Fuzzy black fur broke out of the dense treeline and into the amber-orange light of the setting sun. At first he thought it was a bear, but then it fully emerged. A round ball of fur lifted on two skinny chalk-white legs and arms just the same. Each limb ended in three-fingered claws tipped with black talons. At the top of its spherical body was a small head with pointed elf-like ears, two violet-glowing eyes, and a tiny grin full of needle teeth.

  The sight made him pause.

  What the fuck is that!?

  Of their three guesses, Lenard had seemingly been the closest this time. The creature certainly wasn’t human or Elphin. Most peculiarly of all, a translucent violet collar was fastened around its neck and a leash tied to it ran back into the treeline it’d emerged from.

  It fixed Adam with its bright eyes and cackled.

  Then it kicked off the ground and shot itself towards him, flying through the air like a cannonball.

  He panicked for a second and cowered behind one of the large rocks.

  The sound of cracking stone startled him as the creature flew right past his hiding spot with a swing of its claws. The side of the rock had three deep grooves carved through it.

  Holy shit! That thing is terrifyingly-fast!

  After landing, the monster paused for a moment to reorient itself, as though the attack left it confused. It relocated Adam, but he was already charging right at it. With a cackle, it hopped towards him, arms pulled back and ready to slash him to ribbons.

  He skidded to a halt but let the momentum and his thrust send the spear gliding through his hand, shooting it forwards. At the same time he blocked his head with the small shield on his left arm.

  The tip of his spear struck the monster right in the centre of its furry round body and went in deep.

  It started to cackle again, but the sound quickly died in its mouth as the Fiendbarb triggered.

  A cascade of internal crystallisation instantly destroyed its body from within. The glow of its violet eyes winked out and it collapsed, pulling itself free of Adam’s spear.

  [Excellent! You cleared the Wave within 10 seconds.]

  “What was that!?”

  [This was a type of Minor Demon called a Slothling Imp.]

  Damn, so Lenard was actually right about it being Demons.

  Wait… Sloth? Like the Vice? Wouldn’t that mean it should be super sluggish and lazy? That was anything but!

  < < Wave One Complete > >

  < Choose your Upgrade >

  Adam looked down at the dead imp, while Shitbox unfolded into a podium. The weird ghostly leash was gone and he wondered if he’d just been seeing things.

  I wonder why Demons are after Belamouranthe. That can’t be a good sign of what’s to come…

  Still, what a way to come out swinging. That would’ve killed me if I hadn’t used the rock for cover.

  He knew that such a cheap trick would no doubt lead to way more deaths than previous Stages. The fact that the imp had the same sort of entrance as the slimes would also mess with everyone’s expectations.

  I hope Willow and Lenard are alright.

  [20 seconds remaining.]

  He shook his head.

  I can’t worry about them right now. I have to focus.

  He looked at the options available to him. Since he’d completed the Wave quickly, it meant all the upgrades went up a rarity level. As a result, one of the possibilities was Epic and the other two were Rare. The Epic one had a new symbol that depicted a plus sign. The symbol for the Parry Shield upgrade showed a shield with speed lines on it.

  < < Upgrades Available > >

  < Spear Damage (Rare) — Increases spear damage by 15% >

  < Shield Speed (Rare) — Increases shield speed by 35% >

  < Health (Epic) — Increases health by 10 >

  Health? That’s a new General Upgrade.

  But man, it’s Epic and only gives 10? That’s really low.

  The choice is pretty clear here.

  < < Upgrade Selected > >

  < Spear Damage (Rare) >

  Adam moved closer to the treeline where the imp had emerged. His weapon was powerful against them, but those bastards were too fast to be allowed free rein of the Stage.

  < < Wave Two > >

  < 90-Second Timer >

  90 seconds. That probably means I have to fight two of them at once.

  The same part of the forest wall trembled as the enemies came forward. Adam went as close as he dared, keeping some of the widely-spaced trees nearby so he had cover if he needed it.

  A red liquid hand emerged through the treeline, followed by a two-metre-tall bulky humanoid shape. The whole thing was made of flowing red water, although barely any of it dropped onto the understory or was left behind on the trees it touched.

  A man made of blood? he wondered. Though its arms, torso, and legs were way thicker than normal.

  He noticed the same translucent violet collar and leash again.

  That has to be a clue to something.

  The figure emerged fully from the treeline and Adam shot forward, driving his spear right into its body. Like the slimes of Stage One, there was a solid core in the middle of it, but it was the size of a coconut.

  Before he could even worry about how tough it’d be to destroy the core, the Fiendbarb triggered and the lumbering man of blood froze in its place. Its entire body then immediately turned solid like glass and started to crackle and pop dangerously.

  Oh shit!

  Adam quickly dove behind a nearby tree, just as the monster exploded like a shrapnel grenade, driving blood spikes the length of his forearm into the ground and nearby trees.

  [Excellent! You cleared the Wave within 5 seconds.]

  “What kind of monster was that?” Adam asked. He peeked out from behind the tree to witness the devastation, only to realise that two of the blood spikes had pierced all the way through his cover mere centimetres above his head.

  [This was an Elemental called a Blood Golem.]

  Interesting that Shitbox actually explains what the enemies are. I should’ve asked about it earlier. There might be a lot of hints I’ve missed.

  I hope I end up fighting more of those Elementals, since my Fiendbarb is clearly a hard counter. If I didn’t have it, I doubt it would be a simple opponent.

  I’m still trying to figure out what the enemy pattern is though. So far it doesn’t really make sense.

  < < Wave Two Complete > >

  < Choose your Upgrade >

  < < Upgrades Available > >

  < Spear Growth (Rare) — Increases spear length by 45% >

  < Shield Speed (Rare) — Increases shield speed by 35% >

  This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

  < Luck (Rare) — Increases luck by 3 >

  Damn, no Epics this time…

  Definitely no on the growth upgrade.

  < < Upgrade Selected > >

  < Shield Speed (Rare) >

  “Status.”

  < < Player Status > >

  < Adam Fischer >

  < Hoplite >

  < Level 12 >

  < Stats >

  < Health — 100 >

  < Stamina — 150 >

  < Mana — 0 >

  < Damage — 100% >

  < Defence — 100% >

  < Speed — 165% >

  < Upgrades >

  < Force (Rare) >

  < Movement (Rare) >

  “Armament.”

  < < Weapon Status > >

  < Spear & Parry Shield >

  < Common Quality >

  < Level 10 >

  < Stat Upgrades >

  < Spear Damage 45% >

  < Spear Speed 45% >

  < Spear Growth 30% >

  < Shield Parry 1.5 seconds >

  < Bash Damage 10% >

  < Shield Speed 35% >

  Two more Waves and I can evolve again.

  < < Wave Three > >

  < 90-Second Timer >

  90 seconds again, he noted.

  Adam clenched his Slime Glove grip on the spear, staying near the tree that’d saved him, while preparing for whatever might come out of the treeline next.

  The trees rustled on his left and right, eight metres apart. Before he had a chance to pick which to respond to, two Slothling Imps popped out. One of them cackled and shot towards him. The other beelined for the carriage.

  Shit!

  In his attempt to immediately respond to the Waves, he’d overextended himself and left Belamouranthe vulnerable to attack.

  The imp flying at him with its claws out forced Adam to defend himself, while giving the other free rein.

  Chiiing!

  With a last-second parry, Adam caught the imp’s talons on his shield and deflected its attack. The creature spun in the air, before hitting a tree and collapsing. The disorient effect meant it didn’t immediately get back up.

  Adam stabbed it in the back, pulling his spear free as he sprinted after its twin. The runaway imp was already half-way to the carriage and it was much faster than him.

  Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!

  He switched his spear to his left hand and aimed his Slime Glove into the air, trying to predict the path the imp would take.

  As he ran, he fired off the acidic glob. It flew like a softly-thrown baseball and landed only about a metre in front of the Minor Demon.

  The surprise caused it to stop for a moment to investigate.

  Thank God these things aren’t very intelligent!

  Adam switched the spear to his dominant hand again, and then he pulled it back behind his shoulder and threw.

  He’d never been an athletic person, and his muscular physique was only thanks to countless hours spent at the gym, fuelled by his desire to lose weight. He’d never been good at sports or anything like that, but the spear flew through the air as though it’d been thrown by an Olympic athlete.

  The imp finished investigating the puddle of acid that’d eaten through the grass and poised itself to fly right at the carriage in front of it.

  Then Adam’s spear struck it in the back, piercing all the way through its round body and pinning it to the ground.

  It was dead before the Fiendbarb even triggered.

  “Holy fuck,” Adam muttered, looking down at his hands. “How did I just do that??”

  Maybe spear-throwing isn’t actually such a terrible idea.

  [Well done! You cleared the Wave within 20 seconds.]

  Damn, no bonus this time.

  Adam walked up to the dead imp. He put his shoe on its back and tore out his spear, pulling out a bunch of brittle blood crystals as well.

  < < Wave Three Complete > >

  < Choose your Upgrade >

  < < Upgrades Available > >

  < Spear Speed (Common) — Increases spear attack speed by 10% >

  < Bash Damage (Rare) — Increases shield bash damage by 15% >

  < Dodge (Uncommon) — Grants a 10% chance to dodge a direct attack >

  Before picking an upgrade, he walked up to the carriage and opened the door.

  “Are you alright?” he asked the Elphin girl.

  She was seated on the cushioned bench and looked kind of bored.

  “I am. How long before we resume our journey home?”

  He smiled. “Not much longer now. But stay in here, okay?”

  “Understood.”

  Adam closed the door again and returned to the upgrade podium.

  “What am I fighting next?” he asked Shitbox.

  [You know that I cannot reveal such advantageous information.]

  He shrugged. “Worth a try.”

  [10 seconds remaining before your upgrade choice is forfeit.]

  “Relax. I’m picking now, ain’t I?”

  He reached out and touched the Bash Damage symbol.

  < < Upgrade Selected > >

  < Bash Damage (Rare) >

  Alright, what next? Three of those imps? More of the blood golems?

  < < Wave Four > >

  < 150-Second Timer >

  Nearly double the timer?? That can’t be good.

  Then the ground rumbled and shook.

  From down the end of the field, something massive broke through the treeline, toppling trees in its wake, though they conveniently collapsed to block off the path it’d taken. Adam was already running down to meet it, but the sight sent a chill through him.

  It had a lot in common with the Slothling Imps, but towered over them at easily four metres tall. And that was despite its hunched posture. It stood like a gorilla, leaning on its two bulky arms, while its legs were crouched. Like the imps, its upper torso was covered in fuzzy black fur. Its lower body, legs, and arms were white as chalk, but unlike the imps it was a muscular beast. Its head protruded from the fur-covered torso and was about the same size as Adam’s. Its eyes glowed violet and its needle-toothed mouth had a massive under-bite. Its ears were like the floppy ones the goblins had.

  KHA-KHA-KHA! the beast laughed.

  If that thing is as fast as the imps, I’m fucked…

  “Shitbox, what the hell is that thing!?

  [This is a Minor Demon called a Slothling Ogre.]

  Yeah, that checks out I guess.

  Adam clenched his jaw and ran to meet it.

  Unlike the imps, it ignored his presence and started lumbering towards the carriage. Fortunately its pace was slow, but it was clear that it would make it to the Elphin girl within 2 minutes if Adam did nothing to stop it.

  As he came closer, he saw that it too had a violet leash around its neck.

  Seriously, what is that? Some kind of enslavement spell??

  With a roar, he hammered his spear into the ogre’s left arm, hoping to disable it. The Fiendbarb tip skidded along its alabaster skin, failing to pierce. It managed to draw a line of blood though and it quickly crystallised the surface of the shallow wound.

  The ogre grunted in pain and swung the arm out to bat him away as though he was nothing but a bothersome mosquito. Adam barely ducked the lazy attack. The swing created enough wind to push him back a step.

  I’m 100% dead if it hits me!

  As soon as the ogre resumed its lumbering crawl, Adam moved in again, striking the same spot as before. The sound of crunching glass preceded the tip of his Fiendbarb entering the ogre’s arm. When the Relic triggered this time, it completely crystallised the veins from the forearm to just above the elbow joint.

  It tried to swat him again, but its own strength worked against it. The crystallised forearm broke off and flew across the forest field, landing in the grass with a thud.

  The ogre paused and suddenly focused its entire attention on Adam.

  Uh oh…

  With a loud groan, the tall monster lifted its upper body and stood to a height of six metres. Then it slammed back down with its left stub and right arm.

  He had plenty of time to find cover, since it was slow, but even from behind a sturdy rock ten-plus metres away, he felt the earth tremble and heard two trees come crashing down.

  This is basically a boss in its own right!

  What in the world will I be facing in the last Wave??

  Adam peeked out from behind the rock and saw that the ogre had resumed its course towards the carriage.

  Oh no you don’t!

  He ran towards the monster, coming up from behind it where he was unseen. Due to the way it moved along the ground with its legs crouched, its back was sloped. It gave him a terrible idea. Since the arms and legs were difficult to damage, he had to go for the parts of its body covered in fur.

  But first he fired the Slime Glove at its lower body, trying to make sure it wouldn’t go anywhere. The glob struck the alabaster legs, but it was slow to dissolve its way through the tough white skin. The beast groaned in pain.

  Adam hopped onto its back and drove his spear down into its fur. The Fiendbarb triggered and crystallised its wound. When he pulled the tip out, chunks of brittle flesh and blood crystals followed. Then he hammered it down again in a different spot.

  And again.

  And again.

  The ogre tried to shake him off, but couldn’t, and its remaining arm wasn’t able to bend back and reach him.

  Adam continued up its back, stabbing repeatedly as he climbed, until he was right behind its short neck and alabaster head. With a furious roar, he drove his spear right down into the part where the furry body transitioned into pale-white skin.

  The Relic triggered and the ogre immediately collapsed onto its belly. Adam tumbled off its side, landing on his butt in the grass. The amber-orange light in the sky reflected off the monster’s dead eyes.

  [Well done! You cleared the Wave with more than half the time remaining.]

  He was breathing rapidly. His furious attacks had seriously drained him, and he needed to catch his breath.

  I wonder how it’d have done it if I didn’t have the Fiendbarb. Though perhaps the lack of armour penetration is the reason why it was so tough to kill?

  Still, that was one hell of an enemy… Makes me worried about what comes next.

  < < Wave Four Complete > >

  < Choose your Upgrade >

  Adam spent most of his 30-second break to just get his breath back. He knew that if he went into the boss battle with no Stamina in the tank, then he’d end up dying. He was starting to realise that magic-based weapons had a benefit over physical ones, since they used Mana to attack and could therefore utilise all their Stamina for manoeuvring and dodging.

  Although, there might be some severe side-effect to running out of Mana, and perhaps it isn’t so easy to replenish? I’ll have to ask Willow about it when I get back.

  [10 seconds remaining.]

  Adam sighed and got to his feet.

  < < Upgrades Available > >

  < Spear Growth (Uncommon) — Increases spear length by 30% >

  < Shield Speed (Uncommon) — Increases shield speed by 20% >

  < Defence (Rare) — Increases all defence by 15% >

  Damn, unlucky. Both of my weapon upgrades are bad.

  Defence honestly looks pretty tempting. My next weapon upgrade is my twelfth though, so I’d be a fool to take it… Right?

  But man, 15% extra Defence is hard to say no to.

  [5… 4…]

  Shit! I shouldn’t have taken a break.

  < < Upgrade Selected > >

  < Defence (Rare) >

  Okay, that might’ve been a mistake…

  I guess I’ll have the evolution to look forward to after I kill the boss, he told himself, as though this had been his plan all along.

  With a nervous feeling in his stomach, he moved down to the mid-point of the forest field, giving himself plenty of room to respond to whatever threat was coming.

  < < Wave Five > >

  < 240-Second Timer >