DAY 3
The city was a warzone.
Luis stood at the window of his apartment, watching smoke rise from downtown—guild clashes. The GFH had locked down the forests. The streets were crawling with Hosts. The only monsters still roaming were the ones even guilds avoided.
Zyx hovered silently nearby. "We can't stay here."
Luis didn't argue.
He packed what he could—rations, a first-aid kit, and his Scrap Hammer. In the garage sat an old scooter, rusting under years of neglect.
Zyx eyed it skeptically. "That thing runs?"
Luis kicked the engine. It sputtered, then roared to life. "It does now."
THE ESCAPE
He rode through the city like a ghost—cutting alleys, avoiding patrols, slipping through the cracks only locals would know. Twice, he ducked into abandoned buildings as Host squads passed.
"Crimson Blades own the east now."
"Free Host Coalition took the docks."
"GFH's pulling back. Something big's coming."
Luis didn't wait to find out what.
THE OPEN ROAD
Two hundred miles of cracked asphalt lay ahead, cutting through empty towns and overgrown fields. The scooter rattled, the engine barely holding, but it moved. It was escape.
Hours passed in silence.
Then—screams.
A family was running down the road: two kids, a mother, a father. Behind them, something bounded in the sky, its leathery wings too graceful for something so grotesque.
A Giant Winged Frog (Lv. 10).
Its mouth hung open, acidic strands dripping from jagged teeth.
One more level and it would be Silver-class.
Luis gripped the handlebars.
Keep going.
It's not your fight.
The youngest—a little girl—tripped.
The frog's tongue lashed out.
Luis cursed. The scooter skidded as he turned back.
THE FIGHT
The hammer struck the frog's flank, jarring his bones more than the monster's. It turned, tongue lashing out and wrapping around Luis's forearm. The mucus burned. He screamed, tore himself free, leaving skin behind.
He swung again. The blow landed, but the hide absorbed most of it.
"It's too tough!" he gasped.
"Eyes!" Zyx shouted. "Only soft spot!"
Luis tried—missed. The frog jumped, wings lifting it skyward. Then it crashed down like a meteor. Luis flew backward, ribs cracking on impact.
The creature advanced. Its throat bulged.
Luis rolled just as acid spit hissed into the road.
[MISFORTUNE'S TOUCH – ACTIVATED]Debuff Roll: Movement Impairment (32%)
The frog slowed.
Luis slipped in behind it, hammer rising—
CRACK. Its jaw shattered, black blood gushing from the wound.
But it wasn't enough.
FIFTY-EIGHT MINUTES IN
Luis was drenched in blood—most of it his own. His hammer felt heavier with every swing. The frog was berserk, wounded but not retreating.
It lashed out again—its tongue piercing Luis's thigh. He screamed.
Swung.
Missed the eye.
[MISFORTUNE'S TOUCH – COOLDOWN OVER]
He activated it again.
Debuff Roll: 100% Movement Speed Reduction.
The frog froze.
Its legs locked. Wings twitched uselessly. Panic widened its eyes.
"NOW!" Zyx roared.
Luis didn't think. He screamed and brought the hammer down in a single, desperate arc.
CRUNCH.
The skull caved. Acid and blood sprayed the road.
[GIANT WINGED FROG DEFEATED][+800 Soul Essence][+90,000 EXP][LEVEL UP: 2]
Strength surged through him.
But his body collapsed anyway.
The last thing he saw was the family—their expressions frozen between gratitude and fear.
Then—
Blackness.