CHAPTER 1011: CHAPTER 154 - SHREDICA’S WINTER AND THE FINAL PIECE (7)

CLAAAAANG!

The strike connected with a brilliant flash of blue light exploding from the impact point, followed by a deep, guttural roar of pain that echoed through the entire chamber.

"GRAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!"

The wyvern staggered backward, flapping its wings wildly. Each movement sent shockwaves through the air — WHUMP! WHUMP! WHUMP! — the sound deafening. The ground beneath me trembled, but I held my footing, panting heavily, watching as it thrashed in pain. The weak point I struck began to glow violently, pulsating like it was about to rupture.

Then it exploded.

A burst of crimson energy erupted from its wounded wing joint — BOOOOM! — sending chunks of molten scale and embers raining down. The wyvern shrieked again, slamming its body into the ground and carving massive scars into the earth with its claws. The entire place trembled, dust falling from the ceiling like rain.

I stumbled backward, barely managing to stay on my feet. The wyvern’s movements were slower now and it was heavier, with its balance broken. One of its wings hung limply, smoke and blood dripping from the torn flesh.

I had weakened it.

But not defeated it.

The wyvern’s eyes still glowed with hatred, its breath coming out ragged yet furious. With one last roar — GRAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!

— it launched itself forward, dragging its wounded body toward me. I raised my blade again, ready to counter, but my hand finally gave out.

My knees hit the ground. I couldn’t even move. All I could do was watch as the wyvern thrashed, trying to crush me under its fury. But then, it collapsed halfway through with its massive body slamming against the ground, shaking the entire chamber once more.

It wasn’t dead... but it was down.

Smoke billowed from its mouth with every breath, and its body heaved like a dying furnace. I dragged myself up, trembling, every muscle screaming in pain. I could feel the heat radiating from it as I stepped closer. It glared at me, still alive but too weak to rise again.

I looked past it. The book was still there, untouched, and faintly glowing.

Finally within reach.

I limped forward, each step heavier than the last, my breathing shallow and broken. My fingers brushed the air just above the book’s cover.

And even though I knew this wasn’t over, that the creature might still rise again, I couldn’t stop the corner of my lips from lifting.

"I got you," I whispered to myself, my voice rough, nearly drowned by the sound of the wyvern’s pained growls echoing behind me.

When I grabbed the book, a chill ran down my spine. It wasn’t just any ordinary book. I feel like there was something inside it. I could feel it, like the thing was alive, breathing faintly in my hands. The leather cover felt cold and strangely soft, almost like skin. My fingers trembled a little as I flipped it open, dust fluttering out like ancient whispers escaping after centuries of silence.

The first thing that caught my eyes were the words written in ink that shimmered faintly under the dim light, as if glowing with some kind of eerie energy.

"Whoever is powerless but brave enough to venture into this place, I award you this book that will allow you to open a rift for the heroes from another world to aid the people of this world on the oncoming catastrophe."

I stared at it for a while, eyebrows furrowed. What the hell was that supposed to mean? It sounded like something straight out of a fantasy novel. Maybe the one who wrote it was some kind of ancient mage—or just someone with a flair for the dramatic. Either way, I had no clue what it was talking about. But still, something about it... felt important. Dangerous, even. Maybe... this was the reason as to why I was the one who was supposed to get this? It said here powerless but brave, and I fit those two category. Oh well.

With a shrug, I decided to keep it. No way I was leaving something like this behind. So, I tucked it under my arm and made my way toward the cave’s exit.

But just as I was about to leave, a low, almost pitiful sound echoed through the cavern. I stopped. The wyvern—the same creature I’d fought earlier—was lying there, wailing softly. It didn’t sound like the roar of a beast anymore. It sounded... pained. Like it was suffering.

I don’t know why, but my feet started moving toward it on their own.

"You look like you’re in pain," I said, my voice calm but sharp. "But that’s only natural... considering you were in my way. Honestly, getting hit is the least of what you deserve. Be grateful that I’m not in the mood to kill you."

The wyvern let out a weak growl, more like a groan than a threat. I noticed the spot where it was wounded—it was bleeding heavily, the red dripping down and hissing as it touched the hot stones below. Steam rose from the wound, and to my surprise, I could see its flesh starting to knit back together.

It was healing... but slowly. Unevenly.

Something was wrong.

I looked closer and noticed something glinting from beneath the torn flesh of its wing. It was a blade. It was rusted, cracked, and stuck deep between its scales. The thing must’ve been embedded there for years, maybe decades, the rust eating through metal and flesh alike. It was clear that the wyvern had been in constant pain all this time, unable to heal completely because of that damn thing.

I hesitated. If I pulled it out, the wyvern would recover fully—and that could spell trouble for me. But for some reason, I couldn’t bring myself to walk away.

"Do you want me to pull it out?" I asked, half-expecting silence.

The wyvern turned its massive head toward me, its golden eyes dull but aware. It didn’t growl this time. It just stared. There was no hostility in its gaze, just... weariness.

"Well, that’s not a no," I muttered. "I’ll take that as a yes."

Carefully, I climbed onto its back, pressing my hands against the rough, scale-covered surface. The wyvern didn’t move an inch. It could’ve thrown me off easily, but it didn’t. Maybe it understood what I was trying to do. Or maybe it was just too tired to care.

Up close, the blade looked even worse—its metal eaten by rust, coated with dried blood and grime that looked older than I was. The flesh around it was swollen and dark, pulsing faintly. Just the sight made me grimace.

I muttered. "You’ve been living with this all this time?"

Gripping the handle, I pulled.

The sound that came out was awful—a screeching grind of metal against bone. My arms strained as I tugged harder, until finally, the blade came free with a harsh metallic shriek.

The wyvern let out a thunderous roar that shook the ground beneath my feet. A blast of wind rushed out from its wings as its body glowed faintly, light seeping from the wound as it rapidly closed up. Within seconds, it was completely healed.

The wyvern exhaled sharply through its nostrils, a hot breath washing over me. It didn’t look angry anymore. It looked... relieved.

"You’re a good one," I said with a smirk, giving its neck a light pat. "Guess even monsters appreciate a bit of help."