Isaac's resolve hardened with each passing second. He glanced around the garden, the once peaceful scenery now a stark contrast to the turmoil within him. The flowers, swaying gently in the breeze, seemed to mock his previous failures.

  He took a deep breath, feeling the heat of his anger surge through his veins. Isaac clenched his fists, fury etched on his face. He would not let the Swarm Lord defeat him again.

  With purposeful strides, he made his way back to the battlefield where he had fallen. The path was familiar, every step a reminder of the fight that had ended in his demise. As he approached the clearing, the ground still bore the marks of their previous battle: scorched earth, broken branches, and the faint, lingering scent of burnt foliage.

  Isaac paused at the edge of the clearing, his eyes narrowing as he scanned for any sign of the Swarm Lord. The air was thick with tension, and he could almost hear the faint buzzing of the creature’s wings in the distance. His heart pounded in his chest, adrenaline coursing through him.

  Suddenly, a shadow passed overhead. Isaac looked up to see the Swarm Lord descending, its massive, armored body glistening in the sunlight. The creature landed with a heavy thud, its multifaceted eyes locking onto Isaac.

  Isaac flinched, but he stood his ground.

  "This ends now," he muttered to himself.

  The Swarm Lord let out a guttural hiss, its wings flaring as it prepared to attack. Isaac tightened his grip, his muscles coiled and ready. The garden seemed to hold its breath, the calm before the storm.

  With a roar, Isaac charged, his claws hands slicing through the air. The Swarm Lord met him head-on, its mandibles snapping. The clash of nails and chitin rang out, echoing through the garden. Isaac moved with precision, his movements fueled by a combination of rage and determination.

  Each strike he landed chipped away at the Swarm Lord's defenses. Isaac's body moved on instinct, his training and experience guiding his actions. He could feel the tide turning in his favor, his confidence growing with every successful blow.

  But the Swarm Lord was relentless, its attacks becoming more frenzied as it sensed its impending defeat. Isaac gritted his teeth, pushing himself to his limits. He dodged a particularly vicious strike, countering with a powerful swing that left the creature reeling.

  In that moment, Isaac saw his opportunity. With a final, mighty effort, he drove his hand deep into the Swarm Lord's thorax. The creature let out a deafening screech, its body convulsing as Isaac channeled his mana into a powerful spell.

  Six bursts of fire missiles erupted from his embedded hand, each one igniting within the Swarm Lord's body. The creature's screech intensified, its movements becoming frantic and erratic. The fire missiles burst through its exoskeleton, sending fragments of chitin flying and filling the air with the acrid smell of burning flesh.

  Isaac gritted his teeth, maintaining his hold as the Swarm Lord writhed in agony. The heat from the flames radiated outward, searing the surrounding vegetation. The creature's wings flapped wildly, but it couldn't dislodge Isaac's hand or stop the relentless barrage of fiery explosions within its body.

  The Swarm Lord, in a final desperate attempt, lunged forward to bite off Isaac's head. But this time, Isaac was ready. He sidestepped the attack with a swift, practiced motion, his eyes locked onto the creature's maw.

  Using his free hand, he grabbed ahold of the Swarm Lord's head, forcing its jaws open as it continued its futile attempt to snap at him.

  Isaac could feel the strain of his mana reserves depleting, but he pressed on, driven by sheer willpower. With a guttural roar, he yanked his embedded hand free from the Swarm Lord's thorax, the force of his pull sending the creature staggering back.

  "You really thought that would work again!" Isaac growled, summoning the last of his energy.

  He thrust his hand forward once more, unleashing a concentrated blast of fire directly into the Swarm Lord's gaping maw. The flames erupted inside the creature, causing it to convulse violently.

  Despite the intense pain, the Swarm Lord didn't die. Instead, it tried to retreat, using its wings to take off into the sky.

  But Isaac was ready. As the creature began to lift off, he grabbed its legs, holding it in place. The Swarm Lord struggled, its wings buzzing furiously, but Isaac's grip was unyielding. With a fierce determination in his eyes, he pulled the creature towards him.

  "If you wanna fly, then fly!" Isaac yelled, channeling every last bit of his mana. He released a massive explosion of flames from his hands, the inferno engulfing the Swarm Lord entirely. The force of the blast launched the creature into the sky like a blazing comet.

  Isaac watched as the Swarm Lord ascended, the flames consuming its body. The creature screeched in agony, its silhouette growing smaller against the backdrop of the darkening sky. Then, with a final, deafening explosion, the Swarm Lord erupted like a dirty firework, fragments of its charred exoskeleton scattering in all directions.

  Isaac stood still, his body trembling with exhaustion, his breath coming in ragged gasps. The sky filled with the remnants of the Swarm Lord, a fitting end to the creature that had tormented him.

  Filled with overflowing emotion, He threw his head back and screamed out his victory, an animalistic roar that echoed through the desolate garden.

  The force of his yell was so intense, his vision began to tunnel before he finished. Spots danced before his eyes as the adrenaline ebbed away, leaving him lightheaded and spent. He staggered slightly, the world around him blurring at the edges.

  "It's... over," he murmured, barely audible as he sank to his knees, feeling the weight of exhaustion pressing down on him. The remnants of the battlefield, the charred garden, and the fragments of the Swarm Lord faded into the background as darkness crept into his vision.

  The author's tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

  Isaac collapsed onto the scorched earth, his body finally giving in to the overwhelming fatigue of his battles and rebirths. As he lay there, consciousness slipping away, a familiar sight appeared before his eyes, the familiar interface of his system.

  **********

  [System Alert: Reward Notification]

  [Congratulations, Isaac Hue]

  [Lesser-Field Boss Slain]

  [ + 6000 Exp ]

  [ + Swarm Lord's Exoskeleton (Uncommon) ]

  [ + Rune of the Gathering Swarm (Rare) ]

  [ + Swarm Lord’s Claws (Uncommon) ]

  **********

  Isaac felt a surge of energy as the system acknowledged his accomplishments. His mind focused on the interface, allowing him to fight off the fatigue dragging him down and sit up moments before the next notification appeared.

  **********

  [System Alert: Ability Notification]

  [You have killed the Skitter Fly Swarm Lord.]

  [Penalty Removed: 100% Exp & +6 Skill Point retrieved from the Swarm lord. ]

  **********

  The words flashed before Isaac's eyes, each one bringing a wave of relief and satisfaction. The penalty removal meant that he had reclaimed all the experience points and skill points that were initially penalized during his previous encounters.

  ***********

  [Level Up Acquired]

  [Level]: 7

  [Exp]: 400/4000

  [Sp]: 9

  [Gold]: 0

  **********

  Isaac's heart raced with excitement as he absorbed the notifications flashing before his eyes. Not only had he leveled up once, but twice! This accomplishment meant he had surpassed his previous highest level by two, a small but significant milestone in his journey.

  Despite the trials and battles he had faced, this moment made everything feel even more real, more tangible. He took a moment to let it sink in, a broad smile spreading across his face.

  "I did it," Isaac whispered to himself, almost in disbelief. His voice echoed in the clearing, mingling with the sounds of the rejuvenating garden around him.

  As Isaac pondered his unused skill points and stat points, considering how best to allocate them to further strengthen himself, his stomach suddenly growled loudly. The hunger, postponed during the intensity of battle, now demanded attention.

  He glanced around the battlefield, where remnants of the Swarm Lord's flesh lay scattered. It would have to do for now.

  Without any hesitation, Isaac approached a particularly large piece of the Swarm Lord's hide. He sat beside it and began to eat portions of the flesh.

  As he ate, Isaac could feel his energy and vitality returning to him. The texture was strange and the taste slightly metallic and burnt, but he knew it would do the job.

  Though, Isaac couldn't help but wonder what flavors he could add to his meal.

  Would herbs and spices from this world complement the strange taste, or should he stick to simpler seasonings? How would monster flesh cook compared to the normal meats he was used to?

  Finishing the first bits of his impromptu meal, Isaac's eyes fell upon a particularly juicy leg of the dead creature. With his hunger gnawing at him, he approached it eagerly, treating it like a prized crab leg.

  He grasped the leg firmly, feeling the resilience of the Swarm Lord's chitinous hide under his fingers. Using his razor sharp claws, he split open the shell-like exterior, revealing the succulent flesh within.

  As Isaac continued eating, his ears perked up at the sound of rustling from a small bundle of brightly colored flowers just a few steps away. Instinctively cautious, he readied himself, though he didn't dare drop his food.

  Pushing back the branches of a nearby berry bush, a creature emerged from the depths of the wild brush.

  Covered in razor-sharp quills, the spiked creature stood on two nimble legs, holding an unripened, tiny light purple berry in its clawed paw. It sported a leaf backpack twice its size, the straps hanging uselessly to its sides, seemingly lodged on its quills.

  As it strode out of the brush line, the tiny creature appeared distracted, bumping carelessly into Isaac's shoe.

  "Ouch-" the creature exclaimed, rubbing its tiny paw where it had bumped into Isaac's shoe.

  “Is that a hedgehog? Why is it standing like that? And did it just say Ouch?” Isaac wondered aloud, his voice filled with surprise and curiosity.

  Stunned by what he saw, Isaac's thoughts raced. He stood motionless, contemplating whether he should flee. Despite its outward resemblance to a normal white-bellied hedgehog, there was something distinctly unusual about this creature.

  Dramatically dropping its berry, the hedgehog slowly raised its head, scanning Isaac's body. Their eyes met for a brief moment before it opened its tiny mouth and began screaming at the top of its lungs.

  "Aaaaahhhhhhh!"

  "Whoa!" he exclaimed.

  The sudden shriek startled Isaac.

  Quickly turning around, the hedgehog raced back into the flowers, but its haste led it to trip over the cords hanging from its backpack.

  Stunned, Isaac just stared at the strange beast, trying to make sense of what had just happened.

  “What the hell was that... and is this thing scared of me?” Isaac muttered, watching the hedgehog's dramatic display.

  Barely able to hear himself think over the creature's continued screams, Isaac hesitantly leaned over and picked up the screaming hedgehog with its backpack. Holding it up, he turned the screaming end towards him.

  The strange hedgehog continued its dramatic display even after its breath ran out.

  "Are you done?" Isaac asked, trying to make sense of the situation.

  Taking a moment to regather its breath, the creature resumed screaming, "Aahhh! Don’t eat me!"

  Isaac's mind raced with questions and concerns, but the creature's unexpected speech began to offer some explanations, considering where he found himself.

  Pulling away from his thoughts, Isaac smiled at the hedgehog, still amused but also cautious. "I'm not going to eat you."

  "Oh, okay then. Uh, could you let me down?" Switching gears in an instant, the creature's fear completely disappeared.

  The sudden change froze Isaac. He stared blankly at the creature, worrying whether or not he should continue conversing with it.

  He didn't feel it posed any threat, which worried him. But, regardless, he complied, "...Yeah."

  Setting the creature down, he watched in confusion as it took time to dust itself off before looking back up at him, as it stuck out its plump chest and squared its scrawny shoulders in a confident pose before shooting out its hand for a shake.

  Hesitantly, Isaac reached out and gently took the creature by the hand. He felt it trying to move him, to which he simply went with the motions.

  "So, to clarify, we're under the mutual agreement not to eat each other, correct?

  The creature spoke quickly and with such confidence that Isaac couldn't help but smirk.

  He nodded in response, though internally, he questioned whether he should be concerned about the hedgehog's peculiar choice of words and its visibly crossed fingers behind its back.

  Despite growing suspicion toward the otherwise unassuming creature, Isaac continued the conversation. "My name's Isaac, and yours?"

  "Oh! You’re Isaac?” Spunk exclaimed.

  “Yeah, why?” Isaac asked, taken aback by the hedgehog's sudden enthusiasm.

  “Because, I'm Spunk!" the creature declared proudly. “And I’m here to arrest you!”

  "I'm sorry, What?" Isaac questioned, his confusion evident as he processed Spunk's unexpected decoration.