Chapter 16
GLOP, GLOP, GLOP!
The sound of something approaching echoed through the dungeon as Zen held his sword shakily, his teeth clattering against each other. He had no idea what he was about to face, and the fear gnawed at his insides.
'That door… the sound isn't coming from there,' he thought, eyes darting toward the exit. 'Which means that should be my escape route. But if I escape, I would fail this assessment.'
He turned his gaze to the three narrow passages in the dungeon. One to his left, another to his right, and one directly behind him. All were small openings, just big enough for a beast to squeeze through. And from the left entrance, Zen finally saw what he was going to battle.
"Okay, I'm done. I give up," Zen muttered as he slowly raised his arm, his sword still in hand, while staring at the creatures that had now fully revealed themselves. "What is this?"
The beasts looked like gelatinous blobs with translucent, quivering bodies that shifted and flowed like thick liquid. Their outer membranes shimmered slightly, as if coated in oil, and their surfaces were dotted with glowing, bioluminescent spots that pulsed with an eerie, unsettling light.
They didn't have proper faces just a featureless, amorphous mass but Zen could feel their attention, as if they were constantly observing everything around them.
They moved slowly and deliberately, oozing their way across the ground with squelching sounds. It was clear they had been drawn by the noise Zen made when entering the dungeon. Now, they were right in front of him: silent, ominous, and closing in.
"No. I need not be disheartened now," Zen whispered to himself, gripping his sword tighter. "Inspect."
The system interface flickered to life in front of his face.
{Inspect Activated}
{Name: Slime Beasts}
{Rank: E}
{Health: Stable}
{Veil: None}
{Status: Hostile}
Tring!
{Quest Alert!}
"Huh?" Zen blinked at the sudden message, but he didn't take his eyes off the slime beasts, who were still creeping closer.
{Quest Details: Defeat the beasts for some rewards.}
{Rewards upon quest completion: +10 XP, +1 Agility stat}
"Huh? Seems like this system is damn too stingy," Zen scoffed, rolling his eyes.
But before he could process the situation any further, he glanced up and his heart dropped. The slime beasts had already moved.
"Shit!"
In just three seconds, the three slime beasts surged forward. Their gelatinous bodies extended, lashing out in an attempt to engulf him.
Reacting on pure instinct, Zen swung his sword in front of the oncoming limbs, blocking them before they could reach his body.
However, the beasts were quick to adapt. One of them abruptly changed tactics and slammed its body into him, sending him skidding backward by a few inches.
Another twisted its mass and slithered across the floor like a serpent, appearing directly in front of Zen with terrifying speed. Its maw widened unnaturally, about to swallow him whole.
"Nope!" Zen grunted, immediately thrusting his sword up and jamming it between the beast's open jaws. The creature clamped its mouth around the blade with tremendous force.
"Damn! It… it's too strong!" he growled, struggling to keep his grip on the sword as the beast thrashed violently, trying to shake the weapon free.
Glop, Glop, Glop!
The sound of more movement came from directly behind him. Zen spun around just in time to get smacked in the face by the tail of another slime beast. The impact hurled his body away with brutal force, blood spurting from his mouth as he hit the ground.
"Shit…" he groaned as his body bounced, tumbled, and finally came to a painful skid.
'These are just E-rank beasts,the lowest of the low and I'm getting battered? How is this possible?!' Zen screamed internally, seething with anger as his eyes darted around in search of his sword. He spotted it lying far away, close to the beasts.
Glop!
Two of the slime beasts suddenly lunged toward him. Zen immediately rolled to the side, barely dodging their attacks. The creatures skidded a few inches as they missed, but didn't stop.
Zen's gaze locked onto his sword once more. It was still far away, lying just beyond the reach of the beasts. He clenched his fists, forcing his aching body to move.
With a single thought in his mind, he pushed off the ground and bolted forward every ounce of strength and speed he could muster fueling his sprint. Behind him, the two slime beasts snarled and gave chase, closing in fast.
Zen didn't look back. He couldn't afford to.
"Come on! Al… almost there." Zen groaned out, his breath ragged as he kept running toward his sword. From the corner of his eye, he noticed the last slime beast extending its tail, aiming to whack him.
'Fck!' he cursed inwardly. Without wasting a second, he put all his weight onto his feet and, using every ounce of strength he had left, leaned back.
The tail flew over his face, and in a swift, fluid motion, he dashed forward, grabbed his sword, and spun around.
One of the slime beasts was right in front of him, its mouth wide open, about to swallow him whole.
"I hope this works," he mumbled, his grip tightening on the sword. With a powerful swing, he brought the blade down diagonally, smashing the sharp side against the beast's neck. The sword sliced through its flesh with ease, and its head fell to the floor with a wet thud.
Zen stood there, huffing and puffing, his ragged breath echoing in the silence. He stared at the fallen beast's dead body, a proud smile tugging at his lips.
"One down, two more to go," he roared, the adrenaline coursing through him as he dashed forward with every ounce of strength he could muster.
'Fighting these things for a few seconds has made me realize their weakness and how best to combat them…' Zen thought inwardly, but before he could finish the thought, he saw a tail shoot toward him from the side. Reacting quickly, he brought his sword down in a clean arc, slicing off the tail in a single motion.
He leapt back just in time to see the second beast's tail heading straight for his face. Zen landed awkwardly but quickly pushed himself forward again. His leg ached, but he gritted his teeth and forced himself onward.
'My body might be weak right now, I might be trash, I might be an NPC, but one thing is for sure!' Zen roared internally, fighting through the pain as he pivoted on one foot. His movement was sluggish, and before he could react properly, the tail of the second beast whacked him in the face, blood dripping from his lips.
'I will become the strongest Reaver there is,' Zen thought, determination fueling him. 'And I will beat the damn game lord!' With a mighty leap, he swung his sword in a diagonal slash, slicing through one of the beasts.
He spun around just in time to meet the last beast's tail. With one powerful push, he knocked it aside, then forced his body forward.
The beast was slow to react, giving Zen the opening he needed. He sliced through the creature's head, finishing the final one off.
'And no one will stand in my way,' he thought as he landed on one knee, panting heavily. Blood dripped from his face, mingling with beads of sweat cascading down his skin.
{Ding! Quest Completed}
Before Zen could even process the completion of the quest, the sound of heavy stomping reached his ears, accompanied by low, guttural growls.
"Oh, come on! I need a damn break," Zen muttered, his body still shaking with exertion.