Power in this universe was ranked by the level of threat an entity posed to the natural order. The threats ranked with Defective Platoon being the weakest of all threats to Forgotten Ascendants, who could threaten the stability of not just one but numerous worlds. These Collapsed Forsaken were on a different tier: an embodiment of absolution feared across countless existent realms.

Monsters at this level were beings of undiluted power that should not exist in the world. There were not a lot of them in existence, but their impact was terrifying if forced into action. It was up to the descendants — such as Hyvard — or Forgotten Ascendants to hunt such terrifying monsters.

Alas, rankings mattered little when it was a test of true power. A fact this Pained Demon of A Thousand Sword established mere seconds after meeting Mark, and even though it had shown no intentions of rushing the misery — Mark could not move an inch from his position, rooted in place from the fear of facing a being beyond him in every imaginable manner.

"—But, why?"

Mark took in a deep breath. His arm was not going to repair itself any time soon as he did not have any power to speed up the process. All he had were skills he had not gotten a chance to use, which consisted of the four gained from Vysla, and those he had from birth to be nine in total.

Even with all these cards under his sleeve he still did not believe he could battle something like the monster before him. He needed numerous skills to compensate for the lack of aid from others, and limited firepower. Yes, the heavy monstrosity he carried would be useless in the face of the monster, and there were no weapons available for his utilisation.

In every world, the strong preyed on the weak. Suffering and hatred were the roots of all these wars and afflictions: it was a force Mark could not unravel… and at the centre of it all, stood monsters who once fought against the misery, but were abandoned and cast away whilst fools got crowned as heroes of a collapsing civilisation.

Mark drew a deep breath. All these meant little to him, but he had to fight. Even worse than the strange woman he had fought back home, he had zero chance of survival if he fought with the intent to kill. Defeating a monster does not necessarily mean killing as there are numerous ways to down the enemy if you are lucky enough… or have a lot of tools, and the right situation to secure victory.

Mark dropped his gun and then charged forward into the mess of technology before him. As he ran, he could hear the sound of blades tearing through steel, and a cold shiver licked up his spine. He couldn't battle a threat of this level, but that does not mean it would be impossible to keep his head long enough to think of a way out of the situation.

“Pant… Pant…”

As he ran, Mark noticed that the monster was a bit slow in chasing him, and he wondered why it was so… His arm was a testament to how crazy the monster could move, and he wondered why he'd not gotten himself cut up into a million pieces already. The monster was not serious about dealing with him, and Mark felt it was a good sign.

Not taking him seriously meant he had enough chances to perform tricks to secure a smooth escape. As he dashed forward, Mark sighted what seemed to be a library in the distance. As he sighted the area, his mind operated at full speed — trying hard to help him figure out a way out of the situation he had put himself in.

He took a deep breath and then bolted towards the area with all his might. Following Mark and his sudden speed boost, the monster followed suit with its blades seeming to tear through even the space around it. Mark had no time to admire the phenomenon, nosediving into the library and tumbling to the other side of the area.

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He stood to his feet, preparing to dash away when a screen popped up before his vision again, this time it was just a regular blinking white,

[Entered SAFE ZONE]

Mark turned to see the monster calmly standing before him, not moving an inch. As he locked eyes with the target, he frowned calmly and then collapsed to the tile flooring of the arena, dropping his gun beside him. This was not what he had expected to happen in a dungeon meant for newbies as the difficulty was too high and it was crazy to run it alone.

The monster was not attacking, but he knew if he left this zone like last time it would chase him. There was little he could do in this situation as he was already too weak to battle a monster this strong, but there was nothing he could have done about it. Mark sighed, staring to the ground as a thought suddenly entered his heart.

His healing was too slow due to how weak his regenerative capabilities were at this level. His skill [Blood Reverence] enhanced his skill and abilities for a short period after consuming blood, and [Instantaneous Regeneration] which was an Origin skill allowed him to boost his healing for some time. If he used the two in the perfect order, then he would attain a massive healing boost!

Even though it was brief, it would improve his chances of survival in this situation. At least he would have better chances with all limbs intact… all he needed now was a goal to focus all these on, something that would help him finish this quest as quickly as possible. Except for the library, Mark could not notice any other areas he could reach for clues.

“Dammit…” Mark cursed, wondering why he had to deal with this today of all times. He was on a timer, and there was nothing he could do about the time he was wasting just sitting here and praying for his brain to offer him a solution. He took in a deep breath, then he stood to his feet and raised his gun with him, aiming it at the monster, “If there is no other way, then I will just have to…”

The Pained Demon Of A Thousand Swords vanished from his position and following him were the bullets from Mark's weapon exploding upon the spot where he last stood. As Mark noticed the weird demon's disappearance, he stopped the fire and quickly shifted his aim, firing again; this time he blew up the area right above his head, and rubble came crashing down upon him.

He dodged, whilst keeping his gun aimed above him. After some time, his hair stood on end as a weird feeling rose in his heart. A light flashed just like at the beginning, but he was very prepared. He dashed back and then dragged his gun from aiming above to the area directly before him, a cold light flashing in his eyes as he quickly tensed his muscles.

A blade hurtled at him from that direction, seeming to ripple through the fabric of space at fast speeds as it moved, aiming to tear Mark apart. In that same instance, Mark lifted his hand to his face and bit into his flesh with all his might, sucking his blood from the wound. As soon as Mark was done [Blood Reverence] was activated, and [Instantaneous Regeneration] followed.

As soon as both skills activated, he lifted his eyes to see that the sword was no longer in the area before his eyes. Lowering his gaze, he noticed that the blade had buried itself into his abdomen and before he could praise the speed of that attack, he felt a burning feeling all over his body, and to his shock, pieces of his body were chipped away from him by an invisible force.

[Fatal Damage Inflicted!]

[Health -60%]

[Negated Healing Reduction Debuff]

[Negated Shock Debuff]

[Negated Immobilisation Debuff]

As his body ripped apart, he was also regenerating at a fast pace. It was an experience he'd never imagined to feel, and it was nothing short of terrifying. If anything wrong was to happen, the last thing he would ever feel was the burning sensation of his body reduced to a thousand pieces — joining those that had already piled up beneath him.

[Warning! Damage Inflicted has crossed 50%. (Fatigue +25%) received!]

[Negative Status (Debuff) Inflicted!]

[Debuff Effect (Fatigue)] — [Speed reduction by 5%]

[Armour System (System Hardening Grade-D Gen 2) Online]

Standing on the bloody mess of himself, Mark felt shivers running down his spine. It was too much for him to handle, and he watched as the sword slowed to a halt before returning to the monster. His weapon was reduced to metallic shreds, and it left him in a defenceless position with nothing to do except standing terrorised.

I can’t... I can’t fight this thing!

Mark staggered back as the fear consumed his heart. There was only one option: and it was running out of the arena! She was proof it would not chase out of the arena, but there was no telling if he would even reach the door at this stage. He shook his head, trying not to give in to the fear and begin making stupid mistakes, “Dammit… What should I do?”