Chapter 59 The Bridge

I surveyed the old metal structure, carefully evaluating its condition. Rust seemed to have ravaged most of it, which left me wondering how any Abominations could have passed through here.

As my eyes scanned the metal pillars, I noticed claw and teeth marks etched into them. Perhaps the monsters felt some kind of hatred towards the structure?

"Let's start..."

I said to myself, as I quickly climbed onto the bridge, taking care to ensure its stability.

My hands moved deftly, unscrewing the screws from one pillar and detaching metal ropes that supported the structure.

Every step of the process was identical to the game, and I was able to finish the preparations in no time.

Despite there being around 100 steps to make the bridge crumble, I had memorized them all thanks to a skill from my past life, the 'Memory Palace.'

The 'Memory Palace' is a sort of cheat memory ability that enables me to recall even the smallest details that most people would have long forgotten.

Creak...

The bridge's structure creaked and slowly began to shift to the side, but despite the river's strong currents, it stubbornly remained intact.

I gritted my teeth in frustration. Of course, something had to go wrong at the worst possible moment.

Glancing down at my wristwatch, I saw that I had approximately 10 minutes remaining before the Abominations arrived at the bridge.

I needed to make the structure fall, and fast!

Visualizing the bridge from a side view, I rapidly identified its weak points and darted through the structure, reaching the opposite end where the Abominations would soon arrive.

Whoosh...

Golden threads began to form on my hand, gradually taking shape into an Aura Blade.

It was a skill I hadn't used since my fight with the Winter Wolves due to the massive amount of Mana it consumed, but I didn't have the luxury of being picky at the moment.

Slash...

The Golden Blade sliced through one of the pillars with ease, like a hot knife through butter, melting the rusted metal and causing the bridge to tilt even further to the side.

I barely managed to grab onto a random metal rope dangling from the structure to prevent myself from falling.

"..."

Stabilizing myself, I glanced at the last 3 metal pillars that were already creaking under the pressure of the bridge.

Growl...

Suddenly, a distant growling sound made my blood run cold. It was the unmistakable growl of the Abominations.

My skin prickled with fear, and my Katana appeared in my right hand on instinct. I had no more time to try to destroy the bridge. It was already too late!

I started frantically weighing my options...

I considered running away, but that wouldn't solve the problem entirely. Some Abominations would still manage to cross the river, and I had no idea how many of them would be able to do that.

Another option was to overcharge the Vampiric Crystal I had left over from trimming the Vampiric Plant in the Academy's garden and make it explode. This would certainly bring down the bridge, but the financial loss would be astronomical.

"Huh... I don't want to lose money!"

A golden layer of Mana enveloped my Katana Blade, making it appear as if golden flames were dancing on it.

Massive gears started turning in my head as I weighed my options. I couldn't let the Abominations cross the river, but I also didn't want to suffer a significant financial loss...

"Greedy bastard..."

In the end, I made the decision to fight the horde of monsters until the last three pillars crumbled under the pressure.

From my vantage point, it appeared that the bridge wouldn't last more than a few minutes, and that was the main reason why I chose to fight.

Growl...

As I lifted my gaze towards the ash dunes in the distance, rows upon rows of Abominations came into view.

Their purple skin seemed to blend together, forming a massive, goo-like ball. Hundreds of white eyes landed on me, causing my legs to tremble involuntarily.

I could feel... fear?

No it wasn't fear...

The sight of the massive horde descending upon me made me feel... exhilarated! Their beastly expressions, the deadly claws they had, their speed that made a massive ash cloud behind them...

All of it made me feel... Excited!

I had to bite my lip to snap out of it. While getting excited was not necessarily a bad thing, I couldn't let my emotions control me and rush headlong into the horde of monsters. I needed to keep my wits about me.

Realistically speaking, the bridge was wide enough for only five Abominations to pass at the time, which meant, I wouldn't have to fight hundreds of them at the time.

"I'm so dead..."

Although most of the Abominations were F rank, I knew that it was just the initial wave, and some of them were even D rank.

Looking at the rickety bridge, I found myself praying for the first time in my life that it would collapse faster.

Growl...

A low growl interrupted my thoughts. The first few Abominations, which were incredibly fast, were already approaching the bridge. They ran on all fours, their massive claws providing them with a better grip on the ashy ground.

The first Abomination to step on the bridge lunged towards me, but I quickly swung my katana in a wide arc, forcing it to raise its arms to defend itself.

Slash...

With a swift motion, my blade, coated in shadow, vanished and reappeared, piercing through the monster's eye and into its brain.

Gro-

The Abomination didn't even have time to cry out in pain before I pulled my katana back, causing its lifeless body to crumple to the ground.

The other four Abominations that were following the first one paused for a moment, taken aback by the sudden death of their comrade. But it was only a moment of hesitation before they resumed their attack.

I took a deep breath and focused on the fight ahead. The next few minutes were a blur of motion as I dodged, parried, and counterattacked the Abominations. My senses were heightened, my movements fluid and precise as I dispatched one after another.

The bridge continued to creak and groan under the weight of the monsters, and I unknowingly smiled, hearing the metal pillars creak under the pressure.

Growl...

Suddenly, an E- rank Abomination appeared on the bridge and bolted towards me in one swift motion. I had no choice but to block its claws with my katana.

Clank...

With a loud sound, my blade clashed against its sharp nails, and the force of the impact sent me flying a dozen feet backward. The strength of this Abomination was no joke.

I quickly got back on my feet and took a defensive stance, ready for the next attack. The E rank Abomination lunged towards me again, its movements surprisingly coordinated for a monster of its level.

I sidestepped its attack and slashed at its back, but it dodged with ease, turning around to face me once more. This time, it launched a series of quick attacks, forcing me to focus solely on defense.

I parried its strikes, trying to find an opening to strike back. But the Abomination was too fast, and its claws were too sharp.

Growl...

With a low growl, the monster leaped into the air, aiming to land on top of me with its full weight. I quickly rolled out of the way, narrowly avoiding being crushed by the Abomination's massive body.

As it landed, I took advantage of its momentary loss of balance and slashed at its legs, causing it to stumble. I followed up with a quick thrust to its chest, piercing through its heart and killing it instantly.

Although it was an entire rank stronger than me, it didn't have the intelligence to make use of its superiority and fell to my blade with little to no resistance.

"How long..."

I muttered, kicking the body of the monster into the river.

Cleek...

Another pillar, suddenly shattered, falling into the river and bringing a part of a bridge with it.

Growl...

Hearing the sound thousands of abominations picked up their pace, climbing over each other to reach the bridge.

"Finally!"

I sheathed my katana and started running towards the other side of the bridge, the sound of my footsteps echoing through the growls of many Abominations.

As I neared the end, the bridge started to shake violently, and I redoubled my efforts, knowing that I had to make it to the other side before it was too late.

With a final burst of speed, I reached the other side of the bridge just as it gave way, collapsing into the abyss below. I took a deep breath, feeling a sense of relief wash over me.

"I've done it!"

I exclaimed, raising my fist triumphantly into the air. As my tense muscles slowly relaxed, I fell onto my back, relieved and satisfied.

Weeks of grueling training, unexpected change in events, and even shitty Rick could not stop me from achieving my goal of destroying the bridge.