NOVPUB
Chapter 38: Gamble
Bran’s entire body shone with an intense blue energy, his already monstrous strength growing exponentially.
His grip tightened around his axe, veins bulging as he felt the raw power flowing through him.
He exhaled.
"I hope you’re watching, Zayn."
With a roar, he charged forward.
Tobias was already there, his blade clashing against the monster’s defenses.
His strikes were precise, aimed at weak spots, joints, pressure points — but the creature was too durable.
Every strike felt like hitting a solid wall, and even though his blade cut deep, the wounds closed almost instantly.
It was regenerating.
"Damn it!" Tobias snarled, pushing back.
Bran’s voice boomed behind him.
"MOVE!"
Tobias barely had time to react before Bran’s axe descended like a meteor.
A thunderous boom erupted as the axe connected with one of the monster’s limbs, the sheer force behind it sending shockwaves through the ground.
The impact created a crater beneath them, dust and dirt flying in all directions.
The monster let out a guttural screech, staggering back as its severed limb twitched on the ground.
There was no time for celebration.
The severed limb, which should have marked the beginning of the creature’s demise, did something that shattered their brief moment of relief —
It grew back.
Before their very eyes, the flesh twisted, the muscle regenerated, and within mere seconds, the monster stood whole once again.
And then — it lashed out.
The tentacles on its head shot forward, moving with deadly speed, each one snapping through the air with enough force to cut through stone.
Tobias barely managed to twist his body to the side, the whip-like appendage grazing past him, leaving behind a thin, stinging wound.
Bran wasn’t so lucky.
Though reinforced, the sheer force of the strike sent him skidding back, his boots digging trenches into the earth.
Bran exhaled sharply.
His fingers tightened around the handle of his axe as he closed his eyes.
He took a deep breath, steadying himself — his focus honed, his body prepared.
Then, with a voice barely above a whisper —
"Destructive Slash."
He swung his axe in a powerful arc, the force behind it sending out a shockwave that tore through the air.
But the monster —
It dodged.
With an inhuman quickness, it contorted its body, evading the strike with unnatural precision.
Tobias clicked his tongue.
"Fast bastard."
There was no hesitation.
He immediately followed up, activating a chain skill —
[Swift Cut].
His blade flashed five times in the blink of an eye.
The monster shuddered as deep, precise wounds appeared across its body.
For a brief moment, hope sparked.
And then —
The wounds closed instantly.
Like they had never existed.
"You’ve got to be fucking kidding me — !"
A tentacle slashed outward, striking both Tobias and Bran simultaneously.
The impact sent them flying.
Tobias crashed into the dirt, rolling several times before coming to a halt, his body aching from the sheer force of the blow.
Bran hit the ground even harder, his reinforced body skidding against the battlefield, a deep gash now running down his arm.
The monster advanced.
It was going to end them.
But then —
Zayn moved.
He wasn’t dead.
Not yet.
He lay on the ground, blood pooling around him, his body screaming in pain.
And yet, despite the agony, despite the overwhelming sensation of impending death, he was still conscious.
Why?
Because the System had given him something.
[Unique Skill: Ultimate Endurance LV.1].
A skill that kept him from passing out, no matter how much pain he was in.
Zayn let out a harsh breath.
"Looks like the system gives skills based on what I experience."
But that wasn’t important.
What was important —
Was the fight.
And the fact that one soul wouldn’t be enough.
He had used one soul with Agility and the speed hadn’t been enough to even try to even up against the Monster.
His hands twitched.
One wouldn’t be enough.
Not for this monster.
Not for a creature that refused to die.
Then —
He made a decision.
He would overload himself.
He would take in ten souls at once.
And put everything into one final slash.
A reckless, suicidal move.
And yet —
He grinned.
"Let’s see if you can regenerate from this."
And then —
He absorbed them.
Ten souls at once.
Power erupted through his body.
It felt like his veins were on fire, his muscles tearing apart, his very being on the verge of collapse.
And yet —
He endured.
His body glowed with an intense orange aura, his eyes flickering with an inhuman light.
The sheer pressure of his presence sent a shockwave through the battlefield.
The monster —
It noticed.
It turned to him, those twisted, inhuman eyes locking onto his burning form.
Zayn exhaled, gripping his sword tightly.
And then —
He moved.
Faster than ever before.
Like a phantom, he vanished from where he stood, his body tearing through space itself as he appeared above the monster’s head.
His blade —
Burned with the power of ten souls.
The monster reacted.
Tentacles shot toward him, faster than lightning, each one aiming to crush him mid-air.
But Zayn —
He was faster.
With one final, unstoppable motion —
He swung his sword.
A single, absolute slash.
The air screamed.
The ground shook.
And then —
The monster froze.
For a single second —
There was only silence.
And then —
Its entire body split apart.
The slash cut through everything — flesh, bone, even its regeneration.
And then —
It died.
For real this time.
Zayn landed, breathing heavily.
His aura flickered, the power of the souls dissipating as the overwhelming force finally left his body.
And then —
His knees buckled.
He barely managed to keep himself standing, his entire body trembling.
The battlefield was silent.
The monster was dead.
This time, it would not regenerate.
Tobias and Bran, still recovering from the earlier blow, stared in pure disbelief.
Kara had fallen to her knees.
Elisse sobbed openly, her hands covering her mouth.
And Zayn —
He just laughed weakly.
"That... was a hell of a gamble."
Then —
He collapsed.
