A Trash Novel's Only Reader-Chapter 36: Victory

Shu swore and kicked off the lifting ground while the roots under it split apart, the whole patch of earth sinking in a rush. Something huge rolled under the roots, shifting hard enough to turn the gap into a slanted collapse.

’What the hell is under there?’ 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

He wasted no time, jamming his bat across two roots, catching himself before he went in with the dirt, then swung onto the edge while loose soil kept sliding past his boots. Pain shot through his side, his grip nearly slipping, and when he looked back the tyrant was already on top of the broken lane.

’Shit, can I even dodge that?’ he thought, watching the tyrant hit the lane at full force.

He did not try to outrun it. The moment the front leg hit the split ground, he dropped lower, hooked the bat around a thick root, and swung his whole body off the edge.

’That was close, I really do need to wrap this up before things get worse,’ he thought, looking at the sinking ground, ’maybe I can lure it in somehow?’

He let himself drop a little lower and scraped his boot across the dirt wall, sending loose soil sliding down in front of the tyrant’s face. It swung at the movement, missed him by a breath, and sank one step deeper.

’Yeah, good, you stupid thing,’ he thought, tightening both hands on the bat. ’Just a little more.’

He kicked off the wall, rose just enough for it to see him, then dropped again the second it lunged. The ground gave under the tyrant’s weight with a deep crack, and when it jerked to recover, its whole upper body twisted, opening its torn side wider.

He swung himself up out of the gap, planted one foot on the edge, and brought the bat down with everything he had left. ’Now,’ he thought, driving straight at the opening before it could close.

The hit landed with tremendous force, making the bat nearly stick. Something gave under it with a wet crack, and the tyrant’s whole upper body bucked, throwing him sideways while blood sprayed over his sleeve.

"Die," he spat, ripping the bat free before the thing could slam him with a blind swing.

The roar that came out of it was thinner than before, and when it thrashed the split ground gave way under its front half again. One arm caught for a second, slipped, and dropped lower.

’one more should do it,’ he thought, his chest burning as he fought for one more breath.

He dragged in a ragged breath and tightened both hands around the bat. The bond answered in a thin pulse, then the rest of his mana followed, fast enough to make his arms shake as he shoved it all into the grip.

’Move now,’ he thought, stepping in as the tyrant hauled itself up from the split lane.

The bat came down in one hard arc, the whole swing feeding off the last of his mana. It slammed into the torn opening and drove the tyrant sideways, dirt and roots spraying across his boots as the monster’s roar broke off in a harsh choke.

Its front legs folded under it and its whole weight slid back into the split lane, carving a deep groove as loose dirt poured after it. He nearly went with the recoil, but he ripped the bat free and staggered sideways before the edge gave under his boots.

The tyrant dropped chest-first into the collapsing lane and slammed one arm into the dirt to stop itself. It coughed dark blood and dragged its head up again, with one eye still locked on him like it refused to die.

’Of course you’re still alive,’ he thought, breathing through his teeth while his ribs screamed every time he moved. ’Why would anything in this world die on the first try?’

The split ground cracked wider under the monster’s weight, and roots snapped one after another with dry pops. It tried to pull itself up, but the vines on its ruined side got tangled in the broken trunks and yanked it sideways again.

He saw the opening and moved before doubt could catch him. One foot hit a root, then the next, and he jumped down into the slanted lane with the bat raised over his shoulder.

"Stay down," he barked, bringing the bat down into the torn side where bark had already split.

The impact sank deep, and the tyrant let out a jagged roar that shook dirt loose above them. It swung a huge arm at him right away, so he ripped the bat free, ducked under it, and drove his shoulder into the monster’s chest to keep it off balance.

The ground slid again, and both of them dropped half a body length lower in the lane. Mud and roots poured around his ankles, making every step unstable, but he kept pressing in before the thing could reset.

Its vine lashes snapped at his face from point-blank range, and he took one across the cheek while smashing the next aside with the bat handle. Blood ran warm down his neck, yet his eyes stayed on the same weak spot in its chest.

’One more clean hit,’ he thought, tasting blood when he swallowed. ’Just one.’

The tyrant reared back and opened its mouth for a roar, exposing the ruined side of its throat. He planted his foot on a jutting root, twisted his hips, and put everything left in his body into one short brutal swing.

The bat crashed into its throat knot, punched through bark and flesh, then hit something hard inside with a sharp crack. The monster’s roar died in its mouth, turning into a wet choke as black-red sap burst out over his arms.

System windows exploded in front of his eyes.

[Weak Point Broken.]

[Core Channel Collapse detected.]

[Mutation feedback in progress.]

The tyrant convulsed so hard the whole lane shook, and all the vines growing out of its body started whipping in random directions. Several speared into nearby trunks, then shriveled and snapped like dry rope.

He jumped back up the slope before the thrashing could drag him in with it. The monster clawed at the dirt once, twice, then its arm went limp and slid down beside its head.

For a few long seconds, he just stood there panting with the bat hanging at his side. When the body did not move again, he let out a shaky laugh that hurt his ribs.

"Yeah," he muttered, wiping blood off his mouth with his wrist. "Try getting up now, you ugly bastard."

The body finally dissolved, slower than normal monsters, turning into red-black ash that bled into the dirt before fading. Fresh notifications rolled across his vision one after another.

A giant panel slammed open and lines began stacking so fast he almost missed them. He narrowed his eyes through blood and dirt, trying to focus while his chest still burned.

’Why are there so many notifications?’ he thought, heartbeat picking up again for a totally different reason.

The first line burned into his vision.

[Kill Registered: Crimson Forest Tyrant (Mutated, D-Rank Low)]