"W-What the fuck do you mean failed? Answer me, System!!!"
Nyx was dumbfounded.
He lunged to the side, barely dodging the claws of the beast in front of him. He had always trusted the System—thought it could handle anything, fix everything. And today? He'd put his life on the line for it.
But today, the System had surely failed him.
[Can't allocate more points than the restricted amount before Phase-2.]
"What—What the hell is Phase 2?!" Nyx shouted as he barely ran past the swings of the wolf. He was at his wits' end trying to evade the attacks.
"FUUUUUCK, just give me the stats to the limit."
[Distributing stats.]
A sudden surge of power erupted through him. His vision sharpened. His reflexes snapped into overdrive. It was like his entire body finally woke the hell up.
Nyx dodged the incoming attack as he took a few steps backward. He summoned his sword and calmly glanced over at the beast before locking eyes with it.
"Flame Channeling, maximum output."
The blade ignited—so violently that the metal itself began to melt. But Nyx didn't have time to check the details as he lunged at the wolf, ducked past the beast's claws, and slashed hard into its leg—drawing a deep, brutal wound.
The wolf staggered. But he wasn't done.
He circled, slashed the other leg, dropped the beast to its knees, and charged for the neck.
He sliced the sword across its neck, piercing halfway, when something unexpected happened—his sword got stuck. Or rather, it was being held tight by the wolf as it tightened its muscles around the blade.
"Oh, come on, that's cheating, you furry bastard!"
Nyx jumped back, leaving the sword embedded in its neck.
"Fire Arrow, maximum output."
A massive, blazing projectile formed instantly—larger, hotter, faster than any he'd cast before. It slammed into the beast's gut and detonated like a bomb. Flesh scattered like fallen spaghetti as the beast fell to its knees.
But the wolf's regeneration was fast—unnaturally fast—as the wound started healing, its flesh growing at a visible speed until the previous injuries vanished entirely.
"O-Oii… YOU FUCKER! You've gotta be kidding me! You heal faster than a troll on healing steroids! How the hell am I supposed to kill you?!"
He started preparing another arrow, gritting his teeth, his blood boiling from the absurdity of the situation.
He shot the arrow and prepared himself. Just as another arrow missed—the wolf dodging faster than ever—Nyx moved forward with precision, taking advantage of the blind spot created by Ruby. He dashed in and sliced another wound into the wolf as it howled in pain.
The wolf didn't waste the opportunity either—it bared its fangs at Nyx. Just as he was about to dodge, its jaws clamped down on his leg, teeth digging into skin and crunching bone.
"Arghhh... FUUUUUCK!" Nyx cursed out loud as pain surged through his leg. He tried to free himself, but in vain.
Just then—
[Recommended Skill: Blink available for purchase. Use it before it chops your limb off.]
The System spoke in a serious tone—very different from its usual sarcastic one.
"You couldn't have gotten the timing any better," Nyx muttered as a smirk formed on his lips. He immediately bought the skill and used it.
"Blink."
Nyx disappeared from the wolf's mouth and reappeared just above its head.
"Fire Arrow, maximum output."
The wolf's senses screamed—its entire being flooded with survival instinct. It leapt sideways immediately, but it was a moment too late.
The fire arrow, bigger than its head, came down like impending doom. Just as it touched the beast's skull—
*BOOOOM*
An explosion rang throughout the forest as the wolf's head was obliterated and its body collapsed to the ground. Nyx was blown away like a ragdoll, smashing against the farthest tree.
"Haa... haa... Never turning... into a suicide bomber... ever again," Nyx groaned as he fell unconscious, his body ragged from battle, blood seeping out of every hole possible.
---
On the other side, Samantha was carrying Ruby while Valon cleared the way for them to reach the city. They ran like hell until the city walls came into view.
"Somebody—A HEALER!!!" Valon shouted at the top of his lungs, waving at the guards on duty to signal the emergency.
They reached the gates, and—luckily—a healer was already present. Samantha gently laid Ruby down as the healer began working immediately.
Just as they were about to inform the guild and return with reinforcements for Nyx, a loud boom resounded from the forest—so loud it echoed through the city like thunder.
Samantha and Valon turned toward the explosion, realizing it came from the exact direction they had just escaped.
Their expressions froze. In unison, they muttered one word:
"Fuck."
Samantha immediately sprinted toward the forest while Valon turned back to rally reinforcements. She knew she wouldn't be much help—but she ran like there was no tomorrow.
Her mind echoed with one image—Nyx standing tall, like a guardian, buying them time.
She couldn't think of anything else.
'Please… not you too…'
Tears welled up in the corners of her eyes as she pushed her body to run even faster.
---
When she finally reached the scene, she came to an abrupt halt.
A massive crater, blood-soaked and scorched, lay at the center of the clearing. The wolf's corpse—beheaded and mangled—was sprawled in the middle.
She ran toward the crater, praying Nyx had survived. She checked beneath the corpse, scouring the area around it—but found nothing.
Panic set in.
Then—just as the fear overtook her—a low grunt came from the treeline.
She sprinted toward it, and there—half-sitting, bloodied, groaning—was Nyx.
His condition was anything but good, but he was breathing and alive.
She let out a shaky smile, relief washing over her like rain. As Samantha helped him up, the familiar mechanical voice echoed faintly in his mind:
[Congratulations on your first Demonic Beast kill! You've killed a Mutated Blood Wolf and gained 300 SP.]
Nyx coughed, winced, and muttered under his breath,
"Cheap-ass bitch."
---
They left the forest, Samantha helping Nyx walk. They reached the city walls where a crowd had already gathered. Among them was Valon, who appeared to be explaining something to the people around him.
As soon as Valon saw the pair walking out of the forest, he rushed over, a wave of relief flashing in his eyes.
---
Samantha explained the situation to the group while Nyx and Valon sat on a nearby bench inside an inn, where Ruby was now resting. Valon wanted to say something—ask questions, thank him, anything—but the look in Nyx's eyes made him hold back.
Meanwhile, Nyx was having another World War with the System.
'Bitch. Useless, mouthy bitch. You couldn't even be helpful in a life-or-death situation. What the fuck is your use?'
Nyx cursed at the System, swinging his hand through the blue panel in front of him.
[What do you want me to do? Hold your hand and teach you how to kill, like a damn toddler?]
'And what the fuck is that bitchy Phase 2? Some kind of system upgrade? Because if it is, I swear, I ain't doing that in a hundred years.'
[I don't need a fucking upgrade, asshole. It's your body that can't handle a sudden power surge. Weak-ass bastard.]
Nyx didn't respond. He just stared at the system screen, silently cursing in his head. He knew—frustratingly—that he had no real argument.
'At least give me some skills or abilities that heal me. This shit hurts like hell.'
[I do have one. But it's an ability. Ready for another integration process?]
The moment he heard "integration process," Nyx's soul shuddered. The memory of the soul-crushing pain from integrating 'Basic Swordsmanship Technique' resurfaced like trauma in 4K.
'L-Leave it. You got any potions?'
[Ding! Healing potion available. Would you like to make a purchase?]
Nyx immediately accepted. A bottle of red liquid materialized in front of him. He grabbed it and chugged it like his life depended on it—which it kind of did.
The effect was immediate. A wave of power surged through his body as his wounds began healing at a visible rate—probably even faster than the wolf's regeneration.
Samantha, who had just sat down beside him, was about to hand him a healing potion when she noticed something strange.
There were no injuries on him.
"You took a healing potion?" she asked, clearly confused. Even the best potions didn't heal that fast. If they did, mercs would carry them by the dozen.
"Yeah. Cost a pretty penny, but worth it," Nyx replied casually, watching Samantha sit beside him without a second thought.
"How's Ruby?" he asked. The last time he saw her, she was barely clinging to life.
"Out of danger. She'll recover in a few weeks." Samantha exhaled in relief, her gaze softening as she turned toward Nyx and gently grabbed his hand.
"Thank you, Nyx. Thank you for today. Without you, Ruby would've been..."
She couldn't finish the sentence. The weight of it caught in her throat.
"She's fine, and that's all that matters. No need to thank me."
Samantha hummed in response, staring at the noble beside her with tear-filled eyes. She didn't know why, but seeing that warm smile on his face left her momentarily speechless.
"O-Oi, don't cry now." Nyx panicked as he noticed Samantha's teary expression—a side of her nobody probably ever saw. A side even he wasn't ready for.
Just as he was about to say something else, a man in his mid-thirties approached, armor-clad and stern-faced. His gaze scanned the group, landing squarely on Nyx.
"The Guildmaster has summoned you. Report immediately."
P.S. What do you think about the story? Let me hear your thoughts too. Until then–
Stay healthy, Stay pure, just to get corrupted here~
–Clashercertified