Upon closer inspection, its obsidian eyes blinked sideways, and the thick veil of red blood coated its body. Amidst the patches where the blood had receded, glimmers of green scales became visible. Its hand, equipped with razor-sharp claws, appeared as if it were crafted for the singular purpose of destruction.
With every breath it took, David could discern the foul air that accompanied it, and the stench was beyond bearable. Yet, all he could do was stand back quietly, waiting for the perfect moment.
What could be the right moment to attack, he thought. Should he act quickly to ensure he did not miss this golden opportunity, especially now that his camouflage provided him with an advantage?
At least now, David had begun to calm down, which only strengthened his resolve.
Without hesitation, he summoned his light blade, and the moment it materialized, he thrust it forward, aiming to pierce the shapeshifter from behind with a single, exquisite motion.
As soon as the blade made contact, David felt the creature's hardened scales. In that brief moment, he had to decide whether to use all his strength to drive the blade deeper or brace himself for the shapeshifter's counterattack.
Well, I suppose there is truly only one option, he thought.
With a sharp cry, he raised his voice, successfully driving the blade deep into the creature.
His victory was short-lived as the shapeshifter turned its head, locking its obsidian eyes on David, void of pain or emotion. It was a brief yet chilling moment of horror.
Even though David was invisible, he was still paralyzed with fear.
With a single blow, David was hurled to the center of the room, away from the sand, causing his camouflage to vanish.
The shapeshifter moved swiftly toward David, but he was already sprinting toward the sand near the wall to activate the only advantage he had in this battle.
Without exerting any effort, David disappeared, leaving the shapeshifter once again confounded by his camouflage.
That ought to have caused some damage, but why do I see no visible effects?
I even willingly took a hit for it, though, fortunately, the blow was not fatal.
STATUS
HP : ▰▰▰▰▱ ¹²⁰
DEFENSE : ▰▱▱▱▱ ³⁰ + ▱⁰
MANA : ▰▰▰▱▱ ⁹⁰
If that is the case, then I will continue until it finally takes effect.
The shapeshifter still hadn't fully grasped what was happening, but it was now more alert, having realized that David possessed an ability similar to its own.
David attempted to shift from one wall to another, where sand covered the ground, but his opponent was highly vigilant. The fear of being caught prevented him from launching another attack.
Each time David moved from one wall to another, he would reach a spot where the sand gave way to bare ground, instantly breaking his camouflage. As soon as he became visible, the shapeshifter pursued him immediately, but always lost track of him before it could close the distance.
No one had ever taught David how to fight, nor did he possess any experience in combat. It was remarkable in itself that he was able to keep pace with the shapeshifter.
"But how could I further exploit my abilities now that the shapeshifter knows I can vanish? Should I attempt to use the environment to my advantage?" he pondered, though he was already relying on the camouflage near the sand.
Wait, should I spread sand across the floor? But that would make every step I take detectable, as any movement of the sand particles would reveal my position and completely undermine my camouflage.
Or should I tuck the sand into my clothes to provide complete camouflage wherever I go? However, that would significantly slow me down, and there’s no guarantee that the sand won’t spill.
David was lost in thought when the shapeshifter began swinging its arms through the air, convinced that he lingered there, unseen and hidden by invisibility.
But David was standing elsewhere, contemplating that if he hadn't moved, it could have been him.
Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.
So David knew it was only a matter of time before the shapeshifter would overcome his only advantage.
In this situation, David wanted to try another tactic against the shapeshifter. Though initially hesitant, he recognized that he had no alternative.
He quickly exited the main room of the maze, remaining concealed from the shapeshifter, and made his way toward a long wall.
As he reached the opposite side of the towering wall, he unleashed orbs of dark energy, pulsating with immense destructive power. With precision, he directed them to the base of the wall from the side, intending to propel the debris in the direction of the room.
As soon as his attack struck the wall, it shattered it, continuing through the wall of the maze's main room.
The debris from the shattered walls scattered across the room, just as David had intended. Now, the shapeshifter stood two broken walls away, looking directly at David, whose camouflage was failing due to being away from the sand.
The shapeshifter darted toward David, and David rushed toward the shapeshifter, but his true aim was the broken wall where sand was scattered, so he could disappear once again.
As both raced forward at great speed, David managed to reach the sand first and vanished, narrowly evading the shapeshifter's attack in the process.
He instantly changed his position near the broken wall to avoid another attack.
And once again, the game of hide and seek was on.
The large pieces of the destroyed walls lay scattered in the center of the main room, with sand still present. All that was left for David was to spread the sand across the floor as he moved forward with his plan in motion.
Avoiding the shapeshifter, David kicked the sand each time he approached the walls, ensuring it spread around him.
David had to remain perfectly invisible to attack the shapeshifter, but that wouldn't be possible until the entire floor was covered in sand.
However, the presence of the shapeshifter made it difficult for David to complete his task.
As David moved near the wall and kicked the sand toward the center of the floor, his location was revealed by the movement of the sand.
In his haste, David made a critical mistake as the shapeshifter, still nearby, lunged forward, attacking the invisible area in hopes of striking David.
David knew this was unavoidable, so he braced himself for the attack, which once again hurled him away from the wall, uncovering his camouflage.
Fortunately, this time he landed on his feet, ready to flee once again to the walls that provided him with the camouflage to disappear.
The shapeshifter had grown furious due to the hide and seek, but David had to do this to survive.
It wasn't as if David could hold his own against the shapeshifter with just his strength and fighting experience.
David felt no shame in hiding and fleeing like this if it improved his chances of survival.
The broken remnants of the walls lay strewn across the main room of the pyramid of a maze. Both combatants moved swiftly within, consumed by the intent to kill one another. Though their skills were vastly unequal, the overwhelming desire to survive blazed even stronger for David.
Yet, even while exerting every effort, he found himself succumbing to hesitation, for doubt had revealed itself to be an even more pervasive enemy.
How strange it was that, with every piece of his plan now in motion and the stage fully set, David still chose to avoid the shapeshifter. He stood motionless atop the shattered remains of the wall, unwilling to advance, despite having endured hell to reach this moment.
"Why is it that I cannot proceed with my actions? Is it a lack of conviction, or am I merely afraid that my plan will fail? David pondered, acutely aware of his own hopelessness."
Maybe I hoped to defeat the shapeshifter with my first attack to achieve perfection, but I wasn't able to do so.
Does perfection even exist?
He stood there for a fleeting moment, one that seemed to stretch into eternity.
Now that it has come to this, I suppose the only thing left to rely on is faith, he concluded, as he banished his lingering doubts.
He lifted his head and looked around. The shapeshifter was flailing wildly, striking at the empty air in a futile attempt to hit its invisible target.
Although it was more alert than before, it still hadn’t grasped what David had just done.
I ought to be indifferent to the possibility of failure, with my focus firmly fixed on the purpose that led me into this maze in the first place.
He lifted his right leg, paused for a moment, and then surged toward the shapeshifter.
With his precise movements, he gracefully vaulted over the debris scattered across the room, perfectly avoiding the sand below.
The camouflage continued to function flawlessly, signifying that the outcome he had anticipated from the sand was indeed favorable.
He heightened his speed without hesitation, swiftly slashing the shapeshifter from behind before retreating without delay.
Yet, his onslaught was far from over; he deftly recalibrated his position, exploiting the shattered remnants of the wall as leverage, and launched himself into another calculated strike from an unforeseen angle.
The shapeshifter was baffled by what was happening as he turned around to counter David but was unable to pinpoint his location.
Slash! Slash! Slash!
David kept leaping in erratic movements to remain unpredictable. He was so fast that the sound of each slash blended with the next, creating a single continuous sound.
The continuous sound of slashes was now followed by low, agonized shrieks of pain.
Although he didn't penetrate deeply, the sheer number of cuts was immense, compensating for the lack of depth in the damage.
David could see that it had, in fact, worked, though it was still insufficient. Nevertheless, it did not trouble him, as he still had his trump card.
With that, he propelled himself swiftly from the corner of the room, deliberately abandoning his camouflage and exposing his position.
The shapeshifter immediately discerned David's location, and despite its numerous injuries, it prepared to dismember him, for its fury had reached its zenith.
Having gained its attention, David began to move out of the maze, knowing that in its furious state, it would undoubtedly pursue him.
But how could he hope to defeat it now, with his camouflage compromised and himself exposed, running openly through the maze
Will his actions ultimately prove effective, or does only horror lie in wait?