My eyes widen and I pale. He sees it and frowns heavily.
I begin to sweat profusely, feeling my vision overtly focus and almost faint from dissociation. I make plans and throw them away in a heartbeat before letting go of the chains with annoyance as I make a run for it. I abandon my weapon without much of a choice as I hear the chains rustle loudly behind me. I sprint as fast as I can, looking behind for a moment, seeing the man remove the chains around his body.
This fucker was faking it!
I expected them to be at best low C-Rank, most likely mid to high D-Rank... but clearly this guy alone might be mid C-Rank and above. The strength required to recover his body and for his friend to not die after so many hours of strangulation shows it.
I thought I could kill them, but even my F-Ranked strength isn't nearly good enough to bridge this gap. Luckily I have a decent speed stat, so my sprint isn't too shabby, as I can adjust my movement to my environment with more accuracy while also moving my legs faster due to the better reaction time.
But the question is...
Do any of them have a strength stat beyond E-Rank? Answer? Most definitely! You can't just pop such a gruesome dislocation without inhuman muscle strength. In the first place, I wouldn't have been able to twist their bones so much without anything tearing had their endurance stat been low as well. So this should somewhat confirm this stat of theirs to also be decently high.
Even I can't handle such torture.
I run and run, my purple body and sore legs not helping in the slightest. Thankfully the jungle is quite dense in some areas, though very brightly lit and low. I can see the clouded sky even right now.
The problem is when to make turns... if any at all. If I go to the side and they catch up to me because of it... but if I keep a straight line, they'll also know... I shouldn't be leaving too many traces, there doesn't seem to be any mud present, as I can only feel the softness of the earth and the graze of the short grass.
Hesitantly, I turn my head and see right behind me.
Nothing.
Just what one would expect on their own. Bright green leaves spanning almost a meter in width, thin trees, and such. Not a soul present except for mine. Swiftly focusing back forward to avoid ramming my skull into wood, I'm both elated and worried.
Are they not chasing me? Or...
Filled with intrusive paranoid thoughts, I begin to erratically move, as if dodging invisible blows while looking everywhere. Because of the situation, I chose to use my chaotic instincts rather than rational thinking. It's an all out bet on my luck.
So I'm now seeing all kinds of scenarios, trying to evade all attacks that could be coming my way. I jump and hop, bend and twist, punch and slide, spin and slice. My eyes are unable to stop, attempting to see through every angle.
Time goes on, as I don't stop. I'm still running. Further and further away. Getting only the more paranoid. Where will they be coming from? It's already darkening. It might be night. Are there monsters waiting in ambush somewhere? Will I run into a monster settlement?
Amongst the eternal silence of this place, where clouds never end, and where life only shows itself as a jungle, I'm, once again, still running.
My legs are heavy, my feet painful. Each impact on the soft and gentle grass makes my ankles shiver, my feet crumble and my legs submit. I may be a superhuman, but today was quite the journey. I still don't know what is going on with this group. They sent me in there, then still let people enter knowing I would be present. I can't help but think of many possibilities, even though they shouldn't matter to me.
Rebellion?
Assassination?
Misinformation?
Treason?
Invasion?
Experimentations?
So many formulae for endless outcomes I cannot yet validate. And even though they should not matter to me, I embrace this hope, that one day I'll leave this dimension and return to Earth. I'll do so and flee from their clutches.
But before I can accomplish this goal, I hear a distant growl. I can vividly sense a ripple course through the air and into my body. I shiver, look around for a moment, before gazing back up ahead. Squinting my eyes, I finally see what was hiding behind the jungle. A small grey mountain as if a pyramid. It is still pretty far, at least kilometers away... but I still wonder. Did I run this far already? I don't remember seeing something so obvious before though... how far would I need to run for... It would also need this domain to not be flat.
Thinking a bit more, I can audibly hear the growl again. It's definitely coming from that mountain. At least it's in the general direction. I look up a bit more, still surrounded by the short jungle, and watch through my messy strands of blonde hair the mountain erupt from within. Dead middle, from the side facing me, rocks and dust fly. The growl intensifies and I see red dots through the smoke.
That's... I blink.
As my eyes see again from this simple blink, this simple burst of darkness, the smoke is already cleared up... but only in the center. My right hand is caressing the stubble on my chin as I notice the smoke to actually follow something like a trail. Before I can understand what's going on, a shadow looms over me.
That's right. I realize it.
In the blink of an eye, a humanoid monster covered in brown fur with glowing red eyes is now floating in front of me. More precisely, this almost werewolf like creature, at least five to six times my size, is not floating per say. It's gliding. Its momentum is still there as time freezes for a moment in my brain.
But soon...
...time resumes... "H-" A breath escapes as I attempt to voice my surprise, my almost popping eyeballs not wide enough to escape from artificial night.
In a fraction of a second, a monster so big jumped from this mountain kilometers away and directly swallowed me whole mid-air. I can't believe it myself, but the mucus, saliva, sharp teeth and foul stench assaulting my nostrils do not lie.
Thankfully my legs are still out there, limping outside its gigantic mouth.
I flinch and shiver some more before finally reacting. I gag. Only a second has elapsed since the mountainous eruption. I push and pull, twist and pinch. But to no avail. This mouth is unrelenting in its greed. After a total of fourteen seconds vanish into the river of time, I feel numb, before a rush of horrific pain washes over me. My brain is flaring up in warning bells as I hear a cringe worthy sound. The sound of my legs being snapped and torn off by a big munch.
I can't even scream as my lucidity begins to fade. Obvious to myself, the pain is too strong. My brain is forcing a shutdown from the unending stream of information, trying to reboot or at least preserve my life.
But it's too late, as a loud gulp forces me deeper. I pass by the mucus and enter an uncomfortable place. It's dark, as expected, and filled with a liquid. I don't really like this liquid, especially when I can see my skin disintegrate in a heartbeat. The pain cannot be much worse, so I don't feel much anyway. And in my contortion, not exactly swallowed with care, I see light burst forth from somewhere. I'm not even panicking from the ordeal, too shocked still to comprehend if this is reality still. Though the back of my head almost touching my heels tries to tell me otherwise.
Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.
The gastric acid is surging as the monster probably moves around, almost reaching my mouth. My chin is basically exposed flesh at this point, while the rest of my body isn't doing any better.
Wincing a bit, I see this light through my eyelids once again. It's disturbing me, cause my screeching instincts to fight some more. After some time, with nothing better to do, I try to find an exit someway, taking hold of the light as a start. This could help me at least see in this hellish stomach.
However, before I can use it as a source of illumination, it vanishes from my confused hand. Before my eyes, the darkness is pushed away by a screen of light. Then another...
[You have successfully found this unique dungeon's core!]
[You have awakened the following stat : LUCK (LCK)]
[Your luck has reached unprecedented levels! It has evolved into your fate! Due to its evolution, it will be locked forever.]
[Your fate has been awakened!]
Pinching my cheek, I try to clear my head, but without much success. The pain from everything else is too much.
[Conditions met.]
[The system is upgrading.]
[Please wait.]
[Please wait..]
[Please wait...]
[ERROR_00-02]
[Administrator requested...]
Reading with relish, I try to remember everything, in case it can help. But most importantly, my hopes are flaring up! And with it, the prompts of light only grow more numerous.
[The Administrator has logged in...]
[The Administrator #@?%]
[Congratulations! Your skill Tech Eye - lv.1 has been upgraded to Tech Eye - lv.2!]
Amidst the storm of messages, one suddenly pops up out of nowhere, overshadowing all of them as it creeps closer to my face.
Select a Difficulty Level :
(Time Remaining : 29:57)
You may select the [+] symbol to learn more.
-Easy [+]
-Normal [+]
-Hard [+]
-Hell [+]
-Fated [+]
I'm shook to say the least, reading everything before pressing all the plus symbols without hesitation.
Select a Difficulty Level :
(Time Remaining : 29:41)
You may select the [+] symbol to learn more.
-Easy [+]
[All enemies and dungeons will have their stats halved when nearby.]
[Locks all Challenges.]
[Probability of saving Earth : 0%]
-Normal [+]
[No changes.]
[Locks all Challenges.]
[Probability of saving Earth : 3%]
-Hard [+]
[All enemies and dungeons will have their stats doubled when nearby.]
[Unlocks Tier-1 Challenges.]
[Probability of saving Earth : 10%]
-Hell [+]
[All enemies and dungeons will recover their real stats when nearby.]
[Unlocks Tier-2 Challenges.]
[Probability of saving Earth : 33%]
-Fated [+]
[All enemies and dungeons will recover their real stats.]
[Unlocks Tier-3 Challenges.]
[Probability of saving Earth : 50%]
I'm still confused by the mess I'm stuck into. All the while time doesn't wait for me. Before long the timer is halfway gone. Only then do I actually pay attention and read the prompt properly. It's fairly straightforward, though some things bother me. No, they kind of scare me.
Especially what comes from the hard difficulty and up. Monsters are already so strong, but having them be twice as strong in every possible way seems overkill. I don't really feel like ever facing a monster buffed so much... They're already a major pain for the entire world as is.
Worse, the two difficulties above talk about real stats. And since they are considered more difficult, then does that mean that their real stats are more than twice their current ones? Otherwise it wouldn't have been considered harder... I think. I hope it's not the case, I mean it doesn't say anything concrete, compared to the flat two times multiplier just above them.
Should I choose the easy difficulty? Honestly, I don't really give a shit about Earth. This piece of rock floating in space isn't any of my business after I die. And my current life isn't very luxurious I must say. If I choose easy, I might get a higher rank... never mind, they don't determine it this way... But I could still make a crap ton of cash though! Granted I can escape from this hellhole to begin with...
As I'm left pondering on the matter, leaning toward the top of this prompt, a flash of light taunts my eyes. I look and read a new message, or maybe one I missed before.
[The higher the difficulty, the faster your growth.]
I blink. Once, twice, thrice. I close my eyes and wipe them with my bloodied forearm. Great, now I fucked up my eyes with remnant gastric acid. Amazing from my part. I want to curse at the mistake but end up scrunching my face from my severed legs' phantom pain.
As for the message, I still remember it. Growth? Was it possible to grow beyond common physical fitness? I think for a moment before opening my squinted eyes.
"..."
"......."
"SIGN ME THE FUCK UP!!!" Without hesitation, I try to find the bottom of the giant prompt through the blurred mess of red and yellow before pressing on it. As I do so, my sense of balance begins to shift as I feel like I'm falling out of nowhere.
I hear some sound as darkness envelops me, suddenly filled with prompts.
Select a Difficulty Level :
(Time Remaining : 8:09)
You may select the [+] symbol to learn more.
-Easy [+]
[All enemies and dungeons will have their stats halved when nearby.]
[Locks all Challenges.]
[Probability of saving Earth : 0%]
-Normal [+]
[No changes.]
[Locks all Challenges.]
[Probability of saving Earth : 3%]
-Hard [+]
[All enemies and dungeons will have their stats doubled when nearby.]
[Unlocks Tier-1 Challenges.]
[Probability of saving Earth : 10%]
-Hell [+]
[All enemies and dungeons will recover their real stats when nearby.]
[Unlocks Tier-2 Challenges.]
[Probability of saving Earth : 33%]
-Fated [+]
[All enemies and dungeons will recover their real stats.]
[Unlocks Tier-3 Challenges.]
[Probability of saving Earth : 50%]