9 Killed by Persistence

The four zombie hounds slowly walked closer towards Liam. He didn't know what to do.

They have the same strength and speed. If he choose to handle one of them, he might get hit from behind. One wrong move and he's done.

That was what he first thought, but, he needed to do something more important.

Liam picked a target. The one on his left. Without having a second thought he dashed forward, aiming for its neck, but as soon as he got on its range, it attacks him with its claws blocking his dagger and throwing him away.

He felt strange. He turned around and a fist was flying towards his face. Luckily, he blocked it with his crossed arms, but he was sent a few meters backward.

Expecting there was another monster behind him, he immediately stood up and jumped away. A claw was shot on the ground where he was positioned earlier.

Pant.

'Shit.'

Liam continuously cursed inside his mind. He can't match their speed.

WOOSH!

"Huh?"

The strange feeling warned him again, but he didn't have time to react.

A fist landed on his side. His body almost bent completely from the impact he took before he flew afar again, making his body collide with the solid ground for a few times.

Liam stood up. Some of his clothes were ripped apart, showing many scratches and wounds. Blood began to drip down from his mouth and his nose.

If a man's current state was like his, he would definitely ponder about his own life, but Liam...

Liam was thinking about his mother's safety.

Behind him another zombie hound stood firmly as it reverted its arm before flinging it towards him.

Liam felt it much earlier and have already prepared to block it.

But he was only pushed back once again.

He could barely even stand up, but as soon as he did, another fist envelopes his vision and he got hit in the face without even having him defend against it.

The monsters were not even trying to kill him. If they really wanted to, they could slice him with their claws, but they didn't. They were just toying with him.

After a few meters of him flying, his body hit a car.

But this time, he didn't fell anymore, he tried to balance his body.

'Mother...'

He coughed blood...

Dozens of wounds bleed...

He was about to lose his consciousness but...

He didn't fall.

He didn't want to fall.

Ding!

At the same time, the phone which dropped from his pocket after his clothes were torn, vibrated. The screen opened and multiple notifications appeared.

[The user's certain emotion peeked to a great extent.]

[The Heaven's App shall grant the user the most needed skill to top up with his state.]

[The skill Unyielding was automatically given to the user without any permission.]

[The skill's effect will temporarily remain until the user's certain strong emotion finally subsided.]

At that moment, Liam, who could barely stand straight, has his eyes change from coldness to blazing fire.

His body also stopped swaying from all the pain he took.

The monsters, who was just beating him up earlier, stopped after also noticing the change from his body.

But one of them didn't seem to care as he instantly went and dashed towards him.

Soon after, It was close enough, it moved its fist towards the head of its target.

Liam, who somehow already predicted the incoming attack, moved sidewards, dodged the attack, and held the stretched arm which was two times bigger than his.

The monster tilted his boar and grimaced as if it was stunned by what just happened.

Liam didn't let any more seconds to pass as he clenched the remaining dagger in his right hand, which he didn't drop, and swung it towards the zombie hound's neck.

With the sound of flesh being sliced, blood spurted out and scattered in the air, before his head divided from his body, and fell down on the ground.

Like Liam expected, they were superior in strength and speed but their defense was mediocre at best. It was his only way to defeat him earlier.

But now, it's different.

He didn't know how, but his endurance shot up, and the way he predicted and calculated the monster's movements was enhanced, like how his speed and analyzation¹ had increased earlier in the alleyway.

He was now stronger.

THUD!

Another monster jumped towards him at an incredible speed.

Seeing the speeding monster, he instantly realized that he couldn't dodge it, so he crossed his arms to block it.

Thwack! It landed perfectly.

But.

Liam was only pushed back by a meter without losing his balance, unlike earlier where he was sent flying in just a second after getting hit.

The monster slightly trembled, it followed its instinct and tried to move away, but his feet didn't seem to move.

It just saw Liam in front of him with his lower body and his stretched dagger, before it lost consciousness.

Liam already sliced its neck. Earlier, the zombie hound was stunned for a few seconds after its attack was blocked, giving him a chance to move and attack quickly.

'Looks like even monsters get scared...'

KWRIIIIIIIK-!

With an indescribable, the last two monsters both dashed forward at the same time. From side to side they cornered their prey. The one on the left clenched its fist, while the other one opened its claws.

They were fast, but unfortunately for them, Liam already predicted it.

He leaped towards the one which decided to attack with its fist. He kicked the monster's wrist before it hit him.

After seeing that it was already pushed back on the side, Liam turned around and glanced at the monster who jumped towards him.

Its claws were moving towards his head.

Liam saw that and sheered his dagger to shove it away leaving the zombie hound's body to only fall without doing anything.

He shot his fist towards the boar head of the monster. Along with the gravity of the fall, the impact was stronger. Its body flipped mid-air and it hit the head on the ground after.

A second later, Liam turned around again and dashed forward. He saw the last standing monster who just stood up and sliced its neck.

He turned around again before jumping on the monster lying on the ground and pierced its chest.

It made its last cry.

Liam stood firmly and looked around his surroundings. The remaining monsters were the zombies and the hounds, but it didn't even move one inch towards him.

He slightly relaxed his body as he felt safe now.

Ding!

A phone rang inside his pocket. He grabbed it and stared at it for a moment.

It was the same phone that he dropped earlier.

'As I thought... It teleports in me...'

Soon after, he opened it and read the multiple notifications that appeared.

It said that 4 middle-class yellow power cores and 1 dagger was placed in the Inventory.

The same dagger that he also dropped earlier.

'Is it auto collect?'

He continued and read that he received a reward after killing his first D rank monster.

[The Heaven's App bestowed the user 1000 coins, 6 level increase for every attribute, and 6 level increase for every skill.]

[A low-classed named skill book named 'Ace's Fire Fist' was given to the user.]

'Fire Fist... Ace?'

Liam cleared the useless thoughts at the same time he removed the notifications. He immediately and went to the Inventory. He didn't try to look at the other items as he immediately pressed the only skill book and dagger.

[Ace's Fire Fist] (Physical)

Tier: Low-Class (Named)²

-Covers the fist with the magic element, Fire, for 10 seconds.

-Greatly increases the strike's explosive power.

-45 Mana, 2 min cooldown

Silver Dagger³

Tier: High-Class (Normal)

+7 Dexterity

+5 Endurance

He took a single look at the weapon's stats and tap the Use.

He instantly grabbed it as he turned around in a certain direction.

"I'm coming, mother."

1 - I forgot to put this in the 2nd previous chapter, in case it might cause confusion here it is,

"While thinking, somehow, he knew a way how to kill them in the easiest way. It felt like his analyzation was increased."

You can go back to the 7th chapter to see where it was placed.

2 - 'Named' items are different than names mentioned in the next one, it's a tier higher than 'Normal', and it has unique names.

3 - Added names to weapons like 'silver dagger';