A Trash Novel's Only Reader-Chapter 18: Evolution
Shu stared at the bat in his hand while the serpent’s jaw shook against his grip, and for one stupid second his brain ignored the giant monster trying to eat him.
’I never really thought about this thing,’ he thought, breathing through blood and clenched teeth. ’I bought the cheapest bat for a random batting cage, then beat monsters with it all day, smashed walls, cracked skulls, blocked blades, and it still never broke.’
Another violent pull nearly ripped his shoulder out, but the bat stayed firm in his palm. ’now that I think about it, that is weird as hell.’
The serpent jerked its head sideways and he finally moved with it, twisting out of the bite line as its fangs scraped past his chest. He hit the ground hard, rolled over the ground, and came up on one knee with the bat raised.
The system panel flickered beside him while the monster coiled tighter around the chamber.
[Arms Bond Synchronization: Active]
[Bonded Weapon: Aluminum Bat]
[Awakening Stage: 1] 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂
[Energy Channel: Available]
"Not sure what is happening but I like it," he muttered, spitting blood to the side. "I should be able to survive with this, hopefully."
The serpent lunged, and Shu met it head on.
The bat connected with its skull, and the impact was different now, the veins flaring purple as the shock that normally rattled up his arms got absorbed by the weapon instead. The serpent’s head snapped sideways into the wall, and for the first time since this fight started, it was the one stumbling.
’Oh,’ he thought, feeling the power coursing through him. ’This is what it feels like to actually use mana properly.’
He pressed forward, swinging again before it could recover, the bat slamming into its ribs with a satisfying. The serpent screamed and thrashed, the tail sweeping toward him, but he jumped it, landed, and drove the bat into the back of its skull. The veins pulsed brighter, the impact driving its head into the ground, cracking the floor.
’Again,’ he thought, raising the bat. ’Again, again, again.’
Each hit landed harder than the last, the bond between him and the weapon growing stronger with every swing. The serpent was getting battered, its movements slowing, its roars turning into whimpers, and Shu could feel the end coming.
And he was enjoying it.
’What is wrong with me,’ he thought, a grin spreading across his bloody face. ’I should be terrified but this feels...too good.’
The thrill of the fight, the rush of power and the feeling of his bat responding to every swing like it was a part of his body, it was intoxicating. For the first time since getting thrown into this world, he did not feel like he was in any danger.
He felt like a hunter.
The serpent tried to retreat, dragging its broken body toward the collapsed ramp, but Shu was not done. He closed the distance in two steps, grabbed its tail with his free hand, and swung it backward into a pillar. The impact cracked the wall, and the serpent crumpled, barely moving.
’One more,’ he thought, raising the bat high. ’One more and this thing is-’
A pulse stopped him.
It came from the serpent, a wave of mana so dense it made the air heavy. The ground trembled, dust falling from the ceiling as the serpent’s body began to glow, a sickly green light spreading across its scales.
’What the hell is this?’
The wounds started closing, and the cracked scales mending, with its muscles swelling as bones cracked and reformed. The serpent that had been dying seconds ago was getting bigger and stronger, its eyes burning with a light that had not been there before.
[Warning: Monster Evolution Detected]
[Venom Serpent Queen is evolving]
[Threat Level: Rising]
’Shit,’ he thought, taking a step back. ’It is evolving? Right now?’
The mana pouring off it was suffocating, pressing against his chest like an incredible force. Any sane person would have run, accepting that the fight was over and gotten out while they still could.
However, ’am I losing my mind,’ his grin got wider, ’why am I so excited?’
He pulled up his status while the serpent kept growing, the green glow getting brighter as its body swelled to twice its original size.
[Status:]
[Name: Shu]
[Rank: Temporary E-Rank (High)]
[Level: 9]
[Free Stat Points: 16]
[Frame: 22]
[Core: 10]
[Circuit: 10]
’Dump everything,’ he thought, not even hesitating.
[Free Stat Points: 16 -> 0]
[Frame: 22 -> 30]
[Core: 10 -> 14]
[Circuit: 10 -> 14]
The power hit him all at once, tightening and strengthening his body, doubling the energy he had.
The serpent finished evolving, its body now massive, looming over him as it opened it’s eyes that now had higher intelligence staring back at him.
"Yeah, I can see it in your eyes, you don’t want it to end like this too," he said, getting into a crouch position, "let’s see which one of us got the better evolution!"
His leg muscles coiled and launched him towards the monster, he wound his bat back, aiming for its head but its tail shot up, blocking the attack. The impact rattled through the tail and into the serpent’s body, but it barely flinched, swatting him sideways before he could recover.
He hit the ground, rolled, and came up swinging, his bat connecting with its ribs, but the evolved scales held, only cracking instead of breaking.
Its tail came around fast right after, forcing him to drop flat, feeling it rip the air over his back before smashing through a pillar behind him. He sprang up again through the collapsing pillar before she could pin him under.
’Looks like its not playing anymore,’ he thought, sliding sideways as the queen turned with unsettling speed. ’If I keep trading normal hits with this thing, I am the one going to lose ground first.’
The queen opened her mouth and a thick green glow climbed up her throat. Instinct made him move before he understood why, diving behind an overturned car just as a stream of venom blasted across the space he was standing, dissolving it.
’yeaaaaah,’ he thought, grimacing while the poison ate through the hood of the car. ’Getting tagged by that means instant death.’
Something started hissing behind him.
He turned and saw smaller serpents pouring out through cracks in the floor and gaps between the wrecked cars, their bodies thinner than the queen’s but still big enough to wrap around a leg. More kept coming, spreading out in a rough circle while the queen watched from behind them with glowing eyes.
"Seriously?" he snapped, tightening his grip on the bat. "You can summon adds too? What is this cheap boss design?"
