Day 6 Part 5

"Okay, are we done here?" I sigh, looking around at the carnage in the cavern. My heart feels like it's about to pound out of my chest, my adrenaline still high from the battle. The physical exertion coupled with the stress of a near-death experience was no joke. A good thing there wasn't a hidden health bar, or it would've probably read -1 right now.

Ilka, floating beside me, snickers at my disheveled appearance. "You look like shit, Kael. Like, if shit took a shit, that would be you."

Ah, Ilka. Ever the charmer. She really knew how to boost morale. "You really have a way with words, don't you?" I mutter, ruffling my hair in annoyance.

"The magic stone," I murmur, my eyebrows furrowing in thought. I really don't want to do this. Sure I'm over-geared, I got my baby and Umbra but so what? The Mason didn't have it easy, why would I? Hey system, what's it at right now?

[89%]

Fuck, what a pain, "Hmm?" Ilka gives me a curious look. "Magic stone, it's up ahead huh?"

"Yeah," I nod, taking a deep breath to steady my racing heart. "The monster was already mutated in my novel, will it mutate twice? It wouldn't be impossible considering my luck."

A gleam of interest lights up Ilka's eyes. She's curious to see what's up ahead. "Hehehehe, I can't wait," she muses, "you're not running away right?"

I snort. "This is me we're talking about. Of course not, I came this far already, you really think I'm going to head back?"

As we approach the entrance of the next room, my heart rate picks up again. This could be my final battle, Fuck, I want to be eating some noodles while reading on my bed. I just know there's some god bastard out there making fun of me.

"Just... stay close, okay?" I say to Ilka. The room is bright, off to a bad start, with faint glows of magical runes along the walls illuminating the path.

"Why, scared?" Ilka teases, her spectral form illuminating in the darkness.

"Scared? Pssh, no." I say, a hint of nervousness creeping into my voice. "Just... keep your eye out for anything weird."

"Everything about this is weird," Ilka retorts, but nods nonetheless.

Taking a step into the room, I activate my aura, the air crackling around me. I need to be ready. The moment the beast finds us, it's going to be a showdown. A fight to the death, because why would a story like mine have it any other way? Fuck, I should've created a harem-based story...Tsk, just my luck.

As we delve deeper into the room, the runes on the walls begin to shimmer brighter. They trace out intricate patterns that depict battles and conquests. A typical design for these kinds of ruins.

Suddenly, the room lights up. In the center, a giant stone pulsating with a brilliant blue hue illuminates the room. It's beautiful... and totally a bad omen. It's five times bigger than regular magic stones.

As I step closer to the magic stone, a chilling sensation runs down my spine. I freeze in my tracks, a low growl echoing through the room. The ground beneath me begins to rumble, and from the shadows emerges a figure that makes the mantis-goat and overgrown kitty seem like cuddly pets.

Before me stands a beast, its body entirely made up of stones, with glowing runes embedded all over it. It's towering, monstrous, and nothing short of a nightmare. Why is the timing always like this? Can't you just show yourself from the start? I'm not about this life for fucks sake.

The stone beast roars, the ground beneath me shaking as it charges at us. A moment of terror seizes me, but I shake it off. C'mon, Kael, get it together.

Ilka floats next to me, her eyes wide. "Well, isn't that a charming fellow?" she comments. There's no fear in her voice, tsk, I wish it could see her.

Looking at the monstrous beast, I feel a twinge of despair. But hey, isn't despair just another form of comedy? Isn't that what they say? No? Just me?

The monstrous beast towers above me. It's a gigantic, hulking stone monstrosity with glowing runes etched into its body. Looking at it sends shivers down my spine, but I have to stand my ground. I wrote this creature into existence, so I should at least know how to deal with it... right? I didn't give it a name since I couldn't think of anything when I wrote it. Let me think... Bob, yea, I'll call it Bob the stone head.

Beside me, Ilka hovers, her eyes wide with trepidation and yet a bizarre sense of excitement. "So," she says, her voice oddly calm, "what's the plan?"

Plan? Right, I should have one of those. I clutch my baby and Umbra.

This should be a piece of cake. I got this. I've been waiting to use this skill, now's the time.

With a laugh, I charge forward, feeling my aura envelop me, increasing my speed and durability. My laughter echoes around the cavernous room, and I see the corner of Ilka's mouth twitch. Is she amused by my sudden bravado or just worried for my mental health? Either way, I'm fighting for my life.

The beast swings a massive stone arm at me. I dodge, feeling the gust of wind from its attack whip past me. I don't let it deter me, I just keep running until I'm close enough to attack.

"Here we go!" I yell, raising Umbra high. My heart races as I bring the sword down on the beast with all the force I can muster.

The sword bounces back.

Bounces. Back.

What the...?

Suddenly, I'm propelled backward, blood spilling from my mouth as I hit the ground hard. "What the fuck?!", shitty system! What the fuck is going on!? Why isn't the skill working!? I groan, trying to push myself up.

[ఠ_ఠ how stupid are you?]

[The skill requires mana, based on the creature you're fighting you don't have sufficient mana].

[Your idiocy is one of a kind. Did you expect a skill that allows you to cut anything to have no cost?]

I stare at the text for a moment before it hits me. Mana...You dont have to be a dick about it you know?

[I do]

...I'll let it slide this once. Ilka, who's been watching the whole fiasco, finally bursts out laughing. "Well, that was a flop," she says between giggles.

I shoot her a glare, but there's no real heat in it. My chest aches from where I slammed into the ground, and I can still taste blood in my mouth. But you know what? It was all part of my plan... Yea, it was all planned.

"Just you wait," I say, summoning my strength to stand. "I've got a couple of tricks left."

I only hope those tricks will be enough. But for now, I grin at Ilka, ignoring the pain. "Round two, here we go."

"Holy hell!" I cry, sprinting for my life as Bob crashes its monstrous fists where I was just seconds ago. The ground shakes beneath me, stone debris flying everywhere, but somehow, by the skin of my teeth, I've managed to dodge the bastard.

Ilka just floats around, laughing her spectral ass off. "You look like a chicken running from a farmer, Kael!" she hoots, holding her sides. "Oh god, this is too good!"

Easy for her to say. She's not the one being chased by a mountain. "You're not helping, Ilka!" I holler back, my voice strained from exertion. A sudden thought sparks in my mind. An idea that might just be stupid enough to work.

I pour my power into Umbra, watching it morph into a gigantic bear trap. It's a comically large thing, Perfect.

"Aha!" I exclaim, planting the bear trap on the ground with a triumphant grin. "Step into my parlor, said the spider to the fly."

Ilka blinks at the sight, then bursts into fresh peals of laughter. "Are you kidding me?!" she howls, holding her belly. "A bear trap? Really, Kael?"

I shrug. "Hey, it might just work."

Except it doesn't. Bob looks at the bear trap, then at me, and simply walks around it.

"You've got to be kidding," I groan. I take a deep breath and start running again, trying to lead the monster back to the trap. Why do these fucking beasts have to be smart!?

Round two ends with Bob neatly sidestepping the bear trap again, and Ilka nearly dying (again) from laughter.

"Shut up, Ilka!" I pant, sweating and exasperated. But I'm not giving up. Third time's the charm, right?

So I start the merry-go-round again, hoping against hope that Bob will somehow find the trap alluring this time.

It feels like I'm living out some kind of cosmic joke, playing tag with a colossal stone monster while this bitch cackles away in the background. But if this is the act of the century, then I'll be damned if I'm not going to put on a show.

As Bob and I start our fifth lap of the chamber, I pull out my dagger. It's tiny compared to Bob's massive size, but I'm banking on it being just sharp enough to make a difference.

"Okay, Kael," I murmur to myself, focusing all my attention on the looming beast and the strategically placed bear trap. "You can do this."

Ilka stops laughing long enough to hover beside me, curiosity sparking in her eyes. "What are you planning?" she asks, her spectral form giving off an ethereal glow.

"Just watch," I reply, the corner of my mouth pulling up in a small grin. If I pull this off, it's definitely going to be one for the books.

As Bob lumbers past the bear trap, I spring into action. With a yell, I fling the dagger at the trap, using the small bit of aura I have left to guide it. Time seems to slow down as the dagger sails through the air, glinting under the soft glow of the runes.

Bingo.

The dagger hits the bear trap, sending it skittering right into the path of the unsuspecting Bob. For a moment, the world falls silent. And then, the bear trap snaps shut around Bob's stony leg with a deafening clang.

Gotcha!

The beast roars, the sound echoing throughout the chamber as it struggles to free itself. But the bear trap holds, its sharp teeth digging into the stone and causing chunks of it to shatter off. Bob roars louder, thrashing around, and with a mighty tug, rips its leg free from the trap.

The trap opens, only managing to damage about half of Bob's leg. Not exactly the victory I was hoping for, but it's a start. At least I've proven I'm not entirely incompetent.

Ilka claps her hands together, her laughter subsiding into amused chuckles. "Not bad, Kael," she says, her voice carrying a hint of respect. "Not bad at all."

I wipe the sweat from my forehead, panting heavily as I watch Bob stumble around. "Yeah, but it's not enough," I say, my voice filled with determination. "Now, let's see if I can come up with something else."