Enjoy!
5.2K words.
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"ROOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAARRRRRRR!!!!"
/Tremble…/
Silver gazed at the trembling wall as dust and debris fell from the ceiling... the massive cavern shook as the seal was slowly undone.
/Crack…/
"... It's starting."
Two weeks ago, the Loki Familia's expedition passed through the Dungeon, cleaning multiple monsters on its path. This included Goliath, the giant humanoid monster on the 17th floor.
From the 1st to the 12th floors, these were known as the Upper Floors, where beginners and more experienced Level 1 adventurers hunt and develop their abilities.
From the 13th floor, the next region takes place… the Middle Floors… the Cave Labyrinth.
(Image?)
From there on, the walls, ground, and ceiling become pure, gray-white bedrock as monsters of considerably higher strength, like Hellhounds, Dungeon Worms, and the famed Minotaurs, begin to spawn.
While the Upper Floors were mostly just a flat, circular maze, the Middle Floors have more complex layouts, which include intertwining upper and lower tunnels, holes and slopes piercing through floors, leading one down immense falls, and even pathways that require climbing, often beyond the reach of a normal man.
Some floors themselves might be as tall as the entire Upper Floors are deep...
The light becomes darker, and the air grows damn, a prelude of what awaits deeper down... with the walls often being full of moss or slippery.
Vertical holes leading to the deeper floors appear randomly, and if one's unlucky, they might find themselves trapped between a hoard of minotaurs and a hole leading who knows where.
However, all paths eventually converge somewhere… a single, massive room wide enough for a small war to be conducted inside. The passage to the next region… guarded by a beast of immense might…
/Crack.../
"... there you are." Silver smiled as he looked up
The 17th Floor had a rather simple layout. It was like a single, massive hallway… behind Silver, a normal stone wall stretched from one side to the other. Broken and uneven, it looked no different from the quarry-like stone he had seen everywhere.
(Image?)
To his left, the entrances to the floors above stood. Comprising several holes and staircases, which he once came from. Opposite that were the multiple holes leading down to the floors below, which he had only gone through once, a day or two ago but didn't explore further.
But the most important of them all… an enormous wall of translucent prismatic crystal… fitting its name as the challenge just before salvation… The Wall of Grief, which has claimed the lives of countless unsuspecting and unlucky adventurers.
All fear crossing and hearing that horrendous crunch…
/Crunch…/
The first guardian, the spawning grounds of the titanic soldier…
Monster Rex Goliath.
/Crack!/
Silver grimaced as the massive fissures spread around the pure crystal wall. Beyond it, the outline of a massive being waited in a fetal position, its burning gaze locked onto him.
It knew he was there, its piercing intent almost palpable.
"Man… I might've overstepped this time…" He said with a deep breath as he smiled helplessly
/Crack!/
Truth is, there is no concrete reason to divide the Dungeon into levels. To begin with, monsters have no blessing; they only have 'threat levels' equaling them to an adventurer of a certain level.
To some degree, he might even liken them to his previous self. Monsters are biological creatures designed to fulfill a certain role, powered by an energy source he barely understood, perfected and strengthened within the limits of nature but towards another direction he could not understand at first glance...
Seeing and experiencing their might, Silver grew hopeful of his old path. Perhaps it was possible to achieve supremacy without the support of the Gods... to slowly dissect and perfect his abilities, eventually turning him into the equivalent of a monster.
A human with the heart of a beast... Silver once thought of the idea of implanting a magic stone into his body. Perhaps that would suffice to clear his burdens.
but was that the path he wished to take?
Regardless of that dilemma, the Dungeon itself changes every few floors. It happened on the 5th floor as the caverns changed shape; it happened on the 10th floor, on the 13th… and it'll continue like that until its depths.
Long ago, the Guild realized that systems needed to be put in place to generalize and assist in the distribution of information. People needed to be ready to face dangers on certain floors; scientific research needed a basis to be agreed upon… thus the layers were divided in accordance to an adventurer's level.
On average, each layer is equal to that of an adventurer's level… The Upper Floors englobe Level 1 adventurers, while the Middle Floors are most suitable for Level 2 adventurers… that doesn't mean they can't go further, but it's not recommended.
At the same time, its not like there are no dangers to those that surpassed the recommended chart of the Guild… the Dungeon is fickle and it will strike when one least expects it… like now.
Creatures of immense might that shouldn't exist at these depths… like the Infant Dragon, like a wolf in a kindergarten, these beasts wait at the darkest depths of the Dungeon for unsuspecting victims…
Amidst those already powerful creatures exist the gatekeepers that protect the Dungeon, acting as roadblocks for even the mightiest of adventurers, meant to halt them in their tracks…
In the past, the Dungeon was on the offensive, but in the present, it awaits at the depths of its bastion for the fated heroes...
Those monsters of catastrophic might, forgotten by must surface denizens. In modern times, they are known as…
A Floor Boss.
/Crack!/
'To be honest, at first I didn't even plan to get here. I kind of just did overtime… and even when I first got here, I only spent some time looking around before returning. Only after a few days did the thought cross my mind… what if I actually killed it?'
"In a world of gods that value mortal achievement… wouldn't this be the greatest feat of all time?" He asked out loud with a wide smile formed on his lips
'Perhaps not the greatest… but worthy enough of remembrance! And what better than to have your legacy on the lips of eternal beings that will remain for long after your body turns to dust?'
"I thought that if I took it down… maybe, just maybe… my prayers would be answered…" Silver muttered as he looked at the wall
'After doing some research, I timed my arrival with its birth and delved into the dungeon, slowly making my way down the floors, avoiding the strong humanoid monsters to preserve my power.'
'For this magnificent creature that is birthed only once every two weeks, if I miss it now, then I fear I won't have the chance to do so again.'
Silver looked at the end of the hallway, at a series of holes leading somewhere unknown. He had been there before, but only once.
"The Loki Familia should be down there. They departed on their expedition weeks ago, and given how they usually operate, they should've planned to take it down on their way back… there's no better monster to strengthen their Familia than this one."
'The Goliath's value comes not from its massive magic stone or its prized drop items, but from the immense Excelia it provides, humongous enough to level multiple individuals at once.'
'So here's the thing… if I take it down, where would this immense Excelia go? Would it not pool within my vessel? Would it scatter? Could it potentially transform?… No matter what, to me, that is just a bonus.'
"The goal is the experience itself… the thrill of achieving what is deemed impossible."
'Perhaps this is just a reflection of my past self... Even if it is a Level 4 Giant Monster Rex. I still want to challenge it at least once.'
/CRACK!/
/ROARRR!/
From within the immense crystal wall, a large segment of crystal broke out of it. Revealing the Goliath's face.
It roared with all its might; the time had come, its limitations removed! With its immense strength, it unshackled itself from the restraints of the wall.
/Boom!/
/CRACK!/
Like hell on earth, the continuous echoes of stone breaking and shattering reverberated in the cavern.
A lot of dust rose like a wall of mist, but the Goliath… it arched its back, towering over it. The beast was so tall that its imposing figure could still be seen beyond the wall of dust.
Like a bunny standing before a grown man, Silver stared upwards at this immense creature.
(Image)
"Let's see how tough you truly are..."
There were two ways of killing a monster. The first was to compromise its biological functions. In simple words, to kill it. Just like animals, they would fall if their bodies became unable to support themselves.
The second was to damage the magic stone. The priciest of the options, but a surefire way of slaying anything Dungeon-born.
To test that, Silver needed to strike its skin.
-Cloud Step-
Mist gathered around Silver's boots as he got into a stance. Soon enough, two clouds had formed around his feet…
/STEP!/
/STEP!/
The Goliath was still slightly disoriented because of its birth... it lashed around at the walls as it walked in his direction, but with each step, it grew more stable; within just a few more, it would be able to run.
To see such a massive creature running… what a disaster it would be. Silver would often imagine the ancient times when creatures like these were free to walk on the world above… in modernity, all had already been hunted, but the thought alone sent shivers down his spine.
To cross a mountain only to see such a being lying in wait at a mountaintop…
/DASH!/
/Crack…/
Silver dashed with all of his strength, cracking the ground with every step, trying to use the moment of its birth to land a hit on it.
He jumped into the air and stepped onto it! Climbing even higher toward its 'weak point'… the chest! He jumped multiple times, but the moment the Goliath's eyes fell on him, Silver vanished!
-Insibility-
'… Let's see… its vision was said to be poor…'
As Silver ran in the air, he analyzed the Goliath and went over what he had researched about it, 'Its skin is thick like armor plate, and the muscles are like metal... overcoming that with my strength alone won't cut it.'
'It's not about sharpness nor the quality of my equipment… those are just about the level anyone able to face it would have… I am the problem here… evidently.'
He looked at its eyes, 'Blinding it seems pretty easy, but I wasn't the first one who thought of that. If I blind it, the Goliath will go on a rampage and the chaos will be heard all the way from the 13th floor… if the Loki Familia is waiting on the 18th Floor as I expect they are, they'll arrive in the blink of an eye.'
'The only reason I'm here this time is exactly because they're there… no one will dare stealing from them. There's no such thing as calling dibs on such monsters; it's first come, first served around here… but why would you try doing so anyway?'
'Loki is already a pain to deal with if the rumors I heard were true… just let them take it… most adventurers are more than happy with these stronger Familias taking down the troublesome creatures so they can pass by and continue working.'
He frowned as the Goliath looked around slowly, 'Blinding it can be left as a last resort… this means I'll have to go with that.'
"Poison it is."
/TURN!/
The Goliath turned to look at him, striking its hand in his direction like a train passing through a station! However… it only caught air.
"ROOOOAAARRR!"
The beast was confused and frustrated. It didn't understand what it was facing…
/Shaa…/
Silver continued to circle the creature in the air, forming plans to tackle it… 'The magic stone is at most a meter inside its chest, if I can shove my spear inside… not even that… if I can unleash a lot of force inside a wound, the pressure from its muscles alone would cause the force to puncture its flesh!'
'Can I take it down in one attack?' He thought as he held his breath
/Crackle…/
Inside his armor, his right hand turned into a swirling mass of shadows, and from the air, Silver pulled out a large spear of considerable thickness.
At the same time, a large bottle with a single crystal inside was taken out and left floating in the air around him.
/Gurr.../
The Goliath felt an unusual presence, and turned its head to the side, feeling a strange airwave coming from there.
"ROOOOOAAARR!"
Its instincts told it to smash it!
/ROARR!/
The Goliath lifted its right arm and swiped at the air. But it didn't hit anything once more… Silver, on the other hand, was sweating bullets, since he was almost hit by the giant arm.
'That was sudden… Its senses are sharper than I thought. Did it feel the circulation of energy?…'
/Expand…/
His right arm's muscles expanded, glowing red as his skin tore violently. This continued all over his body as Silver grew in size, being compressed by his armor!
/Manifest…/
"Grrol… ROOOARARR!"
The Goliath swiped down, smashing against the "Silver" that appeared before it!
But this was the opportunity he had been waiting for.
/FWUSH!/
Silver dove like a falcon, holding his spear closer to his chest. He continuously used his powers to accelerate himself, going faster and faster as he reached his target.
He reduced air resistance against him; he manipulated the air to increase his speed; and even at the end, Silver caused flames to burst from his feet, turning him into a comet!
Gritting his teeth from the immense pressure, Silver pushed his spear forward, crashing against the Goliath!
/BOOOM!/
The spear crashed against the beast while Silver narrowly avoided turning into past himself, landing far away as he slid on the ground; his body turning back to what it was before.
/THUD!/
The Goliath fell with an echoing slam, and Silver once again rushed! He ran in the air, invisible, seeing the crashed monster, its bloody eye utterly unrecognizable!
But shock was clear on his face, 'Impossible. How is it still alive?! I aimed where the optic canal should've been! Is the monster's biology…'
/Open…/
/ROAAAARRR!/
The Goliath opened its right eye, crying out in agony and wrath as it slammed its arms around the place!
"!"
Silver evaded by jumping even higher beyond its reach, 'This was the worst scenario! It's ragging!'
With the whole cavern quaking, Silver knew he couldn't keep this up for long. With a grim gaze, he held the bottle… more like a small vial, full of the most potent poison he could make with his current abilities… and opened it, taking the crystal inside, out.
The crystal floating above his hand, he focused, 'The most potent neurotoxin I can produce… Botulinum Toxin Type A… just about a hundred nanograms is enough to kill a person. That's about a few hundred times smaller than a grain of table salt…'
'Even for this creature, the weight of a lethal dosage for something its size wouldn't even reach that of a grain of sand… and I'll be using this whole crystal!'
'I don't care if the gods call this cheating!'
Silver created several more clones to distract it, causing the beast to rampage at the clones.
/FALL!/
/SPLAT!/
Silver crashed down against his face, taking the crystal and throwing it inside his eye socket before turning it back into a pool of liquid!
/ROAAR!!/
"!!"
Using its remaining eye, the Goliath noticed Silver's presence as he jumped out of its face! Filled with rage, it roared in his direction even as he went invisible!
/CRACK!/
/PRONG!/
Using its two arms, it broke much of the crystal wall and threw it in his general location! It's shards acting like a shotgun buckshot! Where each pellet… was the size of a large boulder!
"Shit!"
Dozens of rocks the size of a human head! Flying at him at the speed of a sports car!
/Crackle…/
Just before the rocks could hit him, Silver disappeared from his location, appearing several meters away in the air!
For the naked eye, it seemed as if he just disappeared, a feat of extreme speed no doubt, but for those that can see in slow-motion, Silver's body slowly disintegrated before it collapsed entirely.
And in the area he appeared, the reverse of the previous process occurred as if Silver slowly materialized into existence! All of this in a fraction of a second… it was simply…
-Teleportation-
Silver fell from the sky like a broken kite before he regained his posture and landed. He clenched his head, his eyes growing damp with tears as cold sweat formed on his forehead.
"Huff… harf… almost lost consciousness..."
He raised his head as he wiped his lips, 'I've poisoned it! Now I only need to outlast it!'
Silver looked at his arms; his invisibility had been momentarily dispelled…
/Grol.../
"ROOOOOOAAAAARRR!!!"
Seeing him reappear, Goliath rolled on the ground before smashing its fists down, creating a massive shockwave that caused the area to weave up and down!
"!"
Silver was thrown high in the air! Taking this chance, the Goliath pushed himself off the ground, dashing after him with immense speed!
Seeing it approach him, Silver's eyes shook! Aiming his right hand towards the ground, Silver used telekinesis and pulled himself back into the ground.
'I just need to create distance. I'll first hide and…'
But then… Goliath stopped running.
"What?"
'Whatì happening?'
/Growl…/
Goliath turned around, growling… Silver could tell its body was growing stiff, albeit very… very slowly. It would fall in due time, be it five, ten, or half an hour…
/SMASH!/
/Tremble.../
/SMASH!/
/Tremble.../
Goliath began pummeling the crystal wall as the cavern shook violently. The shake was so intense Silver had difficulty remaining upright!
/ROOAAAARR!/
With one last cry of madness, Goliath shattered another layer of the crystal wall, revealing something few had ever laid their eyes upon.
Another layer of solid crystal, one far darker than the one before it… perhaps it was here that the seed of the Goliath as everyone knew was first conceived.
It's cradle.
"Is this… what I think it is?" He thought as his expression tensed
'I only had faint recollections of it, but I still wrote them in my diary… only after I came to the city and began studying monsters did I realize what those notes of mine meant… this is something not even my grandparents knew.'
'While I can't tell for certain if it's a secret. In the future, this fact will come to light… or rather, an aspect of it. In the future, someone will challenge Udaeus, the Floor Boss of the 37th floor, alone… this action will cause it to summon its own weapon.'
'People don't fight these creatures on their own. If they do so, it would likely be someone extremely powerful taking it down swiftly or if a small group to support them.'
"… It doesn't change anything."
'The longer it takes, the further the toxin will spread! No matter how resistant it is, with it being injected so close to its brain, it'll fall soon enough!'
"But I can't just sit still and wait…"
Silver raised his right hand and focused, using all of his strength to pull his spear from the Goliath's eye socket… before shoving it straight inside its other eye! Blinding it completely!
/SMASH!/
Even so, Goliath kept punching at the wall, seeking something beyond the crystal layer…
"Just fall already!" Silver exclaimed as he used telekinesis to push the spear deeper inside its eye… yet it stopped again
'Dammit!'
/Tremble.../
The cave trembled, and from the crystal wall, stone and crystal parted open, and two gigantic boots and gauntlets broke off from within.
The Goliath, as if in a trance, went to the items and put them on…
Immediately after, it raged like nothing before.
"ROOOOOOOOOOAAAAAARRRRRRR!"
"Shit…"
Goliath enraged, increasing its physical abilities but dulling its senses. Its skin reddened as steam formed around its body… Since it couldn't see, it just kept crashing against everything around it!
/BOOM!/
/BOOM!/
/BOOM!/
Silver looked at the ceiling, large boulders falling around him like rain.
With a tense smile, he thought about what to do, "... If it continues doing that, the ceiling might collapse… At that point, this is going to become everyone's problem because."
'The Goliath shouldn't be strong enough to break the Dungeon like this… even while enraged.'
"It must be those crystal gloves…"
'While unlikely, if it rages for too long and causes significant damage in the Dungeon… it might grow restless. If that happens, then… an unimaginable disaster might happen.'
'I'm ready to book it, but I can't just leave things like this… running away from a blind and poisoned monster is too shameful.'
/BOOM! BOOM!/
Regardless of his worries, the Goliath wasn't stopping, as if it had infinite stamina. It punched everywhere with immense wrath, causing greater and greater damage to the crystal wall.
/Fall…/
/BAM!/
Large chunks of stone and dust were now falling from the ceiling; the room could not take much more of this.
"Shit… if you're going to die, at least do it silently." He muttered as he gritted his teeth
/POP!/
Silver opened his pocket space and drank an expensive potion he had bought days before, 'This shit cost me twenty thousand Valis… I was holding it for an emergency… but if this isn't one then I don't know what is.'
Soon after, feeling the warmth and energy flowing through his body. Silver took out his Mk 3 Magic Sword and a red triangle shield, "This might not help much, but its better than getting hit straight up."
/BOOM!/
A huge rock on him, but he evaded it at the last moment, "Shit… I just need to buy time."
'That's right… I don't need to fight it, only get its attention so its stop trashing this place!'
/Bang bang bang!/
Silver stepped forward, blocking the stone debris with his shield while the rest ricocheted against his armor. He observed the Goliath, looking for an opportunity.
'I need to time this just right. To strike him in a place that is going to make him stop rampaging… at least for a while.
His eyes fell right onto his heels. However, they were protected by the boots. He wouldn't be getting past that… so he looked at its right eye.
'That's it! I'll release all of my power within its eye socket! I should've just done that from the start… but I was kind of holding back exactly in case something like this happened…'
/SMASH!/
/BAM!/
"But how am I going to get there?… Aha!"
Silver looked to the ceiling and had an idea. Once his gaze fell down, he smiled. Using his telekinesis, Silver prepared his trap before raising his sword.
"Let's dance a little!"
/Fwush!/
He ran across the ground while evading any sort of debris falling from the sky or created by the powerful impacts of the Goliath feet and fists.
Every strike caused powerful shockwaves to travel through the air and ground. Some so powerful Silver felt his chest and ears pop!
/BANG!/
/BANG!/
The closer he got, the harder it became to endure… but an opportunity soon arrived.
"ROOOAAARR!"
/BOOM!/
Perhaps feeling his presence but being unable to pinpoint his location, the Goliath jumped high before landing with a potent dropkick!
The cavern shook, and the ground cracked, Silver feared this place wouldn't last much longer…
'I don't know how thick the stone here is to the next floor, but it doesn't matter!'
"This ends here… hupp!"
He finally got closer to the monster and aimed his right hand at its face. Flames began to dance around his arm, spiralling towards his fingers…
"I'M OVER HERE!"
/BANG!/
A large fireball hit the Goliath's face, sending its rampage to a momentary halt.
/SHAAA…/
The smoke slowly scattered as the Goliath's face emerged from the fog. It was devoid of injury! In fact, it seemed his right eye was healing over his spear!
"I wasn't planning on doing damage anyway… but its regeneration is a tad stronger than I imagined…"
/STEP!/
/STEP!/
/STEP!/
Its bloody eye fixed on his location, the Goliath slowly accelerated towards him, each step covering dozens of meters.
/STEP!/
/STEP!/
Silver stood there calmly, waiting for it to reach him.
"Just a little more… a bit more."
/Raise…/
The Goliath lifted its right hand high in the air, ready to strike the ground.
"Too late." He said with a wide smile as he pointed up
/FIRE!/
A burning ball of oil ignited on his palm, /SHAAAA!/ Silver released it like a tracing bullet, aiming not at the Goliath but above it!
/HIT!/
/BOOOOOOOOOM!/
The ball of fire slammed right into his backpack. And a horrendously powerful explosion rang in the caverns! The sound was so loud it caused Goliath to stop for just a moment…
/Crack!/
A massive chunk of the ceiling detached from the ceiling… a sharp stalactite aiming directly at its head!
/FALL!/
/BOOM!/
"ROOOOOAAAARR!!"
The Goliath wailed in pain as its body was sent crashing against the earth, buried under a torrent of boulders!
And finally… silence…
"Huff… haa… I liked that backpack."
'It served its purpose… I was going to use it to blow up its jaw if necessary… but this was…'
/Crumble…/
From the rubble, Goliath slowly pushed the boulders away from its body! Climbing out of the ground.
"ROOOOAAAARR!"
It was bleeding heavily, its right shoulder punctured by the stalactite, but it still had the strength and wrath to move!
It raised its right arm and slammed it on the ground, pushing itself out of the rubble.
/BANG!/
"ROAAAR!"
/BANG!/
Goliath continued to hit the ground, but compared to before, the power had evidently decreased.
"In this state, you won't be able to do anything… the neurotoxin should also be taking effect by now."
He closed his eyes, 'It's over.'
He picked up the sword and shield on the ground and stepped forward.
"I'll end this myself… ?!"
/Tremble…/
/Splash!/
/Crack…/
"You…"
"ROOOOOOOOOOAAAAAARRR!!"
The echoes of blood splashing and stone cracking reverberated in the cavern as Goliath freed itself from the stalactite! It screamed as it rose to its feet, blood raining down from its wounds like a small stream.
/Step…/
It took a slow and stiff step… it had lost too much blood and its nerves had begun to collapse. Silver just needed to wait, and victory would be within his grasp.
/Swush!/
However, Silver wasn't going to wait. He ran after it, using the same tactics as before.
/Shaa…/
He reappeared before the beast, sword in hand, as he aimed at its right eye…
'This is prime time to test this.' He thought as he activated the mechanisms within his experimental sword!
/Shine…./
It glowed deep red as lightning seemed to take shape within its edge… Like before Silver's muscles expanded as his skin tore!
Fire also ignited within his palm, covering his whole blade and propelling it forward!
"Urg… it's over!"
Even after the two years of training, maintaining two or more Plasmids at once took extreme concentration. It was a recent achievement and the highlight of his recent years of training and rediscovery of his powers.
/PIERCE!/
The flaming sword crashed against its half-healed eye with extreme momentum, piercing its cornea, pupil, and iris all the way to the back of its eye socket!
Its flesh sizzled under the sword's heat! It still wasn't enough!
"How about this?!"
/SHAAAAA!!/
Powerful flames burst from within its eye as Silver unleashed a torrent of fire inside its skull!
"G-GURR!..."
In a last-ditch effort, Goliath lifted a hand and slapped Silver with its remaining strength!
He thought about evading it, but in the end, he only thought about intensifying the fire. As his grandfather said, once a decision is made in desperation, do not hesitate!
"BOIL ALIVE!"
/BURN!!/
At the last moment, Silver raised his shield…
/SMASH!/
Silver was sent flying across the cavern, barely conscious. Even with such injuries and poisoned, Goliath was still that… the pinnacle of a monster!
/CRASH!/
Silver crashed against the ground, sliding for a dozen meters before smashing his back against a fallen boulder!
"ARRG!"
The impact was so great he spat out blood. His eyes, lips, and nose were bleeding from the severe fall.
/THUD!/
Goliath, on the other hand, slowly fell face down to the ground. It tried to reach him one last time before it finally crashed…
/PUFF!/
A massive explosion of dark smoke filled the entire cavern, but it soon dissipated under the weak air currents…
/CLANG!/
/CLING!/
/BROUM!/
Half dazed, Silver heard faint echoes of items falling on the ground… but it was difficult to distinguish them amidst the falling rocks.
/Cling.../
His spear spun in the air and fell several meters before him, while only the shattered remains of his shield remained strapped to his arm…
His magic sword flew to god knows where, and some potions on his belt broke when he fell on the ground.
"Harf… Huff… he… heh… hehehehe…"
Silver fell into a laughing frenzy. Even amidst the extreme pain, he kept laughing loudly.
"HAHAHAHAHA! I did it… in a rather reckless way, but I did it!"
'Next time… next time it'll be even easier! I can already envision it… urg!!'
With that… the adrenaline wore off, and the sharp pain within his chest was made clear to him.
'Even speaking hurts… just… just how many ribs did I break this time?'
"Urg… it hurts… damn you, gramps… I should've evaded that hit… it would've made things so much… URRRG… easier…"
But then… he started laughing again, "Haaa… Ha… Haha… HAHAHA!"
/Cough!.../
Silver coughed some blood as he laughed at what he had accomplished, "Did anyone see that?!"
'A human had killed Goliath!'
"This… isn't this just like that folktale?… Huff…"
'I need to stop gloating myself… I need to recover otherwise I'll lose conciousness once the adrenaline spikes wears off.'
Silver looked at his belt but couldn't find any potions. Only some glass shards… and a sharp stinging pain around his but.
"F-Fuck!"
'These potion bottles were supposed to resist impact…' He thought mentally, "… f-false… advertisement!"
He tried to get up, but… his armor was stuck.
He tried moving his head to inspect himself, "... Ah, I see, the joints are broken…"
A dry laugh escaped his lips, "Ha… better the joints than me. Like the shield, this armor served its purpose."
'I'd rather have broken armor… than a broken back…'
/POP!/
Silver opened another expensive potion and poured it down his mouth.
But just when he was about to take off his armor to apply the potion to his external wounds…
/Step!/
/Step!/
/Step!/
/Step!/
He heard multiple footsteps echoing behind him!
…
.
.
.
Notes
Thanks for reading!
Don't forget to drop a power stone or leaving your thoughts on the work! It means a lot to me.
Peace!