The violet sun of the Stratified Domain finally dipped below the horizon, plunging the silver forest into immediate, suffocating darkness. The temperature dropped sharply, turning the wet mud into patches of frost.
Lysander stopped abruptly, checking the sky.
"Damn it," he cursed under his breath. "I wasted too much time dealing with those nobles"
He glanced at the holographic clock in his HUD.
[TIME REMAINING UNTIL SUNRISE: 6 HOURS]
Six hours. It sounded like a lot, but it wasn't. He had to travel three kilometers, locate the Boss, kill it (which could take an hour), loot it, and then run all the way back to the village to distribute the cure before the sick children succumbed to the cold.
He looked back at Seraphina.
She was jogging, trying her hardest to keep up, but her breathing was heavy. Even with the healing fruit and the warm clothes, she was a civilian with Rank-F stats. Her "running" speed was barely a fast walk for Lysander.
"We are too slow," Lysander stated, his robotic voice cutting through the wind.
Seraphina stopped, panting, her hands resting on her knees. "I... huff... I can go faster. Just give me a second"
"We don't have a second," Lysander said coldly. "The monsters in this zone are nocturnal. In five minutes, this place will be crawling with beasts. If we walk at your pace, we won't reach the Boss until midnight"
He made a decision. It was a tactical choice, devoid of emotion.
He crouched down, turning his back to her.
"Get on"
Seraphina blinked, wiping sweat from her forehead. "W-What?"
"My back," Lysander commanded, pointing over his shoulder with his thumb. "Climb on. I can run ten times faster than you. We need to reach the Boss zone now"
Seraphina's face instantly flushed a deep, bright crimson. Even in the darkness, the blush was visible.
"You... you want to carry me?" she stammered.
"Do you want to survive? Do you want to see tomorrow? Then get on"
Seraphina hesitated. In noble society, a man never carried a woman like this unless they were lovers or in a dire emergency. It was intimate. It was physical.
But she looked at the dark woods and heard the distant howl of a Wolf-Kin pack. Fear outweighed propriety.
"O-Okay..."
She stepped forward timidly. She wrapped her arms around Lysander's neck, the rough wool of her new cloak brushing against the smooth, cold metal of his Void-Weave Hoodie.
"Wrap your legs around my waist," Lysander instructed. "And hold on tight. If you fall off, I'm not stopping"
Seraphina gulped. She jumped slightly, wrapping her legs around his waist as instructed.
Squish.
The moment she settled against him, the reality of her body became very apparent.
Her massive chest, which had been the source of so much ridicule and lust from the noble boys, pressed firmly against Lysander's broad, muscular back. There was no armor plate on his back, only the thick magical fabric of the hoodie, so the sensation was immediate.
Seraphina burned with embarrassment. She could feel her soft curves flattening against his hard, unyielding frame. She buried her face into the hood of his cloak, trying to hide her burning cheeks.
'This is so shameful...' she thought, her heart racing like a rabbit. 'I'm pressing right against him!'
If Lysander felt the softness pressing against him, he didn't show it. His mind was locked in "Combat Mode." To him, Seraphina was currently just luggage—cargo that needed to be transported safely to the destination.
"Hold on," Lysander warned.
[SKILL ACTIVATED: AGILITY REINFORCEMENT]
[SKILL ACTIVATED: SHADOW STEP (CONTINUOUS)]
BOOM.
Lysander exploded off the ground.
He didn't run; he launched. The ground beneath his boots cracked as he surged forward, accelerating instantly to 60 miles per hour.
"Eek!" Seraphina squeaked, tightening her grip around his neck until her knuckles turned white.
The wind roared in their ears. The trees became a blur of silver and black. Lysander moved with terrifying precision, leaping over fallen logs, darting between trees, and jumping across ravines.
To Seraphina, it felt like riding a storm.
She cracked one eye open. She saw the world rushing by at impossible speeds. Any normal person would have tripped in this darkness, but Lysander's movements were fluid and sure.
She felt the muscles in his back shift and flex with every stride. He was solid. He was powerful.
'He's so strong...' Seraphina thought, the embarrassment fading into awe. 'He's carrying me and he isn't even breathing hard.
For the first time in years, despite the dangerous speed, she felt... safe. The nobles eyes filled with lust as they gazed at her chest, and the body they had tried to exploit, was now just a part of her, pressed against a protector who didn't care about using her.
For twenty minutes, they tore through the forest. Lysander didn't speak. He was focused entirely on the Minimap in his HUD.
The red skull icon was getting larger. The pulsing danger signal was becoming more frequent.
[WARNING: ENTERING BOSS TERRITORY]
[ATMOSPHERIC DENSITY INCREASING]
The air grew heavy. The sounds of the lesser insects and animals faded away, replaced by an oppressive silence. This was the aura of an Apex Predator.
Lysander skidded to a halt on a high ridge overlooking a massive, crater-like depression in the earth.
He didn't pant. He didn't sweat. He simply stood up straight.
"We're here," Lysander whispered.
Seraphina slowly loosened her grip, sliding off his back. Her legs felt jelly-like from the adrenaline of the ride. She adjusted her clothes, her face still slightly pink, but she looked down into the crater.
"Is... is that it?" she whispered, her voice trembling.
Down in the crater, amidst a pile of giant bones, something was sleeping. It was massive.
Lysander narrowed his eyes behind the mask.
"That's the target"
He checked his status one last time.
[LEVEL: 30 (LIMIT REACHED)]
He clenched his fists.
"Seraphina, stay here. Hide behind this rock. Do not come out until I say so"
"I have a limit to break"
The crater was silent, save for the rhythmic, thunderous breathing of the beast below.
Lysander stood on the precipice, the cold wind whipping his Void-Weave Hoodie. He reached into the void.
"Inventory: Erebos."
ZAP.
The air grew heavy instantly. The Rank-B Erebos materialized in his grip. It was different tonight. Perhaps sensing the presence of a powerful prey, the red eye embedded in the hilt snapped open wide, glowing with a frantic, hungry luminosity. The black blade vibrated, emitting a low hum that sounded like a swarm of angry hornets.
[STATUS CHECK]
[Health: 100%]
[Mana: 100%]
[Weapon: Erebos] (Rank-B)
Lysander looked down at the monster. It was a Titan-Scale Behemoth—a monstrosity that looked like a cross between a grizzly bear and a dragon. It was twenty feet tall even while sleeping. Its body was covered in thick, metallic gray scales that overlapped like plate armor. Massive bone spikes protruded from its spine, and its claws were the length of short swords.
"Seraphina," Lysander whispered, not looking back. "Don't blink. This is what the difference between life and death looks like."
He took a deep breath, channeling every ounce of his mana into his legs and the blade.
"Let's eat"
Lysander didn't climb down. He jumped.
He plummeted fifty feet into the crater, turning his body into a living missile. As he fell, he activated his primary engagement skill.
[Skill: Falling strike]
The black sword engulfed itself in a shroud of dark purple mana. Lysander gripped the hilt with both hands, aiming directly for the Behemoth's neck, right where the scales met the skull.
WHOOOOSH...
The sound of his descent alerted the beast.
The Behemoth's eyes—glowing yellow orbs—snapped open.
It roared, trying to stand up, but it was too late.
CRASH!
Lysander slammed into the beast with the force of a meteor. Erebos bit deep.
KRRR-SNAP!
Sparks flew like fireworks as the blade sheared through the outer layer of the monster's metallic scales. The sword buried itself six inches into the Behemoth's shoulder muscle. Black blood sprayed out like oil, sizzling where it touched the ground.
"GRAAAAAAAA!"
The Behemoth screamed—a sound so loud it created a physical shockwave.
Lysander gritted his teeth. "Tch. Too shallow. Its skin is harder than iron"
Before he could rip the sword out for a second strike, the Behemoth moved with terrifying speed for its size. It spun around, swinging a massive, armored arm.
"Shadow Step!"
ZAP.
Lysander vanished into a puff of black smoke just as the claw swiped through the space he had occupied a millisecond ago. The air cracked from the force of the swing.
Lysander reappeared ten meters away, sliding backward in the mud. He raised his sword, settling into a low combat stance.
The Behemoth stood up on its hind legs, towering over him like a building. It looked at the tiny human who had dared to cut it. Its yellow eyes burned with intelligence and pure rage.
Titan's roar
The monster took a deep breath and unleashed a sonic blast.
BOOOOOOM!