Chapter 26: Survive.
Embers danced in the dragon's maw, its corners twisted upward into a cruel, malevolent smile. The monster was nothing like this a few minutes ago.
For some reason, Mark sensed that the Malarak standing in front of him was different from the beast who hunted them through the city's desolate streets.
He could talk, and his eyes, though still overflowing with madness, had some reason in them.
The dragon felt like a controlled storm, raging inside confined borders and guided only in the desirable direction. That direction was currently Mark himself, and it didn't appear like that would be the case for long.
"REJOICE, O FOOLISH ONE. YOUR FLESH WILL BE MY NOURISHMENT. YOUR SOUL WILL BE MY STRENGTH. YOUR MISERABLE LIFE WILL HAVE A PURPOSE, AND YOUR MEMORY WILL FOREVER LIVE ON."
'This would be a really good time to wake up...' as the pain refused to subside, Mark couldn't help but let out a short laugh.
He was still going on about the whole thing being a dream, even after abandoning the hope not that long ago. He had no way to tell how many bones he had broken since the car crashed, but the pain was unbearable.
'If I really was a protagonist, wouldn't I be able to tell which bones were broken, and which organs were damaged?'
He let out another laugh but the pain turned it into a series of coughs. In the end, he was no protagonist. He wasn't even one of the main cast. So what if he got a system? What's the point if he wasn't powerful enough to survive his first challenge?
'God... fucking damn it!' His jaws clenched. 'Why did I have to face an end-game boss right from the start?' A
s his anger boiled, he ground his teeth together.