The orb had completely changed its form and was now something entirely different.
It had become a shield — perfect in size for Rico — and its appearance made it obvious that this was no ordinary weapon.
The shield was roughly round, yet never perfectly so. Its edges seemed unstable, constantly shifting… stretching outward, then snapping back as if some invisible force restrained them.
Its surface was a dense, matte black that didn't reflect the light around it, but swallowed it instead. Strangely, it felt less like solid metal and more like a thick liquid, with slow-moving shadows swirling across it.
At the center of the shield was a crest. It resembled the full moon, yet gave off no light. Instead, it carried a faint, pale glow. The weapon was truly a thing of beauty, and from the way Rico's gaze lingered on it, he clearly admired its design.
The crowd took notice of the phenomenon as well, and their reactions varied.
Some sat quietly, curious about what had just happened — while others spoke among themselves, searching for answers.
"Just a few minutes ago, that thing was an orb. How did it become a shield?"
"I wish I knew," a man replied. "I've never seen a weapon like that before. This should be interesting to watch…"
Another man, overhearing the conversation, scoffed at them.
"Who cares if he got a shield? He's dead for sure. That won't save him from the Beast of Sloth."
Slowly, the two men shifted their gaze — from Rico holding the shield… to the beast waiting in the distance. Then, in a silent agreement, they nodded.
"Yeah… the kid stands no chance."
Rico held the shield up, still inspecting it when suddenly—
He felt a shift in the air. A deep, heavy thud echoed from where the beast stood.
Rico's head snapped towards the beast which was already moving — charging straight toward him at full speed.
The beast's rampage created what could only be described as mini earthquakes. Each stomp left small craters in the ground, kicking up waves of dust that rolled forward and partially obscured its massive frame.
Rico raised the shield in front of him, bracing for impact. Running would've been useless — the creature was far too fast for its size.
[Passive Activated — Shadow Sandbox]
The screen flashed before his eyes — a brief description appeared beneath it, but Rico didn't have time to read.
The beast lowered its head and charged — like a battering ram. The distance between them vanished in an instant and it crashed into Rico.
The impact slammed into the shield, lifting him clean off his feet. He was sent flying backward across the arena and crashed into the wall behind him with a violent force, the stone fracturing on impact.
The beast reared up onto its hind legs, then slammed back down, shaking the ground beneath it. It almost looked like it was taunting him, similar to that of a bull.
Rico remained seated where he had landed, staring at Taruntula, his eyes wide. For a moment, he was sure he should've been in pieces. But as he quickly scanned his body and flexed his limbs, he realized the damage wasn't nearly as bad as he expected.
A few bruises... a sharp ache in his back. But overall… he could still move. He could still stand.
"Was it… that passive skill?"
He glanced at the shield as it gave off a faint hum, its surface rippling like water disturbed by a falling stone. It was almost as if it were absorbing the force of the impact.
The crowd, which had gone silent during the creature's charge, suddenly erupted as they watched Rico push himself to his feet. They were truly surprised he survived that first attack... many haven't.
"That's our challenger for you, folks! He can take thirty more of those!"
Rico turned toward the announcer, eyes widening.
"W-what? Thirty more?! Are you insane?!"
Meanwhile, in the background, the beast paid little attention to the moment. It began pawing at the ground with one of its forelegs, lowering its head as its muscles tightened in preparation for another charge. Like a spring being coiled for maximum force.
Rico sensed the killing intent immediately.
He aligned his focus back unto the creature and readied his stance once more, preparing to survive another hit.
'Man… this is not good. Even if I can tank a few more blows, eventually it'll break my defense. And I can't beat this thing just by running either…'
Rico suddenly remembered the message that had appeared earlier when the screen appeared before him. Quickly, he tried to bring it back —
But nothing happened.
"Damn it…"
Needing space to try and activate the screen, he broke into a run along the rim of the arena, sand kicking up beneath his feet.
"Appear. Show me. Magic screen. Open sesame. Goddamn it — System!"
Behind him, the beast let out a frustrated rumble. It scraped the ground again, dragging its foreleg back as it prepared to launch forward once more, its eyes tracking him as he ran.
Finally, the screen reappeared before Rico —
[Passive — Shadow Sandbox]
[The shield absorbs 50% of any physical impact for every third attack it takes. Impact energy is stored to use skill — Shadow Bash]
'So this next attack will deal full damage… not good. I need a way to avoid getting hit… but how?'
A worried expression crept unto his face.
'That also explains why the first hit didn't shatter me to pieces. I would be dead if I had chosen those axes.'
As Rico ran, his eyes flicked back to the screen and that's when he noticed it—
A small panel option at the bottom, marked with an arrow, indicating more options or skills on the next screen. Quickly, he gestured with his hand and the display shifted.
[Skill Summary — Unlocked Category]
Rico quickly scanned the available skills. He didn't have time to go through each one, so, using a bit of instinct — and a play on words — he selected the one that seemed most useful.
[Shadow Parry — The shield creates a shadow projection that blocks incoming attacks]
Rico let out a small breath of relief and turned toward the creature. It had already finished charging and was now rushing straight at him.
He activated Shadow Parry immediately.
A large projection of the shield formed about a meter in front of him.
"Tsk… here it comes."
The beast slammed into the projection. The impact rippled through it, slowing the creature's momentum — then the projection shattered. The remaining force carried through. The beast crashed into Rico's shield and sent him flying backward.
He slammed into the arena wall once more, the impact knocking the air out of him. Rico froze where he landed, coughing up blood as he stretched one hand toward the beast, the shield still raised.
The creature once again reared slightly on its forelegs before slamming them down into the ground. It turned, completely unbothered, and made its way back toward the center of the arena, where it began pawing at the ground again — preparing for another, final charge.
Rico felt a sharp numbness spread through one of his legs. It barely responded.
'Damn… did it break?'
Using the wall behind him for support, he slowly pushed himself up. He stood unevenly, his weight shifting to one side.
'If it wasn't for Shadow Parry, I'd be dead by now. And my passive won't activate until I take one more direct hit… shit…'
Behind him, the crowd watched in silence.
"One more hit and he's done."
"Yes, but still… how often do you see someone last this long against Taruntula?"
"That weapon he chose… I wonder..."
Rico shifted his body slightly, trying to cushion the pain. A heavy weight pressed down on him, like a boulder sitting on his chest.
"System"
The screen appeared once more. Rico glanced at the creature — it was already preparing to charge again, just like before. His mind started racing.
'Alright… think.'
Based on its pattern — lowering its head, pawing the ground before charging — he figured he had a small window.
'Give or take… I've got about two minutes before it comes at me again.'
"I need to see what other skills I can use. Shadow Parry works better against something with less physical strength. And… even if I used it again, I wouldn't survive another hit."
His eyes moved quickly across the list of skills. There were six in total.
Three unlocked. Three locked.
'Just by the names alone, I can tell even one of those locked skills would help right now…'
"Shadow Wall Fortress… that sounds really good."
'Figures. The best skills are always locked… just like those games. But… what's the fun in that?'
As he continued scanning through the available skills, Rico came across one that might actually help.
[Shadow Anchor — The user is anchored in place by their shadow]
"Interesting… this could work. But not by itself."
He narrowed his eyes, thinking.
"It's like an immovable object meets an unstoppable force… except this time, the immovable object is made of flesh and bones."
He glanced back at the beast. It had finished charging. It roared — loud and deafening — its voice reverberating across the arena.
"Here it comes… it's now or never. If this fails, it's over for me."
He planted his feet, facing the oncoming beast. The ground trembled as it charged toward him. Rico raised his shield. A shadow projection formed once more — expanding outward into a massive barrier in front of him.
Then he activated the new skill.
[Shadow Anchor]
The shadow beneath his feet shifted. It rose from the ground in thin, writhing strands — like small, living tendrils. They wrapped tightly around his legs, binding him in place.
Rico glanced down at them, a flicker of unease crossing his face.
"…Yeah. That's definitely not creepy at all."
The creature's tremors grew heavier, signaling its approach getting closer. He braced, raising his shield forward to meet the impact.
The beast slammed into the shadow projection. The collision sent dust exploding outward, scattering across the arena.
For a brief moment, the projection held... then, with a ferocious push, it shattered.
The creature surged through, closing the gap instantly. It crashed into Rico's shield. The impact rang out like thunder, echoing through the arena and forcing spectators to gasp, some covering their ears.
Rico's arms rattled violently under the force. The strain was immediate and brutal.
Anchored in place, he had nowhere to go — no way to soften the blow. He squinted, gritting his teeth as he tried to endure it.
For a brief moment neither the creature nor Rico moved forward or back.
"Shit… was this the right plan? I c-can't hold this thing off any longer… it feels like my hands are about to shatter."
The pressure kept building... his fingers started to go numb.
'Damn it…'
Realizing he couldn't hold on much longer, Rico quickly glanced behind him, checking the distance to the wall.
"Skill release!"
The shadow tendrils around his legs loosened, then slipped back into the ground. And the moment they were gone, the full force hit him.
Rico was launched backward, crashing into the wall behind him with a violent impact. He slammed into the wall hard — his back taking most of the impact, followed by the back of his head. A dull crack echoed.
Blood began to seep from the wound, trailing down and staining his shoulder and back. Rico groaned, his grip loosening as the hand holding the shield went limp.
His vision blurred, fading in and out.
The crowd watched in tense silence, waiting for what would happen next.
Rico remained slumped against the wall, his breathing heavy and uneven.
'My head… feels like it's being stabbed with needles…'
'And my hands… I can't feel them…'
'Is this it…? Is this how I die…?'
Through his fading vision, Rico watched as the creature returned to the center of the arena. He already knew what came next. The beast began preparing for another charge.
A spectator standing directly behind him got up and shouted.
"Hurry and stand, kid! It's about to come at you again!"
"Don't give up yet!" another voice followed.
Then — almost like a chain reaction... the crowd began to cheer.
Their cries for him to stand and fight echoed throughout the arena. Rico heard them — urging him to keep going… to keep living… to survive.
Something stirred within him. A newfound strength surged through his body. He gritted his teeth and forced himself up, pain tearing through him as he rose to his feet.
Despite the pounding in his head, the ache in his back, and his blurred vision — he pushed forward. He stood there, unsteady, facing the beast.
Suddenly, the screen reappeared before him, flashing with a message.
[Skill Ready to Use — Shadow Bash]
The shield, lying on the ground before him, began to pulse — as if calling out to him.
Ignoring the pain in his back and the numbness in his hand, Rico bent down and grabbed it. As he stood, the shield started to react differently.
The air around him stilled and then suddenly—
It flared to life.