Vell stood over it, his pose exuded confidence, but upon a closer look, he noticed that despite his attacks, there was no visible damage. He took a step back, it was too dangerous to be this close.
’Do you know this thing?’
[My analysis is coming back with nothing. Maybe it is a new species.]
’Hmm. My attacks did not do any damage, its skin is super tough, my hands even sting a little.’ He looked over to Yenna, who was still watching without saying a word. His gaze fell back onto the creature, his grin widening.
’A new species, huh? I wonder what I will get after I eat its core. Just thinking about it is making me excited.’ Get full chapters from 𝓷𝓸𝓿𝓮𝓵⚑𝓯𝓲𝓻𝓮⚑𝓷𝓮𝓽
[Master? Please control yourself.]
’Relax, I am fully under control. Anyway, this forest sure is full of surprises. First, a rare species of slimes, then a giant snake, and now an unknown monster appears? ...Though, there should be more. I definitely felt more than one watching, so where are the rest?’
[Be on guard. They might jump out at any second if they see an opening.]
’...Why would they only send one? Is this a test, to see how strong I am?’ His thoughts distracted him, this created an opening, just enough for the alien in the crater to leap out and grab him by the throat.
{Not bad... for a human... no, are you even human? Well, it does not matter either way.}
’An intelligent monster? Crap, that means it is at least DD-Rank. This is bad, really bad.’ He struggled, he tried to break free, but he was too weak.
"Let him go!" Yenna used her feline moves, she tried to get an attack in, but one flick to the chest sent her flying.
Wren and the slimes also tried to help. ’Stop, stay back, it is too dangerous.’ They heard his command and backed off, though Wren was still very much eager to attack. Seeing her master in pain felt like torture.
{Tell me, what are you doing in our forest? Last time, we let you go since you killed that annoying pest, but now you have come back again. Why? Do you have a death wish?}
"Kugh, why the fuck should I tell you? You ugly bastard, your breath stinks."
Its veins popped, its grip tightened before it threw him away at incredible speed. Vell tried to collect his thoughts mid-air, a plan to counter-attack or escape, but when it appeared in front of him in an instant, he knew it was impossible.
It landed a direct blow to his face, the punch directed him at the ground with a thunderous crash. The impact cratered the earth beneath him, it sent shockwaves through the forest. Pain radiated through his body, he tried to steady his breathing. Blood trickled from his mouth, his vision blurred, but his grin did not waver.
’Fast, strong, and intelligent. This thing really is top-tier,’ he thought, the thrill of the challenge was battling the pain.
The creature loomed over him, its glowing eyes narrowing. {You dare to mock me, human? Or whatever you are. Your arrogance will be your undoing.}
Vell chuckled weakly, he spat blood onto the ground as he pulled himself up, he was defiant even in the face of overwhelming odds. "What can I say? I like to keep things interesting."
’What am I doing? I am facing something I cannot hope to beat, and yet... the adrenaline is rushing through me. I want to fight it, I want to push myself to the limit, I WANT TO BREAK THROUGH MY CEILING!’
His heart was pounding with excitement, he felt like he could do anything. The raging mana around him became smaller, it turned into a layer that protected his body. The creature tilted its head in fascination.
{’Would you look at that? I knew I did not see wrong last night... this human can indeed use corrupted mana, and his control is not bad either. He turned it into a protective layer to reduce the damage from attacks.’}
’That is probably what he is thinking, but he is in for a big surprise. It will not defeat it, but the look on its face will be worth it.’
He relaxed his muscles, he exhaled, and then... he vanished into thin air. The creature went on alert, it put up its guard, but even it did not see the attack that connected with its face.
{Hm? Is that it? How disapp-} A force knocked it away, but it regained its balance fast. {What was that just now? ...} It noticed that its vision blurred for a few seconds, then blood began to flow from its nose.
"Would you look at that? It bleeds after all." His voice was low and cocky, but this was all an act. ’That took a lot of mana, I emptied one core already... it is fucking strong, that was a full-powered attack. If only I could use (that).’
His thoughts got cut off after a sinister mana filled the air, it made his skin crawl. Even the ambient sounds of the woods seemed to hush, as if the creatures themselves were paralyzed by its presence.
His instincts screamed at him to retreat, but he stood his ground, his body trembling not with fear but with anticipation.
{Haha... hahahaha... this is absurd... a human... a human made me bleed? ME!}
Its mana spiked, the ground under it was barely holding, the air itself looked as though it was being sucked away. It became hard to breathe, this was unlike anything he had faced before.
In the face of true power, fear was slowly taking over. His smirk faded, all that was left was a nervous expression.
’What the hell is this? This thing was already strong... but now...’ Vell’s thoughts raced as he struggled to maintain his stance. ’This power is on a whole different level. It is as if he is sucking power from the forest.’
It stepped forward, its every movement sending a shockwave of mana through the air. The energy around it was more monstrous and primal. {I was going to give you a swift death for your insolence, but now...} its voice was low, cold, but it was laced with raw anger. {I will make you suffer.}
’This might be where I die.’
He thought this with a nervous smile, he was not sure what to do in this situation.