Zhua’s mind raced at an insane speed.
A Dungeon Break here?
He looked up at the breach in the sky.
The giant hand that had emerged from it struck at the air, and soon a second colossal hand forced its way out of the crack.
What kind of monster is that?
A Titan?
A Giant?
Unfortunately for him, he was about to find out.
Zhua turned his head and saw the civilians standing frozen in shock.
The other Awakened would arrive too late.
“What the hell are you all doing!? Get out of here! Run, you idiots!!” Zhua roared.
The people snapped out of their daze and immediately began fleeing.
Zhua looked back toward the breach, which was now widening completely.
“Tch… damn it. I should’ve run too.”
The rupture shattered apart entirely.
A gigantic monster emerged.
It was a faceless colossus made entirely of stone.
Rivers of magma flowed through cracks across its body like glowing veins.
A Goliath.
Panic immediately flooded Zhua’s heart and mind.
Every instinct in his body screamed at him to run.
His legs trembled.
His arms trembled.
His entire body trembled.
Did he have even the slightest chance of winning?
No.
The answer appeared in his mind after less than two seconds of thought.
Absolutely not.
The Goliath began walking forward.
The earth shook beneath its titanic footsteps.
It casually placed its hands upon nearby buildings and crushed them as though they were toys.
It was a true disaster.
At the very least, it was a Master-Rank monster.
Zhua instinctively took a step backward.
Then the image of his destroyed village flashed through his mind.
God damn it…
I should run.
But damn it all…
I hate myself and my stupid pride.
Zhua charged forward.
The Goliath noticed him immediately and swung one enormous hand downward.
Zhua dodged.
Using the giant arm that had slammed into the ground, he sprinted upward along it and climbed toward the monster’s shoulder.
Three shining stars materialized in his hand.
He merged them into a single concentrated star and fired it directly into the Goliath’s shoulder.
The blast struck.
It did absolutely nothing.
Zhua leapt from the Goliath’s arm and fell through the air.
Closing his eyes, he visualized his Dao.
The golden substance that represented his hunger.
Of course it was too weak to seriously injure a Master-Rank Goliath.
But it should at least be able to hurt it.
Zhua pressed his palms together.
He felt his soul changing, flowing through his body and into his arms.
The attack shot toward the Goliath’s core.
The monster simply brushed it aside with one hand.
Then it struck.
Zhua crossed his arms and gritted his teeth.
Agony exploded through his body.
He screamed.
He could feel cracks spreading through his bones, though they somehow refused to break completely.
Thank you, you blessed stellar body, he thought.
His body crashed into the ground.
With immense effort, he staggered back to his feet.
He was out of options.
His stars couldn’t hurt this thing.
His will had been swept aside as though it were nothing.
Only one choice remained.
Zhua closed his eyes.
He concentrated.
He exhaled.
Then he felt warmth gathering in his hand.
At the same time, it felt cold.
White flames appeared.
Hungry flames.
Furious flames.
Flames that desired to consume everything in their path.
His skill [Greed]
The Goliath seemed to hesitate.
It actually took a step backward.
Zhua grinned wildly.
“Too late, bastard!”
He charged.
Dodging another enormous fist, he slapped his flaming hand against the monster’s body.
The white flames immediately began burning the Goliath.
The giant let out a roar of pain.
At the same time, Zhua felt his own injuries beginning to heal.
Another fist descended.
Zhua dodged again and moved toward the burning arm.
Suddenly, streams of magma erupted from the Goliath’s body like countless spears.
They shot toward him from every direction.
Zhua attempted to burn them away.
Nothing happened.
His flames had no effect whatsoever.
Perhaps the difference in rank was simply too great.
He dodged several projectiles.
One struck the side of his face.
The magma instantly began melting his flesh.
Zhua screamed in agony.
Yet even as he screamed, his wounds regenerated thanks to the life force his flames were stealing from the Goliath.
The monster attacked again with its remaining hand.
Zhua clenched his fist.
Then he punched.
His tiny fist collided with the fist of a giant.
The difference was almost laughable.
Damn you, Goliath.
His hand was reduced to a bloody pulp.
Yet it immediately began regenerating as the white flames spread to the Goliath’s other arm.
And Zhua laughed.
A mad laugh.
He wanted more.
More battle.
More violence.
More pain.
He was standing on the edge of death.
Yet the closer he came to dying, the more exhilarated he felt.
Every time death reached for him and failed because of his regeneration, he felt a rush unlike anything else.
Like a drug.
This was his greed.
He wanted more.
Zhua charged again.
He gathered all his strength into a single punch and struck the Goliath’s head.
The giant’s face began to burn.
Zhua climbed onto the creature’s head and started hammering it with both fists, each one engulfed in white flames.
Punch after punch.
Again.
Again.
Again.
All while laughing.
A wild, lunatic smile stretched across his face.
His arms shattered countless times.
Each time they regenerated instantly.
He kept punching.
And punching.
And punching.
Eventually, Zhua stopped.
He raised his head.
Only then did he realize he was standing on the ground.
Slowly, he looked down.
There was nothing left.
No head.
No body.
Only white flames remained where the Goliath had once stood.
Zhua stood up.
He wanted to fight more.
To burn more.
To consume more.
Then he suddenly felt something prick his neck.
Confused, he turned his head.
An injection needle was embedded in his skin.
His vision blurred.
Several figures were approaching him in the distance.
The world faded to black.
Far away, across a remote plain, a young woman traveled inside a carriage alongside several other people.
She had long red hair, fair skin, and eyes unlike any others.
One eye was blue like the ocean.
The other was violet like an amethyst.
As the carriage continued its endless journey, she stared out the window and sighed deeply.
Seriously…
why doesn’t this world have a skip button like video games?