Chapter 41: A Fallen Hero
The shriek that tore from Viera’s throat was lost in the cavernous space, swallowed by the guttural snarl of the beast looming over Linx’s broken form.
Dust and grit filled Linx’s mouth. He tried to push himself up, his arms trembling like newborn foals, but the world was a dizzying smear of grey stone and monstrous shadow.
A wet, coppery taste coated his tongue. His strength was a ghost, a memory that had long since fled his body. He collapsed back onto the floor, his breath a ragged, painful stutter.
Ning saw it all. He saw the tremor in Linx’s limbs, the final, desperate effort that yielded nothing.
He saw the Behemoth pivot, its massive, horned head lowering, its maw dripping with a viscous, black ichor. It was coiling for the final, pulverizing strike. They had seconds. Less.
A chime, sharp and cold as ice, cut through the panic in his mind.
[System Update: Critical Threat Detected] [Current Objective: Defend Linx and Eliminate Behemoth] [XP Reward: High Immediate Success Required]
Ning’s eyes narrowed, all emotion draining away to be replaced by a chilling, razor-sharp focus. He didn’t hesitate.
A fire was already kindling in his veins, the remnants of a dozen smaller battles fought today, culminating in a surge of raw power that his very cells screamed to unleash.
[System Update: Level 15 → Level 16 Achieved] [New Ability Unlocked: Mana Surge] [Alert: Fatigue Level Critical]
The alert was an understatement. His muscles burned with a weariness so profound it felt like lead had been poured into his bones. But the new ability, Mana Surge, was a flash flood in a desert. A jolt, violent and electric, shot from the base of his spine to the tips of his fingers.
For a moment, the world snapped into hyper-focus. The exhaustion was still there, a deep, resonant ache, but it was now muffled, drowned out by a tide of pure, untamed energy.