Book 3: Chapter 17

Book 3: Chapter 17

Human and Beast

*Picha-*

The sensation of water drop hitting my cheek woke me up.

The surrounding was so dark that I couldnt see anything. My mind fell into confusion for a moment before I calmed myself and used Night Vision next. I found that I was at the bottom of a deep hole.

I seeI fell into this hole in my battle against the Coeurl.

I had also planned to drop my enemy into a hole when choosing this place as battlefield, but the tree seemed to be even bigger than I thought. Its roots that had withered into dust left a hole that was very deep. When I looked up I could see a faint light dozens of meters above.

How much time had passed since then. Was it several hours, or only several minutes had passed? I dont know.

tsu

I stood up on a water puddle under my feet. My face grimaced from the pain in my limbs. As expected that origin Battle Technique was too much huh. Even so perhaps because I used it more for sending the rampaging mana to the Coeurl rather than in my own body, I could feel the sharp pain was gradually receding.

I got away with only light bruise after falling into a hole this deep. It might be thanks to this water puddle below me and the Coeurl acting as my cushion.

Even though the surface was a withered wasteland that it even got called as a desiccated forest, there was this much water underground. It was unthinkable.

But that conversely meant that you wouldnt be able to find any water unless you dug this deep. That was no different than this area not having any water. Either way this was still a place that was unsuitable for living thing to live in.

I stretched my body to loosen up my muscles while checking my bodys condition.

My eyes could see. My ears could hear. I got some bruises but none of my bones were broken. My stamina and magic power had decreased a lot, and perhaps I had put too much burden on my muscles. It would be difficult for me to move until I got used to the pain.

The heat of magic power that was generated after using Battle Technique was continuing to accumulate in my body, so I should think of it as being unable to use Battle Technique any more in this battle. Even if I could use it, it would only be one time and I better resolved myself to be unable to move my arm anymore for several days after that.

I had calculated my chance of surviving but when I made a plan for fighting here, even so I thought that it was thanks to my growth in things related to sorcery that I was able to come out of it with only this much wound and fatigue.

I had been training in it for some time but, I became able to use level 4 dark magic Shadow Walker must be because I had been accumulating skill experience point to some degree from using origin Battle Techniquethe body strengthening using rampaging magic power from my battle against the orc general.

But, my current fatigue and mana exhaustion was because of using origin Battle Technique as expected. I really wanted to us this technique as my actual trump card but, it wasnt really practical if it reduced me to this kind of state just from the recoil of using it for several seconds.

More importantlywhere did the Coeurl go to?

I couldnt imagine it dying just because of falling from this height. I didnt know how the situation had developed, but I lacked the mana to even circulate it through my whole body, so I took out a mana recovery potion from my pouch and emptied it in a single gulp.

Perhaps, the Coeurl had already escaped from here?

Then Viro and Samantha were in danger. Even before that they were already fighting Grave, so I too had to return.

I calmed down my impatience while trying to use Night Vision to stimulate my mana that had only returned a little. There my eyes met crimson eyes staring at me from the bottom of the darkness.

Coeurl.

I forcefully circulated mana in my body that still couldnt move like normal. I took out weight type pendulum from Storage and black dagger from my waist and faced the Coeurl.

It would be difficult to even dodge the Coeurls attack with my body that couldnt move properly right now.

In the first place its combat strength was nearly thrice of mine, so I would be the one in overwhelming disadvantage if we fought normally, but after coming this far, I myself didnt have the slightest intention of quitting.

Ill kill you here.

Guruu

When I let out a sharp killing intent, the Coeurl also responded by radiating its Pressure.

The Coeurl didnt move at the slightest as it radiated Pressure that would make a timid person to faint. I also kept my weapons raised while we kept glaring at each other with a distance of several meters between us. Then I noticed that it wasnt that the Coeurl didnt move, it couldnt move.

A large half-fossilized fragment of large tree was deeply piercing the Coeurls back until its abdomen like a stake as it lied in the water puddle that reached until the knee.

The Coeurl didnt use Pressure when fighting me. It used it now because it was in a very bad condition right now.

Its powerful claws and fangs couldnt reach the stake in that position. Its whiskers that grew from its ears could reach, but I could guess that those thin whiskers lacked the strength to destroy or pull out the fragment.

I slowly approached it while staying silent. Then I stopped walking in a position that was outside the range of its whiskers and suddenly swung down my weight type pendulum.

GUAOOO!

*Splash!*

The pendulum passed just a hairs breadth beside the Coeurls head and strongly hit the water puddle below it, causing the water to splash.

enough.

I muttered that shortly and reeled back the pendulums string before turning my back on the Coeurl and sat down on a nearby rock that wasnt submerged in water.

There wasnt any special meaning in my action. Although it couldnt move, the Coeurl was still dangerous. Its resistance against physical attack was also high, so it would take time to kill it.

Also no matter how high the stamina that a mythical beast like Coeurl possessed, it would definitely die sooner or later when its stomach was pierced through like that.

My objective wasnt killing but victory. Conversely if I could obtain victory by killing then I wouldnt be fussy with the method.

But, I didnt have any interest in toying with someone who couldnt resist, wasting time for such activity was meaningless.

However, you shall wither here and die.

<thou>

<save>

Was it saying that it would help me escape from this darkness if I saved it? Certainly it was possible to escape from here with the Coeurls physical ability but.

And I should believe you?

<right>

<I>

<pride>

<oath>

Got it.

I stared right into the Coeurls eyes. If it swore on its pride, then I would gamble on it, I thought.

Even I myself thought that it was foolish to believe the words of a beast that had tried to kill me just now but, conversely perhaps it was because we had tried to kill each other head-on that for some reason I wanted to try believing it more rather than the words of human who was sincere only on the surface.

Dont move.



I muttered those words briefly and approached closer. Then I climbed on the Coeurls back even while both of us were still on guard.

This was horribleI couldnt believe that it was still alive. I entwined a string on the rock fragment that pierced the Coeurls back several times, then I began to pull out the fragment using Body Strengthening at full power by pulling the string in a posture that was like performing a shoulder throw.

GUAOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!

HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!

The Coeurl roared with a voice that sounded like it was in its death throes from the intense pain. It was accompanied by my yell of fighting spirit. Our voices echoed on the bottom of the hole.

The fragment was gradually getting pulled out. Both the Coeurl and I were shaking. When the fragment was completely pulled out, the Coeurl stood up so abruptly that I fell down.

oi

Gua

When I complained from getting dropped on my butt, the Coeurls whiskers twined around me and pulled me out from the water.

<guilt>

No need for apology or thanks, put me down.

There was no falsehood in the oath that it made over its pride. The Coeurl listened to me and quietly lowered me on the water puddle.

The wound on its back contracted and blood had already stopped flowing from it. As expected it wouldnt heal right away, but from the look of it, it would recover in only several days. Even so the reduction of its stamina was concerning. I didnt care whether it would die or live, but it would be troubling if it didnt stay alive until we met Grave.

Eat.

I gave it all the leftover meat. The Coeurl glared at me for a moment seeing that the meats were leftover from me, but then it devoured the armful of meats in a single bite.

Go anytime however you like. Ill also just grab on you however I like.

GUAOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

The Coeurl roared after I told it that, and then it leaped up powerfully after tensing all its muscles.

At the same time, I didnt even need to hold on, the Coeurls whisker twined around me and dropped me on its back. It then finished climbing the height of dozens of meters in zigzag movement like lightning. The rock surface didnt even have time to crumble. Then without pause it dashed through the ground.

The sun was already starting to sink. Stars were glittering at the sky that was gradually being dyed in madder red.

I closed my eyes a little while feeling the smell of the air and the wind on my face. Then I glared at the direction of the battlefield that I would be heading to after this. The Coeurl also turned its face to the same direction.

Lets goto where our enemy is.

GUAOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!

.

Aria (Alicia) Race : Human Rank 4 1 UP

Magic Power : 152/270 20 UPStamina : 138/210 10 UP

Strength : 9 (12)Endurance : 9 (12)Agility : 14 (20) 1 UPDexterity : 8

Short Sword Skill Level 3Martial Art Level 4Throwing Level 3Archery Level 1

Defense Level 3String Control Level 4

Light Magic Level 3Darkness Magic Level 4 1 UPNon-Elemental Magic Level 4

Daily Life MagicMagic Power Control Level 4Pressure Level 4

Stealth Level 4Night Vision Level 2Search Level 4Poison Resistance Level 3

Simple Appraisal

Overall Combat Strength : 916 (With Body Strengthening : 1123) 304 UP