Loki’s Successor System

"Jin! Are you alright in there?" Jin heard Sylvia's voice for the second time.

He didn't answer her.

He wasn't alright at all, far from it. His left calf was bitten by one of the clones, and his health kept plummeting, given that his clones were receiving constant hits.

As he dashed right, dodging a clone that pounced toward him, he peeked down at his Health.

[HP: 13 / 37]

[Untamed Beast's HP: 13 / 37]

He clenched his teeth and knotted his brows upon seeing that the beast had the same amount of health as him. "How are we even losing this battle!?" he snapped, sliding on his feet after dodging again.

A beast lunged toward him. He dashed right. He felt—he sensed one behind him before he could even steady after dashing. So he quickly rolled forward.

He quickly got up; and as soon as he had done so, he dashed right, dodging an assailant. As soon as he evaded it, another launched toward him with immense speed.

Provided that his dash was still on its three second cool-down, he quickly sidestepped the other assailant, performing an easy evasion.

"That's it," his face softened, and his apprehensive visage died, "I'll do it myself."

Suddenly all of Jin's clones had disappeared and he regained the strength that was divided among them all. The six enigmatic, feral beasts and the main one shifted their attention to Jin, who stood in the middle of them all.

***

"What happened to Jin? Is he still alive?" Sylvia asked, curious. In truth, she already knew the answer so the question was a stupid one.

Ashton glimpsed at her. "Knowing Jin, he's not dead. He's definitely fighting something in there, but what could it be?"

Sylvia did not know what to say. She just looked at Ashton, whose cheeks instantaneously flushed upon noticing.

Sylvia grimaced. "Jin could be fighting for his life out of there. Why are you red?"

"I'm not red!" Ashton snapped; unable to look her in the eyes. His face immediately started becoming even more rubescent from the time he realized that he couldn't look at her.

Sylvia narrowed her eyes at him, and turned to the door again. "Jin!" She shouted, "Open up! What's happening in there? You didn't tell us anything!"

Ashton pushed his glasses higher up his nose bridge. "Syrella—"

"It's Sylvia," amended Sylvia, "C'mon, how could you mistake my name for something that different?"

"I'm not good with girl names. But whatever your name is, you don't have to worry," he looked down at the floor, worry in his eyes, "Jin's not gonna allow himself to get killed in there—I'm telling you. I don't … I don't know him that well anymore, but that's one thing I'm certain about."

Suddenly they started to hear barking again. The barking came from the room. They both quelled themselves and listened closely.

Sylvia grimaced. "Barking?"

Ashton looked puzzled. "I think I heard a barking sound earlier as well, but I thought I was just hearing this. Now that you've heard it too this time, there must be a dog in there.

"I was going to say that it was Benjamin," Ashton finally looked at her, "but Benjamin died over two weeks ago … "

***

Slowly, the creatures, snarling, started to surround him—encircling him—and decreasing the space between them like a pack of wolves ready to attack. He could hear growling and hollering sounding and exploding into his ears.

"So ... are you gonna attack again, or not?" Jin asked, glaring.

As soon as the creatures heard an aggressive, loud bark, they all pounced at Jin. Jin quickly jumps, and then he dashed upward, sending his body higher into the air. His head had almost touched the ceiling.

From above, Jin fixed his eyes on a target that loitered below. A prey.

Now falling, he closed his right hand and his dagger reappeared in it. He quickly raised this hand until the dagger was higher than his head. As he reached the ground, he landed on his target, crushing many of its bones.

The creature whined in agony and instinctively sunk its canines into Jin's left leg.

It pulled its head, tearing Jin's flesh. Jin groaned in his throat. He saw another one of the creatures coming from the corners of his eyes. He quickly tossed his head in its direction, and slashed his blade in a backward motion, splitting the creature's head in half.

He quickly looked down at his initial target; the one he was standing on. It opened its mouth freakishly wide, exposing its monstrous teeth. It was about to bite his leg again.

Jin quickly plunged his dagger into the creature's head when it was only midway through its attempt to bite at his leg again. A gruesome squish sounded as the blade entered the creature's head.

Jin yanked the dagger from the creature's head, blood splattering on the floor. He quickly looked at the system screen that had been hovering in his field of view all along.

[Untamed Beast's HP: 3 / 37]

Suddenly all of the creatures disappeared, except for one. The original beast. The one that had started all of this. It loitered in a corner of the room; its eyes glowing green. Jin glared at it, ferociously.

"Are you ready to--"

Suddenly the creature disappeared and reappeared right in front of him. Before he dashed in order to evade, the creature gripped his abdomen with its teeth and tore his flesh apart.

He groaned, and slashed his blade, only to slash nothing. But then, the creature reappeared in front of him again. Before he could dash, the creature ripped flesh from his abdomen again. He fell to his knees.

[HP: 5 / 37]

He watched as the creature, from a distance, began to approach him, unhurriedly, hinting to him that it's already won. Jin glared at it. Then, as it rushed toward, he quickly hurtled his blade into its head.

The creature paused, and then gradually fell to the ground. Jin heaved, uttering the word, "Arsehole" under his breath. His eyes gradually closed, and then he collapsed right there. Quietude.