If I had a thumb, I'd want to pick up a rock and throw it to lure it in another direction. At least that should buy enough time to escape the original way.
I quickly stepped away from the counter, slow and quiet. When it stomped on the keyboard with a loud clack, like a cutter slicing through my heart, it lifted its head, tilted it, and flared its nostrils, sniffing.
….Duck!!
Scent! If we talk about this, aren't we like tagged? Or was that a booby trap it set? This guy is really vicious.
No sooner said than it turned in my direction, leaping from the counter and climbing up the shelves. The sharp scraping of metal grated on my ears. Suddenly, a pale white finger appeared close to my eye… my heart stopped for a moment.
A strong tug pulled my head hard. Small paws clawed at my dry skin instinctively. The cat within me thrashed wildly. Its fingers squeezed tightly like a demon's claws. My head burned as if thousands of rubber bands were wrapped around it. It swung its dark hand, slamming my head against the shelf.
"Meowww!" A high-pitched shriek echoed in the darkness.
[Warning: Health level has dropped by over 70 percent]
[Status: Multiple bone fractures, mild internal bleeding, nervous system unstable]
Thank you, system... if you had told me a little later, I'd be nothing but cat remains.
It made a sound, bones cracking from its neck. Its mouth opened wide, revealing small, sharp teeth. Swollen fingers emerged from its neck. Its long tongue flicked across my arm… a putrid smell filled the air, so strong it almost corroded my nose.
…Whoever or whatever, please help me.
[Extra Skill unlocked: Prayer]
"Meow," I whimpered, sadly, like an abandoned cat. I waited for several heartbeats… nothing happened.
"Then why did you even come…!!!" I screamed at the top of my lungs, thrashing around and using my paws to push against its lips.
"Well done, kid." With a sharp sound, the arachnid's arm fell and crashed onto the metal sheet with a loud clang.
My hope began to form in the darkness. A black and white furball met my eyes over my shoulder, holding a kitchen knife in its mouth. Its eyes were world-weary, appearing with an aura of murderous intent.
"There's still a mistake," the cow-patterned furball said sternly.
…Yes, a mistake. A big mistake. You cut the wrong armmmm…!!
O..= The furball cat's eyes widened.
As the arachnid thrashed its body, its arms around its body lifted high, then spun so hard that I lost my balance. My body was thrown into the air, my heart pounding with fear, as if everything stopped for a moment before I slammed my side against the cold wall…
[Warning: Health level has dropped by over 90 percent]
"Be strong, little cat. This enemy is still far from your skill. Let me be the cat to fight it myself."
He came like a martial arts master, huh. Oh well, before I die, I'll just go along with it to make him happy.
"I… I am incompetent… Please, Master Immortal Wanderer, guide me."
"This matter is no problem. I'll handle the rest." He hunched over, glaring at the enemy, tightening the knife in his mouth. Judging by the cat's blissful expression, he must have been quite pleased that we were playing martial artists with him.
…Or are we about to witness the ultimate cat martial arts…!!!
I squeezed myself into a narrow gap under the overlapping shelves, panting as I watched the battle before me. The dim light from a hole in the ceiling showed dust motes floating in the air. Time seemed to stop for a moment.
The arachnid attacked with all six legs in coordination. Black and white blurs darted across the metal wreckage.
It paused its front legs, lifted them off the ground, and plunged down with full force, pulverizing the tile into powder. Another leg grabbed a metal sheet and swung it to meet the knife's edge.
The cat furball spun, slicing like paper, using its paws to push the metal sheet away to create distance, darting back and forth like a shadow.
Screech..!! The arachnid shrieked again. I don't know when its right arm, which covered its left eye, fell limp against its body. Many parts of its body had gashes. Black blood seeped out.
The arachnid knelt, its mouth wide open, before… spitting out another human body. Yes, I mean a real human. The pale white body bit down hard on the blade. Then it yanked its right arm and swung it hard into its side.
The cat martial arts master released the knife from its mouth immediately upon impact. True to the posture of a cat martial arts practitioner, it let itself spin backward, then sprang back like a spring. Its paws touched the ground without missing a beat, lunging directly into the enemy's back.
The impact sent it stumbling into the shelves. The knife fell from its mouth. He lunged and caught it, then disappeared, camouflaged in the shadows.
"Your time is up, spider." His voice echoed in the darkness.
"Demon Slayer." Beastly eyes glowed in the darkness. A deep red light streaked through the arachnid's body.
"Meowwwww!!!" A loud sound erupted. The experienced martial artist slipped on a snack wrapper during landing, rolling several times before stopping amidst the metal debris.
"I… intended to." He smiled wryly, his nose covered in dust. I stared at him, blood flowing from his nose, in astonishment.
...So this is it, the ultimate cat martial arts. It's truly amazing, if you don't count the ending.
I glanced at the arachnid's body, which was thrashing headless. Its body slowly disintegrated into red dust, fading into the air, leaving behind only a dark red crystal.
After that, you ask… I don't know. I saw the shadow of the cat furball approaching, holding something glowing in its mouth. The system mumbled softly, inaudible, as if saying, "Some condition...""Unlocked"
Then everything went dark...
***
Next episode preview
"Shelly probably isn't awake yet, so I had to come myself."
The white cat limped closer to the camera until its eyes filled the screen.
"Hey, whoa, it's me. See this?" He waved hello, pointing to his swollen left eye.
"It really beat me up. Luckily, another cat showed up to help." A gentle breeze blew between his legs, and a black and white lump appeared behind him.
"Who did you say slipped? No one slipped." He looked flustered.
"Huh...!! How did you get here?"
The black and white lump blinked. "Chapter 4: Sompong Appears."
The end of episode two wasn't very satisfying, so I'm adding more, right?..."o.o"S
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