Chapter 20
THUD!
The wolf leapt high into the air and, with a loud thud, it slammed its whole weight into Zen, causing him to stumble and crash to the ground, falling face flat just three inches away from the beast.
"AHCKK!" Zen groaned in pain as he swiftly turned around to see the wolf staring straight at him with its glowing red eyes.
GROWL!
The wolf now circled around Zen, who lay helplessly on his back. Sweat mixed with blood cascaded down his face as he stared at the C-rank beast, which casually prowled around him with something resembling a grin stretched across its snout.
"No! I don't want to fall here," Zen muttered to himself. He quickly glanced back and saw the door was just three metres away.
But even with such a short distance, he knew that before he could reach it, the predator that had been toying with him would strike and likely end him.
'I need something to help me, anything! I need to get out of here alive!' he thought frantically, twisting and turning, searching the floor with his eyes and hands for something, anything that could offer a chance of survival against the monstrous wolf.
Before he could do anything more, the beast bolted forward at full speed. Zen instinctively grabbed the first object his hand touched, and it turned out to be his half-broken sword that had earlier slid off the goblin's neck.
In a frantic attempt to defend himself, Zen barely managed to raise the sword in front of his face just in time. The wolf's fangs were bared, poised to tear into him, but the cracked blade came between them, stopping the lethal bite.
The wolf's jaws clamped down hard on the blade. Zen's hands trembled as he stared at the savage creature, and suddenly, a memory crashed into his mind.
He remembered the time he played this very game. He had faced off against a wolf in a dense forest. It had been so fast, so relentless, that he was killed within minutes.
That was his first loss in the game, and it left him so bitter that he posted a scathing review. That very review had somehow thrown him into this terrifying reality.
'If I had known, I wouldn't have cursed at the game or dropped that damn review. I'd be back home gaming and chilling with a cup of coffee instead of being almost devoured alive by some rabid beast,' Zen cursed inwardly as he continued to struggle. The wolf's fangs were tightening on the blade when…
CRACK!
CRACK!
CRACK!
SHATTER!
The half-sword split in several places before exploding into a dozen sharp fragments. Zen's heart almost leapt out of his chest. The beast was now free and ready to strike.
But with a burst of instinct and speed, Zen immediately slammed his foot into the wolf's face, causing it to stagger mid-air and skid across the ground just an inch away from him.
Gritting his teeth hard, he forced himself to rise. Pain shot through his legs, but he didn't stop. He bolted toward the door, limping and dragging his feet.
His body screamed in agony, but he pushed forward, giving everything he had. His vision blurred, his breath came in harsh gasps, but he refused to fall.
Behind him, the wolf was already rising. It shook its head, clearing the wooziness, and locked eyes with its prey a prey that was now dangerously close to escaping.
GROWL!
The sound echoed, feral and furious. The wolf dashed forward at terrifying speed, rapidly closing the distance between it and Zen.
'Shit! It's almost close!' Zen roared as the door came into view just two metres away. A smile crossed his face as he surged forward, getting closer and closer when...
RIP!
The sound of something tearing echoed through the air, and in the next moment, Zen crashed face-flat to the ground, just three feet away from the door.
A searing pain exploded across his limbs, and he instinctively glanced down. His eyes widened in horror.
The wolf now stood behind him, its expression twisted into something that looked disturbingly like a smirk. Blood coated its fangs, and clenched between them was... something.
Squinting in confusion, Zen's head throbbed violently as realization dawned on him.
The wolf had a leg in its mouth.
Not just any leg, his leg.
Zen's entire body stiffened in shock. Slowly, he turned his head and looked at his lower half just to be sure. Sure enough, one of his legs was missing. His vision spiraled, the world tilting around him as dizziness gripped him hard.
{-2 HP}
{1 HP left}
GROWL!
The beast howled and spat Zen's severed leg to the side. Its muscles tensed, and in the blink of an eye, it bolted toward Zen's main body.
'Arghhh! Damn it, damn it! Damn it! What did I ever do to deserve this?! I… I… I just wanted a peaceful life. Game all my life and maybe get married to a beautiful model.
But because of my immaturity, look where I ended up! How is this fair?! What happened to the term "Slap on the wrist"? Crap! I hate my life! I hate this game! I hate this whole world! Why couldn't I be like some anime characters?
Just get transmigrated with an OP system! A broken skill that would make me rise above my peers and aura farm all my life! Why am I freaking struggling and about to die?! This is unfair!' Zen screamed in his mind as he watched the wolf leap toward him like a demon falling from the sky.
'I promised myself. No one wants me. Not my reality. Not the game. But I still freaking promised to make it out of here alive and become a crazy strong Reaver. So I won't accept such a pathetic death! My life is mine and mine alone!'
"No one can control my life! Not this world, not the gods, and definitely not the damn game lord! My life is mine, and I choose to live it to the fullest! Which means you have to die!" Zen roared, his voice raw and fierce as he scanned the surroundings with wild eyes.
Then he saw it. The goblin's sword. Just a few inches away.
Without hesitation, he reached for it with a sudden burst of speed. Grabbing the hilt, he thrust it forward. The wolf saw it coming and quickly twisted midair, kicking at the wind in a frantic attempt to avoid having the blade pierce its neck.
But Zen wasn't done yet.
He released the sword, letting it fall, and then, with lightning reflexes, snatched it again with his other hand before swinging it violently upward driving the blade straight into the wolf's eye.
"AWOOOH!" the beast howled in agonizing pain as it was knocked out of the air, crashing to the ground a metre away, blood streaming from its punctured eye.
"My chance," Zen muttered through gritted teeth. He glanced at the door, now a metre away, and began dragging himself toward it. His arms trembled. His breaths were ragged. But he kept moving. Crawling. Pulling.
Behind him, the wolf thrashed wildly, its body spasming in pain.
"Almost," Zen whispered, inching closer. He was directly in front of the door now. All he had to do was reach up, twist the knob, and escape.
GROWL!
But the game had different plans.
The wolf, ignoring the pain and the sword still embedded in its eye, lunged forward again with its bloodlust overriding its agony.
"Crap!" Zen cursed. He tried to stand but couldn't. His missing leg left him helpless.
He spun around just in time to see the wolf midair, coming right for him. The sword still jutted out from its eye.
"No! Not today!" Zen bellowed as he swung his only remaining foot forward with all the strength he could muster. The sole of his foot connected with the sword, slamming it deeper into the wolf's skull.
The blade drove into the beast's brain, and with a final screech, it was hurled backward. Its limp body bounced across the ground like a discarded toy, the sword now buried deep in its skull.
"I… I… I won?" Zen whispered, his voice trembling. His heart raced like a drumbeat in his ears. The door was now just a few inches away.
He reached out.
He could almost touch it.
But then, a sharp wave of pain erupted across his entire body, as if lightning had struck him from within.
{Congratulatio…}
The system's message blinked onto the screen, but it didn't finish.
The screen glitched. The message changed.
{0/20 HP left.}
{Thirty seconds till bug dies.}
"Fuck." That was all Zen could manage as the door blurred from his vision. His body gave out, and darkness spread like ink in water, swallowing his sight and stealing his final breath.