“YUREM!”

The scream that brought me to my senses came from a voice I’ve been getting to know for quite a while. The urgency on her scratched voice was enough to make me snap back into reality.

Bloody head, hazy vision, ragged breathing. My body needs a break. I need a break. But not now. I’m going home. I’m going to have a good life. I’m going to be happy. I’m going home. Home.

A giant fist is coming in my direction trying to put an end to me. I can only roll to my left in order to avoid it. The fist crashed into the ground and with that, a shower of dust and small pebbles started.

Two imps rush into me but a roar from the orc makes them stop on their tracks and they quickly run away. I wasn’t aware that monsters did follow a hierarchy. That or they are afraid that they might be next.

I don’t want to find that out. My passage is obstructed by the orc and Soleil is in no position to leave the safe haven and help me. I am on my own. Nothing is new then. Let’s get back to safety.

The orc locks his eyes on me. Everything my right eye sees is blood. It’s burning. The scent of rust is stuck to my nose. Slowly standing up without any decent weapon to properly guard me I’m just going to make a run for it.

I’m an idiot, ain’t I?

I grab the knife that could be mistaken for a traditional kitchen knife and hold it like you would grab a dagger. My knees are weak and trembling. The dryness in my mouth is killing me. I am aching for a droplet of water. But all I want is to kill this monster in front of me. I’m done being toyed around. I’m done being looked like I’m food. I’m not here to be another adventurer who didn’t make it. I’m not here to be part of the godforsaken heroes of this world. I’m here to survive. I’m here to live.

“I hereby announce your demise.”

Hearing my words, I have no idea if the orc understood the meaning behind them or no but the scream that he gave was enough to understand that a fight to the death was starting.

Every step he took felt like an earthquake. With my dull knife in my right hand and with everything I learned from watching Soleil, I didn’t dodge the monster.

Fist coming in my direction. I waited until the last moment to roll to my right. Fist stuck on the stalagmites behind me, I jump on his arm and while doing my best to maintain my balance, I step on it while keeping my eyes on the prize.

I manage to jump and spin like a top and slash his left eye. Before falling, I manage to land a kick on its jaw, angering the beast. Landing on my right knee, I feel a pulsing wave of pain running across my body. My right leg is quivering due to the impact. I got better at fighting on melee but the stiffness of the orc body was enough to make me think I’m not going to win this fight.

I look up only to see a palm smacking my entire body until I crashed against the wall.

Coughing blood on impact, I pull myself against a wall.

Can’t die here. Can’t die. Move. Move. Move Yurem.

I’m so glad my body is getting bigger pain tolerance but at the same time, I’m slightly concerned it may be going on a path of no return. I don’t think I want to go back home in a way that my body is completely wrecked. Getting home to be trapped in a wheelchair isn’t exactly what I have in mind.

Another growl and more shakes. More frequent and stronger. I manage to look up only to see the orc running full speed against me. If I were to compare it to anything back in my world, it would be a cargo truck. The speed and the weight on impact would kill me.

Getting up thanks to the best of my capabilities, I smirk at the monster.

Let’s make this an epic fight, shall we?

I run towards the monster. Comparing this to a movie, it would be the climax. The moment where two cars were running one against each other and the one who deviates, loses. I’m not losing.

Running with all my might, grabbing the knife with the tightest grip I can, I yell. I scream. I shout. Let everything out. As soon as we were about to collide, or to be more precise, as soon as I was about to die, I slide beneath the monster’s legs.

Hurting my knees in the process, I ignore the pain and quickly slash the Achilles heel of his left leg, making the monster kneel and growling. Getting up, I dig my knife on his calves to make sure the monster doesn’t get up. The orc tries to use one of his hands to grab me. Ducking promptly, I didn’t see what it actually wanted to do.

It was the perfect maneuver. Making me duck would make me lose balance due to my injuries. My vision is hazy enough but if I keep moving I don’t know how I’m going to be. Using his other hand, I get slapped away and I roll away.

Thanks to me cutting his muscles, he can’t move like he wants to.

I’m not going to die here. I refuse.

I’m coughing blood. I can barely see. I’m moving thanks to the adrenaline that is being pumped into my system. Don’t stop moving. Don’t stop thinking. If your eyes are failing, use your ears. If they fail, hell, use your nose. Just don’t stop moving. Use everything at your disposal.

Only if you could see me now, Harlow.

The only person who extended her hand to me crossed my mind. In a way, she helped me realize that I need to be strong. I need to give her bag back. And that’s not going to happen if I die in a lousy place like this.

“GROOOOOWL”

“Shut the fuck up, you are dead!”

I’m going to kill you. Level up and get out of this fucking dungeon. I’ll have a moment of peace. I’ll have a warm meal. I’ll have a shower. I’ll feel the breeze again.

The orc tries to grab me again. I roll to my left and quickly jump. I aim with the best of my capabilities to his right eye and I miss. Good thing I don’t trust too much on weapons.

As I was falling, I spin like a top and manage to land a roundhouse kick on his jaw once again. Both feet on the ground and regaining balance, I jump again only to hit my knee on his chin. Using my hands as support, I side kick him on his cheek.

I use the terrain and everything I learned. My legs are exhausted. My entire body is crumbling. But hell if I don’t win.

Looking for the knife that I threw earlier, I found it stuck on a rock. Running towards it the fastest that I can, I manage to grab it.

I run towards the monster once more and I slice it. Slice, slice, slice, slice, slice, slice, slice. I slice and scream until I can’t feel my arms. Let everything out. All the frustration. All the anger. All the sadness. Everything. Let everything go. Cleanse your mind. Take it all out on this living sandbag.

“YOU’RE GOING TO DIE!”

And as I scream those words, I slice his neck.

+2180XP

The biggest number I’ve seen so far appeared on my vision.

“I…did…it… Eheheheh”

All on my own. I did it.

There’s no more strength left in my body. The adrenaline is passing now. I need to move before I pass out. The fact that I’m still standing is astonishing to me. There’s no way I would even be alive if even half of this happened back home.

Sluggish. Tired. Almost fainting. I carry my own limp body into the entrance of the safe haven.

It’s so close yet so far.

I don’t know if I’m hearing things or if the other monsters are coming back.

I don’t care. Move. Just keep moving.

Thud.

The floor seemed close to my face. That’s because I feel due to a rock. I struggle to look up but I finally see the entrance. I can crawl my way in there.

Losing blood on the way, I finally do so.

I scan the room the best I can only to see Soleil on the ground.

I see her chest moving so I know she is alive. But in an awful condition. I got to take care of her. I reach my arm in her direction but then everything goes black.