Xavier staggered as he pressed a hand to his abdomen, his vision swimming from the blood loss. Every breath sent searing pain through his ribs. The Ravenous Ghoul stood just a few feet away, its jagged teeth bared, its mangled face twisted into something almost amused. It knew it had him.
And it was right.
The moment Xavier shifted his stance, the ghoul lunged. Faster than before, too fast for him to react. A clawed hand raked across his chest, sending him skidding backward across the rubble-strewn pavement. His sweater shredded, his skin burned from the impact, and before he could even catch his breath, the ghoul was upon him again.
A knee rammed into his gut.
Xavier coughed blood as his body lifted off the ground from the sheer force of the blow. He barely had time to register the pain before a hand grabbed his leg and swung him like a ragdoll, slamming him against a crumbling street pole. The metal bent on impact, and Xavier's back arched in agony as he collapsed to his knees. His ears rang. His limbs trembled. His body screamed at him to stop, to give in, to let this thing tear him apart and end the suffering.
But he wasn't dead yet.
Xavier forced himself up, gritting his teeth against the unbearable pain. The ghoul, still crouched low and ready to strike again, let out an ear-piercing hiss and charged once more.
This time, Xavier saw it.
The ghoul's movements were fast, erratic, but its narrowed vision from its caved-in face made its attack pattern more predictable. It still had speed, but Xavier now had something it didn't—strategy.
He pivoted at the last possible second, letting the ghoul's claws swipe through empty air. The momentum sent it stumbling, and Xavier seized the opportunity. With every ounce of strength left in him, he drove his elbow into the side of its face, aiming directly for the weakened part of its skull. The impact made the ghoul jerk violently, a wet crunch sounding as the fractured bone caved in slightly more.
The ghoul recoiled, shaking its head wildly, its balance thrown off.
That was it. Its center of gravity was unstable. It wasn't just mindless—it was impaired.
Xavier wiped the blood from his lips and shifted his weight onto his stronger leg, ignoring the screaming protests of his injuries. If he was going to survive, he had to keep pushing forward.
The ghoul lunged again, its elongated fingers stretching toward his throat.
Xavier ducked, rolled, and snatched a jagged piece of rebar from the ground. As the ghoul spun toward him, he slammed the debris directly into its already caved-in skull. The effect was immediate. The creature shrieked, its body twitching uncontrollably as the sharp metal dug deeper into the fractured bone. Xavier gritted his teeth and twisted the rebar, feeling it sink further inside. The ghoul lashed out blindly, barely missing his face as it swung wildly in pain and desperation.
Xavier didn't stop.
He reached into his inventory, pulling out a lone arrow he had left from before. No bow. No way to shoot it. But he didn't need one.
He needed a blade.
With a roar, he raised the arrow high and drove it into the ghoul's eye socket, piercing through its weakened skull. The creature let out a blood-curdling screech, thrashing violently. But Xavier didn't let go. His grip tightened as he yanked the arrow out and stabbed again.
And again.
And again.
His breath was ragged, his vision tunneled. He didn't care about the blood spraying onto him, about the sharp pieces of bone slicing his fingers, or about the searing pain in his battered body. He just kept stabbing, each thrust of the arrow deeper than the last.
"Die already," he growled through clenched teeth. "Just. Die."
One final plunge sent the arrow straight through the ghoul's skull, deep enough that his knuckles pressed against the torn flesh of its forehead. The creature twitched violently… then went still.
For a moment, silence.
Then, a notification chimed in front of him, a bright red system window flashing with a single line of text:
[You have slain the Ravenous Ghoul.]
[You Leveled Up!]
[You Leveled Up!]
Xavier let out a shaky breath and collapsed onto his knees, his body too battered to keep standing. His vision blurred, but he could still see the crumpled body of the ghoul before him.
It was finally dead.
He had won.