The End… I hadn't the slightest idea what the world meant by the 'End.' It was just an ambiguous idea thrown at me.
The barren grasslands stretched out in front of me like the never-ending sky, and I was in the middle of nowhere. As far as my eyes could see, there were only green fields, not a rock or tree, much less a soul.
"Well, I suppose I can't stay here waiting for something to happen."
I decided to make a move first. Directionless, I started, hoping to see where my legs would lead me.
***
But of course, trouble found me only a short time after.
"Yes, it made no sense that there was no one here. The Tower isn't so ignorant, is it now?"
Minotaur? Is that what it was? The head of a bull, the body of a human. That should be the description of a Minotaur. But what was this? A snake attached to its arse instead of a tail. Two bulging eyes on its chest. And a pair of razor-sharp blades instead of hands. The more I looked at it, the more terrifying it seemed. A hideous monster.
But what made it truly frightening was its unnaturally oversized body. The abomination in front of me was no less humongous than the Doors of the Tower. A little bit of difference, I suppose.
Nonetheless, the creature was, by no means, friendly to me. The moment I made my presence known, it lunged towards me with its enormous constitution. I was taken aback. Never have I imagined this speed with that kind of size. It caught me off-guard, but that was all it could do.
Demonic Dragon, Second Form.
Ascending Demonic Dragon.
Before the creature's blades could reach me, my fist reached the creature. An extraordinary movement, if I may say so myself. The dragon dug into the creature's guts, engulfing the creature in its grasp. The red dragon soared through the skies with its prey.
"Aren't you surprisingly light?"
That wasn't enough. I couldn't let my prey go after such a light beating.
A step in the air, a dance that captivates my mind. A dark hue veiled my limbs, and so was the air dyed in black smoke. Easy and firm steps in the sky led me to my prey, elegant wrath radiating out of me. The dragon was furious, and it shall exact its fury.
Demonic Dragon, Fourth Form
Fury of the Demonic Dragon.
Flying, spiralling in a majestic red, the dragon opened its jaws.
Groans and strange moans filled the air. It was persistent, like a cockroach. The tutorial wasn't supposed to have any monsters like this one. At least, not in the first stage of the Tutorial.
"Well, that takes care of this."
The creature shouldn't be able to survive this. It was strong, yes. But this one can be easily taken care of by me.
But it'd be a different story if it was not alone.
A gathering of ominous energy, and a pressurizing aura that bends your knees and makes your toes dig the ground in submission.
{The Behemoth has been awakened by the Climber's presence}
{The Behemoth sends the Guardians}
{The Guardians have been blessed by the Behemoth}
The dust settled, and they appeared. Like guardians, they stood firm; enraged and full of vigour; ready to pounce on the intruder that dares to step into their territory.
{You have encountered the First Defence of the 'End', the First Guardians of Behemoth: Dejetics}
In an instant, I became a poor subject in front of tyrannical guardians.
Their enormous sizes covered me in their shade, and all I could do was stand there helplessly.
Given their agility, it would only be a matter of time before I would be caught. The barren meadows and grasslands turned into thorns, the sky wailed in a grave timbre as if to set the catastrophe off.
{The Behemoth looks at you}
The Behemoth, guardians, the 'End'— there were too many questions I wanted to ask. But neither did I have anyone to ask nor could I have spared any moment for the questions. And there was something even more prominent.
"My death…"
They charged at me instantaneously with ferocious bloodlust. They swung their humongous arms at me. Their eyes, dyed in red, screamed with a hunger for bloodshed.
And, as if this wasn't bad, they could utilize magic at a destructive level. Streaks of bolts, all concentrated on a single spot, fell with catastrophic might. They were endless, one after another, chasing me persistently.
I would not survive this onslaught.
My death was certain.
And the only thing I could do was take as much information as possible for my second run.
"So… bring it on!"
***
Pitch-black darkness. An ethereal echo reverberated throughout the emptiness. Something was moving, slithering around the hollow darkness. An indescribable sense of horror lingered in the black. Even the darkness was daunted by the presence of the… thing.
The untellable had its eyes on a soul. A broken soul and a pitiful soul. The subtle gaze was all-seeing, wise and mighty, observing the paltry soul suffering in a pitiful cycle. Its hunger for suffering and pain which could never be satiated grew fiercely. The soul was tainted by fear, misery, pain and sadness. It was a plethora for the inexpressible.
Maybe… maybe it could satiate the never-ending hunger it was cursed with this time.
***