BXBX NOVEL Chapter 41: Realm's Key
Standing before him was a creature that resembled the Crazed Chimptant he had recently slain. However, this one was vastly different—it towered at a staggering 9 feet tall, with claws three times the size of the regular Chimptants. Its glowing eyes seemed capable of shooting out laser beams, and a rusty golden crown sat upon its head, signifying its dominance.
**[Name: Crazed Chimptant King]**
**[Grade: 4]**
Silas\'s heart sank as his eyes widened in shock.
"A Grade 4 mutant in a Grade 3 realm? What the hell is going on?" His throat went dry as he gulped, his gaze never leaving the towering mutant just a few meters away.
A Grade 3 mutant realm was supposed to host only lower-graded mutants—Grade 1, Grade 2, and at most, Grade 3. There had never been a recorded case of a higher-grade mutant appearing in such a realm. Yet here he was, face-to-face with a mutant far beyond the realm\'s expected danger level.
"I knew it!" Silas raged internally. "This damn system has been trying to kill me all along! Ever since it forced me to raid this place alone, it\'s been setting me up for failure! Bloody system!" His fists clenched as frustration burned in his chest.
Silas\'s eyes darted toward the spot where he had dropped his scythe while activating the Soul Claws ability. It was far—too far to retrieve in time. His frown deepened as his mind raced.
"I guess I\'ll have to rely on my fists... No, wait. If I can summon the scythe, I can just unsummon and summon it back!"
Acting on his thought, Silas unsummoned the scythe, and it instantly vanished from where it had fallen. A second later, it reappeared in his right hand, solid and familiar. He gripped it firmly.
The Chimptant King glared at him with gleaming eyes for a brief moment before launching itself forward at lightning speed.
"It can move that fast? Even with its massive size? What a monster!" Silas thought in disbelief as the mutant closed the distance in the blink of an eye, its massive claws slashing toward him.
Reacting swiftly, Silas lifted his scythe just in time to block the strike. The force behind the blow was immense, sending him skidding backward several meters, his boots digging into the ground.
"Such power! No wonder it\'s the king of those crazed bastards!" he thought, still sliding uncontrollably until his back slammed into a tree.
Before he could fully catch his breath, the mutant was upon him again, its claws swiping viciously. At the last second, Silas ducked low, narrowly avoiding the deadly strike. The claws hit the tree behind him, slicing it in half as though it were nothing but a dry twig.
The mutant didn\'t relent. Retracting its arm, it unleashed another brutal strike. Silas rolled to the side, dodging the claws entirely and quickly getting behind the mutant. Rising to his feet, he swung his scythe in a sharp arc toward the mutant\'s exposed back.
But just as his blade neared, the Chimptant King twisted its massive body in an unnatural motion. Its eyes blazed, releasing a deadly laser beam straight toward Silas.
**ZAP!**
The beam struck Silas squarely in the chest, sending him flying back like a ragdoll. He crashed into a tree with bone-jarring force, and before he could even hit the ground, the mutant was already above him, its giant fists slamming down like a hammer.
"Kuah!" Blood spurted from Silas\'s mouth as he was driven into the earth.
**[You have sustained a critical injury]**
**[You are bleeding]**
**[-10 HP]**
Before Silas could gather his wits, the mutant grabbed his right leg, lifting him effortlessly as if he weighed nothing. With a vicious grunt, it flung him high into the air.
As Silas soared through the sky, pain wracked his body, but before he could even begin to think about landing, the mutant appeared above him once more. Its massive hands slammed together, striking him with the force of a sledgehammer.
**BAM!**
Silas hit the ground hard, the impact causing his bones to crack, and blood poured from his mouth again. His entire body was riddled with bruises, and his vision blurred from the pain.
**[You have sustained several critical injuries]**
**[Passive skill: Super Fast Healing activated]**
**[-30 Soul points]**
Silas lay still, barely able to move as his healing ability slowly kicked in. Gradually, he could feel his wounds mending, the pain receding. Forcing himself to his feet, he turned his gaze back to the Chimptant King, which loomed over him, waiting for the moment to deliver a finishing blow.
"My strength is far greater than this thing\'s. The only advantage it has over me is its speed," Silas muttered to himself, his injuries continuing to heal at a rapid pace. "If I can somehow match its speed, I should be able to..."
His thoughts were cut short as the mutant suddenly closed the distance once again, its claws slicing through the air. Reacting instinctively, Silas sidestepped, narrowly avoiding the deadly strike, and leaped backward several meters.
Without wasting another second, he activated his skill.
**[Active Skill: Lightning Dash activated]**
**[Time remaining: 0:0:4]**
Time seemed to slow down. The Chimptant King, the trees, the leaves—everything around Silas froze in place, as if caught in a moment of suspended animation.
Seizing the opportunity, Silas tightened his grip on his scythe and surged forward. In one fluid motion, he brought the blade down with all his strength, slicing cleanly through the mutant\'s neck.
**[Congratulations, you have slain the Crazed Chimptant King]**
Dark purple blood sprayed out as the mutant\'s headless body crumpled to the ground. Silas dropped to his knees, panting heavily, cold sweat dripping down his face.
**DING!**
**[Host has acquired the Realm\'s Key]**
**[Realm\'s Key: Allows exit from the realm. All rewards will be lost, and the evolution quest will be cancelled with no improvements to stats.]**
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A/N: Vote with your Power Stones and Golden Tickets.