Having split off from the rest of the adventurers and successfully managed to get the S Rank Monster to chase after him alone, Verdell felt his initial excitement upon spotting Scaly approaching the S Rank Monster from behind dying down. Not because he thought she would ignore the S Rank Monster, but because he realized that there was a very real chance that she would simply wait for the monster to jump on him and kill him before attacking.
The reason behind this being that the S Rank Monster would be the easiest to ambush when it was busy attacking him, a chance that a smart dragon like Scaly would undoubtedly take advantage of to ensure her own success, something that meant he would have to figure out a way to avoid dying from the coming attack. A task that was far more difficult than it would have been in the past with how little mana he had left following the earlier distraction he had created to hold back the other S Rank Monster earlier.
Relying on his physical strength alone to survive against a monster stronger than the average S Rank Monster was not something he even bothered thinking about doing. Understanding that doing something like that would be even less safe than using what little mana he had left to create a mana barrier.
Unfortunate as this was, this was just how things were for someone who focused all their strength on a single area.
The only real solution he could think of, as he used all his strength to move through the thick foliage while glancing back every now and again to see the monster chasing him getting closer with each time he turned around, was finding some cliff he could jump off.
Not because he wanted to end things by jumping off the mountain that the pine tree forest was, but instead because he still had enough mana to perform a simple wind magic spell known as slow fall or feather fall depending on what mage you asked.
Although he doubted jumping off the mountain would be nowhere near enough to get rid of such a powerful monster, it would at least by him some time while he glided through the air… And in the situation, it jumped after him, it would present a perfect opportunity for the little dragon sneakily following from behind to launch an ambush.
In a way, the only real way for him to survive was to find a way to make Scaly attack before he ended up getting swallowed by the living swamp log in the shape of a giant wolf and jumping off a cliff was the best opportunity to accomplish this that he could think of.
Problem was, even if he had already thought of a way out, he couldn't find the cliff needed to carry out his plans. All he could do was continue running through the pine tree forest while silent praying for the forest to end and a cliff to show up.
Unfortunately, as the distance between himself and the monster shortened from a little over a hundred meters to barely fifty meters, no cliff emerged and he found himself growing increasingly desperate. Realizing that he might not encounter a cliff that he could throw himself off before the giant wolf monster made of algae caught up with him.
Rustle~
And knowing this, Verdell decided to make a desperate gamble after hesitating for a good five seconds. Abandoning the ground and using what little strength he could still muster to leap into the air and grab hold of a branch that he then used to swing himself forward to land on a branch lower to the ground.
Using the footing he gained from the branch to jump from one branch to another as he began ascending towards the canopy of the pine tree forest. For once, feeling grateful that his dexterity was the one stat he had decided to focus on when he couldn't go all in on his magic stat.
After all, in most situations, even those focused on magic would rarely ever choose a second stat that wasn't vitality, as the lifespan one would gain from having a vitality of a thousand was simply not something many people could resist.
Still, he was significantly slower compared to on the ground, as by the time he reached the top and found himself jumping from one treetop to the next, the monster chasing him had reached within only ten meters if he was still down on the ground. Giving him far less time than if he had just stayed on the ground instead of making his way to the top of the forest jumping from one tree to another. Finding his speed slowed down significantly as he struggled to balance himself atop the tall trees.
Even then, this was the only way he could get a proper read of where the nearest cliff to jump off was located. Not taking more than a single glance around himself to realize that he had been running across a relatively narrow natural pathway between two towering mountains. The pathway itself being around a hundred meters across.
Just enough for him to not realize that he would have been able to easily find a place to jump off at had he just turned to run in another direction instead of continuing forward towards what looked like a small valley surrounded by mountain on all sides, a place that would undoubtedly have been his end had he continued running without getting up above the canopy to get a look of his surroundings.
"Only one way out now…"
Silently muttering this to himself as he understood what to do next, Verdell didn't hesitate as he rushed towards the edge of the natural bridge that had created a pathway between two towering mountains-
Whoosh~
Not even bothering to look down at what was at least a thousand meter drop as he jumped off the top of a pine tree that had been leaning slightly over the edge. Applying the feather falling spell onto himself as he kept his momentum and glided through the air at a relatively fast pace. Fast enough that it would be difficult for most weaker flying monster to catch up with him as he glided through the air.
Rumble~!
Awwwoooo-!
And like he had anticipated, just as he leapt off the tree top and glided away without any control of his own movement, the giant wolf made of algae emerged from the pine tree forest. Staring towards him filled with killing intent. Hesitating for only a few seconds as its body seemed to morph into a wolf of a slightly smaller stature compared to earlier. Only with a pair of wings on its back this time around, as it also jumped off the edge of the natural bridge. Flapping its green colored wings as it took flight chasing after him.
But even though he had already expected the S Rank Monster to chase after him, he was still taken aback when the giant wolf suddenly shrank in height and sprouted a pair of murky green wings that it used with practiced ease to fly after him.
What kind of monster is this? Capable of transforming itself so effortlessly… Is it perhaps a new monster not recorded by the guild?
The shock of this transformation even caused him to wonder if this was some kind of new monster that didn't yet exist in the records of the guild, as he had never heard about this kind of unique transformation ability from a monster before.
But then again, he himself wasn't an S Rank Adventurer and wasn't too knowledgeable about most S Rank Monsters beyond the most common ones and those specifically mentioned in the guides of the dungeons he had visited.
For him to gain access to information on some of the more unique monsters, he would either have to join some large empire or equally powerful force that kept its own records on S Rank Monsters or successfully become an S Rank Adventurer.
After all, though information on monsters was widespread thanks to the Adventurers Guild, that was generally only for those below the S Rank, as certain S Rank Monsters were considered far too precious and information on them was difficult to come by. The only exception to this being giant ant queens, who was one of the rare few precious S Rank Monster capable of producing a special material that could directly increase lifespan that those below the S Rank could learn about.
All that aside, Verdell found himself nervously watching the place where the now winged wolf had jumped from. Knowing that this was the opportunity he had created for Scaly.
If she didn't show up like he expected her to upon seeing such a great opportunity, there would be no way out of his current situation, and he would soon enough be forced to undo the feather falling spell to avoid getting caught by the winged wolf. Forcing him to rapidly descend towards the ground below where he would undoubtedly be caught shortly after landing…