Chapter 346: Hunter Exam: Theatre of War, II

Ned rolled to his side as soon as the serpent sprung to him, grazing him only by inches. Another arrow reached to him but instantly deflected by his sword, which made whoever shooting at him squeak in the distance.

The serpent was a grade D beast, much faster than E's but a little slower than C's. In which Ned could handle fairly. But it was the serpent that's keeping him off the shooter.

The shooter wasn't good but wasn't bad either. He, or she, was a good aim. If by chance, it was just anybody else, they might get what they wanted already. The arrows were made sure to not kill him but also it was made sure to maim him.

Ned got the chance to lunge himself at the shooter after the serpent took time to coil itself even further to perform a much stronger attack.

Ned dashed, end-tip firmly pointed to the ground as he made his way to the gap between the trees. A good distance he secured between him and the serpent. Above one of those crouched trees, under Ned's red display, a gleaming light he saw.

Another arrow swooshed, Ned casually raised his sword arm to block the arrow. He then jumped to his right after another arrow he saw right after the first one. But Ned was, after all, a human with enhanced reflexes that has limits. He saw gleaming lights in a volley of arrows. He could block one, or two, but the shooter made sure that Ned's escape and evasion were blocked.

In an instant, an idea came into him after he was put into a pinch. Ned threw Krisalix aiming at the highest part of the tree, deflecting the first arrow it hit, and making it stuck to the surface of the tree. All the while, he used Windturner spell to change the trajectory of the second arrow to his right, barely grazing him. In an instant he heard the rattles of the leaves behind him that came along with a hiss, Ned conjured Zephyr spell, shooting a pair of chains under his wrist. The chains traveled midair then latched themselves to the hilt of the sword. Ned then pulled himself toward the tree using the chains as his guide. Leaving the serpent behind that bit nothing but air.

Ned flung himself midair while pulling the chains under his wrist.

He only stopped after he was an inch away from the Krisalix. Ned then reached for the sword and raised his free hand extending vertically, aiming at the branch closer to him. He heard a gasped behind the thick leaves. Ned then conjured another Zephyr, latching them to the branch.

Behind, and under him, the serpent started to slither on the tree, wrapping itself as it reaches for Ned above.

Before another arrow flies past by him, Ned activated Overclock immediately after he reached the branch of the tree.

A girl in leather armor, with an open slot on his left arm from the shoulder down to his elbow, stood ready to shoot another arrow to Ned's afterimage.

"Who are you aiming to?" Ned whispered to the girl at the back of her ear.

The girl screeched in surprise, releasing the arrow untimely. She spun with her elbow coming along.

Ned blocked the elbow after he called off Overclock. He then pushed the surprised girl by her waist to the tree, pinning her closer to Ned. Silver bow hanging loose on her right hand.

"How did—"

The wind behind Ned whistled. He spun only to see dozens of arrows raining down on them. Ned gritted his teeth, raised his hand in a blur, and deflected, if not parrying, the arrows. Arrows snapped and were thrown out in different directions.

Taking the chance she got, the girl grabbed Ned's leather pouch. With having no way to stop the girl, Ned hissed as he tried to fend off the arrows heavily raining on them.

"Stay!" Realizing the arrows have yet to cease, Ned, commanded the girl to stay behind him.

Not realizing Ned's attention, the girl proceeds to jump off the tree with a smirk on her face only to catch three arrows on her shoulder, legs, and her side. Her eyes went wide as she fell above the tree. She was alive just yet. Hell, she could be alive even with the arrows lodged on her. But she won't be for long.

Halfway through her downfall, the serpent sprung at her and both fell off the tree.

"Shit!" Ned grunted and conjured Tower Blaze, shielding him from the arrows. He then jumped to reach the girl by conjuring Zephyr's spell and latched them to the scales of the serpent, but to his surprise, the chains didn't attach to the serpent. Ned instead latched them to the tree, pulling him further to the serpent, and the girl.

The arrows stopped raining as soon as Ned reached the ground. He instantly shifted his weight down to his legs and lunged himself to the struggling serpent. Ned could barely see the girl's arms leaving the gap of the coiling snake. Ned stabbed the distracted serpent as it kept on fighting with the girl.

The serpent hissed and instantly released the girl by throwing her at Ned. He then jumped back to escape the snakes attacking range and went to the body of the unmoving girl.

"Shit!" Ned scowled seeing the girl's body hissing of what seemed to be a liquid. Or an acid as the liquid kept in dissolving the girl's skin until the bone of her face was fairly visible under the bliss of the sun. On her hand was Ned's leather pouch, still intact. Ned immediately reached for his pouch before the acid creeping on her hand devour it as well.

Ned pulled his leather pouch in the nameless girl and saw a tiny glitter on her waist. It was her Storing Claim. Ned hesitated to grab the orb. But then again, goals outweighs his morality, he grabbed the orb then absorb the Mana off the orb, and he tried to transfer them to his own. Ned's arm shook after the Mana from the Storing Claim he absorbed as it was not as pure as his own. Absorbing their Mana was like a poison to him without an antidote. Ned gritted his teeth as he let the Mana linger inside his arm, bluish veins popping under his skin as they were visible like spiderwebs.

Ned then transferred the girl's Mana to his orb, relieving him of the pain.

"So that's how it is," Ned said under his breath. He forgoes the thought and spins to leave the still struggling serpent.

Ned let the Krisalix hang back to his scabbard and proceed to flee away from the serpent. He's got no reason to fight that damn beast. Yet, he stopped. He thought of the nameless girl whom he just fought. She died simply because she wanted to become a Hunter. I guess that's more than enough a reason, Ned thought.

Ned turned around. Goals outweigh his morality no more. He conjured Fireball. Shot it to the serpent, which put it ablaze. The spell made a boom but as soon as the smoke settled down, the serpent's scale shone green of energy. The Fireball was half as strong as Ned thought it would be against the serpent.

Instead, Ned activated the skill Detect. Yet, no lifeforms were detected in the radius of 15 meters aside from the serpent. This tells Ned one thing, the archers were either off to another target, which he doubted, or they were far enough to shoot him with skills against the trees, and the unexpected breeze. Ned held the thought for a moment. He then pulled the sword off his scabbard and positioned himself ten paces away from the beast. He raised the sword, aligned next to his cheekbone, and took a wide step forward with his left foot. He then opened his free arm wide exposing his chest. He was using a stance effected against brute-type beasts. By opening his hand wide, exposing his chest, along with his leg, Ned could freely shift the weight from his body to his legs, and down to the sole of his feet. Making him react and change angle freely whenever he wanted. It was especially good for opponents as big as the serpent and almost stretches ten meters from the tail to the tip of its mouth.

The serpent sprung to Ned. It was fast, but not fast enough to connect to Ned. Ned simply took a side-step to his right, letting the serpent passes through him. Ned raised the Krisalix from the serpent's flight and slashed it, cutting the serpent almost half.

The serpent fell and rolled with its reddish blood gushing out, some part of its skin oozes out acid that made small potholes underneath it. The serpent died, its Core was visible from the inside where Ned cut. But he wasn't there to harvest the Core.

Ned spun and left the dead serpent, and the dead girl, and the dead air. But not dead for long.

Ned heard an explosion on his far-right, screaming on his far left. Growling somewhere in the distance. Metals were keenly sensed all over the surrounding. Clamoring in every direction.

Ned paused and said, his free hand holding the Storing Claim, "This is going to be a war."