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FANTASY GAME
CHAPTER 4: MONSTER ATTACK
Nixon Ballot stood frozen in the middle of the Frostfang Wilderness.
Snow covered the ground, the wind howled through the trees, and the roar of the approaching monster grew louder with every passing second.
Then, through the thick snow, the creature finally appeared.
It was a Winter Yeti.
The enormous monster towered over Nixon, its body covered in thick white fur. Its massive hands gripped a gigantic battle-axe, and its eyes were filled with bloodlust.
Nixon immediately opened his status window.
MONSTER IDENTIFIED: WINTER YETI.
Level: Unknown.
Threat Level: Extremely Dangerous.
Recommended Action: Escape Immediately.
Nixon stared at the screen.
"Unknown level? Extremely dangerous? You've got to be kidding me!"
Suddenly, the voice of the Ultimate Announcer echoed throughout the wilderness.
"ATTENTION, PLAYERS! YOUR FIRST ROUND HAS OFFICIALLY BEGUN!"
Nixon looked around in confusion.
The announcer continued.
"YOUR OBJECTIVE IS SIMPLE. DEFEAT THE MONSTER BEFORE YOU, OR DIE TRYING! THERE WILL BE NO SECOND CHANCES!"
Nixon's eyes widened.
"WHAT?! YOU EXPECT ME TO FIGHT THAT THING AT LEVEL ONE?!"
The Winter Yeti roared and charged.
Nixon panicked.
"LIGHTNING BOLT!"
He thrust his hand forward, releasing a bolt of lightning directly into the monster's chest.
CRACK!
The lightning struck the Winter Yeti.
For a moment, Nixon thought he had succeeded.
Then the smoke cleared.
The monster was still standing.
It barely seemed to notice the attack.
Nixon's expression turned pale.
"That was my strongest attack! Why didn't it do anything?!"
The Winter Yeti swung its enormous axe.
"NO, NO, NO!"
Nixon activated his second spell.
"MYSTIC ARMOR!"
A thin layer of magical energy covered his entire body just as the axe struck him.
BOOOOM!
The impact sent Nixon sliding backward across the snow.
His magical armor flickered violently, but it absorbed enough of the blow to keep him alive.
Nixon dropped to one knee, breathing heavily.
"That... that was one hit."
He looked at his trembling hands.
"If that armor hadn't protected me, I would've been finished!"
Nostradamus, who had been watching from nearby, tilted his head with curiosity.
"Interesting."
Nixon turned toward him.
"INTERESTING?! THAT THING ALMOST TURNED ME INTO SNOW DUST!"
Nostradamus adjusted his clothing calmly.
"Your spell appears to create a defensive layer around your body. It cannot completely neutralize the force of a powerful attack, but it can protect you temporarily."
He smiled.
"Not bad for a beginner's spell, my dear fellow."
Nixon stared at him.
"Can you please stop analyzing me and help me?!"
Before Nostradamus could answer, the Winter Yeti turned toward him.
The creature raised its enormous axe and swung with terrifying speed.
Nixon shouted, "LOOK OUT!"
The axe descended toward Nostradamus's face.
But just before the blade could strike him, Nostradamus raised one hand.
CLANG!
He caught the weapon with his bare hands.
Silence followed.
Nixon stared in disbelief.
The Winter Yeti attempted to pull its axe away.
It failed.
The monster pulled harder, its enormous muscles straining as it tried to retrieve its weapon.
Nostradamus remained perfectly still.
He examined the axe with mild interest.
"My, my. What an unnecessarily large weapon."
Nixon's mouth fell open.
"HE CAUGHT IT WITH HIS BARE HANDS?!"
Nostradamus glanced at him.
"Yes, I believe that is what just happened."
The Winter Yeti roared furiously and pulled again.
Still, the axe refused to move.
Nostradamus sighed.
"Well, this has become rather tedious."
He suddenly released the weapon.
The Winter Yeti had been pulling so hard that the unexpected release caused it to lose its balance.
Its feet slipped across the icy ground.
The monster stumbled backward.
One step.
Two steps.
Then its heel reached the edge of a nearby cliff.
Nixon's eyes widened.
"WAIT! THE CLIFF!"
The Winter Yeti tried desperately to regain its balance, but it was too late.
The enormous creature toppled over the edge and disappeared into the snowy abyss.
A distant crash echoed from below.
Then everything went quiet.
Nixon stood completely motionless.
He slowly turned toward Nostradamus.
"Did... did we just win?"
Nostradamus brushed a little snow from his sleeve.
"It would appear so."
Nixon looked over the cliff, then back at his teammate.
"We didn't even defeat it properly! It just fell!"
Nostradamus smiled politely.
"My dear fellow, the objective was to survive and defeat the threat. The announcer never specified that we had to kill the monster through direct combat."
Nixon paused.
"...That's actually a good point."
A notification suddenly appeared before their eyes.
SYSTEM ANNOUNCEMENT!
FIRST ROUND COMPLETED!
WINTER YETI DEFEATED.
TEAM VICTORY CONFIRMED.
EXPERIENCE POINTS AWARDED.
LEVEL UP!
Nixon's status window opened automatically.
NAME: NIXON BALLOT
LEVEL: 2
CLASS: UNASSIGNED
HP: 100/100
MP: 50/50
STRENGTH: 5
DEFENSE: 5
AGILITY: 5
INTELLIGENCE: 5
SPECIAL ABILITIES: NONE
SKILLS: Lightning Bolt Mystic Armor
Nixon blinked.
"I'm Level Two already?"
Another notification appeared.
"TEAM EXPERIENCE DISTRIBUTION COMPLETE."
Nixon looked at Nostradamus and Sukishi.
"Wait, since we're a team, does that mean we all get experience from the same victory?"
Sukishi rested her hand on the handle of her katana.
"That appears to be how the system works. We should use every opportunity to grow stronger."
Nixon nodded slowly.
Then he looked at Nostradamus again.
"Although, I have one question."
"Go ahead, my dear fellow."
"Why didn't you just defeat the monster yourself from the beginning?"
Nostradamus smiled.
"Because I was curious."
"CURIOUS ABOUT WHAT?!"
"Your abilities. Your reactions. Your decisions under pressure."
Nixon stared at him in horror.
"You used me as an experiment?!"
"Not quite. I merely observed."
"THAT'S EVEN WORSE!"
Sukishi let out a quiet sigh.
"If you two are finished, we should leave this area. The noise may have attracted other monsters."
As if responding to her warning, a notification appeared.
DANGER ALERT!
MONSTER ACTIVITY INCREASING.
REMAINING IN THE AREA IS NOT RECOMMENDED.
Nixon's face fell.
"You're telling me there are MORE of those things?"
Nostradamus looked toward the distant mountains, his expression becoming slightly more serious.
"Possibly. And if my prediction is correct, the Winter Yeti may not have been the most dangerous creature in this region."
Nixon slowly turned toward him.
"...What do you mean, 'if your prediction is correct'?"
Nostradamus offered him a reassuring smile.
"Come along, my dear fellow. We have a great deal of work to do if you intend to survive this game."
Nixon sighed and followed his teammates through the snow.
He had survived his first monster attack.
He had reached Level Two.
But as the three players disappeared into the frozen wilderness, a mysterious notification appeared somewhere beyond their sight.
ANOMALOUS PLAYER: NIXON BALLOT.
SURVIVAL STATUS: CONFIRMED.
OBSERVATION CONTINUES.
And deep within the Frostfang Wilderness, something else had begun to stir.
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