Chapter 361 The Boy In Distress
A young boy, lithe in size, slightly tall with disheveled black hair, streaked along the blurring trees.
He was heaving and panting, buckets of sweat streaming down his face.
Despite his tiresome expression, his eyes were locked onto the front with a mature light of resolve glinting in them.
The boy's step did not waver, nor did his speed reduce for a single second. He kept running and running… with a focused gaze.
Trailing his steps to the back, multiple muscled monsters with bull heads were desperately running after him.
Armed with crude, decrepit axes and warhammers, each of their steps caused the earth to tremble with fear.
They growled and huffed like rabid cows, running with a frenzied speed that lurched only at the determination to catch the boy running in front.
The chase went on for a while, the boy displaying a handsome skill at maneuvering his way through the forest. He leaped onto branches like he had springs in his legs.
Swung from branch to branch like he was born and raised in the jungle; sometimes, it looked like the branches themselves were eager to catch him.
He gritted his teeth and beckoned in his thoughts.
'Damn it! Why did Sir Dark Terror have to disappear at a time like this? Damn, damn, damn! North asked me to be strong by the time he comes back, and yet this is how far I have improved… running away! Yet again!!'
He suddenly landed on the ground and swiftly turned to the direction of the incoming monsters.
A silver, extremely curved dagger sparkled into his hands as he turned, and his eyes shimmered with a dangerous light in them.
He gritted his teeth and grounded his trembling feet.
'I can't keep running away forever!!'
He crossed his hands in front of his face; one hand was holding the dagger, his free hand was slightly opened.
Then he fixed his gaze solely to the front.
As the monsters came into view, he leaped to the front, flying towards the monster's ox-like head.
Then he dropped and plunged his dagger into its eyes with a loud shout.
Grabbing the curved horns immediately as the monster thrashed around.
The boy held on tightly and continued to stab the monster's eyes multiple times.
He stabbed and stabbed, along with so many cries and shouts until the monster eventually stopped and dropped to its knees.
Then the boy rolled away, but he immediately stood up and got into stance; he still had four other foes to fight after all.
He glared and snarled at them as they did at him. Both combatants, one monstrous, the other humane, circled each other in a primitive way.
The boy's frail dark eyes were locked on the monsters as he maintained a low stance and carefully circled them as they did to him.
Then there was a slight pause, one that came with a strange howling of the forest.
And the next beat followed as one of the monsters powerfully threw himself forward, tearing through the wind with his body.
The boy threw his frail hands forward and belatedly blocked the axe of the monster, causing sparks to fly in all directions like an odd and uncelebrated firework.
The boy reeled back from the impact of the attack, tumbling over his head and hitting his back on a tree.
He coughed out blood and fell forward. But immediately rose himself up.
The monster slowly walked towards him, seeming to enjoy this moment.
All odds were currently against the boy; with his sharp but small dagger, he would be able to do little to no damage to these muscled monsters.
Except he had an opportunity like before. And those kinds of opportunities do not make it an everyday routine to come for a visit.
The boy ground his teeth.
His hands trembled, but he moved them forward, clenched the dagger even more tightly.
"It can't end like this… I can't end like this… I don't want to die… but… but…"
His lips trembled as he muttered to himself.
'I have put in so much effort to grow stronger. I have even become a Master now.
'My talent ability has improved, my senses too have sharpened. I have become an actual asset to my Faction and Sir Dark Terror.
'I can run very well now, and I am very agile. Because of my sense attribute, I can use spatial awareness and don't even need to necessarily look before I am aware of my enemies.
'I have the theory know-how of combat and can deliver some strategic and battle-decisive attacks. I can also hold my own when it comes to a battle of attrition.
"I have really improved, I'm not weak… I'm not like before. I have changed, even if it was just by a little. I have changed. I swear I have!!!"
He shouted and lurched himself forward, staggering as he ran, but instead of rising as he staggered, he took advantage of it to go even lower.
Attacking from below like a boar, before the monster could bring its ax down on him. The boy had passed through his legs and slashed both tendons of the monster's heel.
The boy turned and jumped up, raising his sword and stabbing it into the monster's neck.
He repeated the stab, shouting like a crazed individual, not caring as blood splashed on his face.
Just like that, the monster also fell. Not giving chance, the rest of them came upon him.
He immediately threw himself back to give space, but one monster appeared from behind.
His eyes widened as he belatedly caught wind of the monster as it came from behind a tree.
'It hid away from me? When?'
It was too late to save himself.
And thus, he received a powerful smash from the monster's hammer.
He was sent flying away, crashing into a tree.
The other three paused and turned back, then rushed towards him.
Blood ran down his face, blurring the vision of one of his eyes.
But he could still manage to make out the monsters as they ran towards him for the kill.
'Dammit…' He thought, 'I really have failed, huh…'
His eyes slowly closed as the monsters got to him and raised their weapons.
Before they could bring them down, however, a large burst of wind suddenly streaked past the place, and all three of the monsters were ignited with black flames.
They began dancing and growling so loudly and thickly.
Someone stopped just behind the tree he had crashed into; another person stopped in front.
The person in front was a lady, in tattered white and red armor.
She had a disinterested look on her face.
The boy, with his blurred vision, watched as the monsters thrashed around and finally fell to the ground.
Straining his eyes, he raised them to the lady in front of him.
'Was it her?'
Then someone walked to his front.
The person was in lustrous black metal armor, with long white hair that reached his jaw, flowing gently with the wind.
Their face was pale and roughed, but their eyes. Those eyes.
The boy's eyes widened immediately as he saw the blue eyes, gleaming with a primal light.
'North… Northern?'
Northern raised a hand with a small and pitiful smile.
"Yo, Ellis."