Vell stood over it, his pose exuding confidence but upon closer look, he noticed that despite his attacks, there was no visible damage. He took a step back, it was too dangerous to be close.
'do you know this thing?'
[My analysis is coming back with nothing, maybe its a new species.]
'hmm. My attacks did not damage, its skin is super tough, my hands even sting a little.' He looked over to Yenna who was still watching without saying a word. His gaze fell back onto the creature, his grin widening.
'A new species huh, i wonder what i will get after I eat its core, just thinking about it is making me excited.'
[Master? please control yourself.]
'Relax, I am fully under control. Anyways, this forest sure is full of surprises, first a rare species of slimes, then a giant snake and now an unknown monster appears?.....though, there should be more, i definitely felt more than one watching, so where are the rest?'
[Be on guard, they might jump out any second if they see an opening.]
'...why would they only send one? is this a test, to see how strong I am?' His thoughts distracted him, making him have an opening, just enough for the alien in the crater to leap out and grab him by the throat.
{Not bad...for a human.....no, are you even human? well, doesn't matter either way.}
'intelligent monster? crap, that means it's at least DD-Rank, this is bad, really bad.' He struggled, trying to break free but he was too weak.
"Let him go!" Yenna used her feline moves, trying to get an attack in but one flick to the chest sent her flying.
Wren and the slimes also tried to help, 'stop, stay back, its too dangerous.' They heard his command and backed off, though Wren was still very much eager to attack, seeing her master in pain felt like torture.
{Tell me, what are you doing in our forest? Last time we let you go since you killed that annoying pest but now you came back again, why? Do you have a death wish?}
"Kugh, why the fuck should I tell you? ugly as bastard, your breath stinks."
its veins popped and grip tightened before it threw him away at incredible speed. Vell tried to collect him thoughts mid away, a plan to counter attack or escape but when it appeared in front of him in an instant, he knew it was impossible.
It landed a direct blow to his face and the punch directed him at the ground with a thunderous crash. The impact cratered the earth beneath him, sending shockwaves through the forest. Pain radiated through his body as he tried to steady his breathing. Blood trickled from his mouth, and his vision blurred, but his grin didn't waver.
'Fast, strong, and intelligent. This thing really is top-tier,' he thought, the thrill of the challenge battling the pain.
The creature loomed over him, its glowing eyes narrowing. {You dare mock me, human? Or whatever you are. Your arrogance will be your undoing.}
Vell chuckled weakly, spitting blood onto the ground as he pulled himself up, defiant even in the face of overwhelming odds. "What can I say? I like to keep things interesting."
'what am i doing? I am facing something i can't hope to beat and yet.....adrenaline is rushing through me, i want to fight it, i want to push myself to the limit, I WANT TO BREAK THROUGH MY CIELING!'
His heart was pounding with excitement and he felt like he could do anything. The raging mana around his became smaller, turning into a layer that protected his body. The creature tilted its head in fascination.
{'Would you look at that, i knew i didn't see wrong last night....this human can indeed use corrupted mana and his control is not bad either, he turned it into a protective layer to reduce the damage from attacks.'}
'That's probably what he is thinking but he is in for a big surprise. It will not defeat it but the look on its face will be worth it.'
He relaxed his muscles, exhaling and then.....he vanished into thin air. The creature went on alert, putting up its guard but even it did not see the attack that connected with its face.
{Hm? is that it? how disapp-} A forced knocked it away but it regained it balance fast. {What was that just now?.....} It noticed that its vision blurred for a few seconds and then blood began flowing from its nose.
{Eh?}
"Would you look that, it bleeds after all." His voice was low and cocky, but this was all an act, 'that took a lot of mana, I emptied one core already...its fucking strong, that was a full powered attack. If only i could use (that)'
His thoughts got cut off after a sinister mana filled the air, making his skin crawl. Even the ambient sounds of the woods seemed to hush, as if the creatures themselves were paralyzed by its presence.
His instincts screamed at him to retreat, but he stood his ground, his body trembling not with fear but anticipation.
{Haha.....hahahaha....this is absurd.....a human.... a human made me bleed? ME!}
It's mana spiked, the ground under it barely holding and the air itself looked as though it was being sucked away. It became hard to breath, this was unlike anything he had faced before.
In the face of true power, fear was slowly taking over, his smirk faded and all that was left was a nervous expression.
'What the hell is this? This thing was already strong… but now…' Vell's thoughts raced as he struggled to maintain his stance. 'This power is on a whole different level. It's as if he is sucking power from the forest.'
It stepped forward, its every movement sending a shockwave of mana through the air. The energy around it was more monstrous and primal. {I was going to give you a swift death for your insolence, but now...} Its voice was low, cold but laced with raw anger. {I will make you suffer.}
'This might be where i die.'
He thought with a nervous smile, not sure what to do in this situation.