(Arin's POV)
Blood boiled. This was not a metaphor. The blood vessels throughout my body truly felt as if they were flowing with molten lead.
The concoction made from the Life Magic Stone did not heal gently. It forced damaged body cells to keep working beyond the limits of mechanical failure. The pain from my dislocated shoulder and cracked ribs did not disappear, but my brain was compelled to ignore all those damage signals.
"GRAAAA!"
Up ahead, the Alpha Kobold roared. The Tier Two monster, standing two meters tall with muscles bulging beneath its green scaly skin, swung a giant bone club.
Usually, this brain would be busy calculating angles, wind speed, and the rotation of the attack. But now?
THUMP-THUMP-THUMP.
My heart pumped so hard that my ears rang. There was no intention to dodge the Kobold Alpha's attack. Instead, this body was driven to charge straight into the range of death.
"So noisy," I growled, spitting to the side. "Come on, Ugly Monster! Show me what you have besides that off-key screaming!"
The bone club descended, slicing through the air with a terrifying whistling sound. I held my breath for a moment. The Feather-Touch Glove was activated for only a fraction of a second. Not to attack, but to shift my body's center of gravity extremely to the left.
BLAM!
The club smashed the ground where I stood a millisecond ago. The earth exploded, scattering sharp pebbles.
"Too slow," I hissed right beside its ear. White steam billowed from my mouth. "You need more practice."
The Longsword in my right hand swung. The weapon now felt as light as a twig thanks to the surge of illicit drug power flowing in my veins. A full horizontal spin was unleashed.
Technique: Centrifugal Tear.
The sword blade struck the Alpha's muscular thigh.
CRUNCH!
The sound of the thigh bone being severed sounded crisp and disgusting. The Alpha roared in pain, its eyes widening in shock.
"GROARR!"
However, it did not fall. Its savage instincts instead made it use its left hand to claw blindly at my face.
I did not take a step back. I let the claw tear my left cheek. Let this flesh be damaged for the sake of an advantageous position. While its hand was busy clawing my face, the sword in my right hand thrust upward, through its lower jaw, piercing directly into the brain.
"Sleep forever," I whispered coldly.
I twisted the hilt.
Twist.
The contents of its head were destroyed instantly. The Alpha convulsed once, then its massive body collapsed on top of me. I kicked the heavy corpse away roughly.
My gaze shifted to the remaining pack of minion Kobolds trembling at the edge of the cave.
"What are you looking at?!" I barked with a terrifyingly hoarse voice. I pointed the bloody sword at them. "Who else? Who else wants to die?!"
My eyes felt hot. Perhaps the blood vessels in my sclera had all burst, making me look like a demon just risen from hell.
The Kobolds shrieked in fear.
"Kiii! Kiiii!"
They ran helter-skelter, pushing each other to get away. Even monsters knew when to fear a predator crazier than themselves.
The sky began to turn dark purple. The sun had set completely.
Now, only one figure stood amidst the pile of Kobold corpses. A body covered in claw wounds, bites, and blue bruises. Logically, consciousness should have been lost due to hypovolemic shock or blood loss. However, there was no fatigue. Not in the slightest.
I lifted a trembling hand in front of my face. Energy flowed overflowing in every muscle cell.
This is not free energy, my remaining logical side whispered. This is future energy forcibly pulled into the present. Every second in this mode might cut hours off my remaining life.
I swallowed saliva that tasted like iron. "To hell with lifespan. What matters is living today."
I dragged my feet toward Erika who was still unconscious behind a sheltering rock. Her face was pale as death, yet her chest still rose and fell steadily. I sheathed the sword on my back, then lifted her small body carefully.
She was light. Too light for someone who carried such a heavy burden of expectation.
I tore the remains of my cloak into long strips. I tied Erika's body tightly to my back so she wouldn't shake while moving.
"Hold on tight, Princess," I whispered softly in her ear, even though I knew she couldn't answer. "You owe me a good meal after this. Don't vomit on my armor, okay."
Night fell, blanketing the Forest of Death. And this forest transformed into a different entity when dark.
Running blindly was an act of suicide. Even the slightest sound of footsteps would invite night predators far deadlier than Golems or Kobolds. Night Stalkers, Shadow Panthers... they hunted by sound.
I grabbed wet mud from the ground, then smeared it over my face, neck, and armor.
"This smell is disgusting," I muttered while coating my neck. "But better the smell of mud than the smell of a corpse."
Movement toward the Academy was carried out slowly. Every step was calculated with precision. Heel first, then the outer edge of the sole, then the toes.
Roll step. A silent walking technique learned from an old Ranger guidebook in that dusty library.
SNAP.
The sound of a breaking twig was heard in the distance.
My body froze instantly. Breath held. Even my heartbeat tried to be suppressed as much as possible. A prickly bear crossed five meters in front. Its nose sniffed the wet air.
Don't look here... Don't look... I thought.
Fortunately, the mud smell managed to disguise the scent of our blood. It passed, disappearing into the darkness.
"That was close..." I sighed in relief. "Let's keep moving, Erika. Just a little more."
Two hours passed. Three hours passed. Every step felt slow, but certain. Erika's weight on my back began to feel torturous. Not because of her body weight, but because the binding ropes pressed against the open wounds on my body.
Midnight arrived. The sound of trickling river water was heard.
My throat felt as dry as a desert. A side effect of the drug was extreme dehydration. I forced my legs to walk toward the river to stop for a moment.
I lowered Erika slowly behind a lush, safe bush.
"Wait here a moment," I said to the sleeping figure, stroking her head gently. "I'll get a drink first. Don't go anywhere."
I dragged my body to the riverbank. I drank the cold water greedily straight from the flow. After the thirst subsided slightly, I took out a few Blue Berries from my pocket, exam provisions I hadn't had the chance to eat earlier. They tasted sour, but the sugar made my brain clear again.
Just as I wiped my mouth, my instincts suddenly screamed in alarm.
There was a change in the water ripple pattern ahead.
SPLASH!
Something shot out from the water's surface. Green, slimy, and holding a trident spear. It was a Lizardman, a Tier Two monster and water ambush specialist.
"Damn it!" I cursed. "Can't you just let me drink in peace?!"
I rolled my body backward, barely avoiding the rusty trident that embedded itself where my head had been a second ago.
My hand tried to draw the sword, but its position on my back was blocked by the ground as I rolled. The Lizardman gave no pause. Its thick and muscular tail whipped my legs hard.
WHACK!
I fell onto my back. My stomach, just filled with water, felt nauseous and churned. The Lizardman jumped onto my chest, its trident aimed straight at my heart.
"Hhisss! Fresh meat!" the monster hissed, its forked tongue flicking out.
My right hand moved reflexively. Not reaching for the sword, but grabbing the Lizardman's wrist holding the spear.
We clashed strength. He had gravity and the upper position, but I had a crazy drug in my blood.
"You... picked... the wrong prey..." I growled between clenched teeth. My eyes stared sharply into its reptilian pupils. "Get off!"
The drug had been digested fifty percent. The power surge was more stable, yet far denser. I squeezed the scaly wrist with all my might.
CRACK.
The wrist bones shattered in my grip.
"KIIIEKK!" The Lizardman shrieked in shock, its spear dropping from the paralyzed hand.
Opportunity!
I drew the dagger from my waist with my left hand.
Technique: Anatomy Dissection - Minimum Senior Aura.
I did not stab the hard scaly chest. The dagger targeted the soft part under its chin. I drove the knife straight up until it pierced the roof of the mouth and entered the brain.
STAB.
"Be quiet!"
The Lizardman convulsed violently, its claws scratching my chest in its death throes, then died limply on top of me. Its cold blood soaked my mud-covered face.
I pushed the corpse aside, panting heavily.
"Tch," I spat on the ground, clearing the remaining reptile blood from my lips. "Truly a terrible dinner."
One hour later, the trees began to thin out. The surrounding air felt slightly different. More open and windy.
Up ahead, boundary stone pillars were visible. This was the Academy Forest border. The place where the magic barrier wall stood.
However, that hope was shattered instantly. The magic wall had been re-established. The transparent blue glow blocked the way home.
"Damn! Damn it!" I punched the ground in frustration. "Why is it active again? It seems I was too late."
The way home was blocked.
How to get home safely if the safest path was tightly closed?
"Think, Arin. Think..."
I pressed my forehead, covered in cold sweat, firmly. My brain was forced to find a solution amidst the panic.
BOOM!!
The sound of a thunderous explosion rang out not far from where I stood. Various light pulsars lit up the dark sky. Birds flew away from the center of that noise.
"What is that?" I squinted, staring at the flashes of light.
It seemed a brutal war had occurred around here. Why was there a war in the Academy territory? Who was fighting?
Confusion struck my mind, but one thing was certain: staying here would only invite disaster. There was no guarantee the warring parties were friends or foes.
"We have to detour, Erika," I whispered to the burden on my back. "The back way of the Academy. It is far, the sun might be up when we arrive, but it is the only way for us to stay alive."
Unfortunately, there was no other choice. These heavy legs stepped forward again. Safety was the main priority now.
I walked along the dark path again, trying to step as slowly as possible. However, unknowingly, behind me, the sound of firm and threatening footsteps could be heard following the path I took.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
At that time, I did not realize that tonight was the beginning of the conspiracy called the Academy Corruption.