Determined not to back down, Kael tightened his grip on his sword. He took a deep breath, steadying his nerves, and whispered the name of his newly-learned technique:
The moment the words left his lips, something changed.
A powerful surge of energy rushed through his body and into his blade. It wasn’t just ordinary energy—it felt pure, radiant, and almost divine.
The sword began to glow with a soft, celestial light, as if it were forged from the stars themselves.
With one fluid, sweeping motion, he raised the glowing sword and slashed down in an arc, aiming directly for the creature’s head.
His target: the twisted, corrupted silver horn jutting from the beast’s skull.
The blade whistled through the air, leaving behind a glowing trail that briefly lit up the dark
A blinding spark exploded on impact as the glowing sword grazed the creature’s forehead. The beast let out a deafening hiss, a mix of pain and fury, as smoke rose from the cut.
Even though Kael didn’t fully sever the horn, the strike had clearly hurt it—enchanted hide or not.
Actually the beast was so strong that those with higher ranks would be unable to hurt him but since Kael got the skill from the demon itself, it made the beast a little hard.
The Shadow Leech recoiled, its body twisting unnaturally. Its eyes flared red. In a sudden, violent motion, the monster opened its maw wide, and from deep within its throat, darkness gathered.
A wave of pure shadow energy exploded outward.
Kael barely had time to raise his sword in defense before it hit him like a crashing wave. The impact was brutal—like being slammed by a hurricane made of darkness and hatred.
His body flew backward, skidding across the ground as dust and rocks scattered in every direction.
Pain shot through his chest. His vision blurred. The sword slipped from his hand and clattered beside him.
Still... he gritted his teeth and pushed himself to sit up, coughing.
Even though he was hurting, Kael’s eyes burned with determination.
"Why the hell is the beast even here and he doesn’t seems to show his full strength"
He staggered to his feet, trembling.
His body ached from multiple wounds—the tail lash across his side, deep cuts on his arms, and a searing pain in his left leg.
He wiped blood from his mouth and gritted his teeth.
This was no ordinary fight. The beast’s strength, speed, and dark magic far exceeded anything
Kael had faced before.
He lunged forward again, sword flashing in desperate strikes, but the leech was always step ahead, dodging, countering, and battering him with crushing blows.
Kael was losing ground fast.
His mind raced for a plan.
Kael’s eyes darted toward a large stone near the ridge—the very stone under which he had hidden two elixirs: the Elixir of Strength and the Power Boost Elixir.
If he could just get there, drink them, he might gain the edge he desperately needed.
Mustering his remaining strength, Kael broke away from the shadow leech’s attacks and sprinted toward the stone.
His breath came in ragged gasps, blood dripping from fresh cuts.
Kael stumbled through the scattered debris, breath ragged and shallow. His body ached from the blast, but he forced himself to move.
His eyes locked onto a moss-covered stone ahead—the spot where he had hidden his backup supplies.
"Please... let it still be there," he whispered.
He dropped to his knees beside the stone and crouched low. His fingers, scraped and trembling, clawed at the edge of the slippery moss.
He struggled to lift the heavy rock, biting his lip in frustration. The damp earth stuck to his hands as he pried the stone upward, heart pounding in his chest.
Underneath, there was nothing.
The small leather pouch—his emergency stash of healing elixirs—was gone.
"No... no, no, no—this can’t be happening!"
"I clearly remember I kept in here.."
His heart sank like a stone in the water. He stared at the empty patch of dirt in disbelief. For a moment, time seemed to stop.
His carefully laid plan... his one lifeline... had vanished.
(Had someone taken it? Did an animal sniff it out? Or... was it the wind?)
His mind spun with questions, but none of them mattered now. The pouch was gone, and with it, his only chance to recover mid-fight.
A cold wave of panic crept over him. His hands fell limp at his sides.
All his preparations... wasted.
The pressure in his chest tightened, and the weight of despair pressed down on him like a boulder. His legs felt weaker. The fight, already difficult, now seemed nearly impossible.
And then—a piercing screech behind him.
The Shadow Leech had sensed it—his hesitation, his hopelessness.
Kael’s body jolted at the sound, adrenaline forcing him to move.
He scrambled to his feet, turning just in time to see the beast charging forward, its massive jaws wide open, ready to rip him apart. Its eyes burned with hunger and rage.
He reached for his sword, but even that felt heavier than before—not just from exhaustion, but from the crushing realization that he was now truly alone.
No plan. No second chance.
He clenched his jaw and raised his weapon.
The battle wasn’t over.
But one thing was clear to Kael
If he made even one more mistake... it would be his last.
(But it’s okay... I still have one more elixir. The one Cecelia gave me.)
Kael’s chest heaved as he forced himself to run, each breath like fire in his lungs. The dense brush scraped at his arms and legs, branches clawing at his already torn uniform.
Fresh blood trickled from a deep gash on his upper arm, soaking into the fabric and dripping onto the ground.
Another swipe came—a tendril of darkness sliced through the air behind him with a sharp hiss, barely missing his back. The ground shook slightly under the beast’s advance.
The Shadow Leech was relentless, its monstrous shriek slicing through the silence like a jagged blade. The sound was unbearable—like metal grinding against bone, a violin string snapped under too much pressure.