[ BOSS MONSTER DETECTED ]
[ MONSTER NAME: Moon Lion ]
[ BOSS MONSTER TIER: C+ ]
[ THREAT LEVEL: HIGH ]
[ ESSENCE VALUE: 350 ]
The Moon Lion slowly stepped forward, its obsidian claws clawing into the soil like knives. Its violet eyes never blinked as it locked onto Soji. Soji stumbled back, his breath ragged.
The air around him felt heavy, charged with the weight of imminent death.
"Fuck... Look at that Essence value... I guess I should fight that big cat," Soji muttered as he straightened his stance while locking eyes with the Moon Lion.
Soji took a deep breath...
"Hoooo... I will prove my worth... This time I will not use Null... Unless in death situations, of course..."
.....
Suddenly, smoke comes out of Soji's body...
Thick smoke began to billow from his body, curling up from his arms, chest, and back like wisps of black mist escaping a furnace. The air around him seemed to twist with raw energy.
The Moon Lion froze mid-step...
The smoke thickened... then suddenly snapped away, cleared in an instant by the breezing wind. What stood in Soji's place was no longer the anxious, trembling man from seconds ago.
A tall, broad-shouldered figure stood firm, his muscles big with raw and controlled power. His eyes burned a cold glance, seemingly observing the lion while calculating its whole actions. No fear. Only pure focus. Only intent.
The lion blinked, confused. Its predatory instincts screamed that something had changed. That the weak prey it had cornered... was no longer prey. It sniffed the air. Growled again, but this time it's more cautious.
Soji then began stretching his arms, rolling his shoulders with slow, deliberate motions. He jumped lightly on his heels, bouncing in place to loosen his joints. Soji was warming up, his expression calm, cold, and confident.
"Let's begin," Soji uttered, his voice deep and cold as he confidently braced himself in a fighting stance.
The lion growled in response, baring its obsidian fangs, its jagged tail twitching with renewed aggression, ready to fight but still not charging.
It sensed something...
Soji smirked again. As he slowly started walking... The lion blinked, watching him intently.
"Show me a fun time," he uttered in his voice, cold and piercing, as he started to speed up his walk before switching to running.
Suddenly, he dashed forward, putting force into his feet.
BOOM!
The air cracked violently as Soji vanished into a blur. The force of his takeoff cracked the ground beneath his feet and echoed with a concussive sonic boom, sending a shockwave that rippled across the field.
The Moon Lion instinctively braced itself, slamming its obsidian claws into the dirt and raising one massive paw to shield its face, just in time.
CLANG!
Soji's fist collided with the lion's claw mid-guard, and the sheer force of it echoed like metal smashing against each other. The impact sent the beast sliding backwards, its claws leaving claw mark trenches in the ground as it fought to hold its stance.
The lion growled in disbelief, eyes wide...
But before the lion could react, Soji didn't stop his attacks. He twisted mid-air, his leg spinning around in a roundhouse kick aimed at the lion's exposed flank.
THWACK!
The lion roared in pain as its body was hurled to the side, tumbling through trees like a cannonball.
Soji landed, exhaling slowly.
"Is that it?" he said calmly, his red eyes narrowing.
The lion roared angrily, its piercing roar sending shockwaves vibrating through the ground and trees; however, Soji was unfazed by the power it displayed. The lion then cast its magic; sudden energy balls that resembled moonlight started appearing by its side, and as soon as they manifested, it fired at Soji at a fast speed.
Soji then reacted by stomping his foot on the ground.
CRACK! BOOM!
The ground beneath him cracked open like shattered glass, the shockwave blasting outward. As chunks of jagged stones and debris burst into the air, hovering for a brief moment while suspended in the air.
With controlled precision, Soji's legs move. He kicked one massive chunk of stone after another, each projectile whistling through the air like meteors. The debris rocketed toward the charging magic that the lion cast, colliding mid-air with devastating force.
BANG! BOOM! BOOM! BANG! BANG!
Then, each remaining piece of debris smashed into the moonlit mana sphere before it could fire again, disrupting its spell and creating a series of explosive bursts that lit up the battlefield in flashes of dust and flame. The lion roared in frustration, its spell destabilized and scattered before it could release another attack.
Soji took advantage of this and charged again, this time gripping two massive chunks of rocks in his hands, his shoulders flexed, veins coiling beneath his skin like iron cords. Soji hurled the rocks skyward, both spinning mid-air at blinding speed. Their arcs curved high as it rained down like twin meteors heading towards the lion.
The lion braced again. Its violet eyes flared and spun at a quick speed, attacking with its jagged obsidian tail, blocking and cracking the two massive chunks.
CRACK! CRUNCH!
As the rocks cracked, it revealed Soji already close to the lion at a terrifying distance.
Before the beast could react, Soji lunged, grabbing the Moon Lion's massive snarling maw with both hands. His fingers dug into the creature's jawline, his muscles straining as he twisted his hips.
"WRRAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!" Soji screamed with all his force and might as he smashed the lion's head down. His voice sent shivers down the lion and the forest.
[ WARNING! ]
[ BOSS MONSTER TRANSFORMING ]
[ SECOND PHASE INITI- ]
Soji didn't let go of his grip, and he tightened his grip, and with a mad glint in his eye, he smashed the lion's head down again. And again. And again. And again...
Cancelling the lion's second phase.
BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!
Each impact sent a thunderous shockwave, cratering the ground deeper and deeper, spraying stone and dirt like geysers. His muscles were burning and hurt from the strain, and his heart was aching as he gritted his teeth.
The Moon Lion howled as it cried, obsidian fangs chipped and bloodied, trying to fight back. Its jagged tail lashing wildly, slashing and slamming into Soji's sides and back with brutal force. One hit tore into his shoulder, slicing deep—but Soji didn't falter. Not even a scream.
The ground cracked further as the lion's resistance weakened. Its tail slowed. Its roars turned into choked groans. Soji had now smashed the lion's head many times, its face deformed, its brain sprawling out, and the lion's blood in his hands and chest can be seen piling up, his now tattered shirt colored blood red.
And finally... The lion showed no life after enduring Soji's repeated head bashing treatment. The system announced Soji's victory.
"Pathetic," Soji muttered as he looked at the now lifeless body of the creature, its head deformed.
[ BOSS MONSTER DEFEATED ]
[ MONSTER NAME: Moon Lion ]
[ BOSS MONSTER TIER: C+ ]
[ THREAT LEVEL: HIGH ]
[ ESSENCE VALUE: 350 ]
Soji stood there for a moment, his chest heaving, his hands still gripping the now-lifeless creature. Then a white orb floated gracefully towards Soji, its radiant light pulsating softly before it was absorbed into his hands. Before the system appeared again notifying him of his accomplishment.
[ ACQUIRED 350 ESSENCES ]
[ CONGRATULATIONS! YOU HAVE PASSED... ]
[ You are the first participant to exceed 100+ Essences in a short time. ]
[ Now please wait as the trial is still ongoing. ]
[ GOOD LUCK! ]
[ TIME LEFT: 23 HOURS 41 MINUTES
His breath was ragged, but his mind was sharp, as he had just defeated a boss monster of C+ tier. Soji then wasted no time and took his subspace pouch, his hand smearing blood into the leather, and retrieved five Vitality Elixirs and drank all of them in one go.
The taste of five artificial strawberries at once put Soji in a light mood as he started to recover from his heavy injuries.
"That was good..." he muttered as he looked at the five empty vials left and threw them back into his subspace pouch.
"That's enough essence... Maybe I should exterminate more monsters." Soji uttered as his cold eyes gaze around his surroundings.
"I won't attract monsters in this form... Time to switch to my pathetic other ego..." Soji inhaled as smoke started coming out again from his body.
"Alright, let's get on and fool these monsters... then I will transform to my SECOND EGO!"