I reread the two lines again.

[Manglow The Mauler]

Danger Level: Certain Death

No, it didn't change, I'm still beyond screwed.

The crab-man-centaur-thing... Manglow I guess, pointed at me and made a horrible chittering noise with its mandibles.

Is it laughing at me?

I guess I understand... 'who is this tiny thing in comparison to me' after all right?

I know I should be terrified right now, that I should hide away and come up with a plan...

But I refuse to be mocked after all of the effort I've put into surviving thus far!

"'Certain death' my ass! Bring it!"

Manglow started running at me with its eight legs, taking a moment to get up to speed due its enormous mass.

I made a run for the trees so that I reduce its range of motion.

I could hear it struggling to change directions to follow me, but then begin to gain on me.

I'm certainly not an Olympic medalist... nor even an athlete... but if there's one part of my body I trust, it's my legs.

Trees burst behind me as Manglow gave chase.

I half-closed my eyes to keep the waves of sawdust out of my eyes as much as I could manage.

I could barely hear anything besides the trees exploding and the heartbeat in my chest, but I could definitely tell that Manglow wasn't gaining on me, but also wasn't falling behind either.

So I kept going, searching for any obvious way to gain an advantage on it.

After a little while, I could Manglow start to slow down.

I looked behind me and watched as it seemed to be gasping for breath.

I mean I was pretty tired too, but this didn't make any sense to me.

I took this moment to regain my breath.

Manglow was suddenly charged by a metalcorn, which Manglow simply plucked off of its feet, ripped in half, and then squeezed out, causing a deluge of inky black stuff to flow all over its carapace.

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Manglow's carapace then began to steam a little bit where the inky stuff was, which seemed to revitalize it.

"That's disgusting, and unfair!"

Manglow then smashed a claw through a nearby tree and threw it at me.

I ran perpendicular to the trunk as it sailed through the air and shattered against several other trees.

More trees were flung in my direction, some the size of my entire torso.

As I ran, I tried desperately to think of anything that I could do to hurt it.

I could try to light it on fire, it seems have problems with heat... not that it'd hold still long enough for me to try, nor that I could do so without dooming myself in a forest fire.

I pulled out my feeble knife made out of a creature it ripped in half with its bare hands... er claws.

I doubt I could even scratch its carapace with-

Wait, scratching?!

I looked at the saw that I forgot I had in my hand.

"That's about as good a plan as any."

I continued to run around Manglow in a massive circle, attempting to force it to either close the distance or tire it out again from throwing things at me.

That's when Manglow started leading its shots.

I was smacked in the face by an errant branch, barely stopping in time to dodge the trunk itself.

My lungs burned.

It's at this point that I really wish I bothered to work out.

That's it! Time to bring the fight to Manglow!

I ran headlong at Manglow.

Manglow opened its claws and lowered its body to go into the closest thing to a grappler stance as was likely possible for it.

I stopped just before entering its maximum range... or at least what I hoped it was.

Thankfully, I was correct.

It attempted to grab me, so I slipped under its claws and got on its back.

I cried out in pain.

It seems that the steaming from earlier was not for show, as it felt like I was touching a burner.

However, I couldn't afford to be bucked off, so clenched my teeth and continued climbing.

I took out my saw and started to cut away at the nape of Manglow's neck.

It kept binding, and my hands hurt, not to mention the fact that Manglow was inches from grabbing me nearly constantly.

I just wanted to put some aloe on my whole body and take a nap.

My mouth was so dry.

My eyes got hazy.

Suddenly, the sound of Manglow's screams woke me up.

I had struck flesh.

Time to make it count!

I stabbed in with my knife as hard as I could, sinking it to about half the blade depth.

I stood up and lined up my foot, but was grabbed by Manglow's desperate snatch.

I pushed against his claw with my foot, doing my best not to be cut in half immediately.

I desperately tried to think of anything that would keep me from dying right here and now.

Then I remembered going crabbing with my grandpa.

Afterwards, he showed me how to eat a crab, focusing on the claw.

He yanked on the claw. "As you can see, if you try to pull it off directly it's difficult..." He then pushed it perpendicular to its range of motion with his thumb and it snapped immediately. "But it go to the side, it's easy."

I changed my angle in Manglow's claw, putting a foot under the claw's dactyl and pushed as hard as I could.

Manglow screamed in pain as its claw snapped off at the hinge.

I used the confusion to jump from its claw to its head.

"You are slain BY THE GREAT STABBINSKY!"

I stomped as hard as I could on my knife, burying it down passed the handle.

Manglow's scream became wet as it gargled its own blood.

Manglow collapsed under it own weight

I roared out in victory.

A line of text crossed my vision.

[New Acquired Title: Vanquisher]

"Oh, so it does have a system!"

Manglow then began to disintegrate, causing me to fall on my ass.

"Ow..." I called out weakly.

At least I got my knife back.