*CLANG*
*CLANG*
It has been half an hour since the battle between fox and Viswa started. And they are still clashing at the moment.
Viswa is panting heavily. His arms are numb and he could feel his legs shaking a bit. He is almost out of energy. Even though he could fight for hours in a normal scenario and he trained for hours straight on a normal day, right now he felt exhausted.
The energy he has to use to block and defend against the fox's attacks was way too much for him.
And only now did Viswa understand that the fox is playing the same game Viswa played with the boar.
It is trying to make Viswa exhaust himself and struggle more. Once that thought came to mind, Viswa understood that there is no easy way out of him. He cannot kill this fox no matter what. Even if he risked it all, it would end up in a draw with him being injured severely.
So, he made a decision.
Escape. He hurriedly dashed to the side to where the bones and the meat he collected from the Boar were placed. The fox leaped towards him. Viswa barely dodged the attack before he caught a hold of his bag and the two fangs of the Boar.
He stood up and looked into the forest. He picked the direction where the trees are densest and didn't hesitate to run.
The fox understood that Viswa is not going to fight anymore and it is not ready to let all of its energy go to waste. It ran after him into the forest. Viswa looked around hurriedly and soon his eyes landed on an abnormally tall tree.
He decisively ran towards it while the fox is catching up and reducing the distance between them. He gathered spiritual energy under his feet and jumped up to catch the branch.
The fox also jumped at the time and in mid-air Viswa was unable to dodge in time.
*SLASH*
The claw landed squared on his back and blood spurted.
"Argh.."
Viswa felt like the soul has left his body for a moment.
Blood dripped down his back, but luckily, he still managed to catch a hold of the branch with his hand. But the knife fell down in process. He pulled himself up hurriedly and jumped up once again to catch a higher branch.
The fox looked at Viswa growled in dissatisfaction.
It leaped forward and slashed at the tree. A huge chunk of that trunk was destroyed before cracks appeared in the remaining portion. Viswa knew that this would happen. He didn't dare wait anymore and jumped on to a different tree branch.
He was not completely confident when he jumped to the other tree. He didn't have much of a parjour experience. He is okay at best and he hadn't those feats in forests like these.
He could only count on his new found abilities and attributes to jump forward. He hurriedly jumped from one tree to another as he tried to cover as much distance as possible.
But the fox didn't have the same speed this time.
The tree trunks didn't give the same freedom as the branches. Even with its high agility it is impossible for the fox to move as fast as Viswa.
Viswa bled crazily and his shirt is completely soaked. But he didn't stop to rest. He used all his remaining energy to create as much distance as possible in the next ten minutes.
Only then did he dare to rest.
He hurriedly took off the shirt. He snapped a branch nearby and tied the shirt to it before throwing it away deep into the forest. He is sure that the reason the fox easily spotted him is because of the smell of blood.
He decided to get rid of the blood soaked shirt as soon as possible. After that, he got off the tree and set up a camp once again. He couldn't stop the bleeding normal way. So, he could only think of accelerating his recovery speed with the pills and cultivation.
He went into a deep meditative state.
He could feel the spiritual energy penetrating his body and filling him up swiftly. The bleeding stopped and he went into deep rest.
Back in the Academy.
By now, Viswa's escapade to the forest is a hot news not just among the students of Circle 1 or the instructions. Rather, the other circle students were also interested. Everyone is curious on when he would return.
Among them, there is a certain group of people that were more interested than others.
The ten Circle 1 students that were left behind from the previous years.
The current top ten circle 1 students.
At this moment, all of them are holding a meeting.
"All of us know why we are here right? What do you guys think about that Viswa?" One of them asked the rest.
"He is definitely a wild card. No one has this many duels in such a short time. In fact more than seventy percent of people won't even have that many duels over a year. But he went through them in the first week."
"Of course, you are right. But it is not without any repercussions. He pissed off so many noble kids and just look at this year's freshmen. This batch is full of big shots. If you pick a guy at random, there is a high chance of him being connected to at least one noble family. Even if it is in an indirect way."
"Yeah, I kind of feel like there are some opportunities here." A guy who was silent since the start suddenly spoke up.
Everyone turned to look at him. He is the current rank 1 in the circle 1. His name is Kuma.
"What do you mean Kuma?"
"I met someone and talked to them about this Viswa and the special situation.
As you guys know, there is little left for our future. I have been in circle 1 for two years. This is my third. For a lot of you, it is a similar situation.
All we can do with our strength is wait for another year or two, and when a new batch comes to Circle 1, we would be ranked on top. We will get a very short time where we could some extra resources/ But even with all that, we cannot really progress much.
Even if by any chance we get promoted to Circle 2, you know that we will not amount to much."
"I mean, its harsh. But it is true."
"So, what I am thinking is let's try to take advantage of the current situation. The nobles are humiliated beyond their wildest imaginations. They are grinding their teeth even in their sleep.
They wouldn't be able to hold on this pressure for long. Their egos are razing.
Even if they want to make a move, they are limited by their strength and the situation.
That is where we come in."
"Please don't tell me you are saying what I think you are saying."
"That is exactly what I am trying to say. We are the only ones that are allowed to enter circle 2 at the moment. Even the gatekeepers and hidden guards won't be able to stop us because our actions are well within the rules.
We can put Viswa's head for sale. We would be able to get a lot of money or we could just ask for a stable job within their territories. We could settle our lives easily."
Kuma said with a calm expression.
The room turned silent.
They are not idiots. They understood that Kuma's plan indeed has such a possibility and it is very likely to succeed. But they are a bit worried. It is no secret that Viswa has connected with the main founding ancestor wall in the legacy mountain temple.
Even though he doesn't have an instructor at the moment, they are still worried. Everyone thought that the headmaster doesn't like Viswa anymore.
But they don't know how true it is.
They don't want to make a mistake that would end their lives.
"Just think about it. I am not saying we should do it. But there is a possibility for us to explore and it might be a loss if we don't dare to take it."
With that everyone dispersed.
Time passed it is night.
The Circle 1 rankers are all thinking about the discussion they had. It is indeed very tempting for them.
Erin after a long time is sleeping in his own bed in his own room. There is even a peaceful smile on his face. The Student union president who is in his office got a document showing the activities of all the noble kids.
"The noble kids are extremely arrogant and hot headed. They might try to find a way to deal with him in the current situation. We need to make sure that it doesn't happen.
Keep an eye out for the low level instructors as well. If anyone comes to approval for entering the forest, hold it. Don't approve it immediately. We will inquire and get more details before moving it forward."
He passed down orders to his student union members as he looked at the clear night sky while feeling the breeze.
At this moment, inside the forest.
Viswa rested well.
He is currently cooking the boar meat on a fire.
He could hear the sounds of insects and some howls and growls of wild animals deep into the forest.
After finishing his meal, he could feel that his body is full of spiritual energy. His stats improved a bit. He then walked around for a while and picked up a couple of stones. From within his bag, he picked up a small abrasive stone and started grinding the stones and the fangs of the Boar.
The first day in the forest is very eventful. Even though he is tempted, he didn't dare to go and fight at night. He is just waiting for the next day excitedly.