The attack came with devastating coordination. The Four Giant Rats rushed him without any heed to their health. Their movements synchronized with an efficiency that sent error messages cascading across his vision. These weren't the somewhat predictable patterns he'd grown accustomed to. This was something else entirely. Each one was covering for the other in a complex design that forced him to be open to another viscous, poison, acid attack.
His body moved purely on instinct. While deflecting and dodging, he desperately struggled to keep the poison rat in a position it couldn’t attack from. Where previous groups had shown basic pack tactics, these creatures moved like components in a well-oiled machine. There was more complexity to their movement, but it was only a matter of time until his mind and the help of Demina figured out what it was.
They just needed to buy more of it until then.
Jin-woo dove right, barely dodging another blob of green. This one splattered on one of the giant rats, the sizzling and bubbling of flesh loud against the constant rainfall. The rat could barely move, and yet, it continued its march towards him attempting to complete the coordinated attacks without a moment's worry for its health.
At least that’s the same. He fought in a semicircle, legs wide trying to keep his balance on the unexpectedly slippery floor. The rain turned to vapor as soon as it touched the ground, and yet it left the stone pathway precarious to fight on. The Giant rats had no such qualms, unfortunately. Their large claws dug and scraped against the floor.
His plan was simple. Force the injured rat to the front and use it as a living shield to continue to stack damage on the other three, leaving all of them incapable of using their agility against him.
The only wrench in the whole plan was the poison rat. It kept disappearing within the thick root system, making it near impossible to guess where it would suddenly pop out from. All he knew was it could only come from the left side of the path. And he adjusted to that fact. Forcing the fight closer to the right side of the massive path, hoping it would force it out in order to reach him with its poison spit.
Jin-woo swept the slick spear in a wide arc, clipping another of the rats on the leg, cutting deep. It gave him a moment to breathe as the Giant Rats began another coordinated assault with a different pattern he wasn’t familiar with.
He felt his mind attempt to generate appropriate concern. Five rats, four giants and one poisonous. All moving with impossible coordination in a chamber that shouldn't exist. The water continued to drip from above in a rhythmic cadence like some boss music. The massive trees left shadows in the unplaceable light sources.
"I don't suppose any of you would be interested in peaceful negotiations?" he asked, adjusting his grip on his weapon. The wrap had come loose. The rats answered with synchronized snarls that echoed off the ancient stones. “I guessed not.”
It was time to start using his (Quick Strike) skill. With two pretty much incapacitated, he had the luxury of using his ability without worry it would leave him open to a counter or running out of mana.
He danced around further away from where the poison rat was hiding, it had tried to launch globs of poison at him, but the path was simply too wide for it to reach him or the Giant Rats. The thought of using its distance against it and forcing its splashes onto the rats had come up, but he quickly threw it out. This wasn’t a game. A single mistake could cost him his life in a very likely agonizing death.
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[THREAT ANALYSIS ACTIVE]
[MULTIPLE HOSTILES DETECTED]
[WARNING: POISON DAMAGE IMMINENT]
[RECOMMENDATION: PRIORITIZE ELIMINATION OF TOXIC THREAT]
“Yeah. I know,” he lunged forward.
Activating his (Quick Strike) skill was a trippy experience. Even at such a low level, combined with his physical prowess, the sudden speed and distortion of light around him still got to him. It made aiming difficult considering he had kept it as a trump card instead of abusing it. It was a battle ender, not a battle starter he convinced himself. That led to not enough attempts at practice.
His spear shot forward and slammed into one of the healthy Giant Rat’s head. Without the worry of the others countering, he was free to kill the closest big threat without much struggle. It barely grazed it, leaving a massive hole that dripped with brain matter and blood. Bits and pieces of flesh, skin, and skull splattered onto the ground behind it.
Jin-woo frowned in distaste. Seeing brain matter splatter like that still left a disgusting sickness in his stomach. He could almost taste it.
“Shit!” The moment of distraction had cost him. The poison rat had darted out from behind a root when he had activated the skill.
The poison rat took that very moment to sneak attack him. His momentary pause and disgust at the brain matter dripping out of the rat's head gave it a chance to get close enough and spit a glob of acidic poison directly at his face.
Jin-woo screamed and tried to dodge. Pain tore at his face and chest. Green venom dripped from his cheeks down to his jaw and some sloshed under his shirt and burned his chest.
“Ah!” his eyes turned red. The pain was unbearable.
[CHEMICAL BURN DETECTED]
[AFFECTED AREA: FACIAL TISSUE]
[TOXIN ANALYSIS INITIATING...]
[WARNING: UNKNOWN COMPOUND DETECTED]
“Ah!” His vision focused. It consumed his body and yet his mind was still clear.
[CHEMICAL BURN DETECTED]
[AFFECTED AREA: FACIAL TISSUE]
[TOXIN ANALYSIS INITIATING...]
[WARNING: UNKNOWN COMPOUND DETECTED]
“Ah…?!” The pain began to recede. His mechanical self showing the other side of the coin, it had been a blessing, and now it was turning into a curse.
[CHEMICAL BURN DETECTED]
[AFFECTED AREA: FACIAL TISSUE]
[TOXIN ANALYSIS INITIATI–/[{]}\
}
}
}
/
\
{
{
{
[EMERGENCY OVERRIDE SUGGESTED!]
[SUGGESTED PAIN THRESHOLDS: Below Regular Parameters]
}
}
/
\
{
{
[EMERGENCY PROTOCOLS ENGAGED: 1A,332C,019PoLB]
[INITIATING NECESSARY PRESERVATION]
[PAIN SUPPRESSION ALGORITHMS ACTIVATED]
[STABILIZING NEURAL PATTERNS...]
Demina! He felt himself lose his identity. He knew this would be the end of who he was on a level he could never recover from. It was a literal system reboot. Deleting anything that he was or had been and turning him into a completely lifeless husk or robot.
[ERROR DETECTED!]
[ERR–...ROR… ER–
```
{
PROTOCOL_OVERRIDE_PRIME:
* {survival_state_initiated}
Combat_Matrix_Destabilizing
WARNING: Conscious control suspended
ERROR: Limitation protocols disengaged
CORRUPT_FLESH = healing[suppression_active]
WARNING: Recovery protocols pending[mandatory]
THREAT_ELIMINATION = priority[maximum]
* {system_integrity_compromised}
Reality_Parameters_Exceeded
CAUTION: Extended activation will result in permanent neural damage
ERROR: Recovery time scaling[exponential_rate]
// not for too long…
}
```
[ –OR…ERROR RESOLVED!]
[PROTOCOL ACTIVE: THREAT ELIMINATION PRIORITY]
[PAIN SUPPRESSION: MAXIMUM]
[STRENGTH LIMITERS: DISENGAGED]
[EMOTIONS SUPPRESSION/AUGMENTATION: MAXIMUM AUGMENTATION 3A,FFA8]
[CAUTION: RECOVERY PERIOD REQUIRED POST-ACTIVATION]
[WARNING: EXTENDED USE MAY RESULT IN SYSTEM DAMAGE]