Luck?

(A/N: As I said before, we'll be going into the third person pov from here.)

...

"VOW bro! What the hell is that?!" Skullius cried, his socket flames blazing frightfully.

[The guidance field has given you a clear description of the enemy you're facing].

"I get that, but how in the world is that thing a Level 1?!"

[I warned you about the disparity between levels. Also, it is a full Tier above you. You might want to run with your...death].

As soon as VOW finished speaking, the ground trembled. The boar was galloping towards Skullius as soon as it emerged from the line of trees. Fury was livid in its eyes, and white mana was converging around it.

"Flesh me! This is so not fair! Now I really wish that I had cultivated [Boneman of Steel]. [Mana Sense] is only helping me see how stupidly I will meet my doom!" Skullius cried and he lifted himself with his remaining arm and took to his bony heels.

The boar followed after him, accelerating at a rapid pace. It was so driven that its hooves scraped away great chunks of the grass and dirt.

It was a shame that no one was there to witness the comical chase. Or perhaps there were those who would be reading about this - somewhere far and less fantastical - shaking their heads at the image. Who knew?

The plus side of having infinite endurance was that an individual would have the ability to keep running forever.

The downside was that if that infinite endurance was paired with a trashful race like the Lesser Moronic Undead, there would be no increase in pace.

Translation, Skullius was slow as flesh!

As the boar approached, reaching within five meters of him, he panicked.

"VOW bro! Help me!" he pleaded.

[As I said before, I cannot intervene any more with your destiny. I have already granted you many chances to survive].

"Come on! Then why are you still here?!"

[Er... I'm only allowed to stay here until you...Uhm... the promotional package has been unlocked and used].

"Promotional package? You mean the Lifeless Evolution ski—"

HUMPH! HUMPH! HUMPH!

"Oh, by Somanda's beard!"

The boar bellowed nastily. It prepared to unleash another attack on his pelvis.

Skullius immediately dived to the side, narrowly avoiding the charge. A tree took Skullius' place. The boar's tusks turned it into chips before the energy radiating from it set them ablaze.

Skullius' mouth went agape.

He instantly dashed away, appreciating the headstart he got while the boar was shaking its head and refocusing its vision on the enemy.

The game of cat and mouse continued with the boar getting increasingly agitated and Skullius getting increasingly frightened.

To stall his doom, he dodged the boar's charge at the precise moment when it activated whatever the socket it planned to use to end him.

After almost thirty minutes, the boar was starting to feel exhausted, much to Skullius' glee.

"Great! I managed to survive long enough until it tired itself out! Now all I have to do is—"

VUUUUMM!

Skullius felt a chill climb up his spine. A large influx of mana was gathering into a single position behind him; it forced him to turn sharply. 

What was it now?

Skullius saw the boar's body glowing in a bright red hue. It was activating a powerful skill!

"Oh, my Lich! What the hell is it doing now?!" Skullius screamed. The boar glared at him with bloodshot eyes.

[Please refer to the Invasive Status of the Boar].

"UGHH!"

Skullius frustratedly followed the advice. The guidance field sprang forth in front of him and more information about the damn hairy thing was revealed.

~~~

[ Invasive Status ]

Currently cooking up the skill 'Dead End'.... to end you. Get it?

~~~~

"Bro! Is that really necessary?!" Skullius almost wanted to stop and kowtow to the boar in hopes of reaching some contrived happy ending.

As he anticipated the worst to come, the light from the boar suddenly died down and it screeched to a halt.

Skullius was dumbfounded.

What? Why did it stop?

The boar started backpedaling, its gaze warily pinned ahead - beyond Skullius' figure.

The Moron in Bone also turned to where it was looking and saw a view that he had missed as a result of the chase.

There was an abrupt transition from the green grass to a golden shade that plastered itself on all life.

Trees, grass, and even some patches of the ground had this golden shade.

The sky remained ever blue above, but Skullius sensed the mana turn denser from here onwards. Something was different here.

There was something amiss. The golden shade spelled some tragic disaster.

...And Skullius had already stepped into this golden land.

[Your luck truly is atrocious].

"What was that?"

[Nothing].

Skullius felt a sense of foreboding as he looked at the image before him. What could be waiting for him ahead?

Was it wise to trudge on?

He turned and took a step back, heading back to the greenery of the forest.

As soon as he did, the boar also took a step forward in his direction, its body beginning to flare in red.

Skullius took two steps back into the gold and watched the boar take a step back as well, away from him.

He repeated his previous action, taking a step forward towards the boar and it did the same again.

"Flesh! This sockethole isn't going to give up! Why do you hate Undead so much?! I mean, I hate your lively guts too, but... can't we just talk about this?!"

The boar gave him no response other than a grunt as it released a burst of hot air.

Skullius turned and faced the golden path ahead and began to walk forward.

He had no choice. He'd rather perish to whatever was beyond than the boar. It wasn't an intelligent choice, of course.

[Atrocious].

"What was that?"

[Nothing... ].

Skullius grew increasingly wary of the road ahead. He turned again and saw the boar huffing as it glared at him. But it did not approach.

Well, that was good. For now.

He walked ahead, passing the golden-leaved trees that sandwiched his path.

Strangely, the further in he walked, the more he realized that the pathway ahead grew wider, as though welcoming him.

"Maybe... it's not that bad?" He tried to comfort himself.

On either side, only these few rows of trees could be seen - nothing else. The rest was a shallow, repelling darkness.

Skullius gulped in air as he continued ahead.

"VOW bro.. what is this place?" he asked.

[Sigh...].

"What is it?"

[.....].

"What? Now you won't even answer me?!"

Soon after, Skullius heard the voice of VOW announcing as a notification from the guidance field.

[Congratulations! You have royally screwed yourself by entering a Higher Tier Beast's 'Majestic Territory']

[You are now under 'Gargantuan's Scrutiny'. You are practically naked before the Great Mane Mountain Ape]

[You are now under 'King's Gaze'. All your skills and stats have been reduced by 90%. Hahahahahahaha. What stats?]

[You are now under 'King's Court'. Depending on what you say or do, you may walk away a free skeleton, or alternatively, your existence will end with a single word]

Skullius felt a tremendous force descend and almost trample him into a bone paste. A severe sense of weakness as well as a scorching sensation made his bony body start to sizzle.

This was not good.

From the surroundings, creatures that looked like dragonflies with bright blue butterfly wings appeared and began flying around him. At their ends, a bright yellow light flickered from time to time as they circled around Skullius.

A distance ahead, it was as if space distorted, changing from the view of a cluster of golden trees, and taking on the shape of a massive figure that sat on a similarly massive archaic-looking stone throne.

Skullius gazed at this figure and his mana core yelped like a frail little girl.

"Uhmmm....." Skullius mumbled as he cursed his luck...which was indeed atrocious!