"AAAAAAHHHHHHH FUCK THIS FOREST!!!!" Alex screamed out and blasted another tree into oblivion.
He had been searching for hours each day only to come up with nothing. Although there were a lot of 1st and 2nd Ring monsters, the evolution rate of monsters quickly dropped off. As the monsters became sentient, they began avoiding human interaction since they could tell that when humans worked together, they could overpower them.
They no longer fought on instinct alone.
Humans also had way more skills available to them than beasts ever could. The beasts of the Ether forest were strong and kept to themselves so Alex had only seen one other 3rd Ring which he avoided a confrontation with.
He didn't want to fight something unless he needed to and he had never fought against a 3rd Ring creature before. The max he was able to really defend against was a 3rd Ring when Alan tested him. Even then he could only defend or flee possibly so this would be a difficult fight.
He may have grown a lot, but he still didn't feel ready.
Unfortunately, he wouldn't be able to tell if he grew at all if he never got to fight a 3rd Ring! It was tiring to just search and search all day long and this 3rd Ring beast had extended his trip way longer than he wanted.
It was already about a week that he had just been searching for this mysterious creature yet there was no sign of it. He had studied the monster encyclopedia that Alan got him but conveniently this creature had very little info on it. It was only known to look like a large lizard with spines along its back and limbs while it could turn its prey to stone when their eyes met.
It wasn't known whether this was a skill or innate ability of the creature which only made it more dangerous. Some hypothesized it was a branch of hydras and could breathe out poisonous gas or turn invisible like a chameleon but it was just speculation.
When it got dark, he left the 3rd Ring area he searched and found hardly any creatures around. It was eerily quiet and it only made him more on edge. He hadn't been sleeping well the past few nights due to this and it was affecting his mentality.
With bags under his eyes, he laid back down in this base where his tent hammock was set up and laid down looking up into the canopy. The place he chose had just enough light coming through so that he could see portions of the moon and a few stars.
His eyelids kept moving as he fought to stay awake. His mind didn't feel tired but his body definitely was after all the abuse it had taken. Eventually, he closed his eyes and let sleep take over.
A few kilometers away, a thing watched the young man fall asleep from a tree. The tree bark began to shift until it "flew off" but the bark seemed to still be there. A strange mass of bark-like material moved through the trees as the bark slowly looked like leaves or small branches, constantly shifting around making one unsure if they were seeing things.
The foliage got close, only a few dozen meters away from the young man and two pairs of glowing eyes appeared through the strange bark and leaves that made up its body. It moved once more until it was directly above the young man with its yellow eyes staring into his soul.
Slowly, the strange mass of bark and leaves went away to reveal a leathery green skin that still blended in well with its surroundings. The dark of the night served to help keep it hidden unless one focused carefully and the leathery skin parted to reveal several rows of razor-sharp teeth.
The teeth interlocked perfectly and drool pooled on the lip of the creature that watched its prey. The creature closed its mouth to swallow its saliva but a tiny drop managed to escape its lips and fall directly onto its prey.
Alex who was sleeping felt something wet hit him and he slowly stirred. He ended up opening his eyes slightly to look at the night sky, only for two yellow orbs to be in its place. Alex had to rub his eyes a few times to get rid of the sleep and his hallucination but his eyes burned a bit so he rubbed longer.
He became concerned when the burning didn't go away in his right eye and he ended up scratching something he shouldn't have. Something crumbled off his eye and landed in his hand and when he looked at it, a piece of stone with a bit of blood was in his palm.
His heart rate quickened as blood came out of his cornea and he lost sight in that eye. Following this, he ignored the pain while hearing a low hissing growl from above. He felt another drip of saliva hit his shirt and the material began to melt slowly.
He didn't dare look above him again and focused his other senses to the max to hear where it was. The quiet scraping of claws against bark rang in his ears as the creature flicked its giant fork tongue in his direction. Its yellow eyes blinked its second eyelid which allowed it to still look ahead as it slowly came toward its prey.
Alex slowly got to his feet and got his weapons out silently. One thing the monster encyclopedia did mention, was that Basilisks and Gorgons alike were ironically blind! Even if the monster's eyes were directed in his direction, he was finding him through sound and smell.
The beast could also only get a general direction unless it was very close, which it was.
'How the hell did this beast stalk me so well?!' Alex was shocked that he never noticed this creature in the area.
He was unsure just how long it had been following him from a distance, but it was at least a few days. Heck, Alex's paranoia made him think it was possible to be followed ever since he first came to the forest!
His exhaustion was hitting an all-time high and he had a feeling this creature was waiting for this. It was much smarter than Alex thought since cognitive abilities can't really be measured in this world. Plus as an ex-Earthling, he never really believed a monster could make accurate decisions like humans.
When he got himself together slowly, he looked around him and tried to find a good spot to go to. This would be an incredibly difficult fight and he had a feeling this creature was fast! To be able to keep up with him all the time it at least had to be as fast as him.
The creature opened its mouth wider allowing a much louder hissing growl to come out and Alex moved from his spot after sensing intense danger! Alex dashed to a nearby tree to find his bed and the entire tree, in fact, was toppled over covered in a dark green liquid that quickly rotted the plant life it came in contact with.
Alex widened his eyes and didn't look back and just ran for his life! He also got down from the trees since the Basilisk was even faster among the leaves. Even when he looked back, he couldn't see anything but the air moving slightly.
Now having an invisible enemy terrified him. He struggled to get used to using one eye and was now handicapped without having a sense of distance. He tripped on roots several times and even hit a tree but didn't stop moving.
He wove between the trunks of trees, only for the tree he just went by to melt in an instant. He heard the sound of hissing and a creature hacking up a lung before a glop of death would be hurled in his direction.
Several times the strange liquid would splash onto him in small bits, burning through his clothes and leaving horrible boils on his skin. He gritted his teeth and decided it was time to fight back. He wasn't in a situation like with Alan who was way above his strength, while this poisonous lizard was right around as strong as him.
He could do this, he had to or his story would end here. With a strong stomp on the earth, he launched himself into the air to create space as the monster chased. Alex unraveled his Kusarigama off of his waist and spun around to allow his weapon to pick up imaginable speed before he threw the blade end at the airborne creature.
The creature sensed danger once it left the ground and quickly spun its body strangely as well, only receiving a small scratch on his leathery skin. No blood was drawn so it attacked again with a giant glob of poisonous liquid at its "trapped" prey.
Alex had already spun the sickle end around a tree and swung himself just barely out of range as the hair on his head got singed. Losing its prey for a moment, the creature stuck to the side of a tree for a second before it flicked its tongue.
It snapped its head in Alex's direction who was running away again to gain distance. They played cat and mouse as Alex slowly built up wounds while the Basilisk only received small cuts mostly.
Alex moved as fast as he could, dodging his pursuer's poisonous attacks and dealing his own. The most damage he managed to do was just a 1-inch stab in its leg. It wasn't nearly enough to stop the creature while he was covered in many boils and patches of skin turned to stone.
This fucking creature not only had a natural ability to turn its prey to stone if they made eye contact, but it also had a skill to shoot out a beam that turned its prey to stone! How the fuck was that fair?!
It only got worse for Alex when he felt death loom from both his back and his front! He couldn't even react when a giant fist came at him and hit his right shoulder, shattering bones and sending pieces of his flesh flying.
"HAHAHA!! You fucker! I finally found your pathetic ass! You can't run away from Don the Skullcrusher forever! HAHAHAHA!!!"
A bald man covered in dirt and grime from having been stuck surviving in this damned forest for almost a month laughed maniacally after catching his prey. He used his old knowledge to keep himself alive but it was a struggle. He was hungry and tired, and he found that it would be impossible to find one person in such a vast expanse of forest.
He was lucky to have come across one of the many carcasses that were used as bait and managed to use his half-baked tracking skills to catch a lead on Alex. The reason he hadn't found him was that he was moving through the trees!
Don hadn't even thought of that because... well... he didn't think at all!
He only planned to enter, kill, and leave, yet this "assassination" didn't go as he hoped. Like lots of things did. The Basilisk hissed loudly at this competitor and sprayed little bits of greenish liquid in its surroundings.
Don narrowed his eyes since this was now a complicated scenario. He avoided its eyes slightly and just looked at the creature's feet. He had met a Basilisk before and it killed some of his mates. It was deadly and unknown and was extremely good at stalking prey.
He and his late friends didn't even know what hit them and could only run and find out later what happened when they went back to their camp several days later to analyze the bodies.
He then looked to his kill target who was up against a slightly smashed-in tree and was covered in blood. Alex was barely conscious and he couldn't feel his right arm anymore. His neck also hurt to move.
His shoulder and collar bone were definitely shattered and the broken pieces were exposed. He struggled to breathe after the wind got knocked out of him and several of his boils ended up bursting in his wound, only making it worse.
"Hahaha! You look pathetic!! I can't wait to tell that bitch all about your last moments!!" Don yelled out loud making Alex tremble.
Did someone want him dead? Did he hear that right? Although lots of people hated him, it wasn't to the point of sending someone after him!
'No... I can't be...' Alex had a wild thought and raised his slightly mangled left hand to his face and he looked at the ground in shock. He just couldn't believe his thoughts and he completely forgot that he was now at the mercy of two 3rd Ring existences.
Don cackled again at his despair and launched himself toward Alex. His fists glowed a deep red and increased in size looking quite comical. He pulled a fist back just as he was getting close before he widened his eyes and turned in midair while blocking with his arms in front of him.
*BANG!!*
Don went flying into the distance and felt his arms burn horribly. Massive boils formed after taking a direct hit and he couldn't help but scream in pain. Even if he was a 3rd Ring, there was a difference between human and beast 3rd Rings. He may have the power to fight against them, but it didn't mean he was as tough as them.
That poisonous blast melted his skin down to the bones and his rage was enormous. How dare some mangy beast hurt him like this!
"Stupid fucking beast! I'll kill you!" Don quickly got up off the melting grass and launched himself to the Basilisk that had already come up to Alex to try and take a bite of him.
Alex was unable to move but the 3rd Rings began fighting among themselves for his blood.
"He's my prey bitch!" Don yelled as his hands grew in size and turned red again.
The Basilisk flicked its tongue again before it opened its eyes and shot out a beam of pale yellow light. Don's body trembled and he instinctively shifted his body to only get hit on the side by the beam.
His left ribs began turning to stone and he felt his torso stiffen. He gritted his teeth and kept moving despite his stone skin cracking and crumbling. His skin tore off turning into a bloody mess after the beam penetrated his clothes magically.
Two simple-minded creatures charged head-on as their red fist and claw collided violently.
*BOOOOOOOMMMMMMMM!!!!!!*