With a slightly dazed expression, Elias watched the bald man rapidly moving along the path.
*Damn! Time for Plan B!*
Elias had nothing else to do other than to run!
*What the hell! He is supposed to be paralysed, not chasing me like a bloodthirsty hound!*
Elias glanced back and saw a figure of the bald man slowly closing the distance between them.
*System! What's going on? Could the herbal liquid go bad or something?*
[Ding!]
[Unlikely, according to preliminary analysis, extract's potency should be preserved for at least three months.]
*What is going on then?*
Elias's mind fell into a state of panic as he ran for his life. Thanks to vague memories of Feron, he knew the place well enough not to run into a dead end, but this was obviously not enough.
The bald man kept closing in without showing any sign of paralytic liquid taking effect. Elias could only keep running. He reached into an inner pocket of his clothes, and pulled out a leather pouch. He opened it and squeezed the contents inside of it into his mouth. It was a paste made of Blue Alacita, Warm Leshet and Firbin's Peony. Although his body did not possess the mutation required for his muscles to absorb the energy in the herbs, he has found a way to create a paste that could recover his stamina instead. With this paste, his stamina would be roughly on par with an ordinary tribal warrior. All he needed to do now is to tire the bald man out, then he would have a chance in a head-on fight with him.
"YOU THINK YOU CAN RUN FROM ME?!"
Bald man roared. He was drilling Elias's back with a hateful gaze for a little bit more than ten minutes already. He wasn't sure what he got splashed with, but it surely wasn't anything good since his brother did not give chase. He had to deal with the kid quickly and find his brother.
"I need to catch this kid alive and question him, if this is poison, I will make him die in agony after I beat the antidote out of him… Hmm, he should have some on him."
A lot of thoughts were running through the bald man's head, but he shoved them away and focused on chasing Elias.
Time went on. Bald man continued to shout his insults and taunts, but Elias was too focused on the path in front of him. As long as he keeps moving, he is relatively safe. But there was another problem now. They were approaching the borders of the region Elias was familiar with!
More importantly, the bald man's shouting scared all the birds in the area. Such a commotion could attract a scary beast! Animals on the mountain were very territorial. Usually they would stay within their territories, and wouldn't leave without a good reason, but they also would confront any intruders that come into their lands! However, a commotion like this could draw them out!
But that was the last thing on Elias's mind right now. He had finally left the parts he was familiar with! He entered an area with a denser vegetation, so now he had to dodge the small trees that were growing here. From now on, all Elias's focus was on what was in front of him. As he kept running, scenery around him was gradually changing. It was clear that he was on some kind of a plateau since the ground under his feet and in front of him did not seem to have much inclination, but this plateau had a worrying characteristic. It was flanked by rocky cliff walls from two sides, creating a kind of a natural passageway. Elias could only pray that it has an exit on the other side, but it seems like his prayers weren't heard, as all he saw was two cliff walls coming together.
*Damn it!*
Despair started to grow in his heart. He glanced back and saw that while the bald man was starting to show the signs of exhaustion, he was still too fast enough to intercept Elias if he tried to run back. Elias turned his head to the front and noticed something. There was a cave right in the middle of the cliff wall!
*A cave! It may have a second exit!*
Filled with a newfound hope, he dashed straight for the cave. There was a clearing right before it, so it did take him less than ten seconds to reach the cave, but as soon as he entered, he remembered something. A natural shelter like a cave won't stay empty! He looked back, and saw the bald man covered in intense sweat rushing towards him.
"HAHA! YOU ARE DEAD, KID! LET'S SEE HOW YOU RUN NOW!"
*Screw it, if something lives here, at least it will eat the bald guy as well.*
Elias proceeded to move deeper into the cave. As he ran, he saw that the cave itself was relatively narrow at it's entrance, but gradually widened up. The deeper Elias went, the higher the ceiling of the cave moved until eventually, he arrived at a spacious cavern that had a hole in it's ceiling that allowed some light to enter.
Light fell down onto a small island in the middle of an underground lake. Elias looked around and instantly noticed numerous bones strewn around, but there was no sign of the owner of this cave.
He quickly began to circle the cavern but there was no second exit here.
*This is it. I'll have to fight him here.*
Elias's lungs were burning after running for so long. His heart was pounding and his palms were sweating. He looked back to the entrance. Silence of the cave was broken by echoing footsteps of his opponent. With each step, Elias's anxiety grew.
*Calm down Elias, if you let fear control you, you are dead meat.*
Elias's breathing started to gradually calm down. He did not notice it himself, but he gradually started to breathe according to the Basic Breathing Technique, and somehow, in this stressful moment, he finally managed to integrate it into his body's natural breathing.
*I can't run anymore. It is either fighting or waiting for death now.*
Elias suddenly understood that he truly hated this feeling. Ever since he transmigrated, his life was always decided by others. Whether it was the system taking over his body, or Gaden taking away his livelihood, it was always others deciding the outcome of his day. He was weak, but he did not want to be weak! He wanted to be strong, he wanted to be no more afraid!
Elias clenched his fists. The footsteps were getting louder. But now, with every one of them, Elias's determination grew! He looked around, and quickly came up with a plan. A smile appeared on his face. If one ambush did not work, he just had to make two!
-------------------------------------------
Out of the cavern entrance, a bald man stepped out. He was still breathing heavily. As soon as he entered the cavern he scanned the entirety of it with his gaze, but Elias was nowhere to be found. He furrowed his brows as a feeling of unease started to grow in his heart.
"Where did this kid go?"
Bald man took a deep breath. Smell of a damp cave mixed with rotten meat filled his lungs. He glanced towards the bones on the cave floor.
"Did he get eaten by something?"
He started to regret coming here. He could have waited outside instead, since the kid would have to come out eventually. This option was growing in it's attractiveness with every moment.
"To hell with it! This kid is not going to survive getting eaten by a beast. There is no point for me to die as well."
Bald man has turned around to leave.
Clatter!
As soon as he heard some pebbles fall, he turned back. He spotted a few new pieces of rock right in the middle of the cavern.
"What the..."
He came closer to take a look at them, but as soon as he crouched, a sudden realization came to him. He quickly looked up only to see Elias falling towards him!
Elias's feet made contact with the bald man's face!
Crack!
Bald man's head was twisted at an unnatural angle. He went limp and fell to the ground only to serve as a cushion for Elias who was continuing to fall.
Thud!
The impact forced the air out of Elias's lungs as he tumbled to the ground. Gasping for air, he laid there for a minute, before finally getting up. The first thing he saw was the dead bald man.
*That was underwhelming. To think that I was running for so long from him...*
Elias got up, still shaking from the adrenaline. On his face, there was a wide smile. He threw his hands up.
"I HAVE SURVIVED!"
Echo answered instantly to his bellow. He was feeling giddy from all the excess oxygen that saturated his blood due to the hyperventilation, but along with it, a sense of accomplishment appeared! He stood for his life and succeeded!
He wanted to shout and scream from the excitement he felt, but at this moment, he heard a soft growl behind him...