EVIL SYSTEM

"What kind of shit are you supposed to be?" Ben asked.

"Jie jie jie." A strange laugh echoed from the abomination. "Every so often, ignorant fools like you appear."

"Do you think you're brave?" the monster asked, one of its tentacles creeping toward Ben's face.

Ben stared at the monster without showing a hint of panic or fear. Before the tentacle could touch him, he sliced it off with a single swing.

Ben didn't want to talk to the monster anymore, so in a blur of speed, he charged at it with his axe raised above his head.

"So immature." The monster's tentacles grabbed one of Ben's legs, and without giving him time to break free, it slammed him against the wall.

The force was so great that Ben crashed through it and hit the opposite wall in the hallway. Ben cut the tentacles with his axe, but several more followed, trying to pierce him.

Ben managed to duck in time and create some distance.

The monster easily broke through the wall and pursued him.

"What's wrong?" The monster's guttural voice sounded mocking. "Didn't you want to face the horrors? So why are you running?"

Ben ignored the taunts, raised his hand, and channeled a large amount of magic into it.

A thick bolt of lightning shot out and struck the creature's body.

An ugly, long burn mark appeared on its flesh, but it healed almost instantly.

Ben's eyes narrowed as he realized the creature still had the same number of tentacles, even though he had cut several off multiple times.

It could regenerate!

Ben gritted his teeth and lunged at the creature. The monster responded with its tentacles, but Ben dodged most of them and cut down the ones he couldn't.

He closed the distance quickly and, with all his momentum and strength, struck the creature squarely in its torso.

The axe created a horrifying, gruesome gash in the creature's torso, from which black blood oozed.

But just as quickly as the wound opened, it closed.

Ben's eyes widened, and he failed to dodge three tentacles that came at him from behind.

Ben heard the sound of the tentacles cutting through the air, so he tackled the creature, and they both tumbled down the stairs.

Even so, Ben felt two of the tentacles pierce his back. Gripping his axe, he tried to keep the monster at bay while also dealing damage.

The tentacles in his back didn't loosen, and he even felt them burrowing into his flesh like leeches.

Ben felt the strange substance invading his body, so he cut off the two tentacles and, gritting his teeth, yanked them out.

"Jie jie jie." The creature laughed and showed Ben how the tentacles he had just cut off were regenerating before his eyes.

Ben frowned but silently healed himself using his gift.

The problem was that he couldn't keep taking hits, or he wouldn't have enough magic left to keep fighting.

Ben was sweating now. He hadn't realized how hard it would be to fight a creature that wasn't affected by any damage he dealt.

Gripping his axe with both hands, Ben began channeling his magic into it.

[Lightning Field]

Arcs of electricity surrounded his body, making him look like a Norse god of thunder.

The blue energy merged with the gray energy, forming an oppressive aura that nullified any external magic.

This was the combination Ben had devised when he started buying spells.

The combination he believed would make him invincible at his level.

A magic that expelled other magical elements and strengthened his own, coupled with a magic that attacked the minds of those who dared use magic within his domain.

This was his trump card. So far, the creature hadn't used any kind of magic, but Ben was convinced that its healing ability wasn't a gift like his.

It was some kind of magic.

With the lightning element more concentrated and easier to manipulate, Ben charged at the creature, which did nothing but laugh.

Jie jie jie

To test his theory, Ben focused on dodging its attacks and, at the first opportunity, cut off one of its tentacles.

While dodging, he carefully observed the severed piece of tentacle.

The tentacle continued to regenerate, but at a much slower rate than before.

It wasn't exactly what he had hoped for, but he was glad to have at least hindered its regenerative ability.

With renewed hope and determination, Ben launched his attack with fervor.

He cut down every tentacle in his path and quickly closed in on the creature.

The creature seemed to have learned its lesson and tried to flee immediately.

Ben unleashed a lightning attack that struck it head-on, paralyzing it in place.

Seizing the moment, Ben charged his axe with a massive amount of lightning magic and swung with all his might.

The axe cut through flesh and bone, and black blood gushed from the creature's torso. Ben knew that even though its healing ability had diminished, it could still recover if given enough time.

So he took advantage of the fact that every cut he made both wounded and paralyzed the creature with his lightning element, delivering multiple consecutive strikes.

One to the chest, one to the neck, one to the leg. For the first time, the creature stopped laughing and began to convulse.

In a desperate, frenzied attack, it sacrificed a limb and five tentacles to send Ben flying into the kitchen wall.

Ben stood up, thrilled to see the creature badly wounded and on its last legs.

He ran outside but didn't forget to turn on the stove before leaving. He also grabbed several knives.

Outside the kitchen, Ben began throwing the knives at the creature, but with no experience in the art, many of them hit the creature with their blunt sides.

Though they didn't wound it, they served as a distraction, allowing Ben to charge at the creature once more.

The two fought viciously, both against each other and themselves. Ben's body was covered in cuts and bruises, while the creature could barely stand.

In its final moments, Ben slammed the creature into the kitchen, taking the fight there.

The room was filled with the distinct smell of gas, so Ben knew it was time.

Running out of the kitchen, he fired a bolt of lightning to paralyze the creature and a stronger current to ignite the gas.

Boommmmmm!!!!

The kitchen exploded completely, and Ben was thrown back by the shockwave.

The house shook violently, threatening to collapse. The walls and beams creaked.

Ben's back was burned and charred, but he stood up and slowly entered the kitchen, now a hellish inferno.

Amid the wreckage and flames, he found a twisted mass of flesh attached to a deformed head.

"Jie jie jie, that was so much fun!"

Ben didn't respond. He simply raised his axe and began hacking away, separating the head from the body.

He grabbed the head, which still smiled at him, and threw it into the fire.

Ben limped out of the kitchen and struggled up the stairs.

When he entered the room through the hole he had made when he was thrown against the wall, he found Dante sleeping peacefully in his bed.

Ben clenched his teeth, furious—more so than he had been with the monster.

"While I was saving your life and fighting a monster from another world, you were sleeping like a baby."

Ben threw Dante over his shoulder to vent some frustration, but all he did was hurt his back even more.

"Hissssss"

Ben walked with Dante on his shoulder and descended the stairs with a resentful expression.

As a way of retaliation, Ben let go of Dante and dragged him all the way down the stairs. As he went down the stairs, Dante's head hit the steps one by one, but even so, he didn't wake up.

Seeing how Dante was also in a bit of pain made his bad mood lessen a bit and he let out a laugh.

When he reached the lower floor, he searched a closet and found a tool kit, which he took with him.

Outside the house, Ben laid Dante on the ground while reluctantly purchasing basic mechanical knowledge.

The knowledge of basic mechanics flooded his mind, worsening the headache he already had from magic depletion.

Ben digested the newly acquired knowledge and popped the hood of Bedsi. He examined the engine thoroughly.

With the tools, he spent a good 30 minutes fixing Bedsi.

"You also need an oil change, brake fluid, and a little maintenance." Ben shook his head. "You're quite the warrior."

He placed Dante in the passenger seat and tried to start Bedsi.

Gigigigigig

Bedsi struggled a bit but finally roared to life.

Ben stared out the window at the distant house, now engulfed in flames, erasing the horrors that had lurked within its walls.

"I need to stop doing these things." Ben accelerated, leaving the burning house behind. "It's becoming a habit."