Rise Online: Return of the Legendary Player

“Urgh… And here I am, back in this place. I’ve got to be going crazy…” Kaizen says as he logs in and remembers that he is still inside the sea monster.

Putrid, damp air fills his lungs, bringing with it a nauseating odor. The deafening throb of the creature’s heart reverberated in his ears, echoing like a macabre drum through the walls of living flesh.

“If this were an ordinary game, this should be impossible. I’m literally inside a living creature I was fighting, namely a mob…” Kaizen looks around and sees the maggots he saw last time. “And to make matters better there are other mobs in here. I have to admit that the procedurally-formed artificial intelligence the developers of this game have created is really creepy.”

The repulsive maggots crawled around inside the monster, feeding on its vital fluids. The sight of those twisted and deformed bodies is a living testament to the monstrosity of this surreal environment.

In this terrifying setting, despite all the overwhelming sensations and the seeming insanity of the place, Kaizen musters the courage to proceed. He knows that the King’s Sword is hidden somewhere inside this monster, and the only way to escape this nightmare is to find it.

“However, before I proceed, I want to see how much XP these maggots can give me.” Kaizen stated and drew his Night Sword, as any swing of the Ragnarok would reverberate throughout the sea monster.

He cautiously advanced towards the disgusting maggots. His quiet footsteps echoed softly on the damp, sticky ground, camouflaged by the incessant throbbing of the monstrous heart. With one swift motion, the shadowy blade of the Night Sword flashed out, slicing through the air and then its victim, who didn’t even have time to react.

[You have killed a Giant Expeditionary Parasite. You have gained +1000 XP].

…

[Your experience has been doubled. You have gained +2000 XP].

“Hmm. That’s a good amount, considering the ease of the prey.” Kaizen says.

The other maggots, upon realizing Kaizen’s presence, launch themselves towards him, wanting to devour him, however, they are too slow compared to him. Kaizen deftly dodged the attacks, walking between the disgusting creatures as his sword cut through them. His blows were precise and devastating, slicing the creatures in half and causing their white blood to squirt out. With each blow, the air was filled with the smell of slimy fluids and the agony of maggots.

[You have killed a Giant Expeditionary Parasite. You have gained +1000 XP].

[You have killed a Giant Expeditionary Parasite. You have gained +1000 XP].

[You have killed a Giant Expeditionary Parasite. You have gained +1000 XP].

[You have killed a Giant Expeditionary Parasite. You have gained +1000 XP].

The energy of the fallen maggots flowed into the Night Sword, fueling it with a dark power. The black aura surrounding it intensified with each successful strike, satisfying it. Only a minute after the first kill, the ground was already covered in the twisted bodies of the defeated maggots. Kaizen, panting and covered in disgusting fluids, looked around with a mixture of satisfaction and disgust.

With the area temporarily empty, Kaizen needed to resume his search for the King’s Sword.

“There is no more putting off the inevitable…”

Hesitant, Kaizen then began to advance deeper into the creature’s interior, as the pulsing of the monstrous heart seemed to guide his way.

The surroundings were awkward and moved endlessly, perhaps because the creature was currently moving. Still, Kaizen bravely advanced through the sea monster’s constantly moving interior, holding on with <Psychokinesis> so as not to fall. Each step was challenging, as the unstable ground seemed to twist and undulate, because it was literally alive.𝓞𝐕𝑳𝒩xt.𝐜𝑶𝓜

The deafening throb of the creature’s heart echoed more and more in his ears, accompanying his movements with a macabre beat. With each pulse, the walls around it seemed to contract and release a grotesque moan.

As Kaizen advanced, his keen eyes scanned the surroundings for any sign of the King’s Sword. The light from a small fireball Kaizen carried in his left hand reflected off the shadowy blade of the Night Sword.

Suddenly, the sea monster seemed to react to something. Its contractions intensified, shaking Kaizen and threatening to throw him off balance. He made his feet cling to one of the walls of the creature’s interior. A few times, he even had to stand on his head. The walls of flesh contracted and relaxed in a chaotic pattern, making Kaizen’s progress difficult, because the liquid inside the monster swayed as well, soaking Kaizen like waves on a beach, which quickly put him in a bad mood.

As he struggled to move forward, Kaizen heard a distant noise. It was a muffled, rumbling sound, as if something was rapidly approaching. Soon, amidst the darkness, he saw a mass of grotesque tentacles crawling towards him.

“Another mob?!” exclaimed Kaizen with a mixture of fear and determination. He raised the Night Sword, preparing for the impending combat.

The tentacles flailed violently, hurtling towards Kaizen. He deftly dodged the onslaught, leaping deftly, only as he leapt, the sea monster moved once more, shifting its center of gravity entirely and throwing Kaizen against one of the creature’s walls of flesh as if he were falling.

Upon colliding with the wall of flesh, Kaizen felt the wave of pain course through his body. He quickly recovered from the impact, though the air in his lungs escaped.

The wall of flesh, which was now his support surface, pulsed and squirmed under Kaizen’s contact. He clung desperately to any protrusion, seeking stability amid the chaos, and the monster began to move again.

The grotesque tentacles, which were now on the ceiling, did not seem to suffer from the sudden imbalance. It was probably used to all this movement and had adapted. The tentacles tried to attack Kaizen, gathering themselves for an onslaught, and Kaizen used his <Psychokinesis> to push the tentacles back, away from his body. The muscles in his face twitched with rage and the tentacles twisted and squirmed in the face of force, trying to resist Kaizen’s psychic strength.

Kaizen then pulled the creature close, and then as this tentacle creature disentangled itself from the sky, falling towards Kaizen, he deactivated <Psychokinesis> and created a flamethrower with his own hand.