"Shksh…"
The sound was faint at first, barely audible, yet clear enough to grab my attention and cut off the flow of my thoughts all at once. I stopped thinking, and my body stiffened involuntarily.
I held my breath.
A second passed… then another.
"Shksh…"
This time, the sound was closer.
A cold shiver crawled down my spine, an inexplicable chill creeping into my fingers. I tried to turn immediately, but my body didn't respond as I wanted.
Damn… what's wrong with my body? Why won't it move?
I clenched my fists on the ground and forced my body to turn toward the source of the sound with strength.
And then… I saw it.
Blood froze in my veins.
It was the same.
The same monster.
That twisted creature that ended my life the first time now stood before me again.
Damn… what is it doing here?
It took another step forward.
Before I could think or move—
A system screen appeared in front of me.
[SYSTEM NOTICE]
New mission confirmed.
Objective: Kill the enemy target.
Success: Level 2 promotion.
Failure: Death.
I stared at the words hanging in front of me, then my eyes stopped at the last line.
Failure means death.
I laughed quietly in sarcasm and said,
"Are you stupid? I have the ability to return from death… that means I won't die."
Meanwhile, the monster took another step.
A shiver ran through my hands, and my heart started pounding.
I have to run… fast.
But my body wouldn't move.
Move, for heaven's sake!
It didn't respond.
Then I realized the reason.
Fear.
I remembered how that bastard killed me brutally, how he tore me apart without mercy. With those memories returning, my body shook even more.
I breathed deeply and muttered in a low voice:
"I won't let you kill me this time… no matter what it takes."
Some might ask: How will you do that while trembling like this?
The truth?
I don't know.
I'll leave it to the moment… I guess.
I clenched my fists harder and forced my legs to move.
I didn't move immediately.
And that was… the first logical decision I made.
The monster was in front of me, approaching slowly, its head low, its massive body moving with every step…
My breaths were uneven; every inhale stabbed my chest, every exhale came out trembling. I tried to look away from its claws, but my eyes kept returning to them involuntarily.
The monster took another step.
My instincts screamed: Run… you're going to die!
I mocked them in my mind:
How am I supposed to do that? It's much faster than me. Do you want me to be slaughtered without resistance? Are you truly a survival instinct, or just blind fear?
I tugged at my hair slightly and exhaled sharply.
What am I rambling?
…Okay, I was just doing it to ease the weight of fear.
The monster advanced toward me.
At that moment, my mind started working faster than it ever had.
I bent down slowly, picked up a small stone. I wasn't intending to attack… just testing something.
I threw the stone toward the ground in front of the monster.
"Shssht"
The stone hit and slid a little.
The ground there… was unstable.
I suddenly shouted, a short, sudden scream, then grabbed another stone, throwing it harder this time toward its face.
The stone hit its head, and it flared with anger.
"Haah!"
The monster roared loudly and lunged at me.
The ground shook beneath its weight. It was faster than I expected, but as it tried to change direction toward me, its front foot slipped on the gravel.
It didn't fall, but it lost its balance for a moment.
A brief moment… but enough.
Its claw lunged at me with immense speed.
I jumped to the side with all I had, trying to dodge.
The claw passed where I had been moments ago, slicing the air sharply. Its tip grazed my shoulder, the pain exploding in my body, but it wasn't fatal.
I fell to the ground, rolled, and hit a small rock that stopped me abruptly.
"Graaaah"
The monster roared in anger and tried to advance again—but its back foot slipped this time in the same spot. Its massive body leaned, then slammed onto its side.
Its neck was completely exposed.
I didn't waste the opportunity.
I jumped up quickly, grabbed a large, heavy stone with jagged edges. I held it with both hands and charged at it.
As it tried to get up, I slammed the stone onto its lower jaw.
"Thok"
The blow didn't kill it. But it shut its mouth, and its head jerked violently.
In return, the monster hit me with its tail.
I felt as if my body had snapped in half. Air rushed from my chest in a single blast, and I fell beside it.
But I didn't stop.
I gripped the stone tightly, crawled over it, using my small body weight to hold its head as firmly as possible, and lifted the stone again.
Thok—Thok—Thok—
Each strike was slower than the previous. My arms burned, my wrists trembled, but I kept hitting the same spot—under the jaw.
The monster convulsed violently. Its claws scratched the ground randomly, one cutting my thigh. Pain exploded, but I didn't care.
My mind was empty except for one word repeating insanely:
Die… die… die…
I repeated it without stopping.
Thok—Thok—Thok—Thok—
The stone struck its body again and again. I felt my arms burning, my grip weakening, but I didn't stop.
I continued striking unconsciously, until my grip finally slipped, and the stone fell from my hands with a muffled sound.
Thump…
I froze in place.
I stayed on top of it for several long seconds, unable to move. My breaths were uneven, my chest rising and falling violently, my body trembling. I wasn't sure if it was really over.
I waited a moment, not moving, watching its body with nervous eyes, ready for any sudden movement… but nothing happened.
Only then did a sense of relief creep into my chest.
I rolled away from it, then fell on my back, staring up at the sky above me.
A deep sense of happiness washed over me.
Then the system screen appeared in front of me.
[SYSTEM NOTICE]
Target eliminated.
Level 2 promotion in progress.