The silence of a serene, beautiful mountaintop shattered. Blue sparks danced in the air as a man ran into a deserted stone city atop the peak. Right on his heels were five ferocious giants, each towering as high as two adult African elephants stacked, and as wide as two elephants side by side. They had humanoid shapes but were covered in crocodile-like scales.
Each giant hurled massive stones at him, trying to slow him down, but each projectile was reflected or diverted by the boy's magic. The giants knew he couldn't keep this up forever, he would run out of energy before they did.
Huff… huff…
Rah breathed heavily, peeking from behind a ruined building after deflecting another stone.
I can't keep this up… I'm almost out of SP. It hasn't even been four days since I was infected… Rah conplained inwardly.
PEW
Another stone shot through the air toward his head but for Rah, the virus had heightened his senses and physical abilities. This fast-moving projectile was like someone tossing him a ball.
WHIP
He redirected it again and continued running.
ThIs muscle-bound cat-and-magic-mouse game between him and the giants dragged on until late afternoon, approaching twilight.
This can't… no, this shouldn't go on… Rah lamented. His body was bruised, blood gushed from his arm, patches of his dark hair dyed red with dried blood. The giants were relentless. Though slower, they sniffed him out with their massive noses any time he thought he had lost them.
He collapsed onto his back, gasping for breath.
"I can't hide from them. I can't run from them. I can't fight them… what then should I do?"
"This feels hopeless… why me? Why did I get infected?" Rah muttered hopelessly.
Maybe them killing me would set everything right… maybe death is the key? But he knew that was wishful thinking. The pain was real enough, if he died now, it would be actual death.
Four days ago, when first infected, he would have laughed at monsters, but now, after running from wolves, snakes, and learning to weave magic from the system prompt, he knew there was no escape.
Wait.....the system prompt! I forgot…
He sprang to his feet, running through the crumbling buildings, dodging the giants who were just minutes away.
SYSTEM STATUS WINDOW! Rah shouted in his head. A prompt appeared in front of him like a sheet of paper shoved into his face. Annoyed, he grabbed it. Again why the hell is it a STATUS BLOODY WINDOW PAPER?
He read through it:
Name: Rah, son of Ditin
Genre: LitRPG
Character: Main (Protagonist)
War Name: None
Variant: Human
Health: 40%
Level: 5
SP: 0
Strength: 15
XP: 30/1000
Attack: 10
Coins: 5 Gc
Vitality: 5
Artifacts: None (Check Store, command: System Store)
Defense: 5
Combo: None (Check Store)
Special: 5
Magic Spells: Redirection - Redirects incoming flying projectile not heavier than thrice user's weight in the direction the arm is gestured. Cost: 5 XP
Protagonist with crappy abilities and 5 Gc… Bloody hell. There's nothing here to help. Desperately, he searched for anything to get out of his predicament. He tossed the paper aside, it combusted midair, leaving no trace.
SYSTEM STORE
Some items are not available until you level up. The more XP you earn, the more items appear.
POTIONS
Broke Man Potion – Restores 2% Health – 2 Gc
Apprentice Elixir – Restores 10% SP – 10 Gc
Sweaty Hero Juice – Temporarily boosts speed by 10% – 5 Gc
ARTIFACTS
Rare Candy – Raises level instantly – 20,000 Gc
Mini Super Miniaturize Mana Bomb – Small AoE, 1 Gc, takes a thought to activate
Lucky Charm 7 – Slight chance to dodge any attack – 50 Gc
COMBO ITEMS
Twin Fang Blades – Can combo with Redirection spell – 500 Gc
Double Jump Boots – Combine with speed potion for extra jumps – 200 Gc
MAGIC SPELLS
Redirection – Costs 5 XP. Redirects incoming projectile ≤ three times character weight.
Rah bought one Broke Man Potion and three Mini Super Miniaturize Mana Bombs. He had already hatched a plan.
Even if I'm going out, I'll take them with me… Rah thought as he maneuvered carefully through the ruined city.
BOOM!
A stone crashed into the ground right next to him, creating a small crater. Shocked, he realized the building had blocked his line of sight, he hadn't seen the giants' actions clearly, assuming they were still sniffing for him.
BUMP....BUMP.....BUMP
His heart raced, but he forced himself to calm down. I can't lose sight of them again.
He stepped out onto the dirt road and began scouting. The plan was simple, find the largest structure still upright in this city.
It didn't take long for him to find it. A statue stood in what seemed to have once been a temple. The walls were gone, revealing the massive interior.
Keeping careful watch on the giants, he made his way inside. The temple floor was covered in stones.
This is granite...or maybe some other hard stone. Didn't take my geology classes seriously… I wonder which god was worshipped here… he said inwardly.
Finally, his gaze landed on the structure that had drawn him in. It was a giant bird-shaped sculpture, so massive it would tower above even the giants stacked atop each other. But it was leaning precariously, the base barely supporting the bronze figure. The foundation seemed to be made of a different material entirely.
Rah edged closer to the massive bird sculpture, keeping one eye on the giants. Alright… this has to work. He planted the three Mini Super Miniaturize Mana Bombs at the base of the structure, ready to detonate them with a single thought.
He waited until the nearest giant moved into position, its thick-scaled feet crushing stones as it advanced sniffing about in search for Rah.
Come on… just a bit more.
BTOOM!
With a sharp mental command, the bombs exploded simultaneously. The force shook the temple. Dust and stones flew everywhere. The leaning bird statue wobbled violently, its bronze body groaning under the sudden movement.
CRASH!
The massive sculpture toppled, slamming down on the nearest giant. A scream of metal and stone erupted as the giant was pinned beneath the weight. Rah didn't wait to watch. He dashed to the side, narrowly avoiding falling debris, his heart pounding.
The other giants roared in frustration and surged forward to help, realizing one of their companions had been trapped.
Just as I thought… they have a sense of companionship.
Rah rushed through broken pillars and rubble, careful not to lose sight of the giants as they helped their stuck companion.
It would have been nice if he had died. I could really use that XP and coins… Rah sighed inwardly.
He jumped through a hole in the wall, now planning on running for it. The plan was to buy time for himself to recuperate.
Eventually, they will find me again… sigh. Let me just rest for tonight… hmm, maybe I can lead them elsewhere with my scent.
He was already out of the temple, heading down the mountain, wanting to leave the city
SWUSH!
A log almost hit him. He managed to dodge, and it only grazed him.
What the hell…
Then he saw it well. It wasn't a log, it was a giant's arm. One of them had been left outside.
Shit… I didn't count them. I'm so stupid. He had made a mistake. They were smarter and better hunters than he had thought.
The giant didn't give Rah time to react. It lunged at him. Rah tried desperately to fight back, but with what?
Twilight had already fallen. Rah was breathing heavily, barely able to dodge the attacks of the giant in front of him. Behind him, the other giants were charging, visibly furious.
Crap… this is the end. He couldn't help the thought
...PLOT ARMOUR ACTIVATED...
You have been given an opportunity. Do you want to be translocated into another story and relieved of your danger?
..
..
..
Huh… please, yes, please—SYSTEM YES, he said internally.....then
"SYSTEM YES!" he shouted.
Rah didn't read the information fully.
POOF
The giants could no longer see him. They stood there, bewildered, staring at one another.
At the same time, Rah's scenery changed. In front of him stood a humanoid raccoon dressed as a ninja.