CHAPTER 81: JUST A BAD NIGHTMARE?

Its metallic beak tore through from beneath his chest, carving down in a diagonal line that continued to his waist with blood bursting out like a broken tap.

"Grrrh..."

The groan of pain escaped his lips, yet his teeth clenched hard, and his eyes turned fully red.

Veins bulged all over his arms, holding them taut in that instant.

DIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIEEE!

He screamed, slamming down the metallic hair gripped in his hands with every ounce of his power.

CLAAAANG!

PUUUUCCCHI!

The weapon pierced through the gap of metal between the bird’s neck, tearing into its flesh and digging deep.

SCREEEEEECCCHHHHH!

A powerful cry of agony resounded as the bird writhed from the pain in its neck, but Everlearn held on tightly.

It swung its neck, throwing Everlearn up into the air, but upon landing, Everlearn found himself right on its back.

Grabbing onto its wings, his hand was pierced through by the sharp metallic shards on the bird’s body, but he didn’t let go.

He pulled harder, forcing it higher into the air.

The bird followed with a painful shriek, and both it and Everlearn surged into the sky.

Its wings were losing control, driving it unevenly forward, and with Everlearn holding on to its wings, his dragging also controlled its motion.

Everlearn noticed that quickly and planned accordingly, forcing the beast farther away from the mech grave.

It writhed in pain, the sharp metallic hair still stuck in it, as it continued flying erratically, farther and farther away.

But then, it lost its rhythm.

Both of them plummeted from the sky, crashing onto a metallic ground.

Everlearn slammed into the creature’s back, only to be thrown off, rolling across the floor for several moments before slamming into a jagged rock.

BLEERRRGGGH!

Blood burst from his lips, and in the next moment, the rocks above splintered and rained down on him, burying him beneath the rubble.

The bird, even with metal lodged in its neck, staggered to its feet.

Its cold red eyes darted around, searching murderously for Everlearn.

SCREEEEECHHHH!

It shrieked in anger, but finding nothing, soon raced into the distance.

Silence descended over the world for a while before,

CRAACCCK!

The faint sound of cracking rock echoed out, and then a bloodied hand thrust through the rubble.

Two fingers were missing, blood spraying from the severed stumps.

Then, with a groan, another rock fell aside as Everlearn pushed himself free, collapsing halfway off the mound before landing on his back.

One arm was completely ripped off from the shoulder.

A diagonal line of torn flesh ran from his chest down to his waist, revealing the glint of intestines and liver beneath.

Anyone would have mistaken him for dead, but he was alive.

Each breath was slow and harsh, but for some reason, the air didn’t sting as much as before.

He faintly turned his head and noticed the reason.

He had moved away.

Before, he had been within the territory of the mechs, but now, those structures were far behind.

All around him were metallic mountains.

"I... survived," he muttered weakly to himself, his lips parting slightly, reopening the wounds on his face as blood dripped from the gashes.

The memories flashed again:

His own arm getting ripped off flesh and bone right before his very eyes.

He almost vomited from the thought, but exhaustion and pain numbed everything else.

His eyes only grew dimmer.

A pool of blood gathered beneath him, soaking his body, yet Everlearn didn’t move.

If the system had answered him, he could have fused with the forty attribute points he still had left and healed himself.

But the system remained silent.

He had nothing.

There was no way to heal, no way to rise, only to endure.

It had given him a quest, after all. To survive the night.

And so he remained, fighting for every second of life, breathing carefully, not too deep to worsen the pain, not too loud to alert danger.

Like that, Everlearn sustained himself until the world finally turned dark.

___________

GAASSSPS!

A sharp gasp of shock reverberated through the room as a figure jerked upright from the bed, eyes wide in horror.

His gaze darted to his hand; it was still there.

He raised both hands, trembling, and noticed the faint white smoke leaving his lips.

He quickly pulled his shirt up to look at his stomach, but there was no gash, only smooth skin with not even the smallest mark.

"A... a nightmare, huh?"

He muttered to himself, exhaling in relief.

But then,

BEEEP!

BEEEP!

BEEEP!

The sound of beeping came from his side.

Turning, he saw his device flashing the time.

7:12

"Wait, wasn’t class supposed to begin at 7:15!?"

He exclaimed, immediately leaping from the bed.

He raced to the washroom, got ready in a blur, and dashed out of his room, disappearing down the corridor.

_____________

"When you think of Mech Modules,"

"Think of the basics of man, and what makes him the apex of his world."

"He possesses not only intellect, but five opposable fingers, the hands, that allow him to craft tools, and make use of them better than any other creature."

"In today’s world, we have the Corer, the apex of mankind."

"He keeps his intelligence, but possesses something more advanced than the hand."

"This is a Mech Module."

"Compared to an ordinary human with just five digits, a Corer with the aid of his Core can operate far more advanced tools, giving him the capability to be so much more."

"These tools aren’t just extensions; they can be fully integrated within the Corer himself, powered by his internal core."

"This, dear Corers, is the foundation of all Mech Modules."

The instructor’s words echoed through the glass-paneled classroom, and among the students sat one whose gaze was locked upon the Instructor.

Everlearn.

His brows creased slightly, his eyes fixated on the teacher, but,

’Was yesterday... really a nightmare?’ He mused, his eyes fixated on the bolded panel before him

║Congratulations on passing the mission: Survive A Night in the Illumino Mech Grave!║