Aki froze, staring at the five sandworms before him. The creatures were grotesque, their mottled purple skin glistening under the sun, twisted into jagged ridges that made his stomach churn. They towered just slightly over him, their sinuous bodies only a little larger than his own height, but that didn't stop his legs from trembling. The stats icons hovering above their heads did nothing to calm him: two level 4, two level 3, and one level 2.
[Cynth mockingly]:" Don't go pissing your pants, you're quite lucky these are baby sandworms which are low level, don't have skills except burrowing under ground and don't have scales. That's why their skin looks like that. You're sword should easily be able to cut through them. This is your first battle it can help you level up quite a bit. So put your heart into it there's nothing to worry about you're way stronger than them."
Aki took a deep breath, letting Cynth's words sink in. He slowly unsheathed his sword, feeling the cool metal in his grip, and assumed a battle stance. [Aki calming down]:" Thanks for that...if you think I can take them down, I'll give it a shot."
Without hesitation, he lunged at the nearest sandworm. His blade sliced clean through its head, and the creature toppled with a wet thud. The remaining four let out ear-splitting roars. One swung its massive body like a battering ram, sending Aki flying through the air. Instinct kicked in—he twisted midair and landed gracefully on his feet. [Aki exhilarated]:" This is awesome...never knew I could do that before." He advanced, tightening his grip on the blade. [Aki]:" Crescent slash." A sharp, horizontal wave of air erupted from his blade, cutting through one sandworm cleanly. The other three burrowed underground with sinister gurgles, leaving nothing but shaking sand.
Aki's eyes darted around, senses on high alert. The ground beneath him began to tremble, a subtle warning that grew into violent shakes. He leapt back just as a sandworm burst from the earth beneath him. He didn't hesitate, stabbing with precision—the creature split in two like a cleaved log. The remaining two emerged for only a heartbeat before burrowing again and fleeing into the sand.
[Aki shouting]:" You better run! That… that was terrifying—but also amazing! You were right—it's not so bad." He Sheathed his blade and an icon popped up. [ You have killed 2 level 4 sandworms and a level 2. Congratulations on leveling up to level 2. You have received 25 stat points.] [Cynth proudly]:" See I told you that you can do it. Now you've reached level 2." " Yeah yeah! Let's continue." Aki inserted his new points. He put 5 across each stat.
No sooner had he taken a step than his danger sense flared violently. The ground beneath him convulsed like a quake, throwing him off balance. Dirt and rock erupted as if the earth itself had been ripped open. When the dust settled, he looked up—and froze.
A massive sandworm towered before him, dwarfing the ones he had just fought. Its body was five times the size of the others, muscles rippling beneath tough, scarred skin. It's violet and scarlet scales glistening in the sunlight. The status bar above it read:
Great Sandworm – Level 37
Aki's heart pounded. This wasn't just a fight—it was a nightmare come to life. His first instinct was to use crescent slash but the projectile bounced off the tough scales of the monster. It gave out a ferocious roar that made Aki's heart sink to his stomach. [Aki terrified]:" Cynth! A little help here."
[Cynth]: "Aki—RUN. That's not a normal sandworm. It has really hard scales which will be nearly impossible for you to break."He spun around and bolted, sprinting across the sandy plains. Each step sent up a spray of sand behind him as the worm lunged forward, its body sliding like a living tidal wave.
The sandworm dove under the earth—only to burst out again right beside him, jaws snapping inches from his shoulder.
[Cynth]: "Keep running! Zig-zag! It tracks vibrations!"
Aki swerved left, almost tripping, then darted right. But the worm was relentless, tearing through dunes like they were water. Aki's lungs burned. His legs screamed.
[Aki]: "WHY IS IT STILL BEHIND ME?!"
[Cynth]: "Because you scream while running! Stop increasing your vibrations, you idiot!"
Aki shut his mouth instantly—but the damage was done.
The Great Sandworm slammed its tail in front of him like a falling wall. Aki crashed into the sand face-first, skidding, coughing, scrambling to rise.
He lifted his head—just in time to see the worm rear back, casting a huge shadow over him.
[Aki]: "Cynth… ANYTHING?!"
Cynth hesitated—then spoke with a serious tone Aki had never heard before.
[Cynth]: "There is… one option. A last resort. But it will drain you completely."
[Aki]: "I DON'T CARE—TELL ME!"
[Cynth]: "Use Blitz."
Aki swallowed. He gripped the Axium Blade with both shaking hands. Its black edge hummed faintly, sensing his desperation.
He inhaled sharply.
[Aki]: "Blitz!"
Then he vanished.
For a split-second, everything stretched into streaks of blurred light. Wind blasted past him. His body moved faster than his thoughts.
Then—Aki reappeared behind the Great Sandworm, blade slightly drawn. He proceeded to sheath it.
A delayed boom split the air as a blue streak of energy carved through the worm's armored hide, splitting scales and spraying sand everywhere. The Great Sandworm roared in agony, thrashing violently.
Aki dropped to one knee instantly, gasping, vision spinning.[Cynth shocked]: "You did it! It's remaining about… three-quarters of hp!"Aki blinked up weakly.[Aki weakly]: "…THREE-quarters?! That's NOT enough!!""…I said LAST resort, not guaranteed victory."
Aki tried to stand—His legs didn't move.His arms didn't move.His entire body felt like molten lead.The sandworm turned toward him, bleeding heavily but still very much alive. It lowered its head slowly, ready to devour him whole.
Aki could only stare, helpless.
[Aki]: "Cynth… hey… listen… I'm not ready to die yet—"