Gacha Harem System-Chapter 36: Toying With Food

Melody ran.

She moved fast, cutting between the trees, and using the trunks to break the lion’s sightline. For two seconds it almost looked like it was working.

Then the lion leapt through the air.

It came down on her back, both forepaws driving her into the ground, the impact forcing the air out of her in a single hard sound.

It held her there for a moment, then stepped off, as if it had simply wanted to make a point.

Lukas was already moving. He crossed the clearing at full speed, sword raised, closing the distance with everything his legs had.

The lion didn’t even turn to face him. Its hind leg shot backwards and caught him full in the chest, the blow launching him across the clearing.

He hit a tree with his back and slid down it, the bark scraping through his torn shirt, spots appearing at the edges of his vision.

He sat there for a moment, breathing.

Melody had scrambled to her feet and was moving again, putting distance between herself and the lion.

The lion watched her go with a huff. That was when they realized that it was toying with them.

Then it leapt again, landing directly on top of her and driving her back into the ground.

She grunted in pain, then turned around to see the lion standing over her.

The lion lowered its head towards Melody’s face.

She laid there, completely frozen beneath it, knowing that just a single threatening moment would be enough to end her life.

A part of her kept praying to all the gods in existence for the lion to simply toy with them, then abandon them. Maybe decide they weren’t worth its time. But deep down, she knew that was practically impossible.

The lion’s nose dropped close to her face, its nostrils flaring, warm breath washing over her in slow pulls. It sniffed her as if was deciding what to eat, instead of hunting for it.

Then it raised its head to the sky and roared.

Lukas was already moving, trying to make use of this moment of distraction.

He came in at a full sprint, lowering his shoulder, and putting every stat point his body carried behind the impact. He hit the lion in the flank with everything he had.

But the lion was already expecting it. It planted its feet into the ground, stabilizing itself.

To Lukas, the impact was like running into a wall. There was a loud crack, and his shoulder blade snapped. He stumbled back, a scream of pain slipping past his gritted teeth.

The lion huffed, then it swiped its paw, catching him across the chest, and the world tilted sideways as he left the ground.

He hit the earth, rolled, and came back up immediately.

The lion looked at him.

It had stepped away from Melody. She lay on the ground behind it, but the lion’s full attention had shifted.

It faced Lukas directly now, and something in its eyes had changed into something closer to interest.

It opened its mouth and roared.

The sound hit him like a physical force, a wall of compressed air erupting from its mouth and sending him staggering back, the pressure washing over his face and chest.

He dropped one foot back to brace himself and leaned into it, teeth clenched, and walked forward.

One step quickly turned into two. Then three.

The roar didn’t stop, and he kept walking into it, each step taking him closer to the beast.

He had no idea what he was going to do or how he was going to kill the beast, but his boots kept finding purchase in the ground, his eyes fixed on the open mouth in front of him.

He took the fourth step. Then the fifth.

And now, he was close enough.

He pulled his arm back and roared back, then drove his sword forward into the lion’s open mouth.

The blade sank into soft tissue, and the roar cut off. 𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂

The silence that followed lasted less than a second, but it was filled with shock.

Lukas stared at his sword, which was buried in the lion’s mouth, his arm still extended, and the lion with its amber eyes wide in an expression that conveyed shock, and a hint of fear.

The lion stumbled backwards, shaking its head, trying to dislodge the blade. Lukas held the hilt for as long as he could before the movement tore it from his grip.

Melody was already moving. She came out from beneath the lion’s shadow at a low run, clearing the space behind it.

Lukas went the other direction, coming around the front, and as the lion’s head swung near him as it was shaking its head, he grabbed the hilt with both hands and threw his entire body weight forward.

The sword sank in deeper.

The lion’s paw came around and hit him on the shoulder.

The blow was not a full strike as the angle was wrong and the lion was in pain to put its full strength behind it, but it still caught him hard enough to send him airborne.

Melody caught him.

They stood together, watching the lion.

It was still on its feet, but the movement had changed. Each step became slower as the seconds ticked by.

Blood ran down from its jaw like a small stream, dripping from the fur and falling onto the forest floor.

Its eyes were still open and tracking them, but the quality of light in them had shifted.

After a few seconds, it finally collapsed, its eyes fluttering to a close.

"Is it dead?" Melody asked quietly.

"No it isn’t," Lukas said. "We haven’t seen a notification yet."

So they watched it. It lay on its side, its flank rising and falling.

Then the lion’s head came up one final time, and it produced a sound. It was a roar, technically, but diminished, like a ghost of what it had been doing minutes ago.

They stood where they were, watching the golden beast as the minutes passed. Then finally...

Ding!

[You have killed an A-rank Nemean Lion.]

They sat down on the ground at the same time, as if the notification had cut the strings holding them upright.

The pain of every injury hit Lukas simultaneously and he groaned, pressing a hand to his ribs.

"We need to go back," Melody said immediately. "To Havenhart. Now."

"No." His voice was strained but clear. "We keep going."

"Lukas—"

"I can’t stop here." He looked at her. "Not after that."

He exhaled slowly. "Get the hide. We’re selling it. Nemean Lion hide is worth a fortune. Then we continue."

She stared at him for a long moment.

Then she stood and retrieved her broken sword from the dirt with a sigh. "Just know you owe me much more than a steak dinner."