Chapter 39: Against All Odds

Chapter 39: Chapter 39: Against All Odds

Victor stumbled backward, a lump forming in his throat, and pulled the trigger of his assault rifle. The gunshots immediately echoed through the alley as flashes of light illuminated the darkness.

The Wendigo burst into laughter and moved like a spider toward the rooftops at a terrifying speed. Brika rose from where she stood and aimed her pistol upward, her hands trembling.

"Excellent welcome, young man! The little goblin needed someone like you!"

"Shut up!" Victor shouted.

He glanced at Brika to make sure she was still by his side, as if seeing the light of her flashlight wasn’t enough. However, in her expression, Victor once again saw that terrifying ferocity that made it painfully clear they were in serious trouble.

"I can’t imagine that poor girl being killed by those wicked ghosts. My heart would have shattered into a million pieces!"

Victor bit his lip hard, and a couple of drops of blood trickled down his chin.

’You bastard. Why the hell are you hiding?! Get down here and let me fill your face with lead!’

But even if he tried, he already knew he would probably fail. He expected to have to flee alongside Brika once again, but he couldn’t figure out how to do it without that monster following them.

He kept backing away, aiming at the rooftops as the Wendigo continued mocking them. Then, he felt a small hand take his. It was Brika, who wasted no time dragging him out of the alley.

’She...’

Victor could no longer see her face, but as they ran through the streets of this sinister scenario, he could feel her hand trembling. Was she... afraid? He had no way of knowing for sure, but ever since that monster had appeared, she had been acting strangely.

Without thinking, he looked back, searching for the one who might be responsible, and his eyes widened in horror. Just inches away, his gaze met the beast’s, its eyes glowing gray within the sockets of its cow skull.

Its ethereal fur moved as if it were underwater, and one of its four limbs stretched out to grab Victor by the face. However, Brika fired her pistol, and the bullet struck the Wendigo’s skull.

The monster staggered back a couple of yards as it pulled out the bullet, which had penetrated only a few millimeters into the surface of its bony face. Then its manic laughter erupted like a torrent of shattered thoughts, terrifying both survivors.

"Never look it in the eyes!" Brika shouted. "If you do, it’ll be able to see your fears!"

If it hadn’t been for Brika... Victor squeezed her hand tightly before abruptly letting go. He kept running beside her, but his heart was pounding so fast and his lungs hurt so much that he thought he might pass out at any moment.

’I can’t keep going like this. I need something that can help us.’

He didn’t think about it for long, because he knew what he had to do. The gacha System window appeared before him. Brika glanced at the interface for a brief moment, but when she heard the Wendigo moving nearby, she turned her attention back to the path ahead.

At the same time, Victor looked at the only 600 coins he had collected so far.

’Please! Give me something that can save us!’

[6 Summons Available]

[Cost: 600 Coins]

[Perform Summon?]

[ Yes ] [ No ]

’I’m using all of them!’

The sphere appeared like a star in the darkness of the night sky. Its colors shifted as the distance between them and the creature grew shorter.

The first reward was gray: a raw potato. Victor grabbed it and stuffed it into his pocket.

’This is useless right now!’

Up ahead, he heard a brief metallic click. He realized Brika was holding a fragmentation grenade in one hand and a flashbang in the other.

’Right. Last time, it bought us a few minutes. Do it, Brika! I need this System to give me something good, and fast.’

Brika couldn’t read minds, but one look at Victor’s determined expression, illuminated by the faint glow of the sphere, was enough. She threw the grenade over him, and it exploded.

"You’re going to need more than that, little goblin!" the Wendigo said, though its voice sounded a little distant.

They had managed to force it back a few yards.

Another reward for Victor. Gray once again: a used silk handkerchief.

Victor grabbed the handkerchief and threw it behind him.

’Let’s see if you at least get hit in the face with this, bastard!’

However, that wasn’t what he wanted. The sphere remained gray; this time, it gave him an unbranded bottle of mineral water.

’Damn it!’

Although it was useful, it wasn’t what he needed right now, so he stuffed it into one of the side pockets of his backpack and hoped the next reward would be good. But, unfortunately, it was more of the same: gray, and a rusty earring.

Just as he was about to see the next color, something grabbed his backpack and brought him to an abrupt halt. A chill ran down his spine, and the sphere’s color stopped on blue.

At the same time, Brika stopped, aiming her pistol without knowing where to shoot.

"Got you, young man," the Wendigo said. Its eyes flashed as it lifted Victor into the air. After everything that had happened, Victor could see his end staring him in the face.

The System window displayed:

[Congratulations!]

[You have obtained: (Skill) Against All Odds.]

[Rarity: R]

The monster let out its sinister laughter once again.

"Now it’s your turn, little one."

Choking on his own nerves, Victor noticed the System window.

[Description: When you find yourself cornered, do not fear, for the will of the Action Hero is unbreakable! And it is that will that will enhance all the qualities you need to fight!]

[You have completed the "Action Hero" Set.]

The Wendigo raised him higher and slowly approached Brika. However, Victor noticed something else in his System window.

’It can’t be...’ he thought.

[The trial "The Hero’s Will" will now begin.]

[Requirements: Demonstrate your will and escape alongside your companion.]

[Rewards: Evolution of the Path "Gacha System Master."]

[Penalty for failure: Death.]