Gulp.
I gulped.
Gulp.
I gulped again.
I took a step back.
Then another.
And another.
Grrrrr…
"Haah… haaah… haa…"
I took steady breaths, praying it wasn't what I thought it was.
Grrrr…
Sigh.
Yep. It definitely is.
"Damn it!"
Whooop!
The moment I noticed even the slightest movement from it, I sucked in a sharp breath—and my instincts exploded into action. Next thing I knew, I was diving for the ground. And thank the gods I did.
Because a split second later, something sliced through the air above my head. I felt it—something sharp grazed my scalp.
Thud.
I hit the ground, but muscle memory kicked in—thanks to a childhood full of playing 'It' back on Earth, I instinctively rolled.
Then I stopped.
Snapped my head to the right.
"Oh God."
BAM!
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
I had never—never—felt pain that immediate. That… explosive.
I didn't even know what hit me.
Or if I even got hit at all.
I was sure I dodged the falling branch. I rolled, dammit. I rolled.
But apparently not fast enough—
Because now, my left hand felt like it was trying to self-destruct.
"What's… happening?"
I clutched it, stretched it forward—it felt like a massive muscle pull. Reminded me of that time I tried out for the football team. Dumb move. I wasn't built for sports, and I humiliated myself big time.
Whoop!
I looked up—and instantly regretted it.
There was something descending again—
Bigger than before.
Like three times the size.
"…Haah… Damn it all."
I bit down on my lip so hard I tasted blood.
It was nothing compared to the pain from my hand, but it grounded me.
Reminded me this was real.
I had two options.
Move.
Or die.
And hell, I was choosing move.
Stump!
I attempted a half-baked Chinese getup—I already knew I'd fail it, but I didn't care. I just needed one thing—
Thud!
Momentum.
I didn't land it clean. But I got the push I needed. I flung myself backward, and even though it was more of a lopsided tumble than a jump, it bought me time.
Too bad I sprained my shoulder doing it.
"Argh!" I hissed through gritted teeth.
This is so messed up.
My arm's already ruined, and now my shoulder's shot too.
"Crap!"
I looked up—
The shadow was right above me.
BAM!
I rolled.
BAM!
I rolled again.
BAM!
Still coming.
Didn't matter how fast I moved, how many times I rolled—
That thing chased me like it knew where I was going before I even moved.
And the worst part?
Even when those weird branches didn't make direct contact, a part of my body would just explode in pain.
"What the—?"
I tried to roll again, only to slam right into the root of a giant tree.
Which would've been fine… if the tree didn't have a face.
"Oh, come on! AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
BAM!
Hit from both sides.
Everything went white.
Sigh.
So this is it.
I die.
Right at the start.
THUD!
"ARCK!" I choked on my own cough, slamming a hand over my mouth.
It was brutal.
My lungs were burning—like the blood itself was claws, shredding me from the inside.
"Haah… haah… haaa…"
I looked ahead.
"…Oh. Fuck."
I laughed.
Couldn't help it.
Tears rolled down my face.
Of course.
Of course this is how it ends.
Not a drop of power.
No magic.
No skills.
Just me, bare-ass naked in a place swarming with apex monsters.
"Argh…" I groaned, dragging myself toward the nearest tree.
This one looked… safe?
No eyes. No creepy-ass smile. Just bark.
I could live with bark.
"Cough…"
More blood.
I hate this.
"Cough!"
God, I hate this pain.
Wait.
Wait!
The Inventory.
Right! The system put something in there, didn't it?
"Pro… Profile…" I whispered.
Whoosh!
[Azrael's Profile]
Status
Mission [Locked]
Inventory
Career [Locked]
Spells [Locked]
Help [Locked]
[All additional benefits of Elysium are locked, as user is not currently wanted by the system.]
"…I'm not even surprised anymore."
"Inventory," I tried.
[Opening inventory...]
[Error]
"What? No—"
[You have tainted one of the blessings of the Goddess of Life. She has placed a curse upon you.]
[All stats now reduced to nonexistent.]
[Mana is sealed.]
[Azrael can no longer access anything on profile.]
[Azrael's Profile:]
Status [Locked]
Mission [Locked]
Inventory [Locked]
Career [Locked]
Spells [Locked]
Help [Locked]
[All additional benefits of Elysium are locked, as user is not currently wanted by the system.]
[Escape zone to reverse curse effects.]
"…What the hell is even happening?"
I turned my head.
Saw it—my blood, smeared across the tree bark.
Wait.
Wait a second.
Is that it?
Is that all it took?!
"Why… WHY?!"
They were already here.
The monsters.
It was over.