Hamza's devilish grin sent shivers down the spine of the remaining minion, who felt as though death itself was standing before him. His feet shook uncontrollably as he took hesitant steps backward, unable to escape the menacing figure advancing toward him. The minion pulled out a strange flute-like instrument and tried to blow it, hoping for a miracle. However, Hamza paid him no mind, for this was precisely his plan all along.

 

He knew that a mining operation of this size could not be managed by just two minions. Now since minions are looking and supervising it would be stupid to assume that there would be only two. He hoped this was a bluff, but his frustration mounted as he rubbed his forehead, knowing that this situation was getting convoluted and chaotic by the hour.

 

In the original timeline, there is nothing like that. No minions in this mining operation. This is too different and getting convoluted and chaotic by the hour.

 

The hooded minion blew on the strange instrument, and all the dogs in the area immediately froze in their tracks. The entire mining operation came to a dead silence, and even their heartbeats could not be heard. Hamza stood on a small cliff, looking down at the ominous silence that engulfed the area.

 

Hamza could feel his frustration mounting. Well, this is just fantastic he thought to himself.

 

"I knew that expecting to be less problem was just a wishful thing. A domino butterfly effect of this magnitude will destroy any future events I know of. I expected this but fuck my hunches for being right."

 

“Change of plans fuck it,” Hamza said

 

Hamza heaved a sigh as the system acknowledged his remarks and activated a display screen in front of him, bearing text.

 

[A plan? Why didn't you share it? Not that I expected anything useful from you, but still] 

 

The system is obnoxious as always 

 

"Oh, look who finally decided to grace us with their useless existence. How delightful," he added sarcastically.

 

The system responded with a message [Are you still mad about your abilities? You do know they are broken right?]

 

"Of course, I'm mad. It's like you gave me a pair of roller skates to cross a minefield. Useless abilities with so many drawbacks and are restricted by gp points shenanigans. I can barely scrap enough GP to make use of them," Hamza replied, rolling his eyes.

 

"I don't like you," he muttered in annoyance.

 

[That we can agree on. Also, you've got company] the system retorted in the text message popup.

 

As the silence was lifted by the conversation, a swirling sound grew louder, emanating from the dead bodies of the dogs impaled on poles near their general area. The corpses began to morph, their entire bodies turning black as a thick, black goo oozed from their mouths. With a terrifying screech, they appeared to be spawned from hell itself. The spikes that had impaled them broke

Cracks! - Cracks!

 

The sound echoed as five black deformed corpses, oozing black goo, landed on their feet. They screeched a terrifying howl and looked in the direction of the minions' flute.

 

These creatures were huge, almost eight feet tall, and had very slim body-like figures, with a pair of oddly sized claws that were feet long, and mouths with elongated teeth. They had unusual characteristics like spikes on their backs, and some had three heads or three tails. These monsters started to rush abysmally, possessed towards Hamza and the minion.

 

 As the minion attacked with his weapon Hamza was distracted watching the terrifying monsters approaching. He dodged and leaped.

 

SLASH

 

Slashing with his crimson jewel blade, covered in green blood, the minion was carved horizontally and died in the process.

 

"This was not a good idea, but I don't have a choice," Hamza muttered.

 

With his crimson jewel blade that had green blood on it. He waved it to the ground to clean it of blood, and using both 2 hands replicated Jack's battle stance as the monsters approached, just a few feet away. Jack and Observer, as well as the dogs hiding, watched in worry. Jack noticed Hamza's stance resembled his, but he didn't think too much of it. Observer looked a little worried, and Jack gave her a questioning look, wondering if they should intervene. She smiled a little and said.

 

"Don't worry, he can handle this," Observer reassured Jack, though her expression belied her true feelings. "Just in case, I'll open a portal to the area if things get too dangerous."

 

The monsters lunged forward, attacking as one. One of them leaped into the air, its massive body hurtling toward Hamza with terrifying ferocity. Another attacked from the front, while three more closed in from behind. With lightning-fast reflexes, Hamza raised his jewel crimson sword, blocking the attack of the lunging monster that aimed to bite off his head. He struggled to keep his distance from the monsters, dodging their attacks with deft swordsmanship.

 

With a powerful swing and a mighty jump back, Hamza managed to evade the monsters that attempted to attack him from above and in front. But just as he landed on his feet, a super elongated arm smashed into him from behind, throwing him against the Cliffside. Caught off guard, Hamza grunted as he sliced off the black goo-like arm with all his strength. Readjusting his posture, Hamza's back was now against the wall, and the monsters closed in on him from every angle. He dodged the four monsters' attacks, barely avoiding their claws and teeth, as he suffered scratches and bruises. The cliff shook and was carved inside by the monsters' relentless onslaught.

 

“FUCK. TIME OUT, DAMMIT, TIME OUT!" Hamza shouted, his voice straining with the effort.

 

The fight was so intense that a small dust cloud shrouded the area, making it difficult to see. Using his camouflage, Hamza hid as the monsters stopped their rampage, tracking the sounds around them. Suddenly, with a powerful jump, he landed on the shoulder of one of the monsters. A bloody scar ran along his face, the damage he had just sustained. With an annoyed grunt, Hamza raised his sword with full force, ready to strike again.

 

Slash

 

The head of one of the monsters hit the ground with a resounding thud, cleanly decapitated from its body. Hamza immediately dove for cover in a cloud of dust, holding his breath to stay hidden in complete silence.

 

“Thud”

 

 The two other monsters near him attacked the spot where the sound was made, impaling the dead monster's standing corpse before it even hit the ground. Hamza waited for the perfect opportunity to strike, and when the monsters turned their backs on him, he attacked from their blind spot. With a swift cut, he severed one of the monster's legs before jumping onto its knees and delivering a full-power horizontal cut to the neck. He was in the air and within striking distance of the other monster's neck area. With a scowl expression.

 

 HAAAA!

 

SLASH

 

With a deft movement, he sliced through both monsters' necks simultaneously with another attack. Before he could make his escape, however, one of the monsters slashed his back with a claw, while the other delivered a blow to his gut. They had pinpointed his location. The pain from the deep wound was excruciating, and he screamed as he was sent flying across the rocky terrain. Skidding to a halt, he struggled to stand up as the two monsters emerged from the dust cloud, closing in closely. Gripping his crimson sword tightly, he blocked a stabbing attack from the monster's claw. Despite the force of the attack, his sword, a glittering crimson jewel that had the length and width of a sword, held strong. Hamza was launched far back from the monster's momentum

 

With an acrobatic flip backward, Hamza gained some distance and waited, his stern expression completely focused on the two remaining monsters approaching him. He unsheathed the sword just letting the tip out and prepared to use a technique Jack used. A fast and unavoidable attack that was deadly at close range.

 

 As the monsters ran towards him to strike, Hamza held his ground, waiting for the perfect moment. With only a foot of distance between them, the monsters' claws were nearly on his face and neck. Hamza remained calm, and with lightning-fast reflexes, he struck.

 

CHING -- SLASH!

 

 All five attacking limbs were instantly decapitated as he continued in a circular motion, jumping and delivering a final horizontal attack.

 

SLASH!

 

A portal opened, and Observer, Jack, and the dogs rushed to help him. Observer cleaned his bloody face with a piece of cloth, tending to the bruises and small fresh scar. Jack looked at him with an apologetic expression, realizing that he did not want to see them hurt over his selfish ambitions to save the dogs. Despite everything, Jack was still very thankful to them.

 

Hamza's chest heaved with deep, ragged breaths as he released his weapon and sank to his knees, his heart pounding in his chest at a pace he had never experienced before. The metallic tang of blood filled his mouth as he struggled to catch his breath.

 

As he gasped for air, a portal opened, and Observer, Jack, and the dogs rushed to his side. Observer swiftly cleaned the blood from his face with a piece of cloth, revealing bruises and a fresh, small scar. Jack's expression was apologetic, and Hamza could sense his gratitude mixed with guilt. He knew that Jack did not want to see them hurt over his selfish ambitions to save the dogs.

 

"Are you okay? How badly are you hurt?" Observer asked with concern etched on her face.

 

"Let me catch my breath first," Hamza replied, his voice hoarse with exhaustion.

 

As he took deep, calming breaths, Observer began to heal his injuries slowly using her abilities. Hamza's wounds began to close, and the pain began to ease. It took time, but after an hour, he was feeling a lot better. Meanwhile, Jack and the dogs were exploring the area, searching for any clues that could lead them closer to their objective.

 

Observer abilities

 

 

 

After resting for a while as observer cared for him he looked at his stats as he confirmed something. He thought hoped that he would get some points from this because the battle had just begun.

 

[Killed 5 Aku minions by yourself. 500GP Points awarded.]

 

[Killed 2 lesser aku minions by yourself. 100GP awarded.]

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hamza's eyes shifted to the broken building around him, noticing the peeling wallpaper, broken furniture, and shattered glass littering the floor. The stench of decay and dust filled his nostrils, making him feel uneasy. He could feel the pain in his chest slowly fading as Observer's healing power did its work, but he still felt weak and drained.

 

As he sat up, his gaze landed on the game screen, which showed his meager reward for risking his life. Hamza looked at observer as she was bandaging his chest with a blank face. He then looked at this game screen blankly with his lifeless eyes.

 

“I nearly got sliced in half and killed 5 monsters and all I get is 500Gp points. fuck me”

 

 “I even spent 70GP on the ability. Well, at least I didn’t die.”

 

Observer was listening to him and bandaged him completely. With a small chuckle

 

Observer listened intently, swiftly wrapping Hamza's chest with bandages. With a small chuckle, she leaned in and planted a peck on his cheek, her laughter echoing through the tense atmosphere. Hamza, however, halted her advances, his patience wearing thin. Her clingy obsession grated on his nerves, and he couldn't shake the feeling that this god-like being was hiding something ominous. He decided not to let his guard down, not until he unraveled more about her true nature.

 

“Meanie. Don’t sweat the small stuff” she said.

 

He got up and walked towards Jack, who was busy seeing the layout of the area. He saw Jack devising a plan in the open area ground on a piece of paper mapping the buildings. Hamza knew exactly why. He looked at the group of dogs with Jack as one of the red dogs stared at him for a moment. The next phase of the battle was now going to start.