Slash!
Splurt!
Bodies fell in Atlas's wake, the crimson forest echoing with the sound of ruptured flesh and steel meeting bone. Ever since he'd unlocked Shockwave, his killing rhythm had evolved into something almost artful. He'd learned to redirect the force—to twist the impact through angles, to split it across a target's body, even to deflect external blows. Every motion carried intent. Every strike left a mark.
The mist parted as he wiped his blade clean and pulled up his system interface.
[Name: Atlas]
[Level: 6 (50/600 EXP)]
[Strength: 30]
[Agility: 21]
[Stamina: 19]
[Skills: Burst (Active), Shockwave (Active)]
[Stat Points Available: 20]
Atlas grinned faintly. "With this pace, I'll hit level ten in no time… strong enough to face the boss—"
He paused mid-sentence, a shiver crawling up his spine. The air behind him split with a sound like tearing steel.
Instinct screamed. He rolled.
A massive axe slammed into the ground where he'd stood, carving a crater into the soil. Shards of dirt and bark erupted skyward.
"—or maybe not," he muttered, steadying himself.
Towering above him was a red-skinned giant, easily three meters tall, muscles like living stone and veins that pulsed with molten rage. The air warped from the creature's breath. Its crimson eyes burned with hatred as it hefted the axe again.
"That's definitely not one of the regular ones," Atlas said, forcing a crooked smile. "Hey big guy, mind taking it easy on the new kid?"
The orc's only answer was a roar that shook the trees. It lunged—faster than anything that size should move. The blade of the axe whistled downward.
Atlas ducked low, soil exploding around him as the weapon crushed the earth. He retreated several paces, analyzing. That speed… it's wrong. Too fast for a normal Red Orc.
The creature snarled and charged again, the ground trembling with each step. Atlas chose to meet it. Their weapons collided—steel against monstrous strength.
The impact rattled his bones.
Pain flared up his arms. He was thrown back like a rag doll, crashing through trees before landing hard. Every breath was fire. His fingers twitched around his sword hilt, numb from the shock.
And yet, he laughed—low and ragged. "I've really gotten stronger… but damn, that thing hits like a truck."
He wiped blood from his lip and rose unsteadily. The orc was already coming, each step a promise of death.
Burst.
The word left his lips like a spark.
Crimson energy erupted from within him, wrapping around his body in a haze of power. His heartbeat thundered; time slowed to a crawl. In a single blur, Atlas reappeared before the monster, his blade gleaming under the red moonlight.
The orc swung downward—Atlas slid to the right, cutting across the exposed torso.
Slash!
A thin red line. Nothing more. The creature barely flinched.
He barely registered the retaliatory fist before it struck.
Atlas crossed his arms, blocking the blow—his body skidding backward, boots carving deep lines into the soil.
"System—assign fifteen points to Strength, five to Stamina!"
[Stat Distribution Confirmed.]
[Strength: 45 | Stamina: 24]
A surge of power ignited in his veins. His body screamed, but the pain was drowned beneath a tidal wave of raw energy.
"Let's dance," he muttered—then grimaced. "God, that sounded cringe."
No time to dwell. The orc warlord came again, battle axe raised high. Atlas met it head-on.
Sparks erupted as blade and axe clashed in a storm of light and sound. Each strike sent shockwaves across the battlefield. Atlas moved like a shadow; the orc, like a hurricane of rage. The rhythm of battle was primal—death brushing close enough to taste.
[Hostile Lifeform Detected: Mid D-Rank – Orc Warlord]
[Good luck, Host.]
Atlas's focus wavered for a heartbeat at the prompt.
That heartbeat almost cost him his life.
The orc's fist crashed into his jaw, spinning his world sideways. He staggered, catching the glint of steel in his peripheral—an axe already descending.
He threw his blade up just in time. The impact sent him tumbling, the shock vibrating through his entire body.
Cold sweat clung to his skin. If this is a mid D-rank, then the boss…
He didn't finish the thought.
The orc roared—steam rising from its pores, muscles swelling grotesquely as veins bulged and pulsed. Its eyes turned a deeper, blood-mad crimson.
That's definitely a skill. Atlas tightened his grip. "Alright then… let's get serious."
The creature hurled its axe—air screaming as the massive weapon cut through space. Atlas leapt aside; the axe tore through several trees before embedding itself deep in a boulder.
"Bad move," Atlas hissed.
Burst!
He vanished in a crimson blur, reappearing before the warlord mid-charge.
Shockwave!
The air detonated around his fist as he drove it into the orc's skull. The impact thundered like a cannon blast. The beast stumbled back, roaring, its wild swing grazing Atlas's shoulder. Pain flashed—but Atlas didn't stop. He thrust his sword into the orc's arm joint, channeling Shockwave again.
The explosion of force tore through flesh and bone. The creature howled, its weapon arm going limp.
Atlas pressed the assault. His movements blurred—slashes, stabs, every motion imbued with compressed power.
Shockwave. Burst. Shockwave.
He chained them relentlessly, ignoring the screaming protest of his muscles.
Finally, he leapt high, twisting midair. His sword came down like judgment.
CRUNCH.
The blade pierced the warlord's eye, driving deep into the skull. The creature convulsed once, then collapsed with a ground-shaking thud.
Silence.
Only Atlas's ragged breathing filled the clearing.
He slumped to his knees, chest heaving. The aftershock of Shockwave burned through his body, every nerve on fire. His vision swam.
"Damn… that took everything."
Still, he forced himself to his feet. He carved open the beast's chest and retrieved the dull red crystal within—but no second glow appeared this time. No skill crystal.
"Tch. Figures." He pocketed it quickly. "Better move before something smells the blood."
The system prompt flashed but he had to leave the vicinity quickly.
He stacked Shockwave and Burst, his body vanishing into a streak of crimson light.
Moments later, deep within the forest, his body gave out. He dropped to one knee, muscles locking, pain flooding through every fiber.
"F–fuck… backlash's worse than I thought…"
His limbs refused to move. He gritted his teeth, breath shallow.
Then came the sound that froze his blood—voices.
"Boss, we've caught sight of Atlas!"
Atlas's eyes widened. His curse echoed faintly through the blood-scented air.
"Perfect… just what I needed."