The sun had barely brushed the horizon.
Smog lingered low, painted orange and grey. The roads were empty, save for crows circling in wide, silent arcs.
Arjun jogged carefully down the deserted bypass road. His breath fogged slightly—mornings were colder now, unnaturally so.
The Kukri on his back felt heavier with each step.
He was headed to the warehouse.A place the whispers in the safehouse had described.Rumored food stocks. Maybe survivors. Maybe not.
But halfway across the shattered overpass, instinct screamed.
He stopped. Froze.
The world tilted—Not from movement, but from memory.
The broken bridge.The roar.
The thundering footsteps beneath falling steel.
The monster.
And as if summoned by remembrance—
It stepped into view.
A hulking silhouette emerging from the shattered office complex just past the flyover. Metal rods stuck out of its back like a broken porcupine. One eye hung low. The other glowed red.
Still bearing the rebar he stabbed into its neck during the chase.
It hadn't died.
And it remembered him.
– System Alert: High-Danger Entity Detected –Name – Juggernaut-Class Ravager (Mutant Alpha)Tier – 2.5 (Unstable Evolution Path)State – Injured / BerserkThreat – HighKnown Attributes –– Strength – Overwhelming– Speed – Brief Spurts– Armor – Partial (Fused Rebar + Hardened Muscle)– Weak Point – Cervical Nerve Cluster (Right Side, Exposed)
The monster let out a roar that cracked concrete and sent birds scattering like ashes in a storm.
Arjun didn't move.
He didn't run.
This time, he didn't need to.
– System Override Triggered: Quest Generated –Title – Debt in FleshObjective – Kill the Juggernaut That Pursued YouBonus – First Kill of Tier 2.5 Mutant (Solo)– Reward – – +350 EXP – +10 Apocalypse Coins – +Enhanced Core (Usable for Weapon/Skill Infusion) – +Reputation +1 (Regional Survivor Network) – +Unknown Favor Tracking (Triggered)
Status – Irreversible Once Engaged
Arjun whispered to himself—
– "You chased me off that bridge."– "Now I chase you into hell."
He gripped the kukri tight, crouched behind a fallen truck, and began to plan.
He didn't attack head-on.
He dashed to the left, sprinting between rusted cars, slashing a nearby fuel pipe with his knife.
The sharp scent of petrol filled the air.
The Juggernaut bellowed.
Then charged.
Tires cracked. Earth shook.
Arjun leapt through a broken window just as the behemoth's shoulder slammed the truck aside like a toy.
He rolled. Waited. Baited.
It came lumbering into the alley.
And that's when he lit the trail.
WHOOSH.
The fuel ignited, trapping the monster's legs in a sudden blaze. It screamed—more anger than pain—but the fire slowed it.
That was enough.
He burst from the window again, kukri flashing underhand.
Straight for the right side of the neck.
The blade sank into old damage—rebar wound—and this time, he twisted it in deeper.
Black blood geysered.
The monster screamed and backhanded him into a telephone pole.
Pain exploded in his ribs. His HUD flickered.
– Health – 64%– Minor Fracture – 2 ribs– Adrenal Boost Triggered (Grit-Blooded Bonus Active)
He coughed, spit red, and charged again.
This time, no hesitation.
He climbed the Ravager's back like scaffolding, plunged the kukri downward, then shoved the shiv into its exposed spine.
Crack.
It finally collapsed—groaning, shaking, twitching.
Arjun jumped free just as the monster's full weight slammed the pavement.
The red eye flickered once.
Then dimmed.
– Quest Complete: Debt in Flesh – +350 EXP – +10 Apocalypse Coins – +Core Item: Pulsing Juggernaut Heart (Mutant Tier) – +Reputation Gained: 1 – +Divine Favor Tracker Updated (Pending Review)– Trait Advancement: Ruthless Cadence → Lv. 2 – Damage bonus increased – Critical follow-up unlock (20% chance)
– Level Up: Level 4 Reached – +5 Stat Points – +1 Passive Skill Point
Arjun fell to one knee.
He wasn't sure if it was the blood loss or the exhaustion.
But he smiled.
Because this time…
He didn't escape.
He finished it.