Narrator POV.
Monday.
A day Isagi hated with every fiber of his being. The longest, most tedious day… the most Monday of all Mondays.
Of course, that was before—back when he had to wake up early to go to school. Not anymore. Now he could sleep in, stay sprawled out on the bed if he wanted, because without parents, no one could tell him what to do.
Besides, according to this body's memories, he hadn't gone to classes for months, so academic responsibility was no longer on his list of problems.
At that moment, he was in the kitchen, making himself some baleadas with avocado and everything. The aroma of beans, cheese, and warm tortillas filled the air, making his mouth water just imagining the first bite.
—Uff, this is going to be brutal —he murmured as he carefully served three onto his plate, as if they were a sacred treasure.
He left the kitchen with a breakfast fit for a king and headed toward the living room, ready to enjoy his feast, when suddenly…
---
[Ding]
[Basic mission incomplete]
[You have not completed the 200 push-ups, 200 sit-ups, 200 squats, and the daily 20 km run]
[Punishment: You will be sent to a place with different dangerous creatures. You must survive for 5 hours.]
---
—SHIT, THAT WAS WHAT I FORGOT TO DO!! —Isagi shouted, nearly dropping the plate, his face frozen in pure panic.
He knew it. Since last night, he'd had that uncomfortable feeling that something was missing… and now the system confirmed it in the worst possible way.
Before he could even react or put the baleadas down on the table, his body vanished in a flash of light.
The next second, he faceplanted into the sand. The impact kicked up a cloud of dust as he spat dirt and cursed the system under his breath.
—Pffft! Cough, cough! Damn it! —he growled, clumsily getting up while brushing sand out of his hair and mouth.
He lifted his head, squinting against the blinding sun. The heat was intense, the air heavy, and sweat was already forming. All he could see was endless sand and a cloudless blue sky offering no shade at all.
—Great… a desert. What a fun surprise. —He wiped the sweat from his forehead and sighed in resignation. —Sons of… I'm team cold, damn it. —he muttered as he stood fully upright, scanning his surroundings to figure out where the hell the system had sent him this time.
The punishment had only just begun.
Suddenly, the ground began to tremble slightly. A chill ran down Isagi's spine. His instincts screamed that something was wrong.
Without thinking twice, he pulled his katana from his inventory in a silver flash, taking a defensive stance as he watched the shifting sand beneath his feet.
The tremor intensified. The sand began to bubble and swirl into small whirlwinds, until a guttural sound rose from below. In seconds, a gigantic creature burst out of the ground, shaking everything around it. Isagi stumbled back several steps, eyes wide.
—What… the hell… is that?
It was hard to describe.
It looked like an impossible mix between a worm and a leech—an abomination with pale, slimy skin covered in scars and folds that rippled with every movement. On its head—if it could be called that—it had six red eyes glowing like burning embers in the desert. And those eyes locked directly onto Isagi.
—YOUR FUCKING MOM IS GOING TO FIGHT THAT THING! —he yelled without hesitation, spinning around and sprinting in the opposite direction at full speed. —AAAAAAAAAAHHH!! —his scream echoed across the desert as he ran for his life.
The worm let out a horrific roar and began sliding through the sand at a terrifying speed, moving with an almost unnatural fluidity. Its massive body cut through the ground as if it were swimming, throwing up waves of sand behind it.
Seeing the monster's shadow drawing closer, Isagi clenched his teeth.
—No way in hell I'm getting eaten by that steroid-filled earthworm! —he panted, running as if his life depended on it (which, honestly, it did).
Minutes passed, and the damn worm kept chasing him relentlessly, like it had a personal idiot-detection radar.
—HOW DESPERATE ARE YOU TO EAT, ASSHOLE?! —Isagi shouted in frustration.
He had a habit of swearing when nervous—his inner trucker mouth activated automatically.
Luckily, thanks to the enhanced physique he'd gained from Itadori's abilities, his stamina was insanely high.
He could feel his muscles burning and his breathing growing rough, but his body endured. That extra power was the only thing keeping him from becoming worm breakfast.
Then the monster let out a deep roar and shot its head toward him. Its mouth opened wide, revealing spiraling rows of teeth spinning with a blood-chilling sound.
—Oh hell no, don't even dream about it! —Isagi reinforced his legs with cursed energy and burst forward with a brutal acceleration, kicking up a massive cloud of sand.
The worm slammed straight into the ground, swallowing nothing but dirt and dust. A brief, awkward silence followed… then the monster roared again, even angrier, thrashing beneath the sand. Isagi glanced back, sweat streaming down his face, heart pounding in his ears.
—Great… now I pissed it off even more. —he muttered, never slowing down.
The system's punishment had barely started, and it already felt like a living nightmare.
—Shit! I'm not running from this damn worm for five freaking hours! —Isagi yelled as he kept fleeing, sweat dripping down his face and his breath ragged.
Suddenly, he skidded to a halt and turned around, his expression resolute.
—I'll have to take the gamble… —he murmured, adjusting his katana onto his shoulder and assuming a combat stance.
The air vibrated as he focused his cursed energy. With a powerful leap, he soared over the sand as if propelled by the wind itself.
—Wind Breathing: Eighth Form — Gale Cut.
His voice rang out firmly as he descended. With a single swing of his katana, the air warped around him in a deadly dance, unleashing a barrage of invisible slashes that struck the creature head-on.
The sand worm screeched horribly, its massive body convulsing as deep cuts tore through its slimy flesh. Chunks of meat and sand flew in every direction.
But Isagi didn't stop. He would use the final form—the ninth.
Using the momentum, he spun in midair and unleashed another technique, channeling even more wind into his blade. A powerful gust exploded outward, forming a cutting vortex that shredded everything in its path.
The howl of the wind mixed with the monster's roar as it writhed amid dust and screams.
When the storm faded, the scene was devastated: the worm's body was riddled with deep gashes, greenish blood dripping onto the sand and steaming from the heat.
Panting, Isagi lowered his katana and pointed it at the monster with a confident grin.
—Take that, bastard. —he said mockingly, admiring the destruction.
The worm let out a deep, hoarse sound and suddenly raised its head. Its red eyes burned with fury before it opened its mouth and spat a strange, shiny thread—thick, silk-like.
He didn't wait to find out. In a flash, he vanished from his spot and reappeared several meters back, letting the thread strike the ground. The impact point began to sizzle and bubble, as if something corrosive were eating away at it.
—Great… you spit deadly glue. —Isagi remarked dryly, relaxing his shoulders slightly. Then his expression changed as he realized something. The worm… was gone. —Huh? Where did—?
He didn't finish the sentence. The ground trembled behind him, and before he could react, the massive creature burst up at his back, opening its mouth to spew a jet of green liquid.
Isagi leapt forward with superhuman reflexes, the liquid barely grazing his back before splashing into the sand, which began melting like hot butter.
Seeing the sand dissolve made him swallow hard.
—Mental note: don't let that touch me. —he said with a grimace, watching the acid eat through the ground and release green smoke.
The worm roared once more, and Isagi tightened his grip on the katana. The battle was far from over…
—Wind Breathing: First Form — Dust Whirlwind.
Isagi's voice echoed powerfully across the dunes. He took a short leap, and as he swung his katana, a fierce current of cutting air formed around the blade, spinning at terrifying speed.
The whirlwind expanded instantly, engulfing the sand worm in a storm of invisible blades.
The monster let out a guttural roar before its body was sliced clean in half. The sand trembled from the impact, and the worm's green blood sprayed through the air like toxic rain.
But Isagi didn't stop.
Breathing hard, adrenaline blazing in his eyes, he raised his sword again.
—First Form again!
The wind swirled once more, and another barrage of slashes tore through the remaining body.
Again and again, Isagi repeated the same form with fury and precision, until all that remained was a landscape littered with chunks of green flesh, viscera, and thick pools of bubbling blood on the scorching sand.
The worm's body no longer existed. Only its head, half-buried, trembled briefly before collapsing for good.
---
[Ding]
[Congratulations, you have killed a Sand Worm]
[Reward: 1,000 EXP — Random Item Box]
Isagi slowly lowered his katana, breathing heavily. Sweat ran down his forehead, mixing with sand and blood.
—Well… at least it was good for some experience, you useless damn worm. —he muttered with a tired smile.
With a relieved sigh, he dropped onto the sand, supporting himself with his hands as a gentle breeze blew, lifting small clouds of golden dust. Silence reigned for a few seconds, broken only by the hum of hot air and the rapid beating of his heart.
—Whew… finally over. —he whispered, closing his eyes for a moment.
However, the calm didn't last long.
A slight tremor ran through the ground, and Isagi's instincts flared instantly. He slowly stood, squinting toward the horizon.
A few meters away, long, thin legs emerged from the sand, followed by a monstrous shape rising from below.
A massive earth-colored spider crawled out of the ground. Its body blended almost perfectly with the sand, its many eyes glowing amber, and a clear liquid dripped from its fangs.
Isagi stayed silent for a second… then let out a tired chuckle.
—And there goes my break… —he said as he stood up, drawing his katana with a soft click. —More than a punishment, this feels like free training.
His smile widened, reigniting the spark of excitement in his eyes. The wind rose once more, and with his blade ready, Isagi prepared for round two.
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End of the chapter