Pressing his semi-naked body against the red coral wall of the maze, Ren observed the nightmare creature before him, unsure of his judgment. The creature was gnawing on his strange raft, and it was highly likely… it was an Awakened rank Nightmare Creature.
With its massive size, it was easy to guess its strength and rank.
But… facing an awakened monster with no help in sight, no memory, no echo… Ren might try, at least when he has a magically enhanced sword.
This wasn't the first time he faced an Awakened rank Nightmare Creature…
But that time was completely different. Ren had everything he needed, equipment, clear information about the creature.
Fight or flee… the question repeated in his mind.
The red coral wall, like fingers poking at his mind.
One wrong step… or simply being crushed by absolute power. Too many examples of the reckless dying in this hell.
All of them dead.
Ren took a deep breath, his lungs expanding before deflating.
Not here. Not now.
If not the monster, then when night falls, the dark sea will kill him with its coldness, ruthlessness, and indifference.
There was one thing Ren had learned in his short life.
It's not the strongest who survive.
It's the one who knows when to strike… and when to run.
Silent as a ghost, Ren stayed close to the coral wall, continuing to observe the creature.
It seemed… it was wounded.
One of its razor-sharp legs seemed out of joint, as if something had nearly torn it off.
Racing against time, the strange raft was slowly being crushed under the creature's massive mouth and claws.
Ren forced himself to think quickly.
Finally, recklessness overtook reason.
If he failed… he would die.
But if he stood still, the end would be no different.
Ren relaxed his shoulders, his body feeling like an arrow drawn taut on a bowstring.
Every muscle, every breath focused on the single moment ahead.
But…
A chill ran down his spine, causing his movements to falter as he instinctively crouched.
A deafening explosion sounded beside him. The red coral wall shattered, shards hitting his skin.
Ren rolled to the side, the coral where he had just stood breaking into dust.
A giant shadow loomed in his sight, another monster, another Carapace Scavenger.
'When did it get here?'
There was no time to think. Two massive claws came crashing down like cars.
The air whistled.
Ren dove, sliding over the cracked coral floor, debris scraping against his skin. A terrible crash rang out behind him, strong enough to make his head throb.
Before Ren could grasp the situation, the creature chewing on his raft raised its head, its mouth dripping seawater.
Its dull, lifeless gaze locked onto the sound, and then onto Ren.
No, more precisely, it was drawn to the one who had just attacked him.
Two Carapace Scavengers, both enormous, both with the scent of blood and unhealed wounds.
Both were Awakened rank Nightmare Creatures.
They charged at their prey with pure frenzy. Despite their cumbersome size, they were incredibly fast with their four scythe-like legs, digging deep into the mud beneath them.
Surrounded on both sides, with no stable distance to move, Ren rolled, tumbling over the mud.
Just before the massive claws slammed where he had been.
Breathing through clenched teeth, Ren slid to avoid the blow, his muscles burning from the effort.
No weapon. No armor. No chance to fight long-term.
But, fortunately, it seemed the two monsters had clashed a bit.
But they still headed towards him.
With all the calm he could muster, Ren dodged every strike by a hair's breadth. At this distance, he could clearly see the terrible wounds on both creatures.
The first Carapace Scavenger he encountered had several legs nearly severed, moving slower than the second.
The second was even worse, with a massive crack spreading across its spiked chitin armor like a spider's web.
Black, rancid blood and monster flesh spilled out from the crack.
Ren narrowed his eyes, not missing a single detail.
They were wounded. They were blind with rage.
And most importantly… they were hungry.
A silent truth seeped into his mind like a call from the depths of the sea: The weak would be torn apart. The strong would live.
An idea flashed through his mind for a split second. It was madness to try this in such a harsh place.
It would fail if the monsters were of a higher class, but with these two low-class beasts…
Their hunger had clouded their senses. They were weaker than others of their kind, or simply unfortunate, with their injuries showing it.
They were wounded, hungry enough to devour everything around them.
Ren shook himself out of the mud, tall with a lean, muscular build, but too small compared to the nearly three-meter-tall monsters.
He closed the distance, drawing them into the narrow coral passage ahead.
When the two Carapace Scavengers charged at him simultaneously, a collision between them became inevitable.
A miscalculated blow.
One claw slid off target, striking directly into the opponent's gaping red crack.
A wild screech echoed through the maze.
The monster that took the hit screamed in fury. Without thinking, it turned its massive body and crashed into the one who had struck its wound.
A brutal, primal battle erupted.
The claws, like steel presses, collided, creating a shrieking metallic sound in the coral maze. The spikes, the chitin-covered legs scraped across the hardened armor.
The sharp legs pierced the shells, tearing at the flesh beneath.
Chunks of armor shattered. Black blood shot out in jets.
Ren took advantage of the chaos.
He crouched, sliding like a shadow through the muddy floor. His heartbeat pounded in his ears like war drums.
A strange sensation grew within him, as if the entire world was slowing down around him.
Every movement of the two monsters seemed clearer in Ren's mind. The broken leg about to be severed. The off-target claw preparing to open a gap.
His body moved on its own, as if he were a spectator of his own actions.
As the two giant creatures collided in madness.
They fought with everything they had, and soon, their sickle-like legs were strewn across the ground.
One collapsed, weakened. The other stood firm but was no better off.
Ren slipped down next to the more severely injured one.
Crouching, he picked up a sharp spike that had fallen from the creature. They were hard and sharp, but not enough to pierce its chitin armor.
But enough to pierce the exposed flesh from its head.
A precise thrust, no hesitation.
The chitin shard buried deep into the widening crack. The creature howled in its death throes.
Ren rolled out of the way just as the massive corpse collapsed, its final convulsions dragging it down.
\[You have defeated an Awakened Beast, Carapace Scavenger.]
The monster staggered, trembling, its legs weakly pressing into the black mud.
Ren charged.
He lowered his body, using all his weight, the chitin shard gripped tightly in his hand.
A vicious chop, driving deep into the joint near the break.
Suddenly, another leg swept toward him.
Ren couldn't avoid it.
The scythe cut across his shoulder. A dry, snapping sound rang out, like a rotten log breaking in half.
His body was thrown several meters, slamming hard into the cold mud.
He groaned, trying to get up. A long scratch ripped through his skin.
But… there was no blood. Just something grayish, like cracked veins under his skin, fading away before his eyes could catch up.
Ren shook his head, brushing away the strange hallucinations.
He couldn't stop.
The creature charged, but its legs failed to keep it balanced.
Then, it collapsed onto the ground, its heavy armor crushing the mud beneath it.
All its legs were severed.
Seizing the opportunity.
Ren leapt, stomping on the pain under his heel.
A determined thrust. A push with his small frame. The sharp tip of the chitin spike pierced the cracked armor on top of the monster's head.
The creature roared, its disgusting mouth trying to bite Ren. He felt the spike on his hand block, but Ren lifted his leg and kicked hard.
The spike impaled the creature's brain, black, filthy blood splattering all over his body.
A horrifying scream echoed from its weakening mouth.
\[You have defeated an Awakened Beast, Carapace Scavenger.]
Only when the familiar sound of a spell echoed in his ears did he dare to relax.
Ren dropped to his knees, breathing heavily. Painful, but… still standing.
But he had to hurry.
Ren stood between the two monster corpses, his breath quick, his hand tightly gripping the blood-stained chitin shard.
In the palm of his hand, two faintly glowing soul shards flickered, mixing with the red blood on his hands.
A dry sound echoed somewhere in his mind, like broken chains.
Ren froze, an indescribable weight crashing down on him.
Then, like an undercurrent breaking free, the pain twisted through him.
On his skin, deep cuts appeared simultaneously, blood seeping out in rhythm with the chaotic beats of his heart.
"Ugh…"
Ren gritted his teeth, one hand gripping the uninjured arm tightly. He couldn't remember when he had been wounded. There was no clear sign of an attack.
But the wounds were there, tangible and real, as if... they had always been waiting, just waiting for the moment to reveal themselves.
The air was thick with the scent of blood, death, and something more elusive, an invisible crack that Ren hadn't yet recognized.