Chapter 3- Runes
The monster huffed angrily as it pulled its sharp horns out of the car and stared at Rein with anger in its eyes. He was completely in the open, with nowhere to hide and miles and miles of road in every direction.
Rein started slowly stepping back while inspecting his surroundings. Meanwhile, the deer closed the distance down at the same speed, seemingly hesitant to attack.
'Bullets don't work, so I guess I need to do it the old-fashioned way.' He mused as a plan started forming in his head. Then, out of nowhere, he suddenly turned around and dashed toward the forest on the side of the road.
The deer chased after him immediately. The two ran deeper into the woods where the thick forest and trees were. Rein maneuvered through them with ease as he tried to create a distance between them. Meanwhile, the deer was able to bulldoze its way through with its strong horns as a shield.
The distance between them was shortened rapidly since the deer was quite fast. However, Rein's goal wasn't to escape, but rather something different.
The deer's eyes were locked on Rein as he moved past one tree, then another, then another… Then.
He disappeared. The deer stopped immediately as it looked left and right, visibly confused. Its target was there one second, and now it's gone. It looked around for a few seconds.
"RRRRR!!!" It howled loudly before it turned around to search the other side when… She saw it. The young man was rushing the opposite way. Feeling its anger bubble up again, the deer howled and rushed toward him with even more vigor.
However, those precious few seconds Rein bought were enough for him to do what he wanted. Emerging out of the forest, he rushed toward his flipped car and jumped on top before he peeked through the broken window.
There, he found the black bag, pulling it out quickly, he saw the deer emerge from the forest, running toward him.
'Come on, come on.' He tore the bag open and pulled two things before he quickly jumped out of the car.
*BANG*
The monster slammed into it like a train, pushing it off the road even more. The car has been completely destroyed by the monster.
"Be careful with the paint job, I just reworked it," Rein said with a sarcastic tone as he pulled his weapon out of its stash. An axe, one that is made for head splitting. It was one of his more brutal tools for assassination, so he rarely uses it, but for this exact scenario, it was the perfect weapon.
'In close range, this should be far stronger than my pistol.' He thought as he took a fighting stance.
The deer howled and then dashed at him. This time, Rein was ready as he quickly jumped out of the way in time, then he dashed toward it. The monster stopped and tried to turn around, only for it to see Rein approaching it with his axe about to swing.
It twisted its head to the side, ready to hit him with its horns. However, Rein quickly ducked down as he slammed the axe into its face.
The monster howled in immense pain as the axe pierced through its skin and lodged into its skull mercilessly. Blood gushed out of the wound as it shook its head around violently. Rein quickly pulled the axe out as he took several steps back, trying not to get hit in its frenzy.
The deer jumped around, twisting and turning from the immense pain. Then, it stopped and glared at Rein. Swinging its horns around, it launched itself toward him at full speed.
Rein didn't lose his composure as he waited for it to get close enough; he rolled to the side. The monster didn't stop as it took a turn and ran into him again. 'It seems that the hit triggered it a lot.'
Barely dodging it at the right moment, Rein tried to create distance between them, only for the monster to close it down immediately. It didn't leave him any room to dodge or counter.
The frenzied state it entered was something Rein couldn't deal with directly. For the next several seconds, he found himself jumping and sidestepping countless swings and charges that seemed impossible to stop.
However, Rein noticed something during that time. The monster's injury was quite deep, and the bleeding never stopped. That started taking a toll on its body as it grew weaker and weaker with each passing second. He could notice its speed diminishing, and so did its aggression.
Until eventually, the monster stopped as it pushed its head down, the blood dripping endlessly from its face. It then swayed and howled in pain.
'Now!' Seeing that opportunity, Rein rushed toward the monster as he lunged at it, grabbing onto its horn before he slammed the axe on the same injured spot. The monster howled and was jolted out of its dazed state, and tried to swing its head and push the human away.
But Rein wasn't going to let it escape a second time as he pulled the axe quickly and slammed it again with even more power. The third hit was particularly devastating as it cracked through its skull even more, and the cracks spread widely. The monster was completely concussed as it fell to the ground, not able to hold itself properly.
"Hah… Hah… Bastard." He muttered as he approached the dying monster and looked at it. 'It seems unlike the Undead, this one feels pain. Hmm, and the fact its bleeding this profusely means its cardiovascular system still works to an extent. Interesting.' He mused as he watched the deer breathe slowly and heavily.
He didn't know what the difference was between this deer and the Undead humans, but he was certain that it had something to do with the deer itself.
"*Sniff*... It's pointless to keep it alive. I can't carry back with me even if I wanted to now." He muttered before crouching down, and then, aiming his axe, he delivered the killing blow.
[You have killed a Level 2 Mutated Deer.]
[You have gained +3 Strength, +2 Agility, +2 Regeneration.]
[You have leveled up!]
[You have been assigned 3 free points to use.]
[You have gained 1 Skill rune.]
Rein pulled himself away as he looked at the new notification in front of him. "Level 2 Mutated Deer. Mutated? Hmm, that sounds quite interesting. It definitely seems mutated. It is twice the size of a normal deer and far stronger.
"I also leveled up, huh? So, there is even level progression? Sigh… It feels like this entire world has been turned into a video game." He rubbed his hair as he looked at the notifications. Aside from that, Rein was surprised to see that he had gained another one of these 'Runes'.
He had received two earlier when he killed those two Undead, but he didn't have the time to check them.
"Can I even check these runes or what they can do?"
The moment he asked that question, and seemingly out of thin air, three rocks manifested in his hand.
"..." The man looked at the rocks, blinked, and then nodded his head. "I guess that's a yes. Hmm, let's see…"
Picking a random rock, he examined it. It seemed to be very solid, with weird, shiny engravings on it in a language he doesn't understand. The color of the light was blue.
"Now, what exactly are you?" He asked.
[Name: Jagged Fang Sword.]
[Type: Weapon.]
[Rarity: Rare.]
[Ability: Deals 20% extra damage to weakened enemies.]
[Description: A Sword carved out of the fang of Rikonia's Wolf. Deals devastating damage to its enemies. Cannot kill monsters beyond Level 10.]
[Would you like to link the item to you?]
"Hmmm, I see, a sword, huh? When was the last time I used one of these?" He muttered. 'It seems to be rather decent. Dealing 20% more damage to weakened enemies sounds like a very strong ability. But, that description… Rikonia's Wolf? I never heard of that species of wolves before in my life."
Rein squinted his eyes. It seemed something was amiss, but he didn't know what it is. So, he decided to do the next obvious thing.
"Link it to me." He said.
[Item has been linked to the user.]
[You are able to manifest it or make it disappear on your command.]
As he read those words, the rune he was holding suddenly disintegrated, and a sword manifested where it was before, taking Rein by surprise. The sword looked oddly similar to a katana with a jagged, sharp blade. It looked old and worn out, but the feeling it carried was immediately eye-catching.
Rein traced his finger along the blade and the handle, fascinated by its design. 'This doesn't look like it came from this world. What is this feeling?'
Rein felt connected to it, as if he knew it inside and out. So, he instinctively held it forward with a fighting stance before he swung it powerfully. The sword sliced through the air with a sharp sound.
Rein then swung it again, and then turned around and swung it again.
"It feels good to control. This will really come in handy."
Nodding his head with satisfaction, Rein finally stopped. He then tried to do what the system said.
'Disappear.' He thought. The sword instantly vanished. 'Now appear again.'
The sword abided and manifested in his hand as if nothing had happened. Rein smiled coldly before he looked at the other runes.
'Let's see what the others have for me.'