The cold mountain wind rushed past Eren Thorne's face as he and Cassian Voss walked the narrow trail toward the northern plateau once again. To Cassian, this was the first time they had taken this path together. The swordsman moved cautiously, occasionally scanning the cliffs and rocky ridges around them for any sign of danger. But to Eren, this path was already familiar. He had walked it once before… and died at the end of it.
The memory of the demon's blade cutting through his chest was still painfully clear in his mind.
Eren flexed his fingers slowly.
"Fast," he muttered under his breath.
Cassian glanced over his shoulder. "Did you say something?"
Eren shook his head. "Just thinking."
Cassian raised an eyebrow. "That's never a good sign."
Eren smirked faintly but didn't respond. Instead, he focused on the mountain ahead. Somewhere on that rocky plateau waited the horned demon that had slaughtered six C-rank adventurers without effort. The creature had moved faster than Eren could track, and its strength had been overwhelming.
But now Eren had something he didn't have before.
Information.
They continued climbing until the narrow trail opened into the same wide plateau surrounded by towering black cliffs. The moment Eren stepped into the clearing, the heavy pressure in the air returned.
The demon was here.
Right on time.
"So… more humans have come."
The voice echoed from above again.
Eren didn't bother looking surprised this time. He already knew exactly where the demon would appear.
The creature stepped out from the shadowed cliffside just like before, its tall grey body outlined against the dark stone. The crimson glow in its eyes locked onto the two adventurers instantly.
"You don't learn," the demon said calmly.
Eren slowly drew his sword.
"No," he replied. "But I adapt."
The demon tilted its head curiously.
"That's an unusual answer."
Cassian stepped forward slightly, his hand tightening around his sword.
"Whatever this thing is," Cassian said quietly, "we fight it together."
Eren glanced at him briefly.
"Sure."
The demon smiled again.
"Your courage is admirable."
Then it moved.
The speed was just as terrifying as before.
The demon's blade flashed through the air, aiming straight for Eren's neck. But this time Eren reacted faster. He twisted his body sideways, barely avoiding the strike as the sword slammed into the stone behind him.
The ground cracked from the impact.
Eren slashed toward the demon's arm.
The blade hit.
But it barely cut through the creature's tough skin.
The demon chuckled.
"Better."
Then it kicked him.
The impact sent Eren flying across the plateau. He slammed into the rocky ground and felt something crack inside his ribs.
Cassian attacked immediately, swinging his sword toward the demon's head. The demon blocked the strike with its massive blade and punched Cassian in the chest with crushing force.
Cassian collapsed to one knee.
Eren struggled to stand.
The demon was already walking toward him.
"You are weaker than the last humans," it said.
The blade rose again.
Eren tried to dodge.
Too slow.
The sword cut deep into his side.
Pain exploded through his body.
Moments later, darkness returned.
Eren opened his eyes.
He was back on the mountain path again.
Cassian was walking behind him just like before.
"Something wrong?" Cassian asked.
Eren exhaled slowly.
"Just warming up."
Cassian frowned.
"What?"
"Nothing."
They continued walking.
The next attempt lasted longer.
Eren dodged the demon's first attack.
Then the second.
But the third strike split his shoulder open and ended the fight.
The next attempt lasted even longer.
This time he managed to land two strikes on the demon before dying.
Then another attempt.
Then another.
Each death revealed something new.
The demon always attacked first with the same opening strike.
It always followed with a downward slash.
And after every third attack…
There was a brief pause.
A tiny opening.
The first time Eren noticed it, he died before he could react.
The second time he tried to counterattack.
The demon cut his head off.
Attempts continued.
Ten deaths.
Twenty.
Thirty.
Each time Eren returned to the path one hour earlier.
Each time he climbed the mountain again.
Cassian never realized anything had changed.
To him, every attempt was the first.
But to Eren, the battle was becoming a brutal training ground.
By the fiftieth death, his movements had changed dramatically. He no longer reacted blindly to the demon's attacks. Instead he moved with calculated precision, predicting each strike before it happened.
But it still wasn't enough.
The demon was too strong.
Too fast.
Too skilled.
At the seventieth death, Eren lasted nearly two minutes in the fight.
At the eightieth death, he landed a deep cut across the demon's shoulder.
The demon laughed during that attempt.
"You improve," it said.
Then it crushed Eren's skull with its blade.
By the ninety-fifth death, Eren could almost keep up with the demon's speed.
Almost.
But almost wasn't victory.
And Eren had learned something important through all these deaths.
Victory didn't come from trying once.
Victory came from trying again.
And again.
And again.
On the hundredth attempt, Eren stood on the plateau once more.
The wind howled across the stone.
The demon stepped from the cliffside shadows again.
"So… more humans have come."
Eren smiled faintly.
"Yes."
The demon frowned slightly.
"You seem confident."
Eren slowly raised his sword.
"I've had a lot of practice."
The demon charged forward.
The blade flashed through the air.
Eren moved.
Not out of panic.
Not out of instinct.
But with perfect timing.
He stepped aside just before the strike landed.
For the first time in one hundred attempts…
Eren Thorne had finally matched the demon's speed.
The demon's eyes widened slightly.
"Oh?"
Eren smiled.
"Now we can start the real fight."