As blood trickled slowly from his chest, Kemal realized he had only one option left…
His mana was depleting. There was no way out of this using magic. His only options were to use his percentages or make a pact with his bloodline.
The grotesque creature in front of him had opened its mouth and was grinning horrifically.
He couldn't bear to look at it any longer.
He needed to think clearly, so he returned his sword to his inventory.
How much percentage did he have left? He didn't have time to say "unlock system" to open the interface, so he scanned his memories.
Resist: 00%Absorption: 14%Obstruct: 09%Ignore: 00%Ruler: 00%
That was more or less how his percentage scheme looked. They were actually decimals, but he couldn't recall the fractions, so he decided to accept it as is. He was facing a phase 7 titan—he couldn't afford to be frugal. He didn't have much left anyway, and Kemal was willing to burn through it all. It would come at a great cost—pain so intense he might die in the middle of battle. But doing nothing would lead to the same end...
Once he was sure he had no other choice (which didn't take long), he used all of his remaining Absorption percentages.
As the trident slowly pierced his chest, the blood flow suddenly stopped. It reversed direction, flowing back into the wound and slowly beginning to heal him.
Then he felt immense pressure on his body—not from the phase 7 titan before him, but from the damage caused by using percentage.
It hurt like hell, but it was manageable. Maybe luck was on his side today… or perhaps he was feeling less pain now that he had reached stage 2. He wasn't sure, but there was no time to dwell on it.
The grotesque monster noticed he was healing and released the trident. It shot upward at high speed, carrying Kemal with it toward the cavern ceiling.
He was being lifted fast, and if it continued like this, he'd be crushed between the ceiling and the trident. Sure, his armor was strong and his endurance had increased due to percentage use, but even that wouldn't save him from this.
He needed to think fast. He had to find a way out before getting crushed.
Then it hit him—if he wanted to stop something, he had to use the Obstruct bloodline.
Why wasn't he just using Fate? Was fate even real? Could it possibly stop his own death if it were fated to happen?
Bloodlines were like having infinite control over a single element, but even they had limits. Preventing a death that was written in fate… that pushed the boundary. Still, it was theoretically possible—it just required a lot of fuel.
That fuel was usually mana, but he was out of that. Just like he had done before, he decided to use percentages again—this time from Obstruct.
He had no other option.(Percentages cannot be earned again afterwards, so this tactic can only be used once.)
As he activated it, the trident suddenly shattered midair and fell. Kemal plummeted along with it, crashing onto a massive mound of flesh. Miraculously, he landed without injury.
But… why hadn't he taken damage from the percentage backlash? What had just happened?
Kemal wanted to think it through, but the cursed phase 7 titan had no intention of letting him breathe.
He was still suffering from the damage caused by using Absorption's percentage. He felt as though he was being crushed under immense pressure. Still, he was getting used to it, almost able to ignore it now. The pressure had weakened since the beginning.
As the grotesque thing suddenly charged at him… a flash of light caught his eye just in time.
It was like when a spiderweb catches the light at the perfect angle and briefly sparkles.
In that fleeting glimmer, he noticed the water surrounding the titan was actually connected to one of the waterfalls.
Maybe… maybe he should cut it.
The grotesque monster tried to slash Kemal again with a newly-formed trident but failed, and Kemal wasn't great at dodging either.
He had already obstructed his death once, so theoretically, he couldn't die for the rest of the day. (Of course, it was a phase 7 titan—so nothing was certain.)
Because of that, the monster's attack missed completely by sheer luck.
But Kemal, somehow, clumsily tripped and fell as he tried to escape. He couldn't get back up.
Wait—his clumsiness was from the damage caused by percentage use. That damage was likely the reason he was suddenly so clumsy. Fate was obstructing Kemal's every move while also ensuring he wouldn't die today.
Using Obstruct for more abstract effects was new territory for him. So were factors like luck and fate—they were all unfamiliar.
After both he and the monster stumbled past one another, the grotesque creature began slowly extending its trident again. It looked like it was forging a stronger weapon.
Kemal wasn't going to wait around while his enemy got stronger. Who the hell would?
Instead, he ran forward and tried punching the monster.
But the grotesque thing turned its head with perfect timing and bit down on his fist with its massive mouth.
Wasn't he supposed to be unkillable today?
He activated Ruler and quickly issued a new rule:
– Closing mouths is forbidden. –
Instantly, both he and the creature opened their mouths involuntarily. Kemal yanked his hand out and used the other to land a solid punch.
The creature staggered back. Its body wasn't as tough as Kemal had expected—probably because it had just been born.
Since it was pushed back, now was the perfect time to cut that thin string.
He stomped on the barely visible thread on the ground, and using Ignore, he denied the water's cohesion—causing the whole thread to dissolve underfoot.
Once the string vanished, the titan suddenly looked like it had lost faith. The proud, confident creature from before was now uncertain, hesitant, almost hopeless...
At least, that's what Kemal thought.
And he wasn't wrong.
The titan suddenly turned and fled toward the direction of the waterfalls. It was insanely fast.
Kemal quickly summoned a large mana crystal from his inventory, drained it completely to boost his strength, and dashed after the fleeing creature with incredible speed.
If he could win this fight… maybe he'd reach stage 1. Who knew?
Who didn't want to be the strongest in the world?
That alone was enough reason for Kemal to chase it.
After a long pursuit, even though the grotesque creature changed direction a few times, Kemal finally managed to corner it.
"Where's all that attitude from earlier?" he sneered.
He summoned his sword, and it materialized in his hand. This time, he was going to make the first move.
And he did.
As soon as the sword appeared in his hand, he used both Ignore and Ruler to deny the air particles that would normally slow his swing.
With unbelievable speed, he sliced off one of the creature's arms.
The phase 7 titan seemed preoccupied with something else entirely.
Kemal pressed forward.
One eye-
Left arm-
Second eye-
Third eye-
Right leg-
Fourth eye-
Left leg-
Eventually, the creature had no limbs left—just a lump of flesh with two eyes remaining.
"With every passing second, you look more like your mother," Kemal said, laughing.
Then, he cleaved it in two with his sword. Had humanity finally slain a phase 7 titan? And was it Kemal who did it? What was happening? This shouldn't have been this easy—something felt off...
After the grotesque thing died, Kemal didn't advance to the next stage. He definitely should have. But he didn't.
Instead, a new entry appeared in the Bonds section:
– < Sign of Reincarnation > –