Weak Class of Anti-Hero
Chapter 21: The Guardian’s Game

Chapter 21: The Guardian’s Game

Lyra laughed, her body starting to glow with a black and purple aura. The aura of my dagger.

"Finally!" she exclaimed. "The power of the Void is mine! I’m no longer just a guardian. I will return to the Abyss and take the throne! I will rule the world!"

She looked at me with contempt. "Our people have worshipped the entity of the Abyss for generations," she said, pointing to the cave walls. "But I won’t worship it. I will replace it!"

I watched her triumph. And I started to laugh. A sincere, mocking laugh.

She stopped boasting, surprised. "Why are you laughing, insect?"

"You?" I said, wiping away a tear of laughter. "Rule the Abyss? Do you really think it’s that simple?"

"Shut up! I can feel its power inside me!"

"No," I said, my smile turning cold. "What you feel is your own energy being devoured."

She frowned. Then her face changed. A look of confusion, then panic. She looked at her hands. The aura around her was flickering. She suddenly felt... weak.

"What... what’s happening?"

"It’s the passive effect of my dagger," I explained calmly. "It’s a part of me. It can’t be controlled by someone else. It just feeds. It’s absorbing your life energy. Your Aura. Your soul."

The panic on her face turned to pure terror.

I held out my hand.

"Come back," I ordered.

A horrible sound, like tearing flesh, was heard. Lyra screamed.

My dagger burst out of her stomach, slicing her from the inside, covered in her silver blood.

Her body flickered, then, like the Specter-Rats, it began to dissipate, erased from existence.

But before she disappeared completely, my dagger shone brightly.

[Ability ’Absorption’ activated on a high-rank target.]

[Analyzing life essence...]

[Permanent abilities acquired: Aquakinesis (Rank C), Water Breathing, Vocal Charm (Rank D).]

The water around me felt like it had become an extension of my body. I took a deep breath underwater. It was like breathing air.

I looked at the spot where Lyra had vanished.

"Thanks for the dip," I said to the silence. "And for the powers."

I stayed in the water for a moment, feeling the new abilities settle within me. I opened my interface and checked my skill inventory.

As I expected, the ’Cryokinesis’ and ’Energy Blades’ I had copied in the Pit were gone. My dagger’s ability was still too weak to keep them for long. It had probably expired.

But the new abilities were there, in a new section.

[Permanent Skills]

Aquakinesis (Rank C): Allows manipulation of water in its liquid forms.

Water Breathing (Passive): Allows breathing underwater indefinitely.

Vocal Charm (Rank D): Allows slight influence over listeners’ emotions through voice.

There was another empty section just below it: [Super-Skills (0)].

I closed the interface. I had new toys, but it was time to finish the mission.

I got out of the water, dried myself quickly, and put my clothes back on. I left the oasis and started heading back up towards the dungeon exit.

As I neared the cave entrance, I heard a distant, dull sound. An explosion. Then another, closer one.

Yoo-Na. She must be fighting the rift guardian.

I picked up my pace. I exited the cave and ran through the forest, towards the explosions. My new stamina allowed me to run faster, longer.

I was running when I came face to face with a group of tribe warriors. They were patrolling, probably looking for me.

They saw me and immediately let out war cries, preparing their bows.

This time, I didn’t run.

The warriors shot their arrows.

Right next to me was a small puddle of water, formed by the rain. It was more than enough.

I held out my hand. I felt a connection with the water. I pulled it towards me.

The water from the puddle rose into the air, forming a liquid wall that intercepted all the arrows.

The warriors watched, stunned.

I didn’t wait. I sent the wall of water crashing down on them. It wasn’t a lethal attack, but the wave swept them away, sending them tumbling to the ground, disoriented.

I pushed past them and continued my run, leaving them behind.

I finally emerged into a large, devastated clearing. The ground was torn up, trees were broken. In the center, there was a crack in the ground, a black tear from which a suffocating energy emanated. The rift.

And next to it, there was a creature.

It was huge, at least three meters tall. Its skin was smooth and dark, like an eel’s. It had long, thin limbs, bulging, lidless eyes, and gills that pulsed on its neck. It was the exact creature from the dungeon carvings. A Guardian of the Abyss.

The aura it gave off was terrifying. An invisible pressure that should have frozen my blood and pinned me to the spot.

In one of its webbed hands, it held Yoo-Na by the leg, like a rag doll. Her combat clothes were in tatters, her body covered in scratches. She was conscious, but weak, her energy almost depleted.

The guardian saw me. It turned its massive head towards me. And it laughed. A sound of bursting bubbles that echoed directly in my mind.

"[Interesting,]" said the creature, its voice like the grinding of stones at the bottom of the ocean. "[This is the first time a surface dweller has resisted my Presence. You should be paralyzed with fear. You should feel crushed. Yet, here you are.]"

"[You are an anomaly. And I love to devour anomalies.]"

"Damn," I whispered.

I tried to assess the creature with my terminal, discreetly pointing the device in its direction. The result appeared, and my blood ran cold.

[Name: Guardian of the Abyss]

[Rank: S]

[Detailed Analysis: Failure. Threat level beyond parameters.]

S-Rank.

An S-Rank monster. A creature capable of leveling an entire city. Even the best student at the academy wouldn’t stand a chance. This was a job for a world-class hero, not a pair of students.

All my anger, all my confidence evaporated. I became clear-headed again. I couldn’t fight it. Facing it head-on was suicide.

I had to find another way.

I caught my breath, trying to hide my fear. I raised my hands, as a sign of non-aggression.

"Fighting is boring," I said, my voice translated by the chip. "I propose something else. A game."

A sadistic smile stretched the creature’s thin lips. "[A game? I love games. But I choose the rules.]"

It thought for a moment, its large eyes fixed on me.

"[Let’s play a simple game from your world. Rock. Paper. Scissors. The first to ten points wins.]"

It seemed too simple. There had to be a catch.

"[Here are the stakes,]" the monster continued. "[Every time you lose a point, I torture the ice girl a little.]"

It tightened its grip on Yoo-Na’s ankle, who whimpered in pain.

"[Every time you win a point, I shrink the rift behind me. If you win the game, I close the rift and leave. A chance for your world.]"

Its smile became huge.

"[But if I win the game... I kill her, I kill you, and I open the rift completely to swallow your planet.]"

It held out its large, deformed, webbed hand.

"[So, little one. Do we play?]"

I had no choice. I nodded. "We play."

The creature laughed. "[Excellent.]"

We started. It raised its enormous hand. I raised mine.

"[One... two... three!]"

I played rock. It played paper.

"[One point for me,]" it said with joy.

It looked at Yoo-Na, who was hanging upside down. With its other hand, it grabbed one of her fingers and twisted it until a sinister crack was heard. Yoo-Na screamed in pain.

We started again.

"[One... two... three!]"

I played scissors. It played rock.

"[Two points for me.]" It punched her hard in the stomach. She coughed up blood.

It was strange. It won every time. It had a way of moving, a little feint just before playing, that distracted me and made me choose the wrong sign.

The game continued. 3-0. 4-0. With each loss, it tortured her a little more. A twisted arm. A scratch on the cheek.

After the fifth loss, as it was about to inflict another pain on her, I had an idea.

"Wait," I said. "Can... I do it too?"

The creature stopped its gesture, surprised. "[Torture her? You?]"

"She deserves it," I said, my face hard.

A wide smile appeared on the monster’s face. "[Interesting. Very interesting. I like the way you think, little one. Yes. You have my permission.]" It handed Yoo-Na to me. I slapped her. It wasn’t to hurt her. It was to wake her up, to make her understand.

We reached 9-0. The creature was only one point away from victory. The rift behind it hadn’t moved. Yoo-Na was barely conscious.

I had to find a solution. And that’s where my new powers came in.

Aquakinesis.

I closed my eyes and concentrated. I felt the humidity in the air. The water in the leaves of the trees. And... the thin layer of sweat on the creature’s hand.

Skin, even a monster’s, sweats before an impulsive action.

I could "read" it. I could feel the micro-vibrations of the moisture on its hand just before it made its choice.

"[Last round, little one. Ready to die? One... two... three!]"

Just before it played, I felt a slight contraction of the muscles that were going to form the rock. I instantly played paper.

I won. 9-1.

"[Lucky,]" the creature growled. It kept its promise and the rift shrank slightly.

We played again. I read its muscles. Scissors. I played rock. 9-2.

Again. Again. And again. I made an incredible comeback. 9-3. 9-4... 9-8... 9-9.

It was the deciding round.

"[One... two... three!]"

I felt the vibrations of the paper.

I played scissors.

10-9.

I had won.