Chapter 35: Angry?
"Still alive, huh?"
I gazed at the crumpled, scaly form of the wyvern, a smirk playing at the corners of my lips.
The state I left it in was... horrifying, to say the least. In its eyes, I must have appeared as a full-fledged devil.
Every move it made during the battle was countered, every attempt at retaliation I swiftly shut down.
At first, it didn't even consider me a threat. But by now, I was probably the most terrifying being in its existence.
And I wasn't happy about it... Totally not.
I wasn't so petty as to gloat over the terror I invoked in the creature that had accidentally hit me square in the chest with its tail, almost ending my entrance exam.
"..."
Okay, maybe just a little bit.
Tap...
The wyvern's one visible eye, still clouded with confusion and pain, fixed on me as I approached.
Its breath came in ragged bursts, each exhale a harsh rasp that echoed through the silence of the valley.
For a moment, I almost pitied it.
Almost.
『 Shadow Step 』
In a blink, I stood before the creature's massive head.
Gently, I placed my hand on its snout, feeling the rough, cool texture of its scales, while raising my other hand, gripping my sword high in the air.
Pluck...
The blade tore deep into the creature's other eye, ending its suffering in one swift motion.
When the shapeshifter transformed into a wyvern, it completely abandoned its elusive form. This meant that now, it was easily killable if its vital points were targeted.
⌜Devourer⌝
❖ You've killed a Lv. 45 Shapeshifter...
» +3 Strength
» +3 Agility
» +3 Endurance
» +3 Perception
As my blade struck its mark, a 'Devourer' notification immediately appeared but I didn't have time to fully analyze its contents as I felt a weak presence of another being nearby.
Slightly shifting my head from the corpse of the massive being, I noticed the Saint approaching me from behind.
Stopping a dozen feet away she silently observed as I dislodged my blade from the wyvern's eye socket.
"You are strong."
Her solemn and somewhat surprised voice rang out.
That was... kinda weird to hear from someone like her - a person who was much more powerful than me.
Turning to face her, I felt my lips press into a thin line.
"You too."
For a moment we simply observed each other and I noticed her gaze moving towards my chest.
Confused, I also glanced down to see that a noticeable stain of blood had seeped through my uniform where the wyvern's tail strike originally landed.
In the heat of the battle, I had entirely forgotten about it.
'Curses...'
Completely ignoring the Saint's penetrating gaze, I began to unbutton my shirt, my fingers moving with an almost mechanical precision to see if the Bloody Emblem had healed the grievous wound I had suffered.
Slowly, the fabric peeled away from my skin, revealing the area where the wyvern's tail had struck me.
My chest was a mess of dried blood, but beneath the crimson stain, I could see the remarkable work of the Bloody Emblem.
The wound that should have been deep and life-threatening was now a faint scar, barely visible under the caked blood. The Emblem had done its job well, healing me to the point where I could continue fighting if necessary.
"..."
Running my fingers over the scar, I felt the smoothness of the newly healed skin.
It was incredible how quickly and effectively the Rare Item worked.
Turning my attention back to the Saint, I fully expected her to say something.
However, I was surprised to see that her back was facing me.
Her shoulders were tense and her head was slightly bowed as if she was deeply engrossed in her own thoughts.
"Go-od lu...ck in the ex..-am!"
She stuttered, her voice uncharacteristically shaky. The words seemed to hang in the air for a moment, making the situation even weirder.
As she finished speaking, I noticed that her ears were slightly red.
'Is she angry?'
Before I could even muster a response, she dashed back into the forest, her movements swift and almost frantic.
The underbrush rustled as she disappeared from sight, leaving me standing alone in the clearing.
For a moment, I was at a loss.
"Did I do something wrong?"
Scratching the back of my head, I mouthed, slowly putting my shirt back on.
Except for stealing 'a few' of her points I don't think I did something terrible.
"..."
Okay, maybe 'a bit' more than 'a few' points, but I still don't think she would react so strangely over that.
'So many questions...'
Looking at the artificial sun hovering in the sky, I sighed.
My head was already aching from everything that had happened today.
I wanted to go to bed already...