NOVEL NEXT Chapter 12 - Fragment 3
Chapter 12 – Fragment 3
“Kyaaa-!”
It wasn’t just a loud sound.
The roar itself was a weapon.
Karen’s knees buckled, and she collapsed as her survival instincts screamed in response to the ear splitting sound.
Max covered his ears with both hands and cried out in pain. Even Luther momentarily lost consciousness from the roar.
“[Master!]”
Integra’s cry brought Luther back to his senses.
He looked forward and saw the Jogress charging towards him.
It was so fast that its head filled his vision in an instant.
*Crash!*
The Jogress, charging with terrifying speed, crashed through the giant trees.
Trees that had lived for at least a hundred years snapped like twigs and tumbled to the ground.
“Ugh.”
Luther gasped.
He was lying on the ground.
He had reflexively thrown himself to the side to avoid the attack.
*Rumble!*
Another loud sound.
The debris from the trees that had covered the Jogress’s head rained down.
Luther took a breath.
He focused on the Jogress.
A massive tail and thick legs.
Its appearance resembled a Tyrannosaurus Rex, the apex predator of the Cretaceous period.
Luther sat up and gripped the axe handle.
He saw the Jogress turning its massive body.
Its thick legs pushed against the earth, and its tail swept across the ground.
*Whoosh!*
The unconscious Lykas were crushed alive.
The sight of mangled flesh and dark red blood staining the ground was gruesome.
“Kyaaa-!”
The Jogress roared again, raising its head high.
And at that moment, Luther was certain.
It was definitely the same one he had seen last night.
The Jogress that charged towards him while he was lying in the crater.
It wasn’t a coincidence.
Just as he recognized it, it recognized him.
It had appeared here to chase him.
Why?
For what reason?!
“[Master! It’s coming!]”
The moment the question formed in his mind, the Jogress pushed off the ground again.
“Dodge!”
Luther reflexively shouted towards Karen and Max, but the Jogress was too fast.
Its tail swept across the ground again.
*Crash!*
Max and Karen were sent flying.
It seemed Karen had activated her telekinesis just before the attack landed, but she couldn’t completely block the Jogress’s tail swipe.
The two, tumbling together, flew more than ten meters before crashing to the ground.
He couldn’t see what happened after that.
Only a pool of blood, he didn’t know if it was Max’s or Karen’s, spread between them.
“[Master! It’s coming again, head-on!]”
Simultaneously with Integra’s warning, Luther threw himself to the side.
Just like in the game, he dodged the monster’s straight-line charge.
*Crash!*
The giant trees in the path of the Jogress’s charge, led by the horn on its forehead, crumbled.
Luther, having rolled to the side to avoid the attack, immediately stood up and pulled back his giant axe.
He saw the Jogress’s tail and hind legs.
So far, it was following the pattern.
Dodge the straight-line charge to the side and then attack its exposed rear.
Luther ran, swinging the giant axe behind his head.
The moment the Jogress, having shaken off the tree debris, started to turn, Luther kicked off the ground and shouted,
“Boosters!”
*Rumble!*
Flames erupted from the thrusters on the axe blade.
The axe blade, accelerated by the immense thrust, hurtled towards the joint between the tail and the hip like a meteor.
*Boom!*
The axe blade struck the ground.
Red blood filled his vision, and Luther clearly felt the hot sensation on the axe blade.
But he could also feel it at the same time.
It was shallow.
He had cut through the skin and thick muscle, but he hadn’t reached the bone.
“Kya!”
The Jogress roared in pain and rage and kicked at Luther.
Luther saw it, but he couldn’t move.
The rigidity from the booster attack locked his legs in place.
“[Master!]”
As Integra screamed, Luther was struck by the Jogress’s massive foot and sent tumbling across the ground.
“Ugh… Gah.”
A pained gasp escaped Luther’s lips.
He couldn’t breathe properly, as if his ribs were broken. Blood flowed down his forehead, staining his vision red.
“[Initiating self-repair.]”
“[Initiating self-repair.]”
“[Master, pull yourself together! Master!]”
Integra’s voice echoed in his head.
“[Administering painkillers.]”
“[Initiating self-repair.]”
The pain subsided instantly.
He could breathe much easier now, as if his ribs had been mended.
Luther immediately stood up and tightened his grip on the axe handle.
The painkillers could only numb the physical pain, not the mental shock, but Luther stared at the Jogress with surprising calmness.
The creature, bleeding profusely from its tail, raised its head high.
Luther knew what that meant.
‘It’s going to breathe fire.’
He had to move.
But instead of retreating, Luther assumed a charging stance.
The moment the Jogress opened its mouth, he unleashed the power concentrated in his legs.
*Bang!*
Luther shot towards the Jogress like an arrow.
And at the same time, a massive torrent of flames erupted from the Jogress’s mouth like a waterfall.
*Fwoosh!*
The flames scorched the air as they hurtled towards him, passing over his head and sweeping across the ground.
Having narrowly avoided the flames, Luther saw the monster’s exposed underbelly.
“Boosters!”
The third and final booster.
A monstrous horizontal slash struck the Jogress’s lower abdomen, ripping it open.
But it wasn’t enough.
His attack wasn’t enough this time either.
He had ripped through its skin and caused it to bleed profusely, but it wasn’t a fatal wound.
It wasn’t Luther’s fault.
It was the giant axe’s fault.
The axe handle, unable to withstand the repeated booster attacks, had cracked, reducing the power of the blow.
“[Master!]”
“Kyaaaak!”
The Jogress, driven mad by the pain of its torn abdomen, kicked at Luther.
But the situation was different this time.
The pain in its abdomen caused a delay in its attack, and Luther, having barely recovered from the rigidity, couldn’t dodge, but he could assume a defensive stance.
*Thud!*
Luther was sent flying backward by the Jogress’s kick.
But the result was different this time.
Having braced himself with both arms and pushed off the ground just before impact, mitigating the force of the kick, Luther was able to stand up immediately after rolling on the ground.
“Haa… haa…”
Luther breathed heavily and looked at the Jogress.
The creature, with its ripped abdomen, was staring at him, breathing heavily.
It was only a matter of time.
It would definitely charge again soon.
So what should he do?
His axe was broken, and he had used up all his boosters.
It was impossible to penetrate the Jogress’s thick hide with the Energy Gun Lv1.
He couldn’t run either.
He couldn’t just abandon Karen and Max in their unknown condition.
Moreover, since the Jogress had already found him twice, escape was likely impossible.
He had to find a way.
He had to find a way to defeat it here and now.
‘The Energy Cube.’
The one from the crater.
Integra had said that absorbing the Energy Cube would not only give him information but also allow for upgrades.
“Integra, how long does it take to absorb the Energy Cube?”
At Luther’s rapid question, Integra replied in a flustered voice,
“[If we disregard efficiency, it is estimated to take about 30 seconds.]”
30 seconds.
Longer than he thought.
But it wasn’t an impossible timeframe.
“What can be upgraded if I absorb the Energy Cube?”
“[W… wait. Master?]”
Integra asked back in a bewildered voice, but she understood what Luther was thinking.
So she quickly continued,
“[I cannot determine exactly what upgrades will be available until the Energy Cube is absorbed.]”
“[However, if you absorb the Energy Cube’s energy and nanomachines, at least repairing the axe and restoring the boosters’ energy will be possible.]”
That was enough.
The moment Integra’s compressed voice reached his mind, the Jogress roared again and charged towards him.
Although its speed was slower than before, its intimidating presence remained unchanged.
‘I need to distract it.’
Instead of running towards or away from it, Luther pulled out a Blastnut from his waist pouch, threw it towards the Jogress’s head, and fired the Energy Gun.
*Boom!*
The Blastnut exploded loudly, diverting the Jogress’s attention.
Even the Jogress couldn’t ignore an explosion right next to its head.
And Luther moved.
He leaped back into the crater, crouched down, and grabbed the Energy Cube.
“[A powerful energy source.]”
“[Initiating system restoration.]”
“[Restoring core system.]”
The sensation was incomparable to absorbing a magic stone.
As a mental shock spread through his body, Integra’s voice continued.
“[Upgrading to Nanosuit Lv2.]”
“[Prioritizing speed over efficiency.]”
“[Core system restoration in progress.]”
“[Processing speed increasing.]”
“[39 seconds to completion!]”
It was longer than he had expected.
But Luther held his breath and focused on sharpening his senses.
He couldn’t see the Jogress from his current position.
But he could tell it was looking around in confusion.
He could hear it.
Its rough breathing and the sound of its movements reached him clearly.
“[21 seconds remaining!]”
The Jogress stopped moving.
And Luther instinctively knew.
‘It’s coming this way.’
It was approaching.
It seemed impossible to finish the upgrade while hiding.
He had to move, even if it caused problems.
But he wouldn’t move yet.
He suppressed his impatience and waited for it to get closer, for the upgrade to progress a little further.
“[13 seconds remaining!]”
The moment Integra shouted,
“Kyaaa!”
The Jogress roared and poked its head into the crater.
Facing the monster’s giant head, Luther, instead of being paralyzed by fear, gripped the cube and prepared to run.
But at that very moment,
*Clang!*
A sword flew through the air with a sharp sound and lodged itself in the Jogress’s eye. The monster screamed and stumbled backward.
“[Karen! It’s Karen!]”
At Integra’s cry, Luther understood the situation.
The sword embedded in the Jogress’s eye was Max’s.
Max must have thrown the sword with all his might, and Karen had controlled it with her telekinesis, guiding it into the Jogress’s eye.
“Here! I’m here!”
Max shouted from beneath a tree in the distance.
He was covered in blood, but his eyes were alive. Moreover, he held another sword in his hand.
The Jogress understood what it meant, and Max, as if provoking it, assumed a stance as if he was about to throw the sword.
“Kyaaa!”
Feeling a sense of urgency, the Jogress started running towards Max.
“[7 seconds remaining!]”
Not much time left.
Luther tightened his grip on the Energy Cube and focused his mind.
And then, a change began to occur.
The Energy Cube melted into his hand, becoming one with it.
The Nanosuit, which had only covered half of his forearm, now enveloped his entire right arm.
*Thump!*
His heart pounded.
A wave of heat surged through his body.
“[Reinforcing equipment.]”
“[Activating equipment.]”
The broken handle of the giant axe was restored.
The four thrusters became eight, and the axe blade became larger and longer.
Blue lines, extending from his right arm, climbed up the axe handle like blood vessels, making the entire axe glow.
“[Upgrade complete.]”
“[Nanosuit upgraded to Lv2.]”
“[Invisibility Mode duration extended from 3 seconds to 5 seconds.]”
“[Combat Acceleration available.]”
“Haa-”
Luther exhaled hot breath and raised his head.
He climbed out of the crater and shouted towards the Jogress, which was searching for Max and Karen through the forest.
“Jog-ress!”
The monster reacted to his voice and hostile intent.
Despite having lost an eye and bleeding from its abdomen, its ferocity was undiminished.
“Kyaaaaa!”
The Jogress turned and roared at Luther, and at that moment, Luther leaped from the ground.
“[Using Combat Acceleration.]”
“[5!]”
*Bang!*
Luther sprinted.
“[4!]”
The Jogress swung its tail.
“[3!]”
“Invisibility Mode!”
“[Activating Invisibility Mode!]”
“[2!]”
Luther disappeared.
The tail swept across the ground, and the Jogress was visibly confused by Luther’s sudden disappearance.
“[1!]”
Luther climbed onto the Jogress’s back.
The Jogress, with all its senses heightened, detected him, but by then, Luther had already leaped from its head and soared into the sky.
“[0!]”
“[Deactivating Combat Acceleration.]”
“[Deactivating Invisibility Mode.]”
Luther reappeared in mid-air.
The Jogress, with its one remaining eye, looked up at Luther and puffed out its cheeks.
Flames.
But Luther was faster.
The moment he gripped the axe handle, Integra shouted,
“[Boosters!]”
*Rumble!*
The eight thrusters fired simultaneously, generating a monstrous rotational force.
The rotating axe, with Luther as its axis, maintained a perfect balance, and the spinning blade assaulted the Jogress.
The monster didn’t have time to breathe fire.
*Slash!*
It was no longer a simple cut.
The Jogress’s skin, flesh, and bones were pulverized by the rotating axe blade.
It was less of a cut and more of a crushing blow.
*Thump!*
Luther landed heavily. And immediately afterward, the Jogress’s mangled head fell to the ground.
The headless body of the Jogress collapsed forward a moment later.
*Thud!*
A cloud of dust rose.
Red blood gushed from the severed neck of the Jogress, covering the ground.
“Haa… haa… haa…”
Luther turned around, breathing heavily.
The headless corpse of the Jogress filled his vision.
His heart pounded.
A thrill ran through his hand gripping the axe handle.
Victory.
Survival.
Triumph.
Luther raised both hands and let out a victorious roar.
His chest swelled with exhilaration.
“[Victory in battle against the Jogress!]”
“[Large amount of combat data acquired.]”
“[Giant Axe Combat Lv1 established.]”
“[Giant Axe Skill: ‘Rotating Whirlwind’ established.]”
“[Master, you won!]”
Integra, even more excited than Luther, shouted, almost screaming.
If she had a body, she would probably be jumping up and down.
Luther smiled involuntarily.
Even as he collapsed to the ground, instead of making fun of the strange skill name, he expressed his gratitude.
“Thank you, Integra.”
He hadn’t fought alone.
He had fought alongside Integra.
Integra gasped, as if touched by Luther’s gratitude, and then said in a gentle voice,
“[Thank you, too.]”
“[Awarding Master 2 shop points for demonstrating incredible combat ability and situational awareness.]”
“[You were really cool today.]”
Luther smiled again at her excited voice and asked Integra,
“Can you locate Max and Karen?”
“[Possible.]”
“[I detect life signs from both of them.]”
“[They seem to be somewhat injured, but their lives are not in danger.]”
Relieved by the good news, Luther sat down.
All three of them had survived, and he had obtained the Energy Cube.
He had also defeated the Jogress, which undoubtedly possessed a powerful magic stone.
Victory.
Luther lay down on the ground, looked up at the sky, and smiled once more.
He savored the thrill of victory.
–CROW–