IradeMarch 8, 10:05 pm, Beijing, China
Irade had been gaming for most of her life. When she first got "adopted," the first thing her "new parents" bought her was a computer, to show her how much better they were than her old parents.
She was five at the time. She had no idea how to use the thing.
However, as she grew older and started to learn how to use it, she found herself irresistibly drawn to the bright colors, puzzle-solving, and reflex-oriented challenges that gaming brought her. Once she discovered the Internet, she fell down a rabbit hole of challenges and puzzles, all demanding her time and attention.
She only fell deeper when she figured out how to use a VPN, and started playing with people around the world.
Almost a decade of gaming, plus being one of the world"s best players on an MMORPG. An MMORPG with a battle system that focused on timing and combos in order to maximize output.
As such, Irade"s reflexes were far beyond the level of an ordinary human being. It was a pity that the rest of her body couldn"t keep up.
At least, that would"ve been an accurate statement about a week ago.
"-ck!!!"
Irade immediately leaped to the side as the winged tiger – no, the Thiljar – crashed paws first into where she had been mere seconds ago. She hit the hard concrete floor with her hands, but she was strong enough now that she wasn"t hurt at all.
Now!
Her gamer instincts kicked in; after a big move like that, that usually stunned the beast for a few seconds, allowing for the player to get a few hits in.
Usually.
WHACK!
Irade moved in, and was immediately knocked back by the Thiljar"s wings, sending her flying.
"Oof!"
She landed a few meters away, gasping. She had been hit right in the chest; she couldn"t breathe.
[HP: 15/20]
[Status: Stunned]
Her eyes widened as she saw her HP drop so far for the first time. She tried to breathe, but couldn"t. Her chest felt like it was blocked, like it couldn"t take anything in. No, calm down Irade, you still have time. Just breathe. Breathe. You can breathe, just bre
The Thiljar slowly got up, and immediately turned to face her.
Oh no.
Breathe. Any time now. Come on, breathe d.a.m.nit!
The Thiljar leaped.
Irade inhaled.
Time seemed to slow as Irade watched the Thiljar come closer. It was already in the air, coming at her too quickly. It almost reminded her of the first time she battled a boss in Dark S*uls 3. Wait, the monster was getting closer.
No time to dodge.
That means-
Just like in Dark S*uls! Get the timing right, and-
Attack!
Without getting up, Irade lifted her legs to kick the beast.
Her timing was way off. The beast was already in her face.
Luckily, she was still lying down. Her legs made contact with the belly of the Thiljar, pus.h.i.+ng it upwards and over her.
"Roun?"
With a weird squeal, the Thiljar crashed into the floor behind her, rolling away, off-balance.
Irade took the time to get up, and into a fighting stance. Wait, what would a fighting stance even look like? She had never fought before! All she had done was…
...no, that would be too embarra.s.sing.
As her heart fought with her mind, Irade kept her eyes on her opponent. She watched as it struggled to get up. She frowned.
Her attack couldn"t have been that powerful, could it? Her strength stat wasn"t high enough to cause that kind of damage. She had tested it; it was enough to shake tables and make a loud noise, sure, but not enough to break them.
Wait. She can see other people"s HP bars. Just check.
But the results only made her more confused. The Thiljar was at full HP.
So why was the Thiljar acting so hurt?
The Thiljar growled as it crouched, finally upright again. It"s tail stood up, signaling the fact that it was going to attack again.
As expected, it leaped towards her once more.
Wait, no, her heart and mind were still fighting!
She ended up dodging, but just barely, the Thiljar"s tail lightly scratching her face. As soon as the Thiljar landed, it turned and pounced again.
Fine brain, you win.
Irade immediately bent her knees, then started moving side to side, her feet in a constant, triangular motion. As soon as the Thiljar came by, she stopped in a horse stance and ducked under the beast. Before the Thiljar could land, she turned and started up her footwork again.
Behind her mask, Irade"s face was burning.
She was dancing. She was using the dance moves from the DDR Machine to fight. Specifically, she was using a standby footwork called "ginga." She was so embarra.s.sed, she could die.
At least there wasn"t anyone here to see her.
"Rrrroooooooouuun!!"
Without caring about her precarious pride, the Thiljar leaped at her again.
Now, Irade was getting annoyed. This was all this stupid beast"s fault, for coming here and attacking her. She was just minding her own business before this!
The Thiljar should take some responsibility!
At this point in time, Irade had gotten pretty used to the Thiljar"s attack rhythm and range. This time, she spun around, and let a leg fly out.
The DDR Machine called this move "Armada."
Her foot connected squarely with Thiljar"s jaw, causing its eyes to go wide as it"s body veered violently off course, cras.h.i.+ng into the floor a few meters away. Irade stopped her ginga out of pure shock; she hadn"t expected her attack to go that well.
The Thiljar growled as it slowly got back up, shaking its large, leathery wings. It didn"t look that hurt, if anything, it just looked annoyed. It was only then that Irade noticed that one of the wings looked weirdly bent out of place.
Suddenly, everything fell into place.
The fact that it fell from the sky. The fact that it only leaped at her, never flying to take the high ground. The fact that it waited so long before attacking once it flared its wings up that one time.
The Thiljar"s wing was broken. It couldn"t fly.
An idea suddenly blossomed in Irade"s mind about how to defeat the monster, the outcome picture-perfectly clear. She looked around, noting that the edge of the building was quite close to her left. She grinned as she started her ginga again, this time making sure to keep her head bobbing up and down, swinging her arms, bringing one up to her face, covering her mouth, and then back down to her side when the other replaced it. Once every time she moved. Just like the machine taught her to.
However, the Thiljar was cautious now, only growling at her, occasionally snapping at her, testing her.
They circled each other for a bit, warily. Irade knew the monster was waiting for something, but she didn"t know what.
But what was she waiting for?
Deciding there was no point in waiting anymore, Irade changed up her footwork, spinning for another Armada as she moved forward. At the same time, the Thiljar leaped forward again.
Irade made a split second choice, ducking to avoid the Thiljar. At the same time, she raised her leg, still spinning.
The resulting kick hit the Thiljar square in its ribs.
Meia Lua de Compa.s.so.
Irade felt the impact reverberate through her leg as she spun upright again. The Thiljar flew a few meters to her left, landing in a heap. Immediately, Irade rushed to the p.r.o.ne beast.
On reflex, the Thiljar"s wings flared up. This time, Irade was ready, ducking in time, still moving forward.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!"
Irade yelled at the top of her lungs as she crashed into the Thiljar, pus.h.i.+ng it with all her might, pus.h.i.+ng, pus.h.i.+ng, pus.h.i.+ng, she couldn"t stop, not now, just keep pus.h.i.+n-
"RoooUUUIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!!"
The Thiljar"s growl turned into a shriek as it suddenly slid off the building, down to the streets below. Irade gasped as she almost fell off herself, only managing to stabilize but activating [Flight] at the last second. Thank G.o.d she still had a couple MP left.
She stood there, panting, as the Thiljar struggled to use its wings, getting smaller and smaller, until it suddenly vanished.
Ding!
[Thiljar defeated!]
[Weekly Task: COMPLETE!]
[Rewards: 1 Thiljar Fang, 10 000 Exp.]
[Requirements Met! Completed Task with over 50% HP. Secret Skill: Monster Hunter, Unlocked!]
[Level Up!]
Irade blinked as her vision was suddenly filled with notifications. Then rubbed her eyes to make sure she was reading it right.
She won?
She really won?
She actually...did it?
[*Arabic Writing*: Level 4]
[HP: 24/25 (+5)]
[Strength: 12 (+5)]
[Speed: 23 (+5)]
[Intelligence: 24 (+5)]
[Agility: 19 (+5)]
[MP: 1/34 (+5)]
It still didn"t seem real. She frowned at the stats, as if they were lying to her.
Suddenly, she noticed something at her feet. Something smooth at white and conical, but curved.
Like a fang.
Irade picked it up; it was about the size of a small knife. Definitely big enough to hurt a human being if they were stabbed with it. Also definitely sharp enough to stab with little resistance. Irade eyed the point cautiously.
This was a the Thiljar Fang, Irade realized. This was the reward for the fight.
It was only did it finally feel real. Irade grinned, a feeling of giddiness suddenly welling up in her.
She did it!
She beat a monster!
An actual, real, flying-tiger monster!!
Sure it was already injured but it was still a monster! Who else in the world had ever done that before?
Irade stayed up there for about half an hour, celebrating in the faint moonlight. Despite the smog in the air, the air seemed warm and comforting to her, despite her thin, h.e.l.lo Kitty pyjamas. She only returned to her room when she remembered it was a school night.