The entire biome trembled like a living engine about to explode.
Chains snapped from the ceiling, slamming into the ground.
The metallic humanoids hissed and backed away, forming a circle around the arena.
At the center, the colossal Flesh-Metal beast glowed like a forge. Two severed conduits spurted red liquid onto the iron floor. The remaining conduits pulsed violently as the creature entered Overdrive Mode.
Lin tightened his grip on the jagged shard, panting. "Okay. Two conduits down. Two to go. Then I poke the glowing core. Then maybe I go home. Easy. Totally easy."
Crystal's voice, sharp but steady: "Host, enemy energy output at 300%. Dodge all attacks or instant death."
Lin snorted. "When do I not die instantly?"
---
Round One – Overdrive
The beast slammed its piston legs into the floor, sending shockwaves of molten blood toward Lin.
He Wind Stepped sideways, hopping from spire to spire like a deranged ninja. "Nope nope nope!"
A conduit shot out of the floor like a snake, wrapping around his ankle.
"Ahh! Bad pipe! Bad pipe!"
It yanked him toward the beast's grinder mouth. Lin hacked at it with his shard but got pulled in anyway.
"Wait wait—" GRIND
[Respawn]
He popped back at the arena's edge, hair frazzled, dripping red. "I'm going to develop PTSD from blenders."
---
Round Two – The Improvised Weapon
He scanned the arena. Chains lay scattered everywhere.
He grabbed two, twisted them into a makeshift whip.
"Alright. Indiana Jones time."
He swung the chain-whip around a conduit, yanked it free from the beast's leg. The tube snapped, spraying red fluid. The beast screamed, stumbling.
Crystal's voice: "One conduit remaining. Armor at 30%."
Lin grinned. "One more and you're scrap metal!"
The beast roared, firing molten blood from its mouth like a flamethrower. Lin Wind Stepped behind a spire, but the flame licked his back, sending him flying.
[Respawn]
He sat up, smoldering. "Okay. I smell like barbecue. Not cool."
---
Round Three – The Leap of Stupidity
He spotted the last conduit coiling around the beast's torso. The glowing core pulsed beneath cracked armor.
Lin muttered, "No guts, no glory."
He sprinted full speed, dodging humanoids, Wind Stepping up a spire. He launched himself off the top, chain-whip swinging. He landed on the beast's back, hacking at the conduit with his shard.
"Die, fuel line!"
The tube snapped. Red liquid gushed out like a geyser. The beast howled, staggering. Its armor plates shattered, revealing a blindingly bright core inside its chest.
Crystal's voice: "All conduits disabled. Core vulnerable. Strike now!"
Lin grinned. "Yes! Finish him—"
The beast rolled violently, flinging him off. He smacked into a spire, bounced, and landed on his face.
[Respawn]
He stood up, spitting blood. "That's it. No more Mr. Nice Player."
---
Final Strike
He grabbed a broken conduit from the ground — a thick metal tube still dripping red liquid.
He Wind Stepped up the beast's leg, using chains as footholds, dodging snapping jaws and flailing limbs.
"Open wide, you oversized garbage disposal!" he yelled.
He leapt at the glowing core, jamming the conduit like a spear straight into it.
The beast screamed — a horrible sound of grinding metal and tearing flesh. Its chest erupted in light. Molten blood sprayed in every direction.
Crystal's voice: "Critical hit. Core destabilizing."
Lin kicked off the beast and Wind Stepped backward, landing hard on the iron floor just as the creature exploded in a cyclone of fire and blood.
He lay there, panting, covered head to toe in red goo. "I… hate… this… game…"
---
System Reward
A soft chime echoed.
> [Boss Defeated: Flesh-Metal Abomination]
Reward: Skill – "Iron Blood Surge" (Lv.1)
Absorb traces of enemy vitality to temporarily boost strength and durability.
Lin blinked at the notification. "Iron Blood Surge? That sounds metal."
Crystal's voice softened. "Congratulations, host. You survived."
He sat up, hair dripping. "Yeah. Barely. Can I get a towel?"
The metallic humanoids hissed once, then sank back into the floor. The biome trembled, red light fading.
A new portal formed ahead, glowing like liquid steel.
Lin stared at it. "Please let the next biome be, like, puppies and ice cream."
He stepped toward the portal.
To be continued…