A Game of Inches

As the already poor light got dimmer, the armor started emitting a strong aura. It was time for Derrick to engage its exoskeleton ability.

He knew it would buy a bit of time, but he still had to act fast, or his precious opportunity would be wasted.

In a split second, he used the space created by the armor to place his sword between the palates of the monster. It didn't immediately feel it at first, and thus continued closing its jaws.

Barely a second later and the sword finally drew blood, with it splattering everywhere.

When it felt the excruciating pain, the beast let out a wild and savage roar. Its black eyes had now a crimson taint, and they were filled with rage.

It had never expected that a weak and pathetic human would try to make it yield. It had survived hundreds of years, and it was certain it wouldn't fall here.

Not if it had anything to say about it.

The creature started tumbling and violently shaking its head, making Derrick bounce around in its mouth. The scene was almost comedic.

While being thrown around like a rag doll, Derrick was also doing his best to avoid the poisonous tongue. He didn't have the antidote, meaning that if he was scratched in the slightest, he'd probably die.

Fortunately, the sword's damage had caused the monster to open its mouth a bit wider, leaving a tiny gap between the razor-sharp teeth. It was a chance that Derrick would seize with all his might.

After crashing on the opposite side and barely stabilizing himself, he gathered strength in his legs and launched forward.

At that moment, he transformed into a human missile.

On his way out, he did the best he could to avoid the poisonous tongue while grabbing his sword.

As soon he dislodged it, he started madly slashing in all directions, severely injuring the rest of the creature's mouth.

It instantly let out another ear-piercing shriek and opened its mouth even wider, allowing Derrick to slip through and roll on the ground. He was covered in large bruises and cuts, with blood streaming down his body.

A thick layer of saliva was mixed with it, and a foul smell permeated the air. His armor suddenly crumbled and fell to the ground, its usage finally over.

[WARNING! WARNING! WARNING!]

[You have been slightly poisoned! If the exposure gets any higher, the Hosts' body will not be able to cleanse itself, resulting in the Host's death]

[Your stats are temporarily decreased!]

The prompt was loud and flashed through Derricks' mind like fireworks.

"Tsk... I wasn't even able to avoid it while being this careful, eh..."

He had to finish this fight fast. The creature kept crazily howling and shaking its head, with its black blood flying everywhere.

After a few seconds, its gaze came back onto Derrick, and he immediately felt an enormous pressure that almost brought him to his knees. The amount of hatred targeting him was simply overwhelming. He had pissed it off real good this time.

That's when a monstrous laughter suddenly erupted.

''HAHAHAHA... You ugly reptile! You thought you could kill me, your father?! YOU'RE TOO WEAK, BITCH!!!''

In the few months leading up to this, Derrick had also learned that improvisation was key. The type he liked the most was provocation, because it often created opportunities from thin air.

Right now, he went with insults and tried taking a domineering posture to amplify them. It was time to see if it had any sort of intelligence.

The monster couldn't understand a word of what was said, but it definitely grasped the overall meaning. It was injured by that weak bug, and that same bug was now taunting it?!

Unforgivable!

It didn't wait another second before charging with all its might, causing the ground to wildly shake under its weight.

Derricks' eyes were shining with excitement.

Since he had already found the creatures' weak point during the fight, it was finally time to end this.

They came face to face in an instant and the monster tried ramming Derrick with its head because of the state of its mouth.

Still, this was more than enough to kill him, and without armor, Derrick couldn't fail, or his body would turn into a fine mist.

At the very last moment, he dove underneath the monster while narrowly avoiding the impact.

While sliding on the ground, he raised his sword and jammed it through the soft belly above.

Their opposite momentum continued until they were 50 meters apart.

The Komodoensis had stopped moving, and so had Derrick. Dark blood dripped from his sword, slowly forming a small puddle on the ground.

*SPLASH*

The entrails of the beast suddenly left its body, brought down by gravity.

Luckily for Derrick, the massive incision had been deep enough.

The beast still refused to collapse for a few seconds as its hatred fueled its last few breaths.

It had Derrick's admiration, as that sort of resolve was rare.

After a low and miserable howl, it finally collapsed in a loud thump. He had won, but there was no time to celebrate. He had to quickly address the poison in his body, or he would suffer consequences that might be permanent.

The necromancer ran to the corpse and heard an announcement.

[Would you like to make a <Contract > with the Viper Varanus Komodoensis?]

He was delighted beyond belief. He had hoped to upgrade his <Contract > skills, but it never happened, forcing him to save his last one. It was time to reap the benefits.

''Yes''

The ground started rumbling, and dark plasma started seeping out, rapidly gathering together.

The air got heavier and heavier, almost to the point of making it unbearable. The process was clearly different from Io's, and Derrick became cautious.

Low howls and cries could also be heard, sending ice through his veins.

The dark plasma then turned into a sort of black goo, and it started floating in the air whilst forming the new body.

Everything could be seen being 'built', from the cells to the bones to the organs. He had to say it was quite the gruesome sight.

When it ended, the new Viper Varanus Komodoensis was 10% bigger than its past self, and its previously black eyes were shining like rubies. Its shadowy figure was as beautiful as it was terrifying.

Derrick had a feeling that it would be an invaluable partner in the future.

That was until the red eyes suddenly turned to Derrick.

''I never thought you could kill me, Human!''

When he heard the voice, his heartbeat skipped, and he darted backwards, brandishing his sword forward once more.

The fear he felt was simply indescribable. How could it talk?!

''Who are you?! Explain yourself!!!''