Chapter 5: Chapter 5- Dimension Harvester (Part 1)
The screams belonged to a person, a very terrified one but a person nonetheless. Talon looked around him, trying to locate the origin of the sound as fast as he could. He knew that if this person needed help then he didn't have time to idle around.
Luckily, since the voice came from a relatively close location, he was able to find it and then he quickly dashed toward it as fast as he could.
'Please stay alive! I'm coming!' He clenched his teeth as he hurried his steps.
A few seconds later, he reached an open area in the neighborhood where a small park was supposed to be. However, that park was long gone and what was left of it was completely destroyed beyond recognition.
Inside this place, a young man could be seen running with a terrified look on his face. He kept looking back at whatever was following him, each time he took a glance at it, his face would pale even harder and the terror he was feeling would amplify.
Ryan Shin-Il was going back home from the grocery store when the catastrophe hit and he found himself being chased around by unknown creatures. Being completely clueless and helpless, he could only run as fast as he could.
Luckily, he was able to find a safe spot to hide in. However, his happiness didn't last long when whatever was running after him discovered his location and from then on, he was running constantly while the monster closed the distance between them slowly.
"Help!!!! Help, please!!! Anyone!!" He screamed and yelled as much as he could with no result.
As he looked around him, searching for anyone who could help, he didn't notice a small rock protruding from the ground and stumbled on it.
"Ugh! My leg!!" Cursing loudly, Shin-Il quickly dragged himself through the dirt as he tried to stand up again. However, he didn't have the time or the strength to do that. After running for 20 minutes non-stop, he was totally spent.
The monster closed the distance between them and was about to grab him and end his life. The young man could only watch as the dark arm extended toward him.
"Nooo!!"
Closing his eyes, he waited for the inevitable. However, instead of feeling the crushing force on his body, he didn't feel anything at all. Instead, he heard something.
Looking up, he was met with a shocking site. A man suddenly appeared out of nowhere and kicked the monster in the side, pushing it a little bit farther from Shin-Il.
"Wha..." He couldn't believe his own eyes.
Landing on the ground, Talon stared at the boy. "Are you ok? Did it bite you?"
"... No... Thank you for saving me..." Shin-Il replied in a daze.
"Thank me later once we get out of here in one piece."
'Not that I can guarantee that with this thing in the way...' Staring at his enemy, Talon frowned visibly. No matter how he looked at it, it was a Dimension Walker, or at least of the same appearance as those nasty things. However, that's where all similarities end.
First of all, the monster was visibly taller than the other Dimension Walkers, reaching a height of at least 7 feet. Its body was also thicker and bigger than that of its fellow monsters, making it appear even more intimidating.
"That Dimension Walker killed a good number of humans in a short time," Acrypha said casually as she swam around Talon.
Hearing her remark, he frowned slightly. "How many?" He murmured quietly.
"At least 5 or 6."
'Nasty bastard...' Talon clenched his fists at the number. If only one was able to kill 6 and get this strong, then he didn't even want to know what a Dimension Walker would look like after killing a dozen or more humans.
"Be careful. Fighting it won't be easy."
"I know... Can't you help me?" Talon asked.
"I can't do that or our problem will get even bigger. You have to fight it alone." She replied.
"Tsk, I expected that much."
As the two conversed, the monster had already regained its balance and was rushing toward Talon at top speed. Its giant frame didn't seem to affect how quickly it could run. Each step it took almost shook the whole place.
Talon took a deep breath before he ran toward it and thrust his spear forward. The blade flashed through the air at an amazing speed, only to be stopped dead in its tracks a second later. The monster had grabbed the blade with its hand.
'Shit!'
Before Talon could even react, the monster pulled him in before it threw him to the side violently as if he were a small kid. Rolling on the dirt, Talon was stopped dead in his tracks by a tree as he quickly stood up.
The creature didn't stop there and rushed toward him like a hungry beast. Using its arm, it tried to grab into him. However, he quickly ducked before dashing around it and trying to attack it from the side. His spear slashed through the air slicing the monster's flesh.
However, other than a shallow injury, nothing else happened to the Dimension Walker.
'Too strong!!'
Even worse than that, the attack seemed to enrage the creature as it swung its arm, trying to slap Talon's body. The latter had no time to react so he could only use his spear as a shield.
*boom*
The hit was akin to a car smashing into Talon sending him flying back as he stumbled on the hard ground a few times. Even with the strength of almost two people, Talon couldn't rival the monster in strength at all.
Slowly rising from the ground as he swallowed back the painful groan that tried to escape his mouth, he felt a warm liquid run down his face. Touching his forehead, he saw a trace of blood on his fingers.
However, he didn't stop as he quickly stood up, wiped the blood before it dropped on his eyes, and then grabbed his spear.
"Come at me, you fat fuck!" He yelled loudly as he aimed his spear forward. The Dimension Walker looked at Talon silently before it started running toward him again.
The brutal fight commenced again, far worse than before. Talon kept dodging, running, and sidestepping as much as he could while attacking back with all his strength. He got hit a few times, and each time, he felt his bones rumble and his whole body shudder. The pain was horrible and even breathing became hard.
However, he didn't stop or hesitate to attack again and again relentlessly. He was scared, horribly scared. But, he was even more scared of something else.
'My family! I gotta get them before they end up dead! I have to kill it!!' His eyes flared with a strong fire. He was terrified of dying, as any normal person should be. But, he was also terrified of letting his parents die before him.
He had taken an oath upon himself to make them live the best life he could provide after he graduated from university and got a good job. He wanted to repay them for all those years they worked day and night to get him everything he needed.
Shin-Il looked at the man with awe in his eyes. He had been running from that creature with all his might and never for a second even entertained the thought of fighting it. Yet, this young man in front of him was fighting it, getting beaten up, and yet standing again as if he didn't care about his own life.
It hit him hard. So hard in fact, that he forgot completely about running away as he should've thought considering how occupied the monster was with Talon. Instead, he found himself cheering for Talon, wishing he could beat that thing.
"D-Don't die!!!" He yelled loudly.
Talon heard that scream, but he didn't focus on it as his whole being was dead set on killing the Dimension Walker in front of him.
His body was bloodied and battered, his clothes were shredded to pieces and he could barely stand up on his feet. Using his spear as a cane, he walked forward with difficulty, his mouth open to breathe and his heart beating so fast he could hear it in his ears.
"Stop, Talon." Suddenly, Acrypha stopped him.
"What..." He asked with a cold, angry tone. He was very irritated by this fight and Acrypha's voice made it even worse.
"You can't beat it this way. It's simply too strong for you."
"Then what am I supposed to do, die?!" He yelled back.
"The other orb, crush that one." She replied calmly even though Talon was clearly not in his mind.
Hearing those words, he recalled the other orb in his pocket. Quickly, he pulled it out and stared at it. The orb had a myriad of colors on it that kept interchanging and dancing beautifully. It was far more pleasing to the eye than the Spear's orb.
But, Talon had no time to appreciate that and quickly crushed the orb with his bloodied hand.
Suddenly, a bright, blinding light exploded everywhere, covering the whole park and even the monster's vision.
It only lasted a few seconds before it slowly vanished and what it left behind shocked Talon.
[Ding!]
[You have acquired your first skill: Dimension Harvester.]
[Dimension Harvester (Lower Dimension) Level 1: Using this ability, you can link with alternate versions of yourself in parallel dimensions and acquire their skills. Costs Aetheris to activate.
Skills available: Spearmanship (Level 1)
Flaw: Overusing the ability could lead to permanent brain damage.]
The source of this c𝐨ntent is freewe(b)nov𝒆l