'Damn! This really isn't worth it. I thought Second Order monsters would give more Soul Vitalis, but it's the same as First Order. Or is it because I've already ascended? Sigh! I shouldn't have touched Jude's kills, but I hate his face,' Draven thought as he watched them approach the hill.
'Do I fight them, one against two? This isn't fair! Well, life was never fair. Besides, battling them would just waste Soul Vitalis with no real benefit. Wait… why am I even talking like I could take on both of them?'
Draven squinted as Jude and the girl began scaling the hill.
'Let's escape and leave this fight for another day. I've got better things to do.'
Facing the other side of the hill, Draven made his decision.
He hurled his bow downhill, halting its fall with Psyche Weave. It hovered a few meters above the ground, its dim blue glow barely visible against the moss's soft light.
Draven pressed his body flat against the hilltop, crawling backward on his elbows and belly as Jude and the girl closed in. Once he was out of their sightlines, he anchored himself and vaulted down the slope in a wide, calculated arc, dropping toward the levitating bow.
Mid-flight, he grasped the bow, using its anchored position to pivot his body into a whip-like flip. Momentum bent the bow, but Psyche Weave held it rigid just long enough for him to land soundlessly on the ground.
Draven dismissed his bow.
Without stopping, he sprinted along the base of the hill, his fingers skimming the surface until they found a crevice—a jagged slit hidden by thick moss. He cleared the moss inside the crevice to blend into the darkness and squeezed in. Then he went still and activated [Stasis], reducing his presence to near nothingness.
His breath and heartbeat slowed, and he remained perfectly still.
'Let's hope this works.'
Draven waited with bated breath, though he couldn't hear much of what was happening outside.
After five minutes, boredom set in.
Draven remembered the new gear he'd acquired.
He quickly checked it.
'Obsidian Carapace. It better have an additional skill.'
Opening the description, he read:
–––
[Gear: Obsidian Carapace]
[Rank: Transient]
[Order: Second Order]
[Type: Armor]
[Description: A full-body armor crafted from the shell of the Obsidian Worm. Designed to absorb and deflect impacts, it's ideal for close-quarters combat.
–––
'Nice. I should've checked my arsenal earlier. This would've helped me escape the hilltop without worrying about noise. But it's all good now,' Draven mused as he waited.
About ten minutes later, Draven squeezed out of the crevice and stretched his stiff body.
Without wasting time, he dismissed the arrow he'd used as a decoy and his brown armor, summoning the Obsidian Carapace instead.
A sleek, black, full-body suit of armor wrapped around him from head to toe. The Obsidian Carapace resembled the cylindrical, segmented body of an Obsidian Worm. The helmet was a flat black plate with two short horns, revealing nothing of his face. The armor was lightweight, with a soft and comfortable interior.
Draven moved around, testing its flexibility. It didn't impede his movements at all.
'With this, I can hide and steal kills more easily. Let's get out of here before those two come back.'
The sky was no longer dark.
Draven sprinted away from the hill, the armor silencing his footsteps.
He passed through barren, destroyed lands dotted with strange trees but saw no monsters. Eventually, he reached a place shrouded in green mist.
'Monster's Den—a forest zone filled with short trees that release green mist, obscuring vision. It's a place where monsters hide.'
Squinting, Draven peered through the mist but could only see about ten meters ahead.
Exhaling, he nocked an arrow and entered the mist, Soul Eyes already activated.
He'd chosen this place because of the abundance of monsters—most Elites avoided it due to the reduced visibility and the high risk of ambushes.
Draven moved cautiously, his head swiveling as he scanned for threats.
At the border, he saw nothing, but as he ventured deeper, the mist thickened.
He halted when he noticed six white lights in the distance.
'Something's coming.'
Draven quickly climbed a tree and hid in its crown. He summoned Verdant Reaper and placed it by his side before going still and activating [Stasis].
Like the worm, the white lights soon transformed into dense white flames as they drew closer.
'Five Second Order, one First Order,' Draven deduced from the intensity of the flames.
He waited until the creatures came into view—six black wolves sauntering through the mist.
Draven bided his time, waiting until they passed directly beneath him.
He aimed his arrow at the lead wolf, but the moment he pulled the string, the wolf snapped its head upward.
'Shit!'
Draven released the arrow early. A blue streak shot downward, but the wolf dodged, and the arrow struck the ground.
The other wolves howled in alarm.
'Dammit!'
Calming his nerves even with his pounding heart, Draven recalled the arrow, which reappeared in his grasp. But the lead wolf vaulted upward like a cannonball, aiming straight for him.
Draven sent the two swords slashing downward with Psyche Weave while pulling his bow.
The wolf smashed one sword aside with its paw, slowing its ascent. The second slash struck its paw, sending it plummeting with a pained whine.
Draven released the enhanced arrow at that moment, piercing the wolf's skull before it could dodge.
[Second Order Transient rank killed: Wild Wolf.]
[+1 Soul Vitalis.]
The wolf crashed to the ground, dead.
The remaining five wolves released a chorus of furious howls before crouching and leaping at him.
'Ignore the First Order,' Draven concluded.
In a split second, Draven recalled the arrow and shot at one wolf, while sending his swords slashing in two different directions to intercept two others. He leapt to another branch to dodge the remaining two wolves.
A thunderous crash echoed as two wolves were sent flying, their paws injured, while another lay dead with an arrow through its skull. The remaining two smashed into the tree, shattering half of it—especially the Second Order wolf.
The wolves' howls shifted from rage to madness.
Draven swiftly recalled his arrow and replenished the Soul Vitalis in his swords.
He held his shot, waiting for the wolves to leap again so he wouldn't miss.
Narrowing his eyes, Draven watched them carefully, calculating how to maximize his kills.
The four wolves vaulted toward him in unison, their howls echoing through the mist.
Draven sent both swords thrusting at the head and belly of one wolf, their movements a blur, while firing an arrow at another. He then bounded forward in a wide arc, keeping his gaze locked on the wolves as he pushed his weapons to their limits.
The arrow plunged into the wolf's head, killing it instantly. The second wolf twisted its body, dodging the sword aimed at its head, but the other blade pierced its stomach.
Meanwhile, the remaining two wolves smashed into what was left of the tree, reducing it to a splintered stump.
Draven landed and rolled to his feet, recalling his arrow as the remaining wolves—a First Order and a Second Order Transient—roared and lunged at him with terrifying speed.
Pulling the bowstring taut, Draven focused sharply. The arrow flared with a blue hue as he fired, then leapt out of the way.
The arrow punched through the skull of the Second Order wolf, sending it tumbling past Draven's previous position.
The last wolf was upon him, its gaping maw filled with serrated teeth. Draven sidestepped to dodge, recalling his arrow just as the wolf's paw smashed into his shoulder.
Draven barely felt the impact, his armor absorbing most of the blow. He sent the arrow shooting forward with Psyche Weave, piercing the wolf's eye and punching through the other side of its skull.
The wolf collapsed, dead.
Draven retracted his helmet and exhaled loudly, slumping to the ground.
He began hearing loud footsteps and growls from all directions.
'Damn.'