The air was hot.

It pounded against my face, filled with smoke rushing down my throat, scratching against my skin.

My legs burned. My lungs hurt. My eyes teary from the dust constantly buffeting me as I pumped my arms hard.

I could barely run right on the sandy and unstable ground, the new leather boots not built for moving over that kind of terrain.

But I wasn't complaining.

It was a simple task, after all. I just had to run as fast as I could.

When I arrived at my destination, I would have to fight. I knew that I was running straight into combat, but I wasn't complaining.

It was a simple task. And all that was needed from me was to complete it.

So as I breathed hard and ran harder, I didn't complain. I was done with that sort of thing.

I had become... a little fed-up with myself, after all.

It felt pathetic, grumbling about unfairness and whining about how scary the monsters were. I was just complicating everything.

The world was simpler than I gave it credit for. It didn't matter how scary the monsters were; if I didn't back down and lose my head, I could beat them.

I knew that was a simple realization, but it still made me feel better. My footfalls seemed a bit lighter as something tightly curled up in my chest unraveled a slight bit.

And while running through those cracked boulders, pounding my feet hard against the dust-covered ground, I tried to look past that depressing picture.

Besides, even though I was just following Kehl's directions, it was also kind of freeing, in a way. I was leveling up and continuing to get stronger so that eventually, I could maybe get out of this place.

...Though that was definitely a dream for another day.

My SP was high, and based on what Kehl had said about increasing the difficulty of the fights, I would probably need as much as possible. My health was also close to perfect, so I didn't have to worry too much about that.

I quickly ran through all the skills I might need. To finish this next fight quickly, I had to use my abilities to their full extent.

I was going to show Kehl just what I could do.

The Sprint skill would be helpful. It increased my speed for a small SP cost every five seconds it was active. With it, I could dodge attacks and approach enemies in quick dashes.

Double Hit was an overall combat skill, letting me attack the target twice in the standard time for one strike.

Regenerate was a different priceless ability, which would actually restore my health for a pretty high SP cost. It was pricey in a combat scenario but could easily save my life.

And I also had Blood Rush to boost my power and speed whenever used.

This next fight would be doable, no matter what kind of monster Kehl would decide to throw at me. I could take it. After all, I had survived this far, and now that I had cleared my head, it would be simple.

So I smiled just before bursting between another two boulders and coming face to face with the demon.

Then my eyes widened.

I had stopped in my tracks, leaving clouds of dust drifting around me as I stared at my next opponent, swallowing back the sudden upwelling of saliva in my throat.

Canitex: Level 10

One of the first evolutions of the Canidos, the Canitex is a flat improvement on all fronts, with more power, more speed, more firepower, and more heads! However, the main drawback to this massive stat increase is this demon spends most of its time arguing with itself and can't get much done without outside interference.

It looked like a Canidos.

Its fur was that deep shade of black, matted and dirty with a crimson undertone. Its claws were long, and its teeth were like daggers. Crimson eyes and a long spiked tail.

Except, this demon was much larger. Much larger, and it had two heads.

The two-headed Canidos was in front of me, just starting to walk into sight from around a huge slab of rock.

The demon's heads looked around the area constantly, growling and snapping at each other in the meantime.

It was around twice the size of the Canidos demons I had previously fought, meaning the dog's shoulders were roughly the same height as my own, maybe six feet tall in total.

A six-foot-tall demon dog. With two heads.

Fire burst from its feet every time it took a step, a trail of flame flickering down its spine, and spiky bone protrusions seemed to form a collar-like structure around both necks.

Suddenly, its heads both turned to stare at me, their mouths each curling into bare snarls, both pairs of eyes wrinkling into hate-filled glares.

We stood there for a second, twenty feet away from each other.

I bit my lip.

It was scary.

That demon was terrifying.

But I would win.

Sprint

I ran forward without hesitation, bent low, and tightly holding the Cirilka claw with both hands while keeping my eyes firmly locked onto the demon in front of me.

As expected, the Canitex was fast- much faster than a Canidos. It had already started moving the instant I ran forward, charging towards me with reckless abandon.

We both dashed directly forward, seemingly heading into a violent collision.

But I jumped out of the way at the last second, using the boost from Sprint to move farther and faster than should be possible, slashing outwards with my sword into the demon's shoulder.

However, I only felt a small portion of my claw pierce the demon's skin.

And I had underestimated the reach of the Canitex.

One of the heads managed to flash outwards and just barely tore into the side of my arm, ripping out a piece of skin before I could escape to a safer distance.

While I jumped backward, that same head opened its mouth to spew a wall of fire towards me, engulfing my body.

Feeling the fire completely engulf me, I jumped as far away as possible, crossing my arms out in front of me to shield my face from the light.

And when the fire dissipated, I was left standing perfectly fine.

"Ah. I keep forgetting about that skill."

Both Canitex heads looked confused, but I knew they would continue attacking immediately, so I used the opportunity to Sprint forward again. This thing was too fast for me to not us any opening possible.

As I ran forwards, the two heads bit towards me, and I jumped to the side yet again.

Due to its momentum, the Canitex stumbled forwards, leaving me enough opportunity to step up right beside its defenseless side.

Blood Rush

The world faded into a white and black filter, a clear focus falling over my mind.

I let loose.

Double Hit

Double Hit

Double Hit

Double-

The massive body slammed into my own as I heard a terrible roar of pain, throwing me at least fifteen feet and into a nearby boulder, completely emptying my lungs as I crashed against the rock, gasping for breath.

I managed to turn my head upwards to look towards the demon.

My eyes widened.

Sprint

I threw myself out of the way just barely before the Canitex barreled into the boulder, smashing it and sending black shards of rock flying through the air, peppering my skin like tiny bullets.

HP: 11/23

SP: 5/19

MP: 13/13

Looking at the demon with clear eyes, I tried to see how much damage it had sustained so far.

Although the left side of its body seemed to be covered with blood and slash marks, the Canitex was still moving with fluidity, and the fury in its crimson eyes seemed to have only increased as the fight continued.

I felt the familiar sensation of fear begin to fly up my spine, but I clenched down on it.

Maybe this would take longer than I thought.

That would be fine. I could still win.

I would still win.

Sprint

Running forward again, I readied the next skill, gritting my teeth in preparation for the attack.

Although I managed to dodge one of the Canitex's heads, the other bit deep into my shoulder,

I couldn't stop the short scream that tore from my mouth as the demon's teeth hit bone and didn't let go.

But it was necessary.

Before the other head could rear back, intent on biting through my skull, I released the skill.

Blood Rush

Counter

A simple ability, one that would give me power after being targeted by an enemy attack. And it happened to be the perfect skill at that time.

As the Canitex bit into my shoulder, it gave me a perfect opening, showing off an obvious weak point as if it were asking me to attack.

So using the extra strength gained from Counter, I shoved the short blade in my hand through one of the demon's necks.

The terrible pressure on my shoulder was instantly released as a head hit the ground, the remaining one letting out an ear-rending scream.

Luckily, it seemed like the Canitex didn't have good pain resistance, since at that moment, as I cut off its head, the remaining one was utterly overwhelmed by rage and pain, forgetting that I was still standing right in front of it.

Double Hit

You Have Slain: Canitex, Level 10

+60 XP Acquired

Sprint: Level 3 Acquired

Blood Rush: Level 2 Acquired

Counter: Level 2 Acquired

....

I staggered backward, almost falling over completely.

My head felt light- some kind of nausea welling up in my stomach.

My shoulders were heaving, my lungs taking in deep and greedy gasps of air.

The sword in my hand nearly fell to the ground as my grip loosened, my hands weak and shaking.

It felt like blood coated the back of my throat, that metallic taste filling my mouth.

I spat a glob of spit onto the ground. It looked red.

HP: 5/23

SP: 2/19

MP: 13/13

I smiled.