Chương 60: Blood and Glass

Recap: You are inside the Geode Instance. The Parasite is at 40 HP. Shadow Spears are incoming. MP is draining. You voted to SLAM THE PARASITE (OFFENSE). Pain is temporary. Death is permanent. But if I didn't kill this thing, death was happening anyway. The shadow spears hovered. Dozens of them. Pointed at my lid. The Parasite was recovering from the Hammer strike, shards of glass floating back into its shoulder. It was vulnerable. For a second. Now, I thought. I ignored the spears.

I ignored the MP drain ticking away in the back of my mind. I focused every ounce of Stamina into my base muscles. SYSTEM NOTIFICATION Skill Used: Slam Attack Cost: 5 Stamina Current SP: 23/28 Target: Core Parasite (Level 6) I launched. 120 pounds of Ironband fury. I hit the Parasite square in the chest. CRACK. Glass shattered. Shadow screamed. The force of the impact drove it backward toward the edge of the platform.

SYSTEM NOTIFICATION Damage Dealt: 15 HP (Slam) Target HP: 25/100 Status Effect: Stunned (2 Seconds) But I paid the price. THWIP. THWIP. THWIP. The spears fired. They didn't bounce. They pierced. Shadow magic bypassed physical armor. It seeped into my wood. It froze my hinges. You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

SYSTEM NOTIFICATION Damage Taken: 10 HP (Shadow Pierce) Defense Applied: -15 DR (Physical Only) Resistance (Arcane Bond): -5% Net Damage: 10 HP Current HP: 6/23 MP Drain: -5 MP Current MP: 6/18 Six HP. I was red-lined. Critical. One more volley and I was splinters. The MP drain was accelerating. I had 6 MP left. Taunt cost 3. Core Authority cost 3. I could cast… twice. Maybe. The Parasite lay on the edge of the platform. Dazed. Its regeneration was slowing.

The fire from the Hammer was still burning in its chest wound.

"YOU… PERSIST…" it wheezed.

"WHY… FIGHT… FOR… THEM…" Not for them, I thought. For me. I looked at the Hammer. It lay five feet away. Glowing. Hot. I looked at the Parasite. 25 HP. I looked at my stats. 6 HP. 6 MP. 23 SP. If I Slammed again, I might kill it. But if I missed… or if it dodged… I was dead. If I used the Hammer… I needed to retrieve it. If I used Magic… I had barely enough MP. The Corruption Drain ticked again. 5 MP. Current MP: 1/18. Oh crap. I had one MP left. One. I couldn't cast anything else. I had to use Stamina.

Or the Hammer. The Parasite began to rise. The stun was wearing off. Current Stats (Level 5 - Ironband Mimic): HP: 6/23 (CRITICAL) Mana: 1/18 (CRITICAL) Stamina: 23/28 (Moderate) Inventory: 2 Pebbles, Metal Items (Fused). Mage Staff (Loot). Guardian Hammer (Deployed). Status: Instance Solo, Corruption Drain Active (MP 1 Left), Parasite Stunned (Ending). What do you do? A) RETRIEVE & DROP HAMMER (FINISHER) Store the Hammer and immediately release it onto the Parasite's head. Pin it down. (Cost: 0 MP (Store/Release). Gain: Massive Damage. Risk: Timing Window.) B) SLAM AGAIN (BERSERK) Use remaining Stamina to Slam repeatedly. Risk death for damage. (Cost: 5 SP. Gain: Damage. Risk: HP Too Low, Might Die from Counter.) C) BITE THE WOUND (EXECUTE) Latch onto the burning chest wound. Use acid + teeth. Finish it manually. (Cost: 2 SP. Gain: True Damage. Risk: Close Contact, Shadow Burn.) D) PLAY DEAD (BLUFF) Close lid. Hope it thinks you're broken. Wait for an opening. (Cost: 0 SP. Gain: Survival Chance. Risk: It might finish you off.) VOTING CLOSES IN 24 HOURS. Reply with A, B, C, or D. Most votes wins. [Author Note] Thanks for voting on Chapter 59! Option B (Slam) was brutal! You crippled the Parasite (25 HP Left) but took massive damage (6 HP Remaining) and your MP is nearly drained (1 MP Left)! This is a CRITICAL TURN!