CHAPTER 8: The Awakening
The first balloon-creature lunged.
Its round body bounced off the ground with startling speed, jaws widening to reveal rows of sharp, needle-like teeth. Zodac barely rolled aside in time, the thing slamming into a tree with a wet thud before falling to the grass, twitching.
"Eat that, you little beast," Zodac muttered, brushing dirt from his sleeve. A faint, confident smirk touched his lips—
until five more of the orange creatures began hopping toward him, their glossy skins gleaming under the sun.
"Oh, great," he groaned, backing away. "They must've smelled weakness."
He looked down at his empty hands, panic flickering through him. "No weapon… guess it's just me, then."
One of the balloons launched itself at him with a high-pitched screech. Zodac pivoted, planted his feet, and swung. His fist connected solidly—the creature flew backward like a kicked ball, hit the dirt, and burst into sticky orange slime.
"All right," he said, shaking his hand. "Fists it is."
He raised his guard, knees bent, instincts tightening into a stance that felt half-remembered from somewhere. The next creature came at him, and Zodac met it with a front kick that popped it instantly. Then two more followed—one from his right, another from behind. He twisted, blocked, and rolled forward, narrowly avoiding being bitten.
Six against one.
Too many.
One mistake, and they'd tear him apart.
Elsewhere on the field
Rae stood among his cheering party members, lowering his glowing crossbow after firing an arrow that burst another balloon creature into vapor.
"You're amazing, Master Rae!" one of the girls said, eyes sparkling.
Rae smiled faintly but didn't answer. His gaze drifted to the hill beyond the training grounds — where he saw Zodac, alone, fighting bare-handed.
"What's he doing?" Rae murmured, frowning. "He doesn't even have a weapon… is he training?"
The others followed his gaze briefly, but none paid it much mind. Rae, however, kept watching.
"Idiot," he muttered softly, though there was a trace of concern in his tone.
Back on the hill
Zodac ducked, the wind from another creature's lunge grazing his face. He could feel sweat trailing down his temple.
"Persistent little freaks," he grunted, kicking one away, only for another to strike from the opposite side.
They weren't smart individually, but together they were adapting — circling, waiting for an opening.
One jumped toward his chest.
Another went for his back.
Zodac caught the first one mid-air, slammed it into the nearest tree, and POP! Orange slime splattered his sleeve.
The sound sparked something in him.
"That's it," he muttered.
Another balloon sprang at him; he sidestepped left and caught it as it passed, spinning on his heel before smashing it into the same tree. Pop.
Another down.
Three left.
They started coordinating, leaping from three sides at once — left, right, center. Zodac's eyes narrowed.
"This is starting to piss me off."
Instead of waiting, he charged.
He caught the middle one in both hands mid-air and spun with all his weight, slamming it into the dirt. POP.
The next one hit him in the shoulder; he answered with a furious left hook that sent it flying and bursting mid-air.
The last one tried to strike from behind, but Zodac pivoted and stomped down with all his strength.
POP.
Silence.
He stood breathing hard, fists trembling, orange fluid dripping down his forearms.
A long exhale escaped his lips. "Now that was exhausting."
He leaned on his knees, catching his breath. "Finally, I can just—"
A sudden chime interrupted his thought, followed by glowing blue text that materialized before his eyes:
LEVEL UP!
Zodac straightened instantly, blinking at the panel in disbelief.
"Wait… I leveled up?" he asked aloud, half-laughing.
The screen shifted:
ELEMENTAL: WOOD LEVEL: 2 SKILLS: ??? AFFINITY: ???
A grin spread across his face. "About damn time."
Then another message appeared beneath it:
He blinked. "A fighting style? Now that's actually useful."
A second line glowed faintly below:
He frowned. "Hecto Aura? Sounds… cool, I guess."
He tapped the floating command.
[HECTO AURA ACTIVATED]
A pulse of invisible energy rippled through him. The grass bent slightly outward from where he stood. Zodac glanced down at his hands, expecting something—light, armor, maybe a power surge. Nothing.
He groaned. "Figures. Not even a glow. Come on, do something!"
He turned his hands over, scanning for any sign of change. "Did I just waste mana or—"
A shadow loomed behind him.
The same eerie boing echoed again, deeper this time. The sound crawled up his spine.
Zodac froze. "...Don't tell me."
He turned his head slowly—just in time to see a massive version of the orange creature, twice the size of the others, its mouth yawning wide and filled with jagged, glass-like teeth.
It launched itself high into the air.
Zodac barely had time to raise his arms in defense before it came crashing down, blotting out the sun above him.
Instinct took over as He crossed his forearms above his Head.