Chapter 0045.75

When Ishida opened his eyes, the darkness slowly disappeared, and he was kind of amazed by what he saw.

He expected to see a forest, just like always, but this time, it was something totally different. It was his first time seeing a city spread out before him. Ishida had never been to a city before. When he was a kid, he once asked his dad to take him to Tokyo, but his dad said no and promised they'd go later.

Unfortunately, his dad passed away, and after that, Ishida never even thought about going to Tokyo.

However, the city he was looking at didn't feel like Tokyo to him at all, even though he'd never actually been there.

The streets were totally deserted, and the whole area was wrapped in deep darkness. There wasn't a single spot of light anywhere, as far as Ishida could see.

"Where am I?" he wondered out loud. He kind of hoped for an answer from the system, but nothing came. Not wanting to just stand there doing nothing, he decided to walk a bit further. As he moved forward, he started to notice something familiar—the presence of demons was all around him.

"Of course, what else could it be but demons?" he thought to himself, realizing what he was sensing.

And he was right; no matter where the system dropped him, there was always just one job for him—taking down those nasty demons.

As he glanced around, taking small steps, a notification flashed in front of him:

[Defeat Enemies: 0/20]

[Remaining Time: 00:08:00]

"8 minutes? The system's even giving me a time limit to take them down?" Ishida thought with a slight smile. "I guess that makes it more interesting, something new to look forward to, even if it's still too easy."

[Time Begins Now...]

With that announcement on the screen, Ishida's first task kicked off, and the timer started ticking away.

"Alright, let's get started," Ishida murmured, standing firm as he slowly drew his sword from its sheath. His eyes sharpened as he sensed the first demon sneaking up from behind.

In one smooth motion, he turned slightly and, with a single slash, beheaded the demon before it could even get close.

[Level: 13] {of the demon}

"What...!?"

The demon didn't even manage to reach Ishida before realizing its head had been severed by the warrior in front of it. As usual, its body collapsed to the ground and slowly disappeared.

[Enemies Defeated: 1/20]

[Remaining Time: 00:07:51]

"9 seconds? Not sure if that's fast enough!"

Just 9 seconds—that's all it took for Ishida to take down the demon. It happened so quickly that the demon hadn't even realized it was defeated until a second before its demise.

Ishida took a deep breath, feeling the adrenaline rush through him. The city was still eerily quiet, with only the soft glint of his sword catching the moonlight. He knew more demons would show up soon, drawn to him like moths to a flame.

The second demon was hard to see against the shadows, but Ishida's instincts were sharp. He dashed forward with smooth, precise movements. With a swift swing of his sword, the demon met the same fate as the first—its head cleanly severed, and its body dissolving into the night.

[Enemies Defeated: 2/20]

[Remaining Time: 00:07:44]

"Two down," he muttered, feeling that familiar thrill of battle.

The next wave came in threes, their dark shapes looming ominously. Ishida's focus narrowed, his mind quickly calculating their positions and movements. He lunged at the closest one, his blade cutting effortlessly through its body. Without a pause, he spun to face the second, blocking its claw attack and countering with a precise upward slash.

The third tried to sneak up on him, but Ishida was ready. He pivoted, delivering a powerful strike that sliced through the demon's middle.

[Enemies Defeated: 5/20]

[Remaining Time: 00:07:32]

With each victory, Ishida's confidence grew, the rhythm of battle becoming a familiar dance. More demons emerged from the shadows, but Ishida felt no fear. Instead, he embraced the challenge, his heart racing with the excitement of the fight.

He leaped into action, his sword a blur as he took down two more demons in quick succession. Their roars echoed in the night, but they fell just as quickly as they appeared.

[Enemies Defeated: 7/20]

[Remaining Time: 00:07:21]

Time was running out, but Ishida's determination only grew stronger. He charged forward, his body moving instinctively as he cut down the demons with precision and grace. Each strike was deliberate, each movement calculated, like he was conducting a deadly symphony.

[Enemies Defeated: 12/20]

[Remaining Time: 00:07:05]

Breathing heavily but undeterred, Ishida pushed on. The remaining demons seemed to hesitate, sensing their doom. But it was too late for them; Ishida was unstoppable. He took out the next four with a series of rapid, accurate strikes, his blade singing through the air.

[Enemies Defeated: 16/20]

[Remaining Time: 00:06:48]

The last four demons charged as a final desperate attempt. Ishida faced them with steady determination. He rushed forward, his sword carving a path through the darkness. One by one, the demons fell, unable to withstand his onslaught.

[Enemies Defeated: 20/20]

[Remaining Time: 00:06:26]

The city became silent once more, the heavy darkness lifting slightly as if acknowledging his victory. Ishida sheathed his sword, feeling the weight of the battle fade away. A notification appeared, acknowledging his achievement.

[Task Completed]

[Experience Gained: 1,500]

Ishida grinned as he looked at the screen, thinking, "I expected this to be tougher." Then he reminded himself, "I bet this was just a warm-up. Still, I'll happily take those 1,500 experience points." He was waiting for the next set of instructions from the system.

Soon, a message popped up:

[Next Destination marked]

Ishida was confused at first, not understanding what it meant. But when he looked up, it all made sense. Right in front of him stood a massive seven-story building, the tallest among all out there, and he noticed a small arrow-shaped marker above it, indicating that this was where he needed to go next. Just then, another screen appeared:

[Reach the destination within the given time]

[Remaining Time: 00:09:00]

Ishida chuckled softly and thought, "So, there's another task? I doubt it'll be just a simple stroll over there, right?" He answered his own question with a confident, "Nope."