Is that the boss?

  It very well could be, but Isaac had his doubts. What was the point of the ruins scattered across the forest if the boss was just running around alone? Were they just distractions to throw him off track?

  It was certainly a possibility, but not something he wanted to believe. Then again, this could be just one of the modifications to the trial the Interface had mentioned.

  Either way, I have to deal with it.

  Isaac scanned his surroundings, searching for anything that could help him escape this mess. Even if the archer had him pinned now, there had to be a way to gain some advantage. He briefly cursed himself for leaving the crossbow back in the other ruins before dismissing that thought. It wasn’t like his aim was anywhere near as good as the monster’s hunting him.

  Not gonna lie, a gun would solve this problem real quick.

  Just to check, he peeked around the tree again, only to snap back when the whistle of another arrow reached his ears. The archer was still out there, to the surprise of no one. Although… the angle was different.

  The monster had moved.

  Isaac clenched his jaw.

  Can’t fight like this. I need to lure it out in the open, he concluded, his eyes flicking back to the ruins. Going inside wasn’t an option, not with the two gremlins guarding the entrance. But the rest of the area was fair game. There was plenty of space here for him to hide.

  The real problem was getting there without adding another hole to his body. With how accurate the archer was and his left arm hanging almost limp at his side, his options were quite limited.

  At least it’s my arm and not a leg.

  Isaac shook his head and settled his gaze on one of the final few trees in his path toward the ruins. He had to focus and move fast. There was no room for another mistake here. He had lucked out that the first arrow didn’t go through his heart or head.

  First, bait out a shot.

  For just a short moment, he leaned out of his cover. Another crackle of lightning answered this action, which was all he needed to act.

  Before the next arrow could even arrive at his position, he darted out from the other side of the tree and rushed for his next cover. He ignored the heavy thunk sounding behind him and threw his body forward.

  Another arrow slammed into the trunk of his new hiding spot.

  A grin tugged at his lips, and without wasting another moment, he leaned out again. As expected, no arrow came flying at him this time around. The archer would have to be stupid to fall for the same trick two times in a row.

  Still, that simply meant Isaac had to change his tactic a bit.

  What will you do now?

  He sprinted away from his cover but didn’t follow a straight path. Instead, he used a low-hanging branch to pivot, twisting his body into a sharp one-eighty turn. Just in time, too, as a second later, an arrow struck the ground where he should have been.

  Isaac’s grin only widened as he rushed back into the trees, weaving in and out, going left and right. His blood sang louder and louder with each step as he kept going. Not even the edge of the forest and the arrows slamming into the dirt behind him stopped him. He continued onward, diving behind the nearest half-collapsed wall.

  No more arrows came at him after that, and he used this moment to sneak around the ruins until there was a good distance between him and the forest. If the archer wanted to fire at him again, it would have to come out or at least climb one of the trees on the edge.

  Your move, friend. I’m still injured, so what’s it gonna be?

  Isaac didn’t have to wait long for an answer.

  Within a minute, he spotted the archer perched on a branch overlooking the ruins. The monster still hadn’t spotted him, which, while good news at first, also wasn’t what he really wanted. If the boss just left, all of this effort would have been for nothing.

  As such, he snatched a rock from the ground and flung it in the archer’s direction. The reaction was instant.

  The creature’s large eyes snapped in his direction, its bow following the same movement. Isaac ducked again, but not without throwing another rock.

  “Come on, take the bait,” he muttered, peering through a gap in the crumbling bricks.

  To his pleasant surprise, the archer dropped from the tree, stepping into the ruins with its bow raised, an arrow already nocked. Isaac threw another rock, and the projectile went flying.

  Now!

  Sword drawn, he vaulted over his cover and charged the scowling monster. It noticed him instantly and pulled another arrow from the quiver on its back.

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  The Symphony in his veins hit a high note, and the world around him slowed down in turn.

  The arrow went flying.

  Isaac swung his blade to meet the projectile head-on. It didn’t cut the arrow in two like he had seen happen in some movies, but it was enough to knock it off course. Enough to create the opening he needed.

  He made the final step toward his enemy and slashed with all the force his one-handed grip could muster. The creature’s eyes grew wide as it raised its bow in hopes of saving itself.

  Steel met wood, and somehow, the latter held.

  What?

  That single thought barely had time to register before a foot slammed into Isaac’s chest, driving the air from his lungs. He stumbled back, almost losing the grip on his sword.

  Meanwhile, the archer threw away its bow and unsheathed a short sword from its waist. He barely managed to raise his blade to block a swipe that came at him within a second of the draw.

  Fast!

  Isaac cursed as he disengaged, taking a step back to gather his breath. His gaze flicked up, locking onto the creature’s green eyes—

  Wait… Green?

  The archer didn’t give him time to ponder that thought and lunged. A weak parry stopped the first probing strike, but after it came another.

  And another.

  The creature moved like a serpent, spinning its blade like an extension of its body. Isaac only managed to match the onslaught thanks to the growing Symphony in his veins.

  Yet, just then, a flicker of blue lightning across the archer’s body caught his attention. Its strikes turned sharper, faster, heavier, forcing him to lose even more ground.

  Shit! A skill?

  Isaac cursed as he struggled to parry another swing. He braced himself for the next strike, but it never came. It was a feint.

  The archer pivoted and slashed his exposed chest. Its blade ripped through his clothes and cut the flesh beneath. Thankfully, the blow didn’t have enough strength to blow past the ribs in its way.

  Isaac hissed, staggering back, his breath coming out ragged. His pain tolerance might be high, but this was pushing the limit, even with the Symphony growing louder with each second.

  Gotta do something. I can’t just defend forever, or I’m done. The guy obviously is better with a blade than I am.

  It wasn’t even a hard pill to swallow. This might be the boss—the final challenge of the trial. And it just so happened to be skilled in both swordplay and archery, plus it had some kind of lightning-enhanced ability.

  I need to land a Blood Draw. But how? I doubt it is just gonna stand there and let me hit it. The guy’s too fast.

  Isaac growled, gritting his teeth as another flurry of attacks came at him. One slash slipped past his guard again, but this time, it only grazed his cheek. He had managed to lean out before it could take off his head.

  The fingers around his blade tightened. If only his left arm was fully functional…

  Wait! Maybe that’s it.

  A plan formed in his mind, a small smile replacing the frown on his face. The archer scowled harder seeing it. All the better.

  When the next swing came, Isaac took it head-on, locking their blades together. Normally, he would have tried to disengage afterward—with only one hand on the sword, he had no chance of winning the battle of strength.

  Yet, just as the archer didn’t break the bind, neither did he. The creature pushed against him, and he allowed it to. This was exactly what he wanted.

  Now!

  His left hand, the one hanging uselessly at his side, shot forward like a snake. Weak fingers clamped around the archer’s wrist and yanked with as much force as they had left, throwing the creature off balance.

  At the same time, Isaac’s Origin thrummed, spilling crimson liquid onto his sword.

  The creature could do nothing to defend itself as it lost control over its blade, breaking the ongoing stalemate. Seizing the moment, Isaac followed through with his swing, bringing his weapon down at the creature’s head.

  It shouldn’t have been enough—his blade moved far too slow to do any real damage. However, the strength of the swing didn’t matter here. The Blood Draw did.

  As his blade connected with the side of the archer’s skull, crimson energy exploded from the weapon. Flesh and bone parted under the power of his blood.

  The archer dropped instantly, its body hitting the ground as half its head and one arm separated from the rest.

  Dead on the spot.

  Just like that, Symphony of Blood faded from his veins, dragging the pain it had kept at bay back to the forefront of his mind. Isaac coughed and dropped to his knees as his chest burned. The constant stinging from his healing shoulder also returned, but at this point, he could handle it.

  This sucks… He grimaced. However, before he could dwell on it, a familiar wave of strength washed over his body, and with it arrived the notifications—a lot of them.

  [Salirian (LVL. 3) slain.]

  You have leveled up! You are now level 5. Distribution of Ascension Power in progress. Toughness has advanced a tier. Your Origin has awakened a new ability: Blood Dagger.

  Pain Tolerance and Symphony of Blood have advanced a tier.

  All of this wasn’t anything special—bar the new skill. Isaac had already expected a level-up soon. What caught his attention, though, was the low level of the creature he had just killed. This was the boss, after all, right? With skills like that, it should have had a higher level.

  Then why?

  The next notification explained everything. And froze the blood in his veins.

  Well done, Isaac Walker, you have slain the other Host sharing this trial. You are now the only active Host inside this dimension. Please obtain the key from the boss within the next 5 hours to earn your freedom.

  Isaac’s stomach twisted as he read this notification again and again. Yet, no matter how many times he looked, the words didn’t change. He had just killed another host. Not a monster. Not another Broken Strain abomination.

  A living, thinking being.

  A being that wasn’t human.

  A cold pit settled in his gut as he couldn’t even decide which of those news shocked him more. He should have felt worse. There was guilt, sure, but not much of it. It felt almost as if his mind didn’t care. As if it didn’t want to care about a creature that tried to kill him.

  Isaac couldn’t even disagree.

  I did what I had to do to survive.

  But those green eyes. Not yellow, but green…

  He shook his head. It didn’t matter. He had only killed a person who tried to kill him. Could he have handled it differently? Maybe, but again, it didn’t matter now. He survived, while this Salirian died. Only one of them could have come out of this trial alive anyway.

  Sorry, pal. Bad luck.

  Origin: Blood | LVL. 5

  Legacy: Locked

  Virus Integrity: 63%

  Agility: Feeble - Tier III

  Toughness: Feeble - Tier III

  Regeneration: Developed - Tier I

  Insight: Feeble - Tier III

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