Chapter 2
Ark had never been much of a fighter. His experience with weapons consisted mostly of swinging plastic swords in front of his mirror as a kid and once trying to hit a mosquito with a shoe, which, incidentally, he missed. So naturally, being chased through a decaying city by a pack of demonic dogs wasn't exactly in his comfort zone.
He darted around a corner, panting, clutching the mana pistol tightly in his hand. The creatures were relentless — black, sinewy beasts with glowing red eyes and too many teeth. Their snarls echoed through the empty streets as if the entire city itself was laughing at him.
"Okay, okay," Ark gasps. "Think, Ark. You've got… ten mana points, a gun that eats mana like candy, and legs that are about to file for divorce."
The pistol hummed faintly in his grasp. Another blue window popped up beside him — because apparently the universe had decided this was a good time for tutorials.
[Warning: Mission Failure = Death]
Ark's eyes widened. "Wait. Death? As in actual death?!"
The window didn't respond. Of course it didn't. It was a window, not a therapist.
"Unbelievable!" he shouts, ducking behind a crumbling wall as a claw smashed into the stone. "I don't even get a pause menu!"
He fired a quick shot over the wall — a bright blue flash of light — and one of the beasts collapsed with a hiss. The recoil jolted through his arm. His heart raced, adrenaline kicking in hard enough to drown out the fear.
"Alright, fine," he mutters through gritted teeth. "If I have to play this stupid game, I'll play to win."
He called out, "Status!"
A window popped open instantly.
Name: Ark Sky
Strength: 5
Speed: 7
Stamina: 5
Mana: 10
Skill: [Empty]
Points Available: 3
Ark looked at the screen, then at the monsters closing in. "Well, I'm not punching anyone to death, that's for sure."
He jammed all three points into Mana.
[Mana: 10 → 11 → 12 → 13]
"Perfect," he mutters. "Now I can die slightly slower."
He dashed out from cover, rolling behind a pile of broken bricks. The beast lunged where he had been a second ago, snapping at air. He fired twice more — Bang! Bang! — and two went down.
It wasn't skill. It was panic-fueled luck. But Ark would take it.
He kept moving, never staying in one spot for long. Guerrilla tactics — the kind that made him feel like the world's most terrified action hero. Shoot, run, hide, breathe. Repeat.
When he ducked into an old house, mold crawling across the walls, he reloaded the pistol with shaky hands. "Who knew mold could be comforting?" he mutters. "At least it's not trying to eat me."
A growl echoed nearby. He peeked through a shattered window and fired a single mana round into the darkness. A sharp yelp followed. He smirked. "Yeah, that's right. Fear the guy in his underwear."
As the minutes dragged on, the growls grew fewer and fainter. He had no idea how many he'd shot, only that the silence was starting to return.
Then —
[Quest Completed.]
A large golden window appeared before him, nearly making him drop the gun.
[Reward: Passive Skill — Death Bullet.]
[Description: 1% chance to kill any living target instantly. Activation requires intent to kill.]
[Additional Reward: +100 Mana Points.]
Ark blinked at the screen, then broke into a grin. "Oh, now we're talking."
But before he could properly celebrate, an unexpected event suddenly occurred.
A soft chime sounded again.
[Warning: New Quest Generated.]
[Objective: ???]
The ground trembled beneath his feet. Dust fell from the cracked ceiling.
"Oh, come on," Ark groaned. "Can't I have five minutes to celebrate?"
He stumbled outside — just in time to see the dragon statue in the plaza begin to glow. Purple veins of light crawled across its stone surface, and cracks split through its wings and chest. A deep rumble filled the air.
Then the statue moved.
The stone shattered outward, and something massive emerged — black scales, jagged wings, and eyes that burned like violet fire. A roar shook the entire city, sending rubble cascading from rooftops.
Ark's jaw dropped. "Oh… well that's just fantastic."
The dragon raised its head to the sky and released another deafening roar. The force alone nearly knocked Ark off his feet.
A new window appeared before him:
[New Quest: Eliminate Disaster-Class Entity — Drago the Fallen Dragon.]
[Failure: Death.]
"Of course," Ark muttered. "Why would it ever be 'Run Away and Live Happily Ever After'?"
The dragon moved like a mountain with wings, each step shaking the earth. Ark fired blindly, but the mana rounds only left faint scorch marks on its scales.
"Yeah, that's… not encouraging," he says as he sprinted between the ruins.
The dragon's chest swelled, its mouth glowing with purple light. A split second later, a massive beam of energy tore through the street. Ark threw himself to the side as the blast vaporized everything behind him.
He lay on his stomach, gasping, staring at the glowing crater. "Okay. Note to self — don't get hit by that."
Another beam followed. He rolled behind a wall, debris flying everywhere. "This is ridiculous! I didn't sign up for the Doom Eternal DLC!"
He peeked out, firing three more shots. The bullets pinged uselessly off the dragon's scales. "Mana pistol, my ass. I need a mana rocket launcher!"
He turned and ran, trying to find cover. Then he noticed something strange — every time the dragon fired that beam, its head stayed locked forward for several seconds.
Ark's eyes narrowed. "Wait a minute…"
He grinned. "Guess who's about to abuse a boss mechanic?"
The dragon charged another beam, purple energy swirling in its throat. Ark dashed sideways, firing rapidly. Each shot flared blue, hitting the dragon's neck and wings. The creature roared in frustration, thrashing and shaking the ground, but its beam locked it in place.
"Yeah! You don't like that, huh? Take that, you overgrown lizard!"
The beam faded, and Ark darted behind a wall. The next moment, debris exploded everywhere as the dragon slammed its claws into the ground.
Ark ducked, coughing through the dust. "Okay, okay, that was too close. Plan B: Don't die."
He fired again, rolling behind a collapsed pillar. His mana was draining fast — less than twenty left. His breathing grew ragged, arms shaking. "Come on… one percent chance, right? Just once, let it happen!"
The dragon roared, charging another beam. This time, its head followed Ark as he ran — tracking him, predicting his movement.
"Wait, wait, you can aim now?! That's cheating!" he yells, diving behind a half-destroyed archway.
The dragon's beam swept across the ground, vaporizing rubble as it chased him. Ark ran harder, firing back over his shoulder.
Then something changed. Time seemed to slow. The pistol in his hand began to glow — a red light forming at its tip. A new window flickered before his eyes.
[Skill Activated: Death Bullet]
Ark gritted his teeth. "Come on, don't miss!"
He pulled the trigger.
A crimson trail cut through the air, faster than sound, piercing straight through the dragon's forehead. The creature's roar cut short. Its eyes rolled upward, glowing briefly before fading to black.
The dragon collapsed, its enormous body crashing into the ruins with a thunderous impact. The ground quaked, sending waves of dust rolling across the city.
Ark stared in disbelief. "...I killed it."
Then he blinked. "I actually killed it. Me! The guy who lost poker to his own bad decisions!"
Windows appeared in rapid succession.
[Quest Completed.]
[Rewards: +5 Luck Points, +100 Spins, Skill Acquired — Double Jump.]
[Title Unlocked: Dragon Slayer (Epic). Condition to Equip: Defeat 10 Disaster-Class Dragons.]
Ark burst out laughing, half-hysterical. "Oh, sure. Just nine more dragons to go. Easy!"
He collapsed onto the ground, lying there among the rubble, too exhausted to move but grinning anyway.
"Well, at least I've still got my underwear," he mutters. "The real treasure."