There was no way a regular person could outrun a monster of that caliber… and Tim knew it.
Every instinct screamed that running was useless, but every nerve in his body screamed louder that stopping was suicide.
The ashen ground crunched under his feet as he sprinted across the open plain… His lungs were burning in his chest and his heart was hammering.
He didn't dare look back.
The sound of claws digging into the ground and the growling… it was too close.
Way too close.
'The fuck?' he thought as he looked down at the rusted sword in his trembling hand. 'Am I seriously supposed to fight that thing with this?'
His hand tightened on the hilt.
He risked a glance over his shoulder… bad idea.
The wolf was less than thirty meters away now, charging like a mad beast, kicking up clouds of ash behind it.
Its body moved like liquid muscle, sleek and monstrous at the same time.
Its gaping mouth revealed rows of sharp teeth that glowed faintly under the gray sky, and a long, purple tongue lolled out, dripping saliva that hissed when it hit the ground.
The stench of decay rolled forward from it… It was nauseating.
"Yeah… no," he muttered aloud, voice trembling.
He turned back and pumped his legs harder.
His breath came in sharp bursts and every inhale burned his throat.
The wind tore at his hair, and the endless gray field offered him nothing… no rocks, no hills, no cover.
He could feel the ground tremble with every step of the monster behind him.
"Come on, come on, come on!"
His eyes darted frantically, searching for anything… a weapon, a building, even a miracle. Anything that could keep him alive for one more minute.
Then he saw it.
Up ahead, past the rising mist, a cluster of dark shapes… trees.
They were blackened and lifeless, charred husks that reached toward the sky like burnt fingers. Still, they looked solid enough.
'I need to rest… even for a second,' he thought desperately.
His legs were on fire. Each step felt like dragging concrete. But he forced himself to keep moving, fueled only by fear and pure survival instinct.
The wolf roared. It was close enough that Tim could feel the vibrations in his spine.
He reached the edge of the trees and dove, just as the beast lunged.
Its claws tore through the air right where his head had been.
A sound like metal scraping against stone exploded beside him.
The wolf's claws slammed into the trunk of a tree, cutting straight through it like it was paper. The tree splintered and fell sideways, crashing into another with a heavy crack.
"Holy shit!" Tim gasped as he rolled onto his back, barely avoiding a falling branch. Ash and dust filled the air.
He staggered to his feet, gripping his sword tighter.
'Fuck… I'm going to die.'
The thought wasn't a joke anymore.
The wolf recovered instantly, its four gleaming eyes glowing brighter with hunger. It leaped forward again, closing the distance in an instant.
Tim threw himself backward as one massive paw came down.
The claw missed him by inches, smashing into the ground and leaving a crater where he'd been standing.
The sheer force of the impact sent a shockwave through the dirt.
Tim's body lifted off the ground from the blast, and he was hurled backward like a ragdoll.
"Ugh—!"
His back slammed into another tree. The sound that came out of him wasn't even a scream… it was air leaving his lungs all at once.
Pain exploded down his spine.
His vision went white for a moment, then blurred into a dizzy haze.
Saliva flew from his mouth as he hit the ground, coughing violently.
His head spun.
'What… the hell?'
His back felt like it was on fire. He could feel warmth spreading down his side… blood, probably.
He blinked through the blur just in time to see the wolf lower itself again with it's eyes completely wild and its tongue dragging along the ash.
It let out a guttural snarl and sprinted forward, each pawprint exploding in dust and debris.
'No, no, no, no!'
He could barely move, but he tried anyway. His body screamed in protest.
He pushed his palm into the dirt and rolled to the side just as the wolf closed in…
and then something massive moved.
A blur of gray muscle and motion tore through the trees.
There was a thunderous crack and a sound like a mountain collapsing.
Something hit the wolf mid-sprint, sending it flying through several trees.
Tim blinked rapidly, trying to focus through the haze.
"What… the… hell…"
The creature that had appeared towered like a living wall. Its fists were the size of his torso, its hide covered in thick, iron-colored fur.
It was massive, broad, terrifyingly human-shaped.
Above its head floated glowing text:
[Iron Gorilla — Lv. 10]
Tim's breath caught.
'Is everything in this fucking place set out to kill me?!'
His voice cracked in his mind. He was just level 1, and here he was… between a level 3 wolf and a level 10 monster that could casually punt said wolf through a forest.
The Iron Gorilla turned its massive head.
It stared at him for one long second… a second that stretched into eternity then huffed and turned away.
The ground trembled with every step it took as it disappeared into the mist, leaving Tim shaking and barely breathing.
He didn't move.
Not for a minute.
Not for three.
Only when the world grew silent again did he try to lift his head.
The pounding in his skull was unbearable.
His vision was fuzzy, like he was underwater, but gradually it began to clear.
He turned his head toward where the wolf had been flung.
The forest there looked like a war zone. Dozens of trees had been snapped like twigs, the ground torn apart in deep trenches.
Tim pushed himself to his knees, clutching his sword. His fingers were shaking, slick with sweat and grime.
He took one step forward, then another. His legs felt like jelly.
'That bastard better not be dead…'
He limped forward through the debris, with heavy breaths.
Each movement was agony, but he couldn't stop now.
He didn't want to stay in one place too long… not when monsters like that gorilla existed.
He stumbled, caught himself against a fallen trunk, and kept going.
'Come on… move, damn it…'
The destroyed trail of trees ended at a massive boulder. Blood splattered its side, dark red against gray.
And lying beside it…
The wolf.
Its body was a mangled heap of fur and broken bones, ribs poking out where the gorilla had struck it.
Tim exhaled shakily.
"Holy hell… it's actually dead?"
He took a few cautious steps forward, raising his sword just in case.
Then the wolf's chest moved.
Barely, but enough to make his stomach twist.
Its eyes rolled toward him, four gleaming orbs glowing faintly.
It tried to growl, but the sound came out weak… it was a pitiful whimper.
"So you're not dead, huh?" Tim whispered. A small, crazed grin forming on his face.
Blood dripped down from his nose, tracing the corner of his mouth.
His vision was still swimming and his head still pounding, but right now, none of that mattered.
"Guess I'm in luck."
He limped closer, the grin stretching wider, something dark flickering behind his tired eyes.
The red trail from his nose made him look unhinged… devilish even.
He knelt beside the dying creature, gripping the sword tight.
"Don't worry," he said softly, almost kindly, "you'll be an excellent shadow."
Then he raised the sword high and brought it down…
Only for his arms to rebound mid-swing.
The blade bounced off the wolf's thick hide, vibrating painfully in his hands.
"What the—?!"
He stumbled back, the shock stinging up to his elbows.
'Fuck… I'm too weak to kill it,' he realized bitterly.
His hands trembled as he looked at the creature, still twitching weakly.
He clenched his jaw, scanning the area and then his eyes landed on the massive boulder nearby.
A grin returned to his face.
"I guess," he muttered, dragging himself toward it, "we'll just have to make good of it."