Nathan couldn't wait to test out his new sword. The stone had been okay, but he now had a weapon worth wielding plus foes to trial it.

He did his best impression of a samurai, holding up the sword with his legs evenly spaced for balance. At least he hoped they were - he was just going off the movies he'd watched.

The sword itself probably wouldn't be that different from a cut-out sign; all he had to do was slash and he'd be fine. Probably.

Scanning his surroundings, he counted roughly eleven pairs of red orbs staring back at him. They seemed to be getting closer with each passing second. Nathan should've been focused on those, but he had a nagging suspicion that there were still more beyond his perception.

So he did what he could: stayed alert and waited for them to make the first move. No sense rushing them and getting them on his back. That many imps at once and he'd be torn apart within seconds. No, waiting was definitely the best strategy to employ.

He didn't have to wait long for the opening salvo as one of the imps launched itself at Nathan with a screech. A blue text with the words "Level One" flashed, but Nathan quickly dismissed it. He didn't even try to dodge; instead, he put everything into a swing, trusting himself to at least badly injure, if not outright kill the imp.

The sword was lightning quick, meeting the imp mid-air. He felt resistance as the sword made contact with the imp's midsection but fully expected the sword to cleave through it without any problems like in the movies.

It didn't. The sword paused midway through the midsection of the imp, and Nathan was unfortunate enough to hear the dying screeches of the creature.

The sword completed its arc, redirecting the imp back to the floor. Without waiting to see if the imp still had life left in it, Nathan put a leg on it and tore his sword free of its midsection, immediately resetting his stance as he waited for the next attack.

One down, ten to go.

Nathan cautiously looked around, making sure to be alert for where the next attack would come from. Adrenaline was pumping in his veins, his heart beating fast. His mind was working overtime compared to his usual job of just flipping signs - this was a huge step up.

Two imps seemed to detach from the rest, one coming from his back while the other from his front.

"Fantastic - Level One monsters executing a pincer maneuver."

While it was a solid plan, if Nathan could say so himself, the execution was far too sloppy. Nathan didn't know if it was because of his increased perception, but he could see the one at his back tense as it leaped at his exposed back while the one at his front intended to do the same.

Unfortunately for the pair, their timing was off, and there was just enough difference between the jumps that Nathan could sidestep and deliver an overhead slash at the imp behind him. His sword dug into its skull with an audible crack, killing it instantly, while the other imp met only empty air as Nathan had already switched positions.

A chime echoed in his head, but Nathan dismissed it - he needed to be 100% in the present. He pointed the sword at the other imp, making sure to keep the distance between them.

The imp bared its fangs at him before letting out that awful screech that made Nathan question why he didn't have earplugs. It launched itself at him, and Nathan happily responded by slashing upward, catching the imp squarely with his sword.

Nathan grimaced at what he'd just done, throwing the body off his sword.

Three down, eight to go.

"Too easy," Nathan mused as he reset his stance. The other imps seemed to hesitate; instead, they started screeching at each other. Nathan would've found it comical if not for the fact that their screeches sounded like metal grinding against stone. It infuriated him. He couldn't wait to cleave them and get rid of their godforsaken noise.

It was at that moment that he figured out why people refrained from uttering the words "too easy." The remaining eight imps seemed to have come to an agreement of sorts as they all circled him.

"Bollocks!"

In a matter of seconds, Nathan had gone from confident to very, very worried. If they all attacked at once, he was doomed. Maybe he could make a run for it? The rational part of him reminded him about how dark it was and the fact that while he'd struggled to get his bearings in the darkness, these things seemed to be comfortable in it and would probably have no problem hunting him. He had the sneaking suspicion that they'd even prefer that.

His best bet was to stand and fight. If that was the case then Nathan would not be going down alone, that was for sure.

Nathan made the first move - he needed any advantage he could gain at this point. Instead of slashing this time, he went for a quick thrust, running an unlucky imp through with his sword. The lesser demon let out a gurgle as Nathan kicked it off his sword, immediately slashing in a wide arc to prevent a counter-attack from its kin.

Four down, seven to go.

Taking that one out had certainly given him better odds than he'd had a moment ago.

Slashing repeatedly in wide arcs to try and keep the imps at bay, he tried to come up with something to even the playing field. Nathan did not doubt what would happen to him if they managed to close the gap.

Eventually, the choice of how to proceed was taken from him when one of the imps launched itself at Nathan, who didn't hesitate to impale it with his sword. Nathan got a bad feeling when he saw the imp giving him one of those nightmarish grins.

The others launched themselves at him without pause, and it was then that Nathan figured out what had actually happened. He'd been played like a fiddle.

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Oh, come on!

The other six imps went for his exposed parts as he tried to shake off the impaled one, but the lesser demon clung to the sword with its clawed hands, staring straight at Nathan with venom in its eyes.

Well played.

He'd probably jinxed it when he'd said "Too easy." Now he had an imp doing its own version of a kamikaze. Wonderful.

Nathan felt a claw dig into his back, then another slashed at his legs. He had to grit his teeth to stop himself from crying out. What exactly was he supposed to do in this situation? The infernal thing had managed to trick him, and now he was on the receiving end of a mischief of imps.

A burning sensation exploded on Nathan's back as another slash opened up there. An imp launched itself, going for his face, and Nathan, seeing no other option, let the sword drop to the floor.

He was going to do this the primitive way. He balled his fists up and swung with all his might, trying not to wince as the muscles and skin around his wounds stretched to allow him movement.

Crack.

The imp's skull caved in as Nathan's fist made contact with it. To Nathan, it was like punching through cardboard - the imp stood no chance.

A wave of euphoria enveloped him, but Nathan pushed it to the back of his mind as he felt his skin reknit itself, wounds closing just as new ones appeared. The imps were still relentlessly slashing at him, but Nathan had news for them.

The euphoric feeling died down and with it the healing that he'd enjoyed. Nathan had probably gained another level, but he was too preoccupied to confirm that.

Six down, five to go.

An imp was furiously clawing at his thigh, its claws digging into his skin like a hot knife through butter. The pain would've been overwhelming, but Nathan was used to pain. Pain he was accustomed to as he'd conditioned himself to play football through pain in Highschool and the trick to that was simple; he just needed to shut out the sensation as best as he could and andlet the adrenaline take over.

Two other imps were behind him, one on his back peeling his flesh recklessly, while another was at his leg doing the same. Nathan wanted to pass out from the pain but persevered.

The remaining two stood away from the fray, cautiously watching Nathan, the gears probably starting to turn in their heads. Nevertheless, Nathan focused on the imp in front of him.

He punched downward, targeting its skull. The imp didn't even know when it died, its feeble limbs still trying to claw through Nathan.

Seven down, four to go.

The two who stood apart from the fray let out loud screeches before rushing him, while the imps behind him clawed their way through his skin mercilessly.

Nathan readied himself, getting ready to punch at the imps. He'd already thrown both fists at them when he saw them pivot mid-air, flapping what he assumed were purely decorative wings.

They didn't fly, but it was enough for them to dodge Nathan's strike as they caught his arm mid-flight, pinning both arms down and essentially making him vulnerable.

Sneaky bastards.

They'd found a way to negate his attacks once again. The imps behind him hacked at him furiously, and sure enough, Nathan heard a voice in his head bearing a message that he'd been hoping he could escape.

Critical Warning: Health below 25%

Shit!

Nathan could feel his blood flowing from his wounds just as his strength was leaving him. His strength - that's right, a pair of imps should be no match for him. Glancing at the pair holding him down, he confirmed what he already knew: both imps were at level one, and he, on the other hand, had to be at least two levels above them.

Theoretically, he should be able to pull himself out of their hold. Practically, he should be able to mop the floor with them. Nathan had always been the practical sort; he wrapped his fingers around the imps and pulled them together, smashing them into each other.

Crack.

The pair crashed into each other with a resounding crack. They weren't dead yet just dazed, and Nathan had no plan to let them live. He swung his fists at the skulls of both imps, punching through them with ease.

Down to the last two.

He pulled his fists back, letting the bodies drop to the floor, turning to face the remaining two, his fists dripping blood, black blood hitting the dirt.

Nathan had no doubt he looked like the Boogeyman at this point. The imps must've thought the same thing as they both stepped back; he even thought he heard a soft whine leave one of the imps. But right now, at this very moment, Nathan was going for revenge. These two had annoyed him the most, peeling his skin from behind while he had to fend off other attackers.

These... demons deserved what was coming.

Nathan was going full berserker mode. He rushed at both imps; they tried to scuttle away from him, but they stood no chance. One managed to let out a high-pitched screech, but that only served as fuel for Nathan's rage.

The last thing both imps saw was the fist of a human-headed straight for their face, covered in the blood and brain matter of their kin - and then covered with their own brain matter.

Both bodies hit the floor with a thud. Nathan dropped to his knees, the fatigue overwhelming, but he somehow managed to stay conscious. That was until the pain started to come in full throttle, the adrenaline wearing off.

Eleven down, zero to go.

Game, set, and match, suckers.

"ARGHHHHHHH!" Nathan screamed at the top of his lungs, the pain unimaginable. As quickly as it had come, it began dissipating, his body feeling warm and fuzzy as the euphoric feeling from earlier saturated his mind, replacing the pain.

Within moments, Nathan was standing back up, his body completely healed and his fatigue gone in its entirety. He felt refreshed.

That was when the smell hit him. Nathan would've puked if not for the fact that he'd already emptied his stomach earlier. The blood of the imps smelled terrible.

As he scanned the corpses, a flash of purple caught his attention - his sword. He made his way toward it, stepping on the dead imp as he pulled his sword free.

It was covered in imp blood, the black blood giving off a terrible stench. Nathan stabbed the sword into the dirt as he contemplated his next move.

He needed the menu.

"Menu," Nathan said out loud. No response. Nathan sighed; he really should've attended the tutorial. Basic things like this already had him struggling.

Hmm, what else could it be called?

"Status," Nathan called out. This time he was rewarded with the familiar interface.

A series of notifications assaulted him.

"Whoa," Nathan breathed, overwhelmed by the influx of information. Taking his time, he began to sift through them.

Level Up! 2 -> 3

Level Up! 3 -> 4

Level Up! 4 -> 5

Congratulations! New Imprint unlocked - Skullcrusher.

Skullcrusher - Kill five or more foes in a row by bashing their skull. [+5% damage on all hits targeted at the skull]

"Whoa, pretty badass."

The imprint Skullcrusher sounded rad. He wondered what Imprint he'd get if he went for their nuts instead.

Nutcrusher? NutCracker? Nu—

A new screen appeared before Nathan's wandering thoughts could continue:

Congratulations Nathan Orion

Level 5 reached, class options unlocked.

Choose your class.