Why was he facing a ghoul on an evening that was supposed to be spent training his cousin’s girlfriend and enjoying some time with his own?
He had no idea.
But there was no running from it now.
The creature stood at least ten feet tall, its thick hide looking tough enough to shrug off most attacks. A massive club rested in its hand as it stared at them through a pair of tiny, beady eyes.
"That thing looks strong, Senior. Do you think we should switch weapons?"
Kyle didn’t answer. Instead, he spoke to the system.
’Analyze its weak point.’
If something like this escaped into the Academy, the consequences would be disastrous. He had to put it down here and wait for the PSC to arrive.
There was no way they hadn’t sensed such an overwhelming presence by now. Even as he stood there, the CPV had probably already locked down the entire area.
The creature snarled before slamming its club into the ground.
The wooden weapon cracked, and countless needle-like spikes burst from it, shooting straight toward Kyle and Maya.
Kyle’s body reacted before his mind could.
With his free hand, he watched the first spike racing toward him.
At the very last moment, he flicked his hand.
The spike veered off course, flying harmlessly away.
Another came, aimed directly at his neck.
The result was the same.
A simple tap of his hand. He wasn’t trying to stop the spike or slow it down. He merely altered its trajectory with the slightest touch.
And it worked.
It looked as though he had barely moved, yet those subtle motions were enough to redirect every single spike.
When silence finally settled, dozens of spikes were embedded in the ground behind Kyle.
Not one had even grazed his skin.
Kyle stood frozen, staring at his hand.
Was... that the same technique the swordsman had used against him?
Had he unconsciously copied it?
And it actually worked?
[This is the result of assimilating the soul fragment, Host.]
’This is insane... It almost feels like I’m cheating at life.’
The years of relentless training, experience, and mastery someone else had spent their entire life building had been absorbed by him as though they had always been his.
Just then, something struck him, and he quickly turned to his right.
Maya...
Ah.
The panic that had begun to rise vanished the instant he saw her crouching behind a thick target board.
Several spikes had pierced through the boards, but none had reached her.
Smart girl.
"Senior..." she called, peeking from behind her cover. "...How do we handle this?"
She was clearly trying to stay calm, but Kyle couldn’t shake the feeling that she wasn’t nearly as frightened as she should have been, especially with those razor-sharp spikes stopping only inches from her face.
Kyle shifted his gaze back to the creature, which had just pulled its club free from the ground.
"I’ll call for help..."
[Ding! User <God of Mischief> has assigned a quest.]
[Quest: Defeat the behemoth within two minutes without any outside assistance.]
[Reward: Chimera Pipe]
[Grade: S]
[Usage: Allows the user to replicate the physical attributes of another being, whether human or beast.]
What the heck?
How was he receiving a quest from a viewer when he wasn’t even streaming?
’System?’
[The viewer has found a loophole to interact with the Host. The system is currently searching for a solution.]
[The God of Mischief looks at you with a smirk.]
"..."
Truth be told, the artifact sounded incredibly useful. Even setting its ability aside, the S-rank reward alone was enough to make his heart race.
"Hmmgff!"
The ghoul snarled and lumbered forward.
"Wait, Maya."
Kyle raised a hand, stopping her just as she was about to loose an arrow.
"But, Senior?"
"I’ve got this."
The ghoul let out another roar and charged.
Kyle did the same.
The monster raised its massive club, ready to crush him.
"Overlord."
He muttered the skill’s name and burst forward, slipping past the exact spot where the club came crashing down.
THUMP!
DHAK!
The club smashed into the ground at the same instant Kyle’s fist slammed into the ghoul’s abdomen.
The massive creature staggered backward.
His enhanced stats were already proving their worth.
He had actually managed to make a monster of that size lose its footing.
[Host, with Overlord in use, you two migit have same strength.]
Kyle grinned, "Then let’s duke it out."
The ghoul found its footing first.
It didn’t roar this time. Just a straight overhead slam that drove the club down like a hammer.
Kyle sidestepped.
The ground split where his feet had been.
He countered immediately, driving his elbow into the creature’s ribs before it could recover. Bone connected with hide. The impact shuddered up his arm.
The ghoul felt it.
Good.
It spun faster than something that size had any right to, backhanding him with its free hand.
Kyle caught the blow on his forearms and went skidding back six feet anyway.
His heels carved into the wood in attempt to prevent a fall.
He steadied himself.
’That thing hits like a falling wall.’
The ghoul pressed forward, swinging the club in a wide horizontal arc. Kyle ducked under it, felt the wind tear across the top of his head, and drove upward with both fists planted into the creature’s jaw.
CRACK.
The ghoul’s head snapped back.
It stumbled one step. Then stopped and turned.
The tiny eyes found him again. Something dark had crept into them now. Rage wasn’t the right word.
Kyle rolled his wrists, settling into a lower stance. His forearms were already aching. His knuckles were split.
The ghoul charged.
Not a wild rush this time. It came low, leading with a shoulder, trying to use its bulk as the weapon.
Kyle had half a second to decide.
He chose to let it hit him.
He planted his feet, twisted his core, and received the impact at an angle instead of head-on.
His body bent with it. He grabbed the creature’s arm on his way down, used its momentum, and sent it crashing past him into the training wall.
The wall collapsed inward.
Dust billowed.
Kyle straightened, breathing harder.
"Phew~" From somewhere, he heard a whistle. He didn’t focus on it.
The ghoul rose from the rubble with a loud huff.
A long cut had opened across its shoulder. Concrete dust clung to its hide. It rolled its neck once and fixed those beady eyes back on him.
Neither of them spoke. Well, if it actually could.
The creature lifted its club again, slower this time. More focused.
Kyle raised his fists.
The next exchange was uglier.
No clean technique or elegant redirections. The ghoul learned quickly, adjusting its timing each time he evaded, and Kyle’s deflections were starting to cost him more than the attacks he couldn’t avoid entirely.
A grazing blow caught his ribs.
He answered with three strikes to the same spot on the creature’s abdomen he’d hit before. It grunted. He pressed that opening for another half-second before the backswing forced him away.
His ribs screamed.
The ghoul’s abdomen was marked with dark bruising.
They separated.
Five feet between them.
Both of them breathing hard.
Kyle spat blood, probed the inside of his cheek with his tongue. Bit it during that last exchange.
The ghoul made a low, guttural sound. Almost contemplative.
Kyle’s eyes flicked to the timer.
’Forty seconds left.’
He needed a finishing blow.
His enhanced stats would wear off soon, and once they did, this fight would be over.
He clenched his fist as Genesis gathered around it, surging with power-
CLUNK!
"Huh?"
Kyle’s eyes widened.
A spear had pierced straight through the monster’s skull.
He immediately turned toward its source.
Timothy stood there, surrounded by a squad of PSC officers.
At that exact moment, another notification appeared.
[The God of Mischief has left the chat.]
[Quest Failed.]
’Fuck!’
°°°°°°°
A/N:- This is his second failed quest and both from the same viewer.