In the midst of a vast abandoned warehouse, raindrops fell slowly on Mordred's lifeless face. His school uniform, entirely covered in blood and dirt, stood in stark contrast to the large red pool forming beneath his body.
The deep cut on his neck made it seem like the blood would never cease to gush from the wound. His vacant eyes reflected nothing but a profound sadness. Perhaps a portrayal of his final thoughts? Yet, that is no longer pertinent, as there is no way to help him.
At this moment, as something entirely unnatural, a golden light appeared above the boy's body. The blood from his neck no longer gushed, and the wound gradually closed. However, this light formed a golden hand that descended toward his eyes.Upon touching them, it vanished like dust in the wind, causing Mordred's black eyes to take on a golden hue.
His wounds were slowly healed, and as the light faded, all that remained were scars. The color of his eyes returned to normal, and as if waking up from a terrible nightmare, Mordred rose in complete shock.
"Damn! That hurt like hell! They didn't warn me it would hurt so much!" - exclaimed the boy, complaining about the immense pain in his neck.
While trying to adjust to the pain and understand where he was, a golden screen appeared in front of his face.
『 First Mission - Prologue
Description: Leave the warehouse and kill your first monster!
Reward: Main Menu 』
"You guys barely let me arrive, and you're already throwing work at me. I can already imagine the mess I'll have to deal with from now on..."
As he got up, he made some more abrupt movements to check if there was still something wrong with his body. His other injuries showed no signs of pain, but his neck still bothered him a bit. Looking at where he had been lying and then at the state of his clothes, he could quickly figure out what had happened.
What worries me is how far away the person or thing that did this to me is. I better not linger around here too much.
Surveying his surroundings, all he could see were remnants of what this place used to be. The warehouse exuded an air of complete abandonment, with broken and rusted equipment scattered on the floor. The once sturdy structures showed signs of time, worn and weakened. Fragments of shattered objects hinted at a previous struggle in this place, leaving the environment laden with mystery and solitude.
There's dried blood scattered in some places too; a fierce fight likely took place here some time ago. And it probably wasn't just between monsters and humans...
After a more thorough search, the only relevant discovery was a neglected screwdriver, simply left on the ground. It was still faintly reddish and slightly bent, indicating that it had probably been used as a weapon before.
"Not the best thing, but it's what we've got for today." - Said Mordred as he contemplated the tool in his hand.
Time to get out of here and complete this mission!
As Mordred slid open the warehouse gates, he remained on high alert, ready for any danger that might arise. With no certainty if any threatening creature still lurked, he kept his guard up.
The landscape before him was nothing but a expanse of trees that encircled the front of the warehouse. Attempting to broaden his field of view, he glimpsed an imposing wall approximately 3 miles away.
Unable to see anything beyond that, he decided to head in that direction. He imagined that, given the way the wall extended and curved like a fence, there were good chances it might be a city.
As he ventured deeper into the forest, the surroundings grew even darker and more menacing. Mordred felt the constant looming threat, as if something could leap at him and attack at any moment.
*Grunts*
Just as his instincts had warned him, a terrifying-looking being emerged suddenly before him. Without giving him space to reason, the creature launched its claws toward Mordred's chest.
Purely on reflex and with a simple sway of his legs, he gracefully evaded the first strike. Only by shifting his body to the side, the claws formed an empty arc, unable to even graze him. The elegance and simplicity of the movement made it seem as if Mordred had anticipated such an attack.
Taking advantage of the opening he created, the boy raised his arm and in a fraction of a second, ferociously brought the screwdriver down towards the creature's arm. The monster's black blood sprayed in all directions as its forearm detached completely from its body.
Stunned, the creature immediately leaped several meters away with a single bound. Upon closer inspection, Mordred saw its complete form. It was a bipedal monster, its skin as dark as coal in stark contrast to its piercing neon green eyes. Its sharp fangs and claws also made it clear to Mordred that a mere touch could result in deep wounds.
A mysterious golden aura circled around the screwdriver, while Mordred's eyes and the scar on his neck also shimmered in a golden hue. Looking at his weapon, he noticed a small crack forming in its metallic shaft.
I should have known that even protecting it with my ether, this damn thing wouldn't withstand the threefold increase... I'll have to end this fight quickly.
Assuming a combat stance, Mordred remained in a posture that seemed like he had long accustomed himself to.
"Come on, boogeyman."
WOOOOOOOOOOAR
The creature plunged into a frenzy, as if trying to appear stronger and more threatening to its prey. Its severed limb regenerated almost instantly, and the tips of its fangs and claws took on a reddish hue, making it even more intimidating.
"Does this damn thing understand what I'm saying? Damn, it even got a power-up at the beginning of the fight!"
The monster leaped fiercely toward Mordred. With its incredibly faster movements, shocking even Mordred, its claws were inches from his face in less than a second, threatening to strike him head-on in a stabbing motion.
However, almost as fast, Mordred executed another unexpected move. He abruptly tilted his head and torso to the side. The agility and timing of his movement were so precise that the blow only grazed his face. Despite being a truly impressive dodge, it left behind a considerably deep wound on his cheek.
At the very moment the creature passed by his side, Mordred positioned his weapon at the monster's stomach level. The screwdriver struck it squarely, and the action and reaction of the impact caused it to tear through a significant portion of the creature's abdomen, leaving an extremely deep cut from one side to the other.
However, despite letting out a loud scream of pain and becoming noticeably more frightened, its wound regenerated in a matter of seconds.
"Is this damn thing immortal?! Don't screw with me!" - Yelled Mordred, expressing his clear frustration with the situation.
But still, its regeneration this time wasn't instantaneous like the last time... This means that probably, this frenzy of theirs doesn't last as long.
"This time I'll aim for the damn neck!" - Muttered Mordred to himself.
Determined and pissed off, the boy decided to take the initiative and went after the creature before it had time to counterattack. His thrust was aimed directly at the beast's neck. He thought that, even though the creature had excellent propulsion, it lacked intelligence in its favor, given the simple attacks it had executed so far.
However, contrary to Mordred's expectations, the monster reacted surprisingly fast. Displaying its intimidating fangs, its gaze showed an evident malice, as if it had anticipated the blow. In a swift motion, the creature clamped down on Mordred's hand, applying all the force it possessed.
*AAAAAAAARGH*
A thunderous scream echoed through the forest, causing panic even among the surrounding birds. The pain he felt at that moment was utterly excruciating, but he gritted his teeth with all his might and forced his hand upward in a desperate attempt to drive the screwdriver into the creature's brain.
"This time it's gotta be five times!"
The simple screwdriver tore and opened a deep cut inside the monster's head. However, perhaps out of pure reflex, it tightened its bite even more at that instant. The pain intensified, and at that moment, Mordred felt his arm disconnecting completely from his hand.
It was then that, perhaps in a completely desperate measure, an even denser golden aura than the one surrounding the screwdriver began to completely cover Mordred's other hand. With his hand open and raised vertically, Mordred made a slicing motion toward the neck of his enemy.
The hand pierced and cut through the creature, separating its body from its head and draining it of all its strength.
After both fell to the ground, Mordred realized that most of the bones in his hand were now fractured or reduced to fragments. The pain he felt at that moment was at a level he hadn't faced in a long time. He struggled to remain conscious in the face of the intense bleeding from his severed hand.
"This damn son of a bitch! I thought it was just an irrational monster!"
He felt his strength draining with each passing second, his vision blurred and darkening. The stress and shock from the pain indicated that it would be difficult to stay conscious. Mordred also knew that once unconscious, there were only two options: die from bleeding or be devoured by the beasts of the forest, as he would be completely vulnerable.