A Trash Novel's Only Reader-Chapter 33: Breakthrough
Shu sprinted.
He did not even bother pretending to stay calm this time, because that thing behind him was ripping through the forest so hard the whole ground shook with every step. Trees exploded, roots got torn out, and the red fog behind him kept bursting apart as something massive kept forcing its way through.
"Fuck fuck fuck fuck-"
He vaulted over a thick root, nearly slipped on the landing, then threw himself around a tree just before a giant hand smashed through the spot he was about to step on. Bark and dirt blasted across his back, the impact almost pitching him forward again.
’just what the hell is that thing,’ he thought, lungs burning as he forced his legs to keep moving. ’I have a feeling that facing that thing has a high likely hood of me dying.’
The tyrant roared behind him, the sound alone making his chest tighten. Earlier he compared it to the serpent boss, but the comparison was not even close
Another crash came from behind, followed by the sound of many trees snapping one after another.
He risked one glance over his shoulder and nearly laughed at how fucked he was, ’something that big has no business being that fast dammit!’
He kept running anyway, then pulled up his system with one thought, hoping there was something there that could save his life.
[Status:]
[Name: Shu]
[Rank: F-Rank (High)]
[Level: 12]
[EXP: 1700/6,000]
[Credits: 26,700]
[Free Stat Points: 9]
[Frame: 34]
[Core: 20]
[Circuit: 17]
[Authority: 2 (Domain-linked)]
[Skill Set:]
[ - Domain Lv.3 (Unique)]
[ - Slaughterer Lv.3 (Active)]
[ - Unwavering Spirit Lv.1 (Passive)]
[ - Iron Stomach Lv.1 (Passive)]
[ - Arms Bond Lv.1 (Passive)]
[ - Mutation Resistance Lv.1 (Fragment)]
[ - Monster Tamer Lv.1 (Passive)]
’Come on, come on,’ he thought, eyes flicking over the screen while another crash thundered behind him. ’Give me something useful.’
Domain was useless in here, Monster Tamer was a joke right now, and the rest were things he already knew about.
His eyes moved back up and stopped at this stat points.
[Free Stat Points: 9]
’Right,’ he thought, nearly tripping over a root before catching himself. ’I still have these.’
He had been holding onto them because he did not want to dump points blindly again, but this was not the kind of situation where he could afford to be picky.
’If I save them and die, then what was the point?’ he thought, hearing another huge crash behind him.
His eyes dropped to the three main stats.
[Frame: 34]
[Core: 20]
[Circuit: 17]
Frame made his body stronger, faster, and harder to break.
Core gave him more energy, which was good, but extra energy meant nothing if that thing caught him and folded him in half.
Circuit would help with control and output, though, right now he was not trying to win some clean fight, he was just trying not to die.
’For this situation...’ he thought, breath turning rough as the tyrant got louder again. ’It has to be Frame, right?’
He dumped all of them into Frame without thinking twice.
[Free Stat Points: 9 -> 0]
[Frame: 34 -> 43]
The moment it crossed forty, a violent rush tore through his whole body.
"Ghk-"
His legs almost gave out mid-run, but he somehow kept moving while a strange heat flooded through his muscles, bones, and chest all at once. It felt way stronger than a normal level up, more like his whole body was being shoved into a higher state.
System windows exploded in front of him one after another.
[Requirements met.]
[Rank threshold reached.]
[Advancing to next rank...]
[Rank Up!]
[F-Rank -> E-Rank]
[Rank advancement complete.]
[Stat boost granted.]
The rush got even stronger after that, making his heartbeat slam against his ribs.
[Frame: +5]
[Core: +3]
[Circuit: +3]
[New stats unlocked.]
[Body Integrity]
[Sense]
[Resist]
His eyes widened a little, trying to focus but there was no time to read any of it.
The tyrant was still right behind him, and the moment that thought crossed his mind, a huge shadow came down over his back.
He moved on instinct, kicking off the ground so hard he almost launched himself too far, shooting forward just before the tyrant’s hand smashed the ground. The impact blew apart the roots behind him, but this time he did not get caught in it.
’Woah,’ he thought, nearly missing a step from how light his body suddenly felt. ’That is way better.’
He kept sprinting, and every stride now carried him farther than before. His legs felt stronger, his chest felt more stable, and even the pressure coming off the tyrant did not crush his nerves the same way it did a moment ago.
’E-Rank...’ he thought, weaving around a tree while another vine shot past him. ’So this is the difference?’
The vine should have clipped him, but his body twisted out of the way before he fully processed it.
’My reactions got way better too.’
Another giant arm swept across the ground, and this time he ducked under it cleanly, slid over a root, then kicked off a trunk and changed direction fast enough to finally make the tyrant miss by something bigger than an inch.
The monster roared again, sounding even angrier now.
"Yeah, cry about it," he muttered, though his breathing was still rough.
He risked one more glance at the system, mostly to make sure he had not imagined everything.
[Status:]
[Name: Shu]
[Rank: E-Rank (Low)]
[Level: 12]
[Frame: 48]
[Core: 23]
[Circuit: 20]
[Body Integrity: 1]
[Sense: 1]
[Resist: 1]
’Low E-Rank,’ he thought, eyes flicking back forward. ’Still not enough to beat that thing, but way better than before.’
That answer settled in his chest fast.
He still could not fight the tyrant head-on, no chance, but now running did not feel completely hopeless anymore. The thing was still a monster, way stronger than him, and more absurd too, but the gap no longer felt so absolute.
’Good,’ he thought, tightening his grip on the bat. ’As long as I am not instantly dying, I can work with that.’
Then something came to mind.
He swerved around a tree, grabbed a thick branch, and ripped it off on the way past. The tyrant kept charging behind him, destroying everything in its path, but Shu’s eyes dropped to the branch for a second.
’Hmm, maybe...’ he thought, drawing mana into it. ’If I can do it like I do with the bat...’
The branch trembled in his hand for a second, then held.
His eyes widened a little, "it works?’ he thought, then turned halfway and hurled it with everything he had.
The branch shot through the air like a spear and pierced straight through the tyrant’s ear, making the monster roar in pain.
He stared for a second before a grin slowly spread across his face. "Oh," he said, already ripping off another branch, mana pouring into it at once. "Now we’re talking."
He tore off one more after that and looked back at the raging monster with a dangerous smile. ’Alright then,’ he thought. ’Time to hunt.’
