"This, don't tell me.'
Under Naib's fearful expression, hoping that the beast hadn't noticed him. The mutated fire hound, upon sniffing the lingering scent within the atmosphere, suddenly barked in Naib's direction.
With blazing eyes, not caring about the state of the earth centipede in front of it, the hound then wildly dashed toward the tree in the distance where Naib is currently hiding, mouth wide open, revealing the bloody canine tooth behind as if it couldn't wait to eliminate the possible enemy lurking around.
It could be said that, despite the fatigue that it had shown earlier, the mutated fire hound's current speed still sent shivers down Naib's spine, making him tremble on the spot!
"D*mnit, I surely couldn't outrun it; it's better to risk my life than try outrunning it!'
Swish~
However, despite the thought, Naib's body instinctively turned around, gripping the rusty sword in his hand as he began running for his life.
Although he knew that his action was somewhat cowardly and probably wrong, the mutated fire hound's 25 points of stats on its physical potential instinctively made him avoid confrontation.
With 25 points of physical potential under its name, the hound's overall physical stats, including strength, stamina, speed, and toughness, were bound to be above its peers! Something that his weak body couldn't contend against.
At least, fighting it head-on is extremely unwise!
As for now, the only reason why the mutated fire hound still hasn't caught him is because of its low stamina and the injuries it sustained upon fighting that earth centipede earlier, making its state far from its peak.
Even so, even in its current state, the distance between it and Naib is diminishing every second, almost causing Naib to cry in pure bitterness.
"F*ck! I should have escaped earlier upon seeing its enhanced sense of smell skill.' Thinking of it, Naib couldn't help but blame himself for not being cautious enough.
However, understanding that this can't go on since the hound will catch up sooner or later, or worse, he might attract other beasts' attention due to the noise they were generating — adding to his dire problem — Naib's eyes hurriedly scanned his surroundings while sprinting desperately, hoping to find some leverage that he could use in his current situation.
Unfortunately, other than the dense vegetation and trees that stretch beyond his vision, Naib can't find anything useful, causing him to curse his luck.
"So be it; if I were going to die today, I would drag you with me!'
Feeling the temperature behind him increasing drastically, drying his skin at a visible speed. Naib immediately knew that the mutated fire hound was already close, making him feel the familiar scent of death for the second time.
If he doesn't do anything, he will certainly die!
Hence, in his desperation, Naib crudely manipulated the star force within his being, guiding it to his soles as quickly as possible as he used the Wind Riding - Basic Mastery for the first time!
Although the second skill he has in his arsenal sounds like a movement skill, in fact, it is actually a skill that can momentarily boost one's dexterity, allowing one to side-step and maneuver in a certain way beyond normal means.
In an instant, after successfully feeling the star force on his soles, Naib immediately kicked the ground with his left foot — causing his figure to go left — instantly distancing itself from his previous location by 1 meter.
Boom!
Sure enough, after he had just distanced himself from his previous location, the mutated fire hound immediately hit the ground with its gaping mouth. It probably jumped earlier to bite Naib's back, intending to quickly subdue the latter, unfortunately, due to Naib's timely use of his skill, the hound's prey evaded the impending doom in a timely manner.
"An opportunity!'
Seeing that the hound still hadn't gotten up from the ground, Naib, despite being shaken from fear, quickly utilized his Basic Sword Style, feeding 5% of his star force to the rusty sword in his hands before slashing toward the struggling beast with force — venting the fear he had just experienced earlier as he swung the sword with desperation.
DIIEEE!
Slash~
Awwoooo!!!
Right away, hot, crimson blood blossomed within the atmosphere, splashing afar and dyeing the grasses nearby, creating a faint sizzling sound due to their high temperature that silently echoed along with the agonizing cry of the hound.
On the ground, within the body of the mutated fire hound, a long gash of wound can be seen continuously oozing with blood. However, despite the injuries it received, the hound is still alive, growling as pain and anger are reflected in its glinting eyes!
Seeing this, Naib again fearfully raised the sword in his hand, using the basic sword style skill a couple of times, which eventually ended the life of the mutated fire hound.
Ding!
[ Killing a Mutated Mid-Mortal beast.
+4 Fate Points
Current Fate Points: 8 ]
...
[ Basic Sword Style - Basic Mastery proficiency increases by 6% upon using it in a dangerous situation. ]
[ Basic Sword Style - Basic Mastery (17%) (Mortal) ]
...
Huff~
"For... Fortunately, it was exhausted and wounded earlier, or else I might really die today. It would be really embarrassing if I died on my first day of transmigrating.
"Hmm, maybe the venom of the earth centipede also starts to act up, causing its combat ability to drop drastically."
Calming his emotions down, Naib then hurriedly cut a portion of the hound's meat, consuming it in a hurried manner as they instantly liquified upon touching his stomach; their nutrients coursed through his physique before equally distributing around his body.
Following that, the faint clarity and understanding soon magically appeared within his mind, further deepening his understanding of the Basic Sword Style skill.
As for the other skill of his, he probably needs to use it often before his proficiency begins to increase.
"The reaction to the sudden increase in the proficiency of the skill isn't as drastic as before; it's probably because the increase is only 6% or it's just that I already have a foundation on it."
Opening his eyes and looking at his body, which had gained a slight weight, Naib's lips curled upward, feeling satisfied as he soon began hacking the skull of the mutated fur hound.