"Shksh…"
The sound was faint at first, barely audible, yet clear enough to grab my attention and cut through the flow of my thoughts all at once. I stopped thinking, my body stiffening involuntarily…
I held my breath.
A second passed… then another.
"Shksh…"
This time, the sound was closer.
A cold shiver crawled down my spine, a chill creeping into the tips of my fingers. I tried to turn immediately, but my body didn't respond as I wanted…
I swallowed hard, feeling my throat dry.
"No… not now."
I whispered to myself in a weak voice, uncertain if it had actually come out.
I clenched my fists into the ground, digging my fingers into the dirt, trying to summon whatever strength remained. With every heartbeat, I forced my body to move. Slowly, painfully, I turned my head toward the source of the sound.
And there… I saw it.
Blood ran cold in my veins.
It was him.
The same monster.
That grotesque creature that ended my life the first time now stood before me again…
He took another step forward.
And in that moment, that suffocating feeling returned…
Before I could think or move—
A system screen appeared in front of me:
[[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION]]
Confirmed threat.
Mandatory mission initiated.
Target: Eliminate the hostile entity.
Failure: Death.
Success: Promotion to Level 2.
I stared at the words hanging before me, then slowly lifted my eyes back to the monster.
I swallowed hard, my throat tightening.
"Do you… want me to kill this thing?"
My voice came out fragmented.
"How? In what way? Don't you… have anything to help me?"
I waited.
No reply appeared.
I exhaled a short breath, closer to a desperate laugh.
"Wonderful…"
I muttered.
"You throw me in front of the same monster that killed me, then say: either kill it or die. How wonderful the system is."
Meanwhile, the monster took another step.
My body still ached, but fear began to be replaced by something else.
"No…"
I said this time with more clarity.
"I will not die like this again."
I clenched my fists and forced my legs to move. They trembled, almost betraying me, but they held. I stood, swaying, feeling as if the ground beneath me were unstable.
I did not move immediately.
That was the first rational decision I had made.
The monster stood before me, approaching slowly, head lowered, its massive body moving with each step like a lump of muscle driven by hunger.
My breaths were uneven. Each inhale stung my chest, each exhale came trembling. I tried to avert my eyes from its claws, but they kept returning involuntarily.
The monster moved another step.
My instinct screamed: run.
But my mind replied with cold clarity: you will not survive.
I bent slowly, picked up a small stone, trying to test something. I threw it toward the ground in front of the monster.
"Shhhht"
It hit, sliding slightly.
The ground there… was unstable.
I let out a sudden, sharp cry, then threw another stone, harder this time, aiming at its face. The stone struck, increasing its anger.
"Haaaaah!"
It roared loudly and lunged toward me.
The ground shook under its weight. It advanced faster than I expected, but as it tried to redirect toward me,
its front foot slipped on the gravel. It didn't fall completely, but lost its balance. That didn't stop the attack; it struck me with its claw rapidly.
I dashed to the side with all my strength, trying to avoid it…
The claw passed where I had been standing, slicing through the air with a sharp whistle. Its tip grazed my shoulder; the pain exploded, but it wasn't fatal. I fell, rolling, hitting a small rock violently.
"Graaaah!"
The monster roared, enraged now. It was no longer deliberate.
It tried to advance again—but its back foot slipped this time on the same spot. Its heavy body tilted, hitting the ground on its side.
Not a full fall.
But its neck was exposed.
I had no time.
I grabbed a large, heavy stone, jagged and irregular. I held it with both hands and lunged at it.
The moment it tried to rise, I slammed the stone onto its lower jaw.
"Thunk."
The strike didn't kill it.
But it forced its mouth shut, and its head jerked violently back.
The monster struck me with its tail.
I felt as if my body had been split in two. Air burst from my chest, and I fell beside it, staggering, blinded by pain.
But I didn't let go.
I crawled over it, using my small body weight to pin its head as much as I could, and lifted the stone again.
Thunk-thunk-thunk.
Each strike slower than the last. My arms burned. My wrists trembled. Yet I continued targeting the same spot—under the jaw, where the bone was weakest, where the impact could reach the brain directly.
The monster convulsed violently. Its claws scraped the ground randomly; one claw tore my thigh. The pain was sharp, burning, but I didn't care.
My mind was empty except for one word, repeating madly:
Die… die… die…
I repeated it endlessly, as if planting it into it with every strike.
Thunk—thunk—thunk—thunk—
The stone hit its body again and again. My arms burned, my grip weakened, yet I didn't stop. Even as its resistance waned, even when its body nearly stilled… I didn't stop. I was scared. Afraid it would rise.
I continued hitting unconsciously until finally, my grip slipped, and the stone fell from my hands with a muffled thud.
Thum…
I froze in place.
I stayed atop it for long seconds, unable to move. My breaths were broken, my chest heaving violently, my body trembling as if the danger had not yet passed. I wasn't sure it was truly over.
I waited a moment, motionless. I watched the monster's body with tense eyes, ready for any sudden twitch… but nothing happened. It didn't move. It didn't breathe.
Only then did a sense of relief slowly, cautiously seep into my chest, as if my body still didn't fully trust what had just happened.
I rolled away from it, then collapsed on my back, staring up at the sky above.
I felt no joy.
I only felt that I was alive… for a very fragile reason.
Then the familiar flash appeared before my eyes:
[[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION]]
Target eliminated.
Encounter rating: Critical Survival.
Host injuries: multiple.
Promotion to Level 2 in progress.
I closed my eyes slowly, my breaths still shaking, chest rising and falling heavily.
"…Next time, I might not be so lucky."