Liam went passed all the narrow alleyways for the shortcuts towards his house.

He activated the Sprint skill when it deactivated after his fight with the four zombie hounds and it once again boost his speed.

Within half a minute, he finally reached the front of his house.

Liam's face slightly brightened after seeing the untouched house with even the lights turned on.

Some of the house he saw before coming here was destroyed after the zombies and the hounds pillaged it, and it made Liam to worry more.

But after seeing their house, he was delighted. It didn't have a single scratch.

Soon after, he walked towards the door and opened it.

"Mother? Mom!!"

Inside the house, Liam shouted until he heard some footsteps coming from upstairs.

He looked at the stairs and saw his mother coming down.

"L-Liam?!"

Liam immediately hurried there and embrace her in his arms.

"Liam..."

"Mom... You're safe."

"Liam!" His mother slightly pushed him away.

"M-Mom?"

"Liam... What happened..."

His mother saw all the countless wounds Liam have in his body. Her eyes were full of worries as she held his shoulders.

"What happened you, my son." She put her hands on Liam's cheek and caressed it.

"N-Nothing..."

"Did you encounter a monster... You should have run away..."

"I... I tried to get here as soon as possible, mother..."

Liam's mother's heart only ache after hearing that.

"You didn't have to worry about me."

"I do... I will protect you at any cost..."

Ding!

The phone vibrated inside his pocket. Feeling that it was strange to ring at a bad time, Liam grabbed it and checked the only notification.

[Terminating the promise...]

"What...?"

THUD!

At that moment, the earth trembled...

...Followed by an extremely loud growl of a monster.

One, two, three.

Three continuous loud crashing sounds were made before the silence was made.

Inside the house.

Liam looked at the direction of the sound and frowned.

A moment later, Liam felt a strange sensation more stronger than before. Unlike earlier where he was skeptical, he was sure that what he was feeling right now was imminent danger.

Without a single moment of hesitation, he grabbed his mother with both of his arms, and jumped to a certain direction.

Before they even hit the ground, their house suddenly shook and the ceiling collapsed.

At the same time that they fell down, the spot where they were at earlier was invaded by a large monster.

If a person were to stay there, they would surely get crushed to their bones as even the solid ground cratered and diminished.

Liam who saw the ghastly looking monster froze in the spot.

It was even more horrendous than the zombie hounds.

It was large enough to hit the ceiling if it straightened its bent body. The monster's head was ripped and only a goat skull and its mouth was placed. Its black skin was disheveled like a stretched muscle. In its chest, was a hole that revealed its bones, meats, and organs. Every time it expanded its chest, it flowed a black liquid.

'Is this the middle C rank monster...?'

Krik!!

The moment Liam cleared his thoughts, was the same moment the monster moved its arm as it also shriek.

He tried to stand up and turned around but he saw his mother already standing.

"M-Mother!"

The strange sensation became stronger. It told him that dodging too late. Even if he did, he had the feeling that the monster would do something just to hit him.

Worrying that his mother could get hit too, Liam turned him around towards the monster again. He planned to counter-attack.

In the last second, while the arm was halfway through to hit him and his mother from the side, his mind processed at an incredible speed as if it was forced to chant.

Liam was suddenly aware that he activated Endurance, Power Boost, and Hard Strike, as he formed a stance.

At the right timing, he shot up his right fist towards the arm, and since it was large, he could easily target it.

Tak! It hit!

But.

It was not the sound Liam wanted to hear.

Liam widened his eyes. The arm wasn't pushed back. It was stopped, but it only did within half a second before it budged again.

He looked at his mother feeling a million pressure of fear and worry.

In the next moment, he was hit, and so his mother.

THUD!

His mind went blank and he only felt his body hitting a very solid object. A second after his senses came back, he didn't look at his injuries nor did he look at the monster.

He tried to look for someone.

'Mother...?'

His mother was a meter away beside him. She was unconscious while leaning on a wall with blood dripping from her head.

"M-Mother!"

KRIIIIIIIE-!!

The monster screamed and swayed its head. It looked like it know that Liam was suffering.

"Why..."

Liam forced his body to move and tried to stand up.

"Why... Did you come here..."

He stood up while his body trembled.

"The hunters... You should've created chaos there..."

Liam stared at the monster...

"Why here...!"

Before he stared at his own hands...

"If only I knew..."

'I should've not come here.'

Why didn't I realize it...

I should've gone far from here.

My mother...

I can't protect her...

'I'm still weak.'

Liam stepped forward while his head was still bent downwards and his body was still looking limp.

"I'm still weak..."

The monster noticed Liam moved and opened its arms.

"You should've not come here..."

It slowly played a motion and as it seemingly staring at Liam.

"You should've not come here!"

Ding!

The phone on the floor vibrated.

"You should've not touched my mother!!"

[The user's certain emotion peeked to a great extent.]

[The Heaven's App shall grant the user the most needed skill to top up with his state for once.]

[The skill Rage was automatically given to the user without any permission.]

[The skill's effect will temporarily remain until the user's certain strong emotion finally subsided.]

Tap.

Liam soon stared at the monster...

"I will kill you..."

...With an uncontrollable anger.

"I WILL KILL YOU!!"

KRIIIIEEEEEE-!!

Both Liam and the monster screamed.

The monster seemed angry as it violently swayed its entire body. It then dashed towards Liam.

The monster bent its left arm before shooting its fist towards his face.

But.

THWACK!

With Liam's burning eye stared at the monster as he blocked the attack from striking him. He tackled off a fist a few times bigger than his.

Both him and the monster both paused before they reverted their hands.

Then on their other arm, they struck back.

THUD!

But each other's fist was tackled once again.

The once strong fist who have enough power to sent its current enemy flying, was being blocked by Liam.

Thud, thud, thud, thud.

Liam continuously attacked the monster's fist which was aiming for him. As the monster's bewilderment grew by time, his chance of hitting him also grew.

Soon after, Liam didn't block but dodged an attack, and hit the wrist of the monster.

After it, he jumped towards and activated his Hard Strike skill again.

And successfully hit the monster's head and even made a crack to the skull. It lost its balance, broke the house's wall, and soon stepped outside.

As soon as the monster gained his senses, another fist was coming towards itself.

Tak! Its thick skull broke and made a hole that revealed its brain.

Liam, who got one dagger, swung his weapon on the neck, and a seemingly solid air in the shape of a crescent moon suddenly formed before it moved towards the marked target in an instant.

SHLK!

Black blood began to flow down from its neck, but the monster didn't immediately lose its will to fight as it stood back up.

"KRIIIIIEEEEEE-!!"

Shrieking its pain out, it tried to hit Liam with his arm aimlessly.

Liam easily dodged all the attacks and made his way towards the monster's front as he remembered one attack. He jumped and aimed its fist towards the monster's opened chest.

"Ace's Fire Fist..."

With an odd sound, his fist was slowly getting covered in flames as it violently swayed with the air.

Soon after dodging aimless attacks for several seconds, the ten-second casting time finished, and Liam's fist made its way towards the chest and hit the bones.

It broke through it and hit its flesh.

With the sound of 'Boom!', the monster's chest exploded.

KWURAAAAAGH-!