Day after day, Elion found himself in constant battle against the endless swarm of evolved Dred in the ocean.
These creatures came in all kinds of bizarre, horrifying shapes—some had glowing jellyfish-like bodies with spiked tentacles, while others looked like giant, mutated crabs with claws the size of houses.
There was even one that resembled a shark, but with multiple heads and a long, coiling tail like a sea serpent. Each time one showed up, Elion knew a fight was coming, and he could never let his guard down.
One day, as Elion steered his ship through the waves, a massive horde of Dred began to rise from the depths.
There were at least 20 of them, circling his boat, ready to attack. Their eerie, glowing eyes focused on him, and the air felt thick with danger.
"Just my luck," Elion muttered under his breath, gripping the handle of his sword. "Another Dred party."
[Wow, look at that! A full welcoming party just for you!] the system chimed in, sounding a little too cheerful for the situation. [Twenty Dreds at once? That's a whole new record!]
"Yeah, great. Just what I needed," Elion sighed.
Without wasting any more time, he activated his [Dragon Breath] skill. A fiery blaze built up in his chest, and he let out a massive stream of flames, boiling half the Dred in front of him.
The sea hissed as steam rose from the water where the flames met the surface, and a few of the Dred screamed as they were burnt to ashes.
But that was just the start.
"Alright, time for something disgusting." Elion grumbled as he activated another skill—[Endless Tentacles].
Immediately, ten long, slimy tentacles sprouted from his back, wiggling in the air. The feeling made Elion cringe. "Ugh, I hate this part."
[Oh, what's the matter? You don't like having tentacles?] the system teased, clearly enjoying Elion's discomfort.
"Ugh! This feels gross!" Elion snapped, his skin crawling from the sensation of the tentacles moving on their own.
[But they look so cool, though!] the system chuckled.
Ignoring the system's mocking tone, Elion focused on the fight. With a thought, he summoned swords into each tentacle's grasp, turning them into deadly weapons. The tentacles lashed out, slashing through the remaining Dred that tried to approach his ship.
One of the Dred—a massive, crab-like creature—lung at him with its claws, but a quick swing from one of the sword-wielding tentacles sliced clean through its thick shell, splitting it in half.
Another Dred, shaped like a spiny eel, tried to wrap itself around his boat, but Elion's tentacles cut through its body before it could tighten its grip.
More and more Dred came at him, but with the fiery destruction of his [Dragon Breath] and the relentless attack of his tentacles, Elion cleared them out, one by one. Blood and bits of the creatures splashed into the water; the once-clear sea now turned murky from the battle.
"Not bad," Elion muttered to himself as he cut down the last of them. His boat continued to glide forward, the path finally clearing.
[Not bad? That was sick!] the system shouted. [You're like a one-man army with all those creepy tentacles.]
Elion groaned, feeling the slimy things still attached to his back. "I'm never getting used to this."
[Oh, come on! Admit it, you're starting to like the tentacles,] the system teased, its voice dripping with sarcasm.
"The hell? Are you crazy? I'd rather fight barehanded than feel these things growing out of me," Elion shot back, willing the tentacles to retract. The second they disappeared, he felt a wave of relief wash over him.
[Why did you use it then?]
"It's the most efficient way to slay those bastards when they gang up on me," Elion said, letting out a long sigh.
[Whatever you say, Mr. Tentacle Master,] the system chuckled.
Elion rolled his eyes, leaning against the mast of his ship. "I swear, when I get a new skill, I won't ever use that tentacles' skill ever again."
[Sure, sure. Until then, though, you might as well embrace the creepy stuff.]
Elion sighed, knowing the system wasn't wrong. For now, the tentacles were one of his best weapons, no matter how much he hated them.
With the sea calm again, Elion sailed forward, hoping the next batch of Dred wouldn't come too soon.
[3 Months later]
After three long months sailing across the vast ocean, Elion finally saw it—a strip of land on the horizon. His heart skipped a beat. It had been so long since he'd seen anything other than waves and sky. A small smile crept onto his face.
[Look who finally found land,] the system chimed in, half mocking, half impressed. [Took you long enough.]
"Shut it. I got here, didn't I?" Elion shot back, though he couldn't help but feel a little proud of himself.
Over the past three months, he had fought off countless evolved Dred, each battle making him stronger and sharpening his skills. He wasn't the same person who had first set sail; he was much tougher now.
As his ship neared the shore, Elion anchored it and jumped down onto the sandy beach, his boots sinking slightly into the soft ground. The place felt familiar. But, at the same time, completely alien.
He scanned the surroundings—buildings near the coast were wrecked, some half-collapsed, others completely gone. It looked like a massive tsunami had torn through, leaving the city in ruins.
Elion frowned. "This isn't my country. I've never been here before." The destroyed city felt eerie, like a ghost town.
"Where the hell am I?" he muttered to himself.
[Want to know?] the system teased. Suddenly, a digital map appeared in front of Elion, glowing like a holographic GPS screen.
Elion's eyes widened. "Wait, you can do this? Why didn't you tell me you could show maps like this the whole time!?"
[If I gave you all the answers, how would I get to see you show off your 'big brain' moments?] the system mocked, clearly enjoying itself.
"Unbelievable!" Elion grumbled, clearly irritated. "You could've saved me months of wandering, you piece of—"
[Language, kid,] the system interrupted, still grinning in its own way.
With an angry sigh, Elion turned his attention to the map. He quickly zoomed in, noticing familiar names pop up. "Clearwater Beach… America? I'm in the United States?"
Just as he was trying to wrap his head around it, a noise from the ruins caught his attention. The ground shook slightly, and a low growl echoed from the city.
"Oh, great. Just when I thought I could take a break," Elion muttered.
Emerging from the destroyed streets, a swarm of Dred began closing in on him. Their twisted bodies slithered and crawled over the debris, heading straight for him.
[Seriously, can you stop being a Dred magnet for five minutes?] the system joked.
"Fuck off," Elion snapped. His eyes narrowed, locking onto the approaching monsters. "These bastards just won't give me a break. Since I'm in a bad mood, I'll kill all of you in three seconds. [Dragon Breath]!"
Flames roared from Elion's mouth, now more powerful than ever at level 4. The fire engulfed the first wave of Dred, reducing them to ash in an instant. The remaining ones hesitated but pressed on.
Not wasting any time, Elion charged forward, flames still swirling in his mouth. "Bring it on, you ass—"
[Again. Language, kid,] the system interrupted, clearly on purpose just to annoy him.
Elion gritted his teeth, annoyed but focused. "Geez! You're not even my parents."
Elion couldn't seem to escape situations like this. Even after finally reaching land following three long months at sea, the Dreds gave him no rest. But in a way, that was what made him stronger.
That same night, Elion decided to create a sturdy home near the beach, one strong enough to withstand attacks from the Dreds. He made sure all his needs were taken care of so he could live comfortably.
In the days that followed, Elion settled into his routine in this unfamiliar country. He spent his time fighting Dreds, completing daily quests, gaining new skills, and training the ones he already had.
As Elion grew more accustomed to his surroundings, days turned into weeks, weeks into months, and months into years. Before he knew it, ten years had passed in the blink of an eye.