Running from a beast

The rewards from the system this time were plentiful, more than he'd ever seen. Jack's heart skipped with excitement as he opened his character stats, a grin spreading across his face.

[EXP: 3001/4000]

[Level: 3]

[Strength: 10]

[Stamina: 10]

[Agility: 10]

[Intelligence: 30]

[Perception: 15]

[Bonus Points: +10]

An instant level-up had brought him to level three, and his experience points climbed further, ticking tantalizingly toward the next milestone.

"My intelligence stat went up... must be from all the knowledge I've picked up along the way." He rubbed his chin thoughtfully, satisfaction filling him. "A long, hard run, but it came with some amazing rewards." He sighed, his relief deepening—and then froze as a low, guttural growl rumbled from behind him.

Not again.

Jack's body tensed as a ripple of dread passed through him, his fingers twitching ready to cast a spell. His scrolled through his spell tabs as his mind scrambling for options. He slowly turned, each movement cautious. That growl wasn't coming from any small creature.

As he took in the monstrous form behind him, Jack swallowed hard. Fully engrossed in the chase after the Drakorath, he'd forgotten his promise to tread carefully here. He cursed himself bitterly; of course he'd gone and attracted something fierce.

And the beast before him was no ordinary predator. Its dark, glistening form stood poised, three heads towering above him, each set of eyes gleaming red with an insatiable hunger.

[Magomon Trion: King of the Land!]

[Level: 15]

[Description: A three-headed beast... a companion to the land and a friend to the wind.]

The system's ping made his heart plummet further.

'Level 15!' Jack's mind reeled. 'That thing is twelve freaking levels higher than me!!'

The next notification was worse.

[Defeat the Beast!]

[Reward: +50 Soul Essence, +20 Moonlight Stones, +100 Experience Points!]

'Fight this thing? Not a chance'. His survival instincts flared, and he knew exactly what to do, it was the same thing a thief would do when he was about to get caught.

He bolted, his body reacting faster than his mind.

Now he could clearly understand the game the system seemed to be playing.

'The rewards are higher the more difficult the mission is!' Jack figured.

But he couldn't shove off the thought as to how or why the system passed him the bronze key with seemingly no effort at all!

But thinking on this was definitely not something he had the chance todo at the moment, he was more focused on escaping the deadly monster.

[Bonus Points Have Been Used Successfully!]

[Agility: 10 +10]

It was a tempting reward, but he valued his life more than any reward.

Jack's feet barely seemed to touch the ground as he dashed away, adrenaline surging through him like fire. Branches whipped at his face as he tore through the dense underbrush, his lungs burning as he pressed forward with every ounce of speed he could muster.

Behind him, the Magomon Trion thundered after him, each leap closing the distance with alarming ease. The beast was aptly named—the companion of the land, the friend to the wind. Jack's mind raced as he remembered the vague system description.

'How's something like that meant to help me?!' he cursed at the cryptic message. Why did it have to speak in riddles?

But just as he risked a glance over his shoulder, the words echoed in his mind: 'friend to the wind'

The beast was frighteningly fast, it was practically upon him, its massive form barreling closer. It had a deep dark fur, its six glowing eyes fixed on him, and a long, dripping tongue that flicked out hungrily as it savored the thought of its next meal.

Jack's eyes went wide. Curse his curiosity—if he hadn't turned back, he wouldn't have to witness that awful tongue stretching toward him. His legs pumped furiously, muscles straining as he forced himself to move even faster.

It barely took moments ans he could already feel the tongue rubbing against the back of head, like a dog. It instinctively made all the hairs in his body to stand tall.

Just then, as though enjoying his suffering and wanting to taunt him. The system decided to worsen his situation.

[Tiredness: +10]

The red warning blinked, and the numbers were left climbing with every passing second.

[Tiredness: +40, +50]

'Is this some kind of punishment, what the hell is this?!' Jack didn't need the system to tell him he was exhausting himself. His breaths were shallow and desperate, his vision wavering. If his tiredness level reached one hundred, he could tell, 'I will be finished'

He could already tell this, every part of him already wanted to give up, '... But that's also for the weak!' he thought fiercely, a strong resolve burning within him. He kept pushing with all the strength he could muster.

Finally, it was over.

[Tiredness: +90… +100]

"Shit" he cursed.

The fatigue hit him like a wave, his legs giving out as if he'd been drained dry. He stumbled, his momentum flinging him forward, and he crashed face-first into the muddy ground.

Shrrrri!!

The impact sent mud splattering over his face, filling his mouth.

Ku! ku!!

He choked, gagging as he tried to spit it out, clawing at his tongue with grimy fingers in a desperate attempt to get rid of the taste.

"What the hell," he muttered, scraping mud from his tongue. His throat still raw, he shook his head, wincing as a splatter of mud ran down his cheek. But then a spark of alarm flashed through him as he remembered the beast.

He whipped around to face the threat, heart hammering. But what he saw startled him—the Magomon Trion had stopped. It stood just a few feet away, watching him, yet it didn't advance. Its blood-red eyes narrowed as it stared at him, an unsettling hint of reluctance in its posture.

Jack stared back, frozen in disbelief. In those eyes, he saw something all too familiar.

The beast—the king of the land—was afraid.