Chapter 28 – Life in Hell Difficulty

Another strand snapped, causing the bridge to drop an inch and the entire thing to shake. Sloane met his gaze. “Go!”

She forced the words through her mana exhaustion. Jake had only one plan, but whether he could do it was another thing entirely.

He bolted along the bridge.

The ape picked up Susan and slammed her into the floor.

The entire thing jostled.

Jake heard the handrail twang—like something on the precipice of snapping.

“Arthur,” Jake screamed as he picked up the pace. “Your shield!”

Arthur glanced over his shoulder, but he didn’t know what Jake wanted.

Thankfully, Edwin did. The veteran forced the golden-boy onto his knees, nudging his shield up.

Jake hit the shield, and with all of his strength, jumped. He sailed through the air, landing on the other side of the Dreadknuck. Without looking back, he kept on running, eyes locked onto his objective.

The bridge fell a foot once more, the strand snapping. Jake lurched, quickly looping Gutter Tooth around one of the stronger planks, then threw the sickle to one of the pillars at the end. He ignored the door. The sickle hooked on the end.

The bridge collapsed.

The entire floor gave way.

A howling scream pelted the walls. Jake looked back just in time to see the ape fall, missing the lower structures as it plunged into the abyss.

A moment later:

(Lvl 14) Dreadknuck defeated
Rewards: 1 Level, Dread Knuckles (Sloane)

Edwin moved quickly, shuffling along the remaining handrail to make his way across to Jake. The others followed.

Edwin and the others helped Jake fasten a loose piece of wire, securing their end of the bridge.

Everyone collectively sighed a breath of relief.

Susan—who had by some miracle managed to keep herself on the bridge—collapsed onto her knees.

Jake caught a cluster of mana on the way, replenishing his container by an immediate twenty-five percent, then healed her. Her body was a mess, and there was no part of her that wasn’t broken. Her arm twisted the wrong way. Her foot the same.

“Did… we kill it?”

“We did,” Jake said.

Though by the looks of you, barely.

Jake healed her again, hand on her thigh. He pressed his mana deeper than usual, trying his best to make out the muscles and further, the bone. He was entirely going by touch, and that required pressing harder. Susan didn’t seem to feel it.

That’s a good little test subject. She’s perfect.

“If you got crushed anymore we’d make a good pancake out of you,” Jake made a rare joke, perhaps it was because he was feeling pretty good. They won a fight. He made a lot of progress in both of his Skills.

Things were looking good.

Not Susan, though. She looked like shit.

“Was that a—” Sloane sat on the ground where the bridge had ended.

“—Joke?” Glenn wheezed, then turned to the others. “I think it was. Guys, did you hear it as well?”

“I heard it,” Edwin added.

Jake clicked his tongue. He was never going to try joking again.

Arthur sat on the ground with his head resting on his knees. “If she was a pancake, she’d taste like shit.”

Susan looked like she was about to say something, but stopped herself.

Everyone looked at each other. It was Glenn who let out a weak chuckle, followed by everyone else who suddenly burst out laughing. Jake was just confused. He thought his joke landed better, so why was everyone laughing now?

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Was there a hidden charisma stat?

He was going to have to do some more experimentation.

Finished healing Susan, Jake stood up and inspected the door. He was about to reach out for it when Edwin grabbed his hand.

“Not now,” he said, looking at the others. They were all almost broken.

Jake only nodded and paid close attention to the door. On the door, it said Bridges and a Cricket. Was that a clue? Did the new world behind the door have something to do with bridges?

And cricket? Was that a metaphor, or was the objective something to do with a literal cricket?

A roar so deep hit Jake and the others like a physical wall. And it was coming from one of the hallways.

Without words, they already started running back to the stairwell. Jake was holding Susan, slowing him down.

Another roar hit them, beastly and terrifying. It rattled his bones, causing his heart to lurch up into his throat. Each beat of his heart was so strong that he felt it against his ribs.

“Leave me,” Susan croaked. “Let me see my husband. My children.”