Nautilus charged forward.
No strategy.No plan.No time to think.
The only thing he knew for certain was that he had to fight.
He could feel his heart pounding wildly in his chest, every breath laced with a tension so sharp it hurt.
His mind was blank, but his body moved on its own, reacting purely on instinct.
He couldn't afford to hesitate.
In front of him, the massive monster roared, a sound so powerful it seemed to shake the very air.
The already dark forest grew even more oppressive, as if it too was under the boss's control.
Leaves quivered under the pressure, and the ground trembled with every heavy step it took.
It felt like the entire world was pushing him to run.
But Nautilus didn't back down.
He had no other choice.
Both hands gripped the sword hilt tightly, his knuckles turning white. He pushed off with all his strength and leapt forward.
A slash cut straight toward the monster's body.
A flash of light burst out as the Sword Skill activated. The blade traced a brilliant blue arc through the darkness, tearing into the creature's thick hide. Shards of red pixels burst like shattered blood, proof that the strike had landed.
But…
Its HP barely moved.
Nautilus had no time to react before a massive shadow swept across his vision.
Too fast!
His eyes widened just before a giant tentacle slammed into his chest.
His body was flung like a projectile, crashing into a tree, then dropping hard to the ground.
A violent shockwave rippled through his chest, as if his internal organs had just been crushed.
The air was knocked from his lungs.
Pain exploded through him.
He coughed uncontrollably, his vision blurred with dizziness.
A red flash blinked at the corner of his screen, nearly a third of his HP gone in a single hit.
Pain.
Real pain.
This wasn't the phantom sting he'd felt in past games. Not the kind of pain that vanished after a second. Not the kind you could just ignore.
It was too real.
For the first time, he was utterly terrified.
You can't win.
A whisper hissed through his mind.
You should run.
You should give up.
If you keep going like this, you'll die…
Really die.
His body no longer obeyed him. His hands were trembling, his legs too weak to stand. Cold sweat streamed down his temples, mingling with the sharp stabs of pain across his body.
But...
Amid the pain, amid the panic and the tightening grip of despair.
He saw Yuna.
She was still lying there, breathing raggedly, her HP nearly gone. If he didn't do something now, just a little longer and she would...
No!
Nautilus clenched his teeth.
He couldn't let that happen.
He couldn't lose her.
He didn't care about the pain.
He didn't care about the fear screaming in his head.
With every ounce of willpower left, he clenched his fists and pressed them into the cold earth. His legs trembled as he tried to stand, but he refused to fall again.
No matter how many times he was knocked down.
He had to rise.
Not this time.
He had once been a coward.Had once failed to protect what mattered most.Had once stood by helplessly as everything slipped through his fingers.
But not this time.
Not while Yuna was still there.
Not while he could still do something.
Not while he could still breathe!
"I'll bring you back."
"No matter what happens, I'll protect you."
That promise echoed in his mind.
A promise he couldn't let break.
The boss's pressure still weighed heavy on his shoulders, but for the first time, he refused to let it crush him.
He would not run.
He would fight.
Taking a deep breath, Nautilus kicked off the ground.
The sword in his hand lit up, the glow reflecting in his eyes full of determination.
He charged toward the boss.
No retreat.
No room for hesitation.
He might lose.
But he wouldn't stop.
Never.
Nautilus remembered those early days trapped in this world.
Back then, he was weak, a boy with nothing but fear and helplessness.
In those first few days, when the world shattered into a cruel reality before his eyes, he had done nothing but throw himself into training. As if working harder would somehow push away the creeping unease that gnawed at his heart.
He had spent hours slashing at the air, at stiff wooden dummies, at weak monsters, all just to gain a few more points of mastery.
Every day, he repeated the same movements hundreds of times, slash, block, dodge, like a machine.
Each time the system notified him that his Sword Mastery had increased by a level, he felt like he was making progress.
But then, when he faced a real monster, a wild wolf with glowing red eyes, razor-sharp fangs, and terrifyingly swift movements, he realized that everything he had practiced was meaningless.
He was afraid.
His legs froze. The sword he thought he had mastered wouldn't rise when he needed it most.
He just stood there, motionless, as the wolf lunged at him, its claws tearing through his armor and skin.
It wasn't a real wound, but the pain was just as sharp. He collapsed, his breath in chaos, heart pounding so hard it felt like it might burst from his chest.
Even just now, when he was surrounded by the Little Nepenthes, he had lost control of his body again.
If it hadn't been for Ren…
Nautilus clenched his grip around the sword hilt, fingertips turning white. If not for Ren, he would never be standing here.
Ren was the first to pull him out of his comfort zone. The one who pushed him into real combat, who showed him what it meant to fight, what it meant to live in this world.
Ren wasn't a good teacher. He didn't know how to instruct. He didn't know how to comfort or encourage.
But Ren always stood ahead of him, always kept moving forward, never stopping no matter how afraid or wounded he was.
Ren showed him that if he kept running away, he would never grow stronger. That if he relied only on numbers and skills, he'd never do anything but stand and watch while others fought.
Because of Ren, he had started to fight for real.
Because of Ren, he had learned how to face his fears.
Because of Ren, he now had the courage to stand here, face the monster before him, even knowing he could die.
He shook his head and took a deep breath.
There was no time for hesitation.
Nautilus raised his sword, a blue light flaring once again. He knew he wasn't a strong warrior. He knew he still had many flaws. But this time, he wouldn't stop.
Because he had made a promise.
And this time, he would fight to the end.
He swept his sword horizontally, the blade carving a sharp arc through the air.
"Horizontal Arc!"
Light flashed along the sword's edge as it slashed through the incoming tendrils, leaving streaks of blue light suspended in the air.
The slash carried all his strength, breaking the monster's momentum. The slimy vines were severed, falling to the ground and writhing like snakes cut in half, slime splattering across the withered grass.
But Nautilus didn't stop.
He clenched his teeth, feet digging into the damp soil, using the momentum to swing his sword again.
The steel blade sliced through the air, the sharp slash tearing apart every tendril in its path, breaking through the monster's defenses.
Then he saw them, giant petals hovering in the air, swaying with each eerie gust of wind.
Without hesitation, he twisted his wrist, redirecting his attack. The sword glowed once more as he brought it down on one of the petals.
Slash!
The first petal was severed, falling to the ground and shattering into fragments of glowing red pixels. Immediately, the monster let out a shrill screech. Its tendrils recoiled for a moment, as if struck by searing pain.
Nautilus gripped the hilt tighter. He could feel his ragged breathing, his heart pounding in his chest. But he knew, this was no time to stop.
If this monster could regenerate its power through its pollen… then he'd cut down all of its petals!
Without hesitation, Nautilus charged again. His sword swung upward, a powerful slash tearing through another petal. And then another.
Each time his sword struck, red pixel fragments scattered into the air. But this time, the pale yellow pollen no longer shimmered. No longer glowed. No longer carried any healing effect.
Nautilus's eyes widened as he realized it.
That's right. The petals were its source of power.
He just needed to cut them all down… just stop it from regenerating!
Without a moment's pause, he poured strength into his legs, rushing forward with greater speed, his blade striking even harder. Another petal was ripped apart. Then another.
The monster convulsed violently, its tendrils flailing madly, like a beast thrashing in desperation.
But Nautilus wasn't deceived. He weaved between its attacks, dodging each wild strike, taking advantage of the openings created by the monster's own frenzy to deliver blow after blow.
The final petal fell.
The pollen was completely gone. No more sparkling light, no more regenerative aura enveloping the monster's body.
Nautilus tightened his grip, lowered his stance, and prepared for the finishing blow.
He had done it.
Now, the monster could no longer recover.