They came in sequence, forcing me to keep moving, my steps shifting between trees, using their trunks to break the angle of attack while cutting through whatever came too close. The pattern wasn’t random, they were coordinating, one attacking to restrict movement while the other forced an opening.
A thicker root shot forward from the first tree.
I moved to evade but was too slow. It struck across my torso, not piercing this time, but hitting hard enough to throw me off balance, my body skidding across the ground before I caught myself with one hand, pushing back up before the next strike could land.
"Ouch that hurt."
The attacks didn’t stop.
Another root came from behind, and this time I twisted just enough to avoid a clean hit, but it still grazed past, tearing into my shoulder again. Pain flared sharply, deeper this time, and I felt the shift immediately.
A notification flashed.
[Warning: Health below 50%]
At the same time a strange heat gathered near my heart, growing rapidly, spreading outward in pulses that didn’t match the rhythm of my breathing.
Another notification followed.
[Overdrive Charge: 50%]
I didn’t hesitate.
"Berserk."
The response was instant.
The heat surged.
It spread from my chest outward, running through my limbs, tightening my muscles, sharpening everything at once as the sensation of strength rising flared into my body. The pain didn’t disappear, but it dulled, pushed aside as I felt completely recharged.
Without any delay I surged forward. The next root came, and this time I didn’t just evade, I stepped into it, twisting around the strike as my blade cut through it in a single motion, the force behind it much stronger. Another followed from the side, but my body reacted before the thought formed, shifting just enough to let it pass before closing the distance instead of creating it.
I aimed for the first tree.
The one that had pierced me.
Roots lashed out to stop me, but I cut through them as I moved, each strike landing harder than before, the resistance breaking faster under the increased force. I stepped inside the range of its attacks, reaching the trunk as another root drove toward me.
I ignored it.
My hand tightened on the sword and I drove it forward. The blade pierced straight through the exposed core, the resistance collapsing instantly as the steel sank deep into it. The pulsing stopped.
The tree shuddered.
Then stilled.
I pulled the blade free and turned immediately.
The second tree reacted faster now, its roots striking wildly, trying to keep me back, but it didn’t matter. I moved through them, cutting, stepping, closing the distance in a straight line until I reached it as well.
Another strike. The sword drove through its core the same way.
And just like the first it went still.
I remained where I was for a moment, the heat from the Overdrive still running faintly through my body.
Before I could steady my stance after the collapse of the two trees, the ground beneath me shifted without warning, the soil bulging upward in a violent surge before something tore through it from below.
I barely had time to react before a massive form erupted from the earth, its body thick and coiled, resembling an oversized burrowing snail, its shell hardened and ridged while its exposed flesh pulsed with a sickly sheen.
Its head snapped forward the moment it surfaced, rows of jagged teeth clamping down around my leg with crushing force.
Pain shot upward instantly. The creature didn’t hold me there.
It yanked.
My body was ripped off the ground and thrown sideways, crashing through a tree before hitting another, the impact driving the air out of my lungs as the world spun violently around me. I barely managed to brace myself before sliding down, my vision blurring for a moment as I forced myself upright.
A notification flashed.
[Warning: Health below 25%]
The creature moved again.
It opened its mouth.
A thick stream of corrosive liquid shot toward me, hissing through the air as it struck the ground where I had been a fraction of a second earlier. I forced my body to move despite the damage, rolling to the side as the acid splashed across the roots and bark nearby, eating into them instantly.
[Monster Burrower – Level 8]
I pushed myself up, my leg protesting under the strain, but I didn’t give it time to settle. The creature lunged again, its heavy body dragging forward with surprising speed as it snapped toward me, trying to close the distance before I could recover.
I had no choice but to face it head on. My sword came up, striking against its outer shell first, the impact sliding off with barely any effect.
It twisted, its body coiling as it swung its head sideways, forcing me to duck under the motion before stepping back just enough to avoid another bite. The ground shifted again beneath it, loose from where it had surfaced, giving me just enough instability to work with.
It spat again.
This time I moved forward through the angle, cutting across its exposed side where the shell didn’t fully cover, drawing a line across the softer flesh beneath. The reaction was immediate, its body jerking as it recoiled.
I stayed close.
Another strike came, slower this time, and I stepped around it, dragging the blade across its side again before shifting away as it snapped back toward me.
Suddenly, I felt the heat returned. That same pressure near my chest, building again, sharper this time.
[Overdrive Charge: 50%]
I exhaled once.
"Fortress."
The response surged through me immediately, and this time I felt it clearly as my vitality and endurance spiked upward. The pain in my leg dulled almost instantly, not gone but pushed back enough to stop interfering with my movement, while the bleeding slowed and the strain from earlier impacts eased just enough for me to stay stable.
The next attack came.
I didn’t evade completely. The creature’s head slammed into me, the impact pushing me back, but this time I held my ground, absorbing it rather than being thrown, my feet digging into the soil as I redirected the force just enough to stay upright.
I stepped in again and with a roar once again slashed it to draw more blood, targeting the same exposed area again and again. The creature tried to pull back, but its size worked against it in the tighter space between trees, limiting its movement.
It spat again. I shifted just enough to let it pass, the acid grazing past my shoulder as I closed the remaining distance.
That was the moment I was waiting for.
I took a deep breath and moved. My blade came up in a direct thrust, my entire body driving behind the motion as I aimed straight for its head, targeting the point where its shell opened into softer flesh.
The resistance lasted only a moment.
Then it gave.
The sword pierced through cleanly, driving deep into its head as its body jerked violently, the motion sending a final tremor through it before collapsing heavily onto the ground.
I held the position for a moment, making sure it didn’t move again, before pulling the blade free and stepping back.
[Level Up]
[Level 6→ 7]
[Combat Points +30]
[Influence Points +0]
[Skill Acquired!]