting to get as far away from Xerid as possible.
Kian ran as he chose a random door, entering another room.
That thing will definitely find me.
Closing the door, he futilely locked the lock as he examined where he was.
It was a simple, small room with abandoned clothes and objects.
As he looked at the wardrobe, the thought of hiding inside crossed his mind.
It almost seems like it would work.
Cornered, Kian hesitated for a moment, his gaze sweeping the room.
Damn, damn, damn.
Cursing in his heart, he opened his backpack and took out his rope.
Running to a window beside a bed, he tied the rope to the foot of a bed.
Once again, he would escape through the window.
I think now is a good time to learn how to rappel.
Opening the window, he threw the rope, the darkness below staring at him.
Kian knew he couldn't keep going around in circles forever.
One time he would get tired, and then it would be his end.
But he had to do something, he had to try.
I couldn't just stand there and wait for death.
There's no way I can face that thing.
Sitting by the window, Kian stared at the bedroom door, his hands shaking and his heart racing.
Whatever it was, it must have been way above his level judging by its size.
Even if he could touch that thing, he doubted he could do damage through that bone armor.
What an unhappy life I have.
At the edge of the window outside, he rolled down the glass before biting his phone, the flashlight pointed forward.
The sensation of the screen cracking passed through his teeth, pinning his heart.
I hope all this increased leveling makes me support my own weight.
Gripping the rope with both hands, his palms were sweating as he waited for the last moment.
With time dragging on, what felt like hours ended when his new skill detected the heavy footsteps emerging outside the room.
It's now or never.
Knowing the creature was closer than ever, he threw himself forward.
His body swayed as he grabbed the rope, stopping his fall.
The bed inside the room dragged on the floor, emitting a low creak.
Hugging the rope, he loosened his grip, his body descending rapidly.
His hands suddenly felt like they were on fire, even with the adrenaline.
Hang in there, Kian, hang in there.
Grabbing the rope to stop his fall again, he took a deep breath as he let go again.
Even if he enters the room, he is not that smart.
Even if he followed her scent, there was no way he could just break free and throw himself out of the third-story window.
No, would he even know I'm climbing down a rope?
Looking down, Kian had already passed the second floor when he judged that he was no longer so high.
Letting go of the rope, he plummeted until he hit the ground, the impact pressing into his knees.
Wasting no time, Kian dashed down the empty street, plunging into the darkness.
Running faster than ever, he quickly walked away from the apartment.
In the dead of night, their footsteps were like thunder in his ears.
At any moment it felt like vibrations would come from the ground to him.
Damn, hell. I'm really never going back to nighttime again.
Dropping the phone, Kian turned off the flashlight, plunging into complete darkness.
He feared the light would make him a beacon to any other nocturnal Xerid.
Unable to see, he didn't stop even when the pain settled in his chest.
His throat burned as his legs grew heavy, he barely managed to navigate through the dim moonlight.
Tormented by the thought that he might suddenly jump, he ran alongside the buildings.
As he ran, he opened his backpack, pulling out a crumpled package.
The same one who kept the rest of the piece of meat he used as bait.
I hope it's useful for something.
With that thought, he threw the package away, the sound of it hitting the ground echoing.
Kian hoped this could buy him at least 1 second of time.
Since the supermarket was relatively close, he soon saw a glow in the distance.
Surrounded by a metal wall was a small fortress filled with illuminated buildings.
YES! YES! YES!
With a smile on his face, he reached the gate, his breath letting out a wheeze as Kian fell to his knees on the ground.
Without strength, he allowed himself to lie down, panting as he stared at the moon, his muscles relaxing.
Then a voice sounded as it approached him,
"Is everything alright there, young man?" A man asked, being one of the awakened ones guarding the gate.
Too tired to respond, Kian just gave a thumbs up in response.
Confused, the man stared at Kian for a moment, frowning as he looked out the gate, darkness greeting him.
"Are you alone? Where is your team?" the man asked, turning to Kian.
"I-it's just me," Kian replied hoarsely, sitting up slowly, "I was alone. Do you have water, please?"
The awakened man just stared at Kian before handing over his water bottle.
Soon, he asked again:
"If you don't mind, what's your level?"
In response, Kian simply held up three fingers, downing the entire bottle in one go.
"30?" The awakened man doubted.
Shaking his head, Kian smiled as he handed the bottle back.
"Level 3," he said, standing up on shaky, heavy legs. "Thank you for your help. Have a good night."
With a wave of his hand, Kian set off towards the inn, desperately wanting a bed.
Left behind, the awakened guard stared at Kian's back, mouth agape.
"What the hell is a level 3 doing alone at night?"
More than that, the man wondered how Kian was still alive.
***
The next day, Kian woke up early with his body screaming in pain everywhere.
And since there was no external wound, the ointment he received as a gift did not help with anything except the light burns on his hands.
Without wasting any time, he went straight to the Union, wanting to get his money back from the previous day.
He soon met up with a familiar attendant, Jun Park.
"160 credits."
Screw you, man. You're obviously ripping me off here.
With a look that could kill thousands, Kian stared at the middle-aged man who was resting his face on one hand.
Of course, this was just the value of the chitinous wolf carcasses, as Kian had decided not to include the cores.
I hope I have better luck at the Republic when I get back.
With an ugly expression, Kian took out his cracked phone, touching the transaction cube as it emitted a high-pitched beep.
"Have a good day," Jun Park said, lowering his head as he covered himself with his arms.
Not so fast, man. It's because of your personality that this place is empty, you know that?
Swallowing his words, Kian forced a smile as he asked the man,
"Do you have anything for traps? Maybe bait for Xerid?"
Thinking about last night's event, Kian couldn't help but wonder if the smell coming from the meat in his backpack might have influenced his situation.
Perhaps it could even have been the reason he was discovered.
It would be good to avoid attracting anything dangerous.
Without looking up, Jun Park's voice sounded heavy as he replied:
"The price is 850 credits for the low quality ones."
Immediately, Kian turned around, walking out of the building.
So let's see, buying one more piece of meat should be enough. And then I can spend the day out.
Of course, this time he would be back before dark.
With this plan in mind, Kian walked towards the gate.
For his last day before returning home, Kian would at least reach level 4. He would also try to hunt enough to yield at least 200 credits.
"To get this done so quickly, it seems like there's no way," he muttered, chuckling nervously.
"We'll have to go to the parking lot again."