[-10 Soul points]
Ss gritted his teeth in pain as he pushed himself off the ground, his gaze locking onto the mutant that had just attacked him.
Standing before him was a creature that resembled the Crazed Chimptant he had recently in. However, this one was vastly different—it towered at a staggering 9 feet tall, with ws three times the size of the regr Chimptants. Its glowing eyes seemed capable of shooting outser beams, and a rusty golden crown sat upon its head, signifying its dominance.
**[Name: Crazed Chimptant King]**
**[Grade: 4]**
Ss''s heart sank as his eyes widened in shock.
"A Grade 4 mutant in a Grade 3 realm? What the hell is going on?" His throat went dry as he gulped, his gaze never leaving the towering mutant just a few meters away.
A Grade 3 mutant realm was supposed to host only lower-graded mutants—Grade 1, Grade 2, and at most, Grade 3. There had never been a recorded case of a higher-grade mutant appearing in such a realm. Yet here he was, face-to-face with a mutant far beyond the realm''s expected danger level.
"I knew it!" Ss raged internally. "This damn system has been trying to kill me all along! Ever since it forced me to raid this ce alone, it''s been setting me up for failure! Bloody system!" His fists clenched as frustration burned in his chest.
Ss''s eyes darted toward the spot where he had dropped his scythe while activating the Soul ws ability. It was far—too far to retrieve in time. His frown deepened as his mind raced.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om
"I guess I''ll have to rely on my fists... No, wait. If I can summon the scythe, I can just unsummon and summon it back!"
Acting on his thought, Ss unsummoned the scythe, and it instantly vanished from where it had fallen. A secondter, it reappeared in his right hand, solid and familiar. He gripped it firmly.
The Chimptant King red at him with gleaming eyes for a brief moment beforeunching itself forward at lightning speed.
"It can move that fast? Even with its massive size? What a monster!" Ss thought in disbelief as the mutant closed the distance in the blink of an eye, its massive ws shing toward him.
Reacting swiftly, Ss lifted his scythe just in time to block the strike. The force behind the blow was immense, sending him skidding backward several meters, his boots digging into the ground.
"Such power! No wonder it''s the king of those crazed bastards!" he thought, still sliding uncontrobly until his back mmed into a tree.
Before he could fully catch his breath, the mutant was upon him again, its ws swiping viciously. At thest second, Ss ducked low, narrowly avoiding the deadly strike. The ws hit the tree behind him, slicing it in half as though it were nothing but a dry twig.
The mutant didn''t relent. Retracting its arm, it unleashed another brutal strike. Ss rolled to the side, dodging the ws entirely and quickly getting behind the mutant. Rising to his feet, he swung his scythe in a sharp arc toward the mutant''s exposed back.
But just as his de neared, the Chimptant King twisted its massive body in an unnatural motion. Its eyes zed, releasing a deadlyser beam straight toward Ss.
**ZAP!**
The beam struck Ss squarely in the chest, sending him flying back like a ragdoll. He crashed into a tree with bone-jarring force, and before he could even hit the ground, the mutant was already above him, its giant fists mming down like a hammer.
"Kuah!" Blood spurted from Ss''s mouth as he was driven into the earth.
**[You have sustained a critical injury]**
**[You are bleeding]**
**[-10 HP]**
Before Ss could gather his wits, the mutant grabbed his right leg, lifting him effortlessly as if he weighed nothing. With a vicious grunt, it flung him high into the air.
As Ss soared through the sky, pain wracked his body, but before he could even begin to think aboutnding, the mutant appeared above him once more. Its massive hands mmed together, striking him with the force of a sledgehammer.
**BAM!**
Ss hit the ground hard, the impact causing his bones to crack, and blood poured from his mouth again. His entire body was riddled with bruises, and his vision blurred from the pain.
**[You have sustained several critical injuries]**
**[Passive skill: Super Fast Healing activated]**
**[-30 Soul points]**
Ssy still, barely able to move as his healing ability slowly kicked in. Gradually, he could feel his wounds mending, the pain receding. Forcing himself to his feet, he turned his gaze back to the Chimptant King, which loomed over him, waiting for the moment to deliver a finishing blow.
"My strength is far greater than this thing''s. The only advantage it has over me is its speed," Ss muttered to himself, his injuries continuing to heal at a rapid pace. "If I can somehow match its speed, I should be able to..."
His thoughts were cut short as the mutant suddenly closed the distance once again, its ws slicing through the air. Reacting instinctively, Ss sidestepped, narrowly avoiding the deadly strike, and leaped backward several meters.
Without wasting another second, he activated his skill.
**[Active Skill: Lightning Dash activated]**
**[Time remaining: 0:0:4]**
Time seemed to slow down. The Chimptant King, the trees, the leaves—everything around Ss froze in ce, as if caught in a moment of suspended animation.
Seizing the opportunity, Ss tightened his grip on his scythe and surged forward. In one fluid motion, he brought the de down with all his strength, slicing cleanly through the mutant''s neck.
**[Congrattions, you have in the Crazed Chimptant King]**
Dark purple blood sprayed out as the mutant''s headless body crumpled to the ground. Ss dropped to his knees, panting heavily, cold sweat dripping down his face.
**DING!**
**[Host has acquired the Realm''s Key]**
**[Realm''s Key: Allows exit from the realm. All rewards will be lost, and the evolution quest will be cancelled with no improvements to stats.]**
"""
A/N: Vote with your Power Stones and Golden Tickets.