When I opened my eyes, I was back on the battlefield. The sudden bright light of the sun forced me to squint my eyes while I surveyed my surroundings. Instead of lying where I lost consciousness, my back was leaning on a tree.
Loud sounds of clashing erupted right in front of me. The entire ground was filled with numerous pools of red blood. The smell of blood overlapped everything else.
After a few seconds, I finally adjusted to the sun's brightness.
Ignis and Elizabeth were fighting the Great Wolf right in front of me. The Wolf was fighting calmly and slowly, just like a child when he finds a new toy to play with. Liam stood a few metres to my left as he shot his arrows in front.
Elizabeth and Ignis were both covered in blood. Their clothes were torn here and there, and a third of Elizabeth's spear had broken off.
"He is just playing with us!" Yelled Ignis as she tried to land a strike on the Great Wolf's leg. The Great Wolf shifted a little and clawed at Ignis with the same paw she was aiming for as if taunting her.
"Nox is awake!" Shouted Liam as he rushed to my side.
"How long was I away for?" I asked.
"Three minutes! Elizabeth woke up a few seconds after you passed out and was able to pull you away from the middle of the field while I and sis distracted the Wolf," replied Liam panting.
I was gone for only three minutes?! Think about that later!
Struggling, I got up on my tired legs with the help of Liam and the tree on which I had been leaning. Elizabeth and Ignis came rushing towards me.
"We need to run! There is no way that we will ever be able to beat that monster!" Ignis shrieked.
Her entire body had suffered cuts and slashes. Blood and sweat trickled down from her forehead.
"She is right, the Wolf is just toying with us. Luckily, we were able to keep the Wolf busy till you woke up. Let's run," said Elizabeth. Just like Ignis, cuts and bruises covered her entire body.
I looked towards the Wolf. It was standing still, maybe waiting for someone to come to it. The Wolf had no wounds except an arrow that pierced its back and the cut I had made on its foreleg. The beast was looking directly into my eyes.
Examining my sword, it was chipped at the edges, and the tip of the blade could barely be called sharp now. Elizabeth's spearhead was still sharp, although the spear's length was now less than my sword.
Even if we run, will the Wolf allow us to? Maybe it would, but most probably it won't. Although heading deep into the forest will help us fight the giant Wolf better, since it would have trouble moving among the trees, it won't be the best decision right now.
My teammates have used up all their energy fighting the Wolf. They won't be able to run fast.
Running is probably the last thing we should think of. The black and white wolves who attacked us in the beginning may still be lurking in the forest.
"Going into the forest is not the best option. Chances are, we will be attacked by other wolves, and in the state, we are in, even the average wolves will be hard to defeat," I said.
"Then what should we even do!?" asked Liam.
Fighting is the only option, isn't it?
"Hand me your spear, Elizabeth," I said, extending my hand toward Elizabeth. Without any questions, she handed me her weapon.
I slid the weapon behind my neck, under the collar of my tracksuit, and started walking toward the Wolf.
Things were different now. I now have skills!
Status!
**********
Name: Nox Mill
Age: 25
Sex: Male
HP: 220/220
Level: 3
Title: Librarian(SS), The Great Snake's protege(S)
Stat points: 6
Stats-
Strength: 31
Agility: 29
Perception: 27
Stamina: 35
Intelligence: 41
Arcane: 7/7
Status Effects:
None
Active skills:
Anatomical Liberation (Proficiency: 0%)
Weakness Sight (Proficiency: 0%)
Passive Skills:
Ability to enter The Eternal Library(Mythic)
**********
Allot three stat points to arcane!
Allot three stat points to perception!
[Arcane has increased by 3]
[Perception has increased by 3]
[Congratulations! In the tutorial, you have gained 10 arcane along with an 'A' and an 'S' rank skill and titles. An impossible achievement!]
[You have acquired the skill: Mana Manipulation]
Did I gain a new skill? The tower works in interesting ways.
Mana Manipulation!
**********
Mana Manipulation(A)
Gain the ability to sense arcane around you and use arcane in various ways.
Proficiency: 0%
**********
All of a sudden, I could see tiny particles all around me. The particles were of various colours: white, black, red, blue, brown, purple, orange and yellow. Was this the effect of 'Mana Manipulation'?
Something weird was flowing in my body like a stream. Although I could feel its flow, it wasn't possible to pinpoint its origin and terminating point. The feeling of this new power was beyond what words alone could articulate.
However, my main objective right now was to defeat the giant beast ahead of me.
The concept of skills was a very confusing one. The most confusing thing was how to activate it. Do I just think about it being activated? Or should I chant long spells? Or do I have to perform complicated hand signs?
Even though I didn't play many video games in the real world, I played a fair share. Most probably, using skills here is similar to using them in video games in the real world.
A sigh unintentionally left my body. Was I really comparing my current situation to a video game?
I kept walking at a slow pace toward the Wolf. The Wolf didn't move an inch. Maybe it was still sure of its victory.
I really hope that my deduction of how to use skills works. Taking in a deep breath, I shouted, "Anatomical Liberation!"
[The skill: Anatomical Liberation, has been activated!]
It worked! My lips curved slightly, and I barely suppressed my desire to shout out of joy as I sprinted toward the Wolf.
I had never felt so free before! My body felt a lot lighter and more fluid. It was as if some of my joint bones ceased to exist.
The Wolf was slightly taken aback by my sudden shout and increase in speed. It finally got up on all fours and sprinted towards me.
I rushed toward the Wolf at full speed and readied my sword. The Wolf lunged at me and swiped its claws at my shoulder. As if it was normal, I somehow dislocated my glenohumeral joint in an instant.
{A/N: For all my readers who don't know and are too lazy to look it up on the internet: the glenohumeral joint is another name for the shoulder joint.}
My entire arm fell down, making the Wolf miss its attack. The Wolf landed on the ground.
Not giving it any time to recover after it lunged at me, I quickly closed the distance between us. Somehow, involuntarily, my glenohumeral joint came back to its original place.
The feeling was bizarre.
I slashed my sword at the Wolf, managing to inflict a deep wound on its hip. Probably, surprised by my sudden increase in power, the Wolf jumped backwards, staring at me intently with its lava-like eyes.
I need to finish this battle fast. It has been around 2 minutes since I started the fight. About 6 arcane must have been spent by now.
The Great Wolf suddenly disappeared in front of my eyes. This was just like that time it suddenly got beside Elizabeth!
Peering my eyes open for traces of the beast, I carefully surveyed my surroundings. Nothing! It left no traces behind.
I looked at my exhausted teammates. Their eyes mostly displayed shock, with little tinges of fear. It was an understandable reaction.
Suddenly, I heard a breathing sound behind me. Before I could react, sharp dagger-like objects scratched my back, forcing me to lose my balance and fall to my knees.
SHIT! The Wolf somehow managed to get behind me! The pain was unbearable! It was as if a ragged blade slashed my back.
I could feel that pieces of my flesh were also torn away along with my tracksuit due to the attack. Is this how medieval torture felt!?
With its paw, the Wolf swiped at me, making me fly sidewards, crashing into a tree. The Wolf then howled. It was the same ear-tearing howl that made me lose my conscience before!
Even after gaining skills, will I still lose!? Should we have run when we had the chance? Will my teammates perish? Why did things turn out this way!?
No! I will not let this end with my death! I will not let this end with our death! I will win!!
I stood up on my own two shaky legs. The Wolf had stopped its howling by now.
I need to check how much arcane I have left. Maybe this will not work, but at least I should try.
Arcane!
[Arcane: 3/10]
I don't have many chances or much time! The Wolf had stopped howling by now.
"Weakness sight!" I shouted at the top of my lungs.
[The skill: Weakness Sight, has been activated!]
The Wolf only had one weakness. The area between its eyes and above its horn, most probably where its brain was located.
My sword had lost most of its sharpness, but I could still use it.
Inhaling a volume of air I didn't think was possible, I sprinted towards the Wolf at full speed.
My legs were screaming to stop and take some rest, and my head was on the verge of splitting open and decorating the ground with my scattered brain.
I need to end this in one fell swoop. It's the only chance I will get!
The Wolf did something that looked like a scoff and walked toward me. Its walk was filled with pride and confidence. Little did it know that its overconfidence would be the reason for its demise.
I took to the air, and so did the beast. The Wolf leapt a lot higher than I did. While we were still floating above the ground, the Wolf tried to slash at my head with its ferocious claws.
With an almost inhumane movement of dislocating my elbow, I pierced the Wolf's paw with my sword. The Wolf shrieked in pain.
Using the sword buried deep in the beast's paw, I flung myself upward and grabbed the horn of the unwary Wolf.
I swung my entire body upwards with my hand which was grabbing the monster's horn, and seated myself on its back. The Wolf finally landed on the ground.
Not wasting an instant more, I took out the spear from behind my neck. Gripping it tightly with both my hands, I thrust it into its weak spot. I drove the spear inside the beast's head with all my power.
Driving the spear into its skull was more challenging than I had imagined.
"Die!" I yelled continuously as I felt my spear slowly piercing Wolf's weak spot.
I jumped in front of the beast while still tightly gripping the spear. Doing so helped drive the spear in with my entire body weight.
Finally, after what seemed to be days of screaming random things, the spear tore through the Wolf's head and came out from under its chin.
I fell to the ground along with the giant monster. The monster's lifeless eyes stared at me, and I stared back. Slowly, my eyelids closed, and only darkness was left to accompany me.
Was it finally over?