[00:18]
What Mark didn't have time to celebrate, just as he landed on ground a swarm of shards was already upon him.
He ducked immediately but because of the slow reaction time, most shards grazed his shoulders and cheek, leaving some deep cuts.
But he didn't stop, with blood running down his cheek and shoulders, he broke into sprint again.
As if guided by instinct, the black blade flew back into his grasp.
The crystalis's remaining three tentacles lashed in frenzy, trying to snare him.
He didn't circle aroung the monster anymore, he dove staight toward it.
Mark's eyes tracked the three tentacles lashing toward him from different angles.
He jumped and rotated his body as one tentacle swiped under him, missing by mere inches.
Landing on the slope, he bounced off it, flipping backward as another tentacle came crashing down.
His black and white blades flashed in a blur, deflecting stray shards that flew off the swings.
Before the third tentacle could strike, Mark rolled into a flawless somersault, using the momentum to spring upward, spinning over the monster's tentacle.
The tentacle thrashed just below him, scraping the stone where he had been moments ago.
He landed lightly, barely bending his knees, and grinned.
'Time to end this.'
[00:11]
A tentacle lashed out from the side, he jumped and twisted midair, ducking under it.
Another tentacle shot from above; he rolled forward, letting the momentum carry him under the swing.
He hurled the black blade again, aiming to clear a path through the shards.
The blade sliced cleanly through them, cutting a straight line and flew over the monster's head.
[00:07]
Just then all the thread snapped and crystalis took the bag off its head using its tentacle, only to see Mark just about to strike the joint near its head.
All the tentacles and shards surged toward the Mark at once.
At the last second, Mark twisted his body again narrowly dodging the incoming tentacle and aimed staight for the crack formed by the cold water on its head.
The blade's tip struck into the fissure but couldn't penetrate it.
But that was enough, soon icy mist started to pour from the blade and a layer of frost started to form on its head.
_Whooosh!
A tentacle whipped from behind before he could react, wrapping around Mark's torso with an iron-like grip.
Immediately, he felt a cold, gnawing pull at his core.
His mana surged outward involuntarily. Every fiber of his being screamed, but the grip was unyielding.
Sparks of energy flickered along his skin as the tentacle tightened, forcing him to struggle against it.
Thankfully, just as was Mark was about to turn into a fully vegetable state.
A black blade wreathed with red flame came hurling from above and struck right on the head of monster.
_Booooom!
Deafening sound of the explosion reverberated through the passage, shaking its wall.
The blast sent mark flying across the passage, rolling violently on the ground before crashing into a rock, coughing blood.
_ting!
After what felt like an eternity, the dust finally began to settle. A faint vibration hummed from a watch placed near a rock.
Still slumped against the rock, Mark groaned and forced his head up, only to freeze at the sight of a crystal shard buried in the ground, mere inches from his crotch.
He tried to stand up only to slump back again.
'That was a close call.'
It was the third crystalis he hunted over the course of the last four days.
And so far, this was the most dangerous one.
Mark looked ahead. The ground was littered with green crystal shards, and at the far end lay the body of the Crystalis.
Unlike its shiny outer appearance, its insides were a mess of filthy fluids and organs, with its core dangling out.
Mark grinned,
'Not so shiny inside, are we.'
After few more second Mark forced his body, which was screaming in pain, to stand up.
'I need to go before any other monster comes.'
The explosion was loud and there is no guarrante none of the monster outside heard it.
He extracted the core and picked his watch and left the place limping.