CHAPTER 29: STRIKE.

"It’s because of that crystal in their chest," Azhriel muttered, eyes narrowing on the pulsing black shards embedded deep in the monsters. Each pulse gave off waves of corruption, staining the very air around them.

ROOOOAR!

The ground trembled again as the beast charged—far too fast for something of its size. In the blink of an eye, it closed the distance between them.

A gust of wind slammed against them as Serica moved. Her sword clashed against the beast’s massive arm.

CLANG!

The sound rang out like thunder in the valley, the shockwave of the clash sending both Azhriel and Arianne flying back. It was only the aftershock, but it felt like being hit by a battering ram.

Arianne’s body rolled across the ground. Gritting her teeth, she slid to a stop, dirt and leaves scattering.

Without a moment’s delay, she reached into her ring and secured the Lunarbloom safely within.

Then, her hand shot to her side—her sword gleamed as she drew it, standing up with a firm breath, her eyes locking on the monstrous figure in front of her.

"Tell her to take the fight somewhere else, or we’ll just keep getting in the way," Azhriel shouted, his voice sharp as another shockwave forced him to brace behind a half-cracked boulder. "We can handle the small ones!"

"Got it!" Arianne responded, glancing toward Serica through the haze of dust and roaring wind. "Serica! I’ll be fine—take that thing somewhere else!"

Serica’s crimson eyes flicked between the towering beast and her lady. She hesitated—only for a heartbeat—then gave a short nod. "I’ll end this quickly."

Guek—!

She vanished.

To the untrained eye, she disappeared entirely. But Azhriel barely caught the flicker of motion—one moment she was in front of them, the next, she was under the beast’s reach.

The gorilla-like monster swung its massive arm down with a roar—but Serica ducked low, the wind of its swing rushing over her head.

Then she launched upward, her fist driving clean into the beast’s chin.

BOOM!

The impact echoed like thunder. The monster’s head snapped back as its enormous body was lifted clean off the ground, crashing into a rock formation several meters away. Its massive teeth spun through the air like scattered stones.

Azhriel stared, momentarily stunned.

"...Yeah. Definitely wasn’t using even ten percent," he muttered, then turned as one of the smaller monkey-like beasts leapt at him with claws bared.

The real fight had begun.

Azhriel jumped back just in time as the monkey’s claw smashed into the stone behind him, reducing the boulder to rubble with terrifying ease.

Dust billowed into the air, but he stayed focused, eyes narrowing as he watched the beast growl and turn its gaze toward him. Its pupils were unfocused, wild—clearly not in control of itself.

’It’s not thinking... just attacking. Guess, the project is still incomplete. Make sense since the game hadn’t even started yet’ He thought.

His eyes quickly scanned the glowing black crystal embedded in its chest, pulsing with a dark energy.

’They were probably only at [Adept Rank] before the crystal was injected... so now they’ve only risen to [Adept+], lucky.’

It could’ve been much worse.

He clenched his fists, his body tense but ready.

’Right now I’m at [Apprentice+], barely... but with my skills, it’s manageable.’

He sidestepped another charge, his mind calm despite the chaos around him.

As for Arianne—he didn’t even glance her way. There was no need.

She was a genius from birth, a prodigy trained in swordsmanship and battle, her presence in the field was like a calm force.

Her blade danced under the moonlight, clashing with her opponent blow for blow. She was holding her own—against the monster without much difficulty.

’She’s [Adept+] too. Against that monkey, she’ll win.’

Another snarl echoed across the valley, and Azhriel shifted his weight, steadying himself.

’Alright... let’s focus on this one.’

Azhriel gripped his sword tighter, the blade catching the moonlight as it shimmered in his hand.

The monkey roared and punched the air. In the next moment, demonic energy gathered into a large, glowing fist and shot toward him with terrifying speed.

He twisted his body, barely dodging. The blow missed his head by an inch, the wind from it slicing through a few strands of his hair. His sword moved in the same breath, aiming for the beast’s skull.

But the monkey reacted quickly. It raised its clawed arm, blocking the strike. Sparks flew as steel met hardened flesh.

Yet Azhriel wasn’t done. Just as his blade hit, a ice spike burst from the ground behind the monkey—one of his constant working strategy. It shot forward, aimed right for the monster’s back.

But the beast jumped with uncanny speed, dodging the attack at the last second.

"Krieeeeek"

It landed a few meters away, letting out a high-pitched shriek that tore through the night. The sound was sharp and piercing, like claws dragging across metal. Azhriel winced, his head ringing.

Then it moved.

Before he could fully regain his focus, the monkey charged. His instincts shouted at him to move—but he wasn’t fast enough this time.

Thud!

The beast’s fist slammed into his stomach. The impact was brutal.

Azhriel’s eyes widened as the air was knocked from his lungs. Pain bloomed through his torso. His body was lifted off the ground, then thrown through the air like a ragdoll, crashing against the forest floor with a heavy thud.

The taste of iron spread on his tongue, thick and bitter, as he pushed himself up from the ground. Pain flared in his ribs with every breath—at least one was cracked, maybe two.

He wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, eyes locking onto the beast slowly approaching, its yellow eyes glowing with a dull, corrupted light.

"Man... I seriously should stop underestimating rank gaps," he muttered, his breath coming out in short pained gasps. "That one hurt."

Despite the pain, he raised his hand. Slowly, fingers trembling slightly from the earlier blow. The air around him chilled in an instant. Thin mist began to gather in thin air.

Shhk!

Several spears of ice formed mid-air, each sharp and shining, the cold biting around them. The mist curled along their bodies, frost trailing downward like thin smoke.

With a flick of his wrist, the spears shot toward the monkey with sharp whistling sounds.

The beast growled, then twisted its body. It dodged the first with ease, then the second and third, its movements unnaturally nimble. The final spear grazed its side, tearing through some fur but barely doing any real damage.

The monkey shrieked again, angered now. Its claws glowed faintly with corrupted mana, and its feet dug into the ground as it prepared to leap again.

However, Azhriel was already upon the beast—his figure a blur in the moonlight, body reinforced with mana, his speed far beyond what it had been moments before.

"Round two, bitch," he muttered, the corner of his mouth curling into a smirk.

Adrenaline surged through his veins. This was the kind of fight that stirred something deep within him—a fire, a thrill that only came when facing an enemy stronger than himself.

His blade shimmered with frost mana, cold mist trailing behind every movement. The air around him grew sharp and biting as the chill from his sword intensified. The monkey-like beast, sensing danger, also stopped holding back.

A surge of black and yellow energy surged over its fur and claws, twisting its features into a feral snarl. Now it fought with full strength. The two met mid-charge—blade against claw.

Clang!

The impact sent shockwaves through Azhriel’s arms, his bones shuddering from the force. But he gritted his teeth and held firm. The frost from his blade began to spread along the creature’s claws, tiny cracks forming as the cold sank in.

The beast’s eyes widened. It tried to leap back—but Azhriel was already in motion. His sword swung in a wide, fluid arc, aiming for the creature’s right side. The beast raised its claw to block, but it was already too slow.

Slick!

The slash landed clean.

Black blood sprayed through the air, hissing as it met the frost-covered ground. The beast staggered back, its body shivering slightly from the spreading cold.

However, the dark crystal embedded in the creature’s chest pulsed suddenly—glowing with a wicked light.

Demonic energy surged out like thick, tar-black smoke, coiling through the air. The wound Azhriel had just carved open began to mend, muscles reknitting, flesh knitting back together in seconds.

But Azhriel didn’t hesitate.

He had expected this. He knew about the regeneration effect—the cursed trait of those crystals. That was why he had never planned to end the fight with just a slash.

Lowering his stance, he narrowed his eyes, the cold in his blade intensifying as he lunged forward like a spear of winter.

He aimed directly for the crystal, thrusting his sword with precise force, targeting the black heart beating in the monster’s chest.

Clang!

The tip struck true—but not deep enough. The creature, even in its fraying state of mind, jerked back just as the blade kissed the surface. The crystal cracked, not shattered.

"Shit," Azhriel muttered, eyes widening.

The cracks on the crystal spread further, like fractures crawling across glass. From within, more demonic energy gushed out—thicker, darker, madder.

The monkey’s yellow eyes lost all focus, all thought. Sanity snapped like a brittle twig. It let out a shrill, unnatural screech that shook the night air.

Then it charged.

Its movements were no longer coordinated, no longer calculated—just pure, mindless aggression. The monster had entered a berserk state, its body trembling under the force of the energy it could barely contain.

Azhriel’s fists clenched around the hilt of his sword.

"This just got worse."