This is a Beta Test?! - A Literally Broken System

I raised an eyebrow as I heard Guidance whisper from the void, "Got what?!"

*I got it!* the dev proudly screamed from the void. *You should be able to kill it!*

My heart pounded with excitement, "Really?!"

Without even so much as a confirmation, I rounded a gnarly-looking tree as I trained my guns back at the tentacle monster thing again. In my hands, [Blanc and Noire] hummed with power once more, the black and white pistols glowing a dull red as it visibly siphoned ammunition from my wrists.

[HP: 88/100]

"Eat this!"

[*BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!*]

A round of consecutive gunshots echoed from the barrels of my [Manifest] as I riddled the monster full with my own blood. Each pull of the trigger felt like it was drawing at least a few cc's of blood from my system as I felt my vision blur from each bullet fired. Well, at the very least, it was theoretically infinite so long as I had enough blood to go around, but after a few volleys, my head was getting lighter as I wobbled on my feet.

[HP: 79/100]

[*BANG!... BANG!... BANG!....*]

My fingers stalled as I took a deep breath. [Blanc and Noire] smoked from overuse as I lowered them. Hopefully, it was more than enough to actually stop the damn thing, seeing as I probably won't be standing in about five more minutes. It should be dead with the number of bullets I just riddled it with.

"There... It's dead... right?"

Falling to my knees, my pants filtered through the sound of the forest as I stared straight into the starlit sky. This shouldn't have happened. If Guidance had actually sound game design, we would've just been staying at the grassy plains testing every single system out. Instead, here I was fighting a monster meant to discourage spawn-camping. If she truly wanted something that could kill spawn-campers, then I would expect that this thing to be-

[INVULNERABLE]

...E-Eh?

[*RRROORAAGHGHHG!!!!*]

My eyes widened as the tentacle monster emerged from the red smoke that previously covered it. Floating above its form, the taunting prompt practically asked me to scream. There wasn't even a health bar present...

"What the hell, Guidance?!"

⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛

*W-what?!*

Why the hell was the damn thing invulnerable if it was supposed to be a monster?! "I-I can't kill it, Guidance! It's invulnerable!"

I heaved for breath as I forced myself back up. If this thing was invulnerable, then the best I could do was run away and hope that I somehow get out of aggro range. And that was assuming that I can even get out of the damn thing's sights for even a solid minute!

[*ROROROAAGHHGHGH!!!!*]

The tentacle monster undulated its tentacles as I slowly felt my body recover from my earlier attack. My [Blanc and Noire] glowed a dull red as I sheathed them away, knowing full well that they won't do jack crap against an enemy that won't even feel my bullets. Spinning on the balls of my feet, I pushed my body to move as I returned to the tried and true strategy of running the hell away from your problems. The monster, of course, followed suit with its appendages swinging about in a manner that probably would've decapitated me if I wasn't fast enough.

And thank god, I was actually fast enough somehow!

"Guidance?!" I screamed out into the void once more just as I ducked out of the way of another attack. "Can you fix this?!"

*I'm trying!* the woman practically screamed into my ear, a few sobs intermixing with her keyboard clacking as she responded. *J-just hang in there!*

I let out a scoff. Easier said than done there!

[*SWISH! SWISH!*]

A caption of the swinging tentacles' sound effects appeared in my mind's eye as I quickly made to anticipate the attacks. Ducking and jumping out of the way, the monster seemed to get faster the longer the fight went on. Its tentacles were getting longer too. And if it weren't for the closed captions of the sound effects I was hearing, I would probably already be a stain beneath this thing's tentacles by now.

And wasn't that a weird thought, the fact that subtitles were actually saving my life right now?

I found myself jumping over another errant log as I bobbed and weaved across the darkness of the forest. The starlight above me was giving me a piss poor job of illuminating the way, however, and I could really tell that it was only a matter of time before I finally screwed up and tripped on something.

In the meantime...

Drawing out [Blanc] on my right hand, my eyes scanned my surroundings frantically as I tried to find a way to slow this monster down. Even if it was invulnerable to my attacks, surely the damn thing would at least get hindered by an errant tree or log in its way.

[HP: 76/100]

[*BANG!*]

Firing a precise shot, I was honestly amazed at my own accuracy as I heard a tree fall after having its one supporting vine severed by my shot. Behind me, the fallen tree produced a sizeable roadblock as I moved forward, not even bothering to look at my handiwork as I shot through the dimly lit forest.

[*ROOAAGHGHH!!!!*]

Okay. The thing didn't like my roadblock at all, it would seem. At least I bought myself some breathing room before-

[*TRIP!*]

"Oh hell!"Updat𝒆d fr𝒐m nov𝒆lb(i)n.c(o)m

My heart lurched as the sudden feeling of weightlessness carried me through the rest of my journey. Balling up to brace for impact, the various cuts and bruises I felt forming throughout my body were the least of my concerns as I felt myself roll and fall out of the forest and back into the open once more. The dull light of the stars quickly shone through my eyes as I found myself slowly rolling to a stop on top of grass again; my body collapsing onto the softness of the ground beneath as I found myself staring at the starry void once more.

"Oh dear... me..."