I stood frozen, staring up at the hulking creature before me. My thoughts were a blur, panic and fear surging in my stone form like a flood. I couldn't move. I couldn't even lift a hand in defense. The words Nexus had given me echoed in my mind—"Probability of survival: 0%." There was no escaping this.
The creature—an enormous beast with sleek, muscular limbs and fur bristling with dangerous spikes—took a step forward, its glowing eyes fixed on me, hungry and predatory. It was a hunter, and I was its prey.
Great. Now Nexus was repeating itself. I didn't need to hear it. I already knew the odds.
Its claws scraped the stone beneath its feet, and the creature lowered its head, preparing to pounce. Every instinct screamed at me to run, but my body refused to obey. I couldn't run. My legs were too stiff, my movements too slow. There was no escape.
I was going to die here.
Nexus's scan failed again. I couldn't even get the most basic analysis of the creature in front of me. My so-called "unique skill" had done nothing but give me failure after failure. I was useless. My existence as a golem felt like an endless, crushing weight.
The creature lunged.
I barely had time to react before it was upon me, its claws tearing through the air toward my face. My instincts kicked in then, and I threw up my arms, though I knew it wouldn't help. My stone arms weren't made for combat. They were clumsy and weak.
The claws collided with my chest, digging deep into the stone. I could feel the cracks spreading through my body like a spiderweb, the pain unbearable—though, with no flesh, I couldn't even scream. My body buckled under the weight of the impact, and I was thrown back into the dirt, my limbs spasming in a futile attempt to regain control.
For a moment, I lay there, broken and defeated, the creature above me growling with satisfaction. It thought I was done. It thought it had won.
And yet… I couldn't help but feel a flicker of something.
A small, stubborn ember of defiance.
Was this it? Was I really just going to let it end here? A weak, helpless golem who couldn't even fight back?
I wasn't going to go down like this.
Despite my broken body, despite the pain, despite the odds, I refused to accept it. *I wasn't going to die like this.*
Nexus's cold, unemotional voice filled my mind, but it didn't matter. I wasn't going to rely on it. I couldn't.
I gathered every ounce of willpower I had left. My fingers twitched as I gripped the dirt beneath me, my stone hands slipping and sliding as I tried to push myself up. The creature above me growled, sensing my movement, but I didn't care.
My body was cracking. My power reserves were nearly gone. But I couldn't just give up.
The system within me—whatever Nexus was—was failing. I could feel it. But that didn't stop me. I wasn't a tool to be discarded. I was more than this—*I had to be.*
With a groan of strained stone, I forced myself to my feet. My limbs shook violently, and I nearly collapsed again, but I held on. My body wasn't strong, my stone skin was barely holding together, and every movement sent pain shooting through my frame. But still, I stood.
The creature above me seemed confused for a moment, as if it couldn't understand why I was still trying. It hesitated, and in that moment of uncertainty, I took my chance.
I swung my arms up toward it, my movements jerky and uncoordinated, but fueled by sheer desperation. My fist collided with the beast's side, and for a brief moment, I thought I had done something—anything. The impact was weak, barely even a blow, but it caused the creature to stagger back, its eyes narrowing in anger.
But retreat wasn't an option.
I stepped forward, despite Nexus's warnings. I was running on empty, but if I could just get one more hit in, maybe—just maybe—I could survive this.
The creature snarled, turning to face me with renewed fury. It bared its teeth, its claws swiping through the air. My stone arms were too slow to block its attack.
But then, just as the claws came down, I did the only thing I could think of.
I *ducked*.
My body jerked low to the ground, and the creature's claws missed me by a hair's breadth. I stumbled, barely managing to stay upright, but it was enough. I wasn't done yet.
Finally, Nexus had something useful to say. As the creature prepared to strike again, I used everything I had left, every last ounce of energy, and threw myself into the fight. My body felt like it was breaking, but I wasn't going to give up.
In a frantic, desperate lunge, I collided with the creature, my hands wrapping around its fur as I attempted to hold it still. It growled and bucked, trying to throw me off, but I clung to it with everything I had left. I couldn't afford to stop now.
With a last, desperate push, I slammed my shoulder into the beast's side, knocking it off balance. It fell backward, its claws raking through the air in a final, furious attempt to slash me. But it was too late.
The impact of the fall seemed to drain it. The creature lay there, stunned and dazed, unable to recover.
And in that brief moment, I realized something.
I'd survived.
I couldn't believe it. I had actually done it.
Barely standing, my stone body cracked and broken, I looked down at the creature. I had no idea if it was dead or just incapacitated, but it didn't matter. I had won.
For the first time, I had taken control of my own fate.