Alex turns with fluid precision and effortless motion, twisting and turning, breaking the arrows that come at him one by one mid-flight.
Two skeletons come jumping from the left and right, one holding a spear and the other a sword.
Ouick Dash!"
Alex jumps behind the skeleton on the right, kicks it far away, and snatches the sword from its grip.
This was his first time holding a decent weapon. Both the dagger and the dead's sword he used before were barely functional.
He slices the skeleton on his left, picks up the spear, and tosses the sword aside. Now, he swings the spear round and round, imagining himself as a Shaolin warrior.
'When I was a kid, I used to spin sticks and fight my neighbors. Of course, I'd win. I've always been confident in my ability. This really brings back memories.'
In the heat of battle, Alex swings the spear with reckless spirit, the blade slicing through three skeletons charging at him in a single, sweeping motion.
After five minutes of relentless fighting, the waves of backup skeletons finally begin to decrease.
'Too bad you guys were against the best spear user from Earth,' Alex thought to himself, self-praising his momentum.
Soon, one of the skeletons, observing from the top of a huge stone, throws a gas bomb at the roof of the cave. The explosion sends a huge wave of sound across the place.
Alex quickly dashes toward him and swings the spear. The head of the skeleton rolls down like a ball instantly.
All the skeletons he had broken were still alive, staring at Alex. Their dissected limbs and legs were still moving, though individually.
Soon, a group of skeletons comes rushing in. From all sides, skeletons surround him in large numbers.
Tall, 6-foot skeletons stood at the front, with smaller, normal skeletons behind them, just like the ones Alex had recently fought. Behind them, a group of 50 archers forms a deadly line. It was a whole army. Alex knew he could never fight against such numbers. What made it worse was the presence of a skeleton emitting a powerful aura.
It was a Lich. He was wearing a necklace embedded with three unique stones.
The Lich raises his staff, and all the disassembled skeletons start to reconnect their bodies and stand up.
All 20 skeletons he defeated were now back on their feet.
"You must be their leader," Alex stares at the Lich.
Alex looks at the spear, his face filled with dissatisfaction.
"Farewell, buddy," he mutters. With a deep breath, he grips the spear tightly like a javelin and throws it at the Lich with all his strength, mustering every ounce of power in his arms.
Two guards in golden suits appear out of nowhere, swiftly blocking the spear that was speeding toward the Lich. By the time they stop it, Alex is gone. To be precise, he has already begun running at full speed.
The archers start firing arrows at Alex, but he is already too far. As he climbs the huge rock, he stares at them with a smile.
"You guys are way too slow."
Down the stone, large rocks litter the path, making the road narrow and unbalanced. Alex jumps from one rock to another, quickly taking down any leftover skeletons in his way. At the same time, he swiftly blocks the arrows coming from behind.
Alex moves at a fast pace, relieved to see that no one is following him from behind and that there are no more skeletons in front.
"They finally lost track of me," he thinks.
Just as Alex is celebrating, a massive 7-foot wolf suddenly drops from the stone on his far left. It is badly injured, with claw marks scattered across its body, barely hanging on to life.
A white tiger leaps down from the stone, landing powerfully on the ground, its strong aura radiating. It locks eyes with Alex, who is 20 meters away. Cautious, Alex stands still, staring back at them.
The tiger presses its paw roughly on the wolf's wounds, and the wolf lets out a helpless cry. Alex could tell, there was no way he could win against the tiger in a fight, even if he wanted to, so staying far from trouble was the smartest decision.
As the tiger opens its mouth, ready to lunge at the wolf, a single arrow comes flying from the other side of the rock and lands straight in the tiger's thigh.
The tiger growled in pain, blood dripping down its thigh. It looked around, ears twitching, eyes scanning fast.
Only one person standing.
Alex.
Sword in hand. Staring straight back.
Alone.
"No, no, I didn't shoot you," Alex muttered, taking a cautious step back.
But yeah… it didn't matter. The tiger was pissed, and Alex just happened to be the closest warm body with a weapon.
Pain needed someone to blame.
Lucky him.
"Fuck!" Alex dodges the attack and dashes straight forward.
"These skeletons were still behind me?" With an annoyed expression, he starts running.
Behind him, the tiger begins chasing Alex, abandoning its previous prey. The wolf, still weak, shakily gets up and starts running in a different direction. It pauses for a moment, staring at Alex one last time before disappearing into the distance.
The tiger makes huge vertical leaps, landing in front of Alex and blocking his path. Tired and with no other choice, Alex draws the sword he had picked up from one of the skeletons.
"I don't know why you're getting in my way, but you will come to regret this, you bloody cat."
Alex clashes his sword against the tiger. The creature's speed and sharp reflexes make every move a challenge. Each time the tiger raises its claws, aiming to slice Alex, it only reinforces the need for him to dodge at all costs, staying one step ahead to survive.
Unfortunately, Alex isn't able to dodge one of the many attacks. But he almost forgets he was wearing strong armor. Alex smiles as he heads toward the tiger. Each and every time he swings his sword, the tiger gets damaged bit by bit. Thanks to the armor, he now has more options.
Cuts are everywhere on the tiger's body. Desperate, the tiger jumps on top of Alex, but Alex is too fast for the tiger to catch.
Soon, the skeletons catch up with Alex. Arrows are flying from everywhere. Both the tiger and Alex retreat from the arrows.
Just when he's moving forward, the tiger, angry, also chases him. Behind, a group of skeletons on dark horses chases after the tiger.
"Stupid cat, stop chasing me, look!! They're the ones who attacked you!"
It doesn't seem like any words could get past the tiger.
In front was a huge dark forest. Alex doesn't have the time to process the information and just keeps heading forward. He runs at full speed, leaving both the tiger and the skeletons way, way far behind.
Soon, he steps on something weird. It was a trap leading him straight 20 feet underground, full of spikes. Thanks to the tough boots, Alex hardly receives any injury.
The tiger moves past the area without noticing Alex, the wild and thick grasses obscuring his presence. Eventually, the entire group of skeletons passes by, unaware of him hiding underneath the dense growth.
Alex just chills deep inside for a little longer, until he's sure all of them are gone.
"Finally, fresh air!" Alex takes a deep breath as he appreciates the green scenery, raising both his arms. Alex lies on the ground, closing his eyes.
"This is peaceful."
Soon, Alex hears a cry from afar. As he gets closer, pushing through the long, thick grasses, he sees the wolf from before, crying. Beside him lies another wolf, dead.
It looked like it was his wife.
The wolf's mournful howls fill the air, his body shaking with grief. Suddenly, he notices a noise. His tears turn into fury, his eyes bloodshot and burning with rage. Slowly, he begins to approach the source of the sound, grinding his teeth in pure rage, unable to see anything else but the threat before him.
Alex realizes hiding is of no use. He stands up, knowing what's coming.
The moment the wolf looks at Alex, he immediately recognizes him and just walks past, heading straight.
Alex, on the other hand, goes close to the female wolf who is now dead. Looking at the claw marks, it was definitely the White Tiger.
Alex also thinks about Kyle as he stares at the angry wolf that was quietly walking away.
'What if I was in his place? How would I have reacted to it?'
Feeling a deep sadness for the angry wolf, Alex stands there, staring at the lifeless body that now lies motionless, its final breath having long passed.
Soon, the skeletons come out of nowhere and charge at Alex. He is quickly surrounded. All the skeletons had arrived, and just behind was the Lich.
Arrows begin flying from all directions. Alex swiftly and precisely deflects each one with the sword, his movements sharp and focused.
The Lich stares at Alex with anger, determined not to let him escape this time. The giant skeletons march toward Alex, swinging their massive greatswords.
Alex smiles confidently at the swords that were incredibly massive.
"Too bad, but I am your worst match-up."
Alex starts dodging the arrows effortlessly, no longer worried about them. With great flexibility, he breaks their arms, skulls, and legs, moving with precision and fluidity.
The Lich, extremely pissed, orders to launch the arrows even at their allies.
"Have they gone crazy?" Alex mutters, but it was to be expected. The enemies kept attacking, relentless as ever, for they were undead, and arrows had no effect on them.
Now that his movements are restricted by the arrows, Alex finds himself actively exchanging blows with the giant skeletons. Their swords are so heavy that he has no choice but to either deflect or dodge, each strike shaking the ground beneath him.
[Strength: 31.3]
'If only my strength stats were the same as my agility, I would have destroyed them instantly.'
Soon, the White Tiger jumps onto the top of one of the giant skeletons and is staring viciously at Alex.
"It wasn't me, it was these guys that attacked you," Alex points at the skeletons, but it's useless. The tiger is dead set on him.
The wolf howls loudly as soon as the tiger appears. With pure rage in its bloody eyes, it now runs toward the tiger.
As if it's do or die, ready to throw its life away if that's what it takes.
The Lich raises his staff and starts gathering mana.
Alex is now caught in the middle of an unnecessary war, one he had been dragged into.
'It all started after I killed that one skeleton previously, right?' Alex thinks to himself, realizing how everything had spiraled from that very moment.
"Let's end this once and for all." Alex charges straight toward the Lich, evading all the incoming attacks.
"Brace yourself Bonehead!"