Level 1. The Intense Arena Battle (25)

As the huge beast charged towards me, the ground shook beneath my feet. The sound of his paws echoed in my ears, and I could feel the adrenaline pumping through my veins. Bending down, I patiently waited for the right moment to pounce. Pushing off with all four limbs from the ground, I rushed forward with the intention of tearing the tendons on his legs.

But the beast was quicker than I had anticipated. In a split second, he reacted and delivered a powerful kick to my stomach, knocking the wind out of me. I felt my ribs crunch and needle-like bones pierce my flesh. I spat out a mouthful of blood.

Because of the impact, I flew into another part of the cage. During the forced flight, I noticed a bright yellow glow on the ceiling of the cage, highlighting numbers and letters.

The audience outside cheered and shouted, adding to the already intense atmosphere.

The beast roared.

I landed with a loud thud, my whole wounded body ached unbearably.

The system's voice echoed in my head as I tried to stand up.

[Participants 137 was wounded by the opponent and lost 18 health points. Remaining quantities - 72%]

I took a deep breath and surveyed my opponent. The beast's thick hide was covered in overlapping scars, a testament to his experience in the arena.

When I looked down at my own injuries, I saw broken needle-like bones on my stomach and a dent on my side. I could feel my internal organs digging into my broken ribs.

However, the thick drops of purple blood flowing from his palms, which protected the affected paw, testified that my attack was not in vain.

Summoning all my remaining strength, I flapped my wings and sent a hail of thorn-like bones at the beast. The bones separated from the tip of my tail and flew rapidly towards my opponent. The monkey covered his head with his hands to protect himself, but the bones were weaker than I expected, they got stuck in the skin or broke on impact.

Realizing its defensive potential, the beast growled. I could feel my frustration mounting as the beast rushed towards me, its hands poised for another strike.

Determined not to give up, I tore the protective bone from my knee with a sickening crunch and used it to strike back at the beast.

Flapping my wings, I rose almost to the level of his chest when I felt an unprecedented threat from above. Raising my head, I saw his clenched palms just a meter away from me, ready to attack.

Grinning ferociously, I clenched my fangs and drove the bone into his wrist, causing him to howl in pain. Taking advantage of the opportunity, I climbed onto his arm in one quick movement, and then rushed to his face.

The beast was taken aback, causing it to throw me into the air. As I flew through the air, I quickly ripped out the needle-bones protruding from my elbows with both hands and hurled them towards the beast's open eyes. The bones hit their target, lodging themselves in the beast's eyes, causing it to let out a deafening roar.

Disoriented, the beast began to blindly flail its arms, while I landed a few tens of meters away from it. Panting heavily, I checked my stats:

[Endurance: 65%]

[Health: 69%]

"If only I had at least some kind of weapon," I thought to myself.

I rushed to the beast's muzzle, determined to finish it off quickly. However, the beast's resilience surprised me. With its bloody face and grinning mouth, it relentlessly attacked me, trying to sink its fangs into my flesh or break my wings with its paws.

With a bitter grimace, I thrust my hand into the beast's eye socket, my fingers sinking into its flesh as I searched for its brain. I felt my knuckles scraping against its skull, and the creature roared in pain, thrashing its head wildly to dislodge me. I gritted my teeth and dug deeper, my fingers sliding through layers of muscle and tissue until I finally felt the firmness of the brain beneath my grasp.

The stench of blood and gore filled my nostrils, and bile rose in my throat, threatening to spill out. But I fought the urge to vomit and tightened my grip, pulling the purple, pulsating mass out of the beast's head.

But before I could pull my hand out, the beast's paw struck me, sending me flying towards the bars of the cage with incredible force. The impact was so intense that I heard the bars of the cage bend with a loud bang.

As I hurtled towards the ground, my heart was beating wildly in my chest. The air rushing past my ears made it difficult to hear anything else. The ground approached at an alarming speed, and as I made impact, the force of the fall jolted my entire body. Pain shot up my legs and into my spine, causing me to cry out in agony. I rolled several times, my body scraping painfully against the rough surface of the ground before coming to a stop several meters away from the fallen beast.

Lying there on the ground, I watched as the creature's convulsions slowly subsided, and its body became still and lifeless. The silence was almost deafening, broken only by the sound of my own ragged breathing and the distant roar of the crowd. The air was thick with the smell of blood and sweat, and I could feel my own heart pounding wildly in my chest, both from the exertion of the fight and the relief of having emerged victorious.

As I checked my stats again, I saw that my endurance and health had taken a considerable hit:

[Endurance: 44%]

[Health: 45%]

[Participant 137 emerged victorious and was granted the elixir of the Second Breath as a reward. This elixir has the ability to trigger a Berserk mode that can swiftly replenish all health and stamina points, while also tripling the user's strength. It seems that luck is on your side!]

I didn't have time to react to the reward I received, as the system announced:

[An inventory is being created where you can store System rewards and use them at any time. Some rewards are for one-time use, while others can be used until they completely run out due to external factors .]

A rectangular box appeared in front of my eyes, divided into ten squares. In the first square there was a blue bottle with the inscription "Second Wind." I was pleasantly surprised, but at the same time, many questions appeared in my head.

[Berserk mode is a distinctive feature of critters from the lower empire. This method is the last option for survival for creatures and animals, as well as some species of races living under the seas. But there is a huge nuance - after the berserker mode, all vital processes in the body of creatures can slow down by almost 75%, which makes them noticeably weaker. However, the Second Wind, the elixir of the system, eliminates all possible risks. Only the actions of this elixir are limited to 15 minutes, after which all indicators will return to normal.]

I clicked my tongue, shrugged my shoulders, and thought, "Still better than nothing. This battle has exhausted me completely, although the system says that I still have at least half of my stamina. But I feel incredibly sleepy and tired."

The announcer's voice boomed from all directions, "Did you see that? How ferocious is this mutant? How quickly did he defeat someone who is many times stronger than him? Let's give him a loud round of applause!" The audience started shouting something, but I was unable to grasp the meaning.

Opening my wings, I waited for the next fight when I saw the body of a huge beast disappear into the black portal from which a dark aura emanated, making me shiver. I did not want to know where this portal leads, but the kind system responded in my head,

[Creatures that die on the battlefield always turn into food for carnivorous plants. The exception is creatures of rare species, which the arena guards sell to alchemists or scientists. The strongest survive, and the weak die.]

My side was slightly sore, but regeneration was taking its course. Some of the needle-bones on my shoulders and back had broken off and were lying on the iron floor. The purple liquid colored half of the field, while the timer on the ceiling burned red.

Stretching my arms and neck, I looked at the portal appearing.

The darkness of the portal swirled, and a shadow of a creature flew out of it.

I didn't have much time to react.

With an afterimage, a creature with a narrow skull appeared in front of me, without eyes and a mouth, as it seemed at first glance. Dodging at the last moment, I stopped two meters from the original stand. I was touched by the sharp tentacles of the enemy, made of some kind of fog, but they did not cause any discomfort.

The announcer's voice boomed across the Arena, his words laced with excitement and fervent admiration for the fighters.

"Behold, ladies and gentlemen, the sheer power and skill of these formidable fighters! They have battled their way through countless opponents, proving themselves to be the true champions of this arena. And now, with another unknown creature at play, the stakes have never been higher!"

The crowd erupted into cheers and applause, their eyes fixed intently on the action unfolding before them.

"Truly, these creatures from the Forbidden Land are a sight to behold. Their movements are swift and deadly, their bodies infused with the most genuine filth. It is no wonder they have claimed so many victories in this arena. But can they triumph once again, against such fierce opponents?"

Meanwhile, the enemy attacked with renewed vigor, forcing me to rely on my wings instead of my shield.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the system display the damage in red letters.

[Participant 137 is attacked by an enemy. Damage: -7 health points.]

My wings were repeatedly torn apart, until they were nothing more than scraps of flesh and bone that hung limply on my sides.

Pain seared through my eyes.

That's when I felt a blow land under my ribs.

[Participant 137 is attacked by an enemy. Damage: -10 health points.]

Soon, I was pinned against the bars, barely able to fight back.

My hands were covered in my own blood.

No matter how many times I struck, my attacks only met air, never hitting the opponent.

"What the hell is this?!"

[Participant 137 is attacked by an enemy. Damage: -5 health points.]

[Participant 137is attacked by an enemy, the damage is - 4 health points.]

Damn.

I tried to dodge, but the opponent was too fast. I managed to reduce the damage, but I couldn't to land a hit.

Finally, I reached a spacious area in the middle of the field and came up with a plan.

But just as I was about to strike, my opponent landed a blow below the belt that left me gasping for air. Quickly regaining my composure, I retaliated, scratching its belly and hitting its residual shadow with my tail.

[Participant 137 is attacked by an enemy, the damage is - 8.]

As I reeled from the previous hit, the critter landed another blow on my chin, sending me flying through the air.

[Participant 137 is attacked by an enemy, the damage is - 5.]

[Red zone. Red zone. Participant 137 is advised to take the System Potion. The remaining health points are 10.]

[Red zone. Red zone. Participant 137 is advised to take the System Potion. The remaining health points are 10.]

[- 4.]

The critter didn't give me a chance to recover, attacking me again with its dark paw. I grit my teeth as the needle-bones on my tail fly out, and i ordered the system to give me the Potion.

[Give me the Potion, your f...]

The needle bones seemed to dispel the fog for a few moments.

As I drank the Potion, I watched in amazement as my body began to undergo a transformation. My bones lengthened and thickened, stretching out into powerful muscles that were soon covered in a layer of whitish skin. Sharp, needle-like bones sprouted out of my back and stomach, adding to my newfound strength.

With a deep breath, I released my claws, feeling the raw power coursing through my veins. Every fiber of my being pulsed with energy, and I knew that I was ready to take on whatever challenges lay ahead.

"And just like that, White Shadow has turned the tables on the Fog! Look at those claws! What a transformation!" the announcer's voice boomed through the arena, his excitement was transmitted to the audience, deafening the cage with loud cries of support.

[Participant 137 has triggered the Berserk Mode! The countdown has started - 14 minutes and 59 seconds until the end of the potion.]