Chapter 5 begins.
Relf stood at the front as a group of roktions rushed toward him. They attacked all at once, but he dodged each strike with ease. The roktions tried again, faster this time, yet they still failed to land a hit.
Relf paused for a moment. His body felt lighter and stronger than before. He realized this was the effect of his increased stats.
Without hesitation, he counterattacked. One roktion fell instantly. Then another. He moved through them one by one until none were left standing.
"These roktions are weak," Relf said quietly. "I want to fight a level 25 roktion."
He opened his stats tab and saw fourteen new points. After a brief thought, he assigned them carefully. Three points to double strength, three to full heal, three to light speed, and five to intelligence.
"Joki," Relf said, "how can we escape from this place? I think more roktions are waiting ahead."
Joki replied, "My lord, I am sorry, but I do not know."
"It's fine," Relf said. "I will find a way."
Relf continued forward and soon noticed two roktions talking. He stopped and listened.
"Can a real prisoner be human?" one asked.
The other shook its head. "No. Humans cannot survive in the roktion dimension. It must be one of us."
Relf's expression hardened. Without warning, he attacked them. Both fell quickly.
Before finishing them, Relf demanded, "Why can humans not survive here? Tell me."
One of the roktions answered in fear, "The weather and atmosphere here are deadly for humans. Even breathing is difficult. And the roktions in this dimension are stronger than those in the overworld."
"Please forgive me," it added.
Relf stepped back. "Go. And never stand in my path again."
The roktions fled immediately.
"Joki," Relf asked, "do you know anything about the connection between this dimension and the overworld?"
Joki replied again, "I am sorry, my lord. I do not know."
Relf nodded. "Then we find the answer ourselves. First, we escape this place."
As he walked, his thoughts deepened. Dolia had said that roktions had no minds, yet these creatures spoke, remembered, and even reasoned. Something was changing.
"They are evolving," Relf thought. "If this continues, humanity will be in danger. But that is not my concern right now."
Behind him, Joki observed silently. The master was not foolish. He was learning, gathering information step by step.
Suddenly, Relf stopped. A level 25 roktion stood ahead.
Without hesitation, Relf attacked.
The roktion reacted quickly and dodged, but for a moment it lost sight of him. Relf vanished and reappeared behind it, striking with precision.
"So this is my path," Relf said calmly. "And I will defeat you."
The roktion turned and smiled faintly. "You are stronger than before," it said. "But do you remember our last fight?"
"I remember," Relf replied. "And I came for revenge."
"Kid," the roktion said, "you are still weak."
"We will see."
Their clash began immediately. The force of their attacks shook the surroundings. It no longer looked like a fight between a human and a monster, but between two monsters.
"I should end this quickly," Relf thought.
"Master," Joki said, "finish it fast. More roktions are approaching."
"Give me two minutes," Relf replied.
Relf faced his opponent again. "Are you ready for a real fight?"
The roktion smiled again, and Relf confirmed his suspicion. This creature had emotions. It was evolving.
Relf activated double strength and launched a powerful strike. The roktion was injured, but its wounds healed almost instantly.
"Joki, where is its core?" Relf asked.
"In its head, my lord," Joki replied.
Relf moved instantly and struck the head with a precise elemental attack using his dagger. The hit landed cleanly, but the roktion did not fall.
"What is this?" Relf muttered.
He attacked again, but the result was the same.
"I understand," Relf thought. "This one has two cores."
"Joki, can you sense the core again?"
"Yes, my lord. It has moved. The core is now in its left leg."
Relf rushed forward, but this time the roktion dodged.
The creature stared at him with growing interest. "You are using skills and weapons," it said. "Can I have them?"
Relf narrowed his eyes. "It's evolving too fast."
Before the roktion could adapt further, Relf moved decisively. With a swift and precise strike, he destroyed the second core.
The roktion collapsed.
"I was right," Relf said quietly. "They are evolving."
He turned slightly. "Joki, find the next target. The weakest one."
"My lord, to your right," Joki answered.
Relf began running in that direction. Ahead, more level 25 roktions were appearing, already regenerating and preparing for battle.
To be continued.