Dream placed the core in his inventory. He couldn't linger on questions he wasn't ready to answer. Not now. The void wasn't a place of hesitation.
"A fragment is close by" he muttered, eyes darting to the glowing dot on his void map. His heart pounded. He was starting to get exhausted again, so he opened his inventory. His eyes widened, he now saw things he hadn't noticed before.
[ Inventory]
[ Void leather tunic (rare): +5 defense]
[ Light boots of swiftness (rare): +5 agility]
[ Travelers gloves(rare): +3 strength]
[ Stamina Recovery potion (x4)]
[ Water flask(X2)]
[ Preserved rations***]
He took one water flask to stop his thirst. Then he equipped the leather tunic, boots, and gloves. The fabric adjusted itself seemlessly to his body, almost alive, clinging without discomfort. He flexed his hand. The sword felt a fraction lighter. His movements, a bit smoother. Small boosts, but in a place like this, even a whisper of power mattered.
A grin tugged at his lips, "alright, maybe I'm not completely doomed"
He uncorked a stamina potion, feeling it's warmth spread his limbs, pushing away the fatigue that had been gnawing at him since the predators. He tightened his grip on the sword. Refreshed. Ready.
It didn't take long before another pack of hell cats prowled into view. Their crimson eyes glowed in the darkness, fangs glistening with hunger. But this time, dream didn't hesitate. He charged.
The first cat lunged. His blade met it mid-air, slicing deep into its throat. The beast fell, thrashing before going limp. The second came, but met it's end. The third, met the same fate. The 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th.... They all fell. Blood sprayed, staining his new tunic, but he ignored it.
His movements were sharper than before, guilded not by panic but by rhythm. One by one, they all fell. More and more came but all met the same fate.
[ Hidden Reward unlocked]
[ Title: Hell Cat Slayer]
[ +30% damage when fighting hell cats]
[ +20% defense when fighting hell cats]
Dream blinked, chest heaving slightly from the fight. "A title?" He hadn't even considered that such a thing existed. "An increase in damage huh?"
He smiled in satisfaction.
With his new title, the next few fights were laughably easier. He was the real hunter now, seeing the hell cats as nothing more than XP to be obtained.
Kill after kill, his notifications stacked.
[+30 XP]
[+30 XP]
[+30 XP]
.....
[+30 XP]
Over and over, until another ding resounded.
[ XP: 8,000/8,000]
[ Level up!]
[ You're now in level 9]
[+1 to all stats]
[ +5 available stats]
Dream pulled up his stats, wiping sweat from his brows. Strength and agility were tempting, but his body told him the truth. His arms aches. His lungs burned. His legs threatened to buckle.
" There's no point in swinging harder or moving faster if I can't keep up with it" he muttered "I need stamina"
[ +5 Stamina]
[ Stamina: 14]
He poured his points into stamina. A sudden surge coursed through him, like invisible shackles had been unlocked. His breathing steadied. His fatigue lessened. The thoughts of continuing didn't feel like death anymore, he was growing.
Th further he went, the stranger the air became. The shadows grew thicker, the usual ambient growls of beast faded. His every step echoed unnaturally. It seem there was no more beast ....
Dream froze, sensing it before it came. A stillness. The void itself seemed to hold it's breath.
And then....
A deafening roar tore through the silence. The ground quaked beneath his feet. From the darkness emerged something colossal: a hell cat unlike the others.
Twice their size, no, 5 times the size. It's muscles rippled like coiled steel, it's crimson eyes burning with hatred, jagged bone- like armor jutted from its shoulders and spine, glowing faintly with sinister energy.
Dream staggered back, sword trembling in his hand. His throat dried. This wasn't just another beast, this was something more.
The system's voice rang coldly in his ears.
[Warning!]
[ You have slain all lesser hell cat in this area: The zone boss has been provoked]
[ Zone status: Red]
Dream's eyes widened. "Red?!, you're telling me this now" his voice cracked with anger. He had just barely begun to stand on his feed, and now this monster towered before him.
"Damn it system!" He spat, gripping his tighter. He wanted to scream at the system for hiding this, for pushing him into death at every turn. But the beast wasn't waiting.
The zone boss roared again, the shockwave alone making him stumble. It's crimsone gaze locked on him, and with terrifying speed for it's size, it lunged.
Dream roared back, swinging his sword with both hands. Steel clashed against bone- armored flesh, sparks flying as the impact rattled his bones. The force nearly sent him sprawling.
The beast snarled, it's claws inches from his face. Dream pushed with every ounce of strength he had, teeth gritted, veins bulging. The stench of its breath washed over him, hot and foul, like decay itself.
His knees buckled. His sword screeched against the monster's hide. His chest burned, his mind screamed -- move or die!
Dream let out a cry, twisting his body at the last second, narrowly avoiding the crushing swipe. Dirt exploded where the claws landed, carving a Crater unto the ground.
He gasped, fear and rage warring inside him. The zone boss loomed above, snarling, preparing another strike.
Dream raised his sword again, trembling but unyielding.