Derek exhaled sharply, his fingers tightening around the grenade launcher as the embers of the fallen Nether Hound Alpha drifted into the air. The system notification still hovered in his vision, mocking him.
[Nether Hound Alpha defeated. 100 EXP gained.]
[Total EXP: 100/150.]
Derek groaned. "Oh, co on! I'm this close to leveling up? That's just cruel."
His mont of frustration was short-lived as the eerie silence of the Netherworld was broken by a chorus of guttural growls.
The temperature around him seed to rise, the air shimring with heat as shadows erged from the orange haze. His stomach twisted as more Nether Hounds prowled into view from the protruding bones their glowing red eyes locking onto him like hungry predators scenting fresh at.
And these weren't just the regular ones.
So were larger, their fur a darker shade, with molten veins coursing through their limbs. Others had elongated limbs and serrated claws, their saliva sizzling as it dripped onto the cracked earth. One had two heads, each snarling independently, its breath releasing small bursts of ember-like mist.
"Well," Derek muttered, forcing a grin despite the sweat forming on his brow. "I guess you guys heard I was giving out free EXP today. Too bad I'm all out of party favors."
[Warning: Multiple hostile entities detected. Threat level: High.]
"Yeah, no kidding."
His instincts scread at him to move as the first of the new arrivals lunged forward. Derek barely managed to activate Quickstep, his body blurring out of the way just as molten claws slashed through where he'd been standing. The world seed to slow for a split second, his perception heightened as he reappeared several feet away.
His heart pounded. Quickstep was still new to him, but he was getting the hang of it. The sudden burst of speed left a tingling sensation in his muscles, but he had no ti to admire the feeling. More hounds were closing in, their movents coordinated as they spread out to flank him.
"Oh, this is bad," Derek breathed. He raised his Glock and fired at the closest one, his bullets finding their mark. The beast staggered but didn't go down. "Oh, this is really bad."
His free hand summoned another grenade into the launcher. He needed to thin them out. Fast.
With a sharp inhale, he aid for the cluster forming ahead and fired. The grenade detonated in a fiery explosion, sending shrapnel and molten flesh flying. Two hounds crumpled instantly, their forms dissolving into embers, while another let out a pained howl, barely clinging to life.
[Nether Hounds defeated. 50 EXP gained.]
[Total EXP: 150/150.]
[Congratulations! You have leveled up.]
[All attributes increased by 10. You have gained 5 free attribute points.]
A rush of energy coursed through him, montarily pushing aside the exhaustion. His limbs felt stronger, his senses sharper. But the battle was far from over.
"Nice! Finally leveled up!" Derek smirked before realizing that the remaining hounds were still very much alive, and very pissed. "Uh... don't suppose that explosion scared you guys off?"
The two-headed hound snarled and lunged.
"Yeah, didn't think so." He put the Grenade Launcher aside and took out the Glock.p
Derek activated Quickstep again, dodging the beast's charge just in ti. This ti, he landed with more control, skidding to a stop and whipping his gun up to unload more rounds into its side. He was adapting, his body starting to sync with the ability's timing.
But more enemies were coming. Too many.
His grin wavered as a fresh wave of Nether Hounds erged from the haze, their molten veins pulsing angrily.
Derek swallowed hard. "Alright, system, how about unlocking a mini-nuke or sothing? No? Just and my two hands? Cool, cool." He sighed and squared his stance, grenade launcher at the ready. "Guess we're doing this the hard way."
The hounds charged. And Derek fought.
He fought with everything he had.
Derek's boots dug into the scorched earth as he steadied his breathing. The rush of leveling up still coursed through him, but there was no ti to enjoy it. More Nether Hounds prowled in the distance, their molten eyes gleaming through the orange haze. So were bigger, faster, and more twisted than the ones before.
"Alright, Derek. No ti for celebration. You got this," he muttered under his breath, shaking off the tension that coiled in his muscles.
The first hound lunged, its claws swiping through the air with a sizzling hiss. Derek activated Quickstep on instinct, his body blurring to the side just in ti to avoid being shredded. The mont he reappeared, he raised the Glock and squeezed the trigger.
Bang. Bang. Bang.
The rounds tore into the hound's molten chest, but the creature barely staggered. Derek cursed, sidestepping another incoming beast. Quickstep was helping him maneuver, but he could already feel the strain on his stamina.
"I swear, I'm gonna file a complaint about these things not going down easy!" he growled, reloading in a smooth motion before firing again. This ti, he aid for the glowing fissures in their bodies. The bullets found their mark, and one of the hounds let out a pained yelp before collapsing into embers.
[Nether Hound defeated. 25 EXP gained.]
[Total EXP: 25/300.]
Derek didn't have ti to feel satisfied. Another hound, larger than the others, charged straight at him. This one had bony protrusions along its back, each crackling with inner heat. It was faster. More aggressive.
He barely managed to Quickstep again, but the effort left his legs burning. He was getting used to it, but it still drained him faster than he liked. "Gotta use this in bursts... or I'll be the one collapsing."
Holstering the Glock, Derek summoned the XM25 grenade launcher again.
Taking a steady breath, he aid for the beast's core and fired.
The explosion rocked the battlefield, sending shockwaves of heat and debris outward. When the dust cleared, the hound was staggering, its molten veins sputtering like a dying fire. Derek didn't hesitate,he pulled his Glock and emptied the magazine into the exposed weak points.
[Nether Hound Variant defeated. 50 EXP gained.]
[Total EXP: 75/300.]
A sharp howl echoed behind him. Derek turned just in ti to see more Nether Hounds erging. His stomach dropped. It was an endless tide. Brought to you by the folks at *.
For the first ti, he considered turning back.
His eyes darted towards the distant ruins, where the way out of this hellish landscape lay. He had pushed forward relentlessly, but at this rate, he was going to get overwheld. No matter how strong he beca, he couldn't fight forever.
He exhaled sharply, forcing himself to stay calm. He still had a choice: Stand and fight until he dropped, or make a tactical retreat and live to level up another day.
"Alright, new plan," he muttered, switching back to his Glock and sprinting towards the exit. "Shoot, run, don't die. Solid strategy."
The hounds weren't letting him go that easily. Their guttural growls grew louder as they pursued him, their fiery bodies lighting up the darkness of the Netherworld. He fired over his shoulder, each shot aid for their glowing weak points. So went down but others imdiately Others kept coming.
Derek was strong. But he wasn't invincible.
His breath ca in short gasps, his muscles aching from Quickstep and constant movent. The heat of the realm felt suffocating, the looming shadows of the ruins still frustratingly far away.
Then, a deep, earth-shaking growl rumbled from behind.
Derek risked a glance over his shoulder—and his blood ran cold.
A colossal Nether Hound stood among the pack, its molten fissures glowing like magma rivers, its body massive enough to dwarf the others. The sheer weight of its presence sent a chill down Derek's spine.
"Oh, you have got to be kidding ."
The beast's molten eyes locked onto him. Then, with a thunderous roar, it charged.
Derek gritted his teeth. He might've been considering retreat, but this thing? It wasn't going to let him run.
"Well," he muttered, raising his weapons. "Guess we're doing this the hard way. Again."
And the battle raged on.
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