"OH MY GOD OH MY GOD OH MY GOD," I screamed, my heart pounding like a drumbeat in my chest, as I raced desperately away from the colossal ape. With each stride I take I hear the ape getting louder and louder inching ever so closer to me. Every angry footfall from the ape sent tremors through the hard sand beneath me, and the deafening roars of the approaching monster grew ever more ominous.
I pushed myself to the limits, my legs straining, feeling as if they might betray me at any moment. The unforgiving terrain only made my escape more treacherous. But there was no time to dwell on that. My mind raced back to the moments just before my world was shattered by this life-and-death ordeal.
"I HAVE SKILLS," I muttered, the words leaving my lips in a hasty whisper. Fingers trembling, I summoned my inventory screen and grabbed hold of three rocks. Each one resembled a softball in size and shape but weighed as much as a baseball.
"Bulls Eye Shot!" I cried out, the power of the skill flowing through me, transferring to my fingertips and into the rocks. I watched in awe as the first rock sped toward the ape, impacting squarely on its chest. But the beast didn't waver and continued its relentless pursuit.
STATS:
Name: Miles Egan
MP: 8/10
"SHIT SHIT SHIT SHIT," I cursed, determination surging through me. I readied another Bulls Eye Shot, this time unleashing two of them in rapid succession. The skill's power coursed through me again, and the rocks were catapulted into the air. One found its mark, landing squarely on the ape's chest once more. However, the second rock sailed higher and struck the beast directly in its left eye. The Red-Eyed Torment Ape staggered to a halt, unleashing a tortured scream. Blood streamed from its eye, staining its fur and the skin on its face.
Target: Red-Eyed Torment Ape
***CRITICAL HIT***
HP: ??/??
MP: ??/??
Stamina: ??/??
Status: Partially blinded, Enraged
"Hell yeah, take that, you oversized ape!" I exclaimed with a triumphant grin. But my excitement was short-lived as I see the Red-Eyed Torment Ape resume its relentless pursuit. "Man, I should have spent that time running instead of stupidly praising myself," I muttered, kicking myself for my momentary lapse in judgment. I continue to run, desperately trying to put distance between me and the enraged beast, until I remember I still have more skills that I can use.
Burst of Speed
Due to SPD stat exceeding +10 thresholds.
Run faster than normal at the expense of stamina.
"Burst of Speed!" I shout, hoping it would grant me the speed needed to escape. The skill surged from my head down to my legs and feet, enveloping me in warmth. As I continued to sprint, my body felt lighter, and I could sense the increasing speed with every passing moment. However, the ape's roars grew more violent, but it couldn't match my newfound speed. I used Burst of Speed until I was well out of the Red-Eyed Torment Ape's line of sight, finally reaching the safety of the dense jungle on the opposite side of the beach.
I sprinted toward the nearest tree and scrambled up a towering 30-foot palm tree for dear life. Once atop the tree, I concealed myself beneath the massive palm tree leaves and finally caught my breath, feeling the warmth of the skill dissipate.
STATS:
Name: Miles Egan
Class: Waste of Skin
Health: 10/10
MP: 4/10
Stamina: 2/15
"Wow, I burned through a lot of stamina to escape that beast, but it was worth it. Now that I'm hidden, I hope he runs right past me, and I can be rid of him," I thought to myself, peering down from the tree, scanning for any sign of the ape.
My heart sank as I spotted the ape emerging from the tree line, its loud sniffs echoing in my ears. With every snort, it drew nearer, its left eye sealed shut and stained with its own blood.
"RRROOOOOOAAAAARRRRR!" the ape bellowed as it locked onto me atop the tree. "OH SHIT!" I yelled in response, panic surging through me. "How am I gonna get out of this one? Simply throwing the rocks at him did next to nothing except for the critical hit." The ape shook the tree violently in an attempt to dislodge me, and I clung to the trunk for dear life.
With an idea forming, I angled my inventory screen over the ape's face. "Here goes nothing!" I exclaimed as I emptied my inventory of rocks onto the ape. A cascade of rocks rained down upon it, causing the Red-Eyed Torment Ape to stagger backward in agony. But once it realized no more rocks were falling, it resumed its assault on the tree but I had already seized the opportunity and leaped to the next tree, determined to escape the relentless predator. Glancing back, I kept a close eye on the ape to see if it would continue pursuing me.
Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.
Target: Red-Eyed Torment Ape
HP: ??/??
MP: ??/??
Stamina: ??/??
Status: Partially blinded, Enraged, Critical condition
I moved cautiously from tree to tree, doing my best to remain as silent as possible, hoping to evade the enraged ape. It seemed the creature was too consumed by anger to notice my absence. I continued my stealthy progress until the sounds of the ape's yells and screams faded into the distance. All that remained were its incessant sniffs.
"Oh God, not again," I thought, anxiety clawing at my mind as I pressed onward.
"RRRROOOOOAAAAAARRRRRR!" The ape's roar shattered the relative silence, its eyes locked onto me once more. This time, it didn't settle for shaking the tree. It unleashed its full fury, pounding, kicking, and body-slamming the trunk in a desperate attempt to dislodge me.
I clung to the tree for dear life until I heard a chilling SNAP. My worst fear had come true. The ape had succeeded in knocking me from the tree, and I plummeted to the ground, pain erupting as I crashed to the earth. The wind was knocked out of me, and I struggled to rise.
STATS:
Name: Miles Egan
Class: Waste of Skin
Health: 5/10
MP: 6/10
Stamina: 4/15
As I scrambled to my feet, the all-too-familiar roar of the ape echoed through the jungle. My back and legs ached too much for me to run, and I could only limp away. The beast charged toward me, coming to a halt right in front of me, snorting and huffing.
"What do you want? You've got me now. There's nothing I can do anymo—" I barely managed to utter before the ape interrupted me, delivering a powerful punch to my face. I skidded about ten feet across the ground before finally coming to a painful stop.
STATS:
Name: Miles Egan
Health: 2/10
"This is it. This is how I die," I mumbled, my voice filled with regret. "Who would have thought I would die on an island with no idea how I got here, with this weird video game system in my head? Goodbye, Cruel World. #Deathsucks. Dying by a red-eyed ape, 1 out of 5 stars, do not recommend." I spoke to no one but myself and the looming ape, which now stood directly over me.
The ape raised both fists into the air, the veins in its forearms bulging, and brought them crashing down onto my chest. The pain was excruciating, and I began to lose consciousness, convinced that this was the end of my journey. Just as darkness threatened to engulf me, a system message blinked into existence before my eyes.
SKILL: Auto Activate ***Will to Survive***
Allows the User a higher chance to avoid direct, fatal injuries and live to fight another day.
SKILL COOLDOWN: 24:00:00………23:59:59…….23:59:58………
***Don’t die just yet, the fun has just begun ***
A warmth and gentle glow enveloped me, spreading from my chest to my entire body. I slowly opened my eyes, feeling the pain where the Red-Eyed Torment Ape had savagely assaulted me. Yet, against all odds, I could still move, which seemed nothing short of miraculous after the brutal beating I'd endured. I glanced at the ape, which was backing away, shielding its eyes as if it had been staring directly at the sun. The glow from my skill must have been brighter and more powerful than I'd realized.
While the ape was distracted, I began to inch away from it, scanning my surroundings for something I could use to fend off the monster. My eyes fell upon the shattered remnants of the tree that had once been my temporary sanctuary from the relentless predator. Most of the debris was either too flimsy or too heavy for me to wield effectively, but one piece caught my attention, just like something out of a storybook – not too big, not too small, but just right.
I grabbed the jagged-edged piece of the broken tree, resembling a professional javelin with its pointed end, worn down through violent destruction. It was time to give it everything I had and finally put an end to this relentless beast.
"BULLS EYE SSSSHHHOOOOOTTTTTT!" I yelled at the staggering ape. The familiar warmth of the skill flowed through my hands and into the makeshift javelin. I hurled it with all my might, aided by the power of my skill. The javelin pierced the ape's chest, causing blood to drip from its wound. The ape looked at the injury, then back at me.
"RRRROOOOOOAAAAARRRRRR!" The ape screamed and began to move closer to me.
"Not this time. I'm done running from you," I shouted at the beast. "Burst of Speed!" I screamed, feeling the energy surge through my legs as I sprinted toward the ape at breakneck speed. The wind rushed past me, and within seconds, I was at the ape's side. I grabbed the jagged piece of tree protruding from its chest and yanked it out, blood splattering on my face. I thrust the dislodged javelin into its one good eye with all my strength. The ape stumbled backward as I continued to stab it repeatedly until it finally fell to the ground.
As the ape collapsed, I dropped to the ground beside it, panting and utterly exhausted from the ordeal. "I beat you, you stupid, ugly monkey."
STATS:
Name: Miles Egan
Class: Waste of Skin
Health: 1/10
MP: 4/10
Stamina: 2/15
"That was too damn close. Hopefully, this won't be a common occurrence," I sighed, my heart still racing. "I don't like coming that close to death, but if I'm being honest with myself, I haven't felt this alive in a long time." I managed a weary smirk before exhaustion overcame me, and I passed out beside the fallen ape.