Ch 200.
Matt’s attacks were effective, but the pebbles raining down on him felt far more formidable than they had any right to be. The relentless onslaught from the sheer number of enemies forced him to focus intently on reducing their ranks. Fortunately, his HP and stamina had recovered to a level that allowed him to unleash a flurry of strikes for about thirty seconds without suffering any major setbacks. With that in mind, Matt dove headfirst into the fray, recklessly targeting every small flying rock monster and rock man in sight, all while disregarding the damage he was sustaining from the barrage of pebbles. If it hadn't been for the fact that a single well-placed attack could obliterate a flying rock monster or a tiny rock man, and given his ability to strike over five times in a single second, Matt likely would have met his end during those reckless thirty seconds he opened the fight with.
Instead, Matt watched as his HP dwindled to 7%, despite his efforts to thin the ranks of enemies down to around 50 flying pairs and a few dozen rock men that had survived the destruction of their mounts. The airborne creatures hovered at a higher altitude, making them particularly challenging targets, although he found that he could evade them with slightly more ease. Yet, the sheer number of foes made complete avoidance impossible. Adding to his troubles, the rock men charged at him like miniature football players, intent on tackling his legs. He reacted instinctively, delivering swift kicks to fend them off whenever they drew near, but trouble still loomed large.
Recognizing the need for a strategic shift, Matt transitioned from his reckless flurry of attacks to a more controlled approach aimed at conserving the scant stamina he had left while minimizing further damage to his HP. This new tactic allowed him to dispatch the rock men on the ground with relative ease, but it did little to address the airborne threats that continued to swarm above him. It took him over a minute to clear the ground-level foes, during which time he was struck by several pebbles raining down from above. Even with his enhanced regeneration activated, his HP fell below 5%. To compound his woes, he sensed that his stamina was rapidly depleting once again. In a desperate bid to regain some control, he began hurling the scattered pebbles that littered the ground back at the assailants who had unleashed them.
Although the flying rock monsters were adept at evading most of Matt’s throws, their chaotic movements often led to them colliding with one another, allowing him to take down several quickly. However, as the number dwindled to about twenty, hitting them became increasingly challenging; fatigue weighed heavily on him, sapping his stamina. The only silver lining in this dire situation was that, by simply raising his arms to shield his face, Matt could stand firm and absorb the relentless barrage of projectiles raining down upon him. Remarkably, he only lost a mere 0.01% of his total HP each second. This small reprieve meant he had more than 400 seconds before he faced serious danger. With this knowledge, he resolved to rest and recover his stamina for approximately 300 seconds, or five minutes in the terms of old Earth’s timekeeping.
During these 300 seconds, Matt stayed vigilant, keenly observing the movements of the 20 remaining enemies to identify any discernible attack patterns. His focus sharpened as he noted their erratic flight paths and the way they coordinated their assaults. When he finally sensed that his stamina had replenished sufficiently for a concentrated 10-second offensive, he sprang into action, unleashing a flurry of strikes that annihilated four of the flying rock monsters. This decisive moment marked a turning point in the battle; now, he could afford to stand firm and absorb their relentless attacks directly. Although each impact stung and threatened to overwhelm his standard regeneration, his enhanced regeneration surged to counteract the damage effectively. However, in his moment of confidence, Matt made his first true blunder, underestimating the need for rest before the current fight began, believing he could recover adequately in time to face the onslaught ahead.
One by one, the flying rock monsters plummeted to the ground as Matt methodically took his time, believing he could bolster his durability for the impending fight. However, when only six pairs of flying rock monsters and rock men remained, a sinking feeling washed over him as he sensed his luck essence running dry. This depletion had a cascading effect on his performance, for he had grown heavily reliant on this essence. Although it had expanded exponentially since he first acquired it, it was an essence that always began from a modest foundation. Like time and fate essences, it possessed the potential to manipulate reality in ways that favored its user far too much. Moreover, unlike his regeneration ability, which was intrinsically tied to his bloodline, luck essence was more elusive, explaining why he experienced cellular regeneration and injury control rather than a complete recovery or regeneration essence.
Matt remained oblivious to a crucial truth, partly because he hadn’t thought to inquire and partly because it didn’t seem to matter to him at the moment: only when essences truly became an integral part of their wielders could they be genuinely relied upon. If that bond was absent, one should prepare for the possibility that the next time they sought power from such an essence could very well be their last. Beyond mere essence depletion lay a far graver state—essence loss—where fragments of one’s path faded away due to a combination of overuse and neglect. With an essence like luck, if a person failed to embrace enough risks in their life, luck would gradually deem itself unnecessary, leading to its atrophy, regardless of how desperately its user relied on it for their abilities. Winning at trivial stakes or engaging in friendly games of chance offered little assurance; unless the wielder was willing to gamble everything now and then, luck would have no incentive to bestow its favor upon them any longer.
The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
Fortunately for Matt, he found himself in a perpetual state of risk, whether he consciously embraced it or not, ensuring that his luck essence remained intact. However, the same could not be said for his essence of selflessness. While he frequently performed acts of kindness for others, his own desires often overshadowed those altruistic impulses. If it weren't for the efforts of his puppets, who tirelessly worked to aid those in need in distant places, his essence of selflessness might have already abandoned him entirely. In such a dire scenario, he would face the grim reality of losing not only his ability to heal others but also the curse of inflicting upon his attackers the very wounds they had dealt to him. Yet, completely oblivious to these precarious circumstances, Matt plunged into a frantic battle against the last six rock monsters, feeling the alarming decline of his HP and realizing that he could no longer afford to take things lightly.
At first, Matt believed he would swiftly dispatch the last six rock monsters, but several factors conspired against him. His luck had waned, the essence that fueled it now depleted, and with each flying rock creature he eliminated, the remaining ones grew more agile, their movements liberated from the chaos that had once hindered them. Striking them became increasingly challenging. On the other hand, dodging their attacks proved difficult as well; unbeknownst to him, he had been subconsciously relying on a sliver of luck essence to instinctively know when to evade since he first tapped into its power. This was yet another harsh reality of ascending to B rank: mere skill was no longer sufficient; a measure of luck had become essential. With his luck seemingly exhausted, Matt found himself in an especially precarious position, vulnerable to the onslaught of his remaining foes.
Fortunately, not all success hinged on luck, and one could argue that the six remaining flying rock monsters had exhausted theirs by being the last to survive among the hundreds that had launched their assault. Just as Matt felt his stamina waning once more, he managed to take down two more of the creatures, reducing their number to four. A mere 15 seconds later, he found himself facing only three, then, after another 20 seconds, just two remained, and finally, after an additional 30 seconds, only one was left standing. This sequence of events placed Matt back in a position where his passive regeneration could finally outpace the damage he was sustaining. However, a significant issue lingered—he was teetering on the brink with only 0.5% of his HP remaining. Although that still amounted to over 170 thousand HP, each pebble hurled at him inflicted around 50 thousand damage, nearly matching his current rate of regeneration per second. With the frantic monster pair attacking him at a rapid pace, striking him nearly once every second, his HP remained stagnant, and every movement he made drained his health further due to his dwindling stamina.
While one might think that such penalties could be ignored upon reaching a sufficient level of power, they would be mistaken. In truth, as one’s strength grew, so too did the stamina required to wield that power effectively. Even in his current state, every second of movement consumed approximately 0.01% of Matt's HP. This grim reality meant that he had only about 49 seconds of mobility left before death would claim him. However, he remained blissfully unaware of this ticking clock, his mind laser-focused on defeating his remaining foes. He understood that if he chose to stand still, he would not only succumb to the relentless barrage of projectiles but also be unable to dodge the incoming pebbles, facing certain death in just four seconds.
Twenty seconds ticked by as the flying rock monster deftly dodged every projectile Matt hurled its way, while the rock man perched on its back seemed to aim with an unsettling calmness, as if rooted to the spot. The strain of maintaining his shifting form drained his stamina, severely limiting his options. He launched another rock at his elusive target, but it sailed past, missing its mark once more.
Fifteen seconds later, a flicker of hope crossed Matt's face when he finally managed to strike the flying rock monster, but his triumph quickly turned to disappointment; he had only grazed its tail, insufficient to ground it or bring it down for good. For the first time, however, the creature's movements began to falter, and the rock man's aim wavered, albeit just for a fleeting moment. That brief respite allowed Matt to regain enough HP for ten precious seconds of movement, which proved to be the turning point.
Twenty seconds later, he finally landed a clean hit on the last flying rock monster. Before it could plummet to the ground, he seized the opportunity to strike the rock man as well, delivering the final blow that ended the relentless battle. A notification flashed before him, confirming that the fight had been worth the final 100 experience points he needed to reach level 66.
With that, Matt collapsed onto the cold, hard ground, drawing in deep, ragged breaths as exhaustion washed over him, making him feel like he was at the very end of his rope. His gaze drifted to the door leading to the next level, and for the first time, a wave of trepidation gripped him as he contemplated what awaited him beyond it. Simultaneously, he recognized that retracing his steps to the door at the bottom of the cliff wasn’t a favorable option either, as it would likely plunge him back into more battles. Even now, the thought of another fight sent chills down his spine; he was so paralyzed by fear that he didn’t dare move a muscle, convinced that merely approaching the door would trigger yet another onslaught. Despite the nagging awareness of his paranoia, the stark reality of his HP, which hovered just above 17 thousand—about 0.05% of his maximum—filled him with dread. While that number might seem astronomical to someone at lower levels, to Matt, it felt more akin to a mere 2 HP when he weighed the damage ratios against the perilous encounters he faced since first unlocking the HP stat.
His recovery came swiftly, and he sensed his luck essence revitalizing just enough that the oppressive weight of anxiety lifted, leaving him feeling lighter. With his HP now comfortably above 10%, Matt strode into the next floor, only to find himself quickly exiting the dungeon, catching a fleeting glimpse of the towering mountain range that loomed ahead, its peaks piercing the sky like ancient sentinels. Once outside, he dropped to his knees, exhaling a deep sigh of relief as the tension of the battle began to ebb away. As he contemplated his next steps in this new level, he noticed his other self mirroring his actions, both of them sharing a moment of vulnerability. A chuckle escaped his lips, and moments later, his other self joined in, their laughter echoing in the stillness as they bonded over their harrowing experiences of nearly perishing within the dungeon, humbled by the challenges they had overcome.
