บท 9: An Unexpected Interruption

Ding!

[You're about to have your first real life and death battle. Prepare yourself!]

Kael's legs were shaking slightly as he stared at the creature before him. "Is this the layer… boss?" He thought, sweat dripping down his face. "I can't believe it! Are you guys trying to end my life quickly?" Kael exclaimed in fright.

He could finally see the beast view as the dust slowly dispelled. The beast was twice the size of the previous one. A beast with a bear-like structure and large claws dangling at its sides. Its deadly teeth were in full display, glinting dangerously. Its red rocky body was covered with strange glowing markings.

ROOOOAR!

Tsk.

"Isn't this what I've been searching for? Why the hell am I scared now? Get a hold of yourself, get a hold of yourself!!" He slapped his cheeks hard, his eyes now turning into slits.

[Quest has begun. Defeat the Layer boss!]

The beast finally set its eyes on him and let out another intimidating roar as he charged forward. The ground shook with each step the beast took with short bangs resounding in the air.

BOOOOOM!

Karl was struck backwards, his body travelling through the air in full force. "Ughh, so fast. The beast is damn fast." He could barely see the movement.

[-40hp]

[HP: 120/200]

Kael landed on the ground, bouncing for a few metres before coming to a stop. His body instantly disappeared from the spot appearing metres away.

BOOOOM

The spot which he lay seconds ago was destroyed by a large fist with bits of rocks flying over the area.

Kael wiped his mouth, squinting his eyes. From the dust, several energy balls zoomed forward, all headed towards his position. "Damn!" Kael blinked across the area, evading the balls of energy that exploded, causing large craters over the area.

Leaning to the back, he barely evaded the beast fist.

BAAANG

The force from the attack had caused his hair to flutter wildly. Flipping backwards, he exploded forward, clenching his fist tightly. "Now's my chance!" His fist struck the beast's chest, barely causing any impact.

BOOOOM!

Ughhh, Kael groaned as he bounced across the ground once again.

[-30hp]

"This isn't what I expected." He groaned in pain. The abyssal regeneration skill had kicked in, healing his body from the wounds.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

The sky was lit up with bright explosions with a cloud of dust covering the entire area.

"A life and death battle, huh?" Kael muttered, standing metres away from the explosion. A huge chunk of his waist was missing and was quite surprised he was still alive. His flesh slowly mended back with the wound all gone after some seconds.

[-50hp]

[HP: 40/120]

[You've got to do something. With the way things are going, it won't be long before you get killed]

"I know that! What do you think I'm trying to do? The beast is damn strong." Kael said, gritting his teeth.

The dust soon cleared, revealing a red beast charging right at him. "Alright, be calm." Taking deep breaths, he tried calming his racing heart. "Now, think! Think!!" Exploding forward, Kael circled round the beast, evading its attack. Appearing above, he struck down with all his might. "It seems I'm hitting a mountain."

The beast roared, retaliating with a fierce strike, which struck the empty air. From behind, Kael charged forward, bending his knees slightly. He pushed himself up and, with a spin, delivered an axe kick.

Not the least bothered, the beast held onto his legs and slammed him to the ground.

"Ughhh, this isn't good." He thought, checking his health, which was at a dangerous level.

[-10HP]

Damn! Pushing his body up, he watched the beast stare at him with a pleased expression. "I'll wipe that smile off your face, just you wait!"

The beast finally deciding his opponent was no significant threat began playing around. It easily evaded all Kael's attacks with a mocking smile on its face. Flicking its finger, it caught Kael across the head, sending him tumbling back.

[-5HP]

"Just from that? You've got to be kidding me! The void eyes that won't help in this case. What about the void sense? The void sense and the blink, using that together, would consume a lot of energy, but it will be beneficial for my defence."

"The gravity skills will be joined with my attacks. I can do this! No, I must win!" Running forward and leaping high, his form disappeared, appearing above the beast head.

"Hey, bastard!" Kael screamed, clenching his fist tightly. 'With the attraction force, I'll just be able to draw a part of his body forward.'

"Eat this!" Kael punched down as the beast tilted towards the attack by his gravity attraction.

BOOOM!

The beast staggered backwards, clearly infuriated. ROOOAAR! Swiping its claws it struck the empty air.

BOOOOM! SWIPE! BOOOM!

Kael's figure blinked across the area as he delivered swift attacks while evading the swipe of the beast. Even with the attacks, the beast was barely hurt.

"This can't go on. It won't be long before I run out of energy." Appearing metres away from the beast, he struggled in catching his breath.

"Huh?" BOOOOM!

"This speed... was it holding back since?" Kael muttered in disbelief. He barely evaded the sudden attack from the beast, all thanks to his void sense.

"This…" Kael collapsed to the ground, clutching his head in agony. A harsh reminder he had overextended himself, using his skills more than the recommended limit.

Once again, the beast appeared to derive twisted pleasure from his suffering. "Pathetic! Damn it!" Gritting his teeth, he watched as the beast casually walked towards his direction with an unnerving calmness.

"This won't hold me back," Kael muttered, rising from the ground. "You won't hold me back!"

[Advice host to remain calm and carefully evaluate his opponent]

"Remain calm? That's right," he thought. With the way things have been going, the beast appeared to be slightly intelligent than the rest beasts around the layer.

"Hey! Bastard! Over here!" Kael exclaimed, appearing above the beast with a grin etched on his face.

The beast face contorted into fury as it swiped its claw towards his direction. "That's it," kael muttered, his eyes emitting a dark glow. He wasn't able to see it before, but with the void eyes activated, he could see the abyssal energy surging within the approaching fist.

"Hahaha! Thanks, system. This was really eye-opening. I guess you are just making use of borrowed power, huh?" Kael's figure disappeared from the spot, causing the beast attack to slam into the empty air.

BAAANG! The air rippled madly, and the force from the attack continued onwards, crashing against some group of beasts swooping around the corner. The beasts were instantly blown into bits of flesh, which scattered across the area.

Kael, appearing behind the beast, swung his open palm wildly as a dark force erupted, further pushing the beast hand forward. The beast was pushed forward by the force and was lightly thrown off balance.

"Is this how you did it, huh?" Clenching his fist tightly, he channelled the abyssal energy to the tip of his fist and then punched forward. He didn't stop there as he manipulated the gravity around him, causing his fist to move at an increased speed.

BOOOOM! ROOOOOAR!

"Damn, it hurts. But seeing the look on your face is truly a satisfying thing to watch." Kael muttered, hovering above.