Chapter 43: Chapter 43: System's Resilience

Suddenly, the Locus's grip loosened. Elio fell to the ground, gasping and coughing. He looked up just in time to see the enormous creature stagger.

The Locus took one faltering step, then another. Its compound eyes, once bright with murderous fury, were now dimming. With a final death rattle, the beast collapsed.

Elio found himself staring at the Locus's lifeless corpse. The lance protruded from its throat like a macabre victory standard.

Elio crawled close to the monster, each movement an agony. His body was at its limit, his resistance barely above zero. But he was alive.

With trembling hands, Elio opened his system book. The numbers he saw showed him how close he had been to failing and leaving his family and neighbors at the monster's mercy:

Elio Elian Level: 3 Resistance: 2/30 Mana: 0/30

A hysterical laugh erupted from his throat. He had been so close to death, so close to losing everything. But somehow, through sheer guts, he had survived.

♢♢♢♢

The roar of battle had faded. In the distance, Elio could hear the muffled screams of people, the chaos that still reigned in the city. But for now, in this small corner of the world, there was peace.

Elio closed his eyes, allowing himself a moment of rest. He knew he would soon have to get up, face the consequences of his actions, of stealing the "drops" (if discovered) and of being late to the wall. But for now, he was content to savor this hard-won victory.

The salamander approached him, rubbing its head against Elio's hand and making him open his eyes.

"Thank you," Elio murmured, gently stroking the creature's head. "I couldn't have done it without you."

"Elio!" His mother's desperate voice cut through the haze of his consciousness. Lena ran towards him, her face a mixture of relief and terror. She knelt beside her son, her trembling hands running over his body in search of serious injuries.

Lena, despite the gravity of the situation, couldn't help but let out a small laugh at seeing her son, the brave warrior who had just defeated a terrible monster, struggling against a salamander of that size.

"Maybe if you speak to it kindly," Lena suggested, a smile tugging at the corners of her lips.

Elio shot his mother an exasperated look, but decided to try it. "Hey, little friend," he said, trying to soften his voice. "I need you to hide in my clothes. Can you do that for me?"

The salamander stared at him, blinking slowly. For a moment, Elio thought it had worked. Then, the creature simply turned around and began to walk in the opposite direction.

"Oh no, you don't," Elio growled, stretching his aching arm to catch the salamander. His fingers closed around the creature's slippery body, but it writhed with surprising strength.

In his struggle, Elio lost his balance and fell face-first, the salamander escaping his grasp and landing on his head. Lena could no longer contain her laughter, the sound of her joy contrasting sharply with the chaos of alarms around them.

"It's not funny, Mom," Elio complained, though he couldn't help a smile from forming on his lips. He sat up, the salamander still clinging to his hair like a peculiarly alive hat.

"Oh, but it is," Lena replied, wiping a tear of laughter from her eye. "My brave son, defeated by a creature as small as his foot."

Elio sighed, carefully reaching for the salamander on his head. This time, the creature didn't try to escape, but looked at him with what Elio could swear was an expression of amusement.

"Okay, little one," Elio said, bringing the salamander close to his face. "I know this is strange for you. You probably just hatched and the world is a confusing and scary place. But I need you to trust me. I need you to hide to keep you safe. Can you understand that?"

To his surprise, the salamander seemed to respond to his tone. Its eyes, a deep and bright blue, fixed on Elio's. There was a moment of connection, as if the creature was assessing the sincerity of his words.

Then, to Elio and Lena's amazement, the salamander nodded. A small but unmistakable movement.

"Good," Elio said, a smile of relief spreading across his face. "Now, let's try this again."