Thankfully, there was still some distance between Zevar and the closest monster.
However, that distance wasn't big enough.
'Crap!'
Zevar frantically looked around to try and find anything he could use as a weapon.
His gaze landed on a particular sharp piece of stone.
'Thankfully, I learned how to fight with a damned rock as well!'
Without hesitation, Zevar dived to the ground and grabbed the crudest of weapons.
And with that, Zevar was armed… and closer to the Nightmare Creatures.
'Crap! Crap! Crap!'
The word iterated in his mind as he fell back, narrowly allowing a fist to brush his face.
'That was close—too close.'
The monster's hand was so close to his face that he could clearly see countless blue veins spanning through its fist.
Zevar landed on his back and avoided getting injured from the mute creature.
Curiously, there weren't any puckered marks of sutures on the creature's lips, betraying no hint of injury or repair.
Zevar didn't think too much about it, instead, he rolled backwards and increased the distance between them.
He swiftly stood up and grunted in pain.
"Fuck you."
His first dodge was clumsy, and the jagged surface proved to be as unforgiving as the rest of this world.
'Fuck the floor as well.'
In front of him, the attacker was already moving towards him, and the rest of his group didn't falter behind.
Luckily, the first monster had managed to surpass its friends by a lot and was very close to Zevar.
The monster lunged into the space where Zevar had just been standing and threw another fist at Zevar.
This time, he was ready though.
His eyes followed the moving limb, and he back stepped at the last moment, making the creature turn itself and leaving it side wide open.
'Got you.'
Zevar strained his right hand, moving as fast as his mundane body allowed him, and delivered a forceful blow to the Nightmare Creature's head.
The stone didn't pierce the monster deeply, but Zevar still noted the absence of blood.
[You have slain a dormant beast, Mute Marionette.]
Zevar flinched, not having expected to suddenly hear a voice in his head.
Actually, he did expect it, but there was still a stark difference between knowing something would happen and actually experiencing it.
'Right. The Nightmare Spell loves when someone kills things.'
He waited with bated breath for the Spell to give him a memory, but alas, it wasn't meant to be.
'Of course. We wouldn't want things to be too easy, right?'
Suppressing his anger, Zevar quickly assessed the remaining trio and turned his body in a better position to face them.
Unbeknownst to him, Zevar's eyes had become totally still.
He looked at the Nightmare Creatures like a predator before its prey.
It was a form of confidence that was steadily hammered into a fighting instinct, which allowed him with but a glance to know what the outcome of the fight would be.
It wasn't easy to develop that particular skill…
From the very first day that he was adopted by the Great Clan Valor, Zevar would be woken up by Jest and go under a rigorous training schedule.
They started off with general exercises that went for about two hours, pushing Zevar's eighteen-year-old body to its limits.
After that, he'd have a brief time of respite, and then they'd start with sword practise which was Zevar's favourite thing about his latest family.
The sword training with Saint Jest allowed him to truly outgrow himself, and change so much that the older man stopped finding it funny at some point.
Sword Saint, Jest had called him, making Zevar very proud of himself.
That's why he knew that if he got a sword memory in the Nightmare, he'd be unbeatable.
"Come at me, you bastards!"
All three of the monsters lunged at him at the same time.
A bit shocked, Zevar made two steps back, allowing the fists to crash into the air.
He then walked to his left, hoping to get the Mute Marionettes in a straight line.
'Come on.'
Thankfully, the Nightmare Creatures did just that.
'That's right.'
The utmost left marionette, which was now the one in the front, lunged at him with its fist.
With a swift duck, Zevar managed to dodge the limb uppercut from the monster… but with the sharp edge of his rock sticking out of his palm.
The stone burrowed deep into the creature's head, killing it instantly.
[You have slain a dormant beast, Mute Marionette.]
Again, there was no blood flowing from the monster.
The remaining monsters didn't wait though.
In the next moment, Zevar found himself falling backwards as a fist connected with his chest.
His nerves screamed in pain and Zevar desperately rolled to the side.
Immediately, he straightened up and caught his balance before moving to kill the next monster.
"Fuck you."
Zevar's stone bit into the Nightmare Creature's chest, burrowing deep inside it.
He did a sickening twist and then heard the Spell's sweet words.
[You have slain a dormant beast, Mute Marionette.]
He tried pulling the rock out of the marionette's chest, but the stone didn't budge.
'Oh, crap.'
Once again, Zevar found himself falling backwards as yet another fist hit his chest. It was in the same place as well.
For a moment, Zevar's vision blurred.
In front of him, the remaining marionette stepped closer to him and raised its hand.
'There's no way I die to worms like you.'
Rolling forward, Zevar grabbed the monster from its sides and pushed it back.
The next moment, both of them found themselves falling.
As soon as the monster touched the ground, it slammed its elbow on Zevar's face.
Suppressing a cry of pain, and doing his best to stay above the marionette, Zevar punched the monster back.
And again.
And again.
And again…
[You have slain a dormant beast, Mute Marionette…]
The Spell's voice broke Zevar's trance...
Looking at the creature, Zevar quelled a sudden urge to puke.
'Did I do this?'
Despite the lack of blood, the sight of what he'd done was very unsettling.
Looking at his bruised knuckles, swollen from the repeated impacts against the creature's face, Zevar couldn't deny the truth.
However, he'd have to ponder on that later, because just then:
[You have received a Memory: Knife.]