Through the thick, warm blood running down my face, I watched the monster take a slow step forward. Its heavy boots crushed against the ice, the big ice blade dragging behind it with a low, scraping sound that shook my raw nerves.
Every single breath felt like swallowing broken glass. Standing upright was awful; my broken ribs hurt with every movement, and my legs shook so hard against the frost that it took all my strength just to keep from collapsing back onto the stone floor.
But I forced my jaw to lock, gritting my teeth through the pain as I stared down the black stone giant. This was not supposed to be an impossible wall. Back in the academy exam, I had taken down a Grade 5 monster.
But those were normal creatures. This thing?
This was a nightmare acting as a Gate boss, with the power of a Master High rank. A Master rank was a Master rank for a reason. There were no shortcuts here.
