Sam fired again, counting the seconds for the rifle to cool as he moved, desperately searching for openings in Zel and Drill’s attack patterns. His breathing grew shallow, chest tight with exhaustion. Every shot drained him, the weight of the battle pressing harder with each passing second. Drill bled from his left hand, where the Krilig’s tail had grazed him during one of its deadly sweeps. The wound wasn’t deep, but the blood loss would slow him down, and they couldn’t afford that.

  “Drill, you okay?” Sam called out between shots, his voice strained.

  “Just a scratch!” Drill barked back, gritting his teeth. “Focus on the damn beast!”

  Zel held her shield high, blocking the beast’s relentless physical assaults. Sam could see her movements becoming sluggish, her form faltering under the Krilig’s sheer strength. The cracks on her shield appeared quicker now, especially after the Krilig shot its poisonous darts from its tail. One nearly hit her before Drill sliced it apart, his blade barely catching it in time.

  “Watch it!” Drill shouted, panting as he narrowly dodged a swing from the Krilig’s tail.

  Sam’s heart raced as he squeezed off another shot, the blast slamming into the Krilig with a force that knocked it back a few feet.

  But his shots were getting weaker, slower, and less effective. He could feel the essence drain creeping through him, his limbs heavy with fatigue. He glanced at the system message that flickered into view and swore under his breath.

  [Quest notice!]

  ---Quest condition has taken effect!

  This was the fourth message like this, meaning the poison’s effect had doubled four times. One more hit, and it wouldn’t just wound them—it would be an instant kill. The realization sent a cold chill down his spine. Even though he had only just joined this team and remained an outsider, he feared their loss not too mention his own death. In a panic, he sought to assess the team.

  “Zel, how are you holding up?” Sam shouted, his voice barely cutting through the chaos.

  “Not great!” Zel replied, her voice ragged, each word strained as she blocked another blow. “Shit. If we don’t this soon, then we are done for.”

  Sam scanned the battlefield, eyes darting for anything they could use to gain the upper hand. The Krilig’s unearthly cry echoed through the night, its piercing screech threatening to shatter their resolve.

  Zel’s enchanted sword blurred as she fought, its movements no longer as precise and fluid. Instead, her strides were erratic, her attacks wild, driven more by desperation than strategy. Drill mirrored her, mixing in his assaults with hers, his body a whirlwind of motion despite his injury. He swung like a madman, his one good arm compensating for the other as it hung limp at his side.

  “I’ll keep it distracted!” Drill shouted, gritting his teeth as he swung his blade in wide arcs. “Zel, go for the legs!”

  Zel nodded sharply, adjusting her stance as she aimed for the Krilig’s lower limbs. Sam fired another round, this time in sync with Callen’s shot. Their combined blasts collided with the Krilig, sending it stumbling, but the beast shook it off as though they were mere insect bites. The shots served only as a distraction, buying Zel and Drill a few precious seconds to regroup and press their attack.

  Drill vaulted over the beast’s tail with surprising agility for someone so injured. The Krilig’s tail, tipped with poison-filled projectiles, rose, ready to strike Drill in midair. At the same moment, the Krilig snapped its gaping maw at Zel, keeping her too busy to intervene.

  A decision formed in Sam’s mind—quick and reckless. He changed his aim, targeting the Krilig’s tail. If he missed, Drill would be dead, but hesitation was a luxury they couldn’t afford. Sam funneled more essence into his rifle, overloading the mechanism. The weapon groaned under the strain, the rune stone embedded in it flaring with a dangerous light. The air around him shimmered from the heat of the overcharged blast.

  “Sam, what are you—” Zel’s voice cut off as she instinctively crouched low, sensing the surge of power behind her.

  The blast hit the Krilig square in the face, causing the creature to rear back in a moment of confusion. Sam’s heart skipped a beat—had he missed?

  Drill landed on the other side of the Krilig, slashing at its exposed underbelly before retreating to safety. Relief washed over Sam, but it was short-lived. Zel shot him a glare, her eyes flashing with both frustration and gratitude.

  “Watch where you’re firing!” she yelled, diving back into the fray, her sword raised high as she resumed the deadly dance with the beast.

  Callen’s rifle fired rapidly beside Sam, the blasts louder and more powerful than his own. The advanced weaponry outclassed Sam’s makeshift rifle in every way. Sam watched Callen fire shot after shot, trying to tear through the Krilig’s thick scales. But the beast’s regeneration was fast, its wounds healing almost as quickly as they were made.

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  “Lam!” Sam shouted, hoping for some extra firepower from the drones. But Lam, the mustached man, was busy replacing the rune stone in his drone. One of them had burned out minutes earlier, its circuits fried from the intensity of the battle.

  Desperation gnawed at Sam. He rushed to Lam’s side, tapping his shoulder urgently. “Do you have an extra rune stone I can borrow?”

  Lam glanced at him like he’d lost his mind. “You want to retrofit your damn weapon while that thing’s still out there?” He jabbed a finger toward the Krilig, which had just forced Zel and Drill back. Zel staggered, her shield barely holding up against the creature’s claws. Callen caught her before she fell, rough but effective in getting her back on her feet. Zel immediately charged again, sword poised to strike.

  Sam’s mind raced. They were losing ground fast, but an idea sparked. Something crazy. “Or I could fix your drone,” Sam suggested, kneeling in front of the wrecked machine. “You’ve got all the materials I need. I just need to rearrange them.”

  Lam looked alarmed, his eyes widening as Sam ignored his protests. “You can’t just—”

  “I don’t have a choice!” Sam snapped, his fingers already moving across the drone’s components. His mind worked furiously, recalling the basics of crafting he’d learned. He didn’t have to understand every piece of tech in front of him. His skill would have to make up for the gaps in his knowledge. It was risky, and he knew it could easily backfire—literally.

  “Outworlder, get out of the way!” Lam shouted, finally shoving Sam aside as the Krilig’s tail crashed down where he’d just been kneeling. The impact sent debris flying, and Sam tumbled backward. His heart hammered in his chest. Lam activated the second drone with a surge of essence and joined the battle without a second glance.

  Sam wasted no time. His hands trembled slightly as he resumed his work on the broken drone. Every second counted now. From the corner of his eye, he saw Callen toss aside his rifle, drawing his blade to join Zel and Drill in their frantic, up-close combat.

  “Sam, whatever you are doing, hurry it up!” Drill yelled, his voice strained as he parried a vicious swipe from the Krilig’s claws. “We’re not gonna last much longer!”

  For a moment, doubt clouded Sam’s mind. He wasn’t sure where to start—he barely understood the drone’s mechanics. But there was no time to second-guess. He gritted his teeth, accepting the reality that he might just blow himself up along with the Krilig.

  [Proto-crafting]

  ---Crafting sequence: initiated

  ---Proposed construct blueprint: %60

  Sam pushed forward with the process, trusting the system to guide him. The drone’s component integrity was already compromised, but there was no other option. He would make do. To his left, Callen was thrown against a jagged rock, groaning as he struggled to stand. The man’s good arm hung at an odd angle, and his squad blade had been knocked out of reach.

  Sam spared a quick glance at the battlefield. The Krilig bled from several wounds, but its regenerative abilities worked overtime to close them. Zel, Drill, and Lam’s drone attacked in coordinated bursts, but their efforts seemed pointless. The beast’s hide was too thick, its ability to heal too fast.

  “What are you…?” Callen groaned, trying to speak, but Sam ignored him. The drone began to shatter under his control, piece by piece lifting into the air, suspended by invisible strings of essence. Sam’s reserves were low—dangerously low. He wasn’t sure how much longer he could sustain the process. Rosaria had been planning to teach him proper essence management, but that lesson had to wait.

  ---Construct reformation: begin…

  ---Component integrity: Inferior

  [Commence repair?]

  Sam rejected the system’s prompt. There was no time for repairs. The new construct would have limited use, but it only needed to last long enough to give them a chance. That was all that mattered.

  Zel’s sharp scream burrowed through Sam’s concentration and he almost lost control of the process. He turned sharply to see Lam pulling her from the edge while Drill held the Krilig back. Zel leaped in immediately Lam pulled her up. Sam felt the working of a spell even before she roared. The ambient essence shook, destabilizing his own process, but he held through. Zel’s roar was ragged and raw, filled with desperation. It shoved the Krilig back enough for Drill to gain an advantage. Lam’s drone supported him, but they were all drained.

  ---Integrating rune stone…

  The rune stone slipped into the newly formed chamber, sealing into place as the final components of the canon clicked together. Sam’s heart raced. He prayed silently that his gamble would pay off. If it didn’t, they were all dead.

  The system message flashed before his eyes as the final piece locked into place.

  ---Crafting status: complete

  [Crude Canon]

  ---Construct’s integrity: %53

  ---Construct’s essence consumption: High

  Sam cursed. His essence reserves were too low. The canon felt impossibly heavy in his hands, the weight of its power pressing down on him. The rune stone hummed with energy, primed and ready for activation. All it needed was essence to fuel the blast.

  But Sam couldn’t provide it.

  Desperation clawed at him as he scanned the battlefield. Who could he trust to fire the canon? The others were too engaged in combat. And none of them had experience with such a hastily cobbled-together weapon. Then he spotted Callen, slumped against the rocks, his right arm shattered but his metal arm still functional.

  Sam crawled to him, wincing with every movement. “I need you to help me, Callen!” he shouted, his voice barely cutting through the cacophony of battle.

  “Go away,” Callen muttered, his voice weak and slurred. Sam slapped him hard across the face, forcing his eyes to focus.

  “This can kill that thing, but I need essence!” Sam thrust the canon into Callen’s good hand, hoping the man had enough strength left to help.

  Callen hesitated, grimacing in pain. Blood oozed from a gash on his face, though the wound seemed superficial compared to his broken arm. “You’ll have to move my hand,” Callen rasped.

  Without hesitation, Sam guided Callen’s metal arm to the canon’s inlet. Callen groaned, wincing as he poured his essence directly into the rune stone. Sam could feel the weapon responding, coming to life as lights flickered along its surface, the canon charging with power.

  There was no trigger. Sam had built it too crudely for that. But he knew how to set it off. Once the canon was fully charged, Sam yanked Callen’s hand away and stood, lifting the heavy weapon as he staggered toward the Krilig.

  There was no time for a warning. He could only hope the others would sense the incoming blast and dodge in time. Sam edged closer to the battle, risking the Krilig’s deadly tail swipe. His breath came in shallow bursts as he lined up his shot, every muscle in his body screaming for rest.

  His vision blurred, but he steeled himself. This was it. He had done it.

  Sam ignited the canon, launching the blast with so much force that it hurled him backward. His body slammed into the rocky ground, and the world went dark as unconsciousness claimed him.