It is the second night and I''m past of the point of no return. Unlike my two week journey forth, or my nine day journey back, I am running without pause and without restraint along a predetermined path. I''ve mastered my undying, unresting body, and my <Night Vision (Greater)> pierces the darkness with ease. I do not require food nor water, only a single, sufficient soul to last me five days. To save Helena, I''ll need to embrace everything that I have become.
Hmm? I''m picking up something with my <Hunter> title, and it''s charging towards me. I see, it''s a Fox Boar, the same kind of boar that almost killed me when I was level 1. Well no more.
I draw my short sword and wait for the oncoming target. When the boar is within ten paces, I conjure a <Kinetic Barrier> in front of me. It slams into my wall and stops right within striking distance. I finish off my prey with <Heavy Strike> and devour its soul. Thank you for offering your life to my endeavour.
As I prepare to leave, I notice several injuries along the boar''s carcass. What could have done this? They appear to be bite wounds...
All of a sudden, I sense the presence of six entities around me; I''m surrounded. Somehow they had managed to slip past my <Hunter> detection, but were exposed by my <Spectral Sense>. Is it not an animal? They must have been chasing the Fox Boar.
As they inch closer to my position, a dark grey canine enters my field of view. It''s a wolf, well to be precise, a pack of wolves. They must have used <Sneak> to bypass my title. I try to walk away, but the pack still maintains their circle.
Apparently, I''m a bonus meal, or more likely, they think I''m a rival predator. With the recent lack of prey around these parts, they will kill anything they can.
There''s nowhere to run, as the blood of the boar now stains my cloak. I can wait atop the trees, but each second squandered is a waste of Helena''s precious time. I must finish them off here and now.
Luckily, the boar''s soul has refilled my MP and <Heavy Strike> is off cooldown. I''ve seen wolves hunt before, so I know their movements and tactics. Under the light of the same crescent that once welcomed my rebirth, I prepare for a battle to the death.
Two wolves prance around in front of me. I turn my head to the left, but I am vigilant of a third wolf approaching from my flank. With <Hunter> and <Spectral Sense>, I easily pinpoint its movements and cast a <Fireball>. Unfortunately, it evades my spell but it is now too wary to attack.
The fourth and fifth lunge at my back. Since wolves hunt by tackling their prey before biting them, I quickly conjure a <Kinetic Barrier> behind me. Due to their simultaneous attack, I redirect the force of their tackles to each other and knock them back. With one of the wolves prone, I twist around and cast another <Fireball>. It becomes a flaming, yelping mess before I devour its soul and recover 10 points of mana.
The other wolves start to back away, but one wolf approaches me instead. It''s the sixth one, and unlike the rest of the pack, it stayed back and watched. This last wolf is noticeably larger, with a white tail and scars across its face. It exudes the aura of an alpha male. Maybe the white tail is a result of a class change?
While I use
to track the others, I direct the rest of my attention to the alpha male.
"<Analyse Soul>."
<table><tbody><tr><td width="25%">Species</td><td colspan=''3''>Alpha Forest Wolf</td></tr><tr><td width="25%">HP</td><td colspan=''3''> 100%</td></tr><tr><td width="25%">MP</td><td colspan=''3''> 100%</td></tr></tbody></table>
For some reason, he decides to attack me directly. In response, I conjure a <Kinetic Barrier> and wait for him to enter my attack range.
Unexpectedly, instead of barging straight into my wall, he swipes at it. Wolves use their legs to chase down prey, so it''s not used for offence. But if that''s true... how did he tear though my barrier!?
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What did it do!? Was that a skill? It appears to be a slashing attack, which my spell isn''t designed to block!
The rest of the pack begins to rally while their leader presses the advantage. I block his jaws with my sword and use <Control Weight> to help me throw him. His body crashes into the others and weakens their eagerness to attack.
"<Analyse Soul>."
<table><tbody><tr><td width="25%">Species</td><td colspan=''3''>Alpha Forest Wolf</td></tr><tr><td width="25%">HP</td><td colspan=''3''> 92%</td></tr><tr><td width="25%">MP</td><td colspan=''3''> 100%</td></tr></tbody></table>
It appears to be a skill without a mana cost. If it''s anything like my <Heavy Strike>, it should have a cooldown.
The one behind me moves in to attack. I use <Kinetic Barrier>, but at the bark of the leader, the wolf instantly withdraws. The rest of the pack approach me from my flanks, but like the one before, they back off out of range of my sword. I do not bother casting magic, as I can tell what they''re trying to do.
HP: 72/74
MP: 21/43
They''re trying to bait out my spells and expend my mana. Can that alpha male tell how much mana I have? He seems too adept at fighting magic users.
This is bad. <Fireball> is too predictable and each <Kinetic Barrier> costs 6 MP. At this rate I won''t have enough to deal with everyone, even with <Soul Eater>.
I erect a full <Kinetic Barrier> to encase me, and focus on the only foe who can break it. The alpha male takes up my challenge and sprints towards me. The advantage of <Kinetic Barrier> is it allows magic to pass through without lowering my guard. I put away my sword and prepare a flame in each hand before flinging one. He jumps to the side, but finds nothing was thrown. That''s because it''s <Conjure Flame>. It''s the other hand that has the real <Fireball>.
Saving my MP and tricking him into an unstable posture, I launch the <Fireball> at his body...
But out of unfathomable loyalty, one of the wolves jumps straight into the line of fire! Why would it sacrifice itself!? Do their bonds run that deep, or is it the effect of a title?
As I snap out of my daze, I find the alpha male has torn through my bubble. One of his subordinates seizes the opening and bites into my abdomen. It seems it didn''t get the memo, as it mauls on my nonexistent internal organs. I draw my sword and impale its existent heart.
While I consume its soul, the pack leader prepares to swing his devastating claws. I bet everything on my next attack, as I cast <Control Weight> on my sword to boost the speed of my <Heavy Strike>.
Our skills clash, metal against claw, skeleton against wolf, hunter against hunter.
... I was naive. As my level rose, I focused too much on my attack stat, or rather, the numbers. It may be another world, but it''s reality nonetheless. I used to pay attention, but my fascination in magic resulted in neglect. I had overlooked one of the very things that had carried me this far.
Because in the flash of a single strike, the short sword I had depended on since leaving the graveyard, the short sword I had maintained with my amateur skills, the short sword I had entrusted with Helena''s fate... was destroyed beyond repair.