Bound By Fury:The Forced Path

Akira had entered into the dungeon, something maddening inside just boiled, brimming against his skin from the inside out.

It was a feeling, a sense of his very own body he wasn't that helpless boy from a few days ago; he was now awakened

That ghostly status window made that possible.

He muttered to himself,

"Let's see about this"

And with that he stepped full on into the shadows.

It was then that the air had gone cold for the dungeon as he crossed in its entrance.

He felt a chill inching into his bones, and a foul stench of decaying matter filled the small corridor.

Half-buried in the walls, blue crystals cast a phallic, phosphorescent light, making every crevice and shadow a lurking danger.

Scratching of claws upon stone, low growls rising to a crescendo, filled the silent air with portentous strains.

Akira came to a dead stop in mid-stride, alert in that instant.

Yet his breathing was even, his heartbeat staccato against coiling muscles.

"Soul Infusion: Active."

The words left his lips like a cue, a key turned or thrown switch.

In that instant, pure electric energy was riotously playing inside, firing each fiber of his being.

His muscles surged, veins bursting with all the ghostly strength untold souls were forcing into him; the senses sharpened, and colors and shapes leaped into clarity as his vision adapted to the dark.

The smell of rot, the scraping of claws in the distance-all that touched him painfully.

He flexed his fingers and let out a low laugh-the power humming in them.

"It's like for the first time im feeling like..."

"I am alive."

His voice was low and reverent, as if he could hardly believe his own words.

Then it rose in a shout, echoing across the cavernous halls.

"I TRULY FEEL ALIVE!"

His strength, agility, and endurance had increased since he actived the Soul Infusion.

A thrill ignited within him as his heart raced, pumping this new energy through his veins.

"Alright, dungeon,"

He called out, his voice echoing,

"Show me what you've got!"

As if at the conjuring of words of magic, shapes coalesced from the darkness: vile, misshapen beasts, rat-like yet with limbs impossibly long and eyes aglow a malevolent red.

"Mutant-Bandicota that's what those types of rats monsters are called"

Shrill screams echoing down the corridor as they hurled themselves forward, jaws agape showing pointed teeth, talons unsheathed.

It was a reaction before his mind could catch up with it entirely, and he was forwards in an instant-the distance between him and the closest creature was bridged.

His fist drove into its skull with a sickening crunch, sending shards of bone and blood splattering against the wall.

The creature's body hit the ground, lifeless.

"Think you can stop me?"

He jeered, triumphant with an edge of adrenalin.

Another came at him from the left.

He dodged its claws, the twisting of his body having an ease to it that seemed almost to surprise himself.

A foot lashed out, catching the creature square in the chest, sending it flying across the room to fall in a heap.

Really?"

He jeered, his laughter booming, a dark and wild sound. Every beast that came at him saw its end in a brutal, swift murder.

Without one moment of hesitation, faltering not, every strike was sure-every kick a methodical force that saw his enemies go to their knees, broken and bleeding.

The Soul Infusion then made him feel way stronger, his stamina incresead too as each movement flowed into the next, like his body was built for it.

A whirlwind of power, it razed through the storm trying to rip him apart with pure ease.

"So, that's what an awoken feels like, huh?"

He whispered to himself and let another fall with a dull thud.

Something perilous, let loose, shone in his eyes.

"Amazing."

He continued to strike, his voice darkly amused, full of the arrogance that saturated every single one of his blows:

"Come on, keep coming; this isn't close to enough."

With every swing, every stomp, Akira was filled with surges of pure strength: no fear, no hesitation, only the pure thrill of power in every movement-unstoppable.

Then, as if it were fated never to win, came that last shriek from his lips as he squashed it with one final, swift punch, its body falling limply to his feet.

He panted hard and stopped, looking down at the carnage around him; his face split in a wild grin. His chest was heaving, this time not out of exhaustion but out of the high of it all-the exhilaration that keeps the mind and body humming.

"This is only the beginning"

Akira felt more alive than he had ever been.

"It's like I'm finally seeing the world in color,"

He murmured to himself, flexing his hands and feeling the raw power radiating from every fiber of his being.

"This isn't just a power-up; this is a new beginning."

The thought set him tingling with an electric thrill, his heart pounding with something other than exertion, pure exhilaration; he could not help but smile as the notification blinked into his view:

Status Update:

Experience: 500

Level Up: 1 → 2

All Attributes increases by 1+

His stats rose , the Rapid Growth passive skill at work, and with each kill, it was just so much more satisfying.

"Incredible,"

He mouthed, his mind racing at the thought of what that could mean.

Every step, every battle, every level up brought him closer to the power he needed, the power of revenge. 

He went deeper into the dungeon, his footsteps the only sounds echoing off the stonework.

A small tunnel opened into a wide chamber, dimly lit by a series of unusual, blue crystals lining the walls.

Among them was something that stood upright on two muscular legs, with a body armored in thick, obsidian scales, taller and broader, far more menacing.

The red eyes shone with malignant intelligence as they fixed on him, and it growled low in its throat.

"He must be the ruler of this dungeon"

Akira thought instinctively, tensing his body.

It was then that the beast roared, charging with the awkward gait of a mountain in motion.

Each of his treads shook the earth beneath them.

Akira could feel the weight of its murderous intent and yet stood firm, his concentration honed in upon the residual power coursing through his veins as the thrill of his newly awakened abilities surged to the surface.

He muttered under his breath,

"I will kill you."

It leaped forward, claws outstretched to tear him apart, but he dodged nimbly out of the way of its killing swipe in the last second, and its speed overshot it as it struck the ground, cracking earth beneath its claws.

Akira he threw a strong punch up into its back, and the enormous strike sent a shockwave over its massive body.

It did not even stagger.

With a fierce roar, it whirled around much quicker than he had judged, claws raking at him once more.

This time, one claw raked along his arm-the pure force sending him sliding backward, pain flaring in his muscles.

He gritted his teeth as the strain began to set in.

"Soul Infusion is powerful, but it does have its limits."

"I do not have that much time before it wears off."

A glance back through his stats showed the incremental increases since his last level-up: strength, agility, stamina-all increased by a factor of one.

"Now, would that really be enough to bring this beast down?"

"No time to run the numbers."

"I have to take this gamble if i want to survive."

Again, it charged forward-its huge body rolling towards him with lethal intent.

Akira took a deep breath, feeling the dwindling energy of Soul Infusion surge through his body.

"Time to make it count."

Giving a whoop, he sprang forward-the beast's claws went down-and went low, barely avoiding its strike as he punched upwards with all his might in search of a chink in the creature's armor right under its jaw.

The impact ran along his arm, and the creature howled in pain, momentarily stunned.

"This is my chance."

He managed, with a second and even more powerful stroke, to continue with another and then another stronger yet.

The beast reeled, snarling, fissures appearing across its thick scales.

"Come on,"

Akira snarled, powering his way through the pain.

His heart racing, his stamina weak, yet refusing to back down, he channeled every last bit of energy into this final attack.

His fist shook the ground with the last, powerful blow, which landed on the creature's chest, shattering its armored scales and driving his hand into its core.

With one final agonized screech, the beast fell, its body dissolving into the now-familiar mist of defeated dungeon monsters.

Akira stood amidst the fading vapor, breathing heavily.

Every muscle ached, but a triumphant grin spread across his face as he whispered,

"That's what I'm talking about."

The system notification flickered once again; the reward for this victorious battle.

Status Update

Gained Experience: 1500

Level Up: 2 → 4

All Attributes increased by +1 .

A tide of new strength was sweeping over him, one where the rises of each stat fed his will.

He clutched his fists, the steadiness in power humming within him as he breathed in long and entirely satisfied.

"This is the starting point"

He said peering deeper into the view.