With a grunt of effort, Lawrence subconsciously willed the electrical current within him to surge. He felt a jolt, not painful but intensely stimulating, as the energy raced through his nervous system. His tendons seemed to tighten and his bones hummed with a sudden, sharp influx of power. His strength and agility spiked dramatically.In three explosive strides, fueled by this bio-electric boost, he closed the distance with the fleeing monster.The creature was not an idiot. Seeing the club whistling towards its head, it threw itself into a desperate, scrambling dodge. The evasion saved it from the immediate blow, but it completely destroyed its momentum to run, costing it its last chance to escape.Using the creature's stumble, Lawrence took a huge, bounding stride. He dropped the club and in one fluid motion, drew the pale blue knife from his waist. Capitalizing on the monster's off-balance state, he drove the blade into its back with every ounce of his enhanced strength.The incred

By watching their crude "interactions," Lawrence was slowly able to piece together fragments of their behavior, if not their language.The monster-headed creatures didn't seem particularly intelligent from what he observed. It was like watching animals call out for their pack. Despite hearing no response from the three already-dead monsters, the rest of the group didn't appear to sense anything amiss. They simply split up, chittering amongst themselves as they began a haphazard search of the surrounding houses.Lawrence crouched in the shadowed corner of his courtyard, gripping two of the nail-studded clubs tightly. He kept his eyes fixed on the gate, waiting. From their pattern, it was only a matter of time before they reached his apartment."Kuwa?"A surprised or questioning screech suddenly erupted from the neighboring courtyard—the one where he had left the corpses.The sound of running feet immediately followed as other monsters converged on the location. They had found the bodie

The sound of Lawrence’s pounding footsteps immediately drew the attention of the monster head leader.Despite having the sluggish, eyestalked head of a snail, this leader was obviously stronger and more formidable than the other monsters. From Lawrence’s observation, such primitive creatures wouldn’t follow a weakling unless it possessed superior cunning, which the snail-head clearly did not. Its authority was brute strength.When Lawrence got within striking distance, he wasted no time. He swung his club down with all his enhanced strength, intending to cave in the leader’s skull with a single, decisive blow.To his surprise, the snail-head leader reacted with surprising speed, raising its own crude club to block the attack with a solid clang. The parry vibrated up Lawrence’s arms.Undeterred, Lawrence increased the force behind his next swing, changing his angle. This time, the club smashed down hard on the leader’s shoulder. There was a sickening crunch of chitin and bone.But he w

Lawrence felt as if he’d been run over by a truck—a specific truck that also dumped a pile of rocks on him. A deep, bone-level tiredness weighed him down, and a hollow, gnawing hunger growled in the pit of his stomach. For a moment, he just lay there, staring at his penthouse ceiling, re-orienting himself to the soft bed and clean air. He was back. He’d survived another trip.With a groan, he pushed himself up. His first stop wasn’t the kitchen; it was the bathroom. He needed to wash the phantom grime of that other world off his skin. A long, hot shower helped ease the lingering aches in his muscles. Brushing his teeth felt almost luxurious after the taste of dust and hardtacks. Clean and in fresh, soft loungewear, he finally felt human enough to face his hunger."Since I got this house, I've never been into the kitchen." Lawrence mutters with anticipation.Cooking had always been a strange hobby for Lawrence. Back when he was broke, he’d spent countless hours watching cooking reel

As soon as their leader gave the order, several of the hooligans peeled away from the main group and surrounded Lawrence, cutting him off from the middle-aged man. He didn't have the energy to care about anything else anymore, as five of them, gripping their steel pipes, let out angry shouts and charged him at once.One lunged first, swinging his pipe in a wide, clumsy arc towards Lawrence's head. Lawrence didn't flinch. He raised his own pipe, meeting the attack head-on with a sharp, precise deflection.CLANG!The metallic ring echoed through the parking lot. The vibration from the impact traveled up the hooligan’s arm with brutal force. His grip, already slick with sweat, failed instantly. The pipe flew from his hand, clattering across the asphalt.Using the opening, Lawrence didn't hesitate. He shifted his weight and swiped his pipe in a short, controlled arc, striking the man squarely on the shoulder joint.THWACK!"ARRGH!"A sickening pop was followed by a scream of agony. The ma