Global Awakening: Only I Can Respawn

"Throw it when I give the signal, now go hide," YuWon whispered.

Although Professor Ming wasn't entirely convinced by his plan, she trusted him. YuWon had fought a minotaur alone, so dealing with another such creature didn't seem too farfetched.

Little did she know YuWon no longer had such strength. He could put his stats back, but that would create problems for him later. For now, he would stick with the plan and hope Soo-Ah pulled through before he died.

"Admirable, yet foolish…" Valkith shook his head.

The statues and the corpses around the terrace were proof of his strength. Yet, a spark of curiosity flickered in his golden eyes—what would the new challengers bring to the table?

Valkith unleashed his petrifying gaze at YuWon. But YuWon was quick, ducking behind a statue just in time. Professor Ming took advantage of the situation and ran to safety.

[Checkpoint marked!]

I hope I won't need to use it, but it's good to have some reassurance.

YuWon darted to the other side of the terrace, weaving between the statues. The symbols of the basilisk's strength had ironically become blessings for his enemies.

Valkith seethed with restrained fury. He yearned to crush YuWon, but the terrace's limited space worked against him. For a creature of his size, one reckless move and he would topple over the edge. No matter how strong a monster might be, a fall from this height would not end well for it.

YuWon kept running between the statues. Soon, Valkith lost his composure and with a guttural snarl, the beast charged straight at him.

Then, out of the corner of his eye, Valkith caught a glint of something hurling his way. Instinctively, he twisted to dodge, but YuWon jumped and shoved him directly into the spear's path.

"ARGH!!!"

Valkith roared in agony as the spear hit his eye. Before the beast could recover, YuWon extended his hand and summoned the [Formless Blade]. The spear disappeared, reshaping itself into a gauntlet for YuWon.

YuWon clenched his fist and swung with all his strength. The impact was devastating. Valkith's scales were immune to piercing weapons, but crumpled under the blunt force of the punch.

Simultaneously, shards of shattered scales were driven deep into Valkith's flesh, evoking another roar of pain as the monster staggered back.

"Nice one!" YuWon exclaimed, giving Professor Ming a thumbs up. "Now, run! Tell everyone to evacuate the building."

"What? Why—?"

"For a professor, you ask too many questions. Just do as I say and go!"

"You better not die!"

Professor Ming replied before running away.

"As if dying was ever an option for me."

YuWon chuckled, focusing on Valkith. With one of its eyes destroyed, the creature's petrification radius had shrunk, leaving YuWon with more room to maneuver.

I just need to buy some time for Soo-Ah and Min-Joon.

Valkith whipped his tail at YuWon, who ducked and rolled away. The lizard's rage was a fortunate twist for YuWon. In his rage, Valkith would have trouble keeping himself in check.

"You dare… a human dares!"

"Stop screaming. I can hear you just fine without all that."

Valkith gritted his teeth. YuWon's punch hadn't just hurt physically—it had wounded his ego. The idea of a mere human daring to strike him was humiliating, something that other creatures would surely mock.

Enraged, Valkith thrashed wildly. Each swing was a desperate attempt to land a single blow on YuWon, but no matter how hard he tried, he missed again and again.

With an eye gone, it was difficult for Valkith to see YuWon. The latter had gotten so fearless that he openly checked the community while fighting the boss.

Finally, he received the message he had been waiting for.

[Skeleton Baby: I'm done here. We're heading your way now.]

"Skeleton baby… Soo-Ah and her weird naming sense."

With the preparations complete, YuWon stopped dodging and began hitting Valkith. Valkith had lost his mind to rage, and every blow added more fury to his heart.

Suddenly, Valkith stopped.

"You're up to something," he said.

The basilisk realized that no matter how hard YuWon hit him, the blows wouldn't be enough to kill him. Yet, the human kept relentlessly striking him.

Suddenly, Valkith glanced back and noticed he was teetering on the edge of the terrace. A few more punches and he would have toppled over. A few more punches, and he would topple over. Consumed by his rage, he might not even realize it until it was too late.

"Using such tricks… I'm impressed, human. But it won't be enough!"

Valkith unleashed his poison breath at YuWon. The mist enveloped YuWon and Valkith laughed, confident that his victory was certain.

"You are one of a kind, human, to come this far," Valkith sneered. "But did you think your little tricks would work on me?"

Clap. Clap. Clap.

The unexpected sound broke Valkith's monologue. His laughter turned to a scowl. He looked deeper inside the smoke. There, amidst the dissipating mist, YuWon stood completely unharmed.

"Well done, Valkith," YuWon said, his voice calm but cutting. "To think you'd figure out a plan that I never had in mind. You truly are something else."

"How are you unaffected—?"

"Antidote," YuWon smirked.

In truth, it wasn't the antidote that saved him—it was the Hydra's blood coursing through his veins. Hydra was among the most poisonous creatures ever, so how could a mere basilisk's poison affect someone infused with Hydra's blood?

But YuWon didn't want to explain all that to Valkith, nor to the dozen eyes hovering overhead. Since someone had pushed the basilisk to the edge, it was natural for the gods to be viewing them.

YuWon didn't mind either. After all, he had used no underhanded means in their fight. No matter how much the gods wanted to complain, he was clean to a fault.

"Your tricks won't work on me, human!" Valkith roared. "You cannot kill me!"

"You're right, I can't kill you," YuWon nodded. "From the beginning, I had no intention of killing you. But I will be the reason for your death."

The next moment, the floor underneath Valkith gave away, sending him hurling below.