Chapter 10: Hell's Choice

At the moment the parasitic creature's sharp blade sliced through the bridge plank, accompanied by the shattering of various chemical bottles, the iron plate under Arthur's feet also broke and fell. Thus, at the critical moment, he grabbed the iron cable above his head, suspending his body in mid-air.

Although his situation was extremely dangerous, what most caught Arthur's attention was the dual swords wielded by Yuki, which moved like butterflies among flowers, their flickering shadows resembling the patches of light filtering through tall shrubs, as if he could see the daylight stars in the forest.

Her slender fingers, as white as frost, tightly gripped the black sword hilt, creating a stark contrast that became the only two colors in Arthur's world. This black and white world stretched infinitely, guiding Arthur's dreams to the other side.

Watching Yuki's graceful sword dance, his heart was filled with anticipation. If the one dancing with the sword were him, could he also express the essence of the sword so thoroughly?

"Huff..."

Taking a light breath, the tense muscles in Yuki's body instantly relaxed. After watching the two parasitic creatures on the ground gradually wither, she slowly raised her gaze—

"Hey, you can come down now. The operation was successful. You have one minute to choose whether to continue or not."

"Oh... just a moment..."

After Yuki's voice reached Arthur's ears, he quickly moved along the iron cable with both hands, found a foothold, and let go, then climbed down the ladder.

Upon reaching the ground, he lightly waved his hand, touching the air and discovering a notification—

"Main Quest [Hard Level]: Escape from the pursuit of a fully brain-parasitized creature. The quest is complete. Please choose to return to the Dimensional Tower within one minute. Those who do not choose will automatically proceed to the next main quest."

"Do you want to return? With your strength, it's not easy to survive. You were lucky this time, but it might be different next time."

Yuki placed the two black swords in her hands together and put them behind her back.

"What about you?"

Arthur looked at Yuki. Since entering the Chou-Tenjou Academy, he had been guided by her. Because of her words, he resolutely chose 'courage' and stayed behind. Now—

"Of course, I want to continue fighting! I want to become the strongest!"

Yuki stood with her hands on her hips, a confident smile revealing her small fangs.

"Then... I will stay too."

Arthur gritted his teeth. He couldn't back down. He knew the plot of this anime, and his left hand had achieved coexistence with the parasitic creature. With the Swordsmanship Blessing skill, his chances of survival were very high. If he were to withdraw with these advantages, how could he ever catch up to Yuki?

"Huh? What? Hey, are you out of your mind? Even I have to be prepared to die for a Hell-level quest. How can you, a weakling, survive? I've seen your entrance exam results. Only your written test was good; you don't know anything about kendo, sanshou, taekwondo, aikido, tai chi, or anything else!"

"Moreover, this 'Parasyte' world was clearly specially selected by Itsukishima. Even those with martial arts foundations find it hard to survive, as this is already a battle beyond human limits."

Yuki helplessly pinched Arthur's cheek. Was this guy's brain broken?

"I have my own trump card. My left hand was invaded by a parasitic creature, but it didn't reach my brain, so it's not considered being consumed. The parasitic creature in my left hand is in a symbiotic relationship with me. It helped me complete the Normal-level quest, and that's my trump card..."

Arthur explained, but he kept his biggest secrets to himself: the Swordsmanship Blessing skill and his ability to predict anime plots.

He wouldn't tell anyone these two points because if they were revealed, his situation would become very dangerous!

"This... kind of thing!"

Yuki took a deep breath and looked at Arthur with wide eyes. "You really are lucky. I didn't think of this. The Normal-level quest was just to prevent the parasitic creature from parasitizing the brain. If it parasitizes other parts of the body, it's a symbiotic relationship. Not only can you survive, but you can also gain a powerful ally..."

"Main Quest [Hell Level]: Hunt down five fully brain-parasitized creatures."

As Yuki was surprised, she and Arthur simultaneously received the next system quest.

At the same time, their backpacks contained student IDs from nearby high schools and keys to their apartments. It seemed their information had been registered in this world. The Hell-level quest required a long time to complete, as killing five parasitic creatures was not an easy task.

"First-year student at West High, what about you?"

Arthur asked Yuki.

"First-year student at North High. Well, there's a friend request function. Let's add each other as friends for now. If we need to contact each other, our interests are the same for now, so let's cooperate temporarily. If your left hand wakes up, can it tell me some information? Your name?"

"Arthur..."

"Uh, I thought it was a code name. I didn't expect you to have such a name. You really are..."

Yuki's slender finger touched the air and sent a friend request to Arthur.

"Well, even I want to complain about it... So, how should I address you? Yuki?"

Arthur said. Generally, it was polite to call someone by their last name unless they gave permission to use their first name.

"Sure, for now. I'll head back to my apartment first..."

Yuki nodded and waved as she left.

Watching Yuki's retreating back, Arthur took a deep breath. He had wanted to ask Yuki about kendo, but he couldn't bring himself to do it. After all, they had just met; wouldn't it be too abrupt?

With the Swordsmanship Blessing passive skill, he would be foolish not to use it. Yuki's swordsmanship had given him hope. If he could also master such swordsmanship, he wouldn't have to run away all the time. If he hadn't met Yuki tonight, his chances of survival would have been much lower, as he had no effective means of attack. Even if he used chemical agents to paralyze the parasitic creatures, he couldn't kill them.

Ultimately, he had to rely on his own strength. Even knowing the anime plot, he had at most the parasitic creature in his left hand. Relying on external forces wouldn't be absolutely useful in critical moments. Therefore, he had to become stronger, to make himself stronger!