World's Last Hope

Why was he charging towards two beings of unfathomable power? Eric asked himself.

Maybe it was because he had become overconfident due to the nature of his "Punching Up" trait. Sure, it made him much stronger now that he was facing two great beasts, but that didn't mean he was their equal.

Or maybe it was because he was greedy. He thought that killing one—or even two—of them would reward him with a powerful trait, like what had happened when he killed his first giant.

Or perhaps he desired a challenge, one amplified by the sword in his hand, making it irresistible.

Maybe it was all these reasons combined, but he didn't have time to waste on such useless thoughts. He was only a few meters away from reaching the fight.

[Right]

Doing as the system suggested, he moved his body to the right. A fraction of a second later, a tentacle growing from the flying head struck the spot where he had been standing moments ago.

Looking at the giant monsters filled him with dread. The dog-like creature locked its gaze on him, tracking him from close up, while the flying head towered above, using its tentacles for support. As the dog monster's heads tore apart the tentacles, new ones seemed to grow from the flying head. Each time it tore one, two more replaced it.

The monster was bleeding heavily. From Eric's perspective, it looked like it was raining blood.

"Faster!" he muttered to himself, pushing his body to its absolute limit.

[Duck]

Doing as he was told, he ducked—just in time to see a tentacle lash through the air where his head had been.

[Right, Left, Duck, Jump, Turn, Right, Left…]

The system guided him, helping him dodge the countless blows. Yet, despite his evasive maneuvers, he couldn't scratch the monsters the way he wanted.

[Host stamina is falling. Probability of success decreasing…]

Realizing that staying longer would only worsen his odds, he made a decision.

"In that case, I'll rush in blindly and hope the system warns me in time."

Sprinting with everything he had, his lungs burned with every breath. A meter away from the monster's leg, Eric didn't hesitate. He slashed, putting all his weight behind the sword.

The blade cut through the air with a speed Eric didn't know he could muster—only to hit the monster's thick fur, failing to leave even a scratch.

"What?" he cried out in shock.

He had known these monsters were beyond him, but to not cause any damage? Just how vast was the difference in power?

He had no time to dwell on the thought, as the monster, finally noticing him, kicked with all its might.

[Blo—]

The system was too slow to respond, but Eric wasn't. Moving faster than the system, he placed his sword between himself and the monster's leg.

The impact resonated through his body, sending him flying several meters away. His body seemed to run purely on adrenaline now; the dull pain barely registered.

Eric stood up as if nothing had happened and began running towards the monster again.

"I got it!"

The kick, which had the power of a truck, somehow gave him an idea of how to wound the monster.

"HEY, YOU UGLY FUCK! LOOK AT ME!" he shouted, approaching another of the monster's legs.

One of the four heads, still tearing apart countless tentacles, turned its gaze toward him. The monster lifted its foot with the intent to kick again.

This time, the leg moved with staggering speed. If it hit, the blow would likely kill him. But as the leg hurtled toward him, Eric couldn't help but smile.

Grasping his sword as tightly as possible, he stabbed forward. His attack, coupled with the momentum of the creature's leg, allowed the blade to penetrate the monster's fur, leaving a small wound.

Immediately, a weak, almost imperceptible grey flame appeared on the fur—a sign the monster's soul was beginning to be slowly destroyed.

Eric had no time to celebrate. The next moment, the monster's kick landed. He heard his bones crack and pop in multiple places as he was sent flying into the air.

Staring at the flying head, he tried to ignore the pain, grinning menacingly.

"This is a one-in-a-million chance!"

Unfortunately, the head noticed him almost immediately, but not before its gaze lingered on the grey flame left on the dog-like monster.

Wary of Eric's potential power, it grew even more tentacles. Some lashed out at Eric midair, leaving him with no way to dodge, while others shielded the head, clearly protecting it.

The tentacles weren't considered part of the head, so cutting them wouldn't ignite the monster's soul in a violent fire. Eric had to damage the head itself—a nearly impossible task, given the dozens of tentacles flying at him with deadly speed.

"Shit what now?"

[Success chance recalculated. Current chance of success: 0%.]

"Zero percent? I'm going to die?"

Suddenly, everything seemed to move in slow motion. Eric knew this only happened when a person was about to die.

'I'm going to die. I'm going to die. I'm going to die.'

'Think. THINK! There has to be a way out. Surely!'

The tentacles were just centimeters from his face. In a moment, he would be split in two.

They were just about to reach him until.

A blinding light appeared behind Eric and passed through the tentacles like they were nothing. A second bolt collided with the head, destroying the tentacles wrapped around it.

A third bolt hit Eric's back, electricity spreading through his body. It felt like he was being cooked alive, but it didn't matter. Because the bolt propelled him forward.

Suddenly, he found himself just centimeters from the head. Its grin was gone.

Now, it was Eric's turn to smile maniacally. Swinging with his broken arms, he drove the sword through the head's delicate skin, leaving a heavy wound on its nose.

"I did it! Now, how do I get out of here?"

Broken, bleeding, and in midair, Eric was defenseless. Despite being covered in grey flames, the head regenerated tentacles at staggering speed, ready to finish him.

The situation seemed hopeless—until the tentacles suddenly fell apart, cut in multiple places.

The next moment, Eric felt someone grab him from behind. Looking back, he saw the breathtakingly beautiful face and striking purple eyes of Olivia.

"I'm not alone?" was the only thought he could muster before finding himself on the ground, being carried in her arms.

"Don't you dare do something like that again!" She shouted angrily, her eyes focused ahead.

Looking into her shining eyes, he smiled faintly before replying,

"Sure. Next time, I'll tell you the plan first."