The golden field stretched endlessly under the artificial sky of the Virtual Simulation.
Silver grass swayed gently in the breeze, brushing against Cedric's arms as he crouched low. Every muscle tight and ready.
Sweat rolled down his temple. His breathing was calm but sharp, controlled. Both hands gripped his longsword, the blade catching the soft light like a mirror.
Boom.
A massive fist, thicker than a tree trunk and covered in volcanic stone. Slammed into the ground nearby.
The earth exploded in a wave of dirt and broken stone.
Cedric leapt back, flipping through the air, then slid into a crouch, boots grinding into the soil. His blue eyes locked onto the monster stepping out of the dust.
The Obsidiorn...
It let out a roar so deep it shook his bones.
It was twelve feet tall, a mountain of muscle and stone. Its skin looked like jagged black rock, cracked with glowing orange veins.
