Chapter 54
Written by Bayzo Albion
My battle with the monster continued.
Gripping the sword tighter, I charged as its right paw ignited in that bloody luminescence. The blade sank deeper than anticipated, the flames erupting within the wound like a contained inferno. The monster jerked violently, trying to shake me off, its body convulsing in agony.
"Pitiful... mortal!" it wheezed, but beneath the rage, I heard the first notes of real pain—a predator wounded for perhaps the first time in its wretched existence.
With a savage twist, it flung me away. I tumbled across the ground, but it was already advancing, crimson veins pulsing across its form in multiple spots simultaneously.
"Damn..." I breathed, realizing what that meant—the beast was escalating.
It exploded forward with blinding speed, the world smearing into a red streak. I barely raised the sword in time to block, but the impact hurled me like a ragdoll, my back slamming into a tree trunk with a jarring thud that knocked the wind from my lungs.
No respite. The monster lunged, jaws unhinging to reveal rows of dagger-sized teeth, exhaling a miasma of decomposing flesh. Deep in its gullet, a red glow intensified, promising fiery doom.
Summoning every ounce of resolve, I clutched the sword two-handed and met its charge, aiming to strike at the last second. But it was too swift.
The world erupted in agony. Its maw clamped around my waist, bones crunching with sickening pops, a white-hot flare of pain as my own flesh tore in its grip. Everything blurred into a singular, blinding instant.
"GRRAAAH!!!" The roar drowned out even the snap of my skeleton.
Yet I held on. Even as darkness clawed at the edges of my vision, I drove the blade upward into its glowing palate. Flames detonated inside, cauterizing from within.
> Interface: Skill "Deceive Death" used
> Remaining: 1/3
Time halted. As oblivion tugged at me, memories flooded in: six-year-old me hunched over my father's ancient computer, fingers trembling on the keys, the thrill of my first game, the rush of that initial turn on a virtual track... That same exhilaration anchored me now, pulling me back from the brink.
Reality resumed. The monster thrashed and gurgled, fumbling to dislodge the sword, but I twisted it deeper, unleashing a geyser of black blood. Its glowing zones flickered out one by one.
It collapsed to its knees, then crumpled entirely, dissolving into a swirling cloud of ash that dissipated on the wind.
> Interface: Victory. Experience +1500
I stood there, gasping for air, the world snapping back into focus. The Forest Queen remained perched, her gaze meeting mine. For a split second, respect flashed in her eyes, but she offered no words.
"I told you," I said, wiping blood from my face with a trembling hand. "It's not about raw power—it's knowing the rules of the game."
She merely nodded, and the lingering scent of burned oil and gore hung heavy in the air, a testament to the fragile line between triumph and annihilation.
The Forest Queen and I combed the thicket methodically, eradicating the dark spawn that infested it. I took point, sword at the ready, while she covered my flanks with ethereal grace, her presence a silent assurance amid the chaos. Each encounter flowed like a well-rehearsed dance—my strikes precise, her magic weaving barriers and vines to ensnare our foes. With every monster I felled in her name, I felt the icy barrier between us thawing, inch by inch. She was on the verge of forgiveness... or at least pretending to be.
Truth be told, I still didn't feel guilty. How could I have known that monsters evolved by devouring one another? Not just growing stronger—they mutated at a blistering pace, making Darwin's theories look like child's play. Yesterday's mindless brute, felled by a simple rock; today's apex predator, blurring like an arrow and splintering trees like matchsticks.
With each victory, that old gamer's thrill reignited within me—the same rush that once kept me glued to the screen until dawn. The click of keys, the glow of the monitor, epic battles in pixelated realms... Now, reality itself was my arena, and the stakes far exceeded a simple respawn.
The Forest Queen sensed something off. Her eyes narrowed, suspicion shadowing her features like a storm cloud. In a blur, a cold glint of steel sliced the air between us. I didn't even have time to gasp—the dagger plunged into my chest.
But the pain was an illusion.
> Interface: Extra Skill "Deceive Death" expended 0/3
"I told you," my double remarked from the periphery, his tone wry. "Immortals don't get guardian angels. That's why in every legend, they die over and over, rising from the ashes like a phoenix."
"Now you're mortal," she whispered, descending upon me with feline elegance, straddling my hips in a rider's pose. Her thighs clamped down, pinning me immobile, her hot breath scorching my neck like a brand.
"Who are you?" Her voice was low, almost intimate, yet laced with a venomous edge that promised violence.
"Just a guy who's unlocked some new extra skills," I lied, holding her gaze—those fathomless pools swirling with a dangerous blend of curiosity and fury.
"And what do you hope to achieve?" Her fingers trailed lightly over my throat, a feather-touch that could turn lethal in an instant, assessing the perfect spot to slice.
"Victory... over myself," I replied, raw honesty slipping through for once.
Her lips curved into a predatory smile. Slowly, she withdrew the dagger, beads of my blood trickling down the blade and vanishing into the folds of her gown.
"While my blade was in your chest, you didn't revive," she said coolly, satisfaction glinting in her eyes. "Now I know how to seal you away for eternity."
I arched an eyebrow, my mind already plotting countermeasures in this escalating game of wits.
"So what do you want?"
Suddenly, her expression softened, a ghost of a smile playing on her lips. Warm fingers traced erratic patterns across my torso, using my own blood as ink, leaving sticky trails that cooled in the air.
"I want you to keep surprising me," her voice turned almost affectionate, but sharpened by that underlying edge. "With you... it's never dull. I'm dying to discover the limits of your abilities, my dear..."
"Beauties like you can be forgiven anything," the thought flickered through my mind, "especially when life's already a gamble of heat and chill."
She leaned in closer, her lips brushing my ear, her breath a tantalizing burn.
"So, my enigmatic rogue... show me what else you're capable of."
> Interface: Hidden Parameter "Forest Queen's Favor" +15%
"Love is blind," I murmured, gently pressing my lips to her palms. Her skin carried the aroma of wild herbs, faint smoke, and something sweetly perilous—like honey laced with venom.
"How can you love creatures like us—women?" she asked, her tone a vulnerable mix of skepticism and hidden hope, as if she hadn't fully acknowledged it in herself.
"And how could I not love such magnificent beings as you?" I countered, staring into her eyes—deep abysses brimming with magic and secrets, where one could drown blissfully unaware.
Her lips trembled, but she held my gaze. In that charged instant, I realized we were both entangled in a perilous dance—and neither of us truly knew who was the predator, and who the prey.
A wedding night is still a wedding night, I thought wryly—no matter how the last walls crumble. The ending is always the same.
"Beauty can be found in everything," she whispered, leaning in closer, her breath warm against my ear like a secret shared in the hush of twilight, "if you possess the key to unlocking your inner world."
We shared a moment of profound connection. I felt myself blending into her essence—into the warmth of her presence, the
scent of rain-kissed forest and blooming wildflowers that surrounded her like an aura.
"Do you feel it?" she whispered, her voice carrying both tenderness and power.
"With every fiber of my being..." I breathed, as the world itself seemed to pulse in harmony with
our hearts.
*Damn, she's incredible... what a blatant hint. She knows you're the tenth god,* my inner voice chimed in, a mix of awe and sarcasm echoing in the recesses of my mind.
The Forest Queen's smile ignited like wildfire, her eyes sparkling with a blend of passion, desire,
and something perilous—a storm brewing on the horizon.
"For instance..." she drawled thoughtfully, arching her back so her silken hair cascaded over my chest like a waterfall of midnight strands. "Why not explore the allure of men?"
*Oh God, save us all,* my inner voice muttered, caught between jest and genuine alarm.
"You know..." I replied, , "I see no beauty in my rivals."
"Try stepping onto the sinful path," she whispered, cupping my face in her hands, her fingers firm as if she could command my gaze through touch alone. "You won't know until you taste it. Listen to wise women—we're always right."
I froze, locking eyes with her, and whispered from the depths of my soul: "To my great regret, the choice was made for me. I didn't ask to be born, to be gifted this life. I never sought to crave women, yet my body draws to them like a moth to flame. Even when I longed for death, fear chained me to existence. Life has puppeteered me, and I've been its unwilling slave..."
"If you're a slave," she breathed, her lips inches from mine, "then you're
mine.And I'll never release you."
In that instant, I realized I didn't want freedom. Not from her.