Derek didn't have time for hesitation.

The hulking C-ranks were already scuttling toward him—too big, too smart, and way too shiny. Their exoskeletons glinted like chrome armour, mandibles already dripping with acid that hissed and spat as it hit the pavement. He couldn't brute-force this. They weren't the type of enemies that gave you room to recover or space to think.

He'd have to evolve mid-fight—or die trying.

[Adaptive Combat activated.]

The system's chime was faint but final, the kind of sound that didn't promise a future.

He activated Flash Steps, and his form flickered to the side just as a glob of acid shot through where his face had been. It smashed into the wall, melting concrete, hissing as steam rose from the impact. Derek pushed off his landing foot and slashed back in with Storm Fangs, angling his strike toward what he guessed was a vulnerable joint.

Metal rang out as his blade skidded across the bug's shoulder—no blood, no cut, just a scattering of sparks and recoil that threw him off balance. The surface was harder than steel, maybe layered, and definitely reinforced for idiots like him who tried to fight head-on.

The second insect came in from his flank, legs stabbing forward with terrifying reach. Derek barely recovered in time to twist underneath its blow, clipping a leg with the edge of his sword. It was a weak hit, but his body adjusted, just slightly. The angle of his foot placement, the torque in his hips. The change was subtle, like his limbs remembered something he didn't.

Adaptive Combat was doing its work, but not fast enough to matter yet.

Both creatures were pressing in now, herding him with methodical cruelty. Every retreat gave them control. He darted sideways again, but the first bug circled, cutting him off. He didn't see the acid shot until it was too late.

The spit caught his shoulder and splashed across his back.

He didn't scream, but the sound tore its way up his throat anyway. Skin blistered instantly. Heat, pressure, then numbness followed as he stumbled forward, barely dodging a piercing leg meant to skewer his chest.

His left arm was finished—useless, twitching deadweight.

He dropped into a crouch and let Mana Echo fire off his last step. The pulse snapped outward behind him, caught the second bug mid-lunge, and threw off its coordination just enough to stagger its landing. It skidded, shrieked, and twisted too late to block Derek's next move.

He flicked Flash Steps again, closing the gap in an instant, this time using the wall behind him as a springboard. He launched over the creature, reversed in mid-air, and brought his blade down behind its eye, aiming for the thinner exo-plates.

The sword sank deeper than before, but still not deep enough to kill. The bug screamed in agony and smashed into him, sending him flying across the cracked pavement. He hit hard, landed on a knee that didn't want to support him, and heard something in his leg give way.

The second one was already back up.

Its mandibles clipped his ribs, tearing fabric and skin alike. The blow was glancing but deep, and Derek knew he was running out of options.

The pain surged like fire, and with it came the final trigger.

Blood Burst was activated.

No system voice this time—just sensation. A rush of heat through his veins, muscles ballooning with unstable force, nerves lighting up like a live wire had been shoved into his spine. His limbs moved again, violently, unpredictably—but they moved.

He caught the attacking mandible and shoved it wide, ignoring the tremble in his fingers and the blood seeping from his side. It pushed back, stronger, but he didn't give it the chance to adjust. He twisted, hooked its neck with his arm, and used his body weight to hurl it sideways into its companion.

The impact crashed both insects into the wall behind them, shaking loose rubble and dust that choked the air.

Derek raised his arm, channelling the last of his strength.

The Tempest Fury: Convergence wasn't a clean cast. It never was. Lightning split the ceiling with a scream, then carved down into the two tangled beasts like judgment from the sky. The detonation ruptured the room, deafened him completely, and blinded him more than he already was.

Stone and metal rained down.

One of the creatures was thrown upward by the force, slammed into the ceiling with enough force to crater it, and dropped back down in a heap of twitching limbs and molten shell.

The second was worse off—still alive, but dragging its body as if its spine had been half-cooked.

He kicked off with another burst of Flash Steps, forcing his body to move faster than it should, ignoring the pain that screamed with every breath.

He blinked behind the bug, caught it trying to turn, and stabbed upward into its throat—deep enough to feel the last resistance give way as it collapsed forward and stopped moving.

Derek stood there for a moment, chest heaving, vision dark at the edges.

He dropped to a knee. Not on purpose.

His body was shaking, more instinct than stability keeping him from tipping over completely.

Both bugs were down.

His ears rang. His side burned. Blood trickled down into his boot and soaked through the sole. He couldn't tell if his shoulder was still attached or just along for the ride.

But he wasn't dead.

Not yet, anyways.

"No f**king way," Derek muttered as he pushed himself up, spotting the swarm of Insect Monsters approaching from the depths of the subway tunnel.

The creatures were everywhere now, crawling over the wreckage, their bodies glinting in the dim emergency lights. The ones he'd just killed were nothing more than an appetiser. The real threat was the massive wave of hulking C-ranks that poured in behind them, their exoskeletons clanging against the tunnel walls with every step. Their mandibles hissed with corrosive venom, and the smell of decay filled the air, thick and suffocating.

Derek's breath came in shallow bursts, his mind racing. His body was screaming at him to stop, to rest, but there was no time. No room to hesitate. If he gave these things a single inch, they'd tear him apart.

He looked around. The tunnel was a wreck—broken pipes, overturned concrete, the flickering remains of fluorescent lights casting shadows on the walls. Nothing useful. Just the remnants of a failed evacuation and the ever-present threat of monsters swarming from the darkness.

His fingers flexed around the hilt of his sword, but even the Storm Fang felt heavy in his grasp. His arms were shot, his side felt like it was about to give out, and his left arm hung useless at his side. Every inch of him was screaming in pain, but he couldn't stop now. He brought out a healing potion and gulped it down, but he knew they were useless on his level of injury, and the time was too short for them to have any effect.

He opened the system shop, looking for something he could buy, but today's refreshed items lacked something that could help him out. Suddenly, he had an idea.a

"System," he rasped, spitting blood onto the cracked pavement, "open the Lottery Draw."

[Confirmed. You have 23 unused Lottery Draws.]

There was no time for hesitation. He couldn't waste a single moment.

"Use all of them," Derek ordered, voice strained but desperate. "Now."

The system's response came in a steady, mechanical tone:

[First draw: Bottle of Mystery Cola (Unopened, suspicious fizz).]

[Second draw: Pack of High-Protein Crackers (stale).]

[Third draw: Small plush duck. Name: 'Steve'.]

[Fourth draw: Scented candle. (Lavender. No combat value.)]

"Are you serious?" Derek growled under his breath, eyes darting between the incoming swarm. The creatures were closer now, their jaws snapping as they moved toward him with calculated precision.

The system continued its automated chime, almost mocking him.

[Seventh draw: Tactical Poncho (fashionable, flammable).]

[Twelfth draw: Hydration Pouch (expired).]

[Nineteenth draw: Foldable camping chair.]

[Twenty-second draw: Lucky rock (Questionable luck).]

Derek's stomach twisted with frustration. These weren't the items that would save him. He needed something—anything—that could give him the edge. But with each lottery pull, his hopes sank further. The swarm was so close now that he could hear the clicking of their legs against the tunnel floor.

Then, with a final chime, the system spoke again.

[You have drawn the lottery for the 23rd time.]

The words hung in the air, and for a moment, Derek's breath caught. He could feel the weight of the moment, the sting of desperation, the sheer chaos building up around him. His heart was pounding.

And then the system spoke, almost as if it were teasing him:

[You received a—]

Derek's eyes widened, his pulse racing. Whatever it was, this was it. This was the one thing that could change everything.

But the readers? They didn't know what he'd gotten. Not yet.

Only that something had shifted, something had changed.

The monsters were closing in, but Derek stood there, chest heaving, his fingers tight around the sword, waiting for whatever it was he'd just drawn.

And the tunnel? The tunnel seemed to hold its breath.

The swarm, though? They weren't stopping.

Not yet.

Author's note; I am kinda sleepy now...already midnight here

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