Enrico stared at the creature while running around it, keeping his distance and looking for an opening. The bat was almost twice the size of the previous one, with its body covered in black membranes that constantly fluttered, producing uncomfortable buzzing sounds.
Unlike the first one, its core was located in its chest. Right behind the creature, the corpse of another monster — probably a Zara Level Two — lay completely torn apart. The flesh had been ripped away at precise angles, as if it had been destroyed by vibrations.
"That one... won't go down easily."
Enrico bent his knees as heat began to accumulate around his legs.
[Ah, of course. It only looks like a flying torture instrument that just shredded another monster of your level. But I'm sure it'll work out.]
"Why don't you go to sleep and let me concentrate?"
[I sleep when you don't do something stupid. Which, unfortunately for me, happens quite often.]
'Liar. I'm sure you sleep sometimes.'
The bat let out a screech that seemed to cut through the air itself. Enrico was forced to roll to the side, but he still felt the sound wave pass through his body. His eardrums rang and, for a moment, his vision became distorted.
"Sound magic... Great."
He placed one hand on the ground to stand up.
[You attract every kind of misfortune. I'm sure there's some kind of bad-luck magnet hidden inside that body of yours.]
"Or maybe it's just talent."
[No. It's definitely bad luck.]
Enrico clenched his fists and concentrated mana into his feet. An intense flame exploded beneath his heels.
'Fire Kick.'
With a sudden burst of momentum, he advanced toward the bat, cutting through the air in a zigzag with much greater speed than before. The creature gritted its teeth and spread its wings, firing another sound wave, this time sharper and more concentrated.
Enrico crossed his arms in front of his face and covered them with mana, but even so, he could barely withstand the impact.
"It... is calculating the interval between my movements. Smart... I hate this increased difficulty."
Even with blood running from his nose, Enrico smiled slightly.
"But I think I like challenges. With this, I can improve even more."
[You like getting beaten up, that's what.]
Enrico jumped and spun in the air, delivering a horizontal kick wrapped in flames. The bat retreated, but the fire managed to graze its right wing, leaving black marks on the membrane.
"Your reflexes are good. But let's see how much you can take."
Enrico used Fire Kick again and advanced, dodging to the left at the last instant. Then he placed one hand on the ground and spun his body, launching both feet upward. A spiral of fire emerged from his movements, shaped in the very instant of the attack.
The creature was grazed by the attack and let out a low, almost imperceptible sound. The ground vibrated beneath Enrico's feet, and his legs weakened for a moment.
"Ah... this is... maybe low-frequency magic? Are you trying to mess with my organs now, you bastard?"
[You should be impressed. It studied physics while you read generic novels.]
"Hey! Don't underestimate the narrative value of a cliché novel!"
The battle continued as a chaotic clash between sound and fire. Enrico was sweating, breathing heavily, and accumulating injuries, but he continued smiling. His movements were becoming more precise. His dodges were becoming more efficient, and he was beginning to recognize the patterns of the sound waves, adjusting his movements to the creature's rhythm.
[You're smiling.]
"Am I?"
[Yes. That's concerning.]
"It's not... It's just that... I can keep up. For the first time, I'm managing to evolve during a fight without any help."
The bat spread its wings again and released a powerful cry, trying to push him away. Enrico, however, concentrated mana into his feet and released an explosion directly beneath his own body, using the impact to launch himself toward the creature.
Still in the air, he drew the fire bow and created an arrow.
'Fire Arrow.'
He fired.
The arrow crossed the space at high speed and embedded itself directly into the creature's chest, striking the core.
The bat let out a deafening screech. One final sound wave exploded around its body and violently hurled Enrico against the wall.
He fell to the ground, completely exhausted, but instead of feeling fear or frustration, he began to laugh softly.
It was the first time he had felt like this.
For the first time, he had managed to keep up with a stronger enemy and evolve during the fight itself.
And that feeling was good.
[You're laughing again. You know this isn't an anime, right?]
"I know, but I can't help laughing because of this feeling."
His muscles trembled and his entire body hurt, but something was growing inside him. It wasn't simply strength. It was adaptation. With every exchange of blows, Enrico felt his body and mind adjusting to the battle, as if he were learning while fighting. For the first time, he didn't simply have to survive a stronger enemy. He could keep up with its movements, understand its patterns, and find ways to overcome it.
The bat lost altitude and crashed heavily onto the ground, breathing heavily. The creature was still dangerous, but now it was vulnerable.
"Time to finish this."
Enrico concentrated mana in the palm of his hand and summoned Elemental Clone. A copy of his body appeared beside him, formed entirely from fire. To increase the confusion, Enrico made flames envelop his own clothes, making the two figures look alike in the darkness. The bat saw only two flaming silhouettes separating in different directions.
The creature charged toward one of them.
Enrico ran in the opposite direction.
When the bat realized the deception and attacked the clone, Enrico had already jumped. Still in the air, he drew the fire bow and created two arrows at once.
"Time to test... Double Arrow."
The two flaming arrows crossed the air and embedded themselves directly into the bat's chest. An explosion illuminated the entire cave, followed by the sound of the creature's body crashing heavily onto the ground.
Then silence returned.
[...You won.]
Enrico fell to his knees, exhausted and panting.
"I didn't just win... I feel like I improved."
[Hmm... I admit it. You're not just a reckless idiot. Your intelligence can surprise me too.]
"Thanks for the compliment..."
[Don't get used to it.]
The system displayed a new message while Enrico, covered in blood and sweat, smiled as if that were the best night of his life.
He picked up the fragment left by the creature and then recovered the fragment from the first bat that had been defeated by it.
"Three out of seven. Now only four remain."
Enrico continued advancing through the cave. Before each new battle, he rested for a few minutes, observed the surrounding environment, and only then faced the Nartheis. Little by little, he found more creatures and managed to defeat two more.
"Only two left."
[Isn't this taking too long? It's already been five hours and you've only found these.]
A noise echoed through the cave.
Enrico stopped and sighed. It seemed that the time to have fun was over.
"Well... I wanted to defeat them all before that happened."
[That is...]
Enrico ignored the comment and began concentrating mana throughout his body. Before him, a large silhouette emerged from the darkness, but there was something different about that creature. Its form was much more humanoid.
"In the original story, that villain had to defeat a Level One Ranvil Nartheis to obtain all seven fragments at once."
The creature finally emerged from the shadows.
It was about two meters tall, with a thin, slender body covered in dark, rough skin resembling aged leather. Its arms were long and reached almost to its knees. Two enormous bat wings emerged from its back, folded like an organic cloak, with thick membranes and pulsing veins.
Enrico observed the creature carefully.
"Well... at least I got here before he devoured the other five."
The system analyzed the enemy.
Name: Zubai — Nartheis
Classification: Zara — Level 2 — close to evolving into Faizes
Magic: Sound Manipulation and Dark Mist
Unique Ability: ????????
Enrico narrowed his eyes.
"Apparently, he already possesses two of the three magics he'll obtain in the future."
In the original story, there was a flashback showing that minor villain defeating creatures like that with extreme ease. It was a way for the author to demonstrate his strength before he was finally defeated by Kai, when the protagonist had already reached a much higher level.
Zubai observed Enrico and assumed a combat stance. He slowly spread his wings and placed one hand on the ground.
Then he disappeared.
Enrico barely had time to react.
An impact struck his arm. He managed to raise it in time to protect his face, but the force of the blow still made him stagger several meters backward.
"Damn..."
Enrico gritted his teeth as he felt his arm throb. With a movement of his wings, Zubai was already in front of him again.