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N/B: Yoy!! Guys Don't forget to check my other works: [ Shadow Monarch/ Harry Potter].
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Third POV:
The cavern of Level 6 seemed to grow smaller, the oppressive walls closing in as if to form a grim arena for the two figures facing each other. The immense, echoing space focused down to this single corridor, this patch of bone-strewn ground. Iron Jaw's glowing yellow eyes cut through the dark like malevolent lanterns, his iron-plated mouth clinking with every slow, deliberate breath, a metronome counting down to violence. Akai stood tall in front of him, his body thrumming with adrenaline and the newly acquired strength from his level-up, his lips curled into a smirk that betrayed not fear, but a kind of cocky recklessness that was the only thing holding his terror at bay.
The tension was thick, a physical pressure in the air, heavy enough to crush bone. Each second stretched like an eternity, filled with the sound of his own pounding heart and the wet, metallic breathing of the monstrosity before him. The faint, ghostly sound of chains rattling somewhere in the unimaginable distance was the only witness to their duel about to erupt, a spectral audience to a gladiatorial match in hell.
Akai tilted his head, his voice dripping with a sarcasm that felt like a flimsy shield against the palpable menace radiating from Gorran. "Wellā¦aren't you pretty. I should probably run, right?" He made a show of looking over his shoulder at the endless, dark corridor behind him. "But nahā¦ fuck that. You're just in my way." The words were bravado, but they solidified his resolve. Running meant turning his back, and something in his gut told him that would be a death sentence faster than facing it head-on.
Iron Jaw's metal teeth clanged together as he grinned, a horrifying sight of fused flesh and rusted iron. "You're brave for a rat. Braveā¦ or stupid. Either way, I'll crush your bones, drink your screams." The promise was uttered with a casual certainty that was more frightening than any roar.
The moment shattered.
Iron Jaw lunged forward like a beast unchained, his movement shockingly fast for his size, the ground trembling under his monstrous weight. His iron jaw snapped shut with a sickening, deafening CLANG that echoed through the cavern, the force of it cutting the air like a physical blow, barely missing Akai's head as he jerked backward. The sheer force of the bite sent cracks spiderwebbing through the stone floor where Akai's head had just been.
Akai staggered back, his eyes wide with a fresh wave of shock. "Holyāfuck, that bite would split a tank in half!" The assessment was no exaggeration; the display of raw, destructive power was beyond anything he had ever witnessed.
Another charge ā this time, Iron Jaw's fists, thick as tree trunks and knotted with muscle and scar tissue, swung down in a hammer blow meant to pulp him into the ground. Akai rolled, his back scraping painfully against the sharp fragments of bone and stone, the world erupting in a cloud of dust and debris as the giant's fists cratered the floor where he had just stood. His heart thundered in his ears, his breaths coming in ragged, painful gasps. He was playing a game of tag with a landslide.
"Think, Akai, think! You're not in a gym anymore. This is death if you mess up once." The internal monologue was a frantic scream inside his skull. He was faster, but one mistake, one misjudgment of distance, and he would be paste.
Then it hit him. A moment of clarity amidst the panic. He snapped his fingers, the sound tiny against the giant's grunts. "Waitā¦I have the damn system, don't I? This is just like a game." It was a desperate thought, but it was a strategy. He needed an edge, any edge.
He shouted into the oppressive air, "System! Show me the store!"
A crisp blue screen instantly unfolded in front of his vision, overlaying the terrifying reality of the charging mutant with neat, black script glowing invitingly:
[ Store ā Current Balance: 0 Gold | 1 Beginner Token ] Available Items:
Beginner's Dagger (Rusty) ā Free (Token Redeem)
Minor Healing Vial ā Free (Token Redeem)
Basic Training Manual: Endurance Lv.1 ā Locked (Requires Lv.5)
Basic Shadow Extraction (Skill Unlock) ā Locked (Requires 1 Boss Kill)
Improvised Throwing Knife (x3) ā 20 Gold
Minor Stamina Pill ā 15 Gold
Akai's eyes scanned the list even as he dove sideways to avoid another earth-shattering bite. He squinted, frustration bubbling up. "Rusty dagger? Healing vial? That's it? What is this, a dollar store apocalypse edition?" The items were pitiful, laughable even in the face of such a foe.
But then his grin sharpened, a wild look entering his eyes. A plan, half-formed and insane, began to take shape. "Stillā¦a knife's a knife. I can work with this." He had nothing to lose. "Redeem! Both! Use the token!"
The system dinged. The familiar weight of a second rusty dagger materialized in his left hand, its blade just as chipped and pitted as the first, but the edge was still sharp enough to cut flesh. A second Minor Healing Vial appeared in his pocket, clicking against the first. He twirled the new dagger once, getting a feel for its balance, his smirk returning. "Alright, melon-head. Time for surgery."
Iron Jaw, enraged by the seemingly casual act, roaredāa sound distorted by his metal jawāand charged again, his mouth snapping open and shut like a mechanized bear trap. Akai didn't retreat this time. He ducked under a sweeping arm that could have decapitated a bull, sliding on the gritty floor, getting close enough to smell the stench of old blood and rust on the creature. He slashed upward with the new daggerāthe blade bit deep into the meat of Gorran's side, spilling a spray of dark, almost black blood.
But Gorran barely flinched. He turned with a grunt, his yellow eyes flashing with annoyance more than pain, his iron jaw CLANGING shut with terrifying speed mere inches from Akai's face. The wind pressure from the bite alone burned his cheek, a sensation like being scraped by sandpaper.
Akai cursed and leapt back, putting precious feet between them. "Goddamn, you're like a walking guillotine!" His attack had done little more than anger it. The 'Unnatural Resilience' the system had mentioned was not an understatement.
Iron Jaw pounded forward, a relentless force of nature. His fists slammed into the walls, shaking dust from the ceiling. He bit through a protruding iron bar on a nearby cell door as if it were made of licorice, shearing it clean off. His strength was monstrous, his stamina seemed endless. Every dodge drained Akai, his lungs burning, his muscles screaming in protest. He was a mosquito trying to bring down a rhino, his dagger flashing in the dark, landing shallow cuts that only served to paint the beast in its own blood, not slow it.
Then, an idea struck him like lightning, a desperate gambit born from observation. His eyes gleamed with a new intensity. He watched the way Gorran moved, always turning to face him head-on, always presenting the impenetrable metal jaw.
"Waitā¦ if his jaw's the strongest part, his fortressā¦ then what's behind it? His stomach must be the weakest. He never protects it."
He darted forward again, a feint to the left. Iron Jaw took the bait, swinging his massive head to the side. Akai changed direction in a heartbeat, diving low under Gorran's massive, outstretched arms, into the space the creature had exposed. The creature snapped his teeth at empty air, but Akai was already beneath him, in the blind spot. With a roar of his own, Akai stabbed upward with all his force, putting the weight of his body and his newfound strength behind the blowāthe rusty dagger plunged into Gorran's exposed gut and ripped sideways in a vicious tearing motion.
This time, the beast roared in true agony, a wet, guttural sound that was shockingly human. Blood poured from the grievous wound like a river, soaking Akai's arm and chest. Iron Jaw staggered, his movements growing clumsy, his swings wild and uncoordinated. The damage was finally real.
Akai gritted his teeth, panting, circling the wounded giant. "Almostā¦ just need to push harder." His muscles screamed, his chest burned with the effort of each breath, but he kept pressing, stabbing when he saw an opening, dodging the increasingly feeble attacks, cuttingāeach strike was fueled by the primal thought of survival, by the image of freedom that lay beyond this nightmare.
Finally, with a wet, sucking gasp, Iron Jaw dropped to one knee, his hands clutching his torn stomach, trying vainly to hold his insides in. His glowing yellow eyes dimmed, the light in them fading like dying embers.
Akai stood above him, both daggers dripping red, his own body trembling from exertion and adrenaline. He spat a glob of blood from his split lip onto the stone floor and sneered. "Good night,melon-head."
He didn't hesitate. He plunged the blade deep into the side of Iron Jaw's throat, silencing the wet, rasping breaths for good.
The monster thrashed once, a final, violent spasmā¦ then fell still, a mountain of dead flesh and metal.
Silence returned, deeper and more profound than before, the absence of the combat sounds ringing in Akai's ears.
Akai collapsed to the floor, his legs giving out, landing hard on the bone fragments. He was drenched in sweat and the dark blood of his enemy, his chest heaving, every muscle in his body turned to jelly. The coppery smell of blood filled his nostrils, thick and cloying.
The system's blue light flickered alive, a serene, clean presence in the gore-soaked aftermath.
[ Quest Complete: Eliminate the Enemy ]
Ā· EXP Gained Level Up:Lv. 2 ā Lv. 4 Rewards Unlocked:
+4 Strength
+3 Endurance
Beginner's Shadow Extraction Skill (Unlocked)
50 Gold Acquired
Item: Minor Healing Vial (x2)
A wave of power, more significant than the last, washed through him. The fatigue remained, but beneath it was a new layer of solid strength, a deeper well of endurance. The knowledge of the new skill settled into his mindāShadow Extraction. He could feel its potential, a cool, dark whisper at the edge of his consciousness. The weight of gold and new vials appeared in his inventory.
Akai blinked at the screen, then smirked, using a relatively clean part of his forearm to wipe blood from his chin. "Heheā¦this was so fucking easy." The lie was for his own benefit, a necessary boast to the empty air to convince himself he hadn't just been inches from a gruesome death. He dragged himself upright, his body protesting every movement, and slipped the daggers into his belt. He took one last look at the colossal corpse at his feet. "Alright. No more time wasted. Let's move on."
With that, he stepped over Iron Jaw's massive corpse, his boots squelching in the pool of dark blood, and walked deeper into the waiting shadows of Level 6.
[ End of Chapter 6 ]
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If you want to read more about my works or just to support me then here is my patreon:
š Patreon.com/Doflamingo4