The Animagus: From Hunter to Monster-Chapter 67: Simple Approach

Buji still lay on the ground, his body motionless. His mind clouded with thoughts of his failure. At the verge of success, he had failed.

The Lycan’s claws gleams ominously under the dim lit of the dungeon, poised to deliver its final attack. Whether the attack will come as a fatal one or not, it was surely going to end Buji’s life. Each second felt like an eternity at the thought. Buji tried to brace himself for the inevitable.

But, Buji was taken by surprise by the sound.

The sound faded in his ears as he slid his eyes open.

"What? How?"

As the Lycan’s claws began it’s decent, Buji had heard a sharp, piercing sound. But he wasn’t sure what it was. He just wanted to close his eyes until everything was over.

But, "shiiinnng!"

The sound was unmistakable. The sound of the blade, slicing through the air.

His eyes fluttered open. Confusing, mingled with disbelief could be seen clearly in his eyes. The Lycan groaned in pain, and staggered away from where Buji lay.

It twisted it’s massive body awkwardly, trying to console the pain that keeps making it uncomfortable.

"HOW THE FUCK DID IT GET THERE?!"

Buji’s Aetherfang protruded from its back, directed correctly into the creature’s core. The blade of the Aetherfang shimmered with a faint golden light.

"Still...what?" Buji whispered weakly, struggling to sit up.

He didn’t know if he should be happy that he was saved. He is alive, really. But he still felt he should have died.

Someone, he thought that his death might bring him another luck. Or doom, either way, which he wasn’t ready to face first. So, now he had the opportunity to still live, he was going to make use of it.

His vision was still hazy, his body still struggled and trembled with exhaustion as he tried to get up. He hadn’t thrown the blade, so...so, how has it struck the Alpha?

"Slow to death, huh," Buji murmured while his stare was focused on any of them.

It thrashed wildly, trying to dislodge the blade. But, Aetherfang seemed buried deep, with its pulsating energy drawing his attention. The once unstoppable beast had finally faltered, and it was making too sluggish moves.

Somehow, Buji’s attention was drawn to the magic staff, still firmly planted in the ground. Its orb was flowing faintly. The realization dawned on him.

The realization that since the orb had glowed, it meant it acted autonomously. It must have sensed it wielder’s desperation and guided the Aetherfang to strike the Lycan. And it really struck it at the correct place—its core.

"Woohoo!" Buji muttered, forcing a weak grin to appear, and pushing himself through the struggle to stand to his feet. His legs felt like jelly as he stood up.

It wasn’t time for any form of collapse, so, he had to get through the exhaustion and pain that washed over him Since he had succeeded in being alive, he needed to complete other tasks before the time was over

He carried his legs to where the staff was planted, and pulled it out. "You are one hell of a tool," Buji said, caressing the top part of the staff before using it for his next action.

He aimed the orb at the Lycan’s body, and for the second time, the staff controlled his sword. It pulled Aetherfang through, into Buji’s hands and finally, flickered before going out.

As the sword flew out from the back of the Lycan, it let out a painful, guttural glow before collapsing to the ground.

<Ding!>

[You have slain the Alpha Lycan: Thorax!]

[EXP: +600]

[Level Up!!]

[Level Up!!]

[Level Attained: 65]

’Congrats, Buji.’

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[HP: 1,200/2,000]

Buji dropped to his knees, his chest heaving. The dungeon was silence once more, except for the sobs from the boy who knelt on the floor.

’Do you know what pain I could have felt if I started all over gaining?’

He glanced up at the system’s screen hovering in his front to note his fonts.

"That... was intense,* he muttered, faking a tired smile to spread across his face. "But, I did it."

[New Skill Unlocked: Lycan’s Fury]

Buji smiled weakly but still pushed the system’s screen out. He was likely not in a good mood.

[>>>>>>>>!]

"Start going , no time."

His timer notification just popped up moments later to warn him that he should try all he could to ensure completion of the quest.

He brought out a foot in a step forward manner, and something happened afterwards. Something overwhelming enough. The feeling that something even more dangerous was coming, creeped in immediately.

The whole environmet began to change.

"What now...?" Buji whispered, his voice trembling as he gripped Aetherfang tightly in one hand and his staff in the other.

His environment, and the space around him solidified into a nightmarish domain, the kind that only something so powerful can be able to conjure.

"Is this a result of Thorax’s death?" Buji thought. "Is it this powerful that even at its death, it can conjure such domain."

But the system had clearly informed him that he stained the Lycan. Which meant that, it wasn’t the dead Lycan, it was something else. Something so powerful.

He glanced on the ground. The ground beneath his feet was no longer stone, but a fleshy, pulsating surface. The walls of the domain stretched endlessly, shining with the bright color of yellow-like fluid, plastered all over.

Above him, a swirling vortex of blood-red clouds churned, crackling with streaks of golden lightening that illuminated the dark open space in fleeting bursts.

Buji remained frozen. His eyes rapidly darting around the environment of this nightmarish domain. He will just have to meet his end. Limited time, yet, fiery somethings to overcome.

In the center of this hellish space stood a figure, or a statue—what Buji could only describe as a shadow given monstrous form. It produced a massive silhouette, that even dwarfed the Alpha Lycan he had just slain. In between the body of the monstrous figure, was a lock. A circular lock that was engraved right at the stomach position.

That was not all Buji could observe. The figure has eyes made of two burning orbs of violet flame. It just exudes a suffocating aura. An aura that threatened to crush Buji’s will to continue.

Before he could make any more moves, the screen flickered to his sight.

[Retrieve the Emberheart Core!]

This content is taken from freёnovelkiss.com.

[00:09:15! Counting down!]

"Huh!" Buji gawped with eyes widened. For the system to appear at this moment, it meant the core should be somewhere located in this domain. But where?

His eyes searched the whole space. He didn’t think there was a doorway for leaving, or any pathway. He was good as trapped in an enclosed container that has neither an entrance or exit.

But...

This figure standing right in front... The statue.

Buji’s eyes flickered with hope. ’And, that circular engravement in its body must be the lock,’ he thought.

Without thinking twice, he rushed to the figure and was about to touch the lock when he got pulled back by this air that came with a strong force.

"What was that just now?"

[The Player has used the wrong approach!]

[Bing! One trial left...!]

Buji’s breath quickened as he regained his balance, and managed to take a step forward. His knees were threatening—threatening to buckle under the immense pressure.

He glanced at the system’s screen, hoping to get more information. To get guidance. But, it flickered erratically, with its tezt distorting before going off.

He was either in fear at the moment, or in his dilemma to complete the quest within the shortest period of time. He was almost there and shouldn’t give a fuck. He shouldn’t turn foolish at the last point of this crucial event.

He looked around him, the domain seemed to be mocking his desperation as they shifter and changed around him. The walls closed in one moment, only to stretch outward the next, making any attempt to navigate almost impossible.

Buji was indeed desperate at the moment, but he seemed to have realized what way he needed to approach the figure.

Concentration...

Judging from how the domain walls and its own environment acted towards the emotions of a person, it only meant there were all factors geared at distracting the soul present. The fact was very simple, but would even be rare to find any intelligent being to understand this.

Just like while counter attacking where one uses the attack of the opponent against him, you need to use the atmosphere of this domain. If it was noisy, then you need concentration. In the same vain, if it was calm, you had to be a bit noisy. That way, you have passed through.

And that was just that helpful fact.

Buji didn’t know he has reached closer to the figure and has even placed his hands on the lock. He was only shocked when he noticed a glowing purple light orb.

"Purple!"

Then, the system’s notification appeared with its time limit screen.

[00:00:59! Remaining.]