In an instant, my body felt unnaturally light. My thoughts sharpened with eerie clarity—a calmness like the legendary "sage mode" after... well, you know.
*This isn’t me,* I realized instinctively.
Time slowed. Every twitch of the Mutant Monster’s body became visible. Its right side had turned sickly green. The torn shirt revealed warty, toad-like skin glistening under strange light.
*Ah… so this thing’s an amphibious Mutant Monster,* I thought. Not just from the skin—the right side of its jaw pulsed with gills.
My mind raced, but time refused to wait. The half-human, half-green horror kept advancing. Only now did I see the human half twisting grotesquely, as if the green infection devoured it from within. The boundary showed yellow flesh being eaten away.
No time to dwell. This monster had tossed an iron bedframe like trash. Its strength was hundreds of pounds. Surviving two attacks was already a miracle.
Resentment flared in my chest—then my eyes caught the fruit knife I’d used to cut my hair earlier. Small, but razor-sharp. Ten centimeters long. If I gambled…
*Do it!*
I lunged forward. Time snapped back to normal.
The Mutant Monster moved stiffly, limbs uncoordinated. Even its thick tail struggled to balance sharp turns. I dove face-first beneath its armpit!
*THUD!*
I hit the floor. All I saw was the knife’s cold gleam—five centimeters away. Ignoring the ache in my chest, I snatched it up and scrambled to my feet.
*Slip!*
My foot skidded on something. I crashed down again, breath knocked out. Tears sprang from the pain in my chest.
That split-second delay cost me. The monster seized my ankle.
*Is this it?* My last thought flashed—
Dragon Peak’s smug face.
*How tragically unfair!* Dying to *his* memory?
*No!* I refused this ending.
Rage erupted. Fear had burned into fury.
"AAAAAH!!!"
I screamed, slashing wildly with the knife.
A sickening *thunk*—blade sinking into flesh. The monster roared.
*ROOOAR!*
The world spun. My back slammed into the icy wall. The monster clutched its groin, howling.
*Heh… heh… Do monsters even have dicks?*
Warm blood trickled down my forehead. I touched it, staring at the crimson on my fingers.
*Blood…?*
Its evolution hadn’t removed *that* weak spot. Fresh tears stained its torn jeans—not urine. Green blood.
I pushed off the wall, vision swimming. Weakness dragged at my limbs. I swayed, almost collapsing. Sleep begged me to surrender. But not yet.
*Now’s my chance.*
The monster writhed, guarding its groin. Each step toward me faltered in agony.
*Why keep such a fatal flaw after mutating?* I wondered bitterly. But gratitude surged—I could exploit it.
No hesitation. I tightened my grip on the knife. The monster glared back, dozens of eyes on its right side locking onto mine. Like a snake’s stare.
I’d rather face a viper.
My feet kept moving. Hatred burned in its gaze—a bad omen. But killing it came first.
I reversed my grip on the knife. The monster didn’t advance. It *retreated*.
*It’s intelligent!* Ice flooded my veins. If monsters think… is this still humanity’s world?
It was recovering. That crippling pain wasn’t lethal to it.
*Too late.*
My target lay beneath my feet—the quilt from the overturned bed.
"Die!!!"
I yelled, testing its reaction. Its right foot flinched back.
*Perfect.*
Its human sneaker now stood on the quilt. I dropped, yanking the white fabric.
"Fall!!!"
The quilt slid. Its foot slipped on the slimy sole. It staggered, then crashed backward.
"RAAAGH!"
I flipped the quilt over its body. It thrashed on the floor.
*THUD!*
*SKREEE!*
I pounced.
Yes—I threw myself onto the quilt-covered horror. Before it could rise, I raised the knife.
"Die!!!"
*STAB! STAB! STAB!*
Green droplets bloomed through the fabric with each thrust. The monster bellowed, trapped by the thick quilt and its own slick skin.
On the third stab, it hurled me off. I skidded half a meter, scrambled up, and charged again. The knife plunged down like a piston.
*STAB! STAB!*
It threw me again. I rose instantly. Nothing existed but one thought:
*Kill it.*
Again. And again.
Its shrieks echoed through the hallway. My throat turned raw.
"AAAAH!!!"
Green blood spattered my face. The white quilt turned swamp-colored. I kept stabbing—*in, out, in, out*—
Until…
*SKREE…*
Its final cry died. I poured my last strength into one downward strike.
*SHLUCK!*
The ruined quilt revealed a pulpy green face beneath. Dozens of burst eyeballs oozed yellow and green slime. My knife stood buried dead-center in what was left of its skull.
*Huff… huff… huff…*
Cool wind from the broken window kissed my sweat-soaked skin. Clarity returned.
"Dead…?"
I crawled back, tugged the quilt, and kicked the lump beneath it twice.
