Rick and Benttotopotzki were still running away from the hideous monster that was fast approaching them. They had been running for quite some time, or at least Rick thought so, but in reality, a mere ten minutes had passed since the chase had started.
The Pochie was already used to this, having to run away from predators was but a mundane task for him at this point, a weekly occurrence, sometimes even more common than that.
In contrast, Rick was already close to fainting, he was suffocating, and all the heat was not helping. He didn't remember a thing about where he came from or anything he did before appearing in this world, but he was very likely not an athlete, not even close to that, or at least he thought so because of his lack of stamina. Even when, literally, he was running for his life, he couldn't stand more than five minutes running, his legs were failing him already.
"How long until we reach that hideout of yours, Benito?" Rick asked his newfound friend.
"Be-Benito! My name is Benttotopotzki, it's a name that has been passed down in my family through generations, so you better remember it!" Benttotopotzki uttered, trying to change the tone of his voice as if making it stronger.
"But Benttoto---Your name is too difficult for me to say!"
"Bah! Your name is super weird too! Reek?! I had never heard that name before!"
"Well, at least mine is not super long like yours, so it's easy to remember! Anyway, just tell me where is that hideout of yours! I can't see the end of this field!"
"Umm… Well, we are probably a third of the way to the hideout, or… Maybe a fourth of the way?"
Just by hearing that, Rick lost all hope, "A third or… A fourth of the way?!" Rick still continued running, it's not like he had any other option.
The landscape was still all green, nothing but grass, grass, and more grass. Rick, whose color had always been green, particularly a green similar to the one he was looking at in the grass surrounding them, never would have thought he would hate this color so much.
"That's it! I'm gonna fight that thing! I can't keep running anymore!" Rick said, but still, he continued running.
[I would advise against it, Rick… As things stand you have no chance of beating that mauloo, it's way too strong for you!] Chumina revealed himself and warned Rick.
[I thought you said you wouldn't help me again…]
[I'm just telling you, fighting with that beast would just result in your death.]
[But there's nothing I can do!] Rick said furiously. [You just brought me here to die or whatever, so I might as well just die!]
Rick really couldn't stand to move his legs anymore, he was on the verge of throwing up. "Good luck Benito, I can't keep up with you anymore…" Rick stopped running, "I will fight… well, try to, at the very least."
"R-Rick, you need to continue! You don't stand a chance against that thing!"
"I… I know already…"
Benttotopotzki continued running, he didn't look back. It's not as if he didn't feel remorse, but he had no other option if he wanted to survive, at least that's what he thought, the way his survival instinct worked, how he had lived his life so far, and how he would continue living it, probably forever.
Rick and Chumina started a telepathic conversation, and while they did time slowed down, as if the conversation was taking place in another plane.
[I will just tell you that there were plenty of options for your survival, options you wasted the second you stopped running… Some of them involved running, a task which, as you said, would have been impossible for you to continue doing so until Benito's hideout, but if you had just kept running for a bit there was a river which that mauloo wouldn't have been able to cross, of course, if you had checked your [Map] command you could have seen it and make a strategy around it…] Chumina told Rick as if giving him a lesson, [To be honest I don't know why you were sent here but, maybe in your other life you gave up too easily on things and you needed to learn a lesson…]
[Maybe you are right, well that's too bad… Might as well fight it out, and maybe just wake of from this horrid nightmare!] Rick said, [Now, I assume I have attack commands, right? Just tell me how to access them.]
[You guessed correctly, I'd have given you a more complete explanation of every command you have access to later, but I don't see the point in wasting my time for a dead man… So for your attacks, you just need to think [Abilities] and you will be able to see them, but I warn you, don't expect anything special, you should know this already…]
As usual, a window appeared in front of Rick the moment he thought of the [Abilities] command.
[Abilities:]
[Physical]
[Magic]
Rick choose the [Physical] option, clearly he didn't have the ability to use magic.
[Physical]
[Basic Punch]
[Basic punch!? That's it!?] Rick, having nothing to lose, checked the [Magic] menu, but there was nothing in there.
Rick, already disheartened by the lack of options, selected the "Basic Punch" command so he could see what it was able to do.
[Basic Punch:]
A weak punch that causes low physical damage.
Damage= (Str*1.5)
-It causes no extra effect.
[I never expected the attack to be strong or anything, in fact, I thought it would be weak… Just not this weak!]
[I told you, didn't I? Well, good luck, the time slow is about to wear off.]
Time proceeded to move as it usually did, and swiftly, without hesitation, the mauloo attacked Rick who tried to dodge the attack, and then counter-attack, but his attempt was futile, as he received a full-blown punch to the stomach. After this, he got dizzy and collapsed into the ground, and started coughing blood. The mauloo then took Rick by his left leg and was about to violently stomp it into the grass.
[So… This is it… This is how I die, huh…]
Rick's whole body was numb, it very well may have been a blessing in disguise, as that numbness would mean Rick would not feel any pain while being devoured by the mauloo. He felt something biting his arm, but it wasn't a heavy feeling, instead it was subtle as if he had gotten anesthesia.
Rick closed his eyes, perhaps it would be the last time he closed them, and before doing so, he saw the image of a beautiful girl. Rick had never been a religious person, but at that moment he thought the glimpse of that beauty was an act of mercy God had gifted him in his last seconds.
The beautiful angel was a pale redhead, wearing short pigtails, and a fringe that covered her forehead and that only let her left eye be seen, Rick had been able to see all this in his last seconds alive, not only that but he even managed to see her clothing, it was exotic and sexy, what he had not been able to see was that this so-called angel was using some kind of magic.
And then Rick closed his eyes.