Leo stepped slowly towards the Goliath, the Frost Lance in his hand straining to be released. Leo didn’t have time to overthink how the lance worked. He trusted the feeling, aimed, and unleashed.
The lance fired on its own power, not his strength, striking the same gap he’d hit twice before. It lodged itself in its neck. More green ichor spilling out past the frozen skin as a bassy hum of pain screeched out of it once again.
The Goliath staggered, falling flat. The countless attacks that had landed on it clearly took a toll. Even its armour couldn’t ignore a thousand cuts.
His tired body rushed forward.
“Keep attacking! Aim for the gaps in the plates!” Cecelia commanded.
“It's like cutting through iron!” someone complained.
“So cut through it!” Bjorn roared while swinging his sword at its leg that clanged and bounced back.
Leo moved straight to its head.
He cocked back his fist and used his Refined Mana Strikes in combination with a Powerful Haymaker. He swung with zero hesitation.
The pain from the impact recoiled through his body, his arm threatening to snap as his breath hitched.
Still no notification.
So he assaulted it quickly, rapid fire punches—all infused with mana. He felt his Iron Repetition stack to full as his power increased.
One more. I can do one more.
Leo’s arm was shaking, he could barely make a fist. But he had to do it.
He readied himself. Then stopped before swinging.
Did he have to always hit something so hard that either he broke or the monster did?
Was there another way other than self sacrifice?
He considered Amy’s words, telling him to stop. Ashley’s face after he fought the Mawroot Alpha. Bjorn, Cecelia. They all spoke of him going too far like it was guaranteed.
He told himself he had to fight until it died or he did. But that didn’t have to be the case.
It was just an easier option than facing the truth. He thought that if he fought so hard that he almost died then people would like him. Need him.
He realised then that he wasn’t just fighting to survive.
He was chasing praise. Afraid that if he didn’t break himself first, he’d be useless. That people would die because he wasn’t enough.
“You can’t save everyone.” Both Cecelia’s and Amy’s words echoed out together in his mind.
It was time to readjust.
People may get hurt, people may get killed. He might still get killed. But there was no reason to center his entire fighting style around a tug of war suicide mission.
So instead of launching an even harder Powerful Haymaker, no doubt shattering the bones in his arm beyond repair, he called out instead.
“We need to work together! I can’t take it out alone!”
He could have sworn that even during the struggle he saw Cecelia’s faint smirk. “Tell us what you need us to do!”
“I’ve frozen parts of its neck, but it's not safe to get on top of it while it can still move. We need to focus on the gaps in its joints, stop it from moving!”
“Alright, kid!” Bjorn yelled, complying instantly.
At this point the Goliath started to rise once again, its monstrous Vitality and Toughness showing through.
“I’ll distract it by freezing its leg joint, then move through. Afterwards someone shatters it!”
Leo pushed himself into a shaky run, strafing from the front of the giant antling. He coalesced a Frost Lance above his shoulder, the cooldown thankfully over. It fired out with his will, directly hitting the joint of one of its tree trunk-like legs.
Anger and panic emanated from the insect as it tossed its mandibles from side to side. Looking like large maces on sickly chains swinging out wildly.
Leo’s Voltaic Reflex had kicked in but there were too many people close by.
“Look out!” he yelled.
They weren’t quick enough, his shout was too late.
Those in range were struck hard, killed instantly or violently maimed. Leo watched their bodies ragdoll away, shock freezing him in place. His rage threatened to burst out as he charged at the leg parallel to the one he froze.
He cocked back all of his strength for a Powerful Haymaker, begging to be unleashed, and then chided himself again.
No, don’t just hit hard. Hit smart, he guided himself internally.
“You can’t save everyone.” The words echoed out once again as he rushed towards it.
He felt a surge of electricity scream through his body, warning him of incoming danger. Thankfully, his head was clear.
He leapt onto the incoming mandible just in time as it swung around. Using it as a springboard to get some gravity into his attack.
He spun into an axe kick, reminiscent of the attack he used against the first Soldier Antling he faced. This time it was filled with controlled mana, fueling with enough fire to deal maximum damage without overdoing it.
Cecelia and her excellent timing coordinated a strike along with Bjorn and Ron at the frozen joint at the same time Leo’s strike connected, severing the legs on both sides as Leo’s heel tore through the ligament and crumpled the joint.
The Goliath fell forward onto its head, causing a shuddering quake as it tore up the stone beneath it.
Leo didn’t stop there, getting himself up from the ground and scrambling forward. Adrenaline and will was all that was keeping him upright.
He made it to its head. “Quick, in the neck!”
Cecelia didn’t even need the command, already thrusting her sword down as far as she could into its exposed neck as she kept trying to force it further in. Her cries of frustration echoing out.
Her sword was embedded but the antling was not done. “It’s not enough!”
“Step back!” Leo yelled.
His muscles sang a song of agony as a Powerful Haymaker connected with the pommel of her sword. Sending the blade fully through the neck, all the way to its hilt.
The Goliath twitched, and the party waited.
And waited.
Then the sound came anyway.
You have slain: Antling Goliath - Level 20
Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.
Experience increased for defeating a higher-level enemy
+135 Store Credits
All at once everyone collapsed. Breathing heavily and basking in the brief celebration.
Apart from Leo. He felt like he let down those that had died, not done something worth celebrating.
“Well done, kid. Couldn’t have done it without ya,” Bjorn said, panting.
“I let those people die,” he said, face solemn.
Cecelia scoffed. “Nonsense. I told you before; You can’t save everyone. You did what you could and finally asked for help. I was wondering which would come first. You, asking for help, or your death. My money was on the latter.”
Leo’s quick look in her direction had both Bjorn and her chuckling. He put his head back.
I can’t save everyone, he said to himself, almost like a mantra.
Not yet anyway.
A regen spell from Amy coursed through him as Amy applied another. He felt the warm energy gently wrap his tired bones.
It gave him the strength to stand up and take in the madness. He looked at the dead Goliath, feeling no joy over his victory. Instead he detested it as his mouth curled into a snarl. He moved towards his downed companions, all still resting near the corpse.
“Does anyone need a potion?”
“I don’t think any of us are injured to an extent we need it. Thank you. A rest is all I need.” Cecelia replied.
“Go check on Ashley. If she's still unconscious then you’ll be the only one with access to potions,” Bjorn suggested.
He had forgotten the state Ashley was in from the Goliath. He was so focused on himself and the fight that it had slipped his mind. He darted over to where Amy had moved to. She was surrounded by people that were in desperate need of healing. Some, sadly, were way past needing it, instead being held by loved ones in teary embraces.
He pushed down the guilt that dared arise. It wasn’t his fault.
No time for self pity, make yourself useful.
“Amy! Need any potions? How can I help? How’s Ashley?” Leo asked in a rush.
“Dump 'em all here, give out any to those that are bleeding. Ashley’s fine, just knocked out,” she answered with the professionalism he’d expect from an ER doctor. To think she was a tailor less than a week ago.
“Don’t just stand there! Go!”
Leo did as commanded, dumping out all the healing potions he had and administering them to anyone in need. Those that were still recovering from the fight with the Goliath had come to assist, resulting in a bit of mayhem that Amy quickly controlled.
After helping everyone he could, he still lost a few who were too far gone to be saved by a simple potion. He dreaded to count how many had died. With so many gravely wounded and limited supplies, the number would probably increase.
He tried to tell himself that it could have been much worse, and he was sure others would agree. But for now he’d mourn those lost and grow stronger for the future.
As he was doing some much needed self reflection, a notification appeared in front of him, which reminded him to check the others he’d no doubt gone past. But this one was important.
Quest complete!
The Queen withdraws her swarm.
The Blood Moon fades.
She mourns her fallen and prepares for what is to come.
You remain standing, but at what cost?
Reward: Profession system unlocked.
Tutorial Store accessible.
Leo was confused. The blood moon was over? Already?
He quickly hobbled to the doorway and he saw that the once blood-red moon was now a pale and mystical white. Shining down its moonlight upon the broken city and the countless corpses beneath it.
“Guess it wasn’t the whole night.”
Leo went back inside and let himself do something he hadn’t done for a while. He relaxed. He slumped against the wall next to Ashley’s unconscious form.
“You better be okay, Ash,” he said softly.
She had colour in her face but her robes were tattered. The cloth was slowly mending itself into place, the bark hardening over the surface. He looked down at his own gear that was slowly doing the same. The magic of it all was still awe inspiring, even in this chaos.
Leo took some time to decompress after the days—hell, the week’s—events. For what felt like the first time since the System arrived, there was nothing immediately demanding his attention.
No screaming. No countdown in his head. No monster bearing down on him.
Just the quiet crackle of settling stone and the uneven breathing of the people who’d survived.
Six days, he thought. It felt wrong that so little time had passed. Like the world before the System belonged to someone else entirely.
A week ago he’d been worrying about work, about money, about whether he’d pushed himself too hard at the gym. Now he was counting bodies and wondering how many people had died across the planet while he fought ants in a ruined city.
He closed his eyes for a moment, letting his head rest against the wall.
He was tired in a way sleep wouldn’t fix. Not just sore or drained, but worn down to the bone by constant decisions and consequences.
At least it’s quiet, he told himself.
That was when he decided to go through his notifications and rewards.
First, he tried to access the tutorial store.
Tutorial store unlocks in 4 hours
So much for ‘accessible’. Maybe it's to let people sleep beforehand. How kind.
Leo quickly had a thought before he went over his kill notifications, he brought up the skill upgrade he’d gotten during the fight.
Frost Lance (Uncommon)
Using the power of your mana, conjure a large lance of frost to fire against your foes. Causes freezing on impact that spreads to the surrounding area.
Cannot be used as a melee weapon. Can be thrown for increased speed and damage depending on strength.
Scales with Intelligence.
Cooldown: 12 seconds
A nice upgrade to be sure. He was surprised to see the line “Cannot be used as a melee weapon”, considering he did just that. Maybe it just meant for prolonged fights and using it more than once.
He did recall that when he summoned it that it wanted to be unleashed. Almost resisting being held for longer than a moment.
Moving on it was finally time. Time for some kill notifications.
And there were a lot.
You have slain: Lesser Antling - Level 4
Experience Gained
+4 Store Credits
You have slain: Lesser Antling - Level 6
Experience Gained
+6 Store Credits
…
The notifications flooded for pages and pages. He hadn’t realised how many he’d killed or assisted killing. He supposed he should have, looking around at the piles and piles of corpses. He’d earned himself a total of 381 Store Credits including the Goliath. An absolutely insane amount.
Time remaining :53 days
Current Survivors: 560/1500
Current Store Credits: 1174
He was now sitting at a staggering 1174 Store Credits—at least he thought it was staggering. Only after checking the shop would he be sure. However a sombre thought struck him.
So many people had been killed.
The tutorial was down to less than half of its original number in less than a week. If this was similar to every tutorial in terms of numbers, did this mean that humanity would be less than half of its starting amount?
That would be billions of deaths… Leo dared not think about it any further. What mattered now was growing stronger, and to do that he needed level ups.
Speaking of.
Your Pugilist class has reached Level 14
Stat points distributed
+1 Free Point
Your Pugilist class has reached Level 15
Stat points distributed
+1 Free Point
Level 15 Pugilist Class skill selection available
Your Pugilist class has reached Level 16
Stat points distributed
+1 Free Point
Your Pugilist class has reached Level 17
Stat points distributed
+1 Free Point
Four levels in one night. An outrageous number of level ups.
He got two level ups from the Goliath kill alone. The stat boost was gladly accepted, feeling his body surge in power as the stats were distributed to his body. It was a tingly sensation he’d probably never get used to but also never get tired of.
The dopamine hit from leveling up in a game was nothing compared to reality.
Next on his list before he tackled the mountain that was the profession system, was something he hoped had some great options.
It was time for a new skill.
