Riko froze solid. He didn't even breathe, blink, or think.
When the Rift Giant's huge hand grabbed Kaze, squeezing him like a metal can, something inside Riko clicked. It was something the system had warned him about for a while, but he never understood. Fear wasn't supposed to make you stronger, but with the screen stuck to his arm, fear became like gas in a car. Panic turned into energy. Terror became a super-hot engine stuck right into his bones.
His sight seemed to stretch, and colors twisted and swirled like a weird filter spreading all over everything. All the lights in the gym went crazy, reacting to him instead of the monster. The level screen turned super bright, with symbols flashing so fast you couldn't even read them.
Riko didn't notice anything.
He didn't need to anyway.
His body moved before he could even think about it.
A wild roar ripped out of him. It wasn't human, controlled, or planned. Kaze's eyes went wide. It was the first time Riko had seen him like that. The look on Riko's face wasn't brave or desperate.
It was animalistic.
Riko charged forward. His shoes tore up the floor as he pushed off, leaving cracks like lightning bolts. Dust exploded backward like a small bomb, sending broken bleachers flying across the collapsing gym.
The giant turned its head a bit, the glowing eyes of it looking at the charging boy, confused by the sudden burst of power. That tiny moment was all Riko needed. Even though the Rift Giant was huge and scary, it was only holding Kaze with one arm.
Riko didn't aim for the giant's body. It was all about instinct.
He went for the arm.
He slammed into the giant's forearm. It felt like a hundred levels of power all hitting at once. The force shook the air like an explosion. It didn't make sense that someone his size could do that, even with levels and boosts. It was wild, crazy strength—the kind that only someone who had lost it could have.
The giant stumbled.
It actually stumbled.
The digital flesh of its arm twisted, glitching where Riko hit it. Color blocks flashed from red to black to white as the monster tried to fix its messed-up texture. Kaze was free from its grip, flying backwards. He landed on his feet, but he still looked shocked.
Riko didn't celebrate or notice anyone.
His eyes were huge. His face was blank with anger. His breathing was rough, loud, and wrong. The screen on his arm glitched so hard that sparks flew off like a broken wire.
Kaze said, He's not thinking... He's gone full instinct.
Riko charged again.
He went straight for the same arm, grabbing the monster's digital skin and sinking his fingers deep, as if it was like pulling into clay. He didn't care how weird that was. His body didn't care. Power rushed through him like static and fire and drowning all at once.
The giant roared in shock and anger as Riko yanked the arm down, slamming it into the floor with a crash that shook the whole gym. The floor cracked open, sending pieces flying everywhere.
The monster tried to pull its arm away, but Riko held on tight, muscles bulging, tendons screaming. He wasn't using any skill or training. He was using fear, the system, and strength.
And it was working.
For a moment, he overpowered the giant.
The screen on his arm flashed a message: INSTINCT MODE // UNSAFE POWER.
But Riko didn't see it.
He couldn't.
He wasn't himself anymore. He was lost in the rush of instinct, drowning in the need to destroy anything that threatened his life, his friends, or the world.
He roared again and yanked the arm harder.
The giant went down on one knee.
Kaze stood beside him. "That's what I thought a system user would do," he said quietly. "That's why they're risky.
The giant swung its other arm at Riko, so fast it was blurry. Riko didn't even move. He turned and caught the fist with both hands. His shoes dug deep into the broken floor as the hit pushed him back.
His arms felt like they were tearing apart. Fire burned through every nerve. His bones felt like they were breaking.
But he held on.
The Rift Giant's eyes went crazy, blinking, realizing that Riko was a threat.
Riko pushed back, shoving the giant's fist away. He jumped onto the giant's forearm and ran up it, leaving glowing footprints on its body.
He pulled his fist back.
The air around it twisted.
He punched the giant right in the face.
The head snapped back. Pixel pieces flew into the air. The force rippled outward, blowing dust and floor tiles across the gym like a storm.
The giant fell backwards, crashing through bleachers and beams, shaking the building.
But Riko didn't stop.
He jumped onto the monster's body, fists raised, ready to keep going, ready to tear it apart if he had to.
RIKO! Kaze shouted.
Riko didn't hear him.
He brought his fists down again, and the giant's chest caved in.
Then,
The monster stopped moving.
The lights flickered.
Riko was panting, still angry. His fists shook, not from tiredness, but from too much power.
And then,
The giant twitched.
Its flat chest pulsated.
A horrible wave went through its body.
Then in front of the Riko eyes.
The giant grew a second arm.