The Random Guy Out of Nowhere

Ryo stepped forward and took a stance as if preparing to jump. The swirling wind around his body grew stronger, and in an instant, he leaped into the air. It was as if he had stepped on something midair, propelling himself upward three times in quick succession.

Then he finally reached the same height as the Mantis Warrior.

"Now this looks better," he said.

Ryo then grabbed the Wind Rider's Talisman hanging around his neck.

"I'd say this new item came in pretty handy right away."

[Wind Rider's Talisman]

Accessory

Type: Necklace

Rarity: Rare

Grade: D

Description:

A delicate necklace crafted from polished silver and adorned with swirling, iridescent feathers. This talisman whispers of freedom and the wind.

Stats:

+5% Movement Speed

Additional Effects:

Wind Rider's Grace: Grants the wearer the ability to briefly levitate or glide short distances.

Wind Embrace: Increases the effectiveness of wind-based attacks and movement.

"I'd say I got pretty lucky acquiring this unique item."

Ryo just acquired the Wind Rider's Talisman from the Great Harpy on the recent Dungeon Raid.

He then turned his gaze back to the Mantis Warrior.

"Hey, Mantis, we're just getting started. I'm gonna show you my new skills—sorry for using you as a test subject."

He then leaped into the air like lightning, his body surging with energy. With a swift kick off his back, as if creating footing on an invisible wall midair, he propelled himself forward with immense speed, leaving a shockwave in his wake. The sheer force of his push sent him hurtling straight toward the Mantis Warrior.

"Hngh..."

He gritted his teeth, preparing to strike.

"Shock...wave... P...UNCH!"

His fist connected with the Mantis Warrior's face, causing its head to tilt slightly before the powerful impact sent it crashing to the ground. The force of the landing created a loud thud, shaking the earth beneath.

"I'm not done yet…"

Still midair, Ryo prepared his next attack without hesitation.

"Shockwave... Punch Barrage!!!"

He unleashed a relentless flurry of shockwave punches, each strike gaining momentum and increasing in speed. The consecutive blows sent powerful shockwaves crashing down on the Mantis Warrior, the ground trembling with each impact. A thick cloud of dust and debris rose into the air, obscuring the battlefield as the relentless assault continued.

"Now, how does it feel to be the one looking up?" Ryo smirked, feeling satisfied with his attack.

But before he could fully relish his victory, a figure suddenly burst upward from the thick cloud of dust.

It was so fast that Ryo couldn't react in time. His eyes locked onto the figure, and a chilling sensation ran down his spine.

It was the Mantis Warrior—completely unscathed.

"What the... There's no way it's still—"

Before he could finish his thought, the Mantis Warrior swung its scythe-like claw in a horizontal slash.

Ryo panicked.

"No... I can't dodge it!"

With no other choice, he raised his left arm and reinforced it with his right, bracing for impact.

Slash!

Whoosh!

A nearby apartment building, as tall as they were, was sliced clean through by the sheer force of the attack.

Ryo's gauntlet shattered into pieces. Without it, he would have been cut in half instantly. The force of the slash sent him flying backward, crashing into an abandoned house.

Boom!

"Gyah—!"

Thud!

The house collapsed instantly upon impact.

Ryo struggled to get back up, but pain wracked his entire body.

His arms felt completely numb—he could barely move them.

"What... such power... What kind of monster is this...?"

The Mantis Warrior flew down toward Ryo, its insect-like wings vibrating rapidly. It approached him leisurely, as if savoring the final moments of its prey.

As it landed gracefully, it began walking slowly in Ryo's direction. The sound of its exoskeleton clanging with each step sent a shiver down his spine.

"Hugh..."

Ryo struggled to stand, wobbling from the pain.

How...?

It feels way stronger than the Great Harpy. Is this really the same rank as the Great Harpy? And this thing isn't even classified as a boss monster?

Questions filled his mind, but he had no time to dwell on them.

I can't die here...

"Menu!"

A translucent screen appeared before him.

[SYSTEM MENU]

▶ Player

▶ Equip

▶ Quests

▶ Collection

▶ Skills

▶ Inventory

▶ Map

✖ Hide Menu

He forced his aching arm to move, tapping on "Inventory" and selecting a potion.

A soft glow appeared in his hand as the item materialized. Without hesitation, he downed the potion in one gulp.

A surge of green light enveloped his body, signaling the healing process. Although it didn't fully restore him, he could feel his strength returning to normal.

"This is my last resort..."

Berserk Mode

A surge of power coursed through Ryo's body.

His blood circulated wildly, like electricity rushing from his heart to his fingertips.

As his body heated up, he slowly advanced toward the Mantis Warrior, glaring fiercely. His eyes turned blood-red, his canine teeth elongated like those of a beast, and his muscles swelled, bulking him up. A crimson aura enveloped his entire body.

His speed, defense, and strength increased sharply.

Then, a glowing light surrounded both his arms, and a new set of gauntlets materialized.

Equip—Lion's Wrath Gauntlets.

As the two warriors walked toward each other, their movements radiated pure killing intent.

As they reached each other, they locked eyes, waiting to see who would make the first move.

Compared to Ryo, the Mantis Warrior was noticeably taller. Ryo had to look up, while the mantis gazed down at him menacingly.

The mantis moved first, raising its right arm and swiftly striking with its scythe-like claw.

Woosh!

But Ryo caught the attack with his hand, gripping the mantis's claw tightly with sheer strength.

"Nope, I'm not letting you do that again, bug."

Stepping back slightly, Ryo tilted his body, preparing to strike.

"Isn't it only fair that it's my turn now?"

A swirling wind gathered around his right arm, rapidly growing into an immense surge of energy.

"Spiral Wind Punch!"

His punch landed squarely on the mantis's torso with incredible force. The wind-infused impact sent the mantis flying in a violent, spiraling motion. The creature crashed into a fence wall, dragging along the street, tearing through the concrete until it reached the end of the block.

Ryo smirked. "I'm pretty sure that packed a punch, right?"

He then tossed aside the severed arm of the mantis—the very claw he had gripped before delivering his attack.

Then, a deafening screech echoed as the Mantis Warrior cried out, sounding enraged or furious.

"Screeech!"

In the distance, the mantis twitched its head, accompanied by the eerie crackling of its exoskeleton shifting unnaturally.

Crackling...

Then, in an instant, a new limb sprouted from where its severed arm had been, regenerating as if nothing had happened.

"Wait... it even has instant regeneration? How am I supposed to defeat it then?" Ryo muttered in disbelief.

Without hesitation, the mantis flipped its insect-like wings, propelling itself toward Ryo at blinding speed.

It unleashed a rapid flurry of three slashing attacks.

Ryo managed to dodge, but just barely. The force of the slashes sent clean cuts through nearby buildings and sliced through the concrete walls of the street as if they were paper.

They continued exchanging blows, with Ryo gaining the upper hand—dodging each of the mantis's attacks while landing powerful strikes of his own. However, no matter how many deadly blows Ryo delivered, the mantis kept regenerating, restoring itself to pristine condition after each hit.

"Damn it! How can I defeat this bug? My Berserk Mode is running out of time!"

Ryo swiftly stepped backward, dodging every slash attack from the Mantis Warrior.

"I have to find its weakness as soon as possible… Where… where is it?"

Lost in thought, he didn't realize he had backed himself into a dead end. His back suddenly hit a solid wall.

Thud.

His eyes widened as another deadly slash was coming straight for him.

"No…!"

Reacting on instinct, he quickly lowered his body to dodge the attack, then used the wall as a foothold to push himself to the side, narrowly escaping being cornered.

"That was close…"

Taking several steps back, Ryo put some distance between himself and the mantis, carefully observing its movements, searching for any sign of a weakness.

"Oh, that's right!"

A sudden idea struck Ryo.

"You're just a bug, after all. If I crush your head, you're done!"

Clenching his fist, he focused his energy into his right arm. The wind began swirling violently around it, gathering immense power. In an instant, his attack was fully charged.

"Come at me!"

Without hesitation, the mantis warrior lunged forward, its scythe-like claw raised in a deadly arc.

Woosh!

The mantis swung down with another powerful slashing attack.

But Ryo swiftly dodged to the side, repositioning himself at the perfect angle. He jumped slightly, aligning himself with the mantis's head.

"Got you…!"

With a deep breath, he tightened his fist, unleashing his attack.

"Hngh…!"

"Spiral Wind… Punch!!"

As Ryo's punch landed on the mantis's head, a cracking sound echoed as its exoskeleton slowly began to fracture. Then, as the impact reached its peak, the mantis's head was completely torn from its body, decapitating it.

The mantis warrior stood still, now headless.

"I did it... I finally defeated it!"

Ryo clenched his fist in victory, but suddenly, he felt that something was off.

"Ah, wait... is the system broken? That monster is clearly lifeless now, but there's no notification of its defeat?"

Wa... wait, don't tell me—

It wasn't over yet.

At that moment, the mantis's headless body began to change. Its emerald-green exoskeleton slowly faded in color until it became completely pale white.

"What is this? What's happening?"

The exoskeleton's texture now looked different—more like silk than hardened armor.

Then, from the severed area of its neck, silk-like threads began emerging, spreading over its entire body. Slowly, the creature became encased in a cocoon-like shell.

Ryo reached out and tried to touch the strange cocoon.

"No way... it really is like a cocoon, but..."

He knocked on its surface to test its durability.

Knock.

Tudd.

A dull, metallic sound echoed, as if the cocoon were as hard as iron.

"No way... this silk-like cocoon is as tough as steel!"

Whatever was inside, this was a problem. He had to destroy it before something emerged.

Clenching his fists, he took a deep breath.

"I have time to charge my full power. I have to destroy this thing now!"

A swirl of wind wrapped around both his arms, slowly building up immense power—stronger than before.

"Hugh..."

"Spiral... Wind Punch... Barrage!!!"

He unleashed a relentless flurry of punches, each one charged with powerful wind energy. The force of his blows sent shockwaves rippling through the air, shaking the ground beneath him.

"Arrgh... Ra... Ra... Ra! Ra! Ra! Ra! Ra!"

His rapid, consecutive strikes hammered against the cocoon, a relentless combination attack meant to shatter it completely.

"I have to destroy this thing!" Ryo thought, his mind racing. What could be inside?

The wind howled around his fists, a furious tempest of energy, as he unleashed punch after punch.

The cocoon vibrated under the onslaught, a dull thrumming sound echoing through the ruined streets.

Dust rose in swirling clouds, obscuring the scene, and the ground trembled with each impact.

Come on, crack! Ryo thought.

"Arrgh... Ra... Ra... Ra! Ra! Ra! Ra! Ra!"

As Ryo slowly lost momentum, he gritted his teeth.

"What is this thing?"

He paused, panting from exhaustion.

"No way... Why isn't it even budging?"

"I need more power!"

He positioned himself for another charged attack.

This time, a red aura began emitting from his right arm, flickering like flames before turning into scorching energy.

"How about this?"

Burning Fist...

Crimson... Punch!!!

"Aaah!"

Swoosh!

His flaming fist crashed into the cocoon, unleashing a devastating explosion on impact.

BOOM!

The area was now engulfed in smoke and dust, with fire spreading in all directions.

As the dust and smoke began to fade, the cocoon slowly became visible—completely unscathed.

"No fucking way… Are you serious? Not a single scratch?"

But then, a sudden cracking sound echoed through the air. Thin lines of fractures slowly spread across the surface of the cocoon.

"Wait... huh?" Ryo's eyes widened. "I knew it! I thought I didn't damage it, but now it's cracking open!"

Then, a realization hit him like a punch to the gut.

"No... Was this because of my attack, or was it just...?"

He suddenly understood.

"No... no, no! This isn't from my attack... It's hatching!"

Fear gripped him. Whatever was inside, it was about to emerge. Without hesitation, Ryo took several steps back, putting as much distance as possible between himself and the cocoon.

Then, it finally cracked open.

Large fragments of the cocoon scattered, crashing to the ground with heavy thuds, each piece weighing more than expected.

From within the shattered shell, a figure slowly emerged.

A menacing aura spread across the area, thick and suffocating.

Ryo's body reacted instinctively—his muscles tensed, his breath caught in his throat.

Unconsciously, he began to shiver.

He couldn't move.

He was frozen on the spot.

Then, a sudden pop-up appeared in Ryo's system notification.

[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION]

[MANTIS SWORDSMAN]

[LVL. 20] [RANK C]

Ryo stared at the notification, his eyes widening in shock. He couldn't believe what he was seeing.

The Mantis Warrior has evolved into a Mantis Swordsman not only had its title changed, but it had also ranked up from a Rank D to a Rank C monster.

"No… This thing just got even stronger than before?!"

Then, the creature fully emerged from the cocoon.

It had completely transformed.

What once resembled an oversized mantis was now a fully humanoid figure. Its former claw-like limbs had evolved into fully-formed arms, resembling those of a human. However, its exoskeleton remained, now functioning as a full-body armor.

Its once emerald-green shell had changed into a deep crimson red, a striking contrast to its previous form.

Despite its humanoid shape, remnants of its insect nature remained—it still had its wings, a clear reminder of its origins.

At its waist, resting in a sheath, was a sword—one that eerily resembled the scythe-like claws it once wielded.

It stood there, still and composed—like a samurai preparing for battle.

At that moment, the Mantis Swordsman turned its gaze toward Ryo.

As their eyes met, the creature's killing intent surged, growing even stronger.

Ryo could feel it instantly. His instincts screamed at him to run, but his body refused to move—frozen in sheer terror.

Move… Come on, move…!

Desperately, he slammed his fists against his legs, trying to shake himself free from the paralysis gripping him.

Meanwhile, the Mantis Swordsman slowly unsheathed its sword.

With calculated, deliberate steps, it began walking toward Ryo.

When Ryo finally managed to move, he tried to run immediately.

But at that exact moment, the Mantis Swordsman swung its sword in a crescent arc, slicing downward from top to bottom.

The slash unleashed a powerful crescent-shaped wave that cut through the air with deadly force.

Ryo tried to dodge the attack, but the speed of the strike made it impossible to evade completely. The blade slashed across his left arm.

Woosh!

"AAAHH…! Damn it…!"

Blood dripped from his severely injured arm, which now hung limp, drained of strength.

But the Mantis Swordsman wasn't finished yet.

It charged at Ryo with blinding speed. Before he could react, the creature delivered a devastating slash, cutting directly across his body.

A deep wound tore through him, blood splattering like raindrops onto the ground.

Woosh!

"Gyaaah…!"

The sickening sound of flesh being torn echoed through the battlefield.

Ryo collapsed to the ground, his vision blurring as he slowly lost consciousness.

No… I… I don't want to die…

The Mantis Swordsman flicked its blade through the air, shaking off the blood that had stained it.

Woosh!

As Ryo looked up, he saw the creature turning away, as if it had lost interest in him. It no longer saw him as a threat—he wasn't even worth finishing off.

For Ryo, this was a small relief, but his injuries were severe. If he didn't get treatment soon, he would surely die.

My body… feels so cold… Am I dying?

No… I don't want to die.

Desperate, Ryo struggled to open his system menu, searching for anything that could save him.

Menu.

[SYSTEM MENU]

▶ Player

▶ Equip

▶ Quests

▶ Collection

▶ Skills

▶ Inventory

▶ Map

✖ Hide Menu

He quickly tapped on Inventory and searched for a Health Potion.

The potion materialized in his hands, and without hesitation, he gulped it down, hoping for relief.

But nothing happened. His wounds remained open, and his strength continued to fade.

Then, a system notification appeared.

[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION]

[Bleed Effect is still active]

Healing is ineffective while Bleed Effect is in effect.

No… I can't die yet… Not until I free this world from these monsters…

Then suddenly, a potion was thrown at Ryo by someone he never expected to be in the area.

Tudd!

Crash!

The glass bottle shattered as it hit Ryo's head, spilling the potion onto Ryo's body.

Slash!

The moment the liquid seeped into his wounds, they instantly healed—closing up as if nothing had ever happened. It was like a miracle.

Ryo, still lying on the ground, was utterly confused.

What… what just happened?

As he scanned the area, he noticed someone standing in the distance.

Concerned, Ryo called out, "Hey! What are you doing here? Run!"

But it was already too late. The Mantis Swordsman had found its new target and was charging toward the mysterious figure.

With a swift motion, the mantis swung its blade in a wide, arching slash.

No… Ryo shouted as he watched, convinced that the man who had just saved him was about to be cut down.

But then—

CRACK!

The mantis's blade shattered upon impact, breaking apart as if it had struck an immovable force.

No… I couldn't save him… Ryo thought, guilt washing over him as he braced himself for the worst.

But then, he realized—

The guy was completely fine.

What?…

The stranger casually dusted himself off and looked at the mantis.

"Hey! What's your problem attacking people out of nowhere?" he said in an annoyed tone. "Where are your manners? How would you feel if someone attacked you?"

Then, without hesitation, the man simply raised his hand, mimicking the shape of a blade.

With a lazy, half-hearted swipe—

SLASH!

In an instant, the mantis was cleaved in half, its body splitting apart effortlessly.

But the attack didn't stop there.

The force of the slash continued farther, cutting through the street itself, leaving a deep, devastating mark that stretched far beyond where the mantis once stood.

The stranger blinked at the destruction he had just caused.

"Oops… I didn't mean to do that," he muttered.

Ryo just stared in shock, his eyes wide and his jaw practically hitting the floor.

"Whaaaaaaat?!!"