Kabir sprinted toward the cub, dust exploding with each step.
The beast rushed to meet him—its massive body moving much faster than something that size should.
Kabir's eyes widened.
"No way… it's matching my speed? Hell—maybe even faster."
"Dude, how is something this big so damn fast?" he muttered under his breath.
The cub snarled, its three eyes burning with molten gold. In an instant, it rammed its head forward, aiming to crush Kabir like a bug.
Kabir crossed his daggers to block—
CLAAAAANG!
The impact was brutal.
The force blasted through his arms, shaking his bones. Kabir skidded backward several meters, his boots carving lines in the scorched ground.
"Shit—!" He barely kept his footing.
The cub lunged again. Kabir twisted aside at the last second, heat licking his face. He countered, slashing both daggers across its side.
CLINK!
The blades scraped against its scales like metal on stone.
A tiny scratch. Barely visible.
Kabir's heart sank.
"Are you kidding me? That was full strength… and I barely tickled it…"
The cub froze.
Its three eyes narrowed.
A deep rumble built inside its throat.
Mara said calmly, "You made it angry."
Kabir gulped. "It wasn't angry before?!"
The cub roared, shaking the entire plain.
It charged again, this time even faster.
Kabir rolled aside, barely dodging the snapping jaws.
"I can't die here… Not again. Not like before… Not as the useless man everyone stepped on."
He clenched his fists tighter.
"I finally have a chance… power… a way to live. I'm not letting a giant lava-worm baby eat me!"
The cub whipped its tail—
BOOOOM!
A small explosion blasted Kabir off his feet. He hit the ground hard, air punching out of his lungs.
"Get up," Mara said.
Kabir coughed, struggling to breathe. "I'm—trying!"
The cub dove toward him, jaws wide.
Kabir forced his body to move—rolling away just as the beast crashed into the ground where he'd been lying.
Lava dust burst upward.
"Come on… come on, Kabir… MOVE. You said you wanted to live, right? Then PROVE it."
He jumped to his feet, adrenaline surging.
The cub spun, its massive body coiling like a whip. Kabir ducked under its rush and sprinted toward its blind angle.
"If I can't cut the scales… I need to find the seam… the weak spot… where those plates overlap."
Mara spoke quickly, "Lower neck. Three inches behind the second plate. Strike there."
Kabir nodded sharply.
The cub turned and lunged again—
Kabir dashed straight toward it.
"Are you insane?!" Mara shouted.
Kabir grinned. "Probably!"
The worm reared its head back and snapped.
Kabir slid under its jaw, heat searing his skin. He jumped up its side, using its scales as footholds. The cub thrashed, trying to throw him off.
"Hold… HOLD—dammit—just HOLD!"
He reached the second plate.
"There!" he shouted.
He raised both daggers—
Infernal fire blazing along the blades—
And stabbed down with everything he had.
CRRAAAACK!
The scales finally split.
The cub screamed, thrashing violently.
Kabir held on desperately; every jerk threatened to throw him into the lava sand.
Lava-like blood burst from the wound, burning his arm.
"Aaagh—!"
"Kabir! Pull out and jump!" Mara commanded.
Kabir ripped the daggers free and leapt off.
He crashed onto the ground and rolled, the world spinning.
The cub writhed in pain, slamming its body into the earth again and again.
Kabir forced himself to his knees.
"Come on… just fall… just FALL already…"
The cub let out one final roar, echoing across the Badlands—
then collapsed with a thunderous crash.
Dust settled.
Silence returned.
Kabir stared at the massive corpse, chest heaving, sweat dripping down his chin.
"I… actually did it…" he whispered.
He sank to the ground, exhausted.
"I'm alive… I'm still alive…"
Mara's voice softened just a fraction.
"For someone who claimed he didn't want to live… you fought surprisingly hard."
Kabir closed his eyes and smiled weakly.
"…Yeah. I think… I want to live now."
Absolutely — here's a clean, powerful, dramatic system scene that fits perfectly after your last paragraph.
It keeps the emotional tone, delivers hype, and sets up Kabir's growth cleanly.
Use this right after:
"…Yeah. I think… I want to live now."
The ground beneath the dead cub rumbled.
Kabir lifted his head weakly. "What now…?"
A sharp chime exploded inside his mind.
DING!
A cascade of crimson windows burst open in front of him, one after another like fireworks.
[Beast Defeated!]
Target: Sand Worm (Beast Lord's Cub — Elite Variant)
XP Gained: 3,200
Kabir blinked. "Three thousand…?"
But it didn't stop there.
Another notification flashed.
[Species Kill Bonus Activated]
First Kill: Sand Worm
+800 XP
Then—
[World Achievement Unlocked]
First Human to Kill a Sand Worm (Elite Variant)
+1,200 XP
The screens kept coming.
[Special Title Progress Achieved]
First Human to Kill a Beast Lord's Cub
+900 XP
And finally—
[Cumulative XP Reward]
Total XP Gained: 6,100
Kabir's eyes widened as a deep vibration rushed through his body—heat, strength, something ancient and alive.
Then—
DING!
[Level Up!] → Level 3 Reached
All Stats +1
Free Stat Points +5
Another chime hit instantly.
[Level Up!] → Level 4 Reached
All Stats +1
Free Stat Points +5
A warm wave rolled down Kabir's spine. His muscles tightened. His heartbeat steadied. His senses sharpened like someone had turned the world's color and sound up by twenty percent.
He inhaled—and for the first time, the air in Hell didn't feel hostile.
Kabir looked at his trembling hands.
"Two levels… just from one kill?"
Mara replied, "Not surprising. Beast Lord cubs are rare even in Hell. And you're the first human in existence to kill one."
Kabir let out a shaky laugh.
It wasn't the laugh of a scared man—it was someone realizing they had a future again.
"System," he whispered, "show me my updated stats."
The crimson panel shifted.
[Kabir Singh — Level 4]
Race: Human (Infernal-Touched)
Class: None
Title: None
Strength: 14 ← (12 + 2)
Speed: 10 ← (8 + 2)
Agility: 4 ← (2 + 2)
Stamina: 4 ← (2 + 2)
Intelligence: 3.5 ← (1.5 + 2)
Charm: 2 ← (0 + 2)
FreeStatPoints: 10
Fatigue: N/A
Kabir couldn't help but smile.
"Ten points… and I'm still alive…"
His fingers curled around the ground, feeling the heat, the grit, the reality of it all.
For the first time in years—
He didn't feel weak.
He didn't feel useless.
He didn't feel like the world was crushing him.
He felt alive.
Mara spoke softly.
"Welcome to the path of the living, Kabir."
Kabir pushed himself onto one knee, breathing hard but steady.
"Yeah," he whispered. "Let's keep going."