Zain had meticulously crafted some battle plans based on his previous encounter with this evolved mantis monster. Now, it was time to put them into action.
With a deep, steadying breath, he turned the corner, and stepped into the open, standing above in full view of the insectoid beast. The mantis immediately noticed him, its multifaceted eyes locking onto his form. It adopted an aggressive posture, its mandibles clicking menacingly, echoing through the narrow passage.
Fighting from a low position was always a disadvantage, and the monster's instincts were likely to kick in, but Zain had anticipated this.
Despite his calculations, the monster didn't take the bait. It stayed put, its gaze unyielding, revealing a level of intelligence Zain hadn't expected.
More intelligent than he thought. Time to change plans, Zain couldn't afford to take any chances. He tightened his grip on the small, rusted knife, feeling the rough texture of the handle against his palm. Without wasting a moment, he hurled it with all his might. The knife spun through the air, a silent predator in the night that the mantis focused on.
Utilizing the momentum and the fraction of a second he gained, Zain quickly summoned another knife from his belt, the metal cool and reassuring in his hand. He had already boosted his speed by expending a significant portion of his mana, feeling the rush of energy surge through his veins. His senses heightened, time seemed to slow as he focused on his target. This time, he aimed for one of the creature's eyes, the vulnerable spot he knew could turn the tide of the battle.
[ HP: 61% ]
[ MP: 54% ]
The monster easily parried the first attack, its blade-like forelimb deflecting the knife with practiced ease, but the knife struck with enough force to make the limb curve downward.
Its compound eyes focused on the second knife, but the downed forelimb blade was just a tad slow to deflect the second blade as the monster didn't changed his position in time. The second knife flew true, cutting through the air with deadly precision, glinting in the dim light before nearing its mark.
If not for the mantis tilting its head, the eye would have pierced. Instead, the second knife was fast enough to graze its eye, rupturing it and causing a spray of green blood to splatter out.
The mantis screeched in pain, a high-pitched, grating sound that reverberated off the stone walls. Its body convulsed, the knife embedded deep in its eye. Zain's breathing was steady but quick, his mind racing with the next steps. The scent of the creature’s ichor filled the air, sharp and acrid. He could see the monster's green blood oozing from the wound, the sight satisfying.
But the taunt had worked. The mantis let out a guttural screech of pain and fury, its mandibles clicking violently. The mantis roared and charged toward Zain like a runaway train, its massive body hurtling forward with terrifying speed.
Zain held his position until the last possible moment, his muscles tensed and ready. Then, with a swift and fluid motion, he lunged two meters to the side. The insectoid zoomed past him, unable to halt its momentum, and with tremendous force, it head-butted the wall. The impact was jarring, causing the wall to crack and dust to billow into the air.
This was essentially the same tactic he had used on the first mantis. The insectoids were powerful but seemed quite stupid after enraged, so he surmised the same tactic would work again. He had observed that while their raw power was immense, their blinded rage made them easy to manipulate.
Now, handy walls wouldn’t be everywhere, but the staircase provided a much better battlefield than open classrooms. The narrow confines limited the mantis's movements, making it easier for Zain to predict its attacks. He felt a rush of satisfaction; his calculations were proving correct once again.
This time, he had the advantage of being ready and having improved stats. Zain, therefore, managed to jump out of the way without either taking damage or falling over. His enhanced agility and reflexes, bolstered by his mana expenditure, allowed him to move with precision and grace. He landed lightly on his feet, already preparing for the next move.
The mantis staggered back from the wall, disoriented and furious. Its remaining eye fixed on Zain with murderous intent, green ichor dripping from its ruptured eye. The impact had already worsened the injury.
With quick, deliberate movements, he retrieved the serrated makeshift knife from his belt. The weight of the blade was comforting in his hand, a familiar tool in this deadly dance.
Knowing that time was of the essence, Zain wasted no time and immediately was upon the mantis. With a fierce overhead swing, he severed the blade arm nearest to him. With his improved speed from overcharging his body, it felt like cutting through dry wood, and he easily cleaved through the exoskeleton. The arm fell to the ground with a heavy thud, green ichor spraying from the wound.
[ HP: 49% ]
[ MP: 44% ]
He had planned to strike at the neck next, aiming for a decisive blow, but the intense pain jolted the insectoid awake.
The creature let out a pained roar and tried to turn, its huge mandibles snapping dangerously close to Zain. Luckily, its maneuverability was already hindered by the confined space, preventing it from building up speed.
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Now it was even slower, its balance disrupted by the loss of its forearm. Zain didn’t want to take any chances, knowing that a single nasty swipe from the beast could make him bleed out in minutes. With a few precious seconds to spare until the mantis could fully turn, he slashed a few deep, bloody gashes into its leg joints.
Each strike was precise, his blade cutting through chitin and sinew. Blood and viscera immediately started pooling beneath the creature, its strength visibly waning.
By now, the fight was essentially over. Zain hurriedly backed off, retrieving the spear he had placed down before the fight. His plan was to poke a few more holes in 0the monster to bleed it out faster. However, reality proved disappointing.
On the first stab, he only managed to make a flesh wound before the spear started to bend rather than push in further. The difference in strength between half-evolved and fully evolved creatures was stark.
On the second stab, the mantis snapped the spear in two with a sudden, surprising movement of its head. The forward momentum of the stab almost sent Zain tumbling right into the eagerly waiting rows of mandibles. Luckily, he managed to push off with his left leg, falling to the right of the monster. Even so, the mantis managed to get in a swipe on his left arm, leaving a shallow but long gash.
Zain winced in pain, feeling the sting of the wound. Blood trickled down his arm, but he knew he couldn't afford to lose focus now. The mantis was critically wounded, but still dangerous. He needed to finish it off before it could land a more devastating blow.
The tiles beneath the mantis were completely stained green, a pool of viscous blood spreading out in all directions. The creature was seemingly out of steam, its movements weak and sporadic, as it lay shrinking between shallow, rapid breaths.
Ideally, Zain would have preferred to wait it out and let it slowly bleed to death, but the monster's shriek had been quite loud. He had no interest in sticking around in case reinforcements were on the way. He had to be calculative at times to avoid unnecessary risks, but sometimes he had to be decisive as well.
Gripping the blade in his bloody hand, he slowly circled out of sight of the monster. His footsteps were light, careful not to make any noise that might alert any potential lurking threats. Then, with a few quick steps forward, he swung down with force right behind the creature's head, cutting deep into its neck. The mantis tried to muster a retaliation, but it was completely out of power, resulting only in a feeble wave of its remaining blade arm.
The blade got stuck one-third of the way through; the exoskeleton near the neck seemed reinforced. The mantis recoiled, but not fast enough.
Zain’s eyes narrowed in determination. He adjusted his grip and delivered a second swift cut to the neck, deeper and more precise. The mantis collapsed, its body twitching uncontrollably. The creature barely responded to the second swing apart from shaking in pain or death throes.
Zain wasted no time and, with one final, powerful swing, cut right through its neck. With one final spasm, the monster passed. Zain knew this without having to check, as he suddenly saw the faint ethereal silhouette rising from its body, dissipating into the air.
His eyes scanned the lifeless form, then he bent down, prying open the creature's head to extract a large, glowing crystal embedded within.
'Maybe it's time to level up,' he murmured, feeling the weight and power of the the strongest Essense crystal he had collected in his hand before stuffing it into the small pack he carried.
But first, he finally had the chance to increase his Soul stat above 1.
Devour.
The mana inside him demanded not only to be shaped but also seemed to resist every attempt to control it. This was the same complex and demanding task that Zain had anticipated. Similar to when he had devoured part of Jeremy's soul.
As the ethereal figure above the corpse began to stabilize, a draining sensation started inside him. The mana pattern erupted into a chaotic frenzy, trying to saturate his whole mana channels inside his body.
The pain was acute, a searing sensation that felt like both cutting and burning from within. Zain grimaced, his face contorted in pain as he fought to maintain control over the force that now threatened to overwhelm him.
Gradually, the figure condensed into a smaller, more intense shape—a ghastly, glowing sphere that pulsated with captured life. However, instead of dissolving into a stream of light, he was waiting for it to pull him inside the soul realm.
[ Soul Increased by 0.322 ]
Then his surrounding vanished, replaced by an eerie void of soul realm. In this abyss, a faint silhouette emerged, ghostly and indistinct. It was the mantis, its figure animated with a wild, berserker-like fury. Zain watched, his heart pounding in his chest, as the figure moved with desperate, chaotic energy. Then the mantis figure focused on him and it rushed.
Zain scrambled backward, realizing that he had the same strength in this soul realm as in reality, not at all bolstered by his arcane boost. His body felt sluggish, each movement labored as the mantis bore down on him.
With a desperate roll, he narrowly avoided the first strike, feeling the rush of air as the mantis’s blade arm swept past his head. The creature’s fury was palpable, its spectral form relentless.
Another slash and his severed hand flashed as the blade struck faster than he could observe. The pain was unlike anything before, akin to his hand being burned instead of a clean cut.
It took him a moment to realize that the mantis had used its skill. That should not have been possible without using mana. Either the rules were different for it, or Zain was not sensing his mana for some reason.
Before he could understand, the mantis rushed again, and its blade sent a long slash across his chest, throwing him back. At that moment, he felt a faint mana connection, likely at the edge of his consciousness. It was eerily familiar.
Not having time to examine it, he tried to pull the mana and felt that it was in the same chaotic state from using Devour. For a moment, he wasn't sure what to do, then he gritted his teeth. Summoning all his willpower, he channeled the chaotic mana within him, trying to form it into something usable. The pain was excruciating, but he forced himself to focus, to shape the energy into a weapon. With a primal roar, he unleashed a blast of raw mana, a desperate attempt to halt the mantis’s advance.
The attack struck the spectral mantis, causing it to recoil momentarily. Zain seized the opportunity, lunging forward with his remaining hand, aiming for the creature’s head. The mantis's blade flashed, but he was as fast as it. He pushed harder, driven by sheer determination. As his hand neared the mantis's head, the creature shrieked, its form flickering.
The spectral figure wavered then dissolved into wisps of light, which flowed into Zain. The energy was turbulent, but he could feel it integrating into his being. The chaotic mana within him began to settle, and just as he was about to snap back, he suddenly felt a different presence.
"That was pathetic…" a voice behind him broke the silence in the soul realm.