KILL MONSTERS, GROW YOUR STATS! [1]

"How the hell am I supposed to kill this thing?" Ravan muttered, cursing under his breath.

He felt a surge of anger and desperation.

The system's cold logic didn't care about his situation or his lack of resources. It wanted results.

"Fuck this," he said, gritting his teeth.

"I need a plan."

The centipede lunged at him, and Ravan barely managed to dodge its snapping jaws. His mind worked furiously.

If he could use the environment to his advantage, maybe he had a chance.

He noticed the glowing crystals around the cave, their light casting eerie shadows.

"Alright, you bastard," Ravan shouted, "let's see if you like this!"

He grabbed a loose crystal from the ground and hurled it at the centipede's face.

The creature recoiled, screeching in anger. Ravan didn't stop.

He kept grabbing crystals, throwing them with all his strength, trying to disorient the monster.

The centipede hissed and reared back, its body thrashing.

Ravan knew he couldn't keep this up forever. His strength was waning, and the pain from his earlier injuries still throbbed through his body.

[Kill the centipede to grow your stats and develop greater abilities]

The system repeated, as if taunting him.

"Shut up!" Ravan yelled at the screen, frustrated.

But then an idea struck him.

If the system wanted him to kill the centipede, maybe it had more to offer than just annoying directives.

"System," Ravan panted, trying to catch his breath.

"Do you have any abilities or skills I can use right now to fight this thing?"

There was silence and nothing but the centipede screeching.

"Guess it doesn't have something I can use," Ravan thought sweating profusely.

"I'm fucked, for the second time."

The screen flickered for a moment before displaying new information

[Temporary skill unlocked: Energy Surge]

[Used to enhance physical abilities temporarily]

[Duration: 60 seconds.]

"Ravan's eyes widened. "Energy Surge?"

"And a duration at that, is 60 seconds enough?"

"Alright, let's give this a try."

He focused on the skill, feeling a strange warmth spread through his body.

His muscles felt stronger, his senses sharper.

The centipede lunged again, and this time, Ravan met it head-on.

With newfound strength, he grabbed a sharp crystal and plunged it into the centipede's eye.

The monster screeched in pain, thrashing wildly.

"Now we're getting somewhere," Ravan muttered grinning a bit, fear still lingering in him.

He faced Death once and he wasn't going to face it again.

Ravan's heart pounded as he faced the massive centipede.

The screeches of the monster echoed through the cavern, sending shivers down his spine.

The system's screen floated before him, reminding him of the Energy Surge's remaining duration.

[Energy Surge Duration: 50 seconds]

He had to act quickly and strategically.

"If only this thing wasn't capable of seeing me. Only then can I act without it predicting my moves and course of actions," Ravan muttered to himself.

An idea flickered in his mind, and he lunged forward, targeting the centipede's eyes.

His fingers dug into one of the creature's many eyes, piercing through the tough exoskeleton.

Green blood splattered all over him, but he didn't stop.

"Perfect, seven more to go."

The centipede thrashed violently, trying to shake him off, but Ravan clung on, determined.

He repeated the attack eight more times, each strike blinding another of the centipede's eyes.

The monster's screeches grew more frantic, its movements more erratic.

Finally, it managed to shake him off, sending Ravan crashing into the cave wall.

"Ugh..."

He felt a rib break, the pain sharp and immediate.

Coughing up blood, he struggled to his feet, his vision blurring from the impact.

The centipede, now partially blind, thrashed around, unable to see its target.

Ravan noticed its massive mandibles snapping in the air.

Yet another idea struck him.

"I could just use the creature's own body against it."

He had no weapons, but the centipede's mandibles were sharp and strong enough to pierce its own exoskeleton.

With a determined cry, Ravan lunged at the centipede again, this time aiming for its mandibles.

He grabbed one of the massive appendages, using all his strength to rip it off.

"If it wasn't for [Energy Surge] I wouldn't have been able to pull it out," Ravan muttered.

The centipede screeched in pain, green blood spraying everywhere.

Ravan didn't stop.

"How does it feel, huh?"

"How does it feel to get your limbs severed and ripped off?"

"Not pleasant, is it?"

Ravan taunted the centipede with anger in his eyes thinking back to how it had feasted on him and ripped out his legs.

He yanked off the second mandible, ignoring the searing pain in his side.

Armed with the centipede's own mandibles, Ravan struck at the monster's head, aiming for its remaining eyes.

The centipede thrashed wildly, its movements growing weaker with each strike.

Green blood covered Ravan, mixing with his own, but he pressed on, driven by sheer willpower.

A/N: The monstrous Centipede illustration is in the comments. More art can be found on the discord server(Link in Bio) :)