Crack.
The giant monkey's heavy punch landed directly on Dustin's left arm. The force of the impact was overwhelming. His arm completely broke under the massive weight. The limb immediately dropped and hung uselessly at his side, held together only by the skin like a piece of cloth hanging loosely on a clothes hanger.
Dustin let out a sharp and loud cry that filled the dungeon. A blinding, fiery pain erupted in his left hand and rushed rapidly through every other part of his body. His vision flashed pure white for a second.
The beast did not stop at just that single hit. It roared and kept attacking relentlessly. Even though Dustin's left arm was completely broken and he was almost ready to cry out in absolute agony, his survival instincts took over. He forced his heavy legs to move and dodged the wild, heavy swings. He could not even move his left hand now. The intense pain assaulted him every single time he shifted his body even a fraction of an inch. His balance was completely thrown off by the dead weight hanging from his shoulder.
Dustin looked at the massive monkey in front of him while backing away. The beast was also covered in many deep cuts. Blood did not stop flowing from its terrible wounds, staining its golden fur dark red. It was huffing loudly just like him, its chest heaving with every ragged breath. The monster was clearly in too much pain as well.
At this exact moment, Dustin felt a sudden wave of intense, boiling anger. He gritted his teeth so hard. He refused to die here. He rushed directly toward the monkey. He did not care that his left arm was completely useless. He ignored the fact that his shoulder was hurting with every single step he took.
Swoosh. Slash.
He ducked under a clumsy hook and drove his right dagger deep into the monkey's side. The beast howled and swung blindly, but Dustin was already moving away.
After a few more brutal rounds of fighting, the giant monkey had lost way too much blood. Its heavy eyelids started to close. Its massive arms were trembling under their own weight. Yet, it still continued fighting anyway. It was driven entirely by its raw, primal will to survive. But reality is very cruel. Just wanting something or having a strong desire to live does not bring salvation. A person or a beast must have the actual strength to get it.
As time passed, the movements of the monkey became more and more stiff and incredibly slow. Dustin kept cutting the beast again and again. He darted in, sliced the thick flesh, and stepped back out of reach. He repeated this brutal process until the giant monkey finally died and collapsed heavily onto the stone floor.
Even after the monkey died, Dustin kept cutting it. He could not control his boiling anger. He was furious at the beast, but he was also furious at himself for slipping on a stupid rock and nearly getting killed. He raised his leg and started stomping its face with his feet.
Thud. Squelch. Thud.
He stomped over and over again until his breathing grew completely ragged.
DING.
This sudden, sharp sound made Dustin finally stop his violent actions. He stepped back from the ruined corpse and looked at the floating blue screen.
[ Killed an Evolved Species ]
[ Reward: 70 points ]
Dustin did not even bother to read the rest of the message. He quickly swiped this screen away and opened the shop section. He immediately switched over to the Starter Shop tab with his trembling right hand.
DING.
[ STARTER SHOP ]
[ Basic Healing Potion ]
[ Description: Can cure any basic injury quickly, but ineffective on any fatal injuries or poisons. ]
[ Cost: 200 points ]
[ Basic Poison ]
[ Description: Can kill any lower-level species below Level 30 in just a few minutes to several hours. Effects may vary based on the species' stats. May be ineffective on anything higher. ]
[ Cost: 500 points ]
[ Normal Sword ]
[ Description: A normal sword made of steel. No special effects or buffs. ]
[ Cost: 150 points ]
[ Ignis-Edge (Level 1) ]
[ Description: A normal steel sword with fire-affinity mana added while forging. Gives a 5% boost to fire-type attacks. Also increases Agility by 3, Stamina by 2, and Endurance by 4. Weak against water and similar attacks. ]
[ Cost: 560 points ]
He selected the healing potion without even taking a good look at his remaining balance on the screen in front of him. A small glass bottle filled with a bright red liquid instantly materialized in his right hand. He popped the cork with his thumb and gulped the entire potion down in just one go.
Just after two breaths of time, the terrible pain in his body started to fade away slowly. He felt extremely faint crackling sounds inside his left arm. It felt as if his broken bones were physically moving and rejoining themselves beneath his skin. The sensation was deeply uncomfortable, bringing a strange wave of heat to his damaged muscles.
After another few breaths, his hand was completely joined together. The intense, blinding agony was completely gone. It was replaced by a much more manageable, dull pain of stiff and sore muscles.
"Man, this was extreme," Dustin sighed in relief.
He flexed his fingers and took a good, careful look at his left hand. He rolled his wrist all around to see it from every possible side. Everything seemed to be working perfectly again. The potion was expensive, but it was worth every single point. Without it, he would have been permanently crippled in a dungeon full of monsters.
He closed the shop section with a wave of his hand. More pop-up messages immediately came in front of him.
DING.
DING.
[ You have reached Level 13 ]
[ Physical Strength: 41 ]
[ Vitality: 36 ]
[ Agility: 54 ]
[ Stamina: 36 ]
[ Endurance: 28 ]
[ Perception: 49 ]
[ Wisdom: 14 ]
[ Intelligence: 26 ]
[ Bonus stat points: +6 ]
Dustin did not even wait to think about it. He quickly used four of the bonus stat points for Endurance and put the remaining two points directly into Stamina.
DING.
[ Physical Strength: 41 ]
[ Vitality: 36 ]
[ Agility: 54 ]
[ Stamina: 38 ]
[ Endurance: 32 ]
[ Perception: 49 ]
[ Wisdom: 14 ]
[ Intelligence: 26 ]
"Now it looks good," Dustin said as he analyzed his new stats. "I sometimes get these bonus stat points and sometimes I do not get any at all. It is definitely best to first increase my Stamina, Endurance, Strength, or Vitality with these bonus points whenever I get them."
He clenched both of his hands into tight fists. He felt the new strength coursing through his body, but the memory of the snapping bone was still fresh in his mind. The terrifying reality had finally set in completely.
"I really need to be serious right now," Dustin whispered to himself. "I cannot treat this place like some real life virtual game anymore. One mistake means death."
He slid this screen away as well, and then another one popped up in its place.
[ Requirements: 13 / 15 ]
"Just two more left," he noted.
He then sat down heavily on the cold ground and rested for some time to gain his stamina back. His body was still covered in dried blood and sweat, but his energy was slowly returning. Once he felt capable of fighting again, he stood up and walked over to the monkey's corpse. He reached down and picked up his left dagger, which had fallen when the monkey broke his arm earlier.
He gripped his weapons tightly and moved deeper into the glowing dungeon, quietly cursing the giant monkey as he passed its battered body.