He then revised his combat sequences. Instead of focusing on the Rat Lord and causing him damage, he instead turned his attention onto the Giant Rats. The plan was to eliminate them all so he could focus on driving the Mutated Rat Lord into traps of sizzling, crackling, and hazardous waste. Even if Jin-woo could not land solid hits with his spear, if he got the vials to smash on its face and blind it, it was pretty much over. Just an elongated process of slowly whittling it down instead of getting too arrogant or impatient.
And yet the actual process of doing it still remained. This wasn’t a game, his life depended on each moment without much room for mistakes anymore. His mana was dwindling, and injuries stacking up too close for his own comfort. Too close to ‘Crimson Madness’.
The Mutated Rat charged after him, shattered the concrete and sent it flying in random directions. Its massive fists left craters where Jin-woo had stood moments before. He rolled behind twisted medical equipment, pulling the Rat lord around towards the Giant Rats. Its meaty fists and uncontrollable rage would be a better weapon against the mindless fury of the Giant Rats than even Jin-woo’s ‘Quick Strike’.
Every impact sent shockwaves through Jin-woo’s body. But his mind had begun to notice the creature's recovery time slowly declining. Its turning radius was no longer as sharp and lunges didn’t get as far as before. Its coiling muscles no longer shimmered with as much power as before.
Jin-woo charged at the remaining group of Giant Rats. Who in blind wrath charged him in return. Once close enough that their claws and teeth filled maws were a danger, he activated another ‘Quick Strike’ to take him past them. He grunted as too much mana disappeared from his pool. But kept running as hard as he could, even with the disorientation that came with the skill.
He could hear squeals, shrieks, and a bellowing roar behind him. The Rat Lord smashed his way past the group of Giant Rats. Fists slamming the ground and feet squashing anything beneath them. A quick look showed only two of the dozen that had charged him remained after the fury of the Rat Lord. It also made clear how insane its red eyes were as it continued to charge him without a second thought.
The Giant Rats remaining were injured but still tried to get at him. Crawling through the shattered concrete and stone around them.
"SHOW... WORTH!" The creature bellowed again as it paused to roar at the top of its lungs.
Jin-woo had to cover his ears before they burst like balloons. Error messages cascading across his feed, but he ignored it. Instead taking advantage of the momentary pause to take a sharp turn back towards the remaining Giant Rats. They were mostly imobile and made no attempt to dodge his spear. He didn’t even need to use his skill to get rid of them.
But he had to stop and strike. It was enough for the Rat Lord to front kick him in the back, launching him across the room. Jin-woo bounced on the hard concrete, body slamming into one of the craters the Rat Lord had made chasing him around. It fought to get up, but blackening eyes and non-responsive body left him struggling. He could feel his blood pump, heart beat faster than humanly possible.
His body felt too small. Brain to big for his skull.
[ABILITY MANIFESTING!]
[CRIMSON MAD–]
Demina! No! He couldn’t trust this ability. He had no clue about what happened other than waking up blood soaked from enemies, a plethora of injuries, and an exhaustion that forced him to sleep immediately. The thought of trying to charge head first into the mass of muscle that was the Rat Lord forced him to fight to keep his consciousness and sanity.
If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.
[ERR…ERROR…. E-OR]
[ABILITY MANIFESTATION STOPPED!]
[CONSCIOUSNESS PARAMETERS NOT MET!]
[PAIN PARAMETERS NOT MET!]
[MIND PARAMETERS NOT MET!]
[SOUL PARAMETERS NOT–]
The feed continued to list the parameters not met to activate ‘Crimson Madness’. Each one individually would have forced it to take over without a choice for Jin-woo. Demina had stepped in again at the very last moment to help him control his demise. He would have been dead three or four times over already in this new world and it hadn't even been that long without her.
He forced himself up, his body stumbling forward. Almost falling head first. His blurry eyes started to clear as the massive frame of the Rat Lord became apparent to him. Its kneeling form holding a mangled body of one of the two Giant Rat’s he had killed before being front kicked a mile away. Its eyes were no longer as intense, focused on the Giant Rat. Cradling it in its massive paws like a child.
“My…” It took a massive breath. Tears running down its face. “Brothers! You Kill Them!”
Its head snapped to him. Its sorrow filled face turning into hideous anger far greater than anything before that. “You… Kill… Brothers!” It roared, throwing the dead body away.
“No,” Jin-woo commented. “I’m sure you killed the majority yourself–” He ducked under a slab of concrete launched by the Rat Lord towards him.
“You… Are… Killer!” It threw another massive chunk of concrete that had to weigh multiple tons like it was a dinner plate. And another.
He was incredulous, dodging left and right. “Are you serious right now?” Was it seriously trying to guilt trip him after the whole attempting to smash his face debacle they’ve been running since he entered the fog?
“Killer… Must… Die!”
Jin-woo rushed to the side, using the massive cages bolted to the ceiling and floor as cover. He made his way toward the vials, slowly trying his best not to get head snipped by the unconsolable Rat Lord. Whenever it ran out of stone blocks and shattered concrete it would either slam its fists into the ground, kick an entire wall down–opening into smaller empty rooms filled with dust, or started throwing tables and broken pieces of cages and other instruments used to torture.
It took forever to cross the room towards the closest bunch of vials that were not destroyed or surrounded by large puddles that could not be crossed safely. Initially, it had been a risk he was willing to take, but after getting so close to losing himself to ‘Crimson Madness’, he dared not try anymore. He wasn’t sure how close the borderline was until he could deny it no longer.
He grabbed three in his arms. Glass stoppers prevented the sloshing, glowing liquid from spilling out. He could hear one sizzle loudly as it reacted to being shaken up, the bottom sediments mixing again with the liquid. Jin-woo did not want any part in getting any of this stuff on him. Imagining himself melting was not a pretty sight.
Back pressed behind a large section of pillars surrounded by bolted cages and tables, he waited for an opportunity. But the longer he sat there, the more frenzied the Rat Lord became while throwing. As though he had no potential for fatigue. Jin-woo had to do something or risk being pinned here without the chance of hurting the Rat Lord without taking damage himself.
‘Crimson Madness’ whispered in his ears. Begging for release. He ignored its pleas and focused on the insurmountable task before him.
Forget this! I can’t just sit here! He decided on a feint.
Jin-woo pinned his spear between the bars of a cage with a bit of it poking out and rushed as fast as his enhanced legs could carry him in the opposite direction. Near instantly, the Rat Lord launched debris at his spear. Massive booms and crashes echoed in the room concealing his running.
He did his best to keep himself hidden behind tables, pillars, and cages covered in drapes and curtains. He had a general idea of where the Rat Lord was, and with its shouting and roaring as a marking point, he navigated a wide circle towards it. He maintained extreme caution, unwilling to risk even a glancing blow. The risks were too great not to be wary of damage. It took a while, but he made it to the left side of the Rat Lord.
Circling to get behind him left too much space between them. Jin-woo didn’t want to risk throwing the vials and missing, so was forced to get to the closest point to it while still maintaining some form of cover. If everything went wrong, he needed a chance to escape and make a new plan.