Ash took a step forward, initiating the trial. Then he turned his gaze directly to the large Cerberus.
The beast was frozen for a second, then it blinked its eyes.
Each of its heads moved in perfect sync, as if the three minds shared a single murderous thought.
Kill that Deceased.
'It finally moved.'
Ash jumped back, pressing against the marble pillar. He raised his hand and taunted the beast.
All three heads locked in place for a breath, then charged forward.
Each stomp carried enough force to make the whole ground shiver. The Cerberus raced toward him, closing the distance immediately.
Ash smirked, then rolled to the side.
The beast slammed into the pillar behind him.
Crack!
The beautiful marble shattered into shards.
'Shit. The pillar was too weak.' Ash looked at the beast, hoping that the pillar did something to it.
The beast paused, and the head in the center shook from the impact after a brief second. It snarled, then each head turned towards Ash with fury in their eyes.
'It stopped after crashing.' Ash ran away from the beast with the new info he got about how to kill the beast.
His heartbeat shook in his chest, legs pumping as fast as they could go. Each stomp behind him grew louder, closer.
The Cerberus was significantly quicker than he was, and in no time, the gap between them closed.
Ash spotted another pillar and swayed in that direction before taking a sharp turn towards the pillar. He didn't slow down even though he was right in front of the beautiful marble.
At the last second, he leapt forward and kicked off the pillar. He did a clean flip, jumping over the beast and landing on the beast's torso.
The Cerberus couldn't stop in time
and crashed into it, shattering the beautiful marble and causing another pillar to break.
Ash reached up and grabbed a sharp marble shard the size of half his arm, which flew from the many pieces of the pillar. The beast then stopped moving.
'Now's my chance.'
He ran forward across its back.
When he reached the center head's neck, he leapt forward and drove the shard right between its eyes.
"How do you like that, ya three-headed bitch."
He plucked the shard out, spitting out a black, thick goo onto him. He then took the shard and pierced one of its eyes, making it bleed more.
The left head slammed into the center one, making Ash lose balance and fall.
'Shit!' He landed on his back and his head slammed into the ground, making him a bit dizzy and starting a nosebleed.
But he didn't stop and immediately started running away, and he wiped off the blood running out of his nose.
Ash then felt the mysterious goo on his body. "This is what it bleeds? It's black and thick, nothing like normal blood."
He then lifted it and saw it slowly extend and droop down. "Uhh!" He threw it out. 'Disgusting.'
He looked back as he ran and saw the beast running after him. It was significantly slower than before, and one of its heads was drooping down and not moving voluntarily.
'I got one of its heads.' He couldn't stop a smile from forming on his face.
Ash ran to another pillar and waited for the beast to come to him, and as soon as the beast reached him, he leapt to the side and awaited to hear the pillar shatter behind him, but he didn't hear a crash. He instantly turned back, and his eyes opened wide.
'What, why didn't he crash?'
The beast was right in front of him, and then it rammed directly into Ash. After losing one of its heads, the beast became significantly slower, making it able to turn before crashing and ramming into Ash.
"Ack!"
He spat out some blood from his mouth.
"Fuck, it getting slower ruined my strategy."
Ash's hand still gripped the shard. He heard the same loud footsteps getting louder and louder.
Ash got up and leaned onto the shard, but this time he didn't run away; rather, he ran straight towards the Cerberus.
'I can't die again already, at least not by a frikin dog.'
The gap between them closed, and the Cerberus got ready to swing its head. Ash still didn't decrease his speed; he used the momentum to slide under the beast.
And in the blink of an eye, he jumped up and sliced the soft belly of the beast. More black goo fell from the grave wound, directly covering Ash in it.
'Ugh, Disgusting.' His body shivered.
The beast howled in pain and started jumping and screaming all over.
'It's in pain.' Ash's sadistic side opened, and he enjoyed seeing it cry in pain.
He ran out of the beast's shadow to get a good glimpse of its pain, but the shadow kept getting further and further away.
'The shadow is getting further away?'
His pupils looked up and saw the large body getting closer. His face got pale, and he started sprinting faster.
"No, don't fall now, you fucker."
Ash got submerged in the beast's thick body.
"I was too s-slow."
Ash's bones were getting crushed; he couldn't move a limb or any part of his body.
In that hellish torture, a sweet, pleasant voice played in his head.
You have slain a Tri Cerberus.
"Couldn't you survive for another minute?" He tried to slam his hand on the ground, but he was stuck in place, and even the bones of his hand felt like they were crushed.
The system continued—
Would you like to end your trial here or
Continue your trial for a better reward.
Ash was about to lose his consciousness, but before that, he picked an option without even thinking or looking at it.
"Please get me out of here." He grunted. His bones felt like they were going to shatter.
His eyelids closed shut, making him fall unconscious beneath the carcass of the beast.
The carcass was removed in an instant, then a shock ran through Ash's body, making him open his eyes and wake up.
He felt rejuvenated; his whole body was healed, and every single injury he had gotten in the previous hour was healed.
He was back in the same beautiful monument again.
"So I chose the second option for a better reward, huh." He looked at the ground and covered half of his face. 'Shit! I wanted to finish this goddam trial.'
He clenched his hand, and his body started to tremble from a mysterious aura.
"Why is my body reacting like this?" Ash still didn't gaze upon the beast in front of him, but his body still reacted to it; his body feared the beast that stood in front of him.
Ash slowly looked up. His face started sweating as he saw the beast in front of him.
"You have to be kidding me."