The fluid leaking from the creature's body dripped onto the skulls scattered on the ground, leaving behind a hissing, crackling sound on the decayed bones.
Ryuga, however... was still standing.But this "standing" was not a sign of victory.His shoulders slumped, his breath came in short gasps. The wound on his arm now pulsed like a heartbeat.
"It's not over…"
The crack in his voice showed that both his body and mind were pushed to their limits.
But the ground trembled.
[Warning: Immediate danger detected.][Mental Shock Level: 9%]
The new creature emerging from the ground was unlike anything Ryuga had seen before.
It had no face.Where its eyes should have been, there were mouths stitched all around.And those mouths… were crying.
But it wasn't a crying sound.
It was a thin whistle-like noise, a mix between a baby's cry and the scream of a reaper.
The creature looked at Ryuga.No, "looked" isn't the right word.Because those mouths... were sensing him by scent.
And suddenly, it moved.
"Tch… Too fast!"
Ryuga jumped aside, but still couldn't escape. The creature's claw grazed his ribs.A sharp pain stabbed through his lungs.
He tumbled to the ground.His breath was cut off.
[Damage taken: Rib fractures x2][Poison Risk: 14%][Bad Luck Points +22]
"Heh…""Again?""Is this my curse?""Even if I get stronger, I can't win without taking a hit…"
But at that moment, the system responded again:
[Skill Purchase Available][Heavy Damage Resistance – 20 SP][Passive: Reduces incoming damage severity by 10%.]
With trembling fingers aching from the pain, Ryuga made his choice.
[Purchased: Heavy Damage Resistance][Remaining SP: 2]
He pressed his hand to his chest. Warm blood seeped through his half-broken ribs. But now... he was standing stronger. The pain had become more bearable.
The creature approached again.This time Ryuga was ready too.But he had no weapon.Only a broken bone lay on the ground.He grabbed it.
"Another stone shard, a bone, a scrap…""I'll always fight with the worst weapons, won't I?""Well then... if you can't kill me with these, you'll only grow more afraid."
The creature's claw struck again.Ryuga slid to the ground, slipped beneath it, and stabbed the bone into its body.
Not blood... pus gushed out.The creature recoiled, but one of its mouths... caught Ryuga's arm.
"Ahhhhhh!"
He freed his arm, but the skin was torn with multiple bite marks.
[Damage: Skin abrasion, muscle tear.][Temporary Blood Loss: 6%][Bad Luck Points +19]
"Enough…""I'll show you what fear means."
Ryuga opened the system screen with his remaining SP.But it wasn't enough.The only thing he could do:Stab the bone into one of the creature's eye-mouth sockets.
The creature screamed.But this time... not from fear.From pleasure.
One of the mouths whispered:
"Pain… give me more… I want more…"
Ryuga jumped back.
"What… what is this cursed creature?"
But just then, the system activated again:
[Enemy has reached psychological weakness threshold.][Creature is in a dreamlike state. Can be destroyed by a critical strike.]
"Critical... strike?"
His eyes scanned around. A stone pillar.He dropped the bone.He ran.He climbed.
He was right above the creature now.
"You cursed me with this bad luck, system... Then watch.""How someone cursed with bad luck kills as if they were the unluckiest…"
He let himself drop from the pillar.A sharp piece of stone was in his elbow.And it plunged straight into the creature's eye-mouth mix.
The creature couldn't even scream.It burst inward.
[Enemy defeated.][Eye-Mouth Type Destroyed.][Extra Bad Luck Points +33][SP: 35]
Ryuga lay on the ground.Half-dead, half-naked, covered in blood.
But... he smiled.
"Heh…"
"Are these your monsters?""Then bring me bigger ones, system.""Show me darker ones.""Because I... won't stop until I consume this curse down to my bones!"