Chapter 7: Defeated

Due to the relentless pursuit for vengeance of the Dark Froozbear, Lim and Moruel were running low on stamina— fatigue washing over their body in the little time Maverick was gone. In a mere 3 minutes, the Dark Froozbear unleashed a tremendous amount of conserved mana, casting powerful spells that had the duo on the edge of their lives.

"It specializes in both ranged and close combat attacks!"

They were catching their breaths, sweating underneath their ruffled clothes, even tho it was winter cold. The catastrophic assaults towards them were visible, harboring mild wounds, which rendered their speed slow.

"Three minutes is almost up. We should have let ourselves get killed before Maverick could respawn!"

"Resistance is futile, foolish humans!"

[Dark Magic: Hades' Wrath]

Swift black creeping vines of thunder emerge from the ground, spreading across the area and instantly binding both Moruel and Lim in a pinch.

"Feel my rage!" The Dark Froozbear hysterically guffawed after it was successful in restraining the two.

"AHHH!!!"

Painful screams from getting excruciatingly electrocuted as the thorny vine-like thunder pricked their skin as it continuously electrified them externally reverberated in Maverick's ears when he respawned back to the forest.

"I'm back!"

Maverick came back at the wrong time. He witnessed Lim and Moruel cry blood as they bleed black goo all over their body because of the skill cast upon them. Slowly, they perished and were left like a pool of dark substances.

[Your party member, Moruel, has died.]

[Your party member, Lim, has died.]

"You bastard!" Gritting his teeth in anger, Maverick pulled out his Serrated Dagger and wooden shield which was almost at its breaking point. "Lim's longsword is far behind the Dark Froozbear. Going all the way there would take a good amount of effort."

Through the system's window, Maverick sought his skill and saw that it was locked.

[Unable to passively use your Unique Ability. Reach the required level first to acquire its unique traits.]

Maverick saw that his level had gone back to level one, and so was his EXP and the additional traits he received from reaching level 2. However, the passive traits from the achievement remained the same.

"And here's the other fool who thinks he can defeat me!" Chuckling, the Dark Froozbear looked down on Maverick like a bug that was meant to be crushed. "Nothing more than a mere ant."

By its paw emerges a crackling zest of lightning that traveled across its whole arm, which it raised up in the air, and then struck the ground with.

"I've tortured you countless times already. Don't think I won't be able to do it again."

Despite the overwhelming threat that seemingly looms and creeps across the area, Maverick retained his composure with one goal in mind: to eliminate the Dark Froozbear and erase the ache his body resonates with every time he sees the monster. His body would be reminded of the unspeakable pain he had to endure in order to free himself from the mental break.

"You're nothing more than a monster! A monster that is meant to be killed!"

"Heh... what nonsense!"

From the soil beneath Maverick's feet seeped out the lightning from the Dark Froozbear's paw, which traveled underground like a tree's root.

Barely reacting to the attack, Maverick moved forward instead of jumping back to avoid— diving forth, then rolling to quickly regain his footing.

"I'm not done yet!"

More rooting lightning attacks from the ground emerged and Maverick was hanging by a thread, grazing his body and tattered clothes. Thanks to the game's gift, Maverick did not have to remain naked in the cold winter even after getting his set of clothes ripped to shreds.

[A beginner's clothes will remain until the Entrant has acquired a new set of clothes or armor and discarded the amateur's set.]

Constant death in the hardest mode possible in the game was to be expected, so the developers intended to give the Entrants the luxury of retaining their set of clothes or armor.

"Shit! That monster still has some mana left to it!"

The relentless attack earlier should have depleted most of its mana but it seemed that the Dark Froozbear still had some spare energy to punish Maverick for slaying its rascals.

"It's about to hit its limit! I just need to keep up with my pace and make sure I don't take major damage!"

"Quit running around like a rat!"

"Oho, I thought I was an ant?"

Agitation provoked the Dark Froozbear to unleash more of its magic, casting homing electric vines that grab a hold of anything tangible it touches.

Maverick was quick with his foot, carefully analyzing the pattern of the attack, which he deemed to create an opening for him to barely escape in time.

"More, more!" Frustration imploded and the Dark Froozbear was now so eager to catch Maverick. "What a pest!"

"Behind?!" A thorny electric vine appeared from behind out of nowhere once he jumped back. Its movement was direct and swift. "I should be able to block it with my shield!"

He grunted once the black vine made contact with his shield. It creepily crawled all over the wooden shield, forcing Maverick to let go of his defensive equipment, then landed safely on the ground while the magic spell tore the wooden shield into pieces.

"You're a dead man!"

Forward, the Dark Froozbear cast more of its magic spell when, all of a sudden, lightning barely crackles— signaling the insufficiency of mana from the monster.

"Hehe!" Maverick grinned at the thought, seeing his opportunity laid before his eyes. "Got no more of those black vines of yours? Too bad!"

Instantly, Maverick kicked off the ground—going full throttle—across the snowy path, unmindful of the Dark Froozbear's sudden shift in mood. Each step he made created a faint sound, marking the path of treading personality. He leaped by bounds from side to side, slashing through the remaining thorny black vines.

"You're next." With a cold look on his face, Maverick increased his speed even more, running directly towards the Dark Froozbear with nothing but his Serrated Dagger.

"What can you accomplish with a puny weapon?!"

"More than what you can do with a depleted mana!"

In a straight line, heading towards the agitated Dark Froozbear, Maverick speedily sprinted once he was done dismantling the black vines.

"What is he trying to do?" Moruel asked. "Isn't he a beginner? There's no way he can take the monster on by himself."

Differently, the best friends saw Maverick. In Moruel's eyes, he doubted Maverick's capabilities while Lim, on the other hand, formed a faint smile on his face as he spoke: "He's got this. Call it beginner's luck."

In the air, Maverick threw the Serrated Dagger without hesitation. The Dark Froozbear, seeing it, mocked the Entrant's foolishness as its eyes followed the weapon up in the sky.

"Where do you think you're aiming—?!"

When the monster looked down to put its attention back on Maverick, the latter was nowhere to be seen.

"He disappeared? Don't tell me he tried catching up to his dagger?!"

Once again, the Dark Froozbear looked up but still no Maverick until the monster had the thought of looking back.

"Like I said, I can do more than what a mere monster can perform!"

At the turn of the Dark Froozbear's body, Maverick was already equipped with Lim's longsword; carrying the weapon on his shoulder as he strode hastily in the snow.

"That bastard!"

Such a magnificent performance from Maverick forced Moruel to express his surprise— widely smiling after realizing the tactic his party member did.

"We might have come across a really good player. He adapts quickly, although he has the possibility of becoming a nutjob."

"A battle frenzy maniac is what I see in the future," Moruel uttered because of how Maverick looked when he leaped forward and showed a grotesque grinning expression while he raised the longsword in the air.

Growled the Dark Froozbear as it froze in its spot but still was brave enough to counter-attack using its claws. However, Maverick was just too slick with it, proving that he could outperform a mere monster by splitting it in half once he landed.

"Damn monster still pulled to graze my side." Nonchalantly, Maverick caught his dagger with his left hand while he rested his right hand on the hilt of the longsword upon sticking the weapon onto the Dark Froozbear's visible heart. "I'm losing health points..."

[You have died.]

A graze from the claws of the Dark Froozbear made Maverick lose so much blood to the point that his HP reached the very bottom, thus leading to his death once again.

"Shifting my body mid-air was nearly impossible. I would have avoided such a direct counterattack!"

"Hey, what you did was amazing! You don't have to leap bounds. Take your time getting stronger and smarter in fights."

"Lim's right. Everything does not have to be perfect all the time."

From that point onward, Maverick and their best friends traversed the forest, slowly leveling, killing monsters, and looting their prey's bodies, which they could sell for ETHEL until they reached the very first town.

[Welcome to Froozilla]

Yellow lights filled the paved path toward the town's hall. Children happily play on the roadside while adults are busy minding their own business. The town is filled with excitement and joy for the upcoming nighttime festival!

~