Part-211

  James had faced them before, and it had taken him four attempts (only when he used Crisis mode) to finally clear the se on his previous run. But today, somethi different. His ret training with Kashem Chowdhury had sharpened his reflexes and improved his bat teiques, and with his newfound uanding of the dungeon’s system, he felt more fident in his abilities. This time, he hoped to clear the midse on his first try and move on to the final se of Level 1.

  He steeled himself, taking a deep breath as he began walking deeper into the dungeon. The air grew colder, the shadows darker, and the eerie sound of scurryi echoed through the stone corridors. He khe Ratling Sge would be waiting for him up ahead, ready to swarm him the momeepped into their ir.

  His heart raced, adrenaline c through his veins, but his mind remained focused. “Twenty of them... I just o stay calm and pick them off one by one,” he thought to himself, repeating it like a mantra.

  As he ehe midse, the atmosphere shifted. The space opened up inte, dimly lit chamber. Jagged rocks and crumbling walls lihe area, and in the distance, he saw movement—dozens of glowing red eyes staring at him from the shadows. The Ratling Sge were here, just as he expected.

  With a burst of speed, the first wave of sgers charged at him, their cws scraping against the stone floor as they closed the distance. James’ muscles tensed, and he instinctively dropped into a defeance, recalling the moves Kashem had drilled into him.

  The first Ratling lunged, but James sidestepped and grabbed its arm, using its momentum to flip it over with a smooth Judo throw. The creature hit the ground hard, dazed, and James quickly delivered a swift kick to knock it out of the fight. Another sger was already upon him, but he was ready. He ducked us wild swipe and tered with a powerful punch to its side, sending it crashing into the rocks.

  Two doween to go.

  The few minutes were a blur of motion. The Ratling Sge came at him in waves, their screeches filling the air as they tried to overwhelm him with sheer numbers. But James was faster, more precise. He dodged, parried, and tered with practiced skill, using the narrow space of the chamber to his advantage. Each throw, strike, and kick was a testament to the hours of training he had put in, both in the dojo and in the dungeon.

  Despite the chaos, he remained calm, keeping his focus sharp, the sloth vision bag him up. For every sger that lu him, he found a way to ter it, slowly whittling down their numbers. His breathing was heavy, his muscles ag, but he refused to give in. He had e too far to fail now.

  Finally, after what felt like ay, the st Ratling Sge fell to the ground, defeated. James stood amidst the scattered bodies, his chest rising and falling with each bored breath. He had do—he had cleared the midse on his first attempt.