Chapter 186: Hear What?

Kunnohara finally managed to pull the burning arrows from its head. Before I could react, its enormous hand closed around my body. Its fingers tightened around me, crushing the air from my lungs.

I struggled against its grip and barely managed to activate Shadow Leap. My hands were pinned, so I couldn’t choose a destination properly. My body dissolved into smoke, but instead of appearing somewhere safe, I reappeared above the mountain’s edge.

Gravity immediately took over.

"Ace!"

I tried to activate Shadow Leap again, but the ability was still on cooldown. Even once it became available, I would still have all the momentum from the fall. Teleporting wouldn’t magically stop me from dropping like a rock.

Below me, the mountain disappeared into a steep drop.

Ken cast a spell I didn’t recognize. A glowing circle formed beneath his feet, brightening as he crouched down. He pushed off the ground, and the magic circle launched him forward with enough force to carry him across the gap.

He reached the edge just as I fell past it.

Ken landed chest-first against the rocky ledge, one arm stretching over the side. His fingers caught my wrist.

"Got you!"

My body jerked to a stop.

Ken’s other hand dug into the ground as he tried to hold himself in place. His boots scraped against the stone, and his arm trembled from the strain as he attempted to pull me upward.

"Ken!" I looked past him and saw the Kunnohara moving toward us. "Let me go! Run!"

"Fuck, you’re heavy, man."

He gritted his teeth and tried pulling again. His shoulder shook as he dragged my arm upward inch by inch, but the weight of both of us was too much. His chest remained pressed against the ground while his legs kicked against the rock, desperately searching for something solid enough to push against.

Kunnohara was getting closer.

"Ken!"

"Wait!"

I looked at his face and realized he wasn’t going to let go. So I made the decision for him. I twisted my wrist and forced my hand out of his grip.

I immediately dropped again.

Ken rolled onto his back just as the Kunnohara reached the ledge, then scrambled away and grabbed his bow. I fell farther down the mountain, watching him disappear from my sight as the cliffside rushed past me.

Then my cooldown finished.

I activated Shadow Leap.

My body dissolved into smoke, and a moment later I reappeared at the mountain’s edge. With a groan, I pulled myself back onto the summit and pushed myself onto my knees, still gripping my dagger.

That damn monster had nearly killed both of us.

It better give me some good loot when we finally put it down, because after all this, anything less was going to piss me off.

"You good?" Ken asked, grabbing another arrow from his quiver.

"Yeah. Let’s fire that thing up."

Ken snapped his fingers near the tip of the arrow, and the head immediately caught fire. He nocked it and drew the string back, then released. The arrow flew toward Kunnohara, but the monster swung its tail and knocked it out of the air before it could reach its body.

Guess it was time to go back to the basics for now.

I switched to Mage and raised my hand, sending two fireballs toward the monster. It stepped to the side and avoided the first one, then swung its tail upward and deflected the second before it could hit.

"Shit, nothing works," Ken said as he nocked another arrow. "We have to be smart, Ace."

"I know."

The monster suddenly lunged toward Ken. He stepped backward just before its claws reached him, then immediately regained his footing and dropped to one knee. He released an arrow from that position, and it struck the Kunnohara directly in the chest.

The arrow buried itself between the thick layers of fur, but the monster barely slowed down.

"We should run," Ken said. "This thing’s going to kill us!"

"It’s hurt," I protested. "We can bring it down."

"How?" He threw both hands to the sides. "We’re barely doing anything to it!"

"I have an idea. Just keep it busy."

Ken groaned but raised his bow again. He nocked another arrow and fired, forcing the Kunnohara to turn its attention toward him.

I used the opening to circle around behind the monster. Its attention remained fixed on Ken as he continued firing, giving me enough time to get into position. Just one good attack. That was all I needed.

Once I reached its rear, I cast Shadow Leap and appeared directly on its tail. I steadied myself on the thick appendage and moved closer to its body before opening my palm.

I switched to Mage and launched a fireball at its back. The flames struck Kunnohara and made it flinch. It twisted around, trying to find me, and one of its massive clawed hands immediately reached for my body.

I jumped backward and rolled across the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust as the creature’s claws slammed into the spot where I’d been standing.

Its health appeared again.

╔═══════════════════════╗

• DISTURBED KUNNOHARA

────────────────────────

• HP: ◒◯◯◯◯◯◯◯◯◯

╚═══════════════════════╝

Just a little more.

Ken snapped his fingers near the tip of another arrow, setting it ablaze. He drew his bow and waited until Kunnohara turned its head toward me before releasing it.

The flaming arrow struck the monster directly in the head.

Kunnohara staggered, then dropped onto both knees with a furious roar. Its massive hands reached toward its head as it struggled to remain upright, but its movements were sluggish now.

This was our chance.

I rushed forward and drove my dagger into its chest. The blade sank deep into its body, and I kept both hands around the hilt as I moved sideways, dragging the dagger through its chest and tearing through the thick flesh.

Kunnohara let out one final roar before its body finally gave out.

╔═══════════════════════╗

• BOSS SLAIN!

────────────────────────

• REWARDS:

- x5 RARE MATERIALS

- x5 UNCOMMON MATERIALS

- +500 EXP

- +5 GOLD

╚═══════════════════════╝

I quickly stepped aside as the massive creature tipped forward and crashed onto the ground beside me. Dust rose around its body as the mountain shook slightly from the impact.

I stood there for a moment, staring at the corpse.

We had actually done it.

╔══════════════════╗

> LEVEL UP!

╠══════════════════╣

> You reached LVL 8

> +1 CASS POINT

> +1 PERK POINT

╚══════════════════╝

"He’s dead?" Ken asked, still holding his bow as he approached cautiously. "Ace?"

I walked over and gave Kunnohara’s head a light kick.

"Yep. Dead as it gets. Finally."

"Oh, gods."

Ken lowered himself onto the ground and lay flat on his back. He stared up at the sky while his chest rose and fell rapidly.

"I’m exhausted," he muttered. "My hands are trembling."

"Yeah..."

I bent forward and placed my hands on my thighs, trying to catch my breath. My heart was still pounding from the fight, and every muscle in my body felt tense.

"Phew," I said. "We’re alive."

Oh, and it seemed like I had completed the side quest, rewarding me with 100 LC.

The level-up screen appeared in front of me. While I was still catching my breath, I put the class point into Mage and closed the screen. I probably should have thought more carefully about which class deserved the point, but after that fight, having more magic sounded like the best choice for now.

╔═══════════════════════╗

> LEVEL UP: CLASS

────────────────────────

[1] Warrior: Strong in melee combat, high HP

────────────────────────

[4] Mage: Masters magic, high INT and MP

────────────────────────

[1] Rogue: Fast and stealthy, excels in critical hits

────────────────────────

[1] Cleric: Supports allies, heals and wards

────────────────────────

[1] Ranger: Skilled with ranged attacks

╚═══════════════════════╝

With the class point spent, the perk point was next. I already knew where I wanted to put that one. It was on the Mage tab, under a perk called More Flow. Each point invested into Mage would normally give me ten additional mana, but More Flow increased that amount by fifty percent.

That meant every future or past point I put into Mage would give me fifteen mana instead of ten.

I checked my status.

╔═══════════════════════╗

> Ace | LC: 281 | EXP: 330/695 | LVL 8

╠═══════════════════════╣

> HP ▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▱ 101/115

> MP ▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰ 125/125

> STA ▰▰▰▰▰▰▱▱▱▱ 65/100

────────────────────────

> Class: ROGUE

> Known Abilities:

• Dead Lantern

• Mirror Knifel

• Shadow Leap

• Wall Runner

────────────────────────

> PERKS

• +15% Magic Damage

• +10% Critical Chance

• Backstab Damage

• Light of the Believer

• More Flow

╠═══════════════════════╣

> [ BAG ] [ MAP ] [ SHOP ] [ QUESTS ]

╚═══════════════════════╝

"You hear that?" I asked.

Ken looked at me. "Hear what?"

I moved closer to the cave entrance and listened carefully. There was something coming from deeper inside. It was difficult to describe, almost like a low vibration traveling through the stone. Every so often, it disappeared completely before returning again, accompanied by a faint mechanical rattling that reminded me of a machine struggling to keep itself running.

"When you were inside the cave, did you see anything?" I asked.

Ken shook his head. "I got out as soon as possible. I didn’t exactly have time to explore."

"Fair enough."

I looked toward the darkness.

"Let’s go inside and have a look around."

"Okay. Might as well. We’re already too deep in shit to turn back now."

I nodded and stepped into the cave.