The second night's attack fell apart the moment the Stalker appeared.
Crawlers were plenty, sure—but they could be handled.
A Stalker?
That was a different category entirely. Those things usually showed up at the later stages of an invasion, not in some small frontier town like Averra.
And that alone made Aelric uneasy.
The creature stood right behind the crawling swarm—tall, painfully thin, its long arms ending in curved bone scythes. Every step it took pulled the fog along with it, like it was the center of gravity for the darkness.
"Everyone, focus on the big one!" Geros shouted.
"No." Aelric stopped them. "Hold the line. I'll go."
A few soldiers tried to argue, but one look from Aelric shut them up instantly.
---
Mira Watching from the Tower
From the west watchtower, Mira gripped the wooden railing so tightly her knuckles turned white. She wanted to look away, wanted to shut her eyes—but Aelric's words from earlier chained her in place.
If you want to survive in this world, you must understand your enemy.
So she forced herself to watch.
Her body trembled, but her mind worked: — how the creature moved
— where its eyes drifted
— who it was targeting
Aelric.
He's… going to fight that thing alone?
"Scared" didn't even begin to describe what she felt.
---
Aelric Steps Onto the Field
Aelric walked forward, passing the front line of soldiers. Some reached out to stop him, but he tapped their shoulders with a small, crooked smile.
"Don't die before I get back, okay?"
His joke was dry as dust, but somehow it made the soldiers exhale a little easier.
Aelric swung his sword once to steady his grip.
A system panel flickered in front of him.
[Stalker-Class Abyss Beast]
[Threat Level: Medium-High]
[Danger Point: High Agility]
[Weakness: Eyes, Joint Connection]
[Note: Avoid direct frontal rush]
"Thanks for the warning," he muttered.
The creature let out a sound—like a raspy breath scraping across metal.
SSSRAAAAA…
And then it vanished.
"Left!" Aelric shouted.
The Stalker reappeared on the left side of the fence, moving like a living shadow. A soldier yelped as the creature's scythe nearly reached him.
The Stalker's blade swung—
Aelric jumped into the attack instead of pulling back.
His sword clashed against the bone scythe.
CLANG!
The metallic shock rang through the air.
The Stalker jerked back a step, almost surprised that a human blocked its strike.
Aelric snorted. "Don't look at me like I'm some old rotten salad you found on the floor."
A soldier choked on a laugh. "Sir, what kind of—"
"Focus!" Geros barked.
---
The Battle Begins
The Stalker moved again—faster this time. It flipped into the air, body spinning, two scythes slashing in a cross pattern.
Aelric ducked low.
The twin blades sliced the air above him, leaving streaks of black like ink strokes in the air.
The creature landed with a heavy thud.
Aelric retaliated, slashing at its knee joint. The Stalker leapt back, but his blade grazed the dark joint.
[Grazing Hit → 4% Damage]
Aelric clicked his tongue. "Seriously, system? A happier number would be nice."
The Stalker snarled—angry and focused.
Geros shouted, "Aelric! It's locking onto you!"
"Well, obviously. I'm better-looking than all of you."
"What does that have to do—"
He didn't get to finish.
The Stalker blinked out of sight again.
---
Mira Sees What Aelric Can't
Mira tracked the monster's movements desperately.
Every time it vanished… she noticed something strange—
A faint distortion in the air.
Like a tiny crack of light.
Something connected to time itself.
Her eyes widened.
Sir… he doesn't see that!
Without thinking, Mira shouted from the tower:
"Tuan! Behind you! There's a crack— that's where it's coming from!"
Aelric didn't look back—
but he heard her.
He shifted just before the Stalker materialized behind him.
The creature stumbled, its missed strike carving the air.
Aelric spat. "Nice call, Mira!"
Mira's heart leapt.
---
Crawler Numbers Swell
On the western line, the Crawlers were piling up. Soldiers began to falter. Geros grunted as he cut one down.
"We can't hold them forever!"
Aelric knew that.
If he kept stalling the Stalker, the others would be worn out from the growing swarm.
And if the fence broke?
Game over.
He stepped back, assessing everything at once.
He needed to finish the Stalker. Fast.
---
The System Gives Him a Choice
A sudden panel appeared.
[Adaptive Combat Option Available]
→ Force Focus: Single Point Disruption
→ Cost: High Stamina
→ Effect: Boosts cutting power for 3 seconds
Aelric exhaled. "Alright… let's do this the hard way."
---
Counterattack
The Stalker appeared again—this time directly in front of him, both scythes raised high.
Aelric sank low, steadied his breathing—
and activated the option.
[Force Focus Activated — 3 Seconds]
Time didn't stop,
but it felt slower.
Not magic.
Not divine blessing.
Just the system giving Aelric three seconds of overwhelming advantage.
The creature swung.
Aelric moved.
Two rapid steps.
Low stance.
Diagonal slash.
His sword struck the exact joint the system highlighted.
CRACK!
A deep fracture split the Stalker's limb.
It screamed—off-balance.
Aelric rotated his blade and stabbed straight into one of its glowing red eyes.
STAB!
The creature reeled backward, teetering.
Soldiers cheered.
Mira held her breath, her eyes shining.
But Aelric wasn't done.
He lunged and sliced through its neck—
THWACK!
The Stalker's head flew off.
Its body crumbled, dissolving into fading black mist.
A panel popped up.
[Stalker-Class Abyss Beast defeated]
[EXP gained: Moderate]
[Combat Analysis: Improved]
Aelric wiped sweat from his face. "Okay… that was exhausting."
---
But the Shadows Weren't Done
As the Stalker vanished…
the fog in the forest didn't thin.
It grew thicker.
Geros swallowed hard. "Aelric… look."
Aelric turned to the tree line.
A silhouette stood there—
Huge.
Much larger than the Stalker.
Mira gripped the tower railing, face drained of color.
"S-Sir… that's not a Crawler… right…?"
Aelric inhaled deeply.
"No, Mira."
"That one's far worse."
The fog parted—
as if bowing out of the way.
And from the darkness stepped out—
Abyss Brute.
A mid-class monster, towering twice the height of a man, its body built from twisted black muscle.