The chamber shook with the monster’s roar. Dust rained from the ceiling as the obsidian-scaled lizard lunged forward, its jaws snapping like iron traps. The sound was chilling, a mix of steel scraping on stone and the wet slap of its tongue. Its tail swept in a brutal arc, the force of it enough to pulp a man’s ribcage or snap a spine like kindling.

  William braced himself, gripping his sword with both hands. He met the monster’s charge head-on. The blade sang a harsh note as tooth met steel, sparks spitting across the cavern floor. The impact almost wrenched the weapon from his grip. His forearms trembled, and every muscle in his shoulders and back screamed.

  “Damn it!” he growled, his boots scraping furrows through the limestone rock as he skidded backwards. His dented breastplate bit into his ribs, causing pain to flash across his side with every breath. Rune-enchanted raid armour was supposed to shrug off boss hits like this. Now, it was just mundane metal and extra weight, with every strike inching him closer to collapse.

  The lizard reared back and hissed, clouds of blistering heat pouring from its maw. Its breath stank of sulphur and rot, the scent burning his nose and watering his eyes. A heartbeat later, it lunged again, faster than its size should allow. William twisted sideways, avoiding the full force of the charge. The beast’s flank clipped his shoulder, sending him stumbling. Pain lanced through his arm.

  He countered on instinct, swinging wide. The blade bit into the lizard’s scales with a crunch and a spray of steaming blood that hissed where it hit the stone. Instead of a clean HP chunk dropping, he was rewarded with a screech. Not the digital shriek he remembered from the game, but a raw, living bellow that vibrated through his chest. The monster staggered, enraged, then snapped its head around to glare at him, eyes glowing with hatred.

  It was intelligent and angry. The lizard feinted left before slamming its weight into his unprotected side. With a grunt of pain, the blow lifted Will from his feet and slammed him into the cavern wall. His shoulder struck the cavern wall; sparks exploded behind his eyes, and his sword clanged against the stone.

  [Warning: Minor Injury ??%]

  He coughed, tasting iron. “Damn lizard, that’s a quarter of my health gone!” His voice was hoarse, but defiance kept it steady. He pushed himself upright, boots slipping on the remains of a rotting goblin corpse. His vision narrowed to a tunnel; the edges darkened. “Come on, you ugly handbag, give me a clean shot.”

  The creature advanced, its scales scraping against the stone, its claws gouging deep furrows in the soft limestone floor. Its tail lashed from side to side, demolishing a cluster of stalagmites in a spray of shattered rock.

  Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  This wasn’t some scripted fight where you learned the pattern and waited for the cooldowns. It was a realistic, life-or-death battle, and Will wasn’t winning. He gulped, expecting the first wave of six weak goblins to attack, but the adds didn’t appear. “Guess you already ate your backup.”

  He forced a bloody smile at how ridiculous the previous version of this encounter was. A huge lizard that fed on goblins would be aided by those same goblins when attacked by adventurers. If anything, the goblins should take the opportunity to rid themselves of the menace that had been eating them.

  The lizard bared its fangs and lunged again. William dropped low, adrenaline spiking, and thrust with all the strength he had left. His sword punched through softer scales under its jaw, ramming deep into the creature’s throat. The monster thrashed, slamming its body into him. Pain ripped down his leg as something tore in his right thigh.

  He held on to the weapon like his life depended on it. Snarling, he twisted the blade and tore it free. The beast’s final death cry shook the cavern. The lizard’s claws scraped deep gouges out of the floor, while its tail smashed into a stalactite that showered dust and small stones that clattered against Will’s armour.

  The oversized lizard collapsed in a shuddering heap. William sagged against the carcass, his chest heaving as the lizard’s blood pooled at his feet. His leg felt hot and wet beneath the armour. He glanced at his throbbing leg. It looks bad, though probably not life-threatening, he tried to convince himself. In truth, he had no clue how bad it was.

  [XP: +25]

  His sword was dripping with blood and saliva; he leaned on the blade like a walking staff. “That,” he said between breaths, “was definitely not worth it.”

  The chamber stank of rotting goblins and sulphur-infused lizard blood. His HUD flickered at the corner of his vision, glitching like a broken holo-screen. A system notification popped into view.

  [Warning: Moderate Injury ??%]

  “Great. Just great.” He’d lost over half his health from a low-level boss fight.

  Will scanned the chamber for the familiar glimmer of loot drops. A chest, a bag, or a floating item to claim. But the only things he saw were scattered goblin bones and the cooling corpse at his feet.

  “What the hell! No loot? After all that?” His laugh was hollow. “This world really hates me.” He turned to limp back towards the exit when a faint glow caught his eye. There was a light pulsing from the lizard’s chest.

  Will froze and then approached, still using his sword as a walking aid. The glow seeped through cracked scales, like embers trapped beneath coal.

  With a grimace, he set his blade to work. The steel screeched as it split armour-hard hide, peeling flesh away. The rotten eggs’ like stench made him gag, but he pressed on until his gauntlet touched something smooth.

  A crystal no bigger than a clenched fist glowed with inner fire. The moment his fingers brushed it, a notification appeared:

  [System Item Detected: ???]

  [Absorb Into Core? Y/N]

  Will’s breath caught. “Absorb. What the hell does absorb mean?” He tore the crystal from the lizard’s chest. “Since when do we absorb items?” It pulsed red in his palm, heat tingling up his arm. His instincts screamed danger, but curiosity won.

  William gritted his teeth. “Screw it. Yes!”

  full stats screens like this:

  [SYSTEM ERROR: Incomplete Interface]

  Character: William Draven

  Race: Half-Elf/Human

  Class: Holy Paladin of the Fallen Gods

  Level: 200

  XP: ??/??

  Health: ??/??

  Mana: ??/??

  Strength: ??

  Charisma: ??

  Agility: ??

  Intelligence: ??

  Willpower: ??

  Luck: ??

  Free points: ??

  Stamina: 5%

  [Skills] SYSTEM ERROR

  [Professions] SYSTEM ERROR

  [Titles] SYSTEM ERROR

  [Reputation] SYSTEM ERROR

  [Quests] SYSTEM ERROR

  [Oaths] SYSTEM ERROR

  [Warning: Heavy Fatigue 5%]

  partial stats format:

  [SYSTEM ERROR: Incomplete Interface]

  Stamina: 55%

  [Warning: Moderate Fatigue 55%]

  [SYSTEM ERROR: Incomplete Interface]

  XP: ??/??

  Stamina: 96%

  Chapter 005 [Game Notification: Stats Glorious Stats]