Chương 67: Ankle Biter

Recap: The Void Lord entered Phase 2 (Physical). Torin is down. The Boss is stomping on you. You voted to BITE THE FOOT (COUNTER). It was coming down like a meteor. A fist-sized heel made of solidified vacuum and dark flesh. Torin was out. Kara was charging. I was the only thing between the stomp and being flattened into veneer. Open, I thought. I didn't retreat. I didn't brace. I opened my lid. Wide. My false bottom dropped. My teeth—serrated iron-hard wood—waited in the dark.

SYSTEM NOTIFICATION Skill Used: Bite Cost: 2 Stamina Current SP: 10/32 Target: Void Lord (Phase 2 - Physical) Defense: Moderate (Void Flesh) CRUNCH. The foot landed… inside me. It wasn't like biting bone. It was like biting into a storm cloud that had decided to become meat. Cold. Electric. Tough. But my Strength 7 stat held. My hinges locked. I clamped down.

SYSTEM NOTIFICATION Damage Dealt: 15 HP (Bite + Core Resonance) Target HP: 175/500 HP Regeneration: +5 (Meal Consumed) Current HP: 27/27 (Full) Status Effect: Void Taste Effect: Mana Regen +1 for 1 Minute (Acquired Taste) Oh, I thought. Spicy. The Void Lord shrieked. It wasn't a vacuum sound this time. It was a biological scream. It tried to pull its foot back. I held on. I shook my base like a terrier with a rat. This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

"RELEASE… ME… BOX…" It kicked. Hard. SYSTEM NOTIFICATION Damage Taken: 3 HP (Kick Back) Defense Applied: -16 DR Net Damage: 0 HP Current HP: 27/27 My Defense held. The kick broke my grip. I was launched backward, skidding across the sphere floor. But I was full health. And I had bought time.

"Kara! Now!" I creaked. Literally creaked. The hinges screamed the command. Kara didn't hesitate. She had been charging while the Boss was distracted by my mouth. She slammed her staff down.

"Light… Pierce… Darkness!" A beam of pure white light fired. It hit the Boss in the chest—right where I had Slammed earlier. The wound was still weak. SYSTEM NOTIFICATION Ally Damage: 50 HP (Light vs. Void) Target HP: 125/500 The Boss staggered. It looked at Kara. It raised a hand to delete her. Slam Cooldown, I thought. Check. SYSTEM NOTIFICATION Skill Status: Slam Attack Cooldown: EXPIRED I was ready. I had 10 SP. Enough for one more Slam (10 SP cost with Gravity). I had 2 MP. Useless. I had Full HP.

I had the Hammer in storage. The Boss was focused on Kara. Its back was to me. This was the kill shot. Or at least, the break shot. If I Slammed now, I might break its guard. If I used the Hammer, I might finish it. If I bit again… I might heal more, but waste time. Torin was still down. Renn was firing arrows that bounced off. It was up to me and Kara. I engaged my base. The gravity was still heavy. I was still a cannonball.

Current Stats (Level 7 - Ironband Mimic): HP: 27/27 (Full) Mana: 3/22 (Regen +1 from Void Taste) Stamina: 10/32 (Low) Inventory: 2 Pebbles, Metal Items (Fused). Mage Staff (Loot). Guardian Hammer (Stored). Status: Gravity Crush (Active), Slam Ready, Boss Distracted. What do you do? A) SLAM THE BACK (CRITICAL) Launch yourself at the Boss's back while it focuses on Kara. Critical hit chance high. (Cost: 10 SP. Gain: Massive Damage. Risk: SP Depleted, Vulnerable to Counter.) B) DEPLOY HAMMER (FINISHER) Release the Guardian Hammer. Aim for the head. High burst damage. (Cost: 0 MP. Gain: Damage. Risk: Boss might deflect.) C) BITE AGAIN (SUSTAIN) Latch onto the leg again. Keep it rooted. Let Kara spam spells. (Cost: 2 SP. Gain: Crowd Control, HP Regen. Risk: Low Damage, SP Drain.) D) SHELD KARA (DEFEND) Slide between Kara and the Boss. Tank the next hit. Let her cast uninterrupted. (Cost: 0 SP. Gain: Party Safety. Risk: You take Damage.) VOTING CLOSES IN 24 HOURS.

Reply with A, B, C, or D. Most votes wins. [Author Note] Thanks for voting on Chapter 66! Option B (Bite) was gross but effective! You healed to Full HP, dealt damage, and distracted the Boss so Kara could land a big hit! Slam Cooldown is Ready!