CHAPTER 37: CHAPTER 37 – TRUE MONSTER (PART 4)

Chapter 37 – True Monster (Part 4)

Hearing his response, Liliana was a bit taken aback. She hadn’t expected the boy to react that way—and yet, as rude as his words were, they only made her smile widen even more, amusement flickering in her eyes. It was as if what she heard completely subverted her expectations in the best way possible.

’This human...’Her mesmerizing eyes flashed with a mysterious gleam as she licked her lips. ’He’s so intriguing.’

Every single thing about him fascinated her in one way or another. He wasn’t like anyone else she had ever met. He wasn’t boring. Every conversation they’d had so far felt like a breath of fresh air to the demoness.

The more he talked, the more she was drawn to what he truly was. Something about him compelled her attention—she couldn’t look away, afraid of missing a single thing.

Meanwhile, Jack was far too focused on his dire situation to care what his mysterious demoness was thinking.

He could hear the monster’s heavy stomps as it marched through the corridor, slamming its fists into doors and roaring angrily as it searched for him. The boy knew he had, at most, a minute before it found him—a minute to figure out how to kill this creature and escape.

’I can’t burn this building like I did earlier. It’s all made of concrete. I can’t assassinate it either—its reaction speed is ridiculous,’ he thought, forcing his breathing to steady. ’That leaves one single option...’

The one Jack wanted to avoid the most. He had to fight this monster head-on and defeat it. It was the riskiest path, but it made the most sense—every other option was impossible.

Taking a deep breath, Jack closed his eyes and rested his head against the wooden door. He took a moment to focus, to gather his thoughts and composure. Then he exhaled slowly and opened his eyes.

"Okay..." he muttered.

With that in mind, Jack stood up and peeked through the window. The creature was still there, moving around the second floor, searching for him.

Jack blinked as he contemplated his next step. His biggest concern was how to deal a devastating enough attack to kill the creature outright.

’Red Lightning does some damage, but it doesn’t penetrate deep enough. Song of the Night can pierce, but it’s not devastating enough.’ He glanced between his two powerful tools.

"..." His eyes narrowed slightly as an idea began to form. "Could I...?"

"Hm? What are you doing, Jack?" Liliana asked curiously.

"Shush," he said. "I’m thinking."

As he stared at his sword, Jack’s mind pieced together a strange plan—an idea that sounded far-fetched but worth trying nonetheless.

***

"ROAR!"

Outside, the monster continued destroying everything in its way. Its outrage was at an all-time high. The small human had kept dodging death and landing painful hits before escaping—and it hated that.

Slamming down every door, it searched and searched, finding nothing. Yet it knew the human was still on this floor. It was only a matter of time.

But then, as it was about to move deeper into the hallway, it suddenly heard a door creak open. Looking up, it saw the boy step out.

"ROAAAR!!!"

Without hesitation, the monster charged toward him at top speed. Lunging forward, it swung with all the momentum it could muster. It couldn’t let Jack escape again.

However, surprisingly, the boy didn’t move. He suddenly unsheathed his sword. As the blade left the sheath, a faint sizzling sound echoed through the hall. The creature noticed—but its momentum was far too great to stop now.

"Stop."

Jack’s eyes flashed with a red light as he commanded the creature. The monster’s body froze for a split second before breaking free, but that split second was all Jack needed.

Swish.

His sword thrust forward, piercing deep into the monster’s face. Then, the sizzling blade—charged with lightning energy—exploded with a burst of current that surged through the creature’s body. The monster crashed to the ground, spasming violently, unable even to scream from the sheer agony.

Every part of its body was invaded by the high current, burning and tearing through its muscles, bones, and blood. Every inch of its flesh screamed in pain.

Jack seized the moment, leaping onto the creature’s back and stabbing it in the neck again before trying to slice it clean off.

Come on!

The creature convulsed violently. Jack nearly lost his footing as he struggled to hold onto the sword. Through its pain, the monster reached up and grabbed his ankle, trying to pull him off—but the lightning had already done far too much damage. Its strength was fading rapidly.

It was already impressive that it hadn’t died instantly from that surge, as it was strong enough to fry the brain into a mess.

"Just... die!!"

The brutal struggle continued. For almost four full minutes, Jack fought to overpower the beast with every ounce of his remaining strength. His sword cut slowly through its thick neck, inch by inch, while the creature crushed his ankle in its grip. The pain was excruciating. For a moment, Jack lost his footing and fell off the monster.

But he quickly forced himself up again, jumped onto its back, grabbed his sword, and swung with everything he had.

"I said... die!!!" he roared.

Swish.

Finally, with the last ounce of his strength, he sliced through the final inch. The head came clean off.

Only then did the monster’s body go limp. Jack collapsed to the floor, completely exhausted.

"Hah... Hah... Hah..." His chest rose and fell rapidly, eyes wide with disbelief as adrenaline coursed through him.

"Did... I do it?" he asked between ragged breaths.

"Indeed you did. The creature is dead," Liliana said as she floated beside him. "Good work, Jack. Who would’ve thought you could kill something several levels above you?"

"..."

Jack exhaled a long, shaky breath as he closed his eyes. His stomach churned from exhaustion, threatening to make him vomit.

’I’m hungry... and tired. Really tired. I want to sleep so badly,’ he thought. But he knew he couldn’t—not here. He had to go back to his group and help them if they needed help. The mission was far from over, even though he killed the strongest monster of them all. That horde was arguably a bigger headache due to their sheer numbers alone.

He also had to go to the base and check the situation there, possibly search for anyone he knew. In other words, he still had a lot to do before he could truly get some well-needed rest.

Grunting, he pushed himself off the ground and looked at the fallen creature. Its body still twitched faintly, as if it refused to die. But he knew better—it was already dead. Or very close to it.

’Tsk, the nasty bastard doesn’t even want to die instantly.’ He clenched his teeth.

And, as if to confirm it, the satisfying notifications echoed in his mind:

[You have killed a Level 14 Evolved Mutant.]

[You have gained +5 in all stats.]

[You have leveled up 3 times.]

[You have gained 3 Stamps.]

[You have gained 1 Golden Stamp.]

[You have reached Level 10.]

[You have unlocked a new title.]