The humming river brings tranquility to the otherwise intense life of the Haunted Forest. Sometimes its rhythm breaks when it crashes on rocks as it follows the formed path, but when that is over with, it returns to its usual pace.
Nox and Mirena disturb the serenity when a Mana Hound chases them. Their dripping sweat drenches their clothes. The fabrics stick to the skin, bringing about an icy shiver to their spines.
Their breathing is erratic, as they cannot rest, otherwise, the beast will catch up to them.
Even though they can run faster than a normal human, their skill is still inadequate compared to that of the Mana Hound.
Slippery rocks mean nothing as if forgetting the laws of physics. By using the momentum from slipping they propel themselves forward and further away.
From time to time, sporadic glances behind them ensure the creature's location.
They only see a shadow leaping from one place to another with two red dots following the silhouette around.
At some point, Nox feels his body being pushed forward. He loses his balance and falls into the river.
Without even looking back, he gets up and continues as fast as he can, upstream. 'It's playing with us!'
The pumping adrenaline keeps them running, but there comes a point when they can't run any further. They both halt in front of a waterfall that crashes to the rocks beneath it.
The force of nature is instilling itself into the memories of Nox and Mirena.
The river ends where a crystal clear lake reveals itself from amongst the splattering droplets of the crashing water as if it's creating a veil of protection for those that enter it.
Standing in front of the intimidating mountain of their destination, the realization of how small they actually are causes their knees to rattle for a moment.
The howling of the beast is catching up to their ears.
In unison, they turn around.
Their eyes follow the shadowy figure as it eventually stops in front of them.
As if it's in slow motion, a red glint follows a trajectory towards the center of the head and diminishes when the eyes form.
A pitch-black fur covers the beast's body. Seeing it up close, it's as tall as an adult human. It nuzzles its snout as it stands before them. Saliva drips from its razor-sharp fangs as it growls. Its blood-red eyes pierce their very souls.
The beast narrows its eyes as if it wants to focus on them, and snarls.
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Upon hearing the female voice in his head, Nox's face distorts. 'What now?'
[Beastiary updated]
The young man's surprise causes Mirena next to him to stare. "What is it?"
Nox shakes his head. "Beastiary"
Out of black smoke, the book emerges, floating in front of him.
The girl wasn't expecting a book to appear out of thin air. "What's that?"
Nox changes the subject as his eyes remain fixated on the beast. "Keep an eye out for me"
Mirena nods and faces the growling beast.
She brings out her blade and holds it in front of her. The girl puts her guard up and in an instant, a suppressing pressure follows a change in the air surrounding her.
The Mana Hound feels the sudden change and steps backward. It raises its tail and shows the fierce teeth that can tear a human in half as easily as a twig can snap.
Her glistening blue eyes emit a cold aura that, like a fog, it plunges onto the ground, spreading out, turning the area into a field of ice.
With a single stare, and raising her guard, she made the beast fearful of taking a step closer.
Meanwhile, Nox picks up the book and goes through the pages until he finds the colored now page of the Mana Hound.
"It preys on individuals with high mana capacity. It enjoys feasting on Elves"
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[Knowledge gained]
[5 Exp distributed]
"Nice"
{Calculating…}
[Level Up]
[Magic Unlocked]
[Magical Resistance Unlocked]
[Affinities Unlocked]
[Mana Increased]
"Wait… What?"
He looks up and towards the Mana Hound. He notices the beast's red eyes staring at him, completely ignoring Mirena.
Its growling reverberates in the eardrums of Nox.
The Mana Hound runs towards him.
The girl's silver hair flutters as she rushes to stop the Mana Hound that changed its target out of the blue.
Nox crouches and with a swift motion of his hand, he activates the spell and becomes one with the shadows, barely escaping the sharp teeth.
The snapping sound from the jaw leaves a haunting feeling in his heart.
Mirena sighs in relief and halts her advancement.
The beast growls in dissatisfaction and turns its attention towards Mirena once again.
Nox surfaces from a tree shadow a little further from Mirena and the Hound with the book in his arms.
The last phrase has him pondering for a while. He remembers that on the status screen, his race shows him as a half-human. "Is my other half, that of an Elf?"
Grimmy interrupts his thoughts.
['Mirena is a half Elf']
"Mirena?"
Shaking, the young man looks toward the silver-haired girl. "She saved my life, and I-I threw her in the path of her archenemy...?!"
He grinds his teeth as his mind pictures Mirena as an Elf.
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[Beastiary updated]
He flips the pages and finds a colored one on Elves. 'Why now?'
['You did not know about it earlier']
"Elves. A magical secluded race with significant amounts of mana. Blonde with green eyes and pointy ears. Their beauty can trample cities"
"Oh, their description differs!"
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He looks in her direction once again and the beast is about to attack her. Fear held it back from attacking her, but its earlier frustration removed the shackles.
[Knowledge gained]
[5 Exp distributed]
Nox releases the book, which vanishes in an instant through the same black smoke.
Once again he engulfs himself in shadows and vanishes.
The Mana Hound opens its jaw and is about to take a bite at Mirena.
Adrenaline subsides, and fatigue is conquering her body.
Unable to move, the girl closes her eyes, waiting for the beast to end her life.
Nox emerges in Mirena's Shadow.
He steps forward.
The heavy step raises a ring of dust.
He twists his body enough to send the full force to his fist.
Nox lands a punch to the beast's head.
It transferred ripples of the force on the Hound as waves of the impact are visible in the air.
His voice is intense and the tone domineering. "Back Off!"
Nox's purple eyes are glistening as a black aura escapes his body. He releases a pressure that even the girl behind him can't withstand and falls to her knees.
The punch sends the Mana Hound flying and crashing a few meters back, raising a cloud of dust.
After the dust subsides, the beast stands up and growls.
Its blood-red eyes focus on the young man.
It approaches at a steady pace and standing a few meters in front of him; it lowers its head.
Confusion paints itself on Nox's face. "What's going on?"
Mirena opens her eyes and sees a Mana Hound bowing before Nox.
['It acknowledges you as its master']
Nox lowers his fist and with caution approaches the Mana Hound.
It remains with its head down.
The young man stands in front of the beast and puts his hand on its head.
Mirena rubs her eyes in disbelief and Nox chuckles.
The Mana Hound accepts the pat, wiggling its tail.
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[Beastiary Points Earned]
'Grimmy, you mentioned earlier, this is an Omega?'
[Yes. Either the pack's decision or its own']
Nox looks at the Mana Hound and crouches next to it. With his hand on the beast's head, he utters, almost whispering in its ear. "Your name is Umbra"
Umbra stands up and lets out a howl.
Mirena is reluctant to approach. She shivers after hearing the howl. "H-How did you do that?"
"I'm not really sure, but maybe it has something to do with the fact that my role is that of the Demon Lord..."
Nox without realizing confides in Mirena. After realizing his mistake, he shuts his mouth with both hands, but it's already too late.
Umbra lowers his head and covers it with his paws, following his master, all the while wiggling his tail.
Mirena tries to ignore the sight and utters in surprise. "Demon Lord?"
The young man nods and looks down. "I'm sorry for not telling you earlier. Even though you saved my life, I couldn't bring myself to tell you"
The girl shakes her head. Her silver hair wave until it naturally falls on her shoulders. "I meant what I said. I spent time with you and I know you are a good person. Your future doesn't matter, as long as you don't have regrets"
Nox smiles and walks closer to Mirena. "I'd like to keep helping you if that's ok with you"
Mirena's cheeks reveal a light pink. Losing her words, she utters. "D-D-Don't be an idiot. Y-You already said you will"
Nox chuckles. "Right"
Nox, Mirena, and Umbra stand before the mountain. Behind the waterfall, Nox notices a cave.
He confirms the black spot with his map and points towards it. "Shall we?"