MY FIRST BOOK WITH MORE THAN 1 CHAPTER LETS FUCKING GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
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[Location : Siracusa | 340 days left]
[Zenith POV]
Once I entered the city of Siracusa, I walked slowly through the streets, exploring like a child with stars in his eyes. But just like in my previous world, I have a HORRIBLE sense of direction… and I ended up getting lost.
Now in some kind of empty area, I kept exploring, looking for a place to stay. But during my search, I got a bad feeling. I turned around—and the only thing I could see was a flash of silver. I didn't have time to process what was happening—my body moved on its own, rolling to the side to dodge a blade aimed straight at my neck.
My eyes locked onto the blade for a second before tracking where it came from. It was a straight, single-edged sword with a half-circle guard.
From where the blade came, a figure rushed toward me at blinding speed, laughing maniacally. Her second blade sliced through the air with a fwoosh, aimed at my chest. I had barely any time to react, so I tried to block—but my stance was terrible after being caught off guard. When the blade clashed with the shaft of my spear, a loud screech of metal rang out as I was blasted back into the wall of a building.
Zenith: "ARGH!"The only sound that left my mouth was a pained exhale, mixed with blood spilling out, creating a wet, distorted noise. Blood trickled from the corner of my lips, and my face twisted in pain.
As I tried to assess my situation, I saw the figure clearly—a silver-haired female Lupo—who pulled back her blade and turned to me with a crazed smile.
???: "Hehehehahahaha! I can't believe you actually reacted to that—you're more interesting than I expected!"
She slowly walked toward me, and at the same time, a system notification appeared. Reading it made my blood run cold.
[You have encountered "Lappland Saluzzo" — she has designated you as her prey]
Objective: Survive for 3 minutes against her assaultBonus Objective: Perform well against her
Reward: 5000 EXP, Hook Office Book x1, Random Workshop Weapon x1, Official Fixer Suit x1, Lappland's InterestBonus Reward: Generic Book of the Berserker x1, Sharpened Blade generic skill x1, Lappland's Fixation
Zenith (thinking): You've GOT to be kidding me?! Her?! At this time??? What kind of bullshit is this?! Whoever created this world needs to die in a pit. (F*ck you too.)
As I had an internal meltdown over how absolutely screwed I was, Lappland's grin grew wider. With a burst of speed, she lunged at me with the sole intent of slicing me into sashimi. I quickly sidestepped to dodge, but as a Lupo, her agility and dexterity were off the charts. Right before hitting the wall, she redirected her momentum, thrusting one of her blades toward my heart.
Negative Emotion +1
She stabbed me, but I managed to twist enough to avoid a direct hit to the heart—still, it hurt like hell. I quickly activated [Shin], releasing a golden aura, and immediately manifested [Mang]—a ring of light appearing around my left wrist. I lifted my left arm and tried to punch her in the face, but she pulled her blade out and backstepped, dodging my strike.
Negative Emotion +1
Zenith (thinking): Goddamn it—if I'm gonna die, at least let me HIT HER ONCE!
Emotion Level 1 (Negative)
I placed my left hand back on my spear—now the ring of light appeared at the base of the blade. I stepped forward and thrust my spear toward her left shoulder. She dodged to the left, but I followed up with a sweeping strike enhanced by both [Mang] and [Strong Strike]. She blocked the hit, but the power behind the swing made her steel blades scream from the force and pushed her back several steps. She looked at me with what seemed like satisfaction, then her bloodlust surged—so intense it was almost visible to the naked eye.
She lunged at me with brutal force. Her attacks turned wild and savage, like a rabid wolf tearing into prey. I tried to block every strike, but the longer the exchange continued, the more wounds I accumulated. I needed to end this—now.
With a desperate push, I forced her back and raised my spear high. Pouring all my remaining strength—and both [Mang] and [Strong Strike]—into it, I swung downward with all I had. Lappland couldn't react in time and barely raised one blade to block. Her expression shifted into panic—she knew this strike would be bad.
Zenith: "TAKE THIS!"
My spear cut through the air, descending toward her…And then—SNAP
My spear broke in two, the blade flying into the air.
I stared in slow motion as my one and only shot shattered in front of me. Lappland didn't hesitate—she slashed me with a cross-shaped strike, then spin-kicked me in the chest, breaking several ribs and snapping me out of my shock. The kick launched me like a ragdoll into another wall.
Slumped against the cracked wall, I coughed up handfuls of blood. Lappland appeared in front of me, looking slightly disappointed—but still clearly pleased with my performance.
Lappland: "Well, that was fun. A little sad it's already over, but hey—that's how Siracusa works. The strong live, the weak die. It was a pleasure crossing blades with you."She raised her right sword, preparing to finish me off."You can call me Lappland. Remember that name… on the other side."
She laughed and brought her blade down to split my skull—
At the last second, I shifted my head, and the blade lodged itself into my shoulder. Ignoring the pain, I grabbed her wrist with all my strength. Caught off guard by my sudden move, I used her to pull myself upright and summoned the metal bat from the Saluzzo Famiglia member I fought earlier. [Mang] manifested at the center of the bat. With all the strength I had left, I swung it straight into her head.
The metallic sound echoed in the empty alley.
With a satisfied smirk, I looked at her stunned expression and muttered:
Zenith: "Heh… at least I got to hit you onc—"
I couldn't finish my sentence. My vision darkened. I collapsed, unconscious.The bat clattered to the ground with a loud clang… then dissolved into glowing light.
Lappland recovered from the shock and touched the spot where I had hit her. A bit of blood appeared. She stared at it for a second, then licked it. A twisted smile spread across her face as she looked at my unconscious body.
Lappland: "What an interesting fox you are… ehehhehehe~"
With those words, the world fell silent once more.
[To be continued]