Episode 3 - Scene 4: Fight
Location: Edge of the Macabre Forest – Zero Island
William, panting, took a step back. His sword glinted under the moonlight, poised to strike the giant crab, which, despite being wounded, remained a living threat. A stream of bluish blood dripped from its massive pincers, but the creature still seemed capable of defending itself. A flicker of hope burned within William's chest. He had the upper hand, but before he could strike the final blow, a guttural cry erupted from the crab's throat, echoing through the air. A desperate, bestial cry that called for help.
— William (panicking, thought): What the hell!?
The sand beneath his feet began to stir. Too quickly. Before he could react, two new sets of pincers, smaller but just as lethal, burst from the ground, cracking the sand around him with deadly precision. These creatures, emerging from the earth like hungry predators, moved with terrifying speed.
— William (afraid, thought): Damn, they're smart enough to try an ambush!
The two new crabs closed in from either side, their simultaneous attacks trapped him in a deadly circle. William attempted to retreat, but the sand seemed to shift unnaturally beneath his feet, pulling at him with every step, as if it were trying to imprison him. The coconut crab, whose massive size dominated the battle, appeared to be manipulating the environment, controlling the sand beneath him to prevent any chance of escape. He was trapped.
The pincers of the creatures snapped shut with lethal precision. William could feel the wind from their passing, their shrill cry scraping the air around him, threatening to capture him with each instant.
— William (in a breath, resigned): Well… this is it! I'm gonna die like a noob, without ever getting laid. A virgin!
He shut his eyes, bracing himself for the inevitable. But the pain… didn't come. A sensation of vertigo swept over him, and his body, as if dissolving into an invisible force, slipped out of reality. His thoughts spiraled in the void, his mind swaying between darkness and light.
Suddenly, he materialized several meters away, unharmed. A chill ran down his spine. His muscles tensed, his breath shallow, heart pounding.
— Iris (in a neutral tone, yet slightly proud): Congratulations, Master William. You have deconstructed and assimilated two skills: 'Shadow Step' and 'Shadow Substitution.' You can now teleport within a limited perimeter inside the dimensional bubble.
The words rang in his mind. A mix of confusion and awe filled him as reality seemed to realign around him, trying to comprehend what had just occurred. The adrenaline still surged through his veins.
— Iris (continuing, without hesitation): You assimilated the substitution technique through your Dimensional Veil. Faster. More precise. Use it wisely.
— William (electrified, laughing): I just got saved by a game skill ! I can really rebuild them! TAMAM!
A small grin curved his lips, the surge of energy coursing through him like fire.
He tightened his grip on his weapon, eyes sharp, anticipating the endgame.
— William (grinning, provocatively): Okay… now it's my turn!
The wounded crab hesitated, retreating under the mounting pressure, but the two faster crabs—smaller and more agile—pressed on, their pincers flashing through the air with a deadly speed. Their combined assault was overwhelming, but now, William had time to think, to anticipate.
He sidestepped, his movements smooth and almost otherworldly. Time felt distorted, as if the world itself was slowing down. The pressure of the pincers still loomed, but their speed, their brutality, didn't match his newfound precision. No room for mistakes.
He activated the Dimensional Veil.
Time shattered.
The sand froze mid-flight. The pincers, once blinding in their speed, seemed suspended in air. The shadows stretched, frozen in their paths, as if everything around him had been caught in a moment too brief to comprehend. But he moved.
Faster.
Freer.
His body flowed through this suspended reality, each movement synchronized with the distortion. He teleported like a shadow, striking with surgical precision—attacks hitting before the crabs even realized they were under threat. The creatures didn't have a chance to react. By the time they did, he was already gone, a blur of motion in a world held at bay.
He danced through the air, slipping between the frozen forms of his enemies, landing strikes where they least expected. The crabs, powerful as they were, couldn't keep up. The world felt alive in his control, the sensation of mastery so intoxicating it nearly overwhelmed him.
Then, a sudden flash on his HUD:
— Iris (system notification): Update: Dimensional Veil – Level increased. Reaction time improved.
The world slowed even further.
His movements, once quick, became fluid—every action, every strike, a calculated step in an impossible dance. Time was his to command.
He anticipated their every move before they made it, dodging, striking, moving faster than they could even react.
Every breath was a perfect rhythm, each second a fleeting eternity.
— William (internal thought): I'm not reacting anymore. I'm in control. I see everything.
He was no longer reacting to the flow of time; he was creating it.
His mind was synchronized with the distortion, faster than ever, every motion calculated and flawless.
He moved through the world like a ghost, an unstoppable force, where the crabs were mere shadows of a threat.
Then came the decisive moment.
The energy from the Dimensional Veil gathered, compressed, ready to unleash its full potential.
His hands crackled with the raw power of the slowed world, the air around him thick with pressure.
The ground beneath him seemed to hum in anticipation.
— William (breath steady, eyes narrowed): Hey, guess who's getting eaten tonight !
With a roar, he released the pent-up energy.
A flash of black erupted from him, a shockwave that tore through the air.
He unleashed the Shadow Vortex with unshakable resolve.
The energy spiraled out, an abyssal storm consuming everything in its path.
The crabs were sucked into the vortex, helpless against the crushing power of the shadows.
Space warped and collapsed, the very fabric of reality distorting and unraveling before them.
In an instant, they were gone.
The battlefield fell silent.
When the dust settled, nothing remained.
The sand, now still, breathed in the gentle breeze.
William, exhausted, collapsed onto the ground, his muscles trembling from the strain.
He gazed up at the vast, starry sky, his chest rising with each breath.
A wicked, almost deranged smile crossed his lips as he let out a breathless laugh—still intoxicated by the adrenaline.
His eyes, wild with excitement, locked onto the infinite horizon. This moment, this victory, was only the beginning.
— William (panting, eyes wide with thrill): OMG, THIS IS SO AWESOME!!!
And as he lay there, the world around him beginning to settle, one thing was clear—he wasn't the same man anymore. This was just the first taste of the power he now commanded.
The real adventure had only just begun.