It was already 12:00 PM. Sanny's words still etched into Lucien's mind: Grow stronger. He couldn't afford to waste time. So He raced towards the West Gate right away, stopping only to buy dozens of razor-sharp throwing blades and several bottles of flame fuel, stashing them securely in his system inventory – as essential bargaining chips for the unknown battle ahead.
To counter the troublesome Slime Slayer title, Lucien already had a early preparation. Focusing intently, he wove his Psyche like a thin, shimmering veil around his entire being, compressing his presence to near-invisibility.
For barely against the low intellect like "Slimes", it's apparently worked, the gelatinous green creatures remained oblivious, when he was Passing the dense cluster near the stagnant pond, But the effort was mentally draining. At his current level, he couldn't sustain it long. Pushing through the strain, Lucien followed his system panel's directional prompt, speeding towards the designated zone.
Soon, he reached the borderland. An unnerving quiet settled over the area, broken only by the rustle of wind through tall grass and the faint, and distant plop-plop of Slimes. The air smelled thickly of damp earth and vegetation. Lucien remained vigilant, maintaining his psychic shroud as he crouched low behind a dense thicket, his sharp green eyes scanning the seemingly tranquil slope of the Altumara Highlands ahead.
Sudden!
A wave of icy, predatory malice erupted from the earth directly beneath him!
Every hair on Lucien's body stood on end. He threw himself sideways with desperate force just as a thick, dark-green vine, thick as a man's forearm, exploded from the ground! It whistled past where he'd been, spraying dirt and debris!
Too slow!
"Argh!" Agony lanced through his ankle! Another vine, now alive with predatory intelligence, had snaked around his left foot. With terrifying strength, it yanked him violently upwards!
"Ungh!"The world spun. Blood rushed to his head as his vision flipped. Gritting his teeth against the disorientation and the painful pressure. when he barely enough opened his eyes dazzled by the dust, he found the whole person had been hung upside down in mid air, more than five meters above the ground! Dizziness and the pounding rush of blood threatened to overwhelm him. He twisted his body, straining his neck, desperate to see his attacker.
"Awoooooo---!"
A deep, menacing howls echoed from a depression higher on the slope. Lucien's heightened Psyche instantly pinpointed the source – three massive Timberwolves! Their hides resembled coarse tree bark, deep brown and rugged. They emerged from cover, peering down at their inverted prey from the high ground. Their emerald eyes gleamed with cruel intelligence and chilling anticipation, as if savoring the prospect of an effortless meal, and their weapons---writhing vines, were extensions of their will!
Seeing the wolves hadn't immediately attacked, Lucien seized the slim chance. He whipped out his dagger, curling his body upwards, aiming to sever the vine binding his ankle. He knew exactly, hanging helplessly was a death sentence!
But the cunning wolves wouldn't grant him that mercy. A sharp whistling sound split the air! Just as the blade neared the vine, another tendril, lurking unseen, lashed out like a whip from a deadly angle! It struck his wrist with bone-jarring force!
"Ah!" Pain flared. The dagger flew from his grasp, clattering uselessly onto the rocky ground below. The wolves seemed to sense this human's vulnerability, desperation. One threw back its head and unleashed a longer, more resonant howl – a chilling call for reinforcements!
Damn it! Panic surged. Lucien focused every shred of will, locking onto the fallen dagger below.
"Rise!"
The dagger hummed, vibrating violently. Then, propelled by an invisible force, it shot upwards! It sliced through the air in a lethal arc!
Snap! The vine binding his ankle parted instantly!
Freedom! Relief washed over him as gravity reclaimed him. But when He twisted his body, preparing to tuck and roll upon impact---
Whoosh! A vine thicker than his thigh, moving with blinding speed, materialized from his blind spot! It swept horizontally like a colossal serpent's tail, leaving only a blur!
THUD!
A heavy muffled sound accompanied by the subtle sound of bone fragmentation! The vine whipped fiercely between Lucien's defenseless waist and abdomen! The huge impact force pulled him out like a broken kite!
"Urk---Haaagh!!"
Lucien spewed a mouthful of blood in the air, and the scarlet blood mist was particularly dazzling in the sun. He fell heavily on the gravel five meters away and rolled for several times before stopping. The bones of his whole body seemed to be broken, and his internal organs seemed to be shaken out of position. Every breath involved tearing pain, and the smell of blood filled his mouth and nose.
WARNING! WARNING! HOST HP AT 8! PROJECTED NEXT IMPACT: FATAL!
The cold, mechanical female voice shrieked in his mind, like a digital death knell.
And the nearest giant wolf has approached less than ten meters! The bloody mouth opened, and the stench came to his face. The sharp fangs flashed cold, and there was only pure desire to kill in the dark green pupil!
However, in this desperate situation of life and death, the huge adrenaline shock made Lucien's mind enter a strange and almost cold sober state. Everything around him seems to have been slowed down: the track of the wind blowing grass, the slow motion of the giant wolf stepping on dead branches, and even... He can "feel" that a familiar malicious energy is rapidly condensing and breaking through the ground near his side. Another vine!
The vine, which was as thick as an adult's calf and full of sharp spines, tore the air like a noose, and with a fatal whistling sound, fiercely pumped into his throat, with blow which is enough to separate his body and head!
No time!
Please! Hold! Lucien screamed the plea internally, his survival instinct wringing out the dregs of his potential. He poured every shred of his remaining Psyche – the power that had just grown, yet remained unstable – into a desperate, focused thought: an *impenetrable barrier* manifesting instantly before him!
HUMMMMM---!
The air vibrated with a low, resonant frequency. The killing vine froze dead in its tracks, mere centimeters from Lucien's throat! Its barbed tip vibrated violently, straining against an invisible wall!
The vine pulsed with effort, groaning under the tension, but the unseen shield held firm, denying it even a millimeter!
"It worked!" Lucien was ecstatic, and the joy of surviving the disaster was intertwined with the shock of her ability and potential. He bet right! Mental power can change as you like! As long as the will is strong enough, it has unlimited possibilities!
The respite was fleeting! Gritting his teeth against the agony, Lucien's left hand shot out, grabbing the immobilized vine tip. His right hand flashed – the dagger was back! A swift, brutal slash!
CRACK!
The vine tip sheared off! Without hesitation, he pulled a flame fuel bottle. A jet of fire engulfed the severed end! Then, Lucien's eyes blazed with fierce concentration. His Telekinesis surged forth, compressing and shaping the burning vine segment with immense force!
The vine groaned under the psychic pressure. The flames were forced inwards, intensifying, condensing. Under the relentless sculpting of his mind, the supple plant matter transformed! It coalesced into a spear nearly two meters long, its tip wreathed in spectral blue flames! Twisting patterns of fire danced along its shaft, radiating searing heat!
The three Timberwolves, sensing the lethal threat, abandoned caution. With guttural roars, they charged simultaneously from three directions! Their gaping maws filled Lucien's vision, close enough to see the shreds of flesh and cloth fibers trapped between their fangs!
Lucien couldn't stand. Every breath was torture. Yet, his gaze, locked onto the wolves, burned with an intensity that seemed capable of incinerating them on the spot.
"GO!"
His mind screamed the command. His Psyche lashed out like an invisible battering ram.
The flaming spear became a crimson comet. It tore through the air with a shriek and slammed into the flank of the leading wolf!
THUNK!
"Awooooo---!"
A piercing howl of agony rent the air! The wolf was flung sideways by the impact, crashing to the earth. A charred, gaping hole marred its side, revealing seared entrails and smoldering vine fragments. It twitched feebly and lay still.
The remaining two wolves, enraged by their packmate's death, charged on undeterred, their jaws snapping inches from Lucien!
Lucien's eyes widened in desperation. His Psyche roared! The spear, embedded in the first wolf's corpse, wrenched itself free! Trailing gore and dying embers, it executed an impossible mid-air turn, slammed through the chest of the second wolf with brutal force, its momentum barely checked before piercing the third wolf's foreleg!
THUD! THUD!
Two heavy impacts! The wolves, skewered together by the psychic projectile, were hurled forward by their own momentum. They crashed down onto Lucien, who had just managed to push himself up onto his elbows!
"Ugh!" The crushing weight of the wolf corpses drove the air from his lungs. Broken ribs stabbed his insides. The stench of blood, burnt fur, and seared flesh assaulted his senses. That... had been far too close.
The System's incongruously cheerful chime echoed in his mind, accompanied by a faint trickle of restorative energy. Level up. He knew it was coming.
But the danger was far from over!
That earlier howl had done its work. Before Lucien could even gasp for breath under the crushing weight, his newly heightened Psyche screamed a warning. From all directions, at least a dozen more cold, predatory minds were converging rapidly! Like sharks drawn to blood, they moved with deadly purpose, encircling his position!
Lucien's heart sank to the bottom. In his current state, let alone fight, it is difficult to even stand up! He struggled and used his last bit of energy to activate his mind. The vine debris scattered around him and cut down in the battle just now, as well as a large number of withered branches and leaves, were gathered and stacked by invisible forces, and a half man high "fence" was quickly built around him, and then quickly ignited with a flame spray bottle.
Lucien's heart plummeted. In his current state, let alone fight, it is difficult to even stand up! He struggled and used his last bit of energy to activate his waning Telekinesis. Scattered vine debris from the battle, along with armfuls of dry grass and brittle twigs, were ripped from the ground and hurled around him. They piled up swiftly, forming a crude, waist-high barricade. He triggered his last flame fuel bottle, spraying the volatile liquid over the makeshift wall.
WHOOSH! Flames roared to life! A ring of fire erupted, encircling Lucien and the dead wolves pinning him down. Intense heat washed over him, creating a temporary barrier of light and searing pain, forcing the encircling pack to hesitate.
Fire against Wood. It was his only delaying tactic.
Next, fighting the stabbing pain of mental exhaustion, he focused his remaining Psyche. With agonizing care, he mentally drew the dozens of throwing blades from his inventory. They fanned out around him, cold steel glinting in the firelight. Concentrating fiercely, he guided them telekinetically, sending them sliding silently, low to the ground, deep into the tall grass surrounding the fiery perimeter. Like venomous serpents lying in ambush, they awaited their moment to strike.
The effort drained him utterly. His vision blurred at the edges. He had no healing potions left; yesterday's 2 Bron "windfall" was already spoken for. He could only endure, clinging to consciousness.
Time crawled, measured by the crackle of flames and the frustrated, low growls of the circling Timberwolves. When the majority had crept to within twenty meters of the weakening fire wall, cautiously probing for weaknesses—
Lucien triggered the trap.
Dozens of blades, guided by his desperate will, erupted from the tall grass like a swarm of enraged hornets! They shot through the air with deadly whistles, targeting the vulnerable throats, flanks, and eyes of the Timberwolves!
A cacophony of agonized howls shattered the air! The wet thunks of steel biting flesh, the sharp cracks of bone, the gurgling death rattles of the wolves – it became a brutal symphony of slaughter. The green grass was swiftly stained crimson!
Lucien's system panel flashed incessantly:
Congratulations! You have eliminated Timberwolf: XXX!
Congratulations! Level Up! Current Level: XXX
-Quest Progress Updated: XX/30-
-Item Obtained: Timberwolf Claw-
-Item Obtained: Timberwolf Hide-
As the final howl within fifty meters died away, his level stabilized at 16. His quest counter read [17/30]. Not enough! He needed to keep fighting!
The flames around him sputtered, dwindling rapidly. He tried to push the dead wolves off, to rise. Agony flared anew. His vision tunneled, darkness rushing in. His body, pushed far beyond its limits of stamina and Psyche, finally gave out. He collapsed back, unconscious. Yet, perhaps instinctively, a faint, final wisp of psychic energy stirred, weaving itself around him like a protective, shimmering cocoon.
WARNING! WARNING! ABNORMAL ENERGY SIGNATURE DETECTED IN VICINITY!
WARNING! UNKNOWN HIGH-ENERGY ENTITY APPROACHING! THREAT LEVEL: HIGH!
WARNING...
The cold, mechanical voice in his mind continued its futile alerts, but Lucien's world had already faded into silent, absolute darkness.