William abandoned the comforts of his tree after 3 hours of rest. There was still some time before sundown, but the location of the last Life Vein was on the complete opposite side of the forest from his home. If he wanted to make it back before darkness, he would have to travel through the inner area, which was a death sentence.
William used his Flame Blade to harvest the claws and fangs of the previously killed Wind Wolf, which were the valuable drops of the beast according to the Guild. He didn't plan to turn in the materials yet, as it would reveal his strength to the Guild or any lurking enemies. Although they didn't seem like bad people, William knew that any person who knew his secrets could cause problems for him later.
He moved quickly. The Liffox that entered his view was insta-killed, and Wind Wolves were avoided to preserve mana. This continued for half an hour until William reached the last Life Vein and absorbed it.
After the usual string of System messages, there was an additional notification that stood out from the rest.
-All lesser Life Veins have been absorbed in this area. The forest is angry...
--Unlocked Title: +5 Potential Points
-Treasure Hunter (Rare): You've absorbed at least 5 natural treasures. Your ability to sense treasure has increased by 10%.
The forest is angry? I have a bad feeling about this... William decided it was time to leave, immediately. He tried to think of escape options. Digging underground seemed like the best idea but would mean instant death if the enemies could sense him, so Will went with the next best thing. Use his legs to run like hell.
The distance previously crossed in half an hour was covered in 15 minutes. William's improved body and his fear encouraged him to increase his speed dramatically. This was further fueled when William sensed over a hundred life signatures chasing after him, all of which were Liffox.
If this was just the first wave, William might have to run from Wind Wolves soon. He prepared a giant fireball while running and threw it behind him and didn't look back.
BOOM!
-Defeated Liffox (x7): +7 Potential Points
-Defeated Liffox (x3): +3 Potential Points
--Unlocked Title: +1 Potential Point
-Multikiller (Uncommon): Kill at least 10 enemies with the same spell or its aftereffects. +5% Area of Effect (AoE) radius.
Keep running!
"Flame Wall!" the wall was thrown out with its length extended between two trees to force the Liffox to run through it or stop.
This didn't hold them off for long, as more Liffox were coming in from the front and sides. William used regular fireballs to kill the ones in front, and Flame Wall to force the ones at the side to group with the Liffox behind.
Giant fireball!
BOOM!
-Defeated Liffox (x13): +13 Potential Points
-Defeated Liffox (x8): +8 Potential Points
Ugh I'm getting low on Mana already and I'm only halfway out of here... William wanted to thin out the group behind him, but it wasn't enough and wasted too much of his mana.
--Unlocked Title: +1 Potential Point
-Coward (Common): Crossed over 5,000 meters while running from enemies like a true coward. +5% speed when running away.
"F*ck you System! I'm trying to live here!" Even though he was angry, that 5% bonus was enough to keep William a safe distance from the strongest Liffox. He rushed out of the third Life Vein region and had only one zone remaining.
William gained some hope that he would survive this onslaught of enemies, but that hope wasn't meant to last. The Liffox faded into the distance, but over a dozen Wind Wolves replaced them. They were barely faster than William, which forced him to resort to the previous stall tactics.
Flame Wall!
Flame Wall!
Flame..Wall!
...
Hah, Flame...
William couldn't use any more spells, he was out of Mana. If he forced another spell, he would instantly pass out. He drank a Mana Regeneration potion.
A surge of Mana spread throughout his body, releasing a comfortable feeling similar to when his physique improved. His Mana recovered from nearly empty to full in under 10 seconds, instantly turning the situation with the Wind Wolves.
"Giant fireball!" He kept running.
"Giant fireball!"
"Giant fireball!"
The damage was effective. These Wind Wolves had no way to recover from their burns in a short time, causing them to stop more often. Unfortunately, none of them could be killed as the weak ones would always remain behind to recover.
Will didn't give up. He threw two more giant fireballs, then five, then ten. He killed two Wind Wolves in the process and crippled their push towards him, earning only two Potential Points each since the first kill bonus was gone. Even so, this gave William the chance to escape the Wind Wolves' pursuit and exit the Livingwood Forest.
William's Mana was almost completely spent for a second time. He was thankful that he bought Mana regeneration potions or that would have been his end. He stood still for a while and panted, catching his breath after running an absurd almost 7 kilometers. No normal person could run that fast for so long, and especially not carrying a backpack. William guessed it was because of the Mana within his body.
"Phew, I nearly died there...good thing I... oh sh*t!"
"Help! Heeeeelp!" William ran for his life toward Thin Creek Village. The Wind Wolves that previously stopped at the edge of the Livingwood Forest committed to continuing the chase. Even worse, dozens more had arrived.
William's breathing was heavy as he ran, and blisters developed on his feet even though they were quickly healed by his natural regeneration. His Mana was already gone, but the village was in sight now.
"Help! Help me!" he shouted, causing some locals to turn their heads.
An old man taking care of his plants looked over to see the young lad who carried a Liffox corpse to the Guild. The old man was a bit surprised at first but turned pale with fright when he saw the Wind Wolves behind William and hobbled to the Guild Hall.
William saw the old man enter the Guild Hall and steeled his resolve to survive until help arrived. The Wind Wolves were only a few dozen meters behind now, which could be crossed in just a few seconds at their speed.
Two Flame Walls were quickly constructed side by side, using up the rest of William's usable Mana. The Wind Wolves knew it wouldn't hurt much to run through but feared being attacked in the process by another Giant Fireball.
William continued to run as the Wind Wolves circled around the Flame Walls. He didn't want to enter the village, but if he changed directions now, there would be no hope for him.
Thankfully, this turned out to be a good choice. When the Wind Wolves tried to enter the village behind William, they crashed into a thin barrier. They snarled on the other side and attacked the barrier fearlessly, causing almost no damage. At this rate, it would take around half an hour for them to break in.
At this moment, Jenny stepped out of the Guild Hall. "William! Why are you always the source of my troubles?" she sighed. Her eyes shone with an icy blue glow, and an ice spike the size of a small car materialized and shot towards a Wind Wolf, instantly wiping away its life force.
"Jenny is the best!" a bystander cheered.
Another bystander applauded, "As expected of the strongest person in our village, Jenny is a true genius for her to be at the Core Formation Realm at such a young age."
The ice spikes continued flying out and killed the rest of the Wind Wolves in just a few seconds. Jenny still looked indifferent, and outside of her eyes changing colors, there was no other movement.