I checked the health patch cooldown; there was still about one minute remaining.

"What is going on? What did you do?" Carol asked, staring at me intently.

"Chaos triggered. This could be good or bad," I replied.

The pathways began to sway violently, and in front of us stood a disheveled Watoo, blood streaming from his scalp.

"That's the one you shot," I said, pointing out the obvious.

He screamed and slowly advanced toward us, his arms twisted, and his hands and chest trembling.

As Carol reloaded her gun, I shot two bolts from my crossbow at him, only to be met with surprise as they bounced harmlessly off his body.

"What the fuck!" I shouted, baffled by the lack of impact.

Carol and I exchanged worried glances.

"FOCUS," she urged me.

I used FOCUS on the Watoo :

"Chaos Entity."

That's all that appeared on my screen.

"What does that mean?" she inquired, her voice tinged with concern.

"No idea. There's no level, no description," I admitted.

The Watoo emitted a high-pitched scream, causing us to cover our ears in pain.

From his head wound, copious amounts of viscous blood shot into the air - a grotesque spectacle. Then, his chest swelled, and the skin on his fingers peeled as his muscles grew to an unimaginable size, tearing his skin apart. It was disgusting.

"Fuck this," Carol exclaimed, determination in her eyes, as she fired her gun at him.

The bullet failed to even faze him, hitting his head and falling to the ground. Carol bravely rushed forward, swinging her war hammer directly at his head.

To our astonishment, he remained unfazed as Carol's blow was halted upon impact.

He growled and retaliated, delivering a powerful backhand that sent her flying backward, crashing onto the floor.

His head underwent a similar deformation, as he now towered over us, easily twice his original size. Muscles strained against his skin, revealing only traces of the Watoo he once was.

"He's invincible," Carol panicked.

"We're simply too low-level for this. We shouldn't be here," I replied.

He charged toward us, his heavy footsteps causing the pathways to tremble.

"Move!" I shouted, and we quickly separated, each heading in a different direction.

The monster shattered the area we had previously occupied, destroying the barriers and leaving behind a wide gap. He then turned his attention back to me, growling menacingly.

I attempted to evade him, but his strike against the platform was too forceful, breaking the cables that connected it to the Tower's base. The walkway hung precariously, teetering back and forth.

He slid, but swiftly leaped back onto the more stable section of the pathway, refocusing his attention on me.

BAM!

Carol fired a shot at the beast, but it had no effect. He briefly glanced at her before once again charging toward me.

I sprinted, desperately attempting to evade him and create some distance for myself, but my efforts were in vain. The monster effortlessly leaped across the pathway, landing right beside me as the metal wires supporting the platform screeched under the tension. The floor now swung violently back and forth.

The beast fixed his gaze on me, emitting a guttural growl while drool dripped from his fangs.

With a burst of determination, Carol charged from behind - she had made the whole turn around to be on his back - , wielding her war hammer with unwavering force, delivering a powerful strike to the back of his head. Despite the impact, he showed little reaction, offering only a slight nod.

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In a swift and menacing dash, the beast closed the distance between us, his fingers morphing into colossal claws that materialized almost instantly.

Caught in a state of panic, I instinctively leaped backward as his attack cleaved through the suspended pathway, violently severing the supporting cables. However, his assault still found its mark, as one of his razor-sharp claws sliced through my leg, causing blood to spurt. Agonizing pain surged through my body as my health dwindled to a mere 14, prompting me to release a piercing scream.

As the floor now inclined perilously toward the ground, I slid forward, hurtling toward an imminent demise. To my surprise, the beast mirrored my descent, but he quickly reacted, leaping and landing behind me on the relatively stable portion of the pathway. The impact of his landing intensified the already trembling platform. In a desperate bid for survival, I managed to muster the strength to grasp the edge with a single hand, finding myself suspended in the void.

From behind the monstrous creature, Carol - trying to help again - valiantly leaped onto his back, gripping the handle of her hammer tightly as she attempted to strangle him. She exerted all her strength, determined to halt his rampage.

Seizing the opportunity, I swiftly climbed back onto the platform, feeling the searing pain in my bicep and the blood trickling from my wounded leg. Glancing at the cooldown, I realized it was clear, prompting me to apply a health patch that closed my wounds and raised my health to 39.

"Get away!" I shouted to Carol, who struggled to maintain her grip on the beast while evading his vicious claws.

"I got him!" she replied, her determination unwavering.

But she didn't.

With a menacing gesture, the monster seized Carol and hurled her toward me, causing us to collide and be flung backward with great force. We landed on the other side of the broken pathway, gasping for breath.

The beast let out a deafening scream.

"He only cares about you," Carol stated, catching her breath.

"I am the only one who has Chaos points, that's maybe why," I replied, my mind racing to comprehend the situation.

"Your Chaos points are what triggered him," Carol stated, her tone filled with concern. "I told you it was bad."

"You should run," I advised, recognizing he would likely ignore her.

She looked at me, startled and demanding, "Are you crazy?"

"He only-" I started to explain, but I was cut off as the beast leaped towards us, claws ready to strike.

Reacting swiftly, we scrambled to evade the oncoming attack, moving backward as the monster ruthlessly slashed the platform once more. The section he was on became completely disconnected from the rest, causing him to fall down with the metal piece.

"You idiot!" Carol shouted at the beast.

Crouching low, the beast defied gravity, gaining ground on the falling metal floor. With a powerful leap, he ascended into the air, as if defying the natural order. In a forceful landing, he returned right in front of us, shaking the platform even more.

"Oh Fuck off," Carol muttered.

The monster forcefully pushed Carol aside, fixating his attention on me once again. In a swift motion, I took off, sprinting away to create distance between us.

He relentlessly pursued me, solely focused on my presence.

"Carol!" I called out, trying to catch her attention. "I have an idea!"

Carol was running close behind, struggling to keep up.

As I navigated through the crisscrossing pathways, my objective was clear : to create enough separation between the beast and myself. I quickly sent Carol a message :

SIMON : We are too low level to harm him, we need to make him fall.

CAROL : Did you see how he jumped before?

SIMON : I have an idea. When I give the signal, leap onto him just like you did earlier and try to hold him down.

CAROL : Alright, this better be good.

I halted my escape and turned to face the formidable creature.

"Come on," I beckoned, challenging him.

As the monster closed in on me, he swung his claws where I had stood moments ago, slicing through the platform floor. I dodged out of harm's way, creating some distance between us, and shouted :

"NOW!"

In perfect synchronization, Carol leaped onto the beast's back, once again attempting to restrain him with her sheer determination. Despite his attempts to retaliate, she persisted in her effort to hold him down.

Seizing the opportunity, I sprinted away as fast as I could, making a complete turn of the pathways as the monster's attention fixated on me. I was quickly on the other side, back behind him.

"Get out!" I urgently shouted to Carol.

She swiftly disengaged from his back and joined me by my side.

"Get away, now!" I ordered, concern evident in my voice.

"Are you--" Carol began to question, but I interrupted her.

"NOW!"

She nodded, understanding the urgency, and dashed away as the beast turned his wrath towards me once again.

Just as before, he lunged in my direction, slashing with a devastating blow. I leaped backward, and in his relentless attack, he severed the supporting cables and metal floor. The platform he stood on, now deprived of any support, began its descent towards the ground.

Crouching down, the beast prepared to jump once more, but before he could execute his leap, I unleashed Ceto's Wrath, utilizing the 10 remaining Mana within me. A powerful wave of flame struck him with full force, canceling his jump and propelling him backward. Engulfed in searing fire, he screamed in agonizing pain. With no solid ground left to use as a launching point, he plummeted to his death, vanishing into the enshrouding clouds.

+8750 XP

"Holy FUCK!" I exclaimed, overwhelmed by the substantial experience gained. "I just received an incredible amount of XP!"

Carol approached me, concern etched on her face.

"Are you okay?" she asked, her voice filled with genuine care.

"I'm fine. And you?"

"I'm good. But dealing with Chaos is a fucking pain," she replied, expressing her frustration.

I nodded.

"I wonder why it triggered now," I pondered aloud.

"There is no reason. It's Chaos. Patate told me to avoid it," Carol informed me.

"I disagree. It can't be purely random," I asserted. "Something must trigger it, and depending on the Chaos points, its manifestation either succeeds or fails."

"What are you talking about?" Carol asked, her confusion evident.

"It's basic game design," I explained, trying to convey my understanding. "There's usually an event that triggers a check against my Chaos points. If the check succeeds, Chaos is activated; if it fails, it is canceled."

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Carol shrugged, admitting her lack of comprehension.

"I think I'm starting to understand..." I mused, sensing a glimmer of insight.