Isekai Ascension

Chapter 3

…………

“What is happening here!?” Truck-kun shouted in fright as he used both his hands to prevent the Night Howler from ripping off his head. Blood trickled down his arms due to the sharp, serrated fangs coming into contact with his pale skin. He no longer liked the pain! He hated it! He wanted it to go away!

But more than that, this situation horrified him! Were all the people he hit transported to this place!? Did they meet this extremely unfriendly human as well!?

“Stop it!” Truck-kun shouted, his tone friendly. “Can’t we talk about this, human!? Just like you, I too am also a human! See, just look at this fleshy human hand,” he briefly took a hand off the ceaselessly chomping face, showing it to the Night Howler. To which it chomped with even greater fervor, forcing Truck-kun to return his hand back to where it was, lest he didn't wish for it to be attached to his arm anymore…

“Screech!!!” 

The Night Howler screeched while mere inches away from Truck-kun’s face, causing its slimy putrid saliva to fling all over him. As he worked his scrawny arms to fend off the extremely aggressive Night Howler, he suddenly caught sight of a shiny metallic object out of the corner of his eyes. Reaching to grab at it, he yanked it and put it between the two far ends of the Night Howler’s stinky mouth. “Listen, if you won't listen to reason and see me as a human just like you, I will have to use more drastic methods,” he warned. “Do you see this metal stick thingy I have in your upper depository hole!? I don't know what it does, but if you don't change your ways and become a good human, I will be forced to—”

“Screech!!”

The Night Howler blared its lungs even more than before. Moreover, it no longer limited itself to just its mouth as six-inch-long razor-sharp nails extended from its hands. It flared these nails and went to slash out with them, but before they could make contact with their target, Truck-kun took the crowbar in its mouth and rolled out of the way.

[Ding! You have acquired the F-Rank Skill |Roll (Lvl1)|]

A robotic voice rang out in the background, spooking Truck-kun even more than the Night Howler relentlessly slashing and chopping at him. “What was that!?” He shouted in shock and weariness, his eyes darting all over the place in an attempt to locate the source. Yet, before he could better understand that voice and its source, he had to roll out of the way of another slash. This time, however, he managed to do so at least twice as fast as before, and his roll to running transition was way smoother than it was!

“Is this improvement related to that weird voice in my head—” Before Truck-kun could think more on this subject, the Night Howler’s eyes turned a darker shade of red, igniting its rage as it exploded out with an onslaught of attacks.

It was hungry! So very hungry!! It would devour the warm, juicy meat bag!!!

Truck-kun’s face lost all its color. He fled in the opposite direction, trying his best to understand why on earth a fellow human would be attacking him with so much rage. Could they not resolve this like proper humans!? Or maybe this human knew that he wasn't actually a human!?

Realizing that this could be a possibility, he hysterically shouted, “Listen, human! We can talk this out with a civil conversation! I am a truck, you see, and to be honest with you, I don't know why or how I got here! But even so—”

SHING!

Once again, Truck-kun was interrupted midsentence, this time by some form of red tangible energy that slashed over his head and cut out a good chunk of the brick wall he was leaning under. His expression became ashen as he covered his head and rolled, then he rolled again, and again, and again. Until eventually…

[Ding! |Roll| has been upgraded from ‘Lvl 1’ → ‘Lvl 2’]

[Ding! Your Agility stat has increased by 1 point!]

“My what!?” Truck-kun asked as he ducked and rolled, suddenly feeling himself move with far more ease. As he frantically sped through the alleyway, he managed to see the abundant amount of moonlight outside the alleyway, which was where the Night Howler saw him from. He stretched out his hand and reached for the luminescent moonlight. Just barely, he was able to outrun the rabid Night Howler and roll into the oddly placed cobblestone roads.

However, much to his soon-to-be horror, outside the alleyway were… dozens more Night Howlers, all of whom honed in on his figure with their savage, beady red eyes…

“Hello, fellow humans over there!” Truck-kun shouted, waving his hands in the air. “One of the other humans has gone crazy! Can someone please help me!?”

As soon as he raised this question, the freakish Night Howlers quite literally jumped at the chance to assist him. Their bodies bounced off the ground and walls of the ghost town as they creepily crawled toward him, their mouths opening and closing in a terrifying manner.

Truck-kun’s eyes shone at this sight. He couldn't believe that these humans were so enthusiastic about helping him! Just look at how fast they were coming to his assistance! 

“I was beginning to believe that all humans were savage, incorrigible beasts, but now that I have met all you friendly folk, my mind has been completely changed—”

SHING! SHING!

“Screech!!!” “Screech!!!”

“Wha!?”

Unconsciously, Truck-kun used his |Dodge| skill multiple times in quick succession. Following his successful evasions, dozens of red slashes cut through the air and slashed up the building walls behind him. They wrecked a small window sill shop, shattering all its windows and causing the bricks holding it together to collapse and crumble.

Large beads of sweat dripped down Truck-kun’s forehead as he slowly looked behind him. Upon seeing the immense damage dealt to the surrounding buildings, his smile turned crooked as he returned his gaze to the savage Night Howlers. Holding his crowbar tightly, he nervously said, “Listen, humans, I know I am not one of you, but can’t we learn to live together—?”

SHING!

…………