The stench of the dump was thick, a mixture of rotting food and the smell of monster ichor. Zenon didn't mind.
Five monsters circled him, their red scales shimmering under the green glow of the distant, burning castle. They were Rank 9 and 8—trash mobs in the eyes of the Galaxy, but to a Level 0 Mortal, they were walking death sentences.
One of them lunged, its four-fingered hand splayed into a jagged claw.
Zenon didn't move until the last millisecond. He stepped to the left, but his foot caught on a discarded crate. His balance wavered.
Rip!
The monster's claw tore through his royal silk sleeve, grazing his arm. A thin line of blood welled up.
"Tch. My body is too slow," Zenon hissed. His mind had the reflexes of a veteran, but his muscles were still weak, really weak.
Another monster leaped from his blind spot. Zenon swung the ceremonial sword in a desperate arc.
Clang!
The blade hit the creature's chest, but it didn't cut. The monster's scales were too dense for a blunt, unranked sword. The impact sent a vibration up Zenon's arm that made his bones ache. He was pushed back, his boots sliding in the muck.
'Think, Zenon. Don't just swing.'
He had to look for the Still Point, which is the single, microscopic coordinate in any physical movement where momentum is perfectly neutral. Every strike, no matter how violent, has a center that does not move. If a swordsman can strike that exact point at the exact moment of impact, the target's durability is ignored, and their own force is reflected back into their body like a glass window hitting a steel stud.
The three Rank 8 monsters hissed, sensing his struggle. They lunged simultaneously from three directions. It was a coordinated execution.
Zenon closed his eyes for a heartbeat. He stopped trying to fight the monsters and started trying to feel the vibrations in the air. He felt the rush of wind, the weight of his sword, and the sound of the monsters' heavy feet.
There.
As the lead monster's claw reached his chest, Zenon didn't slash. He thrust the pointed tip of the ceremonial sword forward in a tiny, three-inch movement.
The sound was like crystal glass breaking. The sword didn't even look like it hit hard, but the monster's entire arm exploded into a red mist. The creature let out a gurgling scream as the force of its own lunge traveled back through its joints, shattering its spine.
[System notification]
[You have successfully executed: 'Flowing water: Still point']
[Level 0 Mortal -> Level 1 Mortal]
[SP (Swordsmanship points) earned: +50]
"I see," Zenon whispered, a cold light returning to his golden eyes. "It is not about strength but the gap, huh?"
He didn't wait for them to recover. He stepped forward, his movements suddenly becoming fluid. The trash beneath his feet no longer felt like an obstacle, almost working like terrain.
A second monster lunged. Zenon leaned back, letting the claws pass an inch from his nose, and tapped the creature's knee with the flat of his blade.
The monster collapsed, its leg folding the wrong way. Zenon spun, the ceremonial sword singing through the air. This time, he found the Still Point on the creature's neck. The jewel-encrusted blade, which shouldn't have been able to cut butter, sliced through the Rank 8 scales as if they were wet parchment. The head rolled into a pile of spoiled grain.
[Kill! SP +40]
[Kill! SP +40]
Zenon was a whirlwind of gold and red. He moved between the remaining three, his blade flashing in tiny, precise movements. He wasn't wasting an ounce of energy. Every strike was a kill. Every kill was a deposit into his soul.
By the time the last monster of the first seven attackers fell, Zenon was breathing hard, his chest heaving. His royal clothes were ruined, soaked in black monster blood and filth.
[7 monsters slain]
[Total SP earned: 290]
[Swordsmanship boon activated!]
[Effect: 'Blood rush' — movement speed increased by 30% for the next 60 seconds]
Zenon felt his blood turn into liquid fire. The fatigue in his legs vanished, replaced by an unnatural lightness. He felt like he could outrun the wind.
But he didn't run.
There were still multiple monsters around him.
The black vortex of the portal on top of the trash pile began to grow. The air around the portal turned cold, and the smell of the dump was replaced by the dry, ancient scent of a tomb.
A massive, armored hand—three times the size of a human's—gripped the edge of the portal. The fingers were tipped with metallic, silver talons.
"Damn. Is it here so soon?"
Slowly, the Boss stepped out.
It stood four meters tall, draped in tattered, ceremonial rags that looked like they belonged to a fallen priest. Its skin was a pale, corpse-like grey, etched with glowing purple runes. It held a massive, jagged cleaver that dripped with a corrosive, green liquid.
Above its head, a label flickered in dark violet.
[Target: Tower Warden — Malakai (Rank 5 - Elite)]
[Status: Prologue Boss 004]
[Detected ability: 'Gravity well' (Extractable)]
Zenon didn't look surprised. It was just as it had been last time, except he now saw the infamous Malakai, the strongest Prologue monster.
Tac111 was definitely trying to kill off the survivors early to boost the ratings. In his past life, Malakai had slaughtered hundreds of villagers before a group of Rank 4 Awakened finally brought it down.
Zenon looked at his ceremonial sword. It was chipped, stained, and still unranked.
Then he looked at his Bank status.
[Bank: 7/10 slots filled (Silt-reaper essence)]
[Message: Extract 'Gravity well' to begin weapon ascension]
"Rank 5," Zenon muttered, his grip tightening until his knuckles turned white.
He didn't have time to plan how to kill the monster. He didn't have time to wait for help.
High above, a Galaxy Online drone descended, its red light blinking rapidly. The viewers were tuned in. Zenon was standing in a pile of trash, facing a monster that should be impossible for him to even scratch.
Since it was the prologue, awakened and non-awakened took part until the tower was built and non-awakened were used as pleasure time for the viewers.
The drone displayed an interface above it so Zenon could see the online chat, although Zenon paid it zero attention.
[Galaxy Online chat]
User {Void_Watcher}: "No way. A Mortal vs. a Boss? This isn't a fight, it's a snuff film. I have watched countless monster apocalypse films. He is definitely going to die."
User {NineDragonOfThrill}: "Gone too soon."
Zenon didn't look at the chat. He lowered his center of gravity, the black blood dripping from his blade.
"I am going to die?" Zenon whispered, his golden eyes locking onto the Warden's purple ones.
"Like hell I will."
He lunged.
[Swordsmanship boon: 49 seconds remaining]