After running for some distance, Neo found an abandoned building. Moving cautiously, he scouted for a safe spot. In a quiet corner, he hid the egg and his bag, ensuring they were out of sight. His gaze shifted to the broken red sword he had scavenged earlier. While he had other weapons, this one felt... different. Perhaps it could wound the rank-5 drake better than the others. It was worth a try.
Exiting the building, Neo scouted the area and found a sand dune nearby to conceal himself. He crouched low, steadying his breathing and preparing for the creature's arrival.
Minutes later, a battered and furious drake appeared. Its injuries were severe—its tail was severed, one leg was missing, and its body was riddled with deep gashes. The beast staggered but pressed forward, driven by an innate instinct, perhaps tracking its missing egg.
Neo gripped the sword tightly and readied himself. This was the best chance he'd get.
As the drake limped closer, Neo sprang into action, ambushing the creature. He used the broken halves of the red sword like twin daggers, driving one into an open wound on its back while slashing at its sides with the other.
The drake roared in pain, thrashing wildly, but its missing leg made rapid movement difficult. It struggled to keep balance as Neo climbed onto its back. With a ferocity born of desperation, he stabbed both parts of the sword repeatedly into the back of the drake's skull.
Each blow was relentless, his strikes sending spurts of hot, sticky blood splattering onto him. Neo didn't care—this was survival. He knew if he hesitated, he wouldn't live to see another day.
The drake howled, its powerful tail attempting to dislodge him, but its limited mobility and injuries rendered its efforts futile.
For two agonizing minutes, Neo continued his assault, each stab weakening the creature. But suddenly, he felt a shift—the drake stabilized its balance just enough to swing its massive claw at him.
Sensing the danger, Neo leapt off its back just as the claw swiped through the air. Landing hard on the ground, he recovered quickly and turned to face the creature. Without hesitation, he hurled one half of the broken sword at its uninjured eye, driving it deep into the socket.
The drake shrieked, thrashing violently as its vision went dark. In a blind rage, it lashed out wildly, catching Neo with its tail and hurling him into the side of a nearby building.
<-195 HP>
Neo hit the wall with a sickening crunch, blood spraying from his mouth as he collapsed to the ground. Pain wracked his body—he could feel that over half his bones were broken.
The drake, now near death, limped toward him. Its movements slowed, each step more labored than the last. Finally, its body gave out. The injuries had taken their toll, and the beast collapsed mere feet from Neo, its brain shutting down as it drew its final, shuddering breath.
Neo smiled weakly despite the overwhelming pain. It was over.
If that last attack had connected, I'd be dead, he thought grimly.
With every ounce of strength he could muster, Neo forced himself to his feet. He staggered toward the drake's body, locating the area where its power crystal lay. Using the remnants of the broken sword, he ripped through flesh and bone until the glowing crystal emerged, warm and pulsing in his trembling hands.
Securing the crystal and the broken sword pieces, Neo limped back to the building where he had hidden his egg and bag. He moved as quickly as his injuries allowed, determined to put as much distance as possible between himself and the scene of the fight.
After covering some ground, he found another abandoned structure and slipped inside, collapsing into a dark corner. The pain was excruciating, but he couldn't afford to rest long. There was always the risk that the two men he had seen earlier might return.
Neo glanced at the crystal. Its warm, brown glow filled the dim space. With trembling hands, he brought it close, and a familiar screen appeared before him.
---
Energy Source Detected:
1. Absorb Energy [Y/N]
2. Cure Self (Obtain Evolution Ability) [Y/N]
---
Neo's heart leapt at the sight of the second option.
Finally!
Without hesitation, he selected Cure Self.
A cool, tingling sensation spread through his body as the crystal dissolved into fine dust in his hands. The pain began to fade, and a wave of relief washed over him as his injuries mended.
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Progress: 1/100%
[LEVEL UP]
10%
[LEVEL UP]
13%
18%
[LEVEL UP]
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Progress: 50%
[LEVEL UP]
53%
57%
[LEVEL UP]
60%
---
Neo's body continued to heal itself as the crystal's energy flowed through him, but the process wasn't fast enough.
Suddenly, loud voices echoed through the building, cutting through the silence.
"We know you're in there. Just come out with the crystal!"
Neo's heart sank. They found me?
Forcing himself to stand, he looked for a way out. Before he could move, two figures entered the dimly lit room.
One had an air of elegance, his calm demeanor matched by a disarming, almost kind smile. The other, younger and brimming with arrogance, carried himself with reckless confidence.
"Oh, there you are," the elegant one said with a tone that could almost be mistaken for friendliness.
"Come ooonnn, hand it over!" the younger one added, his loud voice grating.
Neo's eyes darted between the two. His body wasn't fully recovered, and he needed more time. He tightened his grip on the broken sword and decided to stall.
"If I defeated a rank-5 drake, what makes you think I can't deal with you two?" Neo asked, his voice steady despite his exhaustion.
The younger man sneered. "Because you're weaker. You just got lucky and killed it when it was already dying—and you didn't do it without injuries either."
Neo's mind raced. 'He saw through me.'
The elegant man stepped forward slightly. "Come now," he said softly. "If you give me the crystal, nothing shall happen to you."
"And if I don't?" Neo challenged, narrowing his eyes.
The elegant man's smile didn't waver. "My name is Lencho Negasi. My father is a powerful man. Any damages you suffer, he will compensate your family for it."
Neo barked out a humorless laugh. "First, I don't have a family. Second, even if I wanted to, I can't give you the crystal."
Lencho's smile faded slightly. "Then I'm sorry for any pain I may cause you in advance."
Before Neo could react, Lencho moved with incredible speed—faster than a rank-4 beast. His fist connected with Neo's face, sending him crashing through the wall.
---
Progress: 65%
68%
72%
[LEVEL UP]
---
Neo groaned as he pulled himself up from the rubble, his vision swimming. His body wasn't fully healed, and he could feel the sharp pain of broken bones still knitting themselves back together.
As he stood, he noticed a shadowy form behind Lencho. It was humanoid, but its features were twisted and monstrous, with fanged teeth gleaming in the darkness.
"Oh, I'm back," the shadow hissed, its voice slithering into Neo's mind. "It seems you'll be dead soon."
Lencho advanced on him again, his speed almost impossible to track. Neo raised his broken sword instinctively, but Lencho's punch landed squarely in his gut, knocking the wind out of him and sending him flying backward.
Saliva flew from Neo's mouth as he crashed into another wall. What was that? Some kind of technique?
The shadowy figure seemed to pulse with dark energy, its presence growing stronger. "Not much longer now," it whispered.
---
Progress: 80%
82%
85%
---
Lencho didn't give Neo a moment to recover. He closed the distance again, his movements precise and merciless. Another punch slammed into Neo's side, cracking ribs and sending pain shooting through his body.
Neo gasped, his vision blurring as he struggled to stay on his feet. His mind was a swirl of confusion and desperation.
I just need more time.
---
Progress: 90%
92%
95%
---
Progress: 96%
97%
98%
---
Neto's ears rang with the overwhelming whispers as the shadowy figure loomed larger in his mind. Its voice was insidious, like a chorus of cruel taunts wrapping around his thoughts.
_You are slow_
_You are weak_
Neto gritted his teeth, shaking his head as if trying to dislodge the voice. What are these shadows? These voices?
_Kill him_
"What?" Neto muttered under his breath, his vision flickering between reality and something darker.
_Kill him_
"Stop..."
_Kill him_
_Kill him_
_Kill him_
The relentless chant became deafening, each word slicing through his thoughts like a dagger.
"GET OUT OF MY HEAD!" Neto roared, his voice filled with raw desperation.
But Lencho was unrelenting. He capitalized on Neto's disoriented state, closing the distance with frightening speed and landing another brutal strike. The impact sent Neto tumbling across the floor, his body rolling to a stop against a pile of rubble.
---
Progress: 99%
100%
[LEVEL UP]
---
Neto coughed violently, tasting blood as he struggled to rise. His body trembled, not from fear but from something stirring deep within him.
Lencho advanced again, his expression calm, almost bored. "You should have just given me the crystal," he said, cracking his knuckles.
But Neto didn't respond. His breathing steadied as an unfamiliar energy surged through him. The whispers in his head grew silent, replaced by a chilling calm that washed over him like ice.
Lencho stopped mid-step, sensing the shift. His confident smirk faltered for the first time.
"What... what's happening to you?" he asked, his voice tinged with unease.
----------
DING
Progress: 100/100%
[LEVEL UP]
---
_Out of your head? We were always here._
Neto froze as the shadows and voices didn't fade—they intensified. A realization clawed its way to the surface of his mind, unsettling yet undeniable.
These weren't hallucinations or some external force invading his thoughts.
They were his.
The whispers weren't there because he was under some curse or illusion—they were fragments of memories, shards of something long buried, clawing their way back into his consciousness.
Scenes flashed before his eyes. Battles he didn't remember fighting. Faces he couldn't name. And blood—so much blood.
Neto staggered, gripping his head as the onslaught continued.
_We were always here._
His breathing quickened as pieces of his past began to fall into place, like a jigsaw puzzle assembling itself inside his mind. The shadowy voices were his own thoughts, fractured and displaced, waiting for the moment his body and mind could catch up with the truth.
Lencho took a cautious step back, his bravado melting into suspicion. "What... what are you?"
Neto straightened, the pain in his body fading into the background as clarity surged through him. His eyes sharpened, and his lips curled into a slow, almost predatory smile.
"Ah... I remember now."