For a brief second, Nuel doubted his prowess in the presence of the beastly creature that stood a distance away from him.
He had never fought a beast as such neither does he have his gun to take down the beast— only if it would work on the creature.
Before he could prepare himself while observing areas on the creature's body that could be its weak point, the beast; Kraelgor had started to make a move.
Taking giant leaps according to the size of its limbs, Kraelgor had a little more areas to jump to close up the distance between itself and Nuel.
Nuel on the other hand, seeing no chances of pinpointing his areas of attack on the beast also took charge at it.
"Nuel, don't!" Khaos voice broke through out of nowhere, but Nuel had already picked up his running boots.
Before he could retract his steps, Kraelgor was already a swing away from him. The beast swung its rickety arm at Nuel, whipping him in the chest with the thorns that stood out of the flesh in its skeletal arm.
With brute force, the beast's arm which it had harnessed dark magic into within a short moment flexed into a huge burger, almost mistaken for an illusion.
The thick large force suddenly slammed into Nuel's chest, sending him flying like a ragged doll through the quivering walls of the hospital.
The walls trembled, the product of its construct falling and debris loosening by the collision, clattering above him and forming a stone grave for him.
As Nuel battled to stay conscious in that moment, still sunken within the broken walls, he could faintly see Khaos stand in his stead.
With this, Nuel was suddenly at ease as the world around him faded into nothing while he resided in absolute calmness, serenity and filled with quiet as though he had become invincible.
***
This feeling that settled around Nuel was soon sucked up into a vacuum as a loud heat wave flushed through his entire being.
The feeling of being buried amidst loosened building stones had faded away and all he could process was himself lying on something not too fancy or plush, but sandy.
The sun was harsh against his skin, almost threatening to suck his soul away if need be.
Finally, Nuel opened his eyes again to the world when the heat lashed by the sun was becoming unbearable for him.
Indeed, the hospital he was in a minute ago had suddenly vanished and all that was before him was a vast desert, heavily taunted by the sun.
"What has happened?" Nuel asked the wind as he squinted his eyes.
The pain he felt moments ago had also vanished as if they had never been there. He took a quick look at his chest— the scratch from the thorns from Kraelgor's arms had also turned invisible, like it had never happened.
"Where am I?" Was the next question Nuel asked, perplexed and confused about what was suddenly happening to him.
A minute ago, he had lost consciousness in a hospital and Khaos had carried his cross for him while he fainted, and now, he was alone— in a dessert that seemed endless and a sun that would cook his entire being without mercy.
[(DING!)]
At the sound of a notification, Nuel's mind flushed back to the system update he had received minutes ago.
It wasn't an illusion after all, it was real and it was happening to him in reality. According to what he remembered, the system had named him a player and the flash quest he had received was to eliminate Kraelgor.
With one finger placed under his chin like he was critically analyzing a difficult math equation, Nuel said,
"The quest I received from the system was to defeat the dimensional monster and the punishment was abyssal Horror. Khaos had taken my place while I was knocked out, does that mean this place is an abyssal horror?"
[Player has failed to complete the flash quest]
[Player is currently bound to finish the quest in the abyssal horror]
[(Description)]
The Abyssal Horror realm is a twisted, nightmarish dimension where the player is sent to face the dimensional monsters they failed to defeat in reality. This realm is a labyrinthine expanse of dark, foreboding landscapes, eerie silences, and unrelenting terror.
[(Warning)]
Death in the Abyssal Realm is Permanent
Note that the player can die in the Abyssal Realm if they fail to protect themselves.
Death in the Abyssal Realm has real-world consequences, and the player's demise will be permanent, affecting both their in-realm existence and reality.
[Quest: Defeat dimensional monsters]
[Time limit: 1:00:00]
"Death in this realm is as good as real." Nuel said to himself, amused by the system's cruelty even though he wasn't accustomed to it yet.
"But how do I fight these creatures when they spawn without a weapon? I barely survived the attack at the hospital and now I'm forced to fight against a host of them?"
[Player can purchase weapons in the system shop]
"Really?" He marvelled.
[Affirmative!]
The system replied immediately.
"Display system shop." Nuel called.
[(System Shop: Weapons)]
[Available weapons for player's current level]
[(Melee Weapons)]
Iron Sword
- Price: 1500 Gold Coins
- Damage: +10 Attack Power
- Description: A simple, versatile sword for close combat.
Steel Dagger
- Price: 1000 Gold Coins
- Damage: +5 Attack Power
- Description: A short, lightweight dagger for quick attacks.
[(Ranged Weapons)]
Shortbow and Arrows
- Price: 150 Gold Coins
- Damage: +15 Ranged Attack Power
- Description: A basic bow and arrow set for ranged attacks.
Throwing Knives
- Price: 80 Gold Coins
- Damage: +10 Ranged Attack Power
- Description: A set of lightweight, throwable knives for quick attacks.
[(Upgrade Materials)]
Iron Ingot
- Price: 200 Gold Coins
- Description: Used to upgrade melee weapons.
Suddenly, the sun, once a burning ball of fire, dimmed to a malevolent crimson glow as the air thickened with an otherworldly energy, making it hard for Nuel to breathe.
The sand dunes turned a sickly green, like infected flesh. Oozing, pulsing tendrils snaked across the ground, as if the desert itself was alive and deceased as the Kraelgors began to emerge with malevolence.
Nuel, ready for what was coming squinted his eyes as he watched the creatures emerge.
[Is the player ready to purchase a weapon?]
"Yes." Nuel replied.