My Guardian System: The Trader

"That was close," Jem muttered under his breath. His heart was beating loudly. He was lucky that his shrinking left arm was able to drag him away before the beast could crush him.

In the area where the beast landed, dust was hovering, but it wasn't to the point that obstructed his vision. Jem grimaced when he saw the outcome of the beast's attack.

The area he was sitting on his butt a moment ago could not be described anymore. The beast's attack carved a large hole in it.

Jem could not help but ask himself. If it was him, what would his outcome be? He could not help but shudder at the thought. If even the ground turned to ruins, he believed not even his bones would remain if the beast's attack hit him.

He made a quick scan of his body. The wounds on his chest were throbbing in pain. But it was bearable somehow. The only problem was the bleeding. He needed to find a way to stop it because if he left it alone, he worried it would turn into a big problem later on.

The beast did not give Jem a chance to rest. After noticing that its attack failed to hit him, it charged again.

He evaded by rolling away. Just as the trader says, the numbing on his feet was just temporary. The strength on his feet returned right when he noticed the approaching beast.

Thankfully, he was able to evade again. Because of his sudden evasion, the beast collided on the pillar, which caused a dull impact.

Surprisingly though, he did not expect that the pillar was sturdy enough to not break after the beast collided on it. Because of it, the beast got dizzy in that brief moment. When Jem saw it, he did not waste the chance. He stood up and hastily distanced himself in a staggering run.

In just a matter of seconds, he succeeded in increasing their distance by 15-20 steps.

However, before he could run away, he once again noticed the ground was trembling. Along with it, he heard hard stomping noises that were coming closer and closer.

Then he heard another warning from his trusted partner. <Watch out, host!>

"Wha— already!?" Just as he feared, the beast was already chasing after him.

While running, he took a glance behind him. It seemed like cold water was being poured onto him when he learned the beast was actually behind him!

With glinted eyes, the beast was raising its claws in the air. There was no need to guess what it was planning to do as it was plain as day. The beast is going to rip him apart.

He returned his gaze in front while screaming.

"No way, no way, no way~!"

While screaming that, *Woosh~* Jem's ears stood erect, and his instinct was screaming for danger. He heard something-- like the gushing sound of sharp objects piercing through the air. And based on the sound, it was coming from behind him!

Thank goodness he was able to grab the nearby boulder by stretching his arm once again. He narrowly escaped the beast's attack.

However, "Ugh!" He groaned when his body bumped on the boulder. "Tsk, that gale again," Jem lamented. Another wound registered on his body. This time it was on his shoulder. It was a cut, about 3 inches long.

Because of it, he lost the tempo and resulted in him bumping on the boulder. He groaned. His body was in pain all over. Jem hardened his jaw to endure all of it.

A little part of the boulder broke to pieces. Though, it wasn't significant.

Bearing all the pain, Jem tried his best to stand. He wondered if it was the end of his life. The world seemed to be mocking him. After giving him hope to survive and letting him struggle, now, he was facing death.

'Will everything end here?' He thought when he noticed the beast was approaching him again.

Looking at his figure, he looked so spent. That even the slight caress of the wind could endanger him.

His eyes seemed like they wanted to close already. His mouth was gaping in exhaustion. Closing it was asking for a difficult task. His knees were quivering. It seemed as though, any moment from now, they would lose strength.

His clothes were all but tattered, exposing most of his bare skin.

Small and big cuts were all over his body. They were aching and bleeding. Summed up with scrapes and bruises, he looked so unsightly.

Jem was heaving deeply while a bead of tear was forming at the corner of his eyes. He closed then opened them with questions in his mind.

Why did he have to suffer all of these? He was just a simple person without a redeeming factor. Why did the world have to be this bitter to him? Jem could not help but ask hysterically.

Looking at the approaching enemy, he started to lose his will. The gap in their strength was just too vast. In addition to that, he started losing the feeling on his limbs.

'Is... is this the end of my journey?' He asked somberly.

As though giving him an answer, before the beast could reach him, at the corner of his eyes, he noticed something.

While biting his lips until it bled, he shut his eyes while trembling.

While he was at it, Jem could feel the enemy was coming closer and closer every moment.

However, although he looked like he was giving up, in truth, there was a strange aura around him. He was trying to calm himself and control his breathing.

The next time he opened his eyes, there was a strange glint in them.

'No, I must see to it until the last second of my life!'

He screamed then unfastened two of his claw knives that were on his hips the whole time.

Swoosh~ Swoosh~

Two knives were flying towards the beast.