Winlife sat hunched over the remains of his crude meal, his hands trembling as he licked the last bit of blood from his fingers. His breath was uneven, shaky, but satisfied in the most primitive way possible.
Winlife: (finishing his meal)
Finally… finally I ate.
His voice echoed weakly inside the cavern, bouncing off the wet stone walls. Hunger had been his biggest enemy for days, gnawing at him like a curse. But for the first time since his arrival in this merciless world, he felt a fleeting sense of relief.
Yet behind him… a shadow stirred.
A low, guttural growl crept through the darkness. Something—someone—was approaching.
[Beast Cave]
The interior of the cave was monstrous in size, stretching far deeper than any human structure he had known. Damp air clung to his skin like cold fingers. Bones—large ones—littered the floor, piled up in clusters as if some creature had collected them deliberately. The air was thick with the metallic scent of blood.
At the center of it all lay the huge smoking carcass of the Beast he had killed—and devoured—the day before. The flesh was still warm. Steam drifted lazily from its torn muscles.
Winlife, drenched in blood from head to toe, wiped his mouth slowly. His gaze was hollow, empty of energy. He was no longer hungry. Only exhausted.
Then—
A heavy footstep.
Another.
A low, thunderous rumble shook the cavern.
Winlife froze. Something immense was coming.
From the far shadows emerged a figure nearly 2m50 tall—pure muscle wrapped in thick, leathery skin. Green veins crawled across its surface like rivers of venom. Black pulsating marks ran along its arms, as if something alive lived beneath the flesh.
Its jaw was wide, square, inhuman. On its back hung a swollen, pulsating sack filled with corrosive fluid, dripping slowly with acidic ooze.
??? (deep, icy voice)
…You ate it?
Winlife whipped around, heart hammering. An enormous colossus stood at the entrance, partly illuminated by the dim light.
A Guardian.
A creature whose presence alone crushed the air from the lungs.
Winlife: (astonished)
What… what is this thing now?
The Guardian didn't answer. It simply breathed—slow, deep, rumbling breaths that made the stones vibrate beneath Winlife's feet.
There was no warning.
The Guardian charged.
BOOM — its fist collided with Winlife's chest, launching him across the cavern.
His back hit the wall with a sickening crack.
Bones snapped. Air escaped his lungs. He collapsed like a puppet with cut strings.
Winlife: (spitting blood)
B… but why… why is this thing attacking me?
It's fast… too fast…
The Guardian stalked forward silently. His shadow engulfed Winlife.
Without hesitation, it grabbed Winlife by the leg, lifted him like a ragdoll, spun him violently, and smashed him against a stone pillar.
CRACK.
Winlife's left arm bent at an impossible angle.
Winlife: (groaning)
Damn…
That's not a monster!
That's a damn bulldozer…
He crawled desperately, dragging his broken arm behind him. But the Guardian was relentless.
It spat a stream of acidic liquid.
The substance sizzled as it hit the ground. Winlife rolled aside just in time—the stone where he had been lying moments ago melted into a bubbling, steaming pool.
The stench was unbearable.
He forced himself up, but his legs trembled violently. His feet refused to obey. Pain numbed his senses.
Winlife: (terrified)
It's… over for m
The Guardian blurred. One moment it was meters away; the next, right in front of him.
It backhanded him with monstrous force.
Winlife flew across the cave, scraping against the jagged floor, blood spraying in an arc behind him.
His eyes faded—turning white, without pupils. He was barely conscious.
The Guardian grabbed him by the hair, yanking his head up, and punched him in the stomach with merciless strength.
Winlife vomited everything inside him—blood, bile, pieces of the Beast's flesh.
He couldn't even scream.
The Guardian hurled him to the ground and stomped on his face, sending him skidding across the cave's dust-covered surface.
Then, for the first—and only—time, it spoke clearly.
Guardian: (impassive)
You committed a terrible mistake.
And it will cost you your life.
At least you lived. That is what matters.
It raised its hand. Energy crackled. Acid swirled into a sphere—a deadly orb of pure destruction.
Winlife forced himself upright, barely.
He stared at death approaching.
Winlife: (disgusted, weak smile)
So… this is the end.
Guys… I'm sorry I couldn't find you.
I wanted… one last moment.
Just to tell you that being with you… always made me smile.
He closed his eyes, accepting fate.
Guardian:
Farewell.
The orb exploded forward.
BOOM.
Smoke flooded the cave.
But when it dissipated… Winlife stood inside a faint, half-invisible circle.
Untouched. Perfectly intact.
The Guardian's expression hardened, eyebrows narrowing.
Winlife: (disbelief)
I… I'm still alive?
Then something inside him shifted.
His muscles tensed unnaturally. His blood heated like molten iron. The Beast's meat inside his stomach was taking effect—not magical, not mystical.
Just raw, monstrous physical power.
Winlife: (bloody smile)
If I didn't die instantly…
Then I'm taking you with me.
He howled and charged.
He dodged the first blow.
Then unleashed a chain:
A vicious uppercut to the liver
A crushing elbow to the throat
A knee driven straight into the Guardian's chest
The Guardian stumbled—shocked.
For the first time.
But it retaliated instantly.
A direct punch to Winlife's jaw.
Winlife lost a tooth, spat blood, crashed to the floor… and forced himself back up.
Winlife:
As long as I'm standing…
You're going down with me!
They clashed again.
This wasn't a fight.
It was survival.
Raw strength. Pure instinct. Endless pain.
No magic.
Just a human refusing to die.
Minutes later
Winlife, panting, bleeding, covered in wounds, grabbed a broken stalagmite from the ground. With a final burst of insane strength, he drove it into the Guardian's chest.
The monster groaned, staggered, dropped to its knees…
Winlife roared like an animal and slammed it to the ground, punching again and again and again until the Guardian stopped moving.
Silence.
Breathing.
Blood everywhere.
[The Monster's Ashes]
The cave grew silent. The smell of burnt stone, blood, and acid thickened the air.
The Guardian's mutilated corpse lay still.
Winlife leaned against a rock, gasping for breath. His chest was wrapped in makeshift bandages; his arm hung limply. His eyes were hollow—but alive.
Winlife: (faint smile)
I should have died yesterday…
But I'm still here.
He looked at his swollen fists, still red from the brutal punches.
Winlife:
So this is surviving…
Even when you have nothing left?
He stood slowly. Every movement was torture, but he remained upright.
His shadow trembled—but did not fall.
Winlife: (with a firmer voice)
This body held on.
Not because of power.
Not because of miracles.
But because I didn't give up.
He stared toward the cave's entrance. A thin beam of light pierced the darkness.
He walked toward it.
Winlife:
The world tried to break me…
But I endured.
Now… it's my turn.
A rumble echoed from the forest outside.
He paused.
Winlife: (calm, determined)
I'm scared. I'm hurting.
But I'm moving forward.
If I survived the Guardian…
Then nothing can stop me.
He stepped outside, eyes fixed on the distant horizon.
End of the day:
Winlife was reborn.
Not as an invincible hero.
But as a survivor
forged in pain.