Myles widened his eyes and cursed under his breath. He had thought the collapsing wall would be enough to take the abomination down, but he should have known better.
Monsters of this kind were never weak. As the rubble shifted and fell away, the creature rose once more.
The abomination’s eyes locked onto him, its mangled head tilting slightly as if assessing its prey.
A few jagged wounds marred its head and back but they seemed superficial. It let out a guttural snarl from the countless mouths scattered across its body, creating a chilling growl that made Myles’s skin crawl.
And then it charged.
Myles didn’t hesitate. He spun on his heel and run, his instincts screaming at him to put distance between himself and the creature as far as possible.
Facing it head-on was suicide. He needed a better plan, fast.
The abomination run after him and smashing through the narrow alley. It shoved aside walls, sending bricks and debris scattering.
Myles sprinted through the ruined streets, weaving around obstacles and vaulting over wreckage with agility that fortunately betterr than the creature.
He glanced back and noting how the abomination’s massive size worked against it. When he made sharp turns or leaped over debris, the creature struggled to keep up.
It crashed into walls and overturned vehicles, its bulk making it clumsy in tight spaces.
A spark of hope ignited in Myles’s chest.
"It’s slow. If I keep moving and use its size against it, I can wear it down."
Testing his theory, Myles led the creature toward another narrow alley.
He made a sharp turn, skidding slightly as he darted into the confined space.
The abomination followed behind him and smashing into the corner of a building as it tried to turn.
A rain of bricks and mortar fell from the impact, briefly slowing the creature.
Myles grinned.
But he couldn’t let his guard down. His agility might be higher than the abomination’s, but his strength wasn’t. A single mistake and the creature would catch him and his single punch probably enough to kill him.
He reached for the knife at his belt. If he could keep the monster disoriented, he might find an opening to attack.
His eyes scanned the environment, searching for anything he could use to his advantage.
The abomination roared behind him. Myles risked another glance back and saw the creature struggling to maneuver through the wreckage. Its massive arms swung wildly, smashing aside anything in its path.
Myles run toward a partially collapsed building, the jagged remains of its structure looming overhead.
If he could lure the creature beneath it, he might be able to trigger another collapse.
The abomination followed, its grotesque form moving relentlessly.
Myles’s heart pounded, but his mind remained focused.
He stop behind a crumbling wall with heavy breathing. The abomination run at him. Myles braced himself, waiting for the perfect moment.
He then dodged in the last second.
The creature smashed headlong into the solid wall, the impact sending shockwaves through the air.
Dust and debris exploded outward and cracks spiderwebbed through the structure. Myles rolled to the side, narrowly avoiding the rain of stone and mortar.
As the dust began to settle, Myles caught a glimpse of the abomination’s main head. The impact had split it open revealing pulsating flesh beneath. The creature thrashed wildly, disoriented from the blow.
Myles didn’t hesitate. This was his chance.
He launched himself forward, closing the distance between them in a blink of an eye and jumped to his head.
He drove his knife deep into the abomination’s exposed head, the blade sinking into the grotesque mass with a squelch.
The creature convulsed and its limbs flailing. But Myles wasn’t finished.
He summoned a fireball in his free hand. The heat singed his skin as he pressed the glowing orb directly against the abomination’s head.
"Burn, you bastard!"
The fireball detonated at point-blank range, engulfing the abomination’s head in a blinding inferno.
The force of the explosion sent Myles flying backward, slamming him into the ground.
Dazed, he struggled to his feet, his ears ringing and his vision swimming. He wiped blood from his brow and squinted through the smoke and fire.
The abomination staggered. Its head was a charred and smoking ruin with flames licking at it.
It let out one last guttural groan before collapsing to the ground with a heavy thud.
Myles stood frozen, his chest heaving as he watched the abomination’s body lie still.
He clutched his side, pain radiating through him, but a grim smile tugged at his lips.
But he didn’t let his guard down. Slowly and cautiously, he approached the creature’s corpse with his knife at the ready.
Myles crouched beside the creature’s charred corpse. His heart pounding in anticipation. But the abomination didn’t move.
The pulsating flesh within its main head obliterated. Turned out that had been its weakness and he had destroyed it.
A breath escaped him and he sank to his knees. Relief washed over him.
With steady hands, he began rummaging through the creature’s remains.
Myles’s knife clinked against something solid buried in its body. He dug carefully until he uncovered a sharp dark blue crystal embedded within the abomination’s chest.
It was not like any crystals he’d found before. Its size was nearly as large as his knife.
Myles held it up, his eyes narrowing as he examined it. "This is new."
Without hesitation, he made his decision. Crystals like these must granted incredible skill.
He positioned the shard against his chest, took a deep breath, and plunged it into his heart.
Pain exploded through his body. Myles clenched his teeth.
A chime echoed in his mind, clear and sharp, cutting through the agony.
[Skill: Surge]
Description: Temporarily enhances the user’s Strength and Agility.(+50)
Rank: B
MP Cost: 50
Duration: 30 seconds
Cooldown: 5 hours.
A grin spread across his face.
"Wow, alright. haha," he muttered.
Hunting down this monster, turns out, was very worth it. He consider to hunt more monster to gain more skill.
---