Cris stood before the door to the Maintenance System, gripping his wand tightly.
"Trixie, open it."
Trixie hovered beside him. "Good luck, Master."
With a soft hiss, the door slid open, revealing a dark staircase leading downward. A damp, metallic smell filled the air.
Cris took a deep breath and stepped forward. "Here we go."
At the bottom of the stairs, another heavy metal door blocked the way. Unlike the others, this one had deep claw marks scratched across its surface.
Cris tensed. "So this is where those little nightmares are hiding, huh?"
He rolled his shoulders, adjusting his stance. "Alright. No talking. Let's do this."
"Opening now, Master." Trixie's voice chimed.
The door slid open.
Inside, dozens of small, round creatures stood motionless, resembling stuffed toys with soft, fluffy bodies and tiny, beady eyes. They were eerily cute.
Cris narrowed his eyes. "Tch. I know better."
Without hesitation, he hurled a grenade straight into the group.
BOOM!
The explosion sent them flying through the air, their soft bodies bouncing against the walls.
A split second later, the surviving Zeezo began to twitch.
Their mouths slowly unhinged, revealing rows of jagged, needle-like teeth.
Their cute, beady eyes turned into soulless pits of darkness.
Cris clicked his tongue. "Knew it."
One Zeezo let out a horrifying shriek, and the rest began charging toward him.
He threw another grenade. Then another. And another.
Each explosion sent the Zeezo screaming and flailing through the air, but more kept coming.
Cris threw his last grenade, watching it obliterate another group.
"Damn. Out of bombs."
One of the remaining Zeezo lunged at him.
SMASH!
Cris swung his wand with full force, sending it flying across the room.
Another Zeezo pounced, its massive mouth stretching open, ready to bite.
CLANG!
Its sharp teeth clamped onto his armor, failing to pierce through.
Cris grabbed it with one hand, his enhanced strength crushing its tiny body before throwing it aside.
One after another, he bashed, slammed, and crushed the Zeezo with his brute strength. His enhanced body made him faster and stronger than ever before.
But then… the last Zeezo stepped forward.
It was different. Bigger. Meaner.
A hulking, monstrous Zeezo, at least twice his size, its mouth splitting open into four sections lined with spiraling teeth.
Cris immediately swung his wand. But the impact barely left a scratch.
Instead, the force of the hit sent his wand flying out of his grip.
Cris clenched his fists. "Guess I'm doing this the hard way."
The monster roared and lunged at him.
Cris ducked under its massive maw and delivered a powerful uppercut, slamming his fist into its chin—if it even had one.
The beast stumbled back, momentarily dazed.
Cris rushed forward, fists flying. He punched, dodged, and slammed his fists into the creature's body with every ounce of strength his enhanced physique provided.
The monster let out a deafening shriek, its jaw snapping wildly.
Cris spotted his wand on the floor.
Without hesitation, he lunged for it—
The monster charged, its massive mouth wide open.
"Now or never!"
Cris grabbed his wand, spun on his heel, and plunged it straight into the beast's gaping maw.
The Zeezo let out one final, agonizing scream… before collapsing.
The room fell silent.
Cris stood there, panting, his stamina completely drained.
His wand was bent and cracked from the battle.
With a deep sigh, he collapsed onto the ground, staring at the ceiling.
"That… was a tough fight."
His eyelids grew heavy, his body aching from exhaustion.
And then… he blacked out.