"That's cutting it way too close," I muttered, pacing in the room, my hands slightly trembling. "A Knight-grade B-rank monster? I wouldn't survive a second. Even a C-rank Bishop is already beyond me. forget bishop I wont stand a chance again pawn grade monsters"
" forget six Might as well call that zero. Once it wakes up, it'll probably be hungry… no way it lets me live."
I sighed, throwing the last of my belongings into the bag—a phone with no coverage, a watch, some daggers, mana stones, and spare clothes. "I could try to escape while its still in hibernation but the whole building is already like a maze inside a cage any way of escape would likely be on the ground floor or underground floors but the main body of the monster should be there..."
packing everything that seemed useful, I stepped outside the room.
---
Four hours later…
The banquet hall was eerily quiet, the thick, black roots encircling the room in a grotesque cocoon-like structure. The air reeked of death and decay, a putrid mix of rotting corpses and sweet floral undertones.
"So, that's the monster…" I whispered, crouched behind a pillar near the exit. The only way out was, unfortunately, right behind the creature.
"turning on the bracelets appraiser function I fixed its target to the monster."
[ Scanning… 1%… 23%… 89%… ]
I glanced nervously at the cocoon. It pulsed faintly, cracks spidering across its surface. "How much time until it comes out of hibernation?"
[ Four and a half hours, Host. ]
showed the Intelligent assistant embedded in the bracelet.
"Then why are there already cracks?"
[ Scanning… 100%. WARNING. Anomaly detected. ]
[ Time until the end of hibernation: 20 seconds. ]
My blood ran cold. "Oh, crap…"
[ 19… ]
[ 18… ]
"What the hell do I do?!"
[ 17… ]
[ 16… ]
"Alternate exits?, no!"
"I already looked through most of the upper sections and the only free way..."
[ 15… ]
"And it's behind the monster… "
[ 14… ]
I took a deep breath, trying to calm my racing heart. "lex, how many mana crystals do we have in place?" I asked the digital assistant in the bracelet.
[ 13… ]
[ There are 3,465 mana crystals in place. 30 more are in the bag. ]
[ 12… ]
"Good. When I give the signal, detonate 800 of them on the floors above. Got it?" I gave the command even tho on its own it could don't much but as I was experimenting with lex before I found out I could use it to control the already enchanted things, not Sure how it works but lex and my skill enchantment work together.
[ 11… Affirmative. ]
[ 10… ]
I darted across the hall, dodging roots and debris, positioning myself behind a distant pillar near a glass wall. From here, I had a clear view of the cocoon and the entire banquet hall.
[ 09… ]
[ 08… ]
The cracks on the cocoon deepened. I could hear faint sounds—wet and unsettling—coming from within.
[ 07… ]
[ 06… ]
More cracks. The stench grew stronger.
[ 05… ]
"Almost there," I whispered, steadying my nerves.
[ 04… ]
The entire cocoon trembled violently, roots flailing around it like tendrils.
[ 03… ]
[ 02… ]
I peeked from behind the pillar just as two pale hands tore through the cocoon's surface. Slowly, a head emerged—human in appearance, yet utterly grotesque. It looked like the face of a girl, her skin deathly pale, her lifeless eyes staring into nothingness.
"Was she… one of its victims?" The thought flickered briefly before I shook it away. Focus.
[ 01… ]
[ 00. ]
"Now!"
[ Activating engraved mana crystals… ]
The explosion roared through the building, the ceiling collapsing as the floors above came crashing down. Debris slammed into the cocoon, pinning it under the rubble.
"System, next 200!"
[ Activating engraved mana crystals… ]
Another explosion. More rubble.
"Next 200!"
[ Activating engraved mana crystals… ]
Two more floors collapsed, the deafening noise reverberating through the hall. Dust and smoke choked the air, and I could barely see through the chaos.
As the dust settled, I finally caught a glimpse of the aftermath. The thick pile of rubble should have been enough to crush anything.
But then… movement.
From the center of the debris, the cocoon began to split open. Slowly, the monster emerged—its upper body eerily human, resembling a girl no older than eighteen. The lower half, still buried in the rubble, was a writhing mass of black roots.
Eight floors. Eight entire floors collapsed on it… and not a single scratch.
[ Scan complete. ]
Name: Corpse Flower
Gene: Mutant
Grade: Knight
Rank: C+
Combat Power: E+
[ WARNING: Detailed analysis unavailable due to grade difference.additional time needed for further analysis of the target ]
"Great. It's weaker than I thought… but still far stronger than me. What now?"
I barely had time to think. As if sensing my presence, the monster lashed out, roots piercing through the air like lances. I dove to the side, narrowly avoiding being impaled.
The spot where I had just been crouching was now riddled with black roots, sharper and sturdier than any I had seen before.
If I had been a second slower…
I shook off the thought. My instincts were in overdrive now, every fiber of my being screaming to stay alive.
"System, plan B. Give me options. Fast!"
---
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