"Whhimm!"
The limb lashed through the air with a whipping crack, emitting air fluctuations in the form of shockwaves that distorted the space around it.
And just as swiftly as it had arrived, Dimm exhibited a speed sufficient to evade the assault. He found himself soaring through the air, his body contorting with supernatural agility as he narrowly eluded the lethal blow.
With his hands raised in a Y-form, fingers tightly gripping the hilt of his sword, he landed gracefully a short distance from his previous position, lifting his gaze toward the creature.
Rather than beholding the creature, the screen from earlier manifested before him.
«New Skill Detected: You can dodge!»
«Skill Apprehension: Fear– avoid fear!»
Dimm released a terse breath upon noticing the notification. "With action comes the inevitable cascade of notifications, really?" he murmured.
He removed his gaze from the screen, which disappeared on his own, and locked his stare on the monster in his front. Squiggon's piercing dragon eyes also bore into him.
'You are really might,' Dimm thought.
"I know you are amazed as to how I dodged your unexpected attack. La-! All thanks to this strange help which boosted my speed."
Undoubtedly, it was remarkable how Dimm managed to evade that assault. No other candidate or novice player could have accomplished such a feat.
In response, a deep growl resonated from within Squiggon's throat before it spoke. Its voice reverberated throughout the entire surroundings, filled with a vibrating intensity of sharp crackles.
_"I am Squiggon!"_
Dimm scoffed. "Squiggon, hmm?" He tilted his head slightly. "Honestly terrifying."
Squiggon's eyes narrowed. _"And no mere mortal has passed this path to appraise survival!!!"_
"Uhm, now that you said that," Dimm tapped his right index finger mockingly on his chin. He feigned deep thought before continuing with a smirk. "Guess I will have to be an exception again."
Perhaps the creature overheard his words. Its tentacle-like limbs were undulated and twisted, seizing the nearby stone with an uncanny precision. Its gaze fixed intently upon Dimm.
"Huh. Don't look at me that way."
The creature appeared to be growing weary of the derision. Abruptly, it lashed out with one of its limbs once more, striking downwards.
Dimm sidestepped just in time, rolling smoothly across the ground. Dust shattered as well as rocks, exploding into the air as the limb crashed into the earth. Its sheer force created a deep crater where he had stood moments ago.
"What the fuck? You want to bury me before my time?!" Dimm shouted at the monster who seemed to have the motive of death alone. It slashed its two legs horizontally, almost immediately but Dimm reacted on instinct.
He spun through the air like a whirling shark, gracefully rotating his body mid-air as the two limbs sliced through the space below him.
As he was on the verge of landing, the creature launched another assault against him. However, this time he executed a deft kick to the advancing limb, causing it to coil around the monster's neck.
He executed a backflip after delivering the kick, deftly distancing himself from the creature as it unfurled the limbs coiled around its neck.
"Just before now, I had no intention to lunge an attack," he said with his head bent before raising them. "Or should I keep defending its attack?"
But the system seemed to have a different plan for him. It wanted him to attack.
«Activated! Engage Hostile Entity.»
"Okay. So, here we go," he said with much enthusiasm, but within, he tagged this monster as deadly and felt a sort of fear. But, he mustn't think about fear. He was clearly warned against it.
Unwillingly, yet, supposedly, his body moved even before his mind could register it. His movement towards the monster was at a very high speed, as he skidded sideways with the motive to distract the monster.
Squiggon let out a thunderous roar, responding with remarkable swiftness. It expelled an immense torrent of noxious vapor, its venomous breath saturating the atmosphere, transforming into a caustic fog.
"Now, tell me this is one of your tricks," Dimm lamented before twisting to the side, narrowly avoiding the poisonous cloud. He knew better than to breathe it in.
"Or, maybe I should try."
His speech was distorted in between, by a simultaneous strike from Squiggon which took advantage of Dimm's prevention movement. One of its limbs shot forward like a battering ram, aiming directly at his midsection.
"Uh-oh," he said with a low tone. "Okay, we got this."
He tried to brace himself, but this time, he was too slow.
The limb slammed into his chest, causing an effect that seemed to explode through his ribs like a war hammer.
«CON: -40%»
Dimm flew backward, the force from the hit launching him into the air. His body crashed into one of the trees before sending him to land on the ground with his descent, causing dust plumes to diffuse skyward.
'Gosh, I should have activated my "you can dodge skill",' he blamed himself inwardly.
"Pain," he muttered in between breaths. "Blinding, suffocating pain."
The proof of the effect from that hit showed itself as he coughed violently, blood dripping from his lips. His vision flickered, the edges darkening as he struggled to see what the screen notified him this time.
«Critical Damage Sustained. Recommending Recovery.»
Dimm cursed under his breath. If only he had the strength enough to talk, or even, even what…his mind did the job instead. 'Why the hell will you recommend recovery? Get on with it immediately.'
Dimm groaned. "Yeah, yeah. I got it."
He advanced to stand. His muscles screamed in agony as his body protested, so he ended up kneeling with his two hands as support. The screen flickered before him again.
«CON Status: 6000 SP»
'Really? Just a hit from the creature had cost me more than half of my constitution score point. At this rate, I shouldn't take another hit from that monster.'
He surely shouldn't take another hit, at least a direct hit.
His problem wasn't really the monster's problem. 'Why the hell is the recovery taking so long to commence?!'
He wished he had screamed that with his voice. Just like he had screamed "Help!" and the system shockingly showed up. Maybe, there will be another change yet again.
In his front, the monster snarled, preparing its finishing blow.
But before then, it resounded once again with its loud crackling echo. _"No mere mortal shall cross, and live!"_
'Mere mortal? Hmmph. What if I repeat for the second time that I will be an exception yet again.'
Such hopes.
Aside from that, Dimm was tensed. He knew he had seconds to react. Squiggon possessed such speed in attack that even with his current stats, he would surely fail against it this time.
'I need a plan. I can't lose. I need help!!' he sobbed, his hands hitting the bare ground where he knelt.
But, did something happen? Yes.
Before Squiggon could launch its attack, just before it could strike, he heard this voice.
A soft, pitched but commanding voice echoed from the shadows.
"Such a surprise. You held out longer than I expected."
Dimm's head snapped up, his eyes searching the area for the carrier of the voice. His sight finally beholds a figure.
A figure that stood atop one of the high trees, bathed in the eerie glow of the battle scene.
At the call of this voice, Squiggon suddenly hesitated. Its eyes flickered toward the newcomer.
Dimm's breathing was ragged, but he felt satisfied a bit. 'Whoever it was, thanks for the help.'
And why did it feel like the battle had just taken a turn? Why does it seem like Squiggon paid heed to the voice? And this voice–
He looked up to the tree again, only to find that the figure had disappeared.
But to where?